I have browsed through my copy of the Heart of Wisdom by Robin Sampson, but I haven't seriously read it.  I keep meaning to, but never get around to it.  So I prayerfully decided that I need some accountability.   I also think it would be fun to discuss it weekly with other moms that are reading it, too.  So I am asking, would anyone else like to join a Yahoo group for reading through The Heart of Wisdom  by Robin Sampson?  This would be different than the current discussion group that they have at Yahoo.  We would read a chapter and then on Thursday evening submit answers to general discussion questions.  It would have minimal chatter to keep the email low.  It would be easier than having to go everyone's blogs to read their responses.  The only requirement would be that you own a copy of the book. 

I'm thinking of a start date of April 15th.  It would last for twenty-four weeks. You would not be obligated to participate every week, but should participate at least once a month.

Leave a comment and I'll post more details next week if there is positive response.

~Blessed by His Grace,

Linda

Elizabeth and I finished up our first HomeSchool Share Unit Study.  We had a lot of fun doing this study and learned tons too! 

We studied "The Three Snow Bears", this is a wonderful story about a Inuit girl who looses her sled dogs on a ice floe.  As she chases after them she happens upon the igloo of the three snow bears.  It is a delightful version of the three bears.  Jan Brett's illustration are wonderful!

I've linked this through the HomeSchool Share site. 

I just want to put  alittle plug in for HomeSchool Share, this is a great site filled with unit studies to lapbook or notebook.  You could use this site, with a bible study and math supplement, and teach your children from pre-k. through 4th or 5th grade.   The moms that have developed this site and the studies are awesome. 


Here are a few pictures of Elizabeth's work:





One of the assignments was to pre-write a story similar to the Three Bears.

Elizabeth's was about three monkey's in a jungle, with a boy coming to visit their tree.

This is a page of her narration after reading "The Very First Last Time".

 

We made igloos on Monday.  Here Elizabeth is dressed up in her spy girl outfit.


These were so easy to make.  Here are the directions I used:

Sugar Cube Igloo 

from:

http://www.freekidcrafts.com/winter.html

Cut the top of a styrofoam cup off and hot glue the bottom to a paper plate. Cut the upper part of the cup in half to make 2 U's. Hot glue one of the U's onto the cup to make the igloo's entrance. Spread glue over the cup and entrance. Glue sugar cubes around the base and over the top of the entrance. Build up your igloo from there until you cover the entire cup. If sugar cubes prove too difficult, you could try this same project with mini marshmallows. You can also cover the plate with snow (shaving cream and glue mixture makes snow that dries puffy) to complete the winter scene.

These pictures aren't the best, but I hope you can see her handwriting.  She has worked really hard on her handwriting over the last three months.  Her motor skills have always lagged her intellectual abilities.  She currently reads at a 4th grade level, but her handwriting was difficult.  After switching to A Reason for Handwriting and more copywork, she has improved. 

Here a few sites that I used to supplement our study:

The Inuit Family

Inuksuk Statue Lesson from Crayola

Inuit Crafts.




One day last week my husband made the comment that "it was so cold outside he felt like a polar bear who could eat blubber and build an igloo for the winter."  Elizabeth spoke up and said "no dad they don't eat blubber, they eat seals.  Oh, and they don't really live in igloo's those are just special houses for things like parties".   He smiled!

~~thankful for our learning days, He continues to bless us with,

Linda

I have two or three posts partially done, but I thought I'd post this instead.  I'm not sure if I've explained before that we meet the homeschooling laws of Iowa by using a supervising teacher.  I have to send her emails periodically to update her on our progress.  This is a copy of what I just sent to her, with a few pictures added.  Because I rarely have a post without pictures! 

For Science has continued to take her unit tests, we are on Module 7(The Fossil record and Paleontology is the subject) now in her book.  There are  sixteen Module's in all.  I'm going to have to gently guide her to go a little faster on our pre-made schedule.  I love our Apologia science!  On her last Science test she scored 85%.  There are usually only 10-12 questions, but I weight the definitions as 2 points and the essay questions as 5 points, then give partial credit.  Simple one word questions I only give 1 point. 


