We have been busy learning and preparing for our trip to Florida, which is in 2 days. We are learning about the ocean floor, sonar, marine life, land formations, and tomorrow we'll learn about currents. I want them to understand the bigger picture of water and see how connected water is to water and land, within ourselves let alone outside of us. We plan on visiting 2 beaches and will bring science journals with and we'll still have schooling during the week. I will pack our books and supplies in one of their luggage.
I didn't get as much as I wanted accomplished today. It was a busy busy day with piddly little things. I wanted to cover currents and watch some planet earth but we watched a sad little house on the prairie movie and I cleaned. It was a weird day.
Ethan's reading and writing skills are improving daily. Avery doesn't do squat when her blood sugar is off. Nahni shadows everything we do and loves to move and sing. She has a lot of her ABS sounds down. It's really cute to have her join us in our schooling.
Tomorrow we're talking about currents, marine life, and doing our Friday book report on The Snowman. I love that book and movie.
I look forward to christmas break. Well take off the week of Christmas and have a fun time doing little things such as baking and playing outside. Now that it's snowed Ethan wants to be outside a lot but he asks me to go out too and I haven't been outside much. I need to take the time and be with him. He's very sweet. He's getting better at his guitar and I can tell what he's playing, sometimes. He had his lesson today and it seemed to go well. I am happy to have him wanting to play. His Tae Kwon Do is going great and he's thriving alongside his friends. Ryan is as well in the adult class. I enjoy watching them both in their activities.
Avery is quite the little mama. Bossy at times, and very helpful in the kitchen and with decorating and accessorizing. I love watching her get dressed and dress up Nahni. Avery loves to bake and create with me. I find little bowls of flour, raisins, sugar, and spices or a blend of something, hidden in cupboards or niches here and there. She is curious and I like that.
Saturday we leave 8am for MSP and won't be home until next Saturday. Blessings to all!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Getting Ready for FL
We leave in less than one month for FL. I booked our van rental today, less than $220 for a week's rental, using two discount coupons. Nice. I've also checked out where the closest whole food's store is and it's very close by and open until 10pm so we can get our groceries before we settle into the hotel for the night. I am looking forward to having some r&r and seeing the kids play at the beach. I love watching the kids play in the surf and sand.
Homeschooling has been a little slow this month. I have a harder time being indoors with the colder weather and it affects my thoughts heavily. We are making progress in reading and writing with Ethan, and most things for Avery that will help her start to read. They have both enjoyed many hours of coloring and drawing and creating in general. New songs are added every week, ones that are connected to the weather and seasons. We are starting our bird focus for the winter nature aspect of our education. Last we we learned about the american crow and how many caws is a hello and how long they usually are and where they live and what they eat. We went on an outside trek to see the crows and only saw one and heard another.
We are also getting ready for the yule season and will decorate outside with special lights and lawn decorations, much easier to do before any deep snow comes.
Ethan's guitar lessons are going quite well. He is enjoying his practicing and lessons. His TKD is going really well, and he has improved greatly in balance, coordination, and confidence. I enjoy watching him and Ryan.
Avery would like to take dance lessons and if they offer any in the winter comm ed we'll take them. I'm hoping to get her into more comm ed classes so we can do something during the winter together, just she and I. Ethan too of course but she and I could use some alone time. She is the middle child after all and I am aware of her needs and she does get very needy at times, who doesn't.
We are not doing anything with the many paths homeschool co-op this fall. Maybe over the winter. I will have an 8 week yoga class set for january into march at the studio for kids. I hope we get someone coming. Fridays at 10am starting mid-January.
We are reading about beaches and aquatic life this month in science. We are learning all about what we might see and enjoy in FL. I am quite excited for our upcoming vacation.
Homeschooling has been a little slow this month. I have a harder time being indoors with the colder weather and it affects my thoughts heavily. We are making progress in reading and writing with Ethan, and most things for Avery that will help her start to read. They have both enjoyed many hours of coloring and drawing and creating in general. New songs are added every week, ones that are connected to the weather and seasons. We are starting our bird focus for the winter nature aspect of our education. Last we we learned about the american crow and how many caws is a hello and how long they usually are and where they live and what they eat. We went on an outside trek to see the crows and only saw one and heard another.
We are also getting ready for the yule season and will decorate outside with special lights and lawn decorations, much easier to do before any deep snow comes.
Ethan's guitar lessons are going quite well. He is enjoying his practicing and lessons. His TKD is going really well, and he has improved greatly in balance, coordination, and confidence. I enjoy watching him and Ryan.
Avery would like to take dance lessons and if they offer any in the winter comm ed we'll take them. I'm hoping to get her into more comm ed classes so we can do something during the winter together, just she and I. Ethan too of course but she and I could use some alone time. She is the middle child after all and I am aware of her needs and she does get very needy at times, who doesn't.
We are not doing anything with the many paths homeschool co-op this fall. Maybe over the winter. I will have an 8 week yoga class set for january into march at the studio for kids. I hope we get someone coming. Fridays at 10am starting mid-January.
We are reading about beaches and aquatic life this month in science. We are learning all about what we might see and enjoy in FL. I am quite excited for our upcoming vacation.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Orlando Thoughts
Our Orlando trip is coming up. We are staying at our timeshare in Orlando and are NOT going anywhere near Disney World...blech.
We would like to visit-
The Orlando Science Center
The Atlantic Ocean
The Gulf Coast
We are interested in doing a tour on either coast and will look into chartered tours with an eco-minded focus.
