Beach week!

    So, this week we are hanging out on Tybee Island with extended family. We've  sorta paused in our curriculum. We've been doing some schooling though not a formal sit down. Girls are reading and doing oral response. We've done lots of marine science exploration . Yesterday, we saw all kinds of wild life at the beach. We are staying on the marsh and have had real good view of how the tides effect them. Thursday we took a dolphin tour and had a very nice Mate, who gave us lots of information about the dolphins and other animals we saw.
    We have a great view of the shipping lanes from the port of Savannah. So, with some research, we've been able to find what country's flag each container ship sails under, and where they've been or where they are headed next. Kinda fun to know the ship we saw on Monday in Savannah  hit Jacksonville, & Miami on the way to Kingston , Jamaica. Math has been informal as well. The pool table has had all kinds of lessons about angles and even Hulk had to get into the act with number recognition when calling his "shots".
    All in all I would say a very memorable and relaxing week ;)

Ying getting in some Book Basket time in the wee hours of the morning

On the Dolphin Tour

Yang working on her Independent Reading

Saying Good Bye....

 Today, has been about packing in as much fun and quality time between my kids and their best friends. We leave tomorrow for a week at the beach. While we are gone, their best friends are moving to another state. I am very sad for my kids. These kids are the kids you dream about your kids finding as friends. Good influences. Not perfect but growing on the right path. The oldest is now 13 and has the patience of Job. She cares for her brother and my pack to no end. She's not bossy, but guides things to include everyone. My girls' world has been greatly expanded because of her kindness and level head. Walks around the neighborhood, playing in the woods without a grown up over the last 3 years have been allowed because of her level head. When the girls were 4 and all the kids were playing outside one day, I turned around to find her herding the group inside. When I asked what was up, she said she's seen a car 4 times, and just felt wrong about it. What can you say to that besides" Good job in trusting your gut". I went outside just after to find the car parked just down from the house. It sped off as soon as I approached it. May my daughter grow up with her instincts.
When it came time for their friends to go home there were hugs and goodbyes. An hour later, it hit my pack. It wasn't just goodbye for a week. It was goodbye forever in the lives of a young child. They were crushed and hysterical. It took 45 min to talk them down.  Eventually, they calmed down and we talked about pen pals and skype. While, those things are good, they aren't someone to build a fort with in the backyard. ;(

Week 3- Jamestown 1607

This week we have switched things up a bit.
   NO assigned reading but some fun reading comprehension worksheets, and games. Math more drill.
For History instead of  my reading the assigned pages, and the girls writing a paragraph of what they remember, we played "History Detectives." Each girl had to come up with 3 things she wanted to know about Jamestown. I admit I helped with a list of possible questions for this go around. After picking their questions, they had a week to find the answers. Some questions were answered in our assigned reading, some by books from the book basket, others came from our nightly read aloud. Each answer had to be written in a complete sentence that reflected the question. It worked pretty well. Definitely think we will do it again. They really liked finding out facts that even I didn't know. 
   We deviated from the curriculum this week also with our read aloud choice. MFW suggests Squato, Friend of Pilgrims, but I read this in school when I was a kid and remember it begin very stereotypical.  So after some research, I found other books that I think will interest the pack more, and give a more rounded view of colonization of North America. We've started with Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607 by Elisa Carbone . This book is a bit rougher than many favored by traditional home school curriculum, but I really like its balanced approach on the view of colonialism (Yes, I read the entire book before using it). It also shows the difference between the behavior of a true Christian and many who call themselves Christians. Especially, those who used "missions" work as an excuse to sin.  The main character isn't always likable or good, but during the book you see his growth in a very real way.  We are on Chapter 14 and its has 6 thumbs up from the pack. Here's a summary of the book from Scholastic.com:

Samuel Collier, a rough-and-tumble young orphan, becomes Captain John Smith's page on his journey to the New World. Brought up in poor conditions, Samuel is street-smart but also quick-tempered. He has to learn to control his anger and to use his head instead of his fists. During the journey on the ship the Susan Constant, Samuel begins to learn how to determine right from wrong. Through his interactions with other boys his age and with key figures such as Captain John Smith, Reverend Hunt, and Master Wingfield, Samuel discovers ways to avoid conflict. His first encounters with the native peoples in the Caribbean and in the New World further teach Samuel about different perspectives and about the value of culture. Survival in the new colony tests Samuel as he evaluates these life lessons and learns to make good choices using his heart and his head.

