Thursday, April 25, 2013

Woodland Animals Unit Study

For the last couple weeks the kids and I have been working on a unit study about woodland animals. This has been another fun unit for us. It's fun to see the kids have such a good time learning together!

Here are the resources we used for this study. 


Books


Videos


Crafts/Coloring Pages/Worksheets


Beginning Sounds Worksheet (Woodland Pack Part 1)








Woodland Forest Animal Maze (Woodland Pack Part 2)


Which One is Different (Woodland Pack Part 1)




I think this craft was my favorite - I just love these cute little hedgehogs!




I really liked this craft too. Each squirrel seems to have it's own personality.



Beginning Sounds Worksheets (Woodland Pack Part 2)






Fill In the Missing Patterns (Woodland Pack Part 3)
This one was a little hard for the kids to solve on their own so I completed one ahead of time for them to use as a guide.






9 Piece Puzzle (Woodland Tot Pack)



Game

Woodland Animals Memory Game (Woodland Pack Part 1)

Memory games are always popular and so simple to make. I just printed two sheets each of the animal cards, colored the backs so they couldn't see the outline of the pictures through the back, laminated them and then cut them out. So much fun!




~ Linking Here ~ 

Monday, April 22, 2013

David Unit Study - From Shepherd Boy to King


Today we finished our unit on the life of David. We used a combination of YouTube videos, an audio story, songs and worksheets. The kid enjoyed it and I thought I would share these resources with others here. 

Videos


Songs



Coloring Pages/Crafts/Worksheets

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Walnut Acre Weekly - April 8 - 14, 2013

Words to Live By

 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Growing Green Things

This week I planted three rows of carrots and two rows of radishes. Michael helped me cover the radish seeds.  Some of the seeds in the starter trays are finally starting to sprout. It's so much fun to go out each day and see what else is coming up. So far there are some little tomato, pumpkin, watermelon and okra plants. 


Furry, Feathered and Four Footed Friends

Friday one of the roosters decided to fly over the fence so now their is a cover over their outdoor area. The flock is doing really well though, and we have a lot of fun watching them and gathering the eggs. 



Garage/Shop Projects

There were a lot of projects going on in and around the garage this week. 

CJ helped Doug put a new tire on the trailer. 


And Michael and CJ both helped Doug wash one of his trucks. Michael had already taken a shower and changed into pajamas when they decided to do this so he looks a little silly. He had so much fun though!


And all three vehicles got oil changes. 



Other Outdoor Fun

I think Spring has finally arrived for real and we had so much fun outside. When the weather is this nice we almost live outside.







One evening CJ and Austin were given the job of picking up sticks in the yard. I don't think they thought this was so fun but it needed to be done before it's time to start mowing again. I helped them for awhile too. 





In the Kitchen

I tried two new recipes this week. The first one was Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal and the second one was Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup. Both were well liked and will probably be regulars on our menu. 


Our new dishwasher came in this week and CJ and Doug picked it up Saturday. I'd love to have an under the counter dishwasher but to do that I would have to give up some cabinet space and I don't want to do that. So we opted for another portable dishwasher instead. This one is smaller and lighter than the old one and we really like it so far. Austin took the old one out to the garage to take apart and see what it looks like on the inside.


Homeschool Fun

The younger kids and I completed two unit studies this week - The Servant Girl Helps Naaman and Spring is Here.

Austin and Amanda continued their study of Acts, The Urinary System and some practical math. One evening Doug had them go out to one of the garden areas and calculate the square footage of that area and then the square footage of the area already planted. 


Books We Enjoyed This Week

I read these books with the younger kids this week. 





The first of these books I read with Austin and Amanda this week and the next two I started reading CJ and Michael. Both The Child's Story of the Bible and The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook are free on kindle right now.



I bought these two books this week and they have been my spare time reading material. I haven't had a chance yet to get out and see what I can find although I did recognize a number of plants in the book as plants I've seen growing around here. 

Just Having Fun Together



Out and About

It was a busy week again.

Monday evening Doug took Austin and Michael to their Scout meetings. Michael was excited because he got to play Wiffle Ball. 

Tuesday evening I took Amanda to volunteer at the SPCA.




We evening we went to church.

Thursday evening Austin, Amanda and Michael went to Grandma's house for the evening and Doug, CJ and I went out to Applebee's for dinner.

Friday evening I had a meeting at church.

Saturday we took the kids clothes shopping. They were excited and I think we did well. Amanda is always hard to shop for but even she found some clothes that she really liked so I felt like we truly had a successful shopping trip. 

Today we were at church this morning. Doug and I both taught. The lesson in the PreK children's church class I had was about Building Your Life on Jesus. We talked about the foolish man who built his house on sand and the wise man who built his house on a solid rock.  I had them color some pictures that went with the lesson and then they got to build with blocks. It was a fun morning. This evening we went to prayer meeting. It was a wonderful evening! 



And that's a look into another busy week here at Walnut Acre. I sometimes get to the end of the week and wonder what we did all week. Then when I take a good look back I realize that a lot happened in the last week. 


~ Linking Here ~

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal



I've been planning for a long time now to try making a batch of baked oatmeal and finally, yesterday, I made some. A friend from church had given me a recipe that looked really good and I decided to add a little to it just for fun. 

Here is the basic recipe I was given with my additions in italics.

1/2 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can apple pie filling

Mix oil, sugar and eggs together. Add dry ingredients and apple pie filling. Mix. Stir in milk (can add raisins, nuts, etc.) Pour in greased 9x13 pan. Bake 30 minutes and 350 degrees F. Cut in squares while warm and serve with milk. 

I sprinkled some brown sugar on top when I served it. Some ate it with milk and some without. It was a definite hit and will be making an appearance on our breakfast table again very soon. 

~ Linking Here ~

Spring Is Here Unit Study

For the last two weeks the kids and I have enjoyed working on a Spring Is Here unit study each morning. We read books, watched videos on YouTube, made some crafts and colored pictures, did a few worksheets, played games and went for a walk looking for signs of Spring. Here are some photos of the things we did along with links to resources. 

Books