tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48836105334358891162024-03-05T07:06:17.825-05:00World AdventuresAn American family living, travelling and homeschooling abroad sharing their experiences.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-47267774399871356602015-05-09T11:42:00.001-04:002015-05-09T11:42:19.767-04:00Adventures of a Homeschool Mom is changing! Part 2<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.61538rem; padding: 0px;">
We are getting closer to our launch date which will be later this month. I am so excited to share all of the new things we will be doing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NjSTBqH77d8KYr4Z6blK2OIna7SzRBvKE4lVgoccSlMD-SBL-xVcMVEFsMs27oxyLmvOjW69ym-wKQjGR1I4YasrjpJCW497VccHyHCMyapifYqlyOPK_hDipUekiKqhGiFON1T5-BA/s1600/ThinkstockPhotos-163664798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NjSTBqH77d8KYr4Z6blK2OIna7SzRBvKE4lVgoccSlMD-SBL-xVcMVEFsMs27oxyLmvOjW69ym-wKQjGR1I4YasrjpJCW497VccHyHCMyapifYqlyOPK_hDipUekiKqhGiFON1T5-BA/s400/ThinkstockPhotos-163664798.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://amomwithamap.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wa_logo_banner_trans131H1.png" href="http://amomwithamap.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wa_logo_banner_trans131H1.png" style="-webkit-transition: all 200ms ease-in-out 0s; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #17a689; text-decoration: none; transition: all 200ms ease-in-out 0s;"><span style="color: #555555;">I've been working with a fantastic team of writers and designers to come up with a website that will engage readers and invite you to come back again and again.</span></a></div>
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This new website will be a place where:</div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Families can follow us on our World Adventure.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Parents come to plan vacations.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Travelers come to get ideas and advice on travel planning.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Families can learn to mix travel and learning.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dreamers come to dream.</li>
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The new website is also getting a new name! It will now be called <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Mom with a Map</strong>. The idea behind the name is that I am always planning our next trip. Even when we're on a vacation, I'm already thinking about where we should go next. I don't actually walk around with a paper map, but I do work Google Maps to the bone.</div>
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I want to share my travel planning knowledge and expertise with other families; families that may not have the time to plan a vacation or they simply need help and advice.</div>
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I also want to share how we world school; learning while we travel the world. It is an awesome opportunity for our family and especially our kids who are growing up with a deeper understanding of the world they live in.</div>
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I hope you stop by and stay a while.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-80290302905748602652015-04-28T04:36:00.000-04:002015-04-28T04:36:03.419-04:00Adventures of a Homeschool Mom is changing! Part 1I have some really exciting news.<br />
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As many of you know, my family and I have been living and homeschooling in England since August 2013.<br />
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It's been an incredible journey. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of adventures and experiences. But also some loneliness, and nostalgia.<br />
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Through homeschooling while traveling we've had some amazing experiences that I would love to share with all of you.<br />
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For four years, I've been sharing everything we do in homeschool, so now I want to share how we travel and<b> homeschool abroad</b>. The actual name for what we are doing is <b>world school</b>. In other words, we are using our travel experiences, everything we see and do, to teach our daughters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zX8bZrpoaA_GAW0Y8rmVwaoy0u3eqVg4omBA3Sx863JDiROQZ7oNt0qWnZTwCHrdjyxD4Z6rulAbQKP7eET1Mku2PLWu-OY4LCNyf_Z1gLUMxcnkwpyY4fbHsa4ngJ9Ioimbs8I6QZg/s1600/20140120_154303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zX8bZrpoaA_GAW0Y8rmVwaoy0u3eqVg4omBA3Sx863JDiROQZ7oNt0qWnZTwCHrdjyxD4Z6rulAbQKP7eET1Mku2PLWu-OY4LCNyf_Z1gLUMxcnkwpyY4fbHsa4ngJ9Ioimbs8I6QZg/s1600/20140120_154303.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The idea is to provide our daughters the opportunities to become a well rounded, <b>globally minded </b>individual. She has been exposed to new languages, new cultures, different rules of behavior; all of which have helped them understand the world around them much better.<br />
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And we want to share it all with you. Our unique experiences as a traveling family, our struggles, our trips. Everything!<br />
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As always, I plan to be completely open with my readers and tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly.<br />
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I welcome comments and questions!<br />
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We are in the final stages of creating a new website which will be full of great information for family travelers, tips, ideas, photos.<br />
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I will keep you posted on changes and updates as they happen. Thanks for stopping by.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE67WCQHSiD3AaQoyidykUGTwNQTI5q6enFEdiV5sKqnRPAWryJ81c6HbziNt3Rxej3wjl7qFeDj743ptlffq8QBDSabNrkufOlTo3GeqZXM3wRLoolZcSdPee4ryTyYqN9aOZlIrcsgw/s1600/1526673_10202142824865317_1885043548_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE67WCQHSiD3AaQoyidykUGTwNQTI5q6enFEdiV5sKqnRPAWryJ81c6HbziNt3Rxej3wjl7qFeDj743ptlffq8QBDSabNrkufOlTo3GeqZXM3wRLoolZcSdPee4ryTyYqN9aOZlIrcsgw/s1600/1526673_10202142824865317_1885043548_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-69164631473823440642015-04-24T04:43:00.000-04:002015-04-24T04:43:20.130-04:00How do we travel so much?I read a lot of travel blogs and I follow people who are doing this full time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWGffoeOYnmc4sOHhw6uZhhQR7kJejv7hZ1371hIDqUlWvSyK9N2UNzLg5QMPZGK2s5VKMl5L6ZXFAX2BId8CzlkiwA8sGGx01NuQJZ_v4SuLDVr5BUSetsCxEIkdpewTnJdFnHxMSbQ/s1600/101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWGffoeOYnmc4sOHhw6uZhhQR7kJejv7hZ1371hIDqUlWvSyK9N2UNzLg5QMPZGK2s5VKMl5L6ZXFAX2BId8CzlkiwA8sGGx01NuQJZ_v4SuLDVr5BUSetsCxEIkdpewTnJdFnHxMSbQ/s1600/101.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris</td></tr>
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Living the nomad lifestyle.<br />
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I am not there yet.<br />
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But that is the dream. One day.....<br />
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Right now, my family and I do as much travelling as we can or even can't afford. And I say that because we sacrifice a lot in order to be able to travel.<br />
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But for us it's worth it. And I'd like to share our story.<br />
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We are a one income family. My husband is solely responsible for bringing home the bacon. I do things here and there on the side, but they don't amount to much.(I create and sell Unit Studies which you can purchase <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/World-Adventures" target="_blank">here</a>). Hopefully, one day they will.<br />
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Anyway, we live on a shoestring budget. Counting every dollar and just making it month to month. We have an average salary. My husband's job is in E-learning, so you know he doesn't make a six figure salary. But we get by.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. We provide for our family. Everyone has what they need. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is happy.<br />
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We are not into material things and I guess we passed that down to our children. They have toys, books, most of what other kids have, just not in excess.<br />
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We don't own a home. We did until a year ago, when we decided to sell it since we are now living in England.<br />
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We don't have a lot of savings other than our 401K. What we save eventually goes towards travelling.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6OWNV0MF4Y7mI0ov5FNThVcZJr-9OLalAxtAfj8EFPlhXCMTVvqM-3clSoMGHSHMzH0p4vi8iBEYCxwqa0VZtGpScIQ3QW_ynLxwCG5dX2sV3Ut3XTMo5nMlfdNOsvgNBlvGot1DUQY/s1600/738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6OWNV0MF4Y7mI0ov5FNThVcZJr-9OLalAxtAfj8EFPlhXCMTVvqM-3clSoMGHSHMzH0p4vi8iBEYCxwqa0VZtGpScIQ3QW_ynLxwCG5dX2sV3Ut3XTMo5nMlfdNOsvgNBlvGot1DUQY/s1600/738.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruges, Belgium</td></tr>
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So how do we do it?<br />
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<ul>
<li>I do a ton of research to find the best deals. A TON! Sometimes I spend days, even weeks researching.</li>
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<li>I don't book anything without checking TripAdvisor first.</li>
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<li>I make an itinerary. I call it my <b>flexi-plan</b> because I like to be organized and have a general idea of what we will be doing and seeing, but I also realize we have to allow for unexpected things that may come up. And they do.</li>
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<li>I always try to book a hotel that offers free breakfast and free wi-fi.</li>
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<li>When I can't get the free breakfast, I purchase easy to store breakfast foods such as oatmeal, cereal, milk, bread.</li>
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<li>I make a list of our "must visit" attractions and cost them out, so I now how much we will be spending on those.</li>
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<li>I pre-book certain attractions that offer better online rates or those that you have to wait hours in line for. (saving time also saves money)</li>
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<li>I find free things to do as well.</li>
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<li>I give my kids a spending limit.</li>
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<li>I treat the planning phase of the trip like a job. I dedicate time and effort to it because I know it will pay off in the end.</li>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg0wdUYCQXWXqcBpyJh-pzcUXtfbf29VdkBYUGSQgkbcoFmaaxLlwxEDQNS_5Jgf3VPYWbXCnjVzmGomkTA9IhXdnClMluB-ErvXZZZPmgpkQA5kFeioBft_9G_oHUJFXGRZ96r6hKIU/s1600/15086_10202142817945144_1274787772_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg0wdUYCQXWXqcBpyJh-pzcUXtfbf29VdkBYUGSQgkbcoFmaaxLlwxEDQNS_5Jgf3VPYWbXCnjVzmGomkTA9IhXdnClMluB-ErvXZZZPmgpkQA5kFeioBft_9G_oHUJFXGRZ96r6hKIU/s1600/15086_10202142817945144_1274787772_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapas in Malaga, Spain</td></tr>
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We still spend way too much on our trips. I know I can cut down on our expenses even more. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrayqZ-oWJVtbOg8uiL1WUH-0VwPXBG1cn9GXeKf8zxz_k3CN47BU56msZjkMi9ugndcX4g1crBb4NfmMC4f9-c90L4r8fifZ4KS6suq5xSJ-jqgmF9t_yRCfEcs9tIaaENGHXdlwYxsM/s1600/942508_10202142886586860_1111074486_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrayqZ-oWJVtbOg8uiL1WUH-0VwPXBG1cn9GXeKf8zxz_k3CN47BU56msZjkMi9ugndcX4g1crBb4NfmMC4f9-c90L4r8fifZ4KS6suq5xSJ-jqgmF9t_yRCfEcs9tIaaENGHXdlwYxsM/s1600/942508_10202142886586860_1111074486_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marbella, Spain</td></tr>
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I've become a sort of expert at booking affordable family travel. I advise my family and friends on the best deals. And I've even started planning some trips for them. So far, everyone has been happy with the results.
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So this is how my family does it. I know some people have a bigger budget or a smaller one.<br />
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Whatever your budget it, you CAN travel. It may not be a 3 month trip around the world but there are so many amazing and affordable places to see on this big, beautiful Earth.<br />
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I welcome comments and tips on budget family travel. Happy World Adventures!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5U4bwKlsux4JG8MKMmDxGwstTyEixzk6z8TnTRrodhVgGBEumDDFlqJkEkcjyrhwGfpMdxde8LocdWmccpPGI3ecxf7qFSwvbs_43JTk9pGONL-605wtQCoqb6QocQ6U_j0Zdg1LIccs/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5U4bwKlsux4JG8MKMmDxGwstTyEixzk6z8TnTRrodhVgGBEumDDFlqJkEkcjyrhwGfpMdxde8LocdWmccpPGI3ecxf7qFSwvbs_43JTk9pGONL-605wtQCoqb6QocQ6U_j0Zdg1LIccs/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-25161567838764880492015-04-17T13:12:00.000-04:002015-05-09T08:59:09.037-04:00What am I doing in England?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhme7Bs2kq46TXIbn3L4-MOkHt1ud2E7rk_qvBBDkmuJCjO7z38mVCEdEj7hQH_TgLXUxrg7zWpNXvRZo5XGr3TEQ_uvsOsoxPz2CppaIN4PwrRmi9R4L1fEkHgDUhiH81Lq_IddIbmqso/s1600/2013098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhme7Bs2kq46TXIbn3L4-MOkHt1ud2E7rk_qvBBDkmuJCjO7z38mVCEdEj7hQH_TgLXUxrg7zWpNXvRZo5XGr3TEQ_uvsOsoxPz2CppaIN4PwrRmi9R4L1fEkHgDUhiH81Lq_IddIbmqso/s1600/2013098.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As many of you know, my life changed drastically in 2013 when my oldest daughter decided to attend college in England.<br />
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Here's what happened. She was 17 at the time and had never travelled by herself, let alone lived in another country far from her family.<br />
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When she applied to and got accepted into a great Occupational Therapy program in England, it was an easy decision for her. She wanted the education and the experience of living abroad.<br />
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I couldn't deny her that opportunity, but it was hard to think of her a whole ocean away. We are a tight knit family and she and I have a strong bond; it was very hard to think about letting her go.<br />
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Well, what is a mother to do? I told my husband that I would be going to England with our oldest daughter and taking our youngest with me. I gave him two options: figure out a way to do your work from England and come with us, or stay here by yourself.<br />
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Of course, I didn't mean that. I would never leave him behind or split up. That was never an option. But I did want to push him into action.And push I did.<br />
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He worked it out with his company to work out of their London offices for a short predetermined period of time.<br />
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We got over our first hurdle. Now what. We are actually doing this. Panic strikes.<br />
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After realizing the magnitude of our decision and a few glasses of wine later, we had a plan.<br />
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We rented our house, sold almost all of our things, put the rest in storage and took off for England.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EZ3l_dcw5DZ2pZTzyD9vcUVtmoPOOm5sFy_o2-EkRUrxXHbBZViSzBKp2T0rDENC4QiVxLDcz-J2UDmuNHDe1ZQeNpXNpMIiiUCI04xTDPo044kX0BYtRlVeMJvtpicgXHyNT7qhHG8/s1600/665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EZ3l_dcw5DZ2pZTzyD9vcUVtmoPOOm5sFy_o2-EkRUrxXHbBZViSzBKp2T0rDENC4QiVxLDcz-J2UDmuNHDe1ZQeNpXNpMIiiUCI04xTDPo044kX0BYtRlVeMJvtpicgXHyNT7qhHG8/s1600/665.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Double Decker Bus</td></tr>
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We've been on a rollercoaster ride ever since. But I wouldn't change it for the world.<br />
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Our daughter is incredibly happy at University. Our youngest is homeschooled and we've been all over London exploring museums, parks, and everything in between.<br />
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My husband and I are enjoying this adventure which has had an unexpected benefit. We've grown stronger as a couple. Nothing can shake us and I feel blessed and proud of that.<br />
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So how long are we here for? Originally we planned on 3 years. Now, it's open ended. We will see where life takes us!<br />
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Thanks for sharing this space with us and following us on this adventure!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8Eb_dIJw-3v6ZBoeUm65gJj-iwCRn8tt4zF1WvEzSC5b44NcW4NO4tk-Ak4d06EJ7wca-nfiCkKeK8yDum3L-h3ogUfDVlIAEH2ckva16mjpf8tqxIMG0TrEj8Myo9H955yrGVq_2Dw/s1600/679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8Eb_dIJw-3v6ZBoeUm65gJj-iwCRn8tt4zF1WvEzSC5b44NcW4NO4tk-Ak4d06EJ7wca-nfiCkKeK8yDum3L-h3ogUfDVlIAEH2ckva16mjpf8tqxIMG0TrEj8Myo9H955yrGVq_2Dw/s1600/679.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Platform 9 3/4</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhX3CFqWjG525JLid6CaCIaTTx98Rp3ywwJfE4BTH8sG3DzfpshTlDLKjCaBWl8dpOyx32eNjwegJ7f4tYEl2PgP9boYbdw9PLemkAflRhrmQpcaw-3wPyAxkbOkOTQLpBxgyAwCloqk/s1600/896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhX3CFqWjG525JLid6CaCIaTTx98Rp3ywwJfE4BTH8sG3DzfpshTlDLKjCaBWl8dpOyx32eNjwegJ7f4tYEl2PgP9boYbdw9PLemkAflRhrmQpcaw-3wPyAxkbOkOTQLpBxgyAwCloqk/s1600/896.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas at the South Bank</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWV0Gc2t1GY74YWm1rFCdjbwiT218D99rGB0kljoYUHHq_4RwamhwmKhZV_8k0wDchdGnNYdtjXgNSEhlQutZe1TisL2c50Gxmt9H_DzE6DM7iOPED35TqybdWqLb29n7FaQ59T9lVAE/s1600/922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWV0Gc2t1GY74YWm1rFCdjbwiT218D99rGB0kljoYUHHq_4RwamhwmKhZV_8k0wDchdGnNYdtjXgNSEhlQutZe1TisL2c50Gxmt9H_DzE6DM7iOPED35TqybdWqLb29n7FaQ59T9lVAE/s1600/922.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone Henge</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bV3n2EO_QXj_HqmSFQXHKZe3icFzK3bYTPoBUaSbX0XvDu-9vYUQOMzLiaXX8c1UzSB0BQJlJ5HWFRv1AYhWvTsT-RdmwnmWXeT5xCWhIL27-KDjZlVFgqn5Ai13-osmVU-ItqNQRmk/s1600/949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bV3n2EO_QXj_HqmSFQXHKZe3icFzK3bYTPoBUaSbX0XvDu-9vYUQOMzLiaXX8c1UzSB0BQJlJ5HWFRv1AYhWvTsT-RdmwnmWXeT5xCWhIL27-KDjZlVFgqn5Ai13-osmVU-ItqNQRmk/s1600/949.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thatched Roof House</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-AFRVua3iq0p0rBLpHyM9mv0Z1-HKu2e0J-6vANyx4vXBQJE-LyRDss6dREceGHyl2gJ11J77i6nEF0NPwIypAXG3ZLXsoUloaRKsYnvzVTS8isxWiYo_eiazr3HmekryLaSc3fZaP0/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-AFRVua3iq0p0rBLpHyM9mv0Z1-HKu2e0J-6vANyx4vXBQJE-LyRDss6dREceGHyl2gJ11J77i6nEF0NPwIypAXG3ZLXsoUloaRKsYnvzVTS8isxWiYo_eiazr3HmekryLaSc3fZaP0/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somerset House</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-38188193922738032202015-04-12T09:31:00.001-04:002015-04-12T17:04:45.463-04:00India Unit Study is here!!!I am so happy to announce that I've completed the India Unit Study and it is available for purchase and download.<br />
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Purchase <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/India-Unit-Study-1797757" target="_blank">India Unit Study</a> by clicking on the title.<br />
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The India Unit Study is a comprehensive lesson plan for the classroom or homeschool. </div>
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It is based on a cross-curricular approach to learning, covering topics such as geography, math, language arts, science and foreign language to name a few. </div>
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Included in the India Unit Study are: lots of information organized by topic, detailed teaching notes, lots of vibrant photos, games, and hands-on activities. </div>
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Kids will immerse themselves in the Indian culture. More than 100 pages of information!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnHi4LTIhrQ3nUwHXR5IE8vGyvnaAWKEQWD4svHOm3LYgfelxtDx9YeBw5YNAoyjpnAQAZ2Ob8zkyRVUA03u_JybYjauet5AESH4BoyopIirpxJrcOfZ4FsaqN3lgwXwEUeME-MYrvSo/s1600/India_Unit_study_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnHi4LTIhrQ3nUwHXR5IE8vGyvnaAWKEQWD4svHOm3LYgfelxtDx9YeBw5YNAoyjpnAQAZ2Ob8zkyRVUA03u_JybYjauet5AESH4BoyopIirpxJrcOfZ4FsaqN3lgwXwEUeME-MYrvSo/s1600/India_Unit_study_cover.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFq5yUCMDKMEk8UOPt3vOvJd3oYyB4ZVVny9tuqlnHPNfG4FIeiB3T2jx41F9Z1tqUaWuRTkIlMM3_bU4CdnQ6wLSDz-OmOTw5QsJ8cAqTig1Hsya0xouyZ42Yuz78ydOfg38SUgZIV7A/s1600/India_Unit_study_preview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFq5yUCMDKMEk8UOPt3vOvJd3oYyB4ZVVny9tuqlnHPNfG4FIeiB3T2jx41F9Z1tqUaWuRTkIlMM3_bU4CdnQ6wLSDz-OmOTw5QsJ8cAqTig1Hsya0xouyZ42Yuz78ydOfg38SUgZIV7A/s1600/India_Unit_study_preview.png" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-72621552113710359502015-02-05T05:24:00.000-05:002015-02-05T05:24:00.954-05:00Sale on Country Unit Studies!!Hey all,<br />
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Follow this link <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Adventures-Of-A-Homeschool-Mom" target="_blank">I LOVE A SALE!</a> for some savings on unit studies.<br />
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The ones up so far are:<br />
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Italy<br />
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Russia<br />
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Brazil<br />
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Eastern Asia (which includes Japan, China, North and South Korea and Taiwan)<br />
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15% off on any of the unit studies.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-12093940719955329062014-08-05T06:41:00.001-04:002014-08-05T06:41:12.524-04:00Asia Unit Study!It's finally here! As promised.....<br />
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I've just released my new <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Asia-Unit-Study-China-Japan-Korea-Taiwan-1372324" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">unit study</span></a> and dare I say it.... it's my best one yet!<br />
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Can you tell I'm excited to share this with you?<br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Asia-Unit-Study-China-Japan-Korea-Taiwan-1372324" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Asia Unit Study</span></a></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHNfJr-D4sCvfp43KuhkAwcWBhyphenhyphenuUUm4-RUNJtnj8_cpgZHhlu9TbXcWmlk__fbkUVqWWZKI_iToS4_rPv-NN3L3XcJDimD_b5h5hJEB4F1bb49WtoByQpLBZooZ0INb6vnPKrs494Uw/s1600/asia_preview_00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHNfJr-D4sCvfp43KuhkAwcWBhyphenhyphenuUUm4-RUNJtnj8_cpgZHhlu9TbXcWmlk__fbkUVqWWZKI_iToS4_rPv-NN3L3XcJDimD_b5h5hJEB4F1bb49WtoByQpLBZooZ0INb6vnPKrs494Uw/s1600/asia_preview_00.png" /></a></div>
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It covers East Asia which comprises of China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Taiwan. <br />
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As with my other unit studies, this follows a <strong>cross curricular</strong> approach where there is an opportunity to cover all major subjects. What does that mean, you ask? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9laYUu8eSb3QSLd8EPT8dqLQ1UxeKX4VImy5rtDcmdlIvFs2lINgDVEJDXBOcYq0rK38nZQavoUuSTrJ68h8l934xkUFAE7rawn_iL8QGNKCOfNCYGmOGg92xxNl_1gw6wIPHCyLYhM/s1600/asia_preview_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9laYUu8eSb3QSLd8EPT8dqLQ1UxeKX4VImy5rtDcmdlIvFs2lINgDVEJDXBOcYq0rK38nZQavoUuSTrJ68h8l934xkUFAE7rawn_iL8QGNKCOfNCYGmOGg92xxNl_1gw6wIPHCyLYhM/s1600/asia_preview_02.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAehLoJ4sxG69s6LHJFM_cpLPErv7hLMXCYVZojKmW31r05V7O46ebEzug_dNJu9pXd5nxTP2A7qjtvjo4Zw-rRfBnX6qqsUlLrcWfFAcmG2WWQB91XAixZk9OjrvHlIhJB9QiSKKQX4/s1600/asia_preview_04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAehLoJ4sxG69s6LHJFM_cpLPErv7hLMXCYVZojKmW31r05V7O46ebEzug_dNJu9pXd5nxTP2A7qjtvjo4Zw-rRfBnX6qqsUlLrcWfFAcmG2WWQB91XAixZk9OjrvHlIhJB9QiSKKQX4/s1600/asia_preview_04.png" /></a></div>
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Well, with a cross-curricular unit study, your kids will learn about:<br />
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Geography</li>
