Our Advent Celebration

We are starting a new tradition this Christmas Season! I have searched for an Advent Activity that is simple, low maintenance, and fun. I am glad to say I have found one that I can use to fit our family. I found the  Names Of Jesus Advent Chain, on the blog, www.SpellOutLoud.com.

This is a free download and you are able to print it off from you own computer. On the blog she says to use Purple and Silver cardstock, well I didn’t have those colors so I used Blue and White and hung it in our dining room on a shelf.

We are excited to learn about all the different names of Jesus throughout the bible!

What are you and your family using for Advent?

Soaring Creek Academy Pupils

I have been participating in a Blog Hop at www.heartofthematteronline.com. Hop on over there and get motivation and inspiration!

The pupils of Soaring Creek Academy are very important littles. They have grown in my womb, I have rocked them and taught them from the day they were born! I adore each of them and am glad to be called their mommy and teacher! God has woven them perfectly and perfected me special to be their mommy! So I am very proud to introduce to you the ones God has given me the privilege of teaching on a daily basis…

Natalie       2nd grade

 

Adam       Kindergarten

 

Travis      Tot School

 

   Happy Homeschooling!

Jackie

New Table in the Classroom

 

Today marks the day that I went into an antique store with my children, husband and MIL. I found lots of things I would like to have and it was a great learning experience for my kids to look with your eyes and not with your hands! I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. The kids did great, nothing was broken, and we came out with a new to us table!

Old classroom table, it was a little big for what we needed. Also we all couldn’t sit around the table together with out the table taking up a lot of room.

This is our new to us table. Much smaller and fits our space perfectly! We can all sit around it and learn together. So happy!

Farm house style table! Love it!

Happy homeschooling!

Our Newly Organized School Room

 

 

 

We are now entering our 2nd year of homeschooling and we have moved the school room, again! We had our old school room in an extra room in the basement and it worked, but I always felt secluded and depressed in the room. So here we are in our new school room that is out in the open in our basement. We live a lot downstairs as it houses our living room and playroom and classroom. Its just one big area! I have put the school room right next to the living room and where our computer sits. That way we are able to spread out into the living room couch for reading and such, or while the kids are taking a break they can go to the toy area. I think we will enjoy being out in the “action” and not secluded in a depressing room.

In our new space we have lots more light and space. So, please come in and take a look…

Soaring Creek Academy 2011-2012 Classroom

As you come down the stairs into the basement you will first see our classroom area. On the right hand side is our first bookshelf that holds all of our art supplies and main manipulatives.

If you go further down the wall you will see our main table area and computer.  I am currently looking for a smaller table so that we can fit it better and sit around it in the area as apposed to lining up.

These are the workboxes. We are adding Travis into the mix this year. He will start Tot School with 3 boxes, Adam is K with 5 boxes and Natalie 2nd with 6 boxes.

As you come down the stairs into the basement and look to the left wall you will see another shelf that holds all of our current school books that don’t go into our workboxes. These are organized by subject on the shelves.

And on the very end of the left side of the wall we have our alphabet cards and number chart.

There you have it! All of our other reading books are stored upstairs in our dining room. We read up there a lot also on the cozy couch.

Happy Homeschooling! Have a great year!

Curriculum Line Up for 2011-2012

 

A few things I have learned after our families first year of homeschooling…..

Love, Patience, Prayer, Repeat

Find support with fellow homeschoolers

We don’t have to have “formal” school everyday, they still learn with out the books

Enjoy teaching your children, they really do get/understand what they are learning

Throw out the extremely rigorous schedule, it just stresses us out and makes us grumpy

Its okay if we don’t get it “all” done

While out in public, people may find out that we homeschool, then they begin to quiz our children about things that they might/should know? WHY?

HAVE FUN!

Materials that are a must in our Homeschool

Laminator, White Board and Markers, Scissors, Glue, Construction Paper, Markers/Crayons, Scotch Tape, Computer, Printer/Copier, Label Maker, Timer, Electric pencil Sharpener, Camera, Wii, CD player and lots of room for everyone to spread out!

