tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89027066277424217812024-03-14T03:10:05.278-07:00Home's Cool!A homeschooling mum rambles about homeschool. Fifteen years of schooling, two boys eleven years apart.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-40921163904386667482008-03-31T12:19:00.001-07:002008-03-31T13:09:38.696-07:00Next Year's Curriculum ChoicesWow, it has been a busy and fun month watching all the curriculum for next year (2008/2009) coming in. We've had at least one Box Day every week this month! I've waited until I had everything to make this post which highlights what we'll be using for the upcoming school year.<br /><br />We are year-rounders so we don't have a specific date to start but will start using the new material when the old material is finished in each subject.<br /><br />Here we go!<br /><br />2008/2009 Curriculum for Grade 2<br /><br /><em>If you want a closer look at the pictures just click on them to see super-size.</em><br /><br />The only subject not shown here is Math. I won't need to purchase that until 2009, but we will continue on with the next Math U See, Beta.<br /><br />For science, Winter Promise's World Around Me<br /><br /><a title="dcp_5554 by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2378220432/"><img height="375" alt="dcp_5554" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2378220432_19c8f4bff9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Our main program this year will be Winter Promise's American Story 1, which includes history, geography, art, crafts, bible, and read alouds. We will be studying US/North American history with an emphasis on Native Americans. All the books we will be using are shown below with the exception of one biography on George Washington which is still on backorder. Plus I added an extra book: Draw Write Now which covers Native Americans/Pilgrims/North America. Ds had so much fun with the DWN book we are using this year he asked if we could do another one. I also went with Sonlight's Book in Time for our timeline. <br /><br /><a title="dcp_5556 by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2378224006/"><img height="375" alt="dcp_5556" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2378224006_c777811a02.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a title="AS1 - 2 by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2378219602/"><img height="375" alt="AS1 - 2" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2249/2378219602_ef130e0902.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a title="AS1 - 3 by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2377390695/"><img height="375" alt="AS1 - 3" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2402/2377390695_1a5cc79c22.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This next picture, sorry it's so dark, are the read-alouds scheduled with the program.<br /><br /><a title="DCP_5559 by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2378226552/"><img height="375" alt="DCP_5559" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2241/2378226552_2d015911cb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Since AS1 above is American History I will be tweaking here and there. Removing overtly patriotic American topics and substituting Canadian history topics. We will be using Donna Ward's Canada, My Country to learn Canadian geography plus the following history books. I also intend to use the library for more books as appropriate.<br /><br /><a title="Canadian history by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2378225708/"><img height="375" alt="Canadian history" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2135/2378225708_ce3dd3874a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Ds will be using Sonlight Grade 2 readers for his personal reading.<br /><br /><a title="Readers by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2378222214/"><img height="375" alt="Readers" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2378222214_e9034c8dff.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Every school day morning just before lunch we read a short myth, legend or fairy tale. We will most likely read more than these but they are the three we will use for sure. They cover Canadian fairy tales, greek/roman myths and legendary heroes.<br /><br /><a title="Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2377392475/"><img height="375" alt="Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2377392475_a2679c4c9d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />We also read poetry daily. Monday to Thursday we read two poems (one new and the other a favourite we've read so far from the current book), on Friday we just read favourites. Sometimes we end up reading more though so it is likely we will read more than the two shown below but these are the two I want to cover for sure.<br /><br /><a title="Poetry by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2377391635/"><img height="375" alt="Poetry" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2377391635_b5fb970797.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Again, ds enjoyed the Ed Emberley book we used this year so much that he asked to do another one. I got a deal for buying two so picked up these. This will cover formal drawing instruction. There are also plenty of other arts/crafts in the above materials.<br /><br /><a title="Drawing by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2377385751/"><img height="375" alt="Drawing" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2185/2377385751_006c6ea864.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Art appreciation is covered informally with a new picture introduced and displayed each week on a little easel in our kitchen for viewing and discussion.<br /><br />From Rod and Staff we will be using their English, Phonics and Health. For Handwriting we will continue with the next Handwriting Without Tears book.<br /><br /><a title="R&S & HWT by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2377387351/"><img height="375" alt="R&S & HWT" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2377387351_c8d3115cdf.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />All About Spelling<br /><br /><a title="Spelling by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2378218626/"><img height="375" alt="Spelling" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2378218626_8e42b1a4d3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />And finally for Music we will use God Made Music which covers both theory and appreciation.<br /><br /><a title="Music by eliza-jane, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2377389879/"><img height="375" alt="Music" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/2377389879_85a78f61dd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />It is going to be a fun year!Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-25098284547269089022008-01-05T11:35:00.000-08:002008-01-05T11:41:22.609-08:00Read Aloud #1: The Bad BeginningThe Bad Beginning<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0064407667?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0064407667"> by Lemony Snicket</a><br />A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the First<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZoZE5jYcdothqAdKZl1e4BxqO5jmeC12oLrKUHmpfKSWepy4GVxYOHP-ZL6p-6qHCuOskwVr1U4DPyo3JgDd2m7Rl06k91NuJii2h5JPPvJPYvUkmkZ59S4M6Mfw-h9UfJbaixZPQDAB/s1600-h/badbeginning.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZoZE5jYcdothqAdKZl1e4BxqO5jmeC12oLrKUHmpfKSWepy4GVxYOHP-ZL6p-6qHCuOskwVr1U4DPyo3JgDd2m7Rl06k91NuJii2h5JPPvJPYvUkmkZ59S4M6Mfw-h9UfJbaixZPQDAB/s400/badbeginning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152078838896844898" /></a><br />Pages: 162<br />Finished: Jan. 4, 2008<br />Reason for Reading: I have read the first three books in this series and thought the 7yo was old enough to enjoy them now. <br />First Published: 1999<br />Genre: Gothic mystery<br />Rating: 4/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.</em></blockquote><br /><br />Comments: I read the first three Unfortunate Events books about 3 years ago and for some reason never got around to reading the rest of them. In this first volume the Baudelaire children become orphans and are sent to live with the evil Count Orloff who treats them miserably and plans to take their fortune from them. This series is mostly a parody of the Victorian penny dreadful type of books and is really a lot fun. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy and the humour dry and ironic. Literary allusions abound. The setting is an alternate one being clearly set in a Victorian age while also having such conveniences as cars and walkie-talkies. Some parts went over the 7yo's head but mostly he understood the humour and when he didn't I explained it to him. He was certainly along for the ride and experienced a roller coaster of emotions throughout the story. The children are very likable characters and the villains are evil and dastardly. We are both anxious to read the next book.<br /><br /><strong>Read Aloud #2:</strong> Dad just finished reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152055029?