Poetry for Kids

This month's for Poppins Book Nook we are exploring poetry.  Over the years I have tried to introduce C to poetry, I even had grand ideas of us memorizing poems together each month.  I loved Shell Silverstein as a kid and I was so excited to share Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too and other favorites with her.  She wasn't the least bit interested.  So to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to this theme nearly as much as the others.

I decided to start our reintroduction to poetry by taking a different route.  We started with videos on YouTube.  Shell Silverstein was still not a winner here, but we did find one!  Steve Attewell, author of That's Twice I've Laughed My Socks Off has created several animations to go along with poems out of this book.  C especially enjoyed "There's a Crocodile in my Lunchbox" but she enjoyed them all.  You can watch the video for "There's a Crocodile in my Lunchbox" below!

We decided to make a craft to go along with the poem.  We made a simple lunch box out of folded construction paper.  She used stickers and crayons to decorate the front.  On the inside she painted a crocodile and used oil pastels to draw the food.  She loved this simple craft and I loved that she was able to see that poetry can be fun!

That's Twice I've Laughed My Socks Off by Steve Attewell is only $.99 for Kindle! (affiliate link, thank you!)  

This month we also tried our hand at writing an acrostic poem.  We decided to write a Spring poem because we have been stuck inside way too much lately due to the cold!  We are eagerly awaiting Spring here in Ohio so it was fun to focus on warmer weather. 

Be sure to check out what my fellow Poppins Book Nook bloggers are up to this month.  Visit Enchanted Homeschooling mom for a free lapbook that goes with our theme!

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God’s Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy’s Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy’s Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A “Peace” of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am  ~Simple Living Mama

Do you have a post that goes along with this month's theme?  Feel free to share it below!  

An InLinkz Link-up

Science Magic

To the Lab! is this month's Poppins Book Nook theme, C loves science experiments so she was thrilled!  At the library we chose two books for our theme, Amelia Bedelia, Rocket Scientist? by Herman Parish and It's Not Magic, It's Science by Hope Buttitta.  Amelia Bedelia books are always fun and this one did not disappoint.  Amelia volunteers at the local science fair and silliness ensues.  Two of our experiments were inspired directly by the book.  

First, we tried to see if we could get anything to float using our hair dryer.  We had plenty of things fly up and quickly fall down.  We couldn't get anything to stay above the stream of air for more than a second.  A few years ago, we tried this with ping pong balls, they work well but we didn't have any this time.  We still had fun!

Then we explored a bit with vinegar and baking soda.  This fun chemical reaction never gets old!  She decided to use red food coloring so it would look like lava. 

After our vinegar and baking soda fun, we looked through the It's not Magic, It's Science! book to find something new to try.  C picked the ice fishing activity, she thought it looked like great fun to pick up ice with string.  It worked perfectly!

We had so much fun exploring science with this theme!  Be sure to visit the other participating bloggers to see what they were up to this month.


Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A Peace of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am  ~ Simple Living Mama

Ultimate Gruffalo Giveaway! 

Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that tiesin with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win the Ultimate Gruffalo Giveaway. The winner will enjoy twice the magical enchantment in the double feature of The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child! The beautifully animated films based on the best-selling books are now together on DVD from NCircle Entertainment! And the fun doesn’t stop there as they will also win a storybook of the Gruffalo and Gruffalo themed plush too! Entrants must be 18years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook and this month’s prize bundle will be sent to the winner directly from this month’s sponsor NCircle Entertainment. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agreet o all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

If you have a post that goes along with our To The Lab! theme, feel free to add it to the linky below:
 

An InLinkz Link-up

In the Kitchen with An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

This month our Poppins Book Nook theme was, To The Kitchen, perfect for November!  It went well with our Thanksgiving unit study.  We decided to read An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott.  It is such a sweet story about sisters who try and take on the Thanksgiving dinner will their mother is off to care for their ailing grandmother.  Of course, their kitchen adventures aren't without mistakes but in the end everyone is just happy to be together.  We also used the book Explore Colonial America! by Verna Fisher, for a some colonial recipes. 

We spent a lot of time together in the kitchen this month.  Not only for our Poppins Book Nook theme, but also my C's Mpact Girls class was focusing on cooking this month.  In her class she learned about following a recipe, washing her hands before cooking, and lots of other cooking fun!  Everything flowed together so well for us this month, it was awesome.

First we tried out a recipe for Johnny Cakes that we got from a book about colonial days.  The recipe was really simple: 2 cups cornmeal, 1 cup water, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons sugar.  We tried half the recipe plain and half with blueberries mixed in.  C really liked the blueberry version!  They were a little plain, but it was fun to try something the colonists would have made. 

We also tried our hand at making homemade rock candy.  Our book about Colonial America said that rock candy was a favorite later in the colonial period.  In C's chemistry class on Saturday, that happened to be discussing crystals, so it was perfect!  We let ours grow for one week and it was a little smaller than the ones you buy at a store but still plenty of sugar for a little one.  :)

C got a little adventurous in the kitchen this month.  We had an apple taste test at co-op, she liked them all, especially Fuji and Granny Smith.  We used the printables from 1+1+1. Then one day she surprised me by begging for sardines at the grocery store.  I really try to not let my own opinions on food impact hers but I have to admit, I tried to talk her out of it.  She insisted, she loved the idea of eating these little fish.  She really enjoyed them!  She surprised me again by deciding she likes hot sauce now.  She's used it on meatloaf, eggs and potatoes so far.  We certainly had an interesting month!

Be sure to stop by the other participating bloggers and see what they were up to this month!  Visit Enchanted Homeschooling Mom for a free lapbook that goes with our theme. 

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God’s Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy’s Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy’s Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A “Peace” of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am  ~Simple Living Mama

 
If you have a post that goes along with this theme, feel free to add it below.  :)

An InLinkz Link-up

The Verbal Math Lesson Review

You may remember my review of The Reading Lesson last year.  It is the program we used to teach C to read at a very young age.  While not every child is ready to read as early as C was, I have always had the viewpoint that I want to help C reach any academic goals she is capable of, regardless of her age.  I love the simple approach of The Reading Lesson, it made reading a fun experience for my daughter.  Now at age six, I have don't know her "reading level."  What I do know is that she is a voracious reader that has been able to tackle just about any book that has captured her interested.  This includes books that are considered to be anywhere from K - 5th grade reading level.  If she finds a book interesting, she will read it, she hasn't met a book she wanted to read that she couldn't comprehend.  I think her basis with The Reading Lesson made reading seem easily attainable for her and that is certainly how she approaches reading today.  I could go on and on about The Reading Lesson but that is not what this post is about! 

Our Daughter's Approach to Math

You may have read in that original post, C was less thrilled with The Verbal Math Lesson.  Math is simply not C's favorite subject.  She does well most of the time, but if she considers a concept difficult, she simply gives up.(We are working on this.)  For her, the idea of doing math in your head seemed difficult because she was used to the worksheet approach.  Over the last year, I have learned that when it comes to math, C will "get it" easily if she is ready, otherwise, she won't get it all.  I've learned that if she is struggling with something in math, it does us both some good to drop that topic for awhile and try again at a later date.  This has proved true recently with learning to tell time, using tallies, and with practicing mental math with The Verbal Math Lesson.

Our Experience with The Verbal Math Lesson

Last year, I originally thought I would just alter my approach with the program but I later decided to just put it aside for the time being.  I always meant to try it again but I never got around to it.  Thankfully, I got a sweet e-mail from the folks at Mountcastle asking me if I'd be willing to check out the 2014 release of their Verbal Math series.  It was just the reminder I needed!. We got a new copy of books 1-3 to try out and C is actually enjoying math! 

She is seeing some great success with our math curriculum this year (Saxon), however, she does get frustrated with the length of the lessons.  We have started alternating days with The Verbal Math Lesson and she is so happy when we get to have a verbal math day!  I mean, who wouldn't prefer to do math snuggled up on the couch with a cozy blanket and mommy! 

The Verbal Math Lesson: What You Need to Know

• This program is a fun, step-by-step approach to learning math with no writing required!
• Excellent choice for young learners that don't yet have the motor skills to sit and do worksheets.
• The Verbal Math Lesson is a completely comprehensive program, unlike other mental math books I've seen.
• Math fluency will help your child achieve success in math as the work gets more difficult.
• The Verbal Math Program is affordable. 
• Book 1 is recommended for children 5-7, this is the book we are currently working through and it is actually lining up rather well with our Saxon 2 work.
• Book 2 is recommended for children 7-8.
• Book 3 is recommended for children 8-10.
• The Verbal Math Lesson: Metric Math is recommended for students 11-16 (more on this book below)

 I am so happy we tried Book 1 again now that C is six.  Children that are naturally interested in math can most likely use this book with success sooner than we did.  I recommend this program for anyone with younger children.  The ability to do simple math mentally will be a great asset when your child is tackling more complex work in a few years. 

The Verbal Math Lesson: Metric Math

I am really excited about the latest book in the verbal math series, Metric Math.   This book is recommended for older students and is designed to help students seamlessly convert our traditional math to metric.  If you are wondering why learning metric math is important to students here in the United States, check out this blog post on the topic.  Here is a little snippet from the post:

"Metric math becomes increasingly crucial as our world becomes more global and we interact with other nations."

 

 With the addition of the Metric Math lesson, there is a verbal math lesson for everyone!  I just love the approach to learning of Michael Levin, M.D. and Charan Langton, M.S.. I have been impressed with everything I have seen from Mountcastle.  The e-books are incredibly affordable, you can get books 1-3 for just $17.99.  If you prefer a paper copy, you can get all three for $29.99.  If you try out The Verbal Math Lesson, I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Thank you so much for visiting Joy Focused Learning!

~Angela Bennett