Montessori Division

A few months ago, we began learning Montessori division. Montessori division starts very simply and assures that the child understands the concept of division. We began with the division board. She chose an equation from the box and began to divide! Simple.

Kaylee working with the Montessori division board.

After some practice using the division board, we began division using the golden beads. It is used in much the same way.

Using the golden beads to understand division.

Division!

After a bit if practice, Kaylee finished a whole pile of division equations!

Kaylee loves math!

Doing a more complicated division problem. 

Then, she began dividing numbers into the thousands.

Dividing bigger numbers!

Happy Easter 2015

HAPPY EASTER!! 

Cosmic Education: Potato Clock

We have recently begun Montessori Cosmic Education portion of our curriculum. There are 5 Great Lessons: The Creation Story, The Timeline of Life, The Timeline of Humans, The History of Math, and The History of Language. The Great Lessons are developed to give the child a perspective with which to understand their place in the world.

Our first two Great Tasks were to discover the rules of the universe that all things must follow and to study that everything has a purpose and a contribution to make in the development of others. This link is a good resource for understanding Montessori Cosmic Education.

The first thing we did was create a potato clock. We bought a simple kit at our local hobby store. Kaylee and her daddy put together and studied the potato clock.

Reading the directions together and discussing how it works.

Connecting the pieces.

Putting the wires in the potato. It works!

They also used salt water to work the clock.

There are some great resources out there for The Great Lessons. This is my favorite resources HERE. More lessons coming...

World's Greatest Artists: Field Trip

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

We recently finished our Worlds Greatest Artists Unit 1. We went to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC to see some of the paintings we studied. 

Reviewing the artists in her notebook and deciding what to see first.

We wanted to see a painting from each artist we studied. On the top of Kaylee's list was the only Leonardo da Vinci on permanent display in the United States. It was our first stop.

Here it is Ginevra de'Benci by Leonardo da Vinci. The only permanent
da Vinci on display in the United States. 

The backside of Ginevera de'Benci

We found some Monet's.

Kaylee with a Van Gogh.

The Picasso exhibit.

Kaylee posing by the fountain at the entrance of the National Gallery of Art

We ate our packed lunch in the National Mall.

Kaylee with the Capital Building in the background.

Kaylee really wanted to see the Washington Monument. She has never seen it up close.

The Washington Monument!

She really wanted to touch the Washington Monument. Next time,
we will schedule a time to go into the monument.

We also saw the White House.

We had a busy day in Washington, DC. We spent a limited amount of time in the National Gallery of Art. Kaylee got tired of looking at paintings and she was excited to get to the Washington Monument. I would really like to spend some more time in the Art Gallery on our next visit. 

Gari Melchers Belmont- Art Education

Kaylee has been interested in art since she could hold a crayon. Our homeschool group offered art classes at a place we had not yet discovered, Belmont. Belmont was the home of an artist named Gari Melcher. There is more information about Belmont here. 

Over the last few months, we've attended each of their educational art classes and went on a tour. There is more information on the educational tours and art classes here.


The first field trip we took to Belmont was an art lesson about spray art....

Orange is her favorite color right now. 

My little artist.

Adding the final touches of glitter. 

Taking a tour around the front of the house. 

On a scavenger hunt with a friend.

Kaylee was very excited to be chosen to be the pretend
model for the Gari Melchers painting, "The Fencer."

On our second field trip to Belmont, we went to the class on sculptures. We watched the video about Gari Melcher, took the tour, and did the scavenger hunt, again. But, then Kaylee sat outside and made a sculpture out of clay.

Concentrating on her art.

Working hard.

All done. She made a pony.

On our last trip to Belmont, we took the last class. It was a class on watercolors. 

Kaylee tracing a colorful leaf.

Coloring the leaf with a special watercolor pencil. 

Kaylee's leaf is colored with the watercolor pencil. The next step is to "paint" the leaf
with a wet paintbrush to blend the colors. 

Kaylee was offended by the teacher during this class. The teacher thought that Kaylee had not colored in the leaf completely. So, the teacher "finished" coloring it in for her. I don't think that the teacher did it intentionally. Kaylee was polite and didn't say anything, but I could see by the expression on her face that she was upset and felt like the art work was no longer her own. I later explained to Kaylee that the teacher was trying to help. 

We enjoyed Belmont and all it has to offer. We would like to go back when there is really nice weather and follow some of the nature trails that are around the property. 

