Something Pretty... and how it affected our homeschooling.

As some of you may know, I scrapbook and make cards for our troops. I have taken some custom orders in the past and created some shabby chic baby keepsakes. You can see all related posts HERE as well as check on the right side bar for my most visited posts.

Now how is that related to homeschooling? 

Please read to the end of the post to find out. 

Last summer, I finished something pretty. J. contacted me for the first time a few years back and I made her a keepsake box to hold photos of the baby she lost. Unfortunately she went on to lose another baby after Phillips. But thanks to God she found a wonderful doctor who helped her finally get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby this past August.

A couple of years back, she had a stillborn baby girl and wanted an album to hold 100+ photos she had been able to get of her baby before burial. It reminded me of the beautiful box and prayer book I made for Julia. 

Today I am sharing with you the treasure I made for her. It's a comfort to us mothers that lose babies to miscarriages or other circumstances that we will one day see them again.

I have lost 3 babies myself. The last one was this past spring. I didn't share about it here because it's just so hard. Most people don't understand when mothers say that their arms feel empty and they have a house full of children. I didn't...until I miscarried this last baby. He was due this November. There should have been a brand new baby in my home right now. :(

Here is the album cover.... The album is 12x12" and filled with page protectors that hold 4x6" photos. I can't remember now but I put about 13 of them in there. There's room for 130 photos.

I added lots of details to the cover with chipboard frames, Prima flowers, rub ons and doillies.

It turned out very mixed media because I gesso the fabric cover and then used acrylic paint to create the background. I adhered a huge doilly (12") to the center and then painted over it. 

The dots were created using modeling paste. I don't own any stencils, but still I was able to create texture and interest with bubble wrap and modeling paste.

I recycled old books and corrugated cardboard to create this side of the cover.

White paint always goes a long way to make anything look shabby. :)

Lots of my favorite stamps.












Below I added the baby's name using white chipboard letters that I stamped over with a script stamp I had. Again added some white paint for the shabby look.

Inside there are photo protectors, each side has a 4x6" card that has been embellished with stamps, and images from Iralamija etsy shop. There you can find the most beautiful digital images. The 4x6" card can be used as a journaling place or just decorating the page.

 

Some of the digital downloads I used were Sentiment and Banners,  Adore Tickets,  Songbird Cards, Bella Rose Background, and Old Tickets. 

There may be others because I really love Beatriz' stuff.

Now how is this related to homeschooling?

For a week, after I lost my baby, I was basically bedridden. We don't have any family close (my parents live in Brazil) and my children and husband had to fend for themselves and take care of me while I recuperated from the miscarriage.

During this time, I was able to see how homeschooling provides the perfect environment for maturing and testing the waters within protective boundaries. My DD11 was able to cook and serve her siblings. My DS8 was able to help around the house more and read/ teach his sisters. My 2 youngest got to take care of Mommy by fetching water and bringing other items in the bedroom.

Everyone learned about what happened. We were able to talk about the preciousness of life, Heaven, Jesus, the Bible, our loving Heavenly Father. The kids got concerned about Mom. It was a lesson for us all to appreciate one another and not take for granted what we have.

I believe homeschooling is one beautiful thing in our lives.

I had wonderful friends who went grocery shopping for me; who brought meals; who prayed for me; who sent me flowers and a card; who babysat my kids so I could go to the doctor. My parents live far away, but God has provided a generous support group right here where I live.

There wasn't much desk work done that week but there was a lot of learning.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28

As I finished J's custom order this summer, my heart healed. I still long for my baby but I know where he is. I am full of hope. As I worked on this album, joy flooded my heart again.

Have you lost a baby? How did you cope?

Blessings,

Tereza

How Unique is your Family? A little about our Homeschooling Style.

I will be doing some curriculum reviews soon and I wanted to give you some background information about me.

I think it makes all the difference when reading a review knowing a bit about the reviewer. So here goes... :)

I do not have a degree in Education. I have a Brazilian college degree in International Business. My first language is Portuguese. I speak English and Spanish fluently and have taught them both as foreign languages.

When I was a teenager, I lived in California and went to public school there. I went to 7th, 8th and 9th grades. I know first hand what it's like to go to public school in the US.

My Dad is an Engineer so I grew up having long math tutoring sessions with him. He loved math and would explain it to the details. I remember hating those lessons then. I really didn't have the patience. Today I appreciate those times so much because they helped me grasp many mathematical concepts.

I tutored math in High School and College but I do not consider myself a math expert or a genius. I like math today, but it wasn't always so when I was in school. I always viewed math as a puzzle sort of a game. Sometimes I wanted to play. Sometimes it wore me out.

I was pretty good at it. I studied Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry even Calculus. While I loved the first three subjects, I got lost in Calculus and really can't tell you much about it.

