Handwriting Y1

Aesop's The Fox and the Leopard Y1 G.

Handwriting for Year 1 is simple once I prepped it all for the year ahead of time. I used writing paper to copy the morals from Aesop's Fables we will be reading during the year--just a sentence and the story title really. I numbered them, put them in clear plastic sleeves, and spiral bound a separate writing tablet for beginning writers.

So we read a fable to two, then she hangs the 1" folder over her bin, open to what one she is on, and copies it in pencil--despite requests for pen. (I've heard pens are a good incentive for 4th graders...) Compliments on and requests for best handwriting made an overnight difference in effort and apperance. Mockingbird loves to illustrate hers so I eventually allowed 10 min to copy, 20 to draw--whatever works, right! I ended up letting her use another writing tablet that has pages half blank and half lined. Periodically I'll ask her to mark her best word and she'll put stars on them.

I think we may have a graphic novelist in the making.

Family Home Evenings that worked

 Family Home Evening is a night where we all gather to cheerfully and cooperatively bask in the glow of family. Sometimes it happens that way.

Here are three FHEs that went pretty well:

• Book of Scripture Picture Match--After talking about the different books of scripture, I wrote the titles on a big flat whiteboard in roughly the order they were written. Then I pulled out pictures from the Gospel Picture Kit and everyone guessed which book of scripture they went with, and I laid it in the right place. (and contrary to what my husband thought this was not an easy way for me to organize my mess of pictures....really.)

• Book of Mormon "Who Said"--Short on time--I finally pulled out "Who Said" for the first time. A game by Covenant that has 2 sets of cards; one with pictures and names of people (good and bad) in the Book of Mormon, and another set with scripture quotes, reference, then a picture of who said it. So we laid out all the people cards, and I would select 3 to choose from and read a scripture quote. We played 2 teams, and if they got it right they kept the person card. There are many versions, and this game would be easy to make on your own. Both of these FHEs were great for assessing what our children (9, 6, and 4y/o) already knew and easily pause to talk if they didn't understand something.

• Read from our Spirit Journal--a blank book we started way back. It has spiritual experiences in it involving our family. I put everything from our 4y/o praying and finding her lost  bug catcher to when people have generously served our family.

Mockingbird on Science

Mocking bird's life cycle:
"First your a baby born, then child, then grown up, then you die, then zombie..."

Mockingbird getting dressed;
"I can't get this infertile shoe on!"

As you can see, science lessons are progressing nicely...

Our Pick Flicks 2011

Movies we've enjoyed as a family this year

Pixar

Incredibles
WALLE
Toy Story
Finding Nemo

Silent

Buster Keaton in The General
Charlie Chaplin in The Kid    (edited by him in the Hotel Utah)
Lurel & Hardy in Way Out West
Harold Lloyd in Safety Last     -Lloyd did his own stunts. Even after loosing a thumb & finger in an accident on set, he went on-wearing a glove.

Foreign

The Fox and the Child
The Red Balloon

Animation

Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro

Star Wars.

Musicals

The Music Man
Meet Me in St. Louis
Singing in the Rain
The Sound of Music
The Wizard of Oz

Disney classic

Mary Poppins
That Darn Cat
Pollyanna
The Parent Trap
Swiss Family Robinson
Dr. Dolittle

The Muppets.

American Girl

Samantha
Kit Kitridge

Black & White

Bringing Up Baby
Stagecoach- early John Wayne
Harvey
Forbidden Planet ( based on Shakespeare's Tempest)

Holiday

It's a Wonderful Life
The Grinch (original cartoon)
Mr. Kruger's Christmas
Eloise's Christmas
White Christmas
The Light Before Christmas

TV Series

Rocky & Bullwinkle (now I get it!)
The Cosby Show
Davy & Goliath
Shaun the Sheep
The Muppet Show
Ultra-Man (I still don't get it...)

You Can't Pass Up a State Parks Pass

Utah has set up a great incentive with the Department of Natural Resources. From your library (or sister library, I believe) you can reserve a Parks Pass that gets you in free to any Utah State Park. Coordinate it with a State Park event and you've got a great outing.

But you'll want to call early and find out their policy, and popularity.

(Several other states have similar programs set up.)