Hello again. It was too short of a summer. Though I did not document most of the summer, we did a lot of activities (too many to remember right now). Time to get seriously back on track about what we are up to.
Monday- The kids watched a video online about weather and how we record weather. Including who named the temperature measurements, what a barometer is, and why the seasons change. They will be working on fall activities all week including math worksheets, writing activities and spelling.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
June 27th- July 3rd
We watched a National Geographic documentary called "The human tree" about tracing all the humans back to the African origins. The girls have taken turns playing "Jump Start" which of course covers math, science, social studies, and reading.
June 20th- 27th
This week the girls have played Jump start, went to the library to participate in their activities. They went to open gym with their friend on Friday. Michael has been explaining natural bug repellents for the plants and how to care for the plants. We have had a lot of success with the garden (especially with the spinach). We watched a video on National Geographic about why we celebrate the 4th of July and the traditions we developed. We also watched eye witness videos on "ponds and rivers, birds,and mammals". We went to Fargo a few times where the kids played with other kids at Scheels and the mall. We have had them work on money and using their allowances to buy stuff they want.
We went camping for the first time. It was fun. We showed the kids how to make a camp fire, rowed a boat on Lake Itasca, and campfire cooking.
We went camping for the first time. It was fun. We showed the kids how to make a camp fire, rowed a boat on Lake Itasca, and campfire cooking.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
May 30th- June 12th
Lots of things have happened this past two weeks that have made it difficult to blog what all we have done education wise with our kids. I will recap the last two weeks here.
My mom and sisters came to visit and the kids had a great time with them. The kids read to them, showed off their counting abilities and other tid bits of information they know. We took the kids to ValleyFair while we were in the cities with my family. We have had the kids read almost everyday. They are participating in the summer reading program at the library. We have been having the Amara practice her ABC's and both girls writing sentences. We have been working on spelling and reading the dolch words as well. Michael has been working with Amara everyday on counting to 100. Is is finally able to do so all by herself. We have been working on different types of math (measurement, fractions, addition, subtraction). We are also asking them to tell time several times a day. The kids are helping Michael keep an eye on the veggies in the garden. Our strawberries are starting to ripen and the spinach is flourishing. We have been practicing the names of the bones in the body and are learning about exoskeletons as well. We have been watching Mythbusters, which the kids find fascinating. The amount of science info that can be learned from that show is never ending. They have spent a lot of time playing with their friend next door. We have been discussing religion a lot lately. Almost everyone we know is Christian so we have been discussing why people believe in Gods and what the different types of of religions are.
My mom and sisters came to visit and the kids had a great time with them. The kids read to them, showed off their counting abilities and other tid bits of information they know. We took the kids to ValleyFair while we were in the cities with my family. We have had the kids read almost everyday. They are participating in the summer reading program at the library. We have been having the Amara practice her ABC's and both girls writing sentences. We have been working on spelling and reading the dolch words as well. Michael has been working with Amara everyday on counting to 100. Is is finally able to do so all by herself. We have been working on different types of math (measurement, fractions, addition, subtraction). We are also asking them to tell time several times a day. The kids are helping Michael keep an eye on the veggies in the garden. Our strawberries are starting to ripen and the spinach is flourishing. We have been practicing the names of the bones in the body and are learning about exoskeletons as well. We have been watching Mythbusters, which the kids find fascinating. The amount of science info that can be learned from that show is never ending. They have spent a lot of time playing with their friend next door. We have been discussing religion a lot lately. Almost everyone we know is Christian so we have been discussing why people believe in Gods and what the different types of of religions are.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
May 23- May 29th
Sunday- Ava made breakfast this morning. Then the kids played in the pool with the neighbor. We discussed money (Ava finding the amounts of money we asked for on their play money, and Amara learning the names and denominations of the bills and coins and doing a little adding of change/dollars). We also discussed measurements (of both spoons and cups). We watched 2 episodes of "Good Eats" and decided to make banana ice cream (which only consisted of bananas, honey, and cream). After which Ava and I made funnel cakes. She did all the measuring. Afterwards they went back outside and we had a bonfire. They played imaginative games until it was dinner time. After dinner, I read them another chapter of "Someone Named Eva". We reviewed what I had previously read and discussed the Holocaust and WWII. The girls wanted to watch a video about the Holocaust so Michael and I are planning on prescreening one. Before bed they watched "An American Tale". We discussed how the movie was similar to real life discrimination.
Monday- The kids did math and reading in the morning. I read another chapter of "Someone named Eva" to them. We discussed more about WWII and who Hitler was.
Tuesday- The kids went to soccer today. We watched "Earth" and discussed the different animals shown. Ava helped me make lunch.
Wednesday- Ava read the whole book "Ten Apples Up on Top" to their grandma. Amara read 5 pages from "Buscuit wins a prize". Michael had the girls work on math. We went for a walk and had the girls spell random words (4,5,6 letter words for Ava and 3,4,5 letter words for Amara).
Thursday-Friday- We have been having a garage sale and the girls helped their friend run a lemonade stand. They helped make the lemonade/counted change, and sold it.Ava walked to the store with me and counted the money for and expected change she was getting from the cashier. The kids made $24 from just 2 days of their lemonade stand. They also did some reading (Ava and Amara read to their friend). Ava made cupcakes all by herself measuring out the ingredients and mixing it. I read a Magic school bus book about sinking and floating. We discussed weight and density. Amara read 3 pages from a Hello Kitty book. Amara wrote "letters" to her friends trying her best to spell the words on her own.
Saturday- The kids had a great day playing with their friends. They were so creative and imaginative with all the games they made up. Ava and her friend Faith read a book together. Ava helped with dinner measuring out ingredients. After dinner, the kids took turns playing mario kart on the Wii.
Monday- The kids did math and reading in the morning. I read another chapter of "Someone named Eva" to them. We discussed more about WWII and who Hitler was.
Tuesday- The kids went to soccer today. We watched "Earth" and discussed the different animals shown. Ava helped me make lunch.
Wednesday- Ava read the whole book "Ten Apples Up on Top" to their grandma. Amara read 5 pages from "Buscuit wins a prize". Michael had the girls work on math. We went for a walk and had the girls spell random words (4,5,6 letter words for Ava and 3,4,5 letter words for Amara).
Thursday-Friday- We have been having a garage sale and the girls helped their friend run a lemonade stand. They helped make the lemonade/counted change, and sold it.Ava walked to the store with me and counted the money for and expected change she was getting from the cashier. The kids made $24 from just 2 days of their lemonade stand. They also did some reading (Ava and Amara read to their friend). Ava made cupcakes all by herself measuring out the ingredients and mixing it. I read a Magic school bus book about sinking and floating. We discussed weight and density. Amara read 3 pages from a Hello Kitty book. Amara wrote "letters" to her friends trying her best to spell the words on her own.
Saturday- The kids had a great day playing with their friends. They were so creative and imaginative with all the games they made up. Ava and her friend Faith read a book together. Ava helped with dinner measuring out ingredients. After dinner, the kids took turns playing mario kart on the Wii.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
May 16th- 22nd
Sunday- Ava read a few chapters from her "Scooby Doo" book. We went for a walk and the kids played outside with the neighbor.
Monday- In the morning the girls played eduational games online, and did math and spelling with Michael. Then we went to the library. Amara read 3 board books while Ava read a book. Then we went to the gardening store and picked up some strawberry plants. While out to eat at Pizza Hut, we played a few games (I spy, name animals/things starting with each letter of the alphabet). We also discussed why humans don't lay eggs and what mammals were. I finished reading the book "Sarny" to the kids. Then we compared it to "Night John" and talked about what they liked about the books and what they didn't like. The girls watched "The Magic School Bus: Sports".
Tuesday- The girls took turns playing on the computer. The kids played outside in the sprinkler.
Wednesday to Friday: Due to a family emergency, I had to go out of town. Michael stayed home with the kids. He did math and reading with them, gymnastics on Thursday, the kids played in the pool in the backyard, but mostly they had daddy time.
Saturday- I returned from Florida in the afternoon. We came home and watched a documentary by Animal Planet caled "A panda is born" and then it's sequel "Panda's first year". I was so tired from flying all day, it was a nice way to spend time with my family while resting.
Monday- In the morning the girls played eduational games online, and did math and spelling with Michael. Then we went to the library. Amara read 3 board books while Ava read a book. Then we went to the gardening store and picked up some strawberry plants. While out to eat at Pizza Hut, we played a few games (I spy, name animals/things starting with each letter of the alphabet). We also discussed why humans don't lay eggs and what mammals were. I finished reading the book "Sarny" to the kids. Then we compared it to "Night John" and talked about what they liked about the books and what they didn't like. The girls watched "The Magic School Bus: Sports".
Tuesday- The girls took turns playing on the computer. The kids played outside in the sprinkler.
Wednesday to Friday: Due to a family emergency, I had to go out of town. Michael stayed home with the kids. He did math and reading with them, gymnastics on Thursday, the kids played in the pool in the backyard, but mostly they had daddy time.
Saturday- I returned from Florida in the afternoon. We came home and watched a documentary by Animal Planet caled "A panda is born" and then it's sequel "Panda's first year". I was so tired from flying all day, it was a nice way to spend time with my family while resting.
Monday, May 10, 2010
May 9th- May 15th
Sunday- Happy Mother's Day everyone!!
Monday- Ava read the entire book "I have a magic pony" and then went and helped her father plant the seedlings in the garden. Amara read 5 pages from "Super Friends go Bananas". Corbin played "Ghost Hunters" while we were doing this. He "investgaed" in his bedroom. He said he was doing "EVP"s. lol. SO cute! Ava played the V-smile while Amara played on Starfall.com. I read 2 more chapters of "Sarny" to the girls.
Tuesday- The girls had a friend over to play for a while. We watched 3 episodes of "How the Earth Was Made". We learned about the San Andreas Fault line, the Mariana trench, and Loch Ness (the Lake, not the monster). That is a really interesting show. I really like how it recaps everything it has previously discussed throughout the episode.
Wednesday- The girls did math worksheets and worked on writing/spelling dolch site words. Ava has been reading by herself at night. In the past week and a half she has finished 2 Scooby Doo books. Amara read 5 pages from "Clifford the Big Red Dog". Then I read "Ox,House, Stick, The history of the Alphabet". We finsished "Guliver's Travels" and then went to the library. Then at the store, Michael and I quizzed the girls on spelling of dolch site words (about 10 each). When we came home I read 2 more chapters of "Sarny". The kids exercised in the basement (doing push-up, situps and jumping jacks). In the evening we watched about half of "Winged Migration". Its an interesting video showing how different birds travel and live.
Thursday-I read another chapter of "Sarny". The girls had gymnastics, while Corbin and I went to the library. Together we read a book to the reading dog. I read a book to the girls about nouns. We talked more about the use of punctuation and what types of punctuation applies to which sentence. Michael had the girls do math and they each read. We watched "Ghost Hunters" together. Ava played a new computer game that all of the instructions are reading.
Friday- Today was gorgeous!! After math in the morning, we went to the community center where the kids played with other homeschooled kids. We went to the store where the kids each practiced dolch site words. They are getting very good at reading and spelling them. Then we had a picnic in the park and the kids played on the playground equipment and in the grass. The kids looked for bugs and watched a bee fly from flower to flower. Amara drew pictures of the bugs and birds she saw. We came home and took a little rest while the girls watched "School of rock: multiplication". Ava is beginning to learn some multiplication. Then they played at the neighbors house. After dinner we had a bonfire where the girls and the neighbor girl told each other ghost stories. It was a very outdoorsy day.
Saturday- Ava and Amara took turns on the computer playing on the "Jump Start". The girls had "Gymfest" at gymnastics today. It was cool to see all the things they have been learning in gymnastics. We came home and had a bbq outside with the neighbors.
Monday- Ava read the entire book "I have a magic pony" and then went and helped her father plant the seedlings in the garden. Amara read 5 pages from "Super Friends go Bananas". Corbin played "Ghost Hunters" while we were doing this. He "investgaed" in his bedroom. He said he was doing "EVP"s. lol. SO cute! Ava played the V-smile while Amara played on Starfall.com. I read 2 more chapters of "Sarny" to the girls.
Tuesday- The girls had a friend over to play for a while. We watched 3 episodes of "How the Earth Was Made". We learned about the San Andreas Fault line, the Mariana trench, and Loch Ness (the Lake, not the monster). That is a really interesting show. I really like how it recaps everything it has previously discussed throughout the episode.
Wednesday- The girls did math worksheets and worked on writing/spelling dolch site words. Ava has been reading by herself at night. In the past week and a half she has finished 2 Scooby Doo books. Amara read 5 pages from "Clifford the Big Red Dog". Then I read "Ox,House, Stick, The history of the Alphabet". We finsished "Guliver's Travels" and then went to the library. Then at the store, Michael and I quizzed the girls on spelling of dolch site words (about 10 each). When we came home I read 2 more chapters of "Sarny". The kids exercised in the basement (doing push-up, situps and jumping jacks). In the evening we watched about half of "Winged Migration". Its an interesting video showing how different birds travel and live.
Thursday-I read another chapter of "Sarny". The girls had gymnastics, while Corbin and I went to the library. Together we read a book to the reading dog. I read a book to the girls about nouns. We talked more about the use of punctuation and what types of punctuation applies to which sentence. Michael had the girls do math and they each read. We watched "Ghost Hunters" together. Ava played a new computer game that all of the instructions are reading.
Friday- Today was gorgeous!! After math in the morning, we went to the community center where the kids played with other homeschooled kids. We went to the store where the kids each practiced dolch site words. They are getting very good at reading and spelling them. Then we had a picnic in the park and the kids played on the playground equipment and in the grass. The kids looked for bugs and watched a bee fly from flower to flower. Amara drew pictures of the bugs and birds she saw. We came home and took a little rest while the girls watched "School of rock: multiplication". Ava is beginning to learn some multiplication. Then they played at the neighbors house. After dinner we had a bonfire where the girls and the neighbor girl told each other ghost stories. It was a very outdoorsy day.
