USA

Thank you to everyone who encouraged me through the first 2 weeks of ECC. Week 3 we started the USA and it was sooooooo much smoother. I know this is partly due to it being a review of the geography we learned last year as part of Adventures but it was fun to see what they remembered. Ying remembered 48 of 50. Yang got the coasts but sorry mid- America. We'll work on that. Hulk began learning our home state and neighbors. We've also bee working on a mini-book called "Me on the Map", helping him learn his address and how street, city, state, country, etc all fit together.
We also started in on Hero Tales this week as part of Bible. Hero tales uses different famous Christians stories to teach character. We started by just reading but it was a bit flat  so it has morphed into a " Bible Notebook". I started by  printing out something to go with each trait. It was a pretty easy internet search, Then the kiddos added their touches. I find they listen better when their hands are moving. We will also be putting in our copy work for the memory verses.

Hulk is working his way through Right Start Reading. We get the most done in the 1 hour free period he has during co-op time. He remains much more focused there because the are NO computers or video games calling his name..lol

P.s.....

Here are three pintrest board I have started.....

General MFW ECC: ( or stuff I haven't seperated out yet or stuff that goes all year

http://www.pinterest.com/lettinghimlead/mfw-ecc-general/

Canda and USA - I have included the board I made for Adventures last year as it has lots of good USA material:

http://www.pinterest.com/lettinghimlead/mfw-ecc-usa-canada/

http://www.pinterest.com/lettinghimlead/mfw-adventures-in-us-history/

ECC week 2

 We completed week 2 of our overview of geography this week. I tried to be a bit more relaxed, and stop stressing so much. We enjoyed the overview of the major world religions this week. The girls were impressed by how much most of the world has in common. I like Window on the Worlds simple and positive descriptions. They were very age appropriate for my crew. Our favorite geography lesson was map making using the grid system. We laid a grid out on the carport and the kids mapped our pretend country.  Hulk sitting in the chair was a mountain range, the boogie boards a lake, pool noodles a winding river. I think the blankets got added in as a forest and a military base. I was quite pleased with how the girls did once we got going.

The kids also started back at co-op this week which honestly was a blessed 4 1/2 hours of quiet errand running. I love my pack but quiet is something my mind craves and doesn't get much of right now. It was nice. I had to take a picture of the amount of stuff we have to load up for 3 kids in 5 classes. Its kinda comical. The girls are using their rolling suitcases this year because they have to carry the cellos on their backs all around the church. So each girl has a cello, music stand, suitcase w Science text & notebook, karate uniform,lunch and supplies for either knitting/art or Lego movie making. Hulk lucks out being little and gets his lunch and a pencil.

I am still not enjoying this year as much as last but I am hoping once we start the cultures part, we will find more of a rhythm.

ECC week 1

Making a sphere flat..lol.. sharpie does not stay on an orange well

Now what does it feel like to smash a grapefruit? after we decided we didn't like them much.....

Yang's Women of the World

Well let me be honest.. our first week of ECC was overwhelming. My over achieving self lost perspective. I started to make school at home instead of home school. I felt like since we had moved up to 3rd grade we needed to  " bump it up" a few thousand notches. I lost perspective and tried to formalize every subject. I ran myself and the kids ragged to the point that I was really wondering why was I homeschooling? But after a little reflection ( so yeah I am writing this 2 weeks later) I am chilling out. Sorta. Its still gonna take some time. So I loved making the John 3:16 posters. We bought a bunch of old National Geographics from the local thrift store and the kids had at it. I know many people  shy away from National Geographic  sometime because of the lack of attire, but honestly I want my kids to see the world unedited to some degree, especially the bodies of real people. Maybe its my nursing background, maybe its the body issues I see so many young girls with. This is God's creation. We don't have to be gratuitous about it, but nor do we need torun and hide like its to be ashamed of.  

Ying was very impressed by the fire dancers and snake

We also began our new science curriculum via our co-op this week. The girls are taking Earth Science which starts with 9 weeks of Astronomy, and is followed by meteorology and geology. I tried to do the ECC science on top of it this week and decided it was a mistake. we will be very brief in our bioomes studies or maybe very direct when it is really distinctive of a country. Like I plan on doing a lot with the rainforest during brazil, but dusting over deserts in the USA.
Hulk continued with phonics. He will start his version of the girls science class next week at co-op. Here he is working on reading skills with a file folder game I got at a used curriculum sale this summer.

The girls got their karate uniforms and  a re very excited to start classes next week during co-op.

Starting a new... Not back to school!

After two weeks of fun, sun, and family at the beach, we are diving into Exploring Countries and Cultures today as our first "official" days of Kindergarten and 3rd grade. Public school started back here today also which made the transition a little easier to take. I will say that I am a little overwhelmed by the increase in the amount of work going on with adding in Hulk, but once we find our rhythm hopefully it will smooth out.

Hulk

Ying in the tree, Yang dressed up and ready to go