Sonlight Core H Week 4 Dec. 6-11, 2016

Sonlight Core H 

Week 4 

Dec. 6-11, 2016

Agnes, loving the fact Dd spent hours sick on the sofa! She was a queen for the week!

Hello Friends!

Wow, getting ready for Christmas is always SO much to add into our lives!  You'd think I'd not be surprised, as we do this every year, but here I am again...chasing my tail!  I think to myself, many times each week, how I should be doing so much more for my Dd's education, and how I would give myself a poor grade on many days.  I'm still not finding to time to read all those books on "How to Make Your Child's High School Transcript," and I don't see where that extra reading is going to fit in?!!  I *know* my high school student is *suppose* to become an "independent learner," but we sure do have a way to go before that happens.  While I am confessing all our area's of weakness, my new binder for Dd to write up mini-book-reports for each of the books she reads for Core H isn't going very well.  I can never tell if my instructions are lacking, or if being a normal kid, she only hears what she thinks she is hearing...if that makes sense.  Dh says I need to lower my expectations...have you all heard that before?!  I do try to keep my expectations adequate, but I really do expect effort, effort is the most important ingredient in homeschooling. 

 Probably should have mentioned that Dd was sick this week, and had NO energy, so my expectations were misplaced in what she was able to do, and what I had scheduled her to do.  I know some of my SL friends schedule out their work months in advance, but I usually write mine up the weekend before and hope for the best, and I still have a gap, one way or the other, in my scheduling.  So much depends on the motivation and health of my student.  This week Dd spent a LOT of time on the sofa---so we, ahem, *I* had to lower my expectations and allow her to start back on the path to feeling better...long process with these coughing bugs.

Dd has been going to the rehearsal's for the Christmas play on Saturday's.  She is not comfortable, at all, up on the stage, so I am so very pleased that she is willing to get up there at all!  This is a huge step for her!  I'm hoping at some point in her life she will be able to play her music at church--piano, sax, flute, violin...whatever would be great.

On Christmas Day, Dd and I were invited to be apart of the Woman's Choir group to sing two songs.  One song is just the women, and the second song is a round with the Men's group.  I'm so glad Dd agreed to sing in the group, with me.  It helps that our church is small, and we've heard not many family's come in on Christmas day and it should be a very small audience.

On Sunday, Dd went with the church Youth Group, and went Christmas caroling to an assisted living facility and to a few church member's homes.  

Dd has been doing some fun time-lapse drawing video's and she put a few on YouTube--here is the link to see some: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXf5y1zplUw 

that link is part one, if you want to see part two, you can look her up with her fake name, alter-ego, computer name (not her real name): Emma Larkin Jackson and you can see three drawing video's and two of her marching band video's.  Mom--this might be interesting to you?!

Another week of snow, and more power outages.  We are so glad for the generator, and the new snow blower too!

One warmish day gave our chickens one last chance to walk outside.

Our Lessons this Week:

Bible:

We are using a book called The Harmony of the Gospels to help guide us through our study of the New Testament.  

Focus for the Week: The Early Years of John the Baptis

Read with Bible and Believer's Bible Commentary:

Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:26-38, 1:39-45, 1:46-56, 1:57-66, 1:67-79, 1:80

The Believer's Bible Commentary has helped me grow in fully understanding what we read in the bible--it is amazing!  This one is from William MacDonald.

Psalm of the Week, and one of my favorites! 

Psalm 141

O Lord, I call upon you; thasten to me!

Give ear to my voice when I call to you!

2  Let umy prayer be counted as incense before you,

and vthe lifting up of my hands as wthe evening sacrifice!

3  Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

keep watch over the door of my lips!

4  zDo not let my heart incline to any evil,

to busy myself with wicked deeds

in company with men who awork iniquity,

and blet me not eat of their delicacies!

5  cLet a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;

let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;

let my head not refuse it.

Yet dmy prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

6  When their judges are ethrown over the cliff,1

then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.

7  As when one plows and breaks up the earth,

so shall our bones fbe scattered at the mouth of Sheol.2

8  But gmy eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;

hin you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!3

9  Keep me from ithe trap that they have laid for me

and from the snares of evildoers!

10  Let the wicked jfall into their own nets,

while I pass by safely.

What the Bible is All About

we are slowly reading the chapter on Understanding Luke

pg 459-466

Daily Bread: Dec 5 & 6

Sunday Church, Sunday School, Wednesday - Olympians, where she volunteers to co-head the Games section for the kids.

The BBC Manual by Gregg Johnson:

pg 24-38

But, Don't All Religions Lead to God? by Michael Green

Goodreads summary:  We've all heard the rationale: "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere." Or "All religions are pretty much the same." But are they the same? Does it matter which one you follow? In this insightful and compelling book, Michael Green invites readers into a relationship with Jesus Christ, the divine revelation and only pathway to the one true God. 
In a conversational style geared toward nonbelievers, Green compares Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and other religions to help spiritual seekers navigate the multi-faith maze. "But Don't All Religions Lead to God?" is an ideal reference and evangelism tool for churches and individual Christians as well. It offers scriptural references, looks at how divergent religious traditions view salvation and eternity, and answers difficult questions such as "What about people who have never heard of Jesus?" and "How should Christians regard other religions?" 
In the midst of our pluralistic and tolerant culture, here is an important and convincing argument for faith in Jesus-the only great teacher whose death and resurrection provided grace, forgiveness, and an eternity in the presence of God.

