tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334890832024-03-14T03:09:10.725-05:00CraftyErinErinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.comBlogger267125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-88229380822694823782014-08-04T16:54:00.000-05:002014-08-04T18:13:59.841-05:00Homeschool Plans 2014-2015The beginning of school is drawing near(er) and I thought I might update the blog with our plans for this year. We're sailing into uncharted waters, trying some new things, and I'm so excited! And only a little bit nervous. ;) First some history before we lay out this year's plans…<br />
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Way back before homeschooling, before kids, and even before David, I taught 3rd grade at a fabulous private Christian school in Austin, Texas. <a href="http://www.regents-austin.com/">Regents</a>' curriculum in the grammar school was a blend of what homeschoolers call the classical and Charlotte Mason approaches. Before I interviewed for my job, I was required to read a book on classical Christian education and another on Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy. I still have my copies of both of those books, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/For-Childrens-Sake-Foundations-Education/dp/1433506955">For the Children's Sake </a>by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (the CM resource I was given) remains a favorite to this day. <br />
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When I first began thinking about homeschooling and casting vision for what we'd be doing with our kids, the Charlotte Mason-y parts of my curriculum at Regents stood out in my mind as "musts". They were the "riches" of the day, the parts that, in my opinion, built a student body from kindergarten up that loved to learn. Regents placed value on the liberal arts. We did art appreciation through picture study, listened to classical music, did nature study, tended classroom gardens, memorized large chunks of scripture and poems by great poets, and read many, many wonderful books. My last class of 3rd graders recited eleven verses of Philippians 2 at my wedding, and memorizing it with them that spring was a joy. You see, those things shape character. When you spend time with the great ideas of literature, with beautiful art, music, and nature, it makes you a better person. When you prioritize the true, good, and beautiful in your curriculum, you have kids whose minds are stretched and love to learn, even if they aren't headed for a career in the liberal arts. This was the type of education and environment I wanted for my own children. <br />
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I struggled a little trying to figure out how to do that stuff with such little kids when we first started homeschooling, though. We used Five in a Row for two years in PK and K and enjoyed it. It's a sweet little program that got us some social studies, science and art along with some absolutely fantastic children's books (the best part!). I did add some CM-y stuff to FIAR. We did nature study some, we did pretty well with picture study. We fumbled with composer study. It didn't feel quite like what I was looking for, though. I grew weary of the planning. Five in a Row is a unit study style curriculum, so everything is tied together to relate to the book of the week. I began to doubt, about halfway through the 2nd year, that the work I was putting in to tying up our lessons into neat little unit-study bundles was worth the time and attention it required of me. I began to suspect that my children were perfectly capable of making connections themselves and that I didn't need to make it all so tidy. I began to read more Charlotte Mason and saw that <a href="https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/charlotte-mason-method-vs-unit-studies/">she would have agreed with me</a>, which made me begin to consider taking the plunge toward a more purely CM approach in our homeschool. In fact, after this summer of reading almost nothing but Charlotte Mason, I have still found very little that doesn't resonate with me. I'm a pretty big fan. ;)<br />
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So that's what we're doing! We're going to try Ambleside Online's free Charlotte Mason-style curriculum this year. <a href="https://amblesideonline.org/01.shtml">AO's Year 1</a> should be a good fit for all three of my kids. I will be making a few tweaks (of course! I can't leave anything alone!), mostly in the area of history.<br />
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A Charlotte Mason style curriculum covers the following subjects:<br />
<ul>
<li>Bible</li>
<li>History</li>
<li>Geography</li>
<li>Science</li>
<li>Math</li>
<li>Language Arts</li>
<li>Literature </li>
<li>Foreign Language</li>
<li>Hymns and Folk Songs</li>
<li>Art Appreciation</li>
<li>Composer Study</li>
<li>Art and Handicrafts</li>
</ul>
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That's a lot for 1st graders! BUT not every subject will be done every day. Whew! <a href="http://amblesideonline.org/01sch.shtml">AO offers a weekly schedule</a> and suggests that you decide how to divide the work up onto individual days yourself based on your own schedule requirements, if you're schooling 4 or 5 days per week, if you have field trips or co-ops to work around, etc. <br />
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Here's what I'm planning to try for our daily schedule, although I know full well that I may need to make adjustments several weeks in as we see how it works for us. <br />
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1. Morning Time (after breakfast, all together)<br />
<ul>
<li>Bible</li>
<li>scripture and poetry memory</li>
<li>one thing from the following list: nature study, art, artist or composer study, Spanish </li>
</ul>
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2. 3Rs (work with twins together and Jono separately, each at their own levels)</div>
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<ul>
<li>math</li>
<li>language arts (spelling, phonics/reading practice, handwriting/copywork)</li>
</ul>
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3: AO assignments for literature, history, geography, and science (together again)</div>
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In addition to that, here are some other things I'm excited about this year: </div>
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One afternoon per week I'm planning a poetry tea time inspired by <a href="http://www.bravewriter.com/bwl/poetry-teatimes/">Bravewriter</a>. We'll be using the poetry books assigned in AO Y1, plus we'll probably pull some that look fun from the library. If poetry tea time is a bust, that's OK, I'll add "read a poem" to the Morning Time pile. But I hope they like it, since it sounds like fun to me! </div>
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We have some really exciting literature selections in AO this year! I'm really jazzed about Shakespeare. I am pretty sure I've read exactly one Shakespeare play in my life, and that was in 9th grade English. I was not a fan. But AO starts Shakespeare exposure early with illustrated re-tellings of Shakespeare's plays written especially for children. The goal is to have them enjoy the story lines and be familiar with the characters and plots before they tackle any plays in the original. I've been previewing our AO Shakespeare books and I'm in LOVE! We don't have any Shakespeare in our literature line-up until term 3 (last 12 weeks of school), though, so I'm going to read play (a full one) on my own instead. I'm inspired. :) In term 1, we have some Aesop's fables, James Herriots' animal stories, Paddle-to-the-Sea (geography) and some really fun history! </div>
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History! I said earlier that this was my biggest tweak to AO Y1. I'm throwing out their history selections in favor of doing an overview of early American history. I previewed a bunch of early American history curricula from several homeschool publishers and nothing was quite what I was looking for. Several were close, though, and I used their book lists for ideas along with some google work to put together a list of picture books in loose chronological order that will cover pre-European settlement through westward expansion. The general plan is to read one good history book per week and do an accompanying activity or art project every 2-3 weeks. I also have a list of novels that will go along with our history topics that we can choose from for family read alouds before bed or audio books in the car. Should be fun! </div>
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And finally, we have a co-op this year! We're joining a small co-op that several of our homeschooling friends are in. It meets every other week for two classes. My kids will be in a Colonial Times class, which will be a perfect compliment to our US history study. The second hour for them will be a science class. The twins' age group is doing a solar system class, and Jono's age group is doing a Magic School Bus class with a different MSB science video followed by an experiment or activity each week. I think they'll love it! I'm teaming up with a friend to teach a Dr Seuss class for the PK-K age group, too, which will be adorable. </div>
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So that's it! That's what our year here at Chaos Academy should hold. We get started after family camp next week. I'm interested to see how it goes. You'll be welcome to follow along! </div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-89966956327098343182014-05-23T12:19:00.002-05:002014-05-23T12:19:53.436-05:00Farewell, Five in a RowIt's certainly bittersweet, but after two wonderful years using Five in a Row in our homeschool, we are saying goodbye and going in a different direction next year. I thought I'd take a minute and remember what we've done in FIAR. <br />
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We rowed the following books:<br />
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Volume 1:<br />
The Story About Ping<br />
Lentil<br />
Madeline<br />
A Pair of Red Clogs<br />
The Glorious Flight<br />
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World<br />
Another Celebrated Dancing Bear<br />
Papa Piccolo<br />
Katy and the Big Snow<br />
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Volume 2:<br />
The Giraffe That Walked to Paris<br />
Wee Gillis<br />
Owl Moon<br />
A New Coat for Anna<br />
Mrs. Katz and Tush<br />
Mirette on the High Wire<br />
The Story of Ferdinand<br />
Make Way for Ducklings<br />
The Tale of Peter Rabbit<br />
Mr Gumpy's Motorcar<br />
Miss Rumphius<br />
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge<br />
Harold and the Purple Crayon<br />
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Volume 3:<br />
The Bee Tree<br />
Henry the Castaway<br />
The Duchess Bakes a Cake<br />
Andy and the Lion<br />
The Salamander Room<br />
Amber on the Mountain<br />
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We visited every continent but Antarctica on our literary journeys and met so many wonderful storybook characters. We have loved these books. They have literally become friends. <br />
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Some favorite memories:<br />
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<ul>
<li>the shaving cream "snow" with Katy</li>
<li>the wearable body activity with Madeline</li>
<li>the youtube video of Russian dancers that is still requested often from Dancing Bear</li>
<li>the gondola ride with Papa Piccolo</li>
<li>the Global Wildlife Center field trip with Giraffe</li>
<li>owl pellet dissection with Owl Moon</li>
<li>yarn dyeing with New Coat for Anna (twice!)</li>
<li>acting out The Story of Ferdinand</li>
<li>the fact that we still shout "Mr and Mrs Mallard" EVERY TIME we see mallards around town, thanks to Make Way for Ducklings</li>
<li>wildflowers in Texas with Miss Rumphius</li>
<li>the diorama of The Salamander Room</li>
<li>the beekeeper's field trip with The Bee Tree</li>
<li>sailing small boats in Lake Pontchartrain with Henry the Castaway</li>
<li>how much my kids loved the new vocabulary words "patience" and "fortitude" with Andy and the Lion</li>
</ul>
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and I could go on, and on, and on. Thank you so much to Five in a Row for a fantastic start to homeschooling here at Chaos Academy. I'll continue to recommend you to moms who ask for suggestions for fantastic early childhood curriculum. It's been fun!<br />
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If you use the search bar in the top left corner, every book I listed that we have rowed should be here somewhere on my blog. I enjoyed recording our Five in a Row journey here. Next year's curriculum won't be as neatly packaged in 1-2 week chunks by theme like FIAR has been, so I'm not sure what my blog habits will look like. I will probably not post as often, and honestly, I'm looking forward to that. I do appreciate those of you who have followed along and cheered us on! Happy homeschooling!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-49111452949546625482014-05-23T11:36:00.002-05:002014-05-23T11:37:32.448-05:00KinderGRADS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
No more kindergarteners in our house! Hazel and Charlie did kindergarten graduation with our homeschool group last weekend. It's on to first grade here at Chaos Academy!</div>
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They were so excited! </div>
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Hazel with her display board<br />
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and Charlie with his<br />
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with their teacher ;)<br />
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Charlie walking in<br />
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and Hazel<br />
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singing their song with their class<br />
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getting their awards and diploma from Mom and Dad<br />
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Each kiddo received a diploma for finishing kindergarten along with a certificate recognizing an outstanding character quality that they displayed over the year. We recognized Hazel for the character trait of determination and Charlie for tender-heartedness. <br />
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I spent so many years mocking all graduations for anyone under the age of 18, and I'll be honest and say that I still think it's a little silly to parade 4 and 5 year olds around in miniature cap and gowns for PK and kinder graduations, but participating in our homeschool group's kindergarten graduation the last couple of years has been such a wonderful thing for our family. We've made some dear friends and been able to recognize some significant accomplishments that our family has made during our first couple of years homeschooling. I'm proud of what we've done and where we're going. Way to go, kindergrads!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-20132255148918561982014-05-23T11:22:00.000-05:002014-05-23T11:23:30.189-05:00Wrap Up: A Pair of Red ClogsOur most recent Five in a Row unit was on the adorable book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pair-Red-Clogs-Masako-Matsuno/dp/1930900201">A Pair of Red Clogs</a>. <br />
