Graceful Girlhood

Homeschool Freebies This Week

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:04:00 +0000

All of these items are available at the Homeschool Freebie of the Day website. Each resource is available for 24 hours on the dates listed below.
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Monday, Jan 16th: A HUMONGOUS HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM TREASURE TROVE!
An amazingly large and in-depth collection of homeschool curriculum with a reformed Biblical perspective. There are over 100 full length texts in history, government, home economics, science & technology, literature, art and much more -- all downloadable in PDF format.
http://www.puritans.net/curriculum/
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Tuesday, Jan 17th: THE LONG WINTER by Laura Ingalls Wilder (MP3 audio dramatization)
Today's resource is this fine audio dramatization of one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best "Little House" books, "The Long Winter". This Ingalls family is quite different than the one you saw on TV, but it is a very faithful adaptation of the book, and is quite entertaining. It is the ONLY "old time radio" adaptation of any of Wilder's books, and if you love those stories, you'll treasure this.
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Wednesday, Jan 18th: DAVID COPPERFIELD (MP3 audio dramatization)
Possibly Dickens' most famous novel, dramatized in this excellent hour long program from the days of old time radio. Many elements within the novel follow events in Dickens' own life, and it is probably the most autobiographical of all of his novels. It was also Dickens' "favourite child" -- ie. his favorite book. This version of Charles Dickens' classic book stars Boris Karloff with a great performance as the wicked Micawber.
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Thursday, Jan 19th: ONE OF THE 28TH by G. A. Henty (MP3 audio dramatization)
Here's a rare and wonderful find for your listening pleasure -- a great dramatization of master story-teller G. A. Henty's classic book of pirates and the War of 1812, "One of the 28th". Follow the adventures of young Ralph Conway as he becomes the captive of "King of the Sea" Captain Kelly, aboard the deadly pirate ship "Belle Marie".
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Friday, Jan 20th: LITTLE WOMEN (MP3 audio dramatization)
A full hour radio adaptation of Louisa Mae Alcott's "Little Women", complete with Katherine Hepburn as Jo!
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Little January

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Little January
Tapped at my door today.
And said, "Put on your winter wraps,
And come outdoors to play."
Little January
Is always full of fun;
Until the set of sun.
Little January
Will stay a month with me
And we will have such jolly times
Just come along and see."

- Winifred C. Marshall

January

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Who is this little fellow
That seems so bright and gay
And brings us all good wishes
In such a cheery way?

He sets us all a thinking
Of what we have to do,
And gives us hope and courage,
And earnest purpose too.

He comes so very quickly,
Before you know he’s here;
Then welcome January,
The first born of the year!

I'll Be Back!

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 02:20:00 +0000

I will resume posting in January 2012.

I hope you will join me!

Nature Stories

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Woodfolk Series by William J. Long
Ways of Wood Folk
Wilderness Ways
Secrets of the Woods
Wood Folk at School
A Little Brother to the Bear and Other Animal Studies, Woodfolk Series Book V
Northern Trails Book I, Woodfolk Series Book VI
Northern Trails Book II, Woodfolk Series Book VII - I have not been able to find this final installment in the Wood Folk Series online as yet. I will keep looking! If you happen to come across it, could you please leave a comment and direct me to the link?

Putting Together Your Own Study of the 50 States

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:25:00 +0000

This is a repost from about this time two years ago! Studying the 50 States is something Little Chickadee has always enjoyed. Unfortunately since I wrote that original post, we still haven't visited ALL 50 states yet, but I have plans to finish up this year. In planning our lessons I decided to revisit this post to ensure that the links were still working properly and to add any additional resources I have come across. I hope that this will inspire you to take off on a cross-country journey yourself and learn about the places and people that make up our great country!

On the first day of school I hand my child a copy of this map of the United States and have her list the states that she knows. This is a fun activity to do at the beginning of the year and then have your child repeat at the end of the year. It is always exciting when they compare both maps and realize how much they have learned! Just be sure to reassure your child at the beginning of the year that you don't expect them to know very many of the states and it doesn't matter if they are only able to label a few! Then again, you might be surprised by how many they do know!

