Home Educating All 7

Last week, Andrew finished his 2008/2009 school year. Sierra will finish this week. However, yesterday I started our 2009/2010 homeschooling year with ALL 7 of the children. We have decided to do a preschool program with Hannah-Faith and Joshua, a special needs program for Katie (she will also participate with the preschool program.), and the other children will be in grades 1st, 3rd, and 8th. Because of Andrew's learning difficulties, he will be in different grade levels according to subject.

I realize that home educating 7 is going to be a challenge but with God's Grace I am sure we will make it through.

Jacob, on the other hand, was not as positive. He didn't want to be home schooled. He said that he would be getting on the bus and going to school. You see, Jacob has several issues on why he will not like school at home. The first is that "I can not do what I want at home." The second is that Jacob has a gift of talking children into bringing him "delicious" snacks. (We don't allow a lot of junk food in our house. Jacob is having withdrawals since school has been out.) He misses his partner in crime - Kenny.

Well after we did our lessons today, the children were allowed to get in our swimming pool. I made the comment to Jacob. "Jacob, how was school today? I don't think at your old school that you got to do your lesson and then go swim. Homeschooling is pretty cool -- don't you think." Jacob didn't miss a second with his reply. "Yea, if I had only thought to bring home that big box of chocolate balls it would be cool." I just had to laugh.

Maybe tomorrow, I should give him a piece of chocolate when he finishes his lessons!!!

This is the look Jacob gives when he doesn't want to do something that you ask him to do. On this day, he was playing in the creek and he didn't want his picture taken. I am looking forward to teaching Jacob more than anyone else. I just know within a few weeks, he is going to loving learning!!

Our Artist Study

Since I have been posting about our Artist Study, I thought I would tell you how we go about studying the artist. Starting this month, I chose the artist by following the recommendation from Ambleside Online. (our new curriculum). However, last month we studied Giotto. This was my choosing. AO recommends that you stay with an artist for the term. The terms are 12 weeks each. Because we will finish our term at the end of April, we will only study this artist for 4 weeks. AO gives you 6 paintings to study each term.
We work on our Artist Study during lunch. (Our Artist Study is scheduled for Fridays. However, the children will ask to do it more often.) I copy the paintings into jpeg format and have them printed at Walgreen's into 4x6 prints.

Day One Artist Study

I place the photo of the painting on the table. The children look at it during lunch. When we are finished eating, each child narrates to me what they see in the painting. I don't add much to the discussion on this day except for the name of the Artist.

Day Two

The children look at the same photo of the painting again during lunch. This time when they narrate they have to be more descriptive. I may ask them questions like, "What would you name this painting?", "How does this painting make you feel?", "What do you like or not like about the painting?", etc. Then we read about the life of the Artist.

If we have only studied on Fridays, I will introduce a new painting every other Monday. However if we have done the study more than twice in one week, I will introduce a new painting each Monday. Usually, every Monday we have a new painting to study and the children have studied the painting at least 4 days. All the photos are displayed on the side of the kitchen cabinet facing the table. This way the children can examine the photos of the paintings at their leisure.
After we have studied all the AO recommendations for the artist, I will choose more as time allows. Each time a new painting is introduced, we follow the Day One/Day Two schedule. If they study the painting more than two days, I just keep asking them more questions if their narrations are not detailed. We also go over the main facts about the artist.

On Week Six

The children write a notebook page about the artist. At the end of the term, they get to pick a photo to paste on their notebook page. The rest of the photos go in our Artist Scrapbook. This way I can store the photos for later use and the children can look at the book at anytime.

On Week Ten - Or when we complete at least 6 paintings

We will look on the computer at several paintings by the artist that I didn't get photocopied.

The Last Lesson Of Each Artist - Week 12

I ask the children to pick a painting they liked the best and draw their interpretation of the painting. They also have to choose a title for the painting and color it with colored pencils.


I hope this was clear. I am not blest with the talent of writing. If you have any questions, please post in the comment section and I will try to answer you.

Nature Journals

The children have been doing their Nature Study on Fridays. However, today is rained all day. These are their nature journal entries from last week. So far, I have not been giving them a specific topic to draw/write about. Their assignment is to go outside and find something to draw in their journals. Then they have to describe what they drew. They are not allowed to play until they complete their journal entry.

This week, Sierra drew Dandelions and a Ladybug.

Andrew drew a young Cedar Tree and a Dandelion Seed Head.

You can read about Dandelions pages 531 - 535 in Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. Also below are some websites to check out.

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html

Art and Artist

We have been studying the artist Giotto. Each child had to pick a favorite painting and draw their interpretation of the painting.

