Homeschool Happenings

I haven’t done a homeschool post in a while so I thought it was about time.  

We actually considered putting the kids in public school when we moved.  Especially knowing that we’d have lots of little ones soon and that would only complicate things.  They were building a brand new middle school out here at the time and we figured it would be a great time for Maddie to go back in since it would be new to everyone else too.  When we asked the kids about it, Maddie immediately said, “No."  Ryley was indifferent but Cash wanted to go because, “I want to know what a real bully is.”  Thank you children’s television programs for highlighting the bullying “epidemic”.  *eyeroll*  Cash, meet Ryley, your older brother.  He’s been bullying you since you were born.  ;)  After talking to them and much thought and prayer we decided to keep them home again this year.  I wasn’t super excited about having three kids in three different schools at three different start and release times or having three kids on buses.  Nothing good happens on the bus and in the age where every other kid has a cell phone with internet access that just means even worse things can happen on a school bus.  Plus, once we really got to thinking about what it would be like once Emily and Grace got here we thought it would just be wrong from them to get home and us immediately send the three big ones away for most of the day.  We were worried that would delay the girls’ attachment and integration into our family.  Plus we wanted the big kids to be able to get to know their little sisters too.  In the end it just didn’t feel right to send the big kids back to school.  I was really stressed while we were trying to figure everything out because I had no idea how I was going to make it all happen.  I felt so much better after we finally decided and knew I’d figure out a way to make it happen.  

One thing I was really worried about is trying to teach the older three with the younger three around.  In the past, we’d always waited until Sawyer was in bed for nap time to do our school.  That’s how we started out this year but it didn’t work at all.  The girls don’t nap for anywhere near as long as Sawyer does.  We would barely make it through one subject before someone woke up.  It was super frustrating for all of us.  It was also really hard on everyone to feel like we had to be super quiet so as not to wake the nappers.  Josh suggested that we do school in the mornings with the little ones awake.  I was skeptical and thought it would be way too chaotic but I gave it a try.  It totally worked!  It was chaotic.  It was crazy.  But it was also easier at the same time.  I seriously run around like a crazy person all morning long going from one person to the next constantly, but we get it all done before lunch and then I get nap time to do whatever I want/need so it’s totally worth it.  I got out all the preschool stuff and toys that I had packed away after Cash graduated from using them and let the little kids play with them.  I make sure that they don’t get to play with that stuff at any other time than school time and that keeps the novelty from wearing off too quickly.  The big kids also usually have a little downtime between waiting for me to help them or waiting for everyone to finish so we can do history.  That gives them time to do chores or play with the littles.  It’s been working very well, so far!

The first couple of times we did school (when we had only been home a few weeks) I used the girls’ highchairs for a lot of their playtime off and on.  They were both still getting used to have such a big area and I think that overwhelmed them a little bit, especially Emily.  Plus it helped Emily focus on playing with the toy in front of her, instead of having a toy in front of her but not really playing with it and only watching what everyone else was playing with.  

Sawyer is obviously used to roaming around by himself so he didn’t need a chair to focus him.  This worked pretty well in the beginning but as they got used to the house and the toys around they definitely wanted out of those highchairs.  I only use them now if I need some time of no littles running around.  I can stick them in there with a snack and we’re good for about 15 minutes.  

Even in the highchair there is still a lot of this with Emily.  She doesn’t really focus on what’s in front of her.  She only wants to be looking around at what everyone else is doing.  I would have to switch toys out for her every couple of minutes when she was in the highchair.  Usually trading with whatever Gracie was playing with at the time.  She’s gotten a little better though.  

