apparently do not go well together. I took Fairy to the doctor today, as she was complaining, and sobbing, about ear pain this morning. That, and her cough has gotten no better. Anyhow, her doctor recommended nasal rinsing to clear any pain-causing blockages before we resort to medication, but I'll tell you, the whole actual process did not go over well with my girl. Now she's on her second nap of the day. I'll try the rinsing again tonight - maybe if I get the water/solution just a little warmer....
Any tips on this process?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
More potential resources...
These are gorgeous books, and I like the idea of the internet-linked ones...
Usborne History Make sure to peek inside a couple - really nice books. The Handbooks (about halfway down the page) look like they might someday be interesting to my kids. Time Travelers and the Visitor's Guide to... may be good too.
There are also these - Usborne Young Readers - several of which look like they'd be a fun supplement, like the ones on Gladiators, the Samurai, Crusaders, etc.
Of course, there are these, which I've only ever heard good things about. And for science these, which look interesting too.
I'm glad I have a few years to decide!
Usborne History Make sure to peek inside a couple - really nice books. The Handbooks (about halfway down the page) look like they might someday be interesting to my kids. Time Travelers and the Visitor's Guide to... may be good too.
There are also these - Usborne Young Readers - several of which look like they'd be a fun supplement, like the ones on Gladiators, the Samurai, Crusaders, etc.
Of course, there are these, which I've only ever heard good things about. And for science these, which look interesting too.
I'm glad I have a few years to decide!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Off to a good start....
School-wise that is. Today Elf did math (word problems, money, measuring, temperature, and "playing teacher", where he had to correct "mistakes"), then he did 4 pages of phonics/spelling - three from ETC and one from HM Spelling & Vocabulary. We are in the second workbook of Saxon Math now, and the second to last lesson in ETC 2, after which we're jumping to 3, since 2 1/2 is review. We finished off with Elf reading another Level 1 reader to me, and he did it pretty well. He also picked up a Bob book, and was surprised at how simple it seems now!
Fairy decided not to do school today, which was fine because her Uncle E read her Amelia Bedelia stories while I worked one-on-one with Elf, a nice change from trying to balance two kids needing help right now (M loves reading to her, but he's busy building a secondary loft in our garage for storage).
Both kids are slooooowwwwwlyyyy getting past their colds, especially Fairy, who still sounds like a barking seal when she coughs. I hate relying on medicine, but I don't think she'd get much sleep at night without it. She's always been a tosser-turner-kicker-Mommy's-head-hugger at night anyhow, and when she's sick, it's even more so (so guess who else isn't getting much sleep?). She also gets oddly affectionate when sick, and will spend hours draped over the closest person, saying "I loooove you, I loooooove you". Strange child, very, very strange.
And in my education news, I got to draw a rotifer in my biology lab tonight. Pretty cool stuff!
Fairy decided not to do school today, which was fine because her Uncle E read her Amelia Bedelia stories while I worked one-on-one with Elf, a nice change from trying to balance two kids needing help right now (M loves reading to her, but he's busy building a secondary loft in our garage for storage).
Both kids are slooooowwwwwlyyyy getting past their colds, especially Fairy, who still sounds like a barking seal when she coughs. I hate relying on medicine, but I don't think she'd get much sleep at night without it. She's always been a tosser-turner-kicker-Mommy's-head-hugger at night anyhow, and when she's sick, it's even more so (so guess who else isn't getting much sleep?). She also gets oddly affectionate when sick, and will spend hours draped over the closest person, saying "I loooove you, I loooooove you". Strange child, very, very strange.
And in my education news, I got to draw a rotifer in my biology lab tonight. Pretty cool stuff!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Cough, cough, cough...
My elf and my fairy are sick. Reminds me that I am lucky they don't get sick often! Right now they're curled up in blanket nests on the family room couch, eating nice warm oatmeal (a favorite breakfast around here) and watching Little Bear. And coughing. At least I am at home today, and it's raining, so we couldn't have gone to a park day anyway. I am keeping my fingers crossed that next Friday will be sunny, or at least dry, since I have that whole day off.
Maybe today we'll finally get around to our science classifying project! Cyrus says he feels well enough to "do school" today since we haven't done anything the last 2 days. I'll keep it light though. And I have some homework for my algebra class and for child development that I can do.
