Castle Construction

I haven't posted much about it so far, but E13 has been using WinterPromise Quest for the Middle Ages this year. We have finally seen the end of the Roman Empire and have really begun the Middle Ages portion of the curriculum. We've found that we've had to modify some of the projects for various reasons, but we are moving along. Recently, we have been discussing how and why castles were made. So, E13 has been working on a castle model.

This is an Usborne paper castle kit- I'm letting him do it all on his own and if something goes wrong I have a few spare kits. Not sure where I picked some up, but they are in our collection.

The gate house with the drawbridge and portcullis

E13 loves all the reading that goes with this program. We have selections for read alouds as well as sections of various books along the way. It's following Mystery of History Volume 2. We do a lot of reading aloud, along with reading on his own plus written assignments, projects and a timeline. This has been a great study for transitioning from a unit study approach to a more traditional schooling approach. As much as we are enjoying the curriculum, I think most of its value is in the reading schedule with the resources it pulls together. It has inspired me to continue to put together my own materials for even high school courses. I will share some of the other work that E13 has done with WinterPromise. It's been really nice to have that independent study list for him as well as reading and working together on chronological history of the Middle Ages.

Contest Winner!

The winner of Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners is Shirley!

Please email me within two days using the Contact Me in my right hand sidebar and I'll get that right out to you. If I don't hear from our winner by then, we'll choose another.

Thank you for participating!

Contraptions...

Is it any wonder my house looks like a major project is going on? Everywhere. All the time. This is what I'm up against...

This run made possible by the purchase of two marble runs from Discount School Supply.

I'm certain that one day too soon my house will be neat as a pin and I'll wonder where all the messes went. For now...just near my feet in another room upstairs from that one is a pile of Snap Circuits and a half built circuit with an instruction booklet open to just the right page.

That table with the doll house light project is still up and full of items waiting for further inspiration...

And the table in front of me is stacked high with the best loved books. Actually, there are stacks of well loved books everywhere.

Maybe I need to be more mindful about having the children put their messes away. But I prefer to think of our home as a print rich environment with just the right equipment to invite questioning and to inspire investigation. Everywhere. All the time.

Review: Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners & a Give Away

A few months ago Cindy West asked if I would review her new book, Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners. I gratefully accepted the offer to look it over and I'm so glad I did!

Cindy has done a terrific job of lining up resources for homeschooling parents to equip them for working effectively with their gifted kids. The book peaked my curiosity because meeting a gifted learner where he was is the reason we began homeschooling in the first place. It's the reason we began and it's the reason we continue to press on in this endeavor.

There are chapters on just starting out with homeschooling all the way to how to work with individual learners in your home. The chapter on "Teaching All Learners" details out the signs of giftedness for each subject area as well as how to recognize and work with those who struggle in a particular area.

The book covers working with your children's passions and preparing for college. Cindy gives us ideas on how to use technology with a gifted child and for each chapter there are multiple "Real Life Examples" to go with the points she is making. Through out the book, she lists out book and website resources for parents to use for more information specific to a topic of interest within the chapter.

This is an excellent homeschool resource for beginners and seasoned homeschoolers alike and works with children who are exceptional by any definition.

I'm excited to say that Cindy has graciously given me a copy to share with an interested Blog, She Wrote reader. Leave a comment to enter the drawing. Leave two if you are a follower. If you aren't a follower already, feel free to let me know you signed up and leave a second comment. The contest will close Monday, January 23rd at midnight EST. Good luck!

Geometry and Measurement

Still following the path of individualized math learning using Math on the Level (and other resources like Life of Fred), we have begun a unit on Geometry and Measurement. The first day we had some fun with shapes using pattern blocks and tangrams.

The kids could choose a blank pattern or one with the shapes outlined.

R11 tried out some Tangram cards- these are difficult!

Not surprisingly, things turn to free play and elaborate pretend games begin. Do you see the elegant table with chairs all around? R11 and J6 were entertaining kings and queens!

Another good use of trays- there in the background more free shape play for J6- after he completed the pattern page underneath.

