A New Springtime

Float Your Boat

Yesterday, we read this book:

To my surprise it went along with our WW II studies because it was about a man from Japan. It was recommended in our, "Caldecott Winners" workbook by Evan Moore. 

The book suggested an activity of a watercolor picture of a place the children had lived or visited in their past.

I was impressed by the fact that each child picked a different location that was special to them.

Among their paintings were: the beach, our old home, a campground, and the mountains of Vermont.

They really seemed to enjoy reminiscing on their special trips and the spoke about the memories they had of each destination.

Another activity the book suggested was to make an origami boat. After we folded our paper creations we decided to give them a try in the bathtub.

To our surprise they began to float and glide on the water awakening  our imagination as if we were sailing and relaxing on a beautiful sunny day!

Since we were already experimenting with origami and I had practiced making the paper crane from Sadako last week, I thought I would try to teach it to the kids. Although I couldn't remember all of the steps and had to consult a tutorial on youtube, we were able to complete our birds.

Here are our flying beauties. I always like when our school day is filled with awe and creativity:  reading a good story,  remembering good times, doing an activity or two, and making our imaginations come to life by Flying Cranes and Floating boats makes  an afternoon complete! 

Monthly May Recap

School:                                                            

DH got me this new copy machine for school, it has made my job so much easier. At a moments notice  I can just press print and presto I have the papers I need.

WW II studies continued with, "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, this was a 3 CD set from our local library. It was a wonderful way to spend a couple of afternoons. I also found...

this movie at GW, it was a good way to wrap up our studies. I am so ready to be done with the study of the wars and I know why I have avoided them in the past. My older boys did a lot of reading on their own about the subject. They were into learning about the tanks and the weapons. I am glad we used: "V is for Victory", "Sadako, and the Thousand Paper Cranes", and "Number the Stars". These books gave us sense of what it was like to be living at that time and gave us a relationship with the characters who experienced these events, it wasn't just a bunch of facts in the latter two books mentioned. I am satisfied with the results of this unit.

Family Events:

May 13th B-Day!

May 13th, My flowers from Mother's Day!

May 18th another B-day! Pink Lemonade Cake and Frosting!!

Family Fun:

Brother to Brother!

Brother and Sister!

Mom's Sewing Projects:

Shorts for Baby

Library Bag for Big Sister

It's been busy so far and one more birthday to go on May 24!

What am I seeking?

 So much has been going on mentally, physically and spiritually. Even though I am not by nature a routine-oriented  type of person, lately I have been thanking God for that part of my life. I think it is my saving grace in the midst of a somewhat hectic time. Managing a nursing, teething baby, homeschooling four different kids, entertaining an almost 4 yr. old, and helping a 23 yr.old son who is back at home can be challenging to say the least.

 Everyday, Mon. through Fri. we do our hygiene, homeschool and housework duties. I feel like I have to bark out way to many orders lately o I am going to go back to written chore lists. Some of the things that should be  done by the kids automatically, I am having to remind them. This can be very frustrating and taxing but as usually it is an opportunity to readjust once again.

 We have been persevering  each day with our homeschool studies. Right now the boys are studying WW II. We are using a this thematic unit and have read this book below.

We also read, "Sadako and The One Thousand Paper Cranes", it was a very sad story and touching story and we were all moved by it. Today, I found a tutorial for an orgami paper craneand made one. Tomorrow,I will have the kids try it.

 Tuesday,was butterfly day, when the kids took a nature walk they witnessed several different kinds of butterflies so they wanted to do a bit of research on them. Hannah got out her field guide, Abbey got out her poster and I printed of a trivia sheet, a wordsearch and a butterfly to label.

We got some watercolors last week so we put them to good use.

These are some the kids did and after they went to bed that night, I had a bit of creative fun.

Spring brings so many opportunities and ideas for art work. Eliana, who is three, has been using, " Eating the Alphabet" by Louis Elhert  to paint bright, colorful pictures of fruits and veggies.

While DH focuses on planting the garden, some of the kids have been learning about where certain plants grow, above or below the ground.