This is Andrew's drawing of the painting Crucifix by Giotto.


This is Giotto's painting.

This is Sierra's drawing of the painting Madonna and Child.

This is Giotto's painting.

Winter Poems

Sierra and Andrew had an assignment to write a Winter Poem. It could be about anything dealing with Winter. After they wrote their poem, they had to draw a picture illustrating the poem.

Andrew chose to write about "Hot Chocolate".
Here is his poem.
Hot Chocolate

When we come inside from playing with snow,
My Mommy gives us Hot Chocolate.
It tastes warm and good.




This is Sierra's Poem.

A Snowy Day


I look out the window to my surprise,
I see the snow falling down covering the ground,
Pure white like the wedding dress of a bride.
I see a deer standing there in the snow.
His Winder coat glistening, his spots glowing white,
But when he sees me he runs.
He runs with fright.

The snow silently falling;
We think it’s all done.
We go out to see our creek covered with snow.
The roof top of our house,
And the houses around us
Look like a little village that is from a story book.

The trees in our yard have snow piled high,
On there branches.
A Blue Bird sits there fluffing his feathers,
Of his new winter coat.

Such a beautiful sight,
So quite and calm.
It looks like a movie plot,
But oh, it is NOT!

As I look up at the sky,
I watch the snow fall.
Oh, what a gorgeous sight.
A wonderful snowy day.

Reading Lesson

Andrew’s First Reading Lesson

1. I asked Andrew what word he would like to know how to read. (CM would have chosen a poem and used the first line. I am sure we will do this next but for now I just wanted to see if Andrew was ready to learn to read.) Andrew’s reply was the word “ball”. I made up the sentence “Eli has a ball.”
2. I wrote each word on a card. I showed Andrew the words in a random order. When I showed him the word, I asked him the letters in the words and if he knew the sounds of each letter. I read the word and then sounded it out. However, I did not spend a lot of time on the phonics part.
3. I gave Andrew the cards one at a time for him to study. I told him to look at the word, then close his eyes and picture the word on the card.
4. After we went over each word, I gave him his letter tiles. I asked him to spell each word with the letter tiles.
5. Once he spelled them with the letter tiles, I showed him the cards again. This time, I asked him to make the sentence “Eli has a ball.”
6. Then, he read me the sentence without help.
7. This entire lesson lasted 15 minutes.



Second Reading Lesson (Spelling)

Before I explain this lesson, I will say that I thought that Andrew probably memorized the sentence from yesterday. Therefore, I did not expect him to be able to spell the words without some help from me.

1. I gave Andrew the letter tiles and asked him to spell each word that I called out. I called out the words from yesterday in a random order. He only had trouble with the word “has”. He put the “h” and then “s” letter tile down. I asked him to close his eyes and see if he could remember the word on the card from yesterday. He smiled and quickly put the “a” in the right place.
2. Next, I asked him to make the sentence from yesterday. I did not tell him the sentence. He put all the words in the correct order.
3. After rejoicing together, I gave him his writing tablet. I asked him to write each word that I called out. Again, I did this in a random order. Then I asked him to write the sentence “Eli has a ball”.
4. Once he completed his writing, we talked about the word “ball”. I showed him the word “all” inside of “ball”. Then, we made the words “hall, call, fall, tall, and mall”. We also talked about “has” and “as”.

This may not have been an exact Charlotte Mason reading lesson. I will have to say that within 3 days Andrew could read and spell 10 words. I am completely amazed. Now, I am looking for a poem for him to read. I am going to research more on the Charlotte Mason approach to reading and try to improve our lessons.

Andrew's First Reading Lesson

I am learning more and more everyday about Charlotte Mason's method of teaching. I have been reading and studying this week about how to teach Andrew to read. I had first thought that I could teach Andrew just like I taught Sierra.
With Sierra I used "How To Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons". It was a breeze. She knew her letters, then started learning the sounds and was reading within 2 weeks. By the end of the book, she was reading on a second grade level and she was only 5 years old. I have always thought that every child should learn to read by phonics. This is because I didn't learn to read this way and I feel that it has caused me some trouble especially with spelling. Of course, this is when I had only ONE child and she wanted to learn to read at an early age and advanced quickly.
However, Andrew is 7 years old and is in Kindergarten. He has some learning challenges that we have to deal with everyday. In addition to the learning challenges, he also lacks a desire to learn. He could play outside all day and be completely content with not knowing how to read or accomplish anything educational. As of today, Andrew stills does not recognize the lowercase "f", and the letter "Y". He knows about half of the letter sounds. So what made me want to teach Andrew to read now? It was because I have been praying for him.
I found a Bible verse last week during my quiet time (Daniel 1:17) and I have been praying that God would give Andrew knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning just like he gave Daniel.
Yesterday, I just decided to see if what I was learning about reading the CM way would work on Andrew. I honestly, didn't expect much. Oh,what little faith. He completely surprised me. Within 15 minutes, he read a sentence. ( I will post the exact lesson on another post.) Today, we had our second lesson. Again, I didn't expect him to remember the words. But oh, I was in for a shock. Not only did he remember, but he could spell each word. I was blown away. I am not an expert in any way on Charlotte Mason. I most probably didn't conduct a prefect CM lesson on reading, but I tried to model what I have been learning and WOW it worked. THANK YOU LORD !!! ANDREW WANTS TO LEARN TO READ!! PRAYER IS POWERFUL!!

