Gavin has been learning about plants and what they need to grow and be healthy. So, we did a little science experiment, which was designed to show him that without sun and water and air seeds can’t grow. We planted seeds in plastic cups, poked holes in the bottom, and placed the cups in a couple places around the house. One had water added to it, and was placed under the sink (in a dark place). One had no water added to it, and was placed on a sunny windowsill. And the last one had water added to it and was placed on the same sunny windowsill. It was suppose to work out that the one with water and sun would grow well, while the other two didn’t. Yeah, it didn’t work that way. The one with no water didn’t grow, of course, but neither did the one with water and sun. But, the one in the dark under-the-sink cabinet grew and grew and grew. So much for that lesson. It was interesting, though, and I had to laugh.
Update: Field Trips and Progress October 29, 2008
It’s been a while, but life is busy. Let’s update. We’ll start with field trips.
A couple Fridays ago, the boys’ teacher at NVVA arranged for a field trip to McKee Ranch. The kids all had a great time! There were animals, and pumpkins, and ranch “stuff.” It was all very exciting! They got to feed carrots to a goat, donkey, and horses. They also saw a pig and chicken, which they got to pet. Logan, Gavin, and Daphne went on a horseback ride. Genevie was too little, and too tired. While they were on the horses, they got to learn some interesting things about the horses, which Logan especially liked. Here’s some pictures.
Sadly my camera battery died right after that picture of Logan, and I couldn’t get Gavin or Daphne on horseback.
Also in the last month, NVVA arranged for a field trip to the Planetarium. This one was just Logan and me. It was pretty good. They had some getting to know you activities for the kids, and they were all pretty shy, but it was still fun. Then we got to go watch the Planetarium show which was Black Holes. I was pretty excited about that. It was actually very good. (Nerd alert! The narrator for the movie was John de Lancie, who played Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I thought that was pretty nifty.) After the movie, the kids got to ask lots of questions. It was a fun trip, and one I’d definitely like to do again!
October was a busy month. The Library District also held a Scottish Festival and an Autumn Arts Festival, both of which were fun. Here are some pictures from the Scottish Festival. (I LOVE the costumes!!)
On to actual schooling. The boys are doing great! We’ll start with Gavin. Gavin has 17 math chapters in kindergarten math. They are meant to last the whole year, but since everything is mastery based, if you know it, you can test out of it, or move through it quickly. Gavin has gone through the first 9 chapters already, testing out of more than half of it. He really loves math, too. Once he finishes kindergarten math, he can move up to first grade math. He’s had a bit of trouble with phonics, because he says it’s boring, and he’s right. It really is dry. But, we’ve got to get through it so that we can get to learning how to read. I tell him you’ve got to know the sounds before you can read. So, it has been a bit of a battle getting him to do phonics, but I discovered two great things that have changed things completely. First, if we do it while he is eating, he doesn’t mind doing it. Also, if I chunk together 3-5 lessons at a time (which he gets through really fast), it is much easier. Then, I pointed out to him that when we get through all this, he will be learning to read. That got him pretty excited, and now he is asking to do phonics! He came out the other day in the middle of me cooking dinner and asked if he could do phonics right then, because he really wants to learn to read!
Now, for Logan. He’s doing really well. He really likes history and art. I enjoy doing history with him, too (and Gavin as well). He’s been learning about Ancient Rome, and is really sailing though the lessons. At the end of each lesson, he gets to draw a picture about what we’ve learned about. He seems to enjoy that quite a bit. I’ve loved it, too. I’m learning things that I was never taught about, or that I’ve forgotten. Being a history lover myself, I’m pretty tickled that Logan has taken a liking to it. Also with his history, I’m able to draw a lot of parallels to our society and politics today. I love being able to tie things together like that, and I think it helps make it more real for him. With art, he’s been learning about different artists and styles. He likes to experiment with all of them. I love seeing how creative he can be. He’s pretty talented, too. Logan had a little struggle with math, but is still ahead of the game with it, and seems to be understanding stuff more. We’ve just worked with him and done extra practice. I found that if I make it relate to real life, he does a better job. For example, one morning I was cooking pancakes, and I asked him something like “If I have 15 pancakes, and Gavin eats 4 of them, how many do I have left?” It worked well for him.
So, we are progressing. Some days I feel like I want to pull my hair out, and other days are just great. But, such is life. So far, I’m glad we went with this program, and I’m pretty satisfied with it.
The Old Mormon Fort September 30, 2008
A couple Fridays ago, I took the kids to the Old Mormon Fort. We had a really great time. They gave us a scavenger hunt to do, which kept us very busy, and was pretty fun. The kids thought all the old stuff was pretty awesome, and they liked learning about what the fort was used for. It was fun watching them explore and take everything in. Anyway, we took a few pictures.
The prizes for the scavenger hunt were balloons! This was very exciting for them.
By the way, they wave the admission fee (which is only $1 for adults) for homeschoolers, who set up a field trip.
Catch Up September 2, 2008
It’s been a while since I’ve given any kind of update as to what is going on with our homeschooling, so here we go.