This time around we are hitting lines, rays, angles, etc and tomorrow we'll be using a protractor to measure and draw angles. Today I had the kids make a notebook page on some of the math terms we've been reading about and using this week. Stay tuned for the results on that. This set of goals is on R11's list of geometry objectives in my planner.

The Meter

The boy with the brain that never turns off (aka J6) asked for a multi-meter this Christmas. You may remember it was featured in the doll house light post. He has enjoyed it immensely and for those who are worried, he is strictly forbidden from certain uses that shall remain nameless. He can use it with his Snap Circuits and to test batteries (now that he has learned the proper procedure for that).

This battery is dead...not worth recharging.

We can charge this one- it lives!

All in an effort, by the way, to replace the batteries in his Nerf weapon. These are important things in life.

What sort of engineer will J6 be? Right now he is thinking the triple threat- chemical, electrical, and most definitely mechanical.

Fun Little Book...

Tsh Oxenreider's book Organized Simplicity is free today for the Kindle (and rumor has it for the Nook as well). Great book with some great ideas for organizing. I've implemented some things but not all of them. I'm about to look over some of it again as we think about hoeing out our basement. I grabbed up the Kindle version even though I own the bound book. I mean...you never know.

If you've never seen Tsh's website, go on over to Simple Mom and check it out. You might also enjoy One Bite at a Time which breaks her ideas down into 52 projects.

Do I have a Kindle? Nope...but I am the proud owner of a Droid Bionic (my birthday present back a few months ago) and I have the sweet Kindle app for it. R11 bought a Kindle this fall with some money she's been saving. She wrote the best persuasive piece on why Dan should let her have it and he declined (as in she was asking for it for Christmas), but he did allow her to buy it herself (and in turn we added to her American Girl doll collection this holiday which is what she she had been saving for since last Christmas). She's had it since just before Thanksgiving and she adores it! It's been fun to have around and very fun to see her enjoy. She's gotten a few gift books and she has loads of free classics on there.

This makes me think it might be fun to do a "What's on My Reading Shelf" post. Stay tuned and in the meantime, grab up that free book!

Bird Habitat on the Homefront

I've mentioned before that we are part of the Connecting Kids through Birds program sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It's an 11 lesson program all about birds using Wiki Pages to get information and share information with other classrooms using the program. The social aspect is somewhat appealing, but not as fun for us as just doing the lessons and learning about the lives of birds. We need to update our Wiki Page with pictures of our habitat and possibly these maps. In order to complete the program, I need to complete five more of the 11 lessons. We are making steady progress.

R11 added some nice detail- including naming all the different plants we have. I love the extra room she gave our deck- if only!

J6 working on his habitat map

I9's map

Not bad for a first grader's map!

I usually leave time for Nature Study on Fridays and I hope to explore another lesson tomorrow. Our topic will be Obstacles to Migration. We're going to play a fun game to illustrate just how hard it is for birds to have a safe and successful migration. I'm also hoping to combine some bird migration maps with Google Earth and do some calculating of percentages of birds who are successful each year.

In case you haven't seen some of the resources supported by the Lab of Ornithology, here are a few to enjoy:

All About Birds

Bird Sleuth- some resources and curriculum for homeschoolers to purchase

What Bird.com

eBird- let's you record bird sitings year round

Birds are pretty easy to observe and track year round. As part of our Bird Habitat study, I think I will encourage the kids to grow some plants next spring which will attract some species of birds. The study we are a part of suggests it and I was reading a lovely magazine today called Birds and Blooms. It gave me some great ideas on where to start and gave me a clue as to why the birds love our Blue Spruce tree in the front yard.

How many of you are birders?

Algebra I Progress

E13 has been working on Algebra I this year. We started with Saxon Algebra I (a free item on a table at co-op one week) late last school year and started up again in August. Although he was a good sport about doing 30 problems every day (writing out the whole problem) with Saxon, we have switched to using Fred primarily at this point. I was inserting Fred Beginning Algebra lessons in among the Saxon lessons a couple times a week just to change things up for E13 and to provide a different avenue for learning and remembering.

E13 does one or two Fred Companion lessons per day depending on the number of problems assigned.

