Jakob (7) is a sponge when it comes to history. He LOVES it! His preferred way of learning history is through media. With that said, this is what we did this morning to celebrate the amazing Martin Luther King Jr.
I began our day by reading from the scriptures Matthew 22:39 "Love thy neighbor as thyself." We talked about the fact that Heavenly Father has commanded us to treat all of His children with love and respect and that He considers all if His children to be our "neighbor."
From there I asked Jakob to name a few people in our country's history who was heroic enough to have a holiday named after them. I started the list with George Washington. He then named Columbus. I then introduced the name of Martin Luther King Jr. I pulled up google images and googled Martin Luther King Jr. of course it pulled up several photos. I asked Jakob to tell me what made MLK's face different from mine. He told me that he was African American. I was impressed that he knew that. He followed up his statement with asking "what makes him African and American?"
Because Jakob loves history and war history in particular, to answer his question we went back in time a while and talked about slavery, the civil war, and president Lincoln. We have a world time line on our wall so I was able to talk to him and have a visual to show how even though slavery was stopped, the hate lasted for generations all the way into Jakob's grandparent's generation.
This led us to talk about what life was like for African American's (and all people of color) in the 1950's -60's. This is where we brought in the media:
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEDIA:
National Geographic.com shows a short informative video about Martin Luther King Jr. and life for the African American people during his lifetime. Click HERE for the video.
Biography.com also shows a good video about MLK: HERE
Jakob picked up on the fact that MLK was assassinated. He really wanted to know about that. So I pulled up YouTube. We watched CBS' Walter Cronkite's report of MLK's assassination.
From there I introduced Jakob to Martin Luther King's famous speech "I Have a Dream." We watched the whole speech. It was actually too long for Jakob and the most famous part was toward the end of the speech. So I would recommend the shortened version for younger children.
The final activity in our day was to memorize a line from MLK's speech. We memorized the following:
"I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Jakob will recite it to his Big School class on Tuesday.
To help inspire Jakob and recognize that he is old enough to take this message to heart and even memorize it, we watched this clip of a school class reciting the speech on the steps of the Washington Memorial.
Overall, I would say this was a day to remember and ponder for days to come. I think Jakob plans to ask his grandparents what they remember about the days of Martin Luther King Jr's mission of freedom and peace. I would be interested to hear their thoughts as well.
ART PROJECT:
We didn't get to this art project. But I liked the idea: Friendship Ring.
Showing posts with label Home school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home school. Show all posts
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday, January 02, 2012
Home School Month in Review December
This month was ALL Christmas and a little bit of everything else. We were also sick the entire month which meant we watched A Lot of movies. Here's what we did and enjoyed the most!
TRADITIONS: We had three traditions we followed each day/night or started this month. However when I think about it there are many more. But here are three I'll share.
First Tradition: We give each of the kids a new Christmas book every year on the day that we decorate the Christmas tree. This year we gave them:
Jakob: Humphrey's First Christmas by Carol Heyer. It is absolutely adorable!
J.J.: Room for a Little One a Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell. This was a sweet story. We also found that it share a legend that we hadn't heard before but recognized more and more as we watched several Christmas movies.
Caleb: God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren. Such a precious story. Caleb asked me to read this over and over again.
Second (new) Tradition: Advent Storybook 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas by Antonie Schneider. Every night we read a story from this book. It was a Wonderful way to keep us focused on Christ's love and a way to count down the days.
Third (new) Tradition: I made a 12 days of Christmas Nativity Scene Countdown this year. Every day (or so) we would color, cut out, and hang up the appropriate pieces to our nativity. This was a great way to cover several school subjects in one activity during a very busy month. I google-imaged what I needed and made them into a document. I made a simple stable with a star above it and a manger in the hay before we got started. Here is a list of the pieces:
BOOKS: We read several other wonderful books throughout the month. Here they are:
PEARL HARBOR:
TRADITIONS: We had three traditions we followed each day/night or started this month. However when I think about it there are many more. But here are three I'll share.
First Tradition: We give each of the kids a new Christmas book every year on the day that we decorate the Christmas tree. This year we gave them:
Jakob: Humphrey's First Christmas by Carol Heyer. It is absolutely adorable!
J.J.: Room for a Little One a Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell. This was a sweet story. We also found that it share a legend that we hadn't heard before but recognized more and more as we watched several Christmas movies.
Caleb: God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren. Such a precious story. Caleb asked me to read this over and over again.
Second (new) Tradition: Advent Storybook 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas by Antonie Schneider. Every night we read a story from this book. It was a Wonderful way to keep us focused on Christ's love and a way to count down the days.
Third (new) Tradition: I made a 12 days of Christmas Nativity Scene Countdown this year. Every day (or so) we would color, cut out, and hang up the appropriate pieces to our nativity. This was a great way to cover several school subjects in one activity during a very busy month. I google-imaged what I needed and made them into a document. I made a simple stable with a star above it and a manger in the hay before we got started. Here is a list of the pieces:
12 Angels
11 Sheppard
10 mice
9 cats
8 chickens
7 cows
6 sheep
5 donkeys
4 Camels
3 wise men
2 parents
1 baby
BOOKS: We read several other wonderful books throughout the month. Here they are:
- Luke Chapter 2 King James Version Holy Bible
- No Room at the Inn by Jean M. Malone an ALL ABOARD READING Level 2
- The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne
- The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
- The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke
- The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
- The Tale of Three Trees, a Traditional Folktale Retold by Angela Elwell Hunt
- Christmas Unwrapped (This is a documentary for teenagers and adults as it gives away some of the "surprises" of Christmas. But a good informative overview.)
- Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
- Mrs. Miracle
- Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (Inspired us to pull out Grandma Stanger's Nutcracker!:)
- The Touch of the Master's Hand
- The Christmas Cottage
- The Christmas Bunny
- The Story of Christmas
- Christmas Classics: Vol. 1
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Little Shepherd
- Prince of Peace
- The 12 Dogs of Christmas
- A Golden Christmas
- A Golden Christmas 2: The Second Tail
- Santa Claus 1, 2, and 3 (Very Fun!)
- We tried to watch Jim Carrey's version of The Grinch but Caleb was Terrified within the first five minutes. So we watched the original version instead. Because of his reaction we weren't able to watch my favorite of Carrey's A Christmas Carol with the kids. Leif and I watched it together as we wrapped presents. That was fun too.
- The Polar Express
PEARL HARBOR:
- Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack
- Lifted (My patriotic and music loving boys LOVED this! We all did. I Bawled through the whole thing. However I didn't know the rating until it was over. It had a mother struggling with drug addiction and it did show her using them. My kids were Clueless and I just taught them that she was putting harmful things into her body and that was that.)
READING:
Sight Word Flash Cards
ACTIVITIES:
- We piled in the car for our annual Christmas Lights Drive. We brought treats along and some Christmas music and we had a wonderful time as we drove around looking at everyone's lights and ended the trip with the amazing choreographed lights to music show put on by a family in Kanab. Such a sweet tradition!
- We decorated a Ginger Bread House together this year. It turned out really cute and wasn't too frustrating of a process. I frosted the boys put the candy on. We quickly realized we had to divide the house so each boy had his own side to decorate. After that it was Great!
- We let the boys stay up later then usual one night to help us make special soap for our family Christmas gifts. We made special soaps with yummy Essential Oils and special herbal teas mixed in for exfoliant and scent. Fun Stuff!
- We were able to participate in our Town Light Parade this year. We rode in the Fire Truck as Leif drove. We had a great time except when Caleb thought Santa was going to come into the truck and sit with him and Jakob (instead of on the top of the truck) Caleb went Ballistic! I have never heard him so hysterical . Poor Kid!
JANUARY SUBJECTS:
Dinosaurs and Fossils, Civil War and Slavery (Abraham Lincoln), Post War Era to Present (Martin Luther King), Tolerance, Classic Literature: The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales
For the Record: Changes Taking Place in the New Year
Written December 14, 2011:
We have a lot going on behind the scenes of every day life. I thought I'd share a few.
The Semester was Successful:
I have finished this semester of school and I gratefully passed both classes with good grades. I enjoy the added knowledge the classes give me. But I am hoping to put my classes on hold for a few years.
Jakob Will Start Public School Again, Home School Part Time:
After a lot of prayer, pondering, and discussion we've decided to enroll Jakob into the "Big School" starting in January so that I can focus more attention on the little boys. Caleb's wonderful preschool teacher won't be able to continue teaching into the new year. So this is more reason for me to make more time for Caleb. Now that the decision is made I'm really looking forward to it.
Caleb will be four years old in about three months. He has just recently started talking in sentences. Now that he's finally talking we can work on helping him with the speech problems that he has. We are working on determining if the problem is simply a delay or if there are other things involved.
When it comes to Home School we will still have home school on Fridays as the Public School here is only Monday-Thursday. This will give Jakob the chance to finish his BJU Press Math program and all of us time to learn about the subjects I planned for the home school year. I will miss the good times together. But Home Schooling is VERY intense and I can't help but be relieved by the decision. I do worry about where Jakob will be in his class academically. I know he'll be fine with everything. But I worry that we didn't get far enough along with reading and phonics. But no use stewing over what I can't change now... Right? He's a really smart kid and will learn quickly. That brings me a lot of comfort!
