Posts Tagged ‘homeschool’
Summertime Fun – Find a Local Library Program
Most children’s libraries put on programs during the summertime. Yes… I am telling you, if you have children, CALL YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY!
Our local children’s library website is: http://www.chinoaz.net/library/childrens.shtml
The library in Chino Valley, Arizona (where the kiddlings and Larry and I live) has an FANTASTIC summer program. We attend the Special Needs one for Berlyn and Trystan. (Autusm and ADHD are interesting things to try and get children to sit still… but the program for the special needs in not terribly busy and allows the kids to move around. The best part is that there are a lot of “get up and dance” . )
Today, the Prescott Heritage Park Zoo visited the kids! They let the kids touch the snake, hissing cockroach and the tortoises. They also brought a pink-footed tarantula and 2 prairie dogs that were in a rolly exercise ball.
The Chino Valley Library has an AMAZING Children’s Librarian by the name of Darlene Westcott (better known as Ms. Darlene to the kids.) I have known Darlene for 20 years. Her daughters went to school with me. In 2010, she won the 2010 Arizona Youth Services Librarian of the Year because of all of her phenomenal work with children.
Here is a link to the Chino Valley Summer Reading Program – http://www.chinoaz.net/library/pdf/2013_SummerReadingProgram_Tri-Fold.pdf
Here is a link to the Chino Valley SELF Club (SPecial Needs) Summer Reading Program: http://www.chinoaz.net/library/pdf/2013_SelfClub_Tri-Fold2.pdf
So if you have kids at home this summer… call your local library!
You never know what they have in store for you!
Summertime Fun – A MUST HAVE book
It is not often that I do reviews on books. I actually avoid them because for the most part, I know that everyone is different and has different types of writing so I always feel that I am judging another person’s art.
However, that being said, I have found the ULTIMATE go-to book for the summer if you have kids. Link to the right –> This book has literally HUNDREDS of different games, and indoor and outdoor activities. Every activity has how many players, ages, location and equipment listed along with the riles and ways to play it. There are indoor games like card games, mind games, word and brain game, pencil and paper games, and tabletop games. There are also outdoor games that include categories like blacktop games hide and seeks, relays and races, tag and chases and ball games, water games, party games and more. There are even ROAD GAMES for the car!! YEAH!
Shelby and El are going to lead our homeschool park day with some games from this book today!!
Favorite Tools as a homeschooler
This is our 8th year homeschooling. I feel like I have successfully accomplished so many things with the kids. I was in my studio and was thinking this morning. “What Items Can I Not Live Without?” Besides the kids computers(yes, they each have their own netbooks) and AOP homeschooling curriculum called Switched on Schoolhouse, there are a FEW other things that just make my life a bit easier!!!
We started off our homeschooling sitting on the floor in the living room with a few workbooks for a lone 1st grader. Shelby was AMAZING to go along with mommy, having a 2 year old brother and and a one year old sister. Then, we moved out of boxes at the dining room table. – We never ate at the table because there were always projects going on all of the time. When we moved into our new house 20 months ago, we converted the formal dining room into a classroom. I really don’t need anything “formal” in this house since, well, we have little hand who break things. We got a FREE dining room table and chairs set off of the local Freecycle group. It needed a bit of “re-gluing” but is perfect! I also have a dresser that we have added into the room in order to have some extra space for art supplies.
My Cricut Machine is never far from me and it lives on the dresser in the schoolroom. Today, I am using the calendar set and cutting the months of the year to hang on my classroom wall for Berlyn and Rowan. (Berlyn is my autistic child and does go to a half day Kindergarten class at a public school with the most AWESOME teacher.) Berlyn has been learning the months of the year at school, so I wanted to add that to our classroom wall too! Shelby even got the new one for Christmas this year that hooks up to her computer and has digital art and can also use the cartridges. I can’t imagine not having this tool in our collection. The kids use it for reports. I use it for scrapbooking, and school related items (both theirs and mine).
My Cube Shelving in my classroom is another essential. I pick up a lot of items at local yard sales and I needed a way to organize them. These cubicle shelves are at places like Walmart, and Target. They have all different color shelves and you can pick up drawers separately.
We use the drawers for “glue”. Yes, I have an adhesive drawer! And one that has all of their painting supplies, and decorative scissors, and extra supplies.
The shelves also hold the plastic shoe boxes GREAT and can double as bookshelves! I have math counters and science equipment in those. Along with a shoebox of crayons, and one with colored pencils and one with markers. I have never run out of or lost my colored pencils while they are in these shoe boxes. (Hey, I even labeled the outside of the boxes with my Cricut machine and wall vinyl!!!
INTERNET plays a HUGE roll in our schooling as well! I use it for project ideas and the kids use it for research. I find worksheets online and activities as well.
Last but not least – a TIMER is essential in our house. We DO NOT school all day with formal lessons, however, we do school for a time every morning. I set the timer to 3 hours at 9am and get started. Once that buzzer rings, I check the computer work. If everyone has gotten done their today’s work, then… WE ARE DONE! 
In the afternoon is free reading, activity, cooking, etc.
I hope that this gives you an insight to “US” and what we can’t live without.
I <3 homeschool days that we can … make French Bread with Bruschetta
I LOVE LOVE LOVE homeschool days that we can take time away from books and get hands on. Dylan, the little guy who I tutor a few days a week was ahead in his work, and Grif and El needed a BREAK!
So the kids decided to make French Baguettes and Bruschetta!!!
While the bread was rising, we read all about Thanksgiving and history and traditions – Here’s a site that I found some cool information on – http://www.thanksgivingnovember.com/
Bruschetta
Ingredients
- garlic, pressed
- 14 slices French bread (3/4 inch thick), toasted
- 4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, oil, minced basil, salt and pepper, garlic; spoon about 2 tablespoons onto each piece of toast.
Here is the French Bread Recipe that the kids tried… we are still trying to find one that REALLY works well with our home-ground Flour.
FRENCH BREAD
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
- Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
- Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
- With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.
Planting Pineapples? Fun Homeschool Project!
One day I came across a youtube video about growing your own pineapple plants… We just HAD to try. This week there were bulk pineapples on our bountiful basket and we picked up not 1 but 2 cases. After we dried 1 case, we decided to try and plant a few. What a blast we had doing this.
Check out this FUN Video:
Kris Mazy is the mom of 7 amazing kids (Shelby, Griffen, Elwyn, Breckin, Berlyn, Rowan, Trystan) ages 14 to 5 and wife to Larry, my business partner and best friend for the last 15 years.
