A Collage of Music ~ Win a Music Care Package!

It's the very last day of The 10 Days of Teaching Music.   It's been so much fun and I've met so many new readers!  Best of all, I'm inspired to incorporate MORE music in our homeschool!  

To say the past two weeks have been busy is an understatement.   I have loved every minute of The 10 Days of Teaching Music!  Being a part of the iHomeschool Network has blessed me in so many ways ~ I hope you've had a chance to visit some of the other 10 Days bloggers.

Today's edition of Collage Friday gives YOU (if you choose to link up!) a chance to win a musical care package from me.  I will include a book and CD my children and I adore and some other goodies.   Please don't worry about creating a formal collage.  I know that Photobucket has removed its Fotoflexer collage feature and that makes it hard to incorporate collages.  I have been using different apps on my iPhone and iPad to make the collages. 

This giveaway of the musical care package will end Monday, April 30th at Midnight!  

Before I get to the recap of my series, I'll just share one quick collage of this past week.   Miss B and I went to the Passages exhibit here in Atlanta.  It was WONDERFUL!  We learned so much about the history of the Bible.   We also had a great time going with friends from church.

Last weekend my husband took me out to dinner at The Redneck Gourmet and then to a great concert.  I had to chuckle at our "fancy" night out with the jar of Moon Pies on the counter.   

The picture of Gman symbolizes the long couple of weeks he has had:  Walking Pneumonia is no fun, that's for sure.  After running a fever for about seven days off and on we visited the doctor and got the diagnosis.  I'm hoping he gets to feeling better VERY soon.  

The 10 Day of Teaching Music genuinely reignited my passion for teaching music.    In this collage you can see four of the posts, and here are the links:

The Importance of Music in Our Children's Lives

A Simple Way to Incorporate Music - SQUILT Download

Non Stress Musical Learning -  The Maestro Classics GIVEAWAY ENDS FRIDAY (4/27 at midnight!)

What About Piano Lessons?

Five Resources for Incorporating Orchestral Music

Let's Sing: Creating a Repertoire/Download

Interest Led Music Study ~ John Williams Notebooking Download

Learning to Hear in a Noisy World  ( DVD set GIVEAWAY ENDS FRIDAY, 4/27 at MIDNIGHT!)

Don't you love the picture of me... I got my hair cut this week and I took the time to straighten my VERY curly hair.  I'm also smiling so you know how much I enjoyed writing the 10 Days series!  

My last post, which I happen to love the most because I just love books was

Using Living Books to Teach Music

Wow.... look at the past two weeks of music here at Homegrown Learners.   I had so much fun!  

Day 1: The Importance of Music in Our Children's Lives

Day 2: A Simple Way to Incorporate Music - SQUILT Notebooking Download  

Day 3:  Five Resources for Incorporating Orchestral Music in Your Homeschool

Day 4:  Learning to Hear in a Noisy World - Exploring America's Musical Heritage DVD set giveaway

Day 5:  What About Piano Lessons?

Day 6:  Interest Led Music Study ~ Notebooking Download

Day 7:  Non Stress Musical Learning ~ Maestro Classics Giveaway

Day 8:  Let's Sing - Creating a Repertoire 

Day 9:  Using Living Books to Teach Music

Now it's your turn to link your collage from the past week!  Please include the button from my sidebar, or link back to this post somewhere in your blog post! 

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course,  visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You'll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!

Collage Friday - Turtles, Painting, and Nose Jobs

I have a lot to share with you this week.  Not only was it a busy homeschool week, but it was a busy blogging week for me.   I'm so excited to be a part of iHomeschool Network and to also be writing a 10 Days of Teaching Music series which starts next Monday!    Have you seen all of the wonderful bloggers and series that will be out there for you to enjoy?   It's going to be very exciting!

