Pirates Book Club

Today was the last day of the indoor sandbox.  Phew!  We certainly used it to its full potential though. Every 6 weeks our homeschool group LEARN has a book club.  We decided in August that we would read the first 6 books in the Magic Tree House series and have book club based on that theme.  Our theme was pirates today and the sandbox made for a fantastic opportunity to dig for treasure while listening to presentations. It's a fantastic opportunity for kids to create a book report in any style that works for them and then share it with the group.  We're getting art, writing and public speaking into a memorable activity every 6 weeks.  I was most impressed with Miss Katrina, who ran this book club.  Her ideas and materials were impressive!  We had personalized pirate hats, treasure in the sandbox, coloring pages, spyglasses, and I'm sure I'm forgetting other things.  Great work creates memorable opportunities! 

A Love and Logic Roller Skating Experience

Picture this: each morning you get up to the regular routine.  You make sure the kids have a good breakfast, you attempt to get school work completed and you try to get out the door in time to go to a scheduled event.  All the while you are nagging, stressing, doing things for your children that you shouldn't have to (like dress them) and overall it's a really stressful experience.  Sound familiar? This is the story of my mornings.  Every morning.  Until today.  

Today was a Love and Logic training day.  I was set up and prepared.  I woke as usual and let both boys know that my car would be leaving with the children that were ready and had completed their school work at 9:45.  Any child that wasn't ready should consider how they will pay the babysitter to watch them while I was at skating lessons. 

Then the hard part began.  We went through the morning with me requesting things only once.  I did slip up and ask them to start considering how they would pay the babysitter.  I'd like to cut those reminders out of my vocabulary next week.  I didn't nag.  I had to force myself to breathe deeply and accept that each child will make their own choices this morning and regardless of the choice we will all learn and be happy in the end.  At 9:30, 15 minutes prior to departure the doorbell rang.  Our babysitter entered and sat at the kitchen table.  At this point in the morning I was still uncertain about if any or all children would be staying with the sitter while I enjoyed my morning at skating lessons.  I finished getting ready and amazingly so did the boys.  It was recommended to them that the car was then leaving in 5 minutes and if they didn't want to miss their opportunity that they go ahead and get their seat belts on right away.  I paid the babysitter for the full 2 hours that she could have been at my home and then went to skating with a light and happy heart.  The key for me was to have it planned and arranged that I would pay the babysitter for the 2 hours regardless of if she stayed with my children or if she went home after 15 minutes.  That way I was happy about the outcome regardless of how the cards fell.

What happened at skating was amazing.  The first thing out of EMan's mouth when I first told him we were going skating today was that he does not like skating and will not be joining us.  As the morning unfolded and he decided that he would in fact be joining us he joined the skating group happily.  You see, it was his choice.  And best of all?  Both boys actually skated today!  Rather than spending the majority of the lesson on their hind ends or dragging down a teacher they were skating.  Skating.  Not even "very carefully walking" on skates.  Skating.  

That, my friends, was an enjoyable morning for all.  I'd call it a Love and Logic Training Session win.

Denver Stock Show

Even though I've lived here now for almost 10 years, I've never made it to the Stock Show.  All those crowds make my crazy introvert self freak out.  We decided we'd go this year with our homeschooling group on a field trip and I'm so happy we did.  We went to the Pro Rodeo and had a blast!  EMan was a little worried about the fireworks but ended up loving it.  Maybe next year we'll visit the petting zoo and explore a little more...

Roller Skating

I remember when I was a teenager and roller skating was the cool thing to do.  Was that the same for you as well?  For the 2013-2014 school year CJ went to a roller skating class once a week (most weeks).  He progressed from not wanting to put on skates to skating around on the carpet in about 3 months time.  He eventually would try to skate on the rink but was quite nervous by it.  So we took a break for about a year and now we're trying again.  Today was the first day we got to go and, as pictured, both boys (and many of their friends) spent the majority of the class on their hind ends.  It wasn't easy but I still hold onto the hope that one day their large motor skating skills will kick in.

Ice Skating

How much fun was that?  We had such a great time going ice skating with our friends today.  We talked about talents in preschool this week and we have a cute little sweetheart who is very talented at ice skating.  She's the one in the pink helmet.  The one who didn't need a "walker" all the time.  The one who was able to get up on her own if she fell and had the confidence and love to make it an awesome time.  I hope my boys find a confidence and love soon! 

Aquarium Visit

We had a fantastic time at the aquarium today with our homeschooling group.  My preschoolers spent the week talking about the letter J and Jellyfish so we took the opportunity to go see real ones.  It's such a pleasure to go on these outings to extend our learning and have fun with our friends!

Heading into first grade and our last year of preschool

This is going to be a great year of learning.  CJ will be a 1st grader and EMan will be in his last year of preschool.  I will be teaching a 3 year old class and a 4 year old class oer at Little Adventures Preschool this year.  EMan will participate in both classes just to make sure that he has a solid foundation for moving forward.

CJ will enjoy one day a week at a program set up for homeschool students where he will take classes like PE, Robotics, Science, Karate, Art, World Geography and Language Arts.  He will get to be with his friends learning things we can't do as well at home and EMan and I can work on Preschool stuff with our friends. It's a win, win.

