Week 8

 I am responsible

I am respectful

I am a peacemaker

"Keep trying. Keep believing. Be happy. Don't get discouraged.

 Things will work out!"

- Gordon B. Hinckley

Highlights

J: My highlight was finding "fairies" and singing Christmas songs. 
(She's our little Christmas elf)

A: My highlight of the week was the game that I made.

LA- We had a webinar with author J. Scott Savage who talked about how our different brains can help us solve problems.

We also played After the Manner of the Adverb.  One person leaves the room while the others come up with an adverb. The selected person is then called back into the room and asks the others to do something "after the manner of the adverb". For example if the selected adverb was quietly, and they said jump after the manner of the adverb, everyone- or the people they asked- would jump quietly.  If they need more hints, the person who is it, can ask people to do up to three actions after the manner of the adverb. 

Science- We harvested our pumpkins which means we may have to admit fall is here.

The kids (and Dragon) also found a cool spider web.

Static Electricity- Dancing snakes, raising hair, and bending water.

Science Extra: Game created by A- All by himself, A invented a fun game with some animal fact cards he has. He divided them up amoung players. The first player could play any animal and then the next player had to play one that could either be a prey, predator, or escape/defend itself against that animal. They did not have to be from the same habitat if you could explain why it would be a prey, predator, or fight back/escape from that animal if they were put together. The game ended with a White Tail Deer since we decided the animals remaining (goat, sheep, and cow) would not be able to outrun or defend themselves very well if a deer attacked them. We got a good laugh and some good critical thinking out of that game.  

PE- Ninja course

And hike, which is always science as well.

Found acorns!

Flooded trail. Good thing we have been working on our ninja skills.  :)

We found where the fairies live.

Presidents by J- Franklin Pierce is not a well-known president.... And I've totally forgot everything else about him. He lived when Utah was only a territory though. James Buchanan is infamous for starting the Civil War and for being the worst president in history. I guess Franklin Pierce also didn't stop the Civil War from happening but no one blames him since he was basically forgotten. Then Abraham Lincoln became president. He was one of the best presidents. He helped end the Civil War and slavery. After that, he was, sadly, assassinated. He was like me; he liked to read and write. Andrew Johnson was the first president to become president after the president before him, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated. He was the first president to be impeached. He made most of his own clothes.

Skipping to Teddy Roosevelt- They started making teddy bears because Theodore Roosevelt refused to kill a black bear that was tied up. He was a very adventurous president. He went on a safari to Africa. One time, a would-be assassin tried to kill him when he was going to make a speech. The bullet hit him, but instead of going to the hospital, he made his hour and half long speech first. He made lots of natural parks and national forest. He was the youngest president up to that time. He is rank as one of the top best presidents.

Interesting Note in History by J - This week we studied the Salem Witch Trials. Hundreds of people were accused of being witches and 20 people were killed, including my 10th great grandma, Margaret Scott.*   

*Extra- The Salem Witch Trails are a sad tale of people letting petty annoyances destroy personal lives and their communities. Margaret Scott was the oldest woman hung for witchcraft. She had been a widow for over 20 years and often had to resort to begging to provide for herself. This annoyed her neighbors. They found the frenzied trials a way to be rid of her. Even sadder is the tale of a four-year-old girl who was accused, along with her mother. After spending 7-8 month chained in a dark prison, the four-year-old was released while her mother was hung. This obviously destroyed the girl's mental wellbeing and the widower father was left to care for her (or pay for a caretaker) all the rest of her days.

From Family Search

Exploring Technology- On a happier note, Mark Rober is awesome. We checked out his latest video. Now my kids want to go to an arcade. 

Stay Curious

1. What is the hottest desert? It depends on how you measure. Death Valley in California has the record for the hottest AIR temperature at 134.1 degrees. The Lut Desert in Iran has the hottest SURFACE temperature at 177.4 degrees.

2. What food has the most fiber?  We were talking about nutrition when this question came up. Once again, Google gave inconsistence answers, but foods high in fiber are fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and beans. (Pretty much everything but meat and dairy) Chia seeds tended to come up a lot as super high in fiber, but it's hard to eat a lot of those. We did our best by baking one of our favorite cookies- white chocolate chip with Chia seeds.(Okay, not super nutritious but still delicious)

Week 7

This week decided we needed more concrete family expectation (aka rules). We brain stormed things that are expected as members of the family and then narrowed it down to three categories. We picked three words for our rules: Peace, Respect, and Responsibility.

Peace includes things like- appropriate voices, be nice, show love to each other.

Respect includes- No means no, obey parents, take care of other people's thing you use.

Responsibility includes- daily chores, schoolwork, take care of your own things, be where you are supposed to be.

Highlights

A- My highlight of the week was defeating the titan on Prodigy (math) with J.

J- My highlight of the week was playing Prodigy with A.

Other Learning

Art- I started to learn a new skill that I shared with the kids: Water coloring. Works in progress:

LA- "I Spy" Adjective Game- Using only adjectives, describe any noun. (Does not have to be in the room) The other person tries to guess what it is. (Can do object in the room for younger kids)

Social Studies by J- Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs as pets and was the second shortest president. William Harry Harrison had the shortest term and was the first president to die in office. John Tyler was the first vice president to become president because of the death of a former president. James Polk promised to serve only one term and achieve 4 goals. He achieved all four goals and kept his promise. Zachary Taylor would not accept any letters if the postage hadn't been paid. Because of this, he didn't know about his own nomination as a presidential candidate until weeks later. Millard Fillmore was the last president of the Whig party. After that, all presidents were either Republican or Democrat. 

PE- Swimming.  

