Love My Life x4....

First Day of School (2011 - 2012)

2011-09-16T22:08:00.164-05:00

The first day of school is always such an exciting day! The kids have all looked forward to it for weeks... they've been counting down the days to the Friday we would start. I've been making plans and while I couldn't wait to get us back into the school routine I have also been a little bit nervous. Having 4 children in grades 3rd, 2nd, 1st and PreK is going to take a lot of time and it's going to require me to be completely organized to get it all done. Especially considering the kids activities that require us to be out of the house every evening and on Saturdays.

2011 - 2012
Alexis ~ 3rd Grade; Austin ~ 2nd Grade;
Rylee ~ 1st Grade; McKenzee Grace ~ PreK

The first day of school was AWESOME!!! We all had SO much fun! I did not plan a day of digging into the curriculum... the whole day was centered around having fun and going through the new books that we would be using throughout the year. As well as discussing goals, topics we would be covering and reward systems.

We started off the day with some pancakes :) Then the kids all changed in to their school outfits (because, as Rylee informed us, the first day of school is ALL ABOUT the outfit) and we snapped a quick pic of their first day!

* Every morning we begin with pledge/prayer. We talked about how each day I would pick a "helper"... this person would be able to hold the flags/bible for pledges, would lead us in prayer and would be the person who I called on throughout the day to help me. This person will be chosen based on the behavior from the previous day.

* Bible: We went over the bible verse chart. We also started learning the first bible verse (which, considering our first day of school was on a Friday, would be the bible verse for the following week).

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11

We listened to (and sang along with) Steve Green's song "I Have Hidden Your Word".

I introduced the first 5 Old Testament books of the bible that they were to learn.

* We spent about 45 minutes discussing science, history and geography and what topics we will be covering that year (and the fun we will be having). Boy were they full of questions! LOL!

* Then it was on to some fun worksheets... mazes, crossword puzzles, hidden pictures, etc... all with a back 2 school theme! Everything was printed from edhelper.com (my FAVORITE printable site)!

* We talked about the United States and how beautiful our world is. I sent each of them outside and they were to find something that they thought made our country beautiful. They loved this! I heard things from the trees, the cornfields, the clouds, the sun... the dog :)

* Each of the 3 older kids read a book to us and I read a picture book to all of them. Then we discussed their reading lists and how they would need to keep track of the books they read in their reading log.

* Craft: We made and laminated personalized bookmarks.

* We talked about how there was no other Alexis, Austin, Rylee or McKenzee anywhere in this world. God had made each of them special and there was nobody else exactly like them. Then they each made a "MEET ME" book (printed from edhelper.com). This included their name, age, birthday, likes, dislikes, what they were looking forward to most this year, what they wanted to be when they grew up, etc...!

* We read the first 9 chapters of The Boxcar Children (a FAVORITE)!!!

* Craft: Desktop Organizers

These turned out SO cute (although they took hours to make) and are PERFECT to hold all of their supplies. They keep crayons, glue, glue sticks, erasers on top. Inside they store extra pencils, boxes of markers and colored pencils, scissors, rulers, etc...

We had such a great day together! I am SO excited about our 2011 - 2012 school year and looking forward to all the fun we are going to have in the coming months :) :)

Wordless Wednesday: Sick Kids :(

2011-05-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

Memory Making Monday: April 26 - May 2

2011-05-02T20:27:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how fast each week seems to go. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years... and my kids are growing up SO fast!! I truly am SO blessed to have such an amazing, wonderful family. One of my main goals in life is to enjoy each and everyday to the fullest with my kids and my husband.... cherish every moment... and create many memories!

Each Monday I want to write down some memories from the previous 7 days.... anything and everything I never want to forget :)

* Alexis was in a local parade with her gymnastics team. She had so much fun and we all loved watching her doing round-offs, back walkovers and front handsprings down the road :) At one point she even did her splits in all 3 directions and got a big "Ooooohhhh OUCH" from the crowd... lol! Our local stations aired it live so she was also on TV :)

* Austin was asked to take the offering at church on Sunday. This was his first time to do this and he did SO great! After church he announced that he has decided that when he grows up he wants to be a Pastor {after traveling to the moon, of course}... lol :)

* Rylee decided she wanted to try a new skill and worked hard to get it! She was to get into a headstand and then push up into a handstand and hold it! She worked hard all week and has finally got it! She's so excited... and I'm amazed... she's got some pretty big muscles ;)

* I had a moment this week as I was looking at my baby. She's growing up. I know, I know... this happens ;) But it really just hit me. She is going to be THREE in just a couple months... it just doesn't seem possible. Her smile, her kisses, her hugs, her sweet heart and her soft little voice... I'm absolutely in love with my sweet little girl... McKenzee Grace...

USA: The Great 50 States ~ Illinois

2011-04-30T22:57:00.006-05:00

The following includes the topics that will be studied and materials that will be used while we study the state of Illinois {our home state!}.

Identify
- State Location, Capital & Bordering States
- State Population, Largest City
- State Nickname, Motto, Song
- State Flag, Symbols
- Major Rivers: Mississippi River, Illinois River
State History Overview
- Study: The first people who arrived in Illinois {Paleo-Indians} through Illinois today.
State Plants
- Flower: Violet
- Tree: White Oak
State Animals
- Whitetail Deer
- Cardinal
- Monarch Butterfly
- Bluegill
Famous People
- Abraham Lincoln {President}
- Walt Disney {Film Animator}
- Carl Sandburg {Poet}
- Alfred Wallenstein {Conductor}
- Michael Jordan {NBA}
- John Deere {Inventor}
Historic Landmarks
- Black Hawk State Historic Site
- Old State Capital
- Lincoln's New Salem
Recipe
- Chicago Style Hot Dog

BOOKS

RESOURCES

Illinois Information
Illinois State Song
Illinois State Song Lyrics
United States Coloring Book ~ Illinois Page 13
State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book ~ Illinois Page 14
White Oak Tree
The Monarch Butterfly Unit
Timeline of Illinois History ~ homemade ;)

PRINTABLES

Passport Book and State Flag Stickers
USA Map
Illinois State Flag
Illinois State Stamp
Illinois State Quarter
Whitetail Deer {Enchanted Learning}
Cardinal Activity Sheet
Square Dance Coloring Page
The Fifty States Copywork & Fun! Volume 3 {Includes Illinois} ~ Currclick: Interesting Facts; Copywork; Word Search; Coloring; Matching Game...
Illinois State Unit Study ~ Currclick $2.00 ~ 3 History Lessons; Activities
John Deere Reading Comprehension & Activities {EdHelper ~ Subscription Needed}
IL is for Illinois Book {EdHelper ~ Subscription Needed}

CRAFTS

MEDIA

GAMES

State Symbols Game
Stack the States iTunes {iPod Touch; iPhone}99 cents!!
States and Capitals Memory Game Free Printable
United States Map Puzzle Online Game ~ Free

FIELD TRIPS

Fish for Bluegill
Lincoln's New Salem
Lincoln Museum

McKenzee Grace: Preschool Curriculum

2011-04-28T23:18:00.003-05:00

PHONICS
McKenzee Grace can recognize all 26 letters (capital and small) and she knows all 26 letter sounds {I say the letter she can tell me the sound; I say the sound she can tell me the letter}. I will continue to work with her on recognizing beginning sounds, ending sounds and sight words and identifying vowels. Once I feel she is ready I will introduce blending {ba, be, bi, bo, bu} and eventually will add a final consonant to blends to read CVC words.

Some of the resources we will be using:
- Alphabet Puppets
- Jumbo Fun with the Alphabet
- Abeka: My Blend and Word Book
- Meet the Sight Words DVD's

MATH
- Mathematical Reasoning: Beginning 1
- Tons of manipulatives and hands on activities

THEMES
- Early Childhood Thematic Series {Animals Around the World; Insects; My Body; My World; My Plants; The Farm; The Ocean; The Pond; The Rainforest; The Weather}

MOTOR SKILL ACTIVITIES
Fine Motor Skills
Gross Motor Skills

READING; LITERATURE; POETRY
- Book List
- Literature Units & Lapbooks
- A Child's Book of Poems

BIBLE
- Bible Stories from A-Z
- Bible Verse Songs: Hide 'em in your Heart {1}; Hide 'em in your Heart {2}

ART
- Alphabet Art
- Various Internet Resources

Rylee: 1st Grade Curriculum

2011-04-28T17:43:00.008-05:00

PHONICS

- Abeka Letters & Sounds 1

- Handbook For Reading

LANGUAGE
- Abeka 1
- First Language Lessons1

SPELLING
- Abeka 1 {Weekly Word Lists}
- All About Spelling

HANDWRITING
- Draw! Write! Now!

WRITING
- Narration and Dictation exercises (continued)
- Write a Super Sentence

READING & LITERATURE
- Book List
- Literature Pockets: Folktales & Fairytales; Nursery Rhymes
- 52 Print & Read Short Story Books
- Daily Reading Comprehension

MATH
- Saxon 2
- Daily Word Problems

SCIENCE
- UNITS {Animals; Plants; Human Body; Five Senses; Seasons; Weather; Space}

SOCIAL STUDIES
- Community Helpers
- Holidays: Rookie Read About Holidays
- Beginning Geography {Evan Moor}
- USA: State Study
- World: Children Just Like Me; Around the World Art & Activities; The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook; Around the World Coloring Book

BIBLE
- Bible Stories & Crafts (Old Testament); Bible Stories & Crafts (New Testament)
- Building Christian Character
- Big Truths for Little Kids
- Bible Verse Memorization

ART
- How To Teach Art To Children
- Artist Studies: Getting to know the worlds greatest Artists

POETRY
- Memorize 8 poems
- Poet Studies: Poetry for Young People

MUSIC
- Composer Studies: Getting to Know the Worlds Greatest Composers
- Piano Lessons
- Voice Lessons

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
- Spanish: La Clase Divertida

CRITICAL THINKING
- Lollipop Logic

Austin: 2nd Grade Curriculum

2011-04-28T15:29:00.005-05:00

PHONICS

- Abeka Letters & Sounds 2

- Handbook For Reading

LANGUAGE
- Abeka 2
- First Language Lessons 2

SPELLING
- Abeka 2 {Weekly Word Lists}
- All About Spelling

HANDWRITING
- Copywork {Manuscript}: Bible Verses

WRITING
- Narration and Dictation exercises (continued)
- Paragraph Writing

READING
- Book List
- Literature Pockets: Aesop's Fables; Caldecott Winners
- Daily Reading Comprehension

MATH
- Saxon 3
- Daily Word Problems

SCIENCE
- ScienceWorks 1-3 {Units: Vertebrates; Invertebrates; Energy - Light, Heat, & Sound; Exploring Space; How Your Body Works, Geology, Plants, Habitats, Simple Machines, Water}
- Abeka 2

HISTORY
- Time Travelers History Study Series; Interactive 3-D Maps {American History}

GEOGRAPHY
- Beginning Geography {Evan Moor}
- USA: State Study

BIBLE
- Bible Stories & Crafts (Old Testament); Bible Stories & Crafts (New Testament)
- Building Christian Character
- Big Truths for Little Kids
- Bible Verse Memorization

ART
- How To Teach Art To Children
- Artist Studies: Getting to know the worlds greatest Artists

POETRY
- Writing Poetry with Children
- Memorize 8 poems
- Poet Studies: Poetry for Young People

MUSIC
- Composer Studies: Getting to Know the Worlds Greatest Composers
- Piano Lessons
- Voice Lessons

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
- Spanish: La Clase Divertida

CRITICAL THINKING
- Logic Safari

Alexis: 3rd Grade Curriculum

2011-04-28T10:54:00.006-05:00

LANGUAGE
- Abeka 3
- First Language Lessons 3

SPELLING
- Abeka 3 {Weekly Word Lists}
- All About Spelling

HANDWRITING
- A Reason for Handwriting {Cursive}

WRITING
- Narration and Dictation exercises (continued)
- How To Write a Story

READING
- Book List
- Literature Pockets: Caldecott Winners; Folktales & Fairytales
- Daily Reading Comprehension
- How to Report on Books

MATH
- Saxon 5/4
- Daily Word Problems

SCIENCE
- ScienceWorks 1-3 {Units: Vertebrates; Invertebrates; Energy - Light, Heat, & Sound; Exploring Space; How Your Body Works, Geology, Plants, Habitats, Simple Machines, Water}
- Abeka 3

HISTORY
- Time Travelers History Study Series; Interactive 3-D Maps {American History}

GEOGRAPHY
- USA: State Study

BIBLE
- Bible Stories & Crafts (Old Testament); Bible Stories & Crafts (New Testament)
- Building Christian Character
- Big Truths for Little Kids
- Bible Verse Memorization

ART
- How To Teach Art To Children
- Artist Studies: Getting to know the worlds greatest Artists

POETRY
- Writing Poetry with Children
- Memorize 8 poems
- Poet Studies: Poetry for Young People

MUSIC
- Composer Studies: Getting to Know the Worlds Greatest Composers
- Piano Lessons
- Voice Lessons

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
- Spanish: La Clase Divertida

CRITICAL THINKING
- Logic Safari
- Detective Club: Mysteries for Young Thinkers

USA: The Great 50 States {Resources}

2011-04-27T21:56:00.007-05:00

Alexis, Austin and Rylee are notebooking their way through the United States! They are having so much fun and learning SO much! We are keeping it simple by using materials that are not expensive or are free to use (and if printing, don't require a lot of colored ink). This list includes just some of the materials we are using (adding in some more specific resources for each state depending on what is being studied).

