Thursday, March 31, 2016

Homeschool Mealtime....They have to eat AGAIN!



5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents

You have had a full schedule all day.  Maybe there was a field trip, or several various projects that you needed to finish.  Now it's dinner time, the kids are starving and you just want to crawl in bed.  We have all been there.  What do you do?

Well in our case, I do my very best to avoid the "fast food crunch".  Mainly because we don't really have fast food in our town. There is a nice little dairy bar down the road that is opened year round, but any type of take-out gets very expensive.  I reserve this for extreme times and actually plan it as "treats".

So to over come the 5 o'clock mess, I try to plan ahead.  I have never tried freezer meal cooking.  I have read about it many times, and have friends who have done it.  But alas...I still haven't done it.  When I say plan ahead, I plan out our meals.  

Each week I create a menu plan with lunches and dinners planned out. I even include our schedule on the chart to help as I am planning and also give the kids extra reminders while they check what we are eating that day.



Breakfast is an open option.  I keep their favorite cereals, freezer waffles and pancakes or even (Gasp) Poptarts.  The kids also eat soups, chicken strips, basically whatever they want for this meal.  They are also responsible for this themselves.  I just follow-up to make sure they do not need help opening something and that they have actually eaten.  This is one way that we are working on Life Skills.  

Lunches I keep as simple as possible.  Usually around 20 minutes from start to finish.  These include grilled cheese, quesadillas, walking tacos, beef hot dogs, mac & cheese, garlic bread pizzas, salads, pancakes, and crock pot soups.  I sometimes wake up early and throw everything in the crockpot and then it's ready for lunch.  We can enjoy the leftovers the next day also.  The kids love chicken N Dumplings this way.  I also try to include life skills in lunch.  I encourage the kids to make lunch and learn new recipes this way.  It is common to find any of the 4 kids making lunch with some help from me.  

Dinners are also kept simple.  I do make more complex meals on the weekends.  But I keep chicken breast and veggies in the fridge and freezer.  The kids love sauteed chicken with broccoli and plain rice.  Super simple.  Other favorites include chimichangas, bacon meatloaf, lasagna casserole, hot chicken sandwiches, baked turkey breast, etc.  I save homemade pizzas for the weekend, when I usually have more time.  I also overmake dinner at night sometimes in order to carry over leftovers to the next day.

When I grocery shop, I buy a few extras to keep on hand just in case I don't get to go shopping to stock up.  This helps in a pinch, just in case something has gone bad also.  Ever open up a can of chicken or a package of chicken breast that was dated ok, but the smell bowls you over?  Yeah, it's happened. You still have to feed your family something....and it's not what was in that package.  That is why I keep extra meals on hand.  

I keep the menu on the fridge so that I don't forget what I need to prep that morning.  It also keeps the kids from asking constantly what we are eating.  But there is always a tag line reminding them that the menu is subject to change.  If mom is sick or if there was a food incident.  

I have gotten lazy and not did a menu for a week....and trust me, I was so lost.  I even do it this way when we travel.  We always have a kitchen in the hotels we stay in to keep our eating habits under control.   I keep a menu printed during these times also.  

I do ask for input from the family about the meals.  I try to let the kids each pick a meal each week, and Joe too.  It helps me too when I blank out.  I thought about creating a monthly meal plan, but I honestly get too overwhelmed planning that far in advance.  So currently I go up to about two weeks.  Plus tastes change....chili might seem like a good idea, but if you are feeling well at that time chicken noodle soup is a better option.  I also keep a list of favorite food items or recipes I have seen in my planner.  So if I am stuck I can refer to it to help me finish our menu.

Everyone's family life is different.  I do once a week shopping, but some families cannot do that.  Maybe some of what we do can help you.  The biggest way to save you time and money, no matter how you do it, is PLAN ahead.  You will find your niche once you get going. 

If you need ideas, check Pinterest.  Go for simple recipes, no matter how cute some of them look.  Look realistically how much time and energy you have as you are planning your family's food.  

Have you checked out the Schoolhouse Review Crew on the 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.....Take some time to see what they have learned on their homeschooling journeys!

Here are some of the Members that are taking part this week....


