Decorating my Classroom for CCD

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All Things Bright and Beautiful God Created Them All

Last year was my 6th year teaching first grade CCD at our local parish. Four years ago, our hall was built and we finally had our own classrooms.  I was thrilled because I could finally decorate the room for the kids. My first year I did sheep. My second year I did a fisherman theme with fish. Last year I did a creation theme for the classroom. The kids loved it!

I created a tree using brown mailing paper and green tissue paper. I printed out various animals that God created and had the kids help me add them to the picture.

We even had a snake.

It's hard to make out, but the owl in the tree was the favorite of all the kids.

Another section I add to our classroom is our prayer wall. Here each student received a bird with a bird's nest. The nest had the 5 prayers written on it that we would work on throughout the year.

Sign of the Cross

Our Father

Hail Mary

Glory Be

Guardian Angel

As the kids learned their prayers, we checked them off, and when they had completed the prayers they received a special prize. The students who had learned all their prayers quickly eagerly helped the other students. Don't worry, we are not mean teachers, every student got a special prize. Even if a child hasn't learned all the prayers, they are still given their prize at the end of the year. 

Out of the 40 students I've had over the past 4 years, only a couple have struggled. Sadly, these tend to be the students who don't attend Mass. I'm always thrilled with what they do learn. 

Last year, I added a Twelve Apostles wall. The kids loved reading this wall and it helped them know who the apostles are, especially when we played our fishing for the apostles game.

Another cute idea, my assistant added to our classroom was the Good Deeds jar. Each week the kids tell us about a good need they performed. We write it down and add it to the jar. When all the kids have gone, we add some special glitter dust and sing a little song while we shake it up. The kids goal is to fill it up. Some years this is easy of we have tons of kids. We only had 7 kids last year, so they had to work especially hard to fill it up. 

I'm happy to report the did it!

Stay tuned for until next week when I share what my classroom theme is and what other great things I I've added to the room!

Till Next Time,

Monique

Weekly Wrap-Up #2~ Almost a Month of School

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I can't believe we've been back to school for a month already. The time has been flying by too quickly. I will gladly report that we are currently on schedule. I better go kn knock on some word before something happens to derail our steady progress!

I hope you all have been well. Its been a crazy for weeks in the world. I pray that you are all safe and sound!

So what have we been doing in school......

The kids have been steadily working through their classes. They love our new English program! We stitched to Easy Grammar this year and it has been a wonderful change. In science, we are learning about habitats. We studied this before so this is a great review for the kids. They are currently working on creating a diorama for a habitat of their choice. Therese picked the ocean and Michael picked wetlands like the Everglades. We are taking a few weeks right now to study various Native American tribes. We have broken up our studies by the different regions the tribes lived in. The kids have been working on Latin not too happily though. Even though we've studied Latin before, it seems like they have lost all the information they had learned in the past. I feel like we are starting over. Prayers for this mama would be appreciated. Spelling....we HATE it. This year, we decided to give Rod and Staff spelling a try. It's just not working for us. I've already ordered spelling books from Seton as requested by Michael. 

What we've been up to......

We've had eye appointments (both kids no longer need glasses), dentist appointments (no cavities), working on setting up my classroom for CCD,  religious education classes started, and apple picking with our homeschool group. We've been trying to deep clean the house. We're about 1/3 way done. Next week, the kid have their first government class and Therese has her first Saint Zita's Home Ec club. It will be a busy week. 

What the kids are working on.....

They are cleaning their rooms. On top of that weekly chore, they are working on cleaning up the basement and going through their toys. Therese has decided she no longer needs her dolls out. So we are packing up her American Girl dolls. It's a bittersweet moment. I love the young lady she is becoming, but it's so hard to say goodbye to my little girl.

What I'm working on......

I finally got pictures developed of when we went to Disney World a few years.....9 years ago to be exact.  Now that I have the pictures developed, I will be working on a scrapbook for each kiddo. Better late than never!

What I'm reading.....

