Caps for Sale - Slobodkina, Esphyr
Chicken little - Rader, Laura
I Can Go Camping - Eckhart, Edana
Quick as a Cricket - Wood, Audrey
George W Bush: War on Terror - Wheeler, Jill C (edited for older content)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Martin, Bill
Berlioz the Bear - Brett, Jan
Sailor Moo:Cow at Sea - Wheeler, Lisa
Miniature Cars - Beyer, Julie
Cotton - Oxlade, Chris
Clifford the big red dog - Bridwell, Norman
Marvin K Mooney Will You PLease Go Now - Dr Suess
Arthur Meets the President - Brown, Marc
Cat in the Hat, The - Dr Suess
House is a House for Me, A - Hoberman, Mary Ann
Pond Year - Lasky, Kathyryn
Colors Everywhere - Hoban, Tana
Smile a Lot - Carlson, Nancy
Cello of Mr. O - Cutler Jane
Curious George and the Chocolate Factory - Rey HA
Prog Frince, The - Lamm C Drew
Cabin, The: The Sound of C - Klingel, Cynthia
Consideration - Raatma, Lucia
Coyote The - Mattern, Joanne
Mary Cassatt - Venezia Mike
Oddhopper Opera - Cyrus, Kurt
Going to Town: My First Little House Books - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Cars and Trucks and Things that Go - Scarry, Richard
Cars and How They Go - Cole, Joanna
Car Wash - Steen, Sandra
Marmee's Surprise: A Little Women Story - Kulling, Monica
Millions of Cats - Gag, Wanda
Frog - Cooper, Susan
Goodnight Moon - Brown, Margaret Wise
Frog and Toad All Year - Lobel, Arnold
Good Morning, Good Night - Mitchell, Melanie
Princess and Froggie, The - Zemach, Harve and Kaethe
Little Blue and Little Yellow - Lionni, Leo
Just a Mess - Mayer, Mercer
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Viorst, Judith
Rosie and Michael - Viorst, Judith
Cars and Trucks - Rissing, Karen
Just Me and My Dad - Mayer, Mercer
Angelina's Birthday - Holabird, Katherine
Frogs - Gibbons, Gail
One Frog Too Many - Mayer, Mercer and Marianna
God Made All The Colors - Lion Board Books
My Many Colored Days - Dr Suess
Frogs in Clogs - Samton, Sheila White
Cubes, Cones, Cylinders and Spheres - Hoban, Tana
Tale of a Tadpole - Wallace, Karen
Tumble Bumble - Bond, Felicia
Flappy, Waggy, Wiggly - Leslie Amanda
Dear Zoo - Campbell Rod
Ben's Dream - Allsburg, Chris Van
Archaelogists Dig For Clues - Duke Kate
Time for Bed - Fox, Mem
Three Cheers for you: Care Bears - Knight, KR
World Turns Round and Round, The - Weiss, Nicki
C is for Cornhusker: A Nebraska Alphabet - Shepherd, Rajean Luebs
Feeling Sad: Let's Talk About - Berry, Joy
Whoever You Are - Fox, Mem
Clifford the small Red Puppy - Bridwell, Norman
Guess How Much I Love You - McBratney, Sam
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? - Carle Eric
Little Mouse The Red Ripe Strawberry an The Big Hungry Bear, The - Wood Don and Audrey
On Mother's Lap - Scott, Ann Herbert
Dreamtime Fairies, The - Simmons, Jane
Blueberry Show - Dixon, Ann
Kisses - Szekeres, Cyndy
Tuesday - Wiesner, David
Library, The - Stewart Sarah
Going to Sleep on the Farm - Lewison Wendy
Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day - Curtis, Jamie Lee
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight - Yolen, Jane
If You Give a Moose a Muffin - Numeroff, Laura
Runaway Bunny, The - Brown, Mararet Wise
William's Doll - Zolotow, Charlotte
My Daddy - Paradis, Susan
Crayon Box That Talked, The - DeRolf, Shane
Bread and Jam for Frances - Hoban, Russell
Sir Frances Drake His Daring Deeds - Gerrard, Roy
Frog Alphabet, The - Pallotta, Jerry
Elbert's Bad Word - Wood, Audrey
Diana: Princess of People - Stone, Tanya Lee (has older topics of divorce, bulumia,etc)
Charlotte's Web - White, E.B (unabridged)
Counting Kisses - Katz, Karen
Kisses - Szekeres, Cyndy
Five Little LadyBugs - Gerth, Melanie
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear - Carlstrom, Nancy White
DK Touch and Feel Series (Pets, Wild Animals, Baby Animals, Cats, etc)
Baby Animals: Black and White - Tildes, Phyllis
Playing Poohsticks - Milne, AA (adapted storybook)
Tigger's Breakfast - Milne, AA (adapted)
My Many Colored Days - Dr Suess
Baby Games - Nayer, Judy
Good Morning, Good Night - Mitchell, Melanie
Carrot Seed, The - Krauss, Ruth
I am a baby - Hathon, Elizabeth
Learning Numbers - A Sparkle Book
Where Do Frogs Come From - Vern, Alex
Wish-for Dinosaur - Moncure, Jane Belk
Apples and Pumpkins - Rockwell, Anne
Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin - Serfozo, Mary
Apple Pie Tree The - Hall, Zoe
Ten Red Apples - Hutchins, Pat
Clifford to the Rescue - Bridwell, Norman
Paper Bag Princess, The - Munsch, Robert
ABC - Dr Suess
Doctor DeSoto Goes to Africa - Steig, William
David's Drawings - Falwell, Cathryn
Let's Go Froggy - London Jonathan
Farmer Duck - Waddell, Martin
One Duck - Hutchins, Hazel
May I Bring A Friend? - By De Regniers, Beatrice Schenk
The Funny Little Woman - Mosel, Arlene (retold)
How I Became a Pirate - Long, Melinda
Have You Seen My Duckling - Tafuri, Nancy
Five Little Ducks - Aruego, Jose
Quack, Daisy, Quack - Simmons, Jane
Dozen, Ducklings Lost and Found, A - Ziefert, Harriet
