Cooler Evenings!

We are finally back on our porch after a 3 month hiatus!  Our reading, math, and swinging skills are all improving thanks to the nicer temperatures.

Along came a spider

Sometimes, lessons just drop in your lap.  Yesterday, we found a HUGE spider IN OUR HOUSE!!!  I had a momentary freak out alone, then put on my science teacher hat and enthusiastic voice.  Zoe immediately wanted to take it to her animal class (she is taking a class at the nature museum on Tuesdays) so we put him in a jar.  We did some research and found out he was a wolf spider (and our teacher confirmed it).

By the time we got home from class, she had totally bonded and was convinced we needed to keep him as our family pet.  But we couldn't think of a way to feed him flies and mosquitos in a box, so we decided to let him go.  After dance class, we rode down to the woods at the end of the block...

...and said goodbye.  Zoe drew a ladder (for him to climb on) and two hearts.  

She signed it "your friend, love, Zoe"

We also had a good lesson in camouflage and decided this would be the 

perfect new home for Big the Spider.  Can you find him?

Yee Haw!

Today, we were motivated to get our work done because Zoe was back in horse lessons after we took a month off due to heat and musical rehearsals.

I bumped Lucy up to Explode the Code 1 because the earlier ones were just busy work. These are perfect for her.  The writing is hard, but we go very slowly and just do a page or two at a time.  Followed by a sparkly mermaid sticker of course.

We finally were able to build our Egyptian pyramid!  We reviewed everything we knew about them, studied some pictures, and of course, tried a sugar cube.  This student was not a fan.  I did enjoy taking a few pictures before telling her to go spit it out.  We homeschooling moms have to get our kicks where we can some days.

We did a 5x5 layer, then 4x4, etc. up to the top layer.  I was surprised at how orderly and careful Lucy's was and how haphazard Zoe's was.  Well, not so much surprised as interested at the two methods.

We dusted with cocoa powder and then added roads for parades to bring the mummies and riches into the pyramid to hide.

And finally off to riding lessons!  Is this a blanket?  Was that a chill in the air a mere 48 hours after my car thermostat read 113??  We are ready for fall around here!

Way to go, Zoe!

Montessori shelves

There is a lot going on around Zoe these days, but Lucy is holding her own (as youngest children tend to do).  Almost a month into school, and the shelves are still a big hit!  I change them up every Monday and try to add one high interest thing each week.  Some of the items I like most (hello hundreds board) are hardly touched unless I'm leading the play, but that's OK.  She has time that she works with me (reading, math, and phonics) and the rest is shelf time and I pop in and out of that as I can.  So far, so good...

Today we practiced writing letters in shaving cream with our finger, er, hand.

Thanks again for the apron, Grannie!

These Inchimals are one of my best purchases ever.  Here, Lucy stacks them up using the numbers as guides.  We do addition, subtraction, estimating and more, and they are fun just to play with.  Every time I pull these out, she is quick to go for them.

Extra curricular activities

Our first grade student will receive an A+ in performing arts this semester.  

And our preK student will receive an A++ in patience, non-jealousy, and audience membership.

Full of air

Today, we talked about air, but first, a very important writing assignment...

"I am sorry.  I was rude.  I love you.  Lucy"  

With that out of the way, we moved on to more exciting things like talking about air.  How do you know it's there even if you can't see it?  Does it weigh anything?  Can we find evidence of it?

Finally, a big hit with Lucy has been this bug collection.  Pictured is her favorite cute bug, not to be confused with her favorite scary bug.

Writing with pictures

Today, Lucy started her sight words work.  As Zoe learned to read, we took the all-phonics approach, but those pesky words you can't sound out kept haunting us.  This curriculum is a great supplement, and Lucy loves her new ring of words and is already comfortable with I, me, the, and and.  I think it all comes out in the end no matter which approach you choose, but my struggle with her is finding stuff that she likes that is at her level, and right now, this fits the bill.

Stamping each new sight word with a different color

I love this!  It's a very simple story that Zoe can read to Lucy.  

Then, Zoe helps Lucy find her "special words" and circle them.

Today, we also learned about the first writing from the Egyptians and Sumerians.  We looked at some samples of hieroglyphics and made some of our own from clay.  We decided we were thankful for paper since it was so much work!  But we also learned that things written on clay last much longer than those written on paper.  We made our name, a picture of a bird, and Cleopatra's skirt on our tablets.

More sprinkles, please

Today, Zoe had her first real math test!  Her teacher learned a few things.  First, don't assume that it's a good idea to give the chapter and unit review at the same time - even though one is easy, both may be a bit too much.  Second, the girl knows how to work a problem using the tools around her, but switch something up or require some conceptual thinking, and we are up a creek without a paddle...we muddled through, but wow.  That oranges word problem about got the best of both of us!

Using her number bonds chart (that's some hairdo, huh?)

Working a few things out on the board

I love this book.  Today, one of the things we worked on was counting objects (easy) and holding up the right number of fingers (a little harder).  Also, we had some geometry, measuring, and pattern finding with almost no writing.

Zoe relaxed with the Tag reader after her test.  She was laughing hysterically at Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and recited it all day!

Then we went to this awesome cupcake shop and added our own sprinkles inside the sparkly carriage!  Lucy added so much that her first bite was all sprinkles (but no frosting of course).  We had fun with Avery!

Important vocabulary

Today was more about learning than taking good pictures apparently...

Lucy is moving right along in her reading.  She is good on 3 letter words and we are just practicing every day to build comfort and speed.  Most days, she does a great job getting through a lesson in our reading book

.

We had fun making tricky words for each other.  This important vocabulary one was mine.  Hers for me was "epgrd".  Tricky, that one.

In Zoe's spelling, we are working on blends and getting every single sound down. 

Working on the board is fun, at least for now!

In science, we talked about Solids, Liquids, and Gases.  They are very familiar with changing states of matter from last year, but I was surprised that it took them awhile to put the names to the states again.  We classified lots of different items from around the house and have had a regular little science lab going in our freezer and sink ever since.  

Here we are looking at glue and water: each in the solid and liquid state.