The Old Schoolhouse...

Hello friends...well, we are officially on Fall Break this week so I thought I would post some pictures from over the last couple of weeks. We have been busy learning, reading, tweaking, understanding and learning to follow our rhythms as a homeschooling family. It is amazing to become a student of your children. Every day something implies a new responsibility on my part and it blows me away that God would allow me this honor!!

I have seen Aly on the verge of a crazy fixation with I*MUST*DO*IT*ALL*NOW and I watched my Lili on the brink of a nervous breakdown because her "A" didn't have the perfect point at the top...never mind that she had never written and "A" before and she is only 3!!! Nothing would convince her that it didn'g have to be perfect the first time and nothing would stop her from staying the course until it WAS perfect!!!

I learned very very quickly that if this continued, we would ALL IMPLODE in a matter of weeks!! So...I started backing off of everything and taking it MUCH slower. I know that it is MY responsibility to see that she doesn't burn out and learns to pace herself. I also need Lili to see that model as she is doing her preschool work and getting ready to follow in Aly's footsteps! Cause...um...we will all be in the nut house if Lili doesn't get a grip before 1st grade...talk about high strung!!!! I also have found that Aly loves to teach Lili what we have been learning...which helps her to see the other side of the situation. She is really good at helping to calm Lili down when her head starts to spin around...which in turn, helps Aly. Does that make any sense??? It is also hilarious when Lili corrects Aly on something we are doing!!! "No Aly...bicycle has three syllables not two!"

I scrapped all the Language, math and science plans...and found some curriculum that was MUCH lighter. I bought "First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind" she loves loves loves it (so do I...I highly recommend it!!) The lessons are very short, very to the point and very well done! They build on each other and the book covers 1st and 2nd grade as thoroughly as anything else I have seen! It was written by Jessie Wise who is the mother of Susan Wise Bauer ("The Story of the World" series)

Then I scrapped the plans for Math. Aly is blessed with a brain that is able to grasp concepts far beyond her years...it is really insane. She has been doing a lot of math for several years now so it was hard to know where to jump in with her and not burn her out. So, now we are keeping a Math Journal and she does a series of word problems each day where she has to work the problem by drawing her answer and showing her work. The questions cover a multitude of concepts and keeps her in the "mindset" of math. It also is helping her to "see" math all around her and not just working a long list of problems on a page. I was amazed with all the books available about Math. I don't mean textbooks or curriculum, but just fun books that teach so much!!! One of her favorites is "Math Curse" by Jon Scieszka. I read it over and over and over!! Another one she loves is "The Librarian Who Measured the Earth" by Kathryn Lasky. Each week at the library I bring home tons of "Math books" and she is totally enthralled with them. Currently she has figured out how to do Multiplication so she is very excited. I'm not even going there yet, but she understands the concept so when we get to that...she should do very well. One of her favorite Math problems is to figure out all the ways she can get to a certain number...through addition, subtraction, or multiplication (10 = 5+5, 6+4,
11-1, 12-2, 2x5, etc...) In January we are planning to start "Math on the Level" (also here ) and I think it is going to be a great fit!!! I can also start Lili on it as well.

Now Science was a mess!!! I had decided to not use a formal curriculum yet as she is only 5 and so I planned to just begin to teach her the basics to get her ready to start a good science curriculum next year. Well...I found myself having to comment and filter everything through our Christian beliefs when I presented it to her. I knew that something had to give when she started filtering it before I could even say anything. "I know Mom...the earth isn't REALLY billions of years old!!!" "I know Mom...people aren't animals" etc...
Come on...there has to be a better way to teach my 5 year old science through the eyes of our Creator and not through some humanistic colored glasses!!! So I went to Answers in Genesis and found the answer to my problem ..."God's Design for Science" There are 4 modules that span from 1st - 8th grade. We are starting with "God's Design for Life" It has the Biblical Worldview that we want and it is exciting for Aly. and I love that I can show her the miracles of God's workmanship while teaching her science!!

The most important change we made was the time spent outdoors! David takes them outside, to the park, around the neighborhood, where ever!! At least three days a week. We do not live in an area that allows the girls to go outside and play in the yard. We don't have a fenced in area and there is a good bit of traffic and it just isn't conducive to letting them out to play. But, they are loving the time with David, I get a much needed break, and they are sleeping much better at night!!!

