We are eating gingerbread cookies, telling lots of variations of the gingerbread man stories, etc. One thing I like to do each week is give my kids a little story to read. Lots of times I find ones that go with our theme on This Reading Mama's website, but this week, I couldn't find one, so I made my own.
That said, I thought I'd share this short, easy reading passage with you in case you have an emergent reader. I like to use these short stories to build confidence in my kiddos about their reading skills. We will use the one with picture cues at first, then we will just read the one without pictures.
We have been enjoying fall. Our fall themes have included fire safety, apples, spiders/bats, monsters, and this week pumpkins!! I love this time of year and enjoyed teaching my kiddos to love it too.
Here is a video about some of the fun things we will do this week!
In our homeschool, my first grader is working on learning his math facts. Honestly, I think not knowing his math facts is making him feel frustrated with math in general. From the teacher end, I do not enjoy dragging him through math each day. It is not a fun process for either of us lately.
Math facts are sucking the life out of our math time - and they show up EVERY DAY in EVERY LESSON in some shape or form! Learning basic addition is, of course, so very important! I think of this as a hurdle for us to cross together. We are going to do it and as a result, he will end up with a very good grasp of addition! That is the goal. If we can do it without drudgery, even better!!!
That said, in my search for ways to make learning math facts easier, I stumbled upon the Math Mammoth YouTube channel. Her trick for adding with 8 and 9 sparked the idea for the "Greedy Numbers". Greedy Numbers is a strategy to help students learn how to add with 7, 8, and 9. The Greedy Numbers want to be 10! They are just a few numbers away.
We tried this a bit during our math time on Wednesday, and he seemed to have an easier time figuring out the problems. Anything to help my little guy learn math without a struggle. My philosophy is WHATEVER WORKS!
Greedy Numbers
Greedy Numbers Set
(shown here printed 2 per page because we are going to glue these pages in Everett's math notebook,
but each sheet can be printed individually as well).
This set includes:
Greedy numbers Bookmarks in color and in black and white
3 posters with poems introducing the greedy numbers
3 worksheets for practicing this strategy
Thanks for taking a minute to see what we are up to this week!
Dina
This past week, we talked about fire safety. It was a fun week full of excitement because for some reason, talking about fire is just fun, interesting and exciting. Maybe it's the element of danger?
Here's our video with the highlights:
Circle Time
We sang "Stop, Drop, and Roll" to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell:
(hold hands palm out for stop, point fingers down for drop, roll fists around each other for roll)
Stop, Drop, and Roll
Stop, Drop, and Roll
If there's fire on your clothes
Stop, Drop, and Roll
After they learned the motions, we sang it while acting it out. They love these kinds of actions songs!
We also sang "Hurry, Hurry Drive the Fire Truck", "I'm a Little Fireman" to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot, 5 Little Firemen.
We used several of these printables, colored and glued them in their journals. We especially liked the "Stop, Drop, and Roll" coloring sheet and talking about Squirt (water drop), Reddy (fire extinguisher), and Buzzy (smoke detector).
Library - we read lots and lots of books about fire safety, firemen, special types of fire crews (marine, aviation, etc). We went to the library for their fire safety day, but they had rescheduled, so we learned about different community helpers instead, then made a fire hat as a craft.
Fire Safety Set - We used my "Rescue" Fire Safety game during spelling one day, and it was really so fun and made our spelling lesson go by so fast!! (Spelling is not a favorite for my son and can take forever, this day we breezed through it without fuss! How refreshing!!)
Nothing like taking turns putting out a fire while you do spelling! So fun! (Can you tell I had fun, too?)
Fire Truck Counting Center - This was a printable I found (pinned on my pinterest board, too). I printed extras of the fire trucks and made some skip counting number lines for counting by 3's and 4's.
Fire Dress Up
I bought these red ninja vests from Dollar Tree and just sewed on the FD part. They also each have fireman helmets from DT.
We started using a daily calendar page this week as part of our morning routine. We usually count the calendar during our circle time, but I wanted help my first grader learn how to write the date.
So far, there has been a lot of excitement over this addition to our day! YAY! How wonderful to hear my son talk about what day it is, and hear him name the date every day in conversation after school time. He's so proud of what he knows.
My preschoolers are also doing a different, more simple calendar page. They too have been proud to trace the day of the week, write the number of the day, etc.
The calendar page I had originally printed out for my son just seemed too much for him (he's not fond of writing), so this is a simplified version. I'm hoping he will like it. If not, I will tweak it. We put the sheet in a page protector to make it dry eraseable. Though he doesn't love to write, he does enjoy writing with a dry erase marker, SCORE!!
Please visit my TpT store and download FREE if you think you can use it!! While you're there, click the GREEN STAR to follow me!!
