Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Art at Home
I can't take credit for this one..on the advice of a fellow homeschooler I rented from our library an art book entitled "Discovering Great Artist" by Mary Ann F. Kohl and Kim Solga. We started the first lesson today and I have already fallen in love with this book.
The first lesson is on the painter Giotto (1266-1337). He made his own paint from a mixture of dried berries, clay or mineral, egg and water. After a brief description of his life and work, there is an art project based on his style of painting. The girls and I grounded chalk into a fine powder then added yoke and water stirring until we made a smooth vivid paint. The girls loved this project and even my littlest one got in on the act!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
More on National Park Trunk
I forgot to include a link to the National Park Service trunk program in my last post. Here it is
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/forteachers/travelingtrunks.htm
Other trunk titles include "The Cowboys", "Dred Scott", "Classroom Pioneers", and "Gold Miners". This is just the short list. The full list is available at the website listed above.
I also wanted mention that there is a teacher's guide available for the Little House series which includes classroom activities per chapter of each book. I found the guide at my local library.
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/forteachers/travelingtrunks.htm
Other trunk titles include "The Cowboys", "Dred Scott", "Classroom Pioneers", and "Gold Miners". This is just the short list. The full list is available at the website listed above.
I also wanted mention that there is a teacher's guide available for the Little House series which includes classroom activities per chapter of each book. I found the guide at my local library.
National Park Service Trunk
Sorry it has been a while since I have posted...computer problems.
We began reading the "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingells Wilder. At first my girls were none too pleased to sit and listen to me read about life in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin, but by the middle of the book they were hanging on every word. The second book in the series finds the Ingells family on the prairies of Kansas where they encounter the Plains Indians. The author's birthday was February 8th so in honor of her birthday I ordered a trunk for the National Park Service.
The trunk had to be ordered a month in advance at a cost of $35 which included shipping. When the trunk first arrived we quickly opened every package. My oldest opened one package only to have two buffalo chips fall into her hands. She was not happy. Her sisters and I laughed.
The trunk which is actually a large tool box comes with a teacher's guide, reproduction Indian artifacts, a CD, several books, period photograph, and information on the National Park Service. The teacher's guide is written as a fictional letter from Chief Red Cloud to the students. In the letter Chief Red Cloud tells the students about life as a Plains Indian before they were forced to move to a reservation. His letter describes the artifacts found in the trunk. Each section of the letter is followed by a classroom activity. The first activity has the students locate the states in which the Plains Indians lived. Other activities consist of just a question for the students to answer. There are seventeen classroom activities in all.
Now that I have described the trunk and its contents to you, let me give you my opinion of the trunk.
Pros:
The teacher's guide is easy to use and written in such a manner as to engage the students. The girls really enjoyed exploring the artifacts in the trunk. I believe that they did learn more about the Plains Indians from the information in the teacher's guide and the items in the trunk.
Cons:
A letter to the teacher from the National Park Service that accompanied the trunk states that the trunk is "designed so you may pick and choose those things which will benefit your students." I found this to be a problem. As a homeschool mom I wanted the girls to explore it all not just pick and choose. Unfortunately, the trunk which arrived on the 8th of February has to be returned by the 22nd of February. There is simply not enough time to complete all the activities or explore all the artifacts.
At thirty-five dollars the trunk is a bit pricey for the homeschool environment. It would be perfect for a co-op environment. What I am saying is that it is easier to justify spending thirty-five dollars on the trunk when more than three children will receive the benefits of the trunk.
Finally and I am being picking the medicine wheel in the trunk has the colors displayed incorrectly.
Will I rent another trunk from the Park Service? Yes, I will but only on a special occasion like to commemorate an author's birthday.
Below are pictures of the trunks contents.
We began reading the "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingells Wilder. At first my girls were none too pleased to sit and listen to me read about life in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin, but by the middle of the book they were hanging on every word. The second book in the series finds the Ingells family on the prairies of Kansas where they encounter the Plains Indians. The author's birthday was February 8th so in honor of her birthday I ordered a trunk for the National Park Service.
The trunk had to be ordered a month in advance at a cost of $35 which included shipping. When the trunk first arrived we quickly opened every package. My oldest opened one package only to have two buffalo chips fall into her hands. She was not happy. Her sisters and I laughed.
The trunk which is actually a large tool box comes with a teacher's guide, reproduction Indian artifacts, a CD, several books, period photograph, and information on the National Park Service. The teacher's guide is written as a fictional letter from Chief Red Cloud to the students. In the letter Chief Red Cloud tells the students about life as a Plains Indian before they were forced to move to a reservation. His letter describes the artifacts found in the trunk. Each section of the letter is followed by a classroom activity. The first activity has the students locate the states in which the Plains Indians lived. Other activities consist of just a question for the students to answer. There are seventeen classroom activities in all.
Now that I have described the trunk and its contents to you, let me give you my opinion of the trunk.
Pros:
The teacher's guide is easy to use and written in such a manner as to engage the students. The girls really enjoyed exploring the artifacts in the trunk. I believe that they did learn more about the Plains Indians from the information in the teacher's guide and the items in the trunk.
