Elayna's Explorations

Alabama Yellow Hammer

2011-02-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

This week, in our study of the United States, we talked about Alabama.

It is the 22nd state to join the union!

I love birds and so I drew a picture of the Yellow Hammer because it is Alabama's state bird.

The Art Museum

2011-01-29T16:47:00.001-05:00

*Linking up with Tonya for Field Trip Friday!

I went on a field trip to our Art Museum.

I learned that there are 5 kinds of art: architecture, portrait, landscape, still life, and sculpture.

My favorite kind of art is ALL OF IT!

These statues were made out of jelly beans and the background was little moving butterflies.

This is a map of Africa that was in the part of the museum that held art from Africa.

I am pointing to Dakar, Senegal because we have friends that live there!

When we came home, I got to paint and make my own paintings.

Here is what I call "The Blot Page"!

The Police Department

2011-01-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

Lots of Fun!

2011-01-13T19:56:00.000-05:00

It is January!

I am still taking piano. My teacher is teaching me about playing both hands at the same time and she said I'm going to be learning how to play scales!

I am still practicing my Christmas songs because I like to play them.

My science this week is about animals.

There are 5 different groups of animals: Fish, Birds, Mammals, Amphibeans, and Reptiles.

My mom had me look up two animals from each group and write down something fun about each animal.

I LOVED this!

I have also been learning about the different names of God.

Right now, we are working on John 1:29 - Jesus, Lamb of God

I am studying the United States and this week we are talking about OHIO! The 17th state to join the United States.

Tomorrow, we are going to a police station for a field trip with my homeschool group and then I have cheer practice.

Kentucky

2010-12-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

I am learning about all the states in order of how they became a state.

Today we talked about state #15 - Kentucky!

I love lots of things about Kentucky:

Churchill Downs - Louisville, KY, Kentucky Derby horse races!
Daniel Boone
Wilderness Road
the state looks like a piece of chicken
Kentucky Fried Chicken started in Kentucky
Abraham Lincoln was born there
Bluegrass music came from Kentucky
their state bird is the Cardinal
the Creation Museum is in Kentucky

I LOVE Kentucky!

The Colonies

2010-11-19T21:17:00.000-05:00

I am learning about the Colonies. As I learn about each new state, I am also learning their state things. Like their state color or their state food or their state song. Every state has a state BIRD. I LOVE birds and this has been my science for the past few weeks. I got a new book at the library about state birds. Did you know that the cardinal is the most popular bird? More states have the cardinal as their state bird than any other bird!

In one of my other state books, I learned that Ohio has everything RED for their state things: Cardinal, Tomato Juice, Lady Bug, Scarlet Carnation. Lots of RED in Ohio!

I am also getting really good at finding verses in the Bible. I love to read my Bible and I'm always showing my mom things that I find. In JBQ, I have learned all the questions about the Old Testament books and can name them in order!

What's happening lately...

2010-11-19T09:56:00.000-05:00

HI I have been reading and on the computer . I have been reading a Tinker Bell book called Beck and the bery battle.Its a good book akshuly=D On the computer I have been on PBSGO the webnots academy its realy fun. Try it go to pbskids.org and go to pbskidsgo then klick more shows then the astrownot and klick start.

My Seasons Tree

2010-10-29T20:21:00.000-04:00

I had to draw a tree with all 4 seasons on it. This is my seasons tree!

History and Helping

2010-10-19T20:16:00.000-04:00

In history, I learned about the Liberty Bell. I got to make one with a cup and tin foil!

My mom showed me the Declaration of Independance and I read parts of it. We looked at the signatures and learned that some were big like John Hancock's and some were very small.

One morning, I woke up and made these word cards for Annalise. She is learning to read. She liked my words. And, so did my mom!

JBQ and Math

2010-10-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

I am studying really hard for JBQ. I want to earn my Discoverer Seal and I am trying to quiz out in a match!

Here I am studying and teaching Annalise some questions too!

In math, I learned about weights and measures.

I love to play school with my sisters. This is the schedule poster that I made up!

I'm Getting Baptized tomorrow!

2010-10-09T11:59:00.000-04:00

I'm geting baptized on 10/10/10 if you'r ther you'l hear my explanation but hear it is now when I was 2 I'm sure you'l know the song bull frogs and butterflys well I wanted to be born agian when I was little I LOVED that song ok I loved it! now I am geting baptized to obey JESUS. P.S 10/10/10 is the prfect sunday.

Story Starters

2010-09-22T22:39:00.000-04:00

My mom found a book that is called Story Starters. The book gives me a question and I write a story about it!

