Boogers, Screams, Headaches, and Dreams

MORE Fun School…

2012-01-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that we’re having a wonderful time with FUN SCHOOL! In fact, we’re having so much fun that I wanted to add more topics/days to our plan. So, with the help of another homeschool mom, we came up with a two-week schedule. ***There’s even MORE that I can add once I think Caleb is ready, but for now…here’s our NEW schedule.***

I cannot WAIT to start it next week. Caleb and I are both excited to have more fun while we school! As always, feel free to use this to your advantage and implement it in your schooling. If you do, please share if you add things. I’m always looking for suggestions!

Third Grade Week 29 in Review

2012-01-27T14:34:00.001-05:00

We had another wonderful week at Childress Academy for Boys. Caleb and I are both LOVING our Fun School Schedule. In fact, look for another post regarding that coming up very soon! Here’s how our week went…

Bible – Our lessons were on “We Must Know the Way” and “We Must Believe that Jesus Is Our Saviour.” We read John 14:1-6 and Acts 16:25-34.

English – Caleb learned about words that serve as nouns and as verbs (cut, watch, etc.), he worked on prepositional phrases, and he reviewed using capital letters to start sentences and proper nouns.

Math – Caleb worked on graphs that count by 2’s, borrowing to subtract, and reading thousands. He also did review work on skills he has learned previously.

FUN SCHOOL – We LOVE our Fun School. It’s probably the best homeschooling decision I’ve made in a long while. It is working so well for us! Here’s the fun we had this week…

Make Something Monday – We had plans to make something; however, after reading that it was Chinese New Year during his calendar work, Caleb decided he wanted to make a Chinese lantern. So, that’s what he did.

Monday Math – Today we played a new game using cards. We played addition war, and Caleb LOVED it.
Travel Somewhere Tuesday – We continued our study on Ancient Egypt. Caleb finished up his Ancient Egypt lapbook, and now we just have to get it all put together and organized.
Tuesday Technology – Another homeschooling mom mentioned that her kiddos watched ‘The Riddle of the Sphinx’ on Netflix, so I asked Caleb if he wanted to watch it. He did indeed. He also watched two DVDs on George Washington in preparation for our ‘Who Do You Know’ studies on Wednesday.

Who Do You Know Wednesday – This week Caleb wanted to learn about George Washington, so that’s what we did. We read books from the library and some from our own library. He also watched the two DVDs on Tuesday. I also found a website that he visited where he could be ‘President for a Day’. At the end, we were able to print a re-cap of his first day in office. It was a hoot. Then, he completed some worksheets to review what he had learned.

Wednesday Writing – This week Caleb worked on writing using a writing prompt. I gave him some choices, and he chose ‘Fishy Tales.’ He did a REALLY great job on his story. Then again, I’m biased.

Turn the Page Thursday – Caleb read his library books. Most of them were on sea creatures and snakes.
Thursday Thinking – Caleb did a worksheet where he had to look at a set of objects and tell what they had in common. He completed it orally, and I wrote down his answers (since he is not a fan of writing).

Like I mentioned earlier, our Fun School studies are going GREAT! I’ve actually come up with a better plan, and I’ll be back to share that later! So, stay tuned!

Third Grade Week 28 in Review

2012-01-23T14:22:00.001-05:00

We had another great week at Childress Academy for Boys. Here’s how our week went:

Bible – Our Bible lessons were on “The Holy Spirit Builds God’s Church” and “We Must Confess Our Sins”. We read Acts 16:13-15 and Luke 15:1-10.

English – Caleb finished up his ACE Pace by doing a little cursive writing review. He then took the test and scored 100%.

Math – Caleb took his test over CLE LU 205 and scored 95%. He then moved on to CLE LU 206…NEW CONCEPTS: Multiplication; How Much Time Has Passed; Factors and Products; Multiplication and Addition; Fact Focus: 15, 8, 7. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: 14, 8, 6.

FUN SCHOOL – We had another GREAT week with our FUN SCHOOL studies. We’re both really loving this schedule, and we’ve inspired some of our friends to implement it to meet their needs, too. It’s always encouraging to hear/see that what you think is a good idea, is a good idea to others, too.

Make Something Monday – This week Caleb decided he wanted to learn about Ancient Egypt. We read from several books about Ancient Egypt. I also found an Ancient Egypt lapbook, and he started working on that. He also made a mummy using gauze and a toilet paper roll. Then, he worked on a bookmark.

Monday Math – This week we played Sums of 10, 11, and 12 using playing cards. Caleb also played some math games online.
Travel Somewhere Tuesday – This week Caleb wanted to travel to Ancient Egypt. The local library has been discussing Ancient Egypt during the homeschool hour, so this sparked his interest. We read some books about Ancient Egypt, and he continued to work on his lapbook.

Tuesday Technology – This week Caleb worked on his typing skills by playing a typing game online. He also played several other computer games. Then, he watched a few episodes of Beakman’s World on Netflix.
Who Do You Know Wednesday – This week Caleb wanted to learn about Buffalo Bill. He mainly wanted to know how he got that name. So, after reading several books from the library, he had to use his books to answer a sheet of questions. I told him this was how his dad and I had to do research back when we were growing up…there was no Internet when we were in school. LOL!

Wednesday Writing – This week Caleb decided he wanted to write a letter. We discussed the different parts of a letter, and then he wrote a letter to his friends Will and Ethan (they are brothers, and Caleb enjoys their company immensely). Then, we put it in the mail. He’s hoping to get a letter back.

Turn the Page Thursday – Caleb spent some time reading his books from the library (books on Ancient Egypt and pets).
Thursday Thinking – We continued to work on test prep skills. This week’s focus was on comprehension.

Check back next week as we continue to learn about Ancient Egypt and other topics.

Third Grade Week 27 in Review

2012-01-13T18:15:00.001-05:00

We are done with another week at Childress Academy for Boys (yeah…I added that little “for boys” after Facebook kept wanting to change it to Childres”s Academy – so, I thought I’d show Facebook who was boss…lol). Week 27 went GREAT…

Bible – Our lessons focused on “The Holy Spirit Made the Disciples Brave” and “The Holy Spirit Guided the Disciples.” We read Acts 5:25-29 and Acts 8:30-39.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Quarts and Gallons; Between Which Two Hundreds; Draw a Line Segment; and Different Coins to Make the Same Value. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: 13, 7, 6.

English – Caleb continued to work on homonyms this week. Personally, I think he’s OVER homonyms…LOL! However, that’s how ACE Paces work…they focus on 1-2 skills each book, and I think that’s a plus in most cases.

FUN SCHOOL – We had a GREAT week during Fun School this week!

Make Something Monday – This week Caleb decided that he wanted to use legos to build vehicles. He made a boat and two race cars. We also made pepperoni pizza pinwheels together.

Caleb’s boat and race car from Legos

Race car #1

Boat

Race car #2

Sprinkling cheese on the pizza crust

Now, time for the pepperoni

Ready to go into the oven

YUMMY!

Monday Math – We played Real World Math – Unexpected Events. This is a GREAT way to teach children about finances and responsibility with money. Caleb really enjoyed it, and he beat me, too. LOL!

Travel Somewhere Tuesday – Caleb decided that he wanted to learn about Africa this week. He learned a brief overview of Africa, and he completed several worksheets to review what he learned. When we went to our local library for homeschool time on Wednesday, they were discussing Egypt…specifically Egyptian gods and goddesses. So, Caleb’s decided that we’ll narrow our Africa study down to just Egypt for the next two weeks.

The Internet didn’t present a clear-cut answer to the last question, so he did the best he could with the information we found.

Tuesday Technology – Caleb decided he wanted to watch more of Beakman’s World on Netflix, so that’s what he did. I think he really enjoys the show, and he finds it quite comical.
Who Do You Know Wednesday – Caleb chose Sitting Bull as his person of interest this week. We read several books from the library on Sitting Bull, and we looked at a few excerpts on the Internet. Since he’s not fond of handwriting (really it’s a struggle due to his Tourette’s), I had him dictate a report on Sitting Bull. I typed it, but he told me what to type.

Wednesday Writing – Since he worked on a list of animals that make good pets last week, he wanted to work on taking care of pets this week. He narrowed it down to foods that pets eat, and he wrote a simple outline.

Turn the Page Thursday – Caleb decided he wanted to spend some time reading his plethora of books from the library. There were books on pets, Sitting Bull, and Africa.
Thursday Thinking – He worked on test prep skills. This year he has to formally take a standardized test, so I think it’s a good idea to help him learn how to be a good test-taker. So, he’ll work on this for a while.

We are both loving our Fun School Schedule. It is really going over well with Caleb, and I see so much enthusiasm and eagerness in him. That warms my heart, and it makes me proud.

Third Grade Week 26 in Review

2012-01-05T11:58:00.001-05:00

It feels so good to be back into our schooling routine after a LONG holiday break! Caleb did a GREAT job at getting back into the groove, but we’re glad to be done for the week. Here’s how the week went for us…

Bible – Our lessons this week focused on “Jesus Went to Heaven” and “The Holy Spirit Has a Special Work.” We read Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 2:1-8.

English – This week Caleb began work in a new ACE Pace. His focus was homonyms…I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many homonyms. LOL! He’s doing great with them though.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Telling Time to the Minute; Solving Problems with 3 or 4 Addends; Counting by 4’s to 40; Add or Subtract Money. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: 12, 7, 5; 13, 8, 5.

FUN SCHOOL – If you didn’t already see THIS post, then please read it. It will explain our new FUN SCHOOL schedule and activities. With that said…

Make Something Monday – Caleb used the supplies from the art cabinet to make a fish. We also made blueberry muffins together.

Monday Math – Caleb played Math Blaster on the computer.
Travel Somewhere Tuesday – We traveled to Alaska, and Caleb learned all about the state. It was super neat that Alaska gained statehood on January 3, 1959…exactly 53 years ago from the day we were studying about it. It was neat for me to be able to share Alaska with Caleb because I visited there back in 1999 when I worked at a camp for pastor’s children. It was a wonderful experience, and I LOVED being able to see Alaska and all of it’s beauty. We’d LOVE to go there as a family some day to visit; however, I don’t think I could ever live there.

Tuesday Technology – Caleb spent several hours watching Beakman’s World on Netflix…if you’ve never heard of it, it’s all about science and super funny for kids!
Who Do You Know Wednesday – Caleb wanted to learn about Davy Crocket. So, we read about his life, and we watched a Bio clip about him thanks to Hulu. Then, Caleb had to type up five facts about Davy Crockett.

Wednesday Writing – Caleb wanted to work on writing lists. So, we first discussed different types of lists, and WHY people make lists. Then, he made a list of animals that make good pets.

Turn the Page Thursday – Caleb spent time reading from several of his National Geographic Kids and Kids Discover magazines. He also read from several of the science books that we have.
Thursday Thinking – He did two pages from his Brain Boosters workbook.

Granted, we are only a week into this new FUN SCHOOL schedule, but we’re both really excited about it. We’ve already made our plans for next week, and I’m busy gathering all of the information Caleb will need to do his learning. So, check back next week to see what we make, where we go, and who we meet!

