Twirls 'n Curls

As with any job, there are many parts to our school week I would like to remember, as well as a few I would like to forget. Moments to Remember was created by some bloggy homeschooling friends as a way to hang on to those moments worth hanging on to . Lately I've been reminded of the perks of homeschooling, flexibility being a big one of those. Whether we are planning a vacation or just having "one of those days," I love that school can work around our family's needs. Linsey has been getting the spring break blues, and working outside has freshened her perspective a little. Not many kids can say they recite poetry from inside the family fireplace! I also appreciate that often, we get to include our whole family on projects. Here the girls are making homemade play dough... we made a great mess and had even greater laughs. Oh the memories we will have from our kitchen days...  I absolutely love seeing these sister friendships develop firsthand! ...

Hannah and I had a great time in our letter "S" preschool this week, even getting our "sisters" involved in a few activities! For a list of fun "s" related questions for pre-schoolers, click here . "S" is for... Stories I read a lot with our older two for school, and I have a "girl time devotions" each night with them before bed (more on that later).  One activity I've been focusing more attention on this semester is reading one on one with Natalie. At 2, she has a much shorter attention span and different way of interacting with books than my 5 and 7 year old. At nap time each day and usually at night, she and I read together on her bed. Now every night she asks, "Mom, lay down me and wead book!" How can I say no to that?? :) "S" is for... Scavenger Hunt "Sally" the Doll "Sister" "Sock" Hannah, 5, is a very hands-on learner. She loves activities where...

A glimpse into the life of a homeschooling seven-year old: This morning I awoke to find my mortal enemy standing over my bed. After effortlessly defeating her him it in a battle of wits, I had a balanced breakfast of bacon, oatmeal, and half a pop tart with my best friend. I completed my studies flawlessly, then had lunch with royalty. And danced the dance of scarves with gypsies. I had glamor shots taken - can you believe that's even me? Then I hurried to perform gymnastics in an open arena that seats thousands! After my gymnastics debut, I was swarmed with adoring fans who took me out to an internationally-known restaurant (ok, maybe it was McDonald's...). All in all, it was a great day :)

We went on a field trip and then to the park today, and the pictures inspired this little poem: Sisters will cheer you on when you're on top of the world...  And they'll draw you out of your shell when you're afraid. Too tired to go on alone?  Sisters will give you a push when you need it the most. And when your world seems upside down, A sister will be right there beside you... And you can count her to carry you through! -- Blessed to watch these sisters develop friendships... And blessed with two sisters of my own  - love you both!

Believe it or not, when you're with your children 24/7, and they're expected to learn academics mainly from you, there are frustrating moments once in awhile. A homeschooling friend of mine created a " Moments to Remembe r" link up to remind us to focus on the amazing benefits of homeschooling - watching your kids play together, focused time with each child, that pure delight when your child finally "gets it." Here are some of our moments from this week:   "Q" is for Queen Queen Nattie has recently started trying to create actual pictures and trace letters on our white board. She had a lot of fun this week making smiley faces and tracing lines. :)  "Q" is for Quilt  Hannah was so proud of her wrapping paper quilt - she made a different pattern on each line. I was impressed that she stayed still long enough to complete it! We also took a trip to Grandma's for a quilting lesson. My mother-in-law is a wonderf...

Last week we had the most fun with the letter "P" for Hannah's preschool (I love it when there are activities all 3 girls can enjoy!) We've gone through the alphabet with a letter by letter emphasis, just to give some structure to our days and streamline activities. "P" is for...Penguins  We learned facts about penguins and made these adorable crafts, found here . (The only change we made was to use construction paper, since we had no paper plates on hand.) My girls all love penguins and had fun trying to imitate their walk. The first time we saw penguins at the zoo, Hannah bravely remarked, "I'm not afraid of penguins, they waddle!" "P" is for... Painting Linsey's art is through the K12 curriculum, so I just have the younger girls to modified versions of whatever she is doing, which happened to be painting this week. (This shirt was trashed when Nattie finished! "Tummy to the table" does NOT apply in paint...

School is really rolling along, as you can see. :) Having 7 kids together (I do a co-op with a friend) from 6 months to 8 years old is challenging, but the kids are having a great time, and so are we. First grade is studying weather right now, and I just had to share these cute devices we made! The first one is a weather vane . I was so suprised that it actually worked!! You can find directions for a similar vane here , though ours didn't call for the plastic cup. It was really easy! The second device is an anemometer , used for measuring wind speed. Directions are very basic: 1. Tape 2 straws together to make an "x." 2. Punch a hole in each styrofoam or plastic cup about an inch away from the top. 3. Poke a straw end through each cup about an inch or so, bend, and secure with tape to the inside of cup. Be sure cups are all facing the same direction. 4. Push a tack through the center of the straws (where the "x" is formed) and push gently into...

Everyone knows the best part of school is going on field trips! Between teacher meetings, appointments, and even a couple of planned educational activities, our school year so far has been packed with fun places to go. The kids loved these carved trees at a nearby park! Nattie climbing her first tree... stump :) My kids are enrolled in a virtual online academy that uses the K12 curriculum . It's creative, innovative, challenging and fun. I love that the school organizes (optional) activities and field trips for the kids to do. They also let us know about businesses in our area that offer homeschooling events, such as Six Flags , Legoland , and the local Performing Arts Center. (if you homeschool, these are worth checking out!) We couldn't possibly attend every event, but a few weeks ago we had a great time a school-sponsored park day where the kids got to make their own t-shirts, eat ice cream, and just have fun! 2nd field trip: A nearby library has a huge boo...

First Day of School Outfits :)   This last month of summer has absolutely flown by! I have some amazing pics of our family vacation to AZ that I will post later, but vacation was quickly overshadowed by the start of school about 4 days later. (We homeschool - my oldest is enrolled in an online virtual charter academy called K12 , click here for a post on that). Here are a few snapshots from this week that remind me of why I love teaching my kids: ~ There's nothing like teaching your kids something and watching their eyes light up as they "get it." This is Hannah's first official pre-school year, and we are using the "Letter of the Week" method (I get lots of ideas here ). She gets so excited, and that makes me love teaching her even more! Natalie sorting out her blocks by color ~ We teamed up with some good friends for homeschooling this year, and they are doing fantastic in their first year. One thing the kids love: Learning outside w...