motherhood and career meet again

I have fallen in love with what I do for work. I get to go out to homeschooling families and serve as a resource. Don't get me wrong it's not always easy, but I have a majority of families that when I leave their home, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt their children are getting an amazing education. I also leave feeling tremendously inspired and better equipped to work with my own kids.

This has been my fourth year in this job position and over the years I've developed friendships with the mom's that I see every month. We've shared potty training stories, recipes, pregnancies (I had Liam within a week of one of my moms), and lots of laughter. 

This year I've put together a very informal and low-key Field-Trip-of-the-Month. My hopes are to provide my families with an opportunity to get some hands on learning and a chance to connect with others. I also bring Addie and Liam and I love that my kids get to meet my "students." Another benefit, my moms (and dads) get to see me as, well, a mom. Not just a credentialed teacher with a big laptop bag coming into their homes to "judge" what they've done for the last month. They get to see me as human. Addie and Liam make sure they do too!

So here was October's field trip...Impossible Acres! We had a great time and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Liam was absolutely terrified of most of the animals! We're going to have to work on that.

In the upper left picture, Liam is with Madde who was born a week after him. And in the picture below, Addie is sitting next to Daniel (on the right), who was born a month after her.

Love all these kiddos, especially those little red-headed ones!

week 7 ~ earth (part 2)

As I wrote previously, I took the Kindergarten Earth Science standard a little deeper and we learned about our Earth in relation to the Solar System. I enjoyed learning about this as a kid (and still do) and thought it would be fun for us to dabble in outer space for a bit! Although, I wasn't sure how much she would be able to grasp, she did understand a few basics and I think little seeds were planted for the future. 
Read Alouds:  The book Me and My Place in Space was wonderful for teaching a semi-abstract concept to a four year old. I would highly recommend this book! The other books were way too detailed and long but we used them for the pictures. 

Thematic Poem: Here's the link to this weeks' poem! There were lots of great sight words to highlight!

Words/Phonics Hands-on Activity: Bingo: Here is a generic Bingo mat you can print off for each member of your family. I normally do the word families we are working on for the week and maybe a few challenging sight words. I have her write the words, while I write them on my own mat and the laminated cards I talked about in week 5. We take turns flipping the cards over and then use some math cubes to mark the words (but you could use anything, pennies, noodles, M&Ms, etc.). You can also use these mats for vocabulary words in history or science, math facts, there are quite a few possibilities! And who doesn't love playing a game of Bingo!?!

Fieldtrip: I finally got around to taking advantage of our library's Discover and Go program and got us in for FREE to the Lawrence Hall of Science. There was a lot to explore but what I was really hoping for was a neat solar system exhibit. I have to say Addie and I were quite disappointed. Other than that they had some great exhibits and my kids had a great time!

week 6 ~ earth (part 1)

All the learning that took place about geography led to many talks about our Earth, which led us into the direction of a little earth science. I wanted to do much more with this Kindergarten standard, so for the first part we learned about what comes from our Earth, (i.e. rocks, minerals, plants, tress, etc.) and how to take care of it. For the second part, we learned about the Earth in relation to our solar system. I'll post about that next. 

Read Alouds:  Here's some of the books we read. The Earth and I is a very simple, poetic book that could also be a shared read.

Thematic Poem: Here's the link to this weeks' poem! Remember to review the old ones too! 

Words/Phonics Hands-on Activity: Word Wheels: I have a book full of word wheels and it is an excellent and simple activity that not only helps teach word families, but gives a little practice on the fine motor skill, cutting. All I have to do is make a copy of the two pages on some cardstock, then I let her do most of the cutting. I have to help a little on the windows and with the brad, but other than that she's got a word wheel to practice her words! Here's a link to several of the books I've found on Amazon. 

Here's the exact book I have but you can find several at a variety of levels.

