Homeschool Log Thursday 10/29/09

This was Austin and Amanda's normal day off from school work and they really seemed to need some down time today. Often they find a lot of interesting and even educational activities to do on their own but this was not one of those days. I guess we all need some down time and this was their day for it.

Preschool Fun

Songs

Ice Cream Dot-To-Dot
Ii is for Ice Cream



We read books.


We also had fun with another activity that I haven't gotten out much lately. A big bowl of dried beans, and some containers and plastic spoons. It didn't take long to remember why I don't get it out much. It doesn't take much time to cover a floor with dried beans, but it was fun while it lasted.

Homeschool Log Wednesday 10/28/09

Math
Austin - Melvin's Make a Match
Amanda - Add It Up - fractions/decimals worksheet

Language Arts
Austin - Skillswise Adjectives
Amanda - Agreement of Pronouns - worksheet

Science
Austin and Amanda - How Small Are Cells; The Microscope Is An Important Tool;

Reading
Austin and Amanda - chapter 10 A Marriage Proposal from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Great Illustrated Classics)

Typing
Austin and Amanda - Dance Mat Typing Level 2 Stage 5

Bible
Austin and Amanda - 1Kings 8-9, 2 Chronicles 5-7

Sign Language
Austin and Amanda - Unit 12 Vocabulary

Social Studies
Austin and Amanda - Henry Hudson from Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Sansevere-Dreher

Literature
Austin and Amanda - Chapter 15 from Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery

Physical Education
Austin and Amanda - Outdoor play with friends


Preschool Fun

Songs

Ii is for Ice Coloring Page and Ii Template


Flannel Jungle Wildlife






Lots of stories

Homeschool Log 10/27/09

Math
Austin - Melvin's Make a Match
Amanda - Riddlegram - fraction/decimal worksheet

Language Arts
Austin - Skillwise Adjectives
Amanda - Possessive Pronouns - worksheet

Science
Austin and Amanda - Cells come from other cells; The Cell Theory is important to the study of biology: Louis Pasteur, Bacteria and Spontaneous Generation

Reading
Austin and Amanda - Chapter 9 A Plot Between Fagin and Monks from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Great Illustrated Classics)

Typing
Austin and Amanda - Dance Mat Typing Level 2 Stage 5

Bible
Austin and Amanda - 1Kings 5-7, 2Chronicles 2-4

Sign Language
Austin and Amanda - Unit 12 Vocabulary

Social Studies
Austin and Amanda - Jacques Cartier from Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Sansevere-Dreher

Literature
Austin and Amanda -Chapter 15 from Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery

Art
Austin and Amanda - Quilt Block Coloring Pages

Preschool Fun
Songs

Letter i coloring page

We enjoyed reading books. Michael's favorite at the moment is "My Very Own Book of Sizes" by Gary Smalley. We've been reading this one several times a day.

Memory - We enjoyed playing animal memory, talking about the animals on the cards and counting the cards when we finished playing the game.

No pictures today because, once again, I have misplaced the camera!

Homeschool Log Monday 10/26/09

Math
Austin - Equivalent Fractions Set 1
Amanda - Musical Math - fraction worksheet

Language Arts
Austin - Choosing Adjectives
Amanda - Reflexive Pronouns - worksheet

Science
Austin and Amanda - All Living Things Are Made of Cells; The Microscope Led to the Discovery of Cells

Reading
Austin and Amanda - Chapter 8 A Dying Woman's Secret from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Great Illustrated Classics)

Typing
Austin and Amanda - Dance Mat Typing Level 2 Stage 5

Bible
Austin and Amanda - 1Kings 2-3:16

Sign Language
Austin and Amanda - Unit 12 vocabulary

Social Studies
Austin and Amanda - Giovanni da Verrazano from Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Sansevere-Drehel

Literature
Austin and Amanda -Chapter 14 from Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery

Art
Austin and Amanda - Quilt Block Coloring Pages

Physical Education

Preschool Fun
Songs

Letter Ii Template

DrawingAnd just playing.

