The Book We Got Lost In Today . . .

I just love when we get to the end of the day's scheduled reading, but Emma doesn't know we are "done" and she is so into it that I just throw the teacher's guide to the side and keep reading.

Today was another one of those days.

We are reading My Father's Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

The story is about a little boy that runs away, to Wild Island, so that he can save a flying dragon that is being enslaved by treacherous animals.

Today we were supposed to only read one chapter, but Elmer just got to Wild Island and it was too interesting to stop! We ran into a mouse, two wise wild boars, some turtles, seven man-eating and gum chewing tigers, as well as a tormented rhinoceros who desperately needed a toothbrush to whiten his tusk.

Tomorrow we will meet the lion and the gorilla.

This book is so fun.

Here is the map of this crazy place:

I love how this book has a map! Right now we are about to begin learning about maps. I saved a map of the Fairgrounds from last week, and we are going to make a map of our neighborhood. Having a map of Wild Island makes the story even better!

I think next week, we need to go on a field trip to Disneyland (after hours of course) and make Emma use a map to find the obscure places that we don't frequent.
Then we can have her circle her favorite places on her map.

Our Neighborhood Map Project

Social Studies Standard 4

K.4 Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and describe their characteristics.

1. Determine the relative locations of objects using the terms near/far, left/right, and behind/in front.

2. Distinguish between land and water on maps and globes and locate general areas referenced in historical legends and stories.

3. Identify traffic symbols and map symbols (e.g., those for land, water, roads, cities).

4. Construct maps and models of neighborhoods, incorporating such structures as police and fire stations, airports, banks, hospitals, supermarkets, harbors, schools, homes, places of worship, and transportation lines.

5. Demonstrate familiarity with the school’s layout, environs, and the jobs people do there.

Things we will locate on our map of the neighborhood:

*Our house

*Our grandparents houses

*Our church

*Target

*Panera

*Trader Joe's

*Joghurt

*The Library

*The Police Station and Fire Department

*Dance class

*Our park

New Pictures of the Girls

We haven't taken pictures since last Christmas!

Needless to say, it was time to make a day of pictures and Wetzel's Pretzels.

The girls did such a good job.

Here is my "biscuit" baby Here is my "puppy"

And here they are together.
I am so blessed!!!!

"Diving In" To Our Tsunami Lesson

This morning in science we learned about earthquakes and tsunamis.

Our lesson was so interesting to Emma that we ended up going online and watching videos of real life earthquakes and tsunamis. One of the videos that really interested Emma was one where huge waves of water were gushing out of a swimming pool after the last Baja quake.

She really tripped out on how the shaking of an earthquake affects water so much. So we did some further research (which required an official research outfit--bathing suit and a rash guard). The girls sat in the bathtub with plastic containers full of water, they simulated an earthquake, and they watched how the shaking affected the movement of the water.

Here is a video of Emma explaining the serious effects of a tsunami. At the end you can hear Miley upset. She kind of ruins the video, but oh well; that's life! : )

Emma had fun being a seismologist today!

Our Second Field Trip

We went back to the L.A. County Fair on Friday with Dustin, and we had such a great time.

There are certain aspects of homeschooling that are so wonderful and surprising, aspects that make me thankful every day. For instance, I love the way book knowledge easily transforms into real life hands on knowledge.

Emma has a history book called Living Long Ago that describes how people lived, what they ate, what their houses looked like, and how they dressed a long time ago. We had just finished reading about how people began to spin wool into string and weave their fabrics on a loom.

So then on Friday, Dustin and I walked over by "Heritage Square" and we found some lambs who gladly donated their wool so that my children could watch our lessons come to life.

Emma learned about weaving, and the top 3 rows are her own work.

We also talked about the fancy patterns that were made by skipping rows.

We were able to watch a woman spin wool into thread.And, we were even able to help her, by brushing the wool into thin sheets for the spinning wheel.
After that, we learned how to make rag dolls. It was so easy that I think I might do this with them again at home.

Miley was even able to help make her own doll.

