Happy Halloween
Orange/Black Celebration!

A World Series win was probably about the most amazing thing that could have happened to these two kids. M&H are big, big, SF Giants fans.

We took some time out of our homeschool day and our Halloween celebrations, to watch the World Series parade. M&H were so excited to see their favorite players, older players and famous people associated with the Giants. Above all, they wanted to see Buster Posey! Of course, he is the most celebrated player so we had to wait until the finale to see him, well worth the wait. Maverick was yelling (Where is the Panda?) the whole time too - I think he trumps Buster Posey for her.

Now, on to next season!
GO Giants!!

Frankenstein the Jack-o-Lantern

Haywood has been really interested in Frankenstein and anything in this arena. To fuel the interest we first went to the library to find all books related to this topic. We were surprised to find that Haywood already knew how to search for a topic, after watching us demonstrate multiple times. Yes to self-reliance! After reading all of his books we watched (The Munsters) an old favorite with this theme. Haywood liked this one, he did not like the original Frankenstein and could only handle about 4 minutes, a little creepy even for an 8-year old.

When it came time to design his pumpkin - Haywood went with a full Frankenstein theme. We found big bolts in the garage and pulled out the staple gun to add realistic elements. Haywood cut, carved and created all on his own. This ended up being a wonderful addition to his budding interest.

Need:
Green Pumpkin with head-like shape
Bolts
Staple Gun

Monday Funday
1. Lava Jar Project
2. Sea Otter - Giants themed Oragami
3. Crisp Clean Homeschool Schedule

The list above are just some of the things we love about a new week. Another pretty neat look at the grade levels that M&H are at right now. That is truly something to appreciate as a homeschool parent. You get to experience all the projects, themes, etc. too.

#1 - Lava Jars - a special Halloween project in which we start by heading to the store for some alka-seltzer as this is not normally something we buy around here. To get the full effect of our reaction we needed to buy this, as we explained to M&H. Then we watched more than a few youtube videos, some were very neat. The kiddos could see the experiment done via multiple methods and hear many descriptions of the (science) of it all. This tray is put out on Sun so that it is prepped for the week. You will notice a nice sign for Daddy Bear, who will oversee the experiment. Great way to communicate parent-parent when teaching.

#2 - Sea Otter - Giants themed Oragami - in celebration of the Giants world series run, we decided to make these for luck. Turns out Oragami is not something that Daddy Bear or Mama Bear is good at, we better hope that Maverick & Haywood have this skill. Also, no way will construction paper work in place of oragami paper. Best to invest in the real deal for any oragami work in the future.

3. You can find a sample of our simple weekly homeschool schedule here. This is put on Haywood's desk for the upcoming week. All worksheets, work, etc. is placed on the clip board.

Haywood's Desk - Mythic Paint, low VOC, non-toxic, low odor, healthier than the rest!

This piece started out as a family heirloom. A nice solid piece of wood furniture deserves to have a second life, at least that is our theory. This item was something that came in very handy when we were building our first homeschool classroom.

This would be our second classroom here, Haywood is in 3rd grade and Maverick is a kindergartener. It's been wonderful to have our first transition from (1) year to the next. We were just commenting that the first year brought with it many hurdles and many set-backs. Homeschool is challenging all around for any family. In the end, we made it to the end of the year with a great sense of accomplishment. All the hard work was well worth it when we looked around our home, environment, etc. we could see the fruits of our labor. Happy, healthy and productive children were fostered that first year.

The second year, we built on all the themes in the classroom, made things more realistic and deeper in educational value. One item we have sitting above our hutch is a Norther Pike, caught in a wild river in eastern Canada by my father in law. The kids thinks this piece is grand, so we decided to work a little more on educational value of that piece.

We decided to take the eco, restored, now Duke blue desk and add a fish element. Found these at Lowe's in the special order section. The staff quickly ordered this, we paid and this shipped within a day or two, it was amazing. The best part of the whole makeover - Haywood picked these out, added them to the desk himself and appreciates the educational value of these precious items on his desk. 

