Homeschool Wrap Up Week 30

This week I had a cold which gave me laryngitis for 3 days.  School was interesting, but we did get it done!  The day it was the worst I had Chelsea do the Bible reading for me and we only did one history lesson instead of two.  We did not work on the Pirate lapbook at all or the Bees Express Lapbook that I wanted to start, but those can wait until next week.

So what did we do?

We have been working on Philippians in 28 Weeks from Homeschool Adventure Company (that is what I had to have Chelsea read aloud for me) so we continued on with that. We started the chapter on dinosaurs in Land Animals.  After this chapter there are only 2 more to complete.  In history we have made it through the 1940's and our last two chapters we read were on baseball in America and Jackie Robinson.  Thankfully there was no read aloud for this section because I probably would've had to skip it!

Chelsea finished up Math U See Stewardship and is working on finishing the rest of her subjects.  She only has a few weeks left until graduation!

I started Logic of English Essentials with Christian and Anthony this week, and so far we really like it!  They enjoyed playing the card game and phonogram bingo this week and so far think the lessons are fun.  How much time you spend on it a day really can vary depending on how quickly you want to finish it and what age group you are working with.  We are not in a hurry to finish and have only been speding around 30 minutes per day on it.

Lillian is still working through Spelling You See.  We did not do a new read aloud this week, but we did get to work on our piano lessons from Adventus with Emelia.

Alex is working through AAS Level 4 and still reading The Cabin Faced West.  Nicholas only has a few lessons left in his Math U See Zeta and Visual Latin course, so I will be finding some things to fill in to give him something to do until the end of the year.

We found out we will be getting the last book in Apologia's What We Believe Series soon for review.  I am very excited about that!  We have gotten to do the other three books and they really are great especially when you are working with a wide range of ages and abilities.  We will be setting aside Bible Study Guide For All Ages until next fall while we work on that.

We had a great time at the 4 H Banquet and the children participated in Talks, Talent and Fashion Review this week.
We went by the library and got a few books.  Lily found a Princess Cookbook that had a lot of cute snakcs with a Princess theme.  We made the first snack in the book this week.  A magic wand using a pretzel rod, pink frosting, and sprinkles.  The children enjoyed this snack!

The most exciting part of the week was the newest member of our family arrived on Friday morning.  Art surprised the children and brought home a new Doberman puppy named Anna.  She is a very sweet puppy and the children are already spoiling her to death!

I hope you had a great week in your homeschool!

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Review: Through The Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer

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In Through The Deep Waters, Dinah desperate to have enough money to care for her dying mother and move herself out of the brothel where she was born and into a better life is coerced into making a horrible choice.  At the last moment she changes her mind and tries to escape, but she is forced into sticking with her original agreement.  Determined to put it all behind her, Dinah moves on to become a chambermaid in the Clifton Hotel in Florence Kansas.  There Dinah is enveloped into a life she has never known.  She has a nice place to live, an income, and people who care about her and want to befriend her.  But Dinah remains weighed down by the shame of her past and her fears.  She is convinced that she is unlovable and no one will ever want a sullied woman like herself.

Amos Ackerman suffered an injury as a child that leaves him with a physical disability, but he is a man determined to make a good future and life for himself.  His chicken farm makes him very happy and earns him a living, but he has wishes to expand the business and start selling eggs to the Clifton Hotel, where he meets Dinah.  Amos is drawn to Dinah over and over again and although he is confused by her strange, withdrawn behavior, he is determined to show her Christ's love.  But, when Amos discovers the truth will he be willing to share a life with Dinah?

Kim Vogel Sawyer has become one of my favorite writers of historical fiction and when I saw that she had a new book out for review, I jumped at the chance to review it.  I have a confession to make though.  I did not like the first three chapters.  The reason I didn't like them though, was because it makes me sad that although the story is fiction that these things really do go on. I will say along with that though that I admire the author for tackling such a topic and doing it with grace and style and also in hopes that the story will be healing to others that carry shame from past mistakes.

I really liked the story much better once I past the first three chapters.  Once again, Ms. Sawyer has created a wonderful historical fiction that teaches the reader many things.  One of the things that I took away from this book was that we (people in general) have a tendency to make assumptions without actually knowing the facts.  Ruthie assumes that Dinah is wealthy because she doesn't know how to cook and says that where she lived had a cook, when in fact Dinah's upbringing couldn't have been further from the truth.  Dinah assumes that nobody will ever be able to love her, including God because of her past.  Amos makes many assumptions about Dinah when he finds out what he thinks is the truth about her past.  There is also a lot to learn in this book about forgiveness and the ability for God to forgive all things no matter how horrible they may seem, and that we should extend the same forgiveness to others that we ourselves get from God. God also ca heal all wounds if one will let him.  There also is something to learn about keeping secrets.  Not that you should bare your soul to every stranger that you meet, but that by harboring secrets make them worse and allowing people to believe things that are not true is the same as lying.  By telling the truth it releases you from a terrible weight in your life.  There is much to learn in this story about trusting God and the path He holds for your life.  Also, Dinah believed her "shame" was all her fault, when in truth yes she should not have made an agreement in the first place, but the man was more responsible forcing her into something that she did not want to do (and honestly Miss Flo bore some of the responsibility herself too.)  As Ruthie said to Dinah, "You shouldn't feel shame over what someone else did.  The shame isn't yours to carry.  Give it to Jesus and walk in freedom."

I loved the main characters and the story that Kim Vogel Sawyer created around the Harvey Girls and the Clifton Hotel in Florence Kansas.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah 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. 

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2014 4 H Banquet

Every year, our county 4 H holds a banquet.  For those who have been in 4 H for over a year, you have to complete a record book or earn an award based on 4 H participation to receive an invitation to the banquet.  Those new to 4 H have an opportunity to turn in a 4 H story in order to receive a banquet invitation.  The Teen Leaders 4 H Club, which Chelsea is a part of, plans the banquet theme, makes the decorations, and chooses the menu and entertainment.  Each year rotates between a casual and formal theme.  This year's theme was "Putting On the Ritz With 4 H" and was a formal theme.  The menu was fruit salad, chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots, and cheesecake or brownie for dessert. Entertainment was provided by a local high school band.

In our 4 H program, those that complete Record Books who do not win a District Record Book  Award win a County Record Book Award.  4 Hers over the age of 16 can enter to win a Sate Record Book Award.  In addition to completing the Record Book, they have to submit a resume, and if selected as a finalist go through an interview.

Gem Awards are based on participation in 4 H activities.  Every activity is worth points and based on these points 4 Hers can win a Diamond, Emerald, or Sapphire Award.  Those with the highest participation win County Champion.  4 Hers can only win County Champion every three years.

Chelsea, Nick, Alex and I went to the banquet while Art stayed home with the younger children.  Christian could have turned in a journal, but I completely forgot to get it in before we went to Florida.  He wasn't disappointed though.  Anthony was not interested in doing one.

Alex won a District Award for his Utilizing Science and Technology Record Book.  He got a drawstring 4 H bag and will get a trophy at the District Competition in June.  He also won County Champion and received a 4 H duffel bag with his name on it.

Nick won a District Award for his Animal Science Record Book.  He also got a drawstring 4 H bag and will get a trophy in June.  He also won an Emerald Gem Award for 4 H Participation.

Chelsea won a State Award for her Home Environment Record Book.  She was one of two winners chosen from across the state.  She received a 4 H Garment Bag and won a trip to National 4 H Congress in Atlanta and will be eligible to apply for state scholarships next year.  She also won a Diamond Award for 4 H Participation.

She also won a $250 County Scholarship.  She was so excited and surprised!  She turned away as I was snapping the picture so I didn't get a very good one.

