Grass Head

My friend, Jill and I, taught a preschool class at our local homeschool co-op this spring using everyday things you'd have around your house. Our last project was making grass heads. We used a knee-high stocking, potting soil, grass seed, google eyes and hot glue to assemble this funny project. Isaac has really enjoyed watching the "hair" sprout on his grass head. Our intention was for the grass to only sprout on the top like a mohawk, but since Isaac thinks he is David (as in David and Goliath) the filled knee-high made a perfectly weighted sling shot therefore mixing the grass seed throughout the sock growing whiskers and back hair, too! I was able to make grass heads with my older boys as well and we're just beginning to see the grass sprout...a great hands-on activity to go with our plant and seed studies for science.

Herkimer Diamond Mines

Mike took Elijah and Luke to the Herkimer Diamond Mines to experience the fun of rock collecting. Mike's brother, Kris, an avid rock collector, met them at the mines to search with them for the day. The boys have a great rock collection consisting of random rocks they've found around our yard, people's driveways, etc. Uncle Kris would likely call most of their collection "leaverights" as in "Leave 'er right there." But to young boys sometimes it's not the quality, but the quantity, color and shape that matter most. After getting the hang of spotting the "diamonds" (actually, they are quartz crystals), the boys were on a roll, working very hard all day long. In fact, after spending 6 hours of searching, pounding, climbing and retrieving, they did not want to leave for home.

Daddy and the boys on the rock pile where they searched all day...with blue Gatorade stains around their mouths!

A diamond still intact in the rock

The diamonds they were able to free from the rocks. A valuable and treasured addition to their rock collection! This trip was a great way to whet their appetites for our study of Earth Science planned for the fall.

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!!!

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.

How Your Body Works

In our science studies, we've been using Christian Kids Explore Biology by Stephanie Redmond. I appreciate how the author weaves our Christian faith into every lesson. As a Christian, is there really any other way to talk about the awesome creation around us without talking about God, our creator??? We've just begun our study of the human body. Of course, we have our Human Body Flip Chart mentioned in a previous post that will be a favorite around here for years.

Two books we've found useful and right on my boy's level are The Busy Body Book: A Kid's Guide to Fitness by Lizzy Rockwell






The Best Book of the Human Body by Barbara Taylor. I delight in seeing my boy's faces as they discover new things about how our bodies are made...206 bones???!!! They just couldn't get over it...so we had to count to 206!





I came across a website the boys loved playing around with called How The Body Works. There are movies to view about each body system and body parts/organs, where each part is located in the body, activities, quizzes and articles to read among other helpful information related to health. After showing the boys how to maneuver the site, they mostly watched videos as some of the information was above their grade level.

The timing is great for this topic in our house as the boys are questioning more about our baby due in July. Luke was surprised to know that the baby is "naked" right now and will NOT be born fully dressed. Ha, ha! What a neat way to bring real life to school studies!

The Uterus

This flip chart has been a favorite the last few weeks upon rediscovery of the page on Reproduction and Pregnancy. I've begun telling the boys more specific details about the baby and my body in response to their questions. The best question so far, because we say that Mama has a baby in her tummy, is about whether the baby is mixed in my tummy with all the food I eat. I explained that the baby is actually in my uterus or womb separate from my stomach and food. Now, every few days, particularly when I'm wearing a snug shirt, Elijah comes up to me and puts his hand on my growing tummy and says, "I know our baby is growing because I can see your uterus." Ha!


I'm just waiting for the BIG question that I know will come..."How does the baby get out???" In the past, I've answered that there is a special opening on a Mama's body for their babies to be born. I think they'll want a more specific location this time...and if Elijah can read the chart he may figure it out on his own!

A New Reader

Friday was a momentous day in our home! After practicing his phonics sounds, Luke asked me to quiz him on how to spell words like I do with Elijah. So we started out with CAT, HAD, PEN, SUN, BUS, etc. and with some help making each letter sound, Luke did a fabulous job! Once we were on a roll, Elijah joined in to help teach Luke by writing words on our white board and reviewing more phonics sounds. Then, Luke read his first book!!! We have the first set of BOB Books which are great phonetic readers. I can't describe how proud Luke was of his accomplishment. He read and re-read the first two books and now has them memorized. I am amazed at how much Luke picks up by participating with Elijah during our school day. It's wonderful to see the two of them helping and encouraging one another. Way to go, Luke!