2011-2012 at Soaring Creek Academy

I’ve been planning for this new “school” year for the last few months. I have gone to a Homeschool Conference, researched blogs and reviews online, talked with fellow homeschoolers and prayed.

Although we have been working on Reading, Math and Phonics all summer, we will begin our school routine in August. We will add Bible, History, Science, Art, PE,  Handwriting.

On with our 2011-2012 Curriculum 

Group Work

Bible: Sonlight Core A readings, NIRV Kids Book of Devotions, The Memory Bible; Learn 52 Bible Verses with CDs.

History: Sonlight Core A:Inrto to the World Cultures

Science: Sonlight Core A:Biology, Earth Science and Physics

Art/Picture Study: Usborne Art Treasury, Free Art Time, Any other projects we decide to do?

Read Alouds: To many to list

Natalie 7yrs, 2nd Grade

My main goals with Natalie this year are for her to become a stronger reader and enjoy reading for herself.

Math-Horizons 2

Spelling:  Modern Curriculum Press Level B

Phonics: Modern Curriculum Press Level B

Reading: Sonlight 2nd Grade Reading Schedule and Readers

Handwriting: D’Nealian Handwriting 3 (cursive)

PE: Tap and Ballet, Wii, Whatever else she comes up with physically

 

Adam 5.5yrs, Kindergarten

My main goals with Adam this year are to begin reading and  writing letters and numbers on paper.

Math-Horizons K

Phonics: Modern Curriculum Press Level K and Level A

Reading: Sonlight K Reading Schedule and Readers

Handwriting: D’Nealian Handwriting K

PE: Wii along with whatever he may come up with physically

 

Travis 22months (2 in September), Tot School

My main goal with Travis this year is to have fun, learn colors, count to 10.

Math: Counting objects, Number Recognition

Phonics: Work on recognizing letters and sounds, Leap Frog Letter Toy

Art: Learn Colors, Color, Dry Erase Board, Paint

PE: Chasing Siblings, throwing a baseball, Jumping off furniture

Manipulatives or Helpful Items

Math: We use Math-U-See blocks to help with counting or colored foam blocks

Spelling/Reading/Phonics: We use www.starfall.com

Websites: The kids may also play games on www.pbskids.org, www.knowledgeadventure.com, www.nickjr.com/games

Legos, Wooden Building Blocks, Word Tiles, K’Nex, Globe, Rubber Band Peg Board, Flash Cards, World Map, Ice Cube Trays, Connecting Blocks, Lacing Beads, Caps from water bottles/soda bottles/gallons of milk/juice containers, dice, board games, puzzles.

Please remember that these are the things that work for OUR family. Don’t feel guilty if something is different that your curriculum, as we all use different materials to fit our needs. You use what works best for you, no matter how nice or better the next item may seem. The grass is not always greener on the other side!

I hope you have a wonderful school year!

Happy Homeschooling,

Jackie

TheHomeschoolMothersJournal6

 

 

 

 

In my life this week:

This week has been great. We have had some very HOT weather, but have still spent a lot of time outside in our kiddie pools and at the baseball fields and zoo.

In our homeschool this week:

I have finished up our lesson plans to start next week. Hopefully we stick to them and will accomplish a lot!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing:

We had a fieldtrip to the Zoo, 3 nights at the baseball field, playgroup, we drove to 1.5 hours to visit our Great-Aunt Rosie at her house on Saturday and we went to lunch.

My favorite thing this week:

God has answered many prayers this week, some have been very minuet and some large. As I have said for the past few weeks, I have had a foggy mind in some things for our family. I believe God is working firsthand with this and beginning to reveal little by little. My mind has cleared a little! I am continuing to lean on Him and not my own ways. Every morning I have woken with the same song in my head, and heard it throughout the day. The song of Ancient words ever true, changing me and changing you. This is such a LOUD phrase to me right now!

What’s working/not working for us:

We are planning on starting our 2011-2012 school year on Monday! I’ll let you know if we stick to our lesson planning, schedule, and Moms FIRMNESS!

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have:

Does anyone use workboxes?

Something to share:

 

Library Day Monday

 

We signed up for our library reading program and have a ton, I mean a TON of books to read! We can go to the library and it is FREE! I get a receipt as long if not longer than my weekly grocery store receipt, and didn’t pay a single penny. I even got a few books to read myself!

