When Ellie began volleyball we had dual activities on Tuesdays. It was a little hectic, especially when the time changed and it got darker earlier! Volleyball ended a week after the bowling league. We were ready for a break after having two things going on at once. She had a great season.
About the time that both of these activities ended, the kids started practicing for the church Christmas play, "A Mysterious Christmas".
Josh was Leroy the angel
Ellie was Shirley Watson Holmes
We've continued our study through Genesis with Kay Arthur's study for kids, ending the quarter at chapter 7. I'm learning as much as the kids as we study this book inductively.
We are moving along slowly with Mystery of History. The study of Moses included learning about some of the pharaohs of Egypt - including Amenhotep IV who only worshiped one god. We talked about the the legend of the Trojan horse (or was it a true event?), the Zhou Dynasty in China and the Phoenicians who began the idea of phonics. All this was amongst the study of Biblical history such as Ruth and Naomi, Gideon, Samson, Samuel, Kings Saul, David and Solomon as well as the division of Israel and the fiery prophet Elijah. Often when we study the Bible, it's easy to think that these were the only people at this time and all other history happened later. But I was reminded that indeed things in world history were happening simultaneously; for example, at the time Boaz and Ruth were marrying, the Zhou Dynasty was beginning in China. Again, I'm learning right along with my kiddos!
Our timeline is filling up
Science had us learning about primeval reptiles and fish. There wasn't time to begin a new unit, so we ended with the kids writing reports on several of the topics we'd already covered. I gave them an outline to fill in with the topics I wanted them to cover. They used their notebooks, textbook and other books we have to find the information. Then they wrote each section into paragraphs to make a complete report. My kiddos are good writers and even though they didn't necessarily "like" doing this, they did it well.
Getting an idea of just how big some of these primeval reptiles were
The book studies in the Learning Language Arts Through Literature curriculum for 5th grade are good. Ellie and I both have enjoyed "Farmer Boy" first quarter and "Trumpet of the Swan" this quarter. The books for Josh, however, are below his reading level. We've read them anyway and gleaned the information the curriculum has asked. He's getting challenged in his recreational reading, so it's all good.
Saxon math is going fine. It's not Ellie's favorite, but she's doing well. Math comes easy to Josh, so he has no problems with the new format.
Our only field trip this quarter was to the San Diego Safari Park. We've enjoyed going here the past three years since we joined our homeschool group. It's an easy drive and we've been blessed with beautiful weather. And you can't beat the cost!
The kids don't take school pictures until April during their testing week, so these serve as their school pictures for now. I took these at the Embassy Suites in Downey in October. We walked around inside after having lunch at the Mimi's next door for Grandma Henry's birthday.
In addition to the Christmas play at church, Josh participated in the Christmas program at Friday school. Ellie could have participated by either singing or having a speaking part; but she chose to sit out since she was already rehearsing for the church program.
This quarter was a bit reflective for me. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 admonishes parents to teach their children about the Lord in the midst of daily life. We have had nightly devotions and prayer time since the kids were young. We use biblical principles when disciplining. We also use movies as opportunities to discuss the behavior of the characters and the message that is being conveyed. But I realized that the kids education can also be an important part of this command. Because we are using Bible-based curriculum, the Word is permeating our school time. Our Bible study and science are helping the kids (and me too) see the "whys" behind what we believe. If we were not homeschooling, I would likely not have heard about Kay Arthur's inductive studies for kids and even if we had, I don't see there would have been time to do something so in-depth with homework each night. Each "Creation Confirmation" in science helps us see more clearly the evidence for a divine Creator. While the focus of our education is in creating a Christian worldview, we are not schooling in a bubble. We do discuss other beliefs and theories; but the Truth always overrides these because. . . it is the Truth! I know you can have God-fearing kids come out of public or private school who can stand strong and defend their faith well; but I am just appreciating the time we are spending together learning in this way. We have more time and we can do it "in the moment". Because I am in control of our curriculum, I know what they are learning. If they were in school, it wouldn't be as easy to know what they were learning in order to discuss it. I am so thankful for this gift of time with my kids and being able to school them in this way.
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