Old School Monday, Next Week!

Hello everyone!

It's our April Old School Monday, and we have a very fun theme for our gathering:

It's the Old School Monday Show & Tell Day!

 When: Monday, April 28, noon-2:30 p.m.

 Where: the usual downstairs classrooms there at Vintage Faith Church

Your children are each invited to bring one remotely educational thing to share with the rest of us.  It could be a musical piece they want to play, or something they have made, or a new skill they have acquired.  (Would prefer we not show off new toys or favorite objects, if we can--unless they have historical value!) Moms, this can also be a great time to encourage your kids to wrap up a project or assignment--for some of our kids getting to share to the group might be good incentive!

And Moms, you too are invited to bring something to share!  Last month Ali brought some great historical books to show--this time, in keeping with "book week," let's each bring one book that we really like. It can be educational, or just a good piece of writing!

We will definitely have story time too!  If any of you would like to read a story aloud to the group, just let me know!  Otherwise, I will cry my way through something good, I am sure. ; )

Questions or comments?  Please leave them in the comments section to this post, so that all may benefit.

Old School Monday, NEXT Monday, Nov 25--Traditions Day!

The Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell

It's time for our November Old School Monday!  Our theme this time will be "Traditions," and we will be talking about family traditions, and the tradition of Thanksgiving.

When:  Monday, Nov. 25
Noon-2:00*
Where: the usual classrooms, Vintage Faith Church


*Those children who are interested may bring something to share with the group about a special family tradition they have. It does not have to be specific to Thanksgiving--any family tradition will be fun to hear about!  Those who have been working on the Book of Months might choose to bring a page from their book to share.

*Does any mom want to come prepared with a short book to read to the kids and/or a short talk about the real history of Thanksgiving/Pilgrims?  I have a book I can read, but I know some of you have researched the sometimes forgotten history of this holiday, and if any of you have a passion to share, please let me know!

*I was not planning on this being a party or special food event this time, so as always you are welcome to bring lunch for your family if that is helpful, but there is no need to bring a food treat to share. : )

Questions? As always, please leave them in the comments below, so everyone may benefit from the answers.


*please note we will have to end a little earlier than usual, because I have to get to another homeschool event by 2:30. : )

Ye Olde School Medieval Monday, NEXT week!

image (and fascinating discussion of trombones in ancient art) found here

Welcome to Ye Olde School Medieval Monday

October 28, 2013

Vintage Faith classrooms

noon - 2:30

Children are welcome to dress up in Medieval-Renaissance appropriate clothing.

Please bring a finger food item to share--we will have a Medieval feast!  *It is perfectly fine to bring food that is not historically accurate.*  We will be talking as a group about the foods they would have eaten at this time, and why, and so it is will work well if we have some foods they would not have eaten. : )   If you would like to bring a food that is more historically accurate, I have found some web pages here, here, and here for starting points.  *Whether you bring historical or modern food, please choose something that is not very messy and can be eaten with fingers.*  

Some quick food options from Medieval times:
--dark bread (rye, barley, wheat)
--cheese
--figs, dates
--apples, plums, pears
--grapes
--roasted nuts
--chocolate gold coins (for taxes ; )
--sausages
--apple cider

For extra ambiance, see if you have any wooden or metal plates or bowls to serve your foods in.

Please remember to bring plates, napkins & cups for your family.  We're striving to make our gatherings as waste-free as possible. : )

If you and your children would like, the kids can also come prepared to share a favorite book that takes place in or a historical character that lived during the Middle Ages or Renaissance periods in world history.  Each child who comes prepared will share briefly, if they desire; older kids may write and present a report if mom wants. ; )

Questions or comments?  Please leave them in the comments below, so that everyone may benefit from the discussion.

 

Old School Monday gatherings--Beginning THIS MONDAY!

Hello Vintage Homeschool Moms!  There are even more of us this year, with lots of new homeschooling families to welcome.  Becky and I have thought up a few fun events for this Fall that we want to invite all of you to.  Please pass around this info to all the homeschool moms in your circle!

Our first Old School Monday is this next Monday, Oct. 7, from  noon till 2:30.  As usual, we will meet there in the two right-hand downstairs classrooms in the Vintage Faith Children's Ministry building.  This will be our annual "back to school" share day, and our theme is "What We've Been Up To."  This is a great opportunity for your kids to prepare something to share with the group. 

Some things your kids may have been up to, that they might want to share:
--What they did this past summer
--Something they learned this week
--Something they did recently that was exciting
--Someplace they went recently

You get the idea.  There are also many ways your kids can share their information:
--They could make a display
--Or make an old-school poster board presentation
--They could write a story
--They could show some photographs
--They could write a play and act it out
--They could write an old-school report
--They could present an interpretive dance
--The new moms hopefully realize I'm joking. But yet, I'm not!
--They may do it individually
--They may collaborate with siblings or friends.

Again, you get the idea.  There is only ONE rule:  Any child who participates must have a writing element in his or her presentation.  It can be as short as a page, or paragraph, or sentence, depending upon the age of the child.  But there must be writing of some sort in the presentation.

I apologize for not posting this sooner and giving you more time to get all into it--and yet, I know most of us do these things only a few days beforehand anyway. ; ) 

So, there you go!  I hope you encourage your children to participate, if they want to.  But no one has to if they don't want to. However, any child who participates will earn a prize!

And let's make this first gathering a party!  You are welcome to bring lunch for your family, or to eat before you come--whichever is easiest for your family--but please bring one food item to share with the group.  Also, please bring your own dishware & cups. 

But of course if nothing else we hope you just bring yourself and your kids. : )


Here is roughly what Monday will look like:

12:00 - 12:30 -- arriving, setting up displays, eating lunch for those who want to bring theirs
12:30 - 1:00   -- Circle time, introductions, story
1:00 - 1:30     -- kids can share whatever they prepared (don't forget their writing!)
1:30 - 2:30     -- kids can play in the gym, moms can chat!

Hope to see you there!


The rest of the Vintage Homeschool Moms gatherings we have planned this Fall:

Monday, October 28--The Old School Medieval Monday (Middle Ages costumes optional)

Monday, November 25--The Old School Monday Timeline Day

Friday, December 20--Our Christmas Party

In the past we have had an Operation Christmas Child shoebox filling party, which would need to happen by early November.  If anyone is interested in doing this, please let me know.  The likely date of such an event would be Friday, November 8. 


Any questions or comments?  Please feel free to leave them in the comments below, so everyone may benefit from the discussion.

It's the Old School Monday FALL PARTY!

Photo credit

What:     Homeschool Families Fall Party
When:    Next Monday, October 22, 11-2
Where:   Vintage Faith Church, our usual classrooms and the gym

We will start out with lunch, so please bring lunch for your families* and also one food item to share with everyone. 

Then there are two special events planned:

--Share Displays.  12-12:30.  Each child or family is welcome to create a display of something they want to share with the rest of us.  It might be what they did over the summer, or something they have been learning about that excites them.  All displays should have a writing element (which can be as simple as the child writing captions for photos, or as elaborate as descriptive paragraphs) and displays that utilize a math element (graph or chart, calculations, even simple addition that fits their topic) will receive special acknowledgement.  Prizes will be given to all participating children!  Children may set up their displays as they arrive, so families may look around and admire the kids' handiwork at any time, but we will set aside a half-hour starting at noon for the children to talk about their displays, if they wish.

--Fall Book Projects.  12:30-1:30.  I will share our next book project for the 2013 Author's Fair so anyone interested can get a head start on it with your kids, and then I will lead the kids in a guided book project on the Bill of Rights.  Any kids who are interested and who are school age are welcome to participate.

Throughout our time there, we will have plenty of time for chatting, catching up, sharing ideas, and letting the kids play!  If any parent wants to lead a game in the gym before or after our other activities, please let me know!

This is all free, and any homeschool families are welcome to join us and participate.  Please invite your friends too!


*Please remember to bring your own cups, plates, utensils, etc. We would like to make these events as waste-free as possible. Thank you!

Vintage Homeschool Moms Back to School Party!

Hello all!

So, it is that time again.  Can you believe it? I thought it would be fun again to have a party/open house to celebrate the start of the new school year.  Since most of us can no longer make Mondays, I was thinking we would have it there at church on Friday August 26th instead, at our normal time of noon-2:30. 

I am checking with the church to make sure we can use the building at that time.  But even if the church classroom is not available, let's keep the time and date on our calendars and we will make it a park date instead, ok?  Check here for any changes, but if you don't see an UPDATE to this post, that means the original plan to meet at church is a go. : )

So, either place we meet, bring a lunch for your family and a food item to share with the group! 

Also, talk to your kids about your goals for this Fall, and have each kid come up with one learning goal they have that they can share with the group (or one thing they are going to be learning about that they are excited about, like dinosaurs or handwriting or something). 

And please spread the word and invite your friends!

lisa c.

Old School Monday pics

Next Old School Monday-NEXT week!

Hello moms!

Lisa C. here. Normally we have OSM the 4th Monday of every month, but this month because of the awesome free science show that day, we are moving OSM to the third Monday--which means next week on Monday the 17th of May. Sound good?

And it is time for SHOW AND TELL circle time! So ask your child what he/she might like to bring to show us all. (And you can use this as incentive to finally finish some project that has been looming over your head ; )

I will have some fun little lessons, and will also have books from the Author's Fair to give back to Laura and Becky--and you can all have back your book pages from the Big Book of Important People in American History. Which was SO FUN to watch the kids share at the Author's Fair!

So please put the date on your calendars, and come with your Monday Boxes ready for some Old School learning fun!

: )

how we start our day - Circle Time!

I wanted to share a few ideas that we do to jump-start our week/day on the right foot. I am sure many of these ideas are age-old & timeless things - but it works, and it might be new for you!? In the morning, we all get ready, eat breakfast, etc - and typically by 8-10am we are ready to begin. Did you notice that was a 2 hour chunk of variable time? We like to be flexible like that. I announce to the girls that we will have "Circle Time in 2 minutes!!" - and they all get really excited. They each go choose a story (I try to encourage a bible story, but no huge pressure) and sit on the flower design on our carpet in our living room to wait for me (this is where you picture angelic girls sitting with books & hands in their laps waiting for mom to float across the floor). Ha!! The more consistent we are, the more anticipation they have for this focused time together. I think it produces faithfulness in me too.

Circle Time
For us, with little girls (ages 5, 3 & 2) we have a variety of activities that we incorporate into our 10-20 minute chunk of time together. The younger ones may not be able to stay focused for long, but we also bring out puzzles or picture books in case they need to be busy. You can be as creative as you want! Here are some ideas:

1. Read a Bible story & discuss it. Ask lots of questions to get them to share & grasp the truths within. You can also choose ONE book that you go thru during this time: a family devotional, something instructional, etc. This is very character-building focused.
   
2. Play guitar & sing songs together. Instruments & dance are a bonus. You can talk about the words to the songs, learn an old hymn - or whatever!
   
3. Work on memory verses, or other memory work. Poetry is a great idea for this too, tho we haven't attempted it yet. I would like to help them memorize passages of scripture this way. I hear its very easy!! You can also do flashcards, with pictures of places, famous people, or other things you'd like to memorize. You ideas can be stored on 3x5 cards, in a box, or even a "Circle Time" binder.
4. Sharing time: this is very ambiguous, but sometimes there have been topics that we wanted to discuss with the girls, or deeper issues we wanted them to think about more - so we try to ask questions, and help them figure out the answers or truths. Other times I just ask a silly question like, "What makes a good friend?" and we talk about it, and try to apply it to our lives. I think the best sharing times have been when I (mommy) have opened up and been vulnerable with them - asking them to pray for me, or share what Dad has been speaking to me. Its so powerful!!
   
5. Prayer for others: we have 3 little photo books (the cheap ones) filled with pictures of friends & family - so we can open the book to new pages & pray for them by name. We are always updating & changing the pictures in here. A great spot for Xmas photos! Sometimes I ask the girls to choose a part of their character they want to grow in for the week - and we pray about it together. Its really amazing how they choose "kindness" or "generosity" and really work on it each day.

No matter what you choose - all these things are more important than reading, writing or arithmetic. And it only takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on what you incorporate!