Fieldtrip: We ventured out to the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael. I was a bit skeptical about being one with nature very near to the big city Sacramento, but I was actually quite impressed. There were lots of live, non-releasable animals to view, some exhibits and nature trails! And it was all FREE! We had a picnic lunch, checked out the exhibits and animals, then went on a little hike down to the American River. Along the way, I brought a Nature Scavenger Hunt for Addie to look for things from our Earth. It was a good day!

week four and five ~ geography

We spent two weeks on Geography but I could've spent FOREVER on the topic! There are so many ideas I have swirling around in my head about teaching Geography like, Little Passports (which is now a vendor with Visions!), listening to music, tasting food and fieldtrips galore! For now, while her and her brother are still pretty young, I figured I've got some time and I'll keep it simple. So we used the book Me on the Map as our catalyst and this great unit from teacherspayteachers.com.

I put up maps, we did activities with the globe, put together a puzzle of the United States, took a fieldtrip across state lines to Oregon, and read many, many great books.

Read Alouds: Here are just a few of the great books we read.

And this was one of the activities included in the Me on the Map unit from teacherspayteachers.com. We did a little each day and I was pleasantly surprised at the pictures she was able to come up with!

Thematic Poem: Here is the link to the poem. It's a familiar song and was pretty easy for Addie to pick up on and read (sing) independently. I was glad to have the word "California" in the text so she got more exposure to that big, long word!  

Word/Phonics Hands-on Activity: Laminated Cards: Many of you have seen me use these cards at our meetings. They were so incredibly easy to make and I get A LOT of use out of them. All I did was cut up some leftover scrapbook paper into 3x2 cards and then laminated them. Once they are laminated you can write on them with good old dry erase markers, then erase and rewrite. I use them for rhyming memory games, for building words and more. 

For the memory game I used words from our word families (jet/wet, best/west, leg/peg, hen/pen, etc.) If they rhyme, you get to keep them! For the building words activity, I asked Addie to build me the word "dig," then change it to "pig," then change that word to "pin," and so on. I would not set out more than six letter cards at a time though.

week three ~ american holidays

Happy 4th of July Everyone! I hope you all had a happy and safe day celebrating our nation! Here's how we spent our week...

Read Alouds: These were some great books we read to explain our patriotic holidays! I especially loved The American Flag book because it was very simple and Addie was able to read most of it on her own! I love watching that magical moment when she realizes she's reading the book by herself!

Thematic Poem: We just did the good ole' Pledge of Allegiance. We got the flag out and we talked about right hand versus the left and that we place it over our heart. It was so funny hearing her own interpretation of some of the words such as "Republic" and "indivisible." I think I need some video! Hee! Hee! Here's the link for your own copy!

Word/Phonic Hands-on Activity: Stamps: These stamps were one of the first items I purchased as a classroom teacher and I've gotten my money's worth! I believe I bought this set at Lakeshore Learning but I've seen them other places too. They are perfect for teaching word families as well as sight words. First Addie and I went through the word wall and any words she was shaky on, I wrote down. Then I wrote down our short e families. Next she read it, stamped it, wrote it!

Fieldtrip: If you haven't had a chance to pick up the schedule of events from one of our libraries, check out the website to get a copy (there's a link to the right)! Our libraries are fabulous and have tons of great summer activities planned at each branch. This week we went to the Flag Day event at the Vacaville Cultural Center Library. Addie got to make her own flag and then parade it through the library! 

Not the most patriotic flag but a flag very representative of my girl!

week two ~ citizenship

Citizenship. Hmmm...how do I teach such a big word to my not quite 4 year old. Well...here was my attempt...

Read Alouds: For our read alouds we used many of the titles from last week's theme, Rules and Consequences, such as, What If Everybody Did That? and The Berenstein Bears and The Golden Rule. Then I added this very concise and simple book that I found at Lakeshore Learning.

 Thematic Poem: Here is a link to download your own copy! Be sure to have your kiddo highlight all of the sight words they already know, then use it as a guide to teach the ones they don't know. Then read it over and over and over again!

Word/Phonic Hands On Activity: Pocket Chart Sort: I snagged this pocket chart at Target for a $1 a couple of years ago and have seen them pop up around the start of school each year, so be looking for them and grab one if you see it. It's a great deal and pocket charts can host many activities! 

