Parachutes

We are down to our last week of school. :)

Today we learned about air and how it pushes up on objects as they are falling towards the ground. We made homemade parachutes out of plastic grocery bags, thread and a willing plastic toy. :) We had fun building it and watching it drop.

Well I tried upload a video but it just would not work. I will try to post later with help. I am not computer savvy. :)

Caterpillar update: They have continued to stay on the bush where we first spotted them and they continue to eat the shrub leaves and grow. I hope we get to see one make a chrysalis. The kids have been checking on them each day to make sure they are doing well. Yesterday Ashten checked on them before we had to go to Grace's ballet lesson and in the car Grace spotted a stowaway on Ashten's shirt. :)

Caterpillars and a school update

Today we got an unexpected treat in the backyard. Ashten and Grace discovered caterpillars hatching and coming out of their web. It was so neat to watch explore the web and then move down the branches of the bush and then start munching and crunching on some leaves. We spent about a half hour watching the beginning stages of their little lives. They will eat and eat and eat some more and then metamorphis in to a moth. After watching them and taking some pictures I looked up what they might be. I think they are Eastern Tent caterpillars. We are hoping to see a cocoon and see a moth in a few weeks. :) This of course led us to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The pictures did not come out that great but you get the general idea. ;)


Now a little school update. At the end of this week we will have 3 full weeks left of school. YAY We are excited to be nearing the end of a wonderful school year. Grace will be graduating 2nd grade and Ashten will be graduating kindergarten. The last few weeks have been full of learning about the Transcontinental rail road and the pioneers who ventured west in covered wagons. We finished Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The book gave us a great picture of growing up in the 1800's and what life was like on a farm. We have learned about 38 states so far and will finish up with Hawaii. I sure wish we could finish the school year on the beach in Hawaii. ;) We hope to do a driving tour of the US in the coming years to see and experience many of the places we have learned about. It has been a year full of history!

Looking forward to a summer filled with learning and growing and having fun exploring the world around us.

I leave you will silly pics of Grace and Ashten. ;D

Our homemade cell

Not sure if this will come out very well but we make a cell with a ziplock baggie, jello, clay and some beans. The baggie represents the cell wall and the jello the cell membrane, clay nucleus and the means the organelles. A great hands on project!!!! Taking microscopic a reality!

New Year 2011

Happy New year a bit late!!!! It has been a great start of 2011 as far as school it has had many starts and stops due to illness and just trying to get back on track after a long Christmas break.

We have finished our study of the first 13 colonies which then became our first 13 states. And now we are slowing down our study to move on the the rest of our great 50 states. We are currently reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. What a great perspective it is giving us on how people used to live on a farm. It has been an inspiration for work ethic in our family.

This week began some fun science experiments we are going to be building a cell model using jello! FUN FUN FUN!!! That will be today and pictures to follow. Tomorrow will be watching bacteria grow with milk in two different locations over 7 days. That aught to smell great!!!! Thankfully they will have lids on. We will report in 7 days.

We also learned about Eli Whitney and his invention of the cotton gin. What a neat invention. We did hands on learning with a cotton ball spread out and us adding green seeds and then making them into a ball again and pulling out all the seeds one by one. This was a great way to see what it must have been like before the cotton gin was invented. What slow hard work. Makes me thankful for all our modern amenities that we have today.

Christmas Break

We have been enjoying Christmas break for a week now and 2 more to go!!!! We have been working on a lot of baking this year. It is fun to do with the kiddos and a great way to get them involved in gift giving that keeps us on track with our budget.

This week will be making homemade Christmas cards for family for Christmas day from the kids. It will be fun to see their creativity.
Overall I hope to get much rest, relaxation and fun in this break before we hit the long stretch of school in the spring.

Starting state studies

We are learning about the founding of our country and the 13 original colonies which became states. Today began the first day of learning highlights about each state. Today was Delaware the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787. The found the state on the map, colored it and also worked on a fact sheet about the state.

We are also learning about the music of Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet. Have seen the ballet many many times over the years and the music of Tchaikovsky is timeless and brings you right back to the moments in the ballet each and every time.

Also in these weeks leading up to Christmas and celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ it is a time to think of our Lord and what he came to this earth as a baby to do. It is a beautiful picture and I am thankful to take some extra time to reflect on His saving Grace. We are able to give even more to those in need and think about the needs of others over our own needs and wants. This year has been a year to think about His provision in our tough times and that even in that there is abundance.

It is amazing that in a few weeks 2010 will have passed and 2011 is upon us. Looking for ward to the weeks and the year ahead. Many new and wonderful things to come!!!!

I hope to post our Christmas projects and pictures of fun times soon. :)

Our 9th week of school

This has been a great couple of weeks. We are already in our 9th week of school and my how it is flying by. This week we learned about George Washington, seasons and how the earth rotates around the sun and water colored trees and leaves from our backyard. We also made paper Tricorn hats like the men wore in George Washington's day.

