2014-2015 School Year

     Well, we started our school last week. First day was definitely not what I wanted it to be, but we made it through alive! Ha! Barely! We were completely exhausted! Next day went better. Wednesday was more like Monday, but Thursday and Friday were more like Tuesday. Monday was pretty good, Tuesday didn't even happen. I woke up with a massive headache, so we didn't ever get going with school. Wednesday, we were back to school, but everyone was having trouble focusing. But, we managed to finish at a fairly decent hour. Today was a lot better! The goal has been to start at 9:00a.m. and finish by noon. It hasn't happened, yet, but Monday was the closest we came. We'll get there, but I think that by the time we do, we will move, and then we will have to start all over. LOL!!!

     On a side note.......

We are moving! Lord willing, if everything goes the way we hope, we will be moving into our new home in about a month and a half. We are so excited!!! It came about just as we started school, last week. We should be closing on September 25th, or close to it. We found a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage home on almost a full acre!!

     

Isn't it Beautiful?!

Now, back to school! Ha!

We've been learning all kinds of fun stuff the past two weeks. I've been teaching everything from Ancient Egyptian Civitization to Traveling Around the World in 80 Days. Anatomy of the Body to The Earth's Crust. Spelling and Math, Reading and Grammer, Art and Music, and P.E. And Health.

While it is exhausting, I enjoy learning this stuff with the boys.

 

Here are some pictures of our last couple of weeks.

 

 

Lane working diligently on his math.

 

Here are a few pictures from Lane's work:



Foundation's Chart

Grammar Lesson

 

History Lesson

Art Appreciation

                                      

 

Jacob working on his math!

 Some of Jacob's work:

Bible Lesson

Keeping a Map for Around the World in 80 Days Book for History

 

Science Lesson

The Key to the Map Above

 

Blake working on his spelling!

                           

 A special poem that Blake wrote for his Nanny, for writing!!

 

Blake's Passport for History

The Information He Had to Put on the Passport

History Lesson

 

 

Landon working hard on his spelling!

 Examples of Landon's work:

Learning to Follow Directions

Learning to Copy

Learning Code for History

Life Size Body for Science

Doing School!!!!

Big Boys Doing Spelling, Little Boys Doing Math

Momma Has to Have Her Coffee!!!!!

Jacob Working on Spanish

Landon Working on Writing Practice

 

Taking Time be Silly! He Says These Are His Bi-Focals!
I Think He Meant Old Time Spectacles! LOL!!!

 

And that's our first couple of weeks! Hope you enjoyed!

 

God Bless!

Starting First Grade!!!

     Just look at my precious boy! Isn't he the sweetest?!! This child is my Little Ray of Sunshine! If he is with me, he cannot let the day go by without LOTS of hugs and kisses! I just knew, when I was pregnant with him, that I was finally getting my little girl! But, no! Another boy! But, I don't know what I'd ever do without my Sweet Landon! And now, he is a whopping 6 years old!!! What?!! No way!!! He is so eager to learn! For years he watched his big bothers doing school, asking to do some too. I'd have to come up with "school work" for him. Last year, when he started Kindergarten, he was super excited! "Yes!" he said. " I FINALLY get to do REAL School!!" LOL!!! The only thing he'd rather do than schoolwork, is play his DS he got from the Grandparents a couple of years ago.

     And now, my Baby is a Big First Grader! He's excited about finally getting to do things like History and Science, now.

     This year, he will be doing Easy Peasy, Math U See, and Spelling U See. He's doing the Jack and Jill for Spelling, the same as Blake. For Math, he'll be doing Alpha, which focuses on addition & subtraction for single-digit numbers and other topics. He does his Math so quickly, though, that I think I'll be getting him the Beta very soon. This book focuses on addition & subtraction for multiple-digit numbers and other topics. At the rate he's going, if he doesn't slow down, I think he will soon catch up with Blake.
     As for Easy Peasy, he'll be doing Level 1 and Year 1.

For Level 1, he will do the following:

• Language Arts - This consists of Reading, English, Rhyme, Writing, and more. I believe I read in there somewhere, that he will be creating his own Comic Book! He's very excited about that!!
• Computer Skills - Once a week, he will study Basic Computer Usage, Internet Safety, Computer Vocabulary, Word Processing, and More.
• Thinking Skills - Once a week, he will develop his logical thinking skills while playing all sorts of fun games.