We are staying in a fully equipped hotel/apartment that will have wonderful accommodations for the week, including a bed for each of the older kids, a full kitchen, a generous soaking tub and laundry. We can pack light because we will be staying at one location, rather than 3 as was the case in TX.
We would like to visit-
The Orlando Science Center
The Atlantic Ocean
The Gulf Coast
We are interested in doing a tour on either coast and will look into chartered tours with an eco-minded focus.
We are staying in a fully equipped hotel/apartment that will have wonderful accommodations for the week, including a bed for each of the older kids, a full kitchen, a generous soaking tub and laundry. We can pack light because we will be staying at one location, rather than 3 as was the case in TX.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Bye Bye October
Our October was filled with coughs, sore throats, headaches, and less productivity that I would have liked.
We are making progress with our reading. Ethan enjoyed reading to himself and I often find him reading during a quiet moment or to Avery.
Avery enjoys making books by stapling together a bunch of paper and writing on each page. She insisted that we add her latest book to our bookshelf. I greatly agree.
We have our flights booked for Orlando as well as our hotel. We will be leaving for Orlando in December. Now we need to start learning about the beaches and continue learning about aquatic life in our science kits.
Thursday and Friday of the past week we had a rummage sale at the studio, and my kids joined me for the better part of each day. During that time we got interviewed by lakeland TV about the presidential cookie poll happening at our bakery. We also drew on the sidewalk in front of my studio, and earned a little money. Ethan was very excited about earning money and made a money cup in which he asked people to put their payment into for the sale items. It was cute but annoying. Avery did the same. They liked to see people coming in and talk to them. By the second day they were tired, out of sorts, but more able to focus on their drawings and sidewalk art. Nahni didn't want to be there at all. I consider it a good experience in salesmanship and am glad we were able to have the sale.
Last week we learned about timelines in math. We learned how to create a timeline to show what we did for schooling and how long each subject took to learn. Ethan caught on immediately and Avery did her best.
I intend to get back on track in Novemeber. No more colds, sore throats, injuries, or rummage sales.
When we homeschool, our routine is something like this-
Circle Song- Round and Round (everyone participates in it)
Morning Movement- Yoga, dancing, a walk outside, whatever we feel like
Monday- Send a letter to Seth, Reading, Nature Walk and Journal, Music (we learn at least one new song weekly and repeat all our whole list of songs we've learned), Avery ECFE
Tuesday- Math, Reading, Art, Weekly Outing, Ethan Tae Kwon Do
Wednesday- Science, Reading, American Sign Language (we watch our video and learn a few new signs in our signing book (sentences like "My name is...") Ethan Music Lesson, Workbooks.
Thursday- Social Studies, Geography, Calendars when we change them, History, Reading, Avery ECFE, Ethan Tae Kwon Do
Friday- Reading, Art, Spanish, Book Journal
We read every day as a group and Ethan reads individually. We do art most days. We have workbooks to use and we often do them more than once a week.
We are making progress with our reading. Ethan enjoyed reading to himself and I often find him reading during a quiet moment or to Avery.
Avery enjoys making books by stapling together a bunch of paper and writing on each page. She insisted that we add her latest book to our bookshelf. I greatly agree.
We have our flights booked for Orlando as well as our hotel. We will be leaving for Orlando in December. Now we need to start learning about the beaches and continue learning about aquatic life in our science kits.
Thursday and Friday of the past week we had a rummage sale at the studio, and my kids joined me for the better part of each day. During that time we got interviewed by lakeland TV about the presidential cookie poll happening at our bakery. We also drew on the sidewalk in front of my studio, and earned a little money. Ethan was very excited about earning money and made a money cup in which he asked people to put their payment into for the sale items. It was cute but annoying. Avery did the same. They liked to see people coming in and talk to them. By the second day they were tired, out of sorts, but more able to focus on their drawings and sidewalk art. Nahni didn't want to be there at all. I consider it a good experience in salesmanship and am glad we were able to have the sale.
Last week we learned about timelines in math. We learned how to create a timeline to show what we did for schooling and how long each subject took to learn. Ethan caught on immediately and Avery did her best.
I intend to get back on track in Novemeber. No more colds, sore throats, injuries, or rummage sales.
When we homeschool, our routine is something like this-
Circle Song- Round and Round (everyone participates in it)
Morning Movement- Yoga, dancing, a walk outside, whatever we feel like
Monday- Send a letter to Seth, Reading, Nature Walk and Journal, Music (we learn at least one new song weekly and repeat all our whole list of songs we've learned), Avery ECFE
Tuesday- Math, Reading, Art, Weekly Outing, Ethan Tae Kwon Do
Wednesday- Science, Reading, American Sign Language (we watch our video and learn a few new signs in our signing book (sentences like "My name is...") Ethan Music Lesson, Workbooks.
Thursday- Social Studies, Geography, Calendars when we change them, History, Reading, Avery ECFE, Ethan Tae Kwon Do
Friday- Reading, Art, Spanish, Book Journal
We read every day as a group and Ethan reads individually. We do art most days. We have workbooks to use and we often do them more than once a week.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Interesting
I have spent a while online researching craft supplies for our fall/Autumn needle felting project, along with other notions for homeschooling. I am decidedly in love with anything resembling the waldorf style of learning. Hands-on, natural materials, earth-centered, and individually honoring. Which is what we do at home. I visited a mainstream toy store today looking for what to get the play area downstairs that might be fun for the kids, and I thought I'd see what the recommended for toys in Ethan's age range....all plastic and all computer related. I felt sad when I saw the top sellers, Wii crap. I am so not into gaming and disconnecting (my opinon here). I think my kids are very fortunate to have me for their mom, because I am a earthy compassionate creative being that blends both ancient and modern methods for a truly marvelous learning experience. Providing I'm not crabby. :)
I am going to purchase foam flooring for the play area downstairs to make it more user friendly for the kids. Ethan and his friends play down their regularly. It would be nice for warmth and padding.
