This is our first year learning about Independence day… so we are going rather topical and trying to see a broad picture and get a handle on a holiday that is 100% new to us! We had 3 different files we used… Currclick has a great speedy lapbook from homeschool bits HERE. It is just 1.00. We also used Gift of Curiosity’s site HERE. The Simple Homeschool also has a file we found a while ago. You can access their site HERE. Lulu Marketplace also has a freebie HERE.

Helpful printables:

• Activity Village has a selection of printables etc on their site HERE.
• Lots of great stuff on Lapbook Lessons HERE.
• Mini book with DLTK HERE.
• I have a collection on Education.com for Independence Day HERE. I will rate all the ones I use before  the end of our unit.
• A free file from 2 Teaching Mommies HERE.
• LapbookLessons is also very helpful HERE.
• Maps on Free US and World Maps.com HERE.
• Cute journalling pages thanks to Education to the Core HERE.

Crafts:

• The Little Sewing Shop has a way to make your own firework like thing HERE.
• We made flag fans by decorating paper and then doing an accordion fold before stapling the base.
• I cannot find the instructions anymore, but we made fireworks on paper using paint, a plastic lid and a hammer… you put globs of paint on the paper (we used poster board), place a plastic lid on top of it and smack it with a hammer… SPLAT firework!
• We made patriotic shakers (well they would have been if the kids had stuck with red white and blue)… two plastic cups, with beads inside, use a coloured masking tape to tape them together and decorate with stickers. Thanks to Lakeshore Learning store for that free craft! (HERE is the store site)

Books:

• Independence Day by Helen Frost HERE
• Independence Day by Marc Tyler Nobleman HERE
• Red, White, and Boom! by Lee Wardlaw HERE
• Celebrate Independence Day by Deborah Heiligman HERE
• Independence Day by Elaine Landau HERE
• Independence Day by Ann Heinrichs HERE
• Calendar Mysteries: July Critters by Ron Roy HERE
• Independence Day Crafts by Mary Berendes and Jean Eick HERE

June 2-3

With a new month I try to start a new topic of focus with our schooling. We actually have TWO focuses this month – Father’s Day (until the 22nd) and then July 4th (Independence Day). Live and Learn had a sale on their themed lapbook so we picked it up for the main focus of our theme. Of course there are cards to make and send, crafts to do and books to read!

But first, the end of our weekend. With lovely weather and a Ken who was free for the day what better to do than go on a picnic! We went back to see the sculpture garden we had visited last summer off of Walker Museum. We visited our favourite statues and checked out some of the new installations.

This is a favourite of the kids and their main focus of pictures.

A new installation

With a nice, quiet corner to settle there was time for art…

Definitely NOT a starving artist but an artist all the same!

And lunch… I love it when a day costs us a little gas and 3.50 for parking for the day… much better than eating at a restaurant!

Yummy treat thanks to Aunty Xinny

Just the perfect day!

Our first book… Father’s Day by Anne Rockwell (we had a book by the same author for Mother’s Day) has given us the idea for our ongoing Father’s Day gift… which I will share AFTER we give it to Daddy!

Emanuel had his second day at his dino dig… he is being amazing with his careful work on a rather intimidating lump of clay.

Found, partial bone

Miss Trinity took advantage of the respite from rain and did some rather impressive chalk art on the front walk.

Throw in our month of June poster…

Reading to their siblings…

And helping each other with workbooks and I think we did just fine starting our week!

I am not overly optimistic about sunshine for much of the week BUT we are finding ways to enjoy all aspects of the spring weather in Minnesota.

Oldest and the youngest

May 27-28

and starting our week! Monday was ANOTHER overcast day but that did not stop the Johnson family. We all packed up and drove over to Stillwater to visit the family’s favourite park. It is a very scenic town. Sometime I would LOVE to go there on an actual sunny day and maybe even check out the little local stores we drove past!

Our own little Pippi ready to play

Johnson Brothers

Even gorgeous overcast

There was a tree to climb (freaked me out)…

Up a tree

and a park to enjoy…

With Cousin Zachary

Gavin

with new friends to make.

This little cutie was determined to play too

After all the fun was had and everyone was hungry and getting a little tired so we headed to Acapulco and had a late lunch/early dinner… 7 kids and 6 adults! Full table!! Great food!

Colouring before dinner

Ken’s meal

Mine

All 7 grandkids From oldest to youngest (Zander is a little over a minute older than Gavin)

Tuesday was our Monday and it was a rough start… I think everyone was ready for another day of fun! BUT we have much to accomplish for the week. The boys are working hard on their little stories in their journals. We are really focusing on them writing their own sentences and then we discuss how they made a mistake or what rules they need to learn better. Trinity drew a rather amazing picture about her visit at the Novak’s.

We had a new Wild Kratts to enjoy… though we are pretty sure that we have done this one, just focused on a different animal. Episode Seasquatch shows so many animals… I just love how quick they are to WANT  to sit down and learn a little more!

Angler fish

Our penguin lapbook is coming together. I am amazed at how much we actually did learn. There is so much fun and memories in this book. It makes me hopeful that this momentum will continue when we return to animals and deal with lions! But that won’t be until July as we have Father’s Day and July 4th to learn about first! Emanuel also made up a thank you card for the wonderful Dinosaur poster we got on the weekend. So, we ended the weekend well and started the week rather strong, though not exactly easily. More memories to hold dear.

Coming up on 12 years!

Oh…. and….

PIGGIES