Monthly Archives: March 2013

National Building Museum Field Trip

28 Thursday Mar 2013

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One of my absolute favorite things about homeschooling?

Field Trips!

The National Building Museum had a “Homeschool Day” in March, complete with multiple classes for children to participate in. We chose a class called “My House, My Home” that both girls could attend at the same time.

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You do NOT want to drive there. Take the Metro. It’s right across the street! And my girls consider a ride on the Metro a field trip in itself!

So, the girls took their class. And blessedly, they informed me that they were “too big” to have me go in with them. Which means I got to spend an hour and a half sitting in the coffee shop. Drinking a cup of coffee all by myself. In peace and quiet. For an hour and a half.

It was awesome.

The price of the class (just $9 per child, I believe) also included admission to the museum (this is not a free Smithsonian museum, sadly). So after eating our snack lunch in the  large open  atrium, we headed to one of the open play rooms!

The girls could have easily played in here for hours.

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Their finished project. It’s a princess castle. With a moat. Can’t you tell?

SONY DSC ???????????????????????????????And just in case you need some “educational justification” to come play here for several hours:???????????????????????????????

I bet My Father’s World Kindergarten curriculum users will recognize these! Yes, in a museum display case! How funny is that???

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It’s really to bad that we had to leave early for me to get back to work. Next time, hopefully we can sign up the girls for more “classes” and spend the day.

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The ride home on the metro. Why do kids think it’s so cool? Oh, you can get a glimpse of the craft they made in their class – a little “house.”

Announcing My Newest Gig: HEAV Promotional Blogger!

27 Wednesday Mar 2013

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HEAV-HeaderThis is so cool. Okay, maybe it’s only cool to me! But I was recently accepted as a promotional blogger for the HEAV (Home Educators Association of Virginia) Annual Homeschool Conference!

Having only attended one previous homeschool conference, and being my second year of homeschooling in general, I’m definite the newbie on the block. But hopefully that will useful for all those other newbies out there, or even you seasoned veterans who are new to the area!

What in the world does this really mean, though? To tell you the truth, I’m not exactly sure! I am going to be helping promote the conference and HEAV’s initiatives is the official jargon. I am very excited for what this might turn into, and what I might learn through the experience.

(And heck, could I get a chance to meet the Duggars in person?? How flippin’ cool would that be?!?!)

So, expect some posts, Facebook and Twitter messages about the upcoming conference. And don’t worry, I don’t plan to let this derail my main focus of blogging – focusing on the real heart of the Proverbs 31 Woman, and what it’s like to be on that journey.

So, let me give you some more details to get the ball started!

HEAV- Home Educators Association of Virginia – website

And some important announcements:

Would you like to get to know some of my fellow bloggers?

And Finally, There is a Major Giveaway Beginning!

Be sure to check out the “Bounty of Blessings 30 Days of Giveaways by HEAV!” going on over at Homeschooler on the Edge! Go! Right Now!

 

“I am excited to be a blogger for HEAV this year. In exchange for sharing my honest opinion about this convention, I was provided with a family registration at no charge.”

Organizing Homeschool

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

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The concept of how to organize curriculum — ahh, the age old question, right? How in the world to do it?

When I started to homeschool, I didn’t know that was such a big discussion! I just started to follow the directions and that was that. My Father’s World Kindergarten suggested organizing in a folder for each “unit” (letter). That averages about one folder a week. Then to make it easier on myself, I added whatever books/extra I found for each unit I just added behind the folder.

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When it was time to get organized for 1st grade, however, I was stuck. What to do?

I finally decided to stick with the folder systems that worked so well for me with K. I labeled each folder for the number days that went with that week. The workbooks, Bible notebook, and Bible reader used with My Father’s World 1st grade went inside her desk, so I didn’t have as much to compile and put together. Thank goodness. Kindergarten took up two milk crates. 1st grade fit in one of these folder boxes (I’ve had this for a bazillion years in my home office, used for various purposes.)

SONY DSCNow I will admit I did take this a bit overboard when organizing, but we were looking at starting 1st grade in a hotel room, remember? So, eliminating any excess and being super organized were the order of the day. But even now that we’re getting closer to the end, I’m still enjoying that craziness!

What I did was clip all the pages together for each day, and put a tiny post-it on it so I’d know which day that work went with. Really, MFW 1st grade doesn’t have that many loose items, especially toward the end. However, this was very useful when I added in any “extras” – our math curriculum worksheets, or any science pages, etc.

SONY DSCAnd what is making 1st grade so easy for me during this chaotic year? NO THINKING.

After reading other blogs, I really like the idea of having a grid to work with. And yes, the new revision of MFW’s 1st grade now comes with a grid. Oh well, worked on this for ages, and this is what I came up with. I clipped this to the front of each week’s folder.

