tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5564478277929443422024-03-26T23:38:11.788-07:00Pocket Full of WhimsyMonique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-23836982046681280842019-09-07T12:56:00.000-07:002019-09-07T15:02:41.495-07:00How I Plan Our Homeschool Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been getting a lot of questions about planning so I thought it'd be worth doing a blog post about it. I rather enjoy planning - that's the span of time all of the creative ideas come together, everything looks pretty on paper and no children have messed up the plan with their attitude or lack of cooperation ;) Ha. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now don't get offended - I love teaching and we have so many beautiful educational moments but we also have hard ones and often my best laid plans don't go exactly as they went in my head. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My planning process is one of a million, there are so many ways to do it and so much depends on personal preference, personality, and family dynamics. That said, I know it can be super helpful to get a peek into someone else's process and take anything that might work for you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I taught in the public system full time I was required to meet the outcomes outlined in the Saskatchewan Curriculum. For the most part, topics and content areas were pre-chosen and I had to figure out how to deliver it. This meant I could easily map out my entire year. I created unit plans for each theme (ELA) that included a lesson by lesson break down (right down to the discussion questions to ask at the beginning, middle and end), all handouts ready, all forms of assessment drawn up and ready, all assignments in order, texts lined up, etc. Being that level prepared meant I could spend more after school hours at home rather than in my classroom prepping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started my homeschool planning in the same way. I had Kindergarten alllllll mapped out. And it lasted about a week, a month tops. It just didn't allow for the type of freedom I now had in this new educational set up and I discovered just how much I love chasing down rabbit trails and giving in to my spur of the moment ideas. I like seeing curiosity create a spark and having the freedom to fan that spark into a flame through directing our studies down that path. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>YEAR PLANNING</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My year planning is very low key. I start by listing topics we want to deep dive into. This type of study for us is very immersive and will cover all subject areas. This year a few deep dives on our list are:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Ancient Egypt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Pirates</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Sharks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Solar System</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We will add to these as I see what sparks their interest through the year. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MHFgUlFdrR4LatiwunGJwvGzohADBYKr8jJTITf00UoRat7tCY76ckca4BOi0sz_opEzlkEu-5c96VCpuhedexcTLCiX6Ss-Pw-BFTYeNv_Y2BkF05IzVf6ynuktJp19X6JtpHPOkQ5A/s1600/learningbeside-9669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MHFgUlFdrR4LatiwunGJwvGzohADBYKr8jJTITf00UoRat7tCY76ckca4BOi0sz_opEzlkEu-5c96VCpuhedexcTLCiX6Ss-Pw-BFTYeNv_Y2BkF05IzVf6ynuktJp19X6JtpHPOkQ5A/s1600/learningbeside-9669.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will also list certain skills/projects that I want them to work on. A few examples are:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Ukulele - get to playing full songs and be able to sing while playing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Writing Projects: Investigative Journalism (tell the story behind an old family photo and ask good questions *Brave Writer), Opinion piece, Research project: Adobe Spark video, Fiction Piece 3rd Person, Fiction Piece: Diary format, Descriptive Paragraph, Personal Anecdote, Nature Journals</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Build drawing and watercolour skills through art and nature journals</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Grow in reading fluency and comprehension</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a partial list and I will also add to it throughout the year. These skills can be worked on in various ways. We might use the research project for a type of Shark and the Diary fiction might be slotted into Ancient Egypt and used to tell the story of King Tut. The options are endless. *I'll be doing another post on One Thing Planning at some point but you can also check out my post on <a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2018/02/our-homeschool-rhythms.html">Homeschool Rhythms </a>that explains a bit of that process. Actually, I offer workshops on One Thing Planning as well so if you have a homeschool community and need a speaker I'd love to come and help equip and encourage!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then I'll list a few of the things that kind of run along at their own pace in a linear manner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Math - We use Bob Jones University curriculum for math. I only purchase the worktexts as I feel confident to teach any of the math concepts and don't need the teacher guides. My kids also rarely need/want much instruction from me in Math. They get to a new concept, I quickly explain it and they go with it. Math is one of our daily rhythms so we do it each day and they just do the next pages. I also let them choose their next unit when they complete one. We've rarely encountered a problem where they were missing a skill from jumping around the curriculum. On the odd occasion it happens and I just quickly teach it and they continue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Reading Eggs - for the past several years my kids have used Reading Eggs as independent learning time. It's gamefied, fun, well organized. My son finished the program a year or two ago and my daughter is nearing the end. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Typing Lessons - A few times a week my kids do typing lessons on <a href="http://typing.com/">Typing.com</a>. Again, it's linear and independent work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Yousician - is an app for learning to play an instrument. It has programs for piano, guitar and ukulele. With the free version you can have 10 minutes of lesson time a day. I like this as a supplement to our Ukulele lessons. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Copy Work - we did the whole Handwriting Without Tears cursive program and so 3-4 times a week my kids did cursive practice. The book is set up to move sequentially and required no planning from me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So all of that provides a framework for me and sets me up to handle the day to day planning. Day to day planning is something that I find you have the best success in if you keep an open mind, are willing to observe, reflect and make changes that will best suit your kids and family. I find I'm constantly tweaking mine to find the right flow that brings the most productivity and peace to our day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it comes to planning our days I use the <a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/homeschool-planner-page">custom planner page</a> that I created to outline our day. I'm quite flexible with what we do at what times of the day and often give the kids a fair amount of choice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(*the planner page in the shop doesn't have "boy one, girl one" but "morning" and "afternoon" instead :).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We always have a read aloud novel on the go (that most often ties into our deep dive subject) and we do that every day. I also always have a stack of books from the library in the house (that also typically tie into our deep dive) and so we will read picture books each day as well. In our province it is extremely convenient to order any books we want (and search by subject) on the SILS (Saskatchewan Interlibrary Loan System) app. I click the books I want, they send them to my library, I pick up. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Again, most of our studies revolve around deep dive "One Thing Planning". You can get my <a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/one-thing-planning-guide">One Thing Planning Guide here</a>. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbREaOlHn1ePwT5I2_H72jtcmGYmbfTeCEh61gJHaYHbxOz2yzBMC1AEx6qH48WWEh0Vqeegh1FsnmQV7A-Nkt7C8N2puszMhs9Vn7zO8tjKWYljyurIuedNGnwxxebw2i1gcA5R1VZVg/s1600/One+Thing+Full+Planning+Guide+jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbREaOlHn1ePwT5I2_H72jtcmGYmbfTeCEh61gJHaYHbxOz2yzBMC1AEx6qH48WWEh0Vqeegh1FsnmQV7A-Nkt7C8N2puszMhs9Vn7zO8tjKWYljyurIuedNGnwxxebw2i1gcA5R1VZVg/s1600/One+Thing+Full+Planning+Guide+jpg.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To boil it down before it gets it's own post, I am essentially creating a map of all the books to read, activities to do, art to create, videos/documentaries to watch, things to write, etc and then I just pull from that map when making up my day to day plan. A lot of the scope and sequence planning is just done in my head (I generally know what will flow well) and then I just take it a day at a time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once we get through a day I will record any "rabbit trails" on the planner page. I'll often make sure we get to those again soon or save them for a larger deep dive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I make note of what worked and what didn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e.g. "Letting them do math last worked better than I thought. I'll continue to let them choose when they do math."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Trying to guide them through writing at the same time was stressful and made it hard for them to concentrate. Will split them up next time."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I then take anything we didn't get to or didn't finish and add it to the next day's plan. After that I write down what I want to work on the next day and so on and so forth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am definitely not one who likes a schedule but I do favour rhythms. These rhythms can happen at various points in the day and I don't mind skipping them if we have other stuff going on. This year I may experiment with certain rhythms on certain days. For example, M-W-F Uke lessons, T-TH Typing Lessons, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I typically do my next day's planning right after we're done school or in the evening (orrrrrr in the morning while we're listening to an audio book lol). It generally takes me 10-15 minutes to plan out the next day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you're just starting out - take heart. You're going to figure out your planning style and rhythm. Give yourself lots of grace. Generally us homeschool moms are excited and overzealous and tend to over plan. It's hard not to want to fit in all the super fun learning opportunities. That said, be aware of creating realistic expectations of your day. Go ahead and over plan but pay attention to when you're all just getting "done". It's O.K. to leave it for the next day. It's also O.K. to scrap the plan and follow the curiosity sparks and rabbit trails. Most often those will be the best learning opportunities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To sum up, what has worked really well for me is to create a general outline (hopefully I've given you lots of components to consider) and to collect a variety of resources. For every theme I find a related novel (living book), a stack of library books (non fiction, fiction and picture books), I create a Youtube playlist of relevant videos, earmark any documentaries (on Netflix and Curiosity Stream), and create a list of art activities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With this general outline and collection of resources it is simple to pull from it to create our day to day plans. I stay away from planning too many days in advance for my family as it tends to work better if I do it day by day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hopefully this helps and isn't too confusing. It can be hard to articulate when so much of the process just happens in my head.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love sharing about deep dive "one thing" planning (and like I said have a workshop devoted to this for homeschool conferences and homeschool meet ups). I'd also like to possibly create a video workshop as it's a lot easier to convey through speaking and visuals than in a blog post. Drop me a comment if you'd be interested in a video workshop!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com97tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-37500879752966509482019-08-09T11:26:00.000-07:002019-08-09T11:26:22.298-07:00Curriculum is Not the Boss of You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's back to school season and all the homeschool parents are in their glory cracking open crisp new curriculum and books and setting out bouquets of sharpened pencils. It's lovely. All of those beautiful resources are elements of carefully crafted plans for engaging learning. Plans full of hopes and dreams. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inevitably at some point we are going to introduce children to this perfect set up we have and more likely than not they are going to mess those plans up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please tell me I am not the only one who has felt this way! I love planning and dreaming up ways to facilitate learning. Even if it's spur of the moment I find great delight in putting together ideas, activities and resources to engage my kids. But then I involve the children and sometimes even my best laid plans are met with resistance, indifference, or half hearted engagement.UGH!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obviously I adore my children but come on... sometimes this sequence runs through my head lol. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In light of all of this I have to continually remind myself "CURRICULUM IS NOT THE BOSS OF YOU." If you know me, you know that I don't use a lot of boxed curriculum (outside of Math) but I do create my own curriculum and even that has to be kept in it's place in my life. Curriculum is a wonderful servant but a horrible master. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I understand that curriculum and plans create a safety net for those of us who've jumped into the mammoth undertaking of educating our own children. Any naive spectator who has the opinion that people homeschool their offspring just so they can play all day has never been witness to the countless hours homeschool parents spend pouring over curriculums, lesson planning or stocking their personal libraries. Neither have they witnessed parents on the unschooling spectrum who go against their natural tendencies to constantly observe their children, taking stock of their interests and are diligently walking beside their children facilitating interest led learning and fanning their children's passions to flame. Rarely do I meet homeschool parents who aren't doing enough - typically they fall on the "doing all the things" end of the spectrum and still have a niggling fear that they're going to mess up their child. (Also we <i>are</i> big supporters of more play.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So with these safety nets in place we at times can't help but rigidly stick to the plan lest we create a gap in our child's learning. I want to encourage you however that curriculum is not the boss of you. You are the qualified educator of your child and you can decide to skip things. You can decide to assign only half of the questions if your child is already showing mastery. You can decide the curriculum is boring you all to tears and to try something new. You can decide to leave out a lesson and supplement with something else. You are the boss. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have heard friends and fellow homeschoolers say things like "We dread X subject every day...", "Our curriculum is so time demanding we really don't have time to be in nature or do art...", or "I hate how all our subjects are separate, I really wish they had combined them more...".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You guys - there's no reason for this! (Except I guess if you're doing a registered online distance education program). It really is O.K. for you to decide that something isn't working for your family, or for you, or for one of your kids. EVEN IF it works amazingly for Jane from Co-op and her children are excelling and happy as clams. If it doesn't work for you it doesn't work for you. This doesn't mean we don't have to push through things at times or do hard things but I do think we can learn to ask good questions and to determine if something is working towards our goals or not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some of the ways I find perspective regarding curriculum and my plans...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Do We Dread It?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the way a curriculum is set up, the content or the required assignments are something we dread partaking in it's time to take a critical look at it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Can I Alter it?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes a curriculum can have decent content but is boring or repetitive in what it requires of your child. You are allowed to switch that up! Rather than a whole year of answering questions and filling out worksheets what if you varied how your kids demonstrate their learning? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next time you're tired of worksheets try one of these options:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Create a doodle page to summarize learning</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a discussion with your child</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ask your child to create a video newscast about the content</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do a watercolour painting response (paint a map for geography, paint the bird in your study, diagram the life cycle of that animal, paint a scene from the history book, etc)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Create a comic about the subject</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Give an oral presentation about the content</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Write an acrostic poem</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perform a skit or role play</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One thing I am constantly aware of (even when teaching in the public system) is how much writing is required. Often worksheets and answering questions can so exhaust a child that they have nothing left for when we want them to actually work on developing their writing. I would far rather have a discussion with my child about content and then save their writing stamina for working on creative writing or whatever skill I'm aiming towards in that writing arena. Quality over quantity is always foremost in my mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Should We Jump Ship?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even the best laid plans can not work for you or your kids. If it's a daily fight it might be time to jump ship. In the event that is going O.K. for your kids but you absolutely hate it it's worth exploring other options as well. You are a critical component of your homeschool and how something fits you matters greatly. It can be hard to move on from something if you've invested a lot of time and money. I always try samples of programs to see how they look in our homeschool. With our math curriculum I forego purchasing the entire "Kit" and just grab the work text or student text. The difference in cost goes from $200 to $40! I honestly find most teacher manuals redundant and not necessary. If I forget how to do something that isn't explicitly taught in the text it takes 5 minutes to google it to remind myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Realistic Expectations</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One thing I have to constantly remember is that nobody can do it all. Everyone has gaps. The public system is not doing it all. There are plenty of learning gaps in public education. I am not responsible to provide a gapless education. It's not even remotely possible. The public system is also not the Gold Standard for education. It is one education model. What I am responsible for is to identify our priorities and work towards realistic goals. Again... I have rarely met a homeschool parent who has too low of expectations of their kids and their education. 99% of the time those expectations are sky high, mine included. I'm learning to bring those expectations down to a realistic level and then bring them down again because I'm not always great at being realistic lol. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Give and Take</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Along the lines of feeling like we should be able to do it all is the reality that we need to understand that when we choose one thing we are typically giving up other things. When I say yes to filling out every worksheet in a workbook I am giving up the time where we might be doing something else like art. When I say yes to adventure and time and nature I am giving up structured classroom time. Our yeses are always a no to something else and that is O.K. Sometimes we feel locked in and that we don't have a choice. We always have a choice so be intentional with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So as we go into this school year let's remember that curriculum is not the boss of us. Whether it's one you've purchased or plans you've developed on your own, they are a tool to be used. They do not get to drive our schedules, lock us in or tie our hands. We get to decide how and if they are used. Sometimes it will feel like our children are ruining all the things (like the Toby to our Michael) but ultimately we're doing this all for them and the resistance, tears or apathy are cues we need to be listening to and inviting them to communicate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ Monique</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-72054073654418150062019-06-04T12:16:00.000-07:002021-01-29T08:43:30.919-08:00RV Makeover | Introducing Hazel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thank you so much to everyone who has left such encouraging words about our newly renovated trailer - Hazel! While I get tired of painting very quickly I really do love the design process that goes into creating a space like this. Our last trailer was a 1971, 18 foot Triple E named Elsie and we made so many great memories in her. She was bright and bold and a lot of fun. Hazel will hopefully take us on much longer journeys and so I wanted her to be an extension of our home that we can take with us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been asked so many questions and I want to cover as much as the process as I can in one post so strap in! lol. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hazel is a 2004 R-Vision Max Lite. To be honest, I've been in a lot of campers (my brother buys and sells campers and my parents and him and his wife had a trailer rental business so we've seen a lot) and I've never come across one of these! But, we had been casually searching for a very specific layout for several years and had a list of must haves and this girl fit the bill!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">OUR LIST:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most importantly - there could be no wall at the end of the bed at all. My husband is 6'6', he does not fit if there is a wall.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bunks - I don't want to have make and tear down beds every day. We wanted double on the bottom for our sure to be very tall son but didn't get it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Streamline Kitchen - I really didn't want a cabinet layout where it juts out with a bit of a peninsula. I find it eats up space and I don't love the flow. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Slide</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiberglass siding - weight, look, durability. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bumper Pull - We travel with things like Kayaks, Paddle Boards, bikes, etc and didn't want to eat up truck space with a fifth wheel hitch. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The right price - I knew I was going to be ripping most of the furniture out and painting everything so I didn't want to pay for a really new camper only to discard half of it. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's not a crazy picky list but you'd be surprised at how hard it is to check the first item off the list. Most layouts all have a wall at the end of the bed or the bed runs across the width of the camper. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first thing I did was rip out (aka carefully remove) all of the valances and blinds. They were fairly neutral as campers go but still ugly. The blinds were silver and pink - score! Ha. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After the window treatments I got rid of the couch and the dinette booth. There were a lot of screws and an electrical outlet that was run through the one dinette bench. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once the furniture was out I could rip out all of the carpet. Good riddance! I don't care how clean someone is, I can't handle other people's carpet lol. Pretty sure the manufacturer used 17 staples per square inch - oi. I was so excited when I found that the wood look lino also ran under the carpet in the bedroom and that I wouldn't have to redo that flooring as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PAINT:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have a lot of white walls in my life and so I actually had quite a bit of paint on hand and used that. I might have chosen other paint if I was buying but I'm not sure ;). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Walls - I primed the walls with the <a href="https://www.homehardware.ca/en/37l-white-interiorexterior-latex-primer-surfacer/p/1850740" target="_blank">Beauti-Tone Acryl-lok </a>Primer Sealer (for blocking stains) from Home Hardware. It worked fine but needed at least 2 coats. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I then painted with the <a href="https://www.homehardware.ca/en/340l-clear-base-semi-gloss-interior-latex-paint/p/1853505#ccode=7471" target="_blank">Beauti-Tone Signature Series Semi-Gloss</a> in whatever white is their standard white lol. I can't find the name! Sorry! It's a true, bright white (no yellow tones) and I use it absolutely everywhere. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you can see the cabinets were already white. They were an off white though and quite warm compared to the wall colour I chose. They were also a weird vinyl wrap that made them that colour (rather than a paint). I couldn't sand it and wasn't sure what paint would be best but after talking with the paint expert at Home Hardware she said I would be fine to keep going with the primer I was already using so I did! (It's linked above).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cabinets </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Primer: </span><a href="https://www.homehardware.ca/en/37l-white-interiorexterior-latex-primer-surfacer/p/1850740" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Beauti-Tone Acryl-lok </a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Primer Sealer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paint:<a href="https://www.homehardware.ca/en/37l-cabinet-and-furniture-black-interior-acrylic-paint/p/1880440" target="_blank"> Beauti-Tone Designer Series Furniture and Cabinet Paint</a> (in the same white as the walls). </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I found this paint to be a bit sticky and hard to work with but I rolled with it because I had so much of it from another project. I mostly used a brush and the finish looks great though. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hardware: <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Goldenwarm-Brushed-Hardware-Diameter-Furniture/dp/B01MG3695O/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=brass+cabinet+hardware&qid=1559664908&s=gateway&sr=8-6" target="_blank">Goldenwarm Brushed Brass T-Bar Handles</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit74-ekG0w8MwLqCodpJkGT0QOomS6_MCOjq6xhSKgOvC6ZpVwHz_-RGP-xdLvBMxWKof-N4GiDvC5wUkaAxY9YNCj6DAfob27wr4XqrVG4i0qhC9wKL0YdfXqvg-w5PTrZzJHdz_mTFOd/s1600/CE007F82-05CD-4BDD-84EC-9F3A845A178E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit74-ekG0w8MwLqCodpJkGT0QOomS6_MCOjq6xhSKgOvC6ZpVwHz_-RGP-xdLvBMxWKof-N4GiDvC5wUkaAxY9YNCj6DAfob27wr4XqrVG4i0qhC9wKL0YdfXqvg-w5PTrZzJHdz_mTFOd/s1600/CE007F82-05CD-4BDD-84EC-9F3A845A178E.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Backsplash - Obviously in a trailer you're dealing with not being heated all year (we have -40 - -60 temps in winter) and it's moving so ceramic tile isn't an option. I used these <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tic-Tac-Tiles-Stronger-Adhesive/dp/B07MWQMNVX/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1YYNC0UC5TE31&keywords=tic+tac+tiles+subway&qid=1559665336&s=gateway&sprefix=tic+tac+tiles%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1" target="_blank">Tic Tac Tiles - Subway Mono White</a>. Order more than you calculate you'll need due to discards and matching up the pattern. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They are SUPER sticky! So make sure you've got it in the right place before you stick them on. Also, getting around those curved windows is a beast. Leave yourself a decent chunk of time for this project. I'd say that little space took me around 6 hours! </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJlx5I69qXE6I3kZv-86DOMcc9UMgMy1zon6cr_ZH32-OdTfILUARkNWmmaXkyKuVVSeXLN1Iy5fV6VmGC8tqOtnipPXEufWABYXYGTOBYOnIeloCy0RNuM-flcLESZjpSxhQEoO_bWqG/s1600/IMG_0648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJlx5I69qXE6I3kZv-86DOMcc9UMgMy1zon6cr_ZH32-OdTfILUARkNWmmaXkyKuVVSeXLN1Iy5fV6VmGC8tqOtnipPXEufWABYXYGTOBYOnIeloCy0RNuM-flcLESZjpSxhQEoO_bWqG/s1600/IMG_0648.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the bedroom all of the carpet was torn out and I wanted to do headboard feature with some faux shiplap.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3db9DwnR0aFVKznax6l_Uml2LvtLTTzVOgMixTq1sKonGRxe_OJFzYA7wqWPz7sctv3PFV5BRrtfynVUeFOD8rYeqk0NAppRiZ-1nNP8ZawT5Shh3GZgtlMdqUDipKmNsZNHaoZM6PNaK/s1600/BCAD9AA7-90AA-4789-AA17-556442185241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3db9DwnR0aFVKznax6l_Uml2LvtLTTzVOgMixTq1sKonGRxe_OJFzYA7wqWPz7sctv3PFV5BRrtfynVUeFOD8rYeqk0NAppRiZ-1nNP8ZawT5Shh3GZgtlMdqUDipKmNsZNHaoZM6PNaK/s1600/BCAD9AA7-90AA-4789-AA17-556442185241.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I use shiplap A LOT! I have a 105 year old house and I can get away with it ;). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Here's my "recipe" for DIY Shiplap</b></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Use either 1/4" GOS (good one side) plywood or 3/8" underlayment (it is good on both sides). I have not yet found underlayment in Canada and so I go down to the states to get mine at Home Depot. A sheet of plywood in Canada is going to run approximately $45, this underlayment is $13 a sheet. Even with 35% exchange it's still worth it for me to make the trip to buy it (and I get to go to Target so win win). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then you can either rip it down yourself or have them cut it for you at the store. They have a nice big saw so I get them to cut it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ask them to make 6 cuts at 7 7/8" widths (you want 8" shiplap essentially but you need to account for the blade width so that you don't end up with a really short board at the end.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To install you can use a dime to create an even gap but I just eyeball it. Make sure you use a level on your first row so that you don't end up with a crooked wall. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Use a chop saw to cut your pieces to length</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I attach using an air nailer. Some people use glue but I'm not up for that kind of commitment. </span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92nMxq73XLakdfPffuz9k62RHRRuThUxwVqqBdAkRO4QZTslZNuiie4LxMTxH8ceJYscTpjUHKJ575EZkl3T_L_JXL4fA6cVhvFchq1mVMyuhw3OTcM_nau76GTdIxmxFzek3gWxWz5X4/s1600/02A85426-E9E8-4203-9095-BB1FDCE8CFA4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92nMxq73XLakdfPffuz9k62RHRRuThUxwVqqBdAkRO4QZTslZNuiie4LxMTxH8ceJYscTpjUHKJ575EZkl3T_L_JXL4fA6cVhvFchq1mVMyuhw3OTcM_nau76GTdIxmxFzek3gWxWz5X4/s1600/02A85426-E9E8-4203-9095-BB1FDCE8CFA4.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love the bedding I found and even bought a king sized version for our master bedroom at home. It'll be our summer bedding. I found it at Walmart in the US and it was the <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-Gardens-Full-or-Queen-Textured-Stripe-Comforter-Set-3-Piece/766298250">Textured Stripe Comforter Set </a>from Better Homes and Garden Line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The curtain below is actually a shower curtain that is also from the Walmart Better Homes and Garden line. I feel like if you have a renovated trailer in 2019 you have this curtain somewhere. Seriously! I've seen it in SO many instragram posts! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The picture is a vintage print that I painted "yay" on years ago before I got my Silhouette ;) .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQiKodG0eHusPP4vKQ9jnW47uYqG_CeB_mQvvfLZxfFSsBqpEbeiItO9A8x02VcT62TAA9dasr4WQRt1j-DS2yojD_EF_FCYbkxE2za6KDPnq_DPuCgApSvDGeaphB0I6pIYTyBHQik4e/s1600/6EA423BD-A4A9-4097-BC25-BAD1518A7E50.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQiKodG0eHusPP4vKQ9jnW47uYqG_CeB_mQvvfLZxfFSsBqpEbeiItO9A8x02VcT62TAA9dasr4WQRt1j-DS2yojD_EF_FCYbkxE2za6KDPnq_DPuCgApSvDGeaphB0I6pIYTyBHQik4e/s1600/6EA423BD-A4A9-4097-BC25-BAD1518A7E50.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over on the slide, once that horrendous carpet was out I wanted to put a fun tile in that space to bring some more design and texture. I used these black and white Peel and Stick Tiles and I love them!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's actually hard to find this pattern right now in stock anywhere and was a little tricky even when I bought them. I got them from Lowes.ca. Here is a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/FloorPops-FP2480-Comet-Stick-Tiles/dp/B079DDZV15/ref=pd_day0_hl_60_5/131-5967529-7478966?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B079DDZV15&pd_rd_r=8dfae4f7-86ea-11e9-89d0-b7902472ba38&pd_rd_w=Ov02X&pd_rd_wg=J8J8Y&pf_rd_p=ad07871c-e646-4161-82c7-5ed0d4c85b07&pf_rd_r=YHHZWW7GJZVN1S4TZ32N&psc=1&refRID=YHHZWW7GJZVN1S4TZ32N" target="_blank">link </a>on Amazon but they are ridiculously over priced. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you install onto wood it has to be a primed surface to ensure adhesion. I've found these quite easy to install and they are easy to cut. If you have them too close to the wall (or in my case the kick plate) it can cause buckling. When we attached the kick plate a few tiles had a tiny overhang and buckled so I had to trim them to fit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For the kick plate, I removed what had been there (very think plywood) and installed 1x10's that I stained. I used two stains to try and match the linoleum (Early American and something that was more of a cedar colour - the name was worn off). Again, I used what I had on hand!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwYqRX8CIIN_9Dvq7QkpKGV2FsQTV4KftkIA3wj3BIP80s0-Js1_7ESPHuUkMQK4nzxCYdzisV6JeROzJaFjiMxbu7kpcK2CUP0crbRQ_GowONYUjBDBBDVekxdMrGaQ58A6BKWnpNBCj/s1600/613BD4FC-3832-4627-89DB-F4AA8922D3AE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwYqRX8CIIN_9Dvq7QkpKGV2FsQTV4KftkIA3wj3BIP80s0-Js1_7ESPHuUkMQK4nzxCYdzisV6JeROzJaFjiMxbu7kpcK2CUP0crbRQ_GowONYUjBDBBDVekxdMrGaQ58A6BKWnpNBCj/s1600/613BD4FC-3832-4627-89DB-F4AA8922D3AE.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We aren't planning on travelling with extra people and so we don't need the extra beds that both the couch and dinette turned into. I think adding your own furniture is one of the best ways to customize your space. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The couch is one of my favourite things in the camper. I adore that camel colour. It took me a lot of internet browsing to find a camel coloured small sofa at a reasonable price. Again... it was a <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-Sparrow-Victorville-Foldable-Futon-Sofa/44777881">Walmart.com</a> purchase. I don't think they carry it in stores but I was able to get it online. It's currently out of stock and the one linked wasn't the brand I got but it's pretty close. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqLHLrwQSH_mwL3wLY3EBRdkWJm-ZecvrMiYC2Ocgl-goEkadfsYAdVQTjsdL9HdwAW9fPaTU_fKhzDp4w9MVHQfukWaWLz7UpBCAPivQliw5PyrmpvmpTlVqTRBc0q_CsGzUCnOK_5d0/s1600/FC062E84-4F0F-4C8B-A6B1-2A8F46D889A1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqLHLrwQSH_mwL3wLY3EBRdkWJm-ZecvrMiYC2Ocgl-goEkadfsYAdVQTjsdL9HdwAW9fPaTU_fKhzDp4w9MVHQfukWaWLz7UpBCAPivQliw5PyrmpvmpTlVqTRBc0q_CsGzUCnOK_5d0/s1600/FC062E84-4F0F-4C8B-A6B1-2A8F46D889A1.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pillows were all Walmart as well! I never shop this much at Walmart but they had everything I was looking for! None of the pillows are currently in stock but there are other cute ones if you search for "fringe pillow" and "tribal pillow". </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6_owteoLCYgf4eUJgmgGWGYVNGOEM2owj4rEC08leQU8RfX0kzN98Gj9pNMvbtAB_v46Z7u61p9N9zGi1vB5vyzF7d9BofPWupzAxQ21lT-HNov7EEUsfwUD7SAoduw3JFxlo5B1mxSv/s1600/5B8EAE00-02FE-40BD-960D-59C3A7A26645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6_owteoLCYgf4eUJgmgGWGYVNGOEM2owj4rEC08leQU8RfX0kzN98Gj9pNMvbtAB_v46Z7u61p9N9zGi1vB5vyzF7d9BofPWupzAxQ21lT-HNov7EEUsfwUD7SAoduw3JFxlo5B1mxSv/s1600/5B8EAE00-02FE-40BD-960D-59C3A7A26645.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the time I got to the dining furniture I was getting a little tired of spending lol. I really wanted a cute drop leaf table and so I kept posting on garage sale sites and finally someone messaged me with one! I paid $17.50 for it and painted the legs a matte black. The top was somewhat damaged so I gave it a really good sand (even though it was just a veneer) and stained it. I honestly didn't expect it to work but it totally did! Yay! I think it's perfect for the space. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The chairs are our old kitchen chairs. Most of them had cracks and rather than buy new right now we attempted a superglue mixed with baking soda crack filler. We'll see how they hold up with some use. Really I think we'll be eating outside the majority of our travels but it's nice to have something for a rainy day. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibE-XiMnIaWx-4PPeUzVG3ueV35ChpPVS8Pvn5RLV5Bdxi7TZ-b4PqsmaiuOaiGt-5DSoJxeA-ZHTy3wfPF3kvbVV8ss6u1bR_yNOF5lRvCeg0eVR5CSOalRFoLoHaIv9p6LHLlj-K7UN/s1600/35621979-D0B2-4A7C-8E5F-F83F7934D54A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibE-XiMnIaWx-4PPeUzVG3ueV35ChpPVS8Pvn5RLV5Bdxi7TZ-b4PqsmaiuOaiGt-5DSoJxeA-ZHTy3wfPF3kvbVV8ss6u1bR_yNOF5lRvCeg0eVR5CSOalRFoLoHaIv9p6LHLlj-K7UN/s1600/35621979-D0B2-4A7C-8E5F-F83F7934D54A.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really wish I could fill Hazel with real plants but we'll be crossing the border several times and I'm not allowed to bring dirt or plants across the border so for now it's just faux greenery. I found the bamboo utensils at No Frills and added some charcuterie boards from my house stash to the camper. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMViQWe_DH1pywQcyQEIxPbNJSkzTOrLJYSYNdpbDe-2csoKxKEfabwVCdVClGOjHXApX4lJzGbuuzKgDZfw1VrfSb3EFMthkOBKLtlpdlXUjbgP6rI5g5EKpSAV6VyL-gjp2NV13F2-g/s1600/4D40D2C9-302F-4FFC-914A-900D6286CFA0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMViQWe_DH1pywQcyQEIxPbNJSkzTOrLJYSYNdpbDe-2csoKxKEfabwVCdVClGOjHXApX4lJzGbuuzKgDZfw1VrfSb3EFMthkOBKLtlpdlXUjbgP6rI5g5EKpSAV6VyL-gjp2NV13F2-g/s1600/4D40D2C9-302F-4FFC-914A-900D6286CFA0.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really can't stop buying all the baskets. The ones on the walls are thrifted from the Salvation Army (I like to do a 5 min walk through each week to look for things on my list). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The large basket is from Superstore as is the belly basket. The large basket holds all of my wall hangings when we travel and I'm sure we'll find a use for it while camping (maybe all of our flip flops will go in there). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">THE BUNKS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tight space = not fun to paint. My good friend Nicoline spent almost a whole week of afternoons coming and helping me paint and install shiplap. It was so nice to speed that process along and to have company while I worked! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cx3AsGtszsGuxc7cYDND7UA1LgJUotfwH_nBmJbRoYtXB3MhRXEOGqLktuI85gLLG_1yikZRcm64JwdfL8VUhxA3be7RxHfgHyBis1ITZy3bi6eqd-vwKsfAA9KCeh7bZilCGIRrFnMC/s1600/7EF13137-C570-4777-A072-8F59689B9B28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cx3AsGtszsGuxc7cYDND7UA1LgJUotfwH_nBmJbRoYtXB3MhRXEOGqLktuI85gLLG_1yikZRcm64JwdfL8VUhxA3be7RxHfgHyBis1ITZy3bi6eqd-vwKsfAA9KCeh7bZilCGIRrFnMC/s1600/7EF13137-C570-4777-A072-8F59689B9B28.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the bunks the window wall was painted black, the head and foot walls were both shiplapped and the wall opposite the window was painted white (to reflect the light back in). A note on the black paint - it was left over from my headboard project and was the Natura brand from Home Hardware. I HATE it! lol. Ugh - the fumes (even though it said fumeless) lasted FOREVER. On furniture it scrapes and gets finger print marks so so so easily. I do not recommend. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The wall was an impromptu decision and it'll only take me 10 minutes to do again with another paint if it doesn't hold up so I went with it. But don't buy that paint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The kids bedding are duvet covers from the Opal House Line at Target. They are an Ikat pattern and the tiered tassels on the corners are so adorable!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lastly... the bathroom! Not a huge turn around in here. Everything was painted white. I left the mirror on for now and painted it black. I was going to go with the subway tile around the backsplash but now I think I'll use the floor tile to add a bit more texture in that space. I also need a new shower curtain because I used the other one as the room divider for the master ;) So it's not 100% done but I might just finish it on the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">** Window Coverings** - At this point I really like the open look and don't want to hang anything. That said we obviously need shades for the bedrooms. I chose to go with black out paper shades that stick to the window well (in our case ceiling) and they just are held open by clips. They're working pretty good so far and don't attract your eye. They are from Walmart Canada. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also have some lace panels that I intend to tack up if we're spending an evening in the trailer and feel we need the added privacy. I'm not ready to commit to window treatments just yet so we'll see how it goes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think that's most everything! If you want to see more pictures and follow our adventures as we take Hazel out (first trip is 3 weeks in Montana) you can look me up on Instagram @monique.willms</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you have any questions that is also the best place to ask as I don't check for comments on the blog much!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks for stopping by and checking out Hazel! I'll also be using the sweet hashtags my friend (Bolan) came up with #haulinhazel and #sweethomehazel for all of her adventures :) </span></div>
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<br />Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-81619288558974466702019-03-18T07:43:00.000-07:002019-03-18T07:56:36.170-07:00Hope and Strategies for Working Through Challenging and Explosive Behaviour in Kids<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5cJ8JNgQkqiK-jk2-ccoaq2p17pilwd8cT8YWxIcS4k_EM9HfupHdocA66bDvOgkR4lrxcZ6RjuVG2e2Av0WpAy0TaaL0Nxgn-5x4AOy1PrckxNbkvJSWq85zmd1sVnu3-rSKz7OBWdg/s1600/learningbeside-9745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5cJ8JNgQkqiK-jk2-ccoaq2p17pilwd8cT8YWxIcS4k_EM9HfupHdocA66bDvOgkR4lrxcZ6RjuVG2e2Av0WpAy0TaaL0Nxgn-5x4AOy1PrckxNbkvJSWq85zmd1sVnu3-rSKz7OBWdg/s1600/learningbeside-9745.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few weeks ago I reached out on Instagram stories asking for recommendations on books or resources that would give us new strategies to try for helping children with big emotions deal with them in a more peaceful way. We received a couple great suggestions but the overwhelming majority of messages were from other parents who were in the same boat and just as interested and eager to find solutions for their families. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I promised that I would share what we learned and what things helped and didn't help. Today I'd like to share where we are in the journey and report with tears of relief that in a matter of weeks our home has seen almost a 180 degree turn around. Praise. The. Lord. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It might be best that we begin with where we started so let me paint you a picture of our parenting style and where that left us. </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We highly value and prioritize our kids hearts.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We encourage our kids to feel and let out their emotions, to cry when they need to and communicate what they are feeling. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are not O.K. with anyone in our home (us included) being disrespectful, rude or unkind to others because we are hurt, angry or sad. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We believe in appropriate consequences for out of line behaviour and if we say it we will follow through on the consequence. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During times our children are upset we intentionally give them breaks, allow time for them to calm down, give hugs or cuddles (even when we're angry with them) and offer help and suggestions to help them work through their feelings. After that we expect them to follow through on what we asked them to do. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We intentionally work to create a culture in our home of "We can do hard things." We actively seek to develop persistence in our kids and the ability to face challenging situations and succeed or at least try. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We highly value building a character where we take responsibility for our own actions and we insist that our children "clean up their own messes". This might literally mean cleaning up the toy they threw in anger or might mean apologizing for the hurtful words they said. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I look at that list I feel like it looks pretty healthy and like it should be conducive to a peaceful home and responsible children. Those terms did describe our home for about 60-70% of our days (if I had to put a number on it) but then there was the other 30-40%. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In describing that time I'll elude to behaviour but at the request of my kids not go into much detail. I'm fine however to share how I felt during those times. We'll call them "challenging episodes" (a term borrowed from the book I'm about to tell you about). These episodes were indeed CHALLENGING. We've all been there I'm sure. What made it increasingly challenging was the frequency at which they were starting to occur and the longevity of the episodes. They also seemed to be induced by the littlest of things and felt like they ate up large chunks of our days and derailed my best laid plans for school days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I felt rage inside. Frustration. Discouragement. Hopelessness. I said "I'm so done with _______" so many times. It stretched my patience to its max time and time again and I snapped more times than I care to admit. My husband and I had so many conversations about what to do. We came up with plans and they failed. We examined our parenting style and beliefs about parenting and we saw healthy practices but at one point I remember saying "I don't care how healthy or good these practices seem. We've been doing them for so long and yet here we are. They're not working."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To say I was in a place of desperation was accurate. It was also accurate to say that we had wonderful, loving relationships with our kids and so many great hours together. We were still having a lot of fun, making a ton of memories but we felt like the challenging episodes were too frequent and causing too much stress in our home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From that place I reached out and began searching for a resource to give us a new idea. I came across a book called <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Explosive-Child-Understanding-Frustrated-Chronically/dp/0062270451/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YTRQ9KEENU0B&keywords=the+explosive+child&qid=1552920956&s=gateway&sprefix=the+explosive+child%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1" target="_blank">"The Explosive Child" by Ross W. Green.</a> The book description seemed promising and it was a free read on Hoopla so I gave it a try. I read the whole book in 3 days and found a massively helpful perspective shift. I totally recommend reading the book. He addresses the title immediately and how limiting it can be but if you have a child who is easily frustrated or chronically inflexible I think you'll find it helpful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I want to share some key ideas from the book but don't stop reading there - read the book! He shares a lot of detail and helpful case by case scenarios. I recognized immediately that nothing we were dealing with was even remotely as severe as the case studies in the book but the strategies would prove to be just as effective. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My main take away from the book is that "Kids who can do well do." When our children CAN handle a situation or a task - they do. Challenging episodes however often occur when a child is lacking the skillset to adaptively handle the situation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Green talked about how if you examine your child's responses or when they behave in a challenging manner that it's most of the time quite predictable and at the root we can see that they are lacking a developmental skill that allows them to handle that situation in a competent and calm manner. Your child might have a meltdown or blow up each time you tell them to turn the screen off and get ready for bed or to stop playing Lego and come up for supper. They are simple requests in our eyes and we get frustrated thinking they just want to get their own way and they don't want to listen. But when you evaluate the string of experiences you see the trend that it appears they have difficulty switching from one activity to another and that making those transitions could very well be a lagging skill. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At www.livesinthebalance.org you can find Dr. Green's assessment for lagging skills. Included is a pretty decent list of common lagging skills and it was very eye opening for us to go through it and identify ones we saw at work in our kids. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few that resonated with us were:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">difficulty making transitions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">difficulty doing things in a prescribed order</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">poor sense of time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">difficulty maintaining focus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">difficulty considering likely outcomes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">difficulty considering a range of solutions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">difficulty managing emotional response to frustration so as to think irrationally</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">difficulty shifting from the original idea, plan or solution</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">inflexible, inaccurate interpretive distortions (eg. "You never let me do this. No one wants me to have fun.")</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most of these skills are things we don't implicitly teach but they are skills we all develop as we grow and gain experience. Some kids though aren't developing these skills at the same rate as their peers and it results in challenging episodes when our demands and expectations exceed their ability to comply. Green mentions that lagging skills should be seen as explanations rather than excuses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'd venture that many parents (including us) have thought that perhaps our kids just want to get their own way or that they're manipulating us. Green had relevant push backs to each. He mentioned that all of us want to get our own way but some have the skills to get our own way adaptively and some don't. When they don't they'll do it maladaptively. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In regards to manipulation he explained that competent manipulation requires various skills such as forethought, planning, impulse control and organization. These are just not skills most kids who experience challenging episodes have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once you've identified lagging skills you can start to specifically list the unresolved problems that are occurring because of them. Again, these are where "our demands and expectations outstrip the skills children have to respond adaptively." He proposed that if you start resolving these problems you will have less challenging episodes. In the book he has a whole process of how to go about identifying and starting to resolve these problems collaboratively with your child. He calls it Plan B. I'll be saving that for another post possibly (but really you should just go read the book! Did I mention it was free through Hoopla?). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm going to skip that part for now because we haven't even started Plan B yet we've still seen such a dramatic turn around in our home and I want to share where I believe that is coming from. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>We have had such a big shift in our perspectives</i>. Green likens lagging skills to learning to read. If my child couldn't read I wouldn't expect them to learn to read by asking them to read and then giving them a consequence when they couldn't read or if they melted down about not being able to read. We would all agree (hopefully) that that is not an effective method for teaching reading. When we started to look at lagging skills in this way - things clicked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">KIDS WHO CAN DO WELL DO.