Week in Review: February 5-9

Grace-Filled Writer

We had a pretty good week. Nothing super exciting except…

THE OLYPMICS! 
Free-Learning Friday
Yes, we may have caught Olympic Fever in this house which is much preferable to the flu we caught a few weeks ago! Starting Thursday we have been spending a lot of time watching the Olympic games. We have completed unit studies in the past, but this year we are opting to just keep on with our regular studies, enjoy the Olympics, and do research about the sports or countries when questions arise. Here are some of the questions the girls have had:

1. What does OAR mean? and Why do those people not have a country flag?

This question was coupled with This led to a really good discussion about drug use in athletics and cheating. We didn’t go into excessive details, but enough for them to know some people take drugs to try and be better athletes and not only is it illegal, it is harmful to their bodies. So we explained a little bit about what happened with Russia in the Summer Olympics and then a little bit about the consequences. We were all happy to see the atheletes had a way to compete even if they couldn’t do so under the Russian flag.
2. How do they score curling? 
I’m not sure I understand this yet! Still, we have really enjoyed watching the Hamiltons, the brother and sister mixed-doubles team. 
3. Where is ___________ ?
This has been asked A LOT. So we pull out a map and look up the countries. 
4. Who do we want to win?
This was from my 8-year-old, Grace. When we explained we were rooting for team USA, she said, “Why don’t we want Florida to win?” Oh how we giggled! I have to admit when we lived in Florida there were times I felt like I was in a foreign country because of the balmy winter weather. 
So that was our free-learning Friday and will be until the Olympics are over I think. Now onto what we did the rest of the week! 
 Rose (7th Grade): Revival to Revolution Unit 8
 Rose is really getting into history this year with the focus on the Revolutionary period. So much so that she is taking some time on her own to do more research sometimes. She was excited to make the stained-glass inspired water color this week. It’s not quite done yet, but she first drew it and then painted it over the course of a day. You can see her tablet set out. She opted to listen to the history recordings for the day while she painted. Ever my multi-tasker!
Beth (5th Grade): Creation to Christ Unit 22
Beth is working on long division these days…and she doesn’t mind! She gets frustrated when she makes little errors. She is convinced she has done it all correctly and finding errors really bothers her. This isn’t a bad thing really. She doesn’t let it bother her long and it usually helps her focus more clearly for the rest of her work. 
She enjoys her history, but I think she will have more fun next year. Ancient history has never been a favorite of any of my girls. They enjoy learning the biblical aspects, but some of the other stuff gets kind of dull to them. Honestly, it does to me too. I’m glad we deep into Jesus’ ministry on earth as we both find this much more interesting!

Grace (2nd Grade): Bigger Hearts for His Glory Unit 15
I wanted to use this fun photo of my girl doing her thing at Upwards! She loves cheering and her coach I enjoy watching her branch out and try new things! We really like the Upwards program and how it teaches sports.

We also like there they take the time to share about faith in Christ. This is Grace and one of her good buddies on the cheer squad. Her mom and I have gotten to be good friends too. They have cheered together for two seasons now and hopefully will again next year!

As far as school, Grace was her typical happy, bouncy self all week. She also wrote her own grammar lesson for her sisters to complete and is enjoying a typing program we are reviewing. She enjoys the history readings we do and especially loves vocabulary! The words always come from our readings for the week and its never a problem completing them. Her older sisters never loved this part of their studies in this guide. It’s fun to see how her different personality and interests motivates her learning in a different way.

How was your week? See what my Review Crew Crewmates have been up to!

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Week in Review: January 29 – February 2

