This week, we took a break from the curriculum and we just focused on Christmas. We read a lot of books from the library on Christmas; I even found a video from the makers of “The Beginners Bible” about the Nativity. They colored pictures of the Joseph, Mary, Joseph and the Wise Men. I also printed some Christmas themed activity packs for them to do. We will be on Christmas Break until January 3, 2011... See you in the New Year!!
Merry Christmas
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Week 14 {12/13 - 12/17}
Our Bible Stories were Jehoshaphat, Elijah Is Taken To Heaven, The Special Room, and Naaman.
For Language we did Letters R and S and we reviewed Name, Address and Phone Number.
For Math we did Numbers 15 adn 16 and Classification/Sorting. Our Character Building Trait was Gratitude and our Bible Memory Verse was ! Thes 5:18 Give Thanks in All circumstances.
Our God's World theme was Winter and we talked about all the facets of Winter. One thing we did was we incorporated our 5 senses and experimented with snow. Talking about what it felt like, looked like, tasted like, smelled like...
No picture of books... : (
For Language we did Letters R and S and we reviewed Name, Address and Phone Number.
For Math we did Numbers 15 adn 16 and Classification/Sorting. Our Character Building Trait was Gratitude and our Bible Memory Verse was ! Thes 5:18 Give Thanks in All circumstances.
Our God's World theme was Winter and we talked about all the facets of Winter. One thing we did was we incorporated our 5 senses and experimented with snow. Talking about what it felt like, looked like, tasted like, smelled like...
No picture of books... : (
Week 13 {12/6 - 12/10}
Our Bible Stories this week were Solomon Builds a Temple, Ravens Feed Elijah, Elijah and the Widow, and Elijah and the Prophets of Baal.
For Language we did Patterns, and Letters P and Q.
For Math we did the Numbers 13 and 14, and Parts of a Whole.
Our Character Building Trait was goodness and our Bible Memory Verse was Galations 6:9 Do not become weary of doing good.
Our God's World theme was Weather. We talked all about all the different types of weather and what we do and wear in certain weather. We played charades and they tried to guess what "weather" I was in, and we played guessing game where I described a weather and they guessed what the weather was.
For Language we did Patterns, and Letters P and Q.
For Math we did the Numbers 13 and 14, and Parts of a Whole.
Our Character Building Trait was goodness and our Bible Memory Verse was Galations 6:9 Do not become weary of doing good.
Our God's World theme was Weather. We talked all about all the different types of weather and what we do and wear in certain weather. We played charades and they tried to guess what "weather" I was in, and we played guessing game where I described a weather and they guessed what the weather was.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Week 12 {11/29 - 12/3}
Our Bible Stories this week were Abigail Makes Peace, David is a Kind King, God, Our Place of Safety and Solomon's Wisdom. When we talked about Solomon we talked about being wise, so we made "wise" owls to remember us to ask God to help us to be wise. 
For Language this week we practiced listening; (I would pick a word before reading a book and everything I said that word, they had to raise their hand), Letter N, Letter O and What's Missing. For What's Missing I set one complete place setting with everything. We reviewed all the pieces, then I would have them close their eyes and I would take something away. This also quickly led to a lesson on cheating as Hayley would be opening her eyes and seeing which one I took away. For Math we did Numbers 11 and 12 and then reviewed Top, Middle and Bottom as well as Above, Below, Over and Under.
Our Character Trait this week was Gentleness and our Bible Memory Verse was Philippians 4:5; Let your gentleness be evident to all.
Our God's World Theme was The Five Senses. We talked all about what they were and what role they played. We did two activities; one I blindfolded them and then tried to have them walk through the house. At first Alyssa wanted no part of it. She screamed she couldn't see and sat down. After Hayley did it a second time, Alyssa finally gave it a try. The second one we did was we did a taste test to see if things tasted sweet, salty, or sour.
For Language this week we practiced listening; (I would pick a word before reading a book and everything I said that word, they had to raise their hand), Letter N, Letter O and What's Missing. For What's Missing I set one complete place setting with everything. We reviewed all the pieces, then I would have them close their eyes and I would take something away. This also quickly led to a lesson on cheating as Hayley would be opening her eyes and seeing which one I took away. For Math we did Numbers 11 and 12 and then reviewed Top, Middle and Bottom as well as Above, Below, Over and Under.
Our Character Trait this week was Gentleness and our Bible Memory Verse was Philippians 4:5; Let your gentleness be evident to all.
Our God's World Theme was The Five Senses. We talked all about what they were and what role they played. We did two activities; one I blindfolded them and then tried to have them walk through the house. At first Alyssa wanted no part of it. She screamed she couldn't see and sat down. After Hayley did it a second time, Alyssa finally gave it a try. The second one we did was we did a taste test to see if things tasted sweet, salty, or sour.
Week 11 {11/22 - 11/26}
Happy Thanskgiving!
This week in school our Bible Stories were; The Israelites Want a King, God Chooses David, David and Goliath, and Best Friends. One of the crafts we did was we made sheep to remind us that God choose David even though he was just a shepherd boy.
For Language arts we worked on vocabulary, Letter L and the Letter M. For Math we practiced measuring, Left and Right and reviewed Numbers. Our God's World Theme was Thanksgiving and we just discussed and read books (no comment!) about the First Thanksgiving and also Thankfulness.
Our Character Trait was Generosity and our Bible Memory Verse was 2 Corinthians 9:7; For God loves a cheerful giver. I even added motions to this one.
This week in school our Bible Stories were; The Israelites Want a King, God Chooses David, David and Goliath, and Best Friends. One of the crafts we did was we made sheep to remind us that God choose David even though he was just a shepherd boy.
For Language arts we worked on vocabulary, Letter L and the Letter M. For Math we practiced measuring, Left and Right and reviewed Numbers. Our God's World Theme was Thanksgiving and we just discussed and read books (no comment!) about the First Thanksgiving and also Thankfulness.
Our Character Trait was Generosity and our Bible Memory Verse was 2 Corinthians 9:7; For God loves a cheerful giver. I even added motions to this one.
Week 10 {11/15 - 11/19}
I seriously don't know how I get 3 weeks behind. I feel like I am only a week behind, or that I have just posted and then when I come on here to update I realize I am WAY behind! Craziness! Ok... here's goes This week in school our Bible Stories were; Samson Fights a Lion, Samson and Delilah, Naomi and Ruth and God Talks to Samuel. One activity we did, was tried to trace their hands to make it look like a Lion... well, um yea... didn't quite turn out how I pictured it! 
For Language we worked on complete sentences, Letter J and Letter K and for Math we reviewed our numbers, and then studied Many and Few; More, Less and Equal; and Before, After and In Between.
Their Character Trait was Forgiveness and the Bible Memory Verse was Colossians 3:13; Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Our God's World Theme was Community Helpers and we talked about Mail Carriers, Police Officers and Fire Fighters, Doctors and Dentists along with a few others. Of course... I have no picture of the books! I really thought I had a picture? It may be downloaded on the other computer already? I will have to check!
For Language we worked on complete sentences, Letter J and Letter K and for Math we reviewed our numbers, and then studied Many and Few; More, Less and Equal; and Before, After and In Between.
Their Character Trait was Forgiveness and the Bible Memory Verse was Colossians 3:13; Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Our God's World Theme was Community Helpers and we talked about Mail Carriers, Police Officers and Fire Fighters, Doctors and Dentists along with a few others. Of course... I have no picture of the books! I really thought I had a picture? It may be downloaded on the other computer already? I will have to check!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Week 9 {11/8 - 11/12}
This week our Bible Stories were; Balaam's Talking Donkey, The Fall of Jericho, The Sun Stands Still, and Gideon's Army. I am really enjoying reading the Old Testament Stories to the kids, because so often in my own time I spend reading the Bible, I never "choose" the Old Testament! I will admit though sometimes if the passage is long that I have to read to the girls... I skim it! I know, I know... but let's face it - they will not stay attentive through the genealogy parts! : )
For Language Arts we did; Sequencing, Letter H, Mazes, and the Letter I. For Math we did; Number 9, Smallest to Largest, Number 10, and Ordinal Numbers. I obviously am not having Alyssa trying to write yet, but what I usually do is write the number or letter really big on a piece of paper and have her try to trace it. Most days I get scribble, however she stayed in the lines really well when she did her mazes!
