What we were up to...First week of school (Aug.4-8)

We had a great start to our school year this past week.  The boys were happy to be back and I was happy to be back in a routine.  I now have a 4th grader, 2nd grader, and a pre-k/kindergartener this year.  Time is flying by way too fast!  In order for me to keep track of all we have accomplished this year I thought I would do a post with highlights from our week.  This will help me stay on track and use as a file to look back on everything we have learned this year.

Morning Routine: Calendar, Virtue, & Chores

We start our morning off each day with our calendar and virtue.  The boys learned about being obedient. This virtue is a tough one and we will be reviewing it for a long time.  We did a few games where the boys had to be obedient and their brothers had to guess what I asked them to do. They did a pretty good job this week showing me that they could be obedient. The boys are also working on their new morning chore routine.

 To start off our first week of school we talked about being bucket fillers and bucket dippers. We worked really hard on making sure we continued to fill each others buckets instead of dipping in other buckets and making them feel bad.  The boys watched  video on youtube of "How full is your bucket?" Really good visual on why we should build each other up.

 Being obedient boys working on their Bucket Filler/ Bucket Dipper page.

Math

Greyson and Lincoln worked on their Horizon's math worksheets.  Britton used his critical thinking book and also worked on number formation.  Britton did so well this week in math that I have decided to move him up to Horizon's kindergarten math.  

Sensory, Hooked on Phonics, & ABC Mouse

While Greyson and Lincoln are working on their math, Britton and I are working on Hooked on Phonics on the ipad.  He also does sensory play everyday.  This week was playdoh and a bug exploration box.  He also works on his ABC Mouse program during this time.  

Theme of the Week : Back to School

I already posted all the fun we had on our first day of school with the theme meals, but we also did some Back to School themed activities too.  We read a few silly books on going back to school that the boys really liked.  We did a back to school poem about how they felt about the first week of school.  They also did a back to school silly story. They thought they were hilarious!  We also read a book about summer and discussed what we did this summer.  The boys also really liked playing the M&M game where they had to choose a color and tell us what the chart said.  It was interesting hearing what scared the boys and what famous person they would like to hang out with.  Britton wanted Jake from Jake & the Neverland Pirates and the older boys both wanted Stampy from the Minecraft videos.  

 M& M Game

 Back to School Poem

 Reading their Silly Stories

Summer worksheet

Science

Greyson and Lincoln and have been learning about sound in their Nancy Larson Science. This week focused on sound waves and vibrations.  Britton observed his growing starfish & spider.

 Watching "soundwaves"

Day one of his spider & starfish

Day 2 .  They grew!

100 Book Challenge

This week we read The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks.  The boys loved this book. We watched the movie over the weekend too and the boys liked it, but agreed that the book was much better.  Greyson did not want the book to end. Thankfully, there are a couple more of them. 

                                               

Story of the World

This week in SOTW we focused on the war between Athens & Sparta. We learned why a marathon is 26.2 miles.  We also learned about the Parthenon and made our own Parthenon out of marshmallows & graham crackers. 

 Coloring page of the Parthenon

 Building the Parthenon

Art

We made super cute monster bookmarks in art this week.  We also worked on pencil door hangers for their room, so they know when they can go play in each others rooms. 

 Extracurricular Activities

This week the boys started their first Clayworks Class.  The LOVED it!  Britton worked on mixing colors and learning how to mold the clay.  Greyson and Lincoln made these super cute caterpillars. They were asking when we will go back as we were walking out the door.  I think they are going to really enjoy this program!

Special Moments

We had such a great start to our school year! Here are a few more special moments we had this week.

 A picture of the teacher and her crazy students 

 

 The boys making granola bars on their own for a snack

 Britton practicing the alphabet without me asking him too

 I caught him with all his books on his bed and he was "reading" them all.

 Breakfast at the Early Bird Bakery

 And a little school work too!

Here are some sites where I found the great ideas from this week!

• Monster Bookmarks
• Pencil Door Hanger
• Back to School Silly Stories
• Back to School Poem
• Summer Worksheet
• Bucket Dipper worksheet
• Bucket Dipper Chart
• Marshmallow Parthenon