Since the series is taking up a lot of my time (I've got some great things planned for you and some super giveaways, too!), Collage Friday will NOT occur here for the next two weeks.  Please feel free to keep posting your collages on your own sites - and I promise I will be back on Friday, May 4 with Collage Friday!  I do hope that you visit my series on teaching music in your homeschool and feel free to ask any questions you may have so I can answer them!   

On to the collages: 

Our weather was picture perfect this week ~ with a nice little cool-off in the middle of the week, too.  We spent every moment possible outside.  As you can see, there was lots of baseball and playing with the dog.  

 My children had a chance to be CHILDREN.  Believe me, during this season of standardized testing in the public schools, I know what a gift this is.  

We continued our study of Robin Hood.   One day we learned about Medieval Illuminations and the kids painted their own scenes of Sherwood Forest.   I had checked out some library books about Medieval art and we went through those, too.

Our back deck is a perfect, covered place to do work, so Miss B spread one of her favorite blankets on the deck and curled up for spelling, math and writing most days.   Math has been uneventful the past couple of weeks... this is GOOD!   Horizons Math is working well for both children (with some living math and Math U See thrown in).  

Our spelling curriculum works very well for both children, too.   Spelling Workout wins Favorite Resource This Week because the lessons are short, meaningful, and incorporate editing, analogies, alphabetical order, and writing.  GMan is working in Spelling Workout B and Miss B is in Spelling Workout E.  

Miss B helped me teach GMan a little more about the orchestra with a fun instrument matching game.   We are working on a lapbook/notebook from Homeschool Share, which I will share in depth with you during the 10 Days of Teaching Music!

I also posted earlier this week about the path I will take next year with my daughter.  Did you read our plan?  

  

Thursday was mostly a pajama day (a treat for my kids since I usually make them get dressed and make beds first thing!).  GMan wanted to be sure I got a picture of him in his red pjs. PJ day occurred because I woke up with a migraine.  Thankfully, the kids each had books and games they were involved in, and we did do a math and writing lesson.   I felt better late afternoon and we flew kites at the park before GMan's baseball practice.   I'd like to think we salvaged the day!  

Included below is a close-up of G's picture of Sherwood Forest.  He doesn't seem to enjoy art as much as my daughter does, but he did seem to like painting, so we'll have to do this more often.

Now, I bet you wonder why my son's nose is attached to his sister's underarm, aren't you?   My friend Cheryl called me in the middle of the week and was telling me all about nose jobs and the Middle Ages.   It's interesting, that's for sure.  I love it that I have a friend that knows me well enough to know I'd be interested in Medieval Rhinoplasty, too.   (I need a huge NERD sign on my forehead, I know.)  

In our study of Robin Hood one of the mini books was identifying bones of the skeleton.  This book related to Robin Hood and Friar Tuck carrying each other over a bridge and what bones might have been involved.    

A favorite this week was watching Turtle: The Incredible Journey on Netflix.  (Thanks, Karen for recommending this!)  We then read One Tiny Turtle, which tied in perfectly with the movie.  This was all so perfect because just a few weeks ago we were at a beach in South Florida that has protected areas for Loggerhead nesting.  The kids wondered about that I said we would have to investigate when we got home.  Then, I read about the movie on Karen's blog and the rest is history!     

The kids did A LOT of reading this week.   I'll just go ahead and list the books so you can see what interests them... it might interest your children, too.

Miss B:
(she made her own mini-unit on The Titanic this week... this is what I love about homeschooling!)


Gordon Korman's series:  Titanic 
Dear America:  Voyage on the Great Titanic

G Man:


Flat Stanley:  The African Safari Discovery
Flat Stanley:  The Flying Chinese Wonders

Read-Alouds:


The Adventures of Robin Hood
Childhood of Famous Americans:  Walt Disney: Young Movie Maker
Magic Treehouse:  Tonight on the Titanic
Chopin:  The Story of The Boy Who Made Beautiful Melodies

That was our week in a nutshell.  I just love these Friday collage posts because it documents just how much we do all week and just how wonderful homeschooling is.   


