Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Kindergarten Soccer
Lex is playing kindergarten soccer this fall. He is still only 4 years old, but I figured that he is doing Kindergarten for homeschool, so that's what I signed him up for. Some of the kids on his team are already 6, and the rest are 5 years old. Yet, he is the tallest on his team. So I think I made the right call in not putting him on a pre-K team again. He would have looked like a giant next to the 3 and 4 year olds I think.
His first game was yesterday. He's wearing Texas Orange, which is not to be confused with regular orange. He got the number 7 shirt, just like Connor.
I don't know if you can tell, but he had a ton of fun. He loves to play soccer.
His friend Miles came with us to watch and cheer for him.
After the game, the boys played a little soccer game of their own before we headed home.
Hooray for perfect fall soccer weather!
His first game was yesterday. He's wearing Texas Orange, which is not to be confused with regular orange. He got the number 7 shirt, just like Connor.
I don't know if you can tell, but he had a ton of fun. He loves to play soccer.
His friend Miles came with us to watch and cheer for him.
After the game, the boys played a little soccer game of their own before we headed home.
Hooray for perfect fall soccer weather!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Amarillo Ambush Again
On Saturday, Connor's soccer team played the Tigers. The Tigers only spoke Spanish, but soccer is a game that transcends language. It was kinda like the world cup. On a smaller scale. You know, slightly.
One of Connor's friends came along to help us cheer on the Ambush.
Someone's brother wanted to be a camera hog.
Here's to many more soccer games, and to some Spanish lessons.
One of Connor's friends came along to help us cheer on the Ambush.
Someone's brother wanted to be a camera hog.
Here's to many more soccer games, and to some Spanish lessons.
Go Ambush!
Saturday, September 27, 2014
I choose...archery.
Guess what is just down the street from our house?
A new archery range.
As in bring your kids and we'll give them a bow and some arrows and teach them what to do archery range.
The boys loved it. Connor popped two balloons on the front targets, which were about 5 yards away. They both also hit the back target area, which was about 10 yards away.
I think we will be doing this again. I can't wait to try it out myself! (I didn't today because I was helping the kids. Hopefully soon they will be able to do it alone.)
A new archery range.
As in bring your kids and we'll give them a bow and some arrows and teach them what to do archery range.
The boys loved it. Connor popped two balloons on the front targets, which were about 5 yards away. They both also hit the back target area, which was about 10 yards away.
I think we will be doing this again. I can't wait to try it out myself! (I didn't today because I was helping the kids. Hopefully soon they will be able to do it alone.)
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Dinosaurs
We are doing a dinosaur study unit for homeschool.
Today, the boys colored some dinos and improved upon them:
Today, the boys colored some dinos and improved upon them:
Firesaurus by Connor
He breathes fire, and has a flaming tail.
Hurtasaurus by Connor
Note the hammer tail.
I think he shoots some sort of rock from his mouth, too.
Deadlysaurus by Lex
He shoots fireballs from his mouth.
That poor mouse is about to catch his tail on fire!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Book(s) of the Week/Month
Now that is a wishy-washy title if ever I saw one.
And without further ado, because there isn't much to be had, and I am not one to make much of nothing, I am pleased to present some books that have tickled our fancy for fall:
Wow. Blurry. That's my fault. But don't let that distract from the adorable penguins and pumpkins. This book is really sweet. Which is the only counterpoint to all the scary that is to follow...
This book is perfect for the boys! They recognized a lot of Texas landmarks in the illustrations. We have been to many in person. The whole thing rhymes, too. Think 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, but with more ghastly ghouls. And less 'twas. More twang. It's Texas, y'all.
Skeleton for Dinner is funny. You see, the witches want to have skeleton for dinner, and he gets a little confused and very worried. But there is a happy ending.
Sidebar: Another blurry photo. I think I must have been jittery from the Starbucks. Don't you love how there is always a Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble? It's one of the best/coziest/tastiest places in the universe. End sidebar.
This one doesn't have any pictures, but that makes it good for bedtime stories, because then the boys can actually close their eyes while I read and not worry about missing anything. Each of the individual tales is pretty short, too, which is another plus for right before bed. So far, none of them has been too scary for before bedtime, but we aren't done with the whole book yet, so I make no guarantees. The kids are actually waiting for the scariest one. Boys.
