Homeschool15: America

We spent two weeks on this double-unit covering America. We spent time talking about basic American history, symbols, currency, landforms/landmarks, presidents, the presidencies and the election process. Whew! I just couldn't get it all into one unit. The kids enjoyed this unit because it was about our country, and they already had interest in our two most famous presidents, Washington & Lincoln, from previous years. We built upon the information we already had and expanded it to include more stories from our history and a greater understanding of America. 

For this unit, Kyrie wrote a biography about Abraham Lincoln. She also completed a country study (not about America) about the country of Japan. She really enjoys learning about these different countries each unit. 

The picture above & those below are from Kyrie's country study packet. 

Degen did a lot of work with money during this unit. He also read about Washington and Lincoln and learned how they were alike and different from each other and from himself. 

'j' as a jump rope

GS Brownies: Bridging

It has been a fast, fun & busy year for Kyrie & her Brownie Troop! I was excited to take on the challenge of being a co-leader this year, and it turned out to be a great experience. I have known the troop's leader since our girls were just toddlers, and we work really well together. This past year, we finished up one journey (World of Water) and completed another (World of Girls). Our meetings were filled to the brim with activities that worked through the focuses of the journeys and helped the girls satisfy requirements to earn badges. Kyrie has had a successful two years as a Brownie and completes the program only missing one badge (Letterboxer). 

The scouts gathered at the Japanese Bridge in a community park (a nod to their international experience in the World of Girls journey) for their bridging ceremony. Prior to their ceremony, they reflected on their time as Brownies and considered the Junior journey ahead of them. They wrote wishes down on Japanese wish-paper, which were used in the bridging ceremony. At the start of the ceremony, they removed their Brownie vests and walked to the middle of the bridge. There their leader lit their wish-paper on fire, and they watched the ashes fly away with their wishes (hopefully, to be granted) and were given a flower. At the end of the bridge, I greeted them with a Girl Scout handshake, a gift box of badges for their Junior uniform and congratulations! 

Our Girl Scout year will continue with a family potluck, a field trip to a local homeless shelter and a summer camping trip. We look forward to continuing with Girl Scouts in the fall!

Our brand-new Girl Scout Junior

Kyrie with her very full Brownie vest!

Wild About Mother's Day

Our Mother's Day project this year was a reusable snack/sandwich sack. The kids had made their own snack sacks previously as part of a nutrition unit for homeschool. It was a project that they really enjoyed, and they continue to use their sacks today. I found this cute, animal-print tape, and we got to work. Degen needed a bit more help because he couldn't cut the tape himself, but Kyrie could manage the cutting tool after just a little guidance. They both had fun deciding just how they wanted to place their tape, and we filled each snack sack with animal crackers (in keeping with the animal theme).

We hope that the snack sacks reached all the special women in our lives and brightened their Mother's Day!

OH German Language School: Sportsfest

We wrapped up our year of German School with a beautiful day at one of the Metro Parks. The kids rotated through several stations where they could run, throw, catch and play. Darren & I stayed on-hand to help out and enjoy the fun. The morning began with songs and ended with a little fun with donuts. The kids enjoyed their year of German School, and we look forward to returning in the fall. 

Sad, Then Happy

At the end of April, Kyrie awoke to find that her rat, Honey, was not moving. I rushed in to see what was wrong and found her heart beating quickly and her breathing labored. I wrapped Honey in a blanket and told Kyrie to hold her and comfort her because she was dying. In a few minutes, she was gone. After some research, we suspected congenital heart failure. Kyrie was very sad and cried for much of the morning. We talked about what had happened and decided to get a new rat to be a companion to both Kyrie and her remaining rat, Sugar.

Kyrie picked out Cookie, and the introduction with Sugar went very well. Cookie is an active rat who has gotten herself lost more than once- yikes! (We are thankful for our hero-cat, Samson, who has helped us locate her!) She seems a bit wild, but she is younger than Sugar and hasn't been handled as much. She is a sweet girl, and we hope that she has a long life!

Take Your Child To Work Day

The kids had a wonderful time with Darren at Nationwide's Take Your Child To Work Day. They learned about working in the Office of Investments. Then they designed & ran a putt-putt golf course. They raised over $700 for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. 

Homeschool15: Earth

In the past, we have done year-round schooling, but it has been difficult to juggle with our extra summer activities, such as day camps, play dates and trips to the pool. This year, the kids are signed up for 3 weeks of half-day camps and 1 week of full-day camp, plus a week of vacation Bible school. To reduce any summer stress, I decided to go ahead and schedule our units for January-May and August-December. Over the summer, I will work on book studies & math with Kyrie and continue studying the alphabet, phonics & math with Degen. So, now we are in a race to finish before the end of May. Whew! 

During our Earth unit, we study landforms and conservation. The kids are interested in all the parts of our earth and find things like volcanoes and earthquakes to be particularly interesting. 

Degen's journal

Degen's map work

Degen: What helps & hurts the earth.

This was the last month for our Pizza Hut BookIt program. The kids earned 5 free pizzas this year and look forward to next year!

Kyrie's thematic project was a diagram of a tree.

Both kids learned about food chains and the consequences when food chains are disrupted.

Kyrie learned about the layers of the earth.

Kyrie really enjoyed a lesson about the 3 different types of rocks.

Kyrie's poster