Homeschool: Weekly Review

With  me getting over a sinus infection and then Abby getting sick this week, we only did school work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Abby was too sick to even play the games I had laid out by Thursday.

Reading

Abby continued with lessons from the Funnix program. I didn't realize it, but I just found out it is from the authors of Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  Abby is on Lesson 5 of the 220 lessons.  They take about 20 to 30 minutes per lesson.  We started at the very beginning, which I would say is for younger kids.  However, I figured it was best to start from the beginning, so each lesson would build off of the next.  I also like the handwriting worksheet after each lesson.

I also read The Littles and the Lost Children (The Littles #12).  Sadly, we  have now completed reading all of The Littles books.  I'm going to have to try to find another great series to start with Abby. 

Math

Abby did a few worksheets that covered and reviewed:  Addition, subtraction, greater than/less than, place value and number order.  Abby has a hard time with math and just doesn't want to do it.  She keeps looking for patterns in the worksheets.  For example on one workbook page,  the first 2 answers were the same.  So she figured all of the answers must be the same.  She tries whatever she can to find an easy way out.  She does like word problems though, which of course there aren't many in our workbooks.  I think I'm going to have to make up my own, so she can get these math facts down!

Social Studies

Abby did a few pages from her Maps, Charts and Graphs workbook. These were about measuring distance and distance words.

This past week was Lesson 20 in Heritage Studies.  Abby did a notebook page that listed several items and then she was to chose which seven items to bring with her if she was coming to the New World.  I read the items to her and then she told me which ones she'd pack:

I thought it was cute that she chose the bible second.  I am so glad she's enjoying Church and she's learning about God at this age.  As you can see, I didn't put it in my top 7 list and it probably wouldn't be in my list at all.  I'm not a bible person, but I want to be.  Do they have classes for that?  LOL!  I believe in God, pray to him and attend Church every week.  I enjoy the services and get a lot out of them (especially at our current Church) but I just have don't have the personal experience some say they have.  I hope I can find that soon.  I'm sure it is nice to rely on the Lord and be so trusting.

Anyway...onto Science.

Last week we went back to our Creative Teaching Press Life Cycle lessons and did the Fighting Fish lesson:


We read the above book and she then answered questions in her science journal about the life cycle and colored her own betta:

We also studied Goldie (our betta) for awhile and talked about how he breathes, what he eats, etc.

Art

I had planned for us to make bubble paint, like I saw over at Meet The Dubiens.  However, for some reason it didn't work for us.  I kept trying to add more bubbles, more paint, more water but nothing worked.  There were bubbles, but none of them left paint marks on the paper.  I'm thinking I used too much water.  So, Abby just did her usual and painted her hands and made a huge mess.  No pic of that, sorry!  LOL!

Exercise

Abby had homeschool gymnastics on Monday.  Of course, I didn't exercise this week...big surprise.  However, I did clean out the kitchen and laundry room.  That's better than sitting on my butt, right?  I also saw a local deal on Living Social.  It was a special for 1 month of boot camp at BCOR.  It's usually $140, but I got it for $20.  I can go as many times as I want in 1 month.  Now I just watched the video on that link and am starting to panic that they were laying in the grass doing sit ups.  I'm not sure I can lay in the grass!  I better start soon, while it's still icy/snowy out!  LOL!

I'm pretty bummed about this week.  Heather and I were going to take the kids out, since they are all feeling better.  However, the weather channel is calling for up to 3/4" of ice and then 6 plus inches of snow on top of that.  It's going to start any minute and last through Wednesday.  URGH!  I'm not driving in 3/4" of ICE!  No thanks!

I'm linking this up to the Weekly Wrap Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Links I Like: 30th Edition

Well, I have  plenty of time to do this post, as I am sitting up with Abby and she is sick again.  Luckily, it's not the stomach virus that has been going around, but a really major cough and runny nose.  She had a fever of 102 today, but I'm just glad she's finally asleep.  Poor thing is so miserable.  Don't you just love this time of year?  (rolling eyes...)

