Weblink Wednesday - Science Time

I ran into my favorite science teacher on Monday. In honor of that happy moment, I am posting some science links this week.

Do you remember the guy that wore the body suit with the muscles, and organs on it? This is his site. Slim Good Body This site is full of great activities, print outs, ideas and resources for more than just anatomy. It has something for all ages and for other subjects.

Newton's Apple - This site is for pretty much all things science. It has videos, and teaching guides, including activities. (It is the show Newton's Apple's website.)

And one more link for good measure... do you remember Mr Wizard? He was the science guy that had a show long before Bill Nye. I remember watching him when I was 9 or 10. There is a website dedicated to him (he actually started in the '50s) and they have a science secret, that the site says, changes every couple of weeks. If you want a fun and easy science experiment that doesn't require a beaker, a graduated cylinder, and goggles, pop on over and check out this week's Mr. Wizard's Science Secret.

I love science I watched a lot of science shows as a kid. I hope to share my love for science with my kiddos.

SoCalVal at Homeschooling with Encouragement hosts Weblink Wednesday every week. Give her a visit for more great weblinks.

An ExCELLent Learning Experience

Rhonda at Living Water Christian Academy is doing a Human Body Unit with her kids. She did this great project with her kids last week. As I am also doing a Human Body Unit with my kids right now, I thought it perfect timing to also do this project.
Jell-O Cells -- We made lemon Jell-O; put it in plastic baggies along with candies to represent all the elements of an animal cell. I worked with each kid individually as each one assembled their cell. As they put each component into their bag, we discussed the job each part has in the cell.
A few notes

• Use light colored Jell-O like lemon.
• Take pictures right away, the candies will start to dissolve and then everything turns orange.
• Eat your cells right away, once the candy is dissolved it does not taste very good according to my kids who were greatly disappointed the next day when they tried to eat them.

If you want to know what we used, here is our list (I used what we had on hand and what we found at the corner store. I set everything out on butcher paper so the kids could easily see what they needed and what it represented.

• cell membrane - plastic bag
• cytoplasm - Jell-O with only half the cold water called for chilled until mostly set.
• centrosome - Lemon Head
  
• golgi body - red vine
• lysosome - orange sprees
  
• ribosome - red sprinkles
• mitochondria - canned mandarin slices
• vacuole - green jelly beans
• nucleus -purple gobstopers
• smooth endoplasmic reticulum - gummy worms
• rough endoplasmic reticulum - rip rolls (like fruit by the foot)

Story Board Book Report

I had Little Man do his last book report as a story board. All of his other book reports were oral because he just could not write one if his life depended on it.
My wonderful sis-in-law suggested this idea to me at lunch several weeks ago. I decided to try it and found it to be an amazingly awesome idea.
So here is what I did. I gave him Stuart Little and told him to read the book for me. He read it in just a couple of hours! I expected it to take at least a day. Then I told him he was going to have to write a report about it. You should have seen his face. He went white. Then I explained to him that he would just have to draw pictures and write one sentence about each picture. The look of relief was priceless. Then he said he would do it. I got the little card set up and then he had to sequence them onto our little board (a large piece of construction paper.) I gave him one week to have it complete and he did a great job figuring out how long it would take and how many pictures to do each day. The results were amazing and he wrote more than I expected him to. So, if you have a little one who cannot seem to conquer the pencil this might be up your alley. Sorry the pictures a bit fuzzy, they seemed clearer than that when I took them.

Happy Fall

Fall is here!!! I am so excited, can you tell?
I love the fall; the changing of the seasons is so awesome to watch. I live in the city of trees so fall is one of the most beautiful times to live here. The color spectrum is amazing. We do not just have the typical yellow and orange, but we have so many different shades of red and purple it is very cool. There is one little street that I used to drive on my way to work years ago that was lined on both sides with trees. It was like driving through a canopy of leaves. In the fall - well I cannot describe the awesomeness of God’s artwork. It was so beautiful to look up and see all the shades of red, orange, yellow, green, and purple.
Anyway, happy fall everyone!

Prayer and Children

Mama Archer is pondering prayer and children today.

How do you teach your children to pray?
What do you teach them about the practice, meaning, and importance of prayer?
What do you pray for children?

When the kids are really young, we teach them to pray simply by example. I have been watching Baby G lately as she is transforming into a little girl. When we say it is time to pray, she bows her head and waits for someone to start praying. She does not really understand who we are praying to or why but she knows it is something we do. As she gets older, her understanding will grow and she will have the habit of praying instilled in her.