TOPICS
* State Location & Bordering States
* State History Overview {include Statehood}
* State Capital, Population, Largest City
* State Nickname, Motto, Song
* State Plants
* State Animals
* State Flag, Symbols
* Famous People
* Historic American Landmarks
* Major Oceans, Rivers, Lakes {including bordering}

BOOKS
50 States: A State By State Tour of the USA
State By State Guide (United States of America)
The Little Man In the Map: With Clues To Remember All 50 States
From Sea to Shining Sea {1 book/state... each book is loaded with information}

PRINTABLES
Maps of the USA Enchanted Learning
USA and State Flags Enchanted Learning
Symbols of the USA Enchanted Learning
The Fifty States Copywork & Fun CurrClick {$4.00}
States Coloring Pages Crayola

RESOURCES
United States Coloring Book
State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book
Historic American Landmarks Coloring Book
Passport Book and State Flag Stickers

GAMES
Stack the States iTunes {iPod Touch; iPhone}99 cents!!
States and Capitals Memory Game Free Printable
United States Map Puzzle Online Game ~ Free

Wordless Wednesday: Growing up to fast

2011-04-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

Summer Fun Activities & Vacations

2011-04-27T10:59:00.001-05:00

With our current plans coming to an end I'm looking forward to and preparing our plans for the next many months. Of course, that includes our SUMMER plans!!! :) We are going to have a pretty busy summer... but we're all looking forward to those fun summer activities :) Here's our plans...

SUMMER FUN
* Swimming
* Bike Rides
* Family walks / Nature Walks
* Gardening
* Picnics
* Have the kids set up a lemonade Stand
* Library ~ Story time and other activites
* Fly Kites
* Bowling
* Water Balloon Fight
* Playing at the parks
* Jump Roping
* Blowing Bubbles
* Play baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball {practice at home with the kids}
* Tennis
* Hide and Seek (outside, of course)
* Flashlight Tag
* Catch lightening bugs
* Sidewalk chalk
* Cherry Picking
* Make Ice Cream
* Fishing
* Fairs / Community Picnics / Parades

CAMPING
We LOVE to camp! Because we sleep in a tent when we camp we won't know until the last minute if it's a good weekend for camping or not (we won't be going when it's really HOT... or with sever weather in the forecast). We are less than an hour away from many great camp sites so we don't really need to plan early. Our weekends are free so that leaves plenty of time for packing up and leaving to go camping as we feel like it!

VACATIONS
Growing up I always looked forward to our summer vacations and want the same for my children. I am really excited about our vacation plans for this summer. We are trying to limit our total vacations to a total of 2 weeks. IF we can find another week that we can add in for a vacation we would all LOVE to travel to the Grand Canyon.

HANNIBAL, MISSOURI
After studying about Mark Twain we will be visiting his home town {just 20 minutes away from where we live}.
* Mark Twain Cave
* Mark Twain Museum
* Sawyers Creek

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
There are SO many things to do in St. Louis and with gas prices so high traveling a short distance will be perfect for a fun vacation! Here are some of the places we will be visiting...
* Grants Farm
* Gateway Arch
* Science Center
* Butterfly House
* Magic House
* City Museum
* Museum of Transportation
If we can work it out during the few days we will be going... we would love to be able to take the kids to a St. Louis Cardinals game.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
* Shedd Aquarium
* Adler Planetarium
* American Girl Place Chicago

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
We are just starting to plan this trip and besides knowing that we ARE going, we don't have much planned yet! Alexis will be participating in the Junior Olympics (tumbling) in New Orleans on July 31 - August 1. We will be driving and stopping in Tennessee on the way down {I'm not sure where on the way back}. We will be planning something fun to do on the way down and back and plan to visit the beach/ocean! I'm hoping to have all plans finalized for this trip by the end of May.

Our daily summer schedule!

2011-04-27T08:36:00.002-05:00

We are all getting SO excited for summer! My kids will be continuing all their studies throughout the summer months... with a few weeks off for traveling. We have a crazy summer schedule already though so I'm trying to get everything organized to take back and forth with us to the gym for them to work on while we sit there {for 27 hours/week}. At home we will work on history, science and art but everything else I am sure we can accomplish during those long hours at the gym {and the trip to and from the gym... 30 minutes each way}. This will still leave lots of time for swimming, camping, bike riding, playing outside... and all that fun "summer stuff" :)

MONDAY
Alexis, Austin, Rylee {Piano Lessons} 8:30-10
Rylee {Level 4} 4:30-7
Alexis {Tumbling Team} 5:30-7:30
Austin {Tumbling} 5-6
McKenzee Grace {K3} 5:15-6

TUESDAY
Alexis {Level 5} 8:30-2 {with 45 minute lunch break}
Rylee {Tumbling Team} 10-12

WEDNESDAY
Rylee {Level 4} 8:30-11
Alexis and Rylee: Private Lessons 11-12:30
Alexis {Level 5} 5-8

THURSDAY
Alexis {Level 5} 8:30-11:30
Rylee {Level 4} 4:30-7
Alexis {Tumbling Team} 5:30-7:30

FRIDAY
Rylee {Level 4} 8:30-11
Austin {Tumbling} 9:30-10:30
Alexis {Level 5} 11:30-2:30

Book List: Austin

2011-04-26T18:14:00.001-05:00

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Always room for one more
Caps for sale
Cloudy For A Chance for Meatballs
The giraffe that walked to Paris
The Glorious Flight
Grandfathers Journey
Henny Penny
The House at Pooh Corner
Jack and the beanstalk
Johnny Appleseed
The little red lighthouse
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Miss Rumphius
Mr. Grumpys Motor Car
Night of the Moonjellies
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Owl Moon
Ox Cart Man
The Rag Cat
The Snowy Day
Song and Dance Man
Stopping by the woods
Storm in the night
The Story of Ferdinand
The Story About Ping
Tuesday
Three Names
Time of Wonder
Where the wild things are

Mrs. Rosey Posey
Amelia Bedelia
Jake {Zonderkidz I can Read}
Hendry and Mudge
Annie and Snowball
Frog and Toad
Mr. Putter and Tabby
Nate the Great
I Can Read/Step Into Reading {Level 2 & 3}

Book List: McKenzee Grace

2011-04-26T07:00:00.003-05:00

Encouraging McKenzee Grace to love books is one of my main goals this year. I hope to read her many new books while enjoying her favorites over and over.

This is no where near a complete book list for her, but it's a good one for us to get started on. I will be adding more books throughout the year :)

BOOKS
Ask Mr. Bear
Baby Animals
Because I Love You
Bedtime For Frances
The Big Green Pocketbook
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?
The Bunny Book
But not the hippopotamus
The Carrot Seed
Corduroy
Down on the farm
Dr. Seuss {all of his books}
Goodnight Moon
Good Night, Gorilla
Good Night, Little Bear
The Grouchy Ladybug
Guess How Much I Love You
How the Turtle Got Its Shell
How the Zebra Got Its Stripes
If You Give A Cat A Cupcake
If You Give A Pig A Pancake
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Jamberry
Jenny's Surprise Summer
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear
The Little Engine that Could
Little Mommy
Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear
Little Princess {series}
Llama Llama Red Pajama
The Little Rabbit
Maisy {series of books}
Mommy Hugs
Poky Little Puppy
Sheep in a jeep
This is the bear
The Very Busy Spider
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Lonely Firefly
Where Do Kisses Come From?
You Are Mine

Book List: Rylee

2011-04-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

A New Coat for Anna
Another celebrated dancing bear
Berlioz the Bear
Blueberries for sal
Fancy Nancy
The Giant Jam Sandwich
Goldilocks and the three bears
Hello Ocean
Jack and Jill
Just Plain Fancy
Katy and the big snow
Katy No Pocket
Ladybug Girl
Little Bo Peep
The Little Red Hen
Little Miss Muffet
Madeline
Make Way for Ducklings
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
The Mitten
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
My Visit to the Zoo
Olivia
Over and Over
Owl at Home
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Three Little Kittens
We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Barnabas
The Berenstain Bears
Biscuit
Elephant and Piggie
Howie
Level 1 Books {I Can Read; Step Into Reading; DK Readers}
Little Bear
Little Miss Spider
Mittens
My First: I Can Read Books {Splish Splash, Oh Cats!, How Many Fish?, I See You See}
My First Little House {series}
Now I'm Reading books
Oh, The Places You'll Go
Otter and Owl
"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze"
The Princess Twins

Book List: Alexis

2011-04-26T06:55:00.001-05:00

A Bear Called Paddington
A Little Princess
Absolutely Lucy
Aesop's Fables
Anne of Green Gables
Black Beauty
Charlotte's Web
Caddie Woodlawn
Ellen Tebbits
The Family Under the Bridge
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
Hannah
The Hundred Dresses
In Grandma's Attic
Lilly and Miss Liberty
Little House in the Big Woods
Little Pilgrims Progress
Mailing May
Mary Poppins
Mr. Poppers Penguins
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Muggie Maggie
Pioneer Cat
Pippi Longstocking
Pollyanna
Sarah Plain and Tall
Shiloh
Snowflake Bentley
Socks
Stuart Little
Summer Pony
The Trumpet of the Swan
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Wheel on the School
Winter Pony

Amber Brown
Animal Ark SeriesAnimal Friends Series {Janette Oak}
The Boxcar ChildrenCam Jansen
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
Cul-de-sac Kids
Katie Kazoo
KeekerThe Littles
Precious Girls Club
Pony Crazed Princess {finish series; started in 1st grade}
The Tiara Club

Rylee {5 years old} is moving to Level 4 {SNEAK PEEK}

2011-04-25T11:05:00.003-05:00

Rylee is SO excited about moving to the level 4 gymnastics team this June! She has all the skills, she knows all the routines, now she just has to wait until after her 6th birthday in 2012 so she can finally start competing as a level 4 gymnast.

WOW... it's been 7 months... UPDATE on us :)

2011-04-25T10:40:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it has been over 7 months since my last post!!! Life has been SO crazy... but we're having TONS of fun.

Our school year has been amazing!!! We are currently finishing up the 2010-2011 school year plans and we'll be moving right on to the next set of plans :) New learning goals have been set for each of my children and they are all anxious to move to the next 'grade level'.

I have simplified our school lives a lot. I do still create things for my children to use to help to make their learning experiences full and fun but I try to keep it simple {for me}. My children are thriving and absolutely LOVE school. They keep me very busy with all their activities and that's just how we like it :)

Alexis has had a great first season competing as a level 4 gymnast. She competed in 10 meets this year and did amazingly well and placed 11th in State :) She is moving to the level 5 team starting in June and is very excited about being able to do new routines for the 2011-2012 season. She also joined the tumbling team in January and was able to compete in 2 meets before going to USTA State (where she placed 10th and qualified for Nationals). She has another State (AAU) meet next month and then she will be heading to Junior Olympics in July! That keeps her busy enough but she's also loving her swimming lessons & piano lessons and horseback riding starts in June :) She will be attending a gymnastics camp from May 29th - June 3rd. She is SO excited about this and cannot wait to go with her friends. I am a bit nervous about sending my 8 year old away for the week 10 hours from home. But I know she is going to have an amazing experience. She has become such a social little butterfly ... she makes friends easily and loves to live life to the fullest ... I am sure she will have an absolutely wonderful time.

Alexis is pretty much a dream come true when it comes to her school work. She is a hard worker, she listens and she LOVES to learn! She is breezing through her studies and always anxious to find out what she will be learning next. Her favorite subject is spelling! She does weekly Abeka spelling lists and is also using All About Spelling. She is flying through the All About Spelling books.

Austin is enjoying all sorts of activities! He is in a prep-tumbling class a couple days a week and really enjoys it. He is determined to join the tumbling team in the next year or so. He also absolutely LOVES his swimming lessons. He's like a little fish and would spend all day in the pool if he could (maybe this summer... lol)! There is a swim team he could join if he continues to love swimming so much. He also LOVES to hunt and fish. Austin is blessed to have a dad and a grandpa that will spend a lot of time with him taking him hunting and fishing. He is a great little fisher and can usually out fish his grandpa ;) He does enjoy sports such as baseball, basketball, football, soccer... but for now prefers to spend his time playing those things outside with us instead of on a team.

Austin LOVES to learn... he loves school... and he soaks up information at an incredibly fast pace. He is an amazing little reader... he will spend hours just reading a book. When we introduce a new math concept he gets it almost immediately. His favorite though is SCIENCE! Anything science related ... it doesn't matter. He absolutely LOVES it!

Rylee is still completely obsessed with gymnastics! A couple weeks ago she found out that she has been invited to join the level 4 gymnastics team! Talk about her being excited! LOL! She still will not be able to compete until after she turns 6 in late January but just being able to practice with the team is enough for her!! She also wants to join the tumbling team (like her big sister). Last week at gym she connected her round off with 3 back handsprings (and got a huge round of applause from the parents/kids watching) which means she can join the tumbling team!! We are doing some private lessons between now and summer with the tumbling coach so she will be ready to start in June! There is no age limit for being able to compete on the tumbling team so come fall she will be good to go as a 5y/o doing round off with 2 and 3 connected back handsprings :) Besides gymnastics Rylee also enjoys swimming lessons and playing piano!

Rylee has finished up her kindergarten school work and is officially doing all 1st grade work. I am absolutely amazed with how much she has learned over the last year. She is reading well, her handwriting is GREAT and she absolutely LOVES math! Once she has finished her work for the day she is always asking if she can do tomorrows (which sometimes I let her do and then everything just gets moved up... lol) or she will grab a book and read or sit and write a letter.

McKenzee Grace... my baby :) And she's growing up SO fast. I can't believe she will be 3 this July! She is a very active little girl... always trying to keep up with the big kids. She is in a gymnastics class and LOVES it! She is currently in the class for 2 year olds and parents are required to go with their little ones to that class. Well, she is always telling Josh and I that she doesn't want us to go with her, she's a big girl, she can do it... haha! They are moving her to the 3 year old class starting in June... and then she can go by herself which I'm sure she will love :)

McKenzee Grace is doing a non-structured, non-planned, whatever we find to do at that moment... type of toddler school! LOL! She LOVES to sit and have any of the kids read a book to her, she could color or do crafts or play with play-doh all day long. She can recognize all 26 letters (capital and small), knows the sounds that all 26 letters make and can also tell me the name of each letter when I say the sound! She is OBSESSED with the alphabet!! She is starting to recognize the beginning sound of words and is doing amazingly well. She can also count to 20, recognize numbers 1-10 and count out the correct objects for numbers. I am so proud of her and how well she is doing :)

Life is very busy... but we are loving it all! I am currently putting together our summer schedule and planning vacations and activities that we want to be able to do... it's going to be a FULL summer... but also SO much fun! With both girls on the gymnastics team... and on different levels (that never practice at the same time)... we will be at the gym 27 hours/week. CRAZY... but they love it SO much ... it's so worth it! We plan on getting a LOT of school work done at the gym :) Currently we spend 17 hours/week at the gym... so it is a pretty big jump in hours!

