Day 72 / 104 - National Geographic Geography

Since my son and I have been studying Geography in depth this year, National Geographic has been one of my favorite accounts to follow on Instagram.  For awhile now, I've wanted to locate the pictures on a map with my children.  Since we are snowed in (still!), we had some time to review this morning by identifying the pictures' locations from the National Geographic account on a map.

This took very little time.  In fact, so little time, that I told my son we should complete this exercise a few times a week.  We had to consult our Atlas for a few locations, but overall he was able to pinpoint most countries from memory.  Geography strand for the win!

Day 71 / 104 - Life Happens At The Table, Week Three

On Valentine's Day, it snowed eight inches.  Then the following Monday, it snowed another ten.  Our road, and our driveway, is hilly and semi-rural.  My husband was out of town.  We didn't leave the house until Friday.  Needless to say, there was some activity around our table.

My mother-in-law made a quick visit into town (and fortunately was able to escape before the worst of the snow) to help my daughter with some sewing projects.

My son is keeping track of his chores and his fitness for two different merit badges. Last week most of this, for both categories, was accumulated through 'shoveling the driveway'.

Everyday, I taped new butcher block paper to the table, and that is how we completed most of our learning.  Since we were stuck at home all week, we reviewed quite a bit.  Latin and History earned posts of their own.

We played games.

Friday, we saw the light and exited the house for a mere three hours.  Then, Saturday brought us approximately 14 more inches.  Now, our road is even more impassable and reminds me of a remote, undesirable, Siberian gravel path.  My prayer is that it is plowed sometime in the next 24 hours.  If not, this week we'll be living around our table again.

Day 70 / 104 - The American Girl Scout Cookbook

While sorting through some of her mother's belongings, my mother-in-law recently rediscovered this cookbook and passed it down to my daughter.  For years, my husband's grandmother worked professionally for the Girl Scouts. The book was published in the early '60s and has been a delight for my daughter.

Back in January, I posted on my Facebook page about how we have arranged dinner this year. One of the ways we have simplified our life during the 30 weeks we actively school (15 in the fall, 15 in the spring) is by having the same dinner, the same day, each week (Mondays - tacos, Tuesdays - chicken stir fry, etc.) I pick five quick, easy meals that I know my children will eat, and we stick to that plan Mondays through Fridays. I know what I need to prep, everyone knows exactly what needs to be cleaned up, and most importantly, I am able to breeze in and out of the grocery store in 20 minutes.  On the weekends, and during breaks, we mix it up some and try out some new recipes.

I have tried to include my children in this plan as much as possible, even if it's as simple as "Boil the spaghetti and heat up the meatballs." Naturally, my daughter has embraced it and now 'owns' dinner a couple nights a week.  (I have told her I will pay her $2 per meal, but ONLY after everything has been cleaned up and put away.)  This book has given her some new ideas that are simple and doable. Independently, she follows recipes quite well.

This was a new dish with pork chops and stuffing made with peanut butter (!).  It was different, but quite delicious, and most importantly quite simple.  Additions were salad that came out of a bag and rolls that came out of a package.  Voila!

 

Day 69 / 104 - Illustrated Latin Review

We've been snowed in for four days now.  Each day, I've covered our table with butcher block paper, and we've had some fun.  Today, my son and I reviewed most of the nouns he's learned in Latin by illustrating them.

Day 68 / 104 - Snow Cream

I couldn't give you our exact total right now.  Maybe 14 inches ... ?  We are expecting another 3 - 5 inches this afternoon.  We haven't left the house in 2 1/2 days.  This is uncommon for us.

However, my daughter has made two batches of Snow Cream, which has been a hit.  If you've never tried it, you should. She is being sure to collect the snow from an area of the yard that our dog doesn't visit.  I've seen several different recipes floating around the web, but here is the one we used:

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup milk (any kind)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
8 cups clean snow

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, whisk milk, sugar, vanilla and salt together until combined. Go scoop up some fresh (clean!) snow, and immediately stir it into the milk mixture until you reach your desired consistency. Top with sprinkles or other ice cream toppings if desired.

The ice cream should be fluffy and not runny, but it melts quickly, so dive in right away!

Day 67 / 104 - ANI in Real Life

I have mentioned before that this year my son is learning how to write a persuasive essay using materials from The Lost Tools of Writing.  One of the key tools in this process is the ANI Chart.  The ANI Chart is an advanced pro/con list that strengthens and guides a student's thinking in order to help the student discover information for his/her essay.  A student begins with a question like Whether Mary should have entered the secret garden. Then the ANI chart, along with a few other tools, helps to guide the student's thinking and moves him/her forward with defined brainstorming activities in order to form a thesis.  On the ANI chart there are three columns: Affirmative, Negative, and Information.  The student lists the reasons Mary should have entered the garden in the A column and lists the reasons she shouldn't have entered the garden in the N column. When an idea might not fit in either column, but does give the student more information, that is placed into the I column.

Two weeks ago, my son and I were faced with a real-life scenario that required a difficult answer, whether it be yes or no.  It was necessary for us to figure out if we should continue, or limit, our involvement with a certain activity due to a recent life change on the horizon.  This was not a simple decision because we have invested quite a bit of time, effort, and resources into this activity.  Either yes or no could have been the right answer, but we needed to discover what would be the best decision for us at this time.

