St Patrick's Day 2009

The Leprechaun was busy this morning...

The kids woke up to green hair...

a note on the mirror and green milk.

They got to graph their Lucky Charms before they ate them...

Then the Leprechaun got dad and me...

We did a combination Lapbook using Live N Learn's Folder and Hands of a Child's Project Pack. They came out really cool... Here are some pics from those-

We learned a lot about St. Patrick and some about Ireland and much about the folklore surrounding St. Patrick's Day.

A Fresh Start...

Ah--- January is here... and the first week of school is behind us already! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I took two weeks off of work, and feel like I was never gone! The days just flew by! My Parents-in-Law came down for Christmas, and, as always, it was a pleasant visit. We trekked to EPCOT for a Princess Breakfast for our Princess's Fifth Birthday, we went to MGM to see the Christmas lights, heard Steven Curtis Chapman read the Christmas Story from Luke 2 at EPCOT, and we managed to follow all of the little traditions we've set for our little family over the years... We tried to keep the focus on Christ throughout the season.

We've already had dental appointments (and other mundane events) try to upset our school schedule, but we managed to stay on track this week. We'll just keep taking it one day at a time and try to accomplish as much as we need/want to stay on track... I am getting better at scheduling work and school and home, or maybe it's the two weeks off of work and school that allowed me to get caught up, but I hope I am able to continue. We bought a lot of convenience foods for this week, and managed to not eat out at all- which many of you know is a huge accomplishment for me!!

Although, we are wrapping up Japan, and have discussed taking the kids to a Japanese Steakhouse for lunch today (hoping the lunch prices are less expensive than the dinner prices!)... More on Japan in another post...

We have started Apologia's Zoology II: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day, and with that, LightHome Publishing's A B Sea Creatures for cursive penmanship for DS#1. We picked up our Bible study again, this time studying Gentleness, and learning the 23rd Psalm.. DD and I made bracelets to help us remember the sequence of the verses, and the meaning behind some of them...

DS#1 is studying drawing, using a book called Drawing and Painting Animals by Bill Tilton. This is a First Steps Drawing book, and he has really had a boost to his confidence in drawing through this.

DD#2 is taking another semester in guitar and signed up for Basketball, and DD continues in her ballet- she has her first recital coming up this spring.

Everyone is keeping busy, and finding interests that suit them. DS#1 is looking forward to the day he can volunteer in an animal shelter of some kind - we've read that you have to be at least twelve for most, so I suppose the time is coming when I should start looking into local shelters to find a good fit for him...

December Already?!

Wow! I can't believe it is already the 2nd day of December! We made our family portraits the other day, and I think they came out quite nice :-) Thanks, Dad, for your patience in setting and resetting the timer over 400 times to get just the right shots!



So, we are studying the first Christmas, obviously, and I found a multitude of helpful resources this year! My first favorite is Celebrating the Season! by Sheri Graham. In there I found copywork for the Christmas story found in Luke and Matthew, and was able to adjust to our varying abilities. She also has in there an awesome Advent Calendar, which we are using daily- it reminds me of the Resurrection Eggs, and was VERY easy to put together! Another favorite of mine is the Nativity Lapbook by Angela Frampton. This is a free resource available to anyone to print and I pegged it to be a good independent study for my 6th grader- it is simple enough for him to do on his own, yet he is learning quite a bit. It even has a small comparison/contrast between the Bible and the Nativity Story movie.

For Geography, we are studying the United Kingdom, so this week, DS#2 is reading Magic Tree House #25- Stage Fright on a Summer Night, and DS#1 is Reading Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Together, we are reading The Mystery at Big Ben by Carole Marsh.

For Science, we are still working through Apologia's Zoology I, and currently studying insects. We have raised caterpillars and released the butterflies (one Monarch and five Painted Ladies) and our ant farm is in full swing. All three kids are still enjoying studying Zoology, and I think we are going to be able to move onto Zoology II in January! We recently purchased Sea World passes, so I hope I will find those useful as we study God's swimming creatures...

So- I hope you all are having a wonderful Holiday Season, remembering to keep Christ at the center of it all...

Life

Whew! Life has just been a whirlwind! I took on a part time job teaching two-year-olds in the afternoons. I'm really enjoying that, but I hadn't seen it coming and I've had a hard time keeping up with everything, specifically my blog. We've stayed caught up with school, for the most part, but have not had time for some of the extras. I expect to get into more of a routine here in the near future and get back to some of the "fun stuff" we do for school.

We're currently studying France and pterosaurs (actually, we're just finishing up the pterosaurs and moving onto insects tomorrow). We're reading Mystery at the Eiffel Tower, by Erin Kelly- DS#2 especially enjoys these books, and I've introduced the A to Z Mysteries to him, which he is also enjoying, reading on his own.

Speaking of DS#2, he is enjoying flag football this year. He has a good team and an excellent coach and they have won all by one game so far. Not that that is important, and I never stress winning, but it just makes the boys feel better when the win some ;-) He has even gotten to RUN with the ball some this year, which is a HUGE boost to his interest in the game. He is also still learning guitar and doing quite well at it. He is currently learning some Christmas tunes and Praise & Worship songs. He has a great teacher, there, too.

DD started a ballet class last week. She had been asking to try dance, and they offer it where I am now working, so that was perfect timing. She really enjoyed her first class and did not want to take off her ballet clothes or slippers afterwards.

Mike is taking DS#1 camping again soon, along with DS#2 this time and they have invited some of their friends and dads to come along. I think I will be somewhat envious to miss this time they have together, but I know they will really enjoy it.

We had our 2nd Annual Boy Party (I guess it's going to be annual, now!), and that was a huge success! We had 13 boys over and 12 of them spent the night! I think everyone had a great time! We had make your own pizzas and they primarily played light sabers and dressed up in costumes.

Last week, our church had a Trunk or Treat outreach, and we all had so much fun with that! There were many GREAT trunks there-- Mike & DS#2 dressed up as Indiana Jones, so we decorated our trunk to go along.

I can NOT believe it is NOVEMBER already!!! This year has just FLOWN by!!! I am hoping that I will find time to keep my blog more up to date, so I don't have to do one long post for nearly an entire month!!!

Independence Day 2008 Part 2

We had a great time, relaxing at home. Dad cooked out hot dogs, and we enjoyed watermelon and ice-cream. The kids and I also decorated a flag cake.

When it got dark, we went out in the back yard and lit sparklers and firecrackers. Finally, we sat out by the park and watched huge fireworks displays going off all around us. It was a nice evening out, no mosquitoes biting us, the kids were playing tag and enjoying the fireworks, and Dad & I were able to just hang out together.

Independence Day 2008

Wow! The 4th of July is already upon us! This year, the kids and I studied the Revolutionary War somewhat, so Independence Day should have new meaning for them! I found this great 4th of July lapbook published by Kingdom Kidz Adventures that I'd like to try- at least in part (it is summer, after all)- with them.

We don't have any plans to celebrate yet- I mean, we WILL celebrate, I'm just not sure HOW... perhaps with a BBQ and watching fireworks. A lot will depend on the weather, which is almost always bad in the afternoons this time of year.

Easter

We hope you and your family have a Blessed Resurrection Sunday!

We have had a nice week, learning about the last days of Jesus' life before the cross. We await the celebration of his Resurrection tomorrow. I read the story to my kids from their Bibles (picture Bibles and regular Bibles), but I use the Resurrection Eggs to cement it in their minds. We hide the eggs and take turns telling the story. They absolutely LOVE this! If you don't want to purchase these, you can make your own- there are various websites that can help you, but here is my favorite set from Celebrate the Resurrection:

USING EGGS TO TEACH ABOUT THE TRUE MEANING OF EASTER
Contributed by Angie Rangel

Some of you may do bunnies and eggs and here are some great ways to incorporate them and not lose out on the real meaning of Easter:

Resurrection Eggs

Here's a fun way to teach your kids valuable truths about Easter. This "new tradition" is built upon a simple array of easy-to-locate materials - colorful plastic Easter eggs, a cardboard or Styrofoam egg container, and miscellaneous household items like toothpicks and a small piece of cloth. Sure, you can purchase a pre-made version of this Easter "kit," but making it yourself is a wonderful family time activity, too! This craft is so easy and inexpensive that parents usually wonder why it took them so long to discover and introduce this faith-affirming tradition for the Easter holiday. Whether you buy or build your tray of twelve Resurrection Eggs, be sure to watch your child's face as he/she opens each plastic egg, discovers the hidden surprise and reads about its symbolic relationship to Easter.If you're making your own, go to a discount store or toy store and purchase a dozen (12) normal size plastic eggs. Be sure to buy several different colors. Then number the eggs on the outside from 1 through 12. Finally, place the following items inside. The Bible verses can be written on small pieces of paper.

Egg 1: three dimes / Matthew 26:14-15: "Then one of the Twelve - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.'"
Egg 2: one communion cup / Matthew 26:39: "Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed. 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'"
Egg 3: twine with knots in it / Matthew 27:1-2: "Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound Him, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate, the Governor."
Egg 4: a piece of soap / Matthew 27:24-26: "When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. 'I am innocent of this man's blood,' he said. 'It is your responsibility!' All the people answered, 'Let His blood be on us and on our children! Then Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to the crucified ."
Egg 5: square of red fabric / Matthew 27:28-30: "They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt in front of Him and mocked Him, 'Hail, king of the Jews!' they said. They spit on Him, and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again."
Egg 6: a cross made from toothpicks / Matthew 27:31-32: "After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on him, then they led Him away to crucify Him. As they were going out they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross."
Egg 7: two dice / Matthew 27:35-36: "When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watched over him there."
Egg 8: a tiny bag of crushed rock / Matthew 27:50, 51 & 54: "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split...When the centurion and those with Him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed 'Surely He was the Son of God!' "
Egg 9: strip of white cloth / Matthew 27:58-60: "Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away."
Egg 10: bay leaf spice / John 19:40 "Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen."
Egg 11: a stone / Matthew 27:65-66: "Take a guard,' Pilate answered, 'Go make the tomb as secure as you know how.' So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard."
Egg 12: an empty egg / Matthew 28:6: "He is not here: HE HAS RISEN, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay."

Leprechaun!

St. Patrick's Day 2008!

That crazy leprechaun had a great time with us this year! Here are just a few of the pranks we found. He also TP'd our bathroom and rearranged furniture...

... but my favorite by far -

We have a leprechaun living at our house... most people cannot boast of such a thing... but it has it's disadvantages, too. You see, we've never once been able to catch the little booger (so no pot of gold for us!), and every St. Patrick's Day, he plays pranks on our family! Sometimes it's simple, like rearranging the furniture while we're out, hiding our things, or making a mess-- but in recent years, he's taken to more drastic measures...

... like the time he got me while I was cleaning

the kitchen (at least I hadn't finished yet)....

... or the year he hit Dad with a chocolate pie!

My personal favorite, though, was last year (2007),

when he slimed the boys in the back yard!

Of course, with St. Patrick's Day looming right around the corner, I can't help but wonder what antics he will perform for us this year... Who in our family will fall victim to his little schemes (no pun intended)? Stay tuned to find out!

Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is taking the time to enjoy the season! I like to TRY get all of my shopping done (or at least most of it) prior to Thanksgiving, so I can just sit back and take in all the sights and sounds of the season (and avoid the crazy crowds at the mall)...

This year, for Christmas, the kids and I are using our "An Advent of Ideas" book. It is pretty cool, in that it has a piece of the Christmas story and an activity for every day of December until Christmas. We made this advent wreath to place on our table-

I used the kids' cut out hand prints to make the wreath part. The pink candle is "lit" the first week, representing God's love for us. The white candle represents Christ's purity. The three purple candles (lit each subsequent week) represent Prophecy (reminding us that Jesus' coming was prophesied hundreds of years before he was born), Bethlehem, and the Angels. That is all according to our "An Advent of Ideas" book- I have seen other interpretations on the Internet, though...


The kids also made origami donkeys, to remind them of how Mary got from Nazareth to Bethlehem- we marked those two places on our map to see how far away it was (70 miles as the crow flies)...
I am excited about how all of this unfolding, because even my 3 y/o dd is catching on to the wonder of it all.

We found this Nativity Lapbook on the internet! It was especially fun for my 3 y/o, but the boys enjoyed making one for themselves as well.

The boys made this video (well, they put together the story and told me when to film- then Dad & I helped with the editing). They actually made it as an assignment for Thomas Edison (motion pictures), but they chose The Christmas Story to be their theme, and finished it in December, so I'll add it to this post... I thought they did a pretty good job- especially considering "Mary" bailed on them at the last minute and they had to improvise from there...

Thanksgiving

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We did! Dad was off for the day, so he prepared and cooked the turkey. I made all the other fixins... It all came out so delicious!

For school this week, we studied the First Thanksgiving. We read the Magic Treehouse book, "Thanksgiving on Thursday" by Mary Pope Osborne.

We used Evan Moore's November Theme pocket book for Thanksgiving. And we made place mats that told us what they ate at the first Thanksgiving and and will remind us later of what we ate this year.

Veteran's Day

For Veteran's Day, we used Amanda Bennett's Patriotic Holidays Unit Study. We learned about some of our National Heroes who were also veterans. We learned what Veteran's Day means and how it started. We also learned about some heroes we have in our own family!