Thursday Skills

Because there will be a day that Student does NOT live with her parents, she is learning how to clean and rearrange her living quarters. Though she hasn't exhibited any excitement at the thought of leaving campus, she HAS shown genuine impatience to decorate without parental input!

Pacing-off her bed that Principal built, she measures it 10.5 Student feet.



No, that's not the quilt her mothered labored over for her bed...she takes turns with her Auntie Ang comforter from a few Christmases ago...and how delighted she is to swap whenever she feels the mood! What a blessing, Auntie, thank you.



And hoping to switch-a-roo the bed and shelf beloved Principal also made the first summer after she graced God's earth with her girly smiles and laughter, naturally wrapping him around her pinky...it measured 11 Student feet.

Well, onto plan B that will have to wait til tomorrow, as time passes and Student needs complete her Math test and Speed Drills.



Being her first timed-test with an addition chart, she wasn't sure about the step-up. She then recanted and asked that she try it with some extended time, though she finished well under the 120 second limit! Way to go Student!

Heading back downstairs, Student took a break to churn a movie!



Teacher loved that toy as a child, and now the next generation enjoys it as well!

Student read aloud the daily Psalm as Warrior patiently awaited the cross-reference Art assignment that included the Armor of God...and yes, he completed it. Boyish in every way.

Student, on the other hand, made hers into a girl!



Not to leave Warrior out from camera targeting today, guess he just moved too fast!

Quietly awaiting his turn, Mascot sat to read with Teacher before the afternoon sun lost it's warmth through the window.



Because there's no place like home, we thank GOd we have one that protects,
warms, and is placed in a country in which we can educate in this nest.
God is good! All the time He is good! Amen.

What else did Teacher expect!? Her design of clothing is non-stop! Guess we'll have to end with Joan of Arc!

Tuesday News

News of virtues, sunshine and tests!

Spelling Test: C+

Math Test: Review of Calendar, less than & greater than, measurement, multiplication, double-digit combinations, and story problems with extra information. A+

Speed Drill: Accumulative drills consisting of carrying in addition, subtracting double-digit numbers, multiplication of families 0, 1, 2, 3, 10, 11
Student's fastest time was 72 seconds! And it was outdoors, too!



And Warrior grabbed the mail from the carrier and found that his beloved Cubbies teacher had sent him a letter! What joys can be found in the mail!



Cuddling up for Reading, Student and Teacher continued in the historical fiction novel of a dustbowl migrant. Student has learned
some new Oklahoma Slang & Vocabulary:
tight-lipped
hightail it
panhandle
hood ornament
duster
twilight
dawn

No, Student hasn't forgotten the time in Kindergarten when a classmate went along with an older cousin to see a movie of the same name as one of her vocabulary words. Student and Teacher discussed that God is the Father of Lights, as written in the Bible, and often Satan tries to lure people away from God and into the dark. Children with a fear of the dark, or things that happen in the dark, is one way he tries to rob the joy God gives us. When we are afraid we shall trust in Him, in God whose Word we pray!

Then, Student remembered hearing about some headhunters from a Missionary and how they cut-off people heads and use them as hood ornaments...so that stimulated another conversation.

And that's when Student asked: What got us talking about movies and kids and headhunters when we are reading? VOILA! That's how God designed the female brain, we tend to intersect everything. Men tend to compartmentalize and think of everything separately. We, though, connected the book>vocab>movie>kids>dark>sins>headhunters>hood ornaments and so on goes our brain!

Seatwork to continue her new found knowledge of Roman Numerals, Student has officially had at least an introduction to everything in Math that was on our curriculum list for First Grade! To God be the glory for organizing and prioritizing our time!

Having a picnic at the park was a no-brainer for both the guys and the gals at the Homeschool! Warrior, Mascot and Student all piled into the wagon to roll to the neighborhood park. There, we played with pals and Teacher met with Mentor and read some encouraging scriptures! The sun was strong and we lasted until Warrior and Mascot lay their heads down at home, where the camera rested all afternoon! OOPS!
So, did Teacher mention they were tired?! And so the proof lies here:





The night will be full of fun and energy to run, now that the work is done!

Tuesday News

Praising God for the Homeschool's camera return, we are putting it to good use, with the wrist-strap tightly attached! Here's Student's proof-of-spring photography...



