Monthly Theme: Teaching Service-Oriented Leadership
-I got a book on African food to try out from the library
-Tova is teaching African dances for our family dance class on Tuesdays
-I will pick some history that is happening contemporary with Revolutionary America in Africa next week
-We will watch a prezi on it
-Every Tuesday I encourage them to master a Geo-Safari card that has something to do with Africa
Math focus: Patterns and shapes (connected to theme as we look at the patterns and shapes in good leadership)
--I picked up a bunch of "shape" books at the library
--we made shapes out of pretzels one day and they ate them while I read about shapes in nature to them and how different shapes are perfect for different things: hexagons-maximize content while strong shape (beehives), triangles-strongest shape and connection to when two people are drawing closer to God in a triangular relationship, they are drawing closer to each other
-Games like Set, Q-bitz, and I hope to get some tangrams for them to play with
Leadership Skills:
Authors in the Attic (or crawlspace :)...) on Thursdays
Mini-class on writing with a prompt for Authors in the Attic on Monday (or Tuesday if we don't get to it!)--five-ten minute review of something like: capitalization, run-on sentences, etc.
Reading:
-Continue to read aloud "The Lottery Rose"
-Weekly "Aspire" or conference talks that we cover in devotionals or on their own
-Encourage them to read "Gifted Hands" or "The Once and Future King" as books that focuses on "sacrifice" that month
Weeks at a glance so far:
Week 1: Principle: The Virtue of Sacrifice--A good leader sacrifices
Devotionals on "sacrifice" all week long
Monday: Word study on "sacrifice"
-I asked the kids to come to a mini-discussion examples of leaders who sacrifice
-We ended "sacrificing" our school time to get the house ready to show to someone and went to the DI
-writing prompt: short lesson/review on capitalization and encouragement to correctly apply it as they write a "first-person" glimpse from someone, some hero, that exemplifies sacrifice.
Tuesday: Time machine: The sacrifice of settlement: Forts!
-Read Chapter 15 of Vol 3 of Story of the World while they made "forts" out of home-made graham crackers and frosting or hot glue and popsicle sticks
Wednesday: Eureka!
-Trip to the park with short science lesson during a picnic lunch...mini-experiments from the chapters from Wilde's "In the Beginning" and discussion about different forms of visible and invisible light and how sacrifice sometimes may seem invisible but it always has an effect.
Thursday: The goal was to do an art project, have a discussion and do Authors in the Attic but with another house showing, I don't even remember what we got in. I think we headed to the library and picked up a slew of books on different topics from that week and the week to come, had some pizza, I did some piano lessons and then we had Sports Day. I am sure I took a nap that day as well :).
Friday: I got sick and so we just survived :)...
After a "cumulative" discussion at the table of examples of sacrifice we had come across during the week, the kids watched "Joe vs. The Volcano"...kind of a stretch for sacrifice :), but they enjoyed it.
Week 2: Principle: The Virtue of Service--A good leader serves
Devotionals on "service"
Monday: Leadership academy:
Word study on "leader" or "service"
-They could do their penmanship on one portion of the word study or on our new poem by Emily Dickenson:
-I make peanut butter sandwiches while they do their copy work and then we watch a "Cyber Chase" episode that teaches how to use deductive reasoning and can be loosely tied into sacrifice (the creature gives up his last wishes to help others)
-10 Minute Math with the kids, reading to the little ones, nap, and then awake to hurriedly finish writing my "Authors in the Attic" for last week that we never did on our crazy Thursday. We have that in the crawl space (amazing stories!) and then we emerge in time for me to do a quick piano lesson with Drew before going to play basketball at the church.
-Games together: 1 to 7 to 1 and others
-Basketball! We split up into boys vs. girls and they skunk us but I also see my boys working together, cheering each other on, and teaching each other. Priceless and completely worth losing :).
Tuesday: Early morning so we all get going quickly and most of us have done our basics and zones and math before devotional comes around at 9. I tell all the kids to prepare to share something about one of our Revolutionary War heroes for the time machine today.
-Devotional: Mother Teresa, article on service from this month's issue of "The Friend" magazine, and story of "The Wooden Doll" that they act out from "A Story to Tell"
-break before time machine for final prep for time machine
-Time Machine!
Hava (6) shared a picture she drew from a picture book about Benjiman Franklin I read to her earlier today
Piper (8) listened to a story online about George Washington (carefully screened to be truthful and positive) and drew "picture notes" to share with us. She came up with a game to do and made some "lumpy porridge" like the soldiers would have to have eaten. The game was marching in formation and taking turns "ordering the troops."
Hyrum (10) sat on Piper's rocking horse with a hat on his head and read "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" to them while they ate "Caramel Pops," part of Hava's presentation because they were puffy like the lightning clouds from Franklin's famous kite experiment and were also invented...yes, a happy stretch :).
Lily (almost 12) found a picture of Molly Pitcher online (one of her personal heroes) and shared some facts about Pitcher.
The Goob (13) took everyone outside for "Steal the Bacon." His application? Paul Revere had to work with the numbers 1 and 2 ("one if by land and two if by sea) and they are numbered in Steal the Bacon. They also have to move fast like Revere did :). Tova pointed out that one side could have represented the Yankees and the others the Red Coats...so fun!
I went inside to write in my journal until Kel came through the door: "Ready for a piano lesson, mom?" We were off!
-Piano lesson for him,
-quick making of layered bean dip for lunch,
-10 Minute Math with him during lunch,
-Family reading of "Lottery Rose" immediately after lunch
-brief quiet time while Lek got a cello lesson from his dad when I cleaned up lunch while trying to listen to Henry V
-piano lessons for the Goob and Lily
-an awesome African dance session led by Tova...quite the work-out!
-a mini-break for everyone while they planned which songs they wanted to learn for sign-language... hilarious to listen to :)
-sign-language by Tova and now a blessed hour of peace and play outside while I go and make dinner and finish up this post!
Kel is at dance during this time and of course the whole time is intermingled with little Spooner (2) trailing around making messes, eating whatever he can get his hands on, Hava complaining to be hungry every 10 minutes (and also laying down and coloring on the bed next to Spooner to put him to sleep...so sweet!), and Papaya (4) doing things her own way. We get snuggles, smiles, hugs and kisses as the little ones join or hang out in the periphery, depending upon their moods :).
W a brief science lesson, swimming, and a visit to the library on the way to or from the pool. Tova and Kel have a madrigal-type group practice tomorrow afternoon that keeps them busy while we get to do our own things. After our Mondays and Tuesdays, we are ready for that!
Continent Focus: Africa
-Tova is teaching African dances for our family dance class on Tuesdays
-I will pick some history that is happening contemporary with Revolutionary America in Africa next week
-We will watch a prezi on it
-Every Tuesday I encourage them to master a Geo-Safari card that has something to do with Africa
Math focus: Patterns and shapes (connected to theme as we look at the patterns and shapes in good leadership)--I picked up a bunch of "shape" books at the library
--we made shapes out of pretzels one day and they ate them while I read about shapes in nature to them and how different shapes are perfect for different things: hexagons-maximize content while strong shape (beehives), triangles-strongest shape and connection to when two people are drawing closer to God in a triangular relationship, they are drawing closer to each other
-Games like Set, Q-bitz, and I hope to get some tangrams for them to play with
Leadership Skills:
Authors in the Attic (or crawlspace :)...) on Thursdays
Mini-class on writing with a prompt for Authors in the Attic on Monday (or Tuesday if we don't get to it!)--five-ten minute review of something like: capitalization, run-on sentences, etc.
Reading:
-Continue to read aloud "The Lottery Rose"
-Weekly "Aspire" or conference talks that we cover in devotionals or on their own
-Encourage them to read "Gifted Hands" or "The Once and Future King" as books that focuses on "sacrifice" that month
Weeks at a glance so far:
Week 1: Principle: The Virtue of Sacrifice--A good leader sacrifices
Devotionals on "sacrifice" all week long
Monday: Word study on "sacrifice"
-I asked the kids to come to a mini-discussion examples of leaders who sacrifice
-We ended "sacrificing" our school time to get the house ready to show to someone and went to the DI
-writing prompt: short lesson/review on capitalization and encouragement to correctly apply it as they write a "first-person" glimpse from someone, some hero, that exemplifies sacrifice.
-Read Chapter 15 of Vol 3 of Story of the World while they made "forts" out of home-made graham crackers and frosting or hot glue and popsicle sticks
Wednesday: Eureka!
-Trip to the park with short science lesson during a picnic lunch...mini-experiments from the chapters from Wilde's "In the Beginning" and discussion about different forms of visible and invisible light and how sacrifice sometimes may seem invisible but it always has an effect.
Thursday: The goal was to do an art project, have a discussion and do Authors in the Attic but with another house showing, I don't even remember what we got in. I think we headed to the library and picked up a slew of books on different topics from that week and the week to come, had some pizza, I did some piano lessons and then we had Sports Day. I am sure I took a nap that day as well :).
Friday: I got sick and so we just survived :)...
After a "cumulative" discussion at the table of examples of sacrifice we had come across during the week, the kids watched "Joe vs. The Volcano"...kind of a stretch for sacrifice :), but they enjoyed it.
Week 2: Principle: The Virtue of Service--A good leader serves
Devotionals on "service"
Monday: Leadership academy:
Word study on "leader" or "service"
-They could do their penmanship on one portion of the word study or on our new poem by Emily Dickenson:| IF I can stop one heart from breaking, | |||
| I shall not live in vain; | |||
| If I can ease one life the aching, | |||
| Or cool one pain, | |||
| Or help one fainting robin | 5 | ||
| Unto his nest again, | |||
| I shall not live in vain. |
-I make peanut butter sandwiches while they do their copy work and then we watch a "Cyber Chase" episode that teaches how to use deductive reasoning and can be loosely tied into sacrifice (the creature gives up his last wishes to help others)
-10 Minute Math with the kids, reading to the little ones, nap, and then awake to hurriedly finish writing my "Authors in the Attic" for last week that we never did on our crazy Thursday. We have that in the crawl space (amazing stories!) and then we emerge in time for me to do a quick piano lesson with Drew before going to play basketball at the church.
-Games together: 1 to 7 to 1 and others
-Basketball! We split up into boys vs. girls and they skunk us but I also see my boys working together, cheering each other on, and teaching each other. Priceless and completely worth losing :).
Tuesday: Early morning so we all get going quickly and most of us have done our basics and zones and math before devotional comes around at 9. I tell all the kids to prepare to share something about one of our Revolutionary War heroes for the time machine today.
-Devotional: Mother Teresa, article on service from this month's issue of "The Friend" magazine, and story of "The Wooden Doll" that they act out from "A Story to Tell"
-break before time machine for final prep for time machine
-Time Machine!
Hava (6) shared a picture she drew from a picture book about Benjiman Franklin I read to her earlier today
Piper (8) listened to a story online about George Washington (carefully screened to be truthful and positive) and drew "picture notes" to share with us. She came up with a game to do and made some "lumpy porridge" like the soldiers would have to have eaten. The game was marching in formation and taking turns "ordering the troops."
Hyrum (10) sat on Piper's rocking horse with a hat on his head and read "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" to them while they ate "Caramel Pops," part of Hava's presentation because they were puffy like the lightning clouds from Franklin's famous kite experiment and were also invented...yes, a happy stretch :).
Lily (almost 12) found a picture of Molly Pitcher online (one of her personal heroes) and shared some facts about Pitcher.
The Goob (13) took everyone outside for "Steal the Bacon." His application? Paul Revere had to work with the numbers 1 and 2 ("one if by land and two if by sea) and they are numbered in Steal the Bacon. They also have to move fast like Revere did :). Tova pointed out that one side could have represented the Yankees and the others the Red Coats...so fun!
I went inside to write in my journal until Kel came through the door: "Ready for a piano lesson, mom?" We were off!
-Piano lesson for him,
-quick making of layered bean dip for lunch,
-10 Minute Math with him during lunch,
-Family reading of "Lottery Rose" immediately after lunch
-brief quiet time while Lek got a cello lesson from his dad when I cleaned up lunch while trying to listen to Henry V
-piano lessons for the Goob and Lily
-an awesome African dance session led by Tova...quite the work-out!
-a mini-break for everyone while they planned which songs they wanted to learn for sign-language... hilarious to listen to :)
-sign-language by Tova and now a blessed hour of peace and play outside while I go and make dinner and finish up this post!
Kel is at dance during this time and of course the whole time is intermingled with little Spooner (2) trailing around making messes, eating whatever he can get his hands on, Hava complaining to be hungry every 10 minutes (and also laying down and coloring on the bed next to Spooner to put him to sleep...so sweet!), and Papaya (4) doing things her own way. We get snuggles, smiles, hugs and kisses as the little ones join or hang out in the periphery, depending upon their moods :).
W a brief science lesson, swimming, and a visit to the library on the way to or from the pool. Tova and Kel have a madrigal-type group practice tomorrow afternoon that keeps them busy while we get to do our own things. After our Mondays and Tuesdays, we are ready for that!
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