Folksongs

I was putting together personalized CD’s for the boys today. I have included the hymns I want them to hear and hopefully learn in August as well as folksongs and our classical music selections. When I first discovered Ambleside Online a couple of years ago, I wanted to “do it right.”

I bought the Homeschooler’s Folksong Collection created by the Homestead Pickers for $30.

I’m blogging before you today to tell you that you absolutely do not need to spend that money. Save it. Along with the CDs, the booklet contains the lyrics for the songs as well as some interesting background information on each song.

I needed to print out lyric sheets for the boys and I certainly didn’t want to spend my time pecking at the keyboard so I did a search for comparable lyrics. Guess what? I found the same lyrics and identical interesting factoids for the songs over at Contemplations from the Marianas Trench.

The music is in midi format – but so what? I just saved you thirty buckaroos!

So why should we study folksongs?

In chapter six, Miss Mason explains: “Once an idea is in our mind, it can stay there indefinitely, never dying. We can remember the impression a song or picture left us with even decades later.” That said, folksongs can add a rich depth to any study. They are of the poetic voices from whence we came.

Here are the songs we will be learning this year:

The Gold Rush and Westward Journey

Bound for the Promised Land
Clementine
The Dying Californian
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
Paddy Works on the Erie
Sweet Betsey from Pike
Wait for the Wagon

Cowboys

Cowboy Jack
Green Grow the Lilacs
Jesse James
Lily of the West
Red River Valley
The Streets of Laredo
Tall Men Riding
The Yellow Rose of Texas

After 1900

Casey Jones
Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (That’s an Irish Lullaby)
When Irish Eyes are Smiling
White Wings

Preschool/Kindergarten Day 7

Opening Exercises

• Pledge
• Prayer
• Recite Family Motto
• Calendar
• Weather: Dress people, discuss weather of the day
• Read: My Feet by Aliki
• Discussion: My feet and legs are part of my body – talk about how feet are for walking, running, and getting me from one place to another.
• Demonstrate: ‘quiet feet’ allow child to imitate ‘quiet feet’
• Fingerplay: Open, Shut Them (for feet)
• Touching Stars (below)

Bible Study

• Joseph Smith

Yoga

• 2-3 poses per day

Arithmetic

• Broad stair
• Play “Which Number is Missing?”

Pre-Reading

• Play “I Spy” looking for letter of the week words

Literature

• The Pancake

Nature Study

• PreK: Crinkleroot’s 25 Birds Every Child Should Know by Jim Arnosky
• K: Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing the Birds by Jim Arnosky

Poetry

• Nursery Rhymes & Songs (5 Green and Speckled Frogs)
• A Book of Nonsense (Pre-K)
• A Child’s Garden of Verses (K)

Logic/Rhetoric

• Can You Find Me? 1

Handiwork/Art

• Identify parts of a paintbrush
• Foot printing

Character Training

• Talking While Eating

Foreign Language

• Sign the letter of the week

Recreation

• Marching and tiptoeing

Practical Living Skills

• Pairing socks
• Demonstrate taking off ‘outdoor shoes’ and putting on ‘inside shoes’
• Left/Right Shoes

Free Reading

• The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
• When I was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis

Songs:
Open, Shut Them (for feet)
Open, shut them, open shut them, give your feet a clap.
(Sitting – spread legs, close legs, clap feet)
Open, shut them, open shut them, fold to make a lap.
(spread legs, close legs, cross legs)

Parts of a Paintbrush
Trace around a paintbrush. Print the words – handle, ferrule, hairs, tip. Laminate. Make word cards to place. Lesson – Place a real paintbrush and the word labels.

Touching Stars
Tie red yarn on right wrist and right ankle. Standing on circle, have everyone put their right hand in the center, coming in until they all touch. This is a right-handed touching star. Turn and make a left handed touching star. Make a high touching star by raising arms up. Later as skill increases add:

Free Museum Day across the US

Free Museum Day across the US

Current Events News Source

I have finally found a current events news source for my boys that I really like. Student News Daily provides a different themed daily news article in which the student must discover and identify the bias located within. There is also a quiz at the end of the week for those who choose to use them. My boys read the article, and then we discuss the questions. At the end of the week, they write a ‘narration’ on which event seemed most important and why. This site is safe for teens and endorsed by HSLDA.

Here are two other sites which they read semi-regularly:

Civilized Revolt

The Rebelution

My Body Has a Mind of Its Own

I have been taking Lexapro for about 4 months now – other than hair loss and loss of libido, there have been no other troubles. It keeps my mouth quiet and in the process, makes the men in the house happy. Can you imagine my surprise and ultimate horror when I woke up to a face as big as a balloon? I felt like my face was stuck in the phase of the little rhyme: “My Momma’s name is Chubby … Smile for me Honey!”

I had a severe case of hives. Off to the ER we go where they promptly took me back to an empty room and the doctor was just too willing to give me a shot – two shots. One was Epinephrine and the other was some type of antihistamine. I was feeling fine up until the Epinephrine hit me. He said I’d feel a little jittery. IMHO, what I experienced was NOT even remotely near a “little jittery.” My whole body began to shake — convulse is a more appropriate word. Dagwood ran off to get a doctor. She arrived with a nurse and kept saying, “Your heart rate should be coming down soon; just relax.” Ya know, that soothing tone that is supposed to make you feel better, but you know it’s a farce because there is no way on earth that anyone could watch someone else shake like I did and not have a speck of concern crossing their mind!

