Game day; or, How I Snuck in Education Today

Yesterday morning, we hosted a little alphabet scavenger hunt for Aidyn and his neighborhood pals.

First, I wrote out one letter per index card. Next, I wrote the names of items one could find out-of-doors, like air conditioning unit, bush, cement, and so on. Things got tricky around letters I, Q, and V, but I used some of my son's outdoor toys. For Q, I found a quadrilateral block, for instance.

We then handed out the alphabet cards with just the letters. Then each child hunted for their specific letters. I was pleased to see them helping each other.

"I found one! It's a hole! Does anyone have an "H"?"

The whole hunt was a success, and the kids had a ball learning.

Later that day we tweaked the game (mostly because we couldn't think of 26 more outdoor items that would fit each letter). This time we used only the alphabet cards and challenged them to find things outside that start with A, B, C, and so on.

That's when I saw them flexing some creative muscle. For instance (totally on his own!), when we got to Q, Aidyn stormed off and said, pseudo-dramatically, "I quit!"

To which the other kids shouted, "He's quiting! Quiting starts with Q!"

I really don't think they'll ever forget that "quit" starts with a Q.

During a quiet part of the day, when Aidyn's pals went out shopping, we sat at the table and played some M&M math. I had printed out an M&M worksheet earlier that day and drew some M&Ms on the back in a one-to-one order to play around with greater than or less than signs.

Before we cracked open two fun size packets of the colorful candy, Aidyn estimated how much of each color were in the bags. We then dumped them out on the table, and, one color at a time, counted them and graphed them.

Along the way, we made observations about how much more this color had than another, which had the most, and which had the least.

After graphing them, Aidyn filled out the greater than or less than signs and made sure to give each one teeth.

Of course, after M&M math, we gobbled them up.

Continuing our learning about explorers (even pint-sized ones), we watched the sequel to An American Tail, entitled Fievel Goes West.

We talked about western exploration at the time, the pursuit for a better life, a new frontier, and the prospect of gold. We also did nothing at all but laugh at Tiger's  silly antics.

And finally, later that day, Aidyn and his friend K played with Google Earth. I heard them "go to Mars" and look for aliens before asking if I could zoom in on our neighborhood back on Earth. They played with it at street-level and explored the streets, saying "I recognize that house! There's Mama's favorite restaurant!" etc.

Overall, it was a fun, learning-filled day (and the kids never suspected!)

It's Been Ages...

...since I updated. For the past month, we have been busy planning out the kindergarten year. The days of regular posting must go to the wayside as our family busies with school, but I intend to post as often as I can about what we're up to and thoughts on homeschooling in general. Because of our new time demands, the purpose of the blog needs to change from a catch-all of activity reports to a casual musing on homeschooling.

After a couple years of curricula searching and debating over whether I need to write my own, I finally settled on a literature-rich curriculum that is flexible enough to make it our own. We have joined the Five in a Row community, and we've been collecting the books at markedly discounted rates (from free to a dollar!). The literature itself does not all need to be purchased, however, and we intend on borrowing heavily from the library. Along with the books, we have the option of adding supplemental books. For instance, when we row The Story About Ping, we can add in books on Chinese customs, clothing, the geography of China, etc. Additionally, I can whip up Chinese dishes, and we can take field trips to Chinatown or Chinese American museums. The structure, flexibility, and freedom this curriculum allows is the prefect fit for this family.

Along with FIAR, we are focusing on a year-long theme, the ocean, which we will explore in various ways all year. For example, we will:

• read books, fiction and non-fiction, about the ocean
• watch educational videos about the ocean
• learn about plant life, animal life, and human use of the oceans
• visit aquariums
• visit the ocean during different seasons, times of day, and locations
• go whale-watching
• go on boat rides

We're also supplementing FIAR with:

• math lessons (mainly using math manipulatives, toys, games, and practical application)
• the Draw Write Now series
• regular outdoor hikes
• a hobby or sport of Aidyn's choosing
• regular park days
• regular family field trips

We're excited to begin the kindergarten year and look forward to the joy that FIAR will surely bring!