On top of it all... we sold our house a few weeks ago :) We will be closing by May 27th. Everything has been happening SO fast and we are excited about what's to come. The plan is to build a house again :) I absolutely LOVED building this house and cannot wait to be able to share that experience with my children. In the meantime we will rent... the problem is that there is NO where to rent right now. So for now we will be moving into my parents huge country home. They live on 80 acres and have 3 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs that we can use (one room with a deck/steps so we will set it up like a little 'living area'... there's also a little kitchen in that room). This will work for now and we are all really excited about being able to spend more time with them. They also have a huge in ground pool... where I predict we'll be spending lots of time over the summer :) Of course, we will continue to look for a place to rent... and land to build on!

That pretty much sums it up for us. Basically we're just really busy... but loving it all!

Bible Studies

2011-01-01T15:05:00.000-06:00

OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES
Creation
Adam and Eve
Cain and Abel
Noahs Ark
Tower of Babel
Abram and Lot
Abraham and Sarah
Jacob
Joseph
Baby Moses
Moses (The Burning Bush, Ten Plagues)
Moses (The Red Sea, Ten Commandments)
Joshua
Gideon
Samson and Delilah
Ruth and Naomi
Hannah (Samuel)
David and Goliath
Elijah
Esther the Queen
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Daniel and the Lions
Jonah

NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES
Jesus heals the man with leprosy
Jesus Baptism
The Twelve Disciples
The Lords Prayer
Two Builders
The Sower and the Seed
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Jesus Walks on Water
The Good Samaritan
The Lost Sheep
The Prodigal Son
Jesus Loves the Children
Zacchaeus

ADDITIONAL LESSONS
Heaven

HOLIDAYS
Christmas
Easter
Valentines Day
Mothers Day
Fathers Day

CHRISTIAN WALK

Armor of God
The fruits of the Spirit

CHARACTER QUALITIES
Cheerfulness
Diligence
Compassion (Mercy)
Helpfulness
Attentiveness
Thankfulness
Stewardship
Dependability
Forgiveness
Obedience

Literature

2011-01-01T15:03:00.000-06:00

Preschool
The Big Green Pocketbook

Science

2011-01-01T15:02:00.000-06:00

ANIMALS
Panda Bears
Pigs

ENVIRONMENT
Oil Spill

Rylee {4 Years Old} ~ Back Walkover!!!

2010-09-04T13:43:00.001-05:00

Rylee is SO excited... yesterday she decided she would like to learn how to do a back walkover. I spotted her a few times and then she DID IT!!!! I am so proud of her!! It's so great to see her being able to do what she loves most again (after breaking her elbow at the gym this past April and having to take 3 months off)! She absolutely amazes me!!!!

Long time..... gearing up to start the new year!!!

2010-08-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I have posted here on my blog. Josh asked me around the beginning of July to please stop spending so much time on my blog (and the internet) and just spend the summer having fun with the family. Of course, I felt I needed to honor his wishes and at the beginning of July I decided to just take a break... no blogging and I haven't even checked emails! Our summer has been WONDERFUL!!!!

Over the last few weeks I have decided that I need to make our homeschooling a bit more 'simple' than what I had planned. We are going to use a little bit of Abeka materials for this upcoming school year just to help me not have to spend so much time creating, making, printing, etc...!

Our summer break is not over just yet.... we will be starting our new school year on September 13th!

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful summer! I am looking forward to starting our new school year... we are going to have so much fun this year!!!

McKenzee Grace Turns TWO!!!

2010-07-18T17:28:00.001-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MCKENZEE GRACE

I cannot believe my BABY is 2 years old today. WOW... the time is just flying by. She is such an amazing little girl... so kind, sweet and caring... I can't imagine my life without her.

We have had a WONDERFUL weekend celebrating McKenzee Grace's second birthday! Yesterday we had family and friends over for her party! We had such a great time and McKenzee Grace loved seeing everyone. The 'theme' of her party was inspired by an adorable dress that I found for her to wear... it all turned out SO cute!!!

This morning McKenzee woke up to a new toddler bed (no more cribs in this house! WOW!) and lots of presents :)

She LOVES Minnie Mouse and got lots of new Minnie Mouse themed toys!

Cupcakes and candles.... nothing better than that :)

YUMMY!!!!

I'm looking forward to another year filled with adventures, fun and cuteness with my McKenzee Grace! I am so blessed to be able to be her Mommy and spend everyday with her! I love her SOOOOOOO much!!!!

Just 2 more weeks to go!

2010-06-30T11:04:00.000-05:00

It's been a little over 2 months since Rylee broke her elbow while doing gymnastics at the gym. Since getting her cast off she has been doing great! She is able to move her arm perfectly again and has had absolutely no complications. However, she has not been able to return to gymnastics yet. Gymnastics is what she loves. Every day she puts on her leotard and every day she asks me if she can do a cartwheel, a round-off, a handstand... just one {pretty please Mommy}!

We were told that while Rylee could return to all of her activities she was to wait an additional 6 weeks before doing any type of gymnastics. For a girl that lives, breathes and dreams gymnastics 24/7 this has been an extremely long wait!

July 14th is the day she can start again... and we've been counting down the days! Now we are just 2 weeks away and Rylee is getting VERY excited!!!

Alexis~ First 2 mile run

2010-06-30T08:20:00.001-05:00

I LOVE to run and was so excited when Alexis asked if she could go on a run with me. I know she also likes to run and runs at gymnastics practice 4 days a week. We decided I would head out and run a little bit first (3.5 miles) then meet her at the end of our driveway so she could go with me. She ran 2 miles with me! And she did SO great!!! She was talking and laughing the whole time and was so much fun to run with. I really enjoyed our time together. Can't wait to take her again!

Cherry Picking & Cherry Pie {Summer Fun}

2010-06-26T20:18:00.001-05:00

We have been waiting for the cherries to be ready to pick... finally this week we were able to pick them. The kids were so excited about being able to help pick the cherries. I loved watching them as they looked and looked for the 'perfect' cherries that we could use to make some yummy cherry pie!

Finally back at home we washed and pitted the cherries and turned them into a cherry pie. I had never made a cherry pie before and it was so delicious!! Mmmmmmm! Can't wait to pick cherries again with the kids next summer!

First official day of summer! {Our Summer Plans}

2010-06-21T10:11:00.002-05:00

Today is the first official day of summer for 2010!! We have definitely been experiencing hot summer weather for a few weeks now but with the last few weeks having been so crazy for us it's nice to officially kick off our summer today!

Alexis joined the level 4 gymnastics team on June 1st! She is LOVING it but it is requiring a lot of time. She practices 11 hours a week. Plus there is our driving time (35 minutes to and from the gym) 4 days a week. But she loves it so it is definitely worth it. Austin joined a pre-tumbling team so there is another night every week that we head off to the gym. Rylee still cannot do gymnastics because of her elbow that she broke, however, in 3 weeks she will be able to which will require even more time spent at the gym. Of course, all worth it and we all love it!

This is not a complete list of everything we will be doing this summer. Just a basic list of fun stuff I want to accomplish with the children this summer!

Summer fun activities
* Swimming {I have swimming scheduled for at least 2 hours every day! This will be a big part of our summer! Hopefully soon the kids will be able to join a swim team.}
* Blow bubbles
* Sprinkler/Water Balloons/Water Games
* Outdoor chalk
* Picnics
* Bike Rides
* Family Walks
* Spend time at the park
* Tag; additional games that we can play outside

* Cherry picking
* Make ice cream
* Camping
* Fishing
* Visit the zoo
* Visit a museum
* Fairs
* Baseball Game
* Putt Putt Golf
* Tennis

Practice at home with the kids
* Baseball
* Soccer
* Basketball
* Golf

Rainy day activities
* Crafts
* Hide and Seek
* Board Games
* Movies {at home; in the theater}
* Bowling

Educational
* Bible units
* Summer nature journal
* Daily reading
* Math drills and practice sheets
* Animal units; Literature units {fun}; Additional units

Fun in the sun

2010-06-18T21:23:00.001-05:00

Summer so far has been CrAzY here!! With everything going on and all the rain we have gotten... we really haven't had lots of time for all the summer fun I have planned. Finally this week we were able to spend lots of time in the pool :)

Monday is the first day of summer and I have a list of summer activities I want to accomplish before the end of summer, rainy day activities planned and fun units to complete! I can't wait!!!

We are SO happy summer is here!!! I had every intention to school all throughout the summer... but as it turns out I'm ready for a small break. And I'm ready to enjoy every second we can get outside! We will be doing plenty of educational activities, but we will officially start a new school year in a couple months!

Strep Throat

2010-05-31T19:00:00.000-05:00

If it's not one thing, it's another. Well, not usually... but this last month and a half has been crazy. Earlier this week Austin was sick, he was back to normal within a couple days. Thursday McKenzee comes down with the same thing Austin has and then Saturday Alexis gets it. All fine now.

Yesterday I ended up very sick {within just a couple hours, seriously I felt fine yesterday morning) with a temp of around 105, very sore throat, bad headache, everything so sore I can barely move. Today Josh took me into the doctor, a quick swab... I have strep throat. I am exhausted and don't feel good at all. I have a 10 day prescription of amoxicillin {2 pills/day} so hopefully I'm feeling better really soon. I know I would be feeling better if I could just get this fever to break. It was a little higher at the doctors office today but as long as I have tylenol in me it seems to stay around 101-102 {which is much better than yesterday}.

Now my house is falling apart, laundry is piling up, I have tons of things to get done... and I'm to exhausted {not to mention I feel awful at the moment} to do anything.

I try to not post to much stuff like this on here (although it seems like I have been this past month and a half with Rylee's broken elbow and my aunts accident).... but thanks for listening to me cry for a couple minutes...

Thank you for your prayers for my aunt... and a HS update...

2010-05-29T09:54:00.000-05:00

This last week has just flown by so fast. Last Saturday I was able to fly out to Florida to be with my aunt. When I walked in the room she did recognize me and I was able to spend a little bit of time with her.

She has really bad brain trauma, chest trauma, many broken bones and she is in so much pain. It was so hard to see her... but I am thankful for each minute I was able to spend with her.

I returned home late Monday and was very happy to be with my kids again. Each day Aunt Chris is improving, if even just a little bit. She was able to have her first surgery on her pelvis late Thursday evening to repair damage to it. The surgery was a success and the surgeon is hopeful she will be able to sit up soon.

The healing process is very slow, however, we are praying that she will be 100% healed one day! And we are trusting in God every step of the way.

*********************************************************************

Obviously, all homeschooling has been on hold. Even at home I'm not able to fully concentrate as my heart and thoughts are with my Aunt in Florida. It's amazing how fast plans can change. I was so sure of all my homeschooling plans ... and so quickly everything has changed.

Instead of starting school in late June I am going to wait another month or so and just enjoy the summer with the kids. I will be able to finalize all of my plans {and post them so I am organized and all ready to go} and there will be 'school' things we do {science experiments, additional units, crafts, etc...}. However, there is a chance I will be heading to Florida again... or if they move her closer I will be driving to visit my aunt more often. I just need to be available.

With all that said though... in a month I may be ready to start school. I really don't know. Right now I am pretty exhausted. I'm ready to relax and just sit outside and watch the kids run around and play and spend days swimming in the pool.

Thank you all for your prayers for my Aunt Christie. They are truly appreciated. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to recover.

URGENT: Prayer request for my Aunt

2010-05-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

My Aunt Christie went with 14 of her college students on a mission trip to Haiti. On Sunday she was riding in the back of a 'truck' (all open), the breaks went out on the way down a mountain and the truck flipped. Thankfully, most of the students were treated and are okay. My aunt and a few of the students were not. On Monday afternoon they flew my aunt and the other injured students to a hospital in Miami Florida. The students are getting better with each day and 2 of the 3 have been released. However, my aunt has multiple broken bones (neck, ribs, both shoulders, pelvis...) and has major head trauma. Her brain {the frontal lobe} is swollen, she has chest trauma and her heart rate dropped yesterday into the 30's. She is beginning to respond over the last 24 hours {squeezing hands, wiggling her feet a little and shaking her head yes and no occasionally}. She is in very critical condition at this point.

I am 20 hours from her. My heart is breaking that I cannot be with her. I am here.... but my heart and all my thoughts are with my Aunt Christie.

If you will PLEASE pray for my Aunt.

American History: Native Americans {Seminole Indians}

2010-05-18T14:29:00.001-05:00

AMERICAN HISTORY ~ WEEK 1

NATIVE AMERICANS: SEMINOLE INDIANS

1st - 2nd Grade

Key Learning Points
Clothing
Food
Shelter
Transportation
Arts & Crafts
Children {how do they live; what did they do in the past}

Books
Seminole {First Americans} ~ By David C. King
The Seminole {True Books} ~ By Stephanie Takacs
The Seminole Indians {Native People} ~ By Bill Lund
Seminole Children and Elders Talk Together ~ E. Barrie Kavasch

Reading Comprehension
Seminoles ~ Grades 2-3 {edhelper.com}

Food
Hominy {History Pocket: Seminole}

Craft
Weave a basket paper craft
Draw Write Now {Book 3} P26-27
Headdress {History Pocket: Native Americans P91}

Music/Dance
Stomp Dance

Geography
Fill in map with correct stamp {History Pockets: Native Americans: Page 8}

Additional Activities
Word Search {edhelper.com}
Mini Book & Hominy Booklet {History Pockets: Native Americans: Seminole}

Additional Resources
Facts for Kids
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Seminole Tribe of Florida

{Resources to use in 2010 - 2011 school year. This page will be updated with pictures once unit is complete}

Sensory Table {Ideas}

2010-05-17T12:23:00.003-05:00

Sensory tables provide hours of hands on fun while allowing children to develop many important developmental skills.

I set out a sensory bin everyday for the kids to use. They use it once their work is done and they are waiting on me for additional instructions.

Here are some of the sensory bins we use {sorry, I haven't posted much on our sensory bins... this list will be updated as I get around to posting more of the ones we use}

Pom Pom Bin

INFORMATION

THE TABLE
You don't have to have a commercial sand/water table. I mainly use totes with lids that I bought from Big Lots {$3 each}! This way I can have several different sensory bins ready to go at any moment and they are very easy to store!

