Christmas School

Between Thanksgiving and Epiphany, we don't do any "real" school. Instead we work at what I have termed "Christmas School". I've been asked to post some of the activities we have been working on the past couple of weeks and what we plan for the coming weeks as well.

First off, I'd like to list a few of the reasons why I've chosen to do Christmas School. First, since we do school more or less year-round, I don't have any problem taking off 6 weeks or so at this time of year. Second, I found that I never had enough time to do all the fun Christmas-y activities I wanted to do with my kids when we did regular schoolwork. Another reason is that I found that this time of year is a great time for a break; otherwise I get totally burned out trying to accomplish everything and by February I am ready for it to all be over. (This is something I learned while teaching at a Christian school years ago.) When I take a break for Christmas School, I am ready to dive back into our regular schoolwork in the second week of January. There are more reasons, but that's a good part of it.

I should also state that we are continuing on with our math studies during our Christmas School respite. Last year we did NOT do Math, and I regretted it in January. :-)

So, what do we do? I choose some appropriate Bible study. Last year we did a Jesse Tree. Here is a good example of that: http://www.rca.org/worship/material/advent/makingtree.html I used the patterns on this page to print out for the kids to color and make a Jesse tree out of paper.

This year, our Bible study is Color the Christmas Classics. (http://www.colortheclassics.com/) This study comes with an audio cassette or CD and information and coloring sheets for 13 Christmas carols that describe the history of the carol - both lyrics and music. We are enjoying this and it is very different from the Jesse tree study.

We also just finished reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, mainly in preparation for the movie that was just released. I took David (almost age 11) and Emily (age 8) to see the movie on Friday night. They've already demanded that I read another book, and so we will continue with Prince Caspian, because that is the next book that features the 4 children. (I do NOT like the renumbering of the series, and much prefer the old way of numbering that I remember from my childhood.)

We also have tickets for a live performance of A Christmas Carol, so I decided the children should have the book read to them beforehand. Quite unknown to me, the edition of the book I had on my shelf had a read-along CD included in it! So the kids have been listening to that when I am not here. Something that Bob can have them do for school, ye ken? (That's Scottish for "kwim". -g-) They will finish that this week, as our tickets are for this Wednesday.

All the children have created art projects as gifts for their aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Suzy, James, and Emily had fun foam ornaments in varying degrees of difficulty. Suzy did a snowman star, James did a Christmas tree with jeweled ornaments, and Emily did a more complicated sequined snowman. All of them added their photographs to the ornaments. It took several days for them to complete these ornaments which made for a nice relaxed pace.

David, instead of making a craft, learned how to use Windows Movie Maker, which came free with my computer (although apparently not with all computers that have Windows XP). He created a 3 minute movie/slideshow of family photographs accompanied by music. He burned 7 of them to CD's and decorated the paper CD envelopes as gifts for his grandparents and aunts and uncles on my side of the family.For David, I am encouraging every practical use of the computer possible.

OK, let's see. Still to come? Handmade Christmas cards, Decorated Christmas PJ's, Writing a Christmas letter, addressing Christmas cards and mailing them. Baking Christmas cookies, making gingerbread houses, making Christmas candies. Wrapping Christmas gifts, finishing up the last bits of Christmas shopping. Instead of me doing all this stuff late at night after the kids are in bed, we will do it together. Ye ken?

Hope this helps! I will try to post more. Questions? Ask 'em!

Christmas School Requested

My high school senior asked yesterday if we were doing Christmas School this year. We haven't done it in the last couple years, at least not to its full extent.

But David, my nearly eighteen-year-old, said something along the lines of, "I really love doing Christmas School. It's one of my favorite things." He mentioned liking reading the Nativity story (which we do every year).

How can I say no to that?

He expressed the desire to make a gingerbread cathedral. (He thinks big.) The other kids all wanted to do card houses again. Here are some posts about our past Christmas School experiences, including one from 2008 with pictures of the card houses.

Note: we did not design or make that cathedral. I just found it on the internet. You can see more pictures of it here. Hopefully David's will turn out somewhere between that and THIS.

Here's a funny article of 10 gingerbread house fails including the one I just showed you.

So, I guess my December lesson planning will include Christmas School! Stay tuned for how that pans out during my oldest child's last year of high school. Sniff.

Christmas School

It's once again time for Christmas School! This year we are doing a unit study on the symbols of Christmas.

I am using 2 different unit studies.

1 - http://www.easyfunschool.com/Blessed.pdf
This one is free and contains 25 days of activities - each on a different symbol of Christmas. Obviously I won't be able to use all of this, but that's ok. Since there are so many, I can pick and choose what I like.

