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Hey everyone Currclick is having a wonderful sale. Discounts are up to 75% off! So if your looking for materials for this school year, or planning for next year don't miss out! |
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Have you seen the Discovering the Continents series? These are a wonderful resource for geography! We'll be using them with our unit study this year. They have them for Africa, Australia and South America. Each has lap/note book pages, mini books, games etc. A super fun way to learn about the animals and habitats of each continent!
This week ONLY they are on sale for 2.00 each!! What a wonderful deal! Click here to learn more! Are you looking for something for the younger ones? Check out Continental Little Hoppers. |
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We've been learning about how maple syrup is made, how and why it was used. So we were really excited to be able to go to one of the many maple syrup festivals this year!
The only down sides was how very BUSY it was! There was at least a few thousand people there. The line ups for food were over half an hour long! So we decided to go some were else to eat at the end of the day. The kids were a little disappointed not to get a pancake supper there. But quickly cheered up when dh said we'd go out for pizza. Then I made a big pancake breakfast the next morning. Topped off with our own maple syrup of course!
Since it was so busy they have parking lots set up through out the town. You catch one of the many free busses running back and forth to the conservation park. The girls had a great time! It was there very first time on a bus. :-) Once they got used to the bumpy ride and not needing seat belts they had a great time.
 Once we got there we tried to watch the sheep shearing demonstration. Unfortunately it was so crowded we couldn't get near it. So we headed down one of the trails away from the crowds. We found our way to the trappers camp. We had fun looking at the teepees. They also had lots of different furs set up to look at. The girls had fun comparing there softness and trying to guess what each one was.
  We also talked to a gentleman who was making leather pouches. He was working with 3 different types of leather deer, moose and caribou (or elk?? I can't remember). It was interesting to learn about the different types. He explained how they all stretched differently and were different strengths. Then we talked with another gentleman that had a "trading camp" set up. It was very interesting looking at all the items fur traders bartered with the Native Americans for furs. He showed us some of the knives that the Natives would trade for. We learned that they often would have them cut in half, to make two tools. Some times they would have them added into the middle of their war clubs to make a more deadly weapon. We got talking about the older map makers and how reliable some of them were. We could have staid and talked with him all day!
After that we walked through some of the pioneer areas. They had lots of different camp kitchens set up.
We stopped at a rope making station. Each of the girls got make there own ropes!
Then we went for a horse drawn wagon ride. The kids loved that! They all thought it was a nicer ride then the bus LOL!
 After that we stopped at a display were the kids could tap there own tree. The gentleman had a large maple log set up as the corner post of his tent area. He helped the little ones drill there own holes with an old fashion hand drill. Then clean out the hole and hammer in there tap, lastly hanging the bucket. After there hard work they were rewarded with a sucker from the sucker tree!
We also visited the sheep and alpaca pen. The kids could go in and feed and play with the animals. There was also another animal barn set up with different farm animals.
One of our last stops was a decorate your own maple syrup bucket. Unfortunately they were just about out of paint and decorations by the time we got there. But the girls still had fun. :-) When we got home they added more drawings to there buckets.
 Over all we had a great time!
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I recently read a wonderful ebook from the Old Schoolhouse. HomeWork: Juggling Home, Work, and School Without Losing Your Balance.
If you have ever wondered how homeschool mom's manage to keep home, school and run a business with out their lives turning into chaos. You need to read this book! It's a compiles the stories from 14 families that are so encouraging and insightful. Each story talks about how they began their business and the struggles they have had. They share how they have over come these problems and grown their business to be a blessing to their families.
I especially enjoyed reading about the differences in homeschool methods. As each family is unique we all will have different learning styles and curriculum preferences. Each story stresses flexibility and since our family has, had to deal with crazy shift work before I agree! It is so much easier to adjust your living hours by your husbands work schedule then it is to attempt to fit into another family's mold.
Also included are chapters are chapters to help you get started in your business. Many suggestions for organization methods, record keeping and figuring out your talents.
If you are considering starting a home business I would highly recommend this book. It's 95 pages packed with inspiration, advice and practical tips!
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Simplifying Classical Education by Andrea Newitt is a gem of a book in the new WeeBook series by the Old Schoolhouse.
Any parent who is interested in the classical methods of teaching but feeling overwhelmed must read this book!
Andrea shares how she adapted classical methods to work well for her family. And you can do it for yours to.
Many books have long subject lists that are strongly recommend for a classical education. But what if they don't suit your family? What do you do if you and your children don't enjoy many of the classical books?
Andrea has many wonderful suggestions for over coming these challenges. She also shares what resources have worked best for her family.
Some of the topics covered in this book are:
I personally use a mix of classical, CM and unit studies in our homeschool. Books like this one that focus on the simplicity and quality are very inspirational to me. A good education does not need to be complicated and cause the family burn out.
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A Classical Education is a WeeBook published by the Old Schoolhouse. This is an interesting interview with Christine Miller a homeschooling mother of 3 and author of Mystery of History.
Christine shares with us how her family began homeschooling using a "boxed" curriculum. She noticed her children losing their natural love of learning. On her journey to find the right fit for her family she began using a Charlotte Mason approach and then latter the classical method.
Christine shares that her changes were gradual. This makes it more affordable to families and easier to implement. Most families can not afford to buy a new curriculum part way through the year. I love being able to take different types of materials and adapt them to learning styles.
I agreed full heartedly with her belief in the importance of fathers being involved with the children's education. Especially with family Bible study. I have noticed myself how much more our children get out of our studies when led by their father.
I especially appreciated that she recognized a teacher can not be a specialist in every subject. We will not harm our children by teaching a few subjects well and encouraging a true love of learning. No our children will grow into adults that will continue their education the rest of their lives. It is our job to give them the tools they need to accomplish this.
