ThadenPierce School

We managed to do a few lessons this week despite my increasing ickiness. I am grateful the older three kids are big enough to grab the proper books (get your spelling, grab your math binder & my teaching book) and I can have them bring me those items while I lay on the couch (or floor or in bed, depending on the day!) Because the texts we use are pretty self explanatory I don’t need to do a lot of prep before hand most of the time – I can see what concept to cover and have them do their work while I watch and check. This week we got some grammar lessons done, spelling (including tests) and a few math lessons each. We’ve checked out some fun science books and videos and for our social studies this month we’re learning the States song – the older three have memorized the first 15 states in alphabetical order. I have them sing it with a map or our states quilt out and they’ll point to them, review the capitols, etc. I’m counting that as a geography lesson. (I feel kinda lazy about it but I’m thankful I’m able to do any lessons in my first trimester.) We’ve not done any new piano lessons but I can turn on Pandora radio and tell them the composer we’re listening to and I’m having the older two both practice the songs they already learned on the piano. Art has been me being tolerant of them emptying the craft cart and creating elaborate messes in the sunroom with glitter, an entire bottle of glue, and a lot of popsicle sticks. Kit also got a lot of fun art books from the library they are loving, including some M.C. Escher – fun illusion images & the kids are discussing the patterns and details and such.

Kit’s been doing a trip to the library a couple times a week and I put tons of books on hold – some PBS kids’ shows like Reading Rainbow & Super Why so they’re relatively educational. I love that even if I’m laying here incapacitated the kids are sitting around me reading books. Emy’s been “reading” me a lot of books lately, too, and I smile and nod my head and say, “Mmm, hhmm,” with my eyes closed to make the rocking room stop and she’s content. I feel horrid, and I feel horrid about feeling horrid which should cancel out the mommy guilt, right?

So things helping with homeschooling while pregnant:

- putting tons of books on hold at the library that I know will be fun and educational and engaging. Science, history, art, books about a new baby, even some about food allergies.

- having the kids play in the yard as much as possible (and just making peace with the tracked in dirt, they’re getting better about removing their shoes after stomping through our former garden patch that’s now their much beloved dirt patch for digging.) Always valuable.

- educational DVDs for when I cannot sit up and need them engaged.

- simple lunches so I can spend my small amount of morning energy on lessons & play and not meal prep.

- ditto dinners. We have a list on the fridge of menu ideas that we have the ingredients for – Kit picks one in the morning (since it doesn’t matter what we pick, chances are it won’t sound any good to me by dinner time) and we try to prep it before he leaves for work. He’s home in the afternoon and makes dinner.

- educational games on the computer. Emy is loving Starfall, as they all do. And several of the other links to the left are fun sites they can explore mostly on their own (I still keep them in the same room with me and they know if they accidently leave the game site they have to tell me immediately.)

- Hulu & Pandora for shows (Electric Company and some non-educational but much loved shows like The Littles) and Pandora for soothing classical music which counts as composer study.

- games: divide them into teams and see who can build me a taller tower, a longer train track, draw me a picture of this, find me this item like a scavenger hunt. I can do this from the couch.

- a 2 minute tornado: twice a day (afternoon & before bed usually) we set a timer and have them do a 2 minute tornado – everyone cleans up a certain room as fast as they can. This helps me stay sane. Joseph isn’t much help at this point, he does sing the “Clean up, clean up!” song while everyone runs around him but the four kids can get a room presentable in less than 2 minutes and doing it as a team gets them all motivated and they know it’s JUST two minutes and working against the timer so it makes it a game. Now if they want to watch a show they know I’ll say sure – after a two minute tornado. It works for the living room, sunroom, bedrooms. I do NOT advise it for dining rooms or kitchens since kids rushing with dishes never ends well. But it helps me a lot to at least see a room mostly clean quickly, I feel less like a slacker mom. Then I just make sure I wipe down the kids’ bathroom every couple days and Kit has completely taken over the kitchen and dining room for me. Meaning the house is not the state of despair I feared when I knew the sick was hitting and that does wonders for my mental health.

We won’t discuss the mountain of laundry in my bedroom. I keep saying I’ll fold it all one of these evenings but I get so sick in the evening and Kit is only getting work done from home after the kids are in bed since he’s in full time Dad mode in the afternoon with me being sick. So he needs to work nights and then he gets up early with the kids to make breakfast and clean everything before I wake up. I will get to that laundry! I will. Once a week the kids help me sort and we try to get it hung up but for some reason that laundry keeps coming. It’s been a good lessons in household care for them and in sorting (Ben, sort the grown ups from the kids; Mo, sort the girls from the boys; Christopher, match up all the socks.) That’s still a lesson, right?

Most of all I’m trying to relax and remember I’m almost 10 weeks along and in another month I will be in my (usually) much more energetic second trimester and back on my feet. I know this is a brief stage (though it feels eternal when I’m sick) and I know the kids are not going to be behind at all with their education because of this and all of them are learning important skills for the home and life. I mean it. All five of them have come up to me every day while I lay here trying to be chipper and all have given me hugs and kisses, pats on the cheek. It’s adorable and sweet and compassionate and when I hear them pray that the new baby will grow healthy and strong and Mom will feel better soon I know these kids are going to be even more thoughtful from enduring this experience. They are fantastic kids and this will be okay, even if schooling is happening in a less traditional format for now.

Here. They are not accredited, it’s a free course but you aren’t receiving official credit for them – just the education. But since in Texas we write our own transcripts for the kids anyway that’s not a problem for me. Good prep for them to attend local university courses.

I’ve not looked at them but typical course of study by grade level listed here at Worldbook.

I really liked having a general guideline when we first got started but I found that long before the end of the year we were way ahead in some areas but not bothering to touch on other areas yet. It’s nice for a rough idea but once we choose curriculums then I just let the kids go at their own pace through the books and assumed we would get most topics covered eventually.

Here it is, it explains how your game planning gets rice donated (by sponsors) to feed the poor and I love it!

Bennett’s been playing the geography game and he’s totally blowing me away – he identified France, Mongolia, Japan, Sweden, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Go, Bennett, Go!

And I’m making him play with his eye patched, even more impressive.

He’s earned the belt loop already.

Academics Pin

Earn the Disabilities Awareness belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

1. People with disabilities move around in different ways such as crutches, scooters, and wheelchairs. Explain the differences. With an adult’s supervision and permission, try to safely use one.

2. Using sign language, demonstrate the Cub Scout Promise and motto.

3. Read a book about a person with a disability. x

4. Explain how your school helps students with disabilities (elevators, ramps, small classes, special tools and equipment, specialized teachers)

5. Describe one of the following and its purpose: occupational therapy, speech therapy, or physical therapy. Visit with a person who works in one of these fields and learn about his or her position.

6. Read about a famous person who has been physically or mentally challenged. Report what you learned to your den or family.

7. For two one-hour periods, and with adult supervision, go about your normal routine doing chores, watching television, studying, etc. Change your abilities by using one of these experiences, then share what you learned with your den:

Hearing impairment — Muffle your ears with earmuffs or bandages.
Sight impairment — Blindfold one or both eyes.
Physical impairment— Bind an arm or leg so that it cannot be used.
Speaking impairment — Cover your mouth or do not speak
Choose an impairment of your own that is approved by an adult

8. Look at a catalog and find three items that could help a person with disabilities in their daily life. Explain how each item would help the individual.

