Week-in-Review March 23-27 , 2015

[my3sons]

Ok Fellow HOD Homeschoolers,

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!

[my3sons]

Bigger Hearts for His Glory:
In history we have been reading about Governor Berkeley and Nathaniel Bacon in "A First Book in American History." We read about the governor being unjust and unpredictable. He was a thorn to the people of Virginia, and Bacon was the lone leader to stand up to his unjust ways of making money off poor people. When Bacon blocked off the isthmus to Jamestown with his cannons, he cornered the governor there, eventually, he had to just burn Jamestown to the ground. Emmett named his new Beanie Balz he got for his birthday, which was a pig, "Bacon," but he got the idea from reading bout Nathaniel Bacon and his heroism. A fun history activity had Emmett creating a landscape out of play dough and rocks, and then using a water dropper to put water on his landscape to see the peninsulas, isthmuses, bays, and islands forming. Big brother had to come and watch.


This was a super busy week, so I had big brother Riley do Emmett's science activity with him. Riley was ahead in RTR anyway, as he'd done some of it the night before (he likes to do this in his quiet time in his room at night). So, while I read "Science in Colonial America" to Emmett, Riley pulled out Emmett's BHFHG guide and set up for the science experiment of the day. He followed the directions to help Emmett build a scale model of the planet orbits in the solar system. They used "Flash" (one of Emmett's Beanie Balz) as the sun in the center, which Emmett loved. Then, using a centimeter ruler, they measured the distance each planet is from the sun, using toilet paper to mark the distance to index cards labeled with each planet. They did this all on their own, and then called me to take a picture. WOW! It was a proud moment for me, as my little Riley just turned 12 yo and is embracing being more of a leader and big brother for Emmett. As Wyatt is busy with high school and work now, I am depending on Riley to pitch in and help when needed sometimes. They were both so happy to work together, and so cheerful about it. They did a great job on this activity!


For history notebooking, Emmett and I worked on creating a notebook entry about "Growing Plants in South Carolina." Notebooking just comes naturally to some dc. If they are artistic, or if they have a natural sense of order, sequence, and organization, notebooking just clicks. Emmett is a free spirit who is not so artistic, nor does he have a tendency to do things in an order that makes sense. So, each part of this assignment was a part he needed help with. It took us twice as long to do this assignment as it should have, but I have decided that learning how to do things well, especially assignments with multi-step directions, is an important skill to acquire. Attention to detail helps kiddos every year after doing BHFHG, so I am putting my time in now so I can reap the benefits in years to come. I have the blessing of knowing how worth the time this is to do, having had 2 other dc do BHFHG years back. Learning how to draw lines neatly with rulers, how to draw so that the notebook entry's space is filled neatly, learning to copy carefully so things are spelled write and legible, learning to choose whether to use colored pencils/markers/crayons so that what has been drawn is still visible and not covered up, learning to follow each step of the directions and not skip any - all of these are skills that are so worthwhile to have. The time I spent on this type of building of skills with Riley in BHFHG years back is the reason he can pick up Emmett's guide and successfully lead a pretty complicated science experiment. It's also the reason Wyatt can step in and teach any box of either Emmett's or Riley's guides if called upon as well. So, time well spent, but time that I work on the Godly character trait that does not come naturally to me... patience. The Lord is refining me over and over in this area with my dc, and I think we are all benefiting - probably ME the most. So, this may not look perfect, but it is the result of many lessons learned together, and one worth remembering.


In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

Resurrection to Reformation:
Riley has been reading about George Fox and how his study of the Bible helped him realize how to simply share faith in Christ with others - without all the formal rituals and fancy clothing. He was known as a Quaker, which came from telling a British judge he ought to 'tremble at the word of the Lord.' I never knew that! I learn something new every day with HOD too! His flap book project is coming along nicely, and he is getting quite adept at using his "World History Atlas." He found all the places George Fox traveled to share the good news of Jesus. I like that the geography Riley is studying is directly related to the history he is studying. It just means so much more.

Riley has also been reading about Blaise Pascal, who interestingly enough was tutored by his own father. Homeschooling HAS been around awhile! Pascal's life also shows that God gifts whom He wants to gift with talents, and Pascal was definitely gifted at a young age with the understanding of geometry. Known for "Pascal's Theorem," a calculator invention called the "Pascaline," and "Pascal's Law" - he used his gifts well. It was inspiring that he kept a personally written paper with his testimony of faith in Jesus with him at all times in the lining of his coat. Reading "A Piece of the Mountain" for Storytime (which is also about Blaise Pascal) has been a wonderful connection to what he is reading in "Mystery of History."


