Not a very paper/pencil week, but lots of learning just the same!
The only "real school" this week was:
Suzy did two math pages - Math-U-SeeAlpha 4F and 5A. Also watched the DVD for lesson 5.
But the learning didn't stop there! Read on....
Started a new read-aloud - The Lemonade Trick by Scott Corbett.
Suzy and Emily went with me to a baby shower - THINK PINK!
Saw The Bee Movie at an outdoor showing at a local park. I liked it - laughed right out loud quite a few times! It was neat sitting outside watching on the huge inflatable screen! The kids went several times last summer with Bob, but I was at work each time.
We visited the library and did our first cash-in of the kids' prize tickets! Brought home a BOATLOAD of books. The moment we walk in the house everyone is usually very busy READING.
Went to fireworks and set off some of our own (the tamer version). Swam in a friend's pool and at the waterpark. Camped out in a tent in the yard. Played outside a LOT as it was too nice to be indoors! Went to some garage sales.
Had a nature walk - photographed fish and insects, identified birds and plants and trees. James and Suzy both practiced using the digital camera.
Did lots of chores - daily ones, as well as mowing the yard, weeding the flowers, dusting, folding laundry, and more. However, the rooms? Not so clean as of tonight. Sigh.
David learned how to download a font off the internet and install it. He also installed new print cartridges for our all-in-one printer/scanner.
David wants to learn some Star Wars alphabet (thus the font download).
The three oldest kids learned to play Scattergories. Whee! I foresee some fun family times now! I love Scattergories!
[EDITED to add: we did family devotions 5 days during this week. This includes Bible reading, a memory verse, singing, and prayer.]
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Stars and Stripes Shirts
Saw a young girl wearing one of those painted stars-and-stripes t-shirts tonight at the fireworks! My girls talked to her and she said she made her shirt in kindergarten and she is in 4th grade now. Bob heard us talking and he said he still has his too.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Could you pass the latest citizenship test?
In October 2008 a new version of the U.S. citizenship test will be taken by all applicants. Could you pass it? The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 samples that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview. Some are easy, some are not. We have picked some of the more difficult ones.
NOTES: Candidates are not given multiple choices in the naturalization interview. The following questions have been adapted from the immigration service’s sample questions.
Link to test on MSNBC
As some of you may already know, I never watch the news and pay only cursory attention to current events. Maybe that's to my detriment, but it's never been my area of interest or expertise. Even so, I did get 80% which would apparently qualify me for citizenship. :-)
NOTES: Candidates are not given multiple choices in the naturalization interview. The following questions have been adapted from the immigration service’s sample questions.
Link to test on MSNBC
As some of you may already know, I never watch the news and pay only cursory attention to current events. Maybe that's to my detriment, but it's never been my area of interest or expertise. Even so, I did get 80% which would apparently qualify me for citizenship. :-)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Fourth of July
After I did the Olympic post, it occurred to me that maybe I should have done a FOURTH OF JULY POST. lol Oh well. It's never too late!
So, here are some Fourth of July ideas from Family Fun magazine. (which I LOVE!)
One year we made stars-and-stripes t-shirts like these.
How about decorating a bike?
How about a printable pinwheel? Or a USA paper airplane?
Then follow up with a yummy and healthy dessert made with red and blue fruit.
Lots more activities on the Family Fun website. Go check it out!
So, here are some Fourth of July ideas from Family Fun magazine. (which I LOVE!)
One year we made stars-and-stripes t-shirts like these.
How about decorating a bike?
How about a printable pinwheel? Or a USA paper airplane?
Then follow up with a yummy and healthy dessert made with red and blue fruit.
Lots more activities on the Family Fun website. Go check it out!
Crying Coach!
My husband ran into the wife of Emily's coach at the water park yesterday. She said that the letter she wrote made her husband (Em's coach) cry!
See? Thank you notes are important!
See? Thank you notes are important!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Try-it Tuesday - Olympic Crafts
I know the Olympics aren't until August, but you can get started now with some great activities to prepare for watching the Games.
Some very cute Olympic-themed crafts on this website from Activity Village.
Kids can make a medal, a olive-leaf crown, a torch, the Olympic rings, and more!
More places on the web to find Olympic activities and information:
Child Fun
ABC Teach Olympic Theme Unit
About.com Family Olympics
Wikipedia article on the 2008 Olympics
Official Website of the Olympic Movement
Some very cute Olympic-themed crafts on this website from Activity Village.
Kids can make a medal, a olive-leaf crown, a torch, the Olympic rings, and more!
