Kinder Days....

Back to school

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 12:53:00 +0000

School Year 2013-2014

They sure do grow fast don't they? Just looking at last year's back to school photos it's amazing to see how much they have changed. JT in 4th Grade and KT in 2nd and the addition of kinder #3 just turned 5 months.

This year we are continuing with many of the same curriculum choices, lots of free play and Legos, our local homeschool co-op and everyday learning...

His favorite "subject" is reading!

KT loves to do school and they actually both never complain when it's time to buckle down! I am always impressed that even in their free play time- they do alot of their own newspapers, mini books, and comics.

We are at the phase where they are in charge of their own independent work.

They start school by 9 am each day, With the baby it's become really hard to do school with them, and so we adapt by doing read aloud's and "school with mom" whenever there is a free moment instead of on a schedule... sometimes we don't do read aloud's at all.. which has been hard, but I know it's a phase..

KT #2 is just 5 months now...

KT Loves ART... she is always drawing, or painting. She has been taking Art Class this semester in Co-op and loves it. They are using Creating a Masterpiece for their class. It's a wonderful DVD series.

She is always moving!

Here's to another wonderful year of being able to school our children!

Here is the newbie....this was taken a few months ago... =)

Thank you for visiting,

School room

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 13:04:00 +0000

Joining in the Not back to school blog hop this week!

We just moved into this home last summer. I realized I never had posted pictures of our school room since we moved! You view our previous school rooms here.

It has changed a bit over the last few months, but not much.... It's fun to go back to old posts and see how much we have grown.. and how our learning centers have changed.

View from the Craft room looking into the school room....

We took out a wall to join the craft room with the school room. We love it! As we tore it out we found an old door here... Cool stuff!

This area holds the books of the week... I love these Ikea shelves

We have since moved the workboxes to the craft room and put a desk for KT in it's place. She has been wanting her own desk forever. Now to see if she will actually use it! =)

Craft room:

We had to combine my sewing area, and the kids their own space as well as storage. I love the size of the room- it's average and a perfect square .. but the furniture I already own made it hard to work with. So I am slowly working on this space till we get it just right.

We completely re-did this room a few weeks ago.
Not sure yet how we like it.. the kids enjoy it so far. I still need to put their art on the wall... again, just using what we have already...

Still need to finish painting.. .

I made each child their own ART WALL... They love it. Keeps things from getting out of control too!

With the new baby, I am nowhere near ready to start school!

I am always inspired by the posts from other bloggers at the "Not back to school blog hop!"

I hope to get started with school sometime in September. =)

Thanks for visiting!

Outdoor Play....

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:16:00 +0000

What do you do when you have a backyard full of Dandelions?

Build a Mud Pie Cafe of course!!

The kinders and I were talking about how they made such a mess the other day making mud pies on the back patio, and having to clean it all up when they were done.. So I suggested we make a spot where they don't have to clean it up!

Pinterest had some great outdoor mud pie stations for inspiration, and we set out to make our own for FREE.

We picked up some pallets ( FREE!!!) and got to work!

I am 39 weeks prego, and so they were able to do almost all the work on their own.. choose the paint colors, carry the gravel , screw in the pallets, make up the menu... This was their thing. I found some items in the garage to help them organize it a bit, and we had lots of craft paint on hand.

Here is what we created!

We had this extra gravel on the side of the house left over from the previous owners. We laid down a scrap of weed cloth and poured this one. It took them 9 trips of shovels to bring it over here... But now we won't have to deal with growing in there, and I won't have to worry about extra muddy shoes when the water and dirt fun get's crazy!! !

I showed JT how to drill the pallets to the supporting tree house wall... It was hard.. the drill was heavy and the screw was hard,but KT helped hold the drill up straight. =) It was a good lesson for him.

Letting them do it on their own....

Plus, how am I supposed to fit in there? =)

While we were hard at work... Brinkley had a nice snoozer!!!

We had an old large box we screwed onto the pallet for the "work station" and an old plant rack to hold their "dishes."

Here we found an old shelf then added some chalk paint to take "Orders"

An old water pipe we spray painted Silver ( only color on hand) and used for a fun drop box on the side of the Cafe...

Lots of paints were brought out, and KT's Pinwheel was the color inspiration for their Cafe ... Thankfully we had lots of craft paint that daddy just brought home from the states!

Buckets to collect "ingredients" in

Important Tool: Rocks for smashing and mixing! You MUST have a rock for this job you know.... =)

Some left over wood for making "Tickets"

ORDER UP!!!

(Yes, Dandelion is spelled wrong... totally my fault! LOL~!)

And now it won't get rained on! So great isn't it? I am proud of them! They stuck it out till it was done.

Spring....

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:49:00 +0000

We moved into our home the end of May last year... We had missed the sprin

We are in awe over our beautiful home as the flowers and trees begin to bloom!

The weather is finally taking a turn for the better and Sunshine is ahead! This was the longest winter Germany has had in a loooooong time... and the rain has sometimes seemed unbearable... But look what all the rain has brought!

This is our backyard.....

View of the hillside...

Green!!!

The whole yard is filled with Dandelions....

Just down the road in the next village are these amazing fields of yellow....

We have enjoyed a few long walks on this path already!

With the beginning's of spring comes more time outside when Daddy get's home from work!

Is it spring yet on your side of the world????

Baby Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:46:00 +0000

Baby Time!

Just a few more weeks till we welcome our new addition!

My friends threw me such a BEAUTIFUL Shower that I HAD to share it with you!

All These amazing women are MY friends!

My daughter was so thrilled to be invited! She was such a trooper. It started at 6pm we didn't leave till after 11... She was great!

Thank you for visiting!!

What's on the shelf? ....Math!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:28:00 +0000

MATH

First I will share what we use for our DAILY Math, then some extra books and games we have enjoyed! I will try not to put to many things to overwhelm you! But we love trying all kinds of books and games.

For KT (1st grade) We use Math lessons for a Living Education by Queen homeschool.

We used it for kindergarten and loved it! I think that this particular book is to easy (for her) so far... and we are breezing through it...But I don't want to skip any of it...=)

It's basically a story through the entire book, and your child goes along on the adventure! Lot's of fun!

Math Facts for Copywork by Queen Homeschool

Frustrated in trying to get your child to remember math facts when flash cards, computer games, and drill sheets aren't working? Consider this: each time you drill a child with a set of facts, as he consistently gets the incorrect answer, that wrong answer gets locked in his mind over and over. Why not apply the principles of copywork here as well? taken from Queen homeschool

I made each Kinder their own notebook ( it's just a composition journal) to copy this from, and so far they are doing really well. We just started using this last month.

My Son (3rd grade) is using Math -U- See

and he is just finishing BETA, and we are starting GAMMA next week.

He loves it! We have been using it since the beginning...

BOOKS:
There are a million Math books out there today! These are a few we own, and that my Kinders have personally enjoyed! Maybe there is a title here that you don't know of yet!

All the Mindware Books

Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci

Fibonacci Fun: Fascinating Activities With Intriguing Numbers

Life of Fred Series

The Go-Around Dollar [

The Coin Counting Book

How big is a foot?

Family Math

Anno's Seeds

Manipulatives:

These are those little wooden crafts pieces you find in the wood section of craft stores. They are GREAT for counters. They are great for chubby fingers, and inexpensive. I purchased a small nail holder at the hardware store to keep them in. We have been using these for a few years, and they still look brand new!

Hand's on Economics: Click here:

Math Games:
These are a few we have that seem to get played over and over... They are easy for them now.. but we loved them so much I wanted to share!

Sum Swamp - KT's favorite

Arithmetic Lotto:

Math Dice By Think fun

Ipad Games:
The Kinders are allowed 30 min a day for "Ipad time" In addition to that I allow them to play school games for Free.. for 30 minutes every few days. These games below are great for drilling, math facts etc.. where I just haven't had the time to do it with them....

Math Puppy
Math Express
Math Bingo
Math Magic
Zoom

Rocket Math
Simply Physics
Kids Time Fun

And more!!!!

What are you favorite Math Resources?

SHARE!

What's on the Shelf?...Bible Time

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:07:00 +0000

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY!

It is my heart share with you in the next few months many books & resources we use during our "School Time..."

I always enjoy the resources other's share and I hope you will find something new and helpful here!

Today, I am going to begin with the resources we use for our Bible Time. What a good subject to start with! =)

The past few years we have focused on Character lessons, Bible stories, getting to know Jesus and his life story, Memorizing scripture, and learning about worship, and prayer. All of this has been building a wonderful foundation for my children's relationship with the Lord.

The Kinders are Growing! The last few months have shown us that they are now ready to dig a bit deeper into learning more about God and who He is.

In addition to what we have been doing, it's time to add more "deep stuff" to our time with the Lord!

During our Bible time we read, we pray, we talk,.. they ask so many Questions... These moments are wonderful times for our family... Sometimes I don't know how to answer these questions.

Some recent questions from the Kinders:

"Who created God?

How did He just exist? (this makes JT's head hurt)
"Why did God create us if he knew we were going to Sin?"
Will we have all our things in Heaven?
and so many more!

We are phasing out of the younger children's devotional books, and are not quite ready for full on Bible study time....so I found these titles a good fit for our family!

Here are the books we started:

We started this one for our evening time with Dad. It's very well done! We are all enjoying it!

