Homeschooling, First Week of Second Term, Year 2

Last week we started term 2 and are just loving to learn from the feast set before us. From our literature to poetry to nature study, our homeschooling life is a blessing. Here is a look into our schedule from last week.

We read (one story a day) about the children of Israel leaving Egypt in The Child's Story Bible by Vos.

We started memorizing James1:1-8 (I want us to learn the entire book of James).

Everyday we read a devotional passage from Big Truths for Young Hearts by Ware (loving this book).

We started reading the poetry of James Whitcomb Riley (one a day).

John Singer Sargent is the artist we are studying this term. ~ Oyster Gatherers of Cancale 1878 is displayed on our kitchen table, resting on a cookbook holder.

Edvard Grieg, our term 2 composer, was enjoyed on several occasions.

Everyday we listened to and enjoyed the Hymn, Jesus Lover of My Soul.

Dixie's Land was a fun folk song to sing along with on Thursday.

Recitation was practiced everyday. Julia is learning to recite well a part of the poem, The Fountain of Youth by James Russell Lowell. ~A perfect description of the Dragonfly.

In summer-noon flushes,

When all the wood hushes,

Blue dragon-flies knitting

To and fro in the sun,

With sidelong jerk flitting,

Sink down on the rushes.

And, motionless sitting,

Hear it bubble and run,

Hear its low inward singing

With level wings swinging

On green tasselled rushes,

To dream in the sun.

Julia learned how to spell words using a sentence found in The Farmer Boy. On Friday her daddy dictated the sentence while she wrote them correctly in her journal.

Julia practiced reading everyday from the Elson Reader 3.

Julia practiced her printing by doing copywork of The Fountain of Youth. At the end of the week she asked to try cursive. I linked the Queensland font we are using to make it cursive.

Julia had a math lesson everyday from from Math U See.

Julia gave oral narrations everyday after listening to the bible stories.

Julia my little sweetheart, makes certain that James is learning as well. They both love to play school. The little teacher makes copywork and math lessons for her student, and also teaches the sounds of the letters he is copying.

Last weeks nature study was such an adventure as the storms hit our coast. We made sure to take time to enjoy this rare event. The next day after these pictures were taken, we again took a walk outside. An hour after returning inside we learned of a Tornado Warning! The police and fire departments were up and down our street with sirens, announcing to get inside as there was a spotted tornado in our path. I quickly turned on the weather channel and learned the best way to keep safe. The water spout turned tornado did come very close to home. Thankfully not one person was hurt and witnesses told of a few little boats that were observed 100 feet in the air!


BEACH EROSION

PIER CLOSED

STRONG WINDS

BIG SURF

SNOW STORM

(pretended the children)

The white ocean foam

blew past like a blizzard!

We did brave the storm and ventured out to art class.

Julia drew this camera and painted it with water color.

Last week we also learned a little Spanish, played the violin, added to our history time line, covered geography by locating Haiti on our world map, made cookies, enjoyed afternoon tea and knitted.

I am so glad we learned to knit as it is the perfect handicraft to do while listening to stories.

LAST WEEKS STORIES:

An Island Story ch. 33 The Story of Richard Coeur de Lion

Child's History of the World ch. 54 Tick-Tack-Toe; Three Kings in a Row

Trial and Triumph ch. 13 Bernard of Clairvaux Lover of Christ (1090-1153AD)

The Little Duke 1st half ch. 7

Tree in the Trail ch. 19

Burgess Animal Book ch. 25 & 26

The Wind in the Willows ch. 1

Pilgrims Progress pages 94-101

Farmer Boy ch. 13

A Wonder Book ch. 13

Five Little Peppers ch. 13

Mr. Popper's Penguins ch. 13

Dr. Dolittle ch. 13

Brighty of the Grand Canyon ch. 25 & 26

Laddie pages 25-29

Insect Folk ch. 1 Dragonflies

WE ARE LOVING THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS!

THE INTRO:

(Thanks Jen)

"One can argue over the merits of most books, and in arguing understand the point of view of one's opponent. One may even come to the conclusion that possibly he is right after all. One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it because it is criticizing us. It is a household book; A book which everybody in the household loves, and quotes continually; A book which is read aloud to every new guest and is regarded as the touchstone of his worth. But I must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it, don't be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting on judgement on my taste, or on the art of Kenneth Grahame. You are merely sitting in judgement on yourself...It is you who are on trial." A.A. Milne.