Saturday- Ava and Amara took turns on the computer playing on the "Jump Start". The girls had "Gymfest" at gymnastics today. It was cool to see all the things they have been learning in gymnastics. We came home and had a bbq outside with the neighbors.
Monday, May 3, 2010
May 2nd- May 8th
Sunday- We went out our friends house for their son's birthday. It was a blast! The kids always play so wonderful together. Michael and I enjoyed getting out and talking with other adults.
Monday- In the morning the kids made thank you notes for the neighbors after the neighbors brought over Mayday baskets. Ava sounded the words out on her own and spelled neighbors "Navers". IT was adorable. We had to go to Fargo so we went to the mall where the kids played at the dino playland. On the drive we worked on Dolch site words. Ava can read every single word and spell almost all of them. Amara read about 70% of the words correctly and can spell about 30% of them.
Tuesday- Today it was raining off and on so we were unable to go to soccer. Instead we went to the library where they played educational games on the computers and I read stories to them. We ran a couple of errands and while doing so, we worked on spelling. Each of the girls spelled 10 random words each. (Amara's were simpler 3 and 4 letter words, while Ava's were a little harder 4-6 letter words). Since the weather was icky, and the kids wanted to go to the park, we took them Menards where there is a small "playground" area set up. We bought wood to build a garden area outside while we were there. When we came home, we watched "Star Trek" the new movie. As with "Back to the Future" we explained Star Trek's version of time travel (they had already learned about black holes so it was a little easier to explain). I believe they understood on a very basic level. We ended up having to pause the movie every 5 minutes to explain scientific things, but I think they learned a lot from it. **Warning, there is an adult scene in the movie that I would recommend covering your kids eyes for if they are under 14 or so**. Then we all did laundry together. I read two more chapters of "Sarny" to the kids.
Wednesday- The kids wanted to go swimming (but my lungs are sensitive to the chlorine at the pool and it's too cold outside to swim) so the kids put their swimsuits on and played in the tub. They pretended it was a lake and there was a waterfall (the shower). We also watched "Bill Nye:Archeology". Michael and Amara played chess while Ava played the Wii. Then the girls wrote letters to a person of their choice. Amara practiced her alphabet both upper and lower case while Ava started a lesson about apostrophes. The girls watched Michael build walls for the garden.
Thursday-Friday-Saturday- Since this was the last week of the semester for Michael and I, we have taken a 4 day weekend.
Monday- In the morning the kids made thank you notes for the neighbors after the neighbors brought over Mayday baskets. Ava sounded the words out on her own and spelled neighbors "Navers". IT was adorable. We had to go to Fargo so we went to the mall where the kids played at the dino playland. On the drive we worked on Dolch site words. Ava can read every single word and spell almost all of them. Amara read about 70% of the words correctly and can spell about 30% of them.
Tuesday- Today it was raining off and on so we were unable to go to soccer. Instead we went to the library where they played educational games on the computers and I read stories to them. We ran a couple of errands and while doing so, we worked on spelling. Each of the girls spelled 10 random words each. (Amara's were simpler 3 and 4 letter words, while Ava's were a little harder 4-6 letter words). Since the weather was icky, and the kids wanted to go to the park, we took them Menards where there is a small "playground" area set up. We bought wood to build a garden area outside while we were there. When we came home, we watched "Star Trek" the new movie. As with "Back to the Future" we explained Star Trek's version of time travel (they had already learned about black holes so it was a little easier to explain). I believe they understood on a very basic level. We ended up having to pause the movie every 5 minutes to explain scientific things, but I think they learned a lot from it. **Warning, there is an adult scene in the movie that I would recommend covering your kids eyes for if they are under 14 or so**. Then we all did laundry together. I read two more chapters of "Sarny" to the kids.
Wednesday- The kids wanted to go swimming (but my lungs are sensitive to the chlorine at the pool and it's too cold outside to swim) so the kids put their swimsuits on and played in the tub. They pretended it was a lake and there was a waterfall (the shower). We also watched "Bill Nye:Archeology". Michael and Amara played chess while Ava played the Wii. Then the girls wrote letters to a person of their choice. Amara practiced her alphabet both upper and lower case while Ava started a lesson about apostrophes. The girls watched Michael build walls for the garden.
Thursday-Friday-Saturday- Since this was the last week of the semester for Michael and I, we have taken a 4 day weekend.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
April 25th- May 1st
*Michael and the children check the rapidly growing plants everyday and discuss them*
Sunday- Today we finish reading "Night John". The kids were happy to hear that Sarny got to attend "Pit School" (a make-shift school in the woods that she attended at night to learn to read and write). We then that the girls summarize the book and discuss how it made them feel. We read about compasses from the book "Map Mania" and made out own magnetic needle compass. The kids were amazed how the needle pointed north/south in water. The kids finished painting their piggy banks. They turned out great!! It was a time consuming project, but it was worth it. We then went to the park and the kids made new friends there.
Monday- Michael had the girls work on math and dolch words this morning. Then Ava read 10 pages from "Scooby-Doo: The School Play Suprise". Amara read 2 pages from "Strawberry Shortcake: The Berry-licious cook-off". I then read to the kids the book "So you want to be an Explorer?". Its a great book about different explorers through history. Ava drew a picture of the explorers in the book (though she called Ameila Earhart, "Amelia Airport". It was adorable.) We then went to the City Park and "explored" the beach. We found lots of shells and michael showed the kids how to skip rocks. We then went to the library and checked out "Sarny". The sequel to "NightJohn". I read the first two chapters to the kids and they are very excited to hear the soldiers have come to the plantation and freed Sarny, but sad that her children have already been sold. We then watched "Night at the Museum 2" and discussed the different historical characters in the movie.
Tuesday- The girls went to soccer from 1:30-3:30pm. We then watched "M3" a show on history channel. This specific episode was about Alexander the Great and his use of the torsion catapult. We then read 4 pages from "Technology of the Ancient Greece". A brief history and medicine (Hippocrates) and warfare. Afterwards we built our own catapult (though it was more mideval based than greek based). We used our Jenga blocks to build walls and took turns using the catapult. The girls played outside. The watched a bunny, investigated the lawn for bugs and flowers and colored with chalk on the sidewalk. While waiting for dinner, the girls used construction paper and made rocket ships. Then we watched the first half of "Food Inc". Wow! It's a video every American should watch!
Wednesday- Ava read 6 pages from a Scooby Doo book. She is almost done with it. Amara read 3 stories on the Starfall website. We built a fort in the living room (to use as base camp) Then we watched an older episode of Destination truth and then "played" Destination truth. Michael was Josh Gates, Amara was Ryder, Corbin played Gabe and Ava sat at base camp. They followed the "clues" (paper foot prints, hair etc) to the Sasquatch (played by mommy in a mask). They "analyzed the evidence" (aka talked about the size of the footprints and did pretend DNA testing on the hair).
Thursday- Amara worked on her counting today. She can count to 30 without help and 100 with a little bit of help. Amara was crafty today and made a balloon picture with construction paper and rubber bands for "strings". The girls went to gymnastics today. Then they watched "Bill Nye: The Earth's Crust". We watched Destination Truth and located Easter Island and New Zealand on a map and discussed how humans can destroy the enviornment/cause animals to become extinct. We then watched a movie on PBS.org called "From the Eyes of a Dog". It was about service dogs and the process of training them and matching them to those in need. It was a sweet movie. The girls decided they wanted to "camp" in the basement so we made beds in their ladybug tent. They made it about half the night before they wanted to come upstairs. Ava declared that she wants to read at bedtime and is able to answer questions about the stories she says she has been reading. I am so excited that she is starting to read on her own!!
Friday- The girls did math and dolch words in the morning. Then we watched "Bill Nye: Rocks and Soil". We then read a cute book called "Rocks and Minerals: A gem of a book". By Dan Green. It has a japanese twist to it. Each rock/mineral has a cute Japanese character design to it which made the kids LOVE it!! We are going to purchase it. I then read another chapter of "Sarny". We watched a disc of "Blue Planet". Ava finshed "Scooby doo: The School Play Surprise".
Saturday- Today we didn't do much. We let the kids play all day and do whatever they wanted. They spent all day playing in the playroom and then playing on their
v-smile. We then watched "Back to the Future". I can't believe it's PG.
Sunday- Today we finish reading "Night John". The kids were happy to hear that Sarny got to attend "Pit School" (a make-shift school in the woods that she attended at night to learn to read and write). We then that the girls summarize the book and discuss how it made them feel. We read about compasses from the book "Map Mania" and made out own magnetic needle compass. The kids were amazed how the needle pointed north/south in water. The kids finished painting their piggy banks. They turned out great!! It was a time consuming project, but it was worth it. We then went to the park and the kids made new friends there.
Monday- Michael had the girls work on math and dolch words this morning. Then Ava read 10 pages from "Scooby-Doo: The School Play Suprise". Amara read 2 pages from "Strawberry Shortcake: The Berry-licious cook-off". I then read to the kids the book "So you want to be an Explorer?". Its a great book about different explorers through history. Ava drew a picture of the explorers in the book (though she called Ameila Earhart, "Amelia Airport". It was adorable.) We then went to the City Park and "explored" the beach. We found lots of shells and michael showed the kids how to skip rocks. We then went to the library and checked out "Sarny". The sequel to "NightJohn". I read the first two chapters to the kids and they are very excited to hear the soldiers have come to the plantation and freed Sarny, but sad that her children have already been sold. We then watched "Night at the Museum 2" and discussed the different historical characters in the movie.
Tuesday- The girls went to soccer from 1:30-3:30pm. We then watched "M3" a show on history channel. This specific episode was about Alexander the Great and his use of the torsion catapult. We then read 4 pages from "Technology of the Ancient Greece". A brief history and medicine (Hippocrates) and warfare. Afterwards we built our own catapult (though it was more mideval based than greek based). We used our Jenga blocks to build walls and took turns using the catapult. The girls played outside. The watched a bunny, investigated the lawn for bugs and flowers and colored with chalk on the sidewalk. While waiting for dinner, the girls used construction paper and made rocket ships. Then we watched the first half of "Food Inc". Wow! It's a video every American should watch!
Wednesday- Ava read 6 pages from a Scooby Doo book. She is almost done with it. Amara read 3 stories on the Starfall website. We built a fort in the living room (to use as base camp) Then we watched an older episode of Destination truth and then "played" Destination truth. Michael was Josh Gates, Amara was Ryder, Corbin played Gabe and Ava sat at base camp. They followed the "clues" (paper foot prints, hair etc) to the Sasquatch (played by mommy in a mask). They "analyzed the evidence" (aka talked about the size of the footprints and did pretend DNA testing on the hair).
Thursday- Amara worked on her counting today. She can count to 30 without help and 100 with a little bit of help. Amara was crafty today and made a balloon picture with construction paper and rubber bands for "strings". The girls went to gymnastics today. Then they watched "Bill Nye: The Earth's Crust". We watched Destination Truth and located Easter Island and New Zealand on a map and discussed how humans can destroy the enviornment/cause animals to become extinct. We then watched a movie on PBS.org called "From the Eyes of a Dog". It was about service dogs and the process of training them and matching them to those in need. It was a sweet movie. The girls decided they wanted to "camp" in the basement so we made beds in their ladybug tent. They made it about half the night before they wanted to come upstairs. Ava declared that she wants to read at bedtime and is able to answer questions about the stories she says she has been reading. I am so excited that she is starting to read on her own!!
Friday- The girls did math and dolch words in the morning. Then we watched "Bill Nye: Rocks and Soil". We then read a cute book called "Rocks and Minerals: A gem of a book". By Dan Green. It has a japanese twist to it. Each rock/mineral has a cute Japanese character design to it which made the kids LOVE it!! We are going to purchase it. I then read another chapter of "Sarny". We watched a disc of "Blue Planet". Ava finshed "Scooby doo: The School Play Surprise".
Saturday- Today we didn't do much. We let the kids play all day and do whatever they wanted. They spent all day playing in the playroom and then playing on their
v-smile. We then watched "Back to the Future". I can't believe it's PG.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
April 18th- April 24
Sunday- Today was all about money! First we watched a episode of Modern Marvels that was all about money. It discussed how money is made, the security measures imbedded in the money, and a brief history of money in the United Stated. Then we started paper mache piggy banks. We are going to finish them throughout the week. We have also decided to start giving our children allowance. After a lot of reading, we have decided against making the allowance chore based. We are strictly using it for lessons about money. The girls will get $2 a week and Corbin will get $1 a week. However, they are now responsible to buy their own snacks at gymnastics if they want one, or saving up for things like taking a trip to the park at the MOA or ValleyFair this summer. We have also made a deal that if they save up for half, we will pay for the other half of a season pass to Underwater world.
Monday- This morning Amara played her jumpstart game. Just a peek into what all learning activities the jumpstart game offers, today she did letter recognization, counting, charts, adding, subtracting and reading. ALL in 1 1/2 of game play. Ava played educational games on the v-smile (which included reading, adding, subtracting and logic). We put another layer of paper mache on our piggie banks and gave the kids their first allowance. We walked to the library (which is great exercise) where the kids played educational games (about 15 minutes each). Amara and Corbin looked at books and Ava read "Happy Birthday Biscuit". The kids already decided to spend some of their allowance on an ice cream cone at McDonald's (to take a break before we walked home), but they stopped and contemplated it so it is a good beginning to teaching them the concept of saving/spending money.
Tuesday- Today we went to play soccer with the homeschooling group. Ava was super excited that her friend Faith was there. I really love going because the age group ranges from kindergarten to High schoolers and the older kids are so helpful with the younger ones. We watched Monster Quest about "The Sierra Sasquatch". We love that they show all kinds of scientific methods for tracking down, researching and understanding things. Then we watched a video called "The Statue of Liberty" by Ken Burns. Ava read 6 pages in a Scooby Doo book. We all put another layer of paper mache on our piggy banks. They should be ready to paint soon.
Wednesday- The kids played at their friend Kiryn's house for the afternoon. Then they made scultpures of the statue of liberty with clay.
