Year 8, Week 7: History, Flu Shots and a Mom Jar

     If I thought last week was a blur, this week was a blink!  Between an orthodontist appointment, flu shots, audition prep and recordings (back to that in a bit), lessons and discussions going longer than expected and making phone calls for even more appointments...it seems Friday arrived sooner than I wanted it to.  Typically, I start writing on Tuesdays, a bit of brainstorming but I'm writing this on Friday night struggling to get the words out because my brain is trying to hit the pause button on everything.

Friday!

      The flu shots are what threw my schedule off.  I wanted to time the flu shots and audition just right.  I usually don't get flu shots for the kids.  I'm not an anti-vaxxer but I also don't just automatically let my kids get every vaccine available to them.  I used to work at a hospital with a doctor and team who were doing clinical trials on a vaccine for Hep-C.  I am...informed.  Where ever you stand on vaccines is your business.  You do you, Boo.  I'm more in the "let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food" camp while utilizing vaccines that are tried and true, which is why we lean Paleo a majority of the time and I make sure I know EXACTLY what shots my kids are getting.  During cold/flu season I have them on a regimen of elderberry, probiotics, vitamin c and bone broth.  I did it for them two weeks before and even during our summer trip.  I much prefer to pay the farmer instead of the pharmacy!

     Anyway, because of this current crazy Covid season I figured the kids could use the extra help, so I called the doctor to schedule an appointment.  I decided to bring them after recording Little Toughie's audition. The couple of times they've gotten the flu shot they would run a mild fever and feel lethargic afterwards.  Not a great condition to be in when trying to sing and have stage presence via a phone recording!  Mind you, all week I had been working with my daughter to find the right place to record this audition.  We had to figure out a spot that would provide the best lighting AND wouldn't pick up any other noise (i.e. dog barking, phone ringing, airplanes overhead.)  We tried outside at different times and while the lighting was great, the noise not so much.  At this point, when I made the call to the doctor, we still hadn't found the prime indoor location for this audition.  At first the medical staff said next week was fine and we were set for Tuesday but I immediately received a call back asking if I could bring them in that afternoon.  I could sense a little urgency in her voice....perhaps they were already booked to capacity on Tuesday?  Perhaps she had a feeling they may run out of the vaccine by then?  Either way, I went ahead and scheduled it for that day and then had to scramble to get the audition done.  I was hoping to have them get their shots AFTER the audition just in case they had a reaction.  In the end everything, thank God, went well.  We found the top spot, only had to do two takes (I spent more time setting up my phone and tripod), saved it everywhere so that I could upload it when we got back from the doctor and then got their shots.  It's all history now.

     Speaking of history (did you like that segue?) if I had to name my top three subjects in our homeschool (Bible aside...because that's a lifetime thing) it would be read-aloud, writing and history.  It's reading other people's writings!  You know what I mean.  Plus, when reading history you can see the failings of civilizations, of countries, of leaders, of governments...of men.  Often, after reading our history lesson, I ask the kids what they would have done differently.  I ask them what was the root of that historic decision and most of the time it's greed...greed for power, greed for money, greed for fame.  But even deeper than that is the root of self...at our core we are all sinners, wanting to serve ourselves.  Don't believe me?  Picture a two year old, maybe even three, who took a bite out of one of the cupcakes on the table.  Mom asks the child, whose mouth is smothered with frosting, whether or not they ate a cupcake.  We've seen the videos...that kid says no even though it's evident they did.  Now, did that parent hold their child and stare lovingly into his/her eyes and say, "I can't wait to teach you how to lie!  It's going to be marvelous...your first lie.  Just you wait."  NO!  That child innately knew how to lie.

     Okay, apparently, I'm in a mood.  Like I said, Friday got here quick and for someone whose brain keeps trying to hit pause, apparently there's another part of it trying to say EVERYTHING.  I'll have to come back to that 👆 some other time.

     Back to history...even in the midst of those failings you see conquerors, heroes; the humility in serving, the power of giving, the peace of a kind word, and at the root of all that is LOVE.  It's rare to see that now.  If love were our driving force right now things would look and feel different, no matter the political party or who is president or whether not we should be wearing a mask.  If....IF love... unconditional, pure love were our driving force we wouldn't be where we are right now.  But we live in a society where everyone has to one-up the other, get the last word in, prove that they are right by attacking others, and of course greed.  The same kind of greed the kids and I have studied in history still present today.  We're so full of self that there is no room for obedience to God, there is no room to learn how Jesus conquered death out of His great love for US...sinners.  Every.  Single.  One.  (Romans 3:23) 

     How would our history look if right now, right at this moment, instead of being bull-headed we all chose to be a blessing?

Year 8, Week 6: Avast ye, it's Math!

     This week was a bit busier than usual.  We had a lot going on, some of it was preparation for a few things that aren't normally on our schedule.  Luckily, I've padded our schedule to accommodate for such times. This week a lot of my time was spent helping my son with reading comprehension.  With his syndrome it's hard for him to see the answer when it's not obvious.  Last year when I used Wordly Wise with him a lot of the answers in the readings were direct but this year not so much.  I know this is because when he was in the special day class of his public school most all of the reading and comprehension lessons were laid out so that the answers could be easily found.  This was part of the reason we decided to homeschool him; he wasn't prepared for the junior high work requiring him to make inferences when necessary, even with all the support they were providing.  I find myself spending more time with him, getting him to re-read a lot of the short paragraphs and teaching him how to draw conclusions.  He's making progress slowly but surely, but that's one of the benefits of homeschooling.  I can take my time and make sure there's a real understanding and not just "check, that's done" and move on.  That was just a part of my busy week.  I can't even remember all the details, it was such speedy blur!

     Last week I wrote about my favorite subject.  This week, well...let me be honest, it's my least favorite, sort of.  Really, I'm just lazy when it comes to math.  I love words.  I love art and creativity.  I love history.  The only math I like is when I'm measuring ingredients for a cake I'm baking.  I like math when working with our budget.  I'm good at it, it's just low on my list!  This is where The Principal comes in.  He is the Math Whiz.  I call him my "Walking Calculator".  I don't even need to pull out my phone!

     We've used Singapore Math with Little Toughie from the very beginning.  It's my understanding that the Common Core Math you see these days was supposed to be a version of Singapore Math (but gone wrong).  I can tell you that my daughter, having used Singapore, can do most of the math in her head, much like her dad.  So, when I'm baking and I need a fraction multiplied or divided and The Principal isn't around, guess who I'm asking?  Little Toughie!

Little Toughie doing math on my lap!

     It's a little different with my son.  When I first started homeschooling him I wasn't sure what math to use.  I signed him up for CTC Math, an online program which he and I actually enjoyed.  However, at the time, he'd get distracted being on the computer and I couldn't tell how he was doing (it was a fairly new program that has since been updated and is much user friendly now.)  I eventually settled on Teaching Textbooks (which originally was a computer CD program, but I think they're moving to an online platform too.)  It came with the textbook and workbook, so at first he would listen to/watch the lesson in the program and then I'd have him do the work directly in the workbook to limit his time on the computer.  At some point, he was able to get the computer distraction under control (sort of) and that's when I let him do all his work using the the CDs.  This year I wanted to focus more on math for life skills so I purchased a Life of Fred Financial Choices book.  He's also finishing up his last Pre-Algebra Teaching Textbooks program, which I decided he could take as long as he needed to complete.  Progress!

     There are A LOT of math products out there.  I know a few parents whose kids couldn't work with Singapore Math or Teaching Textbooks.  If you're new to homeschooling, try to figure out how best your child learns first. Do they lean more toward auditory learning?  Are they more visual or hands-on?  That could help you narrow it down to math curricula such as Math-U-See or Life of Fred.  It will take some trial and error to figure out what is best, but it's better than having your child get frustrated (or you!)  I sometimes turn to Cathy Duffy for reviews to help narrow my decision.

     On that note, have a great day and don't forget to talk like a pirate!

Year 8, Week 5: Read Aloud and a Couple of Favorites

     I just realized in my last post I forgot to share how our week went so I'll start this post with that before I dive into what's probably my FAVORITE homeschool subject:  Read Aloud!  But first, our week.  This one was pretty busy for all of us.  With Labor Day behind us, our complete schedule is back in full swing.  I'm doing an online Bible study with my dear, dear friend HP (If you're reading this, I love and miss you!)  The Principal, who's working from home most days, had plenty of meetings to keep him occupied.  Our church's life groups started and my husband and I lead one of them in the evening (They usually meet in person but for now it's via Zoom.)  Little Toughie is prepping for an audition and A380 is fine tuning his comparison essays for me.  The dog, well...she's begging for a treat every 15 minutes.

     Let's get to my absolute favorite subject in our schedule and one we've done from the very beginning:  Read Aloud.  I read A LOT of books on my own but if I were to add the books I read aloud, my list of completed titles would be even longer!  During our homeschool day I read aloud our Bible and history (I enjoy those readings too.)  On the weeknights that we don't have group meetings I'm reading aloud to The Principal and the kids. I give myself a break on the weekends lest I lose my voice, which has happened.  I've read YWAM Christian Hero books, I've read historical fiction books, I've read biographies, I've read fiction and the classics.  This is cherished quality time for me; family time that we won't always have.  We get to hear stories of courage and love, of loss and strength.  Stories that make us laugh and think, stories that get us talking and sharing; stories that sometimes bring tears to our eyes and stories that move us so deeply that we can only sit with it in silence.  Oh, yeah...that's happened.

