Mane is halfway through her math book for the year. So, we're taking the next few weeks to play with math. She has always preferred verbal math over doing math worksheets. So, today we reviewed some of her math facts verbally, and she thought it was great fun. (It helped that Novio was around & listening. She always loves to show off a bit.) I told her she'd be learning multiplication later this year, and she got all worried. I told her that multiplication was the same as skip-counting, which she already does by 10's, 5's & 2's. In that case, she decided to learn some of the 3's today, too. ;)
I looked over the book What Your Second Grader Needs to Know, and I must admit to feeling very much at ease regarding the things we've covered this year and what we have left. We read a portion out of the history section today just to reinforce what we've already covered about India & China this year.
We went to the orchestra again last week for a fantastic performance of Hansel & Gretel!
We've been reading Advent stories each evening, and Mane continues to learn The Lord's Prayer.
Last week we read through The Care and Keeping of You, which fascinated Mane and led to many fascinating discussions!
And Mane has been playing outside lots in the snow & cold!
I have very little time to keep up with blogging right now. So, though this blog looks scarce, we've been busy...perhaps that's the way it ought to be.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
A fresh start
Well, we seem to finally be back on our feet. Mango was terribly sick the week of Thanksgiving, and I've spent the month recovering from surgery. Mane has been learning lots just by living life and talking with us, but today we had a "real" day of homeschool...one that resembles the structure we started with this year.
Mane reviewed Psalm 23 after breakfast. Then we worked on adding a new portion of The Lord's Prayer. We read about the Maccabees again and about the significance of the menorah for Hannukah. We listened to Michael W. Smith's song of The Lord's Prayer, and then Mane listened to a story about the Maccabees that we found on the internet. I have a DVD from the library about Hannukah that we'll be watching this week, as well.
After that we did a Hooked on Phonics lesson and a lesson from Making Words.
We dug out the Human book and looked at the eye. Mane drew a picture of an eye - with the optic nerve, lens, cornea, and muscles. We talked more about optical illusions. Then we turned the page in the Human book and reviewed how our ears help us balance.
We began the next chapter of Story of the World about ancient China. We looked at the map and discussed why the Mesopotamian people referred to China as the Far East. Mane traced the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers on a map for her history binder, and we talked about the kinds of food grown in the Yellow River Valley. We read the story of how the first emporer's wife supposedly discovered silk, and Mane retold the story in her own words. Then she copied down some ancient Chinese pictograms from the Story of the World text.
When Mane got up this morning she was asking when it was going to snow. So, we looked at the 10-day forecast on the internet. Then we discussed whether the forecast was likely to be right or not, and we decided to keep a log of it for the next ten days. This led to a discussion of the scientific method, and we wrote out the method we'll be using to find out if the forecast is more often right or wrong.
Mane finished out the day by taking test 13 in Math U See. We'll be moving on to a section on measurement next!
Mane reviewed Psalm 23 after breakfast. Then we worked on adding a new portion of The Lord's Prayer. We read about the Maccabees again and about the significance of the menorah for Hannukah. We listened to Michael W. Smith's song of The Lord's Prayer, and then Mane listened to a story about the Maccabees that we found on the internet. I have a DVD from the library about Hannukah that we'll be watching this week, as well.
After that we did a Hooked on Phonics lesson and a lesson from Making Words.
We dug out the Human book and looked at the eye. Mane drew a picture of an eye - with the optic nerve, lens, cornea, and muscles. We talked more about optical illusions. Then we turned the page in the Human book and reviewed how our ears help us balance.
We began the next chapter of Story of the World about ancient China. We looked at the map and discussed why the Mesopotamian people referred to China as the Far East. Mane traced the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers on a map for her history binder, and we talked about the kinds of food grown in the Yellow River Valley. We read the story of how the first emporer's wife supposedly discovered silk, and Mane retold the story in her own words. Then she copied down some ancient Chinese pictograms from the Story of the World text.
When Mane got up this morning she was asking when it was going to snow. So, we looked at the 10-day forecast on the internet. Then we discussed whether the forecast was likely to be right or not, and we decided to keep a log of it for the next ten days. This led to a discussion of the scientific method, and we wrote out the method we'll be using to find out if the forecast is more often right or wrong.
Mane finished out the day by taking test 13 in Math U See. We'll be moving on to a section on measurement next!
Monday, November 16, 2009
A Blur
The last two weeks have gone by in a blur...not full of activity, but full of sleep and recovery. I had my appendix out Novemeber 4th. I was sick for the two days prior to that. So, today marks 2 weeks since this whole thing started. I am still tired beyond belief, and homeschooling takes a great deal of energy. So, we're going slow...doing a lot of incidental learning and reading books.
So, on Novemeber 2nd, Mane and I began rowing Mirette on the High Wire. We read both Mirette on the High Wire and Starring Mirette and Bellini. We watched a bunch of youtube videos about the Wallenda family (famous for their high wire walking and seven-person pyramid) and other real life high wire walkers. Mane drew a picture of Mirette walking the high wire for her school notebook. My mom ended up coming over on Tuesday to help me out, and she read Mirette and Bellini Cross Niagara Falls and The Man Who Walked Between the Towers to Mane.
Tuesday night, Mango taught Mane about how the fluid of the inner ear helps people to balance. I think later this week I'll have her draw some pictures, maybe a picture explanation of how balance works.
For several days after I had my appendix out we talked about the appendix and the digestive system and laparoscopic surgery.
Mane played "store" with Mango and practiced reading and counting money. She continues to do a great deal of incidental reading on her own. Over the weekend, Mango worked with Mane on a business venture they'd like to start together, and they spend many hours busily creating a website. Mane did a great deal of the typing and spelling herself.
We continued reading The Hobbit together...
Today we read Mirette on the High Wire again. I printed a map for Mane's school notebook, and she circled all the places mentioned in the book. I wrote out all the places we've talked about (and several others that I already know that Mane knows) on index cards. Then I had her draw cards and find the places on the map. I asked her if each place we a continent, country, or city, and we talked again about the distinction between those things. Whenever she could find a place, she got to keep the card. I think we'll keep using this stack of cards and adding new places as we study them in Five in a Row and Story of the World.
We read The Painted Circus, which has a circus theme (to go with high wire walking) and is full of optical illusions. Then Mane showed them all to Vespera & Novio, who happened to be hanging around the house this morning. :)
As I was typing Mane, began lesson 12 in MUS...adding money. Tomorrow she'll take the test, as this is exactly the same as the addition she's been doing - only with a decimal point and a dollar sign. She had no trouble with the practice page.
So, on Novemeber 2nd, Mane and I began rowing Mirette on the High Wire. We read both Mirette on the High Wire and Starring Mirette and Bellini. We watched a bunch of youtube videos about the Wallenda family (famous for their high wire walking and seven-person pyramid) and other real life high wire walkers. Mane drew a picture of Mirette walking the high wire for her school notebook. My mom ended up coming over on Tuesday to help me out, and she read Mirette and Bellini Cross Niagara Falls and The Man Who Walked Between the Towers to Mane.