<li>History</li>
<li>Math</li>
<li>Language Arts</li>
<li>Science</li>
<li>Foreign Language</li>
<li>Reading Comprehension</li>
<li>Grammar and Spelling</li>
<li>Writing</li>
<li>Art </li>
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..........all in one fun lesson.<br />
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The lesson can take as little as one week to complete or as long as you want. My unit studies are designed so that the parent has total control and lots of <strong>flexibility.</strong> <br />
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What's included:<br />
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Day by day instructions<br />
Basic Facts about each country<br />
Maps<br />
Words to learn in each featured language<br />
Foods<br />
Culture<br />
Sports<br />
Money and currency<br />
Cities and Landmarks<br />
Famous Figures<br />
Science and Nature<br />
A Day in the Life<br />
Tons of vibrant pictures<br />
<strong>Activities, Activities and more Activities</strong><br />
Lots of <strong>hands-on projects</strong> too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmnMbiKJSM_4oQWQ3BT8POiLfeT0JP1gnBih2FhdRjxyxQ6778Q-yqU66BqW6IfUPhV2_c4kBz97bQ84hGiJ9knGZFH7gguYW_QqmV3zTtOo7tWGO6oXROwMa43o06fqnQtBFs6d6qyw/s1600/asia_preview_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmnMbiKJSM_4oQWQ3BT8POiLfeT0JP1gnBih2FhdRjxyxQ6778Q-yqU66BqW6IfUPhV2_c4kBz97bQ84hGiJ9knGZFH7gguYW_QqmV3zTtOo7tWGO6oXROwMa43o06fqnQtBFs6d6qyw/s1600/asia_preview_01.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRFj12_NhzdsI-gjW08I5PCA8PVcLbhyphenhyphenD67mi-3QxEemUQTKBSFRYtxAkKCBgzi6fLM0IQIsXC8Gi6GXGQ54IUjoh8wo3NTedaOkp7qpU1E_xiJoFfkol4rxWkXXhNrWjinwKUZQYij0/s1600/asia_preview_05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRFj12_NhzdsI-gjW08I5PCA8PVcLbhyphenhyphenD67mi-3QxEemUQTKBSFRYtxAkKCBgzi6fLM0IQIsXC8Gi6GXGQ54IUjoh8wo3NTedaOkp7qpU1E_xiJoFfkol4rxWkXXhNrWjinwKUZQYij0/s1600/asia_preview_05.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWd3HX0c8r-YYJz6nn3S86af2ZsEB45uT0LUFNkeC8t-BQOOdjWgedX2d955EFgLoVCRhyphenhyphen0damaCIhd6gr5fqgsOqaA5qzwd6SvAWBSqM4c59In60B6rlUFXWsMDdEzKgUmXAIHvcqzc/s1600/asia_preview_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWd3HX0c8r-YYJz6nn3S86af2ZsEB45uT0LUFNkeC8t-BQOOdjWgedX2d955EFgLoVCRhyphenhyphen0damaCIhd6gr5fqgsOqaA5qzwd6SvAWBSqM4c59In60B6rlUFXWsMDdEzKgUmXAIHvcqzc/s1600/asia_preview_03.png" /></a></div>
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I tried it out with Buttercup and she absolutely loved it. I think her favorite project was making paper lanterns. She also enjoyed learning about China's rice fields, Mount Fuji in Japan, and origami.<br />
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As a parent, my favorite part of studying Asia, was showing Buttercup a new culture and a different approach to life. It really opened up both of our minds.<br />
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You can get the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Asia-Unit-Study-China-Japan-Korea-Taiwan-1372324" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Asia Unit Study here</span></a>! With each purchase, you support our website and blog and it allows me to continue to work for you and create awesome content for your kiddies. <br />
Thank You! <br />
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And please come back and leave me comments. I love to hear from my readers. <br />
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-24859365476519144652014-07-20T17:19:00.000-04:002014-07-20T17:22:59.137-04:00Brazil Unit Study!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHw_Ms-yendOuWPVXwrD2vDZ9-zWDnivzbqlXY7WH0-dBTFB53qx3L1b-ryo_0MRPmypXsdWhgdXYCblXlsIa34JK2CKkWo8fou1AAOo0JjVUezJ1J90g5IsPMFvptPBfTPrgsuPV996E/s1600/Brazil+flag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHw_Ms-yendOuWPVXwrD2vDZ9-zWDnivzbqlXY7WH0-dBTFB53qx3L1b-ryo_0MRPmypXsdWhgdXYCblXlsIa34JK2CKkWo8fou1AAOo0JjVUezJ1J90g5IsPMFvptPBfTPrgsuPV996E/s320/Brazil+flag.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you've been following this blog for some time, you know that I create almost of my lessons from scratch. The main reason is that I can never find exactly what I'm looking for on the internet, so I use it mostly for research. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With that in mind, I have a great <strong>unit study</strong> to share with you - <strong>Brazil!</strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I created an <strong>8 week unit study</strong> that includes some basic facts about Brazil, maps, pages to color and more activities.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I did this unit study with Buttercup and she loved it. <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brazil-Unit-Study-413987">BUY IT NOW!</a></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We started by reading some basic facts about Brazil such as size, location, population, and language. We used a map to locate Brazil. I used this opportunity to include a little geography lesson.</span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every day, I would review what we did the previous day and introduce the next topic. </span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We learned some <strong>words in Portuguese</strong>, we learned <strong>recipes</strong> that are easy to make and so yummy, and we even learned about some of their <strong>folklore</strong>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiEaEzLc6UF7dCalc3aNnFDxQstx_eCpYlNS24vA8C3sltdo5m84_m-k1U2tYjxHf6WbqrP06-W20gA9xXi_b458A_xY50Mc0QDLWoacANUXWPwdqIRUDQZTgG9xjBE1biYakQCi4fDs/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiEaEzLc6UF7dCalc3aNnFDxQstx_eCpYlNS24vA8C3sltdo5m84_m-k1U2tYjxHf6WbqrP06-W20gA9xXi_b458A_xY50Mc0QDLWoacANUXWPwdqIRUDQZTgG9xjBE1biYakQCi4fDs/s320/022.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This unit study was easy for me to create because I am Brazilian, so most of what I included in the lessons are things that I either learned as a kid or grew up doing.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The <strong><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brazil-Unit-Study-413987">Brazil unit study</a></strong> is full of photographs with an easy to follow guide that allows for flexibility and encourages the child to go beyond what is in the packet. This unit study really will get students excited about learning about another culture and they will want to know more.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is perfect for a classroom or for homeschool. The Brazil unit study covers most subject areas:</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Geography</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Social Studies</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reading</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Writing</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Math</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Foreign Language</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can get this <strong>comprehensive unit study</strong> <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brazil-Unit-Study-413987">right here</a> for a small fee. I hope that by charging a small fee for some of the lessons I offer will allow me to continue to offer other things for free, like my printables.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMBDEQD0X0AkhQBW6YWYnmlnJ4hEdJaoOc2VcjqT4jyCzqPRu1626W6Z66S_-1bINE3mfKXu3tTwJeAFOmBbPMIgDcSnHOATCRekEqjemoMlf3YqOKJmn0UmuOi3Pq2XDMy8zY0IcJxU/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMBDEQD0X0AkhQBW6YWYnmlnJ4hEdJaoOc2VcjqT4jyCzqPRu1626W6Z66S_-1bINE3mfKXu3tTwJeAFOmBbPMIgDcSnHOATCRekEqjemoMlf3YqOKJmn0UmuOi3Pq2XDMy8zY0IcJxU/s320/016.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I welcome feedback on the study units, if you would like me to add something of interest to you, please let me know and I will do my best to include it in an upgraded version.</span></div><br />
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brazil-Unit-Study-413987">Brazil Unit Study</a><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks for your support!</span></div><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-85434848202979518542014-07-08T13:34:00.002-04:002014-07-09T11:48:17.794-04:00Homeschooling Abroad - 15 things I've learned<br />
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<br />
This is our 3rd year homeschooling, 1st year homeschooling abroad.<br />
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As with all firsts, this year came with its share of challenges. First, just the challenge of getting acclimated to a new country, new city, new home, new culture. Thank goodness we didn't have to learn a new language! (although sometimes I do feel like we speak different languages). For those of you who don't know, we are in the UK. In London.<br />
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It's been almost one whole year since we first arrived and now that we've completed our homeschool year I can sit back (drink firmly in hand) and reflect.<br />
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I'm so happy and proud that we made it! That's it. We survived. All of us. <br />
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Beyond that, I have a whole new understanding of homeschooling in another country. This country. This beautiful country we're in....England.<br />
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I cannot speak about homeschooling in other countries. I have no experience.<br />
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Here's what I have learned:<br />
<ol>
<li>Most Brits "unschool", so it's been difficult finding groups and other like minded homeschoolers.</li>
<li>When I say unschool, I mean they take their kids out of school and basically let them do whatever they want all week. I met an 8 year old who doesn't know how to read or write and her mom said, "she'll learn eventually". Ok</li>
<li>Libraries are not what they are in the US and they leave a lot to be desired.</li>
<li>Thanks to no. 3, we had a terrible time finding books. Once I went with Buttercup to the library with a list of about 10 books, foolishly thinking they'd have at least 2 or 3. Nope. None. Nada. We walked out empty handed.</li>
<li>Because of no. 4 there are lessons we are not able to complete or do to its fullest because we cannot get the books that accompany those lessons.</li>
<li>I've had to improvise A LOT.</li>
<li>Amazon has become my best friend. I order books and other materials online.</li>
<li>Printing is expensive so we've also improvised on that front. (Hoping to buy a printer soon)</li>
<li>Homeschooling groups are mainly "play groups". So, no formal or informal learning going on. They meet at the park.</li>
<li>I have yet to find a group that meets regularly to discuss books, to learn science, or learn art.</li>
<li>Socializing hasn't been all that easy. We've met a few people but cannot get beyond the superficial. No play dates, birthday party invitations, or anything that would resemble a friendship.</li>
<li>Everyone is cordial enough. Helpful if I ask a question, but that's as far as it goes.</li>
<li>Being in a new country has given us the opportunity to explore lots of new things. So lot's of learning going on. Yay!</li>
<li>London Museums are FREE! We've gone to so many and they are wonderful.</li>
<li>London has a ridiculous number of parks. It will take a VERY long time to explore all of them. But we are having fun trying.</li>
</ol>
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We are forging ahead and will homeschool this coming year. I'm continuing to follow my own path. That path is basically a fusion of structured homeschooling with interest led homeschooling. <br />
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Buttercup and I both need structure..............We need a schedule................But we've learned to be flexible within that structure. <br />
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Math, reading, and writing are non negotiable. The rest I take her input on most subjects like History, Art, Science, Geography and Language. <br />
This past year we studied Ancient Civilizations, Chemistry, Bunnies, Portuguese and French. We studied Picasso, cityscapes, perspective drawing and negative space. <br />
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Buttercup is now studying Italian in preparation for our trip coming up in the Fall. <br />
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I hope to get more and more accustomed to life here in the Old Country. I hope to meet more people and make some friends. In the meantime, we are learning to live a whole new life full of challenges and adventures. <br />