Zathura - Allsburg, Chris Van
Polar Express, The - Allsburg, Chris Van
Petunia - Duvoisin, Robert
Unicorn Dreams - Sheldon, Dyan
Caps for Sale - Slobodkina, Esphyr
Katy and the Big Snow - Burton, Virginia Lee
Tale of a Tadpole - Porte, Barbara Ann
Lill's Purple Plastic Purse - Henkes, Kevin
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - Barrett, Judi
Arthur's Loose Tooth - Hoban, Lillian
Arthur Meets the President - Brown, Marc
Whales and Dolphins - Ericson, Anton
Dolphins - Bokoske, Sharon
Curious George Goes Camping - Rey, HA
One Wheel Wobbles - Schaefer, Carole
Raptors - McCourt, Lisa
Just me and my dad - Mayer, Mercer
Just Going to the Dentist - Mayer, Mercer
Snappy little Dinosaurs - Steer, Dugald
Frog Alphabet, The - Pallotta, Jerry
Frog and Toad Together - Lobel, Arnold
Tuesday - Weisner, David
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Viorst, Judith
Froggy's First Kiss - London, Jonathen
Cat in the Hat Comes Back - Dr Suess
Dance - Schumaker, Ward
Arthur's Family Vacation - Brown, Marc
My Grandmother Works in a Dress Shop - Hughes, Sarah
My E Soundbox - Moncure, Jane Belk
What Daddies Do Best - Numeroff, Laura
What Mommies Do Best - Moncure, Laura
Sleeping Beauty - Treasury of Fairy Tales
Desert Trip - Steiner, Barbara
Whale of a Time, A - Trimble, Irene
Do Your Ears Hang Low? - Church, Caroline Jayne
When I Was Little - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Bread and Jam for Frances - Hoban, Russell
Edgar Degas: Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists - Venezia, Mike
Tea for Three - Zehler, Antonia
Best Dad in the Sea - Disney
Dressing Up Like Mommy - French, Susan
God Made Nightime Too - Mackall, Dandi
Jungle Book, The - Walt Disney version
Jar Jar's Mistake - Krulik, Nancy
Raggedy Ann and Rags - Gruelle, Johnny (adapted)
Rhiannon's Reads
Word Bird Makes Words with Duck - Moncure, Jane Belk
House for Mouse, A - Shook, Babs
Cabin, The: The Sound of C - Klingel, Cynthia
Joe's Toe - Bob Books
Hop on Pop - Dr Suess
Meg - Primary Phonics
Go Bus - Bob Books
Dogs: The Sound of D - Flanagan, Alice K
Day in the Life of a Doctor, A - Hayward, Linda
Sad Cat, The - Bob books
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish - Dr Suess (in progress)
Big Box, The - Clammer, Virginia
Growing Reader Phonics Bible, The - McKenzie, Joy (ongoing)
We Come and Go - Gray, William S, Dorothy Baruch and Elizabeth Montgomery (Dick and Jane series)
We Work and Play, The NewGray, William S, Marion Monroe, A Sterl Artley and May Arbuthnat (Dick and Jane series)
Berenstains B Book, The - The Berenstains
Reads in Progress:
Gulliver's Travels - Swift, Jonathen (abridged - great illustrated classics)
Anne of Green Gables - Montogemery, Lucy Maud (unabridged)
Last updates October 31, 2004
October 31, 2004
Friday Five on Sunday
1. Did you carve your pumpkin yet?
No unless this pumpkin carving counts!
2. Have you raked you leaves?
No - do I have to?
3. Are you a football fan?
Absolutely not! Thankfully I married a man who could take it or leave it. Unfortunately I moved to a state that lives by it.
4. Is there a difference between apple cider and apple juice?
Yes - certainly by taste and color. Also cider tastes so much better mulled than apple juice does. For the unbeliever, taken from ask yahoo:
"In the United States, apple cider refers to the unprocessed liquid that you get from apples. The apples are washed, cut, and ground into mash before being pressed. The resulting cider usually contains apple pulp and is dark, brown, and cloudy. The beverage is perishable and must be refrigerated. If this liquid is filtered and further processed, the resulting product is apple juice, which has a longer shelf life than cider."
5. Are you or your children going to a costume party? If so, what will you wear?
We already went to one.
Serona - jedi
Tenn - Tenniel Djo (of course)
Rhia - Princess Aurora (in an amazing gown from Disney that daddy bought when alone in Disney!)
Ciaran - jedi (homemade by dad)
Sirah - giraffe - well for about 15 minutes atleast
No unless this pumpkin carving counts!
2. Have you raked you leaves?
No - do I have to?
3. Are you a football fan?
Absolutely not! Thankfully I married a man who could take it or leave it. Unfortunately I moved to a state that lives by it.
4. Is there a difference between apple cider and apple juice?
Yes - certainly by taste and color. Also cider tastes so much better mulled than apple juice does. For the unbeliever, taken from ask yahoo:
"In the United States, apple cider refers to the unprocessed liquid that you get from apples. The apples are washed, cut, and ground into mash before being pressed. The resulting cider usually contains apple pulp and is dark, brown, and cloudy. The beverage is perishable and must be refrigerated. If this liquid is filtered and further processed, the resulting product is apple juice, which has a longer shelf life than cider."
