Echo In Celebration- FREE

Did you know you can download a free copy of Leigh Bortin’s book, Echo in Celebration? Visit LeighBortins.com for your free copy.  The free download is located on the right hand side of her blog.  It's a lovely book on how to encourage the life long learners and it's a simply read.

Classical Conversations Cycle 3, week 1

If you are like me...you have been staying up late prepping for the new school year. I pulled this one out of the archives.  It's hard to forget week 1, it's always the first one that comes to mind when I give someone a CC example.

Columbus Boats

We made these cute boats to go along with our Classical Conversations history sentence and they turned out great.

History Sentence:
In 1492, Columbus sailed on the first of four trips to the Caribbean on three Spanish ships, called the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria.

I think they will make cute name cards for our Thanksgiving table.  We followed these directions, but used a chopstick to hold the sails up.
(linked to Half a hundred acre woods weekly link-up)

And We Have It Hard!

Here is a list of chores that children had to do before eating breakfast on an early turn of the century farm...  This is a constant reminder to me and my girls to be thankful for everything we have, even those smelly diapers because it sure beats what they had in 1901!

It's good to be back blogging and thanks for all your kind comments during the past 3 months.  Nothing could be finer than to be living in Carolina...there is so much to do in the triangle area.  The girls are getting tired of hearing...mommy went to high school here, daddy lived here is college,  mommy went here on a prom date... I am answered with an, "I KNOW!"

We were warmly welcomed into a Classical Conversations community in Durham. Our 24 week cycle ends in 2 weeks and my girls have learned such a wealth of knowledge.  I have learned right along with them.  We finished our human body in January...a full life size picture of what's inside us.

Haddie, is now 8 months old, super mobile, super adorable, and has just popped out 2 bottom teeth.  She is still nursing well and loves all her food.  We try to find veggies and fruits that she "won't" try- it's a little game for us now.  If you have a little one, try making homemade baby food.  It's super easy with just a bit of prep work one day a week.  I'll show you how this week...to be continued....

Columbus Boats

We made these cute boats to go along with our Classical Conversations history sentence and they turned out great. 

History Sentence:
In 1492, Columbus sailed on the first of four trips to the Caribbean on three Spanish ships, called the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria.

I think they will make cute name cards for our Thanksgiving table.  We followed these directions, but used a chopstick to hold the sails up.

Bridge Building

Here is our latest bridge building activity that was completed during our Classical Conversations co-op last week.  The kids were given straws, play dough, and tape to build their creations. The bridge will soon be tested with small weights to see which design holds-up the best.

Olive and her two friends used almost the entire roll of tape and just about every straw, but it's strong!

Mapping the solar system

We really enjoy our Classical Conversation Co-op. This week Olive's class mapped the solar system.

 The asteroid belt shown above with rocks.

 The correct number of moons were added to each planet.

The class used a tape measure to help demonstrate the distance between the each planet and they used different balls to show a planet's size.
Here is a good way to help remember the planets:
Mercury    My
Venus        Very
Earth        Educated
Mars         Mother
Jupiter      Just
Saturn      Served
Uranus     Us
Neptune   Noodle
(Pluto is now a dwarf star, but Olive doesn't think that's fair.)

The ideas for this science project come from Van Cleave Science

Our Curriculum for Kindergarten!

The decision has been made.....drum roll please.....

Olive’s Kindergarten 2010
Math:
Hooked on Math and then Math-U-See

Reading:
Teach Your Child In 100 Easy Lessons, Bob books, and Hooked on Phonics

Writing:
Draw Write Now

History:
Story Of The World

Science:
Living Learning Books

Language:
Wordly Wise K

Art:
Fun projects

We are also excited to take part in a Classical Conversations Co-op that will meet on day a week!  We will still be lapbooking with Five in a Row and doing Daisy girlscouts. I think this should be a very good year (fingers crossed, prayers said).