Parts Of Speech Rhyme

Here’s a little rhyme — by David B. Tower & Benjamin F. Tweed —that teachers used in days gone by to help students learn the parts of speech.

Three little words you often see
Are ARTICLES: a, an, and the.

A NOUN‘s the name of anything,
As: school or garden, toy, or swing.

ADJECTIVES tell the kind of noun,
As: great, small, pretty, white, or brown.

VERBS tell of something being done:
To read, write, count, sing, jump, or run.

How things are done the ADVERBS tell,
As: slowly, quickly, badly, well.

CONJUNCTIONS join the words together,
As: men and women, wind or weather.

The PREPOSITION stands before
A noun as: in or through a door.

The INTERJECTION shows surprise
As: Oh, how pretty! Ah! how wise!

The whole are called the PARTS of SPEECH,
Which reading, writing, speaking teach.

What We're Working On Today

This morning we worked on some Life Skills - making breakfast and the PROPER way to do the dishes. LOL!   We just finished our Science lesson for today.  We are doing a unit on Fossils using "The Fossil Book: Wonders of Creation Series" by Dr. Gary Parker.  We purchased this set a few years ago and it has been an EXCELLENT Science resource, from a Biblical perspective.   Next week, we are going to make our own fossil dig using chicken bones and plaster of paris.....I can't wait!  Right now we are working on Vocab and Spelling now, then Consumer Math (budgeting).

In History, we will continue learning about The Homestead Act of 1862 and learning about life on the frontier.  A GREAT resource has been PBS' "Frontier House" that was made back in 2000. It's a great reality program that we thoroughly enjoy watching together as a family.  A great way to make learning FUN!

Going to take a break in a few with Kiddo....he's working hard today! WOO HOO!

What We're Working On Today

Today we are learning about different forms of art and various artists. We found a site, Albright-Knox, that lets you play games to learn about them.  One form of art is called a collage.  We went to NGA Collage Kids where they can design their own collage using a huge selection of clip-art.

In Math, we are reviewing different ways to measure things, whether it be for length, weight, height of an object, and even being able to measure the height of a kite. COOL!  To do this, you need what is called an inclinometer. Below, you can see Kiddo with the one he just made.

If you'd like to join us and make one of your own, you can get a list of supplies and directions, HERE!

 

All I can think of  when I look at this pic is,
"AHOY, MATEY!"  LOL!

First Day Of School

Today is our first day back to school, indicating our summer break is now over.  I have decided to start out very slowly, putting our feet back into the waters, one step at a time.   I decided to start with the following today. . . . .

*Spelling and Vocabulary ~through WordlyWise3000.com

*US History ~ Watching the PBS Series "FRONTIER HOUSE" and doing a unit on The Homestead Act 1862

*Literature ~ Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (study guide)

*Mathematics ~ Consumer Math (budgeting & time management)




 

So, Kiddo.......How do you think our first day went?

YAY. . . .It's Here

Kiddo's vocabulary book, that is!! WOO HOO!  We will use this in conjunction with their spelling program which you can find on-line HERE!

I absolutely LOVE their spelling lists!  They give you the word, the part of speech, use it in a sentence, AND even pronounce the word for you.  You can also play games the use your spelling words as well. 

WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE? 

What spelling vocabulary/spelling curriculum do you use?

I Changed My Mind

I have changed my mind (I'm allowed to, I'M THE MOM and THE TEACHER!) and decided to start school next Monday, the 12th. We have a LOT going on this week and I don't want our first week to be dodging bullets. So, we will enjoy another few days off and then jump back in the following Monday.

Have a great weekend!

On Monday. . . . .

. . . . .this will be us. At least that's what we're shooting for!

How about you?  When do you start school again or have you already started?

Famous Homeschoolers

Have you ever wondered about some of the famous people who have been homeschooled?  I know Kiddo and I have so we did a little search and this is some of what we found. . . . .

Each name has a link to information you can find about them at Wikipedia, plus books you can get about their life and work.  These would make great unit studies for your homeschool student or just make for interesting reading.

Abraham Lincoln -President Books about Abraham Lincoln
George Washington - President Books about George Washington
Andrew Wyeth - Painter Books about Andrew Wyeth
Bode Miller - Alpine Skier Books about Bode Miller
Ernst Mach - Austrian Physicist Books about Ernst Mach
Erwin Schroedinger - Austrian Nobel Prize Winning Physicist Books about Erwin Schroedinger
Queen Elizabeth II Books about Queen Elizabeth II
Rosa Parks - Civil Rights Activist Books about Rosa Parks
Sho Yano - Child Prodigy Books about Sho Yano
Susan LaFlesche Picotte - First American Indian Woman Physician Books about Susan LaFlesche Picotte
Thomas Edison - Inventor Books about Thomas Edison
Woodrow Wilson - President Books about Woodrow Wilson
Tim Tebow - Heisman Trophy Winner Books about Tim Tebow

This information was obtained at Homeschool-how-to.com

WOO HOO!

Well, we FINALLY were able to take our end of the year test. I have to be honest, for the first time, I was a little worried about what Kiddo's Math scores would be. This year he seemed more distracted than normal. During review, some of the concepts we learned were sometimes difficult for him to remember, but he plugged along anyway, even during his frustration.  His overall composite percentile score was 94%!  Way to go, Kiddo!

Skippy's parents are here so we are taking a couple of weeks off before we start getting into some light reading and handwriting.  We can't stay away from our studies too long or it's hard to get back into the swing off things.

So far we have not really done anything with our summer other than drive Bean back to Texas.  I am hoping to take Kiddo to the creek at some point this week to just kind of relax and unwind.  I wish Jacob from over at "A Pilgrims Journey" was closer.  I know they would have an AWESOME time together!

So, what have you been doing with your summer?  Do you continue any of your studies during the summer?  When do you plan to start school again? 

Coming To An End

It's hard to believe that this school year is quickly coming to a close.  We have had many days that we have had to take off, so we are working extra hard and unfortunately, doubling up on some things in order to get done in time. We haven't decided yet if we want to get started on next year during the summer so Kiddo will be able to graduate a bit early, or just take our time during his last year.  It's so hard to believe he will a senior in the fall.

I will be ordering his CAT soon, so we will be starting on our review, probably next week or so.  Pray that we will be able to get finished and be able to enjoy our summer withOUT having to work! 

So, when will all of you be ending for your summer break?  Will you be continuing any of your subjects throughout the summer?  Do you school year round?  I would love to know what you're doing!

Another On-line Math Resource

I just found another on-line math resource that I just LOVE! They have tutorials, worksheets, and games in just about everything starting Pre-K to College Calculus. AWESOME!

To visit OnlineMathLearning.Com and take a look , please click HERE!

Time

"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time!"
Colossians 4:5

I hear this saying a LOT from from people, "I just don't have enough time to do what I want while others have more time than I do to get things done!" Since all people actually have the SAME amount of time during the day (twenty-four hours), the answer really lies in how our time is managed.

We can find that in both Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5, Christians are admonished to use their available time WISELY to accomplish God-approved goals and to compensate for time that we have wasted in the past.

I have to admit, that I am not a very good steward in the "time management" department. This is something that I have struggled with for a long time. Yeah, things get done, but not in the manner they should. I often will end up racing against the clock to get something finished, but thank goodness I work well under pressure. Perhaps that is wherein the problems lies.

My Skippy Man and I decided that things, as far as school was concerned, needed to be on a more tighter schedule. So, that is what we did last week. Kiddo has NOT been a happy camper about the whole thing as his video game time has been shortened a bit and his chore time and responsibilities extended.

We also started a new unit this week in Consumer Math: Budgeting Time. Does God have a great sense of humor or what? lol I love it how He just makes things all just fall right into place, don't you? In this unit, we are learning how to not only budget time, but being able to find and eliminate our wasted time by planning our activities and using our leisure time wisely.

Precious Father.......I pray that You will guide us and help us to be better time stewards. Please help us to keep our minds and our hearts focused on You, making it possible for us to be able to accomplish our goals we set forth! In Your precious name.....Amen!


Photo courtesy of photobucket

On-line Math Help

Renee told me about this really great site for on-line Math help. The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

They have 800+ videos on YouTube covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, and finance which have been recorded by Salman Khan.

To keep informed of new videos as they are added, subscribe to the Khan Academy channel on YouTube.

Headin' Out

Today we are heading out for a field trip with some amazing homeschool families from our church. If you'd like to see where we're going, please click HERE!

See ya soon!

20 Great Reasons You Homeschool

It is a glorious fall day here in VA. I am drinking a cup of Almond Vanilla coffee while watching the chickens run around the yard........................................LIFE IS GOOD!

I was over at my friend Bobbi's the other day and found this great little comic and just had to share it with you.

(click picture to enlarge)

My favorite reasons are; "School prayer is encouraged" and "Your family is right where they ought to be..........HOME!" Although I have to admit, I have taken "You can wear your pajamas to class and not get kicked out" a little bit to the extreme! lol

So, what are the some of the reasons you homeschool?

Today. . .

. . . has been a GREAT day! Things are getting accomplished, school work is getting done and with hardly any complaining. WOO HOO! I felt Kiddo's head to see if he was running a fever and then asked him, "Who are you and what did you do with my son?" There was nothing that made me happier today than to see him smile and hear that little chuckle at my question! "I'm right here, Mom, sheesh!" lol Gotta love him!

Spelling and Vocabulary - Lesson 6

I'm sorry that there were no words posted last week but I decided to take a week off from spelling to work on some other things that I felt needed more attention.

Last week's spelling test grade: 100% AWESOME!

Here is our spelling and vocab list for week 6:

1.anathema (n) Someone or something that is intensely disliked, cursed, or shunned

2. assuage (v) 1. To satisfy 2. To lessen or reduce the intensity of

3. avuncular (adj) Like a benevolent uncle; familiar and indulgent

4. convivial (adj) Sociable; concerned with good company and festivities

5. eclectic (adj) Combining elements from a variety of sources

6. epigram (n) A short, witty poem or saying

7. expound (v) To explain in detail; to set forth

8. intrinsic (adj) Relating to the essential nature of something; real or actual

9. inveterate (adj) Habitual or deeply rooted; persistent

10.mogul (n) A very powerful or wealthy person; a magnate

11. munificent (adj) Extremely generous; liberal in giving

12. nascent (adj) Beginning to exist; emerging

13. perspicacious (adj) Clear-sighted; shrewd

14. philistine (n) One who is indifferent to or disdainful of intellectual values

15. propitious (adj) Tending to favor or assist; encouraging

WOW!

It's hard to believe that we have been schooling 5 weeks already. Where does the time go?

Kiddo has finished up Lemony Snicket's, "The Bad Beginning or, Orphans!" He really enjoyed this book and I found him sometimes ready past the assigned chapter(s), something he has NEVER wanted to do before. WOO HOO! He is now reading "The Mystery Of The Midnight Dog" Gertrude Chandler Warner. So far, so good!

Spelling is going great and I have to give credit where credit is due..........THANK YOU, Wordly Wise 3000!

History, one of his "BLECH" subjects as he calls them, is going very well also. We started using "Drive Through History" and I have to say, I am IMPRESSED! Not to mention that Kiddo will crack up watching it. The host of the show, Dave Stotts, is hysterically funny and takes you to some of the most beautiful places. Kiddo has even expressed an interest in going to Italy. That is AMAZING coming from a kid who doesn't want to go anywhere!

In Science we are doing the ocean. WOW.....talk about some eerie looking creatures! lol

On the home front, we have been cleaning up the yard and trying to get the girls (chickens) ready for winter. It has been in the high 40's and low 50's here at night but this week it will be in the low 40's. We already have the heat lamp in but are going to have to install another one and clean out the coop again this week as well.

We have been very blessed that our hens have been good layers. We had one day where all 7 were laying but that was short lived! lol

So, how are things going with you?

Drive Through History

I am sooooo EXCITED! Our "DRIVE THROUGH HISTORY" dvd's arrived over the weekend and we just can't wait to get started. Kiddo really enjoyed the introduction segment we watched on Saturday. PLUS, you can download printable discussion guides and answer keys. Now that makes me one HAPPY MAMMA! :> )

Here's a little clip from their web-page:

Drive Thru History: 2009 American History Promo from ColdWater Media on Vimeo.

Spelling and Vocabulary - Book 11 Lesson 4

Last week's spelling test grade: 86%

Here is our spelling and vocab list for week 4:

1. autonomy (n) The quality or state of being self-governing; independence

2. circumspect (adj) Cautious and prudent; heedful of consequences

3. composure (n) Calmness of mind or bearing; self-control

4. edifice (n) 1. A large, imposing structure or building 2. A complex structure or system built up over time, as if it were a real building

5. ensconce (v) To settle or place securely or snugly

6. environs (n) The area adjoining or surrounding a place

7. hapless (adj) Marked by the absence of good luck; unfortunate

8. heinous (adj) Shockingly evil or wicked

9. incognito (adj) With one’s identity concealed; unrecognized

10. indoctrinate (v) 1. To teach or train in the fundamentals 2. To instill or teach from a partisan point of view

11. interim (n) An interval of time between events

12. mausoleum (n) A large and impressive tomb

13. pillage (v) To rob and plunder

14. vibrant (adj) 1. Full of life or vigor 2. Bright or vivid 3. Quivering or vibrating

15. reverie (n) The condition of being lost in thought 2. A daydream