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Happy Summer! <br />
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!! </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-31267638460974498272014-05-29T08:48:00.002-04:002014-05-29T08:48:41.531-04:00Teaching Ancient History 3rd Grade<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY__FjPOm9N_CDgZ2NlSOt2cMcG8_L4mrxBOxStKj1sMvvtN24CDJ-JnXM4uAnquJ8i0zOP82glB0TUmmWLgmYMFpPk7Gj8Ko8cGi94aPJuZLWYOEG2XzkJQWg_BZMsvhGJrBHxXzqT30/s1600/IMG_20140312_125005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY__FjPOm9N_CDgZ2NlSOt2cMcG8_L4mrxBOxStKj1sMvvtN24CDJ-JnXM4uAnquJ8i0zOP82glB0TUmmWLgmYMFpPk7Gj8Ko8cGi94aPJuZLWYOEG2XzkJQWg_BZMsvhGJrBHxXzqT30/s1600/IMG_20140312_125005.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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We spent most of the Fall and Winter this past year studying <strong>Ancient History</strong>. We used a book I purchased online called "History Pockets" as a starting point. The book covered 6 ancient civilizations: <strong>Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, and the Aztec World.</strong><br />
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The book offered a great introduction to Ancient History with lots of hands on activities for each civilization.<br />
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I supplemented each lesson with additional work:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Using a <strong>dictionary</strong> to look up words</li>
<li><strong>Researching</strong> online to see pictures of costumes, houses, utensils and other artifacts</li>
<li>Discussing and <strong>comparing life</strong> in each of those time periods</li>
</ul>
Once we completed all the of the lessons, we took a trip to a <strong>museum </strong>to see some of the things we had studied about. We were very lucky to find a museum near us that has a wonderful exhibition on almost all of these <strong>Ancient Civilizations</strong>. <br />
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Some of the things we saw and were able to tie in to our lessons were:<br />
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBTQOIZLa0WNNBTW_Brctuv9HGaINy-nQ9jaquVdFVBmcmMgUSlvEeMbGHs1eudWHrIZpDQ9q5pU2wrIRa_Fz31c7ZXAw6suPhIMBFJY2koPgkeuxbaKwHTwt2Kx9wKRbhxL0fqVgjRY/s1600/IMG_20140312_115615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBTQOIZLa0WNNBTW_Brctuv9HGaINy-nQ9jaquVdFVBmcmMgUSlvEeMbGHs1eudWHrIZpDQ9q5pU2wrIRa_Fz31c7ZXAw6suPhIMBFJY2koPgkeuxbaKwHTwt2Kx9wKRbhxL0fqVgjRY/s1600/IMG_20140312_115615.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>
<li>Tools</li>
<li>Utensils</li>
<li>Jewelry</li>
<li>Coins</li>
<li>Clothing</li>
<li>Shoes</li>
<li>Bedding</li>
<li>Food bowls</li>
<li>Decorative bowls</li>
<li>Sculptures</li>
<li>Mosaics</li>
<li>Hieroglyphics</li>
<li>Tombstones</li>
<li>Modes of transportation</li>
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We had an amazing time exploring and learning about these 6 Ancient Civilizations. Buttercup learned so much new vocabulary and lots of interesting facts about life so, so long ago. It was really fun to hear her viewpoint on the <strong>differences between life then and now</strong>. </div>
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One of the most interesting things to come out of these lessons was learning that those Ancient Civilizations contributed a lot to the things we have now and things we still use today: <strong>written language, arenas, domes and arches, the plow</strong> to name just a few.</div>
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If you are interested in <strong>Ancient Civilizations</strong> or would like to introduce it to your child, I highly recommend this book.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=chopodcaf-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1557999007&asins=1557999007&linkId=3UD4EH4OHP4IC6VJ&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"&amp;gt;By the way, I was not asked to do a review, did not receive the book for free or any other compensation. This lesson was one of our favorites in all our time homeschooling and I really wanted to share it. And that leads me to another great thing to come out of it....Buttercup loved learning about Ancient Civilizations so much, that she wants to dig deeper into each one. So off I go in search of more books and information.&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"&amp;gt;Happy Homeschooling Adventures!&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-89158756203985661942014-05-05T15:35:00.000-04:002014-05-05T15:38:06.224-04:00How to Make a Rainstick (Easy)We decided to make a <strong>rainstick</strong> to go along with our Lesson about Brazil (You will be able to purchase my complete lesson here shortly).<br />
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We spent a few weeks learning about Brazil.......... from the Amazon to Rio de Janeiro......<br />
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......from soccer to capoeira <br />
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....from folklore to real stories about famous Brazilians....<br />
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We had an amazing time researching, reading, exploring! <br />
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One of our fun projects for the Brazil Lesson was to make a rainstick and it was surprisingly easy to do, so I'm sharing how we did it.<br />
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<br />
How to Make a Rainstick<br />
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Materials used:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Glue</li>
<li>Scissors</li>
<li>Tape</li>
<li>Paper towel roll</li>
<li>Brown wrapping paper</li>
<li>Beans, lentils, rice</li>
<li>Aluminum Foil</li>
<li>Crayons, color pencils, feathers, stickers for decorating </li>
</ul>
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Instructions:<br />
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Cut out two rounds, each a little bigger than the opening of the paper towel roll.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhgiP08EWTatNWuW_2JkPEVovy2dwG1I8ARjk27lM_66QXs3Z0hMHDpNfw-BVqOZpHZKqRmKEireFhzZHm5pbQoYoPgA0mNl73UiBfAhYJOT3AoRYGBVqL_1kNdLt_pgwIA4HvdhyphenhyphenSYw/s1600/IMG_20140502_102950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhgiP08EWTatNWuW_2JkPEVovy2dwG1I8ARjk27lM_66QXs3Z0hMHDpNfw-BVqOZpHZKqRmKEireFhzZHm5pbQoYoPgA0mNl73UiBfAhYJOT3AoRYGBVqL_1kNdLt_pgwIA4HvdhyphenhyphenSYw/s1600/IMG_20140502_102950.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Make small cuts all around the circle (this will make it easier to attach to the roll).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxc7UeGA26-wd19GibjroaDdgVsyuefvmL1q9Ga30bMY2ahXnvNWeH19wSc0VFMNecbLmL7ruxDWSHZfgQMyRrBcYnniE5vdX59aJqpHtwwCoV8IGla1wtLmkdjgK1NCizG5N0rbr6Bc/s1600/IMG_20140502_103111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxc7UeGA26-wd19GibjroaDdgVsyuefvmL1q9Ga30bMY2ahXnvNWeH19wSc0VFMNecbLmL7ruxDWSHZfgQMyRrBcYnniE5vdX59aJqpHtwwCoV8IGla1wtLmkdjgK1NCizG5N0rbr6Bc/s1600/IMG_20140502_103111.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Attach one of the rounds to one end of the paper towel roll. We used tape to attach it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1udumket79ABUbxJ852AtXZlCnUt7MFtj1b7HSCDTyc7HklEymrd6E2FMtuKxKPKNFOTibxBSM3Pkl7R1W6JjCE8IuF9E76xoZP54rKsEOjFaPBJt3-TdQyDIS1dg8F8UA6lrtvHB5Iw/s1600/IMG_20140502_102930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1udumket79ABUbxJ852AtXZlCnUt7MFtj1b7HSCDTyc7HklEymrd6E2FMtuKxKPKNFOTibxBSM3Pkl7R1W6JjCE8IuF9E76xoZP54rKsEOjFaPBJt3-TdQyDIS1dg8F8UA6lrtvHB5Iw/s1600/IMG_20140502_102930.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Cut an 8 inch strip of foil and accordion fold it (do this twice)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTULNO-wGhugB-xwCIvDcCXoFnXmlMkKbh_IhnCjL0eteq4aVLiPOIEWm4iNoJAOX4CNvPgAZlG6yeOzA05JcJVH5RNrt54Om2pd0RaeqgCmO6LSGkl1y-10iUSAujkFJ0Wn2WAUAqxfo/s1600/IMG_20140502_103214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTULNO-wGhugB-xwCIvDcCXoFnXmlMkKbh_IhnCjL0eteq4aVLiPOIEWm4iNoJAOX4CNvPgAZlG6yeOzA05JcJVH5RNrt54Om2pd0RaeqgCmO6LSGkl1y-10iUSAujkFJ0Wn2WAUAqxfo/s1600/IMG_20140502_103214.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUg5wUr0g6uhPOqv7VA_iyMI3mxQhME_SLvO14THMd2nshKftU-Jfe9eSGkxFLkdMUbHkIiWx17E94MX91gT7EXbLxJaXCVASnnl6o6xZ2EAj413cYgapsDsW1qNBcH22L3qnVOeLh14/s1600/IMG_20140502_103210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUg5wUr0g6uhPOqv7VA_iyMI3mxQhME_SLvO14THMd2nshKftU-Jfe9eSGkxFLkdMUbHkIiWx17E94MX91gT7EXbLxJaXCVASnnl6o6xZ2EAj413cYgapsDsW1qNBcH22L3qnVOeLh14/s1600/IMG_20140502_103210.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Twist each strip of foil so it looks kind of like a snake, then twist the two strips together at the ends<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3dz2Sd0MOBU6spCNDx2kZkb6oz4HpC1jUssSNApioVTTjvEEV-Yr8sLlnyw9MrETGGNlgxLiLDN-B5MisQk0DUjWqcMPItkkrufW1nITtrxExSFoMKfp8Fy9AbdAfp1NBxAWSkMx-XU/s1600/IMG_20140502_103355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3dz2Sd0MOBU6spCNDx2kZkb6oz4HpC1jUssSNApioVTTjvEEV-Yr8sLlnyw9MrETGGNlgxLiLDN-B5MisQk0DUjWqcMPItkkrufW1nITtrxExSFoMKfp8Fy9AbdAfp1NBxAWSkMx-XU/s1600/IMG_20140502_103355.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Place the foil into the paper towel roll (this will slow down the movement of the beans making for better rain sound).<br />
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Attach the 2nd round to the open end of the roll.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYbHYO6VEI78v6rqGwheicLEf5htaa-eHO_5pd-KaEuWLWkBYFtBEU8wElyIw6AuDpQVuKjPLm14vIvcZXPjrgXA6ab9Zqmn6jwAM9BF9GcGcSf2OFsJmQtmwQrf9M-TbHoPyLPfC2lk/s1600/IMG_20140502_104416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYbHYO6VEI78v6rqGwheicLEf5htaa-eHO_5pd-KaEuWLWkBYFtBEU8wElyIw6AuDpQVuKjPLm14vIvcZXPjrgXA6ab9Zqmn6jwAM9BF9GcGcSf2OFsJmQtmwQrf9M-TbHoPyLPfC2lk/s1600/IMG_20140502_104416.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is before it was decorated</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Now, let your child go crazy decorating it! Oh, you can cover the roll with paper before decorating, although we didn't do this.<br />
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-25830844925453164182014-01-22T10:39:00.000-05:002014-01-22T10:39:40.062-05:00R blends bundle pack FREE!As a homeschool parent I am constantly searching the Internet for interesting teaching resources and fun learning activities or my daughter. The problem is...there are just too many websites and loads of information. It's impossible to go through everything. It's simply too time consuming.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, I decided to make life a little easier for my readers and fellow homeschool parents. I thought it would be a good idea to bundle some of my free printables. This way, you don't have to go back and hit save and download 10 times to print 10 things. It takes just ONE CLICK!<br />
<br />
My first bundle is the <b>r-blends worksheets</b>. This is a set of worksheets that can be used to teach <b>beginning sounds </b>such as br (break), cr (cry), and fr (friend).<br />
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You can use these sheets as a teaching tool or to supplement what you are already doing. They make practice fun!<br />
<br />
You can click here to download this bundle FREE! <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:Alessandra+Oliveira">R Blends Bundle</a>.<br />
<br />
Keep checking back because I will be doing more bundles for you.<br />
<br />
Happy Homeschooling Adventures!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:Alessandra+Oliveira">FREE DOWNLOAD</a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-35062390420002603972013-10-09T08:17:00.000-04:002013-10-09T08:17:01.262-04:00Volcano Unit Study<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9CLD-c0BcbcLzOPnz3eybUcC6EscfC0avz2gKuVueM9kMAc-LLewqmtEMnYGpnZTt3Y07Cg8CIsrCtgPaoUIEqf4pS9fHx0TqNdpTbjpzGPEx4A-zNjLcUsT5vIy3I3rUXJsuz1mNoY/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9CLD-c0BcbcLzOPnz3eybUcC6EscfC0avz2gKuVueM9kMAc-LLewqmtEMnYGpnZTt3Y07Cg8CIsrCtgPaoUIEqf4pS9fHx0TqNdpTbjpzGPEx4A-zNjLcUsT5vIy3I3rUXJsuz1mNoY/s320/035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Buttercup received a <strong>volcano building kit</strong> as a gift and of course, I turned it into a whole lesson!<br />
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Like all of my other lessons, I had to start from scratch, research the material, and put together our lesson.<br />
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Basically this is what we did:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Make a book to keep all of our information</li>
<li>Review or learn vocabulary related to volcanoes</li>