Anyway, on to some fun stuff.  Dave and I have been wanting a new couch and chair for quite awhile.  Our current one is about 8 years old and is showing lots of signs of wear.  It has held up to stains really well though and you can't even see cat hair on it.  That's why I'm so afraid to change.  I'd hate to have something that looks dirty and hairy all of the time, but having holes isn't much better I guess.

I like the Cottage type feel and did some searching today.  I came across a very fun blog, Love Of The Sea.  I just love her style!  I NEED her family room sofa!

She was so kind to email and tell me it was Cherrio Robin's Egg from Nantuckit Furniture.  I am not sure I am brave enough to order a sofa without sitting on it first, but that is such a beautiful fabric and I have such a hard time matching things with my carpet.

Also on the Coastal theme, I found  Seaside Inspired today and I was definitely inspired! I'm in the Midwest, so I can't go overboard with the coastal stuff, but I just love simple touches like these Beach Cottage Frames. 

(Insert picture here.  I can not for the life of me, right click anywhere in that website to share a picture.  Bummer, they have some awesome stuff.  You'll have to go check it out.)

Completely unrelated, but I have been looking online at the birthday party supplies.  They have a few new ones this year that Abby is going to love!

 Pinkalicioius

This is such a cute book.  In fact, Silverilcious is coming out on February 1st.



Our local Borders is having a special release event on February 12th that we are looking forward to attending.  I just read that the book is about Pinkalicious loosing her sweet tooth.  Abby finally has a loose tooth and she's going to be pretty excited about this book!

Next up...

Olivia

I don't care for the sayings on the plates and I do agree with Dave that it would be funny to eat off of pigs, but I know Abby will really want this!

This last set might have been made just for me:

 Baking Bash Party

Speaking of cupcakes, Abby was watching PBS the other day and the cartoons went off.  America's Test Kitchen came on and they started making some awesomely delicious looking cupcakes.

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling

They could be decorated more cutely, but they sure looked good!  They also made Chewy Brownies. 

Um, MUST HAVE NOW!  I know I will be making these for my Mom soon.  She loves brownies.

Lastly, be sure to check out Heart of the Matter's 10 Days of Homeschooling Blog Hop.  It will run on various blogs from February 7th to 18th.  Check out the link for more information.  It looks like fun!

Abby is still sleeping soundly, so I think I'll try to get some sleep now.  I know her medicine is about to wear off though.  URGH!  

I hope you all are staying healthy!

Disclaimer:  I just realized that was a lot of BirthdayExpress links.  I am not affiliated with them at all, I just happened to find some cool stuff there.  The Amazon link is an affiliate link, but I have never earned money from them.  LOL!

Valentine's Mantle Party

Beth from The Stories of A to Z is having a Valentine's Mantle Linky Party!

My mantle looks pretty much the same as last year, but I love it so I'm posting again:



 The heart wreath I made last year.  The tutorial for it is from Mintage Home.



In the apothecary jars are conversation hearts:

I also made the XOXO last year with scrapbook paper and Mod Podge:


The ragamuffin garland was inspired by The Nester.  I made it a few years ago and hang hearts from it for Valentine's and plastic eggs for Easter.



For more Valentine's Mantle, check out The Stories of A to Z!

Book Review- The Earth: Its Structure & Its Changes

I have done book reviews for New Leaf Publishing Company in the past and have always been happy with their products.  This book, The Earth:  Its Structures & Its Changes, was no different!  Upon opening the package, I was very happy with the quality of the book and printing.

Written by Tom DeRosa and Carolyn Reeves, The Earth:  Its Structures & Its Changes is a great introduction and explanation of geology for elementary students.  The Earth is broken down into 20 "investigations" or science experiments that have students explore and observe different geological aspects.  These experiments use household items to learn about mountains, volcanoes, crystals, rocks and more. 

