September Homeschool Stuff

Here's a few pictures of some activities we've done in the last few weeks...

Our science experiment - Solar Energy. What color should solar collectors be painted? Which color absorbs the most heat? So, we tested the colors: white, green, and black. They each got an ice cube and the same amount of sun exposure and we timed the amount of minutes it took for each piece of ice to melt. Make your guesses and then scroll down to see what we found out...

Green sort of took off!

The black paper made the water puddle up under the ice but it didn't really spread.

The green is taking over the white!

Finally the black puddle starts to move out

Black was the last to melt. Green was soaked and the white took it's time.

Only minutes apart!

 Falltime in SC?! That means porch-school!

We got to enjoy a "fall" day in SC yesterday. We started our morning with our devotional on the porch. Maddie said it was the best homeschool day ever. Guess we need to get away from the dining room table every now and then!

Here's our homeschool mess. It makes perfect sense to me and the kids are used to it now! Baskets are wonderful. And we're finally into a good routine. We cut out a lot of the busy work (projects, etc) but I actually feel like we're doing too much work and not enough play. I'm gonna work on that. 

Fun with pattern blocks and teddy bear counters

Sammy enjoys math and LOATHES language arts. Maddie is learning to read. We struggle a lot in this area so I'm learning patience and seeing a need to help build her confidence. She gets discouraged very easily. Sammy really enjoys reading the Bible. He's in Genesis and really enjoys the history and stories as he learns about each new person, weird name, city-he-can't-pronounce, and the awesomeness of God. Maybe he'll be my history buff, because it's not my favorite subject! 

Maddie's pictograph - family members

I think it's easy to get into a "homeschool rut" because we do the same thing each day. Right now I'm still a newbie so haven't really branched out yet in my creativity. I tend to stick to the schedule and outline of their curriculum. Thankfully I have many years to grow in this area! Thanks for all of the encouragement. We are all very thankful for the opportunity to have one-on-one learning time and lots of great memories. :)