SENSORY MATERIALS
There is really an endless amount of options for sensory materials that can be used in a sensory table. Here's some of our favorites...
* Sand
* Water {colored water is lots of fun too}
* Rice
* Pasta
* Cereal
* Easter Grass
* Flowers
* Fake Snow
* Tissue Paper
* Bells
* Peanuts
* Marshmallows
* Shaving Cream
* Fish tank gravel/rocks
* Cotton Balls
* Ice Cubes
* Shredded paper {I have bought bags of different colored shredded paper from the Dollar Tree... PERFECT for this}
* Birdseed
* Packing peanuts
* Curling ribbon
* Confetti
* Shells
* Glitter
* Finger Paint
* Foam shapes
* Buttons
* Pom Poms
* Toy worms, animals
* Candy {example: conversation hearts for valentines day}
* Corn Chips

TOOLS
Add any type of tools for the children to use with the sensory material . Kids are so creative and will come up with LOTS of ways to use the tools you provide! Here's a few of our favorites...
* Cups
* Bowls
* Measuring Cups
* Different size containers {great for beginning pouring & measuring}
* Spoons
* Jars
* Tongs; Tweezers
* Popsicle Sticks
* Clothespins
* Garden tools
* Spray bottles
* Ice cube trays {shape ones are a favorite here}
* Straw
* Funnel
* Strainer
* Bucket/shovel
* Eye dropper
* Toy people, vehicles

SHOPPING
My favorite store to shop for items to use in our sensory bins is the Dollar Tree! Make sure to watch for seasonal/holiday items!

Oil Spills {Science}

2010-05-14T13:45:00.006-05:00

Oil Spill

{Let's Read and Find Out Science: Stage 2}

By: Melvin Berger

This week the kids learned about oil spills. We discussed the causes of an oil spill, how hard it is to get the oil out of the water and the affects the oil spill has. We also talked about (and looked at pictures of) the recent oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

For our experiment we used:
* Tub with sand on one end and blue {colored} water
* Oil
* Feather
* Flowers
* Small Plant
* Pipe Cleaner
* Cotton Balls
* Sponge
* Paper towels
* Liquid Dish washing Soap

Putting a 'boom' {made out of a pipe cleaner} around the oil spill to try and keep it contained

Trying to get oil off of a small plant

Examining a flower after it had been caught in the oil slick...

Touching a feather that has oil all over it

Trying to clean off the feather with liquid dish washing soap

Attempting to 'scoop out' the oil...

Using a sponge to try and get the oil out of the water...

The kids also used cotton balls and paper towels to try and remove the oil from the water. The end conclusion is that while there are methods for removing oil from water it is NOT easy and takes a lot of work.

Weekly Chore Chart {Printable}

2010-05-13T22:49:00.000-05:00

This is a {simple} chore chart that I use with my kids. They each keep their chart on their clipboard and then they can easily keep track of the chores they are to do each day.

At the beginning of each week I write down the chores I expect them to do. Throughout the week as they do their chores they either put a sticker in the box or color the box in or mark it somehow.

I also include things like practice the piano {15 minutes}, silent reading {1 hour}, etc...!

Download the Chore Chart HERE

Reading Log {Printable}

2010-05-13T22:00:00.003-05:00

My kids love books... they love to read and they love to be read to. We have been using this reading log so we can easily keep track of the books they have read. They each keep their reading log on their clipboard that they use daily.

As they start a book they are to write down the title, author and start date. Once the book has been finished we write down the finish date. It's really great to have this list for the kids to look back through to remember all the books they have read.

Download the Reading Log HERE

Wordless Wednesday {notice anything missing?}

2010-05-12T19:14:00.001-05:00

Rylee {Kindergarten} ~ Learning Goals

2010-05-08T07:00:00.006-05:00

BIBLE

Memorize Bible Verses {Level 1}
Weekly Bible Story Lessons {New Testament, Old Testament, Character Quality, Holiday, Other}

Lesson
Bible Verse
Activities
Craft
Songs

PHONICS

Recognize name and sound of long and short vowels and consonants {Review}
Recognize beginning and ending sounds
Sounding of blends, one and two vowel words and special sounds
Introduce 50 special sounds and beginning phonics rules
Recognize 100 Sight Words

LANGUAGE

Recognition of sentences by capital letters and periods
Orally complete sentence starters

HANDWRITING

Review manuscript letter formation
Correctly spacing words
Letters, Words and Sentences

WRITING

Weekly journal

SPELLING

Sound out and spell CVC words

READING

Comprehension {Retelling or acting out a story; Predicting outcomes, sequencing events}
Able to identify characters, setting and main idea of a story

LITERATURE UNITS

Read a variety of books including nursery rhymes, poetry, family stories, fairy tales, poetry
Each unit will include vocabulary words, activities, crafts, etc...
Recognize the difference between reality and fiction

MATH

Number Recognition, counting and writing 1 - 200
Concepts of numbers 1 – 100
Before and after numbers 1 – 100
Counting and writing by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s to 100
Counting on
Ordinal numbers: first – tenth
Recognize Number Words: One – Ten
Sequencing {first, next, last}
Patterns {Review}
Matching {Review}
Recognizing and drawing shapes {Review}
Value of coins and dollar bill
Combining pennies and nickels
Telling time to the nearest half hour
Calendar {Days, Weeks, Months, Year}
Comparing Sizes {big, bigger, biggest}
Comparing Amounts {More, Fewer}
Comparing weights
Sorting by attributes

Addition facts through 10
Addition story problems
Subtraction {facts through subtracting 5}
Odd and even numbers
Doubling Numbers
Opposites
Directions
Capacity
Interprets Graphs

SOCIAL STUDIES

Community Helpers
America: Famous Americans, Places, Landmarks, 50 States
History: Holidays {Thanksgiving, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, 4^th of July, Flag Day…..}
Children around the world

SCIENCE

Themes

Insects
Plants
Jungle Animals
Space
Human Body
Ocean Life
Seasons and Weather
Magnets
Float or Sink
Alive, Not Alive
Food & Nutrition
Farm Animals
Safety

MUSIC

Singing

Hi, Low; Fast, Slow; Pitch
Learn Classical Hymns
Correct Posture

Music Notation, Note Values, Note Names
Rhythm
Instruments of the orchestra (violin, bass violin, flute, bassoon, trumpet, tube, tympani)
Classical Listening

POETRY

Memorize various poems

ART & CRAFTS

Continue development of fine motor skills
Various crafts
ARTistic Pursuits
Draw! Write! Now!

ARTIST STUDIES

Picasso
Millet
Homer
Van Gogh
Monet

CRITICAL THINKING

Logic puzzles and games

SIGN LANGUAGE

Perform and read 150 Signs +

Review basic skills; introduce new skills & games
Studies on various sports {based around interests}

LIFE SKILLS

Recite address from memory
Recite telephone number from memory
Recite birthday (including year) from memory
Tie shoes

Austin {1st Grade} ~ Learning Goals

2010-05-07T07:00:00.009-05:00

BIBLE

Memorize Bible Verses {Level 1}
Weekly Bible Story Lessons {New Testament, Old Testament, Character Quality, Holiday, Other}

Lesson
Bible Verse
Activities
Craft
Songs

PHONICS

{Review} Vowels & consonants, blends, 1 & 2 vowel words and consonant blends
Recognize and use all special sounds {Consonant and Vowel Phonics Patterns}
Spelling Rules: Doubling consonants, Dropping silent e, changing y to i
Recognize 250 Sight Words

LANGUAGE

Capitalize first word in a sentence, proper names, days of the week, months of the year
Use correct punctuation at the end of a sentence {period, question mark, exclamation point}
Recognize complete sentences
Alphabetize words {through second letter}
Suffixes, Prefixes, Syllables, Compound Words, Rhyming Words, Opposite Words, Same Meaning Words. Contractions
Parts of speech: Action words, Describing words

SPELLING

Weekly phonics based lists
Reinforcement activities
Words will be placed on individual “word wall” (along with sight words) for continued review

HANDWRITING

Review manuscript letter formation
Copy work

WRITING

Writing journal
Copy work and Dictation
Write in complete sentences
Introduce the 5 Steps in the writing process {Prewriting, Writing, Edit, Proofreading, Publishing}

READING

Comprehension {Sequencing, Cause and Effect, Draw Conclusions, Develop Opinions, Predict Outcomes, True or Fast statements, Sentence sense}
Interpret pictures, setting, character motives, character traits

LITERATURE UNITS

30 Books read by end of the year
Each will include vocabulary words, comprehension questions and additional activities (as available)

MATH

Number Recognition, Counting and Writing 1 – 1,000
Recognize number words: zero to thirty
Greatest and Least
Counting and writing by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s, 10’s, 100’s
Number Sequence
Ordinal Numbers {first – twentieth}
Addition facts through 13; 3 digit addition with carrying
Subtraction facts through 13; 2 digit subtraction
Problem Solving {Word Problems, Probability, Money}
Numbers before and after by 1’s, 2’s, 10’s
Rounding to the nearest 10
First, next, last, before, after, between
More or less
Capacity {Holds more, holds less; Cup, Quart, Gallon, Liter}
Counting and combining coins {penny, nickel, dime, quarter}
Telling time to the nearest five minutes
Recognizing odd and even numbers
English Measuring
Using a ruler
Multiple combinations
Place value to hundreds
Beginning fractions {equal parts; halves; thirds; fourths}
Reading a thermometer {Fahrenheit}
Time Lines
Concept of multiplication
Reading pictographs and bar graphs
Roman numerals
Making Predictions
Collecting Data
Tallying
3D Shapes
Calendar {Days, Weeks, Months, Year}
Area
Perimeter

*** COMBINING THE FOLLOWING WITH ALEXIS (2^nd GRADE) ***

GEOGRAPHY

Map Skills {Using a map; Basic Geography; Continents and Oceans}
Introduction to the 7 continents and a few countries within each continent

This study will not be completed during this school year {GOAL: complete within 3 years}

State study: Illinois

HISTORY

UNITED STATES HISTORY

Colonial America
American Revolution
A New Nation
The War of 1812
A Nation Divided

FAMOUS PEOPLE

Christopher Columbus (explorer)
Lewis and Clark (explorers)
George Washington (include in: Introduction to Presidents)
Thomas Edison (inventor)
Abe Lincoln (include in: IL State Study)
Benjamin Franklin (inventor)
Neal Armstrong (include in: Science Space Unit)
Alexander Graham Bell (inventor)
The Wright Brothers (inventors)
Henry Ford (inventor)

SCIENCE

Following topics will be taught {include learning objective, activities, experiment}

Animal Studies

Specific animals
Classifying Animals
Food Chain
Extinct & Rare Animals
Animals in winter
How do animal babies stay safe
Nocturnal Animals

Human Body
Exercise and Nutrition
Weather
Seasons
Natural Disasters
Space
Taking care of Earth
Forces
Energy
Motion
Friction
Magnets
Electricity
Solids, Liquids, Gases
Water Cycle
Shadows
Plants {life cycle, parts}
Seeds

MUSIC

Singing

Hi, Low; Fast, Slow; Pitch
Learn Classical Hymns

Music Notation, Note Values, Note Names
Rhythm
Instruments of the orchestra (violin, bass violin, flute, bassoon, trumpet, tube, tympani)
Classical Listening

COMPOSER STUDIES

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Johann Sebastian Bach
Peter Tchaikovsky
John Philip Sousa

POETRY

Memorize 8 poems
Introduction to writing poetry
Write different types of poems:

Couplet

POET STUDIES

Robert Frost
Walt Whitman
Carl Sandburg
Robert Louis Stevenson

ART

ARTistic Pursuits
Draw! Write! Now!

ARTIST STUDIES

Picasso
Da Vinci
Homer
Van Gogh
Monet

TYPING

Introduction to typing
Correct hand placement

CRITICAL THINKING

Logic puzzles and games

SIGN LANGUAGE

Perform and read 250 Signs (including all 26 letters)

Review basic skills; introduce new skills & games
Studies on various sports {based around kids interests}

Alexis {2nd Grade} ~ Learning Goals

2010-05-06T00:02:00.006-05:00

BIBLE

Memorize Bible Verses {Level 1}
Weekly Bible Story Lessons {New Testament, Old Testament, Character Quality, Holiday, Other}

Lesson
Bible Verse
Activities
Craft
Songs

PHONICS

Review Special Sounds {Flashcards, Reading, Games}

LANGUAGE

Capitalize correct words
Use correct punctuation {period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, apostrophe; contractions}
Alphabetize words (through third letter); Beginning dictionary skills; Parts of a book (title page, table of contents)
Word Study: Antonyms, Synonyms, Homophones
Parts of speech: Noun, Verb, Pronoun, Adjective
Correct sentence structure

SPELLING

Rules
Weekly spelling lists
Reinforcement activities

VOCABULARY

Weekly Words and Definitions

HANDWRITING

Maintain manuscript writing {copy work}
Introduce correct cursive letter formation

WRITING

Writing Journal
Writing a paragraph {topic sentence, 2-3+ supportive sentences, concluding sentence}
Writing projects:

Personal Narrative
Book Report
Friendly Letter
Thank You Notes
Make Believe Story
Simple Research Report {3 paragraphs}

READING

Comprehension {Sequencing, Cause and Effect, Draw Conclusions, Compare and Contrast, Develop Opinions, Predict Outcomes, True or Fast statements, Time and Place relationships}
Elements of the story {Characters, Setting, Plot, Conflict}

LITERATURE UNITS

30 Books read by end of the year
Each will include vocabulary words, review questions, additional activities and a reading journal