Ethan and Avery had a great day of schooling. We got to sing all our songs and added movement to them as we sang. It is fun to see Ethan's creativity in his singing. He sings nonstop, and I love it. Avery does too, in her fashion. Singing represents a happy heart and a confident voice. I refuse to let anyone take that away from them. We also read our chaper in the Mighty Minn book and Ethan and Avery both read their books. We all went outside to see the sewer truck come and suck up all our 6 years worth of waste. It was really cool and thankfully windy as well. Nahni and I took a walk down to get the mail and I let her dance in all the puddles along the way. She was wearing her rain boots and a cosy hat and clothes and just loved being in the puddles. She was so happy.
After lunch we worked on logic with one of our sudoku games using shapes and the kids did really well. We also drew our favorite memories of Itasca, created our October Calendar (a little late I know), practiced guitar (with much complaining of hurting fingers(Ethan only), and now their creating with their legos and wearing tubers and zots on their heads. It felt like a good day today.
We purchased a new light for our school area to go over the computer and illuminate the school materails. I am so happy to have it there, as it's where the kids play most of the time. I'm going to hang up a canopy now and help them to create an enchanted realm by the window.
Tomorrow we have science, ASL (I know how to sign- I am happy to meet you, and where were you born!), reading, workbooks, and music lesson. I am taking the night off to enjoy being home and maybe go for a canoe ride to enjoy the fall leaves.
Our theatrical unit is going well. We're at the part where we're going to create our background and costumes. It's really fun to have Marcia over weekly and hear how the kids are leanring with her. It takes a lot of patience on her part and I truly appreciate her efforts. It has been an excellent learning experience and she is completely phenomenal as a teen.
I want to get a melody harp for transition times and helping ethan when he's learning his guitar. I also want to get a pentatonic flute for him and Avery. We'll see about that next year.
Our home is decorated for harvest and we're going to have a harvest party for Ethan's 7th birthday. A harvest carnival with apple dunking, ring toss, pumpkin painting or drilling (as I think some of them would rather drill holes and would tremendously enjoy that), and whatever else looks good.
It's time to go to work. Blessings.
I am going to purchase foam flooring for the play area downstairs to make it more user friendly for the kids. Ethan and his friends play down their regularly. It would be nice for warmth and padding.
Ethan and Avery had a great day of schooling. We got to sing all our songs and added movement to them as we sang. It is fun to see Ethan's creativity in his singing. He sings nonstop, and I love it. Avery does too, in her fashion. Singing represents a happy heart and a confident voice. I refuse to let anyone take that away from them. We also read our chaper in the Mighty Minn book and Ethan and Avery both read their books. We all went outside to see the sewer truck come and suck up all our 6 years worth of waste. It was really cool and thankfully windy as well. Nahni and I took a walk down to get the mail and I let her dance in all the puddles along the way. She was wearing her rain boots and a cosy hat and clothes and just loved being in the puddles. She was so happy.
After lunch we worked on logic with one of our sudoku games using shapes and the kids did really well. We also drew our favorite memories of Itasca, created our October Calendar (a little late I know), practiced guitar (with much complaining of hurting fingers(Ethan only), and now their creating with their legos and wearing tubers and zots on their heads. It felt like a good day today.
We purchased a new light for our school area to go over the computer and illuminate the school materails. I am so happy to have it there, as it's where the kids play most of the time. I'm going to hang up a canopy now and help them to create an enchanted realm by the window.
Tomorrow we have science, ASL (I know how to sign- I am happy to meet you, and where were you born!), reading, workbooks, and music lesson. I am taking the night off to enjoy being home and maybe go for a canoe ride to enjoy the fall leaves.
Our theatrical unit is going well. We're at the part where we're going to create our background and costumes. It's really fun to have Marcia over weekly and hear how the kids are leanring with her. It takes a lot of patience on her part and I truly appreciate her efforts. It has been an excellent learning experience and she is completely phenomenal as a teen.
I want to get a melody harp for transition times and helping ethan when he's learning his guitar. I also want to get a pentatonic flute for him and Avery. We'll see about that next year.
Our home is decorated for harvest and we're going to have a harvest party for Ethan's 7th birthday. A harvest carnival with apple dunking, ring toss, pumpkin painting or drilling (as I think some of them would rather drill holes and would tremendously enjoy that), and whatever else looks good.
It's time to go to work. Blessings.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
New and Blue
Ethan got his new blue guitar today. A simple acoustical guitar with a simple case and tuner. He has a lesson book that is easy to understand. We have to retune the guitar due to his mis-understanding of tuning. I am good at tuning guitars and look forward to playing with him when I get my guitar back.
We didn't do any book work today. I had a lesson planned for science and math today that got put on hold until possibly tomorrow. It was too nice to be inside so we went to town. I went outside at 10am and didn't go back in until 4:30pm (well, back into the house). We went into town for lunch and on the way talked all about the trees that we saw and their attributes. After lunch we drove Avery to school and went back to mainstreet to give dad back his van. Then Nahni and Ethan and I went to Alco and bought more fall foliage stuff to decorate. I didn't have anything to go outside and 40% off is nice. He helped me by reading the signs and selecting flowers for the containers we purchased. We then walked over to the school and had dad come and pick us up to go home with the newbold cousins. It was a long day and I'm glad we spent a lot of it getting good exercise, fresh air, and a fresh perspective.
