100th day of school

Last year we started a fun tradition of celebrating the 100th day of school. Today was our hundreds party. (Not that I truly care how many days of school we get it, sometimes it's 180, sometimes more, sometimes less, but we have many days that don't get counted but could be) So really- it's 100 days that we've kept track of- lol

Since it's monday- we had math class- and went to Pam's for school today.

Roo's counting page shows 100 days of school.
Doodle and Roo made necklaces with 100 pieces of cereal.Pam found a ton of fun games to play from the Minute to Win it website- only ours were 100 seconds to win it. ;) - We had to balance 5 dice on top of a craft stick held in our mouth for 3 seconds.

LOOK- another use for craft sticks! Balance a plate with blocks on top of our headBuild a "crane" out of string and pencils, it hooked over Doodle's ears, then Bug pulled the strings, and pulled it up with a piece of candy on top, Doodle had to eat the candy. We had to do this 3 times in 100 seconds.
Pam is so wonderful! She made us a 100's pie for dessert. :D Thanks Pam for a FUN Hundreds Party!

Oregon Trail Study

We are doing a fun Oregon Trail study this month. We will be following along with the wagon train on Westward Ho. We started yesterday with an introduction to the trail- and started playing a computer game of Oregon Trail I remember that I loved playing the Oregon trail computer game when I was little- and this version is a lot cooler than that one! You can start your journey in a few different cities- Independence- like the original trail, OR Nauvoo, IL, like the Mormon pioneers. And there's a few different destinations as well, Oregon City, or Salt Lake City. We did just the normal start in Indpendence and end in Oregon City, but I'm looking forward to playing this game lots this month with the boys and trying some of the other versions.

Here are a few books we're using for the first leg of our journey. Apples to Oregon (a tall tale- and Roo loves it!) The My America book is one I'm assigning Doodle to read this month. And the Seven Alone I found at DI- then I found a movie based on the book on Netfix that we'll be watching.I also have this neat Oregon Trail map that we'll be tracking our journey on.

Yesterday the boys each made a covered wagon out of craft sticks- (look- I found another use for the 1000's I have. ;)) I found the idea on this website and each of the boys made their own. Here's Doodle with his wagon.Roo and Mom's wagonBug had to make one too- even if he's not joining us in the Oregon trail studies (he's on a Jules Vern kick lately)We are looking forward to some fun things with this unit!

OH!! And Tuesday will be our 100th day of school party- so watch for some 100's fun.

A few things that are "working" right now

I feel like I'm constantly "tweaking" things around here- coming up with new and better ways to have our house (and school time) run more smoothly.

The first of which- is our Token system- I can't claim credit for the idea- token economies are definately not a new thing- a while back we went to a foster care training class (we had to have 10 hours of training each year to renew our licence) And the speaker talked all about giving allowance and having the kids buy everything they need- clothes, shoes, shampoo etc. Well- at the time we had Bug who was 3, and 2 foster kids who were 3 and 1 1/2. We walked away saying "That doesn't help us!" But then we got thinking- and said we could do something similiar and have them earn things that they want. And thus the token system was born. Our tokens are Poker chips I found at the dollar store- they work great. The kids token banks sit on the kitchen coutertop where I can find them- I can't give tokens if I can't find your bank. Here's Roo's (the yogurt cup) Doodle's (the blue bowl) and Bug's (a Harry Potter cauldron from a friend's b-day party) I think at one time they were all bowls like Doodle's- but ?? who knows what happened to the other 2.

How do the kids earn tokens? Doing a good job with their chores, getting them done before the song is over, going above and beyond what's asked, doing jobs without being asked, getting along with their brothers, obeying quickly, basically my point is to "catch them being good" This reminds ME to watch for the good. Maybe you aren't like me, but I tend to get caught up too much in what the kids are doing wrong- but the token system helps remind me to look for the best.

What do they use the tokens for? I have a "store" with various things they can buy-Dollar store toys (usually 20 tokens equals a $1- so most dollar store toys are 20 tokens) treats or snacks, candy (10 tokens for a candy bar), fruit snacks (5 tokens) TV time- 10 tokens for 1PBS show, Wii or Computer time-5 tokens for 30 minutes. Toys that mom confiscates cost 1 token a piece- (if they don't pick them up after being asked- or leave them laying around downstairs I take them!) Roo's favorite "Jelly Ranchers" (known to the rest of us as Jolly Ranchers) cost 1 token each. A new addition to our store- chocolate milk for dinner costs 3 tokens (Doodle loves this- as he doesn't really like milk) Our token system is working great. We've used it off and on since Bug was little. It worked WONDERS for the foster children we had coming in and out of our home, and a few small bonuses- Math skills- the kids are always counting their tokens, figuring out how many more they need. and the best bonus- I had kids asking what jobs they could do today! Dishes are done- thanks to Bug, and the dining room floor is swept and mopped thanks to Doodle. The other day the kids had a friend over playing- and they were washing windows to earn tokens for Candy!

