Some helpful information regarding where we visited:
Fort Sumter: https://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm
From Slavery to Freedom Tour: https://www.magnoliaplantation.com/sl...
Slave Dwelling Project: https://slavedwellingproject.org/
Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
CHARLESTON FIELD TRIP
Hey everyone! The kids and I took a detour on our trip up to NC and stopped in Charleston for 24 hours. We have been studying The Civil War, The Underground Railroad, and slavery since March in both Story of the World (we lingered on the chapter for weeks) and Five in a Row (Follow the Drinking Gourd and Who Owns the Sun?). I knew we wanted to do Fort Sumter so we pushed our June trip back to July in May when it was still closed so that we could be assured of it being mostly open. At the last minute, I found a tour called "From Slavery to Freedom", and the founder of The Slave Dwelling Project happened to be the tour guide the weekend we planned to be in town. I highly recommend this tour at Magnolia Plantation. All of the links are at the end of our pictures if you want to check any of it out. Here's a photo dump of our experience, and my vlog is linked at the end as well.
Monday, January 6, 2020
A NEW COAT FOR ANNA || FIVE IN A ROW
I wanted to share a peek inside of our Five in a Row study on "A New Coat for Anna". We loved this story and it was the perfect introduction to a few new topics for my Kindergartner. It also ties in nicely with Christmas, which is why we chose to row this in December. If you're unfamiliar with Five in a Row, here is a description of how we use it:
Here are a few highlights of our week:
Paper weaving was the perfect fine motor activity, and Eli was ALL about it. He really enjoyed creating some Christmas gifts and decorations.
While the book doesn't officially state where it's set, you can assume it is post WWII Europe. My plan was to place our story disc on Germany, however, we went a different route the week of. One of the illustrations shows Anna and her mother picking lingonberries to use as dye, and other than the few times we've had Swedish Meatballs, Eli had never tried lingonberry jam.
It happened to be the same week that my kids were participating in a St. Lucia's Day Procession, so we took it the swedish route and placed our disc there. One of my favorite things about FIAR is the flexibility. The curriculum is simply a starting point, so we chose to make it fit our studies that week and tie it into our study of Christmas in Sweden.
We didn't go "all out" with this book like we do with others, simply because it was a busy holiday season, but some other topics we covered were:
- Paper Chain Making
- Wool weaving (including a visit to John's nanny who has a beautiful antique loom exactly like pictured in the book
- Bartering (this was the main theme of the book and a great activity to role play around the house)
- WWII introduction
- Discussions about relationship, patience, and gratitude.
I hope you enjoyed this peek inside of our week, I'll be sharing much more FIAR here in 2020!
I did a little 2012/13 digging here on the OLD blog and found a few posts from other FIAR units we loved. Here's a little roundup of some, so excited to be back sharing in this space:
See you next Monday!
Monday, July 2, 2018
Preschool Tag
Hey everyone! Today's post is answering some questions about homeschooling for preschool, and I was tagged by Momma Schmooze Reviews! Thanks, friend!
Questions:
1. What is your preschooler's favorite picture book(s)?
Eli is a little book worm, and gravitates toward books he can "read" himself, meaning picture books, number books, or shine a light books. These are his favorite at the moment and you can find them HERE
He also LOVES the PRESS HERE series
2. How do you teach them the ABCs, colors, shapes, and numbers
(shows, tablets, hands on, etc.)
In the past, we've used a lot of pinterest for this, most specifically the letter of the week crafts, but this upcoming year, we will be using the reading corner, check out my review HERE. He also sits through most of our school days, and little ones are sponges!
3.Do you use a curriculum with your preschooler? If so, mention curriculum choices.
We've used Five in a Row and some printables from 1+1+1=1, but this upcoming year, we're sticking with some FIAR, but bringing in The Reading Corner and Let's Play School
4. What are your favorite websites to use to teach prek?
We've always loved 1+1+1=1, and Delightful Learning!
5. Do you take your preschooler to any community activities on a weekly basis?
Yes, beyond county sports, we meet once a month with friends and celebrate a holiday with a "class party" or field trip, as well as a weekly homeschool PE class that he participates in.
6. How long (approx) do you teach your preschooler each day?
Honestly...other than helping me in the kitchen, which he LOVES, and participating with my older kids' schooling, I usually only sit and do one on one instruction for about 15 minutes with him while my older kids work on their Teaching Textbooks. I use Five in a Row specifically FOR him, but still have my older kids participate, so that isn't necessarily one on one instruction. I also bring age appropriate activities into our morning basket and family subjects, so he tends to have upwards of an hour to an hour and a half of concentrated "school" time each day, but specific preschool skills - 15-25 minutes max.
7. What are their favorite educational shows to watch?
We're not big into TV here as of yet, so if I had to take a guess...Leap Frog? Other than Man v. Wild...is that educational?
8. How do you occupy your little one while teaching your older kids (if this applies to you)?
See answer 6 :)
9. What is your favorite educational toy to use for teaching?
We have SO many favorite educational toys, but if I had to pick just one...probably this one:
That's it! If you'd like to check out my video answering these questions more candidly, with some random advice at the end, check it out here:
some links are affiliate, thank you for supporting my blog!
Questions:
1. What is your preschooler's favorite picture book(s)?
Eli is a little book worm, and gravitates toward books he can "read" himself, meaning picture books, number books, or shine a light books. These are his favorite at the moment and you can find them HERE
He also LOVES the PRESS HERE series
2. How do you teach them the ABCs, colors, shapes, and numbers
(shows, tablets, hands on, etc.)
In the past, we've used a lot of pinterest for this, most specifically the letter of the week crafts, but this upcoming year, we will be using the reading corner, check out my review HERE. He also sits through most of our school days, and little ones are sponges!
3.Do you use a curriculum with your preschooler? If so, mention curriculum choices.
We've used Five in a Row and some printables from 1+1+1=1, but this upcoming year, we're sticking with some FIAR, but bringing in The Reading Corner and Let's Play School
4. What are your favorite websites to use to teach prek?
We've always loved 1+1+1=1, and Delightful Learning!
5. Do you take your preschooler to any community activities on a weekly basis?
Yes, beyond county sports, we meet once a month with friends and celebrate a holiday with a "class party" or field trip, as well as a weekly homeschool PE class that he participates in.
6. How long (approx) do you teach your preschooler each day?
Honestly...other than helping me in the kitchen, which he LOVES, and participating with my older kids' schooling, I usually only sit and do one on one instruction for about 15 minutes with him while my older kids work on their Teaching Textbooks. I use Five in a Row specifically FOR him, but still have my older kids participate, so that isn't necessarily one on one instruction. I also bring age appropriate activities into our morning basket and family subjects, so he tends to have upwards of an hour to an hour and a half of concentrated "school" time each day, but specific preschool skills - 15-25 minutes max.
7. What are their favorite educational shows to watch?
We're not big into TV here as of yet, so if I had to take a guess...Leap Frog? Other than Man v. Wild...is that educational?
8. How do you occupy your little one while teaching your older kids (if this applies to you)?
See answer 6 :)
9. What is your favorite educational toy to use for teaching?
We have SO many favorite educational toys, but if I had to pick just one...probably this one:
some links are affiliate, thank you for supporting my blog!
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Favorite Patriotic Books
Hey y'all! I'm back today sharing some of our favorite books for The Fourth! We're prepping for a day full of friends, fireworks, and beach fun by reflecting on why we celebrate. These books help us do just that.
This book is similar to "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World" (one of our all time favorites), but themed around the USA.
In this book, the main character travels across the United States, collecting materials needed to make a mixing bowl, rolling pin, spoons, etc.
It's a fun way to visualize all of the resources that our nation has to offer.
This book is a super cute play on "The Night Before Christmas"
It's full of family traditions most children would be familiar with surrounding the 4th, and is sure to be a hit in your house!
This is a great book for bedtime, a rainy day, or in lieu of fireworks if you have some nervous kiddos.
This book is sure to open up conversation with your older children, and the gorgeous illustrations will captivate your younger ones, as well.
The author and illustrator did an amazing job conveying the spirit of our nation and the trials that we've faced in very few words.
The book focuses on the flag on one side, with the same words on the opposite page showcasing a part of our nation's history. If I could encourage you to add one more book to your family library, this would be it!
This book is similar to "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World" (one of our all time favorites), but themed around the USA.
In this book, the main character travels across the United States, collecting materials needed to make a mixing bowl, rolling pin, spoons, etc.
It's a fun way to visualize all of the resources that our nation has to offer.
This book is a super cute play on "The Night Before Christmas"
It's full of family traditions most children would be familiar with surrounding the 4th, and is sure to be a hit in your house!
Check out The Night Before Halloween, The Night Before Valentines Day, and The Night Before the Night Before Christmas!
We also LOVE "Shine a Light, Wonders of the USA"
My kids go crazy for "Shine a Light" books by Usborne, the concept being that until you shine a flashlight behind the page, parts of the image remains hidden.
This is a great book for bedtime, a rainy day, or in lieu of fireworks if you have some nervous kiddos.
Last, but not least, "Blue Sky White Stars"
This book is sure to open up conversation with your older children, and the gorgeous illustrations will captivate your younger ones, as well.
The author and illustrator did an amazing job conveying the spirit of our nation and the trials that we've faced in very few words.
The book focuses on the flag on one side, with the same words on the opposite page showcasing a part of our nation's history. If I could encourage you to add one more book to your family library, this would be it!
Check out my video if you'd like to hear more!
This post contains affiliate links, thank you for supporting my blog
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