We also were able to teach the kids about voting and a little bit more of how our government works. It was neat to learn about the First President of the United States and also learn about government process in the same week.

For the past few weeks we have also been memorizing verses and learning about them. Each day the kids share their verses and that is my favorite part of the day. :)

This week was Matthew 7:24 Jesus speaking
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man that built his house upon the rock. " This was a great opportunity to examine areas of our life where we may not have been putting His word into practice and prayfully with His help put them into practice.

Scarecrow project

Homeschooling on the Road

The kids at old fashioned school desks

It has been way to long since I have blogged about school and what we have been up to. For the last two weeks of September we went out of town. For the first week we were in Coeur d'Alene Idaho where Keller had some work. We were blessed to stay in a beautiful little cabin on The Twin lakes. That first week we homeschooled from the cabin. It was a nice change of pace . We continued learning about pilgrims and Native Americans in the 1600's. We built wigwams and tepees out of paper and read several books to help us learn more about how the different tribes lived.

Our view from the cabin

On our second week we went to some friends house in Glenwood, WA. They live in a beautiful log home on 60 acres in pasture lands and pine trees. It was beautiful. They live very near Mount Hood. What a sight. We decided to take this week off from school and enjoy our time. Our friends told us about several museums in the area and about a fish hatchery. We thought that would be fun for the kids. Unexpectedly both museums had exhibits on Native Americans and it fit right into what we were learning. The kids then got to see up close many of the things we were learning about. One of the museums also had a huge feature on Lewis and Clark. We also visited the fish hatchery and were able to see a 70year old sturgeon, salmon and trout. It was an amazing time of family fun and learning.

Kids with their sturgeon face ;)

We are now back home and learning about constellations, dutch pilgrims coming to America and working on some fun science experiments. This week experiment we learned about carbon dioxide. We used a root beer glass bottle and put warm water, yeast and sugar in and then put a balloon on top. Then watched it several times over an hour. The carbon dioxide in the bottle blew up the balloon. I think this is the favorite experiment thus far. We are also reading the Courage of Sarah Noble together for the next two weeks.

Science with Air and Columbus Boats

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue..........this past week we learned about Christopher Columbus and how he first sailed to what is now Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Although commonly thought that he sailed to America it was actually the Americas. He thought that if he traveled across the Atlantic ocean he would run in to Asia and have a faster route to the spices and silks found in that region. Although he did not make it there he did discover new land unknown to Europeans at the time. The land was inhabited by native people he named Indians. As one of our projects we made foil sailing ships and floated them in our own makeshift ocean. The Santa Maria, Pinta and Nina.


For our science project this week we did two experiments. We are learning about air. First we took an empty coke bottle and submerged it into the water. What we saw were many air bubbles on the surface of the water as the air was pushed out by the water. We also used cardboard to move paper across the floor. This was done by folding a small edge of the paper up like a wing about 1" 1/2 and then waving the cardboard behind it. It lifted and floated across the floor. The kids raced to see who could cross the finish line first with their paper.


This week we will be learning about John Smith, Jamestown and Pocahontas. The kids and I are facsinated to learn the history behind many of these famous people of our countries past.

Library aka liberry

Since school has started we have been making weekly runs to the Library. Gracie and Ashten officially have library cards. :) We put them on a string to make a library card necklace. They wear that when we go and that way we don't loose it.

It is an incredible and free resource and I am thankful to have one a few minutes away from our home. Keller has been an avid library user for years and me hit or miss. But not anymore I am taking full advantage of enjoying our weekly adventure of exploring new worlds through reading. :) We hope to inspire our children to have a love of reading! I love that our kiddos always have their noses in a book. :)

Caterpillar

Before

After

We are watching a caterpillar Keller found in the garage last weekend. He was really big brownish yellow and had really bright blue spots that looked like eyes on his back. We thought he would be fun to keep him for a few days in a glass jar with leaves and dirt. We think it might be a moth after doing some research yesterday but not 100% sure. He appears to have started turning into a chrysalis.

Our hope is that it will turn into a moth or a butterfly. :)

Here is two pictures although not great but I hope you can see its changes.

First day of School

Today has been a great first day of school. We are using the My Fathers World curriculum and focusing on learning about key figures in our United states history and about all 50 states. We are also working on all the basics, reading, writing and arithmetic. For some added extra fun we will be learning art and working on foreign languages and several science experiments.

We are starting a new co-op at our church with a few other homeschool families. This is going to be fun learning about geography,science and doing an art project. We are looking forward to spending time learning together.

Ant update: They are continuing to tunnel and make a home for themselves.

