Posted in Madeline
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Today we started with lesson 10 in Leading Little Ones To God called God Is Three Persons. Wow, this was a difficult one. We spent a lot of time discussing this. I won't detail our discussion here, because I could probably write a book about it, but I think he understood to the best extent that a 6-year old can! This concept is even difficult for me to understand, and there are things that we will not fully understand until we are brought home to be with our Heavenly Father. But it has blessed my heart to see how much he is learning about who God is and about His love from this book. He asks some amazing questions, and I am so excited to answer them to the best of my ability!
We then read Madeline one last time and I expanded on our rhyming lesson from yesterday, explaining that the book is written in the form of a poem. I pulled out Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein for more examples of poems. These poems are really silly, so we had some good laughs. We discussed how different they all were, how they didn't all rhyme, but they all had a rhythm. Then, we made up some simple 2 line "poems", to practice rhyming the lines:
"Kittens and cats Don't wear hats"
"Cats and kittens Don't wear mittens."
"We sweep the floor, then we mop some more!"
He started to get pretty silly with these short "poems", but this was a good introductory to the writing style and now he's been looking for poems everywhere!
We got out our Saxon K math book and did a couple of lessons in it. They were review of the last few that we have done. We moved from ABB color patterns into AABB color patterns.
DS read another story out of the Dick and Jane Basic Reader Friends Old And New called Fun For The Painter for reading practice.
Then, we did something fun! We went to a gym class with our local homeschool co-op! We haven't taken any of the co-op classes yet, so we are very excited about this! It's only once a month, but he met about 30 other homeschooled kids, plus I got to meet their moms! What a treat!
This is a great gym. It has all the colored mats, all shapes and sizes, trampolines, beams, rings, a huge floor mat, a climbing wall, a vault, too much to list! DS had so much fun that he wants to start doing gymnastics! I talked to DH about it and he said he thought that would be a really good thing for him, so we're going to enroll him in Beginner Boys Gymnastics! It will be every Tuesday for 1 hour. What a great physical outlet this will be for him! We are all very excited!
Then, we went to the store and purchase some ingredients for our French dinner. At home, DS helped me prepare the dinner and set the table. We learned how to properly set a table and we made it look all fancy. Then we had a wonderful time eating it!
Cracking Eggs
Putting together the quiches
Setting the table
Bacon and Ham Quiche
Yeast Rolls
Fruit Plate
Finished set table, complete with candles and wine glasses (filled with cranberry juice!)
As we ate, we discussed proper table manners: no elbows on the table, chewing with mouth closed, no talking with food in our mouth, no clinking the silverware or playing with our food, asking nicely for food to be passed, etc.
This was a fun, special meal...not to mention delicious! We actually made 2 quiches and extra rolls so we could have leftovers!
We finished the day by reviewing our week with DH and then reading another chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Next week, we will celebrate Columbus Day on Monday, and then we will spend the rest of the week on How To Make An Apple Pie and See The World by Marjorie Priceman.
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Posted in Madeline
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We sort of had a half day today so we could get caught up on some things around the house. Here's what we accomplished schoolwise:
We began today as usual with our Bible lesson in Leading Little Ones To God. The lesson was entitled "God Knows All Things". We talked about how God even knows the things we think in our mind and the things we do when we think no one else can see us. We talked about the importance of honesty and always doing what's right, even if we think no one would find out if we did something wrong. I also told him that God knows so much that he even knows how many hairs are on our head and how many stars are in the sky! And, not only does he know what has happened, but he also knows what will happen.
We read Madeline again, but this time DS read it to me. He loves to use intonation when reading, imitating the way that I read to him. In preparation for our study of poetry that we will be doing tomorrow, we located all the rhyming words and discussed how the story flows, line to line, with the use of these rhymes. We also talked about how the rhyming words are always at the end of a phrase or sentence, so that they match up with the next rhyming word, which is also at the end of a phrase or sentence.
Our Bible application today dealt with appreciating those things that are right and good and turning away from those things that are wrong and evil. This was a good review of "discernment", which we learned about during our The Story About Ping study. We looked at the part in the book where the girls "smile at the good and frown at the bad..."
We looked up the following verses in our family Bible:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:8
"My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them." Proverbs 1:1
"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14
Then, we had a brief history lesson, discussing certain items in the book and comparing them to modern day devices:
1. The crank on the bed vs. the buttons that were on Mom's hospital bed when I had the baby
2. The steam radiator heater vs. our electric baseboards
3. The old ambulance vs. a modern one
We did a few math lessons in our Saxon K book. We are working through this book pretty quickly and hope to be finished with it by Christmas so that we can start Saxon 1. A few lessons a day only takes about 20 minutes...unless we start having fun and decide to spend more time with it! DS is currently learning about graphs, money, and telling time.
Plus, he does some work book pages now and then for addition and subraction of single and double digit numbers.
While I got caught up on some cleaning and record-keeping, DS watched Madeline on video - what a cute movie!
DS read out loud from Friends Old And New and I read the next chapter to him from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at bedtime. This read-aloud is really helping to develop his listening skills since he is enjoying it so much and can't wait to see what happens next!
Day 5 will be fun...French food!
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Posted in Madeline
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We decided to start today with some quick, fun exercises. I told DS to do exactly what I did...and then the silliness began. We stretched, touched our toes, did front rolls, side bends, tried to stand on our heads, jumping jacks, push ups and crab walks! Fun!
We did Lesson 8 in Leading Little Ones To God entitled God Is Everywhere. We talked about how God could be with us at home and with Daddy at work at the same time! In fact, God can be thousands of places all at once! This is a difficult concept for children to understand, in fact I think it's a difficult concept for even adults to understand, but he was pretty amazed by it all the same!
DS is really into superheroes: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, The Incredibles...etc. One day, I told him that God has all the powers of all the superheroes! Now, DS says that God is the ultimate Superhero! Isn't that great?
We read Madeline again and discussed the concept of compassion. The book says "and sometimes they were very sad", referencing the 12 girls. On that page, they are looking at a man with a broken leg. We discussed ways that we can have compassion for other people by doing nice things for them when they are hurt, sick, or sad. We made a list: pray for them, visit them, take them flowers or food, get their mail for them, call them on the phone, invite them over for dinner, babysit their children to give them a break, etc. We talked about how Jesus had compassion for other people and we should too. We should always consider the feelings of others.
In our Bible application today, we discussed how Madeline was different than the other girls, "unique in a world of order". She wasn't afraid of mice or lions and she walked on top of the bridge wall, instead of safely on the walkway like the other girls. We referenced the following verses in the Bible:
"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm." Psalm 37:32
"Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end." Psalm 119:33
We talked about how sometimes, as Christians who love God, we make decisions and do things that the world does not understand. We follow God's will, even if it's "different" than what everyone else is doing. As an example, I used homeschooling. I told DS that Dad and Mom have felt God calling us to homeschool him and his sister (and future babies) for a long time. Some people may not understand or agree with that choice, but we will continue to do it because we know that is what God wants for our family. And we know that God will always bless that decision because we are following his plan for us.
We did some fun stuff after this. DS started a Madeline Word Find, found 6 of them, and then got frustrated...so we'll do more of that tomorrow.
Then, I let him do a couple of coloring pages. One was of Madeline herself that we will use for the front of our lapbook. The other was of the Eiffel Tower. We've been talking about the architecture of the Eiffel Tower and looking at lots of pictures, so this was fun for him. It's neat to see him recognize different buildings on TV and in magazines that we read and know where they are located (i.e. the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and now the Eiffel Tower)
For Science today, we talked about how the 12 girls in the book go for a daily walk and how important it is for us to get enough fresh air and sunshine to help our bones grow strong.
We also talked about getting enough rest. We read pages 14-17 in Health, Safety and Manners 1. We learned that a child should get between 10 and 12 hours of sleep. We filled in 2 clock diagrams, one with his bedtime (9:00) and the other with the time he usually wakes up (8:00). Then, we counted the hours in between to make sure he was getting enough sleep. He was pleased to see that he gets about 11 hours of sleep every night, exactly what he needs!
Then we played an online game, Time For Bed. This game shows an animal and a child and the student has to choose which one needs more sleep. This game was fun for him...and me! Did you know that a giraffe only gets 30 minutes of sleep a day...broken into six 5 minute naps!? I could actually finish my "to-do" list if my body ran like that!
Then DS played a matching game with these Sleep Cards. I laminated them for durability. The game matches a bad sleep habit with an opposite good sleep habit. When he would make a match, we would discuss which one was what and why.
For penmanship, DS copied the following verse out of the health book:
Good night, Sleep tight. Wake up bright In the morning light, To do what's right With all your might.