But, while the kids are entertained otherwise, I will sip my coffee (trying to drink it before it gets cold), and catch up on other blogs! Oh, but before I forget, I got a response from the city secretarial job I applied for, and I have been "invited" to stage two of the hiring process - a two and a half hour test, mainly showing that yes, I can read, and write, and do basic calculations, etc. All the basic secretarial stuff. Its not until February, but that will get here soon enough.
Maybe today we'll finally get around to our science classifying project! Cyrus says he feels well enough to "do school" today since we haven't done anything the last 2 days. I'll keep it light though. And I have some homework for my algebra class and for child development that I can do.
But, while the kids are entertained otherwise, I will sip my coffee (trying to drink it before it gets cold), and catch up on other blogs! Oh, but before I forget, I got a response from the city secretarial job I applied for, and I have been "invited" to stage two of the hiring process - a two and a half hour test, mainly showing that yes, I can read, and write, and do basic calculations, etc. All the basic secretarial stuff. Its not until February, but that will get here soon enough.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Not much to update...
We've had a slow several days here, i.e. nothing exciting. I did get my homework done... and I requested transcripts to be sent to my fall college program-to-be (I hope). It's the degree completion program I think I've mentioned before, where I would do all my school at home and go in once a month for a Saturday. Elf calls it "homeschool college".
Elf has finished with the first half of Saxon Math 2 as of this week, which means he gets to start a new workbook. He also is reading more and more stuff aloud, including whole books like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, which is a book he really adores. He's also working on the decorative print-outs for his Egyptian tomb model.
Fairy has decided that she is very angry with me because she can't read yet. She does not want to have to know all her letters and basic phonic recognition, etc. She wants to read paperback books with 300+ pages. After all, I can read them, so why can't she? Obviously this is completely my fault.
And that's about it.
Elf has finished with the first half of Saxon Math 2 as of this week, which means he gets to start a new workbook. He also is reading more and more stuff aloud, including whole books like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, which is a book he really adores. He's also working on the decorative print-outs for his Egyptian tomb model.
Fairy has decided that she is very angry with me because she can't read yet. She does not want to have to know all her letters and basic phonic recognition, etc. She wants to read paperback books with 300+ pages. After all, I can read them, so why can't she? Obviously this is completely my fault.
And that's about it.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Neat potential history resource...
I came across this - Journey Across Time - while looking for history resources. Looks intriguing! I love National Geographic's photos, so a history book with those might be at least pleasant to look at.
Granola
You can make this granola "regular" or fat-free...
4 cups rolled oats*
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seed meal (optional)
1 cup raw chopped nuts, or to taste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup canola oil (can use applesauce as substitute)
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey (adjust to fit your own sweet tooth)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup water (use the lower amount if you're using more honey/oil/applesauce)
Preheat oven to 3oo degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the oil/applesauce, water, vanilla and honey. Pour the liquid mix over the dry one, and toss until all the ingredients are well mingled (I do use my bare hands to do this). Spread in a lightly oiled baking sheet (9x13, 11x7, etc.)
Bake for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how toasted you want it - stir it about every 15 minutes so it all gets evenly toasted. After it cools, stir it up a little and add a cup or so (or less) of dried fruit, coconut flakes (the unsweetened variety), etc. to taste. Store in a sealed container, preferably in the fridge due to the oil/applesauce. If it does suck up any moisture and get "chewy", simply heat it in a baking sheet again until crunchy.
*I use the thinner rolled oats because they're easier for kids to chew up, though you can use the really thick rolled oats too.
4 cups rolled oats*
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seed meal (optional)
1 cup raw chopped nuts, or to taste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup canola oil (can use applesauce as substitute)
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey (adjust to fit your own sweet tooth)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup water (use the lower amount if you're using more honey/oil/applesauce)
Preheat oven to 3oo degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the oil/applesauce, water, vanilla and honey. Pour the liquid mix over the dry one, and toss until all the ingredients are well mingled (I do use my bare hands to do this). Spread in a lightly oiled baking sheet (9x13, 11x7, etc.)
