Books and Movies from September

While I finished five books in September, I have a very short list of movies that I saw in September.  While I only saw two movies this past month, they were both EXCELLENT!  My daughter and I both loved Letters to Juliet and Prince of Persia.  My best advice is to grab a box of tissues and watch Letters to Juliet right away if you haven't seen it! 

Books Read in September

1. Fatally Frosted by Jessica Beck ***
2. From Bondage to Freedom by Emma Leslie ***  (This was a review item for TOS Crew.  You can read my review of this title and Salem Ridge Press here.)
3. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain ***
4. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan ***
5. Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor ***

Movies Watched in September

1. Letters to Juliet *****
2. Prince of Persia *****
3. White Collar Season 1  ***

Books I'm Currently Reading (as usual, I have a stack of them and a few are books I still haven't finished from last month)

1. Apologia Biology by Jay Wile and Marilyn Durnell - I haven't mentioned this book before but I've been reading it since this summer.  I'm trying to stay a few chapters ahead of my daughter.  I am loving this book - it is so different than the dry textbooks that I remember from my high school days!
2. Mice of the Herring Bone by Tim Davis - This is the current assigned book for Duncan (9) so I'm reading the book as well so we can talk about it.
3. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - This is the current assigned book for Amber (13).  I LOVE this book - I can't believe I've never read it until now!
4. Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn - I think the title says it all.  I freely admit that I adore a good highlander romance.
5. Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do To Stop It by Ken Hamm & Britt Beemer - My dear friend loaned this book to me and I'm trying to finish it so that I can return it to her. I am more than halfway through the book and have found much of it quite upsetting. Therefore, I only read a chapter at a time and go back to a "pure pleasure" book to lift my spirits.
6. The Golden Goblet Eloise Jarvis McGraw - I am reading this book to my boys as our current history read-aloud. I am definitely enjoying it more than them.
7. Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern - I am almost always reading a nonfiction book about organizing, time management, or homeschooling. I like this one quite a bit. So far, the one piece of advice that has stuck with me the most is that you have to plan what you want to do and WHEN you are going to do it. I'm good with the what, not so good with the when.

So, did you read anything great last month?  Did you see any movies that you would recommend?

Reflections on Homeschooling: Schoolwork Is NOT Always Fun For Children

At this point, I can't even imagine my children going to a traditional school.  The 2010-2011 school year marks our 8th year of homeschooling.  Over the past years of educating my children at home, I've learned some basic truths about homeschooling, myself, and my children.  In a series of posts, I plan to discuss these basic Lessons Learned While Being Busy At Home.  The first basic truth that I've learned about homeschooling is that Schoolwork is NOT always fun for children.

Gasp!  Did I really just say that?  Yes, yes, I did.  As I read homeschooling blogs, books about homeschooling, and curriculum catalogs; I often get the feeling that as homeschoolers, there is a vague, generalized myth that if a child isn't ENJOYING learning about a subject then something is wrong.

With at least 1,300 days of homeschool tucked under my belt, I feel completely and totally confident in saying, without reservation, children will not enjoy every single day of every single subject in their schoolwork.  It is completely and totally unrealistic to expect children to think that every day in every subject is fun.  As a homeschooling mother, if I expect my children to enjoy every single day of every single subject in their schoolwork, then I am setting myself up for discouragement.

I'm as guilty as anybody else of feeding into the "schoolwork is always fun" myth.  I've posted pictures of my children having fun making salt-dough brains while learning about the different areas of the brain.
  I've posted pictures of my children having fun while making Shabtis for our Ancient Egypt studies.

I've posted pictures of my children having fun while engaged in hands-on science experiments. 

I prefer to post pictures and discuss the fun times in our homeschool because, well, it is just much more fun to do so!  But in focusing on the fun, I think I can sometimes give the impression that all I have in my house is never-ending, constantly eager, always happy and interested learners.  That's just not true.  Really, it's just not true.

I have no picture to share of my youngest in tears at the end of our school day today because, "This day sucked.  My English was hard, Megawords was hard, and Mason got highlighter on my favorite baseball cap." 

I have no picture to share of the very-less-than-interested-or-thrilled look my teenage daughter gave me over the brim of the microscope today during her mushroom lab.  While I was totally jazzed to see the spores under the microscope, she was just happy to be getting done with her lab.  Sigh.

