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December 8, 2009

Someone asked me to take them through a typical homeschooling day. Well, I don't think there IS such a thing as a typical homeschooling day in my house, but I'll take you through our lessons yesterday:

9:00 a.m. - breakfast (choice of cereal or 4 different kinds of Pop Tarts)
Free time after finishing breakfast
10:00 a.m. - Silent reading time (the girls can choose whatever book they like, and they have a log to write in the author's name, book title, start time, stop time, starting page, and ending page)
10:30 a.m. - Creative Writing (they have creative writing journals that they write in every day. I've slowly been trying to make the prompts more difficult. My ultimate goal is to have them be able to write an entry in French. Mwahaha!)
11:00 a.m. - Spelling/Grammar. (Yesterday I introduced 18 new vocab & spelling words, all having to do with winter. Some they rolled their eyes at [ice] and others they got upset over not spelling correctly right away [precipitation].)
11:30 a.m. - French. We've already learned numbers up to 10, the names of fruits and vegetables, colors, basic family words, and some location words (up, under, between, next to, etc). We've been working this week on words in the bathroom, and yesterday I introduced some basic Christmas-related words, plus a story about how people in France celebrate the holiday.
12:00 p.m. - lunch. Yesterday it was hot black angus roast beef sandwiches with provolone cheese, red and green apple slices (hey, gotta be festive!), and yogurt.
1:00 p.m. - Free time (the girls are encouraged to go outside and get fresh air and run around. Usually they play soccer or tag. They are also allowed to read, color, write, draw, or complete their daily chores during this time.
2:00 p.m. - History/Social Studies. Yesterday we skipped this because I didn't have anything planned out, however we did just complete a unit on Colonial America and the Revolutionary War. Next they want to look at Ancient Greece, focusing specifically on Greek Mythology. We used this extra time today to do some more French. (French is all the girls want to do most of the time.)
3:00 p.m. - Math.
4:00 p.m. - Dictation/Handwriting. We are using poetry for dictation and handwriting. So far we've used works by Christina Rossetti, William Blake, James Whitcomb Riley, Sara Teasdale, Hilda Conkling, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. We also use this time to discuss literary devices; we've already gone over personification, and yesterday we discussed simile and metaphor.
5:00 p.m. - Arts/Music/Crafts. Our art project yesterday was to use our dictation poem (The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) to create a picture of what they thought happened in the poem.
Free time until dinner at 6... then free time the rest of the day! Yay!

We also spent a little extra time yesterday (squeezed in earlier in the day, I don't remember exactly when) for the girls to work on poetry of their own. We'd already done Acrostic Poems, and today we started Haikus. The girls learned about them and then wrote their own. Pretty cool... and now you know what yesterday looked like! The schedule varies a lot, depending on how well they're paying attention and what they're feeling particularly passionate about, since they retain information better when they WANT to learn stuff. :0)

Haiku!

We are doing a unit on poetry right now, learning about all different kinds, and the literary devices used within the poetry. Today we started learning about Haikus. At first, the girls were all, "This is SO hard!" but after they completed their first Haiku, they really got the hang of it and they loved it! So I just thought I'd share their two Haikus with you. :0)

GRACIE'S HAIKUS

Snowflakes are pretty
So beautiful that they fly
Through the sky they soar.

Candy canes are sweet
Red and white, how they sparkle
So pretty and sweet.

LEXI'S HAIKUS

Butterflies are nice
Trees are very nice outside
Sunshine is outside.

Rain is making songs
Strawberries grow in the meadows
The grass is green now.

le premiere de decembre

The girls are crazy, out-of-their-minds excited! It's finally December, and in 5 days it'll be St. Nick's day. Every year on December 6th, St. Nick comes to visit and leaves ONE gift in your stocking if you've been good. Last year I think the kids got tiny books about Christmas, and the year before that they got Christmas socks. Regardless, it's a tiny thrill that helps keep them going until the actual day!

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK - Entry for Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Outside my window... frost on the grass!

I am thinking... about Christmas gifts

I am thankful for... hot water heaters!

From the kitchen... cinnamon sugar toast

I am creating... a unit study on Greek mythology

I am going... shopping on Friday... hopefully!

I am wearing... jeans & a brown tee

I am reading... online sales ads (lol)

I am hoping... that our salt dough ornaments turn out good!

I am hearing... the girls singing along with the Christmas music

Around the house ... the cat trying to "nest" in the top of my Christmas tree... grr!

One of my favorite things... paint (it can make anything look new!)

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... shopping, unit planning, chillaxing on the couch with cocoa and my favorite girls to enjoy Christmas specials!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

I made these last night, and we love them! The pic does not do them justice! They sparkle like diamonds on the tree!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook - November 18, 2009

11-18-09

Outside my window... fire trucks speeding by

I am thinking... about Thanksgiving dinner

I am thankful for... spumoni ice cream!

From the kitchen... slow cooker chicken on top of noodles or mashed potatoes (I chose noodles, my husband chose mashed potatoes)

I am creating... a log sheet so the girls can record their own silent reading times

I am going... to go fold and put away laundry

I am wearing... jeans, a long sleeved coral tee, and red chucks

I am reading... the Bible

I am hoping... that it snows soon

I am hearing... sirens outside

Around the house ... the baby is finishing her ice cream, the husband is watching the telly, and the other two girls are playing their nintendo

One of my favorite things... the smell of freshly washed laundry

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... tomorrow night: NEW MOON

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Little Lamb by William Blake

We were doing poetry tonight, and thought we'd share this with y'all since it is seasonally appropriate. My oldest knew immediately what it was referring to when she heard it.

LITTLE LAMB by William Blake

Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I'll tell thee;
Little lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild,
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Little lamb, God bless thee!

Tomorrow we're doing the poem (dictation - today we did Sara Teasdale's "There Will Come Soft Rains"), and they're making lambs out of cotton balls. I just thought it was cool and thought I would share - the girls really love this poem and made me read it twice (I probably would've had to read it more if it hadn't been past bedtime!).

Wednesday, the last day of September, 2009

(Sorry I have been mia... my daughter's cat spilled Pepsi into my keyboard, frying it... so I had to wait to buy a new one!)

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK -

Outside my window... stars

I am thinking... about Criminal Minds

I am thankful for... the roof over my head, food to eat, children to love, and so much more!

From the kitchen... fish, lemon garlic veggies (broccoli/cauliflower/carrots), white shoepeg corn, and chocolate chip cookies

I am creating... nothing at the moment

I am going... to bed

I am wearing... shorts, steelers tee

I am reading... nothing at the moment

I am hoping... that this headache goes away

I am hearing... the girls whispering in their beds

Around the house ... Bratticus Kitty Catticus getting into things she ought not to

One of my favorite things... after a long, exhausting, disappointing day... the feeling you get when you finally sink into bed

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... nothing as far as I can tell

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...