Big Plans for Leif's Schooling:
A little while back, out of the blue, Leif and I started feeling like we needed to re-look at our plans for his Nursing School. To make a long story short we've decided to have Leif apply to Northern Arizona University's Accelerated Nursing Program. This program is only a one year program that gives Leif a Bachelors in Nursing. The program at the local community college is a two year program that gives Leif an Associates degree which means Leif will have to add another year of nursing in order to get his Bachelors (which is required for his end Nurse Anesthetist goal.) The thought of being into a nursing career within a year compared to three years is too wonderful to give up at this point in our lives.
THE CATCH???
The NAU program is in Flagstaff AZ. This means that Leif will have to move there and we will stay behind. This is why we have always thrown out the idea before now. But I feel okay about the option now. It will be incredibly hard. But the thought of moving forward is too great to give up. The application deadline is in January and we will know if he's been accepted by March. The program is very competitive but Leif is a highly qualified candidate. He took the Nursing Entrance Exam for NAU and the average score for the students accepted into the program is 70%, Leif got an 89%. Leif is also an EMT and will be an advanced EMT before the program starts. He is also a volunteer fire fighter in our community. Leif graduated with honors from NAU with his first Bachelors degree. With all of his high qualifications I am able to put the decision fully in the Lord's hands.
We have a lot going on behind the scenes of every day life. I thought I'd share a few.
The Semester was Successful:
I have finished this semester of school and I gratefully passed both classes with good grades. I enjoy the added knowledge the classes give me. But I am hoping to put my classes on hold for a few years.
Jakob Will Start Public School Again, Home School Part Time:
After a lot of prayer, pondering, and discussion we've decided to enroll Jakob into the "Big School" starting in January so that I can focus more attention on the little boys. Caleb's wonderful preschool teacher won't be able to continue teaching into the new year. So this is more reason for me to make more time for Caleb. Now that the decision is made I'm really looking forward to it.
Caleb will be four years old in about three months. He has just recently started talking in sentences. Now that he's finally talking we can work on helping him with the speech problems that he has. We are working on determining if the problem is simply a delay or if there are other things involved.
When it comes to Home School we will still have home school on Fridays as the Public School here is only Monday-Thursday. This will give Jakob the chance to finish his BJU Press Math program and all of us time to learn about the subjects I planned for the home school year. I will miss the good times together. But Home Schooling is VERY intense and I can't help but be relieved by the decision. I do worry about where Jakob will be in his class academically. I know he'll be fine with everything. But I worry that we didn't get far enough along with reading and phonics. But no use stewing over what I can't change now... Right? He's a really smart kid and will learn quickly. That brings me a lot of comfort!
Big Plans for Leif's Schooling:
A little while back, out of the blue, Leif and I started feeling like we needed to re-look at our plans for his Nursing School. To make a long story short we've decided to have Leif apply to Northern Arizona University's Accelerated Nursing Program. This program is only a one year program that gives Leif a Bachelors in Nursing. The program at the local community college is a two year program that gives Leif an Associates degree which means Leif will have to add another year of nursing in order to get his Bachelors (which is required for his end Nurse Anesthetist goal.) The thought of being into a nursing career within a year compared to three years is too wonderful to give up at this point in our lives.
THE CATCH???
The NAU program is in Flagstaff AZ. This means that Leif will have to move there and we will stay behind. This is why we have always thrown out the idea before now. But I feel okay about the option now. It will be incredibly hard. But the thought of moving forward is too great to give up. The application deadline is in January and we will know if he's been accepted by March. The program is very competitive but Leif is a highly qualified candidate. He took the Nursing Entrance Exam for NAU and the average score for the students accepted into the program is 70%, Leif got an 89%. Leif is also an EMT and will be an advanced EMT before the program starts. He is also a volunteer fire fighter in our community. Leif graduated with honors from NAU with his first Bachelors degree. With all of his high qualifications I am able to put the decision fully in the Lord's hands.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Home School Month in Review October
This month wasn't quite as exciting and fulfilling as September. It may have been the subjects or the fact that I was busy with my own classes. Either way, we still had fun. Here are some of our favorites.
Native Americans in Early America: History's Greatest Warrior Series Comanche Warriors by Bellwether Media, Look inside a Series Tepee and Pueblo by Mari Schuh, The House on Maple Street by Bonnie Pryor, A Traditional Pueblo Indian Story Crow and Hawk retold by, Michael Rosen, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Scholastic, Children's Atlas of Native Americans by Rand McNally, Video: Davy Crockett (Thanks Grandpa it was a Great addition this month!!)
Age of Exploration (Columbus
Pirates: Magic Tree House Research Guide Pirates by Mary Pope Osborne, How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long, Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Malinda Long, Videos: Peter Pan Broadway version with Cathy Rigby, Peter Pan with Jeremy Sumpter, Peter Pan by Disney, The History Chanel The Great Ships: The Pirate Ships
Phonics: Website Clickn' Kids.com We moved Jakob back to lesson 10 because he wasn't able to read the sentences at the lesson he was at (30+)
Student Reading: The Fall Festival by Mercer Mayer, Spooky Hayride by Scholastic, Love the We Both Read Series!
The Human Body: The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body, The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses, Usborne Beginners Your Body (we enjoyed the websites listed in the book) Let's- Read - and - Find Out Science My Five Senses by Aliki
Fall and Halloween: Went to the Corn Maze and Stahli Farm, etc.
Creativity: Video Terry Jones Ancient Inventions of War and City Life
Classic: Nursery Tales around the World
Friday, October 14, 2011
Evening Update
I've found myself with a moment to myself. This is rare indeed, so what should I do? Read my school chapter, no. Read my novel, nah. Blog, sure. There's plenty to share!
EMT:
We were getting the kids down for the night, just finishing up the stories (tonight just happened to be Mama and Papa sharing about our baptism's) and Papa's EMT pager went off, long and loud. That meant that they meant business. Apparently there's a three car accident in Kanab and two cars are on fire. When you live in a small town, you can't help but wonder and worry that you know someone involved in the accident. So Leif's off to the accident hoping to help. The kid's went down really well:) So here I am.
HOUSE CHANGES (JAKOB'S LOFT):
We've remodeled the house again. We're really good at that here on the Baron Homestead. Caleb is now back in the nursery room. The computer is back out in the living room. JJ is in the boy's room (soon to be play room), and Jakob now has a loft in the rafters of the barn. We did it! And it turned out great! I still have some finishing touches to add before I put pictures up on the blog. But Jakob LOVES having his own space. And we Love that he has some space. They all do. Caleb enjoy's his own space as well.
INDOOR REMODELING IDEAS:
We're still trying to decide whether or not to build JJ a little room in the corner of the house and turn the bedroom into a full playroom/indoor jungle gym. We'll put a wall up for our bedroom as well. In my dreams I ponder the idea of repainting the walls a more neutral color and hanging nice decorations. I'd love to carpet the main room with professionally done carpet (although the carpet we have is extremely durable.) I would also love to put flooring down in the kitchen and entry way and in the different rooms. Oh, I guess a proper ceiling would be nice too;) Right now it's still butcher paper. However, that is holding up well, gratefully. I want to put the computer in a computer cupboard. And the dressers in the individual bedrooms instead of the living room. I hope for a flat-screen TV to hang on the wall. I need to figure out a way to organize everything so my clutter isn't out for everyone to see. I think I have enough storage shelves and such, I just need nice baskets and containers to disguise the stacks of things that need to go on the shelves. Ahhh, always something to work on. If there wasn't, I'd be blubbering about that.:)
KITTENS:
And then there's the Kitties. We still enjoy having them. But we do need to make a proper place for all of their necessities. It's just a matter of time and supplies. I think we've decided to build a shelter for them on the back balcony and put a kitty door in the door. Now we just need to do it. I think I'll ask Leif to cut the wood and I'll put it together.
SCHOOL:
Well, my schooling is no fun and not worth talking about. The boys' on the other hand is fun and worth a line or two. One of Jakob's favorite books that we read is our Daily Devotional book. It's called The One Year DEVOTIONS for Preschoolers. The short little stories are short and sweet and they really hit home for him. I'm thrilled! We started a daily exercise routine. Right now we're working out with the DVD, Kick to Get Fit. So far so good! Jakob started asking us to teach him Spanish (over and over.) So we took him up on the idea. However, we ordered an Italian language program because that's the 2nd language Leif speaks and it's very possible that we'll spend some time in Italy some day during Jakob's growing up years. So hopefully he enjoys it. We ordered the program off of Early Advantage. Caleb is progressing leaps and bounds lately. He talks in sentences for the most part and he is trying to draw and cut out more. He insists on playing with Jakob's math blocks (unifix cubes) during Math time every day. He also really enjoys his preschool. We've missed it this week since his teacher's out of town. We're so grateful for her love and talent!
THE DAY SPA:
I scheduled an afternoon at the spa today. WOW! I had a detox body wrap and had my legs waxed. Yep, it hurts;) But I think it will be worth it! Either way, just to be alone focusing on my well-being for a few hours was Amazing! Not to mention that I had the hottest therapist around (My hubby;);)
Well, that aught to get us up to date a little bit. I'm ready to climb in bed and read my book. Leif just called with an update. The accident was a terrible mess with two fatalities and all of them were tourists from out of town. So sad! Be patient when you drive and DON'T pass unless you are positive the lane is clear! Praying for the loved ones left behind tonight...
