Learning About Migration

As a follow-up to our walk at a local park, we have studied migration and hibernation. We began with migration, since Madeline was quite excited about learning about geese and whooping cranes. We found several resources online to help with our study. The first two were Operation Migration and Journey North. We also found (or rediscovered) Enchanted Learning (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html). This site has drawings and information about animals that both migrate and hibernate (along with lots of other animal-related topics).

We also ordered the video "Fly Away Home," which was a big hit with the girls. They would watch it over and over again if I would let them. It has also served as a springboard for them to tell and act out stories of their own about saving geese and leading them south, and as stated in a pervious post, Madeline used it as an inspiration for a story she wrote in her journal. It has also been the subject of several drawing and painting Madeline has done in the past week or so.

We also found a documentary video from Operation Migration, "Hope Takes Wing," which documents some of the efforts to reintroduce the whooping crane. The girls did not find it as exciting as "Fly Away Home," but it was full of great information.

Here is a poster Madeline made to show some of the animals that migrate (a hibernation poster is still in the works). For those of you who need help with Madeline's "invented spelling," the labels are, beginning on the left and proceeding counter-clockwise, are "The Whooping Crane," "The Arctic Tern," "First Hummingbird," "Whales," "The Blue Bird," and "The Monarchs." "Migration" is, of course, written in the center.

Journaling

Writing is such an important component of learning, but Madeline has been somewhat resistant to the idea. She has, though, for the past year, been happy to write on her own terms. This means she writes what she wants, when she wants. Truthfully, I would expect nothing less from her! Her "invented spelling" has improved over the year however, and we can now read most of what she writes. Mostly she writes cards for people, or notes on her artwork. So, I decided to introduce journaling (yet again), and this effort was met with some success.

Madeline wrote a very nice story, which was illustrated, based on the movie "Fly Away Home," which the girls just watched (and love, by the way), as part of our study of migration and hibernation (a subject of another blog entry, coming soon). She was so proud of it that she read it to everyone at bedtime.

Isabella also decided that journaling would be a good idea, when she saw Madeline doing it. She "wrote" and illustrated a story about "The Very Hungry Princess," which was very loosely based on Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. She also "read" her story to us at bedtime!

Hopefully their enthusiasm will continue and lots of writing will take place in the days, weeks, and years to come. It is so wonderful to see them expressing their own creativity on paper!

Here are some pictures of the girls in the act of journaling.

A New Math Curriculum

We started our academic year (which we have chosen to begin June 1) with Everyday Mathematics, which I have used with Madeline for a few years, and before that taught in a couple of different schools. I have been pretty happy with it. It is a well researched program. Plus, since it was out of the University of Chicago, and I am partial to anything from Chicago, well, I was happy to be using it.

I found, this year, however, that it was just not moving fast enough for Madeline. We started the 1st grade curriculum back in March, actually, and she was just wizzing through it. She was not really needing to practice the skills past the initial introduction, and she was transfering the skills to new situations without any effort at all. So, I went in search of a new curriculum that would move faster and challenge her.

Well, after looking at several different curriculums we have settled on Singapore Math. I have had several other parents tell me about their successes with it, and I found some great reviews online of the program as well as information comparing it with other programs. It appears to be a solid program, and it seems to fit our needs. The research studies supporting it are impressive.

I ordered Primary Mathematics 1A for Madeline and Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics A for Isabella. I actually debated on whether to start Madeline in 1 or 2. She was on the border when I gave her the placement test. I figured that any new program has its own quirks and new language to learn, so I decided on 1.

The Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics A seems to be a really great fit for Isabella. The activities are definitely at the appropriate level for her, and move at an appropriate pace. I also ordered Essential Math Kindergarten A for her for some extra practice, and I am happy with that as well. She has enjoyed the activities from this program: coloring, cutting and pasting, some writing and drawing lines for matching. She even used a ruler (with some help) to draw straight lines.

Madeline has moved at quite a fast pace through Primary Mathematics 1A, but it has been appropriate for her. It has held her attention well, and she often wants to keep going, even after the lesson is finished (actually we have been completing more than one lesson in a sitting). The curriculum moves quickly, which is what we were hoping for, and there are some activities available in the curriculum that will provide review if we get to a topic for which she need extra practice. I suspect that we will be beginning Primary Mathematics 1B before the summer is out, however.

I will keep you updated on our progress.

More Homophones (and Homonyms)

We found a great book to help us learn more about homophones and homonyms, How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear?: What Are Homonyms and Homophones? by Brian P. Cleary. It has some cute illustrations to go along with the text.

The Value of a Walk in the Park

The girls and I went to the park today for our weekly playtime at the park. We were suppose to be meeting other kids from La Petite Ecole, however we were the only ones who showed up. So, after a few minutes of playing on the playground equipment we decided to go for a walk. Although we have been to this park several times, we had not taken the walking path that goes around the park.