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0152055029">Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore </a>as a bedtime book. Ds7 enjoyed it so much when I read it to him that he requested Dad to read it to him next.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-33982697087687887862008-01-05T11:34:00.000-08:002008-01-05T11:35:45.942-08:00Read Alouds for 200777. Gingerbread Baby by Ursula Moray Williams <br />76. The Good Little Christmas Tree by Ursula Moray Williams <br />75. Merry Christmas Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola <br />74. Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present by John Burmingham <br />73. The Adventures of Buster Bear by Thornton W. Burgess <br />72. The Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne <br />71. Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore <br />70. Swim, Little Wombat, Swim! by Charles Fuge <br />69. Stone Soup by Ann McGovern <br />68. Hunwick's Egg by Mem Fox <br />67. Tasting in Living Things by Karen Hartley <br />66. Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan <br />65. Do-it-yourself Magic by Ruth Chew <br />64. When Agnes Caws by Candace Fleming <br />63. Poppy and Rye by Avi <br />62. The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater <br />61. Frog Went a Courtin' by John Langstaff <br />60. The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting <br />59. Animal Senses by Pamela Hickman <br />58. Secret Seven on the Trail by Enid Blyton <br />57. Poppy by Avi <br />56. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl <br />55. The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle <br />54. Cactus Desert (One Small Square) by Donald M. Silver <br />53. Flossie & the Fox by Patricia C. McKissack <br />52. Bub, Snow, and the Burly Bear Scare by Carol and Bill Wallace <br />51. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald <br />50. Viking Ships at Sunrise (MTH#15) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />49. Ereth's Birthday by Avi <br />48. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne <br />47. The Day of the Dragon-King (MTH #14) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />46. Animals and Thier Young by Patricia Hickman <br />45. Secret Seven Mystery by Enid Blyton <br />44. Vacation Under the Volcano (MTH#13) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />43. Tropical Rain Forest (One Small Square) by Donald M. Silver <br />42. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden <br />41. Polar Bears Past Bedtime (MTH#12) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />40. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne <br />39. Lions at Lunchtime (MTH #11) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />38. Gost Town at Sundown (MTH #10) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />37. Secret Seven Adventure by Enid Blyton <br />36. The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets by Jean Craighead George <br />35. Dolphins at Daybreak (MTH #9) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />34. The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter <br />33. Midnight on the Moon (MTH#8) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />32. Animal Defenses by Etta Kaner <br />31. African Savanna (One Small Square) by Donald M. Silver <br />30. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling <br />29. Sunset of the Sabertooth (MTH#7) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />28. The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton <br />27. Afternoon on the Amazon (MTH #6) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />26. Andrew Lost #8: In the Deep by J.C. Greenburg <br />25. Night of the Ninjas (MTH #5) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />24. Pirates Past Noon (MTH #4) by Mary Pope Osborne <br />23. Socks by Beverly Cleary <br />22. Andrew Lost #7: On the Reef - J.C. Greenburg <br />21. Ant Cities - Arthur Dorros <br />20. Flash, Crash, Rumble, Roll - Franklyn M. Branley <br />19. Andrew Lost #6: In the Whale - J.C. Greenburg <br />18. Andrew Lost #5: Under the Water - J.C. Greenburg <br />17. James Herriot's Treasury for Children <br />16. Andrew Lost #4: In the Garden - J.C. Greenburg <br />15. The Adventures of Grandfather Frog - Thornton W. Burgess <br />14. Andrew Lost #3: In the Kitchen - J.C. Greenburg <br />13. Pippi Longstocking - Astrid Lindgren <br />12. Andrew Lost #2: In the Bathroom - J.C. Greenburg <br />11. Andrew Lost #1: On the Dog - J.C. Greenburg <br />10. The Magic Carpet Slippers - Dick King-Smith <br />9. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll <br />8. Barn Owl - Phyllis Flower (OOP) <br />7. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Ian Fleming <br />6. How to Eat Fried Worms - Thomas Rockwell <br />5. Pete's Home Run - Marion Renick (OOP) <br />4. Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Howard Pyle (abridged) <br />3. The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill - Dorothy Wall (OOP) <br />2. The Marvelous Land of Oz - L. Frank Baum <br />1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank BaumNikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-17732550199519719682007-12-21T08:57:00.000-08:002007-12-21T08:59:09.117-08:00Read Aloud #72: The Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525460772?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525460772">The Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh</a> by A.A. Milne<br />Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uxRPfm_wXhY_R_3Alv90wuaih0qSPsgg30bXJYL_sBhUgswSxkfVFYH_35QbOL3kUbN_2iLL6BFO9wTIBHfDwXZtyvCRgZO51_IvYOr3t5BOh2oKXQTVmf97dSGwq-vAfDyv1tAcHCjz/s1600-h/poemspooh.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uxRPfm_wXhY_R_3Alv90wuaih0qSPsgg30bXJYL_sBhUgswSxkfVFYH_35QbOL3kUbN_2iLL6BFO9wTIBHfDwXZtyvCRgZO51_IvYOr3t5BOh2oKXQTVmf97dSGwq-vAfDyv1tAcHCjz/s400/poemspooh.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146471698962374546" /></a><br />Pages: 211<br />Finished: Dec. 21, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: Every school day we read one new poem and then re-read a few of our favourites. We've been reading from this book for several months. <br />First Published: 1924<br />Genre: children, poetry<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br />Comments: This is a compilation of two books "When We Were Very Young" and "Now We Are Six". In this edition the original illustrations have been hand painted in gentle watercolours. These poems are a delight, a joy. They are very much written from a small child's point of view. The poems have rhythm and are very fun to read and easy for a child to remember after hearing repeatedly. Overall, the poems are happy, playful, funny and sometimes slightly cheeky. We have had a lot of fun reading these and I think it is time spent together that we will always remember. Highly recommended to read aloud.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-6055156066629210082007-12-18T10:46:00.000-08:002007-12-18T10:48:28.788-08:00Read Aloud #71: Little Pear<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152055029?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0152055029">Little Pear: The Story of a Little Chinese Boy</a> by Eleanor Frances Lattimore<br />First of the Little Pear books<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaSUFczfhGyHBg79hki5J-qayy30u9ugJPSsvrMIbzGErvfmZLi_V9OfLKTbAXcRplrRLtqhpVu1Ei9PB4Uux2OgWxB6bW4UUYC6uYZItxFGYohyphenhyphenpi3NpT9fgEsyireA1APX6ZBbUmUW-/s1600-h/littlepear.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaSUFczfhGyHBg79hki5J-qayy30u9ugJPSsvrMIbzGErvfmZLi_V9OfLKTbAXcRplrRLtqhpVu1Ei9PB4Uux2OgWxB6bW4UUYC6uYZItxFGYohyphenhyphenpi3NpT9fgEsyireA1APX6ZBbUmUW-/s400/littlepear.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145386605539811186" /></a><br />Pages: 138<br />Finished: Dec. 18, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: this is one of my favourite books<br />First Published: 1931<br />Genre: children fiction<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>There was once a Chinese boy called Little Pear.</em></blockquote><br /><br />Comments: The simple, heartwarming, funny misadventures of a five-year-old Chinese boy in his village in China. There are no words to convey just how much I love this book. I remember reading all the Little Pear books and many other books by Eleanor Frances Lattimore when I was a child. I have very fond memories of reading them and taking them out over and over again, especially Little Pear and Peachblossom. <br /><br />I read this to my older son when he was little and it was a favourite with him so, of course, I knew I would read it aloud to the 7yo. I think I love this book even more now than I did before. The 7yo was simply enthralled with it. He has decided that Dad is going to read it to him next for his bedtime story. <br /><br />Little Pear is a mischievous, often naughty, boy who is always behaving in ways which are quite shocking to a 7yo of today. What young child of today can imagine what it would be like to walk to the nearest city all by yourself and not get back till after dark?