Weekly Wrap-up #2

No school this week but I have pictures to share. We spent Wednesday at a lake and just enjoyed the outdoors.

Blue Heron

Great Egret

We also saw some kind of sandpiper birds, but I couldn't get a good picture. 

Weekly Wrap-up #1

I'm going to start doing these "Weekly Wrap-ups" each week, as a way to record what we have done. 
We actually started our new school year this week. Everyone else is enjoying their summer break, and we are doing school work. The kids would not hear of this summer break thing. We got our new books, and they were begging to start them right away. Joel even said in his whiniest voice, "Mom, If we don't do summer school, we will forget everything." I love that they love to learn so I gave in and let them so some work. 

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What we learned:

Trista 

x Genesis 1 to 3 - read to Joel

x Rod and Staff english - 3 lessons

x Editor in Cheif - 1 lesson

x McGuffey Spelling - 10 spelling words

x Khan Academy Math - 20 minutes

x Math lessons - 3 exercises

x Daily Word Problems - 3 days 

x This Country of Ours - Ch. 29 - The Founding of Connecticut And War With the   Indians 1636-39

x Child's History of the World - Ch. 71 - Charles I

x Trial and Triumph - Ch. 28 - Richard Cameron, Lion of the Covenant (1644-1680)

x Minn of the Mississippi - Ch. 1

x Daily Geography - 3 days

x Spectrum Science - Lesson 1.1 

x Storybook of Science - Ch. 1 - The Six & Ch. 2 - The Fairy Tale and the True Story

x Building Thinking Skills - 6 pages

Word Roots - 1 page

PLUS - Notebooking and Timeline activities!

Joel

x Genesis 1 to 3 - listened to Trista read

x Missionary Stories - Introduction

x Primary Language Lessons - Lesson 1

x Phonics Pathways - 2 pages

x The Boxcar Children (RA) - Ch. 1-2

x Real Mother Goose - 1 page

x Math Lessons - 2 exercise

x An Island Story - Ch. 1 - The Stories of Albion and Brutus

x Paddle to the Sea - Ch. 1

x Discovering Nature: All Nature Sings - 2 exercises

x Building Thinking Skills - 4 pages

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Mom's Education

I started Don Quixote exactly one month ago and am now on Chapter 26. This is actually my third time reading it, and I am seeing things in a different perspective. It is slightly difficult to motivate myself to read it everyday, since I have already read it, but I am still enjoying it.

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We had fun roasting marshmallows over a bonfire Thursday night!

Quote from John Taylor Gatto, former New York (Public School) Teacher of the Year, and promoter of homeschooling

I read this today and had to share: 

"What you should be doing is exactly what you are doing now: spending about 90 percent of your time solving the problems of rearing your family decently and bringing the best out of your kids, and giving them a sense of religious purpose and civic purpose and personal power and strength. I've come to believe that most of the power that this other side has is not through their armies; it's through our fear that if we don't do what they tell us to do that somehow we'll lose out. Ignore these people's attempts to infect you with fear. If your kid knows how to read well (I think that's very important), count well, has a good attitude, loves work (sees that work is a grace and not a curse), your kid is practically impregnable."

- from an interview published in Homeschooling Today magazine, January/February 2001

I also wanted to share this post for anyone doubting that they can educate their children:

You are Qualified to Homeschool!

Enjoy!

Mom's Education

Background: As a homeschooling Mom I am pretty much learning new things right along with my children. When I went to government schools, I tuned just about everything out. It was so boring; I thought. By the time I got to high school I didn't care anymore. I didn't even try to make good grades. I remember being rather shocked when I was told I was going to graduate on time. I'm not really sure how that happened?

After school is when my love for learning actually began. I suppose my sense of autonomy helped spark a thirst for knowledge. I always loved to read, but I used to read "teen dramas" and "fan fiction" nothing beyond that. My love for classics began when the movie Lord of the Rings came out. I wanted to read the books, too! After reading the rich language of these books I couldn't go back to what I was used to read. I tried reading a Star Trek fan fiction book and remember thinking it seemed so elementary. Ever since, I started reading any classics I could get my hands on!

Flash Forward: I just recently discovered the book The Well-Educated Mind. Not to be confuse with the book written by the same author The Well-Trained Mind (I never read this, by the way). I am so excited to get this book! This book teaches you how to read the Great Conversation.  You learn the process of understanding, evaluating, and expressing an opinion. The niftiest thing about this book is the list of books to read in chronological order in different genres. (Find the list here) They include: Fiction, Autobiographies, Histories, Dramas, and Poetry. I have already read many of the books in the fiction list; I don't mind reading them again to possibly get a new perspective. Oh, by the way, the very first book in the fiction list is DON QUIXOTE!! One of my favorite books, EVER! Can you tell I'm excited?!