The older ones, they know, we have them pray every morning during their Daily 5. Having them pray in the morning every morning is showing them the importance of putting God in the forefront of their minds and recognizing the He is the orchestrator of their day. They are learning how to set time apart in the morning for the Lord at a very early age. When they need an attitude adjustment, we sit down and open the Word. We read what God has to say about their attitude or behavior and then we pray. When I started doing this with them, I would have them repeat after me as I prayed. Now, they can go pray on their own. When I send them to pray, I am also praying. I am praying that God will capture their heart in the area that needs work. I pray that God searches my heart in that area so I will not be an example of that behavior or attitude that I am recognizing needs to change in them. I pray that God will give me the wisdom in parenting them regarding the issue at hand.

Not only do we pray first thing in the morning, but we also pray at the start of our school day, at mealtime, and at bedtime. With prayer, I want the kids to learn to be thankful in all things, put the Lord in charge of all things, ask the Lord for protection, wisdom, guidance. We also pray for others. When someone has a need, we pray together during our morning school time. I want them to learn how to intercede for others and as they are older how to be prayer warriors.

My prayer is that they will be able to stand in the midst of strife and that they will be a living testimony of the glory and power of God. As a mom, I think I am in constant prayer. I pray for myself, that I may be able to survive my day, hold my tongue, and have supernatural amounts of patience, energy instead of exhaustion and a clear mind to handle all that is thrown my way.

Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Ephesians 6:18
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Philippians 4:6
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Colossians 4:2
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Mommy's Balancing Act

Every Friday, Heart of the Matter Online features a different meme topic for homeschool moms. The week we have been asked to share our thoughts about:

Balancing ‘Mom’ and ‘Teacher’
While many homeschooling moms know that being a mother includes teaching their children daily there are those who find the 'line' between teaching their homeschooling child and being a mom fuzzy. What are some of the best tips you can offer a new homeschooling mother who is sorting out those gray areas? How do you manage the balance between the two?

I think that “Mom” is synonymous with “Teacher” no matter how you slice it. Whether or not you homeschool or you send your child to school, you are still your child’s primary teacher. From the moment, you hold your little blessing for the very first time you are teaching them about life. From nursing, to using a cup, to using the big potty, you are ultimately your child’s teacher. When you take on the role of “school teacher” as well, you add a completely new dimension to the mommy adventure.
When I first started schooling my oldest, defining that line was easy, for about 45 minutes every day, I was “teacher” for the rest of the day I was “mommy.” After I started teaching my girls, I started to realize that bookwork is not the only school time and that school really happens most of the day. When as a homeschool mom, you come to the point when you realize that every moment is a teaching moment and that you can be teaching them all day is when you discover that you are always mommy and always teacher. The problem that comes with that realization is that many can forget how to enjoy just being with their kids.
I started to forget last year. I was constantly pushing to teach them something, I was falling into the trap of thinking they were behind and needed to catch-up. This summer, as I was preparing for this school year is when I realized that I fell into the trap of being overly task oriented and not relationship oriented.
The greatest benefit from homeschooling is not the amazing education your kids will receive or the love of learning and information you can instill in them. No, the greatest benefit of homeschooling is the amazing relationship you can build with your children, a relationship that will stand the test of the teen years. The greatest risk of homeschooling is forgetting about the relationship building and only being task oriented. When you have forgotten to build the relationship, you need to step back and reevaluate. Even during the time in our day when we are in “school mode,” I am realizing that my primary goal is to build the relationship and keep their hearts. The by-product is the education they receive.
That is how I balance being mommy and teacher. When you know that every moment is a teaching moment but also realizing that more importantly every moment is a mommy moment, that is when you find the balance between mommy and teacher. I know that sounds backwards because I am saying they are one and not separate but isn’t that how God works, against all human logic?

Weblink Wednesday - Human Body Unit Study

My online time lately has been spent preparing for a human body unit study for the munchkins. I thought I would share with you some of the better sites I have found.

• Homeschool Share Human Body Lapbook - This lapbook is geared more for kindergarten/1st grade.
• Human Body Lapbook by Jimmie - This lapbook is not a premade lapbook but more of a resource so you can prepare your own unit study to lapbook or notebook.
• Human Body Unit Study (pdf) - This is a unit study on the human body that has some great pictures.
• Do You Know Anatomy -  This is an interactive label me.
• A Look Inside the Human Body - Geared for 4th graders, this site has the basics of the body broken up into the different systems. 
  
