What We are Learning 2nd Grade Edition

We have family that live overseas and don't always get to see what we are doing so this post is for them, however, I hope that it helps some of you out too! Remember that this is what works for OUR family. If your learning looks different than ours don't worry. Also, we do not follow the state with our curriculum. We learn concepts at an entirely different pace and in a different order. Sometimes we are ahead of the schools and sometimes we are behind. It all balances out.

Luke: He sat at the table for 2 weeks solid with his Spiderman pencil saying "momma when can I do school with my Spiderman pencil?". I am not a fan of pre-k. We take a better late than early approach especially in the early years, but I also believe in encouraging my children when they wish to learn. After searching I decided on Abeka Pre-K. I am not a huge Abeka fan, but I wanted something that was quick and painless and this is both. We spend maybe 15 minutes with this and really I only pull it out when he asks. It has him doing things that are great for the pre-k level such as cutting and gluing, finger painting, and coloring. If I was a pre-k proponent Abeka Pre-K would be my suggestion.

For the girls they are on the same level for everything. Why? Because they aren't very far apart in age (10 months) and it is just easier for me. We get so much more done since I don't have to teach two separate grades. I imagine this will change over time. Especially when Luke is school aged.

Brianna and Keira:

Bible- We are really enjoying the Alpha Omega Life Pacs. This is not normally one I would recommend as I truly do not care for the other subjects, but the scope and sequence for these is excellent. The Life Pacs actually dive into theology and life application rather than just giving the kids the same Bible stories over and over again.

Math-I am using a mix of Bob Jones and Teaching Textbooks. I bought the Teaching Textbooks because I needed to give myself a break from teaching the math. Then I felt guilty about not being hands on with the math so I bought BJU. Then I decided that I really like Teaching Textbooks so we are using the BJU as practice and the Teaching Textbooks as our main math course. You can visit here to see the scope and sequence for Teaching Textbooks 3.

English- I started out using BJU Grammar and Explode the Code for phonics. It was too much so I dumped the BJU and we are now using Easy Grammar which I love and Explode the Code which I am sure is the reason my kids can read. Forget complicated reading programs. Just go grab your child the Explode the Code series. Trust me. Brianna is in book 5 and Keira in book 4.

Spelling- I am more or less taking a natural approach to this though I did purchase them the Spectrum Spelling books. I let them go through a page or two every other day with those just to reinforce, but I found that spelling was best taught through correcting them during other writing projects. Explode the Code also offers a bit of spelling in their books and since the phonics is covered thoroughly they can pretty much make a good guess and I just help them along the way.

Penmanship- Handwriting without Tears cursive. This saved my left handed daughter. However, we will probably swap to a more traditional cursive program after we are finished with this book.

Science- Real Science 4 Kids. This is a world view "neutral" program and I actually love it. Each book lasts 10 weeks and we will go through Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Astronomy. I love that it is real science and doesn't speak to the kids like they are stupid. The kids love it and you have the option of purchasing a lab book that has household experiments.

History and Reading- This is by far my favorite! We are three weeks into using Sonlight Core B. We are just gearing up to start learning about ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome and I am so excited. I did swap out the main book for Mystery of History but other than that we are pretty much following the 5 day plan to the letter. I love the rich living books and our daily read aloud time has become so special, even Luke sits still through it. This week we are reading Charlotte's Web!

Latin- We have been using Song School Latin though I admit that this seems to be the thing that gets pushed to the side. I am going to make sure we get it in at least once a week once we get back from Disney.

I know this looks like a lot, but we usually have school done in about 2 hours minus the read aloud time which takes anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes just depending on how much we do. The girls, especially Brianna, would have me read aloud the entire day if I would!

Child Training Bible Giveaway!!

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

A mother’s heart skips a beat when her 11 year old son asks for more time to study the Bible. And not only more time, but more time studying God’s Word together with the family. My quest to find a good way to study began. I was prayerfully looking over different options when The Child Training Bible appeared on my computer screen. I’ll admit, I’m a homeschooling mom with a true appreciation for office supplies. So when I saw that it required sharpies and post-its I was instantly interested. I sent an e-mail to Child Training Bible and asked a few specific questions, and I was pleasantly surprised when Mrs. Dunn sent me a personal response almost immediately. I ordered the kit on the spot and rushed to the store to buy the sharpies and post-its, and then waited on my son’s kit to arrive.

