Do You Smell What I'm Stepping In?

Today is ALL about the sense, smell. I have lined up a few items for them to smell. Our son wasn't too keen on this experiment...He is in for a treat on Friday! We are doing taste!! :) 

I have vanilla, onion, chocolate, cinnamon, oregano, coffee, vinegar, and pepper.

BL's reaction to oregano! He wasn't a fan. Then I told him that a small amount of oregano is in the spaghetti sauce I make. He had the shocked face on. 

Bear LOVED this activity!! 

He had to make a chart and write what was a "good" smell and a "bad" smell. His chart was even on both sides. I was pretty shocked. I assumed only 1-2 items would be on the "good" side of the chart. 

She really enjoyed the apple cider vinegar and coffee the most! Her grandma-ma would be proud to know that she liked the vinegar smell!! 

Bear smelling vanilla!

Smelling coffee...He wasn't a fan! How could one NOT be a fan of coffee?!?

In math today he learned about length and width. How to know the difference and that you only have to measure two sides because the length and width should be the same on both sides. 

Reading the words and following the directions of left/right and up/down. 

First vocabulary test of the year!!!! 

Love that our Language integrates the Word of God. This section has been using the verse from Isaiah 53:5. Baby Love told me that he thinks he could write a sermon about this verse now!! I may just see if he could and what he would write!

We found the nouns, verbs, and adverbs in the sentence. Also marked out the prepositional phrases. Then he told me what some of the "big" words meant. So proud of this kid and his love for The Lord already!

"He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our inequities. We are healed by his wounds."
Isaiah 53:5

Here is a picture from our family Bible Study last night. Husband told one of his favorite stories from the Bible.

Many Blessings To YOU!!!!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Today we are learning about the sense, hearing! This was such a fun and fast day!! BL in his journal this morning, I had him write 3 of his favorite sounds (in complete sentence stating what kind of sentence it is). He always seems to know how to melt my heart! One of his favorite sounds is hearing his babies laugh! It is such a great sound and I love how our children have really developed this bond together. 

Bear coloring the pictures that make sound.

 For our project today we made rain sticks for our "does it make sound" segment. We will at the end of the week do some experiments with all the senses we have learned for the week! These rain sticks we just used toilet paper rolls, tin foil, and some rice. (*Should have used paper towel rolls.)

They decorated their rain sticks! BL LOVES NASCAR...so all his art projects has to have a few cars on them. :)

She means business with her art. For one that is just merely four years of age...she is quite the artist. I could possibly be bias thought!  

We also made guitars! They learned the difference what strumming and plucking. Also, had to tell me which was louder on their "guitar". They really liked this project...however, they were intimidated by the rubber bands. I think they were thinking they'd pop their fingers or something.Once they figured out it wouldn't do that they were ALL about it! 

Bear decided to use her pencil as a helper for her instrument in making sounds! 

BL with his finished product. We will add more rubber bands, I think. 

I am still doing some "what exactly do you know" work with Bear. I am by far impressed. She just whizzes right through her work pages. She looks forward to doing lessons on ABC Mouse.

He has to wear some noise reducing headphones while sister works on the computer. AKA he gets distracted very easily! I suggest purchasing a pair if you have an easily distracted one at your house as well!! 

Did I mention, I LOVE hearing "School was SO much fun toady, Mom!"

Many Blessings To YOU!!!

5 Senses and a Happy Birthday!

We had a great weekend! My hubby is coaching our sons soccer team! We met with all the other little guys and their parents this weekend! I am so looking forward to watching our son play soccer and possibly just as excited to watch my hubby coach the team! This is his fist time to coach and is looking forward to this and slightly nervous. I know that he will do just great!! 

BL working on his journal entry. Labeling the 5 senses on his self portrait. 

Bear learning about her 5 senses. I asked if she could taste her bed..She thought that was the silliest question I could have ever asked her! I love her face on the "silly" questions!! 

MATH TIME!!! 

 Working on his math! He absolutely LOVES math. I love listening to him while he does the problems. He adds them...then states how it could have been a multiplication problem as well. His mind works in ways my mind would NEVER work or could even possibly work. 

