Flubber

Today we made flubber. Recipe is below and it's super easy!

Reading...

Ben has really been working on reading this summer. I found him in front of the restrooms while camping trying to decode a couple of words, one of which was "welcome". He turned around and saw me, pointed to the sign and said "we'll come!!" with a big smile on his face. He was so proud. I just hugged him for his accomplishment. Since then I've noticed that he will read lots of little words but hide it from me. He is shy about it. So I sat him down today with a little book from dltk's site (that I had printed and put together a couple of months ago) and he read it with no problem! He is interested and motivated to learn more. I am thrilled. He is on his way :)

First day of school...

I think every day is a learning day and we spent most of the summer learning. When does one turn their brain off? And if it is shut off then how will one survive in the world? As adults we are constantly learning new things, and I expect my children to constantly learn too. Summer is a great opportunity to continue to learn, it may be more relaxed and self-guided for some kids but for us it is the same year-round. We don't have more learning in different times of the year. 

I bring this up because at the end of the traditional school year, a woman (who knew that we homeschool) asked me if we took the summer off. I told her that we continue to learn through the summer and treat it no differently than the rest of the year. She gave me some strange look but couldn't understand that kids -all kids and adults- still learn in the summer and why wouldn't we capture those learning moments and make it great and memorable? She rolled her eyes and I never saw her again, I guess she went on summer break.

So, Hannah starts her Kindergarten year and Ben is in his First grade year and we spent our first day of school at the beach :) The kids had fun playing with friends and making a seaweed flavored cake. It was quite the cake! I have no pictures but the day was great. The tide was strong so they played on the side of the water and never got in too deep. Safety is big for us especially if I'm taking them somewhere on my own.

We're looking forward to some good learning experiences this year. I'll try to list what the kids want to learn about very soon :)

Tuesday

We joined a new unschoolers park day group today. We had been once before but it was hard to get to know them because we were at the beach and I was trying to watch the kids by myself. The park was a new park to us (Azalea Park), it was real nice but right on the freeway so a little noisy. There were lots of kids already there and my kids started playing with them right away. 

They explored the park (not the playground at all) and found a tree that made a house. 

There were trails leading somewhere but none of them went on one (not while we were there at least).

They found sticks and played with them. Some were tall sticks and others very short. Not one kid hit another on purpose. Not one parent was concerned with the sticks being played with. I just hate getting the stink eye from other parents on the playground when my kids pick up sticks to play with.

One family brought light sabers and all the kids took turns 'fighting' against each other with them.

We had a great time with our new friends, we can't wait for the next time we see them. I have to say that Noah didn't have fun because there weren't any kids he knew at the park, he was grumpy and really wanted to go home.

The afternoon Ben built with Legos and Hannah played with her Ponyville collection.

Monday

Ben built with legos.

They set up a store in the playroom and played store. They have play money but I don't think they were using it.

Ben and Hannah decided that they wanted to sew some bags with their fabric so they got all their sewing stuff out and got busy. They hand sewed their bags and made a handle for it too. Hannah didn't finish hers. It reminds me that we have to get batteries for her machine so that she can use it again.

They all got out the giant floor paper pads and decided that they wanted to draw. Hannah drew pictures of people that she knows, Noah drew circles and Ben drew a house with all of us inside.

Hannah played with her paper dolls that she had printed online.

Friday

Hannah made breakfast again today. She cracked 2 eggs and poured in a lot of milk. She mixed them up, put them in the pan and cooked them up. She plated them and ate them all. She wanted more so she made 2 more eggs for herself and ate them all up too. Ben made himself some toast with peanut butter and Noah wanted to help make him some eggs, but he got to close to the pan and burnt his finger. His world shattered and he was so sad. Daddy finished making his eggs.

We went to the fair today. We didn't go on any rides, we are saving that for our next trip in a couple of weeks. We went and saw someone practicing for the horse show. The kids really wanted to stay and watch but there's so much to see at the fair!

