Pages

Copying Monet

Thursday, April 23, 2009

We have really enjoyed the picture studies we have done this year. Me especially. I heard someone say the other day that homeschooling benefits the parents...the kids are just along for the ride. With regards to picture and nature studies in our house, this is very true. I love them! In fact, this week we copied Monet paintings and I was a little disappointed that J~ was crying while the kids were doing theirs, because I didn't get to do mine!

Here are their finished pieces of art:

  • Venice at Dusk: 1908 by Claude Monet, 2009 by Q~


  • Garden at Sainte-Adresse: 1867 by Claude Monet, 2009 by N~


  • London, Parliament: 1904 by Claude Monet, 2009 by H~



  • Open-Air Study: Woman Turned to the Right: 1886 by Claude Monet, 2009 by S~



This was our first time to try and copy a work using paints. In the past we have used colored pencils, but the kids really wanted to try paint this time, because as H~ said, "Monet didn't do his with colored pencils, so we won't either." Soooo....we painted! Well,,,not me...not yet...

Backing up, last week we read this as our introduction to Monet.

These are the cutest books! Very informative, yet really funny. The kids (especially Q~) loved trying to read the cartoons with their best french accents. I believe they have a composer series as well.

Honestly, until this year I had no idea what copying a great piece of art can teach you about art itself, but I have learned a great deal. I am hoping to learn much much more, and I am praying that the kids enjoy the ride as well!

Robin's Nest

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Look at what we saw today at my dad's house.



My dad put that mirror up there so we could see what the robin had in her nest. The kids started jumping up and down for joy. It was pretty neat if I do say so myself.



There's nothing better than seeing something for yourself...well, except for maybe touching it...but the mama was keeping a pretty good eye on us, and since we didn't want her to abandon her nest, we went inside to watch from a distance.

Pretty good stuff!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Monday, April 20, 2009

Well, we finished Mr. Popper's Penguins today. I was rather surprised at how much N~ enjoyed doing this project. When I decided to add a lapbook into our literature time, I was doing it mainly for the girls. I pretty much just gave the kids the materials and let them go to it, doing what they wanted to do while I read. N~ loved it. I should've known. He's the hands on kinda guy. He did every minit book I put in front of him. I think it helped that he enjoyed the story and that there was lots of cutting and pasting involved. Here's a glimpse inside his finished lapbook.







I found this lapbook on Homeschool Share. Great site!


Geography Fair

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Oh how I wish that I would have taken our camera to the geography fair last month! A d'oh moment for sure! Ah well, we did take pictures beforehand...

Our finished board. Each of the region pockets held a state lapbook for each state in that region.


Here is the front of Oklahoma. We happened to have extra stickers for OK. We didn't use all the stickers on every book.


The inside is a map. The kids labeled rivers, mountains, and other important geological features.



The back page contains information that we gathered for that state.


The state birds/flowers worksheets I got ~HERE~
The state maps that I used, I got ~HERE~
I made up the back page worksheet myself. I've uploaded it to Homeschool Launch. Homeschool Launch is AWESOME! There is a link in my sidebar. It takes 30 seconds to upload things you make to share with others, so PLEASE SHARE! No sense in re-inventing the worksheet:)

We taught the kids the state capitals using this book:

It uses cute pictures to help them remember the state and capital. For instance, on the cover is an Ark Can Saw a Little Rock. Little Rock, Arkansas! Great way to remember!

At the actual geography fair we had a booth in which we passed out apple pie and cracker jacks. H~ also sang with her kindergarten class in front of the group. It was sweet...again, regret for no camera...

This project was actually our entire year's worth of geography for N~, Q~, & H~, culminating in the fair itself. However, from this picture you can see who helped quite a bit!

SchoolRoom

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Well, it isn't finished, but everything is at least put away. I don't have much up on the walls yet, but we can work in here...

View from the doorway


One side of the storage closet...yes, I went a little label happy...


The reading corner...the kids have named it "Fort A~" (insert our last name here:)


The fun stuff...again...a little label happy...


I now have my dining room back! Wahoo! Maybe I can actually USE my kitchen countertops now...we shall see. If this doesn't work, I've already decided, we're moving!

Ideas for Resurrection Baskets

Saturday, April 11, 2009

We decided to do Resurrection Baskets for the kids this year. I absolutely hate how commercialized Easter has become with the bunnies and all...walking through the Easter section at Target yesterday was like strolling through a rabbit farm...gag!

Anyway, on to Resurrection Baskets...hence the name of this post:) Here are some ideas that I found from Homeschool Share, plus I added a few of my own...