Bake for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how toasted you want it - stir it about every 15 minutes so it all gets evenly toasted. After it cools, stir it up a little and add a cup or so (or less) of dried fruit, coconut flakes (the unsweetened variety), etc. to taste. Store in a sealed container, preferably in the fridge due to the oil/applesauce. If it does suck up any moisture and get "chewy", simply heat it in a baking sheet again until crunchy.
*I use the thinner rolled oats because they're easier for kids to chew up, though you can use the really thick rolled oats too.
Fine, I am addicted to blogging...
Why do I say that? Because here I am, typing out my ramblings, when I could be doing algebra, or writing an essay on Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Or I could be doing dishes, mopping the kitchen floor, folding laundry... my list of ever-exciting things to do!
Anyhow, Jenny, here is my recipe for granola. It's what I've come up with after mingling several recipes... enjoy!
Yesterday we got a lot accomplished. Elf has Spanish and then music, while I was in algebra. I picked him up, and decided to check out the charter school's library - wish I had done this before! We found a bunch of neat books on Egypt, and the kids each picked up 2 storybooks as well. Then we came home, had lunch, and the kids played a bit outside while I cleaned up the kitchen. Finally, we sat down for lessons, or at least Elf and I did - Fairy was busy with baby dolls and her tea set. We did our calendar work and checked the temperature, then did two pages of math which involved time, word problems, money, measuring, addition and subtraction (things like "Find the answer. Look for 10's: 6 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 5 ="). Elf surprised me by reading the words "dimes" and "pennies" on his own. He also did a few pages in his handwriting book, a couple of pages in ETC, and then he sat down to check out the Egyptian stencils we had brought home. I had to leave for biology at this point.
When I got back, we had family movie night and watched Kirikou & the Sorceress. Elf pointed out that the old wise man in the mountain wore a crown and beard like the Egyptians, and then madly flipped through our library books until he found an example to show everyone, which also involved him reading titles out loud, like "Digging Into the Past" - his reading skills are really taking off lately. At bedtime, we read the first couple of chapters of Cat Mummies, and then I started reading The Boxcar Children to them.
So, I count it as a very good homeschooling day! Definately busy, but good.
Anyhow, Jenny, here is my recipe for granola. It's what I've come up with after mingling several recipes... enjoy!
Yesterday we got a lot accomplished. Elf has Spanish and then music, while I was in algebra. I picked him up, and decided to check out the charter school's library - wish I had done this before! We found a bunch of neat books on Egypt, and the kids each picked up 2 storybooks as well. Then we came home, had lunch, and the kids played a bit outside while I cleaned up the kitchen. Finally, we sat down for lessons, or at least Elf and I did - Fairy was busy with baby dolls and her tea set. We did our calendar work and checked the temperature, then did two pages of math which involved time, word problems, money, measuring, addition and subtraction (things like "Find the answer. Look for 10's: 6 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 5 ="). Elf surprised me by reading the words "dimes" and "pennies" on his own. He also did a few pages in his handwriting book, a couple of pages in ETC, and then he sat down to check out the Egyptian stencils we had brought home. I had to leave for biology at this point.
When I got back, we had family movie night and watched Kirikou & the Sorceress. Elf pointed out that the old wise man in the mountain wore a crown and beard like the Egyptians, and then madly flipped through our library books until he found an example to show everyone, which also involved him reading titles out loud, like "Digging Into the Past" - his reading skills are really taking off lately. At bedtime, we read the first couple of chapters of Cat Mummies, and then I started reading The Boxcar Children to them.
So, I count it as a very good homeschooling day! Definately busy, but good.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Looks like I'm going to...
have to start making my own granola again. I bought a box of Peace granola the other day, and the box is already nearly empty! Elf and Fairy each ate two bowlfuls this morning alone. Its just cheaper, and even better, homemade.
I started my spring semester yesterday. First, algebra. The professor seems okay - he has an oddball sense of humor that it pretty interesting, and he explained things well, so far at least. I do like my biology professor, who is very much into ecology, and thinks there is a lot more to learning than memorizing stuff to spew out on tests, so a lot of our work will have to do with writing. We also get to draw a lot, for the lab component, which is right up my alley! He also encouraged us to look at Amazon, etc., for the text book to save money, and I just ordered mine for 88 cents (plus shipping of course). I don't know much about my child development or typing teachers yet, as those classes are online.
