Autumn: cattails

We have a great beginning journey to our Nature Study this year thanks to Barb at www.handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com! We are taking part in the Outdoor Hour Challenges and just completed our first Autumn Challenge: Cattails!
Pictures coming soon!

Dictation for Spelling

Consider this!



Dictation Day-By-Day: A Modern Speller by Kate Van Wagenen Second Year & Third Year are available free on Google Books.

Nature Study-A Must Read

I know I may give website links and freebies quite often, but seriously....this is SERIOUS! It will revolutionize your home education...especially if you want to or dream about incorporating nature study!

Here is a link to "The Outdoor Hour". It is not an hour, but she challenges us to do nature study 15-20 min./week...her ideas truly make it fun and easy. You can subscribe to her blog get challenge updates to your e-mail automatically.

Before you read further...read the link above...she puts her heart into this and you will find yourself wanting to actually do nature study!!!!

Don't you dare read further...open it up NOW!!!!!! (I'm saying this in a loving way!!) Read the blog post link above first, then read what else I have to say below!

She gives you/your children an outdoor challenge and if you don't have that habitat/enviornment often she gives accompanying video for you/your children to watch. She also has past challenges in an e-book for purchase....otherwise you can find them free on her site! We are doing them FREE! We also own the Handbook of Nature Study (a book) by Anna Comstock from 1911; which she recommends you own...you can also view the entire book for free in various formats at http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofnature002506mbp. (I bought the book a long time ago and use it occassionally, but didn't know exactly how to incorporate it fully...until we started using this website and her challenges!)


You could then have the kids/you use the forms available on her site to fill-in with the challenge! Some assistance will be needed for those that can't read and/or write, however. Plenty of drawing room! We incorporate nature study...but have always struggled to maintain it and to insure our nature journal pages are friendly and "capabilities" appropriate. I THINK WE HAVE FINALLY FOUND IT!

So often we come home with rocks, sticks, dead insects, etc...and we just toss them out! Now the kids have a method to record and remember all the treasures they bring home! Very cute.

Of coarse the forms they fill out are placed into their Nature Journal binder in sheet protectors...all for safe keeps!

Circle Time & Charlotte Mason

I found a wonderful post from another blogger, who implements a "morning basket".



I was already planning to implement circle time (on a consistent basis) with all the children in the morning...the link above gives me further ideas!

What will be included in our circle time:
Pledge of Allegiance, other patriotic songs, etc...
Poetry/Shakespeare
Bible Study/Devotion
Fridays nature readings from Kindergarten Gems & books by Clara Dillingham Pierson (which are available for free here).

I love The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project (A big archive of public domain children's literature)and Google Books (many free books)!


I'm finding my educating philosophy swinging over to the Charlotte Mason method heavily, again. I'm re-evaluating our home educating goals...and I love the Classical model, "The Well-Trained Mind," ideas/resources especially for grammar and history; but Charlotte's are those that ring most true for us! The Charlotte Mason method outlined.

Maybe what did it was reading the recent posts on the Simply Charlotte Mason website.

Now my next challenge, using dictation exclusively for spelling; a tried and true method! Dictation Day-by-Day (Cost: free, on Google Books) or Spelling Wisdom (Cost: $1.75/year per child by www.simplycharlottemason.com)

Launching Homemade Rockets

We are almost complete with our study of astronomy. We have been using Apologia Science Astronomy! I can't rave enough about it! Charlotte Mason philosophy, living book, and wonderful hands-on activities (even if I don't plan ahead, I almost always have the items already needed for a project in the house)!

The past week we launched rockets in the morning!




It happened so quickly I couldn't snap a picture of the actual launch, however, I did take pictures prior to it! The neighbor children were amazed! My children couldn't wait to explain it to them. Nevertheless, chemical reactions have been brought up a lot this week! Do you like our safety goggles?

Tot School & Workboxes

Here are the treasure boxes for my soon to be 3 yr. old. They are in my living room. Most are filled with toys (Tot School inspired). Some are filled with activities suggested from Letter of the Week. Each box is labeled with a number (on the clothes pin). The activities change daily, planning really does make for a peaceful day! It takes me about 15 min. to organize all the children's boxes for the next day!


Here are the boxes so you can see inside of them.
Box 1 (done with mom): lacing cards
Box 2 (done independently): foam alphabet puzzle and foam color crayon puzzle to be put together by hammering it down (one of his favorite activities)
Box 3 (done with older brother during his break): large homemade die (with colors & numbers) and bean bags to be tossed into indoor basketball hoop (roll die, find corresponding bean bag color toss into hoop...you get the idea)
Box 4 (done with older sister during her break): listen to Potty book, listen to Eye Book, draw a picture of a face with big eyes & place on learning poster (from Letter of the Week, see picture below of ours during the first week)
Box 5 (done independently): alphabet pieces, kids tweezers, ice cube tray, and tray to place all in (pick-up alphabet pieces using the tweezers and sort into ice cube tray according to color)
Box 6 (done independently): play with wood geometric shapes

Here is the proud boy hammering one of his foam puzzles together!


Here is a picture of the learning poster inspired by Letter of the Week:
(The children's Responsibility Packs (Chore Packs) happen to also be in the picture!)

Pictures of Our Workboxes

Here is our walk-in closet with our workboxes. You will notice our detailed schedule (Managers of Their Homes) on our closet door.



Here is a close-up of our treasure boxes (workboxes), I bought these closet organizer shelves at JoAnn Fabrics for $6/ea. (there are 6 boxes for each). They hang on a curtain rod I placed into the closet. Once the treasure boxes are complete for the day, the closet organizer shelves simply unvelcro! I also use clothes pins to number the boxes and pin any notes!