Beach week!

    So, this week we are hanging out on Tybee Island with extended family. We've  sorta paused in our curriculum. We've been doing some schooling though not a formal sit down. Girls are reading and doing oral response. We've done lots of marine science exploration . Yesterday, we saw all kinds of wild life at the beach. We are staying on the marsh and have had real good view of how the tides effect them. Thursday we took a dolphin tour and had a very nice Mate, who gave us lots of information about the dolphins and other animals we saw.
    We have a great view of the shipping lanes from the port of Savannah. So, with some research, we've been able to find what country's flag each container ship sails under, and where they've been or where they are headed next. Kinda fun to know the ship we saw on Monday in Savannah  hit Jacksonville, & Miami on the way to Kingston , Jamaica. Math has been informal as well. The pool table has had all kinds of lessons about angles and even Hulk had to get into the act with number recognition when calling his "shots".
    All in all I would say a very memorable and relaxing week ;)

Ying getting in some Book Basket time in the wee hours of the morning

On the Dolphin Tour

Yang working on her Independent Reading

Saying Good Bye....

 Today, has been about packing in as much fun and quality time between my kids and their best friends. We leave tomorrow for a week at the beach. While we are gone, their best friends are moving to another state. I am very sad for my kids. These kids are the kids you dream about your kids finding as friends. Good influences. Not perfect but growing on the right path. The oldest is now 13 and has the patience of Job. She cares for her brother and my pack to no end. She's not bossy, but guides things to include everyone. My girls' world has been greatly expanded because of her kindness and level head. Walks around the neighborhood, playing in the woods without a grown up over the last 3 years have been allowed because of her level head. When the girls were 4 and all the kids were playing outside one day, I turned around to find her herding the group inside. When I asked what was up, she said she's seen a car 4 times, and just felt wrong about it. What can you say to that besides" Good job in trusting your gut". I went outside just after to find the car parked just down from the house. It sped off as soon as I approached it. May my daughter grow up with her instincts.
When it came time for their friends to go home there were hugs and goodbyes. An hour later, it hit my pack. It wasn't just goodbye for a week. It was goodbye forever in the lives of a young child. They were crushed and hysterical. It took 45 min to talk them down.  Eventually, they calmed down and we talked about pen pals and skype. While, those things are good, they aren't someone to build a fort with in the backyard. ;(

Week 3- Jamestown 1607

This week we have switched things up a bit.
   NO assigned reading but some fun reading comprehension worksheets, and games. Math more drill.
For History instead of  my reading the assigned pages, and the girls writing a paragraph of what they remember, we played "History Detectives." Each girl had to come up with 3 things she wanted to know about Jamestown. I admit I helped with a list of possible questions for this go around. After picking their questions, they had a week to find the answers. Some questions were answered in our assigned reading, some by books from the book basket, others came from our nightly read aloud. Each answer had to be written in a complete sentence that reflected the question. It worked pretty well. Definitely think we will do it again. They really liked finding out facts that even I didn't know. 
   We deviated from the curriculum this week also with our read aloud choice. MFW suggests Squato, Friend of Pilgrims, but I read this in school when I was a kid and remember it begin very stereotypical.  So after some research, I found other books that I think will interest the pack more, and give a more rounded view of colonization of North America. We've started with Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607 by Elisa Carbone . This book is a bit rougher than many favored by traditional home school curriculum, but I really like its balanced approach on the view of colonialism (Yes, I read the entire book before using it). It also shows the difference between the behavior of a true Christian and many who call themselves Christians. Especially, those who used "missions" work as an excuse to sin.  The main character isn't always likable or good, but during the book you see his growth in a very real way.  We are on Chapter 14 and its has 6 thumbs up from the pack. Here's a summary of the book from Scholastic.com:

Samuel Collier, a rough-and-tumble young orphan, becomes Captain John Smith's page on his journey to the New World. Brought up in poor conditions, Samuel is street-smart but also quick-tempered. He has to learn to control his anger and to use his head instead of his fists. During the journey on the ship the Susan Constant, Samuel begins to learn how to determine right from wrong. Through his interactions with other boys his age and with key figures such as Captain John Smith, Reverend Hunt, and Master Wingfield, Samuel discovers ways to avoid conflict. His first encounters with the native peoples in the Caribbean and in the New World further teach Samuel about different perspectives and about the value of culture. Survival in the new colony tests Samuel as he evaluates these life lessons and learns to make good choices using his heart and his head.

