It has pretty much been business as usual this week. The highlight of my week has been visiting with my grandmother and spending 3 hours just letting her talk. The kids discovered the boardgame LIFE while at my aunt's house (where my grandmother lives) so I will be on the lookout for that game to add to their small game collection which consists of only checkers and monopoly.

What I'm looking forward to:
The MACHE curriculum fair in Frederick, MD is 2 weeks away and I can hardly wait! I am most looking forward to getting MFW WHL to thumb through in preparation for DD13 9th grade year. I can't even believe she is that old. At the WTM forum so many people mention how hard it is to focus and finish out the current year as you are planning and preparing for the next year. I definitely fall into that category.

As I reflect on the current year I have definitely seen growth in DD13 personally and academically. I wish I could take the credit but the environment and discipline that has been part of the Classical Conversations program I believe has been the catalyst to her growth. The proof will be in the pudding when she comes back home to do high school next year. DD11 and DD9 I believe are still adjusting to the relaxed nature of homeschooling and the freedom they have to learn outside of the box. I know math at home has really been a blessing to DD11 who just wasn't getting the Math content at her public school. They both love the idea of not having to wait for other students to finish before they get to move on to something else. Some other comments they've made include the art instruction they are getting is fun. They said they only did arts n crafts in PS. They are now getting drawing instruction and they run off to do drawing every chance they get. Here are some of their masterpieces.





In our homeschool this week:
It was neat to read to them about Leonardo da Vinci from Leonardo da Vinci for kids this week as they were working on their artwork. I printed out a notebooking page from notebookingpages.com that we will complete when we are finished with this book.

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I know I need small snippets of the unexpected to keep me motivated and keep my attitude fresh. A few months ago I found a really great deal on MFW Exploration to 1850 so I snagged it and put it on the bookshelves. Earlier this week I grabbed one of the book reads from the curriculum to keep me occupied on an appointment. William Carey from the Heroes of Faith series was a page tuner for me. I couldn't put it down and finished the book within a few, albeit interrupted hours. I was so inspired I took a small detour in the curriculum to have my girls read it as well. I love how the unexpected ties in nicely with something that you've recently studied. The book makes many geography references, botany references, the English/French War (I don't think that's the exact name of the war but those were the fighting countries :), New World Exploration, and of course the importance of missionary work. Love it!

When we are all done with the book we will address an envelope to the fund being used to support the missions work of this family whose heart for God encourages me so much. Yeah!!!! Be sure to scroll down to her Wednesday, March 2, 2011 blog entry to know exactly what the mission work is all about. Some other highlights of our week:

Making an impromptu stop at the Lorton Workhouse Art Center, turned out to be a great way to spend the afternoon. I initially stopped because I knew they had great art classes and exhibits. I wanted to inspire my budding artist, DD13 and explore. I knew the center was formerly an area prison but I had no idea how historic this place really was. We were able to get a history lesson on the Women's suffrage movement during the Wilson administration to include a disturbing exhibit on the force feedings that took place at the prison during this time.





On a lighter note... great musicians like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra did concerts for the inmates here as well. Area artists rent out space at the center so we were able to see Artists busy at their craft - glass blowers, jewelry makers, and painters. One painting artist took the time to encourage DD13 to pursue her passion. He said "math and all that other stuff is important but take the time to work on your art everyday." It was very interesting to hear how in his lifetime he taught on the collegiate level and designed sets for movies, TV and the stage. Many of his designs were displayed in the studio. Why didn't I take pictures of that?? But here are some shots we did manage to get.





It is days like this day that I really appreciate the privilege of homeschooling.


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Okay... I've been missing for a few weeks. Just didn't have a whole lot to share. But after my husband and I attended our foster care training last night I couldn't sleep thinking about how my family is a gift. My marriage is a gift and each one of my kids is a gift. Homeschooling is a gift, my home is a gift . . . I could go on and on. What am I doing with these gifts God has given me? They have not been given to me to be put on a shelf but to share my gifts with others. My salvation is a gift, I'm I sharing that with others? I'm scared about a foster care/adoption journey but how can I not share what God has given me so that others might know the love that I have received at the hands of a loving God?

What have we been up to this week?

We have been helping DD13 memorize her catechism questions. We've focused on the bible verses first then we will move to the science questions.