The 2nd thing that's working around here are Sticks for School- LOOK!! Another use for craft sticks! -- again it wasn't my idea. On the FIAR Message board that I sometimes go to there was a big buzz about Workboxes and while I was tempted to get on the wagon- but decided I didn't need the extra expense of buying all the plastic boxes nor do I have the space to put them all. But someone mentioned on a thread over there about using Sticks with fun activities written on them for their kids to do after they finished their box or something. So I stole the idea and "tweaked" it. Written on the sticks are the things Doodle did for school today. The Green stripe means it has to be done each day. Math, Handwriting, Phonics and our unit study. The purple line means you might need mom's help. The orange line means it's independent work.

At the beginning of our "school time" Doodle draws sticks. There are the 6 that have to be done- and plenty of other fun things that he can pick from- so he has 8-10 sticks to do. Then he arranges them in the order he wants to do them. (I don't really care what order they get done, as long as they get done- and he works on a few independent things together so I can work with Roo for a few minutes) After we've finished the work on that stick- it goes back in the bag for tomorrow. He can see his pile of things to do getting smaller and smaller.

Just a few things that are working around here- What things work at your place to help your days run more smoothly?

More Math their way fun and games

We are still enjoying the Math their Way games. I like the hands-on element- it is especially important for Doodle who is ADHD to have a way to learn by DOING- I can talk my ear off- but if actually moves and figured it out on his own, he is much more likey to learn and remember it.

We are doing lots of graphing- I love all the ideas to graph everyday things- We graph the temperature each morning- (ok- so it's not scientific- as we don't necessarily do it at the same time each day- rofl- but rather whenever we get around to math) But rather than read the numbers- he measures how high on the thermometer the red line is- and cuts a piece of paper to match it. We tape it in our folder, and evaluate- "Last tuesday was the warmest day so far" etc.He also graphs the weather- you can't see it well in the picture- but the top line is "Sunny" the 2nd one says "Cloudy", then windy, rainy, snowy, then the bottom 2 are less than 50 degrees and greater than 50 degrees. He just places a paper square in the correct weather boxes each day- then we evaluate- "wow- there's been 3 more sunny days than cloudy days so far" or "there's the same number of days warmer than 50 as there are colder than 50"

For his Math "class" with Pam last week- he was given the assignment to graph how many birthdays there are in each month. So we got out the calendar- and he hooked chains on to the month cards- Then they compared the different months to see which month had the most birthdays, and added them all together to see how many total birthdays were on our calendar.

We are counting the days we've "done math" Doodle makes sure we have the same of craft sticks- 1 stick for each day we've done Math. (LOOK!! Another use for Craft sticks!) Then count out that SAME number of cubes, and determine whether it's an odd or even numberEach day we also add a number to our number line- counting the math days- odd numbers are yellow- even numbers are green. Multiples of 5 are circled in purple, and multiples of 10 have a orange square around them.Then we count out that same number (this day was 25) in change- Doodle found some different ways to make 25.Oh- and one more fun game from Math Their Way (This one is in their Newsletter- page 8- called Zurkle) We added our twist- and since Doodle had practiced counting by 10's he had a bunch of cubes already arranged in groups of 10. I would ring the bell, when I ring it- he adds a cube to the 1's side. When he gets 10- he connects them, and moves them to the 10's side. When I knock on the table, he adds a group of 10. Then he reads how many 10's and how many 1's he has on his chart. "5 tens and 6 ones- 56"

I left the camera sitting on the table- and found these pictures on it:

Happy Early Valentines Day!

First off- Happy Valentines Day to my wonderful husband Ben. He is such a great husband and father. I truly appreciate all that he does for me, and I'm so thankful for:

The Love he shows me,

His example to his sons,

His willingness to work so hard to support our family

His help and support with homeschooling

All he does for the Boy Scouts in our Ward- (if he's not still in Boy Scouts when our boys come along- I hope they have a leader as dedicated as he is!)

His love of the outdoors and nature

The way he holds and honors his priesthood

We've been working on some Valentines for our homeschool Valentines day party. Here's what we've made- Bookmarks (look yet another use for popcycle sticks--- (YES we still have boxes and boxes and boxes of them!)

