Preparing & Res to Ref - Unit 1

After prayerful consideration, we have become a NAVY family with 4 homeschoolers!  We have enjoyed our homeschooling experience the past 2 years with Heart of Dakota.  This year our younger 3 children (2 Fifth Graders & a Third Grader) will be in Preparing Hearts and we will begin an additional guide as our oldest son is now homeschooling.  It was a hard decision because he has done exceptional in public school studies.  He is technically in 8th grade however, his honors courses have excelled him and could be considered a 9th grader.  We chose Resurrection to Reformation for him because this is his first formal biblical study.  He loves to read and we have added the extension books.  Math-U-See Geometry, Spanish 2, and DITHOR reading program with the other children are all a part of his education this year.  We are starting a co-op for the first time and we are looking forward to the adventure that brings.   I am certainly ready to take on the challenges and know that this opportunity is part of God's plan for our family as we prepare for more changes in the near future.  I couldn't be more grateful for the chance to grow our blended family closer together as we seek Him in all that we do.  Thank you for following our homeschooling journey one unit at a time!

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Preparing Hearts for His Glory - Unit 1

What an amazing feeling to get back on track and into our school routine!  Don't get me wrong summer and vacation were nice but, the smell of the homeschool books, glue, markers, and salt dough keep me excited!

We started the week with the book Grandpa's Box.  What a fantastic read!  The kids enjoyed the reading so much that they begged me not to stop!  We learned that Grandpa had a box with wooden carved figures that he used to tell his grandchildren about a very important war.... a spiritual war.  The kids asked to make their own box!  As we read about the figures, the kids drew them. They turned out so cute!
We didn't have a yellow treasure box so we just used a Minecraft chest!  I'm really excited about this book!


Our history project was to design a shield of faith and their own coat of arms.  The kids did a similar project previously in the Beyond guide but, they didn't mind making another.   We learned that a shield of faith protects Christians from the arrows of the enemy.  The coat of arms identifies the soldier.

The kids each had unique symbols of faith and were proud of the end result! 

The Draw and Write Through History book was a hit! The kids all liked the step by step art.  They struggled more with the people but, still managed to do a great job.

In Science, we are reading One Small Square - Arctic Tundra.  The kids are doing their Science reading and note booking in their binders.

We learned that the arctic tundra is known for its long cold winters and chilly summers.




The Arctic Circle is the farthest away from the sun.

We learned that arctic animals have adaptations like white fur and white feathers to camouflage them into their surroundings.

Our Science experiment this week was to discover how layers help to keep animals warm.  We placed coins into hot water and then wrapped one with a tissue.  We next dipped both the coins into cold water.  When we removed them both, the one with the tissue was nice and warm snug in the tissue and the other was cold.

Vocabulary Sheet

We will continue recording 3 vocabulary words from our readings each week into our notebook.  This page is also from the Preparing Facebook file.  I love seeing their drawings of the definitions.

This year we are continuing with Rod and Staff for our English.  The workbook and test pages that go with the selection are wonderful.  This week we worked on alphabetical order and diagramming subjects and predicates.

This year we have changed our spelling program to something a bit more hands on. We are using All About Spelling.   I found a black magnetic board that works great for the magnetic tiles.  We actually hung it in the kitchen so we can review our lessons right after lunch.  So far with just a week of lessons, I am already seeing such an improvement.  It's almost like a lightbulb moment for one of my children.  Amazing that just a change in the program can give a child a different outlook on the same concepts.  

We worked on our memory verse Psalm 1:1-2.  We played the song, His Delight, on the Lead me to the Rock CD all week.  We learned that we can have a close relationship with God when we delight in the word and seek to do His will.

We had a review of the continents and found this neat worksheet.  You can find the link to the free printable here:  Continent Worksheet

The kids wanted to do a continent cake again this year! I can't ever argue with learning with food!  We made a chocolate cake, mixed up some blue icing for the water and green for the land.   The kids really loved icing the cake!  Then, they made flags to label the continents.  

