Tag: homeschool

Making Art with Rice
I am always looking for fun ideas the kids. They love experiments and art. This Summer, I signed us up for the Activities Challenge at education.com. They have a sortable list of activities for kids. Arts & Crafts, Science, Games and Summer Fun are just some of the categories listed. We have done a few of the activities and the kids have really enjoyed them.

Today we chose the “Make Rice Pictures” activity. We needed:
- Rice
- Food Coloring
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Glue
- Paintbrush
- Construction Paper
The only step I added: I thinned my school glue down with a little water and let the kids apply it with a paintbrush. I only laid out the colors that matched the colored rice (that didn’t last long, lol). We ended up with a dolphin, a robot on a beach and a “fuzzy” robot.

Here in Colorado the rice only took about 2 hours to dry so we were able to do this activity in one day. The boys thought it so cool that is was colored rice. We invited a friend to join us.

Dyed Rice

Dyed Rice

the boys at work

applying some rice

This was fun and I recommend. We have a lot of rice left over so we will do it again. Might also use the rice inside an “I-SPY ” bottle. It’s pretty that is for sure!
July 7, 2011
Field Trip: Bugs and Butterflies and more!

A few weeks ago we went on a Field Trip to the Butterfly Pavilion with my sister and nephew. It was so much fun and the kids loved every minute. They got to hold Rosie, the famous tarantula, plus they were able to observe many more bugs and spiders.

I think everybody’s favorite part is the actual Butterfly Pavilion which is a huge tropical forest filled room with butterflies flying EVERYWHERE. It was really cool.

I do have to admit that I was so scared that a butterfly or other flying insect would land on me, I was petrified. I could finally relax once I put my hoodie up, even though people looked at me like I was crazy. After all, it is extremely hot and humid, but I got to enjoy myself so it was worth it.

After the exhibits we hit up the interactive area which has many stations of fun and learning.

May 11, 2011
Field Trip: Airplane Museum!

In our city we have a museum after any young boys heart – the Airplane Museum, it is called Wings over the Rockies. It is located in a hangar that used to be used on a military base here in Denver. We didn’t tell the boys where we were going, but after a 20 minute drive, we turned the corner to see this:

The boys jaws dropped, their reactions were priceless!

After getting our tickets and browsing the gift shop we headed into the hangar. WOW! There are tons of different flying machines all around, on the ground and in the air!

So much to see, so many cool things!

The coolest thing for my boys was something that is not even real, lol.

A scale model of Luke Skywalkers X-Wing Fighter complete with R2D2!

It was a fun day, the boys ran around with so much excitement!

Of course we ended the field trip with Astronaut Ice Cream, yum (eww) and a Captains Hat for Oliver.

If you live in Denver, I recommend taking your kids, they will love it!

May 4, 2011
The Homeschool Mother’s Journal – Week 10

Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!

Week #10:

In my life this week…

Planning. Planning! This drives me crazy, I am not a planner.

However, I have to submit a Summer work schedule to my boss, schedule Camps and classes for the boys, and research and plan my curriculum for next year.

I have sat down many times and can never quite finish. My mind goes crazy when I try to coordinate. This is hard stuff for me – why?!?!

In our homeschool this week…

I introduced my 1st Grader to a notebook we bought called “Story Starters”. It is a worksheet with a blank frame area and several ruled lines. At the top of the sheet there is a question, some are silly, some are interesting. The one Preston picked was – How could a cake be ten feet tall?

Preston enjoyed drawing a super tall cake, then he wrote a paragraph describing how he would make it and what it would look like. He enjoyed the exercise and I enjoyed seeing the results of his imagination.

My nephew comes over a couple times a week and he is a star student. He actually asks for worksheets and completes them. Then he brings them to me to check, it is so cute. He does awesome!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We got out this week! It was so nice. We went to Red Rocks and let the boys hike around.

We also took a field trip to our local gardens. We saw so many budding bulbs. The boys got to play in a rock cave and skip rocks on the pond.

They also went to several playgrounds and last night we went to a family fun restaurant called the White Fence Farm. It was a wonderful experience. They have a playground, farm animals, a 2 story slide, dance floor, books, a play area, so much more too.

