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Finally getting around to posting what we’ve been up to the past two months! This time of year is so busy, and time just got away from me. I think the easiest way to share what we are doing during our homeschool days is to publish posts monthly, so I’ll start doing that in 2016.
We’ve done A LOT these past two months, so I’m just going to get to it:
Thing 1:
My oldest worked on finishing up his chemistry chapter on density by exploring how the formations of molecules change when they are warmed up or cooled down. Here was an experiment where he learned that cold water is more dense than hot water (cold water is green, blue is hot!).
He learned about the transfer of electrons to and from atoms and totally schooled his mom with this demo:
He chose an element (Neon) and made a model of it:
He created a Glog on Gloster about a different element of his choosing. He chose Carbon. You can see it HERE.
He learned how covalent bonds in water molecules can be broken using electrical energy with an experiment using pencils, water and a 9 volt battery. I thought I had pictures of it, but I can’t find them, so moving on…
He learned about covalent and ionic bonds and how to write them using Lewis dot structures. This took a few days and multiple resources to really get it down (actually, he got it faster than I did….I kept having to rewatch some of the videos, especially when drawing them for multiple bonds! He was explaining it to me by the end!). I watched a lot of videos trying to find one that would explain it well enough for him (or me, let’s be honest here), and Khan Academy’s did the most thorough job, imo. But we love CrashCourse, Bozeman Science and Guillotined 18th Century Chemist Theatre too!
I decided to tie in some note-taking into this lecture. I’ve been wanting to teach my son note-taking methods for awhile and this subject seemed like a good one to do it over. We watched a few videos on various types of note-taking and went through the basics before beginning. I told him that once he types a bit faster he’ll be able to do more note-taking on his computer, but for learning purposes we’d start on paper.
{Now, I know there are people out there who are going to be all “what the heck are you teaching an 8 year old Lewis dot structures and lecture note-taking for?!” I get it. But let me assure you that he was having a BLAST with this. I can’t even explain how much he loves this stuff. We did this for three hours with him totally excited about it. If I realize at any moment that what we are doing is either boring my son or is too advanced for him, I stop and reevaluate. But that just isn’t anywhere near the case. So, freak-out unnecessary.}
Anyway, I took notes the way I like to along with him. I told him he could do it however he wanted to. There were a few times we had to go back and add things into our notes that we needed but hadn’t jotted down. I taught him a few ways to write things more quickly, reemphasizing that the purpose of note taking is to learn the material and be able to refer back to it. It went amazingly well and we will def do more as we move along!
He also finished pre-algebra on Khan Academy, which slightly terrifies me. {Again, don’t worry. He loves it. I know it’s hard to imagine…it truly is for me to because math was always the subject in school I hated. But he eats it up!} He has moved on to algebra basics and will then go into regular algebra. (I’m planning on doing an entire post about Khan Academy’s math in the very near future because it has been a God-send for us! He loves it and I love it as a teacher and parent…can’t say enough great things about it.) Here is a pic of one of the problems he set up and did on his own:
Now onto reading. Let me tell you, we are LOVING The Hobbit. It’s so much fun to read together, especially during this time of year when we can snuggle under a blanket with a fire burning. I read some and he reads some. I’ve fallen in love with the book all over again.
At the end of this month we completed the second section, so we plan on having a movie night soon to watch the 2nd movie in The Hobbit triology (SPOILER: I just have to mention how annoyed my son was that Bilbo was not the one who got to kill Smaug. He really was quite upset about that!)
We discussed plot structure using a plot diagram. He fills the one below in as we read. I used these huge self-stick Post-it sheets that have a strip to easily stick up on the wall. I used to use them all the time in my classroom, and they have been perfect for homeschooling as well!
I introduced some of the main types of figurative language and as we find them in reading, whether it be The Hobbit or in my son’s personal reading, we write them on a sticky and place them next to the correct type.
We also began discussing the main types of conflict in literature (The Hobbit is such a wonderful book to teach this concept with!): man vs. self/man/nature/society (and I’m adding technology in there for good measure). I purchased this wonderful interactive notebook pack from Lovin’ Lit, one of my FAVORITE sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers. I love it because it covers so much and is all in one place that my son can refer back to.
He finished two books on his own, Maniac McGee, by Jerry Spinelli and Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher, by Bruce Coville. We started using the site Biblionasium to write book reviews and to help keep track of books he wants to read and has already read. You can also log reading minutes, create challenges and discuss books with friends. I love this site! I taught him about how to effectively write a book review and he completed one for each book he read.
Thing 2
Little man is doing AWESOME. So so amazingly well, and I am so encouraged with his progress in just the last two months alone. The developmental preschool program he is in is top notch. I cannot say enough about the program, his amazing teacher, and all of the people who work with him and his classmates. We feel so blessed to be a part of it!
One thing I wanted to show you was a little incentive chart I use for his short work periods. I’d love to take the credit for creating this, but his awesome SLP made it, and he uses it with her and at home. Depending on the activity, my son usually spends about 5 minutes on any one activity. Sometimes more if he gets really into it. The rest of the time he plays. We usually do an activity, then he plays. Then he does another one and then he may watch something, it just depends. We use the chart simply because it helps keep him focused, but if he’s not having it, forget it. Sometimes the incentive is gummy bears (his favorite…I have no shame) and sometimes it is something special he gets to play with. They are just stuck on with velcro dots.
Okay, here are some of the things we’ve done over the last two months at home:
Together:
On the days that my toddler is here all day we tend to do more fun/crafty things together. Here are a few that we worked on:
So, I think that pretty much covers the past two months! There were other things we did that I didn’t take pictures of, but that’s the bulk of it. We’ve had the best time! I just can’t explain how much I enjoy this time I have teaching my boys. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do it.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
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