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Phonics Museum

Posted by on October 18, 2011 Leave a Comment

We decided to switch phonics programs and we are loving our new program.

It’s called Phonics Museum by Veritas Press. We will continure to use Explode the Code, Reading Eggs, BOB Books, Progressive Phonics and a bunch of other things as resources, Phonics Museum has taken the lead. Its an awesome program that I picked up for a steal from this amazing homeschool Mom at a homeschool co-op swap. The basics about this program that I love:

  • It’s true phonics, so it teaches letter sounds instead of just letter names.
  • Its perfect from my Speech Therapy Background because it starts teaching letter that are developmentally appropriate and made first in speech production.
  • It’s Christian, so I dont have to worry that the readers will have topic I wouldn’t be comfortable with, but it isn’t cheesy at all.
  • The readers are real literature not just the old “Dick and Jane” style readers without a point.
  • Its based around art! We do art, we read art. The visual cues are art. We read about art…etc!
  • Its actually visually pleasing. As a graphic designer, I have a hard time looking at clip art…not going to lie. Clip art and Comic Sans are evil.
  • It uses different fonts so Emily can recognize upper and lower case letters with serifs, san-serifs, “a” with a hook on top or not.
  • My favorite part is that Emily has her own Museum set up in her room with art hanging all over the walls and things that start with whatever sound we are working on in her room.
  • It’s Modern Manuscript style printing so she will be ready for cursive writing.
I pretty much cant say enough good things about this program. We are loving it!
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Cheeseland!

Posted by on September 16, 2011 4 Comments

Geography has been our favorite subject this week.We’ve studied different maps and learned how they work. We’ve looked through maps with physical features and political maps too. Emily can tell you about the continents, where she lives on a map. Where our Compassion sponsor child lives in Africa. Where Israel is and where our dear friends Marty and Sue live. She can tell different ways to read a map and how to tell where physical features are. The thing that bothers her the most is that, on the map, she thinks she should be able to drive to see Auntie Coco in a few minutes because Quebec is really only an inch and a half away from BC.
While looking at a physical features map showing mountains, forests, deserts, rain forests and ice caps Emily said: “That doesn’t look like a desert. That looks like cheese! It looks like Cheeseland!!” Seriously, you try keeping a straight face…
Math was more sorting and matching, but we also got a bin of number games and magnetic numbers to work with at the local Child Care Resource centre. We’ve been working through the difference between a nine and a six. Tough stuff. That and b,d,p,q…no wonder this sint easy for kids. they ALL look the same in lower case. Writing is not the favorite this week. It wins no prizes for laughter and happiness. We’ve been doing letter copying and that seems to help. That and the magnetic letter tracer , which I love!
Hooray for the Magnatab!


Avery traces the  letters and so does Emily, but I usually give Emily a goal with her letters. Things like spell your name, or spell hat, cat, sat, rat…etc. Thats pretty helpful for her to think through the sounds and break it down. She has her moments when she cant find a letter and she freaks out that it isnt there, even though I just told her AGAIN that ALL the letters are one there and she just needs another second to find it. I am totally buying the uppercase board and the number board too!
We had a Local Home Learners meet and greet yesterday and that was pretty encouraging. It was nice to meet other families who have a little more experience under their belts than say…7 days! I enjoyed it and Im looking forward to that meetup every month. I think it will be a good opportunity for me to get new ideas and just be all around encouraged. Several people brought curriculum to swap, buy, give away and I got some great stuff. I got an Apologia science book for next year, some manipulatives like tanagram and magnetic letters, some early readers,  a writing program for supplementing, and best of all…Math U See for the next 3 years! Such a good find and an amazing lady gave me all the Math U See things for FREE! She just said “It’s your first year, be blessed! I truly am blessed by her kindness and I will totally be blessing in return with any resources I can.
Emily is enjoying her iPad and the different games she is learning with. Im waiting for my itunes card to come from airmiles, so I can go to town with paid apps for her…and me! I took a video of her and she say her favorite thing about homeschool is staying with me ALL day. Makes me feel good about myself, but I sure hope she list something besides that next time someone asks her. Talk about stereotypical homeschooler answer. If you dont know the difference between homeschooler and home schooled, you need to be informed…

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2011/2012 Curriculum!

Posted by on July 13, 2011 2 Comments

Curriculum. Not a new word to me, but usually a boring one. A word like algebra or dental floss. boring words. Not anymore! Curriculum means ideas and a path to follow. It mean creativity and learning to learn. It means all kinds of fun. Im compiling a list of the curriculum Emily and I will be using this year for Kindergarten.

