Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

I sat down this morning with m teacher book and calendar to evaluate where we are at or how far behind we are and found this:

With 42 weeks scheduled out in our 2007-2008 School Year we are currently in week 11 which is 11 weeks behind where we are scheduled to be on January 9. I know... 11 weeks, I am not even sure how we fell so far behind. A day here, a day there, a week over there, a month here... sigh. Here is my plan:

By January 29 we will be ending week 19 which will have us caught up to 9 weeks leaving us only 2 weeks behind.  If we are diligent  and catch up to week 20 by the 29 and then stay on course till the end we will finish up by Jun 27 but that is with NO breaks and honestly I don't see that happening because of Easter break which we always travel. We could double up that week before we leave so that we can stay on course. I will have to think about that. June 27 is a okay date to finish up though I would prefer earlier because that only gives us 1 month off before we begin the next year.

Here is what our next 3 weeks look like in each subject:

Bible Truths: We are going to do 1 of 2 things, either just continue as we are in it combining some of the easier lessons together until the end of the year with out stressing it out, just enjoying God’s word where we are or we will substitute this with a more causal bible study and wait until next year to start this again. It was actually a little above Superman’s grade level.

FLL:  Simply combining 3 lessons each day until the 25 of Jan and then continue as usual a lesson a day until June 27.

Spelling Workout: We are actually not behind in our spelling lessons but we will be combining so that we will finish them by the 27^th because on my schedule I had us finishing 9 weeks after… ? So we will double up on each lesson until the 12 of May where we will then be able to just do 1 lesson a week.

Horizons: In order to catch up in our math we will be doubling x 2 for 2 weeks and then doubling for 1 week and then by the 28 of Jan we will be exactly where we should be. We have already begun to to do this and it is working just fine, he enjoys math and is very quick at it.

SOTW: Read 3 chapters a week with good discussion and lots of books from library until the 4^th of February and then we will be caught up.

Science: We are just having fun with space right now, we are not on any schedule. Where ever we are lead until the 27 of June!

Nature Walks: resume as usual

Amazingly we will be able to do this with a lot of prayer and diligence! May God walk with us through the next 6 months of our homeschool year!

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

It is the begining of a new week, fresh with the crispness of His mercies! I am excited about this week... not sure why just am! God is good and I am encouraged to know that He is with us today and everyday and no matter what is going on or how much we have to do He has not left us.

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I recieved mercy because I  had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:12-14

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. " The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

Lamentations 3:22-24

I pray that my children will beable to "see" through me that His mercies are in fact new every morning. I pray that it soaks into my heart and becomes a reality to my thoughts. I pray that this week will be a powerful testimony to the graces of God as we humbly venture through the moments given to us.

Memory Verse for the week:

A man with out self control is like a city broken into and left with out walls.

Proverbs 25:28

Others to reflect daily on:

1 Corinthians 9:25

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Galatians 5:23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

2 Peter 1:6

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

We are focusing on self-control this week, could you tell? Whining, fits of anger, pouting and other ungodly behaviors being displayed is just not acceptable. God talks a lot about being able to conrol ourselves and I have just got to stop these! :0) It is funny, though I was joking there is some truth to that. No, I don't fall to the ground and roll around on the floor, I don't throw a toy across the room, and I don't cross my arms and stick out my bottom lip when things don't go my way but in my heart it is all the same. So the word of God will not just be applied to my children's sin but mine as well, for we are all children of the King and we all desperately need His guidance.

Have a great day!

JOYfully in Him,

Kelli

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

This is my first post for a Friday Show and Tell, I have been seeing this around and have wanted to join, thanks Canada Girl for hosting this.

I really want to implement nature walks more into our learning adventure. They are in our schedule but life always seems to swoop in and overtake our plans. A few weeks ago we were able to grab out nature journals and enjoy some time out at a park in the vastness of nature. Superman and T-Rex both really enjoyed themselves as we walked around the park examining His creation and discussing all of the wonderful things that we saw. I was so pleased at how much they enjoyed not playing but just learning.

