Learning the ABC’s July 22, 2008

I am currently working with my 5, 3, and 1 year old on the alphabet.  My 5 year old is learning all the letter sounds, and will soon be learning how to read.  He’s doing a lot of practice at Starfall.com, which he really likes.  It makes something that could otherwise end up pretty boring, pretty fun.  (My 7 year old likes reading on it, too.)  With my 3 and 1 year old, we are just learning the letters.  It’s great to watch them all, and the way they learn.  It’s different for each one of them. 

Anyway, in doing this, I remembered seeing this cute little video.  In the midst of all the doings in life, it’s always good to have a little laugh!  This is great, and kids love it, too. 

Fire Station July 22, 2008

Last Tuesday we had a field trip to one of our local fire stations.  It was very cool.  The kids all loved it!  They got to go into the different trucks and see all the tools.  They got to hold the nozzle on the hose, which looked heavy.  They also got to see one of the firefighters get all dressed up in his gear.  This was great, because it showed the kids that they didn’t need to be afraid if they ever saw someone like that coming to rescue them, because it was just a regular firefighter.  It was amazing how fast he got all geared up, too.  Like, less than one minute.  They also got to see all the insides of the fire station, like where they watch tv, eat and sleep.  At the end, they got coloring books, stickers, and of course a fireman hat. 

They kids really had a great time, and I loved seeing them so excited!  We all learned things, too!  Here’s some pictures from the trip. 

                                       

Anderson Dairy July 12, 2008

Last week we had our trip to Anderson Dairy.  We did their “Barnyard Buddies Tour“.  It was fun, and the kids really enjoyed it.  They have “talking” barnyard animals who are pretty cute and comical.  The kids liked them the most, I think.  They also do a tour around the dairy, to see where everything is made and packaged.  That is actually pretty interesting.  Their favorite part of that was watching the milk get packaged.  We also saw their huge freezer and tons of ice cream stored in it.  After the tour, there is a movie, and we learned lots of really interesting things, like how much a cow eats a day and what kind of cows they use.  It also talks about the history of Anderson Dairy.  Then, at the end, the most favorite part for the kids–ice cream!  Cookies and cream and really yummy!  I also had Logan answer some questions about different parts of the trip.  All-in-all, it was a pretty fun trip.  Now we’re going to make and send them a thank you card.

Math-We-Love June 27, 2008

We started using the Math-U-See program this last week, and I’ve got to say that I’m so glad we found it!  It is just wonderful and the kids really like it.  They are really looking forward to doing math, and love playing with the blocks.  The whole concept behind the Math-U-See program is to learn it by seeing it, writing it, and building it.  It’s a multisensory approach, which I think is really great.  It’s so much easier to learn this way, because you get the information in so many different ways.  They also have the student teach the concept back to you, to show mastery of the concept.  Very good idea.  Steve Demme, who created the program, teaches on the DVDs, and makes me think of math differently, too.  He’s a really great teacher.  I wish I could have had him in some of my classes in school.  So, this has made it so much fun to do, and I think the kids will really understand the hows and whys of math. 

Homeschool Convention June 25, 2008

I attended the homeschool convention last Friday and Saturday, with my friend and fellow homeschooling mom, Amy.  It was way awesome!  Friday they had a used curriculum sale, at which I got lots of good history and writing books for cheapy cheap!  Amy got some very good stuff, too.  After we did the used curriculum sale, we attended a presentation on the Constitution, by Stewart Rhodes.  So amazing!  I loved it!  And, really that’s putting it mildly.  Of course, those that know me well, know I’m very politically involved and that I’m passionate about the Constitution.  So, that was really great!  Then, on Saturday, we went and all the vendors were set up.  Also very cool!  We got our math program, Math-U-See, purchased, which was the main point in going Saturday.  We were also able to see some other really great vendors, like the Atomic Testing Museum and the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, and get lots of good info, especially about more field trips and educational programs.  So, all in all, I would say we had a really great experience and it was pretty fun.  I’ll definitely be going back in the future!  Thanks to Nevada Homeschool Network for putting it all on! 

Math-U-See June 19, 2008

I’m so excited because I think I’ve found the math program that I want to use!  I really thought I was going to use Saxon Math, which really looks like a good program.  However, this looks even better!  You’ve got to check out Math-U-See.  This looks perfect.  A DVD to refresh my brain (because it’s been a long time for some of this stuff), manipulatives, the textbooks look great.  This really looks like it’s it.  I’m hoping to be able to attend their demonstration at our homeschool convention this Saturday.  I’ll report back. 