For Year 1, he will do the following:

• Bible - He will be reading through the book of Matthew and the historical Old Testament books from Genesis to Esther, then answering questions based on each passage.
• History - He will be studying Ancient History by studying the history of mankind from ancient Egypt through the renaissance. This will include: ancient Egypt, ancient China, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Mayas, Indus Valley, Greeks, Romans, Vikings, middle ages, feudal Japan, Mongols, renaissance, Reformation, and early explorers.
• Science - He will explore two branches of biology: human anatomy and plant life.
• Music - Once a week, he will listen to music from ancient times up through the renaissance. He will read about the development of instruments and how music was used in different cultures. He will learn about wind, string and percussion instruments and the basics of note reading and rhythm. All of this will tie into that week's lessons in History.
• Art - Once a week, he will study art throughout history from ancient cave paintings through the renaissance. He will study art of various cultures through history including Egypt, China, India, Greece, Rome, Japan and Viking. He will get to try to imitate artwork while learning about line, color, motion and perspective. All of this ties into each week's lessons from History, too.
• P.E. & Health - Once a week, he will be doing the same thing as Blake. He will study about health and do lots of activities to keep him moving.

     I'll be doing all of Landon's work with him, this year. He is good at reading, but is very slow, so he will need my help, to get through in time. So, not only will I be learning everything Blake learns, I'll be learning all of Landon's work with him! Yay me! :-)

     So, we're about ready to start! Monday morning, Lord Willing, if nothing happens, we will be starting our 2014-2015 School Year!

On a side note:
As you probably know, or else guessed by the name of the blog, we have named our little homeschool Lighthouse School for Boys. We came up with that name after we decided to do Book it! one year. Anyone who knows me well, can figure out why Lighthouse. And the fact that we have all boys just made the other part make sense. LOL!! So, we have a name for our school. This year, I think we need a slogan for this school year. We've been talking it over. We came up with all kinds of goofy ones that rhymed with 2014, like Lean Mean Learning Machines in the School Year of 2014!, or Getting Used to a Routine in 2014!, or Moving to a Submarine in 2014!, or School Will Convene in 2014!, or my personal favorite Minding the Queen in 2014! LOL!!! We could do Less Time on the Screen in 2014 but since all of the school work is done on the computer...... Jacob and I also came up with Letting Jesus be Seen, and Not Being Mean, as we do School in 2014!!, but it didn't flow very well. We decided the Letting Jesus be Seen in 2014 flowed better.
Then I decided that to make it rhyme with 2014 meant I HAD to change it EVERY YEAR. I may or may not want to do that. So, after talking to my Mom, Sister, and Sister in Law, I finally decided on this:

Make Us Like Jesus

 

What do you think? Tell me your thoughts! We'd love to hear from you!


God Bless!!

Matthew 5:14

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.



         

Going Into 3rd Grade and Entering Into the Double Digits!!

     Isn't he just too cute for words? You can just see the mischievousness dripping out of his eyeballs! LOL!!! Hard to believe this child will be 10 in a couple of months!  All of my Baby Boys are growing up so fast! Do you see the confidence oozing from Blake's very pores? He is such a capable little boy! He longs to be of service and wants to be as big as the other two. He can change a tire, almost as good as his Daddy! He has such a compassionate heart, but needs to be reminded to use it now and then! He's great at building things, and has been asked to join the Homeschool Group (SCCHEA) Robotics Team, this year. He's very excited about this. At this age, there should only be two, maybe three competitions we will have to travel for. If they make it, the furthest we should have to go is Missouri. That's the International Competition, I think, so we'll wait and see..... :-)  He is fearless, and will try anything I will let him try, and sometimes things I'm not exactly ready and willing for him to try. Ha!

     This year, Blake is in the 3rd grade. He will be doing Easy Peasy, Math U See, and Spelling U See, just like the older boys.

     For Math, he'll be focusing on Multiplication. For Spelling, he's doing the Jack and Jill Book. Easy Peasy will consist of Level 3 and 3rd Year. 3rd Year is the same as what Jacob does, just at a younger level.

For Level 3, he will be doing the following:

• Language Arts - This includes Reading, Writing, Spelling, English, Vocabulary, and Grammar. He gets to write a PLAY!
• Computer Skills - Once a week, he will be doing 12 Levels of Dance Mat Typing, Internet Safety and Safe Searching, Virus Protection and Other Security, Word Processing, Power Point, along with a few other things. Then towards the end of the year, he will play some fun Brain Teasers online.
• Thinking Skills - Once a week, it looks like he will be playing a lot of Chess! Fun!

As I said, he'll be doing all the same studies as Jacob, in the 3rd Year Courses, just at a younger level. Where Jacob may be doing a project, Blake will be watching a video on the same thing. Then when he's in 7th Grade, he will do the lessons over and do the older level. This Year, he'll be doing the following:

• Bible - He will also be reading the book of Luke and the Poetry books of the Old Testament. He will then answer questions that are geared more to his age group.
• History- He will be studying Geography, but instead of reading Around the World in 80 Days, he will have a Passport and mark each county he studies all over the world. He'll have a ton of fun learning all about each country he "visits"!
• Science - He will be studying Earth Science, as well, just not to the same level as Jacob.
• Art - Once a week, he'll be doing mostly the same things as Jacob, but the projects won't be as hard. These Art Lessons tie into his History Lessons each week.
• Music - Once a week, he'll be going to a website called  Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Towards the end of the year, he'll begin to do the same as Jacob. His lessons will tie into the History, each week, as well.
• P.E. & Health - Once a week, he will learn about health and do exercises geared toward his age group. 

     I will be doing most of Blake's work with him. He hates reading, so if I didn't, he'd be all day! LOL!! So, to keep the meltdowns down to a minimum, I will be doing it with him. I'm so excited to get started and learn right along beside him! LOL!!! As a Home School Mom, I am constantly learning things with my boys. I love it! When I was younger, I wanted to be a Teacher. But, I wanted to be a Stay at Home Mom more. Now, I get to do both! How Blessed am I?!!

God Bless You all! I'll leave you with our Home School's Theme Scripture!!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

6) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

7)You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

         

Almost a Teenager and Starting 7th Grade!!!

     This School Year, we will have a Second Boy join the Teenage Ranks!! Now, granted, he won't be 13 until March, but he can hardly wait! Jacob can make me laugh quicker than most, especially if he's trying hard enough. LOL!! He still loves Art, and talks about doing something that involves drawing, when he grows up. Right now, I think he's leaning toward Architecture.

     My new 7th Grader is so full of love and the willingness to please those around him. I cannot wait to see where he goes in life!

     Jacob will be using Easy Peasy, Math U See, Spelling U See, and CLE this year. His Spelling and Math is the same as Lane's. Makes it easier for me, when I've got two doing the same thing. So, Jacob will be doing Pre-Algebra and Americana.  His CLE course is an extra Art course, since he loves it so much!

     For the rest of his school work, he will be doing Easy Peasy in the 7th Level and 3rd Year.  7th Level includes his daily work and 3rd Year is where all his work is that can be combined with other grade levels.

     7th Level includes:

• Spanish - This is a continuation of last year's Spanish course he took. The focus will be on learning vocabulary, comprehension, pronunciation and fluency in speech. Listening, speaking, reading and writing skills will be developed. Topics covered include: animals, places, the home, transportation, professions, celebrations, geography, adjectives, prepositions and verbs.
• Language Arts - This includes Reading, Writing, English, Vocabulary, Spelling, and Grammar. By the end of the School Year, he will be writing a Novel! He will learn how to write it, edit it, get it published, and sell it! Maybe YOU will be one of the luck ones to get a copy!! ;-) The course says he probably won't be finished with the book by the time school ends for the year, but he is to continue until he does! I can't wait to see what he writes about! He's EXTREMELY thrilled!! (can you hear the dripping sarcasm??) Actually, he's kind of excited about the prospect of getting his own work published!
• Computer Skills - Once a week, he will learn about Internet Review, Word Processing Review, Computer Graphic Design, Inkscape, and Gimp.
• Thinking Skills - Once a week, he'll be using his noggin to play strategic games! Something fun to do to each week!!

