Week 1- SUCCESS!!

YAY!!  We made it through our first week of the school year with attitudes checked at the door, willing to learn, eager to do our best, very few tantrums, and minimal tears.  Oh yeah, and the kids did really well, too!  ;-) 

The children learned a very important lesson.  They learned to work together, and help one another.

Loving our new curriculum! We were supposed to keep an earthworm in a jar...shhh, I skipped this. We have had enough things in jars for experimentation around here, thank you! But, we learned about what a niche is, as we explored our own backyard.

Luca really got into this exercise!  He explored ants, and bugs on the sidewalk and inside the barks of trees, while Bella recorded our observations...

Sofia was having a little trouble seeing through the glare in her magnifying glass and decided to chuck it across the yard!  Only Emma (our dog) could console her!

We observed a lot of rotting apples on the ground...

Rotting apples + a bucket full of water can only mean one thing...

APPLE SOUP!!!

Unfortunately, no proper exploration is without some pain. 

Poor Gigi :-(

We learned how to use the scale on a map. 

From our house to Mimi in Las Vegas, is is approx. 1,200 mi.

From our house to Diane in NC, it is approx. 600 mi.

Then, we made a map to scale of our dining room.

not too sure it is accurate!

We started our Geography From A to Z Vocabulary Cards of which I will make a slide show and keep them in there each week.

We also read a book called God Speaks Numanggang by David Hazell

It's a book about a missionary family who moved to a remote village in Papau New Guinea, and for 30 years they lived there translating the Bible into their language.  First, they had to learn the language.  Then, turn it into a written one, teach the people how to read and write it, and translate the Bible into the Numanggang language.  This was an awesome read, rich with photos of this family's experience.  It was great to show the kids how important God's word is in people's heart language.  Our curriculum, My Father's World donates a large portion of the money they receive to Bible translation.  I really feel that is a huge blessing, and I'm happy to contribute.  The children really enjoyed this story and the pictures.

 

Eli's favorite spot to play!

So, that concludes our week 1 progress.  Next week looks like even more fun.  Come on back and see us again!

Day 2- The annoying orange!

Today, we had to draw the continents on an orange, then peel it to see how difficult it is to take a sphere and make it into a flat map.  Of course, this exercise was not without annoying orange jokes!

 (if you've never seen an Annoying Orange video on YouTube, they're pretty funny.)

BEFORE

Knife!!

AFTER

 

                           

   

                    

We learned that on a flat map, the sizes of the continents are not proportioned accurately.  Greenland is much bigger on a map, than on a globe, for example. 

I am amazed that we can do all of our subjects, AND have time to cut up a bunch of magazines and make a huge mess and get it all done by noon!

Our weekly memory verse.

Again, we sang hello, in 9 different languages. 

                                         

This is a huge hit with all the kids except Bella...  Click here for a sample. 

 I think it just might grow on her by the end of the week! LOL!

Of course there's lots more we learned today, but I won't bore you with the details of sentence structures and addition /subtraction review. 

I am excited for our assignments at the end of the week.  We'll see you then...

First Day of School 2010/2011

We started out with prayer, and a little photo session...

We couldn't think of a more suitable title for our littlest student!They just HAD to get me in there!

Getting Prepared...

Well, I am sitting here thinking about how much fun this year in homeschooling has in store for us,  yet seriously trying hard not to forget how every year I romanticize the start of the new school year. 

Perfect little well behaved children sitting at their desks, focused, quiet, well groomed, sitting up straight, eager to learn, willing to cooperate, baby playing quietly and very content, at my feet.  Can you hear the record scratch yet?  Far from that, the reality is more closely resembled to, uh...well...something out of an old Calgon commercial! 

Reluctant children slouched over their desks, one complaining that she's tired, another screaming because the baby is dumping her crayons all over the floor and proceeding to eat them, another loudly calling, "Mom, Mom, Mom..Mom...MOM!!"  Perhaps one is already starting to work in his workbook, trying to yell over the commotion that he's ready and begging for me to help him.  Yep, all the while I am thinking, 'There is no way I will be able to make it through the next 5 minutes, let alone the entire school year,  I surely have lost my mind!  Why, that school bus should be here any minute, maybe I should load them on it after all!'

Yes, I recall now, the first week or two is really more about character training, and discipline, and heavy review of the rules.  After that it is smooth sailing, for the most part.  Deep breaths!  'I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.' -Phil 4:13

I think though, that this year will be different, because unlike years past, we are starting on a different path.  A different method altogether.  The Charlotte Mason method. We are starting year 1 of a 5 year plan in a curriculum called My Father's World.  Exploring Countries & Cultures. 

I am hopeful that we will survive the first week or two, and maybe, just maybe, we will even have fun!