Some school work and some family fun!!

In the midst of the fun and business, we have also been plugging along with lessons. Here is Aaron in his usual spot.....at the computer. He was working on his biology.



While Kristen worked on her math lesson beside him.

Momo has been learning about different animals and how unique and special each one is. This lesson was about how some animals (beavers) have webbed feet. She did a little activity to see how the webbing helps in swimming. First, she moved her open hand through water in the sink.

Then she put her hand in a plastic bag and moved it through the water to see how she could move the water better having "webbing" between her fingers.

Ian also did some pages in one of his workbooks.

Here is Momo reading a story in one of her readers. We are really enjoying the stories in these readers.

That Thursday night, Morgan had pulled out a package of pipe cleaners she got in her craft box at Christmas. One thing lead to another...and soon we had some crazy fun...the whole family got involved in!! Here is the start of things..... Randy and I started putting the pipe cleaners in Morgan's hair....

When Ian saw Momo, he wanted in on it too....

Then along came Kristen so we decorated her.....

Of course then, it was Mama's turn for a new "do"!

Aaron has the best hair for pipe cleaners....although....getting them out was another story....haha. It wasn't too bad though.

Papa, on the other hand....too a little more creativity!!

Papa was a helicopter head!!

I meant it when I said the whole family was in on it....Kristen decorated Maggie too!!

Time for some family portraits!!!

We had so much fun and the best part was that is wasn't planned at all....it just happened.

Kristen also finished up her Geography lapbook. Here are the finished pictures.

It was a great week!! Last week I somehow didn't take any pictures!! We were busy all week and it went by so fast. We had coop, errands, band practices, Brownie meeting, small group, church activities, prepared for a baby shower, shopping, band gigs, fun, school and just life!!

School Is Back In Session!

We have officially began our new school year this week! So far we have had lots of fun and things have gone well. Sunday night, as I was prepping some last minute stuff, Randy was playing with the kids. I guess you could say they were having a music class!

Ian grabbed Momo's guitar to play along with Papa. As you can see, he was really into his music!




Momo posing.....right after this, she said she couldn't wait till morning to do school work so she got her math and phonics books out and did a couple pages!!


We started bright and early Monday morning. The kids were all excited to get into their new books. A lot of Aaron's curriculum this year is on the computer. The three older kids are using Learning Language Arts through Literature and so far we are enjoying that. Aaron and Kristen are using Teaching Textbooks for math and Morgan is using Horizons. For science, Aaron is using Apologia Biology and I am making up the girls' science using unit studies, lapbooks and various other materials I have on hand. To start with, Kristen has been doing some introductory worksheets on conducting experiments, recording data and making predictions and conclusions. She will be starting her first unit on weather next week. For this week, Morgan and Kristen are finishing the "Bubblology" lapbook we started over the summer. Here are some pictures of them trying out the different bubble solutions to see which ones worked the best. Ian also joined them for this part! It was so bright out, the bubbles didn't show up really well in some of the pictures, but if you look close, you will see some floating around!





We used several different bubble blowing tools. Here Kristen is using a frame made from straws and string. We also cut a clothes hanger and made different shaped blowers. Morgan's favorite one was the top cut off of a plastic drinking cup.



Ian had fun just blowing into the bowl of bubble solution with a straw!



Back inside, the girls worked on the lapbook, putting it all together and recording their information.



Kristen and Morgan are using Mystery of History this year. We are really excited about this and so far have had so much fun! We started with volume one which begins with creation. Lesson 1 was all about the seven days of creation. Morgan's assignment was to make a creation book. I think she did a great job on it.



This drawing is of people and a giraffe to represent the day God created animals and man.

Lesson 2 was the story about Adam and Eve. Morgan was asked to create Adam and Eve using play dough( and yes, we used the homemade play dough we made over the summer)! Here is her "Adam". He is wearing a hat!




Kristen's assignment was to create a NEW animal, and give it a name, as Adam had to name all of the animals God had created.

Here is her creation. She named it a " Hockapootie"! (That is a silly made up word one of our little neighborhood boys likes to use.) The Hockapootie is sitting on a grassy mound.

Morgan also made a snake in the grass. See the snake's eyes and big smile?

I am using a preschool curriculum with Ian. Each week will be based on a theme, and also includes a letter, shape or color, and a number. This week the shape is a square. Here he is making a "square mountain". That is what he told me it was anyway!

He also made a square mosaic out of various sized construction paper squares.



Next, he made a cow using the construction paper squares.

How cute is this?!

He also spent a little bit of time to finish off the Down on The Farm lapbook we started at the end of last year but never actually completed. Here is the final lapbook!!





Aaron has been doing his schoolwork this week too. Since the majority of his is on the computer, this is what most pictures of him look like during school time. Don't worry though, he will have some cool dissection labs coming up this year too!!

Lesson 3 for the girls' history was the story about Jubal and Tubal-Cain. They made punched tin pictures to show how Tubal-Cain was an iron and bronze craftsman and teacher. Once again, Ian wanted in on this!


Working hard.



Morgan holding her finished picture up to the light. It is hard to see it in this one....

BUT....you can see it here!!


Here is Kristen's finished picture.


And this is Ian's!



Ian practiced making squares and the letter "A" in a pan of shaving cream! Here is his square.


The letter "A"!!



I don't think I mentioned that we have also begun taking TaiKwonDo!! Myself and the 3 big kids are going to a class each Tuesday evening. We have been twice so far and we are really enjoying it!!

I think we are off to a great start. I know this year is going to bring lots of learning and fun.