I have no picture to share of my middle son scowling over a challenging English assignment involving rewriting a paragraph with pronouns today.  I didn't post regarding his complaints about how the assignment was going to take forever.

Sometimes one or more of my kids actually moan when I pop in the history DVD that we're watching for the day.  I've seen my children have a complete meltdown over their long division lessons.  I've had my kids tell me that they think the book they have to read is utterly boring.  My daughter has pronounced all spelling rules evil.  The big, red, college dictionary has been referred to as a "tool of torture."  I think you get the picture, it's not always all rainbows and unicorns around here.

So, what do I do about the sometimes apparent lack of joy in learning?  Usually, I do nothing. 

For the most part, my children are eager to learn, enjoy the majority of their schoolwork, and take pride in doing well.  I try extremely hard to include fun, hands-on projects, and take my children's individual learning styles into account when planning lessons.  I consider their abilities, preferences, and interests when choosing books for them to read.  I use some tangible rewards and many intangible rewards to encourage them to try their best and take pride in their schoolwork.         

But, everybody has bad days.  While I try to be pleasant, some days I'm a little bit down.  Some days I'm a little bit tired.  Some days I wish I could just stay in bed all day.  On days like that, I don't need somebody harping on my all day about my bad attitude.  My children don't feel any differently.  I try to respect that and just overlook the occasional bad day or bad attitude. 

In reality, most children have at least one subject that they don't really like all that much.  If the curriculum for that subject is working but the child is just not thrilled with the subject, well, they just have to try to make the best of it.  That's life.  My middle son will never LOVE grammar, but he does his work without (much) complaint and tries hard even though he struggles sometimes. 

But, sometimes a change in curriculum is in order.  For example, my daughter struggles with spelling.  When the chosen spelling curriculum last year was inciting anger and discouragement in my daughter, I just dropped it and backed off for a while.  This year, I've found a spelling program that she's OK with completing each day.  She doesn't love it, but she's not feeling angry and discouraged either.  So, while I don't feel like I need to start looking for new curriculum the minute one of my children isn't completely thrilled with a school subject, I also don't force myself to stick with something that truly isn't working because of curriculum guilt.

Homeschooling for the long haul is a long haul.  When my daughter graduates from our homeschool in 2015, she'll have spent roughly 2160 days learning in our homeschool.  2160 days is an awfully long time to always be completely eager, happy, and excited about learning in every single subject. 

While I expect good attitudes from my children, I don't make a big issue out of an occasional complaint or bad attitude.  I try to make school fun and interesting for them, but it's unrealistic to think that every subject and every project is going to be met with the same high enthusiasm that I love to see in them.  Much of the time, my children do enjoy school, sometimes they don't, and that's OK. 

We all have work to do.  Right now, my children's work is the work of being a student.  Sometimes being a student is hard and working through hard things is good.   

Giant Collage Letters for Preschool Posted at The Homeschool Classroom

My youngest child is now 9 and in 4th grade so the days of preschool and kindergarten projects are (sadly) behind me. My very favorite kindergarten project, though, was the full set of large uppercase and lowercase collage letters that both of my boys completed during each of their respective kindergarten years. My boys both adored this project and were so proud of their large, decorated letters. I love this project so much that both sets of letters are still proudly displayed in our school room as a border at the top of the walls.


To read the rest of this article, please join me at The Homeschool Classroom today. 

Week in Review - Shabtis, Sewing Bunnies, and A Soldier

I am posting our Week in Review early this week because we are taking a day off this Friday.  My Aunt Ruby, Uncle Ray, Aunt Ada, and Uncle Ronald are coming in from West Virginia unexpectedly to spend the day with us today!  I am so excited to see all of them and spend some time with them.  All of us, and my parents, will be going out to lunch together.  I'm happy that we'll get to spend some time with my extended family!

This week had another family surprise as well!  My wonderful nephew, Nick, who is in the army was in town just for a few days unexpectedly.  We hadn't seen him in over a year - he couldn't believe how much my children have grown!  We took half a day off school on Wednesday so that we could share a late lunch and some quality time with Nick.  Hopefully, he'll be able to come home for Christmas, but there are no guarantees.  We are so proud of Nick and our prayers are with him as he returns to Texas to continue serving our country.

Nick, Amber, Mason, and Duncan pose with Grandma Judy.

