Just because she enjoys it....

Doesn't mean I do! Samantha loves science. Normally I do too.  As of a few weeks ago we already moved onto Science 2.  She was so disappointed with finishing first grade science. Well the experiments in first grade science were simple... tasting things for your senses, banging on things to hear the vibration, making our own cloud in a jar, you know simple easy not GROSS.

Well I don't like second grade science. No I don't.  The first few chapters were simple enough. She learned about fossils so she made her own fake fossils. She learned about how plants grow, what scientists do and about magnets.  Well this last chapter was all about bones.  No big deal right??? Wrong.  First I had to get a chicken bone and put it in vinegar and record what happened after a few days.  Fine that was cool.  Then yes I had to get a whole chicken and clean it completely so Samantha can look at the bones and put them into their category.  NOT FUN ask my son's I absolutely hate to tough meat. Mostly raw meat grosses me out. BUT cleaning a chicken carcass not so fun and yes extremely gross.  Samantha better understand what a sacrifice it was to touch that poor chicken and clean it completely.  Then my sweet little child thought it was too gross to touch and only looked at them.  At least she got a good look at what the bones were what shape and what cartilage looks like.

I wonder what the future science experiments will be.  I refuse to look to forward as I really don't want to know. 

Why oh why couldn't we start on next years history instead? That's her other love.

This weekend was a lazy weekend with Samantha sick.  So we just hung around.  Then I was looking in the freezer for supper and found tucked in the back a forgotten science experiment.  Well not so much of an experiment but fun.... we did a lesson on winter.  Part of the fun was making fake snow. So in the late winter when we didn't get any more snow we created fake snow from a kit and she played with. I stuck it in the freezer per directions and forgot it. So this weekend we took it out and played with it in the back yard.  It was weird. It felt like snow. 

learning a lesson myself....

So last week sometime my darling daughter dropped a pencil down the toilet.  Yes she takes multiple things into the bathroom with her.  Well that day she took a pencil and paper... the next thing I know she is freaking out that she dropped her favorite pencil down the toilet.  Just what a mom wants to hear.  Since I was in the middle of something I told her to hang on I will get it for her. Those are the words I should have never said. By time I got the the bathroom the pencil completely slide down the hole.  praying that it would somehow not be a problem....... fast forward a few days and we could no longer flush our toilet.  BIG PROBLEM.  We like to flush we like to be able to use the toilet.  Thankfully Steve works at Lowes and was able to pick up a magical tool that was able to solve the whole problem.....I have never been so happy to be able to flush a toilet!

Lesson learned next time I hear my daughter scream she dropped something down the toilet I will run as fast as I can to get it out!!!

the hard decissions

This school year isn't over yet and next year is still months away BUT  I already changed what I am going to use next year. 

Everything stays the same but I am going with a different phonics program and I am so excited.  This school year it was like pulling teeth to get her to do her phonics seat work She hated to do it.  I do think Abeka's excellent program is the reason she is reading so well.  BUT I am tired of the I hate this, I don't want to do this, some days its too easy, I hate this, this is so boring.  I was looking at our spelling curriculum and there is a phonics program that goes along with it.  On a whim I bought it from ebay.  I love it.  Samantha took a look and she loves it too.  So I think its a keeper and she will do it for second grade.

This is the hard part of homeschooling, picking just the right curriculum for her. To keep her loving to read and learning.  To stop the second guessing myself.  

As of today she has finished phonics, history and science for first grade.  We did start on science 2 because she loves science so much and will continue with it until we are totaly done with all first grade work and then continue it in the fall.

Cows, milk , Funny

Samantha is watching Garfield on tv.  There is a part where is shows Odie drinking milk right from the cow....

Samantha turns to me and says Oh that is so gross.... you need to add something to it for it to be regular milk...

I laugh and tell her not true you can drink milk straight from the cow.

She argued with me saying I am wrong. I think we need to do a lesson on farm animal and where our food really comes from!  

Rainy days...

So what do we do on a rainy day here at the Mathias homeschool?  

We do school work sitting under our homemade tent!  So much more fun doing school this way.

Samantha said its the best!

Such a simple way to add some fun in our day. 

Can I brag just a bit???

Last weekend we went to New York to spend time with my sister in law. While there my sister in law took us on a train into the city.  I have always loved going to the city.  I love the excitement.  Samantha loved it too.  So anyway onto the bragging.......

On the way back on the train Samantha sat next to her aunt and across from the was this older women who started up a conversation with Samantha.  She couldn't believe how well spoken and well behaved Sam was for her age. How she held up her end of the conversation. Then Samantha was reading something and it had big words like Loyal, beautiful, inspiration and a few other words She read them without hesitating.  The lady was so amazed she kept complimenting us on her. She asked us if Sam started reading as a toddler. LOL I told her no that she really just started reading last school year but has made a big jump this year in her reading.  Then it came out we homeschool and she asked so many questions... but not the questions you get when people don't agree but honest curious questions.  as she got up to leave she told Steve and I that our sacrifices to home educate Sam seem to be paying of and she was amazed that we would do this.  She told us to keep up the good work. 

That was a nice pat on the back.  Always so nice to hear these compliments. I love hearing others say such positive things about my daughter. 

We have been very busy lately

Its been crazy lately Samantha's life....

• Nick was home visiting and he left at the end of April.
• We visited my sister in law in New York this weekend. Went into the city to the American Girl Store.
• We went to a Buddhist temple to see the second biggest Buddha in the world. To walk the peaceful grounds and enjoy nature.
• I tested Samantha in reading and was so thrilled to find she is reading at the end of third grade level!
• Had Samantha's belated birthday party.
• Went to the Lafayette Durfee House and learned about how people lived in the colonial times and how Fall River played a roll in the revolutionary war. That was very interesting I didn't realized how much of a roll our city played in it...
• Went to the Mad scientist science night.
•  Went to the beach
• Went to the battleship
• playdates at the park
• first trip on a train (we took it into the city)

Well not all in this order. But its been a crazy time with the extra practices in Baton, keeping up her studies, starting swim class and all the fun times.  Here are some pictures of our busy time....