Although I don't have any outdoor photos (I just don't think as we're doing it!), I do have one nature journal page to show!
It has been rather cloudy out here and we have received regular snowfall in the last week. Not much accumulation, but snowfall just the same.
Gabriella has briefly learned the water cycle, but very briefly. I am not looking to overload her with something she may not understand just yet. However, she does understand that the water from the lakes and rivers "evaporate" into the air and form clouds in the sky. She doesn't yet understand (or know) what role hot and cold air play in precipitation. Some of this knowledge was enlightenment to me! I'm sure I learned it in schoool long, long ago! But you tend to forget if you are not putting it to use once in a while! Somehow I want to change this for my own kids.
Below is Gabriella's journal page which reads:
Clouds get water from the rivers and lakes. The water goes into the sky and goes into the clouds. Then it rains! Sometimes there's a thunderstorm.
Next week we hope to be more prepared. We found a couple of really good resources from the library as well. Hopefully we won't wait til Friday to get it done, either!
To see more on this challenge, click the button at the top of this post!
Christmas Carol practice is going well, although I just realized that we only have THREE MORE PRACTICES BEFORE WE GO TO THE BIG THEATRE!!!!!! This play is performed for 2,000+ people each performance, so I'm a little nervous, not because of the crowd, but because It is coming so fast! It feels like just yesterday I was auditiong.......
And Tomorrow I'm auditioning for "The Sound of Music". I really hope I get in!!!!
We are having a very rough season. Financially things are extremely tight. Groceries are ridiculous and December is a month that requires extra cash for extra bills. My husband's birthday is in December so our plate renewals fall on that month. On top of that, he has to renew his mechanics license, which is a pretty penny, and just went up in cost. My husband is concerned and feels like a failure, though nothing was his fault. The engine he worked on a few weeks back that didn't pay well is much of the cause - we're playing catch up from 2 weeks of not-so-great-pay.
We are currently paying two mortgages - the house we gave my mom and ours. When we moved we expected to get a home equity line to merge the two mortgages, but the banks aren't offering these (although they did just a few months before we moved because we were already setting up to do it).
I'm also a bit irritated and frustrated with my eldest. She is giving me trouble on getting her lessons done, but I really only blame myself. I haven't been consistent this week (or last week - what's wrong with me?!), and if I don't value the importance of her lessons by producing the work and being prepared, then she will not either. And that's exactly what's happened. I blame myself. I have no excuses - not even my baby can excuse me because it's not her - it's me and pursuing my own desires when I should be tending to my kids. I just need to regain some focus and re-prioritize and get back with it. I think what I need is to get out once a week, just by myself. Unforunately, we don't even have the funds, currently, for me to go out and get a cup of coffee (not that Starbucks coffee is exactly cheap).
Ok, I've vented...I'm feeling a little better. LOL FYI, my blog consists of really raw blogging. Journaling helps me gather my thoughts and just kind of release the junk. So pardon me if it sounds like a gripe fest once in a while! :) Thanks for stopping by anyways!
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name”
~ Psalm 100:4 (NIV)
I don't think I've ever done this meme, but I am having such a rough day today, I thought it may be good for me and my kids if I remembered the things I am thankful for.
I am thankful to be able to homeschool my children - even on the days I feel like I just want to give up (like today)
I am thankful for a hard-working husband...God rewards the fruit of his labor with favor
I am thankful for church family - a friend of mine from church is treating me to dinner out on Tuesday
I am thankful for so many WONDERFUL homeschooling resources that are FREE across the web. I don't know if these sites realize what a help they are to homeschoolers like me
I am thankful for a Savior who extends grace every time I mess up
I am thankful God has brought me so far in my parenting wisdom and has taught me much patience over the years
I am thankful that I have much to learn about homeschooling, balance, habits, consistency and everything like that
Click the button above to read more Thankful Thursday's.
Noticeably absent from both schedules this week is Latin.
John really has struggled with learning the 50 million (I exaggerate, but only slightly ... LOL!) personal pronouns. Chapter 6 covered 3rd person masculine, feminine, and neuter singular pronouns. He seemed to do all right throughout the week, and then got a 60% on his test. He did fine on all of the new vocabulary and great on the translations, but could just not get the pronoun chart, which was half of the grade. Ok, slight hiccup. Instead of moving on, we spent the next week re-studying that chapter using material I printed out from the Latin for Children website. He finally got all of them down, so we moved on the next week.
Chapter 7 covered 3rd person masculine, feminine, and neuter plural pronouns. Repeat chapter 6 events, substituting a 33% for the test. We spent another week in review and then moved on to Chapter 8 which covered 2nd person singular and plural pronouns. He earned a 66% on the test. Repeat events and moved on to Chapter 9 which covered 1st person singular and plural pronouns with a 50% on the test.
Have I mentioned that the chants for the pronouns are NOT on the chant c.d.? Doesn't that seem absurd? Why on earth wouldn't they put the chant on the c.d. if they, you know, want you to learn to chant it?
I don't know exactly what to do here. I don't think it's right to move on, but we are making no progress on these pronouns. And, his Latin grade is completely shattered by these test scores!
Sigh. In the short term, I'm taking a few weeks off to give us both a break. Our afternoons fly by now without it on the schedule. I feel so guilty, yet so free!
We also have Friday off this week in order to have a playdate with a dear friend who also homeschools her children.
Gosh. Dropping subjects and taking days off to play? You would think that I am turning into an unschooler, LOL! ;-)
Scripture: 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.
Assignment: Share some of your favorite homeschooling sites. The only “rule” for this assignment is that you have to list at least one “free” site. Many homeschooling families have made the choice to live on very little income to do what they believe is best for their children and I want everyone to be able to benefit from this assignment. If you have other sites that are “paid” sites, feel free to include these also as it might be something someone would really appreciate. If you feel led, share your curriculum choices with us. I always love to learn what is out there that I don’t already know about. Please make sure to include links to the sites you share.
Well...this will be fun! Just about all the links I visit are free resources, so be sure to check them out!
As for our curriculum choice, we decided to go with Tapestry of Grace. You can read my review here.
On to the links!
Donna Young--she offers FREE homeschooling and housekeeping forms
Free Lapbook Lessons - this speaks for itself, but it is a community you can join for free in order to tap into the free resources
The Crafty Crow - ideas on crafts from all over the blogosphere!
My list is pretty long...I could go on and on. But as a tip, all these links, plus more, are all listed under my "links" section on my side bar there.
Here are some pics of my curriclum and a glance at one of our weekly assignment sheets:
This first pic is a briefing of what I will teach in that week. It gives me background information that will help with discussions and answering many questions my daughter may come up with.
These pages are Student Activity Pages. They are to be read by the student or student and parent. It allows the student a glance into the week and an opportunity to choose which activiites she/he would like to do (there are many ideas).
And this is our weekly assignment sheet...highlighted portions indicate completed work.
Favorite Verse: Psalm 95:1-2 “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Visit www.bloggerfriendschool.com to join this week's assignment and/or to read other blogs regarding this assignment! :)
We love to go swimming! Yesterday we spent 3 hours swimming and in the hot tub at our local motel. Our little town has only one motel and only this pool, and since they don't have that much business, they offer open swimming Monday thru Fridays ($4/person). We use to go more often, but they raised the rates and discontinued monthly passes, so it can get pretty pricy, but it's nice as an occasional treat! Often (like yesterday) we have the whole place to ourselves the entire time. Grandma & my SIL and 3-yr-old nephew joined us later for a fun afternoon.
This week I want to invite you to nominate your family to their correct categories as well has have others nominate them. While my two sisters are listed under Best Teen and Best Design, those definitely are NOT the best traits they have nor the funniest.
This is how you do it…. you post the category that best describes each of your family members and write something about why you nominated them in that category, and you’re welcome to post photos. You can see mine below for an example.
How fun! Let's see...along the right bar there are pics of my family...I shall post them below as well, along with their awards!
My husband: Best Complimenter and Encourager of All Time
My husband is the best at giving me and the kids words of affirmation. He is always telling us how much he loves us and our family as a whole. He daily tells me how beautiful I am, what a wonderful wife and mother I am. He tells the kids how proud of them he is (individually) and just builds them up with his words. I think sometimes we are so "used" to it, we can take it for granted, so I try to be mindful of that so that we will not. :) But it's the kind of fuel that keeps us going.
Gabriella: Most Versitile Girl Best Avid Reader
Most Creative Drawer
Best Scripture Memorizer
I had a hard time nominating her for just one!
For sure! My lovely daughter enjoys such a wide variety of activities, nothing she does can be boring. She will go from being a ballerina princess to playing hockey. She has expressed interest in fishing (and what do you know, they have pink princess fishing rods!). She will help daddy fix a car, then come in and bake cookies!
Not only does she read at lightening speed, she could easily spend all day doing it! She began reading at the early age of four and hasn't stopped since! For a 6 year old, she is reading books at a reading level of 8-12 years of age. She just can't get enough! We will go to the library and pick out a good 50 books and she will have half of them read on the way home (no joke). She also enjoys reading them again and again, so that helps!
This girl also draws as much as she reads. We go through paper like water! She just loves to draw and will make a card for a complete stranger if it gives her the opportunity to draw! She is constantly making a card for somebody, anybody!