We had the girls each read 10 dolch site words. We then watched "School House Rocks: EARTH". It talked about what individuals can do to help be more green. Afterwards we walked around our block and picked up trash. Sadly, we only went about 2 square blocks and were able to fill two grocery bags with garbage. I am disappointed with how disgusting the streets of Detroit Lakes are.
Thursday- HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE!! Today we were out in Fargo, so we stopped by the mall so the kids could play. The girls each reviewed about 20 dolch site word cards each in the car and watched "Bill Nye: Pseudoscience". I read them a SpongeBob book about recycling and why it is important. The girls had gymnastics today. While Amara waited her turn, I read a book to her and while Ava waited for Amara to get done I started reading "NightJohn" to her. It is a book written from the point of view of a slave girl. We watched "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" from last week and were amazed (and saddened) that the flavored milk had more sugar than POP! We watched Destination Truth and the kids learned about Petra in Jordan.
Friday- Today the girls each spent 45 mintues on their jumpstart game. Then they did some adding and subtracting as well as writing and reading 10 dolch words. Ava worked on math charts. Then they listened to me read 3 chapters of "NightJohn" by Gary Paulsen. We discussed slavery (the kids were shocked at how horrible dark skinned people were treated) and the Civil War. I then read 4 pages from "The Big Civil War Book". We covered the start of the Civil War. We played hide and seek and the girls took turns counting different ways (by 1's, 5's, 10's) when it was their turn to be it. We put the feet and noses and last layer of paper mache on our piggie banks and then watched "demolition" on the National Geographic channel. It was very informative about the different pieces of equipment construction workers use. We also worked on learning the names of the 50 states. We watched a video on teachertube.com (an old clip from the cartoon Anamaniacs). It was a song to help memorize the states and their capitols.
Saturday- The kids started painting their piggie banks. They are going to have to do a couple of layers, but what kid doesnt love to paint. They talked to their grandma via webcam. Amara read a few pages of "Birthday for Buscuit" while Ava played "twinkly twinkle little star" on the keyboard.
I read two more chapters of "Night John" to the kids. We discussed why slaves were not allowed to learn to read and write and how they should feel lucky to have the opportunity to get a good education. We did a little exercising in the basement (practicing gymnastics and the kids ran around). Then we worked on helping the kids learn the medical names of the bones. Then we worked on naming the 50 states. The kids were able to name about 10 on their own and 35 with help. Lastly, we watched the season Finale of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution". I was sad to see it end because it was a great educational tool. I am however very proud of our children for all they know about nutrition and keeping their bodies healthy.
Monday- This morning Amara played her jumpstart game. Just a peek into what all learning activities the jumpstart game offers, today she did letter recognization, counting, charts, adding, subtracting and reading. ALL in 1 1/2 of game play. Ava played educational games on the v-smile (which included reading, adding, subtracting and logic). We put another layer of paper mache on our piggie banks and gave the kids their first allowance. We walked to the library (which is great exercise) where the kids played educational games (about 15 minutes each). Amara and Corbin looked at books and Ava read "Happy Birthday Biscuit". The kids already decided to spend some of their allowance on an ice cream cone at McDonald's (to take a break before we walked home), but they stopped and contemplated it so it is a good beginning to teaching them the concept of saving/spending money.
Tuesday- Today we went to play soccer with the homeschooling group. Ava was super excited that her friend Faith was there. I really love going because the age group ranges from kindergarten to High schoolers and the older kids are so helpful with the younger ones. We watched Monster Quest about "The Sierra Sasquatch". We love that they show all kinds of scientific methods for tracking down, researching and understanding things. Then we watched a video called "The Statue of Liberty" by Ken Burns. Ava read 6 pages in a Scooby Doo book. We all put another layer of paper mache on our piggy banks. They should be ready to paint soon.
Wednesday- The kids played at their friend Kiryn's house for the afternoon. Then they made scultpures of the statue of liberty with clay.
We had the girls each read 10 dolch site words. We then watched "School House Rocks: EARTH". It talked about what individuals can do to help be more green. Afterwards we walked around our block and picked up trash. Sadly, we only went about 2 square blocks and were able to fill two grocery bags with garbage. I am disappointed with how disgusting the streets of Detroit Lakes are. Thursday- HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE!! Today we were out in Fargo, so we stopped by the mall so the kids could play. The girls each reviewed about 20 dolch site word cards each in the car and watched "Bill Nye: Pseudoscience". I read them a SpongeBob book about recycling and why it is important. The girls had gymnastics today. While Amara waited her turn, I read a book to her and while Ava waited for Amara to get done I started reading "NightJohn" to her. It is a book written from the point of view of a slave girl. We watched "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" from last week and were amazed (and saddened) that the flavored milk had more sugar than POP! We watched Destination Truth and the kids learned about Petra in Jordan.
Friday- Today the girls each spent 45 mintues on their jumpstart game. Then they did some adding and subtracting as well as writing and reading 10 dolch words. Ava worked on math charts. Then they listened to me read 3 chapters of "NightJohn" by Gary Paulsen. We discussed slavery (the kids were shocked at how horrible dark skinned people were treated) and the Civil War. I then read 4 pages from "The Big Civil War Book". We covered the start of the Civil War. We played hide and seek and the girls took turns counting different ways (by 1's, 5's, 10's) when it was their turn to be it. We put the feet and noses and last layer of paper mache on our piggie banks and then watched "demolition" on the National Geographic channel. It was very informative about the different pieces of equipment construction workers use. We also worked on learning the names of the 50 states. We watched a video on teachertube.com (an old clip from the cartoon Anamaniacs). It was a song to help memorize the states and their capitols.
Saturday- The kids started painting their piggie banks. They are going to have to do a couple of layers, but what kid doesnt love to paint. They talked to their grandma via webcam. Amara read a few pages of "Birthday for Buscuit" while Ava played "twinkly twinkle little star" on the keyboard.
I read two more chapters of "Night John" to the kids. We discussed why slaves were not allowed to learn to read and write and how they should feel lucky to have the opportunity to get a good education. We did a little exercising in the basement (practicing gymnastics and the kids ran around). Then we worked on helping the kids learn the medical names of the bones. Then we worked on naming the 50 states. The kids were able to name about 10 on their own and 35 with help. Lastly, we watched the season Finale of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution". I was sad to see it end because it was a great educational tool. I am however very proud of our children for all they know about nutrition and keeping their bodies healthy.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
April 11th-April 17th
***Everyday the kids have been checking on the plants with Michael***
Sunday- Today we went to the park. The kids made a new friend and exchanged numbers. We then walked to the store for exercise. Then their friend Kiryn came over and played for 4 hours. It was a great friend and exercise day!!
Monday- Today Ava read 7 pages from "Max and Poppy: The big wave" and Amara read 2 pages from a book. We went to the library where the girls read and played games on the computer. They each picked out books to read. Then we went to the community center and played in the gym. We had the gym to ourselves so the kids got to run around freely and play where ever the wanted. They were very excited about that. We stopped at Walmart to grab meat and while there, Ava read 3 pages from a Scooby Doo chapter book she picked out from the library. We came home for lunch and then the kids played outside in the yard. We then watched "Krakatoa" a PBS documentary about the eruption of Krakatoa. It was very interesting. The kids decided to put on a "Circus" for us! Ava made us crowns (I was the queen and Michael the king)and they performed their acts. Amara was the ring master and announced every act and a bear tamer. Ava was a juggler, a bear that did tricks and a acrobat. We then made carrot cake together. The girls took turns reading the recipe and measuring out ingredients. They worked well together and didn't fight once over whose turn it was. I was so proud, Amara read the fractions properly. IT turned out delicious!
Tuesday- Today was a very "traditional" school day. In the morning, Michael had the girls write out and spell 15 Dolch words each. He had Amara add and subtract and work on telling time. Ava added and subtracted both with/without borrowing/carrying over. She also worked on telling time to the minute and second. For lunch, we made a Shepard's pie together and then while we waited for it to bake, we learned about Ireland. We researched Ireland online and found a few great sites that talked about the history of Ireland, about the Nation (head of state, flag colors, languages, national symbol etc). We also watched a video on youtube.com "Flying through Ireland" that showed an aerial view of different locations around the country. Lastly we watched a video about Irish folk dancing and read an Irish fairy tale "Silvertree and Goldtree" which was very similar to Snow White.
Wednesday- Today was BEAUTIFUL outside!! The kids and I went for a walk to the library (Michael ran some errands and met us there). On the way we stopped at a construction site and watched the construction workers work on a new building they are putting up on Washington Ave. They were working on the roof and we talked about the different steps of constructing a building (from pouring the foundation to building the frame to siding and roofing). Then we watched a train go by and talked about how trains work. Finally we got to the library where Corbin and I read books about bats while the girls played Wii and did arts and crafts projects. Then we had a picnic at the park. We played at the park for like 2 1/2 hrs (there were a lot of kids there which is rare!). The kids flew their kites. Then we came home and watched "The Magic School Bus: The Human Body".
Thursday- Ava read 10 pages from "Poppy and Max: The big wave". She finished the book. Amara read 4 pages out of a Hello Kitty book. We then read a few pages out of "Map Mania" and each of the girls drew their own graphs of a room in the house. Ava then answered questions about the location of items in the room she picked. I drew a map of our town and gave it to Ava so she could give her dad directions to gymnastics. They then went to gymnastics. When they got home, I read a book to the kids "A year in the life of a dinosaur". It is a great interactive book! Then the girls picked their 2 favorite dinosaurs out of the book, drew pictures of them and wrote down their proper names. Then together we watched Destination Truth and Ghost Hunters.
Friday- Today Ava played educational games on the Jumpstart website. She decided she wants to learn to type properly so we discussed which fingers push which buttons and proper finger placement. She practiced while playing Language arts games on the jumpstart. Amara then played the jumpstart and practiced counting to 50 and matching beginning/ending sounds. Amara added and subtracted single and double digit numbers. I read Amara a book "The history of blood suckers". IT was an interesting book, but my feelings were mixed about it. It is a kids book but it talked about some pretty adult topics (Ivan the Impaler and The Blood Countess).
We watched a segment of a video about Yellowstone. We are hoping to take a trip there this August. Amara and Ava both wrote and read 10 dolch site words. The kids then watched "Bill Nye: Pseudoscience".
After we read more from "Map Mania", the girls decided they wanted to do a treasure hunt. I drew them a treasure map, wrote pirate lingo clues on it and they searched for their treasure. After which we decided to have a pirate night and cooked pirate (beef) stew with rolls and oranges (to prevent scurvy) along with pirate Rum (sprite and juice). We watched "Pirates of the Caribbean" and compared it to what we already knew about pirates.
Sunday- Today we went to the park. The kids made a new friend and exchanged numbers. We then walked to the store for exercise. Then their friend Kiryn came over and played for 4 hours. It was a great friend and exercise day!!
Monday- Today Ava read 7 pages from "Max and Poppy: The big wave" and Amara read 2 pages from a book. We went to the library where the girls read and played games on the computer. They each picked out books to read. Then we went to the community center and played in the gym. We had the gym to ourselves so the kids got to run around freely and play where ever the wanted. They were very excited about that. We stopped at Walmart to grab meat and while there, Ava read 3 pages from a Scooby Doo chapter book she picked out from the library. We came home for lunch and then the kids played outside in the yard. We then watched "Krakatoa" a PBS documentary about the eruption of Krakatoa. It was very interesting. The kids decided to put on a "Circus" for us! Ava made us crowns (I was the queen and Michael the king)and they performed their acts. Amara was the ring master and announced every act and a bear tamer. Ava was a juggler, a bear that did tricks and a acrobat. We then made carrot cake together. The girls took turns reading the recipe and measuring out ingredients. They worked well together and didn't fight once over whose turn it was. I was so proud, Amara read the fractions properly. IT turned out delicious!
Tuesday- Today was a very "traditional" school day. In the morning, Michael had the girls write out and spell 15 Dolch words each. He had Amara add and subtract and work on telling time. Ava added and subtracted both with/without borrowing/carrying over. She also worked on telling time to the minute and second. For lunch, we made a Shepard's pie together and then while we waited for it to bake, we learned about Ireland. We researched Ireland online and found a few great sites that talked about the history of Ireland, about the Nation (head of state, flag colors, languages, national symbol etc). We also watched a video on youtube.com "Flying through Ireland" that showed an aerial view of different locations around the country. Lastly we watched a video about Irish folk dancing and read an Irish fairy tale "Silvertree and Goldtree" which was very similar to Snow White.
Wednesday- Today was BEAUTIFUL outside!! The kids and I went for a walk to the library (Michael ran some errands and met us there). On the way we stopped at a construction site and watched the construction workers work on a new building they are putting up on Washington Ave. They were working on the roof and we talked about the different steps of constructing a building (from pouring the foundation to building the frame to siding and roofing). Then we watched a train go by and talked about how trains work. Finally we got to the library where Corbin and I read books about bats while the girls played Wii and did arts and crafts projects. Then we had a picnic at the park. We played at the park for like 2 1/2 hrs (there were a lot of kids there which is rare!). The kids flew their kites. Then we came home and watched "The Magic School Bus: The Human Body".
Thursday- Ava read 10 pages from "Poppy and Max: The big wave". She finished the book. Amara read 4 pages out of a Hello Kitty book. We then read a few pages out of "Map Mania" and each of the girls drew their own graphs of a room in the house. Ava then answered questions about the location of items in the room she picked. I drew a map of our town and gave it to Ava so she could give her dad directions to gymnastics. They then went to gymnastics. When they got home, I read a book to the kids "A year in the life of a dinosaur". It is a great interactive book! Then the girls picked their 2 favorite dinosaurs out of the book, drew pictures of them and wrote down their proper names. Then together we watched Destination Truth and Ghost Hunters.
Friday- Today Ava played educational games on the Jumpstart website. She decided she wants to learn to type properly so we discussed which fingers push which buttons and proper finger placement. She practiced while playing Language arts games on the jumpstart. Amara then played the jumpstart and practiced counting to 50 and matching beginning/ending sounds. Amara added and subtracted single and double digit numbers. I read Amara a book "The history of blood suckers". IT was an interesting book, but my feelings were mixed about it. It is a kids book but it talked about some pretty adult topics (Ivan the Impaler and The Blood Countess).
