Online Yardsaleing

has absolutely nothing to do with homeschooling, but it has become a part of our life so much so that I thought I should blog about it. =) I've gotten very lax about blogging (obvs) but I think it is because I have been limiting my subject matter! So this is my first attempt at moving on in the blog dept ;)

I have found a new little hobby that not only keeps me occupied & constantly purging our junk (read: homeschoolers' worst nightmare) but it has also allowed me to make a little $$ by selling our unwanted items locally through an online facebook page! There are over 1000 local members who post their unwanted items for sale by posting pictures of their items (I take pics with my phone & post using my facebook app) on the fb yardsale page.

Items are claimed by other members of the page & arrangements are made to pick up the item bought/sold. We came to an agreed upon time/day that we would meet to exchange items & it has really brought such a grassroots feel into our lives! I love meeting and "facebooking" with other members of our little town, my kids go and see different families set up in a church parking lot (we have expressed permission to be there, which is important. At first we started meeting in a Ross parking lot but soon learned that was called loitering & could get us a ticket)... the church has given us permission to set up tables & ask our talented friends & family from around town to come set up booths & we have families interested in coming to fundraise for different causes. And we have an OVER ABUNDANCE of yardsale'ers ready to make a deal! It's such a fun atmosphere with the cakepops for the kiddies & fun toys and items. I think I have bought ALL of Julie's Birthday gifts from that site and MAYBE spent $40. And she is getting a Dora This & a Dora That, JUST LIKE SHE ASKED FOR!!! teehee! =)

I was referred to the yardsale page by a teacher-mama-friend at our homeschool co-op & I have just come to enjoy it. It works. My only real problem with it is that I am now also privvy to purchasing items posted for sale on the site, but we will talk no further of that. =D

Just thought you guys might want to try to start something like this in your area & see what becomes of it =)

I'm not Quitting Blogging

And that's really all I have to say about that. ;o)

I may not be able to blog as often as I really want to, but I WILL BE BLOGGING.

So watch out!!

=)

Blessings!

The most common question I get regarding homeschooling is, "What made you want to start homeschooling in the first place?" I've never really come up with a good answer to that question because even *I* don't know what made me decide to homeschool. There is no specific line of demarcation where I just all of a sudden declared, "We shall Homeschool!!". Braden went to school for Kindergarten & First grade because, well...that's just what you do when both parents work and you have a 5 year old eager to learn. It was a no-brainer. Just the same, when I quit my job in June of 2009, it was a no-brainer that we would homeschool. The calling had been there all along. I still worried a LOT that I was making the wrong decision by not working anymore. However, God has confirmed (and re-confirmed) to me on many occasions that we are on the exact tract He wants for us. This past week has brought blessings to us that, once again, confirm to me I'm on the right path.

After seeing my blog and noticing all of the Montessori style activities I was doing with the kids, a new friend of mine commented that she was once a Montessori preschool teacher and had some things she'd like to let us use... I was expecting some workbooks, or random preschool toys but I was NOT expecting her to bring in a MASSIVE tote full of Montessori materials she used when she taught at a Montessori school here in B'ham. Our family has been truly blessed by this kind gesture and I felt such a huge sense of confirmation when I brought these materials out for the kids. Caleb said, "You brought all this home for ME?!" Heehee. =) He thought it was better than Christmas!!! And they have played with everything so happily this week {mostly! DOH!!}

So, NO Facebook, I am not pregnant!! =P {although I would feel just as blessed if I were! :) } 

Homeschool Highlights ~ 8.15.11

-- Geography & Cultures --

I got this set of multicultural wooden children from oriental trading and paired it with our newest book from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. If your child is not a part of this program, sign them up!! Both Caleb & Julie are signed up and each of them will receive a new book every month until they are 5 years old!!! I absolutely LOVE these books and most of them have become my kids' favorites!

 -- Imaginative Play --

Winkin', Blinkin' & Nod =)

after reading about Winkin', Blinkin' & Nod they had to re-create the story with this tub, a stick, some tape and a blanky! :)

-- Pinching Pennies --

This Montessori activity works on Pincer grasp & coin recognition show child how to use 2 fingers & thumb to pick up penny and move them from one dish to another.

 

-- Sorting & Tracing --

This activity let them sort glass beads as well as trace and color in the colors we were working with. This was Julie's work which was surprising because hers is usually nothing but straight lines all the way across a page! It's neat to see how bringing in different objects for them to study and explore can help develop their "creativity" =)

  

Everything set up for the next day's lessons =) 

 -- Color Paddles --

They love playing with the color paddles... from looking out the window, to bath time or while playing in the sensory bin, the color paddles are always a big hit! I got a whole set of  18 Color Paddles for $5 from Oriental Trading.

-- Marshmallow Shapes -- 

We made shapes with marshmallows and toothpicks. Of course, the kids had to sneak a few but it was a great lesson because then they wanted to build and didn't have as many marshmallows as they needed ;o)

Caleb built a "house"

Braden's "Ladder"

Julie Counting =)

Hard at work!!! =)

-- More Catapult --

Caleb finished his catapult he was building and we tested it out the other night!! Here he is searching for something small and not-too-dangerous...

First up? Punkin' head!!! =)

  

In Caleb-speak: "Yeah-ah!"