We ran into some friends from our homeschool group too. Their friend Sarah took this picture of them.

Emma has her rag doll and her chocolate milk.

Miley has her new rag doll and her free horse named "Cinderella Horse"

We had to leave right after the rag dolls. But in a way that was a bonus, because it was hot and it was before the food vendors and rides opened, so we saved a LOT of money and didn't get too sunburned.

Our First Field Trip

Our first official field trip was to the L.A. County Fair. We went last Wednesday afternoon with my mom and dad who were both on vacation.

Since the Fair doesn't open until noon, we decided to do our schoolwork first. I saved the History and Science lessons so that my parents can come early and see how it works. The picture below shows my mom teaching the girls about the ancient Greeks.
Here, my dad is teaching the girls about weather patterns.

Good thing we brought our double stroller and jackets. It was a very cold day.

The girls were so excited to finally arrive.

Miley won a turtle which she named "Cinderella Turtle"

Emma and Papa went on the Ferris Wheel. It was her first time ever.

We visited the pigs and watched the mommy pigs feed their babies.Here is one of the mommy pigs.

We learned about Bumble Bees

No Really!

We actually did. We saw how bees made honey and we actually tasted some.
Here is Miley sitting next to the crops eating some honey.

Here the girls are opening their honey sticks and tasting the golden goodness.

The first thing Emma wanted to do was ride the ponies!

Miley was so happy
So was my puppy
We got to meet the real Peter Rabbit
And then we met his cousins

Even though our favorite food vendor "Ten Pound Buns" is no longer there to serve the best garlic buttery cheese bread in the whole world,

it was still a great day.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along came a spider, who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

We did a "Little Miss Muffet" craft using their handprints and eyes.

The beige paper is Emma's and the brown paper is Miley's.

The girls really like the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

as well as our other poetry collection, The Llama Who Had No Pajama

I know I could do this even if I wasn't homeschooling, but I probably wouldn't . . .

Last night, the girls and I came home from dinner and Miley was already asleep in the car. So after I put her to bed, Emma and I sat outside in our adirondack chairs and watched the stars come out. It was a school night. If she was still in school I would have been bathing her, checking her homework, and getting her clothes set out for school--but instead, we sat outside.

I wish I had a picture. Emma was all cuddled up in a blanket and she stared at the sky as we read through the next chapter in The Boxcar Children. Then we talked about weather patterns, how hot air rises, and what causes the wind. We took an empty plastic cup from Panera and talked about how even though it looked empty, it was really full -- of air. We sucked the air out of the cup, watched it crumble, and laughed as it made really (really) funny sounds.

Then we came inside with the cup so we could see what it looked liked in the mirror. We were laughing so hard, and trying not to wake up Miley. We might finish our schoolwork at 11:30 in the morning, but I am beginning to see that real academic learning happens all the time, naturally and hilariously.

Our First Official "Late Start Day" : )

Last night we were very blessed to attend a homeschool family meeting at our church. It is exciting to see how many families are involved. There are so many people that I admire at Chino Valley Christian Academy. I am very thankful to have such sweet friends and their precious children to share this experience with. Emma is also excited because she found out that her friend from church, Nicholas, goes there too. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. I can't wait to start Friday School!

We had eaten a late snack yesterday afternoon, so we had just planned on eating dinner after our meeting, but the meeting ended around 9pm and we hadn't eaten dinner yet! While we were walking to the car, we talked about what we were going to pick up for dinner. And as Dustin put the girls in the car and I stood there, and realized that the seasons are changing. There was a crisp smell in the air that was stirring against my bare arms. I always love the moment each year that I first notice the change in the seasons.

So Emma chose our meal and Dustin picked it up. And we sat around the table last night eating a really late dinner. The girls were so sweet. There was a warmth and glow in the room that had nothing to do with the lights over the table. Even though it was late, it was still peaceful. I didn't feel the stress and pressure of having to get them to bed and ready for school the next day. We decided to let them sleep in and start school a little later in the morning. As we sat there, eating our dinner, smiling and talking, noticing the cool autumn breeze that was blowing outside, I recognized that this was yet another bonus of this new lifestyle of ours.

