Homeschool15:Pets

The kids always enjoy our unit about pets as we dive into pet care and the characteristics of different kinds of pets. This is a fun unit because it is so accessible, especially, when we can pause in our activities to pet a purring cat who wanders into the quiet room. 

This unit, Degen enjoyed using Math Mats to practice skills like measuring, counting and patterns. We also did a lot of practice with story problems. He also continued to work on his alphabet and pre-reading skills in his journal and on worksheets.

He drew the picture, wrote the word cat and then helped me to choose words to complete the sentences.

Happy to be working on this poster page. 

He was proud of this journal entry.

Degen is enjoying new math worksheets.

His completed poster page. We have started working with greater than/less than, which includes a story about hungry alligators as way of explanation of the symbols. 

Degen "reading" a primer. I think using picture clues and memorization helps build confidence in reading and starts kids on the path to good reading skills.

During some afternoon free time, Degen started working on a science kit about colors (a Christmas gift from NanaMAC). Both kids enjoyed working on this, and we will complete the rest of the activities in the coming days/weeks.

Kyrie had lots to do during this unit, and it all seemed a little bit more fun because it was about animals, which she loves. Right now, she really wants to be a veterinarian, so we are watching animal shows on NatGeo Wild and YouTube videos about veterinarian procedures like vaccinating animals. She also has several vet-related apps on her IPad right now that she enjoys playing. Kyrie made a collage for her thematic project this unit. She also wrote an opinion piece about her favorite pet: cats. 

Hooray for new resources! These drawing activities with simple math equations are a nice way for Kyrie to take a brain break while still learning. 

Kyrie working on a measurement activity.

Homeschool15: Friendship & Martin Luther King Jr.

Our Friendship & MLK unit is a time for us to discuss good manners and characteristics of friendship. We also spend time discussing the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and how he fought for equal rights so that we could all live peacefully as friends no matter the color of our skins. 

This unit has a focus on fractions for Degen as we discuss how we share and make things equal. He also has begun to work on map skills and comprehension skills as related to listening (which will help develop skills for reading comprehension in the future). 

Kyrie continues to use the text-mapping technique to enhance her reading comprehension. I am choosing articles "beyond" grade-level, and she has shown good understanding of the material using this method. Kyrie's unit paper was a biography about Martin Luther King Jr., which she wrote using books we read aloud, as well as, information from magazines and timelines. For her thematic project, she chose to write an acrostic poem about MLK. 

Homeschool15: Time

Welcome to a new year of homeschool! We reset in January, so it is back to the beginning, but moving on. I love starting a new year of learning with the kids and planning with all the brand new resources and activities that we get to do. 

Degen is starting Kindergarten (which will be official in the fall of this year). We started the year wrapping up our study of the alphabet with concentration on letter formation and phonics. He is keeping a 'journal' this year with a focus on vocabulary, letter recognition & formation and sight words. He feels like a big boy when he gets to write in his own notebook. He will continue to practice his numbers while incorporating more math skills such as time, fractions and measurement. He has also started French with a focus on basic conversation (eg. "Hello. How are you?") and vocabulary.

A French lesson for Degen.

Kyrie is starting third grade for homeschool (which she will begin officially this fall). This year, she will have more in-depth language arts assignments with a focus on reading & comprehension and writing. She has mastered her addition & subtraction facts and is now moving onto multiplication. She will continue practicing multi-digit addition & subtraction with regrouping/renaming skills, as well as problem solving and logic. This year instead of a daily journal, Kyrie will be responsible for working on a thematic project for each unit. She can choose from 5 different projects that include poems, posters, papers and other forms of presentation. She is wrapping up her study of the U.S. states and will review the regions before beginning a study of different countries around the world. 

From a lesson about the seasons.

Kyrie's unit paper: an opinion piece about holidays.

These are a few photos of the kids "after-school." We found a brand new fort building set at a resale shop that the kids enjoy. Darren helped them build the above fort, which they layered with blankets to make a cozy place to play and watch movies. The cats enjoyed it, too, as you can see. Degen worked on 'mining' for gems (a Christmas present from Santa... which is SO very messy and Santa should have known better, but Degen loved it). He has also been working on Lego kits, which he mostly does independently. 

Fort Rapids

We postponed a planned post-Christmas Fort Rapids trip by a week. We faced a bit more crowds than we did last year, but enjoyed our wet afternoon at the indoor water park! 

Christmas 2014

We had a lovely Christmas break during which Darren took a few days off for some extra family fun. The kids were up early on Christmas morning and eager to see what Santa had brought. There were presents and candy and stockings filled with goodies! We looked at our gifts, opened boxes and played with new toys & games, stuffing pieces of chocolate in our mouths every once in a while. That afternoon, we opened the gifts under the tree. It was a wonderful day with everyone spoiled by the generosity of our loving family.

A few pics of the kids with gifts: 

Santa brought Kyrie paperclips- she was very excited!

Degen found an ITunes gift card in his stocking. 

Darren & Degen sorting additions to Degen's rock collection.

A science kit from NanaMAC!

Doll clothes from Nana Billie & Papa Derrel!

Bentley enjoying the new cat bed Santa brought!

Hanukkah 2014

The kids love celebrating Hanukkah each year. As they have gotten older, we have tried to add to our celebration, though with our busy schedule it is hard for us to light the candles all 8 nights. This year, we paid special attention to the first and last night's of Hanukkah with special meals, dreidel games and small gifts.