Learning Log of January 2015

 
 January began cold and soon we had cabin fever. After getting over the colds in December we were ready for some action.
We played lots of games at home; did lots of crafts and science experiments; attempted new cooking and baking recipes and even went on a field trip to the a Science Museum close by.
DD11 turned 12 years old and 2015 here we come!!

 

  

Read aloud Books

* We are reading through the Bible with the children at night, we began at Genesis.

*I, Galileo by Bonnie Christensen
* Alex The parrot - NO Ordinary Bird - A True Story by Stephanie Spinner

* Saving Animals from Hurricanes by Stephen Person
* No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young
* Mary's First Thanksgiving by Kathy-Jo Wargin
* Thanksgiving at Obaachan's by Janet Mitsui Brown

* Weird Sea Creatures by Erich Hoyt
* My Librarian Is a Camel - How Books are Brought to Children Around the World by Margriet Ruurs
* Stronger than Steel - Spider Silk DNA and the Quest for Better Bullet proof vests, sutures, and parachute rope. by Bridget Heos - Really cool book about scientific research and how new discoveries come about by utilizing what God has already given us. I read pieces and parts to the kids. Unfortunately not everyone was as interested in the subject as I - I read the whole book.

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 and Story Nory (lots and lots of FREE audio goodness: Bible stories, Classics, educational stories even ones for non-English speakers wanting to improve their English. We love this website!).

All kids listened to the books below:

* A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote - with CD read aloud book.
* Skippyjon Jones in the Dog House with Judy Schachner - with CD - audiobook read by the author.
* Classics of Childhood - Classic Stories and Tales - Vol. I - includes Puss in the Boots; Peter Pan; Wild Swans and more.

DD7 independent reading list: 

 She is also reading aloud  Read with me Bible to us during lunch time.

* Mr Grumpy by Roger Hangreaves
* Little Miss Princess by Roger Hangreaves
* Mr Clumsy by Roger Hangreaves
* Digger and Lew by Malachy Doyle
* I Love Bugs! by Emma Dodd
* Little Miss Tidy by Roger Hangreaves
* Little Miss Star by Roger Hangreaves
* Little Miss Wise by Roger Hangreaves
* Not in the House, Newton! by Judith Heide Gilliland
* The Fisherman and His Wife - A Retelling of the Grimm's Fairy Tale by Eric Blair
* Red Sled by Lita Judge
* The Hole Book by Peter Newell
* The Tale of Ginger and Pickles by Beatrix Potter
* The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding by Beatrix Potter

Read Aloud to her sibling(s):
* Little Miss Late by Roger Hangreaves
* Little Miss Busy by Roger Hangreaves
* Bramble and Maggie - Give and Take by Jessie Haas
* Speeding Up, Slowing Down by Natalie Hyde
* Sound n Hearing by Julie Murray - Buddy Books First Science

Listening and following along books on Storyline Online.  DD4 sits in and watches with her sister. :)

Academically, DD7 began Khan Academy Math. She completely Early Math and we have now moved on to 3rd grade math. She is currently working on memorizing her multiplication tables.
We are working on phonics and spelling by completing a workbook I had at home.
Copy work as well as reading to her siblings or to me out loud as well as quietly to herself. 
Now and again she will fill out worksheets on language arts and math.
Science and History is covered by our reading alouds, documentaries, audio books or videos.
I have assigned her a list of books for her to read to cover History and Science. She gets to pick one and read during quiet or reading time.

DS9 independent reading list:  

* DS9 is reading the Action Bible on his own.

* Calvin and Hobbes -DS9 reads a few strips at night before falling sleep.

* Volcano Rising by Elizabeth Rusch - completed narration as well as watched Bill Nye Science videos on the same subject.
* A Strawbeater's Thanksgiving by Irene Smalls
* The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
* A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
 * The Hole Book by Peter Newell

* No Talking by Andrew Clements

* A Really New School by Jan Fields n Vivienne To - An Up2U Action Adventure
* Tracking Tyrannosaurs by Christopher Sloan - National Geographic Kids

* The Science of Soldiers by Lucia Raatma
* V-22 Osprey by John Hamilton - A&D Extreme - Military Aircraft Set 2
* Destroyers by John Hamilton- Military Ships
* B-52 Stratofortress by JOhn Hamilton - Military Aircraft Set 2
* UH-60 Black Hawk by John Hamilton - Military Aircraft Set 2

* Greek Soldiers - Greatest Warriors by Alex Stewart
* Roman Soldiers - Greatest Warriors by Peter Hepplewhite
* Vikings - Greatest Warriors by Philip Steele

* Greater Estimations by Bruce Goldstone

* Science Experiments with Liquid by Alex Kuskowski - More Super Simple Science - DS9 read and prepared a few experiments for us to do together. We did the ones about the different liquid densities, hot air moving water into jar and eggs in a jar with vinegar.

