tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70463827385569260652024-03-21T18:34:36.446-07:00Living CurriculumJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-78116116781272424662013-08-15T15:48:00.000-07:002013-08-15T15:49:54.870-07:00Lessons from Last Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj4Pwl6W7mvrLHO6rXD4Ql0WcAcKqBlPaMKEdhnwnXUArvMqAQVopxTXE4PEdsu4-v_baGgd-Yjt5NPLsCb0YtyyULjzegjXwuK9VuvZwvFqr0LWy80tLLc2zC1IhCswgeynep0KLSMQN/s1600/My-Fathers-World.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj4Pwl6W7mvrLHO6rXD4Ql0WcAcKqBlPaMKEdhnwnXUArvMqAQVopxTXE4PEdsu4-v_baGgd-Yjt5NPLsCb0YtyyULjzegjXwuK9VuvZwvFqr0LWy80tLLc2zC1IhCswgeynep0KLSMQN/s320/My-Fathers-World.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mfwbooks.com/products/M50/40/10/0/1"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My Father's World: Exploring Countries and Cultures Basic Package</span></a></div>
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Last year, it appears that I only managed two write two blog posts about our schooling. I thought I was busy then with the pregnancy and three Spark Plugs in tow, but this coming year is likely to be even more intense with four rambunctious kiddos, Diabetes, and everything else unknown that will come our way. </div>
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I did learn a lot last year from our wild ride, and as a result we will be holding on to what worked and letting go of what didn't.</div>
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For starters, we finished our second year of The Weaver Curriculum. Some of my irritations with it were resolved in Volume 2, and some did not. The second year was more cohesive, had a stronger focus on history, and over all made more sense than the first year. However, the grammatical errors were just as atrocious; we were missing several pages (a problem I had been warned about when purchasing used curriculum and which was mostly remedied by calling the distributor); and there was still a sense of lopsidedness in that one month was nearly solely history-focused while others were notably lacking (I much prefer an even distribution of subjects across the board). </div>
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That said, I really like The Weaver's Wisdom Words, which is their version of Language Arts. Since WW goes all the way through 6th grade, we will be using it again this year.</div>
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For our Bible, Geography, Science, History, and Art, we will use <a href="http://www.mfwbooks.com/products/M50/40/10/0/1">Exploring Countries and Cultures from My Father's World</a> (this was a gift to our family). Several friends went through this program last year, and they've been extremely helpful in advising me about what parts of this curriculum worked for them, which parts they recommend skimming over, and what areas they found deficient. From them, I've gleaned that the strength of ECC lies in their geography, whereas the science is on the thin side. Oddly enough, this arrangement is perfect for us. Because of California's health requirements and Tyler's recent diagnosis, I've decided to study body systems (the endocrine system in depth) and diabetic nutrition, which will satisfy our need for health education and will enhance any limits that ECC may have in science. I can't wait!</div>
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I loved my <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2012/07/diy-lesson-planner.html">home-made lesson planners</a>, but they weren't perfect, and revamping them would have taken time and resources that I didn't have. I instead opted to purchase duplicates of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E63MPE/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Amazon planners</a> that we used two years ago. These worked fairly well, and I really like the big, wide boxes for scribbling in assignments.</div>
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<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=modern+curriculum+press+math&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1">Modern Curriculum Press mathematics</a> will be our choice for the third year in a row. It is low cost, does a thorough job of explaining new concepts, and gives tons of review, just what our family needs right now. Some day, I might look into either Math-U-See or Right Start, but this year I just needed to go with what was familiar.</div>
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Sequential Spelling was an even greater disaster than was spelling from Modern Curriculum Press the previous year. I've decided that I really can't do any worse, so I'll be taking one spelling rule a week, selecting words from our readers that correspond to each week's rule, and we'll do pretests, vocabulary cards, oral tests, word searches, and final tests each week from the lists that I compile. I also have Spelling Power, which starts at third grade, in the event that this new attempt fails as dismally as the last two have.</div>
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Our beloved Bob Jones green readers will again be our reading curriculum. I really like how they are a bit advanced for each grade. Both of our boys are avid readers and need the challenge in this area, so these are a great fit for us. We will also compile a weekly stack of books from our shelves for their perusal during nap time; my plan is to pull out selections based on our current geographical and scientific studies for them to enjoy. We have been extremely blessed to have two entire bookshelves dedicated to children's books, and we have books on nearly every subject matter we could ever desire. We can also supplement from our local library as well.</div>
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I don't know whether or not we'll get to much else this year. Music, typing, and some sort of physical education are all floating around in my brain, but because of our new circumstances, I know that often less is more. The last thing I need to do is to stress out either myself or the spark plugs by giving out impossibly-busy schedules. If we can easily work in these things, wonderful; if not, there is always next year. I'm not going to stress about them.</div>
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One last change we'll be making is with our schedule. Always before, I've started the school year in mid-August to get a head start. I like finishing before Kyle's birthday in May, and I like taking a long Christmas break. In order to get everything, we need the early start. However, as plans disintegrated this summer, it looks like we won't start until September. We'll either take shorter breaks at Thanksgiving and Christmas, or we just won't finish as early as I'd like. I think I'm okay with that.</div>
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So, it looks like lots of changes are coming our way this year, though I'm grateful for the sense of stability with our reading, language arts, and math. I also plan to put a reminder sheet on the refrigerator so that when Tyler starts acting up, I'll realize more quickly that he may be having a blood sugar issue and not necessarily just an attitude issue. We're all going to need an extra measure of grace as we enter the school scene again, but hopefully now that we have a diagnosis, we can be better at managing the ups and downs.</div>
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Here's to a new year, a new adventure, and a new way of life!</div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-53370207401577371712013-02-25T14:49:00.000-08:002013-02-25T14:50:05.507-08:00When Less Is More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2012/11/adjusting.html">a rough start to our school year</a>, we finally found our stride in early November and have been pushing hard ever since. In order to be able to take a month off of school when Baby Dylan arrives, we've been doing extra days whenever we can squeeze them in. We only took two days off instead of a full week at Thanksgiving, and over what would normally be a two-week Christmas vacation, we accomplished some extra days there as well. And since Jon doesn't routinely get Monday holidays, we haven't been taking them, either. Over all, the spark plugs have been more than eager to plug along at their work, making my job that much easier.<br />
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There's only so much a person can take, however, before starting to feel burned out. Two weeks ago, as my anemia worsened and my energy diminished, I realized that even if the kiddos were content to push forward at the pace we were going, I needed a break. <br />
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I had a few projects that I'd been neglecting, so instead of our formal together time (others call it circle time), we focused solely on our core curriculum and set aside our extra subjects. This enabled us to finish up our health book and add in some of these side projects.<br />
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Imagine the spark plugs' excitement when Mom pulled out two years' worth of coins and let them count, sort, stack, and exchange all those glittering quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies! This made for a fun afternoon without the kids even realizing that we were reinforcing this year's math concepts. (It also didn't hurt that I let them redeem all the coins and add the proceeds to their savings accounts.)<br />
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While they were busy with the coins, I sorted through baby clothes and worked on our Family Closet, a universal laundry system that is working really well for us at the moment. While it isn't without its drawbacks, I am greatly enjoying the fact that no spark plug can tell me, "I have nothing to wear!" Mama, 1; clothes shoved under the bed, 0.<br />
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We had numerous outings that week, such as my next prenatal appointment (the spark plugs LOVED hearing Dylan's heart beat); a tour of the Rengstorff House with our home school group; a Valentine's Day-themed park day; and a few other pressing engagements. It was nice to have a little extra time to fit in these important things.<br />
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The end result of this temporary shift in schedule was that I felt encouraged and less burned out. I additionally appreciated the extra time to work on the house and prepare for the baby's arrival, and I think the spark plugs loved some of the special projects I gave them. <br />
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This week, we're back in the saddle with a full school load complete with Together Time. While I'm still pretty tired, the change of pace (even though I actually felt busier with all the extra time away from home!) was just what we needed to re-energize and re-focus for these final weeks until we bring home our 6th family member. The flexibility that home schooling affords us has never been so appreciated! <br />
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-5888307284671281042013-01-14T15:47:00.002-08:002013-01-15T12:50:57.090-08:00If You Give An Eight-Year-Old Boy A Math Lesson...This post from Heavenly Homemakers was simply too cute not to share. Anyone who loves the "If You Give A Mouse A Muffin" series should especially enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/if-you-give-an-eight-year-old-boy-a-math-lesson">http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/if-you-give-an-eight-year-old-boy-a-math-lesson</a>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-33894228160673474842012-11-26T16:14:00.002-08:002012-11-26T17:13:12.930-08:00Adjusting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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T, 3rd Grade</div>
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K, 1st Grade</div>