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Verse 6 "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt..."

Thank you Lord for pointing me in the direction of Ambleside Online and for equipping me with the knowledge to teach Andrew. Forgive me for doubting that YOU could do a mighty work in Andrew's brain so quickly. Thank you for giving Andrew the desire to read and expanding his mind so that he could comprehend and retain this knowledge. Please continue to give Andrew knowledge and understanding like you gave Daniel. In Jesus' Name, AMEN.

Who is Charlotte Mason?

Click on the links below and read about Charlotte Mason and her thoughts on education.

http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20CM%20Education

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Mason#Biography

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cheps/cmason.html

http://www.classicaleducation4me.com/cminfo.html

Nature Journals

This week the children started their Nature Journals. This is something that I have been wanting to add to our day but I could never figure out how to fit it in. On Monday, the weather was nice and I sent the older two children out with the Nature bag and instructions. Their instructions were to sit outside for at least 20 min. and find something to draw in their journals. It could be as simple as a tree or more complex like an animal. I told them to pay attention to the sights and sounds of things around them and be prepare to tell me about their time outside. I was completely surprised by what Sierra and Andrew drew in their journals. Also, they stayed outside for over 2 hours drawing, writing, and exploring. I am excited about implementing more Nature Study days. If you have every wanted to start a Nature Study or Nature Journal, just do it. I thought about it and made it complicated for way to long. Once, I made it simple and just sent the children outside it fell into place.

This is Sierra's first journal page. She drew the inside and outside of a Black Walnut and she drew a weed by the creek.
This is Sierra's second journal entry. It is a drawing of a wild rose bush.

This is Andrew's first journal entry. He did a leaf drawing and a leaf rubbing. This week we will be researching to find out what kind of leaf he found.

This is Andrew's second journal entry. He drew a walnut and a rock.

This is a picture of the rock Andrew found and drew in his journal.

These are pictures that Sierra took while she and Andrew were outside doing their Nature Journals.

First Nature Study

Saturday, we did our first Nature Study. We were on the way to get Sierra some shoes, and we stopped by Chick-fil-a. As we were eating our biscuits in the car, we noticed a bird hopped onto the hood of the van. He continued to hop all the way up to the windshield as if he wanted to say, "Hey, my friends and I would enjoy some breakfast." I didn't think Sparrows and or Wrens ate biscuits. However, I was proved wrong. We tossed out bits of our biscuit to watch the birds grab a bite and retreat to the bushes nearby. One bird got a large piece of biscuit and flew further away from the other birds. We guessed that he realized the had his breakfast platter and wanted to eat in solitude. The birds were very polite. You could tell they were not Blue Jays or Crows because they took turns. After about 5 minutes, all the birds were full and our study was over. This study was not planned, we didn't have our camera, or our sketch books but we witnessed nature in action. We could not have asked for a better Nature Study.

Our Homeschooling Journey

We started home educating our first child when she was 3 years old. That was nine years ago. We started out by joining a local homeschooling support group. This is where I gained valuable information about laws for our state, how to homeschool, and made new friends. We participated in park days, storytelling, show-and tell, and many field trips. I went to my first curriculum fair when Sierra was about 5. Boy, was this overwhelming to me. I didn't know there was so many choices in curriculum. We have always been a family that reads. So, I just started adding books to our library. I have to say I went overboard!! My husband would say that I went crazy buying books. When we started homeschooling, the closest library was about 25 miles away. So having books on hand was a blessing.

I also started trying different curriculum's to teach the basics. I bought a high price phonics program which we never used. I sold it to another homeschooling mom for $10.00. I also bought other books that were either to hard for me to use or to time consuming for Sierra. I bought a popular Math program and made Sierra do every page even when she knew the concept. Today, she dislikes Math because of this program.

