The Learning Nook

READ ALOUD: 15 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 20 minutes

Literature Connection - After read HP & Chamber of Secrets, was given a picture of a mirror and told, "This is the Mirror of Erised.  What do you see?"  She then had to draw in the mirror what she saw (it was necessary to have comprehended the functionality of the mirror was during the reading in order to do this correctly).  She drew a picture of herself marrying Harry Potter. 

Singapore Math 2A - workbook page 49

Played assigned piano songs

Pre-programmed 16 names from Harry Potter books onto slips of paper. Sydney took all 16 names and put them in alphabetical order.

Used new Hot Dots pen with subtraction flashcards to review basic subtraction facts.

Received a postcard from penpal in Scotland today and promptly wrote a return letter to her.

Independent reading time - read 3 chapters from The Anybodies 

Read the rest of Wednesday, May 30, 2007

READ ALOUD: 25 minutes; 20 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 20 minutes

Math Treasure Hunt - Solved 3 digit subtraction problems; matched answer with location on a list; repeated until the treasure was found.

Pre-programmed 16 names from favorite Barbie movies onto slips of paper. Sydney took all 16 names and put them in alphabetical order.

During bookwork, added new spelling words to Words I Use When I Write.

Read aloud from American Girl - Happy Birthday Felicity.

Sydney read Welcome to Felicity's World, pages 2 - 7 independently. She then answered some history/comprehension questions, written in sentence form.

Primary Analogies - page 36 (made up her own analogies from a given list of words)

Writing Skills, Grade 1 - Page 21, 23, and 24

Secretly chose an object and then wrote 5 description words for that object. Traded papers and we had to guess each others object.

Singapore Math 2A Challenging Word Problems - Reviewed pages 1 - 3; completed page 4

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - Spelling test for Lesson 5; Unit Review for Lessons 1 - 5; proofread a paragraph and corrected all misspelled words.

Completed 4 pages in the Anti-Coloring Book

Completed 2 assigned pages in Piano Theory; practiced assigned pieces of music; practiced C-Scales

Read the rest of Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Wow, so much has happened.  Somehow I fell behind again.  I'll blame it on the blog being down for a few days.  LOL!  Seriously, many thanks to Andrea & Ron for worrying and working so hard to get us back up and running.  You guys are incredible!

We've had a lot go on in the last week - much of which I have forgotten, but I'll try and record the highlights...

Gabriel's Birthday Party

Homeschool Group Year-End Party/Graduation (Sydney 'officially' became a 2nd grader)

Piano class - awarded Student of the Week and played 8 songs for her teacher, advancing to the next section.

Singapore Math 2A - textbook, page 43 & 44; workbook page 51 (introduced 3 digit subtraction witth borrowing)

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - page 22 and 24

History Pockets - Colonial America ~ created a New England Primer, discussed differences in education now vs. then, discussed homeschooling now vs. then

Thinking Skills, Grade 3 - page 37

Think-a-Minutes - page 1 & 6

Logic Safari - page 18

Practiced assigned piano pieces, including C-scales (multiple times within the week)

Girl Scout troop swim party at  Aquatic Center

Gymnastics class

Sleepover with Grandma & Grandpa C; dinner with Grandma & Grandpa C and Uncle Ron, Aunt Amber & Shelby

Art & Science day with friends - this was an INCREDIBLE day orchestrated by a fellow homeschool Mom.  The kids did experiments (made gloop, melted ice, made slushies, baking soda & vinegar, etc.) and some wonderful art projects (macaroni & colored popcorn texture art, modeling clay babies).  Sydney had a great time and couldn't stop chattering about it for hours!  THANKS Davina! 

Completed a Math sheet to review subtraction skills - each answer corresponded with a letter and had to be placed in order to solve a riddle.

Analogies for Beginners - Page 22

Logic Safari - page 23

Discussed Memorial Day and some past wars.  Talked about current ones and located Iraq & Afghanistan on the globe.

Played Cadoo with Mom and played No Stress Chess with Dad

Much of the 27th and 28th was taken up with reading aloud.  On the morning of the 27th, Syd woke up feeling ill, and asking me to read Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets to her.  Begun on the morning of the 27th, we completed the novel on the evening of the 28th.  My mouth is ready to fall off.  Seriously.  It amounted to more than 15 hours of read aloud.