Fun School Re-Visited

2012-01-02T11:23:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had one of those times when a thought came to you while you were in bed, and you thought to yourself that you should get up and write it all down before you forget? LOL! Yeah – I had one of those Saturday morning. I was thinking about Caleb’s Fun School, and what I could do to make it a better experience for him. While I enjoy the freedom it gives him, I find that he still needs just a bit of guidance from me. I don’t think he’s ready to fully take on the reins and just run with it. And that’s okay!

So, while my brain was busy thinking, it all started making sense. As soon as I got out of bed, I made sure to write my thoughts down.

Here’s our new approach to Fun School…

Make Something Monday – this will be an art project, a cooking lesson, or whatever…as long as something is MADE.

Monday Math – focusing on math skills.

Travel Somewhere Tuesday – this will be our geography…we will visit different countries, cities, continents…WHEREVER Caleb wants to go (not literally visit…through books, the Internet, projects, etc.).

Tuesday Technology – this will be watching an educational show on Netflix, playing a computer game, working on typing…anything as long as it’s related to technology.

Who Do You Know Wednesday – this will be focusing on all of the great and famous (and maybe some not-so-famous) folks that have made our history what it is today.

Wednesday Writing – this will be making a list, writing a letter, writing a story, writing a poem, etc.

Turn the Page Thursday – this will be reading…any type of book or genre.

Thursday Thinking – this will be brain games and critical thinking skills. It may also include test preparation or anything of that nature.

Fun Friday – this will be ANYthing that Caleb wants to do. We typically only school four days each week, so Fridays are typically a free day. So, he can use Friday to follow through with any projects he worked on during the week or to do a new project/activity. It’s HIS choice.

At the beginning of each week, we’ll sit together and come up with his plan for each day/activity. This will give him focus for each day. These two daily activities are what he MUST complete (in addition to our daily tablework including handwriting, Bible, math, English, and spelling). However, he is free to do other activities each day as well…as long as the required two are completed.

So, this is our new plan, and we’re implementing it this week. He seems excited, and I am, too. I think it’ll be a good fit for both of us. Stay tuned to see how it’s working…

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-01T21:02:00.001-05:00

Christmas morning is always a fun time, and it’s always fun to see the excitement on the boys’ faces as they see what’s under the tree. This year was no different…there were gifts for Caleb, gifts for Micah, and gifts for the whole family.

Caleb’s gifts from Santa…

There are 3 BB pistols…one for Caleb, one for Brian, and a PINK one for ME!

Micah’s Leap Pad and games…this was THE hot toy this year, and I’m so glad I got my hands on one!

Buzz Lightyear spaceship

Side view…

New Dart board and digital counting money jar for the family

Remote control cars for Brian and Caleb

Micah with his “wings” on

Caleb putting money in the jar

Micah enjoying his new LeapPad

Caleb checking out his gun accessories

BB pistol

Micah playing a game

Micah…aka Buzz Lightyear

To Infinity and Beyond…

Even Caleb had to check out the spaceship

After cleaning up all of the toys, it was time for our traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls. Then, it was time to open the rest of the presents.

Caleb getting into one of his gifts

Micah’s turn

Case for his Leappad

Caleb checking out his books

Goofy Micah

Caleb with his “career” books

Micah with his tub of Yummy Earth lollipops…the BEST lollipops

One more gift…

After cleaning up and letting the boys enjoy their toys for a bit, it was time to head over to my parent’s home for lunch. Caleb was excited because he was going to get to shoot his new BB pistol after lunch. He did a GREAT job, and everyone enjoyed the new pistols.

Uncle Daniel and Caleb

Uncle Daniel helping Caleb with his shooting

Once we were done at my parent’s home, we headed home so Micah could nap. Since the weather turned nasty and rainy, we ended Christmas Day by going to see We Bought a Zoo at the movies. It was a really good show, but we could have done without all of the cursing…it really wasn’t needed.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that 2012 brings you lots of love, peace, happiness, and joy!

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-01T20:32:00.001-05:00

When Brian and I celebrated our first Christmas, we knew we wanted to come up with some family traditions that we could carry out each year. So, we decided that we’d open our stockings on Christmas Eve. Now that we have the boys, the tradition continues…

Micah and Caleb Christmas Eve morning 2011

Micah digging out stuff, and Caleb with his new joke books

Micah is so full of expression

Caleb was excited about something…can’t remember what now

Micah lining up his toys…

Caleb with his Lego Racers

Micah LOVED his stocking full of Lion King and Star Wars characters…he was one happy boy!

Christmas Eve night, the boys each get to wear new Christmas pajamas. This is another tradition that we started back when Caleb was born. I always love picking out just the right pair for each boy.

Micah, 3 – Caleb, 8

Silly Micah

Smiling Caleb

Oh, how I love to see Christmas through the eyes of our boys! They love this time of year, and it warms my heart to see them so happy and enjoying the holidays. Up next…Christmas Day 2011…

Christmas Week Festivities…

2012-01-01T15:52:00.001-05:00

Since our trip to Virginia was postponed, we decided to make Christmas week special for the boys. We decided that we’d allow them to open one gift each night leading up to Christmas Day. They had to alternate “together” and “individual” gifts each night. They had a lot of fun, and they enjoyed being able to enjoy Christmas for the entire week.

Christmas Week Festivities

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We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas week, but there’s more to see. So, stay tuned for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day activities…

Christmas With Family

2011-12-28T20:07:00.001-05:00

On the 17th, we got together with my side of the family to open gifts. We were scheduled to go to Virginia for Christmas (which didn’t happen), so we made plans to celebrate early. The boys received lots of cool toys that have kept them busy over the Christmas break. Here they are opening their gifts and having fun…

Christmas With Family

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Stay tuned for pictures from our celebration of Christmas Week…

Pinterest Anyone???

2011-12-18T20:10:00.001-05:00

So, have you joined the latest addiction…aka Pinterest? I’ll admit, I’m late to the party. However, I’m now hooked. There’s such a wealth of information on that site, and I could spend hours just looking, pinning, and dreaming.

I have put my Pinterest time to use though…I’ve made and tweaked three recipes so far. I’ve also used my non-crafting ability to tackle a few Christmas ornaments and the yarn felt wreath (this has been on my to-do list since it made it’s debut in the blogosphere months ago).

You can find me on Pinterest under mom2calebnmicah

Here are my Pinterest attempts:

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

KISS Pies

Yarn Wreath with Felt Flowers

Ribbon Tree Ornament

So, do you Pinterest? If so, send me your name, and I’ll follow you! I love seeing new ideas.

Third Grade Weeks 23, 24, and 25 in Review

2011-12-16T11:23:00.001-05:00

Here’s a compilation of the past 3 weeks (it didn’t take us 3 weeks as Caleb chose to double up on stuff in order to have a longer Christmas break)…

English – Caleb finished up his ACE Pace by working on synonyms, sequencing, and cursive letters.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Between Which Two Tens; Add to Check Subtraction; Reading Dials; Counting by 4’s to 16; Line and Ray; Counting by 12’s to 60; Equal Sign and Not Equal Sign; Counting by 4’s to 28; Ounces and Pounds; and Time Patterns. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: 16, 9, 7; Fact Focus: 17, 9, 8; More Doubles: 7, 8, 9; Fact Focus: Opposites of Doubles – 7, 8, 9; Fact Focus: 12, 8, 4.

Caleb is still doing really well in his math and English this year. I’m so pleased that we switched curriculums, and I feel we’ve finally found our match. I’m hoping he continues to do well so that next year’s curriculum choices will be easier.

We’re enjoying lots of holiday craft and baking time during our Christmas break. The boys are super excited about Christmas, and I’m enjoying the memory making.

It's Party Time...

2011-12-15T01:01:00.001-05:00

There’s a party going on!!

Historical fiction author April W Gardner is celebrating the release of Warring Spirits, the second book in her Creek Country Saga! Everyone who purchases Warring Spirits on Amazon on Thursday, December 15, 2011, will be entered into SIX different drawings for some cool and unique prizes. That’s right—ONE purchase. SIX chances to win.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS.

She’s also giving away personalized, signed book plates (labels for the inside cover). One for every book you purchase. That’s a lot of bang for your buck. Order today and cross a few names off your Christmas list!

So what’s this book about? Warring Spirits is the sequel to Wounded Spirits, April’s Grace Award winning debut novel. Here’s a bit about today’s featured novel:

Where blood is spilt, unexpected love may bloom.

In 1816 Georgia, escaped slaves control the land just beyond the American border in Las Floridas. Lost somewhere between white and black worlds, Milly follows hope to the only place that can offer her refuge—the place Georgians are calling Negro Fort. The first, sweet taste of freedom convinces Milly that surrender is not an option. Death would be more welcome.

Major Phillip Bailey has orders to subdue the uprising and return the runaways to their masters. Forced to fight alongside Creek warriors—the same who etched the scars into his mind and flesh—Phillip primes himself for battle. But inside, a war already rages—return for the woman he thought lost to him or concede her to the enemy she loves; follow orders or follow his heart.

Ready to learn more about those great give-aways? Hop over to APRIL'S PLACE.

Book excerpts are a great way to get a feel for the author’s writing style, so I asked April to share a scene with us. Here’s a taste of chapter two where Milly, the heroine, must make a pivotal decision—keep running or stand and fight for her freedom.
***
Ahead, the forest made way for a clearing occupied by squatty huts. The escorts led them through the settlement’s cold, lifeless center. The only sign of activity lay ahead behind a massive wall that loomed before them. Hushed voices of women and children carried over the top, and light from their fires illuminated a path that ran the along its base.
Instead of taking the path, one of the men pulled aside a thick layer of hanging vines and banged a series of knocks against the door. Only blackness greeted them until a narrow passageway opened from the other side.
A glow emanated from within. She had yet to step foot inside, but already Milly felt at home. She moved to enter, but Isum hesitated.
“What is it?” she whispered.
He turned to her and grasped her chin. “Them soldiers out there? They’s comin’ for all them what’s here. In the fort.”
Milly nodded. “I know.”
“Do you?” His voice lit with intensity. “I’s willin’ to fight for my freedom, but you…you gotta be sure this is what you want. Iffin you don’t, we keep on south. Find us another place. Some place safe. You gotta be sure. ’Cause there ain’t no goin’ back. There ain’t no surrender.”
The finality of their journey weighed her down like a yoke dropped around her neck. There ain’t no goin’ back. That, she understood. She’d told herself the same the moment they’d broken free of Crawford County. For the last two weeks, she’d chosen her own steps, in her own glorious time. Going back to slavery was not an option.
There ain’t no surrender. Was she willing to die for her freedom?
Isum was. She heard the resolve in his voice, saw it every day in the proud tilt of his chin and in the way he gripped his pistol. He would die hard, but he would die free.
A handful of seconds passed as Milly wavered. She had a choice—enter, or turn around and try another option.
Was this what freedom felt like? If so, she could never give it up. Not now that she’d tasted it.
She wished to God her first real decision as a freed woman wasn’t such a grave one. Still, she smiled. “I’ll fight beside you. And if need be, I’ll die beside you. There’s no going back.”
Isum’s teeth gleamed as a grin broke his features. In one swift move, he slipped a hand around the back of her head and dropped in for a kiss. With moisture from his lips cool against her cheek, she squared her shoulders and stepped into the opening ahead of him.
***

Sound intriguing? Head over to APRIL'S PLACE to learn more! Or go straight to AMAZON to get your copy.

