Long Week

After two weeks I am loving homeschooling my four children!  My Father's World is so much fun and I am enjoying spending so much time with my kids.

School was cut short Tuesday for making soup and going to the dentist.  My Superhero came home telling everyone he had "ten teeth on the top and ten teeth on the bottom".  The appointments took longer than expected and my mom had to finish canning the soup.  

We have been studying maps in geography with My Father's World.  We discussed how map makers often 'add land' to places like Greenland in order to put a round world on a flat map.  To demonstrate this, MFW instructed us to take a tangerine (we used my Fairy's breakfast grapefruit) and draw the globe on it, then cut it out and see how there are spaces in between the points at the north and south.  What a mess! LOL

We are also trying to find ways to conquer and divide.  It's hard to find quiet places to study when Spanish and phonics require out loud responses.  Our home is very open concept so finding a quiet corner requires planning and willingness to use the coffee table.

We made paper doll chains and have been learning how to say hello in different languages.  Last week, the kids filled out the 'passport application' in anticipation of learning about many different countries around the world.  I am so excited for them to learn about the cultures, lifestyles, foods, animals, and landscapes that make up our amazing planet.  Unfortunately in light of the resent uprisings and with the fact that my oldest wants to be the US president when he grows up and is very political, it has been hard to not have to stop frequently to answer questions about Egypt, Libya, and Lebanon.  We have discussed how God loves all people and that Jesus Christ died for everyone.  Today's Bible lesson was even on how there will be people from every nation in Heaven.  My heart is with the families of those lost while spreading freedom throughout the world.  God bless us all!

Getting the Hang of It

Today is day 3 and homeschool is going more smoothly.  

Bible is going well.  The kids are memorizing John 3:16.  They made posters yesterday, so today I am just randomly asking them to recite it.  Our reading assignment was out of the book "God Speaks Numanggang" by David Hazell.  It was interesting to learn how the Hynum family moved to a village where they did not even know the language.  They had to learn the language then create an alphabet because the Numanggang people had never written their language down.  Then they had to teach the villagers how to read and write their language before they even started the translation process.  Wow, what dedication!  (And to think I complain when my kids do not listen to me.)  We also have praise and worship time.

After handwriting we break up and go our separate ways.  They rotate every 15 minutes between spelling, math drills (on the computer), and phonic (with the tape player) with my Super Hero having center time.  Today I heard my President actually say he loved math drills!  This kid has always hated math, always.  I am so encouraged that by this because I still sometimes have lingering doubts wondering if we did the right things by taking them out of public school. (I know this is just the devil trying to steal my joy!)

Then my Fairy joins her little brother and the two older kids rotate between Spanish (on the computer) and language arts.  This is the most chaotic part of the day right now because my Fairy and Super hero will not leave me alone while I am trying to teach language arts.

Next is Math!  I love Math-U-See and so far the kids do too, but here again my Super Hero is not compliant.  I am hoping to do more with him next week but I just have not found the time this week being as we are constantly behind and my goal is to be done by the time my husband comes home.

We eat lunch at some point.

Today science will be was with daddy outside so next we did health.  My mom measured the kids and we wrote it down on their sheet.

Last we read their geography assignment and my President looked up and located places using the illustrated atlas.

Granma worked with my Super Hero and made words with the letter crackers and shapes on paper.

We also shucked and canned corn today with my mom or Granma to the kids. YUM!

After Daddy got home we all went outside and measured off a 1 yard x 1 yard area and looked for animals, plants, etc in that area. Bugs, worms, crickets, mosquitoes, dead leaves, grass, sticks, ants, many other things were what we found.  We all had a great time.  My Fairy said she couldn't wait til the next science class!  Afterwards they each sketched one things they had found in their area.

All in all a productive day.  We even finished a whole hour earlier than yesterday, too!

Wordless Wednesday

First Day of Homeschool

Ok! So the first day of school was not smooth at all!

  

My fairy started grumbling, 

my superhero was very much a 4 year old who refused to sit still and be quiet for even 5 seconds, 

my farmgirl tired out quickly and took 40 minutes to copy a 5 minute assignment, 

and my president talked way too much.   

Yes, yes, yes; these are normal complaints for each of them. I guess I thought that starting the first day of school would be different.  I was excited so why weren't they?  

We did get everything done, thank God! And, I think they enjoyed some of it.  At least I hope they did!

  

Tomorrow day 2! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!