Random Acts of Kindness Thursday Study

I found out that there is a Random Acts of Kindness week but its in November.  Today is going to be our RAK day for teaching purposes.

We are starting with two verses from the Bible:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” (1 Corinthians 13:4)
“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (Proverbs 19:17)


We are using these slogans:
•"Kindness can change the world." 

•"Kindness begins like a ripple of water"...  

                          

•"Kindness makes your heart glow!"

•"The kindness in people is reflected back to them."

•"I believe in the magic of kindness."

•"Practice random kindness."

http://www.kidactivities.net/category/Random-Acts-of-Kindness.aspx

Kids are choosing which slogan they want to do and are going to be making a mini sized poster (blank printer paper).

I wrote the 6 slogans above to give them a choice on which one they wanted to do.

Before the poster they are writing on lined paper 10 ways to be kind for them to start brainstorming.

What triggered this idea (well, God of course) was two things as I walked in the house from being at Walgreens.  1.  Early this morning Jesse was a genius!!!  Elizabeth doesn't spell very well (neither does he) but this was something he could do for his sister.  He got on the desktop computer and made a folder on the main page with her name on it and inside of the folder were websites that she goes to a lot.  This saves everyone in the house time to have to spell out the whole website for her so now she can just click and go!  2.  Again, I came home to Jacob making ramen for Elizabeth.  Just because he wanted to.  Not sure if she asked him or not but this isn't a normal thing for him to just go and do.

I want the children to grow up and do things for themselves and others without having to be told to do it.  Take some initiative.  The feelings you have in your heart are way more powerful than someone praising you for doing something.  Not all the time will you get praised therefore you should be able to praise yourself with a pat on the back.

I will add pictures of their posters when they are finished.

Education Reform

Was pointed in the direction of a video on YouTube tonight that makes me raise and eyebrow on some levels and also confirms some of my beliefs about American education.  One thing that I really believe is that teachers in the schools are SO deprived of a decent income for what they have to go through during the school day.  Its their compassion that keeps them coming back to the school day after day.  Teachers have to really love what they are doing and feel that they are making a difference.  Even if you don't agree with everything that is said in the video you have to admit that the drawings are pretty awesome! LOL!

Not every child fits in the pretty box with a bow.  Many people have heard me say this in reference to our oldest child.  Yes I know he is 12 but he doesn't have to learn the same thing as other 12 year olds that are in their 7th month before turning 13.  Right?

Underwater Sight Seeing

Glancing through my twitter feed I found a cool link from Craig Froman about an underwater museum.
Only visible by snorkeling, scuba diving or through a glass bottom boat.  It is located in Cancun.

Kind of reminded me of a trip Judge and I took many years ago to Sweetwater, TN.  We were passing through the area and saw a sign for The Lost Sea.

We are still honey-mooning...

As we continue studying the moon phases we read the verse Psalms 8:3  

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

                      the moon and the stars you set in place—

The kids and I continued on through Genesis 3:20 with their bible lesson and did a crossword puzzle.

I found a website called Teacher Vision today.  But they only allow you to see 5 things before you have to buy a subscription to the website.

I used those free views pretty quickly.  I found that our project we started yesterday was too hard for Elizabeth to keep up.  Went to that website and printed out a couple of moon printables for her.  That way she is still studying what we are just on her level.  She has been cutting and using glue to fill in sentences with crescent words and a page on moon phases and matching.

The older kids are learning about the phases of the moon.  Observing and naming the current phase of the moon, the elongation and how it can be estimated with the sun's rays.  Within today's lesson is some basic geometry with right angles and 45 degree angles. Worksheet

Prayer sticks for today were to pray for my cousin's daughter Addison, my brother in law Bill,  Jacob's friend Dominique and my sister's daughter Brooklyn.

National Chocolate Milk Day is Here!!! Finally!

We interrupt this homeschooling day to bring you the big news that today (and today only) is National Chocolate Milk Day.


