Math Dots

I believe that I have about a dozen videos similar to this. I am coming close to giving up on the whole idea of video-taping our math sessions.

We will be happily playing a math game, he will daily blow my mind at the equations he solves and at the numbers he differentiates (telling the difference between 99 and 98 dots, etc.) and then as soon as I pull the video camera out, he becomes distracted, or will pick the incorrect answer, etc.

In this particular video I have resorted to bribery (via candy) and, he carefully picks the correct answer the first time but, when I ask him again he is unconcerned and gives me the wrong one. As Doman says in one of his books,

"If he begins to give incorrect answers, particularly where he has succeeded easily in the past, you should harbor a deep suspicion that he is pulling your leg."

I guess all I can say is, oh well. I probably am not going to give up on the video taping idea permanently but, I do know that the most important thing is not that I can "prove" to everyone that my son can do math - the important thing is that he understands and appreciates mathematics, and if we succeed at that, I am perfectly content.

"...I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. "

Genesis 32:12

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old  

Singing in the Car

A little glimpse into our life. To be honest driving in the car is one of our biggest "school" times. We like to listen to classical music, sing our hymns, and all other sorts of singing while en route. We occasionally do math equations, talk about politics, or whatever else floats our boat at the moment. It’s just our life of, well, conversation. “and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up…” (Deuteronomy 6)

Recently we've been singing the capitals of Europe. I made a list for myself and tried reading it to him in a fun way (like tickling in between) but he didn't seem too interested. However when I started reciting the list to the tune of a song, (and laughed at interesting ones like Bratislava and Ljubljana) he really liked it and now wants to sing it all the time.

And, yes, I probably shouldn't be driving one-handed but I was looking at the road, honest.

"Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel."

Deuteronomy 31:19

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old 

Bed Rest

So, Hunter is officially on bed rest today. He has been just slightly ill for the past few days, and keeps feeling better (so he gets up and starts playing) and then all the running around makes him feel lousy again.

So, I'm keeping him in bed so he can rest and in turn, get better. Pumping up on the vitamins and healthful foods, too, and he should be better in no time.

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

Psalm 43:5

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old

Rhyming Words Matching Game

Recently I came up with a game to play with Hunter to help him with reading. As I mentioned in another post, Hunter had been mixing up words that started with the same letter, like calling "car" "Crystal" simply because it began with his old friend "c".

One game we've been playing to help him pay more attention to all the letters of a word has been a matching game. He really likes rhyming lately so I printed out some sets of cards that all rhyme with each other. We've being doing words that end in -at and also -op.

He really likes this game. It's easy for him, but at the same time you can really see his little "wheels turning" as he carefully chooses the correct match, as he has to pay attention to detail because most words are only one letter different than each other.

I printed out lots of words that rhyme, but only did three matches at a time to keep the game short and sweet, keeping in mind the cardinal rule of teaching - always stop before your child wants to stop.

He usually wants to go through several rounds. It keeps it interesting that we switch the words each round.

These of course aren't the only reading words we're learning. We're still learning words like "substantial" and "Mississippi". But playing this game will help him learn to pay attention to all the letters in a word as well as assist him in figuring out the rules of phonics by seeing phonemes used in context. And of course, it's a greatly fun concentration game.

"What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"

Job 7:17

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old

In the Doghouse

Don't worry, she's howling being silly, not about to bite their heads off

The boys have been really into playing in Madison's kennel since we set it up in the breezeway a couple days ago. They are pretty obsessed with it and want to play in there all the time.

I was actually pretty amazed that Hunter instantly figured out not only to open and close the latch but also how to do so from the inside of the cage.

These are kind of funny pictures because not only is Hunter in his underwear, but it also looks like Madison is about to bite Anthony's head off. She was actually just barking and she wouldn't hurt a fly, but the picture's funny.

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

John 15:11

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old

Computer Drawing

Hunter made this picture on the paint program today. He was using Nana's touch-screen laptop so he was actually using a pen-type device. I was teaching him the basics of the paint program so he's getting some of his first introductions to computer science! We need to work on the computer more he really loves it.

Anyhow, it was a cute and colorful picture so I thought I'd share!

"I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires."

Isaiah 54:11

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old

Pink Eye

Hunter got his first case of conjunctivitis, or "pink eye". I thought something was wrong with his eye yesterday but wasn't sure, but it's been confirmed that it is indeed pink eye.

It's not that bad of a case and just looking at him straight-on, it's not that obvious. It's a nice little addition to this cough that we have been trying to get rid of for the past few days. Poor baby, he just really needs to get better.

Hopefully it won't get any worse, it's really the last thing he needs. I have been doing some research on it and thankfully pink eye is nothing serious. He just needs to wash his hands frequently and keep them out of his eyes as much as possible and it should go away quickly. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all which is good that he's not uncomfortable.

"I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick..."

Ezekiel 34:16

Hunter is 3 years, 7 months old

That Tree is Losing its Chlorophyll!

As we were driving down the road today Hunter was ecstatic about pointing out all the trees that he saw that were losing their chlorophyll, a phenomena that I brought up a couple days ago which he has been talking about since.

