Friday, April 1, 2011

{The Homeschool Mother's Journal 2}

 

In my life this week...

Getting back in to our normal routines after spring break, we had a fairly light week.  It has been crazy weather here in Florida the last two days, so we have mostly been "hunkered down" and spending time indoors (that is a Florida phrase that got way overused during the last big hurricane season, I chuckle inside every time I say it).

In our homeschool this week...

  • In Math we started counting by two's this week, and are continuing to concentrate on telling time on the hour, half hour, and starting with 15 minute increments.
  • In English, Science & History we are learning about weather, the Summer season, Peruvian and Japanese cultures.
  • Art and computer time to mix things up!

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

This Friday morning is the first meeting of a new homeschool mother's group that my friend and I have formed at our church.  I am super excited to meet these new friends and talk about our homeschooling experiences and goals! 

My favorite thing this week was...

It may sound strange, but the night this week when the power was out was one of the most fun we have had in a while!  We played hide and seek with flashlights, made shadow puppets on the wall, lit up all the candles and had really good snuggle time.  It reminds me that we need to un-plug more often.

What's working/not working for us...

I worked today on changing our workbox system, which we had mostly abandoned.  I loved what Jolanthe created at Homeschool Creations.  I'm excited about using her ideas over the next few weeks to keep us on track, and keep the are-we-done-yets at bay!

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

I would really like to start incorporating more read-aloud time with the kids.  So far we have done short storybooks and readers, but I'd like to start with a longer story (like Little House on the Prairie, etc.).  My children are 5 and 3, are there any stories that you would recommend?  Or is it too early to really hold their attention?

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

We had so much fun earlier this week (before the storms) playing with kites in the backyard.  I had bought these Disney kites for a dollar each last year, and the kids are always begging to play with them.  They had a great time running back and forth across the yard, I kept the strings really short so the kites would "fly" even without much wind - a big winner.

Have a great weekend!

Allison

8 comments:

  1. This may surprise you, but when my two oldest were about 5 & 3 I read "The Secret Garden" to them...and they loved it! I was very surprised that it kept their attention, but it did. They also enjoyed the Little House books :)

    Looks like you had an enjoyable week with your kiddos. I hope your homeschool meeting went well :)

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  2. The kite flying looks fun!

    All kids (& their attention spans) are different, but mine have enjoyed Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan, Ralph S Mouse and Charlotte's Web as read alouds.

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  3. Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Taci books. Especially the first few because the main characters are 5-6YO.

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  4. The lights out sounds like a great family time.

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  5. Do you have "The Children's Book of Virtues" by William J. Bennett. I bet your children would benefit and enjoy these short stories too. I know mine do. My four year old understands them. The kite flying looks marvelously fun for your little chicks! Nice lesson too for the kids when the lights went out. Did you talk about life in the old days before electricity?

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  6. even if it doesnt fully hold their attention, they will get the benefit of the words, vocabulary and story telling, not to mention time with mom. Used to live in FL; miss it! stopped over from the homeschool journal linky; please come over and say hello!

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  7. Love the kites. We have a few kites in the garage. Perhaps it's time to get them out.

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  8. Sounds like you had a great week! As far as the read-alouds go, I would definitely start with the Little House Books, and also some E.B. White book. (Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web) I started my kids on longer stories that go day-to-day around that age.
    Keep us posted on how that workbox system works for you. I'm thinking of incorporating it into our homeschool as well.
    Found your blog via The Homeschool Chick and stopping by to say hi!

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