I think they turned out really cute! We attached a ribbon with this little poem :

Here's a bookmark just for you

To mark your page until you are through

With it we want to say

Happy Valentines Day!

Christmas Traditions- Christmas School

One of the things I enjoy most about Homeschooling is Christmas time! Every year we take the month of December off from "school" I put that in quotes because school is such a part of life- it's hard to separate it out and call it that- but I guess what that means is we take a break from tablework. Every year I try and do something fun for the month. Some years we've done fun unit studies on different picture books, other years we've studied a bit out other countries and Christmas around the world. Some years we simply pick a book each day and do something fun to go with that book.

This year as I was pondering what to do for Christmas School, I thought about what kind of memories I want my children to have of Christmas in our Family, and I decided there were 4 main "categories" (for lack of a better word) of Memories. Memories of Crafts, Memories of Baking and Food, Memories of Service, and Memories of Fun.


On Monday as we started our Christmas studies this year- there was a WONDERFUL page in this month's Friend Magazine that has Scritpures to read each day of the Month of December. It was a perfect addition to our devotionals over breakfast. After breakfast we read as many Christmas books as we want, then make some memories.


Monday was Craft day- so we spent time making ornaments for Our Christmas Tree- Snowflakes and Reindeer. They were cute and simple- and used up craft sticks.

To make the Snowflakes- glue 3 or 4 snowflakes together. When the glue is dry paint them with white paint. While the paint is still wet- sprinkle with glitter. Drill a hole in the top (we used Ben's Whitney punch- a sheet metal tool that works wonders for punching holes in wood, leather- and I suppose sheet metal) Then put a hook through the hole, and hang it on the tree.
The Reindeer turned out really cute as well. Glue the 3 sticks together in an "A" shape- When the glue is dry- paint with brown paint. Glue on googley eyes and a pompom nose. Punch the hole in the top, and hang on tree.
Wednesday was Baking Day- yum! Christmas reminds me of Banana bread! So Roo and I made a loaf of Banana Bread. Doodle helped me make a loaf of Cranberry Bread, and Bug made some Rhubarb Bread. They were delicious!

Wednesday was Service Day- so we found someone to help. Sorry- no more info. than that- we were helpful.

Thursday was Fun Day- Or as the kids called it- Movie Day. We watched two movies and had popcorn. The Little Drummer Boy (after reading the book and learning the song) and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Christmas Crafts and Huge Trees

Of course- we've found even more uses for those craft sticks! To decorate my Grandmother's tree this year- each of the kids, grandkids (and great grandkids) were to make an ornament with a picture of them on it to decorate her tree. It reminds me of a great picture book we love to read at Christmas Time- It's called Great Granny Rose and the Family Christmas Tree. In the story a boy is helping his Great Granny decorate their tree. As the boy's dad places the tree in the stand, she comments how the tree isn't "alive" to which the dad replies- yes- it's a real tree, it's alive. Later the boy helps decorate, as they do, she has a short story or memory to go with each ornament, and finally when all those memories are placed on the tree, it's "alive" at last.

Here's Doodle's ornament- gotta LOVE glitter!
Ben's and My ornaments- paint the craft sticks green, decorate with assorted "ornaments" glue a stick on the back for the trunk, and glue on a ribbon to hang it with.

Next comes Bug's ornament- he didn't feel like getting out the paint- so he used crayons to color his sticks, glued them together and used a pipe cleaner to hang the ornament.
Then there is Roo's snowflake. Glue 3 sticks in a snowflake shape, Paint the sticks white, sprinkle with glitter, then glue on a picture.

On Saturday we went to cut down our Christmas tree. We went with Ben's sister Amber and her husband and their 2 little boys. We had a blast! The tree we found is HUGE!- sorry- you'll have to wait til it's all decorated to see it in it's fullness ;) But it's 20 feet tall! Yes- really and truly!

Bug and Doodle sawing down the tree

I'm so thankful!

As Thanksgiving approaches I think about all the things the Lord has blessed me with. I am so thankful every day for my many blessings. I'm thankful for a wonderful husband who works so hard to support our family. He is such a great husband and father. I'm thankful that I'm able to homeschool our children. I love having them home with me, and being the one to teach them to read and I love exploring new topics with them. I am thankful for my boys. For the opportunity the Lord has given me to be a Mother in Zion. I'm grateful for Bug and his imagination, for Doodle and his sense of humor and yes- I'm even grateful for his energy. I'm thankful for Roo and the happiness and joy he brings to our family. I am thankful for the Gospel in my life. For the knowledge I have that Jesus is the Christ. That he lived, that he atoned for my sins, and that he was crucified and resurrected on the third day. I'm thankful for the Prophet Joseph Smith who restored the gospel to the earth. I am thankful for temples, and the blessing it is to be a family forever. I am thankful to have a living prophet today- President Thomas S. Monson, who receives revelation from the Lord for us in these latter days. I am thankful for the scriptures and the many things that I learn from them every day.