I have homeschooled my children from birth. Not one has gone to school. You can read my Learning Log posts to see what our months look like.

I cannot tell you that I have taught them all they know.

They do a lot of learning on their own. But I do guide them, instruct them and facilitate their daily studies. On the date of this post, we have 4 children between the ages of 4 y.o. and 11 y.o.

I would say our learning style is eclectic or relaxed homeschooling. I used to think we were unschoolers but not anymore. While we do NOT like school or schoolish settings of any sort, Mom likes to be in charge or at least pretend she is in charge. :)

We have routines and some "rules" to our activities so I am really not a Sandra Dodd unschooler type.

However, my kids do tell people that we don't do school and that we unschool. I have told them for so long that the learning we do at home is completely different from school. So in their minds we unschool. 

The term was coined by John Taylor Gatto and he came up with it out of frustration for the public school system.

All my children have different learning styles. 

At least 3 of them are very much verbal. They need to talk to learn or to remember what they are learning. 

Can you imagine these children in a classroom? 

We have arguments at home because of so many interruptions. I have to constantly listen to my children regurgitate information they are learning because it helps them to process it. I have to look interested too. :/

I would say all four are visual learners. I have a couple who are also kinesthetic. They move all the time even when they are doing workbooks. 

One for sure is also an auditory learner. She is teaching herself how to play the tin whistle. Two are very social and two are very solitary in their learning. 

How does a Mom homeschool with so many learning styles?

Flexibility is key!

From the beginning my goal was to find out who my children were and facilitate their gifts and talents. Although I cater to their strengths, we work on their weaknesses too.

We change our routines constantly. We use all sort of media to learn. We use many different curricula. Sometimes we don't finish a book/ textbook. We do lots of hands on activities. We are very social. There is music and noise at my house everyday. We are not a quiet home. 

We use computers. We watch TV. We have cable. We read our Bibles too. :)

We also read a lot. Lots of different genre. Poetry. Biographies. Historical Fiction. How to books. Scientific books. Magazines. Comic Books. Take a look at my Learning Log posts to see some of our reading choices.

I hate routine. I don't like to do the same thing everyday. I tell my kids the only routine we have is 3 meals a day, and a set bedtime. Everything else is subject to change in our house.

Many times we begin with a routine of reading out loud everyday after lunch. Within 4 days we are doing something else. We might read again before bedtime because the book is so interesting. (We did that yesterday as we read our first Louis L'amour book) Or we might not pick up the book for a few days.

I believe we are learning all the time. Our brain does not stop absorbing or processing information because we are not doing a workbook, reading a book or listening to a lecture. 

Everyday life experiences are learning experiences!

We are a curious family. Hungry for knowledge and experiences.

We "school" year round. Sometimes we will stop whatever curriculum we are using and play, read, watch documentaries for 30 days. Then pick up where we left off like nothing happened.

We endeavor to do "school" (workbooks, projects, Easy Peasy work load etc) in the morning and be done by lunch time. So math, individual reading, grammar, history and/ or science readings/ videos, Bible are all done in the morning in about 2 hours. Afternoons are left for reading alouds, hands on projects, free computer time, music/ craft lessons and anything else that the kids fancy.

Our journey in homeschool began with my husband's desire to home educate our children. He did not enjoy his time in PS as a kid and was bored most of the time. He was not challenged at all and was picked on for being smart. Also, as a Christian, he wanted to be the main influence on our kids' lives. He feel it's important to teach our children God's principles and guard their hearts.

I had no clue what homeschooling was, but always felt in my gut that it was just wrong to have to send my children somewhere else to have a stranger teach them and enjoy their victories. I wanted to spend time with my children. I wanted them to be close. Homeschooling is the perfect fit for us! We get to learn together and be the most important influences on their lives!

I also felt I wasted a lot of time in PS. I wanted to give my kids free time to explore, think and develop their gifts and talents. I spent a lot of years lost until I discovered my gifts and Jesus! :) (not necessarily in this order)


I hope this information helps, as you read my curriculum reviews. 

It's really important to know the uniqueness of your family so that you can choose the resources that fit your style and your goals.




We are all different and sharing those differences can be helpful in our self exploration as we go on our homeschooling journey!

What sets you apart? How unique is your homeschooling style?

Share in the comments' section.

Blessings,

Tereza

 
" To believe in unschooling is to believe that true learning happens best when it arises from the experiences and interests of the learner, not from an imposed curriculum or a teacher or a parent.  As unschooling parents, we don’t act as teachers, but as facilitators and partners." - Jennifer McGrail


Here's more on Unschooling and Christianity.

The World's Toughest Job

If you haven't seen this one, take a look and see if you could do the world's toughest job.





Blessings,

Tereza

Do you have an IDEAL family?

I do. :)



IDEAL FAMILY from People's Church on Vimeo.



