I wish I was faster with my reflexes. It could have gotten a close up of the doe and two fawns! This was taken at the intersection of 202 and the road leading to Snoqualmie Ridge...
Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Randy live on a lovely property in Sagle, near Sandpoint, ID. We had to cut our trip a little short, but we will go back soon. We all love it there.
'A' soaking up the morning sun on the deck...
Grandma and Granpa purchased
seven chicks. They are now "teenagers". The boys enjoyed watching them in their coop and following them when they were roaming the yard.
Grandpa and the boys...
There are a ton of crickets and grasshoppers. Here is one on a daisy.
Harvesting strawberries in Grandpa's garden. A major highlight for the boys is deciding what to eat for dinner in the garden that night. They pick the veggies/fruits and take them directly to Grandma to prepare. They are very proud of their lettuce picking.
Feverfew...
The boys love to go on the utility trailer and use it as a "stage" for performances...
Grandma gave us a deck of 'yoga for kids' cards. We spent every morning doing different poses. Here are the boys doing what I think is called the "partner bridge"...
We got a few lessons in. There is nothing better than taking "class" outdoors!
Grandma reading to the boys. It was a story about a man who was a printer for the newspaper. He was deaf, which was common for people working the noisy printers back then. We had directions in the back of the book to make the newspaper four square hats the printers would wear to keep the ink off their heads. In attempting to make these hats, we have come to realize that newspaper pages are smaller then they used to be; who knew?!
We went to an alpaca farm From the Heart Ranch, and got to go into the pens where some of the alpacas were hanging out. There is a gazebo of sots on the property and we had our picnic lunch there.
After visiting the ranch, we went to see where Grandpa Randy works. He is a craftsman for a custom timer frame company. They use wood pegs instead of nails. It truly is a beautiful skill.
The boys liked spending time with the shop cat who is always covered in a fine layer of sawdust. (good fiber...)
Grandpa in front of the shop...
After the visit to the shop, we drove to Bonner's Ferry. I had never been to this sweet town. We spoke with one of the sheriff's, ate some ice cream, and looked around in some of the shops. There seems to be a good size Mennonite population there. I saw quite a few women in head coverings.
Memory Verse
"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved--you and your household." Acts 16:31
I have come to the point now when I see a verse, I will look it up in the NIV Life Application Bible. The additional information provided enrichens my understanding of the scriptures. I spent many years trying to understand a piece of scripture, but not getting it because I did not go farther and look into the context and supporting scripture around the verse.
This weeks verse comes from when Paul and Silas were in jail. They were singing hymns and praying to God. There was an earthquake and the prison doors flew open. The jailer woke up and was about to kill himself because he thought his prisoners had escaped, but Paul yelled that everyone was there.
The jailer witnessed what had happened and realized that what Paul and Sila were saying was true and asked how he could be saved.
Paul and Silas' response is stated in Acts 16:31. A very simple expression.
When we recognize Jesus as Lord and trust in him our entire life, we are assured we are saved.
Acts 16:34 shows how the jailer was filled with joy in believing in God. We all can have that kind of joy.
History/Geography Children's Encyclopedia: Overview of early man through the renaissance.
Read Aloud -Continue reading 'The Boxcar Children'
-Poems from 'The Llama who had no Pajama'
-Mother Good Rhymes: THIS HAS GOT TO GO; I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE!!
Language Arts The boys read from "I Can Read It". They have read the "stories": "Nat is Bad" and "Can Pat Tap Nat?"
-I gave the boys letters to make three letter words. I gave them a word and they had to make the wird with the leters written on index cards.
Science We learned about the sun and the moon. How the earth spins on ots axis and the sun stays in place. It takes 24 hourse for the earth to make one rotation. When we face the sun, it's day, when we are away from the sun, it's night. the moon rotates around the earth. It takes one month to rotate. The moon has not light of its own. It reflects light form the sun.
Extra Fun Stuff We vistited grandma Margaret and grandpa Randy in Sandpoint. I hope to get pictures up soon.
Friday Halibut and Veggie Medley
Fruit Salad with Mango Dressing
Bread
Saturday Spanish Tofu with Rice
Fresh Fruit
Sunday Dinner with Dado Fabio and Dada Esperanza (All recipes are from Susan Branch's cookbook, 'Summer')
Lemon Linguini with Chicken, Basil, and Cherry Tomatoes
White Bean Salad
Roasted Vegetable Platter
Green Apple and Blueberry Tart
Monday Oven Roasted Veggies and Pasta
Fresh fruit
Tuesday Dilled Chicken and Rice
Broccoli
Wednesday Green Chile, Black Bean and Corn Stew
Green Salad
Tortillas
Ama came up for a visit bearing gifts, a Badminton Set and Croquet Kit!! We immediately broke out the croquet, gave a lesson on not using the mallets like an axe, and proceeded to knock some balls around.