Actually, this is a picture of an earlier version of my grid. I think I changed it 3-4 times this year to get it the way I really liked it.

SONY DSC   And now that I’m combining two years of homeschool with K and 1st, I need EASY. So now, I can just look at the folder and know exactly what comes next. I’ve got little checkmark boxes on each thing, so I can mark off when the assignment is completed. I have a date box at the top, so I can write down the day that we actually did that work, for tracking purposes. At the bottom I wrote the number of the day according to the curriculum, so I could go back and refer to the teacher’s manual when I needed to.

SONY DSCAnd then, the folders we are currently using (along with with any books, etc) are hung on the back of the door.

The folder system has really worked out great for us, and I plan to keep with it!

Peter and the Wolf

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Recently, I had a work project that I couldn’t delay any longer, but I didn’t want the girls to get behind school, either. Which is when I remembered we hadn’t pulled out Peter and the Wolf yet!

First up, we watched the old Disney cartoon set to the music. Man, I did not remember it being that scary, but it actually freaked my youngest that is 4 1/2 years old. She didn’t last but a few minutes, instead she preferred to listen to the recording on its own.

Then, while they were listening to the recording, I found these fabulous resources online to color:

Peter and the Wolf Color Matching Page

Princeton Symphony Orchestra- Peter and the Wolf Lesson

And then, of course, I made copies of the right instruments out of this book.

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Stapled the completed pages together to make a cute little book, and voila! Music appreciation unit lesson done!

Oh, and this is how my youngest greeted the babysitter at the door later that day. She really deserves a raise, I think.

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Please read this and take action. NOW.

21 Thursday Mar 2013

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I need to preface this post first. First of all, I am not a lawyer. I do not even play one on TV. I did take a “Women in Law” course at college, though, which was one of my most interesting courses in all my years at NYU. That, however does not mean in anyway that I have any right to be giving legal advice.

So, what I’m writing now, is my complete personal opinion. I’m sure my arguments have lots of holes in the facts, and bias, and even possible conjecture. In my defense to this, I say, I just had minor sinus surgery today and because of the meds I took to sleep then, I am now wide awake in the night and can’t sleep. So, yeah, take my rant with a grain of salt.

Which I would want you to anyway. Don’t wait for me, a BLOGGER of all people, to look up the legal precedents, case information, and relevant news articles FOR YOU. Yes, I have read several articles and other information on the case. But I am sure there are many people out there much more informed than I. Please do your research and make your own opinion. I’m just writing from my gut and my heart.

If you want a place to start, here is information from the HSLDA. Very reputable organization. And though I don’t want to start a “this newspaper says that vs another” debate, here is another articulate article. You’ll find many more just by running an internet search.

But this is MY blog, and therefore my soapbox. So I’m getting up on it.

*****

Please check out this Petition.

Immediate Action Requested for Romeikes—Grant Permanent Legal Status to Persecuted German Homeschool Family

Please, even if you don’t homeschool, even if you don’t agree with their beliefs, even if you are not a parent, please read and sign this petition. This family is, in effect, fleeing religious persecution. A tenet our country was FOUNDED ON. They are also fleeing a government that is saying they aren’t allowed to raise their children the way they want – i.e. PARENT THEIR OWN CHILDREN. They’re not bad people; they are not bad parents, and they’re not even bad at homeschooling (apparently, the children are well educated and socialized, blah blah blah). They could have their children taken away from them PERMANENTLY just because they feel homeschooling is the best decision for their children, if they are forced to return.

AND, yes, this would create legal precedent (to me, at least, in my armchair lawyer status). Our rights to parent our children the way we see fit in this country would be valid forever, because a lawyer would always be able to stand up in court and say, the President protected the rights of these parents. Heck, if I was a real lawyer, I would.

Because really, where would this end? Not just the right to send your kids to the school YOU want them to attend or educate them the way YOU want to. Really. I could see this taken to a very far extreme if something were to happen. Like, say, it did in Germany many many years ago. When a certain political party gained office and started making laws. Like, one saying all children were required to be educated the way the GOVT saw fit. Which led to indoctrination of certain biases and opinions and also led to certain children of certain religious and racial groups not being allowed to go to certain schools. And was followed by many many many other atrocities. You know what I’m talking about. And that is the same law that these parents would be prosecuted under now.

I am not being a crazy political weirdo here. Honestly. I’ve not prepared for Armageddon in basement, and I’m not against the US Government. Heck, they pay hubby’s paycheck and for that I thank all of you for paying your taxes!

I’m just saying, we AS THE PEOPLE, need to make sure we understand and appreciate those rights to the fullest extent of the law. And we need to SPEAK UP, as is our right. Even if that is not a right we personally take part in ourselves. Because we have seen, history has shown us, what happens when the GOVERNMENT chooses the rights.

