Get Your Kids Drawing!

Do your kids love to draw? Mine do, they love it. With so many public schools doing away with art, or really offering very little art, in what little bit they do, your kids could be missing out on a wonderful skill. It really is not expensive either. I will be sharing some free ways for your child to learn to draw. My kids like to watch the free learn to draw videos on youtube. It helps them to actually see the way the artist holds the pencil, or places the paper, and the speed at which they draw. One of the videos they have not tried yet, is below. It is to draw Sonic the Hedgehog. If you read this blog often, you have seen several of these videos, and even some of the artwork they have done from them. Through some searching I have found some more websites, that offer free drawing lessons, be sure to check them out. The earlier you start your kids appreciating art, the longer they will learn to be creative, and use their imaginations. In kindegarten your child may be asked to draw a book report. What that means is your child is read a story, and then they draw a picture to explain the story. A very clever way of getting your kids to learn reading comprehension. Using arts, and crafts, is a great way for your young learner to master cutting, pasting, following directions, etc.

http://www.hitentertainment.com/artattack/menu_artattacks.html
http://artyfactory.com/sitebody/gallery1.htm
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/index.htm
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/animals/birds/turkeymaple.htm
http://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/main.taf?p=1
http://www.dltk-kids.com/


If I find more I will add them to the list, but these are an awesome start. This year, fourth grade, is the very first year I purchased an art book. I have been using the free resources, up until now.

Learn To Draw Flowers, and Volcano Construction

Tomorrow for Science class is the day my son has been waiting for. We are going to build a volcano, or I hope we are. He got the kit for Christmas, and I finally got it into the lesson plan. I have added this short video to watch some great volcanos erupting.

Art class today is learning to draw flowers. Watch the tutorial, and soon you will be drawing flowers too.





Lesson Plans for 5/19/09:

Science: Build a volcano
Math: Graphs, fact families
Writing: Write a letter to Aimee and John Henry
Language Arts: Make a match, adverbs
PE: 30 minutes
Spelling: Lesson 32- write each spelling word two times each
Vocabulary: Lesson 32- look up the definition for each vocabulary word.

Learn To Draw Batman

Tomorrow for art class, we will be drawing Batman. My son loves superfriends, and I try to keep his artwork targeted at his interests. This one is kind of tough, so it will be interesting to see how he does. My younger child does more simple artwork. I purchase a large craft box, from Walmart, for them to make gifts, such as bookmarks, picture frames, and other crafts. It cost less than 5 dollars, and has over 100 projects. It will save me on computer ink. We are really enjoying the new Monday lesson set up. We do reading, arts and crafts, music, and math. It gives my son more time to read, the harder books, he has chosen to read. I hope everyone is having a marvelous Sunday. We are off the the flea market, and a small zoo they are having there today. I have never been, so I will let you know how it is.

The First People Parts 3, 4, and 5, Free Printable Fun, Technorati

I have added a whole bunch of people to my Technorati favorites. Every day I try to add more. If you have Technorati I would love to be on your favorites.

I found the cutest printables for Thanksgiving. Yesterday we did the Turkeys and they are sweet. Next week we will be doing the Pilgrim paper dolls. I can not tell you how cute they are. To get your free printables go to http://www.freeprintablefun.org and check out all her great stuff.

Today is more like a half day, because we really dont have a lot to do. We will be watching parts 3, 4 and 5 of the First People, about Native Americans. DJ will write a short review after. We were supposed to watch a Mars video, but my Tivo is not working. So it is a short day today. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Thanksgiving Dinner, No Serious Posts Today

I am taking a break from serious topics, and there certainly are plenty, and taking a lighter note today. Tomorrow is test day, so I have no Lesson Plans to post. It is freezing here again, in N Florida, and my hands are frozen, so I am typing with mittens on. Actually, I seem to type fast with them on LOL.

I am one of those strange people that plans 30-45 days ahead, for big events or meals. This probably stems from all the years of getting paid every two weeks, and having to plan or have no money to buy what you need, when it is time to make the big meal. My mom was here last Friday, so we went over the menu. We decided we wanted to try a few different recipes, and foods than our traditional Thanksgiving menu.