First the 3 R’s, which right away tells you there is a problem with school. Reading, Writing and Math. Thats only one R. Ok lets go with Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Firstly, no one says Arithmetic. No one. And secondly, that starts with an A and writing starts with a W! No wonder we confuse kids. To save confusion and avoid using another boring word like Arithmetic, we’ll call the 3 r’s “core” because it is the core of our learning. We actually have four core subjects! Bible, Reading, Writing, and Math.
Our Core Subjects:

Bible – Our most important. Its super hard to find a bible curriculum that isn’t so Christianesey (its a word…sort of). I really don’t want the girls to thing Jesus or the Bible are boring because they aren’t. So we aren’t going to follow a curriculum in a package for Bible. We are going to do a few different things. Firstly, we are going to follow Raising Arrows Blog idea about being consistant with Bible reading and learning about God. We are going to read the Bible at breakfast time and do our memory work at the table. We are going to start with Emily’s Beginner’s Bible. Then we are going to work on memorizing through Bible verse’s from A to Z. We are also going to order The Memory Bible and do some memory to songs once in a while.  And we are going to focus on one Godly Character Lesson from Kids of Integrity each week.

Reading – My favorite regular subject! I love reading! Emily and Avery love reading too, so I’m pretty excited about this subject. This crosses over a bit because reading is two parts to start with; Being read to and learning to read yourself. We will continue using Reading Eggs Online program, which we’ve been using for a year and love. We are going to read as many books as we can this year, so I imagine the Library will be on our list at least once a week if not more. Emily is really into Geronimo Stilton Books and I have a few lists of classics and great literature we are going to go through. We are also going to be using Reading Roots Program  to teaching beginner reading skills and phonics. We will probably use many things from Progressive Phonics, BOB Books, Early readers and Reading AtoZ as well at different times, but those wont be all the time.

Writing – We will be using Explode the Code as our main workbooks, but I’ve got some great ideas to include to work with sensory things for Emily too. We aren’t using explode the code online, but we might later on. I ordered the Handwriting Without Tears wooden blocks set to make letters and the roll-o-dough set to make letters out of playdough. We will be making letters in shaving cream, rice, flour and using many type of things to write with too. All the normal things like pens and markers, but we will be using sticks and noodles and long and short utensils to make letters and draw with too.

Math – We are going to use Math-U-See‘s program starting at Primer. I love that it is hands-on and you use lots of manipulatives with it too. And we are going to use Singapore Math’s Early Bird Workbook so that we have more than one option for math.


Our Other Subjects:

Languages – We don’t need to start other languages in Kindergarten, but we really want to. Emily loves languages, so now is as good a time as any to start. We are going to do Spanish and American Sign Language. We will start with a beginner Spanish workbook and Signing Time DVD’s.

 

Social Studies – We are going to study a different country every week and use the Window on the World book along with the new Operation World book to learn about different countries and pray for the people there. We will probably start with countries our church has missionaries in and learn more about them. This will tie into our Culinary Class because we will make meals that are specific to different countries too. Sounds yummy already. Thanks for that great idea comes from my super neighbour Ashley! Thanks!

Science – We are going to take it a bit slow with science this year and try to learn practical things. We are going to use the Usborne 100 Science experiments once in a while, but mostly we are going to make observations about nature and how things change.

Music – We are going to continue with Emily’s Music for munchkins class in the fall. She loves to go and she is learning alot. So, she will have homework from that to work on as well and more piano practice this year too.

P.E. – We are going to look into doing a few things this year. Mostly playing outside and riding bikes, but hopefully gymnastics or swimming and soccer in the spring. Im even looking into getting her into cross country skiing if I can. I think she would like it!

Those are the main things! Alot, I know, and there are a few other things too, but those are definitely the main idea. We will learn lots from hanging out with friends, reading clubs, cooking with Mom, playing games and all kinds of other things too, but that is the book work part of our plan for this year!

 

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Methods to our Madness

Posted by on June 4, 2011 4 Comments

One of the things I didn’t know about home learning is that there are many different ways/methods/philosophies that you can teach your child at home. When I first considered home schooling Emily I knew about  schooling at home and unschooling and neither was quite right for us. Then I did my homework and realized there is a method that will work for us!
Some of my info is from SimpleHomeschool which is one of my favorite resources and has already taught me sooo much. I love SimpleMom and SimpleBites. Who knew I would love SimpleHomeschool too?!?!
Heres the breakdown of what I think each of these methods means. By no means is this exhaustively what they mean, but its my idea of how they work.