Plant World June 18, 2008

Today’s field trip to Plant World was really cool.  We saw tons of animals and plants, and I learned a lot, too!  The kids really loved it.  Mine were especially excited by the waterfall and coy pond, where the turtles live. 

I’m glad we went before it reached 107 degrees, but it was still too hot for one of our little guys.  Amy’s son ended up having heat stroke.  Of course she didn’t know that at the time.  As soon as she saw something was wrong with him, she left and took him to the ER, where they diagnosed him and got him all fixed up.  But, I’m happy to report that he’s doing well, now. 

Here’s some fun pictures. 

  

  

 

 

 

Field Trips! Woo-hoo! June 17, 2008

I love field trips!  I always have.  I remember that when I was in school, I always learned a ton on field trips and they were always fun.  So, with that in mind, I decided to plan some field trips for us (minus the stinky school bus)!  The kids will really get a kick out of them, I think.  Plus, what a great way to expose them to things that they may have otherwise found boring.  So, here’s what I’ve got lined up so far, but hopefully the list will grow. 

• Tomorrow morning, we’ll be visiting a plant nursery here in town.  This place is huge!  Not only do they have tons and tons of different kinds of plants there, they have tons of animals there, too.  They have a tour they take you on, where they teach the kids about all kinds of plants and animals.  The kids even get to touch huge desert tortises.  I did this a couple years ago, and the kids really loved it. 
• In July, we will be going to a firestation, and getting a tour there.  No doubt the kids will be way into this!  What kid doesn’t want to sit in that big firetruck?!  I think it’s really important to teach kids the importance of emergency workers, and that they deserve a tremendous amount of respect.  It’s really great that they are willing to do community outreach things like this. 
• Also in July, we will be going to the Nevada State Museum, here in town.  They are actually sending me a teacher packet so that I can teach the kids about the stuff we will see there, before we go.  Then, for the older kids, they provide a clipboard with questions for them to answer while touring the museum.  I think that is a great way to get the kids to pay a little more attention and be more excited about the exhibits!  (They even waved the fee for us!)
• Then, in August, we will be going to the Old Mormon Fort, and getting a guided tour.  This is great because the fort is such a big part of not only our city’s history, but also state history.  Even though it didn’t always belong to the Mormons, this is a great way to tie in state history with Church history.  This will be an awesome way for the kids to learn about their heritage, in several areas. 

I’m hoping to get more things planned.  I really believe that hands on learning is vital.  It can’t all be out of books and videos.  When you actually get to see things, it makes it much more real.  So, I’m pretty excited about it all!  I’ll report back on each of the trips. 

Decompression and Schooling Types June 1, 2008

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about homeschooling, and have been giving a lot of thought to the idea of decompression time for the kids.  I read somewhere that for every year a child has been in public school, they need a month of time off to readjust.  I think there is a lot of truth to this.  I know, just watching Logan now, he’s getting really burned out.  I think if I were to try to go right into homeschooling, it would really cause problems.  But, by giving him time to adjust to the new schedule, and really it’s a new lifestyle, he’ll be so much more ready to go when it’s time. 

Also, I read in The First Year Of Homeschooling Your Child by Linda Dobson, about the different types of homeschooling.  I found this very interesting.  I could see some that definitely do not fit me, like unschooling.  But, two of the styles really hit right on what I want to do:  school at home, and unit studies.  I thought it was intersting how she nailed down these styles so well.  Lots of good info in reading these.  It also gave me comfort to know that there is a large chunk of people out there doing what I want to do, in a similar way to how I want to.  

Educational Plans May 27, 2008

In order to comply with Nevada Law, when we submit our Notice of Intent to Homeschool, we also have to submit an educational plan.  So, with a great deal of information taken from Rebecca Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year, I’ve completed the plans for the boys.  I know this is much more detail than the school district requires, but this also serves as a great guide for me.  Anyway, I thought I’d post them, in case anyone was interested. 

 education-plan-kindergarten1     education-plan-2nd-grade

I also went to Barnes and Noble today and ordered Rebecca’s book.  Should be in next week.  I’m pretty excited.  Thank you to Erin for finding it for me!  What a blessing this book has turned out to be!