In the world of child-education, we did math yesterday, as well as phonics, where Elf is working on ending sounds rather than beginning ones. He again did the work himself, with very little help! In his class, he made a counting "necklace", using 10 beads of each of ten colors, since we do a lot of math that involves tens right now. We also read a little about Egypt in SOTW, since we are starting our Egypt unit this week. Fairy also did some math, and worked on what was more or less a review in her Code book (she had to match 8 items to their beginning sounds). Today's plans are math, phonics, handwriting and science.
Here's a link to an Egyptian project we plan on doing over the next month - looks like a lot of work, but a lot of fun too! I think rather than painting, as recommnded on the site, I may have Elf color with coloring pencils as much as possible.
Today I also need to schedule a physical for myself (I figure at 35 I had better get an idea of my cholesterol, etc.), a 5 year checkup for Fairy (in the next month or so), and dentist appointments for all. Yaaaay, ha ha.
I started my spring semester yesterday. First, algebra. The professor seems okay - he has an oddball sense of humor that it pretty interesting, and he explained things well, so far at least. I do like my biology professor, who is very much into ecology, and thinks there is a lot more to learning than memorizing stuff to spew out on tests, so a lot of our work will have to do with writing. We also get to draw a lot, for the lab component, which is right up my alley! He also encouraged us to look at Amazon, etc., for the text book to save money, and I just ordered mine for 88 cents (plus shipping of course). I don't know much about my child development or typing teachers yet, as those classes are online.
In the world of child-education, we did math yesterday, as well as phonics, where Elf is working on ending sounds rather than beginning ones. He again did the work himself, with very little help! In his class, he made a counting "necklace", using 10 beads of each of ten colors, since we do a lot of math that involves tens right now. We also read a little about Egypt in SOTW, since we are starting our Egypt unit this week. Fairy also did some math, and worked on what was more or less a review in her Code book (she had to match 8 items to their beginning sounds). Today's plans are math, phonics, handwriting and science.
Here's a link to an Egyptian project we plan on doing over the next month - looks like a lot of work, but a lot of fun too! I think rather than painting, as recommnded on the site, I may have Elf color with coloring pencils as much as possible.
Today I also need to schedule a physical for myself (I figure at 35 I had better get an idea of my cholesterol, etc.), a 5 year checkup for Fairy (in the next month or so), and dentist appointments for all. Yaaaay, ha ha.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Easy Taco-Bean Soup
This recipe is absolutely delicious - my kids devoured it. I was hesitant to use the packet of Ranch dressing mix the original recipe calls for, but its necessary! It is also a great crockpot recipe.
1 pkg (2 lbs) 15 bean soup mix or 2 lbs any dried beans
1 can petite-diced tomatoes with jalepeno or mild Rotel
1 can tomato sauce
6-8 cups water
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
1 cup, plus or minus, fresh green beans, cut into 1" lengths
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernals (you can use canned, but none of us like that texture)
Up to 1 cup additional misc. veggies (I added carrots and celery)
Place dried beans*, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and water in large pot or crockpot. Bring to a boil, add seasoning packets, lower heat and simmer until the beans are very tender. Add the veggies, and cook until they are tender.
You can serve this with a variety of "toppings", like sour cream, diced avocado, salsa, cheese, etc.
*If you want to cut down on cooking time, soak the beans the night before in cold water, or do a "quick" soak - bring the beans and about 8 cups water to a boil. Cover, turn off heat, and let soak 2 hours, then rinse & start soup!
1 pkg (2 lbs) 15 bean soup mix or 2 lbs any dried beans
1 can petite-diced tomatoes with jalepeno or mild Rotel
1 can tomato sauce
6-8 cups water
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
1 cup, plus or minus, fresh green beans, cut into 1" lengths
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernals (you can use canned, but none of us like that texture)
Up to 1 cup additional misc. veggies (I added carrots and celery)
Place dried beans*, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and water in large pot or crockpot. Bring to a boil, add seasoning packets, lower heat and simmer until the beans are very tender. Add the veggies, and cook until they are tender.
You can serve this with a variety of "toppings", like sour cream, diced avocado, salsa, cheese, etc.
