I've been so bad at getting back into blogging after our computer crash problem! My goal is to begin posting at least a couple of times a week again.
Here is what we're working on in our homeschool right now. In history we're studying Colonial Times. I found some notebooking pages for my 9 yo son and have a couple of lapbooks for my 7 yo son to choose activites from. We're now reading "Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Speare and have finished biographies of John Smith and Pocahontas and a book called "The Courage of Sarah Noble." I have a Colonial Kids activity book, so we'll make some crafts and food, too. We have a stack of books from the library, some of which are more for my preschool crowd.
For math, my boys have finished Alpha in Math-U-See, so I've ordered Beta. We're still working on getting their addition facts down pat. We have a "Math Shark" electronic toy which makes it more fun for them to practice than using flash cards.
In science, we just finished studying the earth and are now learning about the moon. We started listening to Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth." We have a couple of fun projects to do, including making cookies and decorating them like the phases of the moon! We'll be reading two biographies of men who went to the moon: Destination Moon about Jim Irwin and another about Neil Armstrong. We also need to listen the moon episode on Jonathan Park.
As a family we're working on memorizing Matthew chapter 5. The boys are also using that passage for copywork. The girls are working in their Handwriting Without Tears books.
For music, the 3 older kids are still taking violin lessons, and my oldest is learning to play the guitar as well. We're singing as a family and trying to learn some part-singing. I still haven't started teaching piano and hope to do that soon. We're learning about Haydn right now and listening to a different one of his works daily for a week at a time, this week is the Surprise Symphony and next week we'll listen to the Farewell Symphony.
In Spanish, the kids are listening to lessons by The Easy Spanish. We're just listening to them on the iPod, not doing any written work on it. Two more subjects--for art the boys are drawing from one of several nice drawing instruction books we have. And for PE, they are doing TappCore exercises daily.
In the afternoon during their one-hour rest time, they are to read silently for 30 minutes and play and educational game together. It's a full and fun schedule! Since I instituted the independent work notebook (see a couple of posts back), things have gone so much smoother!
If you'd like to try Carbonite to automatically back up your computer files, here is my referral link.
I'm so glad I had signed up for this last year. It sure made having my computer suddenly crash not be such a big deal. It costs $55 a year, but would have been about the same to take it to a computer store to see if they could get the info off my hard drive. My husband thinks our hard drive is messed up, though, and that wouldn't have worked anyway! Yeah--I didn't lose any of my pictures or homeschooling materials I've bought and downloaded through the past few years. I had originally done it to keep us safe in case of a fire or theft, though. We have an external hard drive that we back things up on (when we think about it), but it isn't automatically done every time we save something on the computer. So, there's the pitch!
My computer crashed in December, so I've been gone a while! But I'm back online now and trying to get caught up. First, I am so grateful that I had Carbonite to back up everything on our computer. It's an offsite (through a website) back-up system that automatically backs up all files. You set it up once and it works silently from then on. I have just had all my photos restored. It's still working on getting my documents and music transferred. I'm so glad I didn't lose anything! Next, I'll post a referral link in case you want to sign up, too.
I am way behind in posting pictures. We've had 3 kids' birthdays! And Christmas, too! I'll try to get to it all in the next week.
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I've been having a very frustrating time since September trying to get my homeschooling schedule to work. There are so many distractions and interruptions with all these little kids running around! My goal was to start Bible Time with the whole group at 9 a.m. and then move onto math (Math-U-See) or science (Exploring Creation With Astronomy) with the older boys. But I had so much difficulty getting there! So after talking to my husband we decided that we need to give the older boys some independent work. I had previously tried to do almost everything with them, but that's not practical anymore, and there has been too much down time.
I looked at Sue Patrick's Workbox System and got some ideas. Kendra at Preschoolers and Peace does it like this.Here is another idea, with some very helpful pictures. However, one thing I noticed is that the system seems to lend itself to working well with lots of workbooks and worksheets. I'm not a workbook/worksheet person! And, I don't want to fill my kids' day with busy work, just so they are doing something, rather than just playing!