More places on the web to find Olympic activities and information:
Child Fun
ABC Teach Olympic Theme Unit
About.com Family Olympics
Wikipedia article on the 2008 Olympics
Official Website of the Olympic Movement
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Weekly Report June 22-28
Three of the kids visited their paternal grandparents last Sunday. They worked in the garden as well. One of the children remained with me and we worked on remedying a moral issue.
James and Suzy went to a Veggie Tales Vacation Bible School two days this week. (They missed the 3rd (final) day.)
David started making a suit of Mandalorian armor - totally on his own and at his own desire. (In case you are in the dark, Boba Fett and Jango Fett wore Mandalorian armor. In case you are still in the dark, it's a Star Wars thing. lol David is designing his own armor in the Mandalorian style, rather than copy an existing set.) I will have photos when it's done. I am amazed at his determination and skill!
We finished our read-aloud - The 21 Balloons by William Pene du Bois. I love this book! It's a compelling story and David was fascinated by the inventions in it. It is 10 chapters and each time I read, I read one chapter, but we didn't do it every day, so it took several weeks to complete. Trying to decide on our next read-aloud.
Math - Slower week
David - 24C Pre-Algebra Math-U-See
Emily - 20C Gamma
James - 4A Gamma
Suzy - 4E Alpha
Reading -
Suzy, James, and Emily did some reading for the library reading program and kept track of it. They didn't write anything in their literature journals this week though.
David read a lot more in his Star Wars books (The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology and The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels) and wrote 3 more paragraphs.
Writing -
Emily wrote a nice letter to her soccer coach. The rest were encouraged to do so, but did not. (They will be!)
They all did lots of jobs, including cleaning their rooms. The rabbits get a lot of attention and we are learning a lot about what to do (and not do) with cockatiels.
We went to the beach with our homeschool group on Thursday and some garage sales on Friday. We went to the waterpark on Saturday and the girls went with me to Walmart to buy groceries and a baby gift.
I am pretty sure that the low payout for this week will encourage the kids to do more reading and writing this coming week. Plus we don't have VBS or anywhere to go at all except FIREWORKS!
I saw back-to-school stuff in Walmart yesterday! ACK!
James and Suzy went to a Veggie Tales Vacation Bible School two days this week. (They missed the 3rd (final) day.)
David started making a suit of Mandalorian armor - totally on his own and at his own desire. (In case you are in the dark, Boba Fett and Jango Fett wore Mandalorian armor. In case you are still in the dark, it's a Star Wars thing. lol David is designing his own armor in the Mandalorian style, rather than copy an existing set.) I will have photos when it's done. I am amazed at his determination and skill!
We finished our read-aloud - The 21 Balloons by William Pene du Bois. I love this book! It's a compelling story and David was fascinated by the inventions in it. It is 10 chapters and each time I read, I read one chapter, but we didn't do it every day, so it took several weeks to complete. Trying to decide on our next read-aloud.
Math - Slower week
David - 24C Pre-Algebra Math-U-See
Emily - 20C Gamma
James - 4A Gamma
Suzy - 4E Alpha
Reading -
Suzy, James, and Emily did some reading for the library reading program and kept track of it. They didn't write anything in their literature journals this week though.
David read a lot more in his Star Wars books (The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology and The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels) and wrote 3 more paragraphs.
Writing -
Emily wrote a nice letter to her soccer coach. The rest were encouraged to do so, but did not. (They will be!)
They all did lots of jobs, including cleaning their rooms. The rabbits get a lot of attention and we are learning a lot about what to do (and not do) with cockatiels.
We went to the beach with our homeschool group on Thursday and some garage sales on Friday. We went to the waterpark on Saturday and the girls went with me to Walmart to buy groceries and a baby gift.
I am pretty sure that the low payout for this week will encourage the kids to do more reading and writing this coming week. Plus we don't have VBS or anywhere to go at all except FIREWORKS!
I saw back-to-school stuff in Walmart yesterday! ACK!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Sneak Peek
I got a sneak peek at the schedule-in-process for our homeschool co-op for 2008-09. Wow! Exciting! Another great group of homeschooling moms have banded together to provide bunches of interesting and hands-on classes for our kids!
By the way, I am not "in charge" this year. I'm taking a year long sabbatical from group leadership and have handed over the reins to a very competent and wonderful woman. She'll be heading it up this coming year.
It looks like I'll be teaching two classes this year. (I love to teach!)
