Kindergarten, Week 36; FINITO!

     We are done!  I don't even know where to begin to write, which is why although our official last day of school was May 1, it is a week later that I am beginning to summarize our last week.  Plus, in the middle of writing this my daughter stopped me to work on telling time.  (The learning never stops!)

     Our last week brought us to Revelations in the Bible.  What a fantastic way to end our school year; with the image of God's Kingdom yet to come!  I constantly see God at work in my daughter and am thankful that He has plans for her that will bring glory to Him.

     We also finished The Hundred Dresses.  I don't know if I was emotional because everything was coming to a close, or if the ending of the book really touched me, but I teared up!  My Little Toughie had to console me as I explained the significance of the ending.  It's a book I definitely recommend reading to little ones and keeping around for them to read to themselves later on.

     As a way of acknowledging the end of our school year (Although I will continue to do a little homeschooling during this 2 month hiatus; she wants to start again in July.) we had a little celebration luncheon.  We were in attendance along with my step-daughter, her fiancee and kids.  There, The Principal handed her certificates of completion by Sonlight.  She also recited "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer from memory.  It's a beautiful poem!  It was a wonderful gathering and a great way to end her school year.

     So, what did she learn this year?  Between Classical Conversations and Sonlight my Little Toughie learned:

• 24 history sentences covering topics from Charlemagne to the present
• 161 events and people in chronological order
• 44 presidents
• Over 100 locations around Europe and Asia, including mountain ranges and rivers
• 24 science facts, even the laws of thermodynamics (at 6 years old...what?!)
• English grammar facts, including memorizing a list of pronouns from objective to indefinite
• Multiplication tables up to 15x15 and laws of addition and multiplication
• Latin Verb endings of the first conjugation

     She also:

• Read the Bible from Old to New Testament
• Read biographies of 30 different missionaries who spread the Gospel throughout the world
• Did 12 science experiments
• Learned about the orchestra
• Studied 6 Great Artists and completed corresponding projects
• Read over 40 books to herself
• Listened to me read (I don't know how many) books aloud
• Completed over 400 math worksheets
• Did 25 oral presentation, one of which was the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer, which she memorized and recited.

     Those were just the things I could pull from our resources and could remember.  There were many discussions that came forth from our homeschool days; deep conversations that could only happen because I homeschool her and we can take as much time we need.  These were lessons that weren't planned but were taught and I know God had His hand on those particular moments.

     Which leads me to what I learned this first homeschool year.  I learned that a homeschool day doesn't always go as planned, but it's okay.  That could be anyone's day, but I was able to work through it with my daughter and teach her how to handle the curve balls life can sometimes throw.

     I got to spend real quality time with my daughter during what we termed her Kindergarten year.  I'm blessed to be able to do that.  We are blessed to be able to do that.  Not many parents are, and I thank God every day for blessing us with the provisions to make it happen.

     I learned what kind of books my daughter likes and am glad that because our reading list varied, her taste in books does as well.  I learned her favorite subjects (all of them for now).  I learned to not worry so much about whether or not she would "get it" because in the end, she did.  Homeschooling allows me to take it at her pace, not anyone else's.  It allows me to teach her a love of learning and that it can be fun at any age.

     I learned to prioritize better, in all aspects of my life.  Not that I was ever bad at that but I was able to narrow down what I deemed important to our family and our relationship with Jesus.  I let everything else go.

     I learned how to create my own curriculum, which I will share with you when our school year begins!

     Ultimately, what was pressed upon my heart during this first year of homeschooling is that God is at work and has plans for my kids.  Great and wonderful plans!  Academics aside, I've been entrusted with raising lovers of Christ; future apostles to spread His Word and shine His light; to be living testimonies of how much God loves us.

     There is no greater lesson.

Kindergarten, Weeks 27 and 28

     Oh, yes I did indeed miss posting last week.  I've been busy reviewing different curriculum lessons as well as planning my daughter's (and possibly son's) curriculum.  My days are filled with homeschooling, homework and after school activities, housework and dinner, and my evenings have been filled with pouring over books and resources for curriculum planning.  I want to have it done before the homeschool conventions season begins so that when we go I know exactly what to look for.

     I'm also currently reading The Well-Trained Mind and taking copious notes so that I can plan a curriculum both suitable and challenging for both of my kids.  Last year I read The Core.  The Well-Trained Mind goes into more detail, supplying you with resources and even a sample schedule for each subject.  It does this for you through High School, though right now I'm only focusing on the Grammar Stage (roughly grades 1-4).

     Week 27 brought us to the close of the Olympics.  We didn't do a study on it, however I did have my Little Toughie keep track of the U.S. medal count.  I didn't watch as much of the Winter Olympics as I would have liked.  As I said, I been busy; I even missed to closing ceremonies!  At least I got to explain what they were and my daughter would pay attention whenever we happened upon the Olympics coverage and an update on the medal count.