The girls made many discoveries on our walk. They found several different species of butterflies, and compared them to the Monarchs we have been raising (they were all a lot smaller, for one). They also noticed the flowers that were attracting the butterflies and suggested we plant some in our yard. They saw several bees, and discussed how the bees were collecting nectar to make honey, and how the butterflies were also interested in the nectar, but not to for storing.

After a while, we moved further down the path and found a small pond with some geese. The girls watched them for a while and collected some feathers. They compared the sizes and textures of the different feathers they collected. It was a nice walk!

Afterwards we started discussing the butterflies we saw and how the Monarchs migrate to Mexico to their overwintering site, but other butterflies do not. We also discussed that the geese migrate as well. That lead to a discussion about migration versus hibernation, and which animals migrate and which hibernate. We decided to check out the Journey North website (http://www.learner.org/jnorth/) when we got home to find out more about migration.

We revisited the information at Journey North about the Monarch migration and the map of their overwintering sites in Mexico as well as the awesome pictures of the Monarchs on the trees there. We also explored the information about the migration of the hummingbird. They learned about the 2 different types of hummingbirds in the US, and which one is found in our area (Ruby-throated Hummingbird). Then they looked at the Whooping Crane information. Madeline was particularly interested in the whooping cranes.

After checking out the wealth of information about the whooping cranes on Journey North, we proceeded to Operation Migration (http://www.operationmigration.org/) for some additional information and resources. It is amazing how much you can find on the internet... pictures, video, articles, diaries, lesson plans, free printable books... the list goes on and on! We will be returning to these sites for further study!

It looks like we will be studying whooping cranes next (and maybe more about migration and hibernation) , and all because of a simple walk in the park.

An Adventure

Today we spent some time at Rock Bridge State Park. They were giving cave tours, so we all joined a guide for a tour of Connor's Cave. The girls got a chance to see some cave formations and experience total darkness (not their favorite part). Here are a few pictures of them ejoying the trip.

We also made some interesting discoveries on the trail and in the creek.

Making Words

Here are some pictures of the girls enjoying lessons from Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use.

Beginning Reading and Writing Resources

My sister, Kris, asked me about teaching beginning reading and writing, so I thought I would post some of the resources we have found useful. This is not a comprehensive list of all of the things we have used. Some materials we have tried for a while and found that they are not a great fit for us. I will not bother to list them here.

I really like the book How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann. I think I favor it since my Master's program was focused on Direct Instruction, and so it is very familiar to me. I find it very easy to use and very systematic. The kids have found success with it.

We have also really enjoyed using Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use. The lessons are simple and relatively quick for those with short attention spans.

We have also used the Letter Factory DVD by Leap Frog for learning the letter sounds.

We have also found a few great websites.

Starfall (http://www.starfall.com/) has lots of reading resources and it is FREE! They have great little songs for remembering vowel sounds and all of the girls have just loved the stories, especially Zac the Rat and Gus the Duck.

We have also used Headsprout (http://www.headsprout.com/). The girls have enjoyed the "episodes" in this program, and I have certainly seen great improvement in their skills as they have progressed through the program. Madeline is almost finished with the program and Isabella is about a third of the way through.

As I stated in another post, we have recently started using ClickN Read Phonics (http://www.clicknread.com/). I think this program is a bit more comprehensive than the Headsprout program. It does require them to find the letters on the keyboard. It has the added benefit of the child being able to start on any lesson, based on his or her ability. This was great for Madeline since I felt that there were skills that she still needed reinforcement with, but she certainly did not need to start all over at the beginning. Also, with ClickN Read Phonics, once one child has completed the program another can begin at no extra cost.

To help the girls enjoy literature and its elements (including illustrations), we have used Before Five in A Row and Five in a Row. This program uses children's literature to teach language arts, social studies, science, math, and art. Both the girls and I have enjoyed reading the stories and they have learned about things like onomatopoeia, where Paris is located, and different mediums illustrators use. You can find the guides at http://www.fiveinarow.com/. The only difficulty is that then you either have to buy the children's books to go along with it or find them in your library.

As for writing, I have found the Handwriting Without Tears program to be a great curriculum for teaching letter formation (http://www.hwtears.com/). It provides many different ways for the children to experience the letters (and numbers). The girls have really enjoyed the activities from this program. Madeline was particularly fascinated with the wood pieces when she was younger.

That is all I can think of, for now.

Potatoes?

It is fascinating to see the girls' minds at work! I was getting ready for the next days art lesson, and the girls were intrigued by the fact that I had gotten out potatoes. They started trying to figure out what exactly they would be doing in the lesson with the potatoes. Madeline decided that we were going to glue the potatoes onto the papers to make faces and then paint them - actually not that far from that actual project, which was using potato prints to begin a family portrait project (another project from Atelier Homeschool Art). So, she ands Isabella proceded to design faces made from some small potatoes.

Here are the girls designing their "faces" with the potatoes.

Here are their "Family Portraits" that were the intended product of the art lesson.