Blessings,
Tereza

Learning Log of October 2013

Pumpkin season is here. October was a month full of activities. In school we have been covering WWI and doing lots of experimentation with flight and chemical reactions. Some really good links are below. Enjoy the pictures.

Books Read Aloud to All

* Bible every day - In the evenings, we are reading the gospels together . We finished the Gospel of John and began Matthew. I know! We began backwards.  We are enjoying the best of conversations and discussions as we learn more about Jesus, the Son of God.

* Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan
* Chicken Little
* Electrical Wizard - How Nikola Tesla Lit up the World by Elizabeth Rusch

* Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls

* Pete the Cat - Play Ball! by James Dean
* Pete the Cat - Pete's Big Lunch by James Dean
* Fund Dog, Sun Dog by Deborah Heiligman

* Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology - we cover a lesson a month and then we share our discoveries at our monthly co-op. In October we studied The Human Skeleton.

 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.

* Adventures in Odyssey - Sargeant York episode and The Underground Railroad

DS8 independent reading list:  

* Speedway Switch by Jake Maddox  
* The Knight who took all Day by James Mayhew 
* How to Train a Dragon - book 1
* How to Train a Dragon - book 2

* Calvin and Hobbes
* The Wright Brothers 

DD10 independent reading list

* The Story of Dragons and other Monsters by Thomas G. Aylesworth

* Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles

** Take one or two or three (i.e. reading these yet again!)
**The Guardians of Ga'Hoole:
- The Burning book 6
- The Hatchling - book 7 
- The Outcast - book 8
- The Frist Collier - book 9
-  To Be a King - book 11
- The Golden Tree - book 12
- The River of Wind - book 13
- Exile - book 14

**A New Kind of Life for Eddie Eagle by Margaret Ann Smith 
** 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = Chaos by Vivian Vande Velde
** Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
 
* The Cave of Time by Edward Packard - Choose Your Own Adventure
* Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
* We can't all be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings 
* My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

* How To Draw Baby Animals by Susan Sonkin
* Drawing Cartoons by Michael Ffolkes

 Read to her sisters:

* Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
* Honey..Honey... LIon! A Story from Africa by Jan Brett

Activities at Home

* We hired a babysitter one night to watch and play with the kids while I went to a Mom's night out with other homeschooling moms. The kids love to have A14 over. To them, they are not being babysat but having a playdate. Definitely doing it again. :) DD10 said A14 wasn't a babysitter since they are not babies. She is an au pair. :)

* We had some friends' children come over and play one Saturday morning. They stayed for lunch, jumped in the pool for 20 minutes and played on the computers. It was unscheduled and turned out great.

* We finally finished all the trimming of bushes and trees. Got all the bushes fertilized and ready for fall/ winter. We also finished washing and cleaning the outside, drive way, sidewalks and such. October has been

beautiful. Not hot, not cold, not too windy. Not a lot of rain. Just so pleasant. The leaves have barely been falling at all.

* Traditionally we paint pumpkins every fall. We did it again this month. The kids wanted to participate in our church's Fall Festival and do a Trunk or Treat and decorate with their pumpkins. We decided against that. We painted the pumpkins just for fun and went to the Festival and had a good time.

*Lots of dancing and playing to Wee Sing CDs

* Coloring, drawing, tracing and making our own books and animal encyclopedias. I got DD10 some tracing paper and she has been using it to draw dragons, animals and obscure plants. Of course, everyone else wanted to trace some pictures too.

* My DH surprised me with the idea of building our own green house instead of buying one. He used part of the shed that holds our pool pump as part of the frame for it and it worked out so well. I truly have a husband of vision! I have transplanted a couple of bell pepper plants, a jalapeno, my thai pepper and habanero plants, as well as an eggplant. It's so warm. It's amazing the amount of heat that pool pump generates. I am even sprouting papaya seeds.

* We had a playdate with another friend of mine who also homeschools. The kids used to see each other all the time because they did karate together. Unfortunately she had to quit karate and the kids had been missing each other. It was a great time. We got to share recipes and the kids played dragons outside.

* DD6 is using ClickNKids again. She is reading, although resisting it, she is reading!!!! She is also doing really great in math. DD3 is following behind her sister and working on her letters and numbers. She can count to 6 without missing any numbers or exchanging them for 9 or 8 or 7! :)

* We had 2 threats of frost/ freeze so we scrambled around to cover my plants and transplant some. This was my first time doing that and DH said I am definitely a farmer. Our pool is finally winterized.

 Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home

* Karate

* Our monthly Co-op - these month we covered the Skeleton System and the young kids got to participate and create their own noodle skeletons. I found great links on the net for human size puzzles. Check out the website links section.

* 4H class for homeschoolers hosted at our Public LIbrary.

* Fall Festival at our church.

