Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Unit Study

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March 20, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I’m joining up with some of my geeky friends in an ABCs of Raising Well-Rounded Geeklings blog roundup.

S is for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The acronym originally was Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law enforcement Division.

It was changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate.

Some agents refer to the acronym as Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

I must say we’ve only seen season 1 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Debating whether to buy season 2 on Agents of SHIELD on Amazon Instant Video or wait for it to come to Netflix.

But we’ve watched all the Avengers movies.

And I totally love watching and discussing all of these shows and movies with my kids and tying in the allegory with what we’re studying in our homeschool.

The kids and I all love the many acronyms associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. and its subsidiary organizations.

I love the theme of PROTECTION throughout season 1.

Agent Coulson protecting his agents. His memories being protected from him. Skye protecting Coulson because she finally trusted someone. And all of S.H.I.E.L.D. protecting Skye from her past.

I can’t wait to see who they all become.

Character Study

Superheroes and villains. Sacrifice and redemption. It’s all there. Some of the quotes from this show and all the Marvel comics and Avengers world are just amazing. How they’re all connected! It’s UNIVERSAL. My kids and I can get lost in research.

I’m using the events and circumstances to have amazing conversations with my children about how different people respond to the same situation. Some get angry and go dark side while others rise above and become heroes.

Who do you become?

We’re really focusing on Agents Coulson, Skye, and Ward for our character studies.

Thinking Questions:

How do past experiences and relationships affect our current decisions?
Who would you want to be like? Why?
Who would you not want to be like? Why?
How do you trust someone after he betrays you?
How do you maintain faith when there is no evidence or evidence to the contrary?
Is anyone pure evil or pure good?
What role do governments play and how is this good and bad? Should they hold the power they do?
Should secrets be kept from people and who gets to decide? Who makes the rules and who holds the power?
Is the agent level hierarchy good? Do they protect or harm those who aren’t at that pay grade yet?
Why are most agents loners, with few friends or family? Why are they often the chosen ones?

History

I made my kids a Venn diagram for S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. We’ve been studying World War II so this is just perfect timing!

Comparing and Contrasting WWII Nazis with Hydra

Elizabeth is working hard on her chart and is researching all about S.H.I.E.L.D. canon along with her history studies. I love making school fun and relevant. We also have the show Agent Carter to explore!

We’ve compared Wikis:

Mythology

Of course, we had to research hydras with Greek mythology and Asgard with Norse mythology. There are many mythologies and archetypes in the Marvel comics! We will discuss this at length in our ancient studies next year.

Science

Lasers, bionic limbs, labs, and blowing stuff up. The kids love the science behind it and researching the how and IS IT ALL POSSIBLE?

We’re studying the progression of weapons from WWI to present day and how times has changed. And in the show, they also incorporate alien technology. This adds some ethical elements to discuss.

We are totally IN LOVE with Fitz Simmons. They are precious and geeky and just darling.

ADORKABLE.

And they’re into Doctor Who!

Of course, Simmons chooses The T.A.R.D.I.S. on her deserted island when questioned!

We love how Fitz and Simmons work together and trust each other. We’re excited to see how this develops.

We’ve enjoyed this time together, watching and learning and discussing.

We’re looking forward to the new Avengers movie and other films in the extended series. We love Marvel!

Linking up: Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Simple Life of a Fire Wife, B Inspired Mama, The Educators Spin on It, A Life in Balance, Hip Homeschool Moms, The Life of Jennifer Dawn, All Kinds of Things,

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A Simple Life

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March 2, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

It’s ok for kids to be bored.

I fear for a society that thrives on medication and activity.

I don’t feel that I have to fill every second of our days. I love that we have downtime.

I think creativity is born out of boredom.

I prefer a simple life.

We like to be home during the week. We homeschool.

I realize many do homeschool differently, with frequent field trips, co-op, classes, etc. And that may work for them. But it just doesn’t work for me.

We just signed the girls up for weekly music lessons. Liz is gonna be in a play and she meets weekly with Civil Air Patrol. We went to a birthday party and homeschool free gym time a couple weeks ago.

I am stressed running around that much.

But I know it’s good for them. This INTJ mama knows her social babies need some activity and human interaction.

See below, I took my kids to a homeschool art show and they had a blast. I enjoyed the punch and observing. I’m a good mama!

I still strive to have a homecooked meal on the table every night. I prefer that we all eat together, and we succeed at that, except Mondays because of Civil Air Patrol and during play rehearsals. Liz eats after afterwards.

On these dreary afternoons and weekends? The kids do get whiny and bored. Um, play with toys. No, we’re not sitting glued to screens.

I don’t feel the need to create jam-packed periods of activity. We prefer downtime.

Boredom is actually a good thing.

My kids get creative when they’re bored.

I’m not their cruise director.

They need to learn to play. I refuse to feel guilty because I make sure they get plenty of mama time so they aren’t resentful of the times I tell them to go find something to do.

When we take vacations, we make sure there is plenty of time to explore.

We don’t do amusement parks.

You’ll never see us at Disney.

We love nature, history, art, God’s and man’s creation and beauty to envelop us and teach us.

I worry about comments from parents who ask for travel tips that are “not cultural or historical -as my kids will get bored VERY QUICKLY.”

That is all we want to do!

We’re in Europe for such a short time and we have our daily lives, but we want to soak up all that culture and history as much as possible. These people make me sad.

I won’t give up.

This year has certainly been one our most difficult. There were several times I said the words: “Maybe we should enroll them in school.” The kids tried my patience and our teen pushed all the buttons to drive us nuts. I questioned everything and reevaluated our goals and reasons.

It gets tedious adulting and parenting all the time. I have to protect myself so I don’t get burnt out.

I set limits on my time.

I used to have trouble saying no. I’ve grown out of that obligation anxiety and it feels so good.

I am not obligated to take a position of leadership (but I can’t complain if it’s not done my way either).

I am not obligated to follow every page or person online who follows me (sorry). I don’t have to subscribe to RSS or newsletters if I don’t have time or interest to read them. Choices, people.

I am not obligated to sign up my kids for every activity that is available. I am not competing with anyone and I don’t have to compare. My family understands our limitations on time, budget, and my lack of desire for being a taxi service.

I like having free time and not being scheduled every minute of every day. I like a simpler pace.

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A Day in Our Life

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February 11, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

Want a peek into our day? I’m always curious about other people’s schedules and how they fit in homeschool, work, chores, and whatever.

I aim at a 2 for 3 kinda day.

I can focus on our homeschool. I can focus on housework and chores. I can focus on my blogging and home business.

On any given day, I can’t get it all done well.

I can successfully get homeschool and chores accomplished or chores and work or homeschool and work. But never all three.

A day in our life.

Here’s a typical Monday for us.

I have a 15 year old girl, two girls almost 9 and 8, and an almost 5 year old boy.

Morning

Alex wakes me up at

6:40.

He demands bacon and eggs. We read his Bible storybook and I do my Bible study. Kate soon comes down. They watch X-Men on Netflix while I make breakfast. I clean up the kitchen from last night’s dishes.

We eat. They demand a sip of coffee. We clear the table. I load and start the dishwasher.

I take my supplements.

I begin a load of laundry.

8:14

Liz comes downstairs and doesn’t want anything to eat. Tori soon follows and also doesn’t want anything to eat yet.

I encourage Tori to eat something. I think she snags some bacon and cereal.

(This is not going at all like I planned! The idyllic family breakfast just isn’t happening.)

Kate and Tori sweep the dining room.

Liz reads her Bible study.

I give the kids their supplements.

I tell the girls to sweep again and actually move the chairs and sweep the entire dining room area, baseboards and all.

Tori and Kate read their Sword Fighting Bible devotional. They fight over who reads what. I intervene.

I remind Liz to go make her bed and take her supplements. She finally decides to eat a tangerine.

We apply our daily essential oils.

Kate practices piano and Tori practices guitar. They’re doing so well! We just began music lessons this month.