*If you want to cut down on cooking time, soak the beans the night before in cold water, or do a "quick" soak - bring the beans and about 8 cups water to a boil. Cover, turn off heat, and let soak 2 hours, then rinse & start soup!
I thought I'd start something new here...
and share some of our favorite recipes!
Here's a good breakfast one - it can easily be made vegan too.
Baked Oatmeal
2 cups oatmeal (don't use steel cut oats -- it won't work the same)
2 cups milk (or soy milk, almond milk or water)
2 cups boiling water
generous pinch of sea salt (maybe 1/2 tsp)
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup raisins
3 small apples chopped well
3T brown sugar or other sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup)
1/2 t cinnamon or to taste
pinch of nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350. Mix oats, milk, water and salt in a casserole dish with a lid and let it set for 5 minutes. Put everything else in, stir well, cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover for last 5 minutes. Serve with milk or butter as desired.
Here's a good breakfast one - it can easily be made vegan too.
Baked Oatmeal
2 cups oatmeal (don't use steel cut oats -- it won't work the same)
2 cups milk (or soy milk, almond milk or water)
2 cups boiling water
generous pinch of sea salt (maybe 1/2 tsp)
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup raisins
3 small apples chopped well
3T brown sugar or other sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup)
1/2 t cinnamon or to taste
pinch of nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350. Mix oats, milk, water and salt in a casserole dish with a lid and let it set for 5 minutes. Put everything else in, stir well, cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover for last 5 minutes. Serve with milk or butter as desired.
Friday, January 11, 2008
And another week is drawing to a close...
So here is a sort of weekly wrap-up:
Language Arts:
Elf worked on some ETC pages and a few pages from HM Spelling & Vocabulary Phonics in Action. He also wrote a journal entry about his model of the Black Pearl (Pirates of the Caribbean). Today I will have him take his weekly spelling test and read a Bob book aloud.
Fairy is working steadily through her Get Ready for the Code book and will move on to the next book within a couple of weeks.
Math:
Elf has finished through lesson 60 in Saxon Math. Lately this has involved measuring, reading temperatures, double digit adding & subtracting, telling time, fractions and word problems.
Fairy is really enjoying the workbook I picked up for her (strange child). So far, it's pretty basic stuff - writing numbers, matching them to groups of objects, etc.
History:
We are finishing up our Mesopotamia unit and are getting ready for (and excited about!!!) our Egypt unit. Today we are making pasta necklaces from the activity guide for Phoenician studies. I'll have to post pictures of them sometime over the weekend.
Science:
We are wrapping up some basic studies on the human anatomy and are gearing up to start our biology text and workbook. We focused a bit on the human heart this week, and found this great interactive resource on the National Geographic website.
Other:
Elf finished unit 3 in Maps, Globes, Graphs, on the 4 cardinal directions. He is working with his dad on building a bird house and a treasure chest, both of wood.
Fairy is also working on building a treasure chest and has spent a lot of time cooking with my mom this week.
We made a visit to the Marin Civic Center a couple of days ago, and now Elf is developing an interest in architecture. Both of them loved the way the building was designed to fit into the hillside, so that you can go out a door on the 4th floor and go hiking. They also loved all the skylights and the trees inside the building. Completed in 1962, this building was designed by the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. Elf would like to design a house someday that incorporates a lot of the elements of the civic center.
In other news:
I start my classes again on Monday - biology, advanced algebra, child development and typing. 2 of the classes are online, which actually really helps me time-wise. I also applied for a city secretarial position that is part-time, so am keeping my fingers crossed.
We have planted 2 trees in our front yard over the past couple of weeks too, a maple and a dwarf olive. I planted a few other things in the borders, and am working on a new design for the soon-to-not-be-lawns out front.
And that's about it!
Language Arts:
Elf worked on some ETC pages and a few pages from HM Spelling & Vocabulary Phonics in Action. He also wrote a journal entry about his model of the Black Pearl (Pirates of the Caribbean). Today I will have him take his weekly spelling test and read a Bob book aloud.
Fairy is working steadily through her Get Ready for the Code book and will move on to the next book within a couple of weeks.
Math:
Elf has finished through lesson 60 in Saxon Math. Lately this has involved measuring, reading temperatures, double digit adding & subtracting, telling time, fractions and word problems.
