Weekly wrap-up--January 20, 2012

We seem to have found our groove, though I hesitate to claim that because I don't want to jinx it! It might have something to do with the fact that we only left the house on Tuesday this week. Being home, I find, helps with the homeschooling!

The big event of the week was Homeschool Book Club. It is the first time we have attended one of these. The book this time was Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick which is one of the National Homeschool Book Award books. Really good book. Don't let the length (somewhere over 600 pages) frighten you off. It is a really fast read. We met at the Bell Museum, where they have a diorama of wolves. We talked about dioramas, learned a little sign language, and made our own dioramas. Diorama pictures forthcoming. They have been working on them all week. It was great fun, in spite of the fact that the museum is on the campus of the University, it was the first day of spring semester, and it turned cold for the first time all winter.

The rest of the week we spent our time working on dioramas, learning about Martin Luther King, Jr., and doing our regular school routine.

Curriculum-wise:

• Kiddo cruised through the adding money section of Singapore 3A. He would have moved into subtracting money, too, but we don't have the next books yet, so I tried to keep him in check!
• Kutey is doing really well with her math! I had her identifying larger numbers, she understands odd numbers and even numbers, can count by tens all the way to 100, and add up to 20 with manipulatives.
• Kutey worked on reading with 100 Easy Lessons. We are working through lessons we have previously completed. I want to build on success, which is not where we were. I also recognized this week that she gets tired easily when reading. That is one of the problems we were running into. I am considering getting her eyes checked, too.
• We read Chapter 19--A New Kind of King in Story of the World, Vol. 2, about King Richard the Lion-Hearted, John Lackland, and Robin Hood. Instead of me reading all of the Robin Hood stories, I managed to find 5 of them on Storynory. I love listening to stories at lunch time, particularly if I don't have to read them!
• We covered Venus in R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Earth and Space. I am still looking for a really good activity to tie all the planets together. The curriculum seems a little thin. Any ideas?

We are linking up to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Click to see what others did this week!

Garden Challenge Post #3

Post #3? Already? the Homeschool Village's Garden Challenge is really flying by! You can read our first posts here.

The weather has been interesting. We had a slow spring, meaning planting had to be delayed. Then we have had rain, followed by more rain. It was already wet, the rain just made it wetter. Not exactly inspiring me to garden! Add to that the fact that we have been busier than I thought we would be, and well, you get this:



Our garden. Or not. We did get the tree out of it. We spent a day in the cold and the rain burning it in the backyard fire pit after I was told the cost of hauling it away. I am seeing more backyard fires in our future...

The fence has not been erected yet, but given that the deer are regular and frequent visitors to our yard (not that I have seen them often, their droppings give them away!), we definitely need one.* We also have baby bunnies living in our yard. Yeah, they could end a garden pretty fast, too. So planting isn't an option yet.

What does that mean for our garden? Well, it means likely that we will container garden again this year. That isn't the end of the world. Though with no major vacations planned for the summer, this was a good summer to have a garden. Time and weather were not on our side this spring. We'll work on the fence over the summer and hopefully be ready to go by next planting season! I am scaling back our garden plans. We will have two to 4 tomato plants, in containers, likely on the deck. We will have 2 bell pepper plants, in containers, again likely on the deck! We will try to plant some herbs in the lower part of the container, to have our pizza garden. And we will still think about the sunflowers Kutey so desperately wants to grow. The deer left them alone for a while last summer, so maybe we can plant them and then get the fence up before they get big enough for the deer. We'll see.

In the meantime, there is thyme!

Everywhere in the garden. Thyme has spread over maybe two-thirds of the garden. I planted thyme several years ago, and it just keeps spreading, and spreading, and spreading!

And there are irises!

I totally forgot about these. My neighbor asked me a few years ago if she could plant them in the corner of my garden temporarily. She had received them as a gift, but wasn't sure where she wanted them. They had to get in the ground. Temporary became permanent, which isn't really a problem. They are doing quite well where they are and should be blooming in a couple of weeks!