God's Names By Sally Michael

This is a very simple book, but also been very helpful in our Study. Great for KT's level.

Words About God by Nicholas Choy

We read the Adult version called "Heaven" several years ago, and LOVED it.

This one is also great! It answers many questions the Kinders have.

In a language kids can understand, Randy Alcorn explores Biblical answers to the questions kids often have about heaven. As in the adult title, Heaven, he addresses the difference between the present Heaven, where we go when we die, and the New Earth, where we will live forever with Jesus after he returns. Intended for kids age 8-12.

Heaven for Kids By Randy Alcorn

This is one of our morning Devotional books .... is so much fun! We love this book. They are very short but pack a good punch! This book chooses unlikely and sometimes uncommon animals for the lessons. After each lesson we get out the Ipad and I find a you tube video to watch about that animal. It's great! A great way to once again observe God's amazing hand in all of creation!

The Big Book of Animal Devotions teaches children about the wonders of God's creation while also using each animal to illustrate a character-development lesson straight from the Bible. Each reading includes a Scripture verse, discussion questions, and a concise nugget of take-away wisdom.

The Big Book of Animal Devotions by William Coleman

This is our other morning book we go back and forth with... They are also really short 1 or 2 page stories, and some longer ones in the back.. They have scripture references, and Q&A after each chapter. We are really enjoying it! Great book that's part of the Building on the Rock Series.

How God Sent A Dog To Save A Family

Emma and Alex have had nothing to eat all day and there is no food in the kitchen or the store cupboard. Their mother has no money to buy food and all that she can do is pray that somehow, someone will send them something to eat. But in the morning something is scratching at the door and the children go out to investigate. Find out who or what it is and discover how God has answered the families' prayers. Read other stories too about flying bread, Martha's Raven and the Stolen Sleigh. You will find out about how God cares for us and about how Children can believe in him. Scriptural references are taken from the King James Version of the Bible and the questions are based on this. Suitable for 7-12 year olds.

I do want to note that I have Apologia's World view curriculum, but haven't opened it yet. It seems to go along with what we are doing. ...Who is God?..And Can I really know him?

and Who am I? And What am I doing here?

They also have a coloring book to go along with it for the younger ones (perfect for our Bible Binder)

Following the books above, we will be learning about the Bible (the journey of how it came to be, & how it's in our hands today) How to study the word, Biblical Time line, etc.....

Each Kinder has a Bible bin in their Workboxes.

What's in the Workbox?

They keep their Bibles, binder, scripture memory cards, and other supplies in there.

Since we are doing multiple books at a time, many of them have activity pages, or I like to find additional coloring pages etc for lessons we do. This is where I keep them. In their Bible Binders.

It works great!

I generally print them all off at the beginning of the study/school year.

Then when it's Bible Time, They grab their bins and are ready to go! Some books I just take right off the binding and whole punch them and put them right in.

JT received his own Bible last Easter. He wanted a REAL Bible, not a kids bible... (which we did have plenty of). I found this one in Giant print that would help him with his reading. It has worked out so well. He loves it!
KT has shown she is ready for a larger Bible. I am trying to hold out for Easter, but she is so insistent on one now. =) JT does his own quiet bible reading each morning before school.
He is currently reading the New Testament.

These have really helped my son with our Bible Time. He loves these! I made sure these were not the abbreviated ones, as that would just confuse him more!

Additional Resources:

To help them bring into perspective all the stories we are learning, I started with this timeline (Especially for KT).
. It is HUGE... we are finding it hard to find space on the wall.. So,for now we just open it up and look at it. I would like to try to put it in a binder. This is a good basic timeline for their age. I am happy with it.

This again is a book to help bring everything into perspective.

How the Bible came to us

I think this will help JT with understanding more of what we are reading.. It helps me!

The Chronological Study Bible

This is a highly recomended series. I look forward to using this.

How to Study Your Bible for Kids

Guarding the Treasure: How God's People Preserve God's Word

"To some God gives the gift of courage, to others the skill of invention. Some Christians spend their life in study, others risk their lives to spread God’s Word. Men and women throughout the centuries have travelled far and wide, lived at home, died in prison all because of the Bible. Many have lead and inspired others to discover the truth of God’s Word. They have provided Bibles where there were none. They have taught people to read when they couldn’t. They have even invented alphabets when there were none to begin with. All this with the one aim that people would know God and receive the free offer of salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. The history of the world is full of battles and swords but in the end it is the spiritual victories won by the pens and printing presses that have left an eternal impact. God has used men and women to spread his truth across the world. Believers and even unbelievers have played their part. When a powerful King learned to read, his people came to understand the true value of God’s Word." Amazon description

I think this is a good start for now! I will let you know how it goes in the next few months! =)

What's Mama reading?

Family & Bible Time :

Your Child's Profession of Faith by Dennis Gundersen

Take from Grace and Truth books Website:
“A Christian parent would sooner die than make a mistake with the soul of his or her child. And yet so often it’s hard to distinguish the stirrings of the Spirit in the soul of a child from their natural curiosity about the things of God that they hear about at church and home. In other words, just because a child starts asking questions about God and the Bible doesn’t necessarily indicate he is close to salvation, but may merely reflect the normal thoughtfulness of a growing child about what he’s learning at church and home. Still, we always want to encourage and nurture any such godward interest as much as possible. Dennis Gundersen’s book can help parents point a child to Christ, and guide them in walking along a biblical path that avoids manipulation and false assurance on the one hand, and presumption and neglect on the other.”
-- Donald S. Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality, Senior Associate Dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

This book is still back-ordered from Amazon.. waiting for it! Has anyone read this? What are your thoughts?

The Case for Family Worship:

An Answer To The Question, Upon What Scripture Grounds And Reasons May Family Worship Be Established And Enforced

Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children

God first gave specific instructions for being a parent in Deuteronomy 6. He instructs parents to talk to their children everyday about God and His ways. Everyday Talk offers practical, creative ways to do that. Learn how to use ordinary conversations to show your kids the goodness and wisdom of God. With clear biblical teaching, John Younts illustrates how to lead your children into a greater awareness of the presence and glory of God. Amazon description

What Bible study tools do you use for your Family?

Merry Christmas 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:17:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Christmas season is a busy season! Even when we take it slow.. it leaves little time for the computer and blogging. =)... We would love to share our Christmas with you! But this is a picture heavy post ( for friends and family far away!)...

We had snow for 2 days this month! That's all... and those two days were full of SNOW fun!

Gingerbread fun! (Thank you ikea for your awesome 3 euro kit!)

Christmas Party.......

Late night Christmas movie night surprise! (can you even see the kinders???)

Christmas Markets! We made it to just 2 this year.... But with kids we find that just 2 is great! We visited St. Wendel. & Rothenberg Markets.

Who doesn't love a live Nativity Experience?

Our new favorite Market Snack!!! .....

Working on handmade Christmas Gifts..............

Delivering goodies to Truckers down the road....

Christmas all over our home... a tree in each room.

One of my favorite Christmas Markets. The kinders discovered these amazing round treats called
"Schnee Balls" (snow balls) they didn't care for them to much, but loved trying them !}

We visited the Christmas Museum while in Rothenberg. We did not expect to care for it to much, but it was actually worth visiting! We discovered some very interesting facts about Christmas Tradition...
One fact: The Christmas ball ornament "In medieval times German people had a 'Paradise tree'. This was a fir tree hung with apples to remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. These trees were set up on December 24th and candles were often added to represent Jesus Christ. " this progressed into what we know as the Ball ornaments on the tree today!

The kinders enjoyed it!

Enjoying our Snow!!!! (now we have had non stop rain the past week....

Love the little Family!

Dipping candles... the kids favorite Christmas Market Tradition....

This year the kinders saw their very FIRST reindeer. They were so excited!

Christmas EVE .......

Each year since the kinders were tiny, they do a little performance before we open gifts.... They sing a song, say a poem, and one year we did the entire Nativity story with props. This year they read from Luke 2 (both were very proud as it was quite long....) and JT played for us on his Guitar... This is always such a blessing for us...I hope they will still do this (willingly) as they grow! =)

We saved our ultrasound baby gender reveal for ChristmaS. Here KT put it up on the tree...
we are having another little GIRL!

Stockings on the drive to France to visit my other family........

Family Fun in France!

Please note that we hardly see my brother and his family but every few months... the little baby in this photo is always the center of attention when we do visit! You will see.... we all needed a turn with the cute monkey!

Thank you so much for visiting!!! We wish you and your families a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS !

We start school up in a few days! I hope to be back to sharing our little School- Life with you soon!! PLUS I got a new Camera for christmas... an awesome DSLR... So i am so excited for future blog posts! =)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

12 Days of Books.....For Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:12:00 +0000

We have TONS of Christmas books! Each year I have a book shelf and basket dedicated to all the holiday books... These are the fun- cute little books like, Clifford, Disney, scholastic books, jan brett books, all the frilly ones... The kids love it, and it's exciting for them to revisit these stories over and over.

Last year we started the 12 days of Christmas Count down with books.
Not just ANY Christmas books. These are some of the most precious Christmas stories... And I have slowly been purchasing them the past 2 years... I hope to keep adding a new book or two each year...

Many of these titles are from the Five in a Row Christmas Reading list.

I discovered this list last year. I totally trust their opinions on books, and so off the Library I went to find as many on the list as I could for last season.

