Homeschool Wrap Up Week 19

Let's start with some pet photos just because!

These boys are my outside cats Lucky and Jack.  They are brothers and do everything together.

 Ana sits on the couch sometimes like a human would.  She is a crazy dog but so great with the kids!

Sally has decided that this box is hers and has been sleeping in it all week.  The girls thought she needed some friends.

Week 19 in our Homeschool:

P.E.: We did two days of yoga and one day of Family Time Fitness.

Bible:  We finished lesson 11 of Grapevine Old Testament One.  That was the last lesson.  There is a review section we will work on this week.  Then we will be moving on to studying the Resurrection.

Read Aloud: We read three chapters of C.S. Lewis Master Storyteller.

History: In The Mystery of History Vol IV we completed lessons 49-51 on Vladimir Lenin forming the U.S.S.R, The Irish Civil War, and Benito Mussolini and the Rise of Fascism.  We caught up the timeline figures from last week and this week and the memory cards.  The boys completed their corresponding worksheets and did a map assignment on Ireland and Italy.

Science: We finished the chapter on the senses in Exploring Creation With Anatomy and Physiology.

My Father's World Adventures: We continued on with reading aloud Farmer Boy.  We learned about Daniel Boone and the wilderness road.  In our state study we learned about Kentucky.  The science lessons had to do with science with air, but we have done the experiments before so we did not do them again.  We also started reading about Eli Whitney.

Math: Each child completed lesson 18 in their Math U See levels.  We had a few struggles at the beginning of the week with some of the new concepts in Epsilon and Delta, but by the end of the week the boys seemed to get a handle on it.

Grammar/Writing/Literature: We completed lesson 22 in Fix It! Grammar 1 and 2.  Alex is still working on the literature study on Farmer Boy in LLATL.  Nick started reading Peter Pan.  He wanted to skip it because he had listened to the audio book several years ago, but I told it it would be good for him to read it anyway.  Christian and Anthony did a keyword outline and wrote a paragraph on pigs.

Reading/Spelling: Anthony and Christian finished Step in AAS Level 2.  Alex finished lesson 16 in Phonetic Zoo.  In AAR Level 3 Anthony and Christian finished lessons 22 and 23.  In AAR Level 1 Lily finished lessons 41,42, and 43 .  I have to say again, that All About Reading is my absolute favorite reading program.  It has been amazing for all of my children that have used it.  For some children, reading will be easier than others, but because AAR is a multisensory program and you can progress at your own pace, any child can be successful with it.

Horizon's Preschool: Emmie had a couple of days this week where she just was not herself.  One day she had a bellyache, another day she skinned her knee and was very traumatized.  So she did not do much of her schoolwork.  She did do a page of phonics/writing and worked on making a fish.

Lily wanted to glue sequins on something too.

Other Activities this Week:

Monday the girls had gymnastics.

Wednesday we had Kid's Club.

Lily was Mary during the story.

Team work activity

Thursday we had the beeswax candle workshop.  I had not planned on doing any school that day, but because we left the workshop early when Christian wasn't feeling 100% after I dug the splinters out of his hand, we did do some work that afternoon.

Friday was a beautiful day.  We went and had lunch at the park with friends.  We also had to go grocery shopping and stopped by Sonic for some happy hour drinks.  After we had pizza that night, Lily started complaining of a sore throat and sure enough the next day was running fever.  She stayed home from church today with her daddy while the rest of us went ahead and went.  Fever is gone but she still doesn't feel great.  Hopefully it will pass quickly and not take anyone else down!

A couple more photos from this week.

We are reviewing a game called The Climbing Knights from Simply Fun,  They had a lot of fun with this game!

Christian has decided climbing trees in lots of fun.  Hopefully he will always be able to find his way back down!

When Lily does her back handsprings at gymnastics, she goes a little crooked.  So her teacher suggested that when she is practicing on the trampoline at home that she make a line to help her see where she needs to land.  She made herself several drawings and practices every single day.