--April W Gardner is a multi-published author and the founder and senior editor of the fun literary site, Clash of the Titles.

Third Grade Week 22 in Review

2011-12-06T15:33:00.001-05:00

Here’s how this past week went for us…

Bible – Our Bible stories were on “Jesus Lives Again” and “Jesus Showed Himself to His Friends.” We read Matthew 28:1-8 and John 21:1-8. Caleb’s memory verse was I Corinthians 15:4b.

English – This week Caleb worked on antonyms and synonyms. He’s still really enjoying the ACE Paces, and he’s doing really, really well.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Counting by 3’s to 30; Pentagon, Hexagon, Octagon, Oval; Choosing Coins for a Value; and More Words That Tell Us to Subtract. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: 14, 9, 5; Fact Focus: 15, 9, 6. Caleb is still doing really well with the CLE Light Units. It seems to be the right for now.

FUN SCHOOL – Here’s what Caleb worked on during Fun School…Math: He read Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry by Cindy Neuschwander and played with his Hot Dots Money Cards. English/Brain: He worked on a decoding worksheet, a secret code worksheet, and a “name something” worksheet. Reading/Magazine: He read his Click: Farm Animals magazine. Science: He read his Farm Animals book and typed up a report on farm animals. Bible: He read a devotional on “Heidi Has An Attitude.”

We will probably be skipping FUN SCHOOL until after the New Year. We’re still a few weeks behind in our regular studies, so I want to take the time to get us caught up with that since we’re hoping to be out of town for Christmas. So, for the next 3 weeks, Caleb will work on Handwriting, English, and Math. Then, I’ll come back and do a combined review of those three weeks.

Introducing Gizmo…

2011-11-24T16:57:00.001-05:00

We purchased Gizmo, a two-month-old Shih-Poo, over the weekend. We were able to welcome him into our home yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah…I’m crazy for allowing another pet into our home, but I truly think Gizmo is special. You see…Caleb has not liked dogs too much…well, he hasn’t been happy with Little Man. Since we had Little Man before Caleb was born, he’s always been a wee bit jealous. So, we didn’t think we’d ever get another dog if Caleb had anything to say about it. Even when the idea was presented over the weekend, Caleb said he’d just have his lizard and Micah could have the new dog (before we had seen/purchased him).

I guess Gizmo pulled at Caleb’s heartstrings, and he’s in love…he LOVES that he can play with Gizmo. It warms my heart to see him interacting with Gizmo and being truly happy. So, he was a GREAT purchase, and I think Gizmo has stolen all of our hearts.

Caleb and Gizmo

Little Man…grumpy in his old age

LOVE

He’s a little furball

Gizmo with his pig

Micah and Gizmo

Goofy Micah

Look at that face…

Acckk… a snake

A boy and his dog…

Warms my heart…

Third Grade Week 21 in Review

2011-11-23T09:47:00.001-05:00

We are finished with our studies until after Thanksgiving break. Here’s how week 21 went for us…

Bible – Our Bible stories were on “Jesus Showed His Glory” and “Jesus Died For Us”. We read Matthew 17:1-8 and John 19:11-18. Caleb’s Bible verse was John 10:15b.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Points and Polygons; Subtracting Nine; How Many More/Fewer; and More Fractions (Fifths, Sixths, and Eighths). REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: 12, 9, 3 and Fact Focus: 13, 9, 4.

English – This week Caleb finished up another ACE Pace, and he took a test. He scored 100%. I’m REALLY pleased with this English curriculum, and I think it’s working well with Caleb.

FUN SCHOOL – Due to the Thanksgiving break and the fact that we’re still a few days behind, we opted to forego fun school this week. Caleb still spent some time watching educational shows and doing some other “educational” things, so all is not lost.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We’re welcoming a new addition to our home today…Gizmo, an 8-week-old Shih-Poo (Shih Tzu and Poodle mix). So, we’ll be busy house breaking and training him for a few weeks. Wish us luck…pictures to come soon!

Third Grade Week 20 in Review

2011-11-18T17:20:00.000-05:00

Another week is complete at Childress Academy. Here’s how week 20 went for us…

Bible – Our Bible lessons were on “Jesus Forgave Sins” and “Jesus Showed Who He Was.” We read Mark 2:1-12 and John 20:24-29. Caleb’s Bible verse was John 20:29b.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Counting by 3’s to 12; Words with Special Meanings: A, Each, Pair; Fact Focus: Adding 9 to 3, 4, 5; One Third of a Group; Fact Focus: Adding 9 to 6, 7, 8; Counting by 3’s to 21; Pints and Quarts; Quarters to Pennies; One-Fourth of a Group; and Line Segments. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Caleb reviewed everything he has learned thus far…nothing major was focused on.

English – Caleb worked on state-of-being verbs. He’s still doing really well with this ACE Pace curriculum for English.

FUN SCHOOL – This week I made Caleb sit down and write our his plans for FUN SCHOOL. I felt that this would still give him autonomy, but some sort of a guideline and focus for each day/subject. In Math, he worked on using the clock to give directions (for instance…take 3 steps 12 o’clock, etc), using the balance scale, and telling time. In English, he worked on typing. He has JumpStart Typing, and he spent time using that program each day. In Reading/Magazine, he read Star Wars Adventures in Hyperspace – Shinbone Showdown by Ryder Windham. In Science, he read the first two sections of Science Crackers – Cracking Chemistry by Steve Parker. He also did an experiment do determine the strength of paper. I’ll explain this at the end. In Social Studies, he read Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures – The Japanese Flying Ninja Surprise by Sara Pennypacker. In Bible, he read a devotion called “The Three Teachers.” In Art, he did some drawings from All About Drawing – Horses and Pets by Russell Farrell & Peter Mueller. He drew a cat and a mouse.

As I mentioned earlier, Caleb did an experiment to determine the strength of paper. Basically, a piece of flat paper is not very strong. However, if you roll it up, it becomes stronger. Caleb had to roll up 16 pieces of paper, and tape them together into groups of 4. Then he was to stack a book to see if the paper would hold the book. It did, and then he continued to pile on books until I made him stop. LOL! He had fun, and he learned that we can re-construct items to make them stronger.

The rolled up paper

Top view

1 book

3 books

6 books

7 books

11 books

***I really think this game plan idea is a GREAT compromise for both Caleb and myself. It gives him some goals for the week, and it gives me the accountability to know that he’s LEARNing. I think we’ll continue to try this as long as it works. ***

Caleb’s Bedroom Makeover

2011-11-17T13:04:00.001-05:00

Back over the summer, Brian and I had a “duh parenting” moment. We realized that while we had spent time reducing the use of chemicals in our home and cleaning up our diets, we had overlooked one area. Caleb’s bedroom was decorated with taxidermy animals. Yep…lots of once living animals were hanging on the walls. What we didn’t think about at the time was how all of the chemicals used in the taxidermy process were seeping into Caleb’s bedroom and in essence, his system. So, we came to our senses and realized that it was time for a bedroom makeover. We promised Caleb that we would use the money we received from selling all of his taxidermy animals to decorate his room in the décor of his choice. After much back and forth, he finally settled on a COWBOY room.

Brian and I went to Hobby Lobby and bought lots of COWBOY décor to bring life into Caleb’s bedroom. We also purchased him a bunk bed loft system (again, his choice). We were in the process of removing carpet from the living room, and Caleb wanted his carpet gone, too. So, we hired a crew to put in laminate floors. Since the room was going to be made over, it made sense to have the walls painted/repaired, too. So, we hired a painting crew to come in and paint his room (and some other rooms). Once his room was painted and the bedroom furniture was built, it was time to start decorating. Caleb got to choose what was put on each wall, and I must say…the finished project is GREAT! I LOVE his room, and I think he does. I also love that it’s one that can grow with him…even if he chooses to dismiss the COWBOY theme, his bedding will work with something else. Or – he can keep the COWBOY theme until he moves out…either way, it works, and we’re all in love!

The view of Caleb’s room from the hallway

Caleb’s bedroom door

Wall right of his closet

Wall left of his closet

Right of his bed

Boot hooks

Cross

Wagon wheel above his bed

Wall across from his bed

Cowboy

Praying cowboy

Roping cowboy

Wall left of his window

Western themed shadow box

Smith & Wesson gun chart

Bunk bed loft system…steps/drawers on the left, desk on the right

Close-up of his bedding

Now, Micah wants his room re-decorated. However, the deal is…he MUST sleep in his own big boy bed before that happens. LOL! I’m sure it won’t happen any time soon.

Third Grade Week 19 in Review

2011-11-13T19:33:00.001-05:00

It seems like forever since I’ve posted a review of our schooling. Omi and Opa came into town last weekend, so we postponed our lessons for a few days in order to spend time with them. We finished up week 19, and here’s how it went…

Bible – Our lessons were on “Jesus Controlled the Wind and the Sea” and “Jesus Commanded Sickness and Death.” We read Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:49-56. Caleb’s memory verse was Mark 4:41c.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Put Hands on a Clock. REVIEW CONCEPTS: There weren’t any. Caleb did his review work, and then he took his LightUnit Test and scored 100%. He’s doing really well in math using the CLE curriculum.

English – This week Caleb learned about action words…aka verbs.

FUN SCHOOL – For Math, Caleb did some work with the money jar. We also played some games using playing cards…Sum 10, Sum 11, and Sum 12. Caleb really enjoyed these games, and I see us playing them a lot in the future. For English, he worked on writing letters. He wrote a letter to his friends Will and Ethan (brothers), and he also wrote a letter to his Omi and Opa. He also read Mom and Dad Are Palindromes by Mark Shulman & Adam McCauley. In Science, he read about bones, rocks & minerals, cats & dogs, and he also read from Every Day on Earth – Fun Facts That Happen Every 24 Hours by Steve Murrie & Matthew Murrie. We also spent some time going over some of the Brain Quest Questions & Answers. In social studies, he read from 100 Facts – Explorers by Miles Kelly. We also went to see Alice in Wonderland at The Grand Opera House in Macon.

Our “FUN SCHOOL” experiment is still going well; however, life has happened so much that we haven’t gotten to it as much as I would like. We spent a good part of October having new flooring put in and having walls painted. So, that took up a good part of our “fun school” time. We also spent the past 8 weeks participating in a “new to us” Co-Op. Now that the Co-Op is over, I’m hoping our schedule will lighten, and we can focus on more fun school activities/learning. It’s a learning process for me, and I’m slowly figuring out how to best help Caleb achieve success during FUN SCHOOL.

Artwork

2011-10-26T18:41:00.001-04:00

Caleb has been taking an art class in Macon, and he is LOVING it. It’s a drive, but a fellow homeschool mommy friend and I have been taking the turns with the driving. She drove all of September, and I picked up the drive in October since she was due with a little girl. It’s worked out well, and Micah and I typically enjoy some time at Starbucks and the shops in Macon.

Here are some of the projects that Caleb has brought home from the art class, and I’m throwing in some others that Micah has done in his Co-Op class this session.

Caleb’s Ice cream cone…they created the paper, too.

