S is for……

We have had so much fun with the letter S this week! I have to admit I was a bit “sluggish” this week planning a lesson plan centered around the letter S, but we sure had some fun!!!

We started off by adding the S onto our alphabet tree!

My youngest practiced writing the letter S! You can find excellent worksheets at

1. www.enchantedlearning.com

2. www.dltk-kids.com

3. Costco

Both boys loved the worksheets that I found at

www.enchantedlearning.com. We do plan on making a lapbook soon with all our activites that we did for flowers and plants!

  My youngest loved playing his flower-pot game found at www.lapbooklessons.com

Math and fun mixed into one!!! A huge hit with my oldest!!! Again see the websites recommended above!!

S is for SUNFLOWER!

After the lesson indoors….we headed outdoors to plant some “sunflowers.” We learned the parts of a plant, how plants grow and what is needed in order to plant flowers!

Here are some links of teaching children about parts of a plant and the lapbooks that can be used to enhance the learning. I will have to post our plant lapbook once we are done!!!

lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/​flowersandplants.html

http://lapbooklessons.ning.com/group/littlelaplinks/forum/topic/show?id=1999465%3ATopic%3A15453

S is for SERVING!

My youngest was serving his brother lunch on the deck!! Just so sweet!!

S is for Sorting!!

Yes, we do have fun at our home!!! Why not sort with Jelly beans!!! At least the kids have no clue we are actually doing math!!!

     

S is for Skateboard!! There were a parade of garage sales that we hit this week and this is what the boys found!!! They have had so much fun trying out their skateboards. We hope to make it to the skateboard park soon!!

S is for Soccer!!!

Both boys are in soccer and we had pictures done this week!!! Perfect timing for the letter S!!

S is for SUSHI!!! Of course this was the best way to finish off our week!! I think the boys would like to repeat the letter S just for SUSHI!!!

Worklist….AKA….Chore Chart

My husband and I have been trying several “chore charts.” We finally found one that seems to be working and is quite a hit with the boys! The ideas are taken from my favourite homeschool blogger Erica at: www.confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com. 

Each one of our boys have one of these. Each night when they are in bed I change out the chores for the following day. It is a little like Christmas when they wake up. They like to see what they have to do that day. (I sure hope this excitement lasts a while!!)

See this link for downloadable chore cards!! http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2011/01/chore-chart-cards.html.

One pocket is discipline cards. We find that for our oldest, this is quite an effective way of discipline. In our family first time obedience is quite important. Should our children disobey we decide if we take a ticket away, give them time out, or depending on the severity, give them a discipline card.

The ticket system is a very  motivating system!! It is very similar to the real world working environment. You work hard and get rewarded. You will notice that the kids have 20 tickets that they can possibly earn for their homework. Yes it is true that they only have 10 workboxes to complete each day. My husband and I decided that we didn’t want our children growing up learning that they only get rewarded for doing their work, homework, whatever it may be and gettingn it done perfectly. We wanted them to know that getting 100% is NOT  the goal. So, for each homework box they complete they can earn 2 tickets. One ticket is finishing the homework, however the other ticket is for their focus, their attention, their work ethic and attitude. If all that is in check, they get a ticket. Now our children are learning that the process is also important!! I remember so many times that I would come home from school crying because I did not get an “a” or 100%. My dad would always say to me “Did you try your hardest.” I would respond with “yes.” He would continue to say, “then you should be extrmely proud of yourself.” That has stuck with me for years and I want my childrne to know that it is the process that matters and to be proud of a job well done, especially if you put your all into it!!

Here is just a quick list of what the kids can exchange their tickets for. This is quite the motivator!! In fact as I write this post, my oldest just asked me if he could do extra work just so he could get a couple more tickets in order to play video games!!!

Just remember!!!! Once you find something that works….stick with it!! Good luck!!!

     

E is for Egg (Egg Salad Sandwhiches!)

We had a picnic today and decided to make egg salad sandwiches! Here is how we make ours!

What you need:

4 eggs

4 celery stalks

1/2 red pepper

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 cup mayo

6 slices of bread 

1. Take out 4-6 eggs (depending on how many people are eating).

2. Add cold water to a pot. Once it starts to boil turn on the timer for 7 minutes. Once the time is up, remove from heat and add cold water the the pot until the hot water is replaced with the cold water. Let eggs sit for 5 minutes and then peel and cut up into small pieces.

3. While the eggs are boiling cut up  red peppers and puree.

4. Mix eggs, chopped green onions, chopped celery and red pepper puree together in a bowl.

5. Add 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika.

6. Take 6 slices of bread.

7. Add Mayo to the bread and a bit to the egg mixture. (For a healthier version add plain yogurt.)

8. Apply spread to bread and enjoy!!

              Once the food was ready, the boys and I headed outside to enjoy the beautiful day. Picnics are always full of fun!

Here the boys are looking for animals that begin with the letter “E”. Eagle, earthworm, elk….. My youngest say a bird and told me it was an Eagle!

E is for eating of course!!

My oldest gave me a beautiful flower and told me it started with E. I asked him what he meant and he told me that I would be “smiling from ear to ear.” E is for ear!

  

E is for the day we had…excellent!