School

Im trying to get into a rhythm for 2013 but I seem to be highly disorganized and suffering from some kind of festivities hangover but I feel close to finding my groove once more.

Here's our school room but it's really just a place to keep everything together because most of the learning happens in other areas of the house

I decided to give Sue Patrick's work box system a try with T1 and T2. I decided not to use her style of work boxes but to use the file box method because I want the work to be portable and as most things that will go in there are papers and not manipulatives - I don't need shelves with 24 boxes. Each child has a file box

Containing 12 hanging file folders. Each folder has a velcro dot in the centre at the top. I printed off work box labels from homeschoolcreations and attached velcro dots on the back so I can attach the subject to the front of the folder. When that task is completed the label gets moved to a velcro dot on the front of the file box to show it has been completed. We are now into our second week and I love it. Not only do we get the things done I really want them to do but all the other miscellaneous activities that we never seem to have time for get put in there too. Not every day sees everything completed but most of it does.

T1 likes having a schedule but does not seem to like any work I give him but that is his nature so I don't take it personally!

T2 likes looking to see what she has to do next and loves moving the label to the front of her box to show she has completed a task. I notice with her that she is no longer asking how much work there is to do and she is working more independently which is great. She especially likes finding craft or sewing activities mixed in with her math and language arts!

By putting a blank notecard in one of the folders each day, I have been able to get T2 to write and illustrate all her thank you cards - a task I admit often gets forgotten in the post holiday chaos. Now it is up to me to take them to the post office and get them mailed - I think I need a work box with a reminder in it to do that.

Happy New Year!

2012 ended much in the same way as it started with chaos but in a good way....

This and that

T2 made a 'sponge doll family'. Not sure where she got the idea from but she had been asking for a packet of sponges for weeks and I finally remembered and $3 later she had an afternoon of fun with them. She wanted to pose them with the flags she has been making.

In the summer T2 bought horse sheets with some Birthday money. They didn't match her comforter or any duvet covers we had so I made her one from the flat sheet she wasn't using and another unused flat sheet. She loves them.

A little math.

I love soup season - especially home made soup

Sunsets are beautiful but a little earlier than I would like.

T2's Halloween pumpkin - I for got to take Halloween pics this year. T2 was a butterfly. T1 does not like Halloween at all.

Our preservation and decay experiment

 OK, so we started this experiment two weeks ago. The experiment was to last one week. I used packaged sliced bread. Two weeks later the bread has not changed at all - just shows how many preservatives are in that type of bread!! So we restarted a week ago with freshly baked bread and we have seen changes, gross changes!

 By day 4 there was quite a bit of growth on the plain bread and also the antibiotic bread but not where the antibiotic cream was. The toast was still as it was when it started. After a week only the toast shows no growth and remains the same in appearance but feels drier than when we started. I think we'll keep observing until the weekend and then into the garbage they will go. It has been interesting and both kids are surprised that the toasted bread had zero mould growth.