And we're back.

Yesterday, we got together with some other homeschooling friends and played with revolution and rotation concepts while we talked about moon phases, length of the year, and time between full moons. Then, we transitioned to wavelength and light. As we got ready to go home, the youngest friend brought down his rock collection and we talked about sedimentary rock formation.

The Other Parent's Army buddy came over the day before to do PT with us. Cross fit is fantastic because it just uses just your body weight. That makes The Other Parent's workout just as challenging as mine is despite the 170 lbs wieght difference. That also means that I'm just a tad bit sore.

Today, we're going to do our workout, then focus on history/geography and art with a little bit of math review. TOP and I have noticed some behavioral changes lately that may or may not be related to fears about growing up. I'm thinking about doing a journal topic about changes and/or behavior to see if I can get something without making a big deal about our concerns.

So, here's the plan:

Math:
Review decimals and metric conversions. I was thinking we'd do conversions between decimals, but it might be easier to change between deka, hecto, and kilo since we've been working with place values on ixl.com.

Social studies:
Work on resolutions
Practice state recognition, transition to geographical features, focus on mountains

English:
superteacherworksheets.com; comma worksheets (using commas and yes, no, sure)
editing first draft of fable
quick review of interogative, declarative, exclamatory sentences

Art:
Painting three dimensional objects

Science:
Powerpoint slide for modified inclined planes
Game for simple machines: www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/

What the plan was for yesterday

We're on our way to my grandmother's nursing home. I have a stack of worksheets for The Kid to work on and hopefully we'll get some things accomoplished and she won't be bored.

I woke up early and printed worksheets from the following:

http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/html/k-6/as/technology/2/ast2_1a.html

http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/order/simple.shtml

http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/measuring.php

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/us_nl.pdf

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/synonyms-antonyms.html

We're going to focus on decimals today since she seems to be very excited about them. It also links to our study of the metric system.

I'm going to have her put the initials for each of the states into their outlines on a map.

Waffle Day in Actuality

And here’s what actually happened:

I finished the last in the batch of waffles as The Kid woke up. We snuggled in her bed while she ate her waffles and I read two chapters from the Oz book. Her new nickname is Pampered Pimbly (for the alliteration).

We straightened the house and did our chores, then decided to do the activities that we didn’t do yesterday.

First was talking about the parts of a story. She reviewed the chart she made that is hanging in our living room and we discussed her fable.

We got distracted by some egg cartons that could be cut to look like reindeer, then wanted to learn how to draw a reindeer. (http://video.dragoart.com/tuts/773/1/2/how-to-draw-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer.htm)

We used this opportunity to talk about shapes, lines segments, parallel lines, difference between reindeer and Midwestern deer (female reindeer have antlers)

We used an economics book that I found at Goodwill for $.70 (Economics for the Elementary Classroom by Elaine C. Coulson and Sarapage McCorkle). It gives an overview of basic economics for the teacher to supplement any knowledge and help brush up on terms. It’s intended for grades 1-8 and has activities divided by basic age level. The lesson plans include objectives, guiding questions, and worksheets. We talked about opportunity cost as the choice that was given up. Then we did two activity that involved weighing options and making choices based on a variety of criteria.

The plan is to review with the other activities tomorrow.

Worked at ixl.com to practice place value

Spelling practice: tossed ladybugs back and forth while we spelled, then she practiced throwing a ball in the air and catching it with each letter. Success!

The Kid chose to practice decimal addition with two worksheets

Then, independent reading while she ate red beans and grapes.

She worked on her powerpoint presentation and completed the information for inclined planes.

We got a whole lot of nothing done with social studies so far, and we’re both pretty burned out, so she’s going to play the water game (http://www.freepoverty.com/), then we’re going to run around and get the house cleaned up so I can fool my mom into thinking I’m not as messy as I was when I was a kid.

The Kid just said she wanted to learn about shadows. I adore having a kid that wonders about hings and wants to find out the reasons behind the mysteries. I’m off to find cool resources to teach about light and shadows! It will fit perfectly with the guest activities I’m planning when we go to our friends’ house to talk about moon phases. AWESOME!

