Peek at our Week: September 11-15

Grace-Filled Writer
We are back to our full routine with school! Monday was my first day back teaching English to 13 homeschooled 12-14-year-olds. This is my 8th year doing this and I absolutely love my job! We are also back to our regular Heart of Dakota studies (Finally!). The girls also had their first day of their science class on Wednesday. After their class there was a great big welcome back picnic. My husband says I’ve been peopled out this week. I think he’s right because I’m exhausted! 

 Beth (5th Grade) – Creation to Christ: Unit 12

Beth has not been as excited about school this year. It makes me sad, but I know this is just a season and it will pass. She is really smart and school always comes easy. Since we started Creation to Christ there has been more complaints about the work. I remember Rose going through this as well. I don’t allow the complaining to go far and she knows better than to whine or gripe with a bad attitude. 

Overall she did very well this week even though I had to have Beth redo some assignments that weren’t completed quite as well as I knew she could. This did not make her happy as you can imagine, but she did redo them and they were much better! I do hope her grumbling attitude passes soon, but until then we will just continue on. 
Rose (7th Grade) – Resurrection to Reformation: Unit 34 
One more week and Rose will have finished this guide! She worked some over the summer and we are really close to finishing up. Our pup Penny has enjoyed having our routine back on track. She likes snuggling while the girls read. She is anxious to finish this guide and head into the next! 
She is continuing on with UnLock Prealgebra from Unlock Math. We reviewed this at the end of last year and it has been a good fit for her. She’s also finishing up some review work from over the summer. We will then pick up again in Principles in Mathematics. 
She’ll be completing the same literature course I teach to my class, but at home. We will give this a try and see how it works! So far, it’s been good!
Grace (2nd Grade) – Bigger Hearts for His Glory Unit 6
Yup, this is school with Grace! She’s such an eager learner and Heart of Dakota is the perfect fit for her. She’s always ready to jump into whatever the activity is and she makes certain we do the activities! This week she practiced playing jumping games like colonial children would have. She sure can get some height! She also learned about William Penn and Benny West. She has asked to read her history independently this year. I don’t usually encourage this until later on, but she is more than ready with comprehension and can narrate what she reads beautifully. I’ll happily read to her when she wants me to, but for now I’ll allow her to continue to read on her own.
Where Beth is complaining about almost every assignment, Grace always asks if there is more she can do. She eagerly completes her grammar, math, and history without any complaint. Hopefully her joy for learning will rub off onto her older sister! 
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To end our week we will enjoy another day at the zoo!

Preserving Memories: September 11-15

Grace-Filled Writer
I’m working hard on my 2009 album! I’m into April now and moving right along. This year has fewer pictures, probably because I was pregnant and had 2 littles who were not quite 4 and 2!!! Not to mention I had several challenges with my third pregnancy. So here are my accomplishments for this week. I have two layouts for Beth’s second birthday. Which do you like better?
Dora element: Little People by Chelle’s Creations (retired)
Boots element: Robyn Pali Designs (retired)
My Values Kit from Forever Sisters Scraps – recolored (retired)
My Values Kit from Forever Sisters Scraps (retired)
Autumn Splendor and Fall Harvest by My 4 Princesses Designs (retired)

Unauthorized from Chara Games: A TOS Crew Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Chara Games Our family really, really loves games. From before the girls could even speak they were sitting on our laps, or the laps of their grandparents, watching us play all variety of card, board, and strategy game and they have been participating as game players since they were each about 18 months old. They are always ready to play a new game, especially when they think it is more grown up! They were especially excited that their Grampy and Grammy were in town from Florida to try out Unauthorized from Chara Games. 
UNAUTHORIZED The premise of this compact card game is to role-play life for Christians in a country where Christians are persecuted. The rules are fairly straight forward, although there is a learning curve which is best worked through by actual game-play. It is also pretty short. All of the games we played took 30 minutes or less.   UNAUTHORIZED My in-laws came into town for an over-night visit on their way to visit more family, but they were here long enough to join in the fun! We played several times with all 7 of us! The fast-paced momentum kept all of us interested. Although recommended for 12 and up on the box, Grace (7) and Beth (10) both really enjoyed it. One of their favorite parts was choosing the character to be. Sometimes we did this randomly, but we also let them pick characters. Each of the character cards had a female side and a male side so each would work no matter who was using it.  

