kirstencan

iPad

So, about the iPad (in case you're just seeing part of this in Google Reader - comments welcome!).

Aaron and I are late tech adopters.  We wait until the buzz has died down, bugs are fixed, prices dropped.

So, no, iPad's aren't new anymore.

But I got one, so it's exciting to me!

Anyway, I wanted one for me originally.  For fun.  But when I looked at what apps I'd like to get... I found some amazing educational ones.  And I decided I wanted it for the kids for school.  Don't tell them, that, though - they think it's mine.

I had been looking at android tablets, and Aaron still thinks I kinda joined the dark side by buying Apple... but it's pretty awesome.

The reason I went with the iPad was that the app Articulation Station is not for android.  And I had to get Articulation Station (a speech therapy app - it's AMAZING).

The kids are having a ball - getting their school boxes done quickly so that they can have a turn with it.  And I've heard the girl say 'Mom, can I please do more chemistry?'

Um, yes.

Anyway, it's pretty awesome.  And you may or may not find it propped up in a kitchen cabinet so I can watch 30 Rock while I make dinner (Netflix!  Saved my weekend when I was sick last - I watched all of 24 season 1 in like 3 days).

I'm putting a list of app's we're enjoying here (not just 'educational' ones, just ones we like) - but feel free to recommend more to get!  I'm specifically looking for good telling time and counting money apps, a math app that Thomas might like (no luck so far - he's doing Touch Math worksheets and something like that would be great) but all recommendations welcome!

We haven't had any issues with the kids being rough/dropping it, but I have my eye on an 'armor' case... we'll see if it's necessary.

And in case you're curious...

And it's the 'new' iPad (3).

I probably won't go to the trouble of making all of these links - just look them up on itunes:

Articulation Station

Electric Company (the one about feelings - which is awesome for my spectrum kiddo!)

idress - because they get mad at ME when I make them wear pants, not shorts.  Now it's not me telling them.  They don't get mad at the ipad.

US Puzzle map - awesome!  Thomas went from a time of 8:08 to 2:34 a week or so later.  Crazy.

Brain Pop - we're not subscribers, but the kids love the free movie of the day.

Sushi Monster

Nova Elements (wow - cool!)

Rootology

Move the turtle (remember LOGO?)

Math blaster (meh - and it's probably the most expensive one i've bought so far!)

Kingdom Rush

Spongebob Diner Dash

Pit Droids

World of Goo (can't say enough good things about this one - physics, artsy, awesome.  We have it on our computer and I've beat it already -but I had to buy this again).

Scribblenauts Remix (probably could have done without this since we have the 2 ds versions - but spelling!)

AG Shave Ice

Toontastic (the kids are hilarious with this, making their own cartoons - I love that it teaches them to use a story arc)

Build a Train

I also use it for:

Netflix

Surfing/Email

PDFs for school (better than printing them out)

Goodreads (i LOVE that I can just scan the barcode!)

And may or may not occasionally sling some angry birds (just got Space today).

Now, seriously, what else would we like?

 

Ye Olde Colonial Projects

A few projects we've been up to lately as we study Colonial America for history:

Candlemaking.  I really wanted to dip candles (Princess and I did this a few years ago), but I'm not sure that will happen.  It might.  In the mean time, we did rolled beeswax candles.

I ordered a couple of kits from here, and they were just right to play with.

They each made a bigger taper + a few small candles and could use some pieces to decorate if they wanted.

Monkey got the most creative, making the 'russian guy candle' above on the left, and the 'alien candle' below.

We rolled hoops.  The girl came out, wet hair and all, to show us how it was done.  She's done this before.

Monkey had fun, Thomas did not.

Have you seen the opening of the old movie Pollyanna?  Man, that kid can roll a hoop.

We made tin can lanterns.  I wasn't sure how to do this safely, but then I read the directions (duh, Kirsten!) from our history program - which are pretty smart.  She has you freeze water in the can first, then hammer through it.

All done (Monkey's on the right was the first one we did, and we put the nail holes too close together).

And glowing.

Yesterday, we made butter.  We had very limited success with this last time, but this year I was determined.

So we shook (and shook and shook) the cream in a jar, and when they got tired I threw it all in the food processor.

And we waited more.

Aha!  Finally - progress!

It's way tasty.

Good (olde) times!

Girls have rights, too!

One day last week the girl just HAD to read me this excerpt from her history book.  It's a letter from Abigail Adams to her husband, John Adams.

"In any new Code of Law,

Remember the Ladies.

Do not put such unlimited

Power Into the hands of

The husbands, or We

Will not hold ourselves

Bound by any laws in

Which we have no voice."

(I'm sure capitalization/spacing is not accurate, but I typed as she wrote).

Isn't it fun when you connect with something in history?  She was so excited to find this letter!  When I went in her room later she had copied it out and taped it to her wall.

She started an early American history program from Beautiful Feet ... in January?  She is liking it, and obviously getting something out of it, huh?

She'll tell you though, that 'Too bad he didn't LISTEN!'

