|
If any of you have a Facebook account I'd love to add you to mine. You can find me under Holly Solomon. See ya over there :) |
|
Ds8 did his first lapbook and LOVED it! He chose tornados as that is his favorite topic at the moment....I remember when my oldest son went through the tornado phase when he was 8 :) I will post pictures at a later date of his finished project. He is very proud of it LOL. I get all of my lapbook ideas and resources from homeschoolshare.com
|
|
Ok So my dear sweet friend over at His Willing Vessel recommends going out and capturing as much of God' s beautiful creation as you can... so we did. All of these are from right here in our backyard :)
Wild grapes...there were tons up in the trees. We will be making jelly for the first time.
Honeysuckle gone to berry
Last Cosmo in my garden
Daisies
Dogwood turning
Last Zinnia of the season
Goldenrod
Lonely wildflower left in the patch
Even have a few potatoes leftover from the spring..guess I missed some :)
Persimmons...hoping to get enough to make bread
DD found this butterfly
I found this one on the cherry tree
DS 8 found this spicebush swallowtail caterpillar
As you can see we found many treasures. Now your turn go out and see what you can capture on film :o)
|
Persimmon tree
|
We went and watched the movie Fireproof for my birthday treat :) We then decided to eat at Pizza Hut after the movie. The children sat through the movie without a complaint and of course devoured the pizza and soda afterwards LOL. We have not been to a movie in over a year and it has been months since we last ate out so it was a nice little getaway. The movie was very good!!! I highly recommend it and buying the book Love Dare afterwards. It really spoke to our hearts. WARNING...bring the kleenex!!!!!
|
|
This week my preschooler did a study on balloons. We read the book Ballon Farm and she watched a couple Barney videos with balloons in them. She made a pinata with a balloon and paper mache'. Here are some cupcakes she asked to make. She wanted different color icings...she loves mixing her colors. She tells me "I know how to make purple or green or orange." She insists on putting sprinkles on everything LOL.
|
|
Outside my window: leaves beginning to change I am thinking: about what groceries I am able to purchase tomorrow after work. From the kitchen: My famous broccoli, cheese, potato soup In the garden: weeds, green beans, a tomato :) I am reading: Financial Peace I am hearing: Barney on dvd and my oldest practicing guitar Around the house: school I am looking forward to: hubby's school refund, hopefully vacation soon! One of my favorite things: homeschooling |
|
This week's unit study is on honeybees. Our worksheets and cutouts are from the e-book titled "Sam's Science Adventures: Amazing Insects" by This Old Schoolhouse. We have cut out a hive and filled it in with hexagons for art and math. 3rd grader had to count and figure out how many would fit in a certain area. For science we studied what goes on in the hive, the types of bees and their jobs, cut out and put together a bee and labeled each section. We discussed how the bee carries the pollen from flower to flower and how it puts some in the pollen baskets on it's legs and carries back to the hive. What section of the hive has the honey, pupas and pollen, and how bees make honey. For health we learned how nutritious honey, royal jelly and pollen is for us. We eat raw honey daily along with bee pollen so the children we interested in why we eat it and what it does for our bodies. We studied what exactly honey is and the kids were a little disgusted to find out it is basically bee spit LOL. History we studied how the ancient civilizations gathered honey and wax and how they used it. In literature we are reading the book "Hummy and the Wax Castle" and the children are enjoying it. It is kinda like the Bee movie. A honeybee is speaking to a little boy and telling him about bee's lives.
|
|
Our apple unit study consisted of reading the following books:
For science we studied the apple by cutting one in half, labeling the parts. We then studied seeds by going outside and finding other seed pods, we split them open to see what was inside . We found Rose hips, Redbud pods and a Dogwood seeds. We studied pollination and how the apples grow on the tree from flower to apple. Also we looked at all different types of apples. Then of course we ate some :) For art my ds 8 sketched a page from Apples. My preschooler did apple prints by cutting an apple in half then dipping it into paint. My preschooler played a game of counting apples by cutting apples out with numbers on them. She then had to put them in order, mix them up and do it again. For history we read about Jonny Appleseed and named the states. Then went over the capitols of all the states. My ds8 is really really good at this......thanks to the geography game he plays on the computer everyday. He and my oldest try to beat each other's score everyday :) Home ec. consisted of making an apple cake. The recipe is in Apple Farmer Annie.
|
|
We took a family trip to the park. So happy I brought my camera along as we found mushrooms in every color of the rainbow! It was so fun hunting for them and every few steps there was another one and a different color. The young ones and I couldn't get enough..."Here's another one mom!" are the calls I heard and me trying to get a picture of every single one LOL. Dh and oldest ds weren't interested at all and went off to play ball...they aren't the nature freaks like me and the young'ns :) Every now and then we would find some that had been nibbled on by a little critter....."What eats mushrooms, mom?" Well seems it's time to do a mushroom unit study!! LOL. Who would've thought fungus came in all sizes and colors...how neat...check them out! (Hopefully after we do the unit study I will have the names of them all).