Tuesday night, Mango taught Mane about how the fluid of the inner ear helps people to balance. I think later this week I'll have her draw some pictures, maybe a picture explanation of how balance works.
For several days after I had my appendix out we talked about the appendix and the digestive system and laparoscopic surgery.
Mane played "store" with Mango and practiced reading and counting money. She continues to do a great deal of incidental reading on her own. Over the weekend, Mango worked with Mane on a business venture they'd like to start together, and they spend many hours busily creating a website. Mane did a great deal of the typing and spelling herself.
We continued reading The Hobbit together...
Today we read Mirette on the High Wire again. I printed a map for Mane's school notebook, and she circled all the places mentioned in the book. I wrote out all the places we've talked about (and several others that I already know that Mane knows) on index cards. Then I had her draw cards and find the places on the map. I asked her if each place we a continent, country, or city, and we talked again about the distinction between those things. Whenever she could find a place, she got to keep the card. I think we'll keep using this stack of cards and adding new places as we study them in Five in a Row and Story of the World.
We read The Painted Circus, which has a circus theme (to go with high wire walking) and is full of optical illusions. Then Mane showed them all to Vespera & Novio, who happened to be hanging around the house this morning. :)
As I was typing Mane, began lesson 12 in MUS...adding money. Tomorrow she'll take the test, as this is exactly the same as the addition she's been doing - only with a decimal point and a dollar sign. She had no trouble with the practice page.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Cork Trees
Did you know that cork comes from trees that grow in Spain & Portugal. In The Story of Ferdinand, Ferdinand likes to sit under a cork tree and smell the flowers. So, today we watched a youtube video on how corks are made:
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Unschool
This week's schooling has looked largely like unschool. I'm impressed with the results and feeling comfortable with where this week went, even as I'm ready to get back into a schedule.
Mane read early readers from the library for her reading practice this week. She finished 1st grade Hooked on Phonics last week, and I wanted to spend a week reinforcing reading skills before moving to the 2nd grade materials. She's eager to get started, too, and I wanted to build that enthusiasm a little.
Mane is about ready to finish chapter 11 of MUS, after her huge leap in math lessons last week. I practiced reading price tags with her at Savers this week, and she's been practicing the money counting all on her own.
Monday night we took a close look at the section on India in the book Wonders of the Ancient World. Mango was with us and asked a lot of excited questions, which was good review for Mane AND an opportunity to find out more. Tuesday we had a friend from India come over to make Indian food with us:
We continued talking this week about Ferdinand and the country of Spain. Mane asked a lot of questions about how the Mexican people came to speak Spanish, since the Spanish language comes from Spain. So, we talked about how countries sometimes take over other countries, about the way that many European countries formed colonies all over the world, including the United States. I explained that Mexico used to be made up of the Aztec and Mayan people, just as the United States used to be a whole bunch of Native American tribes. We talked about why countries take over other countries, especially about how it usually involves taking the other country's natural resources. This led to a discussion of natural resources, naturally occurring elements, and the periodic table. Whew!!
Mane read early readers from the library for her reading practice this week. She finished 1st grade Hooked on Phonics last week, and I wanted to spend a week reinforcing reading skills before moving to the 2nd grade materials. She's eager to get started, too, and I wanted to build that enthusiasm a little.
Mane is about ready to finish chapter 11 of MUS, after her huge leap in math lessons last week. I practiced reading price tags with her at Savers this week, and she's been practicing the money counting all on her own.
Monday night we took a close look at the section on India in the book Wonders of the Ancient World. Mango was with us and asked a lot of excited questions, which was good review for Mane AND an opportunity to find out more. Tuesday we had a friend from India come over to make Indian food with us:
We continued talking this week about Ferdinand and the country of Spain. Mane asked a lot of questions about how the Mexican people came to speak Spanish, since the Spanish language comes from Spain. So, we talked about how countries sometimes take over other countries, about the way that many European countries formed colonies all over the world, including the United States. I explained that Mexico used to be made up of the Aztec and Mayan people, just as the United States used to be a whole bunch of Native American tribes. We talked about why countries take over other countries, especially about how it usually involves taking the other country's natural resources. This led to a discussion of natural resources, naturally occurring elements, and the periodic table. Whew!!
Friday, October 23, 2009
When something suddenly clicks!
Wow! I think I've been waiting for this moment without even really knowing it. It is SO FUN to see Mane learn things. I remember being amazed all through her babyhood as she learned how to grasp and roll and crawl and walk. Now I'm starting to see that with knowledge.
So, here's the story... We've always played around with counting money. She seemed to understand how much each coin was worth and how to add them up to dollars. Then, yesterday we did the Math U See lesson where the unit blocks represent pennies, the ten blocks represent dimes, and the hundered blocks represent dollars. Mane's response? "MAMA, you can use MATH to count money?!!!" She then proceeded to dump out her piggy bank and count the entire contents. She counted $12.53 in coins. It wasn't that she used any different method than we had always used to help her count coins, but she kept exclaiming over and over again about how it easy it was, and it was clear that SOMETHING finally made sense to her about counting coins. It was so fun to see her so excited.
So, here's the story... We've always played around with counting money. She seemed to understand how much each coin was worth and how to add them up to dollars. Then, yesterday we did the Math U See lesson where the unit blocks represent pennies, the ten blocks represent dimes, and the hundered blocks represent dollars. Mane's response? "MAMA, you can use MATH to count money?!!!" She then proceeded to dump out her piggy bank and count the entire contents. She counted $12.53 in coins. It wasn't that she used any different method than we had always used to help her count coins, but she kept exclaiming over and over again about how it easy it was, and it was clear that SOMETHING finally made sense to her about counting coins. It was so fun to see her so excited.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Day in the Life
I think Mane is a genius. But that shouldn't surprise you, right? I'm a little biased. She sailed through her reading lesson today. Then she did lessons 8 AND 9 in math!! She took test 9 and is ready to start lesson 10 tomorrow. I can't believe the ground we covered today. Wow. One little nice thing about homeschooling is that this can happen. We can plod along for a while and then sail through when we're ready.
She also colored the flag of Spain today. And I read her chapter 2 of The Hobbit. We'll be doing some more "schooling" tonight. Not sure how it's going to evolve exactly, but we've got some time this evening while Mango does some "homework."
She also colored the flag of Spain today. And I read her chapter 2 of The Hobbit. We'll be doing some more "schooling" tonight. Not sure how it's going to evolve exactly, but we've got some time this evening while Mango does some "homework."
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ferdinand
Yesterday we began rowing The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf.
This is a sweet little book, and it really ought to be in every child's library. It's a story of a young bull named Ferdinand, who grew up to love sitting under a cork tree smelling flowers rather than fighting like all the other bulls. Mane and I discovered today that Disney made a movie of the story, and you can watch it on youtube:
While we read the book for the second time to day, Mane picked out common & proper nouns, as well as the one interjection in the story. She drew a page for Ferdinand in her school notebook this morning while I read more to her out of the Jewish holidays book. She's finished memorizing Psalm 23, and we began work on The Lord's Prayer this morning.
