2nd Quarter of the 2016-2017 School Year

We have made it through the first semester of the 2016-2017 school year. It has not been without it's bumps along the way, but we finished much better than we started, which is always good.

 In Bible, we worked through Kay Arthur's study "God, What's Your Name" in her inductive studies for kids. I've been reminded of names I knew and some new ones as well. We have learned that God is the Creator (Elohim); He is God Most High (El Elyon); He sees everything (El Roi); He is Almighty God (El Shaddai); He is our Lord and Master (Adonai). God is Jehovah, the self-existent One who is the I AM. He is Jehovah-jireh, our Provider. God is our Healer (Jehovah-Rapha), our Banner (Jehovah-Nissi) and the One who sanctifies us (Jehovah-Mekoddishkem). God is our Peace (Jehovah Shalom), Deliverer (Jehovah-sabaoth), and Shepherd (Jehovah-Raah). The Lord is our Righteousness (Jehovah-tsidkenu) and His name is Jehovah-shammah - He is there. God is a jealous God (Qanna) and we are not to put anyone or anything above Him. Knowing the names of God, helps us know God better. Such a great study!

We are going to slow down a bit in history. This will give us some extra time in science and allow history to carry through the entire year. This quarter we covered the American Revolution, the beginning of our nation and its expansion through pioneers and Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. We also learned about Historic Philadelphia, the Appalachian Mountains, the Natives of the Plains and the Arch in St. Louis (I had no idea you could go inside of it!). We also learned about Noah Webster, the Father of the American Dictionary.

In language, Josh did a book study on "The Bronze Bow." He said it was a good book because the main character becomes a Christian at the end. Ellie read "A Lantern in her Hand." She said at first the chapters were long and kind of boring; and near the end she said it was much more interesting, but the chapters were short. In the end she liked the book. Josh did research on bearded dragons and then a research essay on Lewis and Clark. We continued with IEW. It is beginning to add some different things, like poetry and stories. One comment I heard was that everyone's pieces end up being very similar, and that is true. But the kids work on their writings without complaint, and I can see they are using what they are learning in their other writing, so it is still valuable as far as I'm concerned.


Math is math. Ellie raised her grade this quarter. She is beginning to understand things better. Some days she finds it difficult to concentrate, but mostly she is plugging along. Josh loves math and is doing very well.

Ellie made it through three modules in science this quarter. She learned about simple machines like - levers, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge and the screw. She studied the different types of tests used in archeology, geology and paleontology. Her final unit was on geology. Her experiments didn't turn out so well with this one, and she felt that she didn't fully comprehend all she studied, but she ended up with an "A" on her test, so I think she absorbed enough! Josh is doing very well reading science on his own. He is finding it very interesting. This quarter he learned all about how birds fly, their nesting habits as well as about mating and the hatching of eggs. His final unit was on bats which he really liked.

In November we wrapped up golf for Josh and volleyball for Ellie. Both did very well and we are proud of their efforts.

I was thankful for only one Friday school in December. We enjoyed the kids' Christmas chapel; it was well done.

Our field trips for this quarter included a trip to Riley's Farm for Colonial Days and whale watching. Ellie and I also went to Knott's Berry Farm with some of the girls and moms from our homeschool group.

I've continued to ponder the difference 8th grade makes in our homeschooling and I've been writing down my thoughts as they come. When I look back at the struggles we've had, I am so thankful to be where we are now. God has been truly faithful to answer our prayers in developing the hearts of our kids. There has been tremendous growth and maturity in both kids and I feel that some very strong heartstrings have been tied between my daughter and me. Things are not always great, but we are doing better at navigating the difficult moments; we understand one another better and there is effort on both our parts to move past the struggle. I am so thankful to have this time with my kids, to learn and grow together. Time is so short, and I don't want to miss any opportunities to point my kids to the Lord and to strengthen our bond as a family. The new year will be bringing many new things our way. I continue to pray for the Lord's leading in our family and that HE will be honored in all we do.