heartofdakota.com

Ok Girls,

What was YOUR week Like?

You can post:

a- A picture
b- A blog Link
c- A written synopsis
d- Your favorite memory
e- Anything you want that shares your HOD excitement!

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Another great week! Even if we did come down sick again
http://gracefilledhomeschooling.blogspo ... y-4-8.html

(I FINALLY figured out how to get small pictures off facebook!!!!!)

Between company, several illnesses, an out-of-state trip, and a computer crashing we are finally back to 'normal'.

In Bigger Hearts we finished up Unit 18 (the First Steamboat), and completed most of Unit 19 (Lewis & Clark).
The latter is a big hit at our house.
We are a bit behind in English (my fault ), but my ds is roaring ahead in math, and Explode the Code.

Little Hearts is going very well. My ds loves his things and big brother joins in when he gets a chance, since he never got to do it.
He dives ahead in math, and every fm skills/phonic/handwriting workbook I give him. He has 2-3 in each subject just to accomodate his need
My favorite are the R&S, but they are just too easy for him - except for rhyming words. That is about the only thing he struggles with.
My 5yo is READING! It is a very beginning reading, but I think that is so great. He is asking to read all the time now.

The one thing I started is having ds8 read the Bible story in LHFHG to ds5. They both love this time, and I see my 8yo's reading skills improving.

The other thing we started this month was my 4yo doing Little Hands regularly instead of when I have the chance. She loves this time!
Some things are just for the two of us, and others we let brothers join in.
She is telling everyone that she just turned "5", and started school. Have to work on the "4" part.

(Accidentally hit the submit button)

Looking back over the past school year I can see tremendous academic growth in my boys and I am so glad I found HOD. I truly believe a lot of the credit goes to Carrie and the way she plans the lessons. Thanks a lot!!!

Missions to Modern Marvels
Wyatt began his new "Discovering Math 7A" this week. It is going to be a challenge, but Singapore 6A/6B prepared him very well for it. We like the layout of it, and the pacing has been working well. I appreciate the way HOD has labeled each day with "T" teacher-directed, "S" semi-independent, and "I" independent, as this makes it easy for me to know which parts I am needing to totally teach, which parts I need to partner with Wyatt, and which parts I need to encourage him to do independently. We still enjoy using markerboards together, and I still stay by his side the entire time (even during independent work) to be of assistance or check accuracy of answers as he works. The lessons are not cumbersome or long, so this is easy to do. I have found it is much easier to check answers as we go and fix inaccuracies immediately than to walk away and come back later to find he got off somewhere and need to go back and fix more problems.


"Drawn into the Heart of Reading" has been such a blessing in our home for the past 7 years. Wyatt has grown to absolutely love this time. We've used the HOD books packs through the years, and they have been outstanding living books. Wyatt is currently reading "The Winged Watchman" and doing Level 6/7/8, and really enjoying that. It has been fun for him to be paired with little brother, who is reading "The Sign of the Beaver" and doing Level 4/5. They are already getting excited for the next final project to choose together at the close of this genre. I heard Wyatt saying he would still help Riley and participate in the DITHOR final projects next year when he is in high school and done with DITHOR, completing HOD's next lit program. Very ambitious and kind of Wyatt to offer - but we'll see.


Wyatt's notebooking for MTMM is turning out so neat! It provides the ideal portfolio assessment for our middle schooler. I don't have to show my sons' work to anyone in the state of SD for homeschooling laws, but if I did, I'd feel 100% confident doing so. It is impressive, and largely due to HOD's neat notebooking assignments that naturally showcase many in-depth skills being learned. Not to mention, it is just a lovely keepsake of our year together in MTMM. So thankful to HOD once again!


The President Notebook Wyatt is making is equally as beautiful as his MTMM History Notebook. I like all of the research skills he is learning through completion of this notebook. Each week focuses on a new president. Two research resources are used, and Wyatt enjoys them both immensely. One is the "Our Presidents" book, and the other is the "Presidents" DVD. They both provide different looks at each president. Wyatt especially finds the DVD fascinating. He likes to take notes as he listens, right within his notebooking page. The way the page is set up makes this a natural thing to do. I like he is learning to mesh the information from 2 different resources into one research project. I also like he is learning to take good notes from listening to the narrator of the DVD, as well as from a book that he has read. I know these are important skills to have intact in high school, as they prepare the way for rigor of taking notes in college.


In Christ,
Julie

Creation to Christ
Riley and I finished reading "God King" this week. What a fantastic book! I remember reading it years' back with Wyatt when we did CTC and loving it then, but it was just as good - if not better - the second time I read it with Riley. The moment we finished it, Wyatt begged Riley to whisk it away to his room to read it. Riley reluctantly agreed only on the condition he could have it back immediately when Wyatt finished to read it again himself. The books HOD picks just have that effect on my sons.

