Graceful Growing

Wednesday

2012-01-11T12:17:00.002-06:00

Today is rainy and "ick". But we got up and out of the house nice and early and headed to the library. The kids did this week's scavenger hunt which lead them to ten clues. Each of them filled in the ten blanks on their sheet, thus completing a poem entitled "Martin Luther King Jr" by Eileen Spinelli (and this was very exciting because it was Lil Man's first time completing the questions and not just finding them!). They learned about the dream of MLK, Jr. and how they can use their hands and words for love or hate, peace or war -- and how they alone can choose. It was a great day!

He had a dream.

He understood the sturdy grace of brotherhood.

He had a dream

the simply joy would bless each boy and girl.

He shared his dream.

His wise words shone: "Join together; We cannot walk alone."

He had a dream

all hearts can sing:

"This is our hope...let freedom ring!"

(Martin Luther King Jr., by Eileen Spinelli)

Princess:

Reading: Library story time (3 books on MLK)
Social Studies: the life and dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bible: CBS, Acts 8, reading from The Illustrated Bible
History: SOTW, read along with audio CD (intro)

Lil Man:

Reading: Library story time (3 books on MLK)
Social Studies: the life and dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.
History: SOTW, listen to audio CD (intro)

Tuesday

2012-01-10T16:08:00.004-06:00

Princess:

Science: Astronomy reading and review
Math: working on mastery of all addition facts; watched MUS Lessons 1-7 to help review
Bible: CBS (1 Peter) and Acts 7
Reading: Little House on the Prairie (ch 22), finished Ballet Fairy Tales and 3 other books

Lil Man:

Math: working on mastery; MUS Lesson review 1-7
Reading: read aloud with Mommy
Bible: Acts 7

Monday

2012-01-09T09:27:00.001-06:00

It's the start of a new week, nice and fresh and ready for us to leave our mark on it. Each week I tend to set a goal in my head and in my heart - it's like a mini snapshot of how I want our lives to look for the week. Sometimes that image gets blown away by the winds of life; other times it sets our course and provides our focus. The difference? Usually the first are the plans I make on my own and the latter are the ones I've reached after prayer and Bible study.

Our focus this week is going to be on togetherness.

One of the main reasons we homeschool is to disciple our children. I have no doubt that we could enroll them in a fantastic school that would provide them with fabulous academic resources if we were so inclined. But God has spoken to our hearts that that is not where our family belongs. Our children belong at home, with their parents, learning about so much more than just math, reading, science, and history. We want to develop their world views here at home where we can saturate them with Truth ... not try to correct them after they have been distorted elsewhere.

But the most precious gift in this homeschooling journey is that we get to be together each day. We get to love, grow, learn, and live together. And this week I am changing my own personal schedule to allow me more interactive time with my children. This morning I woke up and while the rest of the house was asleep, Lil Bit and I played dinosaurs. He'll be one in just three weeks; I can't believe it! It never ceases to tickle me when he grabs one of his big brother's dinosaurs and lets out a mighty "ROAR!" We had so much fun.

For breakfast we ate the granola Lil Man and I baked together on top of yogurt. Then Lil Man read me the book "Toot Toot" about the Israelites and the wall of Jericho. Next we'll read together before heading out to run some errands. Then come back for the second half of our school day. And we're doing it all together.

Princess

Reading: Little House on the Prairie (starting ch 21)
Science:Astronomy Journal Fun Facts Page (she found it cool that people once thought the sun and moon revolved around the earth) and Crossword Puzzle; also reviewed chapter 1 of text by reading some of it herself
Bible: Acts 6-7
Economics: Learned a little about the value of money and introduced the concept of tax

Lil Man

Reading: read aloud Toot Toot (very well!)
Science: Filled in Astronomy Journal fun facts page -- he thought it was neat that there have always been 9 accepted planets in our solar system until recently (and I think it's really neat that he remembered that from a week ago!) and also did the Crossword puzzle with minimal assistance
Bibe: Acts 6-7

Saturday

2012-01-07T20:29:00.001-06:00

We had a fun day today. Uncle Dan and his fiance Paula got engagement photos done with Mommy, so the kiddos got to play with Paula's two daughters. Daddy and Uncle Dan also modified the shelves in the laundry room and put the upright freezer in there. Princess and Lil Man enjoyed doing art projects in the afternoon and the Princess put on her ballet shoes and danced to a fabulous new CD by Tenth Avenue North. Tonight was family movie night and we watched "How to Train Your Dragon" and ate finger foods. Daddy and his Princess danced together beautifully, he wrestled with Lil Man, and he made Lil Bit fly. I love these family times so very, very much! And my heart is bursting with love right now ... and also with anticipation for the rest of our children to be here with us for these wonderful times together having fun and growing in God.

Princess

Acts 5 narration: "Ananias and Sapphira were dead because they had lied and it was a punishment. Then the priests and the Sanhedrin told them to stop preaching the name of Jesus Christ and the apostles were persecuted; they were put in jail. But an angel of the Lord came in and opened the doors to the jail. A man came running into the room and told them Peter and John were preaching in the Temple courts. They went house to house with their message and proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ."

Lil Man

Read aloud Psalm 121 to us all before bed (twice!) and narrated: "He is saying his help is from the Lord; the Lord helps him. God is the one who makes the heaven and the earth. God keeps you away from harm and He makes you not slip. He is your shade; He protects you from shadows or people that are strangers or from the devil or like -- He protects you from that. He watches over you when you're coming or when you're going."

Friday

2012-01-06T19:59:00.024-06:00

Today was a "this and that" kind of day. We got a late start after a very long Thursday. Daddy was going to be getting home earlier than usual so we ran all of our errands in the morning. We came home after a nice long trip to the grocery store and promptly went outside to get some exercise and Vitamin D in the beautiful weather! We also did "van schooling" and "store schooling" -- going over spelling and math review while we were out so that we could still get our reviews in. The kids helped keep track of how much our groceries came to and helped me figure out costs per pound on meat and veggies, too! We had a fun afternoon at the park

Princess

Bible: Acts 4 read
Acts 4 Narration: "John and Peter went to the court and told the Sanhedrin things and then prayed and then said more. People put money at the apostles feet from selling their houses and stuff so that the apostles could give it to the people in the church who had needs."
PE: bike riding, practicing ballet forms, trampoline, nature walk around the lake with Daddy
Reading: Little House on the Prairie (through ch 18)

Lil Man

Bible: Acts 4 read
PE: Outside play, bike riding, nature walk around lake with Daddy

Thursday

2012-01-05T08:15:00.007-06:00

Today was our first week back at Community Bible Study. CBS has turned out to be one of our favorite things about living where we do; we are a part of an awesome group of families! Both kids had class for 2 hours today (as they do every week). Princess has a study session while I am in leadership; Lil Man's class just plays together - which is awesome for him!

Princess

Bible: CBS, Acts 3
Handwriting Practice
Spelling
Reading: Little House on the Prairie (ch 18)
Acts 3 Narration: "Peter and John went to the Temple. As they were going, they saw a beggar man. And he begged them for money. But Peter said, 'I have no money. But in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Stand Up! And walk.' And the beggar man went to the Temple with John and Peter and Peter told the people, 'Why do you stare at us? You killed the Son of God. The Son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For we have not healed this man; Jesus Christ of Nazareth has." (and she did this narration the next morning ... what a memory!)

Lil Man

CBS
Acts 3

Mommy

I learned a few things today, too, that I want to remember. I saw in action how truly beautiful it is when people love each other and pray for one another; there is nothing quite so precious as love at work.
I had a moment where God showed me how fleeting this time is with my children and how I should not take it for granted ... no matter how mundane, each minute is precious. It's not about balancing being a mom with "me time" or keeping a schedule; it's about giving my all to this life God has entrusted me with.
And I enjoyed a date out with the Hubby and another couple and was reminded that I just don't laugh enough; life is too short not to laugh often.

Wednesday

2012-01-04T14:29:00.000-06:00

Today is library day, so we got up and got moving nice and early. We packed up our library books, got dressed, and headed out the door. About half way there, our van started to make a loud hissing noise and so we ended up taking "Penelope" (the van) to the doctors (aka our friend and awesome mechanic, James Michael) instead. While there, a man waiting for his vehicle made it a point to come up to me and compliment me on the awesome behavior and manners of my children; so blessed to be their momma!

We were blessed to be rescued by Miss Kristi and brought home ... where we were stuck outside because the house key was in Penelope. The car ride home was interesting because Lil Man expressed his displeasure at having to do school and to obey Mommy -- and Miss Kristi explained to him that part of being an adult was doing things we don't always want to do. It made an impression on him and he's brought it up several times today. While we waited for Daddy to go on his lunch break (and come let us into the house!) we enjoyed riding scooters, walking the neighborhood, and scouting out bird and squirrel nests.

