Field Trip to Children's Play

A nearby "dinner theatre" performs plays based on children's literature. We've been attending these school field trips for several years now. Since we aren't allowed to take pictures during the performances, I don't think I've ever posted much about them. We try to attend at least two every school year and sometimes more. The kids love to see how a book can come to life on stage. The plays also incorporate a lot of songs and dance numbers. This has been a great way to include the performing arts into our curriculum and have fun, too. The most recent performance was base on the book, Alexander Who is Not (I Mean It, Do You Hear Me?) Going to Move. The play was entitled "Alexander Who is Not, Not, Not, Not, Not, Not, going to Move".

Some of the other books we've seen brought to life include Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Winnie the Pooh ,and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

The kids did very well this time waiting patiently with some of their friends. These pictures were taken before the show started. You can see the theatre in the round behind M.

Cross Country 2010 Season

The kids enjoyed participating in cross country again this year. Their coach, Mr. Robertson, is so good with all the kids. These first few shots are of M and T during a practice runs at Mr. Robertson's farm.

This one was taken at the last cross country meet with two of M's friends. You wouldn't know it from the picture, but all of the girls are the same age. M is just a bit on the small side for her age.

T is receiving his award from Mr. Robertson for being "King of the Frozen Vegetables". It was sort of an inside joke. After every practice they were asked if they'd like some frozen vegetables, which was code for a frozen popsicles. Mr. Robertson said that he liked his "frozen vegetables" so much that he was willing to run for them.

M received an award for "Soar like an eagle". This award was a result of a conversation M and I had after one of the practices. I asked if she liked to run and she said yes. When I asked her why she said, "Because it is the closest thing to flying on this earth. I'd really like to fly someday." She also liked to leap or soar over the hills in the back part of the coarse at practice. She was very happy and surprised to receive this award.

Team picture for 2010 cross country season.

Phonics Fun and the Letter "P"

B has been so excited about learning her letters and phonetic sounds using a program called Frontline Phonics. This is a secular program that I've used with all of my older kids (three successful readers thus far). I started using this program 6 years ago when M was 4 yrs. old. I love almost everything about it (the exception is the "W" flashcard which has a witch). Their approach to teaching is varied in its methods and has many different itegrated items to help teach the lesson of the day. Frontline Phonics uses:

* a catchy (yet annoying) alphabet song teaches the phonetic pronunciation

*a song for each letter sound

* flash cards and pictures visually remind them as they sing the song

* characters picture each sound and are given as rewards cards

* a story uses the letter sound repeatedly and is about the character

*student workbook focuses on initial sound distinction and letter writing practice

*activity booklet gives additional exercises and hands-on experiences for reinforcing the sound

*beginning reader books that progress along with the lessons

*student starts blending and "reading" words after learning 5-6 letters BECAUSE THEY DON'T LEARN THE LETTERS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

I try to supplement a little with my own activities to reinforce the lesson, but the activity booklet has some great ideas you can implement. Whenever possible we do a snack related to the letter of the day. Using as many of your senses as possible to remember something, helps my kids. This picture shows our "P" snacks for that day (Picante sauce with chips, Pretzels, Peanuts, and Popcorn). The older kids are more than happy to help teach the new reader when they get to share in the snack, too.

The workbook is supposed to be consumable, but I like to reuse many of the simpler consumable workbooks for the lower grades. I place a clear, flat, plastic sheet over the page and then have the student use a dry erase marker or an overhead projector marker to do their work. Once they are done, they erase it and the page is good as new ready for the next student to use it. When you have 6 kids on a tight budget, you have to reuse what you can.

Frontline Phonics is a secular program, so I very quickly start to suppliment it with wholesome Catholic early readers. Seton's Faith and Freedom series is fabulous for this, as well as, Catholic Heritage Curriculum's Little Stories for Little Folks readers. Basically, when I am done teaching my kids to read, they've gone through three different early reading programs. Each program has its strengths and weaknesses. I figure this way, I've hopefully filled in the gaps that any one program alone might have. Happy reading.

First Day of School 2010

School officially started back up at the Copper Corral on August 16th. Though we have four of the kids in school this year (grades 5, 3, 1, and Pre-K), I only have desks for the oldest three. B does most of her work at a table or the kitchen table. (I'll be posting picture of her pre-school activities soon).

I have tried to get a little more organized this school year with a schedule, individualized lesson plans for M and T, and a list of books to be read aloud. We've been able to stick to our schedule pretty well. I pray that we will be able to keep going despite the inevitable set backs and interruption that will be headed our way.

Just this week I had two unexpected meetings that took the majority of my time on Wednesday and little school work was able to get done. However, because I was more organized we were able to plan ahead and do most of Wednesday's work on Tuesday and Thursday. Surprisingly, we've even been able to attend daily Mass Tuesday through Friday. I always had a rough schedule in my head over the past few years of doing school, but the written one for all to see has really helped the kids to know what to expect and when to expect it.