Grace-Filled Writer
I’m pleased to say we are healthy and back on schedule! It’s such a relief for us all to be back to normal. Although I can’t say the same for the rest of our city. People are dropping like flies from 2 strains of flu, strep throat, stomach virus, and I don’t know what else! We were so focused on getting work done this week I forgot to take pictures. This is a rare photo op to be honest. The girls are rarely all working on the same subject and usually scattered throughout the house. All three were working on math here and decided to sit at their desks. Homeschooling is so beautiful in allowing them the opportunity to work comfortably! And now on to our studies…
Rose (7th Grade): Revival to Revolution Unit 7
 Rose has loved learning about the Revolutionary period of American history. As a supplement to our regular studies she has enjoyed watching several episodes of Drive Thru History available with our SchoolhouseTeachers.com membership. I love having extra resources. All of us are watching the episodes. My husband and I especially enjoy them. We like watching documentaries, but it’s hard to know if we are viewing something factually trustworthy or with more of an agenda we don’t care to view. Drive Thru History appeals to our whole family because it’s not simplified, the girls understand it, and its both historically accurate and looks at history through a biblical world-view. 
Rose has also been reading Anne of Green Gables and very much enjoys it! This makes me happy because Lucy Maud Montgomery is my favorite classic author. We are planning to watch the mini series soon.
Beth (5th Grade): Creation to Christ Unit 21
Beth is moving right along with ease now in her studies. She likes learning about the Roman cultures and we too have had the opportunity to use Drive Thru History. We started with the Greek culture because she has finished studying this portion of history already. I’m so pleased to see her handwriting improving on her notebooking pages. Starting in 4th grade I require the girls to write (except spelling) in cursive. It’s taken some time for her to adjust to this but now writes with ease. I like reading her thoughts on her reading. 

She is currently reading an abridge version of Tom Sawyer. I want my girls to know the classic stories and give them exposure to this when possible, but still protect their innocent minds as much as possible. I realize this cannot happen 100% in our world, but that means my husband and I have chosen to not intentionally expose them to literature which contains words we would not permit them to say be it cursing or use of the God’s name in an unholy way. Not everyone abides by this and I am in no way advocating you should also take this course. What I do encourage you to do is make an intentional choice, know what the actual content of a book is before handing it to your children, and have very open conversations about that content. I don’t shy away from uncomfortable topics, just language which we would not deem acceptable. This will probably change as the kids grow older, but it does not seem necessary at this point.

Grace (2nd Grade): Bigger Hearts for His Glory Unit 14
Grace is also studying the American Revolution. It’s a very different feeling than how Rose is studying, however. It’s much less detailed and less intense at her age. She also enjoys the Drive Thru History episodes we have watched. She is very quick to say, “Mommy! That was in one of my books we read!” She has shifted back to asking me to read her history aloud to her which is always fun. When I was sick she happily read on her own, but I like having that time to discuss what she is reading, especially why I may change the wording of things like “Indians” to tribal nations/Native Americans or “whites” to colonists or settlers. 

Grace is currently reading another novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder by her own request. All of the girls ready Little House in the Big Woods first although Grace had the benefit of a couple of early reader chapter books we had acquired. She really enjoyed these stories and has wanted to continue through the series. Right now she is reading On the Banks of Plum Creek.

 Click below to see what my fellow blogging Crewmates are up to this week in their homeschool!

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Adventures in Odyssey Club Updates!

Grace-Filled Writer

Are you a part of the Adventures in Odyssey Club??? If not, you need to give it a try! My daughters love being a part of the club! They usually listen to 2-3 episodes a day between their free time and bedtime. I don’t mind one bit! They are being entertained and absorbing solid biblical teaching at the same time. They especially love the monthly stories which often deal with cultures around the world. 
For Christmas we gave our nieces and nephews subscriptions to the club! They were sooooo excited and couldn’t believe they would be able to have Adventures in Odyssey on their own tablets! 

We love this crew of kids soooo much. We have often given them individual CD sets, but this year we gave them EVERYTHING Odyssey has to offer! 
My girls also absolutely love to read the Adventures in Odyssey books! They were thrilled to hear about this brand new series coming soon! 
We can’t wait to get our hands on this! 
One last tidbit you might be interested in…
https://focusonthefamily.webconnex.com/co-valentinesday
How fun is this??? Instead of just buying cards from the store your kids can print and give these awesome Adventures in Odyssey Valentines Day cards and share the love of God with their friends this Valentine’s Day! Another fun thing you can do is provide a membership for the kids in your life this Valentine’s Day. I like this much better than handing out chocolate. 
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Books I and II in the Remnant Trilogy: A New Leaf Publishing Group Review

Grace-Filled Writer
 
I love reading a good book. The written word captures my imagination and draws me into new worlds like nothing else! These days my free-time is limited, so when I read I only want to read quality literature that is also going to be edifying. I also love historical fiction, but didn’t really delve into biblical literature until the last year or so. I have found that I really love it! 