|
|
Every Friday we will be working on unit studies. Today we started the Sunflower study. Geography: Studied the states that grow sunflowers and the state of Kansas- state flower is sunflower. History: Kansas- how the sunflower became the state flower, when and why. Learned Indians and early settlers ate the seeds. Science: growth of a sunflower and each part, how polination works. Health: studied the nutrition of sunflower seeds. Had some for a snack :) Social studies: visited a sunflower farm online. Looked at photos of the field in different months and stages of growth. Literature: read a book about sunflower farming titled " A Field of Sunflowers" by Neil Johnson. Art: Read a book titled "Linnea in Monet's Garden" then painted pictures of sunflowers. Studied Monet and the Impressionist style and his painting of Sunflowers.
|
The picture in the back is a drawing of a sunflower with a vitamin or nutrient on each petal.|
This is a Charlotte Mason method. I have been using it for about a month now and it is working very well. My children are in preschool, 3rd grade and 8th grade. This is our day in order:
The subjects my boys are working on are: 8th grade
3rd grade
Preschooler
We also do exercising every other day and the boys play guitar and piano. I'm not saying I stay this strict and follow this schedule every single day throughout the school year. I throw in unit sudies around the holidays or whenever a child sparks an interest in a certain topic. This is just the core curriculum I fall back on when we aren't doing unit studies. Mostly this is for my 8th grader as he doesn't enjoy unit studies as much as the younger ones do.
|
|
Some of our best school days are when the children have gone to the library with me. I always have books on hold for them to go along with our unit studies. I also let them choose books on their own. They are sooo excited on the way home...like they just came out of the toy store. The read the books as we finish errands in town and on the way home. The next morning they have them all out again. My middle son starts sketching scenes from the books and sometimes even does his own copy work! This week he chose books on frogs, as he and the neighbor boy have been capturing every frog and toad in our yard ;) He wrote out his own little outline of them. Drew a few pictures of them too. Then he chose a book dd. chose and sketched a scene from it today. This is learning at it's best. They retain so much this way and are very eager to share it with all other family members. As soon as daddy comes home they rush to him with their drawings. They talk non stop of what they have learned...informing me on the subject at hand. I let them study and dig into the topoic as long as they want. Bedtime they get up on my bed with library books in hand sometimes 3 or 4 a piece LOL waiting for mom to read to them. Ahhhh....the library what a wonderful place!!! This week with my dd we are doing living math books. She is counting and adding in these books. They are so fun middle son has joined in to :) Here are the titles:
DS8 free hand sketch of a deer from a book.
|
DS8 boat out of playdoh,dowel and paper towels..came up with all by himself
DD4 handwriting...tracing mine. Writes name by herself. |
Outside my window: Rain I am thinking: about finances, moving, deliverance from it all.... how about 100,000.00 would be nice. From the kitchen: chicken nachos In the garden: watered from the rain, not burned up thank you Lord :) I am reading: homeschool blogs for ideas I am hearing: Rod Parsley on tv Around the house: school and then laundry mat I am looking forward to: not being broke anymore One of my favorite things: my 15-20 min. power naps :) |
|
My oldest son came in this morning informing me that my middle son and the neighbor boy had caught LIVE black widow spiders, a male and a female. So I grab my can of bug spray and hit the door runnin. I normally do not kill spiders...unless of course they are poisonous and today there were just too many children involved! Now I know the male isn't poisonous but he was in the cage with the female..... Luckily no one was hurt. Thank you Lord. My boy loves critters, the more harmful the more cooler to him...UGH!!!! On a lighter note, there is another pic of a Zebra butterfly on one of my Zinnias :)
Notice how she has red on both sides. The hourglass is on the abdomen.
