Tag: season

On the Banks of Plum Creek Week 4 Lesson Plans

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

Mornings:

We start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.

Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.

After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.

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This one came from Lakeshore Learning.

The younger kids will also be watching some of these videos while I work with the older ones:

We may also use some of the songs found HERE.

And we will be trying out some relaxing background music with Google.

We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States. 

Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.

On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.

Answer can be found HERE.

Answer Key Password: momsrock

Week 4: Chapters 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23

(The Fish-Trap, School, Nellie Olsen, Town Party, and Country Party)

Here is our lesson plan for the week:

Language Arts

Reading:

Read Chapters 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Nineteen (The Fish-Trap):

  • How old is Laura?
  • What did Laura not want to do?
  • What did Laura help Pa make?
  • How did the fish trap work?
  • What did they have for supper that night? How did Ma make it?
  • How often did they eat fish?

Chapter Twenty (School):

  • Why did the girls put on their best dresses?
  • What did Ma have for them?
  • How did the girls get to school? How far was it?
  • What did they have on their feet?
  • How did they find the school?
  • What did the boys call them? Why?

Chapter Twenty-One (Nellie Olsen):

  • How did Mary carry the money?
  • What was the money for? What did Pa say about being beholden?
  • What did Willie and Nellie do for their father to fuss at them?
  • How did the girls buy the slate pencil? What do we use now instead of a slate and slate pencil?
  • What games did the children play?
  • What rule did Laura remember that kept her out of trouble?
  • Why was Nellie crying?

Chapter Nineteen (Town Party):

  • Where was Nellie’s house?
  • Did the girls use good manners? Why or why not?
  • Did Nellie use good manners? Why or why not?
  • What happened that caused Laura to be embarrassed?
  • What did Laura have for the first time?
  • What did Ma say about hospitality? What did they decide to do?

Chapter Nineteen (Country Party):

  • What did Ma make for the party?
  • What did Nellie complain about on the way to the house?
  • What lied did Laura tell Nellie about the dolls?
  • What trick did the girls play on Nellie?
  • What did Ma say about the vanity cakes? Who might this have applied to?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print:  On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Four List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

Choose one prompt below:

  • Write a one-page report about vanity.
  • Write a thank you letter to someone for something nice they have done for you.

Watch this video about similes:

  • Identify similes from page 134.

*Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Other Activities:**

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Math

You may find it easier to buy a Math Workbook to work through as you go along with the study.

** For fun you may try ‘ciphering’ on a slate with a slate pencil.

Group:

Rotate through these activities:

MÖBI Kids-The Numerical Tile Game for Kids in a Whale Pouch with Included Activity Booklet

Older Kids:

  • Work on a lesson in your Ray’s Arithmetic Books or other math workbooks.
  • Work on Khan Academy
  • Special Tasks:
    • If the girls could walk 4 miles per hour how long would it take them to walk 20 miles? 30 miles?

Younger Kids:

Geography and History

Memorize the Continents and Oceans using the videos below to help:

https://youtu.be/nmvw3sTGajs

1. State Study

  • This week we will study Virginia.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

2. Landforms & Mapping

Maps:

  • Discuss what you have learned.
  • Look at a map of where you live.
    • What symbols do you see?
    • Can you find the capital of your state?
  • Do one activity from:

Landforms:

  • Waterfalls
  • Deltas

3. Bonus

Extra:

We will also be using this People Long Ago Resource Box from Lakeshore Learning to go with our lessons.

People Long Ago Resource Box&nbsp;- Gr.&nbsp;<span style="white-space: nowrap;">1-3</span>

There are also some other resources available here:

Science

1. Pick one or two topics to learn about:

  • Fish

  • Blue herons

  • Snipes

  • Waterbirds

2. Learn about the weather and seasons.

  • Seasons

  • Droughts

3. Read:

Extra Activities:

Life Skills

1. Memory Verse

We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.

  • Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
    • Verse 7: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
    • Verse 8: Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
  • Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.

2. Character

  • What character does the peacock remind you of?

  • Do you remember how Laura wanted to get even?
  • Was this a good idea?
  • What should she have done?

3. Manners

– Read pages 43 through 55 of Emily Post’s Table Manners for Kids and discuss the manners used in each situation below:

  • What are some trickier foods to eat?
  • What are some different things you may see at the table?
  • How do you handle a spill?
  • How do you handle a burp?
  • How do you handle something you don’t like?
  • Practice these manners when you eat.

4. Fun Activities

5. Bonus Skills — Choose one or two to work on

Practice these until you finish this unit study and then we will move on to new skills.

Emergency Preparedness

Kids Cook Real Food 

Skill Trek

  • Work on at least one task a week.
  • Practice your new skill this week.

Back to the Basics

Learn and practice some traditional skills from the book.

  • Read pages 504-511
  • Discuss what you learned.

Herb Study

Dog Training

We are using Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days as a guide for training our puppy.

  • Discuss what you have learned
  • Practice the techniques with your puppy this week.

  • Discuss what you have learned
  • Practice the techniques with your puppy this week.

Note:

We will also be using:

PE, Health & Safety

1. Medicinal Uses of Leeches

  • Discuss what you have learned.

2. Leech Removal

  • Discuss what you have learned.
  • How does this compare with how Laura removed them?
  • Do an activity from the Health & Safety Theme Box

3. Games/Outdoor Play

Music, Arts & Crafts

Crafts:

Rainbow Fish Template

Art:

Music:

Sing Uncle John to the tune of Yankee Doodle:

You can check out my Pinterest page Little House on the Prairie Crafts for even more crafts and activities.

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR  PORTFOLIO!  TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.

 –Thank you!

Remember The Reason For The Season

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog4 Comments

First, I just want to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and I pray that God has blessed each of you and your families today.

I know a lot of us are on social media and we are being bombarded with the pictures of the beautifully decorated trees that are surrounded by heaps and heaps of beautifully wrapped gifts waiting to be opened. You may be feeling defeated or maybe guilty because you feel as though didn’t buy enough or that you didn’t find that ‘perfect gift’. I want to let you know that it’s not the amount of gifts or the amount of money spent on gifts that is important but rather the amount of love that was put into making your Christmas special.

Continue reading “Remember The Reason For The Season” →

Monthly Routines

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

This is a quick run down of our monthly routines or tasks that I try to complete once a month. I have divided them up by weeks so that it helps me keep them on track. I only have five tasks per week so I only need to concentrate on one each day.

1st week:

  1. Check/Pay bills
  2. Change calendars
  3. Clean/Sanitize the dishwasher
  4. Make appointments
  5. Yard work

Ok so number one is a must! If you don’t do that one you will be sitting in the dark.

Number two is a little more detailed for us as this not only involves me flipping the page on my desk calendar but changing out the school calendar. I have different themes for different months/seasons. All the cards are printed out and laminated. I keep them separated by months in a small index card holder. (I will try to do a post on this another time.)

I have included a link for the third task. It is important to make sure you take care of your appliances so they will last.

I sit down and see who needs appointments for physicals and such. I also check through my mail to see if I have gotten any appointment cards for anyone.

We try to take care of any big yard work like weed eating, trimming bushes, etc.

2nd week:

  1. Run vinegar and water through the coffee pot
  2. Clean burner pans on the stove
  3. Spot clean couches
  4. Spot clean the carpets
  5. Garden

I have included a link to this first one. It is important to clean out your coffee maker to keep the germies away!

I usually need to clean the burner pans on the stove at least once a month. This reduces the chance of something catching on fire.

The next two are pretty self explanatory. With kids messes are inevitable. I try to clean up messes when they happen but sometimes I don’t see them right away. I take a few minutes, once a month, to check the furniture and give it a quick cleaning.

I do the same with the carpets. I have the Shark Sonic Duo and I love it! It cleans really well and dries really quickly. This machine comes in really handy for big messes too.

When we have a garden I will use this week to give it a little extra attention and let the kids get some hands on learning at the same time.

3rd week:

  1. Change water filters, if needed
  2. Clean vacuum filters
  3. Clean AC filters
  4. Clean out fridge
  5. Clean out freezer

I use a water filter on the kitchen sink for drinking water and our fridge has a filter also. We try to keep a check on them and replace them as needed.

A lot of the vacuums have filters that can be washed. I try to wash mine once a month. I also give the vacuum a good cleaning and check the roller as well.

We have window AC units and they stay in all year round. The ACs run much better and are  more efficient when the filters are cleaned on a regular basis. So this not only saves me money but helps keep us more comfortable as well.

Once a month our fridge gets a deep clean. We take everything out shelf by shelf and wash it. Then we dry it and put it right back.

Same with our large freezer. I try to take everything out shelf by shelf. I use laundry baskets and coolers to hold the items. Things can get a little disorganized when others help put away groceries so I try to organize it by shelf. I separate the fruits and produce, the meats by types, breads, and try to keep the small items or items that need to be used in the door.

4th week:

  1. Wash your car
  2. Menu planning
  3. Wash shower curtain
  4. Clean out tubs/showers
  5. Chicken pen

Our cars get really dirty here. If it rains they get covered in mud. If it doesn’t rain they get covered in dust. When I am in town running errands I try to run my truck through the car wash once a month.

I also take a day to review my upcoming month’s menus and rearrange meals to fit our schedules and budget for the month. If I have multiple meals that pop up for a day I will choose one and delete the rest of them. I will also try to keep in mind what foods are more readily available for whatever season we are in.

Once a month I try to remember to throw the shower curtain in the wash with a load of whites. I hang it up as soon as it is washed so it can dry. When the curtain is down it makes it easier to clean out the tub in the back bathroom. I normally have DD17 take care of that and I take care of the big tub and separate shower in my bathroom.

The bathrooms just smell so much better when you keep everything washed up on a regular basis and don’t give them a chance to gather any kind of funk.

This last week is when we give our chicken pens a little extra attention too. We try to give everything a good cleaning with the water house and replace shavings and whatnot. This keeps the chickens and the geese fairly happy.

I hope this has helped you with some ideas for setting up your own monthly routines.