     We also began reading Ramona and Beezus.  I remember reading Ramona the Pest when I was younger (though I can't remember the story) but it's fun to read books from my youth to my kids.  We also continued our Bible study, making our way through the New Testament and reading about the many sick and crippled that Jesus healed.  I like when in the middle of a reading, my daughter excitedly tells me that she knows the story and begins to narrate it to me.  I know she's paying attention in Sunday school!  We need to move on in our Fruits of the Spirit study, but I'm not sure just which Fruit to pick.  I have to pray on it and ask for guidance!

     Week 28 we covered a bit of sentence structure, beginning with the subject and predicate of a sentence.  Using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading I followed their lead in creating cards to make wacky sentences.  Using index cards and short simple sentences, like "The tan hog dug in the mud.", I wrote the subject in one color on a set of cards and the predicate in a different color on another set.  I had my daughter mix up each set and make wacky sentences.  So, instead of "The tan hog dug in the mud." she would get, "The hot dog dug in the mud."  I made 20 cards for a total of 10 sentences.  She wants me to add more pronto!  She had a lot of fun creating sentences and would laugh at the silly combinations.  Her reading skills are improving every day and I'm enjoying observing those skills emerge every time she picks up a book.  Our library trips will now require a rolling card instead of a crate!

     That's all for now.  Have a wonderful week!

Kindergarten, Week 26

     In a previous post I mentioned that I was taking a look at curriculum for the Fall and that I would likely go with Sonlight again.  I was wrong.  After taking a look at the Classical Conversations Cycle 3 schedule, I decided to create my own curriculum.  Next year's CC cycle will cover subjects and facts that my daughter could learn with hands on projects, art, notebooking, reading and copywork, thus I'm coming up with my own curriculum, purchasing just a few items.  I have most of it selected and am now just waiting to attend at least one homeschool convention to see if there's anything else I'd like to add or change.  I was very happy with Sonlight (as was my daughter) and I'm sure we'll go back to it when she gets older.  It's just that it can be quite expensive, and I just can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on a curriculum in these early years, especially if it does not tie in with our CC studies.

     This week we studied energy, electricity and Newton's third law of motion.  We also finished yet another wonderful book, The Light at Tern Rock.  My Little Toughie liked to hear that someone could live in the lighthouse.

     Or Bible studies continued into the life of Jesus and with Valentine's Day wrapping up our week we could not help but end it with this:

Free printable Courtesy of Whole Family Strong

     What else can I say?  May God bless and keep you.

Kindergarten, Week 25

     I just realized that our Classical Conversations co-op is in its final weeks.  We've just completed week 17 and there's 24 total.  Our homeschooling should wrap up very close to the end of CC.  I have a feeling the next couple of months are going to pass very quickly.

     Back in November our CC co-op participated in a community outreach project.  The families put together 1 gallon bags for the homeless which contained basic essentials, some snacks, a list of local shelters and organizations for assistance, Bible verses and a note or drawing from each child.  My daughter wanted to continue to hand out bags so it is our goal to pass out 2 bags a month.  Below is a picture of the bag we created together.  As we were shopping I let her pick out most of the things to place in there.

     The bags remain in my car within her reach so that if we happen to be driving past someone in need she can easily hand it out.  Isn't that a wonderful way to share God's love?  It also ties in with a side study of the Fruits of the Spirit that we're doing as a family.  We pick one fruit, focusing on it for two weeks and asking God for guidance as we put in into practice.  This week (and next) is kindness.

     In Week 25 my Little Toughie got to sew on a button.  She didn't want to sew a button onto just anything though.  She was very selective about which article of clothing she wanted to sew the button onto.  Below is my little girl at work.

Viola!  Little red button is secure.

     This week we also finished reading Little House in the Big Woods.  My daughter was amazed that it was a true story and can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.  Our Bible studies continue into the life of Jesus.  With that, have a wonderful week and may you walk in His light and share His fruit with others.

For more ideas:

Kindergarten, Week 24

      This week in our Sonlight curriculum I saw a little note letting us know that we only have 12 more weeks of school.  Wow!  I just know those weeks will come and go quickly.  I'm already in the midst of planning the curriculum for next school year.  I'm sure we'll use Sonlight again with just a few adjustments.  I'm looking into a different Language Arts and a different Math program because the ones we have progress too slowly for my daughter.  Perhaps that's actually a good thing as it gives it time to sink in.  I just don't want her to get bored.  With Math, I have to limit the amount of pages she completes in her workbook because she wants to finish all of it in one sitting.  I have to supplement with worksheets from Mama's Learning Corner (Sign up like I did and you get member exclusive printables, but her freebies great freebies too!)