It brought me back to when I was a kid. It also brought back memories of the times I would trip myself up in the wickets!
My cousin, Terry, and his wife Ann, came up for a visit and brought their two children. We spent the day together visiting and catching up. Here are pictures of the newest addition to our family.
We had a small, nuclear family only, memorial service for my grandmother over July 4th weekend. When we returned home, we discovered this beautiful rose in full bloom on our only rose plant. Why is this special? This is the only bloom this plant has had, and looks like, will have this year. This plant was my grandmother's. We took it went she was placed in a nursing home.
Bible We are reading about the life of Abraham and Sarah.
History/Geography We read about William Tyndale in England. Mr. Tyndale is responsible for getting the Bible (only printed in Latin) to be translated into English so the common man can read it. This was considered treason and he was burned at the stake for it.
Read Aloud -Continue reading 'The Boxcar Children'
-Poems from 'The Llama who had no Pajama'
-Mother Good Rhymes
-My niece, KK, is spending the summer days with us. I have enrolled her in a Summer Reading competition at the local library. She needs to read 20 minutes a day to get 1000 minutes completed by the end of summer. To help with the reading, she is reading "Little House in the Big Woods" to us.
Language Arts The boys read from "I Can Read It". They have read the "stories": "A Cat on a Hat" and "A Flat Hat & Rat"
-I took words from these lessons and introduced the concepts of 'definition' to them. They orally defined words that I gave them.
-I had the kids write words in rice...
-I read fill in the blank questions, and the boys had to provide, and write, the answer.
'R's Bat...
While the boys work on 'Explode the Code' worksheets, I pulled up a grade 4 spelling list for my niece and had her write the words and re-write the ones she got wrong.
Science We did this great experiment and I tried to get it on video, but the experiment never cooperated when I wanted it to. We took a long neck bottle and placed it in the freezer. After it was thoroughly cold, we placed the bottle in a large pot and placed a quarter on the lip of the bottle. We poured warm water around the bottle. The quarter would slightly "jump"! This is because the air inside the bottle warmed up and expanded causing the quarter to dislodge.
Extra Fun Stuff The boys are having an awesome time playing with their cousin, riding bikes, playing with friends, all the fun outings we take, and mini vacations. We also continue to go through the sign language DVDs and really enjoy that.
Our homeschool co-op changed the structure of our group time. We have take our group time back into the home, and are pairing up families, and rotate each week. This week, my family went to Linda's (Linny) house. See what we did!
We have decided to homeschool through summer. We have begun Sonlight's Core C this week. We are taking it slow and spreading one day out over 2-3 days for now. My niece, K, (and occasionally, P) is spending most of the week days with me over the summer. Here are some highlights of what we are learning right now:
Bible Reading about Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah
Scripture Memorization I bought all four kids a journal to record scripture to memorize. The journal is also for writing down thoughts, prayers, worries, really anything. Our first scripture to memorize is: Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
I find such comfort in this scripture. We are not perfect and we don't have to pretend we are. We all sin, we all do things that fall short of God's perfect glory. In knowing that, and owning that, it is easier to be able to establish a relationship with God; to be able to go to Him and ask forgiveness, something He promises to grant.
History/Geography We are reading about Martin Luther, the man who stood up to the established church in the 1500's, and brought to light all the practices and law that was inconsistent with the Bible.
If you ask the boys about Martin Luther, they will probably say he was a guy who tripped on a tree root and sliced his leg open with his unsheathed sword. And, oh yeah, he almost was struck by lightning once, too.
We have marked on our map where Martin Luther lived (in Germany).
Read Aloud We are reading 'The Boxcar Children". What a delightful story. I typically have my niece read it to the boys. Today, she was not here, so I read a chapter. There was such a cliffhanger at the end of th chapter, 'A' begged me to read another chapter. I admit, I wanted to find out how it turned out as well...
We are also reading from a poetry book and a Mother Goose book. (yes, I am giving mother Goose another chance...)
P.E. My niece, P, is helping me create a summer P.E. program. She actually created an Excel document to record the lesson plan, and improvements. I am pretty impressed.