We were not disappointed.

Here,we would like to share our family's collection for this season!

If you are interested in purchasing any for your family you can click my link here: 12 Days of Christmas with Books.

Updated - More added ( 2015)

The Stowell family is abuzz with holiday excitement, and Frankie, the youngest boy, is the most excited of all. But there's a cloud over the joyous season: Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and Pa hasn't returned yet from his trip to Lansing. He promised to bring back the oranges for the mantelpiece. Every year there are nine of them nestled among the evergreens, one for each of the children. But this year, heavy snows might mean no oranges . . . and, worse, no Pa!
This is a holiday story close to Patricia Polacco's heart. Frankie was her grandmother's youngest brother, and every year she and her family remember this tale of a little boy who learned--and taught--an important lesson about giving, one Christmas long ago

When a leak ruins the sacristy wall in his father’s church, Jonathan Jefferson Weeks thinks Christmas Eve service will be ruined. Luckily he and his father find a beautiful tapestry, perfect for covering the damaged wall and giving the church a festive look! But then, an old Jewish woman recognizes the beautiful cloth. Her discovery leads to a real miracle on Christmas Eve.

Maria, her mother, and grandmother are busy preparing for Christmas when they discover an old music box with a figurine of a girl on the top. Maria thinks she looks just like an angel (sans wings); Grandma explains that some people believe angels must perform a good deed (or, in the case of a figurine, have someone help them) to earn their wings. On Christmas Eve morning, Maria secretly delivers a bag of cookies to a homeless man she has been concerned about. Later, while she is opening her own presents, she is surprised to find the music box angel--now complete with wings. Vainio's soft, dreamlike watercolors mesh nicely with the gentle story. A great choice for holiday read-alouds or family sharing, this simple tale, with its universal themes, will provide a welcome respite from the hubbub and commercialism of the season.

Emma and her little dog Shu-Shu were thrilled to be invited to the King’s birthday party. But what do you get a King for his birthday? Emma and Shu-Shu have no gift, but they bring the Christmas cake they made with Mom and put on their Sunday best as they dash to the King’s carriage. And of course, Emma couldn’t go anywhere without her beloved Cherry-Bear. On the way, they have encounters that lead them to bestow their cake, winter-cape, and even Cherry-Bear, on others. Now they’re chilly, rumpled, and empty-handed—what will the King think? Emma frets, but when they finally meet the King at his palace, they discover they gave the King exactly what he wanted.

Children and parents will be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, and that the greatest gifts we can offer to the Savior are gifts to the least of his brothers and sisters (based on Matthew 25:40). Families will be able to go online and be directed to notable charities to give their own gift to the King.

A Christmas story from Sweden.

Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree

Came by special delivery.

Full and fresh and glistening green--

The biggest tree he'd ever seen.

That was the trouble. The tree was so tall, it couldn't stand up straight in his parlor. Mr. Willowby asked his butler to chop off the top of the tree. What happens to the treetop? Where will it be for Christmas? Snuggle up with this story and follow along through a forest full of friendly creatures who get to share in a bit of Christmas joy.

In Appalachia each Christmas, a boy named Frankie waits beside the tracks for the Christmas Train, which will bring presents to the children who live in coal towns and hollows. Year after year, Frankie hopes that one particular gift a very special gift will be tossed to him from that train. It is this enduring hope that will guide him to the true meaning of the season. Full color.

When Father is stationed with the military in Japan, he sends his family an intriguing wooden box at Christmastime.

The Armistice has been declared, but still there is no sign of Ruthie's father in their little Appalachian town. So, in accordance with the traditions of Pine Grove, it falls to Ruthie and her mother to bring home the perfect Christmas tree to donate to the town. Ruthie had accompanied her father to the rocky cliff where he marked a tree in the spring, so she and her mother set out to find it again, and haul it home. Their trip becomes the basis overnight of a new town legend; Ruthie, chosen for the role of the heavenly angel in the the church Christmas play, finds herself outfitted in a made over wedding dress of the finest silk another "miracle" wrought by her hardworking mother. An accomplished, fluid telling garnishes this simple story, as do Cooney's moonlit paintings of wintry evenings and the welcoming glow of fire and lanterns. Ruthie is more or less an observer; her mother is the real heroine. But the way they work together to keep their family's duty is rendered in a harmonious blending of text and pictures.

Three toy friends decide to leave their Christmas tree up for Valentine's Day--and the next holiday, and the next--until suddenly it's Christmas again!

And this one has been in our collection for a few years, always a favorite with my daugther! We love Llam Llama. =)

Llama Llama holidays.

Jingle music. Lights ablaze.

How long till that special date?

Llama Llama has to wait.

If there's one thing Llama Llama doesn't like, it's waiting. He and Mama Llama rush around, shopping for presents, baking cookies, decorating the tree . . . but how long is it until Christmas? Will it ever come? Finally, Llama Llama just can't wait any more! It takes a cuddle from Mama Llama to remind him that "Gifts are nice, but there's another: The true gift is, we have each other."

More Books:

Christmas in the Trenches
Small One
The legend of the Candy Cane
The legend of the Christmas Stocking
Tale of Three Trees
Room for Little One
The Trees kneel at Christmas
Gifts from the heart
The gift of the Magi
One Wintry Night
The Crippled Lamb
The story of snow children
why Christmas trees aren't perfect
A day on Skates ( a dutch story)
The Donkey's Dream

Do you have a Christmas reading tradition?

What favorite books does your family read during Christmas?

If you haven't any reading traditions you have time to start!

It's never to late!

Mushroom Unit Study

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Fall is such a beautiful time of year here... as it is in MANY places! It is one of our most treasured times.

Our walks are so much more beautiful with the leaves falling. One thing my kinders look forward to are spotting the mushrooms that grow around here. Last season, we took pictures of mushrooms every-time we saw them, then we made a little laminated mushroom catalog and took it along with us when we went out.

This year, we went a little deeper in our Mushroom Study!

The Kinder's each have their own digital camera (my old ones) and they take pictures now whenever they go on walks. I like this because it helps them become more involved in our study, and it's really neat to see what they choose to photograph. At this point they are still SO excited as they find mushrooms! KT still insists that I come and see each and every one she finds. ..=)

Here are a few from our walk last week....

This is a Puff Ball Mushroom. They are edible before they turn this color... The kids do enjoy smashing these... lots of spores fly out!

These are Umbrella Mushrooms- They are very poisonous.

Last week I hosted an "Introduction to Mushrooms" walk for our local First Class Home school Group.

We had a great turn out in spite of the many rainy days! And The Lord blessed us by holding the rain till the end!

Each child received a Scavenger Hunt card with 10 mushrooms found in the same woods we were headed to.

Each mushroom had it's name along with the German name for it.

The kids had a BLAST

Here are all the mushrooms collected that afternoon!

When we were done, our friend hosted ALL of us in her home right down the street for some hot cider!

Here we had a display of Mushroom Fun & Facts!

Mushrooms we CAN eat - a little taste testing (portabello, oyster, and button)
Mushroom Diagram- from enchanted learning ( we also handed these out to each student to take home)
Mushroom Fact Sheet for each family to take home
Spore prints the kinders and I made last week
Mushroom poem which my friend read to everyone

After telling the kids all afternoon not to eat any we found, some of them DID try these raw ones, and most of them did not care for them. =) Better cooked is what I say!

The Kinders and I made spore prints Before our outing so we could share this experiment with everyone.
It's VERY Easy to do!

I framed it so it wouldn't get ruined in transport. Out of 8 Mushrooms these are the ones that left their print.
The one on the bottom right is white... Use black card stock and white to see the differant colors when you make one!

All we did was cut off the mushroom caps, lay them face down on paper, and covered each one with a glass jar or bowl overnight. I did this outside in our patio! I wasn't to keen on having poisonous mushrooms in the house. =) I used regular printer paper. I should have used Card Stock. It still worked but the paper did naturally wrinkle a bit from the moisture of the mushroom. Why cover with glass? This keeps the moisture in and the spores from floating around your area...

The tiny ones did not work. =( The largest ones were great! and one medium lavender one gaves us the pure white spore print.

Giving them time to search on their own, is wonderful for them. Make sure you allow a good hour for these walks...

Here is our Mushroom Diagram.
I just cut it out, colored it in, and glued it to card stock for the Kinders to see...

Outside your Window : A First book of Nature by Nicola Davies

This beautiful and LARGE book we borrowed from the library had a wonderful and fitting poem on Fungi.
I highly recommend this book for your Nature shelf! Beautiful artwork...

The Kinders painted little mushrooms onto Rocks as a keepsake for all the kinders that came on the special outing so they could remember their day!

We used river rocks from the craft store, and sharpie paint markers. (these worked much better th an the Elmer paint markers I started with. It took some time to dry, and they did it in processes, but it was worth it!

Some other Fun Mushroom Facts we shared:

Mycology (German Mykologen) is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi.
People who study all about Mushrooms are called Mycologists.

Interesting!

· Germans love their mushrooms, consuming the most mushrooms per capita than any other country in the world .

· Mushrooms have no chlorophyll (a green pigment in plants), so they don’t need sunshine to grow and thirve

German Mushroom hunting Phrases

· Kann man das essen? = Can you eat that?
Das ist giftig. = That's poisonous.
Das ist tödlich. = That's deadly.

