Apologia Year-End Round-Up

I am joining Sarah for her Apologia Year-End Round-Up.

I really enjoy their curriculum, so I was happy to write this post.

Kiddos #3 and 4 worked on the Zoology 3 (Land Animals) this year, while Kiddo #2 worked on Zoology 2 (Swimming Creatures).  Kiddo #1 studied Chemistry.  We also did a review of Zoology 1 (Flying Creatures).  We are definitely looking forward to next year!

What a year full of learning and fun.  This is a science curriculum that really knows how to interest kids-- making it hands on, full of activities, projects, experiments and crafts.  We also did trips to the zoo and nature center to correspond with our studies.  Here is just a small portion of our year in Science in photos:

Kiddo #4 working in her Zoology 3 Notebooking journal classifying reptiles and amphibians

Kiddo #2 doing an experiment from Zoology 2 to see if a layer of blubber helps insulate from the cold

Putting the "map-it" stickers in place

determining if fresh water and salt water both freeze

lizards or snakes?

a fun elephant craft

and a trip to the Circus

learning all about birds

and fun bird activities

a trip to Assateague

more fun in notebooking journals

Chemistry experiment

a visit to the National Zoo

and to our local one

as well as the Aquarium

more hands-on Chemistry

and lapbooks galore

facts to research and pictures to color

visits to even more zoos

and demonstrating wind currents

Wow, we accomplished a lot! (and these are only a fraction of our science photos! lol)  We are grateful for these science materials, all they have to offer and how much we fun we had!  :-)  We plan on continuing our journey over the summer because true learning never ends.  As long as the imagination is sparked, creativity fostered and innovation allowed, children will *want* to know more.  It becomes a pleasure instead of a chore, It becomes real, it becomes a part of them, something they want to continue and embellish upon.  To accomplish this with science is so necessary for our children.  It *can* be so fascinating and awesome if we just let it be!  :-)

Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up- June 7

It has been another good week here with the Kiddos.  More relaxed.  More interest-led and definitely less stressed.

On Monday, Kiddo #4 made a nightgown for her My Twinn doll that matched her own.  It really looks adorable.  :-)

For some screen-free time in the afternoon, the kiddos played some hide and seek in the basement (by flashlight, lol) and had some puzzle time.

On Tuesday, the kiddos had their Italian lesson.  They played concentration and memory games with the new verb conjugations they learned as well as showed their teacher the "commercials" they made for Nutella.

I also posted my weekly recipe linkup.  I shared Kiddo #4's newest cookie sensation- "Deluxe Oatmeal Raininets Cookies" that were really, really good. :-)  You can see her recipe and all of those that were shared (there are some really good ones!) here.

On Wednesday morning, Kiddo #1 had an orthodontist appointment and we stopped by a farm on the way home to pick up 20 pounds of English peas.  We love to can fresh vegetables.  Peas are in season for only a short time, so we want to make sure we have enough so we can enjoy them for months to come.

As I mentioned in my Thankful Thursday post, Kiddo #3 volunteered to clean out my van and Kiddo #1 offered to vacuum it out afterwards.  What a pleasant surprise that was, and boy does the van look good!  You can see the rest of the post here. ( I also give a short reflection on the anniversary of the D-Day invasion, for which we all should be grateful)

We also welcomed our first two butterflies.  Kiddo #4 named them "Primo" and "Secondo." ("First" and "Second" in Italian)  :-)

The best thing about Wednesday was the Kiddos deciding to make the backyard a "waterpark."  Very original and very fun.  There are more pics here.

On Thursday morning, Pop took the boys to get haircuts while Kiddo #4 and I put slices of orange in the butterfly pavillion for P and S and then continued work on her Butterfly Lapbook.  It is wonderful to be able to learn about the butterflies as we are experiencing them firsthand.  It doesn't get any more real than that.

After lunch, the kiddos and I went to a local park/playground.  They got to run, hit a few baseballs and play on the equipment.  The weather forecast is calling for some nasty rain the next couple of days so I definitely wanted to let them have some outdoor time in the beautiful spring weather.

Only 6 more days to vote.  I would really appreciate your support!  :-)

Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-Up, NOBH, Show-Off Friday, Learn and Link and It's a Wrap, Friendship Friday and Friday Connection and Family Fun Friday

Thankful Thursday- June 6

On this day, I am thankful for many things, big and small.  It really helps put everything into perspective when you always look to be grateful.  There are gifts all around us.  We just need to take the time to see and receive them, like

my son volunteering to clean my car

and his big brother stepping up to help

and the kids deciding to make a water park out of the backyard just because

that two of our butterflies have emerged from their chrysalis

that the local farm was able to sell me a large amount of peas at a wholesale price

and being able to can the peas together as a family so we will have fresh, healthy and delicious food to eat for months to come

I am also thankful for all of the support and votes I have received in the Circle of Moms contest.  I ask that you please click on the link below to vote for my blog.  You can vote once a day until June 13th.  It is such a close race.  :-)

And on this June 6, as an American, I am extremely grateful for the enormous sacrifice that was made 69 years ago today on the beaches of France.  Young men, with their entire lives before them, gave the ultimate sacrifice so that the European continent and the world could be freed from tyranny, oppression and occupation by evil and that all generations to come can continue to live in freedom.  Let us never forget.