     Week 24 took us into the first books of the New Testament.  My daughter was excited to know that we were going to read about the birth of our Savior, His humble beginnings and the work He did in such a short time.  It brought up conversations about heaven and who would be there and who wouldn't be there.  She said she would ask Mary, "Were you surprised to be the mother of Jesus?" and she'd ask the angel Gabriel, "How hard is it to fight Satan?"  She said she would also like to ask Jesus how it felt to rule the world with His love.  Yes, these are the kinds of conversations that come up every day when we read our Bible.

     This week I decided to start having the kids read their bibles (or devotional) independently every morning.  Though we read the Bible together daily, I liked the idea of them starting their morning with God before taking on the day; I wanted them to have their own quiet time with Him.  I probably should have started this sooner, but I wanted to get a feel for our school year and how much time we'd have in the morning before we had to bring A380 to school.  Plus, my daughter wasn't reading independently yet.  She is now though, yay!  Both she and her big brother plant themselves on the couch every morning after they're done clearing their breakfast dishes and getting themselves ready.  While they're doing that I'm either getting the morning chores done or spending my own time with our Father.  By the time they're done we discuss what they've read for a few minutes and then head out the door.  We take the time to pray together in the car on the way to my son's school before we part ways.

     My Little Toughie is so excited that she's able to read on her own that she created a bookmark by tracing her hand:

     Cute, right?  I like that her nails are colored.  There's an actual arm inside the book too, colored purple.  You can do this to get your kids excited about reading on their own.  When my daughter told me what she was making I gave her a sheet of cardstock to make it sturdier.  Works like a charm!  Or you can go ahead and use paper but cut it out and either stick it onto a piece of a cereal box (or some sort of thin cardboard) and then trim that out.

     That's all for now.  Have a wonderful week!

For more ideas visit:

Kindegarten, Week 23

     We took a week off.  I figured we didn't take enough time off for the holidays and I deserved to.  NOT.  What really happened is that I got hit with a cold virus that actually wasn't too bad except I lost my voice.  I can't really teach if I can't speak.  We were able to do some copywork, math and review our Classical Conversations facts, but I couldn't do much else.  And, because I like a challenge, after 5 days of not having a voice but finally feeling better, my daughter and I decided it was time for a stomach virus to hit us.  We both ended up in the E.R. hooked up to I.V.s  That was an adventure.

     Thankfully, my daughter bounced right back a day later.  I, on the other hand, took a bit longer to recover.  Even as I write this, my appetite isn't 100% back.  Still, I'm on the mend and praise God that my daughter got better quickly and that my son and husband did not get sick.

     Other than that, our week went as smoothly as it could (I was still feeling weak).  Our Bible study took us to the story of Queen Esther, which I was happy to read to my daughter because a few months ago our church did a sermon about Queen Esther.  I was able to share some of the insight that our pastor passed on to us; how God had His hand on her from her orphaned youth to her victory as a queen.

     My favorite part of our week this time around was when my daughter decided to hold a study group:

Explaining her copywork

     Ah, the simple things!  Have a wonderful week.

Kindergarten, Week 22

     We're back!  We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year began surrounded by loves ones while counting your blessings!  We took two weeks off from school, though I thought I was going to take a longer break.  My son only had two weeks off from school so I felt inclined to stick to the same schedule.  I have yet to adjust to all the flexibility homeschooling has to offer.

     We started school in July because my Little Toughie wanted to, but I thought that it would be great because we could take the whole month of December off.  I couldn't completely take a break.  I tried, but my daughter and I love our Sonlight Curriculum and all the reading we get to do together.  She also loves math so even during our break we did Nativity and Christmas themed math worksheets along with reading a stack of books from the library.

     Which brings us to Week 22.  We started our study on Little House in the Big Woods.  We started reading it in the Fall, but I realized it was part of the curriculum so we stopped.  I was excited to see that we were starting it this week.  There are 9 books in the series and eventually we'll make our way through all of them.

     We also started a new game with word cards.  My daughter first had to find the rhyming pairs, then find and create stacks of all the words that begin with the same letter.  Then she had to alphabetize those stacks.  Finally, she had to organize them by the last letter in the word.  It's something you can easily do at home with index card and about 10-12 words and it's an exercise that not only gets them reading and builds their vocabulary but also gets them to focus on the instructions given to them.  Plus, if you make a bunch of cards (perhaps a different vowel in each set) you can use them while dining out or traveling.

