Prairie Primer Big Woods: week2

This week has been a slow week for us. Sky has been sick all week with strep-throat. Also, Benji came home which always throws us off schedule. We managed  to do a few things,though.

First we made some more butter- this time trying the carrot coloring. It worked but wasn't quite the color I'd have liked. Here's Denim helping to grate the carrots. She really liked that part. Afterwards, she was being silly and ate a few of the leftover pieces of carrots that we'd cooked in the milk. According to her they were very tasty.

Next, they measured out the cream

After we'd shaken it while listening to our lesson we had to wash the butter.

The butter turned out great. I'm thinking from now on I'll start letting the kids make real butter on holidays as a way to let them help with dinner.

We also tried the Molasses on Snow candy.



Denim helped by keeping the molasses mixture stirred



We found the molasses at a local grocer. When I was asking for it the older lady was like Wow, we haven't had anyone ask for that in ages. Now, I'm not big on molasses but I have to say I really like it on biscuits. The kids tried it but weren't fond of it either. Still, they wanted to make the candy.

Using the snow cone maker Sky made some shaved ice for our "snow".

We drizzled the molasses mixture on the snow, it was very hard to make squiggles and curlicues though.

I think we drizzled it too thin. Also, it didn't harden well so I think either we cooked it too long or the snow wasn't cold enough. It didn't turn out well. The kids were able to taste it though and said it was disgusting.It made them very grateful for their modern candy!

Finally, we made little tin candle shades like the ones Laura spoke of. She was fascinated by how pretty the light shown through and so were Denim and Sky!

Denim was pounding her nails into her tin.

A finished candle shade.

Hopefully next week we can be more productive.

Baloo and Leann

Hey everyone, I have a note here from Leann. She writes..

"Just an update on Baloo.... We made it through the storms and tornados in North Alabama fairly well. Baloo is now on a road trip to see the last Shuttle launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Hopefully we will see it tomorrow. Stay tuned!"



We're glad to hear they made it through ok. We are praying for the victims of the storms and their families.

Baloo's Pics

Hey everyone! We have some Pics from Baloo and Leann here. Looks like Baloo is having a great time! Here's the info she sent us on the pics :)

Here are a couple of photos of Baloo so far. The (first one) shows Baloo with Labyrinth (my monster) on the trip from Mobile, AL to Hunstville, AL. They were sitting on a pillow but had to be buckled in. They got along just fine for the whole trip. Labyrinth is my monster who travels with me everywhere I go. He's been to Washington, DC, the Grand Canyon, and Disney World. He liked to travel also but he wants to stay with me.

(This one) shows Baloo with Smith Lake in the background. He visited the lake from Friday, April 22 until Sunday, April 24. It was a beautiful day and he enjoyed relaxing on the deck.

Thanks for the pics Leann!

Prairie Primer: Little House in the Big woods:week 1

For our summer curriculum we have begun using The Prairie Primer by Margie Gray with two other homeschooling families. If you aren't familiar with the Prairie Primer, or PP for short, it is a unit study based on all nine books in the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. You can find out more about it here:
http://www.cadroncreek.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Pioneer
I have to say this is a great addition to our homeschool. The kids are enjoying learning about how they did things in Pioneer times.
This week for our home studies Denim learned all about Bears. We read several books on the topic and watched some Nat.Geographic videos on Netflix. She also learned a little about habitats , in particular, bears' habitats. We colored pictures of different habitats and mounted them on cardstock backgrounds. We will be using these for a Bulletin Board that we will be using throughout the PP. As we come across different animals Laura and her family encountered we will place stickers of the animals on the correct habitats. We will also study different animals. We will  incorporate writing into this as she does reports on the different habitats, food chains ect. Denim is definately my nature and animal loving child so this is right up her alley. She is also learning how to spool knit as her handicraft.
Skyler learned about the different methods of food preservation in Laura's day and has begun studying about bacteria. He did a pop up page showing how the food was stored in Laura's attic and combined that page with a mini book showing how Pa smoked the meat in a smoker made out of a tree.

We got the pop up sheet from
http://practicalpages.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/a-3-dimensional-model-of-little-house-in-the-big-woods/

This mom did an amazing job on this! The smoker came from an online source as well but I can't remember exactly where.

 We have a science kit he is working on for some hands-on learning. He also will be doing a biography report on Louis Pasteur. He focused this week on firearms and as we cleaned his gun we talked about the differences and similiarities between his and Pa's weapons and methods. He is also taking the online portion of the Alabama Firearms training course and working towards getting his hunting license! This is a picture of Sky with his gun which is a Rossi 22/4-10 matched pair.He got it for Christmas when he was 10.

He also began working on a paper debating weather or not college students should be allowed to carry concealed handguns on campus which is a very controversial topic right now. We focused on format and vocabulary choice during this. He was actually really motivated during this which surprised me because he hates to write. His opinion differs from mine which isn't what I expected. When he finishes it I will try to remember to post it on here for you to read. He is doing an amazing job!

