May 13-17, 2013 SL Core E, Week 26

May 13-17, 2013 

SL Core E, 

Week 26

This has been another "Lamplighter" week for us.  For those of you who do not know what "Lamplighter" is, let me tell you the gist...  This is a company that found GREAT old books that had been gone out of print many years ago, and decided these books were just too great to let fade into darkness, so they started a company to get the presses going again!!!  Not only that, but these books are usually leather bound, and gold-gilted and a treasure in both content and visually to behold!!!  Then, after they started remaking the books they begain making audio recording of the books...not just any audio recordings; but over the top--amazing--5 star--audio's that rock your world! 

It is hard to think these great books that we either read or hear have been let go by the presses and the population.  These books use to be the best sellers of their time--back in the 1700's and 1800's.  All of them do have one thing in common--they very much teach and reinforce us during our walk with the Lord.   Pilgrim's Progress is a book you may know or may have already read--it would be the same type of book that Lamplighter would re-print if it stopped being printed.  Pilgrim's Progress isn't a Lamplighter book; it obviously hasn't gone out of print--but it is the same 'type' of book.  So, that is what our "Lamplighter" books are--they are really, really, really great books, that were written a good while back, that are really great for helping young and old alike to stay on the right path!

I'd just like to say for the record how much I LOVE these books; how glad I am that we make time to fit them into our schedule.  There are books, and then there are books.  I heard in the intro to one of our Lamplighter audio's this: 

 “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet.” -Charles Jones

 

Our Painted Lady Butterfly update:  all the butterflies quickly hatched this week.  We released 5 already, and have 2 left to release today....boy is it hard to let our friends go!  What a great time we have had raising them!

 

Our last LHE small hs (homeschool) group had our last event for the season--our "End of the Year Party".  Dd and I made Peanut Butter cookies--which got compliments, btw.  It was great to see all the kids do their presentations.

Our lessons:

Bible:

Mom's aloud Bible: Ezra chapters: 1-10  and Psalms 23

Dd's aloud Bible: 1 Samuel 16, 17.  Psalm 16. Exodus 1-5

History and Add-in History:

All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel by Erich Maria Remarque-FINISHED this family, night time RA.

It Made You Think of Home: The Haunting Journal of Deward Barnes, CEF: 1916-1919 by Bruce Cane-- we started this as our new night-time, family RA.

 

Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Tales of Young Americans) by Dandi Daley Mackall and Chris Ellison

 

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Starring Abigail Breslin, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, et al.

*Kit is set during the Depression, and fit in very well with this time period.

 

Landmark History of the American People, Vol. 2

The World Wars

Wee Sing America CD 

Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems American Tall Tales- Rainbow-Walker...

Dd's Reader:

Gone Away Lake--and she loved it! finished.

She took Peter Pan out of the library---and she has been reading that on her own.

 

 Read Aloud:

A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young

A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt--finished.

Character:

Robber's Cave Dramatic Audio (Lamplighter Theatre) by A.L.O.E. and John Ryhs-Davies--in process

The Captive Dramatic Audio by Christoph Von Schmid and John Rhys-Davies

 

Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex Harris, Brett Harris and Chuck Norris--in process

A ValueTales Treasury: Stories for Growing Good People by Spencer Johnson and Dan Andreasen -this week we read on Confucius.

The Empty Pot by Demi

Artist of the week: Van Gogh

Van Gogh (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia *all of this book

 

Weekend with Van Gogh by Rosabianca S. Venturi--all of this book

Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces by Henry M. Sayre 

*just the parts on Van Gogh and Gauguin.

Composer of the week: George Frideric Handel

 

Meet the Great Composers Book 1 (Learning Link) by June Montgomery and Maurice Hison

Meet the Great Composers & CD, plus disc: "Handel's Water Music no. 1, Music for the Royal Fireworks, Solomon Messiah Xerxes--we listened to this disc a few times throughout the week.

Math: Math U See:

Epsilon: 21 A-F, and Skip Counting 3x each day on the 12 Family.