Sunday night for family home evening (we had a lesson Sunday night- and play games and other fun family activites on Monday night's Family Night) We had a lesson from the November Friend on being Grateful. We talked about all the things we are Thankful for, and make a thankful Turkey. (oh look! Use number 11 for craft sticks!- I think we are half-way through 1 of the 8 boxes!)

Each of us colored a craft stick with crayons and wrote what we were thankful for on it. Bug did a great job of drawing the turkey's body for us.

Bug showing off his sticks.

Roo's sticks, he thought I needed a picture of them.

And Doodle working on his sticks- YAH- what's with that silly face?! See what I mean about not being able to get good pictures of him!

Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge

Last week we had a fun time with our FIAR story of the week- The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge It's a neat story about a Lighthouse in New York City, and how the George Washington Bridge was built above it. On Monday we talked about New York- Read the Book Fireboat- the adventures of the John J. Harvey- a book about a fireboat that was retired, and some people bought it and fixed it up. On 9-11 they used the boat to help fight the fires after the terrorist attacks. Warning- it's a real tear-jerker- Doodle couldn't quite understand why I couldn't read the book without crying. I explained to him that it's a true story- that people really did crash airplanes into the buildings, and many people died, though we've talked about it before- I'm not sure he grasps the impact of it all. Tuesday we talked about personification- this book is an excellent example of personification. Wednesday we looked at the pictures in the book, talked about the colors used in it. Thursday we read The Bridge Book by Polly Carter and talked about different kinds of bridges. Then of course- we build some bridges- first out of craft sticks- (use number 10!) and then out of duplo lego blocks.

Fall nature lessons, and leading into Spring!

We have been enjoying Fall. I'd just as soon skip winter ;) and go straight to spring. I guess I live in the wrong part of the country to be able to do that. But for School we've been preparing our garden for spring. Doodle LOVES to rake leaves- so he played around in the leaves for a while.

My dad sent me an email with a cool link to some seasons lessons. The site is called Journey North on the site- it's a global study of the seasons. They track monarch migrations, whooping crane migrations, whales, plants and soo much more. We are participating in the Tulips experiment this year. What you do- plant Red Emperor Tulips, by their specifications on the map you can mark when you plant yours. Then when spring comes, you report back when your tulips first emerge, and when they bloom. They have animated maps that show you when spring "arrives".

So on Friday we did a few experiments. First we had to decide where the best spot was to plant our tulips. Using this page. Then we examined the bulbs closely, cut one open and drew pictures of what the tulip bulbs looked like. We made some predictions- using a few different variables. First- Bug wondered what would happen if he planted them 12 inches or 3 inches instead of the 7 inches that the website says. He predicted that the one that is planted 3 inches deep will bloom before the others, and the one that is 12 inches deep will bloom after the others. Then we wondered after looking closely at the insides of the tulip bulb, if it matters how fat around the bulb is, if fat ones grow better than skinny ones. So we measured our bulbs, numbered them, and we'll see in the Spring whether the fat ones grow better or not. Bug's prediction is that size doesn't matter. Doodle predicts that the fat ones will grow better.

AT LAST it was time to plant them! OOOH! LOOK! Another use for craft sticks! (use number 9)

Even More Uses for Craft sticks

It became "Craft day" at our house yesterday afternoon, as Doodle and Roo found the box of craft sticks (ok- so it's STILL sitting by the front door where my dad left it- so it wasn't hard to find) Ok- Here goes! Numbers 2-8 out of 101 uses for craft sticks- (Here is use Number 1) lol- Roo and I started out making this But it turned out, we didn't have a box to glue the sticks onto. So we decided to make a Box instead(use number 2!) Or you can make a triangle shaped box (Use number 3) on a square bottom (Roo calls this an "elk box") not sure why!?

Of course- the Box needed a lid (use number 4) or if you'd like- you can call the lid a flag (use number 5) If you are ambitious, artistic and adventuresome like Doodle, you can set out without a plan. Clothespins work great to clamp the pieces together while you are waiting for the glue to dry.

Use number 6- a colorful bedroom Decoration that Doodle Made.Use number 7- a house! Though it's not 3-d like the one we originally planned to make- it turned out great!

Oh- I said uses 2-8- use number 8- donate a box to the friend that came to visit us today. ;)