MATH

Number Recognition, Counting and Writing 1 – 10,000 and beyond
Numbers greatest and least 1 – 10,000
Counting and writing to hundred thousands, 3’s to 36, 4’s to 48 {continue practice counting by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s and 100’s)
Ordinal Numbers (First – Thirtieth)
Addition facts through 20; Column addition; Four digit addition with carrying
Subtraction facts through 20; 4 digit subtraction with borrowing
Multiplication facts 0 – 5, 10
Division facts 1 – 5
Story Problems
Multiple Combinations
Negative Numbers {include locating negative numbers on a number line}
Percentage
Equal Value
Estimation
Rounding to nearest ten and hundred
Before & After by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10
Money: Counting and combining coins and bills; Decimals; Making change
Telling Time to the nearest minute
English and Metric Measuring
Drawing and measuring lines to the nearest 1/2”
Calendar {review}
Place value to thousands
Fractions
Reading a thermometer (Fahrenheit and Celsius)
Reading pictographs, bar graphs and line graphs
Roman Numerals
Capacity (cup, pint, quart, gallon; liter)
Measuring ingredients for a recipe; reading a recipe
Algebra Readiness {Finding unknowns, Building equations}
Angles
Reading a schedule

GEOGRAPHY

Map Skills {Using a map; Basic Geography; Continents and Oceans}
Introduction to the 7 continents and a few countries within each continent

This study will not be completed during this school year {GOAL: complete within 3 years}

State study: Illinois

HISTORY

UNITED STATES HISTORY

Colonial America
American Revolution
A New Nation
The War of 1812
A Nation Divided
FAMOUS PEOPLE
Christopher Columbus (explorer)
Lewis and Clark (explorers)
George Washington (include in: Introduction to Presidents)
Thomas Edison (inventor)
Abe Lincoln (include in: IL State Study)
Benjamin Franklin (inventor)
Neal Armstrong (include in: Science Space Unit)
Alexander Graham Bell (inventor)
The Wright Brothers (inventors)
Henry Ford (inventor)

SCIENCE

Following topics will be taught {include learning objective, activities, experiment}

Animal Studies

Specific animals
Classifying Animals
Food Chain
Extinct & Rare Animals
Animals in winter
How do animal babies stay safe
Nocturnal Animals

Human Body
Exercise and Nutrition
Weather
Natural Disasters
Seasons
Space
Earth
Forces
Energy
Motion
Friction
Magnets
Electricity
Solids, Liquids, Gases
Water Cycle
Shadows
Plants {life cycle, parts}
Seeds

MUSIC

Singing

Hi, Low; Fast, Slow; Pitch
Learn Classical Hymns

Music Notation, Note Values, Note Names {Review}
Rhythm
Instruments of the orchestra (violin, bass violin, flute, bassoon, trumpet, tube, tympani)
Classical Listening

COMPOSER STUDIES

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Johann Sebastian Bach
Franz Joseph Haydn
Franz Shubert

PIANIST STUDY

Dino Kartsonakis

ART

ARTistic Pursuits
Draw! Write! Now!

ARTIST STUDIES

Picasso
Millet
Homer
Van Gogh
Monet

POETRY

Memorize 8 poems
Introduction to writing poetry
Write different types of poems:

Couplets
Cinquain
Haiku
Limericks
Shape Poems
Acrostic Poems

POET STUDIES

Robert Frost
Walt Whitman
Carl Sandburg
Robert Louis Stevenson

TYPING

Introduction to typing
Correct hand placement
Able to identify where on keyboard all letters and numbers are located

CRITICAL THINKING

Logic puzzles and games

SIGN LANGUAGE

Perform and read 400 Signs (including all 26 letters)

Review basic skills; introduce new skills & games
Studies on various sports {based around kids interests}

Monthly Blank Calendars {Printables}

2010-05-05T06:40:00.003-05:00

My kids LOVE having their own calendars! We use these blank calendars every morning during our daily 'clipboard' routine!

At the beginning of each month I have the kids fill in their calendar (with the correct day in the small boxes). Then each day we use the calendars to discuss the days of the week and months of the year. On most days I have the kids write something on their calendars about that day. They may record that it is sunny or rainy, that they have a birthday party to go to or gymnastics that day or whatever they want about that day.

The calendars are available in color or black and white. All 12 months are included in each download. There is also a completely blank version available (no month title or picture).

COLOR

BLACK AND WHITE
BLANK

No Workbooks!

2010-05-04T09:57:00.001-05:00

As I'm planning to begin our next school year I am very excited about the fact that I have ordered NO workbooks for the kids. Yes, I know this may not sound normal to some... but for us this change is HUGE!! We usually use all Abeka (which, of course, means LOTS of workbooks... lol) but this year I'm changing everything up! I am SO excited about our plans and cannot wait to get started. Actually, I haven't ordered ONE thing from Abeka. I LOVE Abeka... but I'm so tired of workbooks and teacher manuals... lol!

Now, this does not mean my kids will not be doing worksheets. They will be doing them... but either I'll be printing them from many various websites online or I will be making them. Of course, this also doesn't mean that at some point throughout the year I won't cave and buy a workbook or two (like a handwriting workbook, at the moment I'm tempted by those... lol... but that's only because I'm spending hours putting together handwriting worksheets for each child)... but for now the plan is to not buy any workbooks for at least the next couple years (depending on how this year goes).

We did it!! End of the school year {and future plans}

2010-05-02T07:00:00.005-05:00

The end of the school year...

I cannot believe it is already May and we are wrapping up another school year. This has been a crazy year with me going back to college, running, sick kids, listing our home for sale, Rylee's broken elbow... you know, life ;) Still, we had a great year and I am completely happy with what the kids have accomplished. Yesterday we officially finished up our school year! I will have the kids continue reading and doing math drills while they wait to start the new school year! I can't believe I will have kids in 2nd grade, 1st grade, Kindergarten and Tot School!

A graduation/end of the school year party is in progress. We are planning to wait until June to have the party though. Things have been so crazy lately, I need some time to get everything back in order!

Gearing up for a new year...

Over the next few weeks I will be posting things that we did but I never got a chance to post (and will work hard on getting up all the Alphabet Fun * Now I'm Reading * posts up, but really those take a long time for me to post so my real goal is to have them all up by the beginning of July), end of the year summaries of where the kids are (they each met their learning goals for the year... YEAH) and plans, printables and units for 'next year'. I'm in major 'get organized before the new year starts' mode! LOL! Lots of planning going on these days and I just about have all the 2010 - 2011 plans ready to go! My kids are anxious to get started.. We are making a lot of changes and are all very excited about all the fun we will be having over the next year.

Tot Beginnings

Tot Beginnings is a program I have been working on putting together for McKenzee Grace. I was hoping to have it up and going in April but with sick kids and then Rylee's broken arm it just didn't happen. I have decided to just wait and start her when I start the older kids on their new school year. Throughout the month of May I will finish adding my Tot Beginnings printables and various links so we're all ready to go!

Fun with Modeling Clay

2010-05-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

My kids are really enjoying learning how to make different things out of clay and this book has been a great tool in helping them learn! It includes illustrated step-by-step instructions on how to make animals, people and pictures... all out of clay!

Alexis will spend hours creating items and then squishing all the clay up and starting over! This has definitely turned into something that gets pulled out on those rainy days for the kids to enjoy!

PS. I have noticed that amazon is no longer selling this book {at a decent price}. I bought my copy from eBay for $7 (including shipping).

Preschool Adventures ~ 1 Handed Style {Activity ideas for child with broken arm}

2010-04-30T06:40:00.000-05:00

This last week of preschool has not been easy with everything that has been going on. We have finished all but 2 of the Alphabet Fun * Now I'm Reading * units (yes, I'm WAY behind in posting them... I promise I'll get them up soon) but took a break from that since so many of the activities needed her to be able to use 2 hands. And with Rylee breaking her elbow it's been completely crazy (ummm... unorganized) here. The main focus this last week has just been having fun and keeping her busy! And, of course, keeping it really simple.

MOVIES
I spent a lot of time searching for activity ideas that kids could do when they have a broken arm. The first thing on every list was movies... lots of them. Well, Rylee doesn't really watch movies (and I will never complain about this one... lol). She likes to play, she doesn't like to sit. We did watch a few movies this week and she did enjoy them... but she had to be coloring or doing something else while we had them on. LOL!

It took a while for Rylee to come up with some favorites (except for the barbie and princess movies... lol)... but here's her list:

BOOKS
This week has been a big week for cuddling and reading! Actually, this is the main thing we have been doing. We have read at least 50 books over the last week.

Here's just a handful of the books that she has asked me to read (over and over...):

LOOK & FIND AND I SPY BOOKS
These have been WONDERFUL to have!!! Rylee has spent hours flipping through these books looking for the different items.

PUZZLES
Rylee LOVES puzzles and this last week she has been putting SO many puzzles together. Of course, this meant I *needed* to order her a few more ;) She's great at 100 piece puzzles and really enjoys them the most! For an easy spot where she can sit (on a pillow on her knees) and put together a puzzle I folded up one of our gymnastics mats and let her put the puzzle together. This worked GREAT!!!

HANDWRITING
Thankfully, Rylee can still write since she writes with her right hand! She LOVES to write... she even had to sign her own cast ;) LOL!

She has worked on writing her letters, blends and small words (handwriting worksheets from my Pre-K Manuscript Handwriting Worksheets) this week!

COLORING
LOTS of coloring going on this week! We made a trip to the Dollar Tree so she could pick out new coloring books since she will sit and color for hours!

PLAY DOH
Even with 1 hand... this is still Rylee's favorite (and most requested) activity! LOL!

CRAFTS
I took Rylee to the Dollar Tree earlier this week to let her do some shopping for some fun things. We came across a lot of unfinished items that could be painted so she picked some. This week she painted the flower. I had to hold it for her... but she LOVED this and did such a great job with it!

GAMES
Another big hit this week... BOARD GAMES! Rylee LOVES board games so this week I made sure we played at least 2 games every day!!

Other games she enjoyed playing this last week....

LETTERS AND NUMBERS
This week I feel like we really did not do a lot of educational things, although I know we did. We spent a lot of time outside on the glider on the porch and I would have Rylee count cars that went by our house, find an object outside and have her recognize the beginning (or ending) sound and letter. She used the magna doodle to write letters I called out (by sound) and write cvc words. I would also tell her a 'story problem' and have her tell me the answer. We did lots of little things like this and really just had an easy week (well, as easy as you can get with a broken arm... lol)...

She did enjoy her pattern blocks...

I also pulled out some of the file folder games for her to use for counting and matching (and some for matching letters)...

PLAYING
Rylee REALLY loves to play and can escape to the playroom for hours at a time to play with her dolls and barbies! She did need some help covering up her babies and opening lids, but I was happy to see her playing in the playroom.... like normal :)

GYMNASTICS
Of course, Rylee's week would not be complete without some type of gymnastics. Yes, even with a broken arm (that she broke while DOING gymnastics). She still loves gymnastics. She realized last Friday (2 days after surgery) that she can walk across the beam (okay, so it was just yesterday when I let her do it by herself, before that I was holding on to her) and she can do some of the moves in the level 4 floor routine.

For more preschool activity ideas head over to the Preschool Corner at Homeschool Creations!! There are tons of WONDERFUL preschool ideas and resources there! Make sure you link up and share what you are doing with your preschooler each week!

Thankful Thursday

2010-04-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

I always have so much to be thankful for... but today I am especially thankful for some good news concerning Rylee's broken elbow.

Yesterday we took Rylee to St. Louis for a check-up. Her appointment went great! She had 2 x-rays done that showed that her elbow is healing perfectly!! YEAH!!! I was so happy and relieved to hear this news.

AND... we have a date for her cast to come off!! We will be going back on Wednesday, May 12th and they will remove the cast!! That is 2 weeks from yesterday! I am a little nervous about her only having her cast on for 3 weeks, however, the doctors have assured me that little bones heal SO quickly and after 3 weeks it will do her no good to have her cast on. She needs to have her arm out and begin moving it.

This morning Rylee woke up to her countdown chart hanging on the fridge. She will color in a square each day as we count down the days until her pretty pink cast can come off!

Wonderful Wednesday

2010-04-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

At this moment it is 9:58 on Wednesday morning. Exactly 1 week ago today I was putting Rylee on a hospital bed so they could take her to surgery. I know the surgery was just on her elbow, but that was seriously one of the scariest moments I have had. I know that the doctor said they perform this surgery every single day, but still... not on MY Rylee.

I am so incredibly blessed to have this sweet, amazing little girl in my life. I am so thankful for the doctors that took such great care of her, I am proud of Rylee for being so strong and brave and I am praising God for his miracles.

In just a couple hours we head out to St. Louis again for a quick x-ray to make sure that everything is healing correctly. I am so happy we are on this end of it. Last week was so hard... I am praying that we will get a good report today! We will also find out when she can get her cast off... boy are we looking forward to that day!

I am SO happy that Rylee is smiling and laughing and loving life, even with just being able to use 1 hand. She has taken this and she is making the best of it! And I am SO proud of her!!!

I want to thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers over the last week! What a blessing they have been to us!

PS. School here this last week has been crazy! School updates, posts and printables will be starting again soon! I just need to get through today... :)

Thank you for your prayers ~ Update on Rylee!!

2010-04-23T22:34:00.000-05:00

I want to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers for my sweet Rylee. They mean so much to me and my family.

This has been a hard week... I'm not sure I've ever cried so much. Tuesday night Rylee was doing gymnastics in her class at the gym and she broke her elbow. They had mats folded up and then lined up (for running distance) to add some "height" to do round offs over the mailbox. When she did her round off her arm went between the mat and mailbox and her body went over the mailbox... but her arm didn't move with her.

Immediately when I picked her up I saw a 'bump' off the side of her elbow. I thought it was just swelling fast, turns out it was her bone. Her entire elbow "shifted".

After 6 long hours at our local ER they sent us to St Louis Childrens Hospital. Rylee had surgery at 10am. They put in 3 pins and put her bright pink cast on and she was released about 5 hours later.

The childrens hospital was AMAZING! Here are all these kids, some that are so very sick and from the moment we got there until we left we felt like Rylee was the only kid there. It was truly amazing and we are so thankful for everyone who took care of Rylee. They were so wonderful to her.

We were told that this is actually the 2nd most common break among kids.

Rylee has been so incredibly brave and strong. She absolutely amazes me.

Last night Alexis (my oldest daughter) had gymnastics and Rylee REALLY wanted to go. I was really worried about her being sad watching the other girls because Rylee LOVES gymnastics so much... but she did great. She LOVES to watch and was just happy to be there, sitting and watching. She was given balloons and candy and gifts from her coaches. She left smiling and was so happy all evening.

We had a shirt made for her yesterday to wear last night... it said:
"If gymnastics was easy, they would call it football"! It was a huge hit!