Glass Slipper (ages 7-9) - We'll be looking at different versions of the Cinderella story and other folk tales to learn about world cultures.
Written & Illustrated By (ages 9+) - Each child will write, illustrate, and bind his or her own book.
By the way, I am not "in charge" this year. I'm taking a year long sabbatical from group leadership and have handed over the reins to a very competent and wonderful woman. She'll be heading it up this coming year.
It looks like I'll be teaching two classes this year. (I love to teach!)
Glass Slipper (ages 7-9) - We'll be looking at different versions of the Cinderella story and other folk tales to learn about world cultures.
Written & Illustrated By (ages 9+) - Each child will write, illustrate, and bind his or her own book.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Weekly Report June 16-21
Suzy had Nature Center Field School this week for 4 days. She learned about using her 5 senses to interact with nature. It was a great experience.
The kids did not end up going with us to court, which was just as well, since it wasn't anything like I expected it to be. David babysat Emily and James while Suzy was at Field School.
Math:
David did 24B of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Emily did 20A & 20B of MUS Gamma.
James did 3F & Test 2 (I think) of Gamma.
Suzy did 4D of MUS Alpha.
Language Arts:
David read some of his Star Wars encyclopedia-type book and wrote three LONG paragraphs about it. Emily read quite a bit of Bridge to Terabithia and wrote three paragraphs about it. James read Green Eggs and Ham, Ten Apples Up on Top, and a Berenstain Bear book and wrote about each one. He also listened to 8 Magic Tree House audiobooks and Bridge to Terabithia on CD as well. Suzy was read to a little.
All the kids wrote a nice letter to their grandparents.
We did family devotions several days.
All six of us went out to eat at an Asian buffet restaurant for our wedding anniversary. The kids tried some new foods and found out they like eating at this kind of restaurant.
The kids did not end up going with us to court, which was just as well, since it wasn't anything like I expected it to be. David babysat Emily and James while Suzy was at Field School.
Math:
David did 24B of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Emily did 20A & 20B of MUS Gamma.
James did 3F & Test 2 (I think) of Gamma.
Suzy did 4D of MUS Alpha.
Language Arts:
David read some of his Star Wars encyclopedia-type book and wrote three LONG paragraphs about it. Emily read quite a bit of Bridge to Terabithia and wrote three paragraphs about it. James read Green Eggs and Ham, Ten Apples Up on Top, and a Berenstain Bear book and wrote about each one. He also listened to 8 Magic Tree House audiobooks and Bridge to Terabithia on CD as well. Suzy was read to a little.
All the kids wrote a nice letter to their grandparents.
We did family devotions several days.
All six of us went out to eat at an Asian buffet restaurant for our wedding anniversary. The kids tried some new foods and found out they like eating at this kind of restaurant.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Try-it Tuesday - Travel Games
Are you planning a trip? Maybe not, since gas costs are through the roof! But if you need activities to entertain your children in the car and prefer ones that will make awesome family memories, check out this site - Mom's Minivan.
Mom's Minivan has over 101 activities for babies, toddlers, and children of all ages to creatively occupy their hands and minds while building family connections. Some need preparation, so check the site well in advance for those. Then again, some are easy to play on-the-fly. Enjoy!
Our family often sings in the car - a great time to use all those hymns and praise choruses we learn in our Bible lessons. Really! They enjoy it! We also love to listen to audiobooks (most recently - The Princess Bride by William Goldman) and recorded stories (their most favorite ones are Classical Kids).
By the by, we don't own a DVD player for our vehicle. Kids who watch DVDs on family trips are missing out on some great family time! Same goes for those handheld video games. Consider your goals - are you just trying to keep things quiet in the car (which is certainly ok at times!) or can you make the time spent in the car a way to enjoy each other's company?
Mom's Minivan has over 101 activities for babies, toddlers, and children of all ages to creatively occupy their hands and minds while building family connections. Some need preparation, so check the site well in advance for those. Then again, some are easy to play on-the-fly. Enjoy!
Our family often sings in the car - a great time to use all those hymns and praise choruses we learn in our Bible lessons. Really! They enjoy it! We also love to listen to audiobooks (most recently - The Princess Bride by William Goldman) and recorded stories (their most favorite ones are Classical Kids).
By the by, we don't own a DVD player for our vehicle. Kids who watch DVDs on family trips are missing out on some great family time! Same goes for those handheld video games. Consider your goals - are you just trying to keep things quiet in the car (which is certainly ok at times!) or can you make the time spent in the car a way to enjoy each other's company?
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