PREPARING FOR HOMESCHOOL CO-OP

As I prepare for co-ops this fall….I have the privilege of teaching the younger crew….it should be fun….I love storybooks and I enjoying using Five in A Row years ago with my first BATCH of kiddos….

BURN OUT WITH FIVE IN A ROW??? VERY HARD!!!

I burned out that time years ago when I used 5 in a Row WITH MY OLDEST 3 KIDS…which is almost impossible with Five in A Row since it is stress free….I OVERDID IT…I think I checked out 20 books each week to RESEARCH my topics thoroughly…it seems silly and funny now….BUT NOT THEN…The kids didn’t notice but OH BOY that was a doosey school year.

We had to put Five In A Row away for an extended Holiday Break!! My friend still laughs at me…she remembers asking me…

”HOW IN THE WORLD did you burnout using FIVE IN A ROW…..its almost impossible!”

FIVE IN A ROW - THE STORY ABOUT PING:

RESOURCES FROM 3 EXCELLENT BLOGGERS

A portion of this  BLOG POST is from HOPE IS THE WORD. She has awesome pics that inspired me to repost her info….thanks!! Please see the pics at her blog which is linked above.

 THE STORY ABOUT PING

The Story About Ping probably doesn’t need much of an introduction, but I wanted to share a few of the books we read and an activity we did in relation to this story.  For those who are unfamiliar with this classic tale, it’s Marjorie Flack’s story of a little duck named Ping who lives with his large family on “a boat with two wise eyes on the Yangtze River” in China.  The ducks all leave their home during the day to hunt for food, but once the sun begins to set, the Master of the boat calls them back.  It is unfortunate, though, to be the last duck to return; this duck always receives a spank on the back.  One day, Ping is running late, and rather than be the one to get the spank, he decides to not return at all that night.  What follows is a short little series of adventures which end up with Ping almost becoming a duck dinner.  He learns his lesson, though, and decides that home’s best, spank or no spank.  Marjorie Flack (who also wrote and illustrated the Angus stories) first published this book in 1933, so it’s a real classic.  Kurt Wiese‘s illustrations are colorful and depict the action in the story very convincingly for the preschool set.  (As a side note, Kurt Wiese spent some time in China and later in Australia as a prisoner of war of the Japanese.  This is where he discovered and honed his talent for illustrations.  Interesting, huh?)  The Story About Ping is really too good to miss, which is why it’s included in the first volume of Five in a Row.

We didn’t “row” this book fully, and I decided to dispense with the lapbooking this time.  As much as I want to, I just can’t always make myself love lapbooking.  It’s a love-hate relationship, I guess.

One other blog that was very helpful is THE HOMESCHOOL MOM. On her blog she has an extensive list of online resources for THE STORY ABOUT PING….To see the complete list…click on her link above…

Online Units and Resources for The Story About Ping

Example of a Five in a Row unit (uses The Story of Ping)
Using The Story of Ping, Jane Lambert illustrates how to use a Five in a Row unit. (Y)

Life on the Rivers of Asia
National Geographic unit using The Story of Ping (y)

Photos of the Yangtze River
A collection of varied photos of life on the Yangtze River (Y, M, O, T)

Ping games and resources
Hurry Ping game, sequence cards, float/sink chart, China resource and more. (y)

Lapbook of Ping Example

Kids Konnect.com - China - A safe Internet gateway for kids of all ages! (Y, M, O, T)

Let's Learn about China! - Welcome! Kids, have fun exploring the culture of China through our puzzles, coloring pages, games and crafts. This area keeps growing every month, so check back often!

Finally there was one other that has a picture tour of their week with the Five In a Row (FAIR) book The Story About Ping. It has even more pictures detailing Michelle’s lessons with her homeschool family. Visit Michelle at her blog DELIGHTFUL LEARNING

Day 1: Geography: Physical

• Where does Ping live?
• Find China on a map, noting that it is located in Asia.
• The Yangtze River is the longest river in China (4,000 miles long).
• Malachi colored the flag of China and pasted the map of China.

