The Homeschool Mother's Journal #5

• IN OUR HOMESCHOOL THIS WEEK... We were on vacation! We explored the Natchez Trace, played at new-to-us local parks, the boys went up to the Car Museum in Tupelo and we enjoyed feeding, petting and looking at the animals at the state fair. We had a blast! The only "school" we did this week was handwriting practice. Adelle needs all the practice she can get. 
• MY FAVORITE THING THIS WEEK WAS... Having my husband home with us! 
• I'M COOKING... We tried homemade pumpkin pancakes made with REAL pumpkin.  They were delicious!... So wonderful that we had them for breakfast twice this week!  {smile}
• I AM INSPIRED BY... My husband. He is so gentle and patient with our children... a character quality that I strive to attain. 
• I'M GRATEFUL FOR... This chance to be able to homeschool my children; to love and play with them. 
• SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK... "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, and love and discipline."  2 Timothy 1:7

Jonathan is Pre-writing

I watch my children develop and grow with complete fascination and in awe of God's creation of the mind and body. It never fails to amaze me when both of my children reach developmental milestones and/or master different skills. 

Last year, Jonathan was all about scribble, scribble, scribble. Of course, this time last year he was still 2 years old. I tried to get him to start tracing his name with dry erase markers. He just scribbled, scribbled, scribbled all over the sheet protector. I didn't mind that. {smile} 

We are 2 months into the 2012-2013 school year. I just began prewriting exercises with him 2 weeks ago and Jonathan is showing more control of his crayons and markers.  I am currently using My First Book of Tracing by Kumon.  In these pages, Jonathan is supposed to draw a line from one little picture to the other matching picture. He traces straight and curvy lines up and down, right and left, diagonal both ways and even loops. Excellent cursive writing prep! 

He traces one page, front and back, per day. I didn't have the next page in his tracing book with me one day last week (we are currently homeschooling at a friend's house). I had to think quick {gotta stay on target}. I have a cookie sheet from Dollar Tree that you can write on and wipe off with a dry erase marker {an accidental discovery}. I had my pom-pom magnets with me too.  IDEA emerges! I set up a prewriting activity by placing 3 or 4 different colors magnets at the top of the cookie sheet and then placing matching pom-poms at the bottom. I had him draw different lines as said in previous paragraph from one pom-pom to the matching pom-pom. 

Then I placed pom-pom magnets in the middle of the cookie sheet and showed him how to draw loops around them.  He thoroughly enjoyed this activity and he was VERY independent about it too.  {SMILE}

I am thoroughly enjoying homeschooling my children!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal #4

• IN MY LIFE THIS WEEK... I had another "Lord, I can't do this on my own" break down the other night. I must say that I stress out sooner, anger builds oh too quickly and my focus switches to myself when I don't pray and read God's Word on a daily basis. Not that I am any more "spiritual" when I pray and read the Bible, but I am strengthened and can LOVINGLY guide my children when I commit myself to these particular activities. 
• IN OUR HOMESCHOOL THIS WEEK... We've had sickness this week, so we read books, put puzzles together and watched a few educational shows on PBS for a couple of days. 
• PROGRESS REPORT... Adelle was able to read several single-vowel words this week!  
• WHAT'S WORKING/NOT WORKING FOR US...We're using A Beka for K5 lessons with Adelle (well, for everyone b/c everyone sits in on her lessons). We're using the very basic phonics, writing and numbers. I like the way phonics is going. I can't decide if I like the numbers part or not and we're taking the handwriting slower. I had originally planned to do lessons year round, however, I'm finding that I need to rethink this. I am thinking that I will tweak my plan that will allow us to charge on with phonics and numbers with handwriting being the majority of "lessons" throughout the summer (along with fun summer activities!). 
• I'M COOKING... Nothing to speak of. I'm in a rut. I need some inspiration!
• MY FAVORITE THING THIS WEEK WAS... All the cuddle time Adelle and I shared this week while she was under the weather.
• I AM THANKFUL FOR... our homeschool support group! 
• SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK... "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Blend Sounds and Bible Lesson

Our phonics and numbers lessons are so short that we combine 2 lessons into 1 pretty well. Even though we are going to be a little behind this week (due to multiple doctor/dentist appointments), I didn't feel too bad about making today a review and art day. 

          

Adelle has begun to learn blend sounds in her lessons. For a review, I made a simple bingo game. I traced a small hexagon pattern onto construction paper, wrote in all the vowels, t & l and then all of those blend sounds. 

Adelle and Jonathan played this together. I said a blend or letter sound and they had to find the letters on the page. Jonathan (being only 3 and not ready for blends yet) listened for the single sounds and Adelle listened for the blend sounds. Both children are doing very very well. 

          

         

We've picked up our Bible lessons again with Day 4 of the Creation story. I've kinda put the Bible lessons to the back burner for a short time simply b/c I had a hard time figuring out how to get it in with everything else.  (So so bad of me!) 