Goodbye Butterflies

We said goodbye to our Monach butterflies and released them on our milkweed plants. They left us with at least 13 new caterpillars to care for and watch grow. Here are a few pictures of the release.

A Poem about Trees

We have been working on a poem about trees as part of the Beyond Words language arts unit by the Center for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary. Here it is:

Trees Are Like

Trees are like cities because lots of different things live in them.

Trees are like flags because they blow in the wind.

Trees are like water waving around an island because they blow in the wind.

Trees are like Mr. Slurpy at the dentist because the roots of the tree slurp up water.

Trees are like chameleons because they change colors in autumn (also known as fall).

Tress are like lungs because they breathe.

Trees are like us too because we breathe and the trees breathe.

Trees are like an air filter because they clean the air.

Trees are good for the environment.

We would not survive without them.

If the trees did not make air we would die.

Try to help the trees.

Recycle or use both sides of your paper when you are drawing.

The end.

New Caterpillars Have Hatched!

Today at least 2 new Monarch caterpillars hatched from eggs laid by our butterflies! Everyone was very excited!

Here are pictures of the VERY tiny caterpillars. See if you can find them!

Independence Day

Today the girls celebrated Independence Day by studying the U.S. flag and then painting their own.
This is Isabella's rendering of the American flag.

This one is Madeline's. Hailey also painted a flag, but it was just a big purple, very wet, piece of balled up paper when she was finished.

The girls also learned a bit about the American Revolution today. They were both intrigued by it.

Homophones

It is amazing how easily and quickly children learn! Maybe I am surprised by it since I spent so many hours struggling to help children to "get it" within the confines of a classroom. While there were definitely successes there, it amazes me how much my own children just kind of absorb without sitting at a desk.

A few weeks ago Madeline said to me, while we were riding in the car, "'be' and 'bee' those are the same." And I replied, "Yes, those are homophones," hoping that I was remembering the correct term for them, but thinking that she would probably never remember anyway, so it really did not matter.

The next day, again while riding in the car, Madeline said "'be' and 'bee', what are those called again?" Well, I had not double checked whether the correct term was homophones or not, so I somewhat reluctantly replied "homophones", and decided I had better check it out when we got home.

A few days later we were again driving (Madeline must do a lot of thinking in the car), and Madeline asked "'to' and 'two' are those homophones?" I had luckily checked it out, and homophones was the correct term, so I said, "yes, 'to' and 'too' and 'two' are homophones," which lead to a whole discussion about how to spell all 3. Then she proceeded to brainstorm other homophones.

Madeline now spends lots of time trying to come up with homophones and telling me about them. I know I learned about homophones in elementary school. I remember them being part of a spelling lesson and struggling to remember what they were and how they were spelled, and I was older than 5. Madeline has so naturally and easily learned about homophones.

I think this is one of the greatest reasons we homeschool the girls. The knowledge is not forced on them, they learn at their own pace, mostly from teachable moments like this one, and they love it. They truly want to know more. It is such a great joy to watch this process!

Art!

We have recently added a couple of art programs to our homeschool which the girls really seem to enjoy. Madeline has been asking for quite some time to take art lessons, and we have been unable to find anything that we like for her age group, so we decided to try these out.

The first is a computer-based program called geeART16. It contains a lot of really great art information, some online activities for learning more about art and artists, and includes Corel Painter Essentials. The kids can do the art activities on Corel Paint so it is less messy : 0 ). The 16 lessons are divided into sayArt, a seeArt, and doART. It allows you to save a portfolio of the work done on Corel Paint for each lesson. It also includes lesson plans for additional projects that can be done with art materials, off of the computer. You can find the program at http://www.geeguides.com/. You can test out the program at the site. I think Madeline did the sample lesson T least 5 times before we ordered the rest of it. It has really kept her attention!

The second program is Atelier Homeschool Art (http://www.homeschoolart.com/). This is a video-based program. There are 8 levels, broken into 3 modules each. We started with Level 1, Module A. The kids watch the video and follow along as they complete the projects. We have completed the first 2 lessons. Both Madeline and Isabella did the first art project, a line caterpillar, a couple of times. They did the second lesson today. It was learning about Pablo Picasso's Mains Aux Fleurs, and then painting their own similar masterpiece. They also learned how to mix primary colors to make secondary colors while completing the lesson.

Here are some photos of their artistic processes:

And some of their final masterpieces:

Monarch Eggs!

One of our female Monarchs has begun laying eggs on the milkweed plants in the enclosure! In a few days we will know whether we will have a new generation of caterpillars or not.

A Reading Frenzy

The girls have been doing lots of reading recently.

Hailey's pretty sure that she can read, and knows just about every word to It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw. It is really strange to hear her "read" the words "Great Horned Owl"!

Madeline can now read Monarch! Come Play with Me by Ba Rea at an almost independent level.



Bella really likes to read Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss. I think Bill has read this book to the girls 100+ times!

Bella shared her book with Hailey!