Student read from our History lesson on Ellis Island in the front yard. Distractions of green and oxygen and sun surrounding her. Another benefit of our first year attempt to obey in the education of His blessings, and a grrreat one it is this time of year!



Continuing around the yard and into the day's lessons, Student picked up the violin and played her two working pieces and took another stab at note-reading. Trying to seperate, dogs eating, fat cats in alleys, and all that in her brain...and Teacher's as well, we survived.



Warrior experienced a right-of-passage on the backyard swingset today before his naptime: pumping of the legs and independently swinging!



What joy that boy held, and what contentment he displayed all through his afternoon of the wind in his hair...(which he has announced he wants to look like Larry from the 3 Stooges, thanks, PapaD!) It was his naptime words of wisdom that brought out his frustration with life: I don't like temptation! As he tries to quit the thumb habit at nighttime, Teacher understood.

Student broke through to yet another test and set of speed drills in Math. She worked through her Language seatwork outdoors as well as drafting this story for Writing:
Big Fish!
Hey I'm going fishing! It is fun! What is it? Fishing is you have a fishing pole put a worm on it and catch!! The End

She was determined to finish the story before coming to the end of the space provided! That she did, and her printing was so neat that Teacher didn't comment on the length!

Off to soccer practice we walk. Finishing the day with MORE Activity for young hearts, and a stop at the creek on the way home!

Tuesday, Really?

There are 5 school days to a week, we know this, we just rarely accomplish it! Alas, Tuesday came and went with learning smashed in the middle somewhere!

Activity was of course the highlight of the day, as Principal escorted Student and Toddler to the backyard for snow games. He loves to shovel a path of winding turns and twists for their boots to trod, with the occasional snowball distraction in their pathway. This time Teacher learned NOT to open the sliding door when there is a snowball in the hands of Principal, as his aim is too precise!

Math has had some speed drills and tests to be caught up, as Teacher made the administrative decision to skip ahead about 10 lessons. Student didn't mind, as she loves TESTS! Maybe because we don't finish until she's mastered it... who wouldn't mind such a grade written in RED?!



Art, always present at the Homeschool! Whether on paper, iPhone or iMac, the creativity is at work! Student continues to draw people, faces and body poses. This week, she'll transfer that practice into a portrait or two. Principal has a book in the works to showcase all of the faces that lurk throughout the Homeschool.

Violin, oh violin, we have planned for your appearance for two days,
how many times can we overlook you, let us count thy ways...
1-Can't find rosen or shoulder-rest
2-Can't find clean clothes so Student isn't dressed
3-Wonder how this tuner works
4-If Mrs. S saw our situation, she would surely laugh at our quirks
5-When can time slow down to fit it all in, at this request we can only pray & grin

Reading 2 more stories from James Marshall's chapter book Rats on the Roof, Student is using her 6 and a half-year-old brain to fine-tune those summarizing skills! Through books, and episodes of Little House on the Prairie. Though Summary is a new term for Student, anyone ever crosing paths with a young girl knows they can talk, when they want to. It's the organizing of those thoughts before they transform into words that is the trick! Today Student witnessed Country Girls, a fav of Teacher's from girlhood days. This must be one of our lessons in the Social Sciences, as the lack of sisterhood in the Homeschool persists, Student has to look to other sister pairs for wisdom and grace. Laura and Mary are just perrrfect!

Student didn't really care for the books, last summer when Grandmother gifted them. However, Grandmother wouldn't give up at that, but recently added the first season of LHOP to our Homeschool collection. Both Student and Toddler have gotten attached!

Life Skills continue on in life as planned by The Maker. Toddler helps fold diapers and set the table as Student organizes clutter and solves game-board missing-piece mysteries! All in a day of obedience at the Homeschool. As we continue to let the Lord establish the work of our hands, yes, the Lord to establish the work of our hands, may we ALL learn and grow in Him.

Halfies

In the words of Roosevelt Franklin, Halfies.

Half for you, half for me!

Here's to half a Homeschool day for Friday!

Student's vocab test is now complete. She will continue with new words from our reading in History beginning Monday with I Kings.

For a change in violin practice today. Student & Toddler tossed the beanbag onto the staff to practice note recognition and then rhythm exercises. Toddler was so delighted to partake in anything violin. Oh, to be just like big sis, right?