Last week we did her Fossil experiments, this is Elizabeth making her shell fossil.




I also bought two 7th Grade Spectrum Test Preparation books for her. One is specifically for Science and the other is a general one.

 
This has been fabulous, I love them!   For instances today the page was about the periodical table, something she has never seen or learned about.  It isn't in her science textbook.  It really peeked her interest in Chemistry and we discussed the elements, compounds, charges, etc. for about twenty minutes.  The general one has been great for learning better test taking skills, and gaining knowledge in a variety of subjects. 

I have Jennifer on the list to take her Iowa Basic Skills Test sometime in April. 

In Social Studies, we continue studying early American History.  Right now we are up to King George III, and the Stamp Act.  This week we will have a Boston Tea party, just not nearly as rowdy. 

Elizabeth:

Elisabeth Elliot is one of my favorite mentors, she taught me so much about being a Christian wife, mother and step-mother.    I remember her sharing bits and pieces of this devotional on her radio program, "Gateway to Joy".  I grieve the loss of that program.  It blessed me each day, as she stepped all over my toes.  Sincerely, I wouldn't be where I am today without her.

Devotion: Elisabeth Elliot
Book: Keep A Quiet Heart
____________________________________________________________

Title: Homeschooling

When my daughter Valerie Shepard was
homeschooling three of her five children (the
other two were preschool age), I asked her what
she had discovered about the advantages of
homeschooling. Here is her answer:

The children have more time: to read (aloud and
silently); to learn responsibility by doing
chores at home; to play (without adult direction)
and use the imagination; to listen to and enjoy
each other; to learn obedience.

Parents need not deprogram or reteach values the
child hears for seven hours a day. They have the
child's full attention at any time of the day and
can give him full attention; he is not absorbing
two different value systems daily.

Children learn to love each other more. They do
not look down on one another in favor of their
peers, or in wrong adulation of older children.
This society teaches that among children "older
is better." That's not right. Having them at home
all day allows them to be children without having
to "grow up" in the wrong ways.

They learn to be servants of one another. The
family is a microcosm of the Body of Christ.

After I asked Val to write this I had the fun of
trying it out myself. Val and Walt went to South
Carolina (taking their nursing baby Colleen) and
I had the other four for five (very busy!) days.
There was a schedule of chores posted in the
kitchen. Daily I reminded them (seldom more than
once). The nine-, seven-, and five-year-olds took
turns setting and clearing the table, emptying
the dishwasher, folding laundry, sweeping the
kitchen. Walter (the oldest) and Jim (not quite
three} took out trash, the girls cleaned the
bathroom. All but Jim made their beds.

School began at nine with Bible reading, singing,
prayer, all four joining in. Jim sat on the floor
and played while the others studied. Christiana
finished her kindergarten work by ten or so,
Walter and Elisabeth worked till nearly
lunchtime.

Every afternoon there was Quiet Hour. This was a
lifesaver for Granny. The three older children
were expected to be in their rooms for an hour.
They did not need to sleep, but they were to read
or find something quiet to do alone. (Not once
did we have any altercation about Quiet Hour. It
had always been a part of their lives, and they
liked it.) Jim and I lay down together, I read
him a Beatrix Potter story, and he fell asleep.

Since we had no car, four of us walked to the
grocery store every day, while Walter rode his
bike. It was an interesting string of people,
Elisabeth hugging (for example) five pounds of
flour, Christiana batting things with a box of
Saran Wrap, Jim lugging a bag of apples, Granny
with a loaded brown bag.

We had poetry readings (Jim memorized with no
effort at all) and singing. Everybody learned
"Chattanooga Choo-Choo," by mistake, as it
were--I meant for them to learn "Praise the
Savior" but somehow that one didn't stick so
easily, alas! Walter and Elisabeth practiced the
piano and played vigorous duets for the rest of
us. We made bread and organized drawers and
closets and sorted clothes and toys for give-away
and picked violets and had a marvelous time.

