"Learn Something New...": Ditto

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking around for ways to organize school day with the boys (thinking workbox system) and I came across a YouTube video where a lady was showing her organization. In the video she talks about the curriculum she has for her youngest and when I saw it I was immediately intrigued. It was called Moving Beyond the Page! What intrigued me most is that she said that it was all inclusive. And in her video, she briefly showed what was included in the curriculum.

Well, after watching, I quickly searched to find more videos and blog posts about Moving Beyond the Page and other than their website I couldn't find anything! But I did really enjoy their website. I liked the overview videos/slideshows they provide showing what the curriculum entails. I also liked that a lot of the books were ones we already owned or were easy to find at the library (which I had not found with Sonlight - another curriculum that we use which I also enjoy but after finding Moving Beyond the Page don't know if I will order in the future). So, after seeing that the base price (just for the manuals and manipulatives) was very affordable, I placed an order. How long after seeing the ladies YouTube video did this happen - about 2 hours! And in less than a week, I had the most amazing and gigantic box sitting on my doorstep!

I opened it on a Sunday and my son and I began promptly on Monday. That is how wonderful this curriculum is - almost no prep needed! We have done it each day this week and have been able to include my older son (he's 7 1/2) and they have both thoroughly enjoyed it. Today when I told my oldest that as we go through this curriculum, if he enjoys it, we can talk about purchasing his age curriculum for the next school year...he almost jumped out of his skin. I am just as excited! It is SO hands-on! Something I have been searching for for so long. And it is so well organized and prepared!

After the week began, I realized that since I couldn't find any information on this amazing curriculum I would start taking pictures so that I could blog about our journey and hopefully provide someone else out there with information about this AMAZING curriculum! So, here it goes.

We started with Unit 30 - February Celebrations (since this unit covers Valentine's Day and President's Day, in addition to other subjects) and next week we will begin with Unit 1.

Monday

The first day we read one of the boys' favorite book series The Biggest Valentine Ever and then I asked my 5 year old comprehension questions. He did so well! I really liked this because it made our reading so intentional and it was geared toward his understanding level. I mention this because usually I ask these questions but they are geared toward my oldest. He did really well with this and enjoyed reading the book even though we had read this for the last 3 Valentine's Days (he didn't remember it).

Tuesday

The next day we learned about money and made a money book. I decided to have him use some money stamps I have and after using the magnifying glass to look at each he got to stamp them. He then stapled it and loved it! There was also a little information about George Washington (who he kept confusing with George Washington Carver who we have been studying in my oldest son's school) and Abraham Lincoln. We watching a video that was linked in the manual and I loved it and he loved it! He liked it so much that he wanted to watch it over again. It was a wonderful video with a very memorable song about the presidents.

Wednesday

Wednesday was definitely the highlight of the week (maybe until tomorrow)! We started by listening to the words "I Love You" in different languages (link provided in the manual) and the boys really liked this. They wanted to listen to quite a few (20+) and then we read The Biggest Valentine Ever again. I told them to pay close attention to how the main characters designed their valentines during this read. They enjoyed the second read, of course, and then we headed to the table to get started on the craft. Every single thing we needed for the craft is provided!!!!!! So it was as easy as taking out the labeled bag and beginning.

He LOVED discovering that you can make a heart by folding a paper in half and drawing half a heart.

discovering the heart again (I love his face!)

So excited that his valentine is starting to look like the one in the book!

After this, he decided he wanted to do something different than the instructions in the book (so him - although my older son, who was doing this with us, followed the book instructions exactly).

The finished product!

So proud!

He's giving it to his community preschool teacher. He then wanted to make another one for his other teacher. He worked on this activity for well over 2 hours and then slept with the valentines he made.
We also did a very fun addition activity that was provided in the student workbook. Even after a long day, he enjoyed and surprised me with how well he did.

Thursday

Now today, we learned a little about Black History Month. Read a wonderful book online about Booker T. Washington and watched a very information video about MLK, Jr. (both links were provided in the manual). Then, together, we made this adorable "dream book".

The cloud cutouts were provided and inside he (dictated to me and I wrote) wrote:

I have a dream that the world would never have any bad people.
I have a dream that bad guys would be nice.
I have a dream to give every person (even if they are not poor) a foodless bag.
I have a dream where I loved Mommy and I hugged Mommy!
I have a dream to go to heaven without dying.

And then we made this paper chain doll!

He again was very surprised with the outcome.

He decided to add sticks and do a puppet show (which he wanted me to video - the files to big to upload).

Alright, so to sum things up - I am sooooo excited! Moving Beyond the Page has been SO easy and SO well organized and SO thorough! I have researched (and purchased/used) a lot of curriculum and so far Moving Beyond the Page has moved to the top of my list! I will definitely provide an update in time to see if it continues to impress!

Ditto started off this week wanting to explore the sensory bin. He thoroughly enjoyed it!

While I worked with Munchkin, Ditto worked the the Math-U-See blocks. He doesn't use this exactly as instructed but I kind of like him being able to explore and develop a love/interest for a material. I think it will help when I start using it more appropriately (hopefully it will help).

He was very proud of this "game" he built! He explained what a hard game it was because it was 5 levels (as evidenced by the red 100 blocks).

While I read his Sonlight books, he played with our toy dinosaurs (which were left out from Munchkin's school time).

I then read him a poem about flying squirrels from Eric Carle's Animals Animals. He didn't recall ever seeing a flying squirrel before so I played a youtube video for him.

He then worked in his Developing Learner Book 1 (from Sonlight P3/4 box). He tolerates this for now but definitely doesn't enjoy it. I think when they begin to get more challenging he will like them more.

While I worked more with Munchkin, Ditto played with the dinosaur felt.

Always such a great helper, he helped Munchkin collect dinosaurs to match to skeletons.

A lot of the time, when I need to be able to focus on Munchkin's school (and Ezra's sleep), I'll set Ditto up on Starfall. (I would like to break this habit and just have activities prepared and ready for him to keep him occupied). But until then, he really enjoys it!

While making the chocolate frosting for Ezra's birthday cake, Ditto really enjoyed licking the bowl, and the spatula, and the whisk.

Catching up on his Developing Learner Book 1.

He is always so meticulous with his work. And despite starting off reluctant, by the end he was really proud of himself! (As he should be.)

I read him a story about a deer mouse (which I googled to show him a picture - he liked it) outsmarting a greedy baker (don't have the book in front of me and can't remember the title) and during the part of the story where mouse deer drops the coins on the floor and they chime, I dropped coins from his piggie bank into a bucket. He enjoyed this so much that he spent a great deal of time (totaling about an hour) dropping in one coin at a time and enjoying the sound.

His nursery rhyme was Little Miss Muffet and we played a game where I put 6 picture cards in a bucket, had him pull one out and replace the "spider" with whatever animal he chose.