Loves! G'night!
EMT:
We were getting the kids down for the night, just finishing up the stories (tonight just happened to be Mama and Papa sharing about our baptism's) and Papa's EMT pager went off, long and loud. That meant that they meant business. Apparently there's a three car accident in Kanab and two cars are on fire. When you live in a small town, you can't help but wonder and worry that you know someone involved in the accident. So Leif's off to the accident hoping to help. The kid's went down really well:) So here I am.
HOUSE CHANGES (JAKOB'S LOFT):
We've remodeled the house again. We're really good at that here on the Baron Homestead. Caleb is now back in the nursery room. The computer is back out in the living room. JJ is in the boy's room (soon to be play room), and Jakob now has a loft in the rafters of the barn. We did it! And it turned out great! I still have some finishing touches to add before I put pictures up on the blog. But Jakob LOVES having his own space. And we Love that he has some space. They all do. Caleb enjoy's his own space as well.
INDOOR REMODELING IDEAS:
We're still trying to decide whether or not to build JJ a little room in the corner of the house and turn the bedroom into a full playroom/indoor jungle gym. We'll put a wall up for our bedroom as well. In my dreams I ponder the idea of repainting the walls a more neutral color and hanging nice decorations. I'd love to carpet the main room with professionally done carpet (although the carpet we have is extremely durable.) I would also love to put flooring down in the kitchen and entry way and in the different rooms. Oh, I guess a proper ceiling would be nice too;) Right now it's still butcher paper. However, that is holding up well, gratefully. I want to put the computer in a computer cupboard. And the dressers in the individual bedrooms instead of the living room. I hope for a flat-screen TV to hang on the wall. I need to figure out a way to organize everything so my clutter isn't out for everyone to see. I think I have enough storage shelves and such, I just need nice baskets and containers to disguise the stacks of things that need to go on the shelves. Ahhh, always something to work on. If there wasn't, I'd be blubbering about that.:)
KITTENS:
And then there's the Kitties. We still enjoy having them. But we do need to make a proper place for all of their necessities. It's just a matter of time and supplies. I think we've decided to build a shelter for them on the back balcony and put a kitty door in the door. Now we just need to do it. I think I'll ask Leif to cut the wood and I'll put it together.
SCHOOL:
Well, my schooling is no fun and not worth talking about. The boys' on the other hand is fun and worth a line or two. One of Jakob's favorite books that we read is our Daily Devotional book. It's called The One Year DEVOTIONS for Preschoolers. The short little stories are short and sweet and they really hit home for him. I'm thrilled! We started a daily exercise routine. Right now we're working out with the DVD, Kick to Get Fit. So far so good! Jakob started asking us to teach him Spanish (over and over.) So we took him up on the idea. However, we ordered an Italian language program because that's the 2nd language Leif speaks and it's very possible that we'll spend some time in Italy some day during Jakob's growing up years. So hopefully he enjoys it. We ordered the program off of Early Advantage. Caleb is progressing leaps and bounds lately. He talks in sentences for the most part and he is trying to draw and cut out more. He insists on playing with Jakob's math blocks (unifix cubes) during Math time every day. He also really enjoys his preschool. We've missed it this week since his teacher's out of town. We're so grateful for her love and talent!
THE DAY SPA:
I scheduled an afternoon at the spa today. WOW! I had a detox body wrap and had my legs waxed. Yep, it hurts;) But I think it will be worth it! Either way, just to be alone focusing on my well-being for a few hours was Amazing! Not to mention that I had the hottest therapist around (My hubby;);)
Well, that aught to get us up to date a little bit. I'm ready to climb in bed and read my book. Leif just called with an update. The accident was a terrible mess with two fatalities and all of them were tourists from out of town. So sad! Be patient when you drive and DON'T pass unless you are positive the lane is clear! Praying for the loved ones left behind tonight...
Loves! G'night!
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4: School, Jared's Wedding, Fall Fondue
So much has happened this month! I will make mini blog posts in this post.
CALEB'S FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!
Is he really that old?? My sweet Caleb started preschool this month. We are so blessed to have our good friend Jeana teaching Caleb. She is AMAZING! Caleb struggles with the moment of separation. But he loves all of the fun that they have together. I Love that he has some special preschool time with a great teacher and friends! Thanks Jeana!!
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Jakob started First Grade Home School this month. I think he's really enjoying it!
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Uncle Jared married Heidi and she brings two little sweet hearts into the family. We drove up to the Spruces in Cottonwood Canyon, Utah this month and celebrated Jared's wedding with my parents and my other brother Nate. It was a beautiful wedding!
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Before the wedding we were able to take some time to explore as a family. The leaves were changing and the animals were gathering their food for the winter. It was a beautiful time to be together in the mountains that I explored as a little girl.
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
FIELD TRIP WITH GRANDMA + GRANDPA HUNT
Before and After Jared's wedding we spent the time with Grandma and Grandpa Hunt and Aunt Trena. We also had a great visit with Grandma Pat. The evening that we met up we spent the time visiting and watching Davy Crockett (A sweet birthday gift from grandpa and grandma to Jakob.) The day after the wedding we went to the Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. We were able to take a little train ride through the town that they've set up of the historic homes of Salt Lake City. We also enjoyed the petting zoo with pony rides and the old school house. Not to mention the yummy ice cream. That evening we visited with Jared and Heidi while grandma Hunt played a game of Go Fish with the kids and Grandpa secretly passed around M&M's to the kids... and me;)
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
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AN EVENING WITH AUNT LARISSA
The last day of our trip was spent visiting Aunt Larissa and her kids. We visited for a while and then headed to Brigham City to go to the Cemetery and then to the Baron Family Canyon Home for dinner. It was a great visit!
THE EVERYDAY JOYS!
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
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FALL FONDUE 2011
We had our annual Fall Fondue Night the last weekend of September. It was a a great feast! Lots of yummy fondue dips. The favorites are always the Blue Cheese and the Pumpkin Spice fruit dip. This year we had left overs for Conference Weekend. YUMMY!
We had our annual Fall Fondue Night the last weekend of September. It was a a great feast! Lots of yummy fondue dips. The favorites are always the Blue Cheese and the Pumpkin Spice fruit dip. This year we had left overs for Conference Weekend. YUMMY!
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| From Foto Friday September Weeks 3 and 4 |
Friday, September 30, 2011
First Grade Home School September Review
What a fun month filled with great subjects to learn about and explore! Here is a list of what we covered this month and a few thoughts and favorites.
September:
The Revolutionary War - Liberty - The Declaration of Independence
Favorites: Liberty Kids episodes on Netflix, Magic Tree House Revolutionary War on Wednesday, Documentary The Revolution on Netflix, Art project Making the Betsy Ross Flag
Habitats and Their Animals
Favorites: William Beebe, books, books, books, Beavers IMAX on Netflix, Field trip to Cottonwood Canyon in Utah, March of the Penguins on Netflix, Art projects from Animal Habitats by Judy Press
The Middle Ages - King Arthur - Knights
Favorites: History's Mysteries: Knights of Camelot on Netflix, Sword and the Stone by Disney, the book In the Time of Knights by Shelly Tanaka, the book A Hero's Guide to Warriors by Deborah Murrell, Paper Model Castle and Knights, More art project ideas
Courage
Favorites: The book A Child's Story of the Book of Mormon
Manners
Favorites: A We Both Read book The Well-Mannered Monster
Alphabet
Favorites: The book Alphabet Mystery
Classic Literature: Favorite Fairy Tales around the World
Favorites: Jack and the Beanstalk (the original story)
Gospel Studies
Favorites: The book A Child's Story of the Book of Mormon
General Conference Activity Packet by www.Scriptures4Kids.com
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Confessions of a Home School Mom
I home school, take classes myself, run my home, and try to care for our animals and yard when I am needed. I'm really really busy. I am not alone, I know. But I am often asked how I keep up with everything. Well, I have a few confessions and answers for those of you who wonder.:)
I don't know about you, but when I started thinking about home schooling I felt like I didn't fit the image. My image of a home school mom was someone with half a dozen (or more) kids, a clean house where everyone had their chores and did them willingly, the laundry was washed - folded - and put away daily, and a healthy home grown all organic freshly made dinner was spread on the table daily . Well, frankly, I was worried at this image I had created. Let me tell you how it really is for me.:)
I Confess: This is how I keep my kitchen sink and it's contents from overflowing into the front room. This also gives me one extra hour or more every day to read and explore the world with my kids.
I Confess: This is where we're at with our veggies these days. To everything there is a season, and right now our season consists of 5 minutes in the microwave to get a plate of veggies. I do have a basket of fresh fruit available at all times to help me feel better.
I Confess: These are my best friend when I need to do a quick clean up. 5 minutes and the bathroom is sanitized.
I confess: That my house is merely sanitized, my family eats using all disposable eating utensils, I only do dishes when I have to, I grow a garden with only a few different plants, I feed my kids a lot of microwavable foods. I don't fit the image that I created of the perfect home school mom. But that's okay. And chances are, YOU are too! We love our kids. We sacrifice a lot to bring a unique joy into their lives that they don't even recognize yet. And though we might not fit the mold we think we should all the time, chances are the mold we have created is pretty darn good! Keep up the great work!
