Monday Matters...

I am taking a break until the fall (actually 1st of August, when we start up school again) on my Monday thoughts/rants/tangents. I will keep adding fun websites on Fridays, and will have the occasional book recommendations on Wednesdays, but for a few months my Monday Matters will go away. Summers are busy with all those vacations (not that we are actually taking one), family visits, swimming, moving (Sevierville here we come), etc., so I'm sure you will find something to fill the time like us. Enjoy your summer.

Fun Fridays...

This week's site is...

www.lessonpathways.com

The site has complete curriculum plans for grades K-5 all for free. While I wouldn't recommend using just the materials online for your schooling, I think there are some cute lessons that could be used a supplement to another curriculum.

Monday Matters...

... wreath making, and other things...

As I have stated previously, I don't do the complete curriculum thing. I like to find a few good books, then go from there. While this can be a lot more work, it's also a lot more fun. However, sometimes I have a brilliant idea, but I'm not quite sure how to implement it. I ran into this problem while planning Gabby's social studies curriculum for next year. We will be studying countries of the world, and I was wanting a fun way to teach about traditional clothing for various countries. Well inspiration struck at Micheals Craft store the other day. I was looking for scrapbooking supplies when I noticed these 12 inch tall chipboard people. I could see how easy it would be to make clothing out of construction paper for them and we could even draw little faces on them. They were perfect!

Since deciding to homeschool I have had lots of these little moments were inspiration hits in the most unlikely places. And when they happen, it always reassures me that I made the right decision for our family.

Fun Fridays...

I have had a few people ask me about what scope & sequence I am using for Gabby, so I decided to just go ahead and add it to my list of recommended sites.

www.worldbook.com/typical_course_of_study.html

I like this one because it's in plain English, no legal jargon, or superfluous words, just simple and to the point. Pretty basic way to know if you child is on track, or if there is something you may need to work on or add.

Monday Matters...

...dancing, and other things...

Sometimes I think homeschoolers get caught up in all the books, worksheets, & tests, and forget to schedule in some fun. I know my daughter retains a lot more when I present new ideas in a fun or unique way. Music is a great learning tool. You would be amazed how many things you can learn from a song. My husband can name all the U.S. presidents in order and I can name all the states in alphabetical order in under 20 seconds (I swear it's true) all because of songs we learned when we were little. I have seen songs to teach everything from history, science, math, & language. And if you feel like dancing to your music, I think that counts as P.E. too!

Fun Fridays...

This week's site...

http://www.notebookingpages.com/

While we don't actually do any of this yet (Gabby hasn't quite mastered reading), I have been looking into notebooking/lapbooking. I think it's a neat idea, and it's similar to the binders I already do for her. This site has some nice print-outs to use for notebooking/lapbooking. I really liked the templates, which I might even use for scrapbooking (but that's what my other blog is about).

What We're Reading Wednesdays...

Inch by Inch

I got this book and a set of plastic worms to help introduce the concepts of length and measurements. The worms are four different sizes (1, 2, 3, & 4 inches) and come with a guide that suggests different objects kids can measure with them. Super cute idea for anyone teaching early measuring skills.

Monday Matters...

... playing in water, and other things...

I would just like to say I love to visit children's museums. There are so many great one's all around the U.S. (and I'm sure all around the world, I just haven't visited any outside the U.S.). I love all the programs and hands-on activities they offer. We recently took a mini stay-cation to Chattanooga (just a couple hours away). While there we visited their children's museum which offered all kinds of classes. We took a cooking class in the morning, where we made a carrot salad. In the afternoon we attended an art class, where the kids learned about pastel colors and played with foam rollers. I was a little disappointed that they didn't offer a discount to homeschoolers (most other museums do), but it was still a great experience. So go out and discover museums in your area.

Fun Fridays...

This week's site...

www.ymiclassroom.com

This site has some fun lesson plans that tie-in with companies or products. While most are of questionable educational value, there are some cute worksheets. The movie tie-in activities would be good to use after a family movie night or on a rainy day.

What We're Reading Wednesdays...

The Red Pyramid

Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, has just come out with the first book in The Kane Chronicles. I loved the Percy Jackson series, it really made Greek mythology come alive. Now his new series will hopefully do the same thing for Egyptian mythology. I love it when you can find books that are both exciting and teach history. It's just a bummer my daughter isn't ready to read them yet, maybe in a couple of years.

Monday Matters...

...using a knife without cutting herself, and other things...

I don't know how many of you watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, this spring, but let me tell you, it's just another reason to homeschool. School cafeteria food is gross, but when I found out that elementary school kids are no longer allowed to have knives I couldn't believe it. Who ever came up with the idea of waiting till kids are in middle school to learn how to use a knife is a complete moron. I mean no wonder our kids weigh over 100 pounds in elementary school. Of course you are going to get fat if all you eat is finger foods!!! Now we are not talking about sharp knives, just butter knives, plastic butter knives. Seriously, if you kindergartner can't use a butter knife, same on you. My 4 year old not only uses them, she puts them up in the drawer after they are cleaned.