T is for Telling Time: Bats Around the Clock

We are having loads of fun with our bat unit math extensions. This week we read a story titled, Bats Around the Clock by Kathi Appelt.

We are reviewing telling time to the hour and half hour with Alyssa. She learned these at a very young age, but I noticed that she started getting a little confused. We have also been working on telling time to the minute. I found the perfect activity to compliment our bat unit. The activity can be found at Mrs. T's First Grade Class Blog. She provides the bat and clock pattern printables for children to create a bat clock.

Materials You'll Need
Black Construction Paper (One Piece)
White Card Stock (One Piece)
White Crayon
Child's Size Scissors
Google Eyes
Brad ... I wish I had a bat brad that would be cool!
One Push Pin
Tape
Bat and Clock Patterns
Laminate or Contact Paper

I printed the bat pattern as a template on white card stock. She cut out the bat template. Alyssa used a white crayon to trace the outside of the pattern onto black construction paper. I love her reaction after she traced the bat and lifted up the template.

Then, my daughter cut out the black bat and added google eyes. I trimmed off the white crayon. Oops ... I just realized we forgot the bat's nose and mouth. We'll add those facial features later.

Next, we laminated the clock pattern and she cut it out. I used the push pin to poke a hole through the clock pattern and bat. We used one brad to attach the clock to the center of the bat. She placed tape over the brad to help keep it in place. Alyssa folded the wings to the center of the clock. The wings can open to reveal the clock and close to hide it from view.

As I read the story aloud, my daughter drew the hands for each time on the clock using blue and red thin Expo markers. The blue marker represented the minute hand and the red indicated the hour hand. We discussed the length of each hand. I reminded her about a little trick I taught her explaining the difference between the two hands. She counted the number of letters in each word. The word "hour" is spelled using only four letters and the word "minute" uses six letters. We compared the lengths of the words. I asked her which word was shorter. She said, "The hour hand." I then asked her which word was longer and her response was "The minute hand." I know it may be hard to believe but this little trick helps her remember which hand is the hour and which is the minute hand.

Bat Clock (Up Close Photo)

I also showed her how to write the time digitally on the white board and with our teaching clock.

I will link this post up at Blogging Through the Alphabet, Montessori Monday, No Time For Flash Cards - Link and Learn, Math Monday Blog Hop, Share It Saturday, Homeschool on the Cheap, Show and Share Saturday, and Learn and Link. Please click on the buttons below for more information about the following Link-Ups. Click on the links above to go directly to the Link-Ups for other ideas or to participate.

Thank you for visiting!

God bless, 
Tracey

100 Bible Verse Challenge in 2013: Week 5

I am going to keep this post short and sweet ... if you can believe that. I came across a very important scripture verse during my Bible study this week. One that spoke out to me so I wanted to share it with you all.

"And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

As many of you know we are attempting to memorize 100 Bible verses this year. We memorize two verses each week. You can read more about this challenge here. We will be extra-diligent this week with our attempts to memorize scripture as a family so that we may hold God's Word even closer to our hearts.

We didn't memorize our verses last week because we had a very rough week with strep and allergies. Alyssa feels a little better today, but she is still sick and seems exhausted. Today, we added two new verses to our list and we will move forward. We will continue learning last week's verses in addition to the new verses. I know that we will eventually memorize them ... when He feels the time is right.

Week 5 Verses

"For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." 
(Romans 10:10)

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV)

I will link this post up at Marcy's Ben and Me blog as part of this group.

Homeschool Mother's Weekly Wrap-Up Journal: Blessings and Prayers

In My Life This Week ...
We finally chose white rock for the outside of the house. The house will have rock on three sides. The first company we ordered from delivered the wrong rock color when we placed our order. We specified NO yellow or orange rock and that is exactly what we received. My husband checked the load before they dumped it. He sent the truck load back and we used a different company for our next order.

Here is a photo of what we thought about using ... I am so glad that we didn't finalize this decision. This rock looked extremely orange when wet and that was not the look we wanted for our home. I think we might have been tired of looking at rock at this point.

Our electricity went out last night and luckily all the food in the freezer and refrigerator was safe and still edible. I was trying to organize bookshelves and files in the dark using a flashlight because I was wired.

The weather was beautiful this week. We had temperatures that ranged between 70-75 degrees if not higher. I swear I saw my car thermometer reach 80 degrees, but I might be mistaken. We are staying warm and enjoying the warm temperatures. I hope that my friends and family in New York are keeping their toes and noses toasty.  

In Our Homeschool This Week ...
This has been an off week for us. School subjects were limited to review products since my daughter was sick (her request). We are still loving Song School Spanish and A+ Tutorsoft Math! We spent the week practicing math skills and learning all aspects of this online math curriculum. Our Lonestar Learning subscription to an awesome problem solving program called "Target the Question" began on Thursday. Alyssa did a whole week's worth of problems already. She can't wait to try next week's problems! We have already been blessed with so many amazing products to review this year. I look forward to an incredible Schoolhouse Review Crew year! I can't wait to post my reviews on these products so please check back at the end of February and beginning of March to hear about some wonderful products.

We will begin art lessons next month. I can't remember the last time we did art class which stinks because my creative daughter LOVES art. So, we have been running around town searching for and gathering art materials from several different stores in preparation to begin our art class in February. We finally found spackling paste and a putty knife at Home Depot!

I pulled out our see and solve manipulative kit from Lakeshore Learning so that Alyssa could practice her single digit addition and subtraction math facts. I believe it is important to continue practicing math facts even if they are mastered. She had other plans and caught my attention when she asked me to solve 25+25. I grabbed my camera because I never expected her practice double digit addition. I did overhear her counting by 5's but I was preoccupied with laundry soap ... it was dripping down the counter. Check out her face as she waits for my response to the question. I responded incorrectly just so I could hear her explanation of how to solve the problem.

Helpful Homeschool Tips or Advice To Share ...
Keep it simple stupid (KISS)! I would be in so much trouble if Alyssa saw me type the word "stupid." We don't like to say that word in our home, but this week that phrase is all I am hearing! Please understand that I am not calling you stupid ... this is directed towards myself. I need to remind myself to KISS every single day - even if it makes my hubby jealous. Hee Hee!

Places We're Going or People We are Seeing ...
This week we traveled into town several times visiting the pediatrician and pharmacist. Alyssa woke up Thursday morning having breathing difficulties. She was out of sorts and seemed dazed and confused. We waited for the doctor's office to call us back and then we drove to the pharmacist to get an allergy inhaler. They gave us nose drops - it was the same meds just a different container. We decided to give them a try. Alyssa immediately threw up after using them. We called the pharmacist and requested the inhaler.  

Alyssa and I stopped by to see the progress on the house. The back porch is looking more complete now. We ate lunch with Jeff and Papa Kenny at Granny D's - a great restaurant with home style cooking and gigantic portions. Alyssa wouldn't eat much at all. I always order the egg and pancake plate. The pancake is the size of a large dinner plate ... and no - I can't finish it. I barely put a dent in it.

She also woke up Friday morning at 3:00 and couldn't breath AGAIN. I made an appointment for her that day. Our daughter was diagnosed with strep and started an antibiotic. She was still not eating or drinking much. Alyssa slept the day away on Friday. Her temperature reached 102.8 that night. We finally got the temperature back to normal on Saturday. She is finally eating food and drinking water.

My daughter had a long conversation with Donna (county commissioner). We sat and talked for several hours during her office hours at the library - just visiting since no one was visiting that day. Alyssa also saw her friend, Pam, at the library and gave her a special Christmas gift. We hadn't seen her in months. She travels around the world and visits her husband in Russia. Alyssa was giddy when she saw her walk in the building.

Our out-of-town plans this week were canceled. We had plans to go to Kerrville, but we didn't want family members to catch strep so we decided to play it safe and stay home. We found out great grandma was sick too so we are waiting until next Sunday to visit them.

Questions and Thoughts I Have ... 

How do I organized Playdough sets? You know ... the ones similar to this. My daughter has accumulated many sets as gifts over the past two years. I currently have most of them stored in tubs. They are so bulky and take up a lot of space but she enjoys using them during her free time. I also love seeing just how creative she can be while exploring the materials.

Thoughts ... so many thoughts running through my head. Last night I couldn't sleep because I had a list of a bazillion things I wanted to do.

My Favorite Thing This Week Was ...

Finding several awesome free Kindle e-books! I love checking Marcy's post titled, "Free Kindle Books for Kids" at Ben and Me. She also has a list of "Kindle Freebies Weekly" that I also frequently check for updates. I also spent a considerable amount of time researching educational iPad apps. Kindle e-books and iPad apps are definitely on my list of favorite items this week.

Alyssa's Favorite Thing This Week Was ...
She was allowed to watch many DVD's this week ... more than usual since she was so sick. Thankfully, she requested her Magic School Bus Complete DVD Series over and over again so at least she was learning different science concepts. This was a last minute Christmas gift that I purchased for her when it was on sale. In fact, I hear that the complete set is currently on sale for 37.99 with FREE shipping. That doesn't beat the deal I found during the holidays, but it is a great price so I would snatch it up soon. It will most likely be available for a limited time. My daughter LOVES the shows! The other night was movie date night with my hubby; she chose the Magic School Bus DVD set to watch in her bedroom as we watched our movie. This is the only date night we are currently having but it helps.

Things I'm Working On ...
I am working on menu planning this month. I made a list our favorite meals in hopes to create a weekly menu soon. Check out my Pinterest Menu Planning Board. Do you have any menu planning pins I should check out? If so leave me your Pinterest url in the comment section so I can visit your boards. My goal would be to eventually have meals planned out for the month. Unfortunately, I noticed that our meals are extremely fattening and this HAS TO change. Yep ... there's my word for the year popping up again! I have been researching healthy meals in hopes to slowly CHANGE our eating habits. I pray that we can get back on track eating the way we used to before packing and the move.

I'm Cooking ...
The aroma of cinnamon apple scents filled the apartment as the Apple Dumplings baked in the oven. I found a simple Apple Dumpling recipe at AllRecipes.com with minimal prep using only a few ingredients. I cut the recipe in half and made a special treat for the family. I used too much sugar by accident. This was truly delicious and a definite recipe keeper! Oh man ... I just realized this recipe calls for soda pop (Mountain Dew ... of all sodas). We haven't ever given Alyssa a can of soda, but I guess she had a few sips in her dessert last night! My husband plans on making the recipe at the fire station for his buddies.

Unfortunately, we ate out A LOT this week because we were running errands and going to doctor appointments. The late nights watching over Alyssa exhausted me - I didn't get much sleep this week because I was constantly worrying over my daughter. I wasn't up to cooking each and every night. Thankfully, my amazing husband stepped up to the plate and grilled several times which eliminated hours in the kitchen.

"Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7 HCSB)

I made bacon yesterday so I heard and smelled bacon sizzling in the pan. I used a couple pieces of bacon to make Alyssa an egg scramble. I am not sure what I will do with all of the leftovers yet. I think I might crumble a piece on my dinner salad tonight. We don't usually eat a lot of bacon so this will be a nice change.

I'm Grateful For ...
My husband's willingness to help with cooking and household chores. I have an absolutely amazing husband! I love him so much!

I am extremely grateful to our real estate agent friend, Valerie, who sold our house and held an unexpected contest this year. We won $500 in gift cards for sending the most referrals her way! At first, we weren't aware that a contest existed. We kept sending people her way because we were so happy with how fast she sold our house and her professionalism. She surprised us one day saying that she was holding a contest and we were in the lead. She never did tell us what the prize would be but we searched high and low for friends selling their homes. You can imagine my shock and excitement when I found that we were going to receive a $500 gift card. Guess what we are getting for school???? You'll have to keep reading to find out.

I'm Praying For ...
I pray that my daughter will recover quickly and her health will be restored. I pray that her newly found allergy symptoms would go away ... I pray that she won't suffer as much or at all. I pray that her strep disappears and that the coughing stops.

I worry for my husband as he works late hours on the house. I pray for his safety as he works on our house alone in the dark. I know that God is watching over him as he works.

We're Still Memorizing ...
Romans 5:8 and Romans 10:9. Visit my Pinterest board to see beautiful scripture posters creating by a fellow crew member (Marcy author of Ben and Me). We didn't spend as much time as we should have memorizing scripture verses this week because of allergy symptoms and the fact that she caught strep, but I am sure we'll catch up quickly after Alyssa starts feeling better. You can read about our scripture memorizing challenge here. We will add new Bible verses to our list tomorrow!

I Have My Eye On ...
A black mini iPad 32 GB is at the top of our list! I know for sure we'll be purchasing one before Valentine's Day because our phone store is having a sale and offering $100 off. What iPad apps do you recommend? I can't wait to share my recommendations with you all soon!

Photo, Video, Link, or Quote ...
I was looking through this year's Christmas photos and I came across this silly photo that I wanted to share with you. I absolutely LOVE this shot! Alyssa saved up her money and shopped at Dollar Tree for a gift for her father. She told me she found the "perfect" gift for him. Please understand ... these two joke around with each other ALL the time. She didn't purchase the "You've Been Naughty Coal" as a mean spirited gift it was more like a prank. She laughed so hard after seeing his reaction to one of her gifts. Then, a couple minutes later she told me how bad she felt. She said she should have bought him a different gift because he works so hard for us. I reminded her that she bought the gift as a joke and that he knows how she truly feels about him.

What did you do this week? 

I will link this post up at iHomeschool Network's Homeschool Mother's Journal.

Homeschool Mother's Weekly Wrap-Up Journal

In My Life This Week ...
Our house is definitely starting to look like a house ... so much progress this week. I haven't updated the photos on my blog yet but here's a sneak peek of an older photo not yet posted. Click on the following link so you can check out my first post about the construction and progress of our house.

We chose and bought five major appliances for the kitchen this week. We picked them out months ago, but we made the final selections and purchases during the "Family and Friends" sale. Our sales person worked wonders for us and we managed to get 40% off sale prices. That's a blessing in itself!

I have been addicted to Pinterest lately. You would think that I would be pinning homeschool and education items as much as I love teaching, but since we are building the house ... my focus has shifted a bit and I have been searching for organization, homeschool room suggestions, and house projects. If you have any great pins please leave a comment with your Pinterest url and I will come check out what you pinned. Thanks a bunch! Wanna check out my Pinterest boards?

In Our Homeschool This Week ...
We are working through our bat unit using Apologia's Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. We have completed a variety of hands-on bat activities. Here are links to just a few of my posts so far including the Echolocation Song and Bat Anatomy. I hope you have time to check them out! I have another post in the works and can't wait to share it with you all this week!

We received two new Schoolhouse Review Crew products this week. We started using Song School Spanish on Tuesday and mid-week we had access to A+ Tutorsoft Interactive First Grade Math Online. My daughter already completed seven lessons in three days. Mark your calendars as a reminder to check my blog at the end of February for my curriculum reviews. I also can't wait because later this week we will begin reviewing another AWESOME math resource. I am so excited about it but you'll have to come back to find out what I'll be reviewing.

Helpful Homeschool Tips or Advice To Share ... 
This is a tip for myself and all other late night owls ... TRY to get some rest. Lately, I feel like I am always tired. It is important to be well rested for the next day. Lack of sleep will have an impact on your attitude and how you tackle problems each day.

Places We're Going or People We're Seeing ...
We went out to the house on Wednesday to show our real estate agent and friend (Valerie) the progress. We saw several of our library friends and the Clinger family. Alyssa enjoyed having a spontaneous playdate with the girls. I enjoyed having some adult conversation which I am desperately lacking these days. Being so far away from my friends has been very difficult the last couple months. We used our Christmas gift cards from my mom and ate a delicious dinner at Olive Garden. Thank you so so much mom - we really appreciated them! My daughter and husband had loads of fun playing laser tag at a birthday party while I stayed home working. I am trying to blog more often and declutter the apartment. I really don't want to move the clutter into the new house. I would like for everything to be more organized so I started several new organization projects.

My Favorite Thing This Week Was ...
Cuddling on the coach reading aloud classic books to my daughter.

Alyssa's Favorite Thing This Week ... 
My daughter found her bear counters this week in a big box full of math manipulatives. The box has been lost for months. She played with the weighted scale and colorful bears for hours one day. I guess she missed them! She asked for them several times on several different occasions wanting time to play with them. I enjoyed watching her explore the manipulatives. She made up addition and multiplication problems, weighed the different-sized bears, created patterns, and told stories.

Things I'm Working On ...
My one word for the year is CHANGE so I am working on several different projects that will help me accomplish this goal. I am trying to spend more time with God. I am working hard at memorizing scripture verses with my family. We are journaling about the many blessings we've received. I am also participating in my first online Bible study. This week my focus has definitely been on building a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I'm Cooking ... 
I made pumpkin pancakes for Alyssa's breakfast and Taco Soup for lunch one day this week. We ate the leftovers for dinner the next day! I think it was better the next day when the spices had time to sit a bit. Click on the link for the Taco Soup Recipe from All Recipes. We are not onion fans so I eliminated the onion, used more taco seasoning, replaced chili beans with pinto beans, added another can of green chili peppers, and added more water over time. We also added one spoonful of sour cream, Colby cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and Fritos to our bowls. It was delicious!!! It tasted like chili! This recipe would be great with homemade cornbread.

I Am Grateful For ... 
I am thankful for nice weather which makes it easier to get further along with the construction of our home. I am grateful for how hard my hubby works to support our family (and know that without God's help nothing would be possible). I am grateful that he is dedicated to his family and willing to do whatever it takes to provide for us and our needs. I am extremely thankful for migraine relief. Shortly after the move, I noticed that my migraines were more frequent and more painful. Last week I had one of the worst migraines ever ... I am grateful for God's mercy and migraine relief this week! I pray that I will not have to suffer from another migraine anytime soon.

I'm Praying for ...
I feel a strong desire to pray for my nieces and nephews living in New York. They live so far away from me. I wish I could be closer to them and see them more often. I have missed out on so much! They are all growing up so fast. I wish I could be part of their lives. I pray for their safety, comfort, and health. I hope that they know that I always think about them.

I Have My Eye On ... 
We have been eyeing a mini iPad for our family. I also have my eye on several educational apps that I would download immediately for homeschool use.

Photo, Video, Link, or Quote ...
My husband took a photograph of the sky while working on the roof at our house.

My Scripture in a Snapshot

Then God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." Evening came, and then morning; the second day. 
(Genesis 1:6-8 HCSB)

I will link up this post at iHomeschool Network's Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-Up, and Scripture and a Snapshot at A glimpse of Our Life.

Thank you for visiting!!! Come back soon!
God bless,
Tracey

100 Bible Verse Challenge in 2013: Week 4

We are memorizing two verses each week based on 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart by Robert J. Morgan. Jeff and I finally memorized the verse that was troubling us from last week's schedule ... you know the ONE that our daughter memorized first. You can read my 100 Bible verse posts here.

Alyssa has been working diligently. She copied her scripture verses from her Kindle app onto index cards and stored them in an old baby photo album. Now, she can review them anytime she feels like it. The index cards were supposed to go in our Scripture Memory System Box, but I guess I will have to write them out myself this time. She continues to learn and show enthusiasm towards the challenge. She gets a bit frustrated when she can't memorize them on the first day. However, I know that she is excited about reciting the verses to her great grandmother and great aunt during our next visit to Kerrville.

On Friday Alyssa and her father drove an hour to a laser tag birthday party - she quizzed her daddy on the way. I believe she is holding him accountable! I have noticed that he is spending more time in the Word lately. She keeps us both on target!

Week Four 
This week's verses are:

"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 ESV)

"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9 ESV)

We are using the English Standard Version or translation, but feel free to use a different translation! Bible Gateway is a popular website used to search for Bible verses and translations.

If you would like to participate in the 100 Bible Verses in 2013 Challenge, then please visit Shanna's blog, Learning at His Feet, for more detailed information. Don't forget to join her private Facebook group ... just ask and she'll add you to the growing list of individuals taking on this challenge. It's never to late to make the commitment! We started the challenge and we haven't looked back.

You can find a great printable or schedule containing ALL the Bible verses from the book at Marcy's Ben and Me blog. She is also pinning her beautiful verse word art posters. Check them out!

 I will be linking this post up at

Bat Echolocation Song

We are working through our bat unit at a much slower pace than intended in the Apologia book, but the pace has slowed down intentionally based on my daughter's interest in the subject. Her attention is captured yet again by one of God's amazing creatures. She was at first infatuated with birds of all types ... with an intense focus on owls and eagles. Her infatuation shifted to this topic immediately after I changed our theme or unit to the world of bats. We dived in the bat unit head first and we keep digging in further and further exploring concepts for more detailed information. This week we also discussed echolocation. You can read my post about bat anatomy here.

Echolocation

The other day I asked Alyssa to explain the term echolocation. She completely shocked me with her explanation of the term using a plastic bat prop and a fake bug. I guess she was paying close attention to my description, the books we read, and the videos we viewed!

I would like to tell you about the following upbeat, educational song I found that was perfect for our bat unit! Have you heard the echolocation song from JumpStart yet? Alyssa requests this song several times throughout the week. We both jump up and start "flying around" or dancing to the beat.