We go back for x-rays on Wednesday to make sure everything is looking fine. Then 2 weeks later we go back and they will take off the cast and take the pins out. So she will only be wearing her cast for 3 weeks! On Wednesday we will find out the exact date that her cast will be coming off and I am planning on starting a countdown for Rylee to count down the days until her cast comes off.

Rylee will be taking most of the summer off from gymnastics but the doctors have assured her that she WILL be able to do gymnastics again. She actually asked one of her doctors if she would still be able to be Shawn Johnson when she grew up... and he told her yes, she could still be Shawn Johnson... lol! Yes, she has said this for months now... when she grows up she wants to BE Shawn Johnson! LOL!

The ENTIRE time we were there she was talking to everyone about gymnastics. It was so cute. They put her IV in her hand and then put a support board under her arm/wrist so she wouldn't be able to move it and taped it up. She looked at it and said, "NEAT! It looks like I'm wearing grips"! LOL!

Here she is trying to wake up after surgery...

Talking on the phone to grandma... telling her she is ready to come home (they had her IV out at this point and we were just a few minutes away from leaving)!

And finally back at home... eating some ice cream

Putting together a puzzle (yes, we found a new use for the gymnastics mats... lol)

Thoughts and prayers for Rylee please....

2010-04-21T01:13:00.000-05:00

I have 10 seconds to post so I am keeping this really short. I am asking for prayers for Rylee (my 4 year old daughter). She broke her arm this evening (well, now it would be yesterday evening) at gymnastics and after 6 hours in the ER we are headed to St. Louis. She needs surgery.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

I will update as soon as we are back home.

Alexis ~ Round-off Back Handspring {7 Years Old}

2010-04-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

Alexis is joining the level 4 team this June!! We are SO proud of her and how hard she works! Way to go Alexis!!!

I am working on a longer video of Alexis' progression from fast tracks to joining the level 4 team. However, I wanted to share a quick video of her doing her round-off back handspring. Her coach has really been working with her on straightening it up and ending it correctly. She has come a long ways and still has 6 months until her first meet!

Early Learning Theme: Rainbows {Printables}

2010-04-19T10:40:00.004-05:00

* Click on the title of each activity to download *

CIRCLE TIME LETTERS

Ideas for using Circle Time Letters:

* Play "What Do You See" game

Tune: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?

How to Play:

* Attach each letter to a craft stick

* Hold up a letter and say, "Letter xx, Letter xx, What Do you See?"

* Hold up another letter; have child tell you what it is and then say, "Letter xx, Letter xx, what do you see?

* Repeat

* Hide letters around the house; have children find them; as they find each letter have them tell you the name of the letter, it's sound and 1 word that begins (or ends) with that sound.
* Have children identify which letter is the capital letter and which one is the small letter

* Hang for decorations

ALPHABET MATCH FILE FOLDER GAME
* Put capital letter or small letter rainbow mats in file folder
* Cut out and laminate capital or small letter clouds
* Have child match letters
(Capital to Capital; Small to Small; Capital to Small or Small to Capital)

ALPHABET MATCH
* Print and laminate both rainbow mats (capital or small) and letter circles (capital or small)
* Have child match letters
(Capital to Capital; Small to Small; Capital to Small or Small to Capital)

ALPHABET CARDS
CAPITAL
SMALL

* Print and laminate
* Have child match capital and small letter cards
* Have children put cards in order

CIRCLE TIME NUMBERS (0-30)

Ideas for using Circle Time Numbers:
* Put rainbows in order from 1 - 30

* Put rainbows in order by 2's or 3's

* Play "What Do You See" game

Tune: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?

How to Play:

* Attach each number to a craft stick

* Hold up a number and say, "Number xx, Number xx, What Do you See?"
* Hold up another number; have child tell you what it is and then say, "number xx, number xx, what do you see?

* Hide rainbows around the house; have children find them; as they find them have them tell you what number it is they have found

* Hang for decorations

COUNTING CLOUDS

* Pick a number, put it on the mat

* Count and put the the correct number of clouds around the rainbow

NUMBER MATCHING
* Count rainbows

* Mark the correct answer (we put cards on a cookie sheet and then used our magnetic pom poms to mark the correct answer, but you could use anything to have children mark the correct answer).

GRAPHING
* Print and laminate
* Have children count the rainbows and then fill in the correct number of boxes
* Box markers are included for marking the correct number of boxes
* After laminating, a dry erase marker could also be used to mark boxes
* Punch a hole in top left corner; put on a ring

MATCHING NUMBERS, NUMBER WORDS AND COUNTING
* Print and laminate all pieces
* Put velcro on clouds (on rainbows) and on back of individual clouds
* Have children match the correct number word cloud and dot cloud to rainbow; put on velcro dots on clouds

MATCH THE NUMBERS
* Print and laminate both rainbow mats and number circles
* Have child match numbers

STORY PROBLEM VISUALS

TO MAKE:
* Cut out all pieces
* Laminate
* Put small magnets on the back of all pieces

TO USE
* Put the rainbow on a cookie sheet (fridge or any other magnetic surface can be used instead)
* Tell your child a simple 'story problem' (get creative)
* Have them listen carefully and then place correct number of clouds on cookie sheet
* Using the numbers and signs have them put up the correct equation and answer

ADDITION CARDS
* Have children add together rainbows
* Mark the correct answer {mark with magnetic pom poms, do a dot art markers, glue circles to correct answer - included in download)

SHAPE MATCHING FILE FOLDER
* Put rainbow mats in file folder
* Cut out and laminate clouds
* Have child match clouds to rainbow with the same shape(s)

ROY G BIV POSTER

RAINBOW CRAFT
For this activity use either the black and white version or colored version (both available in download). If you use the black and white version have children color the circles the correct color.

* Let children cut out each circle
* Have them glue the circles on top of each other in correct order (ROY G BIV)
* When finished cut in half
* Punch a hole in the top of each rainbow; attach a piece of yarn or string for hanging

* OPTIONAL: Glue some cotton balls to the bottom for clouds

SIZE SEQUENCE
* Put rainbows in order from smallest to biggest; biggest to smallest

SIZE SORTING
Sort rainbows by size

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION MATS

ADDITION MAT

SUBTRACTION MAT

Each mat includes a set of number cards from 1 - 10. Have child pick two numbers and finish the problem. I laminate mine and then have my kids use a dry erase marker to write the answer.

TIP: If your child is not ready for negative answer subtraction, use a dry erase marker on laminated mat and write a number in the middle square (such as 1); then have them use the cards that will work without giving a negative answer.

LETTER AND NUMBER HANDWRITING RINGS

LETTER HANDWRITING

NUMBER HANDWRITING

* Laminate cards and cut apart

* Use hole punch and put a hole in top corner
* Put on a ring

* Use dry erase marker to practice writing numbers and letters

PRE-PRINTING HANDWRITING PRACTICE
These pre-printing handwriting worksheets can be used to introduce basic writing concepts to young children.

DOWNLOAD INCLUDES 8 PRE-PRINTING SKILL WORKSHEETS:
* Horizontal Lines
* Vertical Lines
* Diagonal Lines - Right
* Diagonal Lines - Left
* Zig Zag Lines
* U shaped curves
* Upside down U shaped curves
* Curved Lines

TIC TAC TOE
Includes rainbows sand clouds as playing pieces

MAGNETIC POM POM PAGES
These can be used with magnetic pom poms or do-a-dot art markers!

OVER THE RAINBOW FILE FOLDER GAME 2 - 4 PLAYERS

SETTING UP THE GAME
* Attach game mats to inside of file folder (cut along dotted lines on each mat)
* Cut out and laminate all game cards and game pieces {print two of the (+) game cards}

Optional idea to add thickness to the game pieces so children can move them easier:
* After laminating, trace around the circle game pieces onto a peel and stick foam sheet; cut out the foam circle and stick to the back of the game pieces)

GAME INSTRUCTIONS
* Place cards face down on draw box
* Have each player choose a game piece
* The first player draws a card and moves their game piece the correct number of spaces
* Place card on discard pile (once all cards have been used flip them over and put them back on the draw box).
*.Continue play clockwise
* The first player to reach the end of the rainbow wins.

* WATCH OUT FOR THE CLOUDS *
Land on a spot with a cloud, lose 1 turn!

PUZZLE
Cut apart on dotted lines

LACING CARD
Lacing cards are a great activity to work on fine motor skills!

* Print lacing card on card stock
* Laminate
* Punch holes around edges with hole puncher
* Have child use string or yarn to lace card

TRACE AND COLOR

COLORING PAGE

VIEW ALL RAINBOW PRINTABLES HERE

Melissa & Doug See and Spell WINNER

2010-04-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to stop by and enter the Melissa & Doug See and Spell giveaway!

I used random.org to select the winner... and the winner is... Beckie from The Grainger Family! Congratulations Beckie :)

Thanks again to everyone for signing up and make sure you check back soon... a new giveaway will be starting on Monday, May 3rd!

McKenzee Grace ~ Color Matching Puzzle {21 Months}

2010-04-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

I pulled out the Melissa and Doug fish color puzzle for Mckenzee Grace this week thinking she would need me to tell her where to put each piece. First try, she did it by herself. I love watching her put the pieces where they go and then get so excited about it. LOL! The older kids LOVE cheering her on, which just adds to her excitement. I did try to tell them to not cheer after she puts EVERY piece in, but they just can't help themselves. LOL! Totally cracks me up!

Here's a quick video of McKenzee matching colors :)

Early Learning Theme: Spring Showers {Printables}

2010-04-15T07:00:00.009-05:00

* Click on the title of each activity to download *

CIRCLE TIME LETTERS

Includes all 26 Capital Letters and Small Letters

CAPITAL LETTERS

SMALL LETTERS

Ideas for using Circle Time Letters:
* Match uppercase and lowercase letters

* Play "What Do You See" game

Tune: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?

How to Play:

* Attach each letter to a craft stick

* Hold up a letter and say, "Letter xx, Letter xx, What Do you See?"

* Hold up another letter; have child tell you what it is and then say, "Letter xx, Letter xx, what do you see?

* Repeat

* Hide letters around the house; have children find them; as they find each letter have them tell you the name of the letter, it's sound and 1 word that begins (or ends) with that sound.

* For beginning spelling, say a simple cvc word (such as cat) and have child sound it out and spell it

* Hang for decorations

ALPHABET MATCH FILE FOLDER GAME
* Put capital letter or small letter umbrella mats in file folder
* Cut out and laminate capital or small letter raindrops
* Have child match letters
(Capital to Capital; Small to Small; Capital to Small or Small to Capital)

ALPHABET MATCH
* Print and laminate both umbrella mats (capital or small) and letter circles (capital or small)
* Have child match letters
(Capital to Capital; Small to Small; Capital to Small or Small to Capital)

CIRCLE TIME NUMBERS (0-30)

Ideas for using Circle Time Numbers:
* Put umbrellas in order from 1 - 30

* Put umbrellas in order by 2's or 3's

* Play "What Do You See" game

Tune: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?

How to Play:

* Attach each number to a craft stick

* Hold up a number and say, "Number xx, Number xx, What Do you See?"
* Hold up another number; have child tell you what it is and then say, "number xx, number xx, what do you see?

* Hide umbrellas around the house; have children find them; as they find them have them tell you what number it is they have found

* Hang for decorations

COUNTING RAINDROPS

* Pick a number, put it on the mat

* Count and put the the correct number of raindrops around the umbrella

NUMBER MATCHING
* Count umbrellas

* Mark the correct answer (we put cards on a cookie sheet and then used our magnetic pom poms to mark the correct answer, but you could use anything to have children mark the correct answer).

NUMBER MATCHING FILE FOLDER GAME

Includes: Number umbrellas, Number Word raindrops and Number Dot raindrops

* Have child put correct number word and number dot raindrops on number umbrellas

STORY PROBLEM VISUALS

TO MAKE:
* Cut out all pieces
* Laminate
* Put small magnets on the back of all pieces

TO USE
* Put one of the umbrellas on a cookie sheet (fridge or any other magnetic surface can be used instead)
* Tell your child a simple 'story problem' (get creative)
* Have them listen carefully and then place correct number of raindrops on cookie sheet
* Using the numbers and signs have them put up the correct equation and answer

EXAMPLE

In the above picture I used this story problem (this one was for Rylee):
Rylee and Alexis were outside swinging. Rylee said she felt 2 raindrops and Alexis said she felt 3 raindrops. How many raindrops did they feel all together?

She put 2 raindrops on the left side for the number of raindrops Rylee felt and 3 raindrops on the right side for the number of raindrops Alexis felt. Then she found the number 2, the + sign because we are adding, the 3, the = sign and then the 5 for the answer.

You could also do other story problems such as subtraction or simple 3 number problems.

ADDITION DICE MATH GAME
* Cut out and laminate all cards
* Lay cards out on table or floor in order face up
* Roll 2 dice
* Have children add dice together
* Flip over the card with the correct answer
* Continue playing until all cards have been flipped over
{If you get the same answer more than once roll dice and go again}

GRAPHING
* Print and laminate
* Have children count the umbrellas and then fill in the correct number of boxes
* Box markers are included for marking the correct number of boxes (have children glue them to the boxes on the cards)
* After laminating, a dry erase marker could also be used to mark boxes
* Punch a hole in top left corner; put on a ring

CIRCLE TIME COLORS

Ideas for using circle time colors:
* Match same color raindrops to umbrellas
* Have children find other objects that are the same color as the umbrella they are holding

SHAPE MATCHING
* Match shapes to the correct umbrella

SHAPE MATCHING ~ CUT AND PASTE
* Have child color each shape (included in download)
* Cut each shape out
* Glue each shape to it's matching shape on the umbrella

SIZE SEQUENCE
* Put umbrellas in order from smallest to biggest; biggest to smallest

PATTERNS
* Cut each card apart
* Cut on dotted line
* Have child finish the pattern

SHADOW MATCHING CARDS
Match umbrellas to the correct shadow card

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION MATS

ADDITION MAT

SUBTRACTION MAT

Each mat includes a set of number cards from 1 - 10. Have child pick two numbers and finish the problem. I laminate mine and then have my kids use a dry erase marker to write the answer.

