tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14697468607922965832024-03-06T01:29:48.788-07:00Creating CuriosityPurposeful learning through playNicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-90748193118188104672015-03-01T07:15:00.000-07:002015-03-01T07:58:46.696-07:00What Will She Cook up Next?One morning last week, I came downstairs after getting ready for the day, and found this.
Delaney decided to bake a cake. She created a recipe that included flour, sugar, vanilla, milk, baking powder, and egg.
She waited for me before turning on the oven, and after a few instructions, her cake was baking.
Delaney wanted a frosting, so I got out some powdered sugar and chocolate, and she Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-56849457342436809142015-01-13T22:07:00.000-07:002015-01-13T22:08:36.063-07:00Instagrammin'We have settled into a lovely tune of free range learning these days. I have started my own classes now, and have been volunteering with a few organizations. All of these things, plus the girls' busy gymnastics, sports and swimming lesson schedule keeps us on the go a lot! I have not been doing a very good job keeping up with our school blog, which makes me a little sad because we do SO MANY fun Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-75118929496652622212014-12-06T06:37:00.004-07:002014-12-06T06:37:46.945-07:00Beat-Box Girls and Some Other New SkillsWe have finally gotten back into the swing of regular life after our whirlwind November. This week, we stayed home quite a bit. We are taking a break from all activities except gymnastics, so our mornings have been calmer and easier to fit projects into.
Magnatiles continue to be a favorite activity. Sophie has been extra creative with them, branching out into some really interesting designs.
Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-8891345818876878232014-11-05T06:39:00.000-07:002014-11-06T07:26:10.356-07:00{Stuff We Love} MagnaTiles
I have seen Magnatiles mentioned on several homeschool blogs that I follow. I'd looked them up several times, but they are pretty pricey, so I skipped over them and bought items like LEGO® instead.
The girls have become very creative with the building blocks and and other such toys, though, and I want to keep encouraging those skills. I bought a set of Magnatiles in August, with the Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-39492917252790403542014-10-11T06:43:00.001-07:002014-10-11T06:43:15.070-07:00Chalk Painting and Hieroglyphs
Back in March, Delaney went to an art day camp hosted by the Museum of Northern Arizona. She learned how to make many things out of natural ingredients like the Native Americans. One of her favorites was chalk paint.
Since then, she has experimented several times, playing with different colors and consistencies.
Directions: grind up chalk with a flat stone until is becomes a powder.
Add Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-15118537672376231332014-09-25T06:51:00.000-07:002014-09-25T06:51:25.960-07:00Science Festival, 2014Our family went to the annual Science Festival in the Park last weekend. It is a yearly tradition here, and this year is the 25th anniversary of the "Ten Days of Science". We tend to only participate in Science in the Park for now, until the kids get a little older, but there are multiple interesting things to do every day in various places around town during the festival.
The festival was greatNicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-9028262091615505492014-09-11T07:15:00.000-07:002014-09-11T07:15:09.995-07:00Glimpse of the Art GalleryDelaney has been amassing quite the collection of creative works.
She created a series of paper dolls, which she made with construction paper, glue and markers.
Penguin
Mom
A moon and a space car.
Character from Grimm's Fairy Tales
Howdy the Cowboy
Ninja
She created these scenes with markers and other paper dolls...
Flounder and Ariel
Silvermist, the Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-52429144839939561152014-08-30T06:10:00.000-07:002014-08-30T06:10:27.632-07:00Why Do We Homeschool? A friend asked me the other day why I decided to homeschool. I rattled off an answer on the spot...Delaney loved to learn, she learned quickly, and by the time she was the right age for kindergarten, I wasn't sure what the teachers would do with her.
I thought about it later, and found that it wasn't entirely accurate. The reasons are so much more than a glib "she was a fast learner".
So, why Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-41313235363388616752014-08-01T19:58:00.000-07:002014-08-04T06:40:05.052-07:00What's On Your Homeschool Shopping List?This will be our fourth year of homeschooling.
I have been making a list of items that I'd like to buy, and making myself wait until the back-to-school sales are in full force, but oh man, it's been difficult.
My list looks much different from previous years. When I first began homeschooling, it included a full literacy/science/math curriculum and subscriptions to many, many online resources.Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-41839882253754797682014-07-25T06:29:00.000-07:002014-07-25T06:29:00.067-07:00Learning How to Sew with the Sew Cool® MachineDelaney has been interested in learning how to sew for some time. That is one area in which my skill level is in about the 3rd percentile, so I am of no help. I read about the Sew Cool Sewing Studio originally on Girl's Gone Child, and it sounded perfect - a sewing machine that a young child can use independently for under $60. I was patient and able to find one with a damaged box on Amazon Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-49212755010010956982014-07-18T06:30:00.000-07:002014-07-18T06:30:01.926-07:00If You Give This Girl Some Paper, She's Going to Ask for Some Glue...Delaney is constantly making things at home...drawing pictures, putting fabric and paper together, any number of random art projects. I didn't realize how perpetual her creating is until we were away from home for a week for my sister's wedding, and she began to get a little desperate for materials.
She began small, drawing self portraits and other random pictures.
She snagged some ribbon Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-48407806654215948722014-06-10T07:02:00.000-07:002014-06-10T07:02:46.021-07:00Cake DecoratorsWe practiced a bit of cake decorating a few weeks ago. I am supposed to make Hannah's wedding cake in July, and it has been a long time since I have played with decorating materials. If I remember right, the last time I used fondant was Sophie's 1st birthday, at which point I was so annoyed that I swore "never again!"
