One Room School House

We've got our little school room set up in the basement and looking pretty good. We scooted the bookshelves back so that the school area would be bigger and shrunk the t.v./play area a little. Do you see these fantastic new desks we got at a yard sale this weekend?! Each desk seats two kids with storage in between. The family we got them from says they got them from a church school that was replacing them. They are exactly what we've always wanted and we got them for $5 each!!! We now officially have seven little desks, so we could seat all of our students at once when our family has expanded.

These desks are especially great because they provide such a nice big work surface. Now we just need to save up for more chairs. In the third photo you can also see the new bookshelf we got for $2 at the same yard sale. (Can you tell the previous owners were homeschoolers, too? lol) I'm going to wash the bookshelf and paint it yellow to match the basement. It fits perfectly in front of my scrapbooking table to hide all my clutter under there. We really needed the extra shelving, too.

Fire Hydrant Science!

We decided to take a break from home repairs today and spend some time relaxing with the kids. We went for a walk around the neighborhood and passed by the construction workers who are installing a new irrigation and sprinkler system at the park next to our house.

They had just opened a fire hydrant! The girls and I splashed through the water, freezing our toes and laughing like crazy. Then Daniel and the girls tossed stuff at the head of the flow of water and watched to see where it would travel to. They threw objects of different weight like Gloria's bike helmet and some dandelions to see which would go faster and float better. We examined objects that were blocking the water and moved them to see how it changed the flow. Mostly, though we just enjoyed it.

Later we found another stream and followed the water up several blocks until we found the hydrant it had started from. The girls were excited, like they were exploring a mystery. I had forgotten how amazing things that seem common place are to children.

Waiting at the Library

This is sort of the extent of the "kids' area" at our local library. There are a few racks of books and a table. I'm hoping that soon they will get the funding they need and everything will fall into place for them to expand.

We were waiting here yesterday around 4:30pm because it was Tuesday and Fazoli's Kids Night doesn't start until 5. We're trying to limit ourselves to only eating out on that night (because of the $1 kids' meals) and on Sundays after church.

The girls each got two books, and I found two for Kevin. I love the Usborne books in the "touchy-feely" series like "That's Not My Tractor!" When I handed "That's Not My Dinosaur!" to Kevin he just laughed excitedly and started feeling the textured spots on each page. They are board books, and Kevin seems to instantly know where he should feel them.

Thankful for Freedom

We were driving back home from the field trip yesterday in the rain, sleet, and snow surrounded by wall to wall traffic and crazy drivers, like the lady in the 15 passenger van who honked at us because we didn't move fast enough for her, when I just had to thank God.

I saw these two buses ahead of us full of school kids, headed home, still stuck on the buses a full hour after school had let out. I thought about their parents and how they must feel, worried that their kids weren't home yet, worried that there are no seat belts in those buses and the roads are slippery. I just had to thank God that my children were safe with me in our vehicle, buckled up and trying to giggle and whisper quietly in the back because their baby brother was asleep in front of them. Thank God we have the freedom to homeschool.

Please pray for the families in Germany who are being denied that freedom right now and are in some very scary circumstances.

CU Discovery Center

We went with Danya's homeschool charter school in the rain to Colorado University in Boulder. There in the Space Grant Discovery Center we went on an interactive tour to learn about different aspects involved with the Mars Rover.

In this picture the girls are testing solar panels with different wattage light bulbs. They also got to participate in some battery experiments, learn about binary code, and play with pixel blocks while learning more about digital images.

At the end they watched a video about the Mars Rover. Then we stood on the bottom floor looking up while the 5th and 6th graders dropped their Lego constructions. They had to use Legos to protect a light bulb wrapped in aluminum foil just like the Mars Rover was wrapped up to protect it from impact when it landed on Mars. Only one light bulb survived and still worked. It was great watching all the exploding Legos as each one hit the ground!

Why Christians Should Homeschool

I've been reading this amazing book. For the first time I've read a comprehensive explanation of the biblical reasons for homeschooling, the actual mandate from God that tells us that we have the authority and responsibility to educate our children and protect them from anti-Christian environments and teachers. I've never felt more strongly that homeschooling is not just a preference, but a command from my Creator who has gifted me with children.

Some verses this book discusses:
Psalm 127:3-5 "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." (My children were given to me, they are arrows that I must make sure are made sharp and straight and strong. I cannot entrust their molding to craftsmen (teachers) who do not follow God's design plan!)