5. Are you or your children going to a costume party? If so, what will you wear?
We already went to one.
Serona - jedi
Tenn - Tenniel Djo (of course)
Rhia - Princess Aurora (in an amazing gown from Disney that daddy bought when alone in Disney!)
Ciaran - jedi (homemade by dad)
Sirah - giraffe - well for about 15 minutes atleast
October 30, 2004
More Activism
Today Serona and I went to see the Bush rally at the Target Center in Minneapolis. This time the kids stayed with some friends from our homeschool group. It was nice but different to not have the kids with us. We were up on the stage behind the president about 12 rows back (too far for most pictures and video clips) and it was a really awesome experience to see the rally from this perspective.
It was also nice to be able to just concentrate on what the president was saying and all that was going on around me. We were surrounded by several little kids and I kept thinking about how I wanted to share this with mine again. Of course they did just attend a rally a few weeks back and probably would not have been up for another and it was nice to not have to worry about the inevitable "I have to go to the bathroom NOW and no it can not wait" that always happens at the most inconvenient of times. At first I felt guilty not having them with us but then I reminded myself they were probably having a better time at their friend's house and they were just here not too long ago.
After the rally we picked up our door knocking materials and headed out to encourage people to get to the polls on Tuesday. The kids went with us and we will do this for a few hours each day through election day, along with sign waving from the bridges. After we were done door knocking we put up some lawn signs and then headed home. Tired now and I am sure it will be a tiring weekend for us all. Be sure you vote on Tuesday!
Peace,
Tenn
It was also nice to be able to just concentrate on what the president was saying and all that was going on around me. We were surrounded by several little kids and I kept thinking about how I wanted to share this with mine again. Of course they did just attend a rally a few weeks back and probably would not have been up for another and it was nice to not have to worry about the inevitable "I have to go to the bathroom NOW and no it can not wait" that always happens at the most inconvenient of times. At first I felt guilty not having them with us but then I reminded myself they were probably having a better time at their friend's house and they were just here not too long ago.
After the rally we picked up our door knocking materials and headed out to encourage people to get to the polls on Tuesday. The kids went with us and we will do this for a few hours each day through election day, along with sign waving from the bridges. After we were done door knocking we put up some lawn signs and then headed home. Tired now and I am sure it will be a tiring weekend for us all. Be sure you vote on Tuesday!
Peace,
Tenn
October 29, 2004
Daily Round-up
Started off the morning with some Miquon math - finding all the addition combinations that add up to 7 and then to 9. Then I gave her a review sheet that I called a test (her first ever) she got them all right (though she did write her 7 backwards) - simple addition problems and I told her she could not use rods, abacus or other manipulatives.
While she worked on those Ciaran and I emptied and reviewed the items in his D sound box and on his D board. I did some letter recognition drills with him on A,B,C and D. I would ask what color letter A was and he would need to find it. I also had him bring me the matching letter from our floor mat. It was interesting he did fairly well if I asked what color a letter was but when I asked him which letter was blue he had a hard time. That was consistent - he could recognize the color of the letter but could not tell me the letter even when he knew the color it was. Not quite sure why. We also reviewed the number three. I had him group animals in 3's and count out three things to hand me. He did very good at this activity.
Sirah played quietly nearby. This morning she was enthralled with her Baby Einstein flash cards, her Neurosmith music blocks and climbing onto the train table. She also wanted to be in the middle of everything we were doing. She was fairly cooperative this morning.
Then we learned how to jump rope both individually and together. Rhiannon was able to get it after awhile but it was too hard for Ciaran. They did enjoy playing though and they enjoyed watching me jump rope to teach them. Rhiannon preferred when Ciaran and I turned the rope and she jumped in the middle - Ciaran preferred jumping by himself. Sirah just tried to stay out of the way.
Then we headed out to run some errands - we walked and rode bikes to get Rhiannon's hair salvaged - she has a cute bob now. We returned videos and got some new ones out (school house rock, wallace and gromit, and peter pan)and stopped at the grocery store to pick up some dinner for our bible study party tonight. We coupled exercise with enjoyment and getting some things done.
Home for lunch (leftover ziti) and then naps for Ciaran and Sirah. Rhiannon and I worked on school and made great time working through Phonics, Language Lesson, History, Spelling, and Poetry in about an hour. She also read a page in her Phonics Bible and worked on playing the slide whistle during her free time today.
Off to clean, make dinner and let the kids watch a video before we head out to Bible Study for the evening.
Peace,
Tenn
While she worked on those Ciaran and I emptied and reviewed the items in his D sound box and on his D board. I did some letter recognition drills with him on A,B,C and D. I would ask what color letter A was and he would need to find it. I also had him bring me the matching letter from our floor mat. It was interesting he did fairly well if I asked what color a letter was but when I asked him which letter was blue he had a hard time. That was consistent - he could recognize the color of the letter but could not tell me the letter even when he knew the color it was. Not quite sure why. We also reviewed the number three. I had him group animals in 3's and count out three things to hand me. He did very good at this activity.
Sirah played quietly nearby. This morning she was enthralled with her Baby Einstein flash cards, her Neurosmith music blocks and climbing onto the train table. She also wanted to be in the middle of everything we were doing. She was fairly cooperative this morning.
Then we learned how to jump rope both individually and together. Rhiannon was able to get it after awhile but it was too hard for Ciaran. They did enjoy playing though and they enjoyed watching me jump rope to teach them. Rhiannon preferred when Ciaran and I turned the rope and she jumped in the middle - Ciaran preferred jumping by himself. Sirah just tried to stay out of the way.