Day 2: Art

Michelle has a host of pictures showing the step by step for this craft on her site…please see the link above for the link. Here is the finished product:

Day 4: Science

There we many pictures of several science projects on this blog Delightful Learning…This float or sink project seemed simplest for co-op. We will see how motivated we are=)

There is much more but I am sure we will have to keep it simple. Thanks to all theses ladies for sharing with the teaching community.

****PLUS More great info is available at

HomeSchool Share

A cool count the ducks link we could use from this site:

http://files.homeschoolshare.com/docs54478/ping_family_instructions.pdf

This one is hilarious! I hope this never happens to me….

This one was a hoot too!!!

To See Other Funny Fridays:

Just for God’s Girls

We have a mission for you: Invite all of your favorite girlfriends over for a slumber party, get your fuzzy bunny slippers and favorite PJs on, order some pizza, grab some tea and head on over to the computer for a virtual conference like no other. This conference is Just For God’s Girls.

Our speakers know that being a teenage girl in today’s society isn’t easy but we want to help. This conference will dig deep into the issues that plague you and give you practical biblical ways of dealing with them all the while helping you to develop your gifts and abilities.. We want to promote Biblical truths and Christian values, enhance self confidence and empower you, God’s Girl,  to be transformed from the girls of today into the inspired women of tomorrow.

This conference starts on Friday night at 6:30 pm CST with another session at 8:30pm CST on Friday then on Saturday there are three sessions: 8:30am CST, 10:00am CST, and ends at 11:30am CST.

The best part about this conference is that it is free, 100% totally free!

It will be held online August 27-28.

Moms, you can join us too for some eye opening revelation about raising teen girls and for that much desired time spent with your little princess.

Visit this page for information on speakers, topics, and times: Sessions

You must use the same information you provide here to log into the conference room.

please email us (info@awomaninspiredconference.org) with the following info: full name, email, age.

As I stay up late night hunting for Tapestry of Grace History literature titles I realized the graveness of the task ahead….preparing to teach 2 highschoolers and a middle schooler and a Kindergartener ( I have my ABCs down pat now….and my counting…whew) and lets NOT forget the twins.  I keep saying this will be a RELAXED school year but we will see about that….

CHARTER SCHOOL THIS YEAR??? THE FINAL DECISION

I finally called the school yesterday to tell them to send me the un-enrollment papers as I waiting for God to send the money for homeschool….it will be a process to ship everything back and I was told kindly I could change my mind IF I liked.

They were very warm people…..I will miss that part of the charter school….good teachers and nice people. JUST TO MUCH BUSYWORK and textbook learning…..

LINKS FOR TAPESTRY OF GRACE Year 2

Literature Units 1 and 2

Dialectic and Rhetoric

We are beginning to prepare our reading lists for the year for Dialectic and Rhetoric level Literature SOOOOOO…

I really created this post so I can keep up with my paper trail…or link trail I should say…..

For Dialectic and Rhetoric Literature Unit 1/2: Online Resources

I read a review of Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights…not sure I want them to read now…

http://www.christianfantasy.net/arabiannights.html

One book for Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Hamlet is Online..yay:

http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/playmenu.php?WorkID=hamlet

Men of Iron ONLINE:

http://www.classicreader.com/book/436/

Teacher Guide for Adam of the Road

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/adam/adamtg.html

For Norton’s Anthology I am not sure how helpful this will be but:

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/

LINKS FOR TAPESTRY OF GRACE Year 2

History Unit 1/2: Online Resources

Dialectic and Rhetoric

Our Island Story – complete book online….whew…. I  was sweating the cost of homeschool books adding up

http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=marshall&book=island&story=_contents

The Story of Europe

http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=marshall&book=sketches&story=_contents

Oh I am so excited…this helps with history for D level for weeks!

CUTTING DOWN THE BOOK CHASE IN TAPESTRY OF GRACE

Ok for the History we will tailor STORY OF THE WORLD VOL 2: MIDDLE AGES TO A SCHEDULE THAT FOLLOWS THE TAPESTRY.