Read Aloud to his sibling(s):

Academic Work:
* Doing 5th grade Math on Khan Academy ;
* Learning Coding with Khan Academy;
* Working through Stories of Adventure and Survival by Globe Fearson - it covers reading comprehension, vocabulary and thinking critically.;
* Doing Science Detective from The Critical Thinking Co. covering earth science, anatomy and biology.
* Dictation and Spelling - I just use the vocabulary he's read or seen the previous days, mostly orally now;

DD12 independent reading list

*  The Straight A Conspiracy by Hunter Maats and Katie O'Brien

* Sent - The Missing series - book 2 -  by Margaret Peterson Haddix
* Sabotaged - The missing series - book 3 by Margaret Peterson Haddix
* Torn - The Missing series - book 4
* Caught - The Missing series - book 5
* Risked - The Missing series - book 6


* The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

* A Really New School by Jan Fields n Vivienne To - An Up2U Action Adventure
* Double-Crossed at Cactus Flats by Rich Wallace n Hazel Mitchell - An Up2U Western Adventure

* The Outcasts - Book 1 - Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan -
* The Invaders - Book 2 - Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan
* The Hunters - Book 3 - Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan- This author is fantastic. It's really hard to find 5 star reviews of so many readers all given to one author. This one is it! If your kid likes adventure, you got to try this Australian author.

* Secret of the Lost Settlement - The Duty of Warriors by John J. Horn

* Inkheart by Cornelia Funke


On the Kindle:
* nothing I took note.

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

* How to Train a Dragon - book 1 by Cressida Cowell
* How To Cheat a Dragon's Curse - book 4 by Cressida Cowell
* Half Magic by Eward Eager
* The Lego Ideas Book - Unlock Your Imagination
* The Lego Book - DK
 

Read Aloud to her sibling(s):
* nothing I took note.

Academic Work:

* Doing Pre-Algebra on Khan Academy 64% completed;

* Learning Coding with Khan Academy;
* No longer doing Science Detective from The Critical Thinking Co. It's below her knowledge level and just repetitive.
* We stopped Dictation and Spelling this month. I noticed her spelling improved 400% just by taking notes on her Science book and doing her study guide on Hunger Games.

* Working on Hunger Games study guide by Progeny Press.
* Working through Exploring Creation with Biology from Apologia. Finished module 2 and 3. Scored 70% on both tests. I plan to work on module 4 with her and help her note taking skills.
* Copywork - nothing this month.

Activities at Home

* Quiet time everyday. This time is for reading or doing an activity on their own. Time for thinking, resting and learning to entertain oneself. It's also QUIET time for Mom. Time for me to recharge.

* DD11 turned DD12 this month. We spent her bday at a Science Museum with friends. On her atual day we had another set of friends come over and play.

* Computer play time this month has increased slightly to 2 hours a day. On the warm sunny days we are keeping below 1 hour. I can't wait for Spring!

* Playing princesses, tea party, store, library, board games. Listening to audio books, crafting and watching videos inside.

* Science experiments. Trying to incorporate once a week science experiments. Still hit and miss project. Getting DS9 to be in charge of the experiments we are going to try. Science experiments accomplished: different liquid densities, hot air moving water into jar and transforming eggs into bouncy balls.

* Cooking and crafting. DD4 is constantly asking to help in the kitchen and to paint. So once a week, we bake together and then the next day as a family we do a craft/ art time together.

* Cooking projects: bone broth, homemade yogurt, cookies, cupcakes, banana bread

* Lots of texting with family through WhatsApp. It's been good to keep in touch with so many relatives in Brazil.

* DD12 is teaching DD7 how to play the tin whistle. She is playing the song theme for The Hobbit.

* A friend gave us some old games and we have been playing: battleship; mouse trap; card games; trivia and knowledge flash card games; magnetic building;

* DS9 is helping DD7 memorize her multiplication tables 1 to 5.

* Working with Dad outside cleaning the leaves off the yard. Driving lawn mower and tending to fires.

* I began Spring Cleaning already. The kids are helping me complete 2015 in 2015 challenge. We are almost at 200 items in less than a month.

 Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home

* Homeschooling Meeting. The theme was hobbies.

* Visit to the McWane Center with another homeschooling family to celebrate DD12 birthday.

* DD12 and I are participating in a Sunday School class called A Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel. We are doing this in preparation for DD12 to be in classroom style learning, participating in discussions, and asking questions.

 Websites/ Links we found and used/ Apps

* Brain Pop Jr - DD7 watched videos on Classifying Animals;

* SheppardSoftware - DD7 and DD4 together are using the science and art section. DD4 learned about food chain.

* Khan Academy - DD12 and DS9 are using this site to learn Algebra. We watched videos on Number Sets; multiplication as scaling; we took a break from mathematical reasoning books and they are now using Khan Academy to master all pre-algebra skills.

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube

* Friends and Heroes episodes on IAMflix

* Babies - we have watched this movie many times but it's always a joy to do it again.

* Bill Nye the Science Guy episodes on YouTube - Motion; Friction; Light; Volcanoes; Chemical Reactions

* Prager University videos:

* Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Humanity's Lost Masterpiece

* Barbie - A Christmas Carol
* Minecraft videos on YouTube, Artforkids website; 

Books, blogs and other things I am reading...

* The Straight A Conspiracy by Hunter Maats and Katie O'Brien - the authors are genius. They simply repackaged all the most current scientific information about the brain and learning and wrote it for kids. The goal? To motivate students that they can do anything they put their minds to; they have got themselves entangled in a conspiracy that are cutting their dreams short.