We will spend months indoors but for infrequent hours here and there outside. Today was wonderful and a treat to spent with excellent company and in the spirit of real life education.
It's time for bed.
We didn't do any book work today. I had a lesson planned for science and math today that got put on hold until possibly tomorrow. It was too nice to be inside so we went to town. I went outside at 10am and didn't go back in until 4:30pm (well, back into the house). We went into town for lunch and on the way talked all about the trees that we saw and their attributes. After lunch we drove Avery to school and went back to mainstreet to give dad back his van. Then Nahni and Ethan and I went to Alco and bought more fall foliage stuff to decorate. I didn't have anything to go outside and 40% off is nice. He helped me by reading the signs and selecting flowers for the containers we purchased. We then walked over to the school and had dad come and pick us up to go home with the newbold cousins. It was a long day and I'm glad we spent a lot of it getting good exercise, fresh air, and a fresh perspective.
We will spend months indoors but for infrequent hours here and there outside. Today was wonderful and a treat to spent with excellent company and in the spirit of real life education.
It's time for bed.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
My Guitar Boy
My wonderful son surprised me today. He started his guitar lessons today with great results. Even though he didn't have his own guitar, which we've ordered and it should be in by next lesson, he was able to use the teacher's guitar and play the first song. He impressed them and certainly impressed me. We ordered him a blue 3/4 size student guitar and he will have lessons weekly on Wednesday 3:30-4pm. I am very pleased and will get my guitar back from the folks soon so I can learn with him. I am quite musical too and want to learn with him.
Our schooling has gone well this week. We enjoyed an afternoon of schooling, as this morning I wasn't feeling well. We sang our circle song, reviewed our new song as we learn one new song a week that we'll eventually perform in November, read about dinosaurs going to sleep, did our workbooks, and ended with a science experiment that wasn't successful but fun.
This afternoon I bought a six sided puzzle for Avery and Nahni to enjoy and a birdhouse kit for Ethan to build tomorrow. We are learning about Egypt tonight with a presentation including homemade food by our cousin Katie Jeanne. I am excited!! And I hear the dessert is stellar.
Ethan and Avery will also have a monthly visit with a local folk musician to learn about folk music and whatever else he has up his sleeves. I have missed my dad's musical influence with my kids and wanted to find someone to help fill the gap and Drew H. is the man. He is good with kids, loves his music, and is passionate about life. We are also enjoyed our theater workshop with Marcia. The kids are developing their play and will perform it in October or November. I'll let her decide. They love their hour with her and it's a win win for us all as it gives them something to do and me time with Nahni or to myself, always on the sidelines though.
I am seeking an artist to come and play with the kids, teach them something either I suck at or just don't like to do (some things I love but suck at, other things I just loathe doing). I like having people come here, and we have a wonderful setup for most activities.
Namaste
Our schooling has gone well this week. We enjoyed an afternoon of schooling, as this morning I wasn't feeling well. We sang our circle song, reviewed our new song as we learn one new song a week that we'll eventually perform in November, read about dinosaurs going to sleep, did our workbooks, and ended with a science experiment that wasn't successful but fun.
This afternoon I bought a six sided puzzle for Avery and Nahni to enjoy and a birdhouse kit for Ethan to build tomorrow. We are learning about Egypt tonight with a presentation including homemade food by our cousin Katie Jeanne. I am excited!! And I hear the dessert is stellar.
Ethan and Avery will also have a monthly visit with a local folk musician to learn about folk music and whatever else he has up his sleeves. I have missed my dad's musical influence with my kids and wanted to find someone to help fill the gap and Drew H. is the man. He is good with kids, loves his music, and is passionate about life. We are also enjoyed our theater workshop with Marcia. The kids are developing their play and will perform it in October or November. I'll let her decide. They love their hour with her and it's a win win for us all as it gives them something to do and me time with Nahni or to myself, always on the sidelines though.
I am seeking an artist to come and play with the kids, teach them something either I suck at or just don't like to do (some things I love but suck at, other things I just loathe doing). I like having people come here, and we have a wonderful setup for most activities.
Namaste
Friday, September 5, 2008
Welcome Fall
Last week we began our fall schedule. It has been a good two weeks. I feel accomplished, something I didn't feel but two or three times total last fall semester. I am doing my blending of curriculum and tending to what we need for the day and season. We are not in Itasca, which was on our weekend schedule. The weather is wonderfully rainy and allows for us to have an evening home. I didn't schedule work this weekend so I am happily home with the four kids (Konnor is here) and the hubby. And the skunk dog.
Okay, I'm rambling.
Today Ethan worked on handwriting, reading, art, and creative construction using my yoga blocks and legos. It was a mostly pleasant day, and everything got done with fun. I like days like that.
We have a new computer, a Mac Mini, that we use for basic functions. I am happy to have a little computer with no noise other than happy sounds that we want to hear. The other one sounded like a jet engine.
Okay, I'm rambling.
Today Ethan worked on handwriting, reading, art, and creative construction using my yoga blocks and legos. It was a mostly pleasant day, and everything got done with fun. I like days like that.