This way… on those rough weeks we can make sure we listen to the lessons atleast to keep afloat and on track. We try to read all the history readings but ……6 kids and 2 of them toddlers…..all the reading????

Forget about it!

The Activity Book is the MUST HAVE MOST IMPORTANT for D level AND YOUNGER kids..it has geography and great worksheets with pages to complete, color, and games to play…WE WILL GET QUESTIONS FROM THERE:

The CD set is the best so the kids can listen…AND I DON’T have to read…they do a good job holding the kids interest too….

A lower cost option for the CDs is the reader 

If you use the links above to purchase…. our children’s ministry HisFireKids.com benefits and I thank you….either way these really help cut down the BOOK CHASE IN TAPESTRY =)

I noticed the schedule I used had different titles than my REVISED TOG 2 Version so I adjusted the names to better reflect the new titles:

UPDATED CORRESPONDING SCHEDULE for Tapestry of Grace Year 2 A (TOG-2) and Story of the World Year 2 (SOTW-2) Using Tapestry as the SPINE

If you are using Tapestry at home then you would of course need to go on to SOTW Year 3 which overlaps the last few weeks of this schedule….

Blessings

Lois

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Members choose from TWO programs: Grades K-7, or Grades 6-12. This program is designed to track the individual student's progress, so we recommend one subscription for each student's use. HOWEVER, you are free to allow more than one student in the SAME HOUSEHOLD to share your family's subscription access. (NOTE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Only ONE student may be logged in at any ONE given time. You may NOT allow students to login SIMULTANEOUSLY from multiple computers with only ONE subscription seat purchase.)

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This website has a good deal going on:

Instant Coffee

This info can be found on their website about their offer=)

“As a one off special offer we are offering all new customers 33% off your first order. Offer available to all new customers only minimum order of £10 applies”

This week I am very thankful for my hubby…who somehow has puts up with me for 20 years=) We met in collage as he and his roommate roamed the fresh “meat” …I mean freshman dorms.

We became acquaintances but it would be almost year before we became good friends…then better friends….the rest is history that I can’t share now because I am supposed to be packing=)

I personally wouldn’t marry a  woman as we have soooo many emotions to navigate….PLUS the pregnancies with spontaneous anger and crying spouts, cravings for Chinese food, Taco bell, Dr Pepper, Nutrigrain Bars, McDonalds’ French fries and Ice Cream…

I am most thankful for all the Bill Cosby and NBA Dez basketball jokes and the OJ Simpson runs thru the airports!

God has somehow helped us weave thru ups and way downs, 6 kids, many cities, 6 churches and lots of homeschool books.

God has been gracious to us…that's all I can say….

This old picture is my hubby with our 4yo when he was a baby…The Los Angeles Lakers are of course the favorite team  in our house since Kobe Bryant is my hubby’s 2nd cousin. This fact my son of course LOVES since he too is a basketball head…

My hubby was sooooooooooo thankful for this mug from “Smooksie” I used to call her=) She bartered for it at our homeschool unit celebration for Tapestry of Grace.

The homeschool room my hubby had built for me…I mean us….it was a wonderful place when we lived in Maine….

Snow drifts in Maine were memorable….quite memorable…

Too bad I’m usually behind the camera…I couldn’t find one of us together tonite….man

Oh wait……a pic from the baby shower for the twins thrown by Nadine and Pearl…it was a blessing

We must have had about 6 or 7 baby showers in our lives….incredible. God is good….and friends are wonderful…..this shower I kinda bugged Nadine for……we were so grateful….

Happy 20th!

We are still packing to move so I’d better go….I miss my blogosphere friends so I had to drop in=)

This month we are meeting with IRIS

PREVIOUS THANKFUL THURSDAY POSTS

TT – MY DAUGHTER’S PHOTOGRAPHY

Thankful Thursday – Opportunity to Share for Internet Evangelism Day

TT REPOST - NIGERIAN GOSPEL IS ENJOYABLE -

THANKFUL THURSDAY – A REGULAR HOMESCHOOL DAY

THANKFUL THURSDAY: FRIENDS AND FAMIILY

This silly cartoon from AnswersInGenesis.org is funny….BUT not so funny as well….if you know what I mean!

