Who's up for ADVENTURE?

The Craddock family has taken over The World is Our Classroom blog for the summer!

Yes, we are on our Epic American Homeschool Road Trip, and I will do my best to post every now and then as time and free wi-fi allow, so anyone interested can see what we are up to. 

It's not going to be ideal, as I can't nicely edit photos without my home computer, and I'm trying to re-learn how to blog on a Mac instead of a PC--and my daughter's Mac at that!  So whatever you get will be raw and real, fresh from my phone and without any fancy blogger stuff. I'll be thrilled if I can remember enough HTML to put captions under my photos!

So consider this my hey, everyone, we're still alive and having fun post, and please sign up for email updates if you don't want the hassle of checking back to see whenever I post again. : ). 

I hope all of you are having a great summer, however you are spending it. 

with love,

Blessed

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party!

Hello Vintage Homeschool families!

(And anyone else who is interested in joining us!)

We have had Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing parties many times before. This year we are going to have a

SHOE BOX EXTRAVAGANZA!

WHEN: Friday, November 13, 6-8 pm

WHERE: Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz

Children's Ministry Building 

(Classrooms on the second floor)

This year we are making the event a DOUBLE blessing--not only will we be packing shoe boxes to bless kids around the world, but we will also be raising funding for children sponsored by Compassion International!

Here's how it will work:

Most years we all go shopping in advance and then bring what goodies we have found to the party and pack our shoe boxes together. This allows us to buy items in bulk and share the bounty with other packing families so we can buy at good prices but still have a variety of items in our boxes.

This year we're going to come to the party with empty shoe boxes--and full piggy banks! We're going to "shop" at tables hosted by kids!  All items for sale will be between 5 cents and 2 dollars. All the proceeds the kids raise at their tables will go toward Compassion International children.

By the end of the night, your shoe boxes should be mostly full, and for so much less than the usual cost of buying the items at a store!  And every penny you will have spent will go straight to help other children in need. It's win-win-win!  Then you will have the next week to get anything else your family wants in their shoe boxes and drop them off at one of the two local OCC collection sites.

We will also have a free card-making station and a station for wrapping and decorating shoe boxes!

Your children do not have to host a table--they can just come and participate in the fun! Just bring your shoe boxes and plenty of spare change and dollar bills!  (Please don't expect the kids to be able to break large bills at their tables. : )  Bring friends too!

**We've never done this before, so I have no idea how many people are going to show up. So if you know for sure your family would like to come to the party, would you please be so kind as to RSVP in the comments below?  Right now we have the "big room" in the upstairs of the Children's Ministry building reserved, but if we get a bigger crowd than that room can hold we might be able to use more rooms!  So please RSVP by this upcoming Monday night, November 9th.

(And if you are not sure now, but decide to come at the last minute, that's great too!  Come! : )


If your kid/family wants to get in on the fun of table hosting:

There will be three kinds of tables kids/families can host: selling tables, crafting tables, and treat tables. 

Selling Tables
Kids who want to host a selling table should think about what items people would want to put into a shoe box (what kids want to receive!) and then either make or buy items to sell.  Do they have crafting skills?  Some ideal things they could make for shoe boxes would be:
* washcloths (knit, or cut from larger (new) towels and hemmed, etc.)
* decorated pillowcases
* scarves (decorative or functional--t-shirt jersey, knit, etc.)
* tie-dyed items! 
* potholders
*  jewelry
*  hair bows
* pillowcase dresses
***Bags with handles so the children who receive their shoe boxes can easily carry them home. Sometimes the kids must walk for miles carrying them, often while also carrying a younger sibling!

But selling tables are not just for the crafty kids!  We would also love to have tables selling bulk goods.  Some ideal things they could procure for shoe boxes would be:
* toothbrushes
* toothpaste (please be sure the sell-by date is well into the year 2016!)
* soaps
* combs
* socks
* pencils
* erasers
* notepads
* gum
* candy (no chocolate or anything that might melt in transit. Your kids can assemble candies into little ziplock baggies--or, even more fun, have a "penny candy" store and buying kids can bag their own!)