Our God's World theme this week was pets and we just talked about all the different kinds of animals that people have as pets as opposed to farm animals. We got books from the library about dogs and cats, a pet store book. Second time... I FORGOT to take a picture! Ugh!! I even busted out photo albums I had from when I was a kid that had Spot in them as well as my hamsters (Fluffy and Pumpkin) and also pictures of the birds I babysat for my cousin Julie for couple months when she had her first baby (who is now married with his own baby.... that just seems CRAZY!). The girls really enjoyed looking at my photo's from when I was little and even seeing Mom Mom, Pop Pop and Uncle Rob in them.
Our Character Trait this week was Faithfulness and our Bible Memory Verse was Joshua 24:15 "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord".
We also did some crafts this week. We made some baked playdoh Christmas shapes, that I am hoping we will paint and give as some gifts. The girls really enjoyed making these. We also made "helmets" that said "God is with us" to be like the helmets Gideon's Army wore.
For Language Arts we did; Sequencing, Letter H, Mazes, and the Letter I. For Math we did; Number 9, Smallest to Largest, Number 10, and Ordinal Numbers. I obviously am not having Alyssa trying to write yet, but what I usually do is write the number or letter really big on a piece of paper and have her try to trace it. Most days I get scribble, however she stayed in the lines really well when she did her mazes!
Our God's World theme this week was pets and we just talked about all the different kinds of animals that people have as pets as opposed to farm animals. We got books from the library about dogs and cats, a pet store book. Second time... I FORGOT to take a picture! Ugh!! I even busted out photo albums I had from when I was a kid that had Spot in them as well as my hamsters (Fluffy and Pumpkin) and also pictures of the birds I babysat for my cousin Julie for couple months when she had her first baby (who is now married with his own baby.... that just seems CRAZY!). The girls really enjoyed looking at my photo's from when I was little and even seeing Mom Mom, Pop Pop and Uncle Rob in them.
Our Character Trait this week was Faithfulness and our Bible Memory Verse was Joshua 24:15 "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord".
We also did some crafts this week. We made some baked playdoh Christmas shapes, that I am hoping we will paint and give as some gifts. The girls really enjoyed making these. We also made "helmets" that said "God is with us" to be like the helmets Gideon's Army wore.
Week 8 {11/1 - 11/5}
This week our Bible Stories were; The Ten Commandments, The Golden Calf, The Tabernacle and The Promised Land. I wish we spent more than just a day with the Ten Commandments, but now I know in the future, to just plan it better. I am still really happy with the curriculum I have, it's great. It is just some stories I think could use a little more time but hey, I know this is only preschool so I shouldn't expect too much! The girls are doing great at learning. They are both memorizing a verse every week, and just grasping concepts, it is great! 
For Language we did; Letters E, F and G and we also did Rhyming. That was a cute exercise where I drew 6 pictures on a piece of paper (like hat, book, boat, etc) then I would say a word that rhymed with one of the words on the paper and they would have to figure it out. apparently the also recently learned rhyming on Sesame Street because Hayley said, "snore, door, zsa zsa gabor". I was a bit floored. Um, ok, Where did you hear that from? "Sesame Street". Gotta love SS!!
For Math we did; Numbers 7 and 8 and we also practiced counting. The would count as I bounced a ball. They can both count pretty well now. Hayley now gets the idea that the numbers are the same just repeated for 20, 30, and so on.
Our God's World Theme was Water. We talked about the 3 states of water: solid, liquid and gas (steam). They watched an ice cube melt and I showed them steam by boiling water. Then we also talked about the Ocean, Rivers, and Lakes. I totally forgot to get a picture of the library books! Slacker! Some of the books we had though were, "A House for Hermit Crab" by Eric Carle, "Harry by the Sea" by Gene Zion and "The Seashore Noisy Book" by Margaret Wise Brown. We also got the IMAX video "Under the Sea" from the Library too! Gotta love the Library!!!
Our Character Trait was Fairness and our Bible Memory Verse was Matthew 7:12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." This verse could not have come a t a better time! The girls are in a phase (and I say phase hoping that it will pass soon!) of pushing and pinching each other... I have repeated this verse a lot to them!! : )
For Language we did; Letters E, F and G and we also did Rhyming. That was a cute exercise where I drew 6 pictures on a piece of paper (like hat, book, boat, etc) then I would say a word that rhymed with one of the words on the paper and they would have to figure it out. apparently the also recently learned rhyming on Sesame Street because Hayley said, "snore, door, zsa zsa gabor". I was a bit floored. Um, ok, Where did you hear that from? "Sesame Street". Gotta love SS!!
