Symmetry...

We just did a mini-lesson on symmetry and wanted to follow it up with some much needed art. After talking about all the places in nature that symmetry can be found, I challenged them to create a symmetrical butterfly. I was so proud of what they came up with. I loved Jackson's mean butterfly:

Ashton did a great job as well:

These came out so well I think a framing might be in their future!

Fun in the Box #16...

Why just do math worksheets when you can make it a little more fun. I save every milk cap that enters this house (which is a lot because we are a milk drinking, cereal eating family of 6). There are so many things you can do with them. For this workbox I wrote the numbers 1-9 twice and placed them in a bucket. Jackson was working on 3 digit subtraction so I took a piece of notebook paper and went ahead and drew the problems with blanks. By doing this he knew how many he had to do, how many digits, and it lined them up for him. Notice the paper is turned sideways. This is a great trick I learned teaching 4th grade. The lines on the notebook paper act as guides to help them keep their numbers lined up. That alone eliminates most mistakes kids make when writing their own problems.

Jackson had to draw out 6 caps which became his problems.

I recommend telling them they have to write the numbers down as they draw them for the top but allow them to rearrange the lower numbers to make sure the bottom number is smaller than the top (another important skill!).

This is also obviously great for addition as well. We'll probably soon use it for multiplication too since that is our summer focus!

Fun in the Box #10...

Money is definitely something that we need to work on more around here as I don't feel our math curriculum is covering it enough. What could be more fun than using some real money and setting up a pet store? I found these great pet shop cards:

This was a great activity to find out what Ashton knows and which coins and combinations she still needs help with. I think it would be fun to set up a real little store to play with money, hmmm..........

Fun in the Box #6...

This morning the workbox was a little scary!

I was introducing Ashton to the greater than/less than sign. Since we always talk about the alligator mouth eats the big number I thought I'd just show her. After she used the alligator then we looked at what the sign itself looks like.

Jackson even reviewed his with some bigger numbers.

If you don't have foot long plastic alligators lying around (are there houses like that?) you can also print a picture of an alligator with its mouth open to practice.

I'm pretty sure this activity cemented in Ashton's mind which way the sign goes since she can always imagine this big 'gator!

Fun in the Box #5...

Jackson has been learning about perimeter. So in his box on this day he found objects from around the house to measure the perimeter of.

He worked very diligently on this although I did let him measure to the nearest inch because we haven't learned how to add fractions yet :)

Why Just Do Math...

when you can do PE and math rolled into one? By the time we get to math we have been working about an hour. Therefore, I decided we needed to get up and moving. So, every morning when he has to practice counting by 5's, 10's, 0r 100's he has to do a push up or jumping jack for every number he says.

Jackson loves it and giggles his way through most days. Jon is excited that he's working on his muscles for baseball season! I am really amazed at how much better he's gotten just in 2 weeks. That whole exercising thing may have something to it after all! Who knew?

Even though she was already finished with her math, Ashton decided she couldn't let Jackson have all the fun. She was actually able to count along with Jackson on his harder numbers and knew much more that I gave her credit for! Jackson had fun teaching her to count to 1,000 by 100's as they did punches for each number.

One of my favorite aspects of homeschooling is watching the kids teach each other. I was so worried about Ashton feeling insecure about Jackson knowing more than her, but she is really holding her own. It's neat how she knows some things better that he does. For example, she may need help with the memory verse words while Jackson knows it all, but she usually remembers the reference numbers and Jackson doesn't! I guess they make a good team, as they should!

Just How Big Was Noah's Ark?

Wow, I'm so glad you asked! It turns out that Monday the kids Jon and I went to my Grandmother's farm to measure it.
Of course, Ashton decided she wanted to be "Pinkalicious" so everything she wore had to be pink! It was pretty cold, but keeping warm was secondary to keeping within her color scheme!

Those two little specks way down the field are the kids predicting how long they thought Noah's Ark was. It was actually even longer than that. It measured 300 cubits which is 450 feet. It went all the way to the tree line! I had no idea it was so huge! Apparently, it was very seaworthy though as shipbuilders use its ratios to this day.

Here they are finalizing their measurements and staking it off. Just the very act of walking that far as you measured really drove home how big it truly was. Some scholars think it took Noah and his sons 100 years to build. Can you imagine such a singular mindset and sincere commitment?

Pinkalicious and Daddy measured out the 75 foot length. The most unbelievable thing was, as huge as it seemed when we staked it out on the field, that doesn't take into account that it was 3 stories and 45 feet tall! Only God!

This was one of the neatest things we have ever done as a family. The kids were awestuck and amazed at the vastness of it, not to mention just plain had fun! Jon and I were feeling pretty smug that we had given our kids this experience we think they will remember for a lifetime!