We watched the pig races, so funny. They raced around the track to get to the Oreo cookie at the end. Some of the pigs didn't race, but sauntered to the end and had to be encouraged to go. One little pig was put into a trough to swim the length, it squealed and squealed. It swam the length and was put into a little towel to dry off afterwards. It was so cute.

We checked out the goats, the sheep, the chickens, the pigs and the cows. We found all of the animals who won ribbons. They watched Charlotte's Web last night so they had a better understanding of the blue ribbons and the fair. 

We watched a cow milking demo and Ben and Hannah wanted to try hand milking the cow but they volunteered a couple of minutes too late. Maybe we'll try next time we go.

We found the sports section and the kids got to try a horse racing video game, a little miniature golf and they pretended to be the winners of the Olympics. See our main family blog for pictures.

We watched the judging of some heifers and saw them awarded with blue ribbons while we took a break and had a snack.

Next time we go... we'll do rides too.

Thursday

Hannah made breakfast this morning. She cracked 6 eggs, mixed in a little milk and poured it into the pan. She was quite proud of herself. She helped plate them up and served them to herself and her brothers.

Ben built a motorcycle with his k'nex. If Ben didn't weigh anything he would actually be able to sit on it (yes, that big).

Went to the park to meet our playgroup and for some fresh air and sun.

Ben found some kids his age to play baseball with, that was nice because at one point he came to me and said "I'm having a sad day at the park today because no one will play with me." That broke my heart.

Hannah burrowed into Ben's backpack while he was playing baseball and found some paper, tape and yarn. She made some kites, then taught her two friends how to do it. They made kites for everyone at the park.

When we got home Ben worked on his motorcycle a bit to see if he could make it stronger (k'nex are little flimsy) so that he could sit on it, but he couldn't figure it out. He did make it bigger though.

While Noah was napping Ben and Hannah played on the computer. Hannah printed out some paper doll patterns and cut them out to play with.

Wednesday

The kids played with Legos and built some motorcycles and other vehicles.

Ben and Noah played together with the Little People. They are learning to play together and Ben is learning to let Noah come up with parts of the game. The Little People were trying to avoid the hot lava and were going to see volcanoes.

Hannah and Ben got to work on the computer a while online. They love to go to Noggin and play games but they also visit pbskids too. There are a lot of games that they can do so they can veg out and have special alone time on the computer without getting too frustrated.

They built different shapes with linking blocks as well as with the k'nex. Noah loves his k'nex sword.

Ben had karate tonight. He loves that class.

We found soccer sign-ups so we may sign them up for it. It starts in August and goes through November. Ben and Hannah are at a great age for learning soccer and I think they would love it. 

The challenging part of today was that everyone was tired from a late night so they were all grumpy towards each other. We managed it though.

Friday

Ben made breakfast for everyone. He got the bagels, cut them, toasted them and spread cream cheese or butter on them, different for each person. He toasted himself some toast.

Ben and Noah built a train track with our Thomas train set. They played for a long time with it.

We read about volcanoes and earthquakes a bit more. Ben likes learning about them a lot.

Ben had his karate class with the other homeschooling kids. They worked on Udo (rolls).

Wednesday

We looked at the Volcanoes and Earthquakes book this morning, Ben had questions about the pictures he was looking at. After I was done explaining to him he turned to Noah and told Noah all about what was happening in the pages. They talked about hot lava and the dead people (Pompeii) and eruptions and how dangerous it is to be near a volcano when it blows. He wondered if volcanoes move. I explained that volcanoes don't move the earth moves but it doesn't go somewhere else. I reminded him that volcanoes were not living things but that they do change. He's nervous.

The kids went on a short hike with Daddy this morning. They saw lizards on the trail and had a nice time with him.

Ben built a cabin with his Lincoln Logs (yes, he have a great of variety of building materials for him) complete with railings (the looked like little benches). He visualized how tall the people were to stand next to them and told me all about it.

