I've been backing-up my blog (slowly copying and pasting each entry into Word, up to 399 pages so far!) and came across this entry from a few years ago. We've traveled to quite a few more states since then. Here is the new map:
I love traditions! It's fun to see how they are formed sometimes when you weren't even thinking about it! Here are a couple we have now:
Listening to "Stories of the Pilgrims" by Pumphrey (read by Jim Hodges)
Listening to "A Thanksgiving to Remember" by Rainey (on CD from Family Life)
Reading "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Alcott
Reading "Cranberry Thanksgiving" by Devlin and making Grandmother's cranberry bread!
Today we cut out pictures from magazines to make collages of things we're thankful for. Maybe that will become a new tradition!
Here is an updated version of a previous post. I saw a friend at the library today who asked how I decide what books to get at the library. Below are some ways to find good books and some of my favorites!
I had a friend ask about homeschooling preschool and thought I'd share a few ideas. Basically, all I do is read a lot of books (mostly picture books for the ages of 4 and under) starting when they turn 1 year old. (When I stop nursing, I replace it with reading books before each nap and bedtime.) I find that it's very natural for me to find things in books to use to teach areas rather than just reading. For example, in the book "Goodnight Moon", we look for the mouse on each page. Maybe I'll ask them to count how many stars are in the sky or what shape or color something is. We use books like Dr. Seuss's ABC and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to learn the alphabet. I try to steer clear of "twaddle" books, and there are a lot of them! For example, many of the "character" books such as Disney, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Barbie, etc. and just not even worth my time. They are so poorly written. I love to read books above their level as soon as they can handle it. My oldest son listened all the Chronicles of Narnia when he was 4 and loved them! I just finished reading the full 9-book series of Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder to my preschool girls (started when they were 3 and 5, now they are 4 and 6).
The other thing I do for preschool is make sure we have quality toys to develop their imaginations: puzzles, dress-up clothes, dolls and accessories, play kitchen, trains, Tinker Toys, dollhouses, etc.
The two previous things are basic. I know there are some people who have the desire, the time and the energy to do more with their preschoolers. It's fine to do so, but not necessary. I've never bought any curriculum or special guides for teaching my preschoolers. Below are some great ideas of "curriculae" which have been helpful to some people.
To get a good list of books to read to preschoolers, check out the following websites and their booklists: Five in a Row Sonlight Ambleside Letter of the Week
The book Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt
I, of course, do other things, too, which I feel are valuable such as reading the Bible, memorizing Scripture (age 3), narration (age 4), music and movement, field trips, art, chores, nature exploration/ outdoor play. I start "handwriting" with the Handwriting Without Tears preschool books. There are also some fun lapbooks to do with preschoolers which may be found at Hands of a Child, Knowledge Box Central and Live N Learn Press. (You can try a free lapbook called "All About Me" here.) You'll find only free lapbooks at HomeschoolShare and HomeschoolHelperOnline. I also love the free Tot Books found here. Homeschooling preschool is fun and easy--and you won't get the negative peer pressure and bad attitudes (and loss of money) that come when sending them to a preschool!
Here are some children's picture books that I have enjoyed:
A is For Adam and D is For Dinosaur by Ken and Mally Ham (great for creation science).
The Creation Bible by Ken Ham
Where Does God Sleep, Momma by Nancy Bestmann
The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau (one of my favorites!)
M is For Melody by Kathy-jo Wargin
Quilting Now and Then by Karen Bates Willing and Julie Bates Dock
Robert McCloskey books (like Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal and Lentil)
The Lord Builds the House: the 127th Psalm illustrated by Johannah Bluedorn
Baby's First Book of Blessings and Baby's First Book of Psalms by Stephen Elkins
Sheep in a Jeep (and others) by Nancy Shaw
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Sandra Boynton books (like Blue Hat, Green Hat; Moo, Baa, Lalala; Birthday Monsters; Oh Me, Oh My, Oh Dinosaurs; Hippos Go Berserk).
Eric Carle Books (like Very Hungry Caterpillar, Very Quiet Cricket, Click Beetle The Very Busy Spider, Mixed-up Chameleon, and Animals, Animals,a collection of poems).
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert.
Curious George by H.A. Rey.
Kathleen Long Bostrom books (like What is God Like?, Who is Jesus?, What About Heaven?, Are Angels Real?).
Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (and others) by Jaura Joffe Numeroff
The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza (Philemon Sturges)
Welcome to the Ice House by Jane Yolen
Best Mother Goose Ever by Richard Scarry
The Vert First Christmas and The Very First Easter by Paul L. Maier
Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire
The Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop
The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow.
Dr. Suess books (like ABC book; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish).
Jan Brett books (like Berlioz the Bear, The Mitten, and The Owl and the Pussycat. She has beautiful illustrations.).
Sebastian: A Book About Bach by Jeanette Winter
Good Night Sweet Butterflies by Dawn Bentley.
The Veggiecational Book by Phil Vischer.
Stan and Jan Berenstain books (like Bears on Wheels and The Berenstains' B Book).
Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Burton
The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills
Bedtime for Frances and Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
Petunia by Roger Duvoisin
Laura Ingalls Wilder picture books.
Beatrix Potter books.
Winnie the Pooh stories by A.A. Milne.
Raggedy Ann stories.
Mercer Mayer books
And here are a few suggestions by REInvestor:
I love children's picture books too. Many of those you have listed are ones we love too. We also like Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse by Lindsey Barrett George, books by Patricia Polacco, and my kids all loved The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Longfellow. Also my son loved St. George and The Dragon adapted by Margaret Hodges.
A couple of years ago I got a bit smarter and started freezing meals! I don't know why I had never thought of it before. Now, I often make a larger batch and plan to freeze some for a future meal. Today I'm making Chili; yesterday I made Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Here are the recipes:
Chili About 2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. chili powder
1 1/2 T. dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper
2 large cans kidney beans
1 large can chili beans
12 oz. can tomato paste
29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 large can diced tomatoes (I used my last ones that were frozen from my garden!)
Brown beef with onions and garlic; drain. Add all ingredients to a large crock-pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. My mother-in-law discovered that the celery won't cook as fast after the tomatoes are added, so you may want to wait until they're done before added the 3 cans of tomato.
After it cools, I'll fill up several large freezer baggies and lay them flat in the freezer for future meals!
Mexican Chicken Casserole 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
2 T. fresh cilantro, snipped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. package Mexican-style cheese blend
1 cup sour cream
1 small can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, undrained
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
12 corn tortillas (6-inch), each cut into about 6 pieces
Mix together all ingredients, but only 1 cup of the cheese. Put into a square baking dish. Pour the rest of the cheese on top. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
I doubled the recipe and was able to divide this into 3 square baking dishes. I used disposable foil ones for the freezer, uncooked, and covered with foil.
Below is a review of the Hands of a Child project pack "Katy's Big Snow Day." It is a literature lapbook unit based on the book "Katy and the Big Snow" by Virginia Lee Burton. It can be purchased at Hands of a Child or Currclick.
I did the Katy’s Big Snow Day lapbook with 3 of my kids, ages 3, 4, and 6.We had a lot of fun with it.I definitely recommend it for the preschool set. The book is old and sweet.It had some interesting words in it, so my kids learned some new things.The lapbook activities were enjoyable for them, too.The project pack says it was written for up to 3rd grade; I’m sure there are some kids older than 6 years who would like it, but not my older boys (2nd and 3rd grade).The book was too childish for them.
Included in the project guide were lots of questions to ask the kids while we were reading.There were 20 lapbook activities.It took me about an hour to cut it all out, but my 6 year-old daughter was able to help a little.We were able to adapt many activities for my younger set by cutting and pasting the answers, drawing them, or dictating while I wrote, instead of having the kids write so much.Much of this was included by the authors.My 4 year-old was able to trace the answers for some of the minit-books; it was nice that they were included in the project pack, too.
I loved how the book was a jumping off point for studying directions (north, south, east, west) and compasses.We also studied about blizzards.Both compasses and blizzards had quite a few lapbook activities included.I found a few more things to explore which weren’t included in the project guide:measurement (they talk about how deep the snow fell), big construction trucks (by 3 year-old boy loved this), street signs, and counting by 5 (the first page counts by 5s up to 55 to show that Katy is 55 horsepower).We also added in another activity of drawing a map of our own town, and compared it to the map of Geoppolis.A verse I thought fitted in well was Proverbs 31:17 which says “She sets about her work vigorously;her arms are strong for her tasks.”That was a good description of Katy!
Now, here is the cutest thing.These 3 kids were running about chasing each other yesterday and kept saying, “I’ll be Katy now.You’re Katy.It’s my turn to be Katy.Etc.”Finally, I asked them what they were doing.I could tell that “Katy” was the leader , so I said, “Why don’t you just say you’ll be the leader?”Then, I realized they were acting out the book!When someone asks for help, Katy always says, “Follow me.” And then she plows out the street while they all follow her!It just confirms for me again how kids learn so much on their own if you gently guide them and then give them the freedom (and time) to explore!
So, try out this lapbook with your preschooler(s).It’s great for the winter-time!
Here are some pictures. I still can't figure out how to turn these. Sorry!
My husband was away on a business trip for 1 1/2 weeks and my mom came to visit. We had a lot of fun doing some sewing projects, cooking, and going to Legoland! I'm almost done with my daughters' dresses and will post pictures soon.
Legoland
Right now my house is in quite a disarray as we are about to put in hardwood floors on our first level. I'm having to watch my 13 month-old like a hawk so she doesn't step on splinters or step on a spike where the floors have been ripped up. I'm thankful that the dishwasher and refrigerator are staying in the kitchen (at least for the moment!). The kids are having a ball playing on the kitchen island in the family room!
Daddy and daughters:
Haircuts:
My husband and older boys are away this weekend at a Father/Son Camp. Their activities got rained out yesterday so they swam at the pool; hopefully today was better. I'm looking forward to having them back home, though!
I have now been T-Tapping for 3 1/2 months and have lost a total of 18 inches! I'm am so excited that I have finally found an exercise program that I look forward to doing and actually miss it when I don't exercise. It takes me about 20 minutes a day, only 4 square feet of space, no jumping around, and I still get stretching, strength-building, and aerobic exercise. At first I tried to do it every day; now I do the Basic Plus routine (and Organs in Place/ Half Frogs --I know, funny names!) about every other day.
I've signed up to be an affiliate. But in the meantime, check out the website where there is a "try before you buy" section. Try it out! See if it works for you, too! Then, come back here and buy through my affiliate link, please! I also recommend buying the book. It gives so much more details into the "whys" and "hows" of these wonderful exercises.
For quite a while my husband and I have felt that the Lord was leading us to someplace other than the church where we have been members for the last 9 years. There are many things we love about it--the people, the biblical preaching, etc., but we didn't have the same view on discipling our children. They believe strongly in separating families; we wanted us to worship together as a family. We were one of only a few who brought our young children with us into the service (starting at age 3). At the end we had four of them with us in the service (ages 4-8), and put the baby and 2 yo in the nursery.
Through some interesting circumstances (could only be God!) we found out about a fairly new family-integrated home-discipleship church which meets in a home close to us. We have now been going there for a few months and really feel at home! If you've never heard of "family-integrated" or "home-discipleship", here is a bit of an explanation.
The following is a passage from the back of Henry Reyenga's book "The Spontaneous Spread of Home-Discipleship Christianity" which explains more about the mission of our church:
"Imagine a church where there is no Sunday School or children's church, where families are charged with providing spiritual instruction and remain together during the service to celebrate and reinforce all that is learned throughout the week in the home.
A home-discipleship church does not ask people to sit back and be entertained, but rather asks fathers and mothers to step forward in leading their homes in discipleship practices. The church creates an environment in which each man, woman, and child is able to develop his or her own talking-and-listening relationship with the living God and share that walk within the family, with like-minded friends and neighbors, with the church as a whole, with the broader kingdom of God, and with the world that so desperately needs to hear of Jesus.
Through daily Bible reading and prayer, Scripture memorization, singing, hospitality, and unity in purpose as a church body, home discipleship supports a Christianity that is active, alive, and truly attractive to those who are seeking after God. Precisely because it asks something of participants, challenging them to embrace the rigors of an ancient, godly lifestyle rather than being coddled in comfort and ease, home-discipleship Christianity is quickly spreading."
A couple of weeks ago we picked about 80 apples! My husband said he wanted lot of apple butter this year! Here is the recipe that I've been using. I tweaked it a bit from last year and am happier with the thicker consistency.
Crock-Pot Apple Butter
15 apples, cored and cut into pieces (keep skins on)
2 cups apple cider (or substitute apple juice or water)
3 cups sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
Put apples and cider into crock-pot on low for 10 hours. (I do it overnight.)
In the morning, barely puree--don't liquify! Add it back to the crock-pot and put in the sugar and spices. Cook on low for 1 more hour.
Now you can simply put it in the refrigerator (it will keep for several weeks). Or put in freezer containers to freeze. Or can it; process 10 minutes.
My 2 yo said this morning, "Mom, I found a pickle for Daddy's guitar!" He found a pick!
When driving in the car last week, we heard the GPS say, "In 500 yards, turn left." The same little boy said, "It's Nama; I heard Nama's voice!"
I was putting on some lipstick and asked my 2 yo son how I looked. He pointed at me and said, "You look like this."
I was having that funny little boy help me put clothes in the dryer. He kept trying to get out of it and said, "Mom, can you help me? You do this, and I'll go lay on the couch."
A couple of weeks ago, my 5 yo daughter said, "Do you know where the yankee is?" I said, "The what?" She said, "You know, the blue yankee that we use to keep the umbrella together." She was talking about the bungee cord!
I needed this today! It's from Jean Fleming's book "A Mother's Heart."
If I keep my house immaculately clean, and am envied by all for my interior decorating, but do not show love in my family--I‘m just another housewife.
If I’m always producing lovely things--sewing, art; if I always look attractive, and speak intelligently, but am not loving to my family--I am nothing.
If I’m busy in community affairs, teach Sunday school, and drive in the carpool, but fail to give adequate love to my family--I gain nothing.
Love changes diapers, cleans up messes, and ties shoes--over and over again.
Love is kind, though tired and frazzled.
Love doesn’t envy another wife--one whose children are “spaced” better, or in school so she has time to pursue her own interests.
Love doesn’t try to impress others with my abilities or knowledge as a mother.
Love doesn’t scream at the kids.
Love doesn’t feel cheated because I didn’t get to do what I wanted to do today--sew, read, soak in a hot tub.
Love doesn’t lose my temper easily.
Love doesn’t assume that my children are being naughty just because their noise level is irritating.
Love doesn’t rejoice when other people’s children misbehave and make mine look good. Love is genuinely happy when others are honored by their children.
I have a list of books I'm planning to read and thought I'd share them here. Right now I'm reading:
The Spontaneous Spread of Home-Discipleship Christianity (Reyenga)
Don't Make Me Count to Three (Plowman)
The Charlotte Mason Companion (Andreola)
The Hobbit (Tolkein)
And on the to-read list:
You Can Teach Your Child Successfully (Beechick)
The New Birth Order Book (Lehman)
From Playpen to Podium (Myers)
Speed Cleaning (Campbell)
Cheaper By the Dozen (Gilbreth)
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Stowe)
In August we found out that 2 replicas of Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the New World were nearby in Lake Michigan. So, off for a field trip! It was neat that we went as a family and also met our church family there. We had a pretty good tour guide, a man who actually sails with the ships around the U.S. I learned quite a bit about ships. It was great timing, too, since we are starting our study of Columbus and the other explorers this month.
Here are some pictures of the Nina and the Pinta:
Pulling the anchor up.
Old-fashioned navigational techniques.
The rudder
Here is the website. See if they'll be sailing near you!
This past summer my homeschooling mom's group met once a week to discuss Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. What a great book! I've heard it recommended for years but had sadly never read it. I am being much more focused on my children's hearts now.
Here is some of what I learned:
(Many of these are quotes by Tripp)
You must not be embarrassed to be authorities for your children. You may not direct your children for your own agenda or convenience. Children generally do not resist authority that is truly kind and selfless.
What is shepherding? guiding, helping your child understand himself and the world in which he lives, helping the child understand the "why" of his actions, helping him learn discernment and wisdom.
Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise becomes wise."
The goal of parenting can't simply be well-behaved children. If it is, we're open to hundreds of temptations to expediency.
What is the goal, then? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever! From their earliest days they should be taught that they are creatures made in the image of God and made for Him.
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well-spring of life." Evils in action and speech come from within--from the heart.
The basic issue is always what is going on in the heart.
Determination is the incorrect belief that if we parent correctly our children will turn out perfectly. Actually, children are active responders and we can't control their response.
How can I design winsome and attractive ways of challenging the idolatry I see within my child?
Never have any anger in disciplining the child. They may behave better, but they are learning the idolatry of the "fear of man."
Help the child to understand and believe Proverbs 15:32 "He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding."
Don't use behavior modification or reward kids for fulfilling normal responsibilities. We don't want their hearts to be trained toward greed and selfish interests or toward working for rewards.
Seek to listen and understand your children. Help them learn to articulate their thoughts and feelings. Proverbs says "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out." Skills I need to develop myself: learn to help my child express himself, learn to facilitate discussion, know how to get under behavior and words, strive to discern matters of the heart." Don't ask, "Why did you. . . ?" Instead ask, "What were you feeling when you did that?", "What did he or she do to make you mad?", "Help me understand . . ." , "What are some other ways you could've responded?" Ask "What . . , How. . ., etc." instead of "Why. . . ."
There are many types of communication which are necessary for a parent. In addition to rules, correction, and discipline, we should use encouragement, rebuke, entreaty, instruction, warning, teaching, admonition, showing the benefits, and obedience.
When the child is in the mood to talk, drop everything and listen! If my child trusts me, he'll want to stay in a relationship with me. Honest, thorough, and truly biblical communication is expensive. My children need to be known and understood. But the benefits far exceed the cost.
Authority diminishes, but influence should increase as the child gets older.
The child needs to learn that he is an individual under authority. If he obeys he is in the "circle of safety." Things will go well with him, according to Scripture. Obedience is without challenge, without excuse, and without delay. If I accept any response to my request/ command other than doing it without challenge, excuse, or delay, I have trained my children to disobey.
Children should be taught how to appeal the request/ command of the parent.
1. They must begin to obey immediately.
2. They must be prepared to obey either way.
3. They must appeal in a respectful manner.
4. They must accept the result of the appeal with a gracious spirit.
The parent can change his mind in the context of respectful appeal, but not in presence of blatant rebellion.
For ages 5-12, the focus should be on character development, such as dependability, honesty, kindness, consideration, helpfulness, diligence, loyalty, humility, self-control, moral purity, etc.
For teenagers, the focus should be on teaching them to fear the Lord, teaching them to listen to parental instruction, teaching them to disassociate from the wicked. Make your home an attractive place to be and where there are solid relationships, and teenagers are far less likely to "run" from it!
I have now started reading "Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman. It's a great follow-up with very practical applications.
My son has begged to study pirates for years, so we finally did. There are some fun kids' pirates books, plus we listened on CD to the classic "Treasure Island." We downloaded the audio book for free (see here) and listened to it in the car on the way to some field trips. There are several readers; some are great, and some are pretty bad. But it's free, and I could never seem to get it at the library when we wanted it. When the book was done, my oldest son said, "Aww. I wish that book had a million chapters. There are only 34!" Now, that's the sign of a good book!
One really neat thing we did was to go see the "Real Pirates" exhibit at the Field Museum (link here) in Chicago. There was a real pirate ship named the "Whydah" which sank off of Cape Cod. In the exhibit they displayed many artifacts which were brought up, including lots of "sunken treasure!" (This link has pictures and video, and here's another.) They had a whole glass case of silver coins which were found. We decided to make some coins ourselves. We cut out irregular circles (the ones we saw in the exhibit were not perfectly round) and covered them with foil. Then the boys drew designs on them. I made a couple of money bags for them to hold their treasure. For art, they decorated some coloring pages of parrots with glitter.
Here are the books we read (and liked):
Treasure Island (free download from freeclassicaudiobooks.com)
How I Became a Pirate (Long)
Pirate Things to Make and Do (Gilpin)
Mice of Westing Wind, bks. 1 and 2 (Davis)
Pirates in the Park (Roberts)
The World of the Pirate (Garwood)
Do Pirates Take Baths? (Tucker)
On the Go With Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe (Cannon)
Sunken Treasure (Gibbons)
Pirates: Robbers of the High Seas (Gibbons)
Roger, the Jolly Pirate (Helquist)
Captain Scarfield (from Pyle's Book of Pirates, read by Robert Green of You Need a Story)
Movies watched:
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (Veggie Tales)
Muppet Treasure Island
I was also thinking about reading Peter Pan and watching the Pirates of Penzance (Gilbert and Sullivan operetta), so we might do that sometime, too.
Last month we did a fun study on cowboys.
Here are the books we read:
A biography of Will Rogers
Armadillo Rodeo (Brett),
C is for Cowboy: A Wyoming Alphabet (Gagliano),
Cowboys (Penner),
Cowboys and Cowgirls: Yippee Yay! (Gibbons),
I Want to be a Cowboy (Liebman),
Why Cowboys Sleep With Their Boots On (Knowlton),
Riding the Range: Western Activities for Kids (Drinkard),
Little Sure-Shot: The story of Annie Oakley (Spinner),
Justin Morgan Had a Horse (Henry, on CD),
B is for Buckaroo:A Cowboy Alphabet (Gleaves),
Bronco Busters (Herzig),
Rodeo (Bellville)
Kickin' up some cowboy fun : 130 activities for cowboys and cowgirls (Cook)
And movies we watched:
Annie Get Your Gun (movie),
All About the Circus & All About Rodeos (movie),
All About Dinosaurs & All About Horses (movie)
Music CD:
All about cowboys for kids(CD)
As usual, the kids spent a lot of time acting like cowboys (and cowgirls) and pretending to be in rodeo events. We had a couple of ropes which they had made at a farm festival last year. I know they are really understanding what we're learning in books when they actually act it out!
Here are the lapbook pictures. Most of this was from Hands of a Child "Cowboys."
Today my goal is to actually follow the schedule I've set out for our homeschool year! Some new things start today. My 5 yo daughter starts violin lessons. She is so excited! I'm am so blessed to have found a teacher who comes to our house. The older boys will be continuing their lessons, too.
Also, this evening BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) begins for the older boys. This will be the first year in about 10 years that my husband won't be in leadership! The break will be nice, but I'm glad that the 3 of them will still be going. They will be studying the book of John.
As for our studies, we'll be finishing up our Pirates study this week. I decided to fit it in before the more important history studies begin (Explorers, Reformation, Renaissance, etc.) My oldest son has been begging to study pirates for about 3 years!
Here is a copy of the schedule. We'll see if I can actually do it!
Schedule 2009-2010
TimeWhat to do
6-7:30 Wake up, personal Bible reading/prayer, Mom shower, all breakfast
7:30-9Morning Chores/Schoolwork (Mom-exercise for 15 min.)
(vitamins, brush teeth and hair, dishwasher, handwriting, practice violin)
9-9:30 Bible Time (pray, doctrine/read-aloud, Bible reading, memory practice, and sing), baby down for morning nap first
9:30-10 MWF-Math, T/TH-Science
10-11:00M-Violin lessons (B Latin lesson)
T-Spanish (listen to CD, notebook)
W-art/lapbook
Th-library or read aloud library books
F-art/lapbook
11-11:30 M: boys typing lesson on computer (M’s violin lesson)
T: Musikgarten for preschoolers (3 younger kids)
W: piano lesson for 3 older kids
Th: choral music/ singing lesson
F: chore training/ clean house (vacuum, dust, bathroom, mop)
11:30-12Lunch and clean up (listen to Spanish CD during lunch)
12:00-1:00 P.E./ play outside, computer for Mom
1:00-1:15 L,T, & R down for naps/quiet time in room (read to them first)
1:15-2:30 J read to Mom; M phonics; read-aloud of poetry, history, current events, and novel/ biography
2:30-3:30 Quiet/ rest time (play games, silent reading, or book on CD)
3:30-4:00 Snack, practice piano (15 minutes each child)
4:00-4:30 15 more minutes piano practice; MWF-fold clothes, T-clean up basement, Th-clean up downstairs and get ready for swim lesson
4:30-5:00 Clean up downstairs, dinner prep (one helper each month)
5:00-5:30 Video (only educ. videos during the week)
5:30-6:30 Dinner and clean up
6:30-7:00 Family worship time (M- BSF, T-singing, W-game or read aloud, Th-swim lessons, F-singing)
As we began our trip back home, we made a short stop in Washington D.C.--way too short a stop! There is so much to see and do in this historic city that we will definitely plan an entire vacation here sometime in the future. We decided to walk around the first evening. The next morning the older boys went with their dad to the International Spy Museum (a big hit!) while I took the four younger ones to the National Zoo.
Riding the Metro. My 2 yo was sooo excited to ride a train!
At the Capitol:
My Washington D.C. highlight--seeing the pandas!
There was a really awesome reptile house at the zoo. We spent a bit of time in there because it was raining!
After this day, we spent two days driving home. It was a wonderful vacation, but looking at the pictures, I'm remembering how tiring it was! But I'm thankful for the awesome family memories!
Since we were so close to the Atlantic Ocean, we felt we must go see it! Then my husband thought it would be quite an adventure to take the ferry instead of driving down the coast.
It was sooo windy that day!
I'm glad to have seen my first lighthouse!
We arrived at the beach and decided to take a little stroll along the sand before getting to the hotel and changing into our bathing suits. It didn't go quite as I had planned. . .
By the way, thanks so much to my sister, who encouraged me to buy an Ergo baby carrier for this trip. I used it every single day!
And here is a picture of me thinking, "Why didn't we change into swimsuits? We'll never do this again!"
The next morning we headed back to the beach. I went into a few shops with the 2 little ones while the others played in the sand and waves.
Soldiers training to keep us safe:
The Amish visit the ocean:
The kids also saw some dolphins. They absolutely loved their beach experience. We live right in the middle of the Midwest prairie, so it will be some time before we get back to the ocean!
Hershey, PA: We just went to the free Chocolate World and drove around the town. They have a neat amusement park called Hershey Park, but we're not the amusement park-type of family yet! Don't you love these lamp-posts? In case you aren't familiar with his story, Milton Hershey built this town around his chocolate factory to be a wonderful family place for his workers. He did so well that he didn't have to lay off anyone during the Great Depression.
We were able to see Thomas the Tank Engine from our car on the way to Gettysburg: It was free and we avoided the crowds!
Gettysburg, PA: We visited the Visitor Center first and went through the museum. They have an awesome circular painting. Somehow, my husband and I missed it when we went to Gettysburg 8 years ago. Make sure you see it! We bought a CD that explains the battle as we drove through the battle site. It is a very somber experience to picture all the thousands of young men who lost their lives during those 3 days in July 1863. I also recommend watching the movie "Gettysburg" before going (teenagers and adults only.) They have not built any buildings on any of the battleground.
The Crayola Factory in Easton, PA: This was required as far as my artistic 7 yo son was concerned! I'm glad we went because it was very fun for the kids.
They gave the kids Model Magic to play with. It's pretty neat. We'll have to try some here at home. It works a bit like clay where you can mold it, but it's much easier to work with. You can paint or color with markers on it, and it dries in about an hour.
Seeing how markers and crayons are packaged.
Historic Philadelphia, PA: This was one of my favorite cities to visit.
Independence Hall:
Nursing break:
The room where the US Constitution was debated and written.
Ben Franklin's glass armonica:
Another of Ben Franklin's inventions, a four-sided music stand, perfect for a string quartet!
Franklin Stove:
This was the actual box where George Washington sat at Christ Church in Philadelphia.
Our main focus of our trip was to visit Lancaster County, PA, which is one of the largest settlements Amish and Mennonites in the world. After some research I found a working dairy farm that takes in guests (Eby Farms), and we stayed there for 3 nights. They were a wonderful Mennonite family, and it was a joy (and educational) talking with them.
Here are some of the similarities and differences between Amish and Mennonites. The Mennonites came about soon after the reformers and were part of the Ana-baptists, those who had been baptized as infants but believed that God wanted believer's baptism by adults. The Amish broke off from them because they believed in having more conservative ways of living. Today, all Amish and some Mennonites dress "plainly." Many Mennonites no longer dress in plain dress because they are trying to draw more people to Christ and feel it separates them. (I'm sure there are other reasons, too.) Amish only educate until 8th grade and with a one-room schoolhouse. They have received permission from the government to do this. Mennonites educate to 12th grade and beyond, through public, private, and home school. Amish don't use electricity, cars, or many other modern conveniences; Mennonites do. Amish have church through church districts, all within a horse and buggy distance. They meet every other Sunday at a different family's home. The opposite Sundays are reserved for visiting/ fellowship. The pastor/preacher is one of the 8th-grade-educated men who is chosen by lot. The Mennonites have churches like other Protestant denominations. The Amish are very big on coming together to support one of their members who is sick or has had a tragedy (fire, etc.) The Mennonites are committed to sending missionaries all over the world.
Now, back to the farm. This was my favorite spot: the porch! It had a view of a field of cows. I was wondering how they get those cows into the barn to milk them and found out that these are the pregnant ones and aren't being milked. So, I asked if they just keep looking out there all day to see if a calf has been born, and they said, "Yes!"
This barn is newly rebuilt, having been destroyed by arsonists a few years ago. It pays to have lots of Amish friends; they got the new barn built as fast as it could possibly be built! (See more pictures here.)
Here's me feeding a calf.
The cows being milked are kept in this barn. They have to be milked by machine and are on a 10-hour schedule. The farmer has hired someone to come in to do the milking. Land-O-Lakes picks up the milk twice a week.
We (the guests) got a chance to try milking. Here is Joyce Eby showing us how.
My son B.
Me.
And little T. He wanted to try it, but was afraid to look at the cow!
The kids had a ball playing in their yard and seeing the animals.
I didn't know I had such a cat-lover. (I'm allergic to them.)
After arriving at the farm after a long day's drive from Pittsburgh, we found that we were due to eat at an Amish lady's house very soon. So, we packed up into the Suburban again and headed over to her house.
Ruth is a widow with 11 children. Her husband died about 7 years ago (when her newborn was 6 weeks old). She now cooks meals for guests in her home to supplement her income. It was so fun to have her hospitality. The food was great, and plentiful. She gratefully answered all of our questions. Her sons, ages 7 and 9, washed all the dishes while we continued to eat. Her daughters took our little baby, who was quite fussy from being restrained in a seat all day long, for a walk outside.
Here is the table piled with wonderful food. There was another family there, too.
Their swingset. We accidentally got a picture of Ruth's granddaughter.
One of my favorite sights in driving around Lancaster County were the pulley-system laundry lines of clothes!
Now, this scene was when we went to the beach in Delaware!
On the way back home we were in a hotel in Lexington, Kentucky. My husband stopped by the breakfast room to have a cup of coffee. There was an Amish man in there doing the same, and they struck up a conversation. This man was originally from an Amish community in Indiana. He had left because after reading and studying the Bible more thoroughly, he had become a believer! Similarly to my husband, he had grown up in the church, but didn't have a relationship with God. He found a few other families who also became believers and wanted to change the works-based beliefs that their church district was following. It couldn't be done, so they all packed up and moved to Michigan and started a new community! (In case you're wondering why he and his family were in Kentucky, they had hired a driver who was taking them to visit family in Tennessee!)
Here is a pamphlet that we found--
The Amish Challenge:
We realize that not everyone is cut out to be one of the plain people. Many have not the opportunity; but here is the challenge:
If you admire our faith, strengthen yours.
If you admire our sense of commitment, deepen yours
If you admire our community spirit, build your own.
If you admire our simple life, cut back.
If you admire deep character and enduring values, live them yourself.
(written by an Amish man writing in Small Farm Journal, summer 1993)
We began our vacation this summer with a long drive from the Chicago area all the way to Pittsburgh. The kids had some fun playing with Wikki Stix in the car.
That evening after a nice Italian dinner next to the hotel, we drove around the city. I had heard that Pittsburgh was very pretty, and it was!
The next morning we went to the National Aviary, or the Bird Zoo, as we described it to our animal-loving 2 yo. There were some fun hands-on experiences and a neat flight show.
The Aviary was a great place. Above you can see that we were able to "feed the Lories." We became members (even though we won't be going back anytime soon) since it only cost $2 more. We've already made up for the cost by getting free parking at the Chicago Botanic Garden and a great discount at the Morton Arboretum!
I thought I'd share a bit about how I came to begin doing a new exercise program called T-Tapp. I first heard about it through the MOMYS yahoo group. MOMYS stands for "Mothers of Many Young Siblings" and all the moms there have at least 4 children. Most have many more; one lady said it's the only place where she can say she ONLY has 5 children! Anyway, many of the ladies were doing T-Tapp and seeing wonderful results. Here is a blog of one lady, who shares some great tips: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/neveradullmoment/T+Tapp/
So, I got the book from the library and read it and got inspired! I felt like, "I can really do this!" And I have! I have faithfully exercised almost every day since July 8. I've ordered some more videos (VHS since they were on clearance!) and I might try some of the longer workouts. But, for now, I'm sticking with the daily 15-minute Basic Plus workout since I know I can actually fit it into my schedule.
To read my other T-Tapp posts, click on the T Tapp category link at the top of this post. To visit the T-Tapp website, see here. There are quite a few videos that she puts free online so you can "try before you buy." And, here is my Amazon link to buy the book.
Today I decided we should do some nature study. My goal is to get outside to look at nature and do some drawing for their journals once a week. But we don't do it that often!
So, this morning we made sure the kids' backpacks were filled with a clipboard and white paper, sharpened pencil attached with a string, and a pencil sharpener. (They're supposed to have a magnifying glass, too, but who knows where those all went!)
We went to a forest preserve called Middlefork Savannah (see here). It was really a prairie preserve! As we were hiking through, I kept thinking of all the descriptions that Laura Ingalls gives in her books about being out in the prairie. We saw a number of insects, such as grasshoppers, dragonflies, and even a praying mantis. We also heard lots of frogs. There is a wildlife center there, too, so we saw a turtle pond, 2 hawks, and a wallaby. I loved seeing the kids sit with their clipboards and draw the flowers and animals.
Lastly, there was a playground, which was a fun way to end before we headed home for lunch.
A few years ago I came up with an idea that has really worked for record-keeping for our homeschool. I live in a state which does not require us to keep records or show them to anyone, but I do it so that I will remember what we've accomplished. (Also, HSLDA does want us to keep records.)
Here's what I do. Each week I put up on a wall in my kitchen near the pens a pre-printed chart. It has just about everything that we could possibly do for "school" listed on it. All I have to do is put a check-mark in the box if we did that activity that day. Sometimes I'll write a little something in the box to be more specific. There is also room at the bottom of the page to write what we are memorizing, what we're reading aloud, what the boys are reading to themselves, the unit study we're doing, and any field trips we went on. I simply keep the sheets in a folder all year. Then, I'll type out a final "report" or list of all we did to put in each child's yearly binder (where we keep a sampling of their work in each subject).
Here is a copy of the chart:
Activity
Bible Time
Practice Violin
Handwriting-B
Handwriting-J
Handwriting-M
Math
Science/ Nature Study
Music (violin, piano, sing)
Spanish
Latin
Art
Lapbook/ Notebooking
Library
Read library books
Typing
Chore training
P.E.
Play outside
J read to Mom
M phonics
M read to Mom
Poetry
Biography
History
Current Events
Game
Card Ministry (to whom)
Book on CD
Geography
Sign Language
B-Narration
J-Narration
M-Narration
Cooking
Family Worship
Sorry about this funny looking thing. I can't get it to delete!:
I'm finally going to focus on getting pictures posted from our summer! The fun started at the end of May when my mom, sister, niece, and nephew visited from California. We had a lot of fun hanging around the house, but also going on a few adventures such as to Old World Wisconsin, Brookfield Zoo, and Kohl Children's Museum.
A block creation just before it was destroyed by a 2-year-old.
Interesting way to be "in" a pack-n-play
Fun at the park
My sister and her daughter
At the Zoo: baby hippo
Warthog
Butterfly exhibit
Gorilla
We've been doing lapbooks at our house for a couple of years now. It's really a fun way to organize the unit study and have a culminating project that doesn't take up too much space. I keep them in a magazine file on the end table next to the couch and often see the kids take one out to look through it (reviewing what they've learned!)
I've made up my own and purchased complete kits. But I really love finding free ones online. More and more are being posted all the time.
Below you'll find some links that will help you find one on almost any subject you can think of. By the way, if you don't know what a lapbook is, look at the squidoo site or Jamin's blog for a full tutorial!
