Year Four: You Blink and Suddenly, It's December!

Exploration really is the essence of the human spirit, and to pause, to falter, to turn our back on the quest for knowledge, is to perish.

~Frank Borman

Y'all, I don't know what happened. I swear that yesterday was late August or mid-September at the latest. But no, it's December. Last you heard, we were traveling. Luckily, we survived it all! I can't even tell you everything that's happened since because I barely recall what all we did last week! 

Let's do a quick recap and call it a day, shall we? Great!

First up, September:

 My sweet world traveler! This was only the beginning of our adventure!

 Just because Mommy is away at school doesn't mean Mr. Sidekick gets a vacation! Although, school with Mimi seems much more fun!

 Tasty too. 😉

 We managed to see the first home game for Sooners before we headed back home. It was bright and hot but we got a win!

 Our travel adventures continued with a cross-country road trip! 

Schooling still got done!

 I cannot express how much joy it brings me to show him amazing things around the world. Above, is the Biltmore. Y'all, amazing. No other words. Oh wait, yummy! That's one because the food was fantastic too!

 Finally! Back at home and back to semi-scheduled days!

 We definitely needed some down time after all our travels!

 Yes, I'm still in school too and sometimes, we work on our school together!

This allows me to sleep at normal hours.

Non-computer learning happening!

 And then, October: 

 We spent a weekend at Myrtle Beach with Grandpa and Nana! It was an amazing and much needed trip for the whole family! 

For a little boy who doesn't like to color, he does wonderful things when he puts in a little effort.  

 Robotics! He got to help print this 3D coin and he's even printed a batarang for his Daddy since! He's learning about capacitors, current, power, voltage, and other words that I couldn't explain if I wanted to. He loves it though!

 Sometimes, we don't quite make it to the table to work in his workbooks! Haha!

His handwriting is slowly getting better! It's like coloring, with effort, it's great. We'll get there. 

Ok, more of October and November coming up soon! (I hope!) With our classes wrapping up, I will definitely have more time to devote to other things. Can't wait to show you more!

Year Four: Nice and Easy? That's Not How We Roll

How nice to meet someone so undeterred by things like…reality.

-The Lorax

And so it begins. We've waited for this day and spent the years before this preparing for this wonderful moment in time. 

KINDERGARTEN! 

I will admit, my little sidekick was disappointed in the beginning because we were continuing his education at home. However, I have made some changes to our plans and he has adjusted quite well. 

Not having to wear shoes to school is an obvious plus. 

First things first. My kid is a potato. His words, not mine. Oh to be five and ever so silly!

Now, for those big changes I spoke of. We are actually a part of the public school system. (cringe) BUT, we are online. I researched schools in the area and found none that met my (probably high) expectations. So, I switched directions a bit and searched for online schools in the area.

We settled with K12. It is still early days with it all so I won't give you my full opinion (yet). 

He does have a wonderful teacher and we are doing well keeping up with the schedule and curriculum. 

The boxes from the above picture were organized into the red drawers you see here. I had to make some room, please do not judge me from the looks of my closet! 

Now this, is more or less what we use on a daily basis. Seems like a lot but it really isn't so bad.  

 This is our schedule. Yeah, it made my eyes go big like that too.

Being a part of the public school system (still a little cringe) we are supposed to work a minimum of 6 hours a day since that is comparable to the hours he would spend in a physical school. 

Let me tell you a little secret: he doesn't spend that long on any of these projects so far. SHH!

You see, because I have homeschooled him since before he was 3, he knows just about everything we have covered so far. Because of this, he finishes his work with extraordinary speed. Which is okay with me because then we can play! 

And before you ask... No, I'm not having him moved to a higher grade and I don't want to because I feel as though he needs to mature a little more and I don't want him to be in a place where he'd be uncomfortable if/when he does begin school in a physical classroom. 

Moving on! Here is some of what we do with our school day:

Most subjects have an online and an offline activity. It gives us plenty of wiggle room for breaks when necessary and taking extra time when needed. 

Oh yes. We still play. 

 Sidekick is learning to focus, listen, have patience, and general ninja skills! No big deal. :)

Starting in October, he will be taking a weekly class in Robotics! I don't even know what all he will be learning but in his trial session, he played with robots, magnets, and computer bits to make lights and sounds. He's very excited!

 We have some traveling coming up next week. Mimi will be in charge of making sure he gets his school work done while I have an Intensive and attend class from 8-5 for the week. Like a "real" job. That's going to be a lot of adulting and I am unprepared. HA!