LETTER AND NUMBER HANDWRITING RINGS

LETTER HANDWRITING

NUMBER HANDWRITING

* Laminate cards and cut apart

* Use hole punch and put a hole in top corner
* Put on a ring

* Use dry erase marker to practice writing numbers and letters

PRE-PRINTING HANDWRITING PRACTICE

These pre-printing handwriting worksheets can be used to introduce basic writing concepts to young children.

DOWNLOAD INCLUDES 8 PRE-PRINTING SKILL WORKSHEETS:
* Horizontal Lines
* Vertical Lines
* Diagonal Lines - Right
* Diagonal Lines - Left
* Zig Zag Lines
* U shaped curves
* Upside down U shaped curves
* Curved Lines

TIC TAC TOE
Includes umbrellas and raindrops as playing pieces

MAGNETIC POM POM PAGES

These can be used with magnetic pom poms or do-a-dot art markers!

RACE TO THE SUN FILE FOLDER GAME
2 - 4 PLAYERS

SETTING UP THE GAME
* Attach game mats to inside of file folder (cut along dotted lines on each mat)
* Cut out and laminate all game cards and game pieces {print two of the (+) game cards}

Optional idea to add thickness to the game pieces so children can move them easier:
* After laminating, trace around the circle game pieces onto a peel and stick foam sheet; cut out the foam circle and stick to the back of the game pieces)

GAME INSTRUCTIONS
* Place cards face down on draw box
* Have each player choose a game piece
* The first player draws a card and moves their game piece the correct number of spaces
* Place card on discard pile (once all cards have been used flip them over and put them back on the draw box).
*.Continue play clockwise
* The first player to reach the sun wins.

* WATCH OUT FOR THE PUDDLES *
If you land on a spot with a blue circle you are stuck in a puddle. Lose 1 turn.

PUZZLE
Cut apart on dotted lines

LACING CARDS

Lacing cards are a great activity to work on fine motor skills!

Download includes 4 different colors of umbrellas; blue raindrop and white umbrella (which you could have your child color and then laminate to make his own lacing card)
* Print lacing cards on card stock
* Laminate
* Punch holes around edges with hole puncher
* Have child use string or yarn to lace card

CONNECT THE DOTS (A-Z)

TRACE AND COLOR

COLORING PAGE

VIEW ALL SPRING SHOWERS PRINTABLES HERE

Rylee ~ 4 Year Old Gymnast

2010-04-11T07:00:00.009-05:00

Rylee lives, eats, breathes and dreams GYMNASTICS!! All day (everyday) she is flipping around the house, wearing leotards and asking, "do I have gymnastics today"! LOL! I finally got some of what she does on video and will definitely be video taping her more often from now on (bad Mommy, I should have been doing this all along).

At 3.5 Rylee was asked to join fast tracks (which is pre team). At our gym 'team' starts at level 4, however, Rylee cannot compete with level 4 until she is 6. She is dreaming of that day but for now is enjoying being the youngest in her class.

She is SO close to getting her round off back handspring! I would say by the end of summer she will probably have it! I am going to take the video camera in this week and get some shots of her doing her round off back handspring (with a spot) to share. It's so cute to see her trying SO hard to get it!! She wants it SO bad!

This past Friday during her private lesson she landed her handstand on the balance beam! She was SO excited about that. She was a little scared to do it at home without her coach so I put mats next to the beam 'just in case'. I do not want to risk her getting an injury or falling and becoming scared. At this point gymnastics is all about having FUN for Rylee and I want to keep it that way

Here's a little video of Rylee doing some gymnastics at home (if you want to turn the music down/off just click on the little microphone and adjust it accordingly).

PS. Alexis is also OBSESSED with gymnastics and is joining the TEAM this fall!!! Videos with her are coming soon :)

Handprint & Footprint Flower Craft

2010-04-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

I LOVE any craft that includes using the kids hands and/or feet. These flowers used both and turned out SO cute. We used the kids hands to make the petals, feet to make the leaves and arm to make the stem.

You will need:
* 1 Piece of white poster board
* Washable Paint: Green (for the stem and leaves) and another color that your child chooses for the petals.
* Paintbrush

To make:
* We started with the stem: Put green paint on childs arm (from elbow to wrist) and then put it on the poster board, gently pressing.
* Next we made the leaves: Put green paint on childs foot and place it off to one side of the stem, then do the other side. I used a paintbrush and 'painted' the paint on their feet... be prepared for lots of laughing if you do this ;)
* Then we made the flower petals: Use whatever color paint your child chooses and have them dip their hand in the paint (to get it evenly spread I used a paintbrush and 'painted' their hands). Make handprints in a 'flower shape' (I reapplied the paint each time).
* OPTIONAL: After the paint completely dried the kids cut their flowers out (cutting in a 'flower shape' around the petals).

Number Beginnings: Circle Time

2010-04-05T21:00:00.002-05:00

Every morning we start off our day with circle time. Many different learning activities can be included in circle time. My "lesson plans" will include Number Beginnings in circle time one day every week.

CIRCLE TIME NUMBERS WITH VELCRO COUNTING DOTS

To make:
* Cut out each number circle
* Laminate
* Hot glue to a craft stick
* Put velcro on each number circle; place velcro around the number spacing them far enough apart so that the small circles will not overlap
(use the correct number of velcro on each piece; on 1 you will put 1 piece
of velcro on the circle, on 2 you will put 2 pieces of velcro on the circle and so on)

* Cut out all the small circles you will need
(if you want to have enough small circles for
all the circle time numbers you will need to print the circle sheet twice)
* Laminate
*Put velcro on the back of all circles
* Attach each small circle to a number circle

These circle time numbers can be used in many different ways. The main way we use them is I say the number and then encourage McKenzee to say the number; I help her trace the number with her finger; then we put each velcro circle around the number as we count; we say and trace the number again.

DOWNLOAD CIRCLE TIME NUMBERS HERE

SONG

Sing a Song of Numbers
Tune: Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of numbers,
Count them one by one.
Sing a song of numbers,
We've only just begun.
One, two, three, four, five, six,
Seven, eight, nine, ten.
When we finish counting them,
We'll start them once again.

GAME

Count and Match
* Lay out different groups of objects in different number amounts (1 cotton ball, 2 craft sticks, etc...)
* Have children count the groups and put the correct circle time number next to its group

GIVEAWAY: Melissa & Doug See and Spell

2010-04-05T08:42:00.004-05:00

* THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ~ THANK YOU *

Enter for a chance to win this brand new: Melissa & Doug See and Spell

We LOVE Melissa and Doug products and this is definitely one of our favorites.

Place the colorful wooden letters in their proper places to spell words on the cutout two-sided wooden boards. Sixteen playful pictures with three and four letter words keep learning fun!

The suggested manufacture age range is 4 - 7 years but my children from 20 months (with supervision) to 7 years all LOVE this learning toy!

If you would like to enter to win, you can enter up to 2 times! Just leave a comment for each entry and make sure you include a way for me to contact you!

WAYS TO ENTER (each is worth 1 entry):
* Blog about this giveaway (post a quick link back here)
* Sign up to get free Email or RSS updates (already signed up? Thank you! Make sure to leave a comment)

This giveaway will close on April 15th at 10pm. The winner will be announced on April 17th.

Open to U.S Residents Only

Magnetic Pom Poms WINNER!

2010-04-03T07:00:00.002-05:00

I am COMPLETELY shocked at the amount of responses I received for this giveaway. I want to thank all of you for stopping by to sign up! I also truly appreciate all the very kind comments :) :)

I used random.org to select a winner. And the winner is Aaron and Annette! I hope you all will enjoy the magnetic pom poms!!!

Thank you to everyone again! A new giveaway will be starting on Monday, April 5th!

Number Lacing Cards

2010-04-03T00:31:00.001-05:00

Includes numbers 0 - 9

To use:

* Download the set you would like (download available below)
* Print on card stock
* Cut each number out, laminate and cut out again

* Use a hole punch and put holes on

* Lace cards with string or yarn

Number Lacing cards are available to download in color or black and white. If you use the black and white version you could print the numbers on colored card stock or you could print them on white card stock and have your child color the number and then laminate to use as a lacing card.

(Click on a set to download)
COLOR
BLACK AND WHITE

Alphabet Beginnings: Printables

2010-03-31T17:03:00.010-05:00

Here are some alphabet printables to help encourage letter recognition!

LETTER TRACING
(Capital or Small)

* Cut apart and laminate
* Punch hole in top left hand corner; put on a ring
* Encourage child to trace each letter with finger or dry erase marker

CAPITAL
SMALL

LACING CARDS

View THIS POST for the Alphabet Lacing Cards

BEGINNING ALPHABET SEQUENCE PUZZLES

I use these puzzles to encourage putting letters in the correct order.

* Cut apart each "set" and laminate
* Have child put in correct alphabet order
* Once the pieces are put in the correct order sing the ABC song; Help child point to each letter as you sing

ICE CREAM

CAPITAL
SMALL

TRAIN

CAPITAL
SMALL

LETTER PUZZLES

* Cut apart each puzzle on the dotted lines
* Have child put puzzle together
* Store each puzzle in a small ziploc bag

IDEA: Give child a piece of construction paper; have him glue the puzzle together onto the piece of paper

CAPITAL
SMALL

LETTER MATCHING
{Each set is available in capital letters and small letters}

* Cut out all pieces and laminate
* Give child 1 mat and the letters that go with that mat; have them match each letter

ADVANCED: Is your child ready to begin matching capital and small letters? Use the capital mat and small letters and have him match small to capital letters.

CUPCAKE

CAPITAL
SMALL

APPLES

CAPITAL
SMALL

FISH

CAPITAL
SMALL

GUMBALLS

CAPITAL
SMALL

ALPHABET MYSTERY

* Place 1 card on a cookie sheet
* Put letters that are on that card into the alphabet mystery box
* Have child pull out a letter and place it on the square next to its matching letter

CAPITAL
SMALL

I use these magnetic letters with this activity (lowercase letters available too)

Don't have magnetic letters? Print off a second set of the letter sheets; cut each apart, laminate and put a small magnet on the back.

HOW TO MAKE THE ALPHABET MYSTERY BOX

Materials Needed:
* 1 empty square kleenex box
* Paper to cover box
* Alphabet Mystery label (available in download above)

How to make:
* Cut hole in top of box (you will want to make sure your little one has plenty of room to get his hand in and out)
* Wrap box with paper
* Attach label to front

ADDITIONAL IDEA (more advanced)
* Place a few letters into the Alphabet Mystery Box (make sure you remember which letters you put into the box)
* Call out a letter
* Have child put his hand in the box and feel each letter to find the correct letter

The main objective of Alphabet Beginnings is to teach letter recognition to children ages 2 - 3 years old.

Need more ideas for teaching letter recognition to your tot? Check out my other letter ideas by clicking here or looking under the "Alphabet Beginnings" section on the right.

Tot Beginnings: Program Summary

2010-03-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

TOT BEGINNINGS
Program Summary

Recommended Ages 2-3

LEARNING THROUGH LAUGHTER

The main focus of Tot Beginnings is learning through play and allowing children to grow, explore and learn at their own pace.

My weekly outline is just an idea of activities I would like for my child to do. There will be many days we will not accomplish everything, there will be days plans change and we just read books and sing songs or set up a little people village in the living room. There will also be MANY activities my child will not be interested in and that is OKAY! Learning can happen at any time and at any moment.

WEEKLY LESSON PLANS

Lesson plans will be posted here as they become available

LEARNING GOALS

ALPHABET BEGINNINGS

Learning to recognize all 26 capital letters. Letter sounds will not be introduced but possibly discussed if the opportunity arises. One letter will be introduced each week, however, that letter will not be our main focus for each week. Exposure to all letters will happen weekly by reading books, playing with alphabet learning toys and living life.

NUMBER BEGINNINGS

Recognition of numbers through 10 and counting to 20

SHAPE BEGINNINGS

Recognition of 8 basic shapes:

Square, Rectangle, Oval, Circle, Heart, Diamond, Star,Triangle

COLOR BEGINNINGS

Recognition of 10 colors:

White, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Red, Blue, Green, Brown, Black

HANDWRITING

Pre-printing practice will be introduced.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

CIRCLE TIME

* Opening Song
* Movement Activity
* Book or Fingerplay
* Daily Learning Activity

SENSORY TABLE FUN

ART PROJECTS

GROSS MOTOR SKILL ACTIVITIES

FINE MOTOR SKILL ACTIVITIES

TOT BEGINNINGS ACTIVITY BOX

THEMES

Each week we will focus on one theme of the week. Most of our activities, games and art projects will be based around this theme.

Please know that this program is based around my daughter, McKenzee Grace. All learning goals, activities and weekly lesson plans are designed to work with her learning needs. I will be supplying weekly lesson plans, however, you may need to change them to fit your childs learning needs.

Alphabet Fun {Now I'm Reading}

2010-03-31T14:30:00.002-05:00

PreK

Ages 4-5

Week 1 ~ Letter I (short)

Week 2 ~ Letter U (short)

Week 3 ~ Letter E (short)

Week 4 ~ Letter A (short)

Week 5 ~ Letter O (short)

Week 12 ~ Letter D
Week 13 ~ Letter M

Week 14 ~ Letter V
Week 15 ~ Letter R

Week 16 ~ Letter G (Coming Soon)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Manuscript Handwriting Pages

Number Families

Each week we go through 1 letter, learn the blends and how to sound out and read simple CVC words. Then we move on to long vowels and reading CVVC words. Along with phonics we do LOTS of other activities to go along with each letter.

Some of the additional activities to go along with each letter may include:
* Crafts
* Motor Skills
* Math
* Vocabulary
* Science
* Shapes/Colors
* Position Words
* Writing
* Sign Language
* Movement
* Songs
* Fun Night

GOALS

PHONICS
* Recognition of name, sound and picture of long and short vowels and consonants.
* Sounding of blends, one & two vowel words
* 12 Sight Words

READING
* Simple sentences and stories with one and two vowel words.

