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Welcome with me won't you? Cassandra, a new friend from the TOS crew. She teaches a disparate age grouping and has found a way to make it work for you. Thank you Cassandra for guest blogging for me today.
A Day at Our School
Have you ever wondered how other homeschool families run their school? I know that I certainly have. I am very thankful to my new friend, Annette, for inviting me over here to her blog to share what a day in our school looks like. So how do we do school in our house? Read on...
Our school may or may not be set up the way your school is. Do you teach more than one grade? Are the grades you teach close together (like 1st and 2nd) or are they spread apart? In our school we have two completely different, spread apart grades. I teach 7th grade to my son and 2nd grade to my daughter. It took some planning to get my head wrapped around teaching two separate grades, but once I got a few “systems” set up, it has been a fairly smooth process.
So how do I do it? How do I home school when I teach different grades? How do you teach 7th grade and 2nd grade in the same day? We use Sonlight as our curriculum and it really works for us. It is highly reading based (which I really love being an avid reader myself) and it works well for independent work too. Sonlight works great in our home because we have two completely different personalities in our house. My early riser is my 7th grader. He has always been a morning person and would be up before the sun if he was allowed to be. So his school day starts first. This does two things in our school. One - it allows me time to work one on one with him and get the subjects that we work through together done right away (Sonlight has readers that the teacher reads to the student and readers the student reads to the teacher). Two - it gives my second grader time to get up, wake up, and take a slower approach to her morning which she really needs. She is my night owl and just doesn't wake up well if she is rushed (she has earned her nickname Beast when she is forced awake). So we set up a schedule that works for us based on this.
Every day I make sure that the books each child will need is listed on our patio door which doubles as our "marker board" when we work around our dining room table which is 90% of the time. When each child knows what books to grab, they can have them right where they are working and there is no wasting time looking for books in the middle of lessons. After they grab the books they need we start our day. We have Bible, history, readers, read aloud books, math, science, Spanish, language arts, spelling/vocabulary and grammar. My seventh grader also works on a web design class online. My second grader has handwriting that is part of her work.
After all the school work is done, I grade it each day. This helps me know if either child is struggling in a subject and we need more time on a concept and I can give immediate feedback on their work. It also helps keep me organized because I don't get behind and have to spend hours grading a mountain of work. We also make sure that at the end of each day that each child puts their books back on their shelves and puts away their supplies (they each have a caddy for their pencils, pens, erasers, etc).
By taking the time to figure out what works best for us in our school, I have been able to keep it running smoothly and the kids know pretty much what each day will look like. I don't want to mislead you into thinking everything always runs perfectly. We do have days that fall apart because we are real people and live real lives. We get sick. We are involved in activities outside of our home and we are part of a homeschool group at our church. So not every day looks like this, but most of our days do. I truly believe the non-negotiable part of our school is flexibility. If I were not flexible or my kids were not flexible we would be a mess. There are days we have to adjust for orthodontist appointments or Bible study at church. Every once in awhile we get the opportunity to go on business trips with my hubby and I love the fact that my kids are flexible and we can adjust our school so we can take it on the road with us. When situations arise, we become flexible and figure out a way to make our school work. It wasn't always that way for me. I remember how rigid and inflexible I used to be when I first started homeschooling and that just led to frustration and exhaustion for me. So I learned over the years to be flexible and willing to adjust where and when it was needed and it has made a huge difference. I taught my kids to be flexible and adjust so that when we need it, they can roll with it. The biggest piece of advice I can give you about homeschooling whether you teach one grade or five grades is to be flexible – go ahead and plan for what you want to happen, but be flexible enough to make changes where they are needed or to adjust for the things that you cannot plan for because they will happen.
Cassandra is a Child of God, a wife of 17 years, a mom of 2, and a friend to many. She is a city girl turned country. She and her family live in the country with their husky, two outdoor cats, and the chickens. Cassandra blogs over at A Glimpse of Normal where you can take a peek into normal, everyday life over at their house. She blogs about everything from homeschooling to reviews to recipes to crafts to trips to you name it. She loves crafts, cooking, reading, and baking. She also has a crazy Pinterest addiction.
Over the past couple of weeks my son and I have been learning about Temperate Forests. We used this book "Temperate Forest Habitats" as our base of study. We learned that temperate forests include both deciduous and coniferous forests. Temperate forests are those that experience temperature fluctuations throughout the year. They have a spring, summer, fall and winter. As you can see from this map, they are spread across the world, predominately in the northern hemisphere, but also in the southern hemisphere. They have an abundance of wildlife which changes dependent upon the season. Some animals and birds that live in these regions change their behaviour depending on the weather as well, some animals moving to warmer climes, others hibernating, still others change the colour of their coat. Since it is winter in Canada we were able to look at the pros and cons to deciduous and coniferous trees. Seeing how easily coniferous trees shed snow as opposed to deciduous trees. It's been great to talk about how God planned for broad-leafed trees to lose their leaves in the winter to prevent water loss and reduce snow load. It was interesting to extrapolate the knowledge that due to the shape of tree, if you are caught in a mixed tree forest in the winter, it is easy to build a shelter with snow and the trees branches, to make a hidey hole to wait out the bad weather. (This brought to life some of the lessons Will learned in the Ranger's Apprentice). This was an interesting book to read and provoked lots of comments from my boy and random discussions throughout our days. I love reading non-fiction books with my lad and using the information we learn in informal discussions. Makes the learning more natural and thus more easily remembered (at least one hopes so). :)
If you would like to know more, here's a PDF on Temperate Forests. Psalm 32:1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Lyrics How blest is he whose trespass Hath freely been forgiv’n, Whose sin is wholly covered Before the sight of Heav’n. But he to whom Jehovah Will not impute his sin, Who has a guileless spirit, Whose heart is true within. While I kept guilty silence My strength was spent with grief; Thy hand was heavy on me, My soul found no relief; But when I owned my trespass, My sin hid not from Thee, When I confessed transgression, Then Thou forgavest me. So let the godly seek Thee In times when Thou art near; No whelming floods shall reach them, Nor cause their hearts to fear. In Thee, O Lord, I hide me, Thou savest me from ill, And songs of Thy salvation My heart with rapture thrill. I graciously will teach thee The way that thou shalt go, And with Mine eye upon thee My counsel make thee know. But be ye not unruly, Or slow to understand, Be not perverse, but willing To heed My wise command. First appearing in hymnals around 1910, Who Blest is He Whose Trespass is based on Psalm 32. In researching this song there seems to be some confusion over who the composer of this song is. http://www.weebly.com/editor/main.php Some sources say unknown with the tune written by Chretien Urhan Rutherford, and others seeming to say that he was the composer and the tune writer, and yet others who say he composed it and someone else wrote the tune. I really don't know which is true. Rutherford was an accomplished musician and fervent christian. By all account Chretien was a serious minded fellow who loved music and lived an austere life, giving all he had to his music and to charity. He was an equally fierce advocate for preserving the works of old masters, while being a strong proponent of the new. He did however suffer a terrible death. His last few years he lived in terrible poverty and he entertained thoughts of suicide, eventually choosing to do so by starving himself to death. He couldn't be dissuaded otherwise and died surrounded by his friends. He may or may not have lost his faith in God at the very end.
The theme for this weeks Virtual Curriculum Fair is: Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and Science---includes anything to do with mathematics, mathematical thinking, numbers, arithmetic, symbolic logic, critical thinking, and math-y sciences (physics, chemistry, etc.).
I find math easy to do as an adult, loved it in school, but teaching it to my lad is not what I would call easy.
It's either too easy, or too hard, or they explain it wrong, or they.. whatever... Its just been a touch of a battle for far too long. I've bought curriculum, reviewed curriculum pieced things together.. Done the gambit. He's learned a few things along the way, but it's a battle I don't wish to fight any longer. About a month ago I won a curriculum fromEducents called Matholia. Now the battle is gone. See those yellow stars? My requirement is that you simply get yellow stars on everything. Doesn't have to be perfect (three stars) but you need to at least attempt the material. NOW sometimes they don't explain the math concept well so we then turn to Khan academy, but all the basics for grade five math are here.
The advantage of doing it this way is that he can choose to easier or harder topics. He can jump around if he wants, it does not matter to me. I am still there as a support system and to offer advice but that's all I am. He can argue with the computer all he wants but it's a computer.. it doesn't answer back or get frustrated. :) It's taken the pressure off both of us.
For practicing his different math operations we have these neat pages of minecraft characters that he colours in. He has the fun of making minecraft pictures while practicing his math...though apparently we MUST FIND a dark grey pencil crayon. To make math different on Fridays we do one of two things.. work on his interactive math journal or play math games. Click images below to learn more.
Science on the other hand is a win-win in this household. Exploring, trying new things, playing with life and watching what happens.
From a lad learning about wind currents using a fan, string, paper and popsicle sticks to a more formal program of learning about machines in motion with God's Design curriculum. It all works here. It's fun, it's hands on and is just a great subject and SO easy to incorporate throughout our day.
So that's some of how we do math and science in our classroom, How do you do it in yours?
Read what others have to say as well. :) Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses - Thoughts on Math and Science Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset - From Counting to Calculus Laura @ Day by Day in Our World - How We Approach Math in This Homeschool Year Annette @ A Net In Time - Struggling with Math, Loving Science Annette @ A Net In Time - Lego Pulleys and Levers Yvie @ Gypsy Road Hands - On Math with Special Needs Learners Chelli @ The Planted Trees - Chemistry Using Living Books Lisa @ GoldenGrasses - An Appalling Lack of Curiosity Edie @ Carter Chaos - Our Favorite Ways to Study Numbers Tracey @ A Learning Journey - Robot Area and Perimeter Art Project Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life - Math and Standardized Tests Jen @ Chestnut Grove Academy - Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and Science Sarah @ DeliveringGrace - Learning Multiplication Tables Kylie @ Our Worldwide Classroom - Multisensory Multiplication Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break - Science and Stuff Kemi Quinn @ Homemaking Organized - Math in Our Homeschool for a Later Elementary Organized Reader Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory - Math and Logic - Our Steady Path Laura @ Four Little Penguins - Math and Science Love For the past three weeks the lad and I have been learning about Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a country in Europe that is dwarfed by Russia, Turkey and Iran. It predominately a Muslim country were peoples of other religions are free to worship. They do a lot of oil, natural gas etc. The Capital City is Baku. They are divided into two areas...a larger land mass and then the area of Naxcivan. The Music from Azerbaijan has a different sound than we are used to. We weren't quite sure what to make of it. We found the instruments intriguing. In fact my lad had us look them up as the spiked fiddle made him wonder if it could also be used as a weapon...and was disappointed that it was only a rest spot. Azerbaijan food uses a lot of sherbet (a fruit based sweet drink), meat from mountain type animals (sheep goats etc) and fresh vegetable (like tomatoes). One of the things that caught my lads attention about this land was their acceptance of other religions. In a day when we hear only of how Muslims are against people of other faiths, to find a Muslim based country that is tolerant was a "that's nice of them mom" moment for my son and I. A short history of Azerbaijan, especially in relationship with the USA. I found this funny After viewing the USA film I wondered if Canada had anything similar, and found this video about Sittlng Volleyball. My lad made me smile though... he saw the players coming on to the court and was horrified! "MOM!! why did they do that? Why do they cut off their leg so they can play a game? Who would do that!!!!" I needed to explain to him that they didn't do that so they could play volleyball but that it was a way for people who got hurt to be able to have fun playing a physically active sport. His response then was "Oh, that was nice of them. It's good to play games mom. But I was wondering why anyone would let someone cut off their leg to play a game. I am glad it's not like that." Tonight we had some friends come join us for our meal. A mom with her five children.. Her children were quite used to helping to cook so were quite eager to lend a hand. We were so busy and talking so much I completely forgot to take pictures. Items we made together: Pan Kabab. Ground lamb into a meatball. We were supposed to put them on skewers, but we just turned them into patties and cooked them up. I made them without the sauce because it was getting on time to eat.ched almonds. Milk Sherbet. Sweetened milk. Azerbaijani Plov. A pilaf. Using basmati rice and blanched almonds. Items I made ahead of time with my lad as the dough needed to set, or the food needed to steep or rest. Mint Sherbet. My son actually made this by himself. Caraway Sherbet. This was really good. :) Shekerbura. These were a bit tricky to make, it took me some time to figure out how thin was just right and what size was ideal. I made the rounds, the lad did the sealing. Not as pretty as the professional ones, but turned out well. Sticky Donut Fingers. These were good. My son cooked them... his first time deep frying anything. I made the sauce but I didn't let it cook quite long enough. Still tasted good. :) The children really liked these. I'll leave you with this last video. Pretty horses.
You know how you meet a program that works well for you?
One creative boy, one bible, one study where he can choose what he understands of the bible story, and if he can't think of something there are words to give a clue and if you are STILL stumped your mom has access to a teacher's manual that will give you even more clues? A boy couldn't ask for a bible study more suited to who he is. Let me then introduce you to Grapevine Studies. I'll be doing a full review next week, but this week I have the marvellous opportunity to let you win a copy of the Resurrection study for yourself. Pretty cool eh?
Grapevine Studies is a company that takes the student through sections or stories of the bible step by step. They encourage the student to draw pictures to help them remember the story. We are thoroughly enjoying working our way through the New Testament, complete with memory verses, memory challenges, learning to use a bible dictionary and so much more.
So here's your chance to win a copy for yourself. :)
The Mammals book that we are reading through had us learning about animals called Dassies. I thought the who??? As we read further we learned that dassies are animals such a Rock Hyrax or Siberian Hyrax. The book didn't provide any pictures so I went searching for some. If you want to hear a boy coo... show him a picture like this: My lad was SO fascinated by these little creatures. You can see more images of them here. Rock hyraxes, as you might guess, live in rocky areas, in places such as Egypt, South Africa, and Syria. They have thickly padded feet that are kept moist through a numerous sweat glands and are experts at rock climbing. They shelter within the crevices and fissures found within these rocky areas. They eat plants and fruit for the most part, but also insects, lizards and birds' eggs. They eat as a family, in a circle, facing out so they can keep a close watch for predators. They will take a bite and look around and repeat. They have a unique eye lid that allows them to look into the sun to watch for predators. (source) Although they are terribly cute and look a lot like rodents, rock hyraxes are in a class all their own, more related to elephants and manatees than to the rabbits (which aren't rodents either) that my son thought they were like. They even have tusks which are elongated incisor teeth (rather than canine teeth). Rock hyraxes have at least 21 different vocalizations, including trills, yips, grunts, wails, snorts, twitters, shrieks, growls, and whistles. Males also sing complex songs that can last for several minutes and serve a territorial purpose, like bird song. (source) They have a three-chambered stomach and I found it interesting, that like rabbits, the young NEED to eat the poop of adults in order to develop proper gut bacteria to digest the foods that adults eat. The young are born after a 7-8 month gestation. They are a small, careful animal. They lives in colonies, love to sun bathe and are also known by the name of rock badger, dassie or the cape hyrax. Joining up with week with blogging through the alphabet.
I have to admit that I am not real familiar with this artist. BUT Chris Tomlin has a music video out called "Good Good Father" which sounds pretty good. :) So I thought I'd share it with you. It's not what I would call a deeply theological song, but it is a nice song that speaks to God's love for us and his concern for us as a father. It speaks to how God is perfect and loves us. We all have a picture of who we think God is. When we get down to the foundation of what we believe, the truth is that God is exactly who He says He is – a good, good Father. If you would like to learn what the story is behind the song, this video linked below will help you understand it a bit better. :) If you want to download the video on itunes you can find here. Did you know that he is currently running a contest? It's Flyaway to see him in concert. Pretty cool eh? You can learn more about that concert at this link. CHRIS TOMLIN LYRICS
"Good Good Father" Oh, I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night And you tell me that you're pleased And that I'm never alone You're a Good, Good Father It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am Oh, and I've seen many searching for answers far and wide But I know we're all searching For answers only you provide Cause you know just what we need Before we say a word You're a Good, Good Father It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am Cause you are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways to us You are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways to us Oh, it's love so undeniable I, I can hardly speak Peace so unexplainable I, I can hardly think As you call me deeper still [x3] Into love, love, love [x3:] You're a Good, Good Father It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am You're a Good, Good Father (You are perfect in all of your ways) It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you (You are perfect in all of your ways) It's who I am, it's who I am it's who I am The life of a pastor is a life of sharing one's life with others, a life filled with knowing that others will need you (occasionally at times inconvenient). As a pastor's wife, your life will also be shared and out in the open, you will be in the public eye. How does one cope? How do you see the green grass where God has planted you? This is the question of this chapter. Some keys to living in the public eye:
1. Realize everyone will go about this differently. Be YOU. Share your concerns with your husband. Make your home a haven. Figure out what your unique ministry will be. Don't compare yourself to others. Be YOU. 2. Set Your Husband Free. Manage the household on Sunday mornings so he can focus on his message and the people. 3. Totally Committed. Make sure your husband knows that you are 100% committed to him doing his job and doing it well. Stand behind him. Pray for him. Listen to him. Be his support system, the one who always has his back. 4. "Boulder" Opportunities. You know those rocks that creep up and can overwhelm? See them as opportunities, opportunities for God to work all things for good. God puts them altogether.. the hard, the good, the sad, the glad and he works them all for the good of those who love him and are called together for his purpose. 5. The Spirit's Replicating Ministry. It can be hard to share your husband. To have plans changed. To know he can't always be there. BUT God will teach us that he will provide for all our needs. He will indeed. 6. An "open" Palm. The advantage to having a pastor for husband is they tend to be able to order their days. They don't have to be gone 9-5 every day. They can choose to spend lunch with their families, they can be home for tea, they can work for set hours, or in today's digital world they can even work on the road as they attend events. 7. A Godly Balance: Husband do need to balance out their pastoral duties with their family duties. Sometimes the pastoral world needs to be shut off to be a boon to the family life. Balance is key. 8. Generous Hospitality. Be willing to welcome people into your home. Give them a sympathetic ear and a open kitchen. 9. A sympathetic High Priest. Be YOU. God made you and knows you full well. Work at being a good pastor's wife, but more importantly.. work out being the godly person that God has called YOU to be. My Thoughts: This chapter was SO not what I thought it would be about. :) And I'm still feeling a bit.. um.. huh? about it. I didn't expect a chapter focused on how to live in the limelight. I expected a chapter focused on how to share your husband with more people than sometimes you want to. This chapter did both... I thought the points were good. About knowing that as a pastor's wife that life will be interrupted by your husbands job and that people will see what you do and how you do it more readily. I get that. It's hard to live where people can watch what you do. But you know what? People watch what you do ANYWAYS. I know when I first was married that it was annoying if people commented on what they saw me doing or "tsked" about how I shouldn't be doing this as the "dominee's" wife. At times it was heartbreaking and my reaction was tear-filled. But as people like to say "I am stubborn". I chose to continue living my life. I CHOSE to make some adaptations in how I did things... because as a Christian woman I SHOULD NOT BE a stumbling block for others. NOT because I was the pastor's wife and should "be" a certain way. I had to make choices, every pastor's wife will need to make choices, just a every christian woman will need to make choices. What is the better way? To be a stumbling block or to meet a need? That's what it comes down to for me. Will I hold my ground? I've done this. Sorry but it is not a "HAVE TO" to wear dresses to church on Sunday. Whether I wear dress pants or a dress or a skirt is not indicative of my relationship with God. It's clothes, covering my body, and they are clean and in good shape and the best that I have. PERIOD. Will I make a change because it's better for my husband and better for his pastorate? No ratty shorts, no shorts over a bathing suit while gardening out front, no barefeet in church.. NOT A PROBLEM. I will make those changes and not even bat an eye...particularly if you come and talk to me about it, and not say bad things "behind my back", Because it's called CARING for the sensibilities of others. Will I explain WHY I do things in order to promote greater understanding? For sure. I will help people understand why I tend not to go late on Saturdays.. I NEED to be and my introverted husband NEEDS to be refreshed for a busy Sunday. But without explanation it might come across as a NO I don't want to spend time with you. This is not what is wished to be conveyed. Will I keep my mouth shut? Definitely, definitely, definitely. Better to say nothing than to cause a kerfluffle right? :) |
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