Spelled to Order

I'm always on the look out for new manipulatives to use with the boys and even though I have several letter type manipulatives, I couldn't pass up these inexpensive new "toys." I found them at the Dollar General for $1 per package. Each package contains 31 magnetic letters which includes an extra set of vowels. I appreciate that the vowels are distinguished by their red color making it easier for my 4 year old to find as he is learning short vowel sounds. I purchased 5 sets to have plenty of letters to share. My mancubs helped me punch out the letters from the sheets and immediately began playing.



After spelling his name, Luke ran over the the fridge and grabbed a few "foods" from our Vtech ABC Food Fun fridge magnet set. He set to work spelling some words.


Elijah, on the other hand, chose his words a little more carefully, being the hungry and growing boy that he is recently. After spelling his words, he asked me to come over and see what he wanted for breakfast. Easy enough to oblige!

These letters appear to be another inexpensive learning tool that will find many hours of enjoyment in our home.

School Day Sampler

Here's a glimpse at part of our school day and schedule minus lots of pictures. I would like to do a blog post on "A Day In The Life..." at some point, but this post is really just about schooling my mancubs.

8:15AM - 8:45AM: Breakfast and Bible time. We're reading through Exodus now - we recently started there because we are learning about Egypt (the ancient world) in our history class using The Story of the World materials. We are memorizing the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20. Yummm...made from scratch pancakes - I've got a great recipe if you need one - and NYS maple syrup! We finished the bottle and it's a sad day other than the fact that I don't have that massive bottle clogging up my fridge space. But back to school...

9:00AM: Everyone is dressed, fed and ready to begin. I give Elijah a run down of what we need to accomplish that day and he chooses the first subject. See my lesson planner (3 ring binder) leaning against the wall behind Eli's chair. That is it's permanent home. On this day, I choose Spelling first and Luke wanted to work on his handwriting.

9:15AM: Practicing those spelling words before the test tomorrow. I like to use manipulatives with the boys to break up the monotony of always writing or using flashcards, etc. Old metal cookie sheets serve as our magnetic boards.

9:30AM: Still playing with the letters. Eli works on spelling words, Luke spells his name, Isaac throws them.

9:45AM - 10:00AM: Break, do morning chores (gathering garbage and dirty laundry), play Legos while mama sorts and starts a load of laundry.

10:00AM - 10:30AM: Elijah's first choice almost 100% of the time - Math - we're learning calendar facts, weather graphing, doubles addition, writing number sentences, more and some more stories, getting tired of counting to 100...so we skip that most days!

10:30AM - 10:40AM: Practicing our other Bible memory verses for Christian Education at church. Elijah is so blessed to have his mama and daddy as school teachers and CE teachers...at least we can say for sure what he is learning!!! We're working on Romans 3:23-24.

10:40AM - 11:00AM: Break to be wild and crazy while mama does something...probably laundry...

11:00AM - 11:30AM: Phonics lesson using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, Grammar lesson using First Language Lessons.

11:30AM - 12:00AM: Mom disappears on account of the laundry monster while the mancubs ascend to the second floor to build forts in their bunk beds and pretend there is a fire everywhere but on their beds...yes, there is loud shrieking and screaming, cries for "HELP!" and warnings of "FIRE" that can be heard all the way down in the basement. I'm praying the neighbors don't hear us...

12:00PM: TV time...A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and The Mayflower Voyagers (another Charlie Brown story) have been the recent favorites.

12:45 - 1:15PM: Lunch consisting of yummy leftover pasta with basil pesto and veggies...for mama...while the mancubs plead for something "better." Okay, flour tortillas with peanut butter and raisins, peas, more raisins and milk. Sweet smiles asking to have a "picnic lunch" as we like to call it meaning that I lay a blanket on the living room floor so they can watch TV while they eat. I probably do it more than I should. More TV...A Charlie Brown Christmas. Can you tell we just bought two new movies?

1:15PM - 2:15PM: I can't remember...I'm amazed that I remember this much so far...definitely more playing and probably folding laundry now on my bed. I've found that if I fold it on my bed, it doesn't get "stuck" in laundry baskets lining the walls of my room to be picked through as needed. I can't go to sleep with piles of clothes on my bed forcing me to take care of them.