When Sierra was 6, I attend a homeschooling conference and learned about learning styles. In one hour the Lord showed me how He made Sierra. Sierra learns by hearing. This is completely opposite from me. I learn and was teaching by seeing. I am a visual learner. I changed curriculum once again. Sierra started loving to learn. We did unit studies, read lots of books, and did a lot of hands-on projects together. We talked and learned together.

When Sierra was 7, we moved to tourist city. The library was 5 min. from our house and we also had a college library close by. Therefore, I started getting rid of a lot of my books because I needed the space. Now, we live in a small town far away from our beloved city. Getting books is a challenge once again. However, this time when I am purchasing books, I am being very selective. Once again, I am changing curriculum. This time I am trying to develop a way to teach Sierra and Andrew some of the same subjects but on different levels. At the same time keeping in mind that I want Hannah-Faith to use the same curriculum when she is able. I found the Charlotte Mason approach to home educating. I am now researching it and learning. I will post more on this later.

Flat Children Are In A Snowmobile Race

All of our Flat Children are in Alaska. Tomorrow, they will meet their team drivers. Below, I have listed the each child and what team they are on. You can go to www.irondog.org . Then click on Flat Stanley. Scroll to the bottom. We are listed as Truth, Love, and Training Academy. (second from bottom) Then click on "Click here to see our Stanley's".
You can click "Web Cam" and watch the race.
Flat Sierra is on Team # 38 Terry Hawkins.
Flat Andrew is on Team #37 Tom Kriska.
Flat Hannah-Faith is on Team #36 Howard Farley

The race will start Feb. 10th and end Feb. 16th.

All Flat Children Are Headed For Alaska

Thanks to another homeschooling mom, we found out that the Tesoro Iron Dog Race is hosting Flat Stanley's. Sierra and Andrew made a flat person dressed in snow gear to be mailed to Alaska. When the flat children arrive, they will get assigned a snowmobile driver. Once the snowmobile race starts, we can track where the flat children and there driver are in the race. After the race is over, the driver will sign the flat child and return him/her home with a picture. I will let you know, when the race starts and what teams our flat children are on.

Flat Sierra Arrived Home Today

Today, Flat Sierra came home from Uncle Donald and Aunt Judy's house. Her journal page is below. After reading all that Flat Sierra did at Aunt Judy's, I think Sierra was jealous. She said that after she goes to church camp this Summer, she should go visit Aunt Judy and Uncle Donald.

Flat Sierra's Journal Page
On January 17, 2008, Flat Sierra visited her uncle and aunt.

The people she visited were named Donald and Judy and their two poodles, Ruby and TJ.

These wonderful people live in NC.

These are the things Flat Sierra did while she visited:
Uncle Donald and I were delighted at 11 a.m. on the 17th of January, Flat Sierra arrived at our house as for a long time we have wanted her to visit us. Donald was running one of the machines making parts for a biomedical research company. I was at my desk doing end of the year bookwork for our small company. Flat Sierra was fascinated with the things Uncle Donald could do on the machines in the shop as he could take a piece of plastic, do a lot of cutting and turning on the plastic and come out with a part which looked just like the drawing on the blueprint the company had given him. She helped me do some filing in the office and I showed her how to run invoices on the computer. After we finished the filing and invoices, we had to clean the bathroom and vacuum the office floor. Before we went to lunch we helped Donald sweep up all the chips on the shop floor. I told Flat Sierra that we would have to make a trip to the nail place to get our nails done since cleaning and sweeping made such a mess of a manicure!

We walked over to the house and fixed our lunch. Donald and the poodles came in shortly and after our lunch we all took a 30 minute nap. Donald went back to work but Flat Sierra and I had to take packages to UPS for shipping and I had an appointment to get my hair cut. Flat Sierra did not want her hair to be cut but she got her hair styled with her hair pulled up and some soft curls falling down. I had my hair cut short; Flat Sierra liked my new hairdo and said it made me look younger. Flat Sierra was stunning with her hair pulled up and it made her look older.

We stopped at the grocery store and got chicken shish kabob for dinner. By the time we got back to the shop it was late so Donald started the charcoal to cook the chicken. Flat Sierra fixed us a nice big salad to go with our shish kabobs and I sautéed fresh asparagus.

