Fall Unit Study Wrap-up

For the month of September, our unit study was "fall." Graham did lots of fun activities and projects to go along with our unit study. Among them were:

*Made fall tree cupcakes

*Made a fall "wreath" out of leaves and acorns collected outside

*Completed a "Leaf" booklet

*Made a picture frame out of acorns

*Did a science experiment to help us understand why leaves change color

*Made "Bountiful Beauty Baskets" and went on a nature walk.

Here is Graham on our nature walk:

And here is little guy along for the ride!

On our nature walk, we found these fuzzy balls on the backs of leaves.  We (I) assumed them to be caterpillar eggs of some kind.

Here's Graham looking over his "eggs" a little more closely back at the house.

We decided to put our cute little eggs in our butterfly observatory.

After a few days, nothing happened so I decided to do a little investigation.  It turns out they were actually unfertilized wasp eggs.  YUCK!  Back outside they went.

With all of our collected things from our nature walk, we made a giant graph on the cement.  First we graphed by leaf color, and then we graphed by type of item.

For this unit study, here are some of the fall-themed books Graham and I read:

Our next unit study will be on voting, elections and presidents.  Although most of my monthly units are for Graham,  this one will also involve Isaac.  I am so excited to teach the boys about our great nation and help them learn a bit more about our upcoming election!

First two weeks of school 2012

We have the first couple of weeks of school done! I am excited about how the year is going so far, but I am WELL aware that a million different things can happen to throw off all of our progress and plans. Here's Isaac on the first day of school. He always gets that weird, crazed look on his face when he doesn't want me to take his picture.

Here's my sweet Graham on our first day.

For something new this year, Isaac has an "Independent Research" time.  Isaac will choose a topic from a master list we have compiled together, and then spend at least a half an hour every day researching this topic.  He can use the internet, our books, library books or netflix.  He has to use two sources per topic, and then he will write a brief summary of what he learned.  Here he is researching Steve Jobs.

We have been having lots of fun for World Geography so far this year.  Isaac and Graham both made paper mache globes.

The second week of geography, we visited China.  We made the Great Wall of China. 

I was proud of the boys, they pretty much did it on their own with minimal guidance from me.

Graham is totally enjoying his school time this year.  In addition to our regular activities, we have a monthly theme and will be doing all sorts of fun things to go along with our theme.  For September, the theme is "fall."  We made fall-tree cupcakes.  After we got done, Graham said, "mom, that doesn't look ANYTHING like the picture we saw."  Oh well.  Cupcake goddess I am not.

Our Homeschool Room 2012-13

I'm so excited for this year's homeschool room. This year, instead of trying to pretend I still had a basement family room, I now have decided to make the entire area a dedicated homeschooling space. Here's the details: New shelf from IKEA. I really love the fact that I can add to this unit throughout the next few years. It is so versatile (you can place it horizontally or vertically), and even Dave was impressed with how well put together it was. I have SO much more storage now for all sorts of things that were homeless before. My Pottery Barn bookshelf I have had since Isaac was a baby has a new home here too! This will feature our favorite books.
I found the "Color Outside the Lines" wall art piece the other day and LOVE it's message for the boys and for homeschooling in general.  You have to be a little "outside the box" to do what we are doing!  I also love my "READ" letters!  The globes are collected pieces from the past few years. (I have more throughout the room).

Double click on photos to enlarge

Because my Graham LOVES this sort of thing, we will have a "theme" shelf which will change with each month's new theme. September's theme is "fall". I have another shelf to utilize some other fall-related things.

This part of the room is almost the same as last year.  This year, I painted our table with chalkboard paint (see closer picture below).  I also acquired a fun old chalkboard which was Dave's grandma's.

This is our reading area.  I love having somewhere to read to the boys or have somewhere they can plop down and read their own books.  I love my art line and used it TONS last year.  The boys love seeing their art featured on the wall.  I leave it up for a few days and then put the more memorable pieces in a storage tote.  The not-so-memorable-pieces get secretly taken to the garbage.