The continent cake turned out yummy and was a fantastic review for the continents!

We started Drawn Into the Heart of Reading for the first time this year with all 4 of the kids.  Our first genre was Biography.  We visited the library and I let the kids choose their own subject.  We have a wide variety of biography selections.  The books they are reading are LeBron James, Harry Houdini, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Betsy Ross.  This will be an interesting book project day for sure.  

We will continue using the Christian Light Education workbooks for Math. 300 & 500 Series.  The kids did great this week with the pretests as we determine just how much they retained throughout the summer.





So glad the pool is open for a few more week.  These hot days are more fun after school at the pool.   It's a perfect way to get all their energy out! 

Resurrection to Reformation - Unit 1

The big one is taking on the Heart of Dakota style very well for his first unit.  Although, I will not be as involved with every detail of his studies because of the other 3 children in Preparing, I would like to post the projects, main ideas, and readings along the way of each unit.  Although, he is quick and often gets finished before I have the chance to snap a picture.... please know I am trying!  LOL!

He loved following the recipe and kneading the dough by himself.

Loved the way this came together! 

The big ones history project this week was to make a Roman Arch out of air-dry clay.  He learned that the Arch of Titus was built to commemorate Titus' destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD as prophesied by Jesus.  

The big one has been reading and orally narrating what he has learned.  We are using the Student Notebook pages and he has been recording his research.

In Science, he has been completing the note booking pages that we found in the Facebook files.

This week with the Shakespeare study he began to read The Tempest.  I think he really enjoyed this bonus feature! 

After much research, we decided to use Math U See for Geometry this year.  So far this program is going great!  He made perfect scores on both of his tests so far! 

We hope you had a great first week too!  All in all, I think we will be rocking' it soon with our new routine.  *fingers crossed*

See you next week! 

Be blessed! 

School Yearbook

Every year as I pack up the school supplies and box up the class work, I start to work on my end of the year schoolbook. I like to digitally scrapbook our memories from the school year. It's time consuming going back through thousands of pictures and making sure you have just enough of just about everything you studied all year. I take pictures of science experiments, handwriting, poetry, arts & crafts, and field trips. 

I love to take an entire page to highlight my favorites projects in hopes that my children have a wonderful reflection of our home school year. Who didn't love the sand art? 

... Or the swinging Daniel Boone project? 

How about making bear masks? 

I absolutely was so excited to see the orange Shutterfly box in the mail today. I ran out, opened it up, and began looking through our masterpiece. After all, I'd spent hours and hours placing each picture precisely the way I wanted with the cutest stickers and borders. 

To my shock, I turned the page noticing the Wright Brothers background that was intended to be solid black had faint skulls and bones printed in a light gray. 

Oh. My. Goodness. 

I turned the page and realized that every time I thought I was inserting a solid black background, I was actually placing skeleton skulls into my homeschool book!!  (On about 6-7 pages)  Yep, right next to the beautiful butterflies and Civil War Museum pics. 

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw this one!  Right on the hymns and devotion page. Jesus Calling with background skeleton heads. Lol! Lord, help me!! 

All this to say, that we all have great intentions. Some things aren't what they seem, no matter how many times we preview and double check. The Lord used this to show me that everyone make mistakes. 

I kept thinking if the digital sample was just a little bit bigger... Or flagged me, Do you know you're inserting skeleton skulls?   Or maybe I just need to get my eyes checked?!?  Lol!!  

Shutterfly was fantastic when I called laughing it off. They let me know that I wasn't the only one this had happened to and even offered to reprint it with the corrections for free with an exception of the shipping cost. What a great company. This was totally my fault and they were extremely understanding. 

I share this because I wanted to lighten the mood. Take off some pressure and let you know that regardless, a homeschool memory book with or without skulls is a great way to organize your photos, all the artwork, poetry, and remember all of your homeschool year! 

Bigger Hearts for His Glory- Unit 34

Happy Mother's Day to all the homeschooling Mom's out there! This sweet note from my student brightened my day! 