*We have seen deer. Six once, nine another time. Shortly after seeing the nine, I was out walking in the yard in the dark, enjoying the stars and the frogs, when I heard something huff at me. I moved very, VERY fast, away from the sound and toward the only light available, my neighbors backyard fire. The neighbors had a good chuckle at my deer encounter. Judging by the sound, I was actually pretty close to them. A little spooky! So I know the deer are present!

LEGO Duck boats

Kiddo came up stairs one day to show me his "boat with wheels."



Very cool.

I told him I thought it looked like a Duck Boat. They were used in World War II, but now you can ride them through the Wisconsin Dells (and probably other places, I just know you can ride them in the Dells). Kiddo was intrigued, so we spent s little time talking about them, and Daddy, who has actually seen one in person, explained them much better than I did.



Then Kiddo built more!



Guess what summer activity has been added to our wish list.

Garden Challenge Post #2

It has already been a month since first post for the Homeschool Village's Garden Challenge, which means it is time for the second post!

I'd love to say we have our garden planned, that we have been out digging the new dirt in, that we are ready to plant, that the weather has cooperated. I'd love to say that the tree has been taken out of the garden. The reality, however, is that our garden looks like this:


Pretty sure the garden is still under there...

Not better. Worse in fact. None of the tree has been cleared out. Much more of the tree has been placed in the garden, to save the grass. So step one is still: Clear out the dead tree. The kids are not really interested in helping with that. Nor, honestly, is hubby. It seems I will need to hire "a tree guy," to come in and take it away. FUN! At least the tree has been cut down completely. No more chain dangerously stuck in it.



We have been thinking about what to plant. I came across a Lowe's ad with yard and garden ideas (I am working on finding a link, I'll update if I do!). There was a "Pizza Garden" in it. Two containers, one with tomato and chives, the other with bell peppers, oregano, and parsley. The kids and I discussed the idea and decided it sounded like fun. So our containers will have those things. I cleared out the remnants of last year's tomatoes, and emptied the dirt into the garden. I think new dirt is a good idea.





I also emptied the plants out of the front half barrel. It is usually planted with flowers Kutey's picks out. We'll probably do the same this year. She doesn't pick them until she sees them at the nursery.







This space is outside my front door, along the garage. It is screaming to be filled with planters for herbs and vegetables. It gets pretty good sun, so I am thinking maybe a few tomatoes here, too. It has the added benefit of being out of the general range of these:



Yep, still gonna need that fence. Kiddo and Daddy have been talking about what they will build.

I haven't been too worried about the garden. Our weather has been cold, cold, cold. We won't plant for a couple more weeks anyway. I also need a weekend when it isn't so rainy so we can actually get into the garden!

Weekly Wrap-up--April 15, 2011

Let's get right to it!



Monday was a busy, busy day. We hit The Works in the morning to build cars, then headed to my hometown to welcome our new cousin/niece and play with her big brother. We also had a bit of fun with snakes!



We went to the ballet on Tuesday, then had a picnic and played at the park, digging a giant hole.



Wednesday Kiddo and I had a great day full of good school fun, but Kutey wound up with strep throat.



On Thursday, Kiddo finished his Magic Treehouse Research Guide on the Titanic so we did a bit more exploration on the subject.

We took the day off on Friday. I wasn't feeling particularly well, which makes it harder to teach! Kiddo spent some quality time with his LEGOS, and both kids got to go to run errands with Daddy who stayed home since I wasn't feeling well (we thought it might be strep, and I might need to go to the doctor, which is trickier when you are not feeling well and have to take 2 kids with you.)

