First Year Homeschool Memories: Snow in Texas

One of the things I loved about homeschooling was the rare fleeting moments we would get when everyone else was in school.   Like enjoying a brief Texas snow flurry.

Snow is rare in Texas, so even the smallest dusting is a treat.   That morning we headed out as soon as the snowflakes began to fall.   There was a little koi pond at a gardening store at the end of our block...and we walked out to it.  My son wanted to know if fishes get cold.  I'm sure they do...they were all huddled up on the bottom in one corner of the pond...and didn't come up to the top to greet us like they usually do.

My other two were in school when the snow hit.  After we finished our walk out in the white stuff, I hemmed and hawed about whether to go get them out of school.  I finally looked at the weather and it said it would get warmer later so I got my youngest re-bundled and got in the car.

It was still snowing when we left, but half way to their school it started to rain. Alas, no point in them missing a day to play in slush, so we turned around.

My older two later told me they did get a few minutes out in the snow.  At the intermediate school the whole school got to go outside for 10 minutes (not much, but at least it was something).  The elementary school stayed inside for recess (Ptttth!  Come on!  Let them play in it!  But, maybe it was turning to rain by then.).  However,  during library time the kids were taking pictures through the window, and the librarian had pity on them and let them go outside for a few minutes to take pictures of the snow with their ipads.   Yeah for librarians!   But honestly, with how infrequently we got snow back in Texas, I'm surprised the teachers didn't jump on the change to let the kids experience it.    I was sorry my older kids didn't get to do more than that.   But it made me so thankful that at least my youngest home for it. 


Shared on Throwback Thursday

Octopus

My son's Lego octopus - isn't he cute?

Field Trip: La Jolla Tide Pools, San Diego

My son is fascinated by sea life.   Right now he says he wants to be a Marine Biologist.  (Of course, earlier this year he wanted to be a chef, so we'll see if this one sticks.)  But regardless, living so close to the ocean there's plenty of opportunities to feed his interest.

We recently took a trip to the La Jolla tidepools, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.

 

 

The day was a little clowdy, but he didn't mind.   The spot was nice...plenty of deep tidepools, but also adjacent to some sandy beach areas that were better for swimming (no nearby bathrooms though).  

He brought his goggles and snorkel...a replaced birthday gift (the original one got lost on his FIRST trip to the beach with it.   Snorkels and waves do not mix!   But it was perfect for tidepool exploring).  

Before and after the trip we read the passages about tidepools in One Small Square:  Seashore by Donald Silver.   The "One Small Square books are some of my favorite for learning about different habitats.   They include activities, but we didn't do any this time because we were meeting with some other homeschoolers and I wanted my son to be free to play and explore without direction.   But the book built up ideas for the trip and gave us some great ways to talk about it and learn from what he'd seen.


(DISCLOSURE:  Above are affiliate links through which I can earn commission.)

If you're in the San Diego area and want to visit this particular spot on the beach, it's at 321 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA.

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Shared on Love to Learn Link-up, Homeschool Review Crew, and Camera Critters 

Snails

Our snail habitat (and temporary pets for a couple days, before we let them loose)...

It was really simple...some dirt and replanted weeds in the bottom of a tupperware bin.   Some water in a soda cap so the snails had something to drink, and holes in the lid.

No big lesson plan, no videos on the life cycle of snails, just an afternoon of appreciating the little things...that are really quite marvelous.

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(If you would like to make a lesson out of this, though,
I suggest reading this great post at "The Barefoot Mom").

See more cool animal pics on
 Camera Critters

Also shared on
Love to Learn Link-up
Throwback Thursday

Child's Discovery

Fruit like molecules
Clustered together
Science in a bowl 

A little poem I made (not a haiku...just a poem) after my son told me he thought the fruit in the bowls looked like "cells."     

Linking up today on...

Friday Funnies, Flops and Fails

Homeschool Review Link-Up

 

Friday Funnies, Flops and Fails: Word Play

One of these things is not like the others,

one of these things just isn't the same...

So, when we practice spelling words we take turns...I do a word, then he does a word, then I do a word, etc.   It started a while back when one day he asked if he could quiz me on some of the spelling words, too.  I like it because it gives him some extra practice reading these words, and reading is not his favorite subject, so getting him to read is always a plus.

So, the first word on line three was mine...and it was NOT Barack Obama.   Can you guess what it was?  

...broke.   

It was broke.

Hey, I spell it like I hear it!   And I clearly heard "Bar - ock."  (Obama was added for emphasis).   My kid thought this was hilarious.  It became the running joke for the next few days every time that spelling word came up.

But what's especially cool about this, is that being silly took the sting out of the  mistake (and my kiddo is usually pretty sensitive to mistakes).   It gave me a chance to talk about his pronunciation of "br" without him feeling bad about himself.   That mistake was actually the highlight of our homeschool day.  

Taking part in...
Friday Funnies, Flops and Fails
(cause homeschooling isn't perfect, and we need to see that too)

Plus...
Homeschool Highlights
Littles Learning Link Up


 

Randomness

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My husband, was trying to teach them shading...he did the death star in the right.   My youngest copied it, but then half way through finished it as a bearded guy in stead of the death star, and my oldest added the mustache.

Shared on Friday Funnies, Flops and Fails

A Kiddo Directed School Day

As I've mentioned before, much of our learning takes place in "play school,"  which is pretty much like regular school, only when I explain things I'm holding a dinosaur or shark or whoever my son chooses to "be the teacher" for the day.  My son moves around  a number of smaller toy students, and we both speak in silly voices (which usually get lost half way through the lesson).  But it's real lessons and real learning.

The other day, after literally years of letting me teach all the lesson in play school, my son asked if he could be the teacher again.  I had a full day planned, so initially my heart sunk...but then I decided to embrace it (at least a little bit).  I asked if I could teach some of the lessons, and asked what he wanted to teach.  "Math and spelling" he said. 

And I'm so glad he did this.  He was doing just as much review teaching ME (or, um...the students) as we would have done if I was teaching.  And as I had the "students" ask him questions it caused him to think about things in different ways.   It was really a great way to do math narration without having to MAKE him explain things, which he usually resists.   It also gave me a good idea of what concepts he was really strong on and which he was still struggling with.

Just another reminder of why I love the flexibility of homeschool.




 

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Shared on Littles Learning Link Up

Pink Monacle Bats!

At co-op we were writing silly newspaper headlines.   I love what my kiddo came up with!