New Stuff in our Classroom

We're trying a few new things in our classroom this week. I found a fun spelling idea on Pinterest: clothespin spelling! I made cards with all of the kids' spelling words for the next two weeks, and I used a plain old ballpoint pen to put letters on the wooden clothespins.

I believe this activity was originally used for sight words for young readers, but it works really well for spelling, too. Dude, in particular, hates to write, but is willing to practice his spelling words in alternative ways.
(I'm hoping it might improve his pincer grasp and fine motor skills as well!)

Another new classroom activity: "That's Debatable!"

We talk about all kinds of things in our family, from the current economy and how it's affecting Americans to the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East. One of my goals for my children is that they are well-informed enough to discuss "big" topics, and that they have the skills to defend their positions in arguments. The kids really enjoy our family discussions so I thought up some argument-starters and put them in the "That's Debatable" basket

We'll use these to start our day, as a break from lessons, or to fill a few minutes whenever we need a quick activity.

These are small and hard to read in the photo, so here they are:

"The 'good old days' were a lot better than today. We should try to live the way people lived 'back then.'"

"Students in other first world countries have higher math scores than American students. This means that American students are lazy and should work harder."

"Grocery stores should stop giving people plastic bags so people will be forced to bring their own bags. That's how they do it in European countries."

"Learning to spell correctly is a waste of time because we have spell-check now."

"Kids should be taught to use 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' when speaking to adults."

"All politicians are crooks! We should kick them out and put ordinary people in those offices!"

"Opinions are like math problems. You're either right or you're wrong."

It's amazing how impassioned the kids can be about issues like these, and it's a lot of fun to hear them express and defend their opinions. I'm frequently surprised by what they have to say, and I can't always predict what side they will be on!

Well, the guinea pigs are neither new nor in the classroom, but they did hang out with Super and me over the weekend while I did lesson plans and she made cute little felt critters. She wasn't feeling well, so this was a nice restful project to work on...

Guinea Pig

Calf

Gnome

Doggie


???

Highlights from the week

We took a lovely fall walk and saw these birds flying. They were soooooo high up and I don't have a powerful zoom on my camera, so they look like a dot-to-dot here.

And we saw this handsome fellow relaxing in the grass. He didn't seem too bothered by us (but we kept a safe distance!)

We played "Which One Doesn't Belong?" (I need harder questions next time!)

We read "November" by Thomas Hood. I'm glad this poem doesn't describe our weather! As you can see, Dude gave the poem a lousy "review."

We made a fall word web, then used our ideas to write our own poem.

I'm really not sure what is happening here. I'm pretty sure I didn't take this photo.

Another homeschooling family organized a great activity: making bags for homeless people. Each bag contained a water bottle, a snack, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a bar of soap, a pair of socks, a pack of gum, and wet wipes. We always keep a few of these in our car for when we see someone in need.

We reviewed parallel and perpendicular lines, along with lines, rays, and angles. (Dude gets a little carried away with the arrows on the ends.)

We enjoyed some vanilla cake--not homemade but still very good. These pieces look tiny because this is what we got when we split the last piece!

We treated Gomez for an ear infection, and trust me, that is a challenge. Apparently he would rather hurt, itch, and run a fever than get two little squirts of medicine a day.

I put an idea from Pinterest into action. I moved our various household cleaners out of the laundry room and put them in a shoe holder on the kitchen door. It's not the prettiest decorating idea, but at least they are accessible--and maybe we'll use them more now that we can see them!

Analogies, Pilgrims, dividing hundreds, and probability; guitar, piano, and drum lessons; Scouts, karate, animal care, and whatever else that I can't remember right now! It was a fun, busy week! Hope yours was, too!

Trying something new...

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Anatomical Pilgrims

Dude was grumpy today because he got some terrible news. He is not allowed to quit piano lessons now that he's taking drum lessons. (His mother is so mean!)