This week Riley made a prayer box for his history project. It was an origami project that taught him much about carefully following step-by-step directions. It turned out so neat! Riley loves the history projects. They keep the hands-on meaningful yet fresh and fun. Each one is different. I am glad that these are included as they enhance the history theme being studied and give my ds a great way to show what he has learned in a more exciting way than just paper/pencil work can provide. His room is becoming filled with his CTC projects, as he cannot bear to part with any of them. His roommate, Wyatt my oldest ds, is about ready to try to 'help' him whittle his stash down.


I made the decision this week to go to half-speed CTC for the rest of the year with Riley, only with full-speed math and LA. It was a tough decision, as he is 100% capable of doing full-speed work each day. I made the decision because Riley adores taking his time artistically and creatively with his work - and I am rushing him. You know how sometimes you need to step back as a mom and have a reality check of what's really going on in the week overall in your life? Well, this past week was that way for me. The fact is I work part-time, my dh travels a lot of the time, my dear dear dad has chemo appointments I need to be at, and I am the solo errand runner/doctor appt.person to take the kiddos/grocery getter/budget balancer/a Jane of all trades, I guess , as so many homeschool moms are. So, Riley taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r to inject every single assignment with over the top creativity has been stressing us out. Riley is on track to finish school a year early, and though he CAN do the work, we all need a different pace this year. So, I tried 2 days of half-speed CTC with full-speed LA/Math, just to see how it effected our day overall, and how Riley did with it. He LOVED it! He spent forever making his travel log, just so, carefully choosing each marker color and colored pencil hue. It turned out so beautifully. It was a reaffirmation of the decision I've made.


His science notebooking was another indicator of how half-speed is the right choice right now for Riley. His entries were just lovely...


I am so thankful HOD is easy to adjust. There are so many pacing options, placement options, and paths to take toward successful high school graduation (looking ahead). I feel blessed I can choose different options based on our needs and still feel school is a smashing success. God is so good!

In Christ,
Julie

Little Hearts for His Glory
Emmett's handwriting has turned a corner! HOORAY! He can now write his letters neatly and is building up some stamina for writing. There used to be some sighs and some wiping of the forehead 'whew' as if he was REALLY working when he wrote like 3 letters. He is my dramatic boy. Now, he happily sits down to complete a handwriting page with (almost ), a smile.


He even draws or colors the back side of the handwriting page fairly jovially. Here he is with his self portrait he drew on the back side of his handwriting page. He is giving the camera his signature wink ...


Emmett has taken off with his reading. After we worked through several phonics programs, he was ready to start the Emerging Reader's Set. So, we are doing LHFHG with Beyond's ERS schedule and questions. He is currently 3/4 of the way through the "Early Reader's Bible" and enjoying that. Wyatt, my oldest ds, also has Emmett reading him a short book or a portion of a book he is working through for part of their playtime together. Wyatt then reads to him too. They both love it! Then they often do something quite physical for the rest of their playtime - like ride their 3-wheelers outside together or play 'basketball' indoors with the little over the door hoop, etc.

The fine motor skills books Emmett is working through from R & S are helping him develop solid cutting, gluing, etc. skills. He thinks they are fun. They teach good critical thinking skills as well as good fine motor skills, so they are a favorite of mine too.


In history, we are learning about the pilgrims. He likes the "History for Little Pilgrims" stories, and he is learning excellent listening skills by forging into the "History Stories for Children" book that has few pictures and more words on a page. I know from doing this progression in LHFHG years' past with each of our older sons, this will be an important skill to grow into.

Emmett absolutely adores "Chatterer the Red Squirrel" for Storytime right now. He can hardly wait for me to read the next chapter, and I love saying, "We'll find that out tomorrow!" It is wonderful to leave dc wanting more when it comes to homeschooling. Keeps the fire for learning burning, right? Emmett always does read the next chapter's title, as this gives a hint of what is to come. Our cuddly reading time for LHFHG's Storytime is a favorite part of our day together for both of us.

In Christ,
Julie

http://mimishouse2005.blogspot.com/2013 ... eview.html

Our last two weeks of school!

So I have been neglecting my blog since the holiday so it is now back up and running Here is a little of our week for Beyond unit 19 and LHFHG unit 5. http://q4kids.blogspot.com/2013/02/week-of-feb-5-8.html

Such a great week! I really can't get over how effortless our days our with HOD. Love it

http://www.monarchroom.com/2013/02/hear ... eview.html