Instant Snow

For the past couple of weeks, we have been playing and creating with "winter."  Here in the South we don't get much of a winter (the arctic blast we had last week was a shocker) so the kids have enjoyed experimenting with "snowmen" and ice.  :)

Today we created snow, and it was definitely the highlight of our winter unit.  I bought a jar of Insta Snow from Amazon when I was online looking for another winter related activity.  It had great reviews so I thought I would give it a shot.

This one little can provided us with so much fun!!  A small scoop of powder and a little water...then snow began forming before our eyes.  It was even cool to the touch.  A perfect sensory activity!  It didn't take long for the kids to get their toys involved. Memphis Belle's ballerina danced in the snow and the boys acted out an avalanche with helicopter rescue. :)

It was super-easy to clean up (not at all like the sparkling snow we made earlier with corn starch...more on that later).  We can store it in a sealed container for several weeks, and tonight we are putting it in the freezer so we can have more life-like snow in the morning.

For the Classical Conversationers out there, this activity provided us with a great example of the states of matter.  We watched the liquid turn to a solid and compared the two different stages.  It also gave us the chance to practice our liquid equivalents. :)

Happy "Snow" Day,

Jenny

CC For All Ages

I want to throw this out there:  Classical Conversations is made for all ages!

My three year old daughter is in love with the timeline songs and cards.  One day I found her in the living room with the cd playing as she flipped through our timeline cards. 

Then later she set it all up in a different area and began teaching her baby!  She is such a mini-me.

It is amazing how she is absorbing all of the information we are learning.  She hears it in the car, and she listens to us in the house.  I love to hear her sing about "Age of Ancient Empires" and "Minoans and Mycenaeans."  She randomly uses words like conjugation, 3000 BC, timeline, and 8 parts of speech.  :)  She may not know what any of that means...but one day she will be ready to learn about it and she'll already have that vocabulary in her smart, little brain.  

Along with her and the boys, I am also learning tons!  Years ago I never saw the value of knowing a history timeline or specific dates in history.  I loved hearing about history but I couldn't recall facts and dates.  Now with CC, I am learning all of those things!  It's beautiful to see how our timeline ties into our Bible studies and how our Bible studies relate to our history readings.  Everything is connected!

It all "reflects and relates back to the Creator and Sustainer of all things."  

Jenny

 Diagram and quote taken from: Classical Christian Education Made Approachable  

Year in Review: Science with CC

Animals, rockets, planets, and even aeronautics are regular topics around our house--making science the favored subject.  This year with Classical Conversations science has been made easy for us.  Each week we memorize a science fact and then we can learn as much or as little about that fact as we want (or as much as time allows).   

We began the year with Ecology and spent 6 weeks learning important facts and information.  We read books about biomes, pretended to be carnivores and herbivores, drew pictures of food chains, researched the water cycle, dressed in pajamas and "hibernated", watched documentaries on pollution and took a nature walk to pick up litter.  

Our CC group visited Grand Bay Wetland Education Center and we had the opportunity to view animals in their natural setting.  Along with the alligators, we saw bobcats, snakes, owls, turtles, deer, lizards, and much more.  With its education center, boardwalk through the wetlands, and 54 foot observation tower, Grand Bay was a treasure!!

For the next 6 weeks our focus turned to Astronomy.

As we began learning about stars and the sun, we read many books and the boys drew pictures of different types of stars.  We also created Star Jars.

Next came the planets in our solar system.  We used sidewalk chalk to create the planets outside and watercolor paints for inside. :)

Food makes everything better (especially chocolate).  So we made a Brownie Solar System.  After we made the brownies and licked the bowl of course, we let the brownies cool completely.  We used yellow icing for the sun, white icing for the orbits, and M&Ms as the planets.  This was lots of fun!  Everyone named the planets in order--even Memphis Belle!  When Daddy came home, you know they had to see if he knew them all. ;)

The boys also created the solar system using paper cut-outs for the planets.  They enjoyed doing this with their CC group.

The phases of the moon came next in our study of Astronomy.  We talked about the how the moon is made of rock and found rocks we pretended were moon rocks.

We also made Moon Dust (a new twist to the Cloud Dough we made last year).  We made a new batch and the kids had fun pretending it was moon dust.  

Each night we watched the moon, talked about its shape and discussed how it seemed to be changing.  We read books on the moon phases and enjoyed making the phases using Oreos.

Asteroids, meteors, and comets made the list and we enjoyed researching the difference between them.  Lastly, we learned about US Space Missions.  The Military Channel devoted a day to space missions, and we were fascinated by the documentaries and hearing the names of what we were memorizing.

In the new year we will turn our focus to physical science.  We are excited to see what it has in store for us!

Happy New Year,

Jenny

Medieval Times: Knights, Castles, and Dinner

For the last 5 weeks, we have been learning about all things Medieval.  Our history work in Classical Conversations has taken us through the Middle Ages and given us the chance to focus on castles, knights, and important events during this fascinating period.  We decided to take a family trip to the nearest Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament so that the boys could experience life in the Middle Ages.  And I can't recommend it enough!!!! 

We were taken back to a time of knights, castles, falconry, horsemanship, and jousting.  We loved that everything we had read about came to life before our eyes...from the jousting tournament to eating without utensils.  This also gave us a great topic for a presentation once back with our CC group. :)

Along with our trip back in time, we have also been busy at home.  Here is a look into how we keep the Middle Ages fresh in our minds.

As we wandered through the toy section of Target, Old Crow found this Castle Lego set.  He was so excited!!  We brought it home and he quickly got to work.

They enjoyed painting this castle with Q-tips.  

Crazy Horse pulled out this boy magnetic doll and realized he could make him into a knight!  

After reading about life during the time of knights, they wanted to draw a picture of a castle in their journals.  This is Crazy Horse's picture.

We also built a castle from building blocks, held our own knighting ceremonies, watched a portion of A Knight's Tale, and read some great books.

Their two favorite books were:

Until next time,

Jenny

Classical Conversations: Our Schedule at Home

During the planning stages this summer, I spent a great deal of time organizing my daily schedule.  Now that I am teaching multiple children, I really want my day to go smoothly and efficiently.  Each child deserves their one-on-one attention, and I needed to take into account areas we want to do together as a family and those areas where one child needs a quiet space with no interruptions.  So planning the order and arrangement of our subjects became very important.  I actually made about 10-15 different schedules (not exaggerating) before I settled on one.  So far, our first weeks of school are going great.  We have made a few tweaks, and I think we have something now that will work great for us!

I find that scheduling is also a big concern for other homeschooling moms.  We like to know what others are doing to help finalize our own thoughts.  So hopefully this will be of help to others. :)

Our Daily Routine

9:00-9:30

We begin the morning together with our Bible reading and prayer (this is often done during breakfast).  We also update our calendar, review scripture, and discuss our Godly character trait.  We pull out our notebook and practice writing our personal information---name, address, phone number.  Also in our notebook, we fill out our "Page of Prayers" and "I'm thankful for..." page.  These notebook activities are not all done on the same day.  I spread them out through the week.  

Then we begin our workboxes!

Workbox 1:  Math for both

Old Crow begins with independent math work (XtraMath on the iPad, drill sheets, flash cards, etc) while I work one-on-one with Crazy Horse.  Once we are finished with his lesson, Crazy Horse plays a math game or math manipulative and I begin Old Crow's lesson.  

*This is an area where Old Crow needs total concentration, so I send little brother to a nearby room to play on the rug while Old Crow and I work together.

Workbox 2:  Centers for Crazy Horse & English for Old Crow

For lack of a better term, Centers is just a rotating list of independent activities for Crazy Horse.  Listening center, book basket, iPad game, file folder game, puzzles, etc are all things that could be included in his workbox.  Old Crow and I work on English together.

Workbox 3:  Copywork/Writing for both

The English curriculum we are using often gives copywork so we extend that into our writing box.  Scripture is also something we use for copywork.  While Old Crow completes his copywork (usually at a desk in his bedroom for a quiet space), I work with Crazy Horse on his handwriting and letter formation.

Workbox 4:  Classical Conversations for both

I am so thankful for Leigh Bortins, the creator of CC, for giving this idea in the Foundations Guide.  This is something she does with her boys and it is working great for us!  The boys pull out blocks, Legos, etc and play together quietly while listening to the Classical Conversations memory work CD.  Once the songs and week's memory work are over, we clean up and are ready for a snack break.

Workbox 5:  Snack Break

During snack time, I sometimes read aloud or once CC begins I may use that time to drill the memory work.  It is also a great time to unload the dishwasher and put on a load of clothes. :)

After snack, we discuss our CC geography and trace/blob maps.

Workbox 6:  Reading for Crazy Horse and Piano for Old Crow

I send Old Crow off to the playroom where he practices his piano.  After that he has free time and can play until I call him for the next box.  While Old Crow is in another room, Crazy Horse and I concentrate on his reading program.

Workbox 7:  Piano for Crazy Horse and Reading for Old Crow

They basically switch places for this time period.  I work with Old Crow on his reading while Crazy Horse spends time on the piano and then free time in the playroom.

Workbox 8:  Playtime for Crazy Horse and Spelling for Old Crow

Crazy Horse remains in the playroom for free time or he can come and listen in on Old Crow's spelling lesson.

By this point, it is usually around 11:30.  We take a break and get Memphis Belle from preschool.  We eat lunch and play outside.

Afternoon Block with CC

During the afternoon, we have a rotation cycle for our Classical Conversation studies.

Monday:  Prepare for Tuesday's presentations

Tuesday:  Science book basket

Wednesday:  Science readings and science-related activities

Thursday:  History readings and history-related activities

Friday:  Fine arts focus and activity

Daily:  Storytime and A Child's History of the World readings are also done in the afternoon or at bedtime.