We watched a segment of a video about Yellowstone. We are hoping to take a trip there this August. Amara and Ava both wrote and read 10 dolch site words. The kids then watched "Bill Nye: Pseudoscience".
After we read more from "Map Mania", the girls decided they wanted to do a treasure hunt. I drew them a treasure map, wrote pirate lingo clues on it and they searched for their treasure. After which we decided to have a pirate night and cooked pirate (beef) stew with rolls and oranges (to prevent scurvy) along with pirate Rum (sprite and juice). We watched "Pirates of the Caribbean" and compared it to what we already knew about pirates.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
April 4th-April 10th
Sunday- Happy Easter Everyone!!! Hope you are having a wonderful Pagan/Christian/Jewish holiday weekend. Today, we had an egg hunt (we put coins inside their eggs instead of candy. We did so because one, they didn't need any more candy and two, it helps teach them about money). We had them identify the coins they got and count how much was there. We then went out to eat with their grandma.
Monday- In the morning, the girls played their "jump start" game on their computer. Today we went to the Mall of America! They have "homeschooling days" there right now so we got a great deal on a 3 hr unlimited ride wristband. They read a few pages from books we keep in the car and colored/drew pictures. We had a good time (except for traffic and untrained park staff). Normally when we go, the kids only get to ride a few rides because wristbands are so expensive so it was so nice being able to let them ride whatever they wanted. Amara even got to go on her first rollercoaster!
Tuesday- We took the kids to the Yunker Farms Children's Museum in Fargo. Its a great little children's museum. They have all kinds of activities. Everything from creative play with dressup clothes and food to learning about pulleys and inclines. When we got home, Amara read 4 pages from a book. We watched two episodes of Myth Busters.
Wednesday- In the morning, the kids spent time with their grandma while I had a doctors appointment. She took them outside and then had them watch a movie. Later at night the girls both read to their grandma Sue via webcam today. Amara finsihed the book "Bathtime for Biscuit" while Ava read half of "Wings for Unicorn". We spent about an hour and a half working on different forms of math with the girls. Amara added and subtracted without carrying over. Then she filled in the blanks for number patterns (counting by 1s, 5s, 10s). Then she wrote her alphabet both capital and lowercase. Ava first did some word problems (both adding,subtracting and fraction based word problems). Then she drew and colored in circles for various fractions. Last she learned how to subtract with borrowing. This is a new concept for her so Michael spent a lot of time on it for her, but even after one day she is getting it fairly well.
Thursday-Today, the girls have gymnastics. They are excited to get back after the break. We watched "Ghost Hunters" together.
Friday- We grocery shopped today. While shopping, we discussed the differences between healthy food and unhealthy food. We discussed the sugar content in cereal and how we need to pick cereal without a lot of sugar in it. We also talked about why we choose organic fruits and vegetables. Also while we shopped we reviewed some Dolch site words. I quizzed the girls on the spelling of the words. They did 15 words each.
Saturday- The kids did art activities this morning. They created their own "books" (they drew pictures and wrote a few words).We spent about 2 hours in the basement doing multiple physcial activities. The girls practiced different gymnastics (handstands, cartwheels, flips, etc). Together we did pushups and situps. Then we threw a ball around. We also played tag. We watched "Bill Nye: Germs". Ava read "Dinosaurs:Two of a kind". We watched "Super Continents", a show on National Geographic about how the worlds will again form another Super Continent.
Monday- In the morning, the girls played their "jump start" game on their computer. Today we went to the Mall of America! They have "homeschooling days" there right now so we got a great deal on a 3 hr unlimited ride wristband. They read a few pages from books we keep in the car and colored/drew pictures. We had a good time (except for traffic and untrained park staff). Normally when we go, the kids only get to ride a few rides because wristbands are so expensive so it was so nice being able to let them ride whatever they wanted. Amara even got to go on her first rollercoaster!
Tuesday- We took the kids to the Yunker Farms Children's Museum in Fargo. Its a great little children's museum. They have all kinds of activities. Everything from creative play with dressup clothes and food to learning about pulleys and inclines. When we got home, Amara read 4 pages from a book. We watched two episodes of Myth Busters.
Wednesday- In the morning, the kids spent time with their grandma while I had a doctors appointment. She took them outside and then had them watch a movie. Later at night the girls both read to their grandma Sue via webcam today. Amara finsihed the book "Bathtime for Biscuit" while Ava read half of "Wings for Unicorn". We spent about an hour and a half working on different forms of math with the girls. Amara added and subtracted without carrying over. Then she filled in the blanks for number patterns (counting by 1s, 5s, 10s). Then she wrote her alphabet both capital and lowercase. Ava first did some word problems (both adding,subtracting and fraction based word problems). Then she drew and colored in circles for various fractions. Last she learned how to subtract with borrowing. This is a new concept for her so Michael spent a lot of time on it for her, but even after one day she is getting it fairly well.
Thursday-Today, the girls have gymnastics. They are excited to get back after the break. We watched "Ghost Hunters" together.
Friday- We grocery shopped today. While shopping, we discussed the differences between healthy food and unhealthy food. We discussed the sugar content in cereal and how we need to pick cereal without a lot of sugar in it. We also talked about why we choose organic fruits and vegetables. Also while we shopped we reviewed some Dolch site words. I quizzed the girls on the spelling of the words. They did 15 words each.
Saturday- The kids did art activities this morning. They created their own "books" (they drew pictures and wrote a few words).We spent about 2 hours in the basement doing multiple physcial activities. The girls practiced different gymnastics (handstands, cartwheels, flips, etc). Together we did pushups and situps. Then we threw a ball around. We also played tag. We watched "Bill Nye: Germs". Ava read "Dinosaurs:Two of a kind". We watched "Super Continents", a show on National Geographic about how the worlds will again form another Super Continent.
Monday, March 29, 2010
March 28th-April 3rd
Sunday- Today was beautiful so we went to the park. The kids rode their bikes and played on the playground equipment. Ava colored outside on the sidewalk with chalk while Amara and Ava procrastinated picking up their toys. After seeing Ava get a special reward, she picked up much faster. Ava read "Lilo & Stitch: Home, Stinky, Home" and finished "Poppy and Max: The River Picnic" . The girls painted little statues of ponies we purchased on sale for art activities. They mixed their own colors. We watched an earthquake movie on the National geographic website and then Earthquakes: Bill Nye.
Monday- The girls took turns playing their Jump start game (if I haven't talked about it before, it's a great game that covers all aspects of learning from math to reading to social studies). Ava read the whole book "Ruby and Max:Ruby scores a goal". Amara read 4 pages from "Little Critters: Going to the Sea Park". We had a poetry lesson, where I read 4 Shel Silversten poems from the book "Runny Babbit" and then a few poems from "Read a Rhyme, write a rhyme". We then wrote 5 poems together. One about a dog, one about a cat, one about a fish and then we did poems from each of their names. While Amara watched "Mickey Mouse Club house" and "Handy Manny" with her brother, Ava and I read "Klondike and Snow", a book about polar bears that also teaches fractions. Ava learned what a numerator and a denominator is, as well as seeing fractions in their different forms. It's a great book. We are watching "Volcanoes" Bill Nye. I realize we do lots of natural disaster stuff, but the kids love it. I don't know why, but their whole lives, they have been fascinated with nature. Everything from flowers to hurricanes to insects.
Tuesday- Today was devoted to Science!! We are having a Bill Nye "Body" marathon. First we watched "Bones and Muscles". I love the quizzes on the Bill Nye videos. It's a great recap for the stuff they don't remember. After the first video I read the book "You can't see Your Bones with Binoculars" by Harriet Ziefert. We then watched "Skin". Then we watched "Bill Nye: Brain". We did an experiment that was on the video where the kids went into their room, looked for 1 minute and then drew everything they could remember. They did pretty well. We then watched "Eyeballs". Finally the kids watched "Heart" and "Blood Circulation".
Wednesday- The girls went their their friends house to play today. It was a big step (both frightening and exciting for us) because it was the first time they were at a friends house without us present. They were in good hands though. It felt so weird without them home. The house was too quiet. lol. After they came home, we went to the park where they played with another friend. It was a great day for socializing!!! We came home and watched Mythbusters.
Thursday-There was no gymnastics today which disappointed the girls. We spent a lot of time today reviewing the information they had learned on their "jumpstart" game. Ava read a book to her siblings (5 pages from a book) about twisters.
Friday- We took the kids to Itasca State park. They built a "teepee" out of cut down branches that the forest rangers hadn't picked up yet. We walked one of the trails and discussed the moss on the trees. We went down to the headwaters and saw the height of Mississippi at it's beginning. Michael's mom came along and they had a great time with grandma. On the way home they watched a Sesame Street "It's Easy Being Green" which is about being enviornmentally friendly. IT was educational even for me.
Saturday- We are taking today off for Easter weekend. The kids did play educational games on the computer this morning but we haven't pushed anything else.
Monday- The girls took turns playing their Jump start game (if I haven't talked about it before, it's a great game that covers all aspects of learning from math to reading to social studies). Ava read the whole book "Ruby and Max:Ruby scores a goal". Amara read 4 pages from "Little Critters: Going to the Sea Park". We had a poetry lesson, where I read 4 Shel Silversten poems from the book "Runny Babbit" and then a few poems from "Read a Rhyme, write a rhyme". We then wrote 5 poems together. One about a dog, one about a cat, one about a fish and then we did poems from each of their names. While Amara watched "Mickey Mouse Club house" and "Handy Manny" with her brother, Ava and I read "Klondike and Snow", a book about polar bears that also teaches fractions. Ava learned what a numerator and a denominator is, as well as seeing fractions in their different forms. It's a great book. We are watching "Volcanoes" Bill Nye. I realize we do lots of natural disaster stuff, but the kids love it. I don't know why, but their whole lives, they have been fascinated with nature. Everything from flowers to hurricanes to insects.
Tuesday- Today was devoted to Science!! We are having a Bill Nye "Body" marathon. First we watched "Bones and Muscles". I love the quizzes on the Bill Nye videos. It's a great recap for the stuff they don't remember. After the first video I read the book "You can't see Your Bones with Binoculars" by Harriet Ziefert. We then watched "Skin". Then we watched "Bill Nye: Brain". We did an experiment that was on the video where the kids went into their room, looked for 1 minute and then drew everything they could remember. They did pretty well. We then watched "Eyeballs". Finally the kids watched "Heart" and "Blood Circulation".
Wednesday- The girls went their their friends house to play today. It was a big step (both frightening and exciting for us) because it was the first time they were at a friends house without us present. They were in good hands though. It felt so weird without them home. The house was too quiet. lol. After they came home, we went to the park where they played with another friend. It was a great day for socializing!!! We came home and watched Mythbusters.
Thursday-There was no gymnastics today which disappointed the girls. We spent a lot of time today reviewing the information they had learned on their "jumpstart" game. Ava read a book to her siblings (5 pages from a book) about twisters.
Friday- We took the kids to Itasca State park. They built a "teepee" out of cut down branches that the forest rangers hadn't picked up yet. We walked one of the trails and discussed the moss on the trees. We went down to the headwaters and saw the height of Mississippi at it's beginning. Michael's mom came along and they had a great time with grandma. On the way home they watched a Sesame Street "It's Easy Being Green" which is about being enviornmentally friendly. IT was educational even for me.
Saturday- We are taking today off for Easter weekend. The kids did play educational games on the computer this morning but we haven't pushed anything else.
Monday, March 22, 2010
March 21st- March 27th
Sunday- Today was GORGEOUS!! We took advantage of it by getting outside for almost the entire day. We went to the park where we played some baseball then the kids played on the equipment. Amara has a knack for bringing shy boys out of their shell and she worked her magic on a four yr old boy who ended up playing with all three of the kids. We then walked to the grocery store (which is about 1/2 mile one way)and got groceries for BBQing. We had a BBQ outside and a small bonfire, while we cooked, the kids rode their bikes, played on their swing set and played fetch with the dog. We came in and watched "Old Dogs" (a really cute movie) together before bed. I can't wait for more days like today. It creates great opportunities for the kids to exercise without doing the same repetitive thing in the basement.
Monday- We used the dry erase boards to help the girls learn their days of the week and the months of the year. We had them spell them and put them in alphabetical order. After playing and lunch, we all played Hangman with each of us taking a turn to come up with a word. The kids were so cute squirming as they got close to completing a hangman. Then I drew clocks on the board and the names of money and Amara wrote down the times and how much each coin is worth. Ava worked on fractions. I went into detail about the relationship between fractions/decimals/percentages and showed her how they are all related (and how they are related to money). She shaded in correct fractions in circles and wrote correct fractions for already shaded in circles. She then wrote the decimal and percentage for those fractions.
Together, the kids and I made a rainbow cake which came out soooo cool. Look at the pics. It was super easy to do. I altered a recipe from the March issue of Family Fun magazine.
Tuesday- Today we are going to the Circus!! The kids are so excited. Because of this, it has been hard getting them to focus on any kind of school work. I did however get them to read. Ava read 7 pages out of a book series "Poppy and Max" and Amara read 2 pages out of "Sam has pizza". While Michael ran to help his mom and sister after their car broke down, the kids and I watched "The matters of Phase" Bill Nye. We then did 3 different science experiments. We got a glass of really hot water and one of very cold water, added food coloring and saw which one mixed faster. The hot water did because the molecules are moving faster in the hot water. I then showed them boiling water on the stove to show how liquid changes to gas when you add energy (heat). To kill time until it was time to go the the Circus, we watched "Farming" Bill Nye. We discussed how farming is good for humans but bad for the environment, but we can farm organically to make it less harmful. We also discussed why we buy organic produce and hormone free meat.