I am happy to say though that God is Lord over EVEN childbirth and can help moms NOT suffer intense labors….it amazes me….

PREGNANT? NOT SO FUNNY HUH? CHECK THIS OUT!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

IF YOU ARE PREGNANT and this joke seems NOT so funny right now =)

I totally understand and it was very sobering to me each time I was about to deliver…..someone gave me this book to read and I highly recommend the book “Supernatural Childbirth” . God helps ALOT….

I also LOVED LAMAZE classes…..breathe and focus on the clock during contractions…..1,2,3,4

Uh oh baby crying……gotta go!

To join this loop please: review the minor policies listed here

Funny Fridays – FUNNY CARTOON - Have Something Funny to Share?

Simply share your funnies in the comments section below OR if you blog….

Write your post and add the link to the MckLinky:

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PREVIOUSLY POSTED FUNNY CARTOONS TO MAKE YOU SMILE

SILLY TWINS CARTOON

FUNNY CARTOON

FUNNY CARTOON

To See Other Funny Fridays:

FUNNYCARTOON

Hello if your kids like online games then they, like mine may enjoy Club Penguin. They spend hours using the online game free part…even my godchild seems to use this colorful site when she visits our house….

Here is info from their site:

“Club Penguin is a snow-covered, virtual world where children play games and interact with friends in the guise of colourful penguin avatars. Club Penguin is designed for 6-14-year-olds but is open to all ages.

Free-clubpenguin.com is an online competition which the winner will win a free club penguin membership for 1 year or 6 month weekly.”

To get more info for their membership click on the link below…hours of entertainment!

Well we are still packing to move and I just wanted to take a moment to say hello to my friends…I missed last week…I praise the Lord for our recital concert/baby dedication/twin yard sale weekend this month….I have not had as much blogging time since we are packing and calling telephone companies…gas companies…and such.

Here is my lil guy who is helping me praise the Lord this week:

And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have PUT ON CHRIST, like putting on new clothes.

Galatians 3:27 NIV

The verse section that states PUT ON CHRIST really seemed to JUMP OUT AT ME as I read it. ACTIVELY PUT “ON” CHRIST or Lord and Savior. It seems like He wants us to WEAR the PRESENCE of God wherever HE gives us favor.More Concert photos will be coming soon…I hope=)

Search engine optimization appeals to my business side that has been temporarily buried in diapers……so I will go off topic today=) A website that offers help bringing traffic to your blog or site is a seo company called VastVision.com. They specialize in…

Search Engine Optimization & Internet Marketing

Here is a line from their site:

“At VastVision, we help companies define what search engine marketing success means before the project begins or we help facilitate an existing website by fine-tuning it for optimal search engine placement.

VastVision provides customized and cost effective SEO or search engine optimization, SEM or search engine marketing, SMM or social media marketing and web design & development services.  Each and every service we provide is tailor-made to each client’s individual specifications.”

I have wanted to begin Funny Fridays for a while now…my new friends at 31DBBB have inspired me to finally get started! 

The purpose of “FUNNY FRIDAYS” is to LAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“A joyful heart is like good medicine”

I LOVE laughing @ FUNNY CARTOONS and Funny things that happen in everyday life! DON’T YOU???

If you have something funny…

JOIN FUNNY FRIDAYS

Funny pictures and stories stories that happened in YOUR everyday life and YOUR family life are invited…

Something funny your KIDS did

Humorous pictures from YOUR PETS

A funny cartoon that made you chuckle

GOOD CLEAN CHILD SAFE HUMOR ONLY please…my kids read my blog….sometimes… when they are not busting jokes about it=)

Oh yeah, “Leave politics out of this=)”

When I get around to it I will have a logo designed for Funny Fridays but for now….let’s laugh together….

