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| Painting Circles |
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| During painting we talked about mixing colors to make a new color |
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| End product! |
Friday, August 29, 2014
Letter C Painting
America, My America!
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope~ Romans 15:4
Ebay is full of text books from people who are done with their Abeka stuff! You can get used and new textbooks, workbooks, readers, writing pads, music, or anything you can dream of at a discounted price there. I found her Science and History there and purchased them. Does this add work onto my already heavy load? Yes. It does. We did school till 6:30 in our house last night. The two littles were making American flags while listening to The National Anthem during dinner. That's ok! They were happy and learning about America. Even my older son was sneaking in the room to see what we were doing and wanted to participate.
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| 1960 Play Equipment: Who doesn't need this experience? |
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| Walking to school with friends, priceless! |
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| And he's just cute, and loves to walk to school |
After teaching preschool for several years and being a mother for almost 13 years now, I believe that children by the age of 5 and even a little earlier Do in fact understand what it means to be an American. I personally believe that the best way to teach the topic of America is by allowing them to have hands on experience by doing crafts, playing games and touching a map. Songs about our nation are also helpful. I also love the Charlie Brown movies that so wonderfully illustrate American history in a fun way. What happens when our children participate in these activities and engage in these lessons is that they hear about our country's story and discover for themselves a common American heritage. They learn that although they are part of a community, as individuals they can make a crucial difference. They begin to be proud and to think profoundly and respond enthusiastically about being an America!
Start by showing students a map of the USA. America is made up of 50 states. These states are full of different kinds of people. Together, we make one great people. Encourage your students to find where they live on the map. Talk about how each part of the country is very different. Point out mountains, grasslands, lakes and oceans. Some vocab words for this unit are:
America- the name of our country
United- joined together
Country- a nation with it's own government
Show pictures of our flag to students. Discuss with them how we feel proud everytime we see our flag. We stand up tall when we see it. It has 13 stripes- 7 red and 6 white. There are 50 stars on the flag that represent all 50 states. Red on the flag stands for courage. White stands for purity. And blue stands for truth.
Activities:
C is for California coloring page or pick the state where you live.
Make a flag by cutting strips of paper and using glue!
Design your own flag
Learn the Pledge of Allegiance
Use your hands to create a painted flag
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| creating his own flag |
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| Hand Painted flag |
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Science: Hot Air Balloons
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ~ Genesis 1:1
Last week Gabriel learned about air. Discuss with your child how air is all around us. You can not see the air. But you can see it move things. You can smell the air at times. You can feel the cold or hot air. Air is a gift that God made for us to breathe. God blew air into us when he made us. Plants help by producing air for us to breath. It is important that we teach our little ones that they can be good stewards of the air that God blessed us with. When the air is dirty, we call it polluted. Cars and factories pollute the air. Encourage your child to help you think of ways that together you can keep the air clean. Our ideas were: try to walk when we can, ride your bike when you can, share a car when you can, or take the city bus! Gabe is very sensitive about this topic now which I find very cute! Every time we get into the car he asks, "Can we ride our bike instead to help the air?" I love hearing him recall things that I am teaching him. Makes it all so worth it.
Experiments to do about Air:
Hot Air Balloons!
Show your child a video or clip about hot air balloons. I like this one from Youtube. Explain to your child that the heat from the fire heats the air inside the balloon, which in return causes the balloon to inflate and rise into the air. Hot air rises and pushes the cold air down. Now for the experiment...
What You Need:
plastic water bottle {little ones}
balloons
baking soda
vinegar
safety goggles {it's just cute and really good precaution}
How to Execute:You simply put baking soda in the bottle and vinegar in balloon....then place the open end of the balloon onto the water bottle. The warm gas created causes the balloon to inflate!
Last week Gabriel learned about air. Discuss with your child how air is all around us. You can not see the air. But you can see it move things. You can smell the air at times. You can feel the cold or hot air. Air is a gift that God made for us to breathe. God blew air into us when he made us. Plants help by producing air for us to breath. It is important that we teach our little ones that they can be good stewards of the air that God blessed us with. When the air is dirty, we call it polluted. Cars and factories pollute the air. Encourage your child to help you think of ways that together you can keep the air clean. Our ideas were: try to walk when we can, ride your bike when you can, share a car when you can, or take the city bus! Gabe is very sensitive about this topic now which I find very cute! Every time we get into the car he asks, "Can we ride our bike instead to help the air?" I love hearing him recall things that I am teaching him. Makes it all so worth it.