But I figured out a way to get my boys to do some independent work that isn't busy work and fits my Charlotte Mason/ Teaching the Trivium style. I still want our focus to be on "Ten Things to do Before Age 10"!
So, here is my idea. I printed out a sheet which lists their daily independent activities for one week at a time. There are some for the morning and some for the afternoon. They will get to choose what order to do them in and then circle the letter of the day of the week when they have completed it. Whatever papers they need will be included in the binder, too, such as copywork, copy of the picture for Picture Study, a notebooking page for Picture Study, and the poem they are to memorize that week. All the morning work will need to be completed before they eat lunch. That should be a good motivator! Then, when I'm ready to work with them on Bible, math, or science, they can take a break from whatever they are doing and then get back to it when we're finished.
Morning Independent Work
Bible Study Fellowship--daily lesson and practice verse (before breakfast)
Morning Hygiene (brush teeth, vitamin)
Morning Chores (dishwasher)
Violin practice (20 minutes)
Spanish (listen to lesson 2, tracks 3 and 4)
Classical music--listen to "Mercury" by Holst
Read one chapter daily of Mathematicians are People, Too, vol. 1
Narration--find Mom and narrate what you just read
Read a book to one or more of your siblings
Recess--15 minutes of free play in basement or room
PE-- 2 Tapp Core exercises or run 10 laps in backyard
Memorize poem-- work on it for 5 minutes daily
Math fact practice (9 addition tables)
Picture Study (look at artwork for a couple of minutes, write or draw about it)
Copywork (10 minutes)
Afternoon Independent Work
Read novel of choice for 30 minutes
Play a game with brother for 30 minutes
I'm now a T-Tapp affiliate! So, if you'd like to order anything from the T-Tapp website, please click on the banner on the right side of my blog page. It won't cost you any extra! Here's a tip. There is a place at the T-Tapp store called "Super Closeouts" where you can find some great deals. Also ordering the book new from Amazon is cheaper, but many times if you order it from T-Tapp, you get a free DVD workout, too!
I'm happy to share that I reached my size goal! I'm back in my pre-pregnancy clothes! And I've only exercised 15 minutes a day, and not always every day! But, here is the mystery--I weigh 10 pounds more than I did last time! Is it all muscle? I guess so!
On Friday, we'll get out our "Jesse Tree" and begin our focus for the Advent season. Basically, a Jesse Tree is a way to teach how Jesus is the branch from the stump of Jesse (King David's father). Isaiah 11:1 says "Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit." Each day we study a different person or event from Biblical history which led to the birth of Christ. At this website and this website I printed out pictures which represent what we're studying. I laminated them and they are the "ornaments" which we put on our Jesse Tree each day. On the back I wrote which Scripture to read about each day. I bought a 3-foot artificial Christmas tree from Walgreens to put the "ornaments" on. I researched several different websites and came up with my own version of what we would study each day. Here it is:
Jesse Tree—My version
1.TreeIntro to Jesse TreeIsaiah 11:1-10, Jer. 23:5-6, I Samuel 16:1-13
I've been baking our own bread for the past two years. We haven't bought any sandwich bread in that whole time (except when we were on vacation)! I thought I'd share how I do it here. It's really not that hard or time-consuming. And it tastes so much better than store-bought, as well as being better for you.
I bought the mixer, grain mill and many supplies from Urban Homemaker (urbanhomemaker.com). (You can also make the bread by hand and buy wheat flour at the store if you don't want to get a mixer or mill.) I get 100 pounds of wheat berries at a time from a food co-op that my friend is a part of. I bought two 5-gallon buckets from Home Depot and put gamma lids on them and oxygen absorbers in them (bought at wisementrading.com). The gamma lids completely seal the buckets so that nothing can get in. The oxygen absorbers absorb all the oxygen from the bucket, killing any bugs or eggs which may have been in there. The wheat will then keep indefinitely!
