In Their Own Time

Ruby in Her Own Time

We had the book, Ruby in Her Own Time by Jonathan Emmett, passed down to us a couple of months ago. The previous owner told us it was one of her favorite books and we quickly learned why.

Do you have a late bloomer, one that takes longer than the others to understand things, one that drums to her own beat? Then you might just have a Ruby. In the story, Ruby is the last to hatch of her brothers and sisters. She also ends up taking longer than her siblings to eat and swim, but she eventually does everything her siblings do in her own time.

This book has been added to our top 10 books for young readers and I also recommend it for Mom’s out there wondering if she/he will ever get it? Don’t lose hope, they will, in their own time!

Tuesdays (Homeschooling) Tip

For today’s homeschooling tip I’m going to keep it simple…Don’t compare! It’s easy to compare, we all do it. Women compare their bodies, men compare their cars, kids compare their toys, dogs compare their bones with other dogs, etc.

By comparing we can add unnecessary pressure (stress) to ourselves and our children. Kids learn at different rates. This is something I had to learn and something I have to remind myself of sometimes.  It’s okay if our children don’t learn to read until their  nine. So what, who cares, as long as they learn. Learning is not a race. We should strive on creating a joy for learning and developing secure confident children.

Don’t fall into the trap of comparing, no one wins in that scenario.

2013-2014 School Year Curriculum

2013-2014 School Year Curriculum

The Artist (3rd Grade):
Bible: Grapevine Studies
Math: A Beka
Science: The Young Scientist Club
English: BJU
Reading: My Father’s World Reading List
Read-Alouds: My Father’s World Reading List
Spelling: Sequential Spelling
Writing: Handwriting without Tears
Spanish: Rosetta Stone
Keyboarding: Typing Web (first year trying out this free website)
Activities: JBQ & Piano

The Singer (1st Grade):
Bible: Grapevine Studies
Math: A Beka
Science: The Young Scientist Club
English: A Beka
Reading: A Beka
Read-Alouds: My Father’s World Reading List
Spelling: Sequential Spelling
Writing: Handwriting without Tears
Spanish: Rosetta Stone
Keyboarding: Typing Web (first year trying out this free website)
Activities: JBQ & Piano

Little Hummingbird
VPK 3 days a week

Nino Lindo
Run, Jump, & Run Some More…hehe

Tuesdays Tip

ToolsTuesdays Tip: Bring the Right Tools

Today I’m going to build a bird feeder. We could hang it outside in our backyard. I know the kids will enjoy watching the birds go inside the little house eating until their hearts are content. So, right away I gather the things I will need. I have a couple pieces of wood, some screws, and a Philips screw driver. I start measuring and placing the boards together. I take my first screw and try to screw it in…it’s taking forever. I try pushing the screw down as I turn the screw driver, but it’s barely moving. As I evaluate the situation, I realize I have the wrong tool for the job…I need a flat head screwdriver.

The same thing can happen when we are teaching our children. We buy the curriculum, we read how to use it and then we began pushing our lesson plan on them. We can teach until we are blue in the face without much progress. Why is this? Is our child dumb? Are we bad teachers? No, our child is not dumb and we aren’t bad teachers! The problem is  the tools we put on the table are the wrong ones. If your child is struggling with reading make sure you have given them the right tools to accomplish the job. It might mean going to the hardware store and buying a different tool  or just taking a different approach to the way you are delivering your material. Be aware of how your children are acting. If they are continually getting frustrated, emotional or disinterested, go back to the drawing board…try some other tools you have in your box. Could I have made my bird feeder with the Philips head screwdriver, yes, but it would have taken a lot longer and it wouldn’t have been as fun to make it.

Make learning enjoyable and bring the right tools!

Tuesday’s Homeschooling Tip

Write It DownTuesday’s Homeschooling Tip: Write it Down!

It’s the start of a new school year and maybe even your first year of homeschooling. My tip today is to write down why you are homeschooling, your vision for the year and your vision for each of your children.

Just like a runner trains for a race we prepare for our school year. We read and research and read some more, then choose the “perfect curriculum”, then we clip our coupons and go out on tax free weekend to buy all the school supplies we could ever need. Our emotions are high…it’s a new school year and we can’t wait to get started. The gun is fired and we are off, but half way through the year, or maybe half way through the first week, you want to quit! Thoughts like, “what was I thinking?” and “I will never be able to teach my kid to read?” flood your mind. Athlete’s also hear their body tell them they can’t go on, their legs become tired and their arms become weak, this is when they can choose to give up or visualize the reason why they started the race in the first place. As they picture the purpose (the prize) of the race they get their second wind and press through.