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L, Preschool </div>
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In my <a href="http://somedayyoullwrite.blogspot.com/2012/10/some-summer-part-one.html">last post on my other blog</a>, I shared some of the wonderful adventures we enjoyed during the summer months. Reading straight through that post, one might get the incorrect idea that we've gotten things pretty well figured out, that our schedule is ticking along gracefully, and that we're constantly trying new, amazing things. This blog post will put to bed any silly notions of the kind. :)<br />
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Earlier in the summer, I put together <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2012/07/diy-lesson-planner.html">these assignment books</a> and began filling in tentative lesson plans. This was a huge step for me; I'm usually the kind of mom who looks at assignments <strike>the day before</strike> the day of and hopes that I have everything on hand that we'll need for the day. (I do NOT recommend this method.) I was thrilled with myself for this summer-time achievement and began to wonder if I were finally getting the hang of this preparation stuff.<br />
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Not only that, but many of the things we did between school years counts as academic work, and I loved the idea of having a few extra days to count here and there as needed. (Since the CA public school requirement is 175 days per school year, we make sure to complete at least that many days. While this isn't a private school requirement, I feel better getting in at least that many. I know, I'm weird.)<br />
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I also had this seemingly-great idea to start off our first two weeks with a bang - we would hit the books hard, and after that, we could lighten our schedule if needed. Besides, I was tickled to think that I would be able to start teaching the boys music, and some introductory typing and foreign language were also in my plans. Additionally, I developed a plan that would give more flexibility for field trips, park days, and catchup work when needed. This was going to be my most-organized, most fun, most involved academic year yet!<br />
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As Proverbs so aptly states, "Pride goeth before a fall," and I was about to come down hard.<br />
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A mere two weeks before our master schedule was to be put to the test, we found out that our fourth spark plug was on his way. Two days later, I was leveled with the most severe <strike>morning</strike> all day sickness I've ever faced (not that this was saying much, since I'd never before had a tremendous amount of prenatal nausea). It was all I could do to survive the day. In the morning, I prayed for nap time to come. In the afternoon, I prayed for nightfall.<br />
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I quickly changed my teaching strategy. Instead of starting off strong and tapering later, we focused on the basics and left extracurriculars for later, assuming I'd feel better later in the school year. There were no music lessons, no typing instruction, and I didn't get out the Foreign Language CD until three weeks ago. And there's nothing quite like taking "first day of school" photos 9 weeks into the school year!<br />
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Am I discouraged? Not at all. This may not have been my plan, but it was God's. He knew that I wouldn't be feeling well at the start of the school year. He graciously allowed us those extra days during the summer, knowing that we'll need some unscheduled time off in April when the baby arrives. He prompted me to work out those assignments months earlier so that when I could barely function, I could at least look at the current day's reading pages and show the boys which section of math to focus on.<br />
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While music and other extra academics are fun, there's still plenty of time to focus on them later on. We have the needed books and CDs for these things so that, when time and health do allow, we'll be ready to jump right in.<br />
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For now, the new schedule I'd arranged months ago is working amazingly well. We're able to focus on our weak areas and we're continuing to grow in our strengths. The spark plugs are learning some incredible things, and they're remembering what they're learning. We're discussing and tracking the baby's progress, something I'd never considered studying this year. (I highly recommend visiting <a href="http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-tools/articles/how-big-is-baby.aspx">The Bump website</a> for baby updates. It shows the baby's size based on a different piece of fruit each week, something that young children can easily relate to.) <br />
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This school year may not be anything like what I'd envisioned, but this is much better because it's what the Lord had in store. From now on, hopefully I'll be less likely to get caught up in my own achievements and will more quickly realize the Lord's leading and preparation for life's crazy twists and turns!<br />
<br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-40218474246873901562012-07-03T15:54:00.004-07:002012-07-03T16:27:01.438-07:00DIY Lesson Planner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2012/06/its-over-its-over-its-over.html">my last post</a>, I mentioned that I'd developed my own Lesson Planner. Last year, we used a planner similar to this one, but when my mom-in-law sent me this link for a <a href="http://www.rainbowresource.com/pictures/029492/f220d131d155fdeff62e0fd5">Unit Study Lesson Planner</a>, I was intrigued. However, there were a few things about the <a href="http://www.rainbowresource.com/pictures/029492/f220d131d155fdeff62e0fd5">Unit Study Planner </a>that I didn't care for, and I didn't want to pay much for them, either. So, I made my own!<br />
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First, I experimented with Microsoft Word until I created a layout I thought would work for my needs. Then, I printed out two sets, one for each school-aged spark plug, bought four sheets of cardstock, and had them bound at Kinko's. All said and done, I think I paid about $12 for both, rather than the $15 each for the pre-made version. And, mine's tailored for my personal use as well!<br />
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T's is red, his favorite color, and K's is green for the same reason.<br />
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Here is T's, above, with block assignments on the left and activities and vocabulary on the right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUl4JcJ4qfZGePt6B4mO94AE9TNdaO9lCgQ-HHPoa5eRBOEDb3irXLVxC1AfPOy9aooC2xKrDS9GXLgiuodqP0MKu6086leJVg6nj2yzN-osgDxvlKPpuaaeLK2EuIqrMSZpV-hMaQCxaC/s1600/IMG_3654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUl4JcJ4qfZGePt6B4mO94AE9TNdaO9lCgQ-HHPoa5eRBOEDb3irXLVxC1AfPOy9aooC2xKrDS9GXLgiuodqP0MKu6086leJVg6nj2yzN-osgDxvlKPpuaaeLK2EuIqrMSZpV-hMaQCxaC/s320/IMG_3654.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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K's, above, is backward. I'll pretend that I wanted to see which layout I like best instead of admitting that this is the result when one doesn't pay close attention to page direction before binding. :)<br />
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I think I will love these. I can already see, though, that for next year I'll be doing things a bit differently. For starters, I will buy a slightly higher grade white paper to avoid the ghost imaging from the back sides of the pages. Secondly, I will take up Kinko's suggestion of adding a plastic sheer cover on the front and back. Third, printing out a school schedule (shown below) to include would be very helpful (I made our schedule after binding the Lesson Planners - oops!). These upgrades will raise the cost a bit, but I think I will be happier with the end result if I incorporate them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIG4GGItGUC04cYDla-bcOD7Oyq6IQKEqP-y0CrMxZut-P0icVGmCdwxo4OclvSP0fVkelx0XNbJBhb1RMu6IQAvUVsHMIpJHnk5S0SPeWSw0sBWafEjxeYk-Ew1-Jb6z_Es3oKo9Rj8uP/s1600/IMG_3650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIG4GGItGUC04cYDla-bcOD7Oyq6IQKEqP-y0CrMxZut-P0icVGmCdwxo4OclvSP0fVkelx0XNbJBhb1RMu6IQAvUVsHMIpJHnk5S0SPeWSw0sBWafEjxeYk-Ew1-Jb6z_Es3oKo9Rj8uP/s320/IMG_3650.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
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As I mentioned earlier, I developed these based on what I think I will need and like for the coming year. Because of that, I doubt that these would exactly suit anyone else, but if someone would like the Word files for them, either to use as-is or to use as a starter template to alter as needed, leave me a comment or send me an email and I'll be happy to give them out.<br />
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Happy planning!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-47207092558995816392012-06-21T16:18:00.003-07:002012-06-21T16:20:21.056-07:00"It's Over, It's Over, It's Over!!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6jVaBArU-_xfiRwxpfI3Thw7qw5i2OF1rcHumibWXDSlYV_6oua8srOPnMpkEsjL6bDCzBJkUHilTf-ZigEB1BpdyOulWO0PDT4YPioyQ8APWCeGARARyb8Q3XaiCkWB5k00bLbLFo1A/s1600/IMG_3597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6jVaBArU-_xfiRwxpfI3Thw7qw5i2OF1rcHumibWXDSlYV_6oua8srOPnMpkEsjL6bDCzBJkUHilTf-ZigEB1BpdyOulWO0PDT4YPioyQ8APWCeGARARyb8Q3XaiCkWB5k00bLbLFo1A/s320/IMG_3597.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Spark Plugs making "healthy" cookies on the last day of school)</span> </div>
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I'm not sure where the lyrics came from, but I distinctly remember in my childhood my mom singing to us, "It's over, it's over, it's over!" whenever a major event had ended. When the school year finished for us, this was the first thing that popped into my head!<br />
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We're now into our fifth week of summer freedom. The time is flying, as evident by the fact that I'm writing this post four-and-a-half weeks after summer vacation began! All totaled, we completed just one more day than the minimum California state requirements for public schools. I briefly felt guilty that we had not aspired to more, but when I thought about the fact that we completed all of our textbooks, never took a sick day, accomplished every goal and more, and only had two half-days in the entire year, I realized how crazy it was for me to think that we'd slacked in any way.<br />
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So, how did the school year go?<br />
<br />
Looking Back: <br />
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As burned out as I got in the final weeks, this year was a banner year for us. We learned much more than I ever expected, tried more new things than I thought possible, and increased our love of home schooling 10-fold.<br />
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Where curriculum is concerned, I LOVED using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=modern+curriculum+press+math">Modern Curriculum Press</a> for math. It presented the concepts in very simple, easy-to-follow increments, with lots of review problems to use when needed.<br />