* And Now I Choose: A story for those who believe they have no choice by Tam Hodge
* ReAlign: Finding God's Purpose for Your Money by
* Your Mind is What Your Brain Does for a Living: Learn How to Make it Work for You by

* Timothy Keller books samples, sermons on YouTube and free downloadable mp4 files.

* Among the Impostors - book # 2 - Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix - I preview read this series for DD12 and unfortunately I think the content is not appropriate for her age. Check out my review HERE if you like.
* Among the Betrayed - book #3- Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

After lithotripsy, my DH was finally able to expel the kidney stones that tormented him in 2014.

Did 2015 greet you in a warm and friendly way??

Blessings,

Tereza

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

Learning Log for March 2014

After many stressful months trying to follow a curriculum and doing school everyday with my 3 oldest kids, my husband and I decided to go back to unschooling. School was getting in the way of just living life. I got tired of arguing and fighting with my kids for them "to do school" everyday. I got tired of stressing if my kids were following along everybody else's kids or curriculum. My kids learn everyday and challenge themselves constantly by learning new things and doing hands-on projects. They seek to learn whatever they need for the daily life. Why do I have to worry so much? I find that I can be a very controlling person when I am fear ridden. So I am letting go, and letting God. WOW! That may be the theme for the year. Ha!

March was a month devoted for cleaning and de-cluttering house and catching up on play and creative projects. We'll see what April has in store.

Read aloud Books

* Bible - every night before bedtime.

* The World of Pooh by A. A. Milne - I checked this book out at our library. After reading the first 3 chapters, I found the audiobook on YouTube so we finished it by listening to the dramatization of it. Love YouTube!
* Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan - I am going to try to read all the books of this series. I love MacLachlan's books, they are always family centered. Even if someone died or is divorced, still the family is together going thru the ordeals. I prefer these much better than those books where children have no parents, no authority figure that loves and cares for them and they are all alone in the world going through all sorts of adventures.
* Dr Seuss Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!
* Happy Birthday to You! by Dr Seuss
* Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr Seuss
* I'd Know You Anywhere, my Love by Nancy Tillman
* Goops and How to Be them by Gelett Burgess
* First Number Book by KingFisher
* Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg by Lori Mortensen
* If I Ran the Circus by Dr Seuss

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.

* Winnie the Pooh - complete 10 chapters dramatized audio book on YouTube.
* The House at Pooh Corner - all chapters of dramatized audio book on YouTube.

* JOnathan Park - vol. VIII

DD6 independent reading list: 

Talking to DD6 one day I asked her if she was happy to be reading now. She said she was. Then I asked her if she wanted to read Calvin and Hobbes. Her answer: "you can only read Calvin and Hobbes after you read 100 books." So we came up with a plan to list all of her 100 books, because according to her once she reads 100 books then she will be able to read any book. :) How smart is she?

1) Bears on Wheels by Stan and Jan Berenstain
2) The Foot Book by Dr Seuss
3) Great Day for Up by Dr Seuss
4) One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr Seuss - still building stamina. We read this one together. Once DD6 got to the middle of the book she got tired of reading on her own, the book was just too long for her. So I finished it up.
5) Eloise Breaks Some Eggs by Kay Thompson
6) Eloise MOther's Day Surprise by Kay Thompson
7) Eloise's New Bonnet by Kay Thompson
8) Pete the Cat Too Cool for School by Kimberley and James Dean

DS8 independent reading list:  

* More books on Calvin and Hobbes - DD8 routine before drifting off to sleep is to read a few comic strips of his collection of Calvin and Hobbes.
* Despicable Me - The Junior Novel 
* LEGO movie book

Read aloud to DD6 and DD4:

*If I ran a Circus by Dr Seuss

* Good Work, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
* Pete the Cat Old MacDonald Had a Farm by James Dean
* Lafcadio, the Lion who shot back by Shel Silverstein

DD10 independent reading list

* Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- The Magical Car by Ian Fleming -
* Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
* Rosa and Her Singing Grandfather by Leon Rosselson
 * Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt
* Encyclopedia Brown sets the pace by Donald J. Sobol

Read aloud to the little ones:
*Don't Play with Your Food! - an official Bob Shea story
* Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
* Big Dog Little Dog by P.D. Eastman
* Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins

Activities at Home

* DD11 and DS8 have been working nonstop on stop motion videos. At first, for a week or so, they watched all kinds of stop motion videos on YouTube, the really professional ones, and then some amateur ones. Their creative juices were flowing and they came up with plots, stories and characters. They have made 5 videos so far, including a blooper one. The first 2 videos, Dad did the editing adding sound effects and music. From then on, DS8 is doing all the editing using Time Lapse Assembler and Imovie HD on our Apple computer.

* DD6 got interested in making stop motion videos too and began learning how to shoot the photos and assemble little stories too. I haven't been able to take many photos because the kids have been hoarding my camera to make their stop motion videos.

* Cleaning the yard, picking up fallen branches, sticks and wood. Burning up some fall leaves that were still on the ground. We also had our first "playing in the sprinkle bring on the warm weather bash." :)

* Spring cleaning. I got everyone involved. I cleaned my kitchen cabinets and DD6 helped me empty them out and trash a lot of glass and metal containers I had been saving. She was so helpful. In the kids bedroom, we were able to finally downsize their stuffed animal closet. We got rid of the really old and junky ones. DD11 got to clean up her room and the black hole (that's how she calls under her bed) got cleaned up and it's now empty. We also organized her closet and I am just waiting for Spring so we can put the winter clothes away and bring out the shorts. :)

* Play dough time for DD4 and DD6.

