Geography Bingo

We finished up our study of the Middle East. We are using Memoria Press Geography I which has three sections -- Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. There were 10 countries in the Middle East section and that did give us an overview and brief understanding of that part of the world.

We have read the page about the country and filled in the map. I would quiz specifically Bob on finding the country on the map and asking the capital but I realized there were some other facts that might have been missing. To review those facts I created Geography Bingo.

These were hand drawn with my ruler because the printer died. I do have a form in Word that I have used for other bingo games. I called it GEO-ME for Geography Middle East.

I sat down with the Geography book and wrote down statements about each country. I ended up with about 6 or more for each country but only had two or three spots on the board for each country so it ended up that we had statements about countries but couldn't put a counter down. That is fine but it does make the game go a bit longer.

I used 3x5 cards cut in half. I don't have the answers written on the cards and I will confess that I had to play with the book nearby so I could check the answers for some of the statements. I am in the process of creating a cheat sheet.

This time we used M&M's. That was one way to motivate the kids to play -- play and then eat your game pieces. (And would you believe I shared my Mint M&M's, the ones that they only sell at Christmas which I really, really love - I shared them.) We have used little marshmallows and in our things in storage we have mini erasers from Oriental Trading that we love to use for these kids of games. The mini insect are our favorite.

We took turns reading the card. I was surprised how much Mis K was able to read. These are not works that are included in the normal sight words.

It was a fun way to review. I have a few other ideas of things we can do with our cards now that we have them.

One thing I would do is create the cards as we study each question so that we really do know the answers when we finish that unit.

What fun games do you play for review?

Beth

The Week in Review - January 31,2014

It is hard to believe it is the end of January. Happy New Year. We did celebrated Chinese New Year today. We had dumplings for lunch and went to a Chinese New Year Celebration this evening with some Asians from church.

 Miss K is petting a horse as it is they year of the horse.

My husband was traveling part of the week which means that meals tend to be something quick and easy. 

I needed some creative outlet and decided to take a knitting class. We are learning to knit a scarf. I stayed up too late last night working on my knitting and ripping out what I had done. I was afraid that I would be the only student to go back to the next class with less than I had done the previous week. I keep ending up with an extra stitch. I guess it is an opportunity for me to demonstrate that I am not going to quit. 

We continued with history this week. We worked a bit on our Russia lap books. I also have some books from the library that we will read about Russia.

We finished the Middle East in Geography and played some bingo to review the countries. I am amazed at Miss K's reading. She was able to read quite a bit of the questions.

Miss K's new life skill this week -- she has learned to make coffee. Okay, it might not be necessary for her but it does make her mom happy. She has learned and also grown enough to reach the Keurig on the counter.

We are trying to add some working memory exercises. I think that is important for all kinds of learning and something that can help both kids.

Bob finished reading Rascal by Sterling North. I remember watching the movie as a kid. I was able to find it at Netflix so we will watch the moving. Now he is reading Chitty Chitty Bang Bang so I guess we will have another movie to watch.

That is about all that is happening here this week. We didn't get any snow which is fine with me. I trust that you had a great week.

Beth

Xin Nian Kuai Le

Happy New Year - Xin Nian Kuai Le - Gong Hei Fat Choi

Having lived in Chinese places for many years and ministering to Chinese this has become one of the holidays that we celebrate in our own way. Bob did ask if he would be getting a red envelope this year.

Last weekend we went to a Lunar New Year celebration at the church here. It is a great outreach to the Asians in the community.

There was a variety type show which is typical for Chinese New Year.  There were games, Pin the Tail on the Horse, craft, and Chinese food for dinner.

The big event is the ping pong tournament. It is quite intense with single elimination and games to just 11 points.

Bob won his first game and then lost the second game to someone that made it to the semifinals.

My husband made it through three rounds and then lost. He said the competition was good.

Miss K enjoyed the games. How many gummy bears can you move to the bowl with the chopsticks. I think she got four to bring home. I guess we need to work on her chopstick skills.

It was a fun evening and a great event.

Today we will enjoy some dumplings for lunch and go to a party for the international small group at church.

