heartofdakota.com

Ok Homeschooling Moms (or dads),

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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Well this is my first post in the "week in review" so here it goes........Well it was our week off , really our transition week into the next guide or so I thought. I planned ahead and ordered our stuff a bit early so we would have it here waiting and could get it all organized. I get a bit overwhelmed with change and it takes me a while to wrap my head around the new guide. As I was looking at the World Geography guide(it looks great) and asking my wonderful husband for some help, he was noticing some things he thought might not be the right fit for our oldest. We have talked over things before and this time he was looking at some of it even closer than before. He wanted to look at the World History guide , so we did and he thought that this is a better fit for our oldest. Oh boy was I over whelmed and thinking I had messed everything up for all of my kids. I just started crying, thinking what a mess I have made and all the money I had spent. That was the beginning of our week.

Just a couple of days before I had family telling me why my kids like to read all the time, "They are bored and need more friends. They need to spend more time with friends" "How does their test score rate them to the other kids, aren't they a head?" Those comments kept sitting there making me doubt, I was praying for wisdom. Then our off week came and all the changes........and you can see I was a mess.

I am so thankful the Lord has given me a steady Godly husband, He was right there saying lets pray right now about this. He read some of the sneak peaks Carrie had for the World History and even I could see this is where my daughter needed to be, how did I get this wrong. My wonderful husband said lets just return the big items, and keep the rest and order the new guide. So just like that we ordered the new guide and returned some to the other. Now I am trying to get everything organized. We have a small road bump, the student health text is back ordered 2 weeks . So not sure what to do about that, but we are moving forward.

So with all that it made me rethink what I was doing with my next daughter who is going into RTR. I was sure I messed that up as well. So again my husband looked at things and said I think she could do either one, might have more attitude issues with the REVtoREV, she just doesn't want to do some things and gets an attitude. So here I am at a other cross roads, and my husband said what do you think she needs to learn right now? I said the history in RTR, so that is what we are going to do, and if she needs to move up to RevtoRev in a couple of weeks, we have most of the stuff. So here we go.

I am excited to get back at it with one in World History, one in RTR, and my son finishing Bigger. Thanks for sharing my heartache, and excitement. I love homeschooling and desire to do the best for my kids, just as you all do. What an adventure!

If you have any advice or encouragement would love to here it.

Stacey, even though that wasn't the week you had planned it sounds like it was good in that you really have a plan now! Thanks for sharing!


Here is our week in review...No pictures here because I can't figure out how to shrink them for the board.

http://gracefilledhomeschooling.blogspo ... 15-19.html

Preschool
2nd grade: Bigger Unit 3
4th Grace: Preparing Unit 22

Our week http://training6hearts4him.blogspot.com ... v2rev.html and http://training6hearts4him.blogspot.com ... l-ctc.html

Stacy (((hugs))) thank the Lord for strong husbands who lead and encourage.

World History High School
Wyatt had a great 2nd week in his WH guide! We are already in a good rhythm with it - doing the previous HOD guides has proven to be excellent preparation for high school level work. Wyatt is reading things and comprehending them on a level that far surpasses my high school experience already (and I thought I had a fairly thorough high school experience). He is really enjoying "Ben Hur" now, and the tie-ins to his history readings and to the Bible have been phenomenal! Carrie has such a knack for putting things together to weave a beautiful connected picture of history - almost like an intricate patchwork quilt! The pattern of having an insightful introduction, a reading and annotating portion, a Common Place selection to write, and reflective thoughts/questions in a Literature Journal is showing itself to be an excellent process for understanding and moving through some pretty difficult (as in higher reading levels) books. Pointing out poignant things like how Ben Hur as a rower on a slave ship must follow the horator's rhythmic beating of the gavel, increasing and decreasing speeds, as it crashes down, the foreshadowing discussed about Arrrius' thoughts and actions about Ben-Hur as he watches, and the Scriptural linked reading to Joseph's reaction to imprisonment in Egypt compared to Ben-Hurs' reaction to slavery all worked together to draw out some pretty in-depth connections. I love to read Wyatt's Literature Journal! It is a window into his thoughts and into his heart, and it is special to me that I am privy to that often private part of him.

I also love that while many high school literature studies often only end up causing once passionate readers to begin to dislike reading, this Charlotte Mason style of education he is receiving via HOD is doing exactly the opposite - it continues to feed his passion for reading! And, I do believe with this type of education, he is going to graduate with a deep desire to read the classics later in his adult life - simply for pleasure. Wouldn't that be amazing?!? Here is Wyatt with his Literature Journal entry on Ben-Hur (in keeping with his no frills, humble personality, he chose just to use a plain notebook for his entries - I would have probably chosen a lovely flowery one and written in loopy cursive, but then where his notebook was somewhat carelessly chosen, his words he wrote were in contrast carefully chosen, and I guess that is more important!) ...


