It has been several months since I’ve blogged about what we’ve been doing; which, over the summer really wasn’t much! I started doing Kindergarten with Lexy in the Spring. We worked half pace, so as not to get too far ahead of the regular school schedule. Then, in early June we found out that….WE’RE EXPECTING ANOTHER BABY!!! All of us are extremely excited! However, several weeks later, I wasn’t feeling much like doing anything
So, we have finally started back and have nearly completed our second full week. Here is a recap of our first week back!
Unit 9
Focus: The Time of the Prophets
Memory Verse: Philippians 2:14 – Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God (LOVE THAT ONE!)
In the morning after breakfast, chores, and calendar time, we start with our Bible time. I love this about homeschooling! Especially in these early years, I want our focus to be on character training and teaching the Word. There will be plenty of time for Math and Reading!
Bible:
We focused on the prophets Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah this week. The children saw many examples of evil Kings that worshipped idols rather than the ONE TRUE GOD. They saw that when the kings chose to ignore the warnings of the prophets, there were consequences…just like when we disobey. It is better to OBEY!
They had fun acting out the story of Elijah being fed by ravens (I know my bird puppet is not a raven, but it’s the closest that I had).
They also had fun making glittery pictures of heaven after learning about Elijah being taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
During our Bible time we also sing our memory verse songs from the Hide ‘Em in Your Heart cd by Steve Green. They love to make up motions tot these songs. They also enjoy doing the Rhymes in Motion that are written in to the Little Hearts for His Glory Guide. They are a great way to review the major concepts of the week and work on gross motor skills.
I also made each of us a “Bible Time Journal.” The Bible stories in this curriculum are moving much faster than we are used to. We’ve always done a story for a whole week in our house. I wasn’t sure how much they were able to remember from all the stories we’ve done. So, at the end of each week, we each pick a story to draw a picture of and write a sentence about what we have learned. I wish I would’ve taken a picture of the kids’ journals this week (I’ll have to add them later). Obviously, we have to write Josiah’s sentence for him, but he said, “God protected Joash from the mean Queen.” Lexy wrote, “Elijah went to heaven.” After we each do our entry, we share what we drew and wrote. It’s a great way to review what we’ve learned (pictures to come).
Workboxes:
After Bible time, Lexy sits down to do her workboxes. These are all things that she can do on her own with little to no assistance from me. I try to add fun things into them. So far, she is LOVING doing her boxes each day! They include handwriting, sight word activities, word family activities, journaling, etc. Here’s a peek into a few things she did during week one.
Painting Sight Words from Ready2Read Unit 3
Everyday she enters in her Calendar Notebook. (More about that to come)
Used Alphabet stamps to make her word family words
and MUCH, MUCH, MORE…I have a hard time getting pictures!
What are the preschoolers doing during the quiet working time?
Well, we haven’t officially started preschool back yet…I’m taking things slowly. We’ll hopefully start back in a few weeks. However, I use this time to do quiet activities with them. Here’s a little of what they did.
Puzzles
Stamps
Books
Painting
After workboxes, she and the boys have a break to play before lunch. After lunch, comes nap for the boys. During their nap, we work on Math and Reading. Once we finish up her school for the day, we play a fun game together before her (and MY) quiet time!
Math
We’ve worked slightly ahead in Lexy’s Singapore Math books. The unit this week focused on estimating weights of various items. I did not get many pictures, but we have lots of fun with the ideas added into Little Hearts for His Glory. She always looks forward to the hands-on activities.
One day, she measured out 1/2 cup of different ingredients into ziplock baggies.
She held them up to compare weights. Then, she put them from the lightest to the heaviest. She learned that the same quantity does not necessarily mean the same weight.
Each day, we also practice counting to 100 in different ways (by 1s, 10s, etc.)
Science
To go along with the story of Elisha telling Namaan to dip in the Jordan river 7 times, we did an experiment with water.
The saran wrap was “skin.” They colored brown marker for dirt and put drops of oil because our skin is oily.
First, they dipped it in the plain water 7 times, and saw that the water did a good job of getting the dirt off, but the oil still remained. Next, they dipped it seven times in soap and water. The oil came off. We talked about the importance of washing with soap and water.
On the day we learned about Jonah, we did a “sink/float” experiment. Sorry no pictures!
I am hoping to add in some nature studies soon. Lexy loves science, and I feel the Little Hearts for His Glory is pretty light on the science.
Phonics
Lexy’s reading has really taken off lately. I’m still waiting to order All About Reading Level 1 when it comes out in October. However, in the meantime, we have been doing a mixture of different things. Most importantly, we read, read, read….everyday! She reads a minimum of two books to us a day; however, I find her reading to her dolls/brother…throughout the day. We did just start All About Spelling Level 1 this week, and it seems to be working great as a phonics program, too. We go to the library often and check out lots of easy reader books. We’ve also been working through the Ready2Read program.
I’ve been meaning to put a video of her reading on here, but have yet to do it…hopefully soon!
Literature
Our current read-aloud is The Adventures of Peter Cottontail. Within the guide, there are discussion questions and writing activities. We enjoy this part of the day!
Other
Lexy’s piano class has started back up. She has a new teacher. I wasn’t sure how she’d do with switching after two years, but she seemed to like it. Her new book has started off very quickly. They will be playing with BOTH hands soon…that seems like a big step to me!
She also started gymnastics this week…I can’t believe I forgot my camera on the first day. I’ll have to remember next time. She LOVED it, and can’t wait to go back. They worked on bars, the balance beam, cart-wheels, and all kinds of fun things.
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