When is the last time you saw our workboxes? Now the top two shelves no longer have boxes. I couldn't take it anymore- they were just not accommodating for notebooks. The binders lay flat on the top and second shelf and there are boxes for now on the bottom two. They hold projects and things- smaller items. What became of those boxes and their lids? Let's just say I was in charge of Operation Christmas Child at my church and children in 3rd world countries are now enjoying them. Win/win. No guilt...it turns out that workboxes are way to "school at home" for this borderline unschooling girl.

A look at the inside of E13's math journal

The Home Companion breaks the Beginning Algebra text into daily lessons. I highly recommend it if you are using Fred! In the last several lessons, he's been learning how to solve two variable equations with elimination and without.

Another favorite resource for him and R11- I sometimes pull out activities from here. Lots of algebraic reasoning in this book.

Last month, they played an interesting number game and we tested out a few theories at the book's suggestion.

It was the game of Euclid which Dan is still trying to figure out why they think it's a game! The kids thought it was fun. I'm pretty sure that is what counts!

Great news for Fred Beginning Algebra fans! Dr. Stan has just come out with a book on a Zillion Practice Problems for Beginning Algebra. I can't wait to get my copy as we continue on our Algebra journey with Fred!

For the Young Engineer...

J6 received an Erector Set for Christmas. He's been building away...

This first helicopter was made by looking at the picture...not so much the directions. Who needs those?

Can I just say I love trays? I have these from Discount School Supply.

It took him a day or so to get used to working with the pieces, but he's comfortable with it now and loves to build contraptions- with or without directions. He takes a little time to tinker each day.

Sewing Kit for a Boy

I9 has been sewing so much lately that for Christmas we outfitted him with his own sewing kit. He thanked us and so did his sister! What does a boy find in a sewing kit?

One of the "musts" is a set of fabric markers. We added thread, pins, needles, and some small scissors.

R11 made him an angry birds pin cushion.

She also made him a needle book.

He LOVED the fabric markers. He used to borrow R's all the time. She is also happy he has his own.

Also included in the kit was a $10 gift card to JoAnn Fabrics. I thought he might go for fabric, but he really wanted a pair of fabric scissors. I stopped short of buying them since the kit was hedging on spendy (I opted out of full boxed kits as they are generally girly in theme), but he was really focused on getting himself a pair. I waited for the current JoAnn's flyer to arrive and then we purchased them. We bought the Gingher Feather Weights which are really nice for smaller hands. R11 has the same pair. He's a leftie so we had to be careful they could accommodate him. He also decided to get a tape measure while we were there- opting to spend some of his other Christmas money to be able to get it. Now he thinks he's all set! Stay tuned for more boy sewing adventures!

Stopping By the Woods...

...on a Snowy Evening. I decided a good way to get back in the groove of school would be to do a short row designed for review weeks. So, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening was a good fit. We've had a bit of snow this week so we got to enjoy some time outside and we even spotted some tracks in the snow.

This illustrated Robert Frost poem is in volume 1 of FIAR.

J6 matched some tracks with their animal using a tracking book E13 made for his brothers last year.

E13 (then 12) made this book using an animal tracks website. He formatted the pictures with their explanations into a square shape and we printed and laminated them. They are bound by a ring. This four inch square shape is perfect for taking into the field.

It's missing a few animals like rabbits, but using this trail guide you can keep track of beetles in the dirt!

Here are some copywork samples. These are from the poem itself. J6 wants to know when I'm going to ditch copywork and let him type on the computer for all his writing. He's funny.

While enjoying this FIAR title, we've also gotten out some old favorites and some new library books.

• Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick
• First Snow in the Woods by Carl R Sams II & Jean Stoick
• In the Snow: Who's Been Here? Lindsay Barrett George
• Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft & Richard G. VanGelder
• Under the Snow? by Melissa Stewart
• North Country Night by San Souci

We've been discussing what the animals are doing in the winter season and a little bit about poems. R11 loves Shel Silverstein so we are not unfamiliar with the genre. We did talk about rhyming which is always a fun topic for young kids.

On to a new book next week!