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In the book, the narrator remembers back to her childhood when she had a new pair of shiny red<br />
wooden clogs and wore them to play the "weather telling game". The weather telling game consists of kicking your shoe off and seeing how it lands. If it landed right side up, the weather tomorrow would be fair, if upside down, then rainy, and if on its side, it would snow. My children are HUGE fans of the weather telling game. We spent days sending our shoes sailing every time we took them off. It's amazing how many times crocs land on their sides, but alas. no snow in New Orleans in May. ;) We discussed weather, forecasting, and made a chart to record our weather for a week or so. <br />
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We did several Japanese inspired crafts for this row. I checked out a few origami books from the library. Charlie really liked these and now has a small collection of origami pets that we did together from those books. We also made carp kites and practiced writing our names in Japanese. <br />
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I used<a href="http://www.thecraftyclassroom.com/CraftJapanCarpKite.html"> these instructions for the carp kites</a>. Super cute! For Japanese names, I put our names into <a href="http://japanesetranslator.co.uk/dictionaries/your-name-in-japanese/">this translator</a>, printed them out, and then encouraged the kids to copy them with watercolor. They did not really enjoy this, but I thought it was fun! </div>
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We also made candy "sushi" one day for snack. This was HUGELY popular and I'm sure will be repeated. I used these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Lane-Crunchy-Rollers-Ounce/dp/B00FGKJQPE">strange tube shaped rice cakes</a> that we found at Costco, rolled them in fruit roll-ups, and sliced them, and then topped with sweedish fish. I read several other people who made actual Rice Krispie treats to roll for the inside of their faux-sushi, but these were faster. ;)<br />
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This is a row that I would have loved to spend more time on. We read some good storybooks about Japan, including some compilations of Japanese fairy tales that were very popular, but we did this row around a four-day trip to Houston followed by several days of David being out of town and me single parenting and we just lost focus. </div>
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Adorable story, fun row, could have done even more with it, but that was a wrap! </div>
<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-59385543062273372012014-05-23T10:57:00.000-05:002014-05-23T10:57:05.151-05:00Wrap Up: Mrs Katz and Tush<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have been CRAWLING to the end of the year with Five in a Row. I have taken very few pictures and barely remember what we did during our last couple of rows, but I thought I'd go ahead and make posts for them, for consistency's sake. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Katz-Tush-Reading-Rainbow/dp/0440409365/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400860530&sr=8-1&keywords=mrs+katz+and+tush">Mrs Katz and Tush</a> is a book by Patricia Polacco about a boy named Larnel who befriends his elderly neighbor, Mrs Katz, gives her a kitten, and promises to help her care for it. He grows to love her company as she shares with him about her past, her immigration from Poland to the United States, and her Jewish faith and culture. </div>
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We did all the normal things with this row. We found Poland on the map and talked about immigration. When Mrs Katz tells Larnel that "your people and mine are very much alike" we discussed what she meant by that (the persecution and discrimination that both Jewish people and African Americans have faced). We talked about Tush's babies and watched a cat give birth on YouTube. We drew cats and made them into "lost cat" signs like the ones that Mrs Katz and Larnel posted to find Tush. </div>
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We read storybooks about Passover and the Seder. And then we invited some friends also use FIAR over to have a Seder with us. Given that we are not Jewish, and neither were our friends, I'm quite sure it was not "right" but we really enjoyed the experience regardless! I mostly used <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/03/the-best-easter-dinner-with-a-free-printable-start-a-christian-tradition-messianic-seder/">this resource </a>for planning, and would recommend it for other Christian families who are interested in celebrating this Jewish feast day. </div>
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Mrs Katz and Tush was very typical for Patricia Polacco books. It was long, and a little heavy, but absolutely beautiful. It was not one of my children's favorite FIAR selections, but I loved it. </div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-50300075863313428172014-05-23T10:34:00.002-05:002014-05-23T10:35:02.536-05:00recent yarn work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Have you noticed that everyone is pregnant with baby boys? Or so it seems! Almost all of my yarn orders this semester have been for boys. Here are a few: </div>
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monsters, now and later, for my cousin</div>
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The navy one should fit for newborn pictures, but then he'll never wear it again, since he's due mid-summer and it will be far too hot to wear yarny hats. The larger one should fit for his first winter, and hopefully get a lot more use. </div>
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Two newsboy and bootie sets, one in navy, the other in black. <br />
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This was a parting baby gift for Jono's occupational therapist before he graduated (yay!) and she left for maternity leave. She actually did not know the gender of her baby, so I made my favorite gift for babies of unknown variety-- a neutral bear ear hat, with a flower that can be removed if it's a boy. </div>
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And I made a butterfly beanie for the American Girls. </div>
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These are my favorite types of projects--small, fast, instant gratification. And it's a good thing I like them, since let's face it--that's about all I have time for these days! </div>
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-64546731884686651802014-05-23T10:19:00.000-05:002014-05-23T10:19:01.766-05:00Easter 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Catching up the blog! Here's a review from Easter. </div>
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We grew real grass in our Easter baskets this year, and it worked beautifully! Here are the <a href="http://www.howdoesshe.com/grow-your-own-easter-basket-grass/">instructions I used</a>. This was about a week of growth. That would have been a nice stopping point. </div>
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Unfortunately, we planted greass about 2 weeks before Easter, so by the time we put the grass in the baskets, it was totally overgrown and crazy! I loved it though, and will definitely do this project again next year! </div>
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We dyed eggs, of course. </div>
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We spent a couple of weeks going through our Resurrection Eggs at breakfast to discuss the Easter story. Those remain my #1 favorite craft project. <a href="http://courtneysquest.blogspot.com/2011/04/kiddo-kraft-of-month-april.html">Make yourself some</a>! </div>
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We looked nice and springy on Easter Sunday. We were also thoroughly uncooperative for photos.<br />
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We spent the afternoon with friends and cascarones...</div>
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pinatas...</div>
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and Hulk costumes!</div>
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Lovely day, lovely traditions.<br />
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-81001139954362347902014-04-06T10:28:00.000-05:002014-04-06T10:35:11.870-05:00Wrap Up: Miss RumphiusI love the story of Miss Rumphius, who sets out to make the world more beautiful by sowing lupine seeds throughout her hometown. <br />
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When I first read the book, I was reminded of the Texas bluebonnets that make the fields and highways throughout that great state more beautiful every spring. In fact, the Texas bluebonnet is a type of wild lupine (lupinus texensis)! I decided that I'd save this book for spring when we could take a trip to Austin during bluebonnet season and row it with with a Texas twist and a visit to grandparents. <br />
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During our first week with Miss Rumphius, we started by finding the places that Miss Rumphius visited on our map and put the story disk on Maine on our USA map for an approximate location of her home "by the sea".<br />
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We took a little field trip to the <a href="http://thfarms.com/">Mrs Heather's Strawberry Farm</a> to pick some berries and play on the many playthings there. <br />
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We also read a few go-along books to tie Miss Rumphius into our upcoming trip to Texas, the bluebonnet, and another lady who tried to make the world more beautiful, first lady Lady Bird Johnson.<br />
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Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers is such a lovely book! They really enjoyed the Legend of the Bluebonnet, as well. We talked a little bit about President Johnson and (generally) the office of the president, and Charlie was particularly interested in the go-along book pictured above. It's very entertaining! Lots of fun facts about the different presidents. </div>
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We painted bluebonnets using <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/35677022022791001/">this tutorial</a>.</div>
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And then we went to Austin! I'm kicking myself for not taking some pictures of the fields we passed between Houston and Austin. They were covered in a lush mix of bluebonnets and indian paintbrush (my personal favorite wildflower). It was a gorgeous drive!! We got to my dad's on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning we hit the <a href="http://www.wildflower.org/">Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center</a>. Perfect! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the nature classroom for kids at the Wildflower Center was the biggest hit as far as the kids were concerned. They could have played in there for hours!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the owl at the base of the plant?</td></tr>
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The next day we just enjoyed some beautiful Austin weather at Zilker Park.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">train!</td></tr>
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Dad happened to have a few bluebonnets growing in his front yard, so I decided it was OK to pick one to bring home for our brand new wildflower collection. In just the past couple of weeks, we've found and identified seven species, and I have one more pressing to add soon. I'm not sure we've landed on the best method of display (using our home laminator), but it's durable, and the kids seem to like it. <br />
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After we got home and unpacked and back-to-normal, we spent a few more days focusing on plants. We watched the Magic School Bus episode on seeds and made this sunflower craft:<br />
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We planted sunflower seeds along the fence in the backyard, too! We're taking bets on whether or not they outgrow the fence by summer's end. </div>
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We took Tuesday and went out to the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/jela/barataria-preserve.htm">Barataria Nature Preserve</a> for a day of swamp hiking and nature study. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">elevated swamp trails </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">quite the green forested picnic spot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crawfish chimneys! These were EVERYWHERE. Fascinating!</td></tr>
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We also planted grass seed in plastic plant saucers to put in our Easter baskets. Here's hoping they grow! I tried this two years ago and it flailed miserably, but <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/35677022022879628/">Pinterest</a> says it should work!!<br />
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There were a few other garden-themed books that we read during this row and enjoyed. I highly recommend The Curious Garden. This is probably the 3rd or 4th time we've checked it out of the library and everyone loves it. The Gardener was a new one to us, recommended by a friend. It's very sweet, and a Caldecott honor book, so it has lovely illustrations. Miss Maple's Seeds was one I chose randomly off of the library shelf display and thought was adorable! Kids enjoyed it, too. </div>
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In other news, Friday was our homeschool group's field day! I was in charge of Charlie's group, so I didn't get many pictures, but they all had a lot of fun! Here are pictures showing off their ribbons. </div>
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We start a new row with Mrs Katz and Tush this week, which will take us up to Easter. This year is flying by!<br />
<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-42820890628609053682014-03-25T15:00:00.000-05:002014-03-31T07:52:56.058-05:00Wrap up: Papa Piccolo<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Papa-Piccolo-Carol-Talley/dp/1559420286/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395776333&sr=1-1&keywords=papa+piccolo">Papa Piccolo</a> was one of my kids' favorite <a href="http://fiveinarow.com/">Five in a Row</a> units we've ever done! We had a wonderful couple of weeks with it. Here was the plan:<br />