We have a new computer, a Mac Mini, that we use for basic functions. I am happy to have a little computer with no noise other than happy sounds that we want to hear. The other one sounded like a jet engine.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Our new year has begun. I have all my supplies necessary to begin. We visited Ikea and got a new desk and shelf unit that allows for me to be super organized, which I need for flow. We have three stations set up, one for computer, one for art, one for mixed media. We also got a new big soft rug for happy feet and hands as they play in our school area. I feel so excited and we have had a great start to our week. Each day has 3-5 subjects, and I'm blending curriculum and other materials to make a fuller experience for us. We ordered science and math materials from Delta Education. We are ordering more art supplies for our needle felting fall project and other art/craft projects. We have a friend coming in every Monday starting mid-September doing a theatrical/drama class with the kids and Ethan will start music lessons in September as well as Tae Kwon Do. Avery will not be going to ECFE's day program but will attend their Monday evening program with either Ryan or myself. Nahni has her own little table with two chairs and while we did our workbooks today she laid on her belly looking at her books. It was so cute.
I am delighted to have a good start to our new year. I am delighted to have enough funding to make our schooling fuller, more hands-on and fun (and doable). I am honored to have my children want to school with me. I do not feel stressed by this opportunity and am glad I've been at it for four years. It gets better with every year.
Avery is doing kindergarten level work, Ethan 1st-3rd grade depending on the subject. Nahni is absorbing and dancing with us.
Over the summer Ethan's reading light went on and he's reading up a storm. It's awesome to see his progress and this will help me considerable this year.
Out trip to Minneapolis was wonderful. We visited Como Zoo and enjoyed all the very active and lovely animals. We loved the giant lilly pads outside. We swam three times and no one drowned. It wasn't a big pool but we had fun. Ryan and the kids rode the light rail from the city center into the mega mall while Nahni and I enjoyed Ikea. Then we visited the fish at the Underwater world and finished our experience with a long and wonderful visit at the science museum. It was a busy but fantastic time. I am so glad we survived with smiles.
Next week we visit Itasca State Park. We'll get the camping trailer ready next week and make sure we're good to go every other way. I love Itasca and am so excited for the kids to meet the ancient ones in the woods and to dance in the head waters. It will be magical!
Mahalo
I am delighted to have a good start to our new year. I am delighted to have enough funding to make our schooling fuller, more hands-on and fun (and doable). I am honored to have my children want to school with me. I do not feel stressed by this opportunity and am glad I've been at it for four years. It gets better with every year.
Avery is doing kindergarten level work, Ethan 1st-3rd grade depending on the subject. Nahni is absorbing and dancing with us.
Over the summer Ethan's reading light went on and he's reading up a storm. It's awesome to see his progress and this will help me considerable this year.
Out trip to Minneapolis was wonderful. We visited Como Zoo and enjoyed all the very active and lovely animals. We loved the giant lilly pads outside. We swam three times and no one drowned. It wasn't a big pool but we had fun. Ryan and the kids rode the light rail from the city center into the mega mall while Nahni and I enjoyed Ikea. Then we visited the fish at the Underwater world and finished our experience with a long and wonderful visit at the science museum. It was a busy but fantastic time. I am so glad we survived with smiles.
Next week we visit Itasca State Park. We'll get the camping trailer ready next week and make sure we're good to go every other way. I love Itasca and am so excited for the kids to meet the ancient ones in the woods and to dance in the head waters. It will be magical!
Mahalo
Monday, August 11, 2008
Mid-August Already
Time is indeed rushing past as the speed of August, a month that seems to disappear even before it begins.
Today we deepened into the exploration of the mississippi waterways. We colored the states that touch the river and talked about where the river begins. We will deepen into the adventure through our book, the Might Minn over the next few weeks before our visit to Itasca.
This week we'll chart the flow of the mississippi in Minnesota and note where we'll cross it on our upcoming trip.
Today Ethan began writing a bionicle book. It's great. He's also creating illustrations that indicate a storyline developing from still images. Like a jedi attacking a droid. Ethan is constantly building and because of his hands-on approach to learning I'm ordering science kits that are all about hands-on learning methods to understand the subject. Each kit has several activities and comes with all the materials needed and in its own little storage box. Nutshell kits from Delta Education.
I haven't enrolled Avery into ECFE's preschool and don't know if I will. She comes home from the wonderful Wednesday activities all ornery but she has fun. I know she will do fine without attending the ECFE program but we can still make the final decision before the end of August.
I'll be getting a new desk this week at Ikea during our trip. I will have 25 cubbies for organization, which I desperately need for our craft materials and paperwork and homeschool materials in general, and a desk that can be used by three people at the same time including computer usage. I am SO excited. I am an organizational nut. I need everything in a space, labeled if possible, and easily accessible. Flow. Sometimes flow takes effort to get it there but once it's there, whee!
It's time to get back into the flow beyond the mind-suck computer screen. Blessings!
Today we deepened into the exploration of the mississippi waterways. We colored the states that touch the river and talked about where the river begins. We will deepen into the adventure through our book, the Might Minn over the next few weeks before our visit to Itasca.
This week we'll chart the flow of the mississippi in Minnesota and note where we'll cross it on our upcoming trip.
Today Ethan began writing a bionicle book. It's great. He's also creating illustrations that indicate a storyline developing from still images. Like a jedi attacking a droid. Ethan is constantly building and because of his hands-on approach to learning I'm ordering science kits that are all about hands-on learning methods to understand the subject. Each kit has several activities and comes with all the materials needed and in its own little storage box. Nutshell kits from Delta Education.
I haven't enrolled Avery into ECFE's preschool and don't know if I will. She comes home from the wonderful Wednesday activities all ornery but she has fun. I know she will do fine without attending the ECFE program but we can still make the final decision before the end of August.
I'll be getting a new desk this week at Ikea during our trip. I will have 25 cubbies for organization, which I desperately need for our craft materials and paperwork and homeschool materials in general, and a desk that can be used by three people at the same time including computer usage. I am SO excited. I am an organizational nut. I need everything in a space, labeled if possible, and easily accessible. Flow. Sometimes flow takes effort to get it there but once it's there, whee!
It's time to get back into the flow beyond the mind-suck computer screen. Blessings!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Upcoming Adventures
I'm working on getting two field trips put together for my family- one to the Twin Cities for a trip to the Science Museum and maybe Komo Zoo and the other to Itasca. We'll be going south to the Twin Cities August 14th-16th and will take in the Star Wars show at the Science Museum. We're also working on local history and will go to Itasca and camp two nights to enjoy the outdoors and the special perk of the Mississippi headwaters. I'm excited and looking forward to seeing something new with the kids.
Monday, July 28, 2008
End of July
We're back into our full groove and have had a wonderful day. No meltdowns, no stubbornness. It's a wonderful start to our full schedule.
We're using the curriculum again, and are repeating some of the last week we left off on. We are covering word families AR, AS, AT this week, and I can see the change in Ethan's reading from just a few months ago, it's much better. We started our day off with our morning circle and learned a new song and movement to the song- Oat Peas Beans, everyone participated and seemed to like it (imagine me and the three kids holding hands and walking around in a slow circle and giggling as we sing the song). We also did a few of our favorite Enki songs before closing with our morning poem. We did the word family AP with a letter matching activity. We then reviewed our spanish vocab, hello, goodbye, thank you, please, you're welcome, colors and numbers, and time of the day. While Ethan built his morning lego creation after the spanish portion, we covered several questions in one of our quiz booklets and then we took the mid-morning off for lunch and play. This afternoon we've gathered flowers, learned their anatomy and colored them in our daily lesson book. We will finish the day with a science experiment determining which items will float. Because we take off Tuesday and Thursday we do more Mon-Wed-Fri. This fall we'll do full days and weeks. The kids are coloring now and are settled into their afternoon flow nicely. Time to prep for the science activity.
Pt. 2
Prep for the project included going around the main floor and finding items that will be fun to explore their density. I choose a feather, a stone bracelet, a lego man, a wooden wheel, a cork stopper, and a small pink stone. I also created a chart with six rows and three columns- Items, Float or Sink. We're about to go in and while we're having our afternoon snack, explore density.
We're using the curriculum again, and are repeating some of the last week we left off on. We are covering word families AR, AS, AT this week, and I can see the change in Ethan's reading from just a few months ago, it's much better. We started our day off with our morning circle and learned a new song and movement to the song- Oat Peas Beans, everyone participated and seemed to like it (imagine me and the three kids holding hands and walking around in a slow circle and giggling as we sing the song). We also did a few of our favorite Enki songs before closing with our morning poem. We did the word family AP with a letter matching activity. We then reviewed our spanish vocab, hello, goodbye, thank you, please, you're welcome, colors and numbers, and time of the day. While Ethan built his morning lego creation after the spanish portion, we covered several questions in one of our quiz booklets and then we took the mid-morning off for lunch and play. This afternoon we've gathered flowers, learned their anatomy and colored them in our daily lesson book. We will finish the day with a science experiment determining which items will float. Because we take off Tuesday and Thursday we do more Mon-Wed-Fri. This fall we'll do full days and weeks. The kids are coloring now and are settled into their afternoon flow nicely. Time to prep for the science activity.
Pt. 2
Prep for the project included going around the main floor and finding items that will be fun to explore their density. I choose a feather, a stone bracelet, a lego man, a wooden wheel, a cork stopper, and a small pink stone. I also created a chart with six rows and three columns- Items, Float or Sink. We're about to go in and while we're having our afternoon snack, explore density.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mid-July
Well, my son is an emotional wreck after having friends over for three days and two nights. He just had all of his privileges taken away and I'm completely fine saying no.
For schooling today Ethan attended the Terrific Tuesdays activity at the fair grounds and made a fish necklace, 2 paper boxes, and had a good time. Avery and Ethan also played the dice game this afternoon and worked on a mosaic with me for art. That's all my son would do and it was with difficulty. We're going to purge this week and remove 50% of our toys and de-clutter and de-stress. Clutter=stress.
Avery has been busy using scissors on everything she shouldn't. We're working on cutting skills and she has them galore. They will be entering flowers into the fair and hopefully get a prize. Or at least the joyful satisfaction of entering an item and seeing it on display.
I'm quite busy this week with work and getting ready for the fair. I look forward to a quieter week after the fair.
I find it difficult to get Ethan to do much these days. I think he's run amok with the summer breezes.
For schooling today Ethan attended the Terrific Tuesdays activity at the fair grounds and made a fish necklace, 2 paper boxes, and had a good time. Avery and Ethan also played the dice game this afternoon and worked on a mosaic with me for art. That's all my son would do and it was with difficulty. We're going to purge this week and remove 50% of our toys and de-clutter and de-stress. Clutter=stress.
Avery has been busy using scissors on everything she shouldn't. We're working on cutting skills and she has them galore. They will be entering flowers into the fair and hopefully get a prize. Or at least the joyful satisfaction of entering an item and seeing it on display.
I'm quite busy this week with work and getting ready for the fair. I look forward to a quieter week after the fair.
I find it difficult to get Ethan to do much these days. I think he's run amok with the summer breezes.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Back Again
We took a long hiatus from our schooling. My mind and hands were in the process of birthing my yoga studio and the children got first-hand experience with that process by helping me and their father to create my studio. We reconnected to our schooling last week and will school M-W-F. Ethan successfully completed his first summer session at Camp Invention in June. He made a mars rover, a phone using 2 cups and straws, and a car out of recycled parts. He also made another project that got left behind. He enjoyed his week with his friends and teachers and will attend next year. We're still working on our first grade curriculum. We'll reconnecting to the basics and will spend the next week continuing to establish a routine. It took a lot out of me to create my studio and now that it's in a good and stable place we're getting stable at home again. I missed our schooling every day I tried to start something but couldn't put my heart into it. Ethan and Avery are good kids and supported me in my transformation process. We are a good team.
Last week we learned about Minnesota, when it became a state, what our state flag is, and what we like about MN. We attended fireworks and learned about fireworks. We also attended a parade on the 4th and talked about the american flag and why we stand when the flag goes by. We talked about patriotism, nationally and globally. We enjoyed many hours in the flow of the 4th. We also worked on a project using an erector set, something that's very hard for Ethan to use but will be good when he's older. It's not easy for me to assemble because of the size of the parts, and it's the directions for him that cause him frustration. He can see what it needs, but it's the coordination of bolting bits together without loosing the bits that will take more time. Avery played a lot in her kitchen and drew all kinds of great picture for me.
This week we'll continue our lesson in MN lore as well as start a new building process using a new set. When the new bionicles come and we get the bionicle books we'll make bioncle movies. Perhaps something to do this fall and winter. Our garden is doing okay, and will get focus this week. The kids will also go on a frog hunt and identify as many patterns of dragonfly wings as possible for our nature walk.
Last week we learned about Minnesota, when it became a state, what our state flag is, and what we like about MN. We attended fireworks and learned about fireworks. We also attended a parade on the 4th and talked about the american flag and why we stand when the flag goes by. We talked about patriotism, nationally and globally. We enjoyed many hours in the flow of the 4th. We also worked on a project using an erector set, something that's very hard for Ethan to use but will be good when he's older. It's not easy for me to assemble because of the size of the parts, and it's the directions for him that cause him frustration. He can see what it needs, but it's the coordination of bolting bits together without loosing the bits that will take more time. Avery played a lot in her kitchen and drew all kinds of great picture for me.
This week we'll continue our lesson in MN lore as well as start a new building process using a new set. When the new bionicles come and we get the bionicle books we'll make bioncle movies. Perhaps something to do this fall and winter. Our garden is doing okay, and will get focus this week. The kids will also go on a frog hunt and identify as many patterns of dragonfly wings as possible for our nature walk.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Planting Seeds for Life
Today we planted seeds. We planted a bunch of seeds in little peat pots and put them into our indoor greenhouse. The trays with peat are labeled and seeded and ready to sprout life. The kids started a seed journal and we'll record the happenings every 2-3 days, including plant height when they sprout. We also worked with seed spirits and took time to talk to our seeds, asking them if they wanted to be planted today or tomorrow after soaking overnight. Both Ethan and Avery's pumpkin seeds wanted to soak overnight. We sang and blessed out seeds with positive affirmations of happy growth and strong roots and leaves. It was a nice experience to share with them.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Return of Sand and Sun
Week 11 began with four hours outside. We learned how to use a compass and Ethan walked a square according to my directions and his compass findings. It was great to see him realize that he had walked a square.
We're having a great morning. After morning movement- yoga and coordinated song/movementm, we worked with the word families AP and AR and read two great fairy tales that connected into the letters u and v. We practiced writing U and V in our daily books. Avery did a great job and was able to write both letters. Having Avery and Ethan have the same schedule has been very valuable to Avery's learning curve, which is why I think she tested so well, or part of it, and having them be on the same schedule will help me in my organization. We also are doing our part for Earth day and I had them draw an earth, Avery's was pink, yellow and varies other hues, and Ethan's was more Earth like. Ethan at first drew a yin and yang symbol, which fascinated me. It just came out as he drew the outline of land masses. I love the natural intuition of kids. And I love being able to see it every day in our natural state of homeness. We also talked about our favorite part of the earth, Ethan's being water and Avery rainbows.
After drawing we went outside and started cleaning and organizing our yard. Not much garbage thankfully to clean, but a lot of sticks and leaves and decaying vegetation to remove. The kids played outside for over an hour and now we're going outside to clean our street and make it look and feel good for earth day. Happy Earth Day!
We're having a great morning. After morning movement- yoga and coordinated song/movementm, we worked with the word families AP and AR and read two great fairy tales that connected into the letters u and v. We practiced writing U and V in our daily books. Avery did a great job and was able to write both letters. Having Avery and Ethan have the same schedule has been very valuable to Avery's learning curve, which is why I think she tested so well, or part of it, and having them be on the same schedule will help me in my organization. We also are doing our part for Earth day and I had them draw an earth, Avery's was pink, yellow and varies other hues, and Ethan's was more Earth like. Ethan at first drew a yin and yang symbol, which fascinated me. It just came out as he drew the outline of land masses. I love the natural intuition of kids. And I love being able to see it every day in our natural state of homeness. We also talked about our favorite part of the earth, Ethan's being water and Avery rainbows.
After drawing we went outside and started cleaning and organizing our yard. Not much garbage thankfully to clean, but a lot of sticks and leaves and decaying vegetation to remove. The kids played outside for over an hour and now we're going outside to clean our street and make it look and feel good for earth day. Happy Earth Day!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Week 10
After a week of illness, we're back on track and starting week 10. Today we worked on the letter T, introduced word families starting with -ad, reviwed numbers 51-60 and filled the days in a calendar for April, counted in 2's, completed unit 2.1 of our Spanish Muzzy program, reviewed last night's bedtime stories, which Ethan could recall quite clearly, and will do more art and games this afternoon. It's a good start to a good week. We have to get a better desk for computer usage, as ours has a poor layout and doesn't accommodate our large screen nor keyboard.
