A Homeschooling Vacation - Part 2 - The Learning

Welcome back to Part 2 of "A Homeschooling Vacation".  This is a post all about how we learned on our vacation to Colorado.  And it might get a little mushy towards the end!

If you happen to miss the 1st part, no worries, check it out here.  A Homeschooling Vacation - Part 1 - The Planning.

  

We LEARNED we COULD fit all 5 of us into a small car.  The trunk held all our luggage too!

Let me fill you in on where we go and why it is SO awesome!
My great grandfather, Dr. Robert Akin, built this amazing family vacation home in Lake George, Colorado back in the 1940's.

So it goes back generations - my grandmother spent her summers here as a child.  And my father did the same.  I spent a week during my summer here.  This place holds more memories than you could ever imagine.  And the best part...now, my kiddos are apart of it all!

I never would have thought I'd be spending early Fall here, let alone, HOMESCHOOLING my 3 boys in this cabin.  But this year, it happened.  And it-was-AWESOME!

If you read Part 1, you noticed that I had 3 educational goals set for this trip.  

Goal #1  They will be able to determine the difference between the 3 types of rocks. 

 Prior to our trip, we created these "lap books" and brought them along with us as references.

  

My kids will learn it if they COOK it (then eat it!)  So we spent one afternoon explaining the sedimentary rock processes using pudding, "sand" and gummy dinosaurs. 

Yummy Sedimentary Rock Lesson

 Another day, we made edible metamorphic rocks using peanut butter, chocolate chips and marshmallows.  We applies pressure (using foil) and heat (setting them out in the sun) to "morph" the rock into something melted and edible!
Yummy Metamorphic Rock Lesson

We never made it around to cooking up some edible "igneous rocks" and that was just ok....maybe next year.  But we made sure we had time for some awesome field trips that went along with what were were learning.  

Field Trip to the Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park

And climbing GIANT Igneous rocks just about every day!

Goal #2: They will be exposed to different types of map examples and will use those resources to create their own map of the area.

J writing out his map of the cabin area.

 After J wrote out his map of the cabin area, I hid clues in red bags all around.  He had to use his map to find them.  

These special clues where a riddle all about Santa Claus and his special workshop in Colorado Springs.  

Which meant time for another field trip - and this one was F-U-N!!!

  

Goal #3: Enjoy and embrace any other learning opportunities that come along aka "Teachable Moments". 

(Here comes the mushy part!)

Trip to the laundry mat

Opening up a 1898 player piano, just to see how it works.

Learning how to build a fire at the age of 6 (and 35)

Meeting new machines

Pumping water at a campsite that has no running water

Remember the smells, the sounds and the sights of this simple place.  

Oh, the learning!  The learning that took place on this vacation could fill many pages.  But I'll leave it at just that.  

Happy Learning (whenever and wherever you go) with your Little Ones!
Part 3 "The Reflection" - Coming Next Week!

A Homeschooling Vacation - Part 1 - The Planning

We had been planning a trip to Colorado for a long while now.  And it was going to be a "trial and error" type vacation to see if we could REALLY do some schooling while vacation.

Well, we'd have to say that "YES!" it is possible and so easy to do.  

You can totally do it too!  

Here's what I kept in mind and hope it inspires you:

#1  I made sure that I was well planned, but not OVER planned. 

I don't use any type of specific curriculums, so I pull my ideas from different resources.  

This is our LapBook that I purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers.
We pre-made this before our trip to use as a resource.

This is a GREAT kit that I pre-ordered!  It came with some amazing rock samples, field guides and even a DVD.

I created a list of ideas that I later put into a spreadsheet form.  I used Google Drive/Spreadsheet to compile all my ideas and resources. I made sure to copy webpage links into the cells so I could just click and refer to later (the blue font)

#2  I kept my learning foci simple and easy to accomplish!  While I was planning, I kept these 3 goals in mind.  My husband and I felt like these goals could be successfully accomplished.

Goal #1: They will be able to determine the difference between the 3 types of rocks. 
(Sedimentary, Metamorphic and Igneous)
Goal #2: They will be exposed to different types of map examples and will use those resources to create their own map of the area.
Goal #3: Enjoy and embrace any other learning opportunities that come along aka "Teachable Moments"

#3 Still make it a vacation!

