ThadenPierce School

You must check out Homeschooling Ryan Gosling. I didn’t know who the guy was, but the site is hysterical. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard.

My sister has set up a very cute homeschool blog here. (This is not my local homeschooling sister, this one lives in another state so it’s even nicer to have the online connection for idea sharing!)

Those are my strangely solemn children in front of our dry erase board. It has days of the week, our “special” subject, and then any activities that day (therapy, playdates, doctor visits.) The last column is the dinner menu for the week.

The green half sheet is our routine and the small cards are each of the school age kids’ assignments for each day of the week. This is the wall in our kitchen leading to the hall so the kids know after breakfast/chores to grab their card and see what they need to do. It’s helping life be more organized!

I was all fired up about how we were going to get so much book work done during the cold, winter months. It’s been in the 70s. We’re playing outside for hours on end, which is way more important than some math and grammar lessons! When the weather gets cold we’ll get back to that textbook stuff.

I try each semester to review and revise our schedule so here’s what we’ve got starting the end of this month when our activities resume post-”winter” break. We don’t actually have a “schedule” because most of these things aren’t tied to a specific time, except outside of the home activities. This just reminds me and the kids of the rhythm of our days.

* Get up, get dressed, make your bed, make sure your room is picked up.
* Breakfast, then chore time (and EVERYONE helps clean up for 15 minutes – breakfast dishes, start laundry, anything left from last night.)
(1)
* Kit leaves for work after family prayer, we start exercising (yoga, big muscle movement stretches) and then circle time.
* Lessons, with me usually nursing at some point in here. The little kids are doing various busy activities. They’ll snack on fruits and veggies while they’re working/playing. Lessons are maybe 2 hours between the four kids? Three if we’re distracted.
* Clean up from lessons, lunchtime, clean up meal stuff.
(2)
* Storytime (read book together, picture book for little kids and chapter from novel with all of them.) Then quiet time – they all have to be in their rooms for quiet reading. Miss O’s our only napper now so this is ideally when she naps and I get my scripture study and lunchtime.
* Specials – art, music, literature, history, science.
(3)
* Snack & playtime.
* Kit home! Dinner prep, clean up from play stuff.
* Dinner, dishes clean up.
(4)
* Family time
(5)
* Bedtime routine – snacks, pjs, teeth, scriptures and prayer, stories
* Bed for kids, grown up time!

(1) Fridays right after breakfast we head out for swimming for an hour, which bumps things back. Other days we have various therapies that may delay this.
(2) Monday through Thursday this is staggered depending on therapy schedules.
(3) Thursdays is co-op and Fridays we often have playdates in the afternoon. Other afternoons there may be special library activities.
(4) Tues, Wed, Thurs we have an early dinner because of PE, scouts, and activity days.
(5) Evenings can be changed due to meetings for various family members!

All of this can be changed if we have family we’re going to see, a doctor visit, etc. But whenever possible if we’re home we try to stick to this, and I can see what a difference in makes for the kids to have some sense of consistency and routine. Each of them has a card on the dry erase board that lists their school assignments for each day so when it’s time for lessons they already know what books to grab and where to get started. It’s still a learning process for us, but we’re getting the hang of it!

To give a rough timeline breakfast is around 7am, lessons start around 9:30am, lunch is noon, snack is 2:30ish, dinner is 5pm (earlier Tue/Thur), bedtime routine is 7pm and they’re all asleep (except C) by 8pm.

If it’s a nice day in the winter we ditch lessons and play outside instead. If we’ve got friends visiting, we just skip work for that day. We set it up so that we only need to really do lessons 3x a week so we get at least two freebies a week.

Twelve things you were not taught in school about creative thinking.

We were just discussing tuition rates and did some research.

TWU: $388 credit hour
BYU: $157 credit hour (approximate, it’s a per semester flat fee)
BYU Independent Study: $157 credit hour
BYUI Pathways Program (pilot program here in Denton at the Institute): $65 PER CREDIT HOUR!

Guess what program we’re hoping takes off and becomes super popular so our kids can go there?

This year the Christmas decorations came down ON Christmas day, as our new floors went in the day after. Next year I plan to keep the decorations up until January 6th (three kings day.) To compensate for the lack of decorations this year we’re going to celebrate with extra food!

* orange cinnamon roll ring – symbolizing the crowns
* baklava – because it’s from the middle east and I want an excuse to make it.
* yule log – because the test run was so yummy!