At co-op it was my turn to do a lesson and activity with the kids. I gave a short lesson on our respiratory system and how it works together as the PP suggested we study lungs and breathing. I also gave a mini-lecture on the dangers of smoking which I feel I was highly qualified to present as I am a smoker who regrets ever picking the first cigarrette up! I led the kids in a pledge to myself and their parents that they would never smoke. I pray that they keep that pledge.  For the activity portion the kids made interactive models of their respiratory systems using patterns from The Scholastic Body Book. This is an amazing resource for the homeschool library and has models of all the body's systems you can assemble! We will be using this a lot during the PP. I will try to post some pics of their models this weekend but in the meantime here's link to check out this book- I highly recommend you purchase this book if you have a tactile/kinesthetic learner!
http://www.amazon.com/Body-Book-Grades-3-6/dp/059049239X
I also brought some headcheese (Souse meat) for the kids to try. Needless to say we had a lot left over LOL I was pleased that they were brave enough to try it but don't blame them a bit for spitting it out. I've tried it before and I, personally, think it's disgusting!
Ms. Ann, another co-op mom, was kind enough to bring in some of the other foods mentioned in The Little House in the Big Woods. She brought in some delicious venison cooked in Lard as well as a sample of lard. The children seemed to like they butter the best though as she taught them to make it and they were all able to take turns shaking! I must admit- I loved it, too!  Thank you Ms. Ann!
In addition, each child got a turn to speak about what they learned at home. I think they had the most fun with this during Gabriels survey game on the different animals mentioned in Big Woods.
Overall the kids and adults had a great time. I love how well we all get along and for me the co-op also keeps me accountable to staying on track!
*****UPDATE*****
Here are some of the pics from Co-op where our girls were trying some of the foods!

YUMMY!

Also, here is a pic of the respiratory track project that each kid did.

GeoBear- Baloo

Thank you to Leann who is Baloo's new Guardian! Baloo went on a short trip from Pell City, Al to Mobile, Al with his sponsor, Stacey. Stacey then handed him off to Leann who took Baloo to Huntsville Al! We hear Baloo is having a great time! Please keep following Baloo's journey as he travels the world!
Current Miles = about 355!


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GEO-BEAR Project -entry 1

Today our co-op will be making Geo-bears. If you haven't heard of them you should really check them out. Basically they are Teddy bears that the kids send out to travel the world. They are passed person to person rather than by mail. As someone recieves a bear they fill out a travel log for the next reciever, or Guardian, as they are called to read about the bear's previous travels. They let the sponsor, or owner, of the bear  know by regular mail (postcards, letters, ect.) or e-mail where the bear is and what the bear is up to. A lot of times they will enclose pictures, small souvenirs, or more information on a location. So, later today watch for a post on the Geo-bears. Also, we will continue to update and track the bears locations on this blog as information is recieved.