• Brain Hat - This is a really cool idea for constructing a "hat" of the brain. It has the different parts of the brain labeled so when it is on, you can see exactly where they are located. Very hands on and very cool. I can't wait until we get to the brain section of the unit study so we can do this.
• My Body - This book is available through teacher created resources (You can purchase an actual book or purchase it as an e-book). I have this book and love it. This is to make a life size diagram of the body. Trace the outline of your little one's body on bulletin board paper or news print (you can get the ends of the rolls really cheap usually at your local paper). The kids can them put their body parts where they belong. Kids love doing this activity. It lets them get a realistic perspective on how their body is put together.

Head over to Homeschooling With Encouragement for more great homeschool weblinks.

Weblink Wednesday - Some Language Arts Links

The basics of reading and writing are so important and there are so many programs out there it can be so overwhelming. This week I thought I would share three programs that I have fallen in love with over the years.


Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - Hands down the best way to teach reading. In 100 lessons my kids go from not reading to having a 2nd grade reading level and able to sound out any word they come across. I have used other reading programs but this program to teach the basics is the best. I have even been told by a speech therapist that it is the best way to teach reading. And from my own experience, it helps with speech problems too. My son who is now 9, had speech problems and his therapist noticed dramatic improvement when I started using this book to teach him reading. But the real proof to me was when he was able to read the entire Narnia series with full comprehension! He started the series right before he turned 8, since then he has read them all the way through a second time. So, if you are wondering what reading program to use with your budding reader, this is the one I recommend. Oh, and it is inexpensive I purchased my book for about $20.

Handwriting Without Tears - This program is inexpensive and easy. If you have a left hander, you need this program. This writing program was designed with a left hander in mind. The words and letters that are to be copied are on both sides of the page encouraging proper position. The strokes are basic and the order the letters are taught make sense. We just started the cursive program this year. Last year I tried a different program that had prettier cursive and was met with great failure. The kids couldn't form the letters very well, proper positioning was gone and the kids cried whenever I said it was time for writing. So... back I went to HWT. The kids love the program and are enjoying cursive this year.

Winston Grammar - Have you seen this grammar program? It is really great. It uses color coded cards to help teach the kids the different parts of speech. I really appreciate the approach this program uses and after trying other programs, I found this one make the most sense. There website has a placement test so you can see which level you should purchase. You can also purchase the kit separately so you can teach more than one child at the same time without having to buy more than one complete kit.

For more homeschool links visit Homeschooling With Encouragement and visit other homeschool moms who love to share there website finds.

Have a very blessed week!

Redecorating With Coffee

Last Monday, I decided ended up decorating my kitchen with coffee. (Think Hilda from Trading Spaces) Now, the décor for my kitchen is already coffee - even though I have not hung any of the wall art yet - so this was not a big stretch for me. However, I am talking about actual coffee! As in espresso ground coffee all over my ceiling, floor, walls, stove, behind the stove-just in case someone wanted to peak down the back of the stove-the counter tops, the table that is about 10 feet away, the refrigerator-sides front and top, the microwave, the toaster oven and well every surface there is. How, you might be asking, did I accomplish this wonderful new décor? I have to tell you.

My wall. Isn't it beautiful with the coffee ground speckled look? "WASH ME" was Daddy Reg's contribution to the redecorating.

Picture it - my kitchen last Monday morning after an almost sleepless night. I pull out my moka pot (in short, an Italian stove top coffee maker) add the necessary water and finely ground coffee. I then put it on the stove to do its thing. Everything is going like clockwork. I start to fill the cups with ice so I can make iced lattes (the coffee it makes is almost identical to espresso) when suddenly out of nowhere --

KABOOM…HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! The pot exploded coffee grounds, coffee, and steam throughout the kitchen. Daddy Reg comes running only to start laughing as he sees steam billowing from the moka pot still sitting on the stove burner. (Thanks honey.) After it was finished billowing, I took it off the burner and turned off the stove. It was still hissing!

Doesn't it look innocent just sitting there?

I turned around to survey the damage. I started laughing and crying at the same time. Mind you, I was also covered in coffee and I was unable to comprehend what had happened. I make coffee in my moka pot all the time. In fact I make it so often that I own owned two moka pots. Yeah I know I probably need to go to a coffee rehab. I do have a serious love for coffee.

I spent several hours on Monday, mopping the floor, cleaning up the dining area, washing the cabinets, cleaning the ceiling, deep cleaning the stove, moving the stove out - okay so Daddy Reg did the moving (Thanks Honey.) - cleaning the wall behind the stove. Then I could not help but clean the floor under the stove and the sides of the stove as well. (I have a strange compulsion to clean them every 6 months anyway and they were due.) I still have the other side of the kitchen to do; I plan to do that this weekend. The up side, my kitchen will be so clean. The down side-I only have one moka pot now. *sigh*

Every surface was covered. So depressing.