In addition to the blessings of family this week, our family is working through our yearly physical exams.  Amber had her well-child visit last week, Duncan had his this week, and Mason has his next week.  I had my yearly physical exam this week.  I had blood drawn this morning for routine tests so, hopefully, everything comes back normal!

 

We continued our study of Ancient Egypt this week.  We watched Wonders of the Ancient World - Ancient Egypt.  While I wouldn't recommend this video because it was pretty dry, there was wonderful footage of the Cliff Temples of Abu Simbel, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and Thebes.  We also started watching a great video, Egypt's Golden Empire.  Egypt's Golden Empire is a great video but more interesting for an older audience (at least in my house).  My daughter and I are finding this video to be very interesting.

Our highlight for the week in history, though, was making Shabtis.  Making the Shabtis was definitely one of the coolest hands-on projects we've done here in quite a while.  You can read all about my children's Shabti-making adventure in the post, Making Shabtis.   

My daughter pursued some sewing projects on her own this week.  I shared about her adorable sock bunnies in the post, Sew Bunny Cute.

Of course, everybody worked on their independent work as well this week.  Amber was thrilled to earn a high B on the Module 3 Biology test so that was a highlight for her.  We are finding Apologia Biology to be a very interesting and challenging course.  My boys both finished a three paragraph essay this week in their Ancient History Writing Lessons course from IEW.  I am so very happy with their progress in writing so far this school year.

All of the children's activities are in full-swing now as well.  Amber has swim team 6 times a week, Mason goes 4 times a week, and Duncan goes 3 times a week.  Amber and Mason are really enjoying Youth Group at church on Wednesday evenings.  The boys are finding their bowling league to be a lot of fun...and they're becoming better bowlers.

That was our Week in Review!  If you'd like to read about what other homeschoolers did this week, check out the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Making Shabtis

To enhance our study of Ancient Egypt, my children made Shabtis this week as part of our history lessons.  I found the idea and directions for making Shabtis in, Hands-On Ancient History: The History and Activities of Ancient Egypt by Alexandra Fix.  Shabtis were figurines which were buried with people in Ancient Egypt.  The Ancient Egyptians believed that these statues would come to life and help them with their tasks in the afterlife.  Wealthy Egyptians would be buried with lots of Shabtis.   

My children really enjoyed this project and I was thrilled, not only with the process, but the final products as well.  For this project, my children used some art media which we normally don't use - plaster gauze - and I'm always glad when we use new art media.

The first step was to use newspaper to create a basic shape for the figurine.  After a basic shape is made that is pleasing to the maker, the entire newspaper figurine is wrapped with masking tape. 

After the newspaper Shabti is wrapped in masking tape, plaster gauze cut in strips is used to create a mummy.  Having never worked with the plaster gauze before, I was surprised by how well it worked to create a hard, but light, figurine.

Although the instructions on the package stated that the plaster gauze would dry and harden quickly, we let the Shabtis dry overnight. 

The next day, my children painted their Shabtis in Ancient Egyptian style.  I carried lots of books about Ancient Egypt down to our basement art room to inspire the children in their designs.  Acrylic paints worked wonderfully.  All three of the children spent quite a long time on their Shabtis which required them to spend some time studying Egyptian art. 

Duncan used Ralph Masiello's Ancient Egypt Drawing Book for inspiration and tried to paint several different Egyptian symbols on his Shabti.

Mason, always the creative one, looked at several different books for ideas but then tweaked the ideas to make his own completely original design.  Mason said that if he were an Ancient Egyptian, he would want his Shabti to cook for him so his Shabti held a candy cane and a butcher knife rather than a crook and flail.  The Shabti also has olive eyes, a watermelon mouth, and a steak-themed nemes.

Amber used a picture of a box full of Shabtis found in an Ancient Egyptian tomb from the book Eyewitness Ancient Egypt as inspiration.  I thought her Shabti was very faithful to the Ancient Egyptian art style.

We are so enjoying our study of Ancient Egypt, we will all be sad when it is time to leave this historical period behind in our studies!

Sew Bunny Cute

One of my daughter's favorite subjects in school this year is her sewing course.  So far, she has completed three ski hats and two candy-swirl pillows for her course.  We are using Sew Teach Me as our "spine" for our course and we have already starting adding some other sewing projects as my daughter shows interest.

