Thursday, April 18, 2013

Math lesson...


Lately we've been working on place value… A concept I understand to be so simple now, yet as a kid 
I remember it being extremely abstract and complicated. I wonder if our minds get more and 
more logical as we grow...
I like these cubes that make a clear visual demonstration of how the whole ball of wax actually works...
 I'm trying to tie the gap between the hands on manipulation and the actual written numbers. 
I've noticed a couple of the kids prefer the written numbers and it's  the cubes that are harder
 for them to tackle …
I find it so interesting to see how each child has their own way of reacting to new material. 
I can't image trying to teach something like this to a huge group of children, lets say twenty 
to thirty at a time??? My hat goes off to all those underpaid, over worked teachers out their 
who are given fifty oranges to carry with just two hands.
Hope everyone is having a good week!!
  
                                                                                   ~ Marica

Saturday, March 9, 2013

March… School… Reading… and books...


Everybody has been reading... Lots and lots of reading…
The littlest ones are sounding out words and remembering 
how a long vowel sounds...
 They're patient, holding their breath when they catch the 
word before the others do...
It's careful work...
The middle crew is taking turns reading aloud in what was our back bedroom and is now 
the official "library" … Another post to come soon… I can't wait!!
And our big boys are still sitting perched… Each in the deep, thick of bound paper,
spackled with lettering, keeping them absorbed for hours...
(This picture was from a previous post, but sums it all up too well…)

Some of the books being read around here:

Frog and Toad Arnold Lobel
School House in the Woods Rebecca Caudil
Spiderweb for Two Elizabeth Enright
Rangers Apprentice John Flanagan
The Stand Stephen King

And then I myself recently finished:
Flight Behavior  Barbara Kingsolver
and just started:
The Lacuna also by Barbara Kingsolver

         Hope Everyone is having a good beginning to March!!
                                                                              
                                                                        Cheers ~ Marica


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The colors of this week...



With the calender striking mid-February….
A friend brought over pansies to plant with the kids...
 Vibrant red pansies….And fresh young strawberries...
They used old cans and wrapped up newspaper to make pots…
Today we covered empty boxes with magazine clippings...
To make them pretty…
Happy Mid-February Everyone…

                                                                   ~ Marica

Also blogged at wasabihoneybee.blogspot.com