  My husband is excellent at rule-reading and then at providing subsequent explanations. So he played a mock round with himself to see how it all worked. This was a really great idea since we were playing with kids younger than the target age who may have been bored as they waited for us to understand the rules enough to explain them.

 

UNAUTHORIZED There is one designated pastor and one designated state policeman. They are on opposing sides and each is trying to gather the most support. Their loyalty is based upon how many of which color action cards they have. If the player has more green cards, they are on the pastor’s side. If they have more red cards they are on the state’s side. As each player has opportunities to play their cards or take actions they must act in the best interest of whichever side they are loyal. If they happen to have equal of each color they are considered neutral and may play in whichever way they want. Every action made is intended to help sway more people to be loyal to your own side.  

The goal is to be on the winning side whether that is the state or church. The side wins when they all the rounds have been played and they have the most people loyal to them. My girls of course always wanted to be on the church’s side, but the adults understood they wanted to be on the winning side. We all felt like this was a fun game. It did take a couple of rounds to really get the hang of it, and Grace (the youngest) needed some guidance, but she did quite well on her own by the 3rd time we played! They also have asked to play it several more times. It is important to note that this is intended for 6 or more players. There are special rules so it can be played with 5. We did not try these, but basically one person takes on two separate roles and it could definitely work well with someone who understood the game fully.  

The girls and I have been having conversations about how to pray for people in these real-life situations. While this game is indeed quite fun, it has also provided wonderful opportunities to discuss more deeply some of the trials persecuted Christians face. We have friends serving in these nations and this was a great reminder to pray for them and to know exactly how to pray for them. It has also provided reflective moments that really caused us to pause and consider just how blessed we are in this nation and exactly how much we take these freedoms for granted.  I highly recommend this interactive and fun game. Be sure to click below and see what my Crewmates have to say! Unauthorized {Chara Games Reviews}Crew Disclaimer

New Books from Carole P. Roman: A TOS Crew Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Carole P Roman Blog New books are always exciting in our house. All of us girls absolutely love opening the pages of a brand new book to discover what is inside! We were very excited to four wonderful new-to-us titles from Carole P. Roman. These books are high quality and have beautiful illustrations! The titles we had the opportunity to review were:

Can a Princess Be a Firefighter?

Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag: An Oh Susannah Story

If You Were Me and Lived in…the Ancient Mali Empire: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time (Volume 5)

Being a Captain is Hard Work: A Captain No Beard Story (Volume 10)

Books by Carole P Roman  In this sweet title your children will be transported back in time to see what life would have been like for a young girl 700 years ago in Ancient Mali. Many areas of everyday life are included such as food, religion, political structure, family structure, and even marriage and apprenticeship. It is very factual and clearly written. It is important to note that Islam is discussed factual and in a positive way. I suggest pre-reading this portion so you may have a discussion with your children about the religion. My favorite part is that the book is written in the 2nd person narrative, meaning the main character is you. Few books are written in this perspective so it makes for a really different, and fun to read style. I also really liked that important historical figures are featured at the end as well as a glossary of unfamiliar terms. Pronunciation keys allow students to feel more confident in reading unfamiliar and foreign words. Books by Carole P Roman  We have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Captain No-Beard titles we have had the chance to read! They are quirky and humorous and definitely make for laugh-out-loud story time. In this story children will hear the tale of how Captain No Beard must decide whether to listen to his crew or go his own way, even if it means putting them all in danger. It is an excellent tale that should lead to very good discussions about listening to one another and heeding wise council. All of the books in this series aim to teach deeper lessons while being very fun for kids. The “cloud key” at the back of the book will allow students to identify different types of clouds and this title would make an excellent addition to a unit study on weather! Books by Carole P Roman  I personally liked this title the best of all we reviewed. It is a lovely chapter book that takes the reader on a journey with Susannah who is having one tough day! Lots of not-so-great things happen, some because of her own actions and others that are out of her control. The story gives a glimpse inside Susannah’s had and how she processes all of the bad things that are happening. The reason I liked this book so much was how her parents were portrayed and how their wise council helps her in the end. So many modern stories and media portray parents as less-than intelligent and not helpful in solving the problems of a child. To have a book which portrays parents as wise and also have the ability to guide their children through trials is a wonderful blessing! Books by Carole P Roman  I was excited about this book, but I was not as excited after I finished it. There are some things I did really like about it. The illustrations are really fun and child-like. I also like that it encourages young girls to go after their dreams and to try whatever types of jobs they may want. What I didn’t care for was at the very end that says that your job should make you happy. Ideally this is great, but it is not the message I want my daughters to take away. I would much rather them know the most important thing is that they do their best and work hard. I did like how the mother assured her daughter of her love no matter where life took her.  