While we were at a local fabric store over the week-end to pick out fabric for her upcoming book bag project, Amber fell in love with an adorable book.  Eager to encourage her new-found interest in sewing, I used my 40% off coupon to purchase this book:

 












As soon as my daughter got home, she raided my husband's sock drawer and after about an hour or so, she had created, completely by herself, this adorable sock bunny.

The next day, the big sock bunny found that he had a new blue friend made from a pair of my socks. 

Her latest creation based on the directions found in "socks appeal" is a tiny little guy who likes to hide out by the sewing machine.  He was made from a pair of Amber's little ankle socks.

Amber is having a great time stitching up these adorable little stuffed creations and is planning to make some Christmas presents based on projects from the book.

Salem Ridge Press Review

As part of my job as a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received one physical book and two e-books from Salem Ridge Press.    Before receiving the books, I was not familiar with Salem Ridge Press.  After learning a bit more about Salem Ridge Press, I learned that the founder, Daniel Mills, is a homeschool graduate himself!  The mission of Salem Ridge Press is:

• "bringing back the very best children's books of the 1800's and early 1900's for a new generation of readers.  We strive to republish books that are wholesome, exciting, and well-written."

As of the time of this review, Salem Ridge Press has republished 28 books which are available for purchase in several formats - e-book, softcover, or hardcover (not all books are available in all three formats).  Twelve of the titles are in the Emma Leslie Church History set.  Titles are also available in the topics of American History, World History, Adventure, and Allegory.  There are also titles specifically appropriate for younger readers.  Salem Ridge Press takes the job of providing quality, wholesome books very seriously.  More information about how their titles are chosen can be found at the Our Books page at the Salem Ridge website.

For the purposes of this review, I read From Bondage to Freedom by Emma Leslie.  The Church History series by Emma Leslie is one of the major offerings from Salem Ridge Press.  Salem Ridge Press asserts that these titles are particularly valuable for learning about the early Church and the great works of God because they are:

• Told in an interesting and memorable way
• Inspirational
• Appealing to both girls and boys.

After reading From Bondage to Freedom by Emma Leslie, there are many positive comments that I can easily make about the book.

• The physical book itself is of a high quality.  The pages are of a good thickness, the font is pleasing to the eye and easy to read, and the binding is tight.  The cover art is attractive and the artwork included throughout the book added to the interest level and historical understanding of the story.
• The Historical Notes were very helpful to me in understanding many aspects of the story.  Sadly, I am not particularly well-versed in early Church history so I found the Historical Notes invaluable to aid my understanding.  I think the Historical Notes would be very helpful for a young person learning about early Church history.
• Difficult or unfamiliar words were defined at the bottom of each page.  I found this immensely helpful to my understanding of the book as I'm sure any young person would.
• I think this book would be an excellent addition to a young person's study of Early Church History.  The dramatization of the rise of the Islamic religion and the doctrine of purgatory would add emotion and depth to a historical study of these same events.
• The book was clearly written for an evangelical Christian audience.  The most admirable character in the book has a close relationship with Jesus which influences her life greatly for good.  Her salvation is based solely on the saving grace offered by Him.

While there are many more positives to the book than my few criticisms, I did have a few areas in which I struggled at times with the book. 

• Much of the dialogue is true to the time period and is written with words like "wouldst, thou, thinkest."  Such dialogue might prove to be a stumbling block for some readers in their understanding of the text.
• While the Historical Notes were invaluable, I would have also appreciated a list of characters with descriptions.  There were quite a few characters in this book, many with unfamiliar names.  I think a list of characters and descriptions would aid understanding.
• At times, some of the relationships between characters seemed a bit shallow.  While I completely respect the need to maintain the highest standards of purity, I found myself surprised when two characters were married.  I simply did not recognize that they had profound feelings for one another, deep enough to lead to marriage. 

To get a better idea if this title would be a valuable addition to your family's library, you can read the first chapter of From Bondage to Freedom at the Salem Ridge website.  From Bondage to Freedom by Emma Leslie is available for purchase in softcover for $14.95, and in hardcover for $24.95.  Depending on your family's values, Salem Ridge Press may be just the publisher you are looking for to provide quality, wholesome, God-honoring literature for your family.

I was given one physical book and two e-books in exchange for writing this review.  No other compenation, monetary or otherwise was given to me in exchange for writing this review.      