* DD11 is creating her own recipe book. She began with a simple white rice recipe, photos included, but the plan is to fill the notebook with recipes she can easily execute and prepare if I ever needed her to fix a meal without my supervision.

* The beginnings of gardening: cleaning out weeds from our abandoned raised beds, sowing flowers, greens, tomatoes, eggplants, hot peppers in containers; transplanting my leeks; and just working the soil in the beds. DD11, DD6 and DD4 helped sow flowers on the flats and put them up in the green house. DD6 spent a couple of hours with me weeding and cleaning the raised beds. We had the best of conversations and she is such a hard worker. :)

* More spring cleaning and de-cluttering. Cleaning out boxes of books that I had in the attic, as well as the shelves in our office. I am consciously trying to downsize the number of books we have in our home. If we haven't read it in the last year, they must go, unless I know that I will be using it in the following year like with homeschooling curriculum. But even with that, I am selling lots of curriculum on Ebay.

* Lots of stop motion videos... for a whole week non-stop, everyday, the first thing in the morning, that DS8 did was set up the camera and create stop motion LEGO videos. He created the stories and plots, used the LEGO pieces to create the stories and then took hundreds of pictures. He then uploaded them to the computer and edited his movies, adding sound effects, recording his own voice, cutting and pasting, even putting whole sections of out takes together. He even got DD6 and DD4 involved in his projects using the LEGO friends pieces and all.

* DD6 and DD4 did some water coloring painting. DD6 is helping more and more with cooking. She is my official salad helper or anything that involves cutting.

* DD4 is officially a LEGO builder. DD11 passed on to DD4 her LEGO Friends and she has building up a storm.

* Playdates at our house. Lots of playing outside and sharing projects and books.

* I gave the 2 older kids a challenge: to prepare a 5 minute speech to give public to persuade me and their Dad to buy them a toy they really want. DD11 wrote her speech down and has been practicing it. She will probably deliver it in April.

* Our two roosters escaped in the beginning of the month and we were left with a Top Hat hen only. We hope to be adding more pullets to our coup in April.

 Field Trips/ Activities Outside Home

* Lego Club - Mini figures. The kids got to showcase their first stop motion video.

* Mechatronics - the same fantastic Dad who leads the Lego Club at our library is offering this 6 week course of robotics, electronics and mechanics to the kids who are interested. I signed up DD11 and DS8. The first week the kids covered structures and build bridges and tested them for strength and support. The second week they worked on taking Remote control cars apart. The third week they will be putting them back together.

* 4H - The kids build their own roller coasters for marbles using foam tubes and tape. We ended up bringing some home and the kids repeated the experience here.

* Co-op - We covered the Human Respiratory System and the kids did their project on MUCUS and the importance of it. They got to make some Green slime. See link below for the YouTube video with the recipe. After co-op it was playtime at the park.

* Birthday party, Picnic at the park, playdates with friends outside just enjoying the sun and the warmer weather. Dinner and fellowship at a friend's house.

 Websites/ Links we found and used/ Apps

* Rainbowloom Website - DD4 is using this site now. She finally got her own kit and is learning how to make some bracelets too.

* Survival Craft on the android.
* Art for Kids
* Minecraft
* Videos on YouTube on minecraft worlds, mazes and other minecraft related things. Videos on YouTube on how to draw a pony.
* HouseholdHacker - check out this guy on YouTube for some scientific, gross and fun experiments.
* How to make green slime - we used this for our co-op on our study of the human respiratory system.
* An Education -  In which I bash traditional schooling and make a plea for something different. - An Essay for college entrance.

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies/ YouTube

* Episodes on YouTube: STitch!; Lego Chima; Kung Fu Panda, My Little Pony

* Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers - Polish social worker Irena Sendler's courageous crusade to save thousands of Jewish children from the Nazis comes into focus in this gripping documentary. Having miraculously survived the war, Sendler -- now in her 90s -- recounts her experiences. She was nominated for a Nobel Prize but lost to Al Gore and his climate scheme. A shame! Got the DVD from Netflix. Watched with DD11 only.

* I am David - from Netflix - watched this one by myself with DD11.

* Aliens in the Attic

* FROZEN - Oh, my! The most beautiful story. :) If you haven't seen it, go rent it right now! :)

* Turbo

* LEGO Legends of Chima episodes on YouTube

* How to Find Your Dragon - documentary on YouTube
* Adventures of LEGO Minecraft episodes - on YouTube

* lots of teaching YouTube videos from how to play minecraft and survival minecraft games, to how to make minecraft minifigures, on to how to make stop motion videos, sharing survival and adventure worlds,  
* Bill Nye the Science guy episode on Structures and episode on Simple Machines.

* Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport : I rented this from Netflix. This is a documentary that shows how 10,000 Jewish children were moved into England just before WWII. I highly recommend it. It might be disturbing to young children. I rented to watch with my kids (11y.o. and under) and then changed my mind and watched by myself. DD11 watched the last 30 minutes of it and when I asked her if she would like to watch it from the beginning she said "I don't like these documentaries. They are very sad. I don't want to watch it from the beginning."  On the link, there is a great study guide with lots more information and activities to do with children/ students.

Mom's Eclectic Reading List

*Mattie C's boy - the Shelley Stewart Story by Don Keith as told by Shelley Stewart - 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. He was born in the late 30s and lived through the segregation of the 1960s. Really interesting book of how people can overcome their difficulties with perseverance and faith.

* Book samples I read on Kindle that I found interesting and would buy if I had the $$$: Milkweed; more books that I just don't got the time to list...books on unschooling, deschooling, kids' behavior,

* 1808 -  While in Brazil I bought this book and the sequel. Both books are journalistic historical accounts of what happened in Europe and Brazil when the Portuguese Court relocated to Brazil, their colony, during Napoleon's conquest of European countries. Very interesting so far. 

I hope Spring has found you well.... We found ourselves expecting a new baby!

Blessings,
Tereza

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

Do you have an IDEAL family?

I do. :)



IDEAL FAMILY from People's Church on Vimeo.



Blessings,
Tereza

If you give a child a blackberry....

A homemade movie from our house to yours...






Blessings,
Tereza

Our First Science Fair.

I had never participated in a Science Fair. The schools I went to never held one. Not in Brazil, not in the US. Last year, my children watched a Science Fair at one of our local co-ops and decided then, for sure, to participate this year. So they did.

DS7 said he wanted to do some explosions. Now how does one do explosions safely in a Science Fair? He had studied and learned about chemical reactions, atoms, molecules and other fun things. His project came together slowly. It really took form a couple of days before the Science Fair.

In the end, we decided to experiment with vinegar and baking soda and see how temperature influenced the reactions. We had a blast. Yes, me included. Sometimes, I feel I am having a second childhood homeschooling my kids. There are so many things I am experiencing for the first time. :)
 

You can see the video/ experiment we put together of his Scientific Experiment on my YouTube Channel. Don't miss it. It's really fun. You can hear the kids squealing in the background and getting excited as the explosions and reactions happen!

DD10 has been reading, listening and studying Creationism for years. This year with the help of a microscope, we dove into the study of cells. You can see HERE the list of resources we have been using. So Cells: God's Creation was nothing more than the natural choice for the Science Fair.

Not only DD10 explained her reasons to believe in a Creator using the evidences she collected through years of study, but she also provided a 3D model of a plant cell. She was so excited to make the Cell Cake. We researched the web intensely and finally found a marshmallow fondant worth of our time. It was so much fun to play with fondant. (Although I would not recommend it for every day eating. It's not healthy food, you know.)

You can see some of the videos we watched on fondant HERE. The Study of cells videos are compiled HERE. And the drawing DD10 used as her pattern to make the cell cake is HERE.

BEFORE the Science Fair

AFTER the Science Fair... the cake was gone!!!

DD5 told me at the last minute that she wanted to participate too. "I want to do a Science Project about bones." We had earlier this year traced our bodies and began cutting out white paper to represent our bones. So we all gathered and together, we finished "her" skeleton.

Her question was "Why do we have bones?" Her hypothesis: "Because without bones we would be a blob." We used FREE clipart images from Windows, the dinosaur bones pdf files to cut out bones for her poster board. You can see HERE where I got the idea for the initial project we did last year. Because DD5 can't read yet (one syllable short sound words only) we had to use pictures to represent what she wanted to say. It was a fun project too.

However....

As I drove to the co-op, 40 minutes away from my house, I kept worrying about my kids' reactions if they were not rewarded for their hard work. I worried about people not following the rules; picking favorites, etc. I kept reminding myself what I had told my children days and weeks prior :"We are doing this for ourselves and for the Lord. It really does not matter what other people think about it. This is for our own learning and pleasure. If we don't get rewarded like we thought we should, we know that we did our best and the Lord is pleased."

Did you catch the WE in all those statements?? Yes, I included myself. I don't know about you, but homeschooling for me is very much a group effort. This was very apparent during these Science Projects. In our house, all 3 projects were a 10-hand effort. All of us helped each other.

The little kids helped DD10 to roll the fondant and make ribosomes and chloroplasts. All of us helped DD5 to cut out white paper and paste the bones for her skeleton. DS7 helped DD5 memorize her bones' names and parts. All of us helped DS7 with his experiments: one was behind the camera, another pouring baking soda into a bottle, another cleaning, cutting and paste.

What project in life do we tackle on our own? We might be doing the cleaning on our own, but someone is cooking our supper so that we can eat when we are done.

The Lord showed me that when we do a job for Him, many times, we will be misunderstood and even judged wrongly. But there is only one person's opinion that really matters: His. When we are done with our work, most of us humble ones (smile), know to give glory to God, because we know without Him we are nothing. At the same time, I can see His proud smile rewarding me for finishing, not giving up, persevering to the end. 

I was proud of my kids. Proud that they wanted to participate in the Science Fair. Proud that they knew their projects, that they were involved and excited about concluding them. For me they were already the winners!

When I know who I serve, whom shall I fear? When I know who I am aiming to please, who cares who is against me? When I know how loved I am, who cares what others may say?