I am currently reading…

So far, I am enjoying this book and learning about the story of Mary Beth and Steven. Mary Beth goes into great detail of being a woman of God and how He has lead her in so many different ways.

Our read aloud time…

This is currently our 2nd chapter book read aloud book. The children are enjoying using their imagination to make up the story in their heads since the book doesn’t have pictures! I love this!

Library Reading Program:

As we signed up this week the kids each picked the number of books they would read or listen to for the week, we received a Frisbee and all 3 kids and I got a pass to get a “new” book from the library book sale they have once a month.

Number of Books for Reading Program:

Natalie 7, Adam 5, and Travis 10 (I picked his amount. It will be mostly board books.)

Reading is where you use your imagination and go places you may have never gone!

Science Sunday

 

We have been observing our tadpoles for the last three weeks. In this time the tadpoles have got bigger, longer, and started to grow their legs and tails are getting shorter. We have had two successfully reach higher land and are now FROGS!

Sad news, I went to change the water for the tads and frogs, and noticed that one of the frogs had croaked. We had to say goodbye and this brings our total of tadpoles and frogs down to six. The kids have started naming them.

Here is a picture of our frog…

Flowers in backyard..

A silly squirrel that was on the deck, playing with another one that ran off before I got the camera.

 

Happy Homeschooling

Jackie

TheHomeschoolersMothersJournal..5

 

In my life this week….

This has been a whirlwind week. Mike was off all last weekend and also on Monday for Memorial Day. We spent Memorial day at home and played outside and did a little cleaning. We then went to the cemetery to show our respects to my husbands dad, and to a dear friend that passed away a couple of years ago that my husband went to high school with.

In our homeschool this week…

This week has been all about cleaning out, and checking to see what we have. We are going to start our new school year on Monday. We will have a 2nd grader (7), Kindergartener (5), as well as a Tot Schooler (20months)!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We have gone to the library 2x this week. We signed up for our summer reading program. I allowed the kids to pick how many books they would read/ listen to. Natalie picked 7, Adam picked 5, and Travis..well I answered for him and said 10.

My favorite thing this week was…

Thanks to Nene, the kids have enjoyed playing outside in their new pools. We got little plastic ones. I am hoping these will last all summer! The kids have enjoyed “swimming” in these! They will go far from the pool, start running towards the pool all while screaming “HOMESCHOOL RULES” as they proceed to jump into the pool!

What’s working/not working for us…

I have decided to move our “classroom” out into the open area of our basement, where our living room is and toy area. I am hoping that this transition will brighten up our work area and help us focus a little better.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

Last week I was looking at how to plan all of our assignments and keep track of all that we do. Well I have made my own sort of planning sheet/assignment sheet. I will be filling it in at the beginning of the week and we will work from that to see what work we will do daily. I am also using this blog as a sort of online scrapbook of our homeschool journal.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

A life lesson…when sending your children outside to play in water in the hot, hot, hot, hot afternoon when the sun is shinning and clear blue skies are amongst us: USE SUNSCREEN! The two older kiddos and I have got a little burnt on our shoulders. We have learned that we will be putting sunscreen on from now on. I just plain forgot to get it out! I now have it sitting on my counter!

Homeschool Blessings

Jackie

Fun Day Friday

This event happened a few weeks ago when our basement got some water in it and we were stranded upstairs for a few days. Which meant no television, toys (that weren’t already upstairs) or even outside play (b/c of the rain). We did find things to do to keep us entertained! I believe the kids enjoyed mommy making them a tent!

 

We built the tent in the dining room around the table!

They love each other!

Adam doing what brothers do best!

Natalie hiding!

Yup…he took a nap in the tent..or shall I say he climbed on top of the tent and slept on top of the table!

Happy Homeschooling

Jackie

TheHomeschoolMothersJournal..4

 

 

In my life this week….

As I sit here thinking of what has been going on this week, I am a little challenged. I am in a strange place right now, I’m not sure what it is. I am questioning some things with in my heart. I have let them go to the Lord and I am now (patiently…ahem..clearing throat)  waiting upon His answer! I love how he answers me in different ways,  I know he is trustworthy.

