NO Old School Monday this Monday, Feb. 24

Hi Everyone!

In my last post giving dates for events, I said we would have Old School Monday on Feb. 24.  We are CANCELLING this event and doing something different instead--an Old School Field Day, to be held the following Friday.  Details of that will be posted probably on the facebook group that goes along with this blog.  If you are a local friend and want to come, but are not part of the facebook group, then just leave a comment and we will get you the info you need!

: )

lisa

Valentine's Day Memories

Yesterday was so fun - thanks Lisa and Ali and everyone who helped pull off such a memorable endeavor. The kids had a blast and I THINK we got all the sprinkles out of the carpet ;). This party has become a cherished tradition in our family and I'm so grateful my girls got to share in it again. Here's a little video Claire made (with help from Katie and Hannah Frank and some very eager participants).  Turn up your volume to hear as much of the spoken words as possible...

The Valentine's Day Party Roster--Updated Thurs, 7:07 p.m.

Here are the names of all the kids who will be participating in the Valentine exchange at the party on Friday.  As I get more RSVPs I will update this list, so you can check back tomorrow morning to make sure you have all you want to bring.

Also, please remember that there is no legalism around this party--no right way or wrong way to participate!  So if you can't manage to get each of your children to make valentines for each of the children coming--get creative!  Maybe you can divvy up the list among your kids, or have your girls make them for the girls and your boys make them for the boys.  Or do what we are doing for valentines:  my kids have painted large pieces of paper using red, pink, orange & green sparkly paint. Then they are using fancy-edge scissors to cut out hearts. The older girls can write the names of the recipients, but the younger kids can just write their own names.  Or just draw a smiley face!

With this many kids coming, I am not worried about the kids having enough special things in their "mailboxes." If each of the kids participating at least brings something for most of the other kids, it will all work out fine. : )


1. Landon
2. Koji
3. Hana

4. Asia
5. Eden
6. Sydney

7. Sophia
8. David
9. Malakai

10. Shiloh
11. Cruz

12. Bella
13. Hannah
14. Abbie
15. Elisabeth
16. Joshua

17. Amelia (maybe)
18. Macy (maybe)
19. June (maybe)

20. Katie
21. Claire

22. Carson
23. Olivia
24. Spencer

25. Sarah
26. Rebecca

27. Luke
28. Magnolia

29. Hazel
30. Charlotte

31. Gwynneth
32. Meredith
33. Bronwyn
34. Evan

35. Hannah
36. Jack
37. Luke

38. Tegan

39. Lillie

Please tell me if I have missed someone from the comments or facebook!  Otherwise, I will add new names as they come in today. : )

Favorite Films: Winged Migration

After talking with Lucy the other day, I decided we need to start a new section on this blog, for favorite movies.

This is a documentary that was released in 2001, and so many of you probably have not heard of it.  It is one of our family's favorite movies, and the kids are completely mesmerized by it.  It's all just gorgeous filming of birds migrating.  That sounds really boring, but it is the opposite.  It would be a great movie to watch with the kids if you were learning about birds, seasons, or geography.

I found this official site that gives a trailer, and other potentially interesting and informative links.

I am sure you can get the movie through Netflix if you have their DVD plan, but I saw it is also available for download through Amazon Prime.  Hold on--EVEN BETTER: the library has it! 


If any of you Vintage Homeschool Moms want to make your own film reviews here on the blog, please feel free!  Some of you are "authors" so you can just make a post.  If you are not an "author" then please email me with your text and I'll post it for you. : )

The Old School Valentine's Party!

Image found here

What: Our Annual Valentine's Day Party
When: This Friday, February 14, 2014
            Noon until 2:30
Where: Vintage Faith Church, Children's Ministry Building,
            Upstairs and to the right.*

We will be sharing a little circle time, learning about the real Saint Valentine, decorating cookies, passing out valentines, and generally sharing love and laughter!

What to bring: 

--Valentines to hand out to the children who want to participate in the valentine exchange.  So that we all know how many valentines to have our kids make, please RSVP for this event.  Please tell us the names of your kids who will be sharing in the valentine exchange either in the comments to this post or to the facebook thread Ali started for this event. 

--Whatever containers your kids want to use to receive their valentines.  Decorate a pail, turn a shoebox into a mailbox, bring a pretty box, whatever you and your kids want.  Ali is bringing some bags that kids can decorate if someone comes without one.

--This is a party, to please bring a snack to share!  And I say, the more "Old School" Valentine's Day Party food the better! (Great time to share with your kids your favorite memories of the parties and treats you enjoyed most in your own childhood. ; )

--As always, you are welcome to bring lunch for your family, or to eat before you come--whichever is easiest for your family!  But would you please remember to bring plates, napkins & cups for your family.  We're striving to make our gatherings as waste-free as possible. : )  Thank you!