The critical thinking questions Wyatt is answering in his World History Notebook have been such a good way to assess his comprehension. There simply is no winging it when one can't just choose true or false, make a multiple choice answer, or fill in a blank! These critical thinking questions provide higher level thinking, and I can see how they are paving the way for him to be part of a men's Bible study (or something similar) someday. The questions are thought-provoking, and Carrie's method of having him begin his answers by repeating a portion of the question ensures he will be on the right topic and answer the intended question (having corrected many writing prompt essays back when I used to teach ps prior to homeschooling, I cannot stress the importance of this - sticking to the topic at hand and actually answering the given question were the number one thing students struggled with and lost points for).


Wyatt's written narrations have become a representation of what he has learned through R & S English and through HOD's varied writing programs through the years. Essentials in Writing (which we did Gr. 10 last year with World Geography and Gr. 11 this year with WH now) has aided Wyatt in structuring an overview of his paragraphs prior to beginning (which he now does in his head). He usually has a good topic sentence that grabs the reader's attention, well-flowing thoughts with solid transitions, and enough vivid vocabulary to add to the writing without overdoing it. I am loving reading his written narrations! SOOOOOO worth all of that time spent in R & S English and writing programs through the years!!!



Those are a few high-lights from this week. We continue to enjoy our high school within HOD together, and I am so thankful for this time I get to spend with my oldest dear, dear son! I am able to see him becoming more and more of a man than a boy each day, and being able to guide him through that tenuous process with the Lord by my side via HOD's Christ-centered plans has been an incredible partnership. I used to wish for the time to fly by, but now I am wishing it would slow down. Precious, precious time with my dear, dear son. Time to cherish.

In Christ,
Julie

Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
My, my, my - is this a time of growth for my little Emmett! We are in Unit 24 of Beyond, and it is harvest time! We went half-speed for awhile, partly due to Emmett and partly due to a difficult time in life due to my Dad's health, but God knew best (as always). It was just what Emmett needed. He is flourishing in Beyond! I daresay he will be ready for Bigger Hearts when it comes. One has only to look at his timeline to see growth. Looking at his earlier entries - well, the pictures were difficult to decipher. Now, his pictures are well drawn (for his age), neatly colored (for his age), and neatly written (you guessed it, for his age ). He is learning to work within a defined space, and that is such a good skill to learn.

Emmett's copywork is improving too. The tactic that worked wonders this week was me sitting near him as he copied and saying repeatedly (in an encouraging cheerful way ), "Remember to scrunch your letters together, now remember to leave a space..." and repeat. He even gave a dramatic sigh near the end with big eyes looking at me and said, "Alright, mom! I think I GET it!" I do think he got it! Before, some of his words would be s-p-r-e-a-d o-u-t and then therewouldbenospacesbetweenthem (yeah, it looked like THAT, hard to read, right?). Now, check this out...


Much improved, right?!? We sang the Star Spangled Banner each day, and my second ds, Riley, could not resist joining in. He really is a multi-tasker, so I let it go. (Riley was actually drawing and coloring his RTR timeline pictures at a nearby table as he sang with us ).

Also, and this impressed me, Emmett remembered his review Bible verse (learned about 6 months ago pre-summer) by heart, no problem, and it was a pretty long one. How glad I am he is hiding God's word in his heart! Who knows when he will call upon that memory verse to help him - maybe many, many times in his life. The Bible is like that. The Word comes to you just when needed, and it's easier to come to you when you know it.

I was cleaning out my filing cabinet the other day (which went on a bit), and I came across so many things that made me reminisce. One of them was I had made a typed up list of free reading books for Wyatt when he was 7 yo (yes, it has been tooooooooooo lonnnnnnnng since I have cleaned my filing cabinet ). I remember he had a little jar to put 3 M & M's in every time he read a book. I did this in conjunction with starting DITHOR 2/3 in his school day, as I wanted to encourage Wyatt to free read books in his room to wind down in his bedroom before saying goodnight. So, as Emmett has been LOVING "Amelia Earhart" in DITHOR 2/3, I found books that were a little easier than that from our basement "library" and put them in a tub for him to free read and earn M & M's for. I also added the incentive that brother Riley could earn some M & M's by listening to Emmett read, as they are roommates. MY - am I going through the M & M's! That little paper was the best thing I found again in that whole big filing cabinet.

