i started a group several months back called Read and Share for Kids.
the basic premise was to be that kids would read a book in keeping with a monthly theme, come share about it with a group of kids and moms, and then trade the book at the end of the morning.
the sharing of the books worked beautifully, but the trading didn't.
the kids often wanted to share one of their favorite books, but weren't quite willing to part with it, and there were several times i ix-nayed a book choice because i didn't want to let it go off our shelf.
so we dropped the trade aspect, and it seems to work just fine now!
in fact, we often share books from the library that we choose specifically for the event.
we meet once a month at a library, house or park. the kids all get together to share and enjoy hearing about the other's selections.
children as young as 3 have participated! it is so much fun.
this morning was our day, and we had 5 children share. afterward we had snack (provided by the host mom, thanks, heather!) and some play time. i think the morning went beautifully!
i love how it has opened up my 6 year old to new possibilities. he is reading with a passion right now, and loves picking out a book to share. we are going to start focusing on story elements so that he can start to identify them. my 4 year old really got into it this morning, too!
i am hoping that others will read this and be inspired to do something similar in their circle of friends. i love that it brings together children with a common theme. i hope we can grow our group in the upcoming months! i hope to incorporate some crafts or other themed activities to make it more meaningful for the kids (and moms!).
thanks to all the families who are participating! any ideas on some themes for the next few months?
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
tic-tac's library pick of the week...
we spend a lot of time picking out books at the library.
quite a bit, actually.
i am always looking for new books to read that my kids will be interested in. it never fails that the ones we read over and over are the silliest out there. sometimes i don't get the humor. like why my husband actually likes the old Monte Python series...but i digress...sorry...
since i am always looking, i thought i would share our library pics of the week for tic-tac (boy, age 6) and bonobo (boy, age 4). i am highlighting tic-tac's since bonobo hasn't settled on anything thus far.
tic-tac's read of the week is (drum roll, please...)
Shel Silverstein's Runny Babbit, A Billy Sook
as the title implies, it is indeed a very silly book. it is incredibly difficult to read aloud for my overly trained adult brain (not to say i am super smart, but our minds get used to seeing words in the right order, the right spelling, etc, and to see them jangled a little with only switching out the first sounds of a few words in a sentence, well, the mind plays tricks on you and you try to read it right, not in Runny Babbit fashion).
my children all laugh and giggle uncontrollably at phrases like "sea poup" (pea soup) and "his taws are sticky, poo" (his paws are sticky, too). imagine a book full of poems that are written in this fashion! so much fun to read and try to puzzle out, especially for early readers.
it is written in classic silverstein fashion, and the illustrations are right in line with other silverstein books. he worked on this book for over 20 years, and his family published it after his death. it is a must-read, and even a must-have on your bookshelf.
and here is a poem from the book to whet your appetite:
see what i mean? spell check is really irritated with me right now!
have a great wednesday!!
quite a bit, actually.
i am always looking for new books to read that my kids will be interested in. it never fails that the ones we read over and over are the silliest out there. sometimes i don't get the humor. like why my husband actually likes the old Monte Python series...but i digress...sorry...
since i am always looking, i thought i would share our library pics of the week for tic-tac (boy, age 6) and bonobo (boy, age 4). i am highlighting tic-tac's since bonobo hasn't settled on anything thus far.
tic-tac's read of the week is (drum roll, please...)
Shel Silverstein's Runny Babbit, A Billy Sook
as the title implies, it is indeed a very silly book. it is incredibly difficult to read aloud for my overly trained adult brain (not to say i am super smart, but our minds get used to seeing words in the right order, the right spelling, etc, and to see them jangled a little with only switching out the first sounds of a few words in a sentence, well, the mind plays tricks on you and you try to read it right, not in Runny Babbit fashion).
my children all laugh and giggle uncontrollably at phrases like "sea poup" (pea soup) and "his taws are sticky, poo" (his paws are sticky, too). imagine a book full of poems that are written in this fashion! so much fun to read and try to puzzle out, especially for early readers.
it is written in classic silverstein fashion, and the illustrations are right in line with other silverstein books. he worked on this book for over 20 years, and his family published it after his death. it is a must-read, and even a must-have on your bookshelf.
and here is a poem from the book to whet your appetite:
Runny Heeds Fimself
When Ramma Mabbit started teachin'
Runny how to eat,
He ficked his pood up with his ears,
He wasn't nery veat.