Moving steadily through Math lessons in Saxon and Horizons. We've been really slack on Science since leaving the Botany lessons behind but this week we conducted an experiment on convection and ocean currents. I found some books at the library on different experiments so we will just keep using the Scientific Method while performing these experiments.

Took the Unit Test on Verbs in Easy Grammar .... next Nouns.

Steady as we go in Wordly Wise.

IEW fell by the way side this week and only one history lesson in SOTW.

I don't know what is going on in my schedule that I can't get 2 days of Science and 3 days of History. Maybe we need to get up earlier... hmmm.

Sorry no pics to share I've been slacking on that too. I have got to get it together next week to share a more exciting wrap up.

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I had several highlights this week.

1. Our Valentine's Day "Love Thy Neighbor" Party was fun. We had 60 degree weather so outside time was part of the event.



2. I made my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. The recipe I got from http://ourjourneywestward.com/category/recipes/ I wasn't expecting the "gelling" effect and I was warned that there weren't going to be bubbles like store bought detergent. For some reason bubbles just seem to equal clean. The mixture is very soft to the touch so the clothes are nice and soft. It seems to clean just as good as any store bought brand. I use a little more than the 1/2 - 1 cup suggestion so at that rate I'm not sure if I'll be saving money or not. I'll have to wait and see. The girls enjoyed grated the laundry soap. The whole ordeal felt much like a science experiment.





3. I made a very sudden decision not to re enroll DD13 into Classical Conversations next year. Don't get me wrong I love the program but as I was calculating curriculum for next year it was just all too much. Furthermore, the things I don't like about CC (Catechism memorization) I can just eliminate next year altogether but keep the things I do like(the study of Logic). I found a co-op not too far away where there are group classes I can enroll the girls in. I don't want to teach Science at all if I can help it. That is a subject I definitely want to outsource. So prayerfully I'll be able to register DD13 & DD11 for Apologia science next year with the Co-op group. I feel good about this change. It will also allow more money in the budget for other things we want to do.

It's kind of hard deciding on a 9th grade curriculum. My first full year of homeschooling has taught me that I am an eclectic homeschooler but I am leaning toward MFW highschool curriculum. I need the lesson plans already done for me knowing that I can award a credit for completing everything as outlined in the curriculum. High School is the real deal so I can't relax the year away doing things "willy nilly." I'm sure others will say the credit hour stuff works itself out over time even if you don't walk to the beat of the lesson plan drum. For a newbie like me, though, I'm a little uptight - preparing a child for college and all.

I can't wait for a curriculum fair and my state convention to get my hands on the stuff I can only read about at the publisher's website. I know there are two - three months left in my school year but I'm already excited about next year.

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I think I know myself pretty well. For whatever reason, I have days where I feel really motivated and we get a lot accomplished during school. Then there are other days where I don't feel too motivated so it is really a relaxed day. I guess its pretty normal for no one day to be the same in our homeschool but I hate to get behind from week to week because of a "relaxed" day. We've been pretty consistent with daily lessons in Easy Grammar, Math, writing assignment from IEW once/twice a week but I haven't assigned any literature reads. The girls make their own choices at the library but this week I though we should all read a book from the Chronicles of Narnia.

DD9 and I are reading Price Caspian and DD11 is ready the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
DD13 had to read the Magician's Nephew as part of the Classical Conversations curriculum and that got her interested in reading all the books in the series. So why not join her was my thought? It's not part of my curriculum plan but why not go with the flow. So I am 3/4 of the way through Prince Caspian, can't believe how much I love it!

My DD9 said I saw the movie but I don't remember. I'll have to see if the library has it so I can watch it again. So what did we do this week?

In addition to our "daily" dose of Math, Easy Grammar, and Wordly Wise Vocabulary, this is what we accomplished:

MONDAY - I usually do Science on Tue/Thurs but if I miss a day I'll do a Mon/Wed to catch up. This was the case on Monday. We studied the function of human blood and blood types. Worked in a bit of Art as well by sketching the make-up of one quart of human blood. Finished up a 3 part writing assignment in IEW.




Tuesday - planning for a Valentine's "Love Thy Neighbor" party we are having with friends on next Monday. We are making cards and decorations. Piano Lessons for DD9.


Wednesday - this was my unmotivated day. We started the day by catching A Baby Story on TLC and Make Room for Multiples. There were a lot of grimacing faces as my girls saw for the very first time babies being born. Eeek! This can fall under Health Education, right?

