Make the Last Week of Summer Vacation for K12 Homeschoolers a PRACTICE week.

Ug!  I cannot believe it is that time of year again.  Please hold while I cry....

WAAAHH!!

OK - summer time is just a special time of year for me.  I love getting to have our own lives back, our own schedules.  Endless summer days to read out in the hot sun, or watch the shooting stars streak across the sky late into the night.  I love that we can take field trips, and day trips, without having to worry about school schedules and tests.  That being said... it is still that time.  

We are down to our final week before school starts.  K12 starts on August 25th for my 3 oldest chickadees and me.  And this is my suggestion.  Start school now.  

Waaaa?  

Yes, you heard me right.  Start school now.  I'm not talking about a full schedule here - I am talking 1-2 hrs a day.. that's it.  Besides if you are in K12 then you will not be able to start several online courses  (like foreign language, social studies, vocabulary, etc.)  But start something.  

Today - Monday, August 18, 2014 - Start going over math courses with your children.  I will be doing a couple of lessons with my Kinder student that deals with shapes.  My 2nd grader will be going over numbers from 1-500.  And my 4th grader.  Well, he's stuck.  K12, sadly, decided it would be a good idea to have all math be digital for upper level elementary grades.  I am not happy about it.  I love being able to take my math and go.  Now, I have to print even more stuff off... but I am getting off subject.  For your older students have them review some concepts from the year before.  My 4th grader will be reviewing multiplication.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - Break out the Literature and Phonics courses.  I will be having my Kinder do several phonics lessons, and going over some lit lessons as well.  For my 2nd grader, she will be doing lit lessons, as well as writing lessons.  My 4th grader will be starting his language art skills, and literature.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014 -More Lit and Phonics or math

Thursday, August 21, 2014 - More Lit and Phonics or math.FIELD TRIP DAY - DO SOMETHING FUN TODAY - A LAST SUMMERTIME FIELD TRIP!  

Friday, August 22, 2014 - Try a new subject if you are able - in K12 they do have a lot of the activities and lesson plan in the student handbook now.  So try a History lesson, or a Science lesson.  Or stick to Math or Lit.  

Why do I even suggest such a thing?  Because, believe me, it'll help your student have a smoother time transitioning to a full school schedule and day.  Also it'll help you get a head on a few lessons so that first day won't be so hectic and full.  Guess what?  You can mark that lit lesson off already, because you already did it!  And that math lesson?  It's just a review on the computer now.  And BAM!  Your first day will be much easier and fly by.

But don't forgot to make your last week fun too.  We always take a last summertime field trip.  So, find something in your area that you can go to or attend - make those last summer days special.

Don't forgot to write down all your time you spend this week in a log and when school does start 1 week from today - you can log all those hours in attendance.  

Happy Monday fellow K12ers and Homeschoolers!  Happy last week of summer!

Do It At Home - Cheap Bird feeder - Invitation to Play

Do you like observing nature?  Do your kids like birds?  Do you have a milk or water jug and some sunflower seeds?  That is all you need to make a super cheap and easy bird feeder that you can hang up right outside your window in your yard!  

Take your milk jug and clean it out.  Let is dry for a couple of days.

Cut out the front part - leaving the bottom in one piece and the handle attached to the jug.

Put some twin through the handle.

Add bird seed or sunflower seeds.

Hang it up where you can observe the birds.  Made sure it is far enough away from the ground so cats can't attack the birds.

Food ready for the birds!

Enjoy those birds coming and snacking right outside your window!

If your birds are seasonal - be sure and clean out the feed before winter so it doesn't rot over the colder months.  

Enjoy and have fun watching the chickadees watching chickadees.  :)

BOOK GIVEAWAY! Books to Read Together - Common Core - Supplemental Reading

Is Your Mama a Llama?

and

Over in the Meadow

Use these two books to supplement your child's education and to help meet the new common core curriculum.  -  Animals and Their Needs:

As you read these books - point out how mom's and dad's often resemble babies, show how animal babies need to be cared for, identify homes for animals.  Show your kiddos what animals eat, and what they look like (feathers, scales, ect).

Cute and fun read:  Is Your Mama a Llama? - is about a little llama trying to find his mama.  Learn different characteristics of different animals:  like seals and kangaroos.  - Also rhymes!

Classic song:  Over in the Meadow - is the beautiful song about mama animals teaching their babies what to do.  Kids love the rhyming patterns, the repeating verses (Over in the meadow...) and the actions that the mama's have their babies do (Buzz!  Swim!).

