{ Week 7 }

Charlotte { 3 } is starting to take quite a bit more interest in doing school these days, which is great, but yeah, more work for mummy.  Here she is after doing a matching exercise.

In fact, she got carried away with them and did 3 in a row.

{ Maths }

In the maths department Chloe is up to lesson 42, Phebe lesson 31, and Hannah is at lesson 38.

{ Writing with Skill }

Chloe is doing well with our new writing course.  It probably really helped that I had previously used a scholastic book on paragraphs and topic sentences with Chloe already.  So we had a good foundation and know how to find topic sentences.

Anyway, here's todays work:

Yep, too easy.  Next to nothing, but in a lot of ways, good small progress.  I love that there's NO taxing the child, well, at least not yet.  ha ha ha.

We had a couple on the spur of the moment videos.  Here's Hannah doing a super short reading from 'The Great Gatsby'.  Totally random.  Just flicked open a page and picked anywhere and started reading.

Noah continues to grow like a weed.  I can't believe he's 3 months already.

He's already starting to spend some time in the walker.  Padded in with a blanket, but hey.

{ Homeschool Meet Up }

This week everyone went to the pool.  There's actually quite a good sized homeschooling population where we live, so that is nice.

It's got an awesome water play area for children.

And can you believe it?  I actually went for a swim myself~!!  It was made possible by the fact that both Daniel { 19 } and Caleb { 17 } had come with us and was helping me out with the girls and baby.

And just for fun, since I'm using my blog as my homeschool journal:

Today I am linking up with:

I hope you will join us.

Thanks for visiting.

2015 Grade 4/5 Curriculum

Today I thought that I'd join in with the Not Back To School blog hop with our fellow Australians.

This list is what my 9 year old { soon to be 10 } is doing for the 2015 school year.

Here she is marking her Maths for the first time { while I look over her shoulder }.  I'm trying to move them over to a more autonomous { self propelled if you will } type of homeschooling.   We'll one that makes it easier to manage several children.

{ Bible }

We had a bunch of these left over from last year, so I pulled them back out this year to give it another go and so far it's been a great fit.  So we'll just finish up this course and look for something different after that.

{ Reading }

Chloe just devours books so there's no point in showing you what I think she'll read.  I do keep a current list under the 2015 Book List tab up there if you're interested in what she's read already.

{ English }

I really like this curriculum.  It's quick, easy, and with lots of focused practice.

{ Writing }

Recently started.  It is turning out to be a real TREAT to do.  Chloe is really enjoying it.  Which is great and a huge relief.  I love that it is incremental and very gentle in it's progression.

{ Maths }

We started this book late last year.  So this year we're just continuing along until it gets finished.

{ French }

Chloe has a real interest in languages.  She's been picking up bits and pieces all over the place.  Last week I asked her if she'd be interested in this curriculum and I got the quickest "yes" ever.  So I ordered it and now we are waiting for it to arrive.

{ Greek }

Slow and steady wins the race.  There's no rush with this curriculum.  I envision it just dragging on and on for a long while.  Perhaps a couple of years, but we'll see how it goes.

{ History }

Apart from read alouds I've got MOH I on the run with the girls.  They basically read a lesson and then do a short notebook entry on it.

{ Science }

I'm not a big science girl.  I don't think Chloe is either.  So I opted for something easy but manageable:  Rod and Staff Science.

{ Vocabulary }

We aren't doing a particular spelling curriculum at the moment since I'm using the words from this to form our spelling work instead.

{ Character }

We are STILL using this book.  The girls use my worksheets and continue to fill in their little books a little each day each week.  Just click the book to go to the post that has the FREE worksheets.

{ Art }

We'll be free styling most of the year away.  I envision mostly drawing and painting at this point.  Each girl has their own set of paints and can use them freely at leisure.

{ Music }

I have a subscription to 'Children's Music Journey', but we haven't really used it yet this year.  Not sure what to do with that.

{ Daily Activities }

Now, I've also got this little addiction of adding in a worksheet activity each day.  Each day I give them a different quick worksheet to do.  For example:  today's worksheet was a NT Greek flip page that they had to match their vocabulary to the correct meaning. Generally though, it could be something that I've put together, or got from TpT.  

Yeah, so that's the current plan peoples.  It'll be interesting to see what stays and what goes over the course of the year.

I hope you will join us this week.

Thanks for visiting.

Memoria Press Blog Roll

One my classical bloggy friends has a Memoria Press Blog Roll - and we'd love for you to join us.

So, if you use ANY product or curriculum from Memoria Press, please feel free to come and join up.  :o)

**Note: This blog roll is not officially affiliated with Memoria Press and nor does the data on the participates within necessarily reflect the opinions of the company. This is for fans and followers looking to promote and continue the tradition in their own education and lives. After all, we want to continue to change the civilization, one student at a time when we can.  Oh, but they did give me permission for the button!