For her binder I purchased a simple white three ring notebook with a clear view pocket on the front. I then printed a labeled map of the United States and put it in the clear pocket on the front of the binder. As we study each state I will have her cut and paste a matching piece for each state cut out of construction paper on to each matching place on the map. By the end of the year the front of her binder, which is starting out a little dull (just black and white), will be bright and colorful! If you have smaller children you might consider completing the map using push pin map work which you can read all about here!

The first page in our 50 States binder is a sheet I made using the information from this website, which just lists each state, state abbreviation, capital and date of succession. This is a good quick reference page.

Behind this page we begin our pages for each state. We study the states in their order of succession, beginning with Delaware and ending with Hawaii. My original plan was to cover two states per week, but realistically it ended up being about one a week, and unfortunately very often became one of the things that got cut when other subjects took longer or we had interruptions to the our schedule. Thus the reason we are still plugging away at this two year later! To introduce each state we play a little game using the Mystery State resources from Education World. This is a fun way to learn a few quick facts about the featured state right up front.

Another thing we've always done and plan to do again, is to write the Department of Tourism for each state and ask if they could send us some brochures, catalogs and a postcard about their state. Usually if you explain that you are homeschooling family and you are learning about the 50 States, they are more than happy to send you some information. Getting the packages in the mail and seeing all the neat things they send is a lot of fun. A few of the states we wrote to last year even sent magnets and bookmarks. Until now I've had a form letter that I sent out, but I'm thinking that this year I might have Little Chickadee write the letters herself, which will reinforce her penmanship, grammar and writing skills. You can find the websites and contact information for each state's tourism department, here.

While we're waiting for our packages to arrive, and be forewarned that occasionally you won't get a response, we do some worksheets from a several different websites.

First, you can print out a map of each state here, and here. I like to use the first map, from Education Place to do something similar to the map of the United States we do for our cover, cutting a corresponding shape out of construction paper and having Little Chickadee paste it over the plain black and white image on the page. I use the map from Enchanted Learning as a reference for highlighting major cities, lakes and rivers. You could also use the blank copy of the map I mentioned above and have your child color in just the state you are currently studying on the US map. This helps to reinforce where the state in located.

For facts about each state, you will find that information here (be sure to look for a coloring page for the state stamp at this site. and learn more about Greetings from America, here!) and here. Younger children could use this information to fill in this book (site requires membership, but is WELL worth the cost!). If you don't want to pay for a membership, then you might find some of these resources useful. Older children could write a report on each state, you find some information on what to include and a rubric, here.For younger children you might also enjoy these coloring pages from Crayola.

Another fun activity, and one that we plan to do, is to collect the state quarters! You will find some fun coloring and activity pages for these, here. There are also a number of lesson plans for all grade levels, here.

And here's a little interesting kick for your curriculum, the super graphics that you find on the side of UHaul trucks has its very own website and coloring pages, with more fun facts and information about each state.

And if all of this isn't enough, there's even more

Outline maps of each state as well as other resources to use to learn US and World geography.
More Maps
US Geography Resources from Homeschool Share
50 States Resources from School Express (don't let the first page fool you, there is a LOT here, just click on a state, there are several pages of free printable resources here!).
Geography and climate of each state
State Flags - click on each image to bring up a coloring page for each state's flag.
State Bird and Flower coloring pages for each state.
50 States Stickers - free graphics for making your own 50 States stickers.
50 States License Plates - images of a license plate from each state. We are thinking of expanding on this idea and trying to find a license plate from each state right here in our area. The plan is to take a picture of the license plate (maybe even the family who owns the car if their friendly!), and then print out and put it in our notebook including the date we found the license plate, where, and if possible the name of the family! We get a LOT of tourism on the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially in Autumn!
Postcards from America - Discover the United States through postcards!
50 States Online Puzzle Game - Drag and drop the state to its correct placement on the map.
50 States Flashcards - Great **FREE** resource!
Match States and Capitals Worksheet
US Map Online Game
Capital Catch Online Game
Where is That? Online Game
Puzzled States Online Game from Scholastic - **NEW** Added 8/14
States and Capitals Memory Game
Magnetic 50 States and Flash Cards

And here are some resources for purchase that you could either use and supplement with some of the other resources here, or just on their own if you don't want to try to put it all together yourself.

