Early Elementary Fun Grammar and Word Books

Having been to the library more than once this summer {for the summer reading program we do every year}, I decided to be more productive in my book selections during our last visit.

I read recently that a child loses the most knowledge between first and second grade. This statement bothered me because I have a son about to enter second grade. Deciding to concentrate on language and grammar skills, I perused the 420 shelf. {Our library uses the Dewey Decimal System.}

There was a plethora of interesting books about words, word usage, punctuation, and grammar which could be read by or to a younger elementary aged child.

For prefixes and suffixes, I found If You Were a Prefix and If You were a Suffix. Both are written by Marcie Aboff. With whimsical text, each takes a personal approach to learning about word parts. At the end, each book has a suggestion for a hands-on activity to learn more.

Emphasizing the importance of commas and their placement, Eats, Shoots & Leaves has a picture book version available. Each facing page presents the exact same worded sentence. The only difference between each sentence is the comma placement. The illustrations reflect the different meanings and often present hilarious scenarios.

For some plain ol' fun with words and phrases, I read my son Antics, Monkey Business, and I Scream Ice Cream: A Book of Wordles.

Written by Cathi Hepworth, Antics is an ABC book which features a word containing 'ant' for each letter of the alphabet. For instance, for 'h' the word is 'hesitant' and the picture shows an ant on the high diving board hesitant to jump.

Monkey Business is another cute book. Each page illustrates an idiom. 'Spring chicken' and
'fish out of water' are just two of the idioms used throughout the book. Each page features a monkey somewhere in the picture. My son and I read through the book once and then returned to each illustration to find the monkey.

Wordles is not a word my son or I were familiar with before reading I Scream Ice Cream. Apparently, the author thought many readers would wonder and included a definition on the title page. Wordles are phrases or groups of words which sound the same, but are different in spelling and meaning. The example given in the beginning is 'Heroes' and 'He rows.' Throughout the book there are some silly wordless which had my son cracking up. The illustrations help explain any unfamiliar terms or words as well.

Finally, I had picked up two rhyming dictionaries. To be truthful, I did not even know there was such a thing. Both Junior Rhyming Dictionary and Collins Rhyming Dictionary are set up alphabetically with a common word and a list of words which rhyme following the entry word. The Junior Rhyming Dictionary is for younger uses and the one I encourage my younger son to use. However, the other book is just as nice and I did find my older children scanning its pages more than once. Each rhyming dictionary features a few activities and ideas for using the books or rhymes.

Pollination by Bees {Hands On Learning Activity Idea}

For National Public Gardens Day, we packed up and traveled to a local garden. It was free in honor of the day, but truth be told, I would have paid for it. It was worth an admittance fee.

The gardens we visited were cultivated with local flora. Many species of flowers were in bloom and created beautiful vistas for our walk.

Along our walk, volunteers had set up numerous learning stations. Among them was a lesson about pollinators and the process of pollination. One of the hands on activities children were encouraged to do was pollinate flowers with a bee.

Children received a small bee fashioned from yellow and black chenille pipe cleaners.

The bee fit on a child's pointer finger.

Each child was then asked to 'fly' the bee to different large (fake) flowers set up in the grassy lawn.

As the children flew their bees onto each flower, the bee would become coated with 'pollen' (a corn meal-like mixture).

Taking the pollen from one flower to the next provided each child with a hands on pollinating experience. Not to mention it was fun!

My only disappointment was not having this idea before I taught about bees during co-op science. However, as I'll be teaching botany to first and second graders next year, this is one hands on learning activity I want to include.


Related:
Experiments on Insects
Ladybug Observations
Ladybug Craft - Demonstrating Both Sets of Wings





 

Homeschooling First Grade

What exactly does homeschooling first grade look like?

In our home, it is a little of this and a little of that.
We have lessons indoors and out.
There are hands on projects, books to read, and field trips to take.
Some lessons are planned and some are decidedly unplanned, happening as we experience life.

Through it all, we hope to foster a life long love of learning and exploring.

This is my fifth time through first grade. When I was five going on six, I experienced it first hand. My second go at first grade was twenty some years later through the eyes of our oldest child. This year may just be my last time through first grade, and I want to savor it as much as I can. For the record, the fifth time is a whole lot better than the first.