When I grow up I will be this cool.......

     So the pack just returned from what they have deemed as the "COOLEST PARTY EVER!!!!!!". (capitals and exclamations intended...lol). Another home school family in our neighborhood decided to through a multiage party for their 2 youngest kids, a 8 year old boy and 13 year old girl. These two are my girls closest everyday friends. To bring everyone together they decided on a "Mess Party." Let me tell you it was a hit. Food fight, eat without you hands meal, tye dye balloon war, all topped out with a mud and peanut oil slip'n slide.
      Let me say, that the creativity of this family has been part of my inspiration to home school. They are so creative, and down to earth. They were the first family I ever got to see do the home school thing on a day to day basis. From them I learned the "real" of home school. It's not utopia. Your house is a mess, and you have to be committed to your purpose when the world looks sideways at you. They are moving away soon, and I can tell you they will be sorely missed.

Truly never know....

    So, this morning we had to be up bright and early, Hulk had a 0800 appt with the ENT. Good news on all accounts. Final tube is out and no fluid in either ear! This is a first, as he has had fluid retention issues since 3 mos. old. So now onto 6 month watches to see if it comes back. His tonsils are still huge but since they don't seem to be creating a problem we are watching them. Being up and moving inspired me to make it "Git'er Done Day" for several things I have been slacking on lately. So, I found our new dental insurance info and made the kids appts. And I FINALLY got around to getting the girls eye exams. So here is where I admit what a slacker mom I am. Yang failed her vision screening exam through the schools in Jan and was recommended for further testing. Yes, it's now July. Mid-July in fact  Guess what? Yang doesn't need glasses. Ying, however does despite passing her school vision screening. So hey, you never know....
     The heartbreaking/amusing part of this story is actually that Yang was crushed when she found out Ying was getting glasses and she wasn't. Yang can be very dramatic. She can blow up, and melt down with the best of them, but this broke my heart because it was real. She didn't scream, or throw a tantrum. She sat SILENTLY with tears rolling down her face holding her sisters hand while Ying picked out her glasses. Yang is never silent, even when she's "quite" she's humming to herself. Ying was excited .Yang was crushed  and I truly for one of the first times in my life didn't know how to split my attention/emotional support. Luckily, Ying is not a fashionista. She very quickly picked out her two pairs, and we were out the door. Then the Lord was so good and saved me via the mall. We headed to an accessory store which has a selection of "Attitude" glasses. Yang found herself two very fashionable accessory pairs and all was right with the world. So, she's now doing school singing with her "glasses" on and Ying has to wait a week to get hers. Go figure.....

Ying with her "attitude glassess"

Yang with just attitude..lol

All was good until the Captains ate the crew......

     Today was better than yesterday with the minor exception of it taking the girls 2 hours to finish their Columbus paragraphs. All the hard work was done yesterday, but the copying was just painstaking and it was hard to get them to focus. We've been using their book basket for research. They take notes on a a mind map, then narrate sentences for me to write out with proper spelling, and grammar. Then they copy. We started this method is first grade, because Yang always want to say more then she could write. In their previous school, they were only taught phonetic spelling. It drove her up a wall when someone didn't understand her writing. I have a beef with phonetic spelling, with no editing. I get that they just want to kids to write, but when the teachers didn't even correct the phonetics; how are the kids supposed to learn correct phonics? I swear this is part of the reason we have a generation of kids being given misspelled monikers in the name of Unekness ( And yes, I know a child with that unfortunate name).
    By far the kids favorite activity of the day was building the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. They quickly turned pirate and began raiding each other's crews (i.e. grape and mini chocolate chips.) The even took their ships to show Grandma and Grandpa.  Tomorrow they want to taken them to try the "rapids" in the creek. We'll see how that goes..lol.

    Hulk fared a bit better as I made a concerted effort to give him occupation.  He did reading on the computer and played play-doh at the table for a while. The play-doh though was one reason it took the girls so long to finish their writing. Oh well! Now to bed.

feeling a little discouraged....

The girls are loving home school. Hulk is not. He's having a very hard time with occupying himself and with my attention being otherwise engaged. I am not doing a good job at including him. He's acting out  kinda desperate for some attention. How do I do this? It's the biggest switch for him.

