I can't believe we are on our sixth week already. I thought I'd post our current stuff we're doing, and some thoughts about it so far.
If you were around and remember, I strongly felt the Lord tell me to continue Sonlight 1+2 this year. I had my reservations because it didn't go over so well last year with my 2dd. I'm pleased to say that it is going very well this year, and I'm getting much better cooperation from both girls. Thanks God, You knew. It goes to show that God knows best what a year of maturation will do.
Anyway, right now we are using The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos for our Bible time. The girls have memorized Psalm 24 almost completely, and will finish this week. I'm very pleased at how well that is going. They are learning quickly. We also have learned the first verse of Be Thou My Vision, but has taken us several weeks, and will probably go next to a hymn with more common English!
For history we are studying the Romans this week from CHOW and Usborne's World History. We also read 2-4 times a week from Window on the World. We try to fit in map work from our reading, but aren't very consistent with it.
Our read-alouds come from Aesop for Children, A Child's Garden of Verses, Paddle to the Sea (not Sonlight, but Ambleside!), and Detectives in Togas. We have added in various library books off and on too.
For science, we are reading from The Usborne Book of Knowledge and Science Activities Volume 3 studying about birds and the human body. We also take nature walks, and will be doing some nature journaling also.
For Art/Music/Enrichment, we have been going through Animals in Art and the girls have joined a children's choir with our church. Last week was their first week, and I can see that it will be great for them. I'm still hoping that they can start taking piano lessons this year too. We are just waiting for a friend of ours to say when she wants to do it.
For PE, the girls have learned to ride their bikes, and spend time doing that almost everyday. We are enjoying our outside time while the weather is good. We've also gone swimming a couple of times.
For foreign language we are studying Spanish from a workbook we got at Wal-Mart. The kids love it. We do about a page a day, but sometimes they like to do more!
For handcrafts, Ciara makes a lot of little booklets of original stories and has started to learn to crochet. Jaedyn likes to make window glass pieces with paint and little plastic frames. (She has one glued to the inside of one of her pockets because it accidentally went through the laundry!). She loves to water-color and do other painting projects too.
Mountain Princess (8) is reading Shadrach by Meinert Dejong right now, doing the LA2 advanced, Wordly Wise Book B, HWT Cursive Handwriting, and ETC book 6. For math she is finishing Singapore 2A, and working through Miquon Red Book. We use her LA suggestions for creative expression unless we do a specific activity that week from First Language Lessons, which we read daily also.
Snow Crystal (7) is reading from the I Can Read It series from Sonlight and doing LA1. She uses HWT My Printing Book, and has the same creative expression exercises as Mountain Princess. They both have blogs to help encourage these activities.
Well, thanks for making it this far. I'm always amazed that people read some of my longer blogs!
Your school is going to well! Six weeks already? I haven't even started. We will start 9/11. ahhh......I love your new avatar picture! Your hair is adorable. I really want to get mine cut. We'll see. I'm torn between keeping it longer because Doug likes it, or cutting it because I can't stand the time it takes to make it look nice.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello :) I'm off to read what else you've been up to.
Your family is doing a lot! Way to keep school going--and make it fun.
I'm glad you enjoy my oldest girls' blogs. I have fun reading them, too. BookFreak appreciates the comments you've posted on her site--very encouraging.
We recognized the public swimming pool in the background of one of your pictures, so you must not live terribly far from us.
Gary said reading my schedule post made him glad he has such an easy, relaxing job. :-)
Thank you so much for your comment! My poor hubby just took the shoes back yesterday. (I still can't believe he doesn't know what size shoe I wear! Haahaa!)
I'd love to sit with your girls and do crafts with them. I love doing crafts! Crochet, knitting, cross-stitch... so much fun!
I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!
Leah
I really do appreciate all of your prayers and your medical knowledge :) This has been a really horrible battle for me but I actually slept last night and I do now have some sinus drainage. I believe the medication that is causing me to stay awake is phenylephrine which I am supposed to take long term, but I am taking 1/2 doses now and not anywhere near bed time. I took a Benadryl tablet last night and that seemed to help but it also could have been that I was just totally exhausted. I am also on an expectorant called something "guaf..." I don't have it in front of me and once again taking 1/2 doses since I have been so sensitve to everything. I have about 7 days left of more antibiotics and I am hopeful that I will be well into feeling better. Besides all of that, I am with a humidifier 24/7 and using a saline nasal spray and drinking a ton of water. If this course doesn't work, then I will be headed to an ENT for further investigation, but I truly hope and pray that I don't have any permanent damage and that this will go away and never come back :) God Bless and thank you again!
I am so happy to meet you. Your girls' stories made my husband and I smile at the end of the day! You might consider posting the 1st Kid Carnival on your blog? They need advertising.
You guys live off the grid? Awesome!!!!
On The Western side of the Mts., I can see why you'd differentiate.
It's nice to meet a snow-buddy. You have a beautiful family.
Allison
p.s. I am adding an edit because I almost forgot to mention: I used the story Bible by Vos also.
One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty, the beauty of the Lord. To inquire in His temple, the temple of the Lord.
This is my everyday thoughts about being a mother to three little ladies (10, 9 and 4) and a toddler son. We serve God full-time, and I am a physician assistant. I have the most awesome husband in the world. I am trying to seek God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength.
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