Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them
what counts is best. ~ Bob Talbert


Friday, June 20, 2008

Enjoying the Classics

Here are a couple of tried and true picture books that we have been enjoying lately:

Photobucket

The illustrations are excellent and allow for imaginations to go to another place. The relationship between the mother bunny and the child bunny allows kids to relate to the story even more. There is a text pattern and rhyme that can be used as a model to guide children in adding their own verses to the story. A very sweet read.

Photobucket

I love this book. There is so much learning that occurs by simply reading the text and discussing the illustrations. The illustrations are not in color but somehow they captivate the hearts and minds of both children and adults.
As we have read through this book several times, we have:
~ learned the difference in appearance between a mallard and a drake
~ counted the baby ducklings on each illustration to make sure none has been lost
~ recognized the need for a mama duck to find a place to nest and sit on her eggs
~ learned what molting is
~ compared the park in the book with the park that we go to to feed the ducks
~ established who a cop is
~ reviewed along with the ducklings the rules of safety when walking near traffic

A wonderful read!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A Poem, Two Quotes, and a Verse

I took a piece of living clay
And gently formed it, day by day
And molded with my power and art
A young child's soft and yielding heart.

If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder . . . he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in. ~ Rachel Carson

The imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around. ~ Thomas Merton

Be an example . . . of good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect your love of the truth. ~ Titus 2:7

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Summer Lessons

Song of Summer by Margo Petterson
Summer is quickly approaching and even though the school doors are closing, the curious minds of our children never shut down! As I look ahead to July and August, I am starting to think about the lessons that I will be teaching my children during the lazy, but inevitably crazy days of summer. Here are some of the lessons that have come to mind:

How to pick strawberries without smooshing them.
How to pack a healthy picnic lunch.
How to paddle a canoe.
What the summer solstice means.
How to make others feel special on their birthday(we have a lot of summer birthdays).
How to swim safely at the lake.
How to make a bird feeder out of a giant sunflower.
How to spot the Big Dipper and Ursa Minor.
How to make homemade ice cream.
How to pack a backpack for a sleepover.
How to can peaches.
How to make and sort a collection of rocks, shells, and flower petals.
How to build a stable sand castle.
How to play hopscotch.
How to jump rope.
How to pit a cherry and make a fresh cherry pie.
How to keep our petunias and marigolds alive and well.
How to harvest lavender.
How to count their many summer blessings.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Truth to Cling to

Mother and Child by Francis Coates Jones



She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her.


~ Proverbs 31:26~28

Monday, June 2, 2008

Tidbits and Tips: A Homeschooling Binder

Every homeschooling parent needs a "homeschooling binder" - a place to stash (I mean carefully organize) all the homeschooling paraphernalia that inevitably will come your way. Paraphernalia that you don't want to throw into the recycling because you just might need it. . . one day.

I have recently designated a lovely orange binder to be my official homeschooling binder. I already have a few homeschooling tidbits that need a home. Some of the tidbits are from a homeschooling convention that I attended in the Spring. The other resources are outlines from some of Susan Wise Bauer's convention workshops - nuggets of information about instilling the love and skills of language into children at the K-4 level.

The cover of my homeschooling binder houses my personal homeschooling convictions. As well, I plan to include some of my favorite Bible verses relating to the training, discipleling, and raising up of my children.

Blessings!