First Week Round UP....

     So, I would say the first week was a success. The girls were happy and we learned. We didn't follow the suggestion of an easy start.We have a month before public school starts here and  I need to see if we can get it done for real. Not bad. I didn't kill anyone or make them cry. One of my fears is I will push too hard and ruin the experience. So , I need prayers for patience with everyone..lol. I know I will have to work on it.  So the round up:
Bible: We discussed that names have meaning and how Jesus has many name because he is many things. The girls enjoyed learning what their names meant and we made bracelets to remind them of the meanings.
Math: Reviewed addition and subtraction within 20.
Spelling: Began Spelling by Sound and Structure. This will be the girls first formal spelling instruction. I will say that the workbook seemed very light. Home its supposed to be stretched over 4 days baffles me.  We did the workbook the first 2 days, then used the words in other activities. When we tested on Friday, both girls scored 100%. Good job ladies!
 Handwriting: We began cursive instruction with Handwriting without tears. The girls are flying along. I don't think it will take the girls very long to master the alphabet. I am pleased that this is making the girls slow down when writing and focus more. we have had fewer backwards letters since starting.
Reading: We started Pedro's Journal by Pam Conrad. Ok, first screw up for me. While the girls are capable of reading this book, I should have pre-read it. It uses a lot of nautical terminology, and Spanish vocabulary. I think his is why ot often used in 4th and 5th grade classrooms. It's been a real challenge for the girls and we will perserve over the next week ( two week total).While I think they are getting something out of the book, it wasn't the one to start the year with. Though it has brought up some good conversation. Yang was basically disgusted by how Columbus and his crew were accepting worship from the natives they met. She very vehemently told me that " no one is worthy of worship except God and Jesus." Amen, my beautiful!
History: We learned a little about Vikings and Lief Erickson. The girls used the bookbasket  to take notes and then write a paragraph about the Vikings. Ying did her minimum opening 3 details and closing, while Yang took up a page and half of handwriting paper to let me know all the cool facts she found. I am finding that MFW has a much lower expectation of writing skills at this level than the common core. MFW suggests 1-2 sentences, which is kindergarten level writing in common core. I am not a huge fan of common core, but since my kids may at some point have to reenter the public school system I am going to have to pay attention to it.
Science: We read the assigned pages and then started our own little rock candy experiment. We are recoreding the daily crystal formation in our observation journals. We also did a lot of informal science with our garden, and our rain nature walk.

 How did Hulk do? He fared better than expected. He did some "school" work with us at the table. He practiced writing his letters, cutting pictures out, and coloring. He also started on Starfall.com with the introductory phonics lessons. He also enjoyed getting to choose what to watch on the playroom DVD player without having to compromise with his sisters.Watch out Scooby! Hulk is on the case.

Rain on the Fourth of July.

     This is the wettest and coldest 4th of July I can ever remember. In the south, we are usually tropically sweltering in the 90's before noon while trying to watch the parade. Not today. I'ts been raining for 36 hours now, and looks to continue another 36. We haven't cracked 80 degrees in 2 days. I do not ever remember a July day in Georgia under 80. All the traditional events have been canceled. Now the biggest question: What do you do with 3 very disappointed kids?
     We started with some morning work, math, spelling, and handwriting for Ying and Yang. Some scissors practice and 4th of July art for Hulk.  For bible we have been studying the meaning of the girls names, so they made bracelets with their names and meanings. Hulk got computer time to work on phonics and then a little free game time.
     Then, we took a walk in the rain to the Grand's house. Helped Grandma with a few little chores. Checked on the kids mini garden  in the backyard. Ying was very surprised to find she had a mature cucumber waiting for her. Hulk had a few ripe cherry tomatoes. Yang got to pick on a Grandma's green tomatoes, and inspected the blossoms on her watermelon plant. We were quickly eaten alive by the mosquitoes and had to continue back home. Everyone got to play in the bath, and then we finished up history; watched the Backyardigans be vikings, and played around until it was time to head to Nana & Papa's.
    Good Food and play time with cousins helped bring up everyone's mood. The kids had their first water balloon war in the rain. Things got a bit sticky when Ying got sick on the porch. But, Papa saved the days with some out of state fireworks during a break in the rain. ;).
Not too shabby! Happy Fourth! And to all the veterans, active duty service men and women, military families, reservists, guardsmen, police, fire, first responders and others who sacrifice themselves for the good of our country, my sincerest THANK YOU!.

