Germs, Squirrels, and Holy Matrimony

I know it's been a long while since I've given this blog any attention, but I promise we have had school time since our first day! We were hard and heavy for a couple of months until the pregnancy started slowing me down. I finally began our hiatus two weeks before Annabelle was born. She is nearly six weeks old now and we are easing our way back into some school.

Here are some of the things we've been up to over the past couple of weeks:

A Wedding!

Jeremy's cousin had a beautiful wedding a week ago. The kids were the flower girl and ring bearer. Here they are in all their glory. We had a lot of fun curling Addie's hair. She felt like a princess.

I wasn't placing huge expectations on the kids. This is their first real public appearance. Mason tends to be a ham and Addie tends to suffer from stage fright when the pressure is on. We tried hard to teach them what was proper and then we just sat back in anticipation of surprises. Addie did an awesome job. I was amazed at how intently she watched the bride and groom exchange their vows and rings. She can't wait to get married. I'm to blame with this great idea I had a while back.

Mason, too, did everything that was expected of him....and then some. Once he took his place on the stage, he commenced to pick his nose and snack on his findings throughout the ceremoney. All I could do at that point was muffle my laughs in Jeremy's sleeve. Just classic!

I really believe, though, that the bride and groom have good taste. They chose the most beautiful flower girl and most handsome ring bearer ever. Don't ya think? Don't tell Mason he is handsome, though, because he thinks that means you want to marry him and that would just be gross.

Speaking of gross...as if that story wasn't......

I was graciously blessed with some Petri dishes last week. These were quite timely I might add since I have been barking at the children about germs ever since their little sister entered the world. It's not their fault she was born during the peak of the swine flu epidemic. Nonetheless, I've been a little on edge about germs. But, how do you really explain how that works to a 5- and 3-year-old? With Petri dishes!

We used Q-Tips to swab all the germy places on our bodies (well, not all even though Mason suggested it) and in our house.

Then, we let the germs grow for four days and watched them gradually become visible on the dish. I really wish I would have left out the house. Now, I know just how germy my house is. And, I thought it was pretty clean??? Here are the results:

The dirtiest place in my home is the..........(drum roll please)..............(no, it's not toilet)............. kitchen floor! YIKES! I let my kids eat off the floor all the time! Not really eat off the floor, but pick up something they dropped and eat it anyway. Admit it. You do too when no one is looking. Well, I won't be doing that anymore. Just look at this! I think I can faintly make out arms and legs on those furry things. Scary.

The bathroom sink...pretty disgusting itself. Honestly, I had cleaned this bathroom just a week prior. My kids drop their toothbrushes in this sink at LEAST once a day. Ewwwww.

We compared our dirty hands to hands washed with soap and hands cleaned with hand-sanitizer. This was a good way to show them that hand washing is soooo important. The germs we not as visible on these dishes so the pictures aren't great. But, our findings were that using hand sanitizer really works! No germs that I could see after four days where as even the dish with the washed hands had SOME growth in it...possibly because the kids are using the previously-mentioned bathroom sink to wash their hands. Just a theory.

Then we drew prictures about our observations for our science journals. Here is Mason's picture:

See how the germs spread from hand to hand? I think he's got the idea! Hopefully, no more wedding incidents. :-)

Addie had fun with this Melissa & Doug pattern block set. Mason and Addie have both enjoyed this new toy thanks to Aunt Jess!

We did some painting with objects today. It was a hit with Mason and Addie. Addie tends to enjoy painting more than Mason, but he really like the new spin on it today. We tried forks, a whisk, a potato masher, cotton rounds, popsicle sticks, plastic cups, medicine droppers, and even pennies. Mason's favorite was to have me dip a penny in the paint and spin it across the canvas. Addie's favorite was the dropper.

Finally, we played a squirrel grid game inspired from this website. We used the acorn number cards and I made our own squirrel grid since I had problems downloading the other one. We took a walk in the yard to find our oak trees. I hoped to use acorns as our tokens, but our trees have not produced acorns this year. That explains why the squirrels have taken over Jeremy's corn in the deer feeder.

To keep with the theme, we read Orlando the Oak. This is probably not a book you have heard of before. It is written by a local children's book author, Angie McCall.

It is a cute book about perseverence. I love the illustrations. My favorite part about the book is that it was inspired by a local silo that I have admired all my life. It stands just yards from my aunt's house on the most beautiful piece of land around here. It has rolling hills, ponds, and beautiful pasture. On top of one of the hills is this silo with a tree popping out of the top. A few years back, that land went up for sale at a whopping $1.4 million! My dreams of ever owning it were shattered. It sold and now two beautiful homes grace those hills. But, at least the silo still stands. I nearly shed tears when I realized someone had written a children's book about it. I guess I can't have the land, but I at least can share it with my kids through the book!