This what comes next, after, in between has been what we have been working on what seem the most.... Such a hard thing to understand. I'm thinking we have finally reached the developmental milestone of understanding this hard concept!! 

Language.He has really learned and started to love this curriculum we are using. He has also figured out how to foreshadow and look for his answers so he doesn't have to go back and find the answer. Once we are done with this book, we will move onto Charlotte's Web. We are really enjoying The Whipping Boy.

Putting the letters in alphabetical order.

Caution: Kids hard at work!!!

Decoding our spelling words. 

Today, our babies were born SEVEN months ago!! We have sang happy birthday to them! They are such a perfect addition to our gifts that we already have! The past 7 months has been such a joy in our household with them!! 

Our first family photo of being a family of FIVE!

Hope you all have a blessed Monday! Ours has been wonderful on this bright sunny day!

Many Blessings to YOU!!!

Why We Homeschool + a Little More

Now that all the schools have started around our area, we have been asked "THE" question. I now am very comfortable with our decision to teach our children at home that I can boldly say "WE HOMESCHOOL!!" I feel so legit now being we have a school name and our routine in order and some sort of organized fashion with our curriculum. Of our four children only one has been exposed to public school. Even putting him in public school, I had the gut, knee jerking, kicking and screaming feeling every year that we enrolled him. I had a deep desire to homeschool, just didn't know the way to do it. So, naturally just stuck him into the system. He is now 7 and had 2 1/2 years in public school under his belt. I couldn't take it any longer and pulled him out after Christmas in his 1st grade year. I have NEVER felt so much pressure and burden relieved off of me in my life. So, I am now doing what I have been called to do. This brings me to point one of why we homeschool.

Eating lunch in their fort!



1. We have been called to teach our children at home. Basically, we are called to be the primary teachers to our children. God created family. Throughout the ages, God’s plan and desire has always been for parents to raise up their children to know and love Him and walk in His ways. This is what we are doing. Simply following God's command of training up our children.
   Along side of just naturally being called to train up our children as it says in Deuteronomy 6:4-7, we do not have a say in what is being taught to our children when they are in public school. At home we base everything back to the word of God. Our lifestyle, curriculum choice, ethics all relate back to God.
   
2. We believe in family togetherness. Not to rely on peers. I am not saying that sending your child to school you won't accomplish the close-knit family we have. You will just have to work quite a bit harder than we do. It's just natural when a family is together 24-7...we will just naturally depend upon each other before we depend upon a friend. 
   
   Peer pressure, kids relying on friends more than family..just comes along with kids spending more time with their friends than family. I have teen girls who I have mentored and they deeply rely upon what their friends say and think over how their family feels and thinks. Then parents can't figure out why their child doesn't take the advise and value their opinion... I just am not comfortable handing my gifts over to that type of influence.
   
   As an adult I have deeply DEEPLY figured this out. I was once that kid who asked friends over my family. This is the complete opposite now!! I would never take a peer's advise or opinion over my family's. My peers also don't understand this part of me. How I could truly hold onto my husband, momma, and BFF sister. Family is the only true thing that has been constant and a free gift from God.
   
3. We don't want to miss "it".  It, it's everything!! Our children are the best and most special gift we have ever received! I just simply am not willing to miss out every single day to public school. I LOVE LOVE LOVE teaching our children. As we work on something and the *twinkle* in their eye of finally understanding "it", how could I miss that!? This way, I simply won't miss "it"! 
   
   The older I get, the more people I know pass. Life is present and next thing I know, it's not. Life is too precious to miss out on these big moments! (cliche..I know) I just cannot miss any of this.
   
4. We believe that each child is an individual and nurturing their gifts and talents with the highest education possible. Lets just put it out there on the line...Who knows their kids better than their momma and daddy? I do not believe having the education major labeled to the forehead automatically makes you qualified.
   
   I have a set lesson plan. Beauty of home educating is what my kids are into, we can totally go with what they're interested in! Princesses, knights, cheetahs, just whatever! We just go with it!! This momma is flexible and can reformulate our week. The ability to not follow a schedule, if we so choose, is an open window to the world God gave us.  The ability to allow our children to be the authors of their own education is priceless. To follow Charlotte Mason's teaching that all children are beautifully gifted beings capable of so much more than most adults accept.  We study art, poetry, culture, language, famous painters, scholars... We also want to keep our children free from the faulty system of busy work, tests, grades and teacher-based 'evaluation'... 
   