He didn't bring much enthusiasm to our history class after that. He refused to put together his Pilgrim man, telling me, "This is a project for four-year-olds."

I told him that I knew it was geared towards younger kids, but it was just supposed to be a fun little activity to keep their hands busy while we read these books:

And these:

Meanwhile, Super (who plays the guitar and doesn't have to take piano, which is so unfair) worked quietly on her Pilgrim woman.

After a few minutes, she noted: "My Pilgrim lady is totally hollow. She can't survive like that!" She proceeded to make a heart, brain and pair of lungs and glued them inside.

Dude watched for a minute, then chimed in: "I'll make her some white blood cells to protect her from smallpox!"

Super: "You can make her a pancreas, too!"

Dude also cut a long strip of paper and twisted and folded it into intestines. (And yes, the Pilgrim couple ended up with all the main body systems.)

Much hilarity ensued, with comments such as: "Eew, his spinal cord is stuck to my finger!" and "Don't even bother making an appendix. It will just get infected."

Thank you, Super, for taking a rather uninspired idea and making it infinitely better! And for helping your brother get into a better mood!

Not exactly the lesson I had planned...but they are learning just the same!

Rat is to school as distraction is to children...

...or something like that!

Miss Monique came to school today!

Not sure why, but the kids decided Monique would enjoy learning about analogies and angles today. So while we were doing this matching game...

...and measuring these angles...

...our little "Miss Neeka" was having a snack.

We did a bit more practice...

...while Monique went back in her "home away from home" to enjoy her pretzel.

But by the time we got to our poetry lesson...

...Monique was bored with school and ready for her nap.

Rats really do make wonderful small pets for kids. They are friendly, curious, and easy to care for. Miss Monique is nearly three, which is pretty old for a rat. If you have a kid begging for a pet and you can't have a dog or cat, a fancy rat would be a good choice.

However, they aren't big fans of poetry!

Busy week at the Super-Awesome School

Whew! We've had a busy week here at the Super-Awesome School. We finally got around to setting up our calendar for the month!

We finished this fascinating book and we read several others about the Puritans, the Mayflower's voyage, and life in the early colonies.

We practiced our division skills and learned that "Ducks May Swim Backwards."

Played a few rounds of division bingo.

Learned new songs...

...and practiced old favorites.

We read A Very Improbable Story by Edward Einhorn...

...and played this cute Pet Shop Probability game from Really Good Stuff.

We're enjoying The Fallacy Detective; it makes for some very lively discussions!

Add karate, scouts, spelling packets, poetry, creative writing, drama class, winter clothes shopping, a couple playdates, and all that other stuff we call daily life, and you get one busy week!

Hey, Dude, what are the odds that next week will be just as busy?

Enjoying some family time

We're still here! Got lots going on, most of it good: homeschooling, karate, piano and guitar lessons, Cub Scouts, working out and keeping the bills paid. Not to mention keeping everyone fed and in clean clothes.

In addition to the usual, we're working on a new project. Actually, we've been working on it for months, but I haven't mentioned it here because I was kind of superstitious, I guess.

But National Adoption Awareness Month seems like a good time to announce: we're adopting a little boy from South Korea!

We're finishing up the homestudy process now, and hoping to get a referral for our Little Guy early next year.

So...there's lots of paperwork, meetings, training, reading books, and shopping, not to mention dreaming about Little Guy and wondering how on earth we're going to do it all with a toddler in the family!

We're trying to do lots of fun stuff with Super and Dude now since it's hard to predict the initial impact that Little Guy will have on our daily lives.

We hope to be focusing on the bonding/attachment process by this time next year. Which probably means a little less freedom to spontaneously decide to take in a movie, go out to lunch, or toss school out the window and go for a hike.

Still, life with a toddler will bring its own joys. I can not wait to sit on the floor and do puzzles again! And build block towers, just to knock them down! And finger paint! And play Candy Land!

And laugh hysterically over nothing!

Oh, wait...we already do that!

Hope you're having a beautiful fall!