Friday, November 25, 2011

Crayola how we LOVE you!



We purchased one of the Crayola Activity Kits and its been such a blessing!! Today Candice and I worked on letters and numbers, spelling simple words, and counting. She did great actually!


Oh the wonderful ideas floating around!

Thanks to 1+1+1=1 I got Candice a Crayola Dry Erase Activity Kit tonight- VERY WORTH THE MONEY! I like it so much im getting another one saturday. I got it tonight at Meijer for $10 (yay for preblack friday sale) and then Michaels has them on sale 12.99 and you get 1 buy 1 for 50% off and they have a 50% off coupon, so I was going to get another dry erase kit and then something else, maybe a supply kit.
I have been reading the NOT back to school blog hop and here are ideas i LOVE::::::

Then on Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers (my new favorite blog) she came up with a neat organization idea- take metal $1 store buckets and put them on magnets on a lazy susan. Use it for art supplies. How neat!!
Then on 1+1+1=1 she has came up with these neat Notebooks and I am thinking of putting 2 together for Candice and Lana.
on EnJOYing my journey, she had the COOLEST idea for shelves! Rain Gutter shelves- oh my word, i about peed myself at seeing this! Tutorial
The World According to Them has a Door table. Basically a Door on legs!
Kathysclutteredmind uses an island for a desk!
workofchildhood uses an entertainment center for keeping supplies,etc.
**I have also noticed a lot of people have trays so that they can put a group of items on the tray related to the topic
Our Learning Room uses a show organizer to hold supplies.
get Apprentice organizer from Staples!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently its a must have!
Hammock Homeschool uses a 3 drawer dresser- now that is COOL!
DIY DRY ERASE BOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW COOL!!!!
 



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

More choices/Mazes+Dots

and so after looking at Ohio's CRAZY homeschooling laws, I have decided to add Science and History to the mix. However, im going to try to go for the basics that Lana and Candice can do together. The choices I keep seeing over and over are:

  1. A Beka Discovering Gods World (science)
  2. Story Of The World Vol 1 (social studies)
  3. My Body (SC)
  4. Road Trip USA (SS)
  5. The Magic School Bus kit (SC)
  6. Berenstain Bears kit (SC)
I actually think the Magic School Bus and Road Trip would be neat and easy. I like The Body but I think its too blah. I LOVE ABeka and SOTW but the price tag makes me rethink as well as i wonder if Lana can do it alongside us?
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On a side note, I picked up a Games On-The-Go Vol 1 book from Walgreens and Candice is able to do every Maze with ease and ever Dot Game with ease. She needs to work on Word Searches and Hangman, but id say at 5, a maze and dot game is pretty good!



Thursday, November 17, 2011

Picked our curriculum!!!

After much thought and discussion-
Math U See and Horizons Phonics for K ($193.95)
Math U See and Horizons Phons/Writing/Vocab for 1 (172.85)

for a total of $431.80. I think this combo will really work for us. Math U See is visual and you cant really get visual for phonics but Horizons is Biblical based. I just need Candice to be caught up to at least 1st grade BY Sept 1,2012. Id LOVE if Lana and Candice were both at least in 1st grade, but well see what happens.

Now to raise money!!


A Time for Reflection

Last year was our first year homesschooling. I thought I had to sit down with DD1 and do worksheets and workbooks and add in a little variety here and there. We didnt have a curriculum perse. Well I learned she was difficult to say the least, often struggling to get work done and myself getting frustrated.
We are sort of Unschooling until we can get curriculum this year and I have come to realize- she actually remembers more and does the best when its NOT workbook/textbook style! She has been doing Zoodles and amazes me with what she knows- yesterday she did spelling and didnt even need my help! The day or so before she did double digit numbers (had a little trouble when the Tens place changed). Shes also asking different questions than she was before "How big is a balloon and when were they made?" (that was yesterday). This is not to say I give our "unschooling" credit because to be frank im not doing much but its more to say I think I was pushing for something that worked for me, not for DD and in the end, she is still learning even if its in a different way! I am just proud because Id rather her watch a video and learn about Sound than be bored and frustrated trying to learn it from sitting at a desk.
Which all of this isnt new this morning. I have been leaning on this for awhile because when we went to the Midwest Homeschool Convention I was convinced we were happy and going to use Alpha Omega Horizons this year, but lately ive been feeling like it may not work. Im SO glad I have discovered in the end it wouldnt of worked after all! Now to try and find something that will work. I know until then, the library and Zoodles are our best friends right now!
I guess what Im trying to say is there have been a lot of "why am i doing this?" posts on THL and I have been there and I feel that way sometimes even now when i am unmotivated but maybe changing up the routine is the way to go. Schooling doesnt have to be books and papers all the time. It also doesnt have to be field trips and fun all the time either, but try something new, you discover like me, the way you were doing it just wasnt really right and thats OK :)


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Zoodles Spelling

candice has been working on Zoodles, when we can get an internet connection that is.

today we did spelling with Super Why. She actually did REALLY well! The other day she did Math with double digits and did really well too. Yet to get her to sit down and do a worksheet she wont. I <3 Zoodles!!!! We also tried a new MOPS group and it was a much better fit than the last one. I miss my Milford MOPS though :(




Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Homeschooling is like a present.

Here: Homeschooling was like a present. I had no idea what was inside or how to use it when i opened it, but i LOVED it!
There: Homeschooling is that toy in the bottom of the toybox that you know if you just put new batteries in, it would work great again. You just ignore the urge to reach down and get it out.

I am having Homeschooling blues. We cant get the curriculum we need and I feel lost. Candice should be in 1st grade and shes still stuck at K/1st and Lana should be in K and shes just barely Pre-K. :(

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Time for an update!

Schooling has and is on hold. Mostly because of the move and then because we need to save up money. Im still trying to decide on a solid curriculum. I was leaning towards Horizons but since we have been doing more of an unschooling approach, im not so sure a workbook would be a good idea. Lately, I have been going to the library and randomly picking up things to teach. Last week was Hurricanes/Droughts/ Rainforests and How rain is made. We just read books on it, no lessons.
Candice still needs review on the basics. She can write 1/2 the alphabet, though knows all of it. She can count to 15 if asked, 20 if pushed and needs to re-work adding/subtracting, but can do it with manipulatives with ease. Lana knows basic colors, count to 10, knows her alphabet, and basic shapes. She needs to work on basic writing and then just phonic basics. Nathan is doing ok I guess. He doesnt talk about school much, which to me is concerning.
We also recently went to the Art Museum and we did a scavenger hunt with the girls.