Tag Archives: homeschool

Hooping it Up

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Apr 2018 hoop art web (2 of 3)

Sorry.  That was lame lol.  The girls made some really nice embroidery hoop art pieces at their sewing class last week.  The projects called for lots of new techniques for them.  They drew their designs on paper and cut them out to trace onto fusible web.  They ironed that to the fabrics and cut and ironed the pattern pieces to the their background material.  They used a tight zig zag stitch to embroider detail as well as hand sewing some buttons for the Archie dog.  He figures prominently in many family art projects.  We heart Archie! 

Apr 2018 hoop art web (2 of 3)
How to for similar fusible project we want to tackle here

Zigzag tute here

Wise Man collage

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I was so pleased with the collages the children made for the Epiphany, even if we didn't make them prior to nor even ON the Epiphany since we had a full weekend.  Sometimes they are actually in a better frame of mind after we have discussed and we carry on the season as long as possible anyway.  Bottom line?   Whenever you create a beautiful thing is the right time.  (pssst – you can still do this. : ))

We discussed the traditional names of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar and the spiritual significance of the gifts they brought.  Gold was a fitting gift for a King.  Frankincense was connected to priestly ritual and indicated diety.  Myrrh was used for annointing and foreshadowed His redemptive death.  We talked about gifts we can present to God today.  He has no need for material things but we can offer our good attitudes, our charity to others, our peaceful resignation to His will – all every bit as precious.

Then we gathered old scrapbooking paper and created these collages based on this tutorial.  There is no pattern given so we just got the gist of it and made makeshift templates from spice lids and so on. 

Wise men

Wise men

 

 

note: A wonderful tradition, which was common in the part of Germany where we lived, is the chalking of the doors with the new year's number and the intials of the Magi.  If you've never heard of it this article explains. 

 

 

as they grow

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Oct 2017 pumpkin donut web (1 of 1)

One thing I loved so much during the preschool years were our Montessori trays, self-contained activities presented on a wooden tray complete with all the materials needed.  Truth is, I loved dreaming up Montessori trays, but my days were not chock full of empty hours with which to put them together.  There was also a good deal of tray straightening and supervision required once they were created. 

A mom asked me for more thoughts on this next stage of home learning and family life with no littles underfoot.  This would be one of the new and different dynamics.  Little people become bigger people who still love their projects.  They can now print a tutorial and gather their own materials.  In fact, you might stroll out from the laundry room or office and find a scene like this one.  

 

Oct 2017 pumpkin donut web (1 of 1)
Oct 2017 pumpkin donut web (1 of 1)

Now instead of demonstrating and directing and overseeing I am invited in to admire and give a few pointers, or better yet, to not give a few pointers.  I love to hear their thoughts about what worked, what didn't work as well, and how they might do things differently next time.   

PS though?  There is still some straightening up to do after.  ; ) 

 

the two best tools for homeschool moms

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It wasn't the most expert job ever but the girls' first go at designing and making doll clothes 'all by ourselves' was fruitful in so many ways. 

 
Sept 2017 sew web (1 of 3)

Sept 2017 sew web (3 of 3)
Sept 2017 sew web (1 of 3)

  When I caught wind of what they were working on my mind began rapidly populating a syllabus with lessons about seam allowances and finished edges and a dozen related points before I caught myself. An article from years ago by homeschooling pioneer Jessica Hulcy  came to mind. She was a leader in hands-on, thematic studies.  She would probably have lesson plans for this right?  There should be plans.  Thorough plans.  And supplies. And lots of books.  No doubt, as time goes on, we will indeed explore all the above.  Right now, though, I am reminding myself of the time that wise woman said that the best tools she could equip homeschool moms with were a gag and handcuffs, for themselves, for just such moments as these. The idea is that there are few things better than personal experience to instill a need to know and to light the fire of their imaginations.  Sometimes the best gift you can give a child is discovery, complete with the freedom to make many imperfect preliminary steps. 

Gathering all the materials myself and preplanning a foolproof unit might have resulted in a picture-perfect project the first time around. For so many reasons we are off to a much better start now.  Now, they are curious:  Why do you sew on the wrong side of the fabric?  How do you get the seams to go on the inside? what happens if you leave the cut edges raw? What makes the dress go on easier? Now, they are curious and motivated.  Now, they can't answer those questions fast enough.  

What they needed most here was not a dress but an experience, a series of connections that could explode into dozens of other possibilities.  They got that. 