Last week I didn't write here at all. It isn't that we didn't do anything, but, rather, that we were extremely busy. On Monday we did all our regular math & reading, read a book called A-Z India, and made fresh squeezed orange juice. We ended up talking about fractions while we made orange juice because we saw how much juice we got from one orange & then from two oranges, and we estimated how much would be needed to make a cup of orange juice. We talked more about how we know that a food is a fruit (because it has seeds in it) and printed a page of pictures of fruits with the seeds showing for her school notebook. We also split up the big long timeline we began two years ago and put it in a three ring binder in order to make it easier to add things to the timeline in the future.
Tuesday we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art with some other homeschoolers. We made our way through a whole lot of the museum and then spent time letting the children play together in the family room at the Institute. It's so inspiring to see Mane recognize pieces of art that she's seen before and watch her discover new things. I'm always interested to see the types of things that interest her.
Wednesday we rode our bikes to Bible Study. When we got home Aurora's grandma came to pick her up and she went to spend the night with grandma so that Mango & I could go to the Education Minnesota conference on Thursday. I went to an absolutely excellent workshop on teaching U.S. history using picture books. The workshop was done by 6th grade teacher and children's book author, Pat Bauer, and her husband, a children's book illustrator, David Geister. After the workshop we went to the keynote address entitled "Life in the Next America," regarding the influence of immigration on America today by Ray Suarez. Here an interview with Ray Suarez here.
Friday we had a birthday party for Vespera. She had some friends come for dinner, a movie, and a sleepover! Mane got to watch reading Rainbow episodes and play, play, play for most of the day while we all made preparations for the party.
Today we have our homeschool group in the afternoon. Mane took test 7 in her math book & is ready to move on to lesson 8. She's about 2 weeks away from finishing 1st grade Hooked on Phonics, and then we'll be ready to begin the 2nd grade level!! Yeah! She's paying attention to signs and reading everything everywhere. We've seen tremendous improvement with practice and a solid program. The repetition of Hooked on Phonics seems to be the key to success for her.
This is a sweet little book, and it really ought to be in every child's library. It's a story of a young bull named Ferdinand, who grew up to love sitting under a cork tree smelling flowers rather than fighting like all the other bulls. Mane and I discovered today that Disney made a movie of the story, and you can watch it on youtube:
While we read the book for the second time to day, Mane picked out common & proper nouns, as well as the one interjection in the story. She drew a page for Ferdinand in her school notebook this morning while I read more to her out of the Jewish holidays book. She's finished memorizing Psalm 23, and we began work on The Lord's Prayer this morning.
Last week I didn't write here at all. It isn't that we didn't do anything, but, rather, that we were extremely busy. On Monday we did all our regular math & reading, read a book called A-Z India, and made fresh squeezed orange juice. We ended up talking about fractions while we made orange juice because we saw how much juice we got from one orange & then from two oranges, and we estimated how much would be needed to make a cup of orange juice. We talked more about how we know that a food is a fruit (because it has seeds in it) and printed a page of pictures of fruits with the seeds showing for her school notebook. We also split up the big long timeline we began two years ago and put it in a three ring binder in order to make it easier to add things to the timeline in the future.
Tuesday we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art with some other homeschoolers. We made our way through a whole lot of the museum and then spent time letting the children play together in the family room at the Institute. It's so inspiring to see Mane recognize pieces of art that she's seen before and watch her discover new things. I'm always interested to see the types of things that interest her.
Wednesday we rode our bikes to Bible Study. When we got home Aurora's grandma came to pick her up and she went to spend the night with grandma so that Mango & I could go to the Education Minnesota conference on Thursday. I went to an absolutely excellent workshop on teaching U.S. history using picture books. The workshop was done by 6th grade teacher and children's book author, Pat Bauer, and her husband, a children's book illustrator, David Geister. After the workshop we went to the keynote address entitled "Life in the Next America," regarding the influence of immigration on America today by Ray Suarez. Here an interview with Ray Suarez here.
Friday we had a birthday party for Vespera. She had some friends come for dinner, a movie, and a sleepover! Mane got to watch reading Rainbow episodes and play, play, play for most of the day while we all made preparations for the party.
Today we have our homeschool group in the afternoon. Mane took test 7 in her math book & is ready to move on to lesson 8. She's about 2 weeks away from finishing 1st grade Hooked on Phonics, and then we'll be ready to begin the 2nd grade level!! Yeah! She's paying attention to signs and reading everything everywhere. We've seen tremendous improvement with practice and a solid program. The repetition of Hooked on Phonics seems to be the key to success for her.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Apple Cidering
Today we went to Eastman Nature Center and made apple cider!
Pour the apples in the grinder...
Turn the crank...
Grind the apples...
The pieces are caught in a cloth bag, and the juice runs out the bottom...
The cloth bag is closed up, and a wooden "foot" is placed on top to press it down...
Turn the crank to press out the rest of the juice...
YUM! Apple cider...
Pour the apples in the grinder...
Turn the crank...
Grind the apples...
The pieces are caught in a cloth bag, and the juice runs out the bottom...
The cloth bag is closed up, and a wooden "foot" is placed on top to press it down...
Turn the crank to press out the rest of the juice...
YUM! Apple cider...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Apple Trees
I'll review this week backwards starting with today! Right now, as I type, Mane is drawing a progression of pictures that show how rain makes applesauce, since we just finished the book...
The book is a bunch of silly talk, but in the end it turns out that rain DOES actually lead to applesauce. This is a 1965 Caldecott Honor book, and it lives up to its award!! The pictures are strange but fascinating, and the text makes us laugh every time!
Earlier in the day we read...
And we traced the trip the apples made from Iowa to Oregon on the map. We printed another map that shows the places where Johnny Appleseed planted apples.
Yesterday was full with the regular math and reading AND then the long bus ride to our homeschool group. On the bus we read a book about India...learning about how people lived, what they wore, what the government was like, and the kind of religions the people followed.
Homeschool group was a total blast!! We used the multipurpose room at a community center, but the rules have changed since last year. The kids cannot play with balls. We stood around scratching our heads for a while. Then the kids got out the tumbling mats and a bunch of chairs. They built houses and tents with the tumbling mats. Then they used one of the mats to set up a stage curtain, and a bunch of them worked out a play while the others lined up rows of chairs to watch. They *did* actually tumble on the mats for a while, too, and they played various and sundry animal games. I couldn't believe how the group of them could have so much fun with so little!!
On Monday we rode our bikes to Savers. It was a little cold and wet out, but we managed to go for a walk and collect leaves when we got home before it really started to rain. Mane made leaf rubbings and practiced identifying leaves:
We talked about various leaf shapes and how leaves from different trees turn different colors in the autumn.
