Our pond this week: When we arrived at our pond for our weekly study, we were not expecting anything out of the norm. Everything at first glance looked the same, everything sounded the same. Really, everything was the same as it always had been. We did our usual walking around the perimeter of the pond,…
Month: August 2013
Little House on the Prairie: Week Six
I can't believe we're at the end of week 6, with only four more weeks to go. So much to do, so little time in which to do it! We have definitely upped the gear this week as there were one or two activities which needed to be done in order for the planned activities over…
Making Raggy the Rag Doll
If there is one thing I have learnt about myself this summer is that I seem never to throw things away. I am a hoarder. This has been exceedingly useful during a summer learning about pioneer living. It has meant that we have spent almost no money on a really, really exciting and learning rich summer. This…
Sweet Marigold Buns
The Marigold bun recipe as promised. I'm sorry it took so long. T11 made these when he was helping to look after his sisters whilst they were ill. Marigold is known for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. I'm not sure the small amount used in each cupcake would be enough to have any effect, but they…
Helping a Struggling Math Student: Relationships between the number bonds
I began this lesson asking the girls to tell me what number bonds were in their own words. C10, whilst it was obvious in our lesson that she understood them, was unable to articulate clearly her understanding. I was looking for a definition which included the words: picture, relationship, whole, parts. L10 was able to tell…
Autumn Plans 2013-2014: Reception
My goal has always been to school the older ones together and the younger two together. So whilst the older ones learn about the crusades the little ones will be going over BFIAR again, but a little more academically this time. I have specific goals in mind for each of my younger two. These include:…
One Year Pond Study Week 22: One Small Square Part 2
Our pond this week: I wasn't entirely sure we would get to the pond this week, but the children nagged and nagged, having missed it terribly last week. I think our new book had something to do with their enthusiasm. It really has sparked many, many ideas. As promised, here is a quick review of…
Stories of America Past
One of the wonderful surprise joys of blogging has been 'meeting' like-minded (often homeschooling) mums. I LOVE it when I get messages, or when another mum shares her thoughts and experiences. Tonyia had left a message on one of my 'Little House' posts: "We had a pioneer or two in my family and we have some…
Little House on the Prairie: Week 5
Once again our week has been marred by illness, although we seem to be out the other end, thank God. Nothing I had planned happened and the children were unusually apathetic to any Little House suggestions. I left it until I was sure everyone was better and then proceeded to get momentum going again. Bearing…
Helping a Struggling Maths Student: Number Bonds
This is my second post of our curriculum free maths journey. For the first post see here. My goal in teaching this wasn't the recitation of number bonds (they could do that already), it was to ensure the girls understood them and were able to apply their understanding to word problems. It was also to…