The Heart of Homeschooling

I write a lot about the stuff of homeschooling.  I enjoy writing about the hands-on projects that we do.  I love them and I always have such fun pictures to share.  I love sharing about sewing projects, lapbooks, curriculum, organized school cabinets, workboxes, and progress in various school subjects.  I am much more Martha than Mary in my choice of blog topics and in my life in general.  My comfort zone involves busy hands and a list of things to accomplish. 

In the day-to-day busy-ness of our homeschool, it is sometimes easy to forget one of the main reasons I started homeschooling in the first place.  I started homeschooling because I am incredibly concerned about and dedicated to keeping the hearts of my children.  I don't often write about my children's hearts.  I'm more comfortable sharing pictures of the salt-dough brains my children made than talking about heart issues.

But, sometimes, the heart issues hit me square in the face and I know I've made the exact and perfect right decision for our family by keeping the kids home, by homeschooling them. 

My daughter looked up from her Algebra book the other day while I was washing dishes in the kitchen.  We were alone and she had something she wanted to share with me.  I listened because I was there.  Her words broke my heart.  She told me one of the girls at swim team said regarding my daughter's homeschooled status, "If I had to stay at home with my mother all day, I'd shoot myself in the head."  My daughter was a bit upset by the whole conversation and mumbled something about "her mother not being that bad." 

I wondered, was there a time when that girl actually liked being with her mother?  What caused the change in her heart?  Does her mother know how her teenage daughter feels?  What do we need to do to stay close with our daughters as the world pulls for their hearts from so many directions?

Then, just today, the heart issues punched me again and I staggered under the force of the punch.  I was in the basement cleaning up from the first part of a messy hands-on project.  I was also trying to pull myself together after a particularly difficult, confrontational conversation with my own mother.  My almost 12 year old-taller than me-always making silly comments son came down to see if I was coming up soon to make lunch. 

He saw me with my red face and asked if I was OK.  I couldn't hold back the tears any longer and he just hugged me, my bigger-than-me-not-quite-a-teen-boy, and told me in a voice that sounded so much like his father's, "It's OK, Mom, you'll be OK." 

I wondered, would he still have such a kind heart towards me if I had sent him away when he was all never-ending-wiggles-driving-me-crazy little boy?  Would he still have such a kind heart towards me if I had given up when I was sure that he was never going to be able to sit still for longer than 3 minutes at a time and I was sure that I had already lost my mind while we were doing math?  Perhaps, perhaps not.  Heart issues.

One thing I know for sure, to the very bottom of my own heart.  I know that when I am a very old woman sitting in a chair with a lap quilt reflecting on my life, I will never regret these busy days.  I will never regret the endless days and the piles of laundry and the grading and the messy projects and the bad attitudes and the good attitudes and the time that I spent with my children when their hearts were in my hands.

Favorite Curriculum By Subject

This week's TOS Blog Cruise question is "What are your favorite resources for teaching the ages/grades that you are teaching?"  Since homeschool moms (me included) love to talk about curriculum, this topic is a fun one!  We are definitely eclectic homeschoolers using a wide variety of different curriculum.  For the 2010-2011 school year, my daughter, Amber is in 8th grade.  My sons, Mason and Duncan, are in 8th and 4th grades respectively.  

Math
My very favorite curriculum for math is Teaching Textbooks.  We've been using Teaching Textbooks for four years now and I definitely plan to stick with TT through the high school math courses.  This year, Duncan (9) is using Math 5, Mason (12) is using Math 6, and Amber (13), is using Algebra 1. 

Teaching Textbooks is designed for the student to work independently.  Each program includes a textbook and computer CDs.  My boys don't use the textbook at all.  They watch the lesson on the computer and then they use a math notebook to solve the math problems and answer the questions on the computer.  My daughter prefers reading the lesson over watching it on the computer. 

All three of my students find the program motivational.  My boys enjoy the little animated buddy that perches in the left corner of the computer screen during their lessons.  They can choose the buddy from a wide variety of choices and it cheers them on during their lessons.  My daughter particularly likes that many of the word problems are funny, often in a quirky sort of way. 

Math concepts are clearly explained and there is quite a bit of review built into the programs.  A huge benefit for busy homeschooling moms is that Teaching Textbooks is self-grading up until Pre-Algebra.  Nobody ever complains about doing math here and all of my children are doing well in their respective levels.  Teaching Textbooks is a definite keeper for me!     