In Math, we did several lessons in our Saxon K book. We did alot with our pattern blocks and tangrams. Then we did two introductory lessons, one on money and one on telling time.
For practice reading, DS read the next story in Friends Old And New, our Dick and Jane basic reader. We both love these stories.
DS did a couple of pages in one of his Hidden Pictures books, published by Highlights Magazine. This is good brain work and develops thinking and problem-solving skills.
Then, we finished our day with me reading the next chapter in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
Wow! I can see how much we really did when I write it all down! Until tomorrow...
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Posted in Madeline
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We had a great second day today. DS is really enjoying this book and we are really getting into a good rhythm with Five In A Row. It's exciting to find something that fits his learning style so well!
We began today with Lesson 7 in Leading Little Ones To God entitled God is One God. This lesson taught us that Jesus and God are one and the same. Because there are examples in the Bible of Jesus being kind and compassionate, we can know that God is also kind and compassionate, since they are the same. We also talked a little bit about idols, how anything that we put before God in our life is considered an idol. We should always place God first and foremost above all else!
We then read Madeline for the second time. I think he must have memorized it yesterday when we read it, because he was practically reciting it back to me! His memory is astounding, sometimes I think its photographic! He picks things up so quickly, especially books. When DS was 2 years old, he had all of his favorite books memorized, including Dr. Seuss books, and could recite them word for word!
We talked about how the author, Ludwig Bemelmans, uses "repetition" in this book, just like Marjorie Flack did in The Story About Ping. The repetition in Madeline occurs twice. The first was describing the activities of the girls: "they broke their bread and brushed their teeth and went to bed". The second was Miss Clavel's nighttime reactions: "In the middle of the night, Miss Clavel turned on her light and said, 'Something is not right!". We discussed how this repetition brings the reader full circle and it makes us say, "Aha! We've heard that before!"
Our Bible application today was a continuance of yesterday's lesson. We again discussed God being a God of Order and referenced the following verses:
"(About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about 50 each.'" Luke 9:14
"But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." 1 Corinthians 14:40
I snuck in a little math lesson here, as well. We took the first verse and I showed DS how we could break 5,000 men into 100 groups of 50. Then, we got out his linking cubes and placed them into 4 different groupings of 12, to represent the 12 girls in the book: 2 groups of 6, 3 groups of 4, 4 groups of 3, and 6 groups of 2. After setting up the groups, I had DS count the cubes in each group. You should have seen his face light up when he realized each group had 12 in it! It was like a lightbulb clicked!
Yeah! I LOVE moments like this! It makes homeschooling so rewarding, to see your child "get" something and know that he is excited about it!
We also did a couple of lessons in our Saxon K book, reviewing ABB color patterns and making sure he understands "small, smaller, smallest" and "big, bigger, biggest" - he did, so there was no need for further work in this area.
I've decided to skip some lessons in Saxon K, since a lot of them focus on shapes, size, color, sorting, etc. - things that DS has been proficient in for several years and certainly does not need review in. We are using K this year just so DS can get a good basis in learning about money and telling time before we move into the 1st grade book. I'm hoping to finish K by Christmas and move into 1 by January.
In Social Studies, we talked about how "the car with a red light" was an ambulance and what these vehicles are used for. DS "did" a maze where he had to get the ambulance from Madeline's house to the hospital. I put "did" in quotes because (I admit) it was a difficult maze, so he "jumped" walls and drew bridges over the water to create a shortcut! It was pretty funny...and creative...so I couldn't even say anything about it! Oh well, it was supposed to just be fun, and he certainly acheived that!
We also reviewed Geography from yesterday, re-locating France, Paris, and the Seine River on a map. We will be placing our story disc on the World Map later this week. I'm excited about the story discs, because at the end of our FIAR year, DS will know where so many different places are in this world, without any "formal" geography lessons!
For reading practice, DS read another story out of Friends Old And New. He's been having a hard time concentrating on his reading, so I watched him very closely today. I figured out that he was trying to read ahead to see what was going to happen, so it was distracting him from the current sentence. I showed him how he could place his bookmark right under the sentence he's reading and then move it as he progresses. His improvement since doing this is remarkable! He is reading three times faster, finishing the stories in no time, and even comprehending them better because he's not getting confused! He even wants me to do it now when I'm reading aloud to him, I guess he's following along!
We finished the day with me reading aloud the next chapter in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He's getting so excited because we're getting closer to the part where the kids go to the factory. I love seeing him this excited about a book!
On to Day 3...
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