Carpe Diem

This is our list that the kids are supposed to check when they're done with all their school and chores, have been told no to TV and Wii, and aren't allowed to say the words "I'm bored" (or they get a job to do.) "Sieze the day" sounded better than "The Don't Say You're Bored List"



Carpe Diem


Amy told me that her kids walk around just looking bored. Maybe she could set a timer for 15 minutes (hoping the activity keeps them busy longer than that) and when it goes off choose something else from the list. It might give her 15 minutes of non-hovering bored kids, hopefully?

What to do for school when Mama isn't feeling well

I made this list mainly for pregnancy times. The kids can work in a workbook without me, but some of the kids may only have 30 minutes of work in their workbooks. What to do with them the other 9 1/2 hour until Daddy gets home? The list is specific to our house and books and activities in our house. It was designed with ages 4-10 in mind.


What to do for school when Mama isn't feeling well

• Do Little Saints with boys
• Read boys a saint story
• Do flashcards racing across the room
• Mary Coloring Book
• Practice writing on the wipe-off board
• Read Catholic Stories from Science
• Ds#4 read to girls
• Play Sparkle
• Listen to Story of the World CD
• Play Mass
• Listen to educational music
• Play a United States Game
• Paint Heaven (ask Mama what this might look like)
• Dd#1 read a hard book outloud
• Listen to a book on tape
• Count to 500 by 2's
• Make up a piano duet
• Read boys a kids' book
• Cut out the Digestive System from Construction Paper
• Make up a cheer for your 5 senses
• Practice Disaster saftey
• Make a Tree book with leaf samples & rubbings, draw tree shapes & label
• Act out the beginnings of Rome
• Sing Row Your Boat in rounds
• Read Classical Kids & choose an activity (ask Mama)
• Do a science project (ask Mama)
• Have a paper boat floating contest
• Play Picture This folder game
• Play Silly Sentences
• Sew sock monkeys (ask Mama)
• Agree on a title and everyone make up their own story (in secret) with the same title.
• Then we'll have an author night and read your stories
• Make a volocano in the sand box (ask Mama)
• Play computer games in Kids' Places that are NOT Nick Jr. or PBS Kids
• Count to 750 by 5's
• Read a story online http://www.mainlesson.com/
• Measure the water that comes out of the hose in one minute
• Look up an artist in Sr. Wendy and try to paint like him
• Listen to Bethoveen CD
• Act out Alexandar the Great
• Have a geography bee
• Read a bible story & coloring page
• Listen to Grammar Songs
• Listen to Latin Songs CD
• Jewish Holidays coloring book
• Read boys a history story
• Play Jepardy (history, science)
• Play Latin Bingo
• Ds#3 read to girls
• Do a craft (ask Mama)
• Look through activity books
• Make history paper dolls
• Play scrabble
• Put together a Map puzzle
• Draw 1 small square of our yard
• Do a worksheet
• Read boys a Mass book
• Listen to bible tapes (St. Michael)
• Do math on the wipe-off board
• Do an ArtPac project
• Look up Usborne or Kingfisher and make a Lego building like a different culture
• Catch a bug & draw it - make a bug book
• Pull apart a leaf so all veins are intact
• Play number squeeze
• Teach the boys to finger crochet
• Try to sing in harmony
• Count to 1000 by 10's
• Memorize a poem and we'll video tape a poetry night
• Declare it (butterfly) day. Research, draw, craft, act out, look up poems, make poems….
• make a chart of people's scores jumping rope
• Play Decimal Street
• Read boys a science book
• Write a book of the story of your life using the bound books
• Online drawing lessons http://donnayoung.org/art/draw1.htm
• Have a spelling bee
• Play a Mass folder Game

Tie Dye - and messy projects

Messy projects are best done with friends. Then when the kids get filthy, you can comfort yourself that 10 other kids look just as bad as your kids. You can also justify when your porch, yard, etc. gets trashed. It hasn't just been for your measly 3 or 4 kids, but 10 other kids got enjoyment, experience or educatation and that mess is really not that bad when you spread the blame out over 13 kids.

My WONDERFUL friend offered to trash her porch for my kids to make tie dye. She provided all the materials and cleaned everything up. She was even fun and gracious while we were trashing and using her stuff. I LOVE homeschool friends like that!!

Quote of the Day

Ds#3 to Ds#4 and back again

Remember when we saw him cut him open?

Yeah! And cut him into pieces?...And then we ate him? That was COOL!

Mama (concerned that Dd#1 hadn't been careful of what they saw on TV when she babysat)

What are you two talking about?

Ds#4

When we went fishing with Mark!

(Ds#3's Godfather).

Spelling Power

I have a girl who WON'T learn spelling. I have had several discussions with her father about whether the ability to spell is a character flaw or not (I think not). It is important, but not the most important thing in my mind (mostly because I can't splel to save my life).

None-the-less, we need to work on spelling especially with this girl. So I researched EXPENSIVE/INTENSIVE spelling programs. Once I'd decided on Spelling Power, her dad told me it didn't make sense to spend all that money when we have a perfectly good spelling program and learning to type would most likely fix the problem. Well, okay. We didn't quite agree on that one.



THEN, I rediscovered Paula's Archives. She has a fantastic Spelling Power how-to along with a study sheet that we can use with our present spelling program which is Natual Speller - I LOVE the price and the word lists by phonetic sound. Now both parents are happy. Results are yet to be seen, but that Modified Study Sheet is definately going in my planner.

More Pooh-love

Free Vocabulary Ideas

Password Game - it sounds like a silly solution, but you can make up your own cards using words they've been studiing. Here are the rules to print off. My kids like a game better when the've seen it's fun. Here's a video clip of Lucille Ball in 1964 playing with her school-age kids. I like the idea of starting with familiar, easier words for the kids to learn to like the game and moving to more difficult vocabulary.

Vocabulary Awareness

• Choose 5 words and define them
• post them on the fridge
• award points every time they are used in conversation
• or detected in print or radio
• put the words in a notebook with a small drawing about the word

School Exercizes

• Write 1-3 paragraphs using where one word is emphasized. This gets interesting and funny.
• Write either a few sentences or a paragraph with one of the words in mind but don't use the word. Put the word in parantheses at the end.

Susan Wise Bauer suggests

• Writing the words on index cards
• Monday- read the words, put them on flash cards with meanings on opposite side.
• Tue-Thu- drill with the flash cards.
• Fri- review flash cards and complete exercises.
• She uses Vocabulary from Classical Roots, but you could use any program with this schedule and even choose your own words from reading the child is doing.

Vocabulary Word Lists (free online) - you could orally quiz a child until they miss 5 and use those for the week's vocabulary words with activities from above

• General Service List with linked definitions
• Academic Word List with linked definitions
• Vocabulary by grade level
• Vocabulary based on "classic" (highschool level) books - the site also has words by theme, a little difficult to navigate, but it's free!
• 7th grade vocabulary list and printable version with instructions for the year
• After the kids have passed their test for the week, reward them with a game of CrazyLibs using previous vocabulary words

Software review of Vocabulary products for the computer

Highly recommended vocabulary curriculum (not free). I haven't used these, but have them in my research notes to consider:

• The Word Within the Word by Michael Thompson OOP, search through www.bookfinder.com
• Wordly Wise 3000 see sample pages ~$11/student book (some kids get bored due to the same activities over and over) Seton sells the older version with an answer key. This is what I bought for this year. It's our first time doing vocabulary, so I'll let you know how it goes.
• Vocabulary From Classical Roots - recommended by SWB ~$11/student book & $20/teacher book
• Vocabulary for Enjoyment ~$14