"September 27, 2011 is

National Chocolate Milk Day

Celebrate National Chocolate Milk Day! Who doesn't crave a nice, tall glass of frothy chocolate milk? Until the 1820s, drinking chocolate was fairly uncommon and no one knew how to produce a smooth chocolate taste in liquid form. In 1828 the Van Houten company in Amsterdam invented the cocoa pressing method. This produced a light, fluffy chocolate powder that could be easily dissolved in water or milk. Today, chocolate milk is a popular beverage for people of all ages.

Chocolate milk has surprising restorative properties. In 2006, the dairy industry conducted a study and discovered that chocolate milk helps athletes with muscle recovery. It provides nine essential nutrients, making it both delicious and nutritious!

Pour yourself a nice tall glass of chocolate milk in honor of National Chocolate Milk Day!"

 (http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/national-chocolate-milk-day )

Protein and Fiber snacks to fill the gap

Ideas coming from a fellow mom who has a child with Type 1 Diabetes too.  She was given some suggestions about fiber and protein snack options to fill the gaps between meals.  Kind of ironic but some of the items listed were in a telephone conversation I had tonight with a friend.



a pita pocket with hummus/nutella/ peanut butter inside

wheat thin crackers and a couple slices of cheddar cheese

medium orange sprinkled with a littel cinnamon

SF jello cup, pitted sweet cherries, 2 tbs frozen cool whip

Pineapple Sundae-- 4oz pineapple tidbits, 2 tbs vanilla yogurt, 1 tsp roasted sunflower seeds crushed

graham crackers with peanut butter spread on top

town house crackers with chicken or tuna salad spread on them USE LITE MAYO

1 cup of chicken noodle soup and 3 saltines

taco in a bag-- 1 oz bag of Fritos or Doritos crushed in the bag, ADD into bag....lean ground beef, lettuce, tomato chunks, shredded cheese


1 pear and 1oz of cheese

Quesadilla, 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese....can warm up and its a cheese roll-up

1 apple and 2 TBS of Peanut butter

1 mini box of raisins & 2 TBS of dry roasted pumpkin seeds

Bagel Melt- 1/2 whole wheat bagel thin, slice of swiss cheese (or any cheese) and 1 slice of deli turkey breast

3 slices of Melba toast with 1/4 cup ricotta cheese

2 slices whole grain rice thins with nutella or peanut butter

1 cup raw baby carrots and 4 oz. of cottage cheese


Disclosure: I am not a dietician or a doctor nor claim to be...check with your health provider before making any changes to your dietary consumption.  Lord knows, I eat too and some of these things are a bit foreign to me but I need to become friends with these snacks.

Television and kids....

Have you ever sat in a different room and listened to a Nickelodeon or Disney show (not the preschool ones).  I know that some are filmed in front of live audiences but you can tell which ones aren't because the laughing is controlled and everyone stops at the same time in order to keep the script moving slowly.  So as I am listening to this show that Jesse is watching I can hear the dialogue of people cutting each other down or saying something really stupid and then they cue the button for laughter.  So are the makers of these shows creating what your child should think is funny but morally isn't funny at all?  I suppose this is my AHA! moment while I sit quietly and just listen to Elizabeth playing with Thomas trains, Emily picking up her room and the clanging of silverware as Jacob empties the dishwasher.  What do you think?

And the Bible lesson for today is...

John 1

 ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 ²The same was in the beginning with God.
 ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

I have the week set out for our Bible lessons.  Elizabeth has a coloring page to do while we are working on the other pages.  Here is what we are working with for these lessons.  Bible Lessons

We may take a detour this week to work on moon phases as a whole group.  I found that Discovery Education has a lot to offer and the kids need a distraction thrown in and work on team building.  Not sure how but at least they will be building moon phases.

These are both free resources.

Here is a freebie that someone shared with me yesterday.  Betty Crocker's 2011 Fall e-cookbook!!

is it a good word or a bad word?

Do you hide from this word?  Wait, I am going to type the word if you are ready.  Organization

How do you deal with the organization in your home.  Especially if you homeschool.