I think I told you before that we go to the library every Friday and usually bring home no less that 50 books. I have a rolling cart that we fill to the brim with books that they pick out and books that I order online through our inter-library loan system. (I love that I can sit on my computer at midnight and pour through lists of books that I want to read to the girls and with the click of a mouse I request them and a few days later I get an email telling me that my book requests are waiting on me to pick them up!!) We love love love reading time and I love that Aly also loves to read to her sister...which is great when I need to fold a load of laundry!!

Books!!

Books!!!

...and more books!

Oh...I forgot the books!!! "Girls? Are you ready to read before lunch ?" Aly appears with a tall glass of water for me and Lili runs around the house tracking down my reading glasses...I guess that means "YES!!"

Lili working on her Pre-Math skills

Notice that she is drawing...so she is using her Left hand.

she is concentrating SO hard!!

This requires TWO crayons, but I am ready!!!

Aly working on measuring with a ruler.

How many inches is that line?

I did it!!! This was fun!!! What else can I measure?

Spelling test in a few minutes...I know I can do it!!!!

I just love this video of Lili!!! It is kind of long, but worth it!!!

Blessings to you~

In HIS Mighty Grip

Our first field trip!!

David and I decided that it was time for a field trip, so we planned a day of it. Dad took us out to lunch first at our favorite sandwich shop...The Cheese Wheel! Then we headed off to the Fire Department here in St. Augustine. I had called ahead and we scheduled our visit for Friday at 1:30. So we got the grand tour!! The girls had a blast! I laughed at Aly because she had so many questions. They really enjoyed their visit with all the firemen and we offer up a sincere THANK YOU to all the firemen for treating us so well and for all they sacrifice to help keep us safe!! Here Mr Fireman shows the girls all the "gear" and explains it to them. I was so pleased that they were so interested in it all. They really paid attention and asked some good questions!

Here is little Tiger Lili. She was so excited that she only had one question..."Where is the firedog!!!" Our new friend Brandon sadly told us that they didn't have one!! Lili was very sad, but quickly recovered when I pulled the camera back out!!

"What is that mask thingy you are putting on your face??"

Here is Aly with her list of questions for him.

Pictures with their new buddies!

These gentlemen were all around the back of the truck until I said that there were two beautiful young ladies that wanted to have their picture taken with them....they quickly

headed to the front!!

Gotta love a photo op with pretty girls!!!

The girls even got firehats out of it.

We rounded out the day with a banner trip to the library. I have a folding crate on wheels that goes to the library with us and this day was no exception. We came home with 54 books!!! Whew...we did a lot of reading this past week!!
Just got some new Science curriculum...I'll update more later...time to start dinner!

Blessings~

Our little schoolhouse update...

Well, we are about 2 1/2 weeks into our homeschooling adventure and I thought I would post some pictures so you can see that we really are doing it and we really are surviving!!! I am feeling a bit more comfortable and falling into habits, Aly is a good bit less high-strung and starting to really get into the swing of things and Lili is having a blast learning to write her letters and she is starting to understand that she doesn't get to get up and walk away from the table telling me, "No Mamma, I don't want to do that!" Ah...life with Lili...never a dull moment!!! :-)

Anyway...here are the pics ...enjoy...

Lili and her new favorite book. I highly recommend it!! I am amazed at what comes out of that little brain...she really has some amazing thoughts!!!

Such beautiful illustrations and such thought provoking questions!!

She was so proud of her Lion!!

Day one of our Science "experience" (she doesn't call them experiments, but instead prefers to call them experiences!!!) about water evaporation.

Yes, we did indeed lose water due to evaporation and there are indeed air molecules in there! Thanks Magic Schoolbus!!

Copywork time. Must improve that handwriting and get that address memorized!!

Aly was learning about syllables and decided to teach Lili. I about fell out of my chair when Lili corrected her on one word...it was hilarious!!!

The girls are memorizing the books of the Bible. I printed them out on index cards for them and they were putting them in order.