In no particular order:

~Palm Leaf - for Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
~Green Grass - for the new life we have in Jesus.
~Animal Crackers - for the unleavened bread of the Passover Feast.
~Chocolate Coins - for the pieces of silver that Judas accepted to betray Jesus.
~Lollipop Sticks - turned upside down in the basket to represent the nails in the cross.
~Grape Juice - for the blood Jesus shed on the cross.
~Cup - for the cup passed during the last supper.
~Sponge - for the vinegar soaked sponge Jesus drank.
~Chocolate Cross & Cross Tattoos - for the cross Jesus died on.
~Black Construction Paper - for the darkness that covered the earth (this can also be ripped in half to represent the torn veil!).
~Bath soap - for when Jesus washed the disciples feet.
~Bath Loofa (white one) - for the clouds as Jesus ascended in heaven.
~Fruit flavored candy - for the fruit of the Spirit.
~Hollow Chocolate Egg - for the empty tomb.
~Marshmallow Twist (or Twizzlers or some such product) - to represent the whip.
~Tissues - for the linen in which Jesus was wrapped for His burial.
~Stuffed Lamb - Jesus is the Lamb of God.

If you have different ideas please leave me a comment. I would like to look back at this post in the coming years and make even better baskets!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Book Organization

Thursday, April 9, 2009

To start off, yes, this kind of stuff makes me very happy. Weird, uh-huh, but a very happy lady nonetheless. Here's why.


These three shelves are our science books. They were a mess. The kids either pulled them all out to find what they wanted, or they didn't bother because they couldn't find what they were looking for. For that matter, neither could I. Then I saw ~THIS~ at 1+1+1=1 and thought 'hey, I can do that,,,what a great idea'! So here ya go...
Now, you know my husband, being the engineer that he is, decided to take this one step further. (and about five more hours worth of work longer wouldn't you know...:) He thought that if we tagged the books somehow, they would be easier for the kids, especially the girls, to put away. Soooo.... we added little sticker tags to the spines and made cute little labels for the boxes...

Now, the books should be easier to see, easier to choose, easier to find when we need them for school, and easier to reshelve. THAT is why I'm a little bit more joyful this evening! Here's someone who isn't so happy however...

Just in case you're wondering, I think he's tagged as a drawing book...

Popping Along

Tuesday, April 7, 2009


We are popping along with our Mr. Popper's Penguins lapbook. (oh man, I crack myself up) N~ is working on alphabetizing the penguin names in this picture, and I just find it so great that after all these years he still sticks that tongue out while he's concentrating!

How We Use Workboxes

Monday, April 6, 2009

Workboxes! Love em. Here's how we are using them. First, check out Sue Patrick's book ~HERE~. You can download the ebook for detailed instructions on the entire system.

Here is a photo of the boys' workboxes...N~ in red, Q~ in green. This is a day's worth of work for them. (Yes, that is my dishwasher open in the background, hey, I'm just lucky it was empty!:)

As they finish boxes, the work they "see" diminishes...thus encouraging perseverance,,,the end is in sight! Also, having twelve boxes allows me to put in wonderful things that were just sitting on my shelves because I could not fit them into our day. (ignore that stray red label on Q~'s box:)

After they finish with a box, they put the labels away, put the work in the 'to be graded' pile, and then stack their box. They stack the finished boxes in a corner...they like seeing how 'high' the stack can get...

At first I was having the kids put all the used labels in one basket, but then in the evenings I was having to sort through every label to find what I needed...Soooo...I used velcro on the inside of their school cabinet.


Now, in addition to the regular labels that Sue recommends, I have added time labels that I found ~HERE~. I also added XOXO stickers to some blank labels so that when the kids see these, they will come up and give me hugs and kisses! I love those... My SIL also recommended having a box for a snack. Prizes, books, toys, in addition to regular schoolwork, the sky's the limit for ideas of what to put in these boxes.

I am still working on tweaking this system to fit our family and our method of education...at first I was trying to have the kids do twelve boxes of individual work, then the together work as well...that was total craziness...so we have switched to boxes 1-6 being individual morning work, then 7-9 or so being together stuff after lunch, then back to individual work after that.

We have been using this system for about a month now, and I really like it. It is a little more work in the evenings, as I still have the grading and recording to do, plus filling the boxes...BUT, the day runs much smoother because of the many benefits...those being: fewer questions on when we are finished, the schedule for the day is VERY clear, encouraging independence, plus they also hold me accountable to make sure that I am working one on one with every child when they need it most.

Such a simple, yet clever system!

Waddle On

Friday, April 3, 2009

We've been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins this past week and attempting our first real lapbook. I found the study HERE. I love Homeschool Share. They have so many great units, especially for FIAR. We are considering FIAR for the girls for next year...we shall see...anyway, I digress...

We watched March of the Penguins the other day, not the same penguin as the ones in Mr. Popper's, but penguins and Antarctica nonetheless. This is how the kids were playing this afternoon.



They were waddling. H~ was even trying to keep an egg between her feet and move along. I thought they were pretty cute. Q~ was too cool to be photographed, but I did catch him waddling.


Pleasant Valley

Thursday, April 2, 2009

N~ had the opportunity to visit Pleasant Valley school today. It is a living history one room schoolhouse that invites fourth graders to come experience a day of school from a hundred years ago. I didn't get to go with him, but I did get to help him prepare. He had to pack a lunch with only things they would have had during that time, plus he had to wear the appropriate clothing. He had a great time choosing food, although some choices were less than appealing (lard and sugar sandwiches?...UGH). No, we didn't make those. Here he is in his fancy new overalls and hat.




He said that he enjoyed his day. I forgot, however, to ask him about those outhouses...