4/30/11

Kid Funnies

Since my house is full of princesses, you'd have thought we'd rise early in the morning to watch the prince get married.  Not so - for we value our sleep more than our British royalty.  However, this morning DH sat down at the computer and pulled up the ceremony on YouTube to let Princess L watch some of it.  After the lengthy processional by all the others, the big moment finally arrives.  You know - the part where the bride walks down the aisle.  After watching for quite some time, and commenting on some of the hats on the guests, Princess L points to the new Dutchess on the screen and says, "What's that lady doing in the front?"  I guess she didn't realize she was the bride.

4/29/11

MFW 1st Grade

I wanted to post a little bit about how we've been using MFW 1st Grade with Princess L.  First, we haven't been using all of it.  We like Math-U-See, so I choose to use that instead of the math activities listed in the teacher's guide.  Second, although I really like all that they use for the Bible portions, it is enough work for us with the Awana verses to learn.  Third, Princess L is the third child and we just don't have time for science.  We have a few science videos and many live action videos about animals.  We have tons of books about scientific subjects.  For me, that is enough at this stage.

What we have used is all of the reading and writing activities.  One thing that I really like about this program is the Bible reader and notebooking.  The Bible has been simplified for these beginning readers based on the phonics rules that have been worked on during the week.  They alternate between a phonics lesson and Bible reading and notebooking.  After Princess L works through the Bible reading, she narrates the story back to me in her own words.  Then we try to come up with a sentence or two that gives the main point of the story.  Her favorite part is making a picture to go with it.  I am including a slide show with her work so far.

TOG Year 4 Week 33

This week we learned about the eight years of life during Clinton's presidency.  One thing that I noticed is that, although I read through the teacher's notes that TOG provides, I really didn't have any "I didn't know that" moments like I have in the past.  Perhaps that is because these were the years that I really started paying attention to what was going on in the world and made a serious attempt to understand it.  These were the years when I graduated from college, looked for my first full time job, worked a full time job (and a part time job), lived completely at my own expense for the first time, got married and had my first child.  All the while, I began to realize that the sheltered little world I had created for myself really didn't exist.   So, I was forced to grow up, become an adult, and decide once and for all if the things my parents, schooling, church and personal faith taught me were true.  Amazing that the things I learned from my parents and from the Bible have been the thing that were true and have served me the best.  (I know you always said it would be true, Mom.  You were right!)

Princess E - 6th Grade - Dialectic
Latin for Children Primer A: Finishing lesson 32 - just the last page of the book.
Math-U-See Epsilon: Working on lesson 8 - this is adding more than one set of fractions - and she's had a time with it.  We've done the first three worksheets, but I'm not satisfied that she knows yet what she's doing.  She knows the right steps, but is either being very careless, or just working too fast. 
IEW:  We are going to take a break from this to finish our TOG studies, then take the last two weeks of May to finish our IEW, MCT and science.
Foundations 1:  Finish IN-
MCT Language Arts: See IEW above
Practice Island: Sentence 81-85
McCrabbs: We have now finished book A.  We will not start book B until next fall.
Science:  See IEW above
TOG Yr4 Wk33: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Homeland: The Illustrated History of Israel; Idiot's Guide; Joni: An Unforgettable Story; Understanding Jewish Holidays and Customs. Read Aloud - none.

Princess S - 4th Grade - UG
Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 7.11-8.1
Math-U-See Delta: Finish lesson 7
IEW, MCT Language Arts, McCrabbs and Science: same as above
TOG Yr4 Wk32: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People; Countries of the Middle East; The 19902: From the Persian Gulf to Y2K; The Indian in the Cupboard. Read Aloud - same as above.


Princess L - K - LG
MFW First Grade: Lessons 98-102.
Math-U-See Alpha: Continue lesson 7 +2  - We added in the online drill at Math-U-See.  The other thing we are going to start is Calculadder.  I forgot I had a CD with the first three books on it.  So far, she has just done the first level which is writing the numbers 0-9 ten times each, correctly, in under two minutes. 
Explode the Code Book Two: Lesson 8

Princess M - PreTOGger
This little one is so excited to become a Cubbie next year.  We have one week of Awana yet, and her big sisters are telling her that she can consider herself a Cubbie after the closing ceremonies.  And of course, they are practicing being a Cubbie with her.  She is going to show up in September on the first day knowing the song, the key verse and the verses for the brochure.

