December Daybook

I am wearing: 
Sweats and my new sparkling gold sweatshirt. Everyone in my family thinks it looks like and old lady but I think they don't know fashion.

 What I am listening to:

 A lot of Christmas on Pandora. I especially like the Nutcracker station. I also hear children talking together as they play a game on the Kindle and other noises coming from the tub in my bathroom.

 In the Kitchen:

Lots and lots of treats around here:

Gingerbread

Candy Cane Cookies

I actually put myself on a "no treats fast" for the day.  Tonight's dinner is a yummie wheat berry pilaf. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mushroom-wheat-berry-pilaf-recipe/index.html

I am looking forward to some Christmas cinnamon rolls, homemade butternut squash ravioli, rosemary bread and tiramisu. 

Around the House: 

The halls are decked and yes our huge tree is the centerpiece. Maybe when hubs is 70 we'll get a modest size tree.

Enjoying God's Creation:

I am so blessed by our little mountain town and its wintery snow.  Our home is an all-seasons destination--beach, camping and hiking in the summer and skiing, skating and sledding in the winter.  I heart it!!

In the Learning Loft:

Despite the hustle and bustle of the season we have faithfully maintained our lesson schedule and wrapped it up this morning with a movie.  This month we have focused on reading, spelling, fractions, decimals, multiplication, letters and the symbols of Christmas.

Montessori Multiplication Board

Spelling test

 And a bit of driedel too!

Celebrating the Season:

As you can see we have had many celebratory activities but 2 have been new to us this year.  First, the children all drew one another's names as secret buddies to buy, from their own money, a Christmas gift.  It has been comical to see how they cannot keep a secret. Helping each child think of and purchase a special gift has been so fun. Secondly, I signed up to ring the Salvation Army bell.  I have been wanting to be a bell ringer for years but was always apprehensive about participating but this year I put that aside and joined.  I did 2 different time slots and the girls accompanied me.  It was a wonderful opportunity to greet our community with Christmas cheer.

In the Gym: 

We finished T25 in November and are now wrapping up the year with selected workouts from our favorite programs--INSANITY, ASYLUM and P90Xplus.  We are Beacbbody coaches and offer free fitness and nutrition consulting to those in need.  If you need help improving your health, we can help.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/tammymom

http://www.shakeology.com/tammymom

From the Library:

I am reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  I have never been a Scrooge fan but felt lead to pick it up this season and I am so glad I did.  It challenges my reading abilities because it is such an old writing and has given me much to think about.  Here is a quote from the book when the ghost of Christmas Past and Scrooge are talking about his former apprenticeship and boss--"He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil.  Say that his power lies in words or looks; in things so slight and insignificant this it is impossible to add and count 'em up:"  I have been pondering that in regards to my own apprentices.  Isn't that what our children are?  Apprentices, in our care to learn the skills of life.  As their mother, I  can make them happpy or unhappy, burdened or light, or use my words and looks to build up or tear down.  The children look at me day in and day out, what do they see? If I am honest, much of the time a, a stern face.  I want to SMILE.  Pray for me in this area.

I also finished my 5 year read through the Bible. Yes, it was a long time.

Merry Christmas and thanks for visiting.

Cranberry Thanksgiving

Cranberry Thanksgiving is one of our all time favorite books.  I don't know if it is because it was one of the first successful unit studies our family did , if it is because of the yummie treat the reading of the story always demands or if it is just the signaling of the changing seasons we enjoy most.  Whatever it is, this story is here to stay and a family classic in our home.

This season I decided to share the story with our homeschool co-op class.  This class was for k and 1st graders.  We started out by identifying the New England States on our maps and coloring them.  I used a printable from Homeschool Shares Unit Study found here.

Then we watched a video from You Tube of the cranberry harvest:

From Bog to Table

I think the children really love seeing all the equipment used to bring cranberries to our table.