And last one (for this purpose!) - she memorizes scripture like no one I have ever seen! At church, she is expected to memorize one verse per week for Sunday school and one verse per month for Wednesday night Prims (Missionettes). She is almost always the only one in the entirety both classes who does it! She is very diligent about it, and most weeks has it memorized before half the week is over! People tell me over and over again how amazed they are at her. God has truly blessed this child with a gift and I look forward to seeing what He has in store for her in the future. She just excels at everything she touches. EVERYTHING.
Benjamin: Best Smile
Best Toy Coordinator/Organizer
This boy has a smile that can light up a room! Enough said!
When it comes to toys...Little People, Wooden blocks, or anything else that can be sorted, he does it. He is wonderful at lininng up toys, classifying toys based on one thing or another. It should be fun when it comes time to sit down and teach him! I know book work won't do!
Jeremiah: Best Book/Toy-Tornado
Ok, so this may not necessarily be a warm and fuzzy award, but I am telling you, it is what he does best! He moves from room to room and tears everything down! Books off the bookshelves, the toys that have many pieces are scattered, all the wooden puzzles pieces strewn about the room! As I begin to clean each room, he is right behind me ready to go at it! Do I think he is doing it despite me? Just to make a mess? No. No, there is something fascinating about it, I just don't know yet what that is! But I'm certain he is learning something. Right?! Don't worry, he is in training to clean up his own messes as we speak (or type)!
Elizabeth: Best Diaper Blow-Out Baby
Ok, again, not the warm and fuzzy award BUT, it's TRUE! Out of all four of my babies, no one can blow out a diaper as bad or as often as this little squirt! There is something in the power behind the push that just makes it unable to stay contained (and trust me, it's not the diaper!) When she was a newborn and not yet regular, I would open her diaper to change her and - yea - let's just say there were times I needed to change my clothes! Like I said: power behind the push!
Thank you for joining me and reading about my family! Click the button at the top to read about others, or join in! It's rather fun! :)
Rime To Read(RTR) is a virtual beginner’s reading program. It consists of 20 short online books, 4 books per short vowel. Each short vowel rime (word family) is color coded to go along with its word family and the illustrations match their corresponding vowel. The books are designed to be used in a specific order because they build on the rime patterns taught in the previous books and 35 specific sight words are introduced in order as well. They also increase in difficulty as you go along. Once you’ve purchased your books you’re allowed to print them off one time. I saved mine in pdf format for later use.
Customers can buy a vowel set of 4 books for $9.99, or, the entire 20 book set for $44.99
Children should have down all the consonant sounds and be able to recognize lower case letters before beginning this program.
These are cute little books with very simple, but sweet illustrations. I’m partial to Pat, the curly-headed main character in the first book of the series. Being one of two curlies in my home, I love to see fellow curly girls in the spotlight.
Now, I already have a complete, reading program that works extremely well for my family. I used it to teach Tink how to read and am currently in the process of teaching my 4 year old DS how to read with it too. He’s doing extremely well and correctly puts together new words on his own as soon as he learns a new sound. Tink experienced a few snags along the way but obviously it worked because at 10 years old, she reads at a high school level and she frequently has her nose in a book in her spare time. Not only that, but my sister and I were both taught with the same program (public school version) when we were in school and we always tested well above grade level. Honestly, I’d be afraid to use anything else to teach my children with since it works so well for us.
I think that if I were to use Rime to Read in my homeschool, I would use it as a set of readers after I finish teaching my children how to read carefully with phonics and blending. RTR could be used as a fun way to get in some extra practice, be entertaining and have small books to enjoy while children exercise their new reading skills.
The ladies at Rime to Read are currently in the process of adding a new sound feature which allows you to click on and hear the color coded words if needed. Do keep in mind that this sound feature is all still in progress so it’s not fully functional yet. I emailed Lynn at RTR and asked when they expect to have their site completely up and running and she gave me an estimate of another few days from today (November 18, 2008). Meanwhile you can still purchase their virtual books, print off the pdf. files and allow your child to practice reading them that way.
Oh, and if RTR looks like something you’d want to check out, you can try one free book by signing up at their site.
I am a stay-at-home homeschool mom of 4 girls and 1 baby boy. I homeschool all of them. My husband is an Associate Pastor. I long for the simple life (most of the time). LOL I hope to share my interests and passions here with you and to pass along the helpful things I have learned along the way.
We love to go swimming! Yesterday we spent 3 hours swimming and in the hot tub at our local motel. Our little town has only one motel and only this pool, and since they don't have that much business, they offer open swimming Monday thru Fridays ($4/person). We use to go more often, but they raised the rates and discontinued monthly passes, so it can get pretty pricy, but it's nice as an occasional treat! Often (like yesterday) we have the whole place to ourselves the entire time. Grandma & my SIL and 3-yr-old nephew joined us later for a fun afternoon.