My favorite thing this week was…

Watching the boys play, I love to watch them run around playgrounds and parks. They have such energy and no inhibitions. They are so free.

Their curiosity is always taking them on an adventure. They play so well together too, for the most part, lol.

What’s working/not working for us…

Outside school, school on the go. When we went out and about this week, I took some markers, paper, worksheets, and flash cards. I had opportunities through out our play time to pull them out and have some school work fun. Then back to playing.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

How do you stay sane and on track when looking at all the curriculum choices? I have a hard time keeping track of it all.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Found this site on another blog, www.spellingcity.com. I think it is a nice little tool to have. It is an online spelling list that you create and then your child takes a test. The website says the word for the child and uses it in a sentence. Pretty nifty and a nice way to break things up and do a virtual test rather than always on paper.

Here are some pictures of the boys on the trails and rocks around Red Rocks Amphitheater.

April 30, 2011
Fun in the Sun

The weather here in Colorado is crazy! One day it is 70 , the next it is snowing and freezing, then back to 70 the next day. Seriously!

Last week on one of the so-so days we had some fun outside. Wasn’t too cold, wasn’t too hot.

The boys did floor puzzles on the sidewalks, we colored the sidewalks with chalk. We ate lunch on a blanket in the grass, fun! To top it off… the boys went for the costume drawer, which is always a hit.

this is a Buzz Lightyear, IronMan Hybrid

LOVE this life!!

April 18, 2011
The Homeschool Mother’s Journal – Week 8

Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!

Week #8:

In my life this week…

Working out some issues and questions I have with theology, fun week – eh! I have had many concerns about some things I have heard preached by a popular pastor. The best thing to come out of it was me diving into the Bible and some Commentaries. Interestingly, my oldest asked about why Peter started to sink on the lake… this is one of the topics I was researching. Perfect timing as usual, thanks God!

In our homeschool this week…

OLIVER is reading! This is so fantastically, awesome! He turns 5 on Monday and will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall. I went to a consignment sale recently and headed straight to the Homeschool and book section. SCORE! I picked up 2 sets of BOB books! Oliver dove right in. We read Mat, Sam and Dot together then he took over. I was amazed and so happy. I have been worried about teaching him to read. It looks like the phonics work paid off! Also, Starfall.com is a great website for this.

My oldest is learning fractions and time, also were are working on reading comprehension. I am realizing that I need to have him write creatively more. I picked up some story starters and would like to work on those.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

This week Preston got to race soap box cars at his boys club, he loved it and can’t stop talking about how the steering wheel actually move the wheels on the car. Saturday is our church easter egg hunt, they love this! On Sunday we have been invited to a Seder! We are really looking forward to that.

My favorite thing this week was…

Oliver reading!

What’s working/not working for us…

**REPEAT**Space is still an issue. If we do get into this house, it will provide much needed space for my 1st grader to work, read and build things without his brothers destroying his work.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

The thought I have been having a lot lately is this: I love homeschooling! I love being with my boys. I love teaching them and learning with them. I love for them to be able to ask any question at any time. Just so grateful to be able to do this.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Oliver reading, and yes he is in shorts and a cowboy outfit (thanks Cher!)

April 15, 2011
A Spring Field Trip

We went to a wonderful, several acre outdoor space with gardens and ponds.

Everything is just starting to turn green, flowers are popping up, ducks are swimming in the ponds.

The air was crisp, fresh, perfect.

We walked around for 2 hours, discovering. They have a super fun kids area, the kids can climb rocks, sit in a “cave”, and jump all around. They also had a dock by the stream, perfect for pretending -this day, it was a huge ship that we all lived on. :O)

April 8, 2011
The Homeschool Mothers Journal Week 6

Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!

Week #6:

In my life this week…

Back to school after a nice little break to celebrate Spring! Looking at houses, found one that seems perfect for us. The only thing that I don’t like is thinking about it too much. Need to leave with Him.

