Jan
24

2012 Mid-Year Curriculum Changes

By | Homeschool

38 Comments

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Hi everyone! I’ve had several questions from readers asking how our 2012 curriculum choices are going. I think one of the things I like most about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible and note when something is working well and when something isn’t working! That said in order to maintain my own sanity, and thus the sanity of those around me, I’ve decided to change the things that weren’t working. And while I hate to waste money, sanity is priceless, no?     Change Number 1: Saxon –> to Math U See I said at the start of the school year that we were trying out Saxon for the first time. Well, I have to say that Saxon just wasn’t a right fit for us!  Partly because I had a hard time adjusting to teaching it, and partly because my kids just weren’t getting how they explained certain things. I found myself pulling out our Math U See blocks and trying to re-word it for them so it made sense. The other reason I switched to Saxon was because … [Read more...]

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Dec
11

All About Reading Level 1 Giveaway!

By | Give Aways, Homeschool

1,415 Comments

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  All About Reading Level 1 kit is out! Yipee! We just received a copy to review and I am loving it! I have a review coming soon, but for now I was anxious to get the giveaway out to all of you since it’s such an awesome kit!   Can’t wait to get your copy? Click here to order All About Reading Level 1 Win It: In celebration of their new product, All About Learning Press is offering a set of All About Reading Level 1 Kit free to one of you! One blessed winner will receive both the All About Reading Level 1 Kit,  plus the Deluxe Interactive Reading Kit! Whoo hoo! Everything you see below is included in this giveaway!   What does the Reading Level 1 kit come with? (Regularly $107.70) Teacher's Manual Student Packet (Includes word cards, as well as Activity Book) Run, Bug, Run! reader The Runt Pig reader Cobweb the Cat reader What does the Deluxe Interactive Kit come with? (Regularly $48.95) Letter Tiles Magnets for Letter … [Read more...]

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Nov
01

Alphabet Desk Mate

By | Homeschool, Mom Stuff

27 Comments

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Looking for a handy visual alphabet reference for your students? I’ve created this for Tinker Bell so she has something on her desk that she can look at when working on her handwriting. I’ve found that keeping something close by really helps in proper letter formation. If they can’t quite remember how a letter is formed, they can quickly glance at their desk mate alphabet strip and in the words of Tinker Bell….Voila’! Soooo….I present the Manuscript Desk Mate:   And just because I know there are a bunch of you working on Cursive…the Cursive Desk Mate:   And don’t worry, I didn’t forget all you D’Nealian fans out there either!   The download includes all 3 fonts, and 2 sizes of each Alphabet Desk Mate, one 8x11 and one 18x4 so hopefully one of the sizes and fonts will work for your student! Click here to download the Alphabet Desk Mate! I hope this helps out your kiddos with their handwriting! … [Read more...]

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Oct
23

Learning Fun With Felt Giveaway

By | Give Aways, Homeschool

558 Comments

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We received a couple of Learning Fun With Felt kits today from Betty Luken, and the kids totally love them! As soon as they got here, they started playing. I actually had to set a timer so they could take turns due to high demand. They sent us the Under The Sea and the Forest Camping Adventure sets to review, if you don’t like these they have a wide variety of themes to choose from!   Once the kids got over playing with them, I had them use the sets to tell a story. It was great to hear all of the creative things they came up with while telling what happened!   Each set comes with a felt board, along with several matching pieces. They also come in a plastic carrying case which is perfect for storage and keeping all of the felt pieces from getting lost!   I was surprised at how long they played with the kits, and I look forward to using them for creative story telling and just plain fun in the future! Can't wait for the giveaway?  … [Read more...]

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Oct
18

Kindergarten Police Officer Printables

By | Homeschool

10 Comments

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This week for our Kindergarten Theme we learned all about Police Officers. This was a fun unit since it included learning about dogs and taking our finger prints! Click here to download the Police Officer Unit We started off by making ourselves some cute Police hats and badges. In 1844 the New York City Police Department chose the color dark blue for their uniforms. today most police officers continue to wear this color for their uniforms as well.  All Police officers wear a badge to identify them as an officer of the law as well as a hat, and belt used to hold their gun and other equipment. They also have a radio on their shoulder that allows them to communicate with other officers.   Next we talked about the different jobs that Police Officers do for our community. Keep citizens safe Bring criminals to justice Maintain public order and uphold our laws Guard property and buildings Helping people in danger   K9 Units: A K-9 team … [Read more...]