Through CJ's homeschool program we get to check out curriculum through their curriculum library.  This year I decided I'll be doing Book Shark, 1st grade; Singapore 1B and 2A; and Rosetta Stone Spanish from the check out library.  I'll also be utilizing TouchMath 1st Grade and TouchMath 2nd Grade  (he's already done most of TouchMath 1st grade at this point).  I'll be utilizing the Moffatt Girls reading materials to suppliment book shark, he'll still have weekly piano lessons, recorder lessons and we'll do some writing.

I'm utilizing the Melissa and Doug magnetic chore chart to keep track of school work for the week.  It lists the subjects (with a wet erase marker): Reading, Math, Piano, Recorder, Spanish, Brush Teeth, Extras (items are written on the daily spot such as laundry, pick up room, clean bathroom).  YES.  Brush Teeth is part of our school work right now.  It's the best place to get it in front of their faces that they need to brush them every day.  Eman's chart simply lists: Reading, Math, Brush Teeth, Extras.

It should be a great fun year!

Earth Day 2014

Happy Earth Day!  We enjoyed learning all about worms this morning.  We talked about all their body parts, what they eat, and why they are good for the garden.  We talked about proper handling of worms to treat them with respect.  Then we had our homeschool group join us for our "Mud!" activity.  It was such a blast!  It was a continued event from our preschool mud and worms morning and boy did we have fun getting dirty.  It seemed they needed a little prompting to get as dirty as possible, but when they figured out that it really was okay to get mud all over they all seemed to really enjoy it. 

Be sure to swing by Facebook Wednesday morning for a quick giveaway!

Tennis Lessons

One of the moms in our LEARN homeschooling group loves tennis, so it makes sense that that is what she is sharing with our children.  I've never remembered the rules or details to the game (I do believe I learned them for a week or two in high school).  It is so much fun to go and actively participate in the learning with my kids.  Today's lesson included the names of the lines.  The back line is the base line, the outside lines are the doubles lines, the inside lines are the singles lines, and the center line is the service line.  I'm learning all sorts of things!

 We yelled the names of the lines while running on them, jumping like frogs on them, and even tiptoeing and sashaying.  We practiced a fun gamed called applause where your drop the ball and try to catch it, or drop the ball, clap, then catch it. It was a great skill building game for all ages!  We also played a few games with our rackets and beanbags, including: passing the beanbag and tossing it and catching it on our rackets.

One of the last games we played involved tossing the ball over the net to each other.  It was so much fun!  I'm so glad I get to be part of a group that values sharing what we love with each other and our children.

Creating a Homeschooling Group

Through ins and outs, highs and lows we've officially settled on a homeschool group that is working really well for us.  We started out as a playgroup when CJ was just 6 months old.  We've grown and changed a lot since then.  When it came time to split the group (Fall of 2012) there was a goal to create a newly formed group of people sharing the same goals and expectations.   We spent many hours talking and sorting and determining what exactly it is that we wanted.  In case it helps another family out there, this is what we settled on: our "About Us" and "Policies" information.

Welcome to LEARN, Life Explored and Responsibility Nurtured. 
We are based in AURORA, CO.

Our primary focus is building long term relationships and supporting our growing families. The majority of our families are active homeschoolers. Most of what we do revolves around our children growing and learning in the best environments that we can possibly put them in. We work hard to facilitate that growing and learning. Every member hosts a minimum of ten intentional learning activities per year. These include, but are not limited to:
• Educational Field Trips to Museums, Zoos, doctor offices, fire stations, etc.
• Science Explorations, Unit Studies, Literature Based Activities, Lego Club, Book Club
• Physical Education, Camping, Hiking, Park Based Free Play, Tennis Lessons
• Parent Education Classes, Parenting Support
• Holiday Parties, Mom's Nights
• Pot Luck and Game Nights, Family Camp Fires

Dads and kids are always invited to everything unless otherwise specified. MOST of our activities are home based in Aurora (around Quincy and Buckley); we occasionally have field trips to Denver and other cities. We are a close group of parents who like to have fun with our kids. We want to know everyone in the group and therefore expect members to be highly active in their attendance.

Members are expected to:
• Schedule and lead 10 intentional activities each year.
• Attend Meetups as often as possible, aiming for at least 3 a month.
• Prioritize group friendship by attending the monthly group activity.

New members must pay their dues in full ($10 per month for the remainder of the calendar year) by their second meetup and begin meeting all other requirements in their first full month of being in the group.

----LEARN POLICIES----
LEARN exists to build long term relationships through intentional activities and exploration.

Membership is open by invitation only.

We expect our members to act with respect and compassion for everyone's time, feelings and experiences.

Fees are $120 per member (due every January) and will cover the current calendar year. Members that join later in the year will pay $10 per each month remaining. Fees will cover the cost of meetup.com, portions of activities and a community craft box. As a common courtesy to the group, no refunds will be issued.

