Back in the swing of things...

After a long Christmas break, we were back at it today and without complaining (yeah!).  I'm so thankful we're back with HOD!!!

Both kids began Unit 2 in their guides...

K surprised me and really comprehended the Reddy Fox chapter we read today!  She even read Giggle Bunny without complaint and used her little "window bookmark*" to isolate the words so she could read them clearly.  (*I cut a small square out of half a sheet of pink paper.)

Her Bible story was about Adam & Eve (sin entering the world) and to go along with the story she did a listening activity where I'd make two noises and she's have to tell me "ssss" if the sounds were different or "Yes, Lord, I will obey" if the sounds were the same to demonstrate lies vs. truth.  She did well.  She then wanted me to listen and for her to make the noises. Of course, we did it.

D is enjoying listening about Christopher Columbus.   We talked about humility today as it goes along with his memory verse for the week.  He also enjoys his science - reading One Small Square Seashore.  His geography activity today was all about the equator.  He built a tiny Lego boat to sail around the world following my directions to go to certain countries and after visiting a country he would tell me what the weather would be like based on the country's location (near/far) from the equator.

At the end of the activity, he sailed along Columbus' route from Hispaniola (Haiti) to the Azores to Portugal and then to Spain.  He was so serious about it!  He eventually got a minifig to sit on the boat so if I told him to go to a country inland, he could have the minifig walk there.  Ha!

Christmas

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with family.  We almost finished all the Truth in the Tinsel ornaments - next year we will probably do it 3-4x a week instead of daily.  We did finish Jotham and D LOVED the ending!  Next year we'll read another book in the series...can't wait! :) 

I loved how by using Truth in the Tinsel & Jotham's Journey, our kids were focused daily on the Christmas story.  They really weren't all consumed with presents - in fact, on Christmas Day due to church, we didn't open gifts until almost 2 p.m.!  And the kids didn't drive everyone crazy asking about opening gifts...I'm sure much of it was due to the fact we didn't make Christmas about gifts but about THE GIFT - God's Son, Our SAVIOR!

Unit 1 Complete!

Both kiddos finished Unit 1 today (K-LHFHG and D-Bigger) and here are some pics of school the past 3 days along with a few pics of little C staying occupied.  :)

C pushing pompoms through the holes of an empty (clean) Parmesan cheese container.  (This is a new addition to our busy bag activities.)

Science Experiment answering "Why do some things float & other sink?"  (U1/D3)

 History activity from Bigger (U1/D4) - labeling a balloon with all the continents and major oceans...

K's science activity (U1/D4) - stepping on brown paper when I would say an animal name that lives on land...

 ...and stepping on blue paper when she heard an animal's name that lives in water.

 Updating her daily calender with Christmas stickers!

 Another activity to keep C occupied...

D's history notebooking (U1/D5) about Columbus' voyage.  He was really complaining at first, but then did a great job!

lots of artwork!

It was our 2nd day back with HOD today (yesterday was a vacation day for Daddy...need I say more :) and things went well.  D surprised me and wanted to start his work right away this morning! 

D's science notebook page today all about the tide!

He copied Psalm 95:5 at the top and did a really nice job!

He's beginning DITHOR (Drawn into the Heart of Reading) and we kicked it off with an ADVENTURE scavenger hunt to find his book since he's reading Adventure genre. :)  He's opted to do his reading at bedtime for this...He was begging me to let him read the entire book.  I told him we have to slow down for our DITHOR books as we have certain activities to do after each reading.  I love that he loves to read!  :)

K busily spreading glue (with a paintbrush) for her collage about her history (Jesus is the center of history!  Everyone prior to that looked FOR Him and everyone since looks BACK at the cross and then forward to his coming again!).

 She was really proud of her work!

 As we were singing her rhyme/poem today she wanted to wear her reindeer antlers for the part where she "leaps" like deer in North America!  I've been having her point out the continents as we sing the song...she knows where we live and is learning the others. :)

Little C wants to do everything the others are doing...so today she sat at the table for a little while coloring with her crayon roll.  She was upset in this pic because she had just broken her gray crayon.  She colors so hard!

Ornament for Day #12 - the Census (jar with rice and 2 marbles with faces to represent Mary & Jospeh).  It was fun to do this activity today because the chapter we read in Jotham's Journey just talked about the census, too!

D opted to do his art after lunch this afternoon.  He did a great job learning about foreground, middle ground & background in his painting.  He mixed various shades of purple to make the waves.

 His finished artwork...

I'm thankful we made the switch back to HOD.

Ornaments & HOD

Day #9 - Joseph ornament (similar to their Mary ornaments they made a few days ago).  They wanted Mary & Jospeh together in their separate pictures.

Day #10 - Pillow ornament - reminds them of the angel appearing to Joseph in a dream telling him it is okay to have Mary as his wife and that she will have JESUS!

C is pretending to sleep in the pic...I think. :)

Our HOD box arrived Friday.  As soon as I opened it, K was grabbing her books and begging to do work. How could I say no?!  She did a great job.  She even woke up this morning asking me if she could do another page in her Thinking Skills book...ha!  I told her that it's Saturday, Daddy's home and we're enjoying a break from school for the weekend.

D began Bigger, too.  He really enjoyed R&S grammar - maybe because it was simple (he already knows what sentence is)?!  He also aced his dictation and was happy to make a pencil check mark by the 1 to show he's past that dictation. :)  He also enjoyed his history reading about Columbus and when we reviewed the continents he remembered all of them but one from memory.

Truth in the Tinsel - Day #8

Today we made the SUN after reading about Zechariah's song in Luke 1 where he refers to Jesus as the "rising sun" in that passage.  (The kids AND I learned something new today!)  :)

I let C have her own glue bottle - she was delighted! :)

Truth in the Tinsel - Days 4-7

Here are the past four days of ornaments...the kids are learning so much & having fun!!!

Day #4 - Gabriel - Angel Ornament (jingle bell, pipe cleaner, wrapping paper, ribbon)

Day #5 - Mary Ornament (flat clothespin, paper, ribbon)

Day #6 - Mary & Elizabeth - (watercolor paints, paper & pop dots to make circle belly stick out :)

Day #7  - Mary's Song - (old CD, flat marbles, ribbon) - their favorite so far, I think!