Model Wright Flyer

I9 did a Beyond FIAR unit on Neil Armstrong in the fall and ever since then he has been enjoying all things flight. I suppose I should blog about that unit...I'll see what I can gather. It was a lot of exploring and projects with a lot of reading and not a lot in the way of formal lessons and assignments. He did a lot of journal writing as well. For Christmas we purchased a lot of fun flight oriented items such as a model rocket (Dan has been dying to do this with the kids for years now) and this model of the Wright Brothers flyer. I found it at Rainbow Resource and it turned out to be a really great build. The plus is that it actually flies!

Dan and I9 built it together one afternoon over the Christmas break. Dan is pretty picky when it comes to models, but thankfully the model held up to his engineering standards and they had a nice time!

From his sewing kit, I9 used black thread and they put on the wires that make the wing more stable. Pretty authentic, huh?

It's been flown a few times, but still needs some tweaking. We finally have some snow on the ground (we are 13 inches down so far this season) and I'm not sure when we'll fly it again. However, it's still winter break on campus. What do you say Dan?

Wiring for the Doll House

R11 has been reading some sewing and craft blogs lately. In fact, unless there is a compelling Wii game to play, this is how she spends her screen time. Recently, she decided she wants to make a lamp for her doll house. Dan helped her with supplies. They purchased two LED bulbs and they went to work. She didn't want a store bought switch- she wanted to make her own. Have you seen her latest doll house exploits? She's been adding a ton of things and recently I helped her to clean her creative space and founds a lot more she's made- like snow shovels and cups and plates. Amazing!

This one is a little table which will have a lamp on top.

Another lamp- notice the underside of the shade is foil- so they LED will reflect the light down.

She made the switches with brads and she's had trouble with the circuit. Enter J6's new Christmas mult-meter. They tested the batteries and sure enough...one was bad.

This goes right along with our study of Thomas Edison right now. I'll update when the lamps are in place. Oh yes...did I mention J6 asked for a multi-meter for Christmas? More on this and his constantly moving brain soon.

Look at That Sky!

J6 has been pretty sick for about four days or so now. He had a high fever and a horrible sore throat along with conjunctivitis- one dr's visit revealed no strep, but the virus lingered on and boy that fever was ugly! He and I were buds for days with plenty of extra snuggles. At one point while we were sitting together on the sofa he was facing the window and exclaimed, "Mommy look at the sky! We HAVE to sketch it!"

He was pretty taken with the clouds and then the line of color just above the trees.

So, I agreed with his delight in the colors (and who wouldn't?) and asked if I should snap a photo so we could remember and make the sketch later when he was up for it. He liked that idea.

We hope to sketch tomorrow, but considering it's 3 degrees out and there's snow on the ground...that wet pavement is a thing of the past!

Anyway, I had to share our nature study inspiration success from the feverish 6yo who thought to sketch the sky.

The Knit Kit

Here they are! The Knit Kits we gave to R's 7 and 8 year old cousins. One of her cousins had requested a craft kit and R11 wanted to make her own. We decided to make one for both of the girls.

A whole box of fun with yarn

R11 did all the labels and illustrations- cute stuff1

The finished apron with the markers and the directions.

Here are the directions for the pom pom maker- she personalized them with the girls' names.

Knitting instructions and size 8 needles

More yarn with a crochet hook. I also included a sheet with online directions for regular crocheting and knitting- I put the links for You Tube videos on there.

Here are some other ideas for yarn fun- including links for finger crocheting and knitting.

Yarn needles, a homemade loom, and directions on how to use the loom to make a bookmark.

We put in a list of the contents and a spool knitter which has its own instructions.

I had to show this close up of the weaving instructions- R11 did a great job on drawing pictures and showing the girls how to do something. She did a lot of work on these.

Stacked and ready for transport- these kits were Maryland bound and have reached their destinations.

The kits were received well although, R11 really wanted to spend some time showing the girls how to use the things inside and that did not work out as well as she would have liked. She wanted to be sure they understood what to do with everything. But the receiver of the doll apron decorated it right up and I'll share the result with you. I hope the girls enjoy the kits as they get to know the contents better. R11 luvs yarn...LUVS it. She was hoping to pass along some yarn joy.

Great job R!