Christmas (or Winter) Mini-Unit

{This post contains a few Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a few pennies from your purchase.}  

We are counting down the days until our Christmas break and we are in the single digits.  Three more days to go. 👍 Because of Brian's line of work, we begin our school year in August and work hard through the fall so that we can take off at Christmas and continue our break through the end of January.  It has been an intense few weeks as the kids prepared for their Christmas choir recital and then as we worked toward a stopping point in our school books. Gavin, especially, put in a concentrated effort to accumulate hours toward his art history credit.

Now.  Now, we are beginning to breathe a little easier as the end is in sight.  We took some time this week to do a fun, book-based Christmas activity.  This would be appropriate to do as a winter activity in January as well.  

First, we sat by the Christmas tree and read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  This book is short and simple, appropriate for anyone from toddler on up.  Macie, who turns 1 next month, enjoyed turning the pages after we finished reading.

Then we read A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day by Andrea Davis Pinkney.  I was fascinated by this a picture book biography of the life of Ezra Jack Keats (actually Jacob Ezra Katz) who was born into a Polish-Jewish immigrant family in the early 1900s.  Why did I always assume Keats, himself, African American?  Probably because he includes people of many nationalities and colors in his children's books.  This biography addresses why he felt so strongly about writing books for all children. This is a new book, published in November of this year, and while it is marketed to children, the comprehension level would begin at mid-elementary age.  The story will speak to those far beyond!

To cap it off, we watched The Snowy Day, a 45-minute movie, new on Amazon video this year. It expands the story of the book and is available free with Amazon Prime (not an affiliate link).

Do you enjoy Christmas reading with your children? If you 'like' my Facebook page, you will notice I've been linking to a slew of my old blog posts, recommending Christmas books.

In Which I Answer a Question About Homeschool Boredom

We invited a group of friends over after church one afternoon in August.  The after-lunch conversation turned to kids and school and the question was asked, "Do you get tired of teaching the same things to all of your kids?" 

My simple answer is I don't teach everyone the same things. Obviously they all need to learn to add and they need American history, spelling, and basic science, but there is great variation in how we achieve that learning.  It sounds selfish, but I do it for me.  I choose to teach them things I want to learn about, too, with books that look interesting to me! When we circle back around to an era in history I covered years ago with the older kids, I choose different library books to read and new ways to explore the subject.  In this way, we've covered astronomy, composers, nature study, ancient history, poetry, geography, grammar, missionary stories, hygiene, drawing, fractions. cooking, typing, creative writing, sewing, and the list goes on.

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know we read a lot. One of my favorite things we're doing this year is purposing to read 10 minutes a day for fun.  This doesn't include what we're reading for history,  Bible study or our own personal reading.  This special 10 minutes is my chance to share a book I want to read with my kids... just because.  I don't have to finish a chapter each session and I don't have to read seven days a week, but I can almost always eek out 10 minutes.  Right now we're working our way through Little House on the Prairie and plan to keep going until we finish the series.  Do you know I've never read past the third book with any of my kids?! 

Learning is a lifelong pursuit so why not make it a pleasure for everyone-- including, maybe especially, the teacher? 

Whether you homeschool or not, do you get tired of teaching your kids the same things over and over?

How do you choose what to teach?

What are some things you want to learn with your children?

Reading For Writing and 'Rithmetic

Some weeks are jam-packed with planned activities and you wonder how you will find time to breathe, let alone fit in a decent amount of school work.  This was supposed to be one of those weeks for us, but then one full afternoon of activities was cancelled, and the relentless rain drove Brian home from work for two-and-a-half days so our week was more peaceful than anticipated.  

Some weeks it is easier to lower expectations anyway and be unconventional.  Games of Monopoly, decorating for fall, baking, trying a new soup recipe, and sorting fall clothes count as practical learning, right?

Yes, we did keep up with algebra and science, but we also read these picture books and called it school!

Math:

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka I picked up especially for Gavin who loves to say that math is something he will never use again.  Okay.  Granted, he may never use some of the more abstract concepts of algebra or trigonometry, but this book was a fun way to emphasize how much we use math every day. 

English: 

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park was loads of fun for me, an person who loves words and grammar. It was fun to see my kids "get" the puns on each page.  For example, "kids kid"... as in, goats teasing each other and "slugs slug"...as in, slugs in a boxing match!  There are little notes on each page with definitions of words a child may not know. 

Art: 

Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt is  about a boy who meets Vincent Van Gogh.  It is fictional and told in story form, but biographical details are sprinkled throughout, and reflections of Van Gogh's paintings and style of work can be found in the illustrations.  

History: 

Six Dots by Jen Bryant focuses on the childhood of Louis Braille, recounting the injury that caused his blindness. It follows him through school and  how he was inspired to create the Braille alphabet. My children have always been especially fascinated by picture books that tell a true story!

Day 1

This was our first day of school: 

We started the day grumpy with not enough sleep, but we smoothed it over with peanut butter oatmeal for breakfast.  We organized our school binders, colored another square on the Bible coloring pages we started this summer, handed out new books, and discussed our schedule.  We even made a quick drive to the library to pick up some holds.

These are my students: 

Alaine will be 6 in a few weeks and is starting first grade.  She loves school and is looking forward to math and writing.  She also loves when I read aloud.

Ben will be 8 in October and he is starting third grade.  He is most excited about math, and I'm excited that he became a fluent and speedy reader over the summer so I can assign more complex books for history. 

Owen will be 10 next week and is entering fifth grade.  He is also looking forward to math and loves when the school day involves art or cooking. 

Maddie is 12 and starting seventh grade.  She is looking forward to learning Japanese this year and also excited about science and journaling. 

Gavin will be 14 in December and beginning his high school journey!  He asked to study art history this year, and he accumulated enough hours this summer to be well on his way to earning a  P. E. credit. 

And this is our tiny pre- pre- pre- pre- pre-schooler.  I had intentions to make and color Macie a sign, too, but instead we took her photo with this inflatable flamingo... as you do. 

A Lazy Mom Teaches Geography

Homeschooling five children is not for the faint of heart!  For me, one of the most difficult parts is balancing everyone's individual needs and dividing my attention among them.  When I can find a way to fulfill an educational need by doing the kinds of things we would be doing anyway, it's a win for all of us.

That's why this year, Ben (2nd grade) and Alaine (kindergarten) are learning geography through a series of library books that I'm reading aloud to them.

We began with the Bella and Harry seriesby Lisa Manzione.  These are aimed toward younger children (maybe ages 3 through 7), but my older kids have been known to peek over my shoulder...or even sit by my side while we read.  The books follow two Chihuahuas around the world as they travel with their human unnamed family.  The dogs sample local cuisine and stop at major landmarks in cities such as Athens, Jerusalem, and Venice.  My favorite part is the short glossary of foreign words in the back of each book. We have fun trying to pronounce the words and figure out what they mean before we peek at the translations.  There are close to twenty books in this series and they do not need to be read in order.

In February, we switched to the Dodsworth seriesby Tim Egan.  These books are a little longer, short enough to be read in one sitting, but comprised of short chapters.  Dodsworth is a mouse who reluctantly travels with an annoying duck (?!) to visits five major cities. (It's a short series.)  These books follow a basic storyline so they may make more sense read in order.  The first book, Dodsworth in New York, is light on geography.  It mentions various NYC tourist destinations, but its primary role is to set up the rest of the series.

Do you find lazy ways to teach your children?  Share your secrets.

More Books About Real People

{This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  If you chose to make a purchase through one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra expense to you.}

One of my favorite ways to sneak in learning in our off-times from school (or anytime!) is through a variety picture books.  It's more fun that forcing dry facts, plus a well-written, engaging picture book keeps the attention of my youngest listeners while always teaching me a thing or two as well.

Queen Victoria's Bathing Machineby Gloria Whelan was a fun story of a problem solved. The conflict? Queen Victoria wanted to dip her toes in the water, but it was a disgrace for her, the queen of a nation and a proper lady,  to show her skin in public. The solution?  If I tell, it would give away the story!

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurusby Jen Bryant was not only an interesting read, but the pages were visually stunning.  With list of words, timelines, and sketches in the margins, you could read this book multiple times and still miss something.

I'm also looking forward to these two books about real people, currently on my library hold list:

Mr. Ferris and His Wheelby Kathryn Gibbs Davis and The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisseby Patricia MacLachlan (the same author who wrote Sarah, Plain and Tall).

Want more reading ideas? Check out my original list of books about real people.

January Learning

We're smack in the middle of our winter break from school.  After working steadily at the book work since the beginning of August, we look forward to this time of resting and recharging every year.  It's a good balance to our longer break in the summer.

I use our 6-week winter break to sneak in a bit of learning, taking care not to label it "school."  It's a mental thing for both the kids and me.  It is more leisurely and exciting when we sneak in a few things optionally without regards to a schedule.  It's also a way to fit in things we don't take time for during the school year.

Here's a peek at what's piquing our curiosity this January:

I'm a person who loves a good list or plan so on December 31st, I asked my kids if they had any goals for the new year.  Most of them shrugged and said, "Nope," or, "I don't know."  However, Owen, my 8-year-old mini-me who also thrives on organization,  immediately piped up and said, "Yes!  I want to learn to play the piano!" So we began. I teach him a lesson every couple of days, he practices (and usually memorizes) his songs, and then we move on to the next lesson.

Right before we closed the history book in December, we read a few sentences about Henry VIII, but we want to fill in a few details so I borrowed Wicked Rulers: You Wouldn't Want to Know!  from the library and ordered a used copy of Brilliant Brits: Henry VIII by Richard Brassey from Amazon.  Both books are conversational and fun.

One of the kids picked up a book of Shel Silverstein poetryon our last library visit so we're reading a few silly poems a day. Sometimes we get lucky at the library and find a gem like this, too.

During lunch every day (or dinner if we're not all together in the afternoon), Brian has been leading us through Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide by Clay Clarkson, picking up where we left off last spring when he went back to work.

 

Too much free time can lead to grumpy, whiny kids so we've been placing an importance on creativity this month. We're working on a set of 5 Art Appreciation Lessons, using supplies we already have around our home. 

source

School or not, I spend a large part of my days in the kitchen, but the kids want to be more involved. Maddie has asked to make a banana layer cake together and Owen wants to make pumpkin bread since we never got around to it in the fall.  We're going to put our new KitchenAid to the test.

What are your learning in January?  You don't have to homeschool (or even have kids) to learn!

{Weekend Links} on Friday

"Things That Fascinate Me" Links

• I could have written this post.  Actually, I did write something similar last year. I could have written it again last week when I told Gavin that his favorite pair of pants was too short to wear again and one hour later a friend gave us a bag of clothes that contained an identical pair of pants in the next size up!

• I want to try these simple art appreciation lessons with my kids over the winter. 

• I've been reading through this series with fascination and awe. Brian and I have a history of twins in both of our families and I have an underlying apprehension that this could be me someday.

• Another use for the spotted bananas on my counter!
  
  
  
  

• I used this Thanksgiving copywork with my 8-year-old on Wednesday and I've printed more to use in the future. 

"Christmas is Coming!" Links

If you are savoring every last second of this autumn and Thanksgiving season, you may want to skip this specific section of links, but if you are like me and getting all your ducks in a row before Christmas helps you enjoy this season a little better, read on!

• Now is the time to put holds on your favorite Christmas books at the library before they are all checked out!
  
  
  
  
  
  
• This looks like one of the simplest Christmas crafts ever! 
  
  
  

• I'm planning to go through Truth in the Tinsel with my littlest ones (ages 4 and 6) during school time in the month of December. The ladies on my Facebook page confirm that it is worth the extra few dollars to also purchase the printable ornaments. We're using the free tracing cards from my friend Allyson's blog to make a little booklet to gather all the ornaments we color.  I've printed and compiled my things now to make the coming days easier.