The Tradition Continues!

To celebrate the last day of school, I have taken my girls to get ice cream for years.  Now that my two oldest have graduated, they aren't around for the fun.  This year, Dad got to join.  Often he has to work and misses out on our ice cream adventures.

The girls worked hard learning new skills this past year.  Megan learned the alphabet and the sounds they make, plus lots of other fun stuff.  She is an official Kindergartener now.

Laura is growing up fast.  She is now an official 7th grader!  She studied a lot this year.  Science became a favorite subject this year.  Laura loved the nature studies we did and the Arabella Buckley books she read.

Jasmine had a rough year.  She finished her 8th grade year in public school.  She worked hard, though, to get good grades.  History was a challenge for her.  It was a lot of what most homeschoolers don't like, memorizing dates and names. Now, of course, she is an official high school student.

As the temperatures begin to get toasty, the ice cream is special.  The kids look forward to their end of year ice cream celebration.  They even asked me this year if I remembered their ice cream.  I smiled and nodded.  Little do they know that I look forward to celebrating the end of the school year too.  We work hard, and a little reward is a treat for me too!

The Journey Through Our School Year

Laura officially finished school today.  Tomorrow we will celebrate the end of the year by going for ice cream.  We established that tradition way back when my oldest ones were in elementary school.  My public schooled child's last day is tomorrow.

My summer break may be a bit busy.  My three younger daughters tried out for The Sound of Music a couple nights ago.  Apparently my five year old was quite the little ham.  I am already trying to plan activities for the summer that are cheap.... or free.  Library activities, free movies at the theater, and whatever else I find can all be considered.

I will also be taking the summer to plan our schooling for next year.  While I enjoyed having it all planned out for me, that option has gotten too pricey for us this year.  So, I am pulling together resources that I already have and seeing what else I can find cheaply.  The internet has been an amazing resource of free homeschooling ideas.  While I may have to purchase some items, I am hoping to keep it limited to math and some Christian sources of history and science.  Since I'm still planning, I'll not get into details until I have them all figured out.

This school year went by very quickly.  Laura became very independent.  In fact, I miss her.  I don't feel that I got to be a part of her education the way I did when she was younger.  Independence is a good thing, but I still want to be a bit more involved. 

Megan is my busy girl.  She loves to create things.  She wants to be doing stuff.  She wants to join Laura in the science experiments and be a part of projects.  She loved all the activity in her preschool program, and learned SO much.

With the end of our year at hand, I can reflect back and state honestly that it went well.  There were things I loved and things that I wasn't too hip on.  The all-in-one curriculum, while easy, eventually made me feel a bit trapped.  I wanted more choice. 

We did venture off for a couple weeks with a study on money and stewardship.  It wasn't the first unit study we have ever done, but it gave me a chance to try out something different.  I enjoyed it.  Megan loved it.  Laura thought it was different, and enjoyed the break, but was uncomfortable without her check-it-off-the-list style of doing school.  That may be partly due to my planning.  What I did notice was that Laura learned A LOT and RETAINED well.  I ask her questions about that study, and she still knows it easily after six months!

I have been very drawn to reading about the Hebrew style of education versus the Greek style of education.  Slowly, I have been implementing some of the things I have learned.  It really makes sense to me.  I like including variety in our studies.

So, officially I now have a seventh grader and a Kindergartener.  I was also asked to homeschool another child, but I'm still praying about that one.  My husband and I are also fighting for the right to homeschool his daughter, who would be in the ninth grade.  That is also up in the air, and it may end up that she has to stay in public school or that she has to be homeschooled by someone else.  God is in control.

My planning time is starting, and I am excited.  God has led me to some very interesting avenues, and I will be excited to share them with you as we forge ahead down them.

Pre Math-it

Today we added a game-like math activity to Megan's schooling.  I borrowed Pre Math-it from my friend that homeschooled for years and years.  She loves hands-on learning and used it often with her own children when they homeschooled.  Her children are grown now, and my friend has a wealth of expertise and materials. 

The first day is just an introduction to the dominoes, which is the manipulative used in the program.  Megan gets to count then, line them up, stack them, count the dots, etc.  While this program can be used very quickly, I prefer to go through it slowly. 

Added with other learning materials, this is a great way to teach a preschooler or Kindergartner basic math skills.  It works well in preparing them for addition.

For Megan, learning is fun.  I love watching her eyes light up as she discovers something new.  Playing games such as this is a great way to increase learning more naturally, instead of with just worksheets and drudgery.  Most of the time she doesn't realize she is learning at all.  She's just having fun.

A Little Reading Time

The younger girls and I went shopping today with my sister. We were looking for things to help replace some of what she lost in the fire. We decided to hit some resale shops to see what bargains we could find.