That pretty much covers the basics of what we've been up to this week. Tomorrow we have a field trip to go on a tram ride to see the autumn leaves and then we'll learn about apple cidering!
The book is a bunch of silly talk, but in the end it turns out that rain DOES actually lead to applesauce. This is a 1965 Caldecott Honor book, and it lives up to its award!! The pictures are strange but fascinating, and the text makes us laugh every time!Earlier in the day we read...
And we traced the trip the apples made from Iowa to Oregon on the map. We printed another map that shows the places where Johnny Appleseed planted apples.
Yesterday was full with the regular math and reading AND then the long bus ride to our homeschool group. On the bus we read a book about India...learning about how people lived, what they wore, what the government was like, and the kind of religions the people followed.
Homeschool group was a total blast!! We used the multipurpose room at a community center, but the rules have changed since last year. The kids cannot play with balls. We stood around scratching our heads for a while. Then the kids got out the tumbling mats and a bunch of chairs. They built houses and tents with the tumbling mats. Then they used one of the mats to set up a stage curtain, and a bunch of them worked out a play while the others lined up rows of chairs to watch. They *did* actually tumble on the mats for a while, too, and they played various and sundry animal games. I couldn't believe how the group of them could have so much fun with so little!!
On Monday we rode our bikes to Savers. It was a little cold and wet out, but we managed to go for a walk and collect leaves when we got home before it really started to rain. Mane made leaf rubbings and practiced identifying leaves:
We talked about various leaf shapes and how leaves from different trees turn different colors in the autumn.
That pretty much covers the basics of what we've been up to this week. Tomorrow we have a field trip to go on a tram ride to see the autumn leaves and then we'll learn about apple cidering!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Rainy Day
It rained and poured, and was oh-so-cold today. So, we lit a fire again, and here's Mane doing her math work:
We read and looked around on the internet about the life cycle of an apple tree. The Mane painted the life cycle:
Her apple tree picture from a few days ago:
Then, we began reading The Hobbit today, and Mane wanted to look at all the pictures before bed:
We read and looked around on the internet about the life cycle of an apple tree. The Mane painted the life cycle:
Her apple tree picture from a few days ago:
Then, we began reading The Hobbit today, and Mane wanted to look at all the pictures before bed:
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Johnny Appleseed
Yesterday we read Johnny Appleseed: A Poem by Reeve Lindbergh, and began talking about autumn and trees and leaves and the varied topography of the United States. Mane made a picture in her notebook for Johnny Appleseed, and it was so cold that we had our first fire in the fireplace for the season. Mane laid out her notebook in front of the fire, and I fell in love with this idea of us homeschooling here in our cozy living room before a crackling fire...
We did a quick review of our history studies so far and put all the related papers in a binder, which will become our timeline. We looked over a National Geographic book about India, and learned more about how the people of India lived and what they believed. Mane did a word search activity from the back of the Story of the World Activity Book 1. This is good for remembering words associated with the history we've learned so far AND her reading and scanning skills.
Today we went to Bible study, had a picnic at the global market, and babysat for the friend of a friend. Now Mane is practicing reading with Grandma. She's starting to take pride in her reading!
I didn't write about Monday because it was filled with running errands and a long trip to the library, but, notably, Mane made a list of all our errands and checked them off as we went. She also sat in the car reading the map. Fun, practical reading practice. :)
We did a quick review of our history studies so far and put all the related papers in a binder, which will become our timeline. We looked over a National Geographic book about India, and learned more about how the people of India lived and what they believed. Mane did a word search activity from the back of the Story of the World Activity Book 1. This is good for remembering words associated with the history we've learned so far AND her reading and scanning skills.
Today we went to Bible study, had a picnic at the global market, and babysat for the friend of a friend. Now Mane is practicing reading with Grandma. She's starting to take pride in her reading!
I didn't write about Monday because it was filled with running errands and a long trip to the library, but, notably, Mane made a list of all our errands and checked them off as we went. She also sat in the car reading the map. Fun, practical reading practice. :)
Friday, September 25, 2009
India
Today (after our standard math & reading) Mane & I read from Story of the World about ancient India. We'll be studying ancient India for at least the next week (and possibly longer). We found the Indus River on the map and looked at how it connects to Mesopotamia through the Arabian Sea. We talked about how difficult travel was over the land and why people chose water instead. Now I'm on an internet quest for some fun web pages about ancient India.
Lately Mane has also been helping make dinner. I know this is something I should have gotten around to a lot sooner, but I'm finding that having waited didn't harm anything and she's actually old enough to be real help now. She made meatballs this week and helped make lasagna. She's watching me carefully, and I think cooking is going to be one of those things she loves to do. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to pass it off to her in a few years? ;) Now I'm thinking of it as part of her education. Cooking is part of growing up and being responsible. It's also a place to read, measure, and be creative...a fantastic venue for learning.
Lately Mane has also been helping make dinner. I know this is something I should have gotten around to a lot sooner, but I'm finding that having waited didn't harm anything and she's actually old enough to be real help now. She made meatballs this week and helped make lasagna. She's watching me carefully, and I think cooking is going to be one of those things she loves to do. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to pass it off to her in a few years? ;) Now I'm thinking of it as part of her education. Cooking is part of growing up and being responsible. It's also a place to read, measure, and be creative...a fantastic venue for learning.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Prairie
I flipped through Mane's school notebook this morning so I could remember what exactly we've done with our week! We read Three Names again, and Mane wrote down common nouns and proper nouns as we read. We researched prairie plants, animals, and insects and made a page for each in the notebook. Briefly, we discussed the various biomes of the earth and printed a map.
This morning we did some more reading about water. We made a pie chart of how much of the earth is made of water. This was a great way to discuss percentages and fractions. Then we made pie charts for the percentage of water in women, men & babies. Mane had some fun guessing how much of herself is water, since she's not a baby and not yet a woman.
Mane drew a water molecule, and she explained to me all the things she already knows about water molecules in the solid, liquid and gas form. She tells me that Mango told her all about it, and she surely did know all her stuff! Then she asked why ice floats, and we found the answer in one of our many library books on water.
Finally, this morning we followed some instructions for watching bean seeds grow from her nature book. Place seeds in a jar between the wall of the jar and some blotting paper, pour water in the bottom of the jar, watch beans sprout and grow:
This morning we did some more reading about water. We made a pie chart of how much of the earth is made of water. This was a great way to discuss percentages and fractions. Then we made pie charts for the percentage of water in women, men & babies. Mane had some fun guessing how much of herself is water, since she's not a baby and not yet a woman.
Mane drew a water molecule, and she explained to me all the things she already knows about water molecules in the solid, liquid and gas form. She tells me that Mango told her all about it, and she surely did know all her stuff! Then she asked why ice floats, and we found the answer in one of our many library books on water.
Finally, this morning we followed some instructions for watching bean seeds grow from her nature book. Place seeds in a jar between the wall of the jar and some blotting paper, pour water in the bottom of the jar, watch beans sprout and grow:
Walker Art Center
Some photos from our trip to the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden last week when we went to see No Impact Man:
And believe it or not, here is Colin Beaven, No Impact Man!
And believe it or not, here is Colin Beaven, No Impact Man!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Homeschool in the midst of life
We finished out last week by reading books about the prairie and identifying plants and animals of the prairie.
Mane spent the weekend with Mango while I went back and forth to the hospital with my aunt. My uncle was in the hospital near our house. Mane did lots of reading with Mango and also had some good playground time!
Monday I brought Mane to the hospital with me and we looked at a book about marbles, since the children in Three Names played marbles. We played a game where one person hides some marbles in the their hand. The other person guesses how many they're hiding. If the guess is correct the guess-er gets to keep the marbles. If the guess is incorrect, the guess-er has to give the difference to the person who was hiding the marbles. I quickly discovered that this is a great way to teach and practice small number subtraction facts! Yeah for us, and my aunt was quite impressed!
My mom was at the hospital as well, and Mane was quite happy to show off her new reading skills by reviewing her most recent Hooked on Phonics stories with my mom. Then she did a math page while we were waiting to talk with doctors and getting ready to leave for lunch.
After lunch, Mane drew a picture of animals that live in the prairie and had a conversation with my uncle about herbivores and predators of the prairie.
Today we biked to the clinic and to Target. Mane is getting to know her way around very well. She's always been very observant of her surroundings. Now that we're biking she leads the way to most familiar destinations. We're both exhausted from a weird weekend, but homeschooling allows us to spread our learning out through the day rather than cramming it into the first 6 hours.
Mane spent the weekend with Mango while I went back and forth to the hospital with my aunt. My uncle was in the hospital near our house. Mane did lots of reading with Mango and also had some good playground time!
Monday I brought Mane to the hospital with me and we looked at a book about marbles, since the children in Three Names played marbles. We played a game where one person hides some marbles in the their hand. The other person guesses how many they're hiding. If the guess is correct the guess-er gets to keep the marbles. If the guess is incorrect, the guess-er has to give the difference to the person who was hiding the marbles. I quickly discovered that this is a great way to teach and practice small number subtraction facts! Yeah for us, and my aunt was quite impressed!
My mom was at the hospital as well, and Mane was quite happy to show off her new reading skills by reviewing her most recent Hooked on Phonics stories with my mom. Then she did a math page while we were waiting to talk with doctors and getting ready to leave for lunch.
After lunch, Mane drew a picture of animals that live in the prairie and had a conversation with my uncle about herbivores and predators of the prairie.
Today we biked to the clinic and to Target. Mane is getting to know her way around very well. She's always been very observant of her surroundings. Now that we're biking she leads the way to most familiar destinations. We're both exhausted from a weird weekend, but homeschooling allows us to spread our learning out through the day rather than cramming it into the first 6 hours.
Friday, September 18, 2009
No Impact
Mane & I went to see No Impact Man together at the Walker Art Center on Wednesday. Earlier in the day we went to Bible Study, did some math & reading, reviewed to portion of the 23rd Psalm that she's learning, and then did some research about No Impact Man. We talked about the things we already do to reduce our impact on the environment, and Mane drew some pictures of those things in her school notebook - biking, walking, recycling, and using less electricity. We related this to Three Names by talking about the ways the world has changed since the time of Three Names. We used a chart from homeschoolshare.com to categorize things into how things were done in the past and how they're done in the present (things like washing clothes and getting water).
At the Walker Art Center we wandered around the sculpture garden after securing our tickets. We arrived super early (by bus) because we wanted to be sure to get tickets. The tickets were free, and the art center was expecting a full house. As it turned out, we didn't have to come as early as we did, but it was fine because we played Swap & Fluxx until we got our tickets and then ran around the sculpture garden until showtime. Mane drew some pictures during the film, and she listened attentively to the film maker after the film. As a special treat, Colin Beaven, the author of the book & subject of the film, made a guest appearance. So, we got to see him live and in person. Mane was quite impressed. ...and she wants to start composting our food waste.
Thursday we met up with some friends and spent the whole afternoon at the beach! This felt like the second special treat of the week - to have it warm & beautiful enough in September to spend another day at the beach! Mane came home with a little collection of shells and a rock...and a darker suntan!
Today Mane played with the children of some friends of ours who are home on furlough from Russia. They have been missionaries in Russia since they got married several years ago, and now they have 3 children. The woman is planning to homeschool her children. So, we had a nice conversation about homeschooling while the kiddos played.
Later we'll be driving (gasp!) Vespera to school and stopping by the bank and the library. We have been SO busy this week that it feels like we've hardly gotten anything done, but I suppose it only feels that way if I think of seeing educational films and playing with friends, and exploring the beach as nothing...which I don't. So, I guess we did plenty, just not what we planned. ;)
At the Walker Art Center we wandered around the sculpture garden after securing our tickets. We arrived super early (by bus) because we wanted to be sure to get tickets. The tickets were free, and the art center was expecting a full house. As it turned out, we didn't have to come as early as we did, but it was fine because we played Swap & Fluxx until we got our tickets and then ran around the sculpture garden until showtime. Mane drew some pictures during the film, and she listened attentively to the film maker after the film. As a special treat, Colin Beaven, the author of the book & subject of the film, made a guest appearance. So, we got to see him live and in person. Mane was quite impressed. ...and she wants to start composting our food waste.
Thursday we met up with some friends and spent the whole afternoon at the beach! This felt like the second special treat of the week - to have it warm & beautiful enough in September to spend another day at the beach! Mane came home with a little collection of shells and a rock...and a darker suntan!
Today Mane played with the children of some friends of ours who are home on furlough from Russia. They have been missionaries in Russia since they got married several years ago, and now they have 3 children. The woman is planning to homeschool her children. So, we had a nice conversation about homeschooling while the kiddos played.
Later we'll be driving (gasp!) Vespera to school and stopping by the bank and the library. We have been SO busy this week that it feels like we've hardly gotten anything done, but I suppose it only feels that way if I think of seeing educational films and playing with friends, and exploring the beach as nothing...which I don't. So, I guess we did plenty, just not what we planned. ;)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Three Names
This week we're rowing Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan. It's a book written all about a boy's grandfather and how his grandfather grew up on the prairie with his dog named Three Names, who would follow him to school every day. There isn't a lot of action in the story, but it's a very beautiful and simple description of prairie life for a young boy in America's pioneer days. The book is going to lend itself well to our continued study of horses. We're also learning about rivers, water supply, water cycle and prairies.
Today we read books about rivers while we were on the bus on the way to our homeschool group. Then Mane played for three hours with the other homeschoolers!!
Mane had done some reading before we left the house. Now she's working on putting together a vocabulary book for the words we've encountered in Hooked on Phonics that she did not know. I'm finding clip-art for her to demonstrate the word meanings, and she's practicing her handwriting putting the words into a book.
Yesterday Mane started & finished MUS lesson 3. I continue to marvel at how quickly she learns math concepts.