 

 

Geography:

States and Capitals Songs by Kathy Troxel

 States and Capital Songs: #11, "Southern Border" song, 2x each day. 

 

Language Arts:

AAS 4: Step 22 --passed, Step 23--passed

FLL 4: 66, 67

IEW's Fix-It: Week 15, day 1 & 2

Grammar Flashcards--2x this week

The Grammar Ace: Student Workbook by Duane Bolin and Dave Lilly

Grammar Ace pg 1-9 

 

 

 Computer:

"code.org"

  BrainPop, and BrainPop, Jr.

 

Science: 

 

Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day -- Young Explorers Series (Young Explorer... by Jeannie Fulbright

pg: 218-230  and we are LOVING this!!!

 Venn diagram of butterflies and moth's in her:

Zoology 1 Notebooking Journal: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (Young Explorer Series) by Jeannie K. Fulbright

 

Activities:

Archery most days--since I got a hammock as my birthday gift, I will read in the hammock and she will do her archery beside me!  It works out great!!  She had a good lesson on the piano with Giz over the phone.  She has asked for piano lessons now...but they are truly expensive...She did a Leslie Sansone workout with me on Tuesday!  We both went to the doctor on Monday.  We went to the Library this week.  End of the Year party with LHE hs group on Friday.  Plus, she has been gardening! --Oh, and don't forget all the butterfly encounters each day with our new friends!  Friday she also baked the cookies with me for the party.

Fun add-in for no reason--well b/c I really love Kathy Lasky and Kevin Hawkes, and Dd had forgotten it!

The Man Who Made Time Travel (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) by Kathryn Lasky and Kevin Hawkes

Odd side note: This week I wasn't feeling well, so we got some movies from the library to watch.  Disney has made some Tinkerbell movies, that I thought I really wouldn't like--but I didn't feel good; so I thought I'd sleep in the recliner for a little and feel better at least.  Well, geesh--these movies were not bad...not bad at all...and perhaps...perhaps just a bit,....dare I say...good?...!!!  Disney made girl characters that were problem solvers, and like to build things, and use tools, and appreciate nature--kind of like me!  Of course I wish they would give the glory to God!  That is the sad thing in these movies, they show the fairies as being responsible for making nature so amazing, and we all know that it is God.  But, we don't really get many movies that do give God the glory He deserves.  FWIW, these little movies were really sweet, and it is about time Disney had some girl movies that I was glad my daughter could watch, and feel like she was being totally brainwashed into some stereotype about what she could or couldn't do as a woman...like hammer or saw or "tinker"!

May 6-10, 2013 SL Core E, Week 25

May 6-10, 2013 SL Core E, Week 25

We are finally getting to our electives!! Yay  Our week's activities were slower paced and slow enough to even begin to mention the library again--we go every week; but I noticed I haven't been mentioning it on the blog.  I guess I can only mention so many things and have to pick and choose what to bring up!  But, we ALWAYS go to the library--once or twice a week...even though they were 'disappointing' to me a few weeks back.

This week we started back working at our church's food pantry, called The Giving Tree on Thursday evening.  We will be back on the schedule monthly until the winter weather returns.  Dd and I could volunteer there year round; but it is a long drive to our church and I just don't want to do that in the evenings, alone, in cold, potentially icy weather.

This was Dd's last week/last class of her Swim & Gym/ Junior Lifeguard Training...at least for until it starts back up in the fall.  


Our lessons:

Bible:
Jonah 1-4
Ezekiel 21, 22, 33, 37, 40, 43, 47, 48

History:
The Story of the USA, Book 3
Landmark History of the American People, Vol. 2
Wee Sing America--we listened to various songs
Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems
World Wars book 132-140

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

 

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

 

Dd's Reader:
Hero Over There- done

Hero Over Here: A Story of World War I by Kathleen V. Kudlinski and Bert Dodson

Gone Away Lake- in process

Gone-Away Lake (Gone-Away Lake Books) by Elizabeth Enright and Joe & Beth Krush

Math:
MUS: Epsilon: 19F, 20 A, B,C,D,E,F
Skip-Counting Family-6- 3x per day, 5 days
Flashmaster on Mon

Geography:
States and Capitals Songs--Northern Border
2x each day, 5 days with map

Art:
How Great Thou Art: Lesson 16: angular drawings of pears and apples, plus a great drawing of a deer.
        