The sood all flipped, the drilk all mipped.
"That's pot nolite," said Maw.
"Never use your ears, my dear-
That's why Pod gave us gaws."
When Ramma Mabbit started teachin'
Runny how to eat,
He ficked his pood up with his ears,
He wasn't nery veat.
The sood all flipped, the drilk all mipped.
"That's pot nolite," said Maw.
"Never use your ears, my dear-
That's why Pod gave us gaws."
see what i mean? spell check is really irritated with me right now!
have a great wednesday!!
Friday, July 24, 2009
In the car...
i am finding that we are spending a lot more time in the car as the kids get older. this fall will be no different. on monday and wednesdays, we will be traveling about 30 miles to a bible study that we participate in as a family and that i will be serving in. as much as i love this study, i am a bit fearful for what it will do to our routine. i am also considering our PE co-op again this year, which is on tuesday and thursday afternoons. i am thinking it is important for us to get more connected with other homeschoolers so that when educational opportunites arise, we are more attuned to them. it also forces me out of my comfort zone and gets me around like-minded women. this is definitely a season in my life when i have been slowly wooed by the "take time for me" philosophy. i plan on addressing that on Manna for Mamas very soon.
anyway...about this post!
i have decided that listening to the radio in the car is pretty counterproductive. especially when you think that what you are listening to is relatively safe in content, but your four year old starts singing "she thinks my tractor's sexy." ahem... and the commercials! i usually tune them out, but as you know, well, the little pitcher's have big ears philosophy is oh, too true!!! needless to say, radio is not a good option.
i am also not a fan of the toddler tunes. i can only handle so much 'wheels on the bus' ya know?
so we are getting into audio books. wow! we have had several in our car, and i must say, they are lifesavers! they force my kids to pay attention, causing them to be peaceful in the car :) i actually have enjoyed listening to selections like "Henry Huggins" and "Curious George." we recently finished listening to "The BFG," by Roald Dahl and i was so entertained that even when the kids weren't in the car i was listening to it! it was a tad scary in the beginning for the 4 year old, but he got over it pretty quickly. the language in it is so creative and makes you listen very closely so that you don't miss out or miss the meaning. i was enthralled. after we were done with it in the car it has made it into the boys' bedroom for further listening enjoyment.
at our trip to the library today we picked up "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." we are at chapter 3 and they are not convinced that it is a good listen yet, but i know they will be entranced soon!
how about you? what do you do in the car to keep entertained?
anyway...about this post!
i have decided that listening to the radio in the car is pretty counterproductive. especially when you think that what you are listening to is relatively safe in content, but your four year old starts singing "she thinks my tractor's sexy." ahem... and the commercials! i usually tune them out, but as you know, well, the little pitcher's have big ears philosophy is oh, too true!!! needless to say, radio is not a good option.
i am also not a fan of the toddler tunes. i can only handle so much 'wheels on the bus' ya know?
so we are getting into audio books. wow! we have had several in our car, and i must say, they are lifesavers! they force my kids to pay attention, causing them to be peaceful in the car :) i actually have enjoyed listening to selections like "Henry Huggins" and "Curious George." we recently finished listening to "The BFG," by Roald Dahl and i was so entertained that even when the kids weren't in the car i was listening to it! it was a tad scary in the beginning for the 4 year old, but he got over it pretty quickly. the language in it is so creative and makes you listen very closely so that you don't miss out or miss the meaning. i was enthralled. after we were done with it in the car it has made it into the boys' bedroom for further listening enjoyment.
at our trip to the library today we picked up "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." we are at chapter 3 and they are not convinced that it is a good listen yet, but i know they will be entranced soon!
how about you? what do you do in the car to keep entertained?
