Garden Project 2012 Part 1

So, I mentioned awhile back that part of our learning experience is going to be planting a garden this summer.  This is an idea in progress.  I will be learning right along with Faith (as always).

This isn't going to be a huge rant against Monsanto or Dupont, although there may be one growing in me.  I will not get on my soap box to protest the amount of carcinogens that our bodies are subjected to every day with our food, perfumes, soaps, etc...  If you would like to make up your own mind concerning these issues I encourage you to read up on the subjects.  Two books that I find interesting are:

Animal Vegetable Miracle  and Homegrown and Handmade.

I will admit that words like "sustainable", "locavore", and "homesteading" are still quite foreign to me.  But I get it.  I've had an "Ah ha" moment.  I believe the world is a changin, and it is my duty to my children (adult and dependent) to open their minds and teach them to the best of my abilities.  And so, Garden Project 2012 begins.

Yesterday was a typical early March Sunday in Michigan.  Cold, gray, and wet.  Not much to do, and Faith was bouncing off the walls.  Although one of my main goals with a garden is to plant it from heirloom seeds rather than genetically altered seeds, we were bored and needed a project.  So, we went to the store and bought what was available.  Now, this is the perfect way to lift the spirits on a cold March day!

First, we eagerly picked out the veggie and flower seeds as we imagined them 

growing this summer in our garden...

Next, we prepared our planting surface and accepted the extra help from our 

"volunteers" Oscar and Minnie...

 Finally, let the planting begin...

Now, the wait begins.  

Soon we will see those little seedlings sprouting out of the dirt.  

Stay tuned for Part 2.  I know we have a lot to learn.  But, that's what it's all about...right?  :)

It's Leap Day!

Last night Faith asked me what Leap Day was and why do we do this?  My answer was "Something to do with keeping the years even".  Faith's reply, "Huh?".  This morning, I decided that maybe I should find some real information about Leap Day.  Yep, I know...last minute as always.  But, better late than never.  So, here are a few links and interesting facts about Leap Year:

1.  Our solar year is 365.24219 days. Since our calendar does not deal in partial days, every four years, we add an additional day to February. Therefore, our calendar year is either 365 days in nonleap years or 366 days in leap years. A leap year every four years gives us 365.25 days, sending our seasons off course and eventually in the wrong months. To change .25 days to .24219, we skip a few Leap Days every one hundred years or so.

2.  A little story about the confusion before Leap Day, click here.

3.   Some more interesting facts, click here 

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4.  Here's an interesting looking site that we are going to explore today, click here

So, if you are last minute like me or planning ahead for the next leap year (not like me), I hope you enjoy the links.  Happy Leap Day!

Nutrition Fun

I'm always amazed at how much Faith retains when we introduce a new subject.  

When we finished this lesson, she immediately went to Grandma's room to "teach" her too.

This week,we learned a little bit about good nutrition.  If you haven't visited www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com you are missing out on some good resources.  

This is where I came across a couple of nutrition freebies that became a huge hit!  

First we learned about the USDA recommended food pyramid.  We did a little cut and paste project with this.  Faith caught on real quick to which foods go where.  

Click here for the free print out.

Next, we compared three different food pyramids and discussed the differences along with our thoughts about which one seemed like the healthiest guide to follow.  Faith and I decided that the Willet's Food Guide Pyramid is the one we would like to try to follow; currently we stick closest to the USDA guide.  

Last, we made a pyramid depicting all three guides.  This was a very easy 

project which we both enjoyed.   

Click here for the free print out.

Another successful, enjoyable, home school afternoon. :)

A look ahead:  Summer Learning:  Planting and Harvesting a Heirloom Seed Garden
                         Essential Oil Giveaway!

Music Fun

Among other things, we had some music fun today.  Over the past couple of weeks we have been learning and singing some of the old time classic songs.  You know, the ones every 1st grader has learned since the beginning of time.  There is a bunch of them listed in this wonderful resource book:

What Your First Grader needs to know

So, we were singing along just fine when we came to the song "On Top of Old Smokey".  I couldn't remember the tune.  After some crazy attempts Faith finally recovered from laughing hysterically at me and said, "Why don't we look it up on YouTube?".  Oh...good idea...why didn't I think of that?

We found "On Top of Old Smokey", and a bunch more.  Our music class lasted over 1 1/2 hours today.  Just one more thing to LOVE about learning with Faith. :)

Here are a some links to our favorites today:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain

Enjoy!

Literature Unit and New Resource

Have you become addicted to Pinterest yet?  I've been enjoying looking at crafts, crochet patterns, and recipes, but, guess what I found today?  An "Education" section!  Oh my do I love finding new, fun, ideas for learning with Faith!  So here I am to share just a couple that I found in the few minutes I had to spend looking.  I foresee hours of surfing fun in my future!

I love literature.  I love reading it, teaching it, and doing fun activities with it.  Our next books are going to be "The Snowy Day" by Jack Ezra Keats and "The Jacket I Wear in the Snow" by Shirley Neitzel.  

Follow this link for a fun activity:  "The Snowy Day"

You can also find a "Wintery Fun" math and literacy themed unit.  

Or, if you want to be overwhelmed...click here!

Stay tuned for pictures of our Wintery Fun activities.  Amazon, here I come!

The Snowy Day

Winter is here....make the best of it! :)

Getting Back At It With Dino's and Giving Tree

It's January.  Blah... or, maybe not...  

Every morning Faith wakes up and asks "What are we going to do today?".  Sometimes I have great things planned and sometimes, I'm not sure.  The other "not sure" day, Faith had a great plan!  She has decided that she wants to make a clay project complete with dinosaurs, trees, mountains and volcanoes.  This great idea gave me an even greater idea.  She is going to get a chance to make her fabulous clay project, but we are going to learn about dinosaurs and their habitats (among other things) first.  Stay tuned for dino updates!

Not quite as fun but a good little lesson to keep us busy until I can get everything set up for the dinosaurs...The Giving Tree.  For this idea I went back to www.lessonpathways.com.  This is such a great resource and really helps me put something together quick.   

We are going to read the book:

"The Giving Tree"  by Sid Silverstein.  

Then, thanks to the help of Lesson Pathways, we have some fun ways to cover the following objectives:

List of Objectives:

• Read "The Giving Tree."
• Learn what trees give us.
• Learn about advanced contractions and practice using them.
• Review all sight words for the year.

Home schooling a first grader really is not difficult.  In fact, there are so many resources out there that sometimes the hardest part is narrowing down "What are we going to do today".  :)

She Asked For It...She Got It... :)

When Faith woke up today, the same words came out of her mouth that do every day, "What are we doing today?". 

I had a few things planned.  Writing, math, maybe practice with money.  Today, Faith had other ideas.  She wanted to do a "project".  Not only did she want to do a project, but she wanted it to be a "gooey one".  Well, far be it from me to say no to gooey fun. 

We made paper mache!

First I cooked up a batch.  Super easy!  4 cups water, 1 cup flour, heat on the stove stirring constantly until it becomes a paste.  Throw a few ice cubes in to cool it down and voila, you  have warm, gooey, paper mache. 

Next Faith decided that she wanted to make something for her sisters for Christmas.  I emptied out a couple of containers of French Fried Onions and they were perfect for our project.  We're still not sure what exactly they will end up to be.  A vase?  A pen holder?  A storage container?  We will figure that out when it's time to decorate.  For now, they are slathered with newspaper and paper mache and are sitting out to dry.  That is all that matters. 

I asked Faith, "So, did I find a gooey enough project for you today?". 

"Oh yea", she said.