Raising Rock Stars - W

The memory verse for this week was:
We love him because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Ok, we were so basic this week I didn't even get any pictures. Cricket did really well with the W work though. She struggled for some reason with the word we, but she liked the zoo based mini book nine the less (part of the power point).

Sorry, I don't have more to offer this week. Can you tell we are ready for a school break?

Be sure to see what other families are doing with their Rock Stars at 1+1+1=1. 

Baptism Tiny Talk

Cricket is going to be baptized this coming Sunday at church, and last Saturday our Pastor came by the house to talk to us all about it. Cricket responded really well to him, and even gave him a hug. This isn't typical, she is especially shy with men.

Later that night we were talking and I asked her if she knew what was going to happen at church Sunday. In her most excited voice she said "Pastor M is going to baptize me!" I asked her if she knew what that meant. She said, "He's going to put water on me." I then asked her if she knew what the water was for, and she said "Jesus' Love!"

I can't wait for Sunday!!!

See what others are saying at Not Before 7

Letter W week

Between fighting a cold/allergies AGAIN and a hectic schedule our school lesson was simplified this week. Cricket did well though.  Here are our highlights:

Letter of the Week

Once again we used Hooked on Phonics and sign language for the letter W.

Math

Cricket practiced counting with Yahtzee some more. It's good practice when she rolls 3 Yahtzees in one game!

She was purple

Science

Cricket was finally able to catch a bug and observe it in her bug catcher. She was thrilled! Unfortunately I think we caught a sickly caterpillar, and I had to dispose of it the next morning.

Music

She started expressing interest in her drums again this week and we went with Daddy to band practice. She enjoyed watching the band play and playing with the sound equipment. My absolute favorite moment was when the warming up she started singing "This Little Light of Mine". By the way, this did not mesh with the music, but she didn't care. 

Gymnastics

Cricket's gymnastics program ended for the year and they wrapped up with a really cute "Olympic" program. All the kids got a medal at the end, and Cricket was SO proud. She will have a month off of classes to relax. 

Stretching before class

Working on Pull Over

Doing a Backwards Rollover

Check out what others are doing at this amazing site:
 

W Books

 

Letter W books: 

1. When We're Together by Claire Freedman - I was drawn to this book due to the illustrations by Jane Chapman. I fell in love with her work in Karma Wilson's bear series, and I have yet to be disappointed. In addition to the excellent illustrations the book was also very cute. It was all about fun ways to be "together". 
2. My "w" Book - This book did a great job of delivering a large variety of letter W books, as "little w" searched for things. It was a good learning book, but not really something Cricket would return to for the story. Also Little W was a witch and I know that might be off putting to some people. 
3. Little Walrus Warning by Carol Young - So many children's books are either absolutely fiction or boringly factually, that this was a refreshing blend. Little Walrus Warning had an adorable fictional story of one walrus calf and his mother, but many actual facts sprinkled in. Cricket was able to learn about walruses in an enjoyable way. 
4. Wheels Go Round - This book was ALL about wheels going around. It listed a variety of wheeled objects and threw in a little bit of counting. It was a cute book, but probably a little too simple for Cricket. 
5. Wild Weather Days by Katie Marsico - I was hoping this would cover tornadoes as an educational resource for another discussion (we live in Alabama), but besides that it was a good resource book. 
6. The Red Wagon by Renata Liwska - This was a simple story about a little red wagon. The illustrations give way to some irony, and a cute combination. 
7. Arctic Song by Miriam Moss - We found a great mix of W words in this book, and Cricket really enjoyed all the different animals. I think this would be a great book for a geography study, so we will probably revisit it next year. 
   

Pleasure or Bedtime Books:

1. Curious George Lost and Found
2. Curious George Book
3. Fancy Nancy: Aspiring Artist
4. My Heart Is Like a Zoo
5. Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris
   

That makes 159 books total so far for 2011. I highly recommend joining in at the Read to Me Picture Book Challenge.

You should also see what others are reading this week at Mouse Grows Mouse Learns.

Raising Rock Stars - Letter V

The memory verse for this week was:
Verily, verily I say to you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. John 6:47

Cricket and I have been ding a lighter version of school lately, but this work remains the highlight. She just really loves and connects to the power points.

She liked the V vocabulary this week, and enjoyed writing the Vs on these cards. This is interesting, because she is less than enthusiastic about other writing work.

Be sure to see what other families are doing with their Rock Stars at 1+1+1=1. 

Wonderful Reading News

I'll start with the small news:

We found a set of chapter books that Cricket and I both love. We tried a few others first, but last week we read our first Magic Tree House book and we are hooked.

Cricket loved the writing style of Mary Pope Osborne, and I could see her getting lost in the story. The images that are present truly enhance the story, without taking away from your ability to imagine. I think my favorite thing about the book is that Cricket has made two need friends. Cricket has been talking about Annie and Jack and living in their world like I remember books of my childhood.

