Our 'Little Red Schoolhouse"

 

 This is the future home of our homeschool classroom!  Our very own little red schoolhouse!  We have gladly surrendered our old school house to Uncle Rod a year ago and now the prospect of having a special learning lounge is in sight.  Uncle Rod has gutted this home to reveal original wood floors that have the potential for charm and coziness!  Our tile guy is coming up next week to work on the kitchen/laundry/bathroom.

One of the purposes in posting ALL the pictures is to get your input on some organizing ideas.  I've toyed with different things in different places, so ....any ideas would be accepted with joy!  I need a quiet place for Dylan and Kaya to focus/ reading hang out area. ('living room' where wood burning stove is)  I need a messy art/project space. (assume 'dining area' off kitchen)  A place to eat.  Considerations for Ryder. (little room) And a fun imaginative place for preschool play. ('big bedroom')

This is the Big "bedroom"
I'm going to take off the doors to the closet and use this space to create a stage and dressing room area.
(Below) other side of room leading into bathroom.

The other door from the 'big bedroom' leads into the laundry room where Rod is standing and if he walked forward from where he is it takes him to the kitchen.

 It might not look like much yet but thank God it has a bathroom that works...I think.  Plus a shower!

Looking into 'dining area' from 'living room'

so, the kitchen is immediately to the right of that little dining area.

Bobby scored a free wood burning stove while he was down south this week ~ hooray!

They would prefer their own desks so do I make them stay at a table or let them have desks?  It's a pretty small room.

 Kitchen

See the dark square stain on the floor at the bottom of the picture.  That is where the fridge was and the oven just behind that across from the sink.  Barely enough room to walk around it into the kitchen so I'm thinking about putting it in the laundry room. (below)  I wanted to be creative with this space...art room?  science lab/potting room?  Thought about cutting a hole in the wall so you could sneak out the back of the stage into this space.  Do I need a washer/dryer?  Be nice but Need?  No I don't Need them.

There is one other tiny room that is right off the 'living room' which is 8' by 9'.  This will be Ryder's gated off play room.  I plan on painting an interactive scene on the walls.  There is only one tiny window and it feels much like a prison in there. So I will really need to liven it up for our little skunkie monkey.  Possibly a little house (painted on wall) with a door that opens or just painted with chalkboard paint, magnetic pond with fish and other magnetics, a clothes line, tree...etc.....  oooohhhh his ears must be burnin' cause he just woke up.   

 Then, Last but not Least, there's this cool little mud room attachment.  Not sure how freezing it gets out there, but it's right by the room with the stove so figure it will stay warm.  What should I do here?  The floor is more beat up so I could tile it...or not....or put the sand/water table here.  what a mess!  storage for outdoor games on this side?  the other side has hooks and space for shoes, jackets and whatever.

First day of school photo ~ August 9 2010

First Day of School Photo!

(too tired to write now but happy school year everyone)

Our unconventional but educational homeschool day Today.

Kaya sat in her pj's reading me "I can read with my eyes shut tight".

We spent time with family ~ Uncle Jim, Aunt Nancy, Cousin Ricki and Erik ~ we cooked pancakes together and enjoyed each other's company.

Watched a you tube video on how to soften and shape their gloves.  Played catch and a points game.
1 point for a catch
1/2 point for good throw
other team gets a point if the ball gets past you
Mental Math: Dylan kept track easily the whole time.  Good practice for addition. (and fractions - which he's only learned about from the kitchen)

Kaya fed red ants with black butts to her red ants in her 'mason jar' ant farm.  The poor ant was attacked and drug under ground through the tunnels.  Savages!  The red ants did have some collateral damage to their tunnels which they promptly repaired.  All 4 watched intently.

Dylan started building his erector set he got for Christmas.  Out of all his choices he's going to build the jet plane.

Bowen collected worms and showed them off proclaiming they would be used for bait the next time he goes fishing. and counting them.

Kaya and I downloaded Print Shop onto the computer and she learned how to navigate around.  She made Callie an Easter card. Impressive.  She typed in Easter in the search box and found a picture of this little dog with rabbit ears on surrounded by eggs.  Then she typed I love you callie. from kaya on it.  They learn so fast!  Then started on a calendar for her room.

They painted with their fingers and wet chalk on the concrete.

Watch a dvd of bible stories, from genesis then I ran in when it was the passover story and reviewed what they had learned in Sunday school, Jesus's entrance into Jer. palm branches, robes, the people.  And reviewed that this was the chosen day to reveal that he was the messiah they had been waiting for, he was the son of God and then talked about the 'first communion' and briefly about the crucifixion and the whole 'easter' story, his resurrection.  Ella's eyes were popping out of her head, it was all new to her. So cute.  WOW she said.  Finished up by talking about what that all means to us!!!

