Here's the finished turtle:
Thanks kewkew!! This was a fun project!!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Weekend Turtle Project (thanks kewkew!)
After visiting the Tots and Me blog, I decided that Squeak would enjoy making the turtle project posted on 3/26! I had stryofoam plates so we were ready to go....though next time we make one, I want to add beans inside to turn it into an instrument. Here is Squeak making the turtle's belly and wearing her new paint smock:
Here's the finished turtle:
Thanks kewkew!! This was a fun project!!
Here's the finished turtle:
Thanks kewkew!! This was a fun project!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Weekly Report (3/22 - 3/26)
What a productive week....again! Tons of photos too!!
Bible - We've been a bit lax in reading our devotionals but we started back up this week. Squeak even made a request - she said she wanted to hear the devotional with the girl making a cat out of clay. Gosh, I couldn't believe she remembered that because I didn't! It was about how God formed us out of the earth. So we read that. Here is the devotional we read from:
Math - My head is swirling with this still! I think we are up to about Lesson 53 and Squeak is still bored and still calls it "baby math." She asked to do harder number line addition problems so I skipped to the double digit plus single digit problems. We aren't exactly going through lesson by lesson. I am skipping here and there between a few lessons so there are a few things I want to go back and do in Lessons 50-52 (measurement/tens, ones stuff). I'm having a hard time just letting "go" and letting her fly through the material. I am too afraid she will miss something. I do admit that I'm not parking us on stuff like calendar work. She has a good idea of the days of the week but I'm not drilling her on months/years. She's not even 4, so that stuff is "gravy" right now plus it's nothing that can't be touched on later or necessary as a "foundation". I just can't wait to get out of Book 1!
Side note: I didn't like Miquon Math. Bummer.
Science - Sonlight K is still working beautifully for us!! We did three lessons this week including "hot air" experiment. It was also nice to know Squeak made the connection that hot air rises like the water vapor in the water cycle! She said that and I was thrilled that she is crossing stuff over and noticing the connections.
Here she is acting out the water cycle....
1. She is water floating in the sea:
2. She is a water vapor rising in the air after being heated by the sun:
3. She is foaming a cloud and other water drops are gathering together with her and getting too heavy for the cloud:
4. Now they are falling to the earth as rain to start the cycle all over again:
We also worked on the different types of clouds (this was another day):
Finally today, we made hailstones:
What I did was - I cut a few sheets of paper into quarters. Then we crumbled the one quarter of the paper as our first water droplet, that droplet went to the top of our cumulonimbus cloud (by the wind) and froze then when it started to go to the bottom of the cloud, another layer was water wrapped around it (another quarter sheet) and we continued that process with about three layers total until the hailstone was too heavy and it fell to the earth. I used paper so she could see how the hailstones are made of water layers that freeze on top of each other. She loved it and made a TON of hailstones AND went through all the motions as if it was in a cloud. Squeak even made sound effects when her water froze - LOL!
Other - Piglet has been taking care of a baby doll that she named "Baby" all week:
Here are some pictures of the girls working on various projects:
Bible - We've been a bit lax in reading our devotionals but we started back up this week. Squeak even made a request - she said she wanted to hear the devotional with the girl making a cat out of clay. Gosh, I couldn't believe she remembered that because I didn't! It was about how God formed us out of the earth. So we read that. Here is the devotional we read from:
Math - My head is swirling with this still! I think we are up to about Lesson 53 and Squeak is still bored and still calls it "baby math." She asked to do harder number line addition problems so I skipped to the double digit plus single digit problems. We aren't exactly going through lesson by lesson. I am skipping here and there between a few lessons so there are a few things I want to go back and do in Lessons 50-52 (measurement/tens, ones stuff). I'm having a hard time just letting "go" and letting her fly through the material. I am too afraid she will miss something. I do admit that I'm not parking us on stuff like calendar work. She has a good idea of the days of the week but I'm not drilling her on months/years. She's not even 4, so that stuff is "gravy" right now plus it's nothing that can't be touched on later or necessary as a "foundation". I just can't wait to get out of Book 1!
Side note: I didn't like Miquon Math. Bummer.
Science - Sonlight K is still working beautifully for us!! We did three lessons this week including "hot air" experiment. It was also nice to know Squeak made the connection that hot air rises like the water vapor in the water cycle! She said that and I was thrilled that she is crossing stuff over and noticing the connections.
Here she is acting out the water cycle....