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History/Geography: Venice! Papa Piccolo is about a cat who roams around Venice, finding adventures and befriending the gondoliers who feed him. We read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Theres-Dolphin-Grand-Bemelmans-Marciano/dp/0670059870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395776285&sr=8-1&keywords=dolphin+grand+canal">There's a Dolphin in the Grand Canal</a>, which was super silly, but had a really good overview of the geography of the city. Google Earth then gave us a good close up view of the canals, boats, and landmarks in Papa Piccolo. We are familiar with the concept of a city with canals, here in New Orleans, but to use them as "roads" for transportation? The kids were fascinated!<br />
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We also spent a day studying the travels of Marco Polo, who was from Venice. In the story, Piccolo names his kittens Marco and Polo, so it seemed like a good topic to discuss. The kids colored a picture of Marco Polo while I read a story about him. </div>
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Art: We looked at the bright happy illustrations in Papa Piccolo and noticed how many of them included complimentary colors. We painted color wheels to see what all the complimentary color combinations were. We did a <a href="http://lookwhaterinmade.blogspot.com/2013/03/wrap-up-harold-and-purple-crayon.html">different color wheel activity</a> about a year ago, but they enjoyed this one all the same. Mixing paint to make new colors is always fun!<br />
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Science: cats! Charlie asked specifically for this book so that we could spend some time studying cats. He is quite the cat lover. We read library books on caring for pet cats and then took a field trip to the New Orleans SPCA to see their kitties. I so wish we could have a cat, but I am just too allergic to invite one into our home. :(</div>
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Field trips! We went to the SPCA, but our most exciting field trip by far was to <a href="http://www.nolagondola.com/">NOLA Gondola</a>. Robert, our local gondolier, had his gondola made in Venice and shipped here, to run tours through the waterways in New Orleans' Cit Park. He was happy to work out a "homeschool package" for me and my kids that was about half the cost of his regular romantic evening cruise. We didn't need 50 minutes out on the water, or the wine, cheese, and crackers. It was perfect! Robert was so nice, great wit the kids, and they had a blast! Such a treat to have a real Venetian experience so close to home.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jono loved it when we went under the bridges! </td></tr>
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During this row we also took a field trip with our homeschool group to tour the teaching garden at our local garden and nature center. So fun! I had my boys in my group, but Hazel was in someone else's, so she's conspicuously absent form my pictures. She was there, though--just playing with some girlfriends.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">adding plants to their bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all done!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beautiful spot for a picnic!</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">We've moved on to Miss Rumphius now, which we're rowing with a Texas twist. I'll be excited to share how we did that in a couple of weeks!</span></div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-64213499467734215622014-03-20T17:36:00.000-05:002014-03-20T18:16:57.272-05:00Spelling CityThe kindergarteners and I made Spelling City today!<br />
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Last summer I heard <a href="http://iew.com/">Andrew Pudewa</a> speak on spelling. He mentioned a teacher that he admired had a wall in her classroom for what she called Sound City with places to record words that they had learned in word families to help kids remember which words are spelled alike. I thought that was cute, and maybe useful, and filed it away in the idea bank in case we needed it later. <a href="http://iew.com/shop/products/phonetic-zoo-spelling-and-brain-audio-download">This is the talk I heard</a>, if you want to buy the MP3 download and listen to it. Totally worth it, in my opinion. </div>
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The spelling curriculum that the twins are working through uses the Ayres list of the 1000 most frequently used words in English writing. They learn those in order (most frequent to less frequent), and since they're just getting started, the words are all fairly small and simple. But they're not grouped in word families at all, and I noticed that Hazel and Charlie weren't necessarily noticing which words were spelled alike from day to day. They're doing really well with the program regardless, but I thought this little exercise--taking some of the trickier words they're learning and putting them in groups with like sounds--might help. </div>
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Here are some close ups of our Spelling City board. I apologize for the photo quality. I cannot get good pictures in my mud room, no matter how hard I try. <br />
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Month Mountain, with the days of the week and the months of the year. That "Day Hike" sign might be my very favorite part of the whole city. I crack myself up! Also seen here are the edge of Homophone Hill and the pond at the top of the Silent-E Stream. Are live/live homophones or homonyms? Whatever. I can never keep homonym/phone/graph straight, so I just picked one for the label and we'll throw them all up there. These kids are too young to care, right?!<br />
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I should probably have found a way to divide out the silent final E words into their different rules, but I just started writing them all in the pond, mixed together. Maybe we'll tweak that later. </div>
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The barn on the farm will hold our words that use the /ar/ phonogram. We're putting /ee/ words with the sheep and /or/ words with the horse. Don't laugh at my sheep and my horse!</div>
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The spellings of the sound /er/ are in this area. I feel like I broke some cardinal rule by not using the /er/ phonogram sentence from Spalding--Her first nurse works early, but this is cuter. ;) Words with an -er go on the hill with "her flowers". Words with an -ir and -(w)or are with the bird and worm. Words with an -ear are in the sun, and -ur words are on the church. </div>
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The largest part of the board is made up of houses on Vowel Team Parkway. Pictured are the homes for oy/oi and ay/ai. The kids wanted a train station and train for ay/ai, but I ran out of steam (pun, ha!). Maybe another future tweak. <br />
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So, this will be a bit elastic as we change it to suit our needs and continue to add words, but I'm very pleased with our first draft! Now, any bets on how long it'll take before someone gets mischievous and tears all that paper down? I hope it's longer than I fear! I'd like to use this for a while! </div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-87728067477671475152014-03-09T11:28:00.003-05:002014-03-09T15:59:20.532-05:00Wrap Up: Duchess Bakes a Cake <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Duchess-Bakes-Cake-Virginia-Kahl/dp/1930900147">Duchess Bakes a Cake</a> was such a fun row! Our FIAR units had started to feel a little redundant lately (settings either in large European cities or in rural USA, lots of overlap in science and language arts topics, etc) but this one had a totally different feel. It was just what we needed during the <a href="http://simplehomeschool.net/everyone-wants-to-quit/">February homeschooling doldrums</a>! Here's what we did with it:<br />
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Social Studies:<br />
Knights, castles, archery, catapults, kings, queens, the feudal system, and all things Middle Ages! We had so much fun reading library book after library book about Medieval Times. We spent a day doing <a href="http://angelicscalliwags.com/2013/02/19/feudalism-in-the-middleages-and-the-four-alls/">the activity recommended by this blogger</a> on the feudal system.<br />
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We built popsicle stick and rubber band catapults. <br />
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Instructions <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/35677022022543544/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/35677022022701875/">here</a>.</div>
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We also made some popsicle stick and Q-tip bows and arrows, although the kids didn't like these as much. <br />
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Instructions <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/35677022022701881/">here</a>.</div>
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We spent many days dressed in our knight and king costumes waging war on invisible foes.<br />
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Langauge arts:<br />
We studied alliteration. I read them the book <u>If You Were Alliteration</u>, and asked them if they knew an example of alliteration in the Duchess. Jonathan identified it immediately! "A <b>l</b>ovely <b>l</b>ight <b>l</b>uscious delectable cake!" They each composed an alliterative sentence about themselves and then copied them for handwriting that day.<br />
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Art: Drama! The kids acted out the story of the Duchess while I read it aloud. This was the most fun part of the row, in their opinion. Every time we act out a story, it is enormously popular. I need to remember to do that more often!<br />
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Science: We briefly touched on nutrition as suggested in the manual, but we didn't do as much with it as I had planned. I suspect we'll have another opportunity down the road.<br />
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Toward the end of this row, Grandma and Grandpa came in town for Mardi Gras. One day while they were here, the kids and David made a cake to finish off our study. I'm not sure it was lovely, light, or luscious, since gluten-free cakes are generally pretty dense, but it was tasty! (I forgot to take pictures, though.)<br />
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(added) hey! Grandma took pics of cake-making!<br />
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Go-along books that we enjoyed:<br />
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We have found two new family favorites in Good Night, Good Knight and The Seven Silly Eaters. I suspect we'll be owners of both of those before long. That has really been one of the most fun parts of Five in a Row for us, meeting so many other wonderful story books along the way!<br />
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Another couple of pictures from the row:<br />
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We have a new family favorite board game--<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Moves-1091-Stress-Chess/dp/B0007Q1IO4">No Stress Chess!</a> This a teaching version of chess that removes the strategy element by having you draw a card and move the piece illustrated on the card. The cards explain the moves that each piece can make. The kids love it! There are instructions for how to add in the strategy element slowly, as the players get used to the the different pieces and their moves. We have loved it!<br />
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Since our weather has been warming up, Jono had asked to visit one of our local parks, <a href="https://www.neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/storyland">Storyland</a>, where the plantings are all from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. The kids enjoyed playing kings and queens on the throne in the castle in the middle of the park. It was a great day to go, too--we practically had the place to ourselves!<br />
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Super fun row, just the change in pace we needed, and next we're on to a "cat book" by Charlie's request--Papa Piccolo!<br />
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A few Mardi Gras pictures, just for fun:<br />
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We took the grandparents to the zoo, and they were brave enough to climb down the spider web at Monkey Hill.</div>
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-49071713807864552702014-02-17T19:48:00.000-06:002014-02-17T19:48:28.706-06:00Wrap Up: Andy and the LionWe just finished up a short row of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Andy-Picture-Puffins-James-Daugherty/dp/0140502777">Andy and the Lion</a>, from FIAR volume 3. My kids LOVED this book. They loved the story and they especially loved the illustrations. It's an early Caldecott honor book from 1939--only the 2nd year the award was given! We only spent a week on this, where we usually savor a row for a couple of weeks, so we didn't do it all, but we certainly enjoyed what we did!<br />
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Social Studies:<br />
We chose to focus for geography on the dedication inside the book instead of on the setting of the story itself. The book is dedicated "To Lady Astor and Lord Lenox, the Library Lions" who sit in front of the New York Public Library. I read the dedication, and then we looked up the lions in Google images, and learned that their names have changed! From the page about the lions on the New York Public Library's website:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #36322d; font-family: Lato, 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Their nicknames have changed over the decades. First they were called Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, after The New York Public Library founders John Jacob Astor and James Lenox. Later, they were known as Lady Astor and Lord Lenox (even though they are both male lions). During the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia named them Patience and Fortitude, for the qualities he felt New Yorkers would need to survive the economic depression. These names have stood the test of time: Patience still guards the south side of the Library's steps and Fortitude sits unwaveringly to the north.</i></span></span><br />
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My kids were fascinated by this--more so than I expected them to be! They were also adamant that we go visit the very similar lion statues that sit in City Park. We did go, later in the week when the rain let up, and had our nature study while we were there, too. <br />
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Nature study mostly consisted of investigations into the use of spanish moss hanging from sticks as nets to catch ducks. They did not have much success in these endeavors. ;) We did identify a new species of waterfowl--the <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_coot/id">American Coot</a>! I was much more excited about finally remembering to look up the name for this little bird that is at every park we go to than the kids were, though. </div>