The next day Flat Sierra and I went to the nail salon and had our nails done. Flat Sierra got a manicure and a very nice pearl pink polish which blended well with her skin tones and was not too flashy. We decided to splurge and have pedicures! Flat Sierra had the same polish put on her toenails as she had on her fingernails. I think she loved the leg massage most of all! When we finished at the nail salon we went to see Amy, Bryan, Kaylin and Alana. Kaylin and Alana were so happy to see Flat Sierra and she had to explain to them why she was flat. This was difficult for four year old Kaylin to understand but two year old Alana just did not care and only wanted Flat Sierra to come outside and push her high in the swing. On the way back home, we stopped at Starbucks and had a nice latte which was a nice pick-me-up after such a busy day of pampering ourselves and playing with the children.

When we got home Donald was in his old Jeep driving up the driveway. He stopped and asked Flat Sierra to go for a ride with him around the property. Now Flat Sierra thought that was a splendid idea because she knew Uncle Donald would let her drive the old Jeep with no windshield and no doors! What fun she had and could not wait to tell me all about driving around the fields! He told Flat Sierra that Amy and Matt learned to change gears in straight drive vehicles by driving those old Jeeps.

Before Flat Sierra had to leave for home, we went to Ulta and Flat Sierra had a makeup session with one of the consultants. They told her she did not really need a foundation makeup as her face was so clear. They put a hint of color on her long eyelashes and used some blush and lip gloss. Flat Sierra is fortunate in having such dark eyelashes and eyebrows. She certainly did not need much “fixing up”.


Today is Monday, the 21st of January, and Flat Sierra is going home. Donald and I are going to miss having Flat Sierra here as she is a lot of fun. I know she will have many more adventures and needs to be on her way. We will all look forward to reading how much she has learned during her worldly travels.

Flat Hannah-Faith is the first to arrive home

Flat Hannah-Faith arrived home yesterday from Papa and Nana's. Below is Flat Hannah-Faith's Journal from Papa and Nana's house. It sounds like Flat Hannah-Faith had a wonderful time. Next time, I think we will send Hannah-Faith. Thanks Papa and Nana.


Flat Hannah-Faith’s Journal

On January 16th. and 17th., 2008, Flat Hannah-Faith visited SC.

The people she visited were named Papa and Nana.

These wonderful people live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in SC.

These are the things Flat Hannah-Faith did while she visited.
Nana kept Flat Hannah up too late last night. She and I bundled up, turned the floodlights on, sat on the screen porch and watched the snow falling. We loved it, but Flat Hannah got bored pretty quickly and kept saying "Out". I told her that we would go out and play in the snow once daylight came. I don't think she really understood what I was trying to tell her, because she just kept screaming, "OUT". We came back in and I rocked her to sleep and put her in bed with me and Papa. That was a mistake. That kid took up the whole bed with her rolling and turning. Papa was not very happy about that. We awoke late this morning, around 9:30. Papa entertained Flat Hannah while I cooked breakfast. Flat Hannah can eat to be such a little girl. She had bacon, sausage, eggs, grits (what a mess), toast, and juice. While I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes, Papa took Flat Hannah to the basement to his shop with him. He was cleaning up a customer's van. He put Flat Hannah in the van and let her play with some of his John Deere toys while he cleaned on the outside. I never heard Flat Hannah scream or Papa yell, so I think they had fun. I went downstairs when I finished cleaning the kitchen. Flat Hannah was happily playing inside the van and chattering continuously. I just stood in the doorway to Papa's shop and listened to her and to Papa talking back to her. He really loves Flat Hannah. I got Flat Hannah out of the van and we went in the other section of the basement and played with the dogs, Daisy and Precious. Flat Hannah kept calling Precious "Cotton". Precious is a Standard Poodle. She does look like an overgrown Cotton. Whew, I got tired playing with her and the dogs. I guess I haven't quite gotten my energy back from my surgery 5 weeks ago. Flat Hannah and I went back upstairs and the "OUT" screaming started again. So, Nana got Flat Hannah dressed and herself dressed and out into the melting, mushy snow we went. The snow was too wet to play in, so I told Flat Hannah we'd go for a walk in the woods. Wow, was that pretty! There was still a lot of snow in the trees, and it looked like a winter wonderland still. However, we got hit with lots of drips from the melting snow. It was so cold out there, and Flat Hannah's little nose was a red as Rudolph's. She "talked" the entire time. I wish I knew what she was saying. She seemed so happy. She put up a pretty good fuss when we came back inside. I got her dried off and changed into more clothes and made us some hot cocoa. I had to put some ice in hers to cool it down a bit. She loved it, but I began to wonder why in the world had I put clean clothes on her. Flat Hannah is a pig. haha By this time, it was time for me to fix us a sandwich for lunch. I gave Flat Hannah a coloring book and crayons to entertain her while I fixed lunch. I had no idea what kind of sandwich Flat Hannah would eat, so I fixed her the good old standby of peanut butter and jelly. She ate it ALL and then screamed "EAT". I guess she wasn't full, so I gave her a couple of oatmeal cookies that I had baked. She loved them. Papa got her to sit in the love seat with him while I tidied up the kitchen again. Flat Hannah is going to be a real talker soon. She NEVER hushes. Papa just talked back to her like he had understood everything she said. They are so cute together. Papa told Flat Hannah that he had to go back to the basement to work, and Flat Hannah started the "OUT" scream again. I think she wanted to go with Papa, but I got her to stay upstairs with me by giving her a harmonica. GRRRRR!!! Nana sure is dumb. haha Flat Hannah blew and blew that harmonica until I thought I'd go deaf. I think I'll send it home with her when she leaves in a little while. Flat Hannah started rubbing her eyes, so Nana thought she was getting sleepy. Nana got Flat Hannah to get in the love seat with her and started rocking. Eventually, Flat Hannah got in my lap and let me rock her. She fell asleep. AHHH, it was quiet. haha Nana decided to just hold Flat Hannah instead of lying her in the bed to nap. Nana loves this little girl, and it was so peaceful and beautiful just holding Flat Hannah. I knew that Flat Hannah had to go back home soon, and I just wanted to enjoy holding her for a while. She is so precious. While sleeping like that, one would think she is a little angel. NOT!! She is your typical, stubborn, loud almost 2 year old, but she is still so, so adorable.
Well, it was time for Flat Hannah to go home after she awoke. She didn't get to do a lot while with Papa and Nana, but Papa and Nana got to spend some quality time with her alone. I wish Nana's energy level was back, and maybe Flat Hannah could have stayed longer. But, Nana and Papa have work tomorrow. Hopefully, Flat Hannah can come back and bring Flat Sierra and Flat Andrew with her when it's warmer, so we can "drive" the Gator and play in the woods. Maybe Nana will have more energy then, too.
Flat Hannah, we love you very much, and we're very glad you came to spend some time with us. Enjoy your travels, but be sure and come back to Papa's and Nana's soon.

