Saturday, March 31, 2012

Goodbye March!!!

Are you taking spring break this year? We are because March was an unusually busy and stressful month for us. The Chief was in and out to sea throughout the month (it is so much easier to just have them in OR out) which meant that we couldn't get on a normal schedule. Our evenings and Saturdays were booked with basketball games for Squidward and cheer games for Mia and myself as the squad's coach. I had numerous meetings in relation to the base animal shelter and Ombudsman. We spent more time away from the house than home and we are all exhausted. **I should mention that I am not complaining, only a little tired- I am so thankful for all of the opportunities that I am able to teach my children, be a role model for others'children, and give time and energy to help animals and our command families.

I am not sure why this all happened in March but it is officially the end and I am ready for nice, quiet and peaceful April to get here! Despite our busy schedule, we kept up with school. Sometimes it was broken up throughout the day or even on the weekends but I cannot let my busy schedule and the things that I choose to do overwhelm me to the point that my kids are not getting an adequate education. It is sometimes hard to find that balance and usually I do well but March really made it difficult and put my organizational and patience skills to the test!

Of course when I say we are "taking a break" for spring break, it does not mean that we stop learning. One of my favourite things about home learning is that lessons don't necessarily have to come from s book. We will be focusing on gardening and setting up our outdoor greenhouse, planting seeds and researching plants. The kids miss their veggie gardens so my task is to find a way to make a veggie garden easily in a small space!

We will also be preparing our for our science fair projects. Our local homeschool group is putting on a science fair and all of the projects have to creatively based on a Jules Verne book! Brandon chose to make a test a homemade hot air balloon, Aidan chose to do a presentation of his amazing rock and mineral collection and Mia is doing a presentation on the planets of the solar system.

We will also be reading some of our favourite Jules Verne books to help us get excited about our projects. Zombie, Squidward and I can take turns reading out loud but Mia is still a beginner reading. Whenever we read together, we focus on sight words and phonics. She also loves to read Raz-Kid books to herself and record them for me to hear- I am sure she will do many of those over spring break.

What will your family be doing over spring break?

Friday, March 23, 2012

Testing Results!!!

This week we got the results of the kids' standardized test results! This was our first year testing and we chose to do it mostly to ensure my home school program is complete and I am not missing anything n my children's education.

Mia's totals determined that she was above average in both reading and math totals. Aidan was average in math and language arts and above average in reading. Brandon was above average in reading and math and average in language arts.

I am beyond thrilled because this means we are doing something right at home. It also gives me a little proof that although it seems as though we have "short and easy" schooldays, my children are still getting a good and solid education :) 

This week we have been having fun doing online vocab games and short vowel games. I try to make sure my kids have a good balance with fun and studying. The more they are interested in something, the bigger chance they will retain knowledge!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Internet Safety

Nobody can deny that the internet is an integral part of most homeschooling homes. I feel it is both a huge blessing and still a bit of a curse sometimes. I love that my kids can research the pyramids, watch a ocean documentary, read a book about George Washington and see Grandma and Grandpa in real time by a simple click of a mouse, without ever even leaving the couch! Unfortunately, with these modern day conveniences also come online dangers, the most extreme being hackers, predators, porn and scams! I never want my children to be scared of their world, but I do feel strongly about educating them about some of the not good stuff they may see or experience on the computer. We talk about and practice internet safety for kids in my home by:

1. Supervising computer use. We have one desk top and four laptops throughout our home and the kids are only allowed to play on the computer in the schoolroom which is downstairs in the main are of the house so that I can watch what they are looking at.

2. I stay informed about current internet security- scams and viruses are always changing but knowing how these are targeted to some computers either through use or action helps my family not become a victim.

3.I also share information about risks to my kids. Of course I do this not wanting to scare them but they are learning that ads or attachments are not always true and that any person can pretend to be anyone online easily.

4.Install web filtering software to help become a barrier between your kids and the world wide web.

5. Supply my kids with a list of appropriate child aged websites, online learning games or informational websites to use.

What do you do to ensure internet safety within your household?

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Preschool at Home

I have had many mums ask me what they should do to home school a preschooler. Many times what they are already doing is homeschooling for a child that young- playing! I believe we, as a society, put too much emphasis on kids reaching specific goals rather than developing the base physical, educational and emotional foundations for those goals to be built upon. I always cringe when I hear a parent brag that their two year old can print their name, are starting cursive and they are working on reading because the parent drills them all of the time... I just want to shake them and scream "That may be great for your bragging rights, but your kids is really missing out on achieving skills meat for 2-5 year old children!!!" Of course, I don't do this but instead smile and quickly exit the conversation because reasoning is usually like talking to a brick wall.

A great homeschool preschool curriculum will focus on helping build those foundations needed to attain learning goals later on. Much of preschool is simply introducing ideas, skills and concepts. Many of these things are done simply by doing what we as adults think are everyday things. Singing songs, imaginative play, conversations about themselves and the world around them, play dough or finger painting, or even playground play all help build these important preschool foundations!