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We read Aesop's The Lion and the Mouse and Androcles and the Lion, discussed the genre of fables (although it's one they're familiar with) and discussed parallels between those two stories and our FIAR book. Then we made lions from three different cut-out hearts, with it being Valentine's week and all. </div>
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Charlie lobbied to put the lion heads on sticks so that they could be masks, so we did that, too!</div>
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Science:</div>
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We read some library books about lions, their habitat, life cycle, diet, etc. Each of the kids told me some things they learned from our reading and I wrote them down. They then took a couple of their sentences and used them for copywork (handwriting practice). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GqEhkhjbQQ8/UwKykbKeQvI/AAAAAAAALwc/-t5dJiElLXo/s1600/IMG_6699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GqEhkhjbQQ8/UwKykbKeQvI/AAAAAAAALwc/-t5dJiElLXo/s1600/IMG_6699.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel also got a quick discussion about contractions. ;) </td></tr>
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That's about all we did for Andy! Short week, short row, but a delightful story. We read some other go-along books that were much enjoyed, too. We recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lions-Lunchtime-Magic-Tree-House/dp/0679883401">Lions at Lunchtime</a> (Magic Treehouse), Jan Brett's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Lion-Story-Africa/dp/0399244638">Honey, Honey, Lion!</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Library-Lion-Michelle-Knudsen/dp/076363784X">Library Lion</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Im-Going-Read-Level-Series/dp/1402720998">I'm Going to New York to Visit the Lions</a>. </div>
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Looking at the pictures above, you'd think I was missing a child for a week. I wasn't! Here's some of what Charlie's been up to: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pzbM7OtH7A/UwKycnGbYmI/AAAAAAAALvA/wnI7klBhCzI/s1600/IMG_6603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pzbM7OtH7A/UwKycnGbYmI/AAAAAAAALvA/wnI7klBhCzI/s1600/IMG_6603.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">overjoyed by the arrival of the cursive workbook he asked for</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PArAzK3myus/UwKyeSEpr3I/AAAAAAAALvY/kiBTRkQxfnY/s1600/IMG_6626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PArAzK3myus/UwKyeSEpr3I/AAAAAAAALvY/kiBTRkQxfnY/s1600/IMG_6626.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">deep in thought with those tangrams that came in the Chick-fil-A kids' meal </td></tr>
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I'm not sure how he escaped the lion pictures, but I promise he was there! Thanks for reading about our row. We enjoyed it!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-19659534274895103672014-02-01T12:32:00.000-06:002014-02-01T12:33:46.232-06:00birthday present crafting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We bought some clementines in a little wooden crate a few weeks ago. I happen to think those are completely adorable and struggle to throw them away. We have a little girl's birthday party coming up, so Hazel and I decided to make another Princess and the Pea playset with it. <a href="http://lookwhaterinmade.blogspot.com/2011/02/we-have-little-friend-turning-three.html">I made one about 3 years ago</a>, and it's been one of my all-time favorite craft projects. This time, Hazel selected the fabrics from my fabric stash and helped me plan out the project. </div>
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Seven 1/2" thick mattresses, stuffed with craft foam, pillow, knit pink blanket, crocheted green pea and a little patch pocket on the blanket to store it in, plus a story book to finish the set. Came out so cute!</div>
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-91179839455866903432014-02-01T11:26:00.000-06:002014-02-01T11:32:40.653-06:00wrap up: Owl MoonWe just finished a delightful Five in a Row unit on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Owl-Moon-Jane-Yolen/dp/0399214577">Owl Moon</a>! This story is simply gorgeous! The text is pretty simple, but the pictures are amazing, which is unsurprising, since it is a Caldecott medal winner. We enjoyed some animal science, did some fun art projects, and even had a "snow" day (mostly sleet and some flurries), which is very rare in New Orleans, and was perfect for this snowy book choice! I couldn't have planned it better.<br />
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For our first reading of the book, I turned out all the lights and closed all the blinds in the house to make it as dark as we could in the middle of the morning and had all the kids get a flashlight. I hid our owl puppet up high in the mud room, and after we read the book, I told the kids to go owling and see if they could spot the owl we had hidden in our house. So fun! They took turns after that and hid the owl for each other to find. <br />
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The other just-for-fun thing I did one day was make an Owl Moon themed lunch. I am not normally the sort of mom who makes cutesy food. My daughter was very impressed and appreciative, and all of the kids thought it was fun. Maybe I'll do something like that again? But probably not soon.<br />
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Here's what else we did, by subject:<br />
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<i>Social Studies</i><br />
We located New Jersey on the map for our story disc, and colored a map page for our notebooks. We discussed how it must be colder in New Jersey than it is here, since the story is set in a snowy winter wonderland, the likes of which New Orleans has never seen. This gave us a chance to talk a little bit about how different parts of the country have different weather. <br />
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We did a second social studies day on kid/dad relationships. This was SO fun. In the story, the child has been looking forward to going out at night to look for owls with her father for a long time, has heard stories about it from her older siblings, etc. I asked each of the kids to tell me one thing they like doing with their dad, and I wrote down their answers and had them illustrate them. We gave them to David when he came home from work that day. They were so sweet! Here's Jono's:<br />
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I participated in this assignment too, and mailed my memory to my dad. I'm sure he got a good laugh at my very juvenile art work. </div>
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<i>Art</i><br />
We did two different art projects, neither of which were in the FIAR manual for this story. They were just ideas I saw on Pinterest or other FIAR blogs about this book and thought looked fun. Jonathan declined to participate in both of these (art is not a hill I'm going to die on for a 6yo boy), but I made one of each along with the twins.<br />
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Snowy evening scene with owl eyes:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hB2BCr60Bhc/Uu0m_S1l79I/AAAAAAAALqs/HDgG963P4KM/s1600/IMG_6510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hB2BCr60Bhc/Uu0m_S1l79I/AAAAAAAALqs/HDgG963P4KM/s1600/IMG_6510.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel's top left, mine bottom left, Charlie's right</td></tr>
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We also used <a href="http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2011/10/how-to-draw-owl.html">this tutorial</a> to draw some owls!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vjB43PEAFME/Uu0nfyzQlqI/AAAAAAAALs8/9-GvAdmr9sY/s1600/IMG_6560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vjB43PEAFME/Uu0nfyzQlqI/AAAAAAAALs8/9-GvAdmr9sY/s1600/IMG_6560.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel's left, mine right, before coloring</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MXyxuXqMl1A/Uu0nhLBCz6I/AAAAAAAALtE/DVD57D_vVvo/s1600/IMG_6564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MXyxuXqMl1A/Uu0nhLBCz6I/AAAAAAAALtE/DVD57D_vVvo/s1600/IMG_6564.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie was much more into the scene he was drawing with exploding stars than his owl.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pw66zVvtcp0/Uu0nfhngVKI/AAAAAAAALss/9gGHl6Qcwck/s1600/IMG_6563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pw66zVvtcp0/Uu0nfhngVKI/AAAAAAAALss/9gGHl6Qcwck/s1600/IMG_6563.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel's with some color</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p2AsXXDhXcU/Uu0ngIxd_OI/AAAAAAAALs0/7TI5xJrUYSY/s1600/IMG_6562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p2AsXXDhXcU/Uu0ngIxd_OI/AAAAAAAALs0/7TI5xJrUYSY/s1600/IMG_6562.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mine, finished</td></tr>
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<i>Science</i><br />
We love animal science days! After we read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-About-Owls-Jim-Arnosky/dp/043905852X">All About Owls</a>, the kids did this <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owls-Can-Have-Are-Graphic-Organizer-780105">Owls Can/Have/Are page</a>. That was a great notebook page to record what they picked up about an animal. I'm going to have to use that Can/Have/Are idea again when we do lions in a few weeks! Here's Hazel's:<br />
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Our big science activity this week though, was dissecting owl pellets! This was a BLAST!! I ordered <a href="http://www.hometrainingtools.com/owl-pellet-dissection-kit/p/PM-OWLKIT/">this kit</a> from a homeschool science supplier and was very happy with the size of the pellets, how detailed the instructions and bone identification key were, etc. The kids did one pellet together and we determined that it held the remains of 3 mice and one rat. Later, I did a second pellet that included 3 mice. So fascinating! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUMygJrxtnA/Uu0nUPyQ_sI/AAAAAAAALrU/pASBnRYNsRw/s1600/IMG_6527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUMygJrxtnA/Uu0nUPyQ_sI/AAAAAAAALrU/pASBnRYNsRw/s1600/IMG_6527.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">intact owl pellet, with visible mouse shoulder blade (I think?) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkO8lNfTBSU/Uu0nUTkFznI/AAAAAAAALrY/K8lxpIz_JKo/s1600/IMG_6529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkO8lNfTBSU/Uu0nUTkFznI/AAAAAAAALrY/K8lxpIz_JKo/s1600/IMG_6529.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">see that little mousie skull?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HJXKZFNZtCk/Uu0nV2rBPqI/AAAAAAAALrw/I81K09fUDbQ/s1600/IMG_6530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HJXKZFNZtCk/Uu0nV2rBPqI/AAAAAAAALrw/I81K09fUDbQ/s1600/IMG_6530.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Hazel's face here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ShLloIKQ5A/Uu0nV8YnrHI/AAAAAAAALrs/tneZGwWXzxM/s1600/IMG_6531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ShLloIKQ5A/Uu0nV8YnrHI/AAAAAAAALrs/tneZGwWXzxM/s1600/IMG_6531.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">aftermath</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-il54EYnVM/Uu0nWE0fA1I/AAAAAAAALr0/4rYDuH_VDcQ/s1600/IMG_6534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-il54EYnVM/Uu0nWE0fA1I/AAAAAAAALr0/4rYDuH_VDcQ/s1600/IMG_6534.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one full-ish skeleton (rat) and the three mouse skulls and jawbones above</td></tr>
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After a couple of days cooped up in the house due to sleet, we went to the zoo in search of owls. We found two different owl species at our zoo! I didn't take pictures of them, but they have an <a href="http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Phodilus&species=badius">Asian Bay Owl </a> and a whole family of <a href="http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Pulsatrix&species=perspicillata">Spectacled Owls</a>. The kids were thrilled to see the two white fuzzy baby owls. Adorable!<br />
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The big surprise at the zoo, though, was the table set up in the kids' discovery area about owls! They had several owl pellets, some feathers, some talons, and some skull bones from rodents that local owls might eat (mice, rats, nutria). It was meant to be! The volunteer working the table said that we were the first visitors to stop by that morning, and that she was pretty sure my kids knew more about owls than she did. ;) My kids loved to see the talons and feathers. We had talked about both of those when we read owl books earlier in the week, but to see the two talons facing front and two curving back for grabbing prey and to see the serrated edges of feathers to aid in silent flight was really meaningful! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wmo9W0Gbpmo/Uu0nZ7o-R4I/AAAAAAAALsg/XGG0mCQ9_Sg/s1600/IMG_6546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wmo9W0Gbpmo/Uu0nZ7o-R4I/AAAAAAAALsg/XGG0mCQ9_Sg/s1600/IMG_6546.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">checking out feathers at the owl display table at the zoo</td></tr>
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We enjoyed the go-along books <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Owl-Babies-Martin-Waddell/dp/1564029654">Owl Babies</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wait-Till-Moon-Margaret-Brown/dp/006443222X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391272508&sr=1-1&keywords=wait+until+the+moon+is+full">Wait Till the Moon is Full</a>, as well as All About Owls that I mentioned earlier. Such a fantastic unit!<br />