Geology Field Trip

As I stated in my earlier post, the topic for this month's Science Club is geology. The follow-up field trip was to a man-made cavern under the city of Louisville called the Mega Caverns. M, T, C, Eli, and I went to the caverns. It was a very interesting trip. We learned about mining techniques, cave formations, Kentucky limestone, and the importance of this cavern during the Cold War. The cavern is used for numerous things. Some uses are for storage of vehicles, Louisville's road salt, old films for some of the big Hollywood movie studios, food supplies, warehouses, etc. To learn more about this fascinating cavern check out their website. http://www.louisvillemegacavern.com/

Grandpa's Visit and Science Club

R's final celebration of her Birthday was this past Sunday when Grandpa came to visit. He brought her a Fisher Price Little People house. She was thrilled. We were playing with it again tonight. I think that for the money the Little People play sets are the best!

Today we had our science club meeting. The theme for this past month was Engineering. Daddy took charge of helping the kids with these experiments since he is an engineer by profession. T chose to do civil engineering while M chose chemical engineering. T tested the structural integrity of bridges while M worked on coming up with the best glue made from just vinegar, corn syrup, corn starch, and water. The both did a great job! They presented their findings to their groups today. Here are some of the pictures that Daddy took while they were working on their projects.

This month we are talking about Chemistry. The science club meeting was divided into groups and stations. They rotated and did all sorts of different experiments. Here are some of the things they did today. The kids made a "lava lamp" out of oil and water that was dyed dark blue using a water bottle. Using a microwave, they experimented on what soap would do when heated and also the difference between Ivory soap and other brands. (Try that one at home, it is really cool.) They made a "fizzy" orange juice by putting baking soda in it. There were more stations than that, but I was stuck in the back room watching little kids, so I'm not sure what else went on out there. All I know is that the kids had a great time and are excited to start on their chemistry projects. Mission accomplished in my mind.

Here are the links that were sent out by our science club:

CHEMISTRY RESOURCES:
http://www.twinkiesproject.com/ (Fun stuff done with Twinkies)
http://www.plasmas.com/ (Information about the most common form of matter)
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/ (Super website for all types of science experiments with videos)
Other Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZfHn1YJVGk&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXDOYFuP9rk&feature=channelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzsvR3vH2Oo&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=608OIFWYnto
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/elephants-toothpaste (Elephant Toothpaste)
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000035 (Lava Lamp)
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000053 (Ivory Soap Soufflé)
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000064 (Baby Diaper Dissection)
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/dancing-raisins-the-bubble-lifter (Dancing Raisins)
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/a/aa020404a.htm (Baggie Ice Cream - this is fun and tastes good!)
http://www.sunkist.com/kids/experiments (Experiments with citrus)

School "Officially" Starts

Though we've been doing all sorts of educational field trips and reading up on lots of interesting topics over the summer, school officially started for us on August 10th. Our oldest is on a Jan. to Dec. school year schedule, so she is 3/4 th of the way through her 4th grade curriculum. The other kids, however are on an August to May schedule. Our son is starting 3rd grade Seton and our five-year-old daughter is starting 1st grade with a variety of things from Catholic Heritage Curriculum, Seton, and even some materials from the Dollar Store. Of course the other two little girls, 3 yrs. old and 21 months, are doing some educational activities, but these are mostly read-alouds and creative play. Our oldest daughter has also been doing some singing and games with them once she has finished her school work. This has really made her feel "all-grown-up" and very useful.

This year we joined a local Christian science club. The first class was on Zoology and the two oldest dissected an owl pellet. It went much better than I expected. They really enjoyed the project and learned a lot. The club meets once a month to do a project/experiment and then follows it up with an educational field trip or activities. At the following club meeting the kids will present a science project or report on that months topic. So since this month is on Zoology, the kids have chosen a favorite animal to research. Dear daughter picked elephants and dear son picked penguins. We went to the library to check out books and they are beginning their research tomorrow. One of the main goals for this science club is to gain experience researching, observing, public speaking, doing experiments, and learning how to use the scientific method. I will try to keep everyone updated on our progress.

Squire Boone Caverns Trip and "World on the Square"

Dear Hubby and the kids took a tour of the Squire Boone Caverns last Saturday. The kids earned a free tour of the caverns from the county library summer reading program. The older four took the tour while our toddler stayed with me and toured the pioneer village.
Wouldn't you know it, the day we decide to do these outside activities it gets in the 90's and yet it never hit 90 throughout all of July. While they stayed a constant 54 degrees under the ground, I couldn't help but sweat profusely in the heat of the midday sun. We were able to see the soap making shack, candle dipping cottage, rock mining shop, and the classroom. We didn't visit the grist mill, but we had just seen another gristmill at Spring Mill State Park the prior week while camping.