Princess:

Read Acts 2 and narrate: "Peter told the people about Jesus being nailed on a cross and how God saved Him from the dead. Three thousand people were saved and Peter baptized them. Peter told them what David said and they were talking about it."
Science, text pp. 5-8, colored picture of solar system. (Reviewed definitions and learned about solar system, gravity, gravitational pull, names of 9 planets, Copernicus, Galileo, and NASA).
Reading: Little House on the Prairie
PE: Nature Walk (observing animal life in creek and trees, habitats for various animals), outdoor play, scooter and bike riding, trampoline

Lil Man:

Read Acts 2 (actually read v. 17-21 aloud and discussed meaning of word "prophesy")
Science, text pp. 5-8, colored picture of solar system. (Reviewed definitions and learned about solar system, gravity, gravitational pull, names of 9 planets, Copernicus, Galileo, and NASA)
PE: Nature Walk (observing animal life in creek and trees, habitats for various animals), outdoor play, scooter and bike riding, trampoline

Tuesday

2012-01-03T09:31:00.003-06:00

We started out this morning reading Acts 1. We are going to reap one chapter every day and finish the book this month ... so exciting for the kids to think about reading an entire book of the Bible before February! Each day, I'm going to ask the Princess to narrate a sentence or few for me about our devotion and record it here.

Princess: Jesus went up to heaven and then Matthew, Luke, John, Peter, and the others prayed. When the disciples prayed and when they heard about what happened to Judas, they looked for a new disciple and it was Matthias.

We also started learning the books of the New Testament, using a song I learned back in 2nd or 3rd grade. Today we got down "The first 4 books that come along are Matthew, Mark, and Luke and John. Then come Acts and Romans, too - yes, the first 6 books are easy to do!"

Princess:

Bible: CBS; Read Acts 1; Memorize 1st 6 books of New Testament
Reading: Little House on the Prairie, ch 11-15 and Fairy Tales Ballet
Science: reviewed all definitions from yesterday (knew verbatim! constellation, universe, astronomy, astronomer)
Math: reviewed last semester's math and took several unit tests; completed (with 100%) unit tests 1-8 in MUS Alpha

Lil Man:

Bible: Read along with Acts 1; Memorize 1st 6 books of New Testament
Reading: part of 3 Hens & a Peacock (new word: eventually)
Science: reviewed yesterday; knew most definitions and was able to repeat back several pieces of trivia (knew 3 out of 4 definitions verbatim!)
Spelling: spelling bee drills
Math: math review (oral addition)

Monday

2012-01-02T11:41:00.001-06:00

Today is the first school day in 2012. Today is also a big day because Lil Man is moving into 1st grade. Really, he was pretty close to ready for it at the start of the year, but I wanted him to get better at writing and some other basics. Now, he's schooling right alongside the Princess in math, science, history, and grammar. We do Bible as a family, regardless of age level (even Lil Bit participates). Princess loves it, but Lil Man is a little hesitant to embrace challenging tasks. She was like that last year, so I try to make it enjoyable for him and do little bits at a time. The Princess is very eager to perfect her existing skills, but very much enjoys learning anything new so it is always a delight to work with them. For our daily read aloud time, we'll be finishing Jotham's Journey this week since we did not finish it before Christmas.

Princess

Science: reading pp 2-5 and notebooking pp 10,14. Learned definitions of astronomy, astronomer, universe, constellation.
CBS:daily work
Reading: Little House on the Prairie (ch 10)
Grammar: Common and proper nouns
English: Narration and story details from The Fox & The Hare
Today was a little challenging because everyone is winding down from the holidays, but she embraced the new assignments and did very well. She is especially excited about Math and is ready for more, but seems to get tied up when we move on so we are going back to the very beginning, starting over, and just moving forward more quickly than we would if it were our first go round.

Lil Man

Reading: Matthew 26:17-30 (he wanted to read about Communion after church yesterday)
Science: reading pp 2-5 and notebooking pp 10,14. Learned definitions of astronomy, astronomer, universe, constellation.
Grammar: Common and proper noun exercises
English: The Fox and The Hare fable; practiced oral narration of the story
Handwriting remains his biggest challenge and I really don't enjoy making him practice, but we are only requiring three lines a day. Today he wrote Psalm 19:1 for science. I am writing any other narrations that are needed for him because above all I want him to enjoy learning and I know that he will be just like his sister and get there in his own time. He did great picking up the details of my reading aloud when his hands were busy coloring, so we will continue to allow him to stay busy while he listens.

2011-2012 Curriculum Choices

2011-09-02T13:27:00.002-05:00

Science

Math

Math U See Alpha
Math U See manipulatives

History

Grammar

First Language Lessons (for the Well Trained Mind)

Bible

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