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<a href="http://www.aophomeschooling.com/weaver/">The Weaver Curriculum</a>, which we used for Bible, Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, and Art, definitely had its pros and cons. I loved how it developed unit studies based on a chronological study through Genesis. I despised they way we stayed on one verse for months and then flew through multiple chapters in a single sitting. The hands-on projects were wonderful; the disjointed history lessons were not so (the biggest faux pas that comes to mind is the Social Studies lesson where the parent is instructed to educate the child on George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War all in one afternoon). The preparation time associated with The Weaver, in addition to glaring grammatical and punctuational mistakes, drove me crazy. Overall, my take on The Weaver is that it's an excellent start; I only wish someone would go in and finish it up, clean it up, and balance it out.<br />
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Bob Jones' reading program - sans any busywork assignments - was a perfect fit for us. We supplemented with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/McGuffeys-Eclectic-Readers-William-McGuffey/dp/0471294284/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340320594&sr=8-3&keywords=mcguffey+readers">McGuffey Readers</a> - may I just say that if everyone were required to read McGuffey's short, moral stories, we would all be better off? It's amazing to think that these were once the standard literature for the classroom. How far we have fallen! <br />
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For Health, we read through the suggestions in The Weaver but mostly focused on Abeka's Health and Safety. The Abeka book worked well and was very simple - just my style.<br />
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<a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2011/10/whole-foods-field-trip.html">Field trips</a> are also suggested in The Weaver, but the field trip days rarely matched the days that I had the car, so we tended to go with our GRACE home school group on some of their outings instead. We additionally participated in several <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2011/10/first-nature-walk.html">nature walks</a> that a friend organized for us. We greatly enjoyed these as well.<br />
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Spelling and handwriting were our toughest subjects, mainly due to our curriculum, or lack thereof. Since we liked MCP for math, I expected to like MCP's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=spelling+workout">Spelling Workout</a>. With its jumble of unrelated word groupings, however, it simply did not work for us, even though I did like the spelling activities. Handwriting simply consisted of left-over work sheets from the previous year in addition to the Creative Writing assignments from The Weaver. I loved Creative Writing, but the boys' fine motor skills still need some guidance.<br />
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Looking Ahead: <br />
<br />
For the coming school year, we'll be keeping some things the same and trying a few new ideas. Since I already own the next volume of The Weaver, we will again be using it for Bible, Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, and Art, as well as adding in Vocabulary this coming year. (If I still find parts of it as wildly unbalanced as this past year, we may opt to find a new unit study curriculum in the future.) To supplement, we'll go through Bob Jones' Heritage Studies (Social Studies and History) and Abeka's My America.<br />
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We'll use the next levels of Modern Curriculum Press math and Bob Jones' readers. Health will come from another Abeka Health and Safety book, supplemented by The Weaver just as we did this past year.<br />
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Field trips will continue with our GRACE group and nature walks, and I hope to include more of the field trip suggestions from The Weaver when possible. <br />
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Our new spelling curriculum will be <a href="http://www.rainbowresource.com/searchspring.php?q=sequential+spelling">Sequential Speller</a>. It looks as though it will have many spelling activities similar to Spelling Workout but with logical word lists. I have high hopes for this new method!<br />
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For Handwriting, a friend sent us a free download for cursive writing, which T will start in the fall. Additionally, he'll be practicing writing his spelling words in cursive. K will try the popular <a href="http://www.rainbowresource.com/searchspring.php?q=handwriting+without+tears+cursive">Handwriting Without Tears</a>.<br />
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This coming year, I want to introduce T to Logic, Typing (Mavis Beacon, anyone?), and Music. We won't go in-depth right away, but we should have a lot of fun incorporating new concepts. <br />
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One last change for the coming year: I developed my own Lesson Planner! I based on the <a href="http://www.rainbowresource.com/pictures/029492/f220d131d155fdeff62e0fd5">Unit Studies Lesson Planner</a> found <a href="http://www.rainbowresource.com/pictures/029492/f220d131d155fdeff62e0fd5">here</a>, but I tweaked mine to fit our personal needs. Once I get them printed and bound, I'll share photos. <br />
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And now that I've mentally run through our year, I realize why it was that the house cleaning got neglected and why I was so tired by the time May rolled around. To think that we should have done more...silly me!<br />
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That said, I can't wait for fall!! It's going to be a blast. <br />
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<br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-77518274387432374902012-03-30T15:57:00.002-07:002012-04-02T15:30:11.030-07:00Bootcamp Results<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTGUsIYSJCXmDH0E1YYmIg2Imx1nl21GU3qlSHIIT4viMGt_zhUAZ9XatooKeMGWkFxYEpayf_Lpr0k9GhP2jjBM49y2AbtYXfSfkPuxQ2Dr8ZHREov2zbxd_6q8k6w2ctTbf3tnWzP3D/s1600/7294_cleaning_cartoon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTGUsIYSJCXmDH0E1YYmIg2Imx1nl21GU3qlSHIIT4viMGt_zhUAZ9XatooKeMGWkFxYEpayf_Lpr0k9GhP2jjBM49y2AbtYXfSfkPuxQ2Dr8ZHREov2zbxd_6q8k6w2ctTbf3tnWzP3D/s320/7294_cleaning_cartoon.gif" width="242" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58NthAJic_6cPGhEdwknliLj83Wfx6PPZBAbRGy8WLjQCWyd2ZM7inwbUdQ-cQ9Kfn37SN6Zb3B6_5gisdlaJT9FzzQ4BFIWFNHQSuaHjPHzzIS-FE3dFxSdKQg0qmDckeg0lxbKgZdtn/s1600/IMG_2533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>When we decided to do our <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2012/02/life-101-bootcamp-style.html">Life 101</a> class, I was excited. REALLY excited.<br />
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Why?<br />
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Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, I think this one image will explain everything. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQ9uRQ6XQ7EL9HUUGsCcAFBA-BbXjImrksaOhoiKvLTnc5Qf5jI1IsjMGvJG4lIeTLtQ01GgYgORW9qiwsJ5_f03t06r1SG9Hq6188PgAVAc53ZOC39Br_l0U3bQO7cq7DHLsrEMosnxY/s1600/IMG_2520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQ9uRQ6XQ7EL9HUUGsCcAFBA-BbXjImrksaOhoiKvLTnc5Qf5jI1IsjMGvJG4lIeTLtQ01GgYgORW9qiwsJ5_f03t06r1SG9Hq6188PgAVAc53ZOC39Br_l0U3bQO7cq7DHLsrEMosnxY/s320/IMG_2520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I shall refrain from posting more than one "before" picture to save myself the public humility, but suffice it to say that the above is what happens when Daddy works 5 weekends in a row; when Mommy is fatigued; and when the two-week Monstervirus hits. Ahem. <br />
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As embarrassing as the above photo is, at least it's realistic. We can't always plan for life events, and when they hit simultaneously, sometimes all we can do is clean up the aftermath. So, when our house turned into a pig sty hit by a tornado, I was very eager to get things back into shape.<br />
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Of course, our experiment didn't go quite as planned:<br />
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Monstervirus was only half way over when we started, so instead of getting through the whole house, we cleaned 2 rooms. Total. Out of 9. Not including the porch, grounds, shed, or car. In an entire week. Not quite the deep cleaning I had in mind! <br />
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With everyone walking around like death warmed over (at least, for those who even got out of bed that week), trying to simultaneously accomplish cleaning and some sort of learning like music appreciation, counting, and/or sorting didn't happen. I think we listened to one CD the entire week, and L counted to 14 once. That was it.<br />
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Not all was doom and gloom, however. There were a few bright spots in between the illness, two unplanned trips to the doctor, and attempts at school work:<br />
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The kids had a great time and loved being involved...until they got bored and started playing with all the boxes that I was trying to recycle. And, of course, playing with boxes meant they had to pull out all of their newly organized toys to fill up said boxes. Sigh. And giggle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58NthAJic_6cPGhEdwknliLj83Wfx6PPZBAbRGy8WLjQCWyd2ZM7inwbUdQ-cQ9Kfn37SN6Zb3B6_5gisdlaJT9FzzQ4BFIWFNHQSuaHjPHzzIS-FE3dFxSdKQg0qmDckeg0lxbKgZdtn/s1600/IMG_2533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58NthAJic_6cPGhEdwknliLj83Wfx6PPZBAbRGy8WLjQCWyd2ZM7inwbUdQ-cQ9Kfn37SN6Zb3B6_5gisdlaJT9FzzQ4BFIWFNHQSuaHjPHzzIS-FE3dFxSdKQg0qmDckeg0lxbKgZdtn/s320/IMG_2533.jpg" width="215" /></a></div> <br />
They actually don't look too sick in this photo, so that's a plus!<br />
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There were some lessons learned along the way, as always (at least for me; like I mentioned earlier, I don't know how much the spark plugs learned with their feverish little heads being congested as badly as they were). <br />
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In The Money Saving Mom's Budget, she recommends decluttering to help with finances. Amy at <a href="http://amysfinerthings.com/">Amy's Finer Things</a> thought this was a waste of time...until she located two forgotten, uncashed paychecks. I laughed at her post about it <a href="http://amysfinerthings.com/the-money-saving-moms-budget-book-club-and-a-giveaway">here</a>...until I found a stash of change that I've been collecting from my dryer's lint catcher. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcW0YATID2A87G-L0s0JfDyXpEAg2vNnaRHae06virfilNY6jVjdjZToHM5i1Pevw50RrUcSucZEi4vdRjVnRulPY5MnXvVI0lVOdKBleXZNxPDZk4dZlJdLuMzYVssAGwTiRiyishPWe/s1600/IMG_2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcW0YATID2A87G-L0s0JfDyXpEAg2vNnaRHae06virfilNY6jVjdjZToHM5i1Pevw50RrUcSucZEi4vdRjVnRulPY5MnXvVI0lVOdKBleXZNxPDZk4dZlJdLuMzYVssAGwTiRiyishPWe/s320/IMG_2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I guess the joke's on me!<br />
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So, see? It even PAYS to keep a house clean.<br />
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A few things that hit me as we worked:<br />
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When I first set the bar at eliminating 100 items from each room, I wondered if I'd be able to reach that goal. Not only did we reach it, but we far exceeded it; and, IT WAS EASY! I might try again and get rid of another hundred (after we eventually get to the rest of the house, of course).<br />
