Jack & the Beanstalk { freebie }

Today I thought I'd end my blog month with a 39 page freebie.

Apart from the usual introductory pages that I would normally put in a themed workbook,

I also added these interactive notebook pages:

Some work on the parts of speech.

I hope these are useful for you as well.

Next month I plan on adding some more Jack and the Beanstalk themed work.

Just click on any page to download the pack.

Thanks for visiting.

{ Week 24 }

Yesterday I went down to Melbourne for the CHESS seminar.  It was my first day away from baby Noah.  He did well, I did well.

One of the catches for the day was this:

I'd been needing it for Chloe.  It's on the Grade 5 science reading list on Ambleside Online.  I do have a pdf version, but she hadn't started it yet.  It's always best to grab a printed book in preference to having to print them out if you can.  They just take up less room on the shelf.  So I never even hesitated when I saw it in the box.

Another thing I picked up was a new set of flash cards.  Now, it is true I already have a set but they are 19 years old.  They're the old ones that don't have all the RULES on the back.  So, I thought, for convenience sake, I'd get a new set.  I am big on phonics the spalding way and since LEM have based all their stuff on the same, I know it'll be super useful and handy to have for Charlotte and when Noah comes on up.

Also, while there I picked up these 3 books for the precious price of $2 each.  It's like reading their website without having to go there.  I do not subscribe to all their teachings, but I still like to glean from them from time to time.

* * * * *

This week I want to do an update on where we are with our History and Geography.

We continue on with MOH I.

We did skip a few lessons here or there but the last one we did was lesson 96.  Some days the girls have trouble with writing, but I continue to ask them for a basic skeleton outline and a paragraph or so on each passage that they read.

Did I ever mention that both Chloe and Phebe have READ SOTW I this year?  They read it like a novel.

For Geography we continued on with our Country and Flag study.  I continued to source their maps via google.  { So handy, I tell you. }

The girls are really LOVING this subject.

I think we MIGHT do some Earth Science when this subject is finished.  Haven't prepared anything just yet, but I do have a nice little book that we could base things from.  I dunno.  I'll let you know when and if we ever get there.

This week I'll be linking up with:

I hope you will join us.

Thanks for visiting.

Some Worksheet Freebies

This morning I started work on some more paint dabbing resources for my preschooler.

Just click either one to download.

 

Additionally, earlier in the week I did a couple of worksheets for subjects/predicates - which you might be able to use as well.

Today I'll be linking up with:

I hope you'll join us.

Thanks for visiting.  :o)

English and Math Update

Where we are these days.

English

We've gone back to using our English Rod and Staff Textbooks.

Chloe on book 5, Phebe on book 4, and Hannah on book 3.

I think I've finally come to the line where we're going to start leaving all those cute little worksheets behind for some boring middle school work load.  I imagine I'll still pop some in from time to time, but yeah, I think we need to just get serious about sticking to one main curriculum and make serious gains in it rather than all this switching too and fro at whim like we've been doing.

I still have Writing with Skill for Chloe on the menu as well.  It's getting more challenging now.

And we also have those Climbing to Good English series too, which I think are great.  So yes, while I'll be serving up less in the worksheet department, we've still got several choices on the menu for English but my goal is to widdle them down as we go along.

* * * * *

Math

Chloe is using Saxon 6/5.
Phebe and Hannah both on 5/4.

I've stopped pulling apart our soft cover 5/4 now that I've got other copies and the girls aren't all working out of the same book.

My latest covers for their workbook.  Super cute, I think!

I've dropped the coil binding to try out how the workbook goes with just being stapled.  They're pretty big staples - holding 40 pages/lessons worth.  It just made putting the books together so much quicker than the binding, which can take a good while to do.  I just did't want that work load anymore since I have to make up these books pretty regularly.

How it's set up on the inside.

They start their lesson like this,

turn the page over and finish up on the left hand side.  Next day, repeat the process { and hopefully the next lesson }.  These days my cut off is 80%.  If a lesson comes in less than that they have to do a pink slip, and do the lesson over.

Here's an example.  This particular lesson didn't quite make the cut and so, yep, a pink slip { which you can see slipped in there under the lesson itself }.  To complete the pink slip one simply has a parent { usually me } or the CD walk them through all their mistakes in the lesson.  After that they go off to attempt the lesson all over again, only to be scored again.  ha ha ha.  Yep, every single lesson is scored.  This has it's advantages.  Since I know where they are at any given moment we don't need to do the tests.  I am also very particular about keeping those scores written down too.

Thanks for visiting,

Today I'll be linking up with:

I hope you will join us.

To infinity and beyond.

Randoms

This was my view from the lounge room to the dining room the other night after I'd called it a day and sat down to relax.

Little Noah is super cute.  A handful.  A lot of work.

  But super cute.

What the girls are reading this week for fun:

and

What Charlotte worked on this week:

She wanted dinosaurs this week, as opposed to mermaids last week.

and she tried this out too, mostly so we could use those dab makers.  ha ha.

Thanks for visiting,

To infinity and beyond.