* cursive handwriting
* grammar review (C & Mo)
* spelling rules (C & Mo)

* math facts (all)
* time (B & E)
* money (B & E)

* geography
* MLK Jr. Day

* animal encyclopedia

Art Supplies to Make
Homemade Art Supply List
Along with a good supply of crayons, markers, chalk and lots of paper, your children (or grandchildren) will also love playing with these homemade art supplies and games. You can purchase many of them at the store, but why not save some money and teach your child how to be even more creative by making their own supplies? 
Children love seeing how things are made, and they love the time you will be spending with them while making these projects. If you don’t have kids at home, try making up a batch of something just for yourself, I won’t tell if you don’t!
I have been collecting these recipes for 13 years, many of them are scribbled on a scratch piece of paper. Enjoy!
Glitter 

Mix together 5-6 drops of food coloring and 1/2 c. salt, stir well. Cook in microwave for 1-2 minutes or spread out on a piece of waxed paper to air-dry. Store in an airtight container, as with all of the art supplies in this article.
Sidewalk Chalk 

1 c. plaster of paris
1/2 c. water
2-3 T. tempera paint

Mix plaster of paris and tempera paint, then add water and mix well. Pour into molds and let dry for 24 hours. Remove from mold and let air dry for 2-7 days depending on size. You can use paper cups, plastic butter tubs or food trays, candy molds, muffin tins, or even toilet paper tubes covered with foil on one end.

sidewalk paint/chalk
You need:
-liquid food coloring (like what you find in the spice section at the grocery)
-box o’ corn starch
-water
-minimum 8 oz individual containers for each color
Method:
-Measure 1/4 cup cornstarch into each cup.
-Add 1/4 cup water to each.
-Drip in 5-10 drops of food coloring.
-Stir it up. At first it will seem as though the cornstarch just won’t mix in, but all at once it comes together. Just don’t put the water in first or it’s significantly tougher to get it to mix up.
-Add more color for intense colors, less for pastel shades. Our box has recipes on the back for additional shades and we found that the ‘egg dying’ recipes worked great for this.
-The finished paint may seem thin, but it paints on just great. You can use more cornstarch next time if you’d prefer a thicker paint.
-We tested on the driveway, fence, and brick, and the paint came off of all the surfaces just fine.
Finger Paint 

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. cornstarch
3 T. sugar
2 c. cold water
Food coloring
Dishwashing liquid
White shelf paper

Soak gelatin in 1/4 c. warm water and put aside. Combine cornstarch and sugar in medium sized pot. Gradually add remaining water and cook slowly over low heat, stirring until well blended. Remove from heat and add gelatin. Divide into containers, adding a drop or two of d/w liquid and food coloring to each.
Paint 

1 c. liquid starch
6 c. water
1/2 c. soap powder
Food coloring

Dissolve soap powder in water, add starch and food coloring.
Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough 

This recipe is especially good for toddlers because they can play with the dough and then eat it. (Be sure to wash hands and work area!)  It’s also one of my favorite candies, when made with peanut butter and powdered sugar!
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. honey
1 c. plus 1/2 c. powdered milk

Mix ingredients and roll into balls.
Cook Play Dough
1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 c. water
1 T. oil
food coloring

Mix first three ingredients together and then add last three. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until it forms a ball and becomes dull.
Kool-Aid Play Dough 
(no cooking required)

3 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
1 pkg. unsweetened Kool-aid
1 T. alum
2 c. boiling water
Mix together first three ingredients then add boiling water. Knead dough with up to an additional 1 c. of flour until it becomes the right consistency.
Jell-O Play Dough
(no cooking required)

4 c. flour
1 c. salt
2 pkgs. unsweetened Jell-O
4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 c. boiling water
2 tsp. cooking oil or baby oil

Mix together first three ingredients then add boiling water and oil.  Mix together well and knead until dough becomes the right consistency. 
Sticky Putty 

3/4 c. plus 2 T. water
1 tsp. Mule Team Borax
8 ounces white glue
Food coloring

Heat water over medium heat and add borax, stir with wooden spoon until dissolved. Add glue and a few drops of food coloring, stirring constantly until glue and water mix. Pour into a plastic bowl and cool.
Modeling Clay 

1 c. cornstarch
1 and 1/2 c. water
16 ounces baking soda

Combine cornstarch and baking soda together in large saucepan. Stir in water and cook over low heat until the mixture becomes thick and forms a ball. Remove from heat and cool. Knead the dough on a countertop dusted with cornstarch until smooth.
Air Dry Clay 