Read the rest of Sunday, May 20 ~ Monday, May 28, 2007

So...we've been reading the first Harry Potter book.  Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone.  Of course, Sydney has enjoyed it.  I knew she would.  We're nearly done - only 2 or 3 more chapters.  Tonight, she asked to watch the DVD.  I've had it for years.  Of course I have.

I know I am a geek, but there has been something (no snickers) magical about sharing Harry Potter with Sydney.  I waited until I thought she could handle the story context and imagery.  I didn't want to introduce it too soon and have her scared of it.

Why?  I have a confession.  I'm 37 years old and am in love with Harry Potter.    It happened many years ago, when I lived in Iowa.  I was pregnant and I heard about this hot new kids book.  Liking the whole "wizardry" idea, I picked up a copy.  I made it through the first chapter or two and instantly fell in love.  I knew this book would capture the imaginations of children.  I knew it would turn kids into readers.

So, I daydreamed about the day I would read it with my kid.  The one I was carrying.

Then it happened.  I miscarried.  Harry Potter, as well as my dreams, were put away.

Fast forward more than a year and I find myself in mid-pregnancy.  I dust off the copy of Harry Potter and devour it in a weekend.  That was it.  That's all it took.  Harry Potter was forever intertwined with my child.  Before she even took her first breath, she was destined.

Tonight we watched the DVD of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone and I got tears in my eyes.   (I told you I was a geek!)  I remembered how long I wanted to share this story with my child - this magical story of good & evil, of integrity & honesty, of friendship & family, all wrapped up in a cloak of adventure and fun.  I remembered how I found him, how I dreamed about sharing him; how I lost him and my baby.

Harry Potter can't die in the 7th book.  It would be like reliving my loss all over again; and this time my daughter would grieve as well.

Read the rest of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Cannot Die

READ ALOUD: 1 hour; 30 minutes

Writing Skills, Grade 1 - page 22

Added to Words I Use When I Write

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - pages 22 & 23

Singapore Math 2A - workbook pages 41 & 42

Analogies for Beginners - Page 21

Engineered a playground for her Littlest Pets using Extreme Marble Mania

Read and did activities in State of Florida book

Holy Cow Science - performed an experiment with hygroscopic plastic.  Formed hypothesis, tested it, drew conclusion, and checked it.

Time 4 Learning - Tested out of 3 2nd grade math sections.   Grade 3 - Language Arts: Completed Synonyms Unit and Idioms Unit.

Read the rest of Saturday, May 19, 2007

READ ALOUD: 1 hour

Played piano - made significant progress on her week's assignment

Time 4 Learning - Began 3rd grade Language Arts; tested out of 4 more math sections.  We've decided to move into 2nd grade math on T4L at this point.

Swimming - did more "school in the pool."  Syd was stuck on math and kept asking for "equations."

Did more work on her slumber party decorations.  So far, one girl said she can make it, and one said she can't.  Syd is hoping the 3rd girl will be able to and she decided to go ahead with the "theme" plans she has.

Read the rest of Friday, May 18, 2007

READ ALOUD: 1 hour; 1 hour

While I read aloud another chapter from Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone, Sydney crafted up items for her birthday sleepover. She made a paper chain to decorate her room and small friendship notes for each girl, written in Chinese!

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - Reviewed /ck/ ending sound and tested on all of the spelling words for Lesson 4. She scored 100%.

Identified the notes on a Grand Staff for both treble & bass. Introduced the FACE short-cut for remembering space notes in treble. Then we came up with a GECA short-cut for remembering the space notes in bass. She created an elaborate story about Geca, the wife of the Geico gecko, who lives in a "space" under a tree and likes to hold tea parties. Well see if it helps.

Logic Safari, Grade 3 - page 17

Singapore Math 2A - workbook page 37; 3-digit subtraction

Writing Skills, Grade 1 - pages 19 & 20; continued learning about capitalization

History Pockets ~ Life in Plymouth Colony - Began pocket for Going to School; discussed how the pilgrims mostly homeschooled, though a few boys were sent to school over age 13. Defined schoolmaster, hornbook, dame school, and penmanship. Created a hornbook and practiced tracing on it like the pilgrim children did.