Potential sellers:
1. You get to set your own prices. Just remember to keep your prices low so people can fill their shoe boxes!
2. All prices should be between 5 cents and 2 dollars.
3. Please visit the Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing list, so you can make sure that what you are selling is appropriate.


Crafting Tables
Any kids/families who want to host a craft table are also most welcome!  This is a really fun way to add to the party fun while helping families fill their shoe boxes.  You pick the craft and prepare it, and kids pay you to participate in the activity, which they complete at your table. Just please choose a craft that is easy, low mess, can be finished quickly, and would be appropriate to put in a shoe box. Some ideas for such crafts:
* yarn wreath ornaments
* washi tape crafts
* origami birds or "balloons"
* button & wire flower bouquets
* flower-ended ball-point pens
* yarn tassel angels
* stamping cards & envelopes
* easy jewelry
* paper-cutting crafts (snowflake ornaments, etc.)

Potential crafters:
1. Please remember to chose crafts that are quick, easy, and don't make a mess.
2. You provide all the things someone would need for the craft, and people will pay you when they make the craft.
3. Please visit the Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing list, so you can make sure that what you are crafting is appropriate.


Treat Tables
Kids who want to make snacks to sell to the people at the party are most welcome!  Cookies, brownies, whatever you think people would like to eat!   If anyone wants to make a lemonade stand (or even better, a hot cider stand!) that is fine too!

Potential treat vendors:
1. Finger food only please--nothing that requires utensils to serve.
2. Don't forget to provide your customers with napkins if your treat is a sticky one. : )
3. Gluten-free & "healthy" baked treats will likely be well received. : )

**Any child/family hosting a table:
1. Leave a comment here on this blog post to request table space.  Anyone who wants to use a table for any reason must RSVP to reserve table space in advance, so I can make sure we have enough tables for everyone. The deadline for table RSVP is Monday, November 9th. 
2. It is a good idea if you say in your comment what you are planing on selling or crafting, to avoid duplication.
3. I will set up a table for you to use (which you may be sharing). But you can bring decorations for it if you like!
4. Every table host should bring some kind of container for holding the Compassion money you earn. It can be a jar, a mug, a box--whatever works!--and should be labeled "Compassion Fund."  If your family is already sponsoring a Compassion child, then please do bring a picture of your child for your table! If your family does not have a Compassion child, that is fine!  Your kids get to choose if they want to put their earnings into children represented in the room, or if they want to give it to me to send to Compassion International.
5. Your child does not have to prepare a whole lot of product to sell. If they make 10 potholders--great!  Or five adorable beaded necklaces--great!  Or one plate of cookies--yum!  This is a very kid-friendly, low-pressure event. : )


If you are new to Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing, then I urge you to visit their website and read all about them. There are videos you can watch, and stories you can read about children whose lives were changed for the better because of receiving shoe boxes!

I also recommend you purchase your packing labels online through the OCC website: this will allow your family to track your boxes and see where in the world they ended up!

Did I forget anything? Any questions?  Please ask them in the comments below so everyone may benefit from the dialogue.

I'm very excited about this event, and know that it does not matter who shows up as long as they come with enthusiasm and big hearts. Big event or small, it's going to be fun. : )

Old School Christmas Party! Friday!

It's the annual Vintage Homeschool Christmas Party!

We'll keep it short and sweet. ; )

WHERE: The usual downstairs classrooms there in the Children's Ministry building at Vintage Faith. 

WHEN: This Friday, Dec. 19 from 12:00 noon - 1:30. 

WHAT TO BRING: a finger food snack to share, a wrapped "white elephant" gift for each of your children who want to participate in that game. 

If you have your own water bottles and travel plates, please do bring them!  And as always, you are welcome to bring a lunch for your family if that makes coming to the party any easier for your family needs. 

For the white elephant game: just choose (or have your kids choose) something you already have around the house to bring. Wrap it up, or put it in a paper sack--you can't do it wrong, and it's always fun!  Just be sure to bring one item for each kid in your family who wants to participate. 

And please feel free to invite friends!