I should confess this--on the evening of the
first day I wasn't sure I'd survive the week.
When Val phoned I asked, "How do you do it?"
"Mama, I just do what you taught me: don't think
about all you have to do, just do the next
thing!" I needed to be told what I have often
told others, and it worked.

Homeschooling is demanding to say the least--but
worthwhile.

We’ve done no nature walks or studies this year so far.  I’ve been deliberate about this, I wanted to re-establish a habit of academics.  My children whine less about having to do their book time when the routine has been firmly and consistently established.  Now I will be bringing back in the balance of more outside nature studies, art activities and field trips. 

Friday I took the girls to an area within the park we usually camp at.  They had never been to this pond.  I was hoping for more wild life, but honestly Grace was so loud any wild life was probably hiding. 

I gave the girls an "assignment", to draw three different trees.  If I don't do this, I usually hear "what are we supposed to study or draw?"
Here are their Honey Locust tree pictures.

Deer Tracks~I wish I would have taken a better shot of all of them.

I'm hoping to get my weekly bloggin groove back. I miss it, I miss you all!

 Today I'm beginning participation in a weekly Show and Tell  of our homeschooling week, this is sponsored by my wonderful friend Jessica~Trivium Academy. 

We have just completed our fourth week of homeschooling, a total of seventeen days.  I'm amazed at all we've been learning.  I've added almost everything into our daily routine.  Jennifer is at her full-load.  This week I will add Art and Draw-Write-Now to Elizabeth's list and she will be at her full-load.  We've been homeschool every day for about 6 hours/day.  I've never been so excited at my daughter's progress and at the same time physically and mentally exhausated!   I praise the Lord and give Him all of the glory for this week.  I could never do this without Him and my very sweet and supporting husband. I don't have a lot of pictures for this show & tell, hopefully next week I'll get it together. 

GRACE:  I still haven't been doing as much with Grace as I'd like.  She plays so nicely by herself.  She does participate in our Bible reading and all of our read alouds.  I've tried to steal a few minutes with her to read a book every day.  Dress-up is her favorite activity, this is her this morning:

 
While I made breakfast, she and Liz played a LeapFrog game.


BIBLE:  According to our My Father's World plan, we are to be memorizing the book of James.  Jennifer will begin this next week.  With Awana's started, memorizing this book would be to much for Elizabeth.  Jennifer actually said to me on Thursday, "Mom, I can memorize this!"  We've been reading a chapter a day.  I've also started us reading the bible through.  Jennifer is working on the James bible study from Precept ministries.  We have been focusing on what it means to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer. 

CHARACTER:  I haven't started our reading of "Brothers and Sisters as Best Friends".  I hope to work that in next week.  But I've been spending a lot of time on diligence with them.  I was pleasantly surprised when I returned from a quick trip to the store this week.  They had folded and put away all of the laundry without being told!  The bonus was that they were working together, nicely.  Praises to the Lord! 

LANGUAGE ARTS:  Elizabeth continues to enjoy doing her workbooks.  This week she solidified long and short vowels.  Her reading is amazing to me.  We started an Abeka Grade 2 book for one of her daily reads.  Her writing is also improving.  When I returned from my meeting with our supervising teacher she had written a song!  The printing was very legible and the words sweet worship to God. 

Jennifer completed her first Rod and Staff English test of the year and scored well.  She also started IEW formally this week.  I had her watch her instructional DVD on Tuesday.  I was thankful that she found Dr. Puduw "fun" to watch!  This is an area where I am going to have to get more one-on-one time with her.  Jennifer's handwriting is also improving!  She has completed reading,  

The Witch of Blackbird Pond.  One of the great things about the HSB community is the postive peer-pressure that my daughter receives.  Because "everyone on HSB" has read the Lord of the Rings except her, she is now reading The Hobbit.   A bonus is that I've never read them, but my husband has, so they can discuss them.  I love opportunities to involve him in our schooling. 

Math:  Math keeps on keepin' on!  We've been reviewing in Algebra 1, what we learned last year in Pre-Algebra.  Jennifer took her first test and did well. I think we are finally getting adding and subtracting negatives and finding the total of something when we know a certain percentage of it.   She handed me the book this week and had it turned to the last lesson.  Wowza, it will be some hard stuff when we get there! 