Turkey, of course, made with maple syrup butter. This will be our second time doing this kind, and it is delicious. I highly recommend it.
Bisquits with gravy- my mother hates store bought bisquits, I hate making them from scratch. So we compromised and she will make the bisquits and I will make the gravy.
Mashed potatoes- pretty much a given
Sweet Potatoe Casserole- this is a new addition to our menu, so I am looking forward to this.
Coleslaw- Cabbage salad whatever you call it. I am making it different this year. Cabbage, carrots, chopped cooked bacon, ranch dressing, possibly onions and red peppers. Does that not sound great. This will be another new try for us.
Cholcolate pie, instead of apple pie. Everyone loves chocolate and apple is just getting old
Some kind of Truffle my mom is making, I am sure it will be awesome.
Rolls with butter
Green beans with onions- Instead of the traditional green bake, we are going to do a all year favorite. Fresh green beans, sauteed with onions in butter, and extra virgin olive oil, with just a splash of red wine vinaigrette.
Stuffing, of course.
That is it, unless we decide to add more things. That is plenty for 5 people, and one dog. Have you started to plan your menu yet?

Our Ocean field trip, which was scheduled for earlier in Sept, has been rescheduled for next Friday. Hopefully it will warm back up, or I might have to order a snowsuit to wear. We hope to find some cool shells, to use in various arts and crafts projects. My mom will be going with us, as my husband has to work, and she knows the way to the specific part of the Gulf she likes to go to. We will have a picnic lunch, and just enjoy the beauty of the Ocean.

Yesterday, I posted we were finally making the Paper Mache Pumpkins, yeah ok. It was a big mess, and a big pain. They were white balloons, and we just ended up painting them orange, and then painting funny faces on them.

I Started A Book Give Away Club, Make A Paper Mache Pumpkin

Click to join bookgiveaway

I am honestly tired of talking about Politics. I will be glad when it is over. I have started a free give away book clug. If you are anything like me, you have tons of books, magazines, and other reading material just lying around your house. I have started the club, it is up and running, and it is free. You just post your book, you are offering, and wait for someone to say they want it. Simple, right? You can join using the button provided, in this post, or the button posted above. As a homeschooler, and jewelry maker, I am always looking for new and interesting books. Once you are done with the book, you can either re post it, or keep it if you really love it. Join today, and lets start reading.

As you are all aware, Halloween is right around the corner. Next week in Arts and Crafts, we are going to try making Paper Mache Pumpkins. The directions are simple, and the supply list is just as easy. If you want to try your hand at Paper Mache, go here http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/crafts/hcrafta.htm

For anyone who may be interested, I am going to offer a Layaway service, for all items on my jewelry blog, and Etsy store. Christmas will be here soon. Click my widget, to go to my Etsy store. My jewelry blog is http://www.melissasjewelryandgems.blogspot.com/ Email me for details, if you are interested.

Contest Updates, Dudley Farms Where History Is Aliv

Here are the contest updates. You still have until the 29th to get your entries in. It is easy, and the rules are at the top of this blog. You can win 10 dollars, and a 90 day advertising text link. Here are the entries as they stand, right now:

betchai: 9 entries
Kim: 1 entry
kiki: 2 entries
House home garden: 1 entry
the fitness diva: 2 entries
CY: 2 entries
kgraham: 1 entry

There is no school tomorrow, so I have no lesson plans to post. I would like to share a great field trip idea, with everyone. http://www.friendsofdudleyfarm.org/ Dudley Farms, is a real, working historical farm. Step back in time, and history, and learn how people lived, and survived in the older days. The Fall, and Winter, are especially fun, because they have all kinds of special things going on for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It is affordable to get in, and for Homeschoolers, or any child, it is a wonderful learning experience. They are located just outside of Gainesville, in Newburry, Florida.

I love arts and crafts, and this time of year, there are tons to choose from. If you like to do arts, and crafts, check out this website http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/crafts/hcrafta.htm and learn to make Paper Mache Pumpkins. This week in arts, and crafts, we will be drawing a Haunted House, and making Pumpkins to hang on the tree outside. I picked up simple Pumpkin Bags for 88 cents at Walmart, we are going to fill them with leaves, and hang them from the trees. It doesn't get any more affordable, or easy than that.

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

Stereotypes, Cruel Public School, Lesson Plan For 9/17/08

Every Friday, and Saturday, night I work, as a Nurse. I work with a young lady, who has a 5 yr old daughter. They have had a rough time the last few years, and her daughter has had a hard time adjusting. The mom had some reservations about sending her to public school, and had discussed homeschooling with me, a few times. She opted to try public school, as she felt the tons of socialization would do her daughter good. 12 days, after entering public school, the teacher was already telling her, that her daughter was stupid and did not know how to do anything. She also informed, the mom, that after only 12 days she could not teach her, and was going to have her evaluated for special classes. That she had several other teachers, and could not take the time to teach her child. Needless to say she was very upset, crying all weekend, and beside herself. I gave her all the information, I had on homeschooling, and she is once again considering pulling her child and homeschooling instead. I for one can not believe any teacher, would talk to a child or parent in such a manner, but I know for a fact it happens. I have not personally experienced it, but know others who have. If you cant teach a child, then why are you a teacher? Not all children learn the same, and not all children can advance at the same pace. I think these teachers are ridiculous, and probably chose the wrong profession.