How you can help:

--Ali is going to be hosting a cookie decorating table for the kids old enough to participate!  She is going to be bringing gluten-free sugar cookies ready to be decorated.  We need two moms to volunteer to bring frosting and regular sugar cookies to be decorated. If you can help out with this and make the vision a reality, please say so in the comments here or send Ali a message on facebook. Thanks!

--I so appreciate you moms who usually officiate the picking up and clean up while I'm running around yelling at kids guiding fun and learning.  If we do the cookie decorating, we may have a little more need for moms to step up and help make sure the rooms we use are un-stickied and de-crumbed.  Thank you in advance! 

Our Valentine's parties have traditionally been good times to  invite friends, so please do!  Just please have them RSVP too. : )  Oh, and if you can come on time please do, as we will start the fun right away!  See you Friday!


Just a note of encouragement:

There is NO wrong way to participate in the Valentine exchange at our Old School Valentine's Day party on Friday.  Your kids can hand-make little cards (esp. if it gets you motivated to let them do messy art, or try out something you have been meaning to do).  And you realize writing on cards can count as their handwriting/printing/spelling for the day! ; )  Or you can go purchase ready-made cards from the store.  Or if you don't even have time for your kids to write their names what feels like a bazillion times, just bring some little Valentine treats (a bag of kisses, for example) and your kids can stick those in people's "mailboxes."  My own Evan is making paper "rockets" to pass out. (picture a paper airplane, except made by a five year old who has no idea what he is doing.)  It's all going to be fun and good!


*Because the Vintage Moms Meet Up happens on Fridays in the downstairs rooms we usually use, we will have all our Friday gatherings this Spring in the upstairs classrooms.  : )

Prepositions List and Song

Hi friends! It was so fun to see some of you today at Old School Monday. Thank you, Lisa, for such a creative, memorable, FUN grammar lesson! I've never seen a cow do so many things to a box, or prepositions and articles make so many kids smile. I felt bad that we'd been in such a rush this morning and I hadn't realized the list of prepositions I handed out wasn't the one that went along with our song. So I am going to post our revised list here, below this video of Katie and Claire singing it a couple of years ago. It's not a perfect run-through . . . but maybe your kiddos will have fun looking for the little mistakes, and even be inspired to create their own video. Of course they can manipulate the list to fit any tune they like - that's part of the fun. Share your videos if you make them! We'd love to see. Thanks, all of you, for being part of our lives and our homeschooling journey.

about
above
across
after


against
along
around
before

at
behind
below
beneath

beside
between
during
except

by
down
for
from
in
inside

into
near
of
off
on
outside

past
over
out
through
throughout

to
toward
under
until

up
with
without!

Old School Mondays--TOMORROW and the rest of the semester!

Ok, Vintage Homeschool Moms, time to get out your calendars:

Here are the tentative dates for Old School Mondays and other Vintage Homeschool Days!

TOMORROW, January 27: our first Old School Monday for 2014! We have some fun things planned, including sharing time--so please encourage your child/ren to bring something to show or tell that they are learning here at the start of 2014. 

Friday, Feb. 14: our annual Valentine's Day party

Monday, Feb 24: Old School Monday

Monday, March 17: Old School Monday/St. Patrick's Day party

Friday, April 11: Old School Timeline Day

Monday, April 28: Old School Monday

Friday, May 23: End of School party

Unless we specify on special events, all of these gatherings will take place in the usual rooms there at Vintage Faith (downstairs in the Children's Ministry building) from 12-2:30. 

We have some other fun events still in the planning, but I will discuss this with you all tomorrow and then later here on the blog.  For all these events, I'll be sure to post any info you need to know in advance (usually about a week before).  Be sure to subscribe by email to the blog so you don't miss out on information!

I hope to see you all tomorrow! 

The Old School Monday Christmas Party--Friday!

source

Where:  The usual classrooms at Vintage Faith Church, in the Children's Ministry building

When: This Friday, December  20, from noon to 2:30

What to bring: A treat to share, and a small gift per child in your family if you want them to participate in the Great Gift-Swapping Game.

This will be a fun and low-key gathering, and a great time to invite friends!

We will eat cookies and other treats, read a few Christmas stories together, and then play the Gift-Swapping Game.  We'll do this last, so any family who does not want to play can duck out. But if you want to play, the gifts you bring should be inexpensive and something you already have in your home.  Just wrap each item individually (or better yet, put in little bags), and make sure there is one for each child in your family who wants to play.

You are welcome to bring lunch for your family, or to eat before you come--whichever is easiest for your family!  But would you please remember to bring plates, napkins & cups for your family.  We're striving to make our gatherings as waste-free as possible. : )  Thank you!

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. : )

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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.