Sailing the Seven Seas (for a day or two)

Oh, you guys, my kids have had SO much fun so far today!  And it's HISTORY at the same time - woo!

So, we're studying New World Explorers, and a suggested activity is to build little ships out of boxes for the kids.  Luckily, last week I finally went and picked up that ottoman I've been wanting.  And last night, while watching Horatio Hornblower, Aaron helped me set this up for the kids.

A BIG sailing ship!  The fabric for the sails is actually the fabric the ottomon was wrapped in, I just cut it apart, so thanks, Ikea!  Aaron taught the girl some knots and between them they got the rigging up. The 'masts' are garden stakes.

We have a little penguin lookout up in the crow's nest (Amazon box - really everything was stuff we had lying around).

I threw some tinkertoys together to hold the sails up.

Now which way to Australia...?

I made sure some exploring books were nearby on the couch, plus a little pirate gear (map from National Geographic, paper towel tube, bandanas - we are SO fancy).

We have hand drawn maps and captain's logs.

We had some 'provisions' like beef jerky, and clementines (so as to avoid scurvy).  Below, the girl is showing the boys how to tap the 'ship's biscuits' before eating to make sure there aren't any bugs in them (she is learning a lot from reading and watching Hornblower - she adds quite a bit of authentic-sounding nautical phrases to the game, too).

Some spare rope = knot tying.

And trying to figure out how fast they were going in nautical knots.

A hammock (from a playsilk) for 'Leftenant Lumpy'

There have been close calls with the Spanish armada so far, and much exploring.  Can't wait to see what this afternoon brings (besides sea chanteys)!

Ship ahoy!

"Fall Tree"

Last week a neighbor stopped in for a minute.  She hadn't been inside the house for a while and said "Cute tree and owls!"  about the paper decorations up over the school cubbies.  She thought they were new.

Ahem.  Let's  take a look back, shall we?

Yeah, the Monkey's Totoro birthday decorations?  Still up!  Well, the tree and little totoros are anyway.

So, I kinda was like... ooohh... not owls, and not a cool fall decoration.  Just procrastination!

I realized later what I should have said was:  Thanks!

Because she wouldn't have known, would she?

Putting up those decorations (in April!) was a great excuse to take down the quilt that's been up on that wall since we moved in.  I'm tired of it.  It's pretty, and I hand-quilted it, but I want something new.  And I kept thinking that I'd paint that wall first, so I haven't bothered hanging anything else up yet. 

Also, whenever I'd think of taking it down, Monkey was around so I'd say to myself that I'd take it down that night when he was in bed.  And then I'd forget.

Anyway, it was time (5 and a half months ago...) to at least change it.  Since it's a festive week, what with Halloween and all, I kinda turned it into a fall tree.  The kind that magically grows several different shaped leaves - heh.

With one lone owl Totoro sitting on a branch.

And it was a great place to hang some fall art projects!

Last week we talked about warm/cool colors.  I luckily had a handy poster from college that we used. (Weirdly, while I know I made this poster, I have no recollection of when or why I made it.  It's just vaguely familiar.  And handy.)

And the kids went hunting for warm and cool-colored items. 

Then we looked at leaf shapes, drew leaves, outlined in black crayon (or white for Monkey because he likes to do the opposite of what I suggest) and painted them with warm colors.  The background was only cool colors (I know purple is questionable - we went with it).

I love Thomas' contours!  I think it's pretty obvious who's work is whose - can you tell?

This week we followed that up with leaf rubbings - with only warm colored crayons.

I am, however, bound and determined to get those beach photos blown up and framed BEFORE CHRISTMAS.  There.  I said it. 

Ready Set Go

Seriously, how is it only Tuesday???

What are we going to do about that?

 

*sigh*

In other news, here's something that's been working for us lately.  We seem to have trouble getting going in the mornings.  I made a checklist on these little dry erase boards (from the back of Kumon books) and the boys check them off as they go.  I used sharpie and the boys use dry erase markers. Morning jobs are dry erase so I can change them.  I just leave these in their first box.

If I said 'clean the playroom' the boys would freak out, so I assign them specific playroom jobs, like 'bionicles and beyblades'.  Other jobs I assign them:

*clear playroom rug

*clear living room rug

*vaccuum living room rug

*take out compost

*wipe table

*shoe patrol (make sure all the shoes are in the shoe basket or cubbies)

*dust piano

*bring down laundry & sort it

*unload silverware from dishwasher

*fold napkins (or washcloths)

*vacuum stairs

*clean out anything under couches

Anyway, it's working pretty well, much better than me telling them all of these things they need to do before school.  However I do end up saying 'How's your list coming?' or 'Work on your Ready Set Go list!' often enough.

What jobs do your kids do?  I'm looking for more jobs to assign the boys!

Oh, and Also working for us?  Blasting Beastie Boys REALLY loud to wake up the girl.  Ramones work, too.  The boys think this is way funny, the girl... not so much.  But as much as I love letting her get the sleep she needs... c'mon, it's after 10:00 already!

Not Just Pinning Stuff

Facebook, Twitter, I don't get you or like you.  But Pinterest...