Then we headed out to run some errands - we walked and rode bikes to get Rhiannon's hair salvaged - she has a cute bob now. We returned videos and got some new ones out (school house rock, wallace and gromit, and peter pan)and stopped at the grocery store to pick up some dinner for our bible study party tonight. We coupled exercise with enjoyment and getting some things done.
Home for lunch (leftover ziti) and then naps for Ciaran and Sirah. Rhiannon and I worked on school and made great time working through Phonics, Language Lesson, History, Spelling, and Poetry in about an hour. She also read a page in her Phonics Bible and worked on playing the slide whistle during her free time today.
Off to clean, make dinner and let the kids watch a video before we head out to Bible Study for the evening.
Peace,
Tenn
Nomads Narration - SOTW Ch 1
The nomads moved around a lot. Why? Because when they finished food at one place all the animals would move around and they would track them and move there to hunt. They ate weird food like lizards and snakes. They slept outside in a tent or a cave, sometimes they just slept outside bare.
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
October 28, 2004
Custard, Frogs and Nuggles
Interesting combination? What better for my date with Ciaran. It was time for some much needed closeness and one on one time with Ciaran. Lately he has been having a hard time of it. A good friend of mine was wise enough to see this and offered to watch the girls and she brought her 6 year old daughter over this afternoon. So after they got all settled we headed out.
Ciaran chose to go to Culver's for some chocolate custard with strawberries, french fries, onion rings and root beer. Then we headed over to a local toy store where we browsed for nearly an hour - looking carefully at all the options. He of course chose frogs - he got a color match frog lily pad game and a plastic frog necklace that lights up when you open its mouth.
We chatted quite awhile and were able to talk about some things that have been bothering him recently. He was able to share that with me and we both were closer afterwards. We came home and played his frog game and gave big hugs and nuggles (our special word for snuggles). I love going on dates with the kids.
Peace,
Tenn
Ciaran chose to go to Culver's for some chocolate custard with strawberries, french fries, onion rings and root beer. Then we headed over to a local toy store where we browsed for nearly an hour - looking carefully at all the options. He of course chose frogs - he got a color match frog lily pad game and a plastic frog necklace that lights up when you open its mouth.
We chatted quite awhile and were able to talk about some things that have been bothering him recently. He was able to share that with me and we both were closer afterwards. We came home and played his frog game and gave big hugs and nuggles (our special word for snuggles). I love going on dates with the kids.
Peace,
Tenn
First Haircut
No it was not Sirah. Rhiannon decided to give herself a cut or shall I say jagged chop in a variety of places? I do not know when it was done as I simply discovered the hair in various places on the ground and then upon closer looking at her head saw the damage she had done. So tomorrow it will be off to the hair cutters in hopes that they can do something to salvage it. I am guessing it will have to be cut pretty short which is a shame as her blonde hair is very beautiful. I kept my cool but I must admit to being both frustrated and sad. I have no idea how she is going to feel after they cut it more. I asked why and she said she wanted short hair like mine. _Sigh_
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
October 27, 2004
Rhainnon Narration
Tiny the Snow Dog - Carl Meister
A little tiny dog named Tiny. He was a great big dog, almost as big as Clifford. The page said he was little but he looked big to me. They decided to go sledding one day when it was snowing. Tiny got lost. Where's Tiny? Tiny are you in the trash can? She looked over the hills, over the mountains in the barn. In the trash can. No Tiny.
Oh it's a snow monster. Henry the little boy was so scared he cried "Oh a snow monster" It's only my dog the boy said. He said "Come in Tiny, it's time to go home."
Good snow dog.
The End
PS Lewis
A little tiny dog named Tiny. He was a great big dog, almost as big as Clifford. The page said he was little but he looked big to me. They decided to go sledding one day when it was snowing. Tiny got lost. Where's Tiny? Tiny are you in the trash can? She looked over the hills, over the mountains in the barn. In the trash can. No Tiny.
Oh it's a snow monster. Henry the little boy was so scared he cried "Oh a snow monster" It's only my dog the boy said. He said "Come in Tiny, it's time to go home."
Good snow dog.
The End
PS Lewis
Five Things I Want My Kids To Remember About Me
1. That I loved the Lord and chose his ways for my life.
2. That I loved their father completely.
3. That I loved each of them fully.
4. That I tried my best to learn the truth and then live consistently by it
5. That I loved and was kind to all those around me even those I did not like.
That is the legacy I want to leave behind. How about you? Leave a comment with a link to your post or post your thoughts in the comments section.
Peace,
Tenn
2. That I loved their father completely.
3. That I loved each of them fully.
4. That I tried my best to learn the truth and then live consistently by it
5. That I loved and was kind to all those around me even those I did not like.
That is the legacy I want to leave behind. How about you? Leave a comment with a link to your post or post your thoughts in the comments section.
Peace,
Tenn
Homeschooling Blogs of Note
Someday I will get around to updating my sidebar especially my fellow bloggers section needs a revamp - sorry I simply have not had time. But I did want to draw some attention to some of the regulars I read and some new blogs I have started reading and taking notice of (in no particular order) also please forgive me if I don't mention you here - it is nearly 1am and I am just going off the top of my head! Drop me a comment or email and I will add you.
Classic Adventures - Hi Dy!
Today's Lessons
Number 2 Pencil
Poppins Classical Academy
Marsupial Mom Welcome Back Missy!
Tulip Girl
Routon Homeschool
Never Never Land
Rivers Edge Urban Academy - Hi Katy!
Our Homeschool - Hi Anne!
