How we "rowed" Climbing Kansas Mountains.

Since Climbing Kansas Mountains is out of print and I could not find it at the library, we made our own row based on what I found from these books about Kansas or the prairie.

-Sarah Plain and Tall-

-Out on the Prairie-

-The Buffalo are Back-

-Little Town on the Prairie-

-The Wonderful Wizard of Oz-

First we studied wheat because it's grown in Kansas. I had the kids dissect the wheat then we looked at the grains under our USB microscope. 

We read how gluten is a thirsty protein and that is why, when water is added to flour, the water soaks in quickly and it's easy to form a ball of dough. We did an experiment to test this out. We used regular white flour and almond flour. I added water to each. We could easily form the white flour dough into a ball but the almond flour fell apart. There is no gluten to soak up the water. 

We also recorded our wheat observations in our nature journals. I have them sketch and watercolor in their journals whenever I can. It forces them to observe their subject and take their time at replicating what they see. Therefore imbedding it in their minds and forever recording it on paper. 

We also studied the sunflower because they're commonly grown in Kansas and it is the state flower. I intended on having them dissect a sunflower but we ran out of time. We did watch a YouTube video of a guy dissecting one. And we documented our findings in our nature journals, of course. 

We moved on to prairie life after this. We talked about the great Dust Bowl. The Pony Express. And how people used to wash their clothes. Liam and I made a covered wagon and Olivia made her and her sisters corn husk dolls. We also played Oregon Trail and had a few laughs. 

Because Kansas is in the path of Tornado Alley, we studied tornadoes for science. We watched Tornado Chasers and videos on how tornadoes form. We also made our own "tornadoes" in jars. And we made some beautiful chalk art pieces. Here are some great books to read too! Here and here. 

We talked about tornado safety and looked up the best things to do to stay safe during a storm. Afterwards I had them all create an underground storm shelter on Minecraft and I gave them extra points for coming up with some great ideas. Olivia stored extra building supplies and money to rebuild after the storm. Liam used a concrete door instead of a wooden one. Faye made sure her shelter was really really far down in the ground. She even created a huge tornado above. 

To finish up our "rows" I like to write an exam to do a mental wrap-up of all we studied. I add funny questions or options for answering questions. I love to make them laugh. In one question I asked: Who got lost when we played Oregon Trail? The answer was Faye. Of course. 

We really enjoyed this "row" and I hope you do too!

My Homeschool Style.

Every educator has a different style. The key to enjoying teaching is finding and embracing your style. My style is super simple. My theory is that in simplifying the things you wish to teach, you yourself will learn. Simplifying causes you to dissect the complicated to better understand it.

As some of you may know, I was homeschooled as was my husband. We met when we were kids and grew up together attending a home school co-op where we put on plays and studied history, geography, and science. Here are pictures to prove it.

Can you spot us?

Despite this common thing, our home school experiences were very different but I find that I tend to take from both in educating our children.

My husband's experience was more structured and tailored to his needs and interests which greatly benefited him and his personality. Because of his parent's investment he has gone on to have a successful career as a sought-after web designer. In the industry he's a "unicorn" because he can code and design. Many can only do one or the other. His college professor encouraged him to withdraw because he knew more than even she did and so he never even completed his first year of college.

My experience, growing up, was very much an un-schooling one. There wasn't much structure and in the times we weren't left to ourselves we were working right alongside my parents. I may not have gone on to have a great career but I am living out my dream of being a mom and raising our children. And I have implemented all that I learned into motherhood and homeschooling. I am grateful for my un-schooling experience because it allowed me to grow in what I found interesting. I learned how to care for others and a home. It taught me to be a self-starter. I learned many practical skills too. My experience, as a child, gave me a hunger to learn which drives my passion for homeschooling my own children now.

-Schedule-

Our school hours are from 9-3. Electronic devices (such as iPods, TV, and Xbox) are not allowed to be used until after 3 and chores are done. I try and keep that rule myself too. I try not to answer texts or go on social media until after 3 as well. I do allow myself a break over lunch when I am in my "teacher's lounge" and cannot be disturbed. It gives me time to re-group and allows them time to talk excitedly amongst each other over their lunch without my hovering.

-Bible-

We start each morning with Jesus Calling for Kids and a prayer to center our hearts and minds. I find that on days we don't do this, things are a bit chaotic.

-Math-

We begin each day after breakfast usually starting with math. My oldest children use student accounts on Khan Academy that I regulate from my parent account. If there is something they are struggling with, I take to Pinterest to find a hands-on solution to teaching that particular problem.

For my kindergartener, we've been doing a more montessori style of learning. I'll write out basic addition problems for her and she'll build them with manipulatives and write the answer. We're going to start working on writing her numbers because, as you can see, she needs a little help.

During this time I allow my youngest to play educational games on the iPad or I give her special during-school-time-only activities so she won't disturb the others. I also like to include her whenever possible so I'll print off extra activity sheets for her and have her join in games or experiments.

-L.A.-

They all use their own levels of Handwriting Without Tears. 

My 2 oldest are using First Language Lessons for grammar and sentence structure. 

They are all using All About Spelling. Because my son is more familiar with but needs help in and my kindergartener is just starting out, they are covering level 1 together. My oldest is in level 5.

My son and kindergartener are both doing All About Reading level 1 as well. They are helping each other because in her not knowing, he helps break things down so she can understand which, in turn, helps him fully grasp the concept. 