Oh, Pinterest, you are wonderful.  And invented just for me, I'm pretty sure.  Visual bookmarks that you can categorize - yes!  But all those pretty pins of things I want to make all together can be pretty overwhelming.  I've heard of people making a point to actually DO some of the things they pin, not just look at them (but they're so pretty!), so I'll show you what I did last week that I originally had pinned.

First up:  A rainy day art project.  I took the kids outside (on a clear day earlier that week) and took photos of them holding umbrellas.  Then I printed them just on regular paper, trimmed them up, and waited for a rainy day.

BTW, my kids look like they have hobbit feet because they were standing barefoot in the grass.

We glued the picture down on watercolor paper and I showed them how to drip watercolor paint (liquid was recommended, but we used what we had) onto the paper...

... and then blow the paint around with straws.

Fun stuff, and they all turned out really differently!  I kinda love these.

Last week I also made a pipe-cleaner bottle (using a lid-lifter magnet - it would work better with a strong one, but the kids think this is fun), and a calming glitter jar.

And then yesterday I made DIY Surf Spray for the girl's hair (which always looks awesome and curls beautifully at the beach.

Oh yeah, and a while back I did this, which is surprisingly awesome.

You can find me on Pinterest here.  Often. ;)

(Are you pinning?  Anyone still need an invite?)

Nature Sketching

In the mood for a project, and inspired by Jessica, we all tromped into the garden last week (good thing not THIS week!  Nothing but wet, cold, and gloom over here) and I had the kids each pick 3 things.  Seeds, leaves, fruit, etc.

Then we came in to sketch.  I didn't know how this would go, as I'd just read a book about teaching art and saying that kids aren't able to really draw from observation until... a certain age (I have notes somewhere).  But we tried, and it was fun.

Can I say how SHOCKED I was at Thomas' drawing?  He surprised me again, and his observations were excellent (yellow in the red flower, yellow veins in the leaf).  Yay!

It's fun to find projects that all the kids can do together, on their own levels.  We tried again the next week with shells from our beach trip.  Next we'll have to find some autumn leaves!

First Day of School 2011

We started school this week!

Wasn't totally 'ready', but as Aaron said, if we waited till we were 100% ready, it would never happen.  True that.  Actually I was planning on starting on Labor Day again, but we have a couple trips coming up and we'd better just get going.

Since Monkey started 'doing school' the year before he was kindergarten age, and did  K/1 curriculum, he's a year ahead of the game.  I gave him the option of saying he was 1st grader (like his friends) or 2nd grader (cuz he's totally earned that).  He chose to say the same as his friends, so I wrote 1.2 on his paper (which he's holding upside down - the stinker).

The day started with cinnamon rolls (thank you, Rhodes rolls for showing up in my freezer when I forgot all about a special school breakfast until the night before!).  Things went pretty well, all things considered.  The boys must have been ready for more routine.

(She cleared off her desk to be ready for school, and then I catch her with her books on her desk and writing on her lap?  Can you tell she's never been to school?)

The stars aligned and we got both Lego magazines in the mail that day.  Awesome.

That night there was a neighborhood picnic.  A great celebration for the kids, and a great way for me to realize that I would NOT enjoy life as a carny.

So I'll just scratch that off my list.

I was not feeling emotionally prepared for the start of school - and I realized that this will be the 7th year we've homeschooled!  Wow!  I guess it's okay to give myself an extra week or so, right?

Anway, I wasn't feeling like getting ready for school at all... until I was.  Suddenly.  And I'll quickly share with you two new finds that we're liking:

Home School In the Woods Time Travelers series

My SIL pointed me at this and I LOVE it.  So excited about history this year!  And so excited that with a little tweaking it'll work for all 3 of the kids together!  We are starting with New World Explorers, but I'm planning on buying a couple more for this year.  VERY good quality stuff and well organized, I'm impressed.  Oh, also bought the composers one for the girl.  These would be AWESOME for year-round schoolers for when they go off-track.

Math Gear (photo from amazon).  Monkey's friend brought this over to our house one day and I thought it was pretty cool.  Thomas struggles with math and needs to really start working more on math facts.  I got both addition and subtraction (@ B&N with my educators discount card - woo!).  Click on the link to see what it's like on the inside - hard to describe but very cool.

How is your school going?  Started yet?  Anything awesome I need to know about?

A negative attitude about butterflies...

The caterpillars arrived.  We didn't have to open the jar or anything (whew).  In a few days they filled the jar with a surprising amount of what can only be poop and hung from the ceiling.

(worst photo ever, I know)

I didn't want to open that jar, but I did, and hung the paper from the lid with the cocoons to the mesh cage thingy. Sometimes I can follow directions.

And then in a few days... they were butterflies.  Kinda ugly brown ones that just looked like big bugs crawling around in there.  And they pooped red.

Seriously, it grossed me out.  When they'd open their wings and LOOK like butterflies, it was a little better.

But still, I probably released them a day or two before I had to... cuz, ew, bugs.

Well, okay, that looks kinda cool.