Once we are back home and settled, I will make sure to fill you in on the happenings. 

It's always an adventure!

Year Two: Week Four: I Spy With My Little Eye

Be scared. You can’t help that. But don’t be afraid. Ain’t nothing in the woods going to hurt you unless you corner it, or it smells that you are afraid. A bear or a deer, too, has got to be scared of a coward the same as a brave man has got to be.

~William Faulkner

Bug/Nature week brought us new games, a field trip, a scavenger hunt and more. Take a look!

 I picked up this Squirrel Snackin' game at Target. It's great for learning to take turns, following directions, fine motor skills with the squirrel pinchers (being demonstrated above by my sidekick), and the joys of winning...and losing. I am not a parent that will "let" my child win. I don't say that in a mean way, nor will I ever intentionally beat him at a game. But, in a case such as this, where you are at the whim of the spinner, it is what it is. He won a few and lost a few more. The first losing was the hardest. We took a minute to ourselves so I could explain this new concept to him. I told him that I understand his feelings are hurt and that it is much more fun to win. We also put into place that *if* he didn't win, he needed to say, "good game" to the winner before we could play again. A few times, he needed to be upset for a minute before he could work up to saying that, but he always did and that made me proud.

 ZOO TRIP! I have been waiting for this day! Unfortunately, Mr. Sidekick was in a "no" mood. He didn't want to see this animal, he didn't want to walk that way. He didn't want to do or see anything for most of the morning. We had our trusty spy glass though ($1 magnifying glass from the Dollar Store) and that helped him make a few discoveries. After a few bites of funnel cake, our day became magically happier and it was, overall, a pretty good day.

 There's my happy ending! 

 This was a match game I made for us to play. I would put shapes on the left side and let him match on the right. Easy peasy and fun to do together.

Found this little worksheet on survivingateacherssalary.com (Pinterest originally). I need to get us back into practicing our letter writing again. This was a good start.

Oh our scavenger hunt! This was fun! I found a list on Pinterest to get me started. (Found here in the mix of larger camping page.) We made some "bug-noculars" (two toilet paper rolls, tape and some string to hang them around his neck. 5 minutes and done.) Then we were off on our adventure. I read to him what we needed to find and off he ran! After discovering each item with his "bug-noculars" he got to check them off his list which made him even more excited. The kid likes a finished list, what can I say? :)

For this one, I made him food coloring+baking soda+water paints. He got to pick his colors so we got to revisit color mixing with this, as well. After he painted we squirted vinegar over the wet paint to make it fizz and foam. "Look Momma! I made Coke!" Once it dried, he told it was the Earth. What more could I ask for?

We are still playing over at abcmouse.com. It is such a good learning tool for him. If you have a chance, you should really check it out for your little. 

Our schedules are getting a little crazier, so it's harder to work in schooling time. I have to keep it a priority. We still work on our reading, writing and math, and our journaling. I'll have to write soon with a full post on how that's all going. So, sometimes what I have planned for a week takes two. No big deal. We're still on my own lesson plans with nothing is being graded and no missed deadlines. It kind of takes the pressure off. I still want our homeschooling to be important so I keep going. Even if I have to set up experiments after dinner or a quick reading session during breakfast. Even if I'm writing blog posts instead of getting us ready for bed. ;)

Tomorrow is another day and more adventures await! See you soon!

Lesson Fifteen: Long Time Gone

It's been a MONTH since I've written! We've been doing many great things but, my computer is not letting me upload pictures at this time. I'm not computer savvy enough to figure it out right now, so you're stuck with my simple words.

 

Since I was last on here, my sidekick and I travelled to London, did a few projects here and there, and have been enjoying the wonderful weather that Spring has finally blessed us with!

 

Mom-wise, I've started a new workout routine. I was in need of a new me. Someone I can like being again. That takes up my mornings now. Then breakfast, then schooling happens if the little guy is in the mood. With the sunshine calling our names almost every morning, we usually inhale our breakfasts as quickly as possible, then outside we go! Being a stay-at-home-mom is such a blessing. I tailored my new workout days around the fact that I can't go be in a gym for hours at a time. I scoured my trusty Pinterest to find the best *at home* routines I could work with. Take those, plus 2 days (1 hour max each day) a week at the gym, which is followed by park time when we can. If I can't get my workouts done before he wakes up (as much as I do try!), then I am perfectly happy to sweat outside while my Little runs with our puppies. This also includes me. In between crunches, push-ups, and planks, I am playing catch, hide-and-seek, or whatever else he dreams up. It's like double the workout! It's great. :)

It was time for a new me, and my sidekick is so encouraging with it! He helps me count my repetitions, he even tries to do some himself! He gladly eats all the cookies and sweets that end up at our house so I don't have to. I'm doing this for him, as much as for myself. When I'm happier, I can make him happier so it all works out.