Today we read books about rivers while we were on the bus on the way to our homeschool group. Then Mane played for three hours with the other homeschoolers!!
Mane had done some reading before we left the house. Now she's working on putting together a vocabulary book for the words we've encountered in Hooked on Phonics that she did not know. I'm finding clip-art for her to demonstrate the word meanings, and she's practicing her handwriting putting the words into a book.
Yesterday Mane started & finished MUS lesson 3. I continue to marvel at how quickly she learns math concepts.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Another Day
As promised, here are the photos of the architecture stamping activity:
Before we got down to stamping, Mane watched lesson 2 of MUS, did a couple of practice pages, and took the test. I guess we'll be moving on the lesson 3 tomorrow. She also continued in her Hooked on Phonics book. She told me today that she didn't really like Hooked on Phonics very much when we first got it, but now it's not so bad. ;)
We read some more about New York today from a book called New York: The Empire State by Margery Facklam.We printed a map of New York, traced the outline and the Hudson River, found the Erie Canal, and looked for all the Great Lakes. I also pointed out to Mane that there are two mountain ranges in New York, and one is the Appalachian Mountains, which we studied last year.
Mane requested that we look at the world map and sing the song about the continents. So, we did that, and then we traced how the Great Lakes lead out into the Atlantic Ocean through New York, and we talked about how that affects trade and commerce in New York.
Before we got down to stamping, Mane watched lesson 2 of MUS, did a couple of practice pages, and took the test. I guess we'll be moving on the lesson 3 tomorrow. She also continued in her Hooked on Phonics book. She told me today that she didn't really like Hooked on Phonics very much when we first got it, but now it's not so bad. ;)
We read some more about New York today from a book called New York: The Empire State by Margery Facklam.We printed a map of New York, traced the outline and the Hudson River, found the Erie Canal, and looked for all the Great Lakes. I also pointed out to Mane that there are two mountain ranges in New York, and one is the Appalachian Mountains, which we studied last year.
Mane requested that we look at the world map and sing the song about the continents. So, we did that, and then we traced how the Great Lakes lead out into the Atlantic Ocean through New York, and we talked about how that affects trade and commerce in New York.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Art Studies
I LOVE my local thrift store, and in the last few weeks it has proven itself to be a treasure trove of homeschooling supplies. Today I picked up the Make A Word Bingo Game for $1.5o.
Mane and I have played it already, and I can tell it's going to be another great tool in my reading toolbox (or treasure chest?).
I also purchased The Prestel Art Game for $2.
Mane, Mango & I played this game at a coffee shop this afternoon, and it was great fun! We didn't know the answers to most of the questions, but we had a good time reasoning out the answers, and Mane learned some new art-related vocabulary.
The art game reminded me that a few weeks ago I also purchased Fun With Architecture for $1.50:
This is a stamp set of architectural elements, which can be combined to create buildings and bridges. My plan is for Mane to follow the instructions in the booklet for both a bridge and a lighthouse this week to go along with The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. I'll take pictures when we're finished! (As a side note, Fun With Architecture is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City! I can't wait to tell Mane that when we begin our stamp project.)
I'm excited to see some art and design work trickling into our time together. Today we saw a sculpture (outside the coffee shop) entitled "Allegory of Excelsior." What made this especially special was that Mane just finished studying the New York flag this last week, and there's a little banner on the New York flag that says, "Excelsior." So, we talked some more about what the Latin word "excelsior" means and what the sculpture and the flag were both trying to represent.
We did actually have a little art lesson last week that I forgot to mention. We did some exercises from Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes. We've done lessons from this book before. So, this was just to get us warmed up. I'm committed to doing some real art lessons once a week (not just craft projects). So, the Drawing with Children book will be my base.
Mane and I have played it already, and I can tell it's going to be another great tool in my reading toolbox (or treasure chest?).I also purchased The Prestel Art Game for $2.
Mane, Mango & I played this game at a coffee shop this afternoon, and it was great fun! We didn't know the answers to most of the questions, but we had a good time reasoning out the answers, and Mane learned some new art-related vocabulary.The art game reminded me that a few weeks ago I also purchased Fun With Architecture for $1.50:
This is a stamp set of architectural elements, which can be combined to create buildings and bridges. My plan is for Mane to follow the instructions in the booklet for both a bridge and a lighthouse this week to go along with The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. I'll take pictures when we're finished! (As a side note, Fun With Architecture is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City! I can't wait to tell Mane that when we begin our stamp project.)I'm excited to see some art and design work trickling into our time together. Today we saw a sculpture (outside the coffee shop) entitled "Allegory of Excelsior." What made this especially special was that Mane just finished studying the New York flag this last week, and there's a little banner on the New York flag that says, "Excelsior." So, we talked some more about what the Latin word "excelsior" means and what the sculpture and the flag were both trying to represent.
We did actually have a little art lesson last week that I forgot to mention. We did some exercises from Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes. We've done lessons from this book before. So, this was just to get us warmed up. I'm committed to doing some real art lessons once a week (not just craft projects). So, the Drawing with Children book will be my base.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Rowing The Little Red Lighthouse
We continued rowing The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge Thursday and Friday last week. On Thursday we read the book, and Mane wrote down all the compound words she heard in her school notebook. On Friday we talked about nouns, and Mane wrote down nouns as we read through the book again. She also made a page in her school notebook for places she'd like to visit in New York someday, including the statue of Balto in Central Park, the zoo, and the Statue of Liberty.
We read several books about New York and the Statue of Liberty, including:
Building Liberty: A Statue is Born by Serge Hochain, which is a story of several people who had a part in making the Statue of Liberty happen - a young engineering apprentice in France, a boy working on the ship that brought Liberty to the U.S.A., a boy who sold newspapers in New York and helped raise money for the pedestal for the statue, and one man who helped put Liberty together after she arrived in the U.S.A..
New York, New York: The Big Apple from A to Z by Laura Krauss Melmed and Frane Lessac. This is a book with something about New York from every letter of the alphabet.
Journey Around New York from A to Z by Martha and Heather Zschock, another book with something about New York City from every letter of the alphebet.
The alphebet books led to some discussions of Wall Street and stocks, Ellis Island and immigration, and September 11th, 2001. Mane was visibly disturbed by the story of September 11th, though she didn't say anything about it. I didn't go into detail. The alphabet books brought it up under the subject of firefighters and the firefighter's museum in New York. Later she said that one of the places she'd like to visit in New York is the firefighter's museum.
Friday evening Mango spent some time looking at New York on Google Earth with Mane. Since we had focused so much on New York City, she was surprised to learn that their are mountains and wide open spaces in New York, as well.
I've been spending some time on-line looking for lighthouse models we can build from legos. This will be one of our projects for the next week.
We read several books about New York and the Statue of Liberty, including:
Building Liberty: A Statue is Born by Serge Hochain, which is a story of several people who had a part in making the Statue of Liberty happen - a young engineering apprentice in France, a boy working on the ship that brought Liberty to the U.S.A., a boy who sold newspapers in New York and helped raise money for the pedestal for the statue, and one man who helped put Liberty together after she arrived in the U.S.A..