My work area.  We are doing World Geography this year, so we have a world map for Isaac to be able to locate countries, continents and such.  This is also where I keep all of our active curriculum.  One basket on the wall is for working files and things I need to refer to often, the other is for Isaac's work that needs to be corrected.

Here is Graham's work area.  We will have calendar time this year.  The white board will be used for Bible verses for AWANA that he needs to memorize each week.

My chalkboard table!

My behavior plan for the boys this year entails them earning coins that they will be able to save up for items in our "store."

Overall, I am super excited for this year.  Isaac will begin each day with independent seatwork while I finish up breakfast, get the baby down for a nap and begin working with Graham.  After his independent time, we will work together on Bible and World Geography.  Lastly, Isaac will end his school day with independent research and report writing time.  He has a list of different topics of interest he can choose from (I am sure we will be adding to the list frequently throughout the year).  He will spend a half an hour each day researching his topic of choice (using the Internet, books we have or library books).  When he has completed each research topic, he will write a brief summary of what he learned in his report notebook.  I hope for this to become a way for him to increase his self-motivation and independence.
Graham will be working with me on All About Reading, Five in a Row and BOB books.  More updates soon!

Making Plans

It's that time of the year again.  Back-to-School.  This time of the year always leaves me feeling a bit left out, and a bit overwhelmed.  A bit left out because it all seems so exciting for the parents of little ones headed off to public or private school--the purchasing of new school supplies, meeting the new teacher and "back to school night", buying new school clothes and "the" backpack, parental thoughts of having whole days to yourself (without listening to sibling fighting, or complaints of not wanting to do chores or schoolwork!) to focus on work or personal projects.  And it hits me again that I have not chosen this well-travelled road, and it scares me a little.  I remember once again that I stand out on this limb, hovering over an endless crevice of which I know no bottom.  Every year I do this is another year I have not done this before.  I have never homeschooled a third grade boy and a busy five year old (and tried to balance an infant in there somewhere!).  Can I do it?  Anxiety sets in.  And that's when I become overwhelmed at the task.
But then, I click into gear, I start making plans and getting ideas, and the excitement returns.  I start meeting with my fellow homeschool mom-friends again (after our summer-long hiatus), and I remember I am not alone.  I start organizing and planning, and I realize I don't need to cover it "all" in one year, and by focusing on just a few things I can do it better!  And I remember why I am doing this:

(1) To disciple my children in a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father, and instill in them a Biblical Worldview.
(2) To remain close to them throughout their formative years.

I can do this.

Summer Plans

I have been thinking a lot about the goals I have for homeschooling lately, and how those goals might help my boys when they are adults.  I may not cover every academic subject under the sun, but I for sure want my boys to be educated in the things that really matter in life.

One of the things that has really been on my heart to teach them recently has been money management.  I cannot say Dave and I have always been such great stewards of our financial resources.  There are SO many things I wish we would have done differently in our almost 14 years of marriage.  But, I for sure want my boys to have the best chance possible at not making the same mistakes we have.  So, with that in mind, we are starting Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace Jr." this summer.

Isaac is REALLY interested in the spending money part.  The earning and giving part, he needs a little bit of fine tuning on (don't we all?)

As part of this curriculum, he will be expected to earn his commission by doing chores around the house.  He has always been expected to do chores such as cleaning his room, emptying the dishwasher, walking the dog, etc.  This summer, I plan to expand the chores he needs to do.  Not only does he need the experience, I need the help!

In addition to Financial Peace, we will also be following a customized reading plan from Totally Tailored Reading.

Other than that, I hope for there to be lots of fun and memory making for us as a family this summer!

Wrapping up the 2011-12 School Year

Well, another year of homeschooling is officially in the record books!  Today was my first day not doing school with the boys in the morning and I felt totally off-kilter all day.  I am sure I will get used to having the extra time on my hands pretty quickly though!
Isaac worked really hard this year.  Probably the biggest area of improvement for second grade has been his penmanship.  We started out the year learning cursive, and he is now writing cursive very well.
His reading continues to improve.  My biggest challenge at this point is not to rush him.  I have realized that although he is capable of reading at a very high level, his interest wanes when a book is too challenging for him.  This summer, we will be following a reading program from Totally Tailored reading.  For a small fee, you fill out an inventory on your child's likes and interests, and they come up with a reading plan with books tailored to what they like.
Math went well this year, although his year end review had a few more mistakes than I would have like to have seen.  I am anxious to start with a brand new, CD-based curriculum for next year.
For Graham, progress was a little less noticeable, but it is definitely there.  I think the biggest improvement for Graham is in his ability to sit and focus on an activity for a longer period of time.  Although he doesn't have all his letter sounds and names down pat yet, he is well on his way to that milestone.  Next year we will be doing another year of preschool, so I will have plenty of time to get him geared up for reading. Another big milestone for Graham this year has been his ability to write letters!  He can now trace all letters, and can write his name on his own.  This is certainly something he wasn't able to do at the beginning of the school year.
More than anything, I want to work with my boys at the exact level they are at (which is part of the beauty of homeschooling!).  If they are excelling in some areas, I want to challenge them to work even harder.  If they are struggling in some areas, I will work with them until they feel comfortable enough to move to the next level.  I love the freedom homeschooling gives me to create a completely customized educational experience for my precious boys.  As far as educational goals go, I really just want my boys to love learning.  Working with them and meeting them at their level is part of fostering that love for learning.
I recently have had a couple of experiences that have reminded me that homeschooling is outside of the "norm."  Not only is it outside of the norm, it is actually considered to be a little bit weird by some people!  I think I forget that there are disapproving people out there.  I just live my life, do our thing, pray for God's blessing on what I am doing and chug along.  Little do I realize that all along, there are outside observers making some pretty harsh judgements on what I am doing.  I really don't care though...homeschooling has become our way of life over the past few years, and now I can't imagine not doing it! I know my boys are 110% better off for the educational and spiritual teaching I am giving them each day. I am so thankful to live in a country where homeschooling is still one of our precious freedoms.

Is Homeschooling a Biblical Command?

Is homeschooling a Biblical command?  My best short answer to this question?  No.  But, is there strong Biblical support for Bible-centered homeschooling?  Yes.  Obviously, this is a complicated issue, and one I have been asked recently, so I am going to do my best to attempt to answer it.
When I first began homeschooling Isaac as a preschooler in 2008, I can't say I necessarily felt "called" to homeschool.  I also didn't think it would be a sin for me to send him to public or private school (I still don't).  But, fast forward four years, and I can undoubtedly say that God has blessed me in my decision to homeschool a thousand times over.  The blessing comes not only in academic results that I see regularly, but in the relationship I have with my boys, and the path of learning God's Word and developing a Biblical worldview that they are on.  Believe me, there are days that are challenging beyond what I think I can handle.  But, those are also days I see God's Blessing in my decision to homeschool my children.  It is in my weakness that He can become stronger.  This isn't just a Christian platitude...I have seen it's application over and over in my daily life.  Just when I think I don't have the strength to do it anymore, God meets me at the point of my greatest need, and I can go on. 
I'm not one of those homeschoolers that can make a blanket statement that every Christian parent needs to homeschool their children.  There is strong evidence that it is effective in academic pursuits and in helping our children keep a Biblical worldview and have a relationship with God as adults.  There is an overwhelming amount of children, raised in Christian homes and going to public school that end up leaving the faith of their family in adulthood.  That statistic drops way down when the child has been homeschooled.  Do I believe that children can be salt and light in the public school system?  Yes, I firmly believe that.  It happened with me.  Because my faith was challenged in many ways throughout my public school education, I believe it made me a stronger Christian.  I had to know why I believed what I believed so that I could defend myself.  My faith became much more watered-down when I went to college at a Christian school.  I was a child that needed opposition to develop my faith.  My kids could be those type of children as well, but I am not willing to take the risk.
So, I have already stated that I believe God has blessed my decision to homeschool, He walks the path with me, and the empirical evidence strongly supports homeschooling as being academically and spiritually positive for my children.  But, is there an actual verse that one might cite as giving grounds for homeschooling?  Most in the homeschooling community would cite Deuteronomy 11:14-20
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."  Teaching your children is a command given by the Lord in this verse.  And, because of it's constancy (when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down and when you get up), it can be practically applied to a homeschooling situation.  I have much more time with my children than if I were to send them away to school.  Are we constantly meditating on scripture?  No, but I do try to incorporate a Biblical worldview into many parts of our day.  I want the Bible to be so ingrained in them by the time they leave my nest, that living it is as natural as breathing.  There are no guarantees that my children will be the brightest and most spiritually sound people when they are ready to venture into adulthood, but I want to give them the best chance possible to achieve this. 