Did you know that the only time that God's children were educated by the government was when the children of Israel were dominated by a heathen nation? (for instance Joseph, Moses, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, & Daniel) Mark 12:17 "Then Jesus said to them, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.'" (God never tells us to give our children to Caesar [the government]. They belong to God.)

Ezekiel 16:20-21 "Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me and sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter?
21"You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire." (I will be judged severely if I don't meet God's standards for raising my children. I cannot and will not give them to a system [government school] that rejects God and teaches idolatry to a humanistic religion. I would be disobeying God if I forced them to "pass through that fire" as children.)

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (To obey God's command to teach my children His word constantly I cannot send them away for 6 or more hours a day. His word must be included in every aspect of their lives and in every subject they learn. We will be taking every subject and "taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" [2 Cor. 10:5])

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." Isaiah 54:13 "All your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will be great." Luke 6:40 "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher." (Together I and the Lord should be my children's teachers. If they are trained by an anti-Christian school and teachers, they will be like those teachers.)

Jeremiah 10:2a "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen" (My children should not be "socialized" in an anti-Christian government school with children who are not Christian either.) 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (My children's primary friends that they spend most of their socialization time with should be other kids being taught God's values. In public school they will be more likely to be influenced negatively than to influence others positively.)

Psalm 119:99-100 "I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts." (the results of a God centered education.) 3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." (This is why I will homeschool)

Finally, for those times when Satan tells me that public school would be easier, or when someone tries to make me doubt what I know to be right: 1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Galations 6:9 "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." (I won't give up! My children's future, their eternity, is worth it!)

Most of the ideas in this post came as a direct result of reading The Heart of Homeschooling by Christopher Klicka. I recommend every Christian parent read this book!

Curriculum at a Glance

Last night I gathered up our main books for homeschooling so that I could plan out our work for the next week. This morning I stacked them up in the living room after we finished our homeschool work for the day. Now, this is by no means ALL the books we use, but it represents the most frequently used books. There are two new additions since yesterday we received the activity book that goes along with our history book "The Story of the World" and "The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia" which we'll be using mainly for it's awesome reference section at the back right now.

At the moment we are learning about:
History: Ancient Greece and Greek mythology. The girls can name all the major Greek Gods/Goddesses and tell you something about each one. We are also reading a longer version of the Odyssey.
Math: Danya is learning her 3 times tables. Gloria is working on place value.
Grammar: Abbreviations and initials, also penmanship
Bible: Romans 5:8 for Truth Quest at our church.
Civics: They've almost got the entire preamble to the Constitution memorized!
Science: Danya is studying storms for Earth science and Gloria is studying the human body.
Art: This semester we are learning about the Impressionists. This week is Manet.
Music: They are studying types of instruments and learning to play the trumpet.
Languages: Spanish and American Sign language. We're also going to start learning Greek.

There's always a few other little things, but that is our core curriculum at the moment!

Growing Wild!

Part of the girls' graduation gifts included packs of wildflower seeds and gardening tools. They each picked a sunny spot in the yard to plant their seeds and had a blast getting dirty. Thanks for the idea, Christina!

Our yard is growing a little wild lately, too. It's such an odd shape that it would be extremely difficult to mow it. Daniel needs to get out there with the weed eater, but we haven't remembered to buy string for it yet.

I was thinking today that homeschooling allows my children to grow somewhat wild and free also. For them almost every day involves the freedom to explore and play and do whatever interests them. School work gets to be a small part of the day finished by lunch time and then their day is theirs. It's like that feeling we used to get as kids on Saturday mornings or during summer break when we'd wake up knowing that the whole day is ahead of us just bursting with possibilities. My kids are so blessed!

Graduation Gifts and a New School Year

Aunt Toni sent the girls graduation gifts that were also "house warming" gifts this week. Danya is finishing first grade this month and Glory has completed Kindergarten. We are going to do a review next week to assess where they're at academically. Toni sent Danya a new doll for her collection and Gloria got her very first, very own, dollhouse.

The girls were both super surprised. Gloria was quick to tell Danya not to worry, that she would let her play with the new house. They haven't decided yet if Danya's new doll or the one that came with Glory's house will be the doll that they call "Aunt Toni".

