Week 20

So this week we worked with play dough. We made play dough, we played with it and then we learned a valuable Godly lesson from play dough! This has been a great week.

This is some play dough that we got from Chuck E Cheese. This was our standard play dough that we used to compare play doughs that we made. 

This picture shows our first experiment. These ingredients were the ones that we used to cook the play dough. Flour, salt, water, food coloring.

This week we learned about math through measuring our ingredients. Pouring flour.

Pouring oil.

This was our cooked play dough after we heated it up on the stove. It turned into a ball.

Tater playing with the play dough!

We read some words with our play dough!

Tater and Jr Bug playing with our play dough. Long after school was officially finished! Fun times were had!

So the next day we made another batch of playdough. 

This batch of play dough was made using cornstarch, hair conditioner, and food coloring.

Tater measuring the corn starch. More measuring, counting, and science added in.

This is what the play dough looked like before it was mixed together!

Tater and Jr Bug both mixing the play dough up! Stir baby stir!

Tater and Jr Bug playing with the play dough they made.

Since we made play dough with conditioner we used our senses to smell the fragrance of the playdough! Very flowery. Then we compared the smell to the first play dough we made to see the differences. 

Then after we made both play doughs we had a discussion on the differences between the two. How we made each one. How they were the same and how they were different. We talked about how they looked, felt, smelt. 

After we discussed those things, we talked about how God uses our differences. God used this science experience in a supernatural way. In our first experiment we cooked the play dough. In our second we did a non cook method. The difference came in the way the play dough was made. The end result was play dough. But to get the play dough we used different ways. Just like God uses different experiences to get us to Him. The method may be different but the result is the same...we draw closer to God. This lesson is reinforced when we compare our lives to each other. We have different experiences but  God  should always get the Glory. Your story isn't my story, but both stories should honor God. Just like there were differences in making our play dough the end result is that there was play dough.

We are now on our two week break. I will be receiving my service dog and we are taking a much needed respite. When we get back, we will jump right back in. Stay tuned for our next adventures at The Vine Academy!

Do you believe in homeschooling?

The question of the day...Do you believe in homeschooling? Why?

My answer....

When we first started homeschooling we were at a place of survival, fresh starts, and new beginnings. I, after a lot of prayers felt led to homeschool. Did I know what we were going to be doing...NO! Did I know the challenges that I would be facing...NO! Did I know that life would have ups and downs, ins and outs, good and bad days...YES! Would I have continued to do this calling...YES! Because God called me to it. After 2 years of hmeschooling I've watched my family grow closer to God. I've watched us grow closer to each other, to look out for each other, we have become a team. Homeschooling has allowed us to follow God's plan and not our own. With having sickness in our home, we have learned to care for each other. Homeschooling has allowed us to have freedom in schooling, in life and in Christ. Homeschooling gives us the chance to learn that life is not about book work but ministering to others, and being ministers for Christ. Learning how to be receptive to God's moving. Receptive and willingness to be flexible. Yes, homeschooling works, and I believe in it. My family is the proof.

Australia/Week 18

We are in week 18. This week we learned about Australia. We learned that Australia is the smallest continent in the world. We learned about Aborigines, and the animals of Australia. We also touched on boomerangs and how important they were during hunting season. Very short week...fitting for the smallest continent. This was also our last week studying our continents. We studied all 7 continents. And had A LOT of fun learning, singing, and creating different projects that related to each continent. 

Tater showing off the smallest continent. 

We discussed animals that are native to Australia. While studying these animals we classified them into whether they had fur, feathers, or scales. 

We used directional words in labeling and coloring the different cities in Australia.

We had a very short week, but we learned a lot. Next week we will do a review of the continents that we studied. Stay tuned...

Week 19

Hard to believe we are in week 19 of school. It amazes me that time goes by when you are having fun. We are actually in a higher week,  but Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks don't count because we focus our entire lesson on that holiday. 

However, we are in week 19. This week we focused on our review of the 7 continents that we learned over the last 7 weeks. We also learned about opposite words, math, reading, and  frogs. So with this week over here are some of the highlights from this week. 

Tater showing her Europe and Asia worksheets.

We learned about frog this week in science. We learned that the process of tadpoles growing into an adult frog is called metamorphosis. Pretty big word for a kindergartner/first grader.  The change process goes like this: eggs are wrapped in jelly like susbtance - then a tadpole is hatched - the tadpole grows its back legs, its front legs, and its tail gets smaller(in order) - and then the adult frog.

See the smile on this girls' face. She is showing her first book that she read by herself all the way through. Yep by herself. We started her reading with books and stories that interest her. I think her smile tells it all. 

A puzzle that Tater put together showing the never ending cycle of a frogs life. 

A little handwriting practice

This is an example of the work that Tater did learning about words that were opposites. hot-cold, big-little.

Next week we are moving to week 20. This is going to be a fun week. We are going to be working on play dough. I've created an entire lesson plan surrounding play dough. Very excited and LOTS of pictures to come. Stay tuned...

Antarctica

This week in Social Studies we learned about the continent Antarctica. This continent is the coldest continent. We learned about the animals of the Artic!

Tater wrote this sentence ALL BY HERSELF. Her sentence says: The penguin is flying its wings! Way to go baby girl!!!

This is Jr Bugs snow owls nest. The snow owl uses whatever it can find to make its nest. So we did too!! 

Tater's snow owl nest.

The penguin was one of the animals we studied and ate! Chocolate anyone.

Part of Antarctica study...skip counting with caribou!

Christmas

So this Christmas 2012 instead of taking the week off we did an all inclusive unit on Christmas. Why we celebrate Christmas and Who we celebrate during the Christmas season. Here are a few pictures of such. 

Tater working on Christmas Cards. 

Tater showing off her Baby Jesus picture she colored.

Jr Bug coloring his Baby Jesus picture.

Working hard on his Baby Jesus Picture.

The ever important Christmas Tree.  

The story of What Does a Candy Cane mean to me!