When you decide to use this program you will need to either order the Sharpie highlighters and post-it flags, or go to a local office supply store to purchase these items. Then you’ll need to order the kit from www.childtrainingbible.com. Some families use colored pencils instead of the sharpies. I found that the Sharpie Accent Liquid Highlighters do not bleed through thin Bible pages. You will see a slight shadow of the color on the opposite side of the page. But we’ve had no bleeding at all in our experience. When your kit comes to your home the first thing you’ll notice is the quality cardstock and bright colors on each card. The first card is to be attached to one of the first pages of a 9” x 6” bible. This card will have color coded topics on the top, side and bottom. The topics include Anger, Complaining, Defiance, Discouraged, Disobedience, Fear, Fighting, The Gospel, Impatience, Jealousy, Laziness, Lying, Making Excuses, Not Listening, Pride, Quarreling, Selfishness, Stealing, Tattling, Unforgiveness, and Wrong Friendships. You’ll eagerly tape this in the front of your child’s bible, and quickly reach for the remaining three cards.

Your remaining three cards will have the topics listed on the top, side and bottom of the bible. You’ll look up the first verse in the first column titled ‘Anger.’ Proverbs 14:29 is the first of eight verses listed in this category. You’ll look it up, highlight it in your yellow sharpie highlighter and put a yellow post-it flag on the top left side of that page. You’ll continue this till every topic has been highlighted and tabbed. Your child will be so excited!

When you see your child displaying anger you will pull out the Bible and flip open to the first tab in Proverbs 14:29. You may continue reading verses as long as you feel necessary depending on the child’s age and the time you have available. Now you’ll turn over that card and find some questions to discuss. For example, “Did you have a godly response to this situation?” And you’ll find a prayer for each topic, as well. Is there any better way to get to the heart of a situation? Using God’s Word, having a heart felt discussion, and praying together is not only brilliant, it’s biblical. At your fingertips you have all you need to lead your child in righteousness according to God’s Word. You are teaching her that every answer to every situation is found in God’s Word. Is there anything more important to teach your child? I can’t imagine anything more vital.

So, that’s what you’ll do, but what have we done in our family? My son, as I said, is 11. So he is finding, marking and tabbing on his own. And I did the same with my bible. I have a younger son who isn’t reading fluently enough yet to have his ‘big boy bible.’ So I know my bible will be used with both boys. And I’m adding another tab or two to my own bible with topics I want to study more deeply. We use it as a bible study by studying each topic together. We use it as discipline and training when issues come up. For example, my oldest son struggled with some fearful thoughts, so we simply turn to the light blue tabs on the top of his bible and read the verses together and pray. And we use it for further study on the topics given. If you are like me, you tend to think outside the box. So don’t feel limited to the example verses given on the cards. When you come across a verse that fits one of the topics, grab your highlighter and matching flags and add to your list. My son has already begun doing this without my leading. God’s Word is living and active, so don’t feel limited.

You may be asking yourself why you couldn’t just make your own. Let me give you some food for thought on that question, because it did cross my mind. First, it’s about my time. My time is stretched very thin, and I suppose your time may also be limited. Why reinvent the wheel? Someone else took the time to do it and I can benefit from that. Second, quality and customer service is valuable to me. These cards are heavy duty and laminated, so they will last quite a while. And Mrs. Dunn has given the best customer service. Third, supporting other moms in their home based business is important to me. The cost isn’t too much to ask for such a wonderful tool for my parenting, and by making my purchase I am helping support this home based business.

My youngest son is already asking when he’ll have a chance to put together his own Child Training Bible. This has encouraged my boys to dig into God’s Word daily. Each morning they pick a topic and read a verse or two together! And that is the most important reason to order the Child Training Bible Kit.

Want a chance to win your own Child Training Bible card kit? Mrs. Dunn is generously offering two card kits to be given away! Follow the rafflecopter instructions for a chance to win one of these two kits!



