First Grade Week 30 in Review

Well, we are done with yet another week here at Childress Academy.  Here’s how this week went:
Heritage Studies:  We continued to discuss La Salle and the land he claimed for France (Louisiana…not the state).  We also discussed how places get their names.  Caleb did a fun activity where he had to listen to a description of a land and then choose his name for it based on said description.  It was fun to see what he came up with.
Science:  We finished up our chapter on sound by discussing how sound travels through all forms of matter and how it is used.
Math:  We finished up the previous chapter with a test and started a new chapter.  Caleb started learning more about solid figures (cone, rectangular prism, sphere, cube, and cylinder).
Bible:  Our Bible story this week was on “Mary Believed God’s Message.”  The Bible verse was 1 John 4:9.
Vocabulary:  We added “filthy, motion, spray, hang, and tank” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “sure and Christian” to our list of service words.  We added “-aw, awn, aul, and all” to our list of word families.  During English skills we discussed syllables, capitalization, and contractions.  Caleb was also introduced to letter writing.  As part of his assignment, he had to write a letter to someone.  He chose to send a letter to his friends, Hunter and Tina.  He’s excited to see if he’ll get a letter back in the mail. 
As always, thanks for following our first grade adventures.  We’ll be back to share more next week!

New Look

So, do you notice anything different?  Well, if you’re in Google Reader, then no.  But – if you’re here the regular way, then yes you must!  I decided it was time for a new blog look.  So, I contacted Leslie at Designed by Leslie (she did my last one), and I asked her to help me out again!  I’m super pleased with the results!  She does AMAZING work, and her prices are GREAT as well!  So, if you’re ready for a change, then go ahead and contact her.  She’s super easy to work with, and you won’t be disappointed!

I hope you enjoy the new look as much as I do!  Thanks Leslie!

First Grade Week 29 in Review

We actually finished up week 29 a few days ago.  However, I’m just now getting around to posting the review.  Anyway, without further ado, here’s how the week went.
Heritage Studies:  We discussed the Sun King (King Louis the XIV), and we learned how to make a canoe.
Science:  We discussed how sound is made, and we talked about how sound travels in all directions.
Math:  We discussed how to count dimes and nickels with pennies.  Caleb also learned how to add dimes, nickels, and pennies.  Then, we moved on to learning about quarters and how to make 25 cents using different coins.
Bible:  Our Bible story was on “God Promised to Send the Savior.”  The Bible verse this week was 1 John 4:19.
Vocabulary:  We added “fair, splendid, stake, remain, and rapid” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “easy, should, together, and woman” to our list of service words.  The “-age, –oil, and –oy” word families were added to our list.  Caleb was also introduced to prepositions.
Extra Stuff:  We have spent a lot of time on playdates recently.  The weather here in Georgia has been so nice, so we’ve enjoyed getting together with friends.  We visited two play places and we enjoyed one of the newer parks in town.  Caleb always loves getting together with his friends, and I enjoy the time with the moms.  Adult conversation is always welcome around here! 
As always, thanks for following our first grade adventures.  We’ll have more next week!

Yeah For Girl’s Weekend!!!!

So, I’m about to head away for the weekend with a bunch of moms that I play Bunco with each month.  We also get together for movies, dinner, and playdates for the kiddos.  But – it’s the mommy time that’s the best.

We’re going to be staying in a cabin at Reynolds Plantation at Lake Oconee.  The in-laws of one of the moms owns the cabin, so that makes it even nicer!

I’ll return home on Sunday, and I’m sure I’ll miss all my boys.  But – every mom needs a little R & R from time-to-time.  So, I’ll take mine NOW!

The Budding Architect and Other Stuff…

I put a picture here of Caleb’s workbench that my brother built him for Christmas.  Well, he got a woodworking kit from some of Santa’s Elves.  This past weekend, he and Brian got started on some of the projects.  It turns out that Caleb did everything himself.  Brian just had to sit back and supervise.  Caleb enjoyed himself, and he’s already thinking of other things he can build.