I don't know about you, but when I started thinking about home schooling I felt like I didn't fit the image. My image of a home school mom was someone with half a dozen (or more) kids, a clean house where everyone had their chores and did them willingly, the laundry was washed - folded - and put away daily, and a healthy home grown all organic freshly made dinner was spread on the table daily . Well, frankly, I was worried at this image I had created. Let me tell you how it really is for me.:)
I Confess: This is how I keep my kitchen sink and it's contents from overflowing into the front room. This also gives me one extra hour or more every day to read and explore the world with my kids.
I Confess: This is where we're at with our veggies these days. To everything there is a season, and right now our season consists of 5 minutes in the microwave to get a plate of veggies. I do have a basket of fresh fruit available at all times to help me feel better.
I Confess: These are my best friend when I need to do a quick clean up. 5 minutes and the bathroom is sanitized.
I confess: That my house is merely sanitized, my family eats using all disposable eating utensils, I only do dishes when I have to, I grow a garden with only a few different plants, I feed my kids a lot of microwavable foods. I don't fit the image that I created of the perfect home school mom. But that's okay. And chances are, YOU are too! We love our kids. We sacrifice a lot to bring a unique joy into their lives that they don't even recognize yet. And though we might not fit the mold we think we should all the time, chances are the mold we have created is pretty darn good! Keep up the great work!
Monday, September 26, 2011
General Conference Prep Week for Children
I usually print the Amazing General Conference Activity Packets from www.SugarDoodle.net for my kids to use during general conference. However, they never really use them the way they are made to be used (following directions to make great little projects.) So this conference we are going to use the packets in our Home School curriculum during this week leading up to General Conference. I'm so grateful for these ladies and their willingness to share their talents with us! I am using the packets from www.Scriptures4Kids.com
HERE is the link to the General Conference Packets for all ages.
HERE is the link to the General Conference Packets for all ages.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
First Grade Home School: First and Second Week Review
When I Home School I spend months planning and preparing and then I take the first week deciding what will work and what won't. We started school the Tuesday after Labor Day this year (last week.) The night before our first day we all went to bed excited and feeling great. Jakob and I both woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. We eventually started our school day and to be honest, it ended up being rocky. But after making some adjustments it has actually gone great from the second day on. What was the biggest change? I decided to pull back on my Moving Beyond the Page lessons. I really enjoy their program and it's content. But Jakob really really dislikes them this year. I will try to add some in, but I'm not going to force them. They were a filler anyway. Jakob doesn't like to discuss, write, and color. MBTP has a lot of creative expression in their lesson's and Jakob would rather read about something and discuss it instead of hashing it over and over again. He shuts off pretty quick. So I have certain theme units for each month and we read A LOT.
The themes help us cover everything from social studies to history to phonics. Every day I try to read a new book as well as finish up some of the books we're in the middle of reading. Our on going books include a book of fables and fairy tales and A Child's Story of the Book of Mormon. I'm thrilled to say that these two books are the books that Jakob enjoys reading out of the most. How cool is that!? They are both very well written and entertain my seven year old boy as well as touch his imagination and his spirit. I can't ask for more.
We enjoy history in our family. One of the fun ongoing activities we have is our time-line. I printed off a time line that wraps around our living room. I have a page per 1000 years for a while (starting from the creation) and then goes to every 100 years up to 2000. Every time we read a book or watch a documentary about a certain subject that has a date to it that's interesting to us we print a picture about the subject and glue it to the proper year of our time line. I LOVE this activity!
There is so much to tell about home school this year. But the best thing right now is the fun that we're having. It's not easy, but we're all learning and moving forward. Good things are surely in the future. I'll keep you posted. I will also try to get photos us ASAP.
The themes help us cover everything from social studies to history to phonics. Every day I try to read a new book as well as finish up some of the books we're in the middle of reading. Our on going books include a book of fables and fairy tales and A Child's Story of the Book of Mormon. I'm thrilled to say that these two books are the books that Jakob enjoys reading out of the most. How cool is that!? They are both very well written and entertain my seven year old boy as well as touch his imagination and his spirit. I can't ask for more.
We enjoy history in our family. One of the fun ongoing activities we have is our time-line. I printed off a time line that wraps around our living room. I have a page per 1000 years for a while (starting from the creation) and then goes to every 100 years up to 2000. Every time we read a book or watch a documentary about a certain subject that has a date to it that's interesting to us we print a picture about the subject and glue it to the proper year of our time line. I LOVE this activity!
There is so much to tell about home school this year. But the best thing right now is the fun that we're having. It's not easy, but we're all learning and moving forward. Good things are surely in the future. I'll keep you posted. I will also try to get photos us ASAP.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Thoughts in Bulk
I have so much to blog about. I've had a lot of creative titles floating around in my head throughout the day. But I have VERY limited time these days. So, I will just post as often as I can and I will have to include multiple subjects within one post. So I apologize for the bulk posts:)
UNUSUALLY WEEPY SUNDAY
Yesterday was Sunday. Personally, as I walked out of the house on time for church (we had to give the prayers in Sacrament Meeting) I was just grateful that we were on our way. However, as we sat down in the chapel and all three of my children began to unanimously find their very worst habits and broadcast it to the whole congregation I found myself feeling darker and darker inside. I felt terrible and it was emanating from me, I know because Leif asked if I was okay. The truth was, for the first time in years I felt like I was going to burst into tears. Jakob was being very rude to me and I was not in a place emotionally to shrug it off. Caleb was freaking out, and JJ kept trying to escape under the benches. And then I realized that it was Fast and Testimony meeting and I hadn't thought about it AT ALL. It suddenly hit me how much my spirituality has been put on the back burner now that I am a wife and mother. And then the testimony meeting started and a hand full of children came up to share their testimonies and I couldn't help feeling a touch of fear that my boys might not ever "get it." Even after all that we do to try and help them spiritually on a daily basis. All of this was boiling up inside of me when a man began baring his testimony about his missionary experiences. He was sharing about the miracles that he witnessed and how faith in action can truly bring forth blessings in abundance. Finally, my tears broke free! I was a missionary a decade (and a lifetime) ago. However, the lessons that I learned about faith while on my mission have sustained me through thick and thin. They are lessons that I can not deny! I learned that when your will is in line with God's will ("please help us find those people who want to join your church, Lord") He will open the windows and doors of heaven and poor out His Blessings upon you. I know this from experience! If you believe He is there and He wants to bless you, then He Will!
I was very touched by this reminder. I was also filled with a renewed desire to bring myself in line with the Lord's will. The question that flowed through my soul Sunday was, "why can't parenthood be as clear cut and easy as missionary work." My guess is that it is because when we are missionaries, we have one goal and one purpose, with very few distractions. As parents and spouses we have A Lot of distractions and many different goals and roles to play. It can drain us of everything except for the drive to survive. I am weary of "survival mode." My prayer is that Leif and I can make the effort to truly line our hearts and wills with our Heavenly Father's. We're going to work on it one day at a time, one prayer at a time. In fact, that's literally where we are going to start. We recognized a clear difference between the prayers we said in sacrament and the prayers we say at home. Let's just say that our prayers at home are a lot shorter with a whole lot less specifics. So, though the inclination to cry was strange on Sunday, I am truly grateful for the spirit that reminded me of the power of faith in action. I hope to remember it for...ever.;)
A WONDERFUL WEEKEND
Leif and I planned a shopping get-a-way this weekend. We needed to buy furniture for the spa as well as do a huge grocery shopping trip. So we decided to spend the night in St. George and enjoy the time together. We were going to make it a date for just he and I. However, as I was packing the night before the trip Caleb was being a handful and I had the feeling that we should bring him along with us. Leif and I batted the idea around for the night and into the morning. We needed the time on this trip to be available for shopping. And a three year old can shut down a shopping trip really fast. We were nervous, but we decided to take him. And we are So glad that we did. We had a great time!! In fact, we've decided to make set plans for weekend trips alone with one of the kids every three months of so. We found a great hotel in St. George (Abby Inn) that I was able to enjoy because their mattresses were just soft enough. Leif and Caleb Loved the pool and hot tubs. Leif and I even watched a movie after Caleb fell asleep. Caleb thrived on the one on one attention. He was so cute that we were able to fall in love with him again. I think we all need that with our kids every once in a while. Ahhh, it was fun! FYI: Caleb handled the shopping like a pro until the last couple of hours. Leif stayed in the truck and watched a DVD with Caleb while I did the WalMart trip. It worked.:)
BACK TO HOME-SCHOOL NIGHT
After my rough emotional morning yesterday I came home from church questioning my decision to home school more then I have this whole summer (that's saying something.) Jakob was being really mean to me. He stomped on my toes as we were gathering to leave the church. Uhh, yeah, we had an issue to deal with! When we were eating lunch Leif got out of Jakob that he was feeling really mad that we hadn't brought him anything from our trip. Something you have to know about Jakob is that his number one Love Language is Gifts. If you give him a gift, he takes that as an act of Love. Well through the help of the Lord, some how I was able to keep myself together and explain to Jakob that throughout the WHOLE trip I spent all of my thoughts, time, and money, planning and buying things for HIS home school. Surprises for him and I to do together for the year (Don't worry I thought about Caleb too and what he needs for school, but I was talking to Jakob;) Jakob's secondary Love Language is Time. If you spend quality one on one time with him, he considers that an act of Love. Luckily, I had let Jakob go through the bags that I brought home earlier. So though as he was looking through them he didn't consider them as a gift. Once we talked about it and I spelled it out for him his whole continence and attitude changed and he now recognizes that home school is an act of love towards him. It has been amazing! I pray that it continues!!