Fairy is really enjoying the workbook I picked up for her (strange child). So far, it's pretty basic stuff - writing numbers, matching them to groups of objects, etc.
History:
We are finishing up our Mesopotamia unit and are getting ready for (and excited about!!!) our Egypt unit. Today we are making pasta necklaces from the activity guide for Phoenician studies. I'll have to post pictures of them sometime over the weekend.
Science:
We are wrapping up some basic studies on the human anatomy and are gearing up to start our biology text and workbook. We focused a bit on the human heart this week, and found this great interactive resource on the National Geographic website.
Other:
Elf finished unit 3 in Maps, Globes, Graphs, on the 4 cardinal directions. He is working with his dad on building a bird house and a treasure chest, both of wood.
Fairy is also working on building a treasure chest and has spent a lot of time cooking with my mom this week.
We made a visit to the Marin Civic Center a couple of days ago, and now Elf is developing an interest in architecture. Both of them loved the way the building was designed to fit into the hillside, so that you can go out a door on the 4th floor and go hiking. They also loved all the skylights and the trees inside the building. Completed in 1962, this building was designed by the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. Elf would like to design a house someday that incorporates a lot of the elements of the civic center.
In other news:
I start my classes again on Monday - biology, advanced algebra, child development and typing. 2 of the classes are online, which actually really helps me time-wise. I also applied for a city secretarial position that is part-time, so am keeping my fingers crossed.
We have planted 2 trees in our front yard over the past couple of weeks too, a maple and a dwarf olive. I planted a few other things in the borders, and am working on a new design for the soon-to-not-be-lawns out front.
And that's about it!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Yes, I changed my blog's name...
I got bored with the old one! Now I just need a more recent picture to set up as a banner.
Anyhow, we made it to the open session of ice skating, and strangely enough, it was as hard as I told the kids! And yes, they did fall down, often. But, towards the end, they were actually (slowly) skating a little, and they loved it, so we'll have to go back. Elf tended to get overexcited and frantic, which is why he fell down, and Fairy... well, she can fall down just standing there, but she did seem to get the hang of standing and moving on skates a little faster than Elf.
Odd coincidence on the way out - I saw a piece of paper sitting on the floor, so I picked it up to throw it away, and it was an announcement for a "2nd Annual Tri-County Homeschool Conference" next week. It's on the weekend, so I'll probably be working, but maybe I can get the day off and go. Sounds interesting!
And we got our homeschooling done!
Anyhow, we made it to the open session of ice skating, and strangely enough, it was as hard as I told the kids! And yes, they did fall down, often. But, towards the end, they were actually (slowly) skating a little, and they loved it, so we'll have to go back. Elf tended to get overexcited and frantic, which is why he fell down, and Fairy... well, she can fall down just standing there, but she did seem to get the hang of standing and moving on skates a little faster than Elf.
Odd coincidence on the way out - I saw a piece of paper sitting on the floor, so I picked it up to throw it away, and it was an announcement for a "2nd Annual Tri-County Homeschool Conference" next week. It's on the weekend, so I'll probably be working, but maybe I can get the day off and go. Sounds interesting!
And we got our homeschooling done!
It's raining, it's pouring...
Really it is, though. Thankfully I have the day off, so we are snug at home right now, although we did run some errands earlier, after heading off to the ice skating rink only to find out they moved the times of the homeschooling session, and don't offer it on Tuesdays anymore at all (guess I should have called first, ooops). But, we did get an early start to the day, and I hope to take the kids to an "open" session later today, since they were both very disappointed in this morning's failed venture. Anyhow, as of now, dinner is all cooked (yummy chicken casserole), lunch is in the oven, the kids are actually playing together... we decided together to do homeschooling after lunch, so I have everything set up for that.
Yesterday, we did pretty well with our lessons. Elf did a couple of pages in math after bringing his calendar work up to date, and is getting much better with drill pages on addition. His memory of math facts is improving. Fairy also did a couple of workbook pages, from an inexpensive K workbook I picked up at the teacher supply store in the morning. She really enjoys the worksheets, but since she's been doing Saxon Math K which doesn't have worksheets, I've been printing out various versions from various web sites, and the workbook I bought is actually cheaper than all the ink I go through! We then worked on phonics - Elf did 2 pages and Fairy 3 - followed by reading the story of Gilgamesh in SOTW (Elf colored the picture too, but Fairy was busy elsewhere by this time), a page in geography, and finally I finished by reading aloud from our new biology book.
