Thursday, October 30, 2014

Field Trip #147 Friday Blog Hop–Sterling, VA

Field Trip Friday!
Photobucket
Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts

(does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)


**NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE

 

    We met up with some old Hawaii friends at Claude Moore Colonial Farm the week of 3 field trips!  It was a cute little place, not a whole lot going on though.  I think it would be a better place to hit when they have activities planned.  There is a small farm house that has colonial farmers who speak in first person – it’s a tad odd.  The kids weren’t quite sure what to make of it, and I think had the most fun with the turkeys and ducks.  We went to the nearby park for lunch and did their obstacle course (well what we could find of the obstacle course).

    colonial farm

    Wednesday, October 29, 2014

    Workbox Wednesday

    Chestnut Grove Academy
     

    Welcome to Workbox Wednesday!  If you use workboxes, tot trays, or anything similar, feel free to post a link to your blog post or a picture (pictures can be from facebook, but please make sure they are PUBLIC so we can see them, or use a host like photobucket.com to get a URL for your photo) that shows WHAT IS IN YOUR BOXES!

    Please visit my co-host at Tots and Me and Line Upon Line Learning

    Visit others that link up, leave comments, follow, etc.  The favors will be returned!  Feel free to grab a button too, so others can find the link up and join in the fun!

    I have nothing new to share this week as we are in the midst of the ULTIMATE FIELD TRIP!  Please visit my co-hosts!!

    Tuesday, October 28, 2014

    Review: Clued in Kids (TOS Review)

    Clued In KidsReview
     
    We have been having a blast doing more treasure hunts from Clued in Kids!  We got to try out Multiplication Dragons and Soccer Treasure Hunt which are downloadable treasure hunts, therefore you receive them instantly at purchase and print them off.   
    Clued In KidsReview
    The most difficult part of these treasure hunts is coming up with a prize!  They are so simple to put together, and literally only take a few minutes! 
    Multiplication Dragons is a set of hunts that use the times tables (2-6) to solve the riddles and find the clues!  This set was really great because we are working on times tables right now with my oldest!  It was such a fun way to practice the times tables. 
    For prizes I used mostly coupons the kids received from the library this summer for treats! You can use anything as a prize…presents, candy, treats, coupons (even make some yourself if you like). 
    I took a couple videos of one of the hunts we did for you to see.  I don’t usually do videos….but here you go (and please never mind the fact my house is in total disarray).  It just shows a couple clues, but you get the idea about how excited my kids are to do them, and how the clues work.  (And you might want to turn your volume down, sorry….I have  BIG mouth!).
    Part 1
    Clued In KidsReview
     
    The Soccer Hunt included several math clues as well:  counting coins, telling time, and more.  Many of the clues were simple enough for younger kids like dot-to-dot or the ‘dare’ card.
    Part 2
    Basically you print off the clues, each clue tells you where to hide it, if you don’t have that place in your home, you can improvise (like I did with the Plant Pot clue in the video).  It seriously takes about 5 minutes max to go around and hide each clue and it’s so much fun for the kids to run around and find them!!
    The Soccer Hunt is available for $5.99, the Multiplication Dragons is on sale for $19.99 (includes 5 hunts for 2x-6x).  These are good for one child or up to groups of 10 children.  They can be used with children ages 4+, The Multiplication Dragons is recommended for ages 7-9. 
    These hunts are great for parties, rewards, or rainy day activities (Many of the clues are indoors, and you could substitute if something is not indoors). 
    There are lots of topics to choose from.  Check out the other TOS Reviews to see some others!  I highly recommend them and plan to get the Thanksgiving one to use at our family Thanksgiving get together! 
    Visit Clued In Kids Blog to see how you can get a FREE treasure chest with a purchase. 
    Clued In Kids on Social Media
    Twitter: @cluedinkids
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cluedinkids
    Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cluedinkids/
    Click to read Crew Reviews
    Crew Disclaimer

    Monday, October 27, 2014

    Poppins Book Nook–Space Explorer’s Camp Kit, other Space Activities, #Giveaway and #FREE Space DVDs (Linky Party)

    Poppins Book Nook
    <div align="center"><a href="http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/2014/02/poppins-book-nook/" title="Poppins Book Nook"><img src="http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n597/enchantedhomeschoolingmom/ProfileImage_zpse3f27ae8.png" alt="Poppins Book Nook" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
    Grab the code above to come and link up each month and share what YOU do with the theme!  We look forward to hearing from you!


    This Year’s Co-hosts


    The wonderful bloggers that participate in the Poppins Book Nook are:  Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God�s Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy�s Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy�s Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A �Peace� of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am  ~ Simple Living Mama


    Space Explorer’s Camp Kit

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    This is a great kit from Usborne Books, this particular kit is a combination of the Junior and Apollo kit, but they also offer the kits separately.  A great educational tool!


    Check out some other Space related activities:


    space2


    space collae
    (includes links to even more Space Activities)


    solar2
    **Leave a comment with your email address and the first 5 receive the DVDs listed in the above post FREE (postage paid by me)!  Additional DVDs will be available FREE for a small postage and handling fee (to be paid via paypal, I’ll email you instructions).  Give me a few weeks to get back to you, I have a full plate these next few weeks…but I WILL get back!  I promise!


    Skrafty Minecraft Astronomy Class

    Follow Jen's board Astronomy on Pinterest.

    Enter the Rafflecopter Below and Link up any SPACE related posts you may have below that! 


    Beyond Our Planet Bundle Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a bundle of fun for the theme of Beyond Our Planet.  This bundle will include a copy of the storybookThe Moon Book by Gail Gibbonsand a Space& Astronauts Bucket Playset.

    Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win: a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Saturday, October 25, 2014

    Share it Saturday! Fall/Halloween Themed Edition!

    Share it Saturday- halloween
    Please visit my co-hosts:

    Karyn from Teach Beside Me
    Colleen & Leann from Sugar Aunts
    Mary Catherine from Fun-a-Day
    and Kimberly from Natural Beach Living
     

    Highlighted Posts were randomly selected (using Random.org)
     
     
    Sensory Autumn Art Collage
    Sensory Autumn Art Project

    Thanks for linking up!!


     

    Friday, October 24, 2014

    Week 10 in Review

    week

    Saturday – Another busy day – Gymnastics (make up class) and 2 soccer games!  This coming Saturday are the last games for us this season, can’t say I’m too sad….but the boys enjoy playing, so I am glad of that…but it is such a Saturday hog! 

    Monday – I’ve had to reschedule Ks first year birthday pics twice because of rain!  So today we finally got to get them done.  There was a cold wind in the air though, poor girl.  Luckily it was a quick session.  Can’t wait to see how they turned out!  The shoot was at a small little local farm, and we snagged up some pumpkins while we were there.  We made a trip earlier to Gaver Farm which was the pumpkin patch experience, but we didn’t get pumpkins.  This farm had all their pumpkins on sale for $5 each…I may go back to snag a few more for decorations!  Can’t beat $5 pumpkins!!

    While K was having her photo taken, the boys played on the farm with pumpkin bowling and the hay bale maze and such.

    2014-10-20 10.27.032014-10-20 10.27.112014-10-20 10.27.24

    In the afternoon we did a few hurricane ‘experiments’, headed to MMA and then art class, then Walmart.  Hubby was working late so we ate out at BK and got some ice cream!  Miss K decided she is big enough to eat chicken nuggets whole and didn’t want me breaking them into pieces (baby girl is growing up too fast!)

    2014-10-20 11.32.192014-10-20 15.51.422014-10-20 15.51.542014-10-20 17.00.30

    It was a BUSY day, both the younger ones fell asleep when we got home after dinner!  They were beat!

    Tuesday – Gymnastics moved to mornings with this new session that started today.  After gymnastics we came home and the boys hunted for fall leaves for an art project we plan to do (mostly they just played outside, but that was fine too!).  Then we had to drive into Baltimore after lunch to pick up our glass projects from last week, that was almost 2hrs round trip.  We killed time though finishing the audio version of Zane and the Hurricane, and the kids all caught a nap too!  After getting home the boys worked on their pumpkin observation sheets

    20141021_224401088_iOS

    In the evening Hubby took all the kids to Zs soccer practice (which got rained out), while I attended a women’s dinner at our church.  I made Chocolate Haupia Pie to bring…missing Hawaii as this cold weather starts to set in.  Brrr!

    Wednesday – A normal day at home (Man, it’s been awhile!).  Though we did have MMA in the afternoon, and speech…followed by a trip to the grocery store.  We didn’t get home until almost 630p….put those frozen pizzas I bought at the store to use for dinner!  I’m beginning to think we qualify more as unschoolers than I originally intended!  O well, it is working for us! 

    Between MMA and Speech we did get to be home for a bit and made some marshmallow and toothpick sculptures by request of the kids to pass the rainy day away. 

    2014-10-22 15.20.00

    Thursday – Co-op day and Costco Run!  We also had an adventurous time buying sneakers and boots for the boys.  What was I thinking??  Wearing nothing but crocs the last 3years and cold weather setting in, it was time!  In co-op C made poop in Gross Science (probably his favorite class!).  Little c decorated a pumpkin, and Z learned some more about dinosaurs! 

    2014-10-23 18.11.26
    Friday – Swimming Lessons!  We have the Trunk or Treat tonight at the church.  Hubby is entering the chili cook-off and I made some corn bread.  The kids are looking forward to wearing their costumes…and I’m debating a last minute trunk décor.  I’m on my own for soccer games tomorrow with all 4 kids, should be fun…but at least it’s suppose to be beautiful…sunny and 70!

    Link Ups this week -

    Workbox Wednesday
    Field Trip Friday
    Share it Saturday

    Reviews this week -

    Standard Deviants Accelerate (TOS Review)
    Middlebury Interactive Languages – Chinese

    Other Posts you might have missed -

    Crock Pot Applesauce

    Linking up at:

    and Weekly Wrap up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers Blog

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    Thursday, October 23, 2014

    Field Trip #146 Friday Blog Hop–Shenandoah Caverns, VA

    Field Trip Friday!
    Photobucket
    Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts

    (does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)



    **NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE

     

      I bought a Groupon for this trip to the Shenandoah Caverns and it was expiring soon.  Hubby couldn’t take any time off, so I invited my parents to meet us for this trip.  We had a great time!  The ticket also included the American Celebration Museum which has a bunch of old parade floats on display, and the Big Yellow Bar which had some restored carriages and a bee hive.  Nothing beat the Caverns though…BEAUTIFUL!

    1796546_10205296975243854_8678409416594142617_ncaverns

    america celebration

    Wednesday, October 22, 2014

    Workbox Wednesday Link Up #22–Free workbox Labels on the Web

    Chestnut Grove Academy
     

    Welcome to Workbox Wednesday!  If you use workboxes, tot trays, or anything similar, feel free to post a link to your blog post or a picture (pictures can be from facebook, but please make sure they are PUBLIC so we can see them, or use a host like photobucket.com to get a URL for your photo) that shows WHAT IS IN YOUR BOXES!

    Please visit my co-host at Tots and Me and Line Upon Line Learning

    Visit others that link up, leave comments, follow, etc.  The favors will be returned!  Feel free to grab a button too, so others can find the link up and join in the fun!

    So this week I have made a list of FREE PRINTABLE WORKBOX TAGS on the web!  Enjoy!  (Click on the image to be taken to the page).

    Free Printable Workbox Tags


    Also includes 1-10 Number set in different prints

    Workbox Tags

    Workbox labels to help you stay organized and to help your children know what's inside each drawer

    Free printable workbox labels

    2014-06-09 21.44.26

    Tuesday, October 21, 2014

    Review: Middlebury Interactive Languages–Chinese (TOS Review)

    Middlebury Interactive Languages Review
     
    We have always studied Chinese in our homeschool, so we were really excited to be able to check out MIddlebury Interactive Languages, Chinese Course.  Some languages are more easy to find resources for than others, and well, Chinese is one of those difficult ones!
     
    My son (8 yo) used the Elementary Chinese course 4-5 days a week.  We had a headset with microphone that we used with the program, though this is not required.
    This is an immersion program, there is very limited English (only instructions are in English).  When my son sat down for the first lesson he was shocked…he looked at me and said, “This is in Chinese, I don’t understand what they are saying”.  I told him just to watch and listen. 
    The words are in pinyin and character form, which I like because you are working on character memorization while learning to speak. They also work on stroke order for the characters.  All aspects of the language are included at one time.
    We like the lesson format and how the language is introduced.  The site itself is a bit confusing to navigate from lesson to lesson.  There are two ways to get from lesson to lesson.  The first is the calendar.  This would be the most ideal way to keep track of the lessons because it’s easy to see which lessons are done already and which lesson is next; however, there is no way to assign the lessons to particular days, therefore they are just scheduled one lesson a day whether you want to do them that way or not, therefore if you don’t do one every day it looks like your behind, you can’t go to today’s date to do a lesson, you have to go back to a different date to get to the lesson your on.
    The second way is via the table of contents.  This way, however, you have to open each unit and then each lesson to see what you have completed.  There are red check marks that check off each lesson as you complete, but it’s not easily visible at one glance…you could spend several minutes clicking and opening folders to find where you are.  Table of contents is how we primarily navigated the lessons, but a few times my son accidentally skipped lessons. 
    It would also be nice if you could remove the red check mark for finished lessons when you want your child to go back and review that lesson.  With the check marks there it is easy to forget that you need to review that lesson.  I did notice that for practice assignments you can start the assignment over to redo it, BUT the red check marks never go away away once they are there.  (On the calendar the lesson number is darkened, this does not go away either). 
    The teacher and student are all one account on this program.  Though this particular program they wouldn't be able to change grades or anything, all you can do from the grade book is view the grades.  It would be nice if there was a separate account for teacher that allowed for scheduling assignments on the calendar, to include scheduling REVIEWS of certain lessons that they need more work in. 
    Middlebury Interactive Languages Review
     
    This course does have the option where there is an actual Chinese teacher whom grades the speaking portions of the lessons (for an added cost).  We did not use that option as part of the review. 
    We really liked this program, I feel that there needs to be some changes made to the ‘teacher’ side of the format to make it more homeschool friendly.  As mentioned scheduling of lessons, scheduling review of lessons, being able to retake tests (especially in non-credit classes without teachers).  In my homeschool we redo things we get wrong…this program does not really allow for that.  Even if the ‘grade’ didn’t change being able to retake the test would be a good feature.  These features would also help ease the navigation of lessons via the calendar a lot easier. However, the course is bought in a 6month installment,which doesn’t leave much room for review.  I don’t really care for courses that expire after a given amount of time.  I do understand and respect their purpose though. It can be used as a motivation factor to make sure you DO the course that was bought, and we all need a little motivation sometimes. I think a year would be a more appropriate time to allow for really learning the material and flexibility of pace, the courses however are sold as semesters.
    C doing the speaking part of one of the number lessons (don’t mind the messy desk)
    With all that said; the program course itself, though, is very well done.  I like that all the aspects of the language are introduced at one time!  It allows for learning of the WHOLE language which is important, and other programs do not offer this.  We will be continuing with this program for the remainder of the course.
    Middlebury Interactive Languages has courses for K-12th grade.  This Elementary Chinese class is recommended for grades 3-5.  The cost is $119 without a teacher (an additional $175 with a teacher). This is an online program, internet access is necessary.  You must have Windows 7 or 8 to use the program (I realized this after it wouldn't work on my kids laptop which is an older version). Check out FAQ for other system requirements.   
     
    Middlebury Interactive Languages Review
     
    Click to read Crew Reviews
    Crew Disclaimer

    Monday, October 20, 2014

    Crock Pot Applesauce

    applesauce

    Okay, so I KNOW I took an after picture and I can’t seem to find it anywhere.  My phone has been doing that to me lately :/ 

    O well, needless to say, this was SUPER easy and fun and OH SO YUMMY!  The kids ate it up in 2 days! (and that was only b/c I rationed it, they would have ate it all in ONE!)

    Find the recipe here, we used 1/2c sugar and cooked it in our rice cooker/slow cooker combo (I was using our regular crock pot for dinner).  We used the Pampered Chef Peeler, Slicer, Corer to get the job done!  So quick and easy!