{Fun}day Fridays

So you've read we've been changing things up, and we did. And it was fabulous!! I think I am really going to love doing this each week. It makes Fridays so much more fun, relaxed and educational as well! (Gotta stick that in there right!?)

Our First Unit was on the Arctic/Antarctic Regions~ learning about the animals and the Inuit People who live in these regions! I'll include some fun links and activities I found for this week.

Videos:: (my kids love the addition of videos in our learning)
Nat Geo has great links, photos and activities. This one was short and great for some basic info:  

Answers in Genesis has one of the Ice Age which talks a little about how the Ice got there (from a creationist view point: 

What to know How to Build an Igloo??? This 10 minute video shows you.....seriously I never knew.....

Fun Links:: (photos, games, slide shows)

Critter Cam Arctic Game 

Explore this Website for Great info on the Tundra and other regions! 

Photo Slide show with info about How Arctic Animals Camouflage themselves!  

FREE Powerpoint presentations on the Inuit Tribes plus this site has all sorts of activities and links! 

Hands On Activities:: (this makes every lesson more fun!)

• Making a sugar igloo

• Make your own Inuksuk
• Polar Bear Painting: Blue Construction paper, Bear shape, cotton balls, white paint.

Resources and Activities::

FREE Lesson Plans! Look around this site and download all sorts of free activities and games!

Kidssoup This is a really great resource and SO affordable at $2.15 a month. I use it all the time! There are Activities, Games (printable file folder), Activites AND Resources for Bulletin Boards, felt stories etc. New units are added every month!

SeaWorld FREE downloadable lesson

ABCteach tons of freebies, you can become a member, but I just use what is free!

Worksheets included in their Unit Folders:

• Sonlight curriculum
• Map of the Arctic Tundra (color and lable)
• Color the Igloo
• “My Book about the Inuit People”
• Polar Bear Crossword puzzle (Jonah)
• AA writing practice (Ellie)

• AA Coloring page
• Arctic Report, KWL Chart (Jonah)

 So How did it go???

Well it didn't run perfectly of course. But it was great. We had a nice relaxed paced day, watched videos, read books, learned a LOT.....and the best part is their unit activities can be worked on throughout the week. They can color, play a file folder game, work on the Igloo, write a report (only Jonah and more like a few sentences about Arctic Animals and People). I'm excited to see how the week looks.......and now off to build the next Unit on Ocean Animals! (that should be hard huh?living in Hawaii and all!)

 

It's that {homeschool} time again!

I said I would never home school my kids....after all aren't they a little weird? Yup they sure are, in a brainy, nerdy, sweet creative sort of way. Just the way I like em!  I really did say I would never ever home school. Especially being an Education major, how could I!

But as time grew closer and closer for Jonah to enter the public school system (because private school wasn't an option for our location or budget) my heart and my anxiety level took a turn.We decided when he was 4 we would start home schooling for specific reasons (mostly based on fear), but then as time went on, those reasons have transformed into reasons entirely different! And though right now I couldn't tell you if we will always home school, I know that in this moment it is the absolute right choice for our kids. And for that I am thrilled!

We started really when he was about 3 working on "Hooked on Phonics". He was quick with the Literary concepts which kept me motivated. Then at 4 we started informal preschool a few times a week, lots of hands on "fun school" activities geared towards learning the basics. Last year we were able to enroll him in an online Kindergarten even though he was only 4 at the start of the year and he flourished! I had to order the 1st grade reader to keep up with him. Ellie joined us for subjects like History and Science and I started teaching her Letters, numbers and such and of course Gracie has to be in the mix coloring it up next to those two until she gets bored!

But this coming home school year is going to be a challenge for me for a variety of reasons....I now have 4 kids to care for, Jonah will be in 1st grade and Ellie is now enrolled in K4 with her very own classes and curriculum and Gracia just has to be involved! Of course we'll have to add in nursing and diaper changing/potty training breaks as well.....and Mommy sanity checks now and then! And on top of that I am highly considering homeschooling a daughter of a very good friend of mine.

As curriculum comes in the mail every few days.....boxes are opened and manuals are flipped through. I am beginning to get more and more excited about the whole year. You see I AM a nerd at heart. I love spending long hours in the Library and writing lesson plans till wee hours of the night. And as of late I have a new obsession.......Lapbooks! And because I am already addicted to my laminator, well that just goes right along with it!

To be honest I am hoping that along with some creative scheduling, blanket training, rotating hands on activities and lapbooks, homeschooling with Gracia this year won't be as stressful and chaotic as last year. My Motto is if you can't beat em, join em! Gracia already thinks she's 4 years old, just ask her! So instead of trying to shuffle her out of the room or off the table.....I've decided to enroll her in Totschool.

Okay so it's an unofficial enrollment, but she's in there alright! This is by far one of the best links I have found in a long time. It's kept me up late at night and gotten me out of bed early in the morning! I've been devouring her ideas and burning the midnight printer ink in preparation for the school year just for Gracia, and I can't wait! It's all I have in me not to try out the lapbooks I've made on Gracia today! But I've been a good little home school mommy and have them hidden. I've got 4 so far and I'm out of ink so I need to get another cartridge and get going! But before I do here are some of the ideas I have for Gracia this year, granted she's only 2, but she really wants to be involved like the big kids so my theory is to start instilling a love for learning now with lots of hands on fun activities geared for her age level!

• Lapbooks and file folder games on subjects like colors, shapes, sorting, sizes, etc
• Puzzles of all types!
• Lacing beads and lacing tiles
• Felt counting fish and games (currently in the process of making!)
• Books, books and more books!
• Alpha activities of all sorts
• Bible stories with the big kids
• Coloring....lost of coloring!
• Playdough and crafts!

I'll have to update you a little later with some photos of all the fun things I've made! For now, take a peek at the links I've posted! You'll be inspired! Link lup below if you have any fun ideas to share about home schooing with toddlers!!