Monday, November 16, 2009
Bat Lapbook
We are just now getting the hang of unit studies...Our very first one was on Stellaluna. Hunter worked so hard on it and was so proud of his completed book!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
such good intentions!
Ahhh...here we are well into our school year and this is only the 2nd time that I've blogged! LOL! We've done a lot of neat things, fun things, regular things, etc but we've been more buys doing them than me taking pictures of them non stop. I've tried to do better and give a little insight into what we are working on currently.
Hunter turned 8 in September and we are rocking along pretty well with his schoolwork. We have just (this week!) tackled lapbooking and our first unit studay is on Stellaluna. It's going well..I'm amazed at what all we are learning from a little book about a bat that was dropped into a nest of birds!
This unit study should only last us this week and who knows what we'll get into after this one. Hunter has a lot of interest in many things and lapbooking is a great way for him to learn a lot while having fun and not really feel like he's doing "school".
Dalton is 5 and in kindergarten. He is working on a notebook every week based on one letter of the alphabet. We have done a good many so far and I will *try* to go back and take pics of them so that you can see what we did. This week our letter is the letter "Ff". Here is his "F" book.
For each letter we have several worksheets and projects to do...for the "Ff" we have talked about frogs, fish, firetrucks, five, feelings, and obviously a FOOT! I painted the bottom of his foot blue and he stepped on to his folder! We are sure making great memories with these books! Here he is working on some pages for his notebook.
I just love those chubby little fingers!
Sometimes Hunter does his reading workbooks in his room..(or in this picture Dalton's room)
Here's Dalton working on a worksheet about f-f-f-feelings...lol
We are looking at possibly re-joining a homeschool co-op in our area..I am wanting the boys to start going to park days so that they can meet some other homeschooled children and for me to meet some other moms as well.
Hunter turned 8 in September and we are rocking along pretty well with his schoolwork. We have just (this week!) tackled lapbooking and our first unit studay is on Stellaluna. It's going well..I'm amazed at what all we are learning from a little book about a bat that was dropped into a nest of birds!
This unit study should only last us this week and who knows what we'll get into after this one. Hunter has a lot of interest in many things and lapbooking is a great way for him to learn a lot while having fun and not really feel like he's doing "school".
Dalton is 5 and in kindergarten. He is working on a notebook every week based on one letter of the alphabet. We have done a good many so far and I will *try* to go back and take pics of them so that you can see what we did. This week our letter is the letter "Ff". Here is his "F" book.
For each letter we have several worksheets and projects to do...for the "Ff" we have talked about frogs, fish, firetrucks, five, feelings, and obviously a FOOT! I painted the bottom of his foot blue and he stepped on to his folder! We are sure making great memories with these books! Here he is working on some pages for his notebook.
I just love those chubby little fingers!
Sometimes Hunter does his reading workbooks in his room..(or in this picture Dalton's room)
Here's Dalton working on a worksheet about f-f-f-feelings...lol
We are looking at possibly re-joining a homeschool co-op in our area..I am wanting the boys to start going to park days so that they can meet some other homeschooled children and for me to meet some other moms as well.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
a glimpse into our day
The basics:
2 boys
Hunter, age 7, 2nd grade
Dalton, age 5, kindergarten
Here's Dalton sitting at his desk drawing in a notebook. You can see his "workbox" at the right in the picture. His workbox contains 12 large envelopes and there are all kinds of different things in the folders..anything from worksheets, to books, to projects, to play dough (well not technically IN the folder but just behind it or something). Dalton LOVES his workbox and is not amused with me if there is ever a schoolday that I don't have them fixed for him.
Here's Dalton, again, working a worksheet on "Where Does It Belong"...there is a barn and a house and he draws a line from objects on the paper to where they belong (table, tractor, etc).
Hunter working in his Handwriting Without Tears workbook..and look..no tears...hahaha..rolling eyes.
Here's Dalton about to work on his lapbook/notebook (not sure what it should be called) on the letter "A". We are doing a lapbook for each letter of the alphabet.
Hunter found Banangrams in one of his folders today!
Dalton coloring (and yawning..ROFL)..you can see his "A" folder at the front of his desk. He decorated his "A" with stickers..ants, apples, and an alligator!
Hunter doing math work and using his Base Ten Blocks to help him figure it all out.
Dalton coloring in his Handwriting Without Tears book. He is at the pre-k/K level and the main focus is learning to hold the pencil correctly, stopping on a line, etc.
Here is a shot of the boys at their desks so you can sort of see how our classroom looks...
Dalton working a puzzle...
Hunter reading to me.
Dalton making a book (I found it online and it mimics the book "Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?")
Now, granted, this showed quite a bit of seat work...we also do lots of other fun hands on activities most days as well. We have a flannel board and lots of story pieces, puppets, play dough, a huge art cart, etc.
I will try to take pics of the things that we do. Hunter is starting a unit study on the solar system and he's going to make a lapbook about it. We have a cup with all the letters of the alphabet in it and Dalton drew next weeks letter for us to learn and it is the letter "Gg". Should be fun!
2 boys
Hunter, age 7, 2nd grade
Dalton, age 5, kindergarten
Here's Dalton sitting at his desk drawing in a notebook. You can see his "workbox" at the right in the picture. His workbox contains 12 large envelopes and there are all kinds of different things in the folders..anything from worksheets, to books, to projects, to play dough (well not technically IN the folder but just behind it or something). Dalton LOVES his workbox and is not amused with me if there is ever a schoolday that I don't have them fixed for him.
Here's Dalton, again, working a worksheet on "Where Does It Belong"...there is a barn and a house and he draws a line from objects on the paper to where they belong (table, tractor, etc).
Hunter working in his Handwriting Without Tears workbook..and look..no tears...hahaha..rolling eyes.
Here's Dalton about to work on his lapbook/notebook (not sure what it should be called) on the letter "A". We are doing a lapbook for each letter of the alphabet.
Hunter found Banangrams in one of his folders today!
Dalton coloring (and yawning..ROFL)..you can see his "A" folder at the front of his desk. He decorated his "A" with stickers..ants, apples, and an alligator!
Hunter doing math work and using his Base Ten Blocks to help him figure it all out.
Dalton coloring in his Handwriting Without Tears book. He is at the pre-k/K level and the main focus is learning to hold the pencil correctly, stopping on a line, etc.
Here is a shot of the boys at their desks so you can sort of see how our classroom looks...
Dalton working a puzzle...
Hunter reading to me.
Dalton making a book (I found it online and it mimics the book "Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?")
Now, granted, this showed quite a bit of seat work...we also do lots of other fun hands on activities most days as well. We have a flannel board and lots of story pieces, puppets, play dough, a huge art cart, etc.
I will try to take pics of the things that we do. Hunter is starting a unit study on the solar system and he's going to make a lapbook about it. We have a cup with all the letters of the alphabet in it and Dalton drew next weeks letter for us to learn and it is the letter "Gg". Should be fun!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
First Day
We started school back yesterday.
Here is Dalton, my kindergartener.
And Hunter, my 2nd grader.
I pieced together our curriculum this year and I can tell that school is going to be much more relaxed and much more fun for us. The boys are doing their workboxes and they love it! It's fun for them to see what is in each folder each day.
I'm going to try to update this blog pretty regularly with pics and projects as well as day to day school stuff.
Here is Dalton, my kindergartener.
And Hunter, my 2nd grader.
I pieced together our curriculum this year and I can tell that school is going to be much more relaxed and much more fun for us. The boys are doing their workboxes and they love it! It's fun for them to see what is in each folder each day.
I'm going to try to update this blog pretty regularly with pics and projects as well as day to day school stuff.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Gearing back up!
Oh....it seems like so very little time has passed since our last day of school on May 11th...how is it time for us to start back??? Granted we've been to Baltimore twice, the river a few times, physical therapy twice a week for Dalton, and out in our pool everyday. I've gotten the schoolroom straightened up and everything from last year is packed away and all the stuff for this year is up to date. The boys are ready...more-so Dalton than Hunter. Dalton is excited because this will be his first official start of school since he's starting kindergarten. We've been reading some books that I ordered from Scholastic..it's a "get ready for kindergarten" pack. I'm excited about the new school year starting...looking so forward to getting back into some kind of a routine.
Stay tuned for more regular updates once we get started back. Right now my plans are to start back next week or the week after@
Stay tuned for more regular updates once we get started back. Right now my plans are to start back next week or the week after@
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Are you looking for a tool to aid in Spelling practice for your child?
Well, SpellQuizzer just might be what you've been looking for!
SpellQuizzer is a spelling program for helping children learn their spelling words.
SpellQuizzer is spelling software that helps students practice their vocabulary.
You can download pre-made spelling lists for SpellQuizzer from their web site.
I am not getting paid for my review of this product. The developer simply contacted me and asked me if I would be willing to use the program and review it on my blog. No strings attached! My review will be an honest review of how the program works for us. Thanks, Dan, so much for this opportunity!
For starters, I've only just downloaded the program this evening so I've not had a lot of time to play around with it..but let me just say that what I have seen so far is very impressive! For starters, SpellQuizzer wasn't designed with any one spelling curriculum in mind. That's right! It should compliment virtually any spelling curriculum that you use because you create your own custom spelling lists!
The program is available for a 30 day free trial after which you can purchase it for just under $30. To me, that's a great price..I mean, afterall, this is something you can use for years and years..as long as your child is learning to spell words then this program will be a vital tool.
The only two things you need for this program to work for you are 1.)a Windows operating system and 2.)a PC microphone, which can be purchased for $10 or less at most retailers.
Ok, so once you download the program it creates a shortcut on your desktop. You can use that part of the program to create new lists for your child. It's SO easy...I created one in about a minute just to do a test run. You type in the word, record yourself saying it, and save it. This program works well for all children whether they are in public school or homeschooled. Basically you get the words that you want to use on the list and you say the word and a sentence using the word (if you wish). You save the list and then your child comes along and clicks the "quiz me on a list" button. He/She can play through the list and type in the spellings for each of the words.
On the SpellQuizzer website there are several spelling lists already made for you to download to your SpellQuizzer desktop program. Some of these lists include:
* Seasons, Months, & Days
* Sample Spelling Lists by Grade (grades 1-8!)
* Dolch Sight Word Spelling list (with over 300 sight words!!)
and many more!!!!
From what I can tell so far, this program is super! If your children are like mine any kind of computer work is "fun" work to them. Wouldn't this program be so much better than having to stand and call out spelling words night after night?
Make sure to check the SpellQuizzer website out for yourself, and in the meantime, check back here for more updates as we start using this fabulous program!
**Edited to add 4/22/09: After Dan read my review he invited me to participate in the SpellQuizzer affiliate program. Basically anyone that clicks on the SpellQuizzer picture at the top right on this blog and chooses to purchase the program I will make a little commission on the purchase (20%)...Likewise, if YOU purchase the program you too can become an affiliate and earn your own 20% by people checking out the link on your own blog or website! It's a great deal and a GREAT spelling software program!!**
SpellQuizzer is a spelling program for helping children learn their spelling words.
SpellQuizzer is spelling software that helps students practice their vocabulary.
You can download pre-made spelling lists for SpellQuizzer from their web site.
I am not getting paid for my review of this product. The developer simply contacted me and asked me if I would be willing to use the program and review it on my blog. No strings attached! My review will be an honest review of how the program works for us. Thanks, Dan, so much for this opportunity!
For starters, I've only just downloaded the program this evening so I've not had a lot of time to play around with it..but let me just say that what I have seen so far is very impressive! For starters, SpellQuizzer wasn't designed with any one spelling curriculum in mind. That's right! It should compliment virtually any spelling curriculum that you use because you create your own custom spelling lists!
The program is available for a 30 day free trial after which you can purchase it for just under $30. To me, that's a great price..I mean, afterall, this is something you can use for years and years..as long as your child is learning to spell words then this program will be a vital tool.
The only two things you need for this program to work for you are 1.)a Windows operating system and 2.)a PC microphone, which can be purchased for $10 or less at most retailers.
Ok, so once you download the program it creates a shortcut on your desktop. You can use that part of the program to create new lists for your child. It's SO easy...I created one in about a minute just to do a test run. You type in the word, record yourself saying it, and save it. This program works well for all children whether they are in public school or homeschooled. Basically you get the words that you want to use on the list and you say the word and a sentence using the word (if you wish). You save the list and then your child comes along and clicks the "quiz me on a list" button. He/She can play through the list and type in the spellings for each of the words.
On the SpellQuizzer website there are several spelling lists already made for you to download to your SpellQuizzer desktop program. Some of these lists include:
* Seasons, Months, & Days
* Sample Spelling Lists by Grade (grades 1-8!)
* Dolch Sight Word Spelling list (with over 300 sight words!!)
and many more!!!!
From what I can tell so far, this program is super! If your children are like mine any kind of computer work is "fun" work to them. Wouldn't this program be so much better than having to stand and call out spelling words night after night?
Make sure to check the SpellQuizzer website out for yourself, and in the meantime, check back here for more updates as we start using this fabulous program!
**Edited to add 4/22/09: After Dan read my review he invited me to participate in the SpellQuizzer affiliate program. Basically anyone that clicks on the SpellQuizzer picture at the top right on this blog and chooses to purchase the program I will make a little commission on the purchase (20%)...Likewise, if YOU purchase the program you too can become an affiliate and earn your own 20% by people checking out the link on your own blog or website! It's a great deal and a GREAT spelling software program!!**
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