About one week before the official start of the school year, I got an e-mail from an online school that I looked at months ago, saying they have opened up to K-12, instead of just 4-8, in Nevada. I thought I would go check into it, and see what they had to offer. We have since enrolled with them. Here’s the deal. I am the one teaching. I am the one who can control the learning and the environment. My kids are able to learn at their pace and go as fast or slow as they need. They offer the whole curriculum. A small part is online, but most everything else is done offline. They sent me, and are still sending, tons of materials, including a computer and printer. I really like the curriculum and the way it is set up, and I’m able to accomplish what I wanted to when we first set out on this journey. I think it is much the same as it would be had I bought a boxed curriculum, except with this, I have more resources. I’m still homeschooling my kiddos and enjoying all the wonderful things that go with homeschooling! It’s been a bit crazy this last week, just trying to get a schedule down. But, I’m confident that once we do, things will run really well.
Olympic Trivia Answers August 26, 2008
Since I’m sure you all have been on pins and needles waiting for the answers, here you go.
v Name 5 Summer Olympic Sports. Archery, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe/Kayak, Cycling, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Handball, Judo, Modern Pentathalon, Rythmic Gymnasics, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Syncronized Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Track and Field, Trampoline, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting, and Wrestling
v How many Gold medals has the US won (before the start of the 2008 olympics)? 897 (933 after this summer’s games)
v Name 3 Countries that have NEVER won a gold medal. Mongolia, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Bohemia, Lebanon, Namibia, Moldova, Iceland, Tanzania, Ghana, Malaysia, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Republic, Zambia, Antilles, Panama, Qatar, Cote d’lvoire, Netherlands Antilles, Paraguay, Senegal, Tonga, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Barbados, Bermuda, Djibouti, Guyana, Iraq, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Niger.
v How many TOTAL medals have been awarded to all countries (before 2008 Olympics)? 12,816
v Where are the summer games being held this year? Beijing, China
v The Summer Olympics are every 4 years. This year is 2008, so when will the next one be held? 2012
v What group is in charge of the Olympic Games? International Olympic Committee (IOC)
v When and where did the modern Olympic Games begin? Athens, Greece in the summer of 1896
v Name 2 US cities that have hosted the Olympics (Summer or Winter). St. Louis (Summer 1904), Los Angeles (Summers of 1932 and 1984), Atlanta (Summer 1996), Lake Placid (Winters of 1932 and 1980), and Salt Lake City (Winter 2002)
v Where will the next Olympic Games take place? Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Winter 2010), London (Summer 2012)
v There are other Games that go with the Olympics, for those who can’t compete in the regular Olympics because they are too young or have a physical disability. What are these two games called? Youth Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. (The Special Olympics are for the mentally handicap.)
v Where did the Ancient Olympic Games take place? Olympia (in Greece)
v What awards did the winner of a sport receive immediately after winning, in the Ancient Olympics? The olive branch crown was the official award, but they received something else immediately after winning. Directly after winning their sport, the winner had a palm branch placed in his hands, and red ribbons were tied on his head and hands as a sign of victory. Spectators also cheered and threw flowers.
v What were the years that Ancient Olympics took place? No exact date is known on the beginning, but it is thought to be 776 BC. The games ended in 393 AD when it was ordered that the “pagan traditions” be ended.
v When did the marathon become part of the Olympic Games? Contrary to popular belief, the marathon was not part of the ancient Olympics. It became part of the Olympic Games in the Summer of 1896 in Athens, Greece.
One more bonus question: In the Ancient Olympics, only men were allowed. What would they do to a woman who was found in attendence?
Olympic Trivia August 12, 2008
Part of our “Kid Olympics” will be a trivia game. I thought it would be fun to throw some of the questions out to you all, and see who can answer them the quickest and most correctly. (I’ll post the answers in a few days.)
Here we go.
v Name 5 Summer Olympic Sports.
v How many Gold medals has the US won (before the start of the 2008 olympics).
v Name 3 Countries that have NEVER won a gold medal.
v How many TOTAL medals have been awarded to all countries (before 2008 Olympics)?
v Where are the summer games being held this year?
v The Summer Olympics are every 4 years. This year is 2008, so when will the next one be held?
v What group is in charge of the Olympic Games?
v When and where did the modern Olympic Games begin?
v Name 2 US cities that have hosted the Olympics (Summer or Winter).
v Where will the next Olympic Games take place?
v There are other Games that go with the Olympics, for those who can’t compete in the regular Olympics because they are too young or have a physical disability. What are these two games called?
v Where did the Ancient Olympic Games take place?
v What awards did the winner of a sport receive immediately after winning, in the Ancient Olympics?
v What were the years that Ancient Olympics took place?
v When did the marathon become part of the Olympic Games?
Quick Update August 11, 2008
It’s been a while since I have posted on here. I think it is just a crazy time of year. Most people I talk to feel that way lately. Anyway, just wanted to post a quick update on what is happening in the homeschool realm.
A couple weeks ago I took the kids on a field trip to one of our police substations. That was pretty interesting. The kids’ favorite part was getting to see and sit in the police car. My oldest even got to talk over the loudspeaker. They really enjoyed it.
Now, we are focusing our efforts on the Olympics. We are keeping track and graphing the medal count for six different countries. We are going to be learning more about China, the Ancient Olympics, and all kinds of Olympic trivia. In a couple weeks we will cap it all off with our own little Kid Olympics. It should be a ton of fun.
On Thursday, I got the official approval from the school district, so that’s good.
I have also edited and updated their educational plans.
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.