Each investigation topic is a few pages long with sections including:

Engage- students share what they know about the topic
Investigate- make observations of what will happen
Explain- begin to understand the science behind what was observed
Apply- relate this understanding to other ideas
Expand- a "Dig Deeper" section on how to further the project
Assess- students explain what they learned


Click LOOK INSIDE to see an example.

I gave the book to Abby and had her choose an investigation to do.  She picked Investigation #12:  Rocks That Fizz.

This investigation began with a story about a geologist and how he tests rocks to determine what type they are.  We then began the experiment, in which we gathered 5 different types of rocks.  Abby then dropped them into water and observed what happened.

The next step was to drop them in vinegar and observe.

Abby hates the smell of vinegar, LOL!  However, she thought it was neat that some of the rocks fizzed.  The last step was to scratch the rocks with a penny and observe them under a microscope.

After we finished the experiment, we read about the science behind it and found out that the rocks that fizzed were limestone.  The book explained how the bubbles came from a chemical reaction between calcium carbonate and vinegar.

The "Dig Deeper" section suggested comparing pictures of limestone and marble, comparing marble with granite and also defining the three main kinds of rock and giving examples of each.  The last section included seven questions to assess what the student learned.

Abby and I both enjoyed The Earth:  Its Structures & Changes.  This was her first introduction into geology and she's looking forward to doing more investigations!  Specifically Investigation #10 Growing Crystals.

I really like the layout of this book, how it is broken down by topic.  You can use this book as a main resource on geology for elementary students or as a secondary resource for older students or for unit studies on particular topics.  There is also a Teacher's Guide/Student Journal available online!

The book is labeled "Elementary Earth Science"  and says grades 3rd through 6th.  However, I feel it can easily be adapted for all ages.  Abby, being only 6 and not having a huge attention span, we did the basic experiment and reading on the topic.  When she is older, she can do the experiments again and the "Dig Deeper" suggestions.  Also, I think younger kids would enjoy doing these lessons with their older siblings.

For more information, check out The Earth:  Its  Structures & Its Changes at New Leaf Publishing Company.  Also of note, this book is the 4th in a series of Investigate the Possibilities.  The others are Matter, Forces & Motion and Energy.  These all look to be great books!

Have you introduced geology yet?  I'm thinking we might need to do the volcano investigation and then take a field trip to Hawaii...just for learning :)

Disclaimer:  I was sent this book for my honest review. I did not receive any compensation.

Homeschool Weekly Review

This past week sure went by fast.  Dave was off on Monday for Martin Luther King Day.  He came along with us to Abby's gymnastics class.  Abby enjoyed showing off for her Daddy!

Math
Abby worked on several math worksheets reviewing counting by 10's, greater than & less than, and before & after.

I was also surprised this week when Abby found her coin purse and said she had a dollar.  I didn't remember her having a dollar and asked her where she got it.  She said, "I have 4 quarters, that's a dollar, right?" Yep, sure is!  We haven't done money worksheets for awhile, but we talk about money often.  Abby always wants to buy something and I have her read the price tags for me and we talk about if we have enough or not.

In March, I am going to a homeschool convention and will for sure be buying Math U See.  I've been wanting it for a few years and put it off, but we need to find something Abby likes!

Reading
A few weeks ago, I saw The Work of Childhood's post on a reading program called Funnix.  Check out Gabby's post about how to access this free until the end of January!

Abby is reading more and more every day, but I thought we'd try this out, since it's free!  The program starts out with the real basics, but she sat by me and did the first 9 lessons on the computer and then did the worksheet provided.  I was very happy with her concentration on making the c's.  She hates handwriting and usually is very sloppy with it.

Also this week, Abby did a few pages of Explode The Code and read 6 books from a Brand New Readers set:



She did very well with these, as they are pretty simple.  She was proud that she could read whole books.