After all the background information it was time to read out story:

And of course, we followed it with a tasting of Cranberry Bread:

Here is a good recipe to try from Ocean Spray. I don't have a picture of it but we also cut the berries in half and used them to stamp a decorative border on a copy of the recipe to take home and try.  I really loved how the stamping turned out and gave so much detail of the berry's insides.

After our snack and a bit of play we strung cranberries and popcorn to take home and hang on a tree or bush to feed the birds, chipmunks and squirrels.

That's it.  A quick study for Thanksgiving.  Thanks for stopping by and I am linking up with Montessori Monday.

A Bit of Fine Arts--Chalk Pastels

 Many months ago I pinned this great blog called Hodgepodge.  I pinned it because it had wonderful art lessons in acrylics and chalk pastels.  The chalk pastels really struck a cord with me and we have been able to focus a few of our lessons on this creative pursuit.  All you need to do is look at this blog post, pick your lessons, get some chalk pastels and some drawing paper.

We have had such a great time drawing and blending. I am amazed at what is possible with some easy lessons and a few good supplies.  We started with Angry Birds, I thought that would grab their attention right away.

B is 4 years old, I drew the bird and he did the coloring and finger smearing.

We also tried our hand at blueberries.

And a slice of watermelon.

Next we are going to try our hand at nature drawings with Thoreau in the woods.

It's Montessori Monday and I'm linking up.

Nature Reading Booklist

We love books around here and every afternoon is dedicated to reading aloud and individual quiet reading or book looking.  I like to make lists subject by subject of the books we are going to read for the coming year and check them off as we progress.  I say progress because often our lists are over ambitious and either unfinished or even unused.  That is the case of our nature reading list for 2012/2013.  I made the list last fall specifically to read with K and B but as you can see it was over ambitious and we actually read very little.So this summer as I was planning science work I pulled out the list and we are reading a little at a time.  Our main nature text is A Nature Walk with Aunt Bessie.  Aunt Bessie takes her niece and nephew through her garden teaching about each thing they encounter and that is where our list comes in to play.  If there is a book on our nature list that fits in with Aunt Bessie's teachings we read it, last week we read Spiders.  We also read books from the list when we come upon the topic in our own yard or around town.

Nature Reading

2021-2013

Smithsonian Backyard

Bumblebee at Apple Tree Lane

Monarch Butterfly of Aster Way

Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane

Cottontail at Clover Crescent

Ladybug at Orchard Avenue

Gray Squirrel at Pacific Avenue

Canada Goose at Cattail Lane

Mallard Duck at Meadow View Pond

Robin at Hickory Street

Little Black Ant on Park Street

Gail Gibbons

Spiders

Cats

Penguins

The Moon Book

Galaxies, Galaxies

Weather Words

Hurricanes

Tornadoes

The Magic School Bus:

Gets Eaten

Gets Baked in a Cake

Lost in The Solar System

Sees Stars

Thornton Burgess

The Bird Book for Children

The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk

Old Mother West Wind

Lightfoot the Deer

The Adventures of Peter Cottontail

Mrs. Peter Rabbit

The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse

The Adventures of Bobby Raccoon

The Adventures of Reddy Fox

The Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack

The Adventures of Buster Bear

The Adventures of Old Man Coyote

The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel

The Adventures of Grandfather Frog

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad

The Adventures of Prickly Porky

Other

Why Do Leaves Change Colors?

Spiders

I Can Read About Wolves

See How they Grow—Frogs

From the Library

Walking with Henry—Thoreau

Henry David’s House—Thoreau

Henry Builds a Cabin—Thoreau

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg—Thoreau

Here are a few pictures of how we have been spending time in the great outdoors:

Sunday Afternoon walk down by the river.

B riding at the Pump Track.

E and A catching frogs and tadpoles.

E picked wild flowers for little ol' me.

Today is Montessori Monday and I am linking up!