Right now, I'm reading the beginning chapters. I Can't wait to get into the reading list!

Win a Kindle!

If your anything like me, you love reading and you love reading classics. There is such an amazing abundance of free classics all over the web. You can find many of these classics at websites like:

Google Books

Project Gutenberg

ManyBooks

Amazon's Free Kindle ebooks

And I'm sure if you searched you could find many more!

I read most of my free books using Amazon's Free Kindle Apps. I've been wanting to splurge and buy myself an actual Kindle, but haven't actually done it yet. Seems there are always other expenses needing my money. 

Thanks to Freely Educate I now have an opportunity to win a Kindle! And so can YOU!! (said in my most cheesiest commercial voice)

So if you are anything like me (or not) go enter to win, ASAP, this contest ends Monday.

Hey, while you're there be sure to check out all the awesome free stuff to be found. 

Thanksgiving School ideas

THANKSGIV'ING, n. The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.
Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if received with thanksgiving. 1 Tim.4.
1. A public celebration of divine goodness; also, a day set apart for religious services, specially to acknowledge the goodness of God, either in any remarkable deliverance from calamities or danger, or in the ordinary dispensation of his bounties. The practice of appointing an annual thanksgiving originated in New England. --1828 edition of Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language

Thanksgiving Poems

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott

Holiday Bundle - 5 Thanksgiving Units ($2.00)

LBCs Thanksgiving Holiday Helper

MayflowerHistory.com

Thanksgiving Resources  Long list @ The Home School Mom

Talk Like a Pilgrim

Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trips

My Little Man is Growing Up

November 6th was the day Joel turned 7. Can you believe it? Well, I can't. He has always been my baby and now look at him.

My Big Boy

I didn't make his cake because I was sick pretty much the entire week before his birthday, so I was a little low on energy.

Why are their birthdays always so bittersweet?

Labor Day Holiday Helper - Free Download

https://s3.amazonaws.com/PJ_Downloads/HH-Labor-Day.pdf


 In its pages you will find all you need to make the holiday meaningful and rich: living ideas, poems, stories, copywork and a fascinating picture study by Ford Maddox Ford entitled, "Work."


To get similar links like this delivered to your email just sign up for the "Get-Acquainted Pack" at
Living Books Curriculum. It's worth it.

Free Geography Links

Seterra Geography Quiz Game
Downloadable Map Quiz Game


AAA Geography
Online worksheets with practice, play and explore sections.


Coloring Castle
Simple blackline maps of individual states. Grades 3-8.

World Atlas Blank Outline Maps


An easy introduction to the study of geography
Geography book

United States printable worksheets

Owl and Mouse Maps and online free map games

State Activity Sheets
Updated 6/27/12

Early Education

Brainpop Jr.
Junior version of BrainPop. Pay site with some free items on it. Geared to the visual
learner. Grades K-3.

Brightly Beaming Resources
Complete preschool curriculum online Grades PreK-K.

Childcare Land
Early learning activities for Pre-K and K. Grades PreK-K.

Christian Preschool Printables
Links to lots of websites. Grades PreK-3.


Danielle's Place of Crafts and Activities
Lots of quality crafts and activities for kids including Bible crafts and VBS. Grades K-3.

DLTK's Growing Together
Crafts and educational activities. Links to several other DLTK sites. Grades K-3.


Everything Preschool - Early Childhood Education Made Easy
Lesson plans, alphabet ideas and coloring pages. Grades PreK-1.

First School
Early education website in Spanish. Look for link at bottom for English version. Sister
site to the DTLK sites. Grades K-1.

Fisher Price
Educational coloring pages include shapes, letters, numbers and number concepts.
Grades K-1.


Hubbard's Cupboard
Downloadable in all early education subjects. Grades K-1.

Jan Brett, author
Coloring pages, holiday activities, games and more. Most use her signature Hedgehog
character. Grades K-5.

Kelly's Kindergarten
Complete Kindergarten curriculum. Monthly calendar with worksheet assignments and
worksheets in one file. Grades K-1.

Kinder Printables
Worksheets for Kindergarten. A lot of the links are still under development but some
are working. Grades K-1.

Kinder Teacher
Free material is under the Homework-Monthly ideas. More in-depth K activities than
most offerings. Grades K-1.