Lullabies...for Grown-Ups?

When our young grandchildren stay all night with their papaw and I, we will usually play lullaby music all night long. We access an 8 hour loop of lullabies from the internet (youtube, I think it is).  The kids seem to sleep better while the music (instrumentals only - no vocals)  plays softly in the background. 

My husband works nights, and so he must sleep during the day when the grandkids are at our house.  To drown out the kids' noises,while he is falling asleep, my husband will often play Andy Griffith videos in his room, or listen to Bible tapes.  Recently he began listening to gospel music on his laptop computer.

A few days ago, my 5 year old grandson entered his Papaw's room while he was sleeping.  My grandson soon came back out and came up to me, grinning for all he was worth.  "Papaw's listening to lullabies!" he said. He laughed, and then added, "Lullabies for grown-ups!" 

Pp is for "Pig" craft project...

Paint a "Piggy Bank".  I purchased this piggy bank from Walmart, unfinished.  It was solid white.  My 5 year old grandson and I painted it to match our classroom.  I think it turned out pretty well, considering the unskilled labor that went into it.  lol!

"Jj" is for Jellyfish (craft project)...

Items needed:  paper plate, wiggle eyes, paper streamers, card stock paper, glue, marker.  Simple!

2013 Christmas Star Ornament Craft / Snowman Gift Box Decoration....

Star shapes cut from craft foam.  Glue a smaller star shape onto the larger star shape.  Glue on a plastic craft button, let dry overnight, punch a hole through one of the tips, and then hang with string or an ornament hanger.  So simple and easy!

 

I took this pic when the glue was still wet.

 

 

Snowman decoration / tag made from card stock.  The faces are drawn with marker.  The snowman on the top right is a pic cut from a Christmas card.  The scarf part of the snowman head was folded up and taped onto the package so that it is standing upright.

"Chocolate is..."

My five year old grandson said to me recently:

"Chocolate is my favorite color!"

Mmmm...mine, too!

Skeleton Foam Puzzles...

These puzzles were purchased from a "dollar" store.  Very inexpensive.  There is a front side and a back side.  Cool!

Homeschooling With Confidence: Listen to Grandmothers: Their advice comes from many years of hands-on experience!

Homeschooling With Confidence: Listen to Grandmothers: Their advice comes from many years of hands-on experience!

Butterfly Craft Teaches / Reinforces Letter, Colors, and Shapes Recognition...

"P p" is for...

Paula & Peter Parrot

(idea taken from "Christian Crafts from Paper Plates")

My grandchildren, ages 3 &5.

 

Pandas made from colored paper.

(idea taken from "Zoobooks / Pandas")

 

 

 

 

 

A great thing about homeschooling is that children who are fairly close in age may do basically the same lessons with slight variations according to ability.  

Wooly Worm - A Closer Look...

 

I just love it when a little critter wanders onto my front porch.  Little do they know that they will probably become our next "study" for science class!

 

 

In the last 2 years we have been able to have a close-up view of a katydid, a praying mantis, a bumble bee (at least I think it was a bumble bee), and this wooly worm. 

 



After 18 months of Common Core, public school teacher calls it quits...

http://atthechalkface.com/2013/11/02/to-my-students-i-love-you--and-believe-in-you/

"R r" is for Rabbit (mask craft project)...

My granddaughter, age 3, modeling her rabbit mask. 

The mask is made from card stock paper.

Someone's World...

 

 

While playing in their yard one day recently, my grandchildren noticed a gap in the bushes along the fence line separating their property from the neighbor's.  My grandson went close to the fence and peered over the bushes. 

 

"I see someone's world, Mommy," said my grandson, "and it ain't mine!" 

 



A blog post worth reading to the end...

http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/10/23/we-are-going-to-home-school-our-kids-but-thats-only-because-we-hate-education/

"Days of Creation" poster...

My Grandchildren - ages (soon-to-be) 5 and 3

images obtained from Shining Star Publications

 

Better Than Paper Dolls...

My grandchildren love these magnetic wooden dolls from Melissa & Doug.  Each set comes with several changes of clothes, several pairs of shoes, and a stand.  Other types of magnetic dolls are also available from Melissa & Doug. 

 

 

Should Public School Be An Option for Christians?

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v8/n4/is-public-school-option?utm_source=aigsocial09302013pu

"M m" is for "Mittens"...

 

 

We have been learning the letter "M m".  "M m" is for "Mittens".  Today we learned the poem / story about the "Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens" (literature / reading).  My two young students and I made a large poster depicting these kittens wearing their mittens (art).  The kittens represented each of them, as well as their baby brother.  This poster makes a great visual aid for learning the story, learning rhyming words, recognizing the letter "M m" and the sound it makes (phonics), learning the opposite words "lost" and "found", learning colors (brown, black, tan, etc.),  and learning to recognize the numbers 1-2-3 (math). I suppose the story of the three little kittens could also be counted as a social studies lesson as it shows how irresponsible behavior will result in a negative consequence. 

 

"M m" is also for "Mammal".  We discussed the characteristics of mammals (science).  They are warm-blooded, have hair / fur, give birth to live young, and they produce milk to feed their babies.

Our poster is almost as large as the children's school table, which will comfortably seat 4 small students.

Water Vapor...Where does it go?

Recently, during our science lesson about the 3 states of water (liquid, solid, gas), I boiled a little water in a pot on the stove to demonstrate how high heat can cause water to evaporate into the air in the form of steam, which becomes the water vapor/gas  in the air.  My 4 year old grandson asked me where the water vapor goes. (He had been watching the steam rise up, then disappear from sight.) To keep my explanation simple for my grandchildren to understand, I told him, and his 3 year old sister, that the water vapor goes into the sky and makes a cloud.  I then told my grandchildren to go look out the window to see the clouds. 

Excitedly, they ran to the screened door window and looked up to the sky.  My grandson exclaimed, "Mammaw...I can see the cloud we cooked!"