School Time

8:50

We start with our read alouds. Today is Anne of Green Gables, Winnie-the-Pooh, Harlem Stomp!, and World Wars.

Halfway through Anne, Tori accidently bumped Alex’s nose. After comforting him and asking her through clenched teeth to sit on the other sofa, we finish a chapter of Anne.

I remind them all to brush their teeth. Why must I remind them to brush their teeth every single day?

Then we finish reading Pooh, World Wars, and Harlem Stomp.

9:42

Alex has a tantrum that he’s starving, but he won’t tell me what he wants to eat. He doesn’t want a banana. He runs to his room in despair.

The girls and I head to our school room.

Alex decides to eat a carrot.

I help Alex with reading printables and Singapore math.

This kid kills me. Apparently, he didn’t feel challenged enough, so he wrote the beginning letter over each picture also:

Tori and Kate work independently on their Spelling Workout and a winter fun pack.

Liz works on Latin Form 2, VideoText algebra, and Apologia physical science independently. I check those later.

I do some money math with Alex. He refuses to read or be read to. sigh

11:18

I put frozen mini pizzas in the oven for lunch. Because, sometimes, it’s just easier, y’all. I do cut up some and onion, red bell pepper, and pepperoni for toppings. Semi-homemade, right?

Afternoon

12:23

Liz and I watch a couple episodes of Downton Abbey with our lunch. The littles watch the iPad – Wild Kratts.

They stack their plates on the counter and go play.

1:13

I help Liz organize her math notebook and write out her agenda for the week. We discuss history and literature and what she learned last week.

I realize I never finished school with Tori and Kate. sigh

We school year-round, so this isn’t a problem. We usually alternate science and history every day. We’re so ahead in math that it’s not an issue.

3:24

I hang up the laundry to dry. I print out eMeals.com recipes for the week. Liz wants a cool notebook cover for math. I find some funny math eCards and print a collage of those. She’s delighted.

Tori and Kate are playing so nicely with dolls and/or Legos upstairs. Alex watches his shows on his iPad.

3:57

I link up some blog posts and do some research.

We have to leave the house at 5:00 to take Liz to Civil Air Patrol for PT at 6:00. It’s already dark. I drop Liz off at the gym and stop by the library to check out a stack of civil rights leaders’ biographies.

Dinner time

We get back home about 6:15.

I make a quick dinner – sautéed pecan chicken, couscous, and salad. I unload the dishwasher so we can easily load our plates. I tell the kids to go ahead and get in pajamas so it’s an easy night. After dinner, they run to brush their teeth.

Evening

It’s now 7:09 PM.

We have family reading – currently Pollyanna and Bible stories. We put our bedtime essential oils on. We have a prayer circle, holding hands (and the cats always snuggle in too!). I sing lullabies.

8:00

Bedtime!

Liz and Aaron come home about 9:00 or so, eat leftover dinner, clean up, and it’s lights out for all.

I usually stay up until 11 or so, reading and working.

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Silks Play

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February 9, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

We had a break in the wintry weather, and I was all:

GO GO GO!

We rushed to the park to enjoy the sun and warmth after dismal weeks of clouds, snow, and rain.

We brought play silks and played in the woodsy playground, making forts, pretending, and being loud.

This is an advantage to being homeschooled.

We can rush off in the middle of the day whenever the mood strikes, to take advantage of the sunlight, and play at a vacant park in the middle of the day, while many other children are stuck indoors, sitting at desks in classrooms…

We can finish our lessons later, when the clouds roll in.

The wind whipped our silks like flags. The kids loved pretending pirates and fighting on the high seas.

Tori liked feeling the silks blow across her face.

Alex liked hiding behind the silks.

Kate really just wanted to wear the silks like a cape.

Even Liz got in on the play a bit. At fourteen, she often thinks it’s beneath her to participate in playtime.

We noticed the light and wind. We reveled in being outdoors on a warm winter day.

Then they had to run wild in the field. Of course.

Alex loves his rainbow silk and this little hill.

Pretend play is so important.