Six bread pans to make six loaves at a time. This lasts us about a week:
A 5-gallon bucket with gamma lid on:
Here is the recipe for Marilyn's Famous Whole Wheat Bread Recipe. I use 2 1/2 TB of yeast, 2 TB of salt, 2 TB dough enhancer (optional), and 1/2 cup of vital gluten. One time I ran out of vital gluten, so I left it out to see how the bread would be different. The bread was very crumbly and wouldn't hold together when cut. It was still edible, but the texture is much better with the vital gluten. I grind about 11 cups of wheat berries, but I've never counted exactly how many cups of flour I use. Sometimes, there is some left over, which I put in a baggie in the freezer to use the next week. Sometimes, I have to grind a little more. It depends on the humidity, etc.
Step 1: Set everything out. I've found that it only works for me to bake the bread starting first thing in the morning. Otherwise, I might have to wait up too long for it to cool so it can be put in bags. It takes me 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, not including cooling the bread. But I'm not working the whole time, so we get started on our schoolwork when the bread is rising and baking.
Step 2: Grind 2 cups of berries in the mill. While it's grinding, put honey, oil, dough enhancer, yeast and very warm water in the mixer. Add 2 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour. Mix a few seconds and let it sit there for 15 minutes. This is called sponging.
Step 3: Put about 9 more cups of wheat berries into the mill to grind. It takes about 7 minutes.
Step 4: After the 15 minutes of sponging is up, add salt and vital gluten to the mixer. (Don't forget the salt!) Mix a few seconds. Add one cup of flour at a time and mix a few seconds. You're done adding flour when the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.
Step 5: "Knead" the dough for 6 minutes--just turn the mixer setting to "1" and set the timer.
Step 6: Turn the oven on for a couple of minutes to warm it, then turn it off. Remove the dough hook from the mixing bowl and place mixing bowl in the warmed oven for 30 minutes to an hour. Instructions usually say to cover the bowl with a damp cloth, but I never do. (It's now time to wash the dough hook by hand; if you wait, it's so hard to clean later on.)
Step 7: After 30 minutes, my dough has always started to come out over the sides of the bowl, so it's time to put into the bread pans.
Step 8: Pull out dough and put enough into each pan to fill it halfway. I never "shape" the dough, but just stuff it in there and try to flatten the top! I think the bread looks pretty nice when baked, so I haven't worried about shaping it nicely!
Step 9: Place the 6 pans back into the warmed oven (turn back on for a couple of minutes if necessary.) Set the timer for 30 minutes again. By that time the dough has always risen to the tops (or a little above the tops) of the pans.
Step10: Turn the oven to 350 degrees and set the timer to about 30 minutes once more. Lately I've been baking them for 32 minutes. My bread has always been perfectly baked by following these instructions.
Step 11: If you let the bread cool a bit before cutting, it will slice better (won't be so doughy).
Step 12: Cool completely and place in bread bags. I keep 2 loaves out and put the rest in the freezer. Don't put bread in the refrigerator as that will dry it out.
Here is another great lapbooking company! There are lapbooks on a variety of subjects such as science, history, math, holiday, preschool, etc. They also offer notebooking pages, unit studies, copywork books, and lapbooking classes.
If you sign up for their newsletter, you can get a free one called an Overview of the 17th Century. We'll be using this next! (Right now we're studying the Renaissance, 1500s.) Check out their website at ajourneythroughlearning.net
For Better For Worse For Keeps Writing and Publishing School
When: Monday, November 30, For Better For Worse For Keeps Writing and Publishing School, Arlington Heights, IL 9:30 - 4:00 Pm (registration begins at 9:15 Am)
Who: You are all cordially invited to the Second For Better For Worse For Keeps Writing and Publishing School, Small enough to know your name, taught by Published Writing Professionals, Bob and Cheryl Moeller. Space is limited to first 90 participants.
Homeschool students, high school sophomore level and above are welcome to attend, with or without a parent.
