Planning, planning, planning and tons of printing! That has been my last two weeks anyway! I usually do a separate post for each kid but I think I am just going to lump it into one to make it much easier on myself! Figuring out what three different kids were going to do all year was a bit of a challenge, even more so since they all have different goals and different needs. Our fun-school schedule is tailored to each child. They will most likely still watch each others science and all but for the most part they will be on their own and I will be around to help and teach lessons as needed.
So after much research and planning I think I have the year pretty much set! Besides the stuff I have planned I will also be using Kahn Academy. I think their videos especially math are extremely valuable and helpful. It also happens to be free so even more of a winner in my book!
Well our week started with me still recovering from the sick! Skyler was lucky enough to go on a field trip to the museum and learn all about butterflies!
She even learned how to mount them and got to bring it home! It was beautiful. We love butterflies around here.
We had a totally full and busy week!! After being off for two weeks and all of us sick it was a welcome change! They had no issue getting back to journals and science kits.
Fox is loving all the science kit use. I have pretty much given them free reign to use them whenever they want and he takes full advantage of it. He decided to play with some water on this one.
This week just flew by and before I knew it well it was just over! Maybe that means it was a good week! Skyler was setting all her stuff out Monday morning and I just had to take a pic of it since she went to so much trouble. She is really enjoying the All About Animals journal she is using as well as her other stuff. Skyler is a HUGE animal lover so when this journal came out I knew it was for her!
She of course has picked mainly animal type things for her studies I have tried to put a bit more in there for her. For the most part she is easy to please as far as reading and she likes the books she is using. Skyler is a slow reader so they take her a while to get through. She takes her time when she reads and she can tell you every small detail about her books characters. She is using Pignapped for her science as well as some science kits I found on ebay.
I love seeing my kids sitting around the table working quietly! It is a rare occurrence after all. This week has been full of projects, new journals, of course and some library volunteer excitement!
Since Fox has been reading the space theme Horrible Science book he is also enjoying the science kit along side of it. This week he made an asteroid and we learned how craters are formed on the moon.
I think it came out pretty neat with the way the colors all stayed and didn't mix.
We dropped it in a box of flour and yes it was messy! But the dips in the flour that it left behind were pretty cool to see.
This was a fairly laid back fun week! The kiddos worked in their journals and did science projects.
In science Fox has been reading about stars and constellations so he chose to make this project.
NEW JOURNALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Skyler is using the All About Animals Journal and Fox is using the Just For Teen Guys Journal! I love starting new journals and picking new books! I think they love it too they just don't wanna say so! Of course these books are by The Thinking Tree. Our school days are becoming more and more along the lines of fun-schooling lately. The kids are doing better with it, they are actually remembering what they have learned. Fox is reading more and more books which is just a miracle in itself! Skyler as always has picked things that deal with animals.
Fox as usually is very history heavy!
I guess Fox was not in the mood for pictures this week. I managed to catch that rare occurrence he was actually doing the coloring pages from his journal. These are not his favorite pages, he is just not the coloring kind of kid. He loves his journals though and wouldn't enjoy school any other way.
I feel like our week is so very full and busy until I write a blog post! Then, I feel like we accomplished nothing. I hope I am not the only home school mommy that feels that way! Skyler has started using her drawing books again to go along with her journal. She is still going through the Mine Craft one seems like it has taken forever! She has so many more journals to use I just want to do them all.
Fox decided the floor is his best place for school lately. I am not complaining in any way. I am in the "whatever works" camp.
Our week was full! Between volunteer, dental appointments and just life it seems there was never a break! The kids are still working with their Thinking Tree journals and Fox has also been using The Home School In The Woods Greece Project Passport. Review for that to come later! Skyler has finally gotten her official volunteer paperwork from the library!! She also started doing Magic School once a week. I did manage a few pictures from the week!
This was a pretty laid back week. We are still in the "I want to be on vacation mode". It is so hard after you have had weeks off. I say every year never again but they are just so fun!