  1. The Traditional Method – Using textbooks and worksheets and tests and turing old-school schooling into a homebased idea.
  2. Unit Study Method-Picking a subject like fish and then using that subject for every part of the lessons. Counting fish, drawing fish, writing and reading about fish…etc.
  3. Charlotte Mason Method – Uses short lessons and loads of nature study. Lots of literature as opposed to texbooks
  4. Unschooling Method – Student lead exploring and following what the student is interested in. Very relaxed and not the same as non-schooling.
  5. The Classical Method – works through stages rather than ages. The grammer, logic and then rhetoric stages. Major importance on reading and discussing.
  6. Literature Based – Focus on literature to teach everything and that a story helps a child’s mind put more complicated things together.
  7. Workbox Method – Mom puts all the work for the day into a box and the child starts working on it. Self starting, but kind of a method of organization not just a methodology.
  8. Leadership Education Method – Also a stages rather than ages idea that moves around core, love of learning and scholar stages. Tomas Jefferson Education concept.
  9. Eclectic Method – Like the name, a combination of different methods and idea.

Can you guess which method we are going to choose? Here are some of my thoughts. Unschooling is not for us. I dont relax enough to make that work well  and I don’t think I would be ok with letting go of needing to make sure that Emily learned specific things. There is one Curriculum I really like for when Emily is a bit older that is totally Classical Method and two other ones I like that are literature based and unit studies. Yep, you guessed it. We are going with Eclectic Method. We are going to make sure we hit specific subjects and learning outcomes, but we are going to keep it fun and interesting by keeping our node in exciting stories and exploring the world. We are going to learn things Emily wants to learn, but be directing her to the things she needs to learn. We are going to make a HUGE mess and be uber creative with out art, crazy loud with our music and thoroughly enjoy classic stories like the Chronicles of Narnia. It’s going to be soo fun! Kind of makes me miss going to school…not too much, but a little.

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The Decision

Posted by on May 26, 2011 5 Comments

So we’ve had this HUGE decision weighing heavy on us for the last month. Emily is 5 and it’s time to think about school. Having been a Public school kid, I just assumed thats what we’d do. So I enrolled her in French Immersion. But then I started reading a couple of adoption blogs (which seems like the only things I read these days.lol) and several of the parents said things about home schooling that I found interesting. So I did my homework. Im a researcher at heart. I NEED to know all the information I can know about a subject before I make a decision about something. So I started reading and reading and asking everyone about home school. I still have a few people whose brains I need to pick:) Then a couple weeks ago I through a curve ball at Morgan. “Would you think I was crazy if I said I wanted to homeschool?” And I waited for a “Yes”. But then he said that he was supportive of whatever I thought we should do. So then I went back to the drawing board and did more homework. I had one of the most interesting conversaions via Facebook about the whole public school versus homeschool debate. Here are some snippet conversation points different people made”

- “there is the risk of ur kids learning bad habits and also being bullied” – Meru
- “you can home school your kids and keep them in a sheltered environment repressing their social skills and molding them into socially awkward adults.” – Shane
- “They won’t end up socially repressed unless you are a hermit… of which you aren’t!!!” -Tricia
- “I think bullying, repressed social skills and all those things can happen wether your child is home schooled or goes to public school (bullying doesn’t just happen at school). It’s how you, as parents, deal with these situations that will matter in the end.” -Jules
- “Both…I think the social aspect of public school is very important for real world experience.” – Sarah
- “You have to be seriously dedicated to make sure she does the work in the recommended time frame or she’ll fall behind & then it will be very hard for her to catch up again.” – Lana
- “I think a lot of parents blame schools for “changing” their child or having a negative influence on them but the reality is and should be that the majority of responsibility really is in the parent’s hands. Yes your child spends 7 hours a day at school, yet they also spend even more time with their parents. public school is not evil like many make it out to be. I don’t think one is superior to the other, it really is what works best for the family.”-Danielle
-”As far as I can see all the homeschool children I know are wonderful well rounded people…HOMESCHOOL has my vote”-Hiedi
“what a blessing to be able to teach them values that are so important, especially about God and imprinting His eternal words on their hearts. You will never be able to take back the years!”-Jody
“I would be weary of is keeping your kids out of public school for fear of them ‘developing bad habits’ or being around ‘bad kids’ or ‘bullies’. Parents are anxious and worried creatures and the natural tendency is to shelter, i totally get it, but don’t make a decision based on what makes ‘you’ feel better or safer, but make one that’s best for your child.” – Nate
“there are a lot of experiences and activity’s you miss out on when you are in home school”-Cara

