Homeschooling is............

Reading to Butterflies!!!

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Butterflies from early Oct. 2012

This is a collection of pictures from different days at our house.  We would wake up in the morning and find new butterflies waiting for us or come down for lunch and there was a new one!  This is just  a mix-match of different butterflies we had for a little while before we released them. 

To the left of the butterfly is the chrysalis she has just left--do you see the lime green shell???  She has been filling her wings and now Dd is offering her hand for a free lift.  The caterpillars really ranged out to find their special locations to make their transformations.

You can see the limp wings--still not ready to fly

I just love this photo!  Dd just loves to be the one to release the butterflies--and she does a great job at it!

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Praying Mantises- Sept-Oct 2012

I'm playing catch-up with some pix I haven't had time to post yet from late Sept. to early October.  Here are some butterfly pix and some mantis pix that I've been meaning to post.

Praying Mantises

We had 2 "Pet" Praying Mantises this fall.  One was small, young green - the kind I always see around here in Indiana.  The other was a crazy looking one; like none I have ever seen around.  This one was big, aggessive,  and whitish.  We kept them in different cages b/c the big one would very quickly eat the little one.  Finally, I decided it was a perfect day to let these little critters go.  Seriously, not 5 minutes after I had let the little green guy go; and had taken his picture - I went back to take another picture and found that he was being eaten by a much bigger female green praying manitis.  I had put the poor guy right in the vacinity of another bigger predator.  I still feel so bad!!!!!!  The whitish one, quickly decided to avoid the bushes and climbed right up our brick on our house and therefore had no worries.  The big jar below is the whitish mantises cage.

"Praying mantises" or "praying mantes" are both accepted, as is "praying mantids".

This is the very big, whitish, praying mantis we kept for about 6 weeks.  Can you see the huge grasshopper getting eaten by the whitish praying mantis above it???  It was amazing to see that mantis eat things bigger than itself.

Big, Whitish Praying Mantis

Isn't this a great picture of our little green guy??!!  He was so cute!  Cool shadow, too.

This is the Predator that ate our little green guy!  I chased him away from our front yard, to protect the big white mantis.  This guy was NOT our 'pet', but living in our front bushes.  We have lots of praying mantises around our house.

We released the crickets and grasshoppers--many were too quick to get their picture taken!  Dd and I had to go 'Cricket Hunting' often to keep up with the hungry mantises.

9-26-12

9-26-12

This little lady hatched right at bedtime; so we kept her in this little cage over night and then released her in the morning.

See the fields in the background--all clear & harvested

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October Butterflies and Flowers

October Butterflies and Flowers

It may seem like the same 2 butterflies---but these pictures are of at least 6-8 different butterflies! Today is Wednesday, Oct. 17th and in the last 2 days we have had 6-8 butterflies hatch!!!  What fun!!

Many of the sticks in the cage have 2 chrysalises on them.  On the right you see a white, paper funnel---a caterpillar crawled out of the cage and decided that was the place to build his home...so I put the funnel in the tank so I would be able to keep track of it better.

This butterfly has just emerged from his cocoon.  You can see the case below where she is on the stick-about 2 inches down.

I found a new butterfly on these books--- I didn't even know there was a chrysalis on the side of those books! LOL!!! Can you see the chrysalis on the lime green book-about an inch and a half above the carpet??

This is the girl butterfly that was from that book!

Dd picked some of my orange Poppy flowers.  She is making up a pulp to try to make her own paper.  She saved enough flowers to make me a pretty vase---what a nice daughter!  And she hammed it up in front of the camera too!

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Oct. 8-13, 2012 Core E - Wk 8 Civil War

Oct. 8-13, 2012 Core E - Wk 8 Civil War

Dd did a drawing like this one; but spilled her tea on it--so she had to do a second one (this one).  Our LHE hs group is having a competition.  They wanted a lighthouse, an anchor, and a sand dollar.

Well, on 10-4 thru 10-10 I had a migraine everyday.  I was in bed or laying down last Fri., Sat., and Sun. to help get over the worst of it.  By Mon. I had the strength to do lessons during my good hours (with Maxalt).

Here's a look at what we worked on this week:

Bible:
Mark & Matthew
Psalm 103:
 
 Sing the Word: The Heavens Declare - CD
(*Heather L. ** the "Sing the Word: The Heavens Declare" CD is what I was telling you about last week.)
12 songs based on verses from both the New and Old Testaments. In Bible package only for Levels 4 and D+E.
CD features 12 songs based on verses from both the New and Old Testaments.
Performed by the Harrow Family. Helps students memorize assigned verses.
  1. Psalm 103
2. His Compassions Fail Not
3. The Name of the Lord
4. The True Vine
5. Go and Make Disciples
6. Was I Not Joking?
7. Slow to Anger
8. Faith Is
9. Run the Race
10. Bring the Tithe
11. I am Persuaded
12. Psalm 19

 I think this is our fifth Sing The Word CD that we have done repeatedly with our Sonlight curriculum so far; and we really, really like this product. You might research them and see what you think.   It has been 5 years since I did the research myself; all I remember now is that I was very impressed...how vague can I be?!

Lincoln : A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

History/Geography:
Lincoln: A Photobiography--Ch. 6 to finished.  I don't know why; but I never looked forward to reading this book.  I think b/c the chapters were so long and too good to stop in the middle.  But, the material was very good and I did like the book.  I have no idea why it didn't get a five stars type of feeling from me; but it didn't--maybe a four stars book.  I'm sure many would disagree with me; but it just was missing something to me.  It did have really fantastic photo's and the content was excellent; just no big bells and whistles.  I did have a chocked throat during the whole last chapter...but made it through without crying.

These books I've moved to Dd doing on her own b/c I am not really into them.  I really loved the poetry book in Core D; but this one hasn't connected with me.  So, Dd is reading it aloud to me so maybe it will grow on me.
*Oxford Illustrated Book of Poems-check
*American Tall Tales-check

Read-Alouds:
No RA this week; we finished last week.

Reader:
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs--Dd finished this week


Dd added & finished this add-in Reader too:

Meet Caroline: An American Girl by Kathleen Ernst, Robert Papp and Lisa Papp

Music:

Piano-Giz is trying to get Dd to learn: Away in a Manager and My Country Tis of Thee on the piano.  She has been practicing like crazy...if she passes her 'test' I think she gets a little money.

Math:
MUS:Delta: 24E, 24 F, 25 A, 25 B
Skip Counting Family -12's 3 times written and said aloud three times this week.
LOF:Edgewood: Lesson 14, 15, 16

Language Arts:
AAS: Lesson 26 (Mon,Tues,Wed-tested and passed)
AAS previous test retests:Mon-18-20, Wed-21-23
FLL: Lesson 8, 9, and 10
Typing Instructor: Tues (50 min-made it to the "castle"), Wed (30 min)
Write the definition of a Pronoun (Mon, Tue, Wed) repeatedly
Spellingcity.com-since we are really close to finishing AAS 3, I have been going over all the previous tests and having Dd do them again and noting which words she hasn't retained.  Then I am taking those words and letting her work on those on Spellingcity.com.

DVD: Ansel Adams-we've only watched 1/2 so far; but it is really good.  I'm not sure Dd is getting all of it.  It would be better for kids 12 and older.
 

American Experience: Ansel Adams Starring Barbara Feldon, Josh Hamilton, David Ogden Stiers, et al.

 

Our activities for the week:
Monday-lessons
Tuesday-Swim and Gym
Wednesday-lessons
Thursday-LHE Co-op: Gym/Picture Day, Nature In Art, and Geography
Friday-lessons

My new book: What the Robin Knows

With the cool wintery chill and frost on the ground; there will be time for me to read more.  Every summer between all the mowing, watering, weed whacking, and gardening I never get much time for reading (besides all the books I read aloud to Dd).  But this past week we have had a few HARD freezes.  Don't you know, the book I had requested 2 months ago from our library finally came in!!!!  What great timing!!  I have started it and I am really liking it so far.  A book that encourages us to go outside and just sit, listen, and observe.  It is a very interesting book!

What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World by Jon Young

Oct 1-5, 2012 Core E / Week 7 "LOW"

Oct 1-5, 2012 Core E / Week 7 "LOW"

In Progress-

After such a big weekend (drove to Mitchell, IN on Sat for Christmas party and didn't get home until 9pm and Sunday was the church's "Ground Breaking" party) we had a lot of cleaning up to do on Monday.

Math:
Math U See: 24 A- 24E
Skip-Counting Family -12


Bible:
We started the Veritas Press Bible Program-Genesis - Joshua.  I am so thankful Michelle explained to me how the schedule works.  It isn't nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be.  We also did Chapter 6 from Starting Strong

Starting Strong by Paula Rinehart

 

Dd's Reader: Finished - The Perilous Road by William O. Steele

Read Aloud: Across Five Aprils

Spelling:
All About Spelling-reviewed tests 14-17
Retaught Lesson 26, words and sentences

DVD:
 

Johnstown Flood narrated by Richard Dreyfuss Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Patrick Jordan, Jennifer Lee Dake, et al.

 

This movie was a bit gory and I wasn't that impressed with it.  My Dh read :

The Johnstown Flood by David G. McCullough

He really thought this book was much better than this movie we watched.  I was just hoping to add in a quick little tid-bit and not a whole book about this one event.
 
Grammar flashcards--reviewed all our grammar terms

Piano daily- Dd is working on some new songs with Giz.  There is some new challenge that Giz has put up for her---something about learning x amount of new songs and then she will receive $5.00!  I'm not involved in this one; but I hope it goes well!

 Monday- Library

Thursday-Field trip to Tuttle Orchard and 4H
Tuttle Orchard was really amazing.  I have a separate post just for describing it.


 4H
The kids made small robots during the meeting.  I think the robot was called a "Toothbrush Robot" or "Cleaning Robot".

  Books:

 

Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel by C. M. Butzer

 

Abe's Fish: A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln by Jen Bryant and Amy June Bates

 

The Littles and the Big Storm (The Littles #9) by John Peterson, John Lawrence Peterson, Roberta Carter Clark and Roberta Cart Er Clarke

 

Narnia Chronology: From the Archives of the Last King by C. S. Lewis, Mark Edwards and Pauline Baynes