So the pre-made gingerbread house kit
didn't work out so well.
Due to the kind we chose this year -
it would not fit together properly.
Sounded and looked neat in the beginning
but implementation...not so great.
And that is ok with me,
cause I think the boys got a little
carried away with the decorations!
So one of our new friends
invited us to her house for a
Gingerbread House Decorating Drop-In.
She made them out of graham crackers.
I have seen and heard of the idea
but never in person
and I have found a new
tradition for our family.
Gone are the days of one
big gingerbread house
in this household...
Hello individual ones!!
The kids had a great time
and they will eat off of them for a few days
and then it is GONE!
So it is their special snack for the next few days.
We also used it for today's writing
exercises.
R is writing a story about his
gingerbread house.
J is drawing a picture about his.
Using lots of detail!
(R's masterpiece)
(J's masterpiece)
(A's well decorated attempt - with a little help from mom)
What else have we been up to??
We are still doing well in the homeschool
area and still "winging it".
BUT there is an end in sight!
I met my new best friend.
At least that is what I told her she was gonna become!
I am one that I really like to see items in person
before I bite the bullet and order on line.
(It is a whole lot harder to change my mind and return
stuff I buy on-line)
I have been struggling with which math style to use:
Saxon
Singapore
Abeka
etc...
On one of the local yahoo groups, she was getting rid of all
of her singapore math books.
I was so excited...
I wanted to go over and look through the books and
see if it would fit us.
I arrive at her house to learn she is pregnant with #8
and has been homeschooling for 9 years
(her oldest is in 8th grade).
I was so excited. I told my husband
I wouldn't be long when I went to visit and look through her
singapore math items.
Oh was I wrong!
I got home 3 hours later and
had a PLAN!
I was beside myself with excitement!
I left there and had decided to do something
I would have NEVER decided to do on my own.
I spoke with my husband,
and he agreed.
So we settled on following the
curriculum.
It is a classical Catholic curriculum
that is VERY inexpensive
and they have it all organized out
you purchase a syllabus
and then the books individually
and follow the syllabus.
I can do this!
That is exactly what I have been looking for!
Reasonably priced
AND
it has all of the lesson plans done for me!
I am sure I will tweak and add and subtract things.
The best part about all of this is
"I" decide!!
So we are gonna start off attempting to follow it
and add a few things in here and there.
I am very eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new goodies!!
This is mainly for, my oldest, R.
And somewhat for my second son, J.
J will also use parts from Confessions of a Homeschooler
and A, my 3 year old, will do her PreK curriculum.
A already knows most of her alphabet and the sounds they make
but she is not ready to move on to other more advanced stuff yet.
I don't want to push her too hard.
So she will get to do lots of fun stuff with the PreK stuff.
I am excited to get it.
But we probably won't get REALLY into it for another
few weeks.
It is amazing how much time it takes to get this stuff ready!
But its ok - it is a great feeling working on it
and seeing the results.
I acquired a bookshelf, lamination machine and paper cutter over the holidays.
The bookshelf houses our books - imagine that. And looks better than it ever has!
(our paperbacks organized by reading level)
The lamination machine and paper cutter are already being used
and have helped me develop our HCIA -
Household Central Intelligence Area.
I will add to it as we go.
But for now,
It is helping J learn about the calendar and days of the week
and we will move on to months of the year.
And I am attempting to keep up with a weekly
schedule too.
So the kids will see what is coming up in our week.
Mom and dad too.
Scouts, sports practices, special events
(like gingerbread house drop in).
And special snacks,
I am also going to do a little more baking with the kids.
So special snacks will include,
homemade soft pretzels
more granola bars (but with real oats, not quick cook!)
There will be a few more posts coming up about some of the other
excitement over the holiday "break".
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