Ben and Hannah worked online for a while doing SuperWhy and Noggin games.

Ben had karate today and they worked on their rolls (Udo), he's getting really good at them. He tests at the end of the month for his 3rd section.

Daddy read them some books about the solar system (Magic School Bus).

Tuesday

Ben started the day eating a brownie. We talked about smart choices for breakfast. I don't blame him though ...no one else was awake!

He built with Zoob building different structures and animals.

All 3 children played with cars and trucks for a while.

They watched SuperWhy.

We went to the library. Ben is asking lots of questions about volcanoes, earthquakes and the solar system. We got Ben and Hannah library cards and they are feeling good about that. They have their own cards and can check out their own books. We used the computer to find out where the books we wanted were kept and found some. We read some books in the library The Louds Move In, Click Clack Moo and another. They really enjoyed those books and borrowed them too. So we came home with a load of books that we are going to read! They did great today, hopefully this is the start of good library times.

At home we read about earthquakes and volcanoes. I even showed them some volcanic rocks that we have in the backyard. Ben is worried about volcanoes and earthquakes because it is unknown. We got some great books for him today so hopefully he'll be prepared for when we go and visit some of the areas this summer (San Francisco, Lassen National Park...)

We went to the park with some friends and Ben really wanted to know about what to do if there was an earthquake. He's very concerned.

Monday

Ben woke up early and started playing with his Legos. He built 3 spaceships and even made one for Noah.

They watched Super Why on PBS.

Ben went outside and worked on the easel. He drew with chalk (unicorn, snail, roly poly bug). Hannah took a turn on the easel and drew

Hannah and Noah played with Ponies.

Ben and Hannah worked on Super Why online.

We worked in the garden. We planted our giant pumpkins and some sunflowers that have sprouted in the peat pots we put seeds in. So now we watch, water and wait.

They played baby while they ate lunch and even pretended to take a nap in the backyard. Noah was the baby, Hannah mommy and Ben daddy.

After lunch Ben and Hannah were introduced to a word search. There were only about five words that they each had to look for but it was perfect for their ability. They can't wait to do another!

Ben had his karate lesson with weapons today, he doesn't seem that into it anymore. So I think we'll take 2 months off and see if he can do something different. His last karate class will be the one right after he tests for 3rd section.

Friday

Ben watched a video online about space. Actually it ended up being more about the earth than space so he was a little disappointed.

Ben had karate class. Hannah and Noah watched, while coloring.

We went to buy flowers for Marissa (older cousin) to give to her after her ballet performance tonight.

We watched Marissa's ballet and learned first-hand what a ballet is! Hannah is not interested in taking dance classes but she sure loved watching.

Thursday

Watched Word World in the morning while eating breakfast.

On the drive to playgroup we saw a plastics recycling truck full of crushed plastic bottles. We discussed recycling plastic and it's process. We also talked about recycling paper. We plan on making paper from some that we get in the mail.

At playgroup the kids played and shared for 3 hours.

Ben played on the internet and then gave Hannah a turn. It was mostly games on Noggin.com and we monitor the time spent on them. They love those games...

Wednesday

They watched Word World while they ate breakfast.

They all played together with the Ponyville ponies that Hannah got for her birthday. They played very nicely together.

Ben and Hannah took turns working on Word World on the computer while Noah watched. They worked on rhyming and word finding.

Ben worked with Legos and K'nex. He loves building things.

We learned about living and nonliving things. We discussed how to differentiate between the two and they are going to keep their eyes open for living and nonliving things in the world around them. We also talked about how nonliving things aren't living but they do change. We looked at some pennies I had in my wallet. One was from 1971 and was very tarnished and brown, the next was from 2003 which was a little tarnished but still a little shiny and the last was from 2007 that was brand new and shiny. They saw the difference and understood how time made the older penny brown. Then we talked about how rocks could change over time too. We'll check different rocks out on our next hike.

