Week of 10 Apr

Phonics/Reading:

We are keeping going with Funnix 2. I keep looking at the library to see if they have a copy of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. I was thinking I'd go over some sound combinations and find a few game ideas to play to keep things interesting... We are getting close to taking a break with Funnix 2 and I think OPGTR might be a different option to do during those breaks. If I had a ton of money, I could find other options, but seeing as it is supplementary, I'll just wait till I can get it from the library. She doesn't mind Funnix and it is building her fluency, confidence and speed, but a break is always nice too...

ABCs:

Emmett did the letter H this week. We watched some Leapfrog, wrote Hs in the carpet, did some wet-dry-try, pasted our H on our coconut tree, and then topped it all of with a worksheet. He still loves doing his letters.

Five in a Row:

Emmett was ecstatic when I pulled out Harold and the Purple Crayon on Monday. Once upon a time (probably sometime last year), Abby pulled a DVD off the shelf at the library that was based on this book. It's done by HBO Family and we now own a copy of it because they love it. So, there was much excitement that we were reading the book (again!) and doing a unit on it.

Here they are watching the DVD. The first episode actually stays fairly true to the book, which is neat.

For Family Home Evening we played what we called a "Harold Game" using our dry erase boards and purple markers. It was mostly just Pictionary, but the older kids really enjoyed it.

This is Abby's dog:

Emmett insisted that Daddy show him step-by-step how to draw each item.

We watched some YouTube videos on how crayons are made and then we tried our hands at melting down and mixing some of our own crayons. This turned into a bit of a talk about primary and secondary colors and experimenting with what colors we get when we mix certain ones.

Before:

After: (You can't really tell from the picture, but the crayons really did melt into orange, purple and green!)

We even did some fun swirly crayons:

We let the older kids draw with their newly-shaped/created crayons, but it didn't last long. Ellie loves them, though. She loves to take them out of the containers, place them in different spots, stack them, color with them, place them back in the container, repeat, etc.

We talked about the setting of this story and where it takes place. Abby was the first to pipe up, "In Harold's imagination!" So, of course, we drew our own imaginary story. Sadly, I don't have pictures of those, but they came out pretty cute.

We also observed how Harold gets around in the story and what other ways we get around. Emmett's favorite was the hot air balloon. Abby's favorite to remember was an AWACS (it's the jet Daddy flies on for work).

We have been loosely keeping things together in notebooks for the kids. I guess you could call it notebooking. I like the idea of keeping everything together in one central place. We've done one for each story, but apparently am only now getting around to type about it. If we write anything, or create anything, or what-have-you, we just stick it in their notebooks. We have since come to love double-sided tape (much better than glue sticks)!

This is Emmett's for Harold:

Handwriting:

I didn't think we'd do a specific handwriting for a while. I learned to write without one. My mom just showed me how to form the letters and I did a lot of copying her. Abby, however, is totally a workbook-loving kid and it's easier for me to give her a sheet to do...only because she doesn't complain at all. In fact, she asks to do more! So, she is currently doing the kindergarten-level book from Zaner-Bloser and she loves it.

Read-Aloud:

Because we finished up My Father's Dragon last week, we just did some picture books this week. Here's Daddy reading Purplicious to all three kids. The Pinkalicious books are favorites around here.

We did pick up The Littles for our next chapter book. My kids have seen the TV series thanks to Netflix. I hope they enjoy the book just as much!

Church:

I think I have found something for Church-related activities for the kids. I'm not sure exactly how it will go because we haven't implemented it yet, but I am thinking the School of Abraham's review of Gospel Principles will fit in nicely. Instead of bouncing around in their scriptures, like they are now, we will do each day's lesson right before bed. It's all very tentative, though, because Daddy heads up scripture-time with them. As long as I have it prepared, though, it shouldn't be too much...