Meet the Great Composers:
Composer of the week: Domenico Scarlatti
This curriculum gives a written biography of the composer and then we listen to a CD of their music.

Meet the Great Composers Book 1 (Learning Link) by June Montgomery and Maurice Hison

Getting to Know Great Artist..series: Alexander Calder by Mike Venezia
Dd really seemed to like hearing about Calder--and I have always liked Calder myself.

Alexander Calder (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia 

 

 

Science:
Apologia:Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Earth: 
pg 63-72 (still learning about birds)
Notebook (part of Zoology 1) pg 71-72

VHS: Weather: DK video on weather

Language Arts:
First Language Lessons 4: Lesson 64, 65
IEW's Fix-It: Week 13 & Week 14
All About Spelling 4: Step 20 (passed) Step 21 (passed) Step 22
Writing With Ease 3: Day 1,2,3,4

Character & Audio:
Lamplighter Audio: 
 Sir Knight of the Splendid Way-done
Lamplighter Audio:
 Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince-done
Lamplighter Audio:
 The Robber's Cave-in process

A Value Tales Treasury by Spencer Johnson -on Harriet Tubman                   

April 29- May 3rd, 2013 SL Core E, Week 24 LOW "A"

In process--

April 29- May 3rd,  2013 SL Core E, Week 24 LOW "A"


I would say we had an unusually busy week, but we have had so many busy weeks that this is normal for right now...but our LHE events are to come to a close on May 17th with the End of Year Party and that will be really the end of it all!

This week's activities in a nutshell:
Monday-lessons
Tuesday-lessons & Swim & Gym (Jr. Lifeguard Training) *next to last class
Wednesday-lessons
Thursday-field trip 1: Wilbur Wright's Birth place
 http://www.wwbirthplace.com/
                 field trip 2: Levi Coffin Museum *Conductor of the Underground Railroad   
 http://www.waynet.org/levicoffin/
Friday-lessons & Field Day with LHE hs group
Saturday-all day gardening (planting):

We had a massive yard/planting overhaul.  We moved the big bushes that were under our front windows to a new flower garden beside a birch tree on our side yard.  We moved 3 rose bushes to the back yard.  Moved one bush to the back yard.  Planted 2 NEW lilac bushes to the empty spots under the windows in front of the house.  broke up the iris's and put them up against the house in a long line under both sets of windows on each side of the front.  Moved a ton of cone flowers and black-eyed susan's to various spots.  Moved 3 Sage plants to a NEW flower garden under the new Beech tree (the maple tree is dying and will need to be cut out asap). Planted the 10-12 new bulbs we got under the new side birch tree garden.  Moved some daisy clumps--a few clumps to various places...etc. etc..oh, and I started by mowing the front and back--bag mower and dumping the grass clippings into our garden....My fingers are even sore as I type this.  I started at 8:30 and stopped for a short lunch; but didn't stop until dinner at 6:30pm.  It was a big day!!  The very, good Lord has blessed me by not making me bedridden with all the back trouble I sometimes get when I have to dig, dig, dig big deep holes and tug, tug, tug on old, stubborn bushes that don't want to budge!  I am so happy that I am not "paying for it" by being miserable!  I feel stiff; but I am not as miserable as I was after that one workout from Leslie Sansone with all the squats and lunges!!  That was really worse! much worse!  Eric and Larkin worked too--the did the planting in the backyard.  They planted the roses I dug up in the front and they planted them in the back yard.  They also planted the bush in the back yard.  And they planted more peas in the garden---and perhaps something else....I heard them saying something didn't come up and needed re-planting.

Sunday-we made it to church and had a really great visiting minister---the same one I really liked from 2 weeks ago!



 Our lessons for the week:

Bible:
We finished Proverbs with 30 & 31
Ezekiel 8-16

Language Arts:
AAS: Test passed for Step 18, worked on Step 19 all week and passed the test on Fri.  We also had a big review on  Wed.