     This week our Bible study brought us to the events leading up to Daniel being thrown into the lion's den and the events after.  My favorite part of this was that my daughter was able to tie the Bible study with her timeline from Classical Conversations.  There's a part of the timeline that says, "Judah falls to Babylon, Temple Destroyed" and then "Babylon falls to Persia, Jews Return and rebuild the Temple."  As I read from the book of Jeremiah and then made our way through Daniel, my daughter recognized where we were in the Bible and blurted out the timeline sentences above.  I didn't even have to point it out to her.  I love when I see the connections being made!

     As parents, sometimes we question whether or not what we're teaching or showing our kids is getting through to them.  It is.  They may not say anything or even give you a second glance, but they're listening and watching.  Always.  How you treat others, what you say when someone cuts you off, how you act when you're in a rush and the lines are long or moving slowly...if they are with you they are always watching and listening.  Whether or not you homeschool, you are your child's primary teacher.  They will look to you for answers, perhaps not with direct questions, but as a parent they will look to you and AT you for the answers.

     May the grace of God, the love of Jesus and the voice of the Holy Spirit lead you in all your ways, but especially as you raise your children.

Kindergarten, Week 21

     In my last post I mentioned that we were already in the middle of Week 21.  I'm not even sure how we got through that week with all the things I had to cross off of my to-do list, but we did!

     Our week began with a last minute painting party.  We were invited to join other CC families to view the Christmas lights at nearby neighborhood.  Every house in this cul-de-sac goes all out with Christmas lights and décor.  It's closed off to vehicles so only foot traffic is allowed.  We wanted to do a quick, but cute craft with a couple of friends before heading out and luckily I had all the supplies so we went for it!


      We had canvas, paints, foam brushes and paper plates.  We had one foam brush for each kid, which was all we needed to get paint on the their hands.  Can you tell what was going to happen?

    
     My son couldn't wait to get the paint off of his hands, which is why his hands are almost clean.  My daughter, on the other hand, couldn't get enough paint on hers!  Below is their finished pieces.

     I baked Chocolate Peppermint Muffins to share with the other families we were meeting at the block display and asked The Principal to pick up some hot chocolate to share as well.  As soon as he got home we headed out.

     We got to our destination and shared our goodies.  This year the weather was perfect.  In previous years every time we've gone to see this Christmas display it's been cold and wet.  No umbrellas required this year!  We even had enough muffins and hot chocolate to share with strangers after our CC friends had their fill.  That was my favorite part.  People were amazed that we were just giving it away when they tried to pay us.  I think it's something we may do again next year!

     A lot of our stories this homeschool week were about sharing the Good News.  I'd like to think that the small gesture of giving away hot chocolate and freshly baked muffins to strangers reminded them about the Christ in Christmas.

     Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!



Kindergarten, Week 20

     Better late than never, right?  Week 20 was a complete blur.  It was also our last week of Classical Conversations before the Winter Break.  The hustle and bustle of the season descended upon us and I have to admit, as busy as it is, I am enjoying myself.  We've attended more holiday gatherings this past week than we have in the past 4 years!

     Our week started with a cookie making party hosted by one of our lovely friends.  It was a delightful time spent with friends old and new, but most of all the kids had a great time making and then devouring cookies.  Plus, they had plenty of time to play and work off all that sugar.  (No, the cookies weren't Paleo, but I'm a little more flexible with treats for them this time of the year.)  The adults spent plenty of time chatting and just enjoying each other's company.

     We attended two more holiday parties a few days later.  One was a gathering of our Classical Conversations community and the other was hosted by a CC family.  Both parties were a blast!  I got to bake too!  I whipped up some Black Currant and Walnut Rugelach, as well as some Pecan Pie Brownies.  This is the time of the year where I get to bake a lot and give it away.  Sometimes I'll have a taste, but most of the time I bake it to share it.

     Oh, and yes, we did school work!  We began a short study on World War II and the human body.  Our study on WWII included the book Twenty and Ten, a short book that gave some insight into what some of the children had to endure during those tragic times.  Our study on the human body was more like review since the kids and I read (and watched) plenty of The Magic School Bus books about the human body and senses over the summer.  It was nice to see how much my daughter remembered!

     That's it for now.  We're doing one more week of homeschooling (we're in the middle of Week 21 right now) before we take our "break".  It's a break from the usual work, but we'll be doing a short and fun study on the Nativity from Intoxicated Life.  I'll also be using math sheets from Blessed Beyond a Doubt since my daughter loves practicing her addition and subtraction.  My son gets to join us as well since this is his last week of school.  We'll also do some arts and crafts and likely some more baking!

Kindergarten, Week 19

     As you may have noticed, I'm playing with the title of my homeschooling posts.  This blog is all about homeschooling and our experiences; I figured it was redundant to keep putting it in the weekly title.  I started putting kindergarten in the title and I'll stick with that for now, since it's just my Little Toughie that I'm homeschooling.  If that changes (or if I come up with something better) then, I'll make another change.