Pictured above are some of the most recent learning experiences in our first grader's days.
starting at the top center, following around clockwise ~
Operation Christmas Child: We pack boxes every year. Fantastic way to teach children to give.
Art: Artistic Pursuits, Grades K-3, Book 1
Nature Observations
Geography: Legends and Leagues Workbook
Field Trip: wildlife sanctuary
Observing metamorphosis


Main Subjects ~
As a family, we teach our children with eclectic methods, which lean toward classical. Our curriculum choices reflect this.

During first grade, both history and science are taught in units. We began the school year with Creation and are currently studying Ancient Egypt. We will progress chronologically over the next few years until we reach modern history. It is his first time through chronological history, but my third time. I am learning more each time I begin again and find it fascinating! 

By the end of this school year, our first grader will have studied birds, insects, geology, and simple machines. I've included a bit about his current science unit on insects below.

Studying Insects ~
Our first grader has finished a unit study on birds and is now learning about insects.

In the first collage, at the very top of this post, you can see a picture of our current metamorphosis observation: caterpillars to butterflies. There were five caterpillars. One met an untimely death when the chrysalis failed to remain attached to the provided fabric. Three other caterpillars are in the chrysalis phase, firmly attached onto the provided fabric and successfully moved into the butterfly habitat. This last one in the picture was always smaller than the rest. He finally grew larger and attached himself to the makeshift covering we made after we moved the other three. We'll be moving him to the butterfly habitat soon.

As part of his insect study, our son made an insect trap out of a soup can. It worked?! He donned the hat to look for insects.

Living Math Books

We may not be full fledged Charlotte Mason method-users, but I do like some of her ideas and try to incorporate them whenever possible. Living books is one of these ideas that is easy to incorporate into our eclectic, leaning toward classical method of homeschooling.

According to Charlotte Mason: "Children have a right to the best we possess; therefore their lesson books should be, as far as possible, our best books."

This is easy for history. There is a plethora of biographies, time period works, and the like. Science is another subject filled with living books. Over the years we have found a multitude of living science books.

There is, however, one subject which alludes us for the most part: Math. Though we have had some success over the years, {You can read about those books here and here.} I do struggle to find living books for math.

How do you find living math books to use as supplements?

The other day, at our local library, we found two such books: Growing Patterns, by Sarah C. Campbell and The Boy Who Loved Math, by Deborah Heiligman.

The first I was drawn to solely for the cover picture. I had no clue what the contents could be. I was simply fascinated with the up close photograph of a sunflower. Upon closer inspection, I discovered Growing Patterns contained not only magnificent photographs of natural items, but it also included information and an explanation about Fibonacci Numbers.

As was the case with the first book, I deemed the second selection worthy of a second glance when I saw the adorable cover illustration. I admit, at first, I did think the boy was grasping an apple, running through a town. Instead, the boy is running and reaching for numbers. Those numbers are dispersed throughout the cover illustration in a clever fashion. Once I recovered from my disappointment, I realized it was a children's picture book about a mathematician named Paul Erdos.  The Boy Who Loved Math reads well. It is engaging and informative. Paul Erdos is one mathematician our family will remember in the days to come.

During another library visit, we found two more: Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem Solving, by Greg Tang and Socrates and the Three Little Pigs, by Tuyosi Morie.

Both books combine math with something else. Math-terpieces combines famous pieces of art with addition. Using one element from each painting, the text prompts readers to figure out multiple ways to add numbers to reach a particular sum. Socrates and the Three Little Pigs combines a bit of philosophy, history, math, and characters of a well-loved fable. The wolf, Socrates, wants to eat a pig. He is trying to minimize the work of finding a pig at home and goes through a lengthy discussion with his friend, Pythagoras as the two work out various combinations and figure the probability of finding one pig in a particular home.