Curriculum wise:

• We read Chapter 31 in Story of the World, Vol.1 about the Mauryan Empire of India.
• We haven't been very good about working on science the last couple of weeks. Supplies have been ordered, however, so we should be able to pick up R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey-Life next week and move forward again, er, backward as the case may be.
• Kiddo is working on spelling with words from Explode the Code book 6. Those -er, -ir, -ur words are tricky! He loves to practice by spelling them for me while going up and down the stairs. Book 7 should arrive sometime in the next week or so, and we'll go back to our regular lessons.
• In math, Kiddo started learning his times tables. He has been multiplying for a while, but hasn't ever memorized the tables. I remember learning the tables when I was young, I hope he remembers it as fondly as I do!
• Kiddo read two Magic Treehouse Research guides this week--American Revolution and Titanic--in addition to other reading.
• We measured and sketched leaf buds in our back yard for nature study.
• Kiddo is still working through Mango Languages Little Pim. He seems to enjoy it. I'll be looking for a new teaching tool, however, since he will have it done soon!
• Kutey read a bit and did Spanish, but getting sick mid-week brought things to an abrupt halt.

We are linking up to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Click to see what others did this week!

Titanic Study and LEGOS

Kiddo adores Magic Treehouse Research Guides. He likes the fiction books, but he LOVES the Research Guides. They are his current go to read. This week he read the American Revolution and The Titanic. Once he reads them, we go to the website, take the quiz, and he gets a stamp in his passport. He loves that.

I love how he reads these books and feels the need to share what he has learned, "Did you know...?" I hear this many, MANY times when he is reading. I love it!

On Thursday he finished Titanic. As he was announcing his progress (another one of the things that makes reading these fun), I started looking for things to further explore the Titanic. In my search I came across History Channel's Titanic information. So once he read the book, he took the quiz, and we perused the website. I was glad Kutey was upstairs resting, because the information might have been a little intense for her. Kiddo handled it all well, though. The Titanic Interactive section was my favorite. There are survivor stories in that area that added a more in depth touch. Did you know that there was a stewardess, Violet Jessop, who survived the Titanic sinking AND the sinking of the Britannic during World War I? The ships were both part of the White Star Line. Violet continued to work on ships through her life. I am not sure I would have ever wanted to get on another ship after Titanic.

Kiddo also built a mini-Titanic from LEGOS. This was all his idea. He started it on Tuesday, when he first picked up the book. He was intrigued by the double layer hull and the watertight compartments. Once he finished reading, he thought he should build a bigger version, a better version. It hasn't happened yet, but it likely will soon!







More LEGO Creations at My Blessings From Above!

LEGO Cars

Last weekend we visited some friends who live a couple of hours away from us. I have known E forever. He and his wife K have two children--a son 2 years younger than Kiddo and a daughter 2 years younger than Kutey. So fun.

When we arrived, E and his son B had been building with LEGOS. Yep, LEGOS. I knew kiddo would be thrilled. The boys immediately set off to build. At the end of the day, they set their creations down on a ledge and I made a mental note to get the camera and snap a picture. Only I missed it and they were gone before I got the picture in the morning.

So when they set the creations down for lunch, I grabbed the camera. I wasn't going to miss it twice!


This one is a car that can go on water and land.


This one is a car with a propeller. I can't remember what was special about it.


This one is a car that could also fly.

It seems that Kiddo did most of the building. Being 2 years older means likely 2 years more LEGO experience. That and the sheer quantity of LEGOS that live in our house. B was learning a TON from Kiddo. It was so fun to see Kiddo building with his friend!

There's even more fun at the LEGO Mania linky party over at the Joys of Home Educating!

Hip Homeschool Hop Link-up

It's Hip Homeschool Hop time again!

Last week we started planning our garden and went on a nature walk. Kiddo built a LEGO treehouse, too. You can read our weekly wrap-up, if you want the full summary. Take a look around!

LEGO tree house

I wanted to participate in the LEGO Creation Thursday link-up over at My Blessing From Above. I have thought about doing something similar, but once I found hers, I decided it is less hassle to just link-up.