“The Joy of the Lord is My Strength”

WHAT TO DO

IF you don’t blog…that’s ok, just tell us all about YOUR FUNNIES BY CLICKING ON “Comments” below….

IF YOU HAVE A BLOG and want to join  POST YOUR FUNNY FIRST and THEN ADD your link below into the MckLinky , THEN SEND a LINK BACK so others can join as well….please leave a comment if you do…

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God Bless,

Lois

http://ParentingTwinsandMore.com

PREVIOUSLY POSTED FUNNY CARTOONS TO MAKE YOU SMILE

SILLY TWINS CARTOON

FUNNY CARTOON

FUNNY CARTOON

This week we are most thankful to be moving…

there were times when I was not sure HOW GOD IS GOING TO pull it off =)

in fact the details to get us transitioned are STILL VERY FUZZY…

the packing process is UNFORGETABLE

the clutter is DISMISSIBLE

the twins are EVERYWHERE

the kids are PLOTTING ROOMS

and Dad is pushing mom to FINISH PACKING….

MOVING…AGAIN

We’ve been here before…in this position….MOVING! It is a great opportunity to purge and start a new adventure. A chance to LEAN MORE on God because of all the decisions to be made THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO SCREW UP ON=)

He takes care of the details and leads…faithfully…whew….more grace.

Memories from our LAST MOVE…oh wait….no from the move before that=) LOL

It has been a RIDE=)

We had good movers….they were funny too! They wrote jokes on some of the boxes….THAT move was the emotional one from PA to Maine. We had no idea how wonderful Maine would be….gorgeous beaches and lakes everywhere….

I used to LOVE THAT RAINBOW ROOM….my friend Carol painted it! She was starting a painting business….awesome work!

They seem so small to me now….. here are the remnants of our old homeschool room…THE BASEMENT. The kids loved it and my son shot baskets in the basketball hoop as I drilled him in Math facts…

FUNNY MY 4YO WAS A BABY BACK THEN….WHAT IS IT ABOUT BABIES AND MOVING WITH US? OH WELL….

I am just grateful and thankful for a soft spot to land….

Join this blog loop to give thanks to God…or see more…

This month we are meeting with Laurie at Women Taking a Stand

PREVIOUS THANKFUL THURSDAY POSTS

TT – MY DAUGHTER’S PHOTOGRAPHY

Thankful Thursday – Opportunity to Share for Internet Evangelism Day

TT REPOST - NIGERIAN GOSPEL IS ENJOYABLE -

THANKFUL THURSDAY – A REGULAR HOMESCHOOL DAY

THANKFUL THURSDAY: FRIENDS AND FAMIILY

This post from  Elle, a visitor of Parenting Twins and More really struck me as useful and very helpful…I have a few pregnant friends and I really do thing someone should’ve told me these thing=)

I posted the first 5 and the link to see the rest on Elle’s site…thanks Elle!

10 Things I Wish I knew Before I Had Children

by Elle of Clearly Changing

picture from Elle=)

1. After the baby is born you may bleed for a month.
2. Newborns often need to go to the doctor for checkups and shots for several visits before the age of 1. (Find a pediatrician you really like because you will be seeing a lot of each other.)
3. There will be times when you will rarely get a break to take a shower or use the bathroom.
4. If friends and family members offer to help, let them. Don’t be shy about the need for help, make it plain.
5. When babies are first born, it is not unusual for every diaper to be a “poop” diaper.

http://cleverlychanging.com/2010/05/10-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-i-had-children/comment-page-1/#comment-7

#4 WAS A TOUGH ONE FOR ME TO LEARN AT FIRST WHEN i WAS OVERLY PROTECTIVE…OH WELL….

# 9 was really funny to me since we discussed car fitting too too=) Our trunk is packed as it is for the other 4 kiddos. We also had stroller weight issues since the double stroller we used to have felt akin to lugging around a refrigerator!

Elle has a lot of other good articles…I enjoy her style….especially her twin birth story which was fascinating and relatable =)

Enjoy!