Not a lot of time to blog lately...but, for good reason! We've been busy learning at our house! School started for us last month, and we are having a really great year so far. Besides using some curriculum I had already purchased for this year, we are incorporating products that I'm reviewing for the TOS Crew as well. It has been a lot of fun so far. The kids are enjoying school, and so am I! We have also been blessed by having a good library system in our new town, as well as a Learning Resource Center (LRC), a wonderful service created by the NJ Department of Education, where I go once a week to borrow educational games, file folder games, toys, centers, etc. and use their laminating machines, and other valuable resources. I feel so blessed that they have this open to parents as well as teachers.
Here's a little peek into our homeschool..
Our learning takes place all over the house...in the dining room..the living room..the kitchen...and occasionally outside...school takes place just about anywhere at our house!
Here are the girls working at the dining room table..where you will find us most of the time. It's nice for Miss M to be able to pet her kitty while working, huh? You can catch a glimpse of our Amazing Bible Timeline which I'm reviewing for the TOS Crew. We keep it under the vinyl tablecloth, (thanks to a suggestion made by my fellow TOS Crew members) where it's always handy for our ancient history and bible studies.
Lil D reads in the living room...in the big comfy chair. He still loves to read..I have to set a time limit for him, otherwise, he'll just read all day and never get any of his other work completed! Here he's reading Mummies in the Morning (Magic Tree House series) to go along with our study of Egypt.
Here, The Princess is using a mini-offce to help her with her math. We use mini-offices for math, language arts, and any subject we see fit. To learn more about mini-offices, click HERE. They are very easy and fun to make, and my kids enjoy having them to use during school time. I made these last year. (They also make a nice divider when more than one child is working at the table.)
Recently we started using Sue Patrick's Workbox System that I am reviewing for the TOS Crew on my other blog The Homeschool Desk. I love the excitement and organization that it has brought to our homeschool. It has really changed the way we do school in our house...for the better! My full review will be coming soon! Like many homeschoolers, I have tweaked Sue's system to work best for our family. Here's a photo of the kids workboxes...where they find their daily assignments.
And, thanks to our LRC, I was able to borrow this Science Center to use for a few weeks. We are learning all about weather, and the kids are really enjoying it! They were so delighted to wake up last week and find this waiting for them at the kitchen table.
Each day, they take turns using the Science Center, and then go outside with the weather station to record the weather conditions, temperature, cloud type, wind speed and direction, etc. We've been using the September section of The Old Schoolhouse Planner along with the September module which is a study on weather.
I was also able to borrow a Geo Safari laptop from LRC with tons of math books to use with it as well for all my kids ages.
We love using this Writing Prompt Box, also from our local LRC. The Princess and Lil D use this box daily. I attach one or two index cards to a writing prompt that goes into one of their Workbox folders. They follow the instructions, and use another card to check their work for proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. It's a fun way to get them to write, and since I only include an index card or two, they don't feel a lot of pressure to have to write tons and tons like they would if I had handed them a blank page! Here, I've created a little writing center for them to use.
Last year, we participated in Sonlight's Rice Bag Project, and saved our loose change to raise money for Mission India to teach Indian women how to read, as well as learn about Jesus Christ. This project taught my children alot about what it's like for people in foreign countries that have not heard the gospel. This project really touched my children's hearts as well as my own. After watching a video of what life was like for kids in India, Lil D went and got his $3 allowance and decided to donate it to the Rice Bag Project. Ever since we participated in the Rice Bag Project, my children have gained a heart for foreign missions.
This year, we have decided to participate once again in another Sonlight project called OneVerse to help fund the translation of The New Testament for the Meeto people. You can read about it HERE. We are receiving an 8-week Education course to go along with the project. The company was generous enough to mail journals to all 3 of my children, which we enjoy using and discussing together. Here's The Princess writing in her journal.
We feel so blessed to be a part of this project! Not only are my children learning to give, but they are learning why it's important to help others, and learn about the people they are helping, too. They are being blessed by helping others hear and read the Word in their native language, something we take for granted.
So that's a little of what we've been up to lately. Homeschooling is a full time commitment...a lot less time for me to socialize or blog, but I feel blessed to be able to continue to be home with my children and watch them learn. It's something I will never regret!
If you have any questions about homeschooling, I'd be glad to answer, please just leave me a comment! Have a great week!