 

Sidekick-wise, he's starting on the phonics of letters and words. He knows, recognizes, and can write his own name. We've been working on writing our letters, not just tracing. I'll write the letter on my paper and he'll look at it, and write it on his. For only being 3, he's doing very well! {I wish I could SHOW you! Stupid computer!}

 He knows the sounds that the letters make and we're working on recognizing what words that start with each letter. {me: "what starts with A?" kid: "apple". me: "what starts with B?" kid: "balloon!". me: "what starts with C?" kid: "colors!". And so the story goes} He gets a little distracted shortly after that, but it's fun to see what words he comes up with on his own.

We have around 5 or so letters left to work through on our letter projects. We last worked on M for Marshmallow {Eat 2. Glue 1. Eat 3. Glue 1}. These are still really fun for us, we {I} just need to make more time for them. After that, I want to start concentrating on writing and reading. And lots of summer-fun-time playing! My posts will be a little sporadic, I'm sure. At the end of summer, we'll be moving as well. At that time, pretty much everything will be put on hold until we get to where we're going.

 

We've got some time before that happens, and I hope to write about our progress with reading and writing and our summer adventures. Keep checking in! I'm going to  really try and get my pictures to upload this week! Once I have more time to sit and grumble at the computer until it does what I want.

 

Wish me luck!  

Week 6.2: Spring has Arrived!

 

 

What fine weather this is! Not very becoming perhaps early in the morning, but very pleasant out of doors at noon, and very wholesome-at least everybody fancies so, and imagination is everything.

-Jane Austen (in a letter to her sister Cassandra) November, 1798

 

Hello again! We had a wonderful week last week! Lots of fun doing lots of different stuff! The weather has been AAA-mazing so, we are spending more and more time outside each day. It's fantastic!

Here's a look at what we accomplished:

 

 With our new dotter paints, we are loving letter and shape searches. Such an easy and quick thing to do. Any time of day.

 

 C is for Circle and Caterpillar. I traced circles on the paper and my sidekick insisted on a pattern. I even mixed up the circles after we glued the first three and had him find the pattern. He did wonderfully. After we glued the eyes on, I had him draw a nose and mouth. {This was something new that I had never asked him to do} But LOOK! It's so cute! Then, I showed him how to draw little legs and let him go. Our little C friend turned out great!

 

 S is for Snowman. I know, I know. We've done nothing but wish for Spring for weeks now. I gave my sidekick options on what do make (Pinterest pictures, of course) and he picked this. He loves the snow, so I wasn't surprised. I did a little more pointing than usual so he could get the idea of where things went but it's still his work and I'm proud of him more every day.

 

 Our new fun time is to take silly selfies. I have about 30 on my phone after each session. Lots of fun and together time. :)

 

 

 

 Speaking of Spring! For an FRG function last week, Cam and I made an example of our kid craft. First, he helped me put seeds into the dirt bags. Then he painted his pot! And here's the finished project. The kids had lots of fun, and hopefully will have some new flowers soon!

 We started Music Class this week! Oh man! So. Much. Fun. This kid of mine loves to sing and dance any time but to make new friends, play with fun instruments, and learn new songs? What's not to love! Him and I both wish it was more than once a week.

 

 

 

We've added a new computer program to our schooling time. abcmouse.com It's fantastic. He learned to use a mouse in one lesson and loves doing the different lessons that the site offers. I got a free trial month, so I figured why not. But I will, most likely, be subscribing (it's only $7.95/mo). He asks to play "mouse" daily and will sit for a good 20 minutes, fully concentrating on his lessons.

 

F is for frog! Another Pinterest find that was so fun. This is, of course, the ever-elusive Star Frog. I believe, this is the only one I've ever seen :)

 

 

It's been a great week! We've been keeping up with our workbooks and letter tracings, as well. My sidekick gets better every week. I can't wait to see what this coming week has in store for us!

See you soon!