Homeschooling: Mid-End of March

Well, March has been a very busy month. We've had lots of doctor's appointments, tests, procedures, etc. and we still have more to come. I don't want to broadcast details of my daughters' (yes, both) medical issues on a public blog, as I respect their right to privacy, so I'll just ask that you pray for both of them and for our family. Meanwhile, though, we have managed to keep our school going. It's so helpful to keep the routine moving along. Here are some of our highlights from the recent weeks:

Preschoolers: Learning about numbers (2)

Number 2 with glitter paint

St. Patrick's Day/Number 2 stamp pad activity

Baby Girl uses all of her senses for nature study

Torn tissue paper for a number 3 activity

Fingerpainting the number 3

Doodles and Bug are still moving through Sonlight's Core D+E. We are about to finish the read-aloud Caddie Woodlawn, which has become a new family favorite-especially for Bug! Each child had to complete a history report this week. Doodles chose to write about the cotton gin, and Bug chose to write about Thomas Edison. Doodles is still learning about the history of medicine in science, while Bug is currently studying about insects. Both are moving right along quickly through their math studies. Doodles took a Latin test this past week and scored a B (those pesky derivatives!) and Bug is continuing to enjoy learning to write in cursive. We also took time to watch two movies: Old Yeller (after Doodles finished reading the book) and The Wizard of Oz (after Bug finished reading the book.) It was interesting to compare/contrast the books with the movies. We found the greatest differences to be in the book The Wizard of Oz  and the film based on it. We are looking forward to the week ahead, and, I must confess, I've already placed a couple of orders for next school year & will buy the remainder of what we need at the end of April (hopefully.) Can't wait for Sonlight Core F (Eastern Hemisphere)!

Happy Birthday to Sweet Baby Girl

We had a wonderful time celebrating our little princess, but at the same time I thought of her birth mother. From one side of the world to the other I send love and thankfulness to the courageous young woman who gave birth to my baby girl. May she be blessed and comforted and somehow know that her daughter is treasured and loved by her adoptive family. Happy birthday, sweet Baby Girl!

Baby Girl's invitations

Baby Girl's castle cake

Baby girl's color me castle

Baby Girl's Castle #2

Make your own tiara craft

Baby Girl gets ready for her cake

Daddy helps Baby Girl read her card

And of course Baby Girl liked all the tissue paper!

Homeschooling: Week of March 5, 2012

We have had a busy week already, but it has been good. We have a new "student" added to the mix now: my friend's 2 1/2 year old. I will be keeping her, which I think will be great for both her and for Baby Girl. They are both adopted from China, so I'm glad that they can be friends. Also, they will be learning together! I am really excited about it. This week the "little ones" are learning about the number one and opposite words: on/off, in/out, up/down. We are also reading lots of books together.  My older two are steadily working through Sonlight's American History Core, which we are still enjoying very much. Doodles continues to learn about the history of medicine in science, while this week Bugs did experiments involving water and food. Here are some of our highlights:

Little ones: Fingerpainting the number one

Little ones: Number one paper

Bug's project: dry beans and water...wait a little while, POP! goes the lid

Bug puts sugar on top of a cucumber.....

And the sugar drew the water out of the cucumber.

Homeschooling: Week of Feb. 27, 2012

Well, this week has not been the best. Baby Girl did not feel well, so I didn't do any official schooling with her. I managed to do school with Doodles and Bugs, though, with Baby Girl in my lap pretty much the entire time. She went to the doctor and has some medicine now, so hopefully she will be completely well soon!

Impromptu nature study: camelia

Spending some time outside with Baby Girl

Science: which cloth will dry faster?

More science #1: Adding salt to warm water & then tasting it...salty!

More science #2: Allowing the water to evaporate onto the bag & then tasting the water droplets. Does it taste salty?

Even more Science: Making colored sugar crystals