Language Arts We are using a book called, "I Can Read It!". It's a little stretch for 'R', and a little too easy for 'A', but it's working OK for us. I was not getting anywhere with 'R' on the Bob Books and this is working much better for him. Here is an activity where the boys pick a word and then have to make that word out of letter flashcards. I had the boys "teach" each other today: This program also has them write quite a bit, even though it is not a handwriting program (something I will be adding later...)
Science We are having so much fun with Science! We have learned a ton in just the few days we have done it. Let's hope some of it sticks!
Here are the boys showing off their worksheets about the water cycle, and the colors of the rainbow:
We also tried to create a rainbow with a glass of water, but was not successful. I ended up buying a prism later in the week.
There is a Science DVD that explains some of the experiments we will be doing over the year. They boys love it and insist on watching all of the experiments over and over. It messes up our Scientific Method of creating our own hypothesis, but...whatever...
Here's an experiment we did today. We have created a scientific journal for recording our hypothesis, eperiment, and conclusion. The boys narrate to me the process and I record it, then the boys draw a picture on the journal of what we did.
In this experiment, we are learning about how air expands when it is warm. We took a ping pong ball and dented it...
Placed it in a glass of very warm water and covered it with a plate, thus submerging the ball...
In about 15 second, we removed the ball and discovered that ball had returned to its original form...
The warm water heated up the air inside the ping pong ball. The air expanded and pushed the dent out!
Nutrition DH asked if he could teach the kids every Friday on nutrition. Today, he taught about the food pyramid. Here are the boys coloring in their pyramid. Then, they played the My Pyramid Blast Off Game. (An interactive computer game where kids can reach Planet Power by fueling their rocket with food and physical activity. “Fuel” tanks for each food group help students keep track of how their choices fit into MyPyramid.)
Sign Language One of my best buddies (living in Alaska), just loaned me four of the 'Signing Times' DVDs. We are currently watching and learning signs from "Nice to Meet You." The boys love this and want to watch this everyday. Thanks Dakari! I love you!!
Our good friends came by for a vist a few nights ago. Rob plays bass with DH in their band. Here are Rob, my sweet buddy, Lacey, and their precious packages. (3 girls and 1 boy).
I just adore him. Of course, I adore 'A', too, but I want to take this time to share just a few of the many reasons why I not only love my son, 'R', but I LIKE him as well.
'R' loves all things of beauty, especially in nature. He is the first one to mention someone's beautiful garden, or lovely house. He will point out flowers and trees; items I often never give a second glance. He is constantly bringing in buttercups, dandelions, forget me nots, and colored leaves from our yard. He even found a five leaf clover on his own!
He will endlessly watch an insect or spider, and adopts potato bugs as pets. Here is a picture of a dead moth he found on the window sill. He kept it with him for a good part of the day, gently caressing it, and stating how beautiful it was.
My favorite bouquet...please note the colored leaf as well. I get ALOT of those.
He is still in what I call the "puppy" years. You know, the awkward, clumbsy phase where they end up with so many scrapes you lose track of how and where they got them. He also has a habit of wiping his nose upward with his hand, creating a smudge on the tip of his nose. It's the classic 'R' look.
He STILL has an obsession for cars and will constantly call out car brands when he see them. He does it with such a passion and enthusiasm, you'd think he 'd won a car for himself. He also will repeat the car until you acknowledge that he saw it. (HERBIE! (VW Bug), JEEP! HONDA! CHEVY! CONVERTIBLE! MUSTANG!...)
Whenever 'A' is injured, 'R' is the first one over to give him a hug.
'R' and 'A' both love to play with Legos and draw. They entertain each other by creating fire stations and police stations in Legos, and create (, OK, I will say it), violent drawings of princes, knights, and kings killing the "bad guy" or "bad dragon". They enjoy drawing stabbings with swords and when I try to encourage them to draw something less traumatic, they assure me it's just pretend, or that it is just a little "poke" and "the bad guy did not get hurt, but went to jail."
He is such a joy to be around and I feel so blessed to be his mom!
A few years ago, some friends of mine began an after school party for moms and kids on the last day of public school. I am grateful to be included with the fine friends of mine. Here are some shots of this years party. The weather was amazing and the kids has a blast getting each other soaked! (Yep. This is my baby niece, K...She needs to stop growing up so fast!)
(I forgot to post this. I have it written in a binder.)
This week, I am going through a cookbook, titled "Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker". I have come up with some delightful recipes that I will be using again.
Sunday: Veggie Stir Fry
Monday: Enchilada Inspired Polenta Pie (from cookbook above)
Tuesday: Pesto Potato Soup with Pine Nuts (from cookbook above)
Wednesday: Family ate out and a movie- Teriyaki
Thursday: Sloppy Lentils (A play on Sloppy Joes) (from cookbook above)
My MIL and FIL (affectionately known as Dado and Dada) threw a joint birthday party for me and my SIL (AKA Ant-ee Sara). Esperanza (Dada) created and incredible dinner. Ice cream cake for dessert; who could ask for more?!