Our ecosystem in a bottle sprouted!

I have several things that we either just got to review or will be getting in the next couple of weeks:

Grapevine Studies: The Resurrection
Simply Fun: The Climbing Knights
Heirloom Audio: The Dragon and the Raven
Zonderkidz:Faith Builders Bible
Memoria Press: 8th Grade Literature Guide Set
Logic of English:Essentials 2nd Edition


I hope you had a great week in your homeschool!

*link to AAR is my affiliate link.  I only form affiliate relationships with companies whose products I actually use and can recommend!

Beeswax Candle Workshop

Our homeschool group has been doing once a month park days this year that give the children an opportunity to have some time with their friends and have some fun activities planned as well.  We missed the first one in September.  October we had a great time doing some fall themed activities.  November's Park Day was rained out.  In December we moved inside and played Bingo and had a pizza party because the weather is so unpredictable and we didn't want it to be too cold to be outside (turned out it was a really nice day that day!)

Because the weather can still be unpredictable in January, we had an indoor activity planned.  A beeswax candle workshop.

We started out learning about beeswax and where it comes from.  Then we talked about all the different uses for beeswax.  We also talked about the benefits of beeswax candles and candle safety.

Each child got their own sheet of beeswax and a wick.  They could make one big candle, two medium sized candles, or several small candles.  My four children that made them all made one big candle. They were very easy to do.  They had to place the wick at one end of the sheet and press it into it. Then they had to roll it up and trim the wick.

So after the workshop we had planned on staying and eating together and giving the children an opportunity to play.  But, Christian got two big wooden splinters in his hand.  He is a tough kid but apparently digging the silvers out affected him more than I thought it would because he got really pale, hot and nauseous.  So we loaded up and headed for the house.  He was fine after a little while.

Review : Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble

Book Description : "Mallory’s mother died fifteen years ago. But her father’s last words on the phone were unmistakable: “Find . . . mother.” Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point. Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart and left—without a word—years ago. When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life—and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie—their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye. As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together."

Mermaid Moon is the second book in the Sunset Cove series by Colleen Coble, that take place in Maine.  You do not have to have read the first book, The Inn at Ocean's Edge, in order to enjoy Mermaid Moon because they are two separate stories, although there are familiar characters from the Inn at Ocean's Edge, and even a repeat character from Denise Hunter's new Summer Harbor series. Mermaid Mood is a great combination of romance and suspense.  It is a page turner that will keep you guessing until the end, but is not so complex that it leaves you feeling confused along the way. The characters are well developed and believable.  I loved it and recommend it for anyone who enjoys Christian suspense novels with romance tied in along the way.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review.  I received no other compensation and all opinions are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC regulations.

Homeschool Wrap Up Week 18

We only ended up with 2 days of school this week.  Tuesday we had the opportunity to have some friends come over and play and we did a science project in the afternoon, so we skipped our regular school work for that day.  Thursday I had to get my teeth cleaned, and it was the last day before our 4 H record books were due, so the afternoon and the evening were spent trying to get those completed ( I had spent every spare minute trying to get those done this week and am so glad that's over til next year!) We did get some things accomplished this week though and what we didn't get to can wait until next week.

Week 18 in our Homeschool

P.E.: We did two days of yoga this week.  Monday I was running behind and almost skipped it, but the girls had the mats all laid out so we went ahead and did our workout.  I was glad we did.  It's good to have someone to get you motivated!


Bible: We completed half of lesson 11 of Grapevine Old Testament One.

Read Aloud: We read 2 chapters of C.S. Lewis Master Storyteller.

History: In The Mystery of History Vol IV we covered lessons 46-48 on Excursions to the South Pole, World War 1 Part 1, and World War 1 Part 2.  I have to say that one of the reasons that I love using The Mystery of History is that it doesn't focus on memorizing facts and dates but gives the stories behind the history.  The author does an amazing job giving the facts but also making you realize that history is real and happened to real people.  The boys completed the worksheets and map assignment, but we will have to get the memory cards and timeline figures completed next week.