We greatly encourage imaginative play around here. We read lots and lots and lots of books. I ask many questions, making sure my kids think. I’m trying really hard to allow for more art time and messy play. I know these things are significant for healthy brain development and well-rounded children.

Every day, I try to balance lesson time with free time, to encourage creativity and imagination.

I strive to ensure there is plenty of free play time. And sometimes, I have to encourage my kids in their unstructured play.

The girls love playing with the silk scarves, holing up in their room, hiding from their little brother, making loom jewelry and playing with their dolls.

The kids made this fort about a month ago, playing games and reading under afghans.

I love the impromptu fort they made on their own.

Fort play is a fun break from homeschooling.

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Our Curriculum for 2009-2010

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January 25, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Our last year in Hawaii was super fun. We finally felt familiar with the island and experienced lots of great field trips.

Our Curriculum for 2009-2010

4th Grade:

Story of the World Book 3
Singapore Math
Apologia Science

Liz got to stay overnight on the USS Missouri. It was the same weekend I gave birth to her brother Alex.

Liz took piano lessons, sang in a choir, did soccer, ran track.

The girls started doing some preschool.

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Our Curriculum for 2008-2009

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January 25, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Living in Hawaii was like a dream, but we had to still live in reality. I had to cook, clean, care for the toddlers, and find exciting ways to homeschool my daughter.

Our Curriculum for 2008-2009

Story of the World Book 3
Singapore Math
Apologia Science – Botany

She attended the base school for one month – October/November. She quit before Thanksgiving.

Her teacher yelled and criticized and left her alone during recess in the trailer as punishment. She developed anxiety and stomach pains. She was threatened by another student during a field trip. They did no science, history, or language that month. It was just random worksheet packets.

We met a Tuskegee Airman.

We visited Pearl Harbor memorials.

There were homeschool opera field trips, dress rehearsals that were free for students.

Liz played soccer, tried tennis lessons, and took piano lessons. We went whale watching. We explored the islands. She won Jump Rope for Heart. She won an art contest and writing contest! She began track.

There were times when Liz had to attend events alone or with her dad. I had to stay home with the two toddlers.

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Our Curriculum for 2007-2008

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January 25, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We moved to Hawaii after homeschooling for two years in San Antonio, Texas. We continued to homeschool while we lived on Hickam AFB.

It was our third year homeschooling.

We joined a history co-op.

We played in the ocean and explored the islands.

Our Curriculum for 2007-2008

Story of the World Book 2
Singapore Math
Apologia Science – Astronomy

We did a time lapse tide demonstration to show the high and low.

We met the artist Wyland and got an autographed print.

Liz learned to ride her bike.

Liz learned hula, performed in theater, and went to soccer camp.

I tried to provide Liz with lots of variety. Her sisters were babies and came with us almost everywhere. It was an eventful year!

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Art Journals

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January 14, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 16 Comments

I got the kids supplies for art journaling for Christmas.

They’ve been DYING to try it out!

Amazing how some notebooks and stamps get kids so excited.

Kate had asked me a couple months ago: “What’s scrapbooking?”

I seriously felt like a failure. I need to turn in my girl card, y’all.

I have failed as a woman.

My girls didn’t know what scrapbooking is.

So, of course I showed them some examples on Pinterest.

They picked out some complementary papers and got to scrappin’.

My son, Alex, wanted an art journal too. So I relinquished the one I bought for myself.

Sacrifices, people.

And he wanted a flower sticker on his cover page.

Of course.

Alex really loves the shaped scissors that cut in pretty designs. He LOVES the paper punch outs for stars.

The hibiscus paper was his very favorite since he was born in Hawaii.

Katherine loved the letter stickers.

And of course, there’s no pattern. That’s how she rolls.

I am very impressed with her pattern pairing. She also loves the stamps and paper punch-outs.

She won’t need much guidance with art journals as we work along. I won’t even try.

Tori used a flower sticker for her letter O.

I’m surprised she didn’t get a ruler to line up her letter stickers or something. She’s my perfectionist and I hope that art journaling will help her confidence.

I love love love Tori’s paper choices.

She said the blue was like water so she stamped swimming animals.