     There are other benefits too!  From a post shared by Read Aloud Revival (Also known as RAR who I discovered a few years ago):

What are the benefits of reading aloud to kids who can read already?

The center for Teaching at the University of Iowa lists both evidence-based and anecdotal benefits of reading aloud. Let’s focus today on five of those benefits.

Reading aloud…

Develops Bigger Picture Perspective and Empathy

Improves Academic Performance, Vocabulary, and Information Processing Skills

Models Fluency and Expression

Builds Community

Slows Down and Enriches Time

     As a bookworm it was natural for me to read aloud to the kids but to be able to continue to do so even though they can read on their own, has been a blessing.  Right now, I'm reading The Trojan War.  I finished reading The Golden Goblet last week.  My favorite book is Unbroken and in the spring I got to read YWAM's version of it.  Roughly every 4-6 weeks I'm reaching for a new book to read to them.  I delight in hearing them ask me to continue reading or when I get a, "Whaaaaaa?" when I finish up on a cliff hanger moment.

     Of all the books I've read aloud, to this day, my favorite is:

It's such a fun story and once you start reading it aloud you might find yourself really getting into it and giving each character a certain voice, which is another fun aspect of reading aloud.  I would love to read this aloud to someone again!  Any volunteers?

     I encourage you to read the post from Read Aloud Revival or if you prefer listen to the podcast also on that link.  How I choose our books vary.  Sometimes our books tie into what we're reading in history.  Other times the books are related to a certain geographical area we're focusing on.  Still others are Christian Hero books that focus on a certain character trait and the power of Jesus in the lives of those that serve Him.  In the case of The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, it just sounded fun!  Currently, our book selections are from Sonlight.  If you're looking for a book RAR has a page with recommendations to help you get started.  There are a lot of lists out there so of course use discernment when selecting a book, but RAR is a good place to start.  So, pick one and get reading...aloud!

Year 8, Week 4: Bible

     Another week in the books!  Literally.  Sonlight is a literature based curriculum so we have A LOT of books.  I don't mind, though.  I love reading!  Sonlight is what we're using for our Bible, History, Science and Geography.  Today, I'm going to focus on our Bible studies.  We always start our day with our Bible readings/study and prayer.  It's an important part of our day; it's THE most important part of our day and I make a point to remind my kids to start their day with God.

My well-worn Bible

     In the past we've used Long Story Short:  10 Short Devotionals to Draw Your Family to God and Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God.  While both books are family devotionals I decided to use them as our studies because the kids were still young when we started them and they had a lot of great questions to draw them out.  It opened plenty of great conversations as well.  It took us a little over 4 years for us to finish both books; we started Long Story Short in 2016 and made a point to only use it during the school year (we did something else during the summer breaks).  We completed Old Story New toward the end of 2019.  In January 2020 I purchased a devotional suited for each child and decided that our Bible studies would be based on our personal readings from the devotionals; sharing what we read and how it applied to our lives. 

     Now, with the new school year under way, we're using what Sonlight suggests which begins with reading Mark along with a smaller "field guide to the Bible" of sorts.  I say suggests because while it's in the schedule I don't necessarily have to follow it.  Frankly, I may change it up.  Both devotionals above were so thorough in drawing the kids out and helping them make connections that currently they seem a little...bored.  We've done an inductive study of Matthew and our church did the same through the book of Luke over the course the past year and a half.  So, I can see where reading Mark with very little discussion can seem monotonous.

     Recently, I happened upon a short video that touched on the failings of some youth ministries and it convinced me to take this opportunity of homeschooling to also instruct them on how to study their Bible.  Perhaps an exegetical study of Acts?  Or a shorter book since this is their first time doing it?

     I don't want to overwhelm them but I do want them to do more than just read the Bible.  Of course I want them to live it out as well, but they can't do that unless they know it well.  I want them to be equipped. to fully put on the armor of God.  And...I think I just answered my own questions.  I think a study of Ephesians 6:10-18 is what I'm looking for!  It's amazing how God works.  I'm sitting here typing this and when I typed the word equipped, God brought me to that scripture.

     I'll take some time over this holiday weekend to see how I can approach this, but as I sit here finishing up, I'm getting excited at the prospect of digging into the whys and hows of Ephesians 6:10-18.  Woohoo!

     Have a safe holiday weekend!