Mar. 30, 2009 - Schooling the Sibling ~ What We Are Doing
I have heard that a lot of older homeschool kids, and graduates, help to teach their younger siblings. Well, today, I started to do exactly that. I woke up this morning, only thinking of offering to help Kekoa in Bible, but Mommy and I got excited, and now we have a full array of subjects, that I am going to be helping him with. I am really excited about this, I just hope that I can keep it up, and can really teach Kekoa something. I, myself, am hoping to learn a lot by doing this.
Here is what we are currently going to be doing.
Bible
Grammer
Math
Science/Health
Geography
History and Reading
We are all studying China. We don't have a guide or anything, we are just learning all we can.
Now, I realize that it is usually the mom who lists what curriculuum she is using that year, but I was just so excited to do all of this, that I wanted to share with you.
Copyright 2009 Defective Compositions
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Mar. 8, 2008 - My Graduation Pictures
Yesterday I had my senior pictures done. The slide show above are pictures that my Mom and Sister took while Mr. Smoke the photographer took his pictures. I had three different outfits, my civil war dress, my medieval gown and cloak, and a plain outfit. Brielle, take a good look at my costumes, because those are probably the only ones you will ever see. I will probably never post pictures of my sewing projects again! (Just kidding!)
I have been thinking about how much these arrangements are focusing on me, and how wrong that was. However, I have discovered two purposes for planning and having my graduation festivities. The first is obvious, it will bring glory to the Lord! We are celebrating the fact that I have been trained for thirteen years to be a godly young woman. We are celebrating the fact that for thirteen years my family and I have been striving to honor the Lord in what is right, by homeschooling. What better purpose is there than that?
I do have another one though, and even though it is a futile one, I consider it to be very important. I am sure that many of you have heard what is going on in California, and that homeschooling parents who are not certified teachers can no longer homeschool their children. That is practically outlawing homeschooling all together. Many homeschooling mothers will not have the money to go to school to get a teachers degree. Then, of course, for those years that the mother is studying to get her degree, her children still have to go to school, there being influenced by public schools.
It makes me so angry that people can't see how much better homeschooling is for everyone. One of the biggest problems that we have with public schooling, is that it tears families apart. That seems to be America's goal, now, to take the children out of the home as much as possible, to take the mother out of the home, and educate her about her "rights". Despite the fact that homeschoolers have many times proven high intellect, and proven to be outstanding citizens of the country, homeschooling is still looked down upon, still considered to be an unfit method of training this country's children. I could go on and on, and I would just get more and more riled up.
By my graduating, I am saying that I have been homeschooled, that I have succeeded in getting the required education, that it can be done. I am proving that homeschooling is not an impossible fraud. I am not a genius, and I do not have an outstanding intellect, but I have been homeschooled, and personally, if I were someone else, I would prefer my company to a public schoolers!
We are never going to prove that homeschooling is better, it will always be a losing battle. The world is steadily going downhill, the Bible says so.
Yet, I feel that I could have no nobler purposes in graduation. I am doing what I was created for, glorifying the Lord, and standing up for something that I believe in. I plan on homeschooling my own children. If I have to get a teachers degree, then I will do my best. If my children have to go to public school, I will do all I can possible do to protect them from the immense worldly influences they will be facing, and in doing, that I will be serving the Lord. There is no higher calling than that!
• 8 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Oct. 29, 2007 - The Beginning of the School Year ~ Kind Of
Many of you have been listing what you are doing for school this year, so I thought I would join in. All of you probably did it for a Blog School assignment, but as I am not a part of that... In the past we have done Alpha Omega, Sonlight, and Konos, but for the past few years it has just been mixed and matched, to do books that we liked, and discard ones that we did not like.
So, keeping all of that in mind, here is what I am doing for school this year.
Bible ~ I am reading The One Year Book of Christian History. This was meant as a daily devotions, but I am finding it extremely facinating. It jumps and skips about through various events in history that Christians played an important hand in.
Life Skills ~ This is one of my subjects that is constantly changing. Recently, I was reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye, by Joshua Harris. I really enjoyed it, and I set it on our bookshelf right next to His Chosen Bride. Now, I am reading Passion & Purity, by Elisabeth Elliot. As I have only read the forward, preface, and tomorrow will read the introduction, I can't really say what I think of it yet.
Literature ~ Literature can sometimes be my favorite subject, and sometimes not. For a little while, I am doing the To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide published by Progeny Press. The Book itself (To Kill a Mockingbird), was written by Harper Lee, and is set in the aftermath of the American civil war. So far I am liking it very much.
History ~ History is my other favorite subject. Right now, I am working through the Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of the Middle Ages. Now, just in case you don't know this, I LOVE European history! I like reading about the Middle Ages than any other period in history. To narrow things down a little bit, I mostly like English history.