Well, that's it for our busy week! I have learned that with a new baby in the house we have to be much more flexible about our school time. I am realizing just how many spur-of-the-moment learning opportunities we have if I will take the time to explore the kids' interests. I have been a little anxious about getting in our school work with a newborn to care for, but this week has eased my fears. We'll do what we can do when we can do it and we'll have fun doing it.

Check back soon for what I hope to be another good week!

First Day of School

Did you know today was the first day of the 09-10 school year? Well, it was in our house. Why so early? Since I plan to take a serious break when Annabelle arrives, I figured I'd better get a head start. Mason officially began kindergarten today!

I know I haven't posted about the materials we are using. We are currently using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons for reading. I started this with Mason earlier in the year and we are about three-fourths of the way through. He has really taken to reading and he seems to retain the material well as long as we stay consistent about working on it.

When he finishes this, we will start the other curriculum I purchased this year at the homeschool convention. I bought the My Father's World set, but after looking through the materials, I decided on the first grade curriculum rather than the kindergarten. I just wasn't impressed with the biblical content of the kindergarten set. I think Mason is ready for something more in-depth. I hope I haven't bitten off too much by doing this, but I really think Mason can do it, especially since he has taken to reading so well.

For math, we're using Saxon. I deliberated on this a lot and decided that it looked to be very comprehensive. I liked the scope and sequence the best of the other curriculums I looked at and the instructions make it very simple for someone to teach. Today was Mason's first experience with it and he really, really enjoyed it. He is definitely a hands-on learner, so all the materials in this curriculum seem to suit him.
























The My Father's World curriculum includes science materials. After looking through the books, I was impressed by the topics covered and how they often tie into the Bible lesson. I am also using some ideas from Green Thumbs and 501 Science Experiments for additional hands-on activities. Today, we made milk-jug bird houses from the Green Thumbs book.
























I also plan to incorporate some art and music appreciation with some of the optional materials I purchased from My Father's World. Read-aloud is still a big focus for us, too. I have posted here before about Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook. I also have the kids do some copy work on our chalk board each day. It is usually a Bible verse for Mason and Addie practices tracing her name and shapes for now.





















Another idea that I'm using to help things run more smoothly and to cut down on the arguing about what we're doing next is this visual schedule. I printed pictures of our materials onto 4"x6" Post-It photo paper. Each day, I can put the pictures of what we have planned to do in order. I let the kids pick which picture is last so they can have something they enjoy to work towards during the day. It may be a movie, a game, or some computer time. Just something that will keep them motivated to get their work done. As they complete each activity, they move a poker chip to the next picture. They seemed to enjoy using it today.






















While Mason is busy, I am using the Tot Trays that I learned about from this homeschooling blogger with Addie. These are just some special activities that I reserve only for this time and work with her. She gets to pick which tray we use. Lately, she has been pretty interested in this puzzle. She was concentrating so hard here that her tongue was hanging out of her mouth! She does that a lot. It drives the speech pathologist in me crazy!




























I have logged many, many hours trying to plan this school year which is one reason that my posting here has been so sparse. I was waiting until I had something concrete to post. I thought I would never decide on curriculum! I finally committed, though, and I'm feeling pretty excited about it. I know that today the kids were just amazed by the novelty of it all and that in a few weeks we may be looking for new ways to maintain their attention. But, for today, it was a great first day of school!

Preschool Cirruclum and A Giveaway Link

Last weekend I attended the North Carolina Homeschoolers Convention. It's a statewide convention complete with a rockin' bookfair (approximately 10,000 sq ft of books...if I had to guess) and some remarkable workshops and speakers.

Still, each year although I get incredibly encouraged, I also walk away a little discouraged. You see, my kids are so little that often it is hard to relate to what these homeschool moms and dads are saying. Most of them discuss occupying preschoolers while teaching, but my problem is that I ONLY have preschoolers. What's a homeschool mom to do?

Not many of the vendors offer solid preschool curricula appropriate for a house full of preschool aged children. Last year we used My Father's World and Handwriting Without Tears. MFW was okay, but I'm not a thematic unit kind of teacher. (Amanda bought the 1st grade package, so hopefully she can fill you in on her likes/dislikes of that age). However, we LOVED Handwriting Without Tears. I even won an entire Pre-K curriculum at this years convention. I was super stoked becasue now we have 2 of everything, perfect for our family of multiple little people who aren't always terribly patient.

