Spring Family Photos!!

My friend Reece is very, very artistic.  I first saw how artistic she was a few years ago at a friends shower and she drew a fantastic picture for the couple.  She has then randomly posted pictures here and there on facebook.  She has the eye for things that the common folk can't see...or do...or draw.  Recently Reece has started a little side hobby in photography.  She does not want to call this a job and doesn't want it to develop into a full blown business...so I will call it a hobby.  :)  She mentioned that she was looking for a few test subjects to help build her portfolio.  I volunteered right away...because

1.  I love photos of our family....my husband dreads them because I stress everyone out picking out outfits.
2.  We have several test subjects in our family.
3.  This would present Reece with a challenge:)  Ever tried to photograph 4 little kids and have them all looking at the camera at the exact same time?  Not easy if you haven't practiced or do have a good head swapping program. 

So Reece photographed our family in the park behind my parents house.  I think she did a FABULOUS job!! I love how she captured the sun and used it to her advantage.  LOVE...LOVE...LOVE her photos.  I seriously almost started crying (tears of happiness of course) when she sent them to us.

If only you were there to see our wonderful little 4 year old during this photo op.  She was quiet a riot. She had several different poses all planned out.

Enjoy!  Oh...and Reece loves to show others her artistic side...so "LIKE" her on facebook:  HERE!!

 

So glad I did...

Every time I turn around, my husband and various friends have mentioned that I need to have the kids try Khan Academy. 

What is Khan Academy you ask? 
It is a FREE program online.  I won't go into the details about how it was started...but basically this guy had an idea...and whoola.  The website features over 3000 educational videos and exercises that go along with these videos.  The topics range from easy Math to college level, all types of Science, History, and different types of test preps.  I so wish I would have had access to this in high school and college.  The guy that teaches these little lessons makes it easy for anyone to understand. 

So I FINALLY tried it.  Jocelyn was starting a new unit in Math that focused in on multiplication.  We found the first multiplication video and watched it together.  It was only 12 minutes long, so it was not too long to bore her....and just like that....she got it.  We hadn't even discussed the concept of multiplication and she was able to do some easy problems on our dry erase board and then in her math workbook.  I am so excited to see what the other videos have to offer. 

Here is a screen shot of the video from her lesson! (above)

This is an example of what the start of an exercise looks like.  I did the first one (see the little green star at the top)...it maps out your progress.

This is not just for homeschoolers....it is for anyone who wants to learn...or needs a little assistance in the areas offered. 

Field Trippin to our State Capitol!

I started a little homeschool meet-up group a few months ago...which I am still really excited about...this month I coordinated a field trip to the Nebraska State Capitol.  My oldest (6 years old) enjoyed the field trip.  My 3 & 4 year old thought it was boring...so we will have to go back when they are older and get it.  The tour guide was very interactive with the kids.  I also had a nice time chatting with some of the other moms.   Funny thing that I found out...at least 4 of us were former public school teachers. 

Here is a little picture recap of our morning!

The kids pretending they were sowers (like the one on top of our capitol)

The capitol is quiet beautiful!

Where our state legislators meet!

Our Supreme Court

Easton looking down from the 14th floor!

Katelyn doing rubbings on the floor with crayons.

Jocelyn and friends

My little guy running the halls

Jocelyn counting the stairs out front...there are 48 total!

My kiddos in front of the capitol

3 of my goofballs!

Easton is 3!!!

I can't believe I have a 3 year old...again!  Time flies when you are having fun!  I believe we have just about the sweetest...yet busiest little guy!  He is non-stop entertainment for everyone...and definitely keeps us on our toes.  I can't wait to see what our future holds with him. I could go on forever about him...

Happy Birthday Easton!!!

Fun with our Bears!

The kids (and I) learned all about bears this past week in school.  They were really excited...as they treasure their stuffed animals.  I dislike greatly these little furry friends.  I ran across a cute little unit from:  Fun in First Grade that I thought I would try.  The kids LOVED it!

We did several activities relating to bears.  We read several books and talked about the differences between polor bears and grizzly bears. 

The girls wrote down several adjectives describing their teddy bears.

 Easton just traced his hands.

 We compared and contrasted the girls teddy bears with real grizzly bears.

The girls made little identification charts about their bears (like they do at Build-a-Bear).  They had to measure their bear, name it, describe it etc.

 The kids and I guessed how many gummy bears were in this cup

 and charted our results. 

 I was the closest...so I got to eat them all!  Ok...only joking.  Weston had a hard time during this activity...he kept grabbing the bears off of the table.  I was afraid he was going to choke.  He was a pretty unhappy camper.

We then sorted out the different colors and graphed our results.

 That's all folks!