Salt Dough Map

We are officially done with our tour across the United States!  We finished out the year by making a salt dough map of the United States.  We painted in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, and added Mount St. Helens and Mt. Kilauea and the two major mountain ranges in the US.

It is so nice to be dropping subjects throughout the last weeks of school before summer starts!  We are done with spelling, US Geography and Language arts for the year.

Picnic and Spring Scavenger Hunt

 The weather was SO nice here today, we decided to go for a picnic at the park and do a Spring Scavenger Hunt.  Graham was super excited about the whole thing.  It makes me sad to think about the day when a super-hero lunch bag and a picnic at the park won't make him ecstatically happy.  Oh, and that's his little canteen his grandma bought him at a garage sale a few days ago.  It has been fixed to his body since he got it.

This guy came along for the ride.  He wasn't ecstatic about the whole thing actually.  And that's the nasty scratch he got from his fingernails last night. (Note to self: trim baby's nails.)

This is us enjoying our picnic...

We got our scavenger hunt list from http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/

 We had to find Spring-ish things like an earthworm, something warmed by the sun, some mud, etc.
First and second place participants received a beautiful rubber light-up ring. 

Five in a Row: Very Last First Time & Volcano fun

We just completed our FIAR "Very Last First Time." This is a charming and suspenseful story of a little Inuit girl from the Ungava bay area in Northern Canada. As part of Inuit tradition, she goes alone to collect mussels at the bottom of the sea, under the ice, when the tide goes out. We did a little research and found out this is something that the Inuit people still do. We found the above video about the dangers of mussel hunting.
Click here to find out more.
Here are some of the other activities we did in our row:
*Discussed Inuit culture and the Arctic region. We found Ungava bay on the world map. We went through the illustrations in the book and compared and contrasted Inuit culture to our own.
*We looked at the illustrations of the book, and identified that they were drawn using the method of pointillism (made up of hudreds of tiny dots of paint.) I had remembered Isaac's aunt Holly drawing a picture for art class using the same method, so I asked her to send me a picture of it so I could show Isaac.

*We talked about safety and crisis thinking. When Eva goes below the surface of the frozen ocean, her candles burn out, and she hears the tide coming back in. For a moment, she panics until she remembers what to do. We talked about the five steps to remember when in a crisis situation: (1) calm down, (2) don't panic, (3) be quiet, (4) think carefully! (5) ask: what am I supposed to do?
*We identified the following scientific terms and discussed their application to the story: Tides, Biome, Echo, Ocean Life and Sea Salt. We looked through some books with pictures of an arctic biome and an ocean biome.
For Road Trip USA, we are in the state of Washington. We talked at length about the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and of course, we had to make our own volcano. We've done this before, but we added a few elements this time. We made our volcano out of dirt. In the center, we placed a plastic cup holding baking soda, dish soap and food coloring. We added vinegar and let the explosion begin!
Before eruption

Mid-eruption

Full eruption!

We are winding down for the year! I estimate we will be done with all of our subjects by May 24th. Isaac and Graham have worked especially hard this year and I am SO proud of them!