Do you celebrate Chinese New Year? What is your favorite Chinese food to eat?

Beth

Keeping in Touch

It is always fun to get a handwritten note or letter in the mail. You reach into the mailbox and on top of the weekly sale fliers, and a bill or two is a note card with you name written in neat script and not the typed "Occupant" or "Our neighbor". A letter to read, to put in a book and remind you of that friend. I enjoy getting those notes.

I also enjoy writing those notes and sending them to someone. I enjoy being the one who brightens someone's day as they open the mailbox.

One thing that has helped me keep in touch is a pouch. One of the fun places to go in Hong Kong was the stationary stores. There were little stationary stores at the MRT (subway) stations, they were in the back alleys and along the major roads. You were never far from a stationary store. Inside the store you could find all kinds of things -- pencils, pens, little pads of paper, plastic folders, markers, toys, stickers, and lots of other things. I could easily wander in and come out with a few fun things. Staples and Office Depot are boring compared to the stationary stores in Hong Kong. One of the things that I would sometimes buy was zippered pouches. There were so many uses for these that you might need to have two or three on hand just in case you found a use. Now I am homesick and missing Hong Kong and wanting to go shop in the stationary store.

Back to my "Keep in Touch" pouch. This particular pouch that I use has two zippered sections. The one in the front is small and works great for a pen, pad of paper which at times has a list of people I am thinking of and want to write to and stamps.

There is a main section that also has a zipper. This is large enough for post cards and note cards. I can fit about 10 or more note cards in here. That will give me lots of notes to write. One of the advantages of having them in the zippered section is they don't get all bent up. The note cards don't start out wrinkled and creased or worn around the edges.

Having everything in the zippered pouch makes it easy to take with me. I can toss it into a bag as I head out for flute lesson and while I am waiting I can write a note or two.

At times I have made note cards using my stamps and other craft paper but recently I found a pack of note cards at Goodwill. I have also gotten some nice Hallmark note cards at Big Lots for $1.00. At those prices I can't make the note cards.

I have seen blogs and pins on pinterest about fun things that people mail even without an envelope but I have not yet gotten brave enough to mail those things. At the post office last week I saw someone mailing a tire though I don't think that would be called fun.

Have you ever mailed something fun without an envelope? What tips to you have for keeping in touch?

Beth

Blogging Helps me be a Better Homeschooling Mom

Really it is true, blogging helps me be a better homeschooling mom. No, it is not a trick to keep me blogging or a way to justify my blogging though I might have to write about how to fit blogging in with all the other responsibilities of life. Seriously there are ways that blogging helps me be a better homeschooling mom.

1. My blog has given me a sense of accountability - Writing a week review or wrap-up as well as some of the link-ups has given me a bit of accountability. If I mention something we begin, then I think about how I need to report that we have finished it. One week I mentioned that we needed to start a new read aloud. I did think the next week that I need to start and let everyone reading my blog know what book we began. The weekly wrap-up posts help me be accountable.

2. Keeping the blog updated with things we do, and even some of the struggles helps me to remember and have a record. I try to keep my portfolio document updated but sometimes I forget things and so my blog helps me to remember some of the things we have done in the school year. At times I have mentioned math struggles and as I look back through I see patterns of some of our struggles. My blog helps me remember what we have done or areas we have struggled as well as ways we have improved.

3. I have been encouraged through comments of readers as they share ideas of what has helped them or their child. Those comments at times give me a community, others that understand, are doing the same thing. While I have been encouraged, I hope that you are encouraged as well reading my blog.

See there are a number of ways that blogging helps me be a better homeschooler. What ways has blogging helped you be a better homeschooler.

Beth

Word for the Year

I know. I know it is January 25 and I am just now posting my word for the year.

In case you have not heard of the word for the year, the idea is to pick a word that you want to be a goal, a guide, a reminder for the year. There are so many words that you could pick -- simplify, intentional, joyful, laugh, risk, and another 100 words in the dictionary. The word is supposed to be meaningful to you.

Last year my word was faith. I even had a bracelet made with faith stamped on the tag. I picked that word because we were stepping out in faith trusting that God would provide what we needed so that we could minister overseas.

