Counting to 100

We play lots of math learning games with Luke. He participates with Elijah on a lot of his Saxon 1 lessons, but I know he has gaps in some of his math skills due to jumping ahead with Elijah. I've been trying to fill those gaps and one approach that I take with him (and with all the boys for that matter) is to challenge them to "beat" mom or steal all my pieces, cards, etc. away from me by getting the correct answer.

On this particular day, I was using our Abeka Numbers Flashcards (0-200). I gave Luke the cards in sets of 10 and scrambled them to see if he could place them back in the correct order. Then we recited the numbers together as we gathered them up to put away. At first he was reluctant, but after the first few sets and my overly dramatic response to him correctly ordering the numbers, he was hooked. I very much enjoyed his somewhat fake sounding, loud laughter as he watched me check his work with disbelief and shock on my face. I also love the fact that he covers his mouth and starts giggling as I started heading toward him. What a sweet (and very smart) boy!!!

Dog House

The boys had the opportunity to paint bobble head dogs at their Keepers of the Faith program at church this past Sunday (yesterday). Their fascination with the dogs has lead to dreams of dog houses, dog names, dog toys, dog house accessories, etc. I decided to help them create a dog house and count this as our art project for the week. We used a cardboard box and cut and taped to the shape we wanted, then set up for painting. If you look closely, you can see their dogs sitting at the table patiently waiting for their new home to be created and decorated.

We created a removable portion of the roof so they could add more toys and "food" for the dogs as needed without reach into the doorway. They decided that the removable roof was also a great idea for sunny days so the dogs would not have to sit in the dark but could still be protected from the rain on wet days.

Luke's dog is named Spot.

Elijah's dog is named Jeffrey Digger.

Here's the finished dog house with Isaac and his special Ruff-ruff (aka dirty dog - he was seriously chewed on and loved and has turned a lovely shade of browny grey instead of the shiny grey of his original coat). Maybe we'll have to do a little unit on dogs or atleast read some great doggie stories!

Geography

As part of our weekly lessons, I have the boys engage in geography studies. With our history curriculum The Story of the World, we are learning ancient geography, but I wanted to add continents, US geography, and current world geography. I use a variety of learning tools - a laminated place mat with continents on one side and a US map on the opposite side, state flashcards, a world geography flip chart, a US floor puzzle and our globe. We recently ordered two books by Rand McNally that the boys really enjoy looking through. Some of the information is above their grade level and reading ability, but the simple facts are listed on each page about that state or country - pictures of the flag, bird, flower, tree, etc. as well as a listing of the capital, population, highest points, area, etc. I can always read the other information to them and the boys will not outgrow these atlas' for quite a while.

Looking through the Rand McNally Children's Illustrated Atlas of the United States. Elijah typically reads (or tries to read) the state's name and they look at the state flag, bird, tree and flower, then move on to the next page.

Here is the globe that we own. It is a GeoSafari Talking Globe Jr. that gives facts and information. The boys can then play games quizzing their memory and knowledge of facts just learned. I found it for a steal a few years back at almost half price...it is pricey. But, my boys really enjoy it.