School Express

 I love the idea of thematic units, especially with homeschooling.  It is fun to pick a topic and take off with it.  It works well with learners of various abilities because everyone can study the same topic while each learner takes away their own little bit.  Our family uses one set of curriculum for language arts and math and studies almost everything else thematically.  One of my favorite websites has become School Express.  If you sign up for their free newsletter, they will email a link each week for a thematic unit.  I have received units on topics such as beavers, climate, and Christmas.  Each packet is about 20 pages long and includes word searches, info pages, spelling sheets, and coloring pages.  We use the packets for bonus activities - long car rides, waiting for appointments, sitting at restaurants, etc.  The website also has thousands of other free resources and pages to print for your children.  For a small annual fee, you can gain access to many other units and activities on the site.

Everyday Teaching: Grocery Shopping

Like everything else in our family, grocery shopping is a family activity.  My husband gets paid every other Thursday.  That is our big shopping day.  The other Thursdays are our in-between shopping days.  We keep a piece of paper on the fridge at all times and when someone knows that we need something, it is written on the paper.  The day before we go shopping, the girls and I brainstorm menu ideas and plan the meals for the next two weeks.  As we plan each menu, we write the items needed for each meal.  We then survey the cupboards and cross off anything we already have.  The items still on the list are transferred to the shopping list.  The repetition is good practice for spelling and handwriting.  We then go through the shopping list and write a dollar amount next to each item and estimate the total amount we will spend.  If we are over budget, we decide where cuts can be made to bring our spending down.  When Thursday rolls around, we load into the car and head to the store, list in hand.  Usually our middle or younger daughter carries the list and crosses things off as we put them in the basket.  Our oldest daughter helps choose which item to get, comparing price and quantity.  When items are crossed off, we make a note if the estimated price is higher or lower than our estimated amount.  If we run higher than budgeted, we make cuts at the grocery store.  Of course, as we shop we discuss things such as what produce is in season, quality of products, getting what you pay for, and any other topic that may arise.  After checking out and getting the groceries home, we race to get everything put away before moving on to the next item on our agenda.  Our in-between trip is pretty much the same as our big trip except for one difference.  We only buy necessities such as milk or anything else we can’t wait until the following week to buy.  This shopping trip has become a practical lesson for the kids in needs vs. wants.  Sometimes, just to throw in another component, I have the kids plan a balanced menu for a given dollar amount.  Whatever task they are assigned, the girls enjoy participating in shopping from planning to putting away.

F is For...

Food: fruit, fish, farfalle, fajitas, fennel, feta cheese, fettuccine, figs, filbert, filet mignon, flan, flour, flour tortillas, fondue, fortune cookies, frankfurters, freezer pops, frappucino, Fritos, French fries, French toast, fried green tomatoes, fried rice, fudge, fruit cake.

Animals: fish, frog, fox, falcon, finch, ferret, field mouse, firefly, fowl, flying squirrel, fawm, flamingo, fly to name a few. Choose one or two to learn about. Print coloring pages, draw, share facts, look at pictures.
Science: parts of a flower, freeze, Fahrenheit.

Geography: Fault, federation. Mark locations on a map, make a fact book about Florida, Fiji, France, Finland.

Math: four, five, fourteen, fifteen, forty, fifty.

Books: The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume, Freight Train by Donald Crews, Frogge Series by Jonathon London
Songs: Frere Jacques, The Farmer in the Dell, Father Abraham, Five Little Ducks, Five Green & Speckled Frogs, Five Little Pumpkins, Five Little Monkeys

Games: Follow the Leader

Art: design a family flag, paint with feathers. 
 
Activities: visit a fire station or farm.
 
Other things worth mentioning: fall, feather, fairy, face, fork, freedom, family, farm, feet, flying, Father's Day, furniture, favorite, feelings, fire, flag, French, friends.

E is For ...

Food: empanada, English muffin, elderberries, escargot, endive, elbow macaroni, eggplant, elephant ears, egg.


Animals: elephant, eagle, eel, earthworm, egret, elk, emu, to name a few. Choose one or two to learn about. Print coloring pages, draw, share facts, look at pictures.

Science: earth, extinction, electricity, environmen, energy.

Geography: East, elevation. Mark locations on a map, make a fact book about Europe, El Salvador, Equador, Egypt, Estonia, England, Ethiopia.

Other things worth mentioning: eskimo, equipment, ears, eyes, entertainment, each, every, Earth Day, Easter, elections, Emancipation Day, elevator, emotions, education, empire, elbow.

Math: eight, eleven, equal, even numbers, estimation.
Books: Eating the Alphabet by Lois Elhert,
Songs: Do Your Ears Hang Low?, Everything Grows

Art: use an easel.

D is for...

Food: drink, dairy food, danish, deep-dish pizza, dessert, dill pickles, dijon mustard, dumplings, donuts, deep-fried _______, dried fruit, Doritos, Dr. Pepper.


Animals: dogs, dinosaurs, dolphin, duck, dove, donkey, deer to name a few. Choose one or two to learn about. Print coloring pages, draw, share facts, look at pictures.

Shapes: diamond.

Science: discovery, digestion, dissect, desert.

Geography: mark locations on a map, make a fact book about Dallas, Des Moines, Detroit, Duluth, Denver, Daytona Beach, Dublin, Dubai, Dominican Republic, Denmark.

States: Delaware.

Other places: dairy, deli.

Other things worth mentioning: democracy, Disneyland, dragon, daisy, drum, diner, drive-in, say no to Drugs, Declaration of Independence, doctor, dentist, dandelion, dump truck, dig, days of the week.