2 - http://www.homeschoolestore.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=100
This one was a free download at homeschoolestore.com a few months ago. Right now it is about $5. This one covers 10 symbols of Christmas and ends up as a really cute "lapbook".

We are doing Christmas School as our Bible and Art. No History or Science or regular Language Arts until after New Year's. Other daily work: the kids are all doing Math, James is doing Explode the Code, David and Emily are doing Reading. We may add some other things also on an intermittent basis.

This is a tradition for us - to do Christmas School each year between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I love having the break from regular daily work and also the time to do some of the Christmas things I found I was not able to fit in along with all the regular things.

Christmas School

For "Christmas School" this year, we are doing hymn study, a Jesse Tree, and Christmas baking. We are also focusing on ways to give gifts to each other without spending money (since we don't have any money).

The hymn-of-the-month is "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and we take turns choosing another Christmas carol to sing together.

Our Advent study this year comes from Teaching Mom. We are doing the daily Bible readings and the Jesse Tree study. Anything else that looks interesting and do-able may make it onto our daily schedule as well.

A Jesse tree is a way to celebrate Advent using ornaments to explore different parts of the heritage of Jesus Christ. This website has a nice explanation. Our Jesse tree ornaments are found HERE. I printed them out and the kids are taking turns coloring them each day. We will be putting them up on a tree just as soon as I can persuade one of the kids to make a tree. lol I like the one pictured here, but I'm sure ours won't look as nice.

Here are some good ideas for making a Jesse tree and doing the devotions. We've used those devotions on occasion.

I found some printable Christmas gift coupons at this site and printed them out for the kids, encouraging them to think of gifts of their time and labor for one another. If those don't fit your needs, try an internet search for "printable Christmas coupons" or something similar.

I've been blogging about the baking we've been doing, so check my other posts for information on that.

We have been continuing with our math, literature, phonics, and science, albeit somewhat half-heartedly. :-)

Christmas School Day 1

Day 1 of Christmas School:

Sadly the day had to begin with a long lecture from mom on doing what you're told.
Read aloud a chapter from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
Read aloud a chapter from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Each child did their regular math work (50 min for the older 3, 30 min for Suzy)
Each child did their regular reading (Emily finishing Pride and Prejudice, David began Mansfield Park, James is reading the Phantom Tollbooth and Suzy worked on Explode the Code phonics online)
Suzy and David put lunch on (sandwiches) and James and Emily cleaned it up.

After lunch, I pulled out some old Christmas cards and the kids worked on making THESE ornaments while listening to Kenny G holiday music. The ornaments turned out to be too hard for everyone except David, whose ornament turned out very nicely. He also finished Emily's. We used the glue gun instead of tacky glue. The little kids had trouble getting their circles a uniform size. If I had helped, I'm sure they could have managed though. (I was working while they attempted this project.)

We also discussed some gift ideas throughout the day. And I roasted a turkey.

Attitudes were bad all around today. Hopefully tomorrow will bring out the Christmas cheer!

Simple Woman's Daybook - December 20

For Today... December 20, 2009

Outside my window... Cold and grey, but dry.

I am thinking... about the Midwinter Homeschool Conference (Steve Demme and Sally Clarkson are the speakers!)

From the learning rooms... Continuing with Math, Literature, and Christmas "School"

I am thankful for... a wonderful family celebration this past weekend.

From the kitchen... The last few Christmas cookie recipes will be made this week and I have a ham for Christmas Day.

I am wearing... PJ's, robe, wool socks, and slippers. And a fluffy blanket on my lap.

I am reading... The Rough Guide to Running and Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange

I've been watching... The Princess and the Frog, Encino Man, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, Scrooged, The Best of Mr. Bean, G.I. Joe, White Christmas

I am hoping... more of my stuff on Amazon.com sells.

I am creating... fiction

I am hearing... G.I. Joe on TV (OK that was two hours of my life I can't get back. Do not bother watching GI Joe!)

Around the house... Going to be doing some cleaning this week so we can enjoy our holiday

One of my favorite things... Spending time with family.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Lessons, writing, errands, cleaning, and then..... Christmas!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you.

Simple Woman's Daybook - November 29

For Today... November 29, 2009

Outside my window... Overcast and November-ish. Bleh and Brrrr.

I am thinking... about no-cost or low-cost gifts. Ideas are welcomed!

From the learning rooms... The last day of NaNoWriMo is tomorrow. Then we'll start "Christmas School" although I don't know quite what we'll do yet.

I am thankful for... getting healthy! Losing weight!