High School Seniors get to give a talk on their overall 4 H experience.  Chelsea gave a very good speech about her 4 H story and the many things 4 H has given her including  educational opportunities, life skills, leadership and community service opportunities, and the opportunity to learn a new skill and then teach it to others.  She also talked about the self confidence she has gained from being a part of 4 H and the opportunity to overcome her fears of things like public speaking. Even though she can stay a 4 H member until she is 19, she most likely will not be as involved in 4 H once she starts college in the fall.  But, she will continue to carry with her everything she has learned from being part of 4 H.

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Finding a Homeschool Group

What does come to mind when you think of the "average" homeschool family?  Do you think of the family with 12 children driving around in a church van?  Which by the way there is nothing wrong with driving : ) Or do think of the family with 2 children one boy, one girl, mom stays at home while dad goes to work? Do you think the family must have a lot of money to homeschool?  Do you think that they homeschool because they live in an area where the school are bad?

The truth is there is no "average" homeschool family.  The face of homeschooling has changed over the years of the homeschooling movement and is growing by leaps and bounds.  There are many different types of homeschool families.  We have what people consider the more traditional family with 1-3 children with the mom staying home and the day going to work.  We have the larger families with 5 or more children and some even larger families with more than 10.  There are homeschool families where both parents work.  There are families who homeschool that the dad stays home and the mom works.  There are single mothers who work and homeschool.  There are grandparents who are raising grandchildren and homeschooling or even aunts and uncles sometimes. There are blended families with step-children homeschooling.

In addition to all of these different types of homeschooling families, there are also so many different methods and teaching ideas that make each homeschool family unique.  Some follow traditional classroom type education.  Some follow a classical education.  Others may do unit studies or use a literature based curriculum.  You also may have eclectic homeschoolers, unschoolers, and those who do online schooling.

With so many different types of homeschoolers with different needs, it can be hard to find your place in a homeschooling group.  While many groups will welcome any new homeschoolers, some are very specific as to who can join.  Even in the groups that welcome everyone, it can be hard to find one that offers activities and support that fits your schedule and priorities in your homeschool.

Before deciding to become part of a group, contact one of the leaders of the group and ask questions.  What kind of activities do they offer?  What ages are allowed to participate? How often do they meet?  Do they have meetings for the moms and the children?  Where are they held?  Is there a fee involved in joining the group?  Are younger non-school age children welcome?  What is the belief system and goals of the group?What are the requirements to join?  Can you visit a meeting or activity before paying (if there is a fee)?  How many families are involved in the group?  What are the average ages of the children?  Also, if there are any special needs for your specific family situation or one or more of your children you need to ask about those as well.  For example if your child needs to be in a wheel chair is the place/places activities will be held handicap accessible.

Many groups also have websites or facebook pages that you can check out.  This can give you a visual picture of the types of activities and field trips and rules/membership requirements of the group.

Do you have to be involved in a homeschool group to successfully homeschool?  No.  Homeschool groups can be a great way for homeschooled children to do activities, field trips, and have cooperative learning experiences as well as a way for homeschooling parents (grandparents, aunts, etc..) to get the support that they need.  But, there are many, many ways to participate in fun, educational activities (4 H is a big one for our family) without having to be a part of a homeschool group.  And there are lots of ways you can find and get support and encouragement (like reading homeschool blogs!) without having to be a part of a group.  Also, many times if you can find a few like minded homeschool friends that want to get together for activities and field trips or just have a play date, you can do these things without having to have an organized group.

Happy Homeschooling!!

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4 H Talks, Talent, and Fashion Review

Monday was our 4 H county competition in the areas of Talks and Demonstrations, Talent, and Fashion Review.  We had quite a crowd this year!  There were more people involved in this year's competition than I have seen in our 7 years in 4 H.

I had all of the children with me since my hubby was working late.  My girls were really well behaved for the first hour and a half, but after that their patience ran out a bit.  If I'd have known how long we would be there I would have brought them some things to do, but for the last half hour I let them watch Cinderella on my phone with sharing some ear buds so we made it through and then ran to Walmart for some M&M ice cream sandwiches as a reward for those that competed and those that had to sit and be quiet so long.

