heartofdakota.com

Ok Ladies,

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!

Important Note: If you are linking us to your blog, please make sure it's not just a general link, but to your specific post of HOD. That way if someone reads through these a year from now they can find your share without needing to hunt!

In Christ,
Julie

Preparing Hearts for His Glory:
We've been studying the Renaissance this week, and it has been so interesting - especially our study of the Spice Route! Emmett had a hard time comprehending that one of the reasons spices were so in demand during this time was because there was no refrigeration for food, and as it was often spoiled, dousing it with a ton of spices made it more palatable. Yuck! Emmett's history project included making a chart with spices from India, and he loved it so much that it received the highest honor Emmett can give a special assignment - he hung it on his bedroom door along with his beloved PHFHG timeline! His door is getting quite crowded thanks to all the things he has loved doing this year in PHFHG!


For research it was only fitting for Emmett to research and answer questions about the Spice Route. He also made a map of this route, marking the different routes taken by land and by sea...


In science, Emmett has been learning about Leonardo da Vinci, and he has been amazed at all that Leonardo could do! I've been so pleased with Emmett's note booking assignments and how he is learning to better follow directions carefully. He is also improving his spelling, as he learns to copy more carefully. He has realized that all written work must be properly spelled, so he knows I'll have him correct it. He's learned it's easier just to take care and try to do it right the first time! He is still not 'perfect', but that's ok - that's where editing together comes in. I'm just thankful the accuracy is improving!


In Christ,
Julie

Missions to Modern Marvels:
I am not quite sure how my sweet middle son Riley has reached the point of nearing the end of 8th grade and beginning high school next year, but apparently he has. He is in an incredible growth spurt, and this is just an exciting time for him. He can be depended upon to finish his school well each day overall, but the occasional lapse of focus reminds me how important it still is to carefully check his work each day, going through each part of his guide with him to make sure nothing accidentally fell through the cracks. He is quite careful to do all of his work, very conscientious about doing his work well, and one to go the extra mile with creative projects just because he enjoys them - so, when he misses something in the plans, he is not happy. Correcting his work is sometimes difficult, as if there is a mistake, he takes it quite personally and is genuinely upset about it. I love this more kind, tender side of my nerf gun toting, 3-wheeler riding, wise-cracking 14 yo. It is such a privilege to know him so well in these teenage years, though they are somewhat turbulent ones.

One of the things I will miss next year, and Riley will miss as well, is his heading up the DITHOR projects with his little brother Emmett. They finished the humor genre this week, and they had a blast doing a re-enactment of Don Quixote. They made scripts and reenacted a hilarious part where Don Quixote attempts to attack large windmills, seeing them as fearsome knights to attack. Wyatt and I watched Riley and Emmett act this out, and we were laughing so hard at their crazy antics and makeshift windmills and characters they put together! This is the 'humor' genre at its best! They did a wonderful job with their spoken parts as well, high-lighting each of their lines and practicing the punch lines together for days on end. I liked Riley's way of organizing their scripts and setting up the re-enactment. What fun!



Riley has also done a wonderful job of organizing his notes for our Worthy Words discussions. We have truly enjoyed these Socratic discussions together1


What a good week!

In Christ,
Julie