Our Hawaiian Unit-- First Update

Last week we had a great time. We began our unit by learning the traditional Hawaiian clothing, and luau clothing (as you can see from their uniforms). We also learned about Hawaiian food, customs, and values.

We decorated our house with different types of fish, and we made an "Endangered Animals of Hawaii" coloring book.

We learned about Hawaiian music and the Ukelele. Emma loves Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. Even Jordan Moline was able to teach my girls some real Hula dance moves.

We studied the geography of the Islands. We ate at Young's Hawaiian BBQ (twice). We went swimming in my mom and dad's pool and let Emma dive for sea creature diving toys (snorkeling practice).

We learned some Hawaiian words, like "humu humu nuku nuku apua'a" --- awesome!!! We found out that both the girls hawaiian names are basically the same: Ema and Maile. My name however is interesting: Palanaki. Dustin's name is Kukine.

Today we studied the Coral Reef and the Humpback Whale. Here are some great links to amazing and entertaining videos we watched, before I let the girls get artistic and creative by coloring their own reefs and sea animals.

Hawaiian Coral Reef

Song of the Humpback Whale

This week we will learn a little about Hawaiian history, including famous Hawaiians, missionary/Christian influence, and Pearl Harbor. We are going to study volcanoes and I even have a little volcano toy that we are going to erupt!!! We are going to learn about Hawaiian agriculture (taro, pineapple, sugar cane, guava, etc.) And we are going to finish the week with a lesson from a very special guest instructor, Dustin Harrison. He will be teaching a lesson called, "Surfing: Yesterday and Today."

I tried to post some pictures I took of their work, but for some reason my photos wouldn't upload. I will ask Dustin later to help me post them.

Our Hawaii Unit

Last week we began school (kinda)

It isn't much like school, but we are learning so much!!!

Because we are going to Hawaii in a couple weeks I decide to start school a little early and do a two week unit study on the Hawaiian Islands.

But they needed new school uniforms . . .

And we needed to decorate the classroom . . .

They had seriously JUST woken up in these pictures. They couldn't even wait to brush their teeth and hair before getting all dressed up!

I will be posting updates on what we are learning.

Graduation

June 17, 2011

Emma Graduated Kindergarten

The Family

Emma and her friend Nicholas

Emma and her diploma

Emma and her friend David

Sophia, Hannah, and Emma

Emma and Rebecca

Hannah and Emma

Emma posing:

Analytical

Silly

She was going for serious . . .

Scholarly

I am so proud of my puppy

Friday School Family

Here are some pictures of our Friday School.

The girls love to sit on the steps an eat their little treats.

Here is Emma's math class

Having fun

Playing jump rope

Emma and Hannah

treats

my girl

Emma's Five in a Row class

on the patio

Miley and her best friend Julianna

Emma's class

I LOVE Friday School

Our church homeschool ministry is such a blessing to our family.

The last days of school

To be honest the last couple months of school last year I was so tired and busy that I never got around to writing about it! But after a few months of rest and relaxation I am ready to show everyone how it ended!

Here is my classroom area, all cluttered up.

Emma has a silly face here (I think she was talking),

but she is holding our little memory verse board.

We finished the year by memorizing Psalm 46

Here is Emma doing her schoolwork, finally finishing her 3rd Explode the Code book

We look ready for summer!

A-Share

"Most of us are tactful enough with other adults not to point out their errors, but not many of us are ready to extend this courtesy (or any other courtesy, for that matter) to children." - Holt

I really like this. I enjoy the sweet mistakes of my children.

When my Emma was still in preschool, they had show and tell every Friday. Each week they had to bring an object that began with a certain letter of the alphabet. For some reason my daughter thought it was called "A share" instead of "share" (and she didn't pronounce it as the article "a" but as the capital letter A).

Each week she would say, "Mom, I need to take something that starts with a __ for A-share this week!"

It was so cute.

My girls call high heel shoes "heel high shoes"

Emma used to call my chapstick "leetstock"

Miley still asks me to "holdge" her and she still calls my hair her "taggies."

Instead of counting how many days until some event, they count how many "naps" until that event. And the naps aren't even real naps; she means how many full night sleeps. Recently we counted how many naps until our talent show.

These are all beautiful examples of things that I don't want to correct, just yet. My children will learn them as they grow. I don't want go around telling them that their pictures don't look just right, that their dance moves aren't perfect, that they sing the words wrong, etc. I want to celebrate that she rolled the bowling ball down the lane, that she kicked the ball somewhere, and that she tries to pull her bed sheets up to her pillow all by herself.

I want to let them just be children.

Twenty and Ten

We finished this book a few weeks back and I just had to post about it.

This book is stunning!

Twenty school children hide ten Jewish children from the Nazis occupying France during World War II.

During the German occupation of France, twenty French children are sent to a refuge in the mountains. When 10 Jewish children are brought to the school, hiding them seems like a game -- until the Nazis arrive, and ten lived depend on the cunning and courage of twenty. An astonishing, beautiful tale based on a true story.