Internet Articles and Helps for Living Books in General:

• Becoming a Charlotte Mason Teacher: Paradigm Shift Required at ChildLight USA
• Using Living Books Effectively at Simply Charlotte Mason
• Choosing Books Like a Connoisseur at Simply Charlotte Mason
• Charlotte Mason: Living Books - a Pinterest board from Dollie at Teachers of Good Things

Internet Articles and Helps for Living Books for Math:

• Living Math Books - Reading for Math at Mama Jenn
• Living Math Book List - a site filled with listings of books {simply click on 'Search Categories' tab and select your topic} 
• Math with Living Books at Lifestyle Homeschool

Art Appreciation for Young Students

We were at the library {shocking I know!} and during a search for a book on knitting, I found three new-to-us art appreciation books for younger students.  All three are by the same author, Bob Raczka, and personally, I recommend all three!


Three great art appreciation books:

Art Is... by Bob Raczka begins each thought with the title and tells readers what art is.  Each attribute is accompanied by a well known piece of art.  The author does not limit his selections to famous paintings and sculptures.  He includes fabric tapestries, buildings and even lamps.  For instance, when he says it is "enlightening," the picture displays a beautiful table lamp by Tiffany.

No One Saw: Ordinary Things Through the Eyes of an Artist, by Bob Raczka capitalizes on the idea that we each individually see and experience the world uniquely.  Thus, our art work, and the art work of famous artists reflects what we see and experience.  The text is arranged to have a rhythmic flow with quite a few rhymes of artists' last names as well.  This book predominately pictures paintings.

Unlikely Pairs: Fun with Famous Works of Art, by Bob Raczka is one unique book!  My youngest son and I enjoyed the quirky and quite unlikely pairing of famous paintings.  Most combinations presented a humorous take on the connection between the two art works.  Whether it be a continuation of the pictures or a similar subject, the end result was a different, but creative way to connect art work from different time periods and styles. 

Reviewing the Ocean

This past school year, my youngest two children studied the ocean, water, and coral reefs during our science co-op class.  It was a unit that lasted several months.  At the end of the unit, not only had each child made their own coral reef diorama, but we visited a natural history museum for a special presentation on oceanic food webs.  Then, our family was blessed with a trip to the aquarium when we visited family in New England over the holidays.  It was a wonderful time of learning.

However, sometimes I wonder just how much my children retain.  Of course, I do not expect them to remember every little detail, but what do they remember of the unit?

It has been months since we even discussed the ocean unit.  I thought it might come up during a recent trip to the beach, but the children were fascinated with the gulls and a little lizard we found.  It did not bother me.  We were at the beach to relax and have family time.  Any learning and observing was definitely unstructured and unplanned.  However, while visiting the library, I stumbled upon a new book called Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas, by Molly Band & Penny Chisholm.  It seemed like it might be good as a review for the children.

What a find it was!  This book, had it been published and available during our unit, would have been a great resource.  The entire book travels through an oceanic food web starting with the sun rays reaching earth.  The cycle continues all the way through the ocean even down to the twilight zone.  The engaging text draws the reader along the energy paths.  It ends with a message about the importance of the sun in sustaining life in the ocean. 

Overall, the book is fabulous.  It is informative without being dry and dull.  The amount of text on each page makes it an easy book to read, and the illustrations are vibrant and interesting. 

The only minor issue I have with the text is the way the author refers to humans as animals in the beginning of the book.  "Animals - yes, animals like YOU! - eat the plants,..."  This wording I changed to Animals and humans eat the plants.  It is a small distinction, and some might not even find it necessary. 

At the end of the book, a section of notes explains in detail some of the items mentioned in the text.  Our children skipped this section.  It didn't look as fun with all the text (two columns on each page!).  However, for the parent, teacher, or interested child this section offers a lot more information.  It does include a few paragraphs outlining evolutionary thoughts on phytoplankton.  Honestly, this disappointed me.  The book itself is solid in explaining a food web.  Though I wasn't shocked to see it there, it really wasn't necessary to add the evolutionary topics.  Despite my disappointment in this, I would still recommend this title to anyone studying oceanic life or food webs.

Are you designing or planning for your own ocean unit? 

Perhaps a few of these past posts will help:
A Wet Lesson on Water
An Ocean Lesson
Water, Ocean, and Coral Reefs
Coral Reef Dioramas
A Trip to the Aquarium

More Math Resources

Math was one of my favorite subjects in school.  Actually, I liked most of the subjects, except science.  I am not sure I ever had a good science class, or rather, one that I enjoyed.  It was always at the bottom of my favorite list, if I had to list them all.  Math, however, was closer to the top, right alongside of history and literature. 

