Fun science!

Our science this year is Jeannie Fulbright's Apologia Science curriculum on Anatomy and Physiology. Our first week we discussed cells and the different parts they each have. After a week of talking about cells and making diagrams of cells we actually made a cell..an edible cell. We took Knox gelatin and jello and made the cytoplasm. Once it hardened we used candy to make the parts!

We used fruit snacks for the Mitochondria because they were bean shaped, skittles for the Lysosomes, a fruit roll up, sprinkles and a mini marshmallow for other parts and then a big marshmallow for the nucleus.

Esther and Nathan said it tasted pretty gross , but they were able to tell me each part and what its job is as they created the cell!

Back to school celebration

Our back to school celebration was so much fun! Here is a picture of the cherry pie I made..complete with hearts and initials! Here is a picture of the kids after the scavenger hunt as they are dividing everything up and choosing what color they each want of everything.

My big 5th grader, Nathan

Esther Hope, 3rd grade

I really can't believe it but Abigail is in 7th grade this year.So far the first week is off to a great start! We are loving our new Bible study!

School year 2010-2011

The new year school starts today!!! We really have an easy week to get us back in the grove. The kids are taking a class at the local 4-H building called Chef to Child and it is a cooking and health class. We are also going to be starting our Bible and Science curriculum this week. Today is crazy with 4-H, volleyball practice, dance and a softball double header SO tomorrow is going to be our actually fun back to school day!

I let each student chose a favorite for dinner. Abby picked appetizers and chose Won Ton wrappers.

Esther gets to chose main dish and has already decided on chicken legs

Greg and I both picked a side item ( him- mac and cheese, me- broccoli)

Nathan chose dessert which will be cherry pie and ice cream.

After dinner there will be a back to school supply scavenger hunt! Here is the list of things they are looking for:

Go GO GO and find the glue..It is in the place you go Doodoo! ( I know...potty humor!, but they think it is hilarious!) - bathroom

Markers are nice, Markers are neat. Go find the markers where Mac likes to eat! -back porch

Crayons will help you draw lots of art, but where they are hiding you can also find a poptart! - pantry

A binder will hold all the fun projects we do, but to find them think Chicken Stew! - pots and pans cabinet

A notebook is where your journal will be, but right now your notebooks are under a tree! - back yard

We use tape to keep things together you see..but for now your tape is on top of the Wii! - living room wii

Pencils can help you write or draw, but right now they are hiding out in the hall! - hallway

A folder is great to make a lapbook, so lots of folders are in the breakfast nook - kitchen

It is school time again, but please don't BooHoo..these little kids will do that for you! I thought a treat might be kinda nice, so get check them out they are hanging out with the ice! - sour patch kids in the freezer!

I am also planning to take pictures of the kids outside for their "school picture". I am hoping the weather will be nice.

Happy Monday Y'all!

Carowinds Photos!

We had such a fun day at Carowinds last Friday. My kids dont remember going there because the last time we went Nate was a baby! It was a part of every summer I can remember growing up and I was so glad we were able to take them. It was HOT though! Mama's head doesnt work quite right in the heat, but I did the best I could! We stayed until around 4:30 and then headed back to Winston -Salem for Moes burritos and it was National Doughnut Day, so we pulled into KK for a free doughnut on our way back to Kernersville. All in all, a wonderful way to end our school year.

Happy April

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."

~ Robert Frost

Our April is going to be extremely busy! We will enjoy an Easter egg hunt at church and then celebrate Easter with a sunrise service, breakfast, church service and having friends over for lunch. The very next day we will leave for Florida for a week! Greg has been invited to speak at a dinner and the whole family is going with him and will spend a week at the beach and visiting grandparents. We decided to wait and have our spring break then instead of the usual March spring break. This decision made March very long, but it will be worth it when we are soaking up some sun next week.

Nathan has baseball beginning this month, Esther is still dancing and Abby finally has a bit of a lull in her schedule.