I also read a lot to them all. About 3 books a day or 20 mins. I also make sure my son has reading practice. My oldest daughter always has her head in a book so I never have to prompt her. 

My oldest daughter also has a passion for writing so I often give her writing assignments. You can find some great writing prompts on Pinterest. 

-History, Geography, and Science-

As I've outlined in my previous post, we're using Five in a Row Volume 3 this year. There is a list of books and you decide how long you want to "row" each one. Within each book there are little trails to many learning opportunities. When, in time, did the story take place? Where are the characters from? What are they eating? What are they doing? And you can just keep building from there. I like to focus on one each day. 

-Planning-

I'm not much of a planner so I plan how we're going to row each book as we go. I gather ideas from other moms and make my library/supply lists. I also pencil in what we'll do each day for that row. As my mother-in-law says, "Use pencil because plans always change." I like having an idea of how our week will look so I feel more prepared at the start of each day. I like keeping a simple planning journal. I've tried lots of planners but this is the method I always go back to. I just jot down what each child did that day and what we did together. 

-Special Interests-

I try and focus on what each child enjoys and encourage them in that direction. For example: my daughter has spent a couple of years in a theater group. She was in ballet. She also loves to sew so I signed her up for an 8-week sewing course at a local Fashion Camp. 

My son was taking a parkour class. He loves to drum so he will be starting drum lessons soon with a private instructor.

We also like to go on hikes with homeschool friends or to the beach. 

This is where that crap about un-socialized home schoolers is debunked. My children have each been encouraged to pursue what interests them. All of which have taken place in social settings. They have no trouble socializing and have walked into each situation with confidence and an eagerness to learn. They can talk to anyone of any age and carry a conversation. We treat them as their own individual thus allowing them to be their own persons with their own ideas and personalities. And our constant involvement gives them the confidence and encouragement they need so they're not looking for it elsewhere. *end rant*

-Life Skills-

This is where my own home school experience comes into play. My style is to pull up a chair for my children alongside me and say, "Do as I do." They all help in household chores and tasks. I have at least one child helping me in the kitchen, in someway, at all times. 

I think it's vital to teach your children to care for others and their home. It gives them a sense of awareness and self-respect and satisfaction in a job well done. After all, they will have their own families and homes to care for someday. 

I bring them along on errands and often prompt them to interact with clerks or make a lesson out of counting change or picking produce. This too is important because I am teaching them skills they will use through adulthood. 

-In Conclusion-

I love home schooling. I loved being home schooled. It may not be for everyone but you can carry on the same concept through some aspects of raising your children. Teaching them to be more aware of the world around them and encouraging them to pursue what inspires them. 

If you would like any more information about home schooling please don't hesitate to e-mail me at [littlemommy - at - me - dot - com]. 

How we "rowed" The Bee Tree.

This year I decided to go back to a curriculum that we all loved - Five in a Row. We had taken a break from using it because my oldest two attended enrichment classes twice a week last year so the days they were home we were focused on L.A. and Math. We had little time for much else. And the year before that I simply didn't have the time to come up with lessons because my youngest was a handful. So this was finally the year to reintroduce Five in a Row and I am so excited.

Five in a Row is a story-based curriculum. Here's an example of a list of books for the year. You decided how long you "row" each book. Sometimes it'll take a week or even 3! Each book contains little trails that lead to a variety of subjects to cover. When, in history, did the story take place? Where are the characters from? What did they eat? How did they dress? What did they do in the story? Etc. Etc. The possibilities are endless.

For the past two weeks we've been rowing The Bee Tree from Five in a Row Volume 3. I got so many great ideas from Michelle over at Delightful Learning and a few from Pinterest.

These are only some of the books I found at our library to read along with The Bee Tree. 

At the beginning of each row, I make a list before I go to the library based on what I see from their online database. 

This was one of our favorites. 

We studied the lifecycle of bees and they all participated in this cute little activity. 

Because we were learning about bees, we needed to learn the parts of a flower to better understand the bee's important job. 

One of my favorite things about home schooling is that I am learning right along with them. I had no idea that the flowers had tiny eggs that turn to seed. Our new microscope came just in time to see these tiny eggs. 

I think taking the time to observe and paint what we're studying is such an important step. It causes you and your children to have to look at every little bit of your subject to try and replicate it thus imbedding it into your minds. 

To simulate what a bee does, we used a small plastic syringe to gather "nectar" and a plastic bee to "pollenate". 

Before we painted these we watched several YouTube videos of the lifecycle of bees. Here are a few of our favorites. Here and here. 

We watched this video about gathering honey and used this recipe to make honey cookies. 

I bought this block of beeswax at Hobby Lobby using their 40% coupon and a package of wick and pumpkin scent. 

First I chopped the wax into tiny pieces. This was the most time consuming part. 

I set the jars in boiling water to melt the wax and keep it melted during the dipping process.

They made 4 dipped candles and there was enough wax left over to make 4 small poured candles. 

This project was really fun and I think we'll all remember it for years to come. There are some great videos about candle making here and here.

The characters in the book are from Michigan so we studied this beautiful state and even interviewed my dad as he is from Michigan. 

Their inventions. 

We also learned that MoTown was founded in Michigan and that one of the greatest inventors, Thomas Edison, is from Michigan. So our studies led us to the invention of the light bulb and prompted my children to invent their own ideas on paper. (Here is a great illustration of how a light bulb works)

As you can see, we had great fun "rowing" this book. At the end of our row, I made up a test of sorts to help summarize all we learned. I think it helps them and I to wrap up a great row.