Common Mushroom Names in German:

http://www.mssf.org/cookbook/foreign.html

List of poisonous mushrooms and photos in Germany

http://livingingermany.geekymoms.com/must-knows/toxic-plants-fungi-in-germany/

http://www.nerdygaga.com/3513/the-poison-mushroom/

More Mushroom Facts

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/farm/story4/mushroomfacts.htm

Thank you visiting!

I hope you have a chance this fall to get out and learn about God's amazing creation!

Celtic Unit Study

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 11:41:00 +0000

We went on an awesome field trip a few weeks ago to a local Celtic village Museum called Keltendorf.
But before we went, we did a quick 2 day study on the Celts.

Who were they?

Why are the so popular today?

What about those amazing knots they make?

Surprisingly there isn't to much online for KIDS about these cool people! So I just put together my own lapbook (gasp!) with some basic info, and we were set for our adventure!

We talked about the cool Celtic knots... And colored one online.

We learned that they didn't write to keep track of their own History, but told story after story to keep it going... it wasn't until the Romans came in, that the Romans wrote down what we know today.

KT's chosen sentence of the day and her little round house....

We have a favorite Geography songs Cd ... This is the printable from the activity guide that goes with it. The song was of the British Isles. We discovered that they Celts lived in many places in Europe even as far as Turkey!

Finally, we cut out and colored a Celtic Cross, then glued it to a large sheet of paper..

We read an excerpt from The Story of the world Vol. 2. It was a great story for the kids! ... Watched a few you tube videos and read a little bit online from BBC on Iron Age Celts

That was pretty much all I had at home for our impromptu Adventure!

Keltendorf Museum Day!

Each room was a mini Museum.

Each Child was able to make a craft on site. KT chose to make a leather purse, while JT made a wooden arrow for his bow from scratch!

Here, they had a chance to hold a shield and fight !

KT trying out the grinding stones.

As part of afternoon they included traditional lunch. Soup & apple juice. =) The kids had a GREAT afternoon!

Did you know the Celts were the first to use Soap? And they really weren't dirty and barbaric? =)

A fascinating people..

Thanks for visiting!!!

Days of Fall.....

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:41:00 +0000

Happy Fall!

This post is picture heavy! Fall is one of our favorite seasons...Here is what the Kinders have been up to!

Every year we visit our favorite Pumpkin Festival. It's our kick off into the season! We haven't missed one in 8 years!

The Kids favorite is always the Hay bales and the Giant pumpkins on display!

Nothing like driving along......and out of no where... some cows...=) They escaped somehow. We managed to heard them with our car back into the village we had just driven through, and a few minutes later the farmers were on the hunt for 'em.. The kids thought this was very fun! =)

We also found out we are expecting Kinder #3 !

Another fall favorite is finding chestnut trees and picking all nuts, and bringing home the shells. They are prickly little things... not to fit into a pocket so easily...=)

Lots of cool sunny days...

We had one litter of 4 bunnies this August, and to our surprise one day, ANOTHER litter! This time there are 6 baby bunnies. They are a week and a half old.

Isn't new life amazing? while we still haven't given away the other 4, we are so excited about these little guys... The kids are really enjoying watching them grow.

The Kinders both started Horse Lessons this fall. It's gone really well. JT was extremely afraid of Horses, and now....he is awesome! No fear, and doing so well. KT just loves it...

Our Homeschool group went on a field trip to the pumpkin farm!

Library days.......

Fall Craft Time! Last year we got into Needle Felting. This is a totally fun craft if you haven't tried it yet. It's great for all ages from about 5 & up.... This time we felted pumpkins.....

Aren't they adorable???

KT is spending more and more time in the kitchen with me, and learning basic recipes.

Robots! My kids have been so into creating robots out of any recylable at home the last few months. I found a small kit online for them to try, since they wanted to make a REAL one. KT usually wants to do everything JT does, so I had to find a robot that was do-able for both! We did a Tin Can Robot. totally worth it! They loved it, and it still works!

All year I have been learning to make skirts and little things for KT. Here is one I made out of a vintage table cloth. It turned out really cute!

And Lastly, we have been working on the house little by little. Here is our Front Entry way. This to me, is the weirdest room, and most awkward to re-do (on a budget).... it looked like a mobile home entry way from the 1970's...

The walls, were paneling, the doors were a different color wood, and as you can see the ceiling above is another shade of brown... We painted the paneling, no other choice at this time... because of the way it was installed.Then there was DIFFERANT paneling on the wall with the doors... i just put wallpaper batten and board on it. The doors were solid wood, so I decided to paint them till I find doors I love ( it seems all the doors here are fake wood, and that light modern color). I also added decorative trim to the basement door to give it some character. then I added some molding to the top, and we are putting up white ceiling tiles. Now, we just have to add the molding to the top and add lighting!

Thank you for visiting!! More soon!

First Day of School 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:05:00 +0000

We started School Last week! Here are the little Students!

1St and 3rd Grade! Time is Flying!!! They are so excited for school.. and that always blesses me...

JT: Loves Math, and Science... He is doing well in reading, and is starting to enjoy writing... "Starting."

KT: Loves ALL school. Especially reading. She is my nature girl... always fascinated with things on our walks. She loves to make little books, and would prefer an ART lesson over anything! She loves to draw, and is into pencil drawings right now...

We joined co-op this year and JT will be taking Cooking, Rercurve Archery, and Lego Club. He is excited !

KT will be taking Ancient Egypt Unit study, ART class, and Lego club.. She is more excited about Lego club than anything!

We do almost all our schooling together... they are 2 years apart, but we just melt everything together...and they love it! They are growing to be such good friends. When I tell them we are done with school... they don't disappear into their own corners... they stick together and do something.. it's very neat to see.

Kyree is starting to love sitting at her own little space to do her writing... So I made her an ART center, and she loves it!

JT is becoming more flexible, with his writing and will take his school to the Kitchen Island if I am getting lunch ready ... he doesn't like to be alone much... He also is getting better at taking school on the road for our crazy errand days... I think that with him reading more he is less threatened to be on his own for some things. =)

Kyree takes lots of breaks... and that's fine with me.. we have a few little baby bunnies that come in during break time... and then we "hop" right back into school!

Just another great reason to HOME SCHOOL.....

We start our day with bible time, then a game of their choice, and then read alouds with mom... sometimes we take it outside... Sometimes I let them take their own reading time outside...

This time, the photos were not taken by me... just the idea, the props and the kids! LOL!

This is my beautiful family. Thank you for visiting!!!

Have a GREAT school year!

Family update

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Folks: We bought a home..... in Germany!
Did you miss me? =)

We have taken the past few months to work on our new home. It was built in the 1960's and the second half of the house was added on in 2003. The house needs cosmetic work... Once we learned how expensive it is for labor here, we realized we would have to do most the work ourselves. (The bank gave us some remodeling $$ but it wasn't enough to do all the things to bring it up to date unless we did it ourselves) In order to just move in we had to lay new flooring downstairs... and shortly after re-model the kitchen, and soon the bathrooms will be next.

My husband is not a carpenter... and has proved himself totally amazing during this time! I know that he does it only to see me happy. He probably would never do a DIY unless it was for me. =)

We have alot of land, play area, a chicken coop, greenhouse, trees, a huge built in covered Deck, 2 car garage, and a private driveway!
We looked for a year, and in the area we live, houses are very $$$ since it is close to the military installations, and you have to move further out to be able to afford a home.. We are only 25 min away from Town. It's PERFECT for us.

We also have an indoor (formally quail house) bunny house for our 2 new rabbits, 2 guinea pigs ( and now 4 just born baby rabbits) . The house itself is just enough room for all of us, and a guest suite in the live in basement for family visits!

As time goes on, I will share the insides of our home.....So for now here is are some shots of our Kitchen... Before and after...
Ikea cabinets, and husband's handy work, granite flooring for counter tops and some second hand furniture finds.... we have a 20,000 kitchen for just 5,000!!!
(not fancy photos yet... just lived in and a bit unfinished =)

Let the postings begin! boy I have a ton of things saved up to share! =)
4 months is sadly to long to put off blogging... but I can't wait to share the rest of our life with you!

We start our BACK TO SCHOOL after Labor Day!!! You know, I always participate in the Not back to school blog hop, and this year I just couldn't get my school room done in time... but it is ready now for us to start school... and that's so exciting!

Thank you for visiting!!!

The Salamander Room FIAR Unit Study

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:19:00 +0000

Back with our Five in a Row Studies!

This past week we rowed The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer

"A boy finds a salamander in the woods and imagines the many things he can do to turn his room into a perfect salamander home. Together, Anne Mazer and Steve Johnson have created a woodland paradise that any salamander would love to share with a child." Amazon.

At the begining of the week, we went down to a creek in our village, to catch some Frog Eggs. Since We don't have any salamanders that we could study in person this was our next best resource!

A ziplock bag, a strainer and 2 willing collectors... we were set!

Frog eggs..... pretty cool huh?

                                                                                                             Photo credit- googleonline

                            But first we had to figure out what was going to go in our Frog Habitat:
                                                                We did some list making.....

KT's List

We collected plants from the creek for food when they hatch and are tadpoles.
We also had to go back for some more water after about 2 weeks and more plants. Those little tadpoles ate all the plants!

The kinders are already very familiar with the life cycles that of a frog and of a caterpillar, and differant habitats.