I plan to be more diligent with arts and crafts this year.

I will get out of my comfort zone and allow my kids freedom of expression. And messes. Maybe even glitter glue.

Baby steps.

Art is good for the kids and for me.

It will help my kids express their individuality and have some fun yet productive downtime.

It’s good for me to embrace a mess and realize it doesn’t matter as much as the process.

Check out my art board:

Famous Artists & Picture Study Notebooking Pages

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Christmas Unit Study

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December 19, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We like to slow down for the holiday, but the kids still love learning.

I use this time to make learning fun.

The kids are enjoying some fun Christmas themed school time this week.

I got the reindeer idea and Very Hungry Reindeer printables here, but it doesn’t look available anymore.

Counting ornaments and matching with the correct number on the stars. I got these over at Musings of Me, but I can’t find the direct link anymore. They’re super cute!

Matching capital letters with lowercase letters in puzzles. I’m pretty sure these puzzles are from 1+1+1=1 somewhere. Alex loves the letter mazes too!

The whole family enjoys the history behind The Twelve Days of Christmas and these are fun printables for Alex.

Throw some baby Jesus clipart on a page and it’s “Christmas math”! It’s amazing how excited the girls were to do these.
$ChristmasMath.jpg$

I printed Christmas tree outlines and the kids used rosemary, glitter glue, stickers, and sequins to decorate those.

I was pretty impressed with the tracing the outline with glitter glue.

Then we hunted elves. We hid the cards and the littles found them. Bubba circled the numbered elves on his page as he found them. Sisters had to practice writing where they found the cards. Download Elf Hunt printables here.

Elf hats help.

We love fun free Christmas printable activities!

Christmas Resources:

12 Days of Christmas Printables:

Check out my Christmas Pinterest board:

Follow Jennifer’s board Christmas on Pinterest.

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10 Ways to Narrate

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November 24, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 7 Comments

Not all of us have super literate kids who can write pages upon pages of exquisitely written narration after listening to read alouds or quietly reading her literature and history assignments.

Narration is a great assessment tool.

We use narration regularly to check for comprehension and understanding.

We seldom do any formal testing until high school. I love to interact with my children and we can’t do that when they’re sitting at a desk filling in little circles. We hope to instill a love of learning for a lifetime.

What to do for narration with those kids who might be more oral or artistic:

Mix up the options for narration so it doesn’t get boring!

1. Draw or Paint a Picture.

A great way for a child who doesn’t write well yet or who prefers art to express herself. As the child grows, she can freehand write about what she read.

2. Coloring Pages.

Great to print for younger kids who need some guidance. Add words, phrases, or sentences as copywork later as they grow.

3. Act a Scene.

Have your child prepare a skit, complete with costumes and set. A great group activity for co-op or families.

4. Puppets or Paper Dolls.

Who doesn’t love a puppet show? Your child can make simple little paper finger puppets, use stuffed animals or dolls she already has, or make fun sock puppets with all those mismatched socks and some crafty items. Print images from online or have your child draw and color her own and attach wooden chopsticks for creative play. A great co-op or dad performance. We also like themed Toobs.

5. Building.

Use Legos, blocks, or some other fun manipulative to discuss setting and plot.

6. Notebooking.

These are way beyond worksheets. Adapt them to suit your child’s needs. We love Notebooking Pages where we can print a huge variety or make our own.

7. Lapbooks.

These are like fun scrapbook projects about your subject. Lots of printable kits online. Homeschool Share has lots for free!

8. Flashcards or a Card Game.

Use index cards to create a memory game with words or pictures or concepts. Or print graphics to glue on and laminate.

9. Timeline Work.

Create or find pictures and words for kids to cut and paste to a poster. Great for history or literary chronological order work.

10. Sensory Bins.

For very (and not quite) little kids, provide fun multi-sensory activities and teach narration through asking questions and listening to your tot’s creative play. We did a great bin for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Tips for little kids with listening and behaving during read alouds.
For older kids, I still like traditional narration. With Technology. And having a literature reader notebook.

What are your favorite narration activities?

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