O "Fish" ally a First Grader Giveaway

My friend Corinna from O "Fish" ally a First Grader is having a 300 follower giveaway.

Pop on over and join in the fun, you might end up winning an awesome prize.

While you're there don't forget to check out her awesome blog too.

Thanks for visiting.

Next Year I Am Definitely Going To......

There's an awesome little linky party happening right now on the internet.  I've been busy reading some of the link ups already, which of course made me want to come and link up as soon as possible.  Now that I've actually found a little time this afternoon I thought that I'd jump right on in and link up.  I'm a planner and tick list maker by nature, and as such, I am permanently organizing things for the future, so this little linky is PERFECT to map out those really big ticket ideas that I want to do next year.

Kim from Finding Joy in 6th Grade is hosting this awesome, interesting, and fun linky party.  What things are you definitely going to do, or change to next year?

Now, while it is true that my situation is a little bit different from you all, in the sense that I don't have 30 students, or a nice big classroom, however we are all similar in that we all still teach - albeit I just do it at home.

We're homeschoolers, but I'm very happy to hang out with you all { and pick up teaching ideas too - most appreciated }

So, first up:

Yep, the Progymnasmata~!!  I am sooooo excited.  We are going to start the long journey through classical composition.

I am shocking at keeping reading logs.  My girls read so much that I can't be bothered with keeping track of it all.  I know, bad.  I sort of do need to keep track of it all though.  So I am hoping that I can do that better next year.

This year we are taking Latin and Greek in the slow lane.  Real slow.  So next year we'll have to pick it up a bit.

Last, but not least - Little Miss Hannah { 4y1m }.  She's the first one I drop when my plate gets full.  I just put all her school work on the bench for "later".  Which isn't really fair to her because she has an ability and aptitude for a lot more than what her age would otherwise dictate.  She is currently half way through Grade 1.  She's terribly desperate to get to Grade 2 maths just so that she can catch up to Phebe - as it turns out she's also a little competitive.

Yeah, so that's my top 4 things that I want to definitely do next school year.

I hope you will join us { for the linky party } and if you ever wondered about homeschooling and what we do, please feel free to drop in any time.  :o)

Lorna Doone

We recently finished this lovely, new version novel. It was a nice quick read over 2 days.  I like those types of books.  Long drawn out novels don't tend to give me as much satisfaction, since I'm an instant kind of girl and all. 

Title:  Lorna Doone
Author: R. D. Blackmore
Illustrator: Jan Scherpenhuizen
Pages: 175
Publisher:  Hinkler Books
Year:  2003

Easy to read.

Beautiful illustrations abound.

The girls really enjoyed it as well.  Bonus.  :o)

The Imagination Station

A while ago I bought a nice little collection of books from a series called 'The Imagination Station'.  In each book a pair of children travel through time and get a glimpse of something of that timeline.  This year I've started reading them aloud to all the girls.  So far we've done the first four of them.  They are quick and easy to read and I usually space them out over a period of two days.  They're written at a Grade two level, so if you don't want to use them as a read aloud, you can just have your child read it for themselves.  { I originally bought them for Chloe who was 7 at the time for her to read to herself. }

1.  Voyage with the Vikings

Join cousins Beth and Patrick as they travel back in time to Greenland circa 1000 to find a Viking sunstone! While visiting Whit's Soda Shoppe, the cousins find a mysterious, old letter in Imagination Station asking for Viking sunstone; if the sunstone isn't found then someone named Albert will be imprisoned. Beth and Patrick race through time, meet the Vikings Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson, and locate the sunstone.but when they return to the Soda Shoppe another note is waiting for them requesting a silver goblet. 96 pages, softcover from Tyndale.

2.  Attack at the Arena

The adventure continues! Join cousins Beth and Patrick as they travel through time to fifth-century Rome to locate a missing silver cup. After returning to Whit's after finding the Viking sunstone, another letter is left this time requesting a silver cup that belongs to a monk. If found, this cup may prevent the mysterious Albert from being imprisoned.

Emperor Honorius is hosting a gladiator battle at the Roman Colosseum in honor of a war victory. Beth attends as a slave and Patrick attends as a monk's apprentice, until he is taken prisoner and sent to fight in the arena. While in Rome, the cousins meet Telemachus, a monk that believes fighting is wrong and who is willing to give up his life to stop the killing.

When Beth and Patrick find the cup and return to their time, a new letter is waiting for them with information on the mysterious Albert's fate.

3.  Peril in the Palace

The place?-China in 1271. The quest?-the golden tablet of Kublai Khan. The problem?-just about everything!

The Imagination Station adventures continue as cousins Patrick and Beth are kidnapped by Mongol warriors. Only the friendship of fellow traveler Marco Polo saves them from harm. They are brought to the Mongol palace where the Kublai Khan dislikes both their gifts and their message about Christianity. The tension grows when the Mongol magicians challenge the cousins to a spiritual power showdown. As war breaks out, Beth and Patrick are locked in a secret room to prevent their escape.

How do the cousins get the golden tablet they needs to save Mr. Whittaker's friend Albert? How do they escape the city and find the Imagination Station? Ever the perilous palace and find out!

4.  Revenge of the Red Knight

In this Imagination Station adventure Patrick and Beth find themselves as guests in a beautiful castle in 15th century England. Through a series of events, the steward of Lord Darkthorn's castle finds the cousins with three artifacts collected in their previous adventures: the stone, the cup, and the golden tablet. They are accused of being thieves and locked in jail. Beth escapes and discovers the identity of the real thief, leading to a jousting contest with a surprising outcome.

Set during the War of the Roses in England, Revenge of the Red Knight will teach readers about the Crusades, the integrity of knights and the vows they took, and why men would choose to risk their lives to fight for Christianity.

• Author/s:  Marianne Hering, Paul McCusker
• Ilustrator:  David Hohn
• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: 96
• Vendor: Tyndale House
• Publication Date: 2010 - 2011
• Dimensions: 7.50 X 5.00 (inches)
• Ages: 7-12
• Series: Imagination Station

You can purchase these from Christianbook.com for $4.49 each.

This week I'm joining up with my friend Chareen from Every Bed of Roses for her book linky:

I hope you will join us.

Show Us What You Bought

What an awesome SALE we had on the weekend~!!

.....First Of All, before I go any further.....

 

THANK YOU so much for your support~!!  Thank you for visiting my store.  I really appreciate when you purchase from me.  It means a LOT.  Your generosity, interest, and kindness enables me to be able to purchase more school items for my children, and great new clipart for me to work with - so that I can make more creations to share with you.  Thank you~!!  :o)

And like so many of my teacher friends - they all want to know what I bought, so here are some of the cool new things I popped into my cart.

* * * * * * * 

From TpT

Fancy Frame Art: Bold and Bright
{Creative Clips Digital Clipart } 
Krista Wallden 

Borders MEGA Pack 2
{Creative Clips Digital Clipart } 
Krista Wallden

 

Groundhog Day Contractions

Flashcards / Literacy Center

SC2 Teacher

 

* * * * * * *

I also did a HEAP of shopping over at:

 

{ 12 packs later } 

I also visited KPM Doodles too for a combo pack......

 

So yeah, that's my spend up this week.

What did you get?

Now it's time to link up with:

 

and

 

I hope you will join us.

Thanks for visiting.

* * * * * * *

Edited to add - and just when I thought that I might be done shopping, all you enablers just helped to fill my wish list with some more awesome products.  :o) 

And since I couldn't wait, I figured that I'd buy just one more item.  I almost got it for FREE because I had so many TpT Credits.  LOL 

Bloggers From Around the World

I was just surfing the net just before lunch today while I waited for the chicken kebabs to be ready. ( I did the salad part so hubby was out there doing the meat.   He cooks a lot of the meat on the BBQ. ) and I came across a cute little linky party going on.

For curious peoples: lunch

Okies, back to the linky party.

 It was very specifically for all the Non-US bloggers, so curious little old me followed the links back and had a peek to see more about it.

When I got there I discovered that there weren't ANY Australians.  I said, "What?  How's that?"  LOL  

Then you know I had to come and join up - just so we had at least one on there.

So, by now you know I'm in Australia.  :o)

Today we have a lovely sunny day.  The air conditioner is on, and I'm planning some garden work this afternoon after a little trip out to the shops.

Most of our school day is done. We still have a couple of lessons to go but still pretty much on schedule.  :o)

About my blog:

I'm a homeschooler with an addiction to Paper and Pinterest and I also keep a TpT store too.

I have a number of FREEBIES available also, some are just here on the blog and some on TpT.  So while you are here don't forget to have a look around.

Thanks for visiting though, nice to meet you.  :o)

Deborah

in Australia

Community Workers Numerals

To help make sure that Hannah is all good to go with Maths next year we've been focusing on writing her numerals.

Here are a few worksheets that she's done.

 

 

And to help make sure that I have figured out how to use Google Docs to share stuff - I have made this a download directly from THIS blog.

 

Yep, so if this works, you won't have to go anywhere to download stuff.  Just here.  :o)  Well, for my freebies anyway.  I might run out of space along the way and have to move things along.  I dunno, haven't worked it all out YET.

 

Community Workers numerals 1 - 9

 

Just click one of the pictures.  If you do download it, can you please let me know if it all went super good.  :o)



 

This week I am linking up with:

and

I hope you will join us.

Thanks for visiting.