A healthy plate - an awesome lesson in great nutrition.

I look all over the place for homeschool, outdoor ed and other inspiration. The majority of my nutrition ideas come from KERF - I just love this RD and her take on food. My healthy plates pictured here are similar to this style, but simplified. In general, that is my rule of thumb - get back to basics, the closer to whole foods the better. KERF frequently shows trips to whole foods, where you can just look around and see a multitude of wonderful choices. We live in an area where this is just not possible - boondocks of Northern CA.

It all started for me back in the early 90s. I volunteered in Pescadero CA for an environmental camp, as a counselor to a lively group of 5th graders. One particular afternoon, we hiked for miles to reach the shoreline and when we reached our destination we pulled the makings of lunch out of our packs. This was the first time I had every experienced a bagel with cream cheese and jam. I have never forgotten the wonder of such a simple meal - with a backdrop of the pacific ocean and seals playing on the sand. This poignant experience was all Outdoor Ed and a Healthy Plate combined.

Recycled Craft - meets - Haunted House

These were completed last year - it's wonderful to see how they have stood the test of time. They look great and the kids have loved seeing them again. Making crafts that be re-used in subsequent years can save time, energy and resources. Plus, if you make something fabulous, it can become a treasured family item. We included a battery operated light to illuminate our house. With the use that this receives during the Halloween season, we have yet to replace the batteries. Most likely, this little light will last for many years.

At the time, we made these out of cleaned half & half cartons and you could use the tall or short version. We cleaned them up nicely, removing the milky residue and drying them fully before moving to the next step. Once they were dry, we cut out the little windows - then painted the entire carton black. The insides of each window received a quick coat too - for realism. We then left the house to dry.

M&H completed the next step with great enthusiasm, decorating the house with wisps of spiderwebs (cotton balls) and jewels (leftover from a gift) - great eco-friendly project.

Rope Swing - something that should be enjoyed by every kid.

This picture speaks for itself, outdoor adventure at it's finest. Haywood loves this rope swing at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Such a nice spot between the oak trees, it is so quiet out there. In general, we are lucky to live in a place where there are no streetlights and when you look out your windows, you can see amazing mountains and trees for miles. We find this to be an incredible backdrop for learning and adventure.

Experiential Edu - learn by doing (adventure)

Great Breakfast - filled with protein for kiddos that need to think, think, think, during their day. This one really keeps them going and makes them extremely excited for breakfast. Having a good supply of cookie cutters has helped us use this recipe over and over, M&H never get sick of picking a new shape. By far, their favorite element is the cut out man, because he ends up being the toastiest, butter infused part of the whole deal. Most of the time, Papa Bear and I give up these little gems to M&H, they beg for them. Inspiration came from The Pioneer Woman, saw this one on her fabulous Food Network show.

ANYTIME Outdoor Activities
Marshmallow Roast

It's important to have activities as your disposal as a Homeschool parent. Due to the fact that we are slighted towards all things outdoors, one of our favorite go to areas are activities outside - that are easily done and that pack a good amount of educational content.

Take for example, our little fire pit pictured here. A simple set-up that we purchased at Target serves as the center of our backyard campfire. The kids have been patiently waiting for the first rain, to fire up the pit. We happen to live in an area that is very, very prone to wildfires, so we educate the kids about all aspects of this. With the little fire pit, we taught that to error on the side of caution we should wait for summer to be officially over. First rain seemed like an appropriate marker to follow.

By adding this thought provoking element to an activity that the kids really wanted to do - it also made them very interested in the weather patterns of the past couple weeks. Is there rain coming in the forecast? Do you see rain clouds outside today? All wonderful questions.

PROJECT - NEW DOOR HANDLE
LEFTOVERS FOR CURIOUS KIDS

Dads frequently have projects like this - a new sink faucet or door handle. In our case, door handles have a difficult job of withstanding what we call the (Indiana Jones swing) that Haywood likes to dish out. This has caused at least one door handle to fall off and crumble. No matter how many times we say - don't hang and swing on the door handle - it just doesn't stick. As a parent you have to appreciate those moments, because for us - Haywood will grow out of his (Indiana Jones) phase and we will fondly remember replacing all those door handles.

So, Dad goes to the hardware store and buys an nice, new, sturdy handle. This posed a couple of learning opportunities:

#1 - Dad removed old handle - Haywood took old door handle and created a nice learning basket, pictured here. He can now, at his leisure, take apart and put the lock back together. Always an educational activity when completed.

#2 - First handle Dad bought was a fancy keypad entry. We quickly learned that we live in a special home, with all wood doors that are not flush. This posed a technical problem, making the fancy keypad flip out constantly. A little troubleshooting later and Dad was off to get another handle. Haywood had a grand time watching the decision making process.

#3 - Locks became interesting to Haywood and he has now looked through the garage for little padlocks and other items for his school desk. Adding to his edu basket will be a continuous activity and an opportunity to learn more.

Sierra Nevada College
Center for Environmental Sciences

While on our annual week long trip to the top of Kingsbury Grade in Tahoe this summer, we like to spend time down the hill in South Lake Tahoe, CA. This year we decided to do some educational things, we were delighted to add this element to our summer. Lake Tahoe is and area full of edu opportunities.

Pictured here is the Center for Environmental Science, a center run by Sierra Nevada College on the North Shore side of the lake. The school has a great set of hiking trails on campus that are most enjoyed during summer. Up top you see one of the stops on this trail, a defensible space lesson with complete mini house and ground cover examples. These stops along the trail were so neat, educational and simple with an amazing visual element. Both M&H had a great time. Head inside the center too for exhibits related to energy conservation, a real life boat and a student indoor garden full of lush plants. Great place to pick up educational materials, free admission and free use of hiking trails, we stopped and had a picnic nearby at Kings Beach.

Homeschool Hutch - a lesson in reduce, reuse and recycle. We happen to have lucked upon a ton of old furniture from parents, grandparents, etc. and while this is wonderful - we have found it daunting to try and find a home for each item. Some items we like so much, we bring them into our home and use them in ways that you might not find as usual for the piece. This hutch here is a great example - re-purposed for the classroom. This one went from storage offsite, to the garage and then finally into the house. In the end, it is always well worth the effort to save something like this, now - should I paint and sand - or leave it be?

M&H love that the hutch is "theirs" and that they can see supplies clearly in each area. The top is wonderful for a beautiful array of rainbow colored materials and book sets. While the kids cannot reach these items, the display allows for them to request things that can be brought down easily and they are always in plain view so it is a great reminder of what we have on hand. Resources are so plentiful, that sometimes we forget about really cool projects or kits.

The middle of the hutch houses easy to reach books, writing journals, writing paper, etc. Little hands can easily reach these items. Maverick especially likes the on-hand book selection, right at eye level for picking favorite books.

The bottom area houses puzzles, which we have a wide variety - Maverick is a puzzle genius, the kid gives me chills. I'm serious, she is 5 and the puzzles that she can solve take me twice the time. So, we have set up the bottom of the hutch as puzzle central. Organizing things at the level of the student, to the students interest, can really help aid in use of the curriculum materials you have on hand.

The drawers of our hutch were separated for silverware, with a nice felt lining. We used this as a storage unit for flashcards of all kinds, that can be broken up into MorH sections, kindergarten and third grade level/relevant topics. This is a really cheap way to up your hands-on materials for the classroom. Stores like Target, Michaels, Walmart, etc. sell many flashcard sets for $1 in very relevant, real and graphically awesome topics. We have a set for landmarks, space, phonics, math, US presidents, etc. pictured here. Our loose theme for Fridays is - Flashcard Friday, so this drawer gets great use.

Hands-on Recycling Tutorial

This is an interesting one - when I asked Maverick her thoughts on this recycling activity, she said "I want to do it right now!", this is just a small indication of how much she enjoys it. Totally hands-on and wonderful, this kit is descriptive and realistic as it teaches the basics of recycling. Great for younger and older students.

The kit covers:
CARDBOARD
COMPOST
PLASTIC
PAPER
ALUMINUM
GLASS

Each box has a nice set of items to recycle - apple cores, plastic lotion bottles, soda cans, newspapers, paper bags and many others. It is a project that could be used for any age, as the concept is one that can serve a purpose in everyday life.

Recycling is something that needs to be initiated by the individual. Each of us makes a choice to be diligent in our recycling habits. Learning the proper tactics early in life will allow M&H to develop skills of independence as they practice this skill at home. Skills of logic and self-sufficiency will foster and a student will think that it is second nature to recycle what you can, throw away what you have to.

The most amazing part about this whole recycling kit - it is really cheap - from Oriental Trading Co. $10.50 for a really sturdy, wonderful lesson. I can't say that this meets my requirement for an eco-friendly product made with recycled materials - but, I can forgive that and look at it's really positive points.

A Cute Silhouette Project

Needed Items:
Blank Canvas
Non-Toxic Paint
Paint Brushes
Silhouette Image

Maverick created this adorable little project for hanging above her school desk. We started with a blank canvas, then painted it a solid purple to prep for adding our silhouette. Depending upon what colors you choose - your silhouette could be either dark or light. Tape the paper silhouette to the purple canvas.

Maverick chose the subject of her painting - her tiny chihuahua Tahoe. Then we went to work finding the silhouette online in an images search. We searched for - girl silhouette, or chihuahua silhouette. We happened to find a girl who was walking another dog, so we swapped out another image, so that Tahoe was accurate.

Then Kelty painted around the sides and Mom touched up each stage of highlight. Then we removed the paper silhouette. Canvas came from Amazon, great deals for a big pack.

Maverick in Tahoe

Living in Northern CA offers a multitude of outdoor adventures. We recently experienced one of the best - solitude. Waking up early is truly the best way to have pristine outdoor spaces all to yourself.

In the picture here - Maverick is enjoying a stretch of Sugar Pine State Park in Lake Tahoe CA. We had the entire beach to ourselves for hours. I just love how wonderful Maverick looks with her queen-like wave, as she watched a school of tiny fish swim past her feet.

ORGANIC Krispy Treats

Organic is truly the best in healthy for your body and the earth.

Organic Krispy Treats
Organic (Cheerio) Cereal - 1 Box
Butter - 1 Stick
Marshmallows - 1 Bag
Cinnamon

Melt marshmallows and butter, pour over O's that have been tossed with cinnamon. Let stand, then cut when no longer warm.

A simple RAINFOREST lesson.

Needed:
Brown & Green Construction Papaer
Tape
Light from overhead

Working off the current theme of forests and specifically rainforests, we decided to follow the text on this simple project. Usually it is hit or miss with the end of the chapter projects. This one, delightfully hands on & amazing end result.

Kids built their rainforest early on in the day, when the light was bright in our classroom. Then we waited for dark, turned on the breakfast nook light and our handi-work came to life. The kids could really see the impact of the tree cover on the forest floor. For such a basic project, this was a win.

After we completed the project, we ended up with our own little (forest) of trees. I saved these and displayed them on the top of a hutch we have in our classroom. They can serve as a nice reminder of the material,  a valid diorama of a forest and modern art - all at the same time.

Fungus Among Us.

Kids pointed this one out to me. Just proof that they love the table of plants that we have set up, within viewing of little eyes.

Most weeks, they are the little hands that water these plants and then when they are ready, they also help transplant. They both notice when there are new sprouts or mushrooms, like the one pictured here. We will try to identify this one.

Regardless, this little guy is a great adventure.

Haywood Loves a Great Mountain.

In fact, Haywood is pretty obsessed with mountains and we try to learn more and more about them, during our time as a homeschool family. One of the wonderful benefits, the student gets to drive the course material.

In this case, we took a mountain theme and added it to a subject that Haywood likes on some days and doesn't on others - language arts. In an attempt to work on adjectives, I linked this to his favorite topic and - it worked. Now, we will keep adding to this class tool. 