In science, Riley has been reading about Galileo and how he used pendulums to accurately mark off intervals of time. Riley had a lot of fun with his science experiment, which had him discovering how to change the time it takes for a pendulum to make a complete swing. He added various weights to his pendulum and shortened/lengthened the string, timing 10 periods, to see the impact made upon the period of the swing. Then, he completed his science lab sheet to show the results of his experiment. He really enjoyed this!


In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

World History High School:
Wyatt has been reading about John Bunyan, who was imprisoned for preaching without a license outside the Church of England. This has been very interesting, especially since he has been reading/studying "Pilgrim's Progress" this year. We have had many wonderful discussions that HOD scheduled for Pilgrim's Progress. This incredible classic piece of writing came out of the trials and tribulations Bunyan experienced during his imprisonment. I am sure it is why we can relate to Christian's journey, as we struggle through life's hardships. The meshing together of "People, Places, and Events of World History," "In Context," "Courage and Conviction," "Stronger Than the Sword," and "Pilgrim's Progress" this week has been especially powerful! HOD does such a great job of making connections that are memorable and that have a having the sense of what it really was like to live during that time.


As this week was a heavier week of studies, the follow-up in the WH Notebook required less writing. Using twistable colored pencils, Wyatt enjoyed choosing several of his favorite depictions of John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" events to shade. He appreciates this balance that is maintained in the guide. When writing, Carrie takes special care to make note of the amount of writing, reading, etc. in each week, and if one area is heavier, she lessens the load in another area to compensate for it. This is an incredible blessing, as Wyatt is never avalanched with an unexpectedly long day. He can plan to complete his work in 7 1/2 hours, 4 days each week, and being able to depend on that is huge. When throwing together a mix of different curriculums written by different people, one cannot achieve this balance, no matter how one tries. Having it all laid out with this careful detail and balance in check is wonderful! It makes the rest of our life, including Wyatt's work outside of school at his job and with his dad, keep in balance well. I did think it was sweet that Wyatt said he'd followed the directions and only chosen a few to color, but that he hoped to go back and color more, as they were each just so neat and important to the story.


Wyatt's Book of Centuries continues to grow, and it is turning out to be a real keepsake of his time in HOD high school history. I can't wait to see what it looks like after 4 years!


This week we talked about Wyatt graduating a year early, as he is on track to do. After much prayer and discussion, we've decided to spread the remaining part of WH, AH 1, and AH2 out a bit over the next 3 years. He will still finish early, probably halfway into his Senior year, which will leave time for him to clep out of tests using College Plus. We are both excited about this option, as it will give Wyatt time to truly enjoy the rest of his HOD education, and it will also give him time to earn money for college at his job. We are looking forward to the next 3 years together, and we are thankful for the gift of time.

In Christ,
Julie

[michiganmama]

I just want to thank you for these posts. They are an incredible encouragement for someone who will be using HOD for the first time in the fall, one being the WH guide. I tend to doubt and second-guess my choices so much, and if I posted every single question I have on this board I would have about 10 threads going! Seeing a snapshot of what daily life is like with HOD is just like a wave of peace.

Thank you for sharing!

[Nealewill]

I do love reading your post about Emmett especially this week Julie. I just want to say that I completely understand where you are with learning patience. This year has been huge for my son Sam. We finished on unit 25 of Bigger at the time of this post and I am still doing some hand holding. But it is getting better. I am to the point now that we read the directions together and I am teaching him how to follow through with one piece at a time (if that makes sense). Sam and I are a lot a like in a lot of ways. Following directions was very hard for me until I became an adult. I wouldn't say it got super easy but with lots of practice, I can now do it well. And I want this for my kids I love HOD trains them up in this area. For my oldest, Allie, since we started only last year and she started with Preparing, I had a lot of handholding that year too. For Sam this year, I am hoping to train him up so that next year with Preparing, it isn't so difficult with directions. I do feel like we are really coming along And I do feel like I am getting more patience. Even if it is killing me LOL!!!! At least no one else is feeling like they are dying, so that is good

I will pray that the spirit fills you on days when you feel drained in this area. I know there are times that I have had to beg that for myself. And in those moments, He show up and reveals himself to me in some very precious and tender ways. That alone seems to fill me right back up.

And I think it is great that your others son's can help out with teaching when you need them too. That would be so rewarding! With my kids so close in age, that opportunity doesn't present nearly as much. But I have seen my kids jump in and help each other with little things - for example, my youngest will help her brother sound out words when he doesn't know what something says. Or my oldest will help her brother and sister with quick math questions. For me, these types of interactions are entire lead by my kids and I think that is what makes these events even more precious.