Tangrams, Cookie Dough, Paper Airplanes, and Chocolate

Here are some pictures from the past week.

We had lots of fun covering the beginning of World War I and doing some neat "hands-on" projects.

Sissi, all dressed up and playing with her bear

Working on some math

Gwangi, working on his Explode the Code

Being silly while doing her Explode the Code

She loves to work on tangrams while I do our read-aloud

Gwangi joined her on this day

One of her finished pictures

When they put the blocks away, they did it by shape and color, in layers...They inherited my organization gene!

Making sugar cookie dough maps of Europe

Cutting out Europe from their rolled out sugar cookie dough

One of the final maps, I think this is Gwangi's map

Watching it cook in the oven

Decorating her map

It puffed up a bit during baking, but I think they look great

More decorating

Another tangram, this one built by Gwangi from his imagination

Making and flying our own paper airplanes

Science project, watching the sun focus on the chocolate through the magnifying glass and melt it

Krypto actually got a flame and smoke coming off of his chocolate

So very gooey and tasty!

Surprise Birthday Party!

Here are some photos from Chana (and Brian's) Surprise Birthday Party!

Lots of fun in Fayetteville last weekend.

Surprise!

I love this cake!

Our first two weeks of school

Just a few pictures from our first two weeks of school!

Gwangi working on his Astronomy Notebook

As I do our Tapestry of Grace Lower Grammar (LG) reading each day, I have the children draw a picture about what I'm reading.  We share at the end.  The boys can each write a few sentences for their own description.  I write Sissi's after she tells me what her picture is all about.  This way, we have a notebook of all our History and Literature readings for the year and it gives them something "hands on" to do while I'm reading to them.

Our new Science curriculum.  This is our first year with Apologia.

Sissi writing in her Notgrass Psalms devotional.

Krypto doing his devotion in the morning.  You can see his pile of books next to him, Logic, Handwriting, Grammar, and Math.

Gwangi working on his pile of books.

Another page out of Sissi's Notgrass Psalms book that we are working on in the morning.

While I make lunch, the kids often play a game...this day was "No Stress Chess"...you play it with cards, so it teaches the kids the moves.  This game was not completely without stress though :).

We are doing a Home Economics course this year, by the Pearables company.  The first week was learning about the Food Pyramid and making healthy choices.  This week, peeling carrots and potatoes.  My goal is to have them each planning and cooking one night of the week by the time they are teenagers.

The boys, blowing up balloons and measuring them as we try to show the relative size of the planets to each other.

Sissi is cutting out our "ring" for Saturn.

We taped our ring onto our Saturn balloon.

The boys, more measuring to be sure the balloon planets are the right size.

Another day of Home Economics...the dinner that night was Potato Soup.  The kids peeled all the potatoes for me.

Then, they decided they wanted to learn how to cut, too. So, we had an impromptu lesson in using our knives safely and how to cut potatoes.

Just a handful of the books that we read these past two weeks for History.  The beginning of the 20th Century is a very rich time to learn about, we've been busy.

Next week...we're heading into the Pre-War years!

School Year 2013-2014

We're a week and a half into our new school year and it is going super well.  In fact, each year gets better!  We get more used to each other, we tweak our routine based on what works (or didn't) from the last year, we learn new things and tie them back to what we've learned in the past...it is just awesome having the same teacher and students each year for the sake of continuity!

I did update the sidebar of the blog with what we're doing this year, but I thought I would write up a quick blog post to go over some details, if you're interested, of course.

We tend to start our day about 8:30 with Krypto doing his violin practice with me for about 30 minutes.  Then, we all gather around the table and this year we are doing a Notgrass study of the Psalms.  Last year we read through the Proverbs and discussed them, this year, we're reading through the Psalms and we're drawing as we go!  Nothing like a hands on activity to cement it into our memories.  Next, we review our memory verses for the week, pray together, and say the Pledge of Allegiance to the US Flag and to the Bible.

At this point we break up and do our individual work for the morning.  I work with the youngest to the oldest.

Sissi - 1st Grade
A Reason for Handwriting A
The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
Explode the Code Phonics (books 3, 4, and 5 this year)
First Language Lessons Level 1
Writing with Ease Level 1
Math-U-See Alpha
***when she is done working with me, she usually does art or plays on her own while I work with the boys.

Gwangi - 3rd Grade
A devotional book
Cursive Handwriting Without Tears
Explode the Code Phonics (books 7 and 8 this year)
Logic
Math-U-See Gamma
Tapestry of Grace, Upper Grammar (UG) History/Lit Reading
***he does the rest of this list with me, when I'm done working with Sissi
McGuffey Eclectic Third Reader Aloud
First Language Lessons Level 3
Writing with Ease Level 3
Sequential Spelling

Krypto - 5th Grade
A devotional book
Can-do Cursive Handwriting Without Tears
Logic
Easy Grammar Level 5
Math-U-See Zeta
Tapestry of Grace, Upper Grammar (UG) History/Lit Reading
Creative Writer Level 1
Typing
Programming (this has yet to begin, I am thinking in September)
***he does the following subject with me, when I'm done working with Sissi and Gwangi
Sequential Spelling

LUNCH TIME about 11:30 or so.

After lunch, we come back together and our afternoons are as follows -

Tapestry of Grace, Year 4, 20th Century World History - Monday thru Friday

Science, Apologia Astronomy - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Russian - Our online class is Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, we do our homework and review on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Home Economics - Home Economics for Homeschoolers

We are usually finished with school between 2 and 3 in the afternoon.

As for the extra curricular activities, on Tuesday mornings, at 10:30, we have a violin lesson for Krypto with a lovely Polish lady that is with the North Carolina School of the Arts.  On Wednesday afternoons at 3:30, Sissi has a ballet and tap class.  We'll find out this weekend what night of the week we'll have baseball practice for Gwangi (I did say no Wednesdays.)

Just because I like to be involved, we've also signed up to do the AWANA program on Wednesday evenings at the local Calvary Baptist.

Yes, it's pretty full, but it's going very well!  How is "Back to School" going for you this Fall?

Family Photos - July 2013

While we were in Colorado, in July, we had our family pictures done by Courtney again!  They turned out great, and we loved the location she picked for us as well.  It was a hot day, everyone was tired from all the travel we had been doing, and Indy had a headache, but we pushed through and I think she got some wonderful shots.

So, here is the interactive part of this blog post....which family shot would you pick for our updated card for our next assignment?  Send me a note, comment on the blog post, or let me know on Facebook.  I'm hoping to order them in the next week or so!