Some goodies from our nature walk. We couldn't stay out too long as the bugs were vicious!!!!

We have been studying about Florida and during a break Lili came out in this getup. We laughed at the hat. It had gotten smashed in the dress-up chest and amazingly it looked somewhat like a Spanish Conquistador helmet!!! Rather approriate for the study and the town where we live! Even the horse got in on the act.

Aly LOVES doing Sudoku puzzles. Sometimes she helps me with the one in the paper, but I started printing them out for her to do during math time and she has a ball with them.

Here is the completed Lion from the video above. She was so proud of herself!!

I continue to remind myself daily of the awesome privilege and opportunity I have been given , along with David, to raise up these children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord."

(Eph 6:4)

Aly prayed the other morning before we started school. She thanked God that we lived in a country where we were allowed to homeschool. Then she asked God to "please keep it that way!"

"Teach them God's decrees and give them his instructions. Show them
how to conduct their lives." Ex 18:20

In HIS Mighty Grip~

Yep...it's almost that time!!

We start school on August 31st!!! WHOOO HOOOO!! I don't know which one of us is more excited...Aly or me...or even Lili. Okay...so Lili won't be officially Homeschooling this year since she is only three, but you can bet your bottom dollar that she will be right in the middle soaking up so much!!

I have to pause here and tell you a Lili story...

Yesterday afternoon the girls were playing on their computer while I started dinner. They were on a website that had this really cool game where you could make up star constellations and see real ones too. Anyway, they were playing away and I heard Lili say to Aly, "WOW Aly...those are beautiful constellations! Do you think that Mamma will teach us about the constellations this year in school?" I never even heard Aly's response as I was too busy laughing at the fact that Lili even knew what a constellation WAS!!


After I stopped laughing I was really brought around to a very sharp truth...one that scares me and thrills me at the same time...Lili really will be right there learning along with Aly this year. She will pick up on everything and probably give Aly a run for her money in some areas! I can't wait to see how they BOTH blossom this school year!! This is one of the things that most excites me about homeschooling...it is sort of the "one room school house of old" idea!! I definitely won't be able to just pass down Aly's curriculum and lesson plans to Lili because she will be so ahead of the curve on much of it. Everything will have to be revamped to suit where she is at the time.


Speaking of lesson plans...I have been going crazy getting our lesson plans ready for this year. It has been very interesting to say the least as I am not really sure how it is all going to fall into place for Aly. She wants to learn everything RIGHT NOW!! She would home school 14 hours a day if I would do it. I am trying to have enough material to keep her busy should she take off like a comet, but I must make sure to not pile on too much and frustrate her.


I have lots and lots of reading lined up for each subject (we are CM'ers and LOVE the library!) and lots of fun activities to supplement as well.


We will be doing Language Arts: Vocabulary and some basic grammar. I have lots of fun supplements like MadLibs, online games and other games on hand to keep her busy too!


For Social Studies/Geography: we are learning about the 50 states. We started this last spring and she can't wait to get back into it. I am supplementing that with the "Which way USA" collection from Highlights. We get two new states each month along with a map of those states. The books have all sorts of fun activities to do to help you learn about the state and you use the map to answer questions and such as well. She learns all about the history of the state, the flag, the capital, basic geography, people and industry, and other fun information. We just got the next two books yesterday in the mail and was so over the fact that I wouldn't let her do it right then!

If needed, in January we will add in A Child's Geography. If not, then we will start it next Fall.


Science will consist of: Weather, Seasons, measurements, basic systems of the body and her Animal notebook. Her animal notebook is where she studies one animal of her choosing and then in her notebook she draws a picture of the animal and writes some basic facts about the animal that she learned. So far we have a Loggerhead Turtle and a Crocodile! (the week she does snakes, I'm planning a trip to the south of France so I can relax and not think about the animal that FREAKS ME OUT the most!!!) WHEW...okay....I'm better now. Moving on....


Oh...by the way...all of these things she notebooks. Notebooking is so much more FUN than testing!!! ( It also takes care of our portfolio requirement for the county) Basically, notebooking means that you learn all about something and then you take a piece of paper and fill it up with pictures and stories and whatever else you want to fill it up with concerning what you just learned. Kind of like a scrapbook. Then you add it to the appropriate notebook...Science, language arts, geography, math...whatever. We LOVE TO NOTEBOOK!!


For History: we will be learning about some historical people instead of events at this point. We will spend about two weeks on each person and do lots and lots of reading and even a few videos and field trips thrown in for good measure. Of course she will not only Notebook them, but she will enter them into her "Book of Centuries". It is a big three ring binder that we made a timeline in. It is so cool and she can add to it for years to come!!


Math should be fun: Continuing work on addition and subtraction, money, telling time, word problems (she LOVES these), 100's chart, and number lines. Oh...and she also wants to learn about graphs and charts??? Go figure!! We haven't formally starting working on fractions, but she loves to measure stuff when we cook and pretty much has the whole, half, quarter thing down pat. I think we will just keep working on that as the opportunity presents itself during the day.


Oh...lest I forget foreign language time: She wants to learn Chinese in the worst way, but I think we are going to wait a bit on that. We are, however, going to continue in our Sign language class. She knows a good amount of signs, but I think we are going to focus on fingerspelling and reading someone else fingerspelling. Found a GREAT website to practice that!!!!


The most important subject we will do is our Bible time: That will constist of Character Training (using Polished Cornerstones and Instructions in Righteousness ) Bible Memorization, Bible study and memorizing the books of the Bible. She and Lili already have them memorized up to about Job so we will just review and pick up where we left off. Oh and we will be learning two new hymns each month. I KNEW that I wanted to continue with this after they learned "O Worship the King" and I listened to them sing it at the top of their lungs in Walmart one day. What an awesome witness that was!!! To me and to everyone who heard them and stopped and commented to me at how it brought a smile to their hearts to see these two little girls holding hands singing it not caring a bit who was listening.


We will also be doing Copywork to work on her handwriting and some poetry reading. Obviously I will be doing much of the reading, but she is reading so well, that I will be letting her do a good bit of it. She loves to read to her sister too...which is a great help when I need to occupy them while I am doing something!!!


Oh...I almost forgot her daily sketch pad. She has a sketch pad that she takes outside and picks something to draw. It might be a plant or an lizard...whatever. She just draws it, dates and describes what it is. She started this in the spring, but we didn't get to keep up with it much this summer. She is looking forward to doing it again!


Okay...well the girlies are driving me nuts to go outside and play, so I better get going before they start a Mutiny!!!


I'll add more to this as the school year starts and moves on!!!

Blessings In HIS Mighty Grip

what's new at our school...

Well, we are having such a grand time doing all sorts of stuff! The girls are busy memorizing the 23Psalm, and learning new hymns. Oh how they both love to sing! I have an old hymnal and have been trying to pick out some of the older ones. I thought that they would turn up their noses, but they LOVE it!! Aly's current favorite is "I have decided to follow Jesus" and Lili's is "Near the Cross". We gave Poppy (my dad) a concert this morning. He was in quite the bad mood and it certainly lifted his spirits!!

Aly is busy learning all about nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and the like. I wasn't EVEN going there yet, but when I found a Mad-Libs site online and was telling her about how much fun I used to have with those things when I was a kid, she wanted to play. It didn't take her long to realize that she needed to know what a noun was before she could participate. Needless to say she had a ball doing Mad-Libs with me! I tried to explain plural vs singular and she quickly cut me off and told me she knew what that meant...sure enough...she did!! So when I was getting dinner in the oven this afternoon, she wandered around the kitchen finding every noun she could discover and picking adjectives to describe them all. I couldn't believe that she actually got it and so quickly. I think I have my work cut out for me with these two!!

I am really trying to find things for her to learn that will not only stretch her mind, but things that she will use at some point. So, we have started memorizing the books of the bible. I stumbled across this great link for learning them in order but with some sense of understanding them (not just mindless memorization) Anyway, click here and check it out. Aly loved it and Lili was parroting her as usual. We are just doing one section at a time and taking it slowly.

