A visit from Mr. Bonehead

Today we started talking about our skeletons in science (BJU Homeschool).  The unit is actually pretty small and so I pulled out this book I got last year on clearance.

Super Skeleton (Build It Now)

It is full of bright colorful pages with tons of information about the human body

But by far the coolest thing is the model of the skeleton that you get inside the book, fondly named "Mr. Bonehead" by Little Cheese

Hopefully you can see by the picture how large the model is and it is 3D!

It's a cool way to dig deeper into bones!

Homemade Lace Up Cards

The other day I had a brilliant idea (ok, brilliant to me....maybe not on the genius end of things) that I could make Manny homemade lace up cards.  He really enjoys doing things that he has to concentrate on and I thought these would be perfect.

Here is what I did.  I printed off a panda coloring page.  Little Cheese is learning about China and we were going to be discussing panda's so I thought this way Manny would be included.  Then I used a glue stick and glued the picture to a manila folder.  Anything sturdy could work, including cereal boxes!

Then, once dry I cut out the picture close to the lines but left a border of white.  Using a hole punch, I went around the edges and created the lacing holes.  A piece of string later and we were off!

For a boy who wakes up with jumping beans in his PJs, he sat still for a good 30 minutes doing this!  He also enjoyed coloring the picture when he was done.

Contracting Contractions

We started working on contractions today and in an effort to make things more hands on for my Little Cheese, I came up with contracting contractions.

I wrote two words on a piece of paper like this:

 then you start contracting (folding) the papers to make the new word:

with the 'nt contractions you have to fold twice

and add the ' and you have the new word.  Did not become didn't

Whala!

She'll is She Will...and you can practice over and over....

 He Will becomes

Wait!  Where is the ' Where is the '?

Ok.  That's better.  (sorry, just hoping to give you a little chuckle)

Contracting Contractions.  A good way to go!

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Spell My Grits

(Does anyone remember "Eat My Grits?"  That's what is ringing in my ears...)

Well, last night Manny desperately needed some entertainment.  I opened my pantry hoping that something would jump out at me and there sat the poor neglected container of grits.

I got out a mason jar and searched my kitchen for some odds and ends.  I came up with an odd assortment of items, including skittles, that Manny could sit and do a little treasure hunt.  And it was very rewarding for him and for me.

Then I got the bright idea to include Little Cheese in the fun but to make it educational.  I found our letter tiles (although letter beads would have worked better) and found enough tiles to spell four or five words.  I wrote the words on a piece of paper and then threw the tiles into the container of grits.

Little Cheese had to search in the box and find the letter tiles then use them to spell the words written on the piece of paper.  This game received a 10 on the Little Cheese 1-10 scale (1 being "I couldn't wait for it to be over because it was so boring" and 10 being "That was great, when can I do it again!"

This would also work well with a full alphabet of tiles or beads for Manny.  I could have him pull out the letters and then have him put them in alphabetical order....

You could also play a game of hangman.  Add the letters to the word that you have to guess and then add 5-10 extra letters that aren't in the word.  Pull them out one by one and try to pull the right letters before you are "hanged".

Lots more possibilities that I originally thought!

Chutes and L(ADD)ers

Here is a new twist on a wonderful board game, Chutes and Ladders.  Little Cheese and I needed to practice on adding and subtracting so, in an effort to make it more interesting, I went searching for a game.

Chutes and L(ADD)ers actually makes a great game for adding and subtracting.  Instead of using the usual game piece that is used to determine how many spaces you use, I pulled out a couple dice.  A roll of the dice determined the numbers that we were subtracting (smallest from largest).  So, if a six and two were rolled, the player would move four (4) spaces.  This game can also be used by utilizing flash cards.  

This game also works well with adding the two dice together-it just makes the game go a little faster.

Little Cheese loved it and can't wait to play again.

When homeschool isn't working.

I am going to be honest with you.  I am a worksheet queen.  I like that the information is all contained on that page.   I like that it feels like we are accomplishing getting through a "subject" when it is done.  It is also easy.
I have a very energetic four year old boy and a very let me run down the hallway and shut myself in any room that you left the door open and then say "boo" so you will come and find me 18 month old.  My 7 year old is very distracted by my other two children and I find it very hard to use manipulatives.

But.  A big old but....it isn't working.  My daughter really, really, truly dislikes school.

Could it be the thought of sitting at a desk and doing worksheets for a couple hours?  Yes.  Thanks to my friend Kevin for pointing this one out to me.
Could it be that I expect her to do in one day what should be done in 5?  (It's only two pages but I didn't realize that it should be broken down into 5 tiny parts)  Thanks to Kevin's lovely and homeschool queen wife Ali for giving me that one!
Could it be that I don't do enough hands on things and take the time to engage my littlest ones in a project so I can take a trip Africa in my living room with my seven year old?  Yep...thanks to my dear friend Kim for your inspiration there!
Could it be that I simply need to work on my heart and my daughter's heart and leave school to come (not as in un-schooling but that the heart is simply more important).  Yep.  Thanks to my friend Nancy for that one!
Could it be that I have not taken the time to figure out what type of learner my daughter is and instead just ordered a hodge-smodge of curriculum that I thought would work best and they all turned out to be worksheet based?  Yep.  Thanks to my friend Jackie for that one!

So, over the coming days and weeks, I am going to make more and more of an effort to learn about my daughter's learning style (like a love language I would think) and watch and guard our hearts.  I am going to include more interactive things.  I am going to figure out how to entertain a 4 and 18 month old for more than 10 minutes.

Won't you join me on the journey?

(I am truly blessed to attend a church in which homeschooling is prevalent.  I have such a huge group of friends to get inspiration, encouragement, and a good laugh because we have all been there!) 

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