This was the worksheet with the different fruits and vegetables on it. They had to color and cut them out and place them in the right catagories.

Having children who are various different ages leads to a variety of interest. My ten year old daughter has read 39 of these "Rainbow Magic Fairy Books". There must be hundreds of these books I think she may try to read them all.

Having a family with eight kids, there is never a dull moment to say the least. There are always many things going on. Painting, reading, studying, cooking, cleaning, laughing, crying, hugging, fighting, yelling, loving and the list goes on and on.  It can get very challenging at times to keep the peace and the choas at bay. It can be scary but also rewarding. Working through each day, praying to God for the strength to make it to tomorrow and to see the beauty in it all is what I am seeking.

 

 

A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit of That

Last week we had a vacation from homeschool...

the mornings were awesome just sitting  around watching the kiddos instead of giving out orders and hustling to get them going for the day. I sat back and observed Elle drinking her hot chocolate and the others doing their own thing.

I was sitting on the couch with the laptop when I noticed this lil' guy who had made his way under the cardtable  trying to check out his new domain.

When this cute face looks at me, all I can do is smile back, laugh, ooh and ahh! He melts my heart and gives me so much love and joy.

Last vacation, I ended up making these skirts for the girls, they were quite easy. All I did was cut strips with a rotary cutter, sewed them together, bound the top and bottom and put the elastic in the waist. Thegirls were thrilled with them. Hannah decided to wear hers and she dressed up little sister to match. She is always thinking of ways to be creative and helpful.

Another sewing project was this simple skirt. I had picked up this beautiful piece of fabric from a tag sale quite awhile ago and never got aroundto using it. The fabric is just so bright and colorful, to pretty not to use.

It was going to be a library bag but there wasn't enough fabric.

Small accomplishments can sometimes be the best. It felt good to finally do something other than school . I enjoyed doing a bit of this and a bit of that, nothing really planned out but getting satisfaction from watching the kids and slipping in a project or two.

Busted

I try to use all kinds of different toys and play things to get Malcolm to exercise his mind and his muscles. Bright and colorful, different shapes and sizes are good for any baby to be able to explore visually, physically and orally.

 

I put this orange ball in his crib to see what he would do with it. I was right behind him the whole time waiting to see what he would do. He was able to sandwich the ball in between his legs, pick it up and bring it to his hands.

He did it so fast and it was so cute, I burst out into laughter and blew my cover.

He caught me peeking in on him and he was quite thrilled with the attention.

My lil' boy brings me so much joy! I am constantly giggling and smiling along with him.

He puts so much into all he does even his wonderful smile!

 

A New Nature Book

I just love when I find a great item at the thrift store, especially something for homeschool. I had put this book in one of the girl's Easter basket and she is really enjoying it.

This book lends itself to a lot of creative thinking, drawing and writing.

This page asks the child to close their eyes, sit very still and listen for sounds all around them. What do you hear? How does the air smell? What is the temperature like? Now open your eyes, continue to sit very still and notice the movement around you, What do you see?Write about what you discover.

Flower pressing  is the topic here and the questions are, "What flowers did you press?" "Would you do it again?"

"Have you ever thought about the names of animals?", is the question on this page. It goes on to say, " If you could rename them what would you call them or would you leave them as they are?"

The words on the right tell about the stages of a butterfly and leave enough room for them to be drawn. 

Teeny, Tiny Turtle

I got a phone call from my thirteen year old today, "Hi Mom, I just found a baby turtle the size of a quarter on the bike path. I almost ran over it with my bike." He wasn't sure what to do with it so I told him I would meet him at the park not to far from where he was.

When we arrived he handed it to his younger brother who was needless to say thrilled! All we could say was, "How cute!"

It is so tiny and he was exactly right, it was the size of a quarter.

The color of its underside is a redish-orange hence its name the Eastern Red-bellied turtle. He was covered with a lot of dirt but looked and acted quite healthy. His lil' legs were going a mile-a- minute.

Of course all I heard was, "Can we take it home?" I decided it was okay since their dad is an aquatic expert,  who has raised many fish. I knew we had some extra tanks at home and this could be a great educational opportunity.