I was very excited to have the chance to review the first two novels in the Remnant Trilogy by Tim Chaffey & K. Marie Adams and published by New Leaf Publishing Group. Everything I’ve read from New Leaf Publishing previously has been nonfiction in nature. The writing is always engaging and keeps my interest and I was excited to give these fiction reads a try. I am pleased to say I was definitely not disappointed! I was captivated from the start and am greatly anticipating the third in this series!

You might wonder, as I did, how in the world could there be enough about the life of Noah to require three entire books! There are only a few short chapters in the Old Testament and a handful of verses in the New concerning this man of God in Scripture. I was warily curious initially. I have read plenty of historical fiction which took way too many liberties with the facts. This irritates me to no end! I’m fine with a little creative license to fill in the gaps, but not at the expense of historical facts. I am pleased to say these novels do nothing that contradicts Scripture. Don’t get me wrong, the authors absolutely take creative license, but in a beautifully artistic way that does not take away from the Word of God. It was really fun to imagine along with the authors what Noah’s life may have been like, what his relationship with his parents or siblings may have been, more details about the society. It was so much fun to imagine the possibilities! I don’t want to give away the stories, but if you like biblical fiction you will really enjoy these reads! 
In addition to a really great story-line there are some other features of these books you won’t want to miss. There are several sections at the end of the novel that provide further information I found completely fascinating. The first is a section intended to answer questions which you may have as you read the novel. They are focused on the apologetic side of faith and they are very well explained. This could provide some wonderful discussion for a book club. 
Because the novel intentionally breaks stereotypes many believers have about Noah which aren’t actually grounded in Scripture, the next section is very helpful in detailing what is found in Scripture. To be honest, there isn’t that much concerning the life and times of Noah in the Bible so having this factual list really helps clear some of that up, showing where the authors greatly used their imaginations. 
The final section is incredibly fascinating if you have had or plan to have the opportunity to visit the Ark Encounter! There is a fabulous list of details found in the novel which you can see in the various exhibits on the Ark. We had the opportunity to visit the Ark Encounter in May. It was an incredible experience. Reading this novel makes me want to go back and take it with me to find all of these elements! 
You won’t be disappointed by this novel. I also would encourage middle school and high school students to read this as well. This would make an excellent read alongside your studies in apologetics! 
Disclaimer: I received digital copies of Books I and II in The Remnant Trilogy from New Leap Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Peek at Our Week: January 22-26

Grace-Filled Writer
Since I came down last with the bug in our house, everyone else was feeling pretty good by the time it hit me the hardest. That meant I had 4 wonderful people taking care of me! I pretty much just stayed in bed for 3 days and slept as much as I could. By Monday I wasn’t 100%, but definitely was starting to improve. I felt like I needed to push forward with school. I cancelled my piano lessons for the week, so after I worked with the girls in the morning I could rest in the afternoon. Even though I wasn’t at my best, we had a very productive week in school! 
Rose (7th Grade): Revival to Revolution Unit 6

Rose continues to do a significant portion of her work independently. I love that Hear of Dakota teaches students this way. She knows how to research, how to ask good questions about historical events, and how to draw her own conclusions about those events.

This week she baked English tea cakes and French tea cakes on different days as she studies the two revolutions. With the exception of a little instruction on how to scoop the flour for measuring and what settings were best to use on the mixer, she did everything on her own! My mom has spent time teaching the girls about baking and cooking and they help me quite a bit for meal preparation. I was pleased to see she has absorbed so much in understanding how to bake and cook. The treats were delicious, by the way!

One thing we are working on this year is taking responsibility to complete assignments independently. This means I’m allowing her to be her own time manager. As I’m recording grades this year I will take points off if she does not have an assignment completed on time. My goal is to help her become a good time manager. As we look forward to high school I’m not quite sure what that will look like yet, but I do know I need to give her the tools she needs to succeed no matter what we end up doing.

