Epiphany Countdown

I made this quick little Epiphany Countdown this morning for my kids using clipart and Microsoft Publisher.  I love it because it is portable - perfect for our trip to Grandma's this week!  I will add the link below for anyone who would like to print it for themselves.  It is plain black and white and I just printed it on colored paper.  Enjoy!

Epiphany Countdown

Updated 11/12/2014 -
Epiphany Countdown 2014

I've also made a smaller, consumable coloring page version.
Epiphany Countdown Coloring Page 2014

December School

December was a light month in our little homeschool.  We made sure to do math, phonics, and writing every day, but other than that we took advantage of a lighter schedule to focus on our Advent work.  We also did a lot of Christmas related work such as learning about Christmas traditions around the world for geography and history.   It is nice schooling year round - it gives us plenty of opportunity to rest when we are feeling a bit burnt out! I am working on putting together our new curriculum for next semester and will get a post about that put together soon.  Thanks for reading!

Service Advent Chain

I put together a little Advent chain project for my daughter's American Heritage Girls meeting.  We have been learning about the first part of the AHG oath: I Promise to Love God.  We read about and discussed Jesus' telling of the greatest commandment - to love God above all else and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We pledged to work throughout Advent at loving God and loving our neighbors through acts of service.  I had printed out 25 ideas on mailing labels for each girl.  They simply stuck the labels on each strip of paper and created an Advent chain with those strips.  I'm so excited for this fun little chain and am looking forward to doing something similar each year!

Our 25 Acts of Service

• Do someone else's chore for them.
• Read or tell a story to a younger sibling or pet.
• Ask mom if she needs any help in the kitchen today, either with making a meal or cleaning up.
• Tell each family member how much you love them.
• Pray for each person in your family.
• Hug someone in your family.
• Draw a picture or write a note that you can send to your grandparents to let them know how much you love them.
• Pick out a toy that you no longer play with that can be donated to a family in need.
• Ask your mom if you can purchase an extra can or two of food this week at the grocery store to donate to charity.
• Make an effort to smile at people all day.
• Do extra chores this week to earn money that can be dropped in a Salvation Army Bucket or in the collection basket on Sunday.
• Secretly perform a kind act for someone today.
• Obey your parents, teachers, and others in charge of you today.
• Be patient today and do what you can to please your parents and family without complaining.
• Say a Hail Mary for someone who is sick.
• Offer to say Grace at mealtime.
• Say a prayer for all the world's hungry people.
• Find a quiet place and sit for a few minutes, letting God love you.
• Do not lose your temper when angry or frustrated today.  Think of something else you can do to radiate God's love and forgiveness instead.
• Talk to your parents and check if there is a service project your family can do this season such as buying a gift for a giving tree, sending a care package to a soldier, etc.
• Draw a picture of the Nativity today and think about how much God loves you.
• Take care of God's creation by cleaning up a piece of litter or putting out some food or water for your friendly back yard animals.
• Ask Mama Mary to prepare your heart for Jesus' coming.
• Be nice to someone who is hard to get along with.
• Jesus is born!  Think of God's love for you, and offer him all the prayers you have seen and kind deeds you have done this Advent.

I tried to stick to ideas that wouldn't involve a ton of parental involvement just in case the parents were a bit overwhelmed with their own holiday preparations.  Also there does not have to be any particular order other than the Jesus is born one being on Christmas day.

Thanks for reading!

Advent Countdown

This is what we are using again this year for our Advent Countdown.

The left panel has Mary and Joseph traveling closer to Bethlehem each day.  The middle panel is our Jesse Tree using ornaments that I created several years ago.  We also put up an Advent candle on each Sunday since a wreath is out of the question with a rambunctious toddler in the house!  The right panel is our secular panel where I write something fun for us to do each day leading up to Christmas.  Thanks for reading!

Co-op Science: Types of Rocks

A couple of months ago I hosted another science class for preschool-1st grade age students.  This time we were studying the 3 different types of rocks - Metamorphic, Igneous, and Sedimentary.

We started off by having a rock show and tell.  I asked the kids to bring some rocks to share and I borrowed some fancy rocks from a friend to show off as well.

Igneous

Igneous rocks are formed from cooling magma and so to demonstrate this, we lit some small tea candles and had the children pour the liquid wax onto wax paper and let it harden.  This of course should be done with adult supervision!

 Sedimentary

Sedimentary rocks are formed from various layers of loose sediment being compacted and cemented together over time.  We demonstrated this by having the kids create layers of colored sugar in baby jars and pushing down with a spoon to compact them.  I was planning to purchase a sand art kit, but couldn't justify the cost.  The food dye colored sugar worked just as well.

Metamorphic

Metamorphic rocks are formed when pressure and heat are applied to any other form of rock.  We demonstrated this by giving the kids different colors of playdough and having them form layers to create a sedimentary rock.  They then pressed them between their hands as hard as they could - which of course applied both pressure, and body heat.  The melded result was their metamorphic rock.