The problem is, Kiddo has been building lots, but he takes things apart as fast as he builds! Always on to the next idea, the next thought. While we have literally thousands of LEGOS, it always seems he needs the pieces from his current creation for the next. So I had no pictures to post. That is until this afternoon, when he put together this "treehouse."



There is a whole story that goes along with it. The skeleton and the girl are villains with super powers, that is about all I got out of his fast talking.



I thought it was very cool that he put a hole in the platform so the mini-figs could get to it. I also love the treasure at the top. Apparently that is what the villains were after.



Kiddo, as I said, is always building. To see some of the other things he has built (that lasted long enough for me to get photos!), click here!

Garden Challenge Post #1

When I first read about The Homeschool Village's Garden Challenge, my first reaction was to laugh. It starts today. March 31. HA! Here in MN, there is no chance of planting outside for a minimum of 6 more weeks. Mid-May is much more realistic. Add to that the fact that my garden looks like this:



Yeah, not ready for garden season. That tree fell down in November, in the first heavy wet snow we had. It had a Y the center of which seems to have rotted somehow. The heavy wet snow was enough to pull the two sides apart. Hubby cleared the part that was in the neighbor's yard while it was snowing, but eventually the chain broke on his chainsaw, and, well, that is where it has been since November. Once the snow melted enough, he picked the branches up off the grass and threw them in the garden. Yep, right into my garden. Sigh.


See the chain, stuck right in the tree?

So, the first part of our garden plan is "clear out dead tree." After that, we'll need to do some maintenance on the garden soil. Truthfully, we need to get soil. What is in that garden has been terrible for growing anything the last several years. So in all likelihood we'll have to buy some organic compost and topsoil. Lots of organic compost and topsoil.

The kids first comment about it being garden planning time was, "We need a bigger fence, to keep out the deer!" They are right, the last few gardens we have planted have yielded nothing for us. The deer either ate the vegetables before they were ready, ate the blossoms, or simply ate the plants. Kutey was particularly devastated last year when the deer ate her sunflowers before they even approached blooming. Sigh. So a fence. To keep out the deer. Step 3.


This bed won't have much planted in it. It gets too much shade.

Then, and only then, can we plant. We have 2 8 x 8 gardens. I only plan to plant one of them. the other one gets little sun because I have allowed a cottonwood tree to grow up in it. There are also 2 lilac bushes, placed in the garden "until we figure out where to put them," 7 or 8 years ago, which are now 4+ feet tall. The sunflowers go on the sunny edge of that bed.

In the other 8x8 bed, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, and perhaps squash. Kutey would like carrots, so we'll see. Maybe some green onions. I also have 2 containers that I plant cherry tomatoes in, and hope to add another planter. If I manage that, I'll plant some herbs. Not thyme. I have enough thyme. It actually grows in my grass, believe it or not. The one thing that the garden has been able to support and the deer don't eat. But neither do we!

I have never done "square foot gardening," but this year that is sort of what the plan is. I found this article useful. We'll see if we actually end up with anything like that!

Since it will be a while before we can plant anything in our garden, we are having some fun with this:



I created a grid that matches our garden, 8 x 8, and then made 1 x 1 squares with vegetables on them. The idea is to make the garden the way we want it on the paper. That way, once we are ready to plant, we'll have it all figured out, right?

Hip Homeschool Hop Link-up

I'm joining the Hip Homeschool Hop this week for the first time. Since hopefully that means I will have a few more homeschoolers reading my blog this week, I thought I would link back to a few previous posts.

• My weekly wrap-ups. I just started doing this in January. I really like how it makes me think about what we have accomplished in the past week.

• A recent post of my favorite questions and statements. I wrote this after a conversation with a high school classmate who I had not seen in quite a while.

• LEGOS are big around here; Kiddo loves to build. Often he creates things directly out of our learning.

I'm looking forward to hopping along the blogs!