End of year project for Lola!

 Good day!  

Today we have another homeschool post.  

We are talking about a fun holiday celebrated by the Jewish people.  It is called Purim.  Purim literally means "lots" and is sometimes known as the Feast of Lots.  This Jewish holiday commemorates when the Jewish people were saved from persecution in the ancient Persian Empire.  This story can be found in the Book of Esther.  

   

Lola has been studying ancient history this year starting with Creation and going through the time of the Greeks, so for her end of the year project she chose to cook some dishes that have been used to celebrate this holiday called Purim.  She chose four different recipes.  She cooked all day long, but it was all very delicious!  We decided to invite my sister and her family over to enjoy some of this feast as well.  

The first dish she made was a Traditional Purim Roast.  The recipe called for brisket but after realizing how much brisket cost we went with a substitute.

The next dish she made was the traditional challah which had golden raisins in it.  

After this she made Latkes!

And last but certainly not least she made some Apricot Hamantashan.  This is a triangular cookie which is supposed to represent Haman's three cornered hat.

We all had a wonderful time listening to the story of Esther and eating all the food!  Oh and Oreo even wore his fancy shirt.  

Praise God for all the amazing ways He works out His plan.  His ways are better than ours.  

Now, let's ask Lola a question or two about her year studying Ancient History.

1. What did you love or dislike about studying Ancient History this year?

I love History! I think my favorite part was that I got to read the Bible a lot.

2.  Tell us your most favorite book you read this year.

My favorite book I have read this year, I am actually reading currently. It is The Mysterious Benedict Society. Its got mystery, action, and my favorite, suspense. I definitely recommend it!

3.  What is one thing you like about the story of Esther?

Esther's faith and boldness. Even though she risked being executed, she went before the king, and saved her people.

4.  Of all the things you learned this year, what do you think will be the most helpful?

I think History. I learned a lot about different ancient religions and cultures. I love learning about different cultures!

5.  What are you looking forward to reading, watching or doing this summer?

Well I am definitely excited to read all of The Mysterious Benedict Society because there are 4 books. That will probably take most of my Summer. 😂 As for TV, all of the new Marvel shows! Black Widow comes to Theaters in June, and I am pretty excited about that. For activities, I am busy with my Etsy shop, and crocheting different goodies. I am making a Baby Yoda blanket and I probably won't finish that until Christmas.

Okay, thank you Lola!  This was a fun project!

An Interview with Emma on Homeschool

Happy Graduation Day to Emma! 

 

Eleven years ago Daniel and I took a leap into homeschooling.  Emma was starting second grade and Lola was just beginning K4.  Those years were so fun and I remember being so excited to start.  Now here we are with Emma graduating and she is salutatorian of her class!  WOW!

So, to celebrate this wonderful achievement I thought I would give her a little interview!  I thought I'd give her some questions and let her tell us exactly what she thinks.  SO let's hear what she has to say!  Okay, Emma here we go........

1.  What is your most favorite memory of being homeschooled?

I think my most favorite memory of being homeschooled is a long time ago, probably when I was in  4th grade and my mom would read Bible stories to us in the morning. We would get to draw a picture of the story while she told it.  I don't know why, but that was probably the most fun part of school for me.  It kind of makes sense now because I love to draw and I love reading the Bible too, so it's a mix of two things I love!   

2.  What was difficult or positive about being homeschooled? 

The positives of being homeschooled for me are 1) being able to take a trip somewhere whenever you want to.  We would always take spring or fall break either earlier or later than public schools because all the vacation destinations aren't nearly as busy and crowded as they would be otherwise!  2) You can go at your own pace.  If you need to spend more time on a certain subject, you can because you aren't worrying about other students who are faster or slower than you are.  There's just less stress!  I will say one difficult thing is making yourself do the work.  Homeschool is really good for developing self discipline, because you have to make yourself do the work instead of having teachers make you do the work.  I have had to find a good order to do my subjects in.  I've found that if I do math in the morning when I'm fresh, and then all the other subjects afterward things go better, because I enjoy reading more than math.