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The plan to include the spark plugs in this deep cleaning and decluttering was good, but it turns out that teaching them to daily pick up their things and return them to their rightful spots of residence is, at this point, a much more needful activity. It's the daily buildup of dishes and toys out of place that leads to situations in the "before" picture above. I do plan to do more deep cleaning, and I also plan to enlist their help again, but through the end of the school year, we'll be focusing on tidying up various rooms each day before nap and bedtime. I think this will be much more efficient in the long run.<br />
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I'm very grateful that we made a stab at this, even though it produced completely different results than I'd hoped for. At least I knew enough not to expect any specific results - life simply doesn't allow for consistency!<br />
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One final note to self: once a room is cleaned, take photos immediately. Do not wait until Daddy comes home; do not pass "go"; do not even blink! If you have spark plugs, a pet, or dust bunnies, they will instantaneously render your beautiful new room dirty again. <br />
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Otherwise, you, like me, will leave your dear little blog readers to only speculate what those beautiful rooms once looked like.<br />
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Must I admit that I'm pretty sure my "after" photo would so greatly resemble the "before" picture that it's not even worth posting?<br />
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*Blush!*Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-66523888530851390822012-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:002012-02-27T15:36:25.248-08:00Life 101 - Bootcamp Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOEPYZKVNt6MjpAD4Uo8zlgvPh9fJWQL0JNxrqWWhMfAcYGNlfh_F-LgKxOsgpgrjFkFJheaUetjUl1x0jQzpKwNdR0V-k9pJX74R9FJliZNI_zWCqFw5PMSIfKj5W66CWGYjVOa7qY68/s1600/2003-05-14.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOEPYZKVNt6MjpAD4Uo8zlgvPh9fJWQL0JNxrqWWhMfAcYGNlfh_F-LgKxOsgpgrjFkFJheaUetjUl1x0jQzpKwNdR0V-k9pJX74R9FJliZNI_zWCqFw5PMSIfKj5W66CWGYjVOa7qY68/s1600/2003-05-14.gif" /></a></div><br />
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After tripping over a toy for the umpteenth time and finding the toothpaste uncapped <i>again,</i> I decided it was high time to do something. Obviously, in our attempts to educate our spark plugs in Bible, math, language arts, and other subjects, one area of training was sorely lacking: home management. <br />
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Look out, spark plugs! <br />
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Welcome to Life 101, also known as Mama's Bootcamp for Life. <br />
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Between school work, park days, grocery shopping, piano teaching, and all the other little parts of life, the house work was sorely neglected. I'm doing my utmost to beat back the Laundry Monster and limit my Dirty Dishes Display, but what I really wanted was to hit the pause button on life and get regrouped and reorganized. The problem was, though, that I couldn't figure out how accomplish this without taking an entire week off of school to do so.<br />
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For a while, I toyed with the idea of doing exactly that: one week, free of school work, for me to purge stuff and clean up all while hoping the spark plugs wouldn't come behind me and undo everything. But that would send us a week later into the summer, and I wasn't convinced that the give and take would be worth it.<br />
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And then I had an epiphany. Was home management something I wanted to teach my children? Yes. (Come to think of it, there was even an entire major at my college dedicated to this very area, called Home Economics. Imagine that.) Is it an important life skill? Absolutely. Would their future spouses thank me in the years ahead? No doubt about it. The answers to those questions settled the matter, and so I began formulating a new plan.<br />
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For an entire week in March, we will be cleaning, decluttering, learning to properly care for belongings, and creating permanent homes for what we don't donate, sell, or toss. The spark plugs and I will be learning how to do this together, so that hopefully they'll learn some skills along the way (and stay occupied so that they're not undoing all the progress). To keep it both fun and educational, however, I set some goals. I'll share them below, more as an accountability method for me than for any other reason. Lord willing, we will:<br />
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-begin each day with Bible, as we normally do<br />
-research verses about good stewardship<br />
-tackle one room each day, together<br />
-eliminate at least 100 things from each room. The 100 items can consist of trash to be tossed; unwanted toys do donate; borrowed things to be returned to their rightful owners; and even gadgets to sell. I don't care how "The 100" exit the front door as long as they permanently leave our dwelling. (We can work on math with counting and grouping all of this stuff, too!)<br />
-learn to work as a team and conquer some of our argumentative, selfish behaviors <br />
-have fun and enjoy the sense of accomplishment<br />
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This may end up a total disaster, but I think it's worth the attempt. I won't know for sure that we'll meet all of the above goals, but unless we make a stab at it, we won't accomplish anything at all. <br />
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I'll post later about the exact dates we hope to try this. In the mean time, I'm going to go lace up my drill sergeant boots!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-9802252127498099282012-01-23T12:52:00.000-08:002012-01-23T12:55:04.120-08:00How Does A Homeschooler Change A Light Bulb?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CUerCIfNcqGTNU7xP6bR6f5GC_4_pOgaymeJ-rcN5oi2Ed5uZtIVAPZasAG4b8OX71NcTXeUAzc1bme3_rmPm1q01CWLlrjnSXhHeuIbYOZliBH7hY1lVDWM-PLpV644DTdw0A5gthkE/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CUerCIfNcqGTNU7xP6bR6f5GC_4_pOgaymeJ-rcN5oi2Ed5uZtIVAPZasAG4b8OX71NcTXeUAzc1bme3_rmPm1q01CWLlrjnSXhHeuIbYOZliBH7hY1lVDWM-PLpV644DTdw0A5gthkE/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.littlerockfamilyhousing.com/lighting-2/efficient-light-bulb-types.html"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (Photo Credit)</span></a></div><div style="color: white;">This was too cute to pass up.</div><div style="color: white;"></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Q: How does a home schooler change a light bulb?<br />
<br />
A</b>: First, mom checks out three books at the library on electricity, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life. </span></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. </span></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Then, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five-dollar bill. </span></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five-dollar bill. </span></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed. </span></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And there is light. </span></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-21676788741661352472011-12-07T15:48:00.000-08:002011-12-07T15:48:46.877-08:00Photo Fun!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCyb_Yele8Aamh7kygziyCMm3iyA6NusWvGb5I-lxuueLSo7Bpe9jnJ6yf7v4TSKhg851kpGEQneZZi0oNCEfcYgtCAkJYaP53PYYxHiKU3V0s1Yig38ouoqoWvbt0ijVtUgxXcx8700p/s1600/IMG_2077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCyb_Yele8Aamh7kygziyCMm3iyA6NusWvGb5I-lxuueLSo7Bpe9jnJ6yf7v4TSKhg851kpGEQneZZi0oNCEfcYgtCAkJYaP53PYYxHiKU3V0s1Yig38ouoqoWvbt0ijVtUgxXcx8700p/s320/IMG_2077.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
My friend K is rarely without camera in hand, and as a result, she's captured living science in up-close detail. Recently, she printed out a few selections of her artwork onto post-card-sized photo paper and addressed them to each of my spark plugs. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8H4XSe5_7Mrh5N1JYpU7NFYTOyYZ1WcdfvT0YjsVMeR3dwgT9QFDwxdaEwMpp65HvY-u7eVPvJ3DZF1WBpXz3MGtfY21NkZgAqx1CfAZo9V1_EsSw-eDSh-CfVy6DR1Bf3cJPcFUEh0P/s1600/IMG_2078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8H4XSe5_7Mrh5N1JYpU7NFYTOyYZ1WcdfvT0YjsVMeR3dwgT9QFDwxdaEwMpp65HvY-u7eVPvJ3DZF1WBpXz3MGtfY21NkZgAqx1CfAZo9V1_EsSw-eDSh-CfVy6DR1Bf3cJPcFUEh0P/s320/IMG_2078.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCyb_Yele8Aamh7kygziyCMm3iyA6NusWvGb5I-lxuueLSo7Bpe9jnJ6yf7v4TSKhg851kpGEQneZZi0oNCEfcYgtCAkJYaP53PYYxHiKU3V0s1Yig38ouoqoWvbt0ijVtUgxXcx8700p/s1600/IMG_2077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>On the back, she wrote out interesting, fun facts about each of her selections, something that fascinated my spark plugs' inner scientist. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDw3LqH9jwjNiGo9vwAbOaLLKr4THA92CySvQCDj4YVwetTkLiCuo67dwUklTkyFmi9BigIfhg_630V4u6G2AuPDm4g2GI_ThgJP3vV6PXT5gTNjYdMNl8f3rI7RX_FKie2LcG4FSPrid/s1600/IMG_2083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDw3LqH9jwjNiGo9vwAbOaLLKr4THA92CySvQCDj4YVwetTkLiCuo67dwUklTkyFmi9BigIfhg_630V4u6G2AuPDm4g2GI_ThgJP3vV6PXT5gTNjYdMNl8f3rI7RX_FKie2LcG4FSPrid/s320/IMG_2083.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br />
For a while, we put the pictures on our refrigerator, but then we decided to turn them into a science page for our notebook journals. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nAOCp4kCRJH83kZ-x82jCXZiUtALMKh4BS3eA8v1xyqWpkLAJ98jpfIGT6uIUm7izv0lhfCcHNOs6_zWyd3IX3ZGK1SQDcsEWX4Iiw-kqyaPnPaxE2eJgH3mmtKJeXyq6VvwqWKXnbli/s1600/IMG_2084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nAOCp4kCRJH83kZ-x82jCXZiUtALMKh4BS3eA8v1xyqWpkLAJ98jpfIGT6uIUm7izv0lhfCcHNOs6_zWyd3IX3ZGK1SQDcsEWX4Iiw-kqyaPnPaxE2eJgH3mmtKJeXyq6VvwqWKXnbli/s320/IMG_2084.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The boys each taped their own cards onto paper, making sure that every picture could be flipped up to read the information on the back. Then they wrote out the names of each insect, plant, or animal next to the photos.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7SyboXCv1F-3tdYvJSAUae4GTRkypUgRKRNDpWIIlHQAGBYaYO5U89sqPkxxX68_AoOi-86jCyizSV-FAiVCPIebYoDSdFq6XkEfiG2xljv72ImyFtRTTntGE0zEWOr5KBgFkMue9lp2/s1600/IMG_2085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7SyboXCv1F-3tdYvJSAUae4GTRkypUgRKRNDpWIIlHQAGBYaYO5U89sqPkxxX68_AoOi-86jCyizSV-FAiVCPIebYoDSdFq6XkEfiG2xljv72ImyFtRTTntGE0zEWOr5KBgFkMue9lp2/s320/IMG_2085.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br />
Last of all, we slid the completed pages into plastic sleeves to protect the project. The boys can pull out the pages whenever they want to re-read the information on the back. This was a fun project and a great addition to our journals!<br />
<br />