Wednesday- The Circus yesterday was so much fun!! The kids couldn't think of one thing they liked the best. As for today,the girls each read this morning. Ava is doing so well, she read 10 pages in 15 minutes. She hardly ever needs help sounding words out. Amara is struggling because she gets frustrated so easily. Michael does better working with her, so I read with Ava and Michael with Amara. After that, we went to the gym at the community center for 2 hours. Its amazing how fast 2 hours goes when they are running around having fun. I hope to go 3 times a week not just for the kids but also for exercise for Michael and myself. We then went to the library where the kids played on the computers and with the puppets. Once we got home, they watched "Caves" and "Forests" Bill Nye. We discussed how important forests are to our survival.
Thursday- The girls took turn playing their educational games on their V-smile and their computer. In the late morning (well like a 2 hr time spread), the kids did their own art projects from their own imaginations. They each made something original, but all were Easter related. Then they played with clay, again making Easter themed creations. The girls had gymnastics today but other than that, it was a pretty mellow day.
Friday- Today was a very "schoolish" day. Amara did a lot of math with her dad. She worked on telling time and counting by 5's and 10's, which she did with minimal assistance. She then played on the StarFall website where she read 3 "books" and practiced long and short vowels. Ava read 2 books (I am so proud of her for that!)Ava made cookies today with very little help from dad. She found the recipe online (with help from mom), read the measurements and mixed the ingredients. The only thing mom and dad helped with was removing the cookies from the oven. We also made homemade butter after seeing instructions for doing so on the Bill Nye "Farming" video. It turned out pretty good. We used the buttermilk to make buttermilk pancakes and had breakfast food for lunch.
In the evening, we watched a documentary on the National Geographic website about grizzly bears.
Saturday- We have colds going around so we didn't do much today.
Monday- We used the dry erase boards to help the girls learn their days of the week and the months of the year. We had them spell them and put them in alphabetical order. After playing and lunch, we all played Hangman with each of us taking a turn to come up with a word. The kids were so cute squirming as they got close to completing a hangman. Then I drew clocks on the board and the names of money and Amara wrote down the times and how much each coin is worth. Ava worked on fractions. I went into detail about the relationship between fractions/decimals/percentages and showed her how they are all related (and how they are related to money). She shaded in correct fractions in circles and wrote correct fractions for already shaded in circles. She then wrote the decimal and percentage for those fractions.
Together, the kids and I made a rainbow cake which came out soooo cool. Look at the pics. It was super easy to do. I altered a recipe from the March issue of Family Fun magazine.
Tuesday- Today we are going to the Circus!! The kids are so excited. Because of this, it has been hard getting them to focus on any kind of school work. I did however get them to read. Ava read 7 pages out of a book series "Poppy and Max" and Amara read 2 pages out of "Sam has pizza". While Michael ran to help his mom and sister after their car broke down, the kids and I watched "The matters of Phase" Bill Nye. We then did 3 different science experiments. We got a glass of really hot water and one of very cold water, added food coloring and saw which one mixed faster. The hot water did because the molecules are moving faster in the hot water. I then showed them boiling water on the stove to show how liquid changes to gas when you add energy (heat). To kill time until it was time to go the the Circus, we watched "Farming" Bill Nye. We discussed how farming is good for humans but bad for the environment, but we can farm organically to make it less harmful. We also discussed why we buy organic produce and hormone free meat.
Wednesday- The Circus yesterday was so much fun!! The kids couldn't think of one thing they liked the best. As for today,the girls each read this morning. Ava is doing so well, she read 10 pages in 15 minutes. She hardly ever needs help sounding words out. Amara is struggling because she gets frustrated so easily. Michael does better working with her, so I read with Ava and Michael with Amara. After that, we went to the gym at the community center for 2 hours. Its amazing how fast 2 hours goes when they are running around having fun. I hope to go 3 times a week not just for the kids but also for exercise for Michael and myself. We then went to the library where the kids played on the computers and with the puppets. Once we got home, they watched "Caves" and "Forests" Bill Nye. We discussed how important forests are to our survival.
Thursday- The girls took turn playing their educational games on their V-smile and their computer. In the late morning (well like a 2 hr time spread), the kids did their own art projects from their own imaginations. They each made something original, but all were Easter related. Then they played with clay, again making Easter themed creations. The girls had gymnastics today but other than that, it was a pretty mellow day.
Friday- Today was a very "schoolish" day. Amara did a lot of math with her dad. She worked on telling time and counting by 5's and 10's, which she did with minimal assistance. She then played on the StarFall website where she read 3 "books" and practiced long and short vowels. Ava read 2 books (I am so proud of her for that!)Ava made cookies today with very little help from dad. She found the recipe online (with help from mom), read the measurements and mixed the ingredients. The only thing mom and dad helped with was removing the cookies from the oven. We also made homemade butter after seeing instructions for doing so on the Bill Nye "Farming" video. It turned out pretty good. We used the buttermilk to make buttermilk pancakes and had breakfast food for lunch.
In the evening, we watched a documentary on the National Geographic website about grizzly bears.
Saturday- We have colds going around so we didn't do much today.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
March 14th-March 20th
**ALL WEEK LONG** The kids have been helping Michael keep an eye on the veggies they planted together. We already have seedlings! The lettuce is growing like crazy. So the broccoli is not far behind. Its great for them to be able to see where food comes from (NOT just from the grocery store!)
Sunday- We were all turned around today because of day light savings time. The day didn't offically start until the afternoon. The kids watched Bill Nye "Amphibians" and "The Sun". We reviewed the Dolch sight words. Ava can spell most of them and read all of them. Amara can spell a few and can sound out about half. The kids spent a ton of time in the playroom (they were supposed to be cleaning but spent more time playing than cleaning) while Michael and I cleaned upstairs. The girls webchatted with their grandma Sue (who read them half of "High Clouds" by Paul McCartney). Ava played on Nickjr and Amara played guitar and sang. Ava played Strawberry Shortcake on the PS2 (which I know some people don't count video games as educational, so I will list the ways she learned 1. She subracted numbers into the 100's to figure out how many jewels she needed to purchase a prize. 2. She used hand/eye coordination 3. She used logic figure out how to pass the trials in the game.)
Monday- The girls played educational games on the computer in the morning. We went for a walk today because it was so beautiful out. We went to the library where Corbin played with puzzles and the girls picked out books to read. I read another chapter of "Theodosia" to them.
Tuesday- The girls took turns playing their v-smile instead of playing on the computer. We went to the park today. IT was a bit chillier than yesterday but 90% of the snow is melted and the kids really wanted to play. We were at the park for like an hour and the kids still wanted to play in the backyard when they got home, which they did. They watched "Bill Nye: Biodiversity". It was a great video to teach them how the world is connected and how what we do as humans affects the rest of the world.
Wednesday- I am sick today so Michael took over school. He and the girls played in the basement doing cartwheels, hand stands (Ava worked on her backbends). He had the girls work on telling time. THe both also read. Ava read a whole book "That bad bad cat" (which I think was below her abilities but getting her to read anything is better than nothing) and Amara read 4 pages from "Pizza for Sam". I was feeling a little better in the afternoon so we took the kids outside. It has been so gorgeous out that it was hard to pass the opportunity up. The kids rode their bikes and colored with chalk on the side walk. After lunch, the girls worked on writing and reading 20 of the dolch sight words. Ava can read all of the 220 words, spell about half and it is helping her writing. It is one of the more structured things we do, and we do it because I believe it helps Ava feel more confident in her reading.
Thursday- Michael worked on math with the girls today. They practiced adding and subtracting. I made flash cards for the 220 dolch site words for the girls to work on. The girls reviewed about 25 cards each today. I hope in the next few months both girls will be able to read/write/spell all 220 words on their own. We went to the community center and played in the gym for a little over an hour. Michael taught Ava how to dribble a basketball, Amara and I played soccer, we all played tag and raced around the gym. At the end, we all ran/walked 3 laps around the gym to get our heart rates up. The girls also had gymnastics today. Ava showed off her backbend that she learned on her own this past week. The teacher was impressed. After dinner we finished off the night with "Ghost Hunters" and "destination truth" where the main themes were St.Patrick's Day stuff (GH investigated a Irish pub while DT investigated leprechans).
Friday- We spent about 1 1/2 hrs at the community center. We played ping pong, basketball, walked the track 3 times (which is about a 1/3 mile), and took turns coming up with different kinds of races. We then went to the library where the kids played on the computers, played with the puppets and the puzzles. We had the girls write/read 25 more of the dolch site words. At K-mart after seeing decorative thermometers, I showed the girls how to read a thermometer and what each line/number means. They then took turns reading the temperature on the thermometer. At bedtime Michael read Corbin a Batman book while I read "The Princess and the White Bear King" which is based off an old Norweign folk tale.
Saturday- Today we went out to Fargo and the kids played at the Dino playland in the mall. We let the kids try on a bunch of Easter outfits and model them for us. It is always a blast doing that! Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful day.
Sunday- We were all turned around today because of day light savings time. The day didn't offically start until the afternoon. The kids watched Bill Nye "Amphibians" and "The Sun". We reviewed the Dolch sight words. Ava can spell most of them and read all of them. Amara can spell a few and can sound out about half. The kids spent a ton of time in the playroom (they were supposed to be cleaning but spent more time playing than cleaning) while Michael and I cleaned upstairs. The girls webchatted with their grandma Sue (who read them half of "High Clouds" by Paul McCartney). Ava played on Nickjr and Amara played guitar and sang. Ava played Strawberry Shortcake on the PS2 (which I know some people don't count video games as educational, so I will list the ways she learned 1. She subracted numbers into the 100's to figure out how many jewels she needed to purchase a prize. 2. She used hand/eye coordination 3. She used logic figure out how to pass the trials in the game.)
Monday- The girls played educational games on the computer in the morning. We went for a walk today because it was so beautiful out. We went to the library where Corbin played with puzzles and the girls picked out books to read. I read another chapter of "Theodosia" to them.
Tuesday- The girls took turns playing their v-smile instead of playing on the computer. We went to the park today. IT was a bit chillier than yesterday but 90% of the snow is melted and the kids really wanted to play. We were at the park for like an hour and the kids still wanted to play in the backyard when they got home, which they did. They watched "Bill Nye: Biodiversity". It was a great video to teach them how the world is connected and how what we do as humans affects the rest of the world.
Wednesday- I am sick today so Michael took over school. He and the girls played in the basement doing cartwheels, hand stands (Ava worked on her backbends). He had the girls work on telling time. THe both also read. Ava read a whole book "That bad bad cat" (which I think was below her abilities but getting her to read anything is better than nothing) and Amara read 4 pages from "Pizza for Sam". I was feeling a little better in the afternoon so we took the kids outside. It has been so gorgeous out that it was hard to pass the opportunity up. The kids rode their bikes and colored with chalk on the side walk. After lunch, the girls worked on writing and reading 20 of the dolch sight words. Ava can read all of the 220 words, spell about half and it is helping her writing. It is one of the more structured things we do, and we do it because I believe it helps Ava feel more confident in her reading.
Thursday- Michael worked on math with the girls today. They practiced adding and subtracting. I made flash cards for the 220 dolch site words for the girls to work on. The girls reviewed about 25 cards each today. I hope in the next few months both girls will be able to read/write/spell all 220 words on their own. We went to the community center and played in the gym for a little over an hour. Michael taught Ava how to dribble a basketball, Amara and I played soccer, we all played tag and raced around the gym. At the end, we all ran/walked 3 laps around the gym to get our heart rates up. The girls also had gymnastics today. Ava showed off her backbend that she learned on her own this past week. The teacher was impressed. After dinner we finished off the night with "Ghost Hunters" and "destination truth" where the main themes were St.Patrick's Day stuff (GH investigated a Irish pub while DT investigated leprechans).
Friday- We spent about 1 1/2 hrs at the community center. We played ping pong, basketball, walked the track 3 times (which is about a 1/3 mile), and took turns coming up with different kinds of races. We then went to the library where the kids played on the computers, played with the puppets and the puzzles. We had the girls write/read 25 more of the dolch site words. At K-mart after seeing decorative thermometers, I showed the girls how to read a thermometer and what each line/number means. They then took turns reading the temperature on the thermometer. At bedtime Michael read Corbin a Batman book while I read "The Princess and the White Bear King" which is based off an old Norweign folk tale.
Saturday- Today we went out to Fargo and the kids played at the Dino playland in the mall. We let the kids try on a bunch of Easter outfits and model them for us. It is always a blast doing that! Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful day.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
March 7- March 13
Sunday- The kids took turns on the computer playing educational games. Ava focused on math while Amara focused on reading. Ava also read a book this morning. We went to the store to buy more art supplies so we have activities for a couple of weeks. We all played downstairs, the kids ran around and used the bean bag chairs for sliding mats and see who could slide the furthest. I read to the kids before bedtime.
Monday- The girls took turns playing educational games on the computer. I love the jump start game they have because it covers everything from math to reading. It is fun for them and they learn at the same time. We played the Wii (baseball, golf and tennis) for about an hour. Then we went to the basement and worked out. We helped the girls practice their gymnastice (hand stands, balance beam, cartwheels, stretching etc). We also talked about stranger danger and being safe. We taught the girls a safe word (a word that if confronted someone stranger or not, the person must know for the girls to go with them or speak to them). We then watched a video by the smithsonian networks called "Critter Quest". It covered everything from bugs and insects to piegons to Owls.
Tuesday- The kids are making the day all about birds. First they made their own "bird houses" out of old cardboard boxes. Then they used feathers, foam sheets, popsicle sticks and other art supplies to make their own birds. They also looked up birds on the internet and read a little about them. Of course they spent the morning like most mornings playing educational games on their computer. It is a great way for them to learn indepedently while Michael makes breakfast and does his own school work. They play soooo well together most mornings it makes us proud. We also went to the Hjemkomst Center (don't ask me to pronounce it, I never get it right) and saw the replica viking ship. We watched a 29 minute documentary about Robert Asp (the ships creator) and how the ship was made and sailed from Duluth to Norway. We also saw the stave church replica which was amazing. The craftsmanship was beautiful. The kids were most fascinated with the cracks in the ship (go figure) and the dragon on the top of the ship named Egor. I can't believe it took us so long to go there. We are planning on going back on Saturday for the celtic festival.