Our Flat Children Leave On Their First Adventure

Today, we sent off our Flat Children. (If you are clueless as to what we are talking about, please click on the "Our Flat Stanley Project" label below.) We mailed all three Flat Children to different parts in SC. Flat Sierra went to visit Aunt Sherry, Flat Andrew went to visit Mrs. Kathleen, and Flat Hannah went to visit Granny Lou and Papa Jimmy. We also decided to email our Flat Children. Papa and Nana received Flat Hannah, Grandma and Nanny received Flat Andrew, and Uncle Donald and Aunt Judy received Flat Sierra. Sierra thinks Flat Sierra is going to get pampered by Aunt Judy. She thinks she might get a trip to the nail salon. I guess we will see.

We are all looking forward to hearing from our family and friends and can't wait to see what our Flat Children experience while they visit different families.

Keep checking back because we will be posting when our Flat Children arrive back home and all of their travel adventures.



OUR FLAT CHILDREN

Flat Sierra

Flat Hannah-Faith

Flat Andrew

How I Became Flat

Last week, Sierra and Andrew were given an assignment to write a story explaining "How I Became Flat". Today, the reports were finished and I wrote a story for Hannah. The stories are below. We found them entertaining. Let us know what you think.

How I Became Flat Hannah-Faith

Hi there, I am Flat Hannah-Faith. I am sure you are wondering why I am flat. Well, I will tell you. The other day, I was climbing on my Inch Worm. (I got it for Christmas.) Because I needed to reach the remote that was on TOP of the TV. I really do not understand why everyone puts the remote on TOP of the TV. They know I can’t reach it up there!! Anyway, I was on my Inch Worm and reaching for the remote. I almost had it when all of a sudden I was on the floor. Not only was I on the floor but the TV was on top of me. Of course, I screamed. I am good at screaming!! My Mommy came running. She lifted the TV. Then she checked me over. I was screaming!! Nothing really hurt. I was just mad that I didn’t have the remote in my hand. When my Mommy picked me up, it felt different. She told me I was flat. I really didn’t understand what being “flat” meant. What I did understand was that Mommy was not holding me right. Usually, I curl up in her lap and lay my head on her chest. Today, I was just lying in her lap. This didn’t feel right. Mommy usually calls me her “Squishy Girl”. Now, she was calling me her flat girl.
I don’t like being flat. Mommy said that now that I was flat I could travel all over the world. She and Daddy were going to send me to visit family and friends. I am not sure I am going to like traveling. I like being close to my Mommy. I hope I do not stay flat for very long. I miss Mommy’s hugs and squeezes.