The kids all just finished up yearly testing. I am so thankful to have those out of the way. We have about 7 weeks of school left after spring break. It will take us a little longer than normal to finish this year, but it is for good reason. We have short trips planned to go to Greg's parent's cabin, a trip to Colorado to see my sister and a 3 day trip to Myrtle beach...all before summer even officially begins! That's the beauty of homeschooling, you can just pick up and take school with you, work extra hard and double up a few days or just extend your calendar. With our busy spring, I believe we will be doing a little of all three!

Cheaper by the dozen

The kids were in the Homeschool Drama Club's production of Cheaper by the Dozen this past weekend. All of the kids worked so hard and long (from September- March) and had two performances. Here are some pictures. It was just a really great show!

Speaking up and Speaking out

I have been so saddened by the death of a 7 year old little girl, Lydia Schatz ,from California. She died after she was beaten by her parents for mispronouncing a word while reading aloud to her mom who homeschooled her. She was also an internationally adopted child. The story is here.

My heart is broken for a life that was never able to be fully lived and for a mom who is now dealing with the guilt and repercussions of listening to and following the teachings of Michael and Debi Pearl.

They are a homeschool family that founded No Greater Joy ministries and speak on marriage, parenting and family. The only books I have read by them were books I checked out at a library. It is frightening to me now, but I was on a wait list for a month for the book To train up a child. The very book the parents of Lydia Schatz were following.

It only took a few chapters in to know that their teaching were not for me and my family. Comparing the training of children to that of pets and tempting your child and then whacking them with plumbing posts just didn't line up as godly parenting in my opinion.

This circumstance has provided quite a bit of negative publicity from the home schooling community in general. I have found out in my 5 years of homeschooling that the jean jumper wearing, chicken raising, 15 kid having mom that beats her kids is thankfully NOT the normal homeschool mom! There is an extensive list of teachers, preachers , publishers and others that have spoken out about the situation. You can read those here.

Even though the entire situation makes me sick, Michael Pearl's letter to his critics is one of the most offensive, downright creepy response to a child's death I have ever read. If you would like to read it go here. I am ashamed this man is in the homeschooling business and I ever took the time to peruse one of his books.

A man that could talk of himself and use laughter as an example in light of a child dying based on his teachings is no man I ever want to follow, read or take advice from. If you have any of his books or follow his disciplines then I would strongly suggest that you research him and his methods, pray and then burn his books and boycott their 1.5 million dollar "ministry".

Zoo Day

We went to the NC Zoo yesterday. It was the first time we have visited the zoo and we had a wonderful time,. The weather was great and the kids just had so much fun! They came home and watched National Geographic videos of seals and sea lions because they had such an interest in them after watching them at the zoo.

Happy Monday!

First Day of School 2009/2010

We had a great first day of school! They kids did really well jumping back into the swing of things. We were going to go out for breakfast, but they said they would rather do their work first and have a late lunch out instead! So we picked mexican! Here are a few pictures from our first day back at it!

Esther 2nd grade
Nathan 4th grade
Abby 6th grade

Fall activities

This fall here is what is planned:

Abby is playing volleyball at Oak Level Baptist Academy with their middle school team

Nathan is playing flag football at the YMCA

Esther is dancing for in His Company dance

All three will be in the drama club for the production of Cheaper by the Dozen

All three are in Walkertown Home Educators ACE club co op: Abby will do volleyball and NC history, Nate will do "slight of hand" trick class and NC history and Esther will be in a science class studying the body and an American girl club.

Continue to be pupeteers for Korner's Folly

Begin Pioneer clubs at church

Begin Christmas play practice at church

Greg will be playing softball and I will be teaching the American Girl club and directing the Christmas play at church.

We plan on taking a field trip to the NC zoo and a big one to Williamsburg/Jamestown, VA

I am excited, but that list makes me tired just looking at it!

Homeschool year number 6!!