Anyway, the main purpose of this post was to send you over here, to Books and Bairns. It's a homeschool/mommy blog I follow. There, she is having a give way for Itty Bitty Bookworm, a preschoolers curriculum. Click on over to Books and Bairns and see what the give away is all about. And, if you win you owe me 50% of your winnings...just kidding!

New Loves

I am loving spring! Each time the weather turns cold again, I get cranky. I am done with my winter clothes, heavy coats, and being cold. Today, spring returned once again and it was great! We spent most of the morning outside and Addie decided we should eat lunch out there too. While we were picnicking, Mason noticed a colony of ants and he decided to give them some lunch. He had a good time watching the little ants carry their pieces of bread around. He told me they said "Thank you, Mason!"


















Speaking of things I love, I found this web tool through another blog I read. If you do a lot of Internet searching and can't keep up with your ideas, this will help. I call myself the most unorganized Type A personality that I know. I am full of great intentions, but I can't keep my focus long enough to carry most things out. My bookmarks on my computer are a mess and are pretty useless to me. When I see something I like, I can't remember where I saved it when I want to return to it later. Now, there is Evernote.

I cannot imagine what homeschooling was like before the Internet came along. There are soooo many resources and people sharing their ideas that it is very simplified. Just spend some time searching, find something you like, and do it. You don't have to be a creative person at all. You just have to know how to Google something. But, soon you will be overwhelmed by all that is out there. That is why I am loving this new tool...and I think you will too!

Why?

After a VERY rough week homeschooling, I wondered for myself why in the heck God has called me to do this.

He tenderly reminded me, then I found this blog.

I could recant it all for you, but I wouldn't do it justice. Go see for yourself.

And thank you Lord for your gentle, but firm, reminders.

School Clothes

I actually had enough energy and motivation this morning to attempt some schoolwork with the kids. I thought I should document the victory! One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the flexibility. Anytime, anywhere, anyhow we can fit it in, it can be done. It's a good thing, too, since I've had a hard time adhering to any kind of a schedule with spending so much time hugging the toilet and laying on the couch. I'm counting down the final days of this first trimester. I sure hope the books are right about the second one!

















Anyway, we did get in a bit of schoolwork this morning. As you can see from the picture, Mason likes to wear pajamas to school while Addie prefers the more formal attire. It is nice to not have to worry about appearances so much on these days. It cuts down on a lot of frustrations...and laundry. You can't see me because I'm holding the camera, but my wardrobe slightly resembles Mason's, minus Spiderman. I'm not much for dressing up these days since I'm in that yucky in between don't-know-what-I-should-wear phase. You know when the maternity clothes swallow you, but your regular clothes look a size too small. I'm avoiding full-length mirrors.

I've decided I really need to devote some time to preparation. Since Mason is approaching kindergarten and the baby is due in October, I'm thinking I need to be well-prepared for our first semester in the fall. And I don't want to leave Addie out of the picture either. I've gotten inspired by the Tot School stuff I've been reading here. I realize that my expectations can't be too high for how much we will accomplish in the first few months with a newborn in the house. But, I know having our lessons planned and ready to go will make squeezing in some learning much easier on us all. I've been winging it since we started and I can tell it isn't the best approach. I'm making some final decisions on curriculum and have started purchasing some of it. I'll have to write about that some other time...I know you can't wait ;-)

Expecting the Unexpected

Well, homeschooling is looking a lot different in our home during the past couple of weeks. Actually, it's looking a lot like nothing. I think we are just in one of those seasons of adjustment. If you read my other blog, you will know why. I didn't expect a bump in the road this quickly. We just got started with our homeschooling in January. But, I've decided to embrace flexibility and to rest in the fact that my kids are young. We can shift our focus for a while without having to feel guilty about it.

Fortunately, my morning sickness is its worst at night. So, we are able to get a few things done first thing in the morning. I'm the type of person that likes a plan. Then, I tackle the plan and usually feel a lot of frustration when interruptions happen. I'm sure some of you can relate? I really feel that God has been working in that area of my heart. I want to learn these lessons now rather than when I have a newborn in the house. If I can figure out some way to accomplish a decent amount of schoolwork with the kids and still allow for the unpredictability of pregnancy and a newborn, I know I will be saving myself some emotional meltdowns.

Earlier, Jessica posted about needing some ideas for her two-year-olds. A friend sent me this link to a blog that offers a lot. If you have toddlers running around the house, check it out. I think you will be glad you did.

http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/

I am also wondering what your plans are for Easter. Does anyone have any unique Easter activities for preschool kids? Do you have any past experiences to share? I would love to hear your stories!