From the kitchen... Getting geared up for lots of Christmas cookie baking and candy making! (How that fits with the previous answer, I've not yet figured out.) Love getting the house all warm from the oven and smelling like Christmas baking.

I am wearing... My favorite jeans, a long-sleeved grey tee, and a grey Pistons hoodie. I just did my roots this morning and my hair isn't dry yet. No makeup.

I am reading... ECHO IN THE BONE (finally!!!) by Diana Gabaldon! Also A Midsummer Night's Dream, yes, by the Bard of Avon, and also still plugging away slowly at unChristian (a book best digested in bits).

I've been watching... Next, Matrix:Reloaded, Hancock, Men in Black

I am hoping... that I can remember how I created my writing website. I'd like to edit it but I am at a loss! ARGH!

I am creating... a suspenseful and satisfying ending to my novel. Hopefully.

I am hearing... Christmas music! (I avoid it until Thanksgiving, but begin listening to it that day and keep it up until Epiphany.)

Around the house... Bob is making some kind of an antenna booster for the TV

One of my favorite things... Winning NaNoWriMo!

A few plans for the rest of the week... my younger son turns TEN this week! Also David is going to a Star Wars viewing party and I get to go to a women's Christmas party. And our church is having a Living Nativity that we are helping with in some way. That all in addition to our normal stuff.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you.
David's varsity letter for soccer (Faith Falcons)

Weekly Review - Eighth Week

Bible
We did a lot better with Bible this week. Any late starts did not affect our Bible time - we just did it anyway. We read all of Galatians (6 chapters) and the last part of Chapter 1 of Making Brothers and Sister Best Friends. (We are going very slowly through it this time, in hopes of being able to implement some of the techniques.)

We also continued singing our October songs - The Old Rugged Cross and Great and Mighty is He.

Math
David did Test 27 and started Lesson 28 (which is military time - easy!!) in Math-U-See Pre-Algebra.
Emily worked on Lesson 23 in Gamma and it's a hard concept - double digit multiplication (2 digits top and bottom).
James worked on Lesson 8 in Gamma
Suzy finished Lesson 9 in Alpha (I think).

Language Arts - Literature and Reading
David is reading The Landing of the Pilgrims for Literature. Emily read several chapters in Anne of Green Gables and answered oral comprehension questions. James is reading The Story of Ships (an Usborne book). Suzy worked in Phonics Pathways, reviewing short vowels. All the children did silent reading every day (their choice of books).

We finished reading aloud The Family Under the Bridge. I'd recommend it as a good Christmas read-aloud, if you're looking for a short book for that. (Not a Christian novel, but a good discussion starter.)

Language Arts - Writing
David and Emily did Lessons 2-3 in IEW SWI-B Lesson 7 DVD. All the children wrote in their Communication Journals and wrote a letter. James and Suzy did 2 penmanship pages.

Language Arts - Other
David and Emily did three pages in Easy Grammar - prepositions still. They also did 4 days of Spelling lessons. Suzy did 8 pages in Explode the Code 2. James found his Explode the Code so he also did 8 pages.

Science
David took the test for Module 2 of Apologia Physical Science and began Module 3. He does this study almost completely independently, but he called me in to watch one really cool experiment where he created a vacuum.
Emily, James and Suzanne didn't do Science this week

History
David worked on History of US Book 2 - read Chapters 5-16 and did the mapwork for those pages.
The younger children learned about Vesuvius and Pompeii, Masada (Israel), and the Dead Sea Scrolls. They made their own "ancient" documents and erupted volcanoes in the backyard. They added these events to our cumulative timeline.

Other activities
All the children did Creativity Express art appreciation software for 30 minutes. David finished the program. (It was supposed to last all year!!!) All worked on typing instruction one day as well (Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing). Suzy had her last soccer practice. James' practices were cancelled. They both had their last soccer game. James scored a goal!!! David assisted with soccer practice and refereed one game.

We attended our homeschool co-op on Friday. I could type out all those activities, but, well, I don't wanna! lol

Next week will be our 9th week of lessons. In traditional school, nine weeks is often a marking period. So that's really a good time for us to change focus. November is going to be writing month here at Cornerstone Academy, as I've mentioned. We will keep doing Math and Content Area subjects.

After November, we'll take the first two or three weeks of December for "Christmas School". (Stay tuned for details.) Then we'll have a two or three week break from formal lessons. That's another 8 or 9 weeks and then January will be a great time to transition back into "normal" lessons.