As for graduation, we may make a special dinner at home and have everyone dress up, maybe have a special dessert. I'm trying to think of something inexpensive to do at home that the girls will think is fun and unusual. In the past, for reviews, we've had scavenger hunts that require the girls to use alot of skills and information that they've learned. We had a spelling test this week with words taken from the books they've been reading. Danya actually laughed when she saw the list and said, "Mommy, 'poison' isn't a hard enough bonus word." It came from a science book about Snakes by Dorling Kindersley .

I still think it's strange to classify the girls as first grader and Kindergartner when they are both so clearly above and beyond that. Really, though, they are at various levels for each subject, like Gloria doing second grade math, Danya ready for third grade math, and both of them reading well above grade level. I'm not sure where I would place them in science, an we are finishing up Ancient Civlizations in history right now. We are currently reading about the Greeks. We read part of the Odyssey where Odysseus encounters the cyclops and they are making masks and writing a play about it to perform at our own version of the Olympics tomorrow. We'll have athletic contests like a long jump and races, but also poetry reading and an art show to go along with the play. We've been reading more about the ancient Greeks in our Children's Encyclopedia. As we enter this next year we will move on to learning about Medieval Times. We've got a great year ahead and it will be even more fun as we add more kids to our family!

A Giant Wind!

Danya's open house was great! You can see her in the blue dress and braids in this photo. Her homeschool charter school put on several plays. The 1st and 2nd grade class, Danya's group, performed a western called "A Giant Wind". At one point all the town folk are huddled together in hiding, when one by one they start noticing giant body parts...the giant's toe, his leg, his arm, his neck. Then Danya's big line comes. She stands up, points, and says, "I see a giant snout, and I hope I don't see what comes out!" The whole audience laughed!

She was great! All through the performance she was directing the other kids. Holding one back when he tried to jump up and speak his line too early, and pushing another kid forward when it was his turn and he forgot. During the dance at the end, she knew all the choreogaphy, so the other kids watched her to see what to do next. Later, her drama teacher told me that only Danya and one other girl knew all the dance moves! He said she has a gift for choreography. We were super proud of her!

After the performance we got to tour the classrooms and see Danya's art work, poetry, and other things displayed.

Denver Orchestra

I took Danya and Gloria to the Denver Performing Arts Center with Danya's homeschool charter school to hear the Denver Symphony perform. There was an overwhelming number of school kids there!

Danya knew alot of the music they played because she's been studying composers in her charter school. We play a game at home where I say a composer's middle name or last name, and she has to say the rest of the name. She really likes the game. I'm hoping to find some sort of a trivia game about composers. I bet there's one online.

Homeschooling Hands-On!

This past week the girls haven't done alot of formal schooling. They have, however, learned to use power tools, used measuring tape for meaningful jobs instead of just fake paper rulers for workbook problems, and gotten to be an invaluable part of our home remodeling project.

Daniel handed Gloria the cordless electric screwdriver and told her to remove the two banisters from the staircase so we could paint the walls. She did it all by herself! She even carried the long banisters down to the basement to get them out of the way when she was finished removing them. How many Kindergartners get to do that?!

Danya and Gloria both helped us unscrew the kitchen cabinets, including the counter top. Then they helped us rip them out. They've also helped paint the living room and kitchen. They even painted the lower half of their own bedrooms. I wish I had a picture of Danya using her Dad's big cordless drill!

When they aren't working in the house, they are out in the backyard using the pieces of wood and rocks that they find out there to build things. They made a birdbath, a table, and chairs all from found objects. At home the girls have been reading books for the "Book-It!" program to earn their little pizzas. Danya read a short story taken from Tom Sawyer. We also made our own town map, played a modified version of "Scruples" (a game of moral dilemas), and played a dice counting game called "Toss Up!" I guess, looking back over the past few days, it really has been a pretty full week for them educationally. Danya is also preparing for her upcoming open house musical at her homeschool charter school.

True Grit!

Gloria, Daniel, and I tried out our new power sander while Danya was at school last week. We figured it would make a fun home school project under the category of "shop class" or maybe "home ec". Then again, it could qualify as "life skills".

Either way it was alot of fun. We talked about safety procedures, for instance why we need to wear a mask. We also learned why we should have all been wearing eye protection: little bits of sanded off wood fly through the air and can irritate your eyes. So we'll be purchasing those to do the sanding work at our new house in preparation for painting.

We plan to finish sanding both of these end tables that my mom found for us at a garage sale years ago. Then we'll paint them dark green to coordinate with all our other little projects.