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Christa

School Limits

There are very few cartoons these days that catch my attention enough for me to be a fan but Phineas and Ferb has done it. The cartoon tells the story of two extraordinary boys who spend their summer days building out of this world projects in their back yard, or wherever they happen to be. The boys build everything from a giant roller coaster to carving their sister's face into Mt. Rushmore. To add to the comedic atmosphere is their sister who despite her attempts to "bust" her brothers, never succeeds as the projects mysteriously disappear just before her mother arrives. This is usually due to the antics of the villain Dr. Doofensmurtz evil "inators" being destroyed by the brave secret agent, Perry the platypus. Have I lost you? Well, take it from me that the show is entertaining.

Usually, I don't over analyze cartoons. There are too many things that just aren't possible to compare to real life ( I mean what HOA is going to let you build a roller coaster in your back yard?). However, I think there are some good points to make from the show if I make the assumption that these kids go to a typical public school during the school year. So let's do that, let's assume that these kids who are obviously gifted, attend your tradition public school, as seen in real life and see what this does for them.


1. Their school limits them.
Anyone with an extremely gifted child can attest to this. In a classroom with 25 children and a curriculum that must be taught in a certain time frame, children who fall behind and children who excel are the ones that fall victim to those "cracks" that everyone always talks about. Teachers can not teach 25 different topics at 25 different paces. It is impossible. So now the gifted child has a few options: they get bored, try to work ahead or talk and "disrupt" class and get in trouble, they quit trying because they are not being challenged and become the labeled "trouble maker" or they are in gifted and talented classes which may or may not challenge them and the first two incidences again become the likely outcome. All children thrive better in an environment that is tailored for them, but I would go further and say that gifted children can only reach their full potential in that tailored environment.

2. Their summer limits them.
104 days of summer vacation...These are the first few words of the theme song to Phineas and Ferb. For just a measly 104 days these gifted children are allowed to explore and create and excel. The rest of the year (with the exception of holidays), they are sat at a desk learning typical 4th grade (my best guess as to what grade they are in) stuff and probably prepping for a standardized test that they could take with their eyes closed. Think of the great things these kids could be doing if they had that kind of freedom all year long!

3. Their parents limit them.
In most of the episodes the parents never find out what the boys have been doing as, mysteriously, the project disappears just before the mom has a chance to see it. In one episode however, the mom finally sees it (the day is later rewound and she never sees it the second time). Her reaction was shocking. Instead of marveling at the intelligence it would take to create such a amazing project, she shouts and tells the boys they are in trouble. This happens a lot, I am even guilty of it, on a smaller scale. My children will create something marvelous, that took creativity, thought, planning and tons of imagination, but I can not see past the mess to see how amazing it is! Sigh, I am a work in progress.

I don't have a gifted child. Mine are quite average intelligence wise, but even in my own average children I can see how detrimental sitting in a traditional classroom setting would be. I can only imagine the damage it does to truly gifted children.

With that I leave you with this wonderful (though long) animation in which Ken Robbinson talks about how school kills creativity.

Surely the consequences of failing parenting 101 will not be too awful bad.
 
I have been sewing a lot lately.  I am dieting, again, and it helps to take my mind off the fact that I want, no I need, chocolate chip cookies.  The soft kind that melt on your tongue as soon as your teeth break through the every so slightly crispness of the outside. Add a nice hot cup of coffee to that or an icy cold glass of whole milk and you have a broken diet, 5 more pounds that settle around the worst possible places on your body, and more guilt than ever.

Yesterday, I was once again parked at my sewing machine. My children were being entertained by the Nintendo Wii and cable.  Every half hour or so, someone was coming to me, whining, crying, complaining or tattling on a sibling about some horrendous wrong done to them.  "But Mom, he looked at me! With his eyes!" 

Finally, I got tired of playing referee when my 7 year old daughter came to me, a hysterical disaster. She had tears running down her face, eyes that were wide open with hurt and confusion, and this voice.  Shudder. The voice of the supreme whine.  She got no more than 3 blubbery words out, a couple of wild hand gestures, and several sobs before I stopped her with, "Really?!  To be as upset as you are, I would expect one of your limbs to be severed.  Go wipe your face, calm down, and do *not* come back to me tattling on your brother."  I had no sympathy.