There is freedom in living a life not concerned with other people's opinions. I really enjoy homeschooling. There are so many lessons weaved into our daily grind.

My kids did well. I knew they would. :)

What lessons have you learned recently though your homeschooling? Do you need encouragement? Then check out my GIVE AWAY Now!!!

 I hope you enjoyed the Science Fair post. Be blessed today,

Tereza

Learning Log of August 2012

Mushrooms everywhere!

  
August was another full month: birthdays, a trip to the beach, saying good-bye to the grandparents after a 3 month long visit (it didn't seem that long, really!) I am realizing daily that my children are growing way too quickly. Where is time going? So many things to do, so many places to go to, so many dreams to fulfill...

Everything in BOLD and BIG letters are my favorite picks 

and 

the ones I recommend you check it out!! 

Enjoy! 

Books Read Out Loud to All

* Bible everyday. We are reading the Gospel of Luke.
* The Legend of GID the Kid and the Black Bean Bandits - Doing the Right Thing Ain't Always Easy by The Miller Brothers - (Heroes of Promise Series -  Book One)
* The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado - Beautiful Book. Highly recommend! Even DS7 who has a hard time sitting still and listening, sat quietly and took every word in. :)
* Because I love you by Max Lucado - another beautiful book by Lucado that portrays the truth of God's Word.
* Hooray for Grandma Jo! by Thomas McKean
* Count on Culebra - Go from 1 to 10 in Spanish by Ann Whitford Paul
 * Ten Boys who didn't Give In by Irene Howat - Inspiring stories of martyrs. We are really enjoying this series.  The link is for the set of 5 volumes. Ten Boys who didn't give in is just one of the volumes. The stories are in chronological order so I am using the opportunity to talk to the kids about timeline and historical events.
* Who Moved My Cheese? for Kids by Spencer Johnson and Christian Johnson - my DH read this book about 3 times to the kids at bedtime. He and the kids enjoyed it very much. It deals with attitude and what to do when things don't go our way.
* How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

The Hangout with a huge sand dune just for the kids!

DS7 independent reading list:

* Brittle Bones by S.E. Pearl on the Kindle for FREE. ( see more about this link below)
* Hariball goes to a Baseball Game by Zavier Temporal on the Kindle for FREE
* Six-Donner Sid by Inga Moore - DS7 read this on his own and then asked if I wanted to hear him read it out loud to me. Score!!! :)
* I am invited to a Party! by Mo Willems
* There is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems

A sunflower without seeds.

* Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems
* Small Wolf by Nathaniel Benchley - an I can read History Book - DS7 read this one out loud to me in one sitting. He enjoyed the adventure, and how courageous the little Indian boy was because he wanted so much to be a man like his father. It was a good read. We discussed what makes a boy a man and the differences between the American Indian and the "white man". (I got our copy at our library. They were getting rid of older books and I got me 30+++ books in the process. You might want to check out your library for the books they are selling.)

DD9 independent reading list:

* The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White - I bought some used Abeka readers and DD9 read through them for fun. In one of them there was an excerpt from this book title and she was so interested in the story that she asked me to buy it for her. I found our copy at our library. It's from the author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. The link will take you to Homeschool Book Review Blog or you can find it on Amazon. This was a good read!
* A Penny's Worth of Character by Jesse Stuart
* Come to My Tomorrowland by Jesse Stuart - The link will take you to Home School Book Review website so you can read more about the book. This was the perfect book for my DD9 who loves animals.
* Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
* The Shaman's Apprentice - A tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Chrry and Mark J.Plotkin
* Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long and David Shannon
* How I became a Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon
* Levi and His Magic Pants by Douglas Bradshaw on the Kindle for FREE 

Squeakums - DD9's newest creation.

* Rats on the Roof and Other Stories by James Marshall


* The Capture #1 by Kathryn Lasky ( Guardians of Ga'Hoole) - Here is a REVIEW I found helpful when deciding if my daughter should read this book or not. Here is a REVIEW of the movie which was taken from the first 3 books of the series. Here is another REVIEW about the books - this one even more thorough.
Here is a website with discussion questions for the first book. I used this with my DD9 to test her comprehension but also to talked about some of the themes discussed in the book.
* The Journey #2 (Guardians of Ga'hoole)
* The Rescue #3 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)
* The Siege #4 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)
* The Shattering #5 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)
* The Burning #6 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)
* The Hatchling #7 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole) 
* The Outcast #8 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)
* The First Collier #9 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole) 
* The Coming of Hoole #10 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)
* To Be a King # 11 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)
* The Golden Tree #12 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole) 

Squeakums' bedroom in progress..

* The River of Wind #13 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole) 
* Exile #14 (Guardians of Ga'Hoole)

Audio Books

* Jonathan Park - Volume VIII - The Copper Scroll - DD9 loves Jonathan Park. She has been listening to Vol. 1 to 7 for over a year now. Every night she turns her MP3 on and listens to episodes until she falls asleep. This month vol. 8 is finally out and Jonathan Park and crew are in Israel making new discoveries and unveiling new treasures. So of course, we bought the digital files and she has heard it all. I highly recommend this series. It's family friendly, loaded with Scriptures, good morals, life lessons, history, science and more... 