Week of 03 April

Phonics/Reading:

My original plan after completing Funnix Beginning Reading was to wait and have Abby read us a couple of readers. However, she started guessing unknown words and not utilizing the decoding skills she had learned, so by the end of the week we picked up Funnix 2 and started it. It is a little different than Funnix Beginning Reading in that there isn't as much review of the story with the pictures afterwards, but Abby doesn't seem to care. We are going to take Funnix 2 much slower, though, and take breaks probably every 10-15 lessons.

Abby also has been reading aloud quite frequently. Some mornings she wants to do our read-alouds instead of me.

Here she is reading a board book to Emmett. Board books are perfect because there aren't a ton of words on the page for her to figure out.

ABCs:

Emmett loves doing his alphabet. It the morning task that he begs for. This week we went over the letter D. We made dots on a D which really cemented it into his head what the letter says as he would say "duh duh dot!" as he dotted it.

Five in a Row:

We rowed Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey this week. We've read this book before, but the kids loved delving in further.

This story takes place in Boston so we found Massachusetts on the map. We even talked about how their maternal grandma was born in Massachusetts! (The dagger is an optional accessory for pinpointing places...)

We discussed how when Mr. and Mrs. Mallard flew over the city, it looked sort of like a map would and that maps were drawings of places from above. This was the perfect time to introduce a bit of map work (that we will continue for the next year).

We talked about how the ducklings names (Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack) all rhyme. We even mixed them up and replaced them in alphabetical order.

We learned a bit about the science of ducks. We talked about how ducks don't get wet, they dive for food at the bottom of ponds, why mama ducks look like they do (they're camouflage!), why boy ducks have all the bright colors on them, the life cycle of ducks, and even a fact Daddy and I didn't know: Ducks have no nerves in their feet!

We did a life cycle wheel.

We used our Draw Write Now books to draw a duck. This is Emmett's awesome rendition (remember, he's only 3!):

And, of course, we went and fed some ducks!

We even saw mallard ducks!

And then...we saw a duckling!

He was a very nice duckling and even came close enough that the kids could get up close and personal.

And then it was time to leave, and he followed us to the car!

He came all the way out to the parking lot. We were worried about him getting squished by a car or something and it was quite a ways for a little guy to be away from the creek, so Daddy picked him up and took him back.

Read-Aloud:

We finished up My Father's Dragon. The kids liked it okay. I don't think we'll go on with the series, though. While Emmett sat and listened, he really doesn't have it in him to get into a chapter book at this point (even a simple one like this). I think he will really enjoy it when he's a bit older, though. And Abby? I just don't think it was her top pick of book. She did enjoy it, but not enough to move on with the sequels.

Church:

We had General Conference this past weekend and the kids were pleased to listen to the prophet. I would love for the kids to start some kind of LDS-related curriculum. I just have to find something easy/quick and age-appropriate.

Weeks of 17 and 24 March

I'm just going to apologize in advance for the nearly no photos in this post. Apparently I was busy taking photos of other things than whatever we were focusing our academics on. And, apparently, whenever I did take photos, it was of Abby. I'll still recap, though.

Phonics:

Abby has basically finished Funnix. She has two lessons left. She's writing us notes and reading things unprompted. Her literacy has really taken off. My plan for the next week at least will be to just encourage her reading and sitting with her while she reads me a book.

Five In A Row:

We rowed Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney for the last two weeks. It was a nice segue after Peter Rabbit and our continued talk on seeds, gardens, etc.

Here is Abby placing it on the map. We were heading to swim lessons, hence the swimsuit.

And Abby making some fingerprint lupines.

We also discussed names to call people, including ones that give happy feelings and ones that make us sad. We talked about different nicknames they had. And, like you should with Miss Rumphius we talked about how they could make the world more beautiful.

ABCs:

We were really light with the ABCs this week. We went over the letter L, which Emmett apparently knew. So we concentrated on how to make the shape: rolling it out in play dough, building it with blocks, using our fingers to make the letter (and talking about left and right), wet-dry-try, and then eventually a worksheet of tracing Ls.

Even though he knew it all and it was light, Emmett still loved the lessons.

Routine/Chore Boards:

We've adjusted our chore/task/routines this past week. Now, before any TV or playing outside in the morning and afternoon, they must flip over all of their chore tasks.