When I grow up I will be this cool.......

     So the pack just returned from what they have deemed as the "COOLEST PARTY EVER!!!!!!". (capitals and exclamations intended...lol). Another home school family in our neighborhood decided to through a multiage party for their 2 youngest kids, a 8 year old boy and 13 year old girl. These two are my girls closest everyday friends. To bring everyone together they decided on a "Mess Party." Let me tell you it was a hit. Food fight, eat without you hands meal, tye dye balloon war, all topped out with a mud and peanut oil slip'n slide.
      Let me say, that the creativity of this family has been part of my inspiration to home school. They are so creative, and down to earth. They were the first family I ever got to see do the home school thing on a day to day basis. From them I learned the "real" of home school. It's not utopia. Your house is a mess, and you have to be committed to your purpose when the world looks sideways at you. They are moving away soon, and I can tell you they will be sorely missed.

Truly never know....

    So, this morning we had to be up bright and early, Hulk had a 0800 appt with the ENT. Good news on all accounts. Final tube is out and no fluid in either ear! This is a first, as he has had fluid retention issues since 3 mos. old. So now onto 6 month watches to see if it comes back. His tonsils are still huge but since they don't seem to be creating a problem we are watching them. Being up and moving inspired me to make it "Git'er Done Day" for several things I have been slacking on lately. So, I found our new dental insurance info and made the kids appts. And I FINALLY got around to getting the girls eye exams. So here is where I admit what a slacker mom I am. Yang failed her vision screening exam through the schools in Jan and was recommended for further testing. Yes, it's now July. Mid-July in fact  Guess what? Yang doesn't need glasses. Ying, however does despite passing her school vision screening. So hey, you never know....
     The heartbreaking/amusing part of this story is actually that Yang was crushed when she found out Ying was getting glasses and she wasn't. Yang can be very dramatic. She can blow up, and melt down with the best of them, but this broke my heart because it was real. She didn't scream, or throw a tantrum. She sat SILENTLY with tears rolling down her face holding her sisters hand while Ying picked out her glasses. Yang is never silent, even when she's "quite" she's humming to herself. Ying was excited .Yang was crushed  and I truly for one of the first times in my life didn't know how to split my attention/emotional support. Luckily, Ying is not a fashionista. She very quickly picked out her two pairs, and we were out the door. Then the Lord was so good and saved me via the mall. We headed to an accessory store which has a selection of "Attitude" glasses. Yang found herself two very fashionable accessory pairs and all was right with the world. So, she's now doing school singing with her "glasses" on and Ying has to wait a week to get hers. Go figure.....

Ying with her "attitude glassess"

Yang with just attitude..lol

All was good until the Captains ate the crew......

     Today was better than yesterday with the minor exception of it taking the girls 2 hours to finish their Columbus paragraphs. All the hard work was done yesterday, but the copying was just painstaking and it was hard to get them to focus. We've been using their book basket for research. They take notes on a a mind map, then narrate sentences for me to write out with proper spelling, and grammar. Then they copy. We started this method is first grade, because Yang always want to say more then she could write. In their previous school, they were only taught phonetic spelling. It drove her up a wall when someone didn't understand her writing. I have a beef with phonetic spelling, with no editing. I get that they just want to kids to write, but when the teachers didn't even correct the phonetics; how are the kids supposed to learn correct phonics? I swear this is part of the reason we have a generation of kids being given misspelled monikers in the name of Unekness ( And yes, I know a child with that unfortunate name).
    By far the kids favorite activity of the day was building the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. They quickly turned pirate and began raiding each other's crews (i.e. grape and mini chocolate chips.) The even took their ships to show Grandma and Grandpa.  Tomorrow they want to taken them to try the "rapids" in the creek. We'll see how that goes..lol.

    Hulk fared a bit better as I made a concerted effort to give him occupation.  He did reading on the computer and played play-doh at the table for a while. The play-doh though was one reason it took the girls so long to finish their writing. Oh well! Now to bed.

feeling a little discouraged....

The girls are loving home school. Hulk is not. He's having a very hard time with occupying himself and with my attention being otherwise engaged. I am not doing a good job at including him. He's acting out  kinda desperate for some attention. How do I do this? It's the biggest switch for him.