Grammar
My favorite resource for Grammar is a very non-flashy program called Growing With Grammar.  We've been using this program for several years now and it has been an excellent fit for two of my children.  To read more about Growing With Grammar, you can read my full review of Growing With Grammar at The Curriculum Choice. 

Art
My favorite resource for Art is Atelier Art.  I LOVE this program!  Atelier Art is a video-based program designed for homeschoolers.  I so wish I had discovered Atelier Art at the very beginning of our homeschool journey.  To read more about Atelier Art, you can read my full review of Atelier Art at The Curriculum Choice. 

History
Prior to this year, I have always put together my own unit studies in history and science.  This year, for a wide variety of reasons, I am using Winter Promise Quest for the Ancient World.  This program gives structure to our history studies without being overwhelming. 

Following the reading schedule outlined in the weekly guide keeps me moving along through different historical topics.  For example, without a schedule to keep me moving through the ages, I could easily spend our whole school year exploring Ancient Egypt!  With only five years left before my daughter goes to college, I want to make sure she has a good overview of Ancient, Medieval, Early American, and Modern American history before she enters college.  To make sure that happens, I can't spend months on a single topic as I sometimes have in the past.

In addition, I really enjoy the hands-on project suggestions and the video suggestions given in the Winter Promise teacher's guide.

Of course, I always have to tweak the plans given by Winter Promise a bit!  My favorite history resources that can easily be added to an existing curriculum are History Pockets by Evan-Moor.  I've used them in many history unit studies in the past and am currently using Ancient Egypt History Pockets as independent work for my boys to go along with our Winter Promise study.

Foreign Language
While we are just beginning to study foreign languages in our homeschool, my favorite resource so far is La Clase Divertida.  My two boys and I are taking this course and we are all enjoying it (particularly me).  We are working through the video-based Level 1 Spanish class and I so enjoy the enthusiasm of the instructor.  One of my favorite aspects of the class is that cultural and history information about Spanish-speaking countries is integrated throughout the program and hands-on activities are included.

Science
Up until this year I have taught science to my children in unit studies using a wide variety of resources.  This year, my daughter is taking Biology using Apologia Biology which I think is excellent.  My boys are currently working through Chemistry Level 1 from Real Science 4 Kids.  So far, I have been quite impressed with this curriculum as well.  Using textbooks for science is new for me, though!

I have also really enjoyed the hands-on project kits from Stratton House and the science units from TOPS Science.  We have also used Great Science Adventures:  Discovering the Human Body and Senses from Common Sense Press as our spine for a unit study about the human body last year.  You can read my full review of Discovering the Human Body and Senses at Curriculum Choice.  

Writing
I adore Ancient History Writing Lessons from the Institute for Excellence in Writing.  This is our first year with this program and I absolutely love it.  My boys are improving in their writing skills in ways that I completely didn't expect.  My boys are both writing without complaining and the lessons integrate perfectly with our history studies.  I love it!  Again, I wish I had started using IEW materials years ago.  The lessons are clear and my boys enjoy knowing exactly what they need to do in order to do well on their writing assignments.  The resources from IEW have given me a lot of confidence in teaching my reluctant writer boys to write and enjoy writing. 

Literary Analysis
This year, my daughter is doing most of her writing through her Literary Analysis course.  My daughter is definitely a natural writer and has been writing stories since before she should even form letters properly.  I remember her "pretending" to write stories and then bringing a page full of scribbles to me when she was a preschooler!  I am using Skills for Literary Analysis from For Such A Time As This.  So far, I really like this course and enjoy the clear directions and thorough overview of major literary concepts.

Spelling
While my daughter is a natural writer, she is NOT a natural speller.  I have used many different spelling curriculums over the years but I think I have finally found something that is working well and is not too painful for any of my children.  My boys have done well with all of the spelling programs that I've tried so my continued search for a good fit has been for my daughter.  This year, all three of them are using The Phonetic Zoo from the Institute for Excellence in Writing.  This is an auditory, independent program through which children progress at their own pace.  So far, the program seems to be a good fit for all of my children.  I think after years of searching, I may have found a keeper!

Sewing
My daughter and I are working through a wonderful beginning sewing course this year from Sew Teach Me.  I decided to add this to my daughter's schedule at the last minute and I am so glad that I did.  It's definitely one of her favorite parts of this school year.  You can read my full review of Sew Teach Me at The Curriculum Choice.

If you would like to read more about some of my favorite homeschooling resources, you may enjoy the following links.