Questions? Please leave them in the comments here, so that everyone may see the answers. : )

Hope to see you there!  If you get a chance to RSVP, please do either here or on facebook. We'll start the party activities right at 12:30. : )

lisa

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party 2014--This Friday

Hello all!

It's time for the annual packing of the shoeboxes!

Where: the Downstairs right-hand classrooms in the Children's Bldg. at Vintage Faith
When: This upcoming Friday, Nov 7, from 11-1

Bring your own boxes to stuff, and bring goodies to share in the boxes!

If you are new to this event, or have questions about what can go in a box, please visit this link to the official Operation Christmas Child website.

I recommend paying for your shoebox shipment online, so you can track where your boxes go!

Is anyone willing to volunteer to deliver the boxes to our local drop-off location after the event? In this past this has been at Santa Cruz Bible Church. If we do not get a volunteer, then everyone will be responsible for dropping off their own boxes. If we do get a volunteer, then be sure to either pay for your box online or bring $7 per box to cover the shipping fees.

I do have a few extra shoeboxes in the homeschool closet there at church, which anyone may decorate and use for this event. Or you can stop and pick up the free boxes from the local drop-off place.

Any questions?  Ask here in the comments so everyone may benefit from the responses.

Scary Math Party--THIS Friday, Oct. 31

image from this blog, which looks like it could be a fun math read!

What:  Scary Math Party

Where: the Upstairs classroom, Children's Building, Vintage Faith Church

When:  This Friday, October 31, 11-2 pm

Come and have fun with your kids playing some math games and finding out math is not quite so scary after all.  

Let's make it a party!  So please bring a finger food item to share--something that can be served on napkins. But because of all the sugar our children are likely to be consuming that night (and the next day, and the next day. . . ), please consider bringing a non-sweet food to share. : )

We will have a Math Hall of Fame display, so if any of your kids want to participate in that, have them bring an example of their math prowess, and they can share it during circle time. 

We will also have a fun craft activity, but *only for those who RSVP by Weds night. This craft will also have a fee of $2 per child who wants to participate, since I'll be buying supplies for it. (We are going to make creatures from gourds, which the kids will then measure and weigh--and name, of course!)

So if you are coming to the party and would like to participate in the craft, please RSVP in the comments below. 

For those who might want to know--this is not a Halloween party, so I'm not encouraging kids to dress up, but if your kids want to just because they are excited about the day, then that is your call, Mom. : )

Old School Monday: Back to School 2014

Old School Monday Back to School Party!

When: This upcoming Monday, September 29 from 11:30 - 2:00.

Where:  Vintage Faith Church, first floor classrooms

Yes, most of us have been officially back in school for at about a month now, but it is never too late to celebrate the transition into a new school year! 

This gathering's theme is Show and Tell.  Your children are invited to bring something they have done or learned so far this school year, or they can share something special they did last summer.

As always, you can eat before you come, or bring your lunches to eat while we all catch up on how summers went and how school is going so far. : )  And please bring a finger-food snack for the group to share!

Invite your friends!

Anyone want to volunteer to lead a gym game afterwards? I'm thinking HORSE, or something that involves lots of running. : )  If you are inspired, just let us know in the comments!

Hope you are all having a great start to the school year, and I look forward to catching up.

lisa

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon : book review

This is one of my favorite books that I have read this year. There is just the right balance between fantasy, magic and adventure. The main character is a little girl named Minli, who goes to find the Old Man in the Moon, to see if he can change her family's fortune. She meets many magical creatures along the way.  The story also includes a lot about Chinese culture and old folk tales.  I love the colorful artwork that goes with almost every chapter. The author really entices you to read more and finish the book. If you are looking for an exciting book to read, I encourage you to read this one.

By Asia, age 11

The Life of Fred

I cannot believe I forgot to mention these books in my list of fun and potentially inspiring math story books:  The Life of Fred: "Math As Serious As It Needs to Be."  The first title in the series is "Apples."  We borrowed it from a friend once and thought it was really engaging and definitely stimulating.  Some people use these books for their math curriculum, but I think they are best as "fun math" for days when I want to introduce a new concept, or get the kids interacting with ideas more independently, or just to have a break from "regular" math and do something different and fun. 