He and I spent several days discussing the activity, its effects, and its outcomes using the ANI Chart.  I wish I had been taught to brainstorm and make decisions this way.  It was a healthy activity for us to visualize the strongest arguments for and against our involvement.  We were able to make a decision based on all the information and move forward.  Plus it strengthened our relationship incredibly.  Looking back, using this process and having these few conversations with my son will remain a highlight of this school year.

Day 66 / 104 - U.S. History Wall of Fame

Drawing History sentences is not new for us.  Honestly, Cycle 3's sentences are a little difficult to master because there is an exact date involved in almost every single one.  Last time through this cycle, we drew a timeline to help us keep our dates in order.

Over the weekend, I saw this idea on Facebook, and thought surely my daughter and I could easily recreate a wall-of-frames for our History sentences.  We are snowed in today, so it truly was the best use of our time.  We'll keep this hanging up for as long as possible to help us master our United States History.

Day 65 / 104 - Homeschool Day at the Capitol

Last Thursday we visited Charleston along with many other West Virginia homeschoolers.  Each year, during the West Virginia Legislative Session, homeschoolers gather at the state capitol to highlight the advantages and successes of homeschooling.  We have the opportunity to build positive relationships with our lawmakers by interacting with them personally.  This is not our first time attending this event.

It can be rather difficult and frustrating to homeschool in West Virginia.  This is mainly due to the fact that most politicians and administrators are unfamiliar with homeschooling and its results.  Pivotal to homeschoolers, this day showcases to lawmakers the dedication, determination, and excellence that a home education provides.

Day 64 / 104 - Asia

My son has been spending the past few weeks learning the countries, capitals, and major features of Asia.

Day 63 / 104 - Life Happens At The Table, Week Two

It has been a joy to capture memories around my table the past two weeks.  Here are a few of the happenings ....

My daughter has truly been on a baking kick.  There have been dozens of cupcakes.  There are brownies in the oven presently.  For the grown-ups, moderation is key.

Tracing and drawing maps and human anatomy systems.

Clearly, something was happening here.

One day, it was organized.  Trivial Pursuit cards have made a resurgence in our home recently and have been receiving lots of attention.

For the record, Sunday evening we even ate dinner at it !!

Here are two reasons I have enjoyed this activity this week.  First, in my previous post I mentioned some packing paper that had been on the table for weeks.  Weeks!  Regularly taking pictures of my table forced me to put away the packing paper.  That in and of itself was quite the victory.  Second, in two of these pictures you can see a dog food bag sitting next to the empty container where we usually store the dog food.  Again, the pictures forced me to place the food into the container and throw the bag away.  Small but mighty victories for household management.

If you aren't following along on Instagram, I have a link to my profile on the right hand side of this page.  Join in on the fun using the hashtag, #LifeHappensAtTheTable.

Day 62 / 104 - "Twitterpated!"

Over the weekend, my daughter attended yet another youth canvas class and painted this delightful lovebird picture.

(Sunday was a glorious day to be outside.  Today does not look like this photo.)

Day 61 / 104 - Benjamin Franklin

This past week, while my son was composing his paper on The Secret Garden, my daughter was composing a three-paragraph report on Benjamin Franklin.  She resourced three short texts on this Founding Father and fused her sources to write the paper below.  She also illustrated a picture to accompany her work.  

Day 60 / 104 - The Secret Garden

This year, my son is learning how to write a persuasive essay with materials from The Lost Tools of Writing.  (I mentioned one of his earlier assignments last fall.)  For this Literature strand, we are reading ten novels over the course of this school year, spending three weeks on each novel.  Week one, we discuss the novel, and my son composes an issue for his essay.  Week two, he arranges an outline.  Week three, he composes his paper.

What I have heard said about The Lost Tools of Writing (and what I agree to now be true) is that this program not only teaches your student how to write, but more importantly it teaches your student how to think.  There are a series of tools and exercises we complete each week that help us read the text more thoroughly and accurately, as well as tools that help us arrange and communicate our thoughts.  It has required effort on our part, but it has been time well invested.

We spent the past three weeks examining The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  My immediate response was how disappointed I was in not reading this book as a child.  I simply loved it.  For me, one of the benefits of homeschooling has been reading books that I should have read long ago.  After reading and discussing the novel, my son (with my assistance) opted to write an essay on why Mary (the protagonist) should have entered the secret garden.  He revealed examples communicating how the garden brought her health, adventure, and relationships.

Day 59 / 104 - Adjectives and Adverbs

This was a fun little activity from my daughter's Essentials class last week.  The challenge was to recreate the definitions of adjectives and adverbs creatively.

My daughter opted to sew her submission because she recently received a new sewing machine that embroiders letters.  Before we purchased the supplies, I told her she needed to sketch a plan so that we weren't just buying fabric and thread without any direction.  She obeyed, and naturally worked harder at this than any other assignment last week.  Her quilt-type item is double-sided and has a definition embroidered on each side.