<li>Talk about the Earth's layers</li>
<li>Learn about the 3 types of volcanoes</li>
<li>Find pictures of each type of volcano and discuss the differences</li>
<li>Find famous volcanoes that fit into each of the 3 catergories</li>
<li>Learn about each one</li>
<li>Compile our book</li>
<li>Do the science activity - build our own volcano</li>
<li>Take pictures to include in our volcano book</li>
<li>Do an oral presentation!</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYmEMFO2Ca9RNME_KRPvnebHDtQZRx47Cf_Owo1_t8OqmmW6xsxaXkzDB0gpcJjdG_LhUaqnYlb3gE0vsZsTlSv4R8iaw9f4bCVnRb_jDCBDprjW0dDpsaStBAgBU8YIysnv1YH_ZWJ4/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYmEMFO2Ca9RNME_KRPvnebHDtQZRx47Cf_Owo1_t8OqmmW6xsxaXkzDB0gpcJjdG_LhUaqnYlb3gE0vsZsTlSv4R8iaw9f4bCVnRb_jDCBDprjW0dDpsaStBAgBU8YIysnv1YH_ZWJ4/s320/034.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The volcano mold</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFuNMAJ8Qxc6fXILG9jW0BpZaWEIYs2yDODhAEVScwPeQ0Bss3aMFxcwOgXLCBbBruRsFQOWhksbXyNUsuOi2HbLSfI2ITyZOKur8RrM5dk1PDwfyyvCuvqo-7hzyGxoJ7FBq-tnSssw/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFuNMAJ8Qxc6fXILG9jW0BpZaWEIYs2yDODhAEVScwPeQ0Bss3aMFxcwOgXLCBbBruRsFQOWhksbXyNUsuOi2HbLSfI2ITyZOKur8RrM5dk1PDwfyyvCuvqo-7hzyGxoJ7FBq-tnSssw/s320/037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing the plaster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoDoECgnFqBpPpSQAF_3DjKsURM3kd07gYGsWlWgPBrYUSAacb7I76GsdGW97EOpZrCohInT_r2PE3DkkruiAY9BkJFN8cqOijmWv51s8KPOk5jw6XmXPkHwY_B1_5glrjcLMNeLF3pk/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoDoECgnFqBpPpSQAF_3DjKsURM3kd07gYGsWlWgPBrYUSAacb7I76GsdGW97EOpZrCohInT_r2PE3DkkruiAY9BkJFN8cqOijmWv51s8KPOk5jw6XmXPkHwY_B1_5glrjcLMNeLF3pk/s320/038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before painting</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aD-W8XT7KL8K7VemSGovCp5Ptuy9XuCQbpv4DC1Roe99gABWndRT6NIblQTY_eKckM9vVBieqm4dT7p8msVJslyBAvwPZJOtGun_aJdE56TNbWMctG61Gbe2PonsdVAx4zzn9J_wtcs/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aD-W8XT7KL8K7VemSGovCp5Ptuy9XuCQbpv4DC1Roe99gABWndRT6NIblQTY_eKckM9vVBieqm4dT7p8msVJslyBAvwPZJOtGun_aJdE56TNbWMctG61Gbe2PonsdVAx4zzn9J_wtcs/s320/036.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little houses to decorate around the volcano</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A graph with important vocabulary</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The words to know page of our volcano book</td></tr>
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Buttercup had so much fun learning all about <strong>volcanoes</strong>. She really loves to do her own research on the internet and find pictures and information. I taught her how to search for what she wants and she's gotten really good at it.<br />
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I thought it was a good idea to start learning how to <strong>give a presentation</strong>, so we included that as the final part of the project.<br />
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-73460817489297306322013-09-19T18:08:00.000-04:002013-09-19T18:08:32.785-04:00Columbus Day Activities for 1st and 2nd Grade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZo1-98UWCFhqxCuJISnIa8uQuD-qnYydYVQOzo7UKAx_R7j7TcvIFVf6gtOYhFzjJswcwwOyCAsaNBA78Q0ze8S9MCHSaATmK6v8b7q61fe-lEGXYZuspSyewZwwNQhtkGUyx9Ud0yw/s1600/Fall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZo1-98UWCFhqxCuJISnIa8uQuD-qnYydYVQOzo7UKAx_R7j7TcvIFVf6gtOYhFzjJswcwwOyCAsaNBA78Q0ze8S9MCHSaATmK6v8b7q61fe-lEGXYZuspSyewZwwNQhtkGUyx9Ud0yw/s1600/Fall.png" /></a></div>
It's Fall and school is back in session and in full swing, whether your kids go to traditional schools or they are homeschooled.<br />
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With that in mind, I soured the web for some fun, interesting <b>Columbus Day activities</b> to include in your homeschool program or as a supplement to school.<br />
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Here are my favorites:<br />
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Columbus Day Race from <a href="http://www.education.com/activity/article/columbus-day-boat-race/">Education.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzqERp1PmGRociIZsqAbmMwUn2EVypzuABFDZQaGNoZulpVMwLbeMtL8vlGkJy6_JQin5UiFasrTFBwj90L-XORAGQZNOyPLOE2SszUSt9gXGYYf7XyYwlsl72Fwo8cbZSKjed8pSWgk/s1600/Columbus+Day+Boat+Race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzqERp1PmGRociIZsqAbmMwUn2EVypzuABFDZQaGNoZulpVMwLbeMtL8vlGkJy6_JQin5UiFasrTFBwj90L-XORAGQZNOyPLOE2SszUSt9gXGYYf7XyYwlsl72Fwo8cbZSKjed8pSWgk/s1600/Columbus+Day+Boat+Race.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.education.com/activity/article/columbus-day-boat-race/">http://www.education.com/activity/article/columbus-day-boat-race/</a></span><br />
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</span> This next one is awesome from <a href="http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/themes/columbus.html">Busy Teachers Café</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7woXVuqZuwB5R5hT9hNeZ_Z7CRxItURnYETgzicF7YReXGj4321OhU83z0aTmgWbjLRCc10dU2HpZH7eFmKnRVWNOOtEBFmVwfuNLO7ZoMHCBi9MqDhF3PebEbFxvzYC9fY0W_cDHr0/s1600/Columbus+Ship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7woXVuqZuwB5R5hT9hNeZ_Z7CRxItURnYETgzicF7YReXGj4321OhU83z0aTmgWbjLRCc10dU2HpZH7eFmKnRVWNOOtEBFmVwfuNLO7ZoMHCBi9MqDhF3PebEbFxvzYC9fY0W_cDHr0/s320/Columbus+Ship.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/themes/columbus.html" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/themes/columbus.html</a><br />
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There are so many activities to choose from. Since they span almost all subject areas, I'm thinking this would work great as a <b>Unit Study.</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/columbus-day/facts.html">Apples for the Teacher</a> has a nice timeline of the events surrounding Columbus' adventure.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/columbus-day/facts.html">http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/columbus-day/facts.html</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/2011/10/columbus-day-activities/">Enchanted Homeschooling</a> has some neat ideas! <br />
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<a href="http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/2011/10/columbus-day-activities/">http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/2011/10/columbus-day-activities/</a><br />
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Here are some things we'll be doing besides reading about <b>Columbus' travels</b>. We will be working on a maze, doing a <b>word search</b>, and putting <b>Columbus Day words in alphabetical order</b>. These are all ideas that you can do yourself and will be lots of fun for the kids.<br />
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Check out what we did last year <a href="http://homeschoolnj.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/2nd-grade-christopher-columbus-lesson.html#.UjiLI5G9KSM">HERE</a>! and Happy Homeschooling Adventures!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-65690574045214392012013-09-02T17:19:00.001-04:002013-09-11T15:27:50.798-04:00Teaching Ending Sounds to 1st gradersI'm so excited to share this <strong>teaching activity</strong> with all of you!<br />
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As parents we are always looking for ways to help our children learn. When our kids are young, before they even start school, we are reading to them, teaching them sounds, words, and much, much more. We are our children's first teachers. And I think we are our children's most important teacher because we are the ones that give them the foundation they need to succeed in school.<br />
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It is with that role in mind that I created<strong> "Rhyming Flowers</strong>", a simple activity that gets kids excited about <strong>learning new words</strong>, understanding how putting together letters makes words, and <strong>distinguishing sounds</strong>.<br />
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As preschoolers, kindergarteners, and even first graders, kids are beginning to understand the <strong>relationship between sounds and letters</strong>. It's a magical time of discovery. Kids get so pumped up when they realize how many words they can make with one simple word ending. <strong>"Rhyming Flowers"</strong> is here to help with this wonderful discovery. This <strong>teaching tool</strong> will make <strong>learning rhyming words and sounds</strong> really interesting for the kids.<br />
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<strong>"Rhyming Flowers"</strong> is basically a rhyming game. What makes this<strong> learning product</strong> so different and so worthwhile is that it is FUN! I've used it with many young children and the response is unbelievable. I've had students lay on the carpet and play with these <strong>rhyming flowers</strong> for hours on end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD18X9xdGTCsgjaZNackckhv6EfNwJaJNvkxemlZgFoCiqPtLJJkMxwwkaK_CCWsH-eIaK9Wfkar8BgtW8E2oSST-Cq75-_xa8I_WTZDEgMZ-7PZZjfurJ8EUyIcNZg84i-x6ojttBLLg/s1600/preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD18X9xdGTCsgjaZNackckhv6EfNwJaJNvkxemlZgFoCiqPtLJJkMxwwkaK_CCWsH-eIaK9Wfkar8BgtW8E2oSST-Cq75-_xa8I_WTZDEgMZ-7PZZjfurJ8EUyIcNZg84i-x6ojttBLLg/s320/preview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhyming-Flowers-837468" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4r0QExvewT3VjdqiGoyfeLxU7O9n5G5wA_7slmmU-AfDtiMS3jecKeN-L-5xzshOTKhxTt47wHJ5ltY9OOYcf_nVZEkgo7ENxCI9I_TxGfz0FU9kAE3lUzsIiYGTeLvGAEJ-fW5cJzRU/s200/Buy+Now+Button.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
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<strong>"Word Family Rhyming Flowers"</strong> comes in <strong>a set of 10 flowers</strong>. Each set has a flower center which is the <strong>ending sound</strong> and several petals which are the<strong> beginning sounds</strong>. The set also comes with instructions and extra game ideas. I've also color coordinated the flower petals and centers to make it easier for the parent/teacher.<br />
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The set is downloadable and I recommend laminating it which will make it usable for a very long time.<br />
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You can buy the set<b> </b><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhyming-Flowers-837468"><b>here</b></a> for only $10. That's just $1 per flower. This small fee gets you <strong>endless teaching opportunities</strong> as well as infinite fun for your kids and students.<br />
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And to kick off the new school year, I'm giving away <strong>2 sets to 2 Adventures of a Homeschool Mom readers</strong> (1 set per winner).<br />
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<b>THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED</b><br />
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It's really easy to enter....just leave a comment below telling me why you would like this activity and how your child or student would benefit from it. That's it!<br />
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I'll announce the winners on Tuesday 9/10 on the blog and on Facebook, so be sure to "like" Adventures of a Homeschool Mom as well.<br />
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-32542180469939130922013-08-22T11:33:00.001-04:002013-08-22T11:33:48.568-04:005 tips to ease kids' moving anxiety.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Moving is never easy.... That's quite an understatement if you ask me. <br />
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There's all the planning, packing, cleaning, throwing stuff out, saying goodbyes. <br />
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Then you add children to the mix and things just got exponentially more difficult. You now have to deal with their stress and anxiety along with yours.<br />
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That's our reality at this moment. In the midst of all the packing, cleaning, runs to the storage facility, the kids are being neglected. Lets add guilt to the list of emotions. In the end, everything will work out and the kids will be fine. I'm confident about that. I'm also confident that this move will be very good for us. It will bring change in so many ways....a change of scenery, a change of routine, a change of pace, a change of lifestyle and the list goes on.<br />
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All of that is good...very good....but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty right now, at this very moment or when I spent an entire day cleaning out the basement and the kids in turn spent almost as much time watching tv or on the computer. <br />
