language & literature

fiar: hot air

Posted by tracy on Feb 14, 2012 in FIAR, history & geography, homeschooling, language & literature | 2 comments

This week we are reading Hot Air by Marjorie Priceman. It tells the mostly true story of the first hot air balloon ride in Versailles, France in 1783. A chicken, sheep, and duck were sent up in the air and stayed up for eight minutes traveling about two miles. This particular book gives the background events and then makes up what could have happened to the three animals as they flew across the city. Fisher thinks it is hilarious and we think you will as...

there was an old lady who swallowed a fly…

Posted by tracy on Feb 8, 2012 in homeschooling, language & literature | 0 comments

When Annesley was two to three years old, this was her favorite song. She sang it over and over and over. She loved singing it for strangers at the grocery store, for grandparents, for the dogs, for everyone. She loved it so much that one year for her birthday her Grandma Dorothy gave her an old woman with a ginormous mouth complete with all the animals she swallows and that doll has been played with like no other. We like to sing it all crazy and dramatic like…probably because we are...

fiar: the red hen

Posted by tracy on Feb 7, 2012 in FIAR, homeschooling, language & literature | 5 comments

I love, love, LOVE the books that are recommended in the Five In A Row guidebook. We have thoroughly enjoyed all of them that we have done. However, I am not a rule follower of any type, so I like to pick other books for our FIAR books as well. This week, I selected The Red Hen by Rebecca Emberley (yes, of the Emberley family fame – she is the daughter of Ed and sister of Michael and has a whole host of other artists and musicians in the family). Of course, Fisher already knows this...

potw: habits of the hippopotamus

Posted by tracy on Feb 6, 2012 in language & literature, poem of the week | 0 comments

We started this poem last week, but only worked on it for one day and only for a few minutes. The play and a houseful of people were too much for me to keep up our regular schedule…so we are doing it again this week. Habits of the Hippopotamus by Arthur Guiterman The hippopotamus is strong And huge of head and broad of bustle; The limbs on which he rolls along Are big with hippopotomuscle. He does not greatly care for sweets Like ice cream, apple pie, or custard, But takes to flavor what...

potw: how to talk to your snowman

Posted by tracy on Jan 24, 2012 in homeschooling, language & literature, poem of the week | Comments Off

I was too gnome-ridden to do our Poem of the Week yesterday, so we started it today. It is so silly and Annesley and Fisher have already got it about half-way memorized. Yesterday they made a little of family of snow people and they are giggling thinking of talking to them with these words. How To Talk To Your Snowman by Beverly McLoughland Use words that are pleasing, Like: freezing And snow, Iceberg and igloo And blizzard and blow Try: Arctic, Antarctic, Say: shiver and shake, But whatever...

Yippee-Skippee!

Posted by tracy on Jan 19, 2012 in homeschooling, language & literature | 17 comments

Zing! was SO stinkin’ fun yesterday. The hour before my class found me jumping up and down with excitement. Yes, literally jumping up and down. I couldn’t wait to get in there and share this passion of mine with children I love. My students adore me (and many of them told me so!), which always does wonders for my motivation to produce fabulous lessons for them. Who wouldn’t want to teach a class full of eager learners who think you are the coolest thing since sliced bread? I...

potw: winter burrows

Posted by tracy on Jan 16, 2012 in homeschooling, language & literature, poem of the week | Comments Off

Although this is the strangest Idaho winter I have ever experienced (we have no snow and my children run around on the yellow grass every day), we are going to memorize a poem about winter this week. Winter burrows, which sound so cozy and make me want to burrow down in my bed for months on end just like our hibernating friends. This poem is especially appropriate because we have not built a single snowman, gone sledding, or gotten out our kick sled to race down the lane. There isn’t any...

potw: when a wrong wants righting

Posted by tracy on Dec 5, 2011 in homeschooling, language & literature, poem of the week | 3 comments

This has long been one of my favorite quotes and I am sharing it with my children this week with the hope it will become one of their favorites as well. I want my children to know that being fathers and mothers to God’s children is the most powerful and influential path they can choose in this life. I want them to know that we chose that path and are dedicated to their God-given missions. I want them to decide now to parent well and to be committed to building a healthy, functional family...

potw: the missing turkey

Posted by tracy on Nov 21, 2011 in homeschooling, language & literature, poem of the week | Comments Off

We have loved this poem for a long time. One of the girls performed it at The Speech Festival we participated in for about ten years and we all could have recited it back then, but I don’t think my younger two have ever heard it. It isn’t the most reverent look at Thanksgiving, but I think we get a lot of that with our other Thanksgiving traditions. The Missing Turkey It lay there on the table That turkey plump and round But when it was time to carve it It was no where to be...

potw: i like to see

Posted by tracy on Nov 14, 2011 in homeschooling, language & literature, poem of the week | Comments Off

This poem is so Fisher. He would live outside exploring, discovering, and pretending, if only I would let him. But nothing compares to that moment when his papa gets home. Fisher’s devotion is completely focused on his papa and nothing else can take Richard’s place. He follows him around like a little lost puppy ready and willing to do anything his papa asks. It is pretty heart-warming, but I must admit, I sometimes wish I could get the same level of devotion! I like to see flowers...

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Inspiration

These Chinese acrobats are unreal! Sixteen girls, flipping and balancing on bikes. So cool!
If this USDA food police action doesn’t send you through the roof and make you want to march on Washington, I don’t know what will.
Love these letters made with pipe cleaners.
If I could ever bring myself to throw a birthday party for my children, these would be perfect for Fisher’s invitations. Thanks for the idea Jess!
Isn’t this little mousy the cutest thing ever?
This little list is my new daily grow-me-some-muscles goal.
Archive for Inspiration »

Learning Now

Sequence Numbers is a big hit! Fisher will do math problems for over an hour while we play.
Our FIAR book for this week is Hot Air by Marjorie Priceman.
Uno’s Garden is such a delightful story! We are having fun exploring the art, figuring out the math, and finding the things on each page.
Keziah and I are loving our daily read-aloud time in George Washington’s World.
Keziah is starting Johnny Tremain. Treason, adventure, growing up, & fighting for freedom – what more can you ask from a book?
Archive for Learning Now »