     We took a week off for Thanksgiving and got back on track the Monday after.  We began reading A Grain of Rice, which has become a new favorite.  It was a short and clever story that intrigued my daughter and made her smile at the end.

     Speaking of smiling...I couldn't help but giggle when I saw what my daughter came up with for her history copywork.  With Classical Conversations, the children learn a history fact every week.  I have my daughter write out that sentence and draw a picture for it.  Below is what she came up with for this week:

     What you don't see is the rest of the sentence on the back which says, "aristocrats heads were removed by the guillotine."  When she showed me her picture she said, "See, mommy.  There's blood there because their heads were chopped off."  Giggling ensued.

     We spent a couple of afternoons running errands, so during those busy days we took a very short break and just powered through the work.  My Little Toughie was a trooper and went along with it.  I think she liked the change of pace and the fact that by lunch time school was pretty much done.  (There was at least one assignment she had to complete.)  Our weekend ended with a wonderful cookie making party hosted by one of our dear friends.  We all had a joyful time.

     All in all, it was another good week.  Thanks be to GOD!

Pretend Play With a Real Rock Star

     This isn't about homeschooling specifically, but I credit God and the daily Bible studying that we get to do in our homeschool for what just happened in our home.

     My daughter LOVES pretend play.  She has such a wonderful imagination and it was something we could see early on, which is why we happily obliged when she asked to take acting classes.  Every day, there is some sort of performance or pretend playing.  Every single day.

     A few minutes before I began writing this we were in the middle of playing.  Pretend play, that is.  She asked me to pretend that I was a homeless person and that she was a rock star.  I wasn't sure where this was going, but of course, went along.

     She told me that she was going to walk past me and that I was to ask for spare change and then she would lead the rest of the play.  Below is a write-up of how it went:

Me:  Excuse me, ma'am, could you spare some change?
Rock Star:  Well, you can come live with me.
Me:  Live with you?
Rock Star:  I'm a Rock Star and I have a homeless shelter so you can come live with me.  (By the way, she was holding a guitar.  I guess it was to serve as proof that she was indeed a Rock Star.)
Me:  Well, that's mighty nice of you, but I don't have any money and can't pay you.  Why are you doing this?
Rock Star:  Well, we love the homeless.  We care about the homeless and we feed the homeless.  So, you can come live with me and I'll give you food.

     We continued our playing and she provided  me a blanket and fed me.  She gave me hugs and patted me on my back to comfort me.  She'd tell me that there was nothing I had to do when I offered to clean her house or cook as payment for allowing me to live with her.  She gently told me, "No, you don't have to do anything."

     I can't tell you how much my heart swelled hearing all these things come from her.  Her heart is full of pure love and I pray that by the power of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that it will forever be that way.

     She doesn't know it yet, but in God's eyes, she's already a real Rock Star!    

Kindergarten, Week 18

     Week 18 has come and gone and according to our curriculum, we are half-way through our first year of homeschooling and half-way through Kindergarten.  My, how time flies!

     Our week was jammed-packed.  With Classical Conversations, then a Christmas party planning meeting for me, a play-date for my daughter, then my birthday, plus having to help out with a science project; needless to say it was all a blur.

      Let's start with Classical Conversations.  Every week the kids are to prepare a presentation for their group.  This week my daughter shared her experience at Pitfire Pizza (where one of my step-daughters is the GM).  As I mentioned in my last post, there is a pizza making event every week.  On one of those occasions, I snapped pictures of my Little Toughie during the pizza making process.  I loaded them onto my tablet and she shared the pictures, telling the group what she was doing in each one.  The group thought it was pretty cool.  I enjoy that fact that the children get to practice their speaking and presentation skills at a young age and as they continue to do this they will hone those skills.  By the time they reach high school, they'll be able to present anything with eloquence.  I can only imagine how that will permeate their higher education and later, their careers.

     We had a play-date where my aptly named Little Toughie showed she could hang with the boys.  She was playing with twin boys and while running she was tagged just a bit too hard.  She fell, using her nose as a brake. (Gah!)  Her nose was scraped (Pretty good!) but there were only a few tears before she was ready to go again.  I even observed her standing up for one of the twins when another boy at the playground starting calling him a "little girl".  Ever the diplomat, I saw my daughter take her friend by the hand and approach the offender.  I couldn't tell what was being said, but since my daughter is always very animated when she speaks, I could tell that boy was getting a good talking to!  Later, I asked her what she was saying and she said, "I was telling him that it's not nice to say things like that, but he wouldn't listen."  I pray she will always stand up and speak up for herself and for those who can't.

     The rest of the week was filled with a meeting and my birthday plus a science project for my son.  As I type this, I'm waiting for him to get back so that we can finish working on it.  My kids were so excited it was my birthday (I think it was the fact we were all going to have cake, including myself!) and were telling everyone who would listen.  I was getting birthday wishes from people passing out samples at Whole Foods!