Skyler is still working away in her Minecraft journal from the Thinking Tree.
I think the coolest thing this week was making a popcorn cooker out of soda cans. Sadly we never could get it to actually work which was a big let down. We had seen a bunch of videos on you tube, and followed all the directions but no luck :( I did of course get a bunch of pictures though!
We wound up using 3 candles and while the oil heated and you could hear the bubbling the corn never did pop. That was pretty much the excitement of our week. We went through the motions and tried to get the basics done!
After being a complete stay at home mother for over a decade, I have went back to work part time. It has been a whirl wind of busy and trying to figure out what works, what don't work and how to get it all done. Now I have a secret to tell all of you. It is a pretty big secret so listen and pay close attention....
I DO NOT GET IT ALL DONE!!!!! I repeat I do not get it all done. Not even close, not even a little bit not at all. A few months back I saw a friend at Walmart and she totally shocked me by calling me "Supermom". I was riding that high for quite a while. Honestly, I still am. Do I want to get it all done? Of course I do! Do I plan to get it all done? Again, of course. The main question is though, can I get it all done?
The answer is no, nobody can and if they say they are they are most likely fibbing. I never managed to get it all done before working, now well I try is about all I am going to say! I know how to take pretty decent pictures too so that is helpful. I know how to crop out the piles of laundry on the table, or the messy floor! So, this post is for moms who are thinking there is no way to go back to work! Just some little tricks of the trade I have found along the way and felt I could share.
Yep I had to take some pictures! This is my board and I will say it is VERY helpful.
The weeks seem to be getting busier and busier, not sure if it is life or Christmas! Our Little Elf made his appearance for the year and surprise he brought a friend!
Little Elf made his appearance at first some years back. He is not the typical "Elf On A Shelf". He had once sat in my mothers Christmas tree and then growing up he sat in mine. Now he belongs to my children and his antics keep them busy
every Christmas! Last year he brought a reindeer friend, this year it is a St. Bernard. As usual he thrills Skyler. Now that the other kids are a bit older they help with Little Elf.
He likes sleeping in his little house that he built years ago.
Apparently his friend was put in the candy cane jail and he was trying to break him out!!
Poor pup!
The week before Thanksgiving!!! It was a pretty full week even with pottery on a break. Skyler is still working away with her minecraft journal from The Thinking Tree. She is learning all about mining, rocks, minerals and anything else that we can throw in there to go along with it! She also started a new writing book again from The Thinking Tree.
1/4 of the way through the school year and I am still loving The Thinking Tree products!
I am fairly sure that she must have her cats nearby to do any school work. The little black kitten was suppose to be a "find a home for kitten" well she is of course in love so looks like he has a new human.
This a writing project in her minecraft journal. She is learning all the different types of salt mining.
The week seemed to fly for us. This is the week that we get a new president so I thought I would give the kids a bit of background on elections. I don't follow politics, I really dislike the whole bit of it and whatever I did learn in school has long since been forgotten. The elections this year could not be ignored since Trump and Hilary spark such massive emotions in people.
We got out the Amanda Bennet Elections study and the boys got to work. For Skyler I just added a book to her pile of reading for the day.
I got this book years ago on a clearance sale and forgot I owned it. "America The Making of a Nation" This book is one of those interactive type things it has pull out pieces and such. I truly enjoy these types of books. It seems they were a big deal then kinda faded out but we still have quite a few of them and we still enjoy them.
So of course the library with their amazing internet was a must!
We also worked on Skylers piper computer. This is a wonderful project and for us quite challenging. The forum community for the piper has been a huge plus in this project and anyone who gets one should surely use this.
Skyler managed to do a Fall project and a crystal growing project this week.
The boys are both waiting on things to be shipped so they didn't get to any projects this week. My kids of course had fun doing school with their animals though!
Well that about wraps up our week. Hope everyone else has had a good one and not too many people are crushed over the elections results!