I just loved to be outside in His presence exploring His truly amazing creation together as a family. It always leaves me standing in awe of His works and when I am in the midst of it all I am reminded of how great He is and I can see how everything around me praises it's maker, the Almighty God.  

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

Read Alouds:

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Clearly. I picked this up at a library book sale and we started it yesterday. So cute and addicting! I am really enjoying reading the book and both of my boys including T-Rex are really enjoying it also. T-Rex actually asked me to read it yesterday. The version I have is an old one from 1965 which I prefer, the illustrations by Louis Darling are much cuter in my opion to the newer revised editions. Leave more to the imagination.

The Childrens Book of Virtues edited by William J. Bennet. This is a really cute book full of beautiful illustrations and enjoyable stories, fables, poems and other stories that secretly reveal little life lessons/morals/virtues for little ones to ponder. We are all enjoying these lessons together through many little characters and stories.

Falling Up by Shel Silverstein.  So fun! I have always since a little girl been captivated by Silverstein's imagination and word play. I love being tickled through each poem, some are just silly while others are rather grosteq which is good for boys! (not so much for mommies and baby Butterflies) It is a given that begging will appear at the reach of bedtime for a little Silverstein.

Devotional:

Training Hearts and Teaching Minds by Star Meade. This is a wonderful little family devotional! We are actually a little behind in this but have started up with it again. It is our nightly devotional based on the shorter catechism. We come together each evening before bed and together grow in our knowledge of God, there is much discussion that comes with each devotion.

Superman's Books:

On the Halfpipe with... Tony Hawk by Matt Christopher.This is a biography on Tony Hawk the professional skateboarder. Superman picked this book out on his own since his recent obsession with the sport was taken here in the last couple of months. I am a bit suprised at this new sport obsession and wasn't sure about his sudden interest in the icon Tony Hawk but I do not want to squash any enthusiasm he has for reading.

Magic Tree House Research Guide to Mummies and Pyramids. He has gotten lost in this book several times and it is my personal pick over the Tony Hawk bio. After he finds his way back to reality he is always excited to tell us what he found while traveling to Egypt. :0)

T-Rex's Books:

Who Wants a Dragon by James Mayhew. Me! Is his reply each time this question is read... it is so cute. He has become very interested in dragons lately.

The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle. So cute! I enjoy reading this little book about a boy who wants a dog but winds up with a dragon, of all things.

My Favorites:

Butterfly Eyes and other Secrets of the Meadow by Joyce Sidman. I just adore the illustrations and the rythym of this book. It teaches about the hidden world of the meadow through poems and riddles.

Glory by Nancy White Carlstrom. Praising God is the overall theme of this book. Each page is glorious in color and splendid in wording, I enjoy its uniqueness.

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

I have to tell you about our little reading sanctuary that I mentioned here or what Superman calls our little library. It is a rather nice little place to enjoy a good book together. I love to hear little whispers and histerical laughing coming from behind the doors. It is a little smaller than I like but all the more snuggling!!

Wow, there has been a huge change in Superman this week! He is totally taken by a book he has picked up out of our little "library". I was very suprised at how much he has been enjoying it. Thursday afternoon I told him to pick out a book to read for his independent reading time and he chose War of the Worlds, I ignorantly discouraged him from getting it because I "thought" I knew better. It is a pretty big book that he is not use to so I didn't want him to start it and not finish it, you know what I mean. He insisted on choosing it so I gave my blessing :0) and to my complete and utter suprise he not only loves it but can not put it down! Yesterday while he was opening the door to the library for me he was so engaged in his book that when I turned around to check on him he was still holding the door while others were passing by him. I had to call him back to reality so that we could actually get into the building. Every free moment he is lost in its pages!! I am just smiling and dancing inside...

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

I have re-evaluated our homeschool days due to some the aroma that is filling the air in our school room from all of us. I am also a little tired of the way we are doing things. We pretty much just sit in our little room at the same desk for 3 straight hours... boring. It seemed like a good idea at first but now that we have experienced its suffocation of enjoyable learning we have changed some things. I knew that I wanted to change some things up but didn't really know what or how, I racked my brain the other night while laying in the dark of night as I waited to drift off to sleep. I remembered one of the articles I had read in the NEW amazingly encouraging Old Schoolhouse Magazine and it got my wheels turning. By the next morning I had it figured out and on paper ready to try out. Success! Much more refreshing:

7-8:30 Breakfast, dressed, teeth, straightening

8:30-9:15 Personal Quiet times

Chores until 10:00

Quiet times will be done before chores now as a way to enforce putting the Lord first each morning, but we will eat and get dressed first. As they get older they can begin to have there own quiet times before breakfast if they so desire.