Dawn @ Double O Farms
Dawn @ Guiding Light Homeschool
Debbie @ Debbie's Homeschool Corner
Desiree @ Our Homeschool Notebook
Diana @ Busy Homeschool Days
Diana @ Homeschool Review
Elyse @ Oiralinde: Eternal Song
Emilee @ Pea of Sweetness
Erin @ For Him and My Family
Jen @ Chestnut Grove Academy
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Latonya @ Joy in the Ordinary
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road
Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures
Lori @ At Home: where life happens
Meg @ Adventures with Jude
Megan @ My Full Heart
Melanie (Wren) @ finchnwren
Melissa @ Mom's Plans



Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Memoria Press - 6th Grade Literature Guide Set Review





I try to encourage the kids to read as many classics as possible.  I think it is a wonderful benefit of homeschooling.  I spend a lot of time searching out comprehension units to go along with books for the kids each semester.  I was very excited to get the opportunity to review the Sixth Grade Literature Guide Set ($95.00 without accompanying books) from Memoria Press.  


Joey has become more open to reading classics, but I want him to get as much information as possible out of each book that he reads.  There are fun books, but then there are books that we use for school reading.  He enjoys reading about the Middle Ages, and the Sixth Grade Literature Guide Set fit his taste perfectly.  

The Sixth Grade Literature Guide Set was a perfect fit for Joey's reading interest.  He was able to start exploring books like King Arthur, Adam of the Road, Robin Hood and The Door in the Wall.  

The Memoria Press Six Grade Literature Guide Set was specifically designed to encourage a child's reading comprehension progress.  To encourage their skills of finding the information needed.  Vocabulary and spelling skills are also encouraged in each section.  This is all done using the Student Study Guide that goes along with each book in the grade level that you purchase.  

Each book is broken down by chapter.  This is clearly identified at the bottom of the Student Study Guide pages.  Vocabulary and character identification starts each chapter review.  Each chapter review also contain 5 - 10 questions that require critical thinking and writing skills.  Other activities include matching quotations to characters, open discussion questions and enrichment activities that include short answers or drawing projects.  You can view a sample of the Robin Hood Student Study Guide here.

I really feel that the Six Grade Literature Guide Set would make a great addition to go along with a study of the Middle Ages. So you could easily match up history into your literature study.  (This by the way could also be done with other grade levels).

Joey was easily able to cover a chapter a day with the daily chapter review in his Student Study Guide.  Even though he does have learning delays when it comes to comprehension, he didn't feel overwhelmed with the questions asked or the vocabulary introduced.  In fact, he finished King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table and even did his Book Parade project over this book he enjoyed it so much.  




I was able to ask him questions and he came up with his design based on what he was able to remember from all his reading and activity.  

Included in your purchase of the Sixth Grade Literature Guide Set are Teacher Guides for each book.  In each Teacher Guide, you will find the answers to the student questions for each chapter.  You will also find Quizzes and a Final test about the book.  This was very helpful, unless you are reading the book along with your child, which I wasn't doing.  Like I mentioned earlier, my kids are reading books that I never go the chance to read in school.

I was very impressed with the Sixth Grade Literature Guide Set is a wonderful addition to our homeschool.  I am already looking at other levels for the Lydia and Caty to start using.  I was very impressed, and think we will be starting with the Second Grade Literature Guide Set and work our way through all the materials.

You can purchase the Sixth Grade Literature Guide Set in two ways.  One way with just the Student Study Guides and Teacher Manuals.  The cost for this is $95.00.  Or you can purchase the Student Study Guide, Teacher Manuals and a copy of each of the books for $118.00.  This way makes it easier if you do not already own copies of the book, one stop shopping.

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out various grade levels of the Literature Guide Sets from Memoria Press. You can visit the Review Crew blog to see how these fit into their homeschooling.  

Memoria Press Literature Guides Review

Crew Disclaimer



Logic of English - Foundations B Reading Review



Vendor Name:  Logic of English
Product:  Foundations Level B ($80.00)

We recently had the opportunity to try out the Reading and Phonics Awareness program from Logic of English.  Caty has begun to really grasp reading, but she is still struggling to remember blends.  So I was excited to get a chance to try the next level. Foundations B is an extensive phonics awareness program that continues to help students learn proper letter formation for upper case letters, reading and comprehend simple phrases, spelling practice, and also teaches them many different letter blends that make up the English language.  Foundations B is used with students in Kindergarten to 1st grade levels.




