A friend found this article that intrigued me. So I thought I'd share...
http://educationrevolution.stores.yahoo.net/iquit.html
It kind of echo's the sentiments of why many homeschool!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Still sidetracked.
But its always nice to find in the media (online) that your county is suffering a nasty outbreak of "Whooping Cough!" and there are fears that people have been under vaccinated!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Bad Blogger
I've been a really bad blogger here for a long time. Sorry diligent readers!
For the most part, we've been caught up in the Humdrum of getting it all done, and moving on to more exciting and fun things. We're about 2 weeks behind where we should be for the time of the year. M doesn't want to school on her birthday - so we're adding in a couple hours to our weekend and our week days here and there to get caught up.... slowly we're getti
ng there.
I'm doing okay withM (7) and getting her stuff done, it's boring but we're getting there... I am trying to spruce up some of her lessons with different Brownie Badges or activities to fit it all together.... like this week we're working on a Sound unit and will tie it up by finishing her sounds of Music Brownie try it kit ... from making friends - mini Badge in a Bag program. Seemed a good fit. We also got to use the the tin can and string telephone that we made at Brownies to show how vibration makes sound travel through the string. Both the purpose the phone was made for and an added bonus we didn't have to wash and puncture another can to visually represent how the sound pushes the air to make noise that our ears hear... we just used our ready made kit! Bonus!
S (3) is another story. She's pretty good at keeping herself busy while I teach the older one or tidy up and then we try to do some fun stuff daily. But I feel really bad that I haven't truly been focusing on her needs like I did with M when she was little. Part of it is lack of energy, part is lack of imagination, and part is lack of patience. She often takes things to a new level and as such becomes hard to handle if I need to step away for a minute and do something else. Where M's attention was humungous at this age S' there and good for her age, but not near as long as M's. So I'm having a hard time. But I'm still looking for ideas!
School around here needs to be more fun, more creative... and I think that is where I'm struggling. I'm open to ideas... teaching grade 2 and then 3 ... and most definitely preschool (alphabet needs work, numbers need work - we're good on colors and shapes though so there is progress there!)
For the most part, we've been caught up in the Humdrum of getting it all done, and moving on to more exciting and fun things. We're about 2 weeks behind where we should be for the time of the year. M doesn't want to school on her birthday - so we're adding in a couple hours to our weekend and our week days here and there to get caught up.... slowly we're getti
ng there.I'm doing okay withM (7) and getting her stuff done, it's boring but we're getting there... I am trying to spruce up some of her lessons with different Brownie Badges or activities to fit it all together.... like this week we're working on a Sound unit and will tie it up by finishing her sounds of Music Brownie try it kit ... from making friends - mini Badge in a Bag program. Seemed a good fit. We also got to use the the tin can and string telephone that we made at Brownies to show how vibration makes sound travel through the string. Both the purpose the phone was made for and an added bonus we didn't have to wash and puncture another can to visually represent how the sound pushes the air to make noise that our ears hear... we just used our ready made kit! Bonus!
S (3) is another story. She's pretty good at keeping herself busy while I teach the older one or tidy up and then we try to do some fun stuff daily. But I feel really bad that I haven't truly been focusing on her needs like I did with M when she was little. Part of it is lack of energy, part is lack of imagination, and part is lack of patience. She often takes things to a new level and as such becomes hard to handle if I need to step away for a minute and do something else. Where M's attention was humungous at this age S' there and good for her age, but not near as long as M's. So I'm having a hard time. But I'm still looking for ideas!
School around here needs to be more fun, more creative... and I think that is where I'm struggling. I'm open to ideas... teaching grade 2 and then 3 ... and most definitely preschool (alphabet needs work, numbers need work - we're good on colors and shapes though so there is progress there!)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
St. Patrick's Day is coming!
When M was tiny I got really into doing crafts with her but they were all over her head and I got frustrated, life then happened and I got out of the habit of doing this fun stuff with them.
Today I decided it was time to get back in the flow of things. Now both M and S are of an age that we can actually have fun with them. M is capable of doing it alone, where S needs more one on one help. Our adventures today lead us to make a Shamrock crown in preparation for the Big March 17th. Here is what we made!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Catching Up
I've been a slacker blogger lately. So sorry - life has a way of keeping me busy!
For Thanksgiving, we got a wonderful surprise and found out we are expecting again. I battled daily all-day nausea for a while and that came to an end with me promptly discovering I now have hypertension... fun fun, so we've been taking it easy and I've been staying away from my 'puter a little just because I think there are better ways for me to spend my time with the girls.
Excuses, excuses!
Well we've been busy with the basics of school, keeping things going and trying to add more fun stuff in. We stopped our Art classes for a while, so we could focus just on Ballet class once a week and Brownie Girl scouts.
For M we've started a 50 states lapbook which might turn into a notebook instead just because there was so much cutting and pasting to do that it became tedious. (did I forget to mention I hate cut and paste... and while m could do it, that would be all we'd do for days on end! LOL!) So far we're finishing up Delaware, which I think might take 2 weeks, because while we've covered the basics of the State, we still have a bunch to read and learn.
Well, while we were doing that S decided she wanted something too. So this past week we decided to get started on the Letter of the Week Program. We're doing the prep curriculum, because until now she hasn't really had any desire to know her alphabet or counting. Now for my part, I don't believe that she "needs" to be doing anything more than having fun and learning as she goes, but she is asking to do stuff, and this seems easy and fun for her, so we're running with it. No pushing, no pressure as long as it fun we'll keep doing it.
I'll be back in bit to post S's totbook! And links to M's also!
For Thanksgiving, we got a wonderful surprise and found out we are expecting again. I battled daily all-day nausea for a while and that came to an end with me promptly discovering I now have hypertension... fun fun, so we've been taking it easy and I've been staying away from my 'puter a little just because I think there are better ways for me to spend my time with the girls.
Excuses, excuses!
Well we've been busy with the basics of school, keeping things going and trying to add more fun stuff in. We stopped our Art classes for a while, so we could focus just on Ballet class once a week and Brownie Girl scouts.
For M we've started a 50 states lapbook which might turn into a notebook instead just because there was so much cutting and pasting to do that it became tedious. (did I forget to mention I hate cut and paste... and while m could do it, that would be all we'd do for days on end! LOL!) So far we're finishing up Delaware, which I think might take 2 weeks, because while we've covered the basics of the State, we still have a bunch to read and learn.
Well, while we were doing that S decided she wanted something too. So this past week we decided to get started on the Letter of the Week Program. We're doing the prep curriculum, because until now she hasn't really had any desire to know her alphabet or counting. Now for my part, I don't believe that she "needs" to be doing anything more than having fun and learning as she goes, but she is asking to do stuff, and this seems easy and fun for her, so we're running with it. No pushing, no pressure as long as it fun we'll keep doing it.
I'll be back in bit to post S's totbook! And links to M's also!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Water Everywhere
We decided to do a Brownie Try It today, as Ballet seems to throw the regular routine off... and she had done all her work for today - yesterday. So why not. We chose the Water Everywhere Try it.
We found several foods and non-food items that are made with water, including, bread, ketchup, toothpaste, mouthwash and a few other things.
We turned a tap on to a regular drip - because none of our faucets drip (we fix them asap! LOL!) And we timed how long it took for a cup to fill with water. After 5 minutes we had 8 ozs of water. From that we did the math and discovered that if we left that tap running like that for an entire day, we would waste 18 GALLONS of water in one. We drew a comparison between the 8 Gallons in our Frog Tank, and how much water we (mummy) drinks in 1 day. The wasted water was astounding.
M has never washed dishes (call her spoilt!) But I explained to her at various points we have hand washed dishes and ran the water, verses filling the sink with water and washing that way. I will have her wash our hand wash only cups over a basin with the water running to see if it is more feasible to fill the basin or wash with running water. She has also announced that she will take only 5 minute showers, fill the tub only half way on the days she is having a tubby, and we will use the frog tank water to water the plants and garden.
She has also announced that she wants to do a water snooper, but we'll have to wait until we can go somewhere where we get some pond water... Probably the weekend.
She was also curious to see the water layers experiment. Which involved filling a cup with warm salty water, and adding cold water on top. You should see distinct layers. Doing the same in reverese, you pour plain cold water first, then add the salted water does the same thing happen. The results fascinated her... So though we have technically done the whole try it - she wants to wait til we can do the water snooper before she says she is done.
It was a fun way to spend a morning doing science-y school related work but with no pressure!
(will try and get pics of our water layers up in a bit.)
We found several foods and non-food items that are made with water, including, bread, ketchup, toothpaste, mouthwash and a few other things.
We turned a tap on to a regular drip - because none of our faucets drip (we fix them asap! LOL!) And we timed how long it took for a cup to fill with water. After 5 minutes we had 8 ozs of water. From that we did the math and discovered that if we left that tap running like that for an entire day, we would waste 18 GALLONS of water in one. We drew a comparison between the 8 Gallons in our Frog Tank, and how much water we (mummy) drinks in 1 day. The wasted water was astounding.
M has never washed dishes (call her spoilt!) But I explained to her at various points we have hand washed dishes and ran the water, verses filling the sink with water and washing that way. I will have her wash our hand wash only cups over a basin with the water running to see if it is more feasible to fill the basin or wash with running water. She has also announced that she will take only 5 minute showers, fill the tub only half way on the days she is having a tubby, and we will use the frog tank water to water the plants and garden.
She has also announced that she wants to do a water snooper, but we'll have to wait until we can go somewhere where we get some pond water... Probably the weekend.
She was also curious to see the water layers experiment. Which involved filling a cup with warm salty water, and adding cold water on top. You should see distinct layers. Doing the same in reverese, you pour plain cold water first, then add the salted water does the same thing happen. The results fascinated her... So though we have technically done the whole try it - she wants to wait til we can do the water snooper before she says she is done.
It was a fun way to spend a morning doing science-y school related work but with no pressure!
(will try and get pics of our water layers up in a bit.)
Friday, January 9, 2009
Struggling with Gr 2 Math
M is not a regrouper... the chicken scratch proved to be confusing for her and was frustrating her more than helping her so since we're already out of the traditional box, I learned how to do it a different way and it showed her - it clicked and she's off and running with it... She is obviously not as excited by the new method as I am, but she is getting it where she was really struggling with regrouping.
Our Method??
My parents were taught in the UK in the 40's and 50's. Mum has forever remembered the method of "Borrowing and Paying Back." She tried to teach me once years after I had figured out the regrouping method and it just never stuck for me but apparently it did for my sis. Well I've learned it now... its cool... while I fall back on my old way of chicken scratch... this borrowing and paying back method makes faster work for M - so its a hit!
If you're curious or have a struggling math student who isn't 75% set on regrouping try this link (it will open up a word document on your computer which some people don't want.)
Our Method??
My parents were taught in the UK in the 40's and 50's. Mum has forever remembered the method of "Borrowing and Paying Back." She tried to teach me once years after I had figured out the regrouping method and it just never stuck for me but apparently it did for my sis. Well I've learned it now... its cool... while I fall back on my old way of chicken scratch... this borrowing and paying back method makes faster work for M - so its a hit!
If you're curious or have a struggling math student who isn't 75% set on regrouping try this link (it will open up a word document on your computer which some people don't want.)
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