For tomorrow’s trip to visit my grandmother:

Bring journal, pencils, extra drawing paper, multiplication flash cards

Print out worksheets for metric system of measurement, decimals, resolutions for translation, Newton’s laws of motion, sound worksheets, rock worksheets for review, blank map of the United States for labeling

Ahhh, liquid sleep.

Basically, coffee is amazing. It’s perfect for those mornings when you stayed up until a bit past 0300 knotting a quilt for your mother who’s going to be arriving the next day. Fortunately, I have a very understanding boss who agreed that we both needed an extra hour of sleep. And now: the schedule.

Language arts:

Practice misspelled words

Write an entry in her journal (side note: find journal)

Review parts of a story

Work on fable

Science:

Continue to work on powerpoint presentation for simple machines.

Introduce term “lever arm”

Create and finish slide for inclined planes and screws.

Social Studies:

Continue to translate resolutions

Read about what life was like in 1848 (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1597503,00.html)

(http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/19thcentury1840.htm)

Math:

Review metric system prefixes and discuss powers of ten; focus on positive powers. Side note, if decimals are a number multiplied by ten raised to a negative power, does that make them the supervillians of the numerical universe?

Practice multiplication facts with flashcard spaceships (I have they fly across the room at her and she has to shoot them with her properly calibrated eye lasers)

Practice place value and which metric unit of weight is appropriate on www.ixl.com

Practice addition with decimals (http://www.mathsisfun.com/worksheets/print.php?w=1848&ID=30963)

Other:

Practice sign language (www.aslpro.com)

Paint spoons

Go for a walk and exercise

Economics (opportunity cost)

The Kid is still zonked, so I have a few minutes to whip up a batch of homemade Super Chocolatey Waffles (waffles with cocoa powder and chocolate chips) before she rises. The plan is to drink another cup of coffee and be ready to snuggle and read a chapter from the latest Oz book while she eats. Wish me luck!

What we actually did today

We didn’t hit all the things I had planned for the day, but she was incredibly patient when I got distracted by ixl.com and wanted her to complete a few more skills. She’s been well fed, well read, and I’m dead, so we’re stopping school for now. It’s a beautiful day outside and we may still take Dog for a walk during which time we’ll probably sing our Buffy song and dance around. Now that I’m officially ‘off work’, it’s time to get the house ready for my mother and sister’s visit, finish the presents for the cast of the play the Kid and I are in, put the finishing touches on the quilts for my mama and my fantastic MiL, knit the rest of the scarves for my family and wrap some books for Christmas presents. I might find time to make dinner in there somewhere.

I’m happy with what we did today; The Kid learned a lot of new skills, practiced some old ones, got to read quite a bit, ate a ton, she’s still happy, her chores got done this morning, and we’re heading to the grocery store to get some bread flour for home-made bagels.

And here’s what we actually did:

Read a chapter of The Patchwork Girl of Oz

Independent reading during breakfast: Schroeder, Music is My Life (Peanuts)

Presented schedule to the kid, let her pick the order of the activities

Decimal worksheet (compared to money, fixed misconception that 10.6 =$10 and 6 cents.)

Ate snack of bananas and milk

Stopwatch for addition facts worksheet

Drawing while practicing multiplication facts

Got distracted with card manipulation, still practiced multiplication

Finished all multiplication practice, discussed metric prefixes and powers of 10.

Played with dog while we did related subtraction facts and addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division terms on IXL.com (discovered ‘minuend’ is fun to say, even though I had no idea what it was before we started practicing)

Practiced identifying states by region, then took a lunch break (independent reading of Peanuts while eating lima beans and black beans with corn)

Note: One of the things that she has repeatedly mentioned about homeschooling is how wonderful it is to be able to eat whenever you want so her brain can keep working

Took a 15 minute break to digest; she used it to draw

Counting patterns and skip counting stories from ixl.com

Practiced identifying states without the regional boundaries

Translated two resolutions from Seneca falls convention, focused on prefixes and suffixes to decode words (example: indelicacy in- = not, like inhuman, impropriety/im-proper/not-right)

Danced around while the kid threw Christmas bows at my butt. She had to calculate her ‘hit percentage’ with each throw (1/2=50%, 4/6=2/3=66%, 4/8=2/4=1/2=50%), then we switched and I threw at her.