At the local Goodwill, I stopped by the books.  Not only do I sometimes find some books we can use in our homeschool, but I was looking for some boardbooks for my nephew.

Megan made herself at home in the kid's section.  She is a natural book lover.  She wants to read so desperately. She is constantly asking me how to spell this or that.  She'll spend quite a long time just looking at books. 

Today was no exception.  She sat on that floor while I perused the inventory available, just looking through books.  It warmed my heart to see her love for books.  Now... To continue to teach her to read.

Just Keep Moving Forward

Megan reviewing numbers.

I was stuck at a crossroads with my youngest daughter, Megan.  You see, we had finished the preschool program that we began last year.  However, I haven't had the money to purchase a Kindergarten program for her yet.  So, I was debating what to do with her.  I have only been trying to maintain the skills she has picked up with games on my Nook color and reading books.  But, to be honest, I didn't like it.  To me, I felt like we were then cutting out all the reasons I feel called to homeschool, like teaching about Christ.

Laura made some adorable counting cards for Megan.

I discussed this with my husband.  My fear was that beginning anything new would be difficult if I ended up taking off the majority of the summer.  We would just have to re-do everything if she forgot. My husband is a wise man.  He looked at me and said that, "If our daughter wants to learn, just keep teaching her."

Megan counts the stickers on one side, then checks to see if she is right.

Does Megan want to learn?  Absolutely!  She asks me to teach her to read.  She thinks now that she is five, she is supposed to do Kindergarten.  So... I decided to do as my husband suggested and "keep teaching her".  I hit the internet to look up some ideas, and then scoured my bookshelves for things I could use.

Megan learning about Spring and listening to Vivaldi.

I found and printed out some math worksheets that pick up where we left off.  We dived back into our reading/phonics program.  I downloaded a Unit Study on Spring.  I grabbed some books and a Story Bible off of my shelf and came up with things to use to teach about God.

Megan watching a tree change over a year.

I actually probably overdid it for a newly turned five year old.  I had way more projects and things to learn than Megan has the attention span for.  I have to pace our studies and limit myself.  However, we are moving forward.

I still have my Nook handy.  Megan loves some of the apps.  When she gets tired of trying to write letters with a pencil, I know she loves the handwriting app on my Nook.  She has better control using just her fingers than holding a pencil at this point.  She is amazing me with her progress.  I am very glad she is excited about learning and isn't resentful.  To her, it is just fun.  It's a special time with Mommy when she gets to be the center of attention.

A Cool Spring Break

It's been a cooler spring break for us.  We got a little spoiled with warmer weather.  Still, even though the weather has been too cool for shorts, skirts or t-shirts, it has still been nice.  The sun has been shining.  The kids have been playing outdoors.

I love to watch Megan play outside.  She is so imaginative and dramatic.  I was laughing at her pretend conversations the other day as  she was talking on her toy cell phone.

 Megan's growing up fast, and I love watching her using her imagination.  Play is one of the greatest forms of learning, and it is so neglected.  As I watch Megan, playing house or outside in nature or with blocks, she is always engaged and learning.  She might not know she is learning, but I see it. 

A Decision to Share Our Tests and Testimony

We've been so busy lately.  It seems that every week there are numerous things that we are trying to accomplish.  The weather has been amazing and gorgeous, more like June than March.  I dug out a few of the summer clothes, only to realize that Megan has outgrown many of them.  Luckily, her birthday is next month. 

Preschool is kind of on hiatus.  Megan had finished her Little Hands to Heaven, but I don't really want to begin Kindergarten yet.  So, she has been filling her time with lots of playtime, being read to, and educational games on Mommy's Nook Color.  I am amazed at the phonics she is picking up from the games. 

Life has been pretty stressful the last several months as my husband and I continue to try to help my step-daughter adjust to life in our home.  Actually, it isn't living with us that is requiring much adjustment.  It is dealing with the issues of her past and stuff she went through. 

After much prayer, I have decided to blog about what my husband and I are going through and the journey we have been placed on.  While I have to be careful about details and names, I feel that God is pressing on me to share... in order that others might be helped.  I one day believe my step-daughter will have a testimony that will help lead many to repentance.  However, right now, it is sometimes hard to see beyond the next challenge and the overwhelming feelings.

It was recommended many times that I should write a book about the situation we find ourselves in and what we have dealt with.  However, I don't feel led there.  I want whatever I write to be glorifying to God.  That means, to me, that He has to be in it.  If He is in it, others will be helped and maybe even led to repentance. 

I will warn you, the reader, that the issues I will be discussing will be sensitive in nature at times, even though I will gloss over the tougher points.  However, God has us on this path for a reason.  That reason is to reach others in unique ways.