3 c. flour
1 c. salt
1/2 c. white glue
1 c. water
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix together until well blended. Mold into shapes or roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Let dry overnight before painting.
Papier-mâché 

Mix one part flour with about 2 parts of water until you get a consistency like thick glue. Add more water or flour as necessary. Mix well to get out all the bumps.
Goop 

2 c salt
1 c. water
1 c. cornstarch

Cook salt and 1/2 c. of water for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cornstarch and remaining 1/2 c. of water, then return to heat. Stir until mixture thickens. You can also add food coloring to this.
Multi-colored crayons 

Peel broken crayons and melt carefully in a small aluminum pan at 350 degrees for 15 -20 minutes. Cool and break into new multi-colored pieces, or carefully pour melted mixture into small waxed paper cups and remove paper when cooled.
Disappearing Paint 

Mix 1/8 tsp. “bluing” (laundry additive) with 2 cups water. Paint the sidewalk and watch the blue color disappear.
Face Paint 

Mix poster paints with cold cream.
Cinnamon Clay
This recipe is great for Christmas ornaments or scented hearts around the home.

1/4 c. white glue
1/3 c. applesauce
3 T. cinnamon
1 and 3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. water

Mix ingredients together until dough forms a ball. Knead dough for 1-2 minutes, adding a little more flour if needed. Roll dough out and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.
Crazy Putty 
(this putty bounces)
3/4 c. of white glue
Add enough liquid starch until a ball of dough is formed, then add food coloring and knead dough until it’s completely worked in.
Slime 

1 c. glue
Liquid starch
Food coloring, if desired

Add starch to glue slowly until mixture becomes the right texture; slimey!
Lap Desk 

Make a pillow out of scrap material, fiberfill and some poly/plastic beads to make it squishy. Attach a lap tray or board with strips of Velcro.

2007-2008 TERM 1 Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian High Renaissance (composers: Russian National)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/L/leonardo.html

A lovely website of DaVinci’s art
Notebooks, translated into English
     1. Genevra, which is in the NGA 1474-1476
     2. The Virgin of the Rocks 1483-86
     3. Lady with Ermine 1483-90
     4. The Last Supper 1498 “One of the most complex paintings in the Western tradition in depicting
          a variety of psychological reactions and internal states all focussed on asingle, non-reacting center,
          the figure of Jesus of Nazareth. In thebewildering variety of reactions immediately following Jesus’s
          announcement of his coming betrayal, Leonardo in visual terms manifests what Pico della Mirandola
          and others were saying about the variety and unpredictability of human beings.” See more here.
     5. Mona Lisa 1503-06  detail and text
     6. Self-portrait c. 1512
Book suggestion: Katie Meets the Mona Lisa, by James Mayhew.
     (For Canadians: This picture book also appeared in The Art Issue of Chickadee magazine,
     a special issue which still shows up regularly at yard sales.)
Video suggestion: “Leonardo: A Dream of Flight,” one of The Inventors’ Specials by Devine Entertainment.
For special interest: Study of Cat Movements and Positions 1517-18

2007-2008 TERM 2 Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) Dutch Baroque (composer Handel, Baroque)

2007-2008 TERM 3 Jan Van Eyck (1395-1441) Flemish Northern Renaissance (composer Saint-Saens and Berlioz, Early Romantic)

2008-2009 TERM 1 (?) (composer Bach, Baroque)

2008-2009 TERM 2 (?) (composer Liszt, Romantic)

2008-2009 TERM 3 Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch Post-Impressionist (composers Mahler and Bruckner, Late Romantic)

2009-2010 TERM 1 Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) Italian High Renaissance (composers Vaughan Williams and Elgar, 20th Century British)

2009-2010 TERM 2 John Singer-Sargent (1856-1925) American (composer Grieg and Sibelius, nationalists)

2009-2010 TERM 3 Claude Monet (1840-1926) French Impressionist  (composer Ravel, Impressionist)

2010-2011 TERM 1 Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) Italian Renaissance (composer Beethoven, Classical/Romantic)

2010-2011 TERM 2 Caravaggio (1571-1610) Italian Baroque (composer Vivaldi, Baroque)

2010-2011 TERM 3 (?) (composer Chopin, Romantic)

2011-2012 TERM 1 Jean Honore Fragonard (1732-1806) French Rococo (composer Mozart, Early classical/Rococo)

2011-2012 TERM 2 (?) (composer Mendelssohn, Romantic)

2011-2012 TERM 3 Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)  American Illustrator (composer Bartok and Hindermith)