Monday, August 30, 2010

In Love With Penmanship!!!!



After several lessons in the traditional ABEKA cursive writing for first graders...we gave up in tears.  So I made a trip to the local teacher supply store and paid too much money for a hand writing book that brought more tears.  There had to be an easier way to get caught up and be a good "printer"--and as the fine motor skills develop--a great "cursive writer".  Finally I found this book from Christan Light Publications.
65 lessons that direct correctly made letters in a simple format.  Now our writing class is a happy and interesting time!  Ben loves the information in each lesson about the different animals.  But most of all he is encouraged that he is learning to make beautiful manuscript.  The best $5.50 that I have spent on homeschooling writing curriculum.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I am taking up "flying"

I have decided to give up and join the Flylady. I have been busy organizing cabinets and throwing out partiel bottles that I have no idea why I haven't already done so. I decidedto leave between behind CHAOS...Cant Have Anyone Over Syndrone. Organized and free from clutter...the less stuff I have to put away is less work for me.

Pictures to come soon!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Safety In Camouflage

 I walked out to my porch this morning and found the answer:
 There is safety in camouflage.  Monday morning I went to the doctor with what I thought was just a re-occurring bladder infection.  By noon I had an appointment with an urologist and had had some tests run along with prescriptions for a cocktail of medicines.  I left the office feeling like I may pass out at any moment.
But this morning I am reminded that my God is not one of fear.  Just as He designed this moth to be protected...He will protect me from fear and whatever is to come.  But of course right now I am minding my health and praying for a healing and/or simple diagnosis.

Another scary thing on my porch this morning....


Can someone really love skateboarding enough to get up and skateboard with out even getting dressed?
Life is good and I have so much to be thankful for.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Measure of Success

Nate is loving not going to preschool this year.  In fact now when he is misbehaving we will ask him if he wants to be good or we can call the school and send him back....he immediately begs to learn at home.

He could do his little workbooks with lots of direction but was not enjoying them ---just enduring them.  I decided that even though this is Preschool we both needed more structure and direction.  So I found the World Book scope and sequence for every grade on line.  The list looks easy enough to complete.

I felt that Nate would also be more apt to do his lessons the more successful that he felt.  So I ordered a{pre}preschool set of books from Christian Light Publications.
These books are very,very basic in skills and concepts.  So far Nate is enjoying them.  The only thing that we are having a problem with using these books is that they are based on an Anabaptist lifestyle....seems in my eyes{outsider looking in}  to be between Amish and Mennonite.  So in an activity where it would have objects that the student had to match to the activity Nate is not always familiar with these.  {sewing machine, needle,etc}  and in one exercise he has to distinguish male and female clothing--I do always wear skirts but I{nor anyone else he knows} wears a dress with a cape.  Otherwise the books are a great spring board to early education.  I understand that these books were written for the Anabaptist people and I am thankful that they are sharing their work with us.

In addition to this stage of Preschool we are doing rote counting, tactile letter studies and traditional children's literature.  During the study of literature we are practicing:
  • speech
  • comprehension
  • sequencing
For literature we are doing nursery rhymes and traditional fairy tales.

After the Basic Skills series I plan to move on to the ABC Readiness Series by CLP and probably stay with that curriculum until Nate's first grade then move him to ABEKA.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Week Four!!

So here we are in our fourth week of homeschooling!  We schooled 15 days this month--which is really great seeing that we had a holiday and out of town guests!  The deal was that I could home school the month of July as a trial run and if it wasn't working out then the children would attend government school.  Things are going great and everyone is learning!  Praise God!  On Sunday an old college roommate --that works in Taiwan as a missionary called me and was coming on Monday!!  So we schooled Monday and cleaned like the President (well maybe not)  was visiting.
Jen and I...I tried to find a picture of us from the early 90s  but our hair was too big to get in the picture!!

We tried a little bit of "Charlotte Mason" home school technique and took a picnic to a local park....made leaf rubbings and just enjoyed being out in nature...may try this again in the fall when it isn't 96 degrees in the shade.
rubbing from the end of a bleacher set.


Massive leaf...glad that I don't have any of these trees to rake :)
Ever wonder wonder how things look at a child's eye level? {note to self: keep the camera put away!!}




So next week public schools start back.  we start @ lesson #16 & study more on our Australia unit study.


Thursday, July 22, 2010

Homemade Vanilla Cookies!!

So I was just tapping "Next Blog" and I found this recipe by Coffee, Tea, Books and recipes.
Let me just say that these cookies are S-U-P-E-R  E-A-S-Y and oh so yummy!!


Half cup of butter and one cup of sugar being creamed.
one TABLESPOON of vanilla!
One egg
mix in
one and a third cup of flour, 3/4teaspoon of baking powder...and 1/4teaspoon of salt...not shown
mix well
how the batter will look
spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet...place into an oven preheated to 350 for 12 minutes
not done cookies...{shown here after 10 minutes}
Ah perfection after 12 minutes!!  Remove soon as the cookies harden quickly and crumble when you try to remove them
Thanks Brenda!!!  I love these cookies!

I am linking this post upto
UndertheTableandDreaming

Almost our third week!!

So everyone is asking...are you sure you are going to homeschool?  Uh yeah...we have bought all of this stuff and joined a co-op....and been schooling everyday :)  I haven't got to blog our activities because I have been so busy tying up my last weddings. 

Anyway here is my latest Target Dollar Spot find...a pocket chart!!!!  Loving it!  And getting way more than a dollars worth of use out of it!
Today we began an unit study on Australia.  In a few weeks we will be doing a field trip to Kentucky Down Under.  So today we learned  where Australia is on the world map in relation to where we are.  We also talked about boomerangs, dingos, kangaroos, and other animals that are found there. 
Monday I found this counting chart at KSS and look it has a kangaroo on it!!
Me and little bud...he is forever trying to do school too! He does the phonic sounds along with us--he may accidentally learn to read!

I have been giving the boys their "Smart Bucks" during class...then after class I punch their cards the number of SBs they earn.  A completed card is worth $3.  {price of a Happy Meal :)}
So summer is going along great...busy, hot and successful.
I have so much to be thankful for and I am.