Friday, March 7, 2014
The LEGO Chima Battle
My kids first Stop Motion Film.
Wasn't that cool?? I got film producers and directors at home. Heh? :) Please comment, support the budding artists at home.
Blessings,
Tereza
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Learning Log of February 2014
Read Aloud
* Brother Andrew - God's Secret Agent by Janet and Geoff Benge - I highly recommend any book from this married couple. I haven't read all the biographies they have written but the ones we read we thoroughly enjoyed.
* The Sneetches and other stories by DR Seuss - before I begin reading the meaty books for the oldest 2, I read a few shorter books for the little girls. We are going through the Dr Seuss' books now.
* The Lorax by Dr Seuss
* There's a DRagon in My Sleeping Bag by James Howe
* Only One Neighborhood by Marc Harshman and Barbara Garrison
* My Many Colored Days by Dr Seuss
* A Book of Babies by Il Sung Na
* Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachlan and Steven Kellogg
* Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea
* Journey by Aaron Becker - illustrated only for your own interpretation and storytelling.
* The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt - If you haven't read it and would like to, the link is to someone reading it along and showing the book on YouTube.
* The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman - a short chapter book with an intense plot. I stopped reading at times leaving a cliff hanger and that kept the kids interested in the continuation of the book. A good book for boys.
* Little Tricker the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear by Ken Kesey - the same guy who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, an adult novel. One of the best children's book I have ever read just because the writing is sooo clever.
* If you want to see a whale by Joulie Fogliano. Illustrations by Erin E. Stead.
* Mr Wuffles! by DAvid Wiesner
* Danger on the Midnight River by Gary Paulsen
Audio Books
* Robinson Crusoe by Allan Poe - I love YOuTube. I don't think I could homeschool without it. A lot of our audiobooks we hear straight from YouTube connected to our Big screen TV. We also use YouTube to learn recipes, how to garden, crafts, watch movies, documentaries and anything else you could think of. I got some Playlists on my channel you are welcome to peruse.
DD6 independent reading list:
* Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss - DD6 read half of the book on her own and then I finished. We are now building stamina. Yeah!
* Fancy Nancy - Fancy Day in Room 1-A by Jane O'Connor
* Put me In the Zoo by Robert Lopshire
DS8 independent reading list:
* More books on Calvin and Hobbes - DD8 borrowed a new book from a friend. It's the first thing he reads in the morning while still in bed and the last thing he sees before he falls asleep at night.
* DS8 is listening and reading along The Bears of Blue River - He couldn't stop at Chapter one and begged to listen to the next chapter. This means the book is a good one!
* More books on Calvin and Hobbes - DD8 borrowed a new book from a friend. It's the first thing he reads in the morning while still in bed and the last thing he sees before he falls asleep at night.
* DS8 is listening and reading along The Bears of Blue River - He couldn't stop at Chapter one and begged to listen to the next chapter. This means the book is a good one!
DD10 independent reading list
*The World Wars - an introduction to the First and Second World Wars - an Usborne Book - pieces and parts as we study WWII.
* Wonder by R.J. Palacio
** Take one or two or three (i.e. reading these yet again!)
* Alice in Wonderland - DD11 is listening to this book for Easy Peasy. The author of Easy Peasy writes in her curriculum that this book is about growing up and the changes that happen in a child's body. I had never thought of that. I always thought the book was pretty absurd and full of nonsense and never really interested me, but now it has. Hummm!
* Wonder by R.J. Palacio
** Take one or two or three (i.e. reading these yet again!)
* Alice in Wonderland - DD11 is listening to this book for Easy Peasy. The author of Easy Peasy writes in her curriculum that this book is about growing up and the changes that happen in a child's body. I had never thought of that. I always thought the book was pretty absurd and full of nonsense and never really interested me, but now it has. Hummm!
Activities at Home
* The kids have been helping me with cooking breakfast. I am increasing the kids' jobs list and they are working on diligence and responsibility.
* Taking care of our chickens as they endure a really hard winter.
* We had playdates with a couple of different families.
* DD11 wanted to make her own My Little Pony plush. So we watched this video and then printed this pattern.We have been working on it together. DD11 knows a lot more about sewing than I do. She also is learning how to draw a pony with this video.
* We worked on our Co-op presentations and worked on making comparison tables on different diets and salts on our Open office writer and it was a good and profitable teachable time of Computer Time.
* One afternoon the kids played with our homemade play dough while I read to them. Another warm day, we went outside and made huge bubbles with yarn.
* DD6 is helping out more in the kitchen... one night she fixed supper: toasted waffles with peanut butter.
* One pretty, warm and slightly windy afternoon we went outside and made bubbles with yarn and soapy water.
* we had lots of snow. The kids got to build snowmen, slide down our driveway and play in the soft, crunchy white blankets all over the yard. I am glad it only lasted a few days.
