September Overview

Sorry that I haven't updated since last month.  But really just got a bit more busy.  My husband has had a crazy work schedule the last month or so.  He's been on day shift and then one late night shift most times all in the same week.  So we've had to adjust.

But here is a quick overview of what we've been doing lately with school, church and just our crazy lives.


School:

History- We've been working our way through Colonial Life and learning a bit about Ben Franklin.  This has been the best part so far.  It was tough making our way through the discovery, conquering and settling of America.  Mostly the section of early explorers where the hardest.  Both Dare-Devil Boy and I got a bit bored.  But once we moved into colonial it has been great.  Learned about the Pilgrims (which brought up some great questions from Dare-Devil Boy.), the founding of Jamestown, and right now we are going finishing up on learning about Ben Franklin.  There was more but I can't fit it all in.  

By far for my husband colonial has been his favorite part too.  Mostly because this week we had a colonial meals all week and will have a tea party too some time this week.  My husband loved eating all the different dishes I made.  So much that he requested that we do add those meals to our menu, but also asked if we could extend colonial meals for the rest of the month.  

What we eat?  Here is a look at the menu (I wanted to add that I made all the meals for dinner, but they were things that they would of eaten for those meals back then):

• Breakfast- Fried Turkey (we don't eat ham so i sub it for turkey) with gravy, Dressed Eggs, and Breakfast Puffs
• Lunch- Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Cranberry-Apple Punch
• Dinner- Turkey Balls (again we don't eat veal), Sweet Potato & Apples, Green Beans and Baked Pumpkin Pudding for dessert.
• Tea Party (plan on doing it sometimes this week)- New Year's Cookies, Queen Cakes with Liberty Tea

I got the recipes from this book, Felicity's Cooking Studio. I will going to our library to look for more colonial recipes.


Science-  We've been learning about how the different parts of our human body works.  So far we have learned about ears, eyes, lungs and mouth.  

Life:

I've been teaching one of our AWANAS classes since last year.  My class is the Sparks class. It covers grades K-2nd grade.  My class as about an average of about 16 children, but we've had nights with more.  With such a big gap in ages, grades and reading levels it tends to get chaotic some nights.  I don't work alone, I have another worker that helps me.  But even with her we are don't always have enough people to do each child's book.  But the kids are loving it and are learning so much.  We've just finished working our way through a lapbook that I've made.  If you wouldn't like it you can downloaded here:
Sparks Lapbook

My husband has been working nights and days lately so his schedule has been crazy and to say the least not happy.  But he's managed to set up a few ministry things.  A few climbing days with varies people from our church.  Also a few CPR classes.  There has been a few great things going on with the youth group.  But other then working with our local church and work, my husband has been doing some online classes.  He is working to get his EMT license.  "Why?", you ask.  Well...there is lots of reasons.  But one that I can write here is that he's always wanted and enjoyed doing these kinds of things.  He has also wanted to get more in his training.  He currently is a Wilderness First Responder and we both feel that EMT training will help with the outdoor ministry and be a better way to provide for our husband.

There is more.  But that's about it for now in a nutshell. 

Bug Box-What's Bugging You

There is a caterpillar in there somewhere.

It was a box that was found by my husband when he came home from work.  The mail man left it there thinking no one was home.  We all were but I think that we were all laying down for a nap.  But anyway...the box was quickly opened and what did we find inside?



Well...lots of different things from the grandparents.  But the biggest hit was the Bug Box.  Mostly cause my Wonder Girl loves bugs.  She couldn't wait to fill the box with bugs all kinds and being alive wasn't a problem.  She put some dead bugs inside too.

So far we've had a caterpillar, several ants (most who escaped through the wholes in the screen), random insects that i really don't know what they are called, and currently a spider and crickets (so the spider can eat.)  Those who know me, we now have a spider as a pet.  Yes a spider.  Which still creeps me out.  But it is living outside in the bug box so I'm okay with it for now.

This isn't Charlotte, but another spider she found.

The best part is that Wonder Girl and my husband have gotten some time to spend with each other.  They spend every few days hunting around the house and yard together for crickets to feed the spider and other insects for it to eat.  They even manged to get some science in as well.  Learning about the spiders, who I forgot to mention that its name is Charlotte (after the spider from Charlotte's Web), from videos and the knowledge of what my husband already knows of spiders.

Wonder Girl with her bug.

But before I go I did what to state that since they catch several crickets at once and the spider takes a few days to eat them all they do feed the crickets too.  That is until the Charlotte eats it.  They give it a slice of apple to share and as of this afternoon there is part of Wonder Girl's waffle in the box also.

Daddy School

There is so much to do throughout our school week that sometimes I just don't get a chance to do everything.  So to help out I introduced "Daddy School".  Which has bee a great deal of help.  

The simple idea of Daddy School is a simple at a glance paper that tells my husband what we are covering this week in our school.  It tells what each child is learning, projects that he can do with them, the bible verses that they need to learn each week, spelling words, and even if he wants to teach science that week what he can do.

Its been a great tool and help in teaching.  Spider-Dad will test  Dare-Devil Boy on his spelling words when they are outside playing or ask him to multiply.  He will review whatever letter I am doing with Wonder Girl.  Mostly its when they are hunting in the yard for bugs.  Asking her if she can name animals or insects that start with that letter.  Or counting the leaves that they find.   

In short its been the best addition to out homeschooling.  I've included a copy of one week of our Daddy School week.

Daddy School