Experiments to do about Air:
Hot Air Balloons!
Show your child a video or clip about hot air balloons. I like this one from Youtube. Explain to your child that the heat from the fire heats the air inside the balloon, which in return causes the balloon to inflate and rise into the air. Hot air rises and pushes the cold air down. Now for the experiment...
What You Need:
plastic water bottle {little ones}
balloons
baking soda
vinegar
safety goggles {it's just cute and really good precaution}
How to Execute:You simply put baking soda in the bottle and vinegar in balloon....then place the open end of the balloon onto the water bottle. The warm gas created causes the balloon to inflate!
Cutting Skills
Using scissors and cutting paper is an important skill that preschoolers need to learn and have experience in before attending Kindergarten. Cutting with scissors requires the child to learn the skill of hand separation. This simply means that the child is able to use his or her thumb, index finger, and middle fingers separately from the pinkie and ring finger {Education 101}. For preschoolers this is obviously very challenging because their hands are so cute and tiny...and if they are my children, chubby little hands! You can start exposing your child to scissors as early as 3 years old! But for most it is not a perfected skill until they are around the age of 6 { and in some cases earlier, depending on the child of course}. I encourage parents...PARENTS...to not be overwhelmed by the first several exposures to cutting. They will NOT be able to stay on a straight line and they WILL demolish the paper into tiny shreds. Often times, they tear the paper due to frustration of not being able to open and close the scissors. That is normal and to be expected. Simply encourage them to use the scissors and to hold the paper with their opposite hand. They will get it soon enough!
This last week we began using scissors in our house with Gabe. He is 4 and loves cutting. I quickly remembered how important it is to cover important guidelines with pre k students as we began this journey.
1. Pick small scissors with a rounded tip. The things these kids think to do with scissors is insane. Be safe! Ha!
2. Talk to your child about scissor safety. You remember being taught not not run with scissors and to always hold the pointy side down. What worked for you, will work for them!
3. We cut PAPER! Not hair, clothes, bedding, or your brothers hair, clothes or bedding. AND TONGUES! No putting scissors in the mouth! Yes, I did have to say that this week.
4. When finished they need to be encouraged to put the scissors back where they belong and to pick up all scraps. This is especially important if you are home schooling with toddlers around, which I am...and let me tell you, it's an important rule!
Now, I can't get upset with Gabe for wanting to cut his brothers hair, because his brothers hair is long and he often times is called a girl. And I myself have been told that I cut my hair when I was older than him I think! So here is my suggesting for the kids that want to be barbers: Have them color a paper of themselves {great for All About Me}. Then let them give themselves a haircut on the paper! It seemed to work for us! Happy cutting!!
This last week we began using scissors in our house with Gabe. He is 4 and loves cutting. I quickly remembered how important it is to cover important guidelines with pre k students as we began this journey.
1. Pick small scissors with a rounded tip. The things these kids think to do with scissors is insane. Be safe! Ha!
2. Talk to your child about scissor safety. You remember being taught not not run with scissors and to always hold the pointy side down. What worked for you, will work for them!
3. We cut PAPER! Not hair, clothes, bedding, or your brothers hair, clothes or bedding. AND TONGUES! No putting scissors in the mouth! Yes, I did have to say that this week.
4. When finished they need to be encouraged to put the scissors back where they belong and to pick up all scraps. This is especially important if you are home schooling with toddlers around, which I am...and let me tell you, it's an important rule!
Now, I can't get upset with Gabe for wanting to cut his brothers hair, because his brothers hair is long and he often times is called a girl. And I myself have been told that I cut my hair when I was older than him I think! So here is my suggesting for the kids that want to be barbers: Have them color a paper of themselves {great for All About Me}. Then let them give themselves a haircut on the paper! It seemed to work for us! Happy cutting!!
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Composting for Preschoolers
This week I am teaching Mr. Gabe about Nature's Recyclers: Composting! {It also goes along with the letter C}
Basically, I explained that in that in the fall, leaves fall to the ground. Some leaves get raked up by us humans. But where do the other leaves go? The leaves decay, or rot, in the rain and snow. They become bits of soil and food that helps to feed other plants and trees. Nutrients from the leaves get recycled, or reused, to make food for other plants. This is called composting!
As an experiment to observe composting we gathered these supplies:
Basically, I explained that in that in the fall, leaves fall to the ground. Some leaves get raked up by us humans. But where do the other leaves go? The leaves decay, or rot, in the rain and snow. They become bits of soil and food that helps to feed other plants and trees. Nutrients from the leaves get recycled, or reused, to make food for other plants. This is called composting!
As an experiment to observe composting we gathered these supplies:
- A glass jar with a tight fitting lid
- leaves
- dirt
- grass
- water
- fruit scraps
- magnifying glass
What You Do:
- Make layers of soil, grass, leaves, and fruit or veggie scraps in the jar. Sprinkle water on top of each layer.
- Cover with soil. Add 3 tbsp of water. Place the jar in a sunny window or area. {This is a good time to have them draw a picture of their jar.}
- Repeat steps 1 and 2. Make the jars as similar as possible. Place the second jar in a dark place.
- Observe the jars everyday for a week! Use a magnifying glass for a good look. Write or draw observations in a journal!
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Home School: Inspiration for the Dreaded End of Summer Bad Mood
Proverbs 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
My son Zach just started home school this morning...7th grade! I can't believe how old he is now. We use the Abeka Academy online streaming...it's wonderful! It's an accredited program that allows him to watch a class that has been prerecorded with other students in the class. Anyways, he hates math and the wonderful teachers at Abeka start each day with bible and verses to inspire you.
His books came yesterday...see the happiness upon their arrival? = ) That's ok...cause he's smiling now...it's been a great first day and he's ready for an awesome year!
My son Zach just started home school this morning...7th grade! I can't believe how old he is now. We use the Abeka Academy online streaming...it's wonderful! It's an accredited program that allows him to watch a class that has been prerecorded with other students in the class. Anyways, he hates math and the wonderful teachers at Abeka start each day with bible and verses to inspire you.
His books came yesterday...see the happiness upon their arrival? = ) That's ok...cause he's smiling now...it's been a great first day and he's ready for an awesome year!
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| Happy Guy |
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| Not So Happy Guy |
Monday, August 25, 2014
Train Up a Child.... Bible Verses for the Home School Parent
Home school takes a lot of patience and commitment. It is not something that people should go into lightly. I am not going to lie, at the beginning of every school year, I have these visions of myself conducting a perfect home school including all 4 of my children. It's my June Cleaver daydream. I wake up at 5:30 am and shower, put on my makeup, do my hair, put on a cute teacher outfit. I prepare a hot and healthy breakfast for everyone and pack my husbands lunch. I wake the children with a bright and cheery disposition and while smiling and jumping out of bed my children get dressed eager for their first lesson of the day {bible of course}. We sit together at breakfast talking about God and the blessings he has given us. We hug daddy goodbye and we run to our little desks eager for mommy to start teaching.
This NEVER happened. Not one bit of it. But I can tell you what did happen. The beginning of home school is exhausting. Getting into the routine. Talking your children into how great it will be. Balancing your new roles of not only mother, wife, chef, house cleaner, nurse, behavioral therapist, disciplinarian, and NOW teacher. I'm not saying it's terrible...it is not terrible. It's a wonderful journey. But it is exhausting at times. When I feel exhausted I need pick me ups from God's word, reminding me of why I am doing what I am doing. These are my favorite verses that lift me up when I am questioning my role.
Deut 6:6-9 These commands I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
...You must also build up your household. Prov 24:27
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Really of what benefit is it for a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36
Teach me to do your will for you are my God. Your spirit is good, may it lead me in the land of uprightness. Psalm 127:3
Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deut. 4:9
This NEVER happened. Not one bit of it. But I can tell you what did happen. The beginning of home school is exhausting. Getting into the routine. Talking your children into how great it will be. Balancing your new roles of not only mother, wife, chef, house cleaner, nurse, behavioral therapist, disciplinarian, and NOW teacher. I'm not saying it's terrible...it is not terrible. It's a wonderful journey. But it is exhausting at times. When I feel exhausted I need pick me ups from God's word, reminding me of why I am doing what I am doing. These are my favorite verses that lift me up when I am questioning my role.
