I don't share a lot about our school days, so I thought I would start sharing about them. The good, the bad, and the ugly...and the neglected.

We started out with Bible Study Guide For All Ages. We do this daily, during the school week, and my boys enjoy it. I'm aware that I am not using it to it's fullest, but the way I'm using it works for us. We only started the study recently, so we are still studying Joseph...

After we finished, A went off to his room to do his work, and the younger two and I moved to the kitchen table.

We've been studying Egypt in Sonlight, but I haven't really been following the IG strictly. The Sonlight IG is my crutch...if I don't *feel* like digging deeper then I don't, and at least I know that we are still getting something done. We do our reading and move on. I do like to do some hands on stuff though...the boys really enjoy it.

So, yesterday we did not do any reading from books for history. I had purchased a kit from Hands and Hearts and an accompanying  History Pockets book on Ancient Egypt and we started working on the first pocket from that, Introduction to Ancient Egypt.

This is the first *pocket* book that we have ever done, and I'm thinking, now that I have seen them, that I could easily do them on my own with stuff printed from the internet...or some variation of them.

Anyway, the boys are enjoying doing this because it's not just reading. We made the pocket and labeled it, made our bookmark of info, read the background information, looked over the map and colored it. Cut, paste, and color...always lots of fun for my boys.

Then we did our science. We are using Apologia's elementary Botany study. I realized that I had not been doing enough each day that we had been doing it, so some things had been forgotten when I asked the questions. It's all done orally, so no biggie...we just reviewed. Maybe it will stick, and maybe it won't. I think it will be more fun as we get farther into it...but I'm honestly hoping that Daddy L will do all these projects. The thought of making some of this stuff just makes my head hurt. *sigh* (so much for FUN mom)

Next we moved onto our Sonlight reading...

Leading Little One's To God (mostly enjoyed, but WAY below my boys' age level)

Missionary Stories with the Millers (still one of their favorites)

and

Understood Betsy (which they are still amazed at loving...they were quite sure this was going to be some boring *girl story* about a pitiful little girl who was whiny)

Young J did math (fact families), handwriting, and read to me (from a SSRW book).

Older J did math (polygons), handwriting, Daily Grams (which has really helped with his retention...but we are still struggling), and LLATL. I can't remember now whether he did his handwriting or not, but I think he did.

When we were finished with our lessons, A came from his room to tell me "I still do NOT get this math!" *Sigh*

He's using Saxon, with the Dive CD's, but some of the things are not sinking in. He will do the ones that he can do...but what do we do about the ones that he can't do. (there will be a WHOLE blog on math later)

So, after telling him that there is NO WAY that I can help him, we decided to just ditch it until I can figure out what to do. (Which I will be discussing in that other blog entry later)

A is doing really well using Easy Grammar Plus, and Writing with the Best. He loves to write, writes all the time, has 200 pages written of his *novel*...but detests the subject of writing. In my mind, I have figured that it is the *chance of failure* and the *not knowing what to do* that paralyze him with fear (learning some things from Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks book. Honestly, if a child can write a 200 page novel with PASSION, then he could write a 2 page paper on John Deere without saying "I don't know what to doooo"?? He seems to like Writing with the Best, so we'll see how it goes.

He also did a lesson in art and listened to a lesson in spanish.

Later we read another chapter in The Magician's Nephew...

and that was pretty much all of our *formal* learning from yesterday.

I still have a hard time figuring out just what kind of *schoolers* we are. Probably pointless to even try to figure it out really. I know that I am not nearly as pushy as some would think I should be...and time may tell the tale on us for that. Sometimes that thought brings fear into me, but I know that fear is not from God..so I try to push it aside. Yet, I wonder if it might not be fear, but a warning nudge to do a little more...especially for one that might want to go to college. I am praying about it...sometimes I forget that, even for school issues, I should be doing that.