Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April 1, 2010 - Fun with Cuisenaire Rods
Math today was C playing with and trying out her new Cuisenaire Rods. Learning how they add up to match each other, and solving puzzles like "How many different ways can you add up to five?"
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
March 31, 2010 - Easter Garden continued, and a search for Spring
This project is going in stages... the seeds aren't really cooperating, unfortunately, but we'll see. For now I suppose I could just say it's a rocky hillside :)
After lunch today we went out for a "Signs of Spring" walk, to go along with today's part of our spring project which was naming and drawing some of the things that tell us Spring is on its way. And even though the temperature has been up and down and all over the place, we found...
a tiny bit of green!
more green!
buds on branches!
bigger buds!
tiny buds on a bush
a magpie's nest where mama bird was busy busy
a tiny bit of green!
more green!
buds on branches!
bigger buds!
tiny buds on a bush
a magpie's nest where mama bird was busy busy
and of course, puddles, and MUD!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Curriculum Swap Day
Oh. My. Goodness.
Wow, were we ever blessed today.
The homeschooling group in the next town organized a curriculum/book exchange. Primarily it was one family who had years' worth of books to unload as their last children approach graduation, but a few others brought things to share, and then later on ANOTHER mom appeared with all of her materials from years of homeschooling.
Needless to say, those of use who were just starting out hit a real goldmine.
The books I went with plans to get were these two:
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C Holling
Those two alone were enough to make it worth the drive.
But I came home with a bag, a small box and a large tote all FULL of books for PreK, K, early elementary up to about grade six, plus a few that will be useful later. World literature, world history, and physical sciences from a Christian perspective. An entire one-year multi-level science curriculum for elementary students. Both sizes of Cuisinaire Rods and some of the books to go with them. "For Instruction in Righteousness." "Book of the Centuries."
And so, SO much more... I am blown away. And boy, do I have some organizing to do.
The girls enjoyed the day, too, because while mama was digging through boxes and stacks of books, they got to spend time playing with the other kids and C hit it off with one of the girls, which was especially nice. :)
Wow, were we ever blessed today.
The homeschooling group in the next town organized a curriculum/book exchange. Primarily it was one family who had years' worth of books to unload as their last children approach graduation, but a few others brought things to share, and then later on ANOTHER mom appeared with all of her materials from years of homeschooling.
Needless to say, those of use who were just starting out hit a real goldmine.
The books I went with plans to get were these two:
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C Holling
Those two alone were enough to make it worth the drive.
But I came home with a bag, a small box and a large tote all FULL of books for PreK, K, early elementary up to about grade six, plus a few that will be useful later. World literature, world history, and physical sciences from a Christian perspective. An entire one-year multi-level science curriculum for elementary students. Both sizes of Cuisinaire Rods and some of the books to go with them. "For Instruction in Righteousness." "Book of the Centuries."
And so, SO much more... I am blown away. And boy, do I have some organizing to do.
The girls enjoyed the day, too, because while mama was digging through boxes and stacks of books, they got to spend time playing with the other kids and C hit it off with one of the girls, which was especially nice. :)
March 30, 2010 - Easter Garden
Step one in our Easter centerpiece.
Ann does a beautiful variation:
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/03/make-easter-garden-visual-parable.html
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/03/make-easter-garden-visual-parable.html
I love that, but a little more complex and costly to buy the plants. Maybe next year. Then I saw another one... much simpler:
That is the route we're taking this year. I think it's brilliant :)
Monday, March 29, 2010
March 29, 2010 - Spring is in the Air!
We are working through "Bugs, Blooms and Babies" to mark the beginning of Spring.
We've done a little of the paper crafting in it, but today's project was a little more hands-on as we made pine cone bird feeders to hang in the tree on the front yard. So far no little birdies have found them, but hopefully we'll see something in the next few days!
We've done a little of the paper crafting in it, but today's project was a little more hands-on as we made pine cone bird feeders to hang in the tree on the front yard. So far no little birdies have found them, but hopefully we'll see something in the next few days!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
December 2, 2009 - Draw Write Now
We picked up a copy of Draw Write Now, Book One at the library last week... that's the drawing curriculum that I have been eyeing up for C, so I was pretty happy to see it there. I'd like to give it a test run before going out and buying it, you know? So anyway, we did lesson one today and it was a hit :) She wanted to press on and do a second lesson, but A's frame of mind this afternoon wasn't exactly what I would call conducive to productive lesson time. However, the one we did finish went really well!
This is C's finished work. Besides the hen, she also made three baby chicks (one is in a nest and one is on a box). Pretty good, I think! She started out with printing the words herself but decided she needed some help so I made dotted letters for her to trace. I think for the rest of the lessons I'll make up pre-printed pages on the computer with traceable letters and some drawing space above.
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