While I personally find numbers and calculations fun, some of my children do not.  Which is why, when I found a few new-to-me math resources at the library, I picked them up, checked them out, and brought them home.  We have been going through them a little at a time over the past few days.

Here's what I found...

Books:
How Many Jelly Beans? A Giant Book of Giant Numbers! by Andrea Menotti
Two children and a dog, discuss how many jelly beans they could eat over the course of a year.  With each number grouping, the same number of jelly beans are shown.  As the numbers increase, the jelly beans are pictured in decreasing size to fit on the page.  Finally, in a huge fold out section, one million jelly beans are shown.  Fabulous and fun way to learn the immensity of larger numbers.

What's Your Angle, Pythagoras? A Math Adventure, by Julie Ellis
While this is probably not the best biography, as it is not historically accurate, it is a great book to introduce the concept of Pythagorean Theorem and its practical application.  Excellent resource for any student learning the basics of geometry.

Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter: A Math Adventure, by Cindy Neuschwander
Join a host of characters with math related names in a medieval setting complete with knights, damsels, and dragons.  In this math adventure, two cousins must sail to the Isle of Immeter and use formulas for perimeters and areas to solve a mystery.  A fun way to introduce, or reinforce these concepts.

Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland: A Math Adventure, by Cindy Neuschwander
Another Sir Cumference book!  These books are a favorite of my children.  They love the whimsy and comedy.  I love the math concepts they learn.  This one is about angles and is another great resource for learning some of the basics of geometry. 

DVDs:
Math Challenge: Fractions, animated video by Schlessinger Media
Using a fictional story line of secret agents and villains, our hero Matt Mattics must solve math problems involving fractions, mixed numbers, and improper fractions. Students are encouraged to help Matt.  The episode is about 10 minutes in length.

Math Challenge: Equivalent Fractions & Mixed Numbers, animated video by Schlessinger Media
Both Dr. Strangeglove and Secret Agent Matt Mattics are again locked in a fight of good verses evil.  Math questions using equivalent fractions and mixed numbers are vital to good's triumph in this episode of Math Challenge.  This episode is about 15 minutes in length.

Bill Nye's Solving: Algebra I, Volume I, video by Disney Educational Productions
A twenty-five minute video filled with Bill Nye's (the Science Guy) quirky, but informative explanations.  Algebraic principles including variables, balancing equations, and exponents are covered in this first volume.  A great extra when beginning algebra.


These math resources are fabulous finds from our local library.  If you can find any or all of them at your local library, I would definitely recommend borrowing them!

{Links are not affiliate, but are included for reference.}


Related Posts:
Math Resources for the Middle Grades
Learning Math Concepts
Early Learning: Math Manipulatives

Studying the Lewis and Clark Expedition

We started with chapter 32 in The Story of the World, Volume 3.  Then we mapped the Louisiana Purchase on the map and colored a picture of Sacagawea from the Activity Guide. 

Together we read through several books, including The Crossing, A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark, and The Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The children narrated and summarized.  They answered some questions and asked plenty more. 

We perused through a binder of information friends gave us.  It included a printed copy of a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis, a roster of the people on the expedition, and various articles about the journey. 

Using the computer, we looked at Edgar Samuel Paxson's painting of Sacagawea.  Then we checked out this site: Discovering Lewis & Clark. 

Finally, we also took the time to watch a documentary streamed from our Netflix account.  It was called Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West, by National Geography.  This resource had a few opposing facts to what we found in our reading.  When this happens, it is a good chance to discuss information sources and how to discern opinions guised as facts.

Our oldest was assigned a report.  He chose to focus on the various travel methods used in the journey.  As he also had a large science experiment to finish for science, I cut him a slight break and gave him some extra time to finish his Lewis and Clark report.  Don't you just love the flexibility of homeschooling?


Resource Books:
Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark, by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent* - This book is a resource indeed!  Filled with information on various animals encountered by Lewis and Clark as well as tidbits about their journeys, the book is perfect accompaniment to any Lewis and Clark study.  There is even a table outlining and dating chronologically when and where Lewis and Clark first saw each animal.  Honestly, the possibilities for structured lessons using this book span science, history, and geography.  We happened to use it more for interest led studies and allowed our children to freely explore it.