 The girls had a good time reading these titles! They are all fairly short and quite engaging. They are certainly a wonderful addition to our family library! There are a number of other wonderful titles my Crewmates reviewed! Click below to check them out! Oh Susannah, Bedtime Stories, Captain No Beard, If you were Me ... {Carole P. Roman Reviews}Crew Disclaimer

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain E-Guide from Progeny Press: A TOS Crew Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Progeny Press  Literature is one of the most important subjects for me as a homeschool teacher. That is probably because my background is in teaching literature and writing. I love good books, especially classic children’s literature that has stood the test of time. We usually take a very relaxed approach to literature, simply reading and informally discussing the work through elementary school, but I have several friends who use Progeny Press and I was very interested to give The Bears on Hemlock Mountain E-Guide (Grades 1-3) a try with Grace. She was eager as always and really enjoyed the study! 

Bears on Hemlock Mountain, The - E-Guide
We took one week to use this unit because Grace is a very fast reader. It could be stretched out longer without any problem, but since I knew she would want to read the short book quickly I wanted to make certain she completed it at the same time she read the novel. I wasn’t sure how she would respond to completing the reading questions because of our typical way of studying literature. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she was eager for “more work” as she puts it. This little girl loves school and eagerly jumps into new learning styles. She seemed to like writing the answers write on the worksheets I printed. There were a couple of frustrating moments for her when she could not find the answer to a question. 
I really love it when resources are available in a downloadable format because that means I can use it with younger children. It also saves shelf-space which is a huge benefit for us. I also really like the option of printing the entire file or a selection of needed pages. Since some of these are for the teacher and some are for students this is a great option when you may be studying the novel with more than one of your children. Please note the downloadable files are for an individual teacher or parent to use within their home or classroom. You should always strictly follow the company’s guidelines and use the material in an ethical way. 
 
I really liked the reading questions. Some were straight forward and factual, but others were deeper and provided more thought or inference. I’ll be honest, Grace was not a fan of these more thoughtful questions in particular. She is still only 7 and very concrete in her thinking, but it is time for her to be able to delve more deeply and be able to make inferences about motives or emotions. This was exactly why I loved the questions. Not only did they serve this purpose, but they also showed me an area of weakness in her literature studies I had not yet pinpointed. 
In addition to the literature questions which I found to be so valuable, there are a number of other fun resources and activities. There a number of pre-reading activities which are all highly engaging and Grace particularly liked the mystery word work page and the vocabulary word pages. She adores learning new words so this was perfect for her. There are also several post-reading activities and even a recipe to go along with the unit! The easy to navigate answer key is another plus in this wonderful unit! 
 
I was highly impressed and am exploring some other studies from Progeny Press. I appreciate their solidly biblical world-view and the inclusion of this via Scripture study themed to the novel. It was a great way to help my daughter look at her literature through a Christian worldview. 
There are several other levels and titles my Crewmates have reviewed including Charlotte’s Web E-Guide (Grades 4-6), The Silver Chair E-Guide (Grades 5-7), and Macbeth E-Guide (Grades 9-12). Make sure you click below to see what they have to say about these excellent units!


