Thursday, May 28, 2009
I intend to attend the conference
I just found the blog for ICHE at http://www.iche.org/blog/. This will be my second visit and I have blocked out my husband's work schedule to get him there too. I'm still working on the kid-care confirmation and end of soccer next week. The first plumber gave us good news about the work we NEED done in the front half bath. And I believe it is a lovely way to end the school year next week by making up freezer meals from Malia's 911 blog (see link in right column).
Friday, May 22, 2009
Late June Travel to Turkiye
The itinerary is drafted and the sites/events are being collected. We'll try to get all five of us to MUC for a flight to ESB and then travel within Turkiye to IST and back to Germany but instead try FRA and then home to ORD. Sounds insane? Try living it...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More practice sites to use
After introducing each flag from the European continent using the CIA and Flag.net websites along with H-S with index cards product, we are now practicing those countries at this most excellent site http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/European_Geography.htm. Try it! We'll do the same for Africa and S. America next school year. I'm doing the happy mommy dance!
Reading
These kids are reading a chapter a day of Paddle-to-the-Sea. Yes, by themselves! And, better yet, they're narrating in 2 or 3 sentences what is done in each chapter, each day. By themselves! The first graders are doing it and it's becoming no big deal! Do I sound amazed? Well, OK. Why you ask are they just starting this endeavor, it's because they finished Handwriting for a Reason before the 2nd grader (even though he is narrating each chapter a day too). They are also doing a Draw and Write animal/item a day. 
(Shark is G#3 and Swan is G#2) It's magnificent to see them kick this assignment into the net like it was nothing.
My second grader was having trouble with the later chapters of Math U See Beta and I just said that he could write/copy 5 chapters a day of Saxon 1 that I had laying around. He did this for 10 days and worked his way through the second half of the kindergarten book. He also, along with his siblings, is practicing his addition and subtraction tables each day on the Math U See online practice tool. So, we've gone back to Beta chapter 26, to be exact, and now he's not vexed by subtracting 4 digit numbers. And he doesn't know where the calculator is, so I win!
Lastly, I'm reading A String in the Harp from the Juvenile Fiction section of the library. It's a long story but I'm definitely enjoying it. It takes me back to my love for things medieval and European. I am a quarter Welsh and do recognize place names from the book that are used as place names where I grew up. But for now, I'm trying to get everything wrapped up for the year, including the end of Flying Things as a huge study on Bats. My kids have planted radish, morning glory and carrot seeds. My husband has a trip into Ankara and out of Istanbul in the works for late June (a short month from now) and I'm looking forward to a fascinating summer.
(Shark is G#3 and Swan is G#2) It's magnificent to see them kick this assignment into the net like it was nothing.My second grader was having trouble with the later chapters of Math U See Beta and I just said that he could write/copy 5 chapters a day of Saxon 1 that I had laying around. He did this for 10 days and worked his way through the second half of the kindergarten book. He also, along with his siblings, is practicing his addition and subtraction tables each day on the Math U See online practice tool. So, we've gone back to Beta chapter 26, to be exact, and now he's not vexed by subtracting 4 digit numbers. And he doesn't know where the calculator is, so I win!
Lastly, I'm reading A String in the Harp from the Juvenile Fiction section of the library. It's a long story but I'm definitely enjoying it. It takes me back to my love for things medieval and European. I am a quarter Welsh and do recognize place names from the book that are used as place names where I grew up. But for now, I'm trying to get everything wrapped up for the year, including the end of Flying Things as a huge study on Bats. My kids have planted radish, morning glory and carrot seeds. My husband has a trip into Ankara and out of Istanbul in the works for late June (a short month from now) and I'm looking forward to a fascinating summer.
Monday, May 11, 2009
More planning for next year...
According to Lilliput Station at http://www.squidoo.com/notebooking:
"Notebooking" is a term used to describe the process of creating a written and illustrated record of learning. Unlike other methods of education which are based on consumable workbooks and texts. Notebooking produces a journal of past educational adventures, which can be added to whenever additional learning takes place. Notebooks are a great way to review information and are an excellent way to share your learning experience with others. You can make your notebook from any kind of paper and use any kind of notebook to keep it in- a spiral bound notepad, a three ring binder, a scrapbook. You can even bind your pages into a book or do them on the computer. You can make your pages from scratch or start with premade templates. The possibilities are endless.
Contents at a Glance
1. Things To Put In A Notebook
2. Subjects You Can Notebook
4. What Does Notebooking Look Like?
5. Ways To Bind Notebook Pages
6. Educational Scrapbooking more...
from Lilliput Station at http://www.squidoo.com/notebooking
"Notebooking" is a term used to describe the process of creating a written and illustrated record of learning. Unlike other methods of education which are based on consumable workbooks and texts. Notebooking produces a journal of past educational adventures, which can be added to whenever additional learning takes place. Notebooks are a great way to review information and are an excellent way to share your learning experience with others. You can make your notebook from any kind of paper and use any kind of notebook to keep it in- a spiral bound notepad, a three ring binder, a scrapbook. You can even bind your pages into a book or do them on the computer. You can make your pages from scratch or start with premade templates. The possibilities are endless.
Contents at a Glance
1. Things To Put In A Notebook
2. Subjects You Can Notebook
4. What Does Notebooking Look Like?
5. Ways To Bind Notebook Pages
6. Educational Scrapbooking more...
from Lilliput Station at http://www.squidoo.com/notebooking
Friday, May 8, 2009
Planning for next year - Yep, truly I am!
First Language Lessons, Spelling Work Out, Explode The Code, Rosetta French, Prima Latina I, Handwriting for a Reason, Artistic Pursuits 2, World Flags- Africa and S. America, Saxon Math 3 and Math U See Beta, Singapore Word Problems, SOTW2, Adventures with atoms and molecules, DK Chemistry, HOAC Chemistry lapbook, Kids4Truth Devotions, Piano/ Violin practice, AWANA
How much does this cost and is it overkill? Well, less than a thousand dollars AND maybe.
How much does this cost and is it overkill? Well, less than a thousand dollars AND maybe.
Monday, May 4, 2009
I'm still singing Gary Indiana Gary Indiana Gary....
Yep, We took the kids to see the local high school production of Music Man yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful afternoon in the 'burbs, but our favorite babysitter was playing the clarinet in the pit band and the children enjoyed the music even if I couldn't understand all the words/dialogue of the production. It was fun AND there was time to mow the lawn for the first time this season. The kids did play with their friends for hours AND I did get gardening done. It all fit in just fine.
Now for week 32 of school and almost 160 days of school. Here we go!
Now for week 32 of school and almost 160 days of school. Here we go!
Boy day-trip to Air and Space Museum
Saturday my boys rose and left before 4:30am for a flight to IAD Dulles and the day at the Smithsonian site. They saw the Enola Gay and a Concord. They saw many very historical planes. On the way back, yes they did get seats on the first plane they tried each way, they impressed an air marshall who discreetly gave them "Honorary Air Marshall" pins upon arrival in Chicago. The Space Shuttle Enterprise was pretty cool too!