Beth (5th Grade): Creation to Christ Unit 20

Beth is learning to focus a little more intently on her studies. She has always done very well with her studies, but her mind tends to drift to other things and it slows her down. I’ve been pleased at just how focused she has chosen to be since we started back with school after the new year.

One of her favorite things is mathematics, especially story problems. She likes doing mathematical calculations in her head and really doesn’t enjoy our geometry units. Life of Fred is a great supplement for her as she enjoys the stories as well as the mathematical correlations.

History is focusing on the life of Christ currently. I love that with Heart of Dakota the stories she has heard since birth are given a new perspective with the other historical accounts of Rome. It’s sometimes hard to place the events of the Bible with the rest of world history for me. Growing up with a public school education (which was excellent in my case!) the teachers did not talk about biblical events as history and so they almost seemed separate. I’ve enjoyed learning alongside my girls a fuller picture of history.

Grace (2nd Grade): Bigger Hearts for His Glory Unit 13

Grace is such an eager learner. It doesn’t matter what we are doing she says, “Yay!” I hope she always has such a positive view of school. It is partly her personality. Being the third child in the family I think she has a go-with-the-flow kind of attitude about life and always sees things optimistically. It is fun to teach a child like this!

I’m more directly involved in Grace’s learning than her older sisters. We read history together, although this week I didn’t have a voice for the first few days so she read it independently. As part of her geography we learned about land form terms like mountain, valley, and plain. She made the forms out of play-doh and as I gave the definition she tried to guess the word. It was a fun way to review geography.

The only thing she likes less than everything else is literature. It isn’t that she doesn’t like to read and not even that she doesn’t like the stories. I think the problem is that she is always on the move and to have to sit and read chapter books just isn’t her favorite. I also feel it is good to stretch the girls with their reading and sometimes ask them to read books that are harder than what they are used to. She is currently reading The Silver Chair and the chapters a longer than she is used to. Her favorite thing to read for pleasure right now is my collection of Peanuts comic books!

Free-Learning Friday

I mentioned our starting this a couple of weeks ago. Grace and Rose were in full-on sick mode and so they didn’t get to participate in the fun. This week Beth is completing her standardized testing this morning so they had a chance to get in on the fun! Even though they each chose a different subject to focus on, they wanted to learn with each other. Fun aspect I hadn’t thought would happen! Below are more about their choices.

Grace: Doctoring

Grace dreams of being a doctor or nurse one day. She waivers between the two because she likes the idea of being  a doctor, but knows the nurses are the ones who actually provide the nurturing care and that is what she wants to do. She asked to learn about something that would help her learn about being a doctor. I pulled out some of our “body” books and she had fun learning new facts and the locations of our organs!

Rose: Hand Lettering

Rose dreams of becoming an art teacher. She has a natural aptitude towards artistic endeavors and is always looking for ways to build this skill. This week she chose to watch a portion of one of our See the Light DVDs. They created the word “Glory” with artistic lettering and illustration.

It’s fun to see my girls learning and choosing to follow their own interests. It’s one of the beautiful things about homeschooling. It isn’t that kids in traditional schools can’t follow their own learning interests, it’s just that it is harder between the hours spent in school, homework, hours parents are working away from home, and sheer exhaustion. I’m forever grateful for this opportunity the Lord has provided us to homeschool.

What has your family been up to this week?

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Peek at Our Week: January 15-19

Grace-Filled Writer
So the virus that hit our house last week made its way through the rest of the family. I’m the last one down and have no voice at this point. I am starting to feel better, but having the entire household sick means we didn’t get much work done this week.  Rose finished up the work from the previous week she didn’t get a chance to complete because she was sick. Beth came down sick on Monday, so she had the week off like her sisters did the previous week. Grace did little bits of learning here and there, but it was pretty much just independent whatever she felt like.
We also got a beautiful and rare snowfall! Eleven inches is a big deal in the south. Unfortunately the girls didn’t get to play in it as much as normal because of being sick. 
 Buckets out in preparation of making snow cream! We also tried to make maple candy like Laura Ingalls did, but that didn’t work out so well. I’ll have to read up more on how to make that happen.
 Once their coughs calmed down a bit, I let them hang out on the porch long enough to build a little snow buddy. 
Take a look at what my Crewmates have been up to this week!

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