Science
After learning about jellyfish last week, Abby wanted to learn about dragonflies this week.  We started with a few books:



Next, Abby worked on the Stages of Life Flap Book and Dragonfly Diagram from Homeschool Share.  She then decided to draw her own dragonfly:

Unfortunately, it got wet when I was messing with the fish tank :(

We also did a science experiment with rocks for a neat book that I am reviewing.  Come back tomorrow to read more about it!

I almost forgot, we went to the library on Friday for a Homeschool Explorations class.  This is a monthly class and this month's topic was microscopes.  Abby got to look at lots of things under microscopes including meal worms, crickets, fruit, vegetables, bark, beans, rocks and more.  There were lots of work stations set up.

I also have a funny story about the library.  Last week, while there with my sister and cousin and all of our kids, my cousin pointed out a lady that looked familiar.  My cousin Jackie is only a year older than me and we went to the same elementary school.  She recognized this lady as one of our teachers and sure enough, it was!  We couldn't remember her name, but did recall that she was our math teacher in 4th grade.  I went up to her and asked her and it was for sure her!

This was 20 years ago, I am now 31 and Jackie 32.  We sure made her feel old!  LOL!  However, she looked exactly the same!  It turns out she stopped teaching  a few years ago, to stay home and homeschool her daughter from 3rd grade on.  Her daughter is now 11, the same age we were in her class.  Isn't that funny?!  Anyway, we ran into her again at the Homeschool Explorations class and it was nice to talk to her.


Social Studies
This week was Lesson 19 and was about growing crops.  We read the text in Heritage Studies and discussed how the settlers had to learn to grow crops and how the Indians helped then.  We also discussed types of crops and then Abby did a notebook page on growing plants.  We were supposed to actually grow some plants, but it's the middle of winter.  I just told Abby to draw the stages of how to grow plants.  Here's what she showed me:

She explained that first you plant the seed, then water it, then the sun shines on it and then you WAIT, hence the big W.  LOLOL!  That cracked me up, she is so right though.

Exercise
Yeah, I'm going to start including this again.  However, I didn't do any exercise last week.  I  really want to start back up again and decided to try to exercise at least twice  last week.  Well, Tuesday morning I woke up with a cough and major sinus headache.  I just got an antibiotic to clear up this sinus infection, so hopefully I'll be able to get started exercising this week.

I hope your week has started off well!

I'm linking up to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers:  Weekly Wrap Up.

Links I Like: Valentine's Day

I've officially decorated for Valentine's Day and I'm ready to do some crafts!  These Yarn Hearts from Family Chic are on my list of crafts to do with Abby. 

I also think she would enjoy making these Heart Doily T-Shirts from The Artful Parent.

I'd like to try and make these adorable Tissue Rosettes, as seen on The Idea Room.

I only have bright purple crepe paper right now and that's not the look I was going for.  LOL!

I LOVE this printable from Tattered and Inked.

My Memaw used to sing that song and it's one of my favorites.  I'm planning on having it printed to hang in Abby's room.

Also Valentine's related is this cute Valentine's Day Unit from Musings of Me.

It looks like Abby is a bit too old for it, but it's so adorable that I had to share!

These aren't Valentine's related, but it's so cold here and we just got a few inches of snow yesterday.  These Long Mittens from A Lemony Squeezy Home are such a great idea for keeping arms warm.  I might need a pair for myself!

Have you done any Valentine's projects or crafts yet?

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday posts, head to:

Go Graham Go
Mom Spotted
Two of a Kind Working on a Full House

Scholastic $1 eBooks

I just saw a post from Kylie at Our Worldwide Classroom about 500 Scholastic eBooks for only $1 each.

There are some great titles available from preschool and up! Check them out here.

Thanks for the heads up, Kylie!

Homeschool Weekly Review

Our last weekly review post was Week 18 on December 6th.  However, we've done things here and there, so I don't really know what to call this week.  I also never got around to posting what we did the week before last.  So, I'm just going to change the name of these posts to Weekly Review :)

Last Sunday, we went to CVS for me to get the Mountain Dew deal.   If you bought 6 cases ($20) of Pepsi products, you got $10 in ECB's.  Well, I already had $20 in ECB's, so I spent those and got back another $10 ECB.  Now, I usually like to go alone to do my CVS deals, but I figured I could use Dave's help with 6 cases of Mountain.  Besides, he's the one that drinks it!  LOL!

While at CVS, Dave and Abby checked out the 75% off Christmas section and found this:

It's a jellyfish lamp thing.  I wanted nothing to do with it and was annoyed that Dave wanted it.  I had all of my deals planned out and it did not include a jellyfish lamp for $2.49.  However, I got it...yes, with MY ECB's.  LOL!

That night Dave and Abby got it all set up and Abby said to me, "Mom, I want to learn about jellyfish tomorrow!"  How exciting.  I asked her what she wanted to learn and then headed to the computer to find some activities.

Here's what we did:

Jellyfish coloring page

Jellyfish Reading Comprehension page and Jellyfish Lifecycle Strips (.pdf link)

 Jellyfish Vocabulary Lotto

I have to say, I was pretty proud of myself to think of using seashells as Bingo markers!  LOL!

Lastly, we drew jellyfish using the directions on How To Draw a Jellyfish.

The Bingo and Lifecycle Strips were from Homeschool Share.  They have tons of other jellyfish related printables and ideas, but I just started out with these few things to gauge Abby's response.  

She really loved our little mini unit study and has asked to do one on dragonflies next. 

Abby also worked on Explode The Code Book 3

 This was her first time with this book.  I totally forgot I had it and pulled it out to see what she thought.  I always thought she wouldn't like the simple black and white drawings, but she loves this workbook and has done really well.  Between the week before and this week, she's completed the first 20 pages. 

Tuesday was a snow day for the local schools and my cousin called and asked me if we were off school too.  She's funny!  I decided Abby and I should do some fun things.  It was way too cold to go outside, in fact school was most likely closed because of the windchill not the inch or two of snow.

First, I got out my fabrics and scrapbook stuff and Abby went to town!  Here she is cutting an old piece of fabric to "make a blanket for her peach blanket".

I have a list of some things I need to do around the house.  Last week, I was able to clean out and straighten the hall closet to make room for my new sheets.  I also cleaned out under the bathroom cabinets.  Man, there was a lot of old makeup, hairspray, etc. in there.  They look so clean now!

Tuesday around noon, I decided to tackle the guest closet.  Abby and I took everything out and then I somehow got the energy to paint it.  I've been wanting to paint it for 6 years.  It's the original paint with tons of scuff marks on it.  Abby and I started painting and rolling and I was able to get it done and stuff moved back into it before Dave got home from work!

We ended the evening with a foot soak:

I also painted Abby's nails pink and she painted my toenails blue.  Light blue was the lightest color polish I had, LOL!  Luckily, it's just my toes!

During the rest of the week, Abby did a few math worksheets, played more jellyfish bingo and did a few pages of the Maps, Charts & Graphs workbook.

We also went to the library, Walmart, and the mall this past week.  Oh and Monday was the first week of Abby's new gymnastics.  Her and my nephew, Matthew used to go during the day on Thursdays to The Little Gym.  The kids in that group were ages 4-5  and we were starting to feel that it might be best for them to go to a class with older kids too.  Olympiad gymnastics near our  house has a homeschooling session for 50 minutes on Mondays from 2:30 to 3:20.  There are two 5 year olds, Abby (6), a 7 year old, Matthew (8) and two 9 year olds.  Abby loves it!

Today, Dave is off work for Martin Luther King day.  I think we're just going to hang out at home today before gymnastics at 2:30 p.m.  Hopefully we'll do some schoolwork too!

I'm linking up for the first time to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers' Weekly Wrap Up.

Homeschool Day In The Life

Today I am linking up to Simple Homeschool's Day In The Life series.