We played 'Egg Carton Shake', a number recognition game that I talked about in a previous post. Today's game had numbers up to 4 and a cat and a dog. This game is mostly for Jonathan, but Adelle gets a kick out of shaking the egg carton too.  :-)

Adelle has also been working on her handwriting. She's learning how to write in cursive (different, right?). The curriculum has been moving a little quick (in my humble opinion) with those lessons, so I've slowed it down a bit and giving her lots of tracing practice. So far she's learned how to write all the vowels, letter t & letter l (all lower case). Letter l giving her trouble, so she's really practicing those before we move on to the letter b, which will be tomorrow. 

And we just can't leave out all the life skills that they're learning along the way.  :-D

It's been a CrAzY Monday with a crazy rest-of-the-week in store. Nonetheless, I LOVE homeschooling my children!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal #3

• In my life this week... I feel like I have failed at everything this week. However, God is good. His grace is sufficient and I will get back up and keep going. 
• In our homeschool this week... In my previous post, I wrote about finally figuring out a routine to keep us on track. This new routine will go in effect Monday. We can do it!
• I am inspired by... the Charlotte Mason (teaching) Method. While this isn't our main curriculum right now, I do like what I am reading about this teaching method. We certainly are going to implement CM's scripture memory method. 
• My favorite thing this week was... the extra day of family time together we had due to the holiday. :-)
• I am reading... I started Love Takes Wing, the 6th book of the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke
• A quote to share... "Put a helmet on!" ~ says comedian, Brad Stine, when things are so obvious that it's stupid to even go there.  I like to holler this line a lot.   :-)
• Scripture for the week... Galatians 6:7-9 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." 

Our Daily Routine

We started school about 4 weeks ago (right?). Adelle started piano lessons and Jonathan will start Kinder TOT this week. Now that we are in a groove, I think I finally have a schedule routine figured out for each day.... and every day looks different.

THE DAILY PLAN:

ADELLE (MON-THURS)

Get up and dress

Breakfast - Scripture reading/prayer/eat

School lessons and activities - includes Bible, story, phonics, math 

Library Story TIme (Wednesdays)

Lunch - Scripture reading/prayer/eat

Free Play (Usually outside)

Reading/Books with Mama

Writing practice/Seat work

Piano Lesson (Tuesdays)

Chores

Help with Laundry

Practice the piano (Wed -Sat, Mon)

Play learning games on Leapster Explorer (only 30 minutes)

Free Play (usually outside)

Dinner at the table with the entire family (includes Grandpa and Grandma)

Bath

Reward Chart

Bedtime Bible story/Prayers

 

Jonathan (MON-THURS)

Get up and dress

Breakfast - Scripture reading/prayer/eat

School lessons and activities - includes Bible, story, phonics, math 

Library Story TIme (Wednesdays)

Lunch - Scripture reading/prayer/eat

Kinder TOT (Thursdays)

Free Play (Usually outside)

Nap Time (anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours)

Reading/Books with Mama

Help with chores

Help with Laundry

Play learning games on Vtech computer (only 30  minutes)

Free Play (usually outside)

Dinner at the table with the entire family (includes Grandpa and Grandma)

Bath

Reward Chart

Bedtime Bible story/Prayers

FRIDAYS

Friday is usually a fun day - free play most of the day, or field trips, play dates. We'll do school "work"  if we need to review some things or if we get a little behind (or need to get ahead).

Being a visual person, I have all this recorded on paper, I drew out each day individually(i am that visual) and put these activities in time slots, however, I made this schedule as a guideline to help keep us (me) on track. We may not follow the planned schedule at the exact time listed on the paper, but we are doing everything in the same order.  

Whew! These are some pretty eventful days! 

     

Dear God ~ Create in Me a Clean Heart

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away fro Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit."  Psalm 51:10-12

Dear God,

How dare I try to be fake before You!; Almighty, all-knowing God of the universe. You see everything; Right through this flesh into the depths of my soul. Neither my thoughts nor my motives can hide from You. You are the very One who created me! You knew me before I was ever in my mother's womb. 

This anger and pride deep inside of me does no surprise You. You are never caught off-guard. You know my thoughts. You know my desires. You know my heart. It is impossible to fool You and yet here I am plotting the dialogue to be spoken before you as though my pretty words impress You; as though eloquence can cover my wretchedness.  

You are God.  I am woman. 

You are holy.  I am wretched. 

You are truth.  I am deceit. 

You are worthy.  I am evil. 

You are love.  I am hate. 

You are pure.  I am stained. 

Is there hope for a wretch like me? Where is my faith? Where is my trust? Where is my belief? 

My soul is dying. My heart is parched. I stand at the well of living water. I am dry and thirsty, yet I just stand. Unbelief and fear shackle my wrists. Pride and anger shackle my ankles.  I am dying to break free.

A broken and a contrite heart You will not despise. 

Deliver me, O God, the God of my salvation!