Would you like a chance to win this set of books as well as the Scholastic learning card?  To enter this book giveaway just add your name to the comments below!  Thanks!
This contest will run from Saturday, August 16, 2014 - through Saturday, August 23, 2014

Invitation to Play - Free Printables - 30 Story Starters - by Kiwi Crate

I love the story starting cards that I see from time to time.  I really think it helps kids use their imaginations in fun ways.  Here are some free printable story cards brought to you by Kiwi Crate.  Print them out on a heavier card stock for a longer life.  Or you can print them out and laminate them.

You can use these cards in a variety of ways:
1.)  Have your child pick out 10 cards and make up a story using those 10 cards.
2.)  Have each child in your group pick out 2-3 cards and then do a round robin story.
3.)  Have your child pick a random card and use it to make up a story.
4.)  I plan on using it as one of our daily starter activities.  Sort of like a wake-up call for school.  It'll help get there minds going in a fun way.

Here is a story my chickadees came up with:  Once there was a fairy who found a balloon and decided to take a ride on it.  On her ride she saw butterflies on flowers and fish.  When she got back home to her castle everyone gave her gifts.  She went outside and saw a ladybug in her garden.  That night she used her telescope to look at stars in the sky.

Here is another story.  This one is a lot of cause and effect:  One day a whale was having fun basking in the sun with his friends the firefly and the jellyfish.  They saw a robot who was attacking a bird.  It caused feathers to fly.  The feathers landed on a catapult which had a sword in it.  The sword went flying in the air and landed on a jeep.  The jeep had tools in it.  The tools went flying and landed in a mailbox.  The mailbox had a newspaper in it.  The newspaper went flinging up in the sky and landed on a kite.  The kite had a rabbit on it.  The rabbit fell off the kite onto a tractor.  Finally a superhero arrived and saved the day!

Quick & Cute Outfit Idea's For Moms #1

I'm sure all you mom's out there would like to be fun and fashionable - but you just don't seem like you have the time or energy to put together an outfit in the morning.  I know just how you feel!  So, I thought I would start a new series:  Quick and Cute Outfit Idea's.  Just find the pieces in your closet, and put them together for fun clothing options.

For this outfit this is all you need:

Find a Button-Up Blouse / Tie Top

Add a Ballerina Skirt

And a Cute Bag

Put on some cute matching Bracelets

Finalize with Wedges / OR for a more hip look - cute sneakers.  (I wasn't ready to take it that fashion forward. :)

Blouse: Modcloth

Skirt: Modcloth

Wedges: Newport News

Bracelets:  Gift

Bag: Modcloth

Bible Study Wednesday - Rebekah

Here are some fun idea's for activities to do along with the study of Rebekah.  As everyone knows - when kids have hands on activities to do it makes it more fun and memorable.  

Read in your Bible:

Genesis 12:4, 5

Genesis 24: 1-58, 67

First we read about Abraham's servant's prayer to God asking for a wife for Isaac.  We learned about how God answered this prayer with Rebekah - a woman who was willing to get water for the servent and all his camels - 10 in all.  We learned about how Rebekah wanted to make God happy and went back to Cannan to marry Isaac.

Then we did lots of fun activities to reinforce these concepts:

All the chickadees made camel masks.  Here are free camel masks - and other camel activities to try if you want to do more.  After we all made masks, we did a skit - we had Abraham's servant, Rebekah, and 4 camels.  The kids had fun being the camels and drinking all the water.

Next we learned all about camel's.  We learned how they store fat in their humps.  How long they can go without water.  And how their feet are specially shaped to walk in the sand.  We talked about how they can drink 35 gallons of water each - in 10 minutes!  Talk about a lot of buckets of water to haul for Rebekah! 

Our last activity was hauling water.  We pretended our playhouse was a deep well where Rebekah would have had to go to haul water.  We filled up a bucket with 2 gallons of water to see what a hard worker Rebekah was and how hard it was to lift all that water and then take it to the camels.  

Would you like more fun Bible projects for children?  Click here

K12 Embark Preschool Review Unit #1 - I am Special - Social Studies

So - we finally finished up our first unit for Embark Comprehensive.  The studies start out with Unit One:  I am Special, and starts with the subject of Social Studies.  

There are 4 "modules" for the Social Studies subject.

#1 - Me, Myself, and I:  The kiddos learned about first and last names with a bear as a helper.   The chickadees really enjoyed this game.  Then they made puppets - making them look like themselves.

#2 - All About Me:  Supposed to make up a poem about themselves and why are they special.  A little too advanced for a pre-schooler in my opinion.  They didn't like it.