If you are new to my blog, welcome!  I am Jenny, a stay at home, homeschooling Mom to my daughter Abby.  She is 6 (and 1/2, if you ask her) and she is in first grade.  This is our 3rd year homeschooling.  I've homeschooled her for preschool and kindergarten.

Like many homeschoolers, we don't really have a typical day.  I also don't really have a typical schedule we stick to either.   So I've decided to share what this past Wednesday was like.

6:50 a.m. Abby wakes to go potty and then realizes it's technically morning and stays up.  Dave is already gone for work.  I make her breakfast and then let her come to my bed to play, eat and watch TV, so I can get a bit more sleep.

8:00 a.m.  I'm still tired, but I better get moving.  I could really sleep all day!  I brush my teeth, wash my face and start the laundry.  I then have Abby pick up whatever mess she has made in my room.

8:30-10:30 a.m.  Abby plays, eats a bagel, does some drawing, uses her Leap Tag Reader and more.  That girl never stops!  LOL!  I eat breakfast, fold the laundry, feed the cats, do the cat boxes and straighten the counter.  I then spend a good 45 minutes or so on the computer working on our new budget.  This next paycheck will be different, because the benefits changed.  Nothing bad, I just like to keep a zero based budget and wanted to update everything.

10:30-11:30 a.m.  My sister calls and we talk about what to do for the day. It's super cold, the windchill is 5, but we want to get out.  We decide to meet for lunch and go grocery shopping together with the kids.  I get Abby dressed and ready and she has a yogurt snack.

11:30-12:30 p.m.  I get ready, helping Abby here and there with how to spell something or where to find something.  She likes to draw pictures, make signs to display around the house and make stories for Kako, our cat.

 Here's one she made on Wednesday.  That's a squirrel on the left, an owl in the tree and a chipmunk on the right.

12:30-2:00 p.m. We head to Babies R Us to use a $3 rewards credit.  As soon as we get there, Heather calls and is ready for lunch.  We leave and meet her at Sam's club.  LOL, yes we had pizza and pretzels for lunch.  It sounded good and was only $3.70!  ROTF!

 Pic found on Google Images.  Abby and I shared cheese pizza, but I sure love their huge cups of Pibb X-tra!

2:00-3:00 p.m. We are back at BRU and looking over their extra 40% off clearance clothing.  Heather found a few things for Andy and Abby wanted a preemie outfit for her baby doll she got for Christmas.

3:00-4:30 p.m. We head down the plaza to WM to get some much needed groceries.  We are all exhausted.  Andy won't sit in the cart, Matthew is falling asleep in the back of the cart and Abby takes turns deciding to sit in the cart, walk or sit in the cart.  We need 2 carts, one for kids and one for groceries.

Yep, Google images again

4:30-5:00 p.m. We drive home and I try to make sure Abby doesn't fall asleep in the car.  If she does, she'll take forever to go to bed and then be crabby the next day.

5:00-6:00 p.m.  Dave gets home before us.  I take a shower and Dave gives Abby a bath.  He also starts dinner.  Tonight was mac-n-cheese and mahi-mahi.

6:00-7:00 p.m.  We eat dinner and do some school work.  Abby actually brought it to the table herself to do.  She did a few pages in Explode The Code, book 3.  She also did a math worksheet.  Dave cleans up dinner, while I help Abby.

7:00-8:00 p.m. I make a batch of brownies.  Abby and Dave watch Angelina Ballerina.  This is her favorite thing to do almost every night.  She puts on her tutu and acts out the show.

8:00-8:30 p.m. Abby gets ready for bed and Dave reads her books and tells her a story.  I do more laundry and clean off the table and floor of any stray toys.  I then go in to sing her a few songs. 

8:30-9:30 p.m. Abby is asleep, I'm on the computer checking out the latest blog posts, checking email and looking into different curriculums and products I want to see at the next convention.  I start a short spreadsheet of the items and prices so I can take it with me.  Dave works on the computer in the office to finish some work.