So here it is ... the Echolocation Song found on You Tube and uploaded by JumpStart. Enjoy!!!

I will be sharing more bat resources and ideas later so please visit my blog again soon or follow my blog for post updates. Please feel free to share this post with others. However, I would appreciate it if you would include a link back to this post. Thanks a bunch!

I am a participating and linked up at Apologia's Blog Roll 2012-2013.

God bless,

Tracey

Bat Unit: Anatomy

We have been using Apologia's Exploring Creation Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day by Jeannie Fulbright as our core science curriculum off and on this year. We just started working through Lesson 7 which contains information about bats.

I usually focus on bats during the month of October, but the number of available books and resources were limited that month. The study was postponed until now. I am one that will complete themed units during off or unusual months just so that I can have resources available. So, yes ... we will be discussing bats during the winter months.

We are currently focusing on bat anatomy. I wanted to share a couple anatomy activities we have done so far this week. I have a few more anatomy activities we may try to fit in during this unit. Be sure to click on the links below for the resources.

Anatomy

Bat Nomenclature Cards by Montessori Printshop
I LOVE Montessori Printshop materials! They have a great set of Zoology three-part cards and nomenclature cards that can be used in conjunction with Apologia's elementary curriculum books. If you are currently using Apologia and haven't ever seen Montessori Printshop's materials ... you might want to head on over and view them for yourself. We have been using the nomenclature and three-part cards since my daughter was little and they really do help her learn the parts of animals and their functions. I introduced the parts of a bat to Alyssa using the three-period lesson as described here with minor adaptations. She also matched the labels to the picture the first day and used the photo card with the label as the control cards.

This is (a, the) ______.
She flips the cards over as I tell her the parts.
This post will not describe all the steps in the three-period lesson. Please visit link above. 

Here she is matching the picture card to the labeled control card.

She is matching the labels to the pictures (all cards at once).

She uses the control card to check her answers.
The control card reveals both the picture and the label as one. 

Nomenclature Book by Montessori Printshop
Alyssa quickly cut and assembled the pages of the book. We did not glue the book pages on construction paper or bind them with coil. We stapled the pages in order and then she read the book aloud. The book illustrates and describes each part of the bat.

Nomenclature Card Concentration

We used our Montessori Printshop nomenclature cards and labels to play a game of "Concentration." If she matched the picture of the part with the correct term on the label, then she was allowed to keep the pair of cards. She was not allowed to keep any pair that was incorrectly matched. This was a fun way to learn vocabulary terminology.

Label Bat Parts
I gave her several worksheets with and without word banks included throughout the week so that she could label the parts of a bat. The last worksheet from our Giant Science Resource Book was the easiest using the most basic terminology. If you find really good bat printables you could make this a matching game using velcro. Alyssa also showed me a plastic bat and described in detail the terms using the vocabulary from the Apologia book and nomenclature cards. For example, she showed me where the "patagium" was located on a bat.

PAL Writing

She chose the letter "B" for one of her PAL who/which writing projects this week. She looked at a bat illustration in a library book and copied it. We read the Magic School Bus book titled, The Truth About Bats this week. Alyssa wanted to draw a spotted bat, because Mrs. Frizzle was taking the children on a field trip to see one. However, my daughter didn't realize the bat was black with white spots and not the other way around. She independently wrote and edited her sentence during creative writing time. PAL is a comprehensive language arts curriculum. You can read my PAL review here if you are interested in knowing more. Yes, we also watched the Magic School Bus "Going Batty" DVD from the Complete Series.

Illustrate and Label a Bat

She has been very interested in drawing lately and asked me for directions on how to draw a bat after her PAL writing assignment. I did a quick Google search and found several acceptable resources. I asked her to draw and label a bat for her unit binder cover. She does not like the Halloweenish fangs on the bats so she usually eliminates them from her drawings. Here are three links that include step-by-step directions with illustrations on how to draw bats: How to Draw 200 Animals, Blue Tadpole Studio, and Wikihow.

Do you know of any other free art drawing resources?

Please feel free to share this post with others. However, I would appreciate it if you would include a link back to this post. I hope to share more bat ideas later this week so stay tuned, follow this blog, or pin this post. Thank you!

I will link up at Apologia's Blog Roll and Montessori Monday, and Share it Saturday.


God bless,  Tracey