Id say Ballet is a hit!

Candice is doing Beginning Ballet and Lana is doing Creative Movement. Thanks to Brooklyn from Homeschool Summer Camp, we are doing Ballet on Saturdays. Then thanks to Louise on The Well Trained Mind, she sent Candice some awesome Ballet attire. I also found things for Lana at MOPS sale!

Without further ado, here is pic overload!!!!!!

Lana twirling (playing around before class)

Candice twirling (again before class)

Both girls doing first position on the wall. (this was candices class but Lana wanted to join in!)

Candice doing a ballet position- i forget the name but its 1st position when they dip down

Lana watching Candices class

Lana doing a kick (shes in the back ;))

lana showing excitement in dance

Lana circle time

working on positions on the wall

Lana showing tired through dance

candice playing with a lego horse during lana's class

Lana dancing with a scarf (and her teacher)

lana and scarf

She LOVED the scarf

What a pretty Ballerina!

After class 

Wheels on the bus!

This would be Lana playing on starfall playing "Wheels On The Bus" dancing around for the 20billionth time today. Oy.

Today Candice made some sentences. I gave her words and she had to make a sentence.

 Lana practiced her numbers 5-7. Then she cut out some numbers and glued them on a Mickey Mouse cardstock.

 

and that is my crazy day. :) I wouldnt change it though. Even if i have to
hear Wheels On The Bus another time.

Ballet and Sleepovers!

Last night Candice spent the night at Brooklyns and apparently that had so much fun! They made a tent in the living room and helped in the garden. Im glad they had fun. I was a bit worried, given out Summer Camp experience but no late night phone call!

Then I met the girls at Ballet. What an AWESOME Ballet Company! Balletreflect.com for those interested in the Cincy area. The teacher is awesome and its FREE. Now to get the ballet equipment we need. Shoes, etc.

MOMSnext & A field trip!

Today I tried a new MOMSnext group. (Off shoot of MOPS but for school aged children). I attended the Loveland group. Overall? Great group and they are the oldest MOMSnext group in Cincinnati. Everyone seemed nice and there is ONE other homeschooler. I will go back. I still have Kenwood MOMSnext to try though, they are next Tuesday.

Today we also went on a Zoo field trip with Brooklyn. (sorry i have been misspelling her name). The kids all had a blast!! We saw all the animals and rode on the train. Great day and everyone is exhausted! Candice asked to do a sleepover so thats tomorrow night. THEN Cathy, Brooklyns mom mentioned a Ballet class up the street from me on Saturday and Im going to try that. Im still upset we couldnt do the CoOp.

Oh the things we see!

Well there are some changes coming in the future and some we have made.

First we changed up Phonics. I LOVE Horizons but its too rule heavy and I found the love for Explode The Code. So well switch to Horizons when we finish ETC. I also found Abeka Writing With Phonics 1, BUT its the same as Horizons so i think well make it work. THEN I found Doorposts Hidden Treasures, which is a MUCH better bible.

As for other things? Candice did a recent Reading and Math assessment. She is between 1st and 2nd for both and that makes me happy. She actually scored higher with math than reading.
We went to Milford MOPS today. Its still the same awesome-ness BUT my kids are older and im sad but the love isnt there. I know I can grow from being there, but I will be limited because they have pregnant bellies, babies and toddlers. I dont. I have contacted a few MOMSnext groups and the Loveland one is tomorrow!! I went to our CHEC meeting for Kenwood and that was AWESOME too. I loved everything about it.

I got my Notification in the mail so im framing it :) Call it inspiration!

Tomorrow we have a field trip to the Cincinnati Zoo with Brooklynn from Homeschool Summer Camp. Then Friday is Scouts! (and MOMSnext tomorrow)

Not Back To School Blog Hop: DITL

We did this earlier this year but things have changed slightly. We have since moved and dont do some of the same things. Some things are similar though. See here for DITL post.

A Few Notes:
1) We school year round
2) We dont have a start time, end time, recess, etc. We take it as it comes. Very relaxed. some days too relaxed.

Usually we start after lunch. I ask the girls to clear off the table and get their stuff out. We keep it in the dining room table bench. They each get out their supply boxes and books. Sometimes ill turn on music, but not always.
Lana sits on the left of the bench and Candice on the right and I am at the head of the table. It just works out better this way. I do need to find a way to separate them because Lana is a CONSTANT talker!
I will have Lana start on her Calender Book AKA: Black Book. (Thanks again 1+1+1=1 Blog!) and at the same time I will get started with Candice. I ask her what she wants to do first. Today for example she wanted to do spelling. We wrote her spelling words on her index cards while Lana chatted away at us and did her black book.
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Then we took a break so i can write this on the couch. The girls are doing Lanas Black Book.
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I then got Lana started on her Rod & Staff C book reviewing the numbers 1-5 and working on #5 while Candice chooses to either read, write, or do some math. She chose to read. She read a story to me and i helped her with the words she didnt know.
Lana then gets to get on Zoodles since she is finished with her work so i can have silence and finish with Candice. This has worked out SO much better since starting this.
Now I finish with Candice and do some math review and 1 writing lesson.
Then she can get on Zoodles and then we do dinner!

Of course we havent started the new school year and I have NO idea how our day will be then, but well make it work. Our day isnt always like this. Sometimes we do more, sometimes less. It is what it is. :)

A Shift In Life

We use Horizons for Phonics, Spelling and Writing for Candice. We havent been using the writing because I feel like she is strong in writing. Spelling is ok. Phonics is the big one. The book is FULL of rules. Rules after Rules of Rules and More RULES! AGH! How is she suppose to learn to read when she has to remember all the rules!! SO I stepped away. FAR away. Phonics rules are important, but she has to learn beyond the rules. I have started having Candice read everything. No more " I cant read". I have began to add writing again. I stopped Spelling. I want her to focus on reading and learning to read through writing, then we can focus BACK on rules and spelling.
It is going A LOT better!

As for Lana, There is a serious Focus issue. She gets very easily distracted and its frustrating. I dont have a solution for it yet.

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As for our school day (which will be a later post this week (A Day In Our HS Life))..... I changed things up there too. Candice and Lana will do their lessons and whoever is done first will get on Zoodles in my room while the other finishes and then the 2nd one can get on Zoodles. MUCH easier to get work done this way!