Yesterday we talked about the protection that God has provided us in our families.
We had a brainstorming session, did some clustering and the kids wrote their thoughts on when a child might be ready to be out living on his own.
Good timing!
H wrote~
Ready to live on your own
A child who wishes to live on his own must have several knowledgable skills. They must be be able to cook meals and wash the dishes afterwards. They must also have a washer and dryer to do laundry. They should have a monthly budget planned for bills, clothing, food, gas and other necessary items. They should be able to drive themselves and have a car. They need to be able to work when needed. Proverbs 22:13 tells us, "The lazy man says "There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!""
Children who want to live on their own should be at least 18 years old and have good self discipline. They should be responsible with their money and should have a good steady job to keep their bills paid. They need to have a bank account to keep their money safe. In addition, they should be able to maintain at least $1,000 in their bank account for emergencies. It is important that someone who wants to live on his own be able to handle emergencies and keep themselves safe from harm. They should not act like a child, especially in a public place. Good manners and good etiquette are needed as well.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:15, "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.".
Chapter 7 of Vol.2 WEAVER is all about Celebration and JOY!
I can't think of a better topic to study in our homeschooling than this one!
I have already been so blessed by looking at different holidays. We learned that our word holiday actually comes from the two words HOLY DAYS meaning a religious celebration. I wonder if we are truly conscious of the true meanings of our holidays.
The kids and I have been looking at the Jewish Passover this week.
Our memory verse is from 1 Cor. 5:6-8 which says "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor the leaven of malice or wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
Thanks be to GOD!
We keep going back to the fact that the leaven is a symbol for us of sin. Just a little sin soon spreads into every part of us and will affect our lives. The only way to be unleavened is to have Christ Jesus within us.
Today the kids wrote TANKA poems of praise to God about a holiday.
H picked Easter and wrote~
Hallelujah Praise!
Hallelujah Praise!
Amazing God gave His Son
Hallelujah Praise!
Jesus died and rose again
All my sins are washed away
JR picked 4th of July and wrote~
Americans WE
Americans we
A Godly nation set free
People came from ships
From our neighbors to the sea
In our great God alone we trust
Dear God I pray that you make us keenly aware of the reasons we celebrate.
Pharaoh could not stand the frogs and agreed to let the Israelites go. As we know from history, God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and Pharaoh did not do as he said he would. This made it possible for even more of God's power to be shown. Interestingly, the Egyptians worshiped frogs to an extent. They believed in Heqt, a goddess of fertility. She had the boy of a woman and the head of a frog. Heqt could do nothing about this "over population" of frogs in the land of Egypt. God is greater than all gods!
Today we learned that frogs too are beneficial to mankind.
They eat lots of harmful insects and are a part of our food chain.
Frog legs anyone????
Here are the paragraphs the kids wrote about the life cycle of a frog.
Heidi wrote~
There are six stages in the life cycle of the frog. First, the female adult frog lays the eggs. In the aftermath, tadpoles hatch out of their eggs and breathe with gills. Suddenly, the tadpoles lose their gills and grow lungs which enable them to breathe. Lickety-split, the tadpoles grow their back legs. One day soon, the tadpoles will lose their tails and grow front legs. Finally, the tadpoles change into adult frogs which spend most of their time on land. These are the six amazing and wonderful stages in the life cycle of the frog.
John Ross wrote~
Before becoming an adult frog that we are all very familiar with, a frog must pass through the tadpole stage. Frogs, being oviparous, lay their eggs and oftentimes desert them. The eggs will then hatch in the water and the beings that come out of them are called tadpoles. First, the tadpoles exist without lungs and roam freely around the water with gills. In certain period of time, the tadpoles will lose their gills and develop lungs forcing them to rise to the surface for air. Next, the tadpoles begin to grow hind legs and start looking more like frogs. Penultimately, they grow front legs and familiarize themselves with leaping in the water. Lastly, the frogs lose their tails and will soon rise to the surface of the water. After this, the cycle will have come full circle. This cycle of the frog is only the tiniest fraction of God's incredible creation.
We learned so many cool things about the Egyptians and how and why they made mummies.