Danced around to “When You’re Smiling”

Introduced kid to Powerpoint to record her learning about simple machines. Used search engines to locate images, taught basic mouse and keyboard commands, finished slides about levers, included two examples for each

More independent reading while Chicken Ramen was cooking and being eaten

Had The Kid tell me about the story she just read, then she asked if she could read it aloud to me. Uh, heck yeah!

Did not:

Practice spelling (wanted to throw stuffed moose while we take turns saying letters of spelling words)

Practice sign language song

Work on her fable

Introduce formula for simple machines

Introduce economics

Goals for December 7, 2010

Here’s the deal. I’m not as organized as I should be. Even when I was in the classroom, there were times that I would be ‘flying by the seat of my pants’. It’s something I can do, but it’s not the most relaxing way to live. I try to plan out the week’s activities and goals, but life gets in the way of a steady schooling atmosphere. What I’m going to try to do with this website is post my goals and vague lesson plans so that there is some accountability for what we’re supposed to be doing.

As time goes on, I’ll also post some of the activities and projects we’ve done in the first half of the year (you know, when I have some spare time).

Note: I’m not affiliated with any of the websites listed below. I just use them for their knowledge.

Language arts

Misspelled words list: spelling practice

Review parts of a story (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)

Revise fable to follow model (student created)

Science

Review simple machines, create booklet or ppt presentation

Introduce formula to show that machines make hard work easier

Social studies

Continue to look at resolutions form Seneca falls convention

(http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/seneca3.html)

Translate from gobledegook to 2^nd grade language

Play matching game for states (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm)

Math

Review multiplication facts for 1-5, 9-12, squares

Practice addition facts (http://www.kidzone.ws/math/addition.htm) worksheet

Introduce decimal addition

Review metric system and link to decimal addition

Other:

Review sign language song (from ‘Once More with Feeling’) (http://www.aslpro.com/)

Paint homemade spoon ornaments

Economics introduction (opportunity cost)

Introduction

When we go to the store, we check the labels to see what’s inside, to make sure we’re not bringing unsavory elements into our homes. Labels are easy. Additionally, they’re efficient: there’s so much contained in a few simple words. However, I tend not to trust them because of that. There are a few that have been used so extensively that they almost lose their meaning.

Now, I’m tempted to keep extending the metaphor a while longer, but I think its length and your attention are inversely related. My point is simply this: While I wish I could avoid labels because they are overused and have prejudices attached to them, I know they have the power to soothe. If you can do me a favor, please run through everything you know about ‘these people’:

Military wives

Stay-at-home moms

Liberals

Middle school teachers

Dog owners

Clowns

Queers

Nerds/dorks/geeks

Teenage mothers

College drop-outs

Agnostics

Small-town/country girls

Bookworms

Chances are, you have some preconceived notions about the people in at least 3.14159 of those categories. There’s even the possibility that you would be able to get an accurate picture of me, based solely on those labels. However, I highly doubt that we have exactly the same definitions for or experiences with people from each of those groups. Honestly, I’m not sure if this is an introduction or a warning label. In fact, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing here *cough* procrastinating *cough*. I just know that I was searching for a blog about homeschooling that didn’t revolve around the parents’ relationship with a higher power and getting more and more frustrated. Suffice it to say, I couldn’t really relate to the experiences of most of the bloggers. This is my attempt at creating a space where I don’t get twinges of alienation.

If you have questions about anything here, I may eventually find time to answer them.

This is who I am (based on my actions)

I spend the majority of my time designing and implementing lessons for a classroom of one.

The rest is divided between battling entropy in the kitchen and living areas, volunteering at the local community theater, knitting a multitude of scarves, experimenting in the kitchen, playing with my family, and loving my husband. I get distracted by webcomics, trade paperbacks, graphic novels, new skills, and feeding people.

Now, I’m going to take my daughter out to eat at a steakhouse. Bet you $5 she puts away more bloody cow than I can.