Home Sweet Homeschool

Home Sweet Homeschool
Home Sweet Homeschool

Sunday, April 18, 2010

grave adventures

Well , here in scoil Dai , things are busy as ever...and with the sun shining , its a perfect opportunity to take some classes right outside ! This week we went to the old part of the college here in Maynooth and took some grave rubbings from the oldest graves we could find (the graves are from the time the college was a semenary so mainly priests are buried there) , and we had a talk about how the style of grave markers changed over the years...also it was a nature walk as we picked a few flowers to press...hopefully the results will be good ! we are also talking and studying about how people years ago made their own entertainment and indeed their own basic necessitys...we studied ragrugs and are at present collecting old t-shirts etc to make our own !
science this week (via webcam) was "Bubble science" so even little Daisy got involved ! (sorry we havent many photos the batteries ran out!)...tomorrow we visit my home village in County Wexford on the southeast coast of Ireland and hopefully we will get to both take rubbings from the old graveyard there and also photos and we will be looking out for different flowers to press too...hope you are all enjoying the wonderful sun !

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Sign language for all the family

Learning sign language (American) is a daily lesson for us now, and to help us all along (as all the family are learning) we`ve put together a notebook in which we can write each word and also put a photo of the sign, here is Aideen doing just some of the signs we`ve learned so far.
Also this week we are learning a lot about the foods that Jennifer and family eat that we dont have here...and swapping recipies , for example wereas we make "rice-krispie" buns they make them with marshmallows melted (yum!) instead of melting cooking chocolate as we do...
And in English this week we`ve studied that famous poem "A host of golden daffodils"...by William Wordsworth , as well as reading and discussing the poem Aideen had drawn different daffodils and also drawn what she thought the poet saw and felt as he wrote the poem.
Science this friday will be taken by Deborah who is doing "recycling"...so we`re looking forward to that !
And the project Aideen made on Florida (you may rememebr that) is actually being taken into a class in Florida by a teacher friend of Marthas for "show and tell" !!!!!!
Also this week Aideens been working hard on maths and the planets , this week we`ve studied Jupiter in detail...and yes, Daisy is STILL painting LOL...

Friday, March 19, 2010

Moonsand Science co-op

Today (Friday) is our sheduled day for Science class with Jennifer (In Virginia , USA, ) via webcam...as well as Aideen , taking part were: Renee , EB, Beth and Will...so lots of squeals of delight at the mess :0) The idea of making moonsand was to show the kids the reasoning behind non-Neutonian fluids (that means fluids that react differently whe different pressures are applied to them). Things got so messy ,and fun that when it came to writing our observations everyone had to take a break to clean up LOL ! As you can see ,really "ugh" hee hee !
Also this wek Aideens being working on her Virginia State project , her maths and also in French we are revising some things like family , favourite foods, etc...
And cooking has been a big thing this week  , today Aideen helped me make a delicious chicken casserole , I kid you not there was NOTHING left !
And another learning opportunity arose this evening as the town of Maynooth was plunged into darkness due to an ESB (electricty) powercut ,  so lots of questions to be answered , and talks about what people did before electricty was invented.
Also our (American) sign language lessons are gong really well !!!! We are learning one /two signs a day (the whole family) and we practice them after dinner each evening , we have a notebook now with the words we`ve learned written down and we`ve taken photos (to be printed) of us making the sign for each word to stick on the relevant page...
Well its late and even HS moms have to go to bed sometime ...have a great weekend wherever you are ! Love from us all at Scoil Dai !

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Learning something new...

Everyday is an opportunity to learn when you homeschool whether or not you actually do "academic" lessons or not ! Life is a wonderful teacher ! Just in the last couple of days , Jennifer (HS mom extraordinaire) taught me some wonderful origami to teach the girls...and I always saw origami as a help to maths, but I never knew it could be religious ...just look at the messages on the frog and the house ! Also Ella learned to use chopsticks here this week , it was a lesson for us too as she is left-handed so we had to "re-learn" how to hold them , lots of laughs insued ! Also we`ve worked out our "online" shedule this week and its hanging up on our kitchen door...thanks to webcam a HS mom in the USA and this here HS mom can actually "share" classes therefore giving each other a break ! Also today of course was Saint Patricks Day so lots of story-telling arouund the dinner table ! We do hope that whether you homeschool or not that you too will find many learning opportunities around you this week ! And Dee I hope you like Aideens picture of you ! She gave you green eyes as she says you are "magical" :0)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Wonderful Webcam !

HOW amazingly lucky we are here in Scoil Dai...the last few days we have had our lessons "In America"...well, ok via webcam ,but is`nt technology amazing ??? Our wonderful Homeschool friends , Jennifer (Mom) and daughters Renee and EB got together with friends and we had a science class live over the web...so now every Friday Jennifer teaches science class to Aideen and her own kids and other friends, and I in turn read a story to Jennifers kids at night...we have to work out more classes to share , but its simply amazing , with the simple press of a button we are in each others school rooms ! And to think I felt isolated as a HS mom !
Also Aideens friend Ella chats online too , so even though she attends public school on her days off she also going to join in the lessons...so a fabulous week here in Scoil Dai.
Also Aideen has been studying the state of Virginia...and has a great project underway !
And seeds have been toing and froing the atlantic too...so weather permitting we`ll have some green, red, and yellow peppers along with watermelons !
Also Daisy has of her own accord started to sit in on Aideens French lessons ! How cute is it when a 2 year old says " Bonjour , Jài mappelle Daisy " !!!!!!! Hope you are all having a good week and the very best of Irish Luck to you all for this Wednesday, which is of course Saint Patricks Day !