3.  What advice or encouragement would you give to those just starting out on the homeschool path?  

Don't stress too much.  I always try to bend over backwards to get everything done and then beat myself up if I can't, but something I've learned is that one of the best parts of homeschooling is how flexible it is.  If you can't get it all done today, there's always tomorrow!  As long as your learning, go at your own pace.

4. Is there anything you wish we would have done differently?  

I don't think I do.  I've pretty much loved homeschooling the whole time we've done it.

5.  Do you think you will homeschool your own children one day?

Yes, I think it would be cool to possibly homeschool my own kids one day!

6. What's something you loved doing as a kid that you still love doing as an (almost) adult?

I don't feel like an adult yet, but two things I loved to do as a kid that I still love to do are drawing/coloring and reading.

7.  What are you most looking forward to reading, watching or doing this summer?

I love summer!!!  I am mostly looking forward to going to the beach, but I'm also doing an internship with our church's children ministry that I am excited about!

8.  If you had a YouTube channel, what would be your YouTube personality or focus of the channel? 

I think it would be fun do vlog where I explore all things FRENCH!  Ooh LaLa!

9.  If you were going to open your own business what would it be, and why?

I would have a greeting card business with other little gifts and things.  I'm actually wanting to open an Etsy shop like that pretty soon, because I love to do hand lettering and make cards for family and friends.

10.  What was the best class you took in high school and why?

When I was in 9th and 10th grade I took a class called TGC, which stands for The Great Conversation.  It was kind of like Bible, English and Grammar all mixed into one class.  We would read a bunch of books, fiction and nonfiction, learn about different world views, and write papers about them.  I liked the reading and the class actually helped me to enjoy writing papers more. 

11.  What are you most proud of in the last year or two?

Well, besides graduating, I actually performed Bach's cello suite at my graduation (aka the cello song).  It's a really hard piece and I was so proud of myself for learning it.

12.  What album, book or movie has shaped who you are as a person?  

The entire Anne of Green Gables book series.  My parents gave me the whole book set for Christmas when I was 12 and I LOVED them!!  Anne is my favorite character, and the way she recognizes and appreciates beauty around her made me recognize and appreciate beauty in the world around me.  I also love the fact that she always looks for the best in a situation.

13.  How have you surprised yourself while in high school?  

I think I've become less scared of everything the more I've grown.  In the past two years I've been white water rafting and zip lining!  When I was little I was afraid to even go underwater, ha!

Thank you so much Emma!  

Where to start with Homeschooling

 

Well,  it's been a long time since I've written anything, so today is the day that I decided it was time for an update.  It's really because I have had several people contact me asking me questions about how to home school.  I decided I would love to sit down and just write out what I know and maybe it would help someone else, so here goes.  :)     First let's do a quick update.  Time has flown by. As of my very last post the girls had started public school.  That was about 9 months ago.  The girls did very well in public school.  They went from August until November.  Then we decided to take them back out due to the fact that we were moving.  They were happy to come back home and home school even though they were doing just fine.  They told me they were glad they went but it was good to get back to what we were doing.   I'm not someone that thinks public school is bad; it's just different for each person.  Whatever you believe God is calling you to do is what you should do.

  This makes the 5th year that we have been doing home school.  Wow, it's been that long?  You would think I should know everything about how to do this perfectly by now, but, sad to say I don't and I am always learning.  Trying new things with home schooling and figuring out how to do it better is always something I am always interested in.  First, I want to say that we take it year by year.  We re-evaluate every summer about how things have gone and what we'd like to change but mostly through praying and listening for Him to guide our steps. Alright, so you want to home school?  Here's a list of some things to start with:    