A few days ago we were looking through some books and there was a picture of the United States. She knows where we live (Florida) and where we used to live (TN) and where David's family lives (South Carolina), but that is about it. Oh...I forgot, she knows where Canada is!! LOL Anyway, she asked me when we were going to learn "what all the states are called". So I printed out a blank map of the USA and put it in her folder. We started with what we knew (FL, TN, SC, AK) and I wrote the abreviation on those states and then she used different colored pencils and colored those states in. Then she picked out 4 more states at random. I told her what they were and we did the same with those. She wanted to go on, but I told her that was enough for her brain today. Anyway, I figure once we can get through that map and she has a rough idea what is what, then I have some online games that she can play to nail them all down really well.

My little type-A discovered the dictionary this past week. She now wants to look everything up. So we are having fun looking up every word she doesn't know and I can't wait to start hearing some of those words show up in her conversation. I can't remember what it was, but she used some big word the other day and David and I just looked at each other bewildered. She used it correctly...I didn't teach it to her, but she absolutely knew it!! I signed up for one of those "word a day" sites on the web. I figure I better get a jump on my vocabulary or I won't be able to understand her soon!!! :-)

In HIS Mighty Grip~

Wassuppp???

Hello all...just a little update on My and My little Type A...

We have been working on our memorization. Everything from bible verses to days of the week and the like. She loves to memorize! Then she loves to teach it to her sister. They say that teaching something to someone else is the best way to learn it yourself...so she is just reinforcing it all by helping Lili learn it!! You go girls!!

Aly hasn't shown much interest in working on her 100 easy lessons reading book lately. I am trying to give her some latitude on it. She has been very interested in working on her Dolch site words and also her phonics flash cards, so we have been focusing there the last few days. I am noticed that she is also teaching those to Lili, so it is sinking in. She pulls out a book to "read" to Lili and spends half the time pointing out words and letter combinations to Lili. She tells her what they sound like and helps her to pronounce them. They are both doing very well with that.

Aly has showed a renewed interest in her leap pad books that show phonics as well. I think that as she is understanding it better, she is realizing what those books were talking about and it is all starting to click.

I ususally give her a math worksheet each day at some point, but most of our math is "real life" stuff like "how many plates are still in the sink after you put two in the dishwasher?". She counts everything and has started making up her own "word problems" of sort. "Mom, I put three bowls in the cabinet and there are two bowls left on the counter. So how many bowls are there all together?"

"Uuuummmmmm...six?"

"No Mom...try again"

"Uuuuummmmmm...four?"

"Oh Mom...we really need to work on our math skills!"


We have been working on chores and obedience skills...I have added chores to her morning routine and she is doing very well!! This is aly loading the dishwasher.

Here is Tiger Lili working on Fine motor skills by stringing cheerios on the ribbon. This was followed shortly by Lili working on her eating skills as she took everyone of them off and ATE them!!! LOL

My Little Type A loves to work on her writing skills. Yesterday I was doing something and she was working on the letter "H". I told her to work on it and bring me her book when she was done. She looked at me funny and said, "Mom...you didn't say it" "I didn't say what honey?" "You didn't say the thing about excellence and God being perfect!! You have to say it!!"
"Okay...Aly, don't forget our Motto...you should always do your very best...Excellence, not perfection...God's job is perfection...ours is excellence!"
"Thanks Mom!" Thats my Little Type A!!!!

Today I am going to inlist the help of my little ankle biters to put up a history timeline down the hallway!! I am going to put up a bunch of paper all the way down the hall, draw a line down the middle, mark off about every 25 years or so and then leave it there forever!! Okay, well not forever...but for a long long long time (until David makes me take it down!!:-)

Anyway, every time we learn something that has a date associated with it, we will go mark it on the timeline. Not that either of them will understand it now, but as we continue to mark events on our wall of time, they will start to get it...and we will a really cool wall of time to show for it!!

We also are starting an English Language notebook. A three ring binder, with a section for letters and also letter combinations and phonics rules, etc. Then she can begin to record for herself what she is learning in "her own words". Samples of her work, examples of it, practices of it, etc.

I am trying to create a good atmosphere of learning for the girls, so that they are excited about learning, so their memory is enriched, so they will have a good capacity for learning. I want to instill in them a good work/service ethic and sow in them the ability to honor God and us.

