Looking ahead

I am a planner.  I like to know what is coming up.  I also like to be prepared.

I think I now have every thing I am going to use in the fall for homeschooling Samantha.  I just purchased the last of it...So here is the run down

Math- just won at an amazing price Teaching Textbooks!!!

Grammar- Fix it Grammar & Grammar Land

History & Science- Beyond Five in a Row, science kits and living books

Literature, Spelling, Copy work, Narration- Beyond Five in a Row

I feel like I am forgetting something.  Everything has been purchased.  I do need to send the student pdf file for Fix it Grammar to Staples to be printed out.  But what I am I forgetting???

Music- choir

Art- art class with friends

Gym- baton & Gymnastics at the rec center

I like to do more poetry this year.  We do it every year but not each week.  I have a few books I plan on using with it.

We are planning to do the coop again but Allicia wont be joining us.  I am not sure what Kim wants to teach, Danielle might be joining us.  I am also not sure what her plans are.  I do want to do a newspaper.  I think it will be fun.  I have it all planned out.  

Field trip

Who doesn't love a field trip???

We took one to Water Wizz the other day.  

It was so much fun.  Too bad Samantha got a horrible sunburn.

My Step Mother in Law joined us. We all had fun.

It was fun doing the slides with Grandma!!!

Samantha was thrilled Grandma joined us.

I didn't get pictures I left my phone in the rented locker.  But I did take one before we even left our house.

waiting for the pictures my friends took.  I was have fun just enjoying the moment I didn't want my phone out.  

Five in a Row, Miss Rumphius

Its a cute tale of a story about a girl following in her grandfather's footsteps, Miss Rumphius succeeds in her mission and stirs the hears of the next generation.

many subjects were touched including:

living by the sea, doing special work, the good and the bad about nicknames, Geography of the areas the book covered, story telling, library skills of yesteryear (the lost skills) We looked at the type of art the books uses, The architecture of the buildings in the different countries she visits, How to use art techniques to show wind or breezes and shadows,science in gardening, seeds, birds, shells, health and determining directions by the sea. We talked about ways to make the world better and what we each can do. We talked about family values.

Samantha enjoyed this book.  Here are some links to things we watched....

reading of the story

magic school bus goes to seed

One of the art project Samantha did was to paint Lupines on the windows.

We took a nature walk with the class nature in the city and saw some Lupines along the way

the setting was in a coastal town more then likely in Maine.  They are known for their lobster.  So we had a meal of lobster rolls and blueberry pie, We also added some coconut water she went to an island and they most likely had coconuts.  

Five in a Row Lentil

Lentil- Five in a Row

We rowed Lentil recently.  It was a cute story of a boy who couldn't sing. He couldn't pucker his lips to whistle.  He eventually found the harmonica and could play that.  Its a story set in small town America. We followed the manual. Then added in some other things:

Some of the hands on fun we did with Lentil:

Taste testing challenge

making a lemon clock

trying a lemon straight

playing the harmonica

hosted a of old time end year picnic with games of old: game of graces, darts, hoop rolling, hula hoop, hopscotch  

Samantha whittled as stick for her wooden bow

 She looks a little evil in this picture lol

Here are some links to things that I used to go along with the row

cute video on how the tongue works

Man playing the harmonica

how to play a harmonica

Magic School Bus episode Haunted Mansion- sound museum

We also drank lemon aid and ate lemon candy.

Curriculum

It's funny how you have these plans before the school year starts and then things change.  Something is not working.  Of you find something much better.  So you switch it up.  

So we are ending this school year with some different things for curriculum. 

Math- teaching textbooks.  

Grammar- we switched very quickly from Rod and Staff and went with Fix it Grammar

Spelling- We used Spelling you See 

History-  We used living books We read many good books along with the Rush Revere Books

Science- Science kits, Living books and Science class with Coop

Five in a Row is in a class of its own. as it can be applied to grammar, history, science and much more.  

I am busy planning next year and  I think we will stick with teaching textbooks, copy work for spelling.  I haven't decided if we will use Grammar Land or the next issue in Fix it grammar.  Or maybe use both together.  History and Science will be with Beyond Five in a Row.  

  Over the summer we will be doing math and finishing up the grammar book. Also finishing up any of the Five in a Row books we didn't finish.  

Samantha will be taking 3 classes at the highschool.  Cosmetology, Theater and Engineering.

Note there is nothing wrong with Rod and Staff. Its an amazing curriculum, but after years of diagramming sentences I felt we needed a change.  

Five in a Row- Another Celebrated Dancing Bear.

I loved this story.  We rowed it when my daughter was taking a homeschool ballet class.

For Social Studies we talked about  Geography and Culture.  I have a book called Children Just like Me.  Its a fun way for your child to see what life is like for other children around the world and the country your studying in FIAR.  She learned about Russian Ballet, music, and authors.  She learned the country of Russia and about some of their history,  We watched a story on the Czar Nicholas and the fate of his family.  We watched the story about people thinking his daughter  Anastasia  escaped.  We talked about Occupations, Hospitality, and relationships.

We moved onto the Language and learned some new vocabulary, descriptive language, characterization, drama in writing and titles of books. How good titles will bring a person to want to read the book.  

We talked about Art and how the artist illustrated the book.  They used a method called Etchings. It makes for a very unique picture.  Here is how they use this method....  In traditional pure etching, a metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) plate is covered with a waxy ground which is resistant to acid. The artist then scratches off the ground with a point etching needle where he or she wants a line to appear in the finshed piece, so exposing the bare metal.

We also discussed the colors the artist used to create the warm feelings through out the book.

We moved onto Architecture.  What the Russian skyline looked like.  How the tops of their buildings were called onion turrets.  Here is Samantha's drawing of it...

We did some science about boiling point and freezing point. My daughter dug deeper and researched bears.  

We had fun with this row.  We watched a few documentaries and shows on Russia, Here are some links to different things we learned about throughout this row...

Babushkas Christmas Story

Russian Folk Tales

Paper Nesting Dolls

We listened to Russian music, we watched Russian dancers and we looked at Russian Art.  

We didn't do much for cooking for this row. I found some tea cakes and we drank tea.  

Our attempt at artwork

our very own Nesting Dolls.  Daddy even got into the action and painted one.  

Five in a Row sad times

I am so sad to say our time rowing Five In a Row is coming to an end.  My daughter has done 

almost every book in FIAR.  Plus she is getting much older.  

Its time to move onto Beyond Five in a Row. 

 I am excited to start a new chapter in our homeschooling but at the same time

 sad to leave our treasured memories behind.  I have purchased the ones we really loved and some of the other books as week. So they wont be forgotten. 

So coming in the Fall a whole new chapter to our learning.  BEYOND FIVE IN A ROW

If you are looking for an amazing way to teach your child look into Five in a Row.  Its an amazing curriculum.  It teaches the child how to learn and to love books.  I can't say enough good about it.  I recommend this to everyone who questions me about homeschooling. 

 It is one of the best investments you can make in your homeschool journey.

I will still be posting about some of our FIAR rows.  I have been very behind on blogging about it.  So for a little while enjoy the rest of our FIAR journey  

Extra Fun, Classes, get together and so much more

although the majority of Samantha's learning happens with me at home here are some of the fun things she did outside of our classroom this school year....

• choir
• homeschool ballet and creative dance class
• once a month class at Oak Knowl Sanctuary
• Book club/ creative writing class
• coop science class
• She was in a play with the Calvary Bible Homeschoolers
• States and Presidents class
• The muscle class (how are muscles work and what we need to to keep them healthy)
• Art Class with friends
• Artsy Smartsy
• Stem classes
• Green Light for Girls (one day stem classes)
• baton classes
• Plays at the Ziterian Theater 
• She visits with her great great Aunt in the nursing home a couple times a month
• nature walks
• homeschool ice skating.  
• zoo trips
• visiting down south to be with Mike and his kids
• water obstacle course with friends
• cake decorating contest with a friend
• sledding during school time
• homeschool park meet ups
• she even helped the local public school with their car wash 
• we went to a Christian Concert right here in my city together along with out church
• making jewelry with a friend and her mom
• and so much more

There is so much more we do.  Many question us on socializing.  Yet seems to me many homeschoolers get out in public a lot. 

Enjoy the pictures of all she does....

Nature

I love nature, I grew up exploring nature, Kids have it different today, you need to be intentional living in the city to add nature into their lives.  My solution.. start a nature class.  Join in others when they are going into nature.  Find small and big ways to just enjoy nature.  

My class is called nature in the city, Plus we have joined others on nature walks. Take a class at a nature preserve.  We go to nature and explore and just be.  Sometimes in nature all you need to do is be there.  

Here are pictures of our nature explorations.

This has got to be the fattest pigeon I ever saw.