  1.) Pray:  It's so important to put God first in every thing you do and He will bless you for it.  I can never say that enough.
2.) Research (Google will be your friend): Look at all types of curriculum and decide what you think looks like something you and your children would enjoy and what would work for your family.  There are all kinds of curriculum out there.  DVD classes with teachers or Parent taught curriculum.  All sorts of different priced curriculum as well.  Decide on what your price range would be.  Remember you can always re sell your curriculum after your done.  There are even some free resources out there.  One site I have found that is a great resource is called www.allinonehomeschool.com .  It's such a great site.   Just to name a few of the different types of curriculum out there:  Sonlight, Abeka, My Father's World, Classical Conversations, Alpha Omega Publications, Christian Light Publications.  You can also pull from different curriculum to create your own.  There is so much out there.  I also like to follow a blog called http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/  .  She always has a lot of great information on her site.  She even has a book you can read to help you get started.  I haven't read it, but I do love to get great ideas from her blog.   When we began home schooling we started with Abeka.  I thought Abeka did a good job with phonics and teaching the child how to read.  As the girls got older though we decided we wanted to try something different that was hopefully a little more fun.  Then we used My Father's World and I have to say that the year we used that curriculum was probably one of the most fun years we have had doing this.  They learned a lot through hands on activities with that one.  So, I'm thinking that is what we are going to continue with this coming year.    3.) State Requirements: Another thing is looking at what your state requires for you to be doing as you home school.  In my state we need to have a covering, which is like a private school or group that keeps paperwork or records for your home school. We have paperwork to fill out and submit to the school board as well.   The HSLDA website is a good place to start.  https://www.hslda.org/laws/   4.) Co-Op or extra curricular activities: This is something totally optional but I think is a good thing to consider.  Co-Ops are something I'm new to.  This is my first year being apart of a group that has a Co-Op and the kids have really enjoyed the classes.  They have made some friends that they see regularly once a week at these classes and have just enjoyed going.  My girls also take cello and violin lessons and Emma is apart of a string academy group.  There are all sorts of things you can do as you home school that you just don't have the time to do when you are in regular schooling.    

  5.) Have Fun:  Looking at all that we have done I will say that having fun is so important to learning.  There will be good days and I hate to say it but there will be bad days.  :(  You know, days where you have had your fill and your thinking why in the world did I ever even think that this is something I could do!  :)  There will be times that you just aren't sure your kids are getting what they need or that they are where they should be.  Just remember that nothing is gonna ever be perfect. There are test that you can have your children do that will show the areas they need help in.        I have to say, I think everyone will probably have a different experience.  This is just what I've learned from my own experiences.  We have had a good time with homeschooling.  Yes, there have been some bad days and days where I decided this was not for me.  But, I take a step back when I reach that point and pray. Through lots of support from my husband I have been able to enjoy this adventure with the kids and I will treasure the time spent with them!  

    There are pros and cons to everything.  Ask God what He would have for your family.  He will lead you if you will just ask Him to.       Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6      

From Home school to Public School

Well, here we are a week and a half into this school year.  The girls have started public school and I must say I have mixed feelings about it all.  I have been homeschooling them for the past 4 years and this year they decided they really wanted to go to school.  I'm not one of those that think homeschool is the only way to go.  For me, it's about what works best for your family.    The area we have been living in does not have a very big homeschool community so I understood their feelings of wanting more of a social life. :o) It has been a week and half of them waking up totally excited about going to school.  It seems almost kind of twilight zone-ish!  Haha!  I don't ever remember being so excited for my time at school, but hey, I'm happy that they are so excited for it.  With that said, I have been missing them being here with Huey and me at home during the day.

So, what have we been doing you ask?  Well.......I decided it was time to start doing some of those Pinterest projects that look so fun or yummy.

First was making homemade doughnuts with Huey....... 

 He LOVES helping mommy cook, so this was something fun and easy for him to do after I did the hot part.  He was able to glaze the doughnuts with cinnamon and sugar after they cooled.

 And then of course, taste test them!  Here is the pin for these easy doughnuts.

Today I'm making home made poptarts!  My kids love pop tarts.  So stay tuned! 

 Time with Huey is time spent watching Power Rangers 

and practicing our moves.  Maybe next time I should post my 

power ranger moves? 

 Nah, I'll spare ya on that one.  Ha.

 This video below shows some of the more 

important things we are 

learning how to do as well.

 Yes, it's very different this year not doing home-school everyday, something I'm not so sure about.  But, one thing I am sure about is His leading at this time in our life.  I'm so excited about all the new experiences we will have this school year.  Something I'm really missing though, is sleeping in......

Just some fun family time this past weekend. 

Hope your school year has started off great! 

One day I'll make a Pro's and Con's list for Home-school and Public School maybe at the end of the year and post it!  There really are good things and not so good things about both.