From the Classroom

So far, so good on the homeschool front! Noah was upset with me on Saturday and Sunday, because we didn't do school. I'm praying that we can approach it with this kind of attitude for the whole year!

Here's what we're learning this week:

Bible-We are continuing to focus on creation. The first half of the week will be spent looking at differences between sea and land. We are using the "Magic School Bus Catches a Wave" dvd and also a dvd put out by Dorling Kindserley to explore the oceans and ocean life. The last half of the week we will be looking at God's creation of land-based plants and animals. On Friday we will have a field trip to the zoo and then do some drawing and writing activities about what we learn. In the classroom, we will be looking at plant life cycles and learning about the different parts of plants.

Math-We are reviewing counting by 10's, place value, and tally marks. We are introducing <>.

History & Geography- This week we are continuing our study of what things make us different and unique from everyone else. We are really focusing this week on the internal traits that make us unique and emphasizing using our God-given loves and talents to serve Him. We are still working on our book all about Noah.

Language Arts-We are continuing to reviewing alphabet formation, consonant sounds, and short vowel sounds. In spelling, we are working on words that begin with c or k and words that end with -k or ck. In vocabulary, we are working on definitions for words taken from our science lessons. In reading, we continue to work from Noah's reader and are supplementing with books about plants. Especially exciting to Noah are the books we have checked out about carnivorous plants! Noah's hand writing is going smoothly, as I think he is being to recognize that doing it neatly the first time is easier than having to erase it and start again!

Science-We are continuing to study our sense of sight. In particular this week, our ability to detect shapes. This gives us an opportunity to review all of our shapes learned last year. We are also looking for shapes in our environment and learning how man uses shapes to do work (think the tire, etc....).

American Sign Language(ASL)-This is definitely the highlight of the day for all of the children. It is so much fun to see them using the words they learned last week, and Gareth and I are enjoying learning them also. This week we will be learning playtime signs.

I had originally planned to do ASL one week and American history the next, but the munchkins are enjoying them so much that they want to do both. So, we are going to go ahead while enthusiasm is running high. This means that we will finish our Liberty's Kids series early, but we will always be able to borrow them again and review later in the year.

Our church is blessed with an active Homeschool Fellowship. My first meeting was last night, and it was great to get together with other women who are sharing the same struggles, challenges and joys. While there, I was able to take advantage of discount-priced tickets to take the children to the local Performing Arts Center to see "Charlotte's Web" in October and "Buffalo Soldiers" in February. This group will provide a monthly support group meeting for me, lots of field trip and educational opportunities for Noah, access to books and resources, and the chance to see and hear what other people are doing that works well for them. Each month will have a different speaker or topic for discussion. I am really excited about this opportunity, and the fact that some of my favorite friends are there is GREAT!

The other exciting activities that we signed up for this week are AWANA on Wednesday nights and Children's Choir on Sunday nights. Rosie is disappointed to not be starting choir with the boys, but I have promised her she can start as soon as she has her birthday.

Right, now that we've had a break, I'm off to help Noah finish his homework.