50 States Under God - there are two versions, one for older children and one for younger.
Geography of the 50 States
50 Days of 50 States - **Currently on sale at CurrClick for just $1.49!** Written to be done over the summer, but could easily be used during the school year as well.
Amazing American States Sample Book - Free Download
50 States of the USA Unit Study **Currently on sale at CurrClick for just $1.75**

And FINALLY, here are a few You Tube videos you might enjoy watching with your little scholars!

50 Nifty United States

Wakko's 50 States and Capitols

If you know of any other resources you'd like to share, please leave a comment with more information!

~ Enjoy!

Good Resource for Daily Reading/Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:03:00 +0000

I am always on the lookout for resources that include quick, educational activities, poetry, scripture, etc. to read during our Morning Basket Time. Today I came across Leaves of Life, and while we won't be using it this year, I did want to bookmark it here for future reference. You might enjoy it as well!

Easy Daily Math Drills

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:58:00 +0000

Found this among a stack of papers I had placed in a folder a LONG time ago. I'm not sure where I got it so I'm not sure who to credit, but this is a great and easy idea for helping children learn their math facts.

1. Invest in bunch of index cards and a bold black marker.

2. Give your child only a few new facts at a time and let him make his/her own flashcards.

3. Only give him/her new facts once he/she has thoroughly memorized the ones he has.

4. Have him/her go through all the cards 2x per day. At first, when the stack is small, this will only take a few minutes per session.

5. Once the stack begins to grow, you can supplement the daily drill by playing games with the cards.

Black Jack (sort of)
Use playing cards with the face cards removed. Deal two cards at a time. Add cards on request and try to get as close as you can to 18 without going over.

Dice
Roll and add or multiply for the greatest total. Game and/or Teacher Supply stores carry 8 and 12 sided dice if you want to go beyond 6.

The Wisdom of Charlotte Mason

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:43:00 +0000

"We teach our Children that all truths are God's truths, and that secular subjects are just as divine as religious ones. Children don't go back and forth between two worlds when they focus on God and the their school subjects; there is unity among both because both are of God and, whatever children study or do, God is always with them."

~ Charlotte Mason

A Lovely Music Curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Found these lovely resources at Musica Sacra today, which is a beautiful website in and of itself!

Music - First Year by Justine Ward (.pdf)
Music - Second Year by Justine Ward (.pdf)
Music - Third Year by Justine Ward (.pdf)
Music - Fourth Year by Justine Ward (.pdf)
The Ward Hymnal (.pdf)
Ward Simplified Propers of the Mass for Children (.pdf)
About the Ward Method

Botany Readers

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:24:00 +0000

Outlines of Lessons in Botany - Volume I - From Seed to Leaf
~ by Jane Hancox Newell

Outlines of Lesson in Botany - Volume II - Flower and Fruit
~ by Jane Hancox Newell

Maybe Just What I've Been Looking For!

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:14:00 +0000

A fellow homeschool mom in one of the MANY Yahoo groups I belong to, posted a link to this lovely poetry book today. I've been looking for a nice collection to add to Little Chickadee's poetry reading and memorization selections and this looks like it might fit the bill.

Poems by Grade - Primary (Years 1-4): Poems Selected for Each Grade of the School Course, Poems for Each Month and Memory Gems
~ by Ada Van Stone Harris

Poems by Grade - Grammar (Years 5-8): Poems Selected for Each Grade of the School Course, Poems for Each Month and Memory Gems
~ by Ada Van Stone Harris

Singing Science Records

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:25:00 +0000

If you are one of the hundred or so million people who have been trying to locate the Singing Science Records, I was able to access them through The Wayback Machine. Here's the link. I downloaded all of the songs and cover art successfully through this link and have now burned them all to cd.

~ Enjoy!

The Days of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:24:00 +0000

There are seven wee sisters, always about,
When one comes in another goes out.
Chasing each other the whole year through,
And each one trying some work to do.

Clasping her hands on her peaceful breast,
Sunday comes bringing a day of rest.
All over the earth the solemn air,
Is stirred by many an earnest prayer.

When Monday comes with a cloudless sky,
Like flakes of snow the white clothes lie.
And while she washes, and rinses and wrings,
A "Song of the Suds" she gayly sings.

Basket on basket, heaped up high,
Like snowy blossoms the clean clothes lie.
And Tuesday's work is smooth and press,
From mama's ruffles, to baby's dress.