Prattling Pastors Wife
Happy Homeschooler
Sanity Overrated
Kolbi
Modern Mother
Yet Another Homeschool Blog - Darby
Me and the Boys
Carol's Storybook
Born Again Mommy
Organic Learning
Learning Through Life
Life in Washington
Quiet Life
Why didn't I just update my sidebar in the time that took? Well I suppose I have it halfway done now? Happy reading and thanks for blogging! Many of you are the inspiration that keeps me going and gives me fresh ideas when mine run stale.
Peace,
Tenn
Classic Adventures - Hi Dy!
Today's Lessons
Number 2 Pencil
Poppins Classical Academy
Marsupial Mom Welcome Back Missy!
Tulip Girl
Routon Homeschool
Never Never Land
Rivers Edge Urban Academy - Hi Katy!
Our Homeschool - Hi Anne!
Prattling Pastors Wife
Happy Homeschooler
Sanity Overrated
Kolbi
Modern Mother
Yet Another Homeschool Blog - Darby
Me and the Boys
Carol's Storybook
Born Again Mommy
Organic Learning
Learning Through Life
Life in Washington
Quiet Life
Why didn't I just update my sidebar in the time that took? Well I suppose I have it halfway done now? Happy reading and thanks for blogging! Many of you are the inspiration that keeps me going and gives me fresh ideas when mine run stale.
Peace,
Tenn
Gmail and Homeschooling - aka Love Letter to Gmail
Okay so I am not prone to advertising but here is one I simply can not resist - gmail is great! I was hesitant in the beginning but I have become a true believer and I am almost ready to commit to one email address - besides my usual spam filters (these are the addresses I use for anything online especially shopping) for those who have scratched out over 25+ email addresses for me in the past 12 years you will be happy! To be fair I have lived at over 14 different addresses during that same time period and in 6 states! But I digress. Back to the wonders of gmail.
Here is a copy of the letter I just wrote to them thanking them and praising them for their service.
Here is a copy of the letter I just wrote to them thanking them and praising them for their service.
As a homeschooling mom gmail has helped me organize my curriculum, weblinks, listservs,lesson plans, reading schedule, even my blog and just about everything in my life. It works so seamlessly with google and having all that storage allows me to keep everything in one place that I can access from anywhere with an internet connection - even when I am not on my own computer.
Keeping the emails in conversation threads has made it easier for me to keep my daily, weekly and monthly activities more in order.. It also helps me see if I have answered a particular email and the stars let me know what I still need to do. Filters keep my inbox clean and organized. The type ahead contacts makes my life easier and saves me time. I find myself doing as much as I can through email because it is so easy to keep track of and have everything all together in one place.
Now I can finally send those video clips to the grandparents - they have gmail accounts now too - as do the kids - reaching 3 generations already! They can show off pictures and videos of their grandkids to all their friends anywhere they can connect.
You truly are providing an outstanding service. Keep up the great work!
I would not say it if I did not believe it. They really have made my life easier and my homeschooling more simple or atleast more organized. For those not familiar with gmail yet - it is the free web based email service being beta tested by google right now. Bloggers and others invited by invitation only have been using it for a few months now. They offer each account 1000 free MB of storage! Yes you read me right. In addition to that very wonderful advantage instead of folders you use a labeling system and each mail can have more than one label or category. So when I get that awesome link that fits into math, science, unit studies and holidays I can label it all those things. Then I can find it again quickly - either by using the built in google search engine that scans my email or pulling up any one of those labels.
Your emails are also kept in "conversation threads" rather than individual emails. For instance my bible study email correspondence is up to 15 responses in one conversation - I can easily see all the responses and it is kept together and easy to see if I have replied and what I said as it automatically includes anything I send.
Okay I think you get the idea now. The good news? I have a few more free accounts to give away if you want one. I do not profit from this in any way - but you sure will. Let me know if you are interested - leave a comment or email. I will send them to the first bunch that respond - but I often get more so feel free to let me know and I will get to you as I receive more.
Peace,
Tenn
Family Bed OverRun
I can not fit in my bed tonight! Atleast not without moving a child or two. While I am a strong supporter of the family bed I will admit from time to time it does bring around some strange moments. In the 5+ years we have been consecutively sharing our bed with atleast one child we have seen some interesting things.
Like right now Rhia and Ciaran are taking up so much room in my bed that I put Sirah to sleep in Ciaran's bed and I am currently on the couch - deciding whether I want to shuffle them all back to bed, try to push my way into find some room and all pile in together or go curl up with Sirah in Ciaran's bunk bed?
What interesting decisions we parents need to make from time to time. Yet I truly appreciate the closeness we experience as a family as a result of our parenting philosophy.
Peace,
Tenn
Like right now Rhia and Ciaran are taking up so much room in my bed that I put Sirah to sleep in Ciaran's bed and I am currently on the couch - deciding whether I want to shuffle them all back to bed, try to push my way into find some room and all pile in together or go curl up with Sirah in Ciaran's bunk bed?
What interesting decisions we parents need to make from time to time. Yet I truly appreciate the closeness we experience as a family as a result of our parenting philosophy.
Peace,
Tenn
Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight
We will be treated to a Total Lunar Eclipse tonight into tommorrow morning. Check it out!
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
October 26, 2004
Monopoly Math
Rhiannon and I played Jr Monopoly (princess version) for math lesson today. She loved it and of course I did not call it math while we played (Ciaran and Sirah were sleeping if you are wondering) when we were done I just told her she had completed her math for the day as we had worked on money, addition, subtraction, counting and a few other skills. She was very excited to hear that. She read two pages from Phonics Pathways and one page from her Growing Reader Phonics Bible.