2:15PM - 4:45PM: Isaac goes for his nap

2:30PM - 3:30PM: Science, our last subject for the day loosely following Christian Kids Explore Biology. We're studying birds right now and on this day, owls. We read lots of non-fiction books borrowed from our awesome library system. The boys fill out an animal fact sheet for each animal we learn about and then draw a picture of that animal. Facts might include - Does it fly? Does it have a backbone? What does it eat? Is it endangered? These questions and idea for the fact sheet were pulled from a book I reference frequently, The Well Trained Mind. In addition to our animal study this day, we were able to include our "artist of the month" study as well. John James Audubon is well known for his life like animal drawings, especially of birds, so he was an obvious choice for this month's artist.

3:30PM: Done with school stuff for today until Daddy comes home...so the boys and I each do our own thing for a while...dinner prep, sitting around for a few minutes, checking emails, playing, etc.

7:00PM - 7:20PM: Elijah does his independent reading time with Daddy looking over his shoulder to help with harder words...and to make sure he is really reading and not just guessing the story line based on the pictures...

7:30PM: Family read aloud time...we're reading Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski. I like that I can make up a southern accent to read it, Luke just loves strawberries, Isaac pays attention when I show a picture and Elijah keeps asking why they talk that way...it's a little slow go with this one, but we press on.

11:00PM: Mama finally hits the sack knowing that tomorrow will be just as busy yet content and confident there isn't any other alternative as beneficial and rewarding for our family.

Pattern Blocks

Elijah is learning new shape names with wooden pattern blocks (trapezoid, parallelogram, hexagon). The boys love to play with these manipulatives using a pattern block activity book. The books contain everyday, well-known black and white pictures of items (toothbrush, dog, gift, candle, etc) with the outlines of each block to be used to complete the picture. Advanced pages allow you to figure out which pattern blocks to use without the outline clues.

Do you know your shapes???

Elijah creating a "free-form" design...this is really his favorite way to play.


Chaos ensues in the living room during Math on this day...and on most days!

Pretzel Letters

Left to their own devises for a bit, eating an afternoon snack of stick pretzels and apples, Luke comes running to me saying, "Mom, come see what I did!" Debating whether his tone implied a good or bad event, I was thrilled to see they'd spelled their names with the pretzels. Luke has really taken to writing his letters and numbers recently and spends as much time as Elijah practicing. I love to make learning a part of our normal daily life...it comes naturally to use these moments to teach or reinforce a concept and it's fun! How awesome to see the boys picking up the idea on their own!

Scrabble Spelling

Every once in a while we pull out our Scrabble board and spell random words, whatever the boys think of (and that we have enough tiles for spelling...). We don't actually play the game by the rules, but here's what they came up with yesterday...mostly Elijah's words. This is what makes learning and schooling fun and exciting!

Chunky Notebooks

Traveling to Iowa was a pleasant experience overall. We listened to several stories on tape, read all our books - many several times over - the boys never tire of the Berenstain Bears, colored lots of pages, drew many pictures, watched lots of TV and ate, ate, ate. I was pleased that the boys really enjoyed their geography folders and hopefully learned some things along the way. It was neat to see Elijah pick out the individual states we were traveling through on his own.

The funny thing was that everyone's favorite activity didn't happen until the end of our first travel day on the way home. It started by Eli asking me to draw a picture for him in his chunky notebook, which I did, but then told him I'd write a secret note as well. Sneaking in some reading and writing time - he, he! There really was no rhyme or reason to the types of things I was writing, but challenging enough that Eli needed to think a bit. Here's a sampling of some of my favorite notes and (Eli's responses). "I do not know if I have a favorite color. Do you have a favorite color?" (blue) "I am thirty-one years old. How old are you?" (five and 5) "I have three or four favorite friends. Do you have a best friend?" (Luke Farwell). "I like to eat and drink lots of food. What things do you like best?" (milk and blue bares aka blueberries) "I miss our home. What do you miss most about our home?" (my bed). I mostly drew pictures for Luke and Isaac in their own chunky notebooks. The second morning of travel toward home, Elijah was practically begging me to sit in the back with them to write notes! I love chunky notebooks! I'm so thankful for fun and pleasant memories!

Isaac enjoys listening to kiddo music and The Berenstain Bears audio stories. He much preferred to hold the headphones rather than rest them on his head. Dirty Dog obviously enjoyed the stories, too!

Elijah working hard!

Luke searching for hidden objects in his Highlights Search and Find coloring book.