These are all things that will be a good foundation for all of their later learning. We certainly don't have it all right and all perfect, but I think we are off to a good start!!!

Okay...My little Type A has the paper and the tape and the ruler and the markers all on the table and she is chomping at the bit to start on her "Wall of History"...I better go before she IMPLODES!!! :-)

Blessings and happy learning~
Shelley

Some more details to ponder...

Okay...so time is getting short. I haven't yet finished our homeschool area, but that is okay...our version of homeschool this year is still evolving anyway. So, the dining room table and the big club chair in the living room work just fine for now! :-)

I thought I would just put down onto paper (or computer screen as the case may be) our schedule of sorts. It isn't really a firm schedule, but more of a rough game plan of things we want to accomplish. None of it is etched in stone. The last thing I want to do to my four year old is to put her into SCHOOL at HOME. We are just going to continue learning like we have been, only we have an rough outline to follow now. Some goals.

For the last few weeks I have been thinking so much about where we are heading...my little type A and me. I have discovered a few truths that I will share along as we go...

1-It is hardly going to be just me and my little type A...The TigerLili (who is 2) is right on our heels and WILL NOT suffer to be left out!!! NO WAY-NO HOW!! If Aly is learning it, then Lili expects to learn it next...I mean immediately next!! Some stuff she gets and some she just mimicks, but don't even think of excluding her from the process!!

2-Time on the computer is a WONDERFUL way to get complete obedience out of my little type A.
Example: "Mom, may I PLEEEEAAASSSEEEE get on the computer?" "I don't know...how clean is your play room?" Amazingly, the playroom is transformed from total chaos to spotless serenity in mere moments! The same principle works for finishing her handwriting practice, cleaning her bedroom, making her bed, transporting laundry to and from the laundry room, unloading silverware from the dishwasher and an array of other things that she helps with (usually with a grumble, but now with a smile and a trail of daisys!!)

3- If I put it on an index card and say, "Let's memorize it" they both about fall all over themselves to accomplish it.
Cases in point: scripture, 10 commandments, days of the week, months of the year, books of the bible, Dolch site words...I need to stock up on more index cards!!

As I said a few minutes ago, the last thing I want to do is drag my little ones into SCHOOL at HOME. But, how do we do that? Well, the more I prayed about it and the more I searched for ideas I realized that my first and foremost goal for both Aly and Lili is to lead them and walk beside them as they come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything else...I mean EVERYTHING else is not only secondary, but a waste of time without it.

I found a quote that really brought it all home to me. I found it on my friend Ann's site. It says, "What will it profit my children to gain the whole world of knowledge yet lost their own souls? There is only one things that is necessary...that I lead my children into a closer communion with Christ. That I make a way for them to spend time at his feet. That I am the matchmaker between my children and the lover of their souls!" I love it...it is everything that my heart was feeling and that my brain was trying to put into words.

I continued to search her site for inspiration and found what I was looking for.
"The Seven Rungs of Homeschooling" Wow...talk about inspiration!! This hit the nail smack on the head!!

I haven't asked Ann permission yet, but I am going to attempt to incorporate these seven rungs into our homeschooling. The thing I like most about it is that even in these early stages where we aren't doing too much "formal" schooling...you know algebra, geography, world history kind of stuff...I can still use this format. All of the everyday things that we will be doing...learning to read, bible memorization, narration, discipline, basic math concepts, etc...all still fit beautifully into these "rungs" that all glorify God!!!

Go check them out when you get a chance and see if it changes the way you teach your children.

All of that to say...these are some of the areas that we will be learning through.

1 Reading and writing
2 basic math concepts- incorporating math into everyday things
3 Oral narration/listening& comprehension- LOTS of reading every day.
4 Bible time
5 Computer time- this not free time...it is earned!
6 Work and Service- chores, giving back, teamwork, helping others
7 Discipline- 1st time obedience, attitude, character training, honoring God and family
8 Nature time/outside play
9 Field trips- either special trips or just incorporating everyday life
10 Quiet time


Okay...that is all for now. My daughter is chomping at the bit to do my hair. She has a mirror, a bruch and all of her clips and such and is about to "do" me up right!!! Don't you wish you were here???

In HIS Mighty Grip