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.

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.

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.

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.