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Thursday, December 15, 2011
Sonfish Gear
I thought some of my readers would find interest in a new online store.
In early 2012, a new online Christian apparel and accessory store will be offering many products for individual purchase! For those who are involved with their church, Sonfish Gear is offering a unique fundraising program in which groups can purchase products at wholesale prices and resell. They promise a wide range of apparel and accessories, so there will be something for everyone and if you'd like a sneak peek, you can grab up a Sonfish Car emblem which is already available to purchase (just in time for a last minute stocking stuffer)!
The Sonfish emblem reminds Christians that Jesus, the Son of God, is always shining his love upon us. Check out Sonfish Gear HERE!
To learn more about The Message of the Sonfish click HERE.
Tips for Homeschooling with a TODDLER!
How to entertain and incorporate a toddler/preschooler into an older child’s school day!
Anyone who has tried to school an older child when there is a toddler in the house, knows that this is quite a task! As a homeschooling mother of 6 children (three of whom are all almost exactly 1 year apart) I have learned some creative ways to keep the little ones busy!
Someone was asking for tips and as I typed this up for them, I decided there may be other people who would find some of these tips useful, so I decided to share it with everyone.
When I had the room, I had a big storage bin of rice with sand toys, and also a play doh bin with tons of cookie cutters, etc. I sat the box in the center of a plastic baby pool. It kept my little ones entertained for quite some time and when they were done, I just swept the rice up and dumped it back in the bin. Now we have about half as much space as we used to, so we have a plastic shoebox bin full of beans instead. They use measuring cups and bowls and just dump them back and forth (if you put them on a cookie sheet, clean up is easy). It is sometimes hard for them to control themselves, but when they start throwing the rice it gets taken away.
Keep a box of toys that they are only allowed to use during "school time". I always reserve more educational toys such as shape sorters, puzzles, lacing beads, stacking cups, building blocks, Lincoln
I have found that if I spend some one on one time with my younger ones first thing in the morning…read a story, do a workbook page, play a game or something...and they will tend to entertain themselves much better and you can work with the older one.
I also take full advantage of nap time!!! You can sometimes get half or more of your school day done while a little one is sleeping.
It's amazing how much the little ones pick up just by sitting in on lessons. Here are some ways to include them:
Have some scrap pieces of paper and let your little one write when the older kid is writing something, assign the younger one something to write too…be sure to give them a stamp or sticker for their hard work and job well done!
Try and find a color page for whatever you are reading about in LA and let the little one color while you read the story.
We almost always find some craft or activity to go with the story we are reading and the little ones understand that if they don't sit and listen to the story they don't get to make the craft...it helps to let them turn the page.
Go to the $1 store and get some magnetic alphabet and numbers and if you don't have an old cookie sheet, get one of those. When you are doing phonics let your little one either play freely with their own "phonics" kit or you could pick out the letters you are using that day and limit him/her to using those letters just like you.
Put shaving cream in a gallon size Ziploc bag and zip and tape it shut (to keep them from being tempted to open it). Put it on a cookie sheet (just in case it leaks or breaks and to provide a nice flat surface) Let them use their finger to copy the letter you are working on (chances are they will get caught up playing with it and forget all about you an your phonics lesson (don’t be offended).
My little ones also have their own whiteboard to write on and they love that or you can get wipe on/off board books with letters and let them use those during phonics as well
Let them use their magnetic numbers and cookie sheet during math. It’s fun for them to try and find the numbers and model the numbers you are working with.
If you are using manipulatives with your older one, try dividing them and allowing your little one to work along side or you, or get them their own counters, etc. Just today, my little ones had a blast with the plane figures, they even built a castle.
During math, let your little one use pattern blocks, there are a lot of free printable templates for them to use…my little ones stay busy with these for quite some time!
We love “Learning Resources” learning toys…we have the Counting Cookie Jar (teaches numbers and counting), Rainbow Color Cones (teaches colors and counting), Sorting Shapes Cupcakes (teaches shapes and matching).