Played piano and assigned pieces - 30 minutes

Gymnnastics class

Read the rest of Thursday, May 17, 2007

READ ALOUD: 3 hours

Field trip to local Fire Station - these guys were GREAT and gave the kids an excellent tour! They even got to shoot the fire hose!

Writing Skills, Grade 1 - page 19

Analogies for Beginners - page 20

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - page 19

Thinking Skills, Grade 3 - page 34

Singapore Math 2A - workbook ex. 12 (pg. 33-35)

Swimming!  (Did some "school-in-the-pool" and Syd spelled words I called out and did funky jumps in after she got them right)

Read aloud from Harry Potter for 3 hours.  She's addicted! 

Read the rest of Wednesday, May 16, 2007

READ ALOUD: 1 hour
INDEPENDENT READING: 1 hour

Completed 2 pages in Piano Theory book

Played new piece from piano lesson

4-H meeting - social meeting at Taylor Park

Went to a friends baseball game and cheered him on

Started reading Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone together.

Independently read Usborne versions of Oliver Twist and The Revealing History of Underwear.

Read the rest of Tuesday, May 15, 2007

READ ALOUD: 45 minutes; 1 hour & 15 minutes

Began Singapore Math 2A - skipped much of the beginning as it is all review.  Reviewed greater than and less than.  Completed textbook page 35.

Write for Real - Drew a slip that told Syd to write to The Cheetah Girls about anything she wanted.  She wrote a letter about how she loves their music and told them her favorite song.  (Fun handwriting practice!)

History Pockets Colonial America - colored quilt patterns and created her own pattern.  Cut out the squares and taped them together to form a "quilt."

Time 4 Learning - Took the test for both Rainforests and Fitness.

Colored lots of mandala's.  Showed a great aptitude for patterns and color combinations. 

Piano lesson.

Library visit - selected own books

Read the rest of Monday, May 14, 2007

I don't think I've ever seen so much in print from a newspaper about homeschooling in my life.

Check out: Learning Outside the Lines

Read the rest of Homeschooling in the News

READ ALOUD: 1 hour
INDEPENDENT READING: 45 minutes

Sydney read aloud to ME for 45 minutes today. It was my mothers day gift.

Played Yahtzee, & Clue, Jr. with Mom & Dad

Played piano

Read the rest of Sunday, May 13, 2007

READ ALOUD: 10 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 30 minutes

Completed math worksheet with double and triple digit addition and subtraction

Singapore Math 1B - textbook, pages 88 - 96; workbook, pages 154-170. Completed First Grade Math!

Thinking Skills, Grade 3 ~ page 33 (alphabetical order)

Logic Safari, Grade 2-3 ~ page 16

Analogies for Beginners - page 19

Played piano

Visited with Grandma & Grandpa P.

Time For Learning - Language Arts, completed Fitness section

Read the rest of Saturday, May 12, 2007

READ ALOUD:

Writing Skills, Grade 1 ~ page 17 (Capitalization of proper names)

Thinking Skills, Grade 3 - page 32 (putting a list of words in alphabetical order)

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - Lesson 4, page 18 (introduced words ending in ck)

Piano Theory - pages 1 thru 11 (as assigned by teacher)

Singapore Math 1B - Blew thru units on Time, and Numbers to 100.  Did both written and oral work on 20 textbook pages and 37 workbook pages.  Began 2 and 3 digit addition (23+59 and 122+312)

Played piano

Read the rest of Friday, May 11, 2003

READ ALOUD: 30 minutes ; 30 minutes

Visited with Great Grandmother, great aunts, grandparents, aunt, and cousin.

LOTS of independent reading - we went to the Scholastic Warehouse Sale and (shockingly) stayed on budget and (ONLY!) spent $125! Wow, for us, that is pretty cheap! She read for hours during our long car rides visting family and getting home.

TONS of playing on the keyboard. Syd has completely fallen in love with this and is having no trouble with her assigned work.

Played No Stress Chess with Mom

Girl Scouts - Court of Awards (received badges and patches for the last half of the year)

Read the rest of Tuesday May 8 ~ Thursday May 10, 2007

READ ALOUD: 2 hours

Read aloud from the new Felicity American Girl books we bought.  Finished Meet Felicity and started in on Felicity Learns a Lesson.  Discussed Revolutionary War, including politics, women's roles, etc.