Carving the Pumpkin

Three Tips for Keeping Reading Fun for Struggling Readers

1. Let the reader choose the reading material.

There is much more motivation to read when the material is of interest to the reader. No one enjoys struggling to do something they have no interest in. When the prize is learning more about a hobby or something else of interest, the joy of learning is worth the hard work. It may be history, transformers, animals, mystery stories or anything else of interest. Motivation is key.


2. Keep it short.

Spraining the brain does no good. Short, frequent reading sessions are much more effective. Stopping at a point that leaves the reader wanting to know more also helps to keep up interest.

3. Break it up

Struggling readers often have trouble following the story line or the flow of information. Decoding the words take so much concentration that the point of reading, to enjoy a story or learn something new, can be lost. Try having the reader read the every other sentence or paragraph. Often when reading with my son I have him read the first sentence of each paragraph aloud.. Then I read the rest of the paragraph aloud. This keeps him practicing, yet keeps him from losing the point of the passage we are reading because he has to struggle with each word.

While it is very important to me (as I know it is to most parents) that my child learn to read well, it is even more important that he retains the love of learning that he now has. These are things we have done to strike a balance between the two.

Menu Monday 10/26 - Friday 10/30

MONDAY
BREAKFAST - Toast, Cheese Slices, Apples, Milk
SNACK - Graham Crackers, Juice
LUNCH - Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Vegetable Beef Soup, Peaches, Milk
SNACK - Cottage Cheese, Strawberries
DINNER - Eggs, Pancakes, Hash Browns, Blueberries, Milk

TUESDAY
BREAKFAST - Grits, Boiled Eggs, Bananas, Milk
SNACK - Toast, Juice
LUNCH - Chicken Sandwiches, Carrot/Celery w/Ranch, Oranges, Milk
SNACK - Yogurt, Bread
DINNER - Sloppy Joe, Buns, Green Beans, Peaches, Milk
SNACK - Cereal, Milk

WEDNESDAY
BREAKFAST - French Toast, Applesauce, Milk
SNACK - Graham Crackers, Juice
LUNCH - Burritos, Salad, Apples, Milk
SNACK - Pineapple, Milk
DINNER - Turkey Cheese Sandwiches, Tater Tots, Oranges, Milk
SNACK - Blueberry Bran Muffins, Milk

THURSDAY
BREAKFAST - Breakfast Sandwiches, Applesauce, Milk
SNACK - Toast, Juice
LUNCH - Tuna Cheesy Pasta, Peas and Carrots, Apples, Milk
SNACK - Cinnamon Rolls, Milk
DINNER - Tomato Soup, Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Strawberries, Milk
SNACK - Bananas, Milk

FRIDAY
BREAKFAST - Blueberry Bran Muffins, Turkey Sausage, Applesauce, Milk
SNACK - Graham Crackers, Milk
LUNCH - Hamburger Chow Mein, Green Beans, Milk
SNACK - Donuts, Milk
DINNER - Tacos, Mixed Berries, Milk
SNACK - Breadsticks, Milk

New Fashion? Or Not!

We walked across the street to the Salvation Army thrift store this afternoon to see what treasures we could find. Amanda found five (why does she need five?) purses. And apparently she decided this one was better suited for a hat.

This was the same trip to Salvation Army where I twisted my ankle and sprawled on the ground, next to the road. When I looked up the people in the cars were looking at me like they thought maybe I was drunk or something. It was amazing how fast I was able to get back up on my feet and walk away like nothing happened.

And this was also the same trip where, when Amanda reached for her money to pay for her things, discovered it was missing. After frantically searching through every pocket several times, the cashier reached under the counter and pulled out a very crumpled bill. "Did it look like this?" she asked. The manager had found it on the floor and saved it for the person who would be frantically looking for it when it was time to pay. Bless her.