What: For Better For Worse For Keeps Writing and Publishing School, with topics such as How to get Started, How to Get Published, How to Get an Agent, with lots of question and answer sessions
Where: Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N Dunton Ave, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-5966 (Please do not contact the library) Contact for information or R.S.V.P. office@bobandcherylmoeller.com
Cost: Free (A freewill offering will be taken for the For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries)
Lunch and etc.: On your own at area restaurants in downtown Arlington Heights or bring a sack lunch. Snacks and conference notes are provided. No childcare.
Each participant can submit 1500 words before the conference, to be reviewed by Bob and Cheryl. This can be 1500 words for one article or book, 750 words for two different projects OR 500 words each for three different projects. You can sign up for 60 minute time slot for a personal phone conference, same week as conference with Cheryl.
Teachers are Bob and Cheryl Moeller, married for 30 years, Orchard homeschool parents of six children (one son-in-law), and three lively dogs:
Bob Moeller, D.Min.: Co-founder of For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries, TV host, radio personality, For Better For Worse For Keeps National Conference Speaker, The Road to “I Do” Single’s Conference Speaker, published author of 8 books, ghost writer for 6 books, wrote over 100 articles for magazines and newspapers such as Focus on the Family, Leadership Journal, Moody Magazine, Christianity Today, Christian Reader, Light and Life, Evangelical Beacon, Standard, Wesleyan Advocate, Marriage Partnership, Christian Courier, David C. Cook Publishing, Wesleyan Publishing House, Standard Publishing, Lifeway Publishing, and many more.
Nationally Published books: For Better For Worse For Keeps (Multnomah 1992), To Have and To Hold (Multnomah), The Stirring (a novel with Thomas Nelson 1995), Love in Action: Healing Conflict in Your Church (Multnomah 1995), AWANA: God’s Miracle (AWANA Press 1998), Marriage Minutes (Moody 1998), For Better For Worse For Keeps (Marriagevine 2006), Marriage Miracle (Harvest 2010)
Cheryl Moeller, M.A.R.: Co-founder of For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries, literary agent for 11 years,.published author of 3 books with national publishers, self-published five books sold through websites and at conferences, author of articles for various publications including Marriage Partnership and MOPS.org, syndicated humor columnist for 7 online parent websites and magazines, stand up comic, speaker for retreats and conferences, and mom blogger at www.momlaughs.blogspot.com.
Nationally Published books: Marriage Minutes (Moody 1998), For Better For Worse For Keeps (Marriagevine 2006), and Marriage Miracle: (Harvest 2010). Self-Published books: 2 Novels with Curriculum - Baby Saves Christmas and Lexi’s Homeschool Diary, 2 Gift Books - Keep Courting: 100 Ways to Keep Courting After Marriage and Aunt Sarah’s Alaskan Cookbook, Preschool Curriculum – Homeschool Your Preschooler on $1 a Day
Below is a description of a book written by a friend of mine!
This Christmas Make Your Marriage Sparkle!
Buy- Keep Courting: 100 Ways to Keep Courting After Marriage
This Christmas - Ways to Keep Courting After Marriage for Her:
- Keep his favorite snacks on a special shelf in the refrigerator.
- Bring home three perfume samples and ask him which one he likes best.
- Order in pizza, sit next to him on the couch, and watch the game.
- Have a private barbeque outside with his favorite grilled foods. - Attend an outdoor sporting exhibition show and look through the
brochures with him.
This Christmas - Ways to Keep Courting After Marriage for Him:
- Write "I love you" on her calender on the first day of every month.
- Read a book on how to give a great massage and try some of it out on her.
- Send her a text message telling her you need her to pray for you. - Tell her about what you wanted to be when you grew up.
Let her tell you about her dreams.
- Pledge to give each of your kids one hour of time with you, the
same time each week.
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
Remember this Christmas, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.
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!
A blog about Christian homeschooling and my life with 6 sweet kids ages 9 and under: 9 yo boy, 7 yo boy, 6 yo girl, 4 yo girl, 3 yo boy,16 mo girl. And baby #7 due in July!
Below is a description of a book written by a friend of mine!