Informational catalogs from various homeschool providers for high school. Michael will be officially in high school next year and I'm trying to figure it all out. I'm currently looking at Seton, Mother of Divine Grace, and Homeschool Connections. This is new territory and I'll admit I'm a little nervous about it. If any of you homeschooling mamas of high school students have any advice that would be great! Please share.

What the kids are reading......

A lot! Therese is reading Anne of Ingleside Book 6 of the Anne of Green Gables series for her leisure reading. For English, she is reading Tuck Everlasting and Michael is reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He's reading a Marvel's Comic for his leisure reading. The difference between boys and girls is quite funny.

For school, both kids are reading Sing Down the Moon and Macbeth. Shakespeare is new for us this year. So far, it's going rather well. We are use the Macbeth Study Guide from Progeny Press to help us.

Till Next Time,

Monique

Homeschool Review Crew~ If You Were Me......from Carole P. Roman

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Ever since my kids were little, we've always enjoyed reading together. We'd curl up on the couch or the porch swing on our porch and read away. The kids would spend hours reading. We'd have to tell them to turn off the lights and go to bed! Recently, we were given the opportunity to review a wonderful collection of books from Carole P. Roman.

Carole P. Roman is an award winning children's author that writes wonderful, educational books for children of all ages. Her books are a treat for the entire family! For this review, we received 2 books of our choice to read and tell you all about! In addition to the two books we requested, we received 3 bonus books. So here goes..... The first two books we reviewed were part of the If You Were Me... historical series. The author has written a wonderful collection of books that are part of this series! Students can travel back in time to Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Elizabethan England, the American West, etc. These books would make a great base for a fun filled history study! The books are geared for students ages 8-15. They are filled with information! 


Our first book is If You Were Me and Lived in... Renaissance Italy. This book was one of my top picks for this review. We were going to be studying this time period this year, but I changed my mind at the last minute. Even though, we decided not to dive into the Renaissance this year, we still enjoyed this book.  If You Were Me and Lived in....Renaissance Italy is all about the Renaissance. I'm sure you figured that out all ready. The story takes place in Florence, Italy. Students are introduced to the city, what life would have been like, the arts  and sciences that flourished, favorite foods from that time, clothing, what their home may have been like, and so much more. A fun fact that kids might enjoy learning is that most young children didn't attend school. The story is filled with a ton of facts and provides students with lots of great information. 

After the story the book, the book has a 3 sections for students to learn more about the Renaissance time period.  Renaissance Art....a brief summary of the art produced during this time period. A few pictures are even included for the students to look at. Famous People from the Italian Renaissance....This section offers students a introduction to famous men and women that were important during the Renaissance time period in Italy. A few names you might recognize are Galileo, Michelangelo, and the Medici family. Twelve people are introduced with a brief summary. Choosing one of these 12 people would be a great way for students to learn more about that person and complete a biography report. Glossary...This section contains definitions and pronunciations for words found in the book. This is great for younger students who may not be familiar with certain terms. We all enjoy this book. The kids loved that a few of the pictures were actual photographs. The felt the drawings were a little too juvenile for older students. The both suggested a book with all this information but with all real pictures if the author wanted to appeal to children 11 and up.  I think the drawing are cute, but they will appeal to a younger audience. The books do contain a lot of information, so older kids will get a wealth of information from reading them.  They would be a great read aloud for a family that is doing schooling together.  The only mistake I found is in the glossary section. Under the Sistine Chapel, the definition states that  it is where the Pope lives. That's not quite accurate. Yes, the Sistine Chapel is located in one of the building where the Pope lives, but the Pope lives in Vatican City in an apartment located near Saint Peter's Basilica. The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museum and can be toured. It is absolutely breath taking!  
Our second book to review was If You Were Me and Lived in... Viking Europe. We picked this book too. Of course it no longer fit into our history study this year, but we dove right into the book.  If You You Were Me and Lived....Viking Europe is also part of the historical series from Mrs. Roman.  After the story, children can again learn some more about the Vikings. The book has 3 additional sections.... Norse Gods and Goddesses...Here children are introduced to 3 goddesses and 3 gods Important Vikings in History...Here children will learn more about famous men and women who were Vikings. This would be a great way for older children to pick a person for another book report! Glossary...This is the section filled with definitions and pronunciation of words from the book! This could be used if parents wanted to create a spelling list to go along with the lesson. Again my children found the book filled with a wealth of knowledge however, they did find the drawings a little too young again. This books contained no actual pictures of Viking artifacts or land.  I still think this series of books would be great for a family that is homeschooling all together. When a homeschooling family is learning history all together with multiple ages this book would a wonderful addition to the lessons. It would provide younger children with an introduction to the world of Vikings and older children will learn a few new things!
Our third book to review was If You Were Me and Lived on....Mars. This book is part of the If You Were Me...Cultural Series. The Cultural series books are geared for children ages 4-8. The are filled with wonderful information and have cute drawings to go along with them. If You Were Me and Lived on....Mars is a fact filled book all about Mars. Readers will learn about Mar's atmosphere, her moons, and what it would be like to live on Mars. This book would be great for a science class. At the end of the book, a glossary has been included for new words. Again this section offers a definition and the pronunciation. 