Math, taking form in an auditory lesson today, Student reviewed skip-counting and opposites of addition & subtraction combinations.

playing, "What time is it Mr. Clock", Student is learning to tell time right down to the minute. Also, completing another test and speed drill, Student is really making a dent in that huge book!

Helping Mascot with his tummy-time, Studemt and Toddler played a game of eye-spy with the patchwork scraps in the quilt!

Finishing our Halfies day of Homeschooling, Student & Toddler whipped up some no bake cookies for the weekend road trip. They even shared the bowl-licking duty! And boy is Homeschooling the sweetest on Fridays! Thanks, Lord!

Friday Fun

Student often complains that something isn't fun. Then the talk begins. Why can't everything we do be fun? How can the other things get done that aren't fun if we don't complete them? Just when is it time for fun?

All such questions seemingly silly to an adult with a hardened heart, like myself. So, through the eyes of a child, and from the mouth of a babe, I get the picture. I see the blessing from God that we have such opportunities to be children in homeschooling. Thank you, Lord. There truly is a time for everything. And so we complete our scheduled vocab test from History, and cursive review...and that's all folks!

The rest of our Friday is reserved for being a child. Student and Toddler dancing, pretending and practicing their sling-shots! Oh how we need the fun and wonder our children bring us. Happy Friday fun on our half-day of homeschool!

"In growing up, we learn to be self-sufficient and independent. We learn to cover up what we don't know and resist asking for help because we don't want to look like we're not strong enough. Or smart enough. Children give us the gift of honest, vulnerable dependency that helps us grow down and realize we can admit our need for help too. " Carol Koykendall.

Thanks for your constant help, Father in Heaven!

Student: My new poem of the day:

Oh Mama Oh Mama

I spilled my juice.

I can't find a towel.

But I found a little napkin

in the middle of the table.

I think it cleaned up better than a little towel!

Happy Painting

CORRECTION: not 1-D, but 2-D...next time I'll ask the artistic principal FIRST!
Reading has become an ordinary event, with less and less struggling and question. Student has truly soared in her phonics and belief in being able to conquer bigger words! Way to go Student!

History is inching us into Egypt. When Student saw the illustration for our lesson from Genesis today, she was just counting down the minutes until she had the opportunity to draw her own 2-D picture from our lesson on Joseph today.

Our vocabulary words:

seduce

objection

2-D

Yes, this is child-friendly history, but introduction to such words makes for great girl-talk and understanding the evils present in our world still today. She understands that God created family and marriage, and this holy union is under attack. She truly has such a loyalty and understanding of such since she watched Fireproof. Oh, what these amazing child brains can sort out!

Letter by letter, we are now through "L" in our cursive lessons. Student has been creating all the words she can, connecting letters to create words from the letters she has already learned. You know, loopy versions of:

cab, dad, lab, jab, bad, dat...no she hasn't learned scat, for music appreciation, but it sounds like it!

Testing in Math proved that she is learning right along, and still wondering why the tests are so easy. Yes, someday it may not be so, but I bask in this love she has for Math, and thank her Dad for that trait. God is good to create brains that understand Math, as I know that mine doesn't.

Violin practice was done with the puzzle method, and am I glad that her excitement lasted the whole session.

Whew!

Fall Fest, here we come!

Student: It is fun that the first day of Fall is now!

I made Potiphar's wife with her head turned away because she didn't listen to Joseph when he objected.

Test Day

Our first test day! Student took both Math and Phonics/Language tests! She didn't even flinch when I informed her what today would hold. Test anxiety is not currently in her vocabulary, and I am not introducing it!

Snack time took us the neighborhood park. There, the morning coolness made our banana-chocolate-chip muffins even tastier! This was a Toddler and Teacher project from last night. As his favorite projects are taste-worthy, the process was all-too hurried just to get to the end! As our rule is this: One can taste the batter after all ingredients are mixed in.

During Math today, Toddler enjoyed counting the pennies just as much as Student! Counting anything and everything, in groups and one-by-one. Wherever we are, no matter how much time we have!

Cursive is continuing with the first 3 letters, and Student is patiently persevering.

Tonight we have some homework, that the Principal is in charge of helping with. Space facts, reading and some seatwork, what a guy! It is so helpful to have this option of help when our day gets filled with some things we hadn't counted on...God's little interruptions! His plan is best!

Student began review of her Bible vocabulary words, as we are in Genesis 22 and looking toward our vocab test at the end of Genesis. She chose which 3 words to review, listen up!