As I posted previously, my son started going to an after school program, here in our town. For Socialization purposes, and to be with children, that are not just homeschooled. He had his first day Monday, and he loves it. He did say a boy asked him, if he went to regular school. DJ said no, I am homeschooled, and the little boy said then you must not know anything. Unfortunately, that is a stereotype, here in this area, that homeschooled children, just dont know anything. I told him to just let it slide of his shoulders, and go on with things. He knows the truth, and that is all that matters.

Here are the Lesson Plans for 9/18/08

Spelling: Lesson 3- write each spelling word in alphabetical order
Vocab: Lesson 3- write each vocab word, and definition 2 times each
Writing: Write a book report, for the book Dinosaurs Before Dark
Health: Visiting Dr Bicuspid- Dental health
PE: 30 monutes
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, greater than and less than
Language Arts: Phonics review, prefixes, pronouns
Spanish: Parts of the body
Arts and Crafts: This is usually done on Fridays but has been moved up to Thursday, due to scheduling restraints. This week, we will be making pencil/crayone holders. I will post pictures of them completed, and directions, for anyone that wants to do the same craft.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, we had extra time, at the end of each day. DJ watched Earth The Biography- Planets, and Volcanoes. Each program is 1 hr in length, and can be seen on the National Geographic Channel.

Friday Is Test Day Here At Melissas Homeschool, Bathroom Stenciling

To test, or not to test, that is the question of the day. I know homeschoolers have their own style of teaching, but what about testing. Do you give tests to your children? Every Friday, unless school is closed that day, DJ takes a series of tests, made up by me, covering material he learned that week, or previous weeks. I find this to be the best way, for me, to be sure he is retaining what he already learnt, plus I also believe learning through repetition is a great way to remember things. The tests, are short, and cover all subjects, plus a reading comprehension, which I have a book that I take that from. This year, because he is in 3rd grade, I am going to have him take a standardized test, come Spring. The homeschool evaluatorn, said it was not necessary, for him to go to college, but it certainly helps, as they need to know how to take those kinds of tests, once they start preparing for college. So how about you, and your homeschool style?

As stated earlier, in the week, my children for arts and crafts, this week, were going to paint stencils on the master bath cupboards. I chose stencils, because I thought it would be neater. Nope not really, they still made a pretty good mess. It washed up easy though. Note to others, stencils are not perfect, the pain can run behind them and mess up the picture as you will see. Caitlin used way too much paint, and hers kind of smudged. She also had it running completely, down the cupboard, not shown as I wiped it off. DJ's was better, but also the stencil smudged behind the picture, and when I wiped it off, I wiped off part of his bumblebee. For their very first real painting project, I would say it went pretty well. Next time though, I will let them just do free hand, and do whatever they want. I hope everyone has a great weekend. We are keeping one eye on Hanna, the other on Ike, and I have to work night shift this weekend too. So if I dont get much accomplished, that is why.

Free Origami For Kids Patterns

This is a cool website I found. It has been on my favorites, and I forgot about it. It is Activity Village, and they have cool free patterns for Origami for kids. They are simple, age related patterns. They have tons to choose from, not to mention tons of other great kids activities. They have coloring pages, kids recipes, crafts, themes and holidays, puzzles, and so much more. Sign up for their free newsletter, and they will send you email when new stuff is added. Check it out at http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/origami_for_kids.htm

Make Bookends With Your Childs Artwork Great Homeschool Craft

I found this in a magazine, I had kept for some reason. Well this craft, is why I kept it. I keep magazines I read, and then go back through them to see what I wanted. Usually it is a recipe, or craft idea. I really should start just ripping out, and keeping the one page in the magazine I wanted lol. Anyway these would make great gifts for Grandparents, your kids friends, or even just to keep for yourself. They are simple and affordable.

1- Have your child draw or paint pictures to fit in two 5 inch by 7 inch clear plastic box frames. I know Walmart sells these, so I am sure they are available at any craft store. Then have them decorate coordinating strips to fit along the side and top edges of the frame.

2- Pull up the easel, on the back of the frame. Insert small rocks into the back of the frame, about halfway full will do fine. Fill the remainder with crumpled tissue paper, then press the easel back into place.

3- Use non toxic glue or adhesive, to fasten light cardboard across the entire back, then you can cover the cardboard with felt to help it look nicer.

4- Use a glue stick to fasten the artwork to the boxes, and inserts them into the frames. Then you have made bookends.

This will definately be one of our art projects, this school year. Enjoy