Emmett's favorite task is to complete his alphabet. He is constantly asking to do that one. Abby, so far, seems to enjoy story time. And, yes, I did put story time on their task charts because it helps them to remind me to read to them. This way it does not fall to the wayside.

Speaking of reading to my children....

Read-Aloud:

We've restarted My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles. My kids have heard the beginning before because we got it with the intent of Daddy reading it to them at bedtime, but it wasn't happening. In all the upheaval of trying to get the kids in bed (especially considering it's a bit late on Tuesdays and Thursdays already due to swim), it always got pushed to the side. So now with extra reading happening around here, I'm reading it to them.

Week of 11 Mar

Phonics:

Abby just keeps moving along with Funnix. We are past lesson 100 and Abby is starting to really enjoy reading some easy readers (with a bit of coaxing that she can).

Five In A Row:

We jumped in with FIAR this week. Our first book is The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was actually a good book to start with because Emmett has had a week where he's not done great at following the rules. That was a big emphasis on this book. We talked about the rule Peter should have followed and rules we need to follow. We even had blackberries and milk like Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-Tail!

I made thumbnails of the cover of the books instead of using story disks and we placed it on our map.

We colored Britain's flag.

We also talked about seeds and gardens. Then we planted some seeds that we will dig up in a week or two and see how they've changed.

We also discussed onomatopoeia and how Mr. McGregor's hoe went "scritch scratch" and pulled out our toy hoes and tried it out.

We found some worms and discussed how worms help gardens by spreading nutrients. Emmett wasn't hesitant to grab the worms at all. Abby preferred to carry them on her shovel, but was convinced occasionally to use her fingers.

We capped off the week by building our own raised garden beds to plant blackberries!

ABCs:

Emmett did the letter "m" and we used mostly things from Confessions of a Homeschooler. It was a big hit with Emmett, and also with Abby.

We lined the M&Ms by size.

We also sorted them by color.

And then we made a graph of the colors we had! Emmett LOVED this part.

Week of 03 March

Our week has been fairly light. We've kept up with reading lessons, but otherwise we've just played and had fun.

Phonics:

Abby has officially completed 100 lessons of the 120 lessons of Funnix Beginning Reading. We should be done with it completely in about two weeks. Tonight she is choosing to stay up in her bed and read (and actually reading/sounding out!) board books.

Emmett chose to have some reading lesson this week. He is still only three so we go really slowly and let him slack if he or I feel like it. Today, though, he asked for a reading lesson, so I actually set him up to do the first lesson from Funnix Beginning Reading.

The kids love to draw and write stories. Abby chose to draw the new baby (Hyrum) a picture. It says "Hyrum, this is for you." I think doing some spelling work after we finish Funnix might be a good idea. :)

Life:

The biggest thing is that we've been trying out what we would think about keeping him. He's a 4-month-old boxer puppy...and as much as we'd like to keep him, we really don't have the space to keep a dog at this point. We'll probably be taking him back to his owner tomorrow. We've just told the kids we are watching him. He sure has been fun to have around! The kids like sharing their food. They love playing fetch with him. If he stayed this size forever, we'd keep him definitely.

Our zoo finally also got our elephants back so we went to the opening of their new exhibit! They've been gone for about 18 months to Tulsa to be impregnated. On the morning of the event, we discussed how elephants are mammals and carry their babies in their tummies like Mommy does. Then we talked about other ways baby animals grow. We discussed how baby birds grow in eggs, but kangaroo babies grow in pouches. Then Abby told me that when I'm ready go have Hyrum, that he I would be as big as an elephant.

Swim:

We ended the session this past week. Abby and Emmett have both been advanced to the advanced class for next session. This class has a different teacher and really seems to focus on endurance capabilities. It is also for older kids (6+). We'll see how well they do. There is at least one other girl that is under 6 in the class, so ours won't be the only ones.

Mom and Dad:

We took our second test in our Developmental Psychology course this past week. Daddy and I didn't feel as comfortable after this exam after we did the first, not because we weren't prepared...mostly because the study guide of what was going to be on the exam didn't cover everything. What a bummer!