Why we homeschool and why I love it

Recently I was asked the question-"What are your favorite parts about homeschooling?" by a new homeschool parent I met through an online forum. I thought my answer really reflected not only why we started homeschooling but also why we continue to homeschool. I thought it would make a great first post for my new blog. So here is my answer to that question!
    I can tell you what my favorites are but first you need a bit of background. My kids were both in Public School. My son went up through the 5th grade. Midway through that year we pulled him out. He has tourettes' spectrum disorder. The kids can be cruel and I taught him strategies for that, but what I hadn't anticipated was the indifference of the "teachers" and other staff. They blatantly allowed  (and sometimes contributed to) behavior that ended up damaging my son's self-esteem beyond repair- or so I thought-. There were also other issues with the school systems. They didn't follow his IEP plan which states the accommodations they are supposed to by law provide him with which only set him up for failure. They also began teaching things I didn't agree with. Such as sex-ed without my signed consent by filing it under "Health" or how about the time that a teacher had a fellow friend who was also a teacher in a televised talent contest. My son's teacher showed the clip of that teachers group to the student and encouraged them to text in their votes for that teacher. Upon questioning my son I realized she didn't show the other group's clips to the kids for them to compare her with to make their own decision on who to vote for- so I felt that was an abuse of her authority status. And BTW what were they doing watching and discussing that??? Where was the educational value? The school also had what they call "Silent Lunch". This is what happens when the teachers lessons are interrupted by some child's behavior and the entire class is punished. At lunch you sit at the table with no talking or socializing at all. If you don't follow that you are given detention. Now, imagine how hard that is for my son who has the tourettes ADHD, OCD, ect. Again- setting him up for failure. But I personally felt it was unfair to all the children. Anyways- I have a ton of PS Horror stories which is why I chose to homeschool him. With my daughter it was because she WAS the behavior problem. She was a major distraction to the other kids (climbing on and under tables, encouraging them to misbehave ect) She kept her teacher, who was very patient and kind, in tears. Her teacher flat out told me the only thing my daughter was getting out of school WAS the socialization and since I was an active volunteer in her class I knew it was true! Also, since we were already homeschooling my son at that point it was easier to do both as we would have to rush home from whatever activity we were doing to be there when she got off the bus. So that is why we homeschool her. Now on to my favorite parts of homeschooling.
It is different for each of my children but lets start with the Socialization. When it comes to my son there has been a ton of improvement! He used to be so angry all the time- exploding at the slightest infraction. Now he has gotten that temper under control and is so much more relaxed! HS has taken away a lot of the mental stress PS put on him- which means less stress for me too :) His self-esteem issues are fading away. He has become more confident through socializing with other HS kids. I have found that HS kids REALLY ARE nicer than PS kids. HS has allowed him to lead certain group activities as well which adds to his confidence. And if there ever is an incident with another HS kid- there moms are right there!  He has way more friends and opportunities now than he ever did in PS. And when I see the other PS kids at outside events ect. I can't believe the difference in the way they behave- they curse, disrespect ect. I am glad my son doesn't have to act that way to fit in! Now as for my darling daughter, I can now monitor the way she interacts with her friends which allows me to guide her in making and maintaining good friendships. She is still my social butterfly but here's the difference. In PS she was exposed to what I call the "mean-girl syndrome" that is the belief that to be popular you must be hateful to other "non-popular" kids.  Now, she will play with anyone and in fact even invites the shyer less-confident children to join in. I love the changes I am seeing there as I was "unpopular" as a child.  Speeking of which- I'm more confident now as well!  Homeschooling has allowed me to make and maintain friendships with other HS moms! As adults it can be hard to make new friends I think. You get caught up in running your household and can be limited on opportunities. This has opened a lot of doors for me.
Now lets take a sec to talk about the change in family dynamics. My children and I are closer than we have ever been since they were toddlers. PS caused a major seperation for us of course. We would barely see each other during the week as they went to school, came home and did homework, had dinner, had their own private time to destress and maybe even a sports practice ect. to attend and then it was bedtime to get enough sleep to catch the bus at 6:30 AM. Not much time to interact. When we had the chance to have discussions they went something like this-- What did you do at school today? Nothing. Nothing, really? Well what did you learn about? Something about Japan but I don't remember what. Oh, weren't you paying attention? Yeah, but it was soooo boring- Hey guess what Timmy did at lunch, he hit another kid in the face with a brownie hahaha. And that was about the whole conversation. Well now we have long talks about all kinds of things and they are MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS!!! This means he can actually have a discussion with other adults as well. The moms of some of the PS kids we know always comment on how mature and intelligent and well behaved he is and I have to laugh inside. No he's not- but he is acting his age. And- the kids aren't embarassed to be seen with me anymore! That's a plus. In addition I'm more than just Mom now- I'm also their friend and confidante and I LOVE that! We should all be our kids' best friend.
 Moving on to the Academics. --- My kids do not "love to learn" like other children I know. But knowing this, I'm ok with it. Homeschooling allows us the opportunity to find what works for our kids.  Now they don't come back with-I cant remember- they can tell you all sorts of things. The secret to it is that I am sneaky. If I want them to learn something I don't have to just read from the textbook- they will lose interest in 5 seconds. But- they will watch a movie with me or take a trip to a museum, or learn how to make an origami bird etc. Tailoring my methods and curriculum  to their preferred mode of learning has enabled them to retain the information. It also does spark interest sometimes and that is when they get excited about learning and can't put the materials down. Some days they beg me to read "just one more chapter" LOL.
Finally homeschooling has been great for our family spiritually. Before we started homeschooling discussions about God normally only occurred after church on Sundays.  Using some great Christian  homeschool materials has allowed us to learn so much more and provides opportunities for discussion on these things. It has been wonderful to see my children grow in Christ. They are developing their Character traits as they are developing their academic abilities. How awesome is that! That is not an experience you can get at PS. The schools teach evolution- well, so do I. Before you are shocked let me explain. I teach it along with creation. I teach what our family believes and why. I encourage them to dig deeper and see the flaws in the theory of evolution. But above all, I teach them to think for themselves! I also know that at home they will not be ridiculed or mocked for their faith.  In addition we are able to mention our families values etc during everyday situations.
So those are the reasons I love homeschooling. We are still new, too, and still trying to find the right routines etc for us. Sometimes it is pure chaos in this house. Some days the dishes don't get done and some days we don't do a lick of work. Sometimes we need time away from each other before we strangle each other.  I'm sure some Homeschool mom somewhere with the perfectly behaved color-coded children will hate me for saying this but Homeschooling is sometimes an ugly, messy business. With that being said though, I have no regrets about my decision to homeschool because some days it is the most wonderful, joyful, experience. And honestly, even the bad days are good!