Homeschool Favorites--An Easy Beginning

I was asked by a friend, who is just getting started homeschooling, what books do I recommend that she read.  I responded with, "well what are you looking for?" and her response was, "I don't even know where to start."  So I thought I would share some of my favorite books, blogs and resources.  This list is by no means exhaustive but the tools I have come across that have either inspired me or I have returned to time and time again.  This is a  great review for me as I have a little one I will be starting Kindergarten with in the fall.  However, if you have older children you will find this information useful as well because it spans many ability levels.

I have read many homeschooling books and these are my top three encouraging and inspirational selections:

Real Learning: Education in the Heart of my Home by Elizabeth Foss

I read this book 2 years ago, I think when hubs and I were in Napa and it was like my heart had been written on the page by someone else.  I love, love, love this book.  It is full of life experience, methodology and book lists for you children on various topics.The bummer thing is this book is out of print but if you find one get it, read it and mark it up.  Here is Elizabeth's blog

I Saw the Angel in the Marble and I Carved and Angel in the Marble.

These books are a compilation of essays published by the Elijah Company catalog many years ago and were so inspiring to me. I want to add these books to my summer reading list, again, but there is so little time.

There are so many other books I have found helpful in our homeschooling but these are my favorites.

If you are starting with preschool, kindergarten or first grade here are my favorite blogs filled with ideas and free printables.  Between these 2 blogs and a public library you could be all set.

1+1+1=1

Confessions of a Homeschooler

These 2 blogs will supply you with all you need to learn the ABC's and 123's in a fun and hands on method.

Here at the Middle of Somewhere we plan lessons with 2 things in mind, hands on(Montessori) and the use of a lot of literature (Charlotte Mason).  Here are my top 2 sources for planning literature based studies:

Serendipity 
Home of the Alphabet Path and wonderful studies in history and geography.

Homeschool Share
A wonderful site to explore whether you know what topic you want to cover or if you just want to do lessons based on great stories.

Keeping in line with our hands on learning here are 2 resources I return to over and over again to teach basic skills for all of our children:

Take it to Your Seat Phonics
Take it to Your Seat Math

The above resources are produced by Evan Moore and are available in all grade levels beginning with preK to 6th grade, so be sure to search for the level that you need.  Phonics and math are just the beginning of what this company has to offer they also have Take it to Your Seat for science, geography and writing, to name a few. If you are going to invest in these books, think about getting a laminator to make your folders more durable, especially if you hope to use the material with more than one child.

File Folder Fun
This is a free website with many hands on games to download and print for a variety of ages and topics.

If all of this looking around wears you out and you want an "out of the box" curriculum to guide you look at;

My Father's World
or
Heart of Dakota

There could be so much more to include and research and purchase (like all the Montessori things I didn't mention) but this is just a look at an easy beginning.  Each family is different and finding what works for you and your children often involves a lot of trial and error, that's okay, that's normal.  The material we like and where we find inspiration also changes with our family's season of life, interests and ages so be free.  Don't make the same mistake I did and think you should be able to pick material once, and set up a routine once, because if you do you will find yourself frustrated and scratching your head, thinking "I must be doing something wrong."  Flexibility is very important when planning each course of study. Above all seek the Lord for what and how he wants you to teach your children.  He will lead you, just follow.

The Pumpkin Farm

Before we completely say good by to fall and usher in Christmas and winter, I wanted to post our trip to the Pumpkin Farm.  Bishop's Pumpkin Farm is about 2 hours from our home and it is one of the highlights of our year.  Our visit is often our last chance to soak  up the warm sun rays before we put on our winter coats.

 The Hayride:

The Perfect Pumpkin:

A Train Ride:

Panning for Marbles:

Digging for Hours:

A Little Treat Before We Go:

Learning with Centers and File Folder Games

I have been a long time fan of File Folder Games and Take It To Your Seat Centers and over the years I have made and collected quite a number of books, folder sets and websites.  Yet, I found myself not being able to fit them into our schedule but this year I decided to dedicate one morning a week to these great learning tools.  I think Centers and Folders are great tools for learning both new material and reviewing old lessons.

