Week in Review: September 8-12, 2014

[LynnH]

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!

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!

[LynnH]

Here is week 4 from the World Geography guide http://graceandfur.blogspot.com/2014/09 ... -2014.html

[MelInKansas]

We had another busy and fun week this week with HOD!

My 5YO did Unit 5 of LHFHG, my 7YO did Unit 33 of Beyond, and my 9YO finished Unit 26 and started Unit 27 of Preparing.

Some highlights: math is going really well for all of the girls and they are learning and growing a lot. My 5YO is doing subtraction and she has enjoyed all of the fun hands-on ways we are doing subtraction and helping her understand. My 7YO is almost done with Singapore 1B and is doing money. Why is it they all like using money? She is now very good at adding up coins and bills to see how much money she has. She can't quite do it in her head, but I am proud of her for how well she is doing. My oldest has been doing fractions. This is getting really meaty and my DH has been working with her in the evenings to make sure she understands. Then in their cooking class for co op they were supposed to double a recipe and she did great!

The poem in Unit 4 of LHFHG was 10 - again really fun for my DD and even though it kind of seems like we are speeding through the Bible stories I love how she always has really bright answers to the questions and LHTH obviously gave her a good Bible foundation with which she is now zipping through LHFHG. She still loves Reddy Fox and I think storytime will be a favorite for her throughout. She often listens into her older sister's storytime also, but I think this is right on her level. And of all my kids, she probably identifies with Reddy Fox, she is very mischevious!

The Beyond stories were about a family on the plains, a little girl named Hilda who was not happy she had moved from Norway into this rugged land with no one else to see except her family, and a cold, dirty sod house. I can certainly sympathize. I have been talking to my DD a lot about contentment, being happy with what she has rather than being upset about what someone else has, or what she doesn't have. This story helped bring this home as well. We can always look around and find lots of things to be unhappy about if we try, but then again God calls us to contentment, and thankfulness. I pray this would impact her heart.

Preparing has been fun. I admit to not giving it the attention I should have some days this week, but I still am so happy with what my DD is reading and learning. The story A Door in the Wall is so interesting and such a good study of character. This boy who has been through so much, perseveres and ends up making a big difference and becoming a hero. Some of the religious tone of the readings in Child's History of the World are not what I would call ideal. I do feel the questions and activities in the guide help offset this somewhat and bring in the spiritual meaning behind many of these events. And the stories chosen and emphasis are good for helping her remember the times in history. I think the timeline is also really helpful in keeping all of the big events in perspective. R&S 3 has been really good to cover this year and my DD really gets these concepts and the diagramming which I know I never really got at her age. I don't think we did much diagramming in school at all. I like the oral review questions at the beginning of each lesson, they also really show me what she remembers and understands. I'm so thankful for all of the ways she is learning and growing!

Blessings to others this week!

[quiverfull]

This week was a little more difficult than last. I didn't get as much done in Bigger and LHFHG because of circumstances beyond my control. I don't like starting the next week when I'm "behind". I guess I'll have to get over that. My older ones stayed on track b/c they do most of it on their own. I was a little confused with one of the assignments in Medieval Writing, but I'll just try to figure it out tomorrow. I also had to spend a lot of extra time this week helping my 9th grader in Algebra I. She is about 3/4 of the way done with the book and some of the lessons are a little challenging. This has been difficult for me, because the only time I can help her is at night, and I am so tired by then. I was really glad to get to Friday this week!

We did the Science experiment from Bigger (Unit 3 I think) where you put the water and salt water on plates and leave them out in the sun to evaporate. Well, that didn't work because it rained! So now I'm wondering if I should just keep going, or go back and take the time to re-do that one.

My younger daughter has been doing the Rhymes in Motion box with my 3 and 5 year old. That has been working great! She is so good with them and they love it. It also gives me some uninterrupted time with my 9 year old. My schedule is still working pretty well. I think we are getting into a routine.

[Homeschooling6]

Hi, Ladies, I enjoy reading about your weeks. Thank you for sharing. It's very encouraging.

[MelInKansas]

quiverfull - I know how you feel about not keeping on track and how that doesn't feel good. I think the older guides are a little easier because the kids are a lot more independent, so as long as the problem's not with THEM they can finish it. My daughter in Preparing will pick up and do some of the other boxes independently occasionally if I ask her to. Then I have to go back and read to catch up, but oh well, it's still faster and gets us through the day.

Also the 4 day vs 5 day week makes a big difference. The 5 day week doesn't give you any flex. So we are off our 5 day schedule and I am going to try to get back to a happy place about that. In July and August we were doing 1 unit a week, if I had to skip a day with Beyond and LHFHG I could double up. But now, the days are full, Fridays are co-op days, and there just isn't as much room to flex or make things up. Oh well. So I will pray for peace for you as I pray for it for myself.