Did you know the Egyptians believed that it was very important for a person's body to be preserved as well as possible so the spirits (ba and Ka ) could recognize it after death?
We learned about how the Egyptians buried their dead - in hot sand, in pyramids (only for Pharoahs!), in mastabas (for friends and family of Pharaoh), in tombs, or even in tunnels or underground hidden chambers. We talked about the funeral processions held in ancient Egypt. Professional mourners were hired to wail and throw sand in their hair in an attempt to scare away evil spirits.
We are so glad that we don't need to do that. We have the truth in Jesus and know where our spirit will be when we die.
We are almost finished with WEAVER, VOL. 1, Chapter 12 on the human body. This has been an amazing study. Interestingly, 3 of us had the flu during this unit. H really put together that our immune systems were coming to our defense and white cells were attacking the flu virus. JR said his favorite part of the study was learning about the digestive system and the journey of food through our bodies.
We did have a week of Bible study on the topic of death. I was a little hesitant about doing this with the kids. I'm so glad we were able to discuss what it really means to die physically as opposed to spiritually. The WEAVER Bible study had so many great scriptures to help us understand that our body is only a temporary dwelling place. Our soul and spirit are going to live eternally. Where our soul and spirit are after physical death, depends on our choices in this life. I believe the study was a comfort to us all and a reminder to us that we need to take care of both our physical body and our spirit and soul.
Since we were on the topic of death, we talked about what is done with the physical body after death occurs. We discussed burial as the means mentioned in scripture. Many different customs are associated with death in different cultures and societies. JR did some research on mummification.
Here is what he wrote:
Mummies
Though not a common occurrence, mummification was used by ancient societies such as ancient Egypt and Peru. Mummification is an interesting way of preserving the body after death. Mummification began by covering the surface of the body with a salt like substance called natron which slowed down the process of decay. Next, the internal organs, excluding the heart, were removed and placed in separate containers. The body was then stuffed with bags of herbs of sawdust depending on the decedent's family's wealth. Make-up was then placed on the body making it appear more natural. After all this, the body was then wrapped in linen and placed in one or more coffins. Because of their strong belief in the afterlife, preserving the dead in mummification was important to some ancient societies.
Genesis 9:4-6 tells us that the life of a creature is in the blood.
Blood contains the means for life and carries all the things our body needs. Without blood, there is no life.
Hebrews 9:22 states that "According to the law, almost everything is purified with the blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
We had a good discussion today about why our blood is so important to our body and what God has to say about blood. We talked about what happened in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. God killed an animal to make "covering" for them. We talked about the fact that only Jesus' blood can (cover our sins) give us life. He was the perfect sacrifice for man.
We did a really fun activity from A guide for using the Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body to learn more about the tongue this morning. The kids looked at the top and bottom of their tongues with a mirror and drew the two sides. We learned about the papillae or taste buds.
We also did experiments to learn what happens when you hold your nose and taste a piece of cookie. H and JR thought that when they did not hold their noses they could taste the cookie much better. We looked at what is involved with eating -- the tongue, the teeth, the nose, the brain. Of course, we talked about how digestion begins in the mouth. The tongue sends signals to the brain and the brain sends signals back to the mouth to produce saliva which then breaks down the food.
We read the book Body Books - Blood
by Anna Sandeman which we checked out at our library. This book has some really cool illustrations plus some interesting facts about blood. For example, did you know that before birth your heart weighed less than 1 ounce. Even a grown up's heart weighs only about 12 ounces. WOW!
We watched a Brain Pop movie about blood and the heart.
The kids each wrote a paragraph about the heart.
H wrote~~
The heart is very important for humans to live. The heart pumps blood throughout the entire body. The heart pushes blood out into the arteries and all over the body. After the blood has been used, it goes back to the heart by travel of veins. If the body had no blood, we could not live. Blood transmits oxygen everywhere! If we had no blood there would be no oxygen. Because the heart pumps blood, it is very important to the human body.
JR wrote~~
The heart pumps blood throughout all different parts of the entire body. Because the heart is a muscle, it contracts to squeeze blood into arteries. The arteries push blood through the entire body. The blood returns back to the heart by way of the veins. If the body did not have blood, we could not get oxygen to any parts of the body resulting in death. Listed above are a few ways the heart is necessary to life.
We have learned so much in such a short time. We will continue to study the human body for the next few weeks. There is so much more to learn!
Today in our Bible lesson we talked about how God made up special by making us in HIS image and giving us a spirit and a soul. We are 3 parts- Physical body, soul, and spirit. I drew a circle and labeled in with the three parts. We talked about how the word spirit is a word that actually means breath. In Ecc. 12, the scripture says that dust returns to dust and our breath returns to God who created it. COOL!
In social studies our topic was the roles in the family. We discussed what God's best plan for the family is. We can know this by reading the scripture.
The creative writing assignment was to list things that you think are ingredients for a good marriage. The kids came up with these on their own. It is interesting to look at the order in which they placed the ingredients. I feel like they had a good grasp of things that are good for a marriage. I was proud that they thought of spending money wisely! Maybe that is from all that Dave Ramsey they have been listening to!
Ingredients for a good marriage by H~~
1. Both Man and Woman should be Christians
2. Trust
3. Commitment
4. Faithfulness
5 Self-control
6. Kindness
7. Attractiveness
8. Love
9. Knowledge
10. Willingness to work
11. Flexibility
12. Ability to cook
13. Spend money wisely
14. Communication
15. Good job for the man so he can provide for the family
16. Money
17. Each person in the family makes a contribution
18. Happiness
************************************************************
Ingredients for a good marriage~~ by JR
1. A man and a woman
2. Trust
3. Faithfulness
4. Willingness to work hard
5. Love
6. Laughter
7. Christianity
8. Wise use of money
9. Communication
10. Cooking skills
11. Joy
E is gone today on a trip to Santa Fe with Teen Court of Lea County. I am praying for her that she will be safe, have a good time, and have an opportunity to share the truth of Jesus with her fellow Teen Court members.
We have been studying covenant in our Bible study and in Chapter 11 of the WEAVER this past 2 weeks. We have learned so many new and wonderful things about covenant. I have to admit that this topic has been a challenge to dig into. I would like to share some of the words that we have learned that are a part of covenant.
Hesed- a Hebrew word used to suggest a follow-thru on the obligation. This is the action part of the covenant. This is an action that is promised and is fulfilled regardless of feeling or emotion. The words mercy, love and faithfulness are associated with hesed. Our WEAVER volume stated this:
"When one hears "mercy" being read in the Scripture, it must be understood to mean "follow-through on commitments so that the other partner may not suffer because of my unfaithfulness."
This speaks to me personally about the covenant of marriage. Marriage is a covenant relationship where two people are required to be faithful, show mercy and love regardless of the emotions or feelings they experience. This is for the good of both the husband and wife. God made a covenant with me. I know I can depend on God never to break this covenant since it involved the sacrifice of His own son.
I am required to keep my part of the covenant as well by being obedient to God and letting the Holy Spirit live in me ~~ regardless of how I might feel in a certain situation.
I am hoping that the children are beginning to understand a little more about what covenant means and the marriage covenant as well as it seems there is little understanding of what true marriage is in our culture today.
Our creative writing assignment for today was to write about the quote "Character is a perfectly educated will"
Navalis
I will let the paragraphs speak for themselves.
Here is H's paragraph~
"Character is a perfectly educated will"
Navalis
I believe this is a true statement because,
Character is what a person is taught to do or to act.
Parents are an important part of a child's life.
They teach their child to talk, walk, and to read.
This is important because the way the parents treat the child is how the child will treat them.
If the parents beat their child, the child will beat his children.
If a parent treats their child with kindness, the child will be kind to others.
A child's "will" shall be molded by the parents love and kindness.
The people who teach the children,must teach the children
right from wrong.
I believe children should be taught through godly standards.
Teaching through godly standards is very,very important because God
loves us and knows what is best for us.
Parents and teachers must be consistent in love and kindness.
A person's character is a result of how they are treated and raised.
The end
****************************
Here is JR's paragraph~
Character
"Character is perfectly educated will." Navalis
I believe there is much truth in this statement. Parents or even children's friends affect their lives with their different opionions. When a parent teaches to be kind, the will of the child learns kindness. When a child hears a loved one or a friend speak curses only once or twice, the child when angry will think of these words. This is an example of negative teaching. A child's will can be shaped in a positive direction. When a parent reads and lives out God's word, the child will begin to act according to God's standards and be able to block negative actions. Therefore; a person's character is affected by the words and actions of others in their lives.
Today we had kind a late start to our school time. We had a wonderful Bible study time talking about how the Bible says that God's fingers placed each star in the sky. We talked about how God knew exactly where each star needed to be. For example, if our sun were just a tiny bit closer to earth, human life could not exist here. We looked at Genesis :14-19 and Psalm 8:3-4.
We did a really fun thing for spelling today. I asked the kids to find the latin and greek roots in their spelling words. They found a whole bunch. We have the game Rummy Roots which helped.
The creative writing assignment for today was to write a paragraph about "Falling Stars."
This was a very informative study. I think the kids were surprised by what we discovered about "Falling Stars."
Here is H's paragraph:
Shooting Stars
Shooting stars are not stars. They are meteoroids. Meteoroids are made up of bits of dust and rock. When the earth passes through these bands of rocks and dust, some of the meteoroids fall into earth's atmosphere and ignite. Even though shooting stars are not stars, they are very beautiful to behold.
And JR's :
Shooting Stars
Strangely enough, "Shooting stars" or "falling stars" have absolutely nothing to do with stars whatsoever. Actually, "shooting stars" are a rocky substance called meteoroids. Meteoroids are bits of rock and dust left behind by many different comets. As our Earth orbits the Sun, it passes through bands of this dust and rock. Some of these meteoroids fall into our atmosphere and ignite. This is what we are truly viewing when we see a "shooting star". If any part of the meteoroid survives the journey down through Earth's atmosphere, it is called a meteorite. Although a "shooting star" is not a "shooting star" at all, it is still a remarkable thing to behold.
E went to visit an elderly friend. She took her crochet as she is crocheting an afghan. We are working on earning badges for the Keepers at Home and Contenders of the Faith books.
We began Chapter 10a in WEAVER VOl. 1 yesterday. The kids are excited about studying the solar system. This week we are taking a look at stars. We have a wonderful scripture passage for our scripture memory this week.
We will be memorizing Psalm 19:1-6. This week we are focusing on verses 1-2.
"'The heavens are telling the glory of God, the firmament is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. "
Today we learned about telescopes by viewing a Brain Pop movie and reading Kids Discover from May of 2004. One of the librarians at our library gave me a stack of these old Kids Discover magazines because the library was discarding them. YAY! I guess it pays to be a regular library patron.
I asked the kids to write a compare/ contrast paragraph about microscopes and telescopes. We did some brainstorming and constructed a Venn diagram showing the similarities, differences, and things the microscope and telescope have in common.
I think we really learned!
H wrote:
Microscopes and Telescopes
Microscopes and telescopes were both invented about 1608. They do have their differences. For instance, telescopes can see things in the past. Microscopes see things that exist in the present. Telescopes use light reflected from an object. Microscopes use a light source on or near the microscope. Telescopes magnify far away things. Microscopes magnify close up things. Both are very important tools.
JR wrote:
A close up look at Telescopes and Microscopes
Microscopes and telescopes have their differences and similarities. For instance, the microscope and the telescope were invented in the Netherlands around the same time. They both use lenses to magnify an image so that we as humans may view it. A microscope is different from a telescope because it magnifies smaller items that are in the present. A telescope magnifies far away objects that may be in the past. Another difference is that the microscope uses a light source on or near the microscope whereas the telescope uses light that is reflected off of the object. The differences in the microscope and the telescope make the unique and serve us in different ways.
JR will be competing in the LCHSA spelling bee on Friday. We are busy studying words from the Merriam-Webster Spell It! book.
This afternoon we will go to P.E. group. Even though the weather is cold, I hope to get the kids out for some physical activity.
The life and times of the McCullochs WEAVING in NM.
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life, you will have been all of these." George Washington