#3 - Phone Number

#4 - My Address

So - as a review - this unit started out really fun, then bogged down with numbers and details that my 3 year old pre-schooler did not enjoy.  

Anyone else accomplish the Social Studies unit in I am Special?  What are your thoughts about it?

Science Experiments: Botany Projects

Botany - the study of plants!  So many cool experiments you can try with your kiddos when it comes to botany!  Here are four projects for you:

1.)  Flower Press

What you need:

2 pieces of sturdy white paper

2 cardboard pieces cut to the same size

2 strong large rubber bands

Flower petals.

Arrange the flower petals on your white sheet of paper how you would like to press them.

Put the cardboard pieces over the white sheets of paper and secure with 2 rubber bands.

Wait 2 - 3 weeks - and Voila!  Beautiful pressed flowers.

You can use them to make cards - or put in plastic clear envelopes for a science collection.

2.)  Leaf rub / plant paint

What you need:

Leaf rubbing plate

Crayons

White paper

Paint

Real leaves - or fake leaves - Flowers - flower petals

You can make leaf rubbings with the plate, or real leaves with the crayons.  (Please remove outside cover.)

Or dip your leaves in the paint and make a print of the leaves on your paper.

Or one of the kids favorites - take the flowers and dip them in paint and use the flowers or leaves as your paintbrush!

3.) Solar Print

What you need:

Solar sensitive paper

Rocks, Leaves, Feathers - etc.

Water

Basin for water

Put your object on the piece of paper and put it in the sun for 5 minutes.  Come in and put the paper in cold water for 30 seconds.  Then let them dry.  Make sure you do this project on a calm day - or use flat objects that you can weight down with a rock or something heavy.

The sun will make a beautiful print of your object.

4.)  Leaf Pendant

What you need:

Clay - Air hardening

Paint

Paintbrush

Pencil

Yarn

Take your piece of clay and shape it into a pendant like object.  

Make an imprint of your leaf on your clay - 

Paint over your leaf

Remove your leaf

Poke a hole with your pencil in your leaf pendant.

Let it dry overnight.  When the clay and paint are both dry - thread yard through the leaf pendant.  Beautiful!  

There you have it - 4 awesome and inexpensive botany projects for you and your little chickadees to enjoy!

Can you tell me any other cool botany projects you have?  What else could we try to have fun with plants?

Books to Read Together - Common Core - Supplemental Reading

Little Pea

and

Eat Your Peas, Louise!

Use these two books to supplement your child's education and to help meet the new common core curriculum.  - When you read them help explain to your child how important it is to eat healthy, what you can eat to be healthy and how to have a healthy lifestyle.

Cute and fun read:  Little Pea - is about a Little Pea who must eat his candy (BLECH!) before he gets dessert.

A rookie reader:  Eat Your Peas, Louise! - is about a girl who must eat her vegetables, and how the parent tries to get her to do it.

National Book Lover's Day!

Yippie Skippie!  It's Book Lover's Day!  Time to reflect on what books we think are so great!  I have always been a bibliophile - from the good old days when my mom would read me Dr. Seuss books every night - to when I finally picked up my very first chapter book to read.  (Charlotte's Web - still a favorite in my heart to this very day!)

When I really got into reading mystery books became my staple.  Boxcar Children came first, then Nancy Drew, then finally Trixie Belden.  I have in my collection the entire original series of Boxcar Children books (1-19), Nancy Drew (1-175), and Trixie Belden (1-34).

As I grew John Grisham, Caroline B. Cooney, and Mary Higgins Clark became my reading preference.  Then along came Mary Jane Clark, and Carol Higgins Clark, and Sophia Kinsella (Author of Shopoholic series.)

Now that I have kids I read less books for adults, and you know what?  I really enjoy the reads from Teenager Fiction.  Just a few:

• Matched series
• Uglies series
• Gallagher Girl - Spy Academy series
• Heist Society series
• Secret's of my Hollywood Life series
• 
  

And for this summer I have read 22 books so far.  My goal was 50 - and I will be far short.  However, I still hope to achieve at least 25 books to be 1/2 to my goal.  My summer reading has included:

• Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita
• " " On Location
• " " Family Affairs
• "  " Paparazzi Princess
• The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
• The Royal Treatment by Lindsey Leavitt
• A Farewell to Charms by Lindsey Leavitt
• Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi
• Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
• Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
• Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

What have you been reading this summer?  Are you a book lover?  What was your favorite book growing up?  What is your favorite book now?  What would you recommend to read?