I printed this online and laminated it and placed it on our tadpole tank. They enjoy seeing the stages and compare their little tadpole friends daily...

Yield to frogs- sign on the main road to my village

Here is our Frog Habitat. It sits in the corner in our living room, where we can all easily check on it, but it's away from direct sunlight. We are using Pets in a Jar for reference. We really love this book! We used it for our Caterpillar/butterfly study last spring.

We had 8 eggs and only 5 have survived. They grow quickly!

Another Little Creature that we find plenty of are Lizards. JT prepared a habitat for this little guy a few weeks ago:

He did it all by himself and did such a great job. Food, water, hiding spots... I was impressed!

Bible Lesson:

A righteous man regards the life of his animal,

But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Proverbs 12:10

READING:

We spent some time reading extra books we had on amphibians, and reptiles, lifecycles etc... They learned about cold blooded and warm blooded creatures.

A great book to go along with this study was the Magic School Bus Hops Home.

ART: We made our own Salamanders from Clay.

ART: Kt also learned how to draw frogs and I taught her how to make 3-D letters. She loved it!

Lapbooks:

We made our lapbooks, and printed off some fun pages from homeschoolshare! I love this website! It's a favorite for resources. =)

This was also our first lesson on Vertebrates and Invertebrates.

Our Tadpoles are 3 weeks old now... I hope to post full grown "froggies" soon!

The more we study science, I am truly amazed at our God!

Math Fun :

Games we played to go along with the Frog fum!:

Think fun Hoppers

Resources for our study:

The Learning never ends!

Lessons from our pets

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:17:00 +0000

We love animals.

My family had many pets while I was growing up.. (dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, geese, ducks, rabbits, turtles) . I wanted our children to also grow up having pets in their lives too!

I mean, who wouldn't want a furry creature to greet every morning?

Not animal person? KEEP Reading!!

There are SO many great benefits for children in owning a pet. If you google this topic you would find many articles telling you all about it! Here's a good one: Benefits of pet's for children

I would however, like to take a moment to share about the Pets in our Family, and the benefits we have seen in our own children of having God's creatures in our home.

In the last few months we have lost 2 of our 4 pets.

Two Summers ago my husband was deployed; and during that time we got ourselves a rabbit (our only pet at that time) .

The kids were so excited! We were ready for the adventure! We had just studied Peter rabbit.. and well he looked just like that little guy!
His name was Bun Buns... He was our house rabbit. =)

Bun buns to me was a bit of a bummer... he was always scared, and had alot of "quirks." after one year I felt like it was time to give him up..he was alot of work for not much in return. The kids could never hold him, without him freaking out.. just not the kind of "house "rabbit you would have hoped for... But we kept him... we were fond of him.

Then a few months later, Came Super Hammy the Hamster. We were not planning on getting him. But someone gave him to us for Free! The kids again... were excited! Now we had 2 rodents to care for.. while daddy was away.. Hammy was hilarious. Very friendly and even won 3rd place in a pet contest for Best Pet trick. We loved him.

After this came along a new Rabbit.. A beautiful and very friendly Rabbit.. named Rootbeer. He was also free.. we saw him at a yard sale. He was an outside rabbit, but loved kids.. So he came home with us.

By this time my friends were calling me Mrs. Doolittle! =)
I thought that perhaps we were going to let Bun Buns go as he was stressed out often. And just keep the other Rabbit and Hamster. But the kids loved him so much, so he stayed..

2 Rabbits, Hamster &.....

Last spring we were in Korea visiting my husband.. we would visit the animal shelter daily to help volunteer and take care of the animals. This was my husbands weekend fun..
We met many adorable animals... The kids wanted to keep all of them.. We were NOT getting a dog. I just couldnt' take on that responsibility with almost a year left as a single mama...

And then we met Brinkley.
This was THE Dog we had always dreamed of. We fell in love with him, and Adopted him. We just had to figure out how to get him from Korea back to Germany. =)
Brinkley stayed with my husband for a few months and flew back with him in the Fall...

Days after he arrived in Germany.. he caught our rabbit outdoors... on accident. They were somehow loose and he was playing "catch." He did not hurt Bun Bun's that would could tell. We took him to the Vet, the vet said he was perfectly fine.. But he later died that night. It was to much stress for him. It was awful. We had a funeral and burried our little furry friend.

So, we knew we had to say goodbye to Rootbeer the rabbit as well for fear of that happening again...

Then a few weeks ago, Our totally awesome Hamster passed away in his sleep.
We had another funeral, burried him next to bun buns under the front Tree...

*Responsibility- each kinder has jobs... when the fun of having a new pet wears off... and they no longer are as excited to "care" for them... They had to continue with their responsbility of feeding and caring. They thought of them while we were out and about, they remembered when we needed more food. They cleaned their cages.. They took ownership.

* Appreciation for God's creatures- They learned to appreciate even the smallest animals and the blessing of them in our lives. We would laugh at things they do, marvel at their abilities, and give lots of hugs! Keep in mind rodents do not give back emotionally... you care for them with almost no return on your investment..this was a good lesson for the kinders.

* Bonding- my son could not bond with animals. He was always afraid, or just couldn't relate perhaps just didn't "Care." For my daughter it came naturally.. He never spent more than a second petting an animal. So it made me really want to have animals to help him bond, and connect with them. By talking and pointing out funny things, amazing things, and showing him how to bond, with hugging the dog here and there, petting him and talking to him, even putting silly clothes on him. We pointed out other animals out and about and talked about how cute they were, etc.. within months he was able to relate on his own, and now has an amazing bond with our Dog...

*Empathy- when our pets passed away, this was an amazing learning lesson for them. They cried. We all cried. They drew pictures to remember them. They made a cross from sticks for the burial site, We held a funeral and shared our favorite memories. We said goodbye. This was a wonderful learning experience , although sad... for our kinders They learned about death, in a gentle way.

*Science: Habitats. We took the time to research (favorite foods, abilities, etc) about the animals we had.. We did a lapbook study on rabbits... we would spend hours watching them "be"

*Social development: With our pets, our children were able to comfortably share and talk about their pets without being nervous when friend came to visit, or at the acadmic fair, or at the pet show... they totally opened up in situations where they normally would have been extremely shy. It was amazing for me to see.
*Excercise: Having the dog, it makes us get out each day and move! We go for long walks in the woods, play fetch.. run with the soccer ball.. and it's a great way to keep us moving each day.

Owning pets is not always easy. There are days... days we moan to take the dog out, days we want to do a last minute trip and can't get a sitter... but the benifits far outweight the negatives- for us.

For now, it's just the Brinkley and us... well and some tadpoles .. =)

He does school with us.....

Enjoys reading time... with us on the couch...

And while we loved having these great creatures among us, we will have to stick with God's smaller creatures: butterflies, caterpillars, tadpoles and backyard lizards till our Dog can learn to behave with smaller animals.

Not a Pet person? Can't have pets due to allergies or current life situations? It's okay!!
There are other ways to encourage a love for God's creatures without "owning" a pet.

I always say to our friends who aren't "Pet People": consider pet sitting for folks on Holiday,visit the animal shelter and volunteer to bathe, walk and feed the animals etc. Visit your neighbors pet often, Take horse lessons, Feed the ducks at a local pond , help out at a local farm, go to the zoo often and observe, preferably with a petting zoo to allow your kids time to connect with God's creatures!

Consider the thought of having a furry friend ..... they are a great blessing!

Do you have Pets? What are some lessons your children have learned through them?

****UPDATE: Since this post we have adopted:
2 Rabbits & 2 Guinna Pigs! Our rabbits just had babies, and we were blessed with watching the miracle of baby animals, and how they grow!

Titanic Unit Study

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:05:00 +0000

In Honor of the Titanic's 100th Anniversary, Here is a visit to our experience I posted 2 years ago....=)

It all started with this book, rented from the library last week... the nice man across the counter mentioned they went to an exhibit recently. I was very excited about this news, and looked it up online. Join us on our little journey...The Titanic Exhibit in Wiesbaden. Its only here till May 2010 ....

For more Titanic books available for children's study click here. We also read Polar the Titanic Bear about a month ago, and Pig on the Titanic is on my list to read with them! sounds great!

It was a fantasic Field Trip. Daddy has been taking some time off, so we saved it for a day he could come. We highly recomend this exhibit. Upon arrival, they take your photo at the entrance of the Titanic. =)

They stamped our boarding passess, and we were off ! ( these are great for their lapbook)

I also saved these for their lapbook ... they were out of english ones, but they still were nice for photos.

JT loved his listening thingy... Daddy and I were very surprised he used it the entire time.

here is a model of the Titanic. This was great for the kids to see up close.

There was a huge map of the route and where it went down.

Here we are in the replica area of the halls, very impressive. Even the floors creaked. =)

KT at the entrance to the dining area... for the 1st class passengers..

did you know that tickets were as much as 5 months pay?

some of the orginal dishes.

JT at the Entrance to the 1st class sleeping quarters.

looks like my pics got a bit mixed up, this is the 3rd class sleeping quarters below
did you know for 800 3rd class passangers they only had 2 bathrooms????

and here is the 1st class sleeping quarters.

One of the old windows.

and the most favorite part of all for the kinders... an real ICE exhibit... =) in this area, they had a video showing you how it hit the iceburg, and how large it was. They asked you to put your and on this for as long as you could stand it.. to feel what it was like to be in the water for so long...

