One Lovely Blog Award

Wow!  I got a blog award!  How cool! 
A big sloppy smooch to my blog buddy Anna @ Passionate Motherhood

I was so honored to get this award and from a blogger I really respect and admire.  For her to pick me as one of the 3 blogs she thinks deserve this award really means a lot to me.  So, I gratefully accept.  :D

The Rules: Share 3 things I think are Lovely
1: My Savior
2: My Family
3: Homeschooling

Now, I need to pass on the loveliness to 3-5 blogs that I find wonderfully lovely....

Passionate Motherhood (back atcha babe! ;-)

Moments of Clarity by Gretchen

Mishmash Maggie




The rules, should you choose to accept it: =)
1: Put the one Lovely Blog award logo on your blog
2: in a new post, share 3 things that you think are lovely
3: pass the award on to 3-5 other bloggers
4: link the nominees in your post
5: let the nominees know they have won the award by commenting on their blog
6: share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award

Disclaimer: No need to pass the award on if you dont want to or dont have time to. I'll still love ya =)

Week 6- Some weeks are just a wash!

What DID we learn this week??  It seems like we just could not get motivated this week.  It's getting colder, so it's harder to get out of the warm covers in the morning.  We couldn't keep our focus, and not a lot of info was retained, I am afraid.  You'll have that, right? 

I was so busy trying to get all the meat of the schedule done that I skipped the crafts and "extras." 
So to sum it up, it was a wash! 

We listened to #7 El Coqui and #8 Chi Chi Bud Gigi LOVES to dance!

We learned some common phrases, colors, numbers, and days of the week in Spanish.

Oh yes, and don't forget the You-Can't-Throw-A-Fit-And Expect-To-Get-Your-Way lesson. 

 Very important!

We added Dunes, Deserts, and Badlands to our Geo. cards slideshow. Just click on the tab above to view.
Hopefully next week will be a bit more exciting, although I have a feeling we will not be home much.  ;-)

Week 5 Hola Mexico!

Passports? Check!

Train tickets?  Check!

Excited children eager to learn?  Check! Check! Check!

I had to preface that we weren't really going to Mexico!  Whew, I know I spared a tantrum there!

Wow!  What a jam packed week!  It seemed like a lot, so I skipped the Global Art crafts suggested and opted instead for the one thing they have been dying to do for like, a year now!





SHAVING CREAM & POWDER TEMPURA PAINT ART!!!  WOO-HOO!!

We also played a game that came included in our curriculum. This, I just cannot say enough good about.  It is AMAZING

how much we learned and retained the location of all/most the countries of North America in just one game!

We will have a gameboard of each continent we visit, and by the time we are through with this school year the world will seem a much smaller place. 

WE LOVE MY FATHER'S WORLD!!

I wish I had started 7 yrs ago with this curriculum, but am thankful we found it in time to start with Exploring Countries and Cultures.  I tell you it really makes me want to go be a missionary family. 

We listened to #5 Pin Pon and #6 Tingalayo and it's so cute to see Eli and Gigi sing and dance!

Here is a pic of them sharing at snack time

We have moved on from forests and are learning about deserts. Check back for updated pics on the geography cards tab.  We got a bit behind on these, so I'll have them all posted soon.

Fascinating factoid: Desert temperatures can get up to 120 degrees in the day and drop to nearly freezing at night.  Temps can also be 10-20 degrees cooler in the shade of an oasis.  So we had a little experiment of our own to see how fast bags of ice would melt in the sun vs. shade.

By lunch time the sun kept ice was melted about 90 % and the shade kept ice was about 60 % melted.  Conclusion: It stays cooler in the shade. Duh! LOL!

So I guess that just about covers our excitement for the week.  Unless diagramming compound sentences really does it for you!

anyone? ...anyone? ......Beuller??

Week 4- Where did you go???

Isn't it amazing how a whole week can fly by without a clue as to where it went?  That was our week, thank you and goodnight!  No seriously, we trudged through the week, playing catch up a bit.  Greg had my camera at the shop (woodworking) and I didn't take many pics.  We had some colds to contend with and overall it was just a 'bleh' kind of week.  You'll have that, right?  Boy, we have our share!

Anyway, we learned about Christian Hero, Harriet Tubman.  Wow, it's tough trying to explain slavery in America to the kids!  They just don't seem to "get it."  Anyone know of a good film to help them see and understand what slaves in the U.S. went through?  I think it's important that they grasp this a little better, especially the older kids. 

Luca, my kindergartner, is so excited to do his letters everyday.  Last year he could care less, so it's really cool to see him retaining the information this year, and the eagerness to learn.  Here is a sample of his work...

We have more geography cards on display, click here for a slide show.  We are learning all about forests.  It's so fun to learn all these awesome things alongside your children.  I hope they home school their own children someday, so they can get educated!  ;)  You appreciate the knowledge so much more as an adult. 

So, we took a tour around America.  Explored the diversity.  From the deserts, to the forests, the mountains, lakes, and cities.  We explored the bitter cold of Alaska, and the warm tropics of Hawaii.  If only...

We learned about our flag from the book, "Oh Say Can You See?  America's Symbols, Landmarks, and Inspiring Words"  by Sheila Keenan

This is a really fun book with great illustrations, and tons of really interesting facts about our country.  We learned the story behind The Star Spangled Banner.  I was prompted to sing it.  Why is it that I get choked up a little EVERY TIME I sing that song???   Yep, I do, right around the part, '...and the flag was still there...'   

Next stop, Mexico...ALL ABOARD!!!

See you there!