As a reward we made her a word wand. Very simple and she loves it. We took a popsicle stick and wrapped double sided tape around the top - two pieces wide down from the top of the stick. Then we cut out a piece of colored paper (she picked blue) and cut it to fit from the bottom of the tape to the top of the stick when folded over so it covered the tape. Then I added two more pieces of double sided tape to the inside flaps of the folded over paper. Now she has a word wand (to underline individual words as she reads them or cover up the ends of longer words as she sounds them out) that doubles nicely as a bookmark. She was so excited and it was easy and cheap!
We covered science and social studies work at coop today and for music she made a brief videoclip of herself singing "I love you Forever" from the Robert Munsch book which she sent via email to Serona at work and another clip along with Ciaran of "Happy Birthday" which headed off to Grandpa for his day!
Peace,
Tenn
As a reward we made her a word wand. Very simple and she loves it. We took a popsicle stick and wrapped double sided tape around the top - two pieces wide down from the top of the stick. Then we cut out a piece of colored paper (she picked blue) and cut it to fit from the bottom of the tape to the top of the stick when folded over so it covered the tape. Then I added two more pieces of double sided tape to the inside flaps of the folded over paper. Now she has a word wand (to underline individual words as she reads them or cover up the ends of longer words as she sounds them out) that doubles nicely as a bookmark. She was so excited and it was easy and cheap!
We covered science and social studies work at coop today and for music she made a brief videoclip of herself singing "I love you Forever" from the Robert Munsch book which she sent via email to Serona at work and another clip along with Ciaran of "Happy Birthday" which headed off to Grandpa for his day!
Peace,
Tenn
Israel Coop Week Three
Today was our last week of Israel. It was my week to teach with another mom. We started with an attempt to explain the political structure and process of Israel to the kids - it is tough to simplify this process for them but I tried. They had stickers outlining the major balances of power and we talked about how they were elected. Then we did a little exercise to try to show a very simplified version of parliamentary democracy creating government. We split the kids into three groups (yellow, red, and blue) then they had to try to get their color to be the head of the government - they quickly realized they were not going to get their color alone so we talked about how they could get their color to be part of a government by joining forces with another group to get a majority (thus forming either orange, green or purple). In case you are wondering green won the first time by a slim margin and then we talked about vote of no confidence and how they would have to retry to form an acceptable government. We decided not to do the exercise again and I tried to use a simple review showing the colors to show how the balance of power works. It was tough to explain it to 5-11 year olds - never mind the 3 year olds! Then we took a well needed snack break.
After snack my partner did a great presentation on the animals of Israel. She had printed out color stickers (which she so wonderfully took the time to peel and stick on wax paper - way easier than peeling each individual sticker with the kids!) of a bunch of animals. As many of these were unfamiliar to the kids - she read a description of the animal and its habits and asked them to guess. They guessed or knew many of them right away and they seemed to enjoy learning this.
Then we finished up by talking about life on a kibbutz. I began by explaining a little about how a kibbutz community works and how people work together to create a common pool which they all draw from to meet the needs of each individual. We talked about what their lives might be like on a kibbutz as children and then told them they would get to be adults on the kibbutz. We divided them up into three groups (the same groups we used for the government experiment) - each group had one child that was between 8-10, one 5 or 6 year old and one 3 or 4 year old. Each group had a responsibility to do. Ciaran's group was on cleanup, Rhiannon's group had to make the craft project the kibbutz would sell (in our case a coloring book of various people of Israel - Palestinians, Jewish, Bedouin, etc), and the final group made lunch for the group (bagels with cream cheese or hummus).
Some kids did not get to do what they wanted, some had harder or longer jobs than others and I think it illustrated the point well. Even Ciaran got something out of it - though sad to say it was mostly unhappiness. He got to experience the "But I don't want to do that (clean) I want to cook!" Which sadly devolved into a temper tantrum and he did not fufill his job much - though he did eventually come around to help clean when the vacuum came out - he really likes vacuuming for some reason. Rhiannon at first was very excited to get her job - she was making a craft project using scissors, three hole punch and yarn. Though soon she realized that her team's job was more time consuming - plus they were down a person as one of their teammates (predetermined before class) was not there today. Myself and another mother helped them finish and they were last to eat and several were almost done by the time they were starting. We finished with some discussion while they ate lunch about our kibbutz lesson. I asked some of the following questions and let as many kids answer as wanted to (almost everyone answered nearly every question) and I tried to make sure we found varying opinions.
-Did you like/dislike your job? They were nearly evenly split here - more liked it
-Did you think it was fair? Many did not, those who did mostly did because they liked their job, those who thought it was unfair either did not like their job or felt their job was harder/longer, etc?
-Why was your job important? They gave some nice answers here and got to the point about how their job helped all the members of the group. One girl pointed out that her job (lunch) was important so people did not die as they needed to eat!
-What are the advantages of living on a kibbutz? They did a nice job coming up with helping one another, working together and sharing responsibility.
-What are the disadvantages of living on a kibbutz? They were even better at listing these which centered mostly around not being able to do what you wanted and unfairness.
- Would you like to live on a kibbutz? I think nearly everyone of them said no. There was one who at first said yes - she really liked her job but I think in the end she said no.
This was a great kibbutz lesson plan for young children and I think it really helped drive home the lesson in a way they could understand and have fun with. It was also highly productive as they cleaned the room (instead of moms), they put together the craft for the group (instead of me) and they made lunch (instead of moms) it showed them how they can take responsibility for the group themselves and help the group no matter how young they are by each taking a small task and doing it well they were able to accomplish a lot.
It also gave the moms the idea that the kids can help with cleanup and we will be putting them on a cleanup rotation along with the moms!
Peace,
Tenn
After snack my partner did a great presentation on the animals of Israel. She had printed out color stickers (which she so wonderfully took the time to peel and stick on wax paper - way easier than peeling each individual sticker with the kids!) of a bunch of animals. As many of these were unfamiliar to the kids - she read a description of the animal and its habits and asked them to guess. They guessed or knew many of them right away and they seemed to enjoy learning this.