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Sep
14

Kindergarten Fire Safety Theme Week

By | Homeschool

25 Comments

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One of the things we’re doing this year for Kindergarten is a Community Helper Theme each week. We started off learning about Fire Fighters, fires, and fire safety.     We talked about firemen and the equipment they use, and what to expect if they are ever in a fire. After our little schpeel on safety we did an experiment to show how fire works. Since this is an important topic we did it as a group. Our first activity was a lesson on fire itself. There are three things that fire needs to burn: Heat Air Fuel Demonstration: As a demonstration, we lit 3 small birthday candles to show the 3 things that fire needs to burn and how to put out a fire safely. For this demonstration you will need: 3 small candles 1 spray bottle filled with water 1 metal tray 3 clumps of play-doh or clay 1 drinking glass or jar Matches or a lighter A fire extinguisher (We did NOT use the fire extinguisher, I just showed it to them so they know how it … [Read more...]

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Jul
19

Our Curriculum 2011-2012

By | Homeschool

72 Comments

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Hi everyone! It’s that time of the year again! You know the one…when you realize that summer’s almost over and you barely remember it starting. The one where you think “Yikes! I better order my curriculum so it’s here in time!” Yep…that one. I’ve had lots of emails asking about our curriculum choices for this year already, so I know you all are planning away out there too! Of course I’m happy to share our choices with you, but I also want you to stand firm in your own choices and not beat yourself up thinking you should’ve done something else just because I or any other blogger recommends it! Each family is different, and I know you’ve prayed over your choices, just as I have, so we can take comfort in knowing that we’re being obedient to our calling! So here it is, our choices for the 2011-2012 school year! (Wow, I had a hard time typing 2012…I remember back when even the thought of the year 2000 was like back to the future hover-cars and … [Read more...]

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Dec
30

Scratch and Sketch Books

By | Art

12 Comments

We recently got our hands on some of these fun Scratch and Sketch books! These super cute books come with a small blurb about each item and a drawing for the kids to copy if they so choose. The pages are black and each book comes with a wooden stylus used to ‘scratch’ the image into the black coating. Of course they each have a different fun background that will show through as you draw the picture. Here are some of our creations: This book is a fun art addition to our workboxes whenever we have an open spot! We have the Rainforest Scratch and Sketch (Sorry, I can’t find this one on Amazon) and the Under The Sea Scratch and Sketch. Here are some more fun Scratch and Sketch books: http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fconfofahome-20%2F8010%2Fb5b71c54-3757-41e2-983a-bb3f54f7fc93&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate … [Read more...]

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Dec
14

Word Family Ladders

By | Homeschool

18 Comments

Thanks to the wonderful idea of a reader, I’ve created these Word Family Ladders. They’re similar to my beginning sound Blend Ladders, but these contain 37 common word families for your children to work on. Click here to download the Word Family Ladders We use plastic alphabet letters or dry erase markers to make the as many words as we can for each family. This helps children recognize common word endings. Here are some more ideas on practicing the word families: 1. Brainstorm with your child about all the words you can make for each family. Write them on your white board as you go. 2. Read the word family story from "AlphaTales" (Scholastic) – As you read the story have your child be a “word family detective” and see if they can spot all the words in that family! 3. Use Word Family Ladders with the magnetic letters and see how many words you can make. Click here to see my other K4 Curriculum Activities! These activities are part of my K4 level expansion to my Letter of … [Read more...]

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Nov
05

Expedition Earth ~ Thailand Floating Boats Craft

By | Geography, Homeschool

3 Comments

Sawa dee ka! This week we made Krathong Floating boats for our Geography Curriculum week on Thailand! This craft went much better than our Columbus Day Boat craft so I thought I’d share our building strategies! Supplies: Cardboard Masking Tape Tin Foil Popsicle sticks and any other decorating items you’d like Play-doh (optional: we used it to secure the popsicle sticks that were holding up the sails) Directions: STEP 1: Cut a rectangle out of cardboard and fold in each side so it makes a “U” shape as below. I used masking tape to hold it in place. STEP 2: Cover the boat with tin foil, making sure to pinch ends together in a pointy shape to keep water from getting into boat. STEP 3: Using popsicle sticks and whatever else you like, decorate your boat. We used the sticks for oars and also to hold up our sails. We placed a small ball of play-doh inside the boats and stuck the sail popsicle sticks into it. Step 4: Present your finished boat to Mom for blog pics: … [Read more...]

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