I decided to not go with a boxed curriculum this year.  ‘Cause, you know, I needed one more thing to do.  ;) I decided to try Mystery of History for our History/Geography studies.  It’s been interesting.  It’s a Christian-based look at history that starts with Adam and Eve.  I’ve come to understand that “Christian-based” means I have to review everything very carefully before reading and discussing with the kids.  There are a lot of differences in what we, as LDS believe, and what other Christians believe.  Like, I totally skipped over the chapter that discussed how dinosaurs were obviously on the ark.  Um, no.  I usually have to leave out a lot of dates as well with the biblical stuff.  Or I look them up in various Church manuals.  It’s been good to research some of these things that I hadn’t really put much thought into before.  The kids and I almost always have a discussion about how the textbook says one thing but the teachings of the prophets and church leaders have taught us differently, and which one is correct.  They are probably already really tired of that lecture!  Overall, it’s been a good textbook though.  All three kids are doing history together.  They are doing two different sciences though.  I put Cash and Ryley together with science this year.  (Maddie and Ryley had been together with Cash on his own up until now.) Maddie is doing science almost entirely independently this year.  It’s a more difficult program than she’s ever had before and I think it’s stretching her a little but in a good way.  I think she’s enjoying doing it on her own and being challenged a little more.  She hasn’t had any complaints about it.  All of the kids are doing more science experiments so they think it’s awesome.  It’s harder on me and takes more planning ahead of time but I know they enjoy it so I’ve been trying really hard to get them done.  They remember the things they learn so much better when there is an experiment involved.  

One of the first ones Maddie did was an experiment with different densities.  She poured different liquids into a tall vase and then dropped in some different solid objects.  It was pretty interesting!  (Sorry for the iPhone pics.)

She added the liquids in this order:  vegetable oil, water, and maple syrup.  The maple syrup ended up on the bottom and the oil was on the top.  It took a minute for the layers to settle.  

Then she added her solids:  rock, grape, ice cube and piece of cork.  Each of the solids rested in between the liquid layers with the rock on the bottom of the vase and the cork floating on the top of the oil.  

You can’t really see the ice cube but you can see the other objects.  And the goofy girl next to it.  :)

Sasa had to be included in every experiment too, of course.  

Here’s a better view of the ice cube.  

Next up was an experiment in atomic motion.  She saw that dye was more quickly dispersed in the jar of boiling water than in the cold water jar because the atoms are moving faster in the boiling water.  The atoms do the work of mixing for you if the atoms are moving quickly.  

The cold water jar had some cool patterns though.  The hot water mixed too quickly to see anything like this. 

The boys had an experiment with plate tectonics.  We boiled some eggs and then we were able to crack the shells and move the shells around on the egg.  Then they got to try hardboiled eggs.  Ryley is a fan, Cash is not.  And my kitchen smelled like hard boiled eggs for the rest of the day - yuck.  

The boys also did a speleothem experiment.  (Remember our caverns trip?)  They made their own stalactite with epsom salts and water.  It sat on the counter for several days and never really changed much after this first formation.  The plate, however, did fill up with the crystals - almost to overflowing.  

You can see on this next picture how there is a ring of fluid/crystals around the outer edge of the plate. It was interesting to watch the dye travel down the string too.  

Maddie’s next experiment was in chemical reactions.  We boiled some purple cabbage in water and then let it cool.  We put some vinegar in the bottom of our empty bottle and then added the cooled cabbage water.  She attached a balloon filled with baking soda to the top of the bottle and we went outside.  Look how bright pink that cabbage water is!

Then she slowly emptied the balloon into the bottle.  

It immediately started fizzing. 

The balloon inflated and the water turned purple.  

Everyone thought this was the coolest experiment ever!  Pretty easy too.  

Then it was the boys’ turn for some vinegar and baking soda fun.  We were studying volcanoes so of course we had to make some lava!

Water, a little dish soap and baking soda in our bottle.  

Vinegar with food coloring added.  

Before we made the magic happen the boys filled in their worksheets with their hypotheses, etc.  

Then Ryley had the honor of adding the vinegar.  

Everyone wanted to see the flow of lava.  

And, of course, they all wanted to touch it.  

Maddie did some experiments with weight/shape and the speed at which things fall.  Our staircase was a perfect set up for this experiment.  She dropped TONS of stuff off of there!

So lots of experimenting and reading and writing and arithmetic going on around these parts.  It’s been crazy and hard but totally worth all the extra effort!