• 2010-2011 School Year Curriculum with Reading Lists     
• Favorite Educational Games    
• Favorite Non-Curriculum Homeschool Resources

Week in Review: Papyrus Paintings, Candy-Swirl Pillows, and Seasonal Allergies (Week 7)

Another week has flown by and left me behind blowing my nose and sneezing!  I have been seriously struggling with my seasonal allergies this week.  I was so wiped out on Wednesday that I took a 2 1/2 hour nap as soon as we were done with the school day.

We have also had some interruptions to our school days this week (some good and some bad).  Our electricity was off for several hours on Monday so that interfered with our school plans for the day.  We finished a bit early on Tuesday afternoon to spend some time with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law.  We had a wonderful late lunch at Moe's and enjoyed spending time together afterwards.  Lastly, on Thursday Amber had her yearly well-child visit first thing in the morning so we got a very late start on our day.

Given interruptions and allergies, I simply didn't get my normal prep-work done each evening so I felt behind all week.  Braced with a box of tissues in my hand, though, we accomplished quite a bit of learning this week, even if I was feeling a bit stressed and snuffly!

One of the highlights of our school year for me has been working with Amber in her sewing course.  She is so proud of everything that she sews and she is really making some impressive projects.  This week she finished two candy-swirl pillows and has started another one.  You can read more about the candy-swirl pillows in this post. 

Amber took her Module 3 test in Biology this week and completed two Biology labs.  Next week she'll start Module 4.  In the boy's chemistry course, we reviewed the previous three chapters with a review game and we focused on acids and bases which we will continue next week.

I have been working quite intensively this school year with my boys in writing.  I am so very thrilled with the curriculum we are using - Ancient History Writing Lessons from the Institute for Excellence in Writing.  Right now, Mason and Duncan are in the middle of a three paragraph essay about The Epic of Gilgamesh using key-word outlines.  I am so very pleased with their progress in this course!  Here is the first paragraph of my youngest son's essay:

• Gilgamesh, King of Urek, was forever remembered.  Gilgamesh walked up towering mountains and swam through salty seas.  Gilgamesh tied his ankels and pounced into the Euphrates River.  Gilgamesh had one chance to grab the spiky plant.  Gilgamesh came near the plant and snatched it out.  Gilgamesh loosed his ankles and pushed himself to the surface.  Anxiously, Gilgamesh carried the strange plant.  Gilgamesh happily jumped up and down.  He had succeeded.

Wow - I am impressed!  More than anything, though, I am so pleased with the pride that my boys are taking in their work.  For their current assignment, they needed to draw a picture to go with their essay.  Inspired by the cover of our former read-aloud, "Gilgamesh The Hero," Mason drew a fabulous picture to accompany his essay.

Mason loves to incorporate art into his studies and he spends time every day sculpting with polymer clay.  Sometimes his creations are so well-done, I'm still surprised by them.  This adorable dragon took my breath away this week!

This week, in history, our focus was on Ancient Egypt.  A study of Ancient Egypt and hands-on projects definitely go hand in hand in our homeschool.  This week, after reading about papyrus and paper-making, we painted Ancient Egyptian themed pictures on authentic papyrus from Egypt.  We used acrylics on the papyrus and they worked very well.  I was so pleased with the final results. 

Duncan chose the scarab beetle.

Mason chose the eye of Horus.

Amber chose to paint the hieroglyphic alphabet.

We played Ancient Egypt Jingo.  I loved this simple bingo-style game and would very much like to have more of the Jingo games now!

We also watched another segment of Lost Civilizations from Time-Life, Ancient Egypt:  Quest for Immortality.  I highly recommend this series.  We also watched Ancient Civilizations for Children:  Ancient Egypt.  I just adore this series

Youth group at church formally started for the fall on Wednesday night.  Amber and Mason are both attending.  They had a great time at the first meeting.  I feel so blessed that my children are finding fellowship and fun at church.

We have a busy week-end ahead of us.  The boys have bowling league on Saturday morning and Amber has swim team practice.  Then, on Saturday night, Amber and Mason are attending a big middle-school event affliliated with our church.  There will be inflatables, games, a DJ, and lots of food.  I'm sure they'll have a great time!  Then Sunday is church and hopefully, a quiet day!

That was our Week in Review!  If you'd like to read about what other homeschoolers did this week, check out the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!