DH belongs to a Worship band. The other families with us on this trip contained the drummer and the female singer.
The drummer and his family were at a deli and in speaking with the owner of the deli they learned that not only did he own the deli, he also owned a seafood market and ran a ministry teen center. On Wednesday nights, they had an "open mic" night for worship musicians. DH, Steve, and Lisa got to play with other people living in Ocean Shores.
Playing ping pong and foosball in the teen center...
The center had about six video stations with different games on each...
So, do you remember the enticing post I made about holding tight for some great pictures to come from our trip? Well, here they are...
After eating dinner with all of our friends the first night at a restaurant, while driving to the condo, we decided to stop at the grocery store and pick up some items for breakfast the next day.
Turning the car around, we noticed the fire station had their ladder truck out. We decided to stop and let the boys take a look at the truck ('R' wants to be a fireman).
While we were walking around the truck a fireman came up and began talking to us. He offered to let the boys sit in the truck...
We enjoyed talking to him and he asked if we wanted to go into the station house and look around. We met four other firemen. (Here's where it gets good...) The Lieutenant asked if we wanted to go for a ride in the fire truck!! We got to ride around Ocean Shores and while on the road back to the station house, they ran the sirens and lights!
Everyone got to talk to each other through the headsets...
THEN, when we returned the Lieutenant asked if we wanted to watch them do a drill1 So, two firemen were timed in getting in full gear, extending the ladder on the ladder truck as far as it goes, rotating the ladder and the basket all the way around, then lowering the ladder to ground level.
Here is the Lieutenant explaining what is going to happen...
The drill...
One of the firemen walked across the ladder...
THEN, took a picture of the boys in the basket!
Next stop, the ambulance...
The Lieutenant took us back inside to see the blueprints for their new fire station...
Group shot. What a great night! (The picture is of their Captain, who die last year in a surf rescue...)
We spent Mother's Day week on Ocean Shores, with two families who are friends of ours. The weather ranged from sunny and almost warm to blustery and rainy. We were able to fly kites, swim in an indoor pool, play cards, and enjoy each other's company.
The boys taking the road less traveled with Christine...
DH and 'R' flying the Ladybug...
'R' fell in the ocean, but had a good time doing it!
The younger boys enjoyed watching T.C. skateboard in the parking lot...
They also enjoyed watching M.C. play video games on the computer...
Lisa, flying her kite. She was really good!! (I am not...)
Playing cars in the sand dunes. This is 'R's all time favorite thing to do...
How cute is this picture?! JH is getting ready for the pool!
We are wrapping up swim class for the year. This is where the boys are now skillwise. They are just learning the overhead crawl, and working on swimming without using their arms; just legs.
'R' is CRAZY for cars. And Legos. He could happily play with these two toys all day, every day. The first thing he typically says in the morning is, "Daddy, do you want to play cars?"
One morning, he led us into the living room to show us what he did. He created a set of Lego cars and they were racing on the windowsill (Speed Racer is big in our house right now...)
We took a hike with homeschool families from a different group in our area. A guide spoke to us about the different plant life in the area.
Here is our guide, Dave, showing us an arial map of the area...
I love forget-me-nots...
This is Japanese Knotweed. It was brought from Asia to Europe, then America. It is now considered an invasive weed.
The most common blackberry in our area is actually not native. It is the Himalayan Blackberry. This make fat, juicy berries, and the vines grow everywhere. Native blackberry runs along the ground and makes small berries.
I always thought ivy was pretty to look at growing on trees. But, we learned that these trees will suffocate and die from the ivy over time.
A fork of the Snoqualmie River...
Another way of looking at things...(A)
Bleeding Hearts AKA Dutchmen's Britches...
The end of our quest. This is a 100(?) year old cedar tree.
Turning his face to the weird, shiny globe in the sky...
Enjoying the moss pillow...
Heading for Home
We decided to join DH for a business trip to Vancouver/Portland. We had such a fabulous time! Here are the highlights... Day One SpringHill Suites -Indoor Pool for swimming and free breakfast The Old Spaghetti Factory -first time for the boys Big Al's Bowling - Coolest bowling alley ever! We had a blast !!