Today, my plans are to have Elf work in his journal, update his calendar and temperature chart, do another 2 pages in math and 2 in ETC, one more page in geography, some handwriting, and to start on his science workbook, comparing various objects and placing them in groups according to different attributes. If Fairy decides to join us, she'll work on her calendar, do a page of math, some handwriting, a page or two in ETC, and then she can help with the science work. Then, we can try going off to ice skating again as a reward for work well done... and for P.E. Maybe tonight before bed, I will have Elf read one of his leveled readers to me.
Yesterday, we did pretty well with our lessons. Elf did a couple of pages in math after bringing his calendar work up to date, and is getting much better with drill pages on addition. His memory of math facts is improving. Fairy also did a couple of workbook pages, from an inexpensive K workbook I picked up at the teacher supply store in the morning. She really enjoys the worksheets, but since she's been doing Saxon Math K which doesn't have worksheets, I've been printing out various versions from various web sites, and the workbook I bought is actually cheaper than all the ink I go through! We then worked on phonics - Elf did 2 pages and Fairy 3 - followed by reading the story of Gilgamesh in SOTW (Elf colored the picture too, but Fairy was busy elsewhere by this time), a page in geography, and finally I finished by reading aloud from our new biology book.
Today, my plans are to have Elf work in his journal, update his calendar and temperature chart, do another 2 pages in math and 2 in ETC, one more page in geography, some handwriting, and to start on his science workbook, comparing various objects and placing them in groups according to different attributes. If Fairy decides to join us, she'll work on her calendar, do a page of math, some handwriting, a page or two in ETC, and then she can help with the science work. Then, we can try going off to ice skating again as a reward for work well done... and for P.E. Maybe tonight before bed, I will have Elf read one of his leveled readers to me.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Good homeschool day...
Actually an all-around productive day, though I did have to work a full evening (closing) shift too. Anyhow, I got 2 loads of dishes done, all the kitchen surfaces cleaned, a load of laundry out of the way (okay, it does still need to be folded... and put away, but it's clean), and we did homeschooling! Elf has moved on to logging temperatures (to the nearest 10 degrees) in his Meeting Book, instead of just filling in a "hot, warm, cool or cold" graph. Then he did one math page (a word problem, some money problems, addition of 10 + two-digit numbers, angles, etc.), 3 pages in ETC (mostly on his own!!!), two pages in his geography work book, and a coloring page of the human heart. Fairy also colored a heart, did one page of matching numbers to groups of animals, and worked on a page of "D" sounds. Not only did they both do well today, but they did it all willingly!
Then I ran off to work!
I have revamped my spring schedule at school. I dropped the History class, although it sounded really good, because I need to get another child development class (Developmental Stages of Childhood) out of the way before I transfer, plus they have the needed class online! So I got to move my math class to a slighter later time, instead of 7 am. Makes it easier for me, and the kids, since I have to drop them off at my mom's before I head off to class. So I will now have algebra, biology, and child development. Not too terrible.
Then I ran off to work!
I have revamped my spring schedule at school. I dropped the History class, although it sounded really good, because I need to get another child development class (Developmental Stages of Childhood) out of the way before I transfer, plus they have the needed class online! So I got to move my math class to a slighter later time, instead of 7 am. Makes it easier for me, and the kids, since I have to drop them off at my mom's before I head off to class. So I will now have algebra, biology, and child development. Not too terrible.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A new smile for the New Year...
Elf has a new smile...
His tooth, which has been loose since before Halloween, finally came out last night!
Today we are back to our regularly scheduled program, at last. M has returned to work, on full duty, as of this morning. I have our homeschooling stuff all laid out and ready to go. Today is a day "off" for me, so I also have housework to catch up on, but the day is still young.
Oh, if someone could tell me how on earth I can link to paperdali on my sidebar (button) I would really appreciate it!
Happy New Year to all! Here's to a great year, full of good things for everyone!