Cons:
A letter to the teacher from the National Park Service that accompanied the trunk states that the trunk is "designed so you may pick and choose those things which will benefit your students." I found this to be a problem. As a homeschool mom I wanted the girls to explore it all not just pick and choose. Unfortunately, the trunk which arrived on the 8th of February has to be returned by the 22nd of February. There is simply not enough time to complete all the activities or explore all the artifacts.
At thirty-five dollars the trunk is a bit pricey for the homeschool environment. It would be perfect for a co-op environment. What I am saying is that it is easier to justify spending thirty-five dollars on the trunk when more than three children will receive the benefits of the trunk.
Finally and I am being picking the medicine wheel in the trunk has the colors displayed incorrectly.
Will I rent another trunk from the Park Service? Yes, I will but only on a special occasion like to commemorate an author's birthday.
Below are pictures of the trunks contents.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Pre-school for free
When my oldest was younger I stumbled on to a site called dltk-kids ( http://www.dltk-kids.com/ltk-kids ). I have used the site off and on ever since. The site is geared toward pre-school, but it also includes a few activities for older children. The site offers alphabet printable that kids can color or paint in addition to craft activities that correspond to that the letter. It also offers social studies crafts and activities such as nutrition and community themes (under the miscellaneous tab). There are worksheets for numbers, holidays and special calendar events (National Pie Day, January 23rd). As an added bonus, there are even Bible printable sheets. All this is offered to you for FREE!
Since my youngest is in preschool I have been frequenting the site quiet often. Here are some of the items we have made over the last couple of weeks.
Since my youngest is in preschool I have been frequenting the site quiet often. Here are some of the items we have made over the last couple of weeks.
(date on my camera is off)
Another site that I use for pre-school is called starfall.com. The site is not printable like dltk. It is an interactive site that teaches the names and sounds of letters to preschoolers. This is very helpful for those of us with a bit of a southern twang as it teaches the proper pronunciations of the letters. The site progresses as they master the sounds teaching them to read and eventually allowing them to read on their own.
Make sure to make both these sites your favorites as I am sure you could use these sites for Kindergarten as well.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Igloos Anyone?
Besides a trip to the library on Tuesday the two older girls take a class at Leftovers Etc (www.leftoversetc.com). Leftovers is a recycling center of sorts. They take donations of recycled items, sort them and then stock the shelf with them. Homeschool teachers, scout leaders and teachers are able to shop for items needed to complete school projects. Besides having walls full of milk cartons and coffee cans, Leftovers offers homeschool enrichment classes.
This weeks class was on Igloos. The girls learned about a family that makes a igloo every year sleeping in the igloos once complete (Not my cup of tea as I prefer the warm weather, like Florida). They also learned the steps necessary to make their own igloo if they chose (www.igloobuilding.org). Did you know that the entrance on a traditional igloo is "L" shaped so that if the wind and snow blows in it stops at the short end of the "L" never making into the igloo itself? The things we learn when we homeschool. Finally, they built an igloo out of cotton balls using plastic containers as the base.
This lesson could be easily duplicated at home. I would think that even my youngest (3yrs) would enjoy making an igloo out of cotton balls.
This lesson could be easily duplicated at home. I would think that even my youngest (3yrs) would enjoy making an igloo out of cotton balls.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Resources
Every Tuesday we go to our local library. One one such trip I found a handout printed by St. Charles City-County Library District that list resources available to library members. The handout included kid friendly search engines on science and history, but the one that catch my eye was a resource for standardized testing. The resource is called Learning Express. First, you need to go to www.youranswerplace.org. This is the library system website. Type Learning Express in the search box. Click on the link that appears. You will need to create an account, but once created you will have access to the tests available. The test are listed under the elementary tab. Included in the math category is 4th grade math practice, 4th grade math diagnostic test, CAL 4th grade math, FCAT 5th grade math (Florida's standardized test), and Texas 4th grade math test. The is also several reading skill improvement test available under the elementary tab. In addition to elementary tab, there is a middle school and high school tab. I have not investigate those tabs. If you do, please submit a comment.
So, are you saying, that's great but I am not a St. Charles County resident. I can't get access to the St Charles City-County website. Good news! The St. Charles County Library system has a co-operative with St. Louis County Library system. So, even though you are not a resident of St. Charles County you can still obtain a St. Charles County library card. By the way, this works both ways. If you are a St. Charles County resident you can still receive a St. Louis County library card. You can check the near locations to you a www.youranswerplace.org
So, are you saying, that's great but I am not a St. Charles County resident. I can't get access to the St Charles City-County website. Good news! The St. Charles County Library system has a co-operative with St. Louis County Library system. So, even though you are not a resident of St. Charles County you can still obtain a St. Charles County library card. By the way, this works both ways. If you are a St. Charles County resident you can still receive a St. Louis County library card. You can check the near locations to you a www.youranswerplace.org
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
We start back to our home school routine on Monday. I have to say I have enjoyed the little break from the routine. As we start back, I am starting somethine new-a blog. The hope is to capture and share our home schooling experiences with family and friends and maybe even inspire a few others along the way.
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