Day Two Vancouver Police Department-East Precinct - There was a park and attached to the park was the police station. 'A' idolizes policemen and wanted to go inside to say 'hi', so we ended up chatting with 'Corporal Ford' for about 20 minutes before going to the park to play. Prince Caspian- 'A' and I loved the movie. It was a little long for 'R' Cha Taqueria and Bar- We walked around Portland's Alphabet District after dinner. I love that neighborhood.
Day Three and Four Country Cousin's Restaurant- This is a favorite road trip restaurant of DH and mine. Their door crows at you when you open it. A first time for the boys. Great Wolf Lodge - OH YEAH!! The boys were completely overwhelmed for the first few hours, but we ended up having so much fun, we decided to stay an extra night. This is a chain, so if there is one near you, check it out. We ate in the lodge restaurant for all our lunches and dinner because the food was so good. Magiquest - This was in the hotel. 'A' was completely immersed in it. 'R did OK, but his attention span was not quite there yet.
TOSPUBLISHER posted about a news article that just breaks my heart! You can read about it here.
In an attempt to bring something positive out of this, a card drive is being organized that will send cards to the little boy named Alex, reminding him how special he is.
If so inclined, you can send a card to the following address. They will box them up and forward them on to the family. We sent one and included our family picture and an invitation to exchange postcards or letters with us since my boys are the same age.
Alex is Special
c/o Barbara Curtis
15648 Britenbush Ct.
Waterford, VA 20197
(final lecture notes from the Homeschool conference 2008-Christian Heritage)
Step in faith one step at a time
Our biggest battle is our own fears
2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
LEARN TOGETHER -this is your second chance to learn
Patience comes through overcoming trials.
You'll never develop patience if you avoid opportunities that cause you to grow in it.
Season of discipleship- Pull your children into your quiet time. This is your time to show your children what a relationship with the Lord is.
"Without a vision, the people perish"
1 Corinthians 1:27-31 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human beingmight boast in the presence of God. And because of himyou are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
When God commands something, He will also equip us to carry through that commandment.
2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."
2 Corinthians 3:4-5 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
John 15:4-5 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.
Homeschool, like parenting, requires faith and trust.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
-Know that there are seasons of life. Kids need home, routine, time.
-Your family is your mission field.
-Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were big things.
-Keep you heart soft and happy! Watch tone of voice, be positive, create a warm and healthy atmosphere.
-Discipline calmy and firmly, repent, and move on
Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
Guard your hearts from bitterness. It grows, festers, and does not go away by itself. Ask God to cleanse you.
Have a soft an teachable heart. We can destroy our homes if we are dark and bitter.
-Share your doubts, fears, and ssk your husband to pray for you. God works trhough authorities. Expect God is working through your husband.
DON'T COMPARE!
Keep your curriculum simple, but rich (reference the Ruth Beechick books)
If you love learning, they'll love learning.
Homeschool creates the time to develop interests.
-Practice hospitality.
Inspires your children
Invite missionaries and church leaders
ask them questions
have kids ask questions
teach kids how to serve guests
-Limit the amount of time you spend with people or actions that undermine your efforts
-Do first things first, even if timing is off. Get ready for the day: keep a routine.
-Bible time, scripture reading, hymns. Make these a priority.
Pray "what is the next right thing to do?"
-Expect to be tired!
nap during the early years
naps are an investment in the future of your family
healthy meals
healthy exercise
-Be home, really. You can be home in body, but not in mind. Watch your time on the internet and with blogs and hobbies.
-Know yourself. Be a mommy first and always, even when teaching.
-Things are good, better, or best!
Focus on what is best for your family
Family read aloud
Don't just do an activity because everyone else is.
-Talk to the Lord and your husband and come to a conclusion about what is best for your fmaily.
-Know your strengths and weaknesses. Work with who you are (scheduled v. fluid)
-Often remind yourself why you are doing this.
-TRUST GOD; pray throughout the day and read scripture to your kids.
-Have fun. Take a break for refreshment and refocus
-Encourage your children. different people develop at different rates.
Gifted individuals vs. cookie cutters
Children need mothers to teach them right from wrong. Point to God's lovingkindness.
God's creativity is different from ours. We need necessary ingredients:
example: Baking a cake
Purpose and recipe
form, design and style
flavor, liquid, leavener, sweetener
Content-Signifigant topic and purpose for writing.
Determine your audience
Have a real audience to whom you are writing
Writing for the sake of writing and not for communicating is fruitless
Why would you write something if no one is going to read it!
State your purpose in one concise sentence (inform, cheer, persuade, instruct, appeal, prepare)
Choose a general topic
choose a broad subject area, then limit in that area
Conform to God's righteouse standards
part of your own experience or eprsonal story
intended audience of interest
God honoring; real ideas to real people
Have kids write letters to relatives. Reports and research can come later.
Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Limit your general topic
to fit purpose and desired elngth
can be analyzed closely and carefully
look through the eye of an artist to see what others do not see
Narrow the topic to where you can describe it in depth
Check attitudes about writing
Please the Lord
Examine attitudes and motives for writing and make sure they are conformed to God's Word.
Simple letters are a great start for younger kids
Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
2. Style-choosing words and assembling
Writing needs to be coached up to high school.
1. Before writing: choose type that suits content (learn/teach these in order)
Descriptive
Narrative
Informative
Persuasive/Argumentative (high school)
Combination of these
Writing fiction is not great for kids. let them write about real things that od puts in your life.
In Middle and High School, have kids write Letters to the Editor.
Reference: Author John Piper, "A Godward Life"
2. Before writing: Choose the form
Letters, social notes, business letters
book reports, research reports
3. During writing: Skillful and appropriate word choice
Concrete- choose words that are vivid and specific
ex. 'The animal went away' vs. 'The raging, snorting Brahma bull charged down the narrow cobblestone street.'
2. Concise- saying as much as possible in the least amount possible
ex: 'the man in the western shirt, levis, chaps, and large-brimmed hat skilfully threw the long rope with a loop in the end of it over the head of the brown and white shaggy-headed steer'. vs. 'The cowboy skilfully lassoed the Heifer steer.'
3. Graciousness-only say what's necessary: be gracious indescription. Non offensive.
Ask: Will my writing bring glory to Christ?
4. Mechanics
penmanship
spelling
punctuation
grammar
Your writing:
will effectively accomplish a purpose
will bless others
will glorify God
Get started: Dictate with early writers and write for them
Bible We read a devotional that talked about helping around the house. We read Luke 22:7-13
and discussed how the disciples helped Jesus prepare for the Last Supper.
The Last Passover Luke 22:7-13
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?"
And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' "And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there." The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
We read Eyes on Nature: Sharks Here are new things we learned about sharks....
39 of the 350 species of sharks are over 10 feet long.
Nurse sharks sleep on the bottom of the ocean in piles of up to 40 members.
No one knows how long a shark lives. Most anticipate 30-100 years.
Plankton is a mix of plants and tiny shrimplike creatures that the larger sharks eat.
Bottom dwelling sharks eat crustaceans (crabs and lobster) and mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters)
Migrate-traveling longs distances. Some sharks migrate thousands of miles.
The oil in the sharks liver is lighter than water. This helps the shark float.
Sharks are cold blooded; their blood changes temperature as the water changes temperature. But a few sharks have a special heat system that keeps their blood warmer than the others. They are called "WARM BODIED". Sharks that have this are the Great White, Thresher, Salmon, Porbagle, and 2 kinds of Mako.
The jaws of the shark is the most powerful on earth.
Scientists can tell the shark species by their teeth or their bite marks.
A shark can go through 7-12 sets of teeth in one year.
Dogfish are pregnant for 2 years. (Glad you are not a dogfish, Liz, Megan, Julie, and Alyssa? :))
Sharks typically attack where there are alot of people in warm, waist deep water. (They speculate that this is because the motion in the water resembles schools of fish). (Leigh's note: This contradicts what the other book said. The otherr book says to swim with others because the shark is less likely to attack a group.)
Divers can wear a steel mesh suit which can help againt shark bites.
The Mako shark is the fastest shark at 43mph and can leap out of the water.
Rays are the closest relative to the shark. They are pretty much sharks flattened out.
Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.
This is a reminder to you that your family is BEAUTIFUL.
There is a glory which the Lord has placed around you every day.
We don't prioritize the things God prioritizes.
Stop to appreciate the moments of victory or we will miss them. We love the opportunity to enrichen our lives and build a multi-generational legacy.
Drink deeply in the flowers, the rainbows, the stars and your children will too.
1 Chronicles 16:29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array.
Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
Victories
Nobility in the commonplace (Proverbs 31-High premium on doing our duty.)
The Hope of the Newborn
The Preciousness of Childlike Faith (He told the story of his son waiting in the rain for him, even though he had forgotten about his son.)
The Humor of Family Idiosyncracy
The Blessing of the Family Table
The Enthusiasm of the 'Cowboy Years'
The Holiness of the Epiphany (when your kids mature and they understand.)