Next was his Lightening McQueen Squinky :)

  

They both LOVED watching things fly! :)

Homeschool Highlights ~ 8.12.11

Well, we had a really good day of PLAY!! =)

If you haven't read lasts night's post about the new Montessori-style & sensory activities I've made recently, you can read that post {here}. That's where all the "details" behind these activities can be found! :) If you have any further questions, feel free to comment & ask -- I am happy to help when I can! =)

This is Julie up first thing this morning, just busy as a bee! {smiles} She loves it when there is an invitation for play laid out for her first thing in the morning! 

She's working on the first activity of the day:

-- Sorting & Pouring --

This is a bowl of strings and beads she's sorting by color into cups. She had a clothespin & a spoon. She told me the clothespin was "Not ok!" and decided to use the spoon... then she moved on to just pouring back and forth. The sound was sooo cool with the jingling beads...

 Caleb wanted to join in around 9 {after a little TV -- which goes off at 10 on school days around here!} and we started our second activity for the day:

-- A Guessing Game --

All 3 of the kids LOVED this activity. VERY hands-on, using SO many senses at once. They would touch & try to "see" the shapes inside the balloons and even listen to the sounds the textured items made when they would shake around inside the balloon. 

This is Caleb using all his senses to try to figure out WHAT is in this balloon?! 

{it's hairgel and it feels like a cold liquid inside and makes no real sound}

This was so much fun for Julie who squeezed and shook every balloon she could get her hands on! She was so sassy and protective over the ones she had figured out matched -- don't worry, her brothers are used to her and usually comply so nobody gets hurt! ;o)

Braden jumped RIGHT in on this one and loved the challenge. Some of them were fairly similar and hard to figure out {the rice & course sea salt were pretty close to the same texture & sound}

Braden jumped RIGHT in on this one and loved the challenge. Some of them were fairly similar and hard to figure out {the rice & coarse sea salt were pretty close to the same texture & sound}

  

After touching & feeling everything for a while, I brought out cups & bowls of the actual items inside the balloons so they could see what was inside there! They loved this part and still had so much investigating to do even after they had solved the mystery! =)

Caleb is such an auditory learner, he was comparing the sounds of the balloons almost immediately and he continued to want to shake and listen when we brought the items out to explore.

She was comparing the strange "J" shaped glass bead to the same shaped bead she was feeling in her balloon :)

{loving learning}

he wanted to poke one of the hair gel balloons and squirt it out! He's one of those types of kids! ;o)

I have to remind myself that Braden has never experienced any of this either -- and it's better late than never! =)

 Activity 3:

-- Sorting Beads by Color --

Just some pony beads in a "relish" dish from dollar tree. They're just using their hands b/c I couldn't find our tweezers! 

Julie told me her favorite color was "Pupple, not Pintk!"

Caleb wanted to help her try to do it herself! :) He was picking up the spilled ones and putting them back in the middle bin so she wouldn't get confused on where they go :)

She stuck it out and played for a good while with this one -- she loves beads so we made a bracelet for her w/ a chenille stem {aka pipe cleaner for you Alabamians out there! ;) } & these same beads -- she totally loved it and wore it until naptime! =)

Activity 4 was completely impromptu! ;o) After lunch I went to re-arrange their bedroom {pics tomorrow} and while sorting their dramatic play area they wanted to dress up in their costumes!! Caleb is "Skelebones" & Julie is the Fire Chief! {of course} =)

-- Dramatic Play -- 

Caleb is supposed to be showing me his "Skele-face" and Juju is just being cute! ;o) 

Then, Activity 5:

-- Water Play --

This was later in the afternoon, after we'd finished re-arranging furniture -- notice the big wicker trunk is gone? It's moved to my bedroom. Since we moved the twin bunk out of there last month we had the space for it!! =) It totally opened up that part of the living room and gives them even more space to play & explore! =)

We laid out towels on the LR Floor & set Julie up with a salad dressing bottle that was clean & empty, a bowl of water & beads, a cup & a little bucket w/ a handle to pour with. Then, we had a little impromptu Activity 6 with rice and beans & cups and funnels & bowls. =) I was busy cleaning up messes and didn't even think to take pics! =/ I want to color some rice soon and will take pics after we play with it! =)

 And, Activity SEVEN for the day was completely bad judgement on my part and should never have taken place! =| It was already after 9pm and we were playing Elefun & the Honey Bee Tree game in their newly arranged bedroom and as we're cleaning up the last of the honey bees Caleb tries to catapult one with the lid of the box. It goes Flying but... well, it could've been better! ;)
 I showed him how to really launch a honey bee and sent one all the way across the room! =D He was amazed! He loved it! =) And so then, my mama's heart lost track of time, my teacher's dedication to provide an enriching learning experience for my child came out, and I remembered one of my most recent purchases from Micheal's. 

{queue 16th century England music}

-- The Catapult --

I don't know if I thought that the pieces would be already painted, like the little colorful picture on the box, or if it just completely slipped my mind that the thing would need to be painted, but I was thinking it was just going to be something simple we could put together and we could get them on to bed. Oh no.

 

This thing came in 26 pieces and needed to be sanded, then finely detailed and dried before it could be wood glued together the next day. I was in the spot where I had already gotten him SO excited about it that I couldn't turn back. {sigh} 

Then, Caleb kept saying, "Mom, I love this SO MUCH!" 

{be still my heart}

I can't believe he's 4 and building a model catapult {sniffles}

...or that she is such a {spunky} little mess =)

... or that my big boy would be so... BIG! :) And, skilled with the construction of a model Tarantula! ;o)

See any resemblance to our "little friend" from last night?!  =D

Thanks for coming to play!!! :)