HOW I BECAME FLAT ANDREW

I became flat because I was riding my bike in the rode and a car ran over me. Sierra told me to “GET OUT OF THE RODE” but I did not want to listen. Then, BOOM! I am gone! I am knocked off my bike. I am laying in the rode. I am crying and surprised that I am still alive. Sierra ran to tell my Mommy. My Mommy came and picked me up. She went, “AAH YOU’RE FLAT”. We got into the car and went to the hospital real fast. The doctor said that I was fine. He didn’t know how to fix me. I was flat. He sent us home. My Mommy put me to bed. I got up the next morning and I was STILL FLAT.

Everybody was doing their normal things so I decided to go outside and ride the Go-Cart. When I asked me Mommy, she said that I couldn’t ride because my helmet wouldn’t fit and I couldn’t buckle up. I couldn’t climb trees either because the wind would blow me away. I would be gone. “Zoom, on the wind”. Then, my family couldn’t find me.
One good thing about being flat is that I could be a kite in the wind. Another, good thing is that I can travel everywhere in an envelope.

When I am finished traveling, someone needs to do something to make me normal again!!

How I Became Flat Sierra

You will never believe how I became flat. One Saturday morning, my Dad was working on the living room door. It kept closing on its own. Well, I was standing right behind the door, OH, was that a mistake. When he took the hinges off the door, there was a big splat and a scream.
You guessed it. I was laying under the door. My Dad was shocked; he still did not know that the door was on top of me. When my Mother heard the noise she came running. My brother screamed, my little sister, Hannah, said, “ohh”. My dog Cotton was barking and jumping up and down. Hannah and Cotton were the only ones who knew that I was under the door. I tried to tell them that the door was on top of me but no one could hear me. Hannah tried to tell them that I was under the door too, but no one could understand her. Finally, when Hannah started to scream and Cotton’s barking was getting louder, they lift up the door. All of a sudden, I heard my Mother gasped. I heard my Brother say, “uh-oh”. My Dad said, “oh-no” and Cotton whimpered. Hannah just said, “ohhh”. I asked them what was wrong. I think they where in shock! I did not know that I was flat. Finally, my Mother asked me if I felt any different and if I was ok. I said yes; I was fine but a little sore. Then, my brother Andrew said, “YOUR FLAT!!!” Hannah said, “OHHHH!!!!!!” I look at Andrew as if he was crazy. I was thinking that too, until I got up and looked in the mirror. My Mother took me straight to the doctor. The doctor examined me from head to toe. Then, she looked at my Mother and said that there was nothing wrong with me. I was just flat. So, the doctor sent us back home.
Being flat is not that bad. Sometimes, I wish I was normal but it is ok.
One cool thing about being flat is that I never have to open up a door. All I have to do is slide right under it. Another good thing about being flat is that I am flexible. I can be rolled up, folded up and even put in an envelope. That brings me to one more good thing about being flat. I can be mailed around the whole world. I am about to be mailed around the U.S. to visit my family and friends for just the cost of a couple of stamps. However, there are some things that are not good about being flat. One bad thing about being flat is that sometimes people do not see you. It is easy to get sat on when you are laying down or trample over when you are in a large crowd. Hopefully, soon I will be normal again.


We will be sending out our Flat Children soon. Look for them to arrive in your email or mail box.

Our Flat Children Project

As part of homeschooling, the children are involved in a very fun and exciting Geography project based on the book "Flat Stanley" written by Jeff Brown. In the book Flat Stanley is flattened by a falling bulletin board. One of the many advantages is that Flat Stanley can now visit his friends by traveling in an envelope. For this project, our children made themselves flat using paper and a photo. Now, we are mailing/emailing each Flat Child to a different family. If you receive one of our Flat Children and do not have time for him/her to visit with you we completely understand. Just send him/her back to us. If you choose to host our Flat Child, we hope that you will treat him/her like a guest. Take him/her with you when you can and record the adventures on the journal page. You may keep our Flat Child from 2-7 days. We would appreciate it if you would mail/email our Flat Children back to us. When we receive the Flat Children back, Sierra and Andrew will mark where their Flat Child visited on the map. Although it is not necessary, the children would love getting pictures and postcards from you showing where their Flat Child visited. However, all that we need you to do is fill out the journal page, and send us the Flat Child back. Not only will Sierra, and Andrew learn about Geography but they will get to hear what life is like at your house. I will be postings the Flat Children's travels on this blog with the help of Sierra and Andrew. When the Flat Children are finished visiting family and friends we are going to send them around the US and to other countries. Watch the blog to see where our Flat Children are traveling. Thanks in advance for helping us and have fun with our Flat Children. I will assure you that our Flat Children will be on their best behavior. There will be no screaming from Flat Hannah, no disobeying from Flat Andrew, and no endless chatter from Flat Sierra. If you have any questions, please give us a call.