Next week we're hosting a spring party for our homeschool cooperative. I am also looking at going down to the twin cities overnight to visit the MN Children's Museum, not open Mondays. We'll also visit the underwater aquarium at the mall, eat at the rain forest cafe, and visit Ikea. I'm thinking we'll go the first week in May as I won't have yoga on Mondays and then we can visit the museum on Tuesday.
We'll see.
So, have a great week!
Next week we're hosting a spring party for our homeschool cooperative. I am also looking at going down to the twin cities overnight to visit the MN Children's Museum, not open Mondays. We'll also visit the underwater aquarium at the mall, eat at the rain forest cafe, and visit Ikea. I'm thinking we'll go the first week in May as I won't have yoga on Mondays and then we can visit the museum on Tuesday.
We'll see.
So, have a great week!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Week 7
We're in week 7 of our curriculum. We took off the past two weeks for spring break and are ready to get back into our groove. Today we started with yoga, which Ethan did so well with me. Avery went upstairs and laid down. Then we drew pictures of our Texas trip and wrote a thank you note to Gramma Ruth and Grandpa Nathan. The kids loved the beach and Ruth and Nathan's house. We also drew a big picture of what we loved about TX, mostly the beach with big waves. We used tangrams to create a beach scene, which Ethan just made some sort of battle landscape out of and Avery used the tangrams layouts. No free form efforts from them today. We then did our muzzy language program and learned about tengo (I have), un mapa (a map), un bolsa (a bag), and una hamburgesa (a hamburger). Then we finished with reading a story from the curriculum which we'll draw tomorrow when we practice writing the letter M. This afternoon we might go into Brainerd or we'll paint.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Me Likey
There's something to be said about buying formatted curriculum. It is easy to structure my day and entire week with just a short read of material. I really appreciate all the time and effort that went into creating this curriculum. It makes schooling a joy.
We took 2 days off this week, Monday and Tuesday. We needed down days for the flu. Wednesday was simply an art day and we decorated our magic boxes. Lots of paint, glitter, glue and magic.
Thursday and today were full or mostly full with lots of fun learning and growing. We've a little guest staying overnight, 2 actually, and one spent the entire day with us. It's been a good month.
We took 2 days off this week, Monday and Tuesday. We needed down days for the flu. Wednesday was simply an art day and we decorated our magic boxes. Lots of paint, glitter, glue and magic.
Thursday and today were full or mostly full with lots of fun learning and growing. We've a little guest staying overnight, 2 actually, and one spent the entire day with us. It's been a good month.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
OM
I must say, I am deeply pleased with Oak Meadow. It's organized, it had more material making for a fuller educational experience (mind you compared to kindergarten), and it's easy to follow and make modifications. We received the "box" yesterday, and I'm already able to jump in and go forward with minimal reading. I feel quite prepped for OM from my Enki experience. What I like how it simply flows, with no struggle. I don't miss Enki at all.
Today we began the OM First Grade curriculum. We worked with capital and lower case A, long and short vowel sounds for letter A through rhyming, letter recognition (a lot more for Avery), greater or less than with use of <> symbols, recalling last night's bedtime story about the magic spindle, learned a poem about a dame's tame lame crane, built a horse stable out of blocks that would provide safety, warmth for horses (ethan's problem solving task for his building project)(ethan included heaters for the horses and elaborate arches for decoration), watched the angel bear yoga dvd that really is rather lousy but Ethan mostly liked it (i can do a better job but it's nice to have visuals and not always be the teacher). We also learned about lunar cycles and how the moon affects the tides. We created a lunar calendar but I will do another one tomorrow with a complete month's images. Tonight is the full moon and I hope we have good visibility to help him see the clear starry moonless sky.
It's been a good full day. Ethan has Tae Kwon Do tonight and he is looking forward to wearing his uniform.
Tomorrow we start our Happy Feet Yoga class, and depending upon the flow of the class we'll decide in three weeks if we want to keep running it.
Yesterday we started our Muzzy Spanish curriculum and we all know Yo Soy....
It's been a good week so far. Mahalo
Today we began the OM First Grade curriculum. We worked with capital and lower case A, long and short vowel sounds for letter A through rhyming, letter recognition (a lot more for Avery), greater or less than with use of <> symbols, recalling last night's bedtime story about the magic spindle, learned a poem about a dame's tame lame crane, built a horse stable out of blocks that would provide safety, warmth for horses (ethan's problem solving task for his building project)(ethan included heaters for the horses and elaborate arches for decoration), watched the angel bear yoga dvd that really is rather lousy but Ethan mostly liked it (i can do a better job but it's nice to have visuals and not always be the teacher). We also learned about lunar cycles and how the moon affects the tides. We created a lunar calendar but I will do another one tomorrow with a complete month's images. Tonight is the full moon and I hope we have good visibility to help him see the clear starry moonless sky.
It's been a good full day. Ethan has Tae Kwon Do tonight and he is looking forward to wearing his uniform.
Tomorrow we start our Happy Feet Yoga class, and depending upon the flow of the class we'll decide in three weeks if we want to keep running it.
Yesterday we started our Muzzy Spanish curriculum and we all know Yo Soy....
It's been a good week so far. Mahalo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)