We spent the whole day setting up the "classroom" and going grocery shopping. We also had a Back to Home School party. Jakob did an outstanding job of entertaining himself without requiring the use of a screen. I had gathered up the Wii remotes and that meant no Wii or Netflix. Though Leif and him played Wii together for a little while during our party, Jakob and Caleb entertained themselves today by playing outside and building structures with Popsicle sticks and tacky glue. I think they may have used the whole thing of glue. But hey, I'm thrilled!
So I think I'm ready for school to start in the morning. The calendar's hung. A weather chart is next to it. My Subject Board is ready to go. Books are organized by month and subjects. September's lesson's are printed. And the Math DVD is here (and it looks great so far!) Oh! I even made a room-sized time line to line our ceiling. It starts with the creation and goes by thousands of years and then hundreds of years up to today. We will post pictures and events on the time line throughout the year to get an idea of when things happened. I'm looking forward to that visual. The only things I need to do are hang the timeline, hopefully get our devotional book in the mail tomorrow, and hang the flag up. But we're good to go for tomorrow. I'm excited! I think Jakob is too. For the record: Leif gave Jakob a Father's Blessing today in preparation for school and it was very sweet.
KITTENS
We still have our kitties and so far, so good. They are really sweet and SO MUCH easier then puppies!! They are litter box trained with no problems! Caleb LOVES them. They are his rag dolls. I love watching him play with them (most of the time) sometimes he's rough with them and we have to take a time out. But over all it's been a good experience.
MY BABY IS WALKING
JJ is officially walking! I posted about him being close a little while ago and that very day ended up being when he started to take his first several steps. He is now walking more then crawling. It's so sweet and exciting and bitter-sweet all at the same time.
UNUSUALLY WEEPY SUNDAY
Yesterday was Sunday. Personally, as I walked out of the house on time for church (we had to give the prayers in Sacrament Meeting) I was just grateful that we were on our way. However, as we sat down in the chapel and all three of my children began to unanimously find their very worst habits and broadcast it to the whole congregation I found myself feeling darker and darker inside. I felt terrible and it was emanating from me, I know because Leif asked if I was okay. The truth was, for the first time in years I felt like I was going to burst into tears. Jakob was being very rude to me and I was not in a place emotionally to shrug it off. Caleb was freaking out, and JJ kept trying to escape under the benches. And then I realized that it was Fast and Testimony meeting and I hadn't thought about it AT ALL. It suddenly hit me how much my spirituality has been put on the back burner now that I am a wife and mother. And then the testimony meeting started and a hand full of children came up to share their testimonies and I couldn't help feeling a touch of fear that my boys might not ever "get it." Even after all that we do to try and help them spiritually on a daily basis. All of this was boiling up inside of me when a man began baring his testimony about his missionary experiences. He was sharing about the miracles that he witnessed and how faith in action can truly bring forth blessings in abundance. Finally, my tears broke free! I was a missionary a decade (and a lifetime) ago. However, the lessons that I learned about faith while on my mission have sustained me through thick and thin. They are lessons that I can not deny! I learned that when your will is in line with God's will ("please help us find those people who want to join your church, Lord") He will open the windows and doors of heaven and poor out His Blessings upon you. I know this from experience! If you believe He is there and He wants to bless you, then He Will!
I was very touched by this reminder. I was also filled with a renewed desire to bring myself in line with the Lord's will. The question that flowed through my soul Sunday was, "why can't parenthood be as clear cut and easy as missionary work." My guess is that it is because when we are missionaries, we have one goal and one purpose, with very few distractions. As parents and spouses we have A Lot of distractions and many different goals and roles to play. It can drain us of everything except for the drive to survive. I am weary of "survival mode." My prayer is that Leif and I can make the effort to truly line our hearts and wills with our Heavenly Father's. We're going to work on it one day at a time, one prayer at a time. In fact, that's literally where we are going to start. We recognized a clear difference between the prayers we said in sacrament and the prayers we say at home. Let's just say that our prayers at home are a lot shorter with a whole lot less specifics. So, though the inclination to cry was strange on Sunday, I am truly grateful for the spirit that reminded me of the power of faith in action. I hope to remember it for...ever.;)
A WONDERFUL WEEKEND
Leif and I planned a shopping get-a-way this weekend. We needed to buy furniture for the spa as well as do a huge grocery shopping trip. So we decided to spend the night in St. George and enjoy the time together. We were going to make it a date for just he and I. However, as I was packing the night before the trip Caleb was being a handful and I had the feeling that we should bring him along with us. Leif and I batted the idea around for the night and into the morning. We needed the time on this trip to be available for shopping. And a three year old can shut down a shopping trip really fast. We were nervous, but we decided to take him. And we are So glad that we did. We had a great time!! In fact, we've decided to make set plans for weekend trips alone with one of the kids every three months of so. We found a great hotel in St. George (Abby Inn) that I was able to enjoy because their mattresses were just soft enough. Leif and Caleb Loved the pool and hot tubs. Leif and I even watched a movie after Caleb fell asleep. Caleb thrived on the one on one attention. He was so cute that we were able to fall in love with him again. I think we all need that with our kids every once in a while. Ahhh, it was fun! FYI: Caleb handled the shopping like a pro until the last couple of hours. Leif stayed in the truck and watched a DVD with Caleb while I did the WalMart trip. It worked.:)
BACK TO HOME-SCHOOL NIGHT
After my rough emotional morning yesterday I came home from church questioning my decision to home school more then I have this whole summer (that's saying something.) Jakob was being really mean to me. He stomped on my toes as we were gathering to leave the church. Uhh, yeah, we had an issue to deal with! When we were eating lunch Leif got out of Jakob that he was feeling really mad that we hadn't brought him anything from our trip. Something you have to know about Jakob is that his number one Love Language is Gifts. If you give him a gift, he takes that as an act of Love. Well through the help of the Lord, some how I was able to keep myself together and explain to Jakob that throughout the WHOLE trip I spent all of my thoughts, time, and money, planning and buying things for HIS home school. Surprises for him and I to do together for the year (Don't worry I thought about Caleb too and what he needs for school, but I was talking to Jakob;) Jakob's secondary Love Language is Time. If you spend quality one on one time with him, he considers that an act of Love. Luckily, I had let Jakob go through the bags that I brought home earlier. So though as he was looking through them he didn't consider them as a gift. Once we talked about it and I spelled it out for him his whole continence and attitude changed and he now recognizes that home school is an act of love towards him. It has been amazing! I pray that it continues!!
We spent the whole day setting up the "classroom" and going grocery shopping. We also had a Back to Home School party. Jakob did an outstanding job of entertaining himself without requiring the use of a screen. I had gathered up the Wii remotes and that meant no Wii or Netflix. Though Leif and him played Wii together for a little while during our party, Jakob and Caleb entertained themselves today by playing outside and building structures with Popsicle sticks and tacky glue. I think they may have used the whole thing of glue. But hey, I'm thrilled!
So I think I'm ready for school to start in the morning. The calendar's hung. A weather chart is next to it. My Subject Board is ready to go. Books are organized by month and subjects. September's lesson's are printed. And the Math DVD is here (and it looks great so far!) Oh! I even made a room-sized time line to line our ceiling. It starts with the creation and goes by thousands of years and then hundreds of years up to today. We will post pictures and events on the time line throughout the year to get an idea of when things happened. I'm looking forward to that visual. The only things I need to do are hang the timeline, hopefully get our devotional book in the mail tomorrow, and hang the flag up. But we're good to go for tomorrow. I'm excited! I think Jakob is too. For the record: Leif gave Jakob a Father's Blessing today in preparation for school and it was very sweet.
KITTENS
We still have our kitties and so far, so good. They are really sweet and SO MUCH easier then puppies!! They are litter box trained with no problems! Caleb LOVES them. They are his rag dolls. I love watching him play with them (most of the time) sometimes he's rough with them and we have to take a time out. But over all it's been a good experience.
MY BABY IS WALKING
JJ is officially walking! I posted about him being close a little while ago and that very day ended up being when he started to take his first several steps. He is now walking more then crawling. It's so sweet and exciting and bitter-sweet all at the same time.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Over Before it's Begun?
If you're anti-home school or don't think I should be home schooling, you might want to stop here.
I'm just not fun enough. I'm tired and moody much of the time... I don't think I'll be able to handle it if Jakob pitches a fit every day at 8:00 when it's time for school. But the thought of having to get Jakob ready for school, taking him to school, picking him up for school, fighting over homework that I even hate, seems equally daunting. What should I do?
I guess I'll stick with my plan and enjoy the moments as they go. That's what I need to do. If you come to my house and it looks like a tornado whipped through the place and I'm still in my pajamas, just ignore it and know that I definitely wasn't sitting around eating bon bon's all day. I might however, manage to eat plenty of chocolate. Chocolate, surely that is my answer!;)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Summer's End... Already!?
I'm amazed that we're heading into a new school year already. Time, it's such a wishy-washy thing. Never enough, sometimes too much... Crazy.
