Satori Smiles » Other Thoughts

Satori’s new haircut

Angela — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:16:25 +0000

We’ve been wanting to get a new haircut for quite some time, and after seeing the movie about Ramona, we were ready. It was a bit shorter than I was expecting, but we all really like it! We can see her eyes and face so much easier. Satori will now be able to brush/comb her own hair everyday, what a plus!

“The Aquarium” painting by Satori After we whizzed through the “f” section in Explode the...
Satori’s new ID card Yesterday Satori got her very own library card, as Boulder...
Explode the Code – Satori’s favorite workbook? We’re on a big ETC kick! Explode the Code is...

Wordless Wednesday

Angela — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:31:59 +0000

No related posts.

Starting a Writing Center (or Drawing Center)

Angela — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:10:39 +0000

Satori loves to write and draw on our kitchen table. It’s expensive and I’d rather not have her on there, so I am putting up a little table in the kitchen for her to write and draw. Just yesterday I took advantage of Michael’s 40% off sale and got Derwent watercolor pencils, Kohl-i-noor woodless colored pencils, 50 Cray-pas Junior Pastels, 50 Crayola markers and some $1 Target containers to store them in. Messy stuff like actual watercolors and paints will stay downstairs in the craft room. I just thought it would be more inspiring to have windows and be near people when she wants to write and draw.

I don’t have an updated photo of all this.

When we get back from our trip, I’ll be on the lookout for building an accessible arts/drawing center and/or writing center. So far, Satori is using this little table all the time already! I think it’s a good idea. So right now I’m open to any ideas. I want everything easy to reach and tempting to use… I know there’s a word for this style, just haven’t looked into it much yet.

Starting our Drawing lessons We are going to be sketching and drawing a lot...
Painting our Craft Kitchen – color input needed When we first started homeschooling last spring, we first converted...
Writing stories in blank books One of Satori’s favorite activities is writing stories, notes, and...

MEP math

Angela — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:40:02 +0000

This summer we are going to be adding a new math supplement – MEP math! RightStart is fine on its own, but I couldn’t resist peeking into this last week and it looks like it will be a great complement to RS. MEP is a free online math program covering over nine years of math. Several homeschool parents who I respect their curriculum choices all say they love this program, and most use it as a supplement to either RightStart, Singapore, or Miquon (some may use it as a stand-alone).

Satori and I just did the first 7 lessons in 30 minutes tonight out of Year 1A. I can her see zooming through 1A this summer and then slowing down in 1B. So far it was a fresh perspective and Satori loved it. Now we have two fun and effective math programs!

I must admit I spent the entire weekend printing out all the lessons and worksheets and then placed them in cool binders. I’ll give a more thorough review soon.

First Grade – Summer 2010 On June 1, 2010 we started “First Grade”. I will...
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Save up to 25% on RightStart Mathematics RightStart Math can be pricey but well worth the investment....

Save up to 25% on RightStart Mathematics

Angela — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:04:22 +0000

RightStart Math can be pricey but well worth the investment. I hear it never goes on sale, but this morning I woke up to a pleasant surprise that the Homeschool Buyers Co-op is giving a great deal on RightStart! Depending on the number ordered, you can save up to 25%. Right now it is at 20%, but I’m positive it will hit the 25% by the time the deal expires on 6/29.

What great timing, we are just finishing up RightStart A, and I couldn’t bring myself to spend the $100 to buy the A-to-B Kit to move on to the next level.

This news is making its waves on all the homeschooling boards, as people know it’s just a rockin’ program!

The only thing is, is that if I wait for the coop to mail out RightStart B, we will have almost a month of in-between time. But that’s okay! I’m a math curriculum junkie and I also have Singapore, Miquon and MEP. I would love a chance to explore MEP and Miquon a bit more, and perhaps add one as a supplement. I hear they’re all great!

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RightStart – More Game We’ve been kinda slacking on math, but finally tonight Satori...