There will be more experiments. They will come out a little better every time.  Their competence and creativity is amazing and before we know it we will be coming to them for tips, just like we go to their brothers and sisters for their areas of expertise. This, after all, is the real goal for us – not just to impart to them what we know, but to watch it mingle with their other life experiences to become something new and different altogether. 

Sept 2017 sew web (1 of 3)

Main Lesson Monday

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These are a smattering of the notebook pages the kids have created this month.   Not perfect, but perfectly delightful to me. 

Hours

So one of my favorite lessons grew out of our recent thrift store find of Classic Poems to Read Aloud.  We memorized All Things Bright and Beautiful last week.  It was actually memorized in a matter of hours once I bought packs of gum as a reward.  I am nothing if not pragmatic, y'all.  So after that I had pulled out Hillaire Belloc's Mathilda for a hilarious contrast.  They thought it was a little gross and creepy so we discussed satire, parody, and cautionary tales.  They recorded the definitions and we found the rest of his tales here. Each picked out one to record in their notebooks. They still they are gross and creepy and I am still amused. 

Some math pages:

Hours

Hours

We print out the free puzzles of the week for each grade level from Critical Thinking Press.  I truly believe that never before has critical thinking been more………critical.  These puzzles sometimes hurt my brain but they get everyone talking and working together, especially this week when they DID NOT INCLUDE A SOLUTION. Don't worry.  I'm not bitter or anything.  We are just still hashing this one out.  Go ahead.  Download.  Then tell us who you think stole the headphones 'k? 

Hours

And some random real life practice finding nouns in a magazine article.  It is often easy to figure out a pattern in a language exercise book.  Then they are at a loss when faced with actual text someplace else.  This practice got us discussing abstract nouns since the mid elementary student who underlined in blue found most of the concrete things quickly, but missed the abstract – which is totally age appropriate per the whole Trivium age group delineations.  This was a quick game and isn't perfectly checked either btw.  There are more anchor charts and grammar pages to help springboard discussion over on my pinterest board here. 

Hours

This next page just makes me laugh.  Every time.  (yes, I know it is misspelled)

Hours

Your life lesson of the day is right there.  That "slightly downhill' part?   It's a concept to live by if ever there was one hahaha!  Working hard on that over here.  Just gonna leave that there and wrap up now lol.  

newsies

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Our first "official" field trip of the new school year was to the television and radio stations in Salt Lake City.  This ended up being a very cool day.  Even if it involved driving to the city.  And parking there.  

Still…..there was the peacock! 

Ksl8

the lifestyle program sets….

Ksl8

Ksl8

They were on the radio briefly….

Ksl8

and the noon news broadcast…

Ksl8

Can I just say that was a LOT of trust to place in a group of school aged children but they didn't make a peep.

Saw newsie stuff…

Ksl8
Ksl8

Ksl8

Ksl8

And in general had a grand time.   We followed up by getting lunch for our bunch in town. Here's to getting out there! 

Ksl11

 

first solo stitching

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Aug 2017 t sew class web (1 of 2)

Tess took her first sewing class away from home this month.  She made a notebook cover with pockets and ribbon tie.  Her overall impression was that there was a lot of pinning, cutting, and ironing involved and it was worth it.  

Aug 2017 t sew class web (1 of 2)

Aug 2017 t sew class web (1 of 2)

Following this success she and her little sister are enrolling in the full semester course starting soon.  It is so very exciting for me to see which directions each child goes creatively and to be able to accompany them on their way.  

Starry, starry, school days

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Stars2

This has been a stargazing sort of summer.  We have studied constellations before and I will tell you straight up I am NOT very good at finding them in the sky.   That may change this year given some of the books we have found and the projects we have done. My first favorite is the Stikky Night Skies book (link below) which is every bit as awesome as the Stikky Trees book was.  It leads you along step by step into trickier configurations.  Somehow it breaks down this wild spattering of white dots into something you can begin to sort out. Or maybe most normal people can sort this out?  I definitely needed extra help.

Stars2

As always, Pinterest is my BFF, my bestie, my personal assistant, my teacher's aide.  "Hey Pinterest, what have you got for constellations?"  Pinterest shot back with marshmallow and toothpick constructions and some flash cards. I was also beside myself to find this chart by Alice Cantrell.  I have loved her work forever and am so pleased she has something that works for this unit.  

Stars2

Upside?  You can eat the leftovers. 

Stars4

Here are a few standouts in our stack: 

Stikky Night Skies

Find the Constellations

Child's Introduction to the Night Sky  This was another fave.  Chock full of trivia and history to include the stories of the constellations. These work well for narrations and notebooks.  A keeper. 

The Stars

Zoo in the Sky