Creation #1 – Bird Feeder Creation #2 – this was supposed to be a pencil box, but it got turned into a bird feeder as well. Our Budding Architect (and don’t mind the hole and the drawing on the wall there…you see, Mr. Architect is also Mr. Destructo…LOL!).

Last year, Caleb was involved with the Littles’ Club with our local homeschool group.  They follow the handbook from Keepers of the Faith and work on badges each month.  Well, this year, I am leading the club.  We had our January meeting this past Friday, and we worked on a Money Sense badge.  The boys (and girls) had to learn about money, and we made banks to help them allot their money.  They made 4 banks to include:  Tithe, Others, Save, and Spend.  So, I told them that when they get the money, they need to TOSS it.  It was a simple way for them to remember the 4 allotments, and it’ll be fun to see how Caleb does with this.  He’s already sorted all his money, and we took him to Toys ‘R Us on Saturday so he could spend some.  We’ll continue to watch his progress with this.

We used Crystal Light Containers and covered them with construction paper.  They then used foam stickers and crayons to decorate them.

And how could I post this without including a picture (or two) of Mr. Micah?!!?  He is so grown these days.  We were eating spaghetti leftovers the other night, and he wanted to sit in the bar stool like a big boy and eat his noodles.  He usually sits in a booster seat in the bar stool, but nope…he wanted to be BIG like his brother. 

Micah sitting like a big boy eating spaghetti. It’s almost all gone Mommy!

In other news, our HVAC unit decided to give us some issues this weekend.  Great timing, huh?!!?  We noticed it was louder than usual on Friday evening, and our vents were hissing.  So, yesterday morning, Brian called the A/C people, and they came out to investigate.  Once they figured out what was wrong, they took the part that needed to be replaced back to their shop in hopes to find a replacement.  Brian gets a call around 3:30pm yesterday afternoon informing him that they didn’t have the part.  So, we are currently without heat.  Brian had to go pick up some space heaters, and we are surviving with those.  The part is supposedly going to be in between 11-1 today.  I sure hope so, because it’s cold down here in Georgia!  Granted, I’m thankful we have power to use the space heaters, but I want my heat back! 

Winter Vacation Completion

***Disclaimer:  Again, if this gets too long, then skip to the pictures.  You’ll get the same story either way.***
Well, Friday morning, we woke up to some snow.  We were a bit concerned because Jenny had to head home, and we weren’t sure how safe it would be.  After a little waiting, we finally agreed she’d probably be okay to head on home.  So, home she went.  After she left, we sat around and played some games.  Then, some of us took naps.  While some were napping, others decided to play in the snow.  They had a blast and didn’t care at all that it was below freezing outside.  Once naptime was over, we thought it would be fun to take the kiddos sledding on the fresh snow.  So, we headed back to the sledding hill.  But – you remember that hill we got stuck on the first day?!!?  Well, go figure…we got stuck AGAIN!  However, this time we ended up spinning around 180 degrees and turning back towards the cabin.  We took that as a sign that it was not a good idea to attempt to get into town.  So, back to the cabin we went.  The kiddos still wanted to play in the snow, so we let them.  Besides, we were all decked out in our snow gear anyway.  However, we also made a call to the city to get the sand truck out to the road.  It continued to snow off and on Friday, and we debated going ahead and leaving.  But – we didn’t.  We’d learn later that we made a mistake and should have left while the weather was better.  Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20.  That evening we just packed up everything and played some more games.

The snow-covered cars on Friday morning. Snow-covered trees and rock on Friday. Brian showing Caleb how to make a snowball. Caleb throwing the snowball. Caleb trying to make a snowball…he didn’t have much luck.  Heck, I couldn’t do it either. Oh, he’s just so mad and cold! Now, he’s just throwing the snow…who cares if it’s a ball?!!? There were a ton of domino games played.This was a gray cloud that rolled in on Friday afternoon…thought it was neat.  We couldn’t see the slopes or anything hardly.Micah checking out the deck along with Mr. Pig. Micah and Mommy getting ready to play in the snow. Look at that smile!  He did not want to come in from the snow.  He was having fun just walking up and down the road. One of Caleb’s snow angels.Caleb making another snow angel. Caleb climbing up on a hill.Oh well, sliding down is one way to get down. Micah and Caleb inside a little cave looking area on the side of the road.  Caleb kept picking off the icicles.Micah trying to climb the hill to the nearby driveway. The kids playing Scooby-Doo Friday evening.

Well, we got up on Saturday and were all ready to leave.  But – there was way too much snow.  It snowed all night, and it was still snowing.  So, we didn’t know what to do.  Brian made a few phone calls to the head of DOT in the city, and he basically said that unless you have a 4WD (four wheel drive) or snow chains, then you’re not going anywhere.  And – guess what?!!?   We don’t have either.  The neighborhood roads are awful and the snow is way too thick.  The city can’t keep the main roads clear for any length of time either, and what’s left is turning into a sludge of ice and snow.  So, it doesn’t look good.  Brian makes a few more calls weighing the option of towing versus snow chains.  Well, neither option is cheap, but we have to do something.  So, around noon we decided we’d just fork over the money to get snow chains.  Now, keep in mind, if we had been smart, we would have bought some before ever heading out on this vacation, and we could have gotten them for around $60.  Nope…we had to pay nearly 5x that amount.  Oh well, stupid lesson learned darnit!  The guys finally came out and got the snow chains installed, and then Brian had to follow them to an ATM.  Yep…that’s right…they don’t take checks or credit cards…CASH only!  How convenient for them, right!?!?  Brian makes his way to the ATM, and then comes back to pick us all up.  We then make our way into the city.  After being there all week, we wanted to stop at Fred’s General Store.  So, Brian ran in and grabbed a t-shirt for the boys and a few magnets for us (we like to collect magnets and spoons from our vacations).  Then, we continued our way home.  The trip home was uneventful but LONG!  We finally made it home around 10:45pm Saturday, the 2nd. 

The snow-covered cars on Saturday morning. Snow-covered trees and rock on Saturday.These are the chairs on the back deck…left is Saturday and right is Friday.  That’s how much snow fell, and it was still snowing!

 

Micah wearing Mommy’s boots.Snow-covered trees on our way into town.Another snow-covered tree.This is a tree outside Fred’s General Store. 

With everything said, it was a GREAT vacation.  We had some great family time, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time with our friends as well.  Now, will we ever venture into a vacation with the possibility of snow again?  Why not?!!?  We have the snow chains now!  LOL!  Seriously, I’m perfectly content not seeing snow for a while.  The kids were able to play in it, and they had a blast.  But me…send me to the beach!

First Grade Week 28 in Review

Wow!  Can you believe it?  We’re all caught up in our schooling, and we finished this week on time as well!  It is such an AWESOME feeling to know that we are back on track.  Now, here’s hoping we can stay that way until the end of the year! 
With that said, here’s how this week went:
Heritage Studies:  We started a new chapter and we discussed goods from the New World and young Robert La Salle.
Science:  Again, we started a new chapter on Wild Animals.  This is GREAT for Caleb since he’s such the animal lover.  We talked about wild animals, wild animals in the woods, and wild animals in the zoo.
Math:  We finished up another chapter by discussing subtracting money and having a test.
Bible:  We just read some stories in Caleb’s new Bible this week.  I didn’t get around to ordering our curriculum for the winter until this week.  We’ll be back with this next week.
Vocabulary:  We added “level, funnel, lean, object, and reflect” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We discussed the hard and soft sounds for “c and g”.  We added “-ow, –own, –our, –ouse, –out, and –ound” to our list of word families.  We added “special, ear, answer, and four” to our list of service words.  In English, we discussed synonyms, antonyms, prepositions, and compound words.
So, we’re back in our normal homeschooling groove, and let’s all hope it stays that way.  Join us next week to see what all we’ve tackled.  I hope all my favorite homeschoolers are back in the swing of things as well!  Let me know how your week back started!

Winter Vacation Part Two

***Disclaimer:  Again, this post may get long.  So, just bare with me or skip to the pictures.  I’ll never know!***
On Tuesday, we were waiting for Brian’s friend and his family to join us.  So, Brian headed into town to get Jenny’s tire checked out (her tire pressure light had come on) and to meet his friend.  Once they got to the cabin, we got them all unloaded and headed out to grab a bite to eat.  It turns out that while we were there, we hardly ever had lunch before 2pm.  So, our plans of cooking supper went south quick.  We basically turned into a bunch of snackers all week.  LOL!  Anyway, after we had lunch, we decided to take the kids sledding.  The local Chamber of Commerce keeps a hill next to them ready with snow during the winter months, and kids 12 and under can sled for free.  Well, we saw everyone sledding on another hill that even had a NO SLEDDING sign.  So, being the people we are, we joined in the fun.  I only went down once with Caleb.  It was Micah’s naptime, and quite frankly way too darn cold for me Micah.  Besides, the one time I did go down with Caleb we ended up doing several 360s and finally stopped when we crashed into another person (a child…I felt so awful, but she totally understood).  So, Micah and I headed to the car for his nap, and I was able to snap some pictures from the warmth of the vehicle. 

Most of our crew waiting to sled. Micah and Brian…I made sure to have him all bundled up. Caleb and I on our sledding adventure…we were going backwards at this point. The very visual “NO SLEDDING” sign…no one saw it I don’t think…LOL! Jenny coming up from a run. Brian with the “No Sledding” sign. Brian and Caleb getting ready to head down the hill. There they go… Looks like the run is almost over.Brian headed down with the kiddos. Caleb and his friend going down…looks like they are about to hit the tree.  They threw caution to the wind and almost had numerous accidents. Caleb hitching a ride up the hill. Do you think he’s cold or having fun?  I’d say a little bit of both. Jenny with the sign. The view while sledding.

That evening we hung out at the cabin and played some games.  The men played pool and taught the kiddos how to play.  There was some Wii playing and Darts as well.  The ladies enjoyed a few games of Mexican Train Dominoes.  If you’ve never played it, you really should.  It is so much fun, and it’s only better with a little help from this little machine:

Wednesday, we got up and headed to Ski Beech for some ice skating.  We knew it was an outdoor rink; however, we didn’t know we wouldn’t have access to the handrails.  You see, that ice storm that came through on Christmas Eve…well, they didn’t clear any of it away near the handrails.  This did not make for good skating in my mind.  Nonetheless, I donned my skates along with everyone else (minus the two men and Micah), and we were off.  Well, it was NOT fun.  I made it around once nearly falling and then finally landing on the ice bank, and I was DONE!  So, I went inside, and Brian asked them to let him finish out my rental time.  They obliged, and he got to enjoy the fun.  LOL!  Now, I don’t have any pictures of me skating, but I DID DO IT!  Jenny has a picture on her camera if I have to prove it!  After we were done skating, Jenny headed off to ski (no one else felt like chancing it with all the recent ice).  The rest of us scooted into town for lunch and to blow some time until picking Jenny back up.  While we were out in town, we got word that another ice storm was headed our way.  GREAT!  Just what we need.  That evening we just chilled indulged in adult beverages and played games.

Brian and Caleb skating.Do you see the handrail there amongst all that ice?  Now you know why I couldn’t reach it and feel secure!Oops…looks like Caleb fell.Caleb had his own little style.  But – it worked for him. Again, look at all that ice…that’s a TON of ice! 

Thursday we woke up and saw that the predicted ice storm wasn’t that bad.  So, we opted to go find some shopping.  We headed towards Boone and Blowing Rock and landed at the Tanger Outlet.  After grabbing some lunch, we did a little window shopping.  Other than fudge and chocolates, Jenny was the only person to make any purchases.  That evening was filled with more games and a few adult beverages.  Being as it was New Year’s Eve, we thought we’d really use that machine pictured above, but nope!  We were all zonked and hardly made it till midnight.  We were so droopy eyed by the time the ball dropped in NYC!  So, we just called it a night and headed to bed!

I will share Friday and Saturday with you another time.  So, stay tuned!