For more of K's photography, enjoy some of here selections <a href="http://www.snapixel.com/people/MacroGirl">here</a>. I especially love some of the titles she gives to her work!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8H4XSe5_7Mrh5N1JYpU7NFYTOyYZ1WcdfvT0YjsVMeR3dwgT9QFDwxdaEwMpp65HvY-u7eVPvJ3DZF1WBpXz3MGtfY21NkZgAqx1CfAZo9V1_EsSw-eDSh-CfVy6DR1Bf3cJPcFUEh0P/s1600/IMG_2078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-28810825919660730922011-11-14T13:29:00.000-08:002011-11-14T13:29:29.520-08:00Simple Science: Laundry Detergent!This year, we're trying lots of hands-on things. Since making my own laundry detergent is something I routinely do, I decided to get the kids involved for some simple science. We had lots of fun with this practical and frugal experiment. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJy33WqEdFcxMvLtWMvolhs6PSZU9pIRADRpA8Ro1poD5UEeKtqKeCnoenanv8UT6Oe48L1YRAztkffc2UWYL-LuPuR6wUuttglj5JgQwHj9X8c0hZGCY75A7bf4Yja9YmTGOG8vooG93/s1600/IMG_1704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJy33WqEdFcxMvLtWMvolhs6PSZU9pIRADRpA8Ro1poD5UEeKtqKeCnoenanv8UT6Oe48L1YRAztkffc2UWYL-LuPuR6wUuttglj5JgQwHj9X8c0hZGCY75A7bf4Yja9YmTGOG8vooG93/s320/IMG_1704.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>First, we pulled out our detergent-making supplies: our 5-gallon bucket (which is actually a kitty litter container that we got from <a href="http://www.freecycle.org/">Freecycle</a>); Borax; Super Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda); and the hard-to-find Fels-Naptha (ironically, when I went to make this <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2011/10/according-to-plan.html">last week</a>, the Fels-Naptha was the only ingredient I had on hand).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVsBlS2-vPt19-YawLCxvefJyS3CRF1aS_0TCeiaUV7LdWF7ngWtTI78h9g6B5VCtikX31AprG5WVl_SvlZ-oH0ta7JWVIjpML-C1spbQ7ahUrlJCv81PsSkCAyz9ZPnxAuKJqQNCq3qw/s1600/IMG_1709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVsBlS2-vPt19-YawLCxvefJyS3CRF1aS_0TCeiaUV7LdWF7ngWtTI78h9g6B5VCtikX31AprG5WVl_SvlZ-oH0ta7JWVIjpML-C1spbQ7ahUrlJCv81PsSkCAyz9ZPnxAuKJqQNCq3qw/s320/IMG_1709.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The spark plugs each took a turn trying to grate the soap. It's hard work!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaSvvkZOevOxYDgLBFMNj9u-kyddjXQfbBvFHZHX_zS0JdVl5RIuHDO1qWTloxy0262WlbsC2YoB9shNLQB-KkOrWNlUXbp2Ht9tJenygYTD-iEoQPLVS4_KveeG4IrNgkcRvoQ0j0TRp/s1600/IMG_1714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaSvvkZOevOxYDgLBFMNj9u-kyddjXQfbBvFHZHX_zS0JdVl5RIuHDO1qWTloxy0262WlbsC2YoB9shNLQB-KkOrWNlUXbp2Ht9tJenygYTD-iEoQPLVS4_KveeG4IrNgkcRvoQ0j0TRp/s320/IMG_1714.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In fact, it was so hard to grate that I ended up shaving and crumbling it with a knife. Now, why hadn't I ever thought to do this before? I also think it would have worked to whir it through my mini-prep Cuisinart blender, but I cracked the top to it and it no longer works. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uUuCZI53h0_orhk3qlZ7n6fbEsaCSd_ABAd7FFgO_hz_RoozXcrvNRY0dc7Qoptxmo0c4prggXk9hqUpD8IxVksUYw8_mhfk-mKB98WSECin_FzN0wlQhh8f2NoFxTUcKLVWSSa2EWSZ/s1600/IMG_1715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uUuCZI53h0_orhk3qlZ7n6fbEsaCSd_ABAd7FFgO_hz_RoozXcrvNRY0dc7Qoptxmo0c4prggXk9hqUpD8IxVksUYw8_mhfk-mKB98WSECin_FzN0wlQhh8f2NoFxTUcKLVWSSa2EWSZ/s320/IMG_1715.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Next, we melted the Fels-Naptha in boiling water and then added the Borax and Washing Soda. This might not look appetizing, but it smells like sweet soap, and I really like the scent.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCdx-KEik3B22orfeHy6k_RdOw8zd1h9GQ84puA1qU1zMDAe8DU1mrkoNlpP8aARyErBR23SI8XCzUGtKQkHyMn2D5vOraqlu6GrXFGiEpTlDLNsybSxFASjwMZ3St6TUqO-dxzv1bPKd/s1600/IMG_1718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCdx-KEik3B22orfeHy6k_RdOw8zd1h9GQ84puA1qU1zMDAe8DU1mrkoNlpP8aARyErBR23SI8XCzUGtKQkHyMn2D5vOraqlu6GrXFGiEpTlDLNsybSxFASjwMZ3St6TUqO-dxzv1bPKd/s320/IMG_1718.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After thinning and cooling the boiling mixture with water, we poured the contents into our 5-gallon tub and filled the rest of it with more water. The spark plugs loved this part!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2R0Zh3lMZ6K93dHWKhsx4lpDlhWiP8mQYJApxj6HAk8q4yl_8NkEzIOHHMVjVkvz9jFm88YV-JnyuQoKdVFICuizDP-JfdWBI5xm1Q94ymuvtHNeeolNPjWiZzfVisShZ2LdsiKZlQ1o/s1600/IMG_1720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2R0Zh3lMZ6K93dHWKhsx4lpDlhWiP8mQYJApxj6HAk8q4yl_8NkEzIOHHMVjVkvz9jFm88YV-JnyuQoKdVFICuizDP-JfdWBI5xm1Q94ymuvtHNeeolNPjWiZzfVisShZ2LdsiKZlQ1o/s320/IMG_1720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Last of all, they each tried stirring the liquid, which gels in about 24 hours. Mama has fresh detergent, the house smells good, and the spark plugs had fun, all for little cost out of pocket. That's my kind of learning!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-63005863018906576732011-11-08T15:18:00.001-08:002011-11-08T15:49:19.339-08:00Special Post: Rules for Maintaining SanityAs much as I enjoy writing, I find reading - especially other blogs - to be equally as wonderful. When my friend Danielle posted her "Rules for Maintaining Sanity" on her <a href="http://homeschoolbinder.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, I was so encouraged that she gave me permission to repost it. You can find more of her posts about her "great big family of little peoples" at <a href="http://homeschoolbinder.blogspot.com/">The Joyful Noise Schoolhouse</a>. I hope you all will be as blessed as I was!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1DiYQXFxAcvNr9qKLRQwZsQ4dKa2Nmx4_7ubKzmJA-ThDOYHYp2m3uIJ-NLqTHihV2gOdU0SjYV08AWOhrSbyEpJ7hcVYXLScya8g6YshmV8ozG8hVC8UaDCRlt6CoJl_UMgeDWlhXLn/s1600/86792613_rDHFiugy_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1DiYQXFxAcvNr9qKLRQwZsQ4dKa2Nmx4_7ubKzmJA-ThDOYHYp2m3uIJ-NLqTHihV2gOdU0SjYV08AWOhrSbyEpJ7hcVYXLScya8g6YshmV8ozG8hVC8UaDCRlt6CoJl_UMgeDWlhXLn/s320/86792613_rDHFiugy_c.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br />
From Danielle: <br />
<br />
Really, this list would be for anyone with kids, no matter what their ages, or where they accomplish their schoolwork. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Laugh</b></span><br />
<br />
A lot. <br />
<br />
Especially when you'd rather cry. When both schoolaged kids need the <i>very same</i> red crayon (no, I can<i>not </i>use the other identicle red crayon, I need <i>that</i> one!), the preschooler yanks the box away from everyone and in the process dumps it on the floor, and the baby starts screaming "Yaaayyy!!!" simply to add to the mayhem--laugh! "You guys are so goofy!! You were trying so hard to get your way that you all made a huge mess! Go pick it up."<br />
<br />
Not that anything like that has ever happened here!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Be Thankful</span></b>.<br />
<br />
Always. <br />
<br />
It's tough, sometimes. Especially on the days where nothing seems to be going right. Some days there's just too much noise to handle. The thought of how nice and quiet it will be someday, when all these joyful noisemakers are on their own can seem rather dreamy. Until I think of the ones who never lived long enough to make noise. I'm thankful the noise!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"</span></b><br />
<br />
Really. Don't. It isn't worth it! <br />
<br />
I'm a school nerd. I love looking at all the new curricula on the market. I love talking about school with other moms (especially the ones who've been at this for a hundred years and know <i>everything</i> there is to know...You know--the "perfect" moms!). It took me a few years to find the combination of schooling sources that works for our family. But we have it, now. Looking at glossy magazines and switching textbooks every semester isn't going to do anyone any favors. Every curriculum has its strenghts and weaknesses. The grass isn't necessarily more nutritious from that pasture over there, simply because it looks a little darker or a little taller, or...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>But if it is broken...</b></span><br />
<br />
Fix it.<br />
<br />
Sometimes a great idea just doesn't pan out. This happened to us last year. I was looking for <i>the</i> perfect science course. You know--the one that has all pros and no cons. Right. Well, I found it. Except it didn't quite work. I love Answers in Genesis' <a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/catalog/Gods-Design-for-Science,153.aspx">God's Design</a>. It is my dream to use this. Someday. But with two non-schooling kids running around, and only one proficient reader, I needed a much simpler approach. (We ended up with Christian Light's <a href="http://www.clp.org/store/by_subject/5">God's Light in Science</a>, by the way.)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pray</span></b>.<br />
<br />
Without ceasing. <br />
<br />
Spend time on your face before the Lord, begging for the souls of your children. And their hearts. In fact, you may not get their souls, if you don't first have their hearts. Be sensative to their state. <br />
<br />
Spend time pouring your heart out to the Lord for your husband. Nothing else will strenthen that relationship as much. Your relationship to him is of utmost importance to the stability of your children--they're watching.<br />
<br />
And, of course, as the day unfolds, be in a constant state of prayer for sanity! When the kids make you angry (not they ever would, of course, but should such a situation ever arise...) breath a prayer for the right reaction and words. Two seconds could make the difference between harsh words and tears or a gentle reprimand in love.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Stay in the Word of God</b></span>.<br />
<br />
Every day. Somehow, somewhere, make time to meditate on the Word of God. Let its pure waters cleanse your mind and heart. Those precepts will come out in your parenting, and they will see His reflection in you.<br />
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Yeah. That's my desire. I've got a loooong way to go. Just ask my kids. And my husband. <br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Look back</b></span>.<br />
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Every now and then. Don't dwell there. But let the Lord show you how far He's brought you. It's good to know He doesn't give up on us!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Love.</span></b><br />
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As He loves.<br />
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Everyone from strangers to those in your own home. It'll change the way you think.<br />
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It's a good life, really. After all, it's the one we were given by the Lord.<br />
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So <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>smile</b></span> and <b><span style="font-size: medium;">rejoice!</span></b>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-26245791346542921202011-11-03T16:33:00.000-07:002011-11-06T15:03:02.738-08:00Monterey Bay Aquarium Field TripWe've long loved visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and are very privileged to live so close to it. When a friend notified me that the aquarium was offering free admission for home schoolers, we eagerly signed up! We carpooled with two other families. The kids did great on the drive, entertaining themselves with creative stories and silly songs.<br />
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Years ago, the aquarium had been a huge cannery, so our first stop once inside was to see how the canning operations worked. My boys, of course, were all about touching the fake sardines.<br />
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Next, we watched a video on creatures of the deep, which the kids had never seen. It's funny, but as many times as we've been to the aquarium, we usually look at the tanks and skip the touch pools, movies, and hands-on activities. The video was very informative, though, and the docent did an excellent job of showing some very amazing clips of a vampire squid, an underwater worm, a Dumbo octopus (pictured above), and several other amazing creatures. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/05/22/science/20070522_DEEP_SLIDESHOW_1.html">(Photo Credit)</a><br />
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After the video, we went to the kids' discovery area, something else new for us. This room is often closed when we're there, but today the staff had set it up to specifically accommodate home schoolers by adding extra exhibits for us to see. T's favorite, of course, were the shark jaws. He's definitely inherited his daddy's love of fierce fish!<br />