Wednesday- We grocery shopped today. I love grocery shopping with my kids because they always ask "Is this organic or Is this all natural?" They also say, "I would rather have this verse that because it's healthier for me". It makes me feel so proud as a parent that they are able to make good food choices as young as they are. Hopefully it will stay with them for the rest of their lives. I was so excited. I went to the library and they have like 40 new Bill Nye movies. My kids LOVE Bill Nye the science guy. We checked out like 12 videos. I'm not sure if we will be able to watch them all in a week so I may have to recheck some out.
Thursday- The girls played educational games on the computer in the morning. It is really helping the girls with their reading and Amara with her math. Even Corbin has started saying things like "1+1=2". The girls had gymnastics today, which they are alway super excited about. We watched ghost hunters as a family television show to watch (other than ghost hunters we RARELY watch non-educational television). The kids want to go on a paranormal investigation (a ghost hunt). We told them they have to wait until they are a little older. I read two chapters of a new book called "Theodosia and the serpent of chaos". We are going back and forth between that and "Little House on the Prairie". They are kind of bored with "little house on the prairie" I think because once the shock of the characters lives being so different wore off, they can't relate that much to the characters. I will continue to read it though because it's a classic.
Friday-They started their ususal routine with educational games on the computer. The kids played operation. Though the game is annoying, it really helps with fine motor skills. Ava decided she wanted to make lunch so she made pb&j, cheese sticks and fruit. We are watching Bill Nye "Oceanography". We then watched "waves" by Bill Nye. We went to the community center and played in the gym for 1 1/2 hrs. We played basketball, football, ran races and soccer. The kids played with other kids there.
We reviewed some of the Dolch words to see which ones the girls know and which ones we need to work on.
Saturday- We went to the Celtic Festival at the Hjemkost center today in Moorhead. We had a blast. There were so many activities for the kids to do, and so many fun things for the kids to see. We learned all about the 7 celtic nations. The kids loved seeing the people dressed in the celtic clothing. They made a shield with a coat of arms, puppets, weaving patterns, making crowns, making celtic knots and brigid's crosses, just to name a few. They also got to see Irish dancers and listen to bagpipes and dulcemers. We brought along Ava's friend Faith (which made Ava incredibly happy). I think even with everything we did and saw, they still like the Viking ship the best.
Monday- The girls took turns playing educational games on the computer. I love the jump start game they have because it covers everything from math to reading. It is fun for them and they learn at the same time. We played the Wii (baseball, golf and tennis) for about an hour. Then we went to the basement and worked out. We helped the girls practice their gymnastice (hand stands, balance beam, cartwheels, stretching etc). We also talked about stranger danger and being safe. We taught the girls a safe word (a word that if confronted someone stranger or not, the person must know for the girls to go with them or speak to them). We then watched a video by the smithsonian networks called "Critter Quest". It covered everything from bugs and insects to piegons to Owls.
Tuesday- The kids are making the day all about birds. First they made their own "bird houses" out of old cardboard boxes. Then they used feathers, foam sheets, popsicle sticks and other art supplies to make their own birds. They also looked up birds on the internet and read a little about them. Of course they spent the morning like most mornings playing educational games on their computer. It is a great way for them to learn indepedently while Michael makes breakfast and does his own school work. They play soooo well together most mornings it makes us proud. We also went to the Hjemkomst Center (don't ask me to pronounce it, I never get it right) and saw the replica viking ship. We watched a 29 minute documentary about Robert Asp (the ships creator) and how the ship was made and sailed from Duluth to Norway. We also saw the stave church replica which was amazing. The craftsmanship was beautiful. The kids were most fascinated with the cracks in the ship (go figure) and the dragon on the top of the ship named Egor. I can't believe it took us so long to go there. We are planning on going back on Saturday for the celtic festival.
Wednesday- We grocery shopped today. I love grocery shopping with my kids because they always ask "Is this organic or Is this all natural?" They also say, "I would rather have this verse that because it's healthier for me". It makes me feel so proud as a parent that they are able to make good food choices as young as they are. Hopefully it will stay with them for the rest of their lives. I was so excited. I went to the library and they have like 40 new Bill Nye movies. My kids LOVE Bill Nye the science guy. We checked out like 12 videos. I'm not sure if we will be able to watch them all in a week so I may have to recheck some out.
Thursday- The girls played educational games on the computer in the morning. It is really helping the girls with their reading and Amara with her math. Even Corbin has started saying things like "1+1=2". The girls had gymnastics today, which they are alway super excited about. We watched ghost hunters as a family television show to watch (other than ghost hunters we RARELY watch non-educational television). The kids want to go on a paranormal investigation (a ghost hunt). We told them they have to wait until they are a little older. I read two chapters of a new book called "Theodosia and the serpent of chaos". We are going back and forth between that and "Little House on the Prairie". They are kind of bored with "little house on the prairie" I think because once the shock of the characters lives being so different wore off, they can't relate that much to the characters. I will continue to read it though because it's a classic.
Friday-They started their ususal routine with educational games on the computer. The kids played operation. Though the game is annoying, it really helps with fine motor skills. Ava decided she wanted to make lunch so she made pb&j, cheese sticks and fruit. We are watching Bill Nye "Oceanography". We then watched "waves" by Bill Nye. We went to the community center and played in the gym for 1 1/2 hrs. We played basketball, football, ran races and soccer. The kids played with other kids there.
We reviewed some of the Dolch words to see which ones the girls know and which ones we need to work on.
Saturday- We went to the Celtic Festival at the Hjemkost center today in Moorhead. We had a blast. There were so many activities for the kids to do, and so many fun things for the kids to see. We learned all about the 7 celtic nations. The kids loved seeing the people dressed in the celtic clothing. They made a shield with a coat of arms, puppets, weaving patterns, making crowns, making celtic knots and brigid's crosses, just to name a few. They also got to see Irish dancers and listen to bagpipes and dulcemers. We brought along Ava's friend Faith (which made Ava incredibly happy). I think even with everything we did and saw, they still like the Viking ship the best.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
February 28th- March 6th
Sunday- Today was a very artsy day. First the kids painted (for like an hour and a half) then we made scultpures out of clay. Ava made a tornado, Squidward and snowmen. Amara made a butterfly, a carrot and a doughnut. We then cleaned the house ( I think we are going to make it an every Sunday thing instead of struggling to do a little everyday. It seems to work better for us this way). The kids took 3 HOURS to clean their playroom. We let it go without being picked up way too long. Well, and they spent half the time playing. The kids played on the computer for about 20 mintues each. They also played fetch with the dog and worked on teaching him tricks.
Monday- Both Ava and Amara were not feeling well today so we kind of had a "do what you want" day in the morning. Amara chose to go back to bed and rested until almost 1pm. She then took a shower. Thankfully, she felt better afterwards. Ava played educational games on the internet, played with the dog and worked out with MIchael down stairs. After lunch, Ava read while Amara played on Starfall (a website designed to help kids learn to read). The girls also painted the sculptures that they created yesterday. Asking to do an experiment, we decided to make rock candy, but that went down hill when I was placing the container on the fridge and hit it against the corner. Needless to say, it cracked and we had liquid sugar goo to clean up all over the side of the fridge. Oh well. We will try again another day. So we read from a book called "Issac Newton and Physics for kids". The kids had a great time the last time we learned about Newton's Laws of Motion so I decided it would be a good idea to review the info. We did several experiments including using coins and marbles to show enertia and a skateboard to show F=MxA (Force= Mass times acceleration. We didn't have a balloon to cover Newton's 3rd law so we will save that for another day. We then went onto "How Things Work" and learned how roller coasters use some of Newton's findings to operate (gravity etc). The kids were still not feeling 100% so we had an early bedtime.
Tuesday- Today the kids did math on the white board. Amara worked on her adding and subtracting and Ava took her first crack at word problems. She did pretty well once I explained how to do them. Amara played on the Starfall website practicing her reading while Ava read. We also worked out on the mats in the basement. The kids practiced sword fighting with their styrofoam swords and practiced their punches and kicks. Michael worked with Amara on telling time. She is staring to get the hang of it. The girls wrote letters to their Aunt (to practice their handwriting).
Wednesday-Today was a glumy day outside which made everyone inside glummy. This morning the girls played educational games on the computer. We watched a movie called "Wild Hearts Can't be Broken" after which we discussed the 1930's (the era in which the movie took place). They were amazed by how different the phones were (and were shocked that people had to write each other to communicate and even more amazed that they did not have computers or televisions). I have started reading "Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingles Wilder to the kids. We discussed the modes of transportation (by wagon) and how they had no electricity or running water. Amara is super excited to start gymnastics tomorrow.
Thursday- The girls went to gymnastics today. Amara was super excited. She was also enthralled over being able to play with her friend Seth for an hour while she waited for her gymnastics to get done. Hers is an hour after Ava's. She came home and drew a picture of her and Seth hugging with hearts all around there heads. Before they went, we read more of little house on the prarie. They are fascinated by the lifestyle and how it is so different from their own. Michael worked on math activities (time and money for Amara and money and counting by 2's,5's,10's,and 100's for Ava) with the girls. It was so cute, Ava used to count to 100 by 2's, 5's and 10's and then say 100,200,300; on her own she says "Dad! That wasn't right. I was counting by hundreds! It should go 100,105,110,115. It is small moments like that that you know you are educating them the right way because they come to logical conclusions on their own instead of only learning what they are told. Michael also had the girls read. We had the dog neutered today so we discussed why people spay/neuter their pets and how lots of dogs are put to sleep because they can't find homes. They wanted to know why we couldn't just adopt them. I love how children's response to all the worlds problems are "why can't WE fix it."
Friday- Since we found a pile of candy wrappers under the kids bed a couple days ago(from candy that is kept high in the cabinet that Ava took everytime she needed "a drink of water" at night) so we checked out books from the library. One called "The Sweet Tooth" about a boy who eats tons of junk because of his "sweet tooth" and the other "The tooth Book" about taking proper care of your teeth. Hopefully this will help the girls understand at least one of the reasons why they can't have candy at night. We went for a drive down to Brainerd to get out of the house. On the way, the kids watched "Farie tale theater" an old program that was on television in the 1980s. It had basically every commom fairy tale you can think of. I was very proud of the girls when we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and they asked if the restaurant had any fruits or vegetables instead of fries!! We played the trivia game they have there. At Target, we picked up an animal habitat created by Animal Planet and we are going to mail in for the tadpole. It will be a great science project. After reading the book about a tadpoles transformation to a frog, Ava begged to watch it happen for real.
Saturday- We are watching a video about castles. PBS has a great set of DVDs. We already watched the one about Roman architeture. I hope to find more like this. The kids like them. We had funtime in the basement for quite a few hours. The girls and Michael practiced martial arts and sword fighting with bokkens (wooden practice swords). We took turns playing pool. They also had creative free time (aka play time) where they played with linclon logs, building blocks, they played house in their play house and whatever else their minds could think up. Ava practiced riding her skateboard and her cartwheels and hand stands. We also watched our "Little Pim" japanese language DVDs. We then came upstairs and watched Monster Queston the history channel about giant snakes in the USA. We learned that pythons are breeding and thriving in Florida and possibly other places in the US though they are not native here.
Monday- Both Ava and Amara were not feeling well today so we kind of had a "do what you want" day in the morning. Amara chose to go back to bed and rested until almost 1pm. She then took a shower. Thankfully, she felt better afterwards. Ava played educational games on the internet, played with the dog and worked out with MIchael down stairs. After lunch, Ava read while Amara played on Starfall (a website designed to help kids learn to read). The girls also painted the sculptures that they created yesterday. Asking to do an experiment, we decided to make rock candy, but that went down hill when I was placing the container on the fridge and hit it against the corner. Needless to say, it cracked and we had liquid sugar goo to clean up all over the side of the fridge. Oh well. We will try again another day. So we read from a book called "Issac Newton and Physics for kids". The kids had a great time the last time we learned about Newton's Laws of Motion so I decided it would be a good idea to review the info. We did several experiments including using coins and marbles to show enertia and a skateboard to show F=MxA (Force= Mass times acceleration. We didn't have a balloon to cover Newton's 3rd law so we will save that for another day. We then went onto "How Things Work" and learned how roller coasters use some of Newton's findings to operate (gravity etc). The kids were still not feeling 100% so we had an early bedtime.
Tuesday- Today the kids did math on the white board. Amara worked on her adding and subtracting and Ava took her first crack at word problems. She did pretty well once I explained how to do them. Amara played on the Starfall website practicing her reading while Ava read. We also worked out on the mats in the basement. The kids practiced sword fighting with their styrofoam swords and practiced their punches and kicks. Michael worked with Amara on telling time. She is staring to get the hang of it. The girls wrote letters to their Aunt (to practice their handwriting).
Wednesday-Today was a glumy day outside which made everyone inside glummy. This morning the girls played educational games on the computer. We watched a movie called "Wild Hearts Can't be Broken" after which we discussed the 1930's (the era in which the movie took place). They were amazed by how different the phones were (and were shocked that people had to write each other to communicate and even more amazed that they did not have computers or televisions). I have started reading "Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingles Wilder to the kids. We discussed the modes of transportation (by wagon) and how they had no electricity or running water. Amara is super excited to start gymnastics tomorrow.
Thursday- The girls went to gymnastics today. Amara was super excited. She was also enthralled over being able to play with her friend Seth for an hour while she waited for her gymnastics to get done. Hers is an hour after Ava's. She came home and drew a picture of her and Seth hugging with hearts all around there heads. Before they went, we read more of little house on the prarie. They are fascinated by the lifestyle and how it is so different from their own. Michael worked on math activities (time and money for Amara and money and counting by 2's,5's,10's,and 100's for Ava) with the girls. It was so cute, Ava used to count to 100 by 2's, 5's and 10's and then say 100,200,300; on her own she says "Dad! That wasn't right. I was counting by hundreds! It should go 100,105,110,115. It is small moments like that that you know you are educating them the right way because they come to logical conclusions on their own instead of only learning what they are told. Michael also had the girls read. We had the dog neutered today so we discussed why people spay/neuter their pets and how lots of dogs are put to sleep because they can't find homes. They wanted to know why we couldn't just adopt them. I love how children's response to all the worlds problems are "why can't WE fix it."