Caleb’s…not sure what this is…

Caleb’s Tree painting

Caleb’s Pinch pots

Caleb’s Pumpkin

Caleb’s Halloween bag

Micah’s apple pie

Micah’s scarecrow frame

Micah’s Johnny Appleseed

Close-up of the little poem

Micah’s Apple Window Decoration

Third Grade Week 18 in Review

2011-10-26T16:16:00.001-04:00

Another week at Childress Academy is complete. Here’s how the week went for us…

Bible – Our Bible lessons this week focused on “Jesus Obeyed God” and “Jesus Was a Teacher.” We read Matthew 4:1-11 and Matthew 5:1-8. Caleb’s Bible verse for the week was Philippians 2:8b.

English – This week Caleb finished up his ACE Pace by practicing more words in cursive (note to self – I really can omit this from here on out b/c he’s got cursive down, and we do handwriting daily). He did his review work, and then he took his test. He scored 100% on his test.

Math – This was another good week in math. NEW Concepts: Cups, Pints, Quarts; One Day is 24 Hours; A.M. and P.M.; 12 Months in a Year; and Writing the Date. REVIEW Concepts: Fact Focus: 11, 7, 4 and 11, 6, 5.

FUN SCHOOL – This week Caleb read about different animals (tigers, wolves, monkey, and lions), and he read in his young naturalist book (nature if you’re wondering). He also read about Alaska, horses, and endangered animals. He worked on the states of Alaska, Georgia, and Florida in his Stuck on the USA workbook. He used the play money to count money and show different amounts of money (using different coins each time) and played his addition dot cards. He used letter tiles to spell random words. For reading, he began reading Little House In the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. For Bible, he read a devotion that focused on “snearing from the inside.” Art consisted of using oil pastels to make leaves and apples, and he also built a model airplane. For PE, he played Wii Fit, and we also had a fun day at the park with homeschool friends.

***I had to come up with a system to give Caleb some structure during FUN SCHOOL. So, I created a chart that has all of the different subjects…Math, English/Brain, Reading/Magazine, Science, Social Studies, Bible, Art, and Physical Education along with 4 boxes next to each one. Each day he has to choose 4 of those areas to focus on for his FUN School. The ideal is that he would choose each subject at least 2x during the course of the week, but we’re going to see how he does on his own. ***

Caleb drawing his leaf for the oil pastel project

My leaf ready to be colored

Caleb’s leaf ready to be colored

My completed leaf

Caleb’s completed leaf

Both leaves together

My apple

Caleb’s apple

Caleb painting the pieces to his model airplane

Whew, what a mess…LOL!

Still painting (and like a bad mommy, I failed to take a picture of the completed project…sorry…if I can find it, I’ll snap a picture).

Now, if you have any good ideas for using oil pastels, PLEASE send them my way. I’m not familiar with them AT ALL, and being as I’m not craft, I haven’t a clue where to start. LOL! I tried finding idea on the Internet, but…

Third Grade Week 17 in Review

2011-10-17T15:39:00.001-04:00

We are done with another week at Childress Academy (note to self…work on a “cooler” name). Here’s how week 17 went for us…

Bible – Our Bible stories focused on “God Wants Us To Be Happy” and “Jesus Came from Heaven.” We read Psalm 100 and John 3:16-17. Caleb’s memory verse for the week was Psalm 9:2.

English – This week Caleb worked on more adjectives, a/an/the as adjectives, and writing words in cursive.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Copy problems with uneven digits; zero is a place holder; difference; and writing a solution. REVIEW CONCEPTS: carrying to the hundreds place; fact focus: 10, 6, 4; and fact focus: 8, 3, 11. The only complaint I’m really hearing about math is that it is a lot of work, and I’ll agree…it’s MORE than what he’s used to. However, I’m fine with that fact.

FUN SCHOOL – Due to scheduling conflicts, there wasn’t much opportunity for a whole lot of fun school. We went to The Grand Opera House in Macon to watch a performance of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We also went skating with our homeschool group. Caleb worked on the 50 states flash cards, played with the tangram pieces, and read about rocks & minerals while studying his rock collection (one that was passed down from his uncles and cousin). We also spent some time with Brian learning about the story of Caleb from the Bible. Caleb also worked on one of his scavenger hunts which allowed him to work on time, read about wolves, study knights, review dictionary skills, complete some brain busters, make shapes with tangram pieces, review polygons, use magnetic English tiles to make questions, and review math facts.

Stay tuned to see what all is explored and learned next week.

Third Grade Week 16 in Review

2011-10-10T14:48:00.001-04:00

This week we began our new schooling adventure. If you remember from this post, Caleb will have a small bit of formal schooling, and then he has the remainder of time to use for free learning and exploration. Considering this was a new experience for him and me, he did fairly well. There were a few times when he seemed to have no direction, so I gently guided him towards an activity. Overall, it was a great week, and I think he enjoyed the change. He’s now referring to this new form of schooling as “Fun School”, so that’s what we’ll call it. LOL! Here’s how this week went for us:

Bible – Our Bible lessons this week focused on “God Turns Our Troubles Into Good” and “God’s Angels Watch Over Us.” We read from Genesis 45:1-8 and Daniel 6:16-23. Caleb’s memory verse was Romans 8:28a.

Math – Caleb started a new LightUnit this week. NEW CONCEPTS: Writing Fractions; Freezing Temperatures; One Half of a Group; More About Equal Parts; Tally Marks; and Expanding Numbers to 100’s. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: 9, 5, 4; Fact Focus: 10, 7, 3. Caleb still seems to be enjoying this math curriculum. If I had to guess, I’d say that the timed drill is his favorite part. He likes being challenged with only two minutes to see how many he gets right. So far, he’s doing really well.

FUN SCHOOL – Each week I hope to keep a record of what Caleb reads about or does during his “fun school.” Micah has joined in on some of the learning, too, so that’s always a plus. This week Caleb read about Knights, landscaping, the first North Americans, pet birds, cowboys & Indians, the story of exploration, and mummies & pyramids. He watched National Geographic Forces of Nature on Netflix. We played “bank” by using play money. I would give him a certain amount, and he had to count it. He then had to give me a certain amount. Both boys enjoyed creating several art projects…some pictures using different objects (noodles, beans, etc) and paper bag and stick puppets. They then proceeded to put on a puppet show. Caleb used my iPad to learn German colors, practice piano, study dinosaurs, and learn more about Columbus Day. ***Speaking of the iPad, Micah LOVES the thing. I’m afraid he’s using it more than I am. LOL! However, I’m thinking he’ll learn quite a bit by playing with all of the free apps I’ve downloaded. It’s proving to be a great investment.***

Here are some pictures of this week’s Fun School…

Micah created a pattern using his manipulatives

Micah creating his art picture

Adding some color

Caleb working on his picture

Caleb’s bird

Concentrating (note the tongue)

Note the tongue here…LOL!

Caleb’s completed picture

Caleb’s paper bag puppet

Micah working on his bag puppet

Micah’s completed puppet

Micah working on his stick puppet

Caleb working on his stick puppet

Adding more features

Caleb’s completed stick puppet

Micah’s stick puppet…aka Buzz Lightyear according to him

Puppet show

And another…

Caleb & Micah’s puppet show

As you can tell, it was a GREAT week. I think once we get into more of a routine, Caleb will adjust better to the “Fun School.” I created some “Fun School Scavenger Hunts” that he can use if he’s ever lacking ideas of where to begin…he didn’t seem too thrilled with them once I made them (although it was his idea). LOL! Join us next week to see what else we learn!

Testing

2011-10-08T14:36:00.001-04:00

This is a test from my iPad.

Living & Non-Living Lapbook

2011-09-30T13:46:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago during our home school review, Caleb worked on a living & non-living lapbook. We finally spent time this morning putting it all together. Here’s the finished project:

I’m thinking that there may be many more lapbooks with our new way of schooling. Caleb asked me today if he could do a dinosaur lapbook, so I’m sure that’ll happen in the not-so-distant future.

Third Grade Week 15 in Review

2011-09-30T13:37:00.001-04:00

Here’s how week 15 went for us…

Bible – Our lessons focused on “God Gave Us His Son” and “God Takes Care of Us.” We read from Luke 2:8-18 and Psalm 23. Caleb’s Bible verse for the week was Psalm 23:1.

Math – This week Caleb focused on the following new concepts: points, more about number sentences, equal parts in fractions, and adding and subtracting ten. He reviewed the following old concepts: fact focus: 9, 6, 3. These lessons completed his first LightUnit, and he took his first test. He scored 91%, and now I know what we need to continue to review.

English – This week Caleb worked on finishing up ACE Pace 1028. He did more words in cursive, did some review work, and completed the test. He scored 100% on his test.

Next week we begin our “new” way of schooling, and to say Caleb is excited is an understatement. He has asked to do “school” every day since Tuesday. LOL! So, I can’t wait to see how next week goes!

Changes, Changes, Changes…

2011-09-28T09:05:00.000-04:00

We’re in our 4th year of homeschooling, and let me just say…we’ve changed things up quite a bit from that first year. I was so scared that first year (Kindergarten), that I went with ALL Bob Jones University Press (BJUP). I didn’t sway from them except for our Bible curriculum. I felt like I needed lots of guidance and direction…heck, I probably needed hand-holding. If I remember correctly, 1st grade was much like K…we still didn’t sway from BJUP. By the time 2nd grade rolled around, we had ventured away from BJUP in most subjects. Well, now that we’re in 3rd grade…we’re not using any BJUP materials. This doesn’t mean that I don’t think BJUP is a FINE curriculum, because it IS! It’s a GREAT program; however, it is NOT the right program for Caleb. I don’t think there’s any one program that is right for Caleb. That’s why we’ve gone to a more eclectic program with curriculum choices. Well, now that we’re 14 weeks into 3rd grade…things are changing AGAIN!!!!

You are probably thinking that I’m such a wishy washy person, and that I can’t make up my mind. Well, that may not be too far from the truth in some facets of my life. However, the more observant fact in this situation would be that I’m trying to put together the most effective and beneficial program for Caleb. It’s so hard to find the right fit, and it’s a time of trial and error. I won’t bother to go into how much money has been thrown away or how much curriculum is now sitting in boxes. That’s not important…what’s important is that I’m constantly re-evaluating what we’re using to make sure that Caleb is getting the most from it.

With all of that said, here’s how things are going to change. We’re going to finish up Week 15 of 3rd grade by doing only Calendar work, Bible, English, Math, Spelling (possibly…still debating), and Handwriting. Other than that…that’s it…that’s all the schooling Caleb will get formally.

Beginning in October, each day will begin with calendar work, Bible, English, Math, Handwriting, and Spelling (still unsure…Caleb needs it, but I think he may benefit more from learning it through application). These are subjects that I deem necessary and important. They are also areas where Caleb needs extra help and guidance. This will be our seatwork or formal schooling. Considering how these subjects have gone in the past, it shouldn’t take any longer than 1.5 hours (1 hour on good days).

Then, once we are done with that, Caleb will spend the rest of the day using free learning and exploration. You may be questioning me and thinking…”oh no, Sherrie’s going to turn into one of those unschoolers”. No, that’s not where we’re heading. I want Caleb to be the facilitator of what he learns the rest of the day. I want him to have fun during school and not look at it like a chore or a boring waste of time. He is so easily frustrated when stuff gets hard, or it isn’t quite what he had in mind. So now he will be the one setting the stage for his learning. I will just be a facilitator/helper…if he comes up to me and wants to learn more about bearded dragons, then we’ll delve into that subject using our science materials, the library, and the Internet. If he wants to learn the 50 states/capitals, then that’s what we’ll do.

I’m in the process of arranging the school room so that he has access to all subject areas (science, social studies/geography, English, Reading, Math, Critical Thinking, Bible, Art, etc). In each section will be a conglomerate of books, manipulatives, etc for him to use for learning and exploration. There will be certain parameters set, and he will have to follow those. For instance, he may watch Netflix; however, it must be an educational program. He may play computer games for a set period of time; however, they must be educational. If he is having a hard time with free learning and exploration, then I will direct him to one of the subject areas. This will be how his day will continue until about 3pm. After 3pm, then he is free to play the Wii, play with toys, or whatever else he may decide to do. However, until 3pm, he is to have free learning and exploration.

It is my prayer that this will be a time where Caleb’s excitement and eagerness to learn will thrive. He’s such an independent child, and I think putting him in charge of what he’s learning will help with that. It will no longer be “mommy ~~my teacher~~ thinks it’s time to talk about plants.” Now, he gets to decide when he wants to learn about plants. He gets to decide how long we study plants. Once he’s done, we move on to whatever else he wants to learn.

We’re going to give this a try for the month of October. Once October is over, we will re-assess and decide how it’s working. If it’s not working, then we’ll go back to our “traditional” schooling. If Caleb is excelling, and his eagerness is abounding, then by golly…this is how we’ll continue until it fails to work! Caleb knows that this is only an experiment. Brian and I have both explained how this will work. Heck, he even came home from a full day of art and Co-Op yesterday and asked to do school. I didn’t oblige him because he had done enough learning for one day, and I’m not quite ready with the program yet. LOL! However, for him to ask to do school is a HUGE step in the right direction!

I’m hoping to continue to post our weekly reviews even if it’s just Bible, English, and Math. However, I hope that I’ll be able to remember/keep track of all of the fun and exciting things that Caleb explores each week and share that as well. I hope you check back to see how Caleb’s schooling as a free learner and explorer is working. Who knows…you may decide to try this with your child(ren), too! LOL! I know I never thought we’d be venturing on this path…however, I’m excited to see what will happen!

Wish us luck…

Third Grade Week 14 in Review

2011-09-27T16:56:00.001-04:00

Well, week 14 is over, and things are about to change again. However, rather than post all of that on this post, look for a more detailed explanation to follow soon. Here’s how week 14 went for us…

Bible – This week our stories focused on “Why We Disobey God’s Law” and “Why Sin Must Be Punished.” We read from Psalm 130 and Genesis 8:6-16. Caleb’s memory work was Romans 6:23.

Science – This week we started a new chapter on Matter. We discussed the different properties of matter, how to measure mass, how to measure volume, and physical vs chemical changes.

Social Studies – I had requested a book from the library on hold; however, since it didn’t come in we just skipped social studies this week.

Reading – Caleb read the following stories:
Amazing Animals by Robin Bernard
The Littles by John Peterson

Vocabulary – This week Caleb added the words “act, additional, advice, crumple, fan, memorize, mystify, pause, transparent, and vanish” to his list of terms.

Math – NEW CONCEPTS: Days on a Calendar, Feet and Yards, The Degree Symbol, Reading Thermometers, Meter, and Expanding a Meter. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Fact Focus: Opposites of Doubles 4, 5, 6; <, >, = in Number Sentences; and Fact Focus 8, 5, 3. Caleb still seems to enjoy math somewhat. I don’t think he’ll every enjoy it like I do; however, that’s okay!

English – This week we worked on pronouns and writing words in cursive.

Like I mentioned above, things are about to change again here at Childress Academy. However, I want to save that for another post. So, stay tuned…

Third Grade Week 13 in Review

2011-09-16T12:03:00.001-04:00

Another week of schooling has come to an end at Childress Academy (oh, how I’d love to have a name other than our last as our school name…maybe one day I’ll get creative). LOL! Here’s how our week went:

Bible – Our stories this week were on “What the Law Means” and “God’s Law is Good.” We read from I Kings 17:8-16 and 2 Kings 23:1-3. Caleb’s Bible verse for the week was Deuteronomy 6:5.

Science – This week we finished up our living/non-living lapbook. However, I haven’t taken the time to put it all together, so the completed project pictures will have to wait.

Social Studies – We spent the week reading more books that discussed The Pilgrims. We read Sarah Morton’s Day – A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters, Young Squanto – The First Thanksgiving by Andrew Woods, The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh, and Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness.

Reading – We continued to work on some sequencing activities that I downloaded and printed from The Teacher’s File Box. We also worked on using how, when, and where words.

Vocabulary – Caleb took his test, and he scored 94%.

Math – Caleb took his first quiz with CLE. He didn’t score as well as I would have hoped, but that just means there’s more reviewing in his future. NEW CONCEPTS: Odd Numbers and Pairs; Dimes, Nickels, and Pennies; Polygons; and Understanding Tens and Ones. REVIEW CONCEPTS: Differences of 2; Quarters; Fact Focus: 7, 4, 3; Vertical and Horizontal; Fact Focus: Doubles 4, 5, 6; and Carrying to the Tens Place. So far, Caleb still seems to be enjoying math as much as I think he’s going to enjoy ANY math. LOL! Again, only time will tell if we’ve chosen the right fit.

English – This week Caleb worked on compound words and pronouns. He is still doing really well with the ACE Paces that we’re using. So, that’s a plus on the curriculum choice scoreboard!

How’s your school year going? Have you had to ditch and start over with curriculum at all? Or – is that just me? LOL!

Thanks to the GyroWheel…

2011-09-15T20:00:00.001-04:00

Caleb can now ride his bicycle without assistance. What?!!? You’ve never heard of the GyroWheel? Well, neither had I until Brian found it on the Internet. Basically, it replaces training wheel bikes with a better option. You remove the front wheel from your child’s bike (different wheel sizes available), and then attach the GyroWheel. We found one on eBay that had only been used once or twice, so we bought it. Due to some mail circulation issues, it took longer than expected to receive it. However, it was worth the wait. And – we WILL be keeping this to use with Micah as opposed to training wheels.

Caleb used it the first time, and he did really well. The second time he used it, it shut off on him, and he came crashing down. This resulted in his first bike accident scrape…huge one on his elbow. However, he got back on and tried it again…the wheel was still attached, but not powered on. Well, he was still able to ride, and he did GREAT. The next visit to the park, Brian decided not to turn the wheel on at all. Caleb again did really well. We thought he would be ready to put his regular wheel on his bike, so we tried that on our next visit.

Well, with a little coaxing, he was off again. So, after just two uses with the GyroWheel, he was riding his bicycle without any assistance. We are so very proud of him. This past weekend, we celebrated by buying him a 20-inch bike. He can’t wait to take it to the park and get to riding…I’m sure that’s on this weekend’s agenda.

And for good measure, here’s a picture of Micah on Caleb’s old Kettler tricycle. He’s enjoying riding it, too. He thinks it’s a Rip Rider. Shhh…don’t tell him otherwise. LOL!

Beach Bums

2011-09-14T16:17:00.002-04:00

On the 27th of August, the boys and I packed up the vehicle and headed down to Panama City Beach for the week. We went with three other homeschooling moms and 4 other homeschool kiddos. So, that’s a total of FOUR moms and SIX children (all being boys except for one). Our trip down was uneventful, and we enjoyed the ride. After getting checked in and unpacked, it was time to check out the pool and beach. The winds were crazy, but nonetheless, we enjoyed a little playtime on the beach and some time at the pool/lazy river area.

Sunday found us doing the same thing as the night before, but the children added in a few games to make the time pass. Sunday night, Mari Beth, Anna (another mom and her daughter), the boys, and I headed out to enjoy a seafood dinner. While my GPS wasn’t quite cooperative, we managed to find the location and enjoyed our meal. After dinner, we decided to try to find one of the local Publix stores. Once again, my GPS decided to act all wonkers and sent us on a wild goose chase resulting in NO Publix find.

We enjoyed games, the pool, and beach again on Monday. That afternoon, we all packed up and headed out for a sunset dolphin cruise. The kids enjoyed looking at fish and ducks while we waited to board the ship. Upon boarding and seating, the captain explained that the seagulls would eat Cheetohs from your hands. Well, that was a sight…WOW! Caleb and a few others got nabbed by the seagulls, but that didn’t stop them from going back for more fun. Micah loved the boat ride, and we were all happy when we saw all of the dolphins. It was an enjoyable time, and then we headed back to the condo for a yummy supper of spaghetti and meatballs.

Tuesday found more of the same beach, lazy river, and pool activities. It was nice not having an agenda and being able to just do whatever, whenever. Our other guests, Tricia and Kaleb joined us on Tuesday evening for the rest of the week.

Wednesday morning was spent back at the beach, and Micah finally warmed up to playing in the sand just a wee bit. However, he HAD to stay on the towel. LOL! After he was done with the beach, it was time to enjoy the lazy river and pool area once again. Wednesday evening, Tricia, Kale, the boys, and I enjoyed a nice dinner out at TGI Friday’s.

Thursday and Friday were more of the same fun activities; however, the beach was no closed to the public and to swimming. If you remember, this was right around the time Tropical Storm Lee decided to make an appearance. The seaweed had been disgusting all week basically, and it gradually just got worse. So, with no beach time, there was lots of pool time (which was quite okay with Micah).

Friday evening, we headed out to Hunt’s Oyster Bar to celebrate Tricia’s birthday. It’s a dive really, but it was really good food, and we all enjoyed our meals.

Saturday welcomed us with lots and lots of rain. However, since we were leaving, that was fine. We're glad we were able to enjoy a full week without rain, and everyone had a good time.

As always, when I returned home, I felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation. Isn’t that always the way it is?!!? LOL!

***I don’t have hardly ANY pictures from this week of fun. Most of the time, I used my phone, and with the sand, wind, and water, that wasn’t a combo I wanted around the phone too much. So, here are the few I snapped***

This is a pig outside a general store we stopped at on the way down.

Caleb and Micah enjoying the pool

This was either naptime or bedtime…LOL!

The boys waiting to board the boat for the dolphin cruise

Another pose before boarding

Jae, Micah, and Caleb on the boat

Silly Micah

Micah

One of the better shots I got of the dolphins…it was so hard to capture shots of them because they were moving, and so was the boat…LOL!

Bedtime…ah, sleep!

Third Grade Week 12 in Review

2011-09-09T13:11:00.001-04:00

We’re pretty much still right on schedule as we move through 3rd grade. Caleb is still doing well, and he seems to enjoy his subjects for the most part. Here’s how week 12 went for us…

Bible – Our lessons this week were on “What It Means To Be a Sinner” and “How God Gave Us His Law.” We read from I John 1:8-10 and Exodus 19:16-19. Caleb’s memory verse was Isaiah 53:6a.

Science – We read Managing the Land by Sharon Dalgliesh, and Caleb started working on his Living & Non-Living Lapbook.

Social Studies – Our lesson this week was on “The Pilgrims.” We reviewed why they left England, that they sailed on the Mayflower, and that they landed at Plymouth. We also reviewed about the First Thanksgiving. We read Samuel Eaton’s Day – A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters, too.

Reading – Caleb read All About Owls by Jim Arnosky. We then spent a few days reviewing sequencing stories by using some stories I downloaded from The Teacher’s File Box.

