Happy New Year!

"I am the good Shepard. The good Shepard lays down his life for the sheep" John 10:11

It's been about 5 years since my last post...time flies! So much has happened over these past few years. After homeschooling for a year, I decided to let my children go to public elementary school because of insecurities on my part. They were only around peers at church & sports, was that enough "socialization"? were they learning as much as they would in school? Etc.

I remember praying around this time that God would allow us to become missionaries abroad & receiving a word that my children are my mission. Hmm. What does that mean? Ironically, my pastor preached a sermon shortly after on how for many of us, our mission work is in our homes, communities, or our Jobs. 

The school was good. It had christian programs that reinforced what they were receiving at home & at church, a mothers prayer group, etc. I was content, but would still have an occasional urge to go back to homeschooling....I guess home really is where the heart is!

<<< fast forward to now>>>

We moved & and I think that I finally understand that word/message from a few years ago! My children are my mission & now more than ever I see the need for them to learn in a non-traditional setting. 

Do I have any regrets about stopping my children's home education? No. I believe that everything happens for a reason & in that time I've learned a lot, created bonds with people that have become my biggest supporters & others who have been homeschooling forever, & most importantly I've grown in my faith enough to say, "Lord, you're in the lead" and truly mean it! These entries will be a journal of my family's transition back into homeschooling. May they be encouragement to others! 

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Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, For in thee do i put my trust"

I haven't posted in awhile but i'll be starting again, starting with today! We have done so much since the last time that i've posted and our home school experience has become more faith based b/c i realize that when you love the Lord, you love him in everything that you do!

We began hooked on phinics for reading at the beginning of the year and the children have continued to excel in math. I'll be updating with photos very soon. Thanks for reading and God bless!

Learning through Rhyme

Word list

1. Fish- the pet
   
2. Disneyland- The place that they traveled to
   
3. Log- An object in the story
   
4. River- Fish' first home
   
5. Bird- Who they met
   
6. Dog- The owner of the pet
   
7. Black- The color of the owner's fur
   

   
    

The objective is to make a rhyming story from a list of words that the children have picked out. You ask, "What rhymes with fish?" and then choose a rhyming word that the kids have said that best fits within the story. The kids and I have had tons of fun with this activity!

 

 

 

 

Dog's pet fish

 

 

In a Deep, Deep river lived a fish

That was suddenly caught by a girl named Trish

 

Next to Trish on a big log

Sat her pet fluffy black dog

 

Trish Gave Dog the Fish as a pet

Dog loved the fish so much that he made him a home on the family's deck

 

When the family went on a trip in the van

They took fish along to Disneyland

 

At Disneyland they met a big bird

That fell in love with Dog's curly fur

 

Dog introduced Bird to all of his friends

Even his best friend, a dog named Ben!

 

The End

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!

I Have many pictures that I've taken from previous assignments that I've yet to upload which I think should be contributed to the "it's around the holidays" lazy bug! Hopefully I'll get them up soon but for now I would like to say from my family to yours, Have a blessed Christmas!

Teaching letter sounds

A game that has proven effective in teaching my oldest two children letter sounds has been "hide it" (I got the idea from a home school blog on family forum). The object of the game is to find a hidden object that starts with whatever letter the parent has called out. For example (if you've hidden a ball, bat, car, and doll) you would say, find the object that starts with the letter "D" and whoever brings the doll gets a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins! Although, the game seems fun it has really helped the children recognize letter sounds.

Unique place for shapes

This activity wasn't quite for my homeschooler but it was excellent for my preschoolers. What better way to teach a 20 something month old child her shapes than carving a pumpkin?

Counting with leaves

I'll be the first to admit that not only is homeschooling beneficial to the child but it also gives the parent a second shot at childhood (maybe not but after you get over the initial stress of wanting everything to be perfect, it can become a stress reliever)…….I do have my own paint set and pack of crayons though! Teaching a child in kindergarten and keeping the attention of the preschoolers has proven difficult at times but it has also given me the opportunity to be as creative as possible. The fall has brought with it many "creative" learning opportunities that have been fun and educational for each of the children.

Fun with leaves- (math)

1. The children and I gathered as many fallen leaves of different colors that we could find. We bought them inside and put them into piles by color. After all of the leaves were in a pile I explained the rule of addition and made math problems for my kindergartener. Ex. One red leaf + One yellow leaf= 2 leaves
   
2. (For the preschooler) Simply counting the leaves proved to be fun and educational for my preschoolers
   

Fun with leaves- (art)

1. After we were done with math we used our leaves to make art. Here is a picture of our "leaf" art: