Leaving Footprints

2009-07-21T19:48:00.003-05:00

The House Fairy

2009-07-09T21:41:00.006-05:00

Guess who visited our house tonight?

THE HOUSE FAIRY!

If you have not heard of this lovely lady, she is the neatest invention since air conditioning! She visits your child's room once a week to inspect the room's cleanliness. If she likes what she sees, she leaves a small gift, if she doesn't, she just leaves fairy dust. She also generally leaves a note of some kind for the kids to enjoy. You never know when she will visit, so you ALWAYS have to be ready. My girls LOVE HER. She is a friend of The Flylady. You can find ALL about her HERE.

Here is what happened when she visited us this evening:

The girls were out shopping with their grandparents, so I think that The House Fairy seized the opportunity to check out their room.

Their eyes lit up when they realized that she had been in their room!

We saw evidence (fairy dust) of her entry at the window. This confirmed for us that The House Fairy DOES indeed have wings.

She must love tea, because she had a cup and then washed her own dishes...

She left a picture of herself for the girls, with a message for them...

The girls had a clean room, so they received a gift from her!

I have to say, I am just as excited as these two little girls! I got to enjoy their clean room, and I didn't remind them even ONCE this week to clean it!

If I could only get the boys on board...

Preschool Activity Box

2009-07-07T16:01:00.010-05:00

Here is a familiar scenario at our house:

I find great ideas to use with preschoolers during school time (mostly from you wonderful homeschool bloggers!)
I think to myself...I will remember to do that...
I FORGET! Or I forgot WHERE I put that idea for reference...

So, a few years back, I started collecting those ideas with the intent of putting them together into a box that I could go to when I needed some inspiration. I needed all the ideas in ONE PLACE! Well, I FINALLY sat down to do that this morning.

Here's what it looks like:

I started with colored index cards and a card box with dividers.

I thought up how I wanted to divide my activities...here is what I came up with...

Now, time to add the activities...

If the activity needed directions, I usually just put it on one card, like this...

But, for the most part, I tried to do groups of cards like this...

I couldn't see flipping through thousands of cards looking for an idea during a school day. I needed easy, so less is best for me...

Now, when I find an idea I can take two seconds and just add it to a card!

A few WONDERFUL places to get ideas for keeping your preschooler busy during school time:

101 Activities to Do with Your Toddler
This Page is FABULOUS! Tons of ideas and links to ideas...
Article by Karen Andreola on Preschoolers

A few GREAT blogs that I know of for ideas:

If you know of any others, please share! I'm going to put links in my sidebar for preschool idea sites.

I think I might go play with my kids now...I have suddenly stumbled upon a few hundred great ideas :)

The Many Uses of Super Sliders

2009-07-01T20:43:00.008-05:00

Well, since it is summer and we are in full swing of being just plain lazy, I thought that I would give you a glimpse of our find today...Super Sliders. Who knew that those little coasters that move furniture could be so fun? Our kids. So here's our list of today's educational, and not so educational uses of Super Sliders.

Floor Air Hockey
Regular Indoor Hockey
The Many Forms of Dance, including but not limited to Break Dancing
Massage Tools
For Defining Friction
Teething Toys
Exercise
Sledding
Indoor Cross Country Skiing
Calculating Distance Traveled
Shuffleboard
Baby Shuffleboard
Weight Distribution
Stencils
Frisbees
Actual Coasters

The way I see it, you could just buy a couple of sets of these, throw away your home gyms, your air hockey tables, and your teething toys, and then just replace them with these little gems. They would be much easier to put away...toss them in a draw and be done! How fabulous.

AND, because I'm feeling incredibly ornery this evening...here's J~'s favorite use...

Or, you could just be normal and use them to move furniture...

Homeschooling Humor Blog Carnival - First Edition

2009-06-29T17:19:00.014-05:00

Welcome to the very first edition of the Homeschooling Humor Blog Carnival! We have a few funny stories to offer up for your Monday perusal! Enjoy!

Dana Hanley at Principled Discovery gives us a glimpse into the mind of a four year old with, The Insanity of Itsy Bitsy.

Tammi Kay at Now Boarding Gate 3 shares a late night homeschooling funny with, So It's Late at Night...

Karen at Spunky Homeschool gives a humorous rebuttal to an anti-homeschooling article with, The Case Against Homeschooling.

Rebecca at Leaving Footprints presents Golly Gee (our family blog actually).

Thank you for submitting your stories! I enjoyed them, and I hope that others will as well! Please consider helping to promote this blog carnival so it will grow and we can enjoy our Mondays with a little Homeschooling Humor! If you would like to submit a funny story, you can do so HERE.

Laughing a Little More Today,

Our Educational Priorities

2009-06-22T23:35:00.001-05:00

As I am in the middle of reviewing goals and planning for this next year, I have not been writing as much as I would like to about our day to day activities. I hope to change that soon. Until then, I thought that I would share something Ben made for me at the beginning of last year. (I had planned to put some pretty dried flowers on it...ah well, someday...) It is up in our kitchen and will continue to be, for as long as we have children at home. It sums up our educational goals and helps to remind us of our priorities.

I really like the English Standard Version which says

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge..."

Knowledge is the supplement not the number one goal.

Custom Coloring Pages

2009-06-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

Want to see something cool? Your own personal coloring pages!

Paint.net is a downloadable program that is a lot of fun. You can edit photos or create your own. The pencil sketch application did this one...

J~'s obviously thrilled to be in the pack-n-play. However, I bet my girls will enjoy coloring him!

Have fun!

Charlotte's Writings

2009-06-17T22:32:00.006-05:00

Look what I found at our local used homeschool book store!

I found the whole set. I have read A Charlotte Mason Companion, but have never read any of Charlotte's own writings. You can read them online at Ambleside, but there is just something about holding a book! Guess I will start at the beginning...Slowly...

Parental Rights

2009-06-16T22:36:00.006-05:00

If you have not already done so, PLEASE check this out.

There are some pretty crazy things going on right now with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in England.

Thankful for Our Freedoms,

90 Day Bible Challenge - Day 1

2009-06-15T13:00:00.007-05:00

I have a confession.

I have NEVER, not EVER, read the Bible all the way through, much less in 90 days. I have been a Christian for a lot of years, and I'm pretty sure that I have read every book, but never in the 'read the Bible in a year' kind of way. I have tried MANY times. I don't know how many times I have read the book of Genesis! I have tried numerous reading plans, and for whatever reason, have failed every time.

THAT is why I WANT to do this. I want to be obedient to what God has laid on my heart to do.

That said, here are a few thoughts that are swimming around my head today with regard to this 90 Day Challenge.

1. I DON'T have to read all the chapters at one time. (I can't take 16 breaths in the same location, much less read 16 chapters at one sitting :) - DIVISION

2. I DON'T have to read first thing in the morning. (I tend to think this way: That if my quiet time isn't quiet then it doesn't count...crazy I know) - ANYTIME

3. I CAN read aloud to my children. (Funny story, while I was reading aloud to them today, they decorated me with streamers!) - TOGETHER

4. I DON'T want to skip over parts that I think I know, but read them fully with the expectation of learning something new. - THOROUGHNESS

5. I WILL make this a priority. - PRIORITY

6. I WILL use quiet opportunities to read my Bible (my time nursing J~) - OPPORTUNITY

7. I WILL pray. - PRAYER

8. I WON'T, I repeat, WILL NOT be a perfectionist in this. If I fall behind, I WILL NOT quit. - PERSEVERANCE

These are my resolutions.

I made the above at Wordle. You can make your own or you are welcome to snag mine. They are printable! It's saved publicly under 90 Day Bible Challenge.

Persevering after only one day :)

Rocks of Remembrance

2009-06-14T15:40:00.007-05:00

God has taken me through some pretty rough times. Nothing that is uncommon to man, but from my selfish perspective, some rough times. Thing is, He has always walked with me. He is sovereign, and for whatever reason, He chose those trials for me. To grow me, to mold me, to take this stubborn clay pot and shape it closer to the image of His perfect Son.

He has also poured out tremendous blessing upon me. Not for anything that I have done, but because He is a loving Father who loves to give good gifts to His children. The fact that I am one of His children is proof of His abundant lovingkindness (and patience:)

In Joshua 4, God commands the Israelites to set up a memorial of stones to remember what He had done for them in crossing the Jordan.

"Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

The stones were to serve as a reminder, a conversation piece, of what God had done for them.

I thought I would share a picture of my 'Rocks of Remembrance'. Each one has a special meaning, either of a trial that God taken me through, or a blessing that He has bestowed.

I hope that as this little bowl sits out on a shelf, it will be a beautiful reminder of where God has taken me and how He as never left me nor forsaken me. I also look forward to the days my children say "Mama, what are those rocks?" It will give me one more chance to tell them of God's faithfulness.

Blog Map Geography

2009-06-12T12:17:00.007-05:00

Several days ago I added a Flag Counter to both of our blogs. I thought it would be fun for the kids and I to see if we could 'collect' all 50 flags. Then I remembered that I had this book, so we decided to put it to use!

I copied a map for everyone, gave them a sticker sheet, and then set the Flag Counter in front of them.

For the girls, I told them the state and they found them on the map.

For my boys, they had to first identify the state by the flag itself or the abbreviation, then find it on the map.

They had fun decorating their maps...notice the hearts :)

They added a compass rose, which Q~ says means "Never Eat Soggy Worms".

We are over halfway to all 50!

Stickers are always fun, but they were an especially big hit this rainy morning!

Our Lifestyle of Learning - 90 Day Bible Challenge

2009-06-09T21:15:00.009-05:00

If you are a homeschooler who has not heard of Our Lifestyle of Learning, please, go check it out! It is a fairly new online homeschooling community that has been a great encouragement to me. There are so many experienced moms there to answer questions, encourage, and give ideas.

Right now, there are about 30 different groups that you can plug into,,,depending upon your interest, and I just started a summer group - The 90 Day Bible Challenge.

If you would like to read the Bible cover to cover in 90 days, we are starting June 15th and would love to have you join in! I'm looking forward to the fellowship and ACCOUNTABILITY to help me finish this challenge.

There are even reading plans for kids of all ages, so they can join in too. Talk about a summer reading program!

If you aren't a homeschooler, please grab the information in the sidebar and join with me! Don't forget to email me so I can link to you!

Looking forward to growing in Him this summer,

Homeschool Record Book

2009-06-08T11:08:00.010-05:00

It's that time of year again...planning time. I actually like planning. I'm weird that way, I know. I have tried so many different planning ideas, books, pages, etc...that when it came to planning time last year, I was frustrated. Frustrated to the point that I decided to make my own. I saw an idea on an old CM Blog Carnival for making a plan/record book and decided to try it for this year. I have loved it! I changed a few things to make it work for our family, but I love looking back at all the things we have accomplished.

I made two books. 1 planning book (for goals and plans) and 1 recording book (for things we actually finished).

(Mental note to self: Make sure books are two VERY different colors this year!) I ended up putting the kids artwork in between the two covers so I could tell the difference between books. It worked out well though, because I think it made the kids feel special to see their work on the front of my book!

Since showing both books would make this post a mile long, I will break it up and show only the record book for this post.

As I said before, I have LOVED looking back at all we have accomplished. So many times in my planning, I have planned too much, or inappropriately (i.e. 3 pages of math when 1 would have been better). This has left things in my planning books that aren't 'checked' off. I don't know if it's my personality or what, but this DRIVES ME CRAZY! Soooo...having a book that only has things we accomplished has been a real motivator for me this year.

Unlike my planning book, my record book only has four sections:

Attendance, Recording Pages, Assessments/Reviews, Misc.

The first section is attendance. I just created a simple title page to put the tab onto then put one attendance sheet per child in this section.

Donna Young has some great attendance forms. I just noticed that she has some new Colonial style forms. They look beautiful!

The second and by far the biggest section is for my weekly record forms.

I got the majority of my ideas for forms from the Tanglewood Corebook. That being said, I'm not going to upload my forms onto Homeschool Launch because I don't want to infringe upon their rights. Plus, their downloadable book is only $5 and well worth it I might add! I just took the ideas and made them work for our family...

Here is one week's worth of independent work for one child. I have forty of these pages per child in my book. I highlighted each child's name in a different color to easily distinguish what page I was looking for.

This is the record page for all the things we do together...I loved the idea of just circling the day we did things...I think this is Tanglewood's sparkling gem!....again, 40 of these total.

At the end of each week, I put a journal page, so I could review the week. This one IS my creation, so it is on my Homeschool Launch page. My file actually has nine different pages with different pictures. I used things that we would be studying this year to mix it up a little. I'm so crazy like that:)

So that I wouldn't have to flip between pages so often, I arranged all the record forms by week. So my record pages look like this: First, independent work pages for child 1, child 2, child 3, and child 4, Then, together work form, and Finally, the journal page. I copied front to back to save on paper and space. I put this combination together forty times and put it behind the tab. Whew!

The third section is for assessments and reviews. The Tanglewood Corebook has a neat system for reviewing goals every six weeks and we used pages from that for this section. I also put my Math u See, Spelling Power, and Sight word recording pages here.

The last section is just a misc. section: Things I want to do differently next year, to do pages, etc...whatever strikes my fancy...

I also put a pocket folder in the back to hold misc. papers and such. I took everything to Kinkos and had it bound. I'm glad I did, because they bound it much nicer than I could have. I had them put two covers on it...1 regular and 1 clear plastic. It has lasted all year.

Where as I will pitch my planning book in the trash this year, my record book is one that I will treasure! It's everything that God has given us the grace to finish!

The Many Forms of Narration In Pictures

2009-06-03T22:29:00.003-05:00

Narration is a wonderful way to assess comprehension.

I want to show some alternatives to oral narration, some ways that we listen to, observe, and engage our children in the art of knowing...ways we see that they have taken information and made it their own.......in pictures

Winston Churchill said:

"I should have liked to be asked to say what I knew. They always tried to ask what I did not know. When I would have willingly displayed my knowledge, they sought to expose my ignorance. This sort of treatment had only one result: I did not do well in examinations."

I resolve to ask my children to display their knowledge.

I resolve to observe it for myself.

Mary Cassatt

2009-06-02T11:03:00.007-05:00

Even though we are hitting our end of the year push and I am ready for a break, I am pretty excited about our last picture study of the year!

I purposely saved her for last because she is my favorite of this year's artists. The most exciting thing? We got to see her artwork in person at the Art Institute of Chicago!

The Child's Bath by Mary Cassatt 1893

We went on a Thursday night, which is a free night, and it was crazy packed. This corner of the museum with Mary Cassatt paintings was incredibly busy. I had to wait quite a while before I could get a picture with only N~ in the frame.

On the Balcony by Mary Cassatt 1878/79

I got a chance to enjoy this one up close for a little while.

I'm looking forward to ~~learning about her this month~~ I mean, teaching the kids about Mary Cassatt this month!

My Apologies

2009-05-26T15:57:00.005-05:00

As I was sitting down to listen to H~ read today, she apologized...

"Mama, I'm sorry that I used to whine about phonics. I'm sorry that I used to say 'I don't want to do that'. I'm sorry that I used to cry and get sent to my room. I'm glad that I'm learning how to read, or how could I grow up and read to my children?"

I thought it was pretty sweet. Sweet especially, because she REALLY did whine about phonics. A LOT

It was a nice surprise.

Now, to push through our last 35 days!!

Expensive Expanse

2009-05-21T19:13:00.003-05:00

Tonight at dinner, Ben asked Q~ to read from Genesis for the devotion. Q~ looks up Genesis 1 verse 6 and this is what he sees:

Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters...

This is what he said:

Then God said, "Let there be an EXPENSE in the MIDWEST...

The current economic condition must be on the poor child's brain!

Copying Monet

2009-04-23T20:14:00.000-05:00

We have really enjoyed the picture studies we have done this year. Me especially. I heard someone say the other day that homeschooling benefits the parents...the kids are just along for the ride. With regards to picture and nature studies in our house, this is very true. I love them! In fact, this week we copied Monet paintings and I was a little disappointed that J~ was crying while the kids were doing theirs, because I didn't get to do mine!

Here are their finished pieces of art:

Venice at Dusk: 1908 by Claude Monet, 2009 by Q~

Garden at Sainte-Adresse: 1867 by Claude Monet, 2009 by N~

London, Parliament: 1904 by Claude Monet, 2009 by H~

Open-Air Study: Woman Turned to the Right: 1886 by Claude Monet, 2009 by S~

This was our first time to try and copy a work using paints. In the past we have used colored pencils, but the kids really wanted to try paint this time, because as H~ said, "Monet didn't do his with colored pencils, so we won't either." Soooo....we painted! Well,,,not me...not yet...

Backing up, last week we read this as our introduction to Monet.

These are the cutest books! Very informative, yet really funny. The kids (especially Q~) loved trying to read the cartoons with their best french accents. I believe they have a composer series as well.

Honestly, until this year I had no idea what copying a great piece of art can teach you about art itself, but I have learned a great deal. I am hoping to learn much much more, and I am praying that the kids enjoy the ride as well!

Robin's Nest

2009-04-22T21:32:00.008-05:00

Look at what we saw today at my dad's house.

My dad put that mirror up there so we could see what the robin had in her nest. The kids started jumping up and down for joy. It was pretty neat if I do say so myself.

There's nothing better than seeing something for yourself...well, except for maybe touching it...but the mama was keeping a pretty good eye on us, and since we didn't want her to abandon her nest, we went inside to watch from a distance.

Pretty good stuff!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2009-04-20T22:21:00.011-05:00

Well, we finished Mr. Popper's Penguins today. I was rather surprised at how much N~ enjoyed doing this project. When I decided to add a lapbook into our literature time, I was doing it mainly for the girls. I pretty much just gave the kids the materials and let them go to it, doing what they wanted to do while I read. N~ loved it. I should've known. He's the hands on kinda guy. He did every minit book I put in front of him. I think it helped that he enjoyed the story and that there was lots of cutting and pasting involved. Here's a glimpse inside his finished lapbook.

I found this lapbook on Homeschool Share. Great site!

Geography Fair

2009-04-19T19:09:00.012-05:00

Oh how I wish that I would have taken our camera to the geography fair last month! A d'oh moment for sure! Ah well, we did take pictures beforehand...

Our finished board. Each of the region pockets held a state lapbook for each state in that region.

Here is the front of Oklahoma. We happened to have extra stickers for OK. We didn't use all the stickers on every book.

The inside is a map. The kids labeled rivers, mountains, and other important geological features.

The back page contains information that we gathered for that state.

The state birds/flowers worksheets I got ~HERE~
The state maps that I used, I got ~HERE~
I made up the back page worksheet myself. I've uploaded it to Homeschool Launch. Homeschool Launch is AWESOME! There is a link in my sidebar. It takes 30 seconds to upload things you make to share with others, so PLEASE SHARE! No sense in re-inventing the worksheet:)

We taught the kids the state capitals using this book:

It uses cute pictures to help them remember the state and capital. For instance, on the cover is an Ark Can Saw a Little Rock. Little Rock, Arkansas! Great way to remember!

At the actual geography fair we had a booth in which we passed out apple pie and cracker jacks. H~ also sang with her kindergarten class in front of the group. It was sweet...again, regret for no camera...

This project was actually our entire year's worth of geography for N~, Q~, & H~, culminating in the fair itself. However, from this picture you can see who helped quite a bit!

SchoolRoom

2009-04-18T17:49:00.000-05:00

Well, it isn't finished, but everything is at least put away. I don't have much up on the walls yet, but we can work in here...

View from the doorway

One side of the storage closet...yes, I went a little label happy...

The reading corner...the kids have named it "Fort A~" (insert our last name here:)

The fun stuff...again...a little label happy...

I now have my dining room back! Wahoo! Maybe I can actually USE my kitchen countertops now...we shall see. If this doesn't work, I've already decided, we're moving!

Ideas for Resurrection Baskets

2009-04-11T12:24:00.000-05:00

We decided to do Resurrection Baskets for the kids this year. I absolutely hate how commercialized Easter has become with the bunnies and all...walking through the Easter section at Target yesterday was like strolling through a rabbit farm...gag!

Anyway, on to Resurrection Baskets...hence the name of this post:) Here are some ideas that I found from Homeschool Share, plus I added a few of my own...

In no particular order:

~Palm Leaf - for Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
~Green Grass - for the new life we have in Jesus.
~Animal Crackers - for the unleavened bread of the Passover Feast.
~Chocolate Coins - for the pieces of silver that Judas accepted to betray Jesus.
~Lollipop Sticks - turned upside down in the basket to represent the nails in the cross.
~Grape Juice - for the blood Jesus shed on the cross.
~Cup - for the cup passed during the last supper.
~Sponge - for the vinegar soaked sponge Jesus drank.
~Chocolate Cross & Cross Tattoos - for the cross Jesus died on.
~Black Construction Paper - for the darkness that covered the earth (this can also be ripped in half to represent the torn veil!).
~Bath soap - for when Jesus washed the disciples feet.
~Bath Loofa (white one) - for the clouds as Jesus ascended in heaven.
~Fruit flavored candy - for the fruit of the Spirit.
~Hollow Chocolate Egg - for the empty tomb.
~Marshmallow Twist (or Twizzlers or some such product) - to represent the whip.
~Tissues - for the linen in which Jesus was wrapped for His burial.
~Stuffed Lamb - Jesus is the Lamb of God.

If you have different ideas please leave me a comment. I would like to look back at this post in the coming years and make even better baskets!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Book Organization

2009-04-09T20:32:00.000-05:00

To start off, yes, this kind of stuff makes me very happy. Weird, uh-huh, but a very happy lady nonetheless. Here's why.