I cannot believe this is my 6th year homeschooling.....really? 6 years?? Well, I homeschooled Abby from November on in Kindergarten. There was a lady in our church named Martha Sherrill who totally inspired me to homeschool after watching her relationship with her children and how much fun they had together. After a disastrous half a year for first grade I brought Abby back home for the rest of that year. Her and Nathan went to the school my Mother in Law taught at for K and 2nd and then I began homeschooling again after that year and have been since and Abby is going into 6th grade. Sooooo year # 6 baby!!!

We will start Aug 17th and here is a rundown of this year:

Math U See again ( love love love this curriculum!)

Abeka for language

Abeka for Spelling/writing

Abeka for phonics (Esther)

Rod and Staff Bible

History and Science will be Abeka as well with some fun Five in a Row units thrown in

We are going to have a Jamestown/Williamsburg/Pocahontas unit for about 6 weeks and end with a field trip there this fall

We will using the Prairie Primer and going through the Little House Books for Literature

I have a Fall and Spring nature study based on the North Carolina forests that will each end with a trip to Greg's parents cabin in November and May

We are going to do a Christmas Advent study on the Jotham's Journey book

For extra curricular activities:

All 3 will be in the Walkertown Home Educators Drama Club's production of Cheaper by the Dozen

We will continue to participate in our local co op. I know I am teaching an American girl club that Esther is going to be in and I know that Abby and Nathan will be taking a NC history class, but other than that I am not sure about the classes yet.

Dance for Esther, basketball for Abby and flag football for Nathan will be the sports of choice for each

All three will be puppeteers for Korners Folly this season

We will do at least one or two home school PE 6 week sessions at the YMCA.

I really do count myself as blessed to be able to stay home with and teach my children. They are such a blessing!

Love this!!

www.homeschoolheaven.wordpress.com

For 2500 years the world has watched as two competing philosophies of education have vied for prominence. The Greek philosophy exalts knowledge above all else. Socrates said, “There is only one good, knowledge, and only one evil, ignorance.” The Greeks spent hours debating truth and arguing among themselves.

Within the Jewish culture however, there was a different priority. First was a search for relationships. The Jew wanted relationship on two planes- both the vertical and the horizontal. The first quest was to love God. The second quest was to love your fellow man. These two truths were inseparable. John says in 1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”

After these relationships were firmly established, THEN Jewish philosophy began to pursue wisdom and knowledge. 1 Cor. 8:1 says “…knowledge puffs up, but love builds ups.” Within these few words Paul clearly articulates the contrast between knowledge and relationships. Loving edifies while knowledge for the sake of knowledge only makes one prideful. And without doubt- the Greeks prided themselves on their knowledge, thinking of themselves as better than anyone else in the ancient world for this very reason. But Paul argues that knowledge apart from loving relationships is a waste of time- foolishness that only blinds us with crippling pride.

So which philosophy is the foundation for your homeschool? Are you following the Greek model in the headlong pursuit of academic achievement and knowledge above all else? Or are you following the Jewish model that stresses loving God and loving others as the safeguard which prevents the pursuit of knowledge from turning us into proud, arrogant fools?

Different curriculum publishers, homeschool speakers and book authors have all made a choice as well. It shouldn’t take you long to discern whether they have built upon a Greek or a Jewish philosophy of education. One seeks to exalt the human mind and it’s potential first and foremost- while the other seeks to ground us in a knowledge of God and a love for others to avoid the pride which inevitably results from the relentless pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

Share these truths with your children today. Talk with them about your priorities in education. Ask them what we mean when we say someone is a “know it all.” Even a child knows that someone who has lots of knowledge but doesn’t care about the feelings of the people around him quickly becomes despised because of his pride and arrogance.

Before you crack open the math, history or science book today, think of at least one way for you and your children to express your love to God, and at least one way to express your love to another human being. Perhaps a simple prayer or worship song might express your love to God. And perhaps cleaning up a sibling’s room for them, or offering to help weed an elderly neighbor’s garden might be a practical expression of love for others. NOW you can dig deep into geography or grammar knowing that your priorities are rightly grounded today.

Go back and look over the verses above and talk with your children about them.