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A couple more random pictures this week, not related to FIAR:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odWdkFY_wBY/Uu0nK7MUTBI/AAAAAAAALrI/HJ0voSCvrjw/s1600/IMG_6525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odWdkFY_wBY/Uu0nK7MUTBI/AAAAAAAALrI/HJ0voSCvrjw/s1600/IMG_6525.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jono has been doing a word search puzzle almost daily. His occupational therapist did one with him and he loved it, so we got him a book of them to do at home. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBx5C4YzhdU/Uu0nKqsYU0I/AAAAAAAALrE/bX1n5-3mA-g/s1600/IMG_6524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBx5C4YzhdU/Uu0nKqsYU0I/AAAAAAAALrE/bX1n5-3mA-g/s1600/IMG_6524.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie's written phonogram practice. The phonograms had to be part of a "sound train" going to the factory to make words. This is what doing spelling with a 5yo boy is like. LOL</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DMqbVotuK7Q/Uu0nXUQa9NI/AAAAAAAALsE/rNBYsEchqNA/s1600/IMG_6535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DMqbVotuK7Q/Uu0nXUQa9NI/AAAAAAAALsE/rNBYsEchqNA/s1600/IMG_6535.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sleet on the trampoline!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GucwyrAYnXQ/Uu0nX5_YYmI/AAAAAAAALsI/bsJVs9H6350/s1600/IMG_6536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GucwyrAYnXQ/Uu0nX5_YYmI/AAAAAAAALsI/bsJVs9H6350/s1600/IMG_6536.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">icicles on the bird feeder!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5iGO0FmuqR4/Uu0nZV1qV1I/AAAAAAAALsc/5LuFhK6LlFg/s1600/IMG_6548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5iGO0FmuqR4/Uu0nZV1qV1I/AAAAAAAALsc/5LuFhK6LlFg/s1600/IMG_6548.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">remains of ice at the zoo!</td></tr>
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Next week, we're taking a break from FIAR to spend a week on the winter olympics, and then we tackle Andy and Lion after that! I hope you'll follow along!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-53582235587184454092014-01-21T20:04:00.001-06:002014-01-21T20:06:30.890-06:00dolly makeovers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A friend's neighbor passed down two older American Girl dolls in much-loved condition to her daughter. I volunteered to bring them home and see if we could pretty them up a bit for their second generation of playtime. Turns out that I took rather lousy pictures throughout this process, but I thought I'd share anyway--the dolls really came out pretty well! </div>
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Our starting point:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_rlZ5MO4M4/Ut8eAvDAtDI/AAAAAAAALlc/fRzcQrqbouw/s1600/IMG_6251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_rlZ5MO4M4/Ut8eAvDAtDI/AAAAAAAALlc/fRzcQrqbouw/s1600/IMG_6251.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirsten and Molly, dirty, with ratty hair and lots of stray pencil and marker marks. Plus Kirsten was missing a leg.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlxjOkqVYEU/Ut8eAoe5ynI/AAAAAAAALlk/pzDrfAGskxw/s1600/IMG_6252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlxjOkqVYEU/Ut8eAoe5ynI/AAAAAAAALlk/pzDrfAGskxw/s1600/IMG_6252.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of Kirsten's pencil marks</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gc-4SPPNV6c/Ut8eCPQ_rcI/AAAAAAAALl0/5qer2alDT3M/s1600/IMG_6254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gc-4SPPNV6c/Ut8eCPQ_rcI/AAAAAAAALl0/5qer2alDT3M/s1600/IMG_6254.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-85ucX2rCXgg/Ut8eCTEdI-I/AAAAAAAALl4/9_VOk61y7UY/s1600/IMG_6255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-85ucX2rCXgg/Ut8eCTEdI-I/AAAAAAAALl4/9_VOk61y7UY/s1600/IMG_6255.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly was actually in pretty decent shape. </td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VTEp2-cELb0/Ut8eDUgvuxI/AAAAAAAALmI/dGR5YHpmeH0/s1600/IMG_6256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VTEp2-cELb0/Ut8eDUgvuxI/AAAAAAAALmI/dGR5YHpmeH0/s1600/IMG_6256.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I started by cleaning all of the marks off of both dolls' vinyl with a magic eraser. Then I deep conditioned their wigs with a good downy dunk. </div>
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Both dolls then got their limbs re-strung (plus Kirsten got a spare leg from Ebay). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MTko6R-a6F0/Ut8eDwgN1tI/AAAAAAAALmQ/j0VBFnJsNaQ/s1600/IMG_6402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MTko6R-a6F0/Ut8eDwgN1tI/AAAAAAAALmQ/j0VBFnJsNaQ/s1600/IMG_6402.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">loose-limbed Molly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LTTqTH8uak8/Ut8dxrcfvaI/AAAAAAAALlE/Zx_GnZ6Xkkw/s1600/IMG_6494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LTTqTH8uak8/Ut8dxrcfvaI/AAAAAAAALlE/Zx_GnZ6Xkkw/s1600/IMG_6494.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">loose and missing-limbed Kirsten</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ovMhD0qoq0/Ut8dxpYjluI/AAAAAAAALk8/chePc_RjvN0/s1600/IMG_6495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ovMhD0qoq0/Ut8dxpYjluI/AAAAAAAALk8/chePc_RjvN0/s1600/IMG_6495.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirsten, unstuffed for limb restringing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W0YGiHX_HRA/Ut8eE7WRpnI/AAAAAAAALmY/RMUiHDYhBj0/s1600/IMG_6403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W0YGiHX_HRA/Ut8eE7WRpnI/AAAAAAAALmY/RMUiHDYhBj0/s1600/IMG_6403.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly unstuffed for restringing </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JKej6ATZw4Y/Ut8dxniRgcI/AAAAAAAALlA/lqDIm2lgcl0/s1600/IMG_6497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JKej6ATZw4Y/Ut8dxniRgcI/AAAAAAAALlA/lqDIm2lgcl0/s1600/IMG_6497.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay! I can stand on my own two feet again!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TfdjTzc6ins/Ut8eFf4uXgI/AAAAAAAALmo/lGiPSBCcDvw/s1600/IMG_6405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TfdjTzc6ins/Ut8eFf4uXgI/AAAAAAAALmo/lGiPSBCcDvw/s1600/IMG_6405.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly, feeling much better </td></tr>
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Molly came to my friend wearing Samantha's school dress, and Kirsten in her meet outfit. I washed the clothes they came with, and fixed the stretched out elastic on Kirsten's bonnet. I knit each dolly a skirt and sewed them a matching tank, just for some variety, should they decide to go time traveling and not stick to their historical time periods. ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNiuQZPUtF4/Ut8dynTtoOI/AAAAAAAALlQ/vXJf_4s9ol0/s1600/IMG_6498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNiuQZPUtF4/Ut8dynTtoOI/AAAAAAAALlQ/vXJf_4s9ol0/s1600/IMG_6498.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all ready to go back home!</td></tr>
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Molly cleaned up beautifully, and I took quite a liking to her! I had never been interested in any of the dolls with bangs, but Molly is precious. Kirsten's hair is like straw, it's so brittle, so she'll need to have braids pretty much full time or I fear she'll need a new wig soon. We could take care of that, though. ;) They're not in mint condition, by far, but they're such sweet dolls! I'm so glad we got them ready to take on the new life they have ahead of them being loved by another little girl!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-48244618577574533742014-01-18T21:28:00.000-06:002014-01-18T21:29:49.353-06:00Wrap Up: The Bee TreeWe buzzed our way through the <a href="http://fiveinarow.com/">Five in a Row</a> unit on Patricia Polacco's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Bee-Tree-Patricia-Polacco/dp/0698116968">The Bee Tree</a> over the past couple of weeks! Despite quite a nasty interruption from the influenza virus, we made it through almost everything I had planned, and really enjoyed this row! <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I18SLz2C-ac/UtsDaqPr_6I/AAAAAAAALjk/oDCCtHZlmnM/s1600/IMG_6436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I18SLz2C-ac/UtsDaqPr_6I/AAAAAAAALjk/oDCCtHZlmnM/s1600/IMG_6436.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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The highlight of this row for us was a field trip to Baton Rouge to tour the children's exhibitions at the American Beekeeping Federation's annual convention. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zAJ5YRXEmHU/UtsDal40teI/AAAAAAAALjs/FE4nkXuGBBY/s1600/IMG_6433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zAJ5YRXEmHU/UtsDal40teI/AAAAAAAALjs/FE4nkXuGBBY/s1600/IMG_6433.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trying on beekeeper gear</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2rvNUn_kBlk/UtsDbgcJxRI/AAAAAAAALj0/oLSgcZHrX4A/s1600/IMG_6438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2rvNUn_kBlk/UtsDbgcJxRI/AAAAAAAALj0/oLSgcZHrX4A/s1600/IMG_6438.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">live bees!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k0_35B7scw8/UtsDb-cLZdI/AAAAAAAALj8/udELQlgu6o4/s1600/IMG_6443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k0_35B7scw8/UtsDb-cLZdI/AAAAAAAALj8/udELQlgu6o4/s1600/IMG_6443.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dress up! Jono held the flower for bees H&C</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7oCYvWAKlvg/UtsDcNbuI1I/AAAAAAAALkA/sTAt7NDBbmk/s1600/IMG_6446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7oCYvWAKlvg/UtsDcNbuI1I/AAAAAAAALkA/sTAt7NDBbmk/s1600/IMG_6446.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">made bee hats and rolled beeswax candles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ib59QAtuXo/UtsDcttMGhI/AAAAAAAALkM/m3RZeXURp5U/s1600/IMG_6448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ib59QAtuXo/UtsDcttMGhI/AAAAAAAALkM/m3RZeXURp5U/s1600/IMG_6448.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looked at more beekeeping equipment and asked a TON of questions </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9rLgEXMi0sA/UtsDdCLCrQI/AAAAAAAALkY/rrUk5ne9X4w/s1600/IMG_6458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9rLgEXMi0sA/UtsDdCLCrQI/AAAAAAAALkY/rrUk5ne9X4w/s1600/IMG_6458.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and we wandered across the street from the convention center to check out the river! </td></tr>
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For social studies, we found Michigan on the map, discussed peninsulas, and then colored and labeled a map of Michigan and the surrounding great lakes. <br />
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In language arts, we just reviewed onomatopoeia. We checked out favorite onomatopoeia book out of the library again and enjoyed it. I should just buy that one--I think this is the 3rd time we've checked it out!<br />
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For art, we did some fine arts. In the book, a group of traveling musicians joins the race to follow the bee to its tree. They were string players, so we listened to the strings section in The Story of the Orchestra. <br />
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We had a lot of fun with math. We spent some time nailing down shape names and description for those harder shapes, starting with hexagons, of course. We played some free printable games that were super fun for this--<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/kindergartenworks/describing-2d-shapes-bingo-cards">Shape bingo</a> and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Name-That-Shape-board-game-339354">Name that Shape</a>. We played the <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/03/preschool-pattern-block-activities.html">Fill in the Hexagon Game</a> on a different day using our pattern blocks. Then we used that hexagon pattern block to stamp honeycomb!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2S4Yu-260kk/UtsDlThzrbI/AAAAAAAALkk/9xbVz5Np2Gw/s1600/IMG_6491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2S4Yu-260kk/UtsDlThzrbI/AAAAAAAALkk/9xbVz5Np2Gw/s1600/IMG_6491.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my favorite part is Jono's name, with each letter made into a bee (bottom left)</td></tr>
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For science, of course, we learned about bees. We read several books about bees, beehives, honey production, and beekeeping. I had them paint these bees and then tell me what body parts they remembered the names of for labeling. </div>
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In non-FIAR news, we began a new artist for picture study. We studied our last bird painting by John James Audubon and did our first work by Claude Monet. We read the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Claude-Monet-Painter-Stopped-Trains/dp/0810989611/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390101896&sr=8-1&keywords=monet+artist+stopped+trains">Claude Monet: the Painter Who Stopped the Trains</a> and then studied one of the pictures mentioned in the book. The kids really enjoyed both the story and the painting. I think this artist will be popular!</div>
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Jonathan also started a new extracurricular this month. He's playing Upward basketball this winter. He has had two practices and one game and has loved every minute of it so far! </div>
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Thank you for following along with us! </div>
<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-65901124662668960902014-01-12T16:26:00.001-06:002014-01-12T16:27:21.096-06:00AG bunk beds Homebound with sick kids this weekend, I decided to tackle a project I've been planning for a while. I cutsied up (yes, that's a real verb) the two <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10101664/">Ikea duktig doll beds </a>we have for our American Girl dolls. They come very practical and plain, but I had seen some Etsy sellers with cute bedding for them and a few ideas on Pinterest for painting them and bunking them to take up less floor space, so that was the plan. Hazel and I picked out fabric at Hobby Lobby on Friday while we were in Baton Rouge. We chose four coordinating prints in yellows and grays to match the TV room, since dolls live in that room. Here are the various tutorials and ideas that I mushed together for our beds:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>mattresses</b>: Ana White's <a href="http://ana-white.com/2011/08/18-doll-mattress-sewing-tutorial">doll mattress sewing tutorial</a>. I stuffed ours with 2" foam cut to size. I did not tuft ours.</li>
<li><b>bunking</b>: this <a href="http://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/01/duktig-bunkbed-for-dolls.html">post on Ikea Hackers</a> was the goal, and I found exactly those brackets at Home Depot. They were a giant pain to hammer in, and my pinky finger still hurts from where I missed, but they worked. If you go looking for them in Home Depot and have as limited a knowledge of hardware as I do, this is what you can look for:</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wtTsHLehBEs/UtMThoN3hMI/AAAAAAAALiQ/xWuRmGx5P1o/s1600/IMG_6468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wtTsHLehBEs/UtMThoN3hMI/AAAAAAAALiQ/xWuRmGx5P1o/s1600/IMG_6468.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<li><b>bedding</b>: I used some of the <a href="http://onelittleproject.com/diy-3rd-birthday-gift-ideas-for-a-girl/">ideas from this blog</a> for bedding, but rectangle blankets, pillows, and pillow cases are pretty straightforward</li>
</ul>