This has been a favorite for us for years. It seems like the right time of year to be reading it again.
The Day the Crayons Quit is still very popular with our set. And this version is starring Lex as a very disgruntled blue crayon is my favorite. I feel like he can completely relate. He's tired of coloring the sky, too. In fact, he really doesn't like coloring at all, which I cannot understand.
I cannot fathom why he acts like I am torturing him every time I get out a box of crayons. It's bizarre. All other signs point to him being my child, so I'm not too worried about pod people. Yet.
And without further ado, because there isn't much to be had, and I am not one to make much of nothing, I am pleased to present some books that have tickled our fancy for fall:
Wow. Blurry. That's my fault. But don't let that distract from the adorable penguins and pumpkins. This book is really sweet. Which is the only counterpoint to all the scary that is to follow...
This book is perfect for the boys! They recognized a lot of Texas landmarks in the illustrations. We have been to many in person. The whole thing rhymes, too. Think 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, but with more ghastly ghouls. And less 'twas. More twang. It's Texas, y'all.
Skeleton for Dinner is funny. You see, the witches want to have skeleton for dinner, and he gets a little confused and very worried. But there is a happy ending.
Sidebar: Another blurry photo. I think I must have been jittery from the Starbucks. Don't you love how there is always a Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble? It's one of the best/coziest/tastiest places in the universe. End sidebar.
This one doesn't have any pictures, but that makes it good for bedtime stories, because then the boys can actually close their eyes while I read and not worry about missing anything. Each of the individual tales is pretty short, too, which is another plus for right before bed. So far, none of them has been too scary for before bedtime, but we aren't done with the whole book yet, so I make no guarantees. The kids are actually waiting for the scariest one. Boys.
This has been a favorite for us for years. It seems like the right time of year to be reading it again.
The Day the Crayons Quit is still very popular with our set. And this version is starring Lex as a very disgruntled blue crayon is my favorite. I feel like he can completely relate. He's tired of coloring the sky, too. In fact, he really doesn't like coloring at all, which I cannot understand.
I cannot fathom why he acts like I am torturing him every time I get out a box of crayons. It's bizarre. All other signs point to him being my child, so I'm not too worried about pod people. Yet.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Stats and such
Name: Connor
Age: 7
Height: 4'2"
Weight: 57 lbs
Cleat Size: 2
Name: Lex
Age: 4
Height: 3'10"
Weight: 46 lbs
Cleat Size: 1
So I bought the boys new soccer cleats, and I couldn't believe that Lex's foot was almost the same size as Connor's!
P.S. These photos are from the picnic that Kevin's company hosted this past weekend. Each of the kids got a giant inflatable as a door prize.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Friday, September 19, 2014
Tennis Lessons!
Connor has taken tennis lessons twice before, and each time, Lex was too young to join him. Oh, but how he wanted to! He hated being left out!
When we were in Ohio, Lex was going to be old enough as soon as the next season started. But then we moved before that could happen. And in Houston? The starting age was even older, so Lex was going to have longer to wait. But then we moved again.
Well, finally, finally, Lex is old enough for tennis lessons!
The kids started their classes this week
and Lex was not disappointed.
They both had fun and are looking forward to going back next week.
When we were in Ohio, Lex was going to be old enough as soon as the next season started. But then we moved before that could happen. And in Houston? The starting age was even older, so Lex was going to have longer to wait. But then we moved again.
Well, finally, finally, Lex is old enough for tennis lessons!
The kids started their classes this week
and Lex was not disappointed.
They both had fun and are looking forward to going back next week.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Tri-State Fair
We went on a field trip with our local homeschool group to the Tri-State Fair this week.
First, we saw a magic show.
Which was great, because the kids love magic.
This lady did all sorts of neat magic tricks while telling the kids all about things that come from farms.
The kids really liked the show. They were all smiles at the end.
Next, we saw a demonstration about cows. This is a jersey cow.
We watched her being milked, so now the boys know exactly where the 64 gallons of milk that they drink each week comes from.
First, we saw a magic show.
Which was great, because the kids love magic.
This lady did all sorts of neat magic tricks while telling the kids all about things that come from farms.
The kids really liked the show. They were all smiles at the end.
