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:

 

  

School is Coming to a Close....But We're Still Going to be Busy!!!

Well, a lot has happened this School Year! We moved! We had Co-op Classes, twice. We joined 4H. We helped Nanny make her Garden!   School is almost over for the year, but the boys will continue to learn throughout the summer. There will be plenty of yard work and gardening to do, plus 4H meetings and other fun things!!  

 

Planting Green Beans in the Garden!

 

The boys enjoyed planting the seeds. Besides the Green Beans, they also will be in charge of their own plants. Jacob planted some Spinach, Blake planted Lettuce, and Landon planted Carrots. Nanny planted Cucumbers, and Lane will be helping take care of those.

We had an extra Pepper Plant, that wouldn't fit in the Garden, so I bought a Pot for it. I also bought a Grape Tomato Plant and a pot. Also, I got three different Herbs (Sweet Mint, Lemon Balm, and Chocolate Mint). I am so excited to try things with the Herbs. If they do well, I may add others. 

 

It looks like they will do fine. In just a few days, they have flourished! Plus, they are getting PLENTY of water, right now! It's been raining, off and on for a few days!

 

The boys enjoyed their first 4H Meeting. One of our Homeschool Moms from the group (SCCHEA) is the head of this group. Lane and her son have gotten to know each other quite well, and she asked if we'd like to join and let the boys run for office positions. We agreed, and Lane become the Vice President to her son's President, and Jacob become the Treasurer. Blake found out that the younger kids could run for a position so he decided to run for Reporter AND Recreational Leader! Ack!! Reporter, I can handle. I think he just has to come up with little things to put in the Newsletter, and I have to help him with that. No biggie! But Rec Leader???? He gets to plan ALL of the Field Trips!! Because over half the kids ran for this position, and the others were the only ones who could vote, (and Blake had the most Siblings NOT running) he got it. Sigh!! I hope I have time to do it all! He was allowed to "hire" and assistant, so he picked the one boy that, I personally thought, should have gotten it. Maybe it will be a great experience for him.

 

We planted the Garden on Saturday Night and Monday. By the next Saturday, the boys' special plants were starting to grow. The boys found some cool things, as well. A Butterfly forming and an Inchworm on the potted plants. We also have Wheat in the Yard. We had spread some hay over the mud in the yard, and some of it sprouted out Wheat! The boys are ecstatic, because their Great, Great Uncle told them they could turn it into Gum after it ripens! SO, hopefully they can talk Poppaw into leaving a few Stalks to grow.

  The morning I took the pictures above this one, the Green Beans were all curled up and coming out of their seeds. 5 hours later, the boys were amazed at how much they had grown! They are enjoying watching the garden grow!  

 

Jacob turned 12, a couple of months ago. Our rule is they have to be 12 before they are allowed to Push Mow. I figure that's a good age where they should be both mature enough and strong enough. Jacob enjoyed his first mowing experience! He would have done the entire back pasture, by pushing, if Poppaw hadn't gotten out the riding mower! LOL!!

 

School may be almost over, for the summer, but there will still be lots of learning going on around here!!!

 

And when school starts back up in August?..... Whew!

 

Lane will be in HIGHSCHOOL!!! He has decided he wants to join the SCCHEA Basketball Team, as well!

Jacob will be in 7th Grade. I wish I could find him a CHEAP Art Class.

Blake will start 3rd Grade. He has been invited to join a Robotics Club, as well! He is VERY excited!

And my Baby?

Landon, who is 6 today, will be in the First Grade! But, he still likes to cuddle with Momma, so I'm okay!

 

Stay tuned for more Summer Adventures with the Lighthouse School for Boys!!!

I'll leave you with ONE of my favorite Scriptures!

Deuteronomy 6:7-9

  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.
       

Tree Cutting

The boys' Early Morning School Lesson, today, was to watch Poppaw, Lane, and Nanny Cut down a tree. The tree was at Nanny and Poppaw's house. We had to get it cut down, this week, since it was in the way. Poppaw cut it, Nanny pulled it down with the truck, and Lane helped wherever he could. Jacob, Blake, Landon, and Cousin Isaac watched from the Deck. I didn't think to start taking pictures until AFTER Poppaw was being a Monkey in the tree! Awww! So sad!

 

 

 

 

My Dad caught me taking the Pictures, so gave me a big Grin!

 

Cutting sections off, so it would be easier to cut down.

 

Looking up, as it was about to come down, to make sure it was going the right way.

 

Nanny's in this picture. You just can't see past the tree!

 

Watching from the safe distance of the deck.

Lane helping to get the tree pulled away.

  Have a blessed day!!!    

Back in the Saddle, Again

  I found this poor old blog, this evening. I had forgotten I had had it. I enjoyed looking back at the 10 old posts I had done on here. Made me want to do new ones! We'll see if I can find the time to keep up with it, this time! LOL!!!   A lot has happened in our life, since April of 2010.   We used the Living Books Curriculum for that year, then went back to CLE. As much as we loved it, we just couldn't make it work for us. We could do CLE, and even though none of us enjoyed it, it worked for us. So, we plodded through it. We stuck with Math-U-See, though. It is a wonderful math curriculum, and it has served us well, over the past few years.   But, we have found a new curriculum for the rest of our work! I have to say, IT IS AWESOME!!! It has everything I could want, in a curriculum, and it is TOTALLY FREE for us to use!!!   It is called EASY PEASY, and let me tell you, IT IS!!! It is all done online, so I don't have to worry about where to put all the workbooks and such. I have printed all the pages they need for the whole year, but It hasn't taken up to much space!   Today was our 1st Day of the 2013-2014 School Year!!

