Sunday, April 28, 2013

April 22-26th, 2013 SL Core E, Week 24

April 22-26th, 2013
SL Core E,
Week 24

This was the big IOWA Testing week; so very much unusual for us.  Last year Dd really was nervous and out of sorts about doing 'real' testing, so I had set it up that after each day we would play, play, play.  So, this year she actually looked forward to testing---which was a wonderful change!!!  And to keep my word, we did play and have a very FUN week.  Monday and Tuesday we had our normal schedule--Monday lessons, and Tuesday lessons and Swim & Gym (Junior Lifeguard Training).  Wed., Thur., and Fri. we both spent the mornings at BPL for testing.  I volunteered to be a "proctor" and give testing to other students.

Wed. after testing we went to a friends house to eat our picnic since it was cold and rainy.  Dd got to play with her friend and I got to have tea and chat for over an hour!

Thur. we took one of Dd's friends to Arbuckle Park and hiked the trail after we ate our picnic lunch.  Then we invited her back to our house and played board games and had a good afternoon.  We also did the Rocket Car with our friend again in the street.  It worked better when Dh helped; but Dd had fun being the director of it, I think.  I'll add pictures of this later!

Fri. we brought that same friend, and her younger brother (who is the same age as Dd) to Blast Off Park.  Many of the hs'ers from our testing group went there to eat lunch and play together.  We had a good time with all our friends.  Afterwards I took Dd to Orange Leaf for ice cream and then to Lowe's to pick up some flowers for our yard.  We had a nice afternoon together.  

I have to say somewhere how awful it was to test at my beloved BPL.  I have lived in Brownsburg since 2006 and have sung the praises of my library since my very first visit, until this week.  As our group of students and mothers arrived in a back section, not part of the library, and waited for our leader to arrive--the "President of the library" yelled at our group to be quiet...in the most rude and offensive ways.  It was really horrible.  I was very much ashamed of "my" library, TRULY.  To say my feelings were hurt by this, is an understatement.  She yelled at us Wed. and Thurs. morning and afternoon.  By Friday we all were all very much improved and MUCH quieter.  There were still a few loud students and one loud toddler, but luckily we didn't get yelled at on Friday!! The oddest part is we all arrived a little before our testing started at 9am, and the library opens at 9am.  We were yelled at because "People are trying to study...."  when really there wasn't practically anyone else in the whole library at 9:05am!!!  How odd is that?!!!  I have always felt so comfortable and at home there---and this week was really a bummer to experience such a response from "my" library.  I guess it really isn't "my" library after all!!!  What a reality check for me...

Last Sunday we (Dh, Dd, and I) had a great time with our Rocket bottle kit.  Dd put it together and then we all went out into the street in front of our house to set it off with vinegar and baking soda...over and over again!  It was fun! 




Serious Fun

    
Wednesday we had a minister apply for our opening at our church, so we had dinner and a special service.  He was very young- 20's or early 30's--and is in the running for the position.  It was nice to go to church on Wednesday.  I wish we had that option every week.

Here is our lessons for the week:

Bible:
Proverbs 27, 28, and 29
Ezekiel 1-10

History:
Landmark History of the American People, Vol. 2
The Story of the USA, Book 3
South America 12-15

Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems

Add-in Reader: in process

Product Details

Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit





Language Arts:
AAS: 4: Step 18--worked on Mon. & Tue.

Math:
Math U See: 18 F (Mon.)

Art:

Dd just came up with this all on her own---no kit, I was really surprised to see this completed!  She did this while we listened to our Lamplighter audio this week.

Painted a frog- Giz & Grampy wanted their bird bath frog repainted for the summer.