Here in Wiesbaden marketplatz... the Titanic Exhibit. very easy to find in case you decide to go.

PSSSST: A note for the locals that might want to visit , lots of room for strollers, it was nice and quiet, and not very crowded, the staff was excellent and spoke english. The audio was also in english and free with entrance fee. Children 6 and under were free ( the website didn't state that) so that was great, also there is a bathroom halfway in, but due to it's size it's easy to get to and go back to what you were doing with no problems. they only take visa or euro. and the gift shop has something for everyone, (post cards were 1.50 ) but also only accept visa and euros. We parked in a garage just below and it was $16 euros. but there wasnt anywhere on the street to park. So we chalked it up. ( I think it was $2 euros per half hour or $16 for the day) The exhibit was good for all ages, my 3 year old got a bit bored, but there were things that stuck in her mind, and at this age... that's just dandy. =) There weren't any spots to sit down in there, there was a bench halfway through, but that's about all, so if you have to feed the baby head for the middle.. =) I believe there were no food or drinks allowed, but I can't remember.. and some spots no photography, or at least by the time we saw the sign.. we didn't take anymore pics. =) With the kids it took us about 1.5 hours to get through moving steadily, if we were without the kids we would have been there 2.5 hours or so listening to each story, and each artifacts special history.... this should give you a time frame of how the size of the exhibit. They take your picture at the entrance with their camera, and you can choose to purchase it at the end for 5 euros. It's in Sepia color

Afterwards, we went to eat at this great little cafe . Open since 1859 Maldaner's was dreamy and perfect. A MUST visit while in this town!

Here is a view of their sweets.

It's a wonderful feeling when Easter and spring are on the horizon in Europe. The store displays are absolutely beautiful ! I love staring inside shop windows...

Mama and KT

located on the marketplatz shopping area, if you are leaving the exhibit turn right on the main drag, and you will see it shorlty on your left. it was very popular with locals, if lost i am sure someone can direct you! the kids had waffels, and we had schnitzel, both were fantastic!

it was not very easy to find any printables or lapbook studies for younger children about the Titanic. I did find these cloring pages below, and I did buy the Hands of a child Titanic lapbook . I hope to do that this week with JT... But I might just save it till later, with Daddy taking time off, we are a bit behind in other school. =) I wish I would have seen this.

Now, how can you have a unit study about the Titanic without a little Boat craft? =)

Ship: made out of milk cartens and paper towel tubes, and yellow construction paper for the windows... but you can get a wooden model to build if you plan ahead. This is one is great for older kids .

everyone boarding the ship... =)

And look what we found just around the corner after our outing.....an actual CRAFT STORE!!

I thought for the first 15 minutes I was in Micheals!!!! what a wonderful feeling! This is huge you know, there is NOTHING around here in the form of a craft store, and so this made our day! be sure to check it out and bring a shopping list! =) They had a little bit of everything, some fabric, they had tons for scrapping, and a second floor of paint supplies, of all kinds... prices were very reasonable.. the fabric wasn't. Listmann is the name. Here are their hours and info

The day before we told the kids were going to see a museum about a Special boat.. and how it sank. They were so excited ( it's so easy to enterain them at this age isn't it?? =) .. but JT of course had a million and one questions, so him and I watched a few Youtube videos of the Ship sinking, and how it was built. This helped alot! So if you have a younger one and you are going to visit, this would be great for them to see first. There are some great ones on there. This particular trip showed up they are both ready for more museums and historical trips. YEAH!!!!

When we got home that night Daddy and I watched Titanic the movie as the perfect end to our trip. =) There are so many incredible stories we never heard about, and we both really enjoyed this study as well. Now, if I can just get that Celine Deon Song out of my head!!!!!!!!

Titanic Lapbook - Curr click

Titanic Lapbook printables
Titanic Word Search
Titanic Activity Pages

Resurrection Week...Celebrating Easter in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:37:00 +0000

We had a wonderful Ressurection Week.
Here is a peek into our life!

One thing we have done the past few years are the Ressurection Eggs... I am sure you have heard of them. I posted about this and some other Easter Resources a few seasons ago.. Please visit it for more great info!

We do 2 a night till Easter Morning... The conversations that come from these evenings are so great. The kids love them... And will probably never outgrow them!

There are many home-made ideas online: Print your own or just visit Pinterest! for ideas!

This year we created our own Garden Tomb.. here we just planted and are waiting for the seeds to sprout!

Easter morning, I placed it on our breakfast table, and covered it with flowers and moss... (the seeds did not grow as well as I had hoped!) The kids were thrilled! A great centerpiece.

Oil Pastel - ART time:

Coloring eggs...

A special lunch I made for the kinders! They LOVED this and have since asked if I can do this for all meals. =)

It was alot of fun for them, and a total surprise from our everday lunch....

Sunday Easter Hunt.....

Added in their Baskets this year were these stories:

Fun-NON candy stuff in their baskets:
Flower seeds, glass eggs, bubble bath, and stories...
This year We gave each kinder a Bible... KT has wanted a Precious moments one forever... so even though it's a little small, ( I was bummed as she is only 5 )she really likes it! she carries it everywhere. =)

JT got a Giant print NIV study bible and bible tabs... He is so excited! It's very easy to read. The Bible tabs were such a great gift (and a help) for him!

The Day after Easter, My husband and I Went on an overnight get away to Baden Baden.
It was a gift for the work of the Homeschool conference from the Homeschool group.
Such a GREAT blessing! (Thanks JEN!!!!) Something we never would have done for ourselves...probably ever. =)

We stayed at a charming fancy hotel in a suite, had a 6 course dinner, champagne..the works! And spent the day at the Carcalla Roman Spa. Seriously? This was amazing!

Here is a view of our amazing room!

We had such a great time together, and were coming down with a cold... at least it was both of us and not just one of us. Spending the rest of the week as a family, since my husband is off a few days... YEAH!

Thank you for visiting! May the Lord Bless you and keep you as you live for HIM!

The Creative Side of Home Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:17:00 +0000

I have a God given gift of Creativity. I have always loved to decorate my home, paint furniture, DIY, craft, make something from nothing, all that stuff...=)

However, I didn't know where to START building that Art-sy creativity into my children... it seems easy right?
Hand them some water colors, a paint brush and watch their amazing new talents soar! Right?
Naturally they would take after Mama, right? Uh-No.

There is creativy in everything... writing, story telling, dancing, photgraphy.. music....a million ways we can be creative in the world around us.

Today I want to talk about Creativity in the ARt-sy- Craft-sy sort of way.
This is not including scheduled studies of Master Artists.

( you may want to roll your eyes and stop reading here...saying "this is NOT for me"... Just Hold on! This is not a guilt post!)

.....And we've ALL the time in the world after schooling, dishes, house cleaning, errands and walking the dog to sit down and do some creating right? =)

I was first inspired by this book last year: The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule.
It does have a Waldor-Montessori type feel.. and many ideas are not "new" But it was very inspiring.

. Here is what a reviewer said on amazon: This is more than a project book, however (in fact, I would not even describe it as being a project book). It is more about a way of life -- taking a step back, learning that a "no" really can be a "yes," and so on. Her thoughts about toys were excellent -- again, exactly what our family has already practiced since our first child was quite small -- but, in observing so many of my friends with young children, ideas that would help many an overwhelmed family learn to say "no" to too much stuff.

I was most inspired by her tips on art supplies -- a good comprehensive list of supplies, along with tips on their storage. It's one thing that I don't think we had a good system for before, and I will definitely be incorporating some of her ideas into our life.
This book is a gem. It's small and simple. It suggests simple steps that any family can take to make their lives more family-centered and joyful.
Fantastic! This is great for a family that really doesn't know where to start. It's a great book! - Amazon.

I wanted to find ways to encourage my children to:

LOVE to CREATE.
To LOVE to use their IMAGINATION.
To have PATIENCE.
To SEE it THROUGH.
TO ENJOY being CREATIVE.

I want them to learn to be comfortable enough with creating to do it on their own.
Even if I wasn't "feelin" it.
So, What did I have to do to get there?

I have a son who loves doing hands on crafts, but was at a total loss when you gave him a blank piece of paper or a handful of supplies. He just couldn't decide what to create OR he wanted to save the supplies and not use them so they would stay "brand new" (that was really frusterating).
Being the perfectionist that he is, he wouldn't even TRY unless he knew it was going to look like "the example" I showed him. How did I get this little guy to enjoy creating without getting upset? To think of something to create on his own? Without it being a big ordeal EVERY time?

And my daughter; she wouldn't even have to think about it and start creating... random.. totally random stuff.
She was always done in 3 minutes or less too! =) KT would burn through 10 pieces of paper during drawing time so fast and then declare she was done! ---Then mommy free time was over ...just like that!

TIME

So I began to sit with her... and draw (this is one of her favorite things and we have learned she is naturally gifted in drawing) . I was involved and asked her simple things like color it the picture after it was dran... then maybe add some other things to it... and before you know it, she created a masterpiece and was so proud!
She now sits and draws as her calm down time. When she is needing some time to chill.. she gets out her artwork set and will spend several minutes even up to an hour creating on paper or with recylables, or sewing.. on her OWN. (keep in mind she is 5)

I sat down with my son, and brain stormed ideas. We picked out colors and supplies. We looked at crafts online ....My son may not like drawing... (which is okay) but he loves to use his creativity to build things out of recyclables, sew things, finger knit, mold with clay and that's perfectly alright with me! When he is bored... he looks for ways to be creative on his OWN! As far as him being frusterated, that will continue to take time. He is getting better.