<br /><br />The writing is very descriptive. There are many scenes, pages long, that describe the Chinese village, the market, Chinese homes, etc. and the language is utterly engaging. The reader can tell that Lattimore loves and respects both China and the Chinese people. (She was born and raised in Shanghai). Lattimore also illustrated the book herself and the simple line drawings enhance the playful mood of the book. I have nothing but praise for this book and highly recommend it.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-4582877462431602112007-12-11T09:51:00.000-08:002007-12-11T09:59:58.739-08:00When Agnes Caws LapbookThe next lapbook we did was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0689851189?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0689851189">When Agnes Caws </a>by Candace Fleming using the unit at <a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/WhenAgnesCaws.htm">Homeschool Share</a>. Ds is having a blast lapbooking and learning so much. This story was a lot of fun. <br /><br /><br />Cover<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101380312/" title="DCP_5501 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2301/2101380312_8c9e5e5a32.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DCP_5501" /></a><br /><br />This shows the Decade Book. DS7 loved this so much. He thinks its so cool that for years 9 and 10 there was no him!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2100591645/" title="DCP_5503 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2051/2100591645_d1ca43ecbc.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DCP_5503" /></a><br /><br />Opened up<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101381862/" title="DCP_5502 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2249/2101381862_dd0a8f74df.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DCP_5502" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101383286/" title="Lapbook by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2021/2101383286_290f9dec4e.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Lapbook " /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101377500/" title="DCP_5504 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2218/2101377500_25aa69a66f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DCP_5504" /></a><br /><br />Completely opened up<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101373956/" title="DCP_5506 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2039/2101373956_125a3549b1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DCP_5506" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2100603539/" title="Lapbook by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/2100603539_077b00087e.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Lapbook " /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101386176/" title="Lapbook by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2302/2101386176_0b4fdd2282.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Lapbook " /></a>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-47667190928829127142007-12-10T09:36:00.000-08:002007-12-10T09:49:02.039-08:00Frog Went a Courtin' LapbookThis is the lapbook my son made when we did the unit study for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/015230214X?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=015230214X">Frog Went A Courtin' </a>at <a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/frog_went_a-courtin.htm">Homeschool Share</a>.<br /><br />While we were studying this we also got the CD <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000002BH?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000002BH">Songs for Singing Children </a>by John Langstaff from the library which has this song on it. It is a wonderful CD!<br /><br />The Cover<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101378548/" title="dcp_5492 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2239/2101378548_0e7a921289.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="dcp_5492" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2100604287/" title="Lapbook by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2194/2100604287_93a1160df6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Lapbook " /></a><br /><br />Cover opened up<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2100598133/" title="dcp_5493 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2302/2100598133_771a47a500.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="dcp_5493" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101382606/" title="Lapbook by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2135/2101382606_a60fc02596.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Lapbook " /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2100594337/" title="dcp_5495 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/2100594337_980f7da2a8.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="dcp_5495" /></a><br /><br />Completely opened up<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101374788/" title="dcp_5497 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2036/2101374788_2fe4a9ea5f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="dcp_5497" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101376624/" title="DCP_5499 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2338/2101376624_4faa6a19fe.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DCP_5499" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101381096/" title="dcp_5498 by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2396/2101381096_bbe3d0e839.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="dcp_5498" /></a><br /><br />The back<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/2101383956/" title="Lapbook by eliza-jane, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2299/2101383956_9e0b1eb0ae.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Lapbook " /></a>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-4286055311554794032007-12-09T05:44:00.000-08:002007-12-09T05:46:48.901-08:00Read Aloud #64: Do-it-yourself Magic<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803892993?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803892993">Do-it-yourself Magic</a> by Ruth Chew<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisT6RzqOA8fG2JckeT-rkFiHKNateYyVQ4jYpH7-cjCbDe3pUwyF9rLZr80rfuPKDzgM3Ro7te23fBGxhvUODczdJB27jXgGzfLX2X0QyG4d1y2zPRhmxsn6g-lr0RPxay1Gn2x5C8Q4Hv/s1600-h/doityourselfmagic.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisT6RzqOA8fG2JckeT-rkFiHKNateYyVQ4jYpH7-cjCbDe3pUwyF9rLZr80rfuPKDzgM3Ro7te23fBGxhvUODczdJB27jXgGzfLX2X0QyG4d1y2zPRhmxsn6g-lr0RPxay1Gn2x5C8Q4Hv/s400/doityourselfmagic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141969016083063986" /></a><br />Pages: 127<br />Finished: Dec. 8, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: just picked it up on a whim for something fast and fun<br />First Published: 1987<br />Rating: 3/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em><br />"Wow! Rachel, look at that!" Scott Walker grabbed his sister's arm and dragged her over to the shop window of the big discount store on Church Avenue.</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: Rachel and Scott buy a "Build-Anything Kit" and soon discover it has magical properties. Adventure soon follows as they shrink themselves, drive a car they've made and then find themselves inside the castle they built and it's even populated with medieval people. Rachel and Scott learn about a minstrel's life and Rachel soon finds out life wasn't very fair for a girl in the middle ages. This is a cute story, a quick read and would be perfect for a child ready to read chapter books.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-32901900068077213812007-12-06T09:05:00.000-08:002007-12-06T09:13:41.553-08:00Read Aloud #63. Poppy and Rye<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380797178?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0380797178">Poppy and Rye</a> by Avi<br />Illustrated by Brian Floca<br />Second in the Tales of Dimwood Forest<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3CMupSfyuCoVLm2ClIM5ZJQE6Tdx3cu4WrYLrtpIRDnKhVBfhfQDGuTbAvadaJZsM7yVMzU1H4_L9I0otm9PobSRGqfFVVdtBCeTehD1ztjbIVRqLkd11l5BWyG5-ca2vfdcC6jX96-n/s1600-h/poppyrye.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3CMupSfyuCoVLm2ClIM5ZJQE6Tdx3cu4WrYLrtpIRDnKhVBfhfQDGuTbAvadaJZsM7yVMzU1H4_L9I0otm9PobSRGqfFVVdtBCeTehD1ztjbIVRqLkd11l5BWyG5-ca2vfdcC6jX96-n/s400/poppyrye.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140907398951740562" /></a><br />Pages: 182<br />Finished: Dec. 5, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: next in the series. <br />First Published: 1998<br />Genre: children, animal fantasy<br />Rating: 3/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>"Clover! Clover, love. You need to wake up! Something awful is happening." </em></blockquote><br /><br />Comments: Poppy decides to try and find Ragweed's parents to tell them the news and Ereth accompanies her. Once they arrive they find that beavers have built a dam and flooded Ragweed's family out of their home. More than anything this is a love story. Poppy meets her husband-to-be, Ereth also feels love for the first time and we see the love of parents for children. I'm not too surprised that my 7yo did not enjoy this book very much. He enjoyed the occasional chapters focused on Poppy and Ereth but the rest of the book did not hold his interest and he requested I stop reading it three-quarters of the way through. I did finish reading the book myself and feel this is the weakest book we've read in the series so far. The beaver characters as the new enemy were more annoying than anything, certainly nothing like the evil Mr. Ocax of the first book. There were some good parts and I moderately enjoyed this volume.