The How-

 I make zero claims about being and educational expert. Really, I wouldn't dare tell any other parent how to educate their child. Need to know about broken arms, fevers, or stomach pain. I'm your girl. So this adventure is going to be one of trial and error. I will admit my shortcoming and poor choices as we go. We live in a area that has a signifigant number of homeschools, & hybrid programs.Most of the families we know that homeschool here use a Hybrid program, but  I thought it best to first make a clean break from other people's decisions. I know most families switch curriculums/paths multiple times, but this is our how for now...lol... We've chosen to use for our 2nd grade year, the Adventures in US History (ADV) curriculum by My Father's World (MFW) for bible ,reading, social studies, & science. We are also going to follow their recommendation for English and spelling. After comparing different curriculums, I chose MFW for several reasons:
     1. Being new I knew I needed some sort for guide along the way. MFW provided a nice outline.
     2. I needed it open ended, especially regarding reading levels and interest. I am trying to undo some  damage done last year to Yin's self esteem and motivation.
     3. We are extremely fortunate to live in an area with an excellent, modern library system. Over the last few years I have built a great relationship with several of our county's children's librarians, who have been deep wells of knowledge and insight. The use of the library with My Father's World has kept our cost for this experiment within budget.

For Math we are starting with a simple review workbook and then will move into Teaching Textbooks Math 3. I know my limits. I can do practical math but i am not good at explaining it. And the girls so far have been taught such convoluted math ( every problem's answer must have a diagram, number sentences showing two ways to solve, and a written explanation, and two forms of photo id) that I need a teacher. I loved watching the sample on line.

We have also added cursive handwriting at this point with Handwriting Without Tears.  The girls have been begging and definitely have the fine motor skills to give it a go. Actually after the first day they have better handwriting than half the doctors I work with.

So this is where we jump off the cliff...

The Who......

 So who are we? 
Me, myself, and I-- A child of God who is a very blessed daughter, sister, wife (of almost 10 years!) and mother of 3 in her early thirties living in a southern suburb, 4 houses down from the house she grew up in.  Yes, my parents still live there and my DH still loves his MIL. I am a Registered Nurse by trade, currently managing other people's chaos Friday and Saturday nights in a pediatric emergency room. I have a background in Pediatric ICU, but as of this July will have spent the same amount of time in the ED as the ICU. I never thought I'd say that cause honestly I dislike the ED, but I believe God has guided me through my life and I am where he has put me so I can further his plans. I just have to be patient to see the light.
DH- Very blessed man who is growing closer to God each day. He is a truly awesome, connected father to our little pack and a truly wonderful husband. I realize just how wonderful  every time I get out with women and hear all their complaints. He plies his trade with a different hospital in the area on the non-clinical side of things and gets to work from home about 95% of the time.
THE PACK-
Ying and Yang-  7 year old identical twin DDs. Ying is 30 seconds older than Yang. Yang is taller. They are two sides of a coin, the left and right, sun and moon. I swear the Lord must have made one person and then decided at the last min he be better split it up or cause some insanity. Ying is all tomboy. In fact, if she knew I was referring to her with pink text she'd have a fit. When she had to wear a pink t-shirt in order to go to GS camp, she told me with a straight face " Mom, it's not pink. It's faded red." No dresses, started playing ice hockey at age 5, and is truly gifted in logic and math. Yang, once was a princess and now is leaving off the pink & glittery world toward tweendom. But still ran around today in a Snow White costume .She has a heart for people and the Lord. She writes amazing stories and sings constantly. They both love their little brother, Hulk.

Ying and Yang with Ms. Cathy @ the tea house

Hulk- 4 year old DS.  Right now, he has the temper of the Hulk. Isn't really into to following the rules or authority. Remind me this to shall pass..lol. When he's human, he a lovable rambunctious little man who startles me with his knowledge. Due to some hearing issues and and being tongue tied till he was 2, Hulk has a bit of a speech delay. He's now trying to make up for lost time and is often underestimated by the world. Right now, he is at home with us for the summer, but when school goes back here he will return to the church preschool for Pre-k. Last year improved his speech so much that we felt it was best he go back with other little guys his age. 

Hulk @ Camp S'more 

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