After the moka pot cooled off, we took it apart to see what happened. What we figured out was that the steam vent hole must have been clogged some how and the steam had no way to escaped except out the top. The filter plate that separates the top from the bottom had a large hole in it. How crazy is that?

This is the underside of the top part. There is a filter disk that filters the water to the top. The black parts that are larger than the tiny filter holes, are actual holes!

The moral of this story: Make sure the steam vent is clear so the pot doesn't explode.
As I wrote this I could not help but think about the times I "explode" because I don't keep my steam vent clear. How do you keep your steam vent clear? Staying in constant prayer and continually being washed in the word. Without proper washing, your vent can get clogged. (Now the vent in the moka pot is the size of a sewing needle, I have no idea how to clean it other than the normal hand washing I always do. And this pot was really old.)

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

Learning Styles in Homeschool

Happy Friday! Heart of the Matter hosts a meme every Friday for homeschool moms and this week, the topic of choice is:

Your Children's Learning Styles.

We discussed curriculum and would love to hear how these choices best teach your children according to their specific learning styles. Are they visual learners? Auditory? Kinesthetic? Give us your best teaching methods!

All of my kids learning styles are so very different. It is amazing how kids from the same parents can all be so unique. It is evidence of God’s creativity and sovereignty. It also confirms that putting kids in a box and expecting them all to go in the same and come out the same is a ridiculous notion. My son learns so much from reading and doing. He absorbs so much information when he reads it blows me away. I have to read something twice before any of the information is absorbed. He is also a kinesthetic learner. If I give him something to do with his hands, he learns it quickly. We use a lot of manipulatives with him. He is allergic to the pencil and writing. I cannot expect him to write out the answers to review questions at the end of a chapter. If I ask him to tell me, he can practically quote everything he read.

My daughter does not learn from reading. She learns from watching and doing. If I read something to her, she will not remember anything. If we watch something, she will remember better. She struggles in remembering so I have to follow up on all lessons with an activity she can do in order for her to remember anything. Lapbooks and a modified form of notebooking work really well with her. She pays attention better while she is doodling. And she thinks abstractly. When she was learning how to count, she would group her numbers in 3s. She is only 8 and the other day I taught her how solve for “x” with all the algebraic steps. And she completely understood it. Teaching her has taught me so much about how differently people think.

My younger daughter is your typical in the box thinker. She would do well in a box school academically. She loves worksheets and busy work. I do not know why, but she thinks it is fun. So for her, I teach the way she would be taught in a classroom. I do this because this is how she learns best.

All of them love unit studies and learning how all things connect. I love teaching them how everything is interrelated and how God’s hand is on everything.
Teaching my kids using their learning style and not making them try to learn in a box has allowed them to excel in ways that they never would be able to otherwise. Even my younger daughter, who learns traditionally, is better off at home. She is so quick in her work she would be so bored waiting for the other kids to catch up. So she can learn at her own speed and move on when she understands something.

Weblink Wednesday - Bible Time and Devotions

Here it is The first Weblink Wednesday post of the 2008-2009 school year! If you do not know what Weblink Wednesday is, you can visit Homschooling With Encouragement for all of the details. Participating in this meme has been such a blessing and I am excited to see what will happen this year.

So, this year I have purposed to make sure we do Bible/Devotion time every morning first thing before we start our academic studies. It is so important to me to teach my kids to acknowledge the Lord first and ask Him to take control of the day.

Here are a few links I have gone to for ideas, resources and printables when planning our Bible time.

Christian Preschool Printables - This site has everything from folder games to mini-books to clip-art and so much more. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a site map.

Christian Preschool Printables Member Forum - This site requires a free membership that is worth it. This is a social network where you can share ideas and resources with other Christian Homeschoolers and Teachers. Becoming a member allows you access to the entire site including some more FREE Bible Crafts you would not be able to access otherwise.

A Kid's Heart - This site has a lot of resources for your little ones including coloring pages, clip art, activity sheets, and so much more. The home page always has the upcoming holidays posted linked to fun activites to do.

Calvary Chapel Children's Ministry Curriculm - This site is amazing. There are lessons for the entire Bible. I love this site and go to it often. They also have the lessons available in Spanish.

Calvary Kids Pages - This site has things for kids to do online and to print. There is also a "safe surf" area if you allow your kids to do that.

Preschool Sunday School Lapbooks - This site has so much more than just lapbooks but being a very active lapbooker that is my favorite part of this site. Seriously so much more here than I can possibly tell you.

Adventures in Odyssey - This is an online daily broadcast of Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey.

I know there are so many more sites, but I think seven are enough for now. *grin*

Blessings to you today!