Music Class - Sydney finished Level 1 in record time (4 weeks instead of 10 weeks) and her teacher is having her skip Level 2 and go directly to piano lessons.  Syd really seems to take to music theory and (so far) is enjoying it.

Read the rest of Monday, May 7, 2007

READ ALOUD: 15 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 45 minutes

Spectrum Spelling Grade 2 - Lesson 3, pages 14 - 17 (completed the lesson) Reviewed short a, i, and o sounds.

Writing Skills Grade 1 - Page 16 Pronouns

Thinking Skills Grade 3 - Reading a Schedule Pages 28 and 29

(Thank god we homeschool - the 3 previous resources we used come from 3 different grades!)

Orally reviewed multiplication and discussed division, solving problems orally.

Singapore Math 1B - Section 5 (Division), pages 54 thru 59 and Section 6 (Halves & Quarters), pages 60 and 61. Workbook pages 95 - 104 (skipped problems if fluency was demonstrated).

Reviewed material for music class, completed "homework" up thru the end of the book for Level 1. (Syd seems to take to music - all of Level 1 is supposed to take 10 weeks. She has been attending class for 4 weeks.)

Swimming

Time 4 Learning - Language Arts - Fitness; Background Story completed.

Using Words I Use When I Write, Syd wrote a short story for her Dad.

Sent an email to penpal in Scotland. Helped select and forward pictures from her Flat Travelers trip.

Played Cluzzle with Dad

Read the rest of Saturday, May 5, 2007

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes

Spectrum Spelling Grade 2 - Lesson 2, page 13.  Reviewed short vowel sounds

Writing Skills Grade 1 - page 15

Primary Analogies - Page 34 & 35   -  From a list of 12 words, Syd had to create her own analogies.  She made: Tire is to truck as faucet is to sink and Goat is to coat as spoon is to moon.

Singapore Math 1B - reviewed multiplication in textbook; worked 9 pages in workbook, demonstrating mastery of basic multiplication concepts.  She's been permitted to skip the rest of the busy work.  (Cartwheels promptly followed.)

Consumer math - went to Target and Syd determined what she could buy based on how much allowance money she had.  She tried a few different toys and combinations to get the most for her money.

SWIMMING!!!  YEA!

Worked with Words I Use When I Write to write her own story.  Began to ask me if the spelling of a word is correct instead of just asking me to spell the word for her.  WOW!  Progress!

Read the rest of Friday, May 4, 2007

The last 2 weeks have FLOWN!  I can't believe I haven't updated since the 24th.  We've been super busy.  Not so much with book work, but with homeschooling life in general.

Let's start last week on the 25th... Syd was in her Drama performance.  She did a great job.  Afterward we had a cast party at a friends.  It's become tradition and somethibng we all look forward to.

The 26th brought us to Girl Scouts and gymnastics class (yet again).  That night my sister arrived with her 7 month old son.  Sydney had a WONDERFUL week spending time with him.  We took him to the beach, visited great grandma, and spent tons of time in the pool.  This little baby needs to move to Florida because he LOVES the water!

The 27th was the final day of PE class that my husband and I run.  We held a field day for the kids, complete with awards and ribbons.  Just like last year, the kids exceeded our expectations on sportsmanship.  I just love homeschooled kids!

The 28th was our homeschool group Academic Fair.  Sydney set up her project on The Magic of Harry Houdini and immediately began performing magic tricks for the crowd.  Poor kid - I didn't think how rough it would be to do tricks for  2 HOURS STRAIGHT!  Whew!  She's a trooper.  Her "performance" was awesome, she really had her schtick down.  I was proud of her hard work.   After the Academic Fair, family came to the house to visit.  She got to hang out with both of her 7 month old cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents...

Whew, I'm getting tired just typing all these activities (can't believe I actually survived doing them)...

The 29th was the Girl Scout Service Unit Cosmic Bowling party.  Syd did a great job bowling.  I can see that she improves each time she bowls. 

The rest of the time from the 30th to the 3rd was spent with family and reconnecting with Mom & Dad.  Our schedule has been so busy, we've missed just being together.   During this time we did lots of non-book learning.  Just the kind I like.

Read the rest of What we’ve been up to…