4/24/11

TOG Year 4 Week 32

Ahh, the memories.  This week we studied the presidency of George H. W. Bush.  I remember much from his presidency.  I was a junior in high school when he took office.  I was not yet paying attention to the world going on around me at that age.  But, my senior year the Berlin Wall came down, and I do remember that.  I was a freshman in college when Operation Desert Storm was launched, but was visiting home when I heard about it on the radio.  And my sophomore year of college, the president came to a nearby town on a whistle stop train tour of Wisconsin.  A bunch of friends and I piled into cars and drove to the depot.  We all went through metal detectors and climbed up the temporary bleachers that had been moved in for the event.  As the train passed by, we could see the president and first lady on the end of the caboose waving to the crowd.  We were so far away they looked tiny, but the loudspeakers were great.  That is the closest I have come to a president.  This was the first election that I was able to vote in, so it was definitely a memorable event.  These were memories I was able to share this week with my princesses.

Princess E - 6th Grade - Dialectic
Latin for Children Primer A: working on lesson 32
Math-U-See Epsilon: working on lesson 7
IEW:  We are going to take a break from this to finish our TOG studies, then take the last two weeks of May to finish our IEW, MCT and science.
Foundations 1:  Finish suffix -LESS, begin prefix IN-
MCT Language Arts: See IEW above
Practice Island: Sentence 77-80
McCrabbs: 76-78 - We have now finished book A.  We will not start book B until next fall.
Science:  See IEW above
TOG Yr4 Wk32: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Homeland: The Illustrated History of Israel; Idiot's Guide; Joni: An Unforgettable Story; Tensions in the Gulf; Understanding Jewish Holidays and Customs. Read Aloud - The Story of the World, Volume 4, and Red Scarf Girl (which we finally finished).

Princess S - 4th Grade - UG
Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 7.8-7.10
Math-U-See Delta: Finish lesson 6
IEW, MCT Language Arts, McCrabbs and Science: same as above
TOG Yr4 Wk32: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People, Countries of the Middle East; The Cold War, The Indian in the Cupboard. Read Aloud - same as above.


Princess L - K - LG
MFW First Grade: Lessons 90-97.
Math-U-See Alpha: Begin lesson 7 +2  She went all through the workbook pages, but she is still counting out the answers.  She is nodding her head twice as she counts in her mind.  So we're going to do some flashcards and a few extra worksheets before giving her the test
Explode the Code Book Two: Lesson 67

Princess M - PreTOGger
I'm going to be planning out what to do with this little one as soon as we finish our TOG studies.  We will have a bit lighter of a load for the last two weeks of May, so I'm going to look at what I have on hand and what I'd like to accomplish with her next year.  Since she has a November birthday, it is a little bit iffy as to whether we can do a K4 curriculum, or keep with a preschool type curriculum.  If I go with a K4, I will be slowing it down - more for myself than for her.

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

It's Easter!  The grave is empty!  His work is done!

And our work is to let everyone know.

Matthew 28: 19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

I am comforted by the last words.  There are days, when I look at the direction of our country, and of the world as a whole, when I feel despairBut then I remember His promise, and remember that the end of the book is already written.  I have no reason to despair because my redeemer lives!  The grave is empty - the stone has been rolled away - and I am free at last.


May our Savior, Jesus Christ, give you the assurance of His grace and mercy on this blessed Easter morning.  May He wash you clean in His blood.  May He give you true freedom.

4/22/11

Princess M Funnies

Last night, DH was hiding in Princess M's closet when we went in to get her pjs on for bed.  I saw him rather quickly, as I was facing him.  But Princess M was facing away.  He got the giggles before she saw him.  She turned around to see what the noise was, saw him hiding in the closet and said, "You're freaking me out, Dad." 

4/17/11

Music Bridges

Princess E has been working hard for her Music Bridges exam which took place this past Saturday.  We are still awaiting her scores, but she feels good about them.  DH took her there as I was up at our MACHE convention.  But I was praying and getting jittery for her as her assigned time approached.  For this exam, Princess E memorized the song A Little Flower by Gurlitt.  She then wrote a poem based on her emotions from the song.  She also wrote two songs of her own, Angry Clouds and Clear.  She sang on Clear while playing.  DH snapped this photo of her as she was dressed up and ready to go.  (She is hoping to record these songs, as well as about 12 others that she has written in the last several months.  When she does I'll post links.)


