Lessons & Learning About Airplanes

We recently returned from a 3 day field trip to visit my sister & to see some of the local attractions.  This is a trip that by boys look forward to all year long. We usually try to go once a year specifically to visit her. The boys usually make a list before we go of where they want to go. The Air Force Museum is always on the list.

We start by getting our group shot in the beginning  Then as much as I try to stop them; my kids  begin span out. We walk around, with our heads looking up in awe staring at the massive planes. 

They have so many planes, from replicas of the Wright Brothers to modern inventions. There is information about each plane so you can read all you want. While we were there, we were able to see part of a retirement ceremony for one of the Air Force Officers. It was wonderful to see the men & women that sacrifice for this country.

Our favorite Aunt Heather.

They have an education center, that is all hands on activities that help teach you about airplanes & aeronautics. On this particular day it was closed, but it has some fantastic things. 

Once you get through the inside. We tour around the outside. They have a huge area that has old parked planes. The boys think it is awesome to get close to them & then compare the size. 

We are tiny compared to these planes.  It is fascinating. 

Other planes are a little more "their size." I do recall hearing one of my boys say they thought they could fly this one. 

We made it through the whole museum in a couple of hours. You could take all day there studying  the planes & reading all the information. There is detailed information about every plane by it. They also have various movies playing & retired Air Force Veterans that could talk for hours telling you all thing you never knew. However, this time we went through it a little faster due that this was towards the end of the day & my boys were starting to get tired. 

And though we didn't do this before the trip, here are some additional resources that you could use to study more about airplanes & the air force.

The One Paper Airplane Every Child Should Know { The Crafting Chicks }

Cardboard Airplane {This Mumma's Life}

Airplanes Lessons Plans for K-12  {National Museum of United States Air force}

Paper Airplane Experiments { Learn, Play, Imagine }

Lessons on Flight  {Brian Pop}

Practicing Addition & Subtraction with Airplanes & Travelers  {Kids Activities Blog}

Color By Number Airplane Worksheet Activity { Mama's Learning Corner}



And a few Books for Reading As Well:

         

Checking In

It has been a long time since I have posted on here. When I finally checked the date on my blog since the last post I realize that it has been close to a month. I never intended it to be that long, I really didn't, bu September just flew by.


  I am sure later there will be a series of blog posts to show what we have been up to.

  We have celebrated birthdays,

 taken our first group of lambs off summer range,

 We have gotten into school a little heavier.  I hate to say we have had our 1st day of school, because we learn year round. I will say that  we have started adding more subjects into our daily study.

 We have been on field trips & traveled.

 We have been canning, then cleaning, & canning more.

 We are cleaning again.

 There are mountains of laundry we are trying to attack.

  We are sewing quilts & bean bags.

 We are working on patterns & a tutorials.

 We are picking up old hobbies & discovering new ones.

 I am trying to stay off electronics a little more.

 There has been more trying to be present with my children & less distracted.

 More snuggles & book reading.

 We are like so many of you, trying to do our best each day & hope it is good enough.

 So please excuse my absence. Life has just flown by. I will try to be on here more consistent.

 I will be traveling again next week as we will begin to ship our final lambs & sheep off their summer range. It will be a long week or so, & hopefully it we don't freeze to death, but I am sure it will be good memories in the making.

 So keep checking back here, and I will keep trying to check in. But know we are doing the best we can, just like you.

"Teaching Your Child to Read" Guest Blogger Series: Misty

   I am so excited to be getting things back up & rolling on the blog today.  I have loved this series. I have been trying things out & adding things in that I read on the blog & they are working. Really working. Progress is still slow, but we are making progress. It makes me so happy!!! Today we have Misty with us. She blogs over at Mimi's House.

Learning to Read!

Hi! I’m Misty and I blog about our homeschooling journey at Mimi’s House. I was excited about the opportunity to do this guest post for Tiffany!

Learning to read is a huge deal in our home! It was actually one of the stipulations in my husband allowing me to homeschool our kids.  I taught my oldest child to read at 5 years old. She was in preschool at the time and I was teaching her each morning for a few minutes before she went to school. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and we ended up pulling her out of school over Christmas break. I had done what my husband deemed impossible! My middle child began reading at 4 and by her Kindergarten year she was reading chapter books.