The Lewis and Clark Trail: Then and Now, by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent* - Another fascinating find by Patent.  This book includes maps, images of historical paintings, and photographs by William Munoz.  Basically, the book is set up in two facing page sections, similar to an Usborne book, but meatier in content.  A few of the sections are "Equipment and Supplies," "The Bitterroot Valley," and "Living with the Nez Perce."  The book would lend itself well to the outlining activities often suggested by Susan Wise Bauer in The Well Trained Mind.  However, we used it more as a reference book, reading the sections we found interesting and skipping those we didn't.

Picture Books:
Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West, by Steven Kroll*
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, by John Perritano*
A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark, by David A. Adler*
Sacagawea, by Lise Erdrich*
Seaman's Journal: On the Trail with Lewis and Clark, by Patricia Reeder Eubank
The Crossing, by Donna Jo Napoli*
Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President, by Shirley Raye Redmond

Chapter Books:
The Incredible Journey of Lewis & Clark, by Rhoda Blumberg
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, by Richard L. Neuberger
As Far As the Eye Can Reach, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel*
The Journals of Lewis and Clark, by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, edited by John Bakeless

*Books we found at our local library.

Revolutionary War Studies - The Extras

It's a wrap!  We have moved on from our Revolutionary War studies, but before I close the lesson plan book, I thought I would share the extras. 

Free Reading
Our children are encouraged to regularly read historical fiction and nonfiction books.  A few of those reading books they perused were:
Toliver's Secret, by Esther Wood Brady
Sam the Minuteman, by Nathaniel Benchley
Mr. Revere and I, by Robert Lawson
Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
The Winter at Valley Forge: Survival and Victory, by James E. Knight
Our Liberty Bell, by Henry Jonas Magaziner
Liberty or Death: The American Revolution, by Betsy Maestro and Giulio Masestro
Heroes of the Revolution, by David A. Adler

Music
For music, we revisited a few of the patriotic tunes we learned earlier this year,
especially "Yankee Doodle."

Art
A viewing of Howard Pyle's painting "The Fight on Lexington Common, April 19, 1776" was one way to incorporate art appreciation.  {Don't you love how convenient it is to view works of art online?  Though I'll be the first to admit, I'd rather see original art work in person, but it isn't always possible.}

Other
My oldest daughter has been trying to write with a quill since last year's trip to Valley Forge.  She has her own jar of ink and quill.  She has scratched out a few words on her own sheet of parchment.


Related posts:
Biographies about George Washington
Revolutionary War Reads
Revolutionary War Read Aloud

Ten Ways to Develop Better Writers

1. Encourage your child to tell stories and narrate/summarize what they have heard. Bible, history, or science lessons make great material for narrating/summarizing.
2. Live life.  Interesting experiences such as vacations, trips, sport games, etc. all make great writing prompts.
3. Help your child find the interesting in the mundane.  A weekly trip to the grocery store could offer many writing ideas to a keen observer. 
4. Encourage your child to write outside of school lessons.  Friendly letters, journal writings, or fictional stories can be fun as school lessons or beyond.
5. Increase your child's vocabulary.  We have always spoken to our children normally.  We have never renamed something or used 'kiddie' language with them.  If they don't understand a word we use, we take the time to explain it.
6. Keep a student or college level dictionary and thesaurus.  It helps with the large vocabulary.
7. Provide a writing formula when your child is stuck.  Writing poetry can be easier with a specific formula like a haiku or rhyme pattern.
8. Have writing prompts on hand.  A good piece of art work can provide ample ideas for stories.  A finish the story activity book may help as well.
9. Encourage your child to share some of their writing with others.  People will naturally encourage a young, budding writer.
10. Read aloud to your child as often as possible.  Good literature, poetry, and Shakespeare are great places to start.