Deut 6:6-9 These commands I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
...You must also build up your household. Prov 24:27
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Really of what benefit is it for a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36
Teach me to do your will for you are my God. Your spirit is good, may it lead me in the land of uprightness. Psalm 127:3
Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deut. 4:9
First Week of Preschool at Home! Letter Cc and All About Me
So last week was actually the first week of preschool in our home for Gabriel {aka Gabe/ Gabraham Lincoln/Danger/Gabby Pants} He's 4...fabulous 4! And let me tell you, he LOVES preschool! Everyday he asks me, "Can we do school please?" I'm absolutely flattered and eating it up! I can't let this kid down, so I'm trying my hardest to plan ahead. I will post my lesson here on this blog and I hope that someone out there will find it helpful. A little background on me: I was a preschool teacher for several years at The Goddard School in Denver. My philosophy aligns closely to theirs- I believe that children learn best through play up till the age of 6. Who doesn't learn best when having a blast, am I right?! I believe in focusing on the Whole Child, meaning: academic, social, creative child centered learning. You won't see worksheets on my blog because I don't think that they are age appropriate for this age group. Before a child can complete a ditto or worksheet, they need to master skills like holding pencils correctly and writing. I believe in open-ended art. This also means no worksheets, dittos or coloring books {now don't freak out...my kids have tons of coloring books and I even color with them!} I'm talking about during academic time~ all art work in our preschool is a process. It's open ended meaning the child can explore with an item to use with paint and create on an open canvass! There are no lines and boundaries that the child needs to stay within. I'm not going to blab on and on about this. And so...week 1:
These are my pupils for preschool: Gabriel and Oliver! Oliver is only 1~ but he loves to join in and listen to books, play toys and sing songs just as much as any other preschool child. I know that he is able to learn alongside his brother, so I tailor my plans to his level very easily!
All About Me Theme
I will always have a book of the day that either coincides with the letter of the week and/or the theme I am teaching. This months theme is "All About Me." That may sound selfish...but it's critical! Our children need and are able to know details about themselves in case of emergency. Knowing their full name, age, address and phone number are important. Not only that, they simply need to know about themselves~ where did I come from, who am I? How was I made and what is my purpose on this earth? We all contribute to society and to our communities so how can I do that as a preschool age child? We are believers in Jesus Christ in our home...so teaching my children their identity in Christ is a huge lesson in itself, and is the most important. So first and foremost the verse of the month is:
I am fearfully and wonderfully made~ Psalms 139:14
Children at a very young age are able to memorize scripture. They may not understand it, but memorizing it puts it into a store bank in their head. One day when they are old enough to understand it, it will come back to them as needed. Train a child up in the way he should go and he will not depart from it~ Proverbs 22:6. My children are starting Awanas next month, so I will incorporate scripture and bible more later when that starts.
Letter C:
This weeks books for letter C:
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B Williams
Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Cool Cars by Tony Mitton
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Today we read Cool Cars by Tony Mitton and afterwards we explored with brown paint, construction paper and toy cars! The boys loved it and made several masterpieces!
Books for All About Me
These are my pupils for preschool: Gabriel and Oliver! Oliver is only 1~ but he loves to join in and listen to books, play toys and sing songs just as much as any other preschool child. I know that he is able to learn alongside his brother, so I tailor my plans to his level very easily!
All About Me Theme
I will always have a book of the day that either coincides with the letter of the week and/or the theme I am teaching. This months theme is "All About Me." That may sound selfish...but it's critical! Our children need and are able to know details about themselves in case of emergency. Knowing their full name, age, address and phone number are important. Not only that, they simply need to know about themselves~ where did I come from, who am I? How was I made and what is my purpose on this earth? We all contribute to society and to our communities so how can I do that as a preschool age child? We are believers in Jesus Christ in our home...so teaching my children their identity in Christ is a huge lesson in itself, and is the most important. So first and foremost the verse of the month is:
I am fearfully and wonderfully made~ Psalms 139:14
Children at a very young age are able to memorize scripture. They may not understand it, but memorizing it puts it into a store bank in their head. One day when they are old enough to understand it, it will come back to them as needed. Train a child up in the way he should go and he will not depart from it~ Proverbs 22:6. My children are starting Awanas next month, so I will incorporate scripture and bible more later when that starts.
Letter C:
This weeks books for letter C:
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B Williams
Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Cool Cars by Tony Mitton
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Today we read Cool Cars by Tony Mitton and afterwards we explored with brown paint, construction paper and toy cars! The boys loved it and made several masterpieces!
I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont
Eyes, Nose, Fingers, Toes by Judy Hindley
All By Myself by Aliki
I am also focusing on reading classic books to the boys so I got The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit by Julius Lester
As far as numbers we are learning to recognize numbers 0-10. My 4 year old is really struggling with this area so we are focusing on these numbers. I bought LeapFrog movies about numbers for him to watch in the car when we run our errands~ it has seemed to help after just a few days. I also have made teacher made games for him to practice matching the little plastic magnet numbers to the numbers on flash cards. These are very simple things to do to encourage number learning.