9:30-10:00 p.m.  Dave joins me in the living room and we watch an episode of Ten Items Or Less.  This is hilarious!  We do Netflix Streaming (thanks, Susana!) and Dave is so good at finding funny shows.

This was one of the funniest episodes yet!  You have to see it.

10:00 p.m.  Dave goes to bed and I finish up on the computer.

10:45 p.m.  I feed the cats again and head to bed.  I hope I can sleep.  Sometimes it takes me awhile to go to sleep!

So our day was rather busy, but nothing special.  Every day is different for us.  Some days we do more work, others less, some not at all...GASP! :)

To participate in the Day In The Life posts, head to Simple Homeschool!

Wordless Wednesday: Magic House Field Trip

The Magic House has a homeschool day each month.  From 9:30-11:30, the prices are discounted and it is only open to  homeschoolers.  This was our first time attending this and we loved it! 



On a funny note, can you see Matthew's baby in the top left picture?  He said his head was cold and "invented" a head warmer for the baby.   Heather and I were laughing so hard.

Oops this wasn't wordless, but for Wordless Wednesday posts head to:

Go Graham Go
Mom Spotted
Two of a Kind Working On a Full House

Winter Mantle Update

Updated January 12, 2012:  I'm linking this up to The CSI Project.



A few weeks ago I posted pics of my Winter mantle.  Since then I have changed a few things and wanted to share the updated pics.

Before:


After:


I changed out one of the frames,  added a few silver sprigs that I found 75% off at Target and added a glitter snowflake.  Here's an up close picture of the wreath:



The changes were minimal, but I really like it and am enjoying looking at it every day.  Just next week, it will be time for the Valentine's stuff to make it's appearance!

For more Winter mantles, head to The Stories of A to Z:

Homeschooling Thoughts, Goals and Stuff

Since Thanksgiving, we have been quite relaxed about our homeschooling.  I have not made a schedule or planned in advance. Guess what?  Abby still learned!  And yes, I worried about it all of the time.

One minute, I'm loving the "unschooling" feel.  Then the next minute, I'm freaking out and looking up private school tuition. Yep, it's still the same as the last time I looked it up (basically as much as another house payment each month).

So when I came across Transitioning into the Big Kid Years from Simple Homeschool, I found it very timely. 

"If your students are under 11 or 12, keep relaxing. Please, oh please, enjoy these days. Snuggle together reading, spend hours doing crafts, take long walks and bend down to examine every insect. Bake a cake and call it science. Go to a museum and call it history. Go grocery shopping and call it math."

So true!  Abby is only 6, yet I feel like I need to teach her so many things.  It's difficult, when you see other kids her age reading chapter books or doing multiplication or writing so well.  How quickly I forget some of the reasons why we homeschool:

For Abby to learn at her own pace
For learning to be fun
For Abby to learn what she's interested in

I think I'm going to print the above quote from Simple Homeschool.  Maybe I should get a vinyl made from it and put it  up on the walls. LOL!  Really, I need to be more relaxed about our school. 

No, I'm not trashing all of the stuff we have.  Abby loves Heritage Studies and science.  It's math, reading and handwriting she doesn't care for.   My goal is to find ways to make these more fun, but keep everything relaxed.  I need to get over the pressure I feel that I have to make Abby learn x, y, z right now.  The pressure is from myself!  LOL! 

What are your thoughts on this?  How do you make learning more fun? 

On a side note, I just heard that one of the school districts near us is going to make all kindergarten full day.  9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I can't even imagine how hard that would be on a 5 year old.  When are they going to have time to play or go out in the community?

Wordless Wednesday: Which End Is Up?

I found the kitties like this the other day:



Uma actually likes to sleep UNDER Kako!  He's big and warm, LOL!



For more Wordless Wednesday posts, head to:

Go Graham Go
Mom Spotted
Two of a kind Working on a Full House