Easy to use art program!

 Hello everyone!  Just thought I'd give a little review of our art program we love.  It's Home Art Studio.  The boys watch their teacher, Ms. Volin, do the whole lesson.  She has a very sweet way with the kids and the boys really enjoy watching her.  Many times she takes them on 'trips' to art museums or different fun things. They love getting right to work! 

This year we're doing the 1st grade for Rex (and Tot always joins in) and 4th grade for Captain.  The first project for 1st grade was a roller coaster! 

 This project was very cute.  I teach K-2 Art for about 20 kids at our co-op and we did this Friday.  I loved seeing the names they all chose for their roller coasters :)


Here is Captain working on his first project of the year...a color wheel. I forgot to get more pictures of him at work :(

The second 1st grade project was weaving.  I thought I'd have to help Tot, but he figured it out no problem :) I was actually a two part project.  The first week they painted their paper and let it dry, then did the weaving part second.  We have a 4 day school week so on our 'day off' (which should be called 'catch up day') we do our art.

 We even laminated these since they turned out so cute! 

Have a great week!

First lapbooks of the year!

 I love lapbooks!  We always have one in progress which I keep in a folder.  The boys usually do one mini-book of it each day.  They LOVE their lapbooks they've made over the years.  They so enjoy pulling them out and showing each other or the grandparents :)

Tot chose a train lapbook (no surprise there! -- note: someone was using purple marker that morning!).  I get most of my lapbooks off of www.homeschoolshare.com .  They have SO many free ones.  I love the ones that go with books.  Currently, Tot is working on an apple one.  They list all of the books they use which I was able to put on hold at the library.  Rex is working on a hot air balloon one --  also found all the books at the library :)

 Captain is doing Erica's Classical Literature Units. I have both volumes.  He finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which of course he loved!

This was his ''original candy design" with recipe below :)

The best part was making no bakes all by himself!

Right now the two older boys are working on Egypt lapbooks to go along with our RC History Ancient Times study.  Hopefully I'll post those when they're done!

Have a great week!

Tot's Preschool - F week

I thought I'd share our 'F' week from a few weeks ago.  Here's his area all set up. I'm using Carisa's Raising Rock Stars Preschool like I did with Rex as my base and adding lots of extras! Many of my printables come from Confessions of a Homeschooler and some I just google the letter. For our saints for the week I use the book An Alphabet of Catholic Saints and Catholic Icings ABC saints (not pictured).

 I like to have the day's activities all set out on the top shelf the night before (doesn't always happen!). Then he can choose which he'd like to do.  He doesn't always do each one - no problem, I just put it away in the letter folder for the next kid! 

 This is his letter box.  I'm hoping to accumulate more over time.  In it is our Letter Construction, my DIY Montessori sandpaper letters, DIY Montessori alphabet bags, and more.  You'll see some in action below...

Here he is doing his ABC Find It for F.  Some weeks he chooses to do this, some weeks he doesn't...

Our bible verse for the week..

I love these pattern letters.

Playdoh letters from his Animal ABC from last year. I really liked that for Tot school last year (I'd use it at about 2 years old).

 Building the letter F with his Letter Construction kit.

 Using my DIY Montessori sandpaper letters.  Have to say that I was so proud of those....my first homemade Montessori item!  Here he is tracing it in salt and saying the sound.

...and practicing sight words...

Geoboarding the letter F

I LOVE this Montessori moveable alphabet.Tot is doing so well with it.  He just started reading about a month ago.  I just put together some of the pink series and started it with him last week.  It's the first level of Montessori language series.  He's doing great with it....more to come on that.  Here he is just spelling some F words.

Pattern building...

 cut out puzzles...

 Reading our AlphaTales books.  He found a flute in his F bag and was playing it!

 Catholic ABC coloring book...

 This is my other favorite DIY Montessori item I made.  They are the alphabet bags which contain objects beginning with the sound.  Most of the items in each bag come from items around the house.  I bought a bunch of TOOBS and printed out some pictures for the harder to find letters.  Sometimes I mix up a few bags and he has to categorize them under the right letter....he's a little past that now, so he just pulls them out for fun now!

Our sight word dice....to roll and say.

  Tot holding up his verse he cut apart and taped.

 I love these simple tack punching letters.  Great fine motor skills builder, but he doesn't always want to do them.

 ...finishing the pattern...

 Our "F" is for Fatima craft...the spinning sun!

 He loves doing Home Art Studio 1st grade art with his brother.  He does very well at it too.  I was surprised how quickly he got this weaving! I didn't have to explain it at all to him.  They watch the teacher do the lesson and then get to work!

 Beautiful weaving...I laminated it because I loved it so much!

Wow!  That was a lot...sorry for all the pics.  That may be the only full letter I blog of his all year so thought I'd put them all on if anyone wanted to glean some preschool ideas!  I will put his reading series on once I get more pics in!

Thought I'd end with a cute baby picture :)  Have a great week!