Bb and Dd reversal

Handwriting without Tears (and All About Spelling) uses strategies to help prevent Bb and add reversals, but A5 still sometimes gets them mixed up. Since he's not yet ready for AAS, we're supplementing our favorite handwriting program with an iPad app called BD Bakeoff. 

Oh is this game fun! 

There is a practice activity where b, d, p and q get put away in their correct kitchen cupboards. 

Then two players can compete to build the best looking cake by tapping the correct letter (choose b, p, d and q) and the fast pace makes for great drilling. 

Two kids focusing on different letters can till compete, choosing their own letter or "cake."

The sound effects are slightly annoying now, but not to A5. He finds the bakers comments hilarious. And he's improved the Dd/Bb reversal in a short amount of time. 

Search for BD Bakeoff By Teacher Tipster in the App Store. These strategies from All About Spelling can also help. His big brothers use AAS. Even though A5 isn't ready to begin All About Spelling level one, their website is a terrific resource for free articles and ideas about common spelling and reading struggles. 

Hatching dinosaur eggs

We can now add dinosaurs to the list of things A4 is obsessed with: super heroes, his tire swing and pirates.

He's learning that dinosaurs were reptiles, and reptiles hatch from eggs. He acts this out by putting himself inside a cardboard box, making squeaky sounds then "hatching out" of the box. 

We also did an activity at a children's museum where kids "hatch" dinosaurs out of eggs.

Really it's just water frozen inside a balloon with a miniature plastic dinosaur stuffed inside. The balloon helps keep an egg-like shape in the freezer, then I just cut open the balloon and put the ball of ice in a bowl. 

He uses salt and warm water to melt the ice away and collect the miniature dinosaur. Obviously this isn't really how an animal would hatch but it's fun for him. He's done it about a dozen times in the last few weeks at home. 

Whack! And giggle!

I wish you could hear little bambino's uncontrollable laughter while A3 "whacks" letters with his Do-A-Dot markers!

I've managed to avoid Chuck E Cheese this far, but last week we went to a birthday party there and my arcade-free streak was broken. Little A3 *loved* playing a Whack-A-Mole type game, so I tried to recreate that as well as I could with a little activity at home this morning with Do-A-Dot markers (Amazon affiliate link).

It goes something like this:

"Find the letter that says "ffff"" I prompt...

"Whack" with the do-a-dot by A3...

3 Letter sound and letter recognition apps for the little ones

My little monkey, A3, sure is crazy about learning letters! Maybe it's because he has these fun iPad games to play with...

1 Starfall ABCs
This app isn't as flashy as the Elmo app I will describe in a moment, but it's usually A3's top pick. The gumballs for "G" seem to be his favorites.

More than just letter sounds, the game introduces other concepts like "on and off" for the letter "o."

Distinguishing one letter from another is a skill tested during this game, where he sorts "o" and "n."

The Story about Ping.. and our two ducklings

How many books can we find to borrow from the library about ducks? Nine, it turns out. Yep. Nine books about ducks. We've been pretty duck-crazy around here since my DH and A3 brought home two little ducklings while I was off at my first homeschool convention last month. 

The Story About Ping is a classic tale (and a Five in a Row book, but we are still using Before Five in a Row with A3 so I haven't bought that guide yet). Taking place on the Yangzte River, this is the first children's book (I think) my preschooler has read about China, so of course we went to our world map to locate China. Every new place he learns about he compares to Russia, the country we studied back in February during the Winter Olympics, in both size and distance from home ("China is far away like Russia is far away.")

It's easy to find loads of books about any topic by using the library's web catalog or asking a librarian for help.

100th day of 2014: April 10

It's the 100th day of 2014 and we're taking an hour away from our normal activities to celebrate. I modeled this after "100th day of school" festivities I have seen online. Do you remember doing 100th day activities as a kid? I don't, but why not try it? 

First up, for A3, a hundred pieces of cereal on a string.

He focused for a long time and did his very best laying out 100 pieces on the chart then stringing them.

Handwriting app and song for wiggly little ones

Is it weird that I've been looking forward to the day when I can attend the Handwriting Without Tears workshop? For a few years now?
I just love the way this company has made handwriting pleasant and easy for the Wiggly Willy types (to borrow a term from Cathy Duffy). Until then (when our new baby is old enough to spend the day with his grandparents while I attend the workshop), here is what has been working for us. 



We've been singing and dancing with the Frog Jump Capitals song (the complete song is on this YouTube video above) and then practicing some capital letters as he wants on the Wet Dry Try app. He could go longer, but I keep this activity to 10-15 minutes while his big brothers do independent work.

Little A3 loves tracing and enjoys learning his letters, or I wouldn't do this now. There's certainly no need to torture a little one with lessons!

I first read about this app back in 2012 over at Passport Academy. It has improved since then with the addition of numbers and lowercase letters, and a feature to make it easier or harder based on your student's level of skill. You can use the HWT recommended order (like in the photo above, where it starts with Frog Jump Capitals and unlocks one letter at a time) or see a view if the alphabet and choose any letter to start with.

Have you tried Wet Dry Try or anything else from Handwriting Without Tears?

(No affiliate links here; I just am enjoying HWT so much that I wanted to share!)


 

Wrapping up the week: Big brother activities

Each week the big boys are assigned a chore and learning activity of their choosing to do with little A3. This week, little A3 had his first "big brother activity" with our new baby. Oh he was so proud!

Since St Patrick's Day is approaching, the big boys each did a shamrock craft with A3. My favorite craft activities are the kind you can eat or send as cards to loved ones. We mailed two sets of shamrock cards this week. Grandparents - keep an eye out for your mail carrier!

C16 chose this toilet paper tube shamrock stamp activity. They made four hearts then taped them together. After it tried A3 cut out the shamrocks for cards. The idea came from this blog. I'm always grateful for ideas from other blogs!

The activity N16 chose came from our MathArt book. They made pop up cards which introduced symmetry, and involved cutting, folding and gluing. 

5 Field Trip Picks for Baseball Unit Study

Back when A3's first birthday was approaching, my dad was sent on a business trip to Louisville. My mom, on summer break from teaching, was talked into going along. When she said she was heading to the Louisville Slugger Museum, I shared that I had been wishing to take the boys there someday and made a request. I asked her to get our littlest guy a keepsake personalized bat for his first birthday gift (because, really, how many toys does a baby need?). She loved the idea and on his first birthday, he got the gift I hope he will keep forever: a good ole American-made tee-ball-sized baseball bat, complete with his name engraved on the end.

He was playing with it yesterday, and this reminded me that opening day is fast approaching for baseball season.

Before the twins were adopted I researched our school options and gobbled up so many books about education, including a best-selling book by Rafe Esquith: Lighting Their Fires. Among many other inspiring things, the author explained how any why he teaches his students about baseball. His point of view was compelling, and I jumped in and created a unit study for my twins, age 13 at the time.



Our oldest boys are definitely not athletes. If you ask them what their favorite sport is, they'll say "fishing." All things sport were foreign to them, and I wanted them to share a bit of my husband's enthusiasm for the all American pastime.

Our unit study was beefy and thorough - from the physics of the game, to scoring, to Jackie Robinson, to the locations of each MLB team; we consumed all things baseball for about two months. My boys never were inspired to the point that they wanted to join a team, but they were absolutely captivated when we finally did make it to the Louisville Slugger Museum for ourselves. Today little A3 is curious about the sport, an interest I'll jump on through library books, attending a minor league game and playing tee-ball in the back yard. This month if his curiosity keeps up, I'll teach him "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and do some themed crafts and snacks. When he's older and an official student, I'll pull out more of my notes and items from our 2011 unit study.

 If you're inspired to bring a bit baseball into your homeschool, I'll share some resources over the next few weeks.

 For now, here's a sampling of baseball-inspired field trip ideas:


The Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville, Kentucky
When we went in 2011 I spent most of my time chasing a toddler, but it definitely will be a trip to repeat.

The Shoeless Joe statue and Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum in Greenville, South Carolina
What a great story, and a reminder that being a terrific athlete isn't about having the best gear or flashiest uniforms.

Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
I need to plan a road trip for this one!

Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia
 Go for a game or just enjoy a guided stadium tour.

Field of Dreams in Dubuque County, Iowa
This one's on my wish list for a trip along the Mississippi River. BYO ball and bat.

If none of these are close by, just head to your local ball field next month and watch any given Little League game for free. Cheer on whoever is up to bat and encourage your kids to try and keep score.

 Have you studied baseball in your homeschool? I'd love to read your ideas! Leave a comment or join the LinkUp below.

  PS You can still enter to win a little SAT prep giveaway until the end of March!

An InLinkz Link-up

Hands down, the best place for homeschoolers to "shop"

Drum roll, please...

And the best place for homeschooler to "shop" is...

A place with the world's greatest return policy...

A place where someone is eager to help if you need it...

A place where your entire family is welcome...

A place where...

Okay...

I've kept you waiting long enough...

"Mommy I want to do cutting" Scissors Skills for the Little Ones

A focus for the early years is building fine motor skills, and for A3, using scissors is his favorite way to practice! 

Sometimes I will draw a simple shape on cosntruction paper for him to cut out, or he will cut strips of paper to weave or make into a garland. He'll also make confetti-like pieces to glue on art work instead of coloring or painting. But, by far, these Kumon Workbooks are the easiest way to go! 

This one, Kumon Let's Cut Paper! Food Fun, is his second cutting workbook. Some pages become puzzles, or interactive games (like the pan full of popcorn to open and close) and others get taped together to reveal a larger picture. "Daddy, I made you a hot dog!" 

I keep the workbook in a gallon-sized bag with his safety scissors and tape, so it's roadtrip-ready.

 This can also be an easy, low-mess activity for a waiting room or restaurant table. 

What about math?

Four years ago when we began homeschooling I wasn't sure of which math program to choose. My kids hated math, probably because they were so far behind. So, I made this declaration to my newly-adopted pre-teen sons:

"For the first month we won't touch a single math textbook."

During our first month we focused on finding our spot, exploring different homeschool options and showing our kids that school can be fun. 

As far as math was concerned, here are some of the things we tried that went well:

We read "living math" books, like The Adventures of  Penrose the Mathematical Cat.