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-62778669181922502792007-11-27T06:01:00.000-08:002007-11-27T06:19:26.604-08:00Read Aloud #61. Frog Went a Courtin'<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/015230214X?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=015230214X&adid=0JX2TQX76EBNP783ZXWR&">Frog Went a Courtin'</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-45&rid=nicola">John Langstaff</a><br />Illustrated by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-151744&rid=nicola">Feodor Rojankovsky</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg483wxH-fugdvEoCCiNyYJ2TPkiuAjGYidJc5zjl-GnG5BYjzweZ2uJf5fwgq-CUk9_JzLO_hNdVz1lmkJW_gfLw5a3nC1q9zr7xG60GLwuBgwrzeONtOTpCwGCXgjMHoZ4iJ4YHJmdUS_/s1600-h/frogwentcourtin.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg483wxH-fugdvEoCCiNyYJ2TPkiuAjGYidJc5zjl-GnG5BYjzweZ2uJf5fwgq-CUk9_JzLO_hNdVz1lmkJW_gfLw5a3nC1q9zr7xG60GLwuBgwrzeONtOTpCwGCXgjMHoZ4iJ4YHJmdUS_/s400/frogwentcourtin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137521668041152370" /></a><br />Finished: Nov. 24, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: we "rowed" this using the <a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/frog_went_a-courtin.htm">homeschool share unit</a>.<br />First Published: 1955<br />Awards: Caldecott Medal<br />Genre: picture book, folk song<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><blockquote>Frog went a courtin' he did ride.</blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: Simply wonderful, timeless classic picture book. The text is from the traditional folk song and if you know the tune you will find yourself singing instead of reading this book. In fact, we borrowed a CD from the library with the song and have been singing ever since. Lots of fun! Rojankovsky's illustrations are amazing. I've always been fond of his work. He uses a colour palette consisting of the primary colours (red, yellow, blue) with some green and black. These bright bold pages are alternated with a more subdued green and black palette and the effect is marvelous. A wonderful book to experience!<br /><br />In other reading news, <strong>Dad</strong> has been reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0689828896?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0689828896&adid=0JD2MB34S7HWRW2BRPQC&">The Hoboken Chicken Emergency</a> by Daniel Pinkwater which they both enjoyed.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-17439390497362246412007-11-16T16:43:00.001-08:002007-11-16T16:49:35.337-08:00Read Aloud #60 - The Story of Doctor Dolittle<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688140017?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0688140017">The Story of Doctor Dolittle</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-52351&rid=nicola">Hugh Lofting</a><br />Illustrated by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-107463&rid=nicola">Michael Hague</a><br />First of the Doctor Dolittle books<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsqrICej4chbhqAGTmKyne_b17eoFbrF7LQSRjrir24ipMUgnJRa9QnytXw4_Q23d8OuCKoUZ3VHwufUsuNRd36n7dB0Eh6KU_UiZt30ZXtJ3QylNU10H9yuslpNdYJZN0FhNr2y4L3P4/s1600-h/storydoctordolittle.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsqrICej4chbhqAGTmKyne_b17eoFbrF7LQSRjrir24ipMUgnJRa9QnytXw4_Q23d8OuCKoUZ3VHwufUsuNRd36n7dB0Eh6KU_UiZt30ZXtJ3QylNU10H9yuslpNdYJZN0FhNr2y4L3P4/s400/storydoctordolittle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133604275615110850" /></a><br />Pages: 159<br />Finished: Nov. 16, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: a favourite of my childhood, I hoped ds would enjoy it.<br />First Published: 1920<br />Genre: children animal fantasy<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><blockquote><br /><em>Once upon a time, many years ago -- when our grandfathers were little children -- there was a doctor; and his name was Dolittle -- John Dolittle, M.D.</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: Doctor Dolittle is an impoverished doctor who is very friendly with animals. After he gives up his human practice and becomes an animal doctor, he receives a cry for help from the monkeys of Africa who are experiencing an epidemic sickness. I have fond memories of reading all the Doctor Dolittle books as a child. This is my first time to re-read one and I was not disappointed. Lofting was a master storyteller and this book enchants from start to finish. Each chapter is packed with action, adventure and humour. There are many endearing animal characters, each with their own distinct personality. I loved Gub-Gub the pig who was frequently reduced to tears, while my 7yo loved Polynesia the wise and rather bossy parrot. This was a fun and quick book to read aloud and the 7yo enjoyed it immensely. The second book in the series has already been placed on our up-and-coming read-alouds pile.<br /><br />We also finished another book in the Animal Behaviour series for our <strong>non-fiction </strong>reading. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1550744259?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1550744259">Animal Senses </a>by Patricia Hickman. Here's my review I wrote for LibraryThing.<br /><br /><blockquote>This is our favourite entry in the Animal Behaviour Series. There are many hands-on demonstrations (ie experiments) using simple items found around the house. (The only thing we had to buy was a party blower from the $ store.) Interesting text, colourful pictures and hands-on fun make for a enjoyable book that 7yo really enjoyed.</blockquote>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-26836083954010004102007-11-15T12:14:00.000-08:002007-11-15T12:17:26.374-08:00Read Aloud #58. Secret Seven on the Trail<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0340917571?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0340917571">Secret Seven on the Trail</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-61783&rid=nicola">Enid Blyton</a><br />Fourth in the Secret Seven mysteries<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhY7fl0gDRTu_QqFM-auZqlCte89R2mZZz5vSSGSO0CCaKj0Olu1hg0r7mAAzo32MfN0hizSpass5b_QjmJFADJ96HRQHj9WamAjnvGjqGhaP0QhktG_lzvTUk3RSRwVdeBsp3jORdi-3/s1600-h/secretseventrail.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhY7fl0gDRTu_QqFM-auZqlCte89R2mZZz5vSSGSO0CCaKj0Olu1hg0r7mAAzo32MfN0hizSpass5b_QjmJFADJ96HRQHj9WamAjnvGjqGhaP0QhktG_lzvTUk3RSRwVdeBsp3jORdi-3/s400/secretseventrail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133163543251064482" /></a><br />Pages: 88<br />Finished: Nov. 14, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: reading this series,in no particular order.<br />First Published: 1952<br />Genre: children mystery<br />Rating: 3/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><em>"Mummy, have you got anything we could have to drink?" asked Janet.</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: The Secret Seven are on the trail of robbers. Goods are being stolen from trains and the Seven accidentally overhear as the gang of robbers plot their next heist. These books are very formulaic and now that we've read a few of them I've lost the nostalgic feeling and my interest in waning. However, the 7yo is still enjoying them very much. He gets very excited following the daring exploits of this group of children and I expect we'll be reading more in the series.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-2652895321991478582007-11-02T12:44:00.001-07:002007-11-02T12:46:49.266-07:00Read-Aloud #57: PoppyPoppy by Avi<br />Illustrated by Brian Floca<br />First* in the Tales of Dimwood Forest<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wwx8dBopLwWwTsSJFJmqigp-izuxVzb75etoHn6RBMenTL7pJLtpliJP7wwYKPUvjOFwgziiHqNvfc60RXNW3IOe3JhkNZYEli5FG9kfBXPcC9T0xNisosdYfvg2CkuKb6K1C0lWkE6l/s1600-h/poppy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wwx8dBopLwWwTsSJFJmqigp-izuxVzb75etoHn6RBMenTL7pJLtpliJP7wwYKPUvjOFwgziiHqNvfc60RXNW3IOe3JhkNZYEli5FG9kfBXPcC9T0xNisosdYfvg2CkuKb6K1C0lWkE6l/s400/poppy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128331425091344674" /></a><br />Pages: 147<br />Finished: Nov. 2, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: we enjoyed <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380804905?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0380804905">Ereth's Birthday </a>so much we decided to start the series from the beginning.<br />First Published: 1995<br />Genre: children, animal fantasy<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><em>A thin crescent moon, high in the sky, shed faint white light over Dimwood Forest.