Family Fun (City Cleanup)

  A couple of weeks ago.  I gathered up those kids of mine and we spent a day out on the town!

  We grabbed some supplies.

               

Hit the streets with bags and got to cleaning!

It was an all hands on deck to make a difference!

Thankfully we didn't come across anything nasty or dangerous!  No alcohol for minors! I took care of this one! 

I didn't hear any complaints.  One child carried the bag without the need of trading it off.  All the kids worked good together, pointing out missed pieces of liter, fighting over grabbing a piece but it was a nice day.

We even walked 3 miles while we were on the cleanup hunt but they found time to pose with Mr. Peanut! After all it was volunteer it wasn't all work and no play!

I enjoy finding volunteer opportunities that allow the family to get involved.  This city clean up was arranged by the SuffolkPublicLibrary.

I hope you had a great and productive week with your family.  

STEM in Session

What is STEM?

Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics


  STEM is a learning with a concentration in these four areas.  It's a program used in all areas and levels of education.  My kids because they are younger enjoy this program at their library.

  The STEM program at the library starts out with a book that will give a preview of what will be learned that day.

The kids were able to experience snow, cold and winter in this STEM event.

We measured each other with mittens.

Made igloos or snow castles out of foam blocks and shaving cream.

A sensory bin is always present.  It's a big hit with my kids.

I like the endless possibilities that can be used in a sensory bin! This one used rice and had a scale for the kids to play with.

The science of ice and salt impressed my son.

His expression is priceless!  

Do your kids like Science or Math?  Do you enhance their love or learning of either?

Homeschool Fun with Flashcards

    I haven't posted school in a bit but, we are still working on it.  Today we worked with flashcards.  Flashcards are very easy to get.  You can even pick up a pack for a buck at the dollar store.

  There are many ways to utilize a box of flashcards.

 1.  Match uppercase with lowercase letters.  Lay out all of one set of cards and then give out the other set.  Cards don't need to be in order.

2.  Next the cards were then put in order.  This part always amuses me because he sings the alphabet song so many times.

3.  Identify the items on the back.  Some of the pictures are harder then others but, it helps him to form the picture and letter together.

  I find it very helpful in him recognizing letters by several repetitive activities weekly.  Reading, and writing need to be done several times a week.  I especially see the retention when he's learning new words.

  Teaching him and watching him learn warms my heart and I'm glad I can be a part of the process.  I'm glad I can build the foundation.

School with Letter B

  Another successful week completed. Another letter set to memory with learning and fun along the way.  Repetition is key and incorporating it in a variety of ways solidifies the word.  After this week he not only points out the letters he sees he will tell me the b words he learned. This is a ball and it starts with a letter b.

  B kept us busy everyday from bike rides to baseball!  We were not in a shortage of ideas to go outside.

  We did 2 miles on the bike this day.  It was not easy and he wanted to turn back which essentially at that point still would have been 2 miles.  Baseball is a work in progress.  He is a lefty so we got the bat accurate but my throw is not always precise.  He does pretty good though and we need to work desperately on throws and catches.

  He had structured computer time for the alphabet song (somehow he skip's letter j everytime), some letter games and to aid in phonics.

  We pulled out beans and did several different things with them.  He needed to find the letters A-Z in the alphabet soup.  Using a pair of tongs he pulled them out and placed them appropriately.

I am not quite concerned with him pulling them out in order or knowing them.  He doesn't know all of them but this is a good way of getting familiar with them. 

We used the same sheet to match bottle tops with the letter.

He can match the letters together.

Here I called out the object on the sheet and he spelled out the words by finding what letter the object was. Such as r was for ring.

We read some great books just like last week.  One book for although it centered around the winter season we used it to our current advantage!

Boot Weather was about a little girl who out her winter boots on and did more then what the naked eye could see. She was climbing mountains and going through tunnels with her boots and yet still close to home.

He put his boots on and checked out the depth of puddles!

Of course writing is a daily thing.  To make it not seem like work we change up from paper, to the chalkboard or whiteboard.  He writes but his favorite thing is to erase.

 A little indoor fun included bowling and block building.  This intentional play is another thing he likes to do.   Normally he may play with his sisters but, I know he really enjoys when I sit down and directly play with him.

  My craft for the week was trying my hand at making a bean bag.  Now I'm not a professional so and because I couldn't find a needle and thread and I'm not a professional I used stitch witch.

Surprisingly it held up at least that day so I'm happy with that.  I made two and they were played with for a good couple hours.

I had to fit a little food art in the week somewhere.  So my food fun was with lunch.  One day his sandwich became the letter B!

Cheers, to another good week and bring on a new week of adventure, fun and learning! 

School with Letter A

  This week started school for everyone here! My last child here is working on kindergarten grade level.  He was not real receptive last year but, this year has started out much better.  He's asking more questions, and repeating the correct answer when asked.  He's eager to learn and excited for more class.

  This week we learned the letter A.  He has had school on and off for the past couple years but each year it just starts over. So he has studied everything before but, at different levels, with different worksheets and less time.

  Each day we start with the desk.

The desk has 2 letter A titled books in addition to other items pertaining to the specific letter.

We take time outside to play and learn as well.  Writing the letter in dirt and using sticks impressed him.

Each day I subjected him to walks.  This is our PE/quiet/mommy and me/exploration time.  This go around was his second trip so I allowed the scooter. He doesn't like to walk and I want him to find peace in it.  Enjoy nature, get some fresh air and slow down and see things.  I will have you know this was day 1 and he took his father and sister on two separate trips around the block to show them all the A's! (Insert proud mommy smile here)

Some of our books gave us an excuse to get outside.

The Magic Acorn by Maggie Stern was about a special acorn. 

We went on a walk to gather our own acorns.

Our acorn hunt was successful.  This hunt gave us a hands on A experience, and a touch of science!  We checked our math by counting the acorns and touched a little science too in that we planted an acorn! 

Apple trees made out of playdoh!  Then with the help of a roll of dice we picked apples off and put them back on the tree. Hello math again!

After you spend a few days identifying it's time to write! So we practiced writing upper and lowercase a's. 

A workbook helps with more handwriting practice.  The pages are from various websites with requiring different tasks. Tracing, letter search, name writing and circling the correct numbers.

  In the past I tried to incorporate snacks into the day and I continued this year by having fun with food in some way. Applesauce was not received well but these two A's brought a smile!

Yesterday was his favorite as he had to run from number to number and complete a different task. He picked apples and had to transport them! 

My favorite was his ax and arrow tattoos! I though to myself hey its even on his arm! Ha win for me!!

Lastly our play time outside today involved air!

This was my first time with the sock bubble but, I should have made two because once my daughter saw it they couldn't switch off quick enough for the other to have a turn.

Well there's our one week of A's. I have a couple crafts I will be sharing in a separate post pertaining to the letter A.  I hope you enjoyed a peek in our day.  I haven't figured out if we will do weekly or daily letters.  We shall see as we go along but, we will actively learn and have fun everyday!

A is for angry!