In our homeschool this week…

We have not had any “formal lessons” this week. We have talked about things when they come up, watched the birds in the yard and read some books. Other than that we have had a pretty laid back week.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We have been to three playgroups this week. I know! Three days of playing with other children outside of our own home. My, my, my homeschoolers are so unsocialized! HAHA!! I just love to think that we are home all day most days and this week we were like “normal people”. We were out of the house three mornings. This is crazy! We had great times though and are building relationships with people!

My favorite thing this week was…

This might be crazy, but normal to me….I enjoyed cleaning my room and seeing how much stuff I can purge! I love to get rid of things, especially if I know someone that can benefit from it!

What’s working/not working for us…

I am beginning to plan for 2011-2012. I already have all of our curriculum! I am so proud of this! Well we still need to get some readers and reading books, but I will get those as needed or borrow from the library.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

I am trying to figure out what will work as far as a homeschool planner or daily sheet. I have looked around for some, but haven’t come up with anything I am liking or looking for. I need the “perfect” one.

What do you use to plan your day? Do you write out all of the assignments daily/weekly? Do you use an online planner? Any feedback would be appreciated!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Travis the Baby Chef!

(Please excuse the messy counter and dirty dishes)

Homeschool Blessings

Jackie

Science Day Monday

On Monday, I usually post about our trip to the library, well we didn’t make it to the library today!

I have Science on my mind! We have a few things going on here….

This is a birds nest that was being built in our garage. This is the second one we found. The first one was knocked out by a broom stick! And just a couple of days later this one appeared. I hope this birdie finds a new home, because he/she is now homeless.

A cardinal that was in our backyard. There are a few that live around our home and we enjoy watching them.

We have received 9 tadpoles which are soon to be Gray Tree Frogs.  Since we have received them just five days ago they have doubled in size.

This is the habitat we got from our local pet store. If you look closely you may be able to see the tads in their new home! I think they are enjoying their new area.

These are our sunflowers that we have been growing inside for the last 2 months. We will be planting them outside soon.

 

These are marigolds. Adam planted the in his Sunday school class. He was very excited!

Happy Homeschooling

Jackie

Workbox Sunday

 

Tot School

This week in tot school we have been talking about all sorts of different balls, colors, animals and the noises they make.

Our favorite book for animals is My Big Animal Book by Roger Piddy.

Travis is learning the difference between all types of balls. Such as baseball, basketball, soccer ball, and football. I believe baseball is his favorite. I only say this because he says baseball all the time and at his Daddy’s softball game he went crazy! He would go into the dug out and steal the bats and balls that were laying around and say “I pay bayball.” So cute!

We also have used an ice cube tray and put goldfish crackers into it for Travis. He enjoys taking them in and out, eating them, and even dumping the entire tray over and watching the goldfish go all over the floor and say “UHHH OHHHHH!”

Happy Homeschooling

Jackie

Fun Day Friday

On Friday, the last day of the “official school week” we are going to be posting something fun that we are doing! So for our first Fun Day Friday, we decided on the spare of the moment to have a picnic outside for lunch. It was really the kids idea and they asked if they could have some picnic food…

This famous picnic lunch consisted of a pb&j sandwich, pickles, carrots and some apple juice!

Travis is a food thief. He took Natalie’s sandwich after he ate his own and then fell down onto his own plate and got jelly stuck to his rear end! Quite comical!

Yes, its lunch time and Adam is still in his pj’s!

Natalie not to impressed with the picnic lunch, or maybe she is still mad about not being able to take out like 5 pillows for everyone to sit on. Wow her life is hard!

Workbox Sunday

Natalie has been playing with her Barbie's a lot lately. She really enjoys dressing them, putting shoes on them and just recently fixing their hair. She has achieved a big milestone with in the last week of being able to put in her own hairband. You know being able to twist the hair band around and around to make a pony tail.

So..we came up with the activity of putting some hairbands and barrettes in the workbox, along with some Barbie’s  so that she can fix their hair. This makes for a great fine-motor activity! And best of all she enjoys it!

Jackie