Having a routine provides structure and allows the kids the know what to expect each day.  However, the fact that no two days are the same is the beauty of homeschooling.  We are flexible, and I often let the boys lead in their interests.  If they want to talk about bugs and butterflies for a few minutes...let's do that.  Today they wanted to play Pilgrims and Indians after breakfast...sure!  We just adjusted and moved on.  :)
Jenny

Continents and Sidewalk Chalk

Although our Classical Conversations classes and curriculum will not begin until August 27, we decided to get a jump on the geography section.  I want Crazy Horse to have a basic understanding of maps, globes, and continents before we officially begin with CC.  

After locating the different continents on a globe and counting them, we grabbed some sidewalk chalk and took our learning outdoors!  Together we blobbed the 7 continents in correct relation to each other.  The boys were amazing and did very well remembering where each continent was located.

We then began in North America and took a tour of all continents...jumping to the correct continent I named aloud.  We bunny hopped around the world, swam around the world, and finally they flew around the world.  The movie, Planes, gave us inspiration and they pretended to be their favorite character...flying around until I said "Freeze."  Once they were frozen, they told me what continent they had landed on.  

There are so many ideas on how this "outdoor map" can be played again and again...each time offering a new skill.

*Have children blob the continents themselves

*Blob certain continents and children figure out which ones are not included

*Blob shapes and have children fill in the names of the continents

And of course, this will be perfect when we begin with oceans!

It's hard to beat fresh air, fun, and learning!

Jenny

A Child's History of the World

Once we made the decision to join Classical Conversations in the fall, it was full steam ahead in the planning department.  Coming from an early American history overview for 1st grade, I wanted to give Old Crow a solid introduction into world history.  History sentences covered in Cycle 2 of CC cover a large time period.  I struggled with this for a long time.  Do we jump around in different Story of the World volumes to follow along?  Read only one volume of Mystery of History?  Or do nothing at all?  

I finally decided to give Old Crow (2nd grade) a gentle, one year world history overview.  

We chose A Child's History of the World (CHOW) by V.M. Hillyer. 

I like for things to be neat and tidy.  So I couldn't quite grasp how we could learn about Charlemagne on week 1 of Classical Conversations but then not read about him in CHOW until many weeks later.  So I went chapter by chapter through CHOW and correlated it with the history sentences in CC.

Charlemagne is first mentioned in CHOW in Chapter 47.  So we will be reading the beginning chapters over the summer and in August.  Then only 2 or 3 chapters per week are required to keep up with the pace of the CC history sentences.  CHOW's sequence actually goes along quite well with the sequence of the history sentences.  I will be reading the chapters aloud and then the boys will narrate.  While this book is geared perfectly for a 2nd grader, I will also have my Kindergartner listen along.  Hopefully, everything will go as planned!

Click here to download the CHOW chapter correlations.

Jenny

Big Change: Curriculum Choices for 2013-2014

We are making a big move this year...in curriculum!  ;)

Last year was wonderful as we used Heart of Dakota's program.  I even posted the top 10 reasons why we loved it so much.  It was perfect for Old Crow's 1st grade year.  As I began to look at how Heart of Dakota would fit both Old Crow in 2nd grade and Crazy Horse in Kindergarten, it became difficult to make it work.  Their learning would be completely different and their subjects would be separated.  I began to feel pulled in the direction of combined teaching or multiple-age learning.  I wanted as much of our learning to be together as possible.   So I began looking into new curriculum choices. 

I researched and researched until I felt physically sick (no joke).  My husband finally told me to stop looking at it.  I laid it all out for him and let him make the decision.  Wheewww!  The weight that was lifted off of me was indescribable.  Why do we moms do that to ourselves? :)  

Our final choice...We have joined our local Classical Conversations community and are so excited about beginning in August.

Taken from CC's website:

Classical Conversations is a leader in the home-centered education movement. It is a mission: To know God and to make Him known. It is a model: Classical Conversations combines the classical method of learning with a biblical worldview. It is a method: Classical Conversations families meet in communities where parents train parents to implement home-centered education well.

Here is the breakdown of our curriculum for this coming year:

Old Crow:  2nd Grade

Math: Singapore Math 2A/2B

Reading:  Heart of Dakota's Drawn into the Heart of Reading Program Level 2

English:  First Language Lessons Level 2

Spelling:  All About Spelling Level 3

Copywork and Writing:  Various portions of poems, classical stories, and scripture

Crazy Horse:  Kindergarten

Math:  Singapore Math Earlybird Kindergarten A & B

Reading:  All About Reading Pre-Reading

Handwriting:  A Reason for Handwriting Level K

Everything else we will all learn together through our Classical Conversations work.

Bible, History, Science, Geography, Latin, Fine Arts, English Grammar are all included with CC.  We will read living books and complete activities to expand on what is learned.

Looking forward to a new year,

Jenny