{ Week 22 }

This morning I got an email to tell me that the man who had been helping me fill my bookshelves with Rod and Staff books over the last 10 years had died.

His name was Silas.

I was very sorry to hear of his passing.

* * * * *

Nature study this week:

* * * * *

This week the girls moved over to our 'Flags of the World' book.

So far they've done:

Australia

Brazil

Canada

China

They'll be covering 24 countries to start with { maybe more another time }.

Check out our little passports:

We put a colored flag in each time we do a country.

This week I am linking up with:

and

and

I hope you will join us.

To infinity and beyond!

Why You Should Still Do Book Learning for Character

I've got a couple of thoughts.

Do you want to go for a walk with me on them?

Moral Character is usually something that is taught, or more often times caught by children from their parents, peers, and care givers, but I found that there can still be a few little catches with that and those are:

1.  The parent must have that character quality functioning within their own lives to some successful degree.  It's a little bit difficult to impart something that you don't have.  It rightly lends itself to integrity, and accountability.  Hypocrisy should be the last thing we should be aiming for.  We must walk the path before we expect anyone else to.  

Many parents lack high enough standards of character within themselves.  Children are not blind.  They get to live with us day in, and day out.  If we want our children to practice moral and excellent character we should lead them via example. 

2.  Timing.  The parent usually needs to be present at the right time in order to teach a particular character.  If  you've got a real life application, the lesson is sure to have a better chance of being retained.  A lot of times though the parents are not available when the time is ripe.

3.  Maybe you're like Plutarch, Socrates, Aristotle, or some other great philosopher who can write { and speak } really well about morals and character.  But I'm not.

4.  Maybe you can quote 25 verses based on particular character trait/s from the Bible?
Or have a way of explaining the moral actions of people in the Bible?  But I can't. 

{ Book Learning }

Character - and it's opposite.

A clear definition of the character.

A quote about the character.

An animal that exhibits this character.

I will's of the character.

The benefits of the character.

What it looks like in real life.

All these different aspects help one to reach an understanding of what the character means.

5.  Understanding and Knowledge.  You've all probably heard of the word: benevolence, haven't you?  But how many of you know of a good off the hand definition in which to teach your child?  In the spur of the moment, right when you see that your child needs it the most.  Better yet, what it should look like in practice as opposed to its opposite?

Do you really have time to pull out your bible?  Or go grab your dictionary, or jump on the internet to get an understanding just so you can teach the concept to him?  What if you simply rely upon some vague idea of what it is from your own childhood?  I dunno about you, but when I'm in the shopping center and my trolley is full, and I've got 5 tired children, and just needing to go home - I don't have my bible or my computer handy.   Nope.  What I've got is my backed up memory of my BOOK learning.

Better yet, my child, SHE has a backed up memory of her book learning too.

All I have to do is prompt her!
And bring her back to remembrance of what she has already read, written, and thought about.

I honestly feel that this is something that is genuinely needed because a lot of people don't come from fantastic pious backgrounds or have great character models in their lives, families, or victorious christian life experiences.  Not these days.  By getting out those books we can fill our minds with these great ideals.  We can fill our minds with the parameters that lead to some degree of virtuous living.  These then become our go to's when push comes to shove in the real world and we're out there in need of some character.

By doing character book learning,

ie, learning the definitions, characteristics, and what it looks like

LAYS a FOUNDATION 

for a particular character, that can be drawn upon when the required time comes 

to put it into practice.

How do you teach character?

Do you use a book?

Let me know.

This week I'll be linking up with:



I hope you will join us too.

To infinity and beyond!

A Tracing Alphabet { freebie }

I dunno about you, but if I sit here doing the alphabet one letter at a time, we might be here a while.

Soooo, this morning I figured that I'd give Charlotte a copy of the entire alphabet to see what she thought of them all together.  She can actually read a number of them now, which made it very easy for her to give it a go.

If you'd like a copy, just click to download.

Thanks for visiting.

Deborah

{ Week 21 }

Another busy week here, even if I didn't have the camera out to catch it all.

Here's the odd shot that I did get though:

A letter to the Hare.

I overlooked all the spelling and what nots, choosing to focus on looking at content.

We can always fix those pesky spelling and grammar errors at a later date.  Right now it's more important to get the child writing freely without the feeling of condemnation because they can't get things perfect.

This week I decided that I'd give Charlotte a week off school.  She bugged me a few times for school, but I mostly just fobbed her off.  I don't want to rush or overwhelm her too much by constantly jumping hoops in the worksheet department.  In the end we did these { today } with our new dot markers.  She thought that they were heaps fun.

* * * * *

And now, due to the shortage in todays post I thought that I'd talk about some more bargain book finds from second hand book stores.

Both of these beautiful, non marked hardcover books are in excellent condition, and only cost $1 each!

What I've started doing is having the girls come and sit for an additional 30 mins reading time.  I've been scheduling it for the evenings.  This way they come fresh after a few hours off school.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to check out your local second hand stores for book bargains.  Come back and let me know what you found.  :o)

To infinity and beyond!