   God has blessed every Christ follower with gifts and talents. What better place to nurture those gifts and talents than right at home with family who can lavish them with love and help teach them about those gifts. 
   
   I was blessed to have been raised in such a godly home! My parents were hard working people and dad even preached on Sunday's. I just know how important having people who love you the way a parent loves to help guide you. 
   
   Back to the highest education possible. Homeschooling out numbers the public school at least by 35% in every category. Math, Science, Language, Reading, and Social Studies. We aren't testing the "standard" child...We are simply growing and guiding our individual human gift we have received.
   
5. I want to know what is being taught to our kids. The schools teach children concepts and values completely against and contradictory to what we believe as Christians.  If we want to raise our children up in the 'ways of the Lord', how can we send them away to be taught content we don't believe in and have no power to control?  It just doesn't make any sense.

Enjoying a little car ride together.
Our downtown is amazing and keeps us entertained!!!

These are just a few reasons as to why we homeschool our children. I am sure that there will be many more reasons why we homeschool...but this is what I could throw out onto the computer this evening. Thank you for reading!!

Many Blessings to YOU!!!

Lets Go Bananas!!

Last day of our first week of school! The kids worked SO hard today! Along with the big kids working super hard today the babies tried bananas for the first time! Itty Bitty really liked them however, Bubbers on the other hand was not impressed with them! We have a Baby Bullet that we have been using to make our own baby food. We are loving this product. I would dare to say it was the best shower gift we received. It was even more special because the lady who gave it to us happened to be my FIRST GRADE TEACHER!! She has been such a great impact in mine and my sister (Nan) lives. 

Baby Love working ever so hard on his favorite subject, Math! I think he would sit and work on math all day long! The bear blanket/cape/whatever else uses it for...Was a Christmas gift from his Grandpa and Nanna. This is usually attached to him in some way everyday. We had already started school and taken several pictures before I realized he was NOT dressed. This is pretty much how my kids live at home. Undies all the the time. 

Bear knows how to spell her name. We have been working on how it starts with a capital letter and the rest of the letters are lower case. 

We also made books that were about "me". Bear working her favorite food. She loves cherry tomatoes! 

BL working on his book. One of the pages asked "what is your favorite outfit". I assumed the Bear Blanket would take residence of this page. He picked 'T-Shirt' as his favorite outfit. Totally wouldn't have guessed that answer!! :) 

First week of school has been an adjustment for everyone. Including the dog Charlie. I'm sure all dogs pick the wooden chair to go into a complete slumber in. He was full fledged dreaming!! 

What a fabulous first week we have had! Next week will be doing our 5 Senses!! 

Many Blessing to YOU!!!

Color Me Happy and Chicken Noodles

Today we continued to work on colors with Bear and similes with BL. Before everyone got up to decided to make a pot of chicken noodles. I usually make these ahead of time and then put into the fridge so they can really soak together. Chicken noodles are ALWAYS better the next day. We aren't a left over family so this is how we do it. 

Bear working on the Color Me Happy page that I found on TPT website. It was pretty silly what she chose how a color made her feel. Yellow made her feel good like a leopard!

BL working on his page as well. One of his was red like a clown! 

He's giving me the eye of why are you taking my picture all the time?! 

BOTH of the kids said that one of their colors makes them feel happy when they are at Papa and Gigi's house! Needless to say, we (hubby and I) are chopped liver compared to my parents. Have I mentioned that my parents are the coolest grandparents?! I will elaborate how cool they are in another post one day.

BL doing Math about Me. I found a sheet online but modified it and made it in photoshop myself. 

Bear working on what comes between certain letters. We also worked on what came before. Such a great developmental milestone to reach!

Working matching spelling words with their definition. 

Babies needed to eat "lunch" so we moved into the living room. I am almost positive he enjoyed doing math on the couch!

Since we only school 4 days of the week tomorrow will be our last day of our first week of school! We will do calendar in the morning still, just so Bear keeps with the routine of knowing her days of the week and what is tomorrow...

Many Blessings to YOU!!!