FLL: 4: Lessons 60, 61, 62, 63

First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind: Level 4 Instructor Guide (First Language Lessons) By Jessie ...

Fix-It: 10, 11, 12

Fix it! Grammar and Editing Made Easy with the Classics

Geography:
States & Capitals Songs--focus on song #10: "Northern Border"
Dd also filled in the whole blank SL Markable Map with all 50 states while listening to this CD.

States and Capitals Songs by Kathy Troxel

Math: MUS: Epsilon: 19 A, B, C, D, E
 Skip-Counting Family - 3 family

Music:
Meet the Great Composers: focus on: Johann Sebastian Bach 

Meet the Great Composers Book 1 (Learning Link) by June Montgomery and Maurice Hison

Science: Apologia:Zoology 1:Flying Creatures: pg 51-63 and some work in her Notebooking Journal that goes with this.

Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day -- Young Explorers Series (Apologia Science... by Jeannie Fulbright

Family Read Aloud: All's Quiet on the Western Front

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

Audio: Lamplighter:
in van: Sir Knight and the Splendid Way

Sir Knight of the Splendid Way Dramatic Audio (Lamplighter Theatre) by W.E. Cule and John Rhys-Davies

in library: Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince

Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince ; Lamplighter Theatre (Dramatic Audio) by Sidney Baldwin

Dd alone in room: The White Gypsy--finished 

The White Gypsy Dramatic Audio (Lamplighter Theatre) by Annette Lyster and John Rhys-Davies

Dd Reader: 
Hero Over There  by Kathleen V. Kudlinski (finished)

Hero Over Here: A Story of World War I by Kathleen V. Kudlinski and Bert Dodson

FUN READERS:

A Gum For Hire- A Chet Gecko Mystery by Bruce Hale

This Gum for Hire: A Chet Gecko Mystery by Bruce Hale

Narnia- Chronology

Narnia Chronology: From the Archives of the Last King by C. S. Lewis, Mark Edwards and Pauline Baynes

Amelia's Family Ties by Marissa Moss

Amelia's Family Ties (Amelia's Notebook) by Marissa Moss

Dd also reads her magazines--she really enjoys her subscriptions to Cricket, Cobblestone, Ranger Rick, and Nat'l Geo for Kids. 
  
Read Aloud: Value Tales Treasury: Chapter 1: Louis Pasteur
 

A ValueTales Treasury: Stories for Growing Good People by Spencer Johnson and Dan Andreasen

 

 
DVD's: Magic School Bus: 

The Magic School Bus - Human Body Starring Lily Tomlin, Daniel DeSanto, Erica Luttrell and Maia Filar 

 

The Magic School Bus: Super Sports Fun

Sports  and Human Body sets   

How to fit it all in???

I cut and pasted this question and answer from the SL chat (Core E weekly chat) b/c  I thought it would be a good one to keep here too.  I pretty much feel very exposed having shared that much of me there on the SL forum, and am tempted to delete my response now that the person who asked the question has read the answer....but spent so much time and energy answering her that I hate to delete all that effort!  So--here it will sit.

Tracy, do you mind me asking how your dd gets everything done in your signature line?  Do you require a lot, can she keep up with it or do you let her do
it at her own pace?  Didn't she just turn 11.

Even without all my ds special needs, if I required him to do all that or try he'd have a major meltdown.  Just curious, I know some kids thrive on a lot and others
just get overwhelmed with lots of things to do.

Hi Cathy,

That is a big question for me.  I'll try my best to answer it. I'd like to invite anyone else to share in trying to answer this very common question of "How do you fit it all in?" b/c Cathy, I think the same thing when I see what other people in this forum get accomplished---like Pam, for example!  I am going for a shot-gun -wide/net answer and hope that something that I say might be of use to you or someone.

