Week One Review and Drawing

Well, I'm excited! I'm excited for a few reasons.  In two days I leave for a missions trip in Burkina Faso, Africa.  I'm excited because I get to take my oldes daughter, Claire, with me.  I'm also excited because CC starts as soon as we return.  So, as I've been readying for Africa, I've also been readying for CC.  

I thought I wouldl let you know about another thing I'm a bit excited about (excitement is relative, right?).  On our way home from our fishing trip (a gift from my dad) in Alaska my kids introduced me to Twister Hoopla.  A five in one game.  All of the variations we've tried so far have been fun.  The one we had access to belongs to my parents, so I went to Amazon and found my own.  I'm planning to use it in CC for various review games.  

For week one we'll divide into groups of two and each group will recieve a ring.  Here I show a blue ring from the game set.  There are also yellow, red, and green rings, four of each color.  On the spinner you'll notice on the outside ring there are several ways to carry the ring between the two players.  I'll spin the wheel, tell the kids how to carry their ring (between elbows, ears...), the first team to carry it successfully from start to finish line will get a chance to say the memory fact.  We'll keep score with talleys- I'll have a mom, or two, help with this.

For our Drawing lessons this firsst week, I'll start with sectioning a piece of paper in four quadrents.  In each sections we will practice one of the OILS elements.  Then I found these drawing instructions online and thought they were great ways to use our new OILS skills.

The page on the left is from Art Projects for Kids.  I had found it on pinterest and the link was no good. I ended up just searching on the site for faces and found what I was looking for.  The page on the right is from the same site.  Here are the web addresses for your search bar (I don't have time to link them)

http://artprojectsforkids.org/how-to-draw-cartoon-faces/

http://artprojectsforkids.org/portfolio/fox/

I have 6-9 year olds and thought these were well suited.  

I hope you are just as excited about the upcoming CC days.  

ARE YOU READY??? LET'S CC!!!

Cycle 3 wk 3

For history sentence this week I think I'll have Native American feathers on head bands to represent the how the colonists dressed as Mowhawks.

Then I'll have paper cups, two for each kid. One labeled British East India Company and one labeled Boston Harbor. There will be a tea bag in each of the BEIC cups that they can dump I to the Boston  cup. They can "pour" the bag back and forth as we sing.  

How cool is it that the science for this week fits to "Achey. Brakey, Heart" since we're talking about the heart muscle!

Okay and for some reason I labeled these as week two on you tube.  I don't know how to fix that, oops!  At least here they can be found as week three and if you search for "three kinds of muscle" or "past participial" on you tube they should come up. Hey, better yet just follow my blog and you tube channel and you'll be sure to get all the videos regardless of my inferior labeling. :)

Happy week three!

Cycle 3 wk 2

Well, I started this post already... And it somehow didn't save... So here goes again :(

I thought I would do some props this week for history.

Pilgrim: I'll print out a hat and put it on a craft stick photo booth style. 

England: British flag

Mayflower: a fake flower

Compact: makeup compact (though I'll explain it stands for compact as in promise)

Plymouth: 

I think I'll do flashcards again for geography (as long as they go over well wk one, which is August 26). I went ahead and made the flashcards already since they are fast. 

Montpelier: banana PEEL 

Vermont: Mountain=mont

Albany: bunny

New York: sparkle =new and the girl is being a "dork" (no, we don't advocate name calling, but you could explain that as well)

Trenton: tent 

New Jersey: sparkles =new, and it's a sports jersey

Harrisburg: meet my hairy pet monster named Harris

Pennsylvania: pencil

Don't know why this is sideways...

Dover: a dog named Dover instead of Rover

Deleware: what to wear?

Take note that you can use these with the pictures showing for a while, then cover one up, and eventually cover them both.  I wouldn't say we should use these alone, I will always use them with our cc black line map.  Having them point to the state as they say the name. Doesn't do as much good to identify a card, when for memory masters and real life they need to be able to locate the state.

Also, don't always do them in the order of the song.  After they get the order of the song well known, mix the cards up to challenge them. 

Have a happy week two!

Geography for cycle 3 week one

I like the song Classical Conversations has for memorizing the states and capitals.  I also like the fact that we are starting out just going down the east coast. But there can never be too many memory helps.  

I put together some "flashcards" with the outline of the state and two picture "helps".  One picture for the capital, one for the state.  

Here's how you can do it, too.  Real simple, real quick.

Google " Maine outline map image" and you get several to choose from.  Click on one. Click "view image".  Hold a piece of printer paper in front of the screen- presto quickest light table for tracing.  I did it this way so I could make it my own size and right on the paper where I wanted wihout messing with sizing and layout... Took a couple seconds and I didn't waste time or paper.  You could simply print.  But I'm also trying to print as little as possible, and don't we encourage our students to trace maps ;). 

Then I did print some little images for the helps underneath.  Cut them out, and tape them to a large construction paper.  I thought I would do each week in a different color paper.  In a couple weeks they can use the large flashcards for a review game/activity.  Also great for my kids to trace at home.

Here are the pencil outlines of the states, one per half sheet of paper, and the little memory help images.

Augusta- a gust of wind

Maine - horses mane ( I think that the stat of Maine looks like the profile of a horse head, mouth pointed north and the mane going down the coast.  That's how I taught my three yr old to find it on a map)

Concord- electrical cord

New Hampshire - new hamster (lol)

Boston- work boss

Massachusetts - chewing

Providence- hands praying, God's leading (this was hard)

Rhode Island - this is a road in a circle I drew waves around.  A road island.

Hartford- heart

Connecticut- scissors

I plan to show the large map provided by my director. Point to the states and say the names and capitals.  Then have them locate the area on their map.  I'll get out my large flashcards, explain the helps.  Then I'll hold up a flashcard and have the kids point to it on the map and say the name and capital.  We'll squeeze the song in, too.

We'll see how it goes week one.  My kids thought the pictures were funny and seem to have held onto their meaning.  If it works, I'll probably do it again, though some states or capitals might be harder to come up with helps.  

Two posts in one week- What!?!?

Long time, no post

Well, we have moved.  Yes it was in November, but moving takes so long.  The unpacking, settling things in their place, creating an "organized" home. We are still running around like chickens with our heads cut off... Speaking of chickens... Not only did we move to a small acreage, but we gained two cats, two ducks (a gift), and twelve hens (actually we think one may be a rooster). We raised the ducks from one week old.  The chickens we hatched. Originally there were 18, but we are just wanting hens.  We gave the roosters back to my sister-in-law's dad, he was the one who lent us the incubator and gave us the eggs. We have also been busy with a huge garden and a bunch of berry bushes. I still don't "have time" to be posting, yet... But I'm doing it anyway. Maybe out of excitement for the new Classical Conversations year starting so soon.  Yes, we have more than a month before our community will meet for week one, but I will be gone for most of August.  Because I'm not busy enough already, probably like most of you. I hope you will forgive me for my long absence thus far, and that I'll be MIA in August.

My dearest dad is taking my sister, myself, and our husbands on an Alaska fishing trip. This is wonderful for many reasons.  Time with family, fishing, first time in Alaska, and... I have gone fishing with my dad every summer that I can remember (save one).  Mostly on lakes where we used to live in Wyoming.  I didn't think I'd get a chance to go with him this year.  Instead, he's taking us to Alaska. Yipee!!  My mom will be watching my girls since she's not as big on fishing as she is grandmothering.

Then my oldest daughter, Claire, age 9 (just barely) will be going to Burkina Faso, Africa to help some missionary friends of ours.  What!?!?  I get to go to Africa! with my daughter!  On a missions trip!  A.maz.ing!!!  The Lord has been great in accomplishing this trip, but that's another post. 

Let's get week one of cycle three kicked off with some fun memory work.  

BTW- we have our first day of CC less than 48 hrs after we get home from Africa.  What!!?!  Not sure how I'll pull it off, except for planning and prayer... And probably coffee. Though I just got some homeopathic stuff that's supposed to help with jet lag.  Maybe I'll review that product since I'll definitely be putting it to the test after being in like seven time zones within three and a half weeks.

But I digress...

For English I may have heard this on c3?? I downloaded a bunch of mp3s and may have heard it when I did that.  However, I can't remember. I'll try to find out so that I can give credit if it's due to someone.  But I also want to get it up on the blog while I can. I looked on c3 and couldn't find this chant.  So apparently it may be one I made up. This is the brain of someone who's always singing and making up songs... I never know where they come from. Our home is sometimes like a musical ;). 

This is a step clap back and forth with a chant. The girls decided to do the crossed arm pose at the end.

For science memory work we added some motions and a little tune.  This is originally from the youtube channel Remole Reels.  They do a great job.  I hope she doesn't mind I just removed the intro and end.  Just to make it more concise for my class- we are always running short on time.  But this is her song. She's got lots of great videos you should check out!

Actions: blow your nose with the word tissue

Link fingers for connective 

Rub arm for epithelial

Flex for muscles

Give shaky scratching-chalkboard- type hands for nerves. As in it gets on your nerves.

Latin is a made up song. With each time you repeat, you take the song up a half step. Also, get a little faster each time as they learn the words.  Get so fast you get tongue tied and giggle.  Which means you may want to save it for last if your class is hard to reign back in.  Though you may not know your class on week one ;).

I have plans for some pictures to help remember some of the geography. But I'll hopefully post them tomorrow. I will be using the song on c3 I believe by Classical Conversations for the geography.  

 

Wk 17 Cycle 2 Videos

CC Cycle 2 wk 16

Trying to get these posts on as early as I can, seeing as how we've had several snow days and maybe you haven't.  Which means we might be behind some of you and I want these to be up for as many people to use as possible.  

This is our definition of a VERB song.  To a good ol' Nick at Night show's theme song- I dream of genie.  Now you can dream of verbs (sorry, kinda cheesy).

In line with Mickey... Here is Newton's First Law song.

Have fun!!

CC Cycle 2 Wk 15

So, Sorry.  I have had this post ready for two weeks.  Thought I posted it... saw today I just made it a draft >(  hope some of you can still use it.

I found a great song on You tube by Angie Sparks called Kinetic and Potential Energy. I wish we could use it all in our CC time because it describes the types of energy so well and gives great examples.  However, since tutors are not supposed to teach during memory work, I can't use it :( I will use it at home, for sure.  I suggest others show their students, too.  For our very limited time during New Grammer at CC we need to stick to drilling just the memory work.  So, here is my shortened version

Hope you find these helpful.  We sure had fun with them :)

Cycle 2 Wk 14

The countries of Baltic Europe sang to "It's raining, It's pouring" melody.

English Grammar for cycle 2 wk 14 the definition of an adverb.  We sing it to the melody of "The Ants Go Marching In".

Science Cycle 2 wk 14, the difference between an acid and base sung to "Itsy Bitsy Spider".

As usual, I chose my little short cut to link you from pinterest to this post.

CC cycle 2 wk 13

Northern European Countries

I like how this gives the title of what we're learning "Northern European Countries"

Then it repeats the countries twice

and the little pneumonic device at the end "NO FINish DINner SWEetie" 

The pneumonic device was something another tutor had mentioned, smartie.

I may not give you such detailed plans as I did for the first twelve weeks, but we'll at least try to post the songs we make up for material that doesn't have them already :)

Thanks for being patient as we were getting settled and getting through the holidays.

Hope they went well for you, too!

More memory work songs for cycle 2 wk 3

Somehow we came up with two great (at least we thought so) songs for cycle 2 wk 3 memory work.

When I looked at a way to memorize the Western European Countries I was trying to think of a western song that everyone would be familiar with.  It happens that "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" worked perfectly!!! 

Before we filmed the song, we had been singing it with a country twang.  It was fun to sing that way.  The kids will like it, too.  The "little dance" was country hoe-down arms.  

I have tried about 8 times and for some reason I can't put my video in this post.  So, here's the link to the Western European Countries song

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nMFM4BiOPpA&feature=c4-feed-u

For the pronoun order my daughter started singing it to "Kookaburro Song" and it fit so well.  Thank you Lord!  He made it easy on us today. Here is that link:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zWZLoLyhRUY&feature=c4-feed-u

A little tip:

I write the song title very small next to my memory work on my white board.  That way should I forget in the middle of CC class, I can find the song without wasting much time.

You can see here I have written "Row" next to my skip counting 5's numbers.  

Hope these are helpful in your CC home/class.

Oh, I guess it did add the Western European Contries, but that was after sitting and loading forever.  

   Again I'm adding screen shots of the Pronoun Order song and Western European songs so I have something to pin on pinterest.  Below are not links, the links are above in the paragraphs.

I don't know why I can't pin these when the are the actual linked youtube videos, but this is how we'll handle it for now.

Back to normal?

Well, we have our home on the market, finally.  In the midst of all that chaos we had to take a trip to Key West (poor us, right) for a business meeting.  Sorry, I didn't get to post much in all that business.  I hope it will be a bit more consistent until we get to move (soon??? please, Lord).

preparing for week 3

We came up with this little chant for science.

Hope you can use it.

In my plans for wk 3 post I wrote how I would divide the class into 3 groups, give one some fruits/veggies from our play food, one holding forks/spoons, the last holding toy bugs/mushrooms.  In the video I have my girls attempting to hold up each as we say it, and you can tell it's too hard to switch that quickly.  They sure thought it was gross to learn about decomposers :) but I told them the world would be a stinky place without them.

once again, I couldn't pin my video for some reason, so I had to screen shot and add this in.  don't play the bottom picture, play the top smaller one.

CC Cycle 2 Week 1 Walk Through

So, I enjoy being prepared, not just planning, but practicing.  So, yes, I go through the weeks grammar with my kids the week before (sorry, just being honest). My purpose is to work out the bugs.  We don't totally drill and have it perfect.  We do run through what I'm going to run through with my class at CC.  If I start having trouble with my children "teaching" during class my first action will be a verbal "knock it off" kind of correction.  If they continue I won't be able to continue running through the new grammar ahead of time with them.  No body likes the no-it-all kids who take over class.  We love kids to be involved when they need to sing/speak up/ answer and the like.  However, I'm going to try not to let my girls step out of line.  Last year they were so shy I had to almost bribe them to answer any questions :).  However, it's always different when you have your mom for a teacher, in this case tutor.

Wow! that was a long intro.  

All that was to say this:

We introduced science and math grammar today for week one. This is my original thought for science to have them draw a little snippet of what each biome might look like.

It worked well, they enjoyed completing the drawings.  However, I like doing memory work to songs.  So, I looked for songs on CC, and just a general google search.  I did find a couple on CC.  They are fine songs and I applaud the work that went into the songs.  However, I like to stick to melodies we already know, so we aren't learning grammar and melody.  We found that it fits well to the melody of Joy to the World.  Here goes:

CC Pronoun Song Weeks 4-8

So a couple weeks ago I told ya'll (I lived in Virginia for 5 yrs, picked up a bit of southern :) that I had a Chicken Dance Pronoun Song.  The first time I found the song was at Practicum this summer, in the hotel with two of my girls sleeping in the bed next to me.  I was planning our sample week to share with the other Foundations Tutors.  I found the great song somewhere online.  WHERE?  I can't find it. Someone commented on the post a couple weeks ago that they had looked and couldn't find it.  Could I find the link?  Nope.  I searched for an hour and a half.  I know I didn't look that long the first time.  So, I'm wondering if it got taken down.  Could just be lost in cyber space.  Or hiding from me.

So, I told this reader I'd do the song in a video and post it.  Why did I say that?  A moment of crazy weakness? Yes.  No.  I can do the song.  I had to get my mom back on her way to Wyoming and get our school year started.  I am ready now, well, as ready as I'll be.  My kids think it's great to post videos on youtube or facebook.  They say "we're famous".  Well, I'm not looking to be famous, and it's a good thing... any fame I was on the way to, I'm taking a couple steps back here.  If it can help my fellow tutors and CC moms, I'll do what is needed.

So weeks 4-9 in chicken dance style...

Well, my first video.  Maybe shouldn't have done it right after I woke from a much needed nap.  I hope you can use this in your class.  You could add actions more than just the clapping, but this was enough of a stretch for me just doing the video. :)

For some reason I couldn't pin the picture of the video, so I had to take a screen shot, add it to the post, then pin the pic of the video.  So, below is not the video, but the pic. confusing, but wanted to get it on pinterest for those of you who follow me that way :)

Fine Arts plans

Okay, I had started this another way, but it sounded negative... Here goes again.

I am still muddling through "tutorship".  I am still becoming aware of how it all works.   So, I read through the Foundations guide to get an idea for fine arts plans.  Then I moved onto CC connected.  This is the part I thought was a little negative, sorry.  I have a hard time with the CC connected site.  Not sure if it's because I'm on an ipad, but I think I found it this way on my windows laptop, also.  When I fill in a field and then go to the next field... it has to reload the page.  EVERY TIME.  I kinda get frustrated.  So, to eliminate some frustration you might incur, I'll pass on what I've found.  There are some wonderful resources on CC Connected, so here are some that I will use in presenting the OiLS drawing skills.

Uploader- Mom2five has great lesson plans for all six weeks.  They are charted in three columns, warm up, lesson and project.  She has typed instructions as well as drawn examples for each instruction. If you search Mom2five it actually comes up as the second file, but here's the file name 

Weeks1-6 Lesson Plans Drawing.pdf

Another great  OiLS for week 1 is one that combines with the science for the week with deciduous forests. 

Uploaded by:  loriberlie  

The file:  C2 Fine Arts W1- Trees.pdf.  

It has a wide variety of trees that can all be drawn with OiLS.  Younger students could draw one or two of the trees, while olders could perhaps duplicate them all.

For week 3 we are to draw upside down images, to help them learn not to draw the image as a whole, but as each individual OiLS part.  I found this resource that is something the kids will really enjoy.  You draw it with the "top" up, it looks like a frog.  When you are done you turn it upside down and it's actually a prince.  You can tell the kids "don't guess what we're drawing, because you are going to be wrong".  They'll have so much fun saying "oh, I know what it is".  Then when it's all done you can tell them to turn it the other direction and see the prince.  

Uploaded by: roynjillnkids

File: cc fine arts upside down instructions.pdf 

  

Week 4 is abstract art.  This file looks like much fun.  

File: Abstract art using name.pdf

Uploaded by: photomommy

It's kinda funny to find this one.  It's listed under  "cycle 4" and "week ALL".  I think they meant it the other way around.  

I thought I would do my name to show how neat it can be.

I chose mostly cool tones (that's just me).  I thought my name was sort of odd with this exercise.  I have mainly angles in my name ARIANNA.  Three A's and two N's.  kinda the same.  So as I wrote them I rotated my paper so they wouldn't just be stacked one on the other.

You could also play a drawing game using dice.  You have each type of "line", (OiLS) assigned to a number on the dice.  Whatever you roll they draw and see what type of picture turns up.  If they roll a 5 or 6  it could be a choice shape/line.  Of course, these types of abstracts look great when colored.

Here is the file for the drawing game:

OiLS review activities updated.pdf  

uploaded by: loriberlie

These were not the only files on CC Connected for OiLS.  These just happened to strike a chord with my personality and the age of my class.  Art is easily adapted for different ages, so I hope you can still find them useful.  

Happy Drawing Weeks!

Plans for CC Cycle 2 Week 10

Timeline: Old faithful. This section of the timeline goes by rather quickly.  I would work on making sure they are getting the words.  It's easy to mush them together.

Science: This fits to B-I-N-G-O

There was a farmer had a dog

What are the phases of the moon?

and Bingo was his name-o

New, Crescent,     Quart-er

B I N G-     O

Gibbous,   Full

B I N G -      O

Gibbous,     Full

B          I                  N G - O

New,      Crescent,    Quart-er  (they squeeze in, trust me)

and Bingo was his name - o

Gibbous,                           Full

A visual would be great.  These are really unknown words to most and a visual would make sense of these words.

 

I will have the kids draw five circles and color one in fully for new, all but a banana-ish portion for crescent, half for quarter (which will probably confuse the kids:),  a fat banana-ish portion for gibbous, and nothing for full. I will make mine in advance to be the example.  This pic I posted also talks about waxing and waning, but I'm working with 1st and 2nd graders and that's just too much info, and it's not required.  SIMPLE, Ari, keep it simple.

History: I thought this would be one we could act out.  After singing it a couple times and showing the visual from CC. I'll tape a paper V onto person's shirt with masking tape to be Vladimir.  He will carry a Cross (or simpler still, a Bible) to the map of Russia.  Another student will have a taped on I for Ivan and they'll use blocks or a hammer to show they are building the Kremlin. A student with a taped on C for Catherine will have a paper with the word "Russia" on the middle third.  C will open up the other two sides of the paper to represent expansion.  

Geography: Get your geography folders out kiddos.  Let's trace the outlines and write the first letter of each country. If we have time we'll erase and do it again. Or I'll bring tracing paper so we can get a second round in.  On the tracing paper we can color in the countries

Math: Squares. I plan to bring worksheets with 15 square shapes printed on them.  The kids can write in the numbers and we'll sing several times.

English: I tried looking for a song or rap, since that last one was so much fun. No luck.  I think we'll just chant and use some actions.  Point to the space in front of them for "this".  Point to something across the room for "that".  Act like you are carrying a bundle for "these".  Sweep your hand in front of you for "those" as if pointing to multiple items.

Latin: we'll do the puzzle thing again.  I think someone should comment to me on if you do some creative and fun things with latin.  My brain seems to be stuck.

Review Game: Guess what time it is!! Battleship time.  Or this time I could do it Jeopardy style.  Instead of avoiding the hidden x's, we'll try to get the extra points.

Plans for CC Cycle 2 Week 9

Timeline: Good ol' CC song and hand motions.  I tried to come up with something fun, but I remember how hard it was to just get through all 7 cards, so I do try to keep it simple - plus I want to spend a bit of extra time on Science today.

Science: I am not a great lover of science, I don't hate it, but I was always more of a fine arts person.  HOWEVER, I do love planets.  I think they are just so incredible and show the handiwork of our Heavenly Father.  (Okay get on with it Ari) I have great visuals for this.  I was shopping in Minneapolis at a Toys R' Us much bigger than the two in my area.  They had a huge science section that happened to be 30% off.  Here's what I snatched

Our solar system in a bucket!  Glow in the dark and all.  Let me get it out for you to see (only $12ish)

(the barbie in the background is not included:)

I think I might string these by their hangers and hook them to the ceiling tiles the morning we do this (if we have time).  Wouldn't that just be fun!!! If not I'll put it together in a sensory bin (things I'm doing for my preschooler) and let the kids view it that way.Like this I found on Pinterest

from here: http://youcanteachyourtoddler.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-planets-sensory-bin.html

I have a big thing of purple star glitter/confetti that I'll throw in as well.  And no, there won't really be time

 to play with it during CC, but maybe at lunch.  Fun to picture it in "space" though.

There are a bunch of incredible planet ideas on pinterest.  Check out my board- Arianna Kuriscak, then

 get on my cc cycle 2 board.  

History: I believe I shall print out pictures of each of these monarchs and on the back write their country.  

I will pass out the posters, and as we sing the kids will show their monarch, and when we say the country, 

they can flip it to the country.  

Geography: ooh, the Caribbean!  I'm tempted to go pirate-y on this, but... I better just go island-y.  

Still simple, though.  I'lm thinking flower shaped sticky notes (I know I've seen these, but I better start looking now,

 because it's always when I need something that I have a hard time finding them).  I'll pass out 5 notes to each 

student (which means I need 40) then have them write C for Cuba, J for Jamaica... Then we'll place them in 

our Geography notebook.  I looked at the maps and I think I'll have to find a larger one.  These locations are so 

small in our CC guide.  But if I print it out I'll just stick it in the extra page protectors of their geography folders. You

could do pineapple stickers, or coconuts, sea shells, and have them just put the stickers directly onto the map.

Math: 15's We'll do the lego thing again.  You can write on legos or mega blocks with chalk markers all the 

numbers in this skip counting pattern.  Then the kids will each get almost 2, one person will have one (that'll 

probably be one of my own girls so I can tell them ahead of time), as we sing we'll stack the right numbers.

English:  Just found this super cute rap on Youtube.  Like she says she's a little out of her box, I know it will 

stretch me.  The kids will love it though and more than likely never forget it.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iCNQKMzwz-A&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiCNQKMzwz-A

Latin: 

Basics: using the song and visual to drill the endings.  

Review Game: Big Dice