We did science project and made a wind vane out of a straw, rubber band, 3x5 card, pencil, clay and a ruler and small nail.  Cut 3" off the straw and rubber band them together like a cross.  cut slits in the long straw, fold the 3x5 card in half, cut and stick one half in the end of straw.  Cut the other paper into a triangle and stick in the other slit like an arrow.  The pencil is stuck into the clay in an upright position a small nail pushed into the eraser and the short straw is set on top of the nail.  It worked.  Using a compass they figured out which direction the wind ran.
They learned what a meteorologist does and watched some videos of them.

We read books together.
Ella colored while Bo measured rice for dinner, then he burned his finger. :-(

And of course they played together, make believe, indoors and outside!  Beautiful day, warm with an occasional brisk breeze.  Seemed like we did other stuff but I can't remember.

Kaya has been taking care of 2 baby turkeys for a week now, she's been very responsible.  I'll try to add some pictures later.  I"M SWAMPED WITH BUSYNESS, Can't believe I'm posting actually!

Austria and Beethoven!

The kids are learning about Austria today...Amazing...Mozart and Beethoven were born there. Here is a fascinating website on Beethoven! Well worth checking out and has great audio!

http://www.lucare.com/immortal/

World Atlas website all about Austria!

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/at.htm

The Spanish Riding School is also in Austria!  Cute video on the bottom this page.  The kids made me play it over and over.

http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/spanish-riding-school

"Quitters never win and winners never quit" ~ anonymous

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" ~ Romans

Bootie-licious!

We have a Treasure Chest that I use for rewards for school accomplishments. Well, in the past I've found great bargains at Jo Ann's and other crafty places to fill up the treasure! I JUST HAD THE PERFECT IDEA....did I mention that I've recently had complaints that "There's nothing I want in there!" (There's things i want in there though) I have found a solution to that

Drum Roll please .. .. .. .. .. .. I will FIll the Treasure Chest with all the little toys I sweep up on the floor that are not suppose to be there!


....Sometimes I throw them away....sometimes I hold them for ransom and if I'm in a bad mood I might even shout 'How many times do I have to tell you don't leave your toys all over the floor?"

Perfect solution...a natural consequence to leaving their toys strewn all over the house and free bootie for the treasure chest. Earning their toys back is a good lesson! (wow, ya, I never thought I'd get so excited over a simple solution to a chronic condition)

Cool Runnings man!

My little chunky monkey has cried ALL day, his gums are super swollen and won't sleep today unless I'm laying beside him So we watched 'COOL RUNNINGS' in honor of the olympics and check it out....

http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/afp-news/bobsleigh--made-in-jamaica-brown-cool-with-canada_273218Mp.html

It's a True Story! This Link references "Cool Runnings" in 1988 and shows this year's Jamaican Olympic Bobsled team and they will be the first to ever be in favor of winning GOLD. Pretty fun movie to watch...rated PG...some language not too great for the little kids but overall a cute movie with the all time classic John Candy!

>Don't miss 'Stone Fox' when downloaded from Audible.com it's an hour long. Story of a young boy who races his dog sled to save his grandfather's potato farm-against stone fox the giant indian. Very exciting story made me cry at the end! Kids LOVED it!

Other movies for Olympics.,...Snow Buddies (dog sled movie-sure you've heard of it), Mighty Ducks (ice hockey)
What else?

We now interrupt the Olympic program for a special announcement.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Didn't plan anything for Valentines day...too caught up in the Olympics. So Familyfun magazine online saved the day with lots printables...maze, matching game, pencil toppers, jokes and cards to color. The kids will wake up to a table full of fun things to do and get them thinking about LOVE!

For God So Loved the World

that he gave

his one and only son

that whosoever believes in him

shall not perish

but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Write each red letter on the lines above to reveal the special word of the day!

~ We'll have a clue guided hunt that will ultimately lead to chocolate bunny for the boys and a heart box of chocolate for the girls. Here are my cheezy clues...

'Some people call me names because my ears are big. You can find me where your movies sleep if you want a clue."

"Answer this question: who is my valentine? Dear Valentine, I will not make you sweep the floors or lock you in your room. You can wear your glass slipper during tea parties if you want to. Love, Prince Charming Now look under the singing green chameleon"

"Did you brush your teeth today?"

"How can you figure out 3+4 really fast and easy? Answer 8+9 too! (mental math ..well I know 3+3 is 6 so 4 is one more than 3 so it has to be 7) Dylan is a master on his math facts)

"Someone has to play Mary had a little lamb on the piano and mom will give you the last clue."

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA

Olympics 2010 Unit Study!

So...my camera and computer are not speaking to each other right now SO...I have not been posting because it's just not the same without pictures! But oh well.

We are doing a unit study on the Olympics 2010!