JAMES' BADGER

We just read about Badger in

The Burgess Animal Book

and were introduced to him in

The Wind in the Willows.

JULIA'S BADGER

Handicraft

The idea to make our 'Art and Hooks Rack'...

...came from the pages of Handmade Home.

We started with this panel of pine.

The children helped to prime the wood.

Our colors were painted on after carefully

measuring, drilling holes, and taping off.

We made four Art and Hooks Racks at the same time...

So I chose the art work from Julia and James' nature

journals and had them color copied to make four sets.

Julia drew the birds last year. James drew the pepper

tree and pine cone recently.

Mod Podge was brushed under and over

the drawings. Ribbon was then glued on

across. Lastly, the glass hooks or knobs

were screwed in place.

We now have a place to hang our jackets, hats, and

scarves. What I love most about this rack is the art

it displays!

Nature Walk

Brown Pelican

Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron


A January afternoon nature walk at the Wetlands

The ripe fruit on the Prickly Pear Cactus was beautiful!

A little time left to play at sunset...

On our favorite railing...

And the best part after a 3 hour walk

is getting to bring home the walking sticks!

Riding and Skating

My little man learned how to ride his two wheeler last Sunday, January 3rd! He is loving it!!!


Today, my little sweetheart is roller blading on her own for the first time! She is also loving her new wheels!!!

Education is the Science of Relations

A child should be brought up to have relations of force with earth and water, should run and ride, swim and skate, lift and carry; should know texture, and work in material; should know by name, and where and how they live at any rate, the things of the earth about him, its birds and beasts and creeping things, its herbs and trees; should be in touch with the literature, art and thought of the past and the present. I do not mean that he should know all these things; but he should feel, when he reads of it in the newspapers, the thrill which stirred the Cretan peasants when the frescoes in the palace of King Minos were disclosed to the labour of their spades. He should feel the thrill, not from mere contiguity, but because he has with the past the relationship of living pulsing thought; and, if blood be thicker than water, thought is more quickening than blood. He must have a living relationship with the present, its historic movement, its science, literature, art, social needs and aspirations. In fact, he must have a wide outlook, intimate relations all round; and force, virtue, must pass out of him, whether of hand, will, or sympathy, wherever he touches. This is no impossible programme. Indeed it can be pretty well filled in by the time an intelligent boy or girl has reached the age of thirteen or fourteen; for it depends, not upon how much is learned, but upon how things are learned.

Charlotte Mason

Volume 3, page 161

Merry Christmas

Celebrating the birth of Christ...

May you have LOVE, JOY, & PEACE from above.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Blessings,

Garrett, Johnna, Julia, and James

Understood Betsy

Understood Betsy has been our favorite read aloud so far this term. It is the one that I just cannot wait to read each week! Our last chapter is coming to an end...we will miss this book, until we read again. This is one of many of Julia's favorite parts:

It was a warm, dark evening in late May, with the frogs piping their sweet, high note, and the first of the fireflies wheeling over the wet meadows near the tumbledown house where 'Lias lived. The girls took turns in carrying the big paper-wrapped bundle, and stole along in the shadow of the trees, full of excitement, looking over their shoulders at nothing and pressing their hands over their mouths to keep back the giggles. There was, of course, no reason on earth why they should giggle, which is, of course, the reason why they did. If you've ever been a little girl you know about that.

One window of the small house was dimly lighted, they found, when they came in sight of it, and they thrilled with excitement and joyful alarm. Suppose 'Lias's dreadful stepfather should come out and yell at them! They came forward on tiptoe, making a great deal of noise by stepping on twigs, rustling bushes, crackling gravel under their feet and doing all the other things that make such a noise at night and never do in the daytime. But nobody stirred inside the room with the lighted window. They crept forward and peeped cautiously inside. . . and stopped giggling.

Owls

When my friend Katie shared with me the owl ornaments in the C&B magazine, I thought they were just adorable and had to make my very own! It was enjoyable planning the colors and finding the right fabric prints to suit these critters. These little owls were made for each of the families we adore in our nature study group. Merry Christmas! Hopefully we will get see a real owl together:)