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I took notice and decided to do something about it.....Not to clear my conscience but to get my kids more involved in this process. Ok, to clear my conscience a little bit.<br />
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Here are my <strong>5 tips to help kids through a move</strong>:<br />
<li><strong>Talk to your children constantly</strong>. Let them express how they're feeling. Remember, that no matter what those feelings are, they are still valid. They are real for the child. Acknowledge them, discuss them and accept them.</li>
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<li><strong>Don't try to convince your child</strong>. One of my children was not excited at all about moving. It was hard to hear because I felt we were doing what was in the best interest of the whole family, including the children. While I talked about all the new things to look forward to, I didn't try to force her to get on board. I knew that would take time.</li>
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<li><strong>Get the children involved</strong> in as many aspects of moving as possible. For us, that meant that we included our children in the decision making process. We let them, even encouraged them, to contribute ideas. This was one of the most important aspects to make the move easier. They helped us decide what to keep, sell, store or giveaway. And it wasn't always easy. Sometimes they wanted to keep everything and I had to guide them to the right decision. But for the most part, they were really good about making those decisions on their own. Even my 7 year old.</li>
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<li><strong>Read books together</strong>. For the 7 year old, I found some age appropriate books at the library and we read them almost everyday as we prepared for the move. As we read, we talked about the character's feelings and how they were similar to what we were experiencing. For the older child, I had her read about our destination. I asked her to come up with interesting things for us to do and discover once we arrived. Since she's always on the internet, she loved researching and telling me what she'd discovered. </li>
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<li><strong>Take the time to say goodbye</strong>. We were short on time, but I made sure to travel a couple of hours so my kids could go see their cousins and say goodbye. This was especially important for us since our move was overseas and we knew we wouldn't be seeing any family for quite a while. We also said goodbye to our house, our town, our favorite spots. </li>
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<strong>Bonus:</strong> I thought it would be good for my 7 year old to feel in control at this time in our lives when everything seemed so chaotic, so I gave her a camera and encouraged her to document the move and anything else she wanted to remember. She loved the idea and took tons of pictures of moving boxes, empty rooms and even her favorite places around the neighborhood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYH_rZNp_FYCEbCyUpp-D99tOe0J-uo_3AR3Ufw9p7agR4op5eDI9mAKBO_RAamKD3QLiOHSAbS2ADqVmrlxuWWUA-_ulbAnEF22wTUXL-jz4bnFqRX7fIvaM1OPnyuzvmim9i7rL4aE/s1600/Kids+camera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYH_rZNp_FYCEbCyUpp-D99tOe0J-uo_3AR3Ufw9p7agR4op5eDI9mAKBO_RAamKD3QLiOHSAbS2ADqVmrlxuWWUA-_ulbAnEF22wTUXL-jz4bnFqRX7fIvaM1OPnyuzvmim9i7rL4aE/s320/Kids+camera.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just remember, that as much as it is a difficult, sad, and busy time for you, it is very confusing, sad and scary for children. They need to feel a sense of belonging and normalcy in the middle of the frenzy. But with a little thought and planning, a big family move can go semi-smoothly, because, honestly, that was all I was hoping for.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-44170896651348695892013-07-02T08:04:00.002-04:002013-07-02T08:04:57.652-04:00Changes coming to Adventures of a Homeschool MomI abandoned my blog recently... And my readers. Life has taken an interesting path for our family which led me temporarily away from the blog. But I'm back even if sporadically over the next few months.<br />
<br />
I want to update you all on whats going on over at Adventures of a Homeschool Mom.<br />
<br />
First, we continue to homeschool Buttercup who just finished 2nd grade. As Buttercup gets older, she works much more independently and so I found myself with less ideas to share. I was also in a slump so that probably explains better why I haven't been on here much.<br />
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I'm feeling better and ready to jump back in.<br />
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Second, I will post my 2nd grade curriculum as a FREE DOWNLOAD, sometime in August. I'll keep you posted.<br />
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Third, and most important, Adventures of a Homeschool Mom is going on the road. We will be moving to the UK in August and I will be homeschooling there initially. I would like to put Buttercup in school because it will be important for her to help with the adjustment in a new country. But, we will homeschool in the beginning until we get settled......and I plan on documenting this whole process.<br />
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This move was something we wanted for a long time, but it did come suddenly. So now we're scrambling to get everything in order to go across the pond. This chaos also contributed to me putting this blog on the back burner. I will share more about the reason for this move in another post.<br />
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Right now I need to go pack some boxes!<br />
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-10553224107543696192013-04-18T10:48:00.000-04:002013-04-18T10:50:11.397-04:00Encouraging creative play!So Buttercup has been talking about her stuffed animals' birthdays! Actually, only to of them. One is a tiny dog she named Glancy. The other is a tiny unicorn named Magic. If you've been reading this blog you know that Magic was the recipient of that very cute cardboard house that Buttercup and Daddy made just for her.<br />
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Back to the story. Buttercup picked some of her toys and gift wrapped them for Glancy and Magic. I initially didn't pay too much attention , but Buttercup wouldn't let up.<br />
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Finally, this week, I told her we should throw them a party. Buttercup was thrilled. We picked a day when everyone would be home for the evening. Then we set out to plan a party.<br />
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Here's what we did:<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>We made handmade invitations for each member of the family</li>
<li>We "delivered" the invitations</li>
<li>We planned party games(pin the tail on the unicorn and bingo, with prizes)</li>
<li>We baked a cake</li>
<li>We printed out pictures of Glancy and Magic and used them to decorate the dinner table</li>
<li>We decorated the dining room with streamers</li>
</ul>
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<br />
After dinner we played games and then sang happy birthday and had some cake.<br />
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At first, everyone thought we were silly. The resident teenager even mocked us and didn't want to participate. But once we got started everyone had fun, even the teenager. Go figure.<br />
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I wanted to tell you a little thing about me. I didn't play like this growing up. I don't really remember having a great imagination and creating fantasies like Buttercup does. We grew up running around barefoot outside with our friends. Parents didnt play with thir children and that was fine with us. We just wanted to be with our friends, it made sense that way. It was a different world then. Nowadays with scheduled play dates and danger lurking everywhere, parents need to do things differently. So I actively participate and even encourage Buttercup's games. Why not. She loves it. We're together. I am giving her memories to last a lifetime.<br />
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She won't remember me buying her lots of things, but she'll never forget Glancy and Magic's birthday party!<br />
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Dream. Imagine. Create<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-6402117301142787192013-03-14T15:56:00.003-04:002013-03-14T15:56:47.073-04:002nd grade art lesson - Piet Mondrian
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are fully engaged in <strong>art lessons</strong> in our homeschool.
Buttercup and I love learning about different artists and new techniques. </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We recently read about Piet Mondrian and tried some art work
of our own using some of his techniques. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our lesson included:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reading a simple <strong>biography</strong>. (When I say simple, I mean a book written for children)</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Looking at the artist's work in a book or online.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Discussing the <strong>artist's technique</strong> and what we like/dislike about it.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Doing a word search puzzle which we found at<a href="http://www.makingartfun.com/"> www.makingartfun.com</a> (This has become one of our favorite websites! More about them later)</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Making our own <strong>Mondrian inspired art work</strong>.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Visiting a museum</strong> to see his work in person. <a href="http://www.homeschoolnj.blogspot.com/2013/03/visiting-museums-with-kids-it-can-be.html">Read how we make museum visits fun!</a></span></li>
</ul>
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Mondrian Inspired art work</div>
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Materials:</div>
<ul>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1 sheet of white computer paper</div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
a few sheets of construction paper in black, red, yellow and blue</div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ruler</div>
</li>
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Pencil</div>
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Scissors</div>
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Glue</div>
</li>
</ul>
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Instructions:</div>
<ul>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Measure and cut a few strips of black construction paper in different widths. We used 1/2 inch, and 3/4 inch strips</div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Place your strips on the white paper. Arrange them any way you want.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cut squares and rectangles in different sizes to place between the strips over the white paper.</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1Ey5PLvS-vXXpCSSo7mEybzqKjNRYwOK4m07aCyNIR5ktAlLG-8_yIjq5_2Ofwma_xzaBpDAjSakXgjlQYV7JKIoyKEuXBd1T1LFqMtNgETiX2oL-UkOddUxfJKcvuhuklMBht7Vb4o/s1600/040+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1Ey5PLvS-vXXpCSSo7mEybzqKjNRYwOK4m07aCyNIR5ktAlLG-8_yIjq5_2Ofwma_xzaBpDAjSakXgjlQYV7JKIoyKEuXBd1T1LFqMtNgETiX2oL-UkOddUxfJKcvuhuklMBht7Vb4o/s320/040+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFv3XQ0XKOO217S0bESrCY2CxGhcrOhpkGMWIvbkZIoKxQQ2cwrqE8hZQOWwamikAAeqR3m9IlJAgpP8xIG_tp7vY6tGNQZUM9Rvq4Om3pAZaMxGH4OXhRjkE2UqX42qlVmxuq14_ZLo/s1600/039+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFv3XQ0XKOO217S0bESrCY2CxGhcrOhpkGMWIvbkZIoKxQQ2cwrqE8hZQOWwamikAAeqR3m9IlJAgpP8xIG_tp7vY6tGNQZUM9Rvq4Om3pAZaMxGH4OXhRjkE2UqX42qlVmxuq14_ZLo/s320/039+(3).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzkLZpOJRDuanue38zzxqKvHgZzygN4miptxPoe9owo6ujpJRKD2fujZ4nmcYlodb9Zxk_BGblkVsbxGlpEPvdKhn8qkHT7G6sp2a22Vc5lZR5S4UEbHSbbDl5pXID9VFilFGnrukW_k/s1600/044+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzkLZpOJRDuanue38zzxqKvHgZzygN4miptxPoe9owo6ujpJRKD2fujZ4nmcYlodb9Zxk_BGblkVsbxGlpEPvdKhn8qkHT7G6sp2a22Vc5lZR5S4UEbHSbbDl5pXID9VFilFGnrukW_k/s320/044+(2).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Piet Mondrian<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Piet Mondrian was born in Amersfoort, Netherlands, in 1872.
