Our week: November 15-19

So, how is your week going?

This week we have continued reading The Hittite Warrior....which the girls have a love/hate relationship with.  They love it some moments, hate it others. LOL.   I couldn't find any free comprehension questions to go along with the book, so I've made up my own....either I'm choosing easy questions, or the girls are following along pretty closely, as they're getting most of them correct!  Woo hoo!

We finished our first quarter of Mystery of History, Volume I today.  We reviewed all of the Challenge Cards for the first quarter......we do it as a game and the girls were able to get most of the questions.  The girls are working on their notebooking pages (getting caught up with the first quarter ones, since they are a new product from Bright Ideas and weren't available when we started the school year.)

For Bible, we did Lesson 15 of Answer in Genesis' It All Begins with Genesis.  This was an interesting lesson, as we discussed the Anthropic Principle.  It is absolutely amazing to think of all the tiny details our Creator thought of to make life on Earth suitable for us!  If anyone of these little details were off by just a small amount, life could not exist!

DD13 has been working on Module 6 in Apologia's General Science this week.  She's started the experiments, some of which take a few days.  She's looking forward to making the rock candy.

DD 10 has one more lesson in her Math-U-See Gamma book...yay!   Though it's a bit young for her, I had her do the free book bite (a fun alternative to a book report!) for The Old Lady Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle from Homeschool Share.  She still loves fairy tales, and it was a good book to discuss contentedness and circular stories.  Later this week, I hope to start her on Volume I of Fortunately For You's Missionary Biographies.

We're also busy with church activities this week.....I had a library committee meeting, the girls both had puppet practice this week, and dd13 has drama practice.  One of those week when church feels like home (not that I mind a bit!), as I'll be there 7 days out of 8 straight days.

Not too exciting of a week, but just wanted to let you know what we're up to.  (I hope to be better about more regularly updating my blog so you know we really do do school!)

Our curriculum for 2010-2011

Our oldest is in 7th grade this year.  This is our first year away from doing so many literature-based unit studies.  :(   But that hasn't stopped us from reading good books!  Our history this year is the closest to  a unit study that we're doing.

HISTORY

We are using Mystery of History Creation to Resurrection as our spine.  I purchased their new challenge cards to periodically review.  I like the short lessons and that it is Bible-based.   But the best thing about our history has been our read-alouds.  Even though my girls are older and very strong readers,  I have been reading aloud most of the historical fiction novels that I have chosen to go with our history studies this year.  Many of the books were recommended in the MOH text.   My girls, especially my oldest, tend to be stuck on reading only limited topics.  I wanted to make sure they get in lots of historical fiction this year, and, also being convicted after hearing Andrew Pudewa talk about the importance of reading aloud to your children, I decided I would read the books aloud to them this year.  It's been great so far!  The girls have really enjoyed books that I'm sure they otherwise would have quit reading about chapter 2!

Here's what I've read aloud so far......

• Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick


• The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley


• Gilgamesh the King and The Last Quest of Gilgamesh by Ludmila Zeman


• The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw


• Where I Belong by Rebecca Kenney


• The Laughing Princess of the Desert by Anne Tyra Adams


• Tirzah by Lucille Travis


• The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty


• Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson is our current read aloud.

SCIENCE

For science this year, dd13 is doing Apologia's General Science.  She is doing the notebooking pages, lab reports, and lapbook components from Knowledge Box Central.  I comb-bound the notebooking pages, which are for the On Your Own questions, and the lab report pages.  The lapbook components, which are for the Study Guide Questions, she mounts on piece of cardstock and places in a 3-ring binder like a Lap-N-Note book.  It's been working well for her.

DD10 is doing Real Science-4-Kids Chemistry Level 1, which is from Gravitas Press.  It's a bit of a challenge for her, but she's doing OK with it.  I've been making some crossword puzzles  to help her remember key terms from each chapter.

LANGUAGE ARTS

We're doing a variety of things for language arts, which is normal for us. LOL.

DD13 is doing Easy Grammar's 8th grade Ultimate Grammar.   DD10 is doing Calvert's 4th grade grammar CD.

Both are doing Institute for Excellence in Writing's Fix-It grammar and Student Writing Intensive Level B.  I am so excited about this writing program!  Although I've not kept it up as I had wished, we're plugging along slowly (which is better than not at all!!!).  Even my dh is implementing some of the ideas into his college classes!

DD13 is using IEW's Phonetic Zoo for spelling, while DD10 is using All About Spelling.  DD10 is almost done with Level 1.  She would have been done with it long before now, but we've been doing it hit and miss.  :blush:

In the spring, we will do some literature analysis with IEW's Teaching the Classics.  I am very excited about this program and how it can be applied to anything we read.

Both are learning to type.  DD10 is working on cursive using Handwriting Without Tears.

MATH

For math this year, DD13 is continuing with Saxon, doing the 87 book.  Over the summer, I had her do the Life of Fred Fractions book.  She has liked it so well, that she also did the Decimals and Percents book and is currently working on the Pre-Algebra with Biology book!  Fred is a hoot!

For DD10, we switched to Math-U-See this year.  I backed her up to the Beta book, which she flew through, to help solidify concepts and to make sure we would do things the MUS way.  She is almost done with Gamma.

BIBLE

For our Bible studies this year, we are doing AiG's It All Begins with Genesis, and learning the importance of having a Biblical worldview.    Along with this, we are using How Do We Know the Bible is True? and similar resources.

That's about it, I think.  It's a pretty busy year!

Oh, what a beautiful morning...oh, what a beautiful day!