Alex did his talk on rabbits that he did at our last 4 H meeting and got 2nd place in the Junior Animal Science category.

Christian did his talk on hatching chicks that he did at our last meeting.  He was very nervous, but he did a great job!  He got 1st Place in the Cloverbud Animal Science-Poultry category.

Chelsea competed in Fashion Review and won 1st place in the Senior Constructed Dressy category.  She was also going to sing in the talent competition, but her CD was burned out of iTunes in mP4 format and the CD player that was there did not read it, so she didn't get to sing her song.  But, she can go on and compete at district anyway in June.

I love this dress that she made!

We also got to hear talks on: Goats, What is Animal Science, How Does Animal Science Help Your Garden Grow, another talk on Hatching Chicks, Arkansas Children's Hospital, GMO's, Beekeeping, and Cows. We also got to hear two musical pieces one by a flute and another by a trumpet.  There were 5 people that competed in Fashion Review.

It was a great competition!

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Homeschool Wrap Up Week 29

This is going up a bit late because our modem died and the one we bought from Walmart didn't work so we were without Internet until yesterday afternoon.

Nick and Alex have finished Student Writing Intensive A!  Yay!  It was a great course and I am so glad we used it this year.  I have not decided yet what we will use for writing.  I am thinking of doing one of the themed writing courses from IEW.

In history we learned about World War II.  We also finished the book Blue Willow.

For science we completed the lesson on amphibians in Apologia Land Animals.  The younger children and I started working on a Chemistry Kit that we bought and our first lesson and activity was on solids, liquids, and gases.

We also have added 14 eggs to our incubator hoping we will get some to hatch.  The hatch day should be April 15th.

Anthony and Christian have finished the first folder in their Pirates lapbook.  They have finished All About Spelling/Reading Level One which was good timing since we are beginning our review of Essentials from Logic of English.  Alex is working through Level 4 of All About Spelling and reading The Cabin Faced West.

We painted our pinch method sculptures and will make the slab method sculptures next week.

The girls and I read Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel this week so they would be ready to listen to the CD from Maestro Classics.  All of the children listened to it one day as I folded mountains of laundry.  We listened to the Sorcerer's Apprentice one day as we were driving into town.

I found out that our newest review will be Digital Heroes and Heroines of the Past: American History Curriculum.  I am very excited to be able to use this with Christian, Anthony, and Lily!

Art and I battled a wasp apocalypse this week-end.  We have a crazy amount of wasps around our house.  When it starts to get cloudy outside right before it storms they start swarming.  Hundreds of wasps were out there on Friday afternoon and I had to send the children inside.  When Art got home he got the pressure washer out because we read that could blow out the nests and that dawn dish soap will kill them.  He used the pressure washer and I had 6 cans of wasp spray.  We killed hundreds of wasps.  Saturday he washed down the whole house with dish soap and killed more wasps.  They had seemed to be better, but again yesterday right before it stormed they were swarming all over the house and looked like we hadn't killed any at all!  Sigh...guess we won a battle but not the war.

I hope you had  a great week in your homeschool!

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Schoolhouse Crew Review: Spelling You See

If you read my blog regularly you know what a BIG fan I am of Math-U-See.  I was very excited when Demme Learning (the parent company of Math U See) decided to give Math U See a sister called Spelling You See.  Over the last several weeks I have had an opportunity to use and review Spelling You See: Listen and Write (Level A).