     3rd Year includes:

• Bible - He will be reading through the book of Luke and the poetical books of the Old Testament, then answering some questions about each passage.
• History - This year he will be doing Geography, reading Around the World in 80 Days, and learning about different countries all over the world.
• Science - He will be studying Earth Science this year.
• Music - Once a week, he will be  learning about instrument families and individual instruments. He will learn about how each instrument makes music and will listen to music featuring each instrument. He will also learn about composition, instrumentation, pitch and dynamics in music. Plus, he will learn about types of instruments used around the world. This ties in with his History lessons each week. I think he will really enjoy this.
• Art - Once a week, he will make observations about work by artists from across the globe.  He will look at paintings, architecture, sculptures, costumes, floats and other non-traditional art. He will draw, paint and create several projects, as well. This also ties into his History Lessons each week.
• P.E. & Health - Once a week, he will study proper nutrition and safety including fire safety and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. He will develop his strength and endurance while learning the proper way to exercise while doing soccer and volleyball drills. That should be fun....

So, that is Jacob's School Year, coming up! I can't wait to see all the fun and new things he will be learning this year!

God Bless!

 2Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that

needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.



       

My 9th Grade High Schooler!!

 

 

     It's so hard to believe that I have a child who will be 15 in just 3 weeks! Where has the time gone? Very soon, he will be driving! Sigh!!!! WHERE is my BABY???!!

 

     Any who........here he is, in the 9th grade, and I am so excited and blessed to be able  to get to watch him grow and learn!

 

     This year, he will continue to go with Dad to work, as a Volunteer (if he so chooses), once a month. He wants to join the Saline County Christian Home Education Association (SCCHEA) Basketball Team.  And now is the time to buckle down and get some Credits under his belt!

 

     For his 9th grade courses, he will be doing all but 3 with Easy Peasy. The other 3 will come from Math U See, Spelling U See, and Christian Light Education (CLE).

 

     As I stated in yesterday's post, Easy Peasy has everything we need, and more, but we like our Math, I wanted to supplement the Spelling, and there was an Elective Lane wanted from CLE.

 

     From Easy Peasy, he will do the following Courses (it looks like a lot, but we want to get as many credits out of the way as we can, so he can get a job his Junior and Senior Years and not be overloaded with school, while holding down a job -- plus, each course really doesn't take long):

• Foundations - This is one Elective that will be great for his future!
• Bible I - He will end up reading the entire Bible in his 4 years of High School. This year he will read from Genesis 1 - 1Samuel 24, and Matthew.
• Literature and Composition I -  This is an Advanced 8th Grade Course on Easy Peasy, but is on par with 9th grade level.
• Early American History - Also known as Honors US History I, He will be studying the Age of Exploration through the Reconstruction Era.
• Art Appreciation - He will study a wide range of works from the Gothic period through World War II, the first half of the School Year.
• Music Appreciation -  He will learn about classics from the Baroque period through the jazz age, the second half of the School Year.
• Spanish I - He really wants to learn German (not sure why....lol), but I told him he had to learn Spanish first. It's important for him to learn Spanish in this area. So, he'll take 2 or 3 courses in Spanish, then if he still wants to, we'll see if we can find a German Course or two.
• Oceanography with Lab Work -  He's mainly doing this one, because the other courses are recommended for higher grades, but I think he'll enjoy it.
• P.E. & Health I - He'll do this 3 days a week.

 

     For Math, he'll be doing Pre - Algebra.  He's not thrilled with doing the Spelling U See, but I think it is important that he spell correctly. So, he will be doing the Americana course. Hopefully it will help ALL of the boys spell better.  



 

     Now, his course from CLE is probably the one he is looking forward to the most! Auto Upkeep is what he personally picked. He says he'd like to work for a Mechanic, and maybe open up his own Auto Body Shop one day. This will be an excellent start for him!!

 

     As I said, it looks like a lot. Twelve courses IS a lot, but he will actually only be doing eleven, since Art and Music are both only half a year. And P.E. & Health and Auto Upkeep are both done every other day, with P.E. done 3 days a week, and Auto done 2 days. So, he's really just doing ten, each day. But, as I said, even though each course is very well rounded, they don't take very long. The reason being, so that the students can get the education they need, yet still pursue their interests. That's the main reason why I like Easy Peasy (other than the fact it is FREE!!) So, the goal is to be finished shortly after lunch every day. I think before lunch is asking too much, but he may surprise me! And the beauty of Homeschooling is that if he just can't keep up with it all, for whatever reason, we can stop doing a course or two, and do it next year!