She started wiping at her face and eyes with the back of her hand and left out of the room.

About 30ish minutes later, I hear this from the living room, "Oooooooo you are going to be in trouble." Great, just great, I but contemplate getting up but I am getting ready to start a buttonhole.  I load the button, attach the foot to the sewing machine and hit go. In comes running in the previously sent away daughter. She looks nothing more than smug.  She says, "Mom, Micah colored on the sofa."  Her attitude said, "If you had gotten on to him for <insert whatever she wanted to tattle on when I sent her away> then this would have never happened. 

Frankly, I was a bit scared to go into the living room at all, seeing as how I essentially abandoned them in there, leaving them to their own devices for several hours.  So, to hear that crayon was somehow marring my brand new sofa was news that kinda terrified me and totally ticked me off.  I called for my son.
No lie, this is the conversation we had.

Me (in a whiny, tortured, complaining voice): Micah, what did you do?
Micah: I colored on the couch.
Me: Seriously? (insert hunched shoulders, thrown back head, closed eyes, and scrunched face) What made you think that was a good idea?
Micah:  Well, I did not know it would show up.

Um. Ok. I have no idea how this is logical, but I kept repeating to myself, over and over again, he is six, he is only six, he is six, he is six. 

Me: (incredulously shaking my head and speaking with a slightly higher pitch) You did not think it would show up?  But what made you want to do it.
Micah: You never told me not to. 

Blink. Blink.

At this point, I should have spanked him.  He is six, he knows not to color on the sofa, he should not have to be told "not to". 

But, the button hole was just finishing up and I wanted to see if it worked and then get a seam ripper to put the hole in the buttonhole and see if the adorable fish buttons would fit through.  So, I did not spank him.  I reprimanded him and reminded him to not draw on anything but approved paper.

After I sent everyone to bed, later that evening, I decided I should brave the living room and check out the damage done to the sofa.  I silently wished for a glass of wine or a nerve pill and walked into the living room. Thankfully, they had not destroyed the room.  They just messed it up a bit, but nothing more than what my husband does when left to his own devices in there... just sayin!  I willed myself to look at the sofa.  There was the red crayon, the marks embedded into the seam of my new microfiber sofa.....

I suppose I need to get around to getting it up, but that requires ironing and I hate ironing...

A Homeschooling Nightmare: The Bad Attitude

Cranky, whiny, unwilling to try, frustated, tearful, and just plain mad; all adjectives that describe the prevailing homeschooling attitude of a day going horribly wrong.  But what do you do about it and how can you get everyone back on track? This attitude won't do you any good.
When you are feeling all these things, you are no good to your kids and life is not fun anymore. We have enough apart from our kids to suck the joy out of our days, so we need not let school do that as well.  So, here are a few practical steps to help you find your happy place.

Take a break.  Call recess.  Make all the kids go outside and play for half an hour.  You do what you do to relax.  Do not stand around wringing your hands about school.  Go clean your room, sort your closet, ride a bike, lift some weights, knit an afghan, or scrapbook about happier times. DO NOT wash clothes - you may find clean clothes with the dirty ones and that will just annoy you more. DO NOT wash dishes - you could find the mornings cereal in the sink when the kids told you they had dumped it out in the garbage - you will be annoyed more.  DO NOT clean the kids room - nothing is more irritating than to go to your child's room and finding the $130 Nintendo DS on the floor.  (But, you COULD play the DS.)

Phone a friend with kids who act worse than yours (we all know someone!).  Do not talk about your kids.  Talk about hers.  I know this is rotten. But, it helps to see the mediocrity of others.  Do NOT call that mom who has everything together, bad timing, it will make you want more, and just overwhelm you.

Write a blogpost or Facebook post about the merits of public school.  This will remind your why you do what you do!
Get back to it.  When you get off the phone and call the kids in, you will need to try again.  Remind yourself Rome was not built in a day and your children won't be educated in one, either.  Rest assured, they will learn to read, they will learn their numbers, they will do it on their time table and not yours!  If your attitude is still bad, put it up for the day. Nothing is worth the damage you will cause to the relationship with your kids. 