We tend to find things that we "know" we will need next year or next spring.  Those things can turn into its own monster!  Stores tend to showcase their organizational products in January because a lot of people do New Year's resolutions to either get fit and exercise or they will get organized.  Then again they could be giving up soda too but I don't hang out with those people because I love my Diet Mtn Dew....haha! j/k.

I have been hanging out over at 5 minutes for mom and browsing through some of the blogs listed and I thought I would take a peek at the blogs that talk about organization.  Just a peek....lol  I have to be able to admit that I will never be a white glove cleaner.  You will find a little dust, an orphaned sock or even a broom still out in the kitchen.  Our home is lived in, used, peaceful and happy.  We do what we can with what we have.  Don't think of us as being the "other" family on Wife Swap where one mom goes to a immaculate house and the other one goes to the pig sty of a home.  Our children have chores and structure and we, as parents, have our responsibilities too.  We work together as a family unit.  And NO we aren't going to give you an allowance to pick up your room.  When you are 30 and have a family are you going to get paid to make your bed?? HA!  
                                                 picture from Pinterest.com/blemmon                                       

Oh yeah back to what I was saying...organization.  We don't own a single dresser in our home.  My husband constructed all of our rooms with walk in closets.  He built in shelves,  bars for hanging clothes and we have baskets and bins on some shelves.  In his eyes, dressers take up play space.  Most homes being built now have small bedrooms.  The kids have 450sq ft to play, romp and mess up...lol!


As I was saying earlier...not having the perfect home but striving.  Here is Kristin at http://imperfecthome.com/  she sheds light to the little things that can be fun to do...it doesn't have to feel like a chore does it?  She just posted on notes to send along with your child's lunch box or just a note to let them know you are thinking of them...but in a creative way.  This may speak mountains to your child.  I remember as a child and my mom would pack my lunch and simply write on my napkin...it gives a boost or a gleam to maybe an otherwise dreary day!  I think I may take up her advice on having an in and out container to help filter through some of the things that pile up on my desk!  Thank you Kristin


See what you can come up with and don't forget to come back and let me know if it did or didn't work out!

History Lessons

For the last few days I have been looking at different options for history lessons.  Things we can do as a group.  (Sorry I haven't posted....not felt well lately).  I found a DVD set that seems rather interesting and  can be affordable too.  This DVD link has previews of each lesson there on the website.  It is called the American Heritage Series  I liked the way it was all put together.  Here is the link to the promotional part of this set:

Like I said I am pretty impressed with this collection.

Copied from their website and no I am not an affiliate for them...

26 Episodes: 30 min. each in length.

 

10 DVD Box Set

Suggested Donation: $79.95
On Sale For: $59.95

The other set that I looked at was discovered by Freely Educate...Many of times this lovely lady has sent out great resources...and many of times I forward them on to others who can use the free boost!  In one of her posts today she shares a history curriculum from Colonial Williamsburg.  In this website you will find videos, lesson plans, timelines, glossary of words and tons of other resources.  You can even download the transcripts and do a play in your living room as it is transcripted for you.  These are virtual field trips.

Copied from her website Freely Educate (you can find her on facebook too! :)

Through Sept 30: Free Virtual Field Trip on the US Constitution from Colonial Williamsburg

Through September 30 only, you may access Colonial Williamsburg's Electronic Field Trip, "A More Perfect Union." Here is their description: 

The Electronic Field Trip, "A More Perfect Union", tells the story of the ratification of the [US] Constitution and has as the first person narrator a young student from the late 1700s.  This Electronic Field Trip builds background knowledge for educators and students, leading to better understanding of the challenges and choices made during the ratification of our Constitution.  

The electronic field trip includes interactive games, the ability to send an email to "Ben Franklin," lesson plans, teacher guide, and more. 

How to Get this Freebie:  Visit Colonial Williamsburg's Gift to the Nation page

Especially for grades 4-8th (but we all know the younger ones would like it, too!)