Don't look for a lot here during NaNoWriMo, though! From November 1-30, my focus will be on writing my novel. I am aiming for 75K this year! Can I do it??? Well, not if I blog as much as I normally do! lol

Lisa's Logbook - November 28

Outside: Sunny and cold

Sounds: David arguing with me

Home: Going through my file cabinets of old teaching stuff

Projects: Visiting Churches

Pondering: why do the kids always put the meat in the FREEZER when they unload the groceries?

Teaching: Oh my, need to think about Christmas School

Gratitude: Thankful for my job.

Recipes: James likes to bake! Ain't that a grand thing?

Duds: jeans, red long sleeved shirt, NaNo hoodie, socks and tennis shoes, curled my hair, decided makeup was too much work.

Reads: reading Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig and listening to Scream-Free Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel; going to move on to A Christmas Carol when these are done

Vids: The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (on Nick - bleh), Prince of Persia (loved it! Thought I would not enjoy it)

Hopes: that I can do most of my Christmas shopping online within the next few days.

Love: WINNING NaNoWriMo! What a feeling!!!!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, gymnastics open gym, writing, co-op, James' birthday and a birthday party

Pic: The kids' table at Thanksgiving (check the difference between the plates in front of Suzy and James - closest to the camera. And yes, James ate all of his.)

Lisa's Logbook - December 2

One place we visited: Suzy and I went to Port Huron today to see The Nutcracker. A friend of ours danced in the production. We had a lovely time attending with some good friends - lunch beforehand and ice cream (or coffee) afterwards. 

We are reading: David and Emily will be reading a couple O. Henry short stories for American Lit and then getting a head-start on Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Emily will be picking up an abridged version of Les Miserables to read for book club. I am now 1/3 done with the UNabridged Les Miserables; that is a HUMONGOUS book! James and Suzy both need new books and I haven't chosen them yet! Emily and I also are both reading The Hobbit in the next couple weeks to get ready for our book club going to see the movie together!

I'm grateful for: my Android phone I got for my birthday - love it! I can stay in touch so much easier now. And my kids can use it too for fun and educational apps. Very very pleased. (It's the HTC One V from Virgin mobile.)

Red Belt Promotion - PKSA Karate

My favorite thing this week: Getting promoted to red belt in karate! Halfway to black belt now....

Favorite Resource this Week: the boxes of Christmas stuff! Lots of crafty odds and ends in there that the kids are excited about.

Homeschooling advice to share: Don't do too much too soon with your younger kids. Let them discover the joy of learning.

A challenge we face: Getting everyone up and ready in the morning takes a lot of energy from me. Still! Wouldn't you think that kids this age could manage to get up on their own and get ready?

A link to share: Ditch Your Office Chair for a New ‘Standing Desk’ (We sit too much, meaning we as Americans, or maybe just first world civilization.)

I am inspired by: reading great literature

A homeschool debate we are living: Do I let the teens sleep in? And that usually means letting the elementary schooler sleep in too....

Coming up this week: Christmas School! Stay tuned! Also a Christmas party with our homeschool group, featuring rollerskating and cookies!

Classical Kids

Long ago I was a schoolteacher. A multigrade classroom in a Christian school was my work environment for five years. I worked at a teacher supply store for a couple years during that time and spent just about all of my salary on teacher supplies.

One thing I bought back then was Classical Kids audio cassettes. Hopefully you've heard of these, but if you haven't, I do highly recommend them. Fascinating stories featuring music by famous composers familiarize the listeners with either lives of the composers or, as in the case of Mozart's Magic Flute, the plot of the opera.

The four cassettes I have are:
Mr. Bach Comes to Call: The great composer tells his story to a little girl
Mozart's Magic Fantasy: A journey through The Magic Flute
Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery: A tale of Venice and violins
Beethoven Lives Upstairs: A tale of genius and childhood


I dug these out and introduced them to my children last week, and these cassettes have been the only thing we have listened to in the car since! They particularly like the Vivaldi and Mozart selections. The stories are professionally recorded and the acting is beautifully done. Excerpts from the composer's most famous works are included, sometimes as background to the story and sometimes as short snippets just for listening pleasure, but always integrated with the plot.

There are several more Classical Kids selections that I do not yet own, but they are on my wish list! These are the titles I am hoping to get eventually:
Classical Kids Christmas: A telling of the Christmas story children's choirs singing your favorite carols
Hallelujah Handel!: Angels in the opera house
Mozart's Magnificent Voyage: A symphony of stories for all ages
Song of the Unicorn: A Classical Kids story with medieval music
Tchaikovsky Discovers America: A tale of courage and adventure
Daydreams and Lullabies: a celebration of poetry, song and classical music.