Homeschooling is not easy, it’s sometimes stressful and very demanding, but it’s worth it! When negative thoughts and fatigue come in, pull out your paper that has your vision and your purpose for homeschooling, then press through…at the end of the year you’ll be happy you didn’t give up!

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Tuesday’s Homeschooling Tip

UsTuesday’s Homeschooling Tip: Find what works for you and your family!

Mary might tell you Math U See is the best math curriculum and it worked for her Tommy. Then Jessica tells you Horizon is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now what do you do? You research it and maybe try to get your hands on some of the books, but don’t think because Mary or Jessica told you it’s the best, that it will be the best for your kids. Every child and every family is unique.

Some families have school rooms some don’t. Some families start their new school year in September while others go all year round. Some homeschoolers have four days of school while others might only have three.
If I can again, let me state my point…find what works for YOU, YOUR kids and YOUR family as a whole. If you get stressed or something is just not working, switch it up! That’s one of the reasons we homeschool, flexibility.

Lord as this new school year approaches, help us to see the big picture, help us to see the real value in homeschooling. Let us not dwell on the perfect curriculum or if our children should wear their pjs all day, but let our focus return to You and help us to point our children’s focus back to you because at the end of the day, You are the only thing that truly matters.  In Jesus Name Amen

Nate’s Pancakes

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Nate the Great

Reading has been a little bit of a struggle for my oldest daughter. The struggle was not her, but the books we were picking. After searching and searching, I found a detective book, Nate The Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. She’s a little detective herself, so she could relate to Nate. After finishing the book we noticed Nate’s Pancake Recipe in the back…it’s perfect for a hungry detective and there’s also leftovers for her sisters 🙂

A good book with a hands on activity equals the love of learning and a yummy breakfast!

Yummy

Now eat and think deep thoughts 😉

Encouraging Individual Study

There are many times I am spread thin with four little ones. I am always thinking and looking into ways I can encouraging individual study time, so I can have five to ten minutes of one on one time with each child.

I came across this idea the other day online and I had to share it!

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All you need is a small photo album. I picked one up from the Dollar Store yesterday. Then add your flash cards. While I’m working with my kindergarten on her work, my second grader can practice her facts by herself and when she’s done I can check them. Make sure to use a dry erase marker and it will be easy to wipe off the answers for later use.

 

You can also laminate your flash cards, whatever works best for you.

Happy Learning Everyone 🙂

 

Oil vs Water

Oil vs WaterScience Fun Day!

Vocabulary Words:

Emulsion: is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally nonmixable.

Density: the condition of having parts that are close together; the amount of something in a specified volume or area.

Items you’ll need for your experiment:
  • Small soft drink bottle or a container that has a lid that screws on tightly
  • Water
  • Food coloring (We didn’t have any liquid coloring but we did have Amarillo powdered, for our Cuban yellow rice dish 😉 )
  • 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
  • Dish washing liquid (one or two squirts)
Instructions:
  1. Add a few drops of food coloring to the water.
  2. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the colored water along with the 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the small soft drink bottle.
  3. Screw the lid on tight and shake the bottle as hard as you can.
  4. Put the bottle back down and have a look, it may have seemed as though the liquids were mixing together but the oil will float back to the top.

water/oil

 We observed oil and water do not mix! Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other, this is the same for oil, because they are more attracted to their own molecules, they just don’t mix together. Oil and water separate and the oil floats above the water because it has a lower density.

Now add some dish washing liquid and shake it up. The soap is attracted to both water and oil, helping them all join together and form something called an emulsion.

Have fun trying to make oil and water mix but remember to screw on the lid tightly 🙂

More Than a Craft

Cross“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Today we had a time of sharing. We talked about things we are struggling with. We then wrote them down on a piece of paper and stuck them to the cross. I explained to the girls that Christ died for these sins and these negative feelings. When we come to the cross daily, He helps us to overcome these battles.

This was more than a craft, it brought awareness to the hearts of these little girls that sin had been covered. It brought acknowledgement to the weaknesses they have without seeking God’s face everyday, all day. Prayers were spoken with repentance around our kitchen table this afternoon.

Finding ways to make the word living and alive sparks the connection our children hunger for. The next time you have a craft I challenge you to take it a step further!