10:00-12:00 School:

1. Table Time: we will start our school day at the kitchen table with bible, langauge lessons, phonics, memory, copywork and poetry reading

2. Couch Time: we then will escape into our current read aloud on the couch with a good snack.

3.Desk Time: here is where we will do math and spelling.

1:00-2:00

4. Couch/Closet Time: independent reading and enjoyment reading with classical music in the background (my personal favorite)

4. Outside Time: time to venture outside with our history and science books to enjoy God's creation while learning about Egypt and the Stars

This has been so nice! Moving to different areas to do different subjects has taken the monotony out of our school day that was begining to grow.

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

Do we really need a bible curriculum to teach our children to have a quiet time with the Lord? Of course not but I had gotten into the habit of thinking that I needed a curriculum made by some professionals for every subject. I do need it for some of course but in training my children to have a quiet time with the Lord, no. As the mother of my children who knows them better me or some curriculum. Well, I searched for something to fill the need of a good "devotional" for my Superman but came up with nothing. My goal was to encourage him to spend time reading the word, reflecting on it and praying alone with out me. Establising a personal morning quiet time but of course I still wanted to have some control over it. I didn't want to be physically in the room but I wanted to be "in" the room supervising, Superman is not capable of doing this alone just yet, he needs a lot of guidance. So how can a 7 year old have a personal quiet time alone with an adult, is it possible? Well, it is as my last post revealed. I wasn't sure how or if it was going to work but was willing to give it a try. All we use is a page that I made with MW, a notebook, a bible and some direction. Each morning after breakfast and chores I hand Superman his page attached to a clipboard, his bible and a pencil. He then proceeds with out complaint to his room and shuts his door. His bible is bookmarked where he will find a text highlighted in blue. He reads it and then anwsers the questions that are written on his paper (there are times when I don't put questions just statements). Then he draws a picture that is a reflection on the verse he read. At the end of his quiet time he is to pray, I have a little reminder at the end of the page. When he is finished he comes out and we discuss what he read, his answers and his picture thoughts. Sometimes I will ask him what he prayed and remind him to look for the anwsers, that has been amazing because some of them have been anwsered and he notices. :-)   

I am learning to start earlier with this because Superman enjoys his time in there so much.

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

Each morning as part of Superman's day he goes in his undesturbed room and quietly reads a passage from his bible. I  choose the passage for him to read and then highlight it in his bible, bookmark it and give him a page that has a square for picture thoughts and then room at the bottom for questions that I might ask him concerning the text. Then I always remind him to Pray! I can not tell you how wonderful this has been for my little Superman and for me. Here is this weeks verses:

Monday:  1 Thessalonians 5:17-19

Tuesday: 1 Corinthians 10:31

Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Thursday: James 5:8

Friday: Leviticus 19:18

His bible is in the New International Reader's Version. I can not wait to see and hear what his little mind and heart experiences this week through reading God's word.

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

I thought that these were very cool for my boys who are in love with Egypt, especially Superman (Eli). I printed them out and am going to frame them. If you have an Egypt lover or are studying Egypt and want these cool hieroglyphics go here.

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

Here is Superman's favorite  book to read at the moment, There's a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Suess. He loves to read it so much that he has read it I would say at least 15 times in 2 weeks, he has mastered it and I love to listen to him read it. It is such a fun book, I don't mind hearing it over and over again and it never fails that we laugh at the same sections of the book every time.

T-Rex doesn't have a favorite right now because he is not all that interested in them (he is to busy I suppose) but he does love to get his little bible and pretend to read it, it is so cute. :0)

And a must read aloud that we LOVE is well anything by Bill Peet but especially at the moment No Such Things. What a hilarious book that caught all of our attention and children's spirit. I so enjoyed this book and so did my Littles. We also enjoy  his wonderful book Kermit the Hermit.