We further discussed it today, talking about how chlorophyll is a green chemical that plants make from the energy they get from the sun. "That process is called photosynthesis, can you say photosynthesis?"

"When the sun isn't out as long each day, and as earth gets farther away from the sun, the plants can't make as much chlorophyll because they don't have enough sunlight, so we start to see the pretty colors that the leaves are underneath the green chlorophyll. Look at all the colors, some trees are red, some are orange, some are yellow. God made the trees those pretty colors and now we get to see them because they are losing their chlorophyll! Look at the grass. See how the grass is starting to look a little bit brown? Grass needs sunlight too because grass is a plant, and it makes chlorophyll too which is why it is green."

"So the light from the sun is what plants use to make food. Isn't God amazing?" "What do they drink?" he asked. "Water, remember? They drink water through their roots when God sends rain, just like we talked about before. Look outside, it's overcast now, do you think God is going to send them something to drink?"

In retaliation to the overcast sky, I began singing my own version of "Mr. Golden Sun" which came out like this:

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me!
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree!

These little plants are asking you
To please come out so they can eat from you

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me!

If you know the original song (which he does) it's suppose to be these little children are asking you to please come out so we can play with you. Needless to say, he thought this version was nothing short of hilarious and kept asking me to sing it "Again! Again!"

His giggly smile was so beautiful it made me smile and laugh harder than he was. Only a few of the trees are starting to change colors right now, but pretty soon we will be seeing many more that are "losing their chlorophyll". We can both hardly wait!

"And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart... While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Genesis 8:21-22

Hunter is 3 years, 6 months old

Hunter's Preschool Pictures

Hunter got his pictures taken two weeks ago and we just got them in today. They turned out really cute and I was pleased.

I've dubbed this season, or "school year", K3. Next year would be K4, or pre-K, and then kindergarten.

I decided to keep track of grades (school years) for other people - it makes no difference for me, we are learning 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Holidays and summer are our times of the biggest learning adventures, not breaks from them. But, most people don't know anything but the standard grading system, so we give our years names, which start in the fall and graduate in May. And, summer is considered part of the next year, so, correction, they actually start in summer.

It's actually pretty nifty, to keep track of our goals according to the seasons. The first season is from June - August, the second September - November, the third December - February, and the fourth March - May. Some people call these semesters. If someone from the homeschool groups ever asks - there you have it, our family's "semesters". Not that the semesters dictate much, although it is nice to keep track of things that way when it comes to setting goals. What do I want to do in this winter semester? I find it pretty handy, and I'm sure it helps other people figure us out.

But, anyhow, here's our "Preschool Pictures" for K3. I like getting professional pictures done every year, and we traditionall do it in the fall, right as he turns the half-year mark.

He is getting so stinking big, I can hardly believe it! But the pictures are really cute, I just had to share.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"

Ecclessiaste 3:1

Hunter is 3 years, 6 months old

Math Time on Computer

This is a typical session of our math time on the computer. Right now we're still on fractions. It's not the best video, as he is really anxious for me to get to the point where he gets to pick the answer, but of course we don't usually have "perfect" sessions (he wants to take his shoes off, then his socks, then comments how his feet stink, lol). He seems to enjoy our computer sessions best, although he still likes using the regular cards sometimes, especially for the candy game.

"And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered."

Genesis 13:16

Hunter is 3 years, 6 months old

Jordan's first Maths

My nephew, Jordan, is three months old and I introduced him to the quantity cards a few days ago. To say the least, he LOVES it. He smiles and laughs and wiggles his arms and legs the whole time I'm showing him. He's gotten to the point where whenever I say, "Do you want to see your numbers?" he gets very excited and smiles.

At three-months-old he will sit through an entire set of cards one - twenty easily, usually wanting more. Of course once he gets mobile it won't be this easy to show him his cards, but right now he sure is having a great time watching them!

I took some pictures he was so happy, I just had to share.

"For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy..."

Ecclesiastes 2:26  

Look Mommy! It's a Van Gogh!

As we were heading out the door today to go out of town to visit relatives, Hunter was playing in the front yard while the van was being loaded.

All of the sudden he runs into the house and says, "Mommy! Mommy! Come quick, hurry, I want to show you something! Come see!"

I assumed he had found some interesting insect or perhaps a dead mole or some other phenomena of nature, which is very often the case.

As I walked outside looking for what it is he's so desperate to show me, he brings me over to the driveway where our bags are piled and eagerly points to one of the book bags saying, "Look! Look!"

Of course, it's not an insect or a bird or some strange toy or a dead rodent - it was a bag with a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Which, of course, is just as interesting as any of the above mentioned things. Just ask a three-year-old.

"I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works." 

Psalm 9:1

Hunter is 3 years, 6 months old

The Thinker

So today I asked Hunter, "Guess who loves you?" as I have been frequently, just as a silly little game. To which he replied,

"No Mommy, we think, not guess!"

Wondering where on earth he came up with that one!

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Jeremiah 29:11

Hunter is 3 years, 6 months old