First Grade Fun

For several months Annabelle and I just stuck to the basics (reading, Math, Spelling, Bible).  The beginning of January we dove back into Sonlight and our geography fun.  The last 2 weeks we added Astronomy back into the mix.  Finally this last week we came back to our 'full' load and added our first week of Music and Art Appreciation from Harmony Fine Arts Academy.  We've been having such a good time!

While finishing up our S. American studies we made Animalitos.  These are usually woven on looms...we made ours with paper. :)

We moved into Europe.  We discussed some history.  Annabelle finds the clothing particularly interesting.  We made 'ruffs' which people used to wear around their necks (sometimes they were so big they needed extra long spoons to reach their mouths!)

In astronomy we picked up where we left of with the sun and learned about eclipses.  This was a fun little activity we did to learn what an eclipse is.

We also watched this YouTube video that she really enjoyed and wanted to watch several times that week (which I found surprising. lol)

We also did the chapter on Mercury.  This activity was used to demonstrate how craters on the surface of a planet are formed.  She used different sized 'asteroids'....the clementine was the biggest one....and made a mess. :)

This is an extra book that we read.  I picked up this series of planet books at a preschool's going out of business sale for ten cents a book.  They are really colorful and simple.

 Our first week of Music Appreciation our composer is Antonio Vivaldi.  We used this site to listen to the Spring section of his Four Seasons piece.  I really like the site because it tells you what to think about during each movement, helpful when trying to explain it to a first grader.  We will listen to one movement for the next few weeks. 

In Art Appreciation we started learning about Renoir.  Annabelle did a picture study of the Girl With a Watering Can.

We also used the Oxford First Book of Art and looked at the section of Mother and Child art pieces.  In particular we looked at The Child's Bath by Mary Cassatt.  Afterward we did the suggested activity.  Annabelle painted a splashy watery picture.....

 .....then we put a picture in of her as a baby splashing in the bath.

Such a fun filled week with tons of learning.  So glad that we are finally in the groove and getting to do all the basics and the icing stuff too!  Happy blogging!

jess_hak

Linking up to Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

1st Grade Fun

We are moving right along....finally feeling like we got into a groove!  Well....at least with Annabelle. :)

We finished another couple of books in Sonlight Core A.  We read Johnny Appleseed.  That was fun/nostalgic because we used YouTube to find the Disney's American Legends videos.  We watched Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyun.  We will go back and watch the other ones.

The next book we finished was The Hundred Dresses.  Such a good book on how to treat others and what making fun of and essentially bullying can do.  Also a good lesson on thankfulness.  We even had a good conversation about being content, sharing the things we've been blessed with and why do we feel the need to have so much 'stuff'.

I googled dress design templates and came up with these from the images.  I printed a few out and Annabelle had a really, really good time decorating them!  She didn't do 100, but probably would have if I had them printed out for her.

We learned a little about Central America.  We made a snack that could be eaten there.....tortilla chips

....and yummy fruit smooties.  The smoothies were yummy!  Great way to maybe sneak in some fruits and veggies to my picky eaters diet.

Moving along in Math-U-See.  Love how they explain place value.  Annabelle is pretty fluently reading 3 digit numbers now and I think is mostly understanding the place value concept......  next up addition and I really feel that she is ready for it now (and I'm ready to teach it as well!).

All About Reading game of the week.....

All About Spelling.....so excited that she is writing longer words finally and learning to sound more things out.  AAS has really taught her how to spell in a way that really makes her confident.  So proud of her!

Happy blogging.
jess_hak

First Grade Fun

We're still plugging away at 1st grade!

 Annabelle is absolutely enjoying her Sonlight Curriculum.  She is loving the adventure reading and is always asking for the next chapter.  Right now we are reading My Father's Dragon (probably finish it today or tomorrow).

After the first chapter or two I had her start coloring her 'backpack'.  This free printable is from Homeschool Share.  It is for a lapbook.....

But we made it into a reading activity.  Everytime something that he put in his backpack is mentioned in the book Annabelle cuts it out and puts it in her bag.  I've found it helps her pay attention, gets her anticipating and involved in the book, and helps her with comprehension.

We also learned some about Canada.

I've said it once....and will probably say it again.  We LOVE All About Reading.  She is moving along in Level 1 and will probably finish late Dec/early Jan.

She loves all the activities that come with it (so do I).  Flipping eggs and reading what was on the back.

This one was fun.  These gifts all had phrases on the back.  When she was done with the activity she colored the presents and then gave one to everyone in the house......

This was my gift.....what I would do with six men is beyond me, but I had to laugh that she picked that one to give to me. lol

She is finally at the stage where she is starting to write and leave notes all around the house.  I am enjoying it completely.  This was my first ever letter she gave me.  We had a rough morning  and she was taking a break in her bedroom.  When she came out she gave me this.  Keeping it forever! :)

One day she sat down and made and TON of Halloween cards.  She put most of them in envelopes and gave them to her friends.  Zak and I each got one as well.

We are really enjoying Math-U-See.  This curriculum is a lifesaver for me.  In this picture she is beginning to learn about place value.  I was beyond clueless as to how to teach her this.  SO THANKFUL!!!

We had a great time doing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  The all really enjoyed picking things out for their boxes.  We had great discussions as to why we had to choose what we put in there carefully and why some things were very important and good choices and why somethings weren't.  This is going to make a fantastic yearly tradition.

Hope every one is having a great autumn.....cannot believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner!!  Happy blogging.

jess_hak

1st Grade...where did the time go?

 I can hardly believe that Annabelle is 6.  I remember so sweet and little very vividly.  She's still sweet.....and quite a stinker. lol

 Anyway, I've been adding some geography to our Sonlight Core A.  I figured since the next 2 years after this will be focused on history of the world that this year we will learn light history and light geography and then for 2nd and 3rd grade we will delve more heavily into it.  With that said....we aren't doing things as chronological as Sonlight has it in their IG, but I made it more 'area' based (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia/Oceania).

We started in the US/North America (because that's where we live). Among other things we learned a little about Native Americans and did some fun crafts.

We learned a little about how they lived.....

 and that they made their clothes from animal skins.

Astronomy is going pretty slow.  I just haven't figured out how to fit it into our schedule yet so as of now we are doing it as we have the time (which may end up how we fit it into our schedule).  We melted chocolate to see how hot the sun can be.....

 We also made sun prints on construction paper.  Kind of fun to see!

 We had Zak help demonstrate that the earth revolves around the sun.....

 ......and that it rotates while it revolves.  She enjoyed this a lot. :)

Working on math.  She is still doing parts of Horizons....but we will be starting Math U See very soon. (As soon as I find the time to figure it out....yeah....time, about that.....)

 Working on All About Reading....she really likes this curricula....and I do too.

 FINALLY she lost her other front tooth.....it's been loose for a good 8 months!  I never knew teeth could be loose for so long.  Really cute!

Happy blogging!

jess_hak