Lost

I am behind on the blog. Unfortunately, in the process of transferring computer files from an external drive to the hard drive, we lost two files containing our most recent photos. These photos included: our trip to the Newport Aquarium, a friend's birthday party, ice skating and a hockey game among others. I was very disappointed to lose these pictures. I am hoping to catch up the blog with our most recent homeschooling and family activities in the next few days.

Strangely enough, I can look at the pictures using Window Gallery, but I am unable to open or edit them... and the files themselves seem to be completely gone from the computer. Trying to find a way to salvage some of the missing photos, I attempted to take photos of the pics on the computer. It didn't turn out very well, but here are a few of them.

Degen as Spiderman

Silly Degen with his painted face from the hockey game.

Kids posing outside Nationwide Arena before the hockey game.

A family photo from the hockey game.

Homeschool15: Nutrition

Kyrie's unit folder

I rearranged our units, which put our nutrition unit just a few month's apart from last year's nutrition unit (in November). There's always something new to learn and do, though, and with new books and activities the unit seemed brand new. We focused on the food groups and healthy eating while practicing our reading, writing and math skills using food/nutrition-based activities.

Kyrie's thematic project was to plan a menu.

Kyrie's Ode to Spaghetti

Kyrie studied Brazil during this unit. She did a great job!

Kyrie's thematic writing project. She didn't get a final draft typed.

Degen's unit folder

Degen's fraction practice

Degen playing on the computer after he completed his guided work.

Degen is doing well with his pre-reading.

Homeschool15: Healthy & Safety

Kyrie made this stethoscope using directions from a science kit.

Pages from Degen's journal.

This unit covers body systems, health (including dental health) and safety (including fire safety). It has been great to see how much the kids, especially, Kyrie have learned from this unit over the years. As with all our units, each year we go a little more in-depth and add to what we previously learned. 

During this unit, the kids learned about different systems in the body and how to keep themselves healthy & safe in a variety of situations. For Degen, there was a review of body parts and discussions about basic fire safety. He is doing a good job as we make another round through the alphabet. He is "reading" mini-books and identifying letters and their sounds. 

Kyrie spent this unit practicing reading, writing and math skills within the framework of the thematic unit. She learned French vocabulary for the body, created a fire escape plan/map for our house and worked on science activities, including making  a stethoscope and tracking her heartbeat (resting vs. active). We are doing more in-depth work with poetry this year, and she is doing well with writing poems with some guidance. She has completed cursive instruction for the lower-case letters of the alphabet, and I am now asking that she complete her spelling assignments in cursive. Her writing project for this unit was about healthy teeth. 

A sense poem by Kyrie

Kyrie decorated a passport for her "journey." She has stickers she can add to the pages along with any information she wants to keep.

This unit, Kyrie started her country study with China. This was complementary to her Girl Scout troop's booth at the Friendship Festival about China. She spent 2 weeks completing a variety of activities that helped her better understand and appreciate China and Chinese culture. This is a great addition to our Social Studies curriculum. 

Degen's 6th Birthday Party: Star Wars

We had a blast at Degen's 6th Birthday Party! We were at the kids' gymnastics center for a Jedi Training Academy and lots of Star Wars themed fun. The day Degen's party was scheduled we were hit with record-breaking snowfall, so we rescheduled for the very next day and were grateful that almost every guest was able to make it. It was such a treat having all our friends together!

One thing that made this party fun was all the themed food. The kids got such a kick out of the menu with everything from the drinks to the cake including a fun Star Wars label. While the kids ran through an obstacle course, jumped in the "cheese pit" and bounced on the trampoline, the adults snacked & talked. Soon enough, our hungry Padawans were joining us to refill after their training academy adventures.

When unloading the car, Darren didn't realize that he was picking up the cake and slung the bag the cake box was in like it was just a bag. Thankfully, there was only minor damage.

After they ate, the kids used stickers to design their own droids. They loved this and did such a great job. We named their droids (a la R2-D2) using their initials and favorite numbers. They also had a coloring picture they could work on. These were nice fill-in activities as the kids finished up their meals before we served cake.

This year's cake turned out really well and was not overly difficult to put together. I used a rectangle pan, a circle pan (halved) and 4 square cupcakes to put together R2. Degen requested a rainbow cake, which I simply colored using food coloring... unfortunately, I thought this year's cake was a little dry. 

The Birthday Boy!

We had Star Wars themed goodie bags with an assortment of school items (eg. markers, notebooks, rulers, etc.), as well as some small toys and Star Wars gummies. Each child also received a Jedi certificate and a pool noodle light saber. The kids really loved the light sabers, which were micro-sized, which I loved because it meant that the outbreak of Jedi fights was fractionally less chaotic. 

I think a good time was had by all, and we are appreciative for all the families who came out to help us celebrate! May the force be with you!

The Padawans!

Happy 6th Birthday, Degen!

Our little boy is growing up! He had an amazing day that began with a traditional birthday doughnut! We went to Chuck E. Cheese, one of his favorite places, for lunch & play... and he & Kyrie won A LOT of tickets and had lots of fun!

Degen's birthday dinner was at Steak 'n Shake where he was so excited to get his very own birthday shake! Then we went to see Disney On ice. Darren surprised us with amazing seats, and we let the kids pick out a souvenir treat (which we never do). The show was great, and we all had a great time. Kyrie declared that Degen had "the best birthday ever."

After the show, Degen opened his gifts. He was very excited for all of his presents. This was a great end to a wonderful birthday for our little man!