 

 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:

* History - The Causes of WWI - this site is very thorough. I am learning so many things about World War I that I didn't even hear about when I was in school. Check this site out if your kid is studying WWI. It does not contain huge texts to read but it's broken down into smaller pieces with questions to test the student and help memorize and remember the facts. Loved it!

* Future Flight Design - learn all about flight.

* Power Proofreading - Proofreading to practice the use of correct grammar. It's a website with many different activities from verbs and their tenses, to nouns and pronouns, subject and predicate and more.

*McGuffey's readers are so awesome. DD10 is using the New McGuffey Fourth Reader for some of her reading in Easy Peasy and I am really happy with the depth of content in the stories.

* Eskeletons - fantastic website with lots of information on skeletons. I used it to print out a life size skeleton puzzle to take to our co-op.

* ClickNKids - DD6 is using it again. At the beginning of the month, it was off and on. I think I got a little girl that learns best when she has to write things down. She is doing ClickNKids every day now. We are also using lots of workbooks to practice sight words, our math and spelling.

* We used BrainPopJr a couple of times to learn about Classification of Animals. DD6 got to fill out some trading cards and we even created our own classification games with some animal memory cards we had on hand. BrainPop and BrainPopJr offer a FREE featured movie with activities included daily and weekly. This is a great way for you to get know the site before you decide to subscribe. We are not subscribers. We just use it on and off.

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

* Dragon Wild Skies - on CN website. The kids are more excited about this dragon game. You can do so much without having to chat. :) Woohoo! Victory!! (Please watch out for the other cartoons advertised and ads. I do not like many of the cartoons on CN and the kids just keep away.)

* FunBrain - the kids re-discovered PopTropica - another interactive game.

* PBSkids.org - DD6 and DD3 found some new shows like Daniel Tiger's neighborhood and Peg + Cat.

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube

* I bought DD10 some tracing paper and we watched a few videos on how to use it and how it's not cheating at all. :) 

* The Lost Medallion - great family movie with a hidden Christian message in it. 

* I have a playlist on YouTube with videos that teach the numbers, alphabet and some phonics. DD3 and DD6 watch these together when on  break from school or when I am working with the bigger ones.

Mom's Eclectic Reading List

 * Finishing the books I was reading in August and September. I am reading about 5 books at the same time, plus all the Kindle samples I download weekly.

* The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey - the true story of a boy who suffered a car accident, died and came back to life. An amazing true story! 

Blessings,

Tereza

 

Learning Log of September 2013

September was a month busy with gardening and getting our groove back on schooling. We are really enjoying Easy Peasy Homeschooling. We are covering so much ground and doing fun projects like writing assignments and science experiments. We also began our local co-op organized by me and another homeschooling mom. 
Below are lots of fun interactive websites. Enjoy!

PS: Above a couple of drunken chickens we roasted on our grill!  :)
 For another note on chickens: We for sure got 3 roosters out of the 6 chickens we got a few months back. We should have some chicken dinners soon! :)

Books Read Aloud to All

* Bible every day - In the evenings, we are reading the gospels together . We finished the Gospel of John and began Matthew. I know! We began backwards.  We are enjoying the best of conversations and discussions as we learn more about Jesus, the Son of God.

* Hamlet and the tales of Sniggery Woods by Maggie Kneen
* Too Much Glue by Jason Lefebvre - If your family loves and does crafts often you will enjoy this book. We read it about 5-6 times in a week span. The funniest part is when the teacher is breathing in a paper bag. I bet lots of moms can sympathize with that. :)
* If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff
* The Class ARtist by G. Brian Karas
* Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly by Jane O'Connor
* lots more that I didn't write down.
 

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. 

*DD10 is listening to the Fellowship of the Ring on CDs. I got our copy from the library. Here is a FREE one on YouTube. 

* The Captured - A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch - read by Grover Gardner -  We have really enjoyed this audio book that we borrowed from our library. Begins in 1870 with the abduction of the author's great-great-great-uncle when he was a boy. The author not only tells the story of his uncle but of many other children that were abducted; the history, culture and experiences of the Indians involved and how history unfolds as America becomes such a great country with many immigrants and now Indian reservations. A great addition to your History curriculum if you are studying Indians, expansion to the West and the 1900s. Beware the narration does contain gory and violent details that may not be suitable to children under 14 y.o. I skipped many of the gory details to protect my children.

DS8 independent reading list:

* Stick man Odyssey - Book one - An Epic Doodle by Christopher Ford and Book Two. He is enjoying these books so much that he is reading them out loud to his sisters. I know they are not the most classical material but he is reading and enjoying it. I hope to get him reading something more meaty soon.

* Pieces and parts of  How to Train a Dragon books.

 Read aloud to his sisters:

* Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice by Steve Metzger
* Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
* Fancy Nancy Hair Dos and Hair Don'ts by Jane O'Connor 
* Too Much Glue by Jason Lefebvre
* Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly 
* Other books on Kindle.
* Also the books on Easy Peasy Homeschooling Level 3: Poems, Aesop's Fables, The Story of my  Life of Helen Keller, news articles and other texts on inventors.