One note of caution. If yours is a family that avoids any mention of magic or spookiness, you will probably want to skip Mozart's Magic Fantasy and Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery. There is a lot of magic in the Mozart story and some slight spookiness in the Vivaldi story. I don't think it would offend most people, but amongst Christian homeschoolers, I do believe there are some who would find it unacceptable. I didn't use those two in my Christian school classroom because I felt that some parents could possibly have objections. However, I think that many families will find these stories both enchanting and enriching. You likely would have no objection to the stories about Bach and Beethoven. We personally have learned a lot and had our hearts touched by all of these stories.

As Beethoven believed (and we learned in the Beethoven Lives Upstairs story), "Music can change the world."

Try-It Tuesday: Traditions

Do you have traditions in your home? Traditions are part of what makes your family unique and what gives your kids a family identity.

On the first day of school, our kids look forward to having ice cream sundaes for lunch! Other First Day traditions include a treasure hunt (with clues) to find their new school supplies, taking photos, and no actual schoolwork. lol

We have holiday traditions - baking a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve and then taking it outside for him to "blow out" the candles, dying eggs for Easter, a homeschool party on Valentine's Day. Getting together with family the Saturday before Christmas is an important way we celebrate together.

Summer brings more traditions. Visiting the local fair happens for us usually every OTHER year - traditions don't have to be yearly. Beach Day with our friends happens several times throughout the summer. A family reunion picnic is something else we make time for every year.

Camping with families from our homeschool group for several days each summer is another tradition. Three summers have included this and this week will be the fourth installment of this relaxed, fun-filled week at a nearby state park.

Some traditions I've tried to instill and failed - one would be having a "special person" plate and getting that out for people on their special days. For some families, this rocks! For ours, not so much.

What's important is building memories with your kids. Forming meaningful traditions means that you are being an intentional parent. What kinds of things are you doing to make memories with your family?

FURTHER READING:
Creating Family Traditions - gives some specific suggestions
Scrapjazz - Creating Family Traditions - idea of using a planner to keep track of family traditions
Creating Lasting Traditions - ideas specifically for mealtimes
100 Ways to Celebrate Your Family - printable 1 sheet .pdf with, yes, 100 ideas to do with your family

Simple Woman's Daybook - November 22

For Today... November 22, 2009

Outside my window... Overcast.

I am thinking... about when I should go out and see New Moon

From the learning rooms... Trying to think about "Christmas School" for this year - maybe a Jesse tree again this year?

I am thankful for... warranties and techie teenage sons (ok, just one of those)

From the kitchen... a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. Well, I bought it, but it's in the kitchen and it's calling me.

I am wearing... Jeans, black top, hair in barrette

I am reading... listening to A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Disc 44 of 48) by Diana Gabaldon (#6 in Outlander series). Reading unChristian again. Hoping to finish soon. Read two or three other books this week.

I've been watching... Holes, National Treasure, Rollicking Movie Night Selections: The Accidental Husband, The Proposal, Much Ado About Nothing

I am hoping... to get caught up on my writing today. Or tomorrow.

I am creating... An amazingly lame adventure novel

I am hearing... previews on the DVD the kids are watching: Barbie and the Three Musketeers

Around the house... some big rotten pumpkins that need to be tossed in tomorrow's trash

One of my favorite things... NOT shopping on Black Friday. Anyone want to see New Moon then? Matinee?

A few plans for the rest of the week... Writing. Writing. And Thanksgiving.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you.

Lisa's Logbook - December 11

Current Mood: relaxed

Outside: sunny and 35

Wearing: jeans and a sweatshirt

Tunes: Christmas music

Kids Are: Three are working on decorating the tree, 1 is being anti-social

Hubby Is: working on decorating the tree

Something New: Christmas-y blog background; also bought myself some wool socks at the mall.

Something Yummy: Tarla's mystery balls! lol

Blessings: sleeping in!

Reading: Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange, A Praying Life by Paul Miller. 

Watching: Sherlock (BBC) - all 3 episodes with my Rollicking Readers, Parenthood, Psych, Camille (1984 w/Colin Firth & Greta Scacchi)

Considering: some gift ideas

Working On: Christmas preparations

Accomplishments: got the tree up!

Looking Forward To: seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie, getting together with family this weekend, staying in a hotel with the kids
Pic:

NOTE: I have a personal blog, mostly a review of our weekly activities - NOT school related. If you need the link, let me know. It's not private, but I don't link to it. It's called Quingly Things.

Rise and Shine?

During our Christmas break, David (age 14) and I were discussing our imminent return to a more structured schedule. He complained about the time I wanted him to be out of bed, telling me it was too early.

"None of my homeschooled friends have to get up THAT early, Mom!"