First thing--we don't do everything every week or every month.  We've had a few months of not wanting to do Teaching Textbooks, and that is okay.  I bought the extra math programs b/c last year while doing Gamma, Dd needed some time for her brain to absorb some of the NEW concepts before moving to the next lesson.  I didn't want to just do 4-5 math problems a day, working on just that ONE concept, so I often use LOF or TT as a way of distributing our math time during difficult phases.  DD hasn't had many issues with Epsilon, so I haven't used TT or LOF as much this year; which I guess is good.  But, after we finish our Epsilon book in a few months, I plan on going back to our TT to see what we can get out of that material.

I teach in chunks often.  So, I will do a month where we do a lot of science.  Then a month where we do a lot of art.  Then a month when we do a lot of IEW.  I have a hard time jumping from subject to subject to subject and being on top of it all, so I prefer to do "chunks" or "sections" of electives at a time....with the exception of BIBLE, Math, and Language Arts---those 3 things are daily for the most part (LA can be put aside on super busy days).  This also keeps our lessons having variety!  I like variety.  I was just adding "Meet the Great Composers" to our schedule for the next 4 months--and I am so excited!  Dd found an article on Bach today in her Cricket magazine, so she is excited already too!

If you were to ask me if we get MORE done than most homeschooler's, I'd actually say probably not.  B/c of the way we hs we probably get less done.  I do the work and reading right alongside with her, so she doesn't do much independent work.  I actually need to work on that, and that is on my agenda to find some subjects for her to do alone, for her own benefit.  The problem is that I really LOVE learning all this stuff and want to learn it all with her--I really don't want to miss anything myself!!! But, the people that do "workboxes" and have independent learners, probably get more accomplished.

My Dd does a lot of reading on her own---but that is material that is not SL, not official reading material---we get a lot of magazines for her (Cricket, Cobblestone, Jack and Jill, Ranger Rick, Nat'l Geo Kids) and we go to the library at least every week, plus we own so many books...so, she just loves to read, read, read.  I think what I am trying to say-she does a lot of things that would be considered 'educational' by most on her own.  But, I have worked hard to create an environment that was very conductive for her growth. She does a lot on her own--having no tv on throughout the day.  No screens on.

For our lessons each day: at 10am we go to our "library" in a spare bedroom and we are there until lunch.  Then after our lunch break we go back until we are done.  If she wants to go play, or go read----well, then, let's finish our lessons!

I've literally read to her for hours each day since she was literally a baby---honestly.  I started taking her to "story time" at our library at 11-12 months old--honestly.  I've slowly, slowly, slowly built up her attention span.  She use to just flip the pages as I would get 3 words out, flip, flip, flip. But, I just tried every single day, and SLOWLY each day I would get a little, teeny, tiny bit more in each day.  I just try to slowly do better and use our time better.

Since I don't know what the Lord has in store for my Dd, I am trying my best to prepare her with as many "tools" and "talents" as I can to make her a useful "tool" for His service.  That is my first and foremost thought.  I always think in analogies, and I think of her as a tool box--(I know that is silly!) and I want my daughter to have as many tools in her tool box as I can fit in there, so He can use her for His service.

A lot of the stuff in my signature line are my Dd's hobby's--and those are just fun things she loves to do.  She is just a kid that is always doing something--or making something..that is just her.

I'm not very strict or hard--we are a slow and steady type of hs'ing family.  If you go to my blog, I type out what we actually get done each week--which some weeks is a lot, and some weeks isn't much!  But, we always try!

Also, a lot of the other women in this forum have a LOT more experience than I do--and have more children than I do--and more Core experience than I do---so, I am NOT the best person to answer this question.  But, you asked and I try to answer in the hope that maybe something may be  helpful or useful.  The worst thing is when someone gives "help" or advise that makes other people feel WORSE or inadequate, and I don't want to do that!!  I have so much to learn and that is why I have been on these forums every week since 2008!!!  I have learned a lot; but I have SOOO much more to learn!

I've been reading your posts for a few months now--and it seems like you are adding more things in and spending more time each day.  It seems like you are slowly, gradually building up his tolerance to include more interesting things into his day and that is great!!!  I can see improvement and wanted to say that to you!!  Slow and Steady wins the race!  I hope something I've shared helps in some way!

Edited by reader19, Today, 01:28 PM.