Tuesday, Really?

There are 5 school days to a week, we know this, we just rarely accomplish it! Alas, Tuesday came and went with learning smashed in the middle somewhere!

Activity was of course the highlight of the day, as Principal escorted Student and Toddler to the backyard for snow games. He loves to shovel a path of winding turns and twists for their boots to trod, with the occasional snowball distraction in their pathway. This time Teacher learned NOT to open the sliding door when there is a snowball in the hands of Principal, as his aim is too precise!

Math has had some speed drills and tests to be caught up, as Teacher made the administrative decision to skip ahead about 10 lessons. Student didn't mind, as she loves TESTS! Maybe because we don't finish until she's mastered it... who wouldn't mind such a grade written in RED?!



Art, always present at the Homeschool! Whether on paper, iPhone or iMac, the creativity is at work! Student continues to draw people, faces and body poses. This week, she'll transfer that practice into a portrait or two. Principal has a book in the works to showcase all of the faces that lurk throughout the Homeschool.

Violin, oh violin, we have planned for your appearance for two days,
how many times can we overlook you, let us count thy ways...
1-Can't find rosen or shoulder-rest
2-Can't find clean clothes so Student isn't dressed
3-Wonder how this tuner works
4-If Mrs. S saw our situation, she would surely laugh at our quirks
5-When can time slow down to fit it all in, at this request we can only pray & grin

Reading 2 more stories from James Marshall's chapter book Rats on the Roof, Student is using her 6 and a half-year-old brain to fine-tune those summarizing skills! Through books, and episodes of Little House on the Prairie. Though Summary is a new term for Student, anyone ever crosing paths with a young girl knows they can talk, when they want to. It's the organizing of those thoughts before they transform into words that is the trick! Today Student witnessed Country Girls, a fav of Teacher's from girlhood days. This must be one of our lessons in the Social Sciences, as the lack of sisterhood in the Homeschool persists, Student has to look to other sister pairs for wisdom and grace. Laura and Mary are just perrrfect!

Student didn't really care for the books, last summer when Grandmother gifted them. However, Grandmother wouldn't give up at that, but recently added the first season of LHOP to our Homeschool collection. Both Student and Toddler have gotten attached!

Life Skills continue on in life as planned by The Maker. Toddler helps fold diapers and set the table as Student organizes clutter and solves game-board missing-piece mysteries! All in a day of obedience at the Homeschool. As we continue to let the Lord establish the work of our hands, yes, the Lord to establish the work of our hands, may we ALL learn and grow in Him.

Church School

Fitting all things together on a Monday, the Homeschool spent time at church for work and school! Student and Toddler wouldn't of had it any other way, as the excitement a white board brings to a child is over-the-top!



Math has brought Toddler and Student together on many occasions. The two share numbers, manipulatives, and papers, but there's something about a marker that gets blood pressures rising! Yes, only ONE marker could be located... oh, the patience to be learned. Oh, the self-control... wouldn't Teacher like to claim these areas as mastered, but alas, we NEED a Savior because we are not perfect! Such lessons often need a LIFETIME to learn.



Spelling, Phonics, Writing and Reading each had their turn in church school too. Of course, any transfer of learning onto the white board was appreciated! How good it is to have a break from the usual environment of Homeschool. Even Mascot agreed!



Student plopped herself on the couch to read one of her newly-acquired second-hand books: Rats on the Roof!



This chapter book of short-stories had us laughing out loud! Grammie is just going to have to listen to Student read the title story, it's a real kitty-kicker! And why, of all the 30 cent books on the thrift store shelf, did this one catch Teacher's eye? The short story titled "EAT YOUR VEGETABLES"! That's where the love story of Principal and Teacher began! Without it, who knows where the Homeschool would be?! Thanks Amanda and Susan! God works all things for good for those who love Him, and BOY was that resaturant full of good memories!