I was taking a picture of my story because I thought what I wrote was very funny. My mom gave me her old phone to play with and I've been taking lots of pictures and videos!

This is my story...

Do you like it?

Yeast and Bread

2010-09-22T22:34:00.000-04:00

In my science, we have been talking about yeast.

I watched these videos on youtube about yeast and how when you add water and sugar, you get a gas called carbon dioxide.

The more sugar you have, the more gas yeast makes.

I made this drawing to show what I learned. The one on the left is just water and yeast. The one on the right is yeast, water and sugar.

In my Bible lesson, we have been learning that Jesus is the Bread of Life.

John 6:35 says, "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

Bread is made with yeast!

Some things I've been doing!

2010-09-19T18:31:00.000-04:00

Park

2010-09-12T13:52:00.000-04:00

I went to the park with my friends and we played and then we looked at the river. We watched the ducks and then talked about trees!

Multiplication

2010-08-29T19:54:00.002-04:00

I started SCHOOL!

2010-08-10T12:45:00.001-04:00

Yeah!

We started school this week and I am having so much fun!

I am in 2/3rd grade. It depends on what subject I'm doing.

I am using My Father's World books for everything but Math. Today, my mom explained multiplication to me and she found a fun website to help me learn!

I have Book Basket time every day and get to pick out books to read. My sisters were counting with marshmallows so I ate some while I read a new I Spy book!

I started science today. I read about scientists and their discoveries at this website. I am really going to like science this year!

I am studying American History and this week we are learning about the pledge of allegiance and about the US Map.

I'm so glad to be in school!

CAMPING!

2010-08-01T23:08:00.000-04:00

We got to do lots of fun stuff on our camping trip this summer!

In the nature center, they had a piece of a tree that was bigger than me! It had dates on it from American history to show me how big around the tree was during that year.

I learned about birds...

and about bees...

looked at live turtles

Found an inch worm named "Inchy"

And a caterpillar named "Fluffy"

My family went on a hike and I learned about important trees in Ohio.

I got to drive the boat

And stay in a tent with my sister. I had a great time camping!

KIDS CAMP!!

2010-07-24T13:37:00.000-04:00

I got to go to Kids Camp this summer. I went with girls in my church.

I liked EVERYTHING!

It was really awesome!!!!!!

Here I am with my friend, Kristin. She is teaching me the books of the Bible song. I was practicing my JBQ questions so that I could earn beads. I earned 6 white beads, 2 green beads and 1 yellow bead.

Then, I got to climb a rock wall! It was WAAAAAYYYYY harder than I thought it would be. I tried it the first time and had to let go. But, I got back up and did it again!

This is my new friend Cassidy. She was really nice. She had to go home the first day because she was sick but she got to come back and I was so glad!

This is our group's banner. We all signed our names on it.

We got 2nd place for room decoration and got to have Sir Snack-a-Lot come to our room during Feet of the Floor time. I picked an M&M candy bar for my snack!

Then, all the kids gave $1000 to BGMC so my dad got duck taped to a picnic table in front of all the kids. It was so funny!

This is my mom. She was the princess at camp.

These are my room mates and I at the lunch table!

I loved kids camp. I learned lots of things about God and about who He is. I learned lots and lots.

I can't wait for next year!!

A Bug Book

2010-07-16T21:33:00.002-04:00

I wrote this story the other day and illustrated it myself!

Summer!!!

2010-07-12T15:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our church picnic! This is me and my friend Drew.

and my friends Kristin and Izzy. The three of us are going to camp together next week!

I got to work at the snow cone table and I LOVED it! I also helped with face painting.

This is my end-of-the-year certificate from our Girls Ministries at church.

Then, I made some really funny art on a shoe box. I took pictures and cut out the heads and then glued the heads into different pictures!

This is my mom's head on Abby's body

and, Abby's head on my body...

and, then, this one is my favorite but my mom and dad weren't too sure about it. What do you think?

4th of July!

2010-07-05T14:57:00.001-04:00

I did a firework craft...

won prizes...

Got my hair sprayed in red, white and blue!

This is me and my friend Kristin!

I went on lots of big slides...

watched the fireworks while wearing lots of glow sticks...

and played with sparklers!

Zoo Day!

2010-06-28T18:25:00.002-04:00

Last week, while we were at my Grandma's house, my mom and my aunt Holly took me and my sisters to the ZOO!

I love the zoo and I LOVE animals!

I got to touch a bear skull

And, see the bears play...

This is my Aunt Holly. She is going to have a baby girl in November!