     That was our week.  As we head into Thanksgiving, I pray that you are surrounded by loved ones and take a moment (or a few) to count your blessings and share what you are thankful for.

Homeschooling, Weeks 16 and 17

     I missed a week!  I can't believe I did, yet I can understand why.  The days are passing quickly and the weeks are flying by.  My birthday is coming up and then Thanksgiving is exactly a week after.  Between both kids, as most parents know, there's more to do (on top of what is already scheduled) around the holidays.  As a runner turned CrossFitter, I know how to pace myself in all things, but it can still be a lot.  At the beginning of October, all our weekends in November and December were already booked!

      Despite the busyness of this time of the year, we take our time when it comes to homeschooling.  With the Sonlight Curriculum I'm using, there's a lot of reading (which my daughter and I LOVE) and I want to make sure she understands everything she's listening to.  At the same time I don't stress out if she doesn't get a particular concept immediately.  It takes time for things to really sink in and for everything to make sense.  Sometimes, we parents can freak out, especially when we fall into the trap of comparing our kids to other kids.  That can rub off on our kids as well.

     Recently, my daughter caught something at the end of the news (she walked in when it was on) about a 5-year old boy who knew all the countries in the world.  Yes, ALL.  Every single country.  Did I mention that he knew all the capitals as well?  My daughter was amazed and at the same time disappointed with herself for not knowing all the countries.  I had to remind her, and you as well, that we are all blessed with different talents and skills.  I took the opportunity to tell my daughter that God created each and every one of us for a different purpose, with a different set of abilities, and different personalities and that if we were all the same it would get particularly boring.  She was happy to know that God made her special.

     During those times I don't think it's sinking in or that it may be too much, God gives me a glimpse of the work He's doing in her.  This week we finished our Bible study on the Kings (Saul, David and Solomon).  That was a lot of reading and there were different details to the each King's story.  I secretly underestimated her comprehension when she decided to create her own bible and draw pictures to go with each King's story.  She was able to retell the stories, which she so carefully did while on her daddy's lap.

     On the flip side, we squeezed in some fun the past couple of weeks making pizza at my step-daughter's restaurant, Pitfire Pizza (she's the head honcho there).  Every Tuesday she holds a pizza making event and we brought a couple of friends with us.

  

     This was a perfect outing for us because we got to see my step-daughter (and all her gracious and patient staff) and she got to make pizza plus share a meal with her friends.

     Ah, the simple things!

Homeschooling, Week 15

     We're back!  Since our Classical Conversations class had a break we decided to take the week off as well.  We still did some reading and copy work (and math at the request of my Little Toughie) but we took a break and instead enjoyed diving into non-homeschooling books.  I even had a chance to catch up on a little bit of my own reading.

     Week 15 led us to the story of David and Goliath in our Bible Study.  This is one of my daughter's favorite stories, but she has never learned what happened after that.  While that is one of the more well known stories of David, my daughter was surprised to hear that he had become a king and that he wrote a lot of the Psalms.

     As we start Week 16, she'll learn more about David's love for God and his obedience (and disobedience) to Him.  She'll learn how forgiving and just our Father is.  She always asks intriguing questions as I'm reading these Bible stories to her and I pray she keeps them in mind as she gets older and encounters her own "Goliath".

     That's all I have for this week.  I know it's not much.  We're just getting back into the groove of things after taking a week off.  My daughter is starting to read more, taking in words every where we go and telling me what they are.  She's even writing me little love notes, trying her very best to spell the words without my help.  It's great to see the progress she's making each day.

     Have a great week!

Homeschooling, Week 14

     I know I'm rather late in getting this posted.  My goal is to always have the post up Sunday at the latest, but sadly we had a death in the family.  After years of sickness and struggle, my father-in-law "went to be with Jesus" (as my kids have said.)  Two weeks ago when we heard that his condition was getting worse I sat down with the kids to explain what was going on.  They cried, but took solace in the fact that he was going to be with our Lord and Savior.  As his time here was coming to an end my kids prayed that "he would have a safe trip to Jesus".   They still prayed for healing, but they also knew that he would also be better in Heaven.  Much better.

     Our week went quickly.  We did a lot of reading on missionaries doing God's work and spreading the Good News, which was a good thing considering the circumstances we were in the middle of.  My Little Toughie loves hearing these stories and understands the importance of sharing the Gospel.

     We are also reading House on Pooh Corner, which I find a bit boring.  I was never a big Winnie the Pooh fan, which probably doesn't help, but my daughter seems to like it.  She thinks Pooh is "a little annoying" but she still likes the stories.

     That's all there is.  Have a blessed week.