After our visit to the caverns, we went to a festival on the town square nearby to experience the "World on the Square". It was basically a collection of booths that displayed items from different countries. The kids were given a "passport" with questions in it. You went from booth to booth asking questions of the people from that country and getting your passport stamped if you found the answer. Once you filled your passport you received a prize. Afterward, we were able to sample some different foods from around the world. They had some different type of sodas for sale that you could sample, so we bought two and tried those as well. I'd never had Guava flavored pop before. It was pretty good. All in all the kids really enjoyed themselves. Dear hubby and I, not so much. But, hey, let's face it. As parents, it is rarely about us anymore.

Free Worksheet Pages

I discovered a really great website for some free pre-school through 5th grade activity/worksheets. I would advise you to check them out. I really like the math worksheets for the little kids. I've mostly used the Pre-school and Kindergarten materials, but was checking out some of the older kids materials and they look like something I just might use to supplement our English and Science. Happy hunting!

www.tlsbooks.com

Renewal of Baptismal Promises / Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

This morning after Mass, the kids and I renewed our Baptismal promises and reconsecrated ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We discussed how we are both body and soul and that God has given us the power to choose good or evil. I spoke to them about intelligence and making good choices, about our intuition, imaginations, and will power. We discussed how through God's grace, God works within us, and He lives in our soul. (The Seton 4th grade religion book has a wonderful little explanation of these things and more in anticipation of doing one of these reconsecration ceremonies.)

After renewing our Baptismal promises, the kids prayed the following prayer taken from Seton's 4th grade religion book.

"Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus, I want to belong to You from now on. with Your help, I want to be free from the darkness of sin and Satan's rule. I want to enter into Your Kingdom. With the help of Your grace, I turn away from all wrongdoing. I ask Your forgiveness for all the sins I have committed. I offer my life to You. I adore You above all things, and I promise to obey You as my Lord and my God."

When finished, the kids each presented a red rose to Our Blessed Mother, Mary, and asked her to intercede for us and take our prayers to Jesus. For some of the kids this was a real sacrifice. One in particular had grown rather fond of her rose and did not want to give it away. I reminded her of the sacrifices we all have to make for love of others. I told her that the more we like/love something the harder it is to give it up, but all the more it means to Jesus. She thought for a moment, frowned, then smiled, and promptly gave it to Mary. On our way out the kids wanted to do a little procession and song in front of the outdoor Marian grotto. So we stopped there and sang "Immaculate Mary".

Later today, while the kids are playing outside for recess, I am going to make them each a certificate commemorating this joyful occasion of there rededication to God. I think we will start doing this once a year. It was a great reminder to them of what we are called to do and be as Catholic Christians.

Home Schooling Questions Answered, or at Least Some...

I've been asked a lot over the past two months about home schooling. There seems to be an increased interest in home education, and for good reason. Here are the two websites I would like to recommend:

www.setonbooks.com/ and www.chcweb.com/

I have used both of these programs. The Catholic Heritage Curriculum is great for little kids. It is a much more "real books" approach to teaching your little ones. They help by giving you a topic, say mammals, and then you check out library books on that topic. You read a lot of children's books and do plenty of hands on activities. Their whole Social Studies program is focused on character development the first few years. I used the CHC curriculum for Kindergarten, first, and second grade with my oldest two children. I especially like their sacramental prep that they have for second graders preparing for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. (This prep is in their lesson plans).

We switched to Seton about a year ago. My oldest is finishing up third grade, and my second oldest started his second grade year in August (he's only six, but was ready). He really likes it and says his favorite subject is phonics. The books are loaded with Catholic art, stories of the saints, and virtues. I really like that nearly every textbook teaches them something about the Catholic Faith. This is how Catholic schools use to teach. Unfortunately, I don't see that in our local parish school. I should know I use to teach there!

I am not trying to bash the local Catholic school. In most cases, it is a better option than sending a child to a public school. Not everyone can home school. I understand that. However, today's curriculum providers make it so much easier than it use to be. Many of them provide daily lesson plans that nearly anyone can follow. You don't need to be a professional teacher to understand and use the lesson plans.

I guess my advice to those who have asked about home schooling, is to pray about it. While you are praying about it, do your home work. Research the topic of Catholic home schooling. You might consider reading a book about Catholic home schooling. One such book is Catholic Home Schooling, A Handbook for Parents by Mary Kay Clark. There is another good one by Kimberely Hahn, I have loaned it out to someone, and I can't remember the title.

Search through the Catholic home school curriculum websites. Look at a home schooling families curriculum. See if there is a local support group near you. Attend a group function. The home school group I belong to does an activity just about every First Friday. You may want to attend a home schooling conference near you. The web is the best place to do this research.

Even if you decide not to home school your children, that doesn't mean you can't supplement their religious education with these great books. Reading to your children is one of the best things you can do with them at a young age. A little each night goes a long way. I HIGHLY recommend the St. Joseph books, especially those written by Father Lovasik. They are all EXCELLENT!!!

Home schooling is not easy, but I know my children are worth it. I also think about how Mary home educated Jesus. It often gives me the reassurance I need to keep going on those tough days. If it was good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for my kids.