Homeschoolers Check In

[vettechmomof2]

Just writing to see how everyone is doing around these times.

We started a new thing and the kids had so much fun they decided they want to do one every year for memories. It is a Lapbook that they titled All ABout Me. Simple favorites, pictures of their different body parts cut out and then repasted together on a man shape which we velcroed into the lapbook and they can take it back out. A timeline that they chose the special dates for. Anything they wanted in there basically. They whipped through that in one day.

We have also been doing a lot of community service. Baking, sewing, delivering goods and so forth. Visiting with some elderly in our area and just having a great time.

We are studying the middle ages and are doing another lapbook for it but had a great field trip with a gentleman who presents in middle age armor and lectures about it. How it was made, worn, layers, protection for it, etc. We got to try it on and play around with it. Lots of fun and then we were able to go over to a local stone made castle and take pictures and play in the castle. We could not get the kids out of there.
We have had a lot of fun acting out the King Arthur stories and different Knight stories for different people in our area.

Working on 4-H and Girl Scouts. ( We are sewing many different things for GS and donating them to all sorts of different places). We just did a bunch of curtains for a family who had a fire and are now living in a small trailor that had nothing. NExt are some pillows for them.

Still doing most of the basics as well. Math daily. Reading always. German often but not as regulated as some. We listen to it in the car and sing songs in German daily. We are starting some more music lessons soon as one of my co-workers is going to teach us for FREE! She owns and can play about 20 different instruments. I can play 2:( so this will be a big help and should be lots of fun.

So, how is everyone else doing this time of the year. We used to take this time off but figured we were doing too much not to log and boy was I correct and glad that I am logging it all now.

Allene

[CButler]

It sounds like things are going well for you! I have not heard about lapbooks until your posts on them. I'd like to learn more about that.

I have added a little unit on Christmas music as it gets closer. We are studying Handel's Messiah and The Nutcracker. My daughter is loving it.

I wish she would love handwriting! We do Handwriting Without Tears for her sensory problems. Her little hand grip is so weak-no wonder she hates doing it. We manage to do a little at a time with rewards. We will start going back to the OT in January, and that will help.

My older daughter (16) is busy, busy, but is doing her best to keep up with all her assignments.

We are ready for Christmas break, but it won't be too long.

[vettechmomof2]

I have not heard about lapbooks until your posts on them. I'd like to learn more about that.



Hands of a Child http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/
Live and Learn lapbooks http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LiveAndLearnPress/
that is there yahoo group which you can try out free lapbooks that are a lot of fun and gives you ideas of their products.
http://www.liveandlearnpress.com/
Curr Click http://www.currclick.com/

These are some of the lapbooks I did to get started. A lot of them I end up making my own though after getting some ideas. The middle ages one is from Live and Learn.

If you sign up for curr click they do weekly free samples. Sometimes lapbooks, sometimes notebooking pages, etc.

Here is one article on what lapbooking is invoving the hands of a child site but remember you do not need to follow a "program or kit" for it at all. Just your imagination. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50546.asp

I love the Nutcracker. It is one of my favorites.
Allene

[WestinsMom]

We have run off the road here :( Well, not completely but our progress has slowed. We have a lot going on right now with our business and I have been a bit preoccupied. I guess that is the benefit of homeschooling, there is always learning going on.

[Karenwith4]

Can I count Christmas crafting as school? - lol

We've been maintaining table time (barely) which is math, reading and copywork/dictation but most other stuff is hit and miss around doctors appointments, community events, increased visits, Christmas crafting, and volunteering.

We just did a field trip to the musuem for a Christmas traditions program which was well done. We're doing a bit of follow up reading on that. At church the kids have been learning about non-Christian faith traditions and major celebrations so it is interesting to watch the kids make the connections between what they see at Christmas/Yule and the holy days and celebrations of other faiths.

I always wonder why I even bother to try to fit academic stuff in during the month of December. Maybe January will be more academically scheduled.

[diabeticangel14]

I've been doing pretty good with my homeschooling. I use the ACE PACEs, and I have 30 left, which is a lil less than half a year, until I'm completely finished. My friend who homeschools with me really get into the whole season thing--we listen to Christmas music all day while we're working. We don't do any "fun" stuff, 'cause yeah, according to ACE we only have about half a year left, but it's just too bad that part of that half is whole year's worth of English :(. Oh well.

[LizinTX]

We are doing pretty good. My plan of doing two lessons each of English and related subject on Monday's and Wednesday's, and Math, Science and History on Tuesday's and Thursday's--seems to be working well for us.

I thought we would work through this week, then take a huge break for Christmas and New Year's. Maybe use the time as catch up if we need too, but I really think we are on schedule. Unlike other years when we were doing math pages in July that had little Christmas wreath pictures on them.:o