And please- don’t ever say that Steve is against knowledge and education. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am 100% in favor of academic excellence and achievement- as long as it’s in its rightful place after we have nurtured a relationship with the Lord and a love for others.

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.

American Girl Club

I am teaching an American girl club at our co op this year. Here are some of the things I have planned

American Girl Club

American Girl Club is for girls ages 7-10. We will study a different American girl each week. We will play games from that era, create a craft from her time period and look at some of the events happening in each girl's life during that time.

$5 supply fee and 2 clean baby food jars with lids are needed. Limit 10 girls

Week 1

Kirsten~ 1854

Welcome to Kirstens World..... review book/lapbook page

Icebreaker : The apple dance ( place an apple between 2 girls foreheads and let them dance)

paint a dala horse

make butter

Supplies:

book

cream

salt

horses

paint

brushes

newspaper

apples

pioneer music

cd player

lapbook printable

baggie for each girls lapbook minibooks

Week 2:

Kaya ~ 1764

Welcome to Kaya’s World...review book/ lapbook page

Icebreaker: Moccasin game (hide a marble in one shoe and guess whose)

Do teepee art

Doll dress with rope and beads

Supplies:

Book

marble

paper bags

teepee printable

doll material, scissors, beads, rope

lapbook printable

Week 3:

Molly ~ 1944

Welcome to Molly’s World...review book/lapbook page

Icebreaker: play the sculpter game/listen to 1940’s music

Make a decopoge on a baby food jar in red, white and blue paper

Supplies

Book

cd player/cd

modgepodge

tissue paper

lapbook printable

Week 4:

Addy ~ 1864

Welcome to Addy’s world...review book/lapbook page * Still working on Addy**

icebreaker ~

craft ~

Supplies

Week 5

Kit ~ 1934

Welcome to Kit’s world...review book/lapbook page

icebreaker - throw the smile

dance to 1930’s music

notebook craft....decorate a reporters notebook with beads/sequins

Begin assembling lapbook

Supplies

cd/cd player

notebooks

glue

sequins

lapbook printables

folders for lapbooks

Week 6

Felicity ~ 1774

Welcome to Felicity’s world...review book/lapbook printable

icebreaker: curtsy and introductions

a fan craft and a sachet

Supplies:

lapbook printable

scrapbook paper

ribbon

sachet fabric front

sachet fabric back

potporri

Week 7

Samantha ~ 1904

Welcome to Samantha’s World....review book/ lapbook printable

icebreaker : Balance books on head

craft: calling card boxes and calling cards

Finish lapbook

Supplies

lapbook printable

books

music

boxes

scrapbook paper

calling card paper

markers

sequins

scissors

Work Boxes Work!!

I have started using Sue Patrick's workbox system with the kids for homeschooling. It is working sooooo well! It is helping us get so much more accomplished in a shorter amount of time. It is also keeping me accountable each and every day to have all the necessary supplies and plans for the next day. I love looking in the schoolroom in the afternoons and knowing what is waiting on us the next day. Instead of going into details about the system, I posted some pictures and also linked my pal, Heather's blog. She has a detailed description and also a link to other homeschooling moms that are using the system.

http://blogshewrote.blogspot.com/2009/03/workbox-system.html

Korner's Folly puppet show

Abigail, Nathan and I signed up to become puppeteers at Korner's Folly, an 1800's historic home in Kernersville. The puppet show is a way to introduce children to the history of the Folly on their level. They usually have preschools and elementary schools come in a few times a month for field trips and they use homeschoolers as the pup Today was our first show....we had so much fun! Here is some information about Korner's Folly. www.kornersfolly.org

St. Patrick's Day Fun

March Plans

Here is a list of some activities we are planning for the month of March:

Ice Skating with our church group on the 1st.

Make Lion and Lamb sugar cookies and start our chart of how many Lion(cold) and Lamb(mild) days March will have. Everyone will make a guess as to how many of each.

Observe the beginning of the Iditarod by reading a few favorite sled dog books and choosing a favorite musher to follow and cheer on throughout the race.