Homeschooling, Week 13

     This was a hectic week for me.  I was preparing to leave for a Women's Retreat hosted by our church and had to make sure everything was in place for my substitute teacher husband, so that he could homeschool our daughter on Friday.  Also, since I can sometimes be a type A, control-freak I wrote up a "manual" for my hubby.  It was organized by day and went from morning to night.  (Yes, I can be that organized.)  It was really for my benefit; so that I could relax while away. My job is to take care of our kids and run the household; my husband has a job outside of the home, so it's hard to get on-the-job training of the everyday things, which is A LOT!

     Anyway, I didn't have to leave until 11, but had the substitute teacher my husband teach my daughter since I wanted to get a workout in before I left and I had a few last minute things to do.  My husband did a great job and I even got to see them build a teepee together. 

     Our Classical Conversations group is chugging along and doing well.  My daughter is making all sorts of connections to everything that she's learning, even our Bible Studies.  The Classical Conversations Timeline includes significant events from the Bible and we're studying the Old Testament right now, which is right in line with what she is memorizing in the Timeline!  It seems like a lot, but she is such a sponge right now, soaking it all up.

     By the way, my husband did a superb job with the kids and I'd like to thank him for supporting me and taking the day off to run things in my absence.  He has a lot on his plate right now with work and ailing parents, plus a sometimes type-A wife!  I was thankful to be able to attend the retreat.  I learned a lot of things during the retreat, one of which was life-transforming for me; a mom who questioned her purpose here on earth and for God.  I can't say much, but I can say that I got my answer when I received prophetic ministry.

     Week 14 is already under way.  I'll post that in a few days.  Until then, God bless you!

Homeschooling, Week 12

     I can't recall much of our week.  I know there was homeschooling, and we worked on our Classical Conversations facts and ran a bunch of errands.  I workout 3-4 times a week and try to schedule errands on my non-work out days.  I had planned on doing certain errands on certain days, but it ended up getting all switched around anyway.

    Every other week my daughter and I pick a place to have breakfast and do a little homeschooling there.  It's our School Breakfast Date.  I made sure to put everything in her backpack that she would need for that day, even though we were just there for breakfast.  Afterwards, we were supposed to head to Costco, but the coupons we were planning on using didn't go into effect until the next day, which was my CrossFit day.  Instead,  I brought my car for it's scheduled service (I was supposed to bring it in later in the week).  Since I had her homeschool work with us and the waiting area had comfy chairs along with tables to work at, we went ahead and did school at the dealer (it looked like a Starbucks in there!)

     The next day I was able to get my workout done in the morning, homeschool after that and then headed to Costco after lunch.  Since we have a strict budget, I had my daughter add up everything I put into the cart.  I showed her how to use the calculator (and explained that right now it is only used for the purpose of sticking to our budget, not for learning math).  As we were shopping I would point to the price and she would input the numbers.  She did a fantastic job and was happy to help me.  I told her what our budget was and what number to look for.  I asked her to let me know when we where close to or over that number.  As we were getting close (roughly $100.00 away) she would show it to me and say, "Mommy, it's almost there!"

     We ended up over budget because our annual fee was due and I did not calculate for that.  It was supposed to be due in August, but never came up (even during our monthly shopping trip in September) so I forgot about it.  Technically, we weren't supposed to be able to shop in September without first renewing but something went wrong.  Still, we would have been right at our target number had it not been for the fee.  Kudos to my daughter for helping me and I'll give myself a pat on the back for sticking to the list and not purchasing anything that wasn't on it.

     That was our week.  I got to teach my daughter about schedules, even if they do change; about car maintenance and about shopping within a budget.  There's always something to learn and always something to teach.  Thanks for stopping by!

    

Homeschooling, Week 11

     I can't believe it's almost October!  Autumn is in the air and the leaves are starting their slow descent to blanket our grass.  This is my favorite time of the year.  Pumpkin flavored or filled delicacies are displayed in every store, even bath shops (they smell practically edible)!  My daughter and I even made Paleo pumpkin custards.  I made Paleo Pumpkin Butter to make Paleo Pumpkin Lattes (there's no coffee, but it's a wonderful Autumn drink to relax to).  Oh, I could digress and wax poetic about pumpkin (and persimmons), but I won't.

     Week 11 was fantastic!  I suppose not being sick was a huge help.  We learned about the Crusades and mammals.  We even learned about parts of the food chain.  My favorite part though was when my daughter once again took it upon herself to do some work without being asked.  I usually have a form ready for her to work on for the Science part of Classical Conversations.  She decided to take a blank piece of paper and make the form and then fill it out.

     Pretty, isn't it?  She didn't label her pictures accordingly, which is what the form would have asked her to do.  Instead she just asked me how to spell the words so that she could put it on her sheet.  When she was done she did point to each word and its matching picture.

