Introducing...Peter!

We have a new addition to our Panama Family...Matt and Misty have adopted a very special 4-year-old boy whose school name will be Peter! Levi was very excited to find out he was 4 too, and Aryelle is just working on saying his name in Spanish. Rolling those “r”s is still a tricky, making him “Pelito.” hehe He will be joining us for school every day. Woohoo! We are so glad to have you in the family!

2010-2011 Curriculum

It is finished!!  Well, for now anyway.

I got great inspiration and started planning on May 1st, thinking to myself "Wow, at this rate you'll have the whole year done in a week."  Then came June, then July, lots of family visiting, vacation, graduation, exhaustion, and when I finally got to sit down at the computer...ZERO creativity!  Just when I was about to throw in the towel, it came.  Mostly when I laid my head down to sleep at night, but I'm not complaining.  At least the inspiration came!

I have been working on a two-year multi-level plan that I could just rotate through from ages 3-6.  I want the main focus to be on the bible and memorizing God's word, while integrating all other aspects of learning into that.  I also understand that math and language arts need to be taught at each child's instructional level...so how do I put it all together for children of various ages?!?!  Whew, I did!  (I think...hehe)  All right, enough commentary, here's our plan...

Bible:  Every week we will be focusing on a character trait, Bible story, and memory verse from the Joyful Heart Character curriculum at Hubbard's Cupboard.

Language Arts:  Picture Dictionary with friends and family, Kidwriting, Zoophonics, Sight word and Alphabet readers

Math: Math Their Way activities, Workjobs, Pattern Block books, Number Journals

Everything Else:  Will be integrated into our monthly themes.  I would like to focus on a different habitat per month (Forest, Ocean, Arctic, Rainforest, Farm, etc.) going deeper into our zoo friends that live in that habitat along with some super fun science and art activities.

Bible Review, Part 2

Scholastic Read & Learn Bible $14.99

My favorite for ages 5 and up!

Again my criteria included: 1) number of stories included, 2) quality of illustrations, 3) age appropriate language, and 4) text size.

1) Although this is a “story bible” (meaning a collection of stories rather than the complete text of the bible) it is a rather complete collection of 102 stories. I only found 2.5 stories not included from this year’s curriculum (Elijah listening to God’s voice, the Wise and Foolish Builders, and the half because David celebrating in front of the ark is barely covered.) 

2) The illustrations are simple, yet very culturally and historically relevant. Great for the primary age group as it is still very colorful and inviting, yet the more realistic illustrations give it a non-babyish look.

3 & 4) The print is large, making the text easy to read and understand.  It is paraphrased specifically for young readers using the CEV and KJV. I appreciate how they tried to give accurate accounts and not edit out key details. Instead, they highlighted words in bold, then explained or gave interesting information about them in a text box at the bottom of the page. This is a double bonus as it helps children develop skills to read informational text, and at the same time sparks interest in and a deeper understanding of God’s word.

Another bonus is a 40 page section at the back of the book, encouraging parents to share the Word with their children through 20 lessons on understanding topics of the Christian faith like worship, prayer, etc.

Love the price too!

Note:  Be careful searching for this online.  If something comes up at $29.99 it is probably the computer game...NOT the bible!

Bible Review, Part 1

I spent this summer reviewing Children’s Bibles to use for the Joyful Learning curriculum. At first it was overwhelming, seeing an entire wall stocked with “Children’s Bibles,” but as I started looking through I was less than impressed by many. My criteria included: 1) number of stories included, 2) quality of illustrations, 3) age appropriate language, and 4) text size. After hours of clicking through online reviews, then sitting on the floor of the Christian bookstore scrutinizing the finalists…I found a couple that I really love!

My favorite for 2-4 year olds is...

Read and Share Bible by Gwen Ellis: $14.99

1) There are more than 200 bible stories

2) Every story has one or two delightful illustrations.

3) The stories chosen give a good chronological overview of the bible in simple, yet accurate language that preschoolers can understand.

4) The text is large and clear, making a nice transition for preschoolers who are becoming interested in recognizing letters and sounding out words.

A bonus feature is a little box at the end of each story commenting or making connections to a preschooler’s life.

Another huge plus for this bible is that you can buy it on DVD! The stories are not presented in order, there are four volumes each containing multiple stories using the same illustrations and language from the bible.

Note: I see that they just put out a toddler version in July. I would NOT recommend the toddler version for our purposes, as it only has half of the stories along with parent activities integrated after each story. Also, they have Christmas and Easter specials which are basically just the stories extracted from the bible and DVD and packaged together in a holiday theme. (I would save your money since it would just be repetitious, but it would be a great gift idea.)

Geoboards

When I first came to Panama, Geoboards were unheard of.  So, I had my wonderful husband cut, saw, paint, and nail until our Kindergarteners had a class set.  They worked fine, and bending the nails back into position just became part of the weekly routine.  (If anyone would like to try it as a family project, I have a pattern.)  However, now you can buy one at Ultracom for $5.49!  Pick up some colored rubber bands, and your child should be ready to go. 

As with any manipulative, children need lots of time just playing and exploring independently.  When they are ready for more of a challenge, here are some ideas you can suggest...

- Make a picture "Can you make a _____?"

- Copy someone else's picture

- Make shapes

- Make numbers (I have a master if anyone would like a copy)

- Make letters (uppercase are easier)

- Copy a geo-board design on a paper grid like this one

- Follow verbal directions of the teacher or another classmate