This particular activity was a word sort that I downloaded from teacherspayteachers.com. Here is the exact link and it was only a buck! Addie worked on sorting her short a families. She read the word on the eraser and then put it under the matching chalkboard. Next she wrote down the words on a coordinated sheet. I cut it down a bit and only had her do about three words per chalkboard. 

My intentions are to spend two weeks on each of the short vowels. So next week we'll be working on short e. Here are some other great pocket chart activities you can download for each of the short vowels. 

short e     short i     short o      short u

Fieldtrip Idea: We didn't make it, but if time were on my side I would've taken the kids to BOPA, which stands for Batteries, Oil, Paint, Antifreeze. It is a collection facility located at 2901 Industrial Court in Fairfield. We have quite a collection of batteries from all of the kids' toys and some auto oil. I thought it would be important to teach Addie that being a good citizen means we must recycle these items properly and then discuss the consequences of what would happen if everyone threw them in the garbage. We'll have to make a trip there sooner than later, so we can remain in good citizen status!

week one ~ rules and consequences

I decided to start off with the Kindergarten unit title/theme Rules and Consequences. Nothing too exciting but something I think is important to take time out and talk about. 

Here are some of the books we read for our read-a-louds...

And here is our poem of the week! You can sing it to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. This is great for memorization and when you have memorization your child can make the connection between spoken and written words. (I actually heard Addie singing it all by herself in the car today! So cute.) Addie also drew a picture of her sharing with her brother. Then we highlighted all of the sight words she knows. We made sure to read it/sing it each day and highlighted a couple more new learned sight words. Pretty simple but such good practice. It's fun to think of all the other words she might have learned or was exposed to in print by repeating this poem. 

Click here to download and print your very own copy!

For one of our hands-on phonics activities Addie rolled the dice! It was a hit! Even little brother had fun chasing around the dice! I found our set of dice here on Amazon. Then I took a large sharpie, cut out some cardstock to fit and put the word families we've been working on in one dice ("-an," "-at," "ack," etc.) Then I filled up the other dice with consonants and digraphs ("t," "th," "s," etc.) Addie rolled the dice and blended the sounds together then I wrote the words down on the easel. Nonsense words are completely okay too, just as long as they're working on blending the sounds together!

Last in my first post about our summer school I talked about a great little download from teacherspayteachers.com. Here it is. I love that at the end of each page she has to show the quantity of the number she's working on. Right now she's doing that by using stickers, but I intend to add stamps, googely eyes, finger prints, whatever else I can think of to keep it fun! Here's the link to purchase your own copy (only $3). 

I spruced it up a little by adding some left over scrapbooking paper and laminating the front and back. Laminating...it's true what they say! "You know you're a teacher if you get a secret thrill from laminating things."

Next week is Citizenship followed by American Symbols/Holidays, just in time for the 4th of July!

trying on the homeschool hat

I've been questioned quite a bit by my homeschooling families, friends and family about what are plans are for Addie in regards to education and the truth is I'm not quite sure. I feel very torn. Never thought I'd say that. On one hand I want Addie and Liam to have the mainly positive public school experience that I had and on the other I've been completely blown away by the amazing education my homeschooling parents are giving their children. I'm scared of the stigma though and even more scared of the enormous responsibility. Public school is familiar and I find comfort in that. I can picture my kids experiencing fun classroom activities, making friends at recess, having back-to-school night. And if something goes wrong, it won't necessarily be solely my fault. However, I'm also encouraged by the awesome people my homeschooled students are becoming! They get to bypass a level of negativity, insecurities, and peer-pressure that comes with public schools. They take field trips and are exposed to the arts. They're active in boy scouts, soccer, gymnastics, fencing, 4H, you name it, they're getting out there and socializing. Their parents get to provide them with a very individualized education and curtail every lesson to their child. Skipping over the easy parts and moving on to the more challenging lessons.  Why wouldn't we want this for our children? Hmmm...Kevin and I have lots of deliberating ahead of us.

For now we've started our summer school fun and I'm trying on this homeshooling hat in the process. A couple of my moms have asked me to post over the summer so I'll be writing this from more of a professional view but wanted to add the memories to our personal blog as well.

So here are some thoughts and plans...