Alas, the library does not appear to have any of them, and I believe we can no longer use Ocean Grove funds to purchase these books. : (  But ask your ES if there are any at the resource center.

Or, if any of you Vintage homeschool parents have any Life of Fred books and don't mind sharing, please let us know in the comments below!

I found a site that allows you to download a preview of many of the Life of Fred books.  Here's the download link to the "Apples" book (let's see if that works--not sure if I can link to a pdf).

Here is the link to all of the previews.

Fun Summer Math Reading

So after starting that last post about our book project for the 2015 Author's Fair, I did some research, and found that our local library seems to have quite a good selection of funny and creative easy-reader and picture books to inspire our young authors. Here are some I found:

Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math, and Probability

Minnie's Diner

The Great Divide

Divide and Ride

Grandfather Tang's Story

The Warlord's Puzzle

Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar

Math Curse

Inch by Inch

The Wishing Club: A Story About Fractions

Lemonade for Sale

The Doorbell Rang

17 Kings and 42 Elephants

One Grain of Rice

Arthur's Funny Money

Measuring Penny

The library also has a lot of these well-rated "Sir Cumference" books--I'll definitely be checking some out!

I've read this one before--and it is a fun read: Spaghetti and Meatballs for All

Some of the books available at the library may not tell math stories, per se, but sound like really good additions (ha!) to a summer reading math unit:

Mathematicians Are People Too

G is for Googol

Millions to Measure

The Boy Who Loved Math

The library also has many of the Encyclopedia Brown books, which do not specifically deal with math but still require logical thinking for solving their mysteries--plenty of good inspiration there for the kids' own math mystery writing.

Then I have a few books here at home that anyone may borrow:

100 Pounds of Popcorn

The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat

Math Talk

Once Upon a Company


If you have any math tales of your own to recommend, please share the titles in the comments!

Announcing the 2015 Author's Fair Book Project!

Well, there parents!  I know, I know.  This is the last official day of school for a lot of us. You are not at ALL interested in thinking about next year already, certainly not thinking almost one year ahead to the next Author's Fair, when we just recently had the last one!  Most of you have not even participated in the Author's Fair for the past two years, so why would I think you would be interested in thinking about it now?

Bear with me for a moment.

First of all, for those who did jump on into the fun and make a "Book of Months"--good for you!  I loved seeing them on display at the Author's Fair.  And a special shout-out to Emmy for her FIRST Author's Fair book!  You did such a great job!  Anyone who liked that project, but just could not pull it off this year--well, you can do it anytime you like, or not. The info will always be here on this site, if you want it. : )

Second of all, because not many families seem as interested in participating in the Author's Fair anymore, I was debating this Spring whether or not to just stop coming up with projects.  I understand completely that some of our kids might be getting too old to enjoy the group projects--totally fine!  If any of the parents of younger kids want to participate in a group project (which we could or could not work on together at Old School Mondays), just let me know and I will plan something if there is enough interest.

But otherwise, I think we will just do projects on our own--not books we make all together, but projects we can do our own way in our own time frame at home with our kids.  I was not sure I would purposefully create projects for Vintage Homeschool families anymore--since it seems like perhaps most of you are not that interested--but then just this week, my kids have stumbled upon a FABULOUS and fun idea for next year.  It's so flexible and has so much potential for engaging young author's in so many ways, so I just have to make it official.

So, ta-da!  Here is the official Vintage Homeschool book project for 2014:

Story Problems

I know, I know: that sounds like the opposite of fabulous and fun, if you dreaded story problems as much as I did in math class throughout my elementary years.  But WAIT--let me explain.

My eldest girl has gotten excited about writing a mystery that needs to be solved with math.

My second eldest is writing a very funny narrative that we started together, having to do with the cost of stamps and raising costs of stamps over long periods of time and the peaceful death of her parents.  (See--don't YOU want to read it?!)

My youngest girl is not yet into the idea, but we will start by using a basic story problem we find in a book and adding to it and adding to it until we get a good story out of it.   Then we can either be done, or she can decide to write another one completely from her imagination.

The titles of the stories will undoubtedly be exciting-sounding ones, like "Escape from The Castle of Doom: A Story Problem," or  "To the Moon and Back Again: A Story Problem," or "The Mystery of the Missing Millimeter: A Story Problem." 

(Don't those sound fun to read?  How much more fun would they be to write?!)

This project will be another one that you do at home with your kids--or they do independently.  It is perfect for any level or writer or mathematician.  It can use any math concepts your children are already familiar with.  And the story can be as long or as short as they want it to be!

There is only one requirement for the stories: they must show lots of math (completed math, not just throwing out math questions without answers).  Your kids may choose to keep it simple and straightforward in the math sections and how they further the story (ala Encyclopedia Brown) or they may get crazy and add as much math as they can squeeze into the narrative (ala "Math Curse").  The math can even function as characters in the story (ala "The Phantom Tollbooth")! 

You could use this project as a fun way to get your kids engaged with math over the summer, as they explore different math concepts and work out what elements they want in their stories.  Brainstorming could end up leading to the viewing of lots of fun youtube math videos (I recommend Vi Hart! Even if she is usually over my head--the kids get glimmers of ideas, and that's often enough to set them excited about a math concept and what they could do with it creatively.) 

And hey--you could use math stories from the library as inspiration  for a Summer Reading Project!   (Do it through somebody like Barnes & Nobel and you can even get free books for your kids' summer reading efforts!)  I'll start a math books list in a separate post, which anyone can contribute to. : )

For my kids, this is going to be a Summer Writing Project--with the goal being to have the book done by the end of summer.

A summer project that involves reading, writing, and creatively engaging with math?

Now you know why I had to tell you about it this week. : )

It's the Last Day of School Party!

YEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!

I don't know about you, but I was pretty much done with school back about, oh, the last week of March. 

The good thing is that my "clocking out" produced some of the best schooling we've had all year.  So now I'm rejuvenated and after a couple weeks of summer break, we will be all gung-go to jump back into summer school. : )  No, really--one of my favorite things about homeschooling is that we do school in the summer so that we feel so great and still have momentum coming into the next new school year.  And then we can feel good taking breaks whenever we want or need them, not just arbitrarily when the calendar says we should take them.

I hope you are all ending the year as I am, content and already looking forward to more.  But still, I'm so glad this is the last official week of school. We love Ocean Grove, but a couple of months with lots of learning, but no learning records or samples to produce?  Ahhhh, now that's a vacation. ; )

So let's celebrate!

The Old School "Out of School" Party!

 

Where: Blue Ball Park

When: This Friday, May 23, 11-2

 

What to bring:  Bring picnic lunches for your family and something to share with the group.  Also, bring your picnic blankets, and bubble-blowing stuff (bubble solution, wands, etc)!  Yes, we are going to have a BUBBLE BASH at the end!  Complete with a bubble blowing contest! And prizes!

Have your kids come prepared to share one favorite school thing they did this past year (does not have to be a physical show & tell--a memory shared is fine), and to tell one thing they are excited about learning or doing this summer.

Here's how I'm breaking down the time together:

11:00 - 12:00    people arrive, eat, chat, kids play

12:00   we gather on our blankets for an outdoor circle time

12:30 ish  we break out some celebratory treats

1:00ish  we break out the bubbles and start making messes, and give the kids bubble gum and get them practicing their bubbles

When the time seems right, we line them up, measure the blows, and award prizes!

Then we can all hang out/chat until whenever!


I would love it if a few kitchen-crafty moms would volunteer to bring some goodies!  We need some gluten free ones, and some other.  Anyone?  (Most of you know I am writing this while recuperating from some gross sickness, so I am NOT volunteering.  A cooler with popsicles works fine too! ; )

And would anyone volunteer to buy some really good bubble-gum? I'm talking Bubble Yum or Hubba Bubba or any of the kinds used by bubble blowing experts.  (Hey, I'm a Glee gum girl myself, but we need the bad stuff for this--in the name of science and Old School memories! ; )

If you can bring any of these things, please say so in the comments below!  Thanks so much!

I hope all of you can come, so we can celebrate together.  Questions or comments? Please ask below so everyone may benefit from the dialogue.