They played pirates together. They couldn't build a ship in the backyard because we wanted to keep the grass clear of stuff, thinking it might rain. We need the free water if it does.

Ben and Hannah worked on making envelopes for the sunflower seeds that we are sharing with our friends. They all came out cute and they wrote "sunflower seeds" on each one. Hope we see some friends to give them too!

We went outside to wait for Daddy to come home from work after Noah woke up from his nap. While we were out there we looked at the flowers we planted. Some of them are dying (normal part of their life) so Ben picked them and we started to take them apart examining all the little parts that we found.

They rode bikes, scooters and Ben tried roller skates for the first time. Then Ben went to karate.

Flower parts

Tuesday

I saw this format on a friends blog so I think I might try it...I had never had the intention of deleting our homeschooling blog, just still looking for a way for me to do it that works for me. 

Ben and Hannah worked with Daddy on spelling some short words together using our dry erase boards. They got a few minutes to color and draw pictures too. Noah drew pictures of pirate ships.

Snack time was watermelon, crackers and hummus and pirate booty.

We harvested the sunflowers we planted in October. Two of them were ready and the third wasn't. We (mostly Ben and I) picked the seeds out and put them on a cookie sheet to bake them. We also saved some seeds to plant later and give away to some friends. Our main blog will have an entry about that.

Paper crafting. Ben is totally into paper crafting and he is creating windmills and various other stuff. 

Computer time. Hannah worked on the computer and Ben watched then they switched turns.

Update...

I am finding it difficult to keep 2 blogs going. Our main blog is all about the kids and their learning experiences already so I am thinking that this blog is a little much for me to keep up. I'm thinking of changing it around, maybe deleting this blog and incorporating more into the other one. Just thoughts...

Getting organized

We have been trying to do some 'school work' lately. I think the kids need a little structure, maybe it's me that needs it but they love to do 'school work'.

I found some bins to put their stuff in. Hannah found her beads and wanted to work with them. She decided that she needed to organize them first. So she pulled everything out of it, cleaned out the little box and put everything back in, sorted, all neat and organized "in their spots".

Ben worked on 3-letter words. He has a ring that has a bunch of notecards on it with words with pictures. He put the 3 cards together and then copied it onto his card and drew a picture of the item or animal. His first word was "zoo" then came "cat", "dog" and son on. I think he really wants to learn to read. He has been working on sounds of letters for a couple of weeks pretty consistently. Always asking about the sounds, to hear them and say them over and over. It isn't very often that he wants to write them but I suggested that today and he seemed pretty interested in that. Now he has a nice-sized flip book of short and longer words that he can read. A couple of years ago he started asking about what sound that letter makes but it wasn't as intense as it is now.

Start school...

While we primarily unschool, I decided to try and start teaching them (mostly for Ben) the sounds of some letters. Ben is very close to 'cracking the code' and is so interested in reading. So this is our goal for the next few weeks. We'll see how it goes. I've never taught someone how to read and am not sure how to do it. We've always read a lot and he knows how to recognize his name and a few other words that he sees a lot (Cheerios, Diego, Dora, Hannah, Noah...).

I think it went well. We only did a few letters while we practiced writing them and I hope they remember them tomorrow. If not we'll go over them again. I was trained to teach Johnny Can Spell when I was teaching (a million years ago) and it really did wonders for the little kids trying to learn how to read. However, I was learned in my teaching credential program that there needs to be a good combination of phonics and whole language for the children to be well-rounded and learn how to read. I think we do a good combination, although we haven't started to do the phonics in writing until now. Ben has been interested in sounds but has preferred to do it orally-on the run, in the car, on hikes... so that is how we've done it. I think it's important for him to learn them in writing too so that is what we're doing now. I'll just have to see how it goes, I don't expect it to work immediately.

Ben is also very interested in math and how numbers work so we'll be working on that a bit to see what he wants to learn.