1. She is water floating in the sea:
We also worked on the different types of clouds (this was another day):
Finally today, we made hailstones:
Other - Piglet has been taking care of a baby doll that she named "Baby" all week:
Friday, March 19, 2010
Weekly Report (3/15-3/19)
Another productive week here! Be sure to check out our new globe on the 3/16 post!!
Bible - We've been talking about Noah's Ark and the flood since we are discussing weather and storms in science. We have a Noah's Ark play set too so we acted out some of the flood with that.
Math - Without looking, I think we are up to lesson 38. Squeak is still bored so I'm just trying to speed through Book 1 so we can get to Book 2 and slow down a bit. I also ordered Miquon Math to try. Squeak can add and subtract but dislikes the drill and repetition. It's like pulling teeth sometimes! So I thought maybe this approach may be more exciting to her.
Science - This is going very well. We completed two lessons and one experiment this week. Squeak learned that we can't see air but can feel it and "see" it. Here she is, using a bottle to "see" air bubble out when submerged in water:
We also made paper racers and used cardboard to flap and watch the air push the paper along. Here is Squeak drawing a picture on her racer:
Piglet was also flapping some cardboard to make wind:
Squeak also has been recording what the weather has been like this week - so far she filled in two days since we did lessons twice:
Sunny and blue skies!!!!!!
Read Alouds - We started Buster Baxter, Cat Saver this morning and are on Chapter 7 of The Mouse and The Motorcycle.
Other - Piglet likes to scribble in books when Squeak works in a workbook so here they are working together:
I bought Piglet her own little books from the Dollar Tree!
Piglet also counted this morning!! The girls were playing with blocks and Piglet was stacking and said "1,2,3" while she stacked her blocks! She didn't speak 100% clearly - it was in her little baby voice but it was sooooo cute!!
Bible - We've been talking about Noah's Ark and the flood since we are discussing weather and storms in science. We have a Noah's Ark play set too so we acted out some of the flood with that.
Math - Without looking, I think we are up to lesson 38. Squeak is still bored so I'm just trying to speed through Book 1 so we can get to Book 2 and slow down a bit. I also ordered Miquon Math to try. Squeak can add and subtract but dislikes the drill and repetition. It's like pulling teeth sometimes! So I thought maybe this approach may be more exciting to her.
Science - This is going very well. We completed two lessons and one experiment this week. Squeak learned that we can't see air but can feel it and "see" it. Here she is, using a bottle to "see" air bubble out when submerged in water:
We also made paper racers and used cardboard to flap and watch the air push the paper along. Here is Squeak drawing a picture on her racer:
Piglet was also flapping some cardboard to make wind:
Squeak also has been recording what the weather has been like this week - so far she filled in two days since we did lessons twice:
Read Alouds - We started Buster Baxter, Cat Saver this morning and are on Chapter 7 of The Mouse and The Motorcycle.
Other - Piglet likes to scribble in books when Squeak works in a workbook so here they are working together:
Piglet also counted this morning!! The girls were playing with blocks and Piglet was stacking and said "1,2,3" while she stacked her blocks! She didn't speak 100% clearly - it was in her little baby voice but it was sooooo cute!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
We have a GLOBE!!!
Yesterday, Squeak's cousin blessed us with a wonderful globe that he doesn't use anymore!!!
It's one of those talking globes that tells you all sorts of information! It needs new batteries because it keeps beeping that the batteries are low. But Squeak has been really enjoying it!!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Weekly Report (3/8/ - 3/12)
Seems like everything is going well at our school...
Bible - Devotional reading is progressing well and Squeak's prayers are getting cuter and cuter! She thanks Jesus because He's in her heart and because He watches over her. I love hearing these sweet things!
Math - I was going to take a break from Horizons Math this week and work on Rod & Staff because Squeak went 1/4 through the 1st book in one week (and that's because I limited the amount of lessons she can do!). But R&S was a complete *yawn*! I think it's going to be shelved until Squeak can write more constantly and work the problems herself.
On the writing note, I am SOOOO proud of her! She wrote three numbers from memory "3, 6 and 8"!! She attempted "5" too!!
I gave her a GIANT star for that!!! We are up to lesson 25 and Squeak still asked why it was "baby math".
Read Alouds - I was worried we weren't reading aloud enough so I started recording the books that we are reading (not including the toddler books that Piglet enjoys). I began this record on 2/19 and we've read over 30 books. So I figured we average about 10 new books a week and that doesn't include the books we re-read or the toddler books I read to Piglet. So I guess we are doing quite well! My sister in law also blessed us with about 30 Disney books a couple of days ago and we are tearing through those too! We also finished Buster Makes the Grade (and I won't spoil the ending of the book....does he make the grade???) and we are about half way through The Mouse and The Motorcycle.
