Khan Academy - learning tool for home-schoolers

 my older daughter doing her Khan Academy math work on our Smart Board

 I enrolled my six-year-old daughter in  Khan Academy  this week. I saw a PBS special on it over the weekend. It is a FREE online learning tool teaching children, teenagers and people of all ages math, science, art history, chemistry, physics, etc. It is AWESOME! Bill Gates found out about this and is now a major financial contributor. Public school teachers in California use Khan Academy in their classrooms. My older daughter LOVES being a student of Khan Academy. We use it on our Smart Board but it can be used on any computer, laptop or tablet. If your child needs help in a certain subject or you want them to get extra practice on something they are learning or are going to learn in the upcoming year, this is a phenomenal tool to assist them. Had to share with all of you! Enjoy!!



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Elf on the Shelf

We had the pleasure of attending the movie premiere in Atlanta, GA of An Elf's Story the weekend prior to Thanksgiving.  My girls loved the movie and all the holiday activities.  I had the chance to meet the authors of the book... let me tell you, what kind and lovely southern women they are! If you don't have an elf in your family, I highly recommend buying the book.  My girls love our elf, "Kevin".  Each morning they bounce out of bed and the first thing they do is go and look for him.  It truly is such a fun Christmas tradition.  I wish I had it when I was a little girl!

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Incredibles Party

My husband IS Mr. Incredible! For his birthday this year, the girls and I threw him an Incredibles theme birthday party.  I bought the girls costumes, masks... the whole deal.  I bought my husband an Incredibles t-shirt.  I even made my 1st cake EVER to honor the one, the ONLY... Mr. Incredible!

 

  Mr. Incredible and his Incredi-girls!

 Incredibles cake

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Thanksgiving Day poem

Each day in the month of November my six-year-old daughter reads the poem Thanksgiving Day written by  Lydia Maria Child.  Her poem has been turned into a holiday song over the years.  I remember singing it when I was a child. I told my children the words that I sang were slightly different than the words in her poem.  Today my older daughter read the poem and then we watched the videos I've included below to see if we could spot the differences in the song and the poem.  Also, I enjoyed learning about Lydia Maria Child, she was quite a strong woman.

Thanksgiving Day

Lydia Maria Child

Over the river and through the wood,

To grandfather's house we go;

The horse knows the way

To carry the sleigh

Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood---

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes

And bites the nose,

As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring,

"Ting-a-ling-ding!"

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood

Trot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground,

Like a hunting-hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the wood,

And straight through the barnyard gate.

We seem to go

Extremely slow, --

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the wood---

Now grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun!

Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie!

Videos:






Video about the author of the poem Thanksgiving Day, Lydia Maria Child



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