Math:

Math U See: Geometry 

3 A,B,C,D,E

Music:

Beginning Band: 1 ½ hours: Tenor Sax

Intermediate Band: 1 ½ hours: Alto Sax

Piano Lesson: 30 minutes

Piano practice: 3 hours

Tenor and Alto Sax practice Sun-Wed, then too sick to play.

Science:

Apologia: Physical Science

Text: pg 25-40

Student Notebook: pg's 22-28

Her Own Study Notebook, Note Taking

Experiment 2.2---and she had a lot of fun with this one!  2 cups of hydrogen peroxide, add yeast, in a soda liter bottle, put balloon on top and watch it fill up with oxygen.  Then add the oxygen to a candle that is under a clear glass, and watch the flame get so much brighter due to the oxygen released into the contained space.
Lab Report pg 228-229 in Student Notebook

Art:

Hours of drawing and filming her drawing to make stop-time video's, as mentioned in beginning statement.  

Study Skills:

"Study Skills" Chapter 3: Five Tips From Students

Busy Hands:

Monday night Dd made a Tilapia dinner for us!  It was awesome!

Dd's Fudge

Dd tried to make fudge, but it didn't turn out well, as she over cooked it.  This was her first time trying to make fudge, and I enjoyed a little of it on my plain yogurt.

Chores this week really took a dive as she got worse and worse, sick wise.  The first few days she managed a bit of help, but then as each day went by she grew worse.

The crochet shawl that Dd started lack October was picked up again...she worked on it a bit on the sofa...here is hoping it might be done by Christmas!

Calligraphy Week!  She had a great time--worked on it for 3-4 days while I was reading.

Language Arts:

Grammar Plus:

pg 13, 17, 21, 23, 25

Word Roots: by the Critical Thinking Co.

pg 50-52

Book Summary Binder (my creative idea....)

wrote very short reviews of:
The Trumpeter of Krakow, A Murder For Her Majesty, The King's Fifth, and Iron Peacock

(I'm not entirely pleased with this work...we are working on this.)

Painless Poetry:

pg's: 60-66

History:

Sonlight History Read Aloud:

Out of Many Waters by Jacqueline Dembar Greene

We are really enjoying this book!  Goodreads summary:Set in 1654, against the backdrop of the Portuguese Inquisition, this historical novel tells the story of 12-year-old Isobel. Escaping from the monastery where she and her sister have been held, she stows away on a ship in hopes of finding her parents again. Braving loneliness, storms and privateers, Isobel is befriended by a group of passengers and becomes one of the first Jewish immigrants to settle in New Amsterdam.  

Add-In Awesome History:

BiblioPlan Companion Medieval Vol II

Ch. 31: King Henry VIII, The English Reformation

(I can't recommend BP's Companion history books, and I am not a text person..at all, but they cover history, church history, and fit it all together so well that it actually creates a complete picture for our studies.  These books are awesome, even if they do add on a few hours to our week.)

BP Advanced Maps: Medieval

Map 30: Discoveries in the North

Map 31: Church of England

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia:

pg's: 266, 250-253, 257, 244-245, 262-263

(Dd HATES Kingfisher, but I've promised we will only do it until Week 5, when she will switch to George Washington's World instead.)

Sonlight History Reader:

Madeleine Takes Command by Ethel C. Brill : Completed

Goodreads summary:  Madeleine Verchere's story is based on a true account of colonial French Canada of the 1690's. Harassed by Iroquois, the Verchere family's fort must keep a continual guard. 14-year-old Madeleine is left alone with two younger brothers and few others when the Indians attack. We follow the brave and determined stratagems of Madeleine and her small circle. Madeleine's youthful leadership, especially of her brothers, will win the reader's admiration.

Fun Reading:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Goodreads summary:  One boy. One dragon. A world of adventure.
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Goodreads summary:  At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you'll ever read.

Gail Carson Levine's examination of traditional female roles in fairy tales takes some satisfying twists and deviations from the original. Ella is bound by obedience against her will, and takes matters in her own hands with ambition and verve. Her relationship with the prince is balanced and based on humor and mutual respect; in fact, it is she who ultimately rescues him. Ella Enchanted has won many well-deserved awards, including a Newbery Honor.

Fun Audio:

The Swap by Megan Shull

GoodReads Summary:

ELLIE spent the summer before seventh grade getting dropped by her best friend since forever. JACK spent it training in "The Cage" with his tough-as-nails brothers and hard-to-please dad. By the time middle school starts, they're both ready for a change. And just as Jack's thinking girls have it so easy, Ellie's wishing she could be anyone but herself.

Then, BAM! They swap lives - and bodies!

Now Jack's fending off mean girls at sleepover parties, while Ellie's reigning as The Prince of Thatcher Middle School.

As their crazy weekend races on - and their feeling for each other grow - Elli and Jack begin to wonder if maybe the best way to learn how to be yourself is to spend a little time being somebody else.

I wish I could have a real tree, but they give me migraines the entire time they are up in my house...this tree isn't as beautiful, but at least I'm not in pain while enjoying it!

Just some of the boxes of ornaments...too many!

This year Dd helped me put up the tree---but, only the first day, I had to keep working on it for over a week to unwrap all the ornaments and get them on the tree.  What.a.process!

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