Homeschool Log Friday 10/23/09

Math
Austin - Melvin's Make a Match*
Amanda - Find the Difference - fraction worksheet

Language Arts
Austin - Verb Game*
Amanda - Subject or Object Pronoun? - worksheet

*Activities found at Gamequarium

Spelling
Austin and Amanda - Review Spelling Words

Reading
Austin and Amanda - Chapter 7 The Housebreaking from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Great Illustrated Classics)

Science
Austin and Amanda - Living Things Are Different From Nonliving Things: Characteristics of Life, Needs of Life

Typing
Austin and Amanda - Dance Mat Typing Level 2 Stage 4

Bible
Austin and Amanda - 1 Kings 1

Sign Language
Austin and Amanda - Unit 11 Vocabulary

Literature
Austin and Amanda -Chapters 10-13 from Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery

Art
Austin and Amanda Quilt Block Coloring Pages

Social Studies
Austin and Amanda - Ferdinand Magellan from Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Sansevere-Dreher

Homeschool Log Thursday 10/22/09

Today was Austin and Amanda's usual day off from school. I watched today to see what types of things they would choose to do with their free time. I was pleased with what I saw.

Austin spent a lot of time working on search word puzzles. To see him conquer his frustration with any kind of written word and enjoy doing these puzzles is a real source of happiness for me. He also went for a long walk. He's been exploring the fields and woods behind us and is gone for an hour or more nearly every day. He spent a lot of time helping with the younger kids, not because I asked him too, but because he wanted too. At one point he got out some puppets and helped the little kids play with them.

Both kids watched "Growing Up - Hyena", a one hour show on Animal Planet and a one hour show on the Biography channel.

Amanda did a lot of reading. She's been reading the book What's For Lunch -Animal Feeding at the Zoo by Sally Tongren. When her friend Holly got off the bus after school they played outside for several hours, riding bikes, and playing with the cat and Amanda's pet rats. Later this evening she went to the grocery store with Doug.

Preschool
We had a lot of fun today. We sang our Hh songs for this week, and did the Hippo Craft and Hippo Coloring Page. The kids enjoyed playing with puppets with Austin. It was such a beautiful day that we got to play outside for about an hour. We read lots and lots of stories, some more than once. And we built with the wooden blocks.

Homeschool Log Wednesday 10/21/09

Math
Austin - Melvin's Make a Match*
Amanda - Fraction Puzzle - worksheet

Language Arts
Austin - Verb Game*
Amanda - Object Pronouns - worksheet

*Activities found at Gamequarium

Reading
Austin and Amanda - Chapter 6 Mr. Bumble Brings Bad News from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Great Illustrated Classics)

Science
Austin and Amanda - Virtual Cell Tour

Typing
Austin and Amanda - Dance Mat Typing Level 2 Stage 4

Bible
Austin and Amanda - Psalm 111, Psalm 130, Psalm 131, Psalm 146, Psalm 45, Psalm 47,

Art
Austin - Quilt Block Coloring Pages

Social Studies
Austin and Amanda - John Cabot from Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Sansevere_Dreher

Physical Education
Austin and Amanda - Riding Bike, Playing outside with friends

We missed literature today because the teacher (me) kept falling asleep in mid-sentence while reading aloud. I gave up and told the kids we would just have to skip it today. They went outside and played instead and I took a nap while the little ones were napping. I didn't like missing it becuase this is our favorite time of the homeschooling day. We leave it for last and end our day on a very positive note. But this time sleep took precedence. I'm not even sure why I was so sleepy but I had a very nice nap.

Preschool Fun
We had a lot of fun today singing our usual Songs , doing these crafts Hippo Craft ,Letter H Template ,and playing with puzzles. We even got to play outside.







Here are some pictures Austin took of a skunk wandering around behind our house today. When Austin tried to pet the skunk I had to tell him "Enough."

Boys!



This evening the Doug took the kids to Kid Worx at church.

It has been a good day.