Sand paintings--this was a birthday gift kit



Audio:
Lamplighter: A Peep Behind the Scenes by Mrs. O.F. Walton---finished
http://store.lamplighter.net/da---peep-behind-the-scenes-a---dramatic-audio-cd-p64.aspx

DVD:
Magic School Bus:
Going Batty,
In A Haunted House,
Flexes It's Muscles

Movie:

Product Details

Life of Pi Starring Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu and GĂ©rard Depardieu

Life of Pi---what an odd movie.  The first 1/4 of the movie is about the main character's search for God.  He looks to Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism and figures a way to incorporate ALL into his own religion, all at the same time.  This was very interesting to me, and reminded me of my college years when I researched all the religions and tried to see which one was 'right' for me.  His family (with the exception of his mother) really doesn't understand his quest for morality.  I wish the movie would have kept going down this very interesting path for the rest of the movie; but it made a sharp turn and left his religious pursuit by the side of the road.  There were a few mentions of God, and in his darkest moments he did cry out to God---but the story became more about his survival than about his pursuit of clarity regarding God.  


History: Family RA:


Product Details

All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel by Erich Maria Remarque

Dh has been reading to us most evenings a book he thought would be good to add in due to us getting to WWI.  I don't think he realized how much he would have to edit, or how graphic it can sometimes get.  I'm not sure we are sure we picked a good book to read to our 11 year old; but we are pecking away at it carefully.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

April 15-21st, 2013 SL Core E, Week 23

April 15-21st, 2013 
SL Core E, 
Week 23






Happy Sunday.  We lost our Aunt Judy last Sunday night/Monday morning.  Tuesday we all drove to Mitchell to attend her funeral and viewing service.  The service was very loving, only 'family' were invited--or people that were practically family.  It didn't get over until late, so our 2 hour drive got us home late.  Dh drove back the next day to be a pall bearer at the grave side service but didn't think we should go.  He didn't realize they were going to have a special lunch and family get together afterwards; which would have been nice for all of us to have been there.  It is sad to say, it was nice to see Aunt Marilyn and other relatives at the funeral--I wish we saw our family more often and didn't need a sad reason to have an April get together.  


Dh's other aunt, Aunt Marilyn has a very advanced form of cancer, so it was so good to see her.  She and Aunt Judy have been in our prayers each morning and evening for so long.  It seems so odd to NOT pray for Aunt Judy now.  The doctors told Aunt Marilyn last year she would be very lucky if she made it to Christmas---and look at her now!!!!!  Christmas is way behind her and she is still sewing and cooking along.  She certainly has many bad days; but she has so much to live for.  Dh's other aunt, Aunt Johnny,(the youngest one-in her 50's-) died last fall suddenly (heart attack).  So, our family is going through a bit of a hard spell. 




For activities this week we had our Swim & Gym--Jr. Lifeguard training class. 

On Thursday, our small hs group went to the Eiteljorg Museum to see a wonderful exhibit on Western Hemisphere Indians.  My favorite room was dedicated to the Arctic Indians.  I will be posting pictures soon.
 http://www.eiteljorg.org/
 http://www.eiteljorg.org/explore/collections/native-american

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Saturday Dd and Dh worked on the car all day, which is great training for Dd.  They changed the brakes and rotated the tires.

Bible:
We read from the book of Proverbs this week--specifically: 17-25
We used this book too:
Product Details

Know Your Bible: All 66 Books Explained (VALUE BOOKS) by Paul Kent


:Sing the Word: The Heavens Declare: we listened to this week too--we were only suppose to listen to track 8; but it was too good to stop!



History: Family RA:

Product Details

All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel by Erich Maria Remarque

Dh has been reading to us most evenings a book he thought would be good to add in due to us getting to WWI.  I don't think he realized how much he would have to edit, or how graphic it can sometimes get.  I'm not sure we are sure we picked a good book to read to our 11 year old; but we are pecking away at it carefully.

History: (SL's Read Aloud)

Product Details

The World Wars: An Introduction to the First & Second World Wars by Paul Dowswell, Ruth Brocklehurst and Henry Brook

We actually read ahead.  Dd is liking this book MORE than me to be honest.  We read pages 100-131.




Geography:

Product Details

South America (Geography Mini-Unit Series) by Jo Ellen Moore

pages 10-11







Read Aloud:

Product Details

The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems by Donald Hall




SL Reader: **FINISHED THIS WEEK**

Product Details

All-Of-A-Kind Family (All-Of-A-Kind Family (Pb)) by Sydney Taylor and Helen John

Fun Readers:
I saw her reading a lot--but I really didn't keep track this week...

  
Language Arts:
AAS: Step 17 completed - plus a big review of past words.  We reviewed on two days this week.  Thursday we reviewed Step: 1-9, Friday Step: 9-16.

Thank you letters: Dd wrote 9 Thank you letters this week.


First Language Lessons: Lesson 58 & 59

Math:
Math U See: 18 A, B, C, D, E


Art:
If this week has been one thing; it has been an ART week!!  I'll have to post all the pictures later!  She has been one busy, busy, beaver!!!  Her friends mostly got her Art supplies for gifts and she has had a wonderful week MAKING things!!  Joy for her! 


In a Nutshell:
Mon. lessons
Tues. swim & gym--Mitchell-funeral
Wed. lessons
Thurs. Eiteljorg Museum--Indian cultures from Western Hemisphere.
Fri. short lesson day b/c after lunch we were invited to go and visit with friends after lunch!!!
Sat. work on the car in garage-brakes and tires.   




We rec'd our EIGHT Painted Lady Butterfly larvae this week.  They are TINY!  But, we are enjoying watching them grow---here is their first picture in our blog:



Swim and Gym--Junior Life Guarding Class:







...

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Sonlight books with authors --by Core

Sonlight books with authors --by Core

SL has changed the cores so much since we started in 2008, I wanted to see what they have added and what they have taken out---so I am going to put it in here; my blog.  It will be a dry 'chapter' for some and a great reference for me in the long run.  I wish I would have started it a long time ago.  This will be "in progress" for some time!

Core C
Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime by Janet Benge
Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley
Michelangelo by Diane Stanley
Peter the Great by Diane Stanley
Window on the World by Daphne Spraggett
Castle Diary by Richard Platt
Catching Their Talk in a Box by Betty M. Hockett
Eric the Red & Leif the Lucky by Barbara Schiller
Maps & Globes by Jack Knowlton
Medicine News by Phillip Gates
The Awesome Book of Bible Facts by Sandy Silverthorne
The Aesop for Children
And the Word Came With Power
The Apprentice
Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford
Cornstalks: A Bushel of Poems

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Pictures from April 2013

Pictures from April 2013

Dh made this wonderful cake!
   

We bought the pots, then sealed them with Polyurethane for the girls to paint at the party.  Then they played while the paint dried.  Then they potted pansy flowers in their pots to take home with them.


Such creativity going on!!
I wish I would have thought to take a picture of all the finished pots--but I didn't!






Opening presents!










Details, Please......in case you want actual details about the party:

Our party was very good--Theme: American Girl "Molly", WWII time period, red, white and blue....

 Gift bags for all! Dd loves to buy gifts for the girls who come, so we buy reusable bags-that she used fabric paint to decorate and write their names on-- I should have taken a picture of them...and inside were a Webkin stuffed animal, glow sticks, at least 3 books, a whirly-gig, and a bunch of little gifts--little canvas to paint on....so that was the gift bags....we started with painting the terra cotta pots that we had sealed with Polyurethane, then we played games---Soldier, Soldier, Colonel (duck, duck, goose), then we face painted stars on their faces with face paint--Dd did that----then we had the birthday cake, then we opened presents, then they opened their gift bags, then we planted the flowers in the almost dry pots, then we played charades, then we had a scavenger hunt (each game had winners and winners got to get a gift from the prize box---books and toys in there--) and the team with the least points won the scavenger hunt.  then it was after 5 PM and time for the girls to go home!
We had a snack table with a veggie platter, a fruit platter, an assorted cookie platter, hummus and crackers, and Dd made a party punch drink--sherbert ice cream, ginger ale, apple juice, and cranberry juice..



Here is one of the cards Dd made this week--it will be mailed out as her Thank You cards for her gifts.


This is a printmaking/linoleum block Dd is working on

Activities: this was a piano week.....thankfully!  Dd is into our garden and has been watering the seedlings each day!  She has really been enjoying going outside as much as possible each day!
 
Lettuce and onions are doing well already




Sunflower seedlings doing well too---they have grown another 3-4 inches since she took this photo!

....