Wednesday, and every hand must lend,
Itself to work, for today we mend.
Each stitch must take, and each rent repair,
Then every garment fold with care.

Washing, ironing, mending, o're,
Thursday gayly knocks at the door.
There's little work for her to,
She may frolic and laugh the whole day through.

Like "the little old woman tossed up in the sky",
Friday broom and duster must ply.
While dame spider hurries from place to place,
Leaving behind her treasure of lace.

Last of the seven, comes Saturday,
Never a minute has she for play.
Hurry and rush, for Saturday bakes,
Pudding and pie and dainty cakes.

So each of the sisters her own work brings,
While ever onward the old earth swings.
And every one is a welcome guest,
To all who are trying to do their best.

~ Lizzie M. Hadley

reminds me a bit of this poem.

A Goal for Mothers

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:21:00 +0000

Mothers, you are in a great measure, responsible
for the lifetime happiness of your children.
Happiness is from within. To have the love of the
beautiful, in nature, given to little ones is not only
your duty, but ought to be your pleasure.

The mind stored with simple, dainty memory
gems, so simple that the youngest mind is not
burdened, is one way and a very important way, of
accomplishing this end, — the love of the beautiful
in nature.

Those, who through life, can see the beauty in
nest building, — the beauty in the waking of plant
life in spring — the beauty in the " golden days of
the early fall " — the beauty in the softly falling
snow, can never be unhappy, but may to the very
end of life, be filled with the most intense happiness.

The teacher is the school mother. It should be
your duty and pleasure to assist the home mother
in her loving work of filling the minds of the little
ones, with a few of these beautiful selections.
Through these thoughts given to them they will
see the beautiful and love it. If you accomplish
this, your work has been nobly done.

from Memory Gems for Children

Andrew Lang's Fairy Books

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:43:00 +0000

Though they are often suggested as reading selections in the earlier years of some curriculums, I opted to wait until now to have Little Chickadee begin this series. I did this for several reasons. Primarily because many of the tales are from the Brother's Grimm original works, and I found them too dark for my sensitive girl. But Spiderwick has done wonders of late for broadening the scope of our reading selections, and the time feels right.

I have also known for some time that when Little Chickadee was older, that I wanted to do an in depth study of fairy tales. Not just reading the books, but contrasting and comparing them to their modern-day Disney versions, having some fun with Fractured Fairy Tales as well as other activities (which I am formulating somewhat as we go). I don't know at this point that we will read all of these, but I did want to do so in the order in which they were written. We may also pick and choose from the stories in each volume, instead of reading cover to cover. But, in case you ever wondered about their order as well, I present them here for your

Blue Fairy Book (1889)
Red Fairy Book (1890)
Green Fairy Book (1892)
Yellow Fairy Book (1894)
Pink Fairy Book (1897)
Grey Fairy Book (1900)
Violet Fairy Book (1901)
Crimson Fairy Book (1903)
Brown Fairy Book (1904)
Orange Fairy Book (1906)
Olive Fairy Book (1907)
Lilac Fairy Book (1910)
Rose Fairy Book

The Months

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:37:00 +0000

Found this today. I've read other versions, but thought this one to be the loveliest by far.

January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.
March brings breezes loud and shrill,
Stirs the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daisies at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs,
Skipping by their fleecy dams.
June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children's hands with posies.
Hot July brings cooling showers
Apricots and gillyflowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.
Warm September brings the fruit,
And vegetables from stem to root.
Fresh October brings the pheasant,
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire and Christmas treat.

- Susan Coleridge

Weather

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not.
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot.
We'll whether the weather,
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.

from A Child's Seasonal Treasury
by Betty M. Jones

Four Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:07:00 +0000

Spring is showery, flowery, bowery,
Summer: hoppy, choppy, poppy.
Autumn: wheezy, sneezy, breezy.
Winter: nippy, drippy,slippy.

from A Child's Seasonal Treasury
by Betty M. Jones

Songs for Learning the Continents and Oceans

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:10:00 +0000

CONTINENTS TOUR
ZEBRAS live in Africa
LIONS and ELEPHANTS, too.
Australia is down under,
Home of the KANGAROO!

Clap your hands for Asia!
It's the largest one.
Antarctica is covered in ice.
The PENGUINS sure have fun!

North America is where I live.
It's where I work and play.
In Europe you'll find England,
Where the queen rules every day.

South America is home to Brazil.
It's the largest country there.
The world has seven continents,
And I've just named them with care!

THE CONTINENT SONG
(Take Me Out to the Ball Game)

Let's name all of the continents.
There are 7 on earth.
There's Europe and
Asia and Australia,
North and South America.
Now don't forget about Africa
And Antarctica, too.
For there's 1...2...3,4,5,6,7 continents!

CONTINENTS
(Tune: Pop Goes the Weasel)

Asia, Africa, Antarctica
Australia, Europe, too
North America
South America
Seven continents for you!

CONTINENTS & OCEANS
(Tune: Love and Marriage)

North America, South America (clap)
Europe, Asia, and Africa,
Don't forget Antarctica,
Or way down under in Australia.
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean
Indian, Arctic they're all oceans.
North Pole, South Pole, Equator
I know all about maps and globes.

SEVEN CONTINENTS
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

To learn the seven continents
Think of the letter A,
And when you're down to only one
An E will save the day.
There's Africa, Antarctica,
Australia, Asia, too;
The oceans run between them
With their waters deep and blue.
There are also two Americas--
North and South, you see.
Now we're coming to the end.
Europe starts with E!

CONTINENTS
(Tune: Three Blind Mice)

Continents, continents,
There are seven.
There are seven.
North America, South America,
Antarctica and Australia,
Asia and Africa,
And Europe too.
That's all seven,
That's all seven.

OCEANS
(Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)

The earth is all covered with oceans.
The earth is all covered with seas.
The earth is all covered with oceans,
More water than land don't you see.

Chorus
Water, water,
Water all over the world, the world.
Water, water,
There's water all over the world!
So salty and cold are the oceans.
So salty and cold are the seas.
So salty and cold are the oceans,
Too salty and too cold for me.

Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic,
And then there's the Indian, too.
These oceans almost cover our planet.
I named them now can you?

Repeat Chorus

I CAN NAME ALL OF THE OCEANS
(Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)

Oh, I can name all of the oceans.
Oh, I can name all of the seas.
Oh, I can name all of the oceans.
Now why not sing them with me?
Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Indian, too.
Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Indian, too.

CONTINENTS JINGLE
(Tune: Jingle Bells)

North America, South America,
Europe, and Asia,
Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. Hey!

EARTH IS THE NAME
(Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)

Earth is the name of our planet.
It's shaped like a ball or a sphere.
It's covered with land and water.
A globe makes this picture quite clear.

Chorus

Seven continents, four oceans, on our planet, Earth...
Seven continents, four oceans, on our planet, Earth!

On Earth there are seven continents,
They're the largest masses of land.
Four large bodies of water are oceans.
In fact, there's more water than land!

Chorus

CONTINENTS, POLES, EQUATOR
(Tune: Are You Sleeping?)

North America (Hold up left hand)
South America (Touch left knee)
Europe (Nose)
Asia (Right hand)
Africa (Middle- equator)
Australia (Right knee)
Don't forget Antarctica (Feet)
North Pole (Top of head)
South Pole (Touch feet)
Equator (Hands around waist)

A Book

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 02:42:00 +0000

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

- Emily Dickinson

Winter Nature Study Resources

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:50:00 +0000

Let me repeat, that I venture to suggest, not what is practicable in any household, but what seems to me absolutely best for the children; and that, in the faith that mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them. ~ Charlotte Mason Vol. 1 II Out of Door Life for the Children

Blogs and Websites
Blogs
Handbook of Nature Study - This is the ULTIMATE blog destination for nature study resources and inspiration. It is home to the Outdoor Hour Challenge (which we fail miserably at). Here is a listing of the Winter Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenges.

She also several Squidoo pages devoted to Winter Nature Study.
Winter Wednesday
Winter Nature Study Ideas
Winter Nature Walks

Here are a few more resources that you might find useful.
Macbeth's Winter Opinion
Nature in Winter or Indoor Nature Studies
The Magnifying Glass- not exclusively related to winter, but an inspiring blog none the less.

Websites
The Winter Season Nature Journal
Snow Primer - this looks really interesting, and would be great for studying snow!
Nature Study Online
Neighborhood Explorers
Children and Nature Network
Nature Rocks

Winter Reading
The Mitten by Jan Brett
- Put the Animals in the Mitten
- Printable Animal Masks representing characters in the story.
- The Mitten Sequence Cards
- The Mitten Lap Book
The Hat by Jan Brett
- The Animals of the Hat
- The Hat Reader's Theatre (a great activity for a snowy day spent at home!)
- The Hat Web Project
- The Hat Coloring Page
- The Hat Sequence Cards
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
- The Official Snowman Website
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
- Lapbook for Katy and the Big Snow
Snowflake Bentley
- Lapbook for Snowflake Bentley
- Official Snowflake Bentley Website
- High Resolution Snowflake Images by Snowflake Bentley himself!
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- The Snowy Day Lapbook
Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
- Lapbook for Stopping by the Woods
Backyard Birds of Winter by Carol Lerner

Other Resources
Outdoor Explorers Club Winter Newsletter (.pdf)
Winter Nature Study for Middle School Students and Their Parents (.pdf) from ERIC

Ideas for Specific Areas of Study
- Animal Tracks (great time of year to study this)
- Winter Birds (what birds winter in your area)
- Trees in Winter
- Winter Night Sky
- Expand on your reading of "The Mitten", and study the animals featured in the book. Learn about hibernation. Which animals do, which don't.

The Making of a Morning Basket

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 06:58:00 +0000

Shortly before Christmas, I read Jen's post on their Morning Basket, and I've wanted to incorporate this idea into our studies ever since. We started on this idea, somewhat informally, this week, but next week I want to have a more set plan in place. Using Jen's outline, here are some of the resources I want to use.

Each morning we will begin with our calendar. We discuss the month and the season. On the first Monday that is closest to the beginning to the month, we light a candle in honor of the new month and pray over the upcoming days. We likewise observe the Ember Days with the changing of the seasons. We might read a seasonally related poem, and we also check the Special Days Calendar each day for special celebrations. There are calendars for special ways to celebrate the days for each month of the year. This is also a neat website to tie in some fun food celebrations.

Here are some resources I draw inspiration from for seasonal learning and activities.
Day by Day in the Primary School - Autumn by Alice Maud Bridgham
Day by Day in the Primary School - Winter by Alice Maud Bridgham
New Year and Mid-Winter Exercises by Alice Maud Kellogg
Christmas Entertainments by Alice Maud Kellogg
Day by Day in the Primary School - Spring by Alice Maud Bridgham
Spring and Summer Celebrations by Alice Maud Kellogg

After our Calendar time (which also includes the Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer), we will move on to . . .
Faith
Here are some of the resources we use.

Saints for Young Readers for Every Day - Volume 1
Saints for Young Readers for Every Day - Volume 2

Once Upon a Time Saints
More Once Upon a Time Saints

We also refer to this resource

The Baltimore Catechism (we don't own a copy of the Saint Joseph's Baltimore Catechism, though I plan to order one soon, for now, we are going to use this free online version, which appears will work.) We will coordinate this with Angel Food for Boys and Girls, using Jen's wonderful spreadsheet!

Catholic Mosaic and Christmas Mosaic
Fenestrae Fidei (I am going to order this tomorrow!)
An Introduction to the Liturgical Year
Chapter Books on particular Saints, with a special focus on Mary. Not being Catholic, and so much of this being knew to me, I've developed a passion for learning all that I can about Mary and I want to learn and share it with Little Chickadee.
We will be using these resources.
Monday's With Mary
Mary
The Life of Mary
and I plan to add others to our collection, including this one.

We will also observe various feast days, name days, etc. using a wide variety of resources.

On some days, Faith might be followed by . . . .
Character and Habit Formation
I really don't know any other way to categorize these selections, but these resources are chosen for expressly this purpose, to foster good character and habits in my children. I don't present them in a "preachy" way, just a short moral story to reinforce good behaviors.
Polite Moments by Gary & Cathy Maldaner
The Goop Directory by Gelett Burgess
More Goops and How Not To Be Them by Gelett Burgess
Parables From Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty

And each day, we will spend some time in . . .
Nature Study
These are our main resources for Nature Study
Type Lessons for Primary Teachers In the Study of Nature, Literature and Art
This is my absolute favorite Nature Study resource. It is broken down by seasons, and combines nature study with poetry and excerpts from great works of literature. It states that it is for student in the "first four years", but since we haven't suffered from it being too childish. It is beautiful!

We also use, Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock
and our Nature Calendars as well as our Nature Journal and Almanac (listed as a Nature Notebook at Tanglewood, scroll down to the bottom of the page).

Additional Resources
Explore Winter: 25 Great Ways to Learn About Winter by Maxine Anderson
Explore Spring: 25 Great Ways to Learn About Spring by Maxine Anderson

Take Along Guides
Birds, Nest, Eggs by Mel Boring- we own this book, and hope to add these to our collection, a little at a time.
Rabbits, Squirrels and Chipmunks by Mel Boring
Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies by Mel Boring
Tracks, Scat and Signs by Leslie A. Dendy
Fun With Nature by Mel Boring
More Fun With Nature by Mel Boring

Countryside Rambles by William Furneaux, recommended by Jen.
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden

Selections from Nature Stories - many of these were suggested by Jen, but are resources we have used in the past as well and I want to revisit.
Among the Farmyard People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Among the Forest People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Among the Meadow People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Among the Night People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Among the Pond People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Dooryard Stories by Clara Dillingham Pierson
The Stories Mother Nature Told Her Children by Jane Andrews
School of the Woods by William J. Long
Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long
Ways of Wood Folk by William J. Long
Birds of the Air by Arabella Buckley
By Pond and River by Arabella Buckley
Insect Life by Arabella Buckley
Plant Life in Field and Garden
Trees and Shrubs by Arabella Buckley
Wild Life in Woods and Field by Arabella Buckley

We also occassionally watch short movies that are seasonal or nature related. Everyone in our home loves Little Bear, and many of the episodes lend themselves well to the seasons. We all also very much enjoy Winnie the Pooh. Toot and Puddle is another favorite, and often lends itself well to geography. Even though these shows are featured on Nick Jr., they are charming and everyone in our family still greatly enjoys them.

There are so many others, many of them that would couple as good supplemental reading with related sciences, such as botany and astronomy. I'll save that post for another day.

Another daily activity is . . .
Poetry
Like Jen, I assign poems for my children to memorize. I gather these from a variety of sources. In addition to the poems we memorize, we also enjoy poetry for free reading. Here are some of the resources we use.

It Can Be Done by Joseph Morris
Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary E. Burt
A Child's Own Book of Verse - Book One
A Child's Own Book of Verse - Book Two
A Child's Own Book of Verse - Book Three

and . . .
Literature
I have also decided that our read-alouds will become part of our Morning Basket. And as this post has become quiet long, I won't list the individual titles that we read, perhaps in another post. But I did want to mention two wonderful books that I found recently and purchased that have added so much to the enjoyment of our reading selections.

Turkish Delight and Treasure Hunts
Delightful Treats and Games from Classic Children's Books by Jane Brocket
Ripping Things to Do
The Best Games and Ideas from Children's Books by Jane Brocket

I am simply in LOVE with these two books, and now I'm on the lookout for Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer A Golden Treasury of Classic Treats, but its going to have to show up for a lot less than $46.03 before I'll buy it.

As Jen mentioned in her post, we will, most likely, not do everything in the basket every day. Some days lend themselves to rabbit trails and lingering over our learning more than others. Jen mentioned in her post that she sets aside a full hour and a half for these studies, and I will do the same, if not two hours, after which we will move on to other subjects such as math, grammar, etc. I am looking forward to this new start to our day!

February In the School Room

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:06:00 +0000

New February Calendar, isn't it lovely (although a bit blurry)?
You can download it for **FREE**, here!

February's Light.
We light a candle on the first day of each month, and pray over the coming days.

February's page from one of our favortie monthly books,
When the Moon is Full by Penny Pollack

New addition to the nature table, a lovely bird's nest
that Little Chickadee found this past Sunday!

Monthly Card, I print these out from illustrations I find in this book.

An interesting tree branch I found last week.

Above and below, February's pages from another lovely book, Be Blest

February Nature Calendar. I made this myself using, this calendar a my model.

We also have a pretty new February banner hanging in the window, but the light made it impossible for me to get a good picture. I'll try to take one tonight, it's too pretty not to share!

Nature Calendars

noreply@blogger.com (The Nester) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:32:00 +0000

January
February
March
April
May
June
I am assuming July and August are omitted because they are not typically school months.
September
October
November
December