Our Little Corner: September 2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

We are studying Mystery of History Vol. 1 (MOH) with our family group/co-op this year. We do the reading, timeline & worksheets at home and the fun activities together. I decided it would be fun to add an extra hands-on activity to our home schedule.

Years ago we visited the Biblical Tabernacle Reproduction in Lancaster, PA. I had first been fascinated by the Tabernacle in Bible class in the 7th grade. Our visit to Lancaster renewed & increased that fascination. The guide there was extremely informative & we learned a wealth of information. I thought it would be fun to see what our kids remembered from that visit & to make our own reproduction of the Tabernacle.

First I looked online to find resources. I stumbled upon a great help on Squiddo. And to boot it was FREE! Dave & the kids made a trip to Hobby Lobby & then the fun began!

Princess worked on a project of her own. It helped keep her busy & happy while the others worked. =)

This night most of the time was spent on painting the clothespins to put around the outside of the Tabernacle. We chose to buy regular clothespins as they were much easier on our budget.
I'll be posting updates & soon the finished product!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

MOLD!

Sweet Pea is studying Apologia Biology this year. Those of you who have studied with this curriculum know how intense it is. It is listed as a college prep course but in my opinion it is even a notch above that.
Sweet Pea is doing most of her labs & discussions with a friend in our co-op/family group. She enjoys this interaction & sharing of information. Today after the class was done she & I decided to keep learning & exploring on our own. She had never guessed mold could be so fascinating!

THIS is OUR pantry?

Sweet Pea had set aside a blueberry muffin & allowed it to grow mold. This is a sample from it that she put on a slide.

Studying hard!

Writing up her labs

Yummers!

My future scientist.

A figure of what we were observing.

It was really cool because we could see exactly what was drawn in the figure. Wow!

I love learning with my kids!

It really was fascinating. I'm very grateful to my Mom for purchasing this amazing microscope for our family. It is a treasure, a blessing & a valuable learning tool. Thank you, Mom/Grannie for investing in Sweet Pea's, Boo Bear's, Elvis', Bugsy's & Princess' educations! We love you! And a thank you to Jody too for lending us her Apologia books! Another big blessing! Thank you, friend!

It Only Takes A Spark

‎"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books"
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I put this photo & quote on my Facebook page. I thought it was worth posting again here. I bought a book last week for Elvis at the Christian bookstore. I have been trying to find some fiction chapter books at his grade level that he would enjoy. It's been tough. I'm not a huge fan of much of the current so-called "literature". But I found this book & decided to give it a try. It's recommended reading level is pre-teen, (10-12?) and above but Elvis is doing fine with it. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when he crept into my room early Tuesday morning seeking a quiet place to read. He had started the night before & couldn't wait to continue. He has been devouring it ever since. I need to get myself back to the bookstore and pick up the next in the series!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Cuteness

SOCCER!

This Saturday of soccer was extra special because Grannie & Grandpa were visiting. They haven't seen the kids play in 3 years. What a thrill to have them watching & cheering!

SUMMERTIME 2012

2012

It was a year full of learning not only educational-wise but life lessons too. We have come to treasure those we love more than ever. Family time is to be savored and memories to be created and viewed as priceless. And our Lord is to be praised, trusted & loved.

We are enjoying our summer. It is full to overflowing with VBS volunteering & attending, Taekwondo, park playdates, gardening, Staycation, camp, birthday parties, visits from loved ones, adventures & day trips, friends, outdoor fun, swimming, summer treats, church & lots of trips to the library. It is wonderful to have some time to renew & relax.

OUR 12th YEAR

It is hard to believe we are in our 12th year of homeschooling. Where does the time go? It seems as if I should feel like an expert by now. But that's not the case. I learn more every year & always look forward to the opportunity to grow.

This year we have made some big changes. At first I was a little cautious wondering how we would handle this. But God has been amazingly gracious. We have made many new & wonderful friends. Even with cutting back our schedule is full to overflowing with fantastic & fun opportunities & experiences.

I look forward to seeing what more God has in store for us this year and sharing it with you, our friends & family.

Summer, Here We Come!

We are winding down our school year. We've finished our co-op studies & had our last classes of the year. AWANA is almost over as well as TKD. The spring soccer season is in full swing. Soon summer will be here. Swimming, park days, field trips, VBS, popsicles, gardening, bike rides & fun with friends are things we are all looking forward to. We will be doing some fun studies over the summer as well. Some we have already begun!
As always our days are full to the brim. Many like to comment that Dave & I have our hands full. I agree. Our hands & lives are full of fun, laughter, learning & growing. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A New School Year

School has begun! It isn't officially fall here yet but our fall activities have started. We are now back in AWANA, Wednesday night groups, Sunday school, soccer, homeschool & 2 family learning co-ops. This week we have added Taekwando to our schedule. Yes, we are busy! On top it all off I am co-leading our large, church homeschool support group. We kicked off the new school year with a picnic. It was an amazing time & lots of fun was had though the weather tried it's best to ruin it. God prevailed!

This year we have a 9th grader (How did we get to high school already?), a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and one in Kindergarten. And don't forget our little toddler!!!! As many like to comment yes, we have our hands full. Our hands are full of blessings, of life and of love. Some days bring more challenges & tough times but through it all we grow stronger & closer.

Announcement *

She is here! Safe & sound & BEAUTIFUL! We are all wrapped around her little fingers. Our little princess arrived on
April 6 at 8:06a.m. by C-section. She surprised us all by weighing only 7lbs. 9oz. We had expected her to be at least 9lbs. based on the ultrasounds. She is also 19.5 inches long. A little peanut!
As you can see from some of her hospital photos she is already learning to accessorize. Lol. The nursery nurses at the hospital stuck a pink bow in her hair. I love it!
I will not be publishing her real name on my blog due to safety reasons, (just like I have done for my older children), but if you'd like to know feel free to email me privately and I'd be happy to share.