LaPaz Home Learning

I’ve been pretty slack about giving updates of the kid’s projects lately so I thought I’d post a few pictures of their latest work.

Superboy has been making steady progress on his latest project from Backyard Ballistics. I have to admit I had no idea the projects would be so large. This one is taking up most of the yard:

It looks like it is just about complete. He just needs to finish up reading the last chapter of his “Space Flight Handbook” and he will be off on yet another field trip!

Meanwhile JBug has her hands full with her Snap Circuits set:

That expansion set she got for Christmas sure enabled her to do some more complex projects. I wonder if this has anything to do with the sharp spike in our power bill?

Try as I can, I can’t seem to get Squirt interested in academics. He pretty much just sits around and builds with his blocks all day:

But he’s still young. I’m sure he has talents we just have not discovered yet.

Speaking of young, little Jack Jack is keeping as busy as ever. His latest favorite thing is playing in the sand box.

I just knew that little dollar store bucket and shovel would come in handy. Keeps him entertained for hours!

Well, that’s about it for now. I hope you enjoyed the update on our little homeschool. Here’s hoping your days are just as productive!

Myers-Briggs Personality Types (Free Test)

INFPs are introspective, private, creative and highly idealistic individuals that have a constant desire to be on a meaningful path. They are driven by their values and seek peace. Empathetic and compassionate, they want to help others and humanity as a whole. INFPs are imaginitive, artistic and often have a talent for language and writing. They can also be described as easygoing, selfless, guarded, adaptable, patient and loyal.

ht: my fellow dreamer, Michelle

I mentioned in my post on our new schedule that we are doing poetry. I thought I’d share the super-easy resource we are using.

30 Days of Poetry

Who would have thought it could be so easy? Just pull up the site and do the next assignment. Superboy and I are doing them together and getting a kick out of the different poems we come up with.

Here is Superboy’s Synonym poem (Assignment 2)

Zombie

reanimated corpse, undead

Just make sure you shoot the head

Not exactly what I had envisioned when I thought of us doing poetry together, but hey, it rhymes, right? Could he perhaps have been inspired by his latest read?

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

I feel safer already knowing at least one of is prepared.

 Just trying to keep things interesting around here.

There must be a million ways to make learning to spell fun. Instead of writing out words or using the moveable alphabet, why not change it up and try making words using…

• wikki sticks
• beans glued on cardstock
• toothpicks
• glue and glitter
• salt dough
• play dough
• finger paint
• glass jewels
• sea shells
• chenille stems
• dry erase markers
• magna doodle
• refrigerator magnets
• legos
• k-nex
• sticks and acorns
• yarn
• do-a-dots
• water on a hot sidewalk
• water on a chalk board
• soap on a window

Or your child could

• sew them
• paint them
• punch them
• stamp them

Or how about in a tray of…

• rice
• flour
• cornstarch
• cornmeal
• sand
• cornstarch and water
• lentils
• chocolate pudding
• birdseed
• shaving cream
• hair gel

Any more ideas? Lay ‘em on me!

Today was day one of our art unit. Hooray! Superboy and I decided we would do all of the art lessons together, to make it more fun. For drawing, we are using the book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” and the accompanying “Workbook” (see sidebar for link). The first lesson was to get a baseline of our current drawing ability with a pre-instruction self portrait. Basically, look in a mirror and draw what you see. This is to enable us to track our progress as time goes by. So, here we are in all our self-drawn glory:

Superboy has some issues with things being a bit crooked, but there are spots (especially around the mouth), that are strikingly realistic looking. I could actually see him improve as he drew this picture. I’ve apparently got one eye bigger than the other. Mine actually makes me look younger in this photo because all of the crows feet and laugh lines I drew in don’t show up as well in the photo. I promise you, they are there (both in art and in life!LOL!) And I really need a haircut.

It will be interesting to see how our artistic abilities grow through the next nine weeks!

Thanks to Dawn for supplying a link to this little tidbit…
Tomorrow is National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day. Now wouldn’t that make an awesome writing prompt? I think we might just have to try that one! I love it when I don’t have to think for myself!LOL!

She also posted this fun quiz…

You Are Easter

You are an optimistic, hopeful, and genuinely sweet person.Sensitive and affectionate, you are easily touched.You love nature, animals, and anything cute or cuddly.For you, every day is a new chance – no matter what happened yesterday.What makes you celebrate: Almost anything. You love most holidays and celebrations.At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The peacemaker. You can prevent any squabbles that might break out. On a holiday, you’re the one most likely to: Remember to include everyone

What Holiday Are You?

hat tip: Dawn (who truly personifies Thanksgiving)

Anyone who knows me at all knows just exactly how I feel about that piece of…legislation.

So in complete contempt for the advice of education “experts” and with utter disregard for all-important test scores, I offer you Superboy’s last quarter schedule:

morning:

• math
• art appreciation
• art lesson
• botany

afternoon:

• writing
• poetry
• independent reading
• independent art

And here is our scientifically developed assessment tool:

LaPaz home learning: taking being “left behind” to a new level.

to do a Narnia quiz on Easter Sunday.

Which Chronicles of Narnia character are you most like? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Lucy Pevensie Lucy Pevensie 90% Aslan 70% Peter Pevensie 70% Mr. Beaver 60% Mrs. Beaver 57% Susan Pevensie 50% Edmund Pevensie 33% Oreius 33% Mr. Tumnus 23% Ginarrbrik 23% The White Witch 0%

I have to say I’m very pleased with my results.

hat tip:Gina at Casa Mom

He is not here; he has risen!

A happy and blessed Easter to you all!

We are home again! Exhausted from our travels, but filled with great memories!

Here are a few:

Our drive down to the Denali National Park area. The park itself is mostly closed this time of year, but we drove in a little bit and poked around, enjoying the pristine snow, making plans to come back later in the year when we are up here for good.

And speaking of snow…

Superboy’s tendency to take flying leaps into deep snowbanks hit an all-time high around Denali State park, where the snow was deep enough to catch some serious air and still land gently!

Caribou crossing just outside Cantwell. Don’t worry, the truck stopped and all caribou made it safely across. (Yes, that dull streak is a crack in our windshield. It seems to be the fashion among Alaskan windshields and we didn’t want ours to feel left out.)

The annual Chatanika Days outhouse races at Chatanika Lodge, Steese highway.

And daily spontaneous snowball fights (this one was in Talkeetna).

And after all that, it seems so surreal to come home to freshly greening grass, trees putting out tiny leaves, and daffodils in full bloom! Oh, well. It is good to be home and I am determined to get the most out of our last months here in this very different, but also quite beautiful area of the country before we head out of here and go off to Alaska for good.

Happy Easter everyone!