Then we finished up by talking about life on a kibbutz. I began by explaining a little about how a kibbutz community works and how people work together to create a common pool which they all draw from to meet the needs of each individual. We talked about what their lives might be like on a kibbutz as children and then told them they would get to be adults on the kibbutz. We divided them up into three groups (the same groups we used for the government experiment) - each group had one child that was between 8-10, one 5 or 6 year old and one 3 or 4 year old. Each group had a responsibility to do. Ciaran's group was on cleanup, Rhiannon's group had to make the craft project the kibbutz would sell (in our case a coloring book of various people of Israel - Palestinians, Jewish, Bedouin, etc), and the final group made lunch for the group (bagels with cream cheese or hummus).
Some kids did not get to do what they wanted, some had harder or longer jobs than others and I think it illustrated the point well. Even Ciaran got something out of it - though sad to say it was mostly unhappiness. He got to experience the "But I don't want to do that (clean) I want to cook!" Which sadly devolved into a temper tantrum and he did not fufill his job much - though he did eventually come around to help clean when the vacuum came out - he really likes vacuuming for some reason. Rhiannon at first was very excited to get her job - she was making a craft project using scissors, three hole punch and yarn. Though soon she realized that her team's job was more time consuming - plus they were down a person as one of their teammates (predetermined before class) was not there today. Myself and another mother helped them finish and they were last to eat and several were almost done by the time they were starting. We finished with some discussion while they ate lunch about our kibbutz lesson. I asked some of the following questions and let as many kids answer as wanted to (almost everyone answered nearly every question) and I tried to make sure we found varying opinions.
-Did you like/dislike your job? They were nearly evenly split here - more liked it
-Did you think it was fair? Many did not, those who did mostly did because they liked their job, those who thought it was unfair either did not like their job or felt their job was harder/longer, etc?
-Why was your job important? They gave some nice answers here and got to the point about how their job helped all the members of the group. One girl pointed out that her job (lunch) was important so people did not die as they needed to eat!
-What are the advantages of living on a kibbutz? They did a nice job coming up with helping one another, working together and sharing responsibility.
-What are the disadvantages of living on a kibbutz? They were even better at listing these which centered mostly around not being able to do what you wanted and unfairness.
- Would you like to live on a kibbutz? I think nearly everyone of them said no. There was one who at first said yes - she really liked her job but I think in the end she said no.
This was a great kibbutz lesson plan for young children and I think it really helped drive home the lesson in a way they could understand and have fun with. It was also highly productive as they cleaned the room (instead of moms), they put together the craft for the group (instead of me) and they made lunch (instead of moms) it showed them how they can take responsibility for the group themselves and help the group no matter how young they are by each taking a small task and doing it well they were able to accomplish a lot.
It also gave the moms the idea that the kids can help with cleanup and we will be putting them on a cleanup rotation along with the moms!
Peace,
Tenn
October 25, 2004
Rhiannon's Thank You Letter
Today for school Rhiannon asked to write a letter to President Bush. I did not ask her or encourage her to but that is what she wanted to do for copywork. In addition to being her copywork for the day she gets some points towards her Homeschoolers for Bush unit study. Here is the letter she wrote out - she dictated it to me and I wrote it word for word and then she copied it on her handwriting paper with manuscript letters. Here is the text of the letter she wrote:
Dear President Bush,
Thank you for all the hard work you've done. When I grow up I will try to be president someday. I am 5 years old now but I hope to grow fast. When I'm 10 I'm going to practice. I've got great ideas to make America great. I think you are the greatest president of all. I campaigned for you. You gave a great speech when you came to my state. I hope you are president for 4 more years.
Love, Rhiannon
We addressed the letter and will mail it tommorrow. She was happy with her work and while she was writing it she said to me "Mom, there is no half-stepping when I am writing to the president, right? I will do my best." She really did a nice job considering how long it was for her to write - it took her 5 pages of her lined paper!
Dear President Bush,
Thank you for all the hard work you've done. When I grow up I will try to be president someday. I am 5 years old now but I hope to grow fast. When I'm 10 I'm going to practice. I've got great ideas to make America great. I think you are the greatest president of all. I campaigned for you. You gave a great speech when you came to my state. I hope you are president for 4 more years.
Love, Rhiannon
We addressed the letter and will mail it tommorrow. She was happy with her work and while she was writing it she said to me "Mom, there is no half-stepping when I am writing to the president, right? I will do my best." She really did a nice job considering how long it was for her to write - it took her 5 pages of her lined paper!
Slowly Recovering
Long weekend here, the kids are on the upswing now and we try to find the rhythm to our days again. The morning was spent easing in the transition back to school. Each time we started something there was backlash even from their favorite activities - so we tried a different approach - a morning of free time. They watched Toy Story, played out in the yard and spent quite awhile with play dough. Ciaran stamped out his name and Rhia made a dozen different items. Sirah is on the end of her sickness and needing to be held all the time. Then it was lunch and now quiet time, except of course that Sirah is not cooperating at all!
Hope your family is all healthy and doing well.
Peace,
Tenn
Hope your family is all healthy and doing well.
Peace,
Tenn
October 22, 2004
Tucking In
We are tucking in for the day. Kids have the flu I think. Ciaran woke up in the middle of the night with a 103 fever, headache and vomiting. Rhiannon followed a few hours later. I finally got to bed after 4am when I woke Serona up to take the morning shift. It was a very tiring and hard night for everyone.