</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: The mice who live in Old Gray House are ruled over by the evil great horned owl, Mr. Ocax. When Ocax denies permission for the mice to move to a new area with more food Poppy, whom Ocax has blamed for his refusal, decides to take the long voyage to the new area by herself. Thus begins a peril filled journey that will forever change Poppy's life. This book is top-notch animal fantasy. Compelling characters face danger, death and the unknown in doses that bring one to the edge-of-your-seat excitement. The tension is very intense but is offset by frequent doses of laugh-out-loud humour. I love this book. My 7yo was beside himself at various points in the plot, cheering and yelling words of caution to Poppy. This book is most certainly a big hit for both old and young.<br /><br />*A note about the reading order. Poppy is the first book written in this series but not the first book that is promoted by the publishers. Ragweed is labeled the first in the series but is actually a prequel and the third book published. Since I first read this series as it was being written I am now re-reading the remaining books in as published order, which I think gives a better flow to the character development. Ereth's Birthday is fourth in the series but also a stand-alone. I recommend the books be read in published order.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-21770156078769102522007-11-01T09:29:00.000-07:002007-11-01T09:37:40.273-07:00Read Aloud #56: Fantastic Mr. Fox<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141301139?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0141301139">Fantastic Mr. Fox</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-6860&rid=nicola">Roald Dahl</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUd-mCGv__v5B00Cab6CXJG0JoMaMiNON1fmlJWmvNisTquWKW4PaKAGMTikKw7aURPoG6M9pOTSrM-PcJvTVUKg2a2YstQQpwsjWtTCPPFbYR7jb2nvL4IsLI7q5YVTVcmoXi-nLGHw0/s1600-h/fantasticfox.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUd-mCGv__v5B00Cab6CXJG0JoMaMiNON1fmlJWmvNisTquWKW4PaKAGMTikKw7aURPoG6M9pOTSrM-PcJvTVUKg2a2YstQQpwsjWtTCPPFbYR7jb2nvL4IsLI7q5YVTVcmoXi-nLGHw0/s400/fantasticfox.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127910187583854850" /></a><br />Pages: 81<br />Finished: Nov. 1, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: we've been learning about foxes and read this for fun.<br />First Published: 1970<br />Genre: children, humour, animal fantasy<br />Rating: 4/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Down in the valley there were three farms.</em></blockquote><br /><br />Comments: Three nasty farmers decide to get rid of the fox and his family once and for all. The fox finds himself in a predicament but after some thinking he comes up with a plan that outsmarts the farmers. This is a hilariously funny book. I've read it several times now and it still makes me chuckle. In the 7yo's own words, he "loved it!" This is an especially fun book to read aloud and Quentin Blake's delicious illustrations on every page are just as much fun as the story itself. Recommended for all ages.<br /><br /><strong>Dad's </strong>bedtime reading has seen the end of the Magic Tree House books. Ds said he was tired of them. So they've just finished reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0439163005?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0439163005&adid=0M993RN91RYW516NF5W6&">The Giggler Treatment </a>by Roddy Doyle which was a big hit.<br /><br />Non-fiction reading has seen us finish another One Small Square book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0070579342?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0070579342">Cactus Desert</a>. This has been our least favourite of the One Small Square books to date. Here is my review I wrote for LibraryThing:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Not as visually appealing as the others we've read in this series so far. Perhaps my son is just not as interested in the desert as the other habitats but he was rather bored with the text. He did enjoy looking at the pictures though, especially the page with animals shadows that were to be matched to the outlines. Recommended for any age from 7 and up.</em></blockquote>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-24678522695505836052007-10-26T14:41:00.000-07:002007-10-26T14:56:00.505-07:00I Just Ordered Math-U-See!Mid-year switcheroo! I just placed an order for Math-U-See!<br /><br />We are currently using RightStart (Lesson 60-something) and I love it to pieces. I think it is a fabulous curriculum, it's just not working that well for my son. He just doesn't like the abacus, he's having a really hard time learning to add and can not visualize the abacus and he actually hates using it. And he doesn't like the card games either! So, he's not having any fun and we are not getting anywhere.<br /><br />Anyway, I ordered the sample dvd from Math-U-See and it arrived the other day. As I was watching it ds (7yo) came in and started watching it with me and wanted to know what it was. Why was that guy using big Legos for math? Is this going to be his new math? Can we get it? He got pretty hyped watching the dvd! So after viewing the dvd, the catalogue, the website, there doesn't seem to be a huge difference between Math-U-See and RightStart. They both seem to have the same philosophy and teach things the same way, just using different manipulatives. I'm thinking the blocks are going to be a better fit with ds than the abacus and I really like all the practice that comes with MUS. RS just doesn't have much in the way of practice except through the games and when your ds hates the games there's not much left. His favourite part of RS is doing the worksheets and they are few and far between. <br /><br />Wish us luck!Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-2330253919788183182007-10-23T10:11:00.002-07:002007-10-23T10:16:57.677-07:00Read Aloud #53 - Flossie & The Fox<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803702507?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803702507">Flossie & the Fox</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-1880&rid=nicola">Patricia C. McKissack</a><br />illustrated by Rachel Isadora<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnz2gPZVIQGVh6N2-0A7xuOBL2cycT8s90wjWyiGCuSRB2SNU3vxLXB1D6Q3cF6bE1QO39TlspmFcYu8R8NPHBDCnN4Xs_d5lPNumfsTtbZGXqWRMuZ57Zq6zE_xXE5PVcidSjDqLcsyn/s1600-h/flossiefox.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnz2gPZVIQGVh6N2-0A7xuOBL2cycT8s90wjWyiGCuSRB2SNU3vxLXB1D6Q3cF6bE1QO39TlspmFcYu8R8NPHBDCnN4Xs_d5lPNumfsTtbZGXqWRMuZ57Zq6zE_xXE5PVcidSjDqLcsyn/s400/flossiefox.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124581181515540098" /></a><br />Pages: 32<br />Finished: Oct. 23, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: we are learning about foxes in our curriculum, WP AW, and added this book.<br />First Published: 1986<br />Genre: children's picture book, folk tale<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><em>"Flo-o-o-ossie!" The sound of Big Mama's voice floated past the cabins in Sophie's Quarters, round the smokehouse, beyond the chicken coop, all the way down to Flossie Finley."</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: An African-American deep South version of the traditional Red Riding Hood fairy tale. In this rendition Flossie is taking a basket of eggs to a neighbours house and is met by a Fox in the woods. Flossie refuses to believe he is a fox, since she's never seen one before, and the fox tries to prove himself to her. This is a picture book with a lot of text and what beautiful language in this wonderful tale. Told in a rural Black dialect the words are vivid. Both the text and the illustrations convey a sense of mischief that builds until the last hilarious page. The 7yo was laughing out loud and so proud of Flossie at the end of the tale. Highly Recommended.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-31539103043895896182007-10-19T15:45:00.000-07:002007-10-19T15:49:35.096-07:00Read Aloud #52: Bub, Snow, and the Burly Bear Scare<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FILLV4?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FILLV4">Bub, Snow, and the Burly Bear Scare</a> by Carol and Bill Wallace<br />illustrated by John Steven Gurney<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwMF_O1sTP46Qc334CUxDn-oD1baXLDEQH28up0S4hJJ373n-t6ERF8hJO6m-QC2-SA8zYCOSZwTHeMS0a74UzZSzHFHkK7t2w07dKh-3Z8wEGFbAKKRGKnBZCOyzD6u-JfBBzczD-RBm/s1600-h/bubburlybear.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwMF_O1sTP46Qc334CUxDn-oD1baXLDEQH28up0S4hJJ373n-t6ERF8hJO6m-QC2-SA8zYCOSZwTHeMS0a74UzZSzHFHkK7t2w07dKh-3Z8wEGFbAKKRGKnBZCOyzD6u-JfBBzczD-RBm/s400/bubburlybear.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123183281329841714" /></a><br />Pages: 118<br />Finished: Oct. 19, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: Picked this up at the library simply because it looked good<br />First Published: 2002<br />Genre: animal fantasy<br />Rating: 4/5<br /><br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Tiny specks of ice filled the air and bit into my hide.