At a very young age, his father Pieter introduced Piet to art. In 1892,
Mondrian entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam as a teacher. While
there, he continued to work on his own paintings, most of which were landscapes
and pastoral images of Holland. He was initially influenced by the pointillist
and fauvist movements. However, in 1911, Mondrian discovered Cubism which led
him toward abstraction. As early as 1912 when he painted The Sea, it can be
seen that his art work began to be dominated by geometric shapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mondrian continued to explore abstract forms
eventually developing a style he called neo-plasticism.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was during his time in Paris after the war, where he
painted one of his most famous paintings, Composition with Red, Yellow and
Blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Piet Mondrian died of pneumonia in
New York City on February 1, 1944. <span style="color: #9292a5; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Happy Homeschool Adventures!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-7916496799872981782013-03-05T17:04:00.000-05:002013-03-22T18:22:26.122-04:00Visiting Museums with Kids. It can be done!If you love museums and want to teach your kids to appreciate art at an early age, please read on. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBngIUIoxAx-mJqpolOiU3VzGM-OfO60W1eVmXF3NoFt_Y6dbu0-P88wmzKEGREqp6bAPaRL1-_bfYfZs7Dg1BPgyMiiUoypT86KXnkiXppK6CYxiSvdn3xpeGSASX1PFHUpDs0MoYS2I/s1600/Museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBngIUIoxAx-mJqpolOiU3VzGM-OfO60W1eVmXF3NoFt_Y6dbu0-P88wmzKEGREqp6bAPaRL1-_bfYfZs7Dg1BPgyMiiUoypT86KXnkiXppK6CYxiSvdn3xpeGSASX1PFHUpDs0MoYS2I/s200/Museum.JPG" width="196" /></a></div>
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I hear all the time (from friends, families, and readers)that taking young children to museums can be a daunting task. I've even heard a family member say that she will not step into a museum until her kids are teenagers. Well, by that point, it's too late, you might as well forget about it. Kids need to be exposed to various situations in order to learn appropriate behavior as well as an appreciation for things other than the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter. <br />
<br />
Download my<a href="http://adventuresofahomeschoolmom.com/printables/Museum_Scavenger_Hunt.pdf"> Museum Scavenger Hunt</a> FREE!<br />
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Kids <strong>CAN</strong> go to museums and actually enjoy them. Kids <strong>SHOULD</strong> learn to appreciate art and to behave according to their surroundings when they are still young. I think parents' big mistake is to shield kids from these places and experiences out of fear. Instead, both parents and kids would benefit from this exposure. Parents will take pride in the fact that their kids are well behaved and well rounded individuals with multiple interests.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EXoqKWdILWlZXRw1r2olpk0oQM6eQ7NTXqEfpN62XytzR_cc1NARE7snSL5Gb9Wffo8S2P9hVcoqjqJzn6zJGBFDQdPfCFxjauf9Ls5QnysjiKm6H1ol2wVebFWPzUn8r5ztggpLx1A/s1600/Boy+in+museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EXoqKWdILWlZXRw1r2olpk0oQM6eQ7NTXqEfpN62XytzR_cc1NARE7snSL5Gb9Wffo8S2P9hVcoqjqJzn6zJGBFDQdPfCFxjauf9Ls5QnysjiKm6H1ol2wVebFWPzUn8r5ztggpLx1A/s320/Boy+in+museum.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Explore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All of that said, I strongly believe that kids need guidance and structure when visiting places like museums.<br />
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Both of my daughters love art and visiting museums; I've been taking them since they were two years old. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcOF_-5LbBOkJO0v7BJMhDp5yJGXOl2Q27sLZJe0ojb8Zk_ISav9h2l64XIaWfdu4JOStL1WcKtxrh0gp8tn1HmFHUzce-rBp9rSkBQABc1zaUpTt9G4g2N14OKNGm7rpcd3bDGp4Vr4/s1600/Canvas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcOF_-5LbBOkJO0v7BJMhDp5yJGXOl2Q27sLZJe0ojb8Zk_ISav9h2l64XIaWfdu4JOStL1WcKtxrh0gp8tn1HmFHUzce-rBp9rSkBQABc1zaUpTt9G4g2N14OKNGm7rpcd3bDGp4Vr4/s200/Canvas.JPG" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here are some tips to make a museum visit an enjoyable experience for parents and kids alike:<br />
<ul>
<li><strong>Plan</strong> ahead</li>
<li>Get the kids <strong>involved</strong> (it makes them feels important)</li>
<li><strong>Talk</strong> about the place you'll be visiting and what they'll be seeing</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong> some research and choose a few of the art works on display to show the kids while still at home (this will get them excited for the visit)</li>
<li>Talk about <strong>artists</strong> (this can turn into a mini lesson!)</li>
<li>Take along a <strong>scavenger hunt</strong> (this gives kids purpose and they'll be excited when they find the items on their list) Print mine<a href="http://adventuresofahomeschoolmom.com/printables/Museum_Scavenger_Hunt.pdf"> free here</a>! or make up your own</li>
<li>Stop by the museum store <strong>BEFORE</strong> the visit and let your kids pick out a post card or two of art work. Then tell them they have to find those in the museum.</li>
<li><strong>Know</strong> your kid's limit; if you see they are losing interest or getting antsy, it's time to leave</li>
<li><strong>Bring</strong> a drawing pad and pencil and encourage your child to observe a favorite picture and draw it</li>
<li><strong>Ask </strong>pointed questions about some paintings(this gets kids thinking)</li>
<li><strong>Check</strong> with the museum if they offer their own scavenger hunt or other kid activities(many museums do). We recently visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and they had a short guided tour just for kids with a hands on activity at the end. My daughter loved it.</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueun-zeCrj4mpzWx9BbokSNYVZXCbAlWYloWCIuFoRP9ZXV_kmwcRs2cMGR-saoEpuDIMqLhdafmuyI38P7keMGVDPHoSxokHH4zxp-HGg260hJa23VEON_O-S-9Euse9q7bmRfWWQOA/s1600/Kid+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueun-zeCrj4mpzWx9BbokSNYVZXCbAlWYloWCIuFoRP9ZXV_kmwcRs2cMGR-saoEpuDIMqLhdafmuyI38P7keMGVDPHoSxokHH4zxp-HGg260hJa23VEON_O-S-9Euse9q7bmRfWWQOA/s200/Kid+painting.JPG" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Encourage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2Qh3ylBkYKuYitpPlXVcqwi7DqHK295v_GzPs39jUQvBI83D7Blqot5rSIrLK8fnreqKT5PAnP-7eLq3AXDZHOQZUUKSZgdBrBEy6Zjs2ulS7rmvMCz1OV9_ANMQcwWvs2Jgk0_byTw/s1600/Paints.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2Qh3ylBkYKuYitpPlXVcqwi7DqHK295v_GzPs39jUQvBI83D7Blqot5rSIrLK8fnreqKT5PAnP-7eLq3AXDZHOQZUUKSZgdBrBEy6Zjs2ulS7rmvMCz1OV9_ANMQcwWvs2Jgk0_byTw/s200/Paints.JPG" width="159" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Envision</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have created a <a href="http://adventuresofahomeschoolmom.com/printables/Museum_Scavenger_Hunt.pdf">museum scavenger hunt</a> that can be used in almost any museum! Print it <a href="http://adventuresofahomeschoolmom.com/printables/Museum_Scavenger_Hunt.pdf">here</a> FREE.<br />
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Do you visit museums with your kids or are you afraid they'll be bored or misbehave? Share your opinions here!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-48979410028298711492013-02-22T14:02:00.001-05:002013-02-27T19:27:50.793-05:00I'm a Writer! Authors as Mentors Encouraging kids to Write<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We recently spent a month doing a lesson on <strong>Authors as Mentors</strong>. This is where we really delve into one author's work and read several of his/her books, analyze and discuss the writing and finally, try to model our own writing after our author mentor. We did this in our <strong>Reading Club</strong> and <strong>Writer's Workshop.</strong> </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I did some research on what authors to include and I settled on <strong>Tomie DePaola</strong> and <strong>Patricia Polacco</strong>. My older daughter had done this same lesson when she was in school and she loved the Tomie DiPaola books and I still had them so it seemed natural to start this lesson with his work.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDeS-Iwd_yN9eORQG28MOewUEw8oVoIEnMLEDKrQTKFpG4gKX90YYXoqk8FWqYSiBkUCnLwH1revj4bBhJ1C2Ww4S8h_iy6tfjiQNxyRx691GQNydf6vhctZV7-8LpghcJcTjlfyR8Rk/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDeS-Iwd_yN9eORQG28MOewUEw8oVoIEnMLEDKrQTKFpG4gKX90YYXoqk8FWqYSiBkUCnLwH1revj4bBhJ1C2Ww4S8h_iy6tfjiQNxyRx691GQNydf6vhctZV7-8LpghcJcTjlfyR8Rk/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We reviewed different writing techniques such as simile, alliteration, metaphor, hyperbole, and onomatopoeia.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We practiced using those techniques.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We talked about Tomie DePaola and we read a brief biography to understand how Tomie became an <strong>author</strong> and <strong>illustrator</strong>. We also learned how he comes up with ideas for his stories. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I read aloud one of his books and we tried to find some of the writing techniques we had previously learned.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Writer's Workshop, we brainstormed ideas for our own story. We talked about things that were happening in Buttercup's life at the time (ice skating lessons, a visit to her cousins' house, getting our Christmas picture taken)</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I encouraged Buttercup to write down all of those ideas. For now, we would only pick one, but we agreed that it would be good to keep a list for future stories.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She picked a topic and told the story on 5 fingers.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, she wrote those 5 sentences down.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVg-5dIpz-n0Lb0IJdf5SuFkoPGOLnodPJd9h5pITtwwSyEyQi7MOYbqIScfPC7DZkwG84VKGmVSCt5CYr-cciobKEZBSF5M-6bq27EZJs1_EYsdPziwNo32bcMDuJ9-896lmYbnAt4Uo/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVg-5dIpz-n0Lb0IJdf5SuFkoPGOLnodPJd9h5pITtwwSyEyQi7MOYbqIScfPC7DZkwG84VKGmVSCt5CYr-cciobKEZBSF5M-6bq27EZJs1_EYsdPziwNo32bcMDuJ9-896lmYbnAt4Uo/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We alternated days in Reading Club and Writer's Workshop; that means, we would read aloud on one day, and do some writing the next day.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> ·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Reading Club, we read other Tomie DePaola books and talked about writing techniques that he used in all of the books we read.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some of the things we noticed were: </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He names the setting within the first sentence.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He uses words in Italian.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He uses words in bold letters for emphasis.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He uses what we call the list of 3 (naming 3 things within a sentence).</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">His stories are about him or things he heard or experienced growing up.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since Buttercup had already written her story in 5 sentences, we went back to edit the story and try to include some of our mentor author's techniques.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Buttercup was happy with her story, we cut out strips of paper (5, one for each sentence of her story). She re wrote her sentences on each strip of paper.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She then glued the sentences to the bottom of a bigger piece of construction paper.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVG5smqb1253ZJQQGSYqnp9pqLCefiNrZUJ7Zkc0cE0bF3U4cRTf5Qz5z5BAEnr3b92Aer6am5T4Kj7Xt63MnG_AJiuiWYAQ9JFUu1u-hGVYpzSDJxrby2qeReCrQV36cNXyZiNZbKa8Y/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVG5smqb1253ZJQQGSYqnp9pqLCefiNrZUJ7Zkc0cE0bF3U4cRTf5Qz5z5BAEnr3b92Aer6am5T4Kj7Xt63MnG_AJiuiWYAQ9JFUu1u-hGVYpzSDJxrby2qeReCrQV36cNXyZiNZbKa8Y/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next, Buttercup made a drawing to go along with each sentence of her story. As our mentor author is also an artist and illustrated his own books, we thought it would be perfect for Buttercup to illustrate her book too.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYBAW4gxnsW5B-5kng4AUebGE5AQreXB-SA3-RGAMqTlU5gDFZMJ9XDA6MQej9OE7kMI322xsxC7oj-HiwOWU6SOa76X88ChGyAA7lOdlTi3myaS7qE5eTPWOudnAN5Z_R5BZ399p2H8/s1600/009+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYBAW4gxnsW5B-5kng4AUebGE5AQreXB-SA3-RGAMqTlU5gDFZMJ9XDA6MQej9OE7kMI322xsxC7oj-HiwOWU6SOa76X88ChGyAA7lOdlTi3myaS7qE5eTPWOudnAN5Z_R5BZ399p2H8/s320/009+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6Ql4fhji2cEKhXx2IdFNpVCDTZupoggPfdAmyP6zJoTWSJ65KmtmPUKg4UUovUP3ZLWHkmcRhNE5emi1bc2hnTbD3iS9rhftGHt9MaLpJD3Vp9WZejdMgR6bkraqZGeEeVq2W3pS1PE/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6Ql4fhji2cEKhXx2IdFNpVCDTZupoggPfdAmyP6zJoTWSJ65KmtmPUKg4UUovUP3ZLWHkmcRhNE5emi1bc2hnTbD3iS9rhftGHt9MaLpJD3Vp9WZejdMgR6bkraqZGeEeVq2W3pS1PE/s320/007.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Buttercup is so proud of her book. She loves to go back and read it every once in a while. Writing was such a challenge for her because she thought it was boring and never had ideas. Giving her some structure, encouraging her to jot down moments she may want to remember later, and guiding her through the process has made the writing process much easier.</span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We followed the same process as we read through some of Patricia Polacco's books. And Buttercup wrote another book.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Success!!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-9152704311501229392013-02-17T21:44:00.001-05:002013-02-17T21:45:55.890-05:00Hands on electronics projects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img height="200" src="http://www.eeme.co/static/pr_media_kit/eeme_logo_380_380_xparent.png" width="200" /></div>
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I recently had the opportunity to do a fun hands on science project with Buttercup. It was an electronics project from <a href="http://www.eeme.co/">www.eeme.co</a>. <a href="http://www.eeme.co/">EEME's hands-on projects teach kids about electronics.</a> Each project is paired with online curricula to not only guide the kids in assembling the project but also to teach the concepts applied.<br />
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This is what is included in the kits:<br />
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 5px 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A fun indoor activity to do with your 7-12 year old that will teach them something at the same time!</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 5px 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A project kit in the mail with all the material needed to build your project (including a breadboard, resistors, circuits, LEDs, battery)</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 5px 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A set of online videos that will (1) teach you and your kid how to put together the kit, and (2) explain the electrical engineering concepts behind it</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 5px 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Interactive quizzes to test your kid's learning</span></li>
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The whole process was seamless and easy to complete.<br />
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We received the kit in the mail; we got <a href="http://www.eeme.co/landing_genius_light">Project Genius Light</a>. I then we registered my email on their website. I liked that all they asked for was my email. I wasn't required to complete a long form with all of my information. That was a big plus for me.<br />
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Once I registered I was able to access the video instructions for our project. Buttercup is 7 years old, so she is on the younger range of the recommended ages (7-12), and she had no problems whatsoever following the instructions in the video. The two of us worked on it together which is the way it's intended to be.<br />
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<img height="200" src="http://www.eeme.co/static/pr_media_kit/project-lights-mr.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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The instructor is clear, easy to understand and the video is easy to follow. And the best part is that they quiz you throughout the project. So Buttercup definitely learned some good stuff. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBNcQPv3M7Jda38FrX_jXBOR30sM1o_K7AU3mA9tAfdSMdBTlk2iUYuycVPaxJos7LvHbNycdSikWV9DmMI-4lYZqZHai1vRt-G3x6NSF257T4As4JK05E_pXAjvNeNBgrkmoFfx3VjU/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBNcQPv3M7Jda38FrX_jXBOR30sM1o_K7AU3mA9tAfdSMdBTlk2iUYuycVPaxJos7LvHbNycdSikWV9DmMI-4lYZqZHai1vRt-G3x6NSF257T4As4JK05E_pXAjvNeNBgrkmoFfx3VjU/s320/054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDF3IiZEgyBSa87drdDJ3yaIkDSsaFLSF8tkJcO_U86MkZNuqjF_lM8Zw6a_VAcSXdqX-hdq2jfJHexiNbXO9POWVCh-8iumCh5ny8ILYFCdw05ShNV9d9aUGlxD8thc1YWd7HKYv4dQA/s1600/051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDF3IiZEgyBSa87drdDJ3yaIkDSsaFLSF8tkJcO_U86MkZNuqjF_lM8Zw6a_VAcSXdqX-hdq2jfJHexiNbXO9POWVCh-8iumCh5ny8ILYFCdw05ShNV9d9aUGlxD8thc1YWd7HKYv4dQA/s320/051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The electronics projects available are perfect for homeschoolers since they can be done anytime, with parental assistance, and with video instruction.<br />
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Now here is the best part, the folks at <a href="http://www.eeme.co/">http://www.eeme.co</a> have generously offered Adventures of a Homeschool Mom readers an incredible 50% discount on <span style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://www.eeme.co/landing_genius_light">Project Genius Light</a>. All you have to do is send an email to <a href="mailto:dad@eeme.co" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1361065270381_4117" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:dad@eeme.co"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1361065278_1">dad@eeme.co</span></a> with "50% promo - Adventures of a Homeschool Mom" in the subject.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">I know you and your child will enjoy this project as much as we did. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">Happy Homeschooling Adventures!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: xx-small;">Disclosure: I received a kit in order to do the review. All of the opinions in this review are my own. I did not receive any compensation for this review.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-36813406769519806372013-02-06T15:41:00.000-05:002013-02-07T15:44:11.823-05:00Russia Unit Study!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-t9_H7poOSmG9ZAc7PxZlBGCIt3NkMEbhxylmh81XjVEJCNGskpaAG4uCmOJwv8-zzhFPvudmfbkzIg0Aol1iioYwHaNHyDFzFi5NxKSguj0YFoig5Ql75hJj4IRAyHjRRme0jmMbqw/s1600/Russian+flag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-t9_H7poOSmG9ZAc7PxZlBGCIt3NkMEbhxylmh81XjVEJCNGskpaAG4uCmOJwv8-zzhFPvudmfbkzIg0Aol1iioYwHaNHyDFzFi5NxKSguj0YFoig5Ql75hJj4IRAyHjRRme0jmMbqw/s320/Russian+flag.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here's my newest unit study - Russia!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I'm so excited about this one because it was a country that
was completely new for me. Until I did this unit study I knew very little about
Russia; just bits and pieces from Russian students I had in the past combined with
some very basic information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Russia unit study was Buttercup's idea. I don't know why,
but she is fascinated with Russia, so when I asked which country she wanted to
study, she did not hesitate to ask for Russia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In order to prepare for this unit study, I had to do lots
and lots of research. I read books and other resource material to come up with
an <strong>8 week program</strong> that would cover enough information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We started with some basic information about Russia;
location, size, language, currency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next we read this great book "Introduction to Asia" which had lots of
stuff about Russia's climate and different climate zones. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We learned about Russia's favorite pastimes and some of the
foods they typically eat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We really got into the part about music and art and I
found a YouTube video of Swan Lake for Buttercup and me to watch. The video was
2 hours long and we watched in 1/2 hour increments, but Buttercup loved it. We
would pause to talk about what we thought was happening based on the tone of
the music, the dances, the scenery and the dancers' facial expressions. It was
a lot of fun and made watching a ballet an interesting experience, that was not
at all boring.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nesting doll template included in unit study</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buttercup's nesting doll activity</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the end of the year approached, I was able to find a
local production of The Nutcracker ballet, so I took Buttercup. My
recommendation for anyone taking their children to the ballet would be to read up
on the story before you go; do some activities pre-show. We didn't do that and
honestly we were kind of confused about the story. I'm sure we would have had a
much better experience had we done a little research prior to seeing the
ballet. We still enjoyed it and will do things differently next time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Russia unit study is perfect for the classroom as well
as homeschool. It covers most subject areas:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Math</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Social Studies</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Geography</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Science</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Foreign Language</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reading</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Writing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You
can get this comprehensive unit study right <a href="http://homeschoolnj.blogspot.com/p/my-shop.html">here</a> for a small fee. I hope that
by charging a small fee for some of the lessons I offer will allow me to
continue to offer other things for free, like my printables.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Kc1FcvXNTv6r22lqHqtmK46Cfw9l8pIl7rHdHRuTnu38jl_6VKXJPU8CD5QEXayg1N8FPeARog5hbbGTML60rxysc7_bzD6z8-VkB7qKB2lW4HzKApwOr6K7NgGzcgt4y6rCFu_mUl4/s1600/Russian+architecture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Kc1FcvXNTv6r22lqHqtmK46Cfw9l8pIl7rHdHRuTnu38jl_6VKXJPU8CD5QEXayg1N8FPeARog5hbbGTML60rxysc7_bzD6z8-VkB7qKB2lW4HzKApwOr6K7NgGzcgt4y6rCFu_mUl4/s320/Russian+architecture.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://homeschoolnj.blogspot.com/p/my-shop.html"> I want to buy the Russia Unit Study</a></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
welcome feedback on the study units, if you would like me to add something of
interest to you, please let me know and I will do my best to include it in an
upgraded version.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks
for your support!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-6469005123198536612013-01-23T10:22:00.000-05:002013-01-23T10:35:37.065-05:00A child's creativityButtercup has been an imaginative, creative child for as long as I can remember. She loves to create worlds and goes as far as creating characters, storylines, music and everything in between. She tells me these fantastical stories that she imagines, creates and then lives in for a short time. <br />
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Once, she wanted to build a rocket ship, because she truly believed if she built it, she could fly to outer space. She bugged my husband until one day, he found a big cardboard box and off to the basement they went to build their rocket ship. Buttercup had already made the designs and had written instructions for her dad! He basically followed what she wanted, added some special touches and now we have a cardboard rocket ship in our basement.<br />
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Recently, she got a tiny little stuffed animal with big bug eyes (they're popular but I can't remember their name). Anyway, she named it Magic and decided that Magic needed a place to live. So she asked my husband to build Magic a home. Of course, he jumped on the idea (he loves this trait about her and wants to encourage her creativity). Again, with cardboard box in hand, off they go!<br />
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He made the cuts in the cardboard to Buttercup's specifications, and she decorated the little house. She took her time, thinking of every detail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the windows</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door with a look out</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding color and style</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard at work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So proud!!</td></tr>
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How do you encourage your child's creativity?<br />
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4883610533435889116.post-53811761795790976122013-01-15T15:13:00.000-05:002013-01-15T14:39:09.223-05:002nd Grade Art Lesson - Henri Rousseau<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buttercup </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">and I like to do a lot of</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">art projects in our homeschool and with my guidance, I let Buttercup choose the artists she wants to study. So off to the library we go in search of a book in <strong>The World's Greatest Artists</strong> series. Buttercup knew she wanted to learn more about<strong> Henri Rousseau</strong> (she was already familiar with his work). Much to our surprise, Rousseau is not one of the artists in the series. We did find another book about him that seemed geared toward children, so we checked that one out from the library. It turns out the book was more of a novel and while it did mention Rousseau it wasn't really what we wanted. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">I turned to the internet for some information about Henri Rousseau and was able to come up with a pretty fun lesson plan for Buttercup.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Our Lesson Plan:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Research the Rousseau and his work</span></span></li>
<li>Find out where Rousseau is from, when he lived, what his artistic style is</li>
<li>Discuss with your child the life and works of the artist</li>
<li>Look at some of his/her art work on line</li>
<li>Choose a piece that your child would like to do on her/his own</li>
<li>With the appropriate materials in hand, let your child do her own artist inspired art work</li>
<li>If possible, visit a museum to see some of the artist's work in person. </li>
</ul>
Buttercup chose <strong>Tiger in a Tropical Storm</strong>.<br />
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We started out with three sheets of white paper. On the first one, Buttercup drew the backgroud scene, the trees, branches, and leaves. <br />
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She then colored that using oil pastels (presently her favorite medium). One the 2nd sheet of paper, Buttercup drew the tiger. And on the 3rd sheet, she drew the big leaves that are in front of the tiger.<br />
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We then put the whole thing together to make the tiger kind of pop out of the page while still being hidden by the big green bushes.<br />
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Here's a short biography about <strong>Henri Rousseau</strong>.<br />
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Henri Rousseau was a French painter born in 1844.<br />
Rousseau was born to a poor family. His father’s debts even caused the family to
lose their home at one point. Rousseau served in the army for four years before
going on to become a customs officer at the edge of Paris. He worked until he
was 49, painting on the weekends, until he could retire and focus fully on his
art. He gave painting lessons, performed as a street musician, and did other
odd tasks to earn enough money to live as he painted.<br />
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He was completely
self-taught and this showed in his work. He wanted to paint flawless, realistic
works but a naivety, a simplicity, persisted that he couldn’t shake. The
traditionalist painters mocked him but he remained confident in his talent. <br />
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Many of Rousseau's paintings are depictions of tropical forests, fauna and flora. The problem is that Rousseau was never at any of the places he painted. All of his ideas came from books. This made his paintings unrealistic because, in his paintings, he uses animals in the same scene that would never be found in the same habitat. He also paints plants and fruit from different parts of the world together in one scene. For example, in Tiger attacking buffalo, Rousseau paints bananas growing upside down from trees. <br />
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All in all we had a lot of fun with this art lesson. </div>
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Happy Homeschooling Adventures!</div>
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