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Home Educator's Conference
we attended our annual home educator's conference for the first time this year. and by 'we' i mean 'me.' my wonderful husband stayed home with the kids so that i could go and be 'free' to listen and engage.
i wasn't disappointed!
the keynote speaker, Dr. Voddie Bauchum, Jr. was challenging, encouraging and didn't pull any punches. homeschooling has always been what we were going to do. but in the back of my mind, i always thought that if i couldn't hack it, i could send my kids to a private school maybe.
not anymore. i will not even consider that as an option. it will no longer live on the horizon of educational choices for us. no way. i learned so much this saturday about the benefits of homeschooling i am all in!
some other gems i picked up this weekend:
Melanie Young is a mother of 8 who has homeschooled through 7 high-risk pregnancies (read: bedrest for 7 of the 9 months each time). wow! she was funny and had some awesome tips for bulk-cooking and freezer meals. i plan on implementing a few of her suggestions in the upcoming weeks! website: www.YoungandSons.com
Accountable Kids is this awesome chore tracking system. i am so excited to implement it it isn't funny! my two oldest are in love with checklist style chores and to-do's so i know this will go over well with them. i like that it focuses your kids on their successes, but also allows for negative consequences. we say 'NO' so frequently in our house, i often forget the praise! i think this will help me stay on track as well and won't let me slide when i am not on my game.
have you ever checked out Doorposts? this site has amazing tools to help you stay consistent with your discipline, reward your children with blessings and teach scripture through character building. we ordered their new "Put On" chart for our wall that focuses on the Colossians 3:12-14 verses :
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one have a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
we use several of their wall posters (Go To The Ant Chart, If-Then chart, Brother-Offended Checklist) to aid in our day-to-day life, and i expect that this new poster will serve us well. i can't wait for it to arrive :)
that is all for now! i plan on putting together our first unit schedule this week. i will post it when i am done. have a great day :)
i wasn't disappointed!
the keynote speaker, Dr. Voddie Bauchum, Jr. was challenging, encouraging and didn't pull any punches. homeschooling has always been what we were going to do. but in the back of my mind, i always thought that if i couldn't hack it, i could send my kids to a private school maybe.
not anymore. i will not even consider that as an option. it will no longer live on the horizon of educational choices for us. no way. i learned so much this saturday about the benefits of homeschooling i am all in!
some other gems i picked up this weekend:
Melanie Young is a mother of 8 who has homeschooled through 7 high-risk pregnancies (read: bedrest for 7 of the 9 months each time). wow! she was funny and had some awesome tips for bulk-cooking and freezer meals. i plan on implementing a few of her suggestions in the upcoming weeks! website: www.YoungandSons.com
Accountable Kids is this awesome chore tracking system. i am so excited to implement it it isn't funny! my two oldest are in love with checklist style chores and to-do's so i know this will go over well with them. i like that it focuses your kids on their successes, but also allows for negative consequences. we say 'NO' so frequently in our house, i often forget the praise! i think this will help me stay on track as well and won't let me slide when i am not on my game.
have you ever checked out Doorposts? this site has amazing tools to help you stay consistent with your discipline, reward your children with blessings and teach scripture through character building. we ordered their new "Put On" chart for our wall that focuses on the Colossians 3:12-14 verses :
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one have a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
we use several of their wall posters (Go To The Ant Chart, If-Then chart, Brother-Offended Checklist) to aid in our day-to-day life, and i expect that this new poster will serve us well. i can't wait for it to arrive :)
that is all for now! i plan on putting together our first unit schedule this week. i will post it when i am done. have a great day :)
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