Bright and Early on the First Day!!  

First Day Complete!!   Lane is in 8th grade, now. He is learning High School Spanish, so he will be able to count that as a Credit for High School. He also is doing 9th Grade English, so that can go on the Transcript, as well. He's REALLY (WINK! WINK!) looking forward to the Shakespeare!! He's learning American History, from Post Civil War to Now, Chemistry and Physic in Science, as well as Art and Music Appreciation (which ties into the History Lessons), Bible Reading (he's working on the book of John, then will also be doing Revelation and all the Prophets in the OT), Computer Skills, Thinking Skills, P.E., and Health. He's not especially thrilled about all the Composers and Songs he has to listen to for Music, but he'll get over it! LOL!!! He would like to learn another language, besides Spanish, but I told him, I wanted him to learn the Spanish first, then he could work on another one. Spanish is almost a necessary language to learn in our area. He thinks German would be a cool language to learn. I'd also like all of them to learn American Sign Language, as well. I found a free Website for that as well, so maybe we'll find time for that, too.  

Lane Hard at Work on His Vocabulary Words

 

 

Lane is now 14, and he is such an awesome helper. If I am busy helping Blake with his work, and Landon needs something (or vice versa), he is very willing to help them out.



He's also started Volunteering at the Hospital with Dad, once a month. He thinks he might want to do Heating and Air, like Dad. He's very much into Christian Music (all kinds), and still LOVES to read. He has also discovered Computer Games, so I'm having to limit his computer time, especially since all school work is on the computer, except Math. He enjoys Skyping and playing said Computer Games with his 15yo Cousin. They have a lot of fun doing that. He will soon begin to write 2or 3 Penpals, from the EASY PEASY Students. I think he'll enjoy that.   Jacob is now in 6th Grade. He is also learning Spanish, this year. For the first few weeks, he'll be learning Latin words, then translating them into English, French, and Spanish . Then he'll move on to just Spanish. He's also doing English, Bible (Starting in Mark, then reading Acts to Jude), American History from Columbus to Civil War, Art and Music Appreciation tied into the History, Zoology in Science, Computer and Thinking Skills, P.E., and Health.  



Jacob reading Poems by Carl Sandburg   Jacob is 11 1/2, now. He wants to be grown up, so bad! He can make you laugh so easily. He can be such a good-natured kid. He's not real thrilled about having extra chores, this year. But, he knows he's capable, and if he wants to be grown up, he has to act grown up! LOL!! Jacob also has a couple of new Penpals from EASY PEASY, and is excited about meeting some new boys, his age, from different parts of the Country.   Blake is in 2nd Grade, now. I can't believe he's getting so big! He has really struggled with school, but (the BIGGEST reason we are switching to EASY PEASY) he began to learn to read, this year. EP teaches reading through the McGuffy Readers. We had tried so many things, and when we sat down with that, he was reading in 4 minutes time! I was thrilled!  He'll be doing English, and then all the same things that Jacob is doing (except Spanish), only at a younger level. He had a lot of fun, today, with the work. While the big boys are reviewing the Epsilon Workbooks, in Math-U-See, and starting the Zeta Books, Blake is doing Beta.  

Blake hard at work on his Math

 

 

Blake is going to be 9 next month. He is still my crazy (never-know-what-he-might-do-next) kid, but he is also so very sweet! He is so smart when it comes to doing things. He was changing a tire when he was 7! He could do anything he set his mind to. He also is the one that will try ANYTHING, so we have to constantly be watchful, in case he does something dangerous! He's really not afraid of anything! Blake has also got a Penpal from EASY PEASY. I'm hoping it will help with his writing.

 

Landon is now a Kindergartener!!! Where did the time go?!! He is so excited to be FINALLY doing "Real School", as he calls it. He has watched his brothers do school as long as he can remember, and he's so proud to be doing it with them, now! He is learning to read from the McGuffy Primer, and he's doing his Math from the Math-U-See Primer. He loves it. Today, he did 2 full lessons from each. That was 2 days of English and 2 weeks of Math!

 

Landon getting ready for Reading

 

Landon is now 5! He is SO Smart! He is still my Cuddle Boy! Everyday, he has to tell me that he loves me, or his day is ruined! He had to go to the Eye Doctor, today. We've discovered that his eyes don't know how to see very well. That's what the Eye Dr. said. "His eyes just don't know how to see." He'll have to start wearing glasses in a couple of weeks, when they come in. He's very excited.

 

 

All in all, we had a great first day. Even with having to start late, because of the Eye Dr. visit. We also had a visit from my Sister's 8yo Son, while she went to the Dentist, this afternoon. I think he was bored, because he'd finished his Schooling for the day, earlier, and my boys were just getting started. So, they couldn't play with him, much. He was good, though, and played on his little hand held game, he'd brought with him.

 

Well, this post has become a monster of a post, so I think I will close. And although I probably won't post everyday, I sure hope to post more often than once every 3 years! LOL!!!

 

God Bless you all!

Deut. 6:6&7