Our final week with Bigger Hearts for His Glory...  What an amazing curriculum.  I can't say enough about how blessed we have been through finding Heart of Dakota.

This week we read about the Moreno family who were migrant workers. Their lives were filled with hard work and long hours.  The workers showed respect to their contractor as we should show respect to God.  We also read about the Bui Family. After the Vietnam War, they were left to suffer with a Communist government in South Vietnam.  They feared their government and the military.  They were eventually allowed to come to America from Malaysia.

We learned that this kind of fear is different from being in reverence or awe of the Lord.  The Lord doesn't want us to be scared of Him.  He is a just God.

After President Jefferson approved the Louisiana Purchase, the United States doubled in size. We now have 50 states and some outlying islands.  We are grateful for our freedom and thankful to the men and woman who fought and died. We learned that God has blessed America through the years.

We learned that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France for America's 100th birthday.  She stands in the New York Harbor and welcomes all who come to the United States.  The kids cut out the Lady Liberty's crown and wrote the poem that is on the pedestal of the statue. 

We listened and sang "America, the Beautiful"...  There is something special about listening to your children sing along to a song that has much more meaning at my age than at theirs.  I can only pray that they will see the value of our great land as they grow.


We finished our reading of Thomas A. Edison.  We learned that he was an inventor.  He invented the light bulb before there were any electric lights.

Our state requires end of the year testing.  This week we also did the CAT test.  The kids did great from what I can tell.   We will send off for processing and then send the results to our school administration.

We finished the week with a 30 page Bigger Hearts for His Glory End of the Year Packet.  Aka:  Test.  I made one last year with Beyond also.  Of course, it is just for me to see what my kiddos have retained throughout the year.  They are allowed to use their resources and work together to find the answers and then we go over the correct answers together also.  If  you are interested in this test for your little ones, please like us on Facebook  HERE and send me a message with your email and I will provide you with more information. Thanks!  

 

We are looking forward to a nice summer break with amusement parks, beaches, and family reunions! Then, starting Preparing in the fall. I know it will be a great year too! These books get me excited! Can't wait! 

Have a safe summer! See you in the fall!

Bigger Hearts for His Glory- Unit 33

Wright Brothers National Museum - Kitty Hawk, NC

This week we talked about visionary.  Our verse was Proverbs 14:6, "The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

We read about 'The World's Fair' showing the progress made around the world in science, art, and literature.

We read about Cal Rogders who wanted to fly the Vin Fiz from the east coast to the west coast in 30 days to win a prize.  He crashed many times along the way and took 49 days to get to the Pacific Ocean.  His accomplishment was the first man to fly across the country in an airplane in spite of all the obstacles.













We also read about the talented African American, Louis Armstrong.  We learned that at the young age of 21, he set forth on an unknown path.  He left New Orleans in 1922 to head to Chicago, Illinois to join Papa Joe Oliver's jazz band.  We listened to some classics and our state song, 'Carry Me Back to Old Virginny' sung by Louis Armstrong & the Mills Brothers. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUY-69YOziA  

Louis Armstrong became famous all over the world for his incredible musical talent!

For art this week, the kids took a look at www.50states.com to see our state license plate.

They drew and colored their state plate.  They took a little liberty in their designs.


We read about the Panama Canal and learned that it shortened the route from San Francisco  to New York by over 8000 miles.  The kids were able to locate Panama on the map and identify the isthmus.

We experimented with chemicals to see what makes a mixture foam up. The chemical reaction was impressive to say the least! 

We added a tap of baking soda to a glass of water. There was little reaction. 

When we added a teaspoon of baking soda to the vinegar, the reaction was quick to overflow! The kids were impressed! We learned it's never okay to test chemicals on people! 

We experimented an learned that a chemical reaction is when 2 substances combine together to make a new substance. Baking soda and lemon juice combines to make a carbon dioxide gas. 

The kids thought this drink was yummy! 

We read that Tom Edison invented his own telegraph to talk to his buddy.  Then he later got a job on a train. 

Our big event of the week was the field trip to visit Kitty Hawk to solidify the Wright Brothers Book we have been reading.