Snack!

We ate a related snack as well!  I made a Sedimentary cheese sandwich and then applied heat (stove) and pressure (spatula) to create Metamorphic grilled cheese.  Then I gave the kids a small amount of vanilla ice cream with some magic shell poured over it.  The resulting shell after it hardened was their Igneous dessert.

This was so much fun and I could see the lightbulbs going off in their heads.  Good times!  Thanks for reading!

A Charlotte Mason Preschool

Having a child that is Preschool aged is hard if you have chosen to adopt the Charlotte Mason philosophy.  The whole world tells you that formal education begins at Preschool (3 or 4), while everyone in the CM world is shocked if you begin before the age of 6!  What's a CM mommy of young children to do?

I know that Charlotte Mason doesn't recommend starting "formal" schooling until age 6, but that doesn't mean that 3-4 year olds can't benefit from a gentle introduction to some CM techniques.  In fact, there is a TON of things you can do with your 3-4 year old children to build up the skills they will need when they are older.

*Disclaimer!  I am NOT a CM expert (or purist) by any means!  The following is just ways that I've worked on schooling my 3/4 year old while still trying to remain true to CM teachings.

Nature Walks
It's never too early to build a love of nature in a child!  Basic nature studies build a strong scientific foundation in a young child as they begin to observe how the world works and start making connections and asking questions.  Spend as much time as you can outside - playing, having fun, and learning about the world around them.  This is applicable year round - through whatever the weather may be granted they are dressed appropriately.

Living Books
Reading to your children is so so important!  Build up a love of good, quality, age-appropriate literature.  There are TONS of great book lists out there including my favorites: Mater Amabilis and Ambleside Online.

Habit Training
Charlotte Mason encouraged building up strong habits of obedience, attention to detail, self-discipline, etc.  Creating a foundation of these habits while children are still small will lead to smoother days when they are older.

Handicrafts
Once your child has developed the fine motor skills to work on a handicraft, this is a useful employment.  Handicrafts are wonderful for developing persistence, patience, and attention to detail.  The kids are also so very proud of themselves when they are able to accomplish something and see that they created something with their own hands!  Simple sewing/weaving projects, and are all things we plan to work on this year.  For a younger child "busy bag" type activities are wonderful for beginning to develop the fine motor skills necessary for handicrafts.

Fine Arts
While it is too early to start formal Artist or Composer Studies with a 3-4yo child, it is really a great age to begin an appreciation of art, music, and poetry.  Our family has found a great way to incorporate these extras into our day by implementing a daily Tea Time.  It's nothing fancy - simply the kids normal afternoon snack time.  But while they are snacking, I read them poetry, we listen to music, we look at art, or even read history-related picture books (more on history below).

Social Studies
Geography, History, basic "government" can all be taught to young children in a CM friendly way.  Learning to navigate through nature naturally leads to discussions and "lessons" on map reading and cardinal directions.  Reading living books about historical time periods and different areas of the world help children get a sense of history and geography.  As you read each living book, talk about where the authors lived and look it up on a map.  Exploring the historical monuments in your area and discussing the natural landforms and habitats in your area are nice hands on ways to learn.  Another way to get a sense of history is to look at photo albums and discuss your own family's history.

Core Subjects
This is not exactly kosher, but I think even core subjects such as Math, Reading, and Writing can all be begun at an early age.  I'll go more in depth about this in a later post, but for now, these are some great websites to read.  Math can be broached in a hands-on way using manipulatives to introduce basic concepts such as counting, patterning, 1 to 1 correspondence, spatial concepts, comparison, basic geometry, etc.  Writing can be begun by having children trace letters and numbers in sand, forming letters out of playdough, etc.  And reading can be taught in a very basic way as well by pointing out letter sounds and basic words.

Thanks for reading!

On Letting Go

The last several months have been beyond crazy and I feel like I have been thoroughly inducted into the "experienced" homeschool mama club.  I started off this school year at full speed, thinking that we could be in every single co-op in the area and still do a CM education, all while at the same time trying to "keep up with the Joneses" and squeeze in all the traditional public school subjects as well.

Looking back, it's obvious that this wasn't a pace we could keep up with for long.  I have gone through a period of complete burnout - and only halfway through our first semester!  That...is not a good sign.

I've been reading a lot more of Charlotte Mason's volumes and as I immerse myself more in her thinking, the more I realize that it is ok to let go and stick with our schedule without trying to add in a million extra things.  I am also trying to simplify our schedule so that we have more time to truly be at home and allow ourselves time to explore and learn without constantly feeling rushed.  I have to remind myself that a public school has different goals in mind and thus must use different methods - methods that I don't need to replicate in my simple two-student setting.  It is an incredibly freeing thought!

What a beautiful thing homeschooling is, that there is room for adaptation and change and the ability to do what is best for each child and family in that moment!

Thanks for reading.  :)