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Now, pics of ours!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mCyboncZ6JE/UtMTh-_t4xI/AAAAAAAALiU/CIzepLUYshE/s1600/IMG_6470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mCyboncZ6JE/UtMTh-_t4xI/AAAAAAAALiU/CIzepLUYshE/s1600/IMG_6470.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I really am the world's worst spray painter. I will not be giving you close-up pictures of my paint job. From a distance, they look relatively uniform and white. Good enough. </div>
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Mattresses fit perfectly! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blanket and pillows</td></tr>
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It's official--these dolls have nicer bedding than I do! <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrtqTJoAFiM/UtMTjeIcLuI/AAAAAAAALis/jprUhVUmjWw/s1600/IMG_6477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrtqTJoAFiM/UtMTjeIcLuI/AAAAAAAALis/jprUhVUmjWw/s1600/IMG_6477.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Emily sleeps up top with Gracie. Jack and Jess share the bottom bunk. They're brother and sister, so that's totally above board. ;) </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-19s2YPHISsw/UtMTjpZjLlI/AAAAAAAALi4/E69b-9pj0ao/s1600/IMG_6478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-19s2YPHISsw/UtMTjpZjLlI/AAAAAAAALi4/E69b-9pj0ao/s1600/IMG_6478.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Cozy!</div>
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and just for your entertainment, Hazel makes Penny the horse play the part of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/That-Book-Woman-Heather-Henson/dp/B002KE5SVU">pack mule librarian</a>. She's wearing a purse stuffed with the books that came with mini-Isabelle and mini-Marie-Grace. Poor Penny. I should make her some saddle bags. Surely that would be more comfortable! </div>
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Thanks for looking!<br />
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-22288323921084968512013-12-27T17:36:00.001-06:002013-12-29T17:25:45.501-06:00Christmas American Girl crafting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t3gEekXhq08/Ur4NkTXEC4I/AAAAAAAALg4/yE5wg2ikfV0/s1600/IMG_6359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t3gEekXhq08/Ur4NkTXEC4I/AAAAAAAALg4/yE5wg2ikfV0/s400/IMG_6359.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hazel received a couple of new-to-her (from Craigslist) American Girl horses for Christmas. I got a pretty good deal on them, but they're not pristine, which is fine, given how rough she is on belongings. The larger horse was also missing the saddle that she had originally come with, so I had a couple of projects I wanted to do for the horses before they were gifted. <br />
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First, hay bales! I followed <a href="http://ana-white.com/2012/12/plans/toy-hay-bales-horse-stable-american-girl-or-18quot-dolls">Ana White's plans for burlap plush hay bales</a>. They turned out cute, which is good, since they were a GIANT PAIN. Seriously. Never sewing with burlap again. I think these could have been done with a glue gun with much less frustration. Live and learn.<br />
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Second, I made blankets for both horsies. Don't they look warm and cheerful? <br />
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The pattern for the blankets is <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/102425566/18-dolls-horse-blanket-pattern-fits-ag?ref=shop_home_feat">here</a>. I made the foal's blanket by slowly cutting down the pattern for the larger one and laying the paper pattern across her back, then cutting it down some more, and some more, until it looked the right size. Good enough.<br />
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My last project was a replacement saddle for Penny, the big horse. I used the <a href="http://umbargerfamilyhomeschool.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/making-a-saddle-for-a-dolls-horse/">template provided by this blogger</a>, but used different materials than she did. I bought a quarter yard of that fabric that has sheepy fleece stuff on one side and faux suede on the other (I'm sure there's a name for that, but I don't know what it is!) and made the saddle out of that. The main saddle piece has the suede-y side up and the fleecy side down. The seat part is fleecy side up. I sewed the seat part on to the saddle part and that was pretty much it! I bought some cute braided trim at Joann (a yard, and I didn't use it all), put two small grommets in the saddle and ran the trim under the saddle and out through the grommets to be straps for the stirrups. Does that make any sense? Stirrups are just 1.5" d-rings, but I should have gone up a size. I took a doll shoe with me to Joann for sizing, but cowgirl boots are bulkier and they barely fit. I used a needle and thread to tack the ribbon in place to hold the d-rings. Seriously, 15 minute project, easy peasy, and SUPER cute. This also could have been done with hot glue or fabric glue just as easily, if anyone is in need of a dolly horse saddle and doesn't sew. <br />
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When Hazel and I went to the American Girl store in Washington, D.C. at Thanksgiving, I very sneakily purchased the Western Riding Outfit to complete the set. Gracie looks adorable in it, and Hazel has really enjoyed having horses to play with, with her dolls!<br />
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-13591480936031299022013-12-02T19:29:00.001-06:002013-12-02T19:35:49.262-06:00Our Favorite Christmas BooksWe are Christmas book-aholics over here. I thought I'd take a minute and share some of our favorites with you.<br />
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For several years, our most loved Christmas books were board books. My kids are now old enough to listen to and enjoy longer stories, but these four are still favorites:<br />
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<ul>
<li>B is for Bethlehem is out of print, but lovely if you ever come across one.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Manger-Nola-Buck/dp/0694012270/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386032001&sr=1-1&keywords=christmas+in+the+manger">Christmas in the Manger</a> is my favorite for a very first Christmas book. Perfect for infants and toddlers to go along with a Little People or other nativity scene that can be played with</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Christmas-Patricia-Pingry/dp/0824918452/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386032083&sr=1-2&keywords=story+of+christmas">The Story of Christmas</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Night-Before-Christmas-Classic-Illustrated/dp/0811839338/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386032137&sr=1-5&keywords=night+before+christmas+board+book">The Night Before Christmas</a>--We still like our board book version of this poem well enough that we haven't upgraded to a "big kid" one. </li>
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We like to focus in early December on reading about the historical person of St Nicholas. We don't "do" Santa here, but we discuss how the modern Santa Claus has his roots in St Nicholas and then we're free to enjoy the season with Santa around every turn, in stores, in books, in movies, etc, knowing where that came from, and not waiting for him to bring us presents on Christmas Eve. To aid us in those conversations, we have a couple of books on St Nicholas. I prefer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Nicholas-Story-Christmas-Legend/dp/0758613415/ref=pd_sim_b_4">Saint Nicholas: the Real Story of the Christmas Legend</a> (red, below) to The Legend of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Legend-St-Nicholas-Christmas/dp/0310713277/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386032845&sr=8-1&keywords=st+nicholas+true+story">St Nicholas: a Story of Christmas Giving</a> (blue), but I don't super love either of them. The red one is better for a younger audience for sure. This is the first year that mine have sat through the blue one willingly. I'm still on the lookout for an even better version, and if I find it, I'll update! Our other favorite resource on this is the super silly Veggie Tales video on St Nicholas. Streams on Netflix!<br />
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Others that mama never minds reading again and again, year after year include:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grinch-Stole-Christmas-Classic-Seuss/dp/0394800796">How the Grinch Stole Christmas</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Smell-Christmas-Scented-Storybook/dp/0375826432/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386033405&sr=1-1&keywords=sweet+smell+of+christmas">The Sweet Smell of Christmas</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Candy-Cane-Lori-Walburg/dp/0310212472/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1386033428">The Legend of the Candy Cane</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pete-Saves-Christmas-James-Dean/dp/0062110624/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386033500&sr=1-2&keywords=pete+the+cat+saves+christmas">Pete the Cat Saves Christmas </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mortimers-Christmas-Manger-Karma-Wilson/dp/1416950494/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386033522&sr=1-1&keywords=mortimer%27s+christmas+manger">Mortimer's Christmas Manger</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Express-Chris-Van-Allsburg/dp/0395389496/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386033544&sr=1-1&keywords=polar+express">The Polar Express</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cajun-Night-Before-Christmas/dp/0882899406/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386033604&sr=1-1&keywords=cajun+night+before+christmas">Cajun Night Before Christmas</a> (OK, I tire of reading this just because my Cajun accent is horrid and it's HARD! But it's too fun not to include in the list.)</li>
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Also, in the spirit of there never being enough Christmas books, I requested a few at the library that had been recommended by others. We have found a few winners among them! <br />
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willowbys-Christmas-Tree-Robert-Barry/dp/0385327218/ref=reader_auth_dp">Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree</a>--I'm pretty sure this will be next year's Christmas book purchase. Too fun!!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Miracle-Jonathan-Toomey/dp/1564023206/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386033722&sr=1-1&keywords=christmas+miracle+of+jonathan+toomey">The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey</a> (tear jerker!!)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Frankie-Patricia-Polacco/dp/039924302X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386033744&sr=1-1&keywords=orange+for+frankie">An Orange for Frankie</a> (another tear jerker)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Joy-midi-Kate-DiCamillo/dp/0763649961/ref=reader_auth_dp">Great Joy </a></li>
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Of course, we have our fair share of groan-worthy Christmas books, too. You know--the ones that I consider hiding in the night (and still might!) like the book that comes with the Elf on the Shelf, anyone with me on that one? But mostly, Christmas books bring us much joy, and we love to share them with our friends! </div>
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Any favorites of yours that you think we ought to try? I'm all ears! </div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-8659888312443909622013-11-18T20:06:00.000-06:002013-11-18T20:19:16.797-06:00wrap up: The Glorious Flight (and the rest of November)We took the first week of November off from Five in a Row and did a week-long geography project that I saw on Pinterest on landforms. We read library books and watched youtube videos about the different landforms and decorated a couple of them each day. At the end of the week, we put them together for a landform flip book. They are so cute! <br />
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A front view:<br />
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One my favorite scenes:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">clouds and rain on Hazel's hills</td></tr>
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And another:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the BEST penguin, polar bear, and whale EVER</td></tr>
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Last week, we did the Five in a Row unit on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Glorious-Flight-Channel-Bleriot/dp/0140507299">The Glorious Flight</a>. Adorable book about the first flight across the English Channel by French pilot Louis Bleriot. We spent a day on geography, locating the English channel and coloring a map of it. We continued social studies with some discussion comparing life then (1910s) and now as we looked at the illustrations in the book. <br />
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We spent a day learning about flight with the relevant Magic School Bus episode and making paper airplanes. That was a HUGE hit, and there have been several more made in the days since.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VERY serious Charlie</td></tr>
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The art lesson from the manual was on perspective, especially how things appear different when you're looking up at them or looking down on them. We took our book with us to lunch at Chick-fil-A in the mall, which is on the second floor. We read the book while we ate and looked at the illustrations in the story that showed different perspectives and then practiced looking down onto the lower level of the mall and discussing how different things looked from where we were than when we were down below. Then we went downstairs and looked up. It was really simple, yet effective! <br />
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My favorite parts of this row, however, were the go-along books! We checked out quite the basketful this time and found some really fun ones. Our favorites:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Wondrous-Whirligig-Brothers-Machine/dp/0823417174">The Wondrous Whirligig</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flyers-Allan-Drummond/dp/0374324107/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384826326&sr=1-1&keywords=the+flyers+by+allan+drummond">The Flyers</a><br />
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The Flyers included this page in the back that showed a short history of flight including the Louis Bleriot crossing the English Channel and the Wright Brothers' flight several years before that. Kids were really drawn to this.<br />