Members are expected to:
• Schedule and lead 10 intentional activities each year.
• Attend meetups as often as possible, aiming for at least 3 per month.
• Prioritize group friendship by attending the monthly group activity (the first Monday of each month from 4-7)

New members must pay their dues in full by their second meetup and begin meeting all other requirements in their first full month of being in the group. 

Odds and Ends:
• When RSVPing to activities, please only count adults in the “I’m Bringing ___ Guests” area unless otherwise requested by the activity. 
• No-shows (not attending a meetup when you are RSVP’d yes without contacting the host about not coming) are completely unacceptable. 
• Members are required to have a photograph of their face to match their profile. 
• It is crucial that our members feel comfortable and enjoy being a part of this group. We will not allow anyone to tear the group apart with petty bickering, backstabbing, gossiping or any other catty behavior. 
• Members should pay attention to activities that are already scheduled making sure to not double book an activity in the same neighborhood at the same time. If an activity is happening across town at the same time you’d like to do your activity that is acceptable. 
• A member roster of names, birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, emails and allergies will be distributed to all members of the group. We encourage members to save all other members contact information in their phones.

LEARN Sick Policy

We have adults and children in our group who are fully vaccinated, unvaccinated and everywhere in-between. Regardless of choices, we as a group of friends are here to support each other. And that is never more important than when those choices do not match our own. Everyone has the health and interest of everyone at heart. No one in this group knowingly spreads sickness to others when avoidable. With that in mind, we also want to remind parents that sickness, while inconvenient, is a natural part of childhood. We ask that you keep your child(ren) home if they have any of the following and for 24 hours after symptoms have resolved: 
• Fever of 101 or higher 
• Vomit more than twice (think stomach bug not over eating or spit up) 
• Diarrhea 

Feel free to come to a playgroup if you have the following symptoms: 
• A runny nose 
• A slight cough 

We realize there is a large gray area between those two categories. We trust your judgment as a parent to know when your child has a cough and is still okay to play with their friends. However, please notify the group if you or your child has a cough so that all families can make an informed decision about their own participation. 

I, the undersigned, agree with the above listed policies and understand that my participation and the participation of any members of my family in any LEARN activity or program is completely voluntary, and we hereby give permission for myself and my family to join in those activities or programs. My family shall hold harmless this homeschool group, any volunteers or representatives, paid or unpaid, and/or the providers of any activity or program location and/or materials from any liability and/or responsibility for any accident, illness or injury that occurs during or as a result of any function or program. I accept that the final responsibility for my safety and that of my family rests with me.

Date _______ Member’s Name ____________ Member’s Signature____________________________

A Visit to the Zoo

It's been a long time since we've been to the zoo, particularly on a warm day.  I do believe the last 2 times we've gone were both for Boo at the Zoo for the past 2 years.  The boys LOVED running and seeing all the different animals.  CJ has been studying about maps in his Beginning Geography course and was in charge of the zoo map.  It was fun to watch him utilize his skills outside in the real world.  He was also very interested in reading the signs of information about the animals, not something he was ready for in the past.  Of course the running around bit was also a highlight.

 EMan loved visiting the zoo as well.  It was nice enough to want a sweater occasionally but we were able to get by with just t-shirts for most of the day.  We went with our homeschooling group (LEARN) and had a blast.  Because the adults are taking a Love and Logic class on Friday mornings we had to switch the time for our zoo outing to the afternoon and lost quite a few rsvp's due to nap time.  We still had a total blast though.  This week in preschool we were talking about the letter E (for elephants of course) and we love reinforcing what we're learning through fun field trips.  

Water Rockets, a Kindergarten Science Curriculum Day

Kindergarten is a fun year to homeschool.  We have some study time each day so that CJ continues working on reading and math.  Then we do awesome play dates with our homeschooling group to explore other areas of the world.  About 2x a month we host science days. CJ picks through the MythBusters Science Fair books and picks an experiment that he'd like to try.  Our science Tuesday for yesterday was Water Rockets. 

 We were lucky enough to have a friend who called her army of people to gather corks for us.  We ended up with almost a dozen corks, enough for each child to have their own rocket.  The idea behind water rockets is that there is a baking soda/vinegar reaction inside a water bottle and it shoots the cork out the top.  They can be a little tricky to find, particularly if you're shooting them into a fall garden, so we added streamers to the corks (use a push-pin at the top).

 Then we headed outside for instructions.  I love that top picture of all the boys listening to how to make a satchel of baking soda.  To do this at home: fill a disposable water bottle (16-20oz) with 1 inch of vinegar.  Add enough water so that it's about 1/2 full. Make a satchel of baking soda with 1 square of toilet paper and 1.5tsp baking soda inside it.  Shove the satchel inside the water bottle and put the cork in the bottle.  Hold the bottle, aiming it away from others.  The pressure inside the bottle will build and build until the cork comes shooting out!

 My boys were a little uncertain to be participants.  Everyone else wanted a turn and they held back.  After a bit of convincing they finally decided to do it.  EMan (3yrs) then kept saying, "Momma, I wanna make it 'splode again!"  It was a fantastic day to do a little science experiment with friends!  The next science play date is in 2 weeks.  We don't know what the concept will be, but it's sure to be fun!

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