{There are, of course, more than just ten ways to develop better writers.  The ones listed here are what we use in our home.}

Three ABC Bible Resources for Young Learners

Throughout the years, each of our children has started learning to read by first learning their ABC's.  For me, it is fun to try to incorporate the ABC's into as many subjects as possible.  During that prekindergarten time, our children are immersed in the ABC's.  We even use a few ABC Bible resources.  Three of our favorites are:

The Memory Bible: Learn 52 Bible Verses, created by Stephen Elkins
Bible Stories From A to Z (ages 5-9), by Mary Murray
Sing the Word from A to Z, by Anne & Steve Harrow

The Memory Bible: Learn 52 Bible Verses offers a little of everything all within 52 short devotionals.  The book is set up alphabetically.  Twice the book goes through the alphabet (capital and small letters).  Each letter has a memory verse, devotional story, Bible passage, and song.  The accompanying CDs are narrated by Kirk Cameron.  The CDs only have the Bible verse, passage, and song for each letter.

For a more hands on approach, we use Bible Stories from A to Z, by Mary Murray.  It is a workbook with 26 lessons, one for each letter of the alphabet.  Each lesson focuses on one aspect or story from the Bible.  Along with the story, there are questions, craft suggestions, and simple worksheets.  The pages are reproducible and easy to use with multiple children.

Our family's favorite alphabetical songs are found on Sing the Word from A to Z.  What a fabulous way to hear and learn Scripture!  The Harrow family has assembled a lovely CD.  Seven years after my oldest son learned the songs, he still sings along with them when we play the CD for his younger brother.

Fun Science Experiments and Observations

Currently, we are knee deep in science.  Experiments and observations are scattered about our home and filling our time. 

The kitchen table centerpiece has been replaced with a greenhouse which is made from two large animal cracker plastic containers taped together.  It stands about two feet tall, and houses two growing daffodil plants. 

On the nearby counter stands a white carnation.  The stem has been sliced straight down into two pieces.  One of these rests in a jar of red water.  The other is in blue water. 

We wait for the dyed water to make a difference in the color of the carnation.  See the blue starting to form in the photograph below?  {very faint along the left side of the outer flower petals}  Both of these projects are from my son's Apologia science text.

In the back room, three bottle rockets await test launches.  More will be created today.  These are in preparation for an upcoming science olympiad.  Our oldest son is competing in three events: bottle rocket, write it/do it, and polymer detective. 

Over the weekend, we visited the library in search of a few more resources to help prepare for the science olympiad.  While there, I found two fabulous science resources.

• Smash It! Crash It! Launch It! 50 Mind-Blowing, Eye-Popping Science Experiments, by Rain Newcomb and Bobby Mercer
• Rocket Science: 50 Flying, Floating, Flipping, Spinning Gadgets Kids Create Themselves, by Jim Wiese

Don't these titles sound fun?  Both books were new to me.  We've already tried out a few of the experiments and like the ideas so well that I am contemplating purchasing these resources to add to our personal science resources.

Almost daily, with our regular science lessons, co-op, science olympiad preparations, and now these two fun books, there seems to be some science experiment or observation occurring in our home.

Biographies about George Washington

No, we aren't quite done studying the Revolutionary War yet!  Last week, I shared a few titles that our daughters read about the Revolutionary War time period.

This time, I asked our daughters to read different biographies about George Washington.  Our youngest read George Washington, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire and our oldest daughter read George Washington: A Picture Book Biography, by James Cross Giblin.  Both books are typical biographies spanning a good portion of Washington's life.  Each girl was required to read the book and present their findings to our family in an oral presentation.

For our preschooler, I read him Where Was George Washington? by Carla Heymsfeld.  It is a fun book we picked up years ago at Mount Vernon.  The book follows Liberty, George Washington's cat, around the plantation as he looks for Washington.  Our son has heard it before, but gladly listened again.

For all of our children, I read aloud Meet George Washington, by Joan Heilbroner.  {This is one of the Landmark Books.}  The book is 18 short chapters in length, and was read over three days. 

During each reading the children were required to choose an accompanying activity.  They could write a narration, draw a picture, or create a comic strip related to the day's readings.  With such an open invitation to creativity, our children had a wonderful time.  Our oldest son created a comic strip summarizing the entire book.  It was complete with dialogue.  One daughter chose to draw pictures the first two days.  She drew of farm life and a war scene.  On the third day, she tried her hand at a comic strip.  Our oldest daughter chose something different each day.  The first day, she wrote a lengthy summary.  Another time, she tried creating a comic strip.  Each and every day, the extension activity helped the children remember highlights of Washington's life.