FELTS in the Classroom

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the use of felt in the classroom. My #1? The fact that they are soft and easily cleaned, which makes a big difference when you are aiming for long-term materials in any classroom.

These felts here were cut-out kits that I purchased. The big scene came as is and then all the animals, etc. were on one big sheet that had to be cut. Although this took a ton of time initially, it was well worth the effort. These items have been apart of our classroom for over 6 years and they still look good as new.

Each depicts an environment with tons of relevant animals to add to the scene. Maverick finds them especially fun, she works with older brother Haywood at times - they have created a game - ocean or forest? Maverick creates the scene and Haywood helps her determine the animal and which environment it belongs in. With the help of this game, they both achieve a (learning) moment, Haywood through teaching and Maverick through learning. Long story short - we love these felt kits.
Betty Lukens Felts

Mt. Shasta - California

Haywood loves this spot high up on the mountain. It's a perfect, quiet spot to get closer to nature and for Haywood, the snow is something he connects with on a primal level. Tubing down fresh powder is one of his favorite activities and he will spend hours climbing up the hill, just to get another ride in.

We find that Homeschool allows us the unique freedom to experience the outdoors more often and for longer periods of time. Living adventure is an important skill to learn.

Kindergarten

This is our first time around with Kindergarten.

With Haywood, we enrolled him in the local public school and while we loved his teacher, loved the experience - it didn't end up meshing with our Montessori ideals, learned in preschool.

Many people have asked us about our decision making process on this one - we like to tell them that it just wasn't a (good fit) for Haywood or our family. No harm, no foul - we moved on to Montessori in the public setting and then ultimately onto full-on Homeschool in 2nd grade. Since then, Haywood has flourished in this environment.

Maverick has had the pleasure of starting off from the get-go in Homeschool. She loves activities like the one you see pictured here. Animal races are the latest for teaching the concept of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. She can throw her animals into a race and then set them up for a podium ceremony. It was nice to have the recent summer olympics as a link that was fresh in her memory. I think she was skewing the races though - Mr. Tiger won 1st each time.

Oatmeal Berry Pie

Hearty and healthy recipes are something to be valued in this world. This one was made by Maverick, who is a budding chef even in Kindergarten. Our recipe:

Pre-made Pie Crust
Frozen Berry Mix
Oatmeal Topping - oats, butter, sugar, vanilla

Bake at 350 for 25-30 min

Afternoon snack - the kids will come running.

FALL ART

Naturally awesome art is a passion of ours - many of the most simple pleasures can be found in basic, wholesome activities. M&H found that to be the case with these Potato Prints, they love hands-on work. We live in an area of CA where Fall cannot be taken for granted. In some years, our area has been known to move right from extremely hot summer weather, right into a snowy winter. Strange, but true, so we savor the effects of fall and look forward to the changing color of leaves.

A throwback activity of sorts, the concept of this one never gets old. I am continually surprised at the joy M&H receive from these simple projects. This year we had the pleasure of starting Maverick in Kindergarten and that has spurred a whole host of new ideas.

ROUND OUT A LESSON

Working on a theme of (fall, fall leaves - science of why they change color and fall oriented California agriculture) this was a perfect round-out to the lesson of the week - and they produced some nice prints.

In the end, I think we will take these prints and make a nice Fall banner, listing relevant words for the season. Fall, autumn, leaves, orange, yellow, brown, etc. are some that may end up on our final creation.

Rounding out a lesson with a multi-step art project is a great way to keep up the aspects of repetition in the classroom. Just like a stack of flashcards, all these steps can aid in learning and finally you end up with a piece that can hang in the classroom as a learning tool.

Wonderful Resources - they exist in many places for the Homeschool family. Haywood had been studying dams and wanted to know more on this topic. As an instructor in the Business Dept. at the local college, I make it a point to seek out the wonderful perks that I can take advantage of - for M&H and their homeschool cirric. I happen to know of a nice little dam that was great for supplementing Haywood's depth on that given topic, while at the same time examining a 'sweet boy' tree, smelling honeysuckle and wandering around the marked garden - trying to pronounce correct plant names.