Learning Log of January 2014

Read Aloud 

* Bible - Unfortunately not a lot of reading this month, other than the book of Jeremy with the oldest 2 children.
* A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler
* The Journey by Sarah Stewart
* Brother Andrew - God's Secret Agent by Janet and Geoff Benge - I highly recommend any book from this married authors duet. I haven't read all the biographies they have written but the ones we read we thoroughly enjoyed. This book went hand in hand with our WWII study. We had heard Animal Farm the month before that introduced us to Communism and Brother Andrew showed the effects of it on the Church of Jesus.
* Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems
* The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
* The Butter Battle Book by Dr Seuss

* other books we own.. those books that children will ask to read over and over again. :)

Audio Books

* My kids, one time or another have the files below in their mp5s to which they listen to every night at their choosing: Fairy tales and classic stories , worship music, Story Hour files, The Piano Guys, Jonathan Park and The Brinkman Adventures, The Chronicles of Narnia.

* 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:  

* Eloise Skates! - Ready to Read - Level 1 - DD6 and I read this book together. I read the long "difficult" words and she read the short vowel sound and the sight words.
* Eloise and the Snowman - Ready to Read - Level 1 - I think the 20 day break (our vacation in Brazil) without phonics or any type of school did my DD6 good. She came back reading without any struggle and actually enjoying it. :) Thank you, Jesus!
* Knuffle Bunny by Mo Williems
* Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Williems - DD6 and I are definitely having fun reading Mo Williems' books together.
* Fancy Nancy - Splendid Speller by Jane O'Connor - I Can Read 1

DS8 independent reading list:  

* Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
* More books on Calvin and Hobbes - he is learning a lot of new vocabulary and expressions. It's a source of conversation for him. DD8 will talk non-stop about Calvin and we will discuss all of his bad behaviors and ideas. Calvin is the devil sometimes! :)

* 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.

* Ricks in His Head by Carol Otis Hurst
* Extra Credit by Andrew Clements - this one, DD11 couldn't finish. She said it was too predictable.
* Molly's  Story Collection - An American Girl book - 1944 by Valerie Tripp - another book set during WWII.
* Just Joking 3 - National Geographic Kids

** Take one or two or three (i.e. reading these yet again!)

* Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan - cute book with talking animals and real life situations.

* The Library by Sarah Stewart - if you are a reader you will love this book. :)
* The Mopwater Files by John R. Erickson - Hank the Cow dog series #28
* The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting - The Cow dog series # 22
* Ms Frizzle's Adventures Imperial China by Joanna Cole

Activities at Home

* We began Easy Peasy again after a few days of our arrival back home. The first week was really hard. The kids struggled and we had lots of tantrums. We are currently studying WWII and the kids found some cool websites. I am compiling a list of movies and books that cover the Great Depression and WWII for us to watch and read.

* Lots of weaving rubber bands necklaces, rings and bracelets.  The kids are using the website Rainbowloom .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. He even made a minion bracelet one day.


* We made cake pops.

 Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home

We returned from Brazil on the second week of January. The kids looked forward to seeing their chickens and they missed being home.

While in Brazil we visited:

* The Public Library of Parana - it's a three story building built in 1953. It has a children's section the size of our local Public Library. They have story hour 2 times a day! The library has its own Braille department with a blind gentleman in charge of it, who is also a chess teacher. Our family spent over an hour walking through the library talking to people and asking questions. Brazilian people are extremely friendly and when they hear English they come over to share and talk. Read here why Brazilians are the best people in the world! As a Brazilian, it was fun to see my own people from a foreigner's perspective. :)

* Paranaense Museum - This was a lucky strike. After doing a little research, we decided to go to this museum instead of the zoo. It was the best decision ever. The kids got to learn a lot of Brazilian history. We walked in a building that used to house the State Governor's house. We saw exhibitions of WWI clothing, dinnerware, furniture, pictures and other historical pieces. We learned about the state history and its colonization by the Portuguese, Jesuits, and later on European immigrants like Polish, Germans, Ucranians and more. We observed the utensils, weapons, clothing, skeletons of the Indigenous people of this area. We visited the Colonial period by looking at pictures and actual pieces of that time. This was an awesome field trip. Slideshow coming on my YouTube channel.

* Tourism Line - a special tourism bus in Curitiba that drives throughout the city stopping at the

main tourist sites and parks of the city.

* Parks and tourist sites in Curitiba: German Woods (Parque Alemao); Public City Park (Passeio Publico), Tangua Park (Parque Tangua), Botannical Garden (JArdim Botanico), Barigui Park (PArque Barigui), Panoramic Tower (Torre Panoramica), Pope John Paul II Polish Memorial Park (Parque do Papa/ Memorial polones), Historical Downtown Section of Curitiba (Setor Historico), Santa Felicidade (Gastronomic Italian Neighborhood), Downtown Curitiba - a major sidewalk (Rua XV). I am hoping to compile a slideshow of photos of each site and upload on YouTube. I will post every time I upload on YouTube. Subscribe so you can follow along on a tour of Curitiba, the ecological city of Brazil.

* 4H - We didn't go to this one because the kids were sick.

* Our monthly co-op: we covered the Human digestive system. A couple of families and mine gathered at our home for lunch, and then we headed for an afternoon of bowling and ice cream. Fun!

 

 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 - a Website for you to create your own timeline. DD10 and DS8 created one to add the events of WWII.

* To Too Two Video lesson (I don't care for rap unless it's for grammar lessons!) and then a worksheet to practice the usage orally.

* Art for Kids - my kids love this website. Videos are all on YouTube. I highly recommend it!

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube

My children watched a ridiculously amount of video during our 20 days in Brazil. I think it was their way of coping with the lack of space for them to play and move around. We were in my parents' condo and while we did go on outings every day, we spent about 6 hours confined to the condo. We had lots of people in the condo at different times visiting and I think media was their way of tuning out the overload of the strange language (Portuguese). 

* Despicable Me 2

* The Road to El Dorado
* Sinbad: Legend of Seven Seas
* Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2 and Spy Kids 3
*  Spiderwick Chronicle
* The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
* DreamWorks Spooky Stories
* The Chronicles of Narnia
*  Turbo
* Hercules
* Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron
* Angelina Ballerina

* 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 began watching the 1930-1939. The next decade will be our next choice. This decade covered the Skyscrappers in NY, the true story of Seabiscuit and The Great Depression. We skipped Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde due to the violent them inappropriate for my kids' age.

* The Boy in Striped Pajamas -  I watched this movie a few years back and thought it might be a movie I could watch with DD11. WE watched together cuddled in bed. It's a riveting movie and so thought provoking. The end is not a happy one. Another WWII movie to help the kids understand this time of history better.

* The Okee dokee Brothers - These are guys are funny and play great, engrossing music for Kids! Clean lyrics too! We began with this ONE and then had to hear all of their music videos.

* House Hacker - science videos on YouTube

* Scott Hamilton ice skating and here is another performing the Wizard of Oz. 

* Mandisa - Overcomer - music video - Need an lift me up?? 
 

Mom's Eclectic Reading List

* Book on Anne Frank 

* Psalms 91 for Mothers - God's Shield of Protection for Your Children by Peggy Joyce Ruth and Angelia Ruth Schum


* Deceived: Little Lies the World Tells to Keep Christian Families from Growing by Cindy Dyer

* The Baby War: defenders and defectors by By What Standard? Media 

 

Learning Log of December 2013

It's almost the end of January and I am only now posting the Learning Log of December. I have an explanation. We actually spent Christmas day in Brazil and have only been back to the USA a week ago.

After many attempts and cancellations, our trip to Brazil was finally booked. I truly believe that when God wants you to do something He will cause you to do it! 

Our trip there felt like a mission trip. There is so much to share and I will try to motivate myself to make some slideshows and post them on YouTube. Will you help me? If you would like to see more of Brazil, please leave me a comment.

The kids did a lot of learning without books. We went to lots of parks, met lots of people, played with and loved them all. The kids are begging to go back. They enjoyed all the interaction with family that lives far away. Change is in the air? Who know? It's in God's hands. I am trusting that if He wants us to move He will pave the way. 

Read Aloud 

* Bible at meal times - As needed I change our Bible reading around. This month, I am reading the Bible to

them at lunch time. It helps me to eat less and we enjoy reading the Word of God and feeding on Jesus.

* The Hedgehog Boy - A Latvian Folktale by Jane Langton
* How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
* Gifts of the Heart by Patricia Polacco
* The Treasure Hunt by A.J. Wood
* God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren 


* DD6 decorating for Christmas >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Audio Books

* My kids, one time or another have the files below in their mp5s to which they listen to every night at their choosing: Fairy tales and classic stories , worship music, Story Hour files, The Piano Guys, Jonathan Park and The Brinkman Adventures, The Chronicles of Narnia.

* Animal Farm by George Orwell - This book was covered in History on DD10's Easy Peasy curriculum. I decided to listen to the audiobook as a family in the evenings. It provided for great conversations of current events as well as past historical ones.

* On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls - the fourth book of the Laura Ingalls series. We enjoyed it as much as the others. Really good lessons on the dangers of disobeying parents.

DS8 independent reading list:  

* The Hedgehog Boy - A Latvian Folktale by Jane Langton
* How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
* Every book he can get his hands on of Calvin and Hobbes.

DD10 independent reading list

* How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel by Cressida Cowell - book 10 - How to Train a Dragon series
* The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
* Santa is coming to Alabama by Steve Smalman
* Home for Christmas by Jan Brett
* Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett
* Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett
* Trouble-Maker by Andrew Clements - This link contains a good review made by a Christian homeschooling mom.

* No Talking by Andrew Clements - our librarian gave me a couple of books for the kids to read on the plane and this was one of them. Another success with my DD10.

** Take one or two or three (i.e. reading these yet again!)

* Amazon Diary - The Jungle Adventures of Alex Winters

Activities at Home

* The kids get very antsy when the weather gets cold and they can't go outside play whenever they like. So we end up doing a lot of hands-on activites. This month we made Oobleck again and the kids had their fill with this highly sensory playtime.
* A week before we left our only hen, who is a Top Hat breed, begin laying eggs. The kids were excited but concerned about leaving her behind.

* The usual ones mentioned in months past. As well as getting ready for an international trip. Setting up a

caretaker for our chickens. Getting the house ready for winter. Buying gifts, packing suitcases and preparing for the airplane trip.

* In Brazil, the kids did a lot of playing and talking to cousins and relatives in general. They watched too many movies on Netflix and computer devices. Played too many computer games. I think mostly because we were in a small condo and they had to contain their physical energy some.

* Manicures and pedicures. We had a lady come over and do my manicure and pedicure, as well as my Mom's, Grandmother's and the girls' for a mere $20.00. It was an afternoon of enjoyment and pampering.

* Cooking and eating. Lots of cooking and eating. :)

 Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home

 * 4H meeting -We learned about how to care for a parakeet.

* We went to Brazil for 20 days - we left on the 24th and arrived on Christmas Day! Although DD10 and DS8 had traveled by plane before they couldn't remember the experience because they were only 3 y.o. and 4 months old. This time the experience was memorable to all our children. Before we left I explained what would happen in the plane, how meals would be served, how small restrooms and hallways would be etc etc. The children enjoyed the flight and the experience. All in all they all behaved really well and touch pads were very helpful. :)

* Christmas Day in Brazil - it's a big and all day event in Brazilians' households. We gathered together at around noon and eat and play all day long. It was fun to see some of my relatives and the kids got to meet some new ones too.

* The children were recuperating from a cold and due to the trip they got worse, so we got to see a doctor, visit a public clinic and see what medical services and facilities are like in Brazil.

* New Year's Eve found us at my parents' condo celebrating again with lots of food and fun with the family all around us. We got to watch fireworks on the TV and outside our balcony as the neighbors lightened up the sky with explosions of lights and sounds.

* We visited an all you can eat Steakhouse in Brazil and it was a gastronomic extravaganza! We also visited my uncle's homestead and I dreamt away wishing for one too.

* When we first arrived it was raining every day and the kids were still pretty sick to do long trips. We went to an indoor park that looked like a fair ground with toys for the kids to play on, ride in or just climb. It was a great stress relief.

 

 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:

* School of Dragons - this site is very interactive but I don't allow my kids to chat.

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube

* Despicable Me 2 - we lost count of how many times we watched this movie. Every time we had friends over who hadn't seen the movie we showcased it again. While in Brazil, we watched it at least 5 times with our relatives.

* My Little Pony episodes on Netflix.

* The Princess and the Frog
* The Little Mermaid episodes on Netflix

* Episodes of How To Train a Dragon, Tinker Bell, Princess Sofia, Ninjako, Doctor MacStuffin, Olivia 
* Amazing Tron Dance
 

Mom's Eclectic Reading List

*  The Power of Right Believing by Joseph Prince - Would you like to see Jesus how He really is? Are you tired of condenmation and guilt? I praise the Lord for the ministry of Joseph Prince. It has revolutionized my life. 

Blessings and Happy 2014!!!

Tereza