Children’s Book Week 2013

 

I’m over at the Homeschool Classroom this week with a post on: How to Celebrate Children’s Book Week May 13-19th with your children.

I’ll be posting a Linky during Children’s Book Week if you’d like to link up your own posts on how you celebrated with your kids.


Nominated for Best Homeschool Blog Design

TheI cannot tell you my pure joy and excitement over learning that our homeschool blog was nominated for Best Homeschool Blog Design.  I wish I could take all of the credit but there is an amazing Blog Designer behind the blog and she even held my hand while I hyperventilated about switching 4 blogs to WordPress.  So a vote for us, is really a vote for her.

If you haven’t already done so please check out all the nominees in this year’s Homeschool Blog Awards. It’s the best way to find new blogs to follow.

In case you didn’t know, you can also vote ONCE daily for your favorite blogs!

 

 


Field Trip: Creation Museum

We have been charter members of the Creation Museum since it opened.  So many additions have been made to the museum since it first opened and it’s always fun to visit. Each time we seem to learn something new and it’s been wonderful to watch the kids grasp new truths each visit.

If you’ve never been there is a virtual tour that is worth previewing online, although it’s impossible to truly give it justice in photos or a blog post. It is something that you have to visit.

 

Currently construction is underway for the upcoming Ark Encounter which should open in 2014.  We are very excited to be Lifetime Members of the Ark Encounter and hope to make it out opening week.


Friday Links: Homeschool Blog Awards Edition

 

Exciting things are happening in the homeschool community. It’s time for the Homeschool Blog Award Nominations again!  This is your chance to nominate your favorite homeschool blogs in various categories.

 

Homeschool Encouragement:

Are your children socialized? {Hodge Podge Mom}

Keeping preschoolers busy so you can homeschool {Sprittibee}

My Biggest Homeschooling Mistake {Simple Mom}

 

Join us October 15-19 and 22-26 for another round of over 300 posts full of homeschooling activities and advice, Biblical encouragement, and much much more!


Wet-Dry-Try Capital Letters and Numbers App

When our oldest children started Kindergarten I started them off with the Handwriting without Tears Curriculum and haven’t looked back since.  If you use the Handwriting Without Tears Curriculum and method for teaching handwriting and own an iPad, you will want to download the Wet-Dry-Try Capital Letters and Numbers App.

The iPad follows the teaching method (with the exception of the prompt, “Frog jump up”) for writing Capital Letters and Numbers using the Wet-Dry-Try board.  First, the instructor demonstrates Number/letter formation using a wet sponge.  The child then follows the outline with a dry sponge and then chalk.

 

The program allows you to enter the names of multiple students and it will save/track their progress and earned Stars.  The starting board lets you pick your Capital Letter or Number to practice or to follow the recommended HWT’s Winning order for learning proper letter and number formation.

Once a child masters the letter formation 3 times they get a star and a letter card displayed on the page.

The Wet Sponge is used to model the correct letter formation by the “instructor”.

The child is then asked to repeat making the letter/numeral with a dry towel.

The child then completes the letter again using a piece of chalk.

(Once one stroke is complete the chalk automatically jumps to the next position to continue)

We are using this as a learning center activity in our homeschool.  Although we have the Wet-Dry-Try board and materials I like that Pixie can work independently using the iPad and has a visual record of her progress.  The only tip I would mention is to encourage your child to continue the letter all the way to the bottom (or top) of the board.  Otherwise it will count as an error and in our case, that resulted in quite a few tears!

Disclaimer:  I was selected as an existing user of the program to receive a complimentary copy of  the Wet-Dry-Try App for review.  All opinions are my own.  We have been using the program (and blogging about it) since 2008.