The Gravitas of the Family Investiture (transition from youth to adulthood-chronicle and mark this time as significant)
The Blessed Mother
The Triumph of the Patriarchal Blessing
Individualistic (self centered) vs. Familistic (family centered) cultures
-The family table is where we get to know our family. Recover the glory of sitting and feasting together. Time to tell stories, quizzes, singing, catechism, and Bible. The table is a place of discipleship.
-The typical family meal lasts less than 20 minutes now.
(Lecture notes from the Homeschool Conference-Speaker, Ryan Yamane. He spoke of his life when he was a high school graduate and honored his parents in the choices they made for him, evne though he wanted to head in a different direction. He looks back and sees how God richly blessed his life as a result.)
Proverbs 29:18-Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.
College cannot be the end goal. It is a means to a greater end.
Who's plan is this? God's or yours?
Are you seeking God's best?
Choices in academics should never be at the expense of your relationship with the Lord.
Genesis 22:1-18 The story of Abraham and Isaac
Between the ages of 16-25, it is crucially important to listen to the will of God through your parents.
A prerequisite to true success
Death to self
Preferring God's will over my own, even if I don't fully understand.
Noah built the ark before he had even seen rain.
Joshua marching around Jericho
Jesus- "Not my will, but thine be done."
Abraham's pattern of obedience
Luke 16:10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (God gives us little things first.)
Genesis12:1-4 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
Genesis 17:10,23 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 23On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.
How does God direct? Abraham had an ongoing, daily relationship versus going to God only when there is a big decision to make or there is a prayer request. Through His WORD: Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Through parents: Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Through service to others.
2. Death to future Believing God wants my best.
Requirement: FAITH can you take the next step in faith?
Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Abraham's Promise Future -Great nation
-Great name, etc.
-coming through Isaac
Do we want God's best for us even when we don't understand?
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Obedience and Blessing Genesis 22:16-18 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Be tuned to God's voice.
George Mueller on discernment: 1) Is it Biblically sound? 2)Counsel with other Godly men 3)Your will in in neutral
Bible We read from "God and Me": 365 Daily Devotionals. We read from Genesis 1:11-13 about the plants and caring for them.
Zoobook: Sharks
New things we learned today:
- Carnivore- eats meat
-The Caudal Fin is the tail fin that propels the shark forward. Sharks can swim up to 40mph.
-Sharks have slits on the side called gills. The gills filter oxygen from water for breathing.
-Fish have swim bladders that can be filled with oxygen or a gas to allow the fish to float, but sharks do not have this and most must constantly swim or they will sink. Some can rest on the ocean floor or on a rock, while others engage in a sleep-swim state, but sharks do not sleep like humans do.
-The Pectoral fins are the two fins on the sharks chest. These help the shark ascend or descend.
-The shark is a predator. They hunt for their food, the prey.
-Ampullae of Lorenzini- the small holes below the shark's nose and chin that detect electrical impulses coming from all living beings.
-Lateral Line- A lateral row of holes along the sharks sides that helps sharks to sense all activity around them.
-up to 2/3 of the shark's brain focuses on smell.
-Feeding Frenzy- A bunch of sharks will suddenly bite anything in sight, including themselves and each other.
-Sharks don't chew; they swallow items whole.
-Remoras are fish that will keep the shark clean in exchange for bits of the sharks food.
-Thresher Sharks-Have a tail up to 10 feet long (or half it's body length) that can be used to herd fish for feeding or used as a bat to stun their prey.
-Nurse Sharks can give live birth to 20-30 pups at a time, each about one foot long.
-Tiger Sharks can have up to 80 pups at a time! They are usuall 4.5 feet long.
-The largest organ on a shark is their liver. It can be up to 25% of the sharks body weight. It is typically full of oil used for vitamins, makeup, and paint base.
-Sharks HATE the Moses Sole. If they bite one, a chemical is released, and they will spit the fish out. Scientists are trying to recreate this chemical as a shark deterrent for humans.
-Sharks also hate the Pufferfish, for obvious reasons. A shark can die if the Pufferfish blows up in its throat.
-Sharks are not too picky about what they will eat. these items have been found in the belly of a shark:
a bucket of nails
a case of wine bottles
jewelry
a suit of armor
coats
a torpedo
street signs
a drum
-6 people on average die in the world every year from a shark attack. 50,000 people die in the U.S. alone in car accidents every year. Staticstically, the bee is deadlier than the shark.
Safety guidelines when swimming:
Never trust a shark, no matter how small. if you see one, get out of the water and tell others to do the same.
Don't swim in murky water. Sharks know where you are, but you won't know where they are.
Always swim with someone else. Sharks are less likely to attack a group.
If you have a cut, stay out of the water.
If a shark has been sigthed recently, stay out of the water. They have been known to stay on an area for over a week.