Friday- Since we found a pile of candy wrappers under the kids bed a couple days ago(from candy that is kept high in the cabinet that Ava took everytime she needed "a drink of water" at night) so we checked out books from the library. One called "The Sweet Tooth" about a boy who eats tons of junk because of his "sweet tooth" and the other "The tooth Book" about taking proper care of your teeth. Hopefully this will help the girls understand at least one of the reasons why they can't have candy at night. We went for a drive down to Brainerd to get out of the house. On the way, the kids watched "Farie tale theater" an old program that was on television in the 1980s. It had basically every commom fairy tale you can think of. I was very proud of the girls when we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and they asked if the restaurant had any fruits or vegetables instead of fries!! We played the trivia game they have there. At Target, we picked up an animal habitat created by Animal Planet and we are going to mail in for the tadpole. It will be a great science project. After reading the book about a tadpoles transformation to a frog, Ava begged to watch it happen for real.
Saturday- We are watching a video about castles. PBS has a great set of DVDs. We already watched the one about Roman architeture. I hope to find more like this. The kids like them. We had funtime in the basement for quite a few hours. The girls and Michael practiced martial arts and sword fighting with bokkens (wooden practice swords). We took turns playing pool. They also had creative free time (aka play time) where they played with linclon logs, building blocks, they played house in their play house and whatever else their minds could think up. Ava practiced riding her skateboard and her cartwheels and hand stands. We also watched our "Little Pim" japanese language DVDs. We then came upstairs and watched Monster Queston the history channel about giant snakes in the USA. We learned that pythons are breeding and thriving in Florida and possibly other places in the US though they are not native here.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
February 21-February 27th
Almost every morning, the kids spend about a half hour each (sometimes an hour to an hour and a half if they are playing a website or game together). The also spend most mornings doing art projects or playing with their bendaroos or playdough.
Monday-They went to the dinosaur play area on Monday. We had the girls do some math (adding and subtracting for Amara and mulitple digit adding and subtracting for Ava). They also did some phonics (thanks to Star fall for the great free printable program). Ava knows all her phonics but it is a great refresher as she learns to read more and more complex sentences.
Tuesday-Amara did math and phonics work, while Ava read because she stapled her finger earlier while making her own story book so she couldn't hold a pencil. Michael's family came over to visit and the children played with their one year old nephew. They showed him how to play with their old baby toys. We watched "Ghost Hunters International", a show they love. They are very interested in paranormal activity. They have asked to go on a ghost hunt, but I told them they needed to wait until they got a little older. The kids watched a video on Rome's architecture. We watched "House" with the kids and they asked a million questions about medical things (what is an I.V., what is a cat scan? etc). They girls helped me make cheese cake (shout out Alton Brown for his awesome recipe!!)It turned out great!
Wednesday- They went to a day daycare while mom and dad had a much needed date night. They played basketball, tag, dress up, painted, and played other games with children (all in 2 hrs time!)Today was one of those days that everyone just needed a break and though we got home later, we felt so refreshed.
Thursday- Today we had a house cleaning day! We covered the whole house top to bottom! IT is always a refreshing feeling when you clean up the weeks worth of clutter and activities. The girls are reading (Ava about tadpoles and Amara about butterflies). All week long we have been working with the kids on training the dog. He now knows how to sit and we are working on stay. They are getting along great!!
We are about to go to gymnastics, and Amara is excited to be able to start next week.
Friday-We drove out to my school so I could submit a scholarship application. We then went to the mall to let the kids play. When we arrived, we discovered that a bearing had gone bad on our back tire so the kids and I sat at the mall (both letting them play at Dinosaur land and walking around) while Michael fixed it. I took them to the candy store where they each counted out 27 cents in change in order to buy a peice for themselves. Ava did not even have to think about it. She immediately grabbed a quarter and two pennies. I am so proud of how fast they are learning. Since our day was pretty much spent waiting for Michael to fix the car, we didn't get time to do anything else. Oh well. Some days just happen like that.
Saturday- It was gorgeous outside! The kids and I took the dog for a walk to say hello to Michael at the thrift store where he volunteers.It took an hour to walk what would normally be a 20 minute walk because the kids constantly wanted to stop and play in the snow. Then I took them to the school park to play. There is a big hill there (we can't sled on it because it leads directly to the road) but the kids rolled down it and tried to slide on their stomaches like penguins. After being outside a tad bit too long, we came home and decided to rest. We watched National Geographic videos on the computer. First we watched one about Hobbits that lived 18,000 years ago in the Island of Flores. Then we watched one about life on an oil rig (this one was only about 5 minutes long). Then one about arachnophobia and finally one called "The Pirate's Code" about a man looking for a sunken pirate ship and the history of the ships captain. Sam Bellamy.
Monday-They went to the dinosaur play area on Monday. We had the girls do some math (adding and subtracting for Amara and mulitple digit adding and subtracting for Ava). They also did some phonics (thanks to Star fall for the great free printable program). Ava knows all her phonics but it is a great refresher as she learns to read more and more complex sentences.
Tuesday-Amara did math and phonics work, while Ava read because she stapled her finger earlier while making her own story book so she couldn't hold a pencil. Michael's family came over to visit and the children played with their one year old nephew. They showed him how to play with their old baby toys. We watched "Ghost Hunters International", a show they love. They are very interested in paranormal activity. They have asked to go on a ghost hunt, but I told them they needed to wait until they got a little older. The kids watched a video on Rome's architecture. We watched "House" with the kids and they asked a million questions about medical things (what is an I.V., what is a cat scan? etc). They girls helped me make cheese cake (shout out Alton Brown for his awesome recipe!!)It turned out great!
Wednesday- They went to a day daycare while mom and dad had a much needed date night. They played basketball, tag, dress up, painted, and played other games with children (all in 2 hrs time!)Today was one of those days that everyone just needed a break and though we got home later, we felt so refreshed.
Thursday- Today we had a house cleaning day! We covered the whole house top to bottom! IT is always a refreshing feeling when you clean up the weeks worth of clutter and activities. The girls are reading (Ava about tadpoles and Amara about butterflies). All week long we have been working with the kids on training the dog. He now knows how to sit and we are working on stay. They are getting along great!!
We are about to go to gymnastics, and Amara is excited to be able to start next week.
Friday-We drove out to my school so I could submit a scholarship application. We then went to the mall to let the kids play. When we arrived, we discovered that a bearing had gone bad on our back tire so the kids and I sat at the mall (both letting them play at Dinosaur land and walking around) while Michael fixed it. I took them to the candy store where they each counted out 27 cents in change in order to buy a peice for themselves. Ava did not even have to think about it. She immediately grabbed a quarter and two pennies. I am so proud of how fast they are learning. Since our day was pretty much spent waiting for Michael to fix the car, we didn't get time to do anything else. Oh well. Some days just happen like that.
Saturday- It was gorgeous outside! The kids and I took the dog for a walk to say hello to Michael at the thrift store where he volunteers.It took an hour to walk what would normally be a 20 minute walk because the kids constantly wanted to stop and play in the snow. Then I took them to the school park to play. There is a big hill there (we can't sled on it because it leads directly to the road) but the kids rolled down it and tried to slide on their stomaches like penguins. After being outside a tad bit too long, we came home and decided to rest. We watched National Geographic videos on the computer. First we watched one about Hobbits that lived 18,000 years ago in the Island of Flores. Then we watched one about life on an oil rig (this one was only about 5 minutes long). Then one about arachnophobia and finally one called "The Pirate's Code" about a man looking for a sunken pirate ship and the history of the ships captain. Sam Bellamy.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
February 15-February 20th
We are slowly getting back on track.
February 15th-
Today we played hide and go seek for the longest time. Both the girls read books (I am so excited over how well they are learning to read). We did a science experiment that involved sucking an egg into a glass jar (and then explaining to the kids why it happened). When Michael blew into the jar to get the egg out, it came shooting at his face and practically exploded. IT was hilarious!! We watched a show on NOVA about cuddlefish (which was VERY facinating). The fact that they can not only change their color but also the shape of their body was really cool. I hardly knew what cuddle fish were before the movie.
The kids played numerous educational games on the computer and their V-Smile. It's amazing how much they pick up in an hour. The girls are good about explaining what they are learning to Corbin, so he his picking up on his numbers/colors/shapes very well. HE even knows what one half is!
We also made homemade icecream. It was quite an arm workout.
After putting the cream (we mixed it with skim milk for a lowerfat option), sugar and vanilla in a baggie; you put THAT baggie in one with salt and ice. Shake til your arms hurt and voila! Ice cream! (without all the nasty chemicals and cheaper than the all natural stuff). IT can even be done with soymilk for the lactose intolerant individuals.
While Ava and I watched "How to raise the perfect dog" on national geographic (we are considering getting a puppy and want to know the best breed for our family, Amara helped Michael build a frame around the board we are using for a projector screen.
All in all, it was a pretty eventful day.
February 16th-
Today, Michael found walkie talkies at the thrift store and brought them home for the kids. After a ten minute lesson on remembering to let go of the button when they wanted to listen, the kids were off talking to each other in secret.
The kids spent about two hours off and on the computer playing educational games in between running around the basement/practicing on their balance beam and jumping on the trampoline.
February 17th-
The girls read books, something we are trying to do for 20 minutes everyday. They also read a lot of other things (billboards, we watch movies with subtitles and pause it so they can read those, and Ava has even taken to reading cereal boxes, lol.) We did some grocery shopping and Ava brought a notebook with to keep track of how much we spent. She does a great job of adding. We are preparing to have her start adding the change as well as the dollars.
February 18- Well we spent a lot of the day preparing for the dog we have adopted. He is a jack russel terrier and very sweet. I got books from the library on dog care for the kids as well as books on the breed. We discussed how important caring for a pet is and how little dogs are different from big dogs. The people claimed he was housetrained but apparently he needs to become accustomed to our house because he has had a few accidents.
February 18th-Ava went to gymnastics.
February 19th-
February 20th-
February 15th-
Today we played hide and go seek for the longest time. Both the girls read books (I am so excited over how well they are learning to read). We did a science experiment that involved sucking an egg into a glass jar (and then explaining to the kids why it happened). When Michael blew into the jar to get the egg out, it came shooting at his face and practically exploded. IT was hilarious!! We watched a show on NOVA about cuddlefish (which was VERY facinating). The fact that they can not only change their color but also the shape of their body was really cool. I hardly knew what cuddle fish were before the movie.
The kids played numerous educational games on the computer and their V-Smile. It's amazing how much they pick up in an hour. The girls are good about explaining what they are learning to Corbin, so he his picking up on his numbers/colors/shapes very well. HE even knows what one half is!
We also made homemade icecream. It was quite an arm workout.
After putting the cream (we mixed it with skim milk for a lowerfat option), sugar and vanilla in a baggie; you put THAT baggie in one with salt and ice. Shake til your arms hurt and voila! Ice cream! (without all the nasty chemicals and cheaper than the all natural stuff). IT can even be done with soymilk for the lactose intolerant individuals.
While Ava and I watched "How to raise the perfect dog" on national geographic (we are considering getting a puppy and want to know the best breed for our family, Amara helped Michael build a frame around the board we are using for a projector screen.
All in all, it was a pretty eventful day.
February 16th-
Today, Michael found walkie talkies at the thrift store and brought them home for the kids. After a ten minute lesson on remembering to let go of the button when they wanted to listen, the kids were off talking to each other in secret.
The kids spent about two hours off and on the computer playing educational games in between running around the basement/practicing on their balance beam and jumping on the trampoline.
February 17th-
The girls read books, something we are trying to do for 20 minutes everyday. They also read a lot of other things (billboards, we watch movies with subtitles and pause it so they can read those, and Ava has even taken to reading cereal boxes, lol.) We did some grocery shopping and Ava brought a notebook with to keep track of how much we spent. She does a great job of adding. We are preparing to have her start adding the change as well as the dollars.
February 18- Well we spent a lot of the day preparing for the dog we have adopted. He is a jack russel terrier and very sweet. I got books from the library on dog care for the kids as well as books on the breed. We discussed how important caring for a pet is and how little dogs are different from big dogs. The people claimed he was housetrained but apparently he needs to become accustomed to our house because he has had a few accidents.
February 18th-Ava went to gymnastics.
February 19th-
February 20th-
Friday, February 12, 2010
Taking a little break
Since we have returned from Florida on the 7th, we have taken this week to recover from our trip. We had a blast both in Florida and the short visit in the cities. We got to see friends we havent seen in a year and Michael's grandparents which is always fun. Because of the mounds of laundry from the trip and the fact we left the house in disarray from packing in a hurry, the past week has been spent cleaning!! We reorganized the classroom and got a small computer desk so we can use the old (big) computer desk for art projects. NOT that life isn't learning, because knowing how to properly clean a house is important and not enough children learn how to do housework beyond their chores. We do not give allowance for cleaning because it's something they are expected to do. I was proud of Amara today, she woke up in the morning and cleaned her room without needing to be asked to. We watched a show on History channel about Giant Octopi and one on big foot (after which we watched Harry and the Hendersons) and compared the two. THe girls have been reading almost everyday and Amara expressed that she ONLY wanted to read Dr.Seuss books. She says it is the reason she has been fighting us about reading, we weren't giving her the right books. I told her she just needed to tell us that and in her infamous Amara tone says "ohhhhh". Next week we will get back on track but we have definately needed this week to readjust to being home.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Our adventure in Florida
Well, we are currently on our way home. I wish I would have blogged more while we were in Florida but we were constantly on the go. We took the kids to Animal Kingdom and Epcot center which was really fun! The kids LOVED seeing the different animals at Animal Kingdom. They are facinated by dinosaurs and we were able to see replicas of dinosaurs and a life size replica of the bones of the T-Rex named Sue. The first ride we went on was a dinosaur ride that had animatronic dinosaurs. It was pretty scary. I didn't realize how realistic the dinosaurs would be. I would definitely recommend it though. While waiting in line (though there weren't hardly any lines)we got to see dinosaur and other prehistoric animal bones, learn about the theories of why dinosaurs became extinct and information about the way the world looked at the time of the dinosaurs. We then went on a few rides, then went to the "Asia" area. In it there were tigers, bats, Asian deer and birds. It was cold so some of the animals were not out (like the komodo dragon) which was a little disappointing but there were many more animals to see. We went on a "safari" and saw alligators, giraffes, lions, hippos, rhinos, antelope and ostriches. We also saw termite mounds and learned about animal conservation and poachers. We listened to African music.
