First Grade Week 34 in Review

Wow!  It’s amazing that we are still on track this year.  Caleb’s been doing really well, and he’s getting the job done.  So, that’s what counts! 
Here’s how this week panned out:
Heritage Studies:  We started talking about things that people need by discussing how people need food and shelter.
Science:  We finished up our rainforest lapbook by discussing different types of rainforest animals and the layers of the rainforest.  Caleb is still finishing up some of the coloring, and once he’s done, I’ll post the finished project.
Math:  We discussed place value, 1 more/1 less, 10 more/10 less, and comparing numbers.  Caleb did really with the material this week.  He still seems to thrive in math.
Bible:  Our Bible story this week was on “God Gives Us Faith in Christ Alone.”  Our memory work was First Catechism questions 60 and 61.
Vocabulary:  We added “chart, button, view, land, and tearful” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “dear and near” to our list of service words.  In English skills we discussed suffixes, abc order, homonyms/homophones, and comparison (-er and –est).
We are gearing up for another session of co-op.  Classes start on Thursday, the 4th, and Caleb is taking 4 classes.  I’m teaching 2 classes and assisting in 2.  Micah will be in the nursery again.  We’re super excited, and we’ll post more details soon.
Stay tuned to find out what we study this upcoming week.  We’ll also be celebrating a little guy’s 2nd birthday as well!  So, there will be lots to post!

Operation Ottoman Restore

Brian and I have been married nearly 10 years, and our furniture is just as old.  Well, with age comes wear.  Yeah, yeah…I know…I don’t like to hear it either. 
With the aging process, our ottoman was looking all ratty.  We were going to just toss it, but we’ve found that finding a storage ottoman is next to impossible these days.  So, we decided we’d tackle a restoration project.  Besides, I’ve seen those designers on Trading Spaces upholster lots of things, and it doesn’t look that difficult.
So, that’s what we did.  We ventured to one of our local fabric stores to find the right fabric.  Boy, that was a feat.  Both boys were running around like wild children well-behaved in the store, and we were able to get in and get out quickly in there FOREVER!  It was tough finding a fabric that we both liked, so I finally just gave in and went with Brian’s choice.  Don’t get me wrong…I liked it, but it wasn’t my first choice.
The project took us half a day because we still had to take care of both boys, and Brian had to deal with his clients on the phone.  But – the ottoman looks brand new, and we are hoping it will last another TEN years.  So, here are some pictures of our ottoman restore. 

BEFORE – it’s in rough shape.

This is the top.  We had already knocked out the portion that covers the boards that you see.  The pictures don’t do the fabric justice.  The green circles look gold in most of the pictures, so it was hard to find the right camera setting.

This is that top portion mentioned in the previous caption.

This is the top all completed.

Brian screwed the top back on, and the boys decided to get in the picture.  See what I mentioned earlier…you can’t see the green at all, but it’s there.  Drastic change don’t you think?!!? This is the bottom.  It proved to be a tad bit more difficult since we weren’t sewing anything.  I can’t sew, so that was out of the question.  AFTER – much better I think.  Now, here’s to another TEN years Mr. Ottoman!

Fun in the Snow

Snow Fun in Middle Georgia

If you know anything about the south, then you know that it’s a rare sight to see some snow.  Well, this is the 2nd snow in less than a year.  You can see the fun from the 1st snow way back in March of ‘09. 
It started off as rain earlier today, but by about 2:30pm it had turned to snow.  And as of now, it’s still coming down.  We let the boys get out in it this afternoon, and they had a blast.  We were much better prepared this year as opposed to last.  All of that snow gear we bought for our mountain trip came in handy today.  Here are some pictures of the fun…

The front of the house earlier this afternoon. The backyard earlier this afternoon. Here comes trouble…Caleb making a snow angel. There’s the little guy…all bundled up.Even Little Man wants in on the fun…he was running around like crazy. Caleb decided he’d attempt to go down the slide…it wasn’t a good idea. Brian brought out his RC car for some fun.Micah just walked and walked all over the yard. There he is again…and don’t mind that mess behind him.  We have one curious first grader who likes to play in the yard.  So, he overturned the pool and collected “murky water.”  There’s our two boys…such fun little guys. Where’s Micah?!!?  You can hardly see him through all the snow. The snowman…he didn’t get completed because someone knocked him down.  I won’t name any names though Caleb.I went outside while cooking supper to take a picture of the huge snowflakes.  They were HUGE!!!!  This picture doesn’t do them justice. Looking up into the sky trying to get a better view… There’s been quite a bit of snowfall since earlier in the afternoon. The front of the house again this evening.

So, we’ve had lots of fun.  The boys were able to build a snowman, throw snowballs, and just be boys.  We’ll see how much is left tomorrow.  Who knows…they may get to play some more!  Stay tuned for a quick video…

First Grade Week 33 in Review

Well, we are moving right along here at Childress Academy.  And – we are staying on track.  That’s wonderful news if you ask me!  Here’s how this week panned out:
Heritage Studies:  We continued to discuss a Separatist Sunday, and then Caleb had a test over the latest chapter.
Bible:  We continued working on our rainforest lapbook.  We read several books about the rainforest, and Caleb learned a little about snakes and animal defenses.
Math:  Caleb started learning about hundreds, tens, and ones.  We worked on missing #s and writing #s to 1000.
Bible:  Our Bible story this week was on “God Gives Us Power to Repent.”  Instead of a Bible verse, we worked on memorizing First Catechism questions 59 and 62.
Vocabulary:  We added “eager, adjust, steady, exercise, and complete” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “word and tears” to our list of service words.  We also added “-oy, –oth, –off, –are, and
–air” to our list of word families. 
Extra Stuff:  Last Friday we enjoyed a Valentine’s party at the Skating rink with all of the other homeschoolers.  Let me tell you…there are a TON of homeschoolers in our area.  Caleb had fun, and he got lots of Valentine’s goodies.  We also enjoyed park day yesterday.  Granted, it was cold, but it was nice to get out and let the boys have some fun.  We’re still enjoying homeschool library time as well.  This week they talked about Valentine’s and made a little Valentine for one of their friends.  Caleb gave his to his friend, Ashton.  Those two boys have lots of fun together.
We’re taking next week off as our Winter Break.  It’s pretty fitting being as we are expecting 2-4 inches of snow here today.  We’ll see if it actually shows up, but most of the local schools have closed today.  Caleb woke us up to tell us it didn’t snow.  But – the day is not over.  So, check back to see if the weather man was actually right.  If he was, then you know there will be lots of pictures. 

First Grade Week 32 in Review

Well, we are done with another week.  Again, it feels so good to be on track and doing school 4 days a week.  I LOVE this homeschooling gig (well, on most days…lol).
Here’s how this week panned out:
Heritage Studies:  We discussed religions in the New World, the Puritans, and a Separatist Sunday.
Science:  We started a new lapbook this week.  We’re working on Jena the Jaguar and Her Rainforest Friends.  This week we worked on the rainforest vocabulary, and Caleb was able to color two parrots for decoration.  He’s decided that we’ll hang them from the ceiling in the schoolroom. 
Math:  We discussed symmetry and patterns.  Caleb had to draw lines of symmetry and complete patterns.
Bible:  We reviewed the Bible verses we’ve been studying the past 3 weeks.  Our Bible story this week was on “The Shepherds Saw Christ the Lord.”  Have you noticed that our Bible stories have focused on Jesus’ birth here lately?  Ummm…yeah…I should have ordered the winter set before  Christmas, but I didn’t.  Oh well, you can always discuss the birth of Jesus…not just at Christmas.
Vocabulary:  We added “headlight, pattern, caution, alone, and gleaming” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “brought” to our list of service words.  The “-edge, –udge, –atch, and –itch” families were added to our word family list.  In English skills we discussed alphabetical order.
Extra Stuff:  You know, Caleb has his good and “not-so-good” weeks with spelling.  So, I turned to my fellow homeschool moms over at homeschool reviews, and I asked for some online sites that he could use to improve his spelling skills.  Well, let me just tell ya…I cannot say enough good things about Spelling City.  Caleb has had so much fun playing the games and actually “learning” how to spell his words for this week.  So, if you have a struggling speller, then I would highly recommend you head on over and check it out.  You can input your own words or use their pre-made list.  And no – I’m not getting paid or compensated for this review…LOL!  I am just really thrilled to have found the site!  Now, if only I could find some MATH review sites with online games…hint, hint!!!!
Thanks for following our journey.  We’ll be back next week to share more fun stuff!

First Grade Week 31 in Review

Wow! It is so amazing and wonderful that we are still on track with our schooling. It’s such a relief to know that we only have to school 4 days per week. I don’t know why I ever allow extra-curricular activities and vacations myself to get us behind schedule. Anyway, with that said, here’s how the past week went:
Heritage Studies: We discussed “Other Gods in the New World.” Caleb learned about how people worshipped idols instead of the One, True God.
Science: We took a break from our science book because mommy didn’t have our lapbook stuff ready yet so we could read some science books from the library. Caleb picked out several books on coyotes, snakes, tadpoles, and dinosaurs. I am so thrilled to get those proud mommy moments as I hear him reading his library books. It really makes me feel proud of all that we have accomplished in our 1.5 years of homeschooling.
Math: We continued to discuss solid figures. We talked about faces, corners, and curves. Caleb also talked about plane figures and objects of the same size, shape, and color.
Bible: Our Bible verse this week was Matthew 1:21. Our Bible story was on “Joseph Listened and Obeyed.”
Vocabulary: We added “scratch, entrance, brakes, vehicle, and remove” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English: We added “eight and move” to our list of service words. The “-ost, –ong, –oss, and –oft” word families were added to our list. In English skills we discussed the days of the week, contractions, syllables, and capitalization of names of special places, and compound words.
Extra Stuff: One of our local libraries started up a homeschool library time last week, and we’ve really enjoyed it. Last week they listened to books about winter and decorated a snowman picture. Today they listened to books about shadows and then drew their silhouettes. Caleb enjoys being able to see his homeschool friends each week, and this gives us another opportunity to do just that!
As always, thanks for following our first grade adventures at Childress Academy. Check back in a few more days for Week 32. Can you believe we only have 13 more weeks LEFT when we finish up week 32?!!? That is such exciting news!