</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: I hadn't heard of this book nor had I ever read a book by the Wallaces before but the cover was cute and the Wallaces have written a lot of books so I thought it was worth trying. Bub and his mother travel to the valley for the winter and meet up with other creatures of the forest including a nearby people family and a grouchy bear. We really enjoyed this book and it won't be the last we read by the authors. This is actually a sequel to another book but read as a stand-alone nicely. This is a talking animal story but is not fantastical at all, the animals are very much regular animals and we learn a lot about the forest wildlife as the mother teaches young Bub. Many funny scenes and the characters were adorable. My favourite was a horse on the farm who wasn't originally from the valley but came from "The Valley", and talked like a Valley Girl. My son's favourite was the grumbling beaver who was still working on his lodge even though winter had already come. Recommended for 7-9 year olds.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-21912979031544354912007-10-17T11:59:00.000-07:002007-10-20T15:44:27.666-07:00Read Aloud #51: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0064401480?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0064401480">Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-44326&rid=nicola">Betty MacDonald </a><br />illustrated by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-126232&rid=nicola">Hilary Knight </a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkV53Povw1jqsmXhEPQAvvSkmTlnyN0JnZuaRLDoEtK8l0VEncROOWFoi0sk_gYXEZxEmlayJs-O7_UkAMnTHhDXWerVb69JU1JX6XCUzWIECwEISWqvSNBELw9002fbaZpHzO44a8zsA/s1600-h/pigglewiggle.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122402331721377282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkV53Povw1jqsmXhEPQAvvSkmTlnyN0JnZuaRLDoEtK8l0VEncROOWFoi0sk_gYXEZxEmlayJs-O7_UkAMnTHhDXWerVb69JU1JX6XCUzWIECwEISWqvSNBELw9002fbaZpHzO44a8zsA/s400/pigglewiggle.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Pages: 119<br />Finished: Oct. 17, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: I read this to my older son when he was about the same age, and I was pretty sure ds7 would enjoy it too.<br />First Published: 1947<br />Genre: children, fantasy, humour<br />Rating: 4/5<br /><br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>I expect I might as well begin by telling you all about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle so that whenever I mention her name, which I do very often in this book you will not interrupt and ask, "Who is Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle? What does she look like? How big is she? How old is she? What color is her hair? Is her hair long? Does she wear high heels? Does she have any children? Is there a Mr. Piggle-Wiggle?"</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: This is a hilarious, rollicking-good-fun read aloud. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house and knows everything there is to know about children. She also has the most wonderful cures for common childhood ailments such as won't-pick-up-toy-itis and won't-take-a-bath-itis. Told in an episodic format, each chapter is it's own little story. I believe some of the chapters have been published as picture books also. My 7yo enjoyed this very much. We both laughed out loud and both have the same favourite chapter which is the story of the little girl who wouldn't wash and ended up having radishes growing out of her forehead. I've read this book several times now but haven't read any of the sequels but I think I may have to change that. I also must mention that the Hilary Knight (best known for the Eloise books) illustrations are adorable.<br /><br /><strong>Dad</strong> has just finished reading the 15th Magic Tree House book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679890610?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0679890610&adid=1SQQN6BFA8E9NZ8YX5PC&">Viking Ships at Sunrise</a>, and they have decided that it's time to move on from this series.<br /><br />We haven't finished any <strong>non-fiction</strong> since the last update.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-19243756054554511612007-10-13T14:21:00.001-07:002007-10-13T14:29:12.674-07:00War of 1812 Re-enactmentWe had a fabulous day today! <br /><br />195 years ago on this very date, Oct. 13 1812, the <a href="http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006615">Battle of Queenston Heights </a>was fought. Today we went to the re-enactment. People from all over Canada and the US came today to re-enact the battle on the very same day on the very same soil. Here are a few pictures I took.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1561853779/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2331/1561853779_3debad4276.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="War of 1812 Re-Enactment" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1561856521/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2062/1561856521_7b7d51516e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="War of 1812 Re-Enactment" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1562736460/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2341/1562736460_17933fea21.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="War of 1812 Re-Enactment" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1562740118/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2169/1562740118_723391841e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="War of 1812 Re-Enactment" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1562742974/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2248/1562742974_71ce3fc3e7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="War of 1812 Re-Enactment" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1562745216/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/1562745216_2d8e62eb04.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="War of 1812 Re-Enactment" /></a>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-6665187676346404292007-10-05T12:28:00.000-07:002007-10-20T15:50:09.155-07:00Read Aloud #49 - Ereth's Birthday<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380804905?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0380804905">Ereth's Birthday</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-3472&rid=nicola">Avi </a><br />Fourth in the Tales from Dimwood Forest<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXJ2RunZTM2lG_fTlxRrFtTrxoOF12ZEwpjt2aFyCd7Kuj-NQUO8q9GZpavNnBzTs_mpeAkfaTmVQwIQLAbkbZ785u6V0ev5oazxitwXBLm4jg1Hhe4u53FH0hljEUOKFj5OgHRSqJAQI/s1600-h/erethsbirthday.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117936992828347698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXJ2RunZTM2lG_fTlxRrFtTrxoOF12ZEwpjt2aFyCd7Kuj-NQUO8q9GZpavNnBzTs_mpeAkfaTmVQwIQLAbkbZ785u6V0ev5oazxitwXBLm4jg1Hhe4u53FH0hljEUOKFj5OgHRSqJAQI/s400/erethsbirthday.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Pages: 196<br />Finished: Oct. 5, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: scheduled reader for WP AW<br />First Published: 2000<br />Genre: children's animal fantasy<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>In Dimwood Forest, in the dark, smelly log where the old porcupine Erethizon Dorsatum lived, Ereth--as he preferred to call himself--woke slowly.</em></blockquote><br /><br />Comments: Ereth happens upon a mother fox caught in a trap who pleads with him to look after her kits. After she dies Ereth, much to his chagrin, accepts the task but unbeknownst to him he is being stalked by Marty the Fisher. This is top-notch animal fantasy, it doesn't get much better than this! The fourth in a series is just as incredible as the previous entries. This book can also be read independently from the series (or out of order) as it revolves around a different character than the others. The 7yo was captivated with this book, he couldn't wait each day for our reading and I was cajoled into reading 3 chapters a day instead of our usual two. We laughed, we cried, we highly recommend this book!<br /><br />No other books have been finished since my last post. We did start The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman but after 7 (very short) chapters ds said he was NOT enjoying it so we decided to put it aside.<br /><br />Check out the side bar to see what we are currently readingNikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-64119233117657510962007-10-02T18:22:00.000-07:002007-10-20T15:53:58.427-07:00Read Aloud #48 - The House at Pooh Corner<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525444440?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525444440">The House at Pooh Corner</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-17305&rid=nicola">A.A. Milne </a><br />illustrated by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-70933&rid=nicola">Ernest Shepard</a><br />Sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9uos-N3Cv0vfsHG88FavCp0cMPju9Oc6OgafykIw2GTdQfnDzeEb7WE2WPGidUyHG8Eyc9bomGbtRi5-Gs4p_KHW7D0YSL8SioDbrrpPjnuC7ALTqdgrHRIE9TxB3Kb4WIg2tkQM-ZkS/s1600-h/houseatpooh.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116914940935754994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9uos-N3Cv0vfsHG88FavCp0cMPju9Oc6OgafykIw2GTdQfnDzeEb7WE2WPGidUyHG8Eyc9bomGbtRi5-Gs4p_KHW7D0YSL8SioDbrrpPjnuC7ALTqdgrHRIE9TxB3Kb4WIg2tkQM-ZkS/s400/houseatpooh.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Pages: 181<br />Finished: Oct. 2, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: We enjoyed <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0525477683?