Final Friday

To practice true religion:James 1:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Being Final Friday, Student set out on her mission to look after a certain widow loved dearly by the Homeschool. Student spent a snowy morning inside Miss Jane's farmhouse dusting spots just her size!
Dining table legs
Shutter slats
Dining chair spindles



Student and Miss Jane completed their time together preparing lunch for the Homeschool. Packing ourselves over the creek and past the woods, we landed at her dining table for a classic winter luncheon: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup!

After giving thanks to God for the food, Miss Jane shared about Student's helpful heart. When Principal asked Student how she responded when asked to complete a task that morning, she said...
"I thought I could be polite and do it right. I didn't complain, she's not my MOM!" All laughed, and laughed some more. Yes, we know we often save the illest responses for our loved ones, we all fall short there! Lord forgive us.

Re-booting each foot that walked, the Homeschool headed home just in time for the arrival of little blonde guests for a Kansas Day activity.




Celebrating God's provisions for both the birds of the air and our families, we used Miss Jane's hog lard and mixed up some suet-stuffed oranges to provide for the local birds during these cold days.



Finished and resting in the freezer until tomorrow, Student will eye just the perfect places for her feeders. For this we know is true: God is the source of all we need, and He works through many channels. The girls were delighted to be a channel of provision for the Kansas birds...HAPPY 149th KANSAS DAY!

Connecting to Kansas Day, History taught Student of Lewis & Clark. She was so excited to connect her newly acquired tooth-traded golden coin to the lesson. Checking the map for the Kansas locations Lewis & Clark traveled along, and just what significance Sacajawea is thought to have. Officaially, we have skipped from the 16th president doen to the 3rd, and will continue a steady countdown to prepare for President's Day.

February, yes, the month that begins MONDAY! Where will the semester go? Student is the furthest along in Math & Science. As for the rest that First Grade is to hold, the Homeschool relies on the sufficient grace of God!

Recycled Learning

Toddler was the first to try out the newest Homeschool learning tool: recycled lid counters! We cut and glued circles atop the lids and Student wrote a single digit on each.



From 1-9 Toddler used each as the foundation for his buildings to complete his city. The foundation number indicated how many blocks high the building should be. Toddler caught right on...




AnRecycledd the city was complete...in an awesome effect, of course.
He loves choosing CRAZY PICTURES!



All the while...One fish, Two fish...and on and on Student read. Mascot listened intently and chomped his wet washcloth. What a delight to have all three together for Homeschool this morning, before minds were awake enough to give in to selfishness!

Student then put the lids to work creating random 4 digit numbers and reviewing place value. Then, picking lids from the bowl-full, Student computed each pair of numbers in adition and subtraction. Toddler chimed in and identified single digits. What a pair, what a motivation a new toy can be! Free and fun, the Homeschool's secret ingredients!



The ocean, as a habitat, was introduced in Science today. Student had no problem remembering the four major oceans, and chose the first animal to study:
Giant Manta
Facts:
God made them to live in warm tropical water.
They eat something on the bottom... plankton. Plankton means many animals
that live on the bottom, the floor. We would have to take a water sample to a microscope to see them.
The pictures of the Giant Manta are the top two in the sequence, the last, was Student's favorite of the examples of Plankton shown. Of course she picked this particular one because it resembled fabric yo-yo's! That's our girl! I guess we'll have to work a sewing project into this unit where Teacher never imagined!

Designing on the computer, she chose the colors for Nancy's dress. Fashion will have to fit into the curriculum somewhere...one of these days!



Violin brought new ideas and theories for Student. She is adding to her symbol recognition:
sharp sign
natural sign
flat sign...where are those keyboard symbol short-cuts? We'll have to consult Principal for that.
And to help Student read the sharps and learn the arrangement of the symbols on the staff, she can tell us all...
Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds!

The Digestive System completed it's last day...yes, having no other option but to end with talk of the toilet...Teacher was SO GLAD this wasn't a classroom full of 27 first graders!

Not Accepting Calls Today

Yes, to our beloved rock, strength and encourager...
Happy Birthday!



Principal agreed with the administration that his birthday celebration should continue all-the-day-through, thus canceling Homeschool for this midweek day. All are in agreement, as they thank God for this holiday & wipe the chocolate cake from their lips...to return clean and sugar-filled for lessons tomorrow.

Yes, Principal was quite honored to share his day with iPad. A big day for both of them. Shall we consider re-naming our Mac-loving principal: iPrincipal? We shall put it to a vote...

Life Skills

Since beginning the Homeschool journey, the eyes of Teacher and Principal have been opened to just how many teaching opportunities there are in a day. When the questions come from little mouths and older brains are tired, there is a temptation to answer with "I don't know..." or "...ask your teacher!" But, when you are the teacher, it all works together to create a life-long environment of learning. Is there ever a time when little brains are NOT sponging info?

Today's info came while expanding life skills. Student worked more on dishes than ever! She insisted that she was ready for more chores, as a friend of hers helps with dishes, so can she! During this wet and wild experience, Student practiced skip-counting, addition and subtraction combinations and ended Math with 2 new card games.

Student reviews the new games: "I like solitaire better than speed. Both were fun."

And continuing to wrap up the human body systems introductions, the digestion system introduced paper-dolly's new parts today.
"I guess I was mixed-up with the liver and pancreas yesterday. Now I know the liver is for getting out poisons, and making bile. But the food destruction happens in the pancreas. The small intestines is like 22 rulers...on an adult!"

Spelling and Phonics brought au and aw...



Toddler identified the letters each time Student decided which letter combination was used in the word examples. Waiting for one's own turn was quite the ordeal today! The Homeschool can't wait for the new load of mercies God promises each morning!

Transforming yesterday's still life into a new medium, Student worked with compressed charcoal today...and directly afterwards, took the map picture for our History and Geography lesson. Yes, how Teacher remembers such scrubbing...quite the job for a first grader! However, Student did think the blending was fun.



Computer time was spent on kidshealth.org. Student colored this outlined astronaut, a girl of course, cuz GIRLS ROCK!



And a joke from Student's latest list online that brings her fashion sense to laugh:
What did the zero say to eight... nice belt!

Tune This

"OOhhh, I like it!" Student confessed about violin practice, today.



Teacher thought the once-lost-now-found electronic tuner would bring back the proper sound to Student's violin practices...the dust aliens who had captured the unit, must have extracted some certain needed part...it's not what it used to be!

So, this video was made of Student's redirected practice. Learning what all it takes to earn the name COMPOSER, she worked on rhythm, lyrics, pulse and pitch. Her musical rhetoric is rapidly growing, as Toddler nabs bits and pieces whenever he chooses.

Truly, it was Principal that began the Homeschooling day at work. He was Yahtzee-Memory- Candy Landed out! Games 'r' us at 8:30am! What a fun Monday he brought!



Teacher, on the other hand, scrambled to finish the lesson on The Human Body Systems. Student got an overview of the digestive system with videos and quizes. But, to diagram, Teacher used an old paper-project stand-by...



Today's science vocab:
Mouth: put the food into Esophagus: food carrier Liver: food destroyer with saliva machine

Tomorrow, we'll add the names to the parts pictured on the next doll, and so on until Friday we'll review the completed system model! Hight-tech and complicated, but Student can do it!

Science didn't end there, as Student was so excited to begin the Ocean unit, off to Grandmother's she went. No, Grandmother doesn't live near the ocean, but she has quite the collection of shells and other ocean artifacts. Student studied them, and arranged her first still life for Art tonight.



Reviewing the kinds of shapes and lines, Student completed 2 drawings that she'll transform into other mediums this week, and learn about the mollusks and other living creatures that once inhabited the artifacts she drew. Her 10 second sketches were a nice cool-down for tired first grade hands.

Seat work in Math reviewed skip-counting by 3s and 50s. With the loss of another tooth, Student is skip-counting in her mouth as well!

Thanks be to God for our day together. As a family, as a learning group, we are the Homeschool.