homeschooling wrap-up: january and most of february!

*this will be my very last post on thegdkitchen :(

but please go check out and follow along on our adventures on our travel blog, dclandromomania!*

since we are leaving the country in (literally) less than a week, we had to wrap up homeschooling early this year!

we will take a few supplies down to south america with us, see here, but i wanted to finish a few things like the letter of the week crafts and etc.
so, here's our final wrap-up till *gasp!* kindergarten (and 3 year old) next year!

learning about "octo" for mv and counting practice for jack



a little geometry snowflake lesson :)



okay, so this wasn't really in school, but we always practice our letters and now, sounding out words!

mv has come leaps and bounds in the past 2 months with sounding out his words.  literally, he can follow along in a book now and we catch him reading his beginner books all the time!

jack looking through his letter book



and practicing!



we added some new shapes this month for mv



and practiced color matching and fine motor skills for jack



we made homemade window clings for january



and shredded coconut polar bears!

always tracing



play doh mats to practice those numbers



sounded out those colors and wrote them out!

a little salt painting

trying to get into the spirit of winter with snowmen footprints...but it was actually in the 70s that day :/



q-tip lettering



Q for Quail



play-doh center while mama paints and drinks her tea ;)

 

we learn a different Bible story each week and we started off with Jonah and the Big Fish...

this is one of our favorite books, Jonah, and we recreated the big fish scene!

the boys did the background and the schools of fish all by themselves and i did the big fish...

beginning letter game

color resist snowflake paintings



Noah's Ark



and Daniel in the Lion's Den!



counting sticks



Creation



heart stamping for Valentine's week!



everytime we do our end of month pictures, i let the boys put all their artwork on the staircase wall...what an impressive year!



a great couple of months and can't wait for next year!

breakfast chex mix

Pinterest wins again.
I saw this picture, pinned it, didn't have time to read the actual instructions, and therefore created my own version!
We try to eat our meals at home, and all together, but like every other American family, we sometimes have to eat on the go.
This is perfect and healthy for an early morning.
And your kids will love it!

Breakfast Chex Mix
Makes about 9 cups.
Adapted from Pinterest.
2 cups corn chex
2 cups rice chex
2 cups wheat chex
1 cup cheerios
1 cup mixed nuts, plain
1 cup dried mixed fruit, like bananas, raisins, and cherries
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey, or to taste, warmed

Preheat your oven to 300*F.
Toss all ingredients, except dried fruit, in a large bowl and spread on rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once, until dried and crisp.
Remove from oven and let cool.  Toss in dried fruit and enjoy!
Store in a sealed storage container for a week or so or pack into snack packs to enjoy on the go.

cauliflower chowder

this is delicious.
warm and comforting and less fat than traditional chowders!
it's super creamy without the addition of cream and sneaks in veggies to even the pickiest eaters!

Cauliflower Chowder
Serves 4-6.
4 slices bacon, diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup 2% milk
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower are tender, about 12-15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove bay leaf and puree in batches in a blender, using care.  If the chowder is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
Serve immediately, garnished with bacon, cheese, and parsley, if desired.

bubbles!

well, we are having quite the winter here in texas.
it's so, so warm!
it's been in the 60's and even 70's all week and my parents decided to surprise the boys with an afternoon of giant bubbles!
they were so beautiful and needless to say, the boys had a blast!

 

a great afternoon!