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, we stopped taking challenging behaviour personally and instead saw it as a response to an unsolved problem based on a lagging skill. Initially we both feared that we would be making things "too easy" and that behaviour would get worse. But years of high expectations and enforcing follow through and consequences were not working so we were willing to try something else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The opposite happened. Our house became more peaceful and our children became more adaptive, responsible and competent. We started to see and be able to predict overwhelming situations and we chose to alter those situations. Essentially we stopped throwing our child into situations where our expectations and situational demands were greater than their skills set. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Really you could see it like a swimming pool. My child may be able to swim 6 feet but I'd be wildly irresponsible to throw my child into the deep end where to get to safety they had to swim 12 feet to the edge. We'd have no trouble seeing how that situation would induce panic, frustration and all sorts of overwhelming feelings. Similar feelings arise when demands are greater than a child's skill set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By solving problems like </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">giving an extra 10 minutes to get ready and out the door before we left the house</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">helping to develop a sense of time by playing a 2 min song while they brush their teeth and another song to get changed for bed time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">giving ample warning before switching activities and then PLANNING for another 5-7 minutes to transition</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">choosing to lay low priority problems aside for the time being to focus on priority skills</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we've been able to give room and space for those skills to develop without the constant overwhelming feelings. Much to our surprise we have seen growth in a very short period of time. It seems that by removing most of that daily stress our child has been able to move from that "panic at the drop of a hat" space and is able to think clearly and make better decisions. We have seen our child catch themselves mid sentence and choose a more healthy and cooperative response. We've had one child communicate to a parent "I'm choosing to stay calm and you need to choose to stay calm too. Remember we're working to help me." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We have acknowledged each of these responsible choices, praised and encouraged them. While we hadn't dove into the Plan B collaborative problem solving we had had discussions with our kids about trying new strategies and how we were working to learn and try new things. Even just talking about that I think has helped bring understanding and compassion and a sense that we're working towards a solution as a family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I know this was a long post and if you're still here - you get a badge! lol. (A virtual imaginary badge, but still.) I'm so encouraged by the progress we've seen in our days, so thankful and so hopeful for continued growth. I believe there are many different ways to parent and raise wonderful human beings. In this specific season I'm grateful to have found some perspective shifts and strategies that have brought results and I'm guessing we'll need new strategies in new seasons. I definitely think the book is worth a read. Both my husband and I went through it because I think it's really important to be on the same page. It's also important to get some understanding with siblings as well! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'd love to hear what strategies work in your home. Feel free to comment or message!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">~Monique</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-68482363439609318812019-02-18T08:21:00.000-08:002019-02-19T10:33:52.398-08:00Homeschooling For You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the education world we spend a lot of time talking about how to engage our children, how to spark their curiosity, how to follow their interests and surprise and enchant them, and all of that righty so. What I would love to add and talk more about is how do our homeschools engage us as the parent educators?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We have taken on this massive responsibility and embraced this lifestyle as a family and I really believe that it should be something we enjoy and that looks like us!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In our family our days are a bit of a dance between what my children are interested in and enjoy and what I am curious about or want to try. WE are "Willms Grove". WE are partners in this life of learning and WHO we each are is a critical component of our education. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In navigating this adventure we can't forget to acknowledge and nurture a key piece of the puzzle - ourselves! And not just in the form of self care when the "school" day is done, I 100% believe that home educating should feed our souls too. That it should bring life and joy to our days. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZpGEzTJKkY3hYkEiZUY-W4ZgVtBIkhHDwlQH-5LJgLInmmDE_5iEADONKTeaZEsZsUUrQPDuBpyWJ7Y94UKFjxjmS85da-hy42Oy7OoOf0_dSCt7T_NUQHua2l7X4-pvqMoCZ1LD8mLT/s1600/Photo+2019-01-26%252C+11+51+33+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZpGEzTJKkY3hYkEiZUY-W4ZgVtBIkhHDwlQH-5LJgLInmmDE_5iEADONKTeaZEsZsUUrQPDuBpyWJ7Y94UKFjxjmS85da-hy42Oy7OoOf0_dSCt7T_NUQHua2l7X4-pvqMoCZ1LD8mLT/s1600/Photo+2019-01-26%252C+11+51+33+AM.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">People often ask me for curriculum recommendations and I'm the absolute worst for giving them because I don't use them. For me, curriculums take the fun out of teaching. Why? Because I LOVE the planning and the creating part! Are curriculums bad? Quite the contrary! They are awesome. They are like Hello Fresh for teaching - they come with most of the ingredients, are well balanced and save time and energy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But with a personality like mine and a mind full of more ideas than I'll ever get to do in a lifetime, I NEED the outlet that crafting our learning gives. Curriculums make me feel claustrophobic, so even with beautiful programs like Brave Writer, I pick and choose what I want to work into our days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One thing that has surprised me the most about homeschooling is how much more curious I've become. Curiosity is a beautiful phenomena. When given permission to explore and when restrictions of time and energy are taken off of it, it explodes into this constantly moving, delightful force. The simple "I wonder..." thought starts to feel like an invitation into adventure and awe. So much delight and learning will come when we make space in our days for curiosity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Furthermore, YOUR curiosity counts! Think of how thrilling it is to see your child engage content and be filled with questions and wonder. Your kids will be thrilled to see that in you as well. Sometimes they will even take their cue from you, seeing something that lights you up will direct their attention and open their minds to discovery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That said, even if your interests and curiosity had NO benefits for your children, it would still have value and still be integral to your homeschool days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One practice that facilitates this group effort towards interests in our home the most is reading aloud. There are many things that I could just assign as independent reading throughout our day and things would be learned but we would miss constant opportunity for curiosity sparks and the collective enjoyment of what we are learning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We always have a read aloud novel on the go and I love experiencing a story together. I love stopping constantly to talk through our reactions and make predictions. Books become shared experiences that are strikingly similar to real life shared experiences. Every time we see a pheasant in the wild we refer to it as a "fool bird" and giggle because that's what Brian from Hatchet calls them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think it's worth mentioning that I don't choose novels that I don't want to read. My interests count here as well. That said, I also honour my children's opinions and if they are hating a book we ditch it. If one of them is still enjoying it then they can continue (sometimes with me and sometimes without). Most often I find that we have a similar standard for the books we're reading and the books we've stopped have been ones none of us were enjoying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We read the entire Hatchet series because it was one of my favourite childhood books. I dare to even think that approaching our homeschool with my interests accounted for as well helps my children to understand that "it's not all about them". I hope that it is keeping entitlement somewhat at bay for them to understand that mom has interests and opinions as well and that for us to enjoy our days, school should be enjoyable for all of us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We read out loud most of the content we study. I am constantly learning new things and am fascinated by what we are studying. I don't want to miss all the intriguing wonders of the solar system by having my son read it to himself. Instead I have him read it to me. We pour over books about the human body, about rocks and minerals, about Ancient Rome, etc and we all participate in the learning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do I do a ton of stuff that I don't particularly enjoy? Of course. Mostly things like cooking and cleaning ;) Ha. But seriously, I facilitate my daughter's desire to DIY ALL the things. I'm a DIYer myself and though I really have zero interest in making a glitter globe I do it with her because it's important to her. I help my son research weapons and make time in our days for him to illustrate them. Even if I am not particularly interested in the content they are I AM interested in their learning and their hearts. I am happy to honour their interests and explore them alongside my children. As with all things - balance is key. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I want to champion them on, to facilitate the things that make them come alive and along the way I want them to see me as a person as well who has interests and passions. My desire is to see a collective play out in our days where unique individuals come together, learning together, challenging one another and sharing with each other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">~ Monique</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGk2Bi1UaSfCOfAF_sEA9CGoPzsnVSoLt1SjASjGlrcpapX5N5Aq9NKqjnx89kCAKUvVELuaO7GVeeqEx3GIw0n-6k71zxoPqG5mNpCbGglAjwUwGdAkguLbEZkOOYezS5TkCwevIVS7h/s1600/learningbeside-9745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGk2Bi1UaSfCOfAF_sEA9CGoPzsnVSoLt1SjASjGlrcpapX5N5Aq9NKqjnx89kCAKUvVELuaO7GVeeqEx3GIw0n-6k71zxoPqG5mNpCbGglAjwUwGdAkguLbEZkOOYezS5TkCwevIVS7h/s1600/learningbeside-9745.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do you engage your own interests and passions in your homeschool? I'd love to hear!</span><br />
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Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-20286411713039899112019-01-18T18:24:00.000-08:002019-01-18T18:24:42.419-08:00One Thing Guaranteed to Wreck Your Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was a gong show of a day. I have more accurate words to describe this day - or to be fair moments of it. Long moments. More colourful words. But I'll leave it at It. Was. A. Day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everybody was losing their ever loving minds! Myself included. As I tried to get a grip on myself, I started analyzing, trying to figure out what had got us here. What had derailed our day? Is there a common thread with other days that leave me feeling frustrated and resentful? And then I saw it... the thing that has triggered these feelings time and time again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Expectations. Or rather, UNMET expectations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Initially I noticed it in my daughter first. She had an expectation of how her day would start and when a thing or two deviated from that she immediately reacted with frustration, anger and sadness. She could not let it go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her reaction completely derailed our morning and then it was my turn to react to my expectations being flushed down the drain. It was not pretty my friends. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realized that we were both struggling to deal with our unmet expectations. Even my son struggled because he expected a calm, quiet school environment and it was anything but. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was feeling some big feelings. In the derailment, part of my reaction was to enforce more expectations on how we should deal with this unexpected turn of events and how we should push through. I was praying (not calmly but through gritted teeth and a racing pulse) for some type of direction or intervention and the most random song lyrics started running through my head. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You gotta know when to hold 'em</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">know when to fold 'em</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">know when to walk away</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">know when to run..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you singing along with me? Nothing like a little Kenny Rogers and The Gambler. Holy Spirit has quite the sense of humour evidently. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In these words though was some solid wisdom on what I needed to do in that moment. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4z2uhyM96JHitVnzERpoQ0tpu3n6nzRtKmW83V779TmW1udbD_t2IXb8LU7te3sk1A0mBTjPMr8rlJIFRBu9Hriuz8ovN5V1c5yYNFNKFfERZAbpFUAowAPFgks1j8TvP49R3qbJLsAy/s1600/6FAEBE3B-3AF2-4E54-8FCC-C931B4652742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4z2uhyM96JHitVnzERpoQ0tpu3n6nzRtKmW83V779TmW1udbD_t2IXb8LU7te3sk1A0mBTjPMr8rlJIFRBu9Hriuz8ovN5V1c5yYNFNKFfERZAbpFUAowAPFgks1j8TvP49R3qbJLsAy/s1600/6FAEBE3B-3AF2-4E54-8FCC-C931B4652742.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the thing, I am a "hold 'em" type of person. I am a "we can do hard things", lets learn to push through, take things head on, if it's worth doing it's worth doing well, battering ram, kind of person. And here I was in a situation where nothing was working for one child (the other escaped to another room and got everything done), where there were tears and frustration and the perceived inability to move on and everything in me said "HOLD 'EM". Do not back down. Help her push through. Do not give up. They need to learn persistence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do I want my children to be people who persevere? Yes - I'm realizing that it is one of my highest values. But Holy Spirit today was all like...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You gotta know when to hold 'em</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">know when to fold 'em</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">know when to walk away</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">know when to run"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I asked myself, what do I need to let go of here? Do I need to fold? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did. So against everything in me I decided to give folding and walking away a try. I even told myself that maybe it would just be an experiment. Let's see what happens because my hold 'em mentality was not always serving us well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I folded on ALL of the things I wanted done before we left the house for a homeschool outing. I communicated that I still wanted them done today at some point and I chose to give space to calm down and time to talk through emotions my child was having. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I asked a lot of questions about her expectations. I got answers. I shared my expectations. We both identified that we really struggle when our expectations go unmet. We agreed that we both need to get better at letting things go.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgcIwsnuXBJE0PySCisvaRJzSYwwu0ZeIrghXAterDzFSRaS__AvqcxRza-bRmptAaZGRyzvF4jvq5V0nr_bR2MSW-lvpQznHaEG-_jrv2u1FlQCMPFBLKZyhsM8xpbF8zcmZ56Qrp_aV/s1600/58450F29-023E-4B62-91D1-E401A0423637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgcIwsnuXBJE0PySCisvaRJzSYwwu0ZeIrghXAterDzFSRaS__AvqcxRza-bRmptAaZGRyzvF4jvq5V0nr_bR2MSW-lvpQznHaEG-_jrv2u1FlQCMPFBLKZyhsM8xpbF8zcmZ56Qrp_aV/s1600/58450F29-023E-4B62-91D1-E401A0423637.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is how expectations at times wreck our day:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) Unrealistic Expectations - My name is Monique and I have unrealistic expectations. If math goes smoothly for a few days I get cocky and decide that I can take a shower while my kids do math on their own. I expect that they won't pest each other, won't need help, and will stay on task even when they hit a snag and I'm not there. It's maybe worked one time. Ha. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realize that I often have unrealistic expectations and then I'm super frustrated when they don't go as planned in my head. I really need to examine my expectations more and realize whether they are realistic or not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) Interruptions - interruptions can often derail plans and expectations. When I hold tightly to those plans I am frustrated with interruptions. I need to learn to be more flexible and let things go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) My expectations are not my families expectations - News Flash, people don't have the same expectations as I do! They don't care about the same things, or value the same things and can not read my mind to see how valuable they are to me! What!? It's funny to me how often I expect my kids to expect the same things out of our day. When I realize that my expectations are my own and that others have not agreed to live by them I have a lot more grace for their individual reactions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I do believe that we should be able to have expectations of people, however an important life skill is knowing how to manage your reaction and emotions when those expectations go unmet. As much as I value persistence and being able to do hard things I am learning the value of letting go. Of letting some things slide. Of walking away from expectations. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeVAjsSl3NPDPa_g18MCjj73TpxzuakiNeHrj7JcbP4_tm8CmVuWC3fx4PVANrm27zUm6Omq0H_xNEZrr3QvY_hF-2KdQV10vDB-NB4dg97VV4964xRco4BpdYXvTH4jQ8VseP07vCt03/s1600/IMG_7731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeVAjsSl3NPDPa_g18MCjj73TpxzuakiNeHrj7JcbP4_tm8CmVuWC3fx4PVANrm27zUm6Omq0H_xNEZrr3QvY_hF-2KdQV10vDB-NB4dg97VV4964xRco4BpdYXvTH4jQ8VseP07vCt03/s1600/IMG_7731.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By 10 a.m. I realized that my day was not going to go as planned. School was not going to be as productive as I hoped, I was going to have to help process emotions that I quite frankly didn't feel I had the emotional energy to help with and I wasn't sure how supper would be made, the house would be cleaned and groceries would be bought. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I let go of some school for the morning and most of it got done in the afternoon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I let go of some break time and had the kids do a tidy up of the main floor. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I "walked away" from supper and ordered out instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The world kept spinning and we all were able to move on and let go rather than stay stuck in cycle of freak outs. I'm going to keep experimenting with this letting go business ;) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a side note... I'm really good at folding when it comes to cooking supper. If I had a choice I'd let that go every day. Ha. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ Monique</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">Every gambler knows</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">That the secret to survivin'</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">Is knowin' what to throw away</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">And knowin' what to keep</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">'Cause every hand's a winner</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">And every hand's a loser...</span></span></i><br />
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<span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Take 'em to church Kenny!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd love to hear your stories! Are unmet expectations a struggle in your life? How do you manage them?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-75193300073502743492019-01-03T14:56:00.001-08:002019-01-03T14:56:21.693-08:00Adventuring with Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think children have an innate sense of adventure and left to their own devices will fill their days in ways that excite them. When I speak about "adventuring with children" I am more looking at the dynamics of partaking in activities that are adventurous for BOTH child and adult. That, for our family gets a little bit trickier and requires more intentionality. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a difference for us between following our children around an amusement park lugging their snacks, waters and discarded coats and doing something we can all enjoy like paddle boarding along the river. Do I enjoy and count it a privilege to watch my kids find absolute delight on a kiddie roller coaster as I watch from the sidelines? Absolutely. But I do not want to spend all of my time with them as a spectator. I want to adventure with them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've realized though that this requires a different sort of effort and mindset because I'm not sure if you've noticed but kids can be pretty self absorbed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It takes intentional dialogue and persistence to help kids (at least our kids) recognize that all four of us engaging in an activity and all enjoying it is going to take some effort and compromise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently we took our kids to the Rocky Mountains. They. Were. Glorious. We were so gung-ho and our first hike was Johnston Canyon... all the way to the Ink Pots. This hike is supposed to be around 3 - 4 hours I think? With kids it took us 6 hours round trip. I'll be the first to admit that it was a wee bit ambitious for the kids first mountain hike. O.K. a lot ambitious. There was crying and there was throwing themselves on the ground and refusing to go on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At one point I may have said, " This is like Disney World for mommy and daddy. This is our dream vacation. Quit making it miserable." Ha. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were fully willing to stop and take rests. We packed a TON of food and water. Everyone was dressed appropriately. You know what happened every single time we stopped for them to rest? They started scrambling up the mountainside and off the trail. They were not tired. They were bored. We learned so much from that hike. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Expectations</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For me, managing my expectations is a huge part of being able to adventure with my kids. I need to constantly remind myself that we do not always find the same things fun or enjoyable. It is also really important that our kids realize this and that they have a responsibility manage their expectations in some ways and compromise to allow others to enjoy themselves. I also need to in some ways expect that there's a good chance of a meltdown when they are trying something new or challenging and to be prepared to help them work through that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Feelings</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was honestly a bit surprised by the magnitude and frequency of BIG feelings when adventuring with kids. I'm not even just talking about theirs, but mine too. There's a little detail that I somewhat failed to consider when imagining grandiose adventures with my kids and it's that "Raising adventurous kids means allowing them to do adventurous things that are outside my own comfort zone." You guys - their comfort zone is way different than mine! What the heck? Who knew? That coupled with their legit lack of experience and understanding of consequence can make for some BIG feelings while we're out adventuring. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heights freak me out but they do not freak out my kids. This means I have to process my own feelings, not put my fear on them, and keep them at a safe distance from cliff edges all at the same time. It can be exhausting! It can also mean me having to do things I'm afraid of so I can actually get an accurate sense of the risk involved. Watching them climb a steep hill while hiking can set my nerves on edge because it looks so different from the bottom or the top. When I go up alongside them though the view changes and I see it's actually not such a big deal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my kids fear is seldom the feeling they are processing - it's failure. Or struggling to overcome the "I can't". We've taken them skiing a few times and there were meltdowns about learning how to turn or snowplow or untangle skis to stand up after a fall. Frustration often comes out as nasty behaviour. Again, I need to manage my expectations and set myself in a headspace to help them process through. Sometimes that looks like really calmly walking them through their feelings and teaching them the steps they need to learn. Sometimes it's banning the words "I can't" and matter of factly stating "I'm sorry but if you can not snow plow you can not go up the lift so let's learn this and practice." It may not sound very nice but often when my kids are in a panic and overwhelmed they just need less words and clear expectations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Risk Calculations</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I want my kids to be able to take risks but I want them to be calculated risks (that aren't actually super risky) lol. There is a low spot on the river where my kids love to play. It feels risky because they get to skip from rock to rock beside flowing water to cross the river and free deadfall, etc. We were there in the winter before the river froze completely and the kids were playing. As they played ships with big pieces of floating ice I observed...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Low flow (I even check the dam flow rates as it affects the speed of the river. It was at 0). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- The water was max 8 inches deep where they were playing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- The water was very cold. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- The rocks were slightly slippery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- If a child fell in they would not drown or be carried away but it would be super cold. It would take us 2 minutes to get up the river bank and the truck was a 2-3 minute walk away. In the truck we'd need to remove the wet clothing/footwear and cover with a blanket till home which is a 5 minute drive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I assessed that I was willing to let them risk falling in and I told them that. I explained the implications. One kid fell in. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everything went according to my risk calculation (said child only had one soaked boot and leg), there was crying all the way to the truck but they warmed up quickly in the truck. It really wasn't a big deal and they now have an understanding that they should avoid falling in to a cold river (which seems like common sense but one of my children is the king of rationalizing and minimizing my concerns lol). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, would I let them play in water in Florida where there were possible alligators? Personally no. But we did take them ziplining over a gator breeding marsh when they were 5 and 7 and it was awesome. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28hf1COHb4V9vgLCO7T3tGOVLT2SqpU_9RHRm0XTM7GJviNzDr_MNoZHKU5LzGovPW3Sc3pKI-7Ff6oonDJHgXSsjlSlABOxoXqTwq7z_Kyj7Dz5qH81suoe4s0r-4Ny92R0WWweVYWlg/s1600/IMG_6046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28hf1COHb4V9vgLCO7T3tGOVLT2SqpU_9RHRm0XTM7GJviNzDr_MNoZHKU5LzGovPW3Sc3pKI-7Ff6oonDJHgXSsjlSlABOxoXqTwq7z_Kyj7Dz5qH81suoe4s0r-4Ny92R0WWweVYWlg/s400/IMG_6046.JPG" width="222" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lEZzyQzFaXVqmw69XuzGMWsJRZnhoZysT3_TZo4KS7JGSaEklFspGLxft5IHLrOjA1Zm4RnEf2or0lFlKapdh6ifYTbCPCn2tcUwpqbQXxQ8zpKv6jZKAAZTx4FfMAtkGajmE8Sg-g6z/s1600/E2201CE8-3C74-4ED9-BCB1-6CF93A2A75CC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lEZzyQzFaXVqmw69XuzGMWsJRZnhoZysT3_TZo4KS7JGSaEklFspGLxft5IHLrOjA1Zm4RnEf2or0lFlKapdh6ifYTbCPCn2tcUwpqbQXxQ8zpKv6jZKAAZTx4FfMAtkGajmE8Sg-g6z/s400/E2201CE8-3C74-4ED9-BCB1-6CF93A2A75CC.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Persistence/Consistency</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My kids have incredible physical stamina. Better than mine for sure. It's however their mental stamina that they need to increase to handle adventuring with the family. This takes persistence and consistency. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I could hike for hours along the river exploring new things, just enjoying the sun on my face and the beauty around me. My kids not so much. If I chose to whether or not to hike with my kids based on their full cooperation and enjoyment the first few times we hiked, we would have never hiked again lol. Does this mean I'm a harsh task master forcing my children to walk through the woods? I dunno. I honestly don't see it much different than requiring them to do their math every day even if they don't always want to do it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nature is good for them. Physical activity is good for them. Family time is good for them. And here is what I've learned through trial and error, is that if we keep at, if we engage them in the activity, if we work with them to find enjoyment in it, then they grow to love it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, often we just make it a point to do it regularly, even if its just for short spurts. Getting out the door is always the hardest part isn't it? This means that when I deem appropriate I do two things:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) Tell - don't ask. I'm all about choices but my kids don't get choices about everything. I will inform them that we are going on a hike and to get ready. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) Set a small realistic goal/time frame and stick to it. I will tell them that we are just going to hike for 20 minutes to get some fresh air. I will often give them a choice between two areas of which they want to explore. At the end of the time frame I set I check in with them. If they want to go home, we go home. If they want to stay we'll stay. Honestly, 90% of the time they want to stay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Boredom Busters</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like I mentioned earlier, most often my kids endurance is affected by boredom rather than by physical stamina. While hiking in the mountains they were SO bored! We had to figure out ways to occupy their minds as walking a trail wasn't enough for them. For my daughter she figured out that if she made up stories and told them she could walk for hours. So she did. My husband held her hand (because she is the second born and has zero fear and walked way too close to the drop offs) and she told him made up stories for literally hours - seemingly without taking a breath. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also do things like play 20 Questions or make a list of things they need to search for and find on the trail. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it comes to hiking we now take breaks for them to explore and play off the path. I may want to keep moving forward but they really want to climb that tree. We compromise. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3OPDdcquUYN8OCd8JMagY0hyphenhyphen_DzAXxCN4ovPkIz9KJ0qPMmZDXgEflnmwJeGJwJFH1PWxnVwy-vWSnXiWUvdQaSNIv_WEP4CWwQaVaCfjafSj792GD95bZ-KhtuR1ZNmqYzwGzV4-xSi/s1600/DBAC2250-A8D6-4BD2-86B0-23865CA5EA88.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3OPDdcquUYN8OCd8JMagY0hyphenhyphen_DzAXxCN4ovPkIz9KJ0qPMmZDXgEflnmwJeGJwJFH1PWxnVwy-vWSnXiWUvdQaSNIv_WEP4CWwQaVaCfjafSj792GD95bZ-KhtuR1ZNmqYzwGzV4-xSi/s1600/DBAC2250-A8D6-4BD2-86B0-23865CA5EA88.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Get Curious</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think curiosity is one of the biggest motivators for adventure. When we cultivate a culture of curiosity in our home we wonder what an experience is like, we are motivated to explore the world around us. My kids can get bored on long paddle board excursions (because it's essentially hiking on water lol). However, when I discovered a wonderland of snapping turtles on a leg of the river they hadn't been on (and was further than they'd ever been before) they were game to do it and they LOVED it! It was a 4 hour round trip (we stopped to play several times) and they captured several massive snapping turtles with their go-pros. Another benefit was that it sparked a unit of study on snapping turtles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you stay curious you'll wonder what's around that next bend, what's at the top of that hill, what lives in these woods, or what it feels like to soar through the air on a zip line. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Snacks</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Always pack more snacks then you think you'll need and water. Always. That is all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nurturing this love of adventure and endurance in our kids is often a lot of effort but it's worth it. Most things worth doing aren't easy. There are so many things that we do together as a family that we all enjoy and I'm so thankful for those times. I'm generally in awe of my 8 year old because she is hardcore! Typically you can only go as hard or as far as your youngest member can handle and she can handle a lot and loves it. (We're not harsh task masters of our children ;) ). They genuinely have learned to love adventure, they love being active and they are SO curious about the world and the experiences to be had. There are blips and bumps in the journey but that is to be expected and it builds so much character and family closeness to work through it together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you adventure with your family? I'd love to hear!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ Monique</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-41006244363456162032018-11-29T17:19:00.002-08:002018-11-29T17:19:32.289-08:00My Favourite Art Books<div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have always seen myself as a creative person but have typically disqualified myself from anything that I thought "counted" as artistic. I decided that I was passable at photography, home decor and building things but I was not good at anything like drawing, painting or lettering. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recently I've been challenging those long held beliefs I've held and choosing to explore other mediums of creativity and I. AM. LOVING. IT. Various books that I've purchased and borrowed from the library have been a huge help to me and I want to share some of them here in case you're looking for a little inspiration for learning a new skill. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The book that started this dive into art on paper was Hand Lettering 101 by Chalk Full of Love. It's so practical, has tons of practice pages and really got me started in hand lettering! I also used to do it when my kids were learning cursive so it was lettering for the whole family ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Right now it's crazy on sale on Amazon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*<i>The links provided are my amazon associate links. If you click them to purchase I get a kick back which is super appreciated and helps our family!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">About a year later she released Hand Lettering 201 and it includes a more fonts, caps letters and more practice! I totally feel like it's worth having both books. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can't help but letter all the things now :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once I got hooked on lettering I decided to trying drawing more and I started with Ali Koch's "How to Draw Modern Florals". You guys this is my most favourite book. It gives step by step and such a great range of florals. I LOVE it!</span><br />
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* I could only find a link for the paperback which is a great price! I obviously have the hardcover spiral bound. *<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And good news... she's releasing another book any day now! I already have it on pre-order and you can too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another book I just recently found is "Art Starts with a Line" by Erin McMannus. I love that it covers a broad range of things to draw like architecture, animals, plants, lettering, banners, every day items, etc. I borrowed it from the library but it's on my to buy list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last but not least I also ventured into watercolour painting (something I was crazy intimidated to try) and wouldn't you know I loved that too? I had so much fun and even created a couple of digital products to sell. People purchasing something I've painted has literally been mind blowing!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you're interested in these hand painted story prompt cards you can get them in my shop <a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/watercolour-story-cards" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A great book for the basics of watercolour is "Every Day Watercolor"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So that's my list of my most go to art books! I'd love to hear any suggestions you have! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">~ Monique</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-7821065381378198372018-11-02T08:45:00.000-07:002018-11-02T08:45:08.507-07:00Story Prompt Activities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being that Christmas is around the corner I am on high alert for any games, toys or resources that have open ended and long term play potential. If something is going to take up physical space in my home I want it to be 1) useful 2) beautiful 3) space efficient 4) able to be used in a variety of ways for a long time. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I created these Whimsical Watercolour Story Cards with all of those things in mind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Often when we think of the English Language Arts our minds go first to reading and writing. There are however 6 strands to the ELA curriculum (at least in SK) and additionally include speaking, listening, viewing and representing. I love that using these cards we are able to hit almost all strands!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's get into a few fun ways you can use story cards in your home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Mystery Pile - deal 5 -6 cards face down in a pile. Have your child flip over the first card and start verbally telling a story with that first item. *They must include their item before someone flips their next card for them. When the next item is flipped it needs to be incorporated as soon as possible. Continue with the whole dealt pile. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been doing this mystery item activity with my own kids for years and in the classroom for years before that. It is always a class favourite and they love when I draw random objects while they are writing their stories as well as it keeps things fresh and creates a sense of urgency to work the random object into their story before the next one comes. If you're using it in a writing assignment make sure you give the students time afterwards to share with each other how they used the various items. Each one is so different and so creative!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Sell, Sell, Sell - draw a random card (or two) and come up with an advertisement for that item. It can be a written activity where they develop a quick visual ad or it can be a speaking activity where they essentially create a commercial or jingle on the spot. Many giggles are likely to ensue as you create advertisements for whales, feathers and aliens. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Listify - Grab one card and make a list of 10 things about that item. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can also flip it to be a David Letterman's Top Ten kind of list. Deal 10 cards (or 5 to make it go quicker). Have the player come up with a title for the list. For example, "Top Ten Ways to Get Home from School". Then draw a card at a time and make it relate to the list. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">#10 - "Use a magic lamp to wish for a magic carpet and fly home."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">#9 - "Tie a message to a bee and send it to your mom asking her to pick you up."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">#8 - "Use the mega magnet to attach to a car and let it tow you home."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Reverse! Reverse! - Deal a pile of 5 cards and have the player start at the END of the story and then tell the story backwards as they draw cards. You can even start with "The end" or "And they lived happily ever after..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want to grab your own set I have the digital download in my shop for just $5! There are a total of 48 illustrated cards (on 8 pages) so they're super affordable to print as well. I recommend printing in colour on white card stock paper. You can purchase your set here: <a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/watercolour-story-cards" target="_blank">WATERCOLOUR STORY CARDS.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the digital download I also include a total of 16 activity ideas for how you can use the Watercolour Story Cards!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ Monique</span></div>
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<br />Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-46894361551190630602018-10-23T10:11:00.001-07:002018-10-23T10:11:00.621-07:00Using Photographic Memory for Spelling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMXFdk_4bNjBSrJeaL0nBQ5B38cFOXSrre6WHGcXhtn4BYJ0QooUcPEMxSI1hm-6J-fWECcq2ot2OWDuh98Tn9RD5rxbxAhu09dGK0LH53kT17F2Vn76Qftqg6dy-ucTIVJFjoTCSVEg_/s1600/photographic+memory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMXFdk_4bNjBSrJeaL0nBQ5B38cFOXSrre6WHGcXhtn4BYJ0QooUcPEMxSI1hm-6J-fWECcq2ot2OWDuh98Tn9RD5rxbxAhu09dGK0LH53kT17F2Vn76Qftqg6dy-ucTIVJFjoTCSVEg_/s1600/photographic+memory.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the journey of teaching 2 children who are polar opposites I of course had one child who cared so much about correct spelling (to the unproductive point of constantly halting writing because he refused to spell a word wrong) and one child who is fantastic at invented spelling but struggled to remember actual spellings of words. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was doing a little research last week on how I could support her and to see if there might be effective activities that we could work into our day and I came across www.diannecraft.org. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">As one of her activities to support struggling writers was the following activity on spelling involving photographic memory - I figured it was worth a try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She explains that many children who struggle with writing and spelling struggle writing gate or auditory gate methods but can be successful when they are taught to use their photographic memory. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She advised to choose words from the </span><a href="https://diannecraft.org/wp-content/uploads/1200-Most-Commonly-Used-Words.pdf" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">1200 Most commonly misspelled words</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and give your child a pretest. Have them either write or just verbally spell the words to you so you can determine which they know and which they need to work on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is the excerpt from her blog post <a href="https://diannecraft.org/language-arts-writing-program/" target="_blank">Daily Lessons for the Struggling Writer and Speller</a>.</span><br />
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<i>"When you have identified between 10-15 words that the child doesn’t know, (these words can also be taken from the papers they write), make up cards for these words, working with your child. On the cards, write the letters that they spelled correctly in black magic marker. Write the letters they misspelled in color. You often have to put a picture on those tricky letters. For example, in the word “Saturday”, have the “u” be a swimming pool with a stick figure person diving into it. You can glue stars, marshmallows, m & m’s, etc. on letters that don’t want to stick in the memory. At first the cards will be quite elaborate as you are training your child to use his/her photographic memory. After several weeks, you will find that you need to put less and less on the words, and the child still remembers it.</i></div>
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<i>Once the cards are made, have your child sit in a chair with his/her eyes in an upward position. Put the card up high in the air, and point out a few letters or pictures, and direct the child to take a quick “snapshot” with his eyes. Do this for “five looks”. Then take it down and ask questions about the colors and pictures of the letters. Then ask the child to spell the word forwards and backwards. BACKWARDS spelling is extremely important to this process. If the child can’t easily spell the word backwards, he isn’t seeing a picture of it, and the word will quickly fade in his memory, even if he passes the weekly test. If the child continues to get a letter wrong, then put more “jazz” on that letter…using either more pictures, or a silly story. If you are working with only one child, you can do this process for every word, every day. Then take the test on Friday. Remember, that if the child is struggling with the word, always direct her eyes upward to access the photographic memory. If she is still struggling, then offer some visual clues, like “What are the colors of the letters?” "</i></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we gave it a go. I just started with 5 words that I saw were being misspelled in her writing and created silly cards. My "hens" are yellow because it was easier to see than white. I tried to draw pictures that gave clues to smaller word chunks like "hat" and "hen". The "o" in people has a face... because people have faces lol. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We did a little trial and error - for instance in the picture below you'll see my first attempt at the word because. She was still struggling to see it and specifically with the "au" part. So I redid the card and put the "au" in yellow to make it stand out more and provide a visual cue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then she would take the cards and follow the instructions laid out in the Dianne Craft post. You guys - it worked for her so quickly! She learned the words with in the first few minutes. We still did the exercises each day and on the third day I introduced a few new words. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was very interesting for me to observe that when she was recalling the words she would subconsciously move her eyes upwards showing that she was accessing that photographic memory. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jBNhNl5DZzkF-iJGHKwaJc-dfAwZtY7vv1eMAGe4-ST1ERiONwue6s4WvhBzdIXFeYNUqhBXR4G-rYBt8V7u7vdbR7vUXNseV8oURKa4FnRvHv0ab7jMRp_FdL4Z5A_kh75pyorE3Xmp/s1600/60D080DC-9823-4BDC-B351-10F1D33EE9BA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jBNhNl5DZzkF-iJGHKwaJc-dfAwZtY7vv1eMAGe4-ST1ERiONwue6s4WvhBzdIXFeYNUqhBXR4G-rYBt8V7u7vdbR7vUXNseV8oURKa4FnRvHv0ab7jMRp_FdL4Z5A_kh75pyorE3Xmp/s1600/60D080DC-9823-4BDC-B351-10F1D33EE9BA.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She's loving making little books for everything right now so on the fifth day I had her create a spelling book and I asked her to write out the words. It was extremely easy for her to spell every word correctly. Now we're making our next set of cards! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You guys! I'm so excited to have found something that is working so well for her! She is thrilled with her progress and justifiably so proud of herself. I'd love to hear what works for your kids! A quick note about my son... he has gotten better at going with the flow and doing invented spelling but when he wants to revise and figure out spellings of words I give him an iPad and he just asks Siri ;) I love it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ Monique</span><br />
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<br />Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-11497331889235475512018-10-12T09:00:00.001-07:002018-10-13T18:00:16.894-07:00Invitation to Write Centre<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Being a Middle Years ELA teacher I started my homeschooling career pretty "gung ho" about writing instruction. So "gung ho" that I maybe contributed to them not loving writing so much. It was a humbling experience to realize that what I thought would be the easiest part of homeschooling for me became the thing I had to research, constantly flex, experiment with and tweak the most. Kids will do that to you won't they?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each year we submit our broad range goals to the school division, for two years one of my ELA goals was verbatim "<i>That we find a way or method that will allow my son to tolerate writing."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had high hopes didn't I?! Not love writing, not excel or be proficient at writing, just tolerate it. I just didn't want the tears, the anguish and the gnashing of teeth whenever we worked on writing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We've explored and tried many things (that will require their own blog post) but today I just want to introduce a fun and simple way to give children opportunities to write. <b>The Writing Basket!</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMao1uPbNnM-WHswaisv5TdF7AzKh9h0iT8kHOOKZpW2r8IUF-8REKw6c8R-nCjeVNJd4gjuA-QQeB9MmWXj4Vp8uHWOQMYIiQXP7qS2kqH2eWlGKeblRo9w7ljkYwYgGyJ1uwqp0R5Wp/s1600/writing+center+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMao1uPbNnM-WHswaisv5TdF7AzKh9h0iT8kHOOKZpW2r8IUF-8REKw6c8R-nCjeVNJd4gjuA-QQeB9MmWXj4Vp8uHWOQMYIiQXP7qS2kqH2eWlGKeblRo9w7ljkYwYgGyJ1uwqp0R5Wp/s1600/writing+center+cover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this cute carry all (from Target) I put an assortment of items that invite writing. The kids are allowed to use these absolutely free reign. I do not govern what they write or the amount of paper or stickers used. They just get to "play" with writing. Let's take a look at some of what's included in the centre!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Old holiday cards, address stickers and "secret files". I'll include pretty cards that we've received but have also picked up HUGE bundles at thrift stores for like $1. The address on those labels isn't even ours lol. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNvgBTqq03CGPsj3v2_BW_wpGNYQXvbWGRuOS6gSXsY1gtyFeIOyoZjML0gOVpB0BLDa9Z3tCVD1aQxEQRarc-lmvDcPIS0Zu9E8b9A6voFfhyfqnugtGrCLJqoOPPe9QYTL-H7ISFg1Y/s1600/3A7CBE85-C250-4E53-8536-8EF44D4E1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNvgBTqq03CGPsj3v2_BW_wpGNYQXvbWGRuOS6gSXsY1gtyFeIOyoZjML0gOVpB0BLDa9Z3tCVD1aQxEQRarc-lmvDcPIS0Zu9E8b9A6voFfhyfqnugtGrCLJqoOPPe9QYTL-H7ISFg1Y/s1600/3A7CBE85-C250-4E53-8536-8EF44D4E1354.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More greeting cards, sealing stickers, blank card sets, cute note pads and dry erase labels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The dollar store is my friend when making these centres. I also include cute tapes, washi tape, mini cards, sticky notes of all shapes and sizes, a magnifying glass and scissors. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF52aJUvyrKHAsjYOU9ivEhV55s2fnBNkx605XkMItliSyDuCzARRrgbkZiVE3ayC5NAOJfMNaR9LENziIdkSFjjK37Ax3mieOXE97JCmCI3OsjRajvaV9C3bmgCc31-zLXvJKu5Q-jgJA/s1600/94B414A8-526E-40A4-9BD3-3149A9DAE27E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF52aJUvyrKHAsjYOU9ivEhV55s2fnBNkx605XkMItliSyDuCzARRrgbkZiVE3ayC5NAOJfMNaR9LENziIdkSFjjK37Ax3mieOXE97JCmCI3OsjRajvaV9C3bmgCc31-zLXvJKu5Q-jgJA/s1600/94B414A8-526E-40A4-9BD3-3149A9DAE27E.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember in Kindergarten when we had to spend a week colouring a page completely in a rainbow of colours with crayons and then coloured over it all with a black crayon so that we could scratch out pictures? (It's one of my favourite kindergarten memories so I hope you did it too!) Well now they make these little magic notes ready for scratching! Further evidence that kids nowadays have it way too easy but you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to snatch those up for our writing centre. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcKRGcQcY3dLD4U-R2_ngO2eLoEdN5qgtF4BsC8o_jTFH1sQ-kqJ8m_rNXHHCW6no7HkewAe9XpmV-Vyqp-TZrFIYOpVMA4ql_UGJiO21c0LpUvYY6pKF1DqJshczx5yg-6d6pZY7RM3D/s1600/95C00B6A-7822-4025-B5F8-D36E8BB54D0E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcKRGcQcY3dLD4U-R2_ngO2eLoEdN5qgtF4BsC8o_jTFH1sQ-kqJ8m_rNXHHCW6no7HkewAe9XpmV-Vyqp-TZrFIYOpVMA4ql_UGJiO21c0LpUvYY6pKF1DqJshczx5yg-6d6pZY7RM3D/s1600/95C00B6A-7822-4025-B5F8-D36E8BB54D0E.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love including real life forms of writing and these receipt books are awesome. They are simple, foster realistic role play and also make great tickets ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cute stationary and school supplies are literally one of my favourite things in the world. They make me so happy so I love stocking this centre and refilling it when they use it all up. I love these little alphabet stickers and we even had personalized labels made with coupons from cereal boxes. Those grey ones say "Willms Grove Elementary".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This writing centre stays out at all times and they can use it during their free times and then I also will just schedule time for it and tell them "For at least the next 15 minutes I'd like you to utilize the writing centre." It's been a great addition to our homeschool. Do you have any tips for fun writing activities?</span></div>
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<br />Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-32656177130388739332018-10-02T11:32:00.002-07:002018-10-02T11:37:29.615-07:00Historical Fiction For Ancient Rome Study<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been a lover of historical fiction for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories were falling in love with novels set in the days of pioneers. So much of my current knowledge base about history has been extracted from these carefully woven stories that give glimpses into the humanity of history. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">History texts can be at times mundane but "living" history through the eyes of a character is captivating and full of richness. Because of this, regardless of what time period in history or historical event we are studying I will always look to find a novel set in that space in time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Currently we are studying Ancient Rome and I am SO glad I stumbled upon The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are only 2 books deep but are quite enjoying them. The series follows four children who are quite diverse. Flavia (daughter of a wealthy Roman merchant), Jonathon (a jewish boy who is secretly a Christian), Nubia (an African girl rescued from slavery) and Lupus (a street orphan). The four experience deep friendships and together solve mysteries they encounter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can purchase the hard copy of these books here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our preferred method so far has been listening to these books on Audible. I love being able to turn on the Audiobook and we can all draw or create (or lets be honest, I can tidy up the school room while we listen ;) ). Did you know that you can sign up for a free Audible trial and receive 2 FREE AUDIO books?! That's a $30 value right there! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can sign up for your own free trial here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So far we have read The Thieves Of Ostia and The Secrets of Vesuvius. The first was good and introduced the characters well but we enjoyed the second book more. It also led into a science study of volcanoes and plate tectonics as well as a study on the eruption of Vesuvius. The story was great, the mystery was more interesting and I loved how they included real historical figures such as Admiral Pliny. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am reading these with an 8 and 10 year old and I'd say it's a pretty good age range but that there are in each book a couple of random, quick incidents that I don't feel are age appropriate and that if I was reading it out loud myself I'd probably skip over ;)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Thieves of Ostia - a random suicide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*The Secrets of Vesuvius - a section dealing with the possibility of a marital affair and "lovers". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alright and now for the BIG deal... I kept searching for ebooks and could find NOTHING in our libraries or Hoopla and even had a hard time on Amazon UNTIL today! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I found the ENTIRE collection of 17 books for... $3.99. Say What?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For less than a Starbucks coffee you can get 17 great books! C'mon - that's crazy. I snapped that up in a hurry and I recommend that you do as well. I'm even including the link for you to grab it yourself!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">17 books feels like a lot but even if we don't read them all together I'm sure my kids will read them on their own at some point. Plus - as an adult I would love a 17 book series because it's just so much more time to spend with your favourite characters!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cheers!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Monique</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-81456186818362571372018-09-13T08:22:00.000-07:002018-09-13T08:22:07.207-07:00ROTA | DIY an Ancient Roman Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are in the thick of studying all things ancient Rome. Whenever we study history I really like to find a historical fiction book to jump off of. Seeing a culture in the setting of a story and through a characters eyes really makes a book come alive. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also then like to find activities and games that were a part of that culture that we can create and play. When we studied the Vikings we enjoyed Kubb (a fabulous lawn game that involves throwing "clubs" to knock down your opponents pillars and eventually the king). For Rome I discovered (on Pinterest of course) the game of Rota.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEDiQ88Yse_D2BmiSh3Z5vf8Ow9gCMVCxC-iL4psFLsQrG6M3Jy5uzl48CJ03MwBy4hh-hbOCKLFt0JR_kH77ekg7NXXlQkHPBCYF0Kd8B2idglJ3yDq6aNACkpbkwkNJp85X69cBwDwT/s1600/IMG_5506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEDiQ88Yse_D2BmiSh3Z5vf8Ow9gCMVCxC-iL4psFLsQrG6M3Jy5uzl48CJ03MwBy4hh-hbOCKLFt0JR_kH77ekg7NXXlQkHPBCYF0Kd8B2idglJ3yDq6aNACkpbkwkNJp85X69cBwDwT/s1600/IMG_5506.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rota means "wheel" in latin and as you can see the playing surface is in the shape of a roman wheel. The original name is not however known but this name was given to it after finding it carved along many roman roads and buildings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Based on the bit of research I've done I'm not sure anyone knows the precise original rules but most agree it is a game of 3 pieces per opponent and similar to tic tac toe where the objective is to make a line of 3 pieces in a row. (more on the rules at the end)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While we listened to our audiobook The Thieves of Ostia I had these pieces of muslin cloth cut and taped to my kids desks. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij423gnrggPcpdU69zVu05btHO-E-T2hRpjoC8R_M__kd2pHKAV2qPBxwjj0EuCQjCpD-Gfr84I4_gMEul8LJ4XtRBPz9-OM29LZnoOPcDV-9GgLQpZF6nbsHnJWC3R6Ytj-Nz9ggQDUOe/s1600/IMG_5495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij423gnrggPcpdU69zVu05btHO-E-T2hRpjoC8R_M__kd2pHKAV2qPBxwjj0EuCQjCpD-Gfr84I4_gMEul8LJ4XtRBPz9-OM29LZnoOPcDV-9GgLQpZF6nbsHnJWC3R6Ytj-Nz9ggQDUOe/s1600/IMG_5495.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I then had them trace a large mixing bowl onto the cloth with a pencil and use a ruler to make the four lines across the diameter - much like you'd slice a pie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I mixed acrylic black paint with a bit of fabric medium (this is not necessary but I had it so I used it. I paint on fabric with regular paint all the time. The medium just keeps it a bit more pliable). While we listened they painted over all their pencil lines. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60mzjMQPRY7fBVvefgn7vuVrjPalLQwfUaltQXallicddyEDnRkxnrQTsMkHNh304NYZ2zzI16Jru67iudN24mjtMH6XKKlG4JvTnUlNX9DZGBNYufua41UdvtF17qEdvvLuGqEisvaQY/s1600/IMG_5497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60mzjMQPRY7fBVvefgn7vuVrjPalLQwfUaltQXallicddyEDnRkxnrQTsMkHNh304NYZ2zzI16Jru67iudN24mjtMH6XKKlG4JvTnUlNX9DZGBNYufua41UdvtF17qEdvvLuGqEisvaQY/s1600/IMG_5497.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You need to create a circle at each intersection point on the wheel. This can either be done freehand or we took a bottle cap, painted it black and then stamped it onto the fabric. It typically needed a bit more paint to be filled in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kids then had to scavenge rocks to use as their pieces. I liked the idea of rocks because I feel like that's what Roman Legionnaires would have used to play as they played around campfires and at their posts. Make sure you get 3 rocks of one colour and 3 rocks of another colour making 2 distinct teams.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How to Play:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* To start players take turns putting their three pieces onto any open spot on the board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* After all three pieces are on the board a player must move one piece every turn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* A piece may move along any straight or curved line into the next empty spot on the board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* A piece may NOT jump another piece and may not move more than one place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* The first person to get three pieces in a row wins. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** I've read some differing rules and some state you can get three in a row anywhere (along the perimeter and through the centre) and some state you can only get three in a row by getting a line through the centre. We've been playing the first way but are going to try out just through the centre.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My kids are OBSESSED with this game! They take it everywhere and are constantly playing each other or my husband and I. It's a quick game (though some sites suggest that really good players can keep it going for almost forever). We are not that good yet! But it definitely involves some strategy and is more complex that straight up tic tac toe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love that we made it on cloth as you can fold up your rocks into the game and tie it for easy travel (and to make sure you don't lose your pieces). Also... how cute would these be as gifts? Pretty sure we have some people on our list that are getting this game for Christmas!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are some of your favourite games? Do you have any ancient favourites - I'd love recommendations!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ Monique</span></div>
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Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-76859697074327267332018-09-05T20:10:00.000-07:002018-09-05T20:13:30.024-07:00Fun Vocab Practice!<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really like to teach vocabulary in context. I'm not typically one for generating random lists of words for my kids to learn. I encourage them to stop and ask me about words that are unfamiliar and we talk about them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We recently just started reading The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence. (Click the link to grab this book for yourself!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=moniquewillms-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=1842550209&asins=1842550209&linkId=4d7f89ffd92acc142ac91a70302c6d0d&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We're already quite enjoying it and I chose it because we were going to be studying Ancient Rome this fall. Even in the first few chapters the kids have been exposed to so much learning about Roman culture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Right now we are listening to the audio book on audible so you can click the link and get the audio version if you prefer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we are listening I take it upon myself to jot down words that I know will be unfamiliar to my kids. You could definitely have the kids do it themselves but sometimes I find it distracts from immersing themselves in the story if they're having to stop and write. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After we're done reading/listening I'll then have them draw cards to guess what they mean. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After our guessing game I divide the words up and then have them ask Siri for the definitions. *GASP* I know right... that's totally cheating. Here's the thing... I am all about knowing what my goal is and then finding efficient ways to achieve it. My goal here is that they learn the meaning of the words. My goal here is NOT that they learn dictionary skills. (When I want them to learn dictionary skills I teach them dictionary skills). Also... dictionaries are inefficient. I want them to know how to look something up but in real life when I need to figure out a word - I ask Siri or I google it. I have no problem with my kids doing the same. They then write the definition on the back of the card. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Side Note - I also have started giving my son an ipad when he's writing so that he can ask Siri how to spell words instead of asking me 15 times. I always encourage him to invent spellings but he just likes to have it done "right". *</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">O.K. This isn't sounding super fun yet... here's the fun part. Instead of having them write down sentences for how they'd use the word and to show their understanding I make them do Improv. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yes, improv. I give them a scene, let them choose characters and then they have to act through a scene and incorporate each word from their collection. To spice it up I might throw a card into the scene at any time and they have to use it immediately. It makes for some funny situations when they're acting out being an emperor and roman guard and suddenly the emperor needs to use the "latrine" giving the guard opportunity to steal the "amulet" and wash his "toga". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You definitely see in a hurry that they understand the vocabulary and can use it in context! Plus they think it's hilarious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think this would be an awesome activity in a classroom as well! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do you make vocab fun? I'd love to hear your ideas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*This post contains affiliate links*</span><br />
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</iframe>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-55408829401499174062018-08-28T11:04:00.004-07:002018-08-28T11:04:31.130-07:00Science Notebooking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpVNJdXj8bo6wZc4V2yADAjj0swlji8cMELUX59jMqkdhqDT4xDwn3yYU6ET8CMKY-Pe4mdOL6-uBmHiDu9OCdCdKmxm9Y8giJnwy89B6CQb_H3cGacqEhOWhtwe3ODcRVtEae9OC2crr/s1600/IMG_5332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpVNJdXj8bo6wZc4V2yADAjj0swlji8cMELUX59jMqkdhqDT4xDwn3yYU6ET8CMKY-Pe4mdOL6-uBmHiDu9OCdCdKmxm9Y8giJnwy89B6CQb_H3cGacqEhOWhtwe3ODcRVtEae9OC2crr/s1600/IMG_5332.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've heard the term "notebooking" thrown around and I'm not sure I'm using in the typical sense of the word but I do want to share about what I call Science Notebooking in our homeschool. Another descriptor might be "doodle notes". For us, notebooking is a compiling of information that we're learning using writing, illustrations, diagrams, flow charts, and other mixed media. Really it could be called a Science Journal as well I guess. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We experimented throughout the year last year and this year I have more intentional plans of how to incorporate it and step it up a little bit. (<i>I have an example at the end of the post of the direction I'd like to go this year.)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, what's our science notebooking process?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We take whatever we're learning about at the time, even it if wasn't planned (which is A LOT of our science - we are rabbit trail hunters) and we compile the information that we're learning. Often I use it when I want them to get familiar with certain terms. We will draw and label and discuss the terms. We keep the writing to a minimum and focus on key points and use things like arrows and page organization to create a flow of information. I love that it challenges their minds in a different way rather than just copying notes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Below are illustrations things we find in our microbiome.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love notebooking for pre and early writers as well because we do not put all of our emphasis on writing. My youngest was able to draw and illustrate (and loves to put time and energy into those drawings) and often I would jot down a few of the words for her or I would pick out the most important ones that I wanted her to write. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I LOVE to educate holistically, again... not sure if that's an appropriate term but for me means that we don't break everything up into subjects... we just learn and create and everything will likely hit/cover several "subjects". I use subject terminology when speaking to others and writing but rarely use it with my own kids. Someone recently asked them what their favourite subject was and they had the blank stare going on. I rephrased it to "what do you enjoy learning about?" and they both rattled off a page long list lol. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Below is an example of the short poems we created for the various rock processes. I loved that it was a new way of thinking through the process and using impactful words to convey meaning. </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>You'll also notice that with my daughter more is more. She's always adding extra (even when I'd prefer her not to). </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another thing I enjoy about the science notebooking is the element of dictation. We don't have a large blackboard in our schoolroom and so I'm typically just giving them short snippets of what I want them to write down or we are discussing and then working together on how to word it efficiently. I also often am creating my own notebooking pages alongside them so they can reference my page for spelling or a certain diagram if they need to. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also often print out things that I'd like them to cut out, diagram with and glue into their books. Kind of like a smashbook I guess. This year I'd like to do more of that as well as adding small watercolour paintings that we can do, then cut out and attach to our pages. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This page was on "Sources of Light" and I quickly drew a page of light bulbs, then photocopied it so I had 3 copies and then we drew in various sources of artificial and natural light. Essentially it was a brainstorming activity with a creative twist.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMoo9You5wtXckO2S3kmpIBcd_SsHWIcysrVUyxnJ-6748dje6f6nw9RcrZxvaI9hQVb00o28UkUv2l2U9PxA5y5Q9ZcabR60HzVgqegFaEdMp7wT4red0bRQJuanoFwy_pDuwCAwFT9W/s1600/IMG_5330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMoo9You5wtXckO2S3kmpIBcd_SsHWIcysrVUyxnJ-6748dje6f6nw9RcrZxvaI9hQVb00o28UkUv2l2U9PxA5y5Q9ZcabR60HzVgqegFaEdMp7wT4red0bRQJuanoFwy_pDuwCAwFT9W/s1600/IMG_5330.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My good friend Alison introduced me to this book and she notebooked through it with her girls. It's a great little book and we're going to start our year notebooking through it as well and see what interest it builds for where we further our studies. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBY2-5pan61qmWWNkoMu1ypZ1uAnyP2kCiWq96INfsjNmqjbIZ1-sVOX1lJyW_o1I9QJxxFS7cpkEMqUaS4NuSbI0d5_f4Y_clzzJHo90G5K-Oei3XGGSzMJuRLUWFeiaEiEU4x2MKvy1n/s1600/IMG_5333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBY2-5pan61qmWWNkoMu1ypZ1uAnyP2kCiWq96INfsjNmqjbIZ1-sVOX1lJyW_o1I9QJxxFS7cpkEMqUaS4NuSbI0d5_f4Y_clzzJHo90G5K-Oei3XGGSzMJuRLUWFeiaEiEU4x2MKvy1n/s1600/IMG_5333.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes for us I find that creating a rhythm with something really helps my kids with their expectations around it. My goal is to start the year creating that rhythm and making the time to create interesting notebooking pages. I'd also like to incorporate more nature journaling that is based on what we discover and utilizes watercolours. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll also be investing in some better quality notebooks that are spiral bound with thicker paper so that we can create a beautiful collection of their notes!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Here's an example I created for the kids of using various media to create their notebooks. </i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7h7cm-ddxPFXfqv9nJ4Iby8MHtIFD3XteziS4mkoSZsR2BGKTzD5suJseAmSB-zR_rY4o8MGE-3_wj2htM9yQw1A_xAkKkioQmO4alwWt8ZY20nl0X8Lc_8x1JHckiB4AdVk6S6YthJPy/s1600/IMG_5335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7h7cm-ddxPFXfqv9nJ4Iby8MHtIFD3XteziS4mkoSZsR2BGKTzD5suJseAmSB-zR_rY4o8MGE-3_wj2htM9yQw1A_xAkKkioQmO4alwWt8ZY20nl0X8Lc_8x1JHckiB4AdVk6S6YthJPy/s1600/IMG_5335.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm really excited to create these and hopefully I can get my kids on board! lol. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-53262836016329496152018-08-23T08:19:00.000-07:002018-08-23T08:19:01.133-07:00FREEBIE | Kinder Star Wars Pack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6j1pty_sahMOcsbNOWrlQ9TjmUc8Twriswn59ygw5cxHNCKbNmWXyoe9cNspmErv6EHlpEgPuXp2VeNEovRPtpirBu-E6hyECT8DWCtPA-robmGnkrFeVaKh53IOwU7vsmXH2alkujQZ/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.42.18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="653" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6j1pty_sahMOcsbNOWrlQ9TjmUc8Twriswn59ygw5cxHNCKbNmWXyoe9cNspmErv6EHlpEgPuXp2VeNEovRPtpirBu-E6hyECT8DWCtPA-robmGnkrFeVaKh53IOwU7vsmXH2alkujQZ/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.42.18.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was prepping for my first year of homeschool my son was obsessed with all things Star Wars. This was even before Disney got a hold of the franchise and released a string of new films. We may be a long way from Kindergarten now but our love for Star Wars is still strong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I created this little packet of kinder activities to go through with him and because it was my first year homeschooling I was zealous and wrote all my plans into unit plans! In the freebie you'll get the 3 page unit plan that not only gives you ideas on how to use the pages included but also other extension ideas and crafts. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWNjWDI3y3HJmUGqFZ2X0-Po8CoV-oqH1y2wOAdU6r-pUEOBw6E8kW7Irp_sLIC5wz74_he2PkYeVZN_UBo2q6Lm0scXX9yCVXVMVxktGt5wnby-kv2VYFEIGivZaSdmPcdqCv8IdUhEI/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.41.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWNjWDI3y3HJmUGqFZ2X0-Po8CoV-oqH1y2wOAdU6r-pUEOBw6E8kW7Irp_sLIC5wz74_he2PkYeVZN_UBo2q6Lm0scXX9yCVXVMVxktGt5wnby-kv2VYFEIGivZaSdmPcdqCv8IdUhEI/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.41.09.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bump is one of our favourite math games and you can create so many versions to work on various math facts. You'll get this Star Wars Addition Bump game in the freebie packet. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwUlk88bN8E_acC7qqpqmY6AkSN6_qAiLuovhbRd5Myf7Ptf8efLiqdX3-Ay2sbd54TpfbL_0jqyj-LvDVK5_hJEN8ytXCvaVl3F2vmWZiLPwdtAYcI5-_ezkhM25oOL86_Jrm5Ibezgq/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.41.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="643" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwUlk88bN8E_acC7qqpqmY6AkSN6_qAiLuovhbRd5Myf7Ptf8efLiqdX3-Ay2sbd54TpfbL_0jqyj-LvDVK5_hJEN8ytXCvaVl3F2vmWZiLPwdtAYcI5-_ezkhM25oOL86_Jrm5Ibezgq/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.41.33.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My kids have always enjoyed their measuring activities and we do a lot of random unit measuring like measuring with lightsabers or lego blocks. You'll get to do several measuring activities along with graphing as well. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXGpzUt4suqRwJwH-qypH-Z7KEVkk7ZNdW8KfZiIxLDB6_9YTDzL1DXQ7q9rUwYnZJ7kH65DLqKU9KG69CRRfLCSQvi5GJ3aZfQpX6QT4LGlrvKR1GmlRsQ4zWtYtNZpNjiF_pnqS2EnP/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.41.52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXGpzUt4suqRwJwH-qypH-Z7KEVkk7ZNdW8KfZiIxLDB6_9YTDzL1DXQ7q9rUwYnZJ7kH65DLqKU9KG69CRRfLCSQvi5GJ3aZfQpX6QT4LGlrvKR1GmlRsQ4zWtYtNZpNjiF_pnqS2EnP/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.41.52.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In kinder we were working on things like letter recognition and some sight words and their are a few activities related to those skills. I also like to get kids telling stories and this fun sticker story prompt is a fun one. As they create their story scene you as the parent would act as their secretary and jot down their story to read back to them. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaS8D6a5_5elXwZd6gbOVPe98GW7w5j5lDadaD1sAkYODSCpMHqSUZf21LrmghaLsEC9XrD86LogIFfB7a3TKhPN4m-G_28-3Ca1th8kX60Tmr_KBkAZq6KlIfD_K5XuQf8EMqduEklAM/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.59.28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="627" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaS8D6a5_5elXwZd6gbOVPe98GW7w5j5lDadaD1sAkYODSCpMHqSUZf21LrmghaLsEC9XrD86LogIFfB7a3TKhPN4m-G_28-3Ca1th8kX60Tmr_KBkAZq6KlIfD_K5XuQf8EMqduEklAM/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-23+08.59.28.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The resources that I've been starting to create can all be found in my shop at www.moniquewillms.com. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can get your FREEBIE Kinder Star Wars Pack by clicking <a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/kinder-star-wars-pack" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To get it for free use the coupon code STARWARS at checkout :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-5978082845875986962018-08-21T11:59:00.002-07:002018-08-21T11:59:31.527-07:00Our Favourite YouTube Science Channels<u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvG04Y09q0HExnIjdgaqcDQ" target="_blank"></a></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think YouTube is one of the best inventions of our generation - I really do! How amazing is it that anyone can bring their knowledge, skills, and creativity to a public forum and share awesome content with others for free. Sure there's stuff on Youtube that is not great, likely even destructive but you don't have to watch that!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our kids do not have YouTube on their iPads or other devices but we do have it on our AppleTV and obviously our computer and we use it a ton. My one requirement is that when on YouTube it has to be visible to everyone so that there is an element of safety and they're not taking a rabbit hole into inappropriate content. YouTube Kids helps with that to some degree but isn't our go to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So all that said, we've found some great science channels that our whole family enjoys and we want to share them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvG04Y09q0HExnIjdgaqcDQ" target="_blank">BECAUSE SCIENCE</a></u></span><br />
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<i style="color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Nerdist Science Editor Kyle Hill uses real-world math and science concepts to solve, measure, and make sense of pop culture quandaries in comics, video games, movies, and TV." - direct quote from his channel description.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This show is a current favourite of my son as the creator Kyle Hill takes happenings and events from things like super hero movies and breaks them down with real world science and math. It's got the appeal of these familiar characters and story lines combined with very in depth and well thought out scientific explanations. The host is engaging and interesting and graphically I like his style. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BreakingTrail" target="_blank">BRAVE WILDERNESS</a></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coyote Peterson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We never miss an episode of Coyote Peterson's adventures with wildlife. He's kind of like the Steve Irwin of this generation - why someone hasn't given him a network television show I'm not sure!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The Brave Wilderness Channel is your one stop connection to a wild world of adventure and amazing up close animal encounters!
Follow along with adventurer and animal expert Coyote Peterson and his crew as they lead you on 6 exciting expedition series - Breaking Trail, Beyond the Tide, Dragon Tails, Coyote's Backyard, Base Camp and On Location - featuring everything from Grizzly Bears and Crocodiles to Rattlesnakes and Tarantulas! Every single episode offers an opportunity to learn something new</i>. <i>(</i>From channel description).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We find Coyote an engaging host, vastly knowledgeable about the wildlife he is encountering, educational and entertaining. Plus, he lets himself get bit by a lot of things. Not gonna lie - it's our favourite part. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBackyardScientist" target="_blank">THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST</a></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kevin is always whipping up some type of crazy experiment in his backyard. He does things like exploding arrows, rocket fidget spinners, molten metal squirt guns and building a giant mousetrap. We always look like the tense face emoji while we watch. Ha. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His experiments are typically always dangerous, explosive and loud and his neighbour is often yelling "Kevin! One more time and I'll call the cops!" over the fence. (Side note - I think he should do an episode with his neighbour).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These experiments are not something you'll ever do on your own so it's nice to watch someone else with the materials and tools take the risks to show you cool stuff. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/charlieissocoollike" target="_blank">CHARLIEISSOCOOLLIKE</a></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fun Science with Charlie McDonnel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've just found Charlie but my kids do enjoy him, especially his songs. He explains concepts well and his videos are well produced!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are a few of our favourites that we regularly watch. If you have any that your family loves please share! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-5328031041641173762018-08-17T09:45:00.001-07:002018-08-17T09:45:20.565-07:00Teaching Your Kids About Business<div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For the past several years I have taken time each summer to take my kids through some business building activities. I love the self motivated lemonade stand that is a summer staple for kids and I wanted to be intentional guide my kids a little bit more with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the most foundational ways we can do that with a lemonade stand (or any other such stand) is to at the very least help our kids understand that there are costs involved in business. A simple way to do that is to charge them for the lemonade concentrate and cups! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Take them to the store with you and purchase your supplies. Have them add up the total spent and divide it by the number of cups of lemonade they can make with the supplies. This will give them their cost per unit and then they can price their lemonade higher than that so that they won't take a loss. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I created lemonade stands, Ice Cream Float Shops and Art businesses with my kids I realized there was so many fantastic and authentic learning opportunities within this realm of entrepreneurship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started searching for resources to use with my kids to teach the fundamentals of business and even in the expansive land of Pinterest - I could barely find anything and I certainly couldn't find anything that was comprehensive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So each year I just kept adding various activities to our summer project. Creating logos, developing a brand, hand drawing and then reproducing flyers to deliver, cost of business work pages, understanding profits, etc. As a business owner myself I know that after a quality product/service, marketing will make or break my business. I took the opportunity to go through so many ins and outs of marketing with my kids. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One customer at a lemonade stand asked my son how they decided on their cups and the straws with mini umbrellas on them. To which he replied, "Well, my mom says people like to buy cute stuff so we made them cute."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Such a proud mamma moment! He also knows from experience that people are going to pay more for a cute polka dot cup with a mini umbrella than they are for a styrofoam cup. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a few years of creating these activities with my kids I decided to start to compile them all into a course for youth and families and thus BEY - Business and Entrepreneurship for Youth and Families was born! Creating curriculum has always been one of my favourite parts of teaching. I also love design and am a photographer so it was truly a project that was able to incorporate all of my passions!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This year my kids created watercolour notecards to sell in sets. They created a name "HK Creative", a logo, designed packaging and created a multimedia campaign to market their work. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When getting my education degree there was a motto in the teacher community that we joked around with regarding resources "borrow, beg, or steal". Now we never actually stole people's work so don't worry but in teaching there are always things you could create, customize or develop but also very little time to do those things - so in essence it's really "help each other and share resources". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I couldn't find the business resources I was looking for so I created them and now I am sharing them with you! And by YOU I mean anyone with youth in their life. You don't have to be a homeschooler to use this, I think it is great for parents to work through with their kids at home. I also feel it works in a classroom setting for teachers to use and would also be a really great enrichment course for your students who are always done early and looking for a meaningful way to use their extra time. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6PkgZmaYlHeB3jxqjzK3kfudExWShy3JnlfXYueSC5R9a57_RaFUUgRYTk64GJWIO0IWFJ0alcKqlyR2x9kQicY3qflj4LRFmsPZ2sy02B7CF-6Q3m1xLRSXHRfj1OH3zgxrJabm7b3b/s1600/37613665_10156074042272025_4938648229265801216_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6PkgZmaYlHeB3jxqjzK3kfudExWShy3JnlfXYueSC5R9a57_RaFUUgRYTk64GJWIO0IWFJ0alcKqlyR2x9kQicY3qflj4LRFmsPZ2sy02B7CF-6Q3m1xLRSXHRfj1OH3zgxrJabm7b3b/s1600/37613665_10156074042272025_4938648229265801216_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/business-and-entrepreneurship-course-for-youth-bey" target="_blank">BEY- Business and Entrepreneurship for Youth</a><br />
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<span style="color: #2f2e2e; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: center;">BEY is a comprehensive course for youth and families to work through. The course is broken down into 6 sections where course material can be printed or worked through online and also includes a 30 page Business Portfolio to be printed out. </span></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBe-uaeELYedu7_B05EdWKY380twm9pavboly5nuE7EabQJH4O6272uH3HUfIcd6Z6Q5yiMF3yas2-KgAN_xJfE7A5mLgFK1aI5g6mdV-wExe5PICWN91ULz_2sU72MSFOEd51_5xK6vhyphenhyphen/s1600/37796198_10156085412062025_4819340914025562112_n.jpg" /><a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/business-and-entrepreneurship-course-for-youth-bey" target="_blank">https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/business-and-entrepreneurship-course-for-youth-bey</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The course work will sequentially take you through all the learning involved in creating your own business and understanding things like cost of doing business, branding your product or service and marketing. At the end of each section students are directed to the Business Portfolio and led through pen and paper and extra activities involved in developing their business. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">This course has a vast appeal as the solid principles apply to everything from a child’s first lemonade stand, to a babysitting business, to creating a one of a kind product and selling it. I’ve used all of these activities when developing the businesses that provide for my family!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">In this PDF download (57 pages) you will find:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">BEY Business course (27 pages) with sections including:</span></div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Introduction</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Products and Services</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cost of Doing Business</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Branding</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Marketing</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reflection</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Printable Business Portfolio (30 pages)</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Certificate of Completion</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">By the end of the course students will have gone through the learning and process of completing a full business plan and putting it into action. It is truly a one of a kind course that is simple, to the point and full of images and engaging activities. </span></div>
<pre class="content" data-hook="product-page-description-content" ng-bind-html="descriptionVM.descriptionToHtml()" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f2e2e; font-size: 15px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So if you're looking for a comprehensive, no prep for you way to teach your kids about business check out the link <a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/product-page/business-and-entrepreneurship-course-for-youth-bey" target="_blank">HERE</a> !</span></pre>
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Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-27122034754979839232018-08-15T07:31:00.000-07:002018-08-15T07:31:06.537-07:00It Doesn't Have to Be Forever<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the years I've found that I create little mottos to be a constant reminder of some of the values and priorities I have. They become a brain pathway, a go to direction for my thoughts (Check out Dr. Caroline Leaf for awesome resources on your brain.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of my daily go to mottos is </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZy7tJ5Tcep7rgl5F5hUgAnStuTpbNKru4_SWumcA0khnkBJlLGWyF0dQY24oUxO7LtFJBJpdLR9ET3d8eYEmEppPpkjd1dkVnoRUWgCi_tRdnEIMv4x9ay3I7MsnFAC4Gt1srTF5uSO9/s1600/family-9698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZy7tJ5Tcep7rgl5F5hUgAnStuTpbNKru4_SWumcA0khnkBJlLGWyF0dQY24oUxO7LtFJBJpdLR9ET3d8eYEmEppPpkjd1dkVnoRUWgCi_tRdnEIMv4x9ay3I7MsnFAC4Gt1srTF5uSO9/s1600/family-9698.jpg" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don't want to work out? Just go for 10 minutes - something is better than nothing (I'll probably end up doing the full 30 anyways). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finding it overwhelming to overhaul your families nutrition? Something is better than nothing - wheat free Wednesdays it is or lets add a plate of cut of organic veggies to the table once a day. Something is better than nothing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It really works for so many things and takes away any excuses that hold me back from being better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But that's not the motto I wanted to share today - my new motto I find myself saying is </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">NOTHING IS FOREVER</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now let's get the big clarification out of the way - there ARE lots of things that are forever. So maybe I need to tweak it but it just flows like this. There are so many wonderful forever things like God and my family and even though our life here on earth isn't forever, that's not what I'm talking about in this motto. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm talking about the little things. I'm talking about not being paralyzed in making decisions because I think that decision has to work forever. I'm talking about making a conscious choice to live in the moment and embrace the season with a full understanding that this season will change.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Have you ever been roadblocked by the "it has to work for a really long time" mindset? Even in minor house renovations I can get stuck. I hate this sink but eventually we're going to knock out that wall, expand the counter and add a new window so I can't redo the vanity until all those things are done. But do I? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or can I say, nothing is forever - that wall is not getting knocked down for at least a year so lets do a mini reno and actually love my bathroom for the year before the big reno. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This summer I rearranged my yard and patio furniture several times. Nothing is forever, they're moveable and I'll do what works for the day or for the week and not lock myself into the full summer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEQF4vJfwPPxiBaFRO5DKyaUmrP-kPTJLzEllLpwMmwObkF7fEZZ68gm9vBHgVhN6F92cbRUVxhoAfD46PkIfeyyyFYXaybfUTfjbPePHwFtFZABYo6vSo6m_0-HKORmn5tCwk_VNWxlW/s1600/family-9719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEQF4vJfwPPxiBaFRO5DKyaUmrP-kPTJLzEllLpwMmwObkF7fEZZ68gm9vBHgVhN6F92cbRUVxhoAfD46PkIfeyyyFYXaybfUTfjbPePHwFtFZABYo6vSo6m_0-HKORmn5tCwk_VNWxlW/s1600/family-9719.jpg" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">HOMESCHOOLING</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I started homeschooling my kids I had a subconscious thought stream that insisted I find rhythms and structures that would define our homeschool for long periods of time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm here to tell you that most of those systems last me a few months. What has brought me IMMENSE freedom in home educating is learning to let go and embrace the season. Our homeschool days are a like a meandering path that goes up a mountain, through a valley, along the river and through the woods and onto the sea. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I mean by that is I believe the nature of educating children (especially homeschooling because you teach them year after year) is that they CHANGE. And as they change, their interests grow, they stretch and they struggle and your homeschooling will change too. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvHXx5ih47W4c1KK75h1umdY-zdkAmiPMtcxyJs_tg4PdN6lqtex2qVG2BoNJ7831mil5JckSM8QNT6mkFEp0LPz8SK4ONIU_Fb_L9B5Y2qFtiG4dKvVjX_m3GSCs0zW316rCAS-K0rWI/s1600/family-3346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvHXx5ih47W4c1KK75h1umdY-zdkAmiPMtcxyJs_tg4PdN6lqtex2qVG2BoNJ7831mil5JckSM8QNT6mkFEp0LPz8SK4ONIU_Fb_L9B5Y2qFtiG4dKvVjX_m3GSCs0zW316rCAS-K0rWI/s1600/family-3346.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">In the hardest of seasons I'm encouraged that nothing lasts forever. This too will pass. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">In the best of seasons I soak it up, I am intentional to be present and make the most of it because nothing lasts forever, this too shall pass. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Take a deep breath and allow yourself to let go. You don't have to find the curriculum that will carry you through to high school. You don't have to find that schedule that works for the next year. Try things. If they don't work for you and your family - let them go. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Now some of you could very well feel panic rising at my words. You like to know the long game. You like to have things laid out and to systematically work through them. That's cool too. If things are working for you - yay! If they ever start not working, come back to this post ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Often I find with people who are talking to me about the idea of homeschooling that the "forever mindset" is a huge stumbling block. They want to give it a go, they think it's the best thing for their child in this season but forever scares them back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Homeschooling isn't forever. Logistically (at least where I live) it is not that hard to take your kids out or put your kids back into the system. I have multiple friends who have homeschooled for a year or two and then their kids went to public school. I wouldn't do it constantly as that could be really hard on a kid but if you're on the fence and would love to try homeschooling but you're not sure it will work for your family - go ahead. Try it. It doesn't have to be forever. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe that motto works better... IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FOREVER. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paint that wall, colour your hair, try that curriculum, try a few months of unschooling... release yourself to embrace the season!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFMcbG-8WoEfSLfKfPMbq4bIL5F_xirFs0ThIlDbK_eICQuR1I7KSxxHi8BugMMv3QiGTFdSUNCtMxo5kGz7K0F8cCRuzIgFnmNF6rjtEiRXOh7LpaNkhPccgzOUC64CM0IrspB0j1F3X/s1600/family-9634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFMcbG-8WoEfSLfKfPMbq4bIL5F_xirFs0ThIlDbK_eICQuR1I7KSxxHi8BugMMv3QiGTFdSUNCtMxo5kGz7K0F8cCRuzIgFnmNF6rjtEiRXOh7LpaNkhPccgzOUC64CM0IrspB0j1F3X/s1600/family-9634.jpg" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-53230422663998129142018-08-13T06:26:00.000-07:002018-08-13T06:37:58.275-07:00Old School Movies to Watch With Your Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0y-pWZI-K-n3_9y_drQe5PZAxo1nXbqaGWDIvMxQOVUkuVMmFLVfTCfjRVLmWTb8eMl06lH3VOYAiSqVhzZxpYHo7bhfHyNEzQ8FJeWWIBTR6yE0nv3yQVNIdXepFCyuNt1jO89fUdlB/s1600/movie+night_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0y-pWZI-K-n3_9y_drQe5PZAxo1nXbqaGWDIvMxQOVUkuVMmFLVfTCfjRVLmWTb8eMl06lH3VOYAiSqVhzZxpYHo7bhfHyNEzQ8FJeWWIBTR6yE0nv3yQVNIdXepFCyuNt1jO89fUdlB/s1600/movie+night_edited-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have a lot of great memories of watching movies as a youth. Movies of the 80's and 90's were a bit of a different breed. We also watched them 27 times each because there was no Netflix with a gazillion choices, on demand T.V. or P.V.R. Instead we played Super Mario and watched Kindergarten Cop 29 times. (That is indeed a factual number). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a departure from some of the movies coming out now we decided to start having a couple family movie nights a month that were dedicated to OLD SCHOOL. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here's the tricky part though... people could put a lot of stuff in the movies in those decades that they couldn't (and shouldn't) put in movies now. Personally there is a lot of stuff in some of those movies that I watched as a kid that I wouldn't let my own kids watch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, for movies where the majority of the film is above board we just skip parts. I am fully aware that my children will one day be Phoebe Buffet from Friends when she watches the real ending of Old Yeller. They are in for a rude awakening as adults but at least they'll be adults and not impressionable young children lol. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first list will be ones that we've watched with our kids and their impressions and then I'll give a list of ones that have been suggested to us or are on our watch list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>OLD SCHOOL MOVIES WE'VE WATCHED WITH THE KIDS</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* In no particular order *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4i9qK_Ev03meSw51Zv52uOD2kP1_vwnUeU32D4qSx1d8XGIeYR1sZ8TXXYZT5jaqzoJ7pKcC2WpgGsHjWLQr4insusrQrTB7MpUmk_Mr3TiGin2PPJxZnuotCDSnZFC_qUcNK25Kz99fw/s1600/91WqCl20V4L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1050" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4i9qK_Ev03meSw51Zv52uOD2kP1_vwnUeU32D4qSx1d8XGIeYR1sZ8TXXYZT5jaqzoJ7pKcC2WpgGsHjWLQr4insusrQrTB7MpUmk_Mr3TiGin2PPJxZnuotCDSnZFC_qUcNK25Kz99fw/s200/91WqCl20V4L._SL1500_.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. <b>Cool Runnings </b>- based on the true story of the Jamaican Bobsled team. Coincidentally we watched it during the 2018 olympics where there was a female Jamaican bobsled team competing. There is a bit of language in this one. The kids enjoyed the movie!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeTtrdS8mQD9sGfsbPR7ONVDQLdU8i1VK8BwQN0lLtFTggQFFwz5GNxjYbkz_M_PAEGwWXd3PujQrGOYbEv39PFq-PHpSScxq41gk9h2ugJsPQozBels8Fsz8gin3vYN3FKD-lXFnp1jf/s1600/download-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="212" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeTtrdS8mQD9sGfsbPR7ONVDQLdU8i1VK8BwQN0lLtFTggQFFwz5GNxjYbkz_M_PAEGwWXd3PujQrGOYbEv39PFq-PHpSScxq41gk9h2ugJsPQozBels8Fsz8gin3vYN3FKD-lXFnp1jf/s200/download-1.jpg" width="141" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Parent Trap</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - we watched the Lindsay Lohan version. The kids thought it was hilarious. So many camp shenanigans and physical humour. I don't love how they over sexualized the dad's girlfriend and we skipped some of those parts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpHSSTh21OxzwZy-pfQR6z9-tPI-MZXI83VFjhlPNrX1-cOybVqHFJKabKORbJUA2dn4LEUsa-yFI1Ib0R3nu18R3FcWSEbLpa07W_Hb5H6G22mcLa5CVtUvZu_WiFgrz0zi-0nCVdzJI/s1600/91Xd1LtI1LL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpHSSTh21OxzwZy-pfQR6z9-tPI-MZXI83VFjhlPNrX1-cOybVqHFJKabKORbJUA2dn4LEUsa-yFI1Ib0R3nu18R3FcWSEbLpa07W_Hb5H6G22mcLa5CVtUvZu_WiFgrz0zi-0nCVdzJI/s200/91Xd1LtI1LL._SL1500_.jpg" width="139" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. <b>Home Alone (1-5)</b> - Yup. You read that right. There are 5! We had never watched beyond 3 but we marathoned them all at Christmas. In our opinion - stick to the original 2 with Macaulay Culkin. We skipped the references to porn and other derogatory comments. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB22rf1ODeLYA_jBfYXPJ8ZMJeNe4bUplWqxHDF0BNIU7d1SKQNFLL7Hys_8sm1gLN-E3Z8_BZfEuA21PPZEAbl1TeP5RfWuNiHcshejBcGX1w1N1Xkhf3E9Q8wHNNK8RMFAhH0nFeECW/s1600/81TEA24ZOCL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1213" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB22rf1ODeLYA_jBfYXPJ8ZMJeNe4bUplWqxHDF0BNIU7d1SKQNFLL7Hys_8sm1gLN-E3Z8_BZfEuA21PPZEAbl1TeP5RfWuNiHcshejBcGX1w1N1Xkhf3E9Q8wHNNK8RMFAhH0nFeECW/s200/81TEA24ZOCL._SL1500_.jpg" width="161" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back to the Future</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - We still love these as adults and my husband is a huge fan. He made the choice to let them watch #1 and #3 as he felt #2 had too many sketchy parts that he didn't want them to see. We skipped some of the make out stuff in #1. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPelqG65h9KJ_PQx-WaL8C9iPtwGaMRsBWtDeBiNH9VzgpGayGTKdz9XmPcMG7pY5kRlmXYXrayVliwtVabvHpe6p1WZGga7v7YpGgHmfrmDe5HJVMediX_c0UqgJnsLx2ygHrsSkzgQE/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="214" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPelqG65h9KJ_PQx-WaL8C9iPtwGaMRsBWtDeBiNH9VzgpGayGTKdz9XmPcMG7pY5kRlmXYXrayVliwtVabvHpe6p1WZGga7v7YpGgHmfrmDe5HJVMediX_c0UqgJnsLx2ygHrsSkzgQE/s200/download.jpg" width="142" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Emperors New Groove</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - Initially we weren't including animated movies in our list as many of them are constantly released by Disney and seem current for the kids but this one seemed like a forgotten film. I still laugh at David Spade's humour in this one and the kids thought it was pretty funny. It's also good for a discussion the victim mentality lol. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xehZOYj-Qmk6jnyuAZCFeFsEboyEJS0EAibWn_jR2ls08WivpxxuuK3AAdJ0aO7dHUMg1E41PJVyP-ow-8684Tc1imOv3YouJHgoKcu9AoP2vRcbwuKmA4nFHmfhD7ATtJKFmsm8ZXCr/s1600/51F9C7Q3VFL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="353" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xehZOYj-Qmk6jnyuAZCFeFsEboyEJS0EAibWn_jR2ls08WivpxxuuK3AAdJ0aO7dHUMg1E41PJVyP-ow-8684Tc1imOv3YouJHgoKcu9AoP2vRcbwuKmA4nFHmfhD7ATtJKFmsm8ZXCr/s200/51F9C7Q3VFL.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flight of the Navigator</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - I still feel like this movie is so obscure and so odd but we watched it. It's a lot more intense than I remember especially since (SPOILER ALERT)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the boy goes missing and comes back the same day but his family has all aged 12 years or so and then the government locks him up to experiment. So all that said... I'm putting it on the list because we watched it but use discretion. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRNH8qjTVH_kzyx8j7HP6crG51cLi4jEdApjO1BgNV5wX3b4qj-Q1IBXEVECBSS05ezX794bBoteBNEKbpsD9dd-toXI5rh28IwH8Rgtyj4llA7nza9y_FVul51XsWBU8WM24J4EH9K5l/s1600/811k3dP81CL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1166" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRNH8qjTVH_kzyx8j7HP6crG51cLi4jEdApjO1BgNV5wX3b4qj-Q1IBXEVECBSS05ezX794bBoteBNEKbpsD9dd-toXI5rh28IwH8Rgtyj4llA7nza9y_FVul51XsWBU8WM24J4EH9K5l/s200/811k3dP81CL._SL1500_.jpg" width="155" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Karate Kid</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - This one's pretty classic and they enjoyed it along with the Jayden Smith remake as well. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTd_uNZthmJy_un6xt44a9G_C4IWO5eWnPVnSpApHo92a6vRSgZAe6EBFXo22fjf1wn4nwbsey36QANJQErZCmUXalGFU3pWqAwdvJUQ9WLHXdFGglujK9v5QhaHATvY-kJukZu513-GG/s1600/51PHS7YEQML.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="347" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTd_uNZthmJy_un6xt44a9G_C4IWO5eWnPVnSpApHo92a6vRSgZAe6EBFXo22fjf1wn4nwbsey36QANJQErZCmUXalGFU3pWqAwdvJUQ9WLHXdFGglujK9v5QhaHATvY-kJukZu513-GG/s200/51PHS7YEQML.jpg" width="138" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 Ninjas Kick Back</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - We've only watched this sequel and haven't watched the first movie yet but what's not to love about kids who are ninjas and can defeat adults?</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NOT QUITE OLD SCHOOL BUT STILL QUALIFY</u><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">K, these movies aren't legit old school but have an old school feel. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjpg6GFNqvvQm-5kQZGRdEnFvkyOSTxxxbC-6gIE-2I0DsZhVYwZYliiZ-PeYjPw1frN3sPocbz5mUFWJ6VWowg2QhIRZ6c_KC1FF7-mV2GFIY6LkwYvxYNS7xsOEw5qTuslMmK93yTso/s1600/61eUWnOFsyL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="358" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjpg6GFNqvvQm-5kQZGRdEnFvkyOSTxxxbC-6gIE-2I0DsZhVYwZYliiZ-PeYjPw1frN3sPocbz5mUFWJ6VWowg2QhIRZ6c_KC1FF7-mV2GFIY6LkwYvxYNS7xsOEw5qTuslMmK93yTso/s200/61eUWnOFsyL.jpg" width="143" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">9. <b>Adventures in Babysitting</b> - There is the original and then a very recent remake. We've only watched the remake so far with our kids and they loved it. I thought the original was amazing as a kid but I vaguely remember some inappropriate parts. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1w3xF6T7LBvUDKpekK_zZgJQwLP5ulfXSNc3yJAEu-fY64EHwNOQByotKR4EI-HURVti0ZHynTvyElJH-3O8Zi94SvsRRmABOej70MtuK4270mro-ImGGNTglniZMSVOtQq-jSI19sxW/s1600/51J55guw9sL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1w3xF6T7LBvUDKpekK_zZgJQwLP5ulfXSNc3yJAEu-fY64EHwNOQByotKR4EI-HURVti0ZHynTvyElJH-3O8Zi94SvsRRmABOej70MtuK4270mro-ImGGNTglniZMSVOtQq-jSI19sxW/s200/51J55guw9sL.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">10. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Napolean Dynamite</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> - It has side ponies, moon boots and caboodles so it gets to be old school lol. Gosh - this movie cracks me up. I didn't know if the kids would like it because there isn't really a plot but they found it hilarious and watched his dance over and over again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I feel like I'm forgetting some but that's a start anyways. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh - I did forget a series - STAR WARS!!! Now to be fair, these are regularly watched in our home because the tall one is strong in the force. Also, because of all the remakes I feel like the whole series is current because you need to watch them to know what's going on ;).</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OLD SCHOOL MOVIES SUGGESTED TO US</u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Mighty Ducks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Goonies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* The Sandlot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* 3 Fugitives</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Fly Away Home</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Free Willy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* E.T.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Mac and Me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Swiss Family Robinson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* The Sound of Music</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* The Babysitters Club</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Herbie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Mrs. Doubtfire</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So we've got lots to go through. What would you add to the list?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-22733717521153005322018-08-08T07:46:00.001-07:002018-08-08T07:46:41.779-07:00Creating a Homeschool Logo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghu_ORp9Y1wdHRl_BIURUGLPfO6YnEpUnrOFrtn_jiw0UZBx5M4arSvFUfKNudotlkRXXDoTDENhDsJ0YoJa_BCaQJuYAtRvgFcFwoCBwWhlKkQ_G2HduWF_N6OefrxxG0_e4mFLxHehhv/s1600/circle+willms+grove_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghu_ORp9Y1wdHRl_BIURUGLPfO6YnEpUnrOFrtn_jiw0UZBx5M4arSvFUfKNudotlkRXXDoTDENhDsJ0YoJa_BCaQJuYAtRvgFcFwoCBwWhlKkQ_G2HduWF_N6OefrxxG0_e4mFLxHehhv/s1600/circle+willms+grove_edited-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a creative I love the area of logo design and branding. With technology being what it is, it's a field that has opened up to people like never before. I myself am a huge sucker for great packaging or an awesome graphic tee. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As homeschoolers we get to choose everything about our "school" and our way of life. Even though I don't run our homeschooling like a school I absolutely named our school!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are Willms Grove Elementary. The elementary part is going to have to drop at some point. I even made the Scholastic people change the name on our scholastic orders to our school name instead of the boring Willms Homeschool that they first added. It turned out to be more of an awkward conversation than I bargained for...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me: So this is a bit random but since we're on the phone can you change our name to "Willms Grove Elementary"?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CS: So are you a school?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me: Well we're a homeschool... (which they already knew).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CS: Did the government issue you a license with that name on it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me: No... they don't do that. We don't get homeschool licenses... can you just change my name because I think it's fun?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CS: Oh yeah, I guess so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me: Cool. Thanks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So... we have a name. It's also a hashtag I use a lot to organize our school photos on instagram and print out yearbooks with Chatbooks ;). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every now and then I like to whip up a new logo for our school - because I can. Now I'm no photoshop genius but I have an elementary knowledge of how to navigate PSE. I tinker and I have fun and we have logos. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjNdGBY699P-TlNUdk89elzaarJKU8-3a3TBvK8rF3ZLAUGOuQFwpbBE15HcbBZC7oAOuvElhfW5C4rbiav6zd4KDaigsCyTi1tKVHWOAAZrcClTEDCMy8ky9VtxMuVMNOIdl8uRkprFQ/s1600/galaxygrovecover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjNdGBY699P-TlNUdk89elzaarJKU8-3a3TBvK8rF3ZLAUGOuQFwpbBE15HcbBZC7oAOuvElhfW5C4rbiav6zd4KDaigsCyTi1tKVHWOAAZrcClTEDCMy8ky9VtxMuVMNOIdl8uRkprFQ/s1600/galaxygrovecover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now like I said, I'm not uber adept at photoshop but if you wanted to try making your own... here are a couple non professional tips. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Get a free trial of photoshop elements. That'll give you 30 days to tinker and see if it's something you'd like to have permanently. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Create a new blank file. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I often just use square dimensions like 6x6 as I'm not going to use it for anything crazy large. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Choose a transparent background so that you can add it to things and it be able to overlay if that makes sense. (again - I don't know what I'm talking about). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Choose a font that you like. If you're like me this will take you 3 hours. Check out www.dafont.com for lots of free fonts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Start tinkering with your design. Mix text with simple shapes, icons or clipart. I often find royalty free images that you can download and use for personal use. I'm obviously not selling anything with our homeschool logo on it so it's all good!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Definitely check out youtube videos for tutorials on the basic tools in PSE.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Save your file as a .psd and as a .png if you want the background to stay transparent or as a .jpg if you want it to look like a picture. (Again... I'm a novice. I'm likely not using correct terms lol). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. You can overlay your .png file onto backgrounds like I have with the galaxy and wood images to use in things like your photo books or social media. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlK14g0KNP2O7Y9Vo554e_P-DdzBNsQQ_JOTcnj1DA6pTt0RCZ9tc1G1WTHFEaV_UGYV-b-qa5_Z8bs9vU-0qHsTkt6ERAdZ7cm9KDwq9_gZxQ0OoIyVRsWmAqLG09rMAZ0k73T8fCSKB1/s1600/logowood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlK14g0KNP2O7Y9Vo554e_P-DdzBNsQQ_JOTcnj1DA6pTt0RCZ9tc1G1WTHFEaV_UGYV-b-qa5_Z8bs9vU-0qHsTkt6ERAdZ7cm9KDwq9_gZxQ0OoIyVRsWmAqLG09rMAZ0k73T8fCSKB1/s1600/logowood.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, this has been a far cry from a professional tutorial but it is pretty fun to mess around with and my kids love that we have school logos. Stay tuned for a project we're doing with our logo that we'll put up on the blog soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-55108459078181845172018-08-06T08:51:00.001-07:002018-08-06T08:51:59.912-07:00Game Changer Meal Planning Tip<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2XnSDIdu0wbMhOQKMa9tF8mJZjwIUqr88IkViv-afQQPYQcxph4Nkzz4_Bccp6Xie6WN_968SdUHr770gCCEQ0YfIv9NZBSR2__4qUasnsQZw46L8o17dPussbem2DEI1HISWf1CMWAl/s1600/meal+planning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2XnSDIdu0wbMhOQKMa9tF8mJZjwIUqr88IkViv-afQQPYQcxph4Nkzz4_Bccp6Xie6WN_968SdUHr770gCCEQ0YfIv9NZBSR2__4qUasnsQZw46L8o17dPussbem2DEI1HISWf1CMWAl/s1600/meal+planning.jpg" /></a><br />
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Food posts are not something you are generally going to find on this blog. I like to eat food but I don’t love to cook it. There is just always something I’d rather be doing at supper time than cooking. Maybe I’m rebelling more against the forced schedule than I am the culinary art - why do people need to eat so often?<br />
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I’ve long been on a quest to find the meal planning solution that works for our family. I’ve tried the big cook and filling my freezer with pre-prepped meals. I’ve tried just making a freezer meal when I’m cooking a daily meal to double up. I was once even part of a group of friends that tripled our recipes and did a trade each month.<br />
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Generally what worked the best for me was to just plan out our meals weekly, do one big grocery shop and somewhat stick to the plan. At least I knew what I was going to make and had all the ingredients.<br />
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Then I made a subtle shift in that plan and it has opened up SO much time in my week.<br />
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I decided that we would try cooking for 2 days at a time. Not to freeze a meal but to eat it again the very next day. So obviously this doesn’t work if you don’t enjoy “left overs”. What I do though is double or even triple my recipe so that we have a full meal the next day but then I often tweak the meal just a little or add a different no cook side dish that changes it up. This also means you can't have your leftovers for lunch the next day and need to keep lunch items on hand. In our family we are very chill about lunch and everyone cooks their own.<br />
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It doesn’t seem like a big deal but it means I’m generally only cooking 3 times a week. For our 7th day we’ve started moving into a real low key meal day. We’re from Mennonite background and so grew up with the concept of “Faspa”. It’s a low German word essentially for a late light lunch (I think lol). It probably means a lot of different things to many of us. But it was often buns with cold cuts, cheeses, and veggies, etc. My family is a huge fan of the charcuterie board so we’ve made Sunday supper a Faspa Charcuterie affair and it’s awesome.<br />
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By being intentional about it, I have what we need on hand. It’s no cooking and my husband and I just cut up what we need to and create a spread on the island that we all grab from and we just enjoy our meal - no cooking!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6weG7hDaRw9OEpz2_aNrMjQSPD747rwfPD3svtR0ms3pBuBLkcrAZWfZTMEftY9Th6ALlVwq1j7m7yWom3BtR15o13Zx1HLtKx2A0gw8ttHdi0YXAgCkYiYOKufHHHalnQu6Crlih52zh/s1600/38614592_2216309675265421_5058081915328790528_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6weG7hDaRw9OEpz2_aNrMjQSPD747rwfPD3svtR0ms3pBuBLkcrAZWfZTMEftY9Th6ALlVwq1j7m7yWom3BtR15o13Zx1HLtKx2A0gw8ttHdi0YXAgCkYiYOKufHHHalnQu6Crlih52zh/s1600/38614592_2216309675265421_5058081915328790528_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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The instant pot has also been a game changer for our family. I love that thing. When I first bought it I made myself cook with it at least once a day for 2 weeks so that I’d get the learning curve out of the way quickly lol. It worked! It’s also really large which means that I can make huge recipes in it.<br />
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One thing I’ve been working towards is to lessen the meat in our diet. I have nothing against meat, I love it. It is however expensive and there are a lot of health benefits to reducing your meat intake. A strategy that is really working for us is when I double a recipe I don’t double the meat but add more vegetables instead. So if I’m making hamburger soup I’ll use 1 lb of ground beef but still fill an 8 qt pot with veggies. Not one person in my family has noticed!<br />
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Here’s a sample weekly meal plan for us :<br />
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Monday - Hamburger Soup with French Bread<br />
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Tuesday - Hamburger Soup with Cheese Bread (Jalepeno Havarti melted on Rosemary Foccacia)<br />
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Wednesday - Butter Chicken and Rice with cut veggies<br />
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Thursday - Butter Chicken Naan pizzas with salad<br />
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Friday - Egg Roll in a Bowl with pita chips<br />
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Saturday - Egg Roll in a bowl with Corn on the Cob<br />
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Sunday - Faspa/Charcuterie<br />
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Switching up the sides seems to give us enough variety and I love only cooking 3 times a week. Supper still needs to be prepped each day and put on the table but it takes less than 10 minutes to do that so it’s a win for me!<br />
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This may have been a common practice for a lot of people and I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure out but it’s really working for us! What works for your family?<br />
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<br />Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-8382113970966522582018-08-02T09:53:00.001-07:002018-08-02T09:53:34.481-07:00Homeschool Logistics | Assessment and Reporting<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9imGEooesxjNV_rNpcixYWu8RzfOhg2jYIJTZmucvp8zmd0B1YBax6sHmuidX_PRXCh5BxBAMRlZji1Gg3Ov1TCcM7eqKEPHluGRSJkCDUUtwuuQTt2aYPqzA50hZruXUnHqTrRb3CfZV/s1600/hs+logistics+reporting_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9imGEooesxjNV_rNpcixYWu8RzfOhg2jYIJTZmucvp8zmd0B1YBax6sHmuidX_PRXCh5BxBAMRlZji1Gg3Ov1TCcM7eqKEPHluGRSJkCDUUtwuuQTt2aYPqzA50hZruXUnHqTrRb3CfZV/s1600/hs+logistics+reporting_edited-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In public school assessment is something we spend A LOT of time talking about. It's a big deal. Somehow we have to daily keep on top of 24 + kids, know where they are at, what they can do, what they're struggling with, figure out how to move them forward and report that to their parents and other teachers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Homeschool by nature is very very different. We are removing the "middle people" so to speak and the end of the reporting chain is the one who is teaching and witnessing the child's learning daily. I do not need to give constant tests or quizzes to see what my child knows. I know what they know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If I ever do perform the odd test I communicate to them that it is not about achieving a certain grade. That the goal of assessment is to be a tool to show us what you already know (and thus don't need to spend more time on) and what you still need to know (so what we will spend more time on). There really doesn't need to be any anxiety about assessment in a child - it's just a tool to help them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The reporting process is also quite simple in Saskatchewan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is an excerpt from the Home Based Education Policy Manual on the Annual Progress Report:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can find the link to the whole publication <a href="http://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/11/85880-HBE%20Policy%20Manual%202016-17%20Aug.24.16.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span><br />
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Home-based educators shall maintain a portfolio of work for each home-based learner on his/her
program, regardless which of the options they choose for their annual student progress report
(see p. 44).<br />
• A portfolio of work indicates the home-based learner’s progress and consists of:<br />
- a periodic log;<br />
and, one of the following for each of the broad annual goals:<br />
- a detailed summative record;<br />
- sufficient samples of work; or,<br />
- a summative record and samples of work.<br />
• Home-based educators are not required to provide the portfolio of work to their registering
official unless they have chosen this option for their annual progress report.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So let's break this down. You will have to maintain a portfolio of work for your child regardless of how you report. This could be a binder each year with examples of work from the beginning, middle and end of each year. It could include some of their favourite projects, examples of their writing and math. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or it might be a massive filing cabinet in the basement with file folders packed with pretty much all of your work you weren't into sorting through just yet ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When submitting the Annual Progress Report to your division you will ALWAYS include a <a href="https://hslda.ca/wp-content/documents/SK-HSLDA-Annual-Progress-Report-2017-18-fillable.pdf" target="_blank">Period Log</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your periodic log is essentially just a place to jot down a couple sentences about the things you did and worked on that month. Here is an example of one of mine. It does not include a lot of detail nor everything we did in the month but gives a feel for the broader range of what we were doing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One technique that works well is to set a reminder on your phone or a calendar event that will alert you on the last day of each month to go in and jot down your periodic log entry while it is fresh. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you forget and find yourself a few months down the road trying to remember what you were doing that month I find going back to my daily planner helpful. Here is an example of a custom planner page that I created that fits my family and style well. I print off 20 double sided at a time and use them to create a quick picture of my days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even though I'm not married to my planner (I veer off my plan all of the time when inspiration hits or we choose to chase down a rabbit trail) it is super helpful to have a really simple record of our days. I added things like the successes and reflections to prompt even more intentional thinking about things I'm learning about my kids in the process. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you can see the periodic log is really simple! Next up you have a choice of your additional piece of the progress report. You only need to supply ONE of either the sufficient examples of work OR a detailed summative record OR you can choose to send in both. </span><br />
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*<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> there used to be a standardized test option. I haven't seen it on any recent forms or publications so maybe it's gone? If you know - message me and I'll update this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-r2NVJQOpU2yc-9mSEge9yNfh-TPf5Aq5k8-sPphdBMT1HFj2rslZD9GS_LtoqFm32OObhM_LBNolG5UQv7H769g_U017kumhfBaCX9TNkpoyCbrmZUj_pkDF1rnmoxaJUImXRxNuJTW/s1600/kai+writing-2273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-r2NVJQOpU2yc-9mSEge9yNfh-TPf5Aq5k8-sPphdBMT1HFj2rslZD9GS_LtoqFm32OObhM_LBNolG5UQv7H769g_U017kumhfBaCX9TNkpoyCbrmZUj_pkDF1rnmoxaJUImXRxNuJTW/s1600/kai+writing-2273.jpg" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Sufficient Examples of Work</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For this option you will look at your 3 broad goals for each of the 4 core subjects and then pull examples of your child's work that address those goals. You'll also want to pull them from likely the beginning, middle and end of your year to show your child's growth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first year homeschooling this is the option I chose and I went all out. I selected all of my examples and because I didn't want to lose those originals I scanned in all of my examples. Another tip is to use an app on your phone as it's far less running to the scanner. You can just take a pic and keep adding them to compile all your examples. I then convert it all to a pdf document and send it in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I sent in A LOT of examples (80 page portfolio) and it was a lot of work. I think it was a bit extra and not necessary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Had I continued with that method of reporting I likely would have tried the SEESAW app for a year. Seesaw allows you to add child profiles and then to add portfolio items for that child. I have in the past taught my kids to use it they can snap pictures of a piece of work or project, they can add journal entries for their pictures, and they can add video or audio to talk about their project. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the end of the year you can download an archive of their Seesaw entries. Check out the instructions <a href="https://help.seesaw.me/hc/en-us/articles/208754866-How-do-families-download-an-archive-of-their-child-s-work-" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Detailed Summative Record</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A summative record is essentially a summary of your learning and endeavours. Referencing your broad goals you can create a summative list of what you did in order to achieve those goals. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*This fillable form is in the same document as the periodic log above.*</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeuOl-HotXqW_wSqKltmiXZcgxwhjxA6GH4XZSWo1jW9D1CAbh4jEdUKn83C1CsBy-OSJzBDiZwRKcT-tKKEkkpRrDhbVcC1UtcWchhVKktcLAJ5_lFhyxfOwOLHJWZ8tw2HeeQ-NdruN/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-02+10.10.11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeuOl-HotXqW_wSqKltmiXZcgxwhjxA6GH4XZSWo1jW9D1CAbh4jEdUKn83C1CsBy-OSJzBDiZwRKcT-tKKEkkpRrDhbVcC1UtcWchhVKktcLAJ5_lFhyxfOwOLHJWZ8tw2HeeQ-NdruN/s1600/Screenshot+2018-08-02+10.10.11.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Personally, I write more than the fillable form can handle. I copy and paste my broad goals to the top of each section in the Annual Progress Report (APR) and then write my list. I find that I write a comprehensive list rather than just the items that relate to the goals because I like to have that record for myself and it doesn't make sense to write 2 different ones. Here is an example of what part of our science summative record looks like. </span><br />
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Science</i></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></i></span></div>
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i> Studied through the book "Inside your Insides" which is an in depth look at the science of bacteria, gut health, and the microbiome. Facilitated a lot of interesting discussion, further research, documentary supplimentation, bacteria art, and then life changes based on information learned. Learning led to action in the form dietary changes, making informed decisions about antibiotic use and beginning a probiotic regimen to increase gut flora.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Snapping Turtles and river ecosystem – we found a new area of the river we haven't explored via paddle boards and it was home to dozens of LARGE snapping turtles! We were able to investigate them up close and through several trips start to recognize their patterns. The kids both paddled with their Go Pro set-ups and took underwater footage of the snapping turtles we found. They then learned iMovie while culling and editing clips of footage and creating a video of our exploration. They also researched information the habitat, issues facing turtles, diet, etc and added it to their video and then shared it via social media and youtube. They further got to engage their audience by responding to comments and messages about the video and providing further clarification.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Read through and discussed current events articles about diseases affecting the snapping turtle population.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>In depth study of rocks and minerals. We collected an extensive collection of various rocks and minerals, had family get rocks for us from other countries, identified them, tested them, classified them and created art based on them. We have come back to it multiple times throughout the year. We also explored the mining process. <br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Circuits – explored creating circuits using batteries, cut apart Christmas lights and a variety of conductors.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Created a circuits kit with alligator clips, batteries, buzzers, lights, copper wire, conductors and insulators.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Identified difference between conductor and insulator and experimented to compile lists of each.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Learned about switches and parallel circuits and created each.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>During kitchen reno they could identify how to wire in the new lights.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Diagrammed and labelled various circuits using universal code.<br />