Show and Tell

Kaylee was excited to attend her first show and tell event. We were invited through one of the homeschool groups we are members of. She decided that she wanted to take one of her hermit crabs and teach the group and them.

Before the day of the show and tell, we went to the library and got a few books about hermit crabs. She made a list of the facts that she thought was the most important. She also copied a diagram from one of the books to show the parts of a hermit crab.

Kaylee presenting her hermit crab. 

Kaylee did a great job! She really likes speaking in front of people. Especially, when it's a topic she is interested in. You can watch the video of her presentation below...

Our first camping trips

This summer we decided to get a pop up camper. It gives us some freedom to travel and not worry about the expense of a hotel room. We bought a used pop up that needed some work. It ended up needing more work that we had anticipated, of course.

On our first camping trip we decided to travel a short distance. We stayed at a campground on Lake Anna. It was only a 30-40 minute drive from home. We figured that if it didn't work out then, we could just pack up and go home. There were a few issues, but we worked through them. I believe camping in a pop up is a learn as you go kind of thing.

Breakfast our first morning of camping. 

 I made the waffles at home before we left and just popped them in the toaster that morning. 

Reading the comics by the campfire. 

Kaylee really enjoyed our first trip with our pop up! 

A few weeks later, it was our 15th wedding anniversary and we wanted to take the camper to Virginia Beach. I was a bit nervous driving 2-3 hours pulling the camper on the highway and being so far from home. It ended up being a great family trip. The only challenge we had was that it was raining when we had to fold up the camper and head home. Not a big deal, but it was a muddy wet job. We had to open up the camper and air it out for days.

Kaylee helping to set up the lights under the canopy of the camper. 

Our first morning at the Virginia Beach campground.

It's been a but stressful preparing the pop up camper for camping and driving while pulling it, but it is worth it. We now have a cheaper alternative for traveling and taking family vacations. We all enjoy travelling and we can't wait until it is warm enough to go camping again.

Christmas Break 2014

We had a busy and fun Christmas time. Tomorrow, we go back to official homeschooling and regular life. The decorations have been put away. The house has been put back in order. This time of year I always feel conflicted. I am sad that the Christmas season has passed, but I'm happy to be back to the regular routine again. Here are the highlights from our Christmas.

One of the first things we did to celebrate the Christmas season was go to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. We got a great deal from Busch Gardens. We got tickets for $12 each. They were only to be used on certain dates, but we made it work. Kaylee and I actually went twice. We went once as a family and then we went with friends.

Kaylee posing in front of a Christmas tree. The weather was pleasant the day we went as a family.

We went to see the penguins.

Kaylee and Frosty.

One day during the week, we went to the mall to see Santa. Kaylee had a Christmas list to share with Santa. 

Kaylee with Santa. Her doll Kirsten that she got for Christmas last year also went to see Santa.

Our homeschool group offered discounts to Great Wolf Lodge for certain days in December. We took advantage of those and spent two nights at Great Wolf Lodge. It is a resort and indoor water park.

Kaylee at Great Wolf Lodge.

We attended the homeschool Christmas party at the bowling alley.

Kaylee loves to bowl with her friends! 

At the Christmas party, we paid extra to go to the mobile gem mining lab. 

There were also discounted tickets to the ICE! show at the Gaylord Hotel in the new National Harbor right outside of Washington DC. We really enjoyed this event. I underestimated how cold it was going to be. It was 9 degrees. They gave us parkas to wear over our regular coats. Brrr. 

I found that the best way to enjoy this show was to step outside and warm up, then go back in again. As far as I know, you can do this as many times as you would like. Those hand warmer packets helped, too. We enjoyed the Frosty the Snowman theme. Our favorite part was sliding on the ice slide. 

The ICE! show was Frosty the Snowman theme. 

Kaylee all snug in her parka in an ice tunnel.

We loved the slide made out of ice! 

A slippery and cold ice slide. 

Family photo!

We decorated gingerbread men and a gingerbread house.

Kaylee showing off one of her gingerbread men.

Of course, Kaylee helped make Christmas dinner.

Kaylee helping to make dinner rolls.

Then, it was Christmas morning. Santa was generous, as usual, to Kaylee. We had a great Christmas. 

Kaylee with her doll Kirsten and her new doll Isabelle. 

Kaylee trying out her new pogo stick. 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a blessed New Year.