Usually I pull it all together myself but with my life as it is, a 3 month old and all, I have refined the way we do school lately! For the end of the pregnancy (the month we were in Rainbow waiting for him to be born) and the following couple of months we have been in a quite boring routine of having primarily workbook stuff! Which if very uncharacteristic for me but I didn't have the energy or inspiration for much more! Times have changed though...Thank God!

But busier than ever I have sought out a pre-organized unit studies! I have found a solution in the Amanda Bennet unit studies. Her thematic approach is based primarily on the internet which also solves my little library problem. After you purchase the study, you can download the E-book immediately and get to work. We still have our regular math, phonics, reading and bible!

Olympics 2010 is a 4 week (5 days a week) study with a daily quote, WOW words that you look up in a dictionary, Interesting people/places section and a read and discover section with several questions to answer. Two levels makes it appropriate for all ages and with Lots of hands on activities it takes the boring out of school. Videos and Internet links are right there in each section- easy to access and keeps the pace quick!

We're only on day 4 but we love it so far!

We've learned:

Quotes: " You only need one chance." -Jesse Owens (1932 Olympic athlete)

"It is better to look ahead and prepare then to look back and regret." Jackie Joyner-Kersee

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful and I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

We've Learned....

about the ancient olympics

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/the_olympic_games/#item-article-04

copied the Greek flag and map. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/gr.htm

about Canada-watched videos on Vancouver, learned about their flag and map

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vOaqC_hzd0

Learned about canadian money, drew pictures of it, converted us dollars to canadian dollars

http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

other activities we're doing:

research Jesse Owens

Chart of weather in Vancouver and weather at home

Olympic Motto poster

Hang world map on the wall

Make your own medal chart, which country has the most?

Word search http://www.abcteach.com/Olympics/winterword.htm

Great time to teach about having pride in the great USA!

Red stands for Courage (We need to be brave.)

White for Purity (We need to try to always do what is good and right- follow God's rules)

Blue for Justice (We need to be fair.)

Narnia - A conversation with Dylan!

A conversation with Dylan:

"Mom, you know Narnia? I have those pictures in my mind."

"Which ones?"

"All of them."

"Do you have any favorite characters?"

"Ya, Rippache the mouse, Ustes, Lucy and..." (not sure of the spelling)

"Do any of them remind you of you, or are there characteristics that are like yours? Maybe something you have learned from them?"

"Peter! You know, he is brave and sometimes I'm brave. At night I'm scared but I just tell myself, "Be brave!"

_ Dylan received the Narnia Chronicles on CD (focus on the family version) for his 7th birthday! They are our most beloved stories with the characters seeming part of our family. We have listened to them over and over...literally! I highly recommend them as a staple for all families!

Pre-school last week!

Learned about seasons! Each square represents a different season. The winter and spring got filled in after this picture.

'The Ugly Duckling" by ??? (i'll edit cause this is the greatest version) is a wonderful representation of seasons and morals.

We also used Charlotte's web movie to learn more; they colored a picture of one scene from the movie that had to do with a season. Wilbur running and playing in the mud when he first got to the Zuckerman's farm - no one else would play and enjoy the weather. and when that same spring pig triumphantly lived to see the first snow fall! Dylan wrote a couple sentences on what his favorite season. He said he loves all of them, except the summer is too hot.

They did lots more, like observing the globe, hemispheres and why the tilt of the earth and sun result in the seasons.

YELLOW is the color this week.

Read lots of Yellowish books.

Ping.

They pulled each of these objects out of a paper bag and discovered Yellow; there was one red ribbon. Different/Same lessons.

Painted a 'sun' and glued handprints on the outside for summer.

Big kids help the little kids at craft time. And they love that!

They all helped cook yellow playdoh. A favorite!

I hope to take more pictures of Dylan and Kaya working on their projects more but those times are the busiest so it's harder.

~ Dylan learned to tell time quickly and easily last week.

~ Kaya has an incredible memory; "Gosh mom, when I hear it it just sticks in my head" auditory learner? partly for sure!

_Bowen is all about cutting and glue sticks and sits alone talking to himself and creating layer after layer of art.

~ Ella really likes to play imaginary and with all the little animal characters and barbi dolls for hours alone. and is totally happy!

Thursday @ School

Months ago we read Judy Blume's Fudge. So I gave the kids a choice to pick their next chapter book and they wanted to hear the next one in the series. I'd say it's likely better for older kids, say 4th grade but they love it anyway. We read while the twins nap!

Ella playing blocks, dinos and everything else in the play school room!

We're playing Go Fish with letter sounds as our review!

Wednesday night we star gazed and this is Dylan's illustration in his nature journal about his experience.

The twins are learning about RED and math skills of top, middle, bottom. They used red stamps, press one stamp on the top of the page, two on the bottom and a huge one in the middle. They sorted colored bears and shapes that fit on a peg board. Little Ella sits at 'circle time' in the morning like a proper little teachers pet; places her hand over her heart for flag and is too cute!

