Week Two in Pictures

Today marks the beginning of week three of homeschooling.  We are getting more and more into a groove and I am hoping that in the next few weeks this all can seem normal.  Although I have dealt with conflicting emotions at times -- wondering if I can really do this, trying to juggle everything --  I am already starting to see the little benefits of having the kids at home together.  I love being a part of their learning experience.  It's going to be a great year!  Here is week two in pictures.

Mat Man -- part of the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum

Caleb drawing mat man 

One of our little handmade coracles

Making Egyptian pots with colored dough

Levi painting a masterpiece :)

Math class disguised as playing with cars.  Caleb was given a basket of cars and told to sort them into two groups (he could decide the sorting criteria).  He chose cars vs. trucks.

Alaina brainstorming similes.

Scissor practice

Levi's shape sorting

Three little mummies

Three little mummies break out!

Our work baskets...more about that in a later post!

I cut up Caleb's math sheet to make it a more multi-sensory activity. Sorting flowers into the vase and fruit into the fruit basket.

Coloring also becomes more multi-sensory as I cut up the tuck into pieces and Caleb had to glue it back together before coloring.  He insisted that there be a car in the truck :)

Alaina working on guesstimating and then measuring

An ABC puzzle for Levi

Egyptian collars (and no, not all these pictures were taken on the same day. Caleb has decided this week that he wants to pick out his own clothes and he keeps picking the same too-small shirt!)

Free play time with blocks

Picture sorting for Levi

And our muffin tin meal for the week -- all from the Boxcar Children. Clockwise, starting at the top: milk, brown bread with butter, cookies, cherry dumplings, cheese, blueberries jam on brown bread  (we can't get blueberries here), and in the middle is beef stew.

Comments

[Tiffany]

From the looks of the pictures you are doing a FaBuLoUs job! (we love Mat Man btw) Look at all the hands on learning you are doing! Hang in there Mama!

[Antoinette]

You are so admirable! I enjoy seeing the kind of educational exercises the kids can do that makes it much more fun and it seems the kids are enjoying your methods :-) Thanks for posting, this is such a new experience to me and i wish i could be like you and do the same for my daughter one day. Keep up your good positive energy !

[Leigh Myers]

I just found your blog through a friend and love reading about your family and your homeschooling ventures! My sister and I were homeschooled and my happiest memories were the early years when we got to do fun, hands-on activities and projects like you are doing with your children. Homeschooling definitely achieved for us what you are hoping to do for your children: it made my sister and me best friends, even though we were not in the same grade. I am about to have a daughter in a few weeks, and I already cannot wait to start teaching her. I have been doing some tutoring and substitute teaching over the past couple years, and I am looking forward to having my little student with me from the beginning so I can give her a good start. Do you have advice for how to start teaching your children even before they are old enough for school? I want to lay the best foundation I can for my little one! Thanks for your blog, it makes me even more excited about homeschooling!

-Leigh Myers

[Jennifer Ott]

Can't wait to see your workbox method! Don't make us wait too long! I love all your ideas, esp. as my husband and I might be overseas ourselves in the not-too-distant future.

[Stephanie]

I think I have found a blog/website that I will be checking regularly! My girlfriend forwarded to me the link on "Our Children are a blessing (even in crazy times)" - THANK YOU! I sat there crying and saying "Uh-huh!" to no one but myself and I'm so grateful for the reminder that I need to see my life w/ three kids as an amazing wonderful gift from God!
I also loved your post on random things...thrills me to see a Christian blogger out there!

[Susan]

Stopped in and to se how your school room was woring out, and saw those work box baskets. Where you got those great baskets for your workboxes. And ditto on the sweet ( silicone?) muffin cups...