Vocabulary – This week Caleb added the words “chasm, continent, credit, enable, foul, gust, ordeal, plateau, rig, and schedule” to his list of terms.

Math – After a lot of searching, reviewing, and thinking, I finally settled on using Christian Light Education’s Light Units for Caleb’s math. Because he was behind a 3rd grade level, I ended up ordering the 2nd grade light units. While I hate that he’ll be behind for a bit, I’d rather he have the ability to LEARN the concepts and then catch up later. Again, this is just another perk of homeschooling…it doesn’t matter that he’s in 3rd grade doing 2nd grade math work (which in all honesty is still above Georgia’s State Standards). CLE works like this…each day Caleb has to do an oral section (counting a certain way, reading numbers or money, writing numbers or money, etc.), review math facts, and do a speed drill (2 minutes to answer 28 problems). Then, we dive into the lesson. Each lesson offers NEW concepts and then a few problems on that concept. It will then go back and REVIEW something from the previous year and give a few problems on that concept. There may be 2 review sections. Then, there’s a WE REMEMBER section that he does independently to review last year’s concepts and the previous day’s/week’s concepts. Right now, his only complaint is that it’s taking longer. Like I told him…”I don’t care how long it takes you to do your math as long as you LEARN the math.” So, we’ll see if his “like” for it continues. With all of that said, here’s what he did this week. NEW CONCEPTS – Pairs, Addends, The Ten Digits, Number Sentences, and Adding on a Number Line. REVIEW CONCEPTS – Adding 2 to Even Numbers, 50 to 55 Minutes Past the Hour, Subtracting 2 From Even Numbers, Ordinal Numbers, Adding Four Numbers, Adding 2 to Odd Numbers, Subtracting 2 From Odd Numbers, and Reading a Pictograph. When I type it all out, that seems like a LOT of math. And quite frankly – it is. However, the amount of problems he has to do on each concept is so minimal that it’s really not that bad. I like that it’s something new with a REVIEW of previous concepts. I’m hoping the constant review will keep him on his toes and help it all SINK in. Just to give you an idea of their program and what a typical day looks like, here’s a sample from their website. I’m praying that we’ve finally found the right “fit” for him in math…only time will tell.

English – Caleb finished up PACE 1027 by writing more cursive words, doing some review work, and taking his test. He’ll start PACE 1028 next week.

How’d your week go this week? Are you enjoying cooler temps where you are? Here in Georgia the temps have been so refreshing this week. It’s been so nice to open the windows and turn up the air.

All Aboard…

2011-09-06T19:18:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, we met up with our homeschool friends to check out our local welcome center which happens to be at the site of an old train depot. The boys had a lot of fun exploring all of the fun sites and checking out the old caboose. It was a very educational trip, and they both enjoyed their visit.

Micah and Caleb waiting patiently for our “tour” to begin

Some of the boys listening to Ms. Tammy share lots of information…they were frustrated by the gnats.

Inside the visitor’s center

Walking up to see inside the old caboose

Micah inside the caboose

It was hot…

Three flags used as signals…red, yellow, green…hmmm…I recognize those colors from something else, don’t you?

Telephone

Display

Ice “chest”

The old general store and barber shop

Taking a peek to see what’s inside

Listening to Ms. Tammy share some facts/information

Picture time

Third Grade Week 11 in Review

2011-08-27T08:28:00.000-04:00

We are moving right along here at Childress Academy. Caleb continues to make great strides, and we’re keeping on track. So, that’s a WONDERFUL feeling. Here’s how week 11 went for us…

Bible – Our lessons this week were on “How Sin Came Into the World” and “What Happened to Adam and Eve”. We read from Genesis 3:1-6 and 7-10. Caleb’s memory verse for the week was I John 3:4.

Science – We continued to discuss ecosystems. We how they change and what effects that can have. We read the book World Food by Sally Morgan.

Social Studies – We continued to discuss “The English Come to America'” by watching some videos. We watched a video on Old Point Comfort and another one on Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. We read First Start Biography – Young Pocohontas – Indian Princess by Anne Benjamin.

Reading – This week Caleb read Second Grade – Friends Again! by Miriam Cohen.

Vocabulary – This week Caleb had to tackle two cumulative tests for vocabulary. He scored 92% on the first one, and he scored 82% on the second one. So, he’s got some reviewing to do in the future.

Math – In order to determine which level to begin with the proposed math curriculum, I gave Caleb a diagnostic test. I’ve already ordered a different curriculum, and we’ll start it the week we return from the beach. We’re going to try Christian Light Education for math…wish us luck.

English – This week we focused on subjects and how they are nouns. Caleb had to find the subject noun of sentences. He also had to review how to write cursive letters and how to join letters to write words in cursive.

We’re leaving today for a week at the beach. It’ll just be the boys and myself; however, we’re teaming up with 3 other homeschool families. There will be 4 moms and a total of 6 children (all boys except for one). So, it’s sure to be a fun-filled week. Let’s just pray we all come back with a wee bit of sanity.

National Golf Month

2011-08-26T13:14:00.001-04:00

Did you know that August is National Golf Month? Well, it is, and we gathered with some of our homeschool friends to celebrate this occasion. We met up at a local golf course, and the children were able to practice their swing. Once they had learned the basics of swinging, they went over to the putting green to practice their putts. Caleb and Micah had a wonderful time, and it was a great way to add in some “physical education” to our homeschool studies.

***I apologize for the quality ~~or lack thereof~~ with these pictures. I’ve found it easier to just use my phone for pictures these days as opposed to lugging the big camera around. So, that’s why they aren’t the best pictures.***

Micah playing golf…he was playing with another preschooler.

Caleb waiting his turn to practice

Lining up to swing

Swing

Caleb and a friend putting

Practicing his putt-putt skills

Micah wants to practice, too

He was having lots of fun

Caleb did fairly well, but his patience was wearing a bit thin.

Great Group of Homeschoolers AND Friends

How’s your golf swing? Caleb actually did really well. I’m hoping my dad or brother will take him some more so he can continue to practice.

Third Grade Week 10 in Review

2011-08-20T19:55:00.001-04:00

We finished up week 10 on Thursday, and it was another successful week. I’m so thankful that we are keeping on schedule; however, that will change when we take off next week for a week at the beach. Oh well…we’ll catch up those 4 days soon enough…or maybe I can convince Caleb to double up some this week. Hmmm…

Here’s how week 10 went for us:

Bible – Our lessons focused on “God Made All things For His Praise” and “God Always Does What is Best.” We read from Psalm 150 and Matthew 27:27-31. Caleb’s memory work was Psalm 69:34a. I have to admit, the latter lesson about God always doing what is best for us really hit home due to Caleb’s Tourette’s diagnosis. I explained to Caleb that although he sometimes gets upset because of his tics, that it’s all happening for a reason. Right now, we don’t know what that reason may be; however, God is using all of this for HIS purpose. He’s got a master plan, and we aren’t always sure what it is…however, as long as HE is in control, we can rest assured that the master plan will work out according to his purpose.

Science – This week we started a new lesson on Ecosystems. We discussed the characteristics of all living things, what an ecosystem is, the difference between a community and a population, the difference between producers/consumers/decomposers, and about food chains and food webs.

Social Studies – This week our lesson focused on “The English Come to America.” We discussed that the English wanted colonies in the New World in hopes that they would find fish, furs, and lumber. They also wanted to “outdue” or catch up to the Spanish. Caleb learned about Roanoke and how it was the “lost colony”…this intrigued him, and he now wants to find out what happened to all of the people. We reviewed that Jamestown was the first English settlement, and we reviewed John Smith’s role there. Next week, we’ll spend some time reading stories on these topics.

Reading – This week we spent some time discussing non-fiction books. We learned the different parts of a non-fiction book – title page, table of contents, text, glossary, and index. Caleb learned how to use each part, and he completed the lesson by choosing a non-fiction book and answering questions using the parts of the book.

Vocabulary – Caleb studied his words for a few days, and he took his test and scored 95%.

Math – I’m still debating what to do in math, so until I make up my mind we’ll continue with Math U See. This week we discussed ordinal numbers and tally marks. Caleb did really well with this, and that made me happy.

English – This week Caleb started a new ACE Pace, and we started discussing nouns. We learned that a noun is a person, place, or thing. He learned all the different ways to make a singular noun plural, and he learned the difference between a common and proper noun. He says that he’s enjoying English this year, and that, too, makes my heart proud.

I have to brag on his spelling once again. Like I’ve mentioned, we’re using Spelling Power, and he has made a 100 on EVERY test except for ONE! He is LOVING spelling. Heck, I’m loving that HE’S loving it and doing so well!

How’d your school week go?

Fun in Florida

2011-08-16T09:01:00.000-04:00

On the 4th of August, the boys and I headed down to Melbourne to hang out with the Neil family. Those of you who have been following my blog may remember that the Adam, Laura, Tina, and Hunter lived in our neighborhood until 2009. So, we’ve known them since Tina and Caleb were just shy of a year old. They kids grew up playing almost weekly, and we were sad to see them go. We’d been to visit, but not since August of ‘09. So, it was well past time for another visit.

We stopped in Valdosta to have a quick lunch with Brian since he had been working out of town that week. After that, we continued down to Melbourne. Our drive down was uneventful, and we were HAPPY to be there. Once we got settled, it was time for ~~everyone~~ the kiddos to head to bed. Laura and I enjoyed catching up and enjoying some adult beverages.

Friday, Laura had to work, so I watched the children. We swam for a bit, and they played games inside. That night, we headed to Chili’s for supper, and a guy stopped at the table to make each of the kids a balloon animal/thing. Tina chose a flamingo, Micah chose a sword, Caleb chose a crocodile, and Hunter chose a penguin. The balloons were a HUGE hit, and the kids enjoyed playing with them. Once we were back home, the kids played in the neighborhood with the other children for a bit (this is a foreign concept here where we live, but I LOVE it…all of the kids/adults are outside congregating, and everyone is having a grand time. If only it was like that here…). We also enjoyed a few golf cart rides (again, not something you’d see around here, but the boys and I thoroughly loved being able to just ride the golf cart back and forth to places and around the neighborhood).

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the beach. The beach Laura chooses to go to is just a quick 10 minute drive, and it’s never crowded. It was REALLY nice enjoying the sun and sand without the crowd. Micah was not too sure that he liked the sand and water at first. However, after much coaxing, he warmed up to it and didn’t want to leave. I’m hoping he’ll still feel this way when we head to Panama City with friends in two weeks. Upon our arrival, Tina and the boys quickly found a dead fish that entertained them the entire morning. Caleb also found a teeny, tiny seahorse. Once we left the beach, we headed back to Laura’s house for swim time, rest, and more fun.

Sunday we enjoyed the pool some more and just chilled. Sunday evening we headed to Steak and Shake for dinner, and then we treated the kids to Red Berry Frozen Yogurt. It was very yummy, and they were all well-behaved ~~for the most part~~.

Monday it was time to head home. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and we were sad to leave. However, we’re hoping they’ll take the time to head up to GA for a visit soon!

The boys and I are heading to Panama City Beach with three other homeschool families/friends in less than two weeks. We’re looking forward to MORE Fun in Florida.

Freezer Cooking

2011-08-15T18:54:00.001-04:00

If you remember, back in January I had a HUGE freezer cooking day. Well, another one has been LONG overdue. I just haven’t taken the time to get it done. So, I have put together a plan.

Instead of having one huge time-consuming cooking day, I’m going to cook a little bit each day for a week or so and build up my freezer stock. I’m hoping to start tomorrow (or tonight if I get the time). Here’s what I’ll be cooking…

Pre-cooked meatballs
Pre-cooked German Frikadellen
Beef Enchiladas (rolled up and ready to throw in a baking dish and top with sauce and cheese)
Beef Chimichangas (already cooked and ready to re-heat)
Pizza Crusts or Pizzas (not sure which I feel like doing)
Pre-Cooked Crispy Parmesan Chicken Tenders
Blueberry Muffins
Banana Muffins
Mixed Berry Muffins
Pancakes
Waffles
French Toast Sticks

***Brian will do the latter three because he’s the resident pancake, waffle, French toast chef at our house***

That’s all I can think of right now. Do you have any easy, quick freezer recipe ideas to share? I’d love to see them to see if I’ll be able to incorporate them.

Third Grade Week 9 in Review

2011-08-15T09:18:00.001-04:00

Here’s how week 9 went for us…

Bible – Our Bible stories were on “God Made All Things” and “God Made Us Good.” We read from Genesis 1:20-25, 26-28 and Genesis 2:7-8. Caleb’s Bible verse for the week was Genesis 1:1.

Science – We finished up our study on plants by doing a few worksheets and an experiment. We took white carnations and put them into colored water. We then waited to see if the carnations would transport the colored water up through their veins (and they did of course). Caleb thought it was really neat. We also read Time for Kids Science Scoop PLANTS! by Brenda Iasevoli.

Social Studies – This week we reviewed everything we’d studied thus far, and Caleb took a review test. I’m happy to report he scored 100%. Once we were done with the test, we went on to our next lesson…”Other Explorers and Colonists.” We read about Coronado, De Soto, Juan Cabrillo, John Cabot, and Cartier. We discussed how St. Augustine is the oldest city, and I told Caleb we’d have to make an effort to visit.

Reading – Caleb read the following stories:
How To Do Homework Without Throwing Up by Trevor Romain
All Aboard Reading Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland by Deborah Hautzig

Vocabulary – Caleb added “amaze, amazing, arctic, Arctic, court, elect, interval, league, limit, milestone, recreation, and tackle” to his list of terms.

Math – We worked on subtraction – three digit numbers. I’m leaning towards changing math curriculums…I just don’t know if Math U See is working for Caleb. I don’t know what we’ll use, but I’ll figure it out. I’m just worried he’s not quite catching on to some of the concepts.

English – Caleb finished up another ACE Pace by taking a test. We’ll move on to a new ACE Pace next week.

How’s your school year going? Are your kids adjusting to being back on a schedule yet? We’re slowly finding our groove.

NOT Back-to-School Bash

2011-08-10T09:43:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday we got together with our homeschool friends to have a NOT back-to-school bash. Since we all start school at different times, this made more sense. We started the day by playing some tennis. We’re participating in the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Program, so the kids learned the basics of tennis and played a few rounds. This was great for Caleb because he plays tennis throughout the school year, so he was able to refresh his skills. He did really well. Micah had fun just “playing tennis without a racquet.” LOL!

While the kids were playing tennis, some of us adults and the other children were hanging out in the shade. All of a sudden we heard something crash to the ground. At first, it was thought to be a mouse. However, upon further investigation, it was actually a baby squirrel. It was so tiny that it’s eyes weren’t even open. One of the moms opted to take it to the vet when we realized getting it back up into the nest wouldn’t be an easy feat. Hopefully, the vet was able to nurse it back to optimum health.

After the tennis, we got together for some family fun games, and then a picnic lunch. Since we were heading to Florida and meeting Brian down in Valdosta, we opted to skip this and head on out. I’m sure those who stuck around had a blast. I know we enjoyed our time at the park.

Celebrating Amelia Earhart

2011-08-09T19:18:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, we met up with our homeschool friends to celebrate Amelia Earhart and all of her accomplishments. We met at the Museum of Aviation, and we began our activities by forming a human timeline of her life. After that, we were dismissed to go inside the museum for a scavenger hunt. Once we had wandered the museum and found the answers, we went back outside to see how we had done. Then, all of the children made paper airplanes and earned little certificates based on their flying skills. Everyone had a blast, and I know my boys truly enjoyed themselves.

Third Grade Week 8 in Review

2011-08-02T16:23:00.001-04:00

Caleb and I both worked really hard this week to double up on his schooling so that we could leave for Florida this weekend. That way, when we come back, we’re not behind in our schooling. So, I’m so glad we were able to get all of week 8 completed. Here’s how the week went:

Bible – Our lessons this week were on “God is Faithful” and “God Has Many Names.” We read from Joshua 21:43-45 and Exodus 3:1-4, 10-14. Caleb’s memory verse for the week was Hebrews 10:23b.

Science – We continued to discuss plants this week. We continued to review the parts of plants, and we dove into the process of photosynthesis. There are so many videos/presentations on the Internet that teach this concept, and we took advantage of them. We also discussed the many uses of plants.

Social Studies – This week our lesson was on “the fortune hunters.” We learned about Esteban, who was a black slave, and because of this, they didn’t want him to be the leader of the journey into Mexico. So, Father Marcos, a priest, became the “leader” under Esteban’s guidance. They thought they’d find houses made of gold and all kinds of treasure, but when they reached Cibola…that’s not what they found. Cibola was just an ordinary place. Esteban was eventually killed by the Pueblos, but his journey was a major milestone…it shoed the Spanish explorers the way to the American Southwest.

Reading – This week we focused on our Reading Detective book. We worked on making conclusions and drawing inferences. I feel this is something Caleb needs to know how to do, and I like the way the Reading Detective series goes about teaching that concept.

Vocabulary – Caleb continued to study his words, and he took his test and scored 91%.

Math – We worked on telling time: hours.

English – Caleb worked on identifying asking, telling, and exclamatory sentences and using those end marks. We also worked on changing telling sentences to asking sentences and vice versa. He also worked on reviewing his lowercase cursive letters.

***I have to brag just a bit. We switched to Spelling Power this year for our spelling program, and I am amazed at how much better Caleb is doing. We did have to stop using it the way it is intended, but they gave recommendations on using it with younger students. So, that’s what we’re doing. On the first day, he writes his words in a spelling dictionary. On the next day, he does his study sheet where he does the 10-steps to study each word. On the next day, I give him a pre-test. If he scores 100% (which he has every week but one), then he’s done for the week. If he scores less than 100%, he studies the words again and takes the test again the next day. Regardless of his score the final day, he’s done with that list. If he misses any words, I write them on index cards and put them in his review box. Again, he’s doing so well this time. As a natural speller, that makes my heart sing! ***

How’s school going for your child(ren)? If you haven’t started, when do you plan to start? We’re looking forward to taking a few days off to go visit our friends down in Melbourne for the weekend (pending Tropical Storm Emily doesn’t turn into a major hurricane). It’ll just be the boys and I, but I’m sure we’ll still have fun. We’ll miss Brian, but he’ll be home working.

Third Grade Week 7 in Review

2011-08-01T17:38:00.001-04:00

We finished up week 7 last week, but I’m just now getting around to posting the review. Here’s how week 7 went for us…

Bible – Our Bible stories this week focused on “God is Holy” and “God is Almighty.” We read from Psalm 99 and Daniel 4: 34-35. Caleb’s memory verse was Isaiah 6:3b.

Science – Caleb finished up his animal classification lapbook (pictures to follow). We then moved into our discussion of plants. We watched several videos on the Internet that discussed the parts of a plant (roots, stem, leaves, and flower). Caleb did several worksheets to reinforce this information.

Animal Classification lapbook cover

Inside view

Vertebrates mini-book

Invertebrates mini-book

All about vertebrates (middle section)

All about invertebrates (middle section flap lifted)

Social Studies – This week our lesson focused on “the Spaniards take over Mexico” and “the man who conquered Peru.” We read WHAT the goals of the Spaniards were in the New World (spread Christianity and to remove any treasure). We learned why the Aztecs feared the Spaniards and how the Aztecs were so powerful. Caleb read about Montezuma and how Cortes tricked him (which led to his ultimate demise). We then read about Balboa and Hernando Cortes.

Reading – Caleb read the following books:
Who Would Win? Polar Bear vs. Grizzly Bear by Jerry Pallotta
Harold and the Purple Crayon – Harold Finds a Friend by Liza Baker
Science Vocabulary Readers – Cool Penguins by Jeff Bauer

Vocabulary – Caleb added “average, border, cocoon, flutter, moisture, moist, nectar, process, span, suitable, and timber” to his list of terms. He did several activities to introduce/reinforce the definitions of the terms.

Math – Caleb worked on subtraction with regrouping (borrowing). He actually caught on better than I thought he would.

English – Caleb reviewed that sentences start with capital letters, and he reviewed periods and question marks. His lessons focused on distinguishing between telling and asking sentences. ***Caleb and I are both really like our choice for English so far. I like that the lessons are short and simple, and that there’s ample practical application of the concept before moving on to a new lesson***

Did you all start school yet? The public schools in our area went back today, and I must say…it feels great to already have 7 weeks under our belt before the schools even start. Like I’ve said numerous times before, I LOVE having a four-day school week.

Third Grade Week 6 in Review

2011-07-26T16:36:00.001-04:00

We finished up week 6 yesterday, so here’s our summary.

Bible – Our lessons focused on “God Knows All Things” and “God is Three Persons.” We read from Psalm 139:1-10 and Matthew 28:16-20. Caleb’s memory verse was Psalm 145:3.

Science – Caleb continued working on his animal classification lapbook. He completed several of the mini-books, and we’ll finish it up next week.

Social Studies – Our lesson was on “the search for new lands.” We read about how the Native Americans would try to trick the explorers by sending them in search of different places. We read about Ponce de Leon and his quest for the Fountain of Youth, Balboa and his quest, and Magellan and his voyage. We read the book Magellan – A Voyage Around the World by Fiona Macdonald.

Reading – Caleb continued to work on finding the BEST action word to complete sentences and the sentences WITH the best action words. He also worked on sequencing story details.

Vocabulary – He continued to review his words, and he took his test and scored 86%.

Math – This week we worked on telling time: minutes.

English – Caleb continued to review the formation of cursive letters, and he finished up the week by taking a test on his first ACE Pace for 3rd grade.

Have you started back to school yet? If not, when do you all start? We appreciate those of you who continue to follow our journey. We always look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with our blog readers.

Zoo Atlanta

2011-07-26T09:22:00.000-04:00

On the 16th of July, Brian decided that it was time for us to make a trip to Zoo Atlanta. We hadn’t been since Caleb was Micah’s age, so we were overdue for a visit. Due to the fact that it was going to cost us roughly $75+ just for the day, we opted to go ahead and spend $99 for a family pass. Now, we can go back whenever we want for a full year…sounds like a plan to ME! Considering how much Micah loved it, I’m sure we’ll get good use of that $$$.

This visit was also a great homeschool educational trip. Caleb is finishing up his study of Animals…classification, characteristics, etc. So, this visit helped cement some of what he’s been studying the past 5 weeks.

Both of the boys had a good time looking at the animals, but Caleb would tell you…”some of the animals were a dud.” Well, he’s right…a good many of the animals weren’t visible in their exhibits (even though this was a much cooler weekend considering the recent HEAT WAVE we’ve been experiencing…hence the reason we decided to visit and take advantage of the cooler temps). We aren’t sure why, but Caleb was a bit disappointed. Seeing some of their favorites made up for it though.

Since we didn’t get there until about 2:30, the boys didn’t get to enjoy the train or the play area. However, I’m sure they will in due time…besides, my flip flop broke near the end of our visit, so it became difficult to keep it on my foot and walk. Oh well…it was my fault for trying to release the stroller brake with my foot…won’t do that again. LOL!

Here are the pictures of our visit…ENJOY!

Zoo Atlanta

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We’re Jammin’…

2011-07-25T09:33:00.000-04:00

Do you like Bob Marley? Ever since we went on our honeymoon to Jamaica, I’ve loved his music. That reggae beat just takes me back to our honeymoon, and it was so wonderful.

Anyway, I digress…this post has nothing to do with Bob Marley; however, we did make some homemade jam. We got together with some of our homeschool friends to make blueberry jam. Well, the boys and I went to pick more blueberries with some other friends, and I ended up making even more blueberry jam. I also attempted to make strawberry jam ~~which really turned out to be strawberry syrup~~ (I don’t think my measurements ~~guesstimates~~ were accurate). Regardless, they were both yummy, and there’s still more in the freezer.

Micah mashing the blueberries

Caleb’s turn

Waiting on the sugar

Close-up

Ready to sit for 24 hours and then freeze

Micah dissolving the sugar into the strawberries

Caleb’s turn

Waiting for 10 minutes to pass…

Close-up shot

Strawberry ~~jam~~ syrup ready to sit for 24 hours

Have you ever made homemade jam? We did the quick, no-cook recipe, and I’ll definitely try it again. Caleb and I are really enjoying the blueberry. And like I said, the strawberry turned out to be a yummy syrup. It was fabulous over cheesecake.

More of Caleb’s Art Creations

2011-07-24T21:35:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are pictures of the rest of Caleb’s art creations. Some are drawings that he’s worked on each week during the private art class, and the rest are projects that he worked on during the week of art camp. During his art class, his teacher first started by having him draw shapes. He then used those shapes to create pictures. Art camp was a week of painting and clay. When I stop and look at his work, I’m truly proud of how wonderful he is doing. He really loves art, and I can’t wait to see his work in a few more years.

Bird drawing

Frog drawing

Flower drawing

Troll??? drawing (not sure if it’s a troll or what)

Bear drawing

Landscape painting

Clay mask

Clay “gold” fish

Clay bowl

I’m probably going to start taking him back to art lessons at some point in August. We took off the month of July because I needed a break from going, going, and going. Plus, we really needed some time to focus on school and get into the routine. I’m sure he’s ready to go back, and we can’t wait to see what he’ll create next.

A Boy and His Dog…

2011-07-24T09:15:00.000-04:00

It’s no secret…Micah LOVES Little Man. And quite frankly, the feeling is mutual…Little Man LOVES Micah, too. He follows him around everywhere, and he always needs to know what he’s doing. This is even the case when we’re in the pool.

When Little Man figures out that we’re sun-screening up and getting ready to go for a swim, he starts whining and fussing. So, we typically let him out with us, and Brian will put him on a float in the pool. He just sits there and chills just like us…LOL! It’s actually quite funny. Here are some pictures of a boy and his dog…LOVE!

Third Grade Week 5 in Review

2011-07-21T09:36:00.000-04:00

We are done with another week of 3rd grade. Things are continuing to go smoothly, and we’re slowly getting into a daily school routine (for the most part). Here’s how week 5 went for us…

Bible – Our Bible stories this week focused on “God is One God” and “God is Everywhere”. We read from Deuteronomy 6:4-7 and Psalm 95:1-6. Caleb’s memory verse for the week was Deuteronomy 4:39b.

Science – Caleb finished up his animal research reports, and we started working on his animal classification lapbook. Here are the promised photos of his research reports (click the photos to make them larger):

Social Studies – This week we read Let’s Read About…Christopher Columbus by Kimberly Weinberger. We also started learning about the “story of slavery.” We learned how Portugal actually attacked Africa because it was a wealthy and prosperous nation. Caleb learned how they were used on the large plantations because the Native Americans couldn’t handle the work and often died. He learned how the slaves brought their culture (art, music, dance) to the New World.

Reading – Caleb continued to work in his ACE Pace. He continued to work on action words, and he read Chapter 1 in Summer Fun with Ace and Christi (the book that goes with the ACE Paces).

Vocabulary – We added the words “ambition, auction, coast, current, frail, intelligent, novel, resident, starve, and volunteer” to our list of words. Caleb did some activities to learn the definition of the words, too.

Math – This week we started back into the Beta book from Math-U-See. We worked on multiple-digit subtraction. Caleb thought it was super neat that he could work the subtraction problem, and then “check” his answer to see if it was correct. He caught on quickly, too, which is a HUGE success in math for him.

English – Caleb continued to work in his ACE Pace, and he focused on ABC order. He also started reviewing the formation of cursive letters.

Are you all gearing up for the start of the school year? We hope you all have a wonderful year, and we’d love to hear all about it. Thanks for following our journey…we’ll be back with week 6 soon.

B is for Blueberry and Butterfly

2011-07-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

Back at the end of June, we met up with some of our homeschool friends to pick blueberries and learn about butterflies at a local park. The park we met at has a splash place, so the kiddos were able to enjoy that, too. Since it was National Camera Day, they were also able to snap a few shots using the camera. While we were there, some local firefighters drove up, so we were also able to add in a brief fire truck visit. To say this was a fun-filled and educational outing would be an understatement…look at everything we were able to do in such a short time. Here are some shots of all of the fun…

Caleb enjoying the cool of the water

Caleb and Jae

Micah (he wasn’t so sure about the sand)

Still trying to figure it out

Showing off his balance skills

Posing for his mommy

Fire truck

Firefighters (Caleb took this picture…not too bad)

Jae, Micah, and Caleb checking out the truck and snapping a picture of me snapping a picture

Most of our group (minus the rest of the parents)

Kiddos holding up their “favorite” butterfly picture

Micah with his basket to hold the blueberries (we actually made these before picking)

Yummy, yummy blueberries (that were used to make jam and muffins)

So, as you can tell, this was a VERY fun time for everyone, and I think the kiddos all learned a good bit, too.

Caleb Turns EIGHT

2011-07-19T08:57:00.001-04:00

On July 5th, Caleb turned 8 years old. I can’t believe it’s been 8 years since we welcomed him into our hearts. He’s turning into such a wonderful young boy, and we love him so very much and are so very proud of him.

On his actual birthday, we invited his friend Kaleb over to spend the night. They played with NERF guns, watched movies, swam in the pool, and just had fun. We ordered pizza for supper and had a small cake from Publix.

On Saturday, the 9th, we had his birthday party. Since we had gotten the pool, he decided on a pool party. We also rented one of the Wet/Dry Slides from a local party place. It was a HUGE hit and worth every penny. I think Caleb would venture to tell you this was his “best birthday party” ever.

Here are some pictures from his birthday and the party.

Celebratory cake from Publix

Caleb and Kaleb

Birthday boy

Micah, enjoying his snack choice, cereal

All gone

Caleb and Kaleb…there’s something about that name, regardless of spelling.

One fish, two fish, three fish

Little fish

Dinosaur Cake (Inspiration was Chomper from Land Before Time)

8 years old

Dive toys

Super soaker

Slide

Down

Guests enjoying the deck and pool

Blowing out candles

Micah and his “thumbs up”

Micah’s first ever attempt at eating b-day cake

Evidence that he actually ate some…PROGRESS

I didn’t take as many pictures as I typically do, but that’s okay…everyone had a BLAST!

Caleb’s Art Work

2011-07-18T20:21:00.001-04:00

Caleb started taking private art lessons again this past spring, and he loves it. I really, truly wish that I had some semblance of art capability…but alas, I do not. So, I have to hire out for someone to teach him. It’s worth it though to see the excitement in his eyes when he creates a new piece. Here’s a sampling of some of his artwork since he started in the spring.

Fish in the seaweed

Pear and Apple Q-tip painting (I’m going to hang this one in my kitchen or dining area)

Flower vase using balloons

Close-up

He has more art that he created at a week-long art camp back in June, but I’ve yet to take pictures of those pieces. So, I’ll post those sometime soon. We’re really proud of him, and he’s excited about getting back into art sometime in August (we took July and part of August off b/c mommy needed a break from driving all over town).

Third Grade Week 4 in Review

2011-07-18T18:24:00.001-04:00

Here’s how week 4 went for us…

Bible – Our lessons this week focused on “God Talks to Us” and “God Sent His Son”. We read from 1 Peter 1:24-25 and John 14:8-10. Caleb’s memory verse for the week was Psalm 119:11.

Science – This week we finished up our animal study by reading a short book about mammals. Caleb then had to start on his animal research project. He was to choose 3 animals and complete a research form on them. He chose the Black Rhinoceros, Japanese Spider Crab, and White-Backed Vulture. I will share his papers next week.

Social Studies – This week our studies focused on “Columbus Comes to America.” We learned about his voyage, how he was the only person who thought he could travel west to reach Asia, and how he died still thinking that he had actually discovered America. Caleb has been asking how Columbus died, so I’ve got some research to do in order to find the answer. In our Columbus studies, we also read some facts from the book 100 Facts…Explorers by Dan North. The facts we read about Columbus are:
1) Lots of people think Christopher Columbus discovered America, but he didn’t – the Vikings were first.
2) Almost 500 years later, Christopher Columbus found America – by mistake!
3) When Columbus found land, he was sure he’d sailed to Japan.
4) Back in Spain, no one believed Columbus’ story.
5) America wasn’t named after Columbus.
6) It’s thanks to Columbus that Native Americans were known as Indians.

Reading – We started working in our Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) Paces this week. Caleb worked on describing pictures, and we also worked on finding the BEST action word to complete a sentence.

Vocabulary – Caleb took his test and scored 89%.

Math – This week we continued to do some addition review. Caleb worked on some review worksheets that covered the concepts he has covered in his MUS Beta book.

English – We started working in our ACE Paces this week, and Caleb worked on ABC order. He also reviewed beginning sounds, vowels, and consonants.

Thanks for following our adventures at Childress Academy. Is your summer winding down? When does school start back for you all?

Go Fish

2011-07-12T08:34:00.001-04:00

We got together with our homeschool friends back in June and visited the Go Fish Educational Center in Perry, GA. This was our first visit there, and the boys and I really enjoyed it. I’m sure we’ll head back at some point.

We started our visit by watching a brief movie on fishing in Georgia. Then, we went into the classroom to learn about snakes. After that, we ventured outside to see all of the fish that were in the exhibits. When we came back in, everyone was able to experience simulated fishing and check out all of the rods and reels on display.

Our final activity was to make a Father’s Day gift for Father’s Day. The children all made coasters decorated with star stamps and cute “shirt/tie” cards. I know my boys had a blast, and I think it’s safe to say that all of our friends did, too.

Go Fish Center

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