Study Guides for Literature {Progeny Press Reviews} Crew Disclaimer

Week in Review: September 4-8

Grace-Filled Writer
Well, we had fun this week! The girls spent last weekend with my parents and we spent Labor Day with them. It is wonderful to live so close! 
We went on a field trip to the zoo on Tuesday and it was just delightful! It was so quiet there with they year started for traditional schools. We had a really nice time walking around and the weather was cooler too! 
This week had our last dip in the pool for the summer! 
And now for the most exciting news! I worked this summer on two courses for SchoolhouseTeachers.com! They are now available with your subscription. I’m so happy with both of them!
https://schoolhouseteachers.com/dap/a/?a=45587&p=www.schoolhouseteachers.com/staff-n-teachers/melissa-williamson/

https://schoolhouseteachers.com/dap/a/?a=45587&p=www.schoolhouseteachers.com/staff-n-teachers/melissa-williamson/

Is There Anything Better Than Candy Box-Tract from Let the Little Children Come: A TOS Crew Review!

Grace-Filled Writer

Let the Little Children Come We are a family who believes that our purpose here on earth is to glorify God in all that we do and to take every action possible to further His kingdom. My husband is a pastor of a small church and we absolutely love the people we serve and our ministry here. Those who aren’t a part of our church probably think we are a little weird. We don’t follow the world’s ways in most things. We don’t watch all the latest movies and when we do it is almost always with a filter for content we find distasteful. Our kids do not know the popular music and aren’t familiar with many of the television shows most kids watch. Hey, we homeschool after all…we must be rebels! We do allow our girls to participate in non-scary and gory Halloween activities, including passing out candy from our home. When we lived in Florida we gave away quality candy, tracts, and radio dramas to the families who came to our home. Once our girls started getting a little older and we didn’t do this as much, but this year is going to be different thanks to this adorable little pumpkin! The Is There Anything Better Than Candy? Box-Tract from Let the Little Children Come has my girls already thinking about Halloween and how to use this Halloween tract as an opportunity to spread the gospel!    Let the Little Children Come Halloween Tract  This little pumpkin really is adorable and incredibly easy to put together for the girls! We first spent time reading what each of the leaves. My girls have all accepted Christ as their Savior and this was a wonderful opportunity to remember. Just like Communion serves as a reminder of our salvation story, this was a perfect opportunity to do the same.   

It was very easy to punch out and only took a couple of tries to figure out how it went together. The directions are all visually explained without any words, but were quite clear. It took us a couple of tries because the girls started punching and trying to put it together without first looking at the directions! I thought it was pretty easy although I was a bit too rough on mine and popped off the stem. My girls didn’t have this trouble at all and the next one I did was fine.

Something fun about this is that I didn’t tell the girls what it would be once we put it together. I wanted to see their reactions. I wasn’t disappointed! The girls were quite pleased with the finished product and came to the conclusion on their own that this would be great fun for Halloween.

The girls repeatedly said, “These are so cute! I can’t wait to give them out!” There has also been considerable discussion about what to put into each of them. Some ideas put forth were candy, bracelets, and more candy.They are more than eager for the upcoming holiday this year and the reason is not for their own candy consumption or costumes, but because they are going to have an opportunity to share their faith and the gospel message in a fun way with those who come to our doorstep. Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say! Is There Anything Better Than Candy? {Let The Little Children Come Reviews}Crew Disclaimer

Preserving Memories: 2009 Photos

Grace-Filled Writer

 This week I’ve been working on page from 2009. Looking back over these wonderful times when my girls were so small has been great fun. Little miss Grace hadn’t been born yet.

 

 Play Together from Laurie Scraps (retired)
Template by Miss Fish Designs (retired) 

Week in Review: August 28-September 1st

Grace-Filled Writer
 I’ve had a lot of people ask me about whether our school is in full-swing yet because all of the traditional schools in our area have now started. Because we school through the summer I do have an “official” start date, but this year I’ve given us what I like to call a soft-start to school. We have continued with our summer studies and have just enjoyed these last few days of summer. So yes, we have continued with a full day of learning, but we are not yet to our full curriculum. Next week will be a little different as well because my girls will spend Monday with their grandparents and Wednesday I have a teacher’s meeting in preparation for the middle school English class I teach. The following week will bring us back to our Heart of Dakota curriculum.
 Grace has been enjoying Math Lessons for a Living Education alongside of our Math Mammoth curriculum. This is one of her activities pictured above. She created a store for her sisters to come and shop. She acquired all sorts of items, priced them, sold them, and made change. Mathematics concepts in real life, for a real purpose, and oh so very meaningful. THIS is why we love homeschooling.