In our homeschool this week…

Preston is getting learn all about life in and around a 13th century European Castle. I am really enjoying it too. We are using an awesome Usbourne book called “Time Traveler” and it comes with Sonlights 1st grade core. Has illustrations, explanations, cross-sections, it is fun! Did you know Knights are the only ones of the Kings men to ride horses? The ones without horses are Men at Arms.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Hmmmm…. playgr0unds! Couple of family birthdays too. We got to see a lot of extended family which is always nice.

My favorite thing this week was…

Watching my 1st grader zip through a maze of multiples by 3’s. I was really surprised at how quick he completed it. We are doing Horizons Math and he took a unit test and aced it. So happy that he is learning and I have proof (hint hint – Mom). :O)

What’s working/not working for us…

Space is still an issue. If we do get into this house, it will provide much needed space for my 1st grader to work, read and build things without his brothers destroying his work.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

Wondering about Switch on Schoolhouse for Preston when he hits 3rd grade, anyone use it?

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

April 3, 2011
The Homeschool Mothers Journal Week 4

Recently I saw a blog post from a Homeschool mom that I follow. Sam from The Kelley Eight was excited to start a journaling program. I have always wanted to journal but just felt overwhelmed with starting from scratch.

Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!

Week #4:

In my life this week…

Our van died this week, no so good since we are still making payments, yuck. I went to a wine ‘n paint class with my mom, sister, aunt and cousins, we had a great time, so relaxing.

In our homeschool this week…

Preston is working on Time4learning and loving it. Oliver started skip counting on his own, I was amazed. He came up to me and did 1, 3, 5, 7,9 then he followed that with 2,4,6,8. I have not even started with him formally only Preston. I was thrilled. I printed up some of these for him to have for his school desk. Thanks Homeschool Creations!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Without a car we stayed in most of the week. Preston and I did have a date to see Imagination Movers we took the light rail to downtown.

We also made it to the playground several times which is always great.

My favorite thing this week was…

The entire family sat down and each colored a page for a mini-book about Spring. That was a fun, creative time.

We are reading Heidi and the book we are using is full of colorful pictures, we are enjoying it. There is nothing like shutting out everything, reading and snuggling.

What’s working/not working for us…

Not working – staying home so much. We love to be out, although I am trying to use this time to organize and spring clean, so that has been good. I look forward to Spring field trips!

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

Time to start thinking about curriculum for next year. I just got the Alpha Omega catalog in the mail yesterday. Time to start perusing homeschool forums and researching. I like Sonlight but want to explore all options.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

March 18, 2011
The Homeschool Mother’s Journal Week 2

Recently I saw a blog post from a Homeschool mom that I follow. Sam from The Kelley Eight was excited to start a journaling program. I have always wanted to journal but just felt overwhelmed with starting from scratch.

Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!

Week #2:

In my life this week…

Injured my knee pretty bad, laid up and most of our plans went out the window. Was going to be our first week with a 2nd car plus great weather. We didn’t do much outside the home.

In our homeschool this week…

My boys love being on the computer. I think it may have to do with my husband and I both being techs. Any chance they can have on it they love. I decided that I wanted to find more learning programs, not games. I searched and found one called Time4Learning. We signed up Monday and the boys love it. I will be posting on the entire experience soon.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We were going to go to the Airplane Museum and the movies but with my injury we did not go anywhere.

My favorite thing this week was…

My injury in definitley NOT my favorite part but what happened as a result is. The first 2 days I was in bed, with it elevated. This provided the perfect oppotunity to just cuddle, read and talk to my boys. With no pressure to “get stuff done”, all I could do was lay there. It was wonderful for my only task to be to enjoy my boys!!

What’s working/not working for us…

I would really like to get my 1st grader to want to read on his own, rather than me force it. He loves for me to read to him. But I want him to love it. I know this will come but I wish it were now. I love to read.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

I keep getting the urge to bump my preschooler up to Kindergarten lessons because he gets through the preschool ones so fast. I really need to resist the urge though, I don’t want to put undue pressure on him. However, I also do not want to bore him or hold him back. What is the right answer?

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Oliver’s outfit of the week: Hawaiian Shirt and Mike Wazowski pants.

March 5, 2011