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0525477683&adid=0M1PRHX2YDGEP76CRNED&">Winnie-the-Pooh</a> so much we had to read this sequel<br />First Published: 1928<br />Genre: children's classic, fantasy<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><em>One day when Pooh Bear had nothing else to do, he thought he would do something, so he went round to Piglet's house to see what Piglet was doing.</em></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Comments: This sequel is just as endearing and beautiful as the first story of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0525477683?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0525477683&adid=0M1PRHX2YDGEP76CRNED&">Winnie-the-Pooh</a>. This is the book in which we meet Tigger and all the friends we are familiar with are now together. The 7yo enjoyed this tremendously and we experienced many laugh-out-loud moments. The language in the book is simply beautiful. This is a book which demands to be read aloud. Ever since we started reading the Pooh books we've found him becoming a part of our lives. My son likes to make up little songs and now he says he just feels a little 'hummy' like Pooh. The ending is so sweet and I found myself all teary-eyed as I read it. This is a book that will stay with us forever. A must read!<br /><br /><strong>Dad </strong>has finished reading the 14th Magic Tree House book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679890513?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0679890513&adid=1AC2Q726CG0EQ4DW3K65&">The Day of the Dragon King </a>and they are both still going strong with this series.<br /><br />In <strong>non-fiction</strong> we finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1553370627?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1553370627">Animals and Their Young </a>(one of our WP AW books). This is the reveiw I wrote for <a href="http://www.librarything.com/catalog/ElizaJane">LibraryThing</a><br /><br /><br /><blockquote><em>A solid entry in the Animal Behaviour series. This one is not as visually appealing as the previous book in the series we read. The colours are very subdued, browns, tans, greys. Much more text per page than is necessary causing the 7yo to zone out occassionally. But otherwise a decent enough book to cover the topic. The 7yo particularly enjoyed the pages which described what his life would be like if he were certain baby animals.</em></blockquote>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-58653140905099537262007-09-24T13:10:00.000-07:002007-10-20T15:52:12.749-07:00Read Aloud #46 - Secret Seven MysteryI've decided to keep track of our read-alouds on this blog. I'll be writing brief reviews of the books I read aloud to our 7yo and keeping tally of the books dad is reading to him.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0340917628?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0340917628&adid=05QP9XTV9GAM8KGQTANR&">Secret Seven Mystery</a> by <a href="http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=-61783&rid=nicola">Enid Blyton </a><br />Ninth of the Secret Seven series<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHOLlzLYKF_4Zv9lfmlj9zPKbRRvammaZGUal0IHn9miMP0zpHmREhZ1T5Mv4y9EyuixGDo9UUAMxKjEmZ-0omGxdai4omGIAUfn77FOTiAhGhMYljlVyJ99mHAaKwB_9aidiDGI-qjbi/s1600-h/sevenmystery.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113866248595002498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHOLlzLYKF_4Zv9lfmlj9zPKbRRvammaZGUal0IHn9miMP0zpHmREhZ1T5Mv4y9EyuixGDo9UUAMxKjEmZ-0omGxdai4omGIAUfn77FOTiAhGhMYljlVyJ99mHAaKwB_9aidiDGI-qjbi/s400/sevenmystery.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Pages: 87<br />Finished: Sept. 24, 2007<br />Reason for Reading: we are working our way through the series, though not in any particular order<br />First Published: 1957<br />Genre: children's mystery<br />Rating: 3/5<br /><br />First Sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Peter and Janet were having breakfast with their father and mother one lovely spring morning.</em></blockquote><br /><br />Comments: I don't really have a lot to say about this one. They are pretty much formulaic with one being pretty much like another. But the seven year old is enjoying them and cannot figure the mysteries out yet. I am asking him every now and then as we read the mysteries for his opinions and he is pretty ingenious with some of the things he comes up with. This story revolves around a girl (around the age of the secret seven) who has been accused of stealing some money from her teacher and then runs away. The secret seven, upon their father's suggestion, decide to try and find the girl. The 7yo found this more tame than the others we've read, which involved kidnappings and circuses, and didn't enjoy it as much but still wants to continue reading more. This is a good little series of books (there are 15) and I think he's spot on at the targeted age for them.<br /><br /><strong>Dad</strong> has just finished reading the 13th Magic Tree House book, Vacation Under the Volcano<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679890505?tag=hosco-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0679890505&adid=1659BT62VQG2CEKXZ143&"></a> which ds enjoyed very much. The theme was Pompeii and Ancient Rome and he found it very exciting.<br /><br />In <strong>non-fiction</strong>, we've just finished up the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0070580510?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0070580510">Tropical Rain Forest </a>book, part of the One Small Square series. We really love this set of books! Here is the review I wrote for this book on <a href="http://www.librarything.com/profile/ElizaJane">Library Thing</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Beautiful illustrations are the main focus on each page drawing the child into the book. An engaging text, combined with the illustrations, encourages one to linger over the pages. My 7yo enjoyed the book, especially the last few pages which has a guide to all the animals found throughout the book. Recommended for any age from 7 and up.</blockquote>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-84174812231722603642007-08-19T10:48:00.000-07:002007-08-19T10:55:51.922-07:00Books Available on BookMoochI've got some great books to give away on BookMooch. You can find my inventory <a href="http://www.bookmooch.com/m/inventory/elizajane">here</a><br /><br />Bernard Palmer <strong>Trena's Rodeo Rival </strong>(The Bradley Series) <br />Lloyd Alexander <strong>Taran Wanderer </strong><br />Bruce Brooks <strong>The Moves Make the Man </strong>(Newbery Honor Book)<br />Betsy Byars <strong>THE SEVEN TREASURE HUNTS</strong><br />Esther Chum <strong>Essential Skills Maths Nursery Book B: Revised (Singapore Math)</strong><br />Beverly Cleary <strong>Socks </strong><br />Roald Dahl <strong>The Twits</strong><br />Alice Dalgliesh <strong>The Bears on Hemlock Mountain</strong><br />John R. Erickson <strong>The Case of the Raging Rottweiler {Hank the Cowdog, No 36 </strong><br />John R. Erickson <strong>The Case of the Vampire Cat (Hank the Cowdog, 21)</strong> <br />Atwater, Richard and Florence <strong>Mr. Popper's Penguins </strong><br />jean craighead george <strong>The Tarantula in My Purse And 172 Other Wild Pets </strong><br />Yeap Ban Har <strong>Maths with ... Baa Baa Black Sheep Singapore Math </strong><br />Yeap Ban Har <strong>Maths with ... Hickory Dickory Dock Singapore Math </strong><br />Yeap Ban Har <strong>Maths with ... One, Two, Buckle My Shoe Singapore Math </strong><br />Yeap Ban Har <strong>Maths with ... Two Little Dicky Birds Singapore Math </strong><br />Paul Hutchins <strong>The Timber Wolf (Sugar Creek Gang)</strong><br />Ladybird <strong>Puss in Boots</strong> (Favourite Tales)<br />Lois Lenski <strong>Strawberry Girl</strong><br />Edith Nesbit <strong>Five Children and It </strong>(Puffin Classics) <br />Bernard Palmer <strong>Danny Orlis and the Ice Fishing Escapade </strong><br />Bernard Palmer <strong>Danny Orlis and the Live-in Tragedy</strong><br />Christine Pullein-Thompson <strong>Phantom Horse Goes to Ireland</strong><br />Christine Pullein-Thompson <strong>Three to ride </strong><br />Emily Rodda <strong>The Isle Of Illusion </strong><br />Jon Scieszka <strong>The Knights of the Kitchen Table (Time Warp Trio)</strong><br />Jon Scieszka <strong>The Time Warp Trio See You Later, Gladiator </strong><br />George Selden <strong>The cricket in Times Square </strong><br />Ladybird Series <strong>Sorcerer's Apprentice </strong>(Well Loved Tales)<br />Edith Lambert Sharp <strong>Nkwala </strong><br />Christine Pullein- Thompson <strong>Second Mount</strong><br />Gertrude Chandler Warner <strong>Surprise Island (Boxcar Children Series, No 2) </strong>Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-12944082870466242512007-08-12T06:05:00.000-07:002007-08-12T06:10:21.976-07:00The End of a UnitHere are a couple of pics of ds7's projects from the last couple of weeks. We take photos of 3 dimensional projects, then print them out and put in his notebook.