First Field Trip for the MeYeR Man Crew

Hurray for the first field trip of the school year! Double hurray for it being to the pumpkin patch that we love so much! At the end of September, we took our first trip. Even better, the local homeschoolers group that we enjoy each week decided to go the same day. Even BETTER, Jodi and her boys were able to join us at the last minute and Oh my WORD, did we have fun! Despite rain and chilly winds, much disorganization (do we do anything any other way?) and lots and lots of racing about, we had a wonderful time and even have the pictures to prove it.

We arrived bright and early and the boys headed for the first activity. The gerbil wheels are always a big hit. Back and forth, back and forth they went. Jodi and I even had a go on them. LOL!

Next up was finding our picnic tables, a race to the top of the pumpkin colored tire pyramid and then on to the tricycles. The BIGS even love this even though it's geared for the younger set. By now the winds were picking up and poor Jodi was freezing.

We played at the ducky races for quite some time before moving on to the giant slides. We frolicked and played the day away, stopping only for lunch and a quick classroom chat about nuts local to our area, peanuts, pinons, pistachios, and of course, pecans.

The BIGS enjoyed the corn maze while the littles and I went back to the slides. We all gathered back up for a trip to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins.

Woohoo! Once that was done, Jodi needed to scamper off to work, and I took ALL the boys home since we were all drenched and covered in mud. Just the way boys should be, right? All in all, we had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed our first field trip of the year. *sigh* Good stuff!

Turtle Lapbook Project

I bought a cute little lapbook for DT the other day from www.currclick.com  Cute little one about turtles. Cost 50 cents I think. We put it together in about 2 hours over the course of 2 days. Fun stuff! Anywho, let's dig right in, shall we?

Front Cover is simply a picture you cut out, write your name on, and glue down. This is a great starter labook project because it's only one folder. None of that fancy, schmancy 3 folder to fold, cut, glue, staple, etc.

Derek worked hard on this and enjoyed it. I read to him from the little turtle info packet while he diligently colored, cut out and glued it all together. I even learned a few things!

Here it is with all the cut outs glued in and wide open. Some of the words I wrote the answer in for him and had him copy it. Others, he just drew a picture.

 The finished product. Oh my, did we make a paper scrap mess on the table. But we won't talk about that. Shhh! LOL, all you need is some scissors, a file folder, a glue stick and some crayons. Things everyone has laying around the house.

Here's a close up of the info that's inside. I printed one out for myself to make a 'teacher copy' and quite frankly, I enjoyed it myself!
So there ya go, a little turtle tutorial : ) Enjoy!
Here's the direct link if you are interested. http://www.currclick.com/product/71531/Turtles---Speedy-Lapbook Ta Da!

Homeschooling Play Day at the Park

 A fun day at the park. As one of those fun homeschooling perks, we can just cancel school and head to the park when the mood strikes. Swinging, swordplay and Sonic. Life is good! The boys had a ball!

Hmmm, some of those aren't as good as I had hoped! Well, it serves them right for not cooperating. I'm posting them anyway. Ha ha ha!

Is it Just Me?

I don't know why, but April always seems to run me over. And over. And over. I think it's just that it's the culmination of lots of things at our house. Holidays, birthdays, moving (we always seem to be moving in the spring recently, ugh) travelling with the gymnastics team, etc. Anywho, now that all those things have passed, I quit almost all of my jobs and only work 5 hours a week at the gym...and now Dan is unemployed and underfoot. (inset hysterical, maniacal laughter here) *sigh* Isn't that always the way? Suffice to say that we got one whole day of school accomplished last week, and this week isn't looking too good either. I think I'm going to wrangle Dan into giving car maintenance lessons. Change a tire, check the oil, change oil, etc. That way, 2 birds with one stone, right? ; ) At any rate, I think I've decided that instead of trying to CRAM the rest of the school year into the next few months, a feat that would include lots of crying, hysteria and gnashing of teeth, and the kids would be upset too. So I'm going to stretch the current curricula, thus saving money on next year's curriculum, and some sanity, which I can use all I can get. SO, what I'm wondering is, Is it just ME that is struggling with "I don't want to/can't manage to get school done" blues, or it is everyone?
Next week will be better. It will, right? Right. God always provides a way to make it work. <3
   

Have I Ever Mentioned That I LOVE Homeschooling?

Hey everyone! Just passing through on the run (as usual) and wanted to just say that I LOVE HOMESCHOOLING! We are in Co Springs for the weekend awaiting the gymnastics regionals for David. The glorious part? Homeschool can come along since we've been slacking a bit between the move and all the travelling for gym. David's math CD-Rom came along as well as some library books, puzzle books, and brain games. And, of course, one can always draw a picture and write/narrate a story about our adventures here. *sigh of contentment* Homeschooling rocks. That is all.
Blessings,
Kristy and the Man Crew

Back to School, Back to Posting, Back to Something....or at least I Hope!

Hi everyone. It's been a long break, a long winter, and a long travelling season for gymnastics. Add in a last minute move (so that my parents can live with us) and it's no wonder I've lost my mind, my computer's flash drive, and my lesson planner. HA! At any rate, all is not lost. David (the gymnast has been kicking some heiny at the competitions) Patrick is finding his groove again after the move (this normally takes MUCH longer then 2 weeks) and I think I found my lesson planner today. I do, however, make no promises about ever finding my sanity again ; )
As for school, we managed to get several weeks worth of school done between the middle of January and mid-March. Then we did 2 weeks of inde schooling while I packed like crazy and then got a week of almost spring break the week of the move while David's best friend spent the week with us while he was on spring break. In case you are wondering, inde school is what I call all lessons/activities that do not need adult help. So, things like CD Rom math lessons with the lectures pre-recorded, online videos about the Constitution, quiet reading time each day, educational videos, lots of games and lots of outdoor play. Also things like "how many boxes fit in the truck?" - "Where did Mama put her purse?" - "If I fill this box to the top, can I still pick it up?" These all count as life skills, quite useful in the 'real' world after school. ; )
We are now back to school, David is REALLY loving his math studies this year and is doing quite well in his pre-algebra class and has even already asked if he finishes it early, would I order him another. Why YES, yes I will! Patrick still struggles with 'wanting' to do school, but is putting forth a good effort most days. I do still need to find his math disc, and then get back to curriculum studies. We've been doing some random worksheets I've found in the move, so all is not lost : ) Derek is getting back to his studies as well, although he's got Grma snowed into believing that if he says he doesn't want to do school, he doesn't have to do anything. Oops. I haven't brought his curriculum back out yet either, just so he and Patrick can stay together in their lessons, but I have enough K-1st grade workbooks, manipulatives, games and such to fill at least one whole 5 shelf bookshelf, so he is moving right along. I'm almost worried that he will be ahead once we get back to actual My Father's World studies. But a nice little repeat never hurt anyone anyway, right?
Over all, all is well again in the MeYeR Man Crew Homeschool. I love, love, love homeschooling, even on the tough days. And hopefully, those are over for this year. Travelling is nearly over for the year, the move is over, and we are settled. Life is good.

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas: Grandma's Trunk Alphabet Game Review & Sweepstakes

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas: Grandma's Trunk Alphabet Game Review & Sweepstakes