potty training!

Abigail (2 1/2) has started using the potty this week.  She's been peeing in it really well and has pooped in it once.  Today she peed in it 6 times!  She gets so excited and proud of herself when she goes on the potty.  She knows how to clean out her little potty, wipe herself, and wash her hands.  She is so independent.  We got her some cloth training pants and Minnie Mouse big girl undies (she loves Minnie!) and I'm sure she will be potty trained in no time.  I am so proud of her!

Today she spent quite a while decorating her potty with Minnie Mouse (and other Disney) stickers.

Update

So after about a week I did get my new computer.  However I also got very sick with a bad virus that according to the doctor is going around.  I had a high temperature, chills, no appetite, coughing, etc. which put me out of commission for about a week.  Even now I still have a bad cough and am a bit queasy but am regaining my energy.  Hoping we are done being sick here and I can get back to my usually routine and return to blogging.

Computer troubles

Emma dropped my laptop the other night so until I can get a new one (repairing it would cost $300+!)   I will not be blogging as trying to type a lot on my iPhone is too difficult and our very old, very slow laptop is too frustrating to use for this purpose. So hopefully by next week I will be back with some interesting posts. I plan to review the Little Passport and Magic School bus monthly kits that Emma has now been getting for a few months.

Snow, snow, and more snow

Like most of the east coast we got hit by a big snowstorm.  14 inches in our part of Delaware!  And a chance of more snow tomorrow!  There has been more than enough snow this winter and I am so ready for spring to arrive.

Our poor dogs have to hop through the snow and our boxer has to be pushed outside since he really hates the cold and snow.

 

Since we were snowed in yesterday I made the girls a sensory bin.  I filled a plastic container with rice, then found things around the house to make different categories.  So far I have shapes, colors, spring (including Easter), winter (including Christmas and Valentine's day), and Fall (including Halloween and Thanksgiving).  It was a huge hit with the girls, although an extra mess for me to clean up.  I recommend doing it on a tablecloth that you can just shake off outside.

                                                      Color category

                                                    Shapes, fall, and spring

                                                       Winter

Story of the World

We just started using Story of the World Volume 1 for our history curriculum this week.  It came highly recommended to me by several moms at our homeschool coop.  We read the first chapter this week and I really like it.  Even Emma seems to like it as she sat still and listened to the whole chapter and asked questions about it.  We then read a few other books from their suggested list and did some of the crafts and projects in the activity guide.  I also got the CD so we can listen to it in the car.

There is a facebook group for SOTW and some websites that list additional activities and links to go along with Volume 1.

Here's my favorite that I have found so far: The Ultimate Guide to Resources and Activities for SOTW volume 1.
If I find anymore I particularly like I will add them here too.

You can buy a separate student activities package with just the activity pages (no crafts, etc.) but I'm just copying the pages we plan to use so I can reuse the activity book for Abby.  SOTW is a good curriculum for multiple ages and when Abby gets older I'll be able to use it with both girls at the same time.  I think there are currently 4 volumes available.

Chapter 1 is the Introduction.
We read Me and my Family Tree and I can be an Archaeologist. 
We have started the family history book and the timeline.
I will set up an archaeologist dig so they can find buried "treasure".
I am planning to break a clay pot, hide the pieces, and then have Emma try to put it back together.

Ancient Egypt tour

As mentioned earlier in the week, yesterday (1-16-14) was our homeschool group field trip to the University of Penn antropology museum where we took a tour of the ancient Egyptian hall.  It was a very interesting and informative tour.  Here are some pictures from the tour.

                                                    Real mummy of a young boy

                                                     Reproduction  of the Rosetta Stone

                                              This is the largest Spinx in the United States.

Ancient Egypt Unit Study

On Thursday we will be going on a homeschool field trip to the Penn Museum in Philadelphia for a tour of the Ancient Egypt exhibit.  So I put together a unit study to do this week to prepare Emma.

I got most of my ideas from Pinterest.

Here are some of the things I have planned for us to do this week.  I will be back to update and add pictures of what we did and well as pictures from the field trip.

*Mummify a Barbie doll.  We used gauze and adhesive tape.  I think it came out really well.

*Write our names in hieroglyphics (we have a stamp set for this).  We did this but I forgot to take a picture.
*Color related pictures
*Make a pyramid from Lego's or other blocks.  We didn't get to do it this week but still hope to at some point.
*Locate Egypt on the map or globe.  Check.
*Make Egyptian cuffs out of toilet paper rolls

*Read books (Magic Treehouse Mummies in the Morning and related research guide; Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt).  Read these.
*Talk about the importance of the Nile river.  This was covered on our tour.

I am optimistic we will accomplish at least most of these things before Thursday.