When I made the decision to teach my oldest to read I knew right away what program I would use, Hooked on Phonics! I had been a fan of the program since Junior High School. It was what the reading lab at our school used to teach the struggling readers. I worked in the lab during study hall each week and was amazed at how easy it was to use.

Hooked on Phonics uses the phonics approach to learning to read, for example lesson 1 is –at words. So, the child will learn to read the words cat, hat, sat, mat. Every few lessons the child is also introduced to sight words.

It is a simple program, and each week has a story to for the child to read. After a few lessons the child receives a book! This was a huge hit in our home because they could take the book and show their friends, their dad, or their grandparents that they could read a “real” book! We have used the Kindergarten and 1st grade sets.

While I do love Hooked on Phonics for teaching reading, I also believe there are many other things to do to encourage your children to read! Here are a few that we have done in our home:

1. We take our kids to the library on a regular basis! Our kids know getting a library card is a big deal and they get one as soon as they start Hooked on Phonics. We also take them to Tail Wagging Tutors for extra reading practice and rewards. This is a therapy dog program that encourages kids to read. They give certificates, pencils, stickers, and other rewards when a child reads a book to the therapy dog.
2. We use book adventure for rewards and to gauge reading comprehension. This is a program similar to accelerated reader in public schools. We make our own rewards and the girls really like being able to redeem their points.
3. Book it! This is a great program that Pizza Hut offers. After a child reads 10 books in a month they get a free pizza. We don’t do this anymore due to my daughter’s food allergy, but it is a great program!
4. Certificates and days without chores are incentives the girls got when they finished a level of Hooked on Phonics. Each grade has 2 levels, so they got this 4 times while they were learning to read. They thought it was awesome to get a whole day without chores!
   
   
   
   
   
   These are just a few ideas to keep in mind when you begin teaching your child to read. The best piece of advice I have to moms just starting out is to relax! Make learning to read a fun thing!
   There was a few times with my oldest that we would have to slow down and review a lesson or two. I would get so frustrated which just discouraged her. I realized though that once I relaxed and didn’t push her, it came SO much easier. She is now an avid reader and has always read way beyond her grade level.
   Another piece of advice is to not discourage your child when they show an interest in learning. When my youngest daughter wanted to start learning to read at 4 I discouraged her by telling her she wasn’t ready. After arguing with her for a few months I let her start. She picked it up like it was the easiest thing in the world! She had finished level K by the end of preschool, and level 1 a month after starting her K year.
   Moms never let anyone tell you that you cannot teach your child to read, believe in yourself, and in your child! Teaching my children to read is one of the best experiences I have ever had. There is something magical about seeing their eyes light up when they realize they CAN read! It is priceless, and one of the most rewarding things I have ever done!

Adding it all up. Day 3 of The How do I teach Series.

I realize that you are awaiting for my great ideas for math curriculum, as part of our five day series.




I do have some great links & ideas I wanted to share with you.

Then life happened.

As it does most days.

It is hard being a wife, a mother, a daughter, a neighbor, a teacher not to mention the cook, maid, chauffeur, and everything else we add into our lives.

So here is my advice about math:

No matter how you try to divide yourself, you are still only one person.

So don't try to divide yourself into too many pieces.

It may mean that those that are closest to you will get only a fraction of what they deserve.

So subtract things out of your schedule. It will be okay.

Take time to add in those moments that matter and make memories that are erasable.

Make cookies & multiply the joy by sharing with others.

Zero in on what really matters.

Those years and days will add up faster than you can imagine.

We only have them for short time.

Take a minute to hold & enjoy the kids in your home. Really enjoy them!

So when your adding up all the things in your day. Subtract things out you really don't need.

Do all you can to make sure that all those seconds & minutes count.

Make them really count.

- Tiffany

How to I Teach without Spending a lot of Money: Science & Social Studies

 I want to begin by prefacing some items that I forgot to mention yesterday  in our little introduction. The first thing I need to mention is that one I don't know everything. I assume that is a given, but just in case it it not, you now know. 

 The other thing you really need to know is that my children our still fairly young, so I may have a few ideas about older grades, but if you need ideas for High School. I have few. Most of these will be directed towards 6 grade and under.

 The last you need to be aware of, is that I home school in a wonderfully relaxed state. I have a lot of freedom in what I can teach. I realize not everyone does. I feel truly blessed in what we can do in our state & hopefully can continue to do in the future.

So lets get on with it.