The time in question is 8:00 AM. My goal is for the kids to get ready between 8 and 9 and then have some scheduled quiet devotional time between 9-9:30. (Not necessarily 30 minutes of it, but sometime in there.) It also gives us a little cushion of extra time. We start our lessons at 9:30.

I posted on my facebook account, asking for other homeschoolers to let me know what times their teens arise from their deep slumbers.

What I hoped for was some reassurance that there are other homeschoolers out there who like to stick to some semblence of a schedule.

What I got was a number of traditionally-schooled kids (or their parents) reporting what ungodly hours those kids have to get up to be ready before their school buses arrive. An oft-quoted time was 5:00 AM. FIVE O'CLOCK AM? That's really not a time I like to think about being awake. If David went to the local junior high school, he'd be tardy at 7:15. So, yes, if you have a long bus ride and if you have an intensive grooming routine, you might need to get up at 5:00.

Most of the homeschoolers that responded were not helpful to my position. They were saying things like, "it wouldn't help for me to tell you our routine" or "We live on a farm, but we definitely don't follow a farm schedule." I assume this means they don't make their teens get up early, or perhaps they don't have a schedule at all. That make work for those families, but I am not satisfied with that approach in our home.

So, I brought it up last weekend when I was scrapbooking. Most (all?) of the other ladies are homeschoolers and many of them have teens. I didn't get a lot of support there either. Studies were quoted. "Teens need their sleep." "Teens need to stay up late." "Teens grow best when they can sleep all they want."

OK, but what about the family? How do we have any routine at all when one member of the family sleeps in until 10 or 10:30 (or later) EVERY DAY? How do the other kids go to bed when one kid stays up until 1:00 AM? And this kid shares a bedroom with a sibling? How do we accomplish family Scripture and prayer time to start our day when one of our family members isn't yet awake?

My position is that it's better to teach them to go to bed at a decent hour and arise at a time that allows them enough sleep, but still keeps the family on a productive routine. Someday when my children have to be to work on time, I am hoping this training will show its fruit. I was encouraged in this approach by a couple good friends.

My goal for my teen? Bedtime is 10pm. He can listen to audio until 11pm. Then it's supposed to be time for sleep. That gives him 9 hours until the appointed time for rising and shining. I think that's a workable schedule, allowing for staying up later than younger siblings, for enough time asleep, and for a family routine that works like, well, clockwork!

So, what about your family? What frustrations do you face with bedtimes and waking up? What approach works best for you? Have you tried anything else?

EDITED TO ADD - I aim to get up at 7:30 to do my own devotions and work out. I don't always make it, but that's the goal. I am trying a year-long plan to reset my body clock and turn myself into a morning person. It's gotta be possible, right? I figure it's at least worth a try. (That's another post in itself, really - my reasons, motivations, and thought process.) So, anyway it isn't like I am asking my kids to do something I'm not doing either.

Also, read the comments for some other comments and my responses.

Weekly Review - Week 17

This was only SORT of a school-y week.

Bible

• We read Luke 2.
  
• We read Chapter 3 of Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends
  

Math

• David did page 3B and that completed his December lessons.
  
• Emily continued working on multiple digit multiplication with regrouping. This is HARD for her.
  
• James finished Lesson 13 (Skip Count by 6, Equivalent Fractions) and took Test 13 in Gamma.
  
• Suzy did 2 lessons in Lesson 14 (Addition, Doubles +1 and Associative Property) in Alpha.

Language Arts - Literature and Reading

• David read Chapters 12-14 in Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski and answered comprehension questions, some written, some orally.
• Emily read Chapters 32-35 in Anne of Green Gables and answered comprehension questions, some written, some orally.
  
• James did 3 Read and Think Skill Sheets (A Beka).
• Suzy read 1 Bob Book from the second set and wrote in her literature journal.
  
• Everyone did some silent reading throughout the week.
  

Language Arts - Writing

• Everyone wrote 2 thank you notes.
• Everyone wrote in their Communication Journals.
  

Language Arts - Other

• David and Emily both did several pages in Easy Grammar about prepositions.
  

Science

• No Science this week.
  

History

• David read Chapters 5-7 in History of Us: Book 4 (by Joy Hakim).
  