     My son is doing well also.  I may not be homeschooling him, but oddly, I'm able to blend a little bit of our homeschool curriculum with the work my son is doing in middle school.  In History, for example, both kids are studying Ancient Civilizations.  Also, my son is currently taking Spanish and is taking the time to teach his little sister.  My daughter listens in when I'm quizzing my son on his weekly vocabulary words and helps her big brother remember their meanings.  I love how they support each other.

     That was our week.  We've definitely found our rhythm and I'm learning what we each can handle.  Much like the runner in me, (runner turned CrossFitter, that is) I'm pacing myself.  I'm learning what I can and cannot do and that I cannot do it all.  I'm finding a way to balance it all and sometimes it means saying no or delegating more.  In the end, I want to make sure that my kids not just learn, but enjoy learning and sharing what they learn.

Homeschooling, Week 10

     Week 10 moved at a snail's pace.  (Ironically, in my last post I said every week passes quickly!)  This week was slow because both my daughter and I had a cold.  My daughter was feeling a bit under the weather Monday afternoon and when we got home from the park, she passed on lunch and slept.  The next day I awoke with a sore throat and immediately knew I was coming down with something.  I was able to go through school work on Tuesday, but come Wednesday I had no voice and my head was throbbing.  We took that day "off".  I gave her history and science copywork and called it a day.  We took Saturday morning to go over the day that we missed and now we're back on track.

     As I mentioned in my last post our Classical Conversations community began meeting.  When we had the opportunity to enroll our daughter midway early Spring, I was immediately hooked on how the kids were learning, what they were learning and the fact it had plenty of parent participation.  It is what opened the idea of me homeschooling my daughter.  I can't imagine it any other way.

     This was our second week of CC.  In Classical Conversations the kids learn what is referred to as a Timeline; points and people in history from Creation to Modern Times.  By the end of the CC year the kids will have memorized 161 events and people in chronological order.  There are fact cards that go along with each event or person listed on the Timeline.  The cards go into more detail about that occurrence or person.  Last CC year I purchased the fact cards but didn't really use them since we started so late.  This year I didn't buy any new cards because I thought we already had all of them.  Unfortunately,  much to my daughter's disappointment, I learned that I did not have the current cards and had yet to purchase them.  She wanted to practice putting the cards in order, as we do when our community meets.

     Since my daughter was so eager to work with them she decided to make her own.  They're like those fact cards of the U.S. Presidents that you see; with the picture and name on the front and the details on the back.  She wrote the name of the event and drew pictures to go along with it.  She made 14 cards because that is how many events we have covered to date.

     That very first card you see at the bottom is one for "Age of Ancient Empires" and she drew a Sphinx, which she remembered is on that particular fact card.  The next one is "Creation and The Fall".  She chose to draw Adam and Eve at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

     I was delighted to see her take initiative and make her own cards.  To me it's a sign that she is enjoying what she's learning and is seeking more.  Plus, I get to see what she comes up with for each card.  I mean, what would you draw for "Babylonians"?

     I've ordered the cards and they're on their way.  While I know she wouldn't mind creating all the cards herself (and she still might do so) and this is a great way to reinforce what she's learning, we'll need the cards for when she gets older and the details on the back become more significant.

     That is our week.  We're starting Week 11, cold-free (mostly) and ready for Autumn!

Homeschooling, Week 8

     This week was uneventful yet busy.  Well, I say uneventful but we had one big event:  my son started Middle School (gasp).  I have a Middle Schooler.  Goodness!  I'm very proud of the work he's done.  While there is still more to go, he's making progress; slowly but surely.  We're praying that this school and school year is a good and safe one for him.

     This was my daughter's first week of homeschooling without her brother.  I have to say she handled it very well.  Since The Principal took the day off, he was my assistant during class.  He oversaw recess and even participated in art class.  Here she is using acrylics.

     Soon we're going to play with pastels.  During the webinars I received an e-book on using pastels with kids.  I've never used them, so I'm excited at the prospect.

     Other than that, we're moving along with our curriculum.  She's enjoying all of it, though she likes it most when I read to her during our Bible studies or story time.  She asks intriguing questions and I love how her imagination comes out in those questions.  We were talking about Machu Picchu and how high it was.  She asked if it was as high as a giant!  I explained that giants aren't real, so there's no way for me to know.  I pointed out that if she were to compare the tallest building she's ever seen to Machu Picchu, the mountains would be taller than that.  She seemed satisfied with that answer.  I hope she always, much like me, asks questions.  Not that I question everything.  I just like to learn.

     Next week we start our Classical Conversations class (I'm so excited!).  I get to share that experience with you as well.  Until then, have a wonderful weekend!