Look what we woke up to this morning!

It's just beautiful out!

Daddy and our youngest went out and had a snowball fight!

Our oldest was busy in the kitchen...making treats for her horses!

2010 - 2011 Co-op

So...another co-op year has started. We have 36 families this year, with kids from preschool to high school, and we meet once a week for classes.

DD13 is taking

• Art Fundamentals


• Gym


• Super Study Skills & Outlining


• On-line Research Skills


• Apologia's General Science

DD10 is taking

• Chemistry (Science For Real Kids, Level I)


• Geography


• Gym


• Sewing


• A Beka Health

I'm helping to teach the General Science class this year.  Basically, we spend two weeks on each module and come together once a week for experiments.

For field trips with our group, we have done an educational corn maze and a historical re-enactment so far.  We've got a couple of plays coming up.  Not sure what else we're doing with the group this year.

Been awhile!

Hey everyone,

Sorry, it's been so long!  I got busy the beginning of this year, and then Homeschool Blogger changed format and I've been toying with it here and there, trying to figure out how to use it again!!!   So, here I am almost a whole year later!  The blog isn't fancy but at least I *FINALLY* figured out how to get my little dust bunny and books logo back on here!

So, what's up with us?   Same old, same old.

I still head up a local homeschool co-op.  The girls are now in 7th and 5th grades, so homeschooling gets to be more challenging.  I still struggle with health issues, but am plugging along.  We are still active with church activities, with me doing photographing and library and fellowship work, with dh doing sound, our oldest daughter doing puppets and drama, and our youngest daughter doing some puppets.

Oh yeah, last October I went mostly wheat- and dairy-free, as well as cut out a few other foods.  I'm trying to closely follow the Blood Type Diet.   Hard to believe it's been a whole year!  I lost 40 pounds, and am right wear I want to be!  Hurray!  I'm still figuring out recipes and still want to find a bread recipe that is as good as regular flour...is there such a thing?!

Well, that's enough to get me started again.  I'll try to do some posts soon about what we're doing this year.

Going on a crazy adventure....to Lake Erie...during high wind warning! (slow loading pictures!)

So, dh calls me and says "You wanna do something crazy???  Let's go to Lake Erie and see the waves!"  Just another advantage to homeschooling......you can drop what you're doing and GO on some crazy adventure.

The Great Lakes are having the worst waves since the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in 1975! 

It was a long drive and we barely made it before dark, but we got to see some pretty cool waves......they're expecting larger ones, like 25 ft!

It was so, so, so utterly bitter cold!  Some winds I could barely walk against.

We were about 20 ft. from the breaker.......we got wet!

PS.....some of the night shots look like fire or fireworks, don't they?  The headlights shining on the water made it look that way.    I did not enhance the colors.  I took them from within the car (couldn't take the cold anymore!!!!)

Naming a new horse

No, we've not gotten a new horse.  Well, I take that back.....my mother-in-law and sister-in-law both recently got new horses! 

But what I'm referring to is the fact that our oldest daughter recently entered a contest to come up with the name for a horse in a historical fiction book.....and the author choose her name for the horse!  So, when the book comes out late next year, the acknowledgments will include her name and she will get a free copy of the book!  Isn't that cool?!?   She's pretty excited!

Here is part of what DD12 had to work with to help with the naming of Sarah's new horse in book 4......

Excerpt from the fourth book:

 

    My new horse, a beautiful Morgan filly, wanted to run.... 

    After purchasing the chestnut beauty the day before from a man at Springfield who supplied horses to the army, I had yet to name her. She deserved one that matched her build and personality.  

            The filly stood fifteen hands high, weighed one thousand pounds, proud and high spirited, with a muscular build, clean cut head and a well arched neck. Her color was copper-red with a reddish-gold mane and tail.....

            The horse trader who sold me the filly assured me she was descended from Black Hawk, and of course all the Morgans had come from the original Morgan horse—Figure. Black Hawk was famous for a lightning quick stride and elegant manner. I had seen with my own eyes this great horse when he was shown at the Ohio State Fair.

            “Granny, this horse wants to run and I’m going to try her out.” Gently nudging her in the sides with my boot heels was all it took. She sprung forward and the sudden jerk nearly knocked me off. Quickly righting myself I kept low in the saddle and clung to the pommel. This horse was quick.....

            “Whew girl! You’re something else. Blackie at his best never had your speed.” Bringing her about, again I nudged her, and this time prepared for her fire. She did not disappoint. The sorrel lit out as if trying to out run lightning.

DD12 choose the name Fire Hawk, as it seemed to fit the horse's color and  pedigree, as well as her spirit and her speed.   DD12 enjoys coming up with names for horses that match their personality.

It's exciting that DD12 will be recognized in the acknowledgments of the book....she hopes someday to see her name on the cover of a book!  She enjoys writing stories.


If you've been looking for some good, educational, character-building stories for your tweens.....you might consider purchasing the Sarah series........Sarah's Wish, Sarah's Promise, and Sarah's Escape.  As I said, book 4 in the series, comes out late next year.  Both of my girls enjoyed the series and were already looking forward to getting book 4 even before dd12 won a copy!

The author, Jim Baumgardner, has created a character that kids can relate to.  Sarah is an orphan who's fun and gutsy and compassionate.  The stories take place in Ohio during the pre-Civil War days and revolve around slavery issues.  The target audience is 8 to 12 year olds.  The author has given part of the proceeds from the sales of the books to the Maude Carpenter Children's Home in Wichita, Kansas.


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