Thursday - Worked on elements of a Lapbook we are doing on the Renaissance/Reformation. Made a mini booklet of the Early American Explorers.

Friday - Since moving put us 15 minutes farther from the Classical Conversations campus my daughter goes to, I'm deciding to stay in the area until it is to time to pick up DD13 from class. DD11 & DD9 and I will spend the morning at the library doing some lessons then head over to a friend's for some PE time.

Nothing glitzy or glamorous .... but a good week.

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New School Space

Well most of the boxes are unpacked and we're getting settled in. The first space I attempted to get in order was my school space.



Why does it take an entire week to move from one house to the next I will never know so needless to say we did no work last week. I was determined to get back on track this week.


It is nearly impossible to get everything on your wish list when house hunting so I didn't get built-in bookshelves. But I'm awfully proud of the IKEA bookshelves I got off of craigslist for less than $30 for both! I just love a deal!





We explored our local public library this week and we all got library cards and left with an armful of books and and DVDs. I needed a little motivation so I checked out some homeschooling books to get some fresh perspective. In my last wrap up I mentioned my desire to give devotional time priority. Mission accomplished this week on that front. We really focused on Phillips 2:14 - "do all things without complaining and arguing . . . " and had many opportunities to put that verse into practice - mom included.

Here is what we did academically:

DD13 - Usual Classical Conversations work. I can not say enough how much she has improved academically because of CC Challenge A. Her ability to write literary analysis, learning Latin, and the collaboration with peers has made a tremendous difference. I also notice her using mature vocabulary in everyday conversation. When I pulled her from public school, this was one of my top priorities.

DD11 & DD9
History - Review the meaning of Renaissance, the unification of Spain under Ferdinand & Isabella and Henry the Navigator. Introduced the African Empires of Ghana, Mali, & the Songhay Empire. Played a game from SOTW Activity Book to understand how Ghana became one of the richest countries in Africa by taxing traders who had to travel through Ghana to get to the Salt and the Gold.
Science - I finally got to trace both girls on butcher paper. I purchased the paper over a month ago for this activity. They got a kick out of seeing their body outlines on paper. We used dark red and light red yard to trace the flow of blood in and out of the human heart.

I bookmarked a wonderful blog of a public school 4th grade "teacher of the year." She has great free printouts for teachers to use. I plan on using her Geography printouts as this is a subject we don't do outside of the mapwork included in SOTW.

Still trying to figure out Art. I purchased Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes. After the art instruction with Stebbing we did in December, I see the benefit of actually learning to draw and using that skill across the curriculum.

Hope you had a productive week. Join the weekly wrap up by visiting the weird, unsocialized homeschoolers blog and sign up and see what other homeschooling families have been doing this week.

New Year, New Beginnings

The packing is getting intense. I'm still trying to maintain some normalcy in our homeschool routine. With so much time off during the holidays and then straight into moving it puts a lot of pressure on the schedule. One thing I would really like to do is be more intentional about our devotional time together in the morning. Using MFW materials will really help with this because its built into the curriculum. I already have the younger two memorizing the first chapter of James as prescribed in the Exploration to 1850 lesson plans. I remember last summer when I first starting planning out the year "prayer circle time" was part of my plan but when I began working 6 - 9 am I rushed right into academics neglecting that important devotional time. This will soon change.

Hope you had a productive week. Join the weekly wrap up by visiting the weird, unsocialized homeschoolers blog and sign up and see what other homeschooling families have been doing this week.

Here is how our week wrapped up:

Monday - "Fill in the blank" test made at easytestmaker.com using last week's vocabulary words from Wordly Wise. After the girls do their daily exercises in their Workbooks I will be using this site to test their knowledge of that week's words every Monday. Daily Grammar sheet. Day's math lesson. Finished menu project. Girls had to come up a menu of 3 meals and two snacks using the FDA's nutrition guidelines for Science.

Tuesday - Daily grammar sheet with Easy Grammar. Daily exercise with Wordly Wise. Daily math lesson. History reading and timeline work on the Renaissance using Kingfisher's History Encyclopedia and introduction to Renaissance artist Sandro Botticello.

Wednesday - Usual daily work in the morning with the rest of the day spent at the new house helping my husband lay ceramic tile in the kitchen. It was actually kind of fun.

Thursday - Usual daily work plus IEW writing lesson.

Friday - playing with homeschool friends.