We LOVE Science

Homeschooling.  It is definitely having its ups and downs.  I really enjoy the planning of all of the cool things we get to do and units.   It feels good to be a teacher again, and even better to get to do what I am best at with my own children and share that with them.  But I really miss my downtime.  I love seeing the girls progress and learn and seeing where they really are academically.  But it has been a struggle to figure out where they are, how much they should be doing, and helping them learn how to be challenged.  This is definitely going to be a process.  We have our good and bad moments every day.  We are learning we REALLY need to keep to a routine.   We are learning that that routine MUST take place in the morning, or I am as likely to find other things to be distracted by as much as them.  

Reading is going okay.  Definitely one of the subjects that Phoebe is probably higher than I thought but lazier :), and Annika I can't figure out.  We started a new strategy called 5 in a Row where she reads the same book to herself, to me, to Tanner, to me, and then we check comprehension.  It seems to be working better, and especially if we read non fiction books. 

Creative Writing is awesome.  Each girl is going to start typing and sharing some of their own work on their own blogs! www.writingwithsparkle.blogspot.com and www.grandslamwriting.blogspot.com  is where you can find what they have been working on.  I now have permalinks in my blog roll.  

Social Studies, how I loathe the states and regions.  Thought it would be fun, but it is quickly becoming tedious.  I need to come up with a new plan and strategy.

Singapore Math is fabulous.  A little challenging for Phoebe, and Annika is picking it up super fast.  A different way to teach math, using more mental math strategies and not so repetitive.  They love it.

Spelling.  I just ordered new books.  Art, always good.  Music, need to do more of.  Gym, well we do lots of bike rides and dance and baseball started.  I think we are okay there.

But science.  Oh how we all love science.  We started with a bug unit since we already had a huge collection of specimens Phoebe had curated.  We talked about kinds, habitats, body structures, food, all sorts of stuff.  Each girl made a giant bug (this is Phoebe's katydid) and then those are our charts and habitat pictures. 

 Lots of fun and learning.

 We just started the human body.  We have a skeleton cut out and glued up in our classroom and then they each made one with macaroni to review.  We are talking about the nervous system this week, so we made playdough brains and then made spinal cords with beads and egg cartons.

 Tanner just made snakes and animals that he could catch playing Turtleman.  :)

 Next week we will study the respiratory and circulatory systems.  I can't wait!  I found the coolest heart and lung models to make that will show each process.  I think the girls will learn a lot.  I will keep you posted.