Next, we saw a demonstration about cows. This is a jersey cow.
We watched her being milked, so now the boys know exactly where the 64 gallons of milk that they drink each week comes from.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Math Apps
I wanted to tell you guys about the apps that we are currently using most for math in our house.
Get ready, because they are awesome.
The first one is Dragon Box Algebra 5+.
This one is a game that secretly teaches kids (ages 5 and up, but Lex is only 4 and he had no trouble with it at all) the basic rules of solving algebraic equations. Not only is it educational, but it is super fun and highly addictive. The kids played and played and played and beat all the many levels. And now they understand how to manipulate algebraic equations intuitively. But they keep going back to it and doing it again.
The next one is Dragon Box Algebra 12+.
I know that this one is geared towards middle school and high school students (ages 12 and up), but since the kids finished the first app, I went ahead and bought the second one. Lex plays this one, but needs a little bit more help. Connor isn't having any trouble with it at all.
It's a lot like the first app, and it is just as fun and addictive, but it looks a little bit more like real math. And it's more challenging, which I think Connor actually enjoys. He still thinks of it as a puzzle game, because it is. All of math kind of is a puzzle game, actually.
Next up is Llama Drama, which teaches multiplication facts through visual arrays that the kids can build and manipulate. And the llamas are funny and cute. Llamas always make me laugh. This is another one that feels like a puzzle game, and the kids can't put it down.
I love using apps in our homeschool. There are so many apps that are well made, and they can really make learning things fun.
Do you have any good suggestions for game-based or graphically-beautiful learning apps? What are your kids playing?
Get ready, because they are awesome.
The first one is Dragon Box Algebra 5+.
This one is a game that secretly teaches kids (ages 5 and up, but Lex is only 4 and he had no trouble with it at all) the basic rules of solving algebraic equations. Not only is it educational, but it is super fun and highly addictive. The kids played and played and played and beat all the many levels. And now they understand how to manipulate algebraic equations intuitively. But they keep going back to it and doing it again.
The next one is Dragon Box Algebra 12+.
I know that this one is geared towards middle school and high school students (ages 12 and up), but since the kids finished the first app, I went ahead and bought the second one. Lex plays this one, but needs a little bit more help. Connor isn't having any trouble with it at all.
It's a lot like the first app, and it is just as fun and addictive, but it looks a little bit more like real math. And it's more challenging, which I think Connor actually enjoys. He still thinks of it as a puzzle game, because it is. All of math kind of is a puzzle game, actually.
Next up is Llama Drama, which teaches multiplication facts through visual arrays that the kids can build and manipulate. And the llamas are funny and cute. Llamas always make me laugh. This is another one that feels like a puzzle game, and the kids can't put it down.
I love using apps in our homeschool. There are so many apps that are well made, and they can really make learning things fun.
Do you have any good suggestions for game-based or graphically-beautiful learning apps? What are your kids playing?
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Gone Fishin'
The guys really wanted to go fishing. Mostly Daddy. But the kids tagged along. I did too.
The kids even got real worms and hooks for the first time!
I decided to let them have their space. Those hooks and worms make me nervous.
Both Connor and Lex got bored before they caught anything, so they started exploring.
In the end, no one caught anything, but a fish ate a couple of Kevin's worms.
The kids even got real worms and hooks for the first time!
I decided to let them have their space. Those hooks and worms make me nervous.
Both Connor and Lex got bored before they caught anything, so they started exploring.
In the end, no one caught anything, but a fish ate a couple of Kevin's worms.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Amarillo Ambush
This weekend Connor's new soccer team had their first game.
All his best soccer fans came to cheer him on, including his old coaches and teammates.
He switched soccer leagues for this season. This league is supposed to be more competitive.
Also, this is the first time that he has been in an all-boys league, which he loves.
He's also thrilled that his team jerseys are black.
He picked out number 7 for his jersey. Seven is his favorite number.
We are looking forward to many more good games this season!
All his best soccer fans came to cheer him on, including his old coaches and teammates.
He switched soccer leagues for this season. This league is supposed to be more competitive.
Also, this is the first time that he has been in an all-boys league, which he loves.
He's also thrilled that his team jerseys are black.
He picked out number 7 for his jersey. Seven is his favorite number.
We are looking forward to many more good games this season!
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