Archives for August 2017

Solar Eclipse Activities

August 18, 2017 by 1 Comment

 

Solar Eclipse Activities

 

Start by Learning about the Phases of the Moon

1. View an Informative Video about Moon Phases

2. Watch and then Participate in a Moon Phase Demonstration

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3. Review Moon Phases by sequencing the Phases of the Moon and matching the definitions. We used these free 3 Part Moon Phases Cards from  ETC Montessori. (You may need to type ‘moon’ into the search field.)

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4. Create an Edible Phases of the Moon Model
This was such a fun moon model idea shared by 4th Grade Frolics.

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IMG_2413 IMG_2420

 

Turn your focus onto the Solar Eclipse

Create a paper and brass fastener Solar Eclipse Model 

Learn all about a solar eclipse through Free Videos!

Watch and then conduct your own Solar Eclipse Demonstrations
Video Demonstration (from The Guardian)

Read Articles and Track the Eclipse

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Build a Pinhole Viewer and Discuss Eye Safety

 

Create Some Out of this World Art
 Chalk Pastel Solar Eclipse  (free tutorial from Hodgepodge)

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Don’t forget to enjoy some fun Solar Eclipse Food
Think Sun Chips, Capri Suns, Moon Pies, crescent shaped sandwiches, moon and sun shapes cut from fruit or cheese, cupcakes with yellowish orange frosting and an Oreo on top, etc.

Remember to reflect upon the greatness of our Lord, the Creator God!
Memorize Psalm 19:1 or begin working on learning the entire Psalm! (We have a free Psalm 19 memorization booklet and copywork for kids as well as a memorization and meditation booklet for moms and older kids on our Bible Memorization page.)

The heavens declare the glory of God.
The skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 

May you enjoy this special event with your children (and stay safe)!  
And, if you happen to miss it, there is another one coming across the United States on April 8, 2024!

Filed Under: The Joy of Homeschool

Our 2017-2018 Curriculum

August 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Our 2017-2018 Curriculum

Our 2nd Grader:

2nd Reading  Geography and Missions2nd Bible 2nd Spelling

 

  • Reading/Phonics: All About Reading: Level 2; beginning chapter books; Explode the Code books 5-6 ; Read Alouds
    (Update: He successfully completed All About Reading Level 2 by Thanksgiving and we are moving on to Level 3!)
  • Spelling: Joyful Heart Spelling Skills
  • Writing/Grammar/Composition: BJU English 2
  • Math: Horizons 2 (and moving into 3), Xtra Math
  • Science: Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany (with our nature notebook)
  • Social Studies: Completing 100 Days of American History and then moving on to Geography and Missions
  • Bible: God’s Gospel, God’s Promises, daily Bible reading, AWANA Sparks
  • Music/Art: piano practice, choir

Our 4th Grader:

4th Literature  4th Science  Bible 4th Math

 

  • Reading/Literature:  literature books of our choosing with corresponding comprehension guides; once a month book club; free reading
  • Writing/Grammar/Composition: BJU English 4; Spelling through Scripture; Word Roots Beginning; Homophones
  • Math: Horizons 4
  • Science: Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany
  • Social Studies: Completing 100 Days of American History and then moving on to Geography and Missions
  • Bible: AWANA T&T, daily Bible Reading/How to Study Your Bible
  • Additions:  violin lessons, piano practice, choir

Our 6th Grader:

6th Language Arts   
6th Science science&history6th History

 

  • Reading/Literature: Veritas Press Omnibus 1 Secondary (including Chosen by God, Till We Have Faces, all books in The Chronicles of Narnia series, The Best Things in Life, Unaborted Socrates, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Screwtape Letters, and The Holiness of God)
  • Writing/Grammar/Composition: BJU English 6
  • Vocabulary: Word Roots 2
  • Math: Horizons 6
  • Science: God’s Design for the Physical World – Heat, Inventions & Technology, and Machines
  • Social Studies: Beautiful Feet Books: History of Science with our Inventors & Inventions notebook
  • Bible: Student Leader in AWANA/Trek, daily Bible Reading/How to Study Your Bible, Apologia Biblical Worldview: Who is My Neighbor
  • Additions: Trail Life (Navigator), Student Worship Choir, Khan Academy – Coding!

Our 8th Grader:

8th Literature8th Physical Science) 8th Composition8th History

  • Reading/Literature: Veritas Press Omnibus 2 Secondary (including The Hobbit , The Fellowship of the Ring , The Nine Tailors, The Dragon and the Raven, Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Winning His Spurs, The Two Towers, Henry V, King Richard III, and The Return of the King)
  • Writing/Grammar/Composition:  Introductory Guide to High School Writing: Poetry, Short Stories, Research, and Essays; Easy Grammar Plus  (switched midyear to BJU Writing and Grammar online self paced course)
  • Vocabulary: Word Roots 2
  • Math: Shormann Algebra 1 with Integrated Geometry (0ver 1 ½ years)
  • Science: Apologia Physical Science
  • Social Studies: Beautiful Feet Books: History of Classical Music with our Classical Music Notebook
  • Foreign Language: BJU Spanish 1
  • Additions: Student Leader in AWANA/Trek, Cello lessons, Piano Lessons, American Heritage Girls (Pioneer)

Our 10th Grader:

10th Chemistry 10th History10th Christian Literature 10th Literary Analysis10th Health

 

  • English 10 (Literary Analysis, Christian Literature, and Composition)  1 Credit
    Windows to the World: An Introduction to Literary Analysis by Lesha Myers; Great Christian Writers – Full Length Christian Novels, Study Guides, and Composition; Time 4 Writing Online Course – Essay 
  • Algebra 2a with Integrated Geometry  1 Credit
    Shormann Algebra 2 with Integrated Geometry
  • Chemistry  1 credit
    Discovering Design for Chemistry by Dr. Jay Wile (including labs)
  • World History  1 Credit
    Exploring World History by Ray Notgrass
  • Bible: Issues in World History  1 Credit
    Exploring World History by Ray Notgrass,  Bible, AWANA Journey – Bible Reading and Scripture Memorization
  • Spanish .5 Credit
    Homeschool Spanish Academy – online one on one tutoring
  • Physical Education and Health  1 Credit
    Total Health; Gymnastics
  • Instrumental Music 2   1 Credit
    Violin and Piano (lessons, practices, and performances)
  • Additions: Student Leader in AWANA/Journey, Student Worship Choir, Driving Practice, PSAT Practice, American Heritage Girls (Patriot), Recreational Blog, Script, and Book Writing

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Would you like to see our curriculum choices from previous years?
2016-2017 (9th, 7th, 5th, 3rd, 1st)
2015-2016 (8th, 6th, 4th, 2nd, Kindergarten)
2014-2015 (7th, 5th, 3rd, 1st, PreK)
2013-2014 (6th, 4th, 2nd, K, preschool)
2012-2013 (5th, 3rd, 1st, PreK, 2 year old)
2011-2012 (4th, 2nd, K, 3’s preschool, toddler)
2010-2011 (3rd, 1st, PreK, 2 year old, 4 month old baby)
2009-2010 (2nd, K, 3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived end of year)
2008-2009 (1st, PreK, 2 year old, 6 month old baby)
2007-2008 (K, 3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived mid year)
2006-2007 (PreK, 2 year old, 7 month old baby)
                  – Joyful Heart Character
2005-2006 (3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived mid year)
                  – Joyful Heart Bible and Rhyme
2004-2005 (2 year old, 6 mo old baby) 
                  – Joyful Heart Learning

Filed Under: Curriculum We Use, The Joy of Homeschool

Recipe For a Sweet First Day

August 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Recipe for a Sweet First Day

What do you get when you blend together the first day of school, 2 parents attempting to speak with a British accent, 3 yummy baking challenges, 4 traditional first day activities, and 5 excited homeschooled kids?  Well, you will get the recipe for an exciting Great British Bake-Off themed first day of homeschool, of course!

Tea

Ingredients for a Sweet First Day

1 Day of School
We typically start each homeschool year on a Friday and celebrate it as our ‘Fun Start Friday’.  The kids look forward to the first day and try, throughout the summer, to get me to tell them the top secret first day theme.  Why do we do this?  Well, because, let’s be honest, the rest of our homeschool days are fairly full and organized with academic pursuits that we usually attempt with a great deal of diligence.  Our first day is designed to build excitement and anticipation for a brand new school year.  It also creates lots of fun memories for our family.  This year’s theme was ‘We’re Baking Up One Sweet Year’ and was based off of the Great British Bake-Off television show.

Breakfast

2 Parents attempting to speak with a British accent
Please notice that I said, ‘attempting’.  The kids actually do much better at this than we do!  We ended up being so busy that we forgot to do this through much of the day.   However, we could be heard saying a lot of ‘On your mark, get set, bake,’ ‘No soggy bottoms,’ and ‘It’s a good bake.’  We also tossed around some baking idioms.  It was so much fun!

3 Yummy Baking Challenges
If you have watched the Great British Bake Off, then you know that each show consists of three challenges – The Signature Bake, the Technical Challenge, and the Show Stopper.  We were a bit zealous and did all three bakes on one day.  One or two bakes would have been sufficient.  The kids stuck with it though and we didn’t finish our Show Stopper until 7:30 at night.   It was a long first day, but we all had a blast!

What were our baking challenges?
1) The Signature Bake – Scones

Scones2 Scones1  Scones3

2) The Technical Challenge – Scripture Cookies

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3) The Show Stopper Bake – Decorative Cakes

Showstopper1 Showstopper2Showstopper3

4 Traditional First Day Activities
There are a few activities that our family will commonly do on the first day of school , regardless of the theme – Growing in Grace Sheets, Encouraging Notes, a Scripture focus, and an art or craft project.

  1. Growing in Grace Sheets
    We have the kids think through some of their favorite things (colors, school subjects, books, Scripture, etc.), envision what they want to do this year as well as when they grow up, and consider their areas of strength and weakness.  We also have them draw a self portrait each year and record their new heights and weights.
    GrowinginGraceSheets
  2. Encouraging Notes
    The kids have to think and write a note of encouragement to each of their siblings.  (I write a note to each child as well and place it on the inside of their place card to read at breakfast on the first day.)
    EncouragingNotes1EncouragingNotes2
  3. A Scripture Focus
    We may have sword drills or pass out Scripture references for each child to read aloud.  After reading, we briefly discuss the verse(s) and how to apply it.  Often, the focus will be on love, the fruit of the Spirit, or how to grow in wisdom according to the Bible.  One particular verse will be our theme verse for the entire school year.  This year’s verse is from Psalm 119:103…
    How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.
    Bible2 Bible
  4. An Art or Craft Project
    To go along with our baking theme, we had each child complete a cake chalk pastel drawing! ChalkPastelCakes1ChalkPastelCakes2

5 Excited Homeschooled Kids

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I had to hold back tears of joy several times throughout the day.  Seeing the kids’ enthusiasm and eagerness to participate as well as realizing the privilege we have of being able to enjoy this sweet time with them was priceless.

Showstopper4

Thank you, Jesus, for such a sweet, memorable start to our homeschool year.

Filed Under: The Joy of Family, The Joy of Homeschool

Including Teens: Planning for Their School Year

August 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Including Teens in Planning

If you know me, then you understand how much I  love researching, planning, and organizing – especially in regards to school.  For me, it is more than just a requirement for preparing for another homeschool year.  I actually find it enjoyable! 

As our children have grown, I’ve begun to include them in some of the curriculum selection process.  No, they don’t seem to enjoy it as much as I do.  However, especially as they enter the teenage years, I think it is important for them to be able to have a say in what they will be learning as well as in how they will be learning.

What does this look like?

Starting in middle school, I’ll give them a few options for subjects like history and science as well as seek to somehow include something they are really interested in learning more about. 

For our 6th grade son this year, that involves lots of science – including learning about inventions, reading biographies of famous scientists, and making a science timeline for his history.  It also means making sure he has time during his school day to continue learning how to code with Khan academy.  He is beyond excited for these changes and additions this coming year! 

Our 8th grade daughter loves music.   After looking at curricula, we encouraged her to use her history time this coming school year to study classical composers through biographies and learn about the orchestra and each type of musical instrument.  She also has space in her day to continue practicing her cello and piano, as well as music appreciation.  This is a perfect fit for her this coming year and she is very much looking forward to these aspects in her daily school routine.

For high school students,  it is even more important for them to have a part in the decision making process for each of their subjects.  I explain the graduation requirements, suggest several options, show them online samples, and encourage them to read descriptions in the numerous homeschool catalogs that grace our mailbox. Then, we allow them to attend a homeschool conference with us and to share in the vendor hall experience.  We then talk about the possible positives and negatives of each curricula that they or I are interested in.  In the end, my husband and I are the ones with the final say, but our teens and preteens know that they have had a part in the decision.

It is so encouraging to see the different personalities, passions, and interests that God is developing in each of our children.  By allowing our teens and preteens to participate in  making decisions about THEIR education, we can more easily purchase and plan for curriculum that is tailored to their interests.  This, in turn, causes them to approach their schoolwork with a greater sense of ownership, determination, and satisfaction. 

All of this equals a greater joy in learning!

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Filed Under: The Joy of Homeschool, Why We Homeschool