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1052486263/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/1052486263_1f7bc96f4f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DCP_5431" /></a><br />Bison Face<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/1052484833/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1125/1052484833_fbd4bbe75d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DCP_5432" /></a><br />Monarch caterpillar<br /><br />We've now finished the first 6 weeks and the first unit on the grasslands. Ds is very excited to start the next unit, the rainforest.Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902706627742421781.post-19907974026507783792007-07-28T06:20:00.000-07:002007-07-28T07:30:13.285-07:00July RecapWow, July seems to have just flown by. I can't believe it's just about August and that I haven't posted once this month. I must try to post more often!<br /><br />Anyway, here I am with our monthly recap of schooling. July has gone wonderfully, we started <a href="http://www.winterpromise.com/animals_worlds.html">Animals and Their Worlds </a>and are loving it. We've hit a few learning road blocks but nothing overwhelming and I definitely feel that July was a productive month of learning. If you wish to read further, may I suggest you grab a cup of coffee and settle down as I have a feeling this will be long.<br /><br /><strong>Language Arts</strong> - We finished Lesson 48 of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0971412928/104-4705144-0017540?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0971412928">First Language Lessons</a>. We've covered all types of nouns and have now moved onto pronouns. Ds has no problem with any of the grammar lessons and memorizes the rules very quickly. He has memorized the poem "Hearts Are Like Doors" by Anonymous and is working on learning the "Monday's Child" poem and the "30 Days Hath September" poem. Math and FLL have overlapped and between the both of them he has learnt the days of the week and the months of the year and has them down with no problems. We started copywork this month and at first this was a huge problem. His first assignment was to copy "<em>My name is ____".</em> This looked humongously long to him and he caused quite a fuss. It took him all day, one word at a time, but he got it done and is now still causing a bit of a fuss but is getting it done in one sitting.<br /><br />Ds's latest narration:<br /><blockquote><em>The Hen and the Golden Eggs<br /><br />A man and a wife had a chicken who laid golden eggs. They cut it open because they wanted all the golden eggs at once. But they saw nothing inside the hen. They were greedy and sad.</em> (ds, 7yo)</blockquote><br /><br />We continue working a page a day in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561899410/104-4705144-0017540?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1561899410">Spectrum Phonics</a>, now finished page 38. His earlier problem of actually hearing the sounds has been resolved and he is no longer having any difficulties and really enjoys working in this workbook.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439199360/102-0309545-7800959?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0439199360">Word Families </a>are progressing nicely. He also enjoys these worksheets and is reading the words very well.<br /><br /><strong>Reading </strong>- We've just finished Lesson 16 of our <a href="http://www.societyforqualityeducation.org/stairway.html">reading curriculum</a>. This curriculum starts off horizontally and then switches to vertical. We've now moved into the vertical phonics and ds is doing tremendously well. He picks up the new sounds very well and is really improving his reading. He has now learnt all the sounds for long /o/, all the sounds for /ow/ as in cow and all the sounds for /er/. Plus he's added a handful of new sight words. He still sounds out each individual sound when reading but he is starting to read whole words at once without sounding out loud. His main problem is he feels unsure of himself. He will look at me for every word he reads, waiting to hear if he got it right before reading the next one and I am trying to break him of that habit. He has finished the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439845025/104-4705144-0017540?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0439845025">second level box </a>of Bob books and wasn't ready for the second level of Now I'm Reading so he is now working on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584761598?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1584761598">second box of level one </a>Now I'm Reading readers.<br /><br />Handwriting - We continue working in <a href="http://www.hwtears.com/">HWT </a>and his printing is coming along nicely. And while he complains at having to print anything else in his schoolwork he never complains about having to work in this book.<br /><br />Math - We have just finished Lesson 43 in <a href="http://www.alabacus.com/">RightStart </a>Level B. Progress has slowed down. We are now doing half a lesson a day and then playing an addition card game for the remainder of the lesson. He understands concepts very well but he just can't seem to remember adding. He gets it, he can do it on the abacus but he just couldn't add anything. 4+1 and he had no clue, ask him what comes after 4 and again he has no clue. So we've been playing this addition card game that was introduced this month and slowing down the lessons while he gets the hang of adding. I'm happy to say that the month has brought some improvement. He can answer many +1's now plus he has 5+3 and 5+5 down. We are working on all the addition facts up to 5+5. We will probably continue with the half-lessons through August.<br /><br /><strong>Read-Alouds</strong> - This month we have read aloud: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380709260/?tag=hosco-20">Socks </a>by Beverly Cleary, and the Magic Tree House books <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679824251?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0679824251">Pirates Past Noon </a>and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679863710?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0679863710">Night of the Ninjas</a>. I continue to read the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/072325804X?tag=hosco-20&amp;camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=072325804X&adid=0CKYTJ7AB3KY2Q27X07T&">Beatrix Potter book </a>at bedtime when dad is not home. We have also started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0517266555?tag=hosco-20&amp;camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0517266555&adid=0G40SH2F0XAND8E34KFB&">Just So Stories </a>by Rudyard Kipling each day just before lunch and our newest read-aloud which we are 3 chapters into is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0340917547?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0340917547">The Secret Seven </a>by Enid Blyton. Dad has continued to read the Andrew Lost books and has finished up to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375825266?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375825266">#8</a>. We will not be continuing with the series due to evolutionary content in the rest of the books but dad is now going to continue on with the reading of the Magic Tree House books at bedtime.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.winterpromise.com/animals_worlds.html">Animals and Their Worlds </a>- We have finished Week 4. Ds has had a lot of fun with the reading, websites, crafts, activities, art and notebooking. I am very happy with it and hope to continue with WP for many years. One thing I really like is that we are always doing something different: reading, puzzles, colouring, craft, drawing, looking at websites, notebooking. It's a different combination every day.<br /><br />Here he is with two of the crafts he's made recently. A bat magnet and a prairie dog pop-up. We've printed out this photo and put it in his animal notebook.<br /><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/928087780/"><img height="500" alt="DCP_5420" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1240/928087780_f012270a93.jpg" width="375" /></a><br /><br />Every week he works on an animal drawing from a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963930761?ie=UTF8&tag=hosco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0963930761">Draw, Write, Now </a>book and here is one of his most recent. Ds loves to draw monsters, aliens and robots so all his animals reflect his style. Here we have one dangerous butterfly!<br /><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/928087788/"><img height="500" alt="julyrecap1" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1215/928087788_ff7fdd5db4.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Also, every week ds fills out an animal sheet for his notebook. We are working on a combination of him drawing the answers and telling me the answer to write down.<br /><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliza_jane/928087810/"><img height="500" alt="julyrecap2" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1172/928087810_c2a1b45ffa.jpg" width="379" /></a><br />Click to enlarge and you can see his answers better. I love his answer to the sentence at the bottom "Cheetahs are so fast they look like <em>rockets or super sonic cars</em>."Nikki in Niagarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13348586723780500367noreply@blogger.com1