If you are attacked:
don't panic. (yeah, riiiight...) Sharks get excited over panic.
Hit the shark on the nose. Go on the offense. This confuses and distracts the shark.
Stick your fingers in their eyes and up their nostrils
Get to a doctor as fast as possible.
We finished the Shark Word Search. I helped the boys find the words and they worked hard to keep the lines straight in crossing out the words.
The boys also worked on the Shark Vocabulary Sheet. I picked smaller words for them to practice writing (shark, case, line, pup, dorsal fin). They also had to identify the parts of the shark listed on the sheet and their purpose.
The boys colored the Great White Shark ('R's favorite shark) and the Hammerhead (A's favorite shark.). I took pictures. Maybe some day you will get to see them!
Lastly, we looked at National Geographic short videos of different sharks on YouTube.com.
(These are notes from the homeschool conference. The speaker was Susan Bradrick.)
Handling the Pressures of Your Homeschool Day
Homeschool is hard, but life is Hard!
No matter what your job is, each day is a juggling act. This is part if living in this world, not just a part of homeschooling.
How can we have a peaceful homeschool?
2 Peter 1:2-3: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 timothy 3:17: So that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Ephesians 5:15-17: Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Emergency Procedures
Practice Preferring Pinciple Priorities
i No is absolutely necessary! Head for the Heart
i Trust the Lord
Priorities List ALL possible activities...put in order of importance.
Put first things first. Identify by listing ALL possible activities : obvious-eat, sleep, work, church
not so obvious: perosnal hygiene, correspondence, etc.
Arrange in order of importance and highlight the ones that dominated your schedule...not how you want it to be.
Principle Who's to choose what the principle priorities are?
Joshua 22:5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Luke 10:42 But only one thing is needed.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.
What should dominate: Study God's Word
time in Prayer
Quiet Time with Spouse
Quiet Time with Children
Lords' Day Meeting
2nd Priority Eat
Sleep
Personal Hygiene
3rd All else
Priority Levels
Must Do's- Essential for spiritual and physical health
Should Do's-Very Important
Would Like to Do's-Nice additions to life
Could Do's-options if and when there is time.
Assign each activity one of these levels. Divide each day into half hour increments.
Make the most of our time.
Preferring Following what the heart wants.
Our choices prove what we really prefer.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
Psalm 119:97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
Practice Training your heart to prefer what God wants over what our flesh wants.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Training via repetition
Study God's Word
Prayer for grace to obey
Purposeful obedience
confession, repentence
REPEAT
Practice takes time. Make a family schedule that reflects God's preference.
NO is absoutely necessary!
Be firm in your commitment to God's preference over your life.
Be polite and respectful when saying 'no'.
Be prepared for many objections and even hurt feelings.
Be prepared to have a hard time saying 'no'.
Make family policies regarding: sleepovers, playdates, babysitters, etc. Have statements ready when opportunities come.
Head for the Heart! It's essential!
your relationship with God
your relationship with your husband and children
your children's relationship with God
The Bradrick Family Verse: Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
All sin= Selfishness -> Recognize -> take Responsibility -> Repent
It's too easy to talk to your children's heads; talk to their hearts.
It's too easy to concentrate on what they are learning and miss what they are thinking...or should be thinking.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
24 Hour Disciple Chart
Bible Study and Spiritual Growth
Biblical Honor and Obedience
Attentiveness and Listening Skills
Essential Domestic Skills
Essential Academic Skills
Time Management and Organization
Trianing in the Arts and Art Appreciation
Practical Skills
Financial Skills
Health and Hygiene
Marriage Prep
Love is the focus; building Godly relationships with in the home.
Prepare the child's head for God's work in their hearts.
Trust the Lord
AS YOU PLAN...
AS YOU BEGIN ... ...THE DAY
AS YOU LIVE OUT...
AS YOU END...
Plan
Believe that His word is true and best.
Believe that He loves your kids more than you do.
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
This program also has them write quite a bit, even though it is not a handwriting program (something I will be adding later...)
(Yep. This is my baby niece, K...She needs to stop growing up so fast!)
('A' was a time to kill :))
('R' was 'a time to build')
I always thought ivy was pretty to look at growing on trees. But, we learned that these trees will suffocate and die from the ivy over time.
.
In front of the Science Center, waiting to go inside...
Having a good time outside...
Liz and Kim
Learning how a toilet flushes...
'Nekkid' mole rats :)
You can actually see Elliott Bay from the periscope!
Trying to lift some sort of metallic rock (I don't recall if it is from space, or not)
