Some Fun Things We've Done Recently

Finishing up another Soccer Season

Play in the Leaves

Made Masks with Auntie and Cousins - perfect for and aspiring ballerina

Dressing Up the Baby Like a Pumpkin

Drawing the Solar System

Science with Candy - What happens when you soak it in water, vinegar, or add baking soda?  What about throwing it in the oven?  Which ones dissolve faster?  This experiment went on and on!

A Typical School Day At Our House

From the start I said I wanted to homeschool because little children, especially boys, are not made for school.  I wanted a different approach for my children that allowed them to explore subjects through good books and hands-on projects.  But I still found myself very drawn to the idea of a schedule to be followed and certain subjects to be covered on a daily rotation.  It was the school teacher in me that didn't easily go away.

Apple Week

We're right in the middle of fall and apple season is in full swing.  This past week we took some time to celebrate the season with some good books, apple snacks, and art projects.

Books we read:

         
Snacks we had:

1. Apples with caramel dip:  This was snack and reading lesson combined.  I created a scavenger hunt for the kids and included as many of their sight words as possible.  I created cards that said things like  "Go to the bath tub." Or "What will Dad wear today?  Look in his closet." After a few of these cards, they discovered the one that led them to take four apples out of the fridge.  A note in the fridge had them wash the apples, and they found the caramel dip in the sink.  The final clue sent them to me for the recipe.  They sliced apples into 8ths, added a tablespoon of caramel to each, and spooned on a few walnut pieces.
2. Apple crisp: a simple recipe allowed us some simple math lessons.  We also managed to slip in a health lesson by discussing cleanliness in the kitchen and the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.
3. Apples faces:  We spread apple halves with peanut butter and the kids went to town creating faces with dried fruit.
4. Our final snack was one Logan had seen in a magazine awhile back.  He has been so excited for this.  We made them with a cake mix, red frosting, tootsie rolls, and green tootsie rolls rolled out and cut into triangles for leaves.     

 

Projects we did:

1. Collected leaves and made leaf collages.
2. Made homemade cards by stamping apple halves onto cardstock.
3. Colored pictures of leaves.