I hope you did your homework yesterday & wrote down a list of some of the resources you already have available to you. If you haven't done this yet, go ahead & do it now.

It's okay I can wait.

Really.

Okay not that we are all back, lets look at your list. One of the things that I feel is important to know what you already have is time. Time is precious. So if there is a resource that you can borrow from the lady down the road, it also means that it is one less thing you need to track down & prep yourself.  That alone is glorious.  So use it. For the 1st two years of homeschooling I borrowed my sisters History Curriculum that she wasn't using. It worked well for us. It made it great for me, because we learned to love that curriculum & it saved space on her shelf.

So let me give you an idea of how I begin to find my curriculum. I know now what I have, the next thing I need to figure out is what do I need to teach? Let's start with Social Studies & Science. Is there certain items mandated by my current state which I need to teach? Or do I have the freedom to choose what we will learn. Then make your list. Right now for both Science & Social Studies I have free reign. On your state website you can usually find a list by grade what items in these subjects your child needs to know. You may be able to just choose them yourself. Right now for science I have a list of 12 different subjects that I want to cover for the next year. One of those is oceanography.  

Once I have my subject I start searching for curriculum. 

I would say there are some resources that I use constantly. You will find them on every one of my lists.  Everytime. For every subject.

So lets begin with those.

1. The local Library.  They are usually free. Unless you need to get a membership to one in a town different then where you live. Then there is a small fee. They have books that cover everything. Social studies & Science. They are there. And as long as you return your books in a timely manner, they are quite affordable. 

2. The Internet. You must agree with me on that one, because you are obviously checking it out as well. A given, yes. 






3. Blogs & Pinterest. More to come on this later. 

Okay but what else?



Here are a list of some amazing deals, that are free or cheap, that can help with homeschooling science & social studies.  All you need is just your topic.

Science & Social Studies Resources:  

Lesson Pathways.  Free Resource & Lesson for K-5th. All Subjects 

 This has information on science & social studies. Gives an outline what to teach. (Free) 

Homeschool College USA 

This has both Science & Social Studies ideas on here. (Free)

KHAN ACADEMY

 This is awesome website for science, & free. 

EASY PEASY -ALL IN ONE HOMESCHOOL

Both Science & Social Studies  

   Once again this is all free science information.

CURRCLICK

Both Science & Social Studies. 

Some items are free, some have a minimal fee.

BOOKS Should be Free

 A variety of books that you can download & listen to for free

(Science & Social Studies)

National Geographic & National Geographic Kids

This has tons of great reference & information for both 

science & social studies.

KID Zone

This has some quick & simple printouts of ideas, lessons for K-5

both for Science & Social Studies

Education.Com

You can download a certain number of free worksheets a month

Social Studies & Science

 Netflix. 

Surprisingly has a large number of educational videos & movies.

Both for science & social studies. 

New 2 Homeschooling has an entire lists of different movies off netflix that relates to science. Then tells you how to find other subjects as well.

This also includes Amazon Prime, Hulu, & You Tube. All of those resources as well have some fantastic videos that you can use for science & social studies to help supplement as well.

Keep in mind that there are a million different ways to gather information for curriculum  We have gotten a lot of books from library that were getting rid of them. Or school teachers that are retiring.

You can also check out local agencies. The local Game & Fish department are more than happy to share information & handouts with you if you would like to learn about wildlife.  Do you want to do a unit on plants, check out the local Master Gardeners or County Outreach Office. They will be more than happy to share with you.

My other 2 favorite places to gather ideas & curriculum & blogs. Those two alone can keep my going for hours. On Friday I will share how I use both of those to help gather & make lesson plans. I will also share links to some of my favorite blogs.

In the end my favorite place to find curriculum ideas? My kids.

 I start with whatever my kids are excited about. Dinosaurs, construction, how something works, where is Tennessee (because his friend moved there).  I always start with what they are most excited now, & try to find something that relates back to it. I use the resources listed above & I connect it back with them. They are always full of ideas, its just my job to help them find the right tools to learn more.  

So go sit down with your kids  & take a moment to discover what they really want to learn.

And then stop back in tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will cover resources we have found for Math.

Once again don't forget to check out these other amazing ladies in our series.

