Know Your Farmer

We have a new farmers market in town this summer...the offerings are from local farmers...so all around the market you will see signs that read "Know Your Farmer".

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I got that chance.  We visited some "farmer friends" to get a kitten and ended up getting to experience a day on the farm!

We visited All One Farms in Rineyville.  All One Farms boasts a lovely flock of Shetland sheep--complete with playful spring lambs, two beautiful dogs (they make you feel like family right away), three proud roosters, countless felines--by the way there are three litters of new kittens if anyone would like a kitten or two or three.  Oh yeah...there are also the resident farmers: Aunt Luna and Uncle Alan.  Maybe you are familiar with Luna and Alan from the yarn and wool boutique in Elizabethtown-- Blueball Mountain Spindle and Needleworks but here is what life is like after the shop is closed...imagine this with cool refreshments on the lush lawn.

Aunt Luna gives the tour of their magical yard complete with its own apple tree tunnel!

 Uncle  Alan gives a riding tour of the farm...funny he got to be the rider :-P

 A botany lesson?!  Maybe I should record this as a field trip?  A lovely grand pecan tree shades the front lawn and there is so much to learn about nature from our farm friends.

Day 2!!

My favorite part today?  hmmmmmmmmmm.....maybe that Eli slept until 11 and we schooled about 3 1/2 without him? :-)

I guess I better say Writing.  Handwriting is an area that I have miserably failed the boys.  But this year I wanted to grab that bull by the horns and straighten it out.  So back in June I went to the CHEK homeschool conference in Louisville and met Iris Hatfield.  She has written New American Cursive  Penmanship Program published by Memoria Press.  Actually I had purchased the books before I met her...but once I met her and she gently talked me through the program...I felt empowered.  Thanks Iris!  It is our second day and the boys are loving it and begging for more than 10 minutes on writing :-)

She also introduced me to Twist 'n Write pencils...so we are off to a fun start on our writing.

Day 1 of School!!

Our Latin lesson for the day:

to one of you: Salve!

to all of you:  Salvete!

"Hello"

It was a lovely day of school!  I over slept.  And the boys woke up so they purposely let me sleep in...how quick they learn. :-)

 None the less...we got started and had a successful day.  Ben started his third grade studies, Nate first grade and Eli is following along with the boys Science, History, Christian Studies, and Latin...but for him we will still do Montessori activities along with follow the Highlands Latin Schools 2 day a week Jr. Kindergarten.  In a short while we will begin learning the memory work for Classical Conversations and attending the Friday school.

Here is a picture of Nate starting his History notebook for Story of the World Vol.One....I am sooooo excited about a history that has hands on projects all along.  This is going to be a fun year.  I feel a little guilty about getting to learn along and enjoy the experiences with the boys.

Montessori #4!!!!!!!!

Friends this is endless!  And I am searching around on the web I am finding so many more ideas!!  Please note:
~~yes do use the little trays...the confined area is part of the whole space
~~this is work and lessons--not play
~~lessons should be rotated out and in about every couple of weeks...and objects can be mixed around into a new lesson

Most of all--HAVE FUN!!!!


This is one of the awesome kits that I purchased from Debbie Fox of   The Bottom Shelf

BUBBLES!!!

Gather...

plastic bowl

couple of straws

a wire wisk

egg beater

mix a small solution of 1/3 dishwashing liquid to 2/3 water

pour into bowl

blow through straw to see how the straw creates bubbles

next work with the wisk

then the egg beater.

loads of fun and the bubbles will be different with each.

Montessori #3!!

Sorting!!

This one is a winner!!  Right now these divided trays are everywhere!!  I picked this one up a the Dollar General for $1.  

Again this idea was from the workshop with Debbie Fox from The Bottom Shelf.  If you ever get a chance to attend one of her workshops do...her knowledge is so workable. { She even shared the basics of dinner swap clubs!}  There is info on her site on how to book her as a workshop speaker.

 Word of caution...I picked up beads from the Dollar Tree...I plan to use them in another lesson also...but pick 

items that is safe for your childs age.  Other sorting objects could be...dried beans, buttons, colored marshmellos...just look around...see what is available!  Enjoy!!

Word Worm!!

Just wanted to share Nates word worm!  When he masters new words me make a body part...it has really helped him want to work on his reading...and the worm is growing wildly!!

100 DAYS of School!!!

When Ben was in Kindergarten he went to a public school and on the 100th day they had a celebration.  I made Ben a special shirt to wear to school that day.  Nate fell in love with the shirt!  He called it the "party shirt" and wore it proudly every time he could find it in the closet.  So with Nates' 100 day of Kindergarten nearing I made him a a special shirt!  {{and one for each of the other two boys :-)}}

Lego Master

Nates favorite subject is Legos...seriously!  It is part of his daily work...and why not?  So many lessons to be learned from Legos...and so creative.

22nd Day of School!!

I am so behind on posting about life, school, ect.....but here is a go!

So far we have had three field trips!

The first one was to the Louisville Zoo!  Funny but the boys favorite things about the zoo are the playground and the african culture exhibit!!












The next week we went to the Kentucky State Fair...their favorite exhibit was the 4H bug collections and the fossil digging from Mammoth Cave!


I was totally taken by the winning 4H cake!!


This Monday we went to the Air and Space Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio.


I will have to find more pictures of that later :-)

Field Trip: St.Louis Science Center

Building arches...out of foam blocks

...pillow blocks

Sky walk across the interstate.  Looking down on the cars.

using radar to see how fast the cars are going

binochlars to see ahead

checking out the planet Mars

walking down the time corridar of Space exploration

Moon sauce in honor of Neil Armstrong...posted the pic for my cousins from Wapakoneta :)

Step on the scale and it tells you how much you would have to pay for a ride in space....{I didnt take a pic of my amount :)}

Oh yeah the Science Center is F*R*E*E!!!

Field Trip: Museum of Westward Exploration St.Louis

One of the great things about homeschooling is taking a field trip while everyone else is in school...you get the full attention of the curators! And dont have to wait in lines!

Preschool File Folder Games

We have all purchased those $1 workbooks at the Dollar Tree.  I just saved some games and pages.  I laminated the numbers and letters to file folders.  With envelopes or pockets also.  Then I slit the pocket and envelopes open to hold the game pieces--which I also laminated.  For the letters the child matches the lower case to the uppercase.  And then I cut out various pictures for them to match the beginnig sound of the picture to the letter.  Easy, fun and inexpensive!

Linking to the Homemake Monday blog party!!

Tot School

Pajama Day!

Okay so we dont really have an official "PAJAMA DAY" here at our school...but many days we do get dressed later than we start school :)
Linking our party to: