A New Adventure...

I mentioned that this project I did with my daughter gave me an idea.

Here it is:

I started out creating a few worksheets for my kids...and ended up opening an Etsy shop!

I call my little project: Snappy Printables.

I have only listed a few PDF sets, but I'm working on others and hope to add them soon.

You can read a bit about the concept and vision I have for this little endeavor on the "About Us" section of the Snappy Printables blog.

I am offering 3 sets of printable files in a giveaway, if any readers are interested. You can enter here.
Update: this giveaway has closed.

I'd also like to offer Home Education Journal readers 20% off everything in my shop during the month of April. Just enter the code: FRIENDSAPR11 when you make a purchase.

My kids love these. I hope yours will too!

Aside from working on this exciting adventure, we have been planting a garden [not like the one in January...a REAL garden], watching volcanoes explode and celebrating a very special birthday. I will share more soon!

Playing with Letters

A few days ago, my daughter and I played with letters.

My mom gave me a set of laminated pages, with large upper case letters on them.
I rolled out pink play dough into long, rounded strips.

We began our lesson by identifying the letters. If she was unsure about a letter, I told her its name and then asked her "What letter is this?" We repeated the process until she could correctly identify the letter.

Then I asked my three-year-old to trace each letter with her finger, carefully guiding her to trace each line in the same way she would write the letter. [For example: an L would be traced from top to bottom, then from left to right.]

Next, she arranged the play dough strips to form each letter. Her favorite part of this was using a play tool to cut the extra length off the ends of the strips.

Afterward, I would ask her again to identify the letter she had copied. "What letter did you make?" And finally, I congratulated her on her accomplishment, "Good job! You made the letter ____!"

This was a fun learning activity - and it gave me an idea. I really liked the concept of the pages; however there were a few things I disliked about them. I also had some ideas of how to make the pages a little more functional...so I have begun making my own. The kids and I are pretty excited about them and I hope to be finished soon so I can share them with you too!

In the meantime, if you do not have a similar set of protected pages, you could try reusing a clear plastic lid. Cut the edges off of the lid. Draw or print the alphabet on plain sheets of paper. Then place your clear lid over the letter you would like to teach your child about. Or maybe tape a sheet of plastic wrap to the table [with blue painter's tape - or another easily removable tape], leaving a space to slide your letter pages underneath. I'm sure you could do this exercise directly on your paper too...I imagine your play dough may stick a bit though. [I haven't tried any of these...they are just ideas. Let me know if you do & how they worked out.]

Valentine's Day Project

In the spirit of loving, my children and I crafted a fun project. 

We call it our "prayer chain", but you can call it whatever you would like to.

We wrote down names of people we know on strips of paper and linked them together.  Each evening at bedtime the kids tear off the end link of their chain and pray for that person.  As they get older, I would like to have them send an encouraging note or thoughtful gift to each person...maybe next year.   :)

For this project, you will need:
- strips of scrap paper - any color you choose.
- glue or tape
- pen, pencil or marker to write with

First, cut your paper into strips of similar length and width [no need to be precise for this activity].  I used blue for my son and pink for my daughter.

Then have your child[ren] write out names of people they know on the strips, such as family, friends, classmates or teammates, etc.  If you have younger children, you can write out the names for them or enlist your older children to help their younger siblings by writing them down.  Each strip should have only one name written on it.

Begin creating your chain by bending one strip of paper so that the two ends meet together.  Glue or tape the paper together at the ends, forming a circle.  You will continue to form "links" with each piece of paper, by looping the paper through the end link before forming and gluing your paper circle.  Once all your paper strips have been chained together, find a fun place to hang your chain. My children have a white board in their room where they can display all their art projects...so this was a perfect place for us to hang our chains.

Spend some time with your kids remembering to love the people who have been placed in your lives.

A Letter to Dad

"Dad I miss you and we can't play video [translation: I got in trouble with mom today.] and thank you for working."

Nothing to brighten a day like your 5 year old writing you a card to say, "I miss you" and "thanks for working" all in the same run-on sentence. 

Of course, the envelope was also decorated with dinosaurs and a picture of Dad too!

Journal of the Home-Educated

Each of my older children has a journal.  My 2 year old mostly just colors in hers...although she pretends to write.  She will even "sound out" words and say various letters as she "writes".  She can make an "O"...so many words end up "oooo".  

My 5 year old has been writing in his since he was 4.  I really find it challenging to read phonetically sometimes.  It's great not only to see him interested in writing, but it's so special to peer into his little heart and mind at a new angle.  I think he is able to express his thoughts with more clarity when he writes than he is verbally.  Sometimes what he writes makes me laugh...sometimes it melts my heart, and occasionally, it causes me to take a step back and take a painfully honest look at myself, and my interaction with him.

Here are a few excerpts from my son's journal:

"I like doing my journal and I like doing my school."

"We used to almost have a baby.  When she popped she was beautiful!"

Our youngest daughter was born several months ago.  He was recalling when I was pregnant with her..."almost have a baby."  And when we talked about the baby being born we would say she was going to "pop out".   I know - it's not incredibly scientific...and unfortunately not too accurate either, I seriously wish they would just "pop" out.  But it's not too far of a stretch...they sorta pop out. 

I love that he calls her beautiful...so sweet!  He also wrote about the baby in another entry, which I didn't post this time.  In that one he calls her "cut" [cute].

"Bouncy balls are fun."

[naturally followed by renderings of bouncy balls: one for each family member and then three more, one each for his most favorite toys]

"I can't stop crying right away."

This is one of those entries that kind of grips me.  It catches me and forces me to think about how I am parenting.  My son is, well, dramatic...and emotional.  I'm not sure if it's his age, life changes that are happening in the family...or just his personality - or maybe something else.  However, it. is. so. painful...for him, for my husband and I...for his siblings. 

He has developed a tendency to respond to situations he dislikes with high pitched crying and screaming.  Recently, we have determined to take a "zero tolerance policy" approach to it.  It's just not ok for him to yell.  Whether it's a loud sad wailing or an angry outburst...he is punished whenever he chooses that behavior.  

While I think this is good, I also realized that sometimes he just needs to be removed from the situation and given time to consider what transpired.  Often I just expect and demand that he stop...right now.  And although I think he is able and must learn to discipline himself in that way...sometimes he needs some space and some time to cry and be sad.  Not to yell and be hysterical - that I won't tolerate...but I need to allow him some space to express his emotions in a healthy way.  It's my job to correct his poor behavior, but also to guide him and show him how to appropriately express his thoughts and emotions, not just to train him to suppress them, although that skill is also important. 

Sometimes we all just need a good cry.  

 

"I wish that Dad could stay home."

"I am good at Mario Brothers and I am good at Toy Story."

[wii games - see previous post...]

"Mom, I love you and sometimes I want to snuggle.  I love you."

[*smile*...*sigh* I mean, really...how precious is that?!]

"[My sister - I've omitted her name] is naughty sometimes.  [She does] not share sometimes."

"Lions are scary.  Alligators are scary.  I don't like bugs in our garden eatin' our food."

"I am happy 'cuz I'm doin' my journal."

And I am also happy he is journaling.  Good job, kiddo!

Handwriting

From my 5 year old's Bible journal:

Magazine Alphabet

My son finished a project today that he has been working on for the last week.  His assignment was to search magazines and choose pictures of items that begin with each letter of the alphabet.  Next he needed to cut each picture out and tape them to his workbook page.  And then he was to write the letter each image begins with next to the pictures. 

His "workbook" is simply a basic spiral lined paper notebook. 

We found a box of them at Walmart several years ago marked 5 cents each - yes, that's right!!!  FIVE cents!  Can't beat that.  So we purchased them all...and have found great uses for them.  For my son's school workbooks I simply labeled each of them. 

We use them for just about everything, Math, Bible, Writing, Journaling - but I think that's a post for another day. 

I thought this project was a great way for him to develop motor skills as he practiced cutting with scissors, to identify images, to sound out and spell words, to gain experience organizing alphabetically, and to practice writing letters.  Plus, it was a way to put a few old magazines to good use! 

I was delighted with his creativity in choosing his pictures, so I thought I'd share with you what he found.

A is for Animals.

B is for Baby.

C is for Crackers.

D is for Dollars.

E is for Eat.

F is for Food.

G is for Grass.

H is for Him.

I is for Ice Cream.

J is for Jack-O-Lantern.

[He didn't know what this picture was, when I told him, he exclaimed, "Hey Mom!  That starts with J!"]

K is for Kid.

L is for Light.

[Because "the lamp is turned on and the brightness is coming out of it..."]

M is for Money.

[Ok, so far we have Dollars and Money...]

N is for Naked.

Now, when he came to me while I was cooking and proclaimed proudly that he had found a picture for "N" and it was "naked", I was initially slightly alarmed.  Ummmm...gee son, what kind of magazines are you ruffling through?  I was relieved when he clarified that it was a naked baby.  Ohhhh, a naked BABY...whew.  [I was pretty confident it couldn't be anything too risque...I mean, he was cutting up Martha Stewart and those free Parenting mags they send out to new moms...but you never know.  A boy could stumble upon a Dove advertisement or something...]  Naked.  Lol!

O is for On.  The boy is On the clouds.  Nice.

P is for Parachute.

[This picture is sooo tiny!  I'm amazed that he spotted that parachuting teddy in the first place - and knew what a parachute was.]

Now, "Q" was a little bit difficult.  All he could think of was quilt.  But he couldn't find a quilt.  So, I listed off as many "q" words as I could think of for him, and this is what he came back to show me:

Q is for Quack.

I know he misspelled several words...but spelling out the words wasn't even part of his assignment.  He tried on his own initiative and did pretty well phonetically.  So, I bit my OCD-perfectionist tongue and told him "good job."  We can work on the details later.  ;)

R is for Read.

[...because "these are words that you read, Mom."]

S is for Silly.

T is for Toy Story.

[This was by far his favorite picture to cut out: a Toy Story Lego Set.  See the missing triangle above Woody and Jessie's heads?  More on that later...]

U is for Up.

["This bear is riding an airplane...which goes Up in the sky."]

V is for Vegetables.

W is for Walk.

["Look, somebody is walking."]

"X" was another tricky letter.  Neither he nor I could think of very many words that begin with "X".  So I told him he could find a word with the letter "X" in it.  He found...

X is for relaX.

["Because it looked like she was gonna relax."]

Y is for You.

Remember the missing triangle from the Toy Story Lego set?

Z is for buZZ.

BuZZ Lightyear.  To the end of the alphabet...and beyond! 

So...now you have a use for your stash of unwanted magazines.  Turn them into crafts/homework.  ;)