This year Lorelai is big enough to start to grasp what Easter is all about. We did Resurrection Eggs that were filled with little items to spur discussion about what Jesus did for us. There was a palm branch for His triumphal entry, perfume for when He was annointed with the alabaster box of ointment, a loaf of bread for the last supper, a nail, a little wooden cross....etc.

Then the night before Easter we made Resurrection cookies. We mixed a tsp of vinegar (to represent the vinegar Jesus was given on the cross) , a pinch of salt (to represent the tears shed by His followers) , 3 eggs whites (to represent the life we now have because of Him) and a cup of sugar (the sweetness of knowing Jesus). We then folded in a cup of pecans Lorelai had crushed in a plastic bag with a wooden spoon (to represent Jesus being beaten by the Roman Soldiers).

Then we placed them in a 300 degree oven, turned the oven off, and sealed it with masking tape to represent the tomb being sealed.

The next morning we got the cookies out and they were hollow, representing the empty tomb. He's alive!

Here's a picture at church of Toby's first Easter...

Homeschooling is so much fun. We have barely even began, but I am so excited about the challenges and rewards ahead. Here is picture of Lorelai's first attempt at writing her whole name (first name that is). I am so proud of how hard she tries when we learn something new. I'm trying to stay patient and not push her harder than she wants to go at this point. Next year will be our official first year with new curriculum and everything, so I'm very excited about that.

Well, Toby is now 5 months old and I am slowly but surely learning how to soar as a Mom of two. We recently began turning our office into a school room even though I had to move a lot of stuff in the hallway that will soon (fingers crossed) be put in a new storage building that my dear sweet hubby will be building me. It's definately a work in progress, but we are making due with what we have at the moment. Here is a picture of our "school room." I set this area up for our daily circle time.

We do our pledges to the American and Christian flags, then the Bible. We have a weekly memory verse that we recite daily and talk about what it means to us. Then we sing "This is the Day that the Lord has made" and go over our calendar. We discuss what today is, yesterday was, and tomorrow will be, then we sing the days of the week and months of the year....or vice versa. We then sing the ABC song and go over our letter of the week. I have a big dry erase board that I write words on and ask her if she hears the letter of the week sound at the beginning of the word. We also go over the letters we have already learned that are posted on the closet door. We end our circle time with a quick devotion and prayer to start our day off right. We usually have an evening circle time that consists of reading books that showcase the letter of the week, playing games, reading poetry, finger plays, and/or seasonal activities.

This is our weekly academic schedule:

Monday- Alphabet pages in a workbook

Tuesday- Math on-line @ www.softschool.com

Wednesday- Alphabet craft (usually from www.dltk-kids.com)

Thursday- Handwriting

Friday- ABC on-line @ www.starfall.com

As you can see, I am focusing on Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic as a foundation to prepare her for next year. As of now, I haven't decided if I am going to buy a preschool or kindergarten curriculum. I hear they are very similar and with the foundation she is getting now she may be ready for Kindergarten. My big thing is, as I have stated before, that I don't want to rush her. She would only be in preschool in public school, so part of me wants her to stay a kid for one more year, but another part of me secretly loves to see her excel. What to do, what to do:-)

I am very proud of how she is doing right now, and I am loving being her teacher. It can get tough, but I have to remind myself on a daily basis that she just turned 4....not 8! School is FUN:-)

P.S That is a frog she colored that is hanging on the wall above the calendar. It was for her memory verse...Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." 

Lorelai is soaking things up like a sponge! I'm so proud of my baby girl....she turned 4 on Saturday. Where has the time gone? We're officially doing preschool prep right now, complete with circle time, lots of games and activities, and computer. Some of her favorite websites are pbskids.org, starfall.com, and mothergoose.com. I plan on buying a preschool curriculum next year, and staying on schedule with public school for now. As she gets bigger I will definately let her work at her own pace, but for now I'm just letting her be a kid. What's the rush?

I'll be adding more as we get in to the swing of things. I just re-did my page and deleted my old entries, but for those of you who remember....her alphabet book is about half done now. She should be done by now, but Toby is 4 months old now, need I say more:-)