Spelling You See does not use word lists, spelling tests or rule memorization to teach spelling.  Instead, children learn spelling naturally through short daily activities using copywork, reading, speaking, and listening. There are 5 current levels of Spelling You See with plans to add two more levels. These levels are not based on grade level, but instead based on ability starting with beginning readers.  Spelling You See is appropriate for elementary aged students or remedial work for older students.  You can read through the Placement Guidelines to help you decide which level of Spelling You See your child should begin with. Each level of Spelling You See has an Instructor's Handbook and Student Pack that needs to be purchased. 
The Instructor's Handbook can be used with more than one student, but a Student Pack needs to be purchased for every student using the program.  Prices are as follows:
Listen and Write (Level A) Instructor Handbook $14 Student Pack $20 Jack and Jill (Level B) Instructor Handbook $16 Student Pack $30 Wild Tales (Level C) Instructor Handbook $14 Student Pack $30 American (Level D) Instructor Handbook $14 Student Pack $30 American Spirit (Level E) Instructor Handbook $14 Student Pack $30 Let's talk about Listen and Write ( Level A) Listen and Write (Level A) is for children who can focus on a worksheet for at least 10 minutes, identify most of the letters of the alphabet, write letters fairly comfortably, and understands that letters make sounds. Children will learn correct letter formation, pencil grip, and short vowels by completing one lesson page a day spending about 10 minutes each day. There are 36 lessons in Level A with each lesson split into 5 parts A through E, one lesson for each day 5 days a week.  Lessons in this level include letter tracing while saying the sound of the letter, writing words, and reading the words back to the parent.

The Student Pack for Listen and Write (Level A) includes a paperback 183 page student workbook with perforated pages for easy removal if you choose, a Guide to Handwriting showing how to form all of the capital and lower case letters, and the Listen and Write Sticker pack containing 3 pages of stickers.  The Instructor's Handbook is a 48 page paperback book.  In it you will find an introduction to Spelling You See, their philosophy and the 5 different developmental stages of spelling.  There is also a Getting Started guide with an overview of Level A and the skills and concepts being learned in this level.  Next there are lesson lesson instructions, more information about dictation, frequently asked questions, daily dictation list, and general dictation list.
There are sample lessons available to download.
I used Spelling You See: Listen and Write (Level A) with my daughter Lily who just turned 5 years old during the review period.  We worked on Spelling You See daily for around 10 minutes a day, completing one worksheet on most days.  Other days she really, really wanted to do another worksheet so I let her go ahead and do two.  The stickers we used after completing the worksheet.  She would find a sticker that matched one of the words she had written or started with the same sound and put it above the matching word in the book.

The first three lessons of Listen and Write focus on letter formation and consonant sounds.  Students trace the letters as they say the sounds that they make.  Then they trace three words listening as the teacher says the words.  After tracing the word, they write first and last letter of the same word tracing the vowel. Starting with lesson 4 the student begins writing words from dictation.  They still trace letters and say the sound as they are writing, but instead of first tracing the word and then writing it, the words are dictated to them and they write it.  The middle vowel sound is there for them to trace and they write the beginning and ending consonants.  Starting in lesson 7 children begin reading the lessons back after dictation and after lesson 7 they no longer trace the letters, just write the words on their own that are being dictated to them. Starting in lesson 10 it is recommended that you time the dictation exercises.

We love Spelling You See!  It is so easy to use.  There are not pages and pages of notes or instruction to read through or prepare.  The only advance prep that I did was to read through 30 pages of the Instructor's Handbook to get an overall feel for the program and what was going to be learned when.  For each daily lesson we grabbed the books, a pencil, and the stickers, and sat down at the table and got started.  It was so easy!  I cannot imagine anything making it easier to teach.  And, it only takes 10 minutes.  10 minutes!  For a busy homeschool mom with 7 children trying to fit everything in, 10 minutes is wonderful.  And I noticed too that it is a really good amount of time for Lily.  She will often want to keep going and do multiple worksheets, but when she gets much past that time period, her concentration is not as good and she gets easily frustrated.

Lily loves her Spelling You See workbook.  She wants to sit down and do the lesson every day.  She really likes putting a sticker on her page when she is finished.  And, in the time period that we have used the program (about 6 weeks), she is already blending her sounds to say the words.  We were writing the word "dad" the other day and I said, "Lily let's try and see if we can sound this word out together."  She looked at me and said, "Mom, that says dad."  I was very surprised that she has been figuring it out so quickly. 
I have been very impressed with Listen and Write (Level A) and look forward to reading the reviews of the other levels as well.
To see what my Crew Mates had to say, click on the banner below.

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