I know it seems impossible or perhaps insane to do a craft or set aside ART time during the week, EVERY week when we have so many other things going on.

But it's so important for these little guys... and you know what? That time I set aside EVERY week.... Works! My children are learning to be creative. They have surprised me by their efforts and imagination.

Reading this article from The Brainy Child really helped me to better understand Creativity and Children. You also might find it helpful. =)

Nurtering Creativity is so important..
Not just in your child's life; But in yours too!

I have many friends who say "Oh, I am not creative!" "I can't do that!"

I feel sad. Sad that they have never experienced the Joy the peace and that sense of accomplishment that comes from creating Arts-y Crafts-y Things.

Don't put aside this beautiful part of Home Learning...
Don't be intimidated!

Wether it's sewing, drawing, painting, building, designing... Be creative WITH your family.

Are you naturally creative?

Do you have a crafy thing you do?

Don't wait for when the kids are asleep, do it with them or when they are in the room.

Let them see YOU being creative. Set aside that time...

Did you do & crafty things when your kids were under 6?

Have you since put it on the back burner because you think they are to old for that stuff?

No, my friend they are not.... Set aside that time for Everyone in your family.

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Albert Einstein

ENVIRONMENT

Now, I would like to share with you how I provide an EASY "Craft ZONE"....a creative lifestyle in our home.

We have a craft room (in our basement) This room is great to leave crafts unfinished... and to come back at a better time. I keep all the stuff I don't want to see on my dining table down there...=)

It has worked really well. No Room for a dedicated space?

There are many ideas online on making a crafting area out of all size spaces! You don't need a whole room for it. I won't have one again in our next home, but for now... it works.

Remember: EASY.....

In the fall and winter we leave loads of yarn in baskets around... just in case anyone wants to pick it up finger knit.
Year round I have all the markers and crayons in a nice display on our school table for in the moment drawing along with blank paper in a bin.
This past year I have started really learning to sew. I turned an area in our home into the sewing room... This is always available and easy to just sit down and sew something without having to take the sewing machine out and such... They are welcome to use it at any time. I also have a box of fabric scraps they know they can browse through anytime.
I made finger knitting bags for the kinders, for ON - The -Go fun!
I also made each kinder a crayon roll and art pack for ON-The -Go fun!

We keep sculpy and other smaller type crafts in our school room in their own bins. They can them use anytime without asking.

I made an ART board on Pinterest. We all enjoy getting ideas from here in a pinch! (I think Pinterest changed the world... don't you?) Feel free to "follow" me.

Projects

What did we do First?

Finger Knitting.:

Hands down, the best thing for a little guy/gal to learn before they begin "grown up" crafts. This was such a great blessing for my kids ages 7 and 5 when they learned. Starting with just one finger. Then working your way up to a whole hand. Also we used these great knitting forks.. they are wooden. These were alot easier for KT. As young as 3 can do this!
It provided immediate gratification along with patience. They made leashes for the toys, necklaces, braclets, my son made a scarf, they long chains were made into so MANY fun things!

Basic Hand sewing:

We use felt as it's pretty sturdy for little fingers to get the hang of things. I also used large cross stitch material for them to work on with a hoop. (Or shelf liners with the holes in it work great) This really helped with little fingers.

My Mom taught a Sewing Class at last year's Co-op.. They loved it! They learned the basics of a Sewing machine and made some great "grown up" things!

Needle Felting - a HUGE hit again something great for ALL ages.

Wet Felting with wool - really fun!

Drawing:

A Mommy and Me drawing lesson

We used Draw write now & 123 Draw
books to start with. They are really great books.

Now our NEW most favorite Drawing lessons are Dvd's from

See the Light!

We are in love with this program!

If you do one thing after reading this super long post... visit their site. They have a tip of the day video online!

I just ordered this for Easter for the Kids:

Machine Sewing:

Drawing turned into real life

Sewing Machine: -Bunnies and Carrot sleeping bags

The kinders love this. They really enjoy using the machine. =) And they are learning along side me. We started by making diapers for KT's dolls, mini quilts, and pillows for their stuffed animals. Little bags to carry stuff in, more pillows, place mats etc... there is no limit! Mostly it's for their stuffed animals.. and that is great! I help with alot of it for now.. and they love that.

Creative Children.....

Thank you for reading today! I hope you are encouraged!

I once heard someone say we were created in God's image. And God is SO creative... therefore we are too.. We just need to find it. It's there inside...=)

These creative moments and ideas I shared are pretty frugal, takes minimal planning and work well with Girls AND Boys.... Really!

And if you just aren't sure... invite some friends over! And learn together!

Are you ready to bring the Creative side into your Home learning?

Europe Wide Homeschool Conference 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:24:00 +0000

Since August of 2011 I have been praying & planning for our local homeschool group's biennial Homeschool Conference.

I have never done a conference, much less attended one in the states. This was all new territory for me. But when God calls you to do something, you just have to jump in and ....well.. do it! =) I do however have a heart to encourage other homeschooling mamas.
I enjoy planning parties, and other functions so that helped a little. =) But the vision and inspiration was totally from the Lord.

Our conference was this past weekend. It was a MAJOR Success!

Families were renewed in their Homeschool Journey, Moms were refreshed and excited about planning the new school year, Dads were challenged, and New homeschoolers were inspired and fired up to begin a new season in their life!

There was a first year homeschooling mama who came up to me as soon as the conference ended, and with tears, she shared with me that she had told her family that she Quit the day before.

She was done. Haven't we all been there?

And her husband encouraged her to come to the conference anyway... you know what happened? God showed her the Big picture. He showed her she CAN do this. This lovely lady left encouraged and ready to continue in her Homeschool journey!

If you have never had a chance to attend a Conference in your area... I encourage you to do so! You will be greatly encouraged. Even though for myself and the many volunteers it took to run this, were running around missing sessions here and there .... we ALL left with a renewed excitment to continue on in our Homeschooling Journey! Isn't God awesome??

We were blessed to have Heid St. John and Cathy duffy as our main speakers.
What an HONOR. We are so thankful they both love Military Families!

90 Families joined us from all over Europe! Isn't that amazing? England, Holland, Finland, Belgium & Germany!

I just want to share a few photos of our weekend.

We were also blessed to have an amazing German Homeschooling family attend the conference.: Jurgen Dudek opend our conference Friday evening and shared the trials of homeschooling in Germany.

You may have heard of them from the HSLDA HERE. Please take a moment to watch/read their story HERE and HERE . Just a truly wonderful Jesus loving family!

Dear friends of ours and the speakers:

We were blessed to have the whole conference recorded. If you would like a copy please send me an email (atilsher@hotmail.com) I would be happy to give you a DVD of the conference. You will be encouraged! Wether you are first time homeschooling or a Veteran. =)

Our guest speakers books:

Fantastic books!!!

The Busy homeschool Mom's Guide to romance by Heidi St. John

The Busy homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight by Heidi St. John

100 Top picks for homeschooling Curriculum by Cathy Duffy

Websites:

The Busy Homeschool Mom

Cathy Duffy Reviews

Find them on Facebook!!!

Frohe Ostern....Celebrating Easter in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:12:00 +0000

Over the next few weeks I would like to share what we do during the Easter Season here in Germany!
This is the first of a 3 part series. ( I feel so professional!)

Every Easter season or as we like to call it "Resurrection celebrations..." I take the kinders to the local German Chocolate factory.

It's our kick-off to spring! It's usually about a month before Easter and it gives them a chance to get all the fun of Secular Easter traditions (chocolate, bunnies, goodies, decorate eggs, etc) out of the way so I can focus on the true meaning of Easter with the kinders during Easter week.... If I don't start out a month or before, then I feel like it sneaks up on me, and before you know it... we are quickly breezing through the story of Easter in time for church on Easter Sunday! And then all the other things take away from Jesus! =)

This month in particular I was hosting the Europe Wide Homeschool conference and things were crazy. I was behind in school, sleep, and dishes! This made our day out extra special because I surprised the kids and we got in the car and had a great day together! They hadn't had much "mommy time" and it was needed! =)

It was so cool, because the machines were running this time and we were actually able to watch the ENTIRE process! The kids just love this part... and the giant 7 foot bunny they were making...

We happened to go on their Kick off day (totally by accident) and they were able to do some cool marble painting techniques on plastic eggs!

They of course each had to pick out a chocolate bunny....

I love Spring time in Germany... all the decorations in the shop windows, and around the villages are so beautiful.... Here are some of our favorites:

Idar -Oberstein Rock Digging shop (rock eggs)

Shop Windows....

Do you have an Easter tradition?

Are you living here in Germany?

Please take a moment to visit some great Easter Markets in the area:

Local Easter Markets This weekend

International Easter Egg Market Mannheim

Easter Market - michelstadt ( we are heading to this one saturday!)

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Birthday JT

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:06:00 +0000

A Total Family Post:

My son had his 8th Birthday last week. It was a lego birthday of course! What else would an 8 year old request? =) Would you believe I couldn't find ONE lego decoration locally? So, I had to think fast, and use my printer... and it came out just fine.