A side note: Since our oldest son continues to work on a research report about Benjamin Franklin, he was exempt from extra readings on George Washington.  Currently, our son has read three biographies and is in the process of fusing his outlines.  This assignment originates from his writing curriculum: U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons, Volume I, by Lori Verstegen.

Revolutionary War Reads

Since using the series of books for history studies worked well, and there are many, many American history books available begging to be read, I decided to assign a few more books to our daughters. 

This time the history books covered the Revolutionary War time period.  Our youngest read You Wouldn't Want to Be at the Boston Tea Party! by Peter Cook, and our oldest daughter read Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz.  Both books are part of different series which place a humorous tone on history, and both books {actually, both series} are just fun to read.  The girls eagerly completed the task of reading and orally narrating their individual books to our family. 

Then, I assigned a bit more reading. 

This time, our youngest daughter compared two books: Phoebe the Spy, by Judith Berry Griffin and Buttons for General Washington, by Peter and Connie Roop.  She liked that the main characters were both children contributing to the war effort by serving General George Washington. 

Meanwhile, our older daughter delved into a Magic Tree House book entitled Revolutionary War on Wednesday, by Mary Pope Osborne.  She also used the accompanying research guide called American Revolution, by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.  This combination of fiction and nonfiction books offered her a fun way to learn more about the Revolutionary War.  After her readings and research, she presented an oral report on the Hessian soldiers.

A side note:  Though our oldest son did read a few books on the Revolutionary War, he is currently working on a project about Benjamin Franklin which I hope to share at another time.

Picture Book Biographies and a Capybara

Don't you just love those picture book biographies by Diane Stanley?  We have read aloud five this year, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Good Queen Bess, Bard of Avon (Shakespeare), and most recently, Peter the Great. 

 

After reading through a chapter about Peter the Great in Story of the World (volume 3), we read Stanley's picture book biography.  Since the children had already completed a written narration and a map, we simply enjoyed the book.  Afterward, we discussed some of his decisions and how he was portrayed within the biography. 

A family favorite read aloud of ours is Capyboppy, by Bill Peet.  This time around, I read it to our youngest son late one afternoon.  The story is about a typical family.  One son, named Bill, happens to be an animal lover.  He has a zoo/museum in his bedroom.  As a college student, he wants a boa, but the family rejects a snake.  He gets a capybara instead.  The young capybara comes to live with the family.  Capyboppy, as Margaret the mom calls him, becomes a beloved pet to the family.  However, as with most wild animals, Capyboppy outgrows the home, and needs to live somewhere, anywhere other than the residential home of the family.  We laugh aloud with the antics of Capyboppy each time we read this book.



Linked to Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word

Developing Reading Comprehension

One of our main goals as parents is to cultivate a love for reading in our children.  It is a great desire, and easy to accomplish, but just as easy to squelch. 

As homeschooling parents who have taught three children to read, we still need to check pronunciation and develop comprehension.    To do so, we have implemented several different methods. 

For pronunciation, we listen to our children read aloud several times a week.  During these read aloud sessions, we also work on speed and elocution for our older children.

Checking comprehension can be a bit more time intensive. 

Sometimes we have the child narrate orally what a chapter or book was about.  This is very easy to do and provides a great opportunity to dialogue about characters, plots, and events. 

Other times, we have the child write either a few sentences or a few paragraphs (depending on their age) about their reading.  This is very similar to the oral narrative, but provides a written component.  Often, our children draw a picture to accompany this written work.

Another way we develop comprehension is through literary guides.  Two we prefer are Veritas Press literature guides and Progeny Press study guides.  Both offer vocabulary, detailed questions, and related projects to accompany a selected book.  We use these guides occasionally for variety. 

Finally, for a few books, I have developed our own comprehension guides.  When I wanted to use a particular book for a specific purpose, I wasn't always able to find a guide.  In these cases, I simply made our own.  I hope to eventually share these short guides with you as free downloads on this site.

Oobleck...A Solid or a Liquid?

During our science co-op class last week, we transitioned from learning the properties of a liquid to learning the properties of a solid. 