Begin play practice at church for the Easter program

Continue with our Co op group on Thursdays

Celebrate Daylight Savings Time!

Continue with Moon unit and make that visit to Sciworks that we never made in February.

Watch some March Madness basketball!

Make a few cards and spring crafts to take to the nursing home and visit shut ins.

A weather unit with Esther complete with a cloud mobile, read cloudy with a chance of meatballs and a cotton ball cloud craft.

A small study on maple syrup making and sugaring. Have waffles with real maple syrup for dinner. ( I would love to go to New England and watch this process, but that is a bit far for a field trip!)

Continue on reading the complete works of Beatrix Potter

Have a Park Day and take our How to draw North American Birds book, go on a nature walk and have lunch (Bill and Leah's hot dogs!)

Build a back yard bonfire one evening and enjoy some spring weather.

Celebrate St. Patricks Day! Read books, make a leprechaun craft, have green milk and green mashed potatoes, color a rainbow, watch the veggie tales story of St. Patrick, and go out for shamrock shakes!

My men will begin baseball (Nathan) and softball (Greg)...stock up on sunflower seeds! :)

Visit the farmers market for fresh asparagus and new potatoes

Have our annual end of the school year testing....to be done at the Second Chance Ranch school.

Take a long weekend to Virginia to see family while Greg is gone to a men's retreat.

Celebrate the first day of spring with a spring poem and tulip craft

Field trip to Lowes Foods for Esther with Walkertown Home Educators

Begin to plan and budget for 09/10 school year. Sign up for the NCHE conference in May.


*** It is rare for us to get all of the things I plan for in a month worked into our schedule. There are a few activities that were planned for February that were bumped to March....I am by no means supermom, I just like to have a plan and goals laid out before me for the month ahead. Hopefully posting them on here will give some of you some fun ideas to do with your March! Happy Early Spring!

February Plans

Here are some of the things we are planning for February:

~ January 31st, we will read Brigid's Cloak ; An Irish Legend to kick off the month.
~ Watch the Superbowl on the 1st. I have a recipe for Touchdown Taco dip we will try
~ Make our " Mitch and Millie the Valentine Mice " Mailbox ( See above post)
~ Watch for Mr. Groundhog and read a few funny books on that legend and make a groundhog puppet.
~ We get to begin our WHE ( Walkertown Home Educaters) ACE clubs this month. Abby chose Scrapbook stampin and K9 Club, Nathan chose Basketball and Legos and Esther chose Bible crafts and Super Science. We meet on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Thursday of each month until May. On the first Friday of the month we go bowling. I am leading the Lego club and am excited about some of the themes we came up with for each week and I found lots of cool books at the library to go along with each theme
~ We will continue on with a moon lapbook to go along with our Astronomy study and plan a field trip to the planetarium at Sciworks.
~We have a Children and Widows luncheon at church on the 8th
~ We plan to celebrate Abe Lincoln's birthday on the 12th with a book about our 16th President and play with Lincoln logs.
~ Celebrate Greg's Birthday on the 14th
~ Make some valentines for our friends and read about the real St. Valentine
~Pull out the Christmas sugar cookie recipe and cut out heart shape cookies and decorate
~ Go to Florida for a week vacation to see family.
~ Begin Reading Inkheart out loud and maybe finish it up before the movie comes to the $2.50 movies in WS. If we can finish up the book, we may have to go watch the movie.
~ Celebrate Washington's birthday on the 22nd, complete with a book, craft and cherry pie :)
~ Make Mardi Gras masks and eat pancakes and bacon on Shrove Tuesday (The 24th). It is a tradition that many people gave up fat, eggs, milk and meat for lent and so they would finish up all they had in their house the day before Lent. The name Mardi Gras is french for Fat Tuesday. I am neither catholic or french, but I am all about dressing up and eating pancakes for dinner!
~ Esther and I are going to read through all of Beatrix Potter's books this spring and we may get a jump on that the end of this month.

Have a happy last week of January!