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.

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.

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-

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.

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.