Some of the topics covered in this book are:
I really enjoyed reading this WeeBook and it gives a good overview for anyone thinking of homeschooling high school classically.
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I've recently read The Changing History Theories And How To Teach Them by Ruth Beechick. This is one of the many wonderful books in the WeeBook series from The Old School House.
I absolutely loved this ebook! I come from a secular family background and as a prodigy of the public school system, teaching history and science can be challenging. I have about 19 years worth of knowledge to relearn from a Christian view. I have always loved learning about history and I love teaching it to my children. However the majority of books are heavy in evolution. Not only are there endless mentions of human evolution but historical time lines that have been "tweaked" to suit their needs.
This eBook briefly discuses Evolutionary prehistory and how historians come up with there ideas of human evolution. Then moves into history from the Bible's stand point.
I especially liked the way Dr. Beechick explains how Bronze and Iron ages are calculated. I had been taught specific time frames for these. But she explains that each geographical area would have come into this period at different times. After the flood when all civilization was destroyed, Noah's families first priority would have been survival in the "new" world. While they would have had all the knowledge of working with metals, they would have first worked with what was quick and easily available to them.
Dr. Beechick also suggests a different path of study then most text books. One that flows with the Bible and focuses more on Israel and the countries influenced by it.
Emphasis is put on learning the story of history and the love of learning, over memorizing endless lists of dates.
Some of the topics discussed in this book are:
I highly recommend this ebook to anyone teaching history to their children. It has been a great guide and starting point for me in planning our history path.
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When I was in the grocery store I noticed a bin of books. It's very hard for me to pass by a book sale. LOL One book jumped out at me The Kingfisher Student Atlas of North America. It was the hardcover edition and half price! Perfect!
 With our geography focus this coming year it was a great find. |
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I love that time of year when new school books start coming in. Our children are just as excited to look through new books to. They all gather around when a box is delivered anxiously waiting to look. Last Friday our first package arrived! I've decided to make world geography our focus for next year. After a lot of research I decided to use Galloping the Globe as our spine. It is a multi level book geared to grades K to 4 but could easily be adapted to older students. Since I had planned to use this next year my oldest 3 children will be grades 2, K and K4 this sounds perfect for us. It introduces you to each continent and major countries by unit study. For each country their are maps to color/label, and some fun worksheets. But what I like the best is the book suggestion lists. For each country there are lists of reference books as well as fiction. Science topics include animals natural to the country, trees, volcanoes etc. I've also picked out some of the suggested books to go along with with this book and I'm impressed with them also. Considering God's Creation is a grade 1 to 8 science program. This would make a great supplement to any science program! I like the hands on materials and experiments. Children Just Like Me is a beautiful book. It fetchers a child from each country around the world as they tell about their life and county. My children love this book already! Geography from A to Z is a picture book of geography terms. It clearly and easily explains the different features of the land. Around the World in A Hundred Years, tells the history of explorers in story format. I had planned to start using this program in the late summer. But we just might have to start sooner! It looks like so much fun!
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Our weather has been bitter cold. So when we had a day near 0C a few weeks ago, dh took the oldest two girls for a nature walk. They went to our favorite conservation park. The girls had a lot of fun! They saw deer, turkeys that are kept there. They also found wild deer tracks and droppings. Saw the damage on the trees from porcupines. They loved getting to see what the sulfur spring looked like in the winter to.
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Free Alaska Extension from January Book Bag, 2009 Apologia's Exploring Creation With Physical Science 2nd Edition |
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CurrClick has a new freebie up! Its a wonderful African lapbook. Click here to get your free copy. |
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One of our winter crafts this week, was making night time snow scenes. The girls had a lot of fun doing this! But when I tried to get pics they all were making silly or serious faces. LOL They used cotton balls for snow and google eyes and sequins to decorate the snow men. Then added star or snowflake stickers.
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What better topic could a Canadian explore during January but snow! This month we are diving into a unit study all about winter. We will learn about snow and ice, how it's formed and all the fun things we can do with it. We will also be learning about winter habitats. While searching online I have found a wealth of ideas for our fun adventure. I want to say thank you to Candace at His Mercy is New for sharing her winter unit. I received a lot of inspiration there! Here are some of the things we will be using this month. Books:
We will us parts from these lapbooks. All except the weather lapbook area also Five in a Row units. Crafts & Activities
Science Lessons
History/Social Studies
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This week we are working at finishing up our Peter Rabbit unit and combining it with a unit on farming. The International Plowing Match will be in our area in a few weeks and we are all looking forward to that! I found this DVD at the library and the kids just love it! I think I'll have to pick up a copy for them some time. LOL The first part of the DVD is a farm tour for kids, the second part is an ABC of horses. We are also watching these DVD's on Ferguson tractors. They are set in England so tie in a little with Peter Rabbit. Dh also has a Ferguson tractor. I gave him this DVD set a few years ago and we all love watching them!
You can read more about video 1 here.
And video 2 here. We are also watching this one on draft horses.
We are also reading the following books. Vegetable Friends, Animals on the Farm, Milk, Butter and Cheese, The story of Dairy Products, Prairie Boy's summer and Tell About The cow Barn Daddy.
We are also going to be doing some crafts and activities from these sites. |
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The next edition of the Charlotte Mason Carnival is up! Pop on over to On Our Journey Westward to see the WONDERFUL selection of entries.
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We are working on a Olympic unit and the girls have had so much fun! They love watching some of the events in the morning. Here are some of the sites we've found helpful. Homeschool Share Olympic Lapbook ~ This is one of the best sites I've found so far. We are using it as a spring board for our study. The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Learn How to Write Chinese Numbers National Anthems Around The World
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Has anyone used the Jump Start computer games? I was thinking of getting some for the littles but want to make sure they are worth the money. |