Other activities

• Shopping together on Tuesday.
• Christmas Eve family time on Wednesday
• Christmas Day on Thursday
• Saturday we had friends over
  

New Year Meme

New Year Meme

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Ran a 5K
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did make some and kept some. I already made some for 2010 (see the end of the post).
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Several friends had babies in 2009.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
No jaunts to other countries in 2009.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Enough money
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Sept 20 - my first 5K
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Losing 35 pounds
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not following through with my freelance writing business
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My huge thesaurus
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My own
14. Where did most of your money go?
Paying bills
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The release of An Echo in the Bone, the newest installment in the Outlander saga by Diana Gabaldon
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Bust a Move (Young MC)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
about the same
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Querying agents and writing
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Swearing
20. How did you spend Christmas?
A nice relaxing day at home with the kids - gifts, ham dinner, birthday party for Jesus, watching movies and letting the kids sleep under the tree.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Robin Hood (BBC)
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No
24. What was the best book you read?
Wow, only one? I can't pick just one, but here are a few: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Jane Eyre, Everybody's Normal Until You Get to Know Them, The Count of Monte Cristo, unChristian. Plus the 3 books by Diana Gabaldon I read in 2009.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
High School Musical ;-)
26. What did you want and get?
Spanish classes to teach
27. What did you want and not get?
a publishing contract
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
17 Again!
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Taught Spanish, took David to soccer practice and chatted with Darlene
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having enough money to pay all the bills and buy the things we need
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Mostly casual
32. What kept you sane?
Exercise
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hugh Jackman and then Zac Efron
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
the CPSIA legislation: Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
35. Who did you miss?
people who dropped out of co-op and people from work
36. Who was the best new person you met?
maybe Jen V, though I think that we met in 2008, but only really got to know each other in 09
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Being a friend isn't easy but it is worth it.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
We've got to hold on to what we've got 'Cause it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not. We've got each other and that's a lot for love - we'll give it a shot. We're half way there - Livin' on a prayer. Take my hand and we'll make it I swear - livin' on a prayer.

Resolutions for 2010
1 - Train for and run a 10K.
2 - Lose at least 12 more pounds.
3 - Call a friend every day.
4 - Work on completing my 101 in 1001 Days goals.

MeMeTiMe

A couple bloggie friends did this meme and I haven't done one in a while, and I'm strung out from work, sooo......

1. never in my life have i been: to Florida

2. the one person who can drive me nuts is: sleeping in my bed ;-)

3. high school was: mostly forgettable

4. when i'm nervous: yell at people

5. the last song i listened to was: some 80's song on Pandora

6. if i were to get married right now, my maid of honor would be: someone who wouldn't be shocked at bigamy (since I am ALREADY married)

7. my hair is: rather dry in back and in need of a dye job

8. when i was 5: I could read very well.

9. last christmas: we weren't sure we could buy any gifts, but the Lord provided as He always does

10. i should be: doing my yearbook page.

11. when i look down i see: my jeans and bare feet

12. the happiest recent event was: spending the weekend with family

13. if i was a character on friends, i would be: NOT Phoebe, lol I'd probably be Ross. I didn't watch the show well enough to know if I could be Rachel or Monica. Though I'd love to have either of their hair or their figures. LOL

14. by this time next year i will be: SKINNIER

15. my current gripe is: My kids aren't on-board with my homeschooling plan and yes, Michele, not enough hours in the day to deal with it properly.

16. i have a hard time understanding: how kids can LOOK like they're listening, but they really aren't. Even if they've heard the same instructions 100 times before.

17. there's this girl i know that: taught me that I could be a runner girl just like her

18. if i won an award, the first person i would tell would be: my kids

19. take my advice: get fit NOW, don't wait.

20. the thing i want to buy: iPad (or is it just hype?)

21. if you visited the place i was born: you could see Lake Michigan

22. i plan to visit: my book club friend Kathleen on Saturday next

23. if you spent the night at my house: I'd put you in the fold-out couch and we'd watch movies into the wee hours - with chocolate, of course.

24. the world could do without: selfishness and greed - or are those the same thing?

25. most recent thing i bought myself: 2 pair of jeans and several shirts at the thrift store

26. most recent thing someone bought me: dinner and a movie (Thanks, Janet!)

27. my favorite blond is: Captain Wentworth

28. my favorite brunette is: Ranger

29. my favorite red head is: James Alexander Malcolm McKenzie Fraser

30. my middle name is: Marie

31. in the morning i: get up and grab a cup of coffee and work for an hour before I even get dressed or brush my teeth

32. once at a bar: I almost.... well, I.... No. Don't think I'm going there. ;-)

33. last night i was: worked really late and then read a couple chapters of Emma

Spanish is Fun

Spanish classes are going well. I am teaching three classes each Monday afternoon in two different cities.

Because I have to be at the first class at 12:15, we leave the house after eating an early lunch around 11. Often I have errands to do on the way - library, post office, gas station. The kids load up their backpacks with independent work - don't forget the pencils! - and we back out of the driveway for our long afternoon away.

The first class is a high school Spanish class for another local homeschool enrichment program. The program is NOT a co-op but a fee-for-service program where all the teachers are paid. I have seven teens in this class and David joins in, as well. The other kids sit in the room and do their independent work or watch a movie if they finish early. We are working through a textbook and I enhance the lesson with games and songs, as I always do in my Spanish classes.

After the hour and 25 minutes of class, we pile back into the van and head north thirty minutes to the location of my other two classes. If we need to stop on the way, we have a little leeway, but not much as the second class begins at 3:00.

This class is twice as large and includes junior high'ers as well as high schoolers. Emily is taking this class, and David sits in as well, as a review. The fourteen students are working through the same textbook as the first class, but they are three weeks behind, so I have two lessons to prepare (although one is a repeat from 3 weeks before). Hopefully after Christmas, I can get both classes on the same schedule so I can prepare each lesson once. (And then David only needs to take one class.)

Each class ends with a Spanish song, so after I've tortured these teens with lyrics "en espanol", I dismiss them and welcome fourteen elementary students, ages 6-11. Suzy and James are enjoying their first real exposure to Spanish along with their friends.

This elementary class is designed for fun enrichment learning, rather than language mastery, so we cover topics like colors, numbers, days of the week, conversation words, clothing, food, etc... We meet for only 30 minutes so I jam every minute full of activities designed to increase language understanding in a fun manner. My prior elementary enrichment classes give me lots of experience to draw on in knowing how long a certain activity will take and how the class may react to it.

We end on the dot of 5:00 and close up the church, waving 'adios' to all our amigos who clutch their new language assignments in their orange folders as they head out to their vehicles.

Three hours of language teaching wears me out and my voice is hoarse when I finally pull the door shut behind me and herd my own munchkins out to the van. When I get home, all I want to do is pull on my comfy PJ's and collapse in my favorite chair and watch silly videos like this one. Enjoy!

Bible Curriculum

I am going to do a series of posts on the different curricula, resources, and books I will be using this year for each subject.

Today I will address the subject of Bible because it is the most important and also because it is one of the few curriculum resources that I didn't have a single question regarding if I planned to continue using it or not. I have the first 105 lessons of Bible planned out already.

I have been using the Bible Study Guide for All Ages by Donald and Mary Baker for several years now. We are finishing up Volume 2. There are 4 volumes. We will finish the last lessons of Volume 2 and get started on Volume 3 before Christmas.

I have been debating on whether or not to use the activity pages that you can order to go along with BSG. We used them a couple years ago and they were OK, but a little over David's head at that time and I thought Emily's were too simple. He could do the intermediate pages easily now, as could Emily, but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the extra money.

While at the website, I noticed that the company has REDONE the activity pages and they are WONDERFUL!! Such an improvement! And just as I was really getting all geeked about it, I realized that the pages are only redone for Volume 1, which we won't get back to for quite some time! Hopefully, they will have these redone in time for us to be able to use some for Volume 3. I may still order the "classic" pages for the rest of volume 2 and see how it goes.

This past year, I just printed out coloring pages to go with each lesson from Calvary Chapel Children's Ministry Curriculum. The coloring sheets are very high quality, are free, and come in .pdf format, which means they print out perfectly. The kids color while I read the Bible passages for the day. I could certainly do that again, and I may.

I like the BSG because during the 4 year cycle, the students cover the ENTIRE Bible, not just Creation, Noah's Ark, The Loaves and the Fishes, etc... Map work, timeline work, memory work, and life application are also included. It really is a curriculum for ALL ages because you can do as much or as little as you like, or do more with the older kids while the younger ones do their activity page. (We take longer than a year to do a volume, both because we don't always do Bible every day, and also because of the things I add to my Bible curriculum.)

Between units of BSG, I am interspersing units from Character Building for Families by Lee Ann Rubsam. The 4 topics we will cover during those first 100 lessons are: Loyalty, Deference, Cheerfulness, Gentleness (Kindness). We will continue later in the year with Contentment, Gratitude, Truthfulness, Servanthood, and Hospitality. We may not get all those topics finished before next school year, however.


We used CBF this past year and I was impressed with how thorough and user-friendly the curriculum is. It is nothing fancy to look at - simply a black and white teacher manual that is comb-bound. But the content is excellent.

As I blogged about earlier, we will also be learning a hymn a month, and we will also do a long scripture passage each month. I am still choosing the Scripture passages, but the hymns are all chosen.

If the kids have any Scripture memory from the Pioneer Club they attend on Wednesday nights, we will add that in as well. This past year they didn't have much memory work, at least not compared to the AWANA program they attended for 2 years before that.