The Best Of PA

Cute girls at the Zoo We have been busy around here, busy with learning and lots of fun!  It was a successful school year, with lots of activities, field trips and read alouds.  We are still continuing onward till June and then will phase into easier "summer school".  But here are a few of the things we have accomplished thus far.   Read Aloud Books for School Year of 2015-2016   Ancient History: Gilgamesh The King: Retold By Ludmilla Zeman Ancient Egypt: Tales of The Gods: Retold By Marcia Williams Classic Starts: The Iliad Classic Starts: Roman Myths Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: By Lynn Curlee Who was King Tut: By Roberta Edwards The Childrens Plutarch: Tales Of the Romans Greek Myths: Retold by Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaires Voyage To the Pharos: BY Sarah Gauch Cleopatra: By Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema   Holiday Reading: Rip Van Winkle Legend Of Sleepy Hollow Tell Tale Heart...

  leisure time of drawing, reading and climbing up tables to look out the window   Warning: This post is a brag session, which can be entirely annoying, but it is also a form of journaling all those warm fuzzy moments I want to remember.  And it is all true.  I can complain about the messes, whining and frustrations another day.   As you know we are BIG into reading aloud.  We read some picture books, but most of my time is spent reading them poetry and chapter books.  The girls are now 7, 4 and 1, which are perfect ages for picture books.  And they do plenty of thumbing through those on their own.  I read them many picture books, but I LOVE reading longer stories with them and for me .  I started when Elly, my oldest was 4.  At that time she did not have the attention span of lasting through a whole chapter.  Now she doesn't want me to stop, while the 4 y...

This kindergarten year is going great! We are ahead in math, right on par with reading and writing, excelling above average in history science and geography.  And to think I almost gave up the fight before even trying.  Instead I ignored the fears, bought curriculum and joined a co op with fifteen other families.  And I am happy and content.  I love homeschooling.  I love that I can teach my kids for fifteen minutes and then when they get ancy, sidetracked or bored I set the timer for twenty minutes and they go play.  I love that if Elly needs help with her reading or math she has my one on one attention.  I love that she recognizes all seven continents, all four oceans, a few countries in Europe and the English channel.  Yeah, that is so much more than I knew or remembered like a year ago. I love how much I am learning!  I am really learning a lot about the world.  It is amazing what you forget.  I ...

Sometimes it's fun to travel...even if it's in your backyard. We may not have oodles of money to fly to Italy, but we can read books, eat native food, color maps, stomp grapes...well okay water balloons and just enjoy life. That is precisely what we did the other day. We learned about the life of Leonardo Davinci. He was an amazing man! Not just an painter but an inventor, scientist, musician, builder. Did you know he would dissect cadavers and all sorts of dead animals and draw pictures of the human anatomy? He tried to build a contraption that would make a man fly, but was unsuccessful. Oh there is so many interesting things to learn about Leonardo, and yes he was Italian. We colored a map of Italy, and noticed its odd boot shape. We studied the stars and planets and glued on our own celestial skies. The study of astronomy as well as astrology was very popular in Italy during the 14 and 1500's. We colored the flag, did a fun maze and words search. A...

Christmas Festivities are upon us.  We have been busy, busy with new and old traditions, our caroling party, candy train making, reading "A Christmas Carol" as a family, visiting the Polar Express, watching the Christmas Specials ont tv, devouring kiddie Christmas books and plenty more simple joys to come.     Learning about our cournty United States of America! Learning about Saint Lucia At the Polar Express School has been fun involving dressing up, games, crafts and treats.  What a delightful time of the year December is.  We have learned about the many Christmas traditions around the world, such as Italy, Sweden, England and France.  This week we learn about Christmas in Mexico and Hanukuah.  I've introduced small Spanish lessons into our curriculum now about twice a week.  I figure we can slowly transition into more days and phrases as time passes.  Small and si...

Christmas Festivities are upon us.  We have been busy, busy with new and old traditions, our caroling party, candy train making, reading A Christmas Carol as a family, visiting the Polar Express, watching the Christmas Specials ont tv, devouring kiddie Christmas books and plenty more simple joys to come.  School has been fun involving dressing up, games, crafts and treats.  What a delightful time of the year December is.  We have learned about the many Christmas traditions around the world, such as Italy, Sweden, England and France.  This week we learn about Christmas in Mexico and Hanukuah.  I've introduced small Spanish lessons into our curriculum now about twice a week.  I figure we can slowly transition into more days and phrases as time passes.  Small and simple is the way to go-after all she is only five-I seriously forget this all too often.     

Ha Lay Lou Ya! All I can say is that I've had a major breakthrough in homeschooling. No, Elly has not become some genius whom can master addition in one lesson. It was the teacher whom was the problem. Righty-O that would be me. But cut me some slack-I've never done this before. The problem: Barbaric Expectations that resulted in yelling, tears and frustration for both of us. I was a hard head with unrealistic demands. Images of a baby Yale student danced in my head. The Solution: Prayer, writing down the reasons for why I was homeschooling and talking to my expert homeschooling friend, Sasha whose kids are super smart. She told me I was doing WAY more than she had when her daughter was five. Needless to say I felt relief and we scaled back- like a lot. Previous Schedule 1)Letter & number Flashcards 2) 6 pages of Math U See Curriculum 3) Three lessons in a row of "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" 4) 10 pages of several preschool m...

We learned about the continet Africa, and made Swahili donuts This is Elly's lion....we read many books on Africa, and pointed at Maps and the globe. Life has been busy here with our new school schedule, I think I need to take a moment to breathe. Please someone tell me, as a homeschooling Mom do you ever feel like there is a endless amount of facts and lessons to be mastered and memorized?  Does your agenda and curriculum to cover in a year feel overwelming?  Maybe it is because it's my first year, and that I still don't quite know what I am doing- or how it's possible I am even doing this, but I seem to feel stretched and withered often. I am overwelmed, I feel the heavy burden of responsibility for my kids educations.  There are moments in time when I feel like I am drowning in a sea of my own expectations, worried if I have the gusto to teach my girls.   Just chilli...