Pacing:
Addie started reading back in February and has shown many signs of being ready for more. So I decided to start her off with the Kindergarten/1st grade curriculum, even though she's not technically eligible for Kindergarten until Fall of 2014. Although I think the state standards can be a great guide, I'm a firm believer in letting your child facilitate their own pace, not the public schools.
Setting the Stage:
I also believe it's important to create a good workable space. So we added a few things to our very small office/classroom. Such as a new bookshelf to organize all of my stuff, but I won't bore you with that. I added a Word Wall, I have a calendar down at her level, a place for our weekly poem, and we use the easel to do the week's phonics or word work. Then a lot of stuff went in baskets and up so little brother couldn't get his hands on them.
Here's a little peek into our "classroom."

Curriculum:
If money were no object, I would have purchased the whole kit and caboodle for Super Kids. I have been so impressed with this reading curriculum. But unfortunately, money is an object AND I've got boxes and boxes of great resources from when I was in the classroom. So I'm picking and pulling from those. Each day/week I have a checklist of what I'm covering and I'm taking the unit titles from Social Science and Science to guide my teaching in Language Arts.
For math, my plan was to do half with me and half on the computer. But when I tested Addie out on the 1st grade math in Adapted Mind, it was too difficult for her. Since Adapted Mind starts at 1st grade, we'll just have to save that for later and I'll find other ways to teach math.
Daily Plan/Checklist:

• Calendar - we talk/sing about the days of the week, talk about number patterns, how many days until, write the date, and count how many days we've been doing "school" (I'll talk about this one more later). There is so much to learn centered around the calendar. 
• Weekly Poem - this related to our unit title/topic for Social Science or Science. I choose simple poems full of sight words. Each week I let her draw a picture of the meaning of the poem and we highlight all of the sight words found in her poem. They are usually easy to memorize and are great repetitive practice for not only sight words but vocabulary words. 
• Daily Read Aloud - this is also centered around our thematic topic from Social Science/Science.We do lots of comprehension work around the book. I ask her questions such as, "What do you predict will happen next?" "What happened in the beginning/middle/end of that story?" 
• Word Work/Phonics - each day I do something hands on with her to teach phonics. I have several activities up my sleeve from working in the classroom such as, rolling word family dice, playing bingo, a memory game with rhyming words, pocket chart activities. All of these activities are interchangeable, so as long as I do the work up front to organize them all I have to do is change out the phonics. I just try to stay away from worksheets and want to designate this time for her play while learning! 
• Independent Reading- I have several books between BOB Books and many printable books, such as these. Everyday I have Addie read a book to me, sometimes repeating old ones. I think this piece is so crucial for many reasons. 
• Handwriting - because she is just starting out to form letters, I think it's important to teach her letter formation "the right way." I love Handwriting Without Tears' strategic approach to teaching letter formation. So I'm starting there. Each day we do a quick handwriting practice. Then I always star my favorite one. She loves this and I find it very motivating for her.
• Writing - each day I want her to practice writing and more importantly I want to practice it with her. I love that I can be one on one with her. What an advantage this is compared to teaching writing to 20+ students all at once! Each day I will give her a prompt, which will often include the sight word we are working on. For instance yesterday, we were working on "are" so the prompt was "We are..." Then Addie said, "We are astronauts!" So she drew me a fabulous picture of us in outerspace. Developmentally at this stage, they should always draw a picture first. Then she wrote "We are" and I helped her with the astronaut part. I wrote out _ _ _ronaut. Then she sounded out the first three letters.
• Number Sense - This won't always be number sense, but I'm starting there. I downloaded a great little book from teacherspayteachers.com for three bucks! Here's the link. It's simple and works with number formation, recognition and showing how many. 

I know it seems like a lot but we actually are done in about one to two hours! I also hope to add field trips, art, who knows maybe even a little foreign language! For now though, it's all about getting into our routine.
I'm shooting to post each week about our progress. I will post our poem of the week, the read-a-louds we are reading, some details about one of our hands-on phonics activities and each month I'll post a "Look At Me In (Month)" writing page. Stay tuned for more!