candy dna model

While studying DNA and cells, JD made this candy DNA model.
We used:
licorice
toothpicks
mini marshmellows
It is recommended that you use colored marshmellows. I forgot that little piece of information when I went to the store to buy them. So JD colored strips on them with markers. Sorry, I cannot find the original website I found this on. But if you do a search for candy dna model, you will get lots of sites. If I find it later, I will post it for you.


Sweet Pea made this cell model out of cake, a donut and candy for an assignment in public school.

what's in the box today?

I have read a lot about workboxes. So we decided to try it. JD is liking it so far. He likes seeing his assignments laid out and what is expected for the day. I like that it helps him work independently. When he needs help, he checks in with me during daycare nap time.
I like to see what other people are doing in their workboxes, so I am linking up with What's in the Box Wednesday at Confessions of a Homeschooler. Here's what JD (5th/6th grader) did:

1. Teaching Textbooks 5- Lesson 34
2. Growing with Grammar 5- Lesson 2.11
3. A Reason for Spelling D- Lesson 11 Pretest, 11b, and spellingcity.com
4. A Reason for Handwriting E- Lesson 21 Day 3 & Lesson 22 Day 1
5. Read 30 minutes of Gilgamesh the Hero
6. Finish book report on Return to the Painted Cave
7. Read Chapter 1 in Story of the World 1 & US puzzle
8. Read Pgs. 1-44 of Dr. Frankenstein's Human Body Book
9. (not in a box) basketball practice tonight

Making a volcano

JD was so excited to do this project. He read about the birth of the earth in the Usborne World History book and I had him outline it (not so excited about that). Then he made this volcano. I got the idea from our Travel with Kids Hawaii dvd.
Here's what you need:
an empty yogurt cup and plate
playdoh, twigs, grass, dirt
1/2 cup of water water with red food coloring
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of vinegar

What to do:
Mold the playdoh around the yogurt cup to make a volcano leaving the top open. Decorate with twigs, grass, and dirt. Pour water into yogurt cup. Mix in baking soda and a couple drops of red food coloring. When you are ready for the eruption, add vinegar. It is instantaneous.

Just look at his face! Even the daycare children enjoyed watching this explode and asked to see it again the next day.

2010-2011 Curriculum Part 2

Language Arts-
Since receiving LLATL and the teacher book (free on paperbackswap.com), I have decided that it looks like it is not going to be enough. So I am supplementing it with :
Growing with Grammar 5 (cost: $29.99),
Writing Strands 4 (free on paperbackswap.com),
Practice Makes Perfect Reading Comprehension 5 (cost: $4.99 on ebay),
and Worldly Wise 3000 5 (cost: $3.35 on Amazon).
JD will be reading books to go with LLATL and history. I will have him read classic literature with comprehension from various sources like lapbooks, study guides, and pockets of time.

History and Geography-
Daily Geography 5
Mosaic Introduction to World History- FREE online
  books for this curriculum:
Usborne Encyclopedia of  World History (FREE hosted an Usborne book party)
Story of the World Volume 1 (FREE using my credit card points to a Barnes and Noble gift card)
History Pockets- I am substituting Early Civilizations (grade 1-3) for Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome (grade 4-6)- cost: FREE with Barnes and Noble gift card)
various literature (check out at library)

P.E.-
Recreation Department sports- football, baseball, soccer, and basketball (cost varies from $35- 70 each)
riding bike, playing outside with friends

Music-
Bells with the private school (Cost- $25/month)- this will also allow him to go on any field trips that they take.

Art-
haven't decided on yet

Foreign Language-
Spanish- haven't decided on yet

2010-2011 Curriculum

This is our first year of homeschool. I have been researching and looking at what others use for months now. This is what I finally decided on:

Math-
Teaching Textbooks 5- Cost $119.90
free online math games

Language Arts-
Learning Language Arts Through Literature- Orange,  Cost :FREE (on Paperbackswap.com)
books for LLATL- check out at library, FREE
A Reason for Spelling
A Reason for Handwriting- both of these are FREE leftovers from private school

Science-
Otter's Elementary Science Curriculum: The Human Body- FREE online 
  books needed for it:
Blood and Guts by Linda Allison- Cost: FREE (on Paperbackswap.com)
The Human Body by Instructional Fair, Inc- Cost: FREE (on Paperbackswap.com)
The Body Book- cost $12.00 on Amazon.com
All the other books for this curriculum, I will either look for at the library or replace with an alternative that I can find there.
I will also be supplementing this with:
Usborne Complete Book of the Human Body- FREE (hosted an Usborne party)
What's Happening to Me?- FREE (hosted an Usborne party)
What's Inside You?- FREE (hosted an Usborne party)
The World of the Microscope- FREE (gift from grandparent who attended my Usborne party)
Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body- FREE (on Paperbackswap.com)
Magic School Bus Fights Germs- already owned
Lapbook and other activites from http://www.squidoo.com/humanbodylapbook

History and Geography-

Stayed tuned for Part 2.

summer school

So, we are new to homeschooling. I am still trying to convince dh that this is the way to go. He agreed to let me try it this summer. I will only be homeschooling JD. I will get into the whys in another post. For the summer, I am having JD pick books of his choosing (with my approval) and read 2-3 chapters a day and write (type it up) about them. He is also doing 4-5 two-sided worksheets in math, language arts, reading, reading comprehension, and writing out of a workbook called Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills for 5th Grade. He works 4 days a week, but always seems to have "homework" over the weekend. If he doesn't get at least 70% correct, I have been making him redo those problems/questions that he gets wrong. Sometimes he is redoing things 2-3 times and that is what is taking him so long. I am thinking I should cut back on the amount of worksheets. What do you think?

JD is easily frustrated. I am having to find more worksheets online to go over concepts that he needs more practice with. The workbook seems to move through each concept too quickly. This is just for the summer. I am planning on finding better curriculum for the school year. Right now, though, I wanted him to get used to the idea of homeschooling and me being his teacher, review math and language arts concepts, and work on his attitude towards learning in general.

I am trying not to be too regimented this summer. He did have a week off when summer began and we were at Mt.Rushmore. He is only doing a partial week this week because he is going on a cubscout camping trip. And he will have 2 weeks off in August when we go on vacation to Tennessee.