Remember, if what you are doing doesn't feel like love, then stop.  Love on your kids. This morning my children eagerly demonstrated the things I do when I get mad or frustrated.  It wasn't pretty and I certainly did not ask them to.  It made me want to change. 

So, this is my blogpost, while my kids are playing outside.  I am going to drink a cup of coffee, call a friend, and then get back to it!

How to Make a Float Dress for a Little Girl

A friend was looking for a float dress pattern with a square collar.  Me, being who I am, accepted this as a personal challenge, even though no challenge was actually issued.  I looked at the dress and thought, "Simple enough! I can make that!"  So, I left a comment on her Facebook page, declaring my ability.  She was appropriately impressed and excited.  I was on cloud nine.  Someone was *IMPRESSED* with me. WOOT!!!  I set out making the dress, I had some white fabric I got on the cheap from Walmart - a dollar a yard! Holla! - and then figured all I would have to do would be to deconstruct the dress and draw the pattern from that.  Easy peasy!

Insert laughter.

The dress was easy.  I took some measurements from a longsuffering three year old, measured, cut, and basted away.  This is what I ended up with.


Rocking the muslin toile!

 I polled my Facebook friends to see what they thought and we came to the consensus that the collar needed to be more narrow and a bit longer.  I made the adjustments, deconstructed the dress, and traced the pieces on to freezer paper.  I traced the pattern pieces onto some really cute fabric and sewed it all together, added a couple of buttons on the back and ended up with this:

I know, she is absolutely adorable.  I think so, too! No! You can't have her! OOOOOHHHHHH... The dress pattern. Sure! I will share that with you. Find the link below and the instructions :)  This pattern is my first that I am actually sharing, so know some rules for using it.

• This pattern and the resulting product is for your own personal use and not for resale unless I give you permission.
• Cut around the outer edges of the pattern, not in the middle of the heavy black lines.
• A generous seam allowance of 5/8" is included, this can be adjusted at any point in the pattern.
• When you print the pattern, make sure the "page scaling" option is set to "none". 
• Adding interfacing to the collar would not be a bad idea, but with enough starch it may not be completely necessary.
• If you are a complete novice to sewing, this dress would be a moderately difficult project, mostly because my instructions may be difficult to understand.

Here is the pattern link: Float Dress size 2T to 5T

Here are your instructions. 

1. Print the pattern and assemble it. 
2. Trace the pattern onto your fabric and cut out pieces.
3. Assemble the bodice by putting the right side of the bodice front and the right side of each of the bodice back together and sew at the shoulders.  Repeat for the other bodice pieces that will serve as the bodice lining. Set both pieces aside.
4. Assemble the collar. First sew the front collar to the back collar pieces, right sides together, at the shoulders.  Iron shoulder seams flat.  Repeat with the remaining collar pieces. 



5. Put the assembled collar pieces together, right sides facing, and sew around the bottom and sides, leaving the neckline open. Clip all corners and turn right side out. Iron flat.





This is the assembled collar. 

6. Baste the neckline together.  Set the collar aside and hunt down the bodice.

7. When you find the bodice lay one piece down, right side up, on a flat surface.  Lay the collar down on top of it, lining up the neckline and (hopefully) the shoulder seams.  The shoulder seams matching is not 100% necessary but they do need to be close.  Lay the other assembled bodice piece, right side down, on top of the collar.  The collar should be sandwiched between the two bodice pieces. 

A Collar Sandwich!

8. Pin the sandwich together at the neckline and sew it all together at the neckline.  Then take the collar and fold it, roll it, or stuff it inside the bodice pieces.

Sew the bodice pieces together at the back edges and the armholes leaving the bottom of the bodice open. Turn it all right side out.

See the collar in there?  Pull it out of the bodice pieces, you may need to use your kid's Nintento DS stylus to help poke out all the corners....

 Now, iron everything again.  Below is my collar, laying flat over the bodice.  The back of the bodice should overlap about a half inch.  The overlapping part is where the button and the button holes will be going.  Overlap the back pieces of the bodice only (make sure the collar is free) and baste the bottom of the bodice together. Set the whole thing aside.