Some ideas to introduce to preschoolers include:


Language:
-Work appropriately in groups. This is the time to ensure that your child is introduced to other both in their age group and other age groups as well.
-Ask/answer verbal questions
-Introduce descriptive words- color, shape, size (describe toys, surroundings, an event)
-Learn to handle books appropriately
-Recite songs and rhymes (Mother Goose)
-Become aware of the written alphabet (I loved using alphabet magnets for this)
-Phonetic awareness (while reading or by playing homeschool preschool games)


Math
-recognize patterns
-introduction to sorting by shape, type, color, size (can use small objects like buttons)
-Introduce numbers and counting objects 1-10


Science
-Discuss and recognize weather
-Introduce characteristics of living things, including similarities and differences
-Compare textures of items (sugar, cotton, flour, paper, etc.)
-Sensory exploration using natural items (water table, sand box, play dough)


Social Studies
-Identify daily routine (getting ready/afternoon/evening/and nighttime routines)
-Discuss roles of family members and community works and their responsibilities
-Recognize own name (verbal and written)
-Show qualities of good citizenship (please/thank you, clean up after self, helps others)


Physical/Self Awareness
*Most of this is done by both verbal discussions as well as modeling behavior for your child
-Aware of the environment and what we can do to be "green"
-Medicine usage
-Hand washing
-Discuss appropriate and non-appropriate touching
-Personal safety (seat belts, fire, hot stove)
-Discuss emotions
-Encourage independent and self help skills (self dressing, hand washing, bed making)
-Practice good hygiene
-Healthy food vs. unhealthy food
*Many of the following is done through simple play such as play dough, finger painting, Lego building, and playing in a playground with climbing equipment
-Build hand eye coordination
-Visual tracking
-Pincer grasp
-Grasp and flexibility
-Build strength and stability of upper body


Art
-Use textures (glitter, sand, sugar, felt, 3d objects)
-Explore mood and emotion with color
-Appropriate use and care of art materials
-create and use props in dramatic play
-listen, create and imitate sounds
-listen, create and imitate sounds and patterns
-Explore melody and rhythm by listening to instrumental music
-Sing songs with repetitive patterns
-Freely move (dance) to music

What are some things that you have done with your preschooler to help build a strong foundation for future learning?

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Yunessun Spa

Only in Japan can we swim in red wine, coffee, sake, green tea, honey and dead sea salt baths; haves pedis from little fishies munching on our toes; and finish the night off with a tuna, corn and mayo pizza!!

Our family had the pleasure of going to one of the best water attractions I have ever seen called Yunessun Spa Resort. It is part onsen and part water park and fun for the entire family!The last time we went to a Japanese Onsen it was quite a terrifying interesting experience but Yunnesun was much more family friendly and we got to wear swimming suits :) At least this time I covered up my bad Kanji tatoo and Josh was allowed to wear a shirt so this time we weren't stared at the entire time.



Yunessun is located in Hakone, about an 1 1/2 hour drive without traffic, although with traffic it can take around 3 hours. The drive is beautiful, half of it is right along the pacific coast and then in Hakone it is up a beautiful green and misty mountain. Inside Yunessun there are several different specialty baths such as green tea, coffee, honey, red wine, sake, charcoal, dead sea minerals, Roman bath, Turkish Hamam. It is the perfect balance of fun for the kids and relaxation for the adults.




They also feature a foot bath where you can get a Dr. Fish pedicure! This type of treatment, orginintaing from Turkish Spas uses special little fish that feed off of the dead skin o your skin, leaving healthy skin. It was a very weird experience- very tickly but we all agreed that our feet felt softer!



The kids' favorites at Yunessun included the fast water slides outside; the dead sea bath that was so salty it makes your entire body float and it is hard to even walk in it; and the misty cave that you can swim through outside. Mine and the Chief's favorite included the coffee bath and the charcoal bath house. Some of the baths were outside and it was so neat to sit in the hot water with snow surrounding you on the ground! We cannot wait to go back and highly recommend it to everyone in Japan.



Friday, March 2, 2012

Is Spelling a Subject?

Does your homeschooling family focus on spelling as a subject or do you let spelling happen naturally within the realm of your learning throughout the year? In this day of texting, program spellcheckers and email one may wonder why spelling is even something we should teach. Others feel that focusing on correct spelling may hinder a child's creative writing. I feel that spelling is important because it helps a child read.

Learning to spell helps to cement the connection between the letters and their sounds, and learning high-frequency "sight words" to mastery level improves both reading and writing. Joshi, Treiman, Carreker and Moats describe this connection:  "The correlation between spelling and reading comprehension is high because both depend on a common denominator: proficiency with language. The more deeply and thoroughly a student knows a word, the more likely he or she is to recognize it, spell it, define it, and use it appropriately in speech and writing." They also note that "the major goal of the English writing system is not merely to ensure accurate pronunciation of the written word – it is to convey meaning. If words that sound the same (e.g., rain, rein and reign) were spelled the same way, their meanings would be harder to differentiate."

We do a formal short spelling lesson each day in our homeschool. Each child has a spelling book that correlates with their "grade" and they complete a lesson each day with a test at the end of the week. They practice writing the words, spelling the words out loud, as well as using the words in a sentence. To keep it fun we also play online spelling games using their spelling list. For my younger ones,we "paint" the words in flour, shaving cream or paint and sometimes try to spell the words with other materials such as pipe cleaners, Legos or yarn. I am a firm believer that to try to teach my kids something, there has to be a level of fun to keep their attention.

Zombie Boy and Squidward also have their written spelling corrected within their daily work. Zombie Boy knows how to use a dictionary and spellchecker and if I see a misspelled work within his reports then he has to find the correct spelling. Squidward writes daily in a notebook and we circle misspelled words, he looks them up in a children's dictionary and then adds them to his Word Wall, a large yellow poster board that has many correctly spelled words written on it throughout the year.

What does your family do for spelling? Do you do a formal spelling program?