Science-Creating compasses. We magnetized a needle and, by putting it through the bottom of a plastic cup and placing it water, allowed it to freely spin. 

The kids watched the needles spin around until they were both pointing in the same direction. We then labeled the compasses. They were able to place then in the water pointing any direction and watch them realign with the earth's magnetic field. 

Exploring Tech- Legos and hinges

In progress

Stay Curious

We wanted to follow up with the cat eye color data they collected a few weeks ago and find out what breed our Dragon was. After studying different breeds, their eye color and temperament, we decided he is most likely a Berman mix.   

His mom (who was a stray) has the same coloring. That leaves us with Dragon's sister, Artemis. Who looks most like a brown tabby.  What we found in her gorgeous green eyes is quite possibly two colors (blue and green) making her true eye color dichromatic which is the rarest of all cat eye colors. Whether it's truly two different colors or a trick of lighting in the picture, she's still a beautiful cat.

Week 6

 

I am kind.
I am loving.
I am enough. 

In a world where you can be anything,

Be Kind

Highlights

J- My highlight was giving a "witness interview" to Dad. (Madlibs)

A- My highlight was the birthday party. (That happens tomorrow😅)

Math/LA- J is reviewing adding and subtracting fractions. A is reviewing adding and subtracting within 20. We learned about pronouns this week (after having done nouns and verbs the past few weeks) and, as always, we wrote and read a lot. 

Social Studies by J- Connecticut, Maryland and South Carolina are state...with names.... I also learned about John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. John Quincy Adams was the son of the second president of the United States, John Adams. Andrew Jackson thought of John Quincy Adams as an enemy and was outraged when he won both the popularity vote and the electoral votes. In the next election, he beat John Quincy Adams and became president. When Andrew Jackson was president he tried to get ride of paper money. Now he's ON paper money.

Art- magazine bead necklace

The start of one anyway

Science Field Trip- Canyon Country Discovery Center

PE- Bouldering at CCDC and a San Juan River trip

That's it for now, we've got a party to plan. 😁

Week 5

 Affirmations and Quote:

I will always do my best.

I am strong, inside and out.

When I don’t succeed right away, I can try again.

I have tenacity.

 

Tenacity- the quality displayed by someone who just won’t quit—who keeps trying until they reach their goal.

 

Have faith in God and His promises, and do what is right all the time, regardless of who knows.

By Elder David F. Evans

Math- We originally hoped to do math all online, and while Khan Academy is great for our self-motivated 5th grader, it's not so much for our 2nd grader. We're supplementing with Singapore Math- which I taught him last year.

LA- Magic Tree House Read-a-Thon

Science- Grandma's new chickens are starting to lay eggs! But they are smaller right now compared to her bigger chickens. We compared the difference.

Then, for Life Skills, we made scrambled eggs.

We also experimented with eggs in cookies ;)

 

Science Experiment 2- Ice Orbs. We used balloons to create ice balls. We then sprinkled salt on them and used food coloring to watch where the water went. We talked about winter Ice Melt and how it works. Also, why bodies of fresh water freeze faster than salt water.

Exploring Technology- Crunch Labs, Legos, and catapults

PE- Ladder Ball and Bikes

Social Studies by J- James Madison was president during the war of 1812. James Monroe was the 5th president and was president during the Era of Good Feelings. 

New Jersey is known as the Garden State, but Georgia is known for it's peaches, onions and peanuts (and marble stone). Georgia is known as The Peach State, because the Onion State doesn't sound that good. 😁

Stay Curious- Why are farm eggs colored but store eggs are white? 

Actually, all eggs start out as white. Certain chicken breeds cause a pigment to be added when they lay the egg. Bet the Easter Bunny was surprised to learn chickens dye eggs all year long.😜

If you want a chicken that lays white eggs, just look for one with white ear lobes.

Wait chickens have ear lobes!?

The red ear lobe is right under the fluffy feathers.
Chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs.

Week 4

Despite the chaotic week, I finally feel like we are getting a good rhyme. This week we're grateful to substitute Grandma and Teacher Dad who helped out. 

Even if we don't continue to mention these subjects every week, they still happen.

Math- Khan Academy.  X-tra Math is going to be used to review basics, and the kids enjoy playing on Prodigy.

Language Arts-  

• Spelling- Spelling Training
• Grammar- Khan Academy, Madlibs, and a teacher taught curriculum
• Vocab- word wall based of Dictionary dot com grade vocabulary list
• Reading Comprehension- Khan Academy
• Night Zookeeper- Which encourages writing, vocabulary, and spelling through games
• Daily 15 mins of creative writing
• Daily 20 mins of reading
• Daily story time where they are read to. Currently the Fable Haven and Little House series.

Highlights of the Week:

J- My highlight of the week was eating delicious bread and mini golf.

A- I liked doing school for my animals.

Stuffed Animal School

Social Studies by J- Pennsylvania has a big city called Philadelphia, where the Liberty Bell is, but its state capital is Harrisburg. Delaware was the very first state. It got it's name from the Delaware River. Its state capital is Dover near the middle of Delaware. George Washington crossed the Delaware River. I learned about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They both died on the same day- July 4th, 1826. 

Science/Exploring Technology- Things that Fly!  We set off air rockets and made mini helicopters.

It was J's turn to try making up a recipe. She also based hers off of Eskimo Cookies

Chocolate Snowballs

Snowman from the chocolate snowballs

They also tried Nutella on Saltines.

Next time we'll need to try healthier recipes

PE-Favorite PE activities was J went mini golfing with Dad and A climbed the walls. 😄 

Stay Curious- Why do cats climb trees?

To get a better view of their surroundings, to find prey, to escape predators, or, in the case of these two, to play!

You can learn a lot by observing