* We heard Adventures in Odyssey episodes from Friends, Family and Countrymen #39

Activities at Home

* We are doing a new devotional. We are using The Dig for Kids. I download it to my kindle and I am using it with the kids. So far they are enjoying it very much. We are actually reading sections of our Bible and answering questions and memorizing verses. I highly recommend this.

Working on life size body maps.

* We made life size body maps. I first saw the idea HERE and just thought we had to do it since I had recently purchased some books on Anatomy for the kids.

More mushrooms... there are so many varieties.

* Harvesting our sunflowers; prepping our garden for fall; harvesting a lot of okra, tomatoes and our first broccoli crown; pruning bushes and tomatoes; sowing greens for the fall, prepping the ground for more growing; throwing out sunflower seeds to the birds;exploring the outdoors and mushrooms;

* Enjoying lots of swimming and mowing the grass. One night we had a pool party with cake and ice cream and glow in the dark sticks. We invited a few friends over and everyone had fun.

Practicing controlling the soccer ball.

* Practicing weaving with a soccer ball; jumping on the trampoline; playing outside with neighbors, playing in the rain.

* Playing school: DS7 and DD9 take turns teaching Biology, Reading, Math to all the kids. Lots of reading aloud to one another. Playing Monster Manners.

* DD5 said she wants to learn to read. So we began our Kindergarden Hooked on Phonics program. I have used it with my older 2 children with success to teach them to read. I do a page or 2 a day as the child shows interest. Just my child and me on the couch or on the bed with the book, sounding out the letters and putting them together to make words. Then we read the short stories and go from one page to the other. Once we finish the kindergarten we begin the 1st grade. Usually we don't finish the 2nd grade book because by then they can read and there is no sense finishing the curriculum. They got more important and interesting books to read. :)

* DD5 is also "doing school" with  Walking by the Way Bob Book Printables. We don't own the Bob Books and I am not using their curriculum. I printed Walking by the Way worksheets and put them into a binder. When DD5 wants to do school she gets her binder and her pouch filled with markers and sets out to do her school. Without schedule or strict rules, she is learning her letters and phonics as well as having fun.

Playing school and reading aloud to each other.

* Lots of sewing and making animals and their houses; coloring, cutting and playing pretend games. Building houses, apartments and other buildings with old diaper boxes.

* We are using our Singapore Math books again. We are working on addition with carry over, multiplication with single and 2 digit numbers, subtraction with borrowing and more.

Field Trips/ Activities Outside the Home

* We went to the beach for a week. Oh, so much fun! This is our third time going to Gulf Shores, Alabama an it is our all time favorite place to go. Gulf Shores has great infrastructure with a Community Center and Park for the kids, a zoo, a water park, go cart tracks, arcades, State pier, lots and lots of restaurants and shopping, all within 10-30 minutes away from Gulf Shores West Beach. Here are some of the things we did:

The best Grandma ever (my Mom) at the Museum with us.

The Hang Out has such cool vintage decor. So much fun!

* fishing at the beach; swimming at the pool; visited the Nature Center at the State RV park; checked out the state RV facilities and drooled; went to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola; build sand pits and castles with the kids at the beach; the kids went boogie boarding at the beach; lots of walking on the beach; dancing and playing with glow in the dark sticks on the beach one night; eating out; we went to the The Hang Out for breakfast one morning (they have a pirate/ princess treasure hunt for the kids from 8-10:30am); played Uno and Black Jack and read books. :)

* We had never been to the Naval Aviation Museum before. It was divine providence and I am so glad we went.  It was FREE admission (when you have a big family you know how important that is!) and there is so much to see and learn in there. I definitely recommend and it's a half a day field trip at least! There is so much to see that I think it will be a place we will visit again.

Practicing soccer.

* karate and soccer.

* We had Animal Tales at our local library again. This time the program was on Reptiles - Scales and Tails. We also had McWane Science Center in on another day for a presentation and the kids had a great time learning about the Bernoulli effect, atmosphere pressure, acid and base and chemical reactions. All in all it was a fun learning time.

Websites/ Links we discovered and perused.

* Math 5 Live - DD7 and DD9 watched the lesson on Multiples, Factors, Primes and Composites; DS7 did a lesson on proper fractions; We tried the lesson on equivalent fractions but that didn't go as well. :(

Sand between our toes! Aaaaaaaah!

* IXL.com - got DD9 and DS7 doing 20 Math exercises a day on this website. The first 20 exercises are FREE, then you need to become a member or switch to a new computer to do 20 more or wait until the next day to do 20 more. Since my kids get bored easily, there is no sense becoming a member. I just use the site when they want to. DS7 worked on money (do you have enough to purchase up to $5); logic reasoning (guess the number); odd and even numbers;

* Pink and Green Mama has so many great ideas for crafts. If you are looking for hands on activities for your kids, do check her out. We found the life size body maps idea on her site.

Exploring Science

* Wallace and Gromit World of Invention - Build, explore and invent your socks off!! Lots of fun! The kids played on this website for a little while, AFTER we watched the movie (link below) they REALLY played on it. Really fun!

