Week Four!!

So here we are in our fourth week of homeschooling!  We schooled 15 days this month--which is really great seeing that we had a holiday and out of town guests!  The deal was that I could home school the month of July as a trial run and if it wasn't working out then the children would attend government school.  Things are going great and everyone is learning!  Praise God!  On Sunday an old college roommate --that works in Taiwan as a missionary called me and was coming on Monday!!  So we schooled Monday and cleaned like the President (well maybe not)  was visiting.

Jen and I...I tried to find a picture of us from the early 90s  but our hair was too big to get in the picture!!

We tried a little bit of "Charlotte Mason" home school technique and took a picnic to a local park....made leaf rubbings and just enjoyed being out in nature...may try this again in the fall when it isn't 96 degrees in the shade.

rubbing from the end of a bleacher set.

Massive leaf...glad that I don't have any of these trees to rake :)

Ever wonder wonder how things look at a child's eye level? {note to self: keep the camera put away!!}

So next week public schools start back.  we start @ lesson #16 & study more on our Australia unit study.

Homemade Vanilla Cookies!!

So I was just tapping "Next Blog" and I found this recipe by Coffee, Tea, Books and recipes.

Let me just say that these cookies are S-U-P-E-R  E-A-S-Y and oh so yummy!!

Half cup of butter and one cup of sugar being creamed.

one TABLESPOON of vanilla!

One egg

mix in

one and a third cup of flour, 3/4teaspoon of baking powder...and 1/4teaspoon of salt...not shown

mix well

how the batter will look

spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet...place into an oven preheated to 350 for 12 minutes

not done cookies...{shown here after 10 minutes}

Ah perfection after 12 minutes!!  Remove soon as the cookies harden quickly and crumble when you try to remove them

Thanks Brenda!!!  I love these cookies!

I am linking this post upto

The DIY Show Off Parade :)

Almost our third week!!

So everyone is asking...are you sure you are going to homeschool?  Uh yeah...we have bought all of this stuff and joined a co-op....and been schooling everyday :)  I haven't got to blog our activities because I have been so busy tying up my last weddings. 

Anyway here is my latest Target Dollar Spot find...a pocket chart!!!!  Loving it!  And getting way more than a dollars worth of use out of it!

Today we began an unit study on Australia.  In a few weeks we will be doing a field trip to Kentucky Down Under.  So today we learned  where Australia is on the world map in relation to where we are.  We also talked about boomerangs, dingos, kangaroos, and other animals that are found there. 

Monday I found this counting chart at KSS and look it has a kangaroo on it!!

Me and little bud...he is forever trying to do school too! He does the phonic sounds along with us--he may accidentally learn to read!

I have been giving the boys their "Smart Bucks" during class...then after class I punch their cards the number of SBs they earn.  A completed card is worth $3.  {price of a Happy Meal :)}

So summer is going along great...busy, hot and successful.

I have so much to be thankful for and I am.

Our first "Lapbooks"

Here is the cover of Ben's first "lap book" study.  In the afternoon he and Nate are listening to Curious George Stories and studying about monkeys.  I have a set of Stampin Up monkey stamps so I let the boys decorate their folders with the stamps.  Later I will add a title to it.

Inside of Ben's folder. {their folders will vary some due to the different levels that they are working at.}

The paper puppets at the top is from a unit study book that we bought about Curious George.  The "Globe Book--Mapping with Monkeys" is from www.homeschoolshare.com

Since the student is at the beginning of first grade we are doing a very basic study.  So our flip book just consist of the largest, smallest, and loudest monkeys.  Monkey pics from Homeschool Share.

The label bike is from the Curious George Unit Book.

I have plans to make a flap later to add a back drop for the storytelling with these puppets.  See inside of the globe book....from Homeschool Share.

I printed the bananas onto yellow cardstock and we stamped a library pocket.  The bananas each have a food that monkeys eat.  Banana template...Homeschool Share.

"ART"  I cut a 5 1/2", 2- 2", and a 1" circle from dark brown cardstock.  A small flower from dark brown {monkey hair} 4" inch oval from tan. 1-3", 2-1 1/2"circles and helped the boys make a monkey for the back of their lapbooks.

Nate's Monkey Math game.  I cut 2 1/2"squares from scrap cardstock and rounded the corners with a corner rounder.  On one side I wrote numbers 1-20. On the other side I stamped multiples of images 1-10.  The numbers can be used for arranging in order.  Also I made a board to set the cards on to practice simple addition.

Welcome to Our Homeschool Day 1

Here we go! Come on in :)  I found this table and chairs at the Peddlers Mall...an apparent school cast off.  Both the table and the chairs are in excellent condition...wonder why they got rid of them?  Table $25 and each chair $5.50.  I looked the table up in a school catalogue...new $267!

Facing the table.  Calendar and charts from Kentucky School Service lucky for me I live near one of these stores...so I don't have to pay shipping :)  ~~Oops! Just noticed the addition fact chart is A Beka.

So our school room is also our playroom :)  I found the world map this week at Target $4.99!  The airplane and clouds are from Amazon.com and the three large clouds are from Stampin Up!  These are all chalkboard vinyl :)

Various toy shelves :)

This is an extra bedroom that has its own bathroom :)

Heading back out :)

Today was a little short...we are using ABEKA for Ben's first grade and the first five days don't have alot of work :)  Nate will only do his work in spurts...so far we have a little writing strokes done and some coloring :)

I am linking my project to DIY...check out more DIY fun by clicking on the button below :)

DIY SHOW OFF

Smart Bucks!!!

I found this "share" over at Caps Creations!  I have been wanting to come up with and incentive plan to encourage the boys in their school work.  And what a perfect solution for little boys.  I just printed Caps file on my printer and pucnched out the tokens with my SU! scallopped circle punch.  Hmmmm maybe I will laminate these :)  Now to go shopping for some prizes *smile* School starts next week so I have to finish my "plan of action"

My Mother-ing-hood has changed.

Over the weekend I attended the CHEK homeschooling conference.  I went with plans of getting all pumped up to start our homeschooling.

Friday morning I went to one absolute DUD class.  The class was supposed to be something about you don't have to be a supermom to home school.  Three minutes into the class the speaker got off on a weight loss and whole food eating tangent....and for the next 45 minutes we were stuck.

The next class was by Amanda Bennett.  Being the Unit Study Guru, her class was about unit studies.  By the end I was believing that I could really pull this off and home school too.  The next morning I sat in on another one of her classes.  It was supposed to be 10 ways to spice up your homeschooling.  All of those were interesting...but something else she shared during the class has probably changed my whole motherhood.  Amanda admonished us to teach our children our testimony.  She said no matter what our children need to know that if any thing ever happens to mom that they need to make it to Heaven...because that is where they can find me.  Then she mentioned that your children also need to know your name and phone number as well as their grandparents names and numbers too.

Over the weekend I asked my 6 year old my name...he knew that...but he really didn't know that his grandparents all had full names too.  My 4 year old had no idea that my name was not Mommy.  And he doesn't know our phone number and has no clue that his grandparents aren't Memaw, Nanny and Poppy.  I do realize that not long down that road all of my boys will know that information.  But now I need to start engraving on their hearts my testimony.  They need to know that so that if by adulthood I am not around and they find themselves lost they will know where to go.  Suddenly it seemed that Deuteronomy 11:19 came alive in my heart.
Deuteronomy 11:19
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.