2012-2013 School Year

We have 29 days left to our school year (not that we're counting down or anything!).  That said, I thought I'd post what we've used and found to be helpful in our studies this year.

Language Arts
All About Spelling (for grades pre-K, 3, 4)
Spell to Write & Read (for grades 3, 4)
WISE Guide for Spelling (for grades 3, 4)
Institute for Excellence in Writing, Student Writing Intensive Level A (for grades 3, 4)

Math
Singapore Math (for grades pre-K, 3, 4)
Math Mammath units for areas needing extra attention and study

World & American History
Story of the World, Volume 3 and Student Activity Book
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne for a geography & history unit study
The American Revolution by Homeschool in the Woods
The Early Nineteenth Century in America by Homeschool in the Woods

 Mr. Pipes and the British Hymnwriters by Douglas Bond

 Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation by Douglas Bond

Videos, links & other resources:
Taj Mahal

Palace at Versailles

Pearl Harbor - here, here and here

Dickens’ London in pictures

Amazing Grace, movie by Bristol Bay Productions

Liberty’s Kids series 

Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?  By Fritz

Nova – The Wright Brothers video

The Boy Who Invented Television: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by Krull

Scholastic Encyclopedia of the North American Indian  by Ciment

The Trail of Tears by Bruchac

If You Lived with the Cherokee by Roop

Mameluke sword

Barbary pirates

Lewis & Clark

Civics

Story of the World, Volume 3 and Student Activity Book

Government & elections: here, here and here

Citizenship
USA Presidents’ Song to tune of 10 Little Indians

Science

Handbook of Nature Study by Comstock

Blue Planet – Tidal Seas

Nova – Hubble’s Amazing Rescue

The Body Book by Scholastic

First Encyclopedia of the Human Body by Usborne

Geography 

Story of the World, Volume 3 and Student Activity Book

Geography Songs by Troxel

The American Revolution by Homeschool in the Woods

Around the World in 8o Days by Verne

Global Treasures Videos by Travel Video Store: Napoleon’s Tomb; St. Petersburg, Russia,; Versailles, France; Paris, France; The Grand Canal, Venice Italy; The Forum of Rome

The Early Nineteenth Century in America by Homeschool in the Woods

Art & Music

Classics for Kids 

Art projects

Drawing with Children by Brooks

Safety Education

  Fire safety

 

Current Events

  Children of the Tsumani 

 

Art Show

Last Friday evening was our first "annual" art show for our homeschool co-op!  It was such a fun time seeing the kids excited to show off their artwork, meeting lots of husbands we haven't met, seeing families hang out together without the distractions of having to run off to teach a class.....
I took a lot of inspiration from this series of posts on hosting an art show from one of my favorite art blogs.   The new fellowship hall at our church was the perfect space, with room for snack tables, art tables and dividers to hang LOTS of art on!  We're thinking of making next year's show an entire "arts night," with performances by the kids, too!
Here are some pictures from the evening:

 This was a continuous roll of pictures that L's Kindergarten class has worked on for a few minutes each day for the entire semester.  The kids were so proud of their hard work, and it really made a neat display!

 Entrance to the show!

 Signs for our art table

I think the art table was the hit of the evening!  I laid out a few projects for inspiration, but most of the kids (and a few adults) just had a blast with the oil pastels and watercolors.  I set up my clothes-drying rack with a basket of clothes pins for the kids to hang up their work to dry.  Definitely a keeper! 

Van Gogh's Sunflowers

 I have been teaching an art class to the 3rd & 4th graders in our homeschool co-op this year, and these kids have produced some amazing stuff!  We are putting on an art show in two weeks for our families, and I can't wait to see everything set up!
Anyway, today, we learned about Van Gogh and tried to draw flowers like he did.  We used oil pastels, which may be my new favorite drawing medium.  I kind of took this tutorial and modified it for oil pastels. 

 D, age 9

 K, age 10

My example for the class

More Art!

 We have been trying to continue fitting in art lessons several times a week, since it seems to be a relaxing and peaceful time for all of us.  This week, I found a tutorial here that we tried out when friends were over, and each of these elephants turned out so nice! 

 D, age 9

 K, age 10

 L, age 5

 M, age 3

Mine

J-Term Art!

We've been loading up on art projects this January (except for this week with one sick girlie), so I wanted to share a few that we've enjoyed:

All have come from a new art website that a friend introduced me to.  we have all been greatly enjoying these lessons!

Sailboat Monotypes

D - age 8 1/2

K - age 10

Tint and Pattern Circles

L - age 5 1/2

 

K - age 10

D - age 8 1/2

M - age almost 3

M's leftover paint :)

Chinese Vase Art Project

K - age 10

 

L - age 5 1/2

D - age 8 1/2

M - age almost 3

Cardinals in Winter

L - age 5 1/2

M - age almost 3

K - age 10

D - age 8 1/2

We also got to spend 2 hours at a local pottery place with friends last Friday and create and glaze lots of neat stuff, so Ill post pictures when we get everything back after it's been fired! 

Can't wait to make more art next week! 

Underground Railroad Field Trip!

We took a field trip to Belmont Mansion with our homeschool co-op this week to learn more about the Underground Railroad.  This house first belonged to the Peters family, who purchased the property from William Penn in 1742.  The original owner was a loyalist and so headed back to Britain prior to the war.  His son, a patriot, lived here and eventually became a judge and served as George Washington's Secretary of War.  His son became the president of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery and was actively involved int eh underground railroad.  Runaway slaves would leave boxcars from a train near the house, hide in the attic and then be taken further along by Quakers. 

 

 There was a wonderful display of pictures and narrations from former slaves, often in their 90's, telling about daily slave life. 

 

 It says: "Pennsylvania became the firs stop for enslaved people on the way north to freedom after the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery passed in 1780.  Their helpers, called conductors, made a network of escape routes, called the Underground Railroad, along which runaways hid in houses, barns, caves and churches, called stations.  Most runaways did not stay in Pennsylvania because they risked recapture under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793."

Wonderful moulding from the main drawing room of the house: 

 Monkey wrench, wagon wheel, crossroads and bear claw quilt patterns, part of Harriet Tubman's 13 quilt code. 

 African dolls from that time period.

 It would be a wonderful view of the city if the fog was not there.  As it is, Katy commented that it actually gave us a much more realistic view of what the Peters family would have seen from their lawn. 

 Side views of the house.

I also found some nifty websites to complement our trip, so the day after we looked through these sites and did some creative writing.  

National Geographic Education

Scholastic