I finished up my summer semester of USU classes this week. They were well worth the money, effort, and time. I learned a lot and enjoyed being able to write out my thoughts. I will be taking a couple of classes again this semester and I think they will be very applicable to my life: Child Guidance and Stress Management. Can't get any more applicable.
I'm finally feeling better. I was really sick! But I'm back up and going for the most part and my main focus is getting home school ready to go, starting the Monday after Labor Day. It takes A LOT of my time. I prefer to have everything printed out and filed according to the month and then the week. Then we can pull out a folder and all of the choices are there for the week and we can go at it. And if for some reason I can't be right there when it's school time, Jakob can go to the folder and pull out things for him to do. I'm still organizing the system that I want. But that gives you a glimpse of what we do. This year I need to plan a little bit for Caleb too. So I have a lot to do. Thank Heavens for the Library! We are going to be reading A Lot!
The spa, Desert Springs Day Spa is going better then we ever hoped. Leif is busy working there and when he's not there he's at his EMT classes and the few hours he's not there, he's home. He feels like he's constantly juggling. But he seems to be holding up and we are too. We miss the good ol' days of working side by side with "the business." But we're making the adjustment. And his EMT classes are over mid September. We look forward to that!
Jakob seems to be looking forward to school to start. He's also really excited for the new "club" he gets to be a part of. We've signed him up for 4H. They have a good program here and I think it will be really good for him.
My sweet Caleb is finally talking so that everyone can understand him (for the most part.) He doesn't whine as much because he can tell us things and then he can understand most of our logic as well. This connection has really become clear just within the last couple of days. It's really nice. We came up with a funny way to help him "find his big boy voice." I told him that when he's whining he sounds like he has a mouse in his throat and he has to get the mouse out in order to find his big boy voice. It's works quite well.:)
And my JJ, he's ready to jump up and run! He can stand on his own and it's been said that he took a couple of steps. I didn't get to see it. My theory is that he's going to decide to walk one day and just walk right up to me in the kitchen and ask for something to eat. It will happen so fast I won't even get to see the first steps.:)
Well, that's how we're doing here. Really, I'll have pictures soon!
I finished up my summer semester of USU classes this week. They were well worth the money, effort, and time. I learned a lot and enjoyed being able to write out my thoughts. I will be taking a couple of classes again this semester and I think they will be very applicable to my life: Child Guidance and Stress Management. Can't get any more applicable.
I'm finally feeling better. I was really sick! But I'm back up and going for the most part and my main focus is getting home school ready to go, starting the Monday after Labor Day. It takes A LOT of my time. I prefer to have everything printed out and filed according to the month and then the week. Then we can pull out a folder and all of the choices are there for the week and we can go at it. And if for some reason I can't be right there when it's school time, Jakob can go to the folder and pull out things for him to do. I'm still organizing the system that I want. But that gives you a glimpse of what we do. This year I need to plan a little bit for Caleb too. So I have a lot to do. Thank Heavens for the Library! We are going to be reading A Lot!
The spa, Desert Springs Day Spa is going better then we ever hoped. Leif is busy working there and when he's not there he's at his EMT classes and the few hours he's not there, he's home. He feels like he's constantly juggling. But he seems to be holding up and we are too. We miss the good ol' days of working side by side with "the business." But we're making the adjustment. And his EMT classes are over mid September. We look forward to that!
Jakob seems to be looking forward to school to start. He's also really excited for the new "club" he gets to be a part of. We've signed him up for 4H. They have a good program here and I think it will be really good for him.
My sweet Caleb is finally talking so that everyone can understand him (for the most part.) He doesn't whine as much because he can tell us things and then he can understand most of our logic as well. This connection has really become clear just within the last couple of days. It's really nice. We came up with a funny way to help him "find his big boy voice." I told him that when he's whining he sounds like he has a mouse in his throat and he has to get the mouse out in order to find his big boy voice. It's works quite well.:)
And my JJ, he's ready to jump up and run! He can stand on his own and it's been said that he took a couple of steps. I didn't get to see it. My theory is that he's going to decide to walk one day and just walk right up to me in the kitchen and ask for something to eat. It will happen so fast I won't even get to see the first steps.:)
Well, that's how we're doing here. Really, I'll have pictures soon!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Literature Rich Home School Curriculum
My home schooling planning time doesn't look quite so beautiful or delicate as this picture. But it shows the love that goes into it anyway. I've linked to the blog that I got the image from for anyone who is interested in a Home School Planner (Personally, I use my computer. But just in case...)I just wanted to share how things are going with my home school plans for the upcoming year. My plans haven't really changed from my previous posts. I have however added a few things. Well, more like several things. I found a wonderful website for my family and our style of learning. It's called The Best Children's Books.Org These great teachers have listed several books for every subject that should be taught throughout the year. They have also labeled them according to grade and ages levels. This is exactly what I have been looking for. We have a busy little family. I want to have a stack of books that I can pull from every day organized by subjects. This will make it possible for me to be able to include the littles in our school day.
This website also gave me a clear idea of what subjects are appropriate for each age and which topics aren't. I often feel that I need to cram everything into one year. This helped me get an idea of what to teach for the next few years.
They haven't added The Classics yet. So I did find a list HERE that lists the classics for children. I will incorporate these as well.
So as it turns out our curriculum will be very richly "literature based." Jakob loves documentaries. So I have gone through Netflix and found plenty of great shows mostly about science and history. I will also show him the videos based on books after we finish the books. I think it should be a lot of fun. Jakob has watched me looking at the books and he's very excited to get started! My next step is to find out what books my libraries have and don't have, what they'll order, and what they won't. So I still have a lot to do. But I'm getting excited!
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
A Good Day!
Today was a good day. Just one of those days where I woke up a little bit earlier than usual (on my own without a child screaming.) I was able to read the scriptures for a minute (always a nice thing.) And things never really went down hill from there. I was able to catch up with a few family members while doing laundry. I didn't fall apart at the fact that the house isn't perfectly clean. Leif took Caleb with him while he ran errands and JJ napped. This gave me the time to finish a paper for my class.
I also had the chance to work some more on my plans for home school. I found an excellent website that lists age appropriate books for the different subjects that we need/want to cover throughout the year. It is AWESOME! It's www.The-Best-Childrens-Books.org It's gotten me really excited for the upcoming year. I feel a lot more confident in what we will be covering.
Leif and I went and set up the Day Spa that he's starting in Kanab, Desert Springs Day Spa. It was nice to get things cleaned up and organized. I think it will turn out great! I'm really excited and so is Leif.
We closed the day by weeding in the garden. It was so pleasant outside. The air smelled like rain and the wind was rustling the trees just enough to notice. The clouds were rolling around as a storm was brewing. And it was so cool with the gentle breeze. Perfect!
I also had the chance to work some more on my plans for home school. I found an excellent website that lists age appropriate books for the different subjects that we need/want to cover throughout the year. It is AWESOME! It's www.The-Best-Childrens-Books.org It's gotten me really excited for the upcoming year. I feel a lot more confident in what we will be covering.
Leif and I went and set up the Day Spa that he's starting in Kanab, Desert Springs Day Spa. It was nice to get things cleaned up and organized. I think it will turn out great! I'm really excited and so is Leif.
We closed the day by weeding in the garden. It was so pleasant outside. The air smelled like rain and the wind was rustling the trees just enough to notice. The clouds were rolling around as a storm was brewing. And it was so cool with the gentle breeze. Perfect!
Monday, May 30, 2011
First Grade Home School Plans and Curriculum - My Plan -
Overcoming the Comparing Syndrome
For no real reason other then fatigue, I plopped myself down in my office chair tonight and told Leif that I was questioning my plans for home school curriculum next year. Being tired often clouds the emotions and tends to bring on the fear and doubt. Luckily, my sweet husband was in a good place tonight and was able to listen to my thoughts and concerns, validate, and reconfirm that in reality all will be well. As he assured me of his confidence and gave me a few pointers I was reminded of how much I value his opinion and confidence in me. Thank you, My Love!
The fears that I had stemmed from comparison. I found myself comparing myself and our home school to the "Big School" teachers and routines. I was feeling kind of dull and boring. Leif reminded me that the teachers past Kindergarten aren't usually the most dynamic of the bunch. On occasion you'll find a bubbling, dancing, ever-jolly teacher. But most of the time they're just plain burned out and trying to get through the year. Well, when you put it that way... :) I think we can make this work, and make it a good year!
So let me share some of my plans and ideas.
Home School Assessment Testing
I've been asked if I used MindSprinting as a Free Home School Assessment Tool. Yes I did, and I am pleased with the results. If anyone else has any other recommendations I'm open to suggestion. But for now, I am happy to know that Jakob is right on target for the next grade.
Papa's Summer Camp
During the summer I will be really busy taking a couple of classes. Leif on the other hand has purposely taken the summer off to spend time with the kids. He will be directing the summer filled with fun and learning. Jakob is beside-himself with excitement. He LOVES to spend time with Leif!
Home School First Grade
Once my classes are over we'll start back to our school routine. Throughout the summer Leif is going to help Jakob understand that because he is older he has "moved up a level (video game lingo always helps)." This means that he is ready to spend more time in his day on his studies. So we will be starting school an hour earlier than this year and we will be moving through the day in a "centers" like fashion. We are also going to start the school day with a prayer and a scripture. The first center will most likely be a self-guided one to help me be able to finish up the morning routine with "the littles."