Science: We skipped it.

My Father's World Adventures: We are still reading through Farmer Boy.  In our state study we completed Vermont and Rhode Island.  We did not do any science activities this week.

Math: Each child completed lesson 17 in their Math U See levels.

Grammar/Writing/Literature: We skipped Grammar this week.  Christian and Anthony did a key word outline and paragraph on sheep using a who/which. an "ly" adverb, and a quality adjective.  Nick started reading through the introductory information in Illuminating Literature on Peter Pan.  Alex is still working on the book study of Farmer Boy in LLTL.

My boys really liked this drag car activity in AAR

Reading/Spelling: No spelling this week.  In AAR Level 3 Anthony and Christian finished lessons 20 and 21. In AAR Level One Lily finished lesson 40.

Other Activities This Week

Monday : The girls had gymnastics.

Tuesday: We made an Ecosystem in a Bottle.

Anthony sweeping the stairs before our company arrived

Wednesday: We had Kid's Club.

They love the snack crafts

Thursday: I had that dentist appointment.  I did get to go have lunch with Art.  It was the first time we have eaten alone together in close to a year!

A few pictures taken on Saturday.  The boys were outside playing football.  When Art was coming from the shop into the house he played with them for awhile.

I made this little outfit for Emmie.  Every time the sewing machine stopped she asked if I was done yet!

I hope you had a great week in your homeschool!

Homeschool Science Camp: Ecosystem in a Bottle

* I was provided with the items for Homeschool Science Camp free of charge.  Please see my disclaimer at the bottom of the post for more information

A few months ago, I was approached with an offer to receive a once a moth science project and instructions for the first half of 2016 in the hopes I would share this information on my blog.  We are a science loving family and the projects sounded like so much fun, so I accepted.

I received a kit that included a notebook, pencils, aprons, and safety glasses to use for all of the projects.  The children were quite excited when the box arrived!

The first month's (December) activity was a mini activity that involved showing the earth as an apple and how much farm land is available to us to use for food. We completed this activity, but sadly the pictures were accidentally deleted from my phone.

There is a video of the Earth is an Apple Activity here.

January's box arrived last week.  The project was titled Ecosystem in a Bottle.  I thought it would be fun to invite some friends over to participate with us.  Science is always better with friends!

Our kit contained everything we needed for the activity (except for water and scissors):

• 2 liter bottles (you need two for each ecosystem)
• Soil
• 2 Wicks (can be bought at a craft store by the candle making supplies)
• Seeds
• Sharpie

You can find an instructional video to complete this project here.

they watched the video on my phone

this notebook holds the projects and the science sheets

We split the children into two groups with 3 children in each group.  First we had to mark the lines to cut on the bottles with a sharpie.  We had to cut the top off of one bottle and the bottom off of the other.

Each ecosystem needs to have one cap with the holes drilled.  Ours came drilled (thank you!) but if you are doing this project the instructions on the video tell you how to drill the holes.

Then you need to wet your wicks and feed it through the hole.

Next we added water to the bottom bottle and put one bottle inside the other with the wicks reaching down into the water.

The next step was to add the soil.

And plant the seeds.  Our kit included basil, thyme, and oregano.

They named their Ecosystems Pizza Garden.  We put the lid on it and put in in the window to get some sun.

Our science sheets allow the children to record their observations to see how long it takes for their seeds to grow and what the plants look like as they grow.

This was a fun and easy project.  I love that it didn't require any specialized objects and that it used recycled materials.  It was great for a variety of ages as well.  Our children ranged in age from 4-10.

We can't wait for our next #campSci project next month!

Disclaimer: I received the products in this kit complimentary from Monsanto as part of their #CampSci Homeschool Science program.  I received no other compensation and all opinions in this post are mine.  I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC regulations.