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We did not get to everything I had planned for this row. Honestly, it's been a trying few weeks at Chaos Academy and we're often doing well to get the basics (reading, writing, math) done! I read a <a href="http://simplehomeschool.net/everyone-wants-to-quit/">blog post last week</a> about how many homeschoolers want to quit in November and February. Boy has that been true here lately. Whew! I took some of the advice in the post to heart and have changed pace again for this week with another Five in a Row break. We're just enjoying some Thanksgiving books and simple crafts and trying to get ready for our trip to see grandparents over the holiday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Thankful Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some little pilgrim and indian finger puppets </td></tr>
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We will have a field trip related to Glorious Flight while we're visiting grandparents though! We plan to follow up our week learning about the history of flight with a trip to the National Air and Space museum. Should be fun! <br />
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I think we plan to take most of December to do Christmas books and crafts, so Five in a Row may be on the back burner until after the first of the year. I'll post if we do anything newsworthy, but I don't make any promises. Thanks for following along with us!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-17373776286478232432013-10-30T12:47:00.001-05:002013-10-30T12:48:44.471-05:00Halloween 2013Again this year, the boys just wanted a new superhero costume from Target so they could amp up their dress up games. Hazel is the only one who still wants me to sew for her, which frankly, is fine by me.<br />
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This year, she was dead set on Princess Celestia from the My Little Pony cartoon. She is obsessed with MLP. I tried my best to talk her into one of the ponies that did not have a horn or a crown or jewelry or any of the extra junk that the princesses have. Nothing doing. She was only interested in Princess Celestia. <br />
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We did our best, and I think we did OK! <br />
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I started with these two tutorials: <a href="http://www.sugartartcrafts.com/2013/09/my-little-pony-costume-sew-along.html">one</a> and <a href="http://www.craftinessisnotoptional.com/2012/09/rainbow-dash-costume-hoodie.html">two</a>, and used them as a base for wings, mane, tail, ears, horn, and cutie mark. I used a purchased white sweat suit, though. No sewing a hoodie for me, thankyouverymuch. The necklace and crown I totally winged, using sparkly craft foam with velcro dots and "jewels" hot glued on. She's pleased, therefore so am I!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with her protectors, Iron Man and Wolverine</td></tr>
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-19710079417348912672013-10-26T14:36:00.002-05:002013-10-26T14:37:01.489-05:00Wrap Up: Wee GillisOur <u>Wee Gillis</u> unit is a wrap! <br />
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<u>Wee Gillis</u> is a book by Munro Leaf, from <a href="http://fiveinarow.com/">Five in a Row</a> volume 2. I was excited about this book for two reasons. One, we Wallaces have some Scottish heritage and two, we really enjoyed <a href="http://lookwhaterinmade.blogspot.com/2013/04/wrap-up-story-of-ferdinand.html">our row of Ferdiand</a>, which is also by Munro Leaf. Here's what we did with <u>Wee Gillis</u>:<br />
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Geography: We placed our story disk on Scotland, colored a map of Scotland, and discussed the lowlands and the highlands, as mentioned in the story. <br />
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Social Studies: We learned about kilts, tartan, and bagpipes! I read some from a library book on Scotland and we talked about traditional Scottish dress, kilts, and tartan. I showed the kids the wool blanket that David got in Scotland that is in the Wallace clan tartan, and then we tried paper weaving a Wallace tartan-like pattern. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the real and the paper Wallace tartans, for comparison, with a goofy face from the 6yo</td></tr>
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and bagpipes! We watched several youtube videos of bagpipe players, and then we made our own "bagpipes" following <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/35677022021739746/">these instructions</a>. They don't really make "music" but they do illustrate how bagpipes work, and the kids LOVED them. <br />
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The kids' Musikgarten class has also been studying the British Isles and I planned this row to coincide with their week in Scotland. They listened to some music with bagpipes, read a Scottish fairy tale, and sang some related songs, I think? I don't always get clear answers to "What did you do in music class?" It's fun when those things can line up like that, though!<br />
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Science: In the story, Wee Gillis' lungs get very, very strong from calling cattle with his lowland relatives and holding his breath while stalking stags with his highland relatives. We read a library book about our lungs and then <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/35677022021739755/">tried this lung capacity experiment</a>. Jono took one picture of Charlie, but you can't see much. <br />
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No one was satisfied after their first attempts (marked in black sharpie) and wanted to try again. Jonathan and Charlie significantly improved their result (in silver, hard to see) on their second try. I suspect Hazel's lungs held more air than she managed to blow out, too, but she couldn't prove it. Mama can empty the entire bottle. Kids were suitably impressed.<br />
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Art: I photocopied two illustrations from the book for us to compare. The two pictures appear at first glance to be nearly identical, but the kids found four things that were different between them and circled them. They seemed to really enjoy looking for those details. I'll have to get some similar puzzles for them to work through.<br />
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For language Arts we read some lovely poetry! We read the A.A. Milne poem "Halfway Down" and the Robert Burns poem "My Heart is in the Highlands" and discussed them. We ended up reading most of the rest of the book of poems by A.A. Milne. He's certainly a favorite. <br />
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We watched both the movie of Wee Gillis (from the library) and the Pixar movie Brave, which we hadn't yet seen. Both were popular, although the kids said that Brave was too scary. That's been true of every Pixar movie they've seen the first time through, so I wasn't surprised. I thought it was cute! I did not show them Braveheart, of course, but we did read the little blurb in our Scotland library book about William Wallace and his campaign for Scottish freedom in the 13th century. Charlie was particularly interested in that, given his middle and last names. <br />
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Overall <u>Wee Gillis</u> was a very enjoyable row, and we just have one more book on our list before Thanksgiving! We'll be spending some time learning about flight with <u>The Glorious Flight</u> and then do a short geography unit before we head to Virginia to see the grandparents for Thanksgiving. <br />
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Thanks for following along!<br />
<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-76628889741876641242013-10-10T19:41:00.000-05:002013-10-18T15:16:26.703-05:00Wrap Up: Henry the Castaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We spent the first two weeks of October on the <a href="http://fiveinarow.com/">Five in a Row</a> unit <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Castaway-Mark-Taylor/dp/1930900473">Henry the Castaway</a>, from volume three. This was a book that neither of my available library systems had, so it's one I put on my kids' Christmas wish lists last year and they got from my brother and sister-in-law. Score one for homeschool Christmas gifts! It's an adorable story and a super fun "row". Here's how we did it:<br />
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Social Studies:<br />
In the story, Henry and his dog Angus set out to explore the "uncharted seas". They come to a river that Henry says "must be the Orinoco River... (which) goes through very wild and dangerous territory." We found the actual location of the Orinoco River which runs through Venezuela to the Atlantic Ocean and placed our story disc on it. The kids colored a map of Venezuela and located the Orinoco River. We checked some books about Venezuela and South America out of the library, but the kids have mostly ignored them. We also watched this short video clip about the river, the local plants and animals, and the people groups who live nearby. <br />
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We did a second social studies day on Columbus and (general) explorers. In the story, Henry finds some cats on the island they explore and names them Mrs. Friday (which is an allusion to Robinson Crusoe? I've never read it.), Columbus, and Elizabeth. He also talks about "exploring the uncharted seas". We read kids' library book about explorers and discussed what it might have been like to take off in a boat and really not know (exactly) where the ocean you were sailing would go. While I read, they colored a picture of Columbus. <br />
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For geography, we read a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mapping-Pennys-World-Loreen-Leedy/dp/0805072624">Mapping Penny's World</a> which was a fantastic introduction to map reading. <br />
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Science:<br />
We read a library book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Follow-Water-Lets-Read-Find-Out-Science/dp/0064451151">Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean</a>. Very cute story and illustrated how streams flow into larger rivers which flow into the ocean, etc. We also started reading the Caldecott Honor book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paddle-Sea-Sandpiper-Books/dp/0395292034">Paddle-to-the-Sea</a>, which is about a boy who carves a toy canoe and sets it to float out on the melting spring snow from his home in Canada above Lake Superior with the hopes that the boat would float through the Great Lakes and out the St Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. We aren't finished with this book yet, but it's been a big hit so far!<br />
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Math:<br />
We did the lesson from the manual about tallying using the animals in one illustration of <u>Henry</u> for counting. My kids were not super interested in this, so I'm not sure it stuck. We'll try again.<br />
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Miscellaneous:<br />
We looked up Scottish Terriers (like Angus) in a dog breed book and that led to discussing different kinds of dogs that the different people we know own.<br />
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We found this adorable go-along book about cataways--<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Castaway-Richard-Jackson-Atheneum-Hardcover/dp/0689862326">Castaway Cats</a>.<br />
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We spent some time on survival skills and talked about what Henry did right when he was on his adventure with Angus and got stuck on an island with no way to get home. We read a library book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Woods-Colleen-Politano/dp/0934802831/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1381451514&sr=8-9&keywords=lost+in+the+woods">Lost in the Woods</a> and discussed it. I'm pretty sure my kids think they're experts at building a shelter and killing wild game, and I'm not remotely confident they paid attention to the admonition to STAY IN ONE PLACE, so yeah... let's just hope they never get lost. They'd be in trouble.<br />
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We also built popsicle stick rafts (since we couldn't really build canoes like Henry had) to float in the water on our own Exploring Adventure. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5vKOtwnoQ8Y/UldCHE_ZkfI/AAAAAAAALXM/2ScnWaU_kAQ/s1600/IMG_5620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5vKOtwnoQ8Y/UldCHE_ZkfI/AAAAAAAALXM/2ScnWaU_kAQ/s400/IMG_5620.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how explorers dress! </td></tr>
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And then... we set off like Henry to see if we could explore the uncharted seas. For us, the uncharted seas were simply the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. We went to <a href="http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ifontaine.aspx">Fontainbleau State Park</a> to hike nature trails and splash in the "beach" on the shore of the lake. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wjJLc1Rt18/UldCHVucQ9I/AAAAAAAALXU/u9Ym74JFT5U/s1600/IMG_5622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wjJLc1Rt18/UldCHVucQ9I/AAAAAAAALXU/u9Ym74JFT5U/s400/IMG_5622.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting off down the nature trail.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hEGhEoenWY4/UldCJJDQ5RI/AAAAAAAALXk/J9Qqm9SCbFw/s1600/IMG_5636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hEGhEoenWY4/UldCJJDQ5RI/AAAAAAAALXk/J9Qqm9SCbFw/s400/IMG_5636.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahh, nature. Either a large worm or a small snake. I wasn't sure. </td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">"Splash" turned out to mean totally swim in your clothes regardless of the fact that this was one of the first mornings we had temperatures in the low 70s. I have no clue why there weren't shivering! Good thing I packed a dry set of clothes for everyone just in case! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uHqcrD3QWbc/UldCLHatw6I/AAAAAAAALYA/FpiphEIu_eA/s1600/IMG_5647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uHqcrD3QWbc/UldCLHatw6I/AAAAAAAALYA/FpiphEIu_eA/s400/IMG_5647.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GJRN0z-gpM0/UldCLuyWmKI/AAAAAAAALYI/kHSkHqETakE/s1600/IMG_5656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GJRN0z-gpM0/UldCLuyWmKI/AAAAAAAALYI/kHSkHqETakE/s400/IMG_5656.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sandy one. This kid LOVES the beach. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YgSEWap24ww/UldCMiKefvI/AAAAAAAALYY/FSj4BPeffAA/s1600/IMG_5671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YgSEWap24ww/UldCMiKefvI/AAAAAAAALYY/FSj4BPeffAA/s400/IMG_5671.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trying to blow his raft along</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We brought home a TON of these little brown and white shells. </td></tr>