Joyce Meyer once said that, "You can't have a testimony without a test."   The tests we have lived and are continuing to live are difficult, but not without purpose.  Even though it feels as if we are alone in our trials at times, we know we have God.  We also know that, statistically, our story is not as uncommon as we might have originally thought.

Indianapolis Children's Museum Pt. 5 - Power of Children

While Megan wasn't quite as fascinated with this part of the field trip, it did have quite an impact on me.  Laura will understand soon.  We visited a part of the museum called "The Power of Children: Making a Difference". 

Over the next few years, as we go through World History, Laura is going to study things that are more difficult to learn.  She will learn about wars.  She will learn about persecution.  She will learn about discrimination.  Up until recently, we have only touched on those tough topics.  I wanted her emotionally more mature before we delved into these things.  She tends to be a sensitive child, and maturity in learning about these topics is important.

I walked out of the exhibit on Anne Frank with tears in my eyes.  The stories from the Holocaust always get to me.  Seeing a table similar to what was used in hiding for the Franks, covered with German newspapers from that time, was like stepping back in history.

Laura sat at a desk that was similar to one used by Anne.

Photos also added a personal touch.

Seeing the Jewish Star that the Jewish people were forced to sew on their clothes, actually seeing it and not a picture, was overwhelming.

While Megan didn't understand the exhibit, she did get a glimpse into the past.  Looking at the antique typewriter, she had no clue what it was.  However, she recognized the keyboard and knew it was for typing.

Laura did ask about Ruby Bridges.  I told her the story briefly, but we will study it in depth in the future.

There was an old Dick and Jane reader that Laura was looking at, which is what Ruby was what was used to teach Ruby to read.

We will be going to back to visit the museum again.  The displays are powerful and will make what we study very real to my children in the future.

Indianapolis Children's Museum Pt. 4 - Barbie World

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of Barbie.  However, my oldest daughter LOVED them!  She would spend hours playing with them when she was young.  When I was a child, I played with them too.  So did my mother.  The history behind them is interesting.

Megan liked the Barbie exhibit.  She is all girl, so the pink and frilly was perfect for her.

She played with Aunt Kendal on the pretty pink phones.

She took pretend pictures at the runway.

She tried on sparkly, frilly clothes and modeled them on the runway.

She had to model in the mirror too. 

Then, she played dolls with Aunt Kendal.  Ironically, Aunt Kendal used to play Barbies with my oldest too.  Of course, then it was for real and not just some quick fun with her four year old niece.

There was a lot for a four year old girl to do in the Barbie Exhibit.

I thought Laura would be totally bored.  Barbies have never been her thing.  She would get one from well meaning family members, and then lose the heads of them or leave them outside.  She never really cared beyond the first day.  So, I expected the Barbie exhibit to bore her.  But, my daughter is creative.

 Barbie is about fashion.  My daughter loves to sew and design.  She enjoyed playing with the material and dress up mannequins they had on hand.

 She spent quite a bit of time on her design.

After she designed with material, she spotted a wonderful work area to trace and color some designs.

She sat down with enthusiasm at the light board that allowed her to trace some amazing designs.

Her finished designs showed a definite feminine flair.  I kept her designs... for the one day I'll actually get back to scrapbooking. 

The history represented in the Barbie Exhibit was fascinating.  I took several pictures of old Barbie Dolls that were made in years that were special to me or my family.  In 1991 my oldest daughter, the former Barbie nut, was born.  She got a kick out of this picture of Roller Skater Barbie that was put out that year.

Indianapolis Children's Museum Pt. 3 - Miniature Rooms

While this wasn't exactly a large exhibit, this was quite interesting.  What little girl isn't fascinated by doll house looking rooms?  These rooms were historically accurate of the eras or places they represented.

Megan liked them okay, but Laura loves this stuff.  She makes her own worlds often.  She loves little furniture and people and toys.  She spends hours creating her little worlds.

She was looking at each little room, trying to take pictures.  Taking pictures was a bit tough.  The glass tended to glare or sow reflections, ruining the beauty and wonder.  Capturing the exquisite details of these adorable rooms was tough.

A few of my pictures turned out nice... or passable.  Looking at this room, you would think it was a real room, not a scene made from doll furniture in an eighteen inch box.

I found myself just as fascinated as my eleven year old daughter.

I wonder if others are as amazed by the time that must have gone into this kind of detail.

Most of the rooms had a sign or banner of some sort to tell what the room was based on.  The following sign and room depicted a piece of George Washington's history.

Seeing these miniatures made me want to buy my girls a dollhouse.  However, the good ones are quite pricey.  Megan, being only four, might be a little rough on something like the delicate and detailed pieces above.