 

God Bless you all!

 

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the

name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

         

A New School Year is Upon Us!!

     Our new school year starts next week! I cannot believe it's already here! We usually try to start the first full week in August, so we can take more breaks throughout the year. That way, Momma and boys, don't get burnt out!

 

     I have spent the last few weeks getting prepared for the new year. I have had to come up with a workable schedule for us, decide what courses Lane needed this year, worksheets needed printed, supplies bought, and everything put together. I'm almost done.

 

     I always make a schedule for us, but we never stick to it. Too crazy and busy of a life! LOL!!! But, Lane is starting HIGHSCHOOL this year, so it is VERY important to have something in place so he can get all his work done. So, I worked really hard trying to come up with one that I think will work. Everyday, we have to do the daily chores, have some Family Worship Time, Schoolwork, and make sure we get some downtime. All work and no play can make for a cranky Momma some cranky kids. None of us like to get up early, but we are going to have to anyway. Lane will not finish his workload otherwise. So, we might as well all join him.

 

     We will be using Easy Peasy for most of our work, but we also have a few add-ons. We have used Math U See for years. This year we will try out the new Spelling U See. I'm very excited about that. Spelling is the one subject I've had a hard time finding what I like. Plus, we will be using a couple of things from Christian Light Education (CLE).

 

     Easy Peasy has everything we need, plus it's free! Can't beat that!! They have a math program, too, but I decided to stick with the Math U See. I like it better. There is spelling, as well, but I am such a terrible speller, and the boys are following in my footsteps, so I thought I better add to that with the Spelling U See. The things we will be doing from CLE are just extras.

     Of course, there will be other things in our schedule.  Lane still plans to join the Homeschool Group (SCCHEA) Basketball Team. Blake should be joining his SCCHEA Robotics Team soon. We'll go to the Library often. Our SCCHEA Co-op will be starting in the Fall, and we'll have another one in the Spring. And other things will probably be added!

  They have all enjoyed their Summer Vacation! Lots of Playing, Gardening, Playing, Mowing, Playing, Cleaning, Playing, Helping Poppaw and Nanny, Playing, Visiting Grandma and Pappaw, Playing, Camping with Daddy, Playing, Swimming, and Playing! But, the time has come for lots of Schooling!

     Over the next 4 days, I'll break down what each boy will be doing this school year. But, for now, I will leave you all with some recent photos of the boys and some of the things we've done this Summer!
 

Lane - will be 15 just 3 weeks from today! Ack! Where has the time gone?

He is now in High School, starting the 9th grade.

He is growing up so fast and becoming a wonderful young man.

Jacob - 12 years old and can't wait to be a TEENAGER! He is starting 7th grade.

Still my artist and still wishing for Art Classes. I'm still looking for one we can afford. I may have found one. :-)  This child is going on a growing spree and is so sweet!

Blake - going to be 10 in a couple of months! He will be in the 3rd grade this year.

Still my little goofy boy, he is so capable of anything he puts his mind to. Cannot wait to see what he decides to be, when he grows up. But, I'm more than willing to be patient! ;-)

Landon - my 6 year old! Can't believe my baby is now a Big First Grader!!

Ever one to love on his Momma, this child is my Ray of Sunshine. Not a day goes by, that he doesn't say something funny and unexpected! LOL!!!

 

 

  

Discovering Butterflies, Katydids, and Caterpillars of Unusual Sizes;

Watching Wasps Building their Nest; and Playing with Fireflies for the First Time!

 

   

Momma learning how  to can Green Beans and make Crock Pot Strawberry Jam!

 

Growing Wheat from all the Hay that had been scattered in the yard to cover up the mud, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Lettuce! Still waiting on those Carrots!

 

And visiting with Family we haven't seen in 10 years!!!

 

Left to Right: Aunt Cheryl (haven't seen her

since Blake was born), Mom, and Aunt Linda!! 

  Cousin Carrie (haven't seen her in

  almost as long), with my Mother!!

           

                                                           

 

   

 

 

     God Bless You All! Hope you've enjoyed your Summer, as much as we have!!

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: