MFW 1850's to Modern Times Week 4

This was the week I was just so happy to finish out, because I could finally see that I could do school with all three boys and be consistent about it! And, it just seems to get more and more fun each week.  ALL of us keep looking forward to school, and that is huge!

This week, we wrapped up our hymn, "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus."  I think I can safely say it is a favorite for all of us.  Every single one of them was belting it out by the last day of the week.  It makes it a little tough for a mama to sing when she's trying not to cry!  ;-)

We did quite a variety of things for our Bible time this week, including learning about missionaries David Livingstone and Hudson Taylor, reading out of "A Young Person's Guide to Knowing God," and praying for protection over the United States from our enemies.  Our memory verse was 1 John 3:16:

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

The boys were excited that we finished up the beginning-of-the-year handwriting practice this week!

For history, Andrew learned about the Pony Express, and he also learned more about how to read maps.  With Vincent, we read about David Livingstone's trek through the African interior, the "resurrection" of Italy, and the Taiping Rebellion in China.  One of the activities for this was to make a stencil of the front side of a Taiping coin and use it to dust powdered sugar onto a cake.  I found the last non-gluten-free cake mix in the cupboard and made a couple of round cakes for the occasion.  Strawberry!  The temptation was definitely there, but my last experience with gluten is a VERY strong deterrent!

The boys also played a round of States Rummy together, and learned about President Franklin Pierce.

For science, Andrew learned about solids, liquids, gases, melting, freezing, evaporating, and floating.  Sorry I don't have a lot of pictures from this week, but here is one of the experiments.  One plate of water went in the toaster oven (warm), and the other went in the fridge, to learn about how different temperatures affect evaporation. It's hard to see, but the one on the right (on the hot pad) has almost no water left.  Big stuff for a second grader! ;-)

I continued to read "Farmer Boy" to Andrew, and started a book called "Courage to Run," by Wendy Lawton, with Vincent.  It's about the childhood of Harriet Tubman.  It had me crying in the very first chapter.

We finished out our week with a nature walk.  This time we went to a county park reserve near our home, and I think we will be spending a lot of time there this year...we haven't even come close to exploring half of it!

MFW 1850's to Modern Times Week 3

We started this week rarin' to go!  A new hymn plus a little bit meatier history we were definitely ready for.  I'm not sure if I can speak for all my kiddos, but I think "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" has made it to my list of favorites.  By the end of this week, the eight- and five-year-olds were singing pretty loud...my thirteen-year-old is usually pretty shy about singing and is usually very quiet, but I noticed he's getting more into it as we go along.  I even heard him singing a lot louder than usual in the car yesterday when we were listening to a Christian radio station.  I cannot tell you what joy that brings to this mama's heart.  :-)




For our Bible time, we continued reading stories from "A Young Person's Guide to Knowing God," by Patricia St. John.   I am really liking this devotional, as I really think it is teaching my children how to apply passages of scripture to their own lives.  We also took the time to pray for our nation's judicial system and judges.  The first week, we prayed for the President, and the second week we prayed for Congress.  I love this, because not only is it teaching them to pray for those in charge of our country, it is also reminding me to pray for those I often forget to pray for.

Our memory verse this week was John 13:15.

For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

For History,  Andrew learned about the British setting fire to the White House in 1814.  He also began learning how to read maps and directions (N, S, E, W).  We learned and sang the song "My Country 'Tis of Thee."  Please, somebody tell me that I'm not the only one that gets all emotional listening to my kids sing these songs!  We also learned of America's thirteenth President, Millard Fillmore.

With Vincent, I busted out the Story of the World Activity Book (I've been salivating over this since Box Day LOL!).  We read about Queen Victoria and the Sepoy rebellion in India.  We also learned about the Crimean War.  Nope!  Not the current one...this one happened in 1853-1856.  I found it more than a little ironic that this fell into our schedule right now.

While Vincent learned about the scientific method, Andrew learned about molecules and DNA, and then finished off the week learning about solids, liquids, and gases.  Our DNA experiment was especially fun...we saw tiny strands of onion DNA!

At the beginning of the week, we cooked up a Victorian "Tea," complete with Lemon Poppy Seed Afternoon Tea Bread and (probably a bit more un-traditional) root beer floats.  :-)  Yummy!

I finished off each of our days reading aloud "Farmer Boy," by Laura Ingalls Wilder to Andrew and Isaac.  I've always loved this book.  We've also noticed how much they ate back then.  I've tried explaining to the boys that with all the chores and work they had on the farm, they had to eat that much!  It's funny to watch their eyes when the food Almanzo ate for any particular meal is being read.  LOL!

With Isaac in K, we finished off his Turtle unit this week and started U-u-Us.  We've been learning about the five wonderful senses God has given us.  There has been a lot of blind-folding paired with tasting, feeling, and smelling.  ;-)  I was also able to turn this into a discussion about trust, because while Isaac was blind-folded, Andrew jokingly told me I should give Isaac...well, let's just say something VERY unappetizing to taste.  I talked to him about trust and how broken trust is not easily fixed.  I think the highlight of Isaac's week was listening to his classical CD and trying to move gracefully around the house while trying to keep a beanbag on his head.  LOL!

Have a good weekend everyone, and a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

MFW 1850's to Modern Week 2

It was another wonderful week in My Father's World as we wrapped up memorizing the states!  Vincent and Andrew played states rummy, adding more cards as we learned more states, to help them learn.  Well, it was really to help Andrew, Vincent's an old hand at this.  ;-)

They also filled in their maps and colored them.  At the end of the week, I gave them a blank map and had them write in the states without looking at anything (I spelled for Andrew, but he pointed and told me the names).  Vincent got all the states, and Andrew only missed 5!  In 2 weeks, my eight-year-old memorized all those states.  I am so proud of both of them!

 

 We read wonderful stories in a book called, "A Young Person's Guide to Knowing God" alongside our Bible reading, and continued on our hymn from last week, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."  We also sang "This Land is Your Land."

Vincent wrapped up learning the history of science, and Andrew continued to learn about atoms and elements.

Isaac started his next lesson in K, T-t-Turtle.

We wrapped up the week with our first "real" nature walk, which we just took through our neighborhood.  :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

My Father's World 1850-Modern Times Week One

This past week was the first week in a new school year for us.  I now have a seventh-grader, a second-grader and a Kindergartener.  This year, we are using 1850 to Modern Times from My Father's World.

We started each day, of course, with The Pledge of Allegiance.  Then we sing the hymn that we're learning, which is currently "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." This is the video we've been using.  I LOVE the sound!



Next, I work with my Kindergartener on any activities he has for the unit he's currently working on, which is N-n-Nest: God takes good care of me.

This week, Isaac learned about animal homes, particularly birds and their nests.  We studied all kinds of different ways birds make their homes, and in seeing what good care mama and daddy birds take in making sure they have a safe, warm nest and food for their babies, we realized how much more so God takes care of His children.  We also made rice crispy treat nests and filled them with candy eggs and those famous marshmallow chickies.  :-)

After spelling, handwriting practice, and English lessons for the older two, we learned and memorized the states along the northern and southern borders of the United States.  We also prayed for our country and it's Executive Branch.  We sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "If My People," which is based on 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

In science, Andrew began learning about atoms and started his science notebook.

We learned about chain reactions when we added vinegar to heated milk, as well as when we whipped egg whites into foam, added sugar, and baked up some yummy meringues.  :-)  Vincent studied the history of science and conducted a few experiments of his own.

We learned about different densities of solids and liquids.  In the jar above are three different liquid layers.  Corn syrup, water and oil.  We dropped in a cork, an ice cube, a grape, and a rock.

We also learned about how a reaction between vinegar and baking soda made a gas that filled up a balloon.

At the beginning of the week, we enjoyed a dinner from Colonial times of ham with cherry sauce, corn chowder, with apple crisp for dessert.

We started our new math and reading activities, and added learning Spanish to the mix.  We also started Andrew's read-aloud (which Isaac has also been listening in on), "Farmer Boy," by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I loved that book when I read it to Vincent when HE was in second grade, and I'm so excited to be sharing it with my other boys as well.

Finally, on the last day of the week, we were supposed to go on a nature walk, taking clipboards of blank paper and colored pencils to draw something that catches our eye.  Well, the night before and throughout the morning, we got about six inches of snow.  So, rather than trudging through the snow and leaving our paper white (which Vincent joked we should do, since that's all we would be able to see anyway), we looked on Netflix and found a movie about the sun.  The boys paused when they saw something they wanted to draw, and I filed those pictures in their nature notebooks.

All in all, a wonderful first week, and we're all excited about the second.  Which, we're starting today, since hubby is working, and we try to follow his work schedule with school as closely as we can.  :-)

Exploration to 1850 Week 1

We finally got our curriculum last week and so, this past Monday, Vincent started his first week of sixth grade.  Andrew has already been in first grade for awhile...he is about half-way through.  But, since we had been on a break, Monday was just like a first day for everyone.  :-)

We start every day (yep, even the one who is not "officially" doing school yet!)...

I pledge allegiance to the flag

Of the United States of America

And to the Republic for which it stands

One nation, under GOD, indivisible,

With liberty and justice for all.

As the name of the year implies, we started out learning about the exploration period, picking up where we left off last year.  Monday we learned about the Vikings and decorated a cake (that Vincent had made the night before!) to look like a world map.

Tuesday and Wednesday, we learned about Christopher Columbus and Vincent made tin foil boats for himself and his brothers that represented Columbus' three ships, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria.

Then, they filled the bathtub and tried to blow them from one end to the other, as if from shore-to-shore across the Atlantic Ocean.

Of course, with three boys, it doesn't take long for them to start getting competitive...it turned into an all-out race!  I'm not really sure who won, but those boats were not fit to sail by the time they were done.  ;-)

For Bible, Andrew is currently memorizing select verses in the book of Proverbs, and Vincent and I will be studying and learning (together!) the book of James.  Yep, you read that right...memorizing the ENTIRE BOOK of James!  Now as far as books of the Bible go, James is not that long.  However for us, that is still A LOT of memorizing!  I know Vincent can do it, and hopefully, I will be able to keep up!  ;-)  We are also learning some hymns this year, and we will be spending two weeks on each one.  For these first two weeks, we will be learning My Father's World.  It is the name of the company we buy our curriculum from, and, we will be studying many things in our Father's world for science this year.


I am very happy with how this week of school has gone.  I commented to my husband that this is probably the best first week we've had.  Despite our long break, attitudes started out and STAYED good throughout the week.  Now hubby and Vincent have gone to deer camp for the weekend opener, so it's the perfect end to a great week!  Well, for him and hubby anyway.  I never get used to hubby (and now a son already!) going away for the weekend, but at least I have the little guys to keep me company until they go to bed.  :-)

A new school year begins

Today was the first day of kindergarten for my middle son.  He is so excited to finally be doing his own school!  The curriculum we use for all the boys is from My Father's World, and if you click here, you can see their K curriculum.  It is wonderful!

Today, we are starting off a two-week introduction by focusing on the seven days of creation.  We started a creation poster and a creation book, after reading about the first day of creation.  I will post pictures when they're complete.  We also sang the alphabet song and I reviewed letter recognition with him...he already knows a lot of them!  We finished our day by learning the hymn, "My Father's World."  It was a pretty short school day...I think it only took us 20 minutes!  But, it's a good introduction to school for him, and once the first two weeks are done, we will take about an hour to an hour-and-a-half, and it will be a little more intense.

My oldest is still plugging away at fourth grade, which is great!  At his age, he's almost a year ahead, and we have taken our time with this year, as it is our first big year of history.  I'm hoping he'll be done before Christmas, then we can move on to fifth grade after a short break after the New Year.

That's all on the homeschool front for now.  We are down to one car, which I have for the day since we dropped hubby off at work this morning...therefore, it's errand day.  ;)  All that to say, I better sign off for now and get some things done!