Here's a link to a printable I made to use during Pete the Cat/Tom and Jerry Week.
(We actually used it the week before -in the video below- because they couldn't wait to try it!)
This activity can be used for a variety of different subjects. Write on the bones or have students write targets to read, say, or answer on the bones. We used them for letter/sound identification and for practicing writing spelling words.
It's Apple Week in our homeschool! I LOVE using themes as a way to add fun and excitement to learning during our school time. This week we are focusing on APPLES! For some reason, I always find this theme so fun!
Last year we did an apple comparison and taste test. It was so much fun, we are getting ready to do it again!! This time I will expand on this coloring activity by having my first grader label the apples.
Everett as a kindergartener with the apples we found last year!
During this activity we will discuss:
1. The name and colors of each type of apple - color and label accordingly.
2. Price differences (there is quite a range!) - a great lesson for math and economics
3. Taste and compare - engage the 5 senses and see how many different descriptive words you can use for the different apples - yummy, crunchy, sweet, tart, sour, juicy, crisp...
If we have the chance we might cut the apple pictures out and make a book. (We'll see how far we get! Everett loves making books right now!)
You can download my FREE coloring sheet that goes with this activity at my TpT store. Click below:
Our 6th week of school was a lot of fun, though there were several difficult moments mixed in.
Co-op
We started the week with our first ever homeschool co-op day. The kids really had a great time. The girls went to Bible, Count with Me, Science, Art, and Gym. My big first grader went to Story time, Bible, Art, Gym, and Hands-on Math with Literature. Mama had a good time too, but I think of all of us, I was the most worn out afterward!
Co-op Aftermath
Tuesday felt like a harsh back to life, back to reality moment! IT. WAS. PAINFUL. After a fun weekend and then co-op, my first grader really had a hard time settling back into our school routine (even in spite of the several fun activities we did). My girlie who is a thumb sucker woke up with a fever that morning too, so she was not 100% (but she insisted on participating in school anyway, that made it "special"). **NOTE: "Special" is my positive spin buzz word for DIFFICULT! ;)
Theme of the Week - Alphabets and Coconuts - Chicka Boom Boom
Tuesday we started Chicka Boom Boom week in our homeschool! I love, love, love Chicka Boom Boom! It's a book we have read over and over. We read it again this week along with several other alphabet themed books. Here are a few!
Bible/Character
We are still talking about obedience!! We revisited what obedience is, what it sounds like/doesn't sound like, and where it comes from (the heart). I used information from the Crossroads of Character book as well as from our We Choose Virtues Obedience card.
During Bible time the girls learned about David and Goliath. Everett learned about how God is everywhere.
Circle Time
During circle time this week, in addition to reading one or two of the fun books mentioned above, we used our magnetic board (a.k.a. large drip pan from Wal-mart automotive department) and our magnetic upper/lowercase letters to act out the Chicka Boom Boom story while we read it. I made a coconut palm tree out of construction paper and laminated it. The kids took turns adding letters to the tree and enjoyed matching all of the lowercase letters to their uppercase matches after the Chicka Chicka BOOM BOOM happened!
My preschoolers need lots of work on identifying/naming the numbers above 10. My first grader got good practice too (he does know how to read numbers). This was a chance for him to model how to use this skill for them. Great turn taking! They enjoyed!
Art
For our this week, the kids made a shape palm tree and added the letters of their name to the tree Chicka Boom Boom style. They enjoyed doing this activity. We also counted the letters in their names. My preschoolers are still learning 1 to 1 correspondence, so any time we can practice this skill is great for them!
Snack Time
I made palm trees out of graham cracker/Nutella sandwiches, sliced Granny Smith apples, and used chocolate chips or grapes as coconuts.
Science
For science on Friday, we had an awesome hands-on lesson. While they ate their snack, I read to them about the uses of coconuts, how the palm trees grow, etc. After we finished our school work, we came back to the kitchen to "open up the coconut". We used our senses to see, hear, feel, touch, and finally taste a coconut. The kids really liked getting to handle and take turns trying to crack open the coconut. The last thing we did was go outside on the driveway and measure 98 ft, the length of a coconut palm tree.
**NOTE: We love Roger Day and his music. During this week, we sang his "Open up the Coconut" song OFTEN! If you haven't heard it, find it on iTunes and listen. That song is so funny!
This is our second "no prep" week of the year, and it's only our 5th week of school! YIKES! Honestly, this is typical for us. We are either really on or really off! After a birthday party Saturday, church Sunday, spending Monday with extended family, and Tuesday celebrating the girls' 4th birthday, we are going to jump into a 3 day week. I had planned to do "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" this week, but I LOVE that theme and want to wait until we can do it for a full week. My son declared when it was his birthday that you shouldn't do school on your special day. FINE WITH ME! :) So we spent Tuesday riding bikes, ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then had a family movie night.
Next week we will start our first homeschool co-op. Twice a month the kiddos will have a chance to learn in a class with some similar aged peers. I think it will be a great experience for them. 2/3 are VERY social and the other little one needs to learn to branch out and make friends.
Our spelling curriculum is 4 days learning and 5th day test, so we are going to stretch that unit over this week and next. I don't want to put too much pressure on my little guy. I'd rather take it slow and be sure he has time to learn the information!
So, that's what's up in our little school this week. A 3-day week. We will probably do some fun lego activities and save Chicka Boom Boom for next week!
Here's a recap of our fourth week of school. Fairy Tale Week!
Bible Time/Character:
"I am gentle" from We Choose Virtues
Everett learned that God is a spirit and the girls learned the story of David and Jonathan.
Circle Time: telling and retelling stories
We had lots of fun learning about what fairy tales are. During the summer a friend gave us flannel graph sets for Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Gingerbread Boy. We also retold Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood with puzzles I have from my teaching days.
Elynne's turn to add a picture
while retelling the Gingerbread Boy
Read A-louds
We checked out several fun books from the library. These fun spin offs of some of the stories we already knew were some of our favorites:
Center Time
I thought of a new "center" that the kids really enjoyed! I love finding activities that excite them and this one did. Best of all, it was VERY inexpensive! $1 from the Dollar Tree.
WINDOW CENTER - I bought window clings with them numbers 1-10 and the alphabet. I will probably also go back for the weather set, so my first grader can match the words to the pictures.
Evangeline adding the correct number of dots
after putting the numbers in order.
Other centers they enjoyed included our Little People castle and people, Little People Klip Klop castle, puppets (they have enjoyed them for 3 weeks now!!), quiet books (hoping to show you these up close in an upcoming video), sorting bears/cups, painting. Note: we have several little people sets, but we were so blessed to receive the castle as a hand-me down when a friend upgraded her daughter's and I found the Klip Klop castle at a thrift store and bought it for $2!! One of my all time greatest finds!! :)
What didn't work?
Art! I had planned for them to make a Jack and the Beanstalk that I have pinned on pinterest, but it was a bust! With me being busy with some of my own computer work and assembling file folders for laminating, the girls got as far as drawing and painting the leaves and gave up. We even had an epic meltdown when one of them decided to cut her leaves into tiny pieces then got upset after the fact that they didn't look like leaves. **SIGH** Art wasn't fun like it was supposed to be, so we scrapped that project for all of our sakes. We will try another painting project next week.
Here's our Homeschool Week in the Life recap for this week.
I love using these little muffin tins to create a simple lunch in a hurry. These are great for when our school day runs long and we need lunch before a hunger meltdown occurs.
Mrs. Mommy will do ANYTHING to avoid that kind of meltdown cause it is ugly! :)
There are so many different combinations you can create, just grab what you have. Something about a colorful selection motivates them to eat up! We added some fruit cups and yogurt after I snapped this pic, too.
Dollar Tree 6-cup muffin tins filled with: lunch meat
This is Fairy Tale week, so we are talking lots about talking/human like animals, princesses, good guys/bad guys, etc.
I usually spend some time printing activities for my preschoolers to do and find fun activities for all of the kiddos to do to make our school week hands-on and fun. This week though (**SIGH**) I didn't have a chance to prep, and I've been working on some other major tasks on my to do list. So, I'm realizing that when I do the prep, it pays off! It definitely makes school more fun for the kids and easier for me.
My first big job was switching my www.speechtherapygames.com site product links to my TpT store. BIG job, and wow, so hard to do with little hands poking at my computer. Computer + school room = sad times! But, I got it done!!! YAY!
I thought I was done with big project, but then I got these two File Folder Games books from amazon.com. So today during school, I was gluing and prepping all of these games for laminating. It will be soooo worth it once they are ready to go! These books are awesome and I highly recommend!! My kids are excited about all of the different activities they will have to do soon.
In this video she shows what they look like closer up!
I used my menu sized laminating pouches to laminate these file folder games, they came out GREAT!!!! I LOVE being able to laminate large things like this without a trip to the teacher's aid shop. I have a 12" laminator and the pouches are 12 x 18. I just trim the sides and bottom a bit and they fit perfectly with enough room around the edges for it to have a good seal!
When Mrs. Mommy is distracted, it makes our days more chaotic than normal. Hopefully, tomorrow we will get back into a better groove!
We are thrilled to be parents! God is so good and His timing IS perfect! We've been praying and asking for a long time and He said "YES"!
Thank you to all of those who prayed with us! We are finally parents!
For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb.
I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.
My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].
Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.
