Wednesday, March 26, 2014

12 Books in 2014 Update 3

Another one down!  This month I got stalled a little bit on my 12 Books for 2014 goal.  I'm hoping to have made a bit of a recovery, though!  I just finished The Five Love Languages of Children.

Back in college I read The Five Love Languages and found it very intriguing.  While it most definitely did not turn me into a perfect partner, I think it was a good read for anyone wanting a serious relationship.  Since the most important relationship in my life right now is the one I have with my son, I decided a refresher, in the form of The Five Love Languages of Childrenwas in order.  I am so happy I read it now!  Xander is still so young that I am not quite sure what his love language will be.  Luckily, I do not think he has any issues with his love tank; I am constantly expressing love to him, in almost every language.  However, I do feel reading the book made me much more aware of how I interact with him.  I am also much more cautious about expressing love sincerely before and after I discipline him (I'm still far from perfect though).  I hope to keep the principles of this book in mind as he grows, and may even read it another time or two in the future.  I'd recommend it to other parents.  

Has anyone else read it?  What did you think?

My Twelve Books for 2014
In no particular order:
1.  The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
2.  Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs by Ellen Galinsky
3.  Design Make Play by Margaret Honey 
4.  Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov
5.  The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Champan
6.  Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood by William Pollack
7.  Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People by Robert S. Root-Bernstein
8.  Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
9.  Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley
10.  A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
11.  Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life by Gretchen Rubin
12.  Beyond Snapshots: How to Take That Fancy DSLR Camera Off "Auto" and Photograph Your Life Like a Pro by Rachel Devine

Monday, March 24, 2014

O Week

Letter Formation/Pre-Writing
Tracing the letters with his write and wipe cards and Letter Tracing Pages from 1+1+1=1
Practicing writing in his sand box.
Q-Tip Painting (from 1+1+1=1)
 Bingo markers on the Dot Letters from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  His favorite part was cleaning them up!
 Using his Build a Letter Templates and HWWT pieces. First he built the letters on the templates, then he built them by themselves.
Letter Maze
Alphabet pattern blocks templates from Confessions of a Homeschooler
Literacy
We did the next four Beginner Spelling Cards.  He was a goofball about it, but did them all correctly, so I am totally fine with it!

Turning "rul" into "rule" with the silent "e"
Cut and Paste Phonics Hunt
Math
Some abacus work and putting numbers in order.
Science
We're still doing our Alphabet in Simple Science, and this week was O for Opaque.
Art
Making some O's with Do a Dot Markers
Working on his masterpiece.
This Week's Work
 
 
Tot SchoolA Mom With a Lesson Plan

Saturday, March 22, 2014

A New (Spelling) Journey

Last fall I made Xander some Beginnger Spelling Cards.  They've been fun and he's really good at them.  However, I was really wanting to take a more comprehensive approach to spelling.  After some thinking on it, I decided to go with the All About Spelling program.  I chose it because Xander has been reading for a couple of years now, but still lacks the motor skills to write.  I didn't want his literacy development to stall while we wait for his motor skills to catch up.  I am hoping that this program will be a good fit for him.  I'll let  you know how we do along the way!  Wish us luck!

So excited it finally arrived!
 Progress charts already posted!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

12 Books in 2014 Update 2

In January I posted about making a conscious effort to read more nonfiction in my 12 Books for 2014 post.  Sadly my progress is a little slower than I would like, but I finally crossed another book of my list!


I had read The Happiness Project by the same author last year, and found it motivating.  I liked this book as well, however, it did not apply to my life quite as much.  Part of the book concentrates on setting up your house to improve happiness.  Since I live with my dad, I have limited control.  A lot of the other resolutions were very useful and inspiring.  While I may not begin a full fledged "Happiness Project" as a result of reading this book, I have decided to make more of an effort in some areas.  For example, in an effort to appreciate the now more, I have made it a goal to take at least one video of Xander each week.  I am also much more conscious of letting others bring me down.  All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.  Just don't expect an life altering revelations.  I find the small, simple ones more manageable anyway!

My Twelve Books for 2014
In no particular order:
1.  The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
2.  Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs by Ellen Galinsky
3.  Design Make Play by Margaret Honey 
4.  Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov
5.  The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Champan
6.  Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood by William Pollack
7.  Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People by Robert S. Root-Bernstein
8.  Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
9.  Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley
10.  A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
11.  Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life by Gretchen Rubin
12.  Beyond Snapshots: How to Take That Fancy DSLR Camera Off "Auto" and Photograph Your Life Like a Pro by Rachel Devine

Friday, March 14, 2014

N for Nonliving

See what we did for other letters in the Alphabet in Simple Science.

N for Nonliving
Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).
 

    Background
First we talked about what the words living and nonliving mean.  Living things move, grow, need water, eat, make waste, and have babies.  Nonliving need people to move them and cannot do any of the things.  We read a book that explained it pretty well and talked about a lot of examples.

Is it Living or Nonliving?

Materials:
Living and Nonliving cards (print them here)

Procedure:
It was hard for me to come up with something that was very hands on for this topic.  Instead I printed up a bunch of cards with various items and had Xander sort things into two pies.  I asked him why he put each card where he did.  Luckily, he thought it was fun.

Living and Nonliving Concept Map

I decided to try a concept map with this topic. Graphic organizers are wonderful for developing understanding, but I wasn't sure how he would do because he is so young.   I made the structure for the concept map and printed all of the words and pictures to go in the bubbles (you can print it form here).  He surprised me in how well he did.  He was able to find a place for every item with only a little guidance.

The finished product!

Check out my Alphabet in Simple Science Pinterest Board for more ideas!
 
Tot SchoolA Mom With a Lesson Plan
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