* DD11 wanted to make her own My Little Pony plush. So we watched this video and then printed this pattern.We have been working on it together. DD11 knows a lot more about sewing than I do. She also is learning how to draw a pony with this video.
* We worked on our Co-op presentations and worked on making comparison tables on different diets and salts on our Open office writer and it was a good and profitable teachable time of Computer Time.
* One afternoon the kids played with our homemade play dough while I read to them. Another warm day, we went outside and made huge bubbles with yarn.
* DD6 is helping out more in the kitchen... one night she fixed supper: toasted waffles with peanut butter.
* One pretty, warm and slightly windy afternoon we went outside and made bubbles with yarn and soapy water.
* we had lots of snow. The kids got to build snowmen, slide down our driveway and play in the soft, crunchy white blankets all over the yard. I am glad it only lasted a few days.
Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home
* Friend's Birthday Party - DD11 got to make tissue flowers and enjoy the fellowship of girls her age for a couple of hours.
* DD4 celebrated her birthday and we went to Chuck Cheese with another family for some fun time.
* Lego Club
* DD4 celebrated her birthday and we went to Chuck Cheese with another family for some fun time.
* Lego Club
* 4H - We did a presentation on our trip to Brazil and heard another family's presentation who happened to travel to the northern part of the country spending time in the amazon region.
* Our monthly co-op: we covered nutrition on our Human Anatomy Apologia science books. After the co-op we met with other families for a play date. After everyone left, we stayed on and I showed the kids I trick that I used to do when I was their age. They got the hang of it pretty quickly and were hanging upside down on the bars soon after.
* Our monthly co-op: we covered nutrition on our Human Anatomy Apologia science books. After the co-op we met with other families for a play date. After everyone left, we stayed on and I showed the kids I trick that I used to do when I was their age. They got the hang of it pretty quickly and were hanging upside down on the bars soon after.
Websites/ Links we found and used/ Apps
* Easy Peasy for school for DD10 and DS8. Some websites we found on this site are just fantastic like:
* Rainbowloom Website - My kids got the fever for these rubber band bracelets. DS8 and DD10, but especially, DD8 spent hours watching videos and learning new techniques and bracelets. There is a lot of math happening here: patterns, addition, subtraction, geometry and more.
* TimeToast - We are still working with this website. DD11 and DS8 are adding to it every time they learn a new fact about WWII.
* Anne Frank's 3D Hiding Place - while studying about WWII and Anne Frank we found this super cool website where you get to walk in her hiding place. Along the way, you hear the description of the items that furnish the place as well as Anne's own re-telling of her ordeal. Check it out!!
* Rainbowloom Website - My kids got the fever for these rubber band bracelets. DS8 and DD10, but especially, DD8 spent hours watching videos and learning new techniques and bracelets. There is a lot of math happening here: patterns, addition, subtraction, geometry and more.
* TimeToast - We are still working with this website. DD11 and DS8 are adding to it every time they learn a new fact about WWII.
* Anne Frank's 3D Hiding Place - while studying about WWII and Anne Frank we found this super cool website where you get to walk in her hiding place. Along the way, you hear the description of the items that furnish the place as well as Anne's own re-telling of her ordeal. Check it out!!
TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube
* The Croods - oh, my! what a funny movie!
* Episodes of How To Train a Dragon, My Little Pony, Ninjago, Horseland, Turbo Fast, DreamWorks DRagons Short Stories, Jake and the NEverland Pirates
* The History Channel - The DECADES Collection (from our library) - We watched 1940-1949. The Pearl Harbour bombing.
* Mandisa - Overcomer!
* Happy - another lift me up video Minion style!
* Amazima videos - Katie is a full time missionary to Uganda and she founded the Amazima Ministries. Check out all the beautiful work she is doing there!
* Episodes of How To Train a Dragon, My Little Pony, Ninjago, Horseland, Turbo Fast, DreamWorks DRagons Short Stories, Jake and the NEverland Pirates
* The History Channel - The DECADES Collection (from our library) - We watched 1940-1949. The Pearl Harbour bombing.
* Mandisa - Overcomer!
* Happy - another lift me up video Minion style!
* Amazima videos - Katie is a full time missionary to Uganda and she founded the Amazima Ministries. Check out all the beautiful work she is doing there!
Mom's Eclectic Reading List
* A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck - I began reading this book set during the late 1930s to see if it would be appropriate for DD11 to read. I got hooked by the book due to its humor and the idiosyncrasies of one of the main characters: the Grandma. Unfortunately I was bothered by one instance in the book where the author makes fun of a teenage girl who gets pregnant while still single. I didn't appreciate the belittling of the character. It could be an opportunity for a great family discussion, just don't think it's appropriate for a 11 y.o. yet.
*Mattie C's boy - Shelley Stewart Story - Interesting book about a radio show host. He is from Birmingham, AL and I was able to learn a lot of the South's history thru the book.
* Elizabeth Smart - My Story by Elizabeth Smart with Chris Stewart -
Blessings,
Tereza
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