Science - I really like Sonlight Science K so far and so does Squeak. We've done 3 lessons this week. I decided instead of breaking up the 4-day a week lessons into two weeks with 2 lessons per week, that we are going to try and do all 4 in a week. Squeak wants more science! She is really getting a lot out of it too. On our next library trip, we are going to look for books about the earth's layers as Squeak wants to go a bit more in depth with this. Here is the diagram she made:
We also discussed day/night and the four seasons. All of this was scheduled during the first week. The final lesson for the week is a bunch of hands-on activities and experiments.
I did pass over a few things on the pages of the Encyclopedia. This science really does cram a lot of topics into one week! We didn't go over what the atmosphere was in the first lesson and we skipped how the seasons come about. We just talked about what they were and the characteristics of each.
Squeak working on her seasons:
Overall, Squeak is retaining a lot of what she has learned and is really enjoying herself!
Other - Squeak completed various craft projects and worked on her Rev-Up for Writing CDROM and readingeggs.com. Piglet sat for about a half an hour in my lap while I read books to her a couple of times now. I actually had to end our reading sessions because my legs were falling asleep! I think her love of books is much greater than Squeak, at least at 15 months old.
Bible - Devotional reading is progressing well and Squeak's prayers are getting cuter and cuter! She thanks Jesus because He's in her heart and because He watches over her. I love hearing these sweet things!
Math - I was going to take a break from Horizons Math this week and work on Rod & Staff because Squeak went 1/4 through the 1st book in one week (and that's because I limited the amount of lessons she can do!). But R&S was a complete *yawn*! I think it's going to be shelved until Squeak can write more constantly and work the problems herself.
On the writing note, I am SOOOO proud of her! She wrote three numbers from memory "3, 6 and 8"!! She attempted "5" too!!
I gave her a GIANT star for that!!! We are up to lesson 25 and Squeak still asked why it was "baby math".
Read Alouds - I was worried we weren't reading aloud enough so I started recording the books that we are reading (not including the toddler books that Piglet enjoys). I began this record on 2/19 and we've read over 30 books. So I figured we average about 10 new books a week and that doesn't include the books we re-read or the toddler books I read to Piglet. So I guess we are doing quite well! My sister in law also blessed us with about 30 Disney books a couple of days ago and we are tearing through those too! We also finished Buster Makes the Grade (and I won't spoil the ending of the book....does he make the grade???) and we are about half way through The Mouse and The Motorcycle.
Science - I really like Sonlight Science K so far and so does Squeak. We've done 3 lessons this week. I decided instead of breaking up the 4-day a week lessons into two weeks with 2 lessons per week, that we are going to try and do all 4 in a week. Squeak wants more science! She is really getting a lot out of it too. On our next library trip, we are going to look for books about the earth's layers as Squeak wants to go a bit more in depth with this. Here is the diagram she made:
We also discussed day/night and the four seasons. All of this was scheduled during the first week. The final lesson for the week is a bunch of hands-on activities and experiments.
I did pass over a few things on the pages of the Encyclopedia. This science really does cram a lot of topics into one week! We didn't go over what the atmosphere was in the first lesson and we skipped how the seasons come about. We just talked about what they were and the characteristics of each.
Squeak working on her seasons:
Overall, Squeak is retaining a lot of what she has learned and is really enjoying herself!
Other - Squeak completed various craft projects and worked on her Rev-Up for Writing CDROM and readingeggs.com. Piglet sat for about a half an hour in my lap while I read books to her a couple of times now. I actually had to end our reading sessions because my legs were falling asleep! I think her love of books is much greater than Squeak, at least at 15 months old.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sonlight Science K
So I am pretty happy with this program. Even though we completed one lesson, Squeak retained a ton of information! She even shared some with Grandma and Grandma asked "did you learn ALL that today????"
Our next lesson will probably be on Friday - I'm going to stick with the two a week for now.
I did order a hydroponic lab. We are studying plants shortly and growing seeds in our peat pots isn't until week 18. So I decided that we can grow seeds twice.
I have pictures to share when my weekly update is posted.
Our next lesson will probably be on Friday - I'm going to stick with the two a week for now.
I did order a hydroponic lab. We are studying plants shortly and growing seeds in our peat pots isn't until week 18. So I decided that we can grow seeds twice.