I think there were great points for both sides of the discussion , but the ones that stood out to me are these:

“family is critical but no one benefits from a burnt-out parent (and we women never notice ouselves until it is a way too late – so keep a sharp nose out for the smell of smoke). So the question is far larger than the children. Horrible and self centered sounding, I know, the question is you – What is best for you?” -Debbie
“Do what is in your heart. You are the parent and you know your child(ren) ~ do you want the stress of getting them off to school each day, do you want them to widen their horizons by meeting lots of kids, do you want to contend with possible bullying, do you want to meet the status quo ~ think about it. Decide, enjoy.” – Sue
“in the end you know what it is you must do. as always it will be the best choice for your situation.” -Chris

So in the end our discussion is simple the one that works best for our whole family and especially for Emily. We are going to Home School. Emily will be a home learner. For how long? who knows! If it doesn’t work, we’ll change something. I think I’ll have to do a whole other blog about how we came to this decision because there were huge things we had to work through. If you have questiona about why we decided this way, post them and I’ll answer your question!

This is going to be quite the journey for us this year, but I’m truly excited for it and since we told Emily this morning, so is she!


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Hat

Posted by on May 13, 2011 Leave a Comment

Does this hat make me look cute?

or what!?

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Happy Easter!

Posted by on April 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

you’ve heard of a tea cozy? Well this is an egg cozy!

And I didn’t make it. Teacher Karen did! We are feeling the Love!

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Thanks Kyle! (And Auntie Roxy too)

Posted by on April 20, 2011 1 Comment

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Chef Cake

Posted by on April 19, 2011 3 Comments

I love making cakes. It seems it’s become my main for of art over the last few years. I used to paint, take photos, draw, write songs and everything in between, but lately it’s just been cakes. I still take alot of pictures, but rarely for the sake of art. Mostly for the sake of memories.

For Emily’s Birthday I(with some help from Sheymus and Beccas) made her a chef cake!

I started with a devil’s food cake with Butterscotch chip Buttercream

Butterscotch Chip Buttercream (spin-off of a Wilton recipe)
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup  Shortening
1 TB Vanilla
Cream together.Oh how I love my KitchenAid Mixer! Thanks Other Mom!
Add Icing sugar until its like a dough. 3/4 of a bag.
Then at 1TB of milk at a time until it is the consistency you like.
In a food processer chop up 1 Cup Butterscotch chips until they are tiny bits.
Mix them together! Yum!. This works well with any kind of chips.Chocolate, white chocolate, mint chocolate, Reece’s Pieces, but probably not Ketchup Chips…

Then I made some Marshmallow Fondant! Yum. You have to try this fondant because it is so yummy and most fondant tastes aweful! If you can make rice Krispy Squares, you can make fondant!

Marshmallow Fondant
1 Bag Mini Marshmallows in a bowl.
1 TB of water
Microwave 30 seconds then stir. Repete until you have smooth goo. Thats the technical term…
Then add icing sugar until it becomes thick and less sticky. Then I pour it onto a counter with icing sugar on it and work it until it becomes a soft non-sticky dough.

Then it is like play-doh! Roll it out to cover a cake or shape it into fun things to put on top. You can colour it with gel colours. Food colouring wont work very well.

For the Chef Cake I decided to put a table cloth of Fondant on it. So I used the gel colour with a tiny bit of water to make a paint and painted the squares. I really liked how the red because so shiny! Then We used my embossing tools to make a pattern in the corners and coloured that in with black gel colour.

The chef’s hat is cake too! It has fondant over it and gel colour paint to make Emily’s name look like it’s stitched on.

Fondant is so much fun!

 

 

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Emily’s Party

Posted by on April 18, 2011 3 Comments

I have been accused of being a bit extreme when it comes to Party Planning, but I prefer creative. I spend much of my life planning creative things for other peoples kids to do, so I figure its ok to get a bit crazy with my own girlies once in a while. Well, once a year anyways.

For Emily’s 5th Birthday we had a Chef Party.

The kids made Chef Hats and then they each made their own mini pita pizza. Then after lunch they made cookies. I gave them a chunk of cookie dough and they could pick between 6 different ingredient. Emily’s cookie was hilarious because she just grabbed handfuls of ingredients and piled them her cookie. Needless to say, it didn’t cook well.

Then we had cake! And Presents!

It was a truly awesome day! Im still recovering…lol…At least we have a couple weeks until Avery’s birthday.Hmm…I wonder what cake I’ll make for her?????

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