We began with easy substances like cotton balls, toothpicks, and candle wax.  The children tore, broke, and cut these samples. 

Then, we examined oranges, chalk, and cereal.   Allowing the children to cut, smash, squash the substances created a mess, but offered the children plenty of hands on examination of the samples.  Besides, science should be fun and hands on, right?  We did minimize chalk dust by putting the pieces of chalk into baggies prior to the crushing. 

More challenging substances like shaving cream and toothpaste were observed next. 

Finally, we made oobleck.  It is technically "a type of non-Newtonian fluid called a dilatant." {according to about.com}  The children combined cornstarch and water to create it following this recipe.  We colored the water first with a few drops of food coloring to make the oobleck colorful. 

Afterwards, I read aloud from the Dr. Seuss book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  Though I did not read the entire book, the children loved how the kingdom became 'stuck' with oobleck falling from the sky.

To end the class, each child was given an assigned 'scavenger hunt' to be completed at home.  After finding various solids and liquids throughout their own homes, each child will report back to the class next time.

One of Grimm's Tales in Two Picture Books

Recently, I have been searching through the library picture book shelves for Brother Grimm tales and found two versions of The Elves and the Shoemaker.  The version retold by John Cech was similar to the version I remember from my childhood.  The accompanying illustrations were slightly rough looking, with pencil markings and lines.  A few were in a pen and ink style.  This lent to a somewhat eerie feel to the book, something that seems to go hand and hand with most Grimm tales.

For a more comical version, we read The Bootmaker and the Elves, by Susan Lowell.  This story offered more than a few humorous twists and turns to the original fairy tale.  A definite western feel was achieved with the illustrations and words like moseyed, buckaroo, and swaggering.  There were comical characters like an 'old cowpoke' and a tall, lean, bowlegged man.  Overall, though it wasn't completely true to the original, it told the same basic story line, and had us laughing.



Linked to Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word

A Light-Hearted Read Aloud

Since Christmas break, we have taken a few weeks to only read shorter books.  We started by learning about animal migrations.  Then, we pored over a bunch of cold weather books, read about sidewalk chalk art, and explored a few titles connecting our colonial history to Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Now, we've added chapter books back into the mix.  However, after such serious, though very interesting, subjects we have opted to read through a humorous book that a friend let us borrow.  {Thank you, Annette!}.  Have you heard of it?  It is The Strictest School in the World: Being the Tale of a Clever Girl, a Rubber Boy and a Collection of Flying Machines, Mostly Broken, by Howard Whitehouse. 

The title and subtitle serve as a perfect synopsis of the book.  Emmaline is the 'clever girl,' who is sent from her home in India to England to attend boarding school.  She aspires to create a flying machine, and actively pursues her dream.  Rab, her friend, is the 'rubber boy,' who seemingly never gets injured despite many accidents.  He helps Emmaline by piloting her flying machines.

We are still reading the book, and haven't yet reached the ending, but I can safely say our children {and I} are thoroughly enjoying this book.  Each day, we look forward to hearing more of the adventure and laughing aloud at the antics. 



Linked to Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and More

This year, our history studies will only carry us through 1850.  Which is about a hundred years too early for studying Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.  However, that will not stop us from incorporating a few history books into our lessons for the day.  Several of the books we will peruse today are...


A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet, written by Kathryn Lasky tells of Phillis Wheatley, who lived during the time period of our current history studies.  This picture book biography will be a fabulous starting point. 


Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, by Kadir Nelson, offers a comprehensive history from the American Revolution through Martin Luther King, Jr.  We will read parts of this together.  Then, I will ask the older two children to take a few days and read through it independently.


and


My Uncle Martin's Words for America, by Angela Farris Watkins, PhD., rounds out our mini unit.  A fantastic biography using Martin Luther King, Jr.'s own words intertwined into the narrative.  The repetition of key words like love and freedom focus the reader on the values King promoted.  It is an excellent introduction to the impact of his life.


Another book I should mention is one that we read almost every year.  It is The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles.  Ruby Bridges is a young girl caught up in the large scale drama of desegregation in the public school system.  Her poise, compassion, and honest outlook are touching and humbling.  {I read this book with a pack of tissues nearby.}