10. Sew the back pieces together.  Baste along the top of the pieces, between the dots. Gather. 
Baste along the top of the front piece, between the dots. Gather. Sew the back and the front together, right sides facing, at the sides.

11. Now let's work on the armholes. Take matching bias tape, either store bought or homemade, and place it on the right of the fabric, on the sides, where the armholes are.  Sew the bias tape in place. Fold the tape over the armhole and iron in place.  On the right side of the fabric, stitch in the seamline of the bias tape and the armhole, catching the back side of the bias tape.  This way you won't have a visible seam. Some people refer to this as "stitching in the ditch".

I made my own bias tape from the fabric of the dress.  You can see the seam on the back side but not the front side.

Repeat for the other armhole.  

12. You should have two pieces now. The bodice with the attached collar and the bottom part of the dress. To assemble them, you need to take the front part of the dress and place the front part of the bodice on top of it, right sides together, and adjusting the gathers as necessary and lining up the armholes.  Pin the outside of the bodice to the dress, leaving the lining free. Sew together.
13. Take the lining of the bodice and fold the raw edge under about a quarter of an inch or sew.  Place the folded edge over the seam you just sewed.  Stitch on the topside of the bodice, in the seam line, catching the folded edge of the lining. Sew in place. 

14. Put the back of the bodice and the gathered part of the back of the dress together, right sides facing, armholes lined up and sew the two pieces together.  Now you should have a whole dress, and no loose pieces. 
15. Mark off the spots for the button holes and sew the buttonholes. Sew on some buttons.

16. Hem the dress.

TADA!!!! Done and done. 

 

Review: In the Hands of a Child Favorite Animated Ballets Lapbook

Download a Sample of this Great Lapbook!

Every now and then we need a break from the regular routine of school. One of my favorite ways to do that is to pull out a lapbook and the best lapbooks are those that are both fun and educational! And what little girl doesn't dream of being a ballerina? In the Hands of a Child does it again with this Favorite Animated Ballets lapbook!

Basic Information
Favorite Animated Ballet
Price: $15
Extras needed: Barbie Ballet DVDs-Twelve Dancing Princesses, Swan Lake, and Nutcracker
Card stock or file folders for lapbook base

We decided to use 12x12 cardstock to make our lapbooks. Brianna had fun designing her cover!

The Favorite Animated Ballets lapbook takes your child through the Barbie animated versions of Barbie in the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Barbie of Swan Lake and of course, Barbie in the Nutcracker. Besides getting to watch the DVDs for each ballet your child will study fascinating facts from each of the ballets including fun things such as ballet positions, mythical creatures, and even how to make sugar plums. But moms, don't worry! There is plenty of other learning in there too! From the composers of the beautiful music featured in the Ballets, to vocabulary and even some math, your child will get a full range of school activities!

Favorite Animated Ballets by In the Hands of a Child Covers All of the Core Subjects!
Here is geography and some home ecconomics.

Pros: This is an inclusive lapbook. Every subject is covered at least to some extent. It gives a lot of room for taking rabbit trails and we found ourselves spending extra time studying certain things (my daughter is a HUGE fan of unicorns!). The lapbook is easily adaptable to various ages, though I would say it would most appeal to girls ages 5-12. There are lots of notes and as always with In the Hands of a Child products, the instructions for Favorite Animated Ballet are clear and easy to follow. Something else that I really liked was that there was a lot of easier cutting for younger children. We have done some pretty complicated lapbooks and sometimes even I had a hard time cutting it out! Since I like for my children to be able to do as much of it as possible this was a huge pro. I also really liked the faith based activities and information that was included with the exception of one thing which I will mention in the con section.

Putting on a Nutcracker Puppet Show!

Cons: There is a lot of information and this one took us longer than normal, but that was mostly because we were having so much fun! You will need to plan about 3-5 days per ballet. I don't know that this would appeal to a typical boy but I think with a little work you could make it work! There was one section that concerned me in the 12 dancing princesses that had to do with the spiritual significance of 12. I wish they had left that out, but it is easily skipped over.

Favorite Animated Ballets was a fun and educational activity and we are looking forward to doing many more lapbooks by In the Hands of a Child!