Dinosaur counters are a great tool for math
Lacing beads
Plastic sorting buttons
Little ones love to cut! Give them a pair of safety scissors (the ones that will ONLY cut paper) and draw some lines on a sheet of paper….this will buy you lots of time!
Join or start a Preschool Activity Bag Swap and if you can’t, make your own! A few hours of your time will provide your toddler/preschooler with countless hours of self entertaining! If you have a toddler or a preschooler, activity bags are a MUST have, trust me! ( I will have a list of activity ideas at a later time).
The MOST important thing you can do is reserve these things ONLY for school time! Rotate your ideas so that they do not get bored and NEVER give in and let them play with any of these things outside of school time.
Get about 6 plastic shoebox storage bins from the $1 store. Pick 6 things from the list above and put one activity in each box. Let them sit in with your older child and pull the boxes that coordinate best with your older child’s lesson.
There are many wonderful sites/ideas out there…here are of my favorites:
I hope you find some of these ideas useful and it gives you some ideas as you experience and try to survive homeschooling with a toddler in your house! Remember, you are blessed and you will get through these days! I often have to remind myself of that!
~Mother Goose
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
A whole new look
Do you like our new look? It's amazing how much time and effort can go into this blog, but it was time for a few changes! I've worked really hard on it and I hope you like it :)
I've also decided to give Duckling and Emu their own blog. It will take me a while to really get them going, but I thought it would be a better way to educate people on their medical conditions and that it would also be a great tool in keeping friends and family members up to date on what is going on with each of them. It will also help me to be better able to concentrate on other things going on in the Life With My Flock!
Eagle also wanted to have his own blog and he was so excited to take his own pictures and put them on his blog, I don't think Cardinal realizes how much her siblings look up to and learn from her but it really makes me proud. I was so proud of Eagle trying to figure all the technical things by himself. I think he did an awesome job getting his blog all set up. It will be fun to watch his blog change as he gains new knowledge and figures everything out.
Macaw already wants her own blog too, lol. I'm not sure what we could put on her blog but I'd best be thinking of something!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Macaw alters her own curriculum!
The power of a 5 year old!
There is nothing more amazing than watching my children learn...except watching them come up with their own way to learn!
Yesterday, Macaw and I were working on Language Arts. Our lesson was interrupted and I returned to find this on her desk!
 |
| I see my foot. |
She is working on high frequency words with word and pictures as part of her Calvert curriculum.
As you can see in the picture...there is an entire stack of "picture cards". She set up her sentence using a piece to her new pedicure set she got the other day.
This routine continued as she changed her sentence simply by adding a new object.
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| I see my cup. |
We went on to read..."I see my nail clippers", "I see my pencil", "I see my nail file"....
This small alteration made this lesson so much fun for Macaw!
It's wonderful to see her make changes to her own curriculum. That's what homeschooling is all about...tailoring the curriculum to meet the needs of an individual child and there's nothing better than seeing them tailor it themselves!
Great Job Macaw...now on to today's lesson!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Puddinhead - A Christmas Tradition
Many years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a Christmas tradition that she grew up with and still enjoys with her own children.
Did you know there is a mysterious little Elf who appears on Christmas Eve?
His name is Puddinhead...
and he leaves pajamas on children's doorsteps when Santa is on his way to YOUR house!
This is such a heartwarming tradtion that I have always hoped to have the ability to do with my children and this year, I'm going to try so hard to make it happen! You learn more about The Puddinhead Tradition here.
You can even buy The Story of Puddinhead to teach your kids about this tradition.
Before your pajamas arrive...why not prepare some cookies for Santa!
We love baking a variety of cookies to make up trays for family and friends. Here are a few recipes for some yummy treats!
Melting Moments Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter
Icing
3oz. cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla or 1/4 tsp. almond extract
Combine dry ingredients. Cream butter until fluffy. Add to flour mixure and beat thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with lightly floured fork. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are just lightly browned. Don't overbake! For the icing...combine the cream cheese and extract blend until creamy then add the confectioners's sugar.
What kind of unique traditions do you share with your family?
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