We then went to Epcot and rode a lot of rides there. I really liked the ride that explained how written language has progressed through time to modern days. The kids loved the imagination ride with the dragon named figment. We walked around the lake and experienced the different "countries". We saw replicas of the Eiffel tower, a Japanese temple, Norwegian buildings, British buildings, Chinese buildings and many more. It was fun seeing the people dressed up but I wish we were able to go back during the day so we could have a better view of things. Maybe for our next trip ;) We spent a lot of time with my mother and sisters and my aunt, uncle and cousins. My grandma and grandpa came to visit for a day. It was great for my kids to be able to spend time with my family, they don't get to do that very often. It was also good for their math and reading (the girls showed off their skills by volunteering to do math and read to my family!
We all went Mini golfing and the kids did pretty well. The theme was Pirates and there were placards around that had true information about pirates (including Black beard). Michael and I got a chance to go out while my mom babysat. My whole family was amazed by our children's energy and all agreed that we were smart in our decision to homeschool our children.
Funnily enough, we didn't swim once while we were in Florida (the temps hovered in the 60's). We did walk around an outdoor mall where my sister works. I struggled to not buy anything in the overly priced culinary store.
I know we did a ton more things but my brain is not currently remembering it all (probably from lack of sleep). Can't wait to get home and rest! We are dropping my sister off in Atlanta and we are going to be off.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
TRAVELING TO FLORIDA!!!
Today is January 24th- We left the twin cities around 11am. I joked that we wouldn't run into any traffic in Minnesota because everyone would be home preparing to watch the Vikings game. We have decided to take one route down and a different route back to give the kids a change of scenery. On the way down, we are going through Iowa. There isn't a whole lot to look at in Iowa. Lol. No offense to Iowians. We did stop for lunch in Waterloo which is a much bigger town than I thought. While looking for Arby's (we are hoping to limit eating out to once a day or less) we got to discover Waterloo because of bad directions given by a gas station attendant. Oh well, it was cool to see the guitar sculpture at the Waterloo art center. They also have many beauitful brick churches and older homes. Though they are stuck in the car, we are still trying to limit their television viewing. We are interchanging DVD's and books on tape. We listened to "Spongebob-tea at the treedome." Then we turned on "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. We are not done with that story yet but the speaking was putting Michael to sleep while driving so we had to turn on the radio. The children are helping us track the map and distances (well the best a 5 & 7 year old can). This basically means they are looking at the map and seeing where each town is and how far we have gone and how far to the next major city.
We arrived in Florida Monday night. The trip was good. I love driving long distances. It is now Friday and we have been soooo busy. We have been to Old Town where the kids road on rides, looked at the shops and collected acorns. We saw a squirel and it came right up to Michael's hand. We went to Downtown disney where they made Mr. Potato heads (and we bought one to bring home) they dressed up my little ponies. We looked at all the different stores including the Rainforest cafe where they had real parrots. We played with legos at lego land. The coolest part was eating at the T-Rex restaurant. It was sooo cool. They have animatronic dinosaurs/ an octopus/ mammoths and bugs. Every half hour there were "meteor showers" where the sky had a screen that showed meteors falling from the sky and the rooms turned red. There is an "ice cave" where you could sit that was blue but turned red during the meteor showers. It was so much fun. We have eaten out WAY TOO MUCH though.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
January 17th- January 23rd
January 17th- The kids played at Scheels in their play place. We looked at the camping gear and have decided to start looking for a kayak. I don't think they have ever been on any type of boat so we figured its about time.
January 18th- Today we are celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. day. I read two books about Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement. I couldn't help but laugh when my daughter said," Mom, why were people so stupid?" in response to the segregation of dark skinned people. I wasn't quite sure how to answer that beyond, I really don't know. The girls then made "I have a dream" mobiles where they wrote different "dreams" they had to make their communties, the country and the world a better place. They came up with ideas for "people to like one another, for people to want to help homeless people, for all kids to have families, for people to be able to marry the people they love and for good people to change bad laws," thought up on their own. They make me so proud. We are watching Corina, Corina and discussing the segregation and injustices we see in the movie.
January 19th- Well, now I am sick so Michael took over the learning for today. The kids spent a LOT of the day playing educational games on the computer. Michael showed Ava how to type in the different web addresses so she could help her siblings change websites. They LOVE Nickjr.com. They also painted and played Connect 4. We spent a couple of hours going through all their clothes handing down Ava's old clothes to Amara so we know what to buy Ava. There were even a couple pairs of Amara's jeans that would work for Corbin. I can't believe how many clothes they have. It was insane! I am also working on packing for Florida. We are leaving in less than a week. We are all so excited!! Its going to be a long drive though. Lots of time for school work. lol. Maybe they will enjoy workbooks more if they have nothing else to do. lol
January 20th- We spent a lot of time in the basement doing cartwheels, handstands, roundoffs and somersaults. We also touch the kids how to jump rope and even gave double dutch a chance. It was hilarious to watch us try if nothing else. The girls and I worked on packing for Florida.
January 21- We watched a video on the "mysteries of the sphynx" on Nova. It was cool learning about the ideas of who the sphynx maybe carved after. After watching the video, we concluded that we agreed with the archeologists in the show, that the sphyx is Pharoah Kufu's son Kafri. Ava went to gymnastics. We spent all evening shopping for and creating an emergency car kit.
January 22nd-We finished packing and drove to the cities. The drive was slow because it was raining IN JANUARY so the roads were getting icy. By the time we got there, we had dinner and then it was bedtime.
January 23nd-We went to the Minnesota Science Museum and stayed for 4 hours!! It is so cool. I think the kids liked the dinosaur bones and the human body exhibit the best.
January 18th- Today we are celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. day. I read two books about Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement. I couldn't help but laugh when my daughter said," Mom, why were people so stupid?" in response to the segregation of dark skinned people. I wasn't quite sure how to answer that beyond, I really don't know. The girls then made "I have a dream" mobiles where they wrote different "dreams" they had to make their communties, the country and the world a better place. They came up with ideas for "people to like one another, for people to want to help homeless people, for all kids to have families, for people to be able to marry the people they love and for good people to change bad laws," thought up on their own. They make me so proud. We are watching Corina, Corina and discussing the segregation and injustices we see in the movie.
January 19th- Well, now I am sick so Michael took over the learning for today. The kids spent a LOT of the day playing educational games on the computer. Michael showed Ava how to type in the different web addresses so she could help her siblings change websites. They LOVE Nickjr.com. They also painted and played Connect 4. We spent a couple of hours going through all their clothes handing down Ava's old clothes to Amara so we know what to buy Ava. There were even a couple pairs of Amara's jeans that would work for Corbin. I can't believe how many clothes they have. It was insane! I am also working on packing for Florida. We are leaving in less than a week. We are all so excited!! Its going to be a long drive though. Lots of time for school work. lol. Maybe they will enjoy workbooks more if they have nothing else to do. lol
January 20th- We spent a lot of time in the basement doing cartwheels, handstands, roundoffs and somersaults. We also touch the kids how to jump rope and even gave double dutch a chance. It was hilarious to watch us try if nothing else. The girls and I worked on packing for Florida.
January 21- We watched a video on the "mysteries of the sphynx" on Nova. It was cool learning about the ideas of who the sphynx maybe carved after. After watching the video, we concluded that we agreed with the archeologists in the show, that the sphyx is Pharoah Kufu's son Kafri. Ava went to gymnastics. We spent all evening shopping for and creating an emergency car kit.
January 22nd-We finished packing and drove to the cities. The drive was slow because it was raining IN JANUARY so the roads were getting icy. By the time we got there, we had dinner and then it was bedtime.
January 23nd-We went to the Minnesota Science Museum and stayed for 4 hours!! It is so cool. I think the kids liked the dinosaur bones and the human body exhibit the best.
Monday, January 11, 2010
January 10th-January 16th
January 10th- The kids spent the morning playing board games together. They played Memory, Don't Break the Ice and Hi Ho Cherry-O. Mom and dad didn't help at all. They set up the games, took turns and helped each other stick to the rules. Even small accomplishments like that make me proud of them.
Michael spent time with the girls doing math problems and reading. Throughout the day he quized Amara on the order of her numbers 11-20 and had Ava answer questions by doing math (adding and subtracting without carrying over) in her head.
We of course played on the foam mats (the best $100 I ever spent. The girls did cartwheels and hand stands and chased each other around. It is a great outlet for 3 VERY hyper children. I would reccomend anyone who has the space to make a "workout" area for their hyper children.
January 11th- School starts for Michael and I today so I am sure this week will be spent figuring out the best way to complete our school work while making sure the children are learning through life experiences. In their playroom, we made a wall of melanite boarding so we can use dry erase markers on it. This too was a wonderful investment. The children draw on it almost everyday. Michael and I use it for math and reading activities for them. Today we did math problems for the girls. Simple adding and subtracting for Amara and large adding for Ava. She can now add three digit numbers (including carrying over). She is flying through math!!! I am so proud of her. Amara played reading games on the computer for about 45 mintues. We then played the Wii together. The girls bowled, golfed, did baseball and tennis. I think the creator of the Wii should get a noble prize for creating a video game that can help you stay physically active!!!
January 12th- Today Michael did math and reading with them in the morning. He worked with Ava on number placing (ones through millions). Amara worked on counting my tens, twos and counting 11-30.
We went to the community center and played in the gym. We played basketball, soccer and raced. Amara played "fetch" with a boy where he threw a football and she ran after it. It's nice to see older kids playing nice with younger ones (the boy was about 10). We then went to the library. Ava and Amara picked out books to read. Corbin but together puzzles and was able to identify all his shapes and colors. They spent about a half hour each playing educational games on the library computers. The kids played board games together including "Don't break the ice" and "connect 4".
January 13th- Today the girls wrote letters to their grandma. Amara read a board book about animals and then read about 15 words off her slight word cards. I read a book called "Cheech, the bus driver" by none other than Cheech Marin. It was a cute book. We watched the movie "Pride and Prejudice" and discussed the differences in our era and the era in which the book was based on (i.e. Women's rights to own property, the style of speaking) etc. We discussed other books by Jane Austen and am going to look for them at the library.
January 14th-Well, we have some sick kids so we are taking it easy today. Ava is upset that she missed gymnastics.
January 15th- Today Michael had the girls practice their writing. They also read the words they were writing to help their vocabulary. Michael also had Ava work on telling time. The girls played educational games on their v-smile.
**On a side note. Almost everyday our kids spend hours in free play using their imaginations. They play everything from Superhereos to Harry Potter to Princesses and firefighter and everything in between. They seem to be feeling a little better.
January 16th- All three of the kids are feeling terrible again so we spent the day watching movies and relaxing in the living room.
Michael spent time with the girls doing math problems and reading. Throughout the day he quized Amara on the order of her numbers 11-20 and had Ava answer questions by doing math (adding and subtracting without carrying over) in her head.
We of course played on the foam mats (the best $100 I ever spent. The girls did cartwheels and hand stands and chased each other around. It is a great outlet for 3 VERY hyper children. I would reccomend anyone who has the space to make a "workout" area for their hyper children.
January 11th- School starts for Michael and I today so I am sure this week will be spent figuring out the best way to complete our school work while making sure the children are learning through life experiences. In their playroom, we made a wall of melanite boarding so we can use dry erase markers on it. This too was a wonderful investment. The children draw on it almost everyday. Michael and I use it for math and reading activities for them. Today we did math problems for the girls. Simple adding and subtracting for Amara and large adding for Ava. She can now add three digit numbers (including carrying over). She is flying through math!!! I am so proud of her. Amara played reading games on the computer for about 45 mintues. We then played the Wii together. The girls bowled, golfed, did baseball and tennis. I think the creator of the Wii should get a noble prize for creating a video game that can help you stay physically active!!!
January 12th- Today Michael did math and reading with them in the morning. He worked with Ava on number placing (ones through millions). Amara worked on counting my tens, twos and counting 11-30.
We went to the community center and played in the gym. We played basketball, soccer and raced. Amara played "fetch" with a boy where he threw a football and she ran after it. It's nice to see older kids playing nice with younger ones (the boy was about 10). We then went to the library. Ava and Amara picked out books to read. Corbin but together puzzles and was able to identify all his shapes and colors. They spent about a half hour each playing educational games on the library computers. The kids played board games together including "Don't break the ice" and "connect 4".
January 13th- Today the girls wrote letters to their grandma. Amara read a board book about animals and then read about 15 words off her slight word cards. I read a book called "Cheech, the bus driver" by none other than Cheech Marin. It was a cute book. We watched the movie "Pride and Prejudice" and discussed the differences in our era and the era in which the book was based on (i.e. Women's rights to own property, the style of speaking) etc. We discussed other books by Jane Austen and am going to look for them at the library.
January 14th-Well, we have some sick kids so we are taking it easy today. Ava is upset that she missed gymnastics.
January 15th- Today Michael had the girls practice their writing. They also read the words they were writing to help their vocabulary. Michael also had Ava work on telling time. The girls played educational games on their v-smile.
**On a side note. Almost everyday our kids spend hours in free play using their imaginations. They play everything from Superhereos to Harry Potter to Princesses and firefighter and everything in between. They seem to be feeling a little better.
January 16th- All three of the kids are feeling terrible again so we spent the day watching movies and relaxing in the living room.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