|
|
All I can say is WOW!!! I am soooo thankful my pastor made it possible for me and my hubby to attend the Leadership Summit Thursday and Friday. It was awesome! I am sooo thankful I know that my calling is to be a homeschool mom and a ss leader and that I am doing just that. I related so well with the speaker Catherine Rohr. She works in the prisons and teaches prisoners about Jesus and how to better themselves. She educates them and they graduate and when they leave prison they are able to obtain a good job with their degree. Now you can imagine the slack she has gotten for being a woman and teaching convicts. She has that passion. She LOVES her job, she cares for those lives. Her desire is to turn them around. She has not backed down and is very successful at it. I loved her spirit, her fire, her gung ho attitude! I get slack for my choice of not "working" outside of the home. I am crazy to give up all the wonderful material things of the world to stay at home and teach my children, society says. You are hindering your children and yourself, they tell me. Isn't it funny how when people don't see our calling, they criticize us and tell us what they think our calling is! Yep, I must say I don't get much encouragement if any from, society. But I know I am doing my calling. It is my passion. It is what God wants me to do and He has never failed me! I am teaching about Jesus, I am giving them an education that they can take a step further and attend college to get that degree, I am teaching them about life, how to be a family unit, how to love and serve others, I am preparing souls for the kingdom but most importantly they are my children.....I get to do this, not someone else! Thank you God for calling me to do this awesome job you have set at hand. Knowing you are there with me every step of the way. Thank you for giving me that fire, that passion that burning desire to serve you, fully and faithfully with all that is within me! Another part of the seminar I loved was when Bill Hybels spoke about Mother Theresa. He spoke of times when she knew her calling, but there were people in the way blocking or trying to stop her. Sometimes she even wondered if what she was doing was really what she ought to be doing, maybe she should stop and do something else (boy have I felt that before especially after listening to too many other people). Times when she felt so far from God when it was like He didn't hear her, a spiritual dryspell. She would wait and wait and......wait and amongst all of this she would say " Even when I don't feel His presence, I will seek to love Him as though He has never been loved." Wow!!! Let that be my prayer Lord. |
|
Outside my window: sunshine I am thinking: the leadership summit...totally amazed...wow...overstimulated! From the kitchen: leftovers In the garden: picked green beans and a few tomatoes I am reading: all my notes from the summit I am hearing: christian music and my children Around the house: today was cleaning day, all rooms top to bottom I am looking forward to: a bbq with our youth pastor's family tonight One of my favorite things: coffee I am thankful for: My Jesus, my church family, attending the summit WITH my hubby, my family, my friends, my health, knowing my calling of a homeschool mom and being able to do it! |
|
Outside my window: A burned up garden I am thinking: About the lesson I will be teaching tomorrow in SS. From the kitchen: Tonight's supper is fried rice and to drink is cherry limeade (the young ones made it today). In the garden: picked green beans I am reading: Created to be His Helpmeet and the Power of a Praying Wife I am hearing: the kiddos are watching tv and the humming of the fans. Around the house: today was cleaning day, all rooms top to bottom I am looking forward to: The Leadership Summit at our church Thursday and Friday, it is the first one dh and I have ever attended. One of my favorite things: air conditioning!!!!!
|
|
Boy is it hot!!!! Heat indexes are in the 100's and all this humidity...YUCK! We (me, hubby and children) helped our youth department host VBS at the state park campground all week long in the evenings. It was great fun for the kiddos. Very hot and sticky but the last day was water day...slip n slide and mud pit (filled up the sand pit with water). My garden, herb garden and flowers are burned up. We haven't had rain in awhile. The sun has pretty much burned everything to a crisp. I pulled the wildflowers and weeds out of my herb bed and then watered the herbs. Have to carry water to the garden everyday as our outside faucet is broken. My poor peppers, green beans, strawberries and squash are soooo wilted come noon. Been schooling since it is so hot out. When ds 8 does go out he and a friend have been catching Leopard or Pickerel frogs. They have 3 in a tank and are daily catching bugs for the frogs' meals. They even researcehd them online and printed out the info. Ds also got out all of our wildlife field guides and wrote that info. and sketched some pictures of them. Ahhh love schooling that isn't "planned" or scripted :) Meals for us have been very light if at all...it's just too hot to eat. We have all been drinking plenty of water and the kiddos have been living on popcicles LOL. Yep it's August. |
|
Thought I would try to start a new thing. Every week I will post this little survey. Outside my window: Crepe Myrtle in full bloom swaying in the breeze I am thinking : about getting a part time job From the kitchen: just had supper...corndogs and a BIG salad In the garden: weeded between my rows of corn, brussel sprouts, peppers, tomatoes and green beans I am reading: "Do Hard Things" by Alex & Brett Harris I am hearing: my oldest son practicing his guitar Around the house: need to clean off table and do evening dishes, round up kiddos from outside and give them baths I am looking forward to: Mon. evening starting VBS down at the state park campground with our youth department...FUN!! One of my favorite things (blessing for the day) : smiles on my children's dirty, little popcicle stained faces ;) |
|
We visited my aunt and my mom's yesterday. Well me and the youngest 2 as my older is still in New Orleans. My aunt lives near Mammoth spring state park so we went and walked around there. It was a very hot day, 93 degrees. Mammoth is one of the 10 largest springs in the world. It was awesome. The turquoise color of the water is amazing. The little ones had fun chasing the pigeons and counting the wildlife. We saw several different species of ducks and geese, a red winged blackbird, some turtles and a frog. There was a sign posted about the water snakes, as they must be very abundant there, but we didn't see any :( I must say the sound of the many waterfalls was very inviting on that hot day, the mist coming from them was very cool and refreshing. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the way home. It was a very wonderful day taking in God's marvelous creations. We also got to stop and let the little ones play with their cousins for a bit on their new trampoline and I think they enjoyed that the most of all! I have posted photos of our day on my slideshow.
|