I have pictures to share when my weekly update is posted.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Weekly Report (3/1 - 3/5)
We've had a pretty exciting week, in my opinion!
Science (Sonlight K) - On Tuesday, we received a large white box marked "Sonlight Curriculum" via Federal Express! Squeak went crazy and was yelling "My science is here! My science is here!" So for the rest of the week: I bought my binder and organized my Instructor's Guide, cut the flaps off the big white box to make a holder for our materials and have our first day planned and ready to go. While I was looking through the IG, Squeak was looking over my shoulder and answered some of the questions on the Activity Sheets already! I am actually very pleased with what we received and I think this will make a nice "filler" before we start 1st grade and begin "God's Design for Science".
Here is the set up in the box:
Science (Sonlight K) - On Tuesday, we received a large white box marked "Sonlight Curriculum" via Federal Express! Squeak went crazy and was yelling "My science is here! My science is here!" So for the rest of the week: I bought my binder and organized my Instructor's Guide, cut the flaps off the big white box to make a holder for our materials and have our first day planned and ready to go. While I was looking through the IG, Squeak was looking over my shoulder and answered some of the questions on the Activity Sheets already! I am actually very pleased with what we received and I think this will make a nice "filler" before we start 1st grade and begin "God's Design for Science".
Here is the set up in the box:
Math - So, I didn't ruin Horizons Math K! We are up to Lesson 19 as of right now (we will probably do a couple of lessons tonight). I have a "three lesson" limit right now. When we get farther along, I'm hoping Squeak will slow down a bit but there's really nothing new in Book 1.
I did tweak the math plans - when we finish HM Book 1, we are just going to continue to HM Book 2 without waiting for the fall. I was going to run Singapore Math 1a and HM Book 2 together starting in September but Book 1 isn't going to last 6 months. So when we start SM 1a, we will work it with whatever is left of HM Book 2 then move to A beka Arithmetic 1.
Bible - I really like the multi-media package that I bought with Horizons PreK. We've been listening to mainly the audio stories this week. Little Tree...of course and we listened to CD about Jesus' miracles a couple of times. We will start a more "formal" study of God's Word this coming fall in Kindergarten. I am going back and forth between CLE Bible 1 and Lifepac 1. There is a home schooling convention coming this spring and those are on the top of my list for review and purchase!! I'm also praying for wisdom on what to buy!!
Read Alouds - The Mouse and The Motorcycle is going really well. Squeak is comprehending this book a lot easier than I thought! Even when it seems like she is kind of not paying attention anymore, I'll ask her a question and she answers correctly. And she always asks to READ MORE!! Mom is a bit tired since this is at bedtime, so I try to accomodate her but often I'll tell her tomorrow night!
We also starting reading Buster Makes The Grade (an Arthur book) as a day time chapter book.
Piglet also likes to wave books at me and chase me around with books to read to her. She has had a few favorites too.
So other than some more read alouds and some math lessons tonight, that is our week!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Did I just "ruin" Horizons K Math???
My plan was to let Squeak do whichever problems she wanted in the first 9 lessons. Lesson 10 introduces tally marks - something we briefly talked about - so I planned on really starting there. I have this fear that we may "miss" something if we don't do some of the easy stuff....
Soooooo, after a few minutes of doing the select problems in the first 9 lessons, Squeak declares that her new math was boring and too easy and she wanted to do her "octopus math" (which is that Word Problem book I typed about in the last blog entry - based on the website, it looks like a series of 6 books, I bought the Word Problem book and the Beginning Subtraction book). She also said she didn't want to do this math anymore!! Yikes! I got scared!
But I did promise her that we will move ahead to more challenging stuff. She seemed to accept that answer so I'm going to have to bookmark more challenging lessons. I figured half way through the book, we will be able to go lesson by lesson. And I have no idea how this book is going to last until fall even with the Rod & Staff!
Ok, my panic is over....
Soooooo, after a few minutes of doing the select problems in the first 9 lessons, Squeak declares that her new math was boring and too easy and she wanted to do her "octopus math" (which is that Word Problem book I typed about in the last blog entry - based on the website, it looks like a series of 6 books, I bought the Word Problem book and the Beginning Subtraction book). She also said she didn't want to do this math anymore!! Yikes! I got scared!
But I did promise her that we will move ahead to more challenging stuff. She seemed to accept that answer so I'm going to have to bookmark more challenging lessons. I figured half way through the book, we will be able to go lesson by lesson. And I have no idea how this book is going to last until fall even with the Rod & Staff!
Ok, my panic is over....
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