Devotional: We wrote on the devotional chalkboard Bhagavad Gita 14.4 when Krishna says "It should be understood that all species of life are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father." We drew plants growing from seeds around as the border.
Science: This past week gently introduced our coming study vegetation with story books. Oh Say Can You Seed, Magic School Bus Plants Seeds, and The Lorax are their favorites so far. Govinda drew and labeled the parts of a plant for the main lesson book. We also found all of the seeds in the kitchen and put them in a glass with wet paper towels keeping them against the glass to easily watch them grow. We found mung beans, lentils, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, popcorn, wheat berries, rice, quinoa, millet, lemon seed, tangerine seed, and a cherry seed. The mung beans, mustard seeds, and wheat berries were the first to sprout. We discussed all the uses we have for plants and how important they are for life.
Language Arts: Primary Phonics is becoming more well loved every day! Govinda did pages 46-56, which focused on reviewing silent e words, 'oa', 'ai', and the long e sound spelled 'ea'. The highlight was a funny creation he calls 'pail man', a transformed picture of a pail in which Govinda adds a face to the book's drawing of a pail and draws a body, arms, and legs, sometimes upside down standing on his hands. I'm glad he's having fun writing 15+ spelling words every day to match the pictures. Primary Phonics is proving to be much more fun than spelling tests!
Math: This week Govinda finished chapter 1 on addition and took the test. He originally got 2 wrong, and when I asked him to double check, he corrected them. So, he scored a 91% or 100%, which is a good sign of success! We then started chapter 2 on subtraction and did pages 58-60. I was happy to hear him say 'subtraction is easy'! Since we worked so much on understanding the math facts as a whole and parts, he has realized that subtraction is the same as finding the missing part. This is a relief because when we were using CLE math back in fall, he hit a wall when we got to subtraction. I am seeing the benefits with the Asian method of understanding math compared to the American style of memorizing. Math Mammoth is a keeper for us!
Thanks to all of our well wishers for caring to read about our adventures in learning. Take care and God Bless!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Vegetation Book List
Antonio's rain forest by Lewington, Anna.
Banyan Drive : the stories of incredible people by Coombs, Ted.
The giving tree by Silverstein, Shel.
Grasses and grains by Greenaway, Theresa, 1947-
Grow, little one, grow! by Brigoli, Joy.
In the heart of the village : the world of the Indian Banyan tree by Bash, Barbara.
Janice VanCleave's plants : mind-boggling experiments you can turn into science fair projects. by VanCleave, Janice Pratt.
Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth.
The life cycle of a pine tree by Tagliaferro, Linda.
The Lorax by Seuss, Dr.
Plants of old Hawaii by Lucas, Lois.
Scholastic's The magic school bus plants seeds : a book about how living things grow by Relf, Patricia.
Spring is here! : a story about seeds by Holub, Joan.
The surprise garden by Hall, Zoe, 1957-
To be like the sun by Swanson, Susan Marie.
Why do leaves change color by Maestro, Betsy.
Oh say can you seed? by Worth, Bonnie.
Acorn to oak tree by Owen, Oliver S., 1920-
Coat of the earth; the story of grass by HEADY, ELEANOR B.
Fables beneath the rainbow by Hayashi, Leslie Ann.
Fables from the garden by Hayashi, Leslie Ann.
A fruit is a suitcase for seeds by Richards, Jean, 1940-
I can name 50 trees today! by Worth, Bonnie.
I'm a seed /by Marzollo, Jean.
Lily's garden of India by Smith, Jeremy, 1974-
Plant packages : a book about seeds by Blackaby, Susan.
Plants and animals of Hawai'i by Scott, Susan, 1948-
Science with plants by Unwin, Mike.
Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth.
The tiny seed by Carle, Eric.
Banyan Drive : the stories of incredible people by Coombs, Ted.
The giving tree by Silverstein, Shel.
Grasses and grains by Greenaway, Theresa, 1947-
Grow, little one, grow! by Brigoli, Joy.
In the heart of the village : the world of the Indian Banyan tree by Bash, Barbara.