Science ~ I am working through Apoligia's Exploring Creation Through Biology. I think I mostly enjoy it, but I really do not do very well. Science is not my strong point.
Math ~ Right now, I am not doing anything. I had been doing Math~U~See's Stewardship course. We haven't decided what I will be doing next.
So, now you all know what I am doing for school. Exciting, huh? Let's all have a Happy School Year!
• 7 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Sep. 12, 2007 - Everlasting Life
Hello, everyone. This is a project that I had to do for history. I made this video, and now I want to share it with you all. Enjoy, but please leave feedback.
• 10 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Apr. 27, 2007 - My History Lesson for the Day
Today for History (I'm studying the Romans), I had to make myself a costume the way the Romans would have worn it.
Unfortunately, I think the Romans would have done a better job than I did.
I think the material was not the right kind, and it was much to baggy. I felt ridiculous. I think I will just cut it up and use it for curtains for our bedroom, or something.
However, I did learn something valuable today, from all of my toga making. I am SO glad that I do not have to iron togas for a living! I told my mom that, and she laughed and said "Yeah, especially considering the fact that you would have to do it with hot bricks!"
• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
May. 10, 2006 - The Mathematical Blues
Please take a look at my post about my New Newsletter, I would like some feedback!
Also, my Mom is having a contest, go check it out HERE.
Well, by the sound of the title, can you guess what this post is about? I don't want to depress you, but I am not doing well in math. I have actually doing really well up until today, I was rather pleased with myself, but then today I was starting the lesson, and it slowly dawned on me that I didn't think I could figure this one out.
The title of the lesson is "Solving Equations: Using Squares and Square Roots." I am using Bob Jones Pre Algebra, and while reading the lesson my heart slowly sank to the bottom of my red toed socks.
There would be an easy solution for many of you, ask your mom. Well I can't(I don't mean to hurt your feelings Mother), because my Mom never did Algebra. My next step is to ask my dad. Usually it takes him a while to figure out what is going on, but then sometimes it is kind of fun. Most of the time he says, "Do you know how often I have done this since high school?" Or some thing to that effect.
Okay, I'm done. Thank you for listening to my tale of woe.
• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Mar. 15, 2006 - Fifty States?
Pay attention one and all! I am currently having a Poetry Contest, so please follow the link to show your poetical talents! There have been no submissions yet, so if you enter you might have a good chance to win!
While we were still living in Idaho, we knew someone who got paid $5 for memorizing the fifty states and their capitals. Our Mom offered us the same wonderful oppertunity!
Since then I have been working off and on to memorize them. Before we could get our five bucks we had to write down all of the states and their capitals on a piece of paper.
Everytime I would try to do this, I would wind up missing just one state, and I couldn't think of it, so I would have to start over.
One time when I had one left, Bluejane and Mommy figured out which one I was missing. Mommy finally told me to think cheese, and I immediatly said, "Wisconsin!"
Now, whenever I do my homemade flashcards on the subject, when I get to Wisconsin I say, "Cheese!" and make Bluejane get exasperated.
Just last night I finally figured out a way to remember all of the states. I wrote down how many a's there were, and how many c's there were. Here is an example:
A - 4
C - 3
D - 1
And so forth for all of the first letters of the states. I just memorized that list, and then while I was writing the states on my paper, I just repeated it to myself to help remember everything. Pretty smart, huh?
Now I have to place all of the states in their proper positions on a map. I am attempting to use this website (even though it says Third Grade). I think I am doing fairly well, but every time I think I have finished, the start page comes up again.
Anyway, thats what I'm working on right now. I know it sounds funny, but I almost feel rich, knowing I have five dollars.
• 4 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Mar. 9, 2006 - The Iditarod
The Iditarod started this last Saturday, and we have been gobbling up every scrap of news available. We have also been doing a small unit study on this huge dog sled race. My siblings and I are working on lapbooks, each of us covering a different aspect of the race.
I am going to do my lapbook on some of the mushers, and other basic stuff that the Iditarod entails.
We have several mushers that we are rooting for.
Gary Paulsen is the author of many books, including, The Hatchet, Brian's Winter, and Winterdance. Winterdance talks about how Gary Paulsen started getting into sled dog racing, and his first time running the Iditerod. Unfortunatly he has already scratched from this years race.
We are also cheering for Rachael Scdoris. As far as we can tell she is the youngest musher running the Iditarod this year, as well as being a native to Central Oregon!
There are also a few other mushers that we are hoping will do well, and you can pick and see who your favorites are at The Official Site of the Iditarod.
I'm kind of curious about who you are rooting for, so if you do have a favorite musher, let me know who!
• 0 Comments
• Post A
Comment!
• Permanent Link
visited 13 states (26%)
Create your own visited map of The United States