The Centers/Subjects that we will do our best to cover daily are:
Phonics (ClicknKids.com and StarFall.com)
Math (BJU Press Math DVD)
General Studies (MovingBeyondThePage.com)
Gospel Studies (This lesson plan is still in the works, but I will list the resources that I will be pulling from:
Scriptures4Kids.com
LDS Children's Friend Online
Sugardoodle.net
Extra Curricular Activities
Although we are not overly concerned about our kid's "socialization" (they get out and about plenty.), but we do want to give Jakob a few more opportunities to get out from under our wings on occasion. We do however run into a wall in this regard because of where we live and the lack of opportunity that we have for our boys. So far the only extra-curricular activities that we can find are Dance, Gymnastics, and Baseball. Jakob has taken dance. In fact, he was the first boy ever to take dance in our community and he opened the door for other boys in the years since. But Jakob really wants/needs to interact with several other boys with similar interests. So Leif and I are hoping to head up a Science Club and possibly and Arts Club here in our community. We will not direct them. But we will organize them and help them move forward. I won't go into details now. But this is something that we look forward to in the near future.
Caleb
Caleb is three years old. Jakob was 3 when he first went to a small in home preschool based after the Joy School program. I am sincerely hoping to find him a preschool that he can go to a few days each week for an hour here and there. Jakob thrived in preschool. I hope to give Caleb the same opportunity within the next couple of years. Unfortunately both of Jakob's preschool teachers no longer teach preschool. I am praying for the right teacher to come along for Caleb! Until then, We use the Your Baby Can Read videos and he participates in our home school lessons along side Jakob and I throughout the day. He has blossomed considerably.
So, there it is -My Plan-
Let it be Written, Let it be Done!
For no real reason other then fatigue, I plopped myself down in my office chair tonight and told Leif that I was questioning my plans for home school curriculum next year. Being tired often clouds the emotions and tends to bring on the fear and doubt. Luckily, my sweet husband was in a good place tonight and was able to listen to my thoughts and concerns, validate, and reconfirm that in reality all will be well. As he assured me of his confidence and gave me a few pointers I was reminded of how much I value his opinion and confidence in me. Thank you, My Love!
The fears that I had stemmed from comparison. I found myself comparing myself and our home school to the "Big School" teachers and routines. I was feeling kind of dull and boring. Leif reminded me that the teachers past Kindergarten aren't usually the most dynamic of the bunch. On occasion you'll find a bubbling, dancing, ever-jolly teacher. But most of the time they're just plain burned out and trying to get through the year. Well, when you put it that way... :) I think we can make this work, and make it a good year!
So let me share some of my plans and ideas.
Home School Assessment Testing
I've been asked if I used MindSprinting as a Free Home School Assessment Tool. Yes I did, and I am pleased with the results. If anyone else has any other recommendations I'm open to suggestion. But for now, I am happy to know that Jakob is right on target for the next grade.
Papa's Summer Camp
During the summer I will be really busy taking a couple of classes. Leif on the other hand has purposely taken the summer off to spend time with the kids. He will be directing the summer filled with fun and learning. Jakob is beside-himself with excitement. He LOVES to spend time with Leif!
Home School First Grade
Once my classes are over we'll start back to our school routine. Throughout the summer Leif is going to help Jakob understand that because he is older he has "moved up a level (video game lingo always helps)." This means that he is ready to spend more time in his day on his studies. So we will be starting school an hour earlier than this year and we will be moving through the day in a "centers" like fashion. We are also going to start the school day with a prayer and a scripture. The first center will most likely be a self-guided one to help me be able to finish up the morning routine with "the littles."
The Centers/Subjects that we will do our best to cover daily are:
Phonics (ClicknKids.com and StarFall.com)
Math (BJU Press Math DVD)
General Studies (MovingBeyondThePage.com)
Gospel Studies (This lesson plan is still in the works, but I will list the resources that I will be pulling from:
Scriptures4Kids.com
LDS Children's Friend Online
Sugardoodle.net
Extra Curricular Activities
Although we are not overly concerned about our kid's "socialization" (they get out and about plenty.), but we do want to give Jakob a few more opportunities to get out from under our wings on occasion. We do however run into a wall in this regard because of where we live and the lack of opportunity that we have for our boys. So far the only extra-curricular activities that we can find are Dance, Gymnastics, and Baseball. Jakob has taken dance. In fact, he was the first boy ever to take dance in our community and he opened the door for other boys in the years since. But Jakob really wants/needs to interact with several other boys with similar interests. So Leif and I are hoping to head up a Science Club and possibly and Arts Club here in our community. We will not direct them. But we will organize them and help them move forward. I won't go into details now. But this is something that we look forward to in the near future.
Caleb
Caleb is three years old. Jakob was 3 when he first went to a small in home preschool based after the Joy School program. I am sincerely hoping to find him a preschool that he can go to a few days each week for an hour here and there. Jakob thrived in preschool. I hope to give Caleb the same opportunity within the next couple of years. Unfortunately both of Jakob's preschool teachers no longer teach preschool. I am praying for the right teacher to come along for Caleb! Until then, We use the Your Baby Can Read videos and he participates in our home school lessons along side Jakob and I throughout the day. He has blossomed considerably.
So, there it is -My Plan-
Let it be Written, Let it be Done!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Follow up and An Interesting Insight
I just want to follow up on this morning's post. Today was a great day. The afternoon and evening have been intense. But overall, it has been a good day and I continued to feel the peace that I felt upon waking in the morning.
This afternoon I planned out my schedule and strategy for the next 4 weeks of my new classes. It's funny how quickly we can forget how insane the schedule can become with some classes. Especially accelerated classes. Hold On for Dear Life! That's what I'll be doing for the next several weeks. Good thing I'm looking forward to the content of the class, huh!?
Now I'll move on to the "Interesting Insight" part of this post. Now, I need to put a warning here: Sensitive Feelings Ahead! Okay.:)
Well, this is the last week of our Home School year. To close the year I found a great website called MindSprinting that provides free Assessment testing online. Once the child takes the test the company tells you what grade level your child is at and what they need to do to reach their grade level or above.
So I took the math test tonight for an adult. I didn't sit down with scratch paper and pencil or a calculator. So I was a little lazy. But overall, I'm confident that the results are mostly accurate. Now, I knew that I was incredibly mathematically challenged. You think I'm just saying that with a little snicker, uh no, I am REALLY challenged. But I have never found a way to find out just HOW challenged I am, until tonight. Folks, you are looking at a University Student with a Second Grade math level. True Blue! Hence, why I haven't taken a single college math class. However, my college GPA is a 3.8.
So, now I ask the question: How in THE WORLD did I pass the second grade? Uh, fifth grade? Middle School? I know why I graduated High School (through the mercy of one teacher. She saved my future!) And perhaps, that's exactly what every other teacher was doing. Preserving my future. If I would have been held back at all, I would not have moved forward again. Even though I have been missing one of the most fundamental aspects of the adult world I have still managed to fight through and find success. However, I have another question: Is there a name for my dis-ability? This is one of my personal quests.
My struggle with math has led us to a Math Curriculum that is teacher-taught online or on a DVD. I found it today, and I am looking forward to learning right along side my kids.
So, there. I have once again managed to be brutally honest about myself on my blog. Somehow, I know you'll love me through it.
This afternoon I planned out my schedule and strategy for the next 4 weeks of my new classes. It's funny how quickly we can forget how insane the schedule can become with some classes. Especially accelerated classes. Hold On for Dear Life! That's what I'll be doing for the next several weeks. Good thing I'm looking forward to the content of the class, huh!?
Now I'll move on to the "Interesting Insight" part of this post. Now, I need to put a warning here: Sensitive Feelings Ahead! Okay.:)
Well, this is the last week of our Home School year. To close the year I found a great website called MindSprinting that provides free Assessment testing online. Once the child takes the test the company tells you what grade level your child is at and what they need to do to reach their grade level or above.
So I took the math test tonight for an adult. I didn't sit down with scratch paper and pencil or a calculator. So I was a little lazy. But overall, I'm confident that the results are mostly accurate. Now, I knew that I was incredibly mathematically challenged. You think I'm just saying that with a little snicker, uh no, I am REALLY challenged. But I have never found a way to find out just HOW challenged I am, until tonight. Folks, you are looking at a University Student with a Second Grade math level. True Blue! Hence, why I haven't taken a single college math class. However, my college GPA is a 3.8.
So, now I ask the question: How in THE WORLD did I pass the second grade? Uh, fifth grade? Middle School? I know why I graduated High School (through the mercy of one teacher. She saved my future!) And perhaps, that's exactly what every other teacher was doing. Preserving my future. If I would have been held back at all, I would not have moved forward again. Even though I have been missing one of the most fundamental aspects of the adult world I have still managed to fight through and find success. However, I have another question: Is there a name for my dis-ability? This is one of my personal quests.
My struggle with math has led us to a Math Curriculum that is teacher-taught online or on a DVD. I found it today, and I am looking forward to learning right along side my kids.
So, there. I have once again managed to be brutally honest about myself on my blog. Somehow, I know you'll love me through it.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
How This Week is Going...
I have posted HERE, HERE, and HERE about my plans for this week (the week leading up to Easter Sunday.) Now I will reveal how the week has really played out. At least the big things.