We had so much fun watching these chimps swing right in front of us!

My mom heard about this fun blog link up hosted by Krystyn and so I wanted to show everyone these pictures of my mom and me in the petting zoo.

That is my mom in the grey shirt. My sister, Annalise, was scared of the goats so she helped her not be scared anymore!

I think this post is supposed to have something to do with protecting ourselves from the sun. Does it count that we went to the zoo on a cloudy day and left before the afternoon sun came out? Oh, and my mom has sunglasses on... she does wear them on her eyes when it is sunny out. I promise. She even lets me wear them sometimes... see?

This goat hopped right up there by us to get a drink. My baby sister thought that was really funny.

We saw lots more animals while we were there.

Alligators

Flamingos - did you know they get their orangey, pinky color from the orangey, pinky river shrimp that they eat??

lots of birds and monkeys and frogs and fish and I even got to pet the sting rays!

So, that was our day at the zoo!

Learning about BEES!

2010-05-08T09:04:00.000-04:00

My friend, Miss Karen, has bees at her house. She is a beekeeper and she is a bee inspector for the county. She has a really cool job.

This week, she had the homeschool kids over to her house for an open hive bee demonstration.

I got to help her fill the smoker can with sticks.

This is where the bees live.

Can you see them going in at the bottom of the super?

Miss Karen is smoking the bees so she can open the top and look at the bees. The smoke makes the bees fill their tummies with honey so they are lazy and can't bend to sting!

My dad was so brave! He held the bees for the kids to look at them!

I loved my day with the bees!

My mom said it's in my blood. She told me that is because my grandpa, my great-grandpa and my great-great grandpa were all beekeepers! My great uncle is still a beekeeper and they make Haynes Honey to sell to SueBee Honey.

I love bees! Especially the drones because they don't sting.

Creation Museum

2010-04-30T08:48:00.000-04:00

I got to go to the Creation Museum for my 7th birthday with our homeschool group. I LOVED it!

We had a really fun day. I saw lots of things about how God created the earth and how he did it in just 7 days like the Bible says! I went to the petting zoo a few times during the day and had fun watching the camel and the zonkey. They have a zorse too but I couldn't see it because it fell and bonked it's head open.

It was a GREAT way to spend my birthday!

Cheer and the WORLD

2010-04-11T21:55:00.000-04:00

Here I am in my cheer outfit! I got to do a cartwheel for the performance and it was SOOO fun!

I am learning about the 7 continents and the 5 oceans of the world. I love learning about the world!

I have also been taking lots of trips to the library and reading A LOT of BIG books! I LOVE to read and can read so many books in one day.

We got to babysit a real live FROG this week! I had fun feeding it and taking care of it everyday. I checked out some books about frogs while I was at the library so that I could learn more about them.

The frog's name was Froggy. He was very cute.

Easter Egg/Bunny

2010-04-04T16:51:00.002-04:00

Season and Science

2010-04-04T16:44:00.000-04:00

I went outside and looked for signs of spring!

I found some flowers!

I also learned that water can travel UP! I watched water climb up a paper towl...

And, I watched water (colored orange so we could see it) travel up celery.

This is how the water travels up plants from the roots to the flower or fruit or leaves of the plant.

So cool!

Laura Ingalls Project

2010-03-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

Our homeschool group had a History Channel Live event on Saturday. I was Laura Ingalls and I loved learning about the true story of the Ingalls Family!

This video is the second part of my report. I started by introducing the Ingalls family and talking about our first homestead on Indian land. We had to move from that home and so we moved to Walnut Grove.

This is the group of kids waiting to give their history live reports!

Thank you to my Grandma for making my Little House on the Prairie dress!

My Treasure Book

2010-03-28T10:02:00.002-04:00

My treasure book has pages with envelopes to save things like lists of my favorite things, tickets, notes, cards, small crafts and anything else that I want to save!

A Spring Craft

2010-03-28T10:01:00.000-04:00

Junior Bible Quiz

2010-03-21T14:30:00.000-04:00

This is my JBQ team!

Being silly before the meet starts...

Me and my Dad

My grandma and grandpa came to see me quiz and my grandma brought us Little House on the Prairie outfits! She sewed them herself!

Telling Time

2010-03-21T14:28:00.000-04:00

And studying the first 3 kings of Israel - Saul, David and Solomon

Science Fair

2010-03-06T22:41:00.000-05:00

My science fair project was called "Floating Fruit".

My friend Kayla helped me with my experiment.

We tried a few different experiments but my favorite was the floating oranges.

I thought that an orange would sink with the peel and without the peel.

But, I was wrong!

The peel acts like a lifejacket on the fruit and makes the orange float. When you take off the peel, it sinks.

Here I am at the science fair.

The judges were really nice and they asked me questions about my project.

And guess what?

I got 1st Place in my age group!

I love science!

Food in Bolivia

2010-03-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

Our homeschool group was studying the country of Bolivia.

A local restaurant donated a bunch of Bolivian food for us to enjoy!

The chicken was really good.

Then, I gave my report about the food in Bolivia. I also shared some basic dinner manners observed in Bolivia.

I had fun listening to the other projects about Boliva!

Learning about water...

2010-03-06T20:45:00.002-05:00

A Poem by ME

2010-03-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

My mom wrote this on her blog a long time ago...

December 7, 2007 - Elayna wrote some Christmas poems to share with all her friends. I'm not joking - she really wrote each one of these. She said them and I wrote them down on paper. I thought I'd share them with you.

Snowflakes sparkley, they shine on the ground
with them so pretty, in the heart shaped way of the whole year
for Christmas on the day of night, soon Christmas will be here
Holy Bright stars hanging so bright
I could grow even when I'm playing, I could sing and grow
with the heart hands up in the sky, making pretty star shapes up in the sky
With Baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph,
the three wisemen and two shepherds
looking at the baby when the stars are hanging bright
then we get to sing Away in a Manger
Hands make stars like snowflakes
with the Holy Spirit I can say
in the nice rhythm I can sing
in the nice morning I can sing
in the nice night I can pray
with the letters, with the poems
I can beautiful say snowmen
Stars with children in their beds all snuggled up
when stars are hanging in the sky
when I'm sleeping
with the morning we can say
Hallelujah, we can pray
with sugar plums and gingerbread men
and toys all dance in their heads

- Elayna Makayla Goodwin, 4.5 years old

She made Christmas heart cards and wrote a portion of this on each one.

I will be keeping these little cards safe for her to read when she is older. They will be treasures to store in my heart. Merry Christmas!

---------------------------------------------

Yep! I wrote that a long time ago! Hope you enjoyed my Christmas poem!

Mixing Things

2010-03-04T10:52:00.001-05:00

My science this week was about Mixing Things with Water.

We mixed apple sauce, hot sauce, dish soap, oil, salt and coffee.

I was very excited to see what they would look like when they were mixed with water. My mom and I made some predictions about what we thought would happen.

The apple sauce made the water cloudy and the hot sauce made the water red and glumpy. The soap made bubbles!

The oil didn't mix with the water and it was fun to watch the salt dissolve into the water. I knew that the salt would dissolve so my prediction was RIGHT!

The salt mixture was my favorite one!

We also talked about how some things can be taken back out of the water and some things are irreversible.

We strained the coffee back out of the water by pouring the coffee mixture over a paper towel. The paper towel caught the coffee and the clear water ran into the sink.

We also left some salt water on a plate. The next day, the water had evaporated and the salt was left on the plate. The plate had a white spot that tasted salty!

I didn't lick the plate... I just used my finger!

Mixing things is fun!

It's MARCH!

2010-03-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

Time for the hearts to come down...

It is MARCH!

We put up March decorations...

And I made a green, paper leprechaun family all by myself.

Water's Skin

2010-03-04T10:41:00.000-05:00

I learned that water has skin. This Water Skater bug, or Pond Skater, walks on the skin of the water. His feet are attached by surface tension!

We played with water skin one day in school.

I dropped pennies down into the water and watched how they broke the skin.

Then, we slid a sewing needle into the water's skin and it floated on top of the water. If we didn't get it in just right, it would fall to the bottom of the glass.

This is a soap bubble. I learned that when you add soap to water it makes the water's skin very stretchy so it can make big bubbles!

Water Skin is cool!

Boat Float

2010-02-17T23:04:00.000-05:00

While I studied boats, I got to fill the sink with water and play with my own boat creations!

I made one out of tinfoil.

I learned that you can't put all the weight on one side of the boat or it will tip.

I had to evenly spread the dice out so that the boat floated level across the water.

The Boat Float

2010-02-10T12:18:00.000-05:00

Love Fun

2010-02-10T09:57:00.000-05:00

Other than studying my JBQ...

practicing my handwriting, coloring and learning about Moses...

I spent some time saying...

Happy Valentine's Day!

About me...

2010-02-09T21:16:00.000-05:00

When I grow up I want to be and artest.

because I'm good at it and I mean it.

My favorite

color: blue
number: 25 - I like how that number sounds.
toy: all
day: b-day
book: allistair
game: scatugoris
song: slipry fish
movie: tincker bell
cartoon character: silver mist
food: clam

Something special about me: my art and reding skills

*italics are written like she wrote them

Things that Float

2010-02-09T21:12:00.000-05:00

In science, I am starting a book about water.

Our first lesson is about things that float.

I had fun guessing which items would float and which ones would sink. I learned about weight, air and area. I learned that heavy clay can float if it is shaped correctly.

I loved watching the toothpics bob in the water when I put a little bit of clay on one end.

Next, I'll be learning about boats!

Crafts, Math and Geography

2010-01-26T16:34:00.001-05:00

My mom found this fun site that had some fun homeschool printables! It's called Making Learning Fun.

I loved this math page because I got to choose my own numbers to add!

I used my United States Map puzzle to help me fill in the first letter of each state on a blank map.

I made a heart with melted beads.

And, I've been studying my JBQ quotation questions!

I love this song!

Lentil Soup

2010-01-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

My mom made Lentil Soup. We are studying Jacob and Esau and this soup is something that they ate back in Bible times.

First, you cut up an onion and sautee it with olive oil and fresh garlic.

Next, you add 4 cups of water, 8oz lentils, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1 can of diced tomatoes (although my mom said that it would be more authentic without the tomatoes), some chopped celery and some salt and pepper. Let it all simmer for 30-40 minutes and then serve with bread.

It was really good! I like Lentil Soup!

2010-01-11T22:07:00.000-05:00

Sparrows, Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Gold Finch, House Finch, Nuthatch, Chickadee, Yellow Bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker... these are the kinds of birds that I see around my house.

Since I was a little girl, my dad has taught me about birds. He made me a book of birds to help me remember what the different kinds of birds look like. I know what a lot of birds look like and can name them if I see them outside our big picture window.

Today, in school, I asked my mom if I could go bird-watching... well, not go outside, just look out the windows!

I wasn't seeing anything, but I had fun looking at my bird book!

I called my dad at work to see if I could use his binoculars. I wanted to see if they would help me see any birds.

I waited and waited but nothing came.

I think my dad has to refill the bird feeders. That might help.

I also think I should bird watch outside in the summer.

It was fun though!

Exploration Day

2010-01-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

I was playing outside with my dad because we had a lot of snow. He was shoveling the driveway while me and my sisters played.

My mom gave me two containers to fill with snow as part of our experiment.

I have been studying snow and ice so it was fun to take a close look at real snow!

My mom had me think of some observations about the snow.

I observed that it was white, cold, crunchy, wet, sparkly, scentless, and soft.

Then, my mom and I talked about what we predicted would happen to our snow.

I predicted that the snow would melt, that it would not be as cold. I learned that if I melted it and then put it back in the freezer that it would not turn back into snow but it would become hard like ice. I also learned that if my mom boiled the snow it would turn into steam.

The snow only lasts as long as it stays at a certain temperature.

So, in the house, the snow turned to water.

After seeing how little water was left in the bowl after the snow melted, I realized that it takes a lot of water to make up snow! I thought there would be more water left in the bowl, but there wasn't.

I love snow!

to make you laugh...

2009-12-30T16:07:00.001-05:00

This winter, I made up some jokes...

Why did the snowman give up trying to fly?

because it was snow use

Why was the St. Bernard so cold?

because he was Burrrtoven!

Happy New Year!

Winter - Seasons of Change

2009-12-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

The Nest

2009-12-19T20:32:00.001-05:00

Mr. Noah and the Cubit

2009-12-18T13:58:00.000-05:00

I get my Math done first. I like learning about number lines and guessing amounts.

We studied rainbows and Noah at the same time. I loved learning about rainbows! The windows on our front door make rainbows across our playroom floor. They are so pretty!

We talked about Cubits. Noah used cubits to measure the ark.

1 Cubit = 18 inches

The next day I made a fort in the playroom to watch the big windstorm through the window so we could see the wind.

After I built my fort, I used my cubit to measure things around the house. That was a really fun Math class!

Planets and Gym

2009-12-18T13:49:00.000-05:00

I am easily distracted when I'm doing my math. I made this crayon creation on day while I was supposed to be working on my math problems. It was fun and I wanted my mom to take a picture of it.

I was studying the planets. I learned that Pluto isn't a planet anymore.

I built my own solor system on a big piece of paper. When I was done, I realized that I forgot to make the Earth!

I did a new cheerleading video that my mom got me for gym class.

And, I'm learning more homophones!

Proverbs 13:13

2009-12-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

As part of my Bible class, I am learning one verse in Proverbs every week.

This week, my verse is Proverbs 13:13

It says, "He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded."

I learned a lot from this verse.

I was doing my Math work and when my mom corrected it, I got almost all of them wrong! They were wrong because I had added them instead of subtracting them. I didn't follow instructions and I had to pay for it because I had to redo the whole page. It wasn't fun.

I learned that I need to follow instructions and not just do my own thing.

Homophones

2009-12-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

We have been learning about homophones.

Homo means same and phone means sound.

My favorite homophones are:

see and sea
meet and meat
I and eye
whether and weather
here and hear

I love that they are spelled different but they sound the same.

School with my Dad

2009-12-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

My dad is always showing me lots of cool things. He is a really smart guy.

When we were at the Christmas tree farm, my dad found milkweed. He told me that Monarch butterflies eat milkweek. There are fuzzy things inside little packages that are called pods.

Then, my dad found a birds nest inside one of the trees. It was a perfect nest.

Here is the tree that we picked out, cut down and brought home. Isn't it pretty?

Porcupines, Owls and a Wood Pecker

2009-11-24T10:35:00.000-05:00

When my dad was in Escanaba on his hunting trip, he saw lots of animals. He saw a Pileated Woodpecker and a bunch of different kinds of owls and a North American Porcupine.

He actually brought me some of the quills from the porcupine!

Here we are googling the different animals so I could see pictures of them and read about them.

My dad also saw and heard coyotes and wolves! They would get close to his tent at night. And, he wasn't even scared!

Children's Museum

2009-11-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

We went to the Children's Museum.

I got to play in a green room and be on TV.

This light table was fun to build on.

I loved playing with dominos.

This was my favorite thing at the museum.

The museum has a lot of fun mirrors to look in. This one made us look really short.

My mom took us to look at the Veteran's Memorial Park in Downtown Grand Rapids. You can read about it here.

Math, Science and Art Fun!

2009-11-17T08:47:00.000-05:00

I am very good at Math but I don't really like it. I have a hard time sitting and paying attention so my mom and I learned that I do better with my Math work if I do it before my other work. I get it done faster and it is more fun!

I have been drawing out my JBQ questions/answers so that I can remember them. I am learning some 30 point questions so these pictures are a big help!

We made clay toys! I made a snake and my sister's copied me but that is ok because we could all play with them together. Mine is the black and red snake. I made a tree, 2 baby snakes and a pond.

Here I am eating the pomagranate seeds with my dad! They were SOOO yummy!

Then, we were learning about volcanos in science. For an experiment, I filled a bowl with dirt. Then we cut a small whole in the bottom of the bowl and put a tube of toothpaste in the whole. When we squeezed the toothpaste, the dirt started to move and raise up. Slowly, the toothpaste started to pop through the dirt!

Yummy Fruit!

2009-11-04T17:50:00.000-05:00

Why did the snowman give up trying to fly?

because it's snow use!

I made that joke up all by myself... well, my dad helped a little.

Tonight for dinner, we learned how to cut up a pomegranate.

We watched this video that showed us how to do it.

It was fun to watch my dad cut it up and the fruit was very yummy!

I think the seeds taste like a mix between a grape and a star fruit.

You should try it!

Change of Seasons

2009-10-30T21:27:00.001-04:00

In my second week of school, I took pictures of things around my house so that I can watch how they change through the different seasons. You can see the first post here.

Here are the new pictures to show How Things Change.

Learning about Ballet

2009-10-30T21:20:00.000-04:00

My mom got us a movie about Ballet! We dressed up like ballerinas and had so much fun!

BUGS

2009-10-30T21:15:00.001-04:00

I found a very big bug in my yard. I got my bug cage out and my mom helped me catch it to show my dad. He looked in his bug book and we found out that it was a Wheel Bug.

I'm glad we were careful when we found him because this is what we learned...

"The wheel bug has characteristic dorsal armor, shaped like a wheel or cog. This insect is considered one of the largest true bugs in existence. It moves and flies slowly, and in flight produces a buzzing sound. It has one of the most developed mouth parts among true bugs. Its beak arises from the anterior end of its long, tubular head and unfolds forward. The bug plunges its beak into its victim, pinning its prey with its front legs. It then injects enzymes into the victim, paralyzing it and dissolving its insides, and proceeds to drain all of the victim's bodily fluids. The bite of a wheel bug is painful and may take months to heal (sometimes leaving a small scar), so caution is advised when handling them."

OUCH!

Abby found a ladybug on the swing and wanted to put it in the bug cage with my big bug.

Then, we all rode on the swing together. I love bugs!

Another week of homeschooling...

2009-10-28T21:00:00.002-04:00

I made a picture of a beach.

I had show and tell with some of my homeschooling friends. I showed my new Ariel Barbie and my ocean.

I learned about syllables and I clapped them out.

And, I made my first chapter book. This was my idea and I love writing books.

Under the Sea...

2009-10-28T10:46:00.000-04:00

We are learning about creation this week. Here are some of the pictures that I am coloring!

And, in science, I am learning about things under the sea.

I watched this video about killer whales.

I loved the ending!

Sea Shells Sitting by the Sea Shore

2009-10-21T14:12:00.000-04:00

I have been practicing my drawing with this art book.

My mom is helping me make a small book of sight words. I am trying to learn how to spell sight words.

For something fun, I had an idea to make snowflakes out of coffee filters. I was showing Annalise how to do it.

One day this week, I copied the Greek Aphabet.

When my grandma was on vacation at the beach, she collected some shells for me. She sent them to me in the mail and I am using them this week because I am learning about Oceans and Waves.

My sisters and I examined the shells from the ocean.

Then, we used sand from our sandbox, the shells, and green water to make little "oceans" inside old water bottles!

I made drawings of my shells and named them with silly names.

The next day, I read a book called What's Inside Shells. It showed me the inside of turtles, crabs, snails, scorpions and oysters.

I learned how the wind makes waves by putting water in a glass dish and then blowing on the water. I put my shells in the water just for fun.

This is my favorite thing from my grandma. It is a purple star fish. It is very tiny. I put it in my "ocean" but now it is really hard to find! I wish I hadn't put it in the bottle but it is pretty to look at when I do find it!

Animal Tales Booklet

2009-10-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

To help me with different word sounds, I made a book with funny sentences. I am learning how to illustrate my sentences with pretty pictures.

I know it looks like there are more than seven lemons, but the lion broke some of them in half.

Rivers

2009-10-21T13:50:00.000-04:00

This week I am learning about RIVERS. I colored this picture of a river.

For Exploration Day, we went to visit a park that had a river. It was very cold and rainy but we had fun!

Another week of homeschool...

2009-10-11T22:47:00.000-04:00

This week I learned about thunder and lightning. I painted a picture of a storm.

The yellow up on top is heaven.

I worked on the two different sounds that "oo" makes.

I also learned the sound for "ar" as in CAR. I got to make a car book with other "ar" words.

I learned a story to help me remember how to draw a Bible Times map.

And I used my Math-U-See blocks to help me with my subtraction worksheets.

It was a fun week! I also had cheerleading at church with my homeschool group and helped clean the gym for a service project.

Rain, Rain, Rain!

2009-10-03T17:22:00.000-04:00

I have been practicing my addition and subtraction facts with the numbers 1-10. I took my first math test and did really well!

Our science this week is about RAIN.

We did an experiment to help me understand how rain is formed in the clouds and where the water drops come from.

We put boiling water in a mason jar and then put a plate over the top of the jar. Then, we covered the plate with ice. The water evaporated up to the plate and we were able to make rain happen inside the jar. As the droplets on the plate grew bigger and got heavier, they began to fall down the sides of the jar and back into the water at the bottom.

I liked this experiment but I had a hard time being patient while we were waiting for the rain to fall.

I colored a picture of the rain cycle.

My mom video taped me while I explained the rain cycle.

I also changed the calender dates to be October.

And, we started learning about missionaries around the world. I am going to pray for these missionaries in the morning before we start school. Each week, we are going to learn something about these missionaries and where they live, what they eat and how they dress. These missionaries represent Honduras, Phillipines, Senegal, Honduras, Tonga and Laos.

Finally, today was my very first JBQ Meet! I earned 240 points!!

My Science this week...

2009-09-27T22:09:00.000-04:00

My science this week is about RAIN!

I'm going to be learning about rain and doing this activity to learn about what rain looks like on a weather map!

I am going to do this experiment to learn about how rain forms and I will post pictures to show you soon!

Trees...

2009-09-23T20:42:00.000-04:00

This morning was See You At The Pole. We learned about King Josiah and his commitment to God.

My dad did a great job telling us about Josiah and how we can obey God too.

I have been busy working on my addition (using an egg carton and cereal). I am also learning how to illustrate for a sentence in a story.

I am also learning about plants and trees. We planted a pea seed in a jar and are watching it grow.

Today, for Exploration Day, we went outside and colored the bark on trees.

I collected leaves from each tree and then learned how to use a small object to measure a big object, like our big pine tree in our front yard. It is 36 1/2 feet tall! (estimated)

I also like playing with worms with my sisters.

Exploration Day - Plants

2009-09-16T22:09:00.010-04:00

This week, we are talking about plants.

I am learning about roots, soil, stems, leaves, and flowers.

Today, we went to the park to look at some flowers.

I got to pick a bright pink one to make a colored dye.

I put the flower in a bag with water and then squished it around until the water turned pink. I also put a paper towel in the water to dye it pink.

I saw a lot of flowers.

I learned in my science book that the cells of the flowers are already made and when they fill with water and sap from the stem, they pop out of the pods.

Here are some pods.

And, here is a flower starting to pop out!

Here are some of the pretty flowers that we saw at the park.

Short Letter E and a Scroll

2009-09-14T12:20:00.001-04:00

Using a scale to practice addition

My ABC's scroll...

rolling it up...

It's done!

Learning the short letter "e" sound!

Week 2 and the Signs of Fall

2009-09-09T15:44:00.009-04:00

Our science study this week is about the different seasons and why the weather is different as the year goes by.

I learned that the equator runs from east to west and the top half of the earth is called the northern hemisphere and the bottom half is called the southern hemisphere.

I drew pictures of each of the seasons. I learned that the temperature of the season is related to the amount of rays we get from the sun at that time of the year.

I went to the library to get some books about the Earth and the seasons.

I used these blocks to learn the numbers 6-10 and learn how the numbers add up to make 10.

I read this story about the turtles. I learned about where the sea turtles go during the different seasons.

I am also learning how to spell my numbers.

Today, for Exploration Day, we went outside to find some signs of the season!

The season is FALL and so I found some signs to show me the changes that are happening.

I found my dad's tomatoes and they were ready to be harvested.

I found these leaves and they had fallen off the tree and they are starting to change colors for fall.

My mom took this picture of a fallen leaf by some drops of rain.

What is the picture of?

I am excited to start our homeschool group on Friday. I will be learning about gymnastics and cheerleading!

Library Card

2009-09-06T14:36:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, I went to the library to get my library card.

They have a special card for 1st graders!

My dad helped me look for books that had to do with what I am learning in science.

We found 4 books about things that are close to the ground.

So, I used my books during school on Friday. I read about moles and shrews.

I learned that moles can't see very well and they use their nose to get around.

Math Time

2009-09-02T22:46:00.007-04:00

I am working on my numbers 1-5. I am learning to count by 1's, 2's, 3,'s 4's and 5's. I am also learning how to spell my numbers.

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE...

My friends got to play with me while I studied my Math!

We all sat on a number...

Then, we played some games. I helped my sisters work on their colors and shapes.

And, I worked on adding numbers.

1 girl + 2 girls = 3 girls

2 girls + 3 girls = 5 girls

Math is fun!

How Things Change - 1

2009-09-02T22:40:00.005-04:00

I am going to watch 4 things around my house and write about how they change over time.

The front of my house.

The bushes on the side of my house.

My favorite tree in the backyard. (This is the tree that our swings hang from!)

And, the tall grass plant in our backyard.

I will take pictures of them again next month to see how they have changed!

Week 1

2009-09-02T22:27:00.009-04:00

On Monday I was sick with a fever of 102. I got to have school on the couch.

I was reading in my science book about "things on the ground". I also got to read about Ant Colonies.

On Tuesday, I was feeling better and sat at the table to work on reading.

I also played outside. I love my new soccer shoes!

Then, on Wednesday, we had Exploration Day. I looked for things that are close to the ground by checking under the rocks in my backyard. I also had to draw what I found.

We found lots of worms.

Some slugs, a grub, and a few other kinds of bugs.

I love to explore outside!

September About Me

2009-09-02T09:17:00.003-04:00

What is your favorite color? kind of light, dark blue

What is your favorite game? soccer when my sister's play with me

What is your favorite toy? my new rings and swings

What do you want to be when you grow up? artist or someone that makes something

What do you like to do? draw, play outside (unless it's rainy), riding my bike, playing my DS, webkinz, Junior Bible Quiz

What do you like about homeschooling? it's fun. we do cool things.

What is your favorite subject? learning science

What do you like about your sisters? I can play with them alot and I'm happy that when I play with my friends they don't argue with me

What is your favorite candy? Reeces

What is the craziest things you have ever done? rode my bike with one training wheel