DD10 independent reading list:

* Washington Irving Rip Van Winkle - adapted by Rick Meyerowitz

*The Viper's Net by Peter Lerangis - Book #7 - The 39 Clues
* The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman - Book# 8 - The  39 Clues
* Storm Warning by LInda Sue Park - Book #9 - The 39 Clues
* Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix - Book #10 - The 39 Clues
* Vespers Rising by Rick Eiordan and others - Book #11 - The 39 Clues

* The Dragon Prophecy by Dugald A. Steer - Dragonoloy Vol. IV
* Glory Trail by Taramesha Maniatty 
*  The Trumpet of the Swan
* Books and articles on Easy Peasy Homeschooling Level 5

* Other book that I have not written down. Do you see a trend here? Am I getting lazy or just tired?

 * on the Kindle: Aesop's FAbles

 

Activities at Home

* I am working hard at getting the kids settled into a routine at home where they are consistently helping and serving as part of their normal life. I am teaching DD10 to cook, DS8 is now responsible for the chickens' feed and water, DD6 and DD3 are still on the basic of morning routine, making beds and putting their clothes and toys away. We found out that DD6 loves to vacuum and DD10 does a really good job at sweeping. Everyone helps me fold and put away the laundry and the kids discovered that if everyone helps we can fold and put away 2-3 loads of laundry in just 10 minutes.

*  Easy Peasy has now become routine. DD10 and DS8 get up and get on the computers and begin working. I am really happy at how much writing they are doing: trying out new styles from poems to finishing up fiction stories. We are really digging Science and History, mostly covering Modern American History at the beginning of the century. In science we are learning about inventors and their discoveries; atoms and matter; light and chemical reactions.... so much fun. So intense!! DD10 wrote a series of poems and transformed a compilation of them into a book. DS8 is writing paragraphs and thinking! DD10 is having fun with the thinking problems. DS8 is bored with math so we went back to Singapore Math.

* DD3 is doing lots of Preschool workbooks and hands- on activities with DD6. So funny how they love to play and do "school" together. DD6 is working hard on her reading skills. We are really moving forward with the McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader. Although it's way more challenging than Hooked on Phonics or the other phonics curriculum I got, this one is more interesting. I think she enjoys it better although each word comes out with a lot more strain. Update: I quit! I think I forgot the lesson I learned with my firstborn: Unless my child wants to learn to read, I am wasting my time! So I quit! Although DD6 has good days, most of the time she whines and cries and hates reading/ phonics time. So I told her that I was done forcing her to learn how to read. When she decides she wants to learn to read, she can come to me and I will be glad and help her. So now we do Math, writing, copywork, crafts, cooking, and I read to her but no more phonic lessons.

Update Sept29th - I found a FREE app that teaches phonics using McGruffey's readers and DD6 is using it on her brother's touch pad. The kids are so obsessed with this new toy that I am finding books for them to read, apps for them to learn and play and movies for them to watch using this new tool. Even DD3 is using it. Below I will list the apps we are using.

* Instead of having the kids do the Bible section on Easy Peasy, we are reading through the Gospels together. I have also purchased 3 penmanship/ copywork Bible based worksheets in different grade levels so the kids can practice their penmanship and Bible memorization at the same time. They are from LightHome Publications and they are beautifully done. My plan is to do them 3 x over and have the kids improve on their handwriting and memorization over time. I think it will be good for them to see their own improvement.

* Crafts: We finally got to play with our chalk pastels. Although it produces beautiful art, I haven't figured it out yet how to preserve it. The chalk rubs off very easily getting papers and other things dirty. We made paper bag puppets at home and the kids enjoyed so much, I brought a few different animals to make at the co-op. DD6 is doing a lot of crafts lately on her own.

* Lots of science experiments. For last couple of years, our science has mostly focused on animals, plants, anatomy, health, nutrition and our surroundings. This year, I want to focus more on physics and chemistry. We have filmed some of our experiments. I hope to upload them to my YouTube channel soon.

* Gardening: harvesting potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Planting leafy greens and herbs. Maintaining summer squash, sweet and spicy peppers, eggplants, okra, and herbs. Preparing beds for fall and sowing fall crops. I am so excited about gardening. I have found something that will get me out of bed early in the morning without grumbling. Who knew!?

* The kids are now doing jobs for pay. I am paying by the hour and they get to practice how to be a good employee.

* Working outside has brought many surprises: finding funny looking cutworms; baby rattlesnakes; observing spiders and their webs and more.

* September was a pretty dry month, but the days that did rain the kids enjoyed it outside.:)

* As I prepared for a consignment sale in October, DD10 helped me sort and tag clothing, toys, books and learned about decluttering, saving and making money.

Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home

* Karate classes 

* Trips to the Library, Grocery Store and to the feed store. A couple of times, we had no internet in the morning, so we read for an hour and then headed out the door for errands. We have a wonderful old fashioned store in town that sells everything for gardening, to raising animals and living the farm life. We go there and the kids get to hold chicks, pet dogs and cats and talk about their animals and adventures.

* Co-op with 4 other homeschooling families. We are using the Apologia Human Anatomy but instead of teaching it, we are asking the students to learn at home and in class they will showcase something they really liked or found interesting. We then play games on the lesson and do hands-on projects. This month was about cells. We got to see cells under the microscope, the kids brought their own projects to show and tell and they finalized by putting their own cookie or jell-O cell together. Afterward we ran to a new park in town and the kids played to their hearts content, while the moms had some much needed fellowship time. It was wonderful!!! :)

Websites/ Links we found and used/ Apps

* Multiplication facts through pictures and stories. This website is been really helpful to DS8 and DD10 memorizing their multiplication tables. If you have kids that have dyslexia or have trouble with math, this way of memorization might help them.



* Video math Tutor website - not only contains videos that teach math but fun brain teasers.

* Engines of Our Ingenuity - short radio programs of very interesting subjects about

people and their inventions throughout history. Could be used as additional resource for any theme or  book you are studying/ reading.WE heard a program on Henry Ford

* Open Culture Website - The best free cultural & educational media on the web. Audio Books, online course, movies, books and more. A lot of stuff for K-12 as well as college level.

* The Online Books Page - many books online for FREE. If there is a title you are looking for, here is a good place to begin searching.

* History for Kids - This looks interesting.

* Interactive WEbsite to learn more on Middle Age History -

* Loud Lit - Great Place to get some Literature in MP3 Files -

* All about Castles and interactive - 

* Apps: 

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube

*Bill Nye the Science Guys - Cells video on YouTube.

* Magic School Bus - Going Cellular - video on YouTube

* Oliver Twist - Masterpiece Classic BBC series - from Netflix.

* Santa Paws

* How to Train a Dragon - Riders of Berks - Season 1 and 2 on DVD

* Treasures of the Snow

Beautiful Artwork: a spider web!

* In SEarch of the Castaways

* Bible Stories for Children - I really like this animated videos on the Bible.

* TED Talk about Dirty Jobs.

* Liberty's Kids DVD - Purchased this on Amazon for a steal... so the kids are watching these episodes and I am counting that as American History. :)

* Party Time with Max and Ruby

* Quest for Camelot


* Famine to Freedom - The Great Irish Journey- On YouTube- We have been studying the 1850 - early 1900s in History on Easy Peasy Homeschooling, so I found this documentary to complement our studies. My husband's family is from Ireland and it has been fun to watch the kids make connections with the past and how it all affects us.

* America - the Story of Us - Cities - On YouTube - another great documentary we watched to complement our History this month.

 Mom's Eclectic Reading List

* Sacred Marriage

* Courageous Grace -


* An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck  - finally someone had to speak the truth and throw all the PC stuff in the trash. Unfortunately most people don't take Glenn Beck seriously. Where are all our representatives that are not speaking this truth???

* Lots of sampling on Kindle: Parenting, Walking on Water

* A friend introduced me to Revelation Wellness videos on YouTube. They are saving my life. I am able to exercise a few minutes a day without having to kick the kids out of the room because of complicated routines or almost naked instructors. Here is my Christian exercise routine Playlist on YouTube. 

How are you getting ready for fall? ARe you missing summer yet??

Blessings,
Tereza

Learning Log of August 2013

August was a month full of farewells and hellos! My brother and family left on the first week of the month. My parents and Grandma left on the second week. As soon as we were by ourselves we began putting the house in order so we could officially be homeschooling again. Lots of cleaning outside: pruning the bushes and taking care of landscaping. 

We made some new friends during the class I taught on mixed media journaling and slowly I am trying to slow down! ha! 

Books Read Aloud to All

* Bible every day - we are reading together one chapter of the gospels. We are at the moment reading John and the kids are enjoying following and reading along in different Bible translations. We are enjoying the best of conversations and discussions as we learn more about Jesus.
* Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider
* Cool Potatoes from Garden to Table - How to Plant, Grow and Prepare Potatoes by Katherine Hengel
* At the Boardwalk by Kelly Ramsdell Fineman
* Bombus the Bumblebee by Elsie Larson

* Emily's Tiger by Miriam Latimer
* Squirrel's World by Lisa Moser - the cutest book about a hyper squirrel and his friends.
* Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayers
* Amelia Bedelia and the Baby by Peggy Parish
* Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves - retold by Katie Daynes - Usborne Yong Reading book
* Princesses are not perfect by Kate Lum
* When I was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
* Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
* Mrs Mack by Patricia Polacco
* Kindergarten Count to 100 by Jacqueline Rogers
* Nothing Here But Trees by Jean Van Leeuwen



 

  

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. 

