Summer 2010

Of course, it has been a busy summer! Some highlights were visiting the strawberry patch and celebrating Mary Beth's 6th birthday and Maggie's 1st birthday!

Things we've been working on:

1. Preparing to be a tutor at Classical Conversations (the older girls will be attending classes there in the fall).



2. Working with Mary Beth on her reading fluency and with Abigail on phonics.



3. Swimming at the pool at the gym and occasionally at friends' pools.



4. Spending time with family at the botanical gardens and the beach.


5. Doing our best to keep Abigail well and out of the hospital...remembering daily meds, etc.



6. Most of all, trying to get our house ready to sell! (Major stress!)

Can't believe the school year will officially start in a couple weeks! We will be going to classes one day a week (and schooling at home/elsewhere the rest of the week), Bible Study and then dance another day, and then there will be field trips and playdates to fit in as well. Plus all the house stuff, so it will be interesting!

Historic St. John's Church Continued

Historic St. John's Church!

Poe Museum!

I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

I Love This Website!

I just came across this website about homeschooling and it reminded me about all the great reasons to do it. Some days I get discouraged trying to take care of an infant, a busy schedule which includes church, MOPS, play dates, field trips, errands, meal-planning/meal-making, picking up/cleaning/organizing, bill-paying, gift-buying/card-writing, tutoring, etc., all while homeschooling my 5-year-old and 4-year-old--imagine that! I forget that I am giving them so much more attention than they would be receiving in a traditional school setting and that they are learning valuable socialization (yes, the "S" word!) skills and lessons from real life every single day. So even our "worst" day isn't all that bad...it's actually great! So check it out if you get a chance. I was reading from the section called "Common Homeschooling Myths Dispelled." http://www.inchhome.com/Articles%20Page.htm

Why Do We Have Seasons?

We did an experiment today to learn about why we have seasons. First, we read the book Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn Branley. Then we conducted the same experiment they do in the book which involves putting a pencil through an orange and marking the equator as well as the North and South poles. Then we put a push pin around where North America would be. Then we shined a flashlight on the orange and spun the orange, tilting it just like the Earth is tilted on it's axis. When the sun shines on part of the earth, that makes it daytime there, and when it is dark, that makes night. We talked about how while we are sleeping during our nighttime, it is daytime on the other side of the earth! To make the seasons, Mary Beth stood in the middle of the room holding the flashlight and I moved around her with the orange, showing how different parts of the earth get more/less sunlight throughout the year (more sunlight=summer, less sunlight=winter). The book also helps explain why the equator is always warm and why the North and South poles have long periods where the sun doesn't rise and then long periods when it doesn't set, again, due to the tilt of the earth. Mary Beth loved this experiment, and don't worry, we didn't waste the orange!

Shopping List Spelling

Today we worked on our shopping lists together. I gave Mary Beth and Abigail each a blank grocery list and they tried to spell each item that I told them. We did simple words such as eggs, milk, rice, bananas, apples, bread, etc. Mary Beth successfully spelled each item without any assistance except one or two. Abigail needed more help, but it is great that she is showing interest in writing her letters. Mary Beth was tracing her letters at 3, and Abigail just turned 4 and is just getting started with that kind of thing....just goes to show how different children are interested in school at different ages!

I don't know if we'll make it to the store today even though we are completely out of eggs and bread (and rapidly running out of other staples!)---sometimes I run in the store with the kids and other days I know that's a disaster waiting to happen! I have to have the energy that particular day and the kids must not be worn-out. :) This trip is going to be a big one, so maybe I will put it off a little longer. I'll be getting creative with the items in my pantry!

Science Lesson--Forms of Water

Today we were inspired (after watching Sid the Science Kid) to do an experiment with water. We took an empty egg carton, filled it halfway with water, cut up an apple and then put the apple pieces into the carton, and then put it all in the freezer. After the girls observed how the water changed into ice, they drew pictures of this in their journals (just like on the show!). Then they discovered that by pouring warm water over the cubes they could get the apples out since warm water makes the ice melt. Then they enjoyed the frozen apple pieces as a snack--they were so excited about this!