This morning we all slept in until 7:30am and we still took the time to enjoy our morning. I relaxed with my coffee and my Bible, took my time getting ready, and then at 10am (instead of 8:30) we began our school day by singing our memory verse song. We read about Abram, we did some copywork -- "Pat is flat, Pat is sad, Pat is mad. Nat is a bad cat" and then we drew a picture of the story from Emma's reader.

We also played a new game called "Hound Sounds." It is a card game where you pick 3 blue cards that have the back end of a dog. On the back end you have the ending sound of a word, like "ing" or "am" or "ot." Then you take turns picking the cards that have the front end of the dog, and contain a beginning sound like "ch" or "b" or "fl." The winner is the player who makes the most words. It was fun.

Then after a short break, we studied Science and Literature. In our science lesson we learned about storms (lightening, tornadoes, hurricanes, monsoons, floods, etc). And it was so cool because our Mother Goose reading right afterwards was rhymes about weather conditions, and how to know when a storm is coming. I love how that keeps happening! It seems like everything just goes together. It is also really nice to read the Boxcar Children. I love how the children are responsible, hardworking, and considerate and kind to each other.

Even though we began school an hour and a half later than usual, we still finished before lunch. Usually we finish at about 11:30 and today we finished at noon. It was probably because we only took one break instead of two. I am just letting the girls relax now. I think they are still worn out from having two really busy days in a row.

I better go now. I think they want me to polish their nails so they look pretty at dinner tonight with Grandma, Grandpa, and Miranda.

The End of our First Week

What a treasure it was this week to have school on Friday, Dustin's day off. It was so nice to have him join with us and see our schedule and what we do. Emma was a little shy at first to sing her memory verse song in front of dad, but she loosened up.

We even did our first science project today-- "moving air." I have a video of it, but for some reason it won't upload . . . hmm.

What we did was have a paper race by folding a piece of paper with the edge up, so that as we fan it with a piece of cardboard it will lift up and take off. We decorated our papers and then we raced them. It was fun. Emma cheated, and she just HAD to win each time. Miley was cool with that, "I win too!" LOL.

Here is a picture of our "paper racers":



Another really neat thing that I am loving is the Calvary Chapel Curriculum website (Sonlight sent it to me). I don't know if anyone is interested. You can get coloring sheets for all the Bible stories. Here is a picture of the coloring sheet we used the day we read about Cain and Abel.

Day Two

I am tired!!! But we had another great day today. Same thing as yesterday, well new stuff (same schedule).

Today during science we learned about night and day--how it is dark here when it is daytime on the other side of the planet. We closed the blinds and made the house dark, then Emma was the sun. She held a flashlight and pointed it at our globe. I showed her how the earth spins around, and how as the sun shines and we spin we have night and day. I don't know if I am making sense right now. I am sleepy. LOL -- but it WAS cool. She is happy anytime she has a flashlight!!!

Another great thing that happened today is when we were cuddling and reading The Boxcar Children (her first chapter book) we came to the end of chapter 3, where the two sisters are in the boxcar alone with their little brother and they hear something out in the woods making a cracking sound on the ground. It was a "What could it be?!?!" type cliffhanger. And BOY did it get Emma! She was almost angry that she had to wait for tomorrow to find out. It made me giggle because she is really into it.

She doesn't like her phonics workbook pages as much (Explode the Code) because it reminds her of her homework from last year in Jr. K. It was like pulling teeth to get her to do her homework. She hates writing words. But, I am not upset; she would hate that stuff even if she was in school. So either way I would have to deal with trying to motivate her. Whether she was bringing it home as homework, or doing it early and getting it out of the way so we can play. I just motivate her by telling her when she is finished and her work is neatly done, she can have a snack and take a break.

Everything else is very enjoyable for her. She loves the Bible, she LOVES her science book, she is asking me to read her all the pages that we are supposed to do later!!!

Other highlights from our day:

• We went out back and spent 20 minutes hanging out with a snail. We picked it up. We watched it. We talked to it. We moved it. Twice. Then we came in and did our history. The book said that ancient people used to eat snails. That sure made her laugh and make funny faces!!!
• We went to the tot-lot at church for an hour and a half to play. I threw her off the "ship" and into the eel infested water.
• We celebrated the first night of Rosh Hashanah when the sun went down. Unfortunately Dustin was at church, and then poor Miley fell asleep. So this year it was just Emma and I. We lit a candle, read from 2 Thessalonians, dipped apples in honey, ate challah bread, and sang worship songs (Leeland "Thief in the Night"). Maybe next year we will be all together.

It was another good day.

We are done : )

It is 11:20 and I am already done!!!! We did Bible, Language Arts and Reading, History, Science, our Read Alouds. We had two breaks (and two snacks). And now we are getting ready for lunch.

Next week I will add in the math, and the copywork (she hates copywork). But for now, we are doing great.

I have to say. I love Sonlight. It seems like we are doing so much, but it is so short and right at her level. We had the best discussion today about dinosaurs and creation. I even added in a book by Ken Ham Dinosaurs that tells the story from a scientific, yet Biblical point of view. She loved it. Then the girls went outside and pretended they were dinosaurs. Emma was a velociraptor, and Miley was a baby T-rex.

Then they cuddled on the couch with their stuffed animals and blankets for the Boxcar children. Emma asked a lot of questions and they both really liked the story. We spent a lot of time learning the character's names. "Henry and Jesse are the oldest. Violet and Benny are the youngest."

Miley did everything with us. I just had her color while her sister did her readers and her Explode the Code pages.

Now I am going to take them out to get a special lunch, then we can play or relax. I have something for them to color later if they want to. And a two quick science questions and if she wants to do a short copywork sentence we can work on that later.

I think we will make pineapple cupcakes this afternoon : P

Our First Morning : )

Okay, it is "recess" right now or our first break. So I wanted to take a second and upload some pictures of how things are going so far.

Well, here are the girls working. Emma is working on her Explode the Code book and Miley is coloring. Well, Miley is trying to help.
Emma took this picture of Miley and I after our Bible reading.
We also sang a memory verse song for Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."
Emma wanted to pretend this rabbit was our class pet.
And here are some of Miley's pets.

Syrup : )

Waffles (whole grain organic)

Dustin praying with the girls for our day.

My mom is so sweet, she dropped off some balloons for the girls before she went to work. She also brought two bright shiny apples, for the girls to give to their new teacher.

Emma's first day of homeschool outfit:

a new soft cotton tank top and new "prayer(yoga)pants"

The bell is ringing, recess is over . . .

Up next we have a book about creation, a Ken Ham book about Dinosaurs, and some science : )

Please keep us in prayer if you see this!!!

Okay, I Took Some Pictures tonight

So this is the peace that God brough to our home after bath time and ice cream. We had so much fun hanging out together before Bible and Bed. Here is my kitchen and dining room. I did get a white board easel because

I am too much of a teacher (I HAD to!!!)

Some Great Things About My Classroom:

• It has a refrigerator that is fully stocked with snacks
• It has a coffee pot
• It has couches
• It is "teched-out" with laptops, widescreen TV, stereo
• We have easels in the garage for art projects
• It doesn't smell like football players
• No one will be using foul language tomorrow!
• The class clown will be absolutely adorable

These are the books we will be using tomorrow.

We begin in Genesis, we sing Romans 3:23. We are also studying

DINOSAURS, the creation story, and the earth.

We will also spend a little bit of time working on phonics, reading.

Our read aloud book is The Boxcar Children (it looks good).

We are also going to the park after lunch. But I can't tell them that.

This is my cupboard. You can see my flash cards, my math u see blocks and all our wonderful books : )



The girls posing next to their stuff.


Family Picture
(Dustin looks sooooo happy, hehehe)


"Homeschool Families are Weird"

I will post more pictures tomorrow