One other area of improvement is how well Emmett listens to his history readings. I was reading "Boys and Girls of Colonial Days" aloud and got interrupted by Riley with a question, when I was going to start reading to Emmett again, he put his finger on the page and said, "You were right here on the word 'Prudence', Mom." I didn't even know he was following along. I mean, I always have made it a habit to snuggle up together on the couch, these days with an electric blanket, and have whomever I am reading to be close enough that I can hold the book open over my lap and their lap, so they CAN follow along if they want. But, I didn't really think he was doing that yet. He is! Hooray! I always read the key idea at the end of the readings, as Carrie has often suggested, and that seems to have helped him learn to pick out the most important things we read about. This is much more satisfying for me as a homeschool mom than the earlier Beyond days when he was more of a fidgeter with a bit of a case of the wandering eyes. Now, he gets the electric blanket, plugs it in, turns on the lamp, gets the history book, and is waiting for me eagerly - what a pleasant change!

The highlight of the week for Emmett was the history project. We made 3 different colors of frosting, and frosted the first American flag on graham crackers. We knew we had to make 3, of course, as each of our sons would naturally expect to eat some, and one graham cracker doesn't go far for 3 boys. It wasn't long after the first powdered sugar frosting splash that Emmett donned his apron and chef hat. Everyone loved these treats, and Emmett loved being the star of the show!


What a wonderful week - I hope you had one as well!
In Christ,
Julie

Resurrection to Reformation:
If there is one thing Riley is totally into right now, it is RTR's science. He cannot wait to read more about astronomy, and he lives for the experiments he gets to do! He marveled at Jupiter's Great Red Spot and constant storm, he told my dh all about the unmanned spacecraft Galileo taking 6 years to reach Jupiter, he loved his layered atmosphere experiment depicting Jupiter's differing densities and mixing abilities of its fluids so much that he absolutely couldn't bear to throw it away (and numerous members of the family tried multiple times to either throw it away or drink it ). Blessedly, he was finally able to let go of it, and Jupiter's layered atmosphere did swirl down the kitchen drain. What FUN he is having with RTR's science! I love that HE is the one doing the experiments, doing the reading, making the connections... instead of ME trying to do that for him. In years prior to using HOD, when I taught ps, that is exactly what we did. We stood in front of the classroom, conducted the experiment (or had a few students volunteer to help), and then we told them what they should have learned from it. I think this is the fate of many well-intentioned science curriculums out there. The experiments either have strange materials that no one has on hand, or they are simply too difficult for the student to do or to understand, so the adult steps in, takes over the experiment, and then tells the student what they were supposed to get out of it. I am so glad this is NOT the case with HOD's science! Our sons all love their science in their respective guides, they are all doing the experiments themselves, and they are all remembering/understanding science concepts much better because of it. I already know this science will prepare the boys well for high school, as my oldest ds is doing his second year of high school science with HOD and flourishing. I'm just so thankful for awesome living books and hands-on science that really clicks with the kiddos!


We completed Unit 9 this week, and Riley's RTR Student Notebook is coming together so well. He is a fairly neat writer and drawer, and this is going to be such a terrific way to remember our time in RTR together. You will notice a mix-up - Riley mixed up Toledo and Mainz's postcards. He accidentally skipped ahead in his Student Notebook to write about Mainz in Toledo, which meant he then had to write about Toledo in Mainz (or I could have made him erase them, but as it was the first few weeks of school, I let it go ).


Another favorite for everyone in the household was the marzipan cookies Riley made. Oh my, were they good!!! Toledo, which Riley studied and researched, is know for its marzipan cookies (and now we all know why - they are marvelous!). Riley followed the directions to make 3 different colors of cookies. He was waiting for me to help, and I was working with Emmett. When I realize he was just standing there, I told him he was now old enough to get out his own cooking supplies, ingredients, and measuring cups/spoons, and start without me. I told him the oven was still off limits when he was cooking solo, but the rest, he could handle. He was less confident. He actually did quite well once he got going, and I came in just to help with the oven part at the end (after reaffirming 1 butter stick really was a 1/2 cup). I'm so proud of him! I imagine someday my future dear daughter-in-laws may enjoy our sons have learned to bake/cook via HOD as much as I am beginning to appreciate it now (Wyatt makes oatmeal and homemade donuts for breakfast 2 days each week ). What woman won't love that, right?!? Anyway, we covered these with plastic wrap and baked them for dinner so daddy could have some too. What a terrific way to end a school day!