New York, New York: The Big Apple from A to Z by Laura Krauss Melmed and Frane Lessac. This is a book with something about New York from every letter of the alphabet.
Journey Around New York from A to Z by Martha and Heather Zschock, another book with something about New York City from every letter of the alphebet.
The alphebet books led to some discussions of Wall Street and stocks, Ellis Island and immigration, and September 11th, 2001. Mane was visibly disturbed by the story of September 11th, though she didn't say anything about it. I didn't go into detail. The alphabet books brought it up under the subject of firefighters and the firefighter's museum in New York. Later she said that one of the places she'd like to visit in New York is the firefighter's museum.
Friday evening Mango spent some time looking at New York on Google Earth with Mane. Since we had focused so much on New York City, she was surprised to learn that their are mountains and wide open spaces in New York, as well.
I've been spending some time on-line looking for lighthouse models we can build from legos. This will be one of our projects for the next week.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
New York
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge is based on a scene the author witnessed in New York. So, yesterday Mane & I found New York on the map, printed a map of the U.S. and colored in New York for her school notebook. She got out her big 50 States coloring book and colored the page about New York, which included the New York state flag and the state flower. Mane put various pictures related to New York in her school notebook.
We read more about Przewalski horses, the last remaining breed of wild horses. Mango was very interested in the differences in chromosomes between Przewalski horses and the rest of the horses in the world. We talked all about Przewalski horses over dinner with Mango.
In the afternoon Mane played with a friend of hers for several hours - building with train tracks, jumping in the beanbag, and making crafts.
Today we went on a long bike ride to a park. Then we got back to practice reading, and Mane took test 1 for MUS Beta. She finished some coloring on the New York page, and we did an art lesson from Drawing with Children. Now Mane is listening to All of a Kind Family on itunes, and I'm putting together some books to read to her about New York a little later today.
We read more about Przewalski horses, the last remaining breed of wild horses. Mango was very interested in the differences in chromosomes between Przewalski horses and the rest of the horses in the world. We talked all about Przewalski horses over dinner with Mango.
In the afternoon Mane played with a friend of hers for several hours - building with train tracks, jumping in the beanbag, and making crafts.
Today we went on a long bike ride to a park. Then we got back to practice reading, and Mane took test 1 for MUS Beta. She finished some coloring on the New York page, and we did an art lesson from Drawing with Children. Now Mane is listening to All of a Kind Family on itunes, and I'm putting together some books to read to her about New York a little later today.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Lighthouses! (And A Walk in the City)
We started out the day with the "real" story of Moses from the Bible. We talked more about Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur. Mane asked questions about what those words actually mean and what language they are and WHY.
We did some math & reading lessons quickly and then took off on a trip to the library. Mane whined about walking to the light rail because we've been biking everywhere lately, but all the way there she commented on the things you can notice when you're walking because you're going more slowly than biking! Talk about night & day. Here are some of our discoveries:
HUGE can tab
Mushroom
Daisies
Relaxing at the station
While we were downtown, we sat at a coffee shop and looked over a book about lighthouses from the library called Lighthouses by Phillip Plisson.
This week we're "rowing" The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. So, our perusal of the lighthouses book was a good intro. As I write this, Mane is reviewing the book with Mango. She was very impressed to learn that there used to be lighthouse boats AND lighthouses that we just on pieces of rock in the middle of the sea. Lighthouse keepers had to slide on a rope down to a boat to get off the lighthouse. Now people are dropped from helicopters to get to the lighthouses for maintenance.
A book about lighthouses seemed timely since we just visited the Two Harbors lighthouse on Lake Superior:
And our trip to Two Harbors reminded us of our trip to Split Rock lighthouse last summer:
We spent a great deal of time in front of the map today, too, finding New York (the setting for The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge), which led to finding all the other places we know on the map and singing a song about the 7 continents. AND we found a youtube video with actual footage of "The Little Red Lighthouse."
We did some math & reading lessons quickly and then took off on a trip to the library. Mane whined about walking to the light rail because we've been biking everywhere lately, but all the way there she commented on the things you can notice when you're walking because you're going more slowly than biking! Talk about night & day. Here are some of our discoveries:
HUGE can tab
Mushroom
Daisies
Relaxing at the station
While we were downtown, we sat at a coffee shop and looked over a book about lighthouses from the library called Lighthouses by Phillip Plisson.
This week we're "rowing" The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. So, our perusal of the lighthouses book was a good intro. As I write this, Mane is reviewing the book with Mango. She was very impressed to learn that there used to be lighthouse boats AND lighthouses that we just on pieces of rock in the middle of the sea. Lighthouse keepers had to slide on a rope down to a boat to get off the lighthouse. Now people are dropped from helicopters to get to the lighthouses for maintenance.
A book about lighthouses seemed timely since we just visited the Two Harbors lighthouse on Lake Superior:
And our trip to Two Harbors reminded us of our trip to Split Rock lighthouse last summer:
We spent a great deal of time in front of the map today, too, finding New York (the setting for The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge), which led to finding all the other places we know on the map and singing a song about the 7 continents. AND we found a youtube video with actual footage of "The Little Red Lighthouse."
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday
Today involved a reading lesson with Hooked on Phonics, the first DVD lesson of MUS Beta, a bicycle ride down the greenway, and a DVD about Rosh Hoshannah and Yom Kippur. I've been rather low energy today. So, I feel proud to report that much!
Last week we visited with friends nearly all day Wednesday, Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning. No need to worry about socialization!
It looks like the Jr. FIRST Lego League team may not work out for us after all. Homeschoolers are a crazy conundrum between being very flexible and, therefore, able to do all kinds of wonderful things, and very flexible and, therefore, very busy and sometimes overbooked. Three out of five families dropped from our group. So, now I'm looking at the possibility of finding a new group or waiting until next year. I'm thinking of maybe taking the time to actually learn something about and work with legos this year. Then, I'd be more prepared to actually work with them next year.
Last week we visited with friends nearly all day Wednesday, Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning. No need to worry about socialization!
It looks like the Jr. FIRST Lego League team may not work out for us after all. Homeschoolers are a crazy conundrum between being very flexible and, therefore, able to do all kinds of wonderful things, and very flexible and, therefore, very busy and sometimes overbooked. Three out of five families dropped from our group. So, now I'm looking at the possibility of finding a new group or waiting until next year. I'm thinking of maybe taking the time to actually learn something about and work with legos this year. Then, I'd be more prepared to actually work with them next year.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Horses
We rounded out the day yesterday looking up different breeds and patterns of horses, printing pictures, and getting them ready to go in the notebook. Mane has had a fascination with horses for some time now, fueled by Grandma buying her those Schleich toy horses and telling her horse stories. We found out that there's only one heard of wild horses left, and scientists aren't even sure they're the same species as other currently existing horses! Mane compared the horse pictures to her Schleich toys.