More for Letter C!!!
As far as numbers we are learning to recognize numbers 0-10. My 4 year old is really struggling with this area so we are focusing on these numbers. I bought LeapFrog movies about numbers for him to watch in the car when we run our errands~ it has seemed to help after just a few days. I also have made teacher made games for him to practice matching the little plastic magnet numbers to the numbers on flash cards. These are very simple things to do to encourage number learning.
More for Letter C!!!
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| Create a cat face for letter C |
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| Target sells an ABC matching puzzle in the dollar section! |
Heck
Have you ever thought about the meaning of the replacement words that we use and that our children in return use? Last night I heard my 4 year old say heck and gosh...probably picked it up from the Lego Movie...and from his dad and I! HA! My mind wondered to the meanings of these popular American slang words....
"Heck is where you go when you don't believe in Gosh."
"Heck is where you go when you don't believe in Gosh."
Sunday, August 24, 2014
A New Journey...A Longish Journey...
A year ago everything begun changing. As a military family, our lives were pretty established as far as not having to move much over the last 6 years. I say 6 years as if that is a long time. It isn't really- but considering that we are military, it was a good bit of time. We were stationed at Fort Bragg for the last 6 years. We moved there when I was pregnant with our daughter. Zach was only 5. Since then, we have had 3 additional children and 1 adoption {huge blessing}. My husband was able to adopt my son Zachary. We are now a complete and whole family in every since of the word. 2 parents, 4 kids {Zachary 12, Aubry 6, Gabriel 4, and Oliver 1} and one crazy Chihuahua/Jack Russel Terrier named Scout.
Anyway, we moved. We moved this summer so that my husband could attend NPS in Monterrey, California. He has- a much coveted opportunity to complete his grad degree while here the next 18 months. We will probably be moving back to Fort Bragg- but it is not certain. Until then, I am homeschooling my 7th grade son due to the lack of good schools in our location. I'm also homeschooling our PreK students and getting him ready for Kindergarten in the fall. Aubry is in 1st grade at the school public school in our neighborhood and Oliver is just plain cute. I attend East Carolina University, and it begins tomorrow. I am working toward my license to teach elementary school. I already have completed my degree, but just didn't feel like completing the license at the time {due to how I thought I would never need such a thing...} Who told us that we were mature enough to make decisions for ourselves at 21? Ha!
While I am here with my little family, I plan on accomplishing big things. So much so that I need to vent on a blog site to allow my husband to study and become awesome. My biggest goals are to educate my children through home school and supplemental tools~ I am a huge advocate of accredited and traditional home school options~ currently and always have used Abeka and they will never loose my loyalty <3 And just for me...I am running my first half marathon at Big Sur! I just began official training today~ but I have been avidly running all summer. The race is Nov 16. This blog will be dedicated to my thoughts and ramblings about all of these wonderful topics. I hope that someone out there finds it useful. If not, it's just for me to ramble my brains out!
Anyway, we moved. We moved this summer so that my husband could attend NPS in Monterrey, California. He has- a much coveted opportunity to complete his grad degree while here the next 18 months. We will probably be moving back to Fort Bragg- but it is not certain. Until then, I am homeschooling my 7th grade son due to the lack of good schools in our location. I'm also homeschooling our PreK students and getting him ready for Kindergarten in the fall. Aubry is in 1st grade at the school public school in our neighborhood and Oliver is just plain cute. I attend East Carolina University, and it begins tomorrow. I am working toward my license to teach elementary school. I already have completed my degree, but just didn't feel like completing the license at the time {due to how I thought I would never need such a thing...} Who told us that we were mature enough to make decisions for ourselves at 21? Ha!
While I am here with my little family, I plan on accomplishing big things. So much so that I need to vent on a blog site to allow my husband to study and become awesome. My biggest goals are to educate my children through home school and supplemental tools~ I am a huge advocate of accredited and traditional home school options~ currently and always have used Abeka and they will never loose my loyalty <3 And just for me...I am running my first half marathon at Big Sur! I just began official training today~ but I have been avidly running all summer. The race is Nov 16. This blog will be dedicated to my thoughts and ramblings about all of these wonderful topics. I hope that someone out there finds it useful. If not, it's just for me to ramble my brains out!
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