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<li class="li3"><span class="s2" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Attributes of light – opacity, refraction, white light, spectrum, prisms, shadows, transparency, etc. </span><br />
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</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Again these methods of reporting are really simple and if you take time each month to set a few examples aside or type into your list you won't need more than an hour in June to compile everything and send it in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I make PDF's of everything and email them in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One other form you can choose to submit at the end of the year is your Home Education Reimbursement form. To my knowledge the reimbursement amounts and process vary GREATLY from school division to school division. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In our division (Southeast Cornerstone) our current amount is $250 per child. We are required to keep receipts for all homeschool purchases and submit them with a fillable spreadsheet at the end of the year. I keep receipts for all school supplies, printer ink (because I create a lot of my own materials), books, curriculums, craft supplies, etc. I scan them in and create a pdf of scanned receipts combined with screenshots or downloaded pdfs of online receipts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have heard that other divisions have different rules about what you can claim, some have parents order curriculum through the school division, etc. It's best to contact your homeschool rep to get them to clarify the process for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Generally school divisions like to have all these reports submitted by June 15 so you can keep that in the back of your brain and I like to wrap it all up by the end of May because in June I want to be outside and not at my computer ;).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The reporting process is very straightforward and no need for stress on your end!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hope this has been helpful - I'd love to hear from you! Use the contact form on the side to email or you can also find me on Instagram at @monique.willms . I love the insta homeschool community and I post usually several times a day with book recommendations, activities that we're doing or other homeschool inspiration. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can also check out these other homeschool posts:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2018/02/my-journey-to-homescholing.html" target="_blank">My Journey to Homeschooling</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2017/04/homeschooling-too-hard.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling | Too Hard?</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2017/04/homeschooling-too-hard-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling | Too Hard? Part II</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2017/04/homeschooling-me-time.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling | Me Time</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2018/02/our-homeschool-rhythms.html" target="_blank">Our Homeschool Rhythms</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-50571462095467258462018-08-01T07:37:00.007-07:002020-09-01T11:01:05.817-07:00Beginning Your Homeschool Journey | The Logistics <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NF7VR4w_fXFm3oWl8sB0DWL1kY5n8HAWwiijY_awuxD7zFsfkzC_ZWQtpjy3iSFVSFu6qrJx2za-WY8kAFMplTeBlMp2KE_KqXWSqWXJ4nF1pZX5SpkPbEANRMT_irzeKCLlFF4vHQeg/s1600/hs+logistics.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NF7VR4w_fXFm3oWl8sB0DWL1kY5n8HAWwiijY_awuxD7zFsfkzC_ZWQtpjy3iSFVSFu6qrJx2za-WY8kAFMplTeBlMp2KE_KqXWSqWXJ4nF1pZX5SpkPbEANRMT_irzeKCLlFF4vHQeg/s1600/hs+logistics.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span face="">Welcome here! </span><br />
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<span face="">I have so many people I talk to that are interested in homeschooling and looking to find information on how you go about the logistics of starting that process. There are many great resources out there that give this information for Saskatchewan like SHBE and HSLDA but I thought it'd be nice to have a post in blog format with some tips included. </span><br />
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<span face="">I've done my best to compile the essentials but if you have something to add message me! </span><br />
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<span face="">First off - Congratulations! Homeschooling is the hardest and best thing I've done. Even though it has it's challenges, it has been the perfect fit for our family. Saskatchewan is a great place to homeschool and I have always found our division administration to be helpful and supportive. </span><br />
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<span face="">I am entering my 6th year of homeschooling and come at this from that experience and perspective but also of that of a public school teacher. I taught Middle Years for my whole career until I had my own kids and still work in the public system each month. </span><br />
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<span face="">Let's get started!</span><br />
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<span face="">The first thing to consider is when to register your child. In Saskatchewan the compulsory years for education are 7-15 years of age. This means that if you are starting to home educate your child for Kindergarten and grade 1 (typically 5 and 6 years of age) you are not required to register them with the division. </span><br />
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<span face="">This can be a great option to ease your way in and be able to homeschool without having to tackle the registration and reporting process in your first years. You can however register your child at the age of 5. </span><br />
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<span face="">That said, that process is very simple. </span><span face="">If you do choose to register or are homeschooling a child in the ages of 7-15 you will also have access to reimbursement funds depending on the division. The funds and ages seem to be different for a lot of school divisions. In South East Cornerstone you could receive funds for Kindergarten but I do know of others that gave less or nothing for Kindergarten. You will need to check the map <a href="https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/education-and-learning/prek-12-education-early-learning-and-schools/k-12-school-divisions-in-saskatchewan" target="_blank">HERE</a> to find out your school division and get in touch with them to begin this process.</span><br />
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<span face=""><u>The first step </u> in your registration process is the Notice of Intent. This lets the division you're in know that you are going to home educate and gives them your child's information. </span><br />
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<span face="">You can find the form to fill out <a href="http://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/11/86402-Notification%20HBE%20program%202015.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </span><br />
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<span face=""><u>Next up in the process</u> is to create a WRITTEN EDUCATION PLAN that states your educational philosophy and your broad goals for the 4 core subjects.</span><br />
<span face="">Now that all sounds very fancy but don't stress. It is a simple outline of your intentions and when they say broad - they mean BROAD!. </span><br />
<span face="">The Homeschool Legal Defence Association of Canada are an excellent organization and resource. They've created a fillable form to use as a guide for your own written education plan. You can access it </span><a href="https://hslda.ca/wp-content/documents/SK-HSLDA-Written-Education-Plan-2017-18.pdf" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">HERE</a><span face=""> . </span><br />
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<span face="">When writing your educational philosophy you are really just summarizing WHY you are homeschooling. </span><br />
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<span face="">Here is an example of one that I have submitted. </span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>We will strive to provide our child with a nurturing and engaging schooling environment that is rich in educational opportunities. We believe that the home is a wonderful place for children to learn and grow, to be encouraged, to learn at a pace suitable to their needs and for them to focus on areas of interest, where he will receive personalized instruction from parents that know him the best and are most vested in his success.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> We pursue learning as a family and approach it as a lifestyle rather than a task to be completed. </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I will again be taking my lead from the goals and outcomes outlined in the Saskatchewan Curriculum but will continue to utilize our freedom in pursuing interest led content and skills.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>We strive to provide our child with a strong spiritual and moral foundation to build his life on. It is our intent that he will be given the space, resources and skills to be a self initiated life long learner. We desire for him to acquire all of the practical skills that he will need to succeed in life and manage a home as an adult. Finally, we believe it is integral that he acquire all of the personal and communication skills needed to successfully interact with everyone around him be it peers, adults, the elderly, the young, employers, etc.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span face="">Shout out to my friend Karen who sent me an example of her own before I started homeschooling. I'm pretty sure some of her ideas are still in there! And please note -I'm a wordy person and that is reflected in my forms ;). </span><br />
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<span face="">One of my absolute FAVOURITE parts of homeschooling is the freedom we have when choosing content. Even though I do a read through of the Saskatchewan Curriculum Outcomes for a grade level I often find it redundant (aka I'm not into teaching the life cycle of a plant 4 years in a row) and we love to study things not in the curriculum. For example last year my kids and I spent a good 3 months studying Viking Culture and History. It was fascinating, full of rich learning, engaging activities and no where in the curriculum. </span><br />
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<span face="">If you'd like to get a feel for what kids in public school will be looking at in your child's grade level you can check out the <a href="https://www.edonline.sk.ca/webapps/moe-curriculum-BBLEARN/Home?language=en" target="_blank">SASKATCHEWAN CURRICULUM</a>. </span><br />
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<span face="">I recommend taking a look at the Outcomes and Indicators for each subject. </span><br />
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<span face="">When writing your broad goals for each of the core subjects try to stay away from being too specific. Create goals for things like exposure to, experience with, opportunities to, etc. </span><br />
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<span face="">Here is an example from my Grade 4 Written Education Plan (WEP). </span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>English Language Arts</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>- Explore concepts of identity, community and social responsibility through narratives.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>- Use a variety of resources/techniques to deliver information in a clear and concise manner. (posters, Spark videos, written reports, letters, oral presentation, etc.)</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>- Work through the writing process and be more willing to engage each step of the process without feeling the need to rush. </i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Mathematics</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>- Demonstrate an understanding of how to multiply double/triple digit numbers by a single digit number and the same with division.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>- Demonstrate an understanding of decimals and place value as well as how to properly add and subtract with decimals.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Discover equations and solving for unknown variables</span><span face="">. </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span face="">When creating goals for ELA, Science, Social Studies and Math I always find that ELA are my broadest goals (and as a former Middle Years ELA teacher I found the curriculum to have the broadest outcomes) and Math is the most specific just because the nature of math is very linear. </span><br />
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<span face="">You'll also need to notify the division of how you plan to assess your child and how you will report at the end of the year. I'll be going over your reporting options in more detail in the next post. </span><br />
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<span face="">You will however be submitting a Periodic Log and one of the following:</span><br />
<span face="">- sufficient examples of work</span><br />
<span face="">- a detailed summative record</span><br />
<span face="">- sufficient examples of work and a detailed summative record</span><br />
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<span face="">As you'll see in the WEP they ask for what services you require from the School Division. This is a great place to request any support you feel you might need or access to events and programs in the school division. </span><span face="">This is where I might include things like :</span><br />
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<span face=""><i>We would love to participate in a school track and field day and would likely work with _______ school in our neighbourhood. Seeing as my son is in grade 5 he would like the opportunity to join and grade 5/6 sports teams.</i></span><br />
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<span face="">I will note here that I have rarely, if ever had a response from the division to this section of the WEP. I however just choose to talk to school administrators on my own. (I feel like this could be a post of its own and I can expand further there) but I have found the school administrators I've contacted to be SUPER supportive and encouraging. In Kindergarten my son took part in track and field (since then we've run our own homeschool track days with our homeschool group), we go to assemblies when it fits our schedule and this year we'll look at my son joining some sports teams. </span><br />
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<span face="">Because I'm still employed by the school division I do concede that it's easier for me to stay in the loop of what's going but with a little leg work you can also get yourself in the loop ;). </span><br />
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<span face="">O.K. after this you are REGISTERED! Woot!</span><br />
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<span face="">Now you can focus on teaching and facilitating that homeschool life. </span><br />
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<span face="">Stay tuned for the next post where I'll go over REPORTING. It's a great idea to keep up on your recording during the year to make June a breeze. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tkn4UGDZBga9EIEfeeIzRkFWNDQF1Om3bdoSMoUU-6nJObkj_gylhDqKyZ2RLMZC7dXMuEd4g71bfxLK3O9aiQQD5L4OgIIIdnBl3QR7RQ7WFB3vaoyFFA1ipQjEMAFvaud4PD1ig4ij/s1600/watercolour-2982.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tkn4UGDZBga9EIEfeeIzRkFWNDQF1Om3bdoSMoUU-6nJObkj_gylhDqKyZ2RLMZC7dXMuEd4g71bfxLK3O9aiQQD5L4OgIIIdnBl3QR7RQ7WFB3vaoyFFA1ipQjEMAFvaud4PD1ig4ij/s1600/watercolour-2982.jpg" /></a></div>
<span face=""><br /></span><span face="">If you're looking for guidance and support as you tackle this homeschool journey I have created the Wonder Mentorship just for that purpose. </span><div><span face=""><br /></span></div><div><span face=""><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So often as parents we spend so much time, energy, and money looking for the right curriculum, resource, activity or strategy for our family and homeschool. What I truly believe though is that WE are one of our homeschool’s most valuable resource and you deserve the investment.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">.</p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">.</p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Starting and continuing home education can often times feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be that way. I have created the Wonder Mentorship program to SIMPLIFY your life and growth. Drawing on 8 years of homeschool experience and a career as a public school teacher before that I have curated a growth experience that will help you lay solid foundations, process the important mindset shifts, learn strategies and techniques and overall get the support and guidance you need to feel confident in your ability to direct and facilitate your child’s education whether you use a curriculum, online school, or plan your own.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">.</p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">.</p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The program is subscription based ($18/month) and included are mentoring videos, group discussions, a private FB group community, activity ideas (All WEEKLY) and a family date night plan, recharge prompt, record keeping check in and virtual live group call (MONTHLY).</p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Check out the WONDER MENTORSHIP HERE:</p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.moniquewillms.com/plans-pricing">THE WONDER MENTORSHIP</a></p><p class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p></span><span face="">Here are some other homeschool posts you can check out!</span><br />
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<span face=""><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2018/02/my-journey-to-homescholing.html" target="_blank">My Journey to Homeschooling</a></span><br />
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<span face=""><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2018/02/our-homeschool-rhythms.html" target="_blank">Our Homeschool Rhythms</a></span><br />
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<span face=""><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2017/04/homeschooling-too-hard.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling Too Hard?</a></span><br />
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<span face=""><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2017/04/homeschooling-too-hard-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling Too Hard? Part II</a></span><br />
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<span face=""><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2017/04/homeschooling-me-time.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling | Me Time</a></span><br />
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<span face=""><a href="https://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2015/03/creating-functional-homeschool-room.html" target="_blank">Creating a Functional Homeschool Room</a></span><br />
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<span face=""><br /></span></div>Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-556447827792944342.post-15095698237979114762018-07-29T07:57:00.001-07:002018-07-30T12:22:21.216-07:00Nuts About Narwhals<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Narwhals are having a bit of a moment right now in kids books and we are not sad about it! Narwhals are majestic creatures of the ocean and affectionately known as the "Unicorns of the Sea". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What's not to love about a massive unicorn like sea creature whose tusk is really a tooth! I'm loving all these whimsical illustrations in the books we've read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Fun Fact - a Narwhal's tooth can grow up to 3 meters long! *</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These are a few of our favourite Narwhal books at the moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>1. Wendell the Narhwal by Emily Dove</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love the illustrations in this book about a Narwhal struggling to find his musical voice/talent in the sea. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>2. Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is the sweetest book about belonging and family. It's actually about a unicorn that thinks it's a narwhal and lives with a pod of narwhals until he swims close to land and finds a herd of unicorns. I won't tell ya anymore but it's adorable. You should read it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">LAND NARWHALS! I can't even. So cute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>3. Narwhal Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Both my kids and I are big fans of these Narwhal and Jelly books. They are full of whimsy, fun and humour. They remind me of the elephant and piggie of the sea.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOAhBPpY0JlnWl9FIZq0wPer1T3oAyFnHAw7Mjdo4kVVem94CjcPE1f7IITcLw8Gl6SpWc2gJ3pR2rSrW9zGZMy9wXIUsEU9bZNqtgIu5aEjMG0s3brYD-SHGvwX9-10SVUTd80UZOh05/s1600/37926818_10156093370352025_7372715507121651712_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOAhBPpY0JlnWl9FIZq0wPer1T3oAyFnHAw7Mjdo4kVVem94CjcPE1f7IITcLw8Gl6SpWc2gJ3pR2rSrW9zGZMy9wXIUsEU9bZNqtgIu5aEjMG0s3brYD-SHGvwX9-10SVUTd80UZOh05/s1600/37926818_10156093370352025_7372715507121651712_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>4. Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This sequel comic to Narwhal is just as fun as the first book. My kids love the simple illustrations and the silly humour. Narwhal is pretty witty. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I often like to use books that we read together as jumping off points for activities in our school day. Just like Mo Willems books I feel that the Narwhal and Jelly books show how comics don't need to have extremely detailed drawings to be effective and enjoyable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Narwhal and Jelly are very easy to draw! My kids work is buried in file folders right now so I'll just have to use mine. Like I've mentioned before I do a LOT of the same activities my kids do. I involve myself in the process with them, they get to see the process worked through, there's a feeling of commraderie in doing it together and I just genuinely enjoy it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLKSBaBdueidooZyYxOrvpQU0Do61fIKDqrWZpVlkgJQuyRRA1rq_62_gbW35CBPMJEyV6hkJamnOFHLgiG0HEIMOcWqMscckaBZHSlopLx1v17mNWZIcwA4MoJ6DSYytOjQ6fvLy-lEt/s1600/38065540_10156093370732025_1423035283502268416_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLKSBaBdueidooZyYxOrvpQU0Do61fIKDqrWZpVlkgJQuyRRA1rq_62_gbW35CBPMJEyV6hkJamnOFHLgiG0HEIMOcWqMscckaBZHSlopLx1v17mNWZIcwA4MoJ6DSYytOjQ6fvLy-lEt/s1600/38065540_10156093370732025_1423035283502268416_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Creating their own Narwhal and Jelly comic strip is a super simple activity that any kid can do! Pre-writers will likely even be able to draw them and often at that age my daughter would just use symbols and expressions to tell her story. Other times I just act as the scribe and jot down her dialogue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* Kai's Fun Fact - the Narwhal's tusk tooth has the enamel on the inside and the sensitive part on the outside and they use that sensitivity to get information about what is around them. *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsu_tCFXEwRxTv8HxZbEHfXy212NPweTLmZGCuJeMsi445Gzb76b4eQJHx37M9RBS7VKIBY6RPGl60zIZ05uJtRlVA6LsTrNr1ANzGpuZuTyiEXvhC0oEXnOYildQyow_SSQIUemctXrXw/s1600/37904717_10156093371052025_6919317494972809216_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsu_tCFXEwRxTv8HxZbEHfXy212NPweTLmZGCuJeMsi445Gzb76b4eQJHx37M9RBS7VKIBY6RPGl60zIZ05uJtRlVA6LsTrNr1ANzGpuZuTyiEXvhC0oEXnOYildQyow_SSQIUemctXrXw/s1600/37904717_10156093371052025_6919317494972809216_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I think my kids love about this kind of activity is that they get to join in and continue the story. They get to take characters that they've grown to enjoy on any adventure they choose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's also nice because they don't have to do the work of creating the character, working out personality and character traits, they can just pick up where the author left off and run with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We do lots where they are developing their own characters but it's nice to be able skip some of the work at times. However, a fun idea would be to create a new character to introduce to the ocean. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EcoD39HENY4W_GKMX2TlRPvXm4I36ub2ECNkYYOR2DTwUrMdO97TGQmKKyvzDFOQuEqv6HR52RLENLFkzpmTvPXmKiZckOTjx4-tL90YpYNNRaOnrToS4QOfPrpfMi-kZB6Rv7daM16z/s1600/37944830_10156093371437025_2431993229558677504_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EcoD39HENY4W_GKMX2TlRPvXm4I36ub2ECNkYYOR2DTwUrMdO97TGQmKKyvzDFOQuEqv6HR52RLENLFkzpmTvPXmKiZckOTjx4-tL90YpYNNRaOnrToS4QOfPrpfMi-kZB6Rv7daM16z/s1600/37944830_10156093371437025_2431993229558677504_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Have you read any of these books or know of any other great Narwhal books? We'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions! Message us or comment on instagram or Facebook!</span><br />
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<br />Monique Willmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14472700105725029976noreply@blogger.com3