* Adventures in American History 1620 - 1975 - Adventures in Odyssey - 23 stories of a Great Nation - DD10 listened to these.

DS8 independent reading list:

* The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Waterson
* Aircraft Carriers by John Hamilton by A&DXtreme
* Submarines by John Hamilton by A&DXtreme
* Cruisers by John Hamilton by A&DXtreme
* Helen Keller by Leslie Garrett

Read aloud to his little sisters:
* The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
* The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
* Just me and my Puppy by Mercer Mayer
* Little Miss Spider by David Kirk
* Rumpelstiltskin - retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

DD10 independent reading list:

* Rules by Cynthia Lord
* Matilda by Roald Dahl
* The Adventure of the Three Students by The Graphic Novel Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
* The Adventure of The Blue Carbuncle  - same as above
* The Adventures of the Copper Beeches - same as above

* The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Waterson
* How To Train Your Dragon - Book 2 - How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell
* How To Train Your Dragon - Book 3 - How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell
* How To Train Your Dragon - Book 4 - How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse by Cressida Cowell
* How To Train Your Dragon - Book 5 - How to Twist a Dragon's Tale by Cressida Cowell
* How to Train Your Dragon - Book 6 - A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell

* The Dragon's Apprentice by Dugald A. Steer - The Dragonology Chronicles
* Moby Dick by Herman Melville - Great Illustrated Classics
* Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
* Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater - re-read
* How to write a report by Cecilia Minden and Kate Roth
* I Wonder Why Castles Had Moats and other questions about long ago
* When did Kings live in Castles? - Ask me Why - Highlights in History 
* Calculator Fun by David A. Adler 
* Hydrogen and the Noble Gases

Activities at Home

* Last couple of weeks with Grandpa, Grandma and Bisa. Last few days with Uncle T. and his family. The kids have played, swam and done lots of activities with my side of the family that came to visit this summer. It was intense and busy and sooo wonderful.

* DD10 moved into a room by herself. Since she is a night owl, we decided to give her own room so she can concentrate on her nightly activities without having to worry about waking up the younger children. I can see her doing lots of learning, sewing, drawing, reading, coloring and more in the next few months. All things she's been doing for a while, but now without concern of waking up her siblings.

* After my parents left, the following Monday, we began a new "school" routine. DS8 and DD10 are doing Easy Peasy curriculum for level 3 and level 5 respectively. DD6 is doing some Easy Peasy as well as workbooks for K and 1st grade level with me that I have picked up at Walmart or were given to me. We are also trying a new Phonics program that I was given for to review. More on that coming later. We have been watching Hooked on Phonics videos on Vimeo. DD3 is doing lots of Preschool workbooks and hands- on activities with DD6. So funny how they love to play and do "school" together.

* Instead of having the kids do the Bible section on Easy Peasy, we are reading through the Gospels together. I have also purchased 3 penmanship/ copywork Bible based worksheets in different grade levels so the kids can practice their penmanship and Bible memorization at the same time. They are from LightHome Publications and they are beautifully done. 

* Lots of cooking. We went back to no wheat diet. Halleluya! Lots of veggies, fruits, nuts and homemade dishes. No more sandwiches and junk food loaded with wheat.

* We made chocolate dipped strawberries, as well as prunes and almonds. I made spaghetti squash lasagna (a favorite of DS8 and DD10) and chilli with butternut squash. So good!

* Lots of science experiments. For last couple of years, our science has mostly focused on animals, plants, anatomy, health, nutrition and our surroundings. This year, I want to focus more on physics and chemistry. Hoping load some of our films into my YouTube account. Check it out often for new additions.

* Lots of chicken babysitting. We had a scare with one of the neighbor's dogs. One Sunday as we were leaving for church we couldn't find one of our chickens. We found lots of black feathers in one place like if the chicken had been attacked or snatched away. We thought we had lost it. What a surprise to find it standing by the coup just waiting for us when we returned almost 2 hours later. So now, when we let them out of the coup we babysit the birds! :) I guess we got pets instead of laying hens!  :)

* unfortunately a couple of days later, a dog got one of our rooster. It was the littlest of all.  A while longhorn chicken. Now we are down to 5 chickens, one rooster only?? Who knows??

* We finally roasted some marshmallows and burned some wood!

* We spend an hour one afternoon prepping our old books for some future art classes. Lots of fun in store.

* Gardening: planting seeds, cleaning up beds, prepping for fall, planting more beans, harvesting lots of okra and jalapeno peppers. Added another raised bed to my collection.

* DS8 got a tablet for his birthday and has been reading more as well as watching lots of videos on it.

Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home

* Karate classes and another pool party hosted by the Karate School at our local Water Park. 

* 4H program at our Public Library: skin and skulls, food and insects.

* I taught another mixed media art journaling class. This time we worked on embellishing the covers of our books. I would love to be able to do a once a month class. It's in God's hands.

* We went to the Zoo as a family. We also went to Chuck-n-Cheese to celebrate DD5 birthday. She is officially DD6 now! We also went to the local Water park as a family. We had some friends over and a birthday party for DS7 who is now officially DS8!!

* Park, library, grocery stores, Walmart and shopping mall visits.

Websites/ Links we found and used/ Apps

* XtraMath.org - I found this website through Easy Peasy homeschooling website. I got DD10 and DS8 working on it daily and improving their math facts. If you got kids that need help with their math facts or just extra help memorizing their multiplication table this site maybe helpful. It's FREE!!!

* Currclick Live - Lego Club and Magic Tree House Club - Both DD10 and DS8 enjoyed the Lego Club and Magic Tree House Club this past month. These clubs are FREE and are interactive over the net. It was a great opportunity for my kids to interact with others over the net in a safe and monitored environment. We are definitely doing this every month.

* Art for Kids Hub - A Dad who is an artist shares with children how to draw, paint and sculpt. A website I found through HomegrownLearners. All my kids have tried a couple of drawings and done very well. For days on end, they have sat in front of the computer and sketched and colored. If you have a kid who likes to draw introduce him/ her to this site. They will love it!

* School of Dragons -  DD10 is at the moment interested in dragons. Interactive game website based on the movie How to Train your Dragon. Not only is she reading books on dragons, she is now Googling about dragons, and even creating a notebook journal on dragons.

* EAsy PEasy Homeschool Website - Picking up where we left off. DD10, DS8 and DD3 are doing the curriculum on this site daily. DD6 is working with me on her reading skills. Sometimes we use the site together but it's not a priority right now for me to have her do it daily or follow a certain level. DD10 is doing level 5 and DS8 is doing Level 3. I try to complement weekly on what they are learning. For example, I will pick a book to read on a person they are learning about or we watch a movie about that person. Sometimes, we do a Science experiment or an art project. The idea with this program is to train my kids to be more independent and learn new study methods like taking notes, copy work and making summaries. I can see it already helping them with perseverance and diligence. We are not at the moment doing any Singapore Math. But I plan to pick it up soon. When and what time of the day?? That is something I haven't figured it out yet. :)

* Free Drama - didn't actually use this site but I plan to. :)

* Video math Tutor website - not only contains videos that teach math but fun brain teasers.

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube

* Babies - We have seen this movie a half dozen times, but it never gets old. Whenever we have family or friends over we want to share it with them.

* Rio - another re-run.

* Ruff Ruff Man tv shows episodes - on Netflix. DS8 has got a touch pad for his birthday. The idea was to give him a tool that he could use for reading books, listening to mp3 files (audiobooks) and for entertainment. Of course, he thinks it's only for playing games and watching movies. But no! He knows with the gift comes more responsibility.

* Daniel's Tiger Neighborhood on Netflix

*Kung Fu Panda 2 and Pink Panther on YouTube

* Stuart Little 2 - really fun movie to watch. Just enough action, adventure and humor to make for a perfect family movie. We haven't watched the first movie but you really don't need to to enjoy the sequel.

* Stuart Little - not as funny as the sequel. see above.

* Stuart Little 3 - Of all 3 movies the one worth watching is the #2.

* Barbie and the Three Musketeers


* The Odd Life of Timothy Green - read this Christian review.

* Alexander Graham Bell Biographies and others by WArner- Nest video.

* The Eric Liddell Story by Torchlighters - from Netflix. Afterwards I printed the student guide from the Torchlighters website and together we discussed the movie and the hard choices Eric had to make in order to follow God.

* Are Dragons Real? - a video from Creation Today.

* Dragons a Fantasy made Real - A documentary by Animal Planet in parts on YouTube.

* Lilo and Stitch the movie

 Mom's Eclectic Reading List

* Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman - I had been wanting to read this book for the longest time. I finally got a copy at Paperbackswap.com . I liked the way it was written. Chapman was very truthful, honest and open hearted about who she is and how God has worked in her life to change her and fulfill His plans for her life. A book about Grace and trust in the midst of the tragedy of losing a child.

* Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy - a book about autism. I read 2 other books written by her and I really like her writing style. To the point. This book is a compilation of many mothers who have children with autism and how they treated them and the children recovered. It also tells of the struggle of trying to change the APP protocol of vaccines and how they still don't believe that vaccines and autism are connected. Lots of information for parents looking for hope. 

* Still reading the other books listed on learning log of July. I read quite a few books at the same time.

So what have you been up to? How is this homeschooling year different from last year??

Blessings,
Tereza