In math, we are adding, subtracting, and simplifying fractions with like and unlike denominators, as well as with mixed numbers. It was a tough skill to come back to after our summer hiatus, but Riley is doing great! He has just turned the corner with his math and is thriving. His confidence is growing, and his work just keeps getting better and better. I thought he would not become the math student that my oldest ds, Wyatt, is quite naturally, but Riley is really doing well! I think it is all making sense now, and I have to remind myself of this as I work with his little brother Emmett. Math is not clicking as much for Emmett yet. Time and patience. The good Lord is teaching me to try to not be short on either.

In Christ,
Julie

I love that more people are posting in the week in review. I really enjoy looking at everyone's pictures and reading about their weeks. Here is our week in the WG guide http://graceandfur.blogspot.com/2014/09 ... -2014.html

Is there an easy way to post pictures?

quiverfull - if you don't already have your own website this website makes it easy to post pictures as long as you resize them. If you post them in 10 Megapixel or whatever they will show up huge and people will have to scroll and it will be difficult to look at. I have an image editing program and I save the pictures I want to post on my desktop, then I open them in the image editing program (I use one called Gimp - it's free software but does a lot of things that I don't understand). Then I choose "Scale image" and change it to 300X220 pixels (choosing pixels is important). Usually if you change one of the dimensions it will automatically adjust the other one to not lose the ratio of the photo. Then I save the photo and then you can use the dialog at the bottom "upload attachment" and add those photos. I don't know if Julie has special powers but it only lets me attach 3 photos per post so you have to keep that in mind also.

Just a quick review of last week for us: Nobody was sick so we got 4 days of school done! Yipee! Things are slowing down with church commitments and we are getting into a fall routine so I think (hopefully) we will be able to settle into the routine and start cranking through school a little more. Though my energy is waning.... baby is growing and so am I and I am often tired. But God has been giving us what we need as He always does.

My oldest did Unit 28 of Preparing, my 2nd is in Unit 34 of Beyond and my 3rd did some of Unit 5 of LHFHG.

Julie I totally agree that it is really great that the children start doing their own science experiments. They learn so much this way! My oldest is also dying to start doing her own cooking and baking and sometimes I am the one that holds her back. I should let her take ownership of it more. My DD is really doing the experiments in Preparing on her own, sometimes without me even watching over her, and she does a good job of it. I always ask her what she learned and look over her lab sheet, but I feel like this is such a good and important milestone for her. We are finishing up the Middle Ages and moving into "modern times" in history. She made a stained glass window this week and she was really proud of how it turned out. First when she drew her picture and divided it up into segments she made a LOT of tiny little segments and I told her I thought it was too much. She ended up coloring each of those segments and it turned out really nice! It is hanging in our window now for all to see - she did Mary and baby Jesus. We finished up reading "A Door in the Wall" for storytime and that was just a beautiful story of trials, growth, patience, and heroism. I really appreciate the faith-based and strong character qualities in the books we are reading. Now we are back into Hero Tales for storytime and those stories are wonderful as well. There are so many things we have been learning, it is hard for me to summarize.

Beyond - I can't believe we are almost done! I am not ready! Today in fact will hopefully be part of a planning day for what our new schedule will look like, first with 1/2 speed Bigger and then moving into full speed Bigger before Christmas. So much for cleaning the house! She is so proud to be almost done with her 1B math book, her poetry copywork and pictures have improved and she has grown so much throughout this year. I remember last year we started Beyond in October, so even with all the randomness of our schedule we finished it in about a year. I can't say we'll finish Bigger in a year, but I am planning again to get about 10 weeks done before the baby comes, and take a break, coming back to it full-speed in March.

LHFHG - My DD is enjoying this so much and I am impressed with what she already knows about the Bible stories, from Sunday School and from doing LHTH. She loves the storytime books and is doing really well with picking out the morals of the stories, learning meanings of new words, doing the sentences when we do those, and all of those things. She loves having her own memory verse and rewards we do for that each week. She is doing really really well in math, I am still amazed at how quickly she is picking up on that. She is also doing well with handwriting. Overall I love how she is growing and learning, the active components that make it fun, and how balanced it is. It is so fun to go through this with her and see her blossom!

My 2YO has settled back into a routine and even gotten better with playing on his own for a little while. You would think he would like not being bothered by others, but he likes having someone to play with and to help him. The nice weather has really helped, when we go outside to do school and he gets to roam and explore, and play in his sandbox, he is so much happier. I will enjoy this good weather while it lasts!

Thanks all for sharing about your weeks. It is fun to see others' journeys and share our excitement about seeing our children grow and learn!