So today, I am still puffy and slightly itchy. I have decided to take matters into my own hands – forget the prescribed medication – I’m going with a good ol’ flush! Organic O.J. and water for the next 24 hours.

Oh and btw, the mammo showed a mass that I “should not be concerned about.” HA!!!

Preschool/Kindergarten Day 6

Opening Exercises

• Pledge
• Prayer
• Recite Family Motto
• Calendar
• Weather: Dress people, discuss weather of the day
• Read: My Hands by Aliki
• Discussion: My hands and arms are part of my body – talk about things we can do with our hands such as: shake, wave, clap, pat back, hold things, catch, pet, feel, work, color, cut, paint, sew, climb, play peek-a-boo, brush teeth, wash face, sign language, make quiet sign, index finger signal from teacher when needing help, etc.
• Fingerplay: Open, Shut Them
• Sing & Pantomime: The Work Song

Bible Study

• 2 Corinthians 3:18

Yoga

• 2-3 poses per day

Arithmetic

• Ellipse inset
• Felt Patterning

Science

• Sing: Where is Thumbkin?
• My Fingerprints – no two are alike
• Read: Sink or Float (below)
• Sink or Float experiments

Pre-Reading

• Discuss: Letter of the Week Poster (letter F)
• Object box and sandpaper letter that corresponds with letter of the week
• Color Tablets Box

Literature

• The Sheep and the Pig

Poetry

• Nursery Rhymes & Songs (5 Green and Speckled Frogs)
• A Book of Nonsense (Pre-K)
• A Child’s Garden of Verses (K)

Logic/Rhetoric

• Can You Find Me? 1

Handiwork/Art

• Hand tracing design or salt dough plaque (Pre-K)

Character Training

• Talking While Eating

Foreign Language

• Sign the letter of the week

Recreation

• Balance beam (heel/toe walk)

Practical Living Skills

• Washing hands
• Carrying a box and open/close box
• Sort with tongs

Free Reading

• Hand Rhymes by Marc Brown
• Sister Anne’s Hands by Marybeth Lorbiecki

Songs:

Work Song

Monday is a busy day, busy day.

Monday is a busy day, busy day.

It’s a day for working.

It’s a day for working.

Monday is a busy day, busy day.

Continue song using other types of work performed such as cutting, sewing, pouring, tracing, etc.

Pantomime the motions

Open, Shut Them

Open, shut them, open shut them, give your hands a clap.

Open, shut them, open shut them, fold them in your lap.

Science Resources

Sink or float: can you tell which object will float?

Source: SuperScience

Publication Date: 05/01/2006

THINK: Density is the amount of mass in a given object. For a surfboard to float, would it have to be made of material that is more dense or less dense than water?

PREDICT: Objects either sink or float. If you were to place a metal paper clip and a plastic bottle cap in a cup of water, would they behave the same? Would they both sink? Would they both float?

You will need:

• Medium-size bowl
• Water
• Rubber band
• Wooden clothespin
• Metal paper clip
• Pen cap
• Metal washer
• Plastic bottle cap

Procedure:

1. On a piece of paper, write down the list of items you will be testing: pen cap, wooden clothespin, metal paper clip, rubber band, metal washer, and plastic bottle cap. Try to predict which of the items on the list will float and which ones will sink.

2. Fill a medium-size bowl halfway with water.

3. Slowly push the pen cap to the bottom of the bowl and release it. Does it float to the surface after you released it? If so, write “floater” beside pen cap on your list. If the pen cap remained at the bottom, write the word “sinker” beside pen cap on your list.

4. Repeat Step 3 and using the remaining materials. Be sure to note on your list whether the material is a floater or a sinker.

SCIENCE CONTENTS STANDARDS

For Grades K-4

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Properties of objects and materials

For Grades 5-8

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Properties and changes of properties of matter

INTEGRATE YOUR CURRICULUM

Life Skills–Following directions

BEFORE READING

ESTIMATED TIME: 20 minutes

Discussion Questions

• What are some objects that float? (Possible answers: a cork; an inflatable raft; a balloon.)
• What are some objects that do not float? (Possible answers: an anchor; a bowling ball; keys.)
• How do you think objects that float are different in their makeup from objects that cannot float? (Possible answer: objects that float have less mass, or are less dense, than objects that float.)

AFTER EXPERIMENTING

Conclusions

1. Which items were “floaters”? Which were “sinkers”?

2. Compare the items that sink. What do the sinkers have in common?

3. Compare the items that float. What do the floaters have in common?

1. The floaters included the rubber band, the wooden clothespin, the pen cap, and the plastic bottle cap. The sinkers included the metal paper clip and the metal washer.

2. The items that sink are metal and dense.

3. The items that float are light and are less dense than the sinkers.

RESOURCE

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lasalle/buoyancy.html

Check out this NOVA Web site to learn more about buoyancy–the upward force that keeps things afloat. When you’re done learning the basic principles behind this force, try your hand at some buoyancy brainteasers.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Scholastic, Inc.

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