Linking up with ,Lisa at The Army Chap's Wife, NOBH,Miscellany Monday, Raising Homemakers and Modest Mom and Raising Mighty Arrows,, Spilled Milkshake,Crafty Spices,  Mom's Monday Mingle, Monday Mingle, and Just the Stuff Ya Know , the Fontenot Four and A Sorta Fairytale

TOS Review- Math Mammoth

Today I am reviewing Make it Real Learning from Math Mammoth.

I cannot speak highly enough about this program.  My children have really enjoyed doing these activities/problems each day and they have actually ASKED to do them.  Now, that is an accomplishment for any curriculum!

What interested me the most when given the opportunity to review the products, was that they were problems based on real life.  There were questions that have real sports scores from actual basketball games, there were arithmetic questions using prices from the PetSmart website.  Real, relevant and applicable.  I love this.  It makes math worth studying for a kid because it answers that age old question, "When am I ever going to use this?"  :-)

I was given three products to review: Arithmetic I

Fractions, Decimals & Percents 2

and Graphing and Other Algebra Skills I

My younger two children enjoyed doing the problems from the Arithmetic book.  I would be lying if I said the problems were easy.  They were definitely a challenge, but they kept the kids engaged and interested by the subject matter.  They had to calculate costs of pet food, work with money, determine how to equally share snacks and figure out numbers of website visitors, among other activities.  We did these activities in addition to their regular math curriculum.  It really allowed them to put their knowledge to use and see how math is necessary and needed in everyday life, not just for filling out worksheets and endless rows of problems.  Since I had more than one child using the product, I printed out the worksheets (there was an option to enter the work into the PDF, though) and had each child work on his/her own.

Kiddos 1 and 2 have been diligently working through the other two titles, figuring out sales tax, the proper ratio to enlarge photos with no distortion, post differentials in basketball and graphs of the Pro Bowl (which were huge hits with Kiddo #2 since he gives new definition to the words 'sports fan.' lol.  I like that this opportunity to put Algebra to everyday use was available to my sons, because they have asked me more than once, "when am I EVER going to use Algebra in life?"  :-)  We used the worksheets in addition to their Algebra curriculum.  This was a plus, since they already had a rudimentary understanding of the material and were, for the most part, able to complete the MIRL work independently.  There were some concepts that were new to them, so I took that opportunity to work with them together and teach them the concept and work through the problems with them.

I was very pleasantly surprised by all of the titles in the MIRL series.  I had never heard of them before and was glad to be able to review and use them with my children.  Math really needs to be applicable for kids, not just given to them in endless rows of problems in a textbook to be completed "because the teacher told them so."  When it is applicable to life, it becomes relevant and real.  This not only makes it interesting but inspires the child to *want* to learn and use the material.  When something is used in a practical and meaningful way, the learning is internalized.  It is not just put into short-term memory for a test or worksheet, just to be forgotten the following day or week.  When learned in such a manner, it gets cemented more into the long-term memory.  And when a child really wants to learn something, that is priceless.  That is *authentic* learning.  There need to be more materials like this.  Our children's education, imagination, creativity and innovation are at stake.

These titles are all available for $4.99 at the Math Mammoth website.  

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- June 4

Welcome to another week of delicious recipes!  Glad to have you here!

This week I am sharing a new cookie my daughter made for us all.  She found the recipe on the back of raisinets!  Cookies with raisinets, what an awesome and yummy combination!  :-)

Deluxe Oatmeal Raisinets Cookies
1 1/4 cups white whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margaring, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups Raisinets
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)- Kiddo didn't use these

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.

Beat in eggs; gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in oats, Raisinets and nuts.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets.

Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!  We sure did.  :-)

Now for this week's features.  They were all wonderful!  Wish I could feature them all.

Strawberry Princess Marshmallows from Adventures with Jude

Choco-Peanut Butter Milky Way Cookies from Busy Mom's Helper

Chocolate Crinkles from Tales of a House Husband

Quick and Easy Meatless Mexican Pizza from Keeping up with the Joneses

Easy Kettle Corn from Be the One

Linking up with the Gathering Spot, Kids in the Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Mighty Arrows,Addicted to Recipes, Homemaking Wednesdays, Living Well Wednesday,NOBH, Judy H-J's Thoughts, Wisdom Wednesday , Favorite Things, Modest Mom, Full Plate Thursday and Melt in your Mouth Monday and Show Off Friday and Tuesday's Table and Look What We Did and Titus 2sday,  Mom's Monday Mingle, Monday Mingle, Crafty Spices, Better Mom,Create with Joy, Thursday's Treasures, Tasty Thursdays and Wonderful Food Wednesday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Tuesday How to Party and the Tried and True Recipe Party and Kids and Mom in the Kitchen and Family Fun Friday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop andAll My Bloggy Friends and Hearts for Home Blog Hop and Foodie Friends Friday

I would SO appreciate your vote and support.  There are only 10 days remaining.  Thanks so very much!