Posted by Cindy on October 13, 2009
I recently reviewed some curriculum from Moving Beyond the Page that included a Poetry unit. Mahayla worked through the self-directed curriculum on her own and then completed a final project of sharing some of her own poetry in a coffeehouse setting. Here are a few pictures from the “coffeehouse”. 
This is some of the poetry she shared.
Nothing like dressing up for you big performance! (Insert rolling eyes.) The poster in the back was a display teaching the audience (her family) about poetry forms and the tv is on because it was playing soft music.
Yummy banana bread. Every coffeehouse poetry reading needs food!
This week and next, the kids are working on presidential projects. I’ll share them with you soon!
Posted by Cindy on April 10, 2009
This week was our second round of book publishing this year. Back in February, after the kids had written an original story from a picture prompt, we took the story through the writing process. We’re still trying to find a binding method that works for us – these books were comb-bound using a machine at church.
Mahayla’s is titled The Mountain Trail and is about a horse riding incident. She submitted this story to the Girlhood Home Companion and we think it’s going to be published!
Caleb’s is called Josh the Ice Skater and teaches us all a lesson about skating on a not-so-frozen pond.
This week, I asked each of them to choose a children’s book with predictable patterns. They had to study the pattern and write their own version of the story using the same pattern.
Mahayla chose Fortunately
by Remy Charlip and Caleb Chose Ten Black Dots
by Donald Crews. We sewed the inner pages of the books then used Gorilla glue for the covers. We won’t use Gorilla glue again!
Publishing certainly isn’t for every story, but it’s valuable experience at least a couple times a year. I’m considering asking the local preschool if we can come read these to the children. I think that, too, would be good experience for my children!
Posted by Cindy on November 13, 2008
This was another of the projects we did during our Colonial Life unit. It was super-easy and I loved how the notebooks turned out!
To begin, we found compostition notebooks (the kind where all the pages are sewn together with string and the covers are hard.) I picked out several scrapbooking papers that complimented each other then the kids cut the papers into various square and rectangle shapes. We used Mod Podge to decoupage the scrapbooking paper to the notebook covers.
Just in case you don’t know how….To decoupage, you apply Mod Podge (or any liquid glue, really) to the surface you plan to cover. Place your papers on the glued surface then apply more Mod Podge over top of the papers. Easy!
We turned our notebooks into new Bible Journals. As the Bible is read each morning, the kids are taking notes or drawing pictures about the reading to keep their minds more focused. 
Posted by Cindy on October 31, 2008
We’re finishing up our Thirteen Colonies & Colonial Life Unit this week. I’ll be posting soon about the biggest chunk of the unit, but I wanted to take a minute to highlight the 13 Colonies lapbook/notebook we put together using this book.
I had to do the legwork of locating library books about each of the Thirteen Colonies, as well as Roanoke, Jamestown and Plymouth. But the wonderful activity ideas were ready and waiting in the book. It turned out to be a lovely way to document a bit of info on each of the colonies we learned about.
Posted by Cindy on September 29, 2008
Remember the Field Trip Journals? We’re still using them this year and I couldn’t be happier with them. They are proving to make great writing assignments, and I’m finding the kids absolutely love looking through them for the memories. I love to watch the kids sort through brochures, ticket stubs and pictures trying to decide what to include and how to organize the memories. They’re going to make wonderful keepsakes!