9. Volunteer and help someone with disabilities in school, sports, or another supervised activity.

10. Visit a nursing home or elderly person and help someone with a meal.

11. Talk to someone who works with people who have disabilities. Ask what the person’s position is like and how he or she helps people with disabilities.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Explain the rules of basketball to your leader or adult partner.
Spend at least 30 minutes practicing basketball skills.
Participate in a basketball game.
Sports Pin

Earn the Basketball belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Compete in a pack or community basketball tournament.
Demonstrate effective passing using the chest pass, bounce pass, over-the-head pass, and baseball pass.
Successfully demonstrate the set shot and jump shot shooting styles.
Demonstrate skill in the following dribbling techniques: high dribble, low dribble, turnable dribble, change-of-pace dribble, and combination dribble.
On three different occasions, spend at least 30 minutes developing individual defensive skills.
Explain and demonstrate 10 official basketball signals.
Play three shot-improving games with a member of your den or team.
Play five games of basketball.
Participate in a basketball clinic.
Attend a high school, college, or professional basketball game.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Explain the hiking safety rules to your den leader or adult partner. Practice these rules while on a hike.
Demonstrate proper hiking attire and equipment.
Hike at least 30 minutes with your adult partner, family, or den.
Sports Pin

Earn the Hiking belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Make a chart and record at least five hours of hiking.
Help plan a den, pack, or family hike.
Earn Cub Scouting’s Leave No Trace Awareness Award.
Earn the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award.
Learn seven trail signs and tell your den leader or adult partner what they are.
Be able to identify five different trees and five different birds on your hike. (These can be of the same species if multiple species are hard to find.)
Using pictures or photographs, identify three poisonous plants. (Examples are poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak; oleander, poinsettia, etc.). Watch for these plants while on a hike.
Take two different hikes for different purposes, for example, a nature hike, neighborhood hike, historical hike, city hike, stop-look-and-listen hike, and so on.
Explain to your den leader or adult partner what a compass is and show how to use one on a hike.
Explain to your den leader or adult partner what a global positioning system is and demonstrate how to use one on a hike.
With visuals such as pictures or maps, report about one of your hikes to your den. Tell about how you prepared for your hike, who went with you, and what you saw.
Hiking Safety Rules:

Always tell someone where you are going and when you will return.
Never hike alone or at night; always use the buddy system.
Dress properly for the weather and environment.
Wear sun and insect protection.
Take an extra pair of socks in case you need to change.
Obey traffic signs and signals.
Avoid hiking along roadways.
Stay on the trail.
Be alert to your surroundings.
Don’t litter as you hike.
Be alert to dangerous animals, insects, and plants. Never touch a wild animal.
Take 1 pint of water for each hour you will be hiking. Never drink untreated water.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Explain the rules of kickball to your leader or adult partner.
Spend 30 minutes practicing the skills of kickball (pitching, kicking, base running, catching, throwing). This may be over two different practice periods.
Play a game of kickball.
Sports Pin

Earn the Kickball belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Demonstrate the following kickball skills: pitching, kicking, base running, catching, throwing.
Explain the rules of base running.
Describe the basic defensive positions in kickball (pitcher, catcher, infielder).
Draw a kickball field to scale; include the starting defensive positions.
Report to your den or family about the similarities between the rules of baseball and kickball.
Explain the role of being the captain of a kickball team.
Play five games of kickball using basic rules.
Help set up a kickball field for a game.
Serve as a referee for one game of kickball.
Participate in a pack, school, or community kickball tournament or a supervised kickball league.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Give a short report to your den or family on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Practice finding your pulse and counting your heartbeats per minute. Determine your target heart rate.
Practice five physical fitness skills regularly. Improve performance in each skill over a month. Skills could include pull-ups, curl-ups, the standing long jump, the 50-yard dash, and the softball throw.
Sports Pin

Earn the Physical Fitness belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Choose a form of exercise, bring your heart rate up to target, and keep it there for 15 minutes. Don’t forget to warm up and cool down.
Set up a four-step exercise program. Chart your progress for five days a week for two weeks.
Explain the reason for warming up and cooling down before and after each exercise session.
Visit a local gym and talk to a trainer about exercises and programs for young people.
Participate in some aerobic exercises at least three times a week for four weeks.
Build an obstacle course that could include some exercises with jumping, crawling, and hurdles. Time yourself three times to see whether you can improve your time.
Swim for a total of an hour, charting your time as you go.
Participate for at least three months in an organized team sport or organized athletic activity.

The kids made up beds to watch a science DVD so Mommy could rest.