Today is movie watching and reading books, they are not even feeling well enough to play board games. This fever is really knocking them out - they are so lethargic and don't want to move or do anything. After watching about 2 hours of TV Rhiannon and Ciaran both wanted it turned off and Rhia said "Remember mom too much TV is not good for our brains" We moved into the library to read some books where they both promptly fell asleep sitting up! It was so sad.
Well I don't expect we will be doing much over the next few days - though our reading list may increase! I think chapter books and favorite storybooks are in order though instead of our typical library fare.
Peace,
Tenn
Today is movie watching and reading books, they are not even feeling well enough to play board games. This fever is really knocking them out - they are so lethargic and don't want to move or do anything. After watching about 2 hours of TV Rhiannon and Ciaran both wanted it turned off and Rhia said "Remember mom too much TV is not good for our brains" We moved into the library to read some books where they both promptly fell asleep sitting up! It was so sad.
Well I don't expect we will be doing much over the next few days - though our reading list may increase! I think chapter books and favorite storybooks are in order though instead of our typical library fare.
Peace,
Tenn
October 21, 2004
Date Night
Rhiannon and I had a date night tonight and it was a lot of fun. She really is a wonderful little girl and it was refreshing to just spend some one on one time with her. We started at a doctor's appointment - while we waited she read to me from "One Fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish" by Dr Suess while I worked on a blanket for one of her friends. When we left there we headed over to dinner at Panera Bread. I had a soup bowl and she had grilled cheese and we both had soda - she was so excited!
Then she could choose whatever she wanted. She asked to go to the mall! I felt like she was too young for this. Those of you who know me know I am not a shopper or a mall person - but it was her date. So off to the mall we went. Rhiannon was amazingly considerate when I would ask where to go next she would say you need to make some choices too mom - it's not just about me - it is about us. I thought that was very thoughtful of her.
We walked in and out of little girl stores, looking at dresses, sparkly things and jewelry. We visited the hermit crab booth and she really wanted to take another one home but I stood my ground. We walked around hand in hand and had a lot of fun. She got the giggles something fierce and we skipped, twirled around in the mall and just had a good time. We walked around and around in revolving doors and went on escalators and elevators whenever we could. We were able to talk about a variety of things and just have some special time together.
We ate "Cold Stone Creamery" ice cream - yummy. She had strawberry ice cream with marshmalows, oreos and strawberries. I had vanilla cake ice cream with strawberries and graham cracker pie crust. We sat outside on the curb to eat it - it was a nice yet crisp evening. We went to the bookstore and read some books together. "It's Hard Being Five" by Jamie Lee Curtis and "We Love Ballet" by Jane Feldman. We picked up some tights and skirts for her that were on clearance and she got some princess rings.
I kept her out way too late as it was after 10:30 by the time we got home - but it was so worthwhile and a very important bonding time for the two of us. I highly recommend taking each of your kids out on "dates" from time to time. We try to - each of us with each of the kids and I think it really helps strengthen the relationships and helps you see the unique and special qualities of each of your children.
Peace,
Tenn
Then she could choose whatever she wanted. She asked to go to the mall! I felt like she was too young for this. Those of you who know me know I am not a shopper or a mall person - but it was her date. So off to the mall we went. Rhiannon was amazingly considerate when I would ask where to go next she would say you need to make some choices too mom - it's not just about me - it is about us. I thought that was very thoughtful of her.
We walked in and out of little girl stores, looking at dresses, sparkly things and jewelry. We visited the hermit crab booth and she really wanted to take another one home but I stood my ground. We walked around hand in hand and had a lot of fun. She got the giggles something fierce and we skipped, twirled around in the mall and just had a good time. We walked around and around in revolving doors and went on escalators and elevators whenever we could. We were able to talk about a variety of things and just have some special time together.
We ate "Cold Stone Creamery" ice cream - yummy. She had strawberry ice cream with marshmalows, oreos and strawberries. I had vanilla cake ice cream with strawberries and graham cracker pie crust. We sat outside on the curb to eat it - it was a nice yet crisp evening. We went to the bookstore and read some books together. "It's Hard Being Five" by Jamie Lee Curtis and "We Love Ballet" by Jane Feldman. We picked up some tights and skirts for her that were on clearance and she got some princess rings.
I kept her out way too late as it was after 10:30 by the time we got home - but it was so worthwhile and a very important bonding time for the two of us. I highly recommend taking each of your kids out on "dates" from time to time. We try to - each of us with each of the kids and I think it really helps strengthen the relationships and helps you see the unique and special qualities of each of your children.
Peace,
Tenn
Circle of Friends
I am blessed with wonderful friends. Serona has been travelling often over the past few weeks and it was really beginning to wear on me. Two of my friends came over today with their kids and spent the day at my house with my kids so I could go out and have some time ALONE. While I did not do anything extravegant: ran errands, browsed a bookstore and had a cup of coffee - it was very NICE to have some time alone.
My kids were completely comfortable and in excellent hands. To them these women are extended family. Sirah has gotten together with them once or twice a week since she was born and the kids and mothers all get along well. These are our camping buddies, our field trip buddies, our cooperative buddies and our friends. We are so blessed to be in each others lives. I am very thankful for them and the way we support one another as friends. I am blessed with several other wonderful women in my life. Say thank you to a good friend in yours today.
Peace,
Tenn
My kids were completely comfortable and in excellent hands. To them these women are extended family. Sirah has gotten together with them once or twice a week since she was born and the kids and mothers all get along well. These are our camping buddies, our field trip buddies, our cooperative buddies and our friends. We are so blessed to be in each others lives. I am very thankful for them and the way we support one another as friends. I am blessed with several other wonderful women in my life. Say thank you to a good friend in yours today.
Peace,
Tenn
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