KFNW

We took a field trip to our local Christian radio station, KFNW the other day.
Here's my two monkeys...

A look at where they do their broadcasting



The CD library they keep "just in case" their digital library goes bad

Our tour guide showing the students the "guts" of a hard drive he is working on

Detectives, Preschool Painting & LEGOS

Isaac and I started a "Detective" unit study this week (this is one that Isaac was driving me crazy about doing, he was so excited...)
This looks to be a great unit study! Today we talked about the role of a detective and how investigators use sketches of criminals in their work. Isaac selected a photo of someone, and practiced doing his own sketch of their face. We also dusted for fingerprints! That was super fun!


Graham did a little painting today using Lego Duplos as stampers and also painted with a golf ball rolling around in a pan. This child is all about anything hands-on, especially if there is a mess involved in some way.


I always consider LEGO building as part of our school day (Isaac doesn't know he's learning when he's playing with his LEGOs, so don't tell him!). Today he made this little creation, which I thought was so great I had to take a picture of it. Love that little astronaut floating in space!

On Books...

We have recently discovered a few books that we love at our house!
Isaac is bridging from simple readers into more complex (but still easy to read) chapter books. He loves "Nate the Great" books, which is a series of chapter books about a little boy who is a detective. Isaac has always loved anything to do with mysteries, so I think that is why they have been a great fit for him.

Graham discovered the "McDuff" books completely on his own at the library.


He likes to browse the aisles of the library and just pull out random books that look interesting to him. I am sure the library ladies love to see him coming, knowing that there will be a big pile of books that mommy has secretly filtered out of his collection that need to be reshelved. McDuff was one of the books he chose one day, and both of us instantly loved it. We returned to the library and got all of the others they had on the shelf and checked them out.

I love the simple story lines, set in the 1940's (?). The pictures are beautifully drawn.
I think Graham likes the stories because of McDuff's resemblance to this guy

And, this isn't a new discovery, but all three of us love the Knuffle Bunny books. They are so funny, and were obviously written by someone who has or had small children at one time. All three of us have a good laugh everytime we read a Knuffle Bunny book.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of our favorite children's books, but it is what has been on our shelf lately...

On Reading...

Can I have a little "rah-rah for homeschooling" moment?
As I write this, Isaac is sitting quietly, reading a book. I didn't tell him to. I didn't bribe him. I didn't say he couldn't watch TV. I didn't say he couldn't play his DS. He is just reading, completely of his own volition. And it almost makes me want to cry. And I step back, and in astonishment realize that I helped him achieve that. In my weakness and imperfection, I taught my son to read. There were days I didn't think this would ever happen. A time or two I was downright concerned, and lifted the situation in prayer. I just didn't know if there ever would come a time when he would be able to read more than a few words on a page, let alone an entire book (and enjoy it!). I am so thankful for this that words aren't suitable.
I have always loved to read. I remember evenings snuggling in bed with my mom, each of us with our own book. I want to experience that with my children. I want them to be transported to other times and worlds and let reality slip away around them.
Thank you Heavenly Father, for the gift of reading!

Washington & Lincoln

We completed our President's Day unit study last week. This was a great freebie from www.homeschoolshare.com. Here are some of the components that we completed:
Famous quotes about Lincoln and Washington, Where do we find Washington or Lincoln's face?, History of President's Day, When were Lincoln and Washington born, when did they die, Vocabulary words about President's day. And, Isaac wrote his very first essay about what he would do if he were president. It was fun to see what he would come up with without my help. He wrote the following (with several spelling errors, which I had to just let go for the sake of creative writing!) "If I were president, I would let people free and let people do anything. I would fight for our country."
We read several really great books with this unit study, which included the following: