Week 14 Review

Our week in review:

Language Arts: Ryan is finally writing his story (Young Writers Program). He has blazed through a thousand words already, so he is well on his way to accomplishing his goal. Nathan has started his short story as well. David completed a grammar and vocabulary lesson. He also continues to practice for the ACT test he will take later this year.

Literature: This week they read/covered: Our Country's Presidents (John Quincy Adams), Amazing Impossible Erie Canal, Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille, My Side of the Mountain and Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire. David is finishing a paper on The Last of the Mohicans.

History: I blog about our weekly history lessons in detail at the beginning of each week. This week we covered John Quincy Adams and Political Realignments.

Science: Nathan and Ryan attended Co-op this week. You can see what they did here. At home this week, they continued studying Module 3 and are finishing the study guide. David is continuing with his chemistry lessons and working with his weekly lab group.

Math: Nathan and Ryan are working on a couple of small math projects and playing fraction games. David is continuing to work through his Algebra II lessons.

4-H projects: Nathan and Ryan are working on finishing their projects for 4-H this week. The farm city poster project and woodworking project are both due.

Outdoor Pursuits: The boys have been playing with their friends and riding their bikes. Plus they have been blowing and raking leaves. We have a lot of large maple trees in our yard, which are beautiful, but there are SO many leaves.

This was the first week that we have worked with a project style schedule. The boys seemed to enjoy it, so I feel it will be a good change up that will keep us busy until the holiday break.

Chemistry Labs, Week 10

This week the kids completed two experiments:

• Experiment 4.4: The Kinetic Theory of Matter
• MicroChem Experiment 2: Melting Points, Super Cooling

Christmas projects

I'm starting to assemble a list of possible holiday projects and gift ideas that I can make for Christmas. So far this is what I'm considering:

• duvet covers
• aprons
• photo bookmarks
• family tree
• etched glasses
• no-sew tote bags
• rice heat therapy bags

I also need to pull out my craft box with my holiday stationary supplies so I can start making my Christmas cards {it takes me forever to finish, so I have to start early}.

November Gratitude Challenge

The point of this challenge is to blog about something your grateful for. So, here are my top 6:

Grace ~ Thankful and grateful to God for everything
My family ~ A great husband and three wonderful and rambunctious boys
My friends ~ A great group (many are homeschoolers as well)
Homeschooling ~ I have an opportunity to learn with my children & spend lots of time outdoors
Household ~ I'm very grateful to have everything I need and the ability to be content
Chocolate ~ Everything goes better with chocolate!


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Another lovely day, another clean slate!
Another day to work on an already full plate.
What will we do first? Reading, Writing, Math?
What if something unexpected shows up in our path?

Another lovely day, another quandary arises,
How do we teach these children of different shapes and sizes?
Shall we follow Book A, or Idea B, or the voice of the "pro?"
Can we follow our hearts on which way we should go?

Little Suzy wants to make a pattern for a doll,
but she's "behind" in algebra, and can't spell much at all,
And little Johnny is working on a project made of wood,
but what about his "social studies?" And other things he "should...."

Grandma needs some help, but our workbooks are a-waiting!
There are other shut-ins with a visit anticipating.
And what about that neighbor with the baby on the way?
Can our "studies" suffer if she needs our help today?

There are many things that pull us daily
this-a-way and that,
And we can get so sidetracked, that our accomplishments fall flat.
The path is bright and our feet will go, if only we will pray,
And listen to the voice of God, who leads us the right way.

Relationships are more important, inside our homes, and out,
and how we treat each other is what homeschooling is about,
It's not wrong to be good spellers, but if we lie and cheat and steal,
And if we hate our brother, good grades are no big deal.

So dear homeschool Mom, don't worry and don't fret.
If little Johnny can not read as well as you think, yet,
and little Suzy will learn her math, while baking for the neighbor,
and friendships formed inside your home will strengthen, so don't waver!

If you will pray and seek His face for each question on your heart,
And read His word, and know His voice, you will know right where to start,
Don't be tossed to and fro by this world's ideas and plans,
Listen to your Lord, your lives are in His Hands.

Written by, Nancy Baetz

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NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo ~ National Blog Posting Month:

I signed up for this in the hopes that I will start blogging daily. lol. I'm not sure if it will work or not, but maybe it will serve as the motivation I need to stay on track. I always have good intentions of blogging every day and usually even start an entry, but then I have to stop and clean something, do laundry, cook, teach, or go somewhere. Oh well, we will just have to see how it goes...

Co-Op Week 11

This week my 5th and 6th graders are working on completing Module 3. We went over the first half of the study guide. I also introduced Module 4 and the kids completed an experiment involving pulleys. They lifted a bag on a pulley and then a series of pulleys (block and tackle) to get a feel for the mechanical advantage.














My 7th and 8th graders have just completed Module 5 and are starting Module 6 this week. They completed an experiment that I borrowed from chemistry, because most of the experiments in this module take a full day or days to complete. So, I had to find something that would work in a classroom environment.

They completed experiment 4.2 from chemistry: Distinguishing Between Chemical and Physical change. This is the experiment where you dissolve an egg shell in hydrogen chloride (toilet bowl cleaner). It just happens that this ties in with their study of physical and chemical weathering.

Get Ready... Set... Write!

It's November, so it must be time to write. Ryan has registered to participate in NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. He is working on a novel with a goal of writing between 3,000 and 5,000 words. He hopes to finish by the end of the challenge, which is at the end of the month. Nathan does not want to participate in the writing program, but will be writing a short story this month.


Young Writers Program Manifesto...

Advent Conspiracy

This would be great for a small group or family Bible study leading up to the holidays.

"Each year Americans spend billions of dollars on material items at Christmas. That is a pretty weird way to celebrate the birth of Jesus, who gave up all of his riches to save the world. Christmas for Christians can be a time, however that is not a contradiction. It can be a time of worship, meaning and giving that is prophetic, powerful and transformative. In celebrating Christmas in the way of the story Christ followers are taught how to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all this Christmas and every Christmas."

I haven't read this book yet, but I'm hoping to get my hands on it, because it looks wonderful!

Fall Into Reading ~ Review: Green

O.K., I know I'm really behind... but I've finally finished reading Green, by Ted Dekker. This is the fourth book of a previous trilogy. Confused? Well, the fourth book is actually the end and the beginning of the story, making the series a circle - and yes, the name of the trilogy is The Circle Trilogy. So, I guess it does make sense after all.

I absolutely loved the books in the trilogy when I first read them a couple of years ago and anxiously awaited for this new book to be released. I'm not disappointed. It was fabulous. If you like Ted Dekker, you should definitely read this series. Even though it is a circle and you could technically start with Green, I would start with Black and progress through Red, White and finish with Green. I think it makes more sense that way, but that could just be me.

This story is filled with betrayal and hope, the Apocalypse and great redemption, expressions of good and evil, hate and love. Love being the central theme of all the books. It was an action packed, heart pounding, fast paced adventure that alternates between two realities. With all of the twist and turns, I'm sure you will be reading late into the night like I was.

Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Week 10

Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Week 10: John Quincy Adams and Political Realignments

Key Facts:

1. John Quincy Adams
a. Election of 1824
b. Inaugural Address
c. Tariff of Abominations

2. Louis Braille
a. Childhood/ education
b. Valentin Hauy/Charles Barbier
c. Reading with Braille

3. The Erie Canal: A Journey Through Time
a. 363 miles/ built in 8 years
b. Connect the Great Lakes and create the largest (at the time) canal system
c. It paid for itself in less than 10 years

Activities: Make a pine cone bird feeder

Geography: Map of Erie Canal

Unit Projects: Add information on John Quincy Adams to unit display board

Digging Deeper:

• Charles Grandison Finney

Videos:

• John Quincy Adams: National Portrait Gallery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXA734Tuv4o&feature=related
• Magic Touch - The Louis Braille Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO3S9lwJDgg
• The Erie Canal Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT78NL34k0c
• The Canal Diggers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcDJ5hmTkpo&feature=related

Reading:

• The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
• Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille
• Our Country's Presidents (John Quincy Adams)

Halloween

Friday, Nathan and Ryan carved pumpkins and decorated the front porch for Halloween. I made a big pot of chili (an annual tradition) for Saturday night so they would have something hearty to offset all of the candy.


Nathan's pumpkin:




Ryan's pumpkin:




The weather forecast called for rain on Saturday. Thankfully, the rain did not come, and the weather was cool and dry. David went up to church to help out with a carnival while Nathan and Ryan went around the neighborhood trick or treating. Nathan dressed up as a bandit and Ryan was a rock climber. We also had some friends come by with their boys who like to go around the neighborhood with ours. Everyone had a great time.

I usually stay on the front porch and hand out candy. But, since it was quite cool outside, I decided to stay inside by the fireplace, watch football, socialize with our friends and just answer the door. The reason that I usually stay on the porch is because we have so many kids come by. We will normally have between 400-500 hundred kids. {I wish we had been warned when we bought our house} There is always a traffic jam on our street with cars, trucks and tractors pulling trailers full of hay and kids :)

Week 13 Review

Our week in review:

Language Arts: This looks just like last week - grammar, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting, writing and reading lessons. Ryan is still finalizing his story/novel outlined for next month (Young Writers Program). Nathan is still busy outlining his ideas for his short story. David completed a vocabulary lesson and continues to practice for the ACT test he will take later this year.

Literature: This week they read/covered: Frankenstein, Simon Bolivar: Statesman and Liberator, In the Land of the Jaguar: South America and It's People, Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma, Our Country's Presidents (Monroe) and Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire. David is working on a paper on The Last of the Mohicans.

History: I blog about our weekly history lessons in detail at the beginning of each week. This week we covered Monroe and the American Hemisphere.

Science: Nathan and Ryan attended Co-op this week. You can see what they did here. At home this week, they continued studying Module 3 and are working through the study guide. David is continuing with his chemistry lessons and working with his weekly lab group.

Math: Nathan and Ryan are still working through a unit study on fractions. We are almost done with it and I'm gathering resources together for several math projects to work on for the next few weeks. David is continuing to work through his Algebra II lessons.

Other: Continued working on logic worksheets, a Latin and french lesson.

4-H projects: Nathan and Ryan are working on a farm city poster project and a woodworking project that are both due in next week. Yikes!

Field Trip: We took a field trip to Burritt on the Mountain for hiking and mining. I blogged about this field trip here.

Outdoor Pursuits: The weather is still a bit rainy, so the boys have been playing with their friends and riding their bikes. Sunday, we went hiking because the weather was gorgeous!

I'm still looking forward to the change up next week. I think the boys will really enjoy their projects.

Chemistry Labs, Week 9

This week the kids performed the experiment 4.2: Distinguishing Between Chemical and Physical Change.

The kids dissolved an egg shell with hydrogen chloride (toilet bowl cleaner). The reaction is awesome, but beware - it stinks! Make sure you have good ventilation in the room.

American Heritage Education Foundation

The American Heritage Education Foundation believes that “Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility are ideals that are rapidly declining or disappearing in their [our children’s] teaching and learning not only in our K-12 public and private schools but also in our colleges and universities of higher education. A nation built on these ideas and theories cannot possibly survive if those same philosophical and historical principles are not studied, taught, learned, practiced, and reinforced in our schools and institutions attended by the next generation of young people.”

To counteract the lack of knowledge regarding the foundation our country is built upon, American Heritage Education Foundation developed a supplemental curriculum that is designed to address these very issues. The purpose for the lessons are not simply to offer the students basic information; but to provide activities and projects which emphasize the significance of the events that led to the formation of our country’s early beginning, and the major documents that set the United States apart from any other nation.

The AHEF resources are divided into three levels; which touch upon all, or some of the four themes (Freedom, Unity, Progress and Responsibility) vital to this curriculum:

Elementary
Middle Grades
High School

Originally designed for the public school classroom, homeschooling families can easily adapt the material to fit their needs. Each level provides an ample selection of lessons to choose from. For those families with a wide range in ages, the units can be used in conjunction with each other. They have enough similar content, but with slightly more difficult material for older children; so that the whole family can easily study it at the same time.

The AHEF had made this material free for all to use. You can download right from their site as needed, if you have good internet access. You may also request their free CD (good for those with dial-up) which contains all 3 levels, or their printed version for a fee of $19.50 [per level]. There is a wealth of information provided in these lessons, which are presented in an orderly, and easy to follow fashion.

I ordered the free CD (which I just received in the mail today) and am excited to see how I can incorporate these lessons into our history studies.

Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Unit 2

Looking ahead to Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Unit 2 - I'm compiling a list of additional books and resources that I'm considering using to help round out our studies.

Time Travelers: The Early 19th Century ~ The first part of this would be a review of Unit 1 and the rest seems to line up pretty well with Unit 2. We used the American Revolution study last spring, and it was a lot of fun. So, I think this will add a lot of interest to our studies.

Other Resource books:

Out of Darkness, The Story of Louis Braille, Russell Freedman

Amazing Impossible Erie Canal, Cheryl Harness

Their Off! The Story of the Pony Express, Cheryl Harness

The Trailblazing Life of Daniel Boone, Cheryl Harness

A Day That Changed America: The Alamo, Shelley Tanaka & David Craig

The Trail of Tears, Deborah Kent

A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840

Great Pioneer Projects, Rachel Dickinson

Hands-On History Pioneers, Michael Gravios

The Oregon Trail, Blashfield & Jean F.

Samuel Morse and the Telegraph, David Seidman

Gold Fever!: Tales from the California Gold Rush, Rosalyn Schanzer

Birmingham Museum of Art ~ History Exhibit

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery offers an unprecedented opportunity to experience American history through more than 230 masterpieces from one of the finest and oldest collections of American art in the world. From the arrival of the first European settlers to the Gilded Age, this major exhibition tells America’s story through paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, furniture, silver, and ceramics from Yale University’s renowned collection.

At the heart of the exhibition is a group of early American portraits and history paintings by John Trumbull, including the original version of the iconic The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, which has graced the pages of nearly every American history textbook and the $2 bill. This is the first time these paintings have traveled as a group since the artist presented them to Yale in 1832.

Among the exhibition's painted treasures are two versions of Edward Hicks's "Peaceable Kingdom;" rare portraits by John Singleton Copley, Charles Willson Peale, and Thomas Eakins; stunning landscapes by Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church; and captivating scenes of American life by Winslow Homer, Frederic Remington, and many others. Decorative arts highlights include silver crafted by Paul Revere, the earliest pair of American silver candlesticks, a gold sword owned by 19th-century naval hero Stephen Decatur, and flamboyant silver objects made by Tiffany & Company. Superb examples of 18th- and 19th-century furniture add to this rich survey of the history of American artistry and craftsmanship.

I'm hoping our local homeschool Co-op will get a field trip together for this exhibit. We discussed it briefly this week, but don't have any dates or details nailed down yet.

Field Trip ~ Burritt on the Mountain

Our field trip to Burritt on the Mountain revolved around the theme "Mining on the Mountain." We learned about mining (past and present), hiked to an abandoned coal mine, picked up pieces of coal (that had washed out of the mine) and had fun sluice panning for rocks and minerals. We also learned about the use of our natural resources and how those resources impact our lives.

It was a little cool this morning, but overall the weather was pleasant for our hike {at least it wasn't raining}. I think Nathan and Ryan enjoyed this more than they thought they would. They even spent some of their money to purchase additional sand with minerals/gemstones to sluice at home.

All in all, it was a great field trip. Although, I forgot my camera - again.

Co-Op, Week 10

This week, my 7th and 8th graders are completing module 5. They will be taking the quiz and test for this module in our online classroom (virtualhomeschoolgroup).

My 5th and 6th graders are continuing to work through module 3. They are finishing up the On Your Own Questions and starting on the module review.

Both classes completed the same experiment:

• Cotton Ball Catapult: measuring the distance of a cotton ball, using a plastic spoon as a catapult. Then we added experimental variables of rubber bands and tape. Needless to say the kids enjoyed this one!

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera this week, so I don't have any pictures :(

Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Week 9

Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Week 9: Monroe and the American Hemisphere





Key Facts:


1. South American Geography
a. Brazil
b. Suriname
c. Guyana

2. James Monroe
a. Last American President of the "Virginia Dynasty"
b. Era of Good Feelings/ Panic of 1819
c. The Missouri Compromise
d. One political party transitioning to two political parties

3. Monroe Doctrine
a. Pressured Spain into selling Florida to the United States
b. America would resist European intervention in the Western Hemisphere
c. Cornerstone of American foreign policy


Activities: Make a clay pot


Geography: Finish map of South America



Unit Projects: Add information on James Monroe to unit display board



Digging Deeper:

• Adoniram Judson
• Democracy in America

Videos:

• The Presidents: Part 1: George Washington to James Monroe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGu-fkNeRvY
• The History of the Monroe Doctrine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38cyHchHPhI
• Monroe Doctrine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1G4hPck__c&feature=related

Reading:

• Frankenstein
• Simon Bolivar: Statesman and Liberator
• In the Land of the Jaguar: South America and It's People
• Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma
• Our Country's Presidents

Week 12 Review

Our week in review:

Language Arts: We wrapped up another week of the usual grammar, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting, writing and reading lessons for the week. Ryan is finalizing his story/novel outlined for next month (Young Writers Program). Nathan will write a short story next month, and he is busy outlining his ideas. David took his PSAT test last week, but continues to practice for the ACT test he will take later this year.

Literature: This week they read/covered: Frankenstein, Simon Bolivar: Statesman and Liberator, In the Land of the Jaguar: South America and It's People, Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma, Young Abe Lincoln and we are still slowly reading (savoring) Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire. David is finishing up The Last of the Mohicans.

History: I blog about our weekly history lessons in detail at the beginning of each week. This week we covered South America in Transition.

Science: Nathan and Ryan attended Co-op this week. You can see what they did here. At home this week, they took the quiz and test for Module 2 and started Module 3. David is continuing with his chemistry lessons and working with his weekly lab group.

Math: Nathan and Ryan are still working through a unit study on fractions. I am still getting them ramped up for a larger cooking with fractions project. We will also be adding other projects and games in the upcoming weeks, because we will be changing to a project based schedule for a few weeks. David is continuing to work through his Algebra II lessons.

Other: We worked through a couple of logic worksheets, a Latin and french lesson this week. Things are still moving slow in this department. I'm not sure how much we will accomplish in these areas this year, but we will continue to plod through it ever so slowly.

4-H projects: Nathan and Ryan are working on a farm city poster project and a woodworking project that are both due in November.

Outdoor Pursuits: The weather has been cold and rainy lately, so the boys have been hanging out around the house and playing with their neighborhood friends. David spent all day Monday at True Adventure Sports going through an official "try-out" process to see if he is ready to be a paid part time contract worker. Up until now, all of the work he has done for them has been done on a volunteer basis. Although he would continue to do volunteer work with them, he would like to have a few paying jobs once in awhile as well.

We will be finishing up a few things this coming week and then switching to a project style schedule. I'm looking forward to the change up. I think it is just what we need to spice up our studies.

Chemistry Labs, Week 8

This week, the kids performed experiment 4.1: Separating a Mixture of Sand and Salt

Co-Op, Week 9

This week, my 7th and 8th graders started module 5. I gave out grades for the Module 4 test and spent time lecturing on the first half of the module 5. No experiments are scheduled for this module.

My 5th and 6th graders are starting module 3. I gave out grades for the Module 2 test and spent time lecturing on the first half of Module 3. We also performed two experiments:

• Color Splash: comparing what happens to food coloring when added to water, oil, and a combination of oil and water.
• Cauldron Bubbles: making bubbles out of water, oil and salt