Janice VanCleave's plants : mind-boggling experiments you can turn into science fair projects. by VanCleave, Janice Pratt.
Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth.
The life cycle of a pine tree by Tagliaferro, Linda.
The Lorax by Seuss, Dr.
Plants of old Hawaii by Lucas, Lois.
Scholastic's The magic school bus plants seeds : a book about how living things grow by Relf, Patricia.
Spring is here! : a story about seeds by Holub, Joan.
The surprise garden by Hall, Zoe, 1957-
To be like the sun by Swanson, Susan Marie.
Why do leaves change color by Maestro, Betsy.
Oh say can you seed? by Worth, Bonnie.
Acorn to oak tree by Owen, Oliver S., 1920-
Coat of the earth; the story of grass by HEADY, ELEANOR B.
Fables beneath the rainbow by Hayashi, Leslie Ann.
Fables from the garden by Hayashi, Leslie Ann.
A fruit is a suitcase for seeds by Richards, Jean, 1940-
I can name 50 trees today! by Worth, Bonnie.
I'm a seed /by Marzollo, Jean.
Lily's garden of India by Smith, Jeremy, 1974-
Plant packages : a book about seeds by Blackaby, Susan.
Plants and animals of Hawai'i by Scott, Susan, 1948-
Science with plants by Unwin, Mike.
Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth.
The tiny seed by Carle, Eric.
Aquatics Book Art
Here's a picture of Govinda's artwork from the Aquatics Book he made. One picture is of an ocean scene with whales and sharks and other small fish. The other picture is the Hawaii state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. He looked at a picture of one and carefully drew the design and colors.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Not Truly Fish
Devotional: We reviewed the story of Matsya and all other related verses to our study of aquatics.
Science: This past week was dedicated to starfish, jelly fish, and shellfish, which are not truly fish. They are invertebrates and do not have backbones, gills, and fins like true fish. Construction paper is always available for spontaneous arts and crafts, and Govinda made a jellyfish and octopus to add to his box of paper fish. I gotta get some pictures of these soon, they're works of art! We finished up the Aquatics main lesson book and it turned out really nice. He also drew a nice picture of these invertebrates for the main lesson book.
Language Arts: Primary Phonics pages 31-45 were completed. He really likes these books and sometimes does more than the 2 pages per day that I require. It's like a phonics and spelling workbook disguised as a fun and silly coloring book. It's all review for him, but the practice is really building his confidence. These pages were focused on silent e words and the vowel teams 'ie', 'oe', and 'oa'. We also did a few lessons from The Ordinary Parent's Guide To Teaching Reading, as we are just filling in the gaps to skip ahead to where I think his reading level is at. His reading level is way beyond his spelling level, and I'm considering reading the highest priority at his age and we'll get more serious about spelling in the years to come. Govinda is surprising me everyday by leaps and bounds by his sudden advancement in reading abilities. I'm planning on using OPGTR to eventually take him to a 4th grade level. He likes the tongue twister poems and silly stories better than controlled readers. Both the boys crack up from one poem story that says "the tank sank...yank the tank!"
Math: Math Mammoth pages 47-53. These pages were very full, but he was able to finish each one in one sitting. Each page focused on reviewing sums of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Next will be the Chapter 1 test on addition, but I'm going to give it to him as another worksheet without calling it a test, but still observing how he does completely on his own. The constant practice and review of math facts is really helping him get familiar with them. He's even doing math for fun with sidewalk chalk and it seems he is thinking mathematically on his own. He likes MM and wants to keep going with it! The next chapter is onto subtraction!
I'm preparing for our next Creation science study on Vegetation and it looks like fun! :)
Science: This past week was dedicated to starfish, jelly fish, and shellfish, which are not truly fish. They are invertebrates and do not have backbones, gills, and fins like true fish. Construction paper is always available for spontaneous arts and crafts, and Govinda made a jellyfish and octopus to add to his box of paper fish. I gotta get some pictures of these soon, they're works of art! We finished up the Aquatics main lesson book and it turned out really nice. He also drew a nice picture of these invertebrates for the main lesson book.
Language Arts: Primary Phonics pages 31-45 were completed. He really likes these books and sometimes does more than the 2 pages per day that I require. It's like a phonics and spelling workbook disguised as a fun and silly coloring book. It's all review for him, but the practice is really building his confidence. These pages were focused on silent e words and the vowel teams 'ie', 'oe', and 'oa'. We also did a few lessons from The Ordinary Parent's Guide To Teaching Reading, as we are just filling in the gaps to skip ahead to where I think his reading level is at. His reading level is way beyond his spelling level, and I'm considering reading the highest priority at his age and we'll get more serious about spelling in the years to come. Govinda is surprising me everyday by leaps and bounds by his sudden advancement in reading abilities. I'm planning on using OPGTR to eventually take him to a 4th grade level. He likes the tongue twister poems and silly stories better than controlled readers. Both the boys crack up from one poem story that says "the tank sank...yank the tank!"
Math: Math Mammoth pages 47-53. These pages were very full, but he was able to finish each one in one sitting. Each page focused on reviewing sums of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Next will be the Chapter 1 test on addition, but I'm going to give it to him as another worksheet without calling it a test, but still observing how he does completely on his own. The constant practice and review of math facts is really helping him get familiar with them. He's even doing math for fun with sidewalk chalk and it seems he is thinking mathematically on his own. He likes MM and wants to keep going with it! The next chapter is onto subtraction!
I'm preparing for our next Creation science study on Vegetation and it looks like fun! :)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Whales and Dolphins
Devotional: "Krishna is an ocean of mercy" was on the chalkboard and the boys had fun drawing more waves and fish around it. We discussed what mercy and grace are. We also talked about Bhagavad Gita 10.24 when Krishna says "of bodies of water, I am the ocean".
Science: We read a lot of books about whales and dolphins. We saw humpback whales at the beach (thanks to the Lord for that perfect field trip). We compared baleen and toothed whales as well as the different sizes of different kinds of whales. We added a ven diagram to the book comparing the similarities and difference between fish and whales. We pondered how amazing it is that the Blue Whale is the largest animal in the world and lives off of some of the smallest animals in the world. The history of whaling was sad to learn, so we are so thankful that it has stopped. We will spend one more week finishing up our Aquatics main lesson book and will next move on to vegetation, as we continue with our Creation science study.
Language Arts: Primary Phonics pages 15-30 were completed, reviewing more silent e words with long a, long i, and long o. He surprised me by reading a very advanced library book, and it seems that more decoding skills have taken a leap!
Math: Math Mammoth pages 40-47 were completed, which focused on sums of 9 and 10 and review of greater than/less than and adding on a number line. Daily practice of math facts is starting to sink in! Next week we'll be done with this chapter on addition and will take a test and then move on to subtraction!
Science: We read a lot of books about whales and dolphins. We saw humpback whales at the beach (thanks to the Lord for that perfect field trip). We compared baleen and toothed whales as well as the different sizes of different kinds of whales. We added a ven diagram to the book comparing the similarities and difference between fish and whales. We pondered how amazing it is that the Blue Whale is the largest animal in the world and lives off of some of the smallest animals in the world. The history of whaling was sad to learn, so we are so thankful that it has stopped. We will spend one more week finishing up our Aquatics main lesson book and will next move on to vegetation, as we continue with our Creation science study.
Language Arts: Primary Phonics pages 15-30 were completed, reviewing more silent e words with long a, long i, and long o. He surprised me by reading a very advanced library book, and it seems that more decoding skills have taken a leap!
Math: Math Mammoth pages 40-47 were completed, which focused on sums of 9 and 10 and review of greater than/less than and adding on a number line. Daily practice of math facts is starting to sink in! Next week we'll be done with this chapter on addition and will take a test and then move on to subtraction!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Matsya, Fish, and the Food Chain
We continued with our aquatics block with a study based on the story of Matsya from the Srimad Bhagavatam 8.24.
Devotional: 'Krishna is an ocean of mercy!' We wrote this on the devotional chalk board and drew lots of waves on the ocean of mercy.
Science: We read the story of Matsya several times, which taught the places where fish live...pots/bowls/aquariums, rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, and the ocean. Govinda drew a picture for each in the main lesson book. The Matsya story also taught about the aquatic food chain, which he drew. We discussed and drew how fish protect themselves. We read many library books about fish and how they live and drew many different kinds. The whale shark is the biggest fish and had a few special drawings in the book along with many sharks. Especially fun was the Hawaii state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a.
Language Arts: Govinda did 8 pages of Primary Phonics workbook 2 which practiced 'long i' words with silent e.
Math: He did 4 action packed Math Mammoth pages focused on sums of 8. Greater than/less than was reviewed.
Devotional: 'Krishna is an ocean of mercy!' We wrote this on the devotional chalk board and drew lots of waves on the ocean of mercy.
Science: We read the story of Matsya several times, which taught the places where fish live...pots/bowls/aquariums, rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, and the ocean. Govinda drew a picture for each in the main lesson book. The Matsya story also taught about the aquatic food chain, which he drew. We discussed and drew how fish protect themselves. We read many library books about fish and how they live and drew many different kinds. The whale shark is the biggest fish and had a few special drawings in the book along with many sharks. Especially fun was the Hawaii state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a.
Language Arts: Govinda did 8 pages of Primary Phonics workbook 2 which practiced 'long i' words with silent e.
Math: He did 4 action packed Math Mammoth pages focused on sums of 8. Greater than/less than was reviewed.
Water Cycle
We started our aquatics block with the water cycle, based on the Creation book.
Devotional: Krishna is the taste of water! We wrote this on our devotional chalkboard and the boys drew rain, rivers, and ocean, and a glass of water. This is based on the Bhagavad Gita verse 7.8, which we discussed and reviewed.
Science: Govinda drew a beautiful drawing of the water cycle for the aqautics main lesson book. We learned this song to the tune of 'She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain':
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does! Water travels in a cycle, yes it does!
It goes up as evaporation, forms clouds as condensation, and falls as precipitation!
Language Arts: We stopped ETC3 and switched to Primary Phonics, which he likes much better. They're by the same publisher, but the drawings in PP are much nicer and in the mode of goodness. Even I didn't like the drawing on the cover of ETC3 and had to cover it up (it shows a picture for mad and made). PP is what Montessori schools use. It's like a good coloring book, and he enjoys coloring the pictures and writing the matching words. We may try some of the readers that go with it. He's gone through 8 pages covering 'long a' words with silent e. It's all review, but very needed to master those silent e words.
Math: We've been working our way through Math Mammoth and has completed 12 action packed pages since I last posted about math. We're working on mastering sums of 5, 6, and 7. He's catching on quickly and can do more in one sitting now. MM is working well and Rightstart isn't realistically happening at all. The RS abacus it essential for him to do MM, and he is starting to see the abacus in his mind.
Devotional: Krishna is the taste of water! We wrote this on our devotional chalkboard and the boys drew rain, rivers, and ocean, and a glass of water. This is based on the Bhagavad Gita verse 7.8, which we discussed and reviewed.
Science: Govinda drew a beautiful drawing of the water cycle for the aqautics main lesson book. We learned this song to the tune of 'She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain':
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does! Water travels in a cycle, yes it does!
It goes up as evaporation, forms clouds as condensation, and falls as precipitation!
Language Arts: We stopped ETC3 and switched to Primary Phonics, which he likes much better. They're by the same publisher, but the drawings in PP are much nicer and in the mode of goodness. Even I didn't like the drawing on the cover of ETC3 and had to cover it up (it shows a picture for mad and made). PP is what Montessori schools use. It's like a good coloring book, and he enjoys coloring the pictures and writing the matching words. We may try some of the readers that go with it. He's gone through 8 pages covering 'long a' words with silent e. It's all review, but very needed to master those silent e words.
Math: We've been working our way through Math Mammoth and has completed 12 action packed pages since I last posted about math. We're working on mastering sums of 5, 6, and 7. He's catching on quickly and can do more in one sitting now. MM is working well and Rightstart isn't realistically happening at all. The RS abacus it essential for him to do MM, and he is starting to see the abacus in his mind.
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