Therese felt that this books would be great for a large homeschooling family. An older child could easily read this book to a younger sibling. The younger child will be introduced to Mars, while the older child may pick up a few new facts about Mars....like the name of its moons, Phobos and Deimos. In fact, I think Carole P. Roman should start a series of science books and have kids explore different places to live. For example, If You Were Me and Lived in....the Rain forest, the Tundra, The Arctic, Under the Sea, and so on. Children could explore different planets and different habitats.

One of our bonus books was this charming little tale for little girls called Can a Princess Be a Firefighter? This book is so cute! I wish Therese was little again! She would have loved this Princess book. I'm sure most of the little girl's out there. Therese was a pink wearing, twirling little girl that still loved to play in the dirt with her brother. This book is perfect for girls like that.

Little girls are princesses, but can be whatever they want!

I loved the ending of this book, You can be whatever you want, you can change your mind along the way, and don't let anyone limit your dreams. I especially love the part about when they grow up and get a job. I tell my kids this all the time...make sure you you work hard, enjoy your job, and you'll be happy!

This book is geared for little girls, about ages 2 and up. The story is simple and sweet. The drawings are adorable. I wish I had a little girl to read it too. If you have a little princess in your house, I recommend picking up this book.

Our last book to review was an early chapter book called Oh Susannah: It's in the bag. This book is part of the Oh Susannah series. These books are geared for newer readers, ages 7-12. This is the newest series from the author. The books are early chapter books great for new readers who are now reading on their own.

Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag is about Susannah, a little girl in third grade. Poor Susannah is finding third grade to be a little harder than she thought. Homework is a huge problem! In this charming tale, children will learn how to deal with their problems. Should we stuff them away deep inside? Should we worry about them until we feel horrible? Should we talk them over with our parents? Should we stay do what's best for us or go along with the rest of the crowd? I won't tell you more, you'll have to read the book for yourself. This story is a great way to help children navigate the world around them. It offers wonderful advice and helps younger children figure out new problems they may be facing as they get older. 

Therese found the book a very easy read, but she is at the end of the suggested reading age. She did suggest adding pictures to it since it's an early chapter book. Most of the early chapter books she read back in the day had pictures and she enjoyed looking at them.  

Social Media Links: Carole P. Roman Blog Facebook Twitter Pinterest Good Reads 
Want to learn more about the variety for books offered by Carole P. Roman?  Stop by and read the other reviews. We all received a few books tor review. I kn ow you will find a book your child will love. I'm pretty sure you'll even find more than one. There's so many to choose from!
Till Next Time, Monique

Wordless Wednesday~ Fall Campfires

The leaves are changing, the weather has cooled....it's the perfect time for a campfire!

Till Next Time,

Monique

Homeschool Crew Review~ Macbeth from Progeny Press

This year, the kids and I were going to tackle Shakespeare! I couldn't believe our luck, when we were offered a chance to review the Macbeth E-Guide from Progeny Press. I knew this fantastic study guide would make reading Macbeth a wonderful adventure for the kids and I.


Progeny Press is a Christian company that offers homeschoolers a wonderful selection of study guides to go along with wonderful quality books. These books and study guides open up the doors to new and amazing worlds. In the past, we have used and reviewed a few other E-guides from Progeny Press. Read can read more about them....The Indian in the Cupboard and Tuck Everlasting.  For this review, we received the downloadable Macbeth  E-guide from Progeny Press. The study guide can be purchased for $21.99. The Macbeth E-Guide is suggested for use with students in  high school students or grades 9th-12th.The new interactive study guide will open with Adobe 9.0. With this new interactive feature, students will be able to enter their answers directly on the computer and actually save their work and progress. Of course, the study guide can still be printed out just like before. 

The Macbeth study guide is broken up into 15 different sections. Introduction for the Instructor This is an introduction on how the study guide is designed and offers suggestions on how to use it with your students. Special Note on Shakespeare's Plays This is just a short paragraph that gives some important information about Shakespeare's play and few suggestions on how to make reading Shakespeare a little easier to understand and enjoyable. A wonderful suggestions is to watch a movie of the play. It brings the play to life for the students.

Synopsis for the Play Just like any other synopsis, this is a brief summary about the play Macbeth. Introduces students to the plot and important characters int he play.  Background Information This section provides student a look into the world of Shakespeare and what life was like for the audience the play was written for. This brief section gives students a little bit of history in order for them to understand the play even better. It simple provides historical context! About the Author Here student are given a brief biography of William Shakespeare. Where he lived, who he married, what he wrote, and when he died. Of course, students could easily check out a biography of William Shakespeare for further reading. 

Suggestions for Pre-reading Activities This sections provides students with y different activities to work on before they start reading Macbeth. They can do some map work, look up bible passages to see how they pertain to the play, research Scotland, write a report, etc. Act I Act II Act III Act IV Act V These five sections are where the study guide digs into the play. Here students will be given various activities and questions to help them understand what they are reading. Here are a few of the topics that will be covered...vocabulary, a scrambled quotation they have to solve, general questions, analysis questions, character study, foreshadowing, dig deeper, extra activities (art projects, acting out, write a journal, write an eulogy). 

Overview This is the section you work on after you have finished the book. This section offers students various topics to think about and discuss. This brings this students to the point where they can talk about Macbeth, the choices he made, and the consequences he had to face.  Writing Projects This is the final work section of the study guide. Here 8 topics are presented for the students. This section is great for having the students pick one topic to complete and write a final paper on the play, Macbeth. parents can either assign a specific topic or allow the student to choose one of the eight. Additional Resources Here students and parents will find a very nice list of suggestions for other Shakespeare plays, books about Shakespeare, and videos of the plays that are recommend. Answer Key With the downloadable E-guide this is a separate section. It contains all the answers for the questions and activities presented in the study guide. I just kept it stored on my computer for reference. I didn't print out an answer key for the kids.

How We Used the Macbeth E-Guide? I choose to print the study guide out for both Michael and Therese. The study guide is recommend for high school, but I knew both kids would be able to do the work. Michael is in "8th grade" and Therese is in "7th grade." Of course both of them work at different grade levels depending on what the subject is. Since we'd used study guides from Progeny Press before, I knew the kids would know and understand the layout of the booklet. Before we started reading Macbeth, I printed out the study guide, 3 hole punched the pages, and created a binder for both kids.  We followed along in the guide. We read Act 1 first. I used the same technique my high school English teachers used. I assigned Michael, Therese , and myself various characters to read. We acted out the play! This helped break up the reading and kept all of us in an active role. After completing Act 1, we set out to work on the pages in the study guide. I love how the first lesson in the study guide is vocabulary. This helps students understand what they are reading. Shakespeare can be a little tricky to comprehend and the activities and lessons provided in the study guide helps solve this for students (and parents). For us, I broke up the study guide over 12 weeks. We read and worked through the guide for 4 days a week. We are currently about half way through. I've picked a pace a little slower than recommended, but I did it so we could fit in our other studies. Social Media Links: Facebook Twitter Instagram  Youtube Pinterest Want to learn more about the study E-Guides from Progeny Press? Click below and see the reviews from the crew members for The Bears on Hemlock Mountain E-Guide (Grades 1-3), Charlotte's Web E-Guide (Grades 4-6), The Silver Chair E-Guide (Grades 5-7). Till Next Time, Monique

Homeschool Crew Review~ Is There Anything Better Than Candy Box-Tract

Recently, I was given the opportunity to review the Is There Anything Better Than Candy Box-Tract from Let the Little Children Come. I thought these would be a cute Halloween tract treat for my first grade religious education class.

For this review, I received one pack of the Is There Anything Better Than Candy Box-Tract. Each pack contains 20 unassembled  pumpkins. Once the pumpkins are assembled they'll measure 3 inches across and 2 inches tall. The pumpkins were designed to hand out more than just candy this Halloween. When each pumpkin is opened 6 messages about God are revealed! They have several different options when buying the pumpkins. If you buy 1-10 packs, they are $15.95 per pack. If you buy 11-20, the packs are $14.95 per pack. If you need to buy more than 20 packs (21+), each pack is $13.95.

Inside each pumpkin, the tabs open up to reveal a message about God, His love for us, and his willingness to forgive us no matter what we do if we only ask for His forgiveness.

The perforated pumpkins are easy to pop out. I do recommend not allowing little children to do this part. They may find it a little difficult and may tear the sides of the pumpkin. Of course if the do tear a section, it can easily be taped back together. Older kids should be able to complete this task very easily. 

The kids and I found folding up the pumpkins to be fairly simple. Michael and Therese are both teens and they had no problems at all. The paper is like card stock, so the pumpkins seem durable. I think handing them out at a party should be fine. I do wonder if the pumpkins will crumple or bend when handed out on Halloween. I'm thinking they may get crushed in children's Halloween bags as they collect candy through out the night.

After looking over the pumpkins, I decided to use the pumpkins for our All Saints Day Party with my first graders this year. Every year, around All Saints Day, we have a party in my religious education class. My plan this year is to fill the pumpkins with some candy, a St. Isidore (Patron saint of farmers) prayer card, and a few other goodies to fill the box. I'm thinking I may use candy corn and pumpkins in the boxes. They'd work well with the pumpkin and St. Isidore theme. I did add two little lines to the inside of the pumpkins to reflect our Catholic faith. These little pumpkins will be a cute addition to our All Saints Day party. If you don't celebrate All saints Day, don't worry there are plenty of other ways to use these little pumpkins.

Ideas for How to Use the Pumpkin Candy Boxes

Hand them out on Halloween

Hand them out at a trunk and treat event

Hand them out at Halloween school party

Hand them out at a homschool Halloween party 

Hand them out at a Fall Harvest party

Hand them out at an All Saints Day Party

Hand them out at a Thanksgiving Day Party

Give them to a teacher at church to use with little kids

Fill them up and hand them out at a local nursing home

Fill them up and deliver them to a homeless shelter, women's shelter, or foster care organization

Fill them up for the children in your family for Halloween or Thanksgiving

Fill them out and take them to a local food bank or soup kitchen

What ever you choose to do with them will bring children a special treat filled with goodies and a message about God.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LetTheLittleChildrenCome/

Stop by and see how the other review crew members used these fun little pumpkins!

Till Next Time, Monique

Homeschool Crew Review~ Marine Biology from Apologia Educational Ministries

With two kids that love science and animals, we were thrilled, actually beyond thrilled, when we were chosen to review the new Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set from Apologia Educational Ministries. Let me just tell you, this set is AMAZING!


  Whether your a newbie or a veteran in the homeschooling world, I can guarantee that you've heard of Apologia Educational Ministries. They are a leader in the homeschool curriculum and offer a huge selection of homeschooling materials. We have enjoyed working through their science curriculum for the younger grades over the years.

For this review, we received the Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set and the Marine Biology 2nd Edition Audio CD. The Advantage Set included the student textbook, student notebook, test forms, and the solutions manual. In addition to the all the books, we also received the Audio Cd which is great for audio learners or homeschooling in the car.