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

I found this site that has a chart generator. We have been using it to make charts for our skip counting which is going well, except that I can not figure out how to make Take me Our to the Ballgame fit skip counting by 9's. We are working on our own song or rhythym to fit it. I am thinking of pulling out the drums and tamborine to assist us. 

JOYfully in Him,

Kelli

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

Well, it was our first day of school and I have the pictures to proove it. I must say that it has been an amazing day. I woke this morning fairly nervous for our first day of school. Why was I nervous? It is not like I had a class room full of students to teach and entertain, nor did I have to give any kind of speech but yet I was still nervous. I suppose it is because I have had very high expectations for this day to be a fun filled learning experience which for me means that I would have to control myself through every trial... the fits, the accidents, the silliness, the distractions and the emotions. I didn't want to be a blinding hindrance to their joy of learning. I started off the day with 3 prayers, one for me, one for Superman and one of T-Rex. I originally wanted to get them all up by 7:00 but as the procrastinator that I am I still had just a few things to finish and so it was 7:40 by the time I made it to their room. Superman began getting ready and T-Rex was left to sleep for a little longer. Superman ate breakfast, oatmeal and then little T-Rex came in to join him all dressed and ready.  Soon after began our morning chores. Then Superman went to his room for some quiet time with the Lord and T-Rex, Butterfly and I had our own quiet time together. When Superman finished I glanced at my Schedule for the day which looked like this:

Week 1	Monday	Tuesday 8-28
7:30 Bible
Bible Truths		Lssn: 1 "It is Good"
Bible		Read and Praise
Memory Verse
OT Books		Genesis-Malachi Flashcards
Gen. 1:1		A Beka Poster
8:00 Grammar
FLL		Lssn: 1
Activity		Needle and Lace
Reading		Independent
Letter of the week		Lssn 1 Theme Cows: acted like cows
9:00  Math
Horizon		Lssn: 20
Poems, songs, Rhymes		Find animals/Old MacDonald
9:45 Spelling
Spelling Workout		Lssn: 19
Gift Play		Playdoh
Copy Work		Bible
Letter&# Activities		a=coloring page
10:30 History/Science
STOW & VP CD		VP & Chapt. 1 Reading
Color Sheet		Listen and OM CS
Read Aloud
Wind in the Willows		Chapt. 3
Eli's Schedule
Kai's Schedule
Together

 and then we all began our 1st day of school together: 

Can you see the slideshow?

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

• Jesus dying on Cross
• Toys I have
• Clothes
• Spending time with George
• For Kai and his blessings
• For our class :0)
• My brother
• Me, daddy and momma
• Baby sister
• food and drinks
• good health
• family

Superman

Posted in Inside our Homeschool Room

We started reading Charlottes Web this week as a family. It is such a pleasant book full of beautiful descriptions of life and the struggles of relationships. Superman has never been interested really in any books that we have read aloud so far. Expresso and him were at the bookstore the other day and he wanted to get a book. Expresso called me and said he had picked out Spiderman book of tricks or something and I immediately cringed at his choice and told Expresso that I thought he should look some more. A few minutes later he said Superman wanted to get Eragon which was a little better but way over his age so I suggested Charlottes Web the read aloud version. A few minutes later he called again and said they got both, I was pleased. That night we began CW and I was a little worried that he wouldn’t be interested in the little pig and his friends but to my surprise he sat there rather intrigued by the story daddy was reading. Every night so far he has been just as fascinated asking questions and relating to the story. I am so glad that we decided to read this book. Yesterday while out blog hopping I stumbled upon 7 Valleys Homeschool who just so happened to be posting on their adventures in CW as well and what they were doing in addition to it. We are going to incorporate some of her wonderful ideas into our adventures with Charlotte and Wilbur.

When we finish the book we are going to as a family go and see the movie. Also, we are reading Eragon, Superman and I, together in the afternoons but I am not sure how long that will last? :0) I am guessing we will be moving on soon.

JOYfully in Him,

Kelli