The children know that Wednesday mornings are folder and center mornings.  Each child has their own box full of appropriate materials to work on.  The children are required to pick one folder or center from each of these subject areas: Language Arts, Math, Geography and Science.  They are to complete their selections and call me over to check them before they clean-up.  At this point, all the children have to do is complete the folders but in our winter term I am going to ask them to also record in their learning journals what they have worked on.  For Example, in this picture E is working on a Science Layers of the Earth Folder and I would ask her to make a  notebook page for her journal.

I also think having a folders and centers morning breaks up our week, so we don't get bored or run down in our daily lesson routine.  The folders and centers also meets my goal for providing as many hands on learning experiences as possible and cultivates independent learning.

Here are a couple Math examples of folders:

Martian Multiplication

Turkey Feather Addition with an added number line. (It has been so long but I think both this folder and the one above are from File Folder Fun, a site full of free folder games.)

And a couple of Geography Examples:

World Continents from Take it To your Seat Geography Centers.

Land Forms--also from Take It To You Seat Geography Centers.

Here are a few of the Take it to Your Seat Centers we use:

Take it to Your Seat Phonics Centers
Take it to Your Seat Science Centers
Take it to Your Seat Geography Centers
Take it to Your Seat Math Centers
Take it to Your Seat Writing Centers

The Take it to Your Seats come in many grade levels so I did not include them all so be sure to look for the level that is appropriate for you child.

We also use a variety of folder games from Lakeshore Learning:


Science File Folder Fun
Fractions, Decimals and Percents Elementary Folder Games
Puzzle Fun Math Cards

Again, a lot of these folder kits come in a variety of age and subject areas, so be sure to take some time and see if what you are looking for is available.

It is Monday so I am linking up with Montessori Monday.

Have a great week!

Lessons @ Our House

I post a lot about Tot School and Preschool but seldom mention what E and A are working on.  E is in 3rd grade and A is in first. So let's take a look.

E is working on her times tables and this great game idea came from a book called Games For Learning by Peggy Kaye and is called count your points.  E picks 2 cards and has to multiply them to find the product.  She takes the first card and draws the corresponding amount of vertical lines and then takes the 2nd card and draws the corresponding number of horizontal lines and what she is left with is a grid as shown above, then to find the answer she counts the # of intersecting points on the grid and whala, the answer.  The explanation may sound confusing but it isn't and it is a great tool for figuring out times tables.  i have seen E use it many times during math lessons.  In case you wanted to kno, our library has many of Peggy Kaye's books, so check it out if you need a pick me up for lessons.

This was a game A and I played many times this past fall.  A is working on addition and subtraction, so a pair of dice, a number line and a coloring page make great practice.  A rolled the 2 dice and I decided if he needed to add or subtract the 2 numbers, he found the answer on his number line and then colored in the correct number of apples.  A and I played this together and we each colored in the apples.

Another great addition game from Peggy Kaye's book.  This game is also played with a pair of dice and a self-drawn rainbow.  I remember playing this one with E and we always had fun.  Draw a rainbow and label it with 12 segments, then take turns rolling and coloring in the corresponding number, the first one with a completed rainbow wins.

Yep, my baby is ironing.  E is in a Keeper's of home club and she was introduced to the skill of ironing and she truly enjoys it.  She always asks to iron her dress for church and is willing to iron Jay's shirts.  Next to work on laundry skills.

Another Keeper's skill E is working on at home is cake baking and decorating.  E made a maple cake and decorated it using a leaf tip and pastry bag (don't ask why a quarter of the cake is cut off, all  I will say is my pretty cake plate is gone). This was also a cooking project as a follow up to our study of  Snowflake Bentley and Vermont.

E and A have both been working on compound words.  Here A is copying them into his notebook.

A is using our moveable alphabet and 3 letter objects to spell and read.

A is working on identifying beginning sounds of 3 letter words.

 In addition to these things we have been studying Abraham Lincoln and U.S. History, biblical character traits, fractions, poetry, cursive, grammar and piano. I hope to finish up our school year with a unit study on oceans and Harriet Tubman.

What our your children working on these days?