WRITING - Manuscript
* Letters, blends, words
* First name

VOCABULARY
* 5 - 8 words each week

NUMBERS
* Count to 100
* Number recognition and understanding 1 - 20
* Numbers Before and After 1 - 20
* Largest - Smallest (1-20)
* Addition (+1)

MUSIC
Traditional and Fun songs

CRAFTS
Drawing
Cutting
Coloring
Gluing
Simple Crafts

MOTOR SKILLS
Vary from week to week

Tot Beginnings

2010-03-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Suggested Age: 2 – 3

Program Summary
Weekly Lesson Plans (Coming Soon)
Circle Time (Coming Soon)
Motor Skill Activities (Coming Soon)
Additional Resources (Coming Soon)

ALPHABET BEGINNINGS
Book Bin
Activity Box (Coming Soon)
Activity Box Ideas (Coming Soon)
Learning Toys
Circle Time
Magnet Pages (Coming Soon)
Printables

NUMBER BEGINNINGS
Book Bin
Activity Box (Coming Soon)
Activity Box Ideas (Coming Soon)
Learning Toys
Circle Time (Coming Soon)
Magnet Pages (Coming Soon)
Printables (Coming Soon)

SHAPE BEGINNINGS
Book Bin
Activity Box
Activity Box Ideas (Coming Soon)
Learning Toys
Circle Time
Magnet Pages
Printables

COLOR BEGINNINGS
Book Bin
Activity Box
Activity Box Ideas
Learning Toys
Circle Time
Magnet Pages
Printables

Tot Beginnings: McKenzee's Learning Corner {Organization}

2010-03-30T10:56:00.000-05:00

Activity boxes, books, learning toys, games and puzzles.... they all have to go somewhere! For McKenzee Grace I made a little spot in our den for her learning area. She is allowed to play with anything she wants, whenever she wants. It also makes it easy for me to grab an activity for her whenever I need to.

Her shelves include all of her Tot Beginnings activity boxes and book bins along with many different learning toys, games and puzzles. The additional basket is full of books that she loves as well as books that go along with our theme of the week.

In addition to what you see here I have 3 large storage totes full of learning toys, puzzles, games and books for McKenzee. I rotate them out weekly so there are always new (to her) things to discover and keep her busy and interested.

Alphabet Lacing Cards: Capital Letters & Small Letters

2010-03-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

ALPHABET LACING CARDS

Lacing cards are a great way for little ones to develop fine motor skills! These alphabet lacing cards will also help with identifying letters.

To use:

* Download the set you would like (download available below)
* Print on card stock
* Cut each letter out, laminate and cut out again

* Punch holes around outer edges

* Lace cards with string or yarn

Download capital or small letters in color or black and white. If you use the black and white version you could print the letters on colored card stock or you could print them on white card stock and have your child color the letter and then laminate to use as a lacing card.

(Click on a set to download)

CAPITAL LETTERS

Pattern Set
Black and White Set

SMALL LETTERS
Pattern Set
Black and White Set

Alphabet Beginnings: Circle Time

2010-03-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

Every morning we start off our day with circle time. Many different learning activities can be included in circle time. My "lesson plans" include Alphabet Beginnings in circle time one day every week.

CIRCLE TIME LETTERS

These letters turned out SO cute and they were very easy to make.

TO MAKE YOU WILL NEED

* Foam Sheets

(I used glitter sheets and they were NOT sticky on the back because I could not find the sticky ones in the colors with glitter that I wanted. Sticky sheets would be easier though)

* Aleene's Tacky Glue

(if you are using sheets with a sticky back you can skip this)

* Dowel Rods
(I cut them in half)
* Capital or Small letters to trace onto foam sheets

HOW TO MAKE

* Trace letters on to foam sheets. Be careful with this ~ you will be putting 2 letters back to back and need to trace 1 of the letters upside down.

* Cut out letters

* Put glue on the bottom 1/2" of a dowel rod and put on 'inside' of foam letter
* Put glue all over the inside of the letter and then put the other letter on it.

* Hold for a few minutes and then allow 12 - 24 hours for it to dry

Letters To Trace

(Click on the set you need to download)

CAPITAL
SMALL

SONG

NAME THAT LETTER
(Repeat with other letters)

Tune: BINGO

Every letter has a name

And this one is an A... {hold up letter A visual}

A, A, A, A, A,

A, A, A, A, A

The name of this letter is A

GAME
FIND THE LETTER

* Lay Alphabet Letters out on the floor (depending on childs age you can lay out just a few letters or all of them; you don't want them to get overwhelmed by having to many letters to look through)
* Call out a letter and have the child find it
* Once they find the correct letter encourage them to say the name of the letter

The main objective of Alphabet Beginnings is to teach letter recognition to children ages 2 - 3 years old.

Need more ideas for teaching letter recognition to your tot? Check out my other letter ideas by clicking here or looking under the "Alphabet Beginnings" section on the left.

Shape Beginnings: Activity Box

2010-03-26T16:29:00.003-05:00

I put together this shape themed activity box so I could easily pull out a learning activity to work on recognizing shapes. With 3 other children that I am homeschooling I need quick and simple (and FUN) for McKenzee Grace. With this activity box I always have lots of fun within hands reach!

ACTIVITY BOX

I bought the 16qt storage tote from Big Lots. I taped the label to the inside of the box (facing out) so I could easily find the "Shapes Activity Box" on McKenzee's learning shelf.

If interested, you can find the label here

WHAT'S IN MY BOX

* Shape Stamps
* Nuts and Bolts Set
* Shape Dough Cutters
* Great Big Buttons
* Foam Shape Stickers (Hobby Lobby)
* Foam Shapes (Hobby Lobby)
* Shape Viewers

I also included my printables, magnet pages and shape stick puppets in my box.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO HAVE ON HAND

* Play Dough
* Stamp Pads
* Construction Paper
* Magnetic Pom Poms

* Foam Shape Building Blocks

* Plastic Clothespins

Shape Beginnings is designed to introduce basic shapes to 2 - 3 year olds.

Need more ideas for teaching shapes to your tot? Check out my other shape ideas by clicking here or looking under the "Shape Beginnings" section on the left.

Shape Beginnings: Printables

2010-03-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

Here are a few shape theme printables to use to teach shape recognition to little ones!

SHAPE FLASHCARD RING

Includes 8 Shape Flashcards and Cover Card
* Cut out and laminate
* Punch hole in top left corner
* Attach all pieces to a ring to make a flashcard flip book

SHAPE MATCHING FILE FOLDER GAME

* Cut out each mat and put inside of file folder (choose either the white shape mats or color shape mats)
* Cut out color shapes to use for matching

LACING CARDS

Includes 8 Shapes

* Laminate each shape

* Use a hole punch and punch holes around outer edges
* Lace with string or yarn

PUZZLES

Includes 8 Shapes
* Cut out each shape
* Cut into pieces and have child match shapes

** For McKenzee Grace I just cut each shape into half. You could cut them into more pieces depending on your childs age.

BUTTON SORTING

Includes 7 Shape Mats

These mats were made to use with these Great Big Buttons

* Cut out and laminate each mat
* Have children sort buttons onto correct mat

FIND THE SHAPES

Includes 8 shapes each in 6 different colors
* Cut out and laminate each shape
* Hide and have children find the shapes

SHAPE TRACING

* Cut out each section apart and laminate
* Punch a hole in top left corner of each piece and put all pieces on a ring
* Have child trace each shape with their finger or dry erase marker

SHAPE SORTING CENTER

* Laminate all pieces
* Attach the bigger shapes to the center of a paper plate
* Have children sort shapes onto plate with matching shape

Shape Beginnings is designed to introduce basic shapes to 2 - 3 year olds.

Need more ideas for teaching shapes to your tot? Check out my other shape ideas by clicking here or looking under the "Shape Beginnings" section on the left.

PreK Resources: Number Families {Printables}

2010-03-25T16:00:00.002-05:00

Starting in PreK I start teaching the kids their numbers in "Number Families" (this is taught in the Abeka curriculum).

The families are:
0 - 9: One Family (just one number)

10 - 19: Ten Family (numbers start with a 1)
20 - 29: Twenty Family (numbers start with a 2)
30 - 39: Thirty Family (numbers start with a 3)
40 - 49: Forty Family (numbers start with a 4)
50 - 59: Fifty Family (numbers start with a 5)
60 - 69: Sixty Family (numbers start with a 6)
70 - 79: Seventy Family (numbers start with a 7)
80 - 89: Eighty Family (numbers start with an 8)
90 - 99: Ninety Family (numbers start with a 9)

This method has really helped my kids learn how to correctly write their numbers. When I tell them to write 89 they know that 89 is in the eighty family so it starts with an 8. Then, of course, it ends with a 9.

We also use these charts to help with learning greater and less than.

I have 1 set of charts for Rylee to pull out and use at any time. I also have another set up on her learning board.

I also have these available in black and white.

(These are 2 separate sheets, taped together after laminating)

For a fun activity I printed 1 of the blank house charts and the colored number family charts. I cut out one of the blank houses and one set of the number families. I have her glue each colored number to the blank house... in order.

I also used the colored charts to make a flip book. I cut each "house" apart and laminated them. Then I put them on a ring so we could take them with us on the road for her to review.

For a writing practice activity I use one of the blank charts and write some of the numbers in and then have her fill in the rest of the chart.

I also made a set of charts to be used with our magnetic pom poms. I will say a number and have Rylee find it and put a pom pom on it or I will have her put pom poms on all the numbers in the "twenty" family or thirty family or whatever.

Also available in black and white.

ALL NUMBER FAMILY CHARTS CAN BE PRINTED HERE

Shape Beginnings: Circle Time

2010-03-24T20:47:00.006-05:00

Every morning we start off our day with circle time. Many different learning activities can be included in circle time. My "lesson plans" will include Shape Beginnings in circle time one day every week.

SHAPE STICK PUPPETS

These are very simple shape stick puppets that I made. I laminated each puppet and then hot glued each to a large craft stick so they would be easy for McKenzee to carry around. I kept them very simple but puppets could be made with legs and arms. I chose to not do that because McKenzee Grace is 20 months and I'm sure she would have torn anything extra right off. LOL!

INTRODUCING THE PUPPETS

We named each of our shape puppets (for this example we are using Sally Circle). When I introduce a shape I bring out the puppet and say something like, "Look who's here!! It's our friend Sally Circle! Can you say hello to Sally Circle"? (I encourage McKenzee to say Hello). Then I say something like, "Sally is here to help us learn all about circles". Following this I have McKenzee say circle while holding the puppet. I also take her finger and have her "trace" around the puppet making a circle. Then we make a circle in the air while saying circle (I have to help her with this so she moves her hand in the correct direction).

Sally Circle stays with us during song and game time and comes to visit at any other time while we are learning about circles.

If you would like to use the shape stick puppets you can download them below.

INCLUDES
Circle
Oval
Square
Rectangle
Diamond
Triangle
Star
Heart

DOWNLOAD ALL 8 SHAPE PUPPETS HERE

SONGS

There are TONS of shape learning songs available! I decided to use a well known tune and I made up simple repeating verses to go along with each shape for our main circle time songs.

Tune: Frere Jacques

CIRCLE

Sally Circle (Sally Circle)

Round Like a Ball (Round like a ball)

Circles, circles everywhere (Circles, circles everywhere)

I can find them all (I can find them all)

SQUARE

Sammy Square (Sammy Square)

Shaped like a block (shaped like a block)

Squares, squares everywhere (Squares, squares everywhere)
I can find them all (I can find them all)

TRIANGLE

Timmy Triangle (Timmy Triangle)

A yummy piece of pizza (A yummy piece of pizza)
Triangles, triangles everywhere (Triangles, triangles everywhere)
I can find them all (I can find them all)

OVAL

Opal Oval (Opal Oval)

Looks like a football (Looks like a football)
Ovals, ovals everywhere (Ovals, ovals everywhere)
I can find them all (I can find them all)

RECTANGLE

Rylee Rectangle (Rylee Rectangle)

Shaped like a door (Shaped like a door)

Rectangles, rectangles everywhere (Rectangles, rectangles everywhere)
I can find them all (I can find them all)

DIAMOND

Dotty Diamond (Dotty Diamond)

Flying like a kite (Flying like a kite)
Diamonds, diamonds everywhere (Diamonds, diamonds everywhere)
I can find them all (I can find them all)

HEART

Holly Heart (Holly Heart)
Full of love (Full of love)
Hearts, hearts everywhere (Hearts, hearts everywhere)
I can find them all (I can find them all)

STAR

Susie Star (Susie Star)
Way up in the sky (Way up in the sky)
Stars, stars everywhere (Stars, stars everywhere)
I can find them all (I can find them all)

GAME

Searching for Shapes
Have children carry around puppets and try to find shapes that match their puppet

Follow the Leader
Tape a shape to the floor (or set out objects to make the shape); Have children follow behind leader doing different activities around the shape (skipping, jumping, walking backwards, etc...)

Shape Beginnings is designed to introduce basic shapes to 2 - 3 year olds.

Need more ideas for teaching shapes to your tot? Check out my other shape ideas by clicking here or looking under the "Shape Beginnings" section on the left.

Shape Beginnings: Magnet Pages

2010-03-23T12:12:00.000-05:00

These 8 shape magnet pages can be used with the magnetic pom poms to work on shape recognition and fine motor skills!

These pages can also be used with Do-A-Dot Art Markers

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL 8 SHAPE MAGNET PAGES

Or download the shape you need!

Shape Beginnings is designed to introduce basic shapes to 2 - 3 year olds.

Need more ideas for teaching shapes to your tot? Check out my other shape ideas by clicking here or looking under the "Shape Beginnings" section on the left.

Early Reading Series: Elephant and Piggie

2010-03-23T07:00:00.014-05:00

I highly recommend the Elephant and Piggie books for early readers. Austin is in Kindergarten and this series has quickly become one of his favorites! I LOVE listening to him as he reads these books... the giggling is seriously hilarious!

Each book is very well written and contains a story line that is sure to have your little ones laughing! Add in the simple text and cute illustrations and these books are perfect for the beginning readers.

GIVEAWAY: Magnetic Pom Poms

2010-03-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Enter for a chance to win: Magnetic Pom Poms

**** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ****

If you would like to enter to win, you can enter up to 2 times! Just leave a comment for each entry and make sure you include a way for me to contact you!

* Blog about this giveaway (post a quick link back here)
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This giveaway will close on April 1st at 10pm. The winner will be announced on April 3rd.

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