Happy 9th Birthday G

 

Birthday Boy

 

G turned 9 on Sunday!  We had his party over the weekend and it was so fun.  He wanted a "panda playing baseball" party theme.  David and I found the shirt above and it fit the theme perfectly!

 

G's 3 layered chocolate cake, it turned out so cute

some panda and baseball cupcakes

 

G with his cake!

 

Thanks to everyone who was able to celebrate!

Happy 8th Birthday G

 

G turned 8 over the weekend!  We went on a family vacation to the beach to both celebrate him and get in one last hurrah as a family before A and B head off to college.

I love the cake the girls made him!  We took everything with us so he could still get a homemade cake.

He had a few fun presents as well!

Blowing out his candles!

Happy Birthday G, we love you so, so much!

Stepping Into Science Review

You guys know I love Science!  I want to share with you a fun product from Timberdoodle, Stepping Into Science.  Stepping Into Science is published by Thames & Kosmos and is recommended for kids ages 5-7+.  This all-in-one kit makes science with your little ones convenient.

The back of our kits has a nice list of its contents.

A peek inside our kit

Using this Science kit, students will study 5 main topics through 29 experiments.  These topics include Biology, Physics, Chemistry, air and water.  

G turned 7 last month and he just started 2nd grade!

I am using Stepping Into Science as part of G's 2nd grade curriculum.  I really like the convenience of a grab and go science program.  Apart from common household items like water, vinegar, paper towels, crayons, etc., everything else is included.

In Experiment 6, G learned about spinning colors.

Assembling our spinner

Creating homemade discs for our spinner

About to spin

While spinning

I loved watching this homemade disc spin

In motion

In Experiment 7, G learned about magnifying glasses and how everything looks larger when you use them.

 

After catching a doodle bug, he watched and observed it move around using our magnifying glass.

 

 

Watching his new friend

In Experiments 14 and 15, G learned about hovercrafts and paper airplanes.

Playing with his newly built hovercraft.

And our airplane

 

Flying our plane and seeing how it does

Since there are 29 experiments,  you can do 1 experiment a week to fill your school year or you can adapt and use it as best fits your needs.  I find that G likes to sit down and do several experiments at one time so that is how we use our kit.  I love that experiments are simple and easy to expand on for kids that want to learn more!  In this particular kit students will learn what makes a magnify glass magnify, how air pressure indicates weather, how suction cups work, why soap bubbles are round, how air resistance depends on an object's size and shape and so much more!  If you are looking for an easy to use, affordable Science kit for your young student, we would definitely recommend Timberdoodle's Stepping Into Science.

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I received this kit in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

G's 7th Birthday Party {Baby Shark}

We celebrated G's 7th birthday over the weekend (a tiny bit early)!  It was a bit of a whirlwind as we planned it last minute but we wanted A to be able to celebrate with us before she heads back to college tomorrow.  G picked Baby Shark Theme 🦈

The Birthday Boy

Water Slide Fun

We set up a small water slide, used our chocolate fountain, and cooked up a few pizzas.  We are thankful for friends who were able to join us (even if last minute).

Chocolate Fountain

Fountain Dippers

G's Baby Shark Cake

We love you G!

G's 6th Birthday Party (Chuck E Cheese)

 

Birthday Boy

We were able to celebrate G's 6th birthday yesterday with a few friends at Chuck E Cheese.  Enjoy the photos!

 

 G's party table

Enjoying pizza and drinks

 

F at the basketball game

 

G on the Surfer Bike

 

Posing with Chuck E Cheese

 

Giving him a high five!

 

G's Panda Cookie Cake

G blowing out his candles.

 

Ticket Booth fun

G had so much fun and I'm so glad we had a chance to celebrate him with a party!  We love you G!!

Exciting Day

 

Today was all the feels with a big day for our family!  We dropped A off at college, oh my heart.  Her dorm room is so cute.  G turned 6!  How can this amazing boy be 6 already?  And B found out she made the Varsity volleyball team.  I'm so proud of how hard she has worked over the last few years in the game she loves.  I'm emotionally exhausted but I wouldn't have it any other way.  What a truly adventurous day!

Math Mammoth Grade 1 Curriculum & Skills Review Workbook Review

Disclosure:  I received this complimentary product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

 

We were blessed to receive Math Mammoth Grade 1 Curriculum and Grade 1 Skills Review Workbook from Math Mammoth to use with G!  G has finished multiple K math curriculums this school year so I was excited to add Math Mammoth Grade 1 into his school work, he loves math!

 

We received the digital version of this curriculum.  It can be printed out or filled in on a computer or tablet.  Math Mammoth has been around since the early 2000s and was founded by Maria Miller, a math teacher and homeschool mom.  She has a master's degree in mathematics.  Math Mammoth is purposely designed to be as self-teaching as possible, requiring little preparation from the parent.  It also comes in already printed books (which would probably be my personal preference).

G working on his worksheet.

Our Math Mammoth Complete Curriculum, also referred to as the Light Blue Series, is a complete math curriculum for 1st graders.  It includes two worktexts - Grade 1-A Worktext contains 129 lessons while Grade 1-B Worktext contains 125 lessons so each book covers ~ 1/2 a year of math.  These worktexts have the meat of the curriculum - all the instruction and the exercises!  I like that they are written directly to the student.  And while this might seem like a lot for a 5 year old, G is reading on such an advanced level that he can read the material himself.  Of course, I'm available if he needs me but I like that he can try it first.  G is currently still in our Grade 1-A Worktext.

 

There are also accompanying videos for students to see the material being taught (by Maria herself) as well and I really appreciate this feature!

 

Above you can see one of G's pages from Chapter 0 - Kindergarten Math review along with the answer key.  This chapter was optional but it just gave a review of the most important concepts learned in Kindergarten Math.  I love that we have answer keys for all the exercises!

What topics are covered in this program?

• addition and subtraction
• whole number relationships and place value to 100
• understanding of measuring lengths
• attributes of geometric shapes
• telling times on a clock to the half hour
• counting coins

How does it work?  This program focuses on conceptual understanding so kids lean not only the "how" but also the "why."  Visual models are often used to explain concepts.  This helps if manipulatives are not available.  Math Mammoth is mastery-oriented with an emphasis on mental math.

Our Grade 1 Skills Review Workbook is supplemental, it's not a full curriculum on its own.  It is great for additional practice as needed.  You can see one of G's exercises from our Skills Review Workbook above.

What does G think?  G is really enjoying this program!  He likes the lessons and the exercises.  I think he appreciates the color and fun drawings sprinkled throughout.  I'm impressed with everything that he is learning and I look forward to completing this program with him.

Do you want to know more?  Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of Math Mammoth.

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