Expires September 30, 2011

Needles, batteries and strips....

Well, I thought I hadn't done a diabetic post in awhile.  A friend on facebook had posted about The Mom Song from YouTube.com...well to the same tune we use the Type 1 Mom Song.  Before I post the link to this, I thought I would explain the main difference.  In this video the two children have Type 1 Diabetes.  In one family.  It seems that this isn't very rare anymore.  I have been hearing a lot about more than one sibling having Type 1.  In our family we have 3 of the 4 children that are Type 1 as well.  They all 3 wear insulin pumps.  And I, the mother, has Type 1 too.  So there are 4 of us in our household that are diabetic.  Keep that in mind when you watch this video:

Then we get a lot of people that ask us stupid questions about our diabetes. Or make comments when we eat sweets as if it is not allowed.  Not calling people stupid, just the question.  I suppose a better word would be ignorant.  Most people think of diabetes as something people get and later on they get gangrene and eventually lose a limb or go blind.  Many people in the diabetic community are well versed in what to say in these kinds of conversations...but here is a great video that shows the dialogue.


So the next time you see a child or an adult offer them a piece of real candy and not that sugar free stuff that has more artificial stuff in it that makes you poop instead! hahaha

Bible Drills

Does anyone remember as a kid in sunday school having bible drills?  Such as the adult calls out a scripture and the first one to find and say the scripture wins.?  Anyone?

Well, I have incorporated the books of the Bible in our curriculum this year.  I told Judge that I found this to be very beneficial that they know their way around the Bible.

This week the kids are memorizing the first 10 books of the Bible.  And I found a cute song on youtube too.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oc8mk1nyPg

This week we are in session

We took last week off from school...but no worries, we have a lot of days already built up since we started in the summer.  While everyone else was sweating we were in air conditioning or cooling off at the outdoor pool.  Yep, that's what our summer consisted of.  That and me trying to figure out what curriculum would be best for each of the children.  It was a time of really looking at the big picture.  We are well into the swing of things with a plan too.  I just wish that I was a week ahead in my planning.  But I guess we are just week to week these days.


Elizabeth is working on skip counting of 5s so I can start her in learning how to tell time.  I figured she would have already learned this by now but she hasn't.  So this week we are concentrating on this.  Map skills are fun but unscrambling word sentences are not so fun...her words, not mine.  She is also working on her prayer sticks as are the other kids.


The three older kids are still continuing their math drills with lattice multiplications and Jacob will be doing his pre-algebra.  Here are the Lattice Worksheets we are using for the drills.  http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/lattice.htmlThey will also be working hard at studying and memorizing the first 10 books of the Bible.  I feel that it is important for them to know where scripture is while listening at church.  This will be an on going project this year.


Jesse and Elizabeth are using  http://www.scholastic.com/dodea/index2.htm  a lot of language supplements from this website.  It came at a time that we needed it.  I didn't have a full A Beka curriculum for either of them in language.  So we have made our binders and are keeping it well rounded with reading.  Jesse is reading through the Magic TreeHouse books and picked Mummies in the Morning.  And we are using this website to guide through this book: http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading5/mummies.htm  I only put a Questions packet together for him.

Homeschool Planners

I figured I would blog about this before I lose the website again.  I don't buy planners because I like making them my own way and use different ideas and I am very ADD with this.  But I came across a website that I liked the front covers that they offered.  I mean I really liked it.  Now ready to sit down to print it and I can't find it!  I looked everywhere...thankfully for only 3-4 minutes.  But I found it!! !Yay!
http://new-bintexas.webs.com/freecurriculumplanner.htm  there are different options here but I liked the blue and yellow one.  I think it is the last one.  Anyhow,  they have 12 month calendars at a glance that I am going to print for the backside of the binder.  There are other places that offer free planning pages such as Donna Young's site  http://donnayoung.org/index.htm  she offers more than just home school planning sheets.   Here is another site
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/planner.php

Check out New Beginnings and see what you can creatively put together!