We found a caterpillar over the weekend and have set up a nice home for him in a jar with fresh leaves. Just watching and observing to see if he becomes a moth or butterfly.

Also we found a really neat big moth in the house the other night and have that in a jar as well.

Jeepers Creepers we have a lot of bugs in the house. Thankfully they are all contained.

Most recent pics of the kids and ANTS

As our first day of school approaches in just a few days we are enjoying our last few lazy days. :)


Wanted to share our ant hill school project we just started 2 days ago. Very fascinating creatures that the Lord created. They are such hard workers. At first they were a bit confused and learned the layout of their new home and after a few hours they all seemed to be hard at work doing their jobs tunneling the sand. We can learn a lot from ants how they multi task and work together.

The Helpful Binder

Just thought I would share how we are working on keeping our home tidy and working together as a team. Over the years I have read many blogs about quick and easy ways to clean your home. We always start out strong and then seem to loose track somewhere along the way. After reading a few blogs recently about binders set up to show specific tasks for example: cleaning, school, cooking......or what ever your family needs. I thought we would give it a try.

I thought out our daily schedule and really tried to simplify and give each kid tasks that were at their age and skill level. Each day they have daily bedroom chores and they both help unload the dishwasher. Then we have a family chore that we all work on together. For example, Monday is Laundry day the kids help bring laundry to me after it is washed we work on folding and putting away together. On bathroom day I work on the shower, toilet and mopping and the kids work on the sink, baseboards and mirror. We have noticed that we all get done quickly and can have fun working together. Saturday is a fun day because that is help daddy day! I think that might be the kids favorite. :D

The kids get stickers in their binder for a job well done!!!! I get the reward of a picked up house!!!!!! As a mom that is a great joy. I love that the kids are being trained in many areas of helping mom and dad.

How I set up the binder:

A Look at our typical day written out and also shown with clip art

Daily bedroom chores with clip art

A page for each day of the week with a clip art of their task

I covered each page with a plastic protector

The kids are really enjoying helping and know exactly what they need to do before school and playtime. :)

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God.

School room disaster

I am actually embarrassed to show this photo.......but it is just the beginning of a clean school room. Sometimes it just has to get worse before it gets better. :) I gave my desk and file cabinet to Keller so we are left with a small table. We have much more organizing to go. I have been going through the old stuff and throwing a bunch away and then boxing up stuff until Ashten is ready to use them. Organizing is going to be the key to success for the school year. We just recently started using a helpful binder that has the kids daily chores and then a special big chore to help mommy with daily. It is really helping us stay on track and keep the house picked up. I am hoping that we can easily transition into school time and still get our chores done. :) Next photo should be of a very clean and organized school/craft room. :)

Summer What have we been doing?

It seems summer is a time that everyone looks forward to. It drives half of the school year with anticipation of rest, relaxing and getting things done that have sat all year unfinished. But the reality is when summer comes I think we are so busy trying to get all the loose ends mended that we forget to relax. So far this summer has been full of remodeling our bathroom, yard work, planting and getting ready for Vacation Bible school. Hopefully July and August will be full of fun times with friends and maybe a little tiny weekend getaway to relax and unwind and not think about any house projects. :) So in a funny sort of way I am looking forward to getting back to school and having a routine. Ahhhh check with me in November and see if I still feel that way. ;) This school year was so much fun and a real accomplishment. Gracie finished first grade and Ashten prepping for Kindergarten. I look forward to more learning and discoveries and enjoying watching my children grow. The Lord has blessed us and I am so thankful for his guiding hand each step of the way. Can not do it with out HIM!!!!!

Summer

Summer is finally here!!! We are 9 days away from Gracie graduating 1st grade!!! Wow what an amazing feeling. We are so proud of her and what she has learned this year. Gracie reads all the time and loves her American Girl books and is currently reading Charlot's Web. It is one of my favorite things to see her reading all the time. :)

Ashten is done with preschool and will be moving on to pre-k/kindergarten in the fall. He loves letters! Sounding them out, writing them and tracing them. He walks around tracing letters everywhere we go. I think I see a little engineer in the making. :D He is a smart guy and loves to learn.

So on to summer and new adventures and field trips and enjoying being kids!!!!!!

Plants

These are our little seedlings.....since it has stayed winterish through the end of may we are not able to plant outside yet. We planted flowers of all kinds in little plastic cups for the front planter box that will be going in front of the deck. :) Can't wait for them to grow bigger so we can plant and enjoy them. The kids get to see first hand how to plant and grow. In a few you can see the roots on the side of the cup.

Sewing class

Her jean purse

At homeschool co-op Gracie had a hand sewing class and she had a lot of fun in there. Yesterday was the last day of the semester so she brought everything home to show us. We are so proud of her. She also made some cute animals. A dino, dolphin and elephant. :)