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A few other fun shots from the week:<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RJLTezMW7zk/UldCFCuqNwI/AAAAAAAALW4/bk1zTiehFz4/s1600/IMG_5589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RJLTezMW7zk/UldCFCuqNwI/AAAAAAAALW4/bk1zTiehFz4/s400/IMG_5589.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Jono doodled this while I read Henry one day. If you're familiar with the story, I'm sure you'll recognize parts! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bDXLWSl6-y4/UldCFXk6uCI/AAAAAAAALXE/7rtwX2VbIj8/s1600/IMG_5613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bDXLWSl6-y4/UldCFXk6uCI/AAAAAAAALXE/7rtwX2VbIj8/s400/IMG_5613.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jono built some towers with sums of seven using cuisenaire rods. He's a big fan of towers. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tNt5Lex1Rg0/UldCE2d1cmI/AAAAAAAALXI/2pXV_AH8Sd0/s1600/IMG_5618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tNt5Lex1Rg0/UldCE2d1cmI/AAAAAAAALXI/2pXV_AH8Sd0/s400/IMG_5618.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The twins started All About Spelling this week and really enjoy it so far!</td></tr>
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It was a fantastic adventure and a wonderful row. Thanks for following along!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-55612259831490296382013-09-27T15:54:00.000-05:002013-09-27T15:59:49.592-05:00Wrap Up: Lentil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lentil-Picture-Puffins-Robert-McCloskey/dp/0140502874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380314798&sr=8-1&keywords=lentil+robert+mccloskey"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8JIxdn10mA0/UkXqeAPSovI/AAAAAAAALUc/N7ChZhqouwc/s320/61saZ5ikZLL._SX258_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">We have just finished another super fun </span><a href="http://www.fiveinarow.com/" style="text-align: center;">Five in a Row</a><span style="text-align: center;"> unit study on the book Lentil, by Robert McCloskey. Lentil is a book that we owned before we began our FIAR journey, so it was familiar, and Robert McCloskey is one of our favorite children's authors. We always enjoy getting to know a familiar book even better by taking it through Five in a Row. Here's what we did with Lentil:</span><br />
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Social Studies:<br />
1. Map work and coloring page for the state of Ohio, in the United States. We found both Ohio and Louisiana, colored both, and discussed how far Lentil lived from us. <br />
2. Patriotism and the United States flag. In the book, there is a big parade welcoming home Colonel Carter, the town's most important citizen. They decorate with flags. We read a library book about our flag and what the colors and symbols on it mean, and made flag collages. We listened to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sing-America-Pamela-Conn-Beall/dp/0843112794">Wee Sing America</a> while we worked, for some familiarity with America's famous patriotic songs. <br />
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Art: We tried our hand at soap whittling, which is not as easy as it seems! In the story, the antagonist spends his time "whittling and grumbling". My kids much preferred playing with the soap afterwards than the actual activity of carving it.<br />
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Science:<br />
1. Acoustics and sound. We set out to discover why Lentil says that when he plays his harmonica in the bathtub the tone is improved 100%. We watched the Magic School Bus on sound and bounced a ball on the couch (it didn't bounce much) and then in the bathtub (it bounced a lot). We decided that sound waves must bounce better in hard places like the tub just like balls did. Then all of the kids got a harmonica and they put on show after show after show. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">really hard to get a picture of a busy kid bouncing a ball!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">again with the bouncy blurry kid</td></tr>
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2. Taste buds! Old Sneep (the antagonist) tries to ruin the Colonel's homecoming by sucking on lemons so that the members of the band would pucker up when they looked at him and be unable to play their instruments. We read the page in our Flip Flap Body Book about taste buds and then tasted some salty, sweet, sour, and bitter foods. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not a fan of the sour lemon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in disbelief that Mom actually handed over a cup of (bitter) coffee!</td></tr>
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Music: Besides playing with our new harmonicas, we explored the instruments in the brass section of the orchestra. The book talks about several brass instruments, so we listened to that section and read the accompanying pages in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Orchestra-Listen-Instruments-Composers/dp/1579121489">The Story of the Orchestra</a>. <br />
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In non-FIAR school news, we have a new plan for nature study and a new artist and composer for picture and music study. Our new artist is John James Audubon, the 19th century naturalist who painted many many bird species. Our local <a href="http://www.auduboninstitute.org/">zoo, aquarium, insectarium</a>, and a park are named for him, so I thought he'd be a good artist to study. We started with a picture study of a pelican he painted. The kids were surprisingly enthusiastic about it! <br />
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We have been listening to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Carnival-Animals-Book-CD/dp/037586458X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z">Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals</a> for composer study. We have a book and CD that includes a poem by Jack Prelutsky for each movement of the piece, along with fantastic illustrations by Mary Grand-Pre, who illustrated the Harry Potter books. The kids have LOVED this. We've been listening at breakfast most mornings. <br />
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Finally, nature study. We have had the hardest time getting nature study off the ground. It's something I really want to do, but I have not been consistent with it. I decided that I just needed to follow someone else's plans and DO IT until it became more comfortable and routine. So, we jumped in with the first of the 10 "Getting Started" Outdoor Hour Challenges (OHCs) on the Handbook of Nature Study blog. Here's the first one: <a href="http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2008/02/green-hour-challenge-1-lets-get-started.html">http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2008/02/green-hour-challenge-1-lets-get-started.html</a> We followed her instructions to the letter. I read the introductory material in the Handbook of Nature Study (well, re-read, since I had read them before), then we went out for a walk around the block with our eyes and ears open, but with no other expectations. The kids brought in some leaves, seeds, and acorns they were excited about, and I gave them the opportunity to record some of what they saw or found in their nature journals. The twins and I all made nature journal entries, and Jono put his leaves and magnolia seed pods in the nature basket to save for later. Overall, it was an enormous success! We're going to head out on an OHC every week and try to finish those introductory ten before Christmas. I'm so excited to have a plan!<br />
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We had a few bumps in the road, schedule-wise, during the last couple of weeks, and didn't get to quite everything I had planned for Lentil, but we still very much enjoyed it, and we're looking forward to a <span style="text-align: center;">couple of weeks with Henry the Castaway coming up next! Thanks for following along! </span></div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33489083.post-86038379053049165002013-09-20T15:51:00.000-05:002013-09-21T17:16:32.143-05:00Toy LibraryWe have a new toy library! Before I tell you all about it, here's a little history of us and toys:<br />
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When my kids were babies and toddlers, I rotated their toys. I found that they just played better with fewer options, that clean up was easier (and faster!) with fewer options, so I split them up into thirds or so, put the "off" toys in big plastic bins in a closet, and rotated them about once a month. This worked well enough, especially since they didn't really remember what was missing, so they didn't ask for things that weren't out. I didn't like the job of rotating boxes, though, so it got put off sometimes. It was sort of a pain, but I felt it was worth it. <br />
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We moved here just over two years ago when my kids were newly 4 and newly 3. We had a playroom at first, so I didn't split toys into rotations, I just dumped them all in the playroom. Sure, it was always a disaster, and the kids were too overwhelmed with the volume to clean up effectively, but I also didn't have to go in there, so I was able to turn a blind eye and tackle the mess infrequently.<br />
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About 15 months after we moved here, we had exhausted all the room sharing combinations and came to the conclusion that my kids sharing rooms was just NOT going to work. We needed to sleep a kid in the playroom. I split the toys up between the bedrooms and for the last year, it's been a big toy nightmare. Hazel's room absorbed the "girl" toys (play kitchen, barbies, dollhouse, baby dolls, American Girls, My Little Ponies, other ponies and barns, etc). Jono doesn't like a lot in his room. He likes a large pile of stuffed animals, some action figures, and that's about it. That meant that Charlie's room (the former playroom) had all the rest. Trains, lego, dress-ups, tool bench/tools, blocks, cars, Imaginext Star Wars, Mr. Potato head, etc. He was regularly melting into a puddle because even though his siblings would go into his room to play with toys there, no one wanted to help him clean, and it was FAR too much. This is what it looked like most days...<br />
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We needed a solution. I wasn't willing to take on rotating their toys for them again. And they wouldn't want that anyway, since they have favorites. Some things they play with daily, some things much less frequently. They're 6 and 5. They needed choice and freedom if this was gong to work. <br />
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After some time with my friend Google and a little blog reading, I started to hatch a plan. I started by paying the kids in lollipops to bring all of their toys out of their rooms. ALL of them. Every single toy they owned. I sorted them into groups in the living room floor. I ended up with somewhere around 30 individual "items" for check out. Dolls, barbies, blocks (3 different kinds) cars, dress ups, stuffed animals, ponies, play kitchen food and dishes, action figures, transformers, puppets, and on and on it went. </div>
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Then we bought bins. LOTS of bins. I was willing to try this without this step, and use the myriad randomly sized containers and baskets that toys had been living in, in bedrooms. My husband suggested (and he was SO right) that I might like the uniformity of a just a few sizes of bins. Not cheap. Worth it. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not pictured: a box of those big 2 gallon ziplock baggies for those things that didn't require a full bin</td></tr>
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Everything then found a home in a bin in the shed. Several of the blog posts I read used space in their basement or a spare closet. While I'd give my left arm for a basement, my house is actually below sea level which means that our water table is something like half an inch below the grass in my backyard. Yeah, so, we don't have a basement. Luckily, I do have an awesome big shed. </div>
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one corner</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yep, toys. right there between the edger and the extension cords. awesome. </td></tr>
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the other corner</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with the card table, the bird seed, and some sports equipment. whatever.</td></tr>
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(closer up)</div>
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My kids checked their first toys out of the library yesterday afternoon and it's been a huge hit!</div>
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My initial plan was to have two types of bins, big and small, defined by how big of a mess their contents made, not necessarily how big the actual bin was. I was going to allow kids to have one "big" and three "small" bins checked out at any given time. I initially divided the bins in the shed along the same lines. Big bins in one corner, small bins in the other. My kids don't appreciate this distinction. In the first afternoon, Charlie wanted to swap superheroes (a small bin) for log cabin blocks (a HUGE bin). I had just started to protest when Hazel bounded around the corner and, having heard her brother was finished with superheroes, wanted to trade the trains that she had (big bin) for his superhero bin. It was not worth arguing with both of them over bin size. So I dropped that distinction before the 24 hour mark, and now they're simply limited to four bins apiece. </div>
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My initial thoughts? AWESOME. My kids have four bins of things in their rooms. This is about the same volume of toys that Jono used to voluntarily keep in his room, so no big change there. But Hazel and Charlie can now clean up without weeping! Wahoo!! I am not limiting how often they swap things out. So far, Jono is happy with his initial four choices. Hazel and Charlie have traded bins multiple times. I don't want to limit their access to their toys. I just want to limit how many they have access to *at the same time*. </div>
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The most interesting thing to me has been what they've chosen to play with. This is the first time in their lives that specific toys have not had a "home base". Even shared toys (like dress ups, play kitchen, and blocks) have been stored in one room or another. Hazel currently has her My Little Ponies, the superheroes, the dinosaurs, and the small animals in her room. She's got a big mash up world going on in her (empty) dollhouse with all the components of those different bins. I love it! I have a feeling that besides her MLP, the other "girl toy" bins will rarely leave the shed. She's just not into them, and that's OK. </div>
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I'll keep you posted as we use this for a while, but so far, I'm really excited! </div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15725451448072601110noreply@blogger.com0