Liz continues to work away in her Math-U-See.  This next week I'm going to print off a work-set from The School Bell to begin working on cementing her addition and subtraction facts. 

SCIENCE:  This is where I really wish I had pictures.  Dad and Jennifer did a great experiment today!  This is really cementing the reading with Jennifer.  Like so many home-schoolers, Apologia General Science is wonderful! 

Elizabeth is learning the classification system.  We did several hands-on activities from our MFW guide. 

HISTORY:  We are enjoying our trip from Europe to the Americas with the Explorers.  The girls are doing a better job every day with narrating and their notebook pages.  I'm ready to kick it up a notch and ask them to include sketches.   So far I'm enjoying our MFW guidebook, it helps keep me on course.  The books they suggest for free-reading are sometimes difficult to find in the library.  But I've been able to find some great substitutes. 

This week Jennifer made Scottish shortbread, it was delicious!  Jennifer says that the next batch will be a doubled.  I wish I would have taken pictures. 

This summer I purchased several books from Scholastic that had history plays.  The girls and I love reading them together.  This has ended in more than one giggle session.  It has also helped to bring the history more alive to them.  This is the book we will be using over the next two weeks.

Last week our project was to make ships out of foil.  I bought kits from Hobby Lobby for them to build sailing ships.  Here they are putting them together;

~~In gratitude for a faithful God that allows me to home-school my beautiful daughters,

Linda

 *^*This is a sticky post that will stay at the top of my entries until August 15th.

To view more recent entries scroll past this one.*^*

Tiany at More of Him, Less of Me. is hosting this great Homeschool Open House. 

Thank you so much Tiany for all of your hardwork to do this!

I'm excited to share with you all about our homeschool.

Hi, my name is Linda.  I am the proud mommy of three daughters(12,6,3) and one step-daugther(19). This will be our third year homeschooling.  We began this journey in our home in the fall of 2005, but the Lord had laid it on my heart starting in 1998.  His timing has been perfect and I'm amazed at how He has grown this dream of mine, into a beautiful plan in all of our hearts.   If you are interested you can read about our journey to homeschooling and the vision of Higher Learning Academy in this entry:  March 1, 2007

I have heard veteran homeschooling moms say this, but I am now living it.  Each year is just a little bit different.  With each year the children get a little older and I've found a few new curriculum choices.  Or old curriculum didn't work for us, so we switch to something different.  But the main essence of our homeschooling days remain the same.  Training our daughters to love the Lord with all of their hearts and loving their neighbor as themselves.  Making sisters best-friends, character training and mastering life skills are the core of our days.  We spend an average of five hours a day in academics.  Some days are a little shorter and some may go a little longer than this. 

Here is our routine I try to attain, it doesn't always work.  When it doesn't it is usually because of my lack of discipline in getting up.  Then I let the children sleep in and the rest is well...I'm sure you've experienced those kinds of days.  I'm praying for less of those days this year. 

5:30 am-Mom gets up exercise and Bible quiet time

6:30 am-Mom showers and prepare for the day

6:45 am-then Jennifer showers**this is going to be a switch for her and will not be warmly greeted Jennifer is NOT a morning person.  But my husband and I feel it is time for her to start getting up early.  She is a procrastinator in the morning and then wants to continue on in the afternoon when I am tired. 

7:00-Girls get up and eat breakfast

7:30-Breakfast done, everyone cleans up

7:45-Morning chore**this is another change up this year....no one but me has ever done a morning chore. 

Then we usually move to the basement to our homeschool room.  I like to school in there, mainly because it prevents me from becoming distracted by the housework.  Here are a few pictures of our room.  But I am in the process of rearranging it this year.  I've added more furniture and books.  I'll post those pictures when it is finished. 

8:00-Morning opening....this includes the Pledge of Allegiance, singing a song and praying together.

This year we will be singing and studying a hymn during this time using the book, Then Sings My Soul.  Also we will all be memorizing the book of James. 

I purchased new bibles for Elizabeth and Jennifer this year.  I usually read the New American Standard version, but we are using My Father's World for history this year and they recommend New International Version.  Jennifer's current bible is looking tattered and Elizabeth needed a bible that wasn't a story one.

These are the bibles I got for them:

Elizabeth's

Jennifer's

8:.30-Jennifer will do her own bible study from Precept Ministries. It is called Boy Have I Got Problems. I will be helping Elizabeth with this study also.  I think Jennifer would enjoy it more if she can do it independently.  The reading level is still a little advanced for Liz.   I will also be working with Elizabeth and Grace on their AWANA's lessons.  I can't believe Grace is going to be a Cubbie.

9:00-Elizabeth will do her independent reading book.  Grace will play.  Jennifer and I will go over her math lesson.

9:20-Jennifer does her math work independently.  Elizabeth and I do her math lesson together.  Grace continues to play.

9:30-Elizabeth begins her math lesson. 

Grace and I start her Preschool lessons.  I am very excited to be doing Heart of Dakota with Grace.

I want Grace(3) to begin PreSchool yet have enough free time to play and enjoy herself.  She is into trying to learn to read to keep up with her big sisters, and this will be a great start for her.

If Jennifer happens to get done with her math before I am ready to begin her English, she will do her independent reading assignments.

10:00- Elizabeth will do Copywork for Little Girls from Queen's Homeschool.

Jennifer and I will go over her English lesson, Rod and Staff English book 7. 

 Grace plays or watches a video.

10:15-Elizabeth and I work on her Language Arts lessons.  Jennifer is now doing her English lessons.

Elizabeth's Language Arts is going to sound like a lot to some.  I'm comfortable with it for now.  

Elizabeth's Language Arts:

Spelling Workout Book A

Explode the Code Book 2

A Beka Language 1

11:00- Begin Institute for Excellence in Writing lessons...I am going to try and include before girls in this.  I really think that Elizabeth can verbalize to me her thoughts.  I will write them and then she will recopy them.  I am using Level B, but I've read of a lot of testimonies about being able to make it easier for their younger children.  When we get into the more advanced essay lessons, Liz will be working on other things. 

12:00 Time for a quick lunch and clean up.  This year there is going to be no TV break during lunch. 

12:30- My Father's World History---all of the girls will do the reading and handicrafts. 

Jennifer and Elizabeth will work on their notebook pages.

We are doing Exploration to 1850's. 

I'll blog more about this as we go. 

2:00 Science-Art

We will follow the schedule that is in the My Father's World Teacher's Manual.

Jennifer is doing Apolgia General Science.

Elizabeth is using Exploring Creation-Zoology I.

and

God's Design for Life: Animal Kingdom.

Both girls are using Barry Stebbing products for Art. 

Jennifer continues in God and the History of Art.

Elizabeth is doing The Lambs Book of Art.

I hope to have our day wrapped up by 3:30.

Jennifer will still have to practice her clarinet.  I will work with Elizabeth on her reading also.  

The other thing that has changed for us this year is that we will be using a supervising teacher.  I will have to keep better records and have everything in their notebooks for her review.  We will meet with her quarterly.  She is only the supervisor, she is not the teacher.  She will be great encourager and resource.  I would have not used A Beka, but she recommended it.  I prefer Rod and Staff, but I want to be open to her recommendations. 

The other things we will be adding our field trips to: the Science Centers(in Des Moines and Waterloo, Iowa), Living History Farms, the Omaha Zoo, Reiman Gardens in Ames, Iowa, and a few plays at the Civic Center of Iowa. 

Our service project will be going to a local nursing home each month.  I am not sure of our exact activities, some ideas I have are: painting the ladies fingernails, reading stories, sharing our music, and taking fresh baked cookies. 

I don't have any special tidbits to share except I encourage you all to bathe everything in prayer.  The Holy Spirit is the best homeschool leader! Also, take pictures of your days and journal everything.  Wow, do they pass by quickly. 

~~~giving Him ALL of the glory,

for without Him I am nothing,

Linda

PS...for time-saving I haven't proof-read this before posting.  I will come back to it though.  I apologize for any errors.