Today we found a chart of all the parts of a horse and talked about the names for baby horses (foal, colt, filly) and grown horses (mare & stallion). Mane is currently pasting the horse pictures in her school notebook as I type.
This morning we read the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments from the Jewish Holidays book. I LOVED their take on this story, which is that we all make mistakes and mistakes are part of the process of growing and learning more about ourselves and God. The focus of the story was on Moses getting so angry that he broke the stone tablets. At the end of the story God tells Moses to save the broken pieces along with the new tablets. Moses complains that then he will always remember how embarrassingly angry he got. God says that's exactly why he should save them...not as a punishment, but because the mistake is holy, too. This is a lesson Mane needs to hear over and over again. She's so worried about making mistakes, sensitive to being wrong. It's a good story for me to refer back to when she gets all upset about mistakes, and it's good for me, too.
Mane read one of the Hooked on Phonics books, and then we put star stickers on her calendar for the recent days that she has practiced reading. Having some sort of small reward is a life-saving motivator right now. She is able to focus and even enjoy a little time reading if she knows she's working for something. It isn't my ideal. So, I haven't been pushing it. But, interestingly, she's been asking to read. So, whatever.
We continued reviewing some MUS Alpha concepts. Mane has a good memory for the things we haven't practiced in the last few months.
We're considering biking to the library, but there are storm clouds brewing. Not sure if we're going to make it out today or not.
Today we found a chart of all the parts of a horse and talked about the names for baby horses (foal, colt, filly) and grown horses (mare & stallion). Mane is currently pasting the horse pictures in her school notebook as I type.
This morning we read the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments from the Jewish Holidays book. I LOVED their take on this story, which is that we all make mistakes and mistakes are part of the process of growing and learning more about ourselves and God. The focus of the story was on Moses getting so angry that he broke the stone tablets. At the end of the story God tells Moses to save the broken pieces along with the new tablets. Moses complains that then he will always remember how embarrassingly angry he got. God says that's exactly why he should save them...not as a punishment, but because the mistake is holy, too. This is a lesson Mane needs to hear over and over again. She's so worried about making mistakes, sensitive to being wrong. It's a good story for me to refer back to when she gets all upset about mistakes, and it's good for me, too.
Mane read one of the Hooked on Phonics books, and then we put star stickers on her calendar for the recent days that she has practiced reading. Having some sort of small reward is a life-saving motivator right now. She is able to focus and even enjoy a little time reading if she knows she's working for something. It isn't my ideal. So, I haven't been pushing it. But, interestingly, she's been asking to read. So, whatever.
We continued reviewing some MUS Alpha concepts. Mane has a good memory for the things we haven't practiced in the last few months.
We're considering biking to the library, but there are storm clouds brewing. Not sure if we're going to make it out today or not.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Maps & An Apricot Seed!
I think we're in love with maps. Mane and I studied a MN map before we went up to Duluth last week. She located Minneapolis & Duluth and the connecting highway - 35W. As we drove, she watched the road signs for number of miles until Duluth. She's learning how to pay attention to signs and watch for exits. While in Duluth we looked at the trolley map and Mane traced the map from where we got on to where we got off. Today she put all the maps in her brand new 2nd grade school notebook!
Then we printed a Minneapolis map and took a look at all the places we have biked so far and all the places we could bike. Mane was interested in figuring out north, south, east & west. So, she drew a simple compass underneath the printed map in her notebook. On the next page, we made a list of places we can get to easily on a bike based on distances Mane has already successfully biked:
- co-op
- 3 libraries
- 12 parks
- clinic
- Target
- Rainbow
- Blockbuster
This morning we took our bikes to the co-op, and I loaded up the crate on the back of my bike with good food for the next few days. I don't have to trailer attached to the bike yet. So, I could only purchase as much as I could carry in the crate. Mane led the way, as she's biked to the co-op with Mango. She has an excellent memory for direction.
First day of 2nd grade photos:
Before we left, we read the first passage out of the Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. My plan is for us to do some Bible/Theology studies every morning over breakfast, and part of the plan is to learn about the Biblical holidays and how they fit with Christianity. Mane has already heard some about Judaism from the book All of a Kind Family that she has on CD. So, she knew something about what I was saying. It was interesting to talk with her about the common history of Judaism and Christianity and to see what she thought about it all. I'm going to be looking forward to this part of the day with her.
At the co-op we bought apricots from Wisconsin, and when we got home we read about how to keep a seed so that we can plant it in the spring. We washed it and wrapped it in a damp paper towel, put it in a ziploc, and set it in the fridge, where it will remain for the winter. Then we'll plant it. Perhaps we'll have an apricot tree in the spring!
We did a lesson from Hooked on Phonics. Mane has done several of these so far, and so far it's enjoyable for her. Then Mane played with the math blocks at the kitchen table while I made lunch. We reviewed a bunch of concepts from Math U See Alpha. We'll be starting Beta next week.
While we were eating, Mane was putting out math blocks that matched the colors of our food and then adding them up. She made up this little game on her own. I told her about how food really does have numbers called calories. She was shocked that something like food is really, actually related to math in real life!
Then we printed a Minneapolis map and took a look at all the places we have biked so far and all the places we could bike. Mane was interested in figuring out north, south, east & west. So, she drew a simple compass underneath the printed map in her notebook. On the next page, we made a list of places we can get to easily on a bike based on distances Mane has already successfully biked:
- co-op
- 3 libraries
- 12 parks
- clinic
- Target
- Rainbow
- Blockbuster
This morning we took our bikes to the co-op, and I loaded up the crate on the back of my bike with good food for the next few days. I don't have to trailer attached to the bike yet. So, I could only purchase as much as I could carry in the crate. Mane led the way, as she's biked to the co-op with Mango. She has an excellent memory for direction.
First day of 2nd grade photos:
Before we left, we read the first passage out of the Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. My plan is for us to do some Bible/Theology studies every morning over breakfast, and part of the plan is to learn about the Biblical holidays and how they fit with Christianity. Mane has already heard some about Judaism from the book All of a Kind Family that she has on CD. So, she knew something about what I was saying. It was interesting to talk with her about the common history of Judaism and Christianity and to see what she thought about it all. I'm going to be looking forward to this part of the day with her.
At the co-op we bought apricots from Wisconsin, and when we got home we read about how to keep a seed so that we can plant it in the spring. We washed it and wrapped it in a damp paper towel, put it in a ziploc, and set it in the fridge, where it will remain for the winter. Then we'll plant it. Perhaps we'll have an apricot tree in the spring!
We did a lesson from Hooked on Phonics. Mane has done several of these so far, and so far it's enjoyable for her. Then Mane played with the math blocks at the kitchen table while I made lunch. We reviewed a bunch of concepts from Math U See Alpha. We'll be starting Beta next week.
While we were eating, Mane was putting out math blocks that matched the colors of our food and then adding them up. She made up this little game on her own. I told her about how food really does have numbers called calories. She was shocked that something like food is really, actually related to math in real life!
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Peregrin House