As you read Flat Sierra's and Flat Andrew's letter, keep in mind that they wrote them. I typed Andrew's letter as he spoke.

Flat Hannah-Faith's Letter

Hey there, my name is Flat Hannah-Faith. I am 20 months old. Before I became flat, I liked to run in our backyard, climb and slide on my play set, and dance. Oh yes, you should see me dance. It must be good because I have my parents laughing and they get me to dance for everyone who comes over. I like to play dress up. You can add new clothes on top of the ones I have on if you want to play. I love babies. I have a baby that I put in my highchair, and I put her in her stroller.

There are a couple things you must know about me. These things will make my stay at your house a lot better for you. I love to eat. I usually eat about every 2 hours. I can say “eat” and “juice”. I will say “shoes, go, bye-bye” when I want to go outside. I love to go. I am not usually a good traveler. You see, I just don’t like the whole car seat thing. But once we get to where we are going, I love to be out and about. Just be sure you don’t forget to pack some snacks. Did I tell you I like to eat? Also, you will want to bring diapers. I can say “pee-pee” but it is usually AFTER I have wet my diaper. If I poop, you will know it. I will say “butt”. If I don’t get a diaper change, I will scream. I can scream very loud. I am pretty good at letting you know what I like and don’t like, what I want and don’t want, and if for some reason you don’t understand – then I will scream. I can scream very loud!! I am sure we will not have any problem.

One very important thing you need to know is that I am a Mama’s girl. I am always around my Mama. For nap, she lays down with me. For bedtime, she rocks and sings to me. I may have a hard time adjusting to all this traveling. So, please make sure to send me back to my Mama at the end of our visit.

Now, that you know a little bit about me. I want to get to know you. Please show me around your house, and your town. I like to go places. You can take a picture of me and send it back to my Mama. I am sure she would like to see me having fun. Please, fill out my journal page. I will not be able to tell Sierra and Andrew all about you and our adventures. They sometimes do not understand me, even when I scream. I heard Mama tell them that they would get to learn about my travels and mark them on a map. I don’t know what a map is but it sounds fun. Also, you can check my Mama’s blog, to find out where Flat Sierra and Flat Andrew are traveling. “Shoes go, bye-bye”. “Shoes, go, bye-bye” “EEEHHHHEEEEHHH” “GO” “BYE-BYE”

Flat Andrew's Letter

My name is Flat Andrew. I am 6. I have a new home. I have my own room. The best thing I like about living in this house is the yard. It is fun to ride my bike and scooter on the road and down the driveway. I can go fast down the drive. I love to ride the Go-Cart with Sierra and Daddy.

Since I have been flat, I can’t open doors, or help Daddy build. I can’t help Mommy do nothing. And I can’t ride the Go-Cart because I can’t buckle up and my helmet won’t fit. I can’t jump on Eli’s trampoline.

One thing that is good about being flat is that I can go places in an envelope.

While I am at your house, you need to know about me. I like to watch TV. I like to watch Blues Clues, Tec the Tractor, and Tom & Jerry. I like to play Checkers and Twister. I play these with Sierra. I like to play in the dirt. I like to play kitchen, cars & trucks, and blocks & Lego’s. I play these with Hannah and Sierra. When I am not playing, I have to do school and chores. While I am with you, I don’t need to do school! I can do chores. Mommy teached me how to clean the toilet, sink, bathroom floor, and empty the trashcan. I can also dust the trashcan, and end table. I can’t dust anything taller than me. I can help empty the dishwasher and pick up toys. I also like to go to the grocery store. When I go with Mommy, she lets me load the cart. So, I can make your life easier while I am staying with you.

While I am staying with you, I would like you to know what I like to eat. For breakfast, I like cinnamon toast, cheese eggs and bacon. For lunch, I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. For dinner, I like macaroni and cheese, and chicken. I also like grapes and apples.

When I am done staying at your house, mail me back to my Daddy and Mommy. They let me do all kinds of fun things. One time, they let me play in the rain. The water was coming over the gutters like a waterfall. When it started to thunder, Daddy made me go inside. Also, I need to go home because I am going to be adopted soon. We will be having an adoption party. I must be there. I also need to go home because I like to help my Daddy work on stuff.

Thank you.