We've Moved!!

From now on, you can find posts about our schooling and updates on us kiddos intertwined with Mama's pursuits, stories and posts as well.

Mama decided to simplify her online time and moved us all over. I *think* we still plan to speak from the first person over there as well, but I guess you'll need to head over and find out.

Thanks for keeping up with us, see you at our new location!

Couplet Poetry

After reading a fun & whimsical book on homes, Janelle wrote a couplet style poem with a similar theme:

My garage is a house to my bike,

a trail is a house to a hike.

A stage is a house to a play,

while a barn is home to some hay.

A teacup is a house to a spoon,

and the sky is a house to the moon.

A hive is home to a bee,

and I'm glad there's a house for me!

The book is a great read-aloud to any elementary-age child, even pre-school. See if your library has this one!

Consider Quietly

This one is for the homeschooling and any other Mamas reading...from one of my favorite blogs:

"Whenever parents create ceremonies, or a rhythmic routine, around any daily activity, we impose order on the environment, instead of on our children".

Think on this one for a bit. Routine allows the environment to speak to the child, telling them that it's time...for this or for that, but it's time to move on to the next activity or quiet down from the previous one. So we don't nag. We establish routines that speak to our children.

Link of the Week

FreeReading

There are some great phonics and reading activites...and a FREE week-by-week reading program for K and 1st! Includes resources to download such as picture cards and sight words; and several 'how-to' videos. Click on 'Teach the Program' to get started.

Nature Exploration

Hi everyone! Jordyn reporting here...

I LOVE being outside and enjoy escaping out into the sunshine. Why be indoors?, ugh! So in our first week of official school, we've done a lot out of doors. Listening to Mom read, writing, just playing or looking for treasures for our nature table.

This week I found a cicada shell and had SO much fun scaring my sister with it!! It was the best! Which, of course, is not it's purpose as Mom pointed out. Along with learning that my sister does not like bug-looking things, Mom showed me pictures of how cicadas shed their shell. I learned a new vocabulary word (molting) and found out that other animals like birds and snakes molt too!

Hmmm, I wonder if I can find a snake skin to use on my dear sister....

The Beginning

Of another school year! Somehow, we ended up taking more of a break from academics than was originally intended. Maybe the girls being involved in King and I had something to do with it; but oh well, that endeavour was incredibly educational!

We're back to dusting off the books and picking up where we left off or moving forward on new material altogether. We began it all by sitting a spell in the sunlight and reading His Word....


It's going to be a wonderful year! {we'll be back to blogging a bit more regularly too.}

Our 2008-2009 School Year

We have put much time, thought, prayer and conversation into deciding what would be best for the children and for our family this upcoming school year. Trying to take into consideration each child's abilities and needs and yet wanting to keep focused on the values our family holds dear.

One blog post significantly impacted our decisions and helped to shape how we wanted to include each subject into living life. Our homeschool journey is about academics, yes...but also much more about life :: relationships, growing together as a family, and the like. Our family includes Dad, Mom, Jackie (college freshman living at home & helping out), Janelle (5th), Jordyn (K), Josiah (pre-preschooler, age 2.5)

So, in the spirit of the post mentioned, our school year will include:

Listening ~ a way of the Spirit
daily :: Mom reads aloud to all children-the New Testament using the Narrated Bible, continue with catechism for boys and girls, scripture memorization, praise, worship, prayer...listening to His Spirit

Blessings Every Day :: Josiah's favorite! One of the best devotionals for young children we've used.

weekly :: excerpts from Trial & Triumph for understanding of our Christian heritage, Kay Arthur Bible studies for kids--book of John (Janelle, 5th grade)


Love ~ a way of sacrificing
the foundation of everyday family life, learning to love one another :: extending grace, mercy, forgiveness. encouragement will be towards finding ways to demonstrate that love to siblings, parents, spouse to spouse, parents to children


Labor ~ a way of serving
the ability to work is a gift and we do not shirk away from household chores. the children each have a list of responsibilities; summer time & early in the school year is usually a time for training on new chores. this year the older children will train the younger as each is taking on a bit more & moving 'up' in their ability to work. we do manual work in small chunks & responsibilities are separated into morning and then evening chores.

as a family we will also seek to serve others :: making meals, volunteering, etc. as needs arise in our community circles


Loveliness ~ a way of seeing (poetry, nature, music, art) ~ training eyes and ears to take in the beauty of the created & to be in awe of the Creator and Giver

Poetry Patterns for the 5th grader; much reading aloud of quality poetry for all children

Nature backpacks! Mama is working at a bag for each child to include items for our walks: small sketchbook, colored pencils, binoculars, paper bags for collecting, tweezers, field guides, bug houses for the preschooler & kindergartner, magnifying lenses, small nets, flower press for the 5th grader, cameras

Music education :: Mama will teach recorder and piano to Jordyn (K) and violin to Janelle (5th) who will also continue with piano & voice lessons 2x a month each. Though these could happen at home, it's been helpful for Janelle to experience lessons from others. All children will continue to be exposed to a wide variety of music, study the lives of composers (in a fun format of course!) and attend concerts when available

New art idea this year. We currently have on loan 'Picturing France' from the National Gallery of Art--it's free! Slides, large full-color prints, curriculum for art appreciation. Also the Come Look With Me series and Discovering Great Artists will be used periodically. Some of our art appreciation will be incorporated into tea time. There will also be much focus on handcrafts (primarily knitting and embroidery) and several other arts/crafts projects for all children.


Literature ~ a way of seeking, discovery through great books, resources
American history for the 5th grader will include use of the History of US along with A Blessed Heritage to add African-American perspective. Blessed Heritage is very literature-based, so many good books will be read! Continue a bit of ancient studies with A Mystery of History Vol. I

Janelle will read significantly on other subjects as well using our comprehension program (see below). Mom will read aloud selected books throughout the year.

For Jordyn & Josiah (age 5 and 2) we'll continue to read aloud to them for 2 hrs a day. This can be accomplished in our family because everyone else can also assist Mom in this goal!


Language ~ a way of speaking & writing
narrations & copywork to be done weekly for both K and 5th {both links have many ideas on each topic, keep scrolling!}

our 5th grader is taking a Latin course 2 mornings a week, includes vocabulary, grammar and critical thinking studies

Foundations & Frameworks (F & F) reading comprehension program for K and 5th :: this is a curriculum written by a wonderful friend of ours for the school setting. Last summer he trained us on how to incorporate it into our homeschool & we did for 4th; not much info online, the link has basics and materials are only available to those trained--but, we plan to post more about it throughout the school yr. To say it's excellent is an understatement.

F & F will also be used for phonics, grade K, supplemented with readers

French level I for everyone! Mama speaks the language, so this helps.


Logic ~ a way of scaffolding ideas
Saxon 76 Math for the 5th grader
ACSI Math for Jordyn (K)

Science will be taught by Dad this year for Janelle, who is thrilled! Using our state standards, he'll write and put together curriculum with an emphasis on many hands-on experiments. Mom will continue to oversee Health (including physical education)/Nutrition

A Child's Geography

For Jordyn & Josiah, Nature for the Very Young, Early Science Big Books, Exploring God's World of Wonder. The link for the big books is a sample of those we own; wow...these were bought during Jackie's (now in college) early homeschooling years!


Ahhh....it does feel good to have it all written down, even for our own sakes. Our approach will be to tackle the more weighty subjects such as math in the morning hours and after lunch will be available for nature study, art, music, etc. But we remain flexible and open to the need to occasionally change it all up.

Summertime Fun

Sorry!

Yep, the show has come and gone.

Nope. No pics yet. In the cast were those from an actor's union and so personal pics were prohibited during dress rehearsals. Mom didn't know this until dress rehearsal night. BUT, the theatre's professional photographer took excellent shots of each scene for publicity purposes and will be giving a CD of those to each person involved. So, just hold on a little and we'll post when they come in {knowing how theatres work around here, it could be several weeks!}.

The girls had a fantastic time! All 10 shows went very well and Jackie is proud to report that she did not drop the fan at all :: during rehearsals this happened a few times, so she was a bit nervous. She received many compliments on her solo & Janelle was complimented by the lead lady that she has great acting ability! They are both sad to see it end, but it was a fun way to spend the month :: they met people from all over the US, mainly from New York and now have emails to keep in touch.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Jackie turned 18. We had the foresight to celebrate back in June since this month was full. But, hooray and happy birthday Jackie! And huge thanks to Grandaddy for bringing her friend Lauren down from CT for a birthday surprise and to see the show.

{Big breath in and then out} Now, back to normalcy, right?

Yes. A post about our school year plans is forthcoming!

Almost Showtime!

Two days...a little over 48 hours until the first show!! To update, Jackie and Janelle had auditioned back in March at a local theatre for spots in the musical The King and I {wonderful, wonderful if you haven't seen it}. They got news shortly after that they made it in; beginning of April was full of writing up bios & doing head shots {which Mama did on her own & saved oodles of $$$} ::





And then we all waited until rehearsals began just two weeks ago. The pace has been fast, but the girls were prepared. They had watched the musical twice and already memorized their songs. If you're familiar with the production, Jackie landed the part of the wife who does a solo dance ('the fan dance') and Janelle got a speaking part in the children's ensemble (there are just a few). Yes, we're proud of them!

Above the excitement of receiving roles is the thrill of working with actors and actresses who have performed on Broadway numerous times. The lead role of Anna is played by a woman who did the international and national tour of the King and I; and the girls think the king in this show is just as good as the one in the original 1956 musical. The experience has been a tremendously enriching and fun one.

In the midst of it all, we've taken the time to teach priorities. Rehearsals were scheduled each day except Mondays and start time is 10 a.m. Well, this family goes to church on Sunday mornings. :o) We had the opportunity to show that it wasn't necessary to fudge the more important to get ahead; the girls still got significant parts and simply stated they would be ready by noon for rehearsals on Sundays.

In fact, this past weekend, the start time for the entire cast was changed to noon. Hmmm.....

We'll update after opening night!!

Tea Time

It's a past time of many a girl through generations and from around the world :: tea time.

And for one little girl in our household, the tradition continues. Jordyn loves to play tea party. From the time she was a toddler with a little plastic set, then a picnic set of enamelware, and now to beautiful porcelain. She enjoys the process of setting up, choosing a treat and making the tea. At times, the sweet treats are not of the edible variety so that our visits to the dentist stay at check-ups only!

So far this summer, there have been tea parties in her room {no real tea allowed in there}, in the kitchen, the basement and outside under the shade of our maple trees. A collection of stuffed animal friends, or perhaps just a special one are the guests :: of course, Mom, siblings and even Dad in the evenings have been summoned as well to join in on the fun.

Realizing that this is such an enjoyable part of her playtime, we will be incorporating tea time into our schedule for school this year. Together, the girls and Mom will sit down several times a week for a short moment {probably 1/2 hr} to just catch our breath, together.

Maybe there will be a special story shared, poetry read, or a particular music CD to listen to. Or maybe simply a time to anticipate right after doing the hard work of phonics, language lessons or math. The primary agenda will be to enjoy one another and our tea. It's all in development stage right now, but will definitely be a part of our days. Besides, it should be mentioned that this little girl's Mama loves tea time as well!

Feeling Blessed

Just a quick note to report that the blessing party was wonderful. Such a small word to describe the gathering of many women surrounding a teen girl and showering her with encouragement :: with numerous words of praise and of wisdom as she embarks on a new phase of life. Each woman brought their words typed out on card stock {to be placed in a memory book} and also a small gift to symbolize their verbal gift to Jackie. A few highlights:

a silver chain bracelet :: to remind her that her words are like choice silver & to use them wisely

a bilingual Bible :: Jackie studied up to French 4 and Spanish 5; encouragement to use these new 'tongues' to share His word

a striking votive candle holder :: to remind her to shine

a special dance performance to the song Stand by Donnie McClurkin :: a reminder that life will bring its valleys and the appropriate response when they come

Precious. And nothing less than this.

We as a family are tremendously honored to have such pillars of faith and community in our lives. Gratitude swells in our hearts.

Fine Motor Skills

In the last few weeks of school, Jordyn worked on strengthening the muscles in her hands. For her and at age 5, she is still a bit weak on the fine motor end. Knowing that these skills are very much needed for succesful writing in the future, we asked a friend who is an occupational therapist for a simple evaluation. Through just talking with her, it is good to know there is not a serious concern, but she gave several great tips on activities to do beyond what we've tried.

One of Jordyn's favorites has been the clothespins! For this activity, our OT friend told us it was important to hold and pinch the pin with the thumb on top & fingers in back. The string or clothesline should also be eye level. In our picture above, Jordyn is standing up, but was sitting down for this activity. She simply decided for the picture that 'everyone should see my dress and new bracelet'. That girl.

Another activity is transferring items such as cotton balls or cheerios from one bowl to another (or a plate, etc) with a set of tongs. Because Jordyn adores the flashy, the fancy and stays away from anything plain, our cotton balls are shimmery and glittery :: a great dollar store purchase!! And yes, please notice another new bracelet.

Other fine motor strengthening tips:

:: play with clay, it is harder than play-doh

:: cut a small hole in the top of a plastic container and have the child push beans or pasta through the top. the hole should be small enough that it takes a bit of effort to push the item in.

:: a hole punch! draw a simple shape on paper and have them punch around the shape. then use a piece of string to lace.

:: crumple newspaper into a ball using only one hand

:: spray bottles! let them spray plants with water or 'clean' an item using sponges, etc.

:: if you have a magna-doodle, turn it upside down so that the eraser is on top

:: obviously, if the child can use scissors, lots of cutting, cutting, cutting. Jordyn cuts out all of our coupons {later, the ones we don't use are thrown out}.

:: work at a vertical surface as much as possible~ painting or drawing w/chalk at an easel. If you don't have an easel, tape a piece of paper to the fridge. Working at a vertical surface helps to develop hand control at the shoulder, which is a pre-cursor to more refined motor control at the hand

:: and a last one...don't throw out those old broken-up crayon pieces! have the child work at coloring with a small piece of crayon (1 to 2"); this 'forces' them to use the tripod grasp needed for writing (2 fingers opposed to the thumb).

More Grad Pics

Josiah on Theology

In the last several weeks of school, the girls worked on some basic foundational theology in a question & answer style. We've borrowed a bit from the Reformed reader catechism for boys and girls and have chosen the ones that we felt were essential {or that we concurred with}.

Well, Josiah had his own set of questions as well! And here he is in complete two-year old fashion reciting 'my questions' as he is fond of calling them. If you need interpretation, which you may, click on the link above! LOL!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

She's Done!

Cooperative weather for an outdoor ceremony :: smiling graduate, yet dealing with emotions we can't see on the surface :: family members supportive, beaming :: parents so proud :: siblings not fully understanding, but excited nonetheless :: 533 other seniors, now alumni of the school :: pictures, pictures, pictures :: a very, very special day, memories created for the long-term

Vote!

No, it's not encouragement on the presidential race!

But homeshooling families, have you seen the article in PARADE magazine on homeschooling? It is a short one and includes a poll asking if parents should have credentials to educate their children. Please take the time to look at this and vote with a resounding 'NO', which is currently the majority by 95%.

The California case has the nation talking....it's a small & perhaps insignificant article, but let your voice be heard. There is a place to leave comments as well.

Some Friends and a Fire

Yep, teenagers love a fire. So we found out!

Jackie's graduation party last weekend for her friends was a wonderful success! Plenty of seniors, food (menu changed at the last minute from hamburgers/hot dogs to nachos), lots of space and a volleyball net, and the stuff for s'mores and a fire :: all the necessary ingredients for a fun & l-o-n-g after 10p.m. party (the time it was sorta kinda set to end. ha!)

Today grandparents are coming in and we celebrate the BIG day tomorrow with a Mexitalian lasagna, salad and garlic bread lunch. Celebration #2!! The lasagna recipe that will be posted in Mom's site.

We're Done

{Huge exhale from Mom}.

Our school year is officially done today. In our state, the law requires that we record having had school for 180 days....

Welcome Day 180, you're finally here!

Shouldn't there be a special gift for the teacher? :o)


over the next few weeks, we'll review some of the highlights besides the ones we've posted about and also share what's in store for next yr as far as curriculum plans & such. for now, we're off this weekend to visit extended family at our huge family reunion! have a great weekend.

But, why not?

Yeah! I can run around outside in my pajamas! So what if the footsies are getting muddy because it's wet outside? This is the life...adventure all the way! Now that I can open the back door, everyone watch out.

Awww, bummer. Mommy caught me. Gotta go inside.

Sugar & Spice

Our church has a girls' club entitled GEMS where part of the purpose is for women in the congregation to interact and teach girls 4th-6th grade. Once a month everyone comes together and a few women share practical skills. There is also time for devotionals, games, creative movement & worship and lots of laughter!

The end of the year activity was a tea party! Very special as the girls learned etiquette and table manners appropriate for such an event.

After a summer break, it will all begin again in September! Janelle really enjoyed this new ministry focused on younger girls. Jackie assisted each month with teaching the creative movement dance to a smaller group of the girls, who presented the song "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" in church on Mother's Day. Worshipful and Beautiful!

I'm a BIG BOY!

So, I've been trying to tell everyone that I'm growing up. Josiah is no longer a baby. Hmmmm, not too sure that they have been listening, so I felt the need to demonstrate my maturity.

I climbed out of the crib.

I can't fully describe the exhilarating feeling of escape! The look on Mommy's face after she heard little feet running around and finding me sitting at the top of the stairs was....as Mastercard would say....priceless. I kinda was aiming for the shock effect.

I simply said "Hi Mommy!! I'm a big boy!!"

So off went the crib. At 2.5 yrs old, I think Mommy needs to let go and release me into full-blown toddlerhood. I got to help Daddy take the crib down:

And now, my big boy bed is on the floor. I am SO happy!!

the red, white & blue blanket is one Janelle made for me before I was born. Thank you Janelle.

A Do-Again Field Trip

Yes! We would do this field trip all over again. I'm (Janelle) going to report since I probably have the most to say {don't laugh those who know me!}.

The trip to the White House complex was a great experience! I felt so important and honored to be walking around where the offices of some very prestigious people are. Security is a really big deal! Here we are getting our badges to enter:

Well, yes. The whole briefing was a bit over my head, but I caught on to one major thing: not everyone finishes high school and there are more dropouts than ever!! I was really so shocked! I guess at nine-years old you don't know everything. Typical to my nature Mom says, I told my Dad that we needed to do something. Of course, that was the reason for him being there.

We had the opportunity to hear Alma Powell speak, wife of Colin Powell. She spoke on the fact that even though some kids are graduating, they may not be ready for college. I thought she was a great speaker & seemed to know what she was talking about. Yeah! Got to grab a picture with her:

And, we really were SO close to the White House, right on the same grounds. Here is a peek outside of the window on the floor where we were:

Overall, it was good to be there. I need to think a bit more about what I can do because I feel the need to DO something. My parents said I can start by graduating from high school. Ha! Ha!

I came home and wrote a mini report on all I saw and experienced and some of my ideas. Maybe I'll share them at some point!

It Wasn't Too Bad

The days in the hospital weren't too bad. I got lots of attention and really enjoyed talking to ALL of the nurses, doctors and other staff! I'm pretty sure I left my mark on the place.

I'm feeling better, breathing better and home on meds. Thanks for praying everyone!!

I Love My Dad's Job

Well, at least one of my dad's 'occupations' since he also is one of the pastors in our church. Janelle here writing to say that I LOVE my dad's other job as an educational consultant. Want to know why? When he travels, I can sometimes go along to some really cool places.

So this morning I find out that I'm going TO THE WHITE HOUSE tomorrow! Woohoo!!

Okay, actually it's the White House complex, but it's just about the same thing right?

We'll be attending a policy briefing on "The Dropout Epidemic in the U.S." Whoa. Sounds very important and Mom says that even if it's over my head, I should pay attention. And, I may get to meet Colin Powell's wife who is speaking. There will only be about 100 attendees, so maybe I'll get a shot at a picture or something! It all seems very intriguing to me and I'm very excited to go! We even had to send in my full name, SSN and date of birth for security reasons and have to show up early to get checked out.

This is definitely a super cool field trip. I'm going to try and convince Jackie to go along as well, since permission was given for both of us to attend. I'll tell you more about it & post pictures if I can get any. Tootles!

Less Than 30 School Days....

....until graduation!! Hello once again everyone, it's Jackie the senior here.

Yes, only a precious few more days of this side of my educational journey. A few more busy days as well! There are exams coming up, end of the year activities, grad practices and all of the like. It's a full month and somewhere in there my family also has stuff going on--Mother's Day plans and our my dad's annual extended family reunion. So, it's going to be a fun time as you can tell!

I've been getting a little tired of everyone asking me what I'm doing after high school. Specifically, where am I going to college and what am I studying?? {sigh}

Now, don't get me wrong, I want to go and have a sketch of a plan, but the pressure to 'have it all together' is a bit much. Fortunately, my parents & I are of the viewpoint that I don't have to figure it all out before September! Right now, their strong encouragement is that I finish well. Then, take a breath over the summer and start some general courses in the fall...all the while pausing, thinking, praying and discerning. I think I'll do that! This summer I'm especially excited to have a part in the musical The King and I at a local theatre; Janelle got a part as well, so get to share that together.

On another note, Mom and I are busy talking & sharing about plans for the upcoming celebrations, namely my grad party and my blessing party. In our home at age 13, 18 (which I'll be this summer!!) & before we get married (which is NOT on my agenda right now) we have a time of blessing with our parents and other significant adults who have been people of influence in our lives. My 2nd round of blessing is coming up and besides my dad who will be there at the beginning, it's all women involved.

I plan to make it very feminine and full of pastels (because I still love the color pink), and am browsing through magazines for ideas. See the pics--either of these might be a style for the invitations. We've already contacted the about 10-13 women who are invited to 'save the date', but haven't sent out formal invites yet. What do you think?

above: the one on the left with the ribbon & twigs?

below: this one in pastels?

The blessing party is at the end of June & will be in our home, so I'm also thinking of decorating some with florals....we thought this was a cool idea to do around the ceiling, except that the word would NOT be 'fairy'!!


Well, it's time to make up our minds Mom says! So, I need to figure all that out.

My parents are also letting me have a drop-in party for friends at the end of May (volleyball, outdoor games, FOOD, and such), AND a brunch for our family members that come for the actual graduation event on June 5th. THREE special times of celebration...yeah!

So, instead of blogging--let me get to my party planning. See ya!

Time to Plant!

Both children are SO excited to get these into pots! We'll keep updating.

Spring Science

Since the talk around our home is about gardening, we thought it would be a good idea to post some of our favorite books on the topic! These have been checked out of the library, so hint, hint grandparents--we don't own them and would love to! No pressure or anything.

Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots ~ a great book on gardening together with our parents! Fun and informative as well. We really like this one.

Up, Down, and Around ~ wonderful for preschoolers! Here we learned about veggies that grow underground, some that grow above ground and others that grown all around the garden.

The Vegetables We Eat ~ a good source of info on how various veggies are grown and then the process of how they get to our grocery store. We learned much about how botanists catagorize veggies--by the part that we eat: tuber, leaf, stem, bulb, flower bud, root, seed, or fruit.

A Seed is Sleepy ~ this is Mom's personal favorite, you can find her looking through it on her own! This book has gorgeous illustrations and information on seeds and their 'abilities'. Such as...a seed is clever: it knows to seek the sunlight, to push itself up, up, up through the soil.

In all of this talk and reading, Mom has also explained that God planned for seeds to do their job from the very beginning of creation. Isn't that amazing? He made every tree, every plant, every fruit with the ability to make more of itself. That way, He wouldn't have to keep speaking words of creation every time we needed more fruit or another tree somewhere. In one word, He planned for it to go on, and on, and on....Wow! How super-duper intelligent of God!!

Oh, one more book: One Bean, which inspired this project:

We're growing beans! A bean is a seed that we can eat; and we started it off by placing two between wet paper towels. Their hard skin will get soft and wrinkly and begin to sprout. We'll update as we go along!

Boyhood

exploring, seeking, playing, finding...water, sunshine, tall grasses & rocks.

and one little boy enjoying it all.