For that experiment, couldn't you leave the plates out for a few days and observe them? That's what I've done with things like that. At least then your kids get to see the results. But there's no shame in just going on too, talk to them about why it didn't work, whether they get it or not.

[my3sons]

World History
We were so excited to begin our World History, and it was everything we'd hoped it would be! After 3 days worth of plans, Wyatt is already getting into the swing of things quite well. Doing World Geography last year really helped this year be a smooth transition. Wyatt is already fascinated "Unveiling the Kings of Israel." I was so pleased with his written narration. We had to fix the spelling of a few words, but otherwise all of those years of doing Dictation Levels 2-8, doing copywork, and patiently (and sometimes not so patiently ) fixing editing errors on each and every written narration together have paid off!!! Another plus - I do believe he is developing his own style of writing written narrations. His opening line was...
You do not have to look far to find evidence that disputes evolutions's bold and far-fetched claims. In fact you only need to look to the flood...
His closing line was a clincher that acts a a repeat of the opening line, a technique he learned last year in WG with Essentials in Writing, as well as back in RTR in Medieval History Based Writing Lessons (which I am just doing again now with Riley and very much dedicated to helping him get that technique down )...
...Everywhere you look there is evidence for God and surety of His Word in everything!


Wyatt was beyond thrilled to be reading "The Cat of Bubastes," as Henty is one of his favorite authors. His literary synthesis sheet is already chock full of good analysis, but I'll wait to share that until its completion. I am please that the Living Library is still a part of his day, and also that the follow-up requires higher level thinking without requiring a ton of extra time. As CM would say, by being mindful of this we are not 'getting between the reader and the book.'

"People, Places, and Events of World History" really has Wyatt doing some excellent skills. I am especially thankful for the critical thinking questions he is answering. The suggestion to begin each answer by restating the question at the beginning of the answer has him off to a good start with each answer. One of my favorite things he did, and one I didn't get a picture of, was the bulleted list of important key words or phrases under two different headings - "First Faith" and "What They Built." This is a new way of orally narrating, and we all loved it! I say "all" because Wyatt liked it so much he used his bulleted notes to give the oral narration a second time to my dh tonight. My dh was pretty impressed. I like this activity for many, many reasons, but the one I'll share is it is helping Wyatt to use bulleted notes to practice speaking skills. He pretty much gave it from memory the second time, just glancing at his notes now and then. He stood behind the kitchen counter, and it almost seemed like he was giving a speech behind a podium. I was so proud of the confidence he had in doing so, as speech was something Wyatt struggled with as a child. The notebook - well, it's absolutely beautiful, and such a neat way to keep track of what he is doing! He is so proud of it, and I am too!


A few things that were more of a challenge at the start for him were the "Introduction" to "Ben Hur," the "Author's Apology" in "Pilgrim's Progress," and the start of Geometry. They were tough readings and assignments! I really appreciated Carrie's notes on the Geometry especially. That was very helpful to seeing the layout of the year! I also love the annotating he is doing for "Ben Hur." I have annotated for years, and especially in reading difficult material it is so helpful. It also jogs my memory when I go back to look something up or reread a part. I always annotate in my Bible readings in my devotional each day. Such a good habit to form! Now that we are a week into it, he was clicking along with all of it. He now loves "Ben Hur," loves "Pilgrim's Progress," loves "Geometry" - oh how emotions run high with our precious teenagers!!!

The Art Study is really going to be neat. Barry Stebbing's narrating on DVD in "God and the History of Art" alongside the beautiful HOD "Art Gallery Notebook" with its thought-provoking questions make for an intriguing varied study. I love that it is Christian, and I also love that Wyatt is learning to take notes and answer questions using varied media resources like listening to a DVD (good prep for post high school - not to get ahead of myself).


The Science DVD's are bright, eye-catching, and interesting. The answer key is excellent, and he is definitely doing high school level work! It was nice to return to the familiar R & S English, which we really do clip along with now thanks to the routine of oral review questions, Wyatt reads the assignment on his own, orally doing a good portion of it, and then correcting the reserved section to write. Wyatt was also glad to return to Essentials in Writing with Matthew as his guide. I am too. It is an outstanding writing curriculum. One last picture I snapped is of Wyatt memorizing the books of the Bible singing along with song on the Internet and little brother Emmett giving him a hug - being with family - one of the best parts of homeschooling - such a blessing.


What an awesome start to World History we had! I hope you had a super start too!
In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

Resurrection to Reformation:
Riley is doing this full-speed this year! After about 8 weeks of half-speed RTR at the close of last school year, he is now doing super with full-speed RTR. I'm so happy for him! He just needed to grow into it. He told me one of his favorite things is the Shakespeare Study. I remember Wyatt saying that too, but they like it for different reasons; Wyatt for the reading of Shakespeare's poignant words, and Riley for the coloring of the exquisite pictures that accompany the reading he enjoyed.