For Math we did; Numbers 7 and 8 and we also practiced counting. The would count as I bounced a ball. They can both count pretty well now. Hayley now gets the idea that the numbers are the same just repeated for 20, 30, and so on.
Our God's World Theme was Water. We talked about the 3 states of water: solid, liquid and gas (steam). They watched an ice cube melt and I showed them steam by boiling water. Then we also talked about the Ocean, Rivers, and Lakes. I totally forgot to get a picture of the library books! Slacker! Some of the books we had though were, "A House for Hermit Crab" by Eric Carle, "Harry by the Sea" by Gene Zion and "The Seashore Noisy Book" by Margaret Wise Brown. We also got the IMAX video "Under the Sea" from the Library too! Gotta love the Library!!!
Our Character Trait was Fairness and our Bible Memory Verse was Matthew 7:12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." This verse could not have come a t a better time! The girls are in a phase (and I say phase hoping that it will pass soon!) of pushing and pinching each other... I have repeated this verse a lot to them!! : )
Week 7 {10/25 - 10/29}
Well, this week was not so good. I got Strep, and I could not find a substitute! : ) We only did school two days and both of those it was abbreviated. The days we did do, had good crafts, so we did those. The less talking the better! I didn't do a memory verse with them either, since I could not keep repeating it.
The Bible Stories we did do were God leads Moses and the Israelites. The did a craft of how God led Moses during the day (with a pillar of cloud) and at night (with a pillar of fire)
We also talked about The Sea being Parted and Manna from Heaven. The Manna story had a craft of being thankful. So the girls told me 10 things each they were thankful for... this is good stuff!
Hayley's 10 - trees changing color, grass, food, house to live in, mickey mouse, my beautiful eyes, the toys we have, a dog, my beautiful blond hair, and having friends.
Alyssa's 10 - pens, markers, presents, Jesus (yes!), God (whew!), purse, my computer, Bible, leaves, and flowers. Told you... quality lists!
Some other this we did this week; Naming three things and guessing "what one doesn't belong", Numbers 5 and 6 and the Letter D.
Our God's World theme was "The United States and It's Flag". Thankfully Daddy did the reading of the library books in the evening!! We looked at a map of the United States and talked about the different states we knew people in and we talked about the American Flag. On Sunday after church we drove around and had a scavenger hunt of trying to find American Flags. It was a hit and in fact as I type this up two weeks later... we still play it every. single. time. : )
The Bible Stories we did do were God leads Moses and the Israelites. The did a craft of how God led Moses during the day (with a pillar of cloud) and at night (with a pillar of fire)
We also talked about The Sea being Parted and Manna from Heaven. The Manna story had a craft of being thankful. So the girls told me 10 things each they were thankful for... this is good stuff!
Hayley's 10 - trees changing color, grass, food, house to live in, mickey mouse, my beautiful eyes, the toys we have, a dog, my beautiful blond hair, and having friends.
Alyssa's 10 - pens, markers, presents, Jesus (yes!), God (whew!), purse, my computer, Bible, leaves, and flowers. Told you... quality lists!
Some other this we did this week; Naming three things and guessing "what one doesn't belong", Numbers 5 and 6 and the Letter D.
Our God's World theme was "The United States and It's Flag". Thankfully Daddy did the reading of the library books in the evening!! We looked at a map of the United States and talked about the different states we knew people in and we talked about the American Flag. On Sunday after church we drove around and had a scavenger hunt of trying to find American Flags. It was a hit and in fact as I type this up two weeks later... we still play it every. single. time. : )
Week 6 {10/18 - 10/22}
This week our Bible Stories were; Israelites Become Slaves, Baby Moses, The Burning Bush, and the Ten Plagues. One craft we did was make flowers 
For Language we; reviewed our address and phone number, the Letter B, Left to Right Progression, and the Letter C. For Math; Number 3 and 4, and Above, Below, Over and Under, and Color Identification. They like when math can be activities. For instance color identification was going and touching as many things as they could to the color I called out.
The Character Trait this week was Discernment and the Bible Memory Verse was 1 Thessalonians 5:21 "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."
Our God's World theme this week was Trees. We talked about the different parts of trees, how they grow, the different types of trees and the four seasons of trees. We did a craft of displaying the four different seasons of trees...
Our Library books 
For Language we; reviewed our address and phone number, the Letter B, Left to Right Progression, and the Letter C. For Math; Number 3 and 4, and Above, Below, Over and Under, and Color Identification. They like when math can be activities. For instance color identification was going and touching as many things as they could to the color I called out.
The Character Trait this week was Discernment and the Bible Memory Verse was 1 Thessalonians 5:21 "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."
Our God's World theme this week was Trees. We talked about the different parts of trees, how they grow, the different types of trees and the four seasons of trees. We did a craft of displaying the four different seasons of trees...
Our Library books 
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Week 5 {10/4 - 10/15}
Did you notice? Yes, you are correct, that is a two week time spread. We took two weeks to do one week of school because we had Mom Mom and Pop Pop Cossaboon in town to visit. That is how homeschooling rolls and I love it! Our Bible Stories were; Joseph is Sold, God is with Joseph, Joseph's Secret, and Joseph forgives his brothers. We talked so much about Joseph, that Joseph is now ranked right up there with God and Jesus with Alyssa. It's pretty cute.
Our God's World theme for the week was "Family", which I had picked because we had family visiting, but it also just worked well with our Bible Stories because of Joseph's relationship with his family.
For Language we learned about Patterns, Finishing a Story (which was absolutely adorable to see what Hayley would say), and we also started with letter writing with the Letter A. For Math we talked about Money. I gave the girls pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters and we just talked about them and tried remembering what they were called. We started working on our numbers with the Numbers 1 and 2 and we also reviewed top, middle and bottom positions.
Can you guess where I took the pictures of the library books? That would be the back seat of the car. I was getting ready to return them and then remembered I had yet to take a picture of them and whipped out my phone to take a picture!
The Character Trait was Diligence and the Memory Verse was 1 Corinthians 10:31; whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Our God's World theme for the week was "Family", which I had picked because we had family visiting, but it also just worked well with our Bible Stories because of Joseph's relationship with his family.
For Language we learned about Patterns, Finishing a Story (which was absolutely adorable to see what Hayley would say), and we also started with letter writing with the Letter A. For Math we talked about Money. I gave the girls pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters and we just talked about them and tried remembering what they were called. We started working on our numbers with the Numbers 1 and 2 and we also reviewed top, middle and bottom positions.
Can you guess where I took the pictures of the library books? That would be the back seat of the car. I was getting ready to return them and then remembered I had yet to take a picture of them and whipped out my phone to take a picture!
The Character Trait was Diligence and the Memory Verse was 1 Corinthians 10:31; whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Week 4 {9/27 - 10/1}
Well, Homeschooling is going great... me keeping this blog up-to-date... not so much! I will work harder at it! This homeschooling is no joke. Most evenings I am reviewing my lessons for the next day and searching online to see if there is anything fun that I can add to it. I wouldn't change it for the world though, I am loving it! This week our Bible Stories were; Jacob's Lie, Jacob's Dream, Jacob meets Rachel, and Joseph's Dream. A couple of the crafts that we did to go along with that were we made cut out hearts and we put band-aids on them to remember that lie's hurt, and we also made a colorful weaved paper as a reminder of Joseph and his coat of many colors. For Math we talked about; before, after and in between, measuring, maps, and left to right. For Language; we did a cool exercise where I would give Hayley two words and she had to put them into a sentence, we also practiced listening (pretty much like a Simon Says game), What's missing (where I would lay a couple things out, have them look at them, close there eyes and take something away to see if they could remember what was missing, and hand eye coordination where they practiced lacing. We also learned about taking care of our eyes and we did a mini eye exam, where they had to show me what way the E was pointing.
Our God's World Theme for this week was birds, and we learned about the parts or birds, read books about birds, colored birds and even got to visit and hold birds! Friends of ours have two parakeets and we went and visited them and the girls each got to have the bird stand on their hand.
Our Character Trait this week was Dependability and our Bible Verse was Matthew 5:37 Simply, let your yes be yes and your no; no.
Our God's World Theme for this week was birds, and we learned about the parts or birds, read books about birds, colored birds and even got to visit and hold birds! Friends of ours have two parakeets and we went and visited them and the girls each got to have the bird stand on their hand.
Our Character Trait this week was Dependability and our Bible Verse was Matthew 5:37 Simply, let your yes be yes and your no; no.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Week 3 {9/20-9/24}
Well, this week was a bit of a challenge as I was fighting a head cold ALL week! (As was Cole!) So, needless to say, most days this week we did an abbreviated version! The beginning of the week, my throat hurt to even talk, so we did the Bible Story and Questions, and that was the extent of it.
This week Bible Stories were: A Wife for Issac, Jacob and Esau, Esau Sells his Birthright, and Issac does not fight. One of the activities we did was about reminding us that we can pray for anything at anytime. We made Praying Hands journals, and Hayley wrote the names of all of us on the pages.
Some of the Language Skills we learned were: Sequencing (which I had just picked up a card game for that same thing the Saturday before at a Mom 2 Mom sale!! Bonus!), and Mazes. For Math we talked about ordinal numbers, and many and few.
Our Character Trait was courage and the Bible Memory Verse was Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
Our God's World Theme was about Fall.We talked about the signs of fall (which unfortunately have already started here in MI!), leaves, what animals do in the fall, and on Friday we took a trip to the Cider Mill as our Field Trip.
This week Bible Stories were: A Wife for Issac, Jacob and Esau, Esau Sells his Birthright, and Issac does not fight. One of the activities we did was about reminding us that we can pray for anything at anytime. We made Praying Hands journals, and Hayley wrote the names of all of us on the pages.
Some of the Language Skills we learned were: Sequencing (which I had just picked up a card game for that same thing the Saturday before at a Mom 2 Mom sale!! Bonus!), and Mazes. For Math we talked about ordinal numbers, and many and few.
Our Character Trait was courage and the Bible Memory Verse was Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
Our God's World Theme was about Fall.We talked about the signs of fall (which unfortunately have already started here in MI!), leaves, what animals do in the fall, and on Friday we took a trip to the Cider Mill as our Field Trip.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Week 2 {9/13 - 9/17}
Well, our second week of homeschooling went just as well as the first. We are all enjoying it and having fun while learning! What could be better!
Our Bible Stories we talked about this week were; The Flood, The Tower of Babel, Abraham's Journey, and Issac's Birth.
Our God's World theme for the week was Farming. We talked all about farms, animals, and crops. On Friday we took a "field trip" to Dominoe's Petting Farm and checked out all the animals and the girls got to feed them carrots. We also went on a hayride.
For language we went over Opposites, Rhyming, and Sequencing. Our Math topics were Counting, Parts of a Whole, and Smallest to Largest. We also gave skipping a go for Phys. Ed., but don't think we are quite there yet. Whew!
Our Character trait this week was Contentment and our Bible verse was Psalm 23:1; The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Our Bible Stories we talked about this week were; The Flood, The Tower of Babel, Abraham's Journey, and Issac's Birth.
Our God's World theme for the week was Farming. We talked all about farms, animals, and crops. On Friday we took a "field trip" to Dominoe's Petting Farm and checked out all the animals and the girls got to feed them carrots. We also went on a hayride.
For language we went over Opposites, Rhyming, and Sequencing. Our Math topics were Counting, Parts of a Whole, and Smallest to Largest. We also gave skipping a go for Phys. Ed., but don't think we are quite there yet. Whew!
Our Character trait this week was Contentment and our Bible verse was Psalm 23:1; The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Butter!!!
Ok, so I really just need to post this (outside of my weekly update) because I am still excited about this! We MADE butter! How cool is that? I think it is pretty cool. This week our God's World theme is Farming. One of the activities was making butter. You put Heavy Whipping Cream in a jar and shake for about 6 - 7 minutes and it turns into butter. Seriously! And it was Good!!! I was really excited and said to Hayley, "I never did that before" and she even more excited than I replied, "Either did I!" Loving Learning with them!!
Week 1 {9/7 - 9/10}
Our first week of homeschooling could not have gone any better! The girls did a fantastic job with everything, and we just had such a good week overall. I really think it just improved us getting along, me spending so much concentrated time with them not be distracted by other things. Our first week we talked about Creation, Adam and Eve, and Noah and the Ark. Hayley really payed attention to the stories and was able to answer most of the questions I aksed. Alyssa answered them with the same answers Hayley gave!
Our God's World Theme for the week was "The Sky" and I picked that b/c I thought it correlated well with the Creation theme. So we talked about the Sun, the Earth, the Moon and the Stars.
For the language parts this week they were to learn to spell their name, which Hayley already knew and then also know their phone number and address. I thought it would take more than the week, but Hayley already has both of those memorized. Alyssa, knows our street name, city and state... but for 2 1/2 I think that is a pretty good start for her!
They also both memorized their Bible verse for the week: John 15:12 My command is this, Love each other as I have loved you.
Like I said, I really don't think I could have asked for a better first week. I was having a lot of doubts before we started, but needless to say, really felt affirmed in our decision to really give this a try afterwards. Here's praying for an awesome year!
Our God's World Theme for the week was "The Sky" and I picked that b/c I thought it correlated well with the Creation theme. So we talked about the Sun, the Earth, the Moon and the Stars.
For the language parts this week they were to learn to spell their name, which Hayley already knew and then also know their phone number and address. I thought it would take more than the week, but Hayley already has both of those memorized. Alyssa, knows our street name, city and state... but for 2 1/2 I think that is a pretty good start for her!
They also both memorized their Bible verse for the week: John 15:12 My command is this, Love each other as I have loved you.
Like I said, I really don't think I could have asked for a better first week. I was having a lot of doubts before we started, but needless to say, really felt affirmed in our decision to really give this a try afterwards. Here's praying for an awesome year!
Our 2010 - 2011 Curriculum
For this school year, I found a Christian Pre-school Curriculum that I thought was very structured, yet simple enough for me to tackle in my first official year of homeschooling. I had done some with Hayley last year, but that was more with writing and learning numbers. Bright Beginnings is an actual curriculum that has an outline for everyday.
Here is Amazon's Editorial Review:
Bright Beginnings is a user-friendly, all-inclusive curriculum that allows busy parents to provide their child with the many benefits of an early education at home. This two-volume set includes 36 weeks of complete lesson plans. The only materials needed are a Bible, household supplies, and some optional library books. This program is designed for four- to six-year-olds and is flexible enough to be used in any home under any schedule. Bright Beginnings helps children grasp important concepts and skills such as letters, shapes, numbers, colors, gross and fine motor coordination, listening, visual discrimination, classifying, and much more. Character training and Bible knowledge is interwoven throughout the curriculum, creating a balanced perspective both academically and spiritually.
Subjects include:
• Bible
• Language Skills
• Math
• Character Development
• Health, Safety and Manners
• Memory Verse
• God’s World
• Physical Education
• Art, Snacks and Music
Bright Beginnings also includes 33 worksheets and A through Z flashcards. Best of all, in this uncertain would, you can feel confident that your child is getting a well-rounded, Christian-based head start! If you are looking for one book that has it all, this is it!
You can also check out the website at http://www.bright-beginnings.net/index.html
One thing that I liked was that even though it is structured, it is flexible. The God's World section is a weekly theme topic, and you basically just pick what theme you want to do what week. Everything is outlined for the days, but you choose when you do that topic. I like that.
What is {Gerwing}ology ?
{Gerwing}ology - is the art and science of homeschooling Hayley, Alyssa, and Cole.
Ok, so I have to first confess... I stole my idea for the name. Our MOPS theme for the year is Momology (the art and science of mothering). I thought it was catchy, so I stole it. There you have it. I did try and come up with a name to go more along the lines of our family blog, but was having a hard time coming up with another "G" word. I was looking to call this 'G3" - Growing Gerwings (Blank) and that is why this is now {Gerwing}ology... I could not figure out another G word that would work to go along with it.
My hopes with this blog, is to just chronicle our weeks with what we are doing and learning.
Thanks for checking in on us!
Ok, so I have to first confess... I stole my idea for the name. Our MOPS theme for the year is Momology (the art and science of mothering). I thought it was catchy, so I stole it. There you have it. I did try and come up with a name to go more along the lines of our family blog, but was having a hard time coming up with another "G" word. I was looking to call this 'G3" - Growing Gerwings (Blank) and that is why this is now {Gerwing}ology... I could not figure out another G word that would work to go along with it.
My hopes with this blog, is to just chronicle our weeks with what we are doing and learning.
Thanks for checking in on us!
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