These three shelves are our science books. They were a mess. The kids either pulled them all out to find what they wanted, or they didn't bother because they couldn't find what they were looking for. For that matter, neither could I. Then I saw ~THIS~ at 1+1+1=1 and thought 'hey, I can do that,,,what a great idea'! So here ya go...
Now, you know my husband, being the engineer that he is, decided to take this one step further. (and about five more hours worth of work longer wouldn't you know...:) He thought that if we tagged the books somehow, they would be easier for the kids, especially the girls, to put away. Soooo.... we added little sticker tags to the spines and made cute little labels for the boxes...

Now, the books should be easier to see, easier to choose, easier to find when we need them for school, and easier to reshelve. THAT is why I'm a little bit more joyful this evening! Here's someone who isn't so happy however...

Just in case you're wondering, I think he's tagged as a drawing book...

Popping Along

2009-04-07T23:09:00.001-05:00

We are popping along with our Mr. Popper's Penguins lapbook. (oh man, I crack myself up) N~ is working on alphabetizing the penguin names in this picture, and I just find it so great that after all these years he still sticks that tongue out while he's concentrating!

How We Use Workboxes

2009-04-06T12:56:00.000-05:00

Workboxes! Love em. Here's how we are using them. First, check out Sue Patrick's book ~HERE~. You can download the ebook for detailed instructions on the entire system.

Here is a photo of the boys' workboxes...N~ in red, Q~ in green. This is a day's worth of work for them. (Yes, that is my dishwasher open in the background, hey, I'm just lucky it was empty!:)

As they finish boxes, the work they "see" diminishes...thus encouraging perseverance,,,the end is in sight! Also, having twelve boxes allows me to put in wonderful things that were just sitting on my shelves because I could not fit them into our day. (ignore that stray red label on Q~'s box:)

After they finish with a box, they put the labels away, put the work in the 'to be graded' pile, and then stack their box. They stack the finished boxes in a corner...they like seeing how 'high' the stack can get...

At first I was having the kids put all the used labels in one basket, but then in the evenings I was having to sort through every label to find what I needed...Soooo...I used velcro on the inside of their school cabinet.

Now, in addition to the regular labels that Sue recommends, I have added time labels that I found ~HERE~. I also added XOXO stickers to some blank labels so that when the kids see these, they will come up and give me hugs and kisses! I love those... My SIL also recommended having a box for a snack. Prizes, books, toys, in addition to regular schoolwork, the sky's the limit for ideas of what to put in these boxes.

I am still working on tweaking this system to fit our family and our method of education...at first I was trying to have the kids do twelve boxes of individual work, then the together work as well...that was total craziness...so we have switched to boxes 1-6 being individual morning work, then 7-9 or so being together stuff after lunch, then back to individual work after that.

We have been using this system for about a month now, and I really like it. It is a little more work in the evenings, as I still have the grading and recording to do, plus filling the boxes...BUT, the day runs much smoother because of the many benefits...those being: fewer questions on when we are finished, the schedule for the day is VERY clear, encouraging independence, plus they also hold me accountable to make sure that I am working one on one with every child when they need it most.

Such a simple, yet clever system!

Waddle On

2009-04-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

We've been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins this past week and attempting our first real lapbook. I found the study HERE. I love Homeschool Share. They have so many great units, especially for FIAR. We are considering FIAR for the girls for next year...we shall see...anyway, I digress...

We watched March of the Penguins the other day, not the same penguin as the ones in Mr. Popper's, but penguins and Antarctica nonetheless. This is how the kids were playing this afternoon.

They were waddling. H~ was even trying to keep an egg between her feet and move along. I thought they were pretty cute. Q~ was too cool to be photographed, but I did catch him waddling.

Pleasant Valley

2009-04-02T22:10:00.001-05:00

N~ had the opportunity to visit Pleasant Valley school today. It is a living history one room schoolhouse that invites fourth graders to come experience a day of school from a hundred years ago. I didn't get to go with him, but I did get to help him prepare. He had to pack a lunch with only things they would have had during that time, plus he had to wear the appropriate clothing. He had a great time choosing food, although some choices were less than appealing (lard and sugar sandwiches?...UGH). No, we didn't make those. Here he is in his fancy new overalls and hat.

He said that he enjoyed his day. I forgot, however, to ask him about those outhouses...

Very First Homeschool Blog Post

2009-04-02T18:25:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking about having a homeschooling blog for quite awhile. This will be a place for me to record a daily 'footprint'. The premise being, that we leave footprints everyday, whether we want to or not...it is my prayer that we will follow after Christ,,,thus leaving His prints on the hearts and minds of our children.

2009-04-01T00:22:00.002-05:00