Busy work for Pre-K

People often ask me me..."How do you homeschool all 3 girls at 1 time?".  And I say, " It's sooo easy and the kids are always well behaved providing me with a zen like environment from which to teach."

NOT!

That's one of the many reasons I enjoy CC...because we do alot of it together. Now math, extended english, reading and so forth takes 1 on 1 so I have to find creative ways to keep everyone occupied while I'm with the other. Especially the little.  Since I have very few ideas of my own I naturally turn to the internet for help. Here are a few pic's of my pre-K keeping her mind and hands busy so I can tend to the others.

I stuck wooden skewers into playdoe and had her count cheerios up to 20 in this one pic.

I use alot of stuff from Confessions of a homeschool mom for letter of the week ideas seen in the pic with Meme putting buttons on the letter. I put the letter of the week in a page protector and she can glue beans onto it (it peels right off after it dries) place buttons or mac noodles on it, dry erase colors on it...you get the idea.

I LOVE dauber stuff and so does my little. I like to make different patterns and then she copies it onto strips which I also printed from the internet.

Another great homemade counting activity is the egg box. Again, she has to pick out her counting items, in this case it was buttons agin, then place the amount she sees into each cup. Easy peasy!

 Not a huge fan of the loud fridge magnet things. They were great when we had our first, got slightly annoying after the second and by the time Meme came I couldn't listen to that leapfrog dude say another letter without wanting to pop a pill...sooo, I ditched the batteries and opted for a silent version. I printed a sheet from the INTERNET and Meme fills in the blank, then spells the word with the magnet letters...quiet and wonderful goodness!

 I made a little light table, which they like but I am going to get a smoky bin vice a complete see through one because I can see all the lights and I was looking for more of a hugh...but the girls like it the way it is and I'm probably over thinking it. The light table has endless possibilities but here you see my oldest goofing around on it...(it WAS meant for baby cakes...hmmm) I put some paint in a zip lock and with a Q-tip, Meme can write the letters on the baggie and then erase it in order to do another letter. cool, huh?

That's it for today....xoxox

Gingerbread house

Well, I know Christmas has way passed but I have to post our gingerbread house madness. We do it every year and it keeps getting better...and messier! I don't buy the pre-made houses...though beautiful I feel that out Seussian imperfect gingerbread homes are divine. We start with prep work. I have a basket of random baking supplies. (bits and bobbles that seem to accumulate over the many holidays) I save containers, egg cartons, pizza boxes and many more things that might double as a craft item. We used pizza boxes as the base, graham crackers for the house and I loaded the egg cartons with a ton of candy decorations. Here is a good youtube video explaining how to make graham cracker houses. The girls do all the decorating and this year the older ones gave it a go with the building part...needed a bit of help but really jammed most of it out themselves. It was messy and chaotic but it is one of the highlights of the season for us! Here are some pic's!

CC Week 10 Geography

I love the base that CC gives me. I feel like I can run with it if I want or just stay with the memory work  when my week is feeling busier than usual without guilt because I know that the kids are really getting alot no matter what! This weeks geography was Japan. I had a bunch of crafts planned but time slipped through my fingers and we didn't get all the fun stuff done that I wanted, but...that's OK. We did do this cool water color and crayon map, watched a fun video of 2 dudes climbing MT. Fugi and we're making sushi this weekend....we're good.

Best grilled veggies EVER!

I've had many a grilled veg at many a BBQ and though I like the idea of it...it's execution has always fallen short. Usually they are over cooked and under seasoned. On my own I have even struggled with the flavor and texture....and I LOVE veggies, so I know it's not because of general dislike. I stumbled upon this recipe from "The Taste of home" collection and I have to say that this really is...The Best Grilled Veggies EVER! I have taken this platter to many a function and it has gotten rave reviews. I added tofu to "beef" it up a bit... so print it out, grill it up and gobble it down! (I used my indoor grill pan for mine)

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup olive oil

1. 2 tablespoons honey
2. 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, divided
3. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
4. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5. 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
6. 3 small carrots, cut in half lengthwise
7. 1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
8. 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
9. 1 medium red onion, cut into four wedges

1. 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Dash salt

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the oil, honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, oregano and garlic powder. Pour 3 tablespoons marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the vegetables. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.
2. Place vegetables on a grilling grid. Transfer to grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender.
3. Transfer to a large serving platter. Combine reserved marinade and remaining vinegar; drizzle over vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Yield: 6 servings.
   

School Lunch

In our house...food is the deal. We live to eat...or at least I do and force the rest of them to go with it...Cuz mama like food. I even like the days when the food is craptastic...like a a plain hotdog (Non GMO, hormone and nitrate free, of course) wrapped in a piece of bread(Organic & NO HFCS) because that is all we have for the moment. It's not always the gormet that moves me...but the breaking of bread with my peeps in as healthy way possible that makes the meal an experience. It makes me feel good to feed my people. I spend the majority of my time planning, making and eating food...oh, and then loads of time cleaning up so I can do it all over again....so food matters. My kids don't get to be picky eaters....we don't do picky in these here parts! Unless you're gagging...you eat up. Sound harsh? Nothing grates me more than people poo pooing food they haven't tried...my kids won't be those people. You don't have to love it but you do have to eat it! When our kids were in school I had the great pleasure of joining them for lunch. (talk about gag) Wow, no wonder kids hate real food. The colors were gray and their plates were very sad looking. I wanted to gather all the trays and do a complete food make over. Don't get me wrong....the kids thought it was yummy...it just made me want to cry. Below is a pic of a typical school lunch in our home...xo

Mothers Little helper

I'm always looking for ways to improve our homeschool action. I still feel we could be streamlining things more but am super stoked on my latest gizmo..the Tri-fold board. Did you hear the angels sing just then when I said Tri-fold board...oh there they go again. Yes, it is an amazing piece of gear and I recommend it even if you aren't doing Classical Conversations...because it rocks! I'm thinking of making another one for art, music and other subjects that we do. I just open it up and go.....got the idea from this gal who is very popular in the CC world. Directions are here if anyone at all is out there looking at this and remotely interested. xo And, of course, here are a few pic's of ours.

Art, crafts & history

We are always doing some sort of art around here. There is a craft that goes with almost every lesson....and if it isn't a craft it's a song. We are like Schoolhouse Rock on crack. I love it when a huge lesson sings or crafts it's way into their brains. It's "feel good" learning in Casa de Conley. In this lesson we have been going over ancient Egypt. We cover our Classical Conversations memory work, do a little "Story of the World" , load up on many associated books & DVD's from our local library (Voyage to the Pharos, Drive through History, etc.) and naturally sing and craft our way right to the end. Below are a few pic's of our pyramids and color sheets...girls loved writing their names in hieroglyphics.