We love our time together doing Art Appreciation using "Looking at Pictures" for CM style picture study. We also love our time together reading Bob Schultz's narrative and timely stories in "Boyhood and Beyond." And, Emily Dickinson's poetry readings, discussions, memorization, and CM linked quotes are yet another favorite. That rotating box is something we both look forward doing together each day - such variety, such depth, such fun.

One area I have seen huge growth from last year to this year is "Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons." Riley is able to quite succinctly take notes within a key word outline and use those notes to write his own paragraph on the topic. The editing phase is a little harder for him, as he wants it to be all right the first time. But, it's an important part of writing to learn, and all of the accompanying helps in the form of vocabulary cards, writer's resource notebook, and rough draft checklist reminders make editing have purpose and be a bit easier. We edit tomorrow, so we'll hope it goes well!


Another area of growth has been Riley's oral narrations. He has finally (I think for good) stopped saying "And then..." at the start of each sentence. He was hit and miss with this last year. Sometimes he could break free of it, and other times not. Everything he's narrated so far this year has been "And then..." free. Hooray! He needs to continue to improve on not trying to have a conversation with me off and on during his narration (i.e. "Uh, what was that word I'm trying to think of again, Mom?" or "Uh, what's his name again?" Riley has always been social and can strike up a conversation even amidst orally narrating it would appear.

Math is going well, and so are his index cards for Storytime. He understands how to think through math word problems so much more easily, and he also uses excellent vocabulary on his index cards for Storytime. These are areas he returned to with ease.


A few areas that have been harder for him are Research (skimming to find answers to questions), History Project (carefully following multi-step directions), and Scripture memorization (forgetting some of the verses, but then we've had summer break in the middle - so this is very understandable). I'm confident he'll get in the swing of things with all of these areas given time and diligence. Here he is working hard at his research and giving a thumbs up - so that's a good sign he's headed in the right direction!


The other day I challenged Riley to pray his prayer at lunch for everyone using the ACTS model, and he did it beautifully. Hooray! I also challenged him to do his neatest work in his science notebooking assignments and lab sheet procedures, and I think he is doing super! I am so pleased Riley is able to do RTR full-speed so well now. We had a great start to the year!

In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory:
Emmett is doing Beyond full-speed and LOVING it! He hugs me as he sings his Bible verses, he races to get the history and science books out, and he is beside himself that he gets to do DITHOR with big brother Riley this year! It is such fun to have a little one while homeschooling olders in different guides. It is just a total joy to see his excitement and the way he just shines in his own guide.

Favorites continue to be science experiments and art activities (particularly those with glue). Here is a picture of different herbs we read about in science and also linking to the herb garden we read about in "Boys and Girls of Colonial Days." Emmett could relate to all of this as we kept a garden this summer. He was especially upset when the soldiers trampled the garden. Didn't they know how much WORK that took to have a garden?!?


For "Storytime" we are enjoying reading "If You Lived 100 Years Ago," and he can hardly believe the things in that book are true! I think at 43 I am already seeming ancient to him. In history, Emmett used heel to toe measuring to step out the length and width of our living room and dining room. He then drew it to scale 1 of his feet = 1 cm. This was a match to what we'd read about in history for the day.


Math took a little bit for Emmett to come back to after our summer break. I didn't panic - I knew it would, but we all enjoyed our time off this summer and came back ready to learn with guns blazing. Little ones are so precious. I can hardly bear the thought I will not teach LHTH or LHFHG again, or at least for a long time until grandchildren are here. However, homeschooling is a joy yet a purpose that takes dedication and real time. Though I love it, I can see God will have other things for me someday that He wants me to do. For now, I savor the time I have left with each of our dc, as well as look forward to the time when life is a little less busy. I bet you can relate, being busy loving homeschool moms yourselves.

In Christ,
Julie

[John'smom]

Love reading what you all are doing with your dc!!!

Julie, just wondering in your future posts if you mind sharing Riley's written narrations and IEW work???? My dc are doing RTR and these are the things I struggle with thinking they aren't good enough. Maybe if I see what other dc are doing it will help me.

Lynn, very cool that your ds is doing things like American Ninja Warrior.

[my3sons]

Sure, Edwena! I will be glad to share those and will try to remember to do so! We worked for about 16 weeks at the end of last school year going half-speed in RTR with Riley though, so he's had a lot of time and practice to grow into full-speed RTR. That being said, I think his written narrations are pretty good, but there is still room for improvement. Hope you are off to good start, and God bless!

In Christ,
Julie