I needed to make sure that we didn't get overwhelmed.  We were on vacation and needed to enjoy life as a family.  So I made sure that we didn't do formal learning EVERYDAY!  Keep in mind that I had my plans ready and my dates all set - but we didn't stick to that.   And you'll find out in Part 2 , the lessons/ideas that we didn't get to.  I wanted my teachings to come naturally!  Each lesson usually happened after a long morning of playing, hiking, fishing and relaxing on at the cabin.  Sounds perfect, huh?  

Be sure and come back soon for Part 2 and Part 3 of this Blog Series - 

A Homeschooling Vacation - Part 2 - The Teaching

A Homeschooling Vacation - Part 3 - The Reflection

Be sure and watch my periscope reply on Katch.me - here's the link:

A Learning Vaca - See My Resources

Meet THIS Momma - Homeschooler of 3 boys!

About 1 year ago, I had received a message on my FB from a mom of 3 boys that lived in Ft. Worth.  A friend I had grown up with had connected us.

I enjoyed watching her journey on FB and I knew she had something special when I saw her post pics of her Homeschooling Room this year.

So I was so happy that she was willing to share pictures of her space.  This was a special room in her home where SHE would teach, laugh, learn and love over the next few years.  "Kayla, you can clearly see the hard work and pure love that you poured into this room"

...and I wanted YOU all to see it.  

Isn't this a COOL idea!?  I love my pocket chart calendar but LOVED seeing a new twist to how she used a tri-fold board to display her morning calendar.  It's practical and cute - AND it's PORTABLE!  You can fold this sucker up and take it outside, to the park, on a trip to the library...the possibilities are endless.  High-five for such an awesome idea!

You might have remembered me posting the picture above on my FB page...the picture of the 3 desks!  That 1 picture post got over 300 views!!!  Turning old desks into a practical and fun use!  **She used chalkboard paint for the tops!  And each boy got to pick out their color**

  

Every good homeschooling room needs a GREAT book shelf!  This one is so organized and user-friendly which is what makes this a great piece!  And I LOVE how this momma displays her monthly theme (Ocean here) on the top shelf!  

  And can't forget to mention this cute canvas above the shelf.  Such a great reminder!

Each kiddo has their own board to display their awesome work!  And I might have to steal this idea...we might have the perfect place in our home for 3 of these.  Can't wait to see how full they look in a month! 

...And then there's the drum set!  This honestly scares me, but she seems to be just fine with it.  What "BoyMom" wouldn't be ok with a drum set in their learning room!  High-five!

Here's a few more pics of how organized this mom is!  (just my style!)  Board games down low for her littlest learner to grab and go!

Here's their workbox system...labels ready to go!  Loving the world globe on top!  On the bottom left, you'll see her thematic sensory bin!  So cute....and here's a peek inside.

I don't know about YOU, but I wouldn't mind learning all day long in this space!  Sweet, organized and practical!  She diffidently has the teacher's touch and it's hard to believe that before she was a homeschooler, she was a pharmacy tech!   Thanks for sharing your ideas and passion, Ms. Kayla. 

SNACK ATTACK!

Do you feel like you are ALWAYS in the kitchen?  I know that I sure do.  And I was ready to do something about it.  

It was time to teach the boys HOW to make their own snacks.  They plan it, they make it and they serve it.

Here's how it works.

On Sunday, just like our Breakfast Menu, we sit down and fill out our SNACK ATTACK Calendar for the week.  N is "the cook" for morning snack and J is "the cook" for the afternoon.  WHY?  N can do this while I am finishing up my reading time with J.  So morning is perfect for him.  And J is always looking for something to do around 3pm.  His rest time is over, his school work is done...this gives him a task to do and he actually enjoys it.

It's posted on our fridge for ALL to see.

The boys fix the snack and place it on a cookie sheet to serve it.  I think it makes them feel special to carry out a BIG tray full of deliciousness.   

The person that "cooked" the snack, serves the snack.  This a great opportunity to practice manners when and while serving others.  It's such a joy to see it happen naturally, but sometimes they do need to be reminded to say their "please and thank yous".

Once our snack time is over, someone BESIDES the "cook", does the clean up.  I tell them this a a great way to say "Thank you" and show the "cook" that they enjoyed their snack made with lots of love.

If you are interested in a copy of this SNACK ATTACK calendar - feel free to leave a comment below OR you can email me at mommyslittlelearners@gmail.com. 

Happy Learning with your little ones!