So we have had “Scotty” since the day of the Eclipse! Lance packed up the girls, headed to KY to experience the full eclipse… Then, he headed down to MS and picked up “Scotty”… and now he lies under our carport (Scotty, that is). He is well used as my QUIET office space and the girl’s top choice of where to do school work. He will also be used as a mobile office and a mobile school… and as our “upgraded tent”.
We have been busy! Our trip to the Aquarium and Insectarium was canceled due to flooding in New Orleans, so we made our own aquarium and lady bug houses. Well, that is at least part of the reason we did these projects. We have 2 (going on 3 outdoor ponds in our backyard). In one of these said ponds, are guppies. Guppies are livebearers and are called the millionfish for a reason. So, now we have a grow out tank for all of their babies! As far as the ladybug houses. Well, we have aphids in our garden… and ladybugs take care of the little pests! The girls measured out all of the 2 and 3/4 in bamboo pieces, helped measure the frame for the box, and learned the names of different tools, and used the electric screw driver to help their daddy put the house together. They then spray painted a stencil for the roofs.
Besides these projects, the Roo and Kbug practiced shooting a gun, and all the kids spent some time at the grandparents playing with the mini horses, and mini donkey. Unfortunately, Roo broke her clavicle when one of the horses took off while she was holding the lead, and threw her onto the ground. She is a trooper and only cried for a moment.
As far as our formal studies.
MATH: Iz has been working on mental math strategies for adding larger numbers, using some Singapore methods. I am pleased with her progress. We used number discs, dice, hundreds board, and playing cards as our manipulatives this week. Roo has been practicing 10 more, 10 less, 1 more, 1 less… but she really already understands this concept. In fact, she watches me teach Iz sometimes, and then starts making up her own large addition problems.
READING: As far as reading, both girls are still thoroughly enjoying All About Reading and all of the activities and stories that go along with it. Iz has been learning the importance of using adjectives and words to paint a picture in a reader’s mind, and one activity she did was to organize words that meant slow or fast into columns.
Home-ec: They made strawberry Jello. Kbug measured the cups of water, and the girls prepared the jello. They chose to do the fast version when you add less boiling water and ice and cold water. They want to do it again the “real” way, and compare the two versions.
We also have worked on typing, handwriting, some piano and yoga.
On Wednesday, we had orientation for our Classical Conversations Co-op. The girls are very excited, but we won’t start until September 6!
On Thursday… Professor B Math for the first time… we started at a pre-K level, just to get the feel of the different way of looking at numbers, and Kbug joined us – and loved it! The girls got bored because it was so easy – but it gets harder, and I gave them a sneak to peak of a future lesson. This is not our primary math program. Singapore Math US edition is our primary math program.
On Friday, we had our first day of Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op. We attended this co-op for 2 years prior to the girls going to public school. We are glad to be back. The girls enjoyed their classes: home-ec, let’s get messy, IEW – All Things Fun and Fascinating, cupcake decorating, and art. Iz picked the cupcake decorating class, so she could sell the cupcakes. That girl is an entrepreneur for sure!
Great article on Food intolerance vs alllergy…especially about milk. We have tried several times to switch Kbug to cow milk instead of goat milk, but each time it has been a fail. When he was a baby, breast milk and formula led to much screaming and vommitting, so we made his own fromula with goat milk. About a year ago we tried to switch him to cow milk, and he began screaming and throwing himself onto the floor or running full speed into walls, almost as if he was possessed (he was only 18 months at the time), and nothing would make him content. Until, we switched him back to goat milk!!! We recently gave cow milk a shot again… and after a few days, he became grumpy and not himself. Cow milk changes his personality, and he seems to feel miserable when on it. We switched him back to goat milk, and got our crazy, fun, hilarious, loving , and HAPPY little boy back. He has seen an allergist that told us there is no way that a child can be on goat milk and not tolerate cow milk as well. He obviously has never met my child… he also obviously doesn’t know that the makeup of these two milks is different. Anyway, i guess we will stick to goat milk at $6.50 a half gallon, trust our instincts as parents, and enjoy our little nut! Based on this article and other research, I would say Kbug is intolerant to cows milk, not allergic…. but the changes in his personality still aren’t worth a few extra bucks and conveniences. Scroll down past photo from a previous post about what worked or Kbug when he was a baby.
Since week 1 of Homeschooling the girls (and boy) have been able to spend some time with their cousins and grandparents, and we have eased into our lessons. They have been swimming, spent some time on the farm playing with the mini-horses, completed a 2 week job of watering plants for a neighbor, etc… and completed their school work.
Week 2 of Homeschooling was Lance’s first week as solo teacher, and he did a fantastic job. Our goal was for him to get comfortable with our Math and Reading curriculum. The kids not only did their math and reading, they practiced piano, prepared a few meals (from scratch), yoga, estimated and measured how many bricks we would need for a brick walkway (and were only off by 1). The kids were well behaved all the way through bedtime, which to me means they were happy and content.
Week 3 of Homeschooling… this is our week 3, and Lance and I are co-teaching this week.
I must say I am 100% pleased with the All About Reading curriculum, and the girls are loving it as well. Not only do they get to manipulate letter tiles and review old and learn new reading concepts, they get to do really fun activities too. Roo is on chapter 3 of her reader and has fed a monster, played phonogram bingo, cut and paste activities, etc. Iz has had some really cute activities as well. She got to design her own floor plan (which lends itself to math), but went along with a story that she read about a family living on a houseboat for a summer… She got to “buy” different breeds of dogs as she learned her words… and she is moving right along!
As far as math goes, Roo has been working on graphs this week. She enjoyed making her own graphs with stickers and dot paint and answering questions about how many more or fewer… and she is about to move on to a new concept, and Iz is doing some algebra through 100. She particularly liked a dice rolling game where she rolled two dice and made a two digit number, and then had to come up with the other number that when added to the number she rolled would equal 100. She also completed a 5 square activity similar to sudoko but with larger numbers.
Typing (Orton Gillingham based), and handwriting have also been pretty regular around here.
And for recess… well, they enjoyed our “pond in the works” (aka: “mud puddle”).
We still have a couple of days of week 3 to go. Besides the basics, we plan on putting some more plants in the ground (with the kids), and getting some ladybugs and learning of their benefits in the garden… working some more on the “mud puddle”. We were supposed to be going to the aquarium, but the trip was cancelled. Instead we bought some algea fish for our ponds and will be learning about them and livebearer fish.
That time I went to work on the same campus where my girls would go to school… Their very first day of “real school”!
“Impossible is just an excuse for not trying”. – Kutless
Few moments in life help define a person… helps them to step out of their comfort zone, and to just be. One summer during college, I had one of these moments. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t think about it… the time, that against my parents wishes (but with their support), I raised funds to go on a mission trip with two strangers from Texas. I packed a bag, and I was off to Mexico for a couple of months. Some of you helped support this journey either through thoughts and prayers or financially, and I thank you! If you have missions on your heart, whether long term or short term, listen and seek. If a missionary speaks at your church (and is still in financial need), and you feel led, give. I urge everyone to either support a mission or go on one yourself…you will not regret it. Back when I was in Mexico, there was still AOL dial up, and social media was nonexistent… I know many years have passed, but I recently came across a video from 2012 that is almost a mirror image of my time spent at Casa de la Esperanza, a moment in time that changed me, and helped me become the woman I am today. I was close to calling Mexico my home, but instead, God told me that “home is where the heart is”, and Lance had already stolen a piece of my heart, and it was back in Louisiana. Thankful and blessed!
Beyond the Elm 