Our Journey Westward » Literature

Thanksgiving Resources

Cindy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:13:51 +0000

This list of resources will be in the sidebar for a little while, too, but I wanted to be sure those who use blog readers have a chance to see this list before Thanksgiving! We won’t be doing a Thanksgiving unit this year, but several books will be in books baskets and book nooks around the house. Here are some of my favorites.

Here are a few internet resources that have been useful in the past.

Cindy Downes’ Pilgrim Unit

The Homeschool Mom’s Links

LaCelle Family Unit Study

Eclectic Homeschool Online Resources

Favorite Toddler Books

Cindy — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:01:36 +0000

These were the toddler book favorites that have been in the sidebar for several months. I’ll be changing the book list in the sidebar to show some of our other favorites soon! (Can you tell I’m in blog clean-up mode lately?)

Winter Book List

Cindy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:29:24 +0000

Okay, enough of winter! I’m off to think about spring books! For future reference, here’s the list of winter books that’s been in my sidebar for a couple of months. A new spring list will be up shortly.

Westward Expansion Resources

Cindy — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:33:49 +0000

We’re nearing the end of our Westward Expansion unit, so I’m moving the resources from my sidebar into a post for future reference. I’ll be adding Slavery and Civil War resources to the side bar over the next few days.

My Spine – Amanda Bennett Pioneers Unit

Research Questions

Teacher Planet Links

Louisiana Purchase Game

Lewis and Clark Lessons

Lewis and Clark Mapping Activities

Easy Fun School Lewis and Clark Unit

Easy Fun School Santa Fe Trail Unit

Easy Fun School Gold Rush Unit

Winter Learning Centers

Cindy — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:17:29 +0000

The time has come to set out some winter learning centers. Even though the kids get outside almost everyday still, it’s just too cold to stay out for long. Without friendly reminders around the house, one of my sweet children will do nothing but beg to watch the TV for hours. (Anyone who knows us can guess which of my lovely children that might be!)

So, in different places around the house, I have stashed a few small boxes and baskets of creative things for my children to do if the desire strikes. (Or if I’m so sick of hearing the TV question that I demand their desire to strike. )

The first four were inspired by LaPaz Home Learning. A small sample of abstract art and oil pastels for recreating the artwork. Another small sample of abstract art, this time with chalk pastels. A few cards of architecture/machines, Sculpey clay and some “around the house” tools for recreating 3-D models. And a bag of marshmallows and toothpicks for creating…. whatever.

There are also math manipulatives that we don’t use often during school time scattered about. Fraction circles, pattern blocks and geo boards.

A few science kits – electricity, chemistry and magic tricks. (Thank the Lord for grandparents who buy these fun kits for gifts!)

I’ve also been checking out more books on tape/CD for the kids to listen to as they knit or sew or clean their rooms.

Don’t get me wrong. My children don’t always flock to these things. If I let them, they (well one of them) will always choose TV over the wonderful extra-fun learning activities I’ve so diligently and thoughtfully placed around the house. Sometimes, real boredom has to be experienced before any of these things seems inviting.

Child Labor – Industrial Revolution Lesson

Cindy — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:40:39 +0000

In researching and making plans for our unit on the westward expansion, I was reminded about another important event in history that I couldn’t possibly leave out of our learning time – the Industrial Revolution, including the subject of child labor. My children were very much moved by the thought of children working so hard, especially when they found out that so many children around the world are still effected by this practice.

We found and read two living literature gems that I had to pass along.

Set in England rather than America, we found The Gate In The Wall by Ellen Howard to be an excellent piece of living literature as well as giving us a clearer picture of the effects of child labor.

Set in 1830′s New England, The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCulley is a superb picture book on the topic.

And not living literature, we found Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor by Russell Freedman and Growing Up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Bartoletti at our local library. Both gave information and pictures that made the topic real to my children.

While reading, I found a coloring sheet in The Story of the World Activity Book Three: Early Modern Times to occupy busy hands and the back served as a nice place to notebook about child labor.

If you’re interested, Homeschool Share has a unit on The Bobbin Girl. Mr. Donn has several interesting links, too. And this site looked intriguing, although I haven’t used any of the activities yet.

December Reading

Cindy — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:41:15 +0000

Great December Reading

Oh, and have you met God? Apparently Eli has! Every time he gets his busy little fingers on a Santa ornament he says, “God.” (Very reverently, I might add.) His innocent little eyes looking up at us with complete seriousness that he is holding God right in his chubby little hands.

Book of the Month Club – The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Cindy — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:25:58 +0000

We take part in a Book of the Month Club (which is actually a book every two months) that met last week to discuss The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. My children loved this book!

Mrs. Lisa had prepared some very fun activities to go along with the invention – drama – secrecy theme of the book.

Invisible ink messages.

Mask making.

Candy and toothpick inventions.

Next up – The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois!

Good Literature

Cindy — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Fill your children’s life with good literature and you’ll find the little ones doing their best to tag along, too.

Isn’t schooling in your pajamas once in a while one of the best parts of homeschooling?

Math and Literature Ideas

Cindy — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:30:00 +0000

I’m trying to keep up with my promise to show you what some of our unconventional math lessons look like around here. Today I want to share how I plan a math lesson around a piece of literature. It’s really very easy!

Like most everything I do, I grab a pencil and a pad of paper before I do anything else because I’m always writing notes. If I don’t write something down as it pops in my head, it’s usually gone – never to return again!

So with pen and paper in hand, I grab a math book and quickly read through it. I jot down math concepts and activity ideas that jump out at me. The more you do it, the easier ideas start jumping out at you, I promise. Sometimes, I’ll only write a couple of ideas – which means one day’s worth of lessons is all we’ll do before that book goes back on the shelf (or back to the library.) If a lot of ideas are written, I might plan a few days worth of lessons around the book.

If NOTHING pops out at me, but I really like the book, I’ll do one of two things:

1. We’ll just read the book together for fun – no math strings attached.

2. I’ll do a quick google search to see if any good lessons are floating around in cyberspace just waiting for me to grab.

This week we read Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter. I found a worksheet in my geometry folder that sent Mahayla on a hunt through the house measuring the perimeter, area and volume of various objects.

Caleb and I pulled out the one-inch tiles and measured the perimeter and area of things around the school room. After a while, he tried his hand at measuring the length and width of the objects with the tiles, then multiplying the numbers to find the area. Finally, he had to use a ruler to find the perimeter and area of many things.

Not only did this simple little lesson create excitement, but it allowed the kids to practice measurement, perimeter, area, volume, mental addition & multiplication and more complex math formulas such as 2l + 2w=p, l x w=a and l x w x h=v. I could’ve done the same sort of teaching from the textbook, but I’m rather sure this lesson will stick a little better!

A couple weeks ago, I forced gave the moms at co-op the opportunity to try their hands at this process and they were VERY GOOD at it!! Here is a great list of math ideas they came up with on many various math titles. The activities are in no particular order – some will be appropriate for little ones, while others will be appropriate for jr. high. I just asked the moms to pick a book and try to think of ideas that would be good for their own children.

The cute math clip art came from Philip Martin.