As I look at this photo, I'm wanting to break out in Yiddish songs.  I realize that she is growing up faster than I am wanting her too.  Where does the time go?

TOG Year 4 Week 31

I have waited to get to this week all year long.  As a Reagan conservative, I am a big fan of this era of history.  I also spent the portions of my childhood that were most memorable during the 80s.  So remembering the events from this week, and being able to contribute first hand to the narrative was a lot of fun. 

Princess E - 6th Grade - Dialectic
Latin for Children Primer A: Finish lesson 31 and begin lesson 32
Math-U-See Epsilon: Finish Lesson 6 and begin lesson 7
IEW:  Skipped this week
Foundations 1:  Finish suffix -LIKE, begin suffix -LESS
MCT Language Arts: None this week
Practice Island: Sentence 73-76
McCrabbs: 76-78 - We have now finished book A.  We will not start book B until next fall.
Science:  None this week.  We will be doing two extra weeks of science the end of May to make up for our missed time.
TOG Yr4 Wk31: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - Tasting the Sky; Homeland: The Illustrated History of Israel; Idiot's Guide; Joni: An Unforgettable Story; Tensions in the Gulf; Understanding Jewish Holidays and Customs. Read Aloud - The Story of the World, Volume 4, and Red Scarf Girl.

Princess S - 4th Grade - UG
Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 7.4-7.7
Math-U-See Delta: Begin lesson 6
IEW, MCT Language Arts, McCrabbs and Science: same as above
TOG Yr4 Wk29: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People, Countries of the Middle East; The Cold War, The Breadwinner. Read Aloud - same as above.


Princess L - K - LG
MFW First Grade: Lessons 86-89.
Math-U-See Alpha: Begin lesson 7 +2 
Explode the Code Book Two: Lesson 6

Princess M - PreTOGger
Princess M did lots of coloring this week.  She also made some tea parties for her dolls and bears, and decided that her favorite movie was Tangled, which two of her sisters went together to purchase.

4/8/11

TOG Year 4 Week 30

Week 30 is an interesting week because much of what happened during the Carter administration mirrors situations of today.  We talked about the Camp David Accords, and talked about how they are coming to an end today.  We talked about the energy crisis and the high cost of energy.  We talked about the hostage crisis.  That was one of my first historical memories as a child.  I remember watching the whole thing on TV - not really understanding what was going on - but realizing that it was something important.

Princess E - 6th Grade - Dialectic
Latin for Children Primer A: Begin lesson 31
Math-U-See Epsilon: Lesson 6 - this lesson has been a bit more difficult.  I'm not sure if it is just rushing to get through, or if it is that she doesn't understand.  She can tell me what to do, so I'm assuming it's the former.
IEW:  Begin lesson 11
Foundations 1:Assessment 4 and begin suffix -LIKE
MCT Language Arts: Princess E is working on her final draft of a poem to be used next weekend in a piano festival.
Practice Island: Sentence 68-72
McCrabbs: 76-78 - We have now finished book A.  We will not start book B until next fall.
Science:  We didn't get to science this week due some warm weather (finally) and used the time to get some fresh air for a change.  We will be doing two extra weeks of science the end of May to make up for our missed time.
TOG Yr4 Wk30: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - Tasting the Sky; Homeland: The Illustrated History of Israel; Idiot's Guide; Mao Zedong's China; Teresa of Calcutta. Read Aloud - The Story of the World, Volume 4, and Red Scarf Girl.

Princess S - 4th Grade - UG
Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 7.1-7.3
Math-U-See Delta: Begin lesson 5
IEW, MCT Language Arts, McCrabbs and Science: same as above
TOG Yr4 Wk29: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People, Countries of the Middle East; The Cold War, The Breadwinner. Read Aloud - same as above.
 Princess S completed her first piano exam and this week we got the score.  She received a 91 out of 99!  We are so proud of her.  She practiced hard and was happy with how she did.

Princess L - K - LG
MFW First Grade: Lessons 79-85.
Math-U-See Alpha: Finish lesson 6 
Explode the Code Book Two: Lesson 5

Princess M - PreTOGger
This little one is very happy to have warmer weather again to play outside.  It has seemed like a long winter.  I'm still on the fence about what to do with her next year but have several options.  I'm not going to firm anything up until after our MACHE conference for sure.

4/7/11

Well Said, Ms. Kelly, Well Said

This little video clip brought me some sunshine. Funny if you've been there - and educational for everyone else.