Homemade Scale

Sweet girl has been learning about measurement in Science. When she first started the unit she was not that thrilled. "I have to do Math in Science?"
Her feelings have changed. She has had an in depth study on the metric system and understands it much better than when she began. Some of the experiments and reading about the history of measurement have made learning about it more enjoyable. She had an investigation the other day which involved comparing the mass of objects. She constructed this balance out of everyday household items to complete her assignment. I wanted to share how to assemble the balance with you.

Items you will need:

• a ruler
• a nail
• a rubber band
• two medicine cups
• some clay

1. Use the rubber band to fasten a nail across the center of the ruler. If it is loose, double the rubber band.
2. Use pieces of clay to stick a medicine cup to each end of the ruler.
3. Rest the nail on two jar lids, blocks, or another object to raise it off of the table
4. Balance your ruler by adding more clay to the light end and or by moving the rubber band toward the heavy end.
5. Select the unit of mass you will use. Objects that are readily available in your room make good mass units. Ex. paper clips, paper fasteners, or small washers.
6. Use your balance to find the mass of each object. Order them from the heaviest to the lightest.
7. Make a graph w/ your data.
8. Have fun!
   

Watching

This picture was taken by my Sweet girl

My heart dances when I just sit and watch my children.
Homeschooling has given our family the opportunity to create an incredible bond. They learn, play, laugh, grow together as a family.
I love to watch as Silly guy is teaching Little man a new song. Sweet girl reading him a story. At the end of a long day, Silly guy and Sweet girl playing or making up a game together. All three of them going outside to collect some kind of creature and caring for it. My Little man asking his big brother to take him on a rocket ship ride and everytime he ask he does it because he knows how happy it makes him.
They are so sweet together and like I said my heart dances.

Volcanoes

Sweet girl is learning about landforms in geography. She is finding this very interesting! I gave her this additional assignment. I had her pick a land form she wanted to learn more about. She chose the volcano. She learned how a volcano works and some facts about them.

Some of the facts she found out(in the circles):

How they work- The process of eruption begins when pressure builds on the magma chamber. The pressure causes magma to be forced up the conduit. When it reaches the surface the magma thrust through it causing an eruption.

The largest volcano-The largest volcano on Earth is Hawaii's Mauna Loa. It is six miles tall from the sea floor.

The most active volcano in the continental U.S.- The most active volcano is Mount St. Helens in Washington State.

The largest volcano in our solar system- The largest volcano in our solar system is Olymic Mons on planet Mars. It is 17 miles tall and 320 miles across.

Where does the word volcano originate-The name volcano is from the Romans. The Romans believed in Vulcan, the god of fire. The place where they believed he lived was inside the earth beneath the island Hiera. It is now called Vulcano and the word is used when referring to any of the active volcanoes around the world.

How is magma formed-Magma forms because the rocks are at high temperature and pressure deep inside the earth.

An active volcano today-Kilauea is an active volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kilauea is also the youngest volcano in Hawaii. There have been 34 eruptions since 1952 and 61 eruptions total.

Science Pets

Here is our new pet-Sea Monkeys. Silly guy is learning about Biology and this was an additional activity we decided would be fun, growing sea monkeys. They have really enjoyed watching these very little guys grow and we were able to feed them for the first time today. If you look closely to the picture you can see little white specks. They are the sea monkeys. There are hundreds of them! Fun!

Sketch Tuesday- Cloudy with a Chance...

This weeks assignment is to sketch a scene with clouds. I loved the kids ideas. Sweet girl wanted to sketch a balloon floating into the sky. Silly guy sketched a fighter jet soaring through the clouds. We decided we would use paint. I loved the colors they chose. Sweet girl's clouds are reflecting the sun set.

Sandwich Wrapper-Complete

I finished the DIY 2 in 1 Sandwich/Placemats. I got the idea from the Frugal Family Fun Blog. They are so cute now we have to go on a picnic!!

My sewing machine has not seen the light of day in about 3 years. I pulled it out and was so excited about the project list I had for myself. Create...Create....Create....my heart was chanting!

Two words-YOU TUBE! I forgot how to thread the bobbin, the needle, everything. After watching all of the lessons on you tube, I was ready to go.

My Little man(2yrs old) was very excited too. All of that pretty string in that neat little box. Next thing you know, he had about 6 spools of cotton unwound all over the floor. I noticed when the dog started whining because she was now tangled in the string.

My Sweet girl was giggling the whole time because she knew that her mother was determined. Even though my sewing time had turned into a borderline chaotic event.
She then offered to take Little man upstairs to play-God bless her.
I was working hard. Then I heard her say,"Mom, look at E."as they were coming down the stairs. She had dressed him up like a little girl-make up, jewelry, and all.

I just had to laugh!

Mama's Birthday

Today was Mama's birthday. It was such a wonderful day! I am so blessed to

have such a wonderful family and to be so loved.

The kids decorated my birthday cake. While Little man was taking his turn

the icing bag busted.

We forgot to buy the 3 candle so we improvised.

Making a Fairy Birthday Cake

My friend was having a party for her baby girl's one year birthday. I offered to make the cake for her. She told me it was a fairy themed party and I was just drooling as the ideas started to flow.

She decided she wanted a cupcake tier with the birthday girl's cake on top. I am so happy with how it turned out I wanted to share the idea.

She bought the fairy and butterflies to add decoration. I also used gift

wrapping ribbon to add a little whimsy. I wrapped the ribbon on

to a toothpick with floral tape and then pushed them into

the cake top.

It was so simple to make these cupcakes. I cut a marshmallow in half

diagonal and then used sprinkles to give them color.

Then I used a mini marshmallow for the center of the flower.

Beach Day

My husband had a four day weekend, so we took advantage of the opportunity to have a beach day. We love to hang out at this beach! The kids always find starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, lots of fish, and other little critters. I always enjoy watching them explore!

State History & Geography Notebooking pages

My Sweet girl is getting ready to start a State history/Geography study. I designed these notebooking pages to go along with her study. If your homeschool is planning on a state history/geography study feel free to download the notebooking pages. I hope you enjoy!!
Just click on :
State History & Geography Notebook

A Message to Grandma!!

Here is a video for Grandma V!! I know you are missing your little bubalas(don't know if I spelled that right!) For some reason I couldn't send this through email. We miss you and love ya!!

Double Oat Breakfast Cookies

I am planning on making these cookies this weekend. They are going to make a great snack for my three cookie monsters.
Double Oat Breakfast Cookies
from: Better Homes and Gardens

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup golden raisins and/or milk chocolate chips
• 3 cups round toasted oat cereal(Cheerios)

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Beat butter and peanut butter with mixer on med. to high speed for 30 seconds in a large bowl. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in water, egg, and vanilla until combined. Beat in flour until combined. Beat in as much of the rolled oats as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining rolled oats. Stir in raisins and oat cereal.
2. Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completley. Can store in a tightly covered container for 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. Makes 24(2-cookie)servings.

I Want to be a Navy Diver When I Grow Up...

The kids went on a field trip to the Navy Dive Locker last Thursday. I had to drop them off because I didn't think it would be a good idea to take Little Man. It was a two hour tour and many things for him to get into. Anywho...
They had a blast! As they were getting into the car they were telling me about their experience. They learned about and operated some of the tools used by the Navy divers. The divers took them onto their boat and showed them around. The kids were able to do a science experiment learning about water pressure and the effects it has on our lungs. The divers kept their interest and let them explore what it would be like in their underwater vocation. Silly guy told me "It was the best field trip EVER!"
He was just learning about underwater exploration in history and found this subject facinating.
When we came home, he was building some of the tools he learned about with his Lego's; an underwater camera and a robot (which had hands on it to pick things up-they were able to play w/ this one). He brought his creations down to me and was explaining (in depth)how they worked.
Before this field trip my Silly guy wanted to be a Marine when he grows up. I asked him why he wanted to be a Marine and he said," I want to protect my country and my family." AWWWW! This made me a very proud Mama!
After this field trip he informed me he wants to be a Navy Diver. So cute! That is how you know- it was a great trip!
Sweet girl had a great time too! They snapped off some pretty good pictures too.

The kids wearing dive mask

Mom's Notebook-Record Keeping

Mom’s Notebook-Record keeping

What you will need: a 3 ringed binder, dividers, a 3 holed pocket folder/child and the following print outs from http://www.donnayoung.com/ .

1. Attendance Record-I keep my kids a r in their binder-they track their own attendance daily.
2. Class Schedule-I don’t do well w/ schedules. However, I think it is a good idea to make one up just as a guideline on how you want your school day to run. I don’t put specific times to keep us from feeling like we are getting behind.
3. A Course of Study- At d y.com you can print off your own typeable course of study.
4. Grade Sheet-If you keep grades dy has some wonderful resources for tracking them. She has an Excel program that will calculate everything for you. You can also use homeschool tracker for this. For me it is easier to do everything on paper. If I use the computer that is just one more thing I have to make time for. My oldest child records her own grades on the sheet after I have graded it.
5. Reading List- This helps me to keep track of the books read. We use edhelper’s lit unit along w/ reading in our curriculum. So, lots of books. Keeping a list helps w/ the end of the year evaluation. My children track their own reading list.
6. Field Trip Log- I keep the ftl to track out field trips. It also helps me to keep a homeschool budget. It helps with writing an end of the year evaluation too.
7. Extra curricular activities log- I use this form the same as the field trip log.
8. Important Websites- I keep this on my desk to jot down important websites. When it is full it goes into the Mom Notebook. I started doing this because last yr my computer crashed and I lost all of my favorites. Yikes!
9. Mom's Notes- I take Fridays to journal how our week went. Goals achieved, things we need to work on, etc.
A. Inside the Mom notebook are all of these forms separated by dividers(easy to find). I also keep a divider for extra printouts-planning sheets etc. a scope & sequence of our curriculum, a 3 holed/pocket folder per child, and their NOI’s.
B. The 3 holed pocket folder: This holds all of their completed writing assignments.
C. A divider for Math test.

And there you have it the Mom notebook.
Now, at the end of the year I clean it out(leaving dividers) and put everything into an accordion file along w/ test scores and end of the year evaluation.

Morning Walks

We have started taking walks in the morning before we start our school day. As we walk we spot beautiful butterflies warming their wings, flowers opening up for the day, and little birds twittering all around.
As we walk my little man calls out all of the colors of the flowers; pink, white, purple, and red. He just loves the little birdies and butterflies.
This morning the kids thought we needed to collect some of these wild flowers to brighten up the school room. I agreed! So, we took scissors and a cup of water with us on our walk.
Silly guy is learning about flowers and plants in science, so as he was collecting, he is naming all of the parts of the flowers and leaves.
Sweet girl was helping me chose which flowers would match in our arrangements.
We arrived home and the kids helped me to separate the flowers and make the arrangements. We had enough to fill three vases. One vase for the dining room table, one for the boys room, and one for Sweet girl's room.
I love these moments with my children and feel so blessed to share them together!

Pulling out the Sewing Machine

I have been finding all of these wonderful sewing project ideas on other blogs. I thought I would pull out my sewing machine and give them a try. I went to the craft store to pick out some fabric and now I am all set to go.

I have three projects in mind: The Camera Strap Cover-From Cluck Cluck Sew, The Sandwich Wrap and Placemat-From Frugal Family Fun Blog, and some Alphabet bean bags for my little man.

My Sweet Girl's Blog Time

I wanted to give my Sweet girl a little blog time. She hasn't had many hands on projects(yet)this year to take pictures of and post. She has been working very hard though. She has been writing A LOT! She has had at least two writing assignments/week. She has written three reports in our three weeks of school and several short essays. One was about what the world would be like without noun labels, a research report on Galileo, and a research report on George Washington Carver. Writing is an area we needed to be working on, so this curriculum is working out well.

She is such a hard worker and I am so proud of her!

Exploring Our World

Silly Guy is learning about recent Explorations of the Earth. He found this to be

very interesting. He was getting so excited as he was reading

through his lesson.

He was learning about "man's first" for

exploring the oceans. He was facinated to learn that we

live on the top of an ocean mountain ridge. Over the weekend

he made a submarine out of a gatorade bottle,

put his soldier action figures inside, and took them for a swim. He is

really enjoying school this year and told me yesterday, he can't wait until Monday.

He made this underwater explorer from Legos.

In the Clouds

Tonight, after reading Goodnight Moon, Little guy wanted to go outside and look for the moon. We went out on the back patio and saw some beautiful clouds. One was in the shape of a whale. Sweet girl said,"It's a message-Save the Whales!"
Hawaii has some of the most beautiful clouds I have ever seen. The way the light reflects off of them is breathtaking(the pictures don't do justice).
Once I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures, Little guy ran inside to get his camera too. He was telling the clouds to say cheese.

Little guy taking pictures of the clouds.

This is the cloud we thought looked like a whale.

Beautiful!

Say Hello to Supermom

Tonight I had to be supermom.

I was giving Little guy a bath when I heard screaching followed by "CENTIPEDE!" There was a centipede on the towel hanging on the rack. I swooshed in, grabbed the towel, ran, and threw it out my bedroom door onto the deck.

When I came back inside they asked me,"Is he gone?" I didn't see them because they were hiding. I think they thought he was going to come and get them.

If you have never seen one of these Hawaiian bad boys, they are huge!! This one was about 6 inches long. Creepy little buggas!!!

Motherhood-The Roller Coaster

Motherhood can be such a roller coaster sometimes. First you are going up; still calm waiting but anticipating the excitement. Then you’re zooming down feeling like you are going to throw up and the world is zooming past you and you are feeling out of control. Then calmness again; butterflies, bubbles, and silly songs. Wait here comes the part where you are zooming and spinning in circles (planning, activities, laundry, cooking, and more laundry). Not done yet next you have the waterfall of spilled milk, juice, and cookies all over your freshly mopped floor. At the end you have the sweet moments of cuddles, story time, and bath time.

Today, I thought my boys were out to get me. I am talking they argued and teased one another. Were just really loud (or I am getting my hearing back, not sure). Just running around like animals. LOL! I sound like such a horrible mother right now and can’t believe I am writing this. I have a point here!

So, after this very exhausting day, I am giving Little Man a bath. Silly guy says to me,”Mom, I am going to save all of my soldiers for my son.” I said, “That is a good idea.” Then he said,” I am going to save all of my pet shop’s for my daughter. I started a journal about them too.” I said,” What do you mean a journal.” He said,” Well, I am writing down which ones are my favorites and which ones are rare. That way I can remember and then they can compare my favorites to theirs.” I was surprised by this. I said, “I think that is a great idea.” Then he said,” Well, that is if I have a girl and a boy.” I said, “Well, you never know what God is going to give you.” He said,” God is full of wonderful surprises!” At this moment I have to admit I melted.

Can you tell by my post I have had a rough day? Well, the point is, the moment you think your children are trying to drive you to the crazy house they can say the cutest, sweetest thing and melt your heart. While motherhood can be roller coaster sometimes, it is such a great ride!!

Nature Scavenger Hunt at the botanical gardens

We went on a field trip to the botanical gardens in Honolulu with our homeschool group. It was a fun little trip to get the kids into nature and to observe it. I made up a list of about twenty things to find. For my daughter I created an assignment that was a little more challenging. She is learning about classifying in science so I thought why not. I had her find five flowering, five non-flowering, and five trees. She had to either sketch or take a picture of the plant and write any information she could find(common name, scientific name, purpose, where it originated). Then I had her classify them. I think everyone enjoyed the day!!

Here is the link for our Nature Scavenger Hunt list I created. There are two activities: one is for younger children and the other for older children(my daughter's assignment).
http://savefile.com/projects/808788277

Inside the trunk of this huge tree.

Silly Guy sketching something camoflauged. A little lizard on a branch.