Well, you can read the other posts for Days 1-3. Wednesday (day 4) it was my hope to color Easter eggs using natural sources for the dye. Instead it turned out to be a "Mama Bear" day (Leif took me out for dinner to get me away, and saved my sanity.) But I did NOT get to the eggs. So I did them today (day 5). I will make a separate post about that. Let's just say it's a lot of work and mine didn't turn out like I had hoped. But it was fun (for me.) We were supposed to have a special dinner tonight. We didn't. My greatly anticipated clothes dryer arrived today! Leif spent the afternoon and evening setting my new laundry nook up.WAHHOOO!! (More on that later.)
So tomorrow is Friday (Day 6.) I hope and will plan on a nice dinner tomorrow using my China. We will watch a video or two about our Saviour and His Atonement. I am making that commitment... Then Saturday (Day 6) we get to give the kid's their Easter baskets. QUESTION: Has anyone else had a really hard time finding chocolate eggs this year. I haven't even been able to find a Cadbury, let alone a Snickers or Caramel Egg. We live in a small town, but Seriously, what is an Easter basket without Those amazing treats!!!!?? Saturday our town has an wonderful Easter egg hunt. I look forward to it every year. In fact, this is the last year for the lady who has put it on for the past nine years. I wonder what will happen in the future?
Okay, I was feeling way side tracked from my original plans. But maybe we're not so off base after all. Tomorrow Dinner. Saturday Baskets, Hunt, and Picnic. Sunday Church and Family Dinner.
I just remembered what I really wanted to do to try and help the lesson of the Atonement sink in. The candy making idea. Making candy and not eating ANY of it, and giving it away. I think that would be a fine Post- Easter home school lesson. So I won't stress and will plan it next week.
Well, you can read the other posts for Days 1-3. Wednesday (day 4) it was my hope to color Easter eggs using natural sources for the dye. Instead it turned out to be a "Mama Bear" day (Leif took me out for dinner to get me away, and saved my sanity.) But I did NOT get to the eggs. So I did them today (day 5). I will make a separate post about that. Let's just say it's a lot of work and mine didn't turn out like I had hoped. But it was fun (for me.) We were supposed to have a special dinner tonight. We didn't. My greatly anticipated clothes dryer arrived today! Leif spent the afternoon and evening setting my new laundry nook up.WAHHOOO!! (More on that later.)
So tomorrow is Friday (Day 6.) I hope and will plan on a nice dinner tomorrow using my China. We will watch a video or two about our Saviour and His Atonement. I am making that commitment... Then Saturday (Day 6) we get to give the kid's their Easter baskets. QUESTION: Has anyone else had a really hard time finding chocolate eggs this year. I haven't even been able to find a Cadbury, let alone a Snickers or Caramel Egg. We live in a small town, but Seriously, what is an Easter basket without Those amazing treats!!!!?? Saturday our town has an wonderful Easter egg hunt. I look forward to it every year. In fact, this is the last year for the lady who has put it on for the past nine years. I wonder what will happen in the future?
Okay, I was feeling way side tracked from my original plans. But maybe we're not so off base after all. Tomorrow Dinner. Saturday Baskets, Hunt, and Picnic. Sunday Church and Family Dinner.
I just remembered what I really wanted to do to try and help the lesson of the Atonement sink in. The candy making idea. Making candy and not eating ANY of it, and giving it away. I think that would be a fine Post- Easter home school lesson. So I won't stress and will plan it next week.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Christ's Last Week Days 1-3 (Home School Happenings)
You may note from my previous post that we are studying the last week of Christ's life on earth this week. I wanted to fit the true meaning of Easter into our home school. Today was a good meaningful short and sweet school day. I wanted to share what we did. I planned ahead and then changed things as needed.
Today I printed out THIS. It is another booklet that gives a play by play of Christ's last days on earth. It gives me the scripture references that I need to actually read things from the scriptures as we talk. It also gives a short paragraph about each day. I cut the pages out and stapled just the days together with the beautiful picture as the cover page.
We then reviewed Days 1 and 2 (since we're on day 3). Then I made a few lines on the back of the booklet pages. Jakob then wrote the following on each page: Day 1 Hosanna! Day 2 Temple, Day 3 Parables. And we will of course continue this as the days go on. (Prior to this activity Jakob passed off a Scholastic Reader for a sticker on THIS fantastic Reading Sticker Chart.) Anyway, after practicing his very best handwriting skills we moved into the lesson activity for the day. We read the parable of The Ten Virgins from the bible. Then we watched the following two YouTube videos. He really enjoyed this and the spirit was strong. After watching we talked about the meaning of the parable and how it applies in our life. I then asked Jakob to tell the story back to me. This is a struggle for him. But once he got in the right mindset he did great!
Short and Sweet and Covered a lot!
Here's the great YouTube videos called: They That are Wise: Music Video and PARABLE of 10 Virgins.
Today I printed out THIS. It is another booklet that gives a play by play of Christ's last days on earth. It gives me the scripture references that I need to actually read things from the scriptures as we talk. It also gives a short paragraph about each day. I cut the pages out and stapled just the days together with the beautiful picture as the cover page.
We then reviewed Days 1 and 2 (since we're on day 3). Then I made a few lines on the back of the booklet pages. Jakob then wrote the following on each page: Day 1 Hosanna! Day 2 Temple, Day 3 Parables. And we will of course continue this as the days go on. (Prior to this activity Jakob passed off a Scholastic Reader for a sticker on THIS fantastic Reading Sticker Chart.) Anyway, after practicing his very best handwriting skills we moved into the lesson activity for the day. We read the parable of The Ten Virgins from the bible. Then we watched the following two YouTube videos. He really enjoyed this and the spirit was strong. After watching we talked about the meaning of the parable and how it applies in our life. I then asked Jakob to tell the story back to me. This is a struggle for him. But once he got in the right mindset he did great!
Short and Sweet and Covered a lot!
Here's the great YouTube videos called: They That are Wise: Music Video and PARABLE of 10 Virgins.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Last Week of Jesus' Life on Earth - Home school and Family Plans -
This year I have hope of helping my boys understand the meaning of the Easter Celebration just a little bit more clearly. Home schooling will be very helpful in this regard. Here are our plans for this upcoming week.
MONDAY: We will use our MBP curriculum which just happens to be about special holidays this week. We will make a Holiday Book. I will then introduce THIS activity. It's a day by day walk through the last week of Christ's Earthly Ministry. We will then watch a couple Mormon Messages on YouTube about Easter.
TUESDAY: We will read and explore the parables that Jesus taught.
WEDNESDAY: We will do an Easter egg decorating activity. I'm hoping to make dye from natural sources.
THURSDAY: (Papa is home all day!:) We will be having a "Last Supper" meal together drinking grape juice, eating Quinoa, and chicken, eaten on my fine China. Leif and I will help the kids understand what this meal was all about. We will also wash the boys' feet (with plenty of giggles I'm sure;) and we will try to help them understand the example of service that was set by Christ.
FRIDAY: Friday we will read about the Atonement and watch a short video. We will also make homemade chocolate candies to give away the next day (we won't eat ANY, this will be tough and give us a chance to talk about the selfless sacrifice our Saviour made for us. Although I am well aware that the sacrifice doesn't compare. We do our best right!?
SATURDAY: This is our traditional Easter Bunny celebration. Our town holds a great Easter egg hunt and the kids get to find their baskets. I think we'll hide them outside this year. It's so beautiful right now. I'm pondering a picnic at our local cemetery. I know it sounds strange. But it is the most peaceful place in the town and it could give us a moment to remember why the Ressurection is so special for our family.
SUNDAY: We will do THIS Activity (Easter Egg Lesson) to give a quick but fun review of the week and it's wonderful meaning. And we will rest.
MONDAY: We will use our MBP curriculum which just happens to be about special holidays this week. We will make a Holiday Book. I will then introduce THIS activity. It's a day by day walk through the last week of Christ's Earthly Ministry. We will then watch a couple Mormon Messages on YouTube about Easter.
TUESDAY: We will read and explore the parables that Jesus taught.
WEDNESDAY: We will do an Easter egg decorating activity. I'm hoping to make dye from natural sources.
THURSDAY: (Papa is home all day!:) We will be having a "Last Supper" meal together drinking grape juice, eating Quinoa, and chicken, eaten on my fine China. Leif and I will help the kids understand what this meal was all about. We will also wash the boys' feet (with plenty of giggles I'm sure;) and we will try to help them understand the example of service that was set by Christ.
FRIDAY: Friday we will read about the Atonement and watch a short video. We will also make homemade chocolate candies to give away the next day (we won't eat ANY, this will be tough and give us a chance to talk about the selfless sacrifice our Saviour made for us. Although I am well aware that the sacrifice doesn't compare. We do our best right!?
SATURDAY: This is our traditional Easter Bunny celebration. Our town holds a great Easter egg hunt and the kids get to find their baskets. I think we'll hide them outside this year. It's so beautiful right now. I'm pondering a picnic at our local cemetery. I know it sounds strange. But it is the most peaceful place in the town and it could give us a moment to remember why the Ressurection is so special for our family.
SUNDAY: We will do THIS Activity (Easter Egg Lesson) to give a quick but fun review of the week and it's wonderful meaning. And we will rest.
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