and the love affair with velcro continues...

Andre is matching numbers to his number cards.

Andre is matching letters to the letters in the ABC book.

Simone is matching the names of the states to a blank map.

Aunt Sonja is giving a geography lesson about where various family members live.

Okay so there is no velcro in this picture... but its still a new activity.
Their spelling words are color words and so they are
practicing writing them on lamenated (dry-erase) colored crayons and then...



As an added incentive -
the kids are making a colored chain...
and they get to add a color to it after they have learned how to spell it

My love affair with VELCRO!

I'm pretty sure I would velcro EVERYTHING in the house if I had enough velcro!!  I'm currantly in love with it because it makes things stay in its place... and in my world nothing ever stays where it belongs!!
SO - the things I have velcroed (is that even a verb?)

1. I had previously blogged about our activity tags with velcro...
2. Also the reading logs (chutes and ladders game boards that keep track of the # of books read)

3. I spent all day yesterday... putting velcro on the back of the scrabble pieces!  Josh said I was crazy and that I had a real problem :)  However - the kids loved it because... the pieces stayed put!

4. I put velcro on the back of word tiles - sentence makers.
The kids (and Aunt Sonja) were making silly sentences on their scrabble boards.

 5. I made a velcro board for Andre and lamenated it.   
He can verbally spell his name and pick out the correct letters in his name!!! 
HOORAY!

6. I also made lowercase letters for Andre to spell his name with.

7. These are the kids "Video Game Time" Charts.  They get to earn time for each book they read. 
Level 1 books get 5 minutes, Level 2 books get 10 minutes,
Level 3 books get 15 minutes, and Level 4 books get 20 minutes
(Simone read her first level 4 book!!)

Now - I just need edible velcro!! 
Andre was really sad that his bannana broke and he refused to ear it!!

Reading Closet

I really needed something/someplace that would encourge the kids to begin reading independantly. 
So... basically I took a boring messy closet and transformed it.... into a fabulous reading space!!

Eddie and Andre are reading in the empty closet.
Nice and Cozy - but I have MUCH BIGGER plans for this small closet.

My mother found these curtains at a garage sale... for my sister ...
but she accidentally left them in my car... so now they are mine! Hooray!! 
(I did cut and hem the plain pink curtain)

1. I painted the room a bright orange
2. I wrapped Christmas lights around the top pole...
3. I Added pillows and stuffed animals
4. I put in a basket of books that the kids can read by themselves

Simone LOVES the space and before she knew it -
she had read 4 four books!  and enjoyed it!  by herself!!!

9*+-

This superheros chutes and ladder game board will be used to track how many books Eddie has read. 



The Princess Chutes and Ladders Game will be used to track the books Simone has read.



Fun in a Box

Josh and I bought each other an early Christmas present of Stainless Steel Pots/Pans.  Inside the box was an excess of packaging.  This extra cardboard and plastic became the children's early Christmas present!
OH - the many, many crafts that can be created with the contents of this box and a roll of tape...

Simone is working on a masterpiece...

The boys discovered the ribbing inside of cardboard... so this is actually a little bit of science investigation!

Simone and Andre are creating a piggy bank... now they are on the hunt for lost money.

Eddie is making a space ship.

Simone made Elijah a crown.

The kids are drawing pictures and writing about the different crafts that they made.

Teacher Grandma and Teacher Aunt Sonja

Grandma is giving Simone and Edison Sewing lessons. 
Here they are with a $3 Goodwill find ... a mini sewing machine

Grandma is helping Simone sew a Christmas Pillow.

Grandma is helping Edison sew his pillow.

Aunt Sonja has been giving weekly piano lessons to the kids. 
They are learning the names of the notes this week.

The kids are very excited to have Sonja teach music!

Math, math, and more math

Math is everywhere!!  It can't be escaped...

Counting money for Star Wars Monopoly

Curved dominos - Andre was matching the numbers

Number flip chart... the kids are learning to read very large numbers!

Learning to read a clock

School around the house

A homeschooling perk - school everywhere!!

Science Journals by a cozy fire.

Storytelling with Aunt Sonja and Cousin Aria on the couch.

Spelling amd Math at the "kitchen table"

Magic Journals at the "living room table"

Arts and Crafts at the "kitchen table" during chili cooking time.

Reading by the light of the Christmas Tree.

****Yes - I decorate for Christmas right after Halloween****

Cooking Class - potato peeling and pumpkin gutting

Potato peeling is an art-form! and the kids are getting pretty good at it...


Simone is teaching Andre how to use the peeler.



Simone is a perfectionist - she gets every piece of skin off.

Andre is trying really hard.

Edison has the peeler mastered.

Everyone is hard at work to make potato soup!

Aunt Solveig is helping us cut a jack-o-lantern. 

Cleaning the seeds to bake.

VOLCANOS

We watched a documentary about volcanos using our netflix!

Watching some awesome footage of volcanos erupting.

                                 Science Experiment Time

                                          MAKING A VOLCANO

                                                 Soapy water

                                                  Red colored vinegar

                                                  Baking soda in a tissue

                                                  Shake bottle and stand back...



All ready for the volcano...



It's erupting...
Wow... that is sooooo cool!

Oops... Simone played with the bottle and more shot out into her face!
Don't worry... she was okay!

In order to explain what ash was - we burned a piece of paper. 

Ash was blowing off the paper and and flying in the wind.

Spelling Chair

Our spelling chair is a little rocking chair. 
The kids sit there and practice their spelling words. 
They study thier flashcards and then spell them aloud to me.
 Having a special spelling chair helps them concentrate. 

Simone is in her spelling outfit :)
(The fan is from Japan where her cousins live!)

Edison is wearing his spelling mohawk!