How Do I Teach … 5 Day Blog Series is brought to you by the following blogs:

From A Country Road ~ Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ Homeschool Gameschool ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ No Doubt Learning ~ Mrs. Redd’s Classroom Blog ~ Proverbial Homemaker~ My Joy Filled Life ~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Vicki Arnold ~Only Passionate Curiosity ~ Living Life and Learning ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ Monsters Ed Homeschooling Academy ~ Life and Lessons from a country road ~For This Season

How do I Teach??? Day 1

 I am so excited to be joining a some amazing  other ladies as we talk about various things that come up in homeschooling  in our "How Do I Teach. . . ." Series.  

 

       In every situation in life there are things that come up, especially in the finance department. One of my worries in when we started our homeschooling journey 3 years ago was curriculum. We had finally decided that we were going to start homeschooling, but now I needed to get curriculum. I had researched some fantastic ideas & read books & listened to other peoples advice on what is the best curriculum. There was also a local group that does home school classes & I wanted to sign my kids up. 

Then I started doing the math.  

My heart sank.

I couldn't afford these right now. We were trying to get a new business of the ground, money was a tight.

I sighed. 

I felt like a failure & I hadn't even started yet.  Now what?

That was 3 years ago, and I will admit that this year, will be the 1st year that I will actually spend money on curriculum. So the first thing  I would say to you, is remember you are not the only person who may or may not be spending money on curriculum. The size of your school year budget, will not determine the success of your home school year.

Just relax, & repeat. The size of your budget will not determine the success of your home school year. 

I have since found a lot of free to minimal resources that can go a long way in your upcoming school year. In the next few days, we will discuss different subjects  like Math, Science, Reading, Social Studies, Art, Writing, and some of my all around favorite resources. We will even give you a few ideas of how I have added some dollars to our homeschooling budget without taking anything out of our family budget.

So to get it started, I have some homework for you. Yes, homework. Tonight when your sitting down for a moment, grab a piece of paper, & start making of list. Don't think of all the things you don't have, but start making a list of all the resources you do have.

 For an example, the library, the lady down the road who also home schools her kids, maybe some old textbooks from college ect. 

Make your list & see what you have.

Then join me again tomorrow look at resources for Science & Social Studies.

I can't wait.

And check out some of these other amazing ladies who are doing it as well:.

How Do I Teach … 5 Day Blog Series is brought to you by the following blogs:

From A Country Road ~ Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ Homeschool Gameschool ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ No Doubt Learning ~ Mrs. Redd’s Classroom Blog ~ Proverbial Homemaker~ My Joy Filled Life ~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Vicki Arnold ~Only Passionate Curiosity ~ Living Life and Learning ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ Monsters Ed Homeschooling Academy ~ For This Season

August - Monthly Menu

  I can't believe how fast August has arrived!! July went by way to fast. It was great to have a blogging break  & just focus on my family & other things as well.

 Nothing feels better than getting your upcoming month a little planned & scheduled out. So it is time for another Monthly Menu.

This time it is in an actual calendar form. Breakfast is the top & dinner is the bottom item. Because it is personalized to my family, you also see when we are out of town & I won't be cooking those days.

I do apologize it is a little hard to read. Click the image & it will get bigger.

If you want, just click on the image & save to your computer. Now dinner is already planned for the rest of the month. 

 Or here is just the quick list of dinner item:

August 2013 Menu

1. Chicken enchiladas
2. Grilled Blue Chicken & Veggies
3. Steak & Baked Potatoes
4. Ham & Mashed Potatoes
5. Porcupine Meatballs
6. Chicken Alfredo
7. Out of Town
8. Spaghetti & Bread sticks
9. Italian Chicken
10. Carnitas
11. Roast & potatoes
12. Out of Town
13. Out of Town
14. Crock pot Orange Chicken
15. Navajo Tacos
16. Beef Noodles
17. Hawaiian Haystacks
18. Pork Roast w/ Veggies
19. Pork Chops w/ a Walnut Maple Glaze
20. Mexican Chicken Casserole
21. Shrimp Tacos & Sweet Rice
22. Potato/Ham Casserole
23. Family Reunion
24. Family Reunion
25. Family Reunion
26. Parmesan Tilipia w/ Rice
27. Beef & Broccoli Stir-fry
28. Enchilada Pie
29. Pasta Primavera
30. Grilled Pork chops w/ Corn
31. Homemade Pizza

I will start sharing some of these recipes as the month goes along as well.

I am now off to do my monthly grocery shopping. Have a great 1st day of August. (I still can't believe it is August).