Lego wall of past birthday's......

Fun wrapping!

Hide and Seek Lego men! This was fun and they were hard to find!

Thank you for Visiting!!!

Hands on Economics

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Something our family does on the side, is buy/fix up/sell furniture here and there. It's something we enjoy (Well, something I ENJOY) and it's great to make some extra $$ when we can.

As a matter of fact, this has been something my kinders have been around their whole lives:

(roadside find)

His very first furniture he painted.

Always a helper!

So, we were out at a second hand store, and I thought it was time for JT to invest in his first piece.

It was a big deal!

He was very excited.

We found a solid wood Drink Cart for 3 Euros. It was old, wobbly and clearly weather worn.

With his own money he purchased it with hopes of making some good $$$. =)

(3 euros is alot of money to the little kinders)

We came home, he tightened the screws on the wheels. I taught him how to sand it down and then showed him how to stain furniture and he re-stained it, with a little help from me. But not much! He wouldn't let me help. =)

I have never seen him work so eagerly. LOL!

Afterwards He put on wax to give it a nice shine.

He photgraphed it and we listed it on a local online site.

It sold within 1 hour for $20!

Now that's ALOT of money to one of our kinders.

Not to shabby for a 7 year old on his 3 Euro investment.

Without his Savings, he wouldn't have been able to purchase this investment piece.

He is learning how to take part of this profit, and re-invest in another piece, invest in some mercury dimes(a new lesson for the next few weeks), save some, and tithe.

He is a natural Saver. My Daughter on the other is NOT. She will gladly spend her money the minute she has some. JT takes FOREVER to decide on what to spend his money on. Which is a good thing. =)

Things JT learned through this experience:

Investing

Risk

Manual Labor

Pride in a job well done

Recognizing potential

Value of Capital

Some Books we are reading about $$$$$:

(Daddy is reading this to the kinders a few nights a week )

Books I would like to get as we continue learning:

King Tut & Egypt Unit Study

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Hi!
I know it's been over a month since I posted! Life.... My husband is home! After 18 months of being away, we are getting back into the groove of normal life again... =) It's only been a month he has been home and we are all adjusting very well. He went back to work the first week home, which allowed the kinders and I to press on into a normal school schedule again after the holidays.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit the King Tut exhibit that was in Frankfurt.
Daddy took the day off and we all went with our Homeschool group. It was ALOT of fun!

Taken from the Exhbit website- this is a description:The burial and treasure chambers shown at the exhibition cannot be seen in this form anywhere else in the world – not even in Egypt, because Tutankhamen’s original tomb in the Valley of Kings has now been almost completely emptied.
Tutankhamun’s treasures are now cordoned off behind glass in the display cabinets of the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo. The impression of space made by the tomb in its original state can only be experienced at this exhibition:

A few days before, We read the book:

For our Homeschool Field trip my friend and I (Thanks JEN) made these totally fun laminated necklace tags for all the kinders! Made a great keepsake, and we knew who was in our group!

When we arrived we first watched a video of the Brief History of Egypt. After that we went into the next room to view a little movie about Howard Carter and his Discovery.....
following the movie... we entered the "first room of the tomb.." It was so neat to see the same image we saw in our book just days before!

Here is a layout of the Tomb, and the order which we were visiting each area.

What I didn't realize till I was standing in front of it, was how LARGE each box was, and how many till you got to the actual casing of King Tut. ... Much bigger than I thought. Very cool. Even though everything was a replica.. it was truly a great experience.

2 Excited Kinders seeing the famous Egyptian King up close!

During the next week we took our time studying Egypt.
We colored maps, located the Nile river, Read some wonderful books, watched youtube videos, and did lots of hands on FUN!

One of the kinders Favorite books: They love the Magic school bus, I was excited to have this for them in our library.

Nile river

Mummy FUN

We mummified and APPLE! This was alot of fun!

A few days before we went to the museum we did this and waited 7 days to compare!

Salt/baking soda a sliced apple .... (found the info online)

JT was so excited to see the outcome! We made predictions, we checked it every day.. sometimes more than once!

But they were very patient and on the 7th day we took the apples out to look at them.

WOW!

How cool!!!

Even I wasn't sure if it was going to work. If we made the right mix...

But it was perfect! The kinders were truly amazed!

Another fun book!

And who doesn't want to wrap their stuffed Friend up????

Sarcophagus FUN

This was my own idea (wow, I actually had one!) We used some small egg cartons from our recycle craft bin, some paint, and a little toy and made our own sarcophagi! I just cut out the egg molds so a toy would lay nicely inside.
We also read through our Pop up book ( a little creepy though)...

HUGE HIT!

Acrylic paint worked the best for us.

We also stamped the inside and outside with our Hieroglyphics stamp set.

Some fun things on our Display:
A post card from the Museum, Math game, a totally cool keepsake from a thrift store of the mummy, papyrus bookmark, and our Tags for the museum we made.

I also found this papyrus picture at a thrift store!

JT loved this game! A little to hard for KT... but we played it a few times...

Papyrus FUN

We made our own paper for our Craft one afternoon.

This was a little tricky. And while we didn't do anything fancy, the results were great and they loved it! I would do it again.

Supplies:

Flour, water, strips of paper, and drying rack.

We mixed flour with water to make a paste, ( also found this on the internet) and then tore strips of paper, and soaked them... laid them out and then did the opposite way to make a weaving pattern...

This was Messy.

After they dried we stamped them and KT wrote her own little note on hers. = )

JT wanted his to look "original."

They looked pretty cool. But I would like to do a more serious run on making paper..

Lego FUN

We did this probably a millioin times, Large ones, small ones... you know... for School. =)

Reading FUN

Thank you for visiting!!!

Resources:

scale model pyramid

King Tut - mini coloring page

Pyramid Coloring page

Christmas Around the World part 4.. Netherlands

noreply@blogger.com (Angela @ kinder days) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Yesturday some wonderful Friends of ours took us to the Netherlands for a Christmas market. We had a great day together! Our children get along so well, and it's always a blessing to see them on long adventurous days like this one.. still loving on each other. =)

I wanted to share with you the highlight of our day... This AMAZING

Sand sculpture Nativity. It took my breathe away.... If you ever have a chance to visit, it's worth it!!!

Held in Wilominagrot in Vaulkenburg.

Here is the clan at the Entrance... Check out the Santa!

The Nativity was set inside a Cave. The lighting and everything was just perfect. You went from room to room to view each part of the Christmas Story.

Below, is Mary telling Joseph she is pregnant. ( a little late there if you ask me..)

Walking the road to Bethlehem.....

.....

No room in the Inn.....

Wisemen and their Camels...best camel ever!

The Kinders and I...

We visited the Vaulkenberg Caves Christmas Market. The decor was very well done. We enjoyed all the decorations and fun viewings of Santa's home.. =)

The shopping was not so great, totally differant than German christmas markets. Many items were mass produced instead of handmade... We did buy some treasures and will always remember our special trip!

I love how the Dutch decorate! Every thing about it!

Christmas Around the World : Netherlands Unit Study Printables:

Netherlands Flag

Sinter-Klaus Craft

Holland Traditions
Christmas Around the World Unit study- Homeschool Share

Boxes for Katjes- A story at christmas in Holland

...Merry Christmas!

Kinder Days....

Back to school

School room

Outdoor Play....

Spring....

Baby Time!

What's on the shelf? ....Math!

Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci Fibonacci Fun: Fascinating Activities With Intriguing Numbers Life of Fred Series The Go-Around Dollar [ The Coin Counting Book How big is a foot? Family Math

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci Fibonacci Fun: Fascinating Activities With Intriguing Numbers Life of Fred Series The Go-Around Dollar [ The Coin Counting Book How big is a foot? Family Math

Fibonacci Fun: Fascinating Activities With Intriguing Numbers

Life of Fred Series

The Coin Counting Book

What's on the Shelf?...Bible Time

How God Sent A Dog To Save A Family

The Chronological Study Bible

How to Study Your Bible for Kids

Guarding the Treasure: How God's People Preserve God's Word

The Case for Family Worship: An Answer To The Question, Upon What Scripture Grounds And Reasons May Family Worship Be Established And Enforced

Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children

Merry Christmas 2012

12 Days of Books.....For Christmas

Mushroom Unit Study

Celtic Unit Study

Days of Fall.....

First Day of School 2012

Family update

The Salamander Room FIAR Unit Study

Lessons from our pets

Titanic Unit Study

Resurrection Week...Celebrating Easter in Germany

The Creative Side of Home Learning

Europe Wide Homeschool Conference 2012

Frohe Ostern....Celebrating Easter in Germany

Happy Birthday JT

Hands on Economics

King Tut & Egypt Unit Study

A few days before, We read the book:

Christmas Around the World part 4.. Netherlands

Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci

Fibonacci Fun: Fascinating Activities With Intriguing Numbers

Life of Fred Series

The Go-Around Dollar [

The Coin Counting Book

How big is a foot?

Family Math

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci

Fibonacci Fun: Fascinating Activities With Intriguing Numbers

Life of Fred Series

The Go-Around Dollar [

The Coin Counting Book

How big is a foot?

Family Math

The Case for Family Worship:

An Answer To The Question, Upon What Scripture Grounds And Reasons May Family Worship Be Established And Enforced