An Update on our Summer and Jelly Fish!!

Hey everyone!  I know it has been a bit since I have posted here!  We just got back from vacation (you can go to our RV blog to read all about it!)  Since we have been home we have started getting into a summer routine!  We did "summer school" three days this week and things went REALLY well!!  I mean Seth was rocking and rolling along!!  We are doing the 2nd Learning Through Sounds book from Pathways 1st grade, finishing our 1st Grade Climbing to Good English book and finishing our 1st grade Handwriting without Tears book!  Right now for math he is playing math games on the ipad.  I have some board games and stuff I want us to play at some point as well.  We are also reading alot!  Seth is doing a Summer Reading Program...working towards a big prize he really wants (seasons 2 and 3 of Star Wars Clone Wars).  We are also reading a chapter book aloud.  We will be doing alot of this in 2nd grade so I want to get them used to it now.  Right now we are reading 'All Because of Winn Dixie'.  We of course will watch the movie when we finish the book :-)

I have discovered that if I let them play outside from about 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning, they get their outside play in before it gets too hot, and they relieve some energy before we start school and it helps them stay calmer in the schoolroom!  It's a win-win situation!

I also have some fun science stuff I want us to do this summer!  One of those things we did with our friends Tami and Caleb today!!  They came out and we made 'jellyfish in a bottle'.  (If you read our RV blog then you know the story of Seth stepping on a jellyfish on vacation!)  I got the idea on pinterest here.  I couldn't find plastic bottles like they used on the instructions big enough so we used water bottles.  I think it would have been a bit easier to see in a smooth bottle - but the kids still loved them!

Caleb holding up his jellyfish 

 Mommy being silly as she is filling the head of a jellyfish

 Alyssa's jellyfish

 Aaron showing his while Seth holding up his jellyfish

 Seth's jellyfish

 Caleb's jellyfish

The kids seemed to have a lot of fun making these and Alyssa has sat and played with hers all day long!

Another thing I am working on right now is rearranging/reorganizing my schoolhouse!  I found an idea on pinterest (click here to see it) where you turn milkcrates on their side and tie them together then put a foam bench on top and canvas totes in the front for storage!  I ordered my milkcrates today!!  They should be here Saturday!!  I am so excited!!  Of course I will show pics of my finished bench!!  It is going to replace our beanbags!  Whoo hoo!!  :-)