Now for the really exciting news:
Cricket read her first book by herself!!! A friend of ours lent us this set of books, and Cricket really likes them. They are easy enough that she is picking them up quickly too. She can already read the first book independently and is almost there with the second book. My favorite moment was when she crawled up in her dad's lap and read him the book.




I'm linking this to:

Homeschool Planner - Review

The first time I saw a post about a fully editable Homeschool Planner from Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations I knew I wanted to get one. I mean I already knew I loved her site and her work, so I was convinced I would love the planner.

I wasn't wrong either. I haven't sat down to use the planner "for real" yet, because I'm still trying to get through this school year. I am by nature a planner though, and I am really excited to dive into this planner and get our next school year down pat. I am sure that Jolanthe's examples, words of wisdom, and the planner itself will make the project more manageable.

Here is what I already know:

• I really like the functionality and the ability to edit the planner. 
• I also love that it provides all the pages you need to actually fully plan out your year without having to make multiple saves or multiple copies.
• It breaks down planning into yearly, monthly, AND weekly. I love being able to recognize short term and long term goals. 
• Some of my favorite things are the additional resources listed at the end and the Chore Chart. These are great bonuses in addition to the planner itself!
• The best thing is if you love it like I do you will never have to buy another homeschool planner,because it is completely reusable.

So if you haven't already ordered one I highly recommend visiting this site. 

Please note: I am participating in the affiliate program for this planner, and therefore I will receive 25% of the sale if you make a purchase by clicking on a link from my site. The review given is my own opinion and thoughts though!

Letter V books

 

Letter V books: 

1. Verdi - This snake tale was really intriguing to Cricket, and she liked how Verdi maintained his youth even after he was no longer green.
2. Vulture View - I accidentally skipped a page when I read this book to Cricket, and I think that was a wonderful blessing. As I looked back through it I had magically skipped the grossest page, that discussed what vultures eat. The beginning and the end of the book were nice discussing how they fly and how they sleep in families, but I would say that this book is definitely not for everyone.
3. The Very Lonely Firefly - Cricket was sad that the library version no longer lit up at the end, but otherwise she enjoyed the Eric Carle story. It reminded me in a way of Are You My Mother by P. D. Eastman, as the firefly searched to find another firefly.
4. Pets at the Vet - This was an accurate, yet toddler friendly, accounting of what a vet does.
5. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin - This was Cricket's favorite book of the week. She really enjoyed all the different sounds of the instruments and the way the story flowed.
6. Mole Music - This was my favorite story of the week. The illustrations were key to my enjoyment, and I loved how a whole separate story was unfolding above Mole that he had no knowledge of. Oh, this was a letter V book, because Mole played a violin.

Pleasure or Bedtime Books:

1. Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses
2. The Berenstain Bears Go Out to Eat
3. My First Sleepover (Strawberry Shortcake)
4. The Velveteen Rabbit
5. Easter Yolks: Egg-cellent Riddles to Crack You Up (Lift-the-Flap)
6. The Ambulance
7. Hey Diddle Diddle
   

That makes 147 books total so far for 2011. I highly recommend joining in at the Read to Me Picture Book Challenge.

You should also see what others are reading this week at Mouse Grows Mouse Learns.

Blessing Passed On

I have blessed to win several giveaway recently, and I want to share about all of them. I am going to begin with a blessing that I was able to pass on to someone in greater need. I won the Guess How Much I Love You: Little Library from Candlewick Press and for several days Cricket toted them around and read them to her babies. The set was really cute, but they were actually a little "babyish" for Cricket.

So, when I was collecting donations for a family with an 18-24 month old girl that was hit by the tornado this set automatically came to mind. I was thrilled to be able to give them something essentially new in addition to our hand me downs.

On an aside, you will never know whose life you will be touching. I was collecting these items for a "stranger", only to have a co-worker later hug and thank me for them! God truly does work in mysterious ways.

Letter V Week

Letter of the Week

Once again we used Hooked on Phonics and sign language for the letter V. She also used the letter sheet from Confessions of a Homeschooler and this letter V worksheet from Homeschool Creations. It was a big hit, since she's into cutting right now.

We also used the Hooked on Phonics fridge magnet a lot, and it was very helpful because initially Cricket was initially pronouncing Vs as Bs. 

Math

Cricket did really well with her 17s, and is doing better with her counting. 

 

Physical Education

Cricket is doing better and better with her gymnastics and now she has started swimming too.

Look at that stretch split! (Cricket is in the pink leo with black shorts in front)

Tot School

Cricket has a new game that she is really enjoying, its The Ladybug Game, and it was developed by a first grader! I am totally impressed. It is a great counting game, and the game play cards have clearly written instructions so Cricket is picking up simple words from it too. 

 
Check out what others are doing at this amazing site: