The Homeschool Mother's Journal ~ 3

 

In my life this week...

I've been anxiously awaiting my sister's arrival.  Both of my sisters, my brother-in-law, my niece, and my aunt are driving in from Michigan (to Texas) to visit my mother and my family.

I haven't seen them in about 2 years and I'm very excited.  They have been stranded in Arkansas for two days now and my life has just been an emotional roller coaster.  Coupled with the fact that I'm moving this weekend, it's amazing that I'm still sane enough to even write this post:)

In our homeschool this week...

We decided to give Times Tales a try since Sunshyne continues to struggle with memorizing her upper times tables.  So far so good with the Times Tales program.  She liked the story and seems to get the concept.  I'm just wondering if she will retain the information.  I taught her times tables using a bead system like in the  Montessori method, so she gets how it works.  She can figure them out but she just hasn't memorized them.  I'm hoping this program works.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Sunshyne goes to a free PE class for homeschoolers at a local community center.  She loves going and getting a chance let off some steam with her friends.  Also, she has her Girl Scouts meeting every other Tuesday and this week was the cookie meeting week.  She's been excited about her sales so this was a fun meeting.

My favorite thing this week was...

All the smiles.  It seemed like everything we did this week was fun and exciting, I really enjoyed that.

What's working/not working for us...

One of the things that truly works for our homeschool is reading presentations.  I was blessed to get my hands on the Scott Foresman "Seeing is Believing" reader that 4th graders use in the public schools in my area... for Free!  Saved me from buying a gazillion single novels and exposed her to some literature that I probably wouldn't have had the insight to purchase this year.  

I have both of the kids do independent reading in the morning and then do a verbal presentation of what they read, what they think about it, and answer questions about their reading.  This way there's two less papers added to my grading pile everyday, they get immediate feedback about their work, and I don't get behind with their grades.  Not to mention it increases their oral presentation skills and exposes them to other literature from hearing the other persons presentation. Win-win situation.  

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

I'm excited about the slew of homeschool conventions that are coming up and trying to decide what I'm going to continue for next year and what I will change.  I love going to my local convention and just being around other homeschoolers.  I also love the workshops and speakers to help keep me motivated.  All of the hustle and bustle of preparing for the upcoming year...exciting!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

I'd been in the mood for some professional development and was surfing around the Internet looking for something free to refresh my creativity and spark for teaching.  I found the Annenberg Learner List, which is more so for public school teachers but many of the same principles apply to any teacher.  The Videos On Demand (VoD) are completely free, I watched several helpful clips.

Thanks for stopping by, please visit The Homeschool Chick to read other Mother's Journals.

~Blessings~

Claudea B.

 

Civil Rights Advocate: W.E.B Du Bois

William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington Massachusetts.  He was born to Alfred and Mary DuBois. 

Have you ever heard this famous passage from the Forethought of his book The Souls Of Black Folk "The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line."  This was one of the most profound statements of the entire book.   The Souls Of Black Folk is a collection of essays written by Debois in 1903, discussing and analysing a variety of subjects on the topic of black life.  Du Bois also challenged one of the most notable black thinkers of the time in this book, Booker T. Washington.

W.E.B DuBois was the first African-American to graduate from Harvard University in 1895, which I find to be amazing.  He graduated with a PH. D. in history and went on to teach sociology at Atlanta University.  Being in the south during the years of 1898-1910, Du Bois could see first hand the effects of the Jim Crow laws and felt compelled to do something about it.  He founded a organization called the Niagara Movement to advocate for the rights of blacks.  Even though this organization was short-lived, it was the precursor to a famous organization that I'm sure you've heard of, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which was founded in 1909.  As a founding member of the NAACP, DeBois also took the lead as the lead researcher and editor of the NAACP journal "The Crisis."
He continued his work with the NAACP until 1934 when he left the organization.

After being accused of being a communist, brought before a judge and the case being dismissed, Du Bois officially joined the communist party in 1961 and left the U.S.  A year later he gave up his U.S. citizenship and became a citizen of Ghana (that's in Africa).  He died in 1963. 

You can find out more about W.E.B. Du Bois at Biography dot com.  There is also a pretty cool interactive NAACP timeline at Thinkfinity that would be useful to tie into a lesson plan.  It even has lesson plans built into it.

~Blessings~

Claudea B.



   

Black History: Test Your Knowledge

Okay, I thought it might be fun to have a little trivia today, even though it's not Fun Friday.  This is a great opportunity for me to plan out the questions that I will be using on Fun Friday for the kiddos.  Thanks for volunteering to let me practice on you...hehehe:)

Okay I'm only going to ask you five questions, that's not bad right???  All of the questions are taken from the Brain Quest Black History Revised Edition.  This one targets kids ages 9 and up so it shouldn't be too hard (yeah right).  I won't be grading you so don't Google the answers or look them up in your own copy of Brain Quest, just for fun let's see if you can know (or can guess) the answers.

Here we go:

1.  To whom did Martin Luther King, Jr., address his Letter from Birmingham City Jail?

2.  In what mid-western city did Dr. Daniel Hale Williams establish the first African-American hospital?

3.  Name the athlete who defied Hitler's theory of black inferiority by winning four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics.

4.  Name the jazz legend whose signature tune was "Take the 'A' Train."

5.  What great 19th-century speaker declared that education means "light and liberty?"

Well that's it for now, simple enough huh?  I'll give the answers to the quiz on Friday 2/18/2011 (My nephew's birthday...yes, I remembered this time sir).

Good luck, I hope you do well on the quiz...remember NO CHEATING, this is just for fun:)

~Blessings~

Claudea B.



  



Monday Blog Hop 2/14/2011

Today is Valentine's Day and that's great but I think I'm going to kick the day off with a blog hop. 

Join me to check out some new blogs and make new friends.

As always...I FOLLOW BACK!

Here's were I'm going today:



 

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

~Blessings~

Claudea B.



The Homeschool Mother's Journal ~ 2

 

In my life this week...

My mother is currently in the hospital after having her foot amputated.  She has struggled with diabetes most of her life.  I've found it difficult to focus this week thinking about the quality of life she has to look forward to now.  I worry that some of the things that she still wanted to do in life will not happen.  My mother enjoys her independence and I'm concerned about how this will effect that.  I live far enough away from her that it's difficult to visit as often as I'd like, and I fear that she will no longer be able to live alone.

In our homeschool this week...

We continued with our Black History Month theme this week.  Sunshyne has also been extremely focused on her Girl Scout cookie sales.  I'm proud of her because she's a very playful child and doesn't take much seriously, but she has put a lot of effort into this venture.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

With my mother being in the hospital, that's pretty much where we have been.  It's such a blessing to enjoy the flexibility of homeschooling.  Sunshyne LOVES her grandmother and was able to go with me to visit her before her surgery.  It's times like that when I am so grateful to our decision to homeschool.  My mother was so happy to see Sunshyne and vice versa, it just really made those bleak circumstances feel like everything was going to be okay.

Also, a friend of mine is now the director of a branch of Classical Conversations and invited Sunshyne to visit one of the classes this week.  I'd never heard of CC until my friend started up a location nearby.  It was nice to visit and I really liked the history curriculum that the program utilizes.  I've never been a person that uses one single curriculum for everything so it doesn't appeal to me from that aspect but I like that the class meets just once per week and that I am still able to homeschool my child the rest of the week. 

I'll probably do a review of our visit in more detail for folks that are not familiar with CC, in the near future.

My favorite thing this week was...

Sunshyne sung Swing Low, Sweet Chariot as a part of our Black History activities.  Her little voice singing that song was just the cutest thing.  I love to hear her sing anyway, but that song touches me so deeply because it has meaning.  It was a memorable moment...my favorite thing this week.

What's working/not working for us...

I've just wanted to add more liveliness to our homeschool and that has yet to happen.  I continue to tell myself that I'm going to sit down on the weekend and prepare some new and fun activities for certain subjects but I still haven't found the time.  Also, I struggle with distractions of all types during my classroom time.  My phone ringing, changes with schedules, last minute stuff that seems to pop-up all the time...it seems never ending.  Lastly, I'd also like to point out that I haven't given Sunshyne any new spelling words in two weeks, so I guess that is officially not working for us now.  I've got to pull it back together.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

This week I have just wanted to focus more on our classroom, unfortunately that hasn't really happened but I'm hopeful for next week. 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

RJ visiting with a neighbors adorable little puppy...cute!

Thanks for stopping by, please visit The Homeschool Chick to read other mother's journals.

~Blessings~

Claudea B.

Black History: Follow The Drinking Gourd

During slavery, music and song was as important to African-Americans as any other necessity of life.  Folks used song to ease the burden of long, hard days of working from dusk til dawn, and to hope for better days to come.  Song was also used for practical reasons as well like to communicate something to others in the field, or more importantly, to tell each other how to escape to freedom.

Follow The Drinking Gourd was exactly that, a map to freedom disguised in a song.  Although a drinking gourd is a hollowed out gourd that was used for passing around drinking water to slaves, it's meaning in the song was the Big Dipper.  This group of stars would guide slaves to freedom in the north.

Here are the words to this famous slave song:

Follow The Drinking Gourd

When the sun comes back and the first quail calls,

Follow the drinking gourd.

For the old man is a-waiting for to 

carry you to freedom

If you follow the drinking gourd.

Follow the drinking gourd,

Follow the drinking gourd,

For the old man is a-waiting for to

carry you to freedom

If you follow the drinking gourd.

The river ends between two hills,

Follow the drinking gourd.

There's another river on the other side,

Follow the drinking gourd.

Follow the drinking gourd, 

Follow the drinking gourd, 

For the old man is a-waiting for to

carry you to freedom

If you follow the drinking gourd. 

I was looking around on You Tube and found this awesome rendition of the song by the Ishmel Sisters, it's a little long, but well worth six minutes of your time.  These girls are amazing!

Have an outstanding Thursday and thanks for stopping by!



Thursday Blog Hops 2/10/2011

Here's where I'm hanging out today for the Thursday Blog Hops

Don't forget, I ALWAYS FOLLOW BACK...even if it takes me a few days :)



Henry "Box" Brown

Have you read the story of Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levin and illustrated by Kadir Nelson?  This is one of the many captivating and emotional stories that we are reading this month.  It is the story of Henry Brown's ingenious escape to freedom. 

Henry Brown was born a slave and lived with his mother working in their master's house until the age of about 10 (Henry did not know exactly how old he was), when he was given to his master's son.  At that point he worked in a tobacco factory until he was a young man.  Eventually, he met a young woman and was given permission to marry her.  They lived together and had three children.  One day a friend came to Henry with some horrifying news that motivated Henry to make a critical decision.  He needed to decide how to make his escape to freedom.  A random crate would give him the perfect idea to join the ranks of having one of the most infamous escapes to freedom in (American) slavery history.

Henry "Box" Brown escaped from Virginia to Philadelphia in 1849 in his freedom box.  The account of Henry's escape is recounted in "The Underground Railroad" by William Still, first published in 1872.  The illustration above is the lithograph created by Samuel Rowse in 1850, which inspired the incredible artwork by Kadir Nelson for this book.

A must read in my opinion, it's not only informative but moving, and it truly encompasses the emotions of  heart-break and triumph of Henry "Box" Brown's story.

I hope you're having an informative and enlightening Black History Month!

~Blessings~

Claudea B. 

 

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

 

In my life this week...

We have been down to one vehicle for a few weeks and it truly took it's toll on me this week.  Having to wake up extra early to drop my husband off at work, which was a 45 minute drive each way.  Only to return home and have to get my son to work within 15 minutes.  It was such a trying ordeal.  The experience was a reminder to appreciate all the things that I have...conveniences such as having two cars, washing machines, and dish washers... All Blessings!!!

In our homeschool this week...

Sunhyne has been so excited about her Girl Scout Cookie Sales. She's a Junior this year and ironically it's her first year to participate in cookie sales. She's been going door to door taking orders and has had a such a wonderful experience. She even had a few of her friends come out to help. Her excitement and enthusiasm has been my favorite part of the week:)

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

We made it to our weekly PE class this week and Sunshyne had a blast, as usual.  I think it's imperative for her to participate in PE because balance and coordination is challenging for her.  Poor baby, she LOVES playing sports but she constantly falls.

 My favorite thing this week was...

  This week, we are focusing on Black History in celebration of Black History Month. We are discussing historical figures, slavery, the civil rights movement, African-American traditions...food, games, songs, etc. All of which I'm highlighting on my blog this month.

What's working/not working for us...

We are loving several aspects of our homeschool schedule this year.  First, we are using lapbooks for science and it's working out SO well.  I love seeing them come together and knowing that the kids have something to look back on and review later on.  Also, we LOVE Teaching Textbooks for math this semester.  This is our first year trying the TT curriculum and it is awesome!

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

I would like to do some things different with our history curriculum.  We are currently using the Abeka U.S History book for 4th grade.  I just think it gets boring at times and doesn't really bring history to life.  I'd like to add more to history some how.  I have tried adding videos to portions of our studies from the History channel, but do not always find the time to do so.  I've thought about Brain Pop as an option for history as well...I guess I just need to find the time to sit down and re-vamp that portion of our curriculum.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

Sunshyne and Friends going door-to-door for Girl Scout Cookie sales.
Thanks for stopping by!

~Blessings~

Claudea B.



 

Follow Me Friday Blog Hops

***I ALWAYS FOLLOW BACK***

TGIF...These are the blog hops that I'm participating in today, come join in the fun!

Happy Hopping!

~Blessings~

Claudea B.



Black Inventor: Garrett Morgan

Today we will be taking a look at the famous African-American Inventor Garrett Morgan.  Born March 4, 1877 in Paris, Kentucky, Morgan was the 7th of 11 children. 

One of Morgan's most profound inventions was the Safety Hood or Gas Mask.

The Gas Mask looked very different than today's gas mask in it's early beginning.  It truly looked like something out of a science fiction movie.  Despite it's Sci-fi inspiring look, Morgan won a first prize placement at the Second International Exposition of Safety and Sanitation, complete with a gold medal.

In addition to Morgans already astounding accomplishments with the Gas Mask invention, that was used in World War I and saved thousands of lives, Morgan also invented the Traffic Signal.

Morgan designed the Traffic Signal after witnessing a collision between an automobile and a horse and carriage.  The horse had to be put down and the driver of the automobile was knocked unconscious.  Morgan created and patented the Traffic Signal and then sold the rights to the General Electric Company for $40,000.00 dollars.

Morgan went on to get involved with the Civil Rights movement with starting a newspaper, Call & Post and getting involved with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) as treasurer.  Morgan died July 27, 1963.

To read a full bio on Garrett Morgan please visit Blackinventor dot com.

 

Activity ideas: Create a paper gas mask replica of Morgans model using construction paper and toilet/paper towel tubes, Create a Tissue Box Traffic Light craft.  Check out this super cute traffic light snack idea at Twiggle Magazine. 

Here are two new links for Black History Month Fun:  The Teachers Corner and Family Education.

Please let me know if you're doing or have done any of the activities, I'd love to see pictures!  Thanks for stopping by!

~Blessings~

Claudea B. 

 

Wednesday's Follow Me Hops: 2/2/2011

I ALWAYS FOLLOW BACK!
Today's "Follow Me" Blog Hops that I'm participating in are:

 
Have Fun, thanks for stopping by! 

~Blessings~

Claudea B.

 

28 Days for Black History

It's that time of year again when we focus on the efforts of African-Americans that have paved the way for our lives today.  We take a look back at our history because as my Mama use to say, "you won't know where you're going unless you know where you've been."

We appreciate the work of great African-American artists, singers, dancers, actors, and sport figures.  We recite famous poetry, revisit great inventions, and learn about the plight of our leaders.

Please feel free to join us on our 28 days for Black History Journey.  I will be posting Black history activities, literature resources, and links to other awesome sites, Monday-Friday (unless the unexpected happens) throughout the month of February.

One of my favorite books to kick off Black History Month with is Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney.  This is a beautifully written book about the lives of some truly great African-American Women.  The list includes Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune (my favorite), Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm.  I use this book as a read aloud because I still enjoy hearing the stories and I want my kiddos to focus on the story and not their phonetics.

To read more about this book Elizabeth Kennedy over at About Children's Books gives the best review of  Let It Shine that I've seen thus far.

Our first great Black Woman Freedom Fighter to study will be Sojourner Truth.

She was born into slavery in Hurley, New york around 1797 as Isabella Baumfree (her slave-name).  She was an abolitionist, a minister, and a women's rights activist.  She died in Battle Creek, Michigan on November 26,1883.

For more about Sojourner Truth, activities, and to see the monument erected in Battle Creek, Michigan in her honor please visit the Sojourner Truth dot org website.

For the little ones, there's a coloring page at Crayola for Sojourner Truth.

Additionally, the History Channel has a nice collection of Black History videos and I just love the graphics and information at Biography dot com.

There's plenty to do and learn so check back daily to see what we are up too and let us know how you are celebrating Black History Month.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Blessings~

Claudea B.