 The kids loved already knowing so much about the 2 brothers and their family. 

It was neat to watch their faces light up as they recognized another part of the story. 

The plane and glider were so neat to see up close! 

These are the sheds the brothers worked in each year. 

"Hey Mom, look isn't this a centennial?"   That's our vocabulary word this week!   Always neat when they recognize one of the words! 

The kids were able to climb and play on an outside large replica of the plane! This was a favorite part of our day for sure! 

Of course, we couldn't leave without a souvenir. 

These boys have been playing for 2 days with these Wright Flyer planes. Cute!! 

What a great week! 

Looking forward to our final Unit next week! See you then! 

Bigger Hearts for His Glory- Unit 32

This week the character trait we studied was Patience.  Our verse was Proverbs 14:6.  'Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.  Cast but a glance at riches and they are gone for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.'

In our finale of the Wright Brothers book, we learned that the boys were patient as they tried many different ways to better their invention.  Their plane flew and no one believed the Wright's.  They were patient in waiting for the government officials from France and the United States to decide what they should do with their flying machine.  

This week we talked about the 4 different forces that help planes fly.  The kids spun around with a stuffed animal and noticed their animal lifting as it spun. 

Gravity; we dropped 2 objects at the same time. 

As  we rubbed our hands together we created friction.  Friction slows the plane down.  Propellers pull the plane forward and  the friction from the air pulls the plane back.  We learned that this is called 'Drag.'

We learned that an engine thrusts the plane forward thru the air. We used their powered remote control cars to show the thrust the car has as it goes forward. 

Since Daddy is a pilot.... the kids have really enjoyed learning about the Wright Brothers and learning  how planes fly.  Couldn't resist posting this silly pic of how planes fly.  LOL! 

We took a closer look at the past 100 Years of Flight by Bill Sweetman. 

In geography, we used a globe and map to locate France; the area where Wilbur perfected his flights.  I printed out the blank map here:  http://geography.about.com/library/blank/blxfrance.htm

We learned that Paris is the capitol of France.  The kids drew the France flag and labeled the map with the areas that Wilbur visited. 

We talked about the Eiffel Tower and the kids colored a picture of it I found online. 

This week in our book we read that Thomas Edison fell through the ice.   He wondered why the ice looked lighter in the areas that weren't frozen solid.  

We experimented by freezing a shallow amount of water in a small bowl.  

The kids were able to poke there finger through the center easily and realized that the water turned into a solid ice on the sides.  

We read that Thomas Edison and his family moved to Detroit.  Thomas wanted to take along his goose, Lulu.  

The Edison family rode a steam engine train to their new home in Detroit.  Thomas got to ride with the train conductor and asked many questions about how things worked.  We watched this quick youtube video showing how a steam engine works.  The kids thought this was so neat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8LrAsL4oH0

We experimented and learned about the 3 parts of matter; solid, liquid, and gas. 

We dropped one drop of food coloring into both a cold and hot glass of water. The cold glass of water kept the food coloring close together and the color slowly moved around. When we placed a drop into the hot water, the color moved about quickly and spread throughout the glass. 

We wrote down our experiment findings for our science experiment notebook. 

We learned that solids have slow moving or even still particles, liquids move quicker but still bump into each other, and the particles in gas move very quickly.  Water becomes steam when heated. Water becomes frozen into ice when it is cold. 

 

We also learned that heat is transferred  through metal easiest.  The wood burning stove soon replaced the fireplaces. 

Our vocabulary words this week were aviator, inscription, and beret.  The little girl wanted to wear her sequined dance 'beret' all day! 

In math, my 4th graders learned how to add, subtract, and simplify mixed numbers.  We had a competition on the dry erase board to earn a piece of chocolate!  That was the ticket in our 2 day lesson.  So awesome getting to see the light bulbs turn on for your kids when they finally understand something they have been struggling with.  We love homeschooling!

 

We had another great week in Bigger.  Only 2 more units to go for this year!  Yay! 

See you next week!