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Our next exhibit was the long-awaited 1.2 million-gallon Outer Bay tank. This is by far my favorite display, and on our past two visits, it was closed for maintenance. This was also K's favorite tank, mostly because there were two hammerhead sharks swimming around. He finds their flat profiles hilarious and easy to recognize. My friend A caught this photo of L watching the mackerel schooling.<br />
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And here is my favorite fish: the sun fish! This slow, ugly giant can grow to 10 feet or more, although the particular specimen shown is probably 4-5 feet in length. Again, photo credit goes to A. I think she took this one just for me! <br />
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We then walked over to the kelp beds where several of the kids posed for a photo. This 3-story-tall tank has a mechanism at the top that produces waves very similar to the lunar pull on the ocean. It's great fun to see the leafy kelp swaying up and down with the man-made current. T recognized the resident Leopard Sharks, much to his delight. <br />
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In the Splash Zone designed for younger visitors, we saw several fun, brightly colored tanks full of butterfly fish, sponges, tangs, clams, anemones, and tomato clownfish. Everyone enjoyed the vibrant, tropical colors.<br />
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Another adventure of the day was the octopus. While this guy is normally squashed up in a corner looking very uninspiring, on this particular visit he was in a great mood. He willingly showed off for us, torpedoing through the water like a bullet and then spreading his tentacles out on the glass much like an umbrella. <a href="http://www.cetpa-k12.org/pub/htdocs/2010-presidents-reception.html">(Photo Credit) </a><br />
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We weren't able to see every area on this trip - we skipped the ray tank, the salmon river, and the sea horse exhibit - but spending the day with friends and viewing new displays of God's amazing marine creation made for a great afternoon.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-47233135683626853862011-10-27T16:11:00.000-07:002011-11-14T13:30:30.659-08:00According to Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rT1WkQW2ilTcdV5DnF8XpRLvVZm_LlwVJmJlZ0u662_CUX4nneAs-46IaJMKRzsF18DT4d3ydbJJ_MMyOTu_qHwUNLSzGInEefOPK-pkuN9IgzO6uqfukebbZGioGKF_zkLJqiU1w5f2/s1600/schedule.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rT1WkQW2ilTcdV5DnF8XpRLvVZm_LlwVJmJlZ0u662_CUX4nneAs-46IaJMKRzsF18DT4d3ydbJJ_MMyOTu_qHwUNLSzGInEefOPK-pkuN9IgzO6uqfukebbZGioGKF_zkLJqiU1w5f2/s320/schedule.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I love planning, preparing, scheduling, and ordering my day. Having an idea of what I'd like to accomplish greatly aids me in getting through my day. Imagine my dismay when, last week, I came accross James 4:15 in the kids' daily devotional: "If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." Later on that same day, my Bible reading assignment took me to the same passage where James admonishes us to follow the Lord's plans, not ours.<br />
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"Okay, Lord," I wondered, "what do you have in store for us tomorrow?" I sincerely hoped that He wasn't planning on one of the kids waking up sick or needing to go to Urgent Care for something!<br />
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Since I'd read the same passage twice in one day and since I was pretty sure that the authors of the devotional hadn't conspired with my daily Bible reading coordinators, I tried to be prepared for whatever was coming down the pike.<br />
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I was looking forward to the next day's school assignments - it was supposed to be a catch-up day since we'd not completed a few things in the previous weeks and I felt that some of our missed assignments needed to be finished. After breakfast the following morning, though, I realized that I'd left our binder of curriculum in the car and that Jon had the car at work.<br />
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Oops.<br />
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This normally would have completely derailed my day's productivity, but since I had just read about following the Lord's will and not necessarily my own, I was able to switch gears. We pulled out our core curriculum that wasn't in the car and had a good day of Bible, math, reading, and spelling.<br />
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I then got the brilliant idea to have the kids help me make laundry soap. Not only were we on the dregs of the last batch I had made, but it would be very sciency and would make up for my leaving the science activities in the car. I ran to the laundry room (grateful once again to have such a room in my house!) to get the needed ingredients.<br />
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And then I discovered that I only had the Fels Naptha and not the Borax or Washing Soda, <i>Really?</i> I thought. <i>How on earth do I have the one ingredient that is most difficult to obtain and not have the simple ingredients?</i><br />
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Once again, I was reminded of the verse. Suddenly I got the brilliant idea to walk to the store to get the Borax and the Washing Soda. We'd walked there many times, and we could all use the exercise.<br />
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Of course, though, I'd left the stroller in the car along with the school work, and carrying home heavy boxes of laundry fillers while dragging along a tired toddler didn't appeal.<br />
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All that to say, my day definitely did NOT go as planned, but the Lord had prepared my heart earlier so that none of these little setbacks irritated me much at all. This in itself was a miracle since I like to be on top of things.<br />
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We ended up cleaning house and calling it a day. I don't know why the Lord planned our day the way He did, but the lesson I learned was very needed. We can always make soap another day (look for a <a href="http://livingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2011/11/simple-science-laundry-detergent.html">laundry soap post</a> soon!); we got some good work done on our core subjects; and I got a clean house, too. There's not much to complain about when I think of all the blessings! <a href="http://www.stmaryonline.com/SMB_masssched.html">(Photo Credit)</a>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-86551574221300012182011-10-18T15:24:00.000-07:002011-10-18T15:25:51.473-07:00First Nature WalkThis past week, we participated in a nature walk that a friend organized for us. While we are always on the lookout for neat bugs and unusual sightings whenever we venture out of doors, this was our first official nature walk of the year. It's amazing what can be found along a concrete path next to a lake!<br />
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Our first "discovery" was this bush covered in purple, velvety flowers. I'm sure it has a name, and it's quite popular where we live, but the list of flora that I recognize consists of roses, Gerber daisies, and African violets.<br />
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Next up was the lake, where we found ducks and Canadian geese aplenty. The boys were equally enthralled with the paddle boats, but those didn't exactly fall under our "nature" theme.<br />
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Canadian geese cover the grounds much of the year here. We found a couple of birds with broken wings, which, while sad, helped the kids to better see how the wings are supposed to be folded up neatly on the backs of the geese. <br />
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This face says it all: one of the best finds of the day was a fuzzy black and orange caterpillar. A quick Google search at home says it's a Tiger Moth caterpillar. This little guy willingly crawled up lots of eager spark plug fingers, much to the joy of said spark plugs and the squeamishness of their mommy.<br />
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Of course, the squeamishness of the caterpillar was nothing compared to the queasiness induced by this snail...and no, I didn't touch it! My friend very graciously offered to hold it up so that we could snap a picture. The kids really liked it, though, since its markings were much lighter than the usual garden snail variety. I was very eager to move on to the next adventure. If only I'd known what was in store!<br />
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Amazingly, a docent from the San Francisco zoo was walking around with his pet Albino Burmese Python. Now, there's something you really don't see every day! Honestly, I liked the snake much better than the snail since it wasn't slimy. Yeah, I'm weird like that. T was all for having the handler put it on his shoulders, while K was content to view it from a very safe distance.<br />
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On the remaining portion of our walk, we found pine cones and clam shells and made bark rubbings with paper and crayons. It was great to get some hands-on exploration of God's amazing creation. The kids had a blast and continued hunting for bugs and special finds later that evening when we went out with Jon for a family walk. They made one final discovery.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibJca7vaYj5-OE9rVEWjsuqkT6oCnZVAkpTDOTK9ED4oe3xnSkwpY9swmsBSe32643XhR5xoyhADUNIMKAJGnb0q0eWNQvqx9qaihn0R9jJ_phR75IGF3z_yjkR-5tLjFfr_ZoHJMOx_d/s1600/IMG_1561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibJca7vaYj5-OE9rVEWjsuqkT6oCnZVAkpTDOTK9ED4oe3xnSkwpY9swmsBSe32643XhR5xoyhADUNIMKAJGnb0q0eWNQvqx9qaihn0R9jJ_phR75IGF3z_yjkR-5tLjFfr_ZoHJMOx_d/s320/IMG_1561.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is a small, black beetle that turned to a copper color whenever the fading sunlight hit it. Again, we have no idea what variety it is, but they begged me to take a picture. Who was I to argue?Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-52737232740358460762011-10-11T16:03:00.000-07:002011-11-06T15:05:08.823-08:00Whole Foods Field Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIf-F7PaV_JbsXiNtmmC3U0rDi8avf9Em9VrOiaD1hN-Fi57S0TshyphenhyphenPjsTAZUMQ1ZL3ZJCQyo9HyNGDJTraCE3BL45izUy1In5vY3A7q_93yYkqJJ-cckTQPDwTGszRdBvhqApL3tsZd2j/s1600/wholefoods.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIf-F7PaV_JbsXiNtmmC3U0rDi8avf9Em9VrOiaD1hN-Fi57S0TshyphenhyphenPjsTAZUMQ1ZL3ZJCQyo9HyNGDJTraCE3BL45izUy1In5vY3A7q_93yYkqJJ-cckTQPDwTGszRdBvhqApL3tsZd2j/s1600/wholefoods.gif" /></a></div><br />
Last week, we took a tour of Whole Foods Market, a local heath foods grocer. Not only was it nice to get out of the house and do something out of the ordinary for our learning time, we found the tour fun, informative, and tasty!<br />
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I must admit I don't usually shop at health food stores. I find them visually overstimulating, crowded with inventory, and generally overwhelming. Healthy living and eating is something that greatly interests me, though, so when our home school group offered us the invitation of a tour, I gladly signed up.<br />
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Am I ever so glad we went! Our tour guide was fantastic - very patient with our youngsters as she offered tips, advice, and samples as we went along. She showed us how to read the many labels and explained what the various bits of information represented. (Who knew about something called an ANDI score to indicate a fruit or veggie's nutritional value?)<br />
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At first, the boys, especially K, were reluctant to answer questions, but about half way through the tour they began to participate and pay attention. By the time we reached the salad buffet, T had really found his comfort zone. When our tour guide presented the kids with a plate of salad greens, a few tomatoes, and a giant topping of dressing, she asked, "what's missing from this plate?" hoping that the group would notice the 20-30 other healthy topping choices she hadn't selected. T blurted out, "the fork!!" We all enjoyed a round of laughter.<br />
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At the end of the tour, each of the young participants were given an in-season Fuji apple and a reusable water bottle. Once home, the boys and I reviewed some of the healthful facts we'd learned on the tour. Much of it had gone over their heads, but it was a great start toward understanding nutrition and healthy habits. I think the tour probably covered enough Health for the month! <a href="http://wholefoodslocations.biz/">(Photo Credit)</a>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-27712434283023530272011-10-05T16:15:00.000-07:002011-11-06T15:06:09.195-08:00I Signed My Life Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaQOw0RUOtrM4L3jwXvdcEdku82HXULrQtzFBJImKAxCVZA7SIz88b08HW2H4lha4iJLChf0M1Y0PIDQWJxmocJGax9yIm_64_BUIJjlczqQ7g7iFWWtL95JpdVjlm4xaSE6H0PjVaEOi/s1600/sign-affidavit-800x800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaQOw0RUOtrM4L3jwXvdcEdku82HXULrQtzFBJImKAxCVZA7SIz88b08HW2H4lha4iJLChf0M1Y0PIDQWJxmocJGax9yIm_64_BUIJjlczqQ7g7iFWWtL95JpdVjlm4xaSE6H0PjVaEOi/s320/sign-affidavit-800x800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I filled out my very first affidavit today. It sort of felt like I was signing my life away, but if filling out an online form will afford me the continued joy of educating my spark plugs at home, I'll do it! For those who need to file in California this year and who are as uncertain as I was about doing it, below is an excellent link that will, for the most part, hold your hand through the process:<br />
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http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/CaliforniaR4.htm<br />
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I'll eventually figure out how to condense these addresses into a nifty little "click here" button, but for now, simply copy and paste into your browser.<br />
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Happy filing!<br />
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<a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_8296538_sign-affidavit.html">(Photo Credit) </a>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-79115873254997806082011-09-24T16:00:00.000-07:002011-09-24T16:00:21.614-07:0038 LessonsTeachable moments abound, but I wasn't quite prepared for a peculiar teachable moment that occurred last week. Jon brought home something so bizarre that none of us could help staring at it in bewilderment.<br />
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If you can't tell, that photo is of 38 one-dollar bills...laminated together. Why on earth someone would waste such a precious resource by rendering it useless is beyond me. It was a sorry sight. It didn't take much calculating to figure out how many piano lessons' worth of payment or what percent of Jon's paycheck was stuck in that plastic graveyard. <br />
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Instead of crying over the spilled milk, we turned it into a lesson for the kids. We asked the boys whether or not the laminator had been wise with his finances; whether or not it was a good idea to deface money; and what would have been a better idea for preserving currency. We then moved on to some deeper questions: what other ways do we waste possessions that could be compared to the laminated money? <br />
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Next, we looked into ways of fixing the problem. Jon had done some Googling that said occasionally banks would take the mutilated money and exchange it for legal tender, so Monday the kids and I took a few trips to various banks to find out the validity of this claim. Based on the gawking stares of numerous bank tellers, I'm pretty sure most of them had never seen anything so strange before. While none of them were willing to exchange it, we were given the federal web site for damaged and defaced currency where we found instructions for being reimbursed for our laminated bills.<br />
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We've not yet mailed the specimen to Washington's defaced currency agency, but it will be fun to find out what happens. While we might never be able to redeem those 38 dollars, we were able to glean very valuable lessons on using wisdom, being good stewards, and thinking through our actions. It was definitely worth the $38!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-77435473272927621692011-08-22T16:02:00.000-07:002011-08-22T16:02:58.486-07:00Back in the New SaddleHere we are again: the start of another school year! When I think back over my summer "to do" list - you know, that long, idealistic ledger of things I intended to accomplish during the break from studies - I have to laugh. That list is still waiting to have even ONE item completed!<br />
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Even though summer didn't go as planned, our first day of school did. We're changing things up a lot this year, so I wasn't quite sure how the boys would take to our new curriculum and learning style, but I think they were both impressed by the end of the day. Last night at bed time, I heard several laments about "having" to do such boring things as reading loooong stories and writing endless narratives. Half way through the day today, however, one of them piped up, "Oh! This is actually fun!" Those words are encouraging to any teacher's ear!<br />
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We still have a lot of tweaking to do to our schedule. I learned that leaving reading assignments for the end of the school day isn't the wisest of ideas, but giving the kids a recess break after several table assignments is. Another new thing for me today was keeping up with dishes and laundry throughout the day instead of letting everything pile up for the evening when I'm tired and zapped of energy. I inadvertently learned this skill during a 7-week babysitting job this summer - since I was babysitting 9 or 10 hours at a time, there was no "evening" time to catch up on everything. Tossing a few dishes in the dishwasher and folding a towel or two here and there greatly reduced the need for evening chores. It worked just as well during our school day as it did when babysitting. <br />
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It'll be a while before we've really gotten comfortable in our new "saddle," but so far, it looks like it will be a good fit. The kids were happy, I was happy, and I even got half of the pantry decluttered. That never happened last year!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-85433407201622369282011-06-17T17:33:00.000-07:002011-06-17T17:33:35.176-07:00A Year in ReviewDue to Saturday field trips and skipping several public school holidays, we finished our school year a bit earlier than many other families. I was just as excited as the kids were to be done, and we celebrated our last day by making several batches of cookies. <br />
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In some ways, it didn't feel as though we had accomplished everything I'd hoped: our math and spelling could use some extra study, and neither of the boys print as neatly as I'd hoped. Then, my mom recommended that I go back over our notes from the past school year. "You'll be amazed and rewarded to see how much you accomplished!" she told me. <br />
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And she was right (something my dad's been saying ever since I was little). When we started the school year, neither of the boys even knew how to hold a pencil, let alone write complete sentences. <br />
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Over the course of the year, we learned to read, write, and spell (at least phonetically, if not always correctly); we covered Bible; states history; counting, addition, subtraction, and telling time; science; art; and a host of other concepts. <br />
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Special projects included making laundry soap (educational AND practical!); baking; leaf and rock collecting; and group activities with our co-op. We additionally enjoyed a trip to the zoo; a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium; multiple trips to the ocean; and a variety of other similar-type activities. <br />
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Most importantly, all of the kids have matured greatly. Learning to sit still, to get along with others, and to be polite were some of our biggest focuses this year. For me personally, I learned to better manage my time, to better prepare for a variety of interesting learning situations, and to be more patient in my teaching approach. There is so much more to learn than just academics!<br />
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Once I looked over our accomplishments, I felt much better about how the year had gone. We intend to do a little brush-up in reading, math, and spelling here and there just to ensure that we don't forget all of the wonderful things we've learned. <br />
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I am really eager to start again in the fall, but for now, I'll enjoy our summer break!<br />
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-53429200058444032432011-05-24T15:01:00.000-07:002011-05-24T15:01:07.084-07:00Great ExpectationsI was eagerly anticipating Easter Break: my patience was short and my "to-do" list long. I blissfully thought of all that I would accomplish once the burden of teaching were lifted for a week. Now, I can't even remember everything I'd hoped to get done, but I can count on one hand the number of achievements I did finish.<br />
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I was surprised at how long it took to catch up on dishes, fold some laundry, and sew a small baby quilt. Yes, those are my three big accomplishments for that week! And the dishes and laundry didn't even have the decency to remain completed before the week was out. <br />
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My expectations of that week, and of much in life, were much too high. Is it a bad thing to set big goals? Not at all. Without marks to reach, we'd never finish a single thing in the course of our lives. Had I done something incorrectly? Well, sort of.<br />
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My biggest mistake that week was in thinking that home schooling the boys takes up the majority of my free time. It doesn't. It takes about 4 hours a day, but that still leaves 12 waking hours left per day of productivity. I wrongly assumed that home schooling was eating up all of my time, and that once I was freed up from this, I would be able to get a lot more done. <br />
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This realization actually served to benefit me rather than to discourage my attempts at being more productive. It helped me to realize that being a wife, mom, and home maker - not home schooling - takes up most of my time. It encouraged me to be the best I can be but not to worry about what I can't do. <br />
