Day 60 / 101 - Algebraic Laws Foldable

Along with memorizing the multiplication tables and geometric formulas, my children learn different algebraic laws as part of their memory work.  Earlier this week we made these foldables to help us remember which law was which.

Day 59 / 101 - Proton Don

We've been playing this game rather frequently as we begin memorizing part of the Periodic Table of Elements.  My kids have also enjoyed a few other fun, yet educational, games on the site.

Day 58 / 101 - Owl Pillow

Several weeks ago I came across this idea on pinterest.  We own a sewing machine.  However, despite several attempts over the course of my life, I cannot sew.  I gave up any dreams I had about being able to sew many, many years ago.  But, my daughter has desperately wanted to learn for awhile.  So, this winter, I enlisted the help of my mother-in-law.  She and my daughter scheduled a few weekly sessions, and after a month, my daughter managed to assemble what is now her "most-favorite-pillow-ever".  There were a few times where she needed assistance, but I have to say, she completed about 90% of this project completely unattended.

Day 57 / 101 - Presidents' Day

I love that my children are able to name all the U.S. Presidents in order.

Day 56 / 101 - Comic Strips

Over the past six weeks, we've studied a famous American artist, and completed a related art assignment,  from Discovering Great Artists.  This book teaches the styles, works, and techniques of many great artists and features more than 150 activities.  Our unit concluded with looking at the work of famous Garfield creator, Jim Davis.  Our related assignment was creating a comic strip.  This was my children's favorite activity of the unit.

Day 55 / 101 - History Sentence Timeline

I mentioned before that my children are memorizing American History sentences this year as part of our Classical Conversations curriculum.  There are 22 sentences that include dates.  My children are in the process of mastering the information they are learning, but I realized they were having some problems with keeping the dates straight.  On Tuesday, to help us study, we made this timeline to indicate which sentence went with which date.

Day 54 / 101 - Valentine's Day Sentences

I took my son to Dunkin' Donuts today, and we spent this Valentine's Day diagramming famous quotes and thoughts on love.  I chose some humorous ones in order to keep a 10-year-old boy focused.  I have to admit, I preferred quotes from Jim Gaffigan, or Aerosmith song lyrics, much more than thoughts from Shakespeare or Browning.  Diagramming Shakespeare is no easy task!

Day 53 / 101 - Adjective Artwork

Today my children drew pictures to help them remember what an adjective is.  Drawing a picture always helps them to remember a concept.  Then we selected nouns and set a timer for two minutes.  In two minutes we came up with as many adjectives as we could for that certain noun.  My children described each other as mean, but they described me as occasionally mean.  I consider that a success!

Day 52 / 101 - 25

This math card game is essentially Blackjack without face cards or tens.  We have five attempts to reach a total of 25 without going over.  I removed the face cards and tens so my children would have to do a little more addition throughout the game.  Aces are worth one.  I'm a fan of games like this, because it forces my daughter (who really doesn't like math, but who loves games) to work on her math facts without even realizing it!

Day 51 / 101 - Asian Sun Martial Arts

I could have written this post on Day 1.  But, I made myself wait until I was halfway through with the school year.  You see, we take Taekwondo.  Lots of it.  I think you would be surprised if you realized how much time we (mom included!) spend at Asian Sun Martial Arts.  My joke has always been, ‘We do Taekwondo.  Then we school.’

When we signed our son up for a basic martial arts class 4 ½ years ago, I never anticipated a future of spending upwards of 10-12 hours a week at a martial arts school.  However, as one skill developed into the next, and as one belt advanced to the next, and as one tournament turned into another, it became what my children loved to do.  And, what they wanted to spend their time doing.  So, it remains a highlight and an integral part, not only of our homeschooling curriculum, but also of our personal lives. 

If you’re a parent, I’m sure you have heard the rationale for why the training of martial arts is beneficial for your child.  Discipline, self-control, perseverance, leadership, hard-work, dedication, good sportsmanship, etc.  I agree with every single one of those traits, as I have seen them exhibited in my children as a result of their training with Asian Sun.  Briefly, I wanted to touch on two….

      High Expectations.  We homeschool our children, because we believe we have higher expectations for them than any school system does.  We have a standard we want and expect them to achieve to.  The only other place I have come across that shares those expectations is Asian Sun.  Just yesterday evening my son participated in a test to show he was on par with other Second Degree Black Belts as they work toward earning their Third Degree Black Belts.  The other two gentlemen he tested with are employees of the school - one in his late teens, and the other, an adult.  My son was expected to know his material and perform at the same level as these two.  And he did!  In fact, if you were watching the test, I’m not sure you would have known that he was only 10 years old.  (And, I’m not just saying that because I’m his mother!)

     

     Confidence.  Clearly, confidence is a trait that is developed in martial arts.  I believe this, not only because I’ve seen it exhibited in my children, but also because I’ve experienced it myself in my own training as an adult.  However, my example will come from my daughter.  She’s 8.  I am thoroughly amazed, and impressed, with what she is able to accomplish when she’s in the dojang.  Often she will be the only female in the class.  Often she will be the youngest.  Never does she let that stop her.  I am encouraged to see who she will become when she is 16, or 24, all because of how much she believed in herself at 8.    

      I could easily do one post a week on something we’ve learned, accomplished, or experienced at Asian Sun and how that fits into our school year.  I do not regret one moment or dollar we've invested in the school. Taekwondo will continue to remain a vital part of our lifestyle and our schooling curriculum.

Day 50 / 101 - Hi-Lo

I have realized that many of my posts have to do with how we've been learning English grammar.  I admit that has been a big part of our curriculum this year, hence the many posts.  However, I thought for a bit, I'd let you in on some math games we play.  I try to do some type of math activity everyday, even when we're not 'in school'.  This is a new game we recently learned at our Essentials class.  It may have a real name, but we've resorted to calling it Hi-Lo.  It emphasizes multi-digit adding and subtracting as well as regrouping and borrowing.

To begin, remove face cards and 10's from a deck of playing cards. 
Each player starts with five playing cards.  Of the five cards, make the two highest numbers you can with four of the cards.  Discard the extra card.  Add the two high numbers together. 
Each player now receives three cards.  Make the smallest number you can with two of the cards.  Discard the extra card.  Subtract the low number from the sum of the first problem.
Each player now receives three more cards.  Make another high number with two, discarding the extra card.  Add that number to your previous total, and you have your score.

Usually we play about five rounds to determine a winner.  For extra fun, we add the total of the five rounds together, and take an average (to work some division into the game!)

Day 49 / 101 - Meet the Elements

This spring, for science, we're studying basic chemistry along with completing some related chemistry experiments and projects.  We've learned about the atomic number, an element, and parts of an atom.  Briefly we've looked at the Periodic Table, and we've begun learning about different elements on the table.  This video has helped.  Enjoy!

Day 48 / 101 - Early American Biography Cards

Earlier this school year I found this great set of biographical cards at a local Lakeshore Learning Store.  It was worth the investment!  They have been an excellent resource as we've studied U.S. History this year.   My children have been introduced to and have discovered some of the most important people in American History, and they can now recognize the contributions of these significant individuals.  Each card features an illustration on the front and biographical facts on the back.

I posted awhile back about how I use History cards in some of our daily learning activities.  We've used these Biographical cards in similar ways.