Please join me by linking your collage(s) below and grabbing a button from my sidebar.  Be sure to visit the person who links ahead of you and leave them a comment, too!  


*Happily linking with Kris and Susan!  

Collage Friday - Orthodontists, Mammograms and Middle School

Everyone in our house was ready for a "normal" routine this week.  After two weeks of spring breaking we craved some normalcy.  We didn't go ANYWHERE this week because it is regular Spring Break here.  No piano lessons, no baseball, no piano teaching for me.   I have to say it was glorious.

  

We did Holy Week readings, composer study, cooking, went on nature walks, did some planting, oh - and I even got a mammogram.  Oh joy.  

I took a lot of time to wrap my head around the fact that I will have a middle schooler next year (which won't be that much different than this year, really).  I did start a Pinterest board about homeschooling middle school, so check it out!  

I said to my husband one night this week:  

"When did I get to the point of orthodontists, mammograms, and middle school?"  

My children are growing up so quickly.  I am immensely thankful to have the chance to spend each and every day with them.   

I've been struck this week with just how much my daughter is starting to blossom.   She is taking on her own projects and becoming so much more independent.   

She had a lovely tea party for all of us on Sunday afternoon... even made chocolate milk for her little brother since he's not much of a tea drinker.  Lots of seeds were planted this week, too (with dad's supervision).   We planted a rather large garden last year, but this year I'm letting her do her own thing.   Miss B also did some swimming at the YMCA this week, too.   She's no longer on the swim team, but still likes to swim laps for fun.

GMan's week was very productive.   We did a lot of our work outside because it was just too beautiful to stay inside.   He is working hard on cursive.    I also have to say again how much we love Writing With Ease.  I love the way it incorporates grammar, spelling, handwriting, literature and history.  Both children learn so much from their short lesson each day.  Susan Wise Bauer has a great article about the benefits of this writing curriculum.  Read it here.  

After his space class at co-op he wanted to read the Magic School Bus Space Explorers chapter book.   I love his thirst for knowledge.  

I learned about Story Cubes through Susan's blog, so I purchased them.   They were a huge hit this week!!   The kids just made up stories by themselves.  All I heard was giggling and shouting.  

My favorite resource this week hands down is Homeschool Share.   Did you read "A Delightful Double Existence"? We spent most of our time this week in Sherwood Forest!   

GMan worked this week on a LEGO robot that had to be at least a foot tall.   His friend Zachary (you might know his mom at The Joys of Home Educating) and he participate in a challenge each Friday, then they share a video with each other of their creations.   

We also spent a lot of time this week learning about Frederic Chopin.  I pulled out this listening map from my teaching days and we studied the Minute Waltz in depth.  We also watched Vladimir Horowitz playing Chopin on YouTube.  I'm such a music nerd.  I talked to the kids about what a Polonaise was and showed them some of my Chopin music.   Once upon a time I played Chopin all the time... I need to get back to that.  

Finally, daddy helped crack open a coconut one night this week.  This was a request from Miss B because in The Swiss Family Robinson they used coconut shells for bowls.  She adored this book (you can read it for free on your Kindle) , and said she wanted to make the bowls herself.  Can we say INTEREST LED LEARNING?  

It was shown to me this week that a little bit of structure and guidance from me, with a lot of leading by the children results in the most effective educational days.   In thinking about next year I'm remembering to keep it simple and let my children dictate much of their education.

I'd love for you to link your photo collage today!   Enter your blog on the linky below and be sure to grab a button or mention Collage Friday somewhere in your post.  Then, be sure to visit the other great entries!   

I want to leave you with this today.   In the midst of everything this week there is one thing that is most important.  We will go to Good Friday services tonight and leave the church in silence.   Our hearts are heavy, but know the resurrection is near.   Blessings to you this Easter weekend!  

John 19: 17-19

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha. 

There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 

Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." 

Happily linking with Kris, for The Weekly Wrap Up and with Susan for Favorite Resource this Week!.