FAIR ~ Madeline ~ Dinosaurs & A+ Interactive MATH Freebie and HUGE 1 Day Sale

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This week we will begin using FIAR (Five in a Row) Volume 1, and for our first book we will be  "rowing" Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. FIAR was created by homeschooling teacher, Jane Claire Lambert, who has more than 17 years experience. For five days you read the same book while learning about social studies, language arts, art, math, science and history. While you are learning about history, social studies, etc., the lessons are still short enough, but still meaningfully, that you are able to still complete your other curriculum for the day. There is a suggested lesson plan schedule in the back to follow;

Monday - FIAR Social Studies
Tuesday - FIAR Language Arts
Wednesday - FIAR Art
Thursday - FIAR Math
Friday - FIAR Science

but of course it is just a suggestion. Since this week is a short week for us with Monday being Labor Day, we will do Science and Math on Friday as well as a Madeline lapbook from Homeschool Share. For some added fun, check out the Madeline Inspired Activity Trays from Life's Treasured Moments.

     

Did you know that most libraries offer homeschool parents an educator library card? Either take the letter you receive from your superintendent, or print your own Homeschool ID. Our library allows educators to check out books for 2 months vs the regular 3 or 4 weeks. At the main branch of our library, they also have themed boxes that have been put together with various books, DVD's, puppets and more that educators are able to check out. A library is often an educators best friend and has many hidden treasures. Get to know the librarians and youth service coordinators. Let them know you homeschool and don't be afraid to ask what the offer for educators.

We are continuing our dinosaur unit this week. We will be reading The Magic Tree House - Dinosaurs Before Dark (2 chapters each day). The Magic Tree House website is a great addition to the books as well as the Fact Trackers. Once you've completed the book be sure to check out the Passport to answer questions and earn passport stamps.

   

Other things we have planned this week for our dino unit are:

Pockets of Times 

Edible Dino Art

Dino Dig - Excavating for fossils

Magic Tree House Lesson Plans

Cut out the cards with simple addition and subtraction math facts and match them to the answer cards. Use the star cards to match with the number cards to help youngest students learn numbers 1 - 10

Laminating the cards will prolong their life-span.

Download your Free Labor Day themed math fact cards here

Our Flash Sale celebrating Labor Day begins at midnight tonight 

Monday Sept 2 - and will run through midnight Sept 3 

1 Day Only!!! 

  

Best Deal of the Year - save 50% off regular price = $62.50 

for 1 year Online Interactive Math Curriculum 

Get an additional 20% off by using 

coupon code below:

Enter SOHO20 at check out & an additional 20% will be taken off your 50% off order

Get an entire year of A+ Interactive Math Online - for only $50!!!!

Welcome Back to School!

This post may contain affiliate links.You can read more about affiliate links under my disclosure policy tab, or by clicking here.


I know, I know, I know! We've been AWOL for awhile. SORRY! We've had a lot going on. For the last year and a half we have been working on buying a new house and it seems like all of a sudden it went into high gear. We closed on Aug. 2nd and ended up running into problems with the contractors, movers and the guy we hired to install our heat and air unit. It was a big stressful mess that I am so glad is behind us now so we can focus on getting back to school.

We've officially completed our first week Back to School. We started the week out by taking some pictures of the girls on Monday. At one point I thought I wouldn't be able to get Yang back inside because she was so intrigued by the leaves falling from the trees out back, but once I told her that we would FINALLY be doing our dino unit study she ran right in!

I picked up these herbivorous and carnivorous (not pictured) dinosaur posters at Dollar Tree last school year, along with the dinosaur hats and blue dinosaur cutouts. Sunday night Yang wrote "Our Herd" on the top dinosaur and then each family members name on the other dinosaurs and taped them to the wall.

Once we got back inside from pictures, Yang changed into something more comfortable, she insisted in dressing up for her pictures, and then we hit the books.

On our blue dinosaur cutouts we've been writing the dinosaurs name and the pronunciation on the front, and their class, period, length and if they were a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore on the back. We will staple them together once we are done with our unit study to make a book.

For our craft we did the Grow Your Own Crystal Dino from the Dollar Bin at Wal-Mart and let's just say sometimes you get what you paid for. Crystals had begun to form in the pouch. One long solid one and a few little clusters so I was hopefully but unfortunately no real crystals grew on our dino.

We will be continuing our dino unit next week with a dino dig, cooking fun, Magic Tree House and more - so be sure to come on back and check it out.


Owlet was suppose to be doing a test, but when I went to check on her I found out she had a helper, despite very strict instructions to working independently. Brutus even looks like he has been caught red-pawed.

With the assistance of Little Passports World Edition we've also been studying South Africa. We've learned that there is a country inside of a country in South Africa called Lesotho. With Little Passports each month you get a boarding pass to go online to learn more and play games. We got to go on a virtual safari and take pictures of the "Big Five", which consists of lions, leopards, buffaloes, rhino, and elephants. We did an activity were we had to find out which of the "Big Five" had cubs and which had calves.

Here are two books we read so far to further our learning experience of South Africa.

 

Here's to another of year of learning, fun and fun learning! 

We took a trip to the library in our new town and found this guy illegally parked. Some people!