WE are the PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE. This is who our country is.

So, tell those who have the “power” what we the people really want. Freedom for this family, and the precedent that our rights actually mean something.

Whew.

Soapbox over.

First Things First: Speaking God’s Word

18 Monday Mar 2013

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Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to embed this video right into this post, but please go to this post and watch the video (this post doesn’t really have to deal with the text on that page, just really the video).

Audacious Faith

This practice isn’t something I grew up with. But I’m really pondering the idea of this statement he makes:

“I’m wondering what it would look like for you, to start approaching your everyday life and the ordinary affairs, that you might think are not holy sacred activities, with this same kind of intensity, and you started speaking God’s word over your own life as you go to work, as you raise your family. . . . But what would it look like for you to start making these audacious faith confessions, to find scriptures that relate to the struggles and the battles and the pressures of your life and begin to speak God’s word.  God told Joshua. “Do not let this Word depart from your mouth, but meditate on it day and night, so that you may have success wherever you go.”

I love how he calls it, “Preaching God’s Word to yourself.”

Where do we need God? Where do we need to see more of Him?

And what amazing things would happen if we did do this? If we spoke these words our day, our work, our home, our marriage?

I’m feeling called to investigate this concept and try this idea in my own life. Would you join me, in trying this “experiment”? And aren’t these last few weeks pf Lent, leading up to Easter, the best time to really start living truly free?

And what if you and your spouse started speaking the Word of God over your marriage together?

Please link up in the comments, share, if you feel so comfortable, what verses you’ve chosen, and what type of experiences you are having in your life because of these verses.

I promise, this is a new experience for me as well, so I look forward to seeing what miracles God works in all of us.

(If you would like to download the Faith Confessions he speaks of, go here.)

Homeschool Mother’s Journal

16 Saturday Mar 2013

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In my life this week…
I won’t lie. I started writing this last weekend and never finished! So, pretend this says, “In my life the past two weeks. . . .”

In our homeschool this week… we actually got some school work done! The youngest finished the letter “C” for “Cow,” and has moved on to “H” for “Horse.”  (eta. and we’re starting E for “Elephant!”) This is after she had her adenoids out two Saturdays ago! She was up and bouncing around, back to normal by Sunday morning. AMAZING. In fact, when I tried to keep her home from church that morning, she informed me (with plenty of four-year-old-going-on-preteen sass) “I AM going to church today. Church is fun.” Deadpanned and everything.

Our oldest is cranking right along in her work. She completed the Saxon Math 1 book, and so we’re taking some time and just doing random review worksheets for math right now. Until I get around to getting organized and deciding if I want to stay with Saxon Math, or move over to Singapore. I like what I hear about Singapore, but it completely intimidates me. She’s reading great and plowing her way through her reading work. She’d do that all day long if I let her, and I’ve actually been doubling her up on assignments some days. We’re so far “behind” I figure it can’t hurt. (In my original estimates, we would have been done in December at the latest.  All you homeschool moms, you are allowed to bust out laughing with me right now.)

Oh, and (part) of our curriculum for next year has arrived! Just waiting for convention in June to get the rest!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

I have joined several Facebook groups that are for our curriculum (My Father’s World). This has been awesome, because everyone shares all of their ideas and I can just copy everything they are doing without doing any of the work! Currently I’ve got a “homeschool” folder saved on my internet browser, so anytime I see anything cool I can just save it and find it later.

I am inspired by… my children’s bravery. My kids are not the bravest, by any means. My youngest is actually frightfully shy and timid. And my oldest is a bit high strung and panicky. So, whenever I see them being brave, it just melts my heart. Like my youngest at the surgical center right before getting her tonsils out. Or last Friday at the hair salon, when she actually allowed someone to wash and cut her hair, without me having to do it or at the very least hold her hand the entire time (I was in the middle of getting mine done or I would have!) Or my oldest allowing the dermatologist to put the medicine on the wart we’ve been trying to get rid of (it stings).

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Doctors. Within the past two weeks we’ve been to the ENT for youngest’s adenoids out, CT scan for me, and Dermatologist (wart removal) and Dr for my oldest. This week were more ENT trips for me, to prep for my sinus surgery next week. Joy joy.

My favorite thing this week was… Finishing the taxes, seeing that nice refund number, and hitting the SUBMIT button. What a load off my mind.

Things I’m working on… We’re working on truth telling in our house. How, why, what happens when you don’t, etc. Ugh. Being a mommy is not all glitz and glamor.

I’m reading… Well, I just finished the newest Tom Clancy book and JD Robb book.

I’m praying for… that Hubby and all the men at the church retreat last weekend had a good time, for Hubby’s upcoming interviews next week.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share. . .

Yes. Yes I do.

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