Daddy needs to finish up a section on our Oklahoma state senators for his federal government class. He hates writing assignments, so I think he's been putting it off...

This week in my European history class we have been talking about World War One and its root causes. I think it's so interesting how little people actually know about the first world war. Reading the discussions, it seemed like half of my class believed that half of my class believed that the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was the only reason that war broke out. Many were unaware of the military alliances that had been formed beforehand that pulled nearly the entire continent into the war so quickly. While I AM a history major, I don't consider history my favorite or strongest subject (that would be math). I'm a history major for the benefit of it being mostly online. Still, I'm amazed at the ignorance a lot of my classmates seem to have for history. It does not bode well for our country or world with this type of ignorance running rampant.

TWO: Weeks of 20 and 27 Feb

ABCs/Phonics:

Funnix is going well for Abby. As of yesterday, she completed lesson 89. I figure if we keep at this pace, she'll be finished by the end of March! She's now attempting to read titles of television shows and other things. For a child who is hesitant to try anything new, it is a big show for what she's accomplished to feel comfortable trying to read something NOT in her lessons.

In this picture she drew a tree, and then continued to embellish it with a hole and a little bunny to live in the hole. A couple of lessons later, she read the word "bug" and was supposed to draw it in. She chose to draw in a bug like her daddy's: a VW bug. :)

Emmett learned a bit on the letters "e' and "s." Apparently "e" was harder for him since he had a bit of a time remembering the sound it made. He surprised me, though, with "s" by knowing its name and sound before I had introduced them!

He was also excited to use his SpiderMan pencils that I found at the dollar spot at Target. He loves SpiderMan.

We also traced the letters in shaving cream. Abby and Emmett both thought this was great fun. Ellie was not a fan.

Literacy:

We had a celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday this past week! We read a ton of his books (Abby read the entire Hop on Pop and Green Eggs and Ham). I wrote quotes of his on our windows (with dry erase markers), we had green eggs cookies (no pictures, though, because we gobbled them up!). We also colored some paper bags to look like the Cat in the Hat and talked about the pattern on his hat.

Abby felt the need to write "Today is Dr. Seuss birthday" on her hat (birthday appears on the other side). Emmett tried to write on his too, which is why you see a bunch of letters on top of Abby's. He asks her and she shows him how to form the letters on the top of whatever she's working on. The little squiggle under the "o" in "today" is something that appears in her reading lesson to indicate that the "o" does not make its traditional sound.

Life:

We also got our big box from Rainbow Resource this past week! It included our wall maps and a bunch of books for Five in a Row. The kids were rather excited about the maps portion. And of course, the large box that it all came in.

The hang on the wall by our dining room table and we have lots of discussion about where family lives, where Fancy Nancy wants to go (France), where Disneyworld is, etc, etc. I know they're not your traditional dining room decor, but it sure is a good visual!

We bought this Makin' Mud Pies toy when the weather was still cold. We pulled it out and it has been a big hit. Of course, I also got a new washer this week, which was good timing for the amount of mud they get on their clothes now.

We made a trip to the zoo with friends where they hardly looked at any animals; they just had fun running around! We did discuss animals that are nocturnal vs diurnal when we saw owls and bats, though.

Swim:

This past lesson, Abby and Emmett took their first jumps off a diving board! We were quite surprised. Emmett thought it was awesome and kept going back for more. They had to inform him that lesson was done about four times.

Mom and Dad:

I just finished units in all three of my classes. It included a week full of studying and audio lectures and all around craziness. In order to juggle it all, I decided to skip the assigned reading in my developmental psychology class. I was lucky enough, though, that the chapters were on pregnancy and infants. Those are two things I know quite a bit about.

Daddy just finished a week full of flying. His eyes cleared the exams and he flied twice in four days. They were long days for him. He even taught a brand new flyer for the first time. He also did get to accomplish a bit of reading for our psych class. I guess at least someone is reading the book! ;)