* Economic Systems - this is a Mom's study on economic systems - very easy to understand. I had just been talking to my DH about the subject so when I found this post I had to share with my kids and you. :)

* Blog that posts FREE children's books for the Kindle - This was a great find. On the first night I found this, I downloaded over a dozen FREE books that all my kids - 9 y.o. and under - would enjoy. Right away I got DS7 interested and he read a couple of books to himself and one to his 5 year old sister. I highly recommend you sign up for this blog. Even if you don't have a kindle you can still read the books on your laptop or computer. 

Animal Tales at the library again. Always fun!

 * Kathryn Lasky 's Studio - you can read more about the author of the Guardian of Ga'Hoole and find out about her researches to write her books, as well as her past works and future ones. I am trying to cultivate an interest in my children not only in books but in how they are written. I find it useful to learn  more about the authors, illustrators and artists behind the work we appreciate.



* Classic Reader - classic books for FREE online. I used this to find short stories like The Little Match Girl and the Glass Dog.

Below some websites we haven't used yet but they look promising:

* FREE Online Piano Lessons for Kids -

* Science Stuff Blog

* Science illustrated

* Simply Charlotte Mason website : help on how to teach different subjects.
This is a great site with help for the non-traditional non- classical way of learning. I always find helpful tips or ideas of how to help my kids learn.

TV shows/ Videos/ Movies

* Happy Feet 2

* The Tigger Movie

Getting the seeds of a mammoth sunflower!

* Nanny McPhee Returns - the kids watched this movie 3 times in 2 weeks. I watched bits and pieces of it, although not a Christian movie does have some positive values to it. You can read a Christian Review HERE. 
* Nanny McPhee - this is the first movie. I got this one from our library. Really enjoyable.
* Boomerang at the Beach: lots of retro cartoons - Smurfs, Scooby Doo, Poke mon, Flintstones and more.

* Beethoven 1 and 2 (on the way to the beach in the car)
* Shark Week - TV shows
* Wallace and Gromit World of Invention - we got this from Netflix. This is NOT an animated movie, but the characters are mainly the host to a program showcasing great and funky inventions. This is a great addition to your Science curriculum. You can go HERE to watch some of the clips of the episodes. This DVD contains 6 episodes, the DVD is almost 3 hours long. I highly recommend this DVD. We watched it a couple of times as a family.

* Going Places - a short 1948 cartoon about Entrepreneurship.  

* Terrified Terrier - Wishbone Inspired by The Red Badge of Courage.  - this was a VHS we bought from the library. I sometimes buy their old books and videos to help out. Once I am done with them, I donate them. The kids loved the Wishbone movies so I found this YouTube Channel that has a 129 videos all from Wishbone. Lots of movies/ episodes to watch without paying a dime!! Wishbone's episodes mix history, literature and adventure.

* What's in the Bible - Vol. 2 and vol. 3 - continuing on with this great series. The kids are really enjoying these videos. One think I really like is that you can get the digital copy of the video so you can install on your laptop or computer and watch it over and over without needing a DVD player. Read more on this on my learning log of July 2012.

The best Grandpa (my Dad) ever at the beach with us!

* Big Miracle - This movie was inspired by the true story of the 3 whales that were trapped in ice in Alaska. It was interesting to see the spin and the left bias the movie portrait. There were some golden nuggets: they mostly came from the Inuit people in the movie. We like to use family night movies to show the children the truth about movie making: that most of what you see on a movie is not true - it couldn't happen in real life. Many things are added to make movies more dramatic or exciting but it could never be done in real life. Here is an article that exposes one of the dramatic scene that never happened in real life.

Mom's Ecclectic Reading List

* Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham - I liked the format used to write this book. This is juvenile fiction. I proof read it to decide if DD9 could read it too. I think it's more like 13 and over audience.

* "Parenting is Your Highest Calling" and 8 Other Myths that Trap Us in Worry and Guilt by Leslie Leyland Fields
If you are a concerned parent, always worried about the damage you are doing to your kids or what you are NOT doing right, you must read this book. Written from a Christian perspective, you will find freedom and joy to learn that it's all about relationship and not rules. 
 

Fresh sauteed green beans from my garden! Yumm-O!!

* Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD - very controversial, BUT if you are a fast food junkie, or cookie or packaged food junkie this book will revolutionize your life. I have decided to abstain from wheat and I have lost 4 pounds in just 2 weeks.

*  The Growing Family Beats the Incredible Shrinking Dollar

* Tony Robbins - he is a very controversial figure but I really like his positive outlook and energy. I actually LOVE his energy. He is like a controlled tornado. Amazing! He has an amazing story too. For all the entrepreneurs out there and the kids and people that don't seem to fit the mold, his story shows that anything is possible. The link will take you to his show on Oprah divided in segments.

* Good and Angry - I am also re-reading this book. Really working on implementing some of the techniques.

* Economics for Everybody - it's a new DVD/ study taught by Dr R.C. Sproul Jr. After watching a few sample videos and the first lesson, this should definitely be in every Homeschool Curriculum. We are planning to purchase this. You check it out and decide.
 

Dare to take flight!

I hope you found some good links and ideas to add to your homeschooling or life in general. I have to thank all the homeschooling blogging Moms out there that share their insights and inspire my learning logs. Thank you, thank you!!

Blessings,
Tereza