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And besides all of those life lessons I learned that week, I additionally got to try out the quilting arm and walking foot on my new sewing machine. How great is that? (They work wonderfully, by the way.) Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-12444093070678762762011-04-22T14:52:00.001-07:002011-04-22T15:09:33.090-07:00The Toughest SubjectIf you'd been a fly on the wall in my home today, there is no doubt that you would have cringed.<br /><br />"K, don't swerve your bike in front of that car!" (K continued to whine and fuss the remainder of the day.)<br /><br />"T, keep your focus on your own work and not your brother's!" (T twiddled his thumbs for a while longer, but eventually completed his math worksheet.)<br /><br />"L, stop yelling at me this instant!" (She continued to yell, fuss, and whine for the rest of the morning, but thankfully by afternoon had decided to cooperate.)<br /><br />It was not, to say the least, a good day for any of us. I'm really praying that all of our neighbors were at work and couldn't hear the frustration that was evident in us all. Despite the rough school day, however, I suddenly realized something very important, even though I am sure the kids gleaned nothing of value from the day.<br /><br />The toughest subject for me to teach is not the one I anticipated. It's not math, even though I struggled with Calculus in high school. It's not English, even though the concepts are difficult to convey to a 6-year-old.<br /><br />Kindness is, by far, the toughest subject for me to teach.<br /><br />Why? Not only is it something that I struggle with on a daily basis, but it's also something that I do not live out in front of my children. Added to that is the fact that it's a very difficult concept for a child to grasp (well, it's difficult for my kids, anyway). <br /><br />And if I cannot demonstrate how keep the law of kindness on their tongues, I won't be very good at teaching them anything else, either. It all comes back to me: am I willing to humble myself and ask their forgiveness, to set aside my short temper in order to be a living example of Christ?<br /><br />More often than not, I'm unwilling to do this. I let my sin nature set the course for the day. I do not fully rely on the power of God to overcome my failings. This wasn't easy for me to learn, but as I listened to myself today - almost as though I were watching all of us from a different vantage point - I realized that I still have a lot of learning and growing to. <br /><br />In a way, it's exciting. I still have time to teach them what I'm currently learning. And I can trust in God to round out my weak areas, because even though I am responsible for my actions, my children will be responsible for theirs. He can complete my incomplete model, and He can instruct them in the areas where I have failed.<br /><br />Perhaps this wasn't a completely wasted day, after all!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-19689942125202931462011-04-04T15:04:00.000-07:002011-04-04T15:31:59.334-07:00Nothing's New Under the SunNearly everything I've learned about home schooling comes from someone else - nothing's really original with me. But as we plug along at our work, I'm learning new things to incorporate into our routines. The end result is that the kids are loving school work more and more, and I'm finding easier ways of doing things! In that light, I thought I'd share a few.<br /><br />I pulled out some math worksheets for the boys today, and on a whim I grabbed colored pencils for them to use when filling them out (K had a crayon in his hand, which is what gave me the idea). They were thrilled with the "fancy" pencils and were very motivated to finish their work. Although colored pencil lead is more difficult to erase, the motivation it provided was well worth the extra erasing effort.<br /><br />A friend mentioned that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers worked well on a white board. Since ours had gathered several "permanent" marks on it, I gave it a try. Wow! It now looks great. I keep it right next to the board and use it instead of the dry-erase one. If the board gets extra dirty, I just add water to the sponge and it takes it right off. What a great tip!<br /><br />I don't remember how I learned to add and subtract, but I did know that I wanted the boys to visualize calculations rather than simply memorize addition and subtraction flash cards (that's not to say that flash cards don't have a valuable use at times). When my mom gave me several sets of manipulatives, I was really excited! I rotate the sets - some are colorful bears, some are various shapes, and some are little houses and characters - and the boys can use them to see exactly why 7+2=9 by setting up the manipulatives. Eventually they'll be able to do their math lessons without this aid, but right now we're working on the "why" instead of simply the end result. Thanks, Mom!<br /><br />My mom-in-law recommended that we try a new curriculum next year - one that's based on hands-on unit studies, and the same curriculum she used for Jon. Since I learned via workbooks and loved that method, I was a little uncertain about teaching something out of my comfort zone. I'm realizing, though, that the kids LOVE hands-on training. It only makes sense that they would learn the same way Jon did! As hard as it will be for me to step out of my comfort zone, I think it will work really well for us. I'm really excited! Prior to her suggestion, though, I didn't even know what unit studies were, or that I could teach the same core curriculum to multiple grades and then assign age/grade-appropriate activities. <br /><br />Everything we do comes from others' tips and suggestions. I'm okay with that; I've always been the type of learner who can copy someone else's ideas but who cannot come up with them on my own. I'm very thankful to everyone who offers ideas and help, because I'd be lost without them!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-34050103417683287562011-03-18T16:45:00.000-07:002011-03-18T17:22:15.240-07:00Change It Up!As a child, I played eight years of youth soccer, and although I never improved in my limited ability, I enjoyed it immensely. I especially loved "subbing" for another (usually more qualified) player - switching places so that she could catch her breath and get a drink of water before changing places with me again. I never scored a single goal in my entire soccer career, but I'd like to think that I possibly gave someone else a second wind that, in turn, allowed her to make a point for our team. <br /><br />Sometime during my adolescence, I learned that in hockey the phrase for "subbing" is "change it up!" The only real difference between subbing in soccer and changing it up in hockey is that with soccer, only a few players are exchanged, while in hockey, it's not uncommon for most or all of the team to trade places with a second string.*<br /><br />I never really thought about applying sports strategies to education, but I recently learned that my friend routinely "changes it up" for her two home-schooled girls. Instead of doing their work at the kitchen table each day, they move around. One day they do school in the girls' bedroom; another day is at Barnes and Noble bookstore; another day they head to the library; and another is spent at the park. They repeat this change of scenery each week. <br /><br />Personally, I found this to be a brilliant idea! I would have never occurred to me to change locations for study time. While this might not work for a child who is easily distracted and who needs consistency to stay focused, it can do wonders for wiggly children who need renewed freshness to keep the lessons interesting (such as hyperactive little boys).<br /><br />Since we're car-less most days, we don't have the daily ability to head to a new location, but a few weeks ago we had the car and decided to spend the day at the local bookstore. It was fantastic! We read new story books; looked up random topics; and learned about new scientific discoveries. We also have our local club house and grounds to which we can walk when the weather permits. <br /><br />For us, the "change it up" method might just be the best thing since donated curriculum, especially since it will be a rare (and therefore more treasured) treat. It's yet another example of how learning and working together with other families is so needed in the home school environment!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*My apologies to any hockey fans if I have improperly understood this aspect of the game. :) </span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046382738556926065.post-79698667722742183302011-03-03T16:13:00.000-08:002011-03-03T16:14:41.203-08:00Unveiling the FacadeLast month, the kids and I drove to a park to spend the afternoon in the intermittent sunshine. While there, a little girl not much older than L began picking on children on the playground. When we decided to head home. the little girl followed us away from the park, across a vast ball field, and all the way into the parking lot without her mother's notice. I repeatedly admonished her to return to her mother, but she had no intention of heeding my recommendations. Finally, her older brother - who could have only been 3 1/2 at most - came to drag her back to her family. At this point, the little girl took off shrieking through the parking lot, dodging cars as she did so, and made a deliberate bee-line for the highway on the other side. Horrified, I took off after her to prevent the worst from taking place. About the time I caught her, her mother mercifully showed up and took over.<br /><br />In the car on the way home, T inquired about this child's behavior. He was shocked that she would behave in such a disrespectful manner. Realizing this was an unexpected opportunity to teach a valuable lesson, I pounced on the moment.<br /><br />"T, are you any better than that little girl who disobeyed?"<br /><br />"Oh, yes, Mommy. I'd never do that!"<br /><br />"No, honey, we are no better than that little girl. If Mommy and Daddy had not taught you to behave differently, you would have done the exact same thing."<br /><br />I really think my response caught him off guard. And it isn't always toddlers who think that they are better than the kid next door. It is so easy to get caught up in the "I'm better" attitude on many issues, not just behavioral ones. <br /><br />Sometimes I find myself thinking, "I'm so glad I'm doing the 'right' thing by teaching my children at home." But then images of the puffed up Pharisee in the Bible come to mind: he sat there judging the sinner while he himself had a completely ungodly attitude. <br /><br />Home schooling is the right choice - for us. I know of certain situations where home schooling is NOT the right choice for others. I know wives whose husbands husbands do not want to home school. Even though home schooling may be a good thing, to do so against your husband's wishes is not the best choice. (Several husbands have changed their minds after much prayer on the wives' parts.) I know of single mothers who have a 9-5, weekday job. Home schooling for them is not currently an option. And there are other situations where, indeed, home education is not practical or desirable. <br /><br />Whenever someone asks my opinion on the subject, I highly recommend home schooling. I truly do want others - okay, everyone! - to experience the joy that home schooling can bring. Life is not perfect, though, and neither is educating one's children at home. It's not going to guarantee that the kids "turn out right." It certainly is not going to save them - only God can do that. But what it can do is lay a firm foundation for Godly principles so that we as parents can do all we can to prepare our children for adulthood.<br /><br />I've heard home schooling promoted as the antidote to the world's problems; I've also heard it called the mask that hides each family's shortcomings. In truth, it is neither. It is a tool that we and many others are using as we raise these precious gifts from God. For us, it's our way of trying to do everything we can to ensure that our children follow the Lord while praying in faith that He will ultimately draw their hearts to Him. <br /><br />Home schooling bears many unnecessary titles and expectations that can lead to its failure. Having the right perspective, though, will help it become the aid that we want it to be.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966165201812878018noreply@blogger.com2