Math: division, play dominoes.

Books: Charles Dickens, No, David and other books by David Shannon

Songs: Do Your Ears Hang Low, Day-O, Down By the Banks, Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Art: draw pictures.

1st Day of School

The first day of the school year is still strange for me. We never really stop teaching and learning, so when does one year stop and the next start?  In the past we marked the first day of the local school calendar as our first day of school.  This year, we went to California for the summer and missed the first day of school.  I arbitrarily picked yesterday as the first day of school.  It wasn't a great day to pick, but we made it work.  My oldest daughter had a doctor's appointment that resulted in lab work, x-rays, and another appointment later in the day.  The other two girls weren't exactly in the mood for school and it was a trying day for all of us.  If nothing else, I was reminded that we can always work things out and make the best of what we have.  My primary goal this year is to work on character and Bible lessons and we accomplished those assignments as well as a few others.  Today the girls all got right to work when they rolled out of bed and we accomplished more than yesterday with less stress.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow ad all that it holds.

C is For . . .

This theme is mainly review and the letter changes every two days.  We assembled a binder with a tab for each letter.  Each day's papers can be put into the binder for a sort of scrapbook to review.  Here are some of our slightly organized ideas for the letter C (of course we didn't do all of these and some are more specific than others):

• Food: coconut, chocolate, chili (recipe below), corn, cinnamon toast, cereal, crescent rolls, cookies, cake, chips, cantaloupe, cauliflower, cucumber, cupcake, carrot, carrot cake, candy, crackers, cheddar cheese, cheese crackers.
• Animals: cat, chinchilla, cow, cougar, chipmunk, cobra, crocodile, camel, caterpillar, to name a few.  Choose one or two to learn about.  Print coloring pages, draw, share facts, look at pictures.
• Shapes: circle, crescent.
• Science: climate, chemistry.
• Geography: mark locations on a map, make a fact book about Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoir.
• States: California, Colorado, Connecticut.
• Other places: classroom, cabin, circus, courthouse, campground, college, cathedral, church.
• Other things worth mentioning: clown, cotton, crayon, car, camera, computer.
• Math: sort, compare, count, add and subtract different types of cereal.  Make a bar graph using cereal.  Make a pie chart. Using a clock.
• Books: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff 
• Songs: Clementine, Clap Your Hands With Me
• Art: make cards
• Misc: crazy hair day

* My daughter's name starts with C, so we incorporated her name into several of the activities.  We did this for family members' names on the appropriate days also.

Chili

1 can chili beans        2 large cans pinto beans, drained                 1 can kidney beans, drained  

1 can corn                  2 small cans tomato sauce             1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained   

Combine all ingredients in a large crockpot.  Adjust quantities as needed.  Cook on low 4-6 hours.  Serve with crackers and shredded cheese.

B is for ...

This theme is mainly review and the letter changes every two days.  We assembled a binder with a tab for each letter.  Each day's papers can be put into the binder for a sort of scrapbook to review.  Here are some of our slightly organized ideas for the letter B (of course we didn't do all of these and some are more specific than others):

• Food: Bananas (make banana bread or banana pudding); beans (make bean salad, chili or Black Bean Nachos)
• Animals: bears, bulldogs, beavers, bison, to name a few.  Choose one or two to learn about.  Print coloring pages, draw, share facts, look at pictures.
• Science: set up a butterfly habitat
• Geography: mark locations on a map, make a fact book about Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belau, Belgium, Belize, Belorussia, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi.
• Math: sort, compare, count, add and subtract beans.  Make a bar graph using beans.
• Books: Berenstain Bears series
• Songs: The Bear Went Over the Mountain
• Art: make butterfly mirror paintings

Black Bean Nachos 

1 can cheese soup        1 cup shredded cheese                    1 can black beans, drained

1 cup milk                    1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips        1 package shell pasta, cooked & drained   

In a medium bowl, mix soup and milk.  In a large casserole dish, combine pasta, beans, and soup mixture.  Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Remove from oven, sprinkle tortilla chips and cheese over the top and bake and additional 15 minutes.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

A is for ...

My youngest daughter will be five this month.  I'm not convinced that she is ready for kindergarten, but she started preschool at 3, homeschooled last year and we are going to see where we go this year.  She was a very shy child who came out gradually in preschool.  Last year when we began homeschooling, she always preferred play over school time.  With other events going on, I didn't push her.  This year, I want to see more social growing to make room for more book learning.  What we have chosen to do is a letter theme.  This is mainly review and the letter changes every two days.  We assembled a binder with a tab for each letter.  Each day's papers can be put into the binder for a sort of scrapbook to review.  Here are some of our slightly organized ideas for the letter A (of course we didn't do all of these and some are more specific than others):

• Food: Apples (taste testing and comparing, counting seeds, painting with apples, baking apple pie or cinnamon apples, expanding to the colors red and green); apricots (making jam, canning); avocados (making guacomole, the parts of a tree, germination)
• Animals: coloring pages of Alligators, Anteaters, Antelope, Aardvark, to name a few.
• Science: build an ant colony
• Geography: mark locations on a map, make a fact book about Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Australia, Algeria, Austria
• Math: counting seeds in an apple, counting ants
• Books: The Ants Go Marching One By One, The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson

Welcome!

I am a homeschooling mom to 3 girls, ages 10, 7, and 5.  We love to learn, but not always in ways you would expect.  I like to do things around the edges of the box and my girls barely come into the box.  We use a mixture of my public school teaching background, homeschool curriculum, and everything in between and around.