* The kids love their Sing, Spell, Read and Write program. The music is cute and the little ones already are picking up on how sounds are related to words we say! They sing, write and play games to reinforce the concept for the day.

First day of school tradition!

(our tradition was delayed because we had NO water all day yesterday)

but today...

We bake cookies!

* As we mix the ingredients we discuss how they look, sound, smell, feel and taste. The changes that happen as they are blended.

* Then we talk about how this is just like when we are thinking. God gave us 5 senses to take all the things we experience around us into our minds. When we think we are baking!

* What would happen if we put in rotten ingredients, or didn't follow the directions? (like adding A1 sauce instead of vanilla or putting the whole egg in without cracking the shell open)

* If we put bad things into our minds that's what comes out- bad stuff- rotten stuff. Think of examples like watching bad shows on tv or looking at violent pictures all the time)

* We'll learn Phil 4:8 Finally brothers, Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable --if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think of such things. ( I have one who often thinks themself as inadequate and has lots of self defeating ideas, i cant do it (right, or good) so This is a focus this year.

* When we speak and act we are taking our cookies out of the oven! If we don't let our thoughts bake for a while we may say things that are not kind; we may say things that are hurtful to others and to ourselves. As we watch and mix-take in all our thoughts and as we bake them (think about them) We should always remember we do these things for the glory of God. "Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel." Proverbs 11:17

* No matter what we're doing the first thing we need to do is dedicate it to the Lord. "Commit your work to the Lord and you will succeed" Proverbs 16:3 That means doing your very best For Jesus. Be focused! You have to think he's really right there next to you, how would you act? Would you work really hard or be lazy? And when you feel tired or grumpy you can always whisper to him and say...I'm tired God but I want to do my best for you please help me now; i need you. Even the little things we do show God how much we love him. We love him because he loved us first and he loves us the most, and the biggest and the highest and he wants us to be successful every day.

* Because my morning was so crazy with the goat attack and all - i stuck with the simplest recipe ever - and my new favorite - Use a lemon cake box mix and just add 2 eggs 1/3 veg oil and lemon. They pressed them with a fancy design from a spoon. and put on a lemon flavored frosting (from powdered sugar). Easy Peasy! I wanted to try this recipe: cake box, 1 egg, 2 c. cool whip, roll on powdered sugar. But didn't have the ingredients.

PS sorry there's no pictures, truly a tragedy, my battery is dead and my charger is in Rainbow.

2009-2010 School & Home Schedule

Here's my game plan for our schedule this year!

Certainly we wont follow it perfectly, but it gives me a goal to shoot for.

We will start our school weeks on Thursday so our fantastic fun days will land on Wednesdays.

~ No end of the week burn outs for us ~

Each year I choose several goals to focus on - last year one was Never Give Up.

This year one of them is FOCUS! To be successful one must be able to absolutely focus on a task - Short increments of intense focus will help them learn how and why it's important!

More important than this schedule is being flexible for opportunities - some call them Interruptions I call them Teachable Moments.

Weekly Assignments 2009 - 2010

August 13 (Thursday) ------ August 19 (Wednesday)

Saturday & Sunday PLAY & REST

		Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Wake-Dress Devotion	6:00 7:00	*	*	*	*	*
Chores	8:00	*	*	*	*	*
Breakfast & clean-up	8:30	*	*	*	*	*
Attendance
Circle Time	9:30	*	*		*	*
a) pray, calendar
b) pledges, read aloud
c) hymn
Bible History	9:45	*	*		*	*
a) reading
timeline, memory
d) pre-k activity
Music Fun-	10:10	*	*		*	*
Pre-K with Dylan	10:20	*	*		*	*
K. Math	10:20	*	*		*	*
D & K ssrw games	10:40	*	*		*	*
K. phonics reading D. writing	11:00	*	*		*
D.phonics reading K. writing	11:20 :30	*	*		*	*
clean - up LUNCH	12:00
Pre-K SSRW Big Kid freetime	1:00	*	*		*	*
Nap and read alone time	1:30	*	*	*	*	*
Art : Come and See	2:00	*			*
Drawing			*			*
Chapter Bk. Read Aloud	2:15	*	*		*	*
Science				*
Nature Journal				*
Lifie Skills
Piano
Horseback riding				*
wood working				*
write letters				*
computer				*
Strength Training - PE Skills	Late After- noon	*	*	*	*	*
Dinner Helper	4:30	Dylan	Kaya	Bowen	Ella
Set Table		Bowen	Ella	Dylan	Kaya
Dishes		Kaya	Dylan	Kaya	Dylan
Night Chores	6:00	*	*	*	*	*
B. & E. winter Bedtime	7:00
D. & K. winter Bedtime	7:30