As I thought about my word for this year, there were two words in the running. Hope was one of the words which was fitting as we are in the time of waiting and so I am putting my hope in the Lord that he will finish the work that he has begun. The other word was disciplined. I like to think that I am a disciplined person -- drink my 64 oz of water every day, exercise regularly, and do all those other things that disciplined people do but I know that I am not as disciplined as I like to think.

Which word would win and become the word of the year for 2014? Would it be hope to remind me to put my hope in the Lord or would it be disciplined to work on the life of discipline.

The word for the year is resilient. I know that word wasn't even one that was in the running. It came out of the blue. Actually it came out of the sermon at the beginning of the year -- A Simple Call to a Resilient Life.

I love dictionary definitions, maybe that goes back to growing up when my dad paid me to read the dictionary. Anyway, the dictionary defines resilient as "able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens, able to return to an original shape after being pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc."

Resilient people are committed to finishing well. Quitting is not an option and building strength is a daily pursuit. There have been times I just want to give up and quit trying to lose weight but then I remember that I don't allow my kids to quit because it is hard so I need to keep going.

Resilient people live free of the weight of the past. They practice repentance not blowing it off or denying it or even accepting it and getting used to it but repenting when necessary. They also are quick to forgive. Forgiving myself is probably one of the persons that I have to forgive the most.

Resilient people train to go the distance. This is a pursuit that will continue for a long time.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

So what does this mean to me? My desire is that when the bad things happen, when I fail to live the disciplined life I desire, when I spend the afternoon eating chocolate, I will bounce back and do what needs to be done. I will come out stronger and healthier. I will run the distance and not give up. My prayer is that in 2014 I will be resilient.

Even though it is the 25th of January writing this now is part of being resilient. The thoughts have been floating in my head but didn't happen but I am going to do it now even though January is almost over.

Do you have a word for the year?


Beth

Weekly Wrap--Up January 24, 2014

Here in the Northwest we are enjoying an unusual sight -- the sun. It was so bright I wished I had my sunglasses. I know some of my family spent time this week shoveling snow.

We are continuing along in Mystery of History Vol. 2 and enjoying it. This week we read about Vladimer I of Russia. I had seen a Russia Lapbook on Pinterest and thought that might be fun to do. We did have to spend a bit of time look through our photos from Kiev as that is the closest thing to Russia that we have here (my husband's photos are pre-digital and packed).

To add a bit to our Russian study we enjoyed pelmeni (Russian dumplings) for lunch. We bought them at the International Deli nearby.

Then we moved to another part of the world, China. We read about the Song Dynasty. We had already eaten fried rice and Chinese dumplings on Monday so we didn't repeat that though I doubt my family would have complained.

We touched on places where both of the kids were born this week.

We finished history this week reading about St. Simon and the Coptic Orthodox Church. I learned something new in this lesson.

I made a decision that I needed to pull Latin back to something that we do together. I just wasn't sure how thorough it was being done when I allowed it to be done without me around. We are adding Latin after history. Miss K does join us for this. She has Song School Latin but right now we are not using that as much.

We studied Pakistan this week in geography. We are almost done with the Middle East and then will move to northern Africa. I do have a Middle East review game planned.

Bob is continuing to work through his subjects. I am working to be on top of grading and reviewing what he is doing so it can be reworked if necessary. We finished Analytical Grammar Mechanics and so now we are focusing on writing a bit more than we have. I am using Writing Strands.

One of the frustrations with Miss K is getting her to do school. She would rather spend her day in her room dancing and telling stories. Any ideas for motivation would be welcome.

Here she is with Focus looking on. I told her to teach Focus (you can read about Focus here) how to do the math.

Miss K did learn a new skill this week.

She peeled her mandarin herself. We enjoy those and usually have a basket full to snack on. They are easy to peel and this week she worked at it and did it.

The sad news in our school this week is the death of the printer. Most people list a printer as one of those things that are essential for homeschooling. Now I am thinking twice about copying and printing as I have to run to Staples to do it.

We have a Chinese New Year celebration this weekend.

We have to return library books this weekend.

That wraps up our week here. I trust that you had a good week.


Beth