Dad wasn't home so we hooked "Marley" up with a temporary turtle pod. I love watching kiddos observing nature, they are just so fascinated by life.

He immediately ran off the rock, right into the water and began to swim like a pro. I think it was glad to get into some H20. Most of the dirt came off and its colors and markings began to show through.

We had such an awesome time with this  teeny tiny turtle. We looked up what they eat and about their habitats and we hope to give her ( the yellow stripe down the back is easier seen in females) a nicer, more comfortable home tommorow.

 

What's the Moral of the Story?

Yesterday, we read this Caldecott Winner illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The kids enjoyed the images and the lessons set forth.. We all had a few laughs as we read each one. I can see why Lobel won an award , his drawings stirred our imaginations and made us giggle.

Each fable, only a page long gave us much food for thought and we discussed the moral at the end.

 
Good lessons and awesome pictures, a good book makes the day great!! Share one of your favorites.

Easter Resurrection

Eliana was a bit excited to get her Easter basket yesterday!

I am  just thankful to have made it through the season of Lent to this time of Easter Resurrection!
 The past forty days were rather rough but for the most part I think the time spent in the desert has made us all stronger.

We had a nice peaceful lunch...

 

mashed potatoes, dirty rice, pork loin, green beans,  and potato salad, a simple but delicious meal. The kids colored eggs with dad and filled up on lots of candies and desserts. Everyone seemed content even Lil'Malcolm who shared his first birthday with Easter this year.

With help from his sisters, he was introduced to the art of opening presents.

He truly enjoyed all of the attention especially when we sang him Happy Birthday! The smallest things get him excited and he knows how  to make the rest of us smile,  too! 

Happy Easter to All!



 

Homeschool and a Well Balanced Day

 The days around our house are always filled with many activities. It is very important to balance out the day, learning can include many different facets. Keeping our minds, bodies and souls healthy can be a challenge. This requires a well balanced diet of work, prayer, and play. Because I have the duty of making sure everyone else is keeping up with their daily chores, hygeine and school.

 My own needs can be easily left by the wayside but I try not to let that happen. Simple tasks such as brushing my hair can be challenging if I get caught up into the hustle and bustle of the day. Finding nice second hand clothes allows me to have a decent wardrobe and new clothes for spring usually gives me a sense of refreshment. Our community center has a thrift shop and it sells clothes for $1 a bag!!

 We have been using the Core Knowledge Series," What Your 3rd, 4th, and 6th Grader Need to Know", for school this year. In each book there is information for each grade level, divided by subject.

 The kids read a section in history and science, write about it and draw a picture to go with their journal entries. They can look it up on the computer or use another book for more info.

 We always take a break starting at 12:00 for lunch and a bit of play, too. If is nice weather the kiddos always go outside, the older ones play b-ball and the younger ones watch or do their own thing while soakin' up some sun.

 Even though they can get on each others nerves at times, I can usually find one or two siblings taking some time out to do good things together. An older sister or brother will help a a younger one learn how to play a game. We have been into Dr. Suess lately since we went to see the Lorax earlier this month. We were thrilled to get this game free at our community center. The ladies there are so good to us. They usually spoil the kids and get a few hugs in return.

 I am not always so good at getting the meditational prayer part in so that is what I will be focusing on the rest of Lent. I do offer my works, joys and sufferings each day in union with the sacrifice of the Mass.

 Although my efforts are meager these days, I do enjoy decorating. I am not Martha Stewart but I try to put up a few seasonal decorations. It isn't a priority any more but it is enjoyable.

 The main thing I try to do is maintain some kind of order with the toys and have them look neat so they don't take over the house in an unsitely mess. Keeping a balance can be difficult when managing a household, a school, playtime and my own sanity but when I focus on offering it all up to God it all falls into place.

 It is like a vocation of a monk or hermit not doing things for the self. I often have to get back on track and not worry about being praised or appreciated but doing it  as a prayer in union with Jesus for the Father above.

  At the end of the day when the battle has been fought and my will has been submitted, there is always something good to look back on.  A  peace-filled well balanced day between work and play can be the best prayer of all!!