Exploring Creation in Marine Biology is broken up into 16 Modules, which are just like chapters. The text book is a fairly thick hardback book containing almost 600 pages. The pages are crisp and clear. The graphics are bright and colorful. It truly is a fantastic book for learning all about marine biology.

Here are what the students will cover through the year....
Module 1: The Oceans of Our Planet Module 2: Life in the Sea Module 3: The First Four Kingdoms Module 4: Marine Invertebrates I Module 5: Marine Invertebrates II
Module 6: Marine Vertebrates I
Module 7: Marine Vertebrates II
Module 8: Marine Ecology
Module 9: The Intertidal Zone
Module 10: Estuary Communities
Module 11: Coral Reefs
Module 12: Continental Shelf Communities
Module 13: The Epipelagic Zone
Module 14: The Deep Ocean
Module 15: Ocean Resources
Module 16: Effects of Humans on the Sea

The student text also contains a glossary, an appendix for the pictures & graphic in lessons, modules (chapter) summaries, and a complete list of lab supplies (great for mom), and of course an index is located in the back of the book.

Each Module is meant to be worked on for 2 weeks. A student should be able to complete a module every 2 weeks if they spend 45 minutes to 60 minutes a day on their science lessons. This means the book can be completed in 33 weeks. Since many homeschoolers plan lessons for longer, this allows a little flexibility in the lessons. Of course, you are free to work through the materials at your ow pace too.

Michael is super excited about this experiment.

Each module is broken up into different topics pertaining to the main topic of the chapter. In the module, students will be greeted with wonderful graphics and pictures for reference, in depth information, questions to answer in On Your Own, added bonus information provided in little sections like dive in, think about this, and fun, engaging experiments.

The Exploring Creation with Marine Biology 2nd Edition Student Notebook is a spiral bound notebook with thick, sturdy pages and a glossy heavy-duty card stock cover. It seems very durable and feels like it would last through out the year....as long as your student isn't throwing the book around the room or the dog doesn't eat it. Yes that has happened to us...not throwing the book around,but the dog eating it.

The student notebook follows the book. It's broken up into 16 modules just like the student text book. Here the students will be able to complete the"On Your Own" questions, learn and define important vocabulary words, fill in a summary guide using the vocabulary words provided, keep notes they have written down during their reading of the lessons,  and record all the information from their experiments they complete through out the year.

My only complaint about the student notebook is that their is no pocket to store extra papers. It would be a fantastic addition to the notebook to have a pocket added in the front of the book.

We haven't used the Exploring Creation with Marine Biology Audio CD too much. Both my kids prefer to read the material in a book rather than listening to it. They feel that they retain more information if they read it. The audio CD is read by Marissa Leonart and is very well done. She has a calm, pleasing voice. Her pace is perfect and allows for students to take notes while listening along. I found her voice a little too pleasing at times. While I was previewing the audio CD, before giving it to the kids, I listened to the entire module 1. Her voice was so pleasant and calming that I found myself day dreaming. I don't recommend listening to an entire module in one sitting.  I doubt this would be an issue for students if they were breaking to answer the questions or complete the experiments.

The entire module is read, including the side paragraphs. She often refers to the figures (graphics/images) used for further explanation. When she get to the "on your own" questions, she reads them aloud and then reminds students to work on the questions before moving on to the next section. This a great way for students to know when to break up the lessons.
The only issue I had with the audio CD was there were a few times the a word would be repeated or the audio got a glitch in it and skipped a little. I'm not sure if that was my system loading it or if it is the CD. I'm thinking it's more my system. Michael never noticed a glitch.

What Did We Think of Exploring Creation with Marine Biology 2nd Edition?

We've loved it! Both Michael (8th/9th grade) and Therese (7th/9th grade) have enjoyed working through the modules. This year we are working on science 4 days a week, so we have been using the program a little slower than recommended but it has been perfect for us. In areas where the kids have retained information from previous years we have been able to move a little quicker, while spending more time on new topics. The have always enjoyed working through the notebooks provided by Apologia for their science courses. Science has been fun and educational! What mama could ask for more?


Social Media Links
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/apologiaworld
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/apologiaworld
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/




Till Next Time, Monique