I did a little internet research and found that since then, modeling chocolateNicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-77473340336036842912014-06-01T06:50:00.000-07:002014-10-25T06:10:23.467-07:00{Resource Review} Learning with Sassafras Science
This spring, while looking up "living science books", I came across the Sassafrass Twins Science books. The books are adventure novels that explore different areas of science. Currently the authors have published Zoology and Anatomy, and Botany is due out this summer. The authors plan to publish eight volumes in total, with subjects ranging from geoscience to physics. The Sassafras Science Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-71503040440828605582014-04-25T06:36:00.000-07:002014-04-25T06:37:19.548-07:00Learning to ReadSophie likes to look at books almost as much as her big sister. She often asks me or Delaney to read to her. Sometimes I am in the middle of something and tell her "later". Delaney is usually stuck in her own book and declines. It's not surprising that Sophie's motivation to read by herself has been increasing lately.
I began teaching her sight words at the beginning of the year. She loves Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-87063820422733046972014-04-06T06:41:00.002-07:002014-04-06T06:41:38.567-07:00An Artsy MarchDelaney's creativity was on high all throughout March. I didn't plan any art for the girls, because she had it all under control!
She taught Sophie all about painting rocks outside.
She put together a bakery with a cardboard box, and make lots of very detailed goodies out of construction paper.
The three of us were working on some watercolor scenes for our science story, and that evolved Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-42004180493449095602014-03-09T09:06:00.000-07:002014-03-09T09:06:04.068-07:00Strong and CourageousThis week, Delaney had an assignment for Girls Scouts. She was
supposed to research a strong and courageous woman, write a little bit
about her, and share it with the troop on Friday.
We just happen to have been studying about this at home, and have several good books around the house from the library right now, From Amelia to Zora, Outrageous Women of Colonial America, The Sky's the Limit: Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-3155720336861076182014-02-20T05:53:00.001-07:002014-02-20T07:06:59.954-07:00Happy Birthday, Abraham LincolnDelaney has a great interest in all things Civil War era, and especially Abraham Lincoln. She will tell you that he is her favorite president for many reasons...abolishing slavery, being an honest person, etc., but most of all because he loved to read like she does and learned most of the things he knew from reading on his own, which is her favorite way to learn as well.
*Funny side note: One Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-17424380736732361282014-02-17T21:15:00.000-07:002014-02-17T21:15:47.835-07:00Happy Valentine's Day!The girls renewed their love for art during this Valentine season. It's been there, lurking, but there has been much more pretend playing than sitting with markers and scissors during the last few months.
I found some very cute Valentine animals at this website, and we made several.
Delaney preferred to follow the directions herself, and made an adorable dog.
Sophie did all Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-73907609964419922262014-02-04T14:11:00.002-07:002014-05-02T06:19:55.910-07:00Oh, Library. How Can We Resist You?The kids love Mondays, because that is our Library Day. Delaney has learned where to find her favorite books, and lately I have been so happy to see her branching out and looking for other books that she might like. She still tends to gravitate toward fairies and magical creatures, but she has brought home some other interesting books of her own choosing, too.
We skipped our Library Day Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-78875380498046393372014-01-09T06:25:00.001-07:002014-01-09T13:16:20.336-07:00...And the New Year BeginsWe've settled back into a nice rhythm for school since taking some time off around the holidays. I think we were all ready to get back to a regular routine. It was definitely good to have a few weeks to read as much as I wanted and for the girls to play as much as they wanted. I feel like all three of us have renewed creativity and excitement to learn again.
Sophie wants to do her "math facts" Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-87313710376368223012013-12-03T07:29:00.003-07:002013-12-03T07:29:30.572-07:00Inspired There have been bounds of creativity running around here lately.
Delaney has been filling her days with art. She gets even more creative and full of ideas when I mention that we should probably work on some math...haha.
I had some art picked out for the girls to do for Thanksgiving, but instead they created their own turkeys. Delaney made hers independently, and Sophie just needed a little Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-33790396387537191262013-11-20T06:25:00.000-07:002013-11-20T13:15:49.091-07:00Tea Time at The PeaksThe girls and I have been attending a story time at The Peaks Senior Living Community. Each week, one of the senior residents reads several books on the same theme to a group of preschoolers that go to a nearby in-home daycare, and then they do a craft or other activity related to the theme. Delaney and Sophie joined the group at the beginning of November, and it has been very enjoyable!
Last Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-20800924968418134792013-11-06T06:23:00.000-07:002013-11-06T06:23:09.367-07:00Gone Fishin'When I first began teaching at public school, a fellow teacher told me that if you turn practicing ANY skill into a fishing game, kids will play it over and over again without complaint.
It's totally true.
I took some dowel rods, some yarn, some magnets and some tape (I should use glue, and will adjust this soon, but I was in a hurry :) ) and in less than 3 minutes was the proud owner of two Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-64024428692976136302013-10-23T14:47:00.000-07:002013-10-23T14:47:04.070-07:00OctoberSchoolSome people name their "home schools". I haven't, but as I wrote that title, I thought if I were going to, "OctoberSchool" would be a lovely name. October is such a crisp month...beautiful days and cold nights, nature changing colors all around us. I often have a clue of the weather when I get out of bed, but the winds will change and what started out as a warm, sunshine-y day may require a Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469746860792296583.post-28619235607598205622013-09-26T16:15:00.003-07:002013-09-26T16:15:49.290-07:00Dissection 101You know you might be a homeschooler if you have a gopher in your refrigerator and a biologist coming over to dissect it with your five year old.
Delaney has been DYING to assess her potential surgical skills and cut something open. She confessed a month or so ago that she had been refraining from "slicing her stuffed animal open because she wanted to see what it felt like to be a surgeon". I Nicole Linnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09947101477187865041noreply@blogger.com3