We received Foundations B Teacher's Manual ($38.00), Foundations B Student Manuscript Workbook ($15.00), Level B Readers ($12.00) and Phonogram Game Tiles ($15.00).

The Foundations B Teacher's Manual lays out the 48 lessons in a very easy style.  Each day, you open up to the lesson that you will cover and gather the materials listed.  I was able to keep everything together on the shelf to grab what we needed easily.  Each lesson usually lasted for roughly 20 - 30 minutes depending on the activities that day.  

Each lesson can easily be matched up with the workbook pages so that you can open up quickly to where you need to be.  If you enjoy having your lessons planned out with little to no extra work, Foundations by Denise Eide is definitely the route that you would like to go.  Foundations B contains 48 lessons.  40 are full lessons and there are 8 review lessons so that you can assess if your child has reached mastery on the sounds that were covered.

Each lesson includes sight word practice as well as spelling practice.  Words are continued through lessons with carryover so that kids can master the sounds.  Caty had some trouble with the Phonogram Tiles.  They are made of a sturdy cardboard, but her fine motor grasp was a bit touchy.  I was able to adapt this quickly by using our magnet wooden letters that she was able to grasp easily.  



Some lessons we moved through very quickly, while others were repeated at least one extra time in order to reinforce the material.  But I like that the spelling and sight word practice really does carry over to the next lesson.  So kids are still practicing even if you decide to not repeat a lesson.  

Caty is pretty no-nonsense when it comes to her reading lessons.  She doesn't really enjoy a ton of extra "Fun" activities.  But Foundations B does provide some great opportunities to make learning your letters and their sounds even more fun.  The Foundations B student workbook contains many easy to use games, and the instructions are included in the Foundations B Teacher Manual.  Some of these include Phonogram Boat Race, Phonogram baseball, Word Bingo, Phonogram Tight Rope, to name just a few.  We didn't get to do any of these in their suggested form.  Caty enjoyed just practicing spelling her daily sight words and spelling words.  So I didn't force it.

The Foundations B Student workbook is a full-color book that is simple to read.  There are not a ton of distractions on each page.  I like that for Caty since she can feel overloaded very easily with too much busy work on a paper.  She has been enjoying the short pages.  Each small activity during the lesson takes us from the workbook to table work with her letters, and sometimes back again.

If you are starting the Logic of English Foundations Reading family on Level B, they do recommend that you purchase these reusable resources.  They are a one-time purchase and used throughout your Foundations Journey.  

Phonogram and Spelling Rule Quick Reference (cursive or manuscript)
Rhythm of Handwriting Quick Reference Chart (cursive or manuscript)
Rhythm of Handwriting Tactile Cards (cursive or manuscript) 
Phonogram Game Cards
Student Whiteboard
Basic Phonogram Flash Cards
Phonogram Game Tiles
Spelling Analysis Card

We have enjoyed our continued use of Foundations Level B.  The simple, ease of use and the ability to adapt lessons to your child makes it a great investment for families.  You can use this program with multiple children.  You will need to purchase a workbook for each child, but you can use this either at the same time or with each of your children as they are learning to read.  The initial investment is very little when you are able to stretch it over your children.  I continue to recommend this program if you are searching for a phonics reading program for your children.  We have used many through the years, and I have found Logic of English Foundations to be the easiest to use this far.

You can look at samples of all the Foundations levels by visiting the Logic of English website.

You can use the Foundations program along with the Logic of English Doodle Dragons app.  You can read our review of Foundations A and the Doodle Dragon app by visiting this post.  

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out various Foundations Level and other reading programs from Logic of English.  Take some time to read how they used it in their homes and if it worked for them.  

Logic of English Review

Crew Disclaimer


5 Days of Tips for Homeschooling Parents Blog Hop



Have you checked out the Schoolhouse Review Crew on the 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.....Take some time to see what they have learned on their homeschooling journeys!


5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents

Dawn @ Double O Farms
Dawn @ Guiding Light Homeschool
Debbie @ Debbie's Homeschool Corner
Desiree @ Our Homeschool Notebook
Diana @ Busy Homeschool Days
Diana @ Homeschool Review
Elyse @ Oiralinde: Eternal Song
Emilee @ Pea of Sweetness
Erin @ For Him and My Family
Jen @ Chestnut Grove Academy
Jeniffer @ Thou Shall Not Whine
Jennifer @ A Peace of Mind
Jennifer @ Faithful Homestead
Joelle @ homeschooling for His Glory
Joesette @ Learning Curve
Kari @ Random Acts of Boyhood
Katie @ Katie's Daily Life
Kemi @ Homemaking Organized
Kim @ Homestead Acres
Kylie @ Our Worldwide Classroom


Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Homeschooling Special Needs - Dealing with Daily Stress



5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents

Some days the stress is so bad that I just want to curl up and crawl under a rock and pretend like life isn't going on around me.  Homeschooling four children with special needs keeps me going 24 hours a day.  One of the kids is always having an issue.  Very little time each day doesn't include some sort of drama....and yes even during the night.  Needless to say I don't think I have had a full night's sleep in over 16 years.   Lack of sleep makes the days even harder most times.  

Recently I was letting myself get so overwhelmed, and trust me it's easy to do.  I was crawling into a pity hole.  Joe has been traveling a lot and that leaves all childc and household responsibilities on me.  I couldn't just go and and take a walk, or shop on my own.  So I had to start getting creative.

Here are a few of the things I do to help control a little of the stress....it doesn't take it all away, but it helps.

Exercise

Exercise helps to lessen the damage of stress in your life.  You don't need to do a full cardio workout.  A simple walk can help immensely.  Well how do I do that being the lone adult home?  I wake up early and walk/jog on the treadmill.  Our treadmill is in a separate room from our living room.  I can hide out on the treadmill, leaving the storage room door open in case a child wakes up and needs something.  I really test myself and force myself out of my comfort zone.  I do this for a minimum of 30 minutes.

If I can't seem to do that for some reason, I watch the weather and plan a bike ride with the kids.  I either jog alongside them or ride my bike.  Even though I am with the kids, I am still getting that exercise that really helps out.  I do feel better at the end of a good workout.

Another way I will sneak exercise in (and call me a bad mom) but I will walk/jog in the side street next to our house.  I wait until the kids are all happy and occupied, mainly the boys, and the girls will come out to ride their bikes or scooters while I walk/jog the same pattern over and over for 30 minutes.  Yeah, it's not great walking the same pattern up to 10 times, but I am out and getting sunshine.  Did I mention how great sunshine is for helping with stress and beating depression?

Get up Early

As if my days aren't long enough, it helps me to get up at least an hour before I expect the first child to awaken.  This is the time that I can read my Bible, run billing, return emails that require concentration or even do studying for my homework.  If I can get the important stuff done first thing, that helps me throughout the day.  I also double check my to-do list before I start waking up the kids.  I make my plan of attack for field trips, experiments or projects that are going to be tackled that day.  I still check email throughout the day, unless we are not home, but I can get a jump on things.  Sometimes I do exercise also, so I leave myself up to an hour and a half in the early am to get started.  I also plan what I will be doing during these times.  One day might be bill paying, another might be extra Bible study, another might be uploading classes to our Homeschool with Minecraft server, or some days it literally is all office work.  

But that extra 1 - 2 hours in the am really helps me know that I am able to get some things done.  It also leaves me feeling less guilty about taking that 45 minutes of exercise each day that I need.

Watch What you Eat

Eating junk food is so easy to do.....but stop it.  Watching your diet and eating healthy foods/snacks is imperative.  Junk food can cause brain fog and leave you feeling more drained than you are already feeling.  Stress takes a toll on your body.  You need to replenish the nutrients that are being eaten constantly as your body continues the fight.  Junk food doesn't provide any of those vitamins and minerals you need.  Find a way to stay out of those bad for your snacks.  Find healthy alterantives such as carrots, grapes, and other healthy treats.  

Know you are Not Alone

Some days it really feels like you are not alone.  That's when it's great to have a group of friends to rely on.  Find your group.  But make sure that you are close in the good times and the stressful times.  There are many places to find support.  You can contact your local disabilities chapter for a support group or you can check your church.  Or it could be a Facebook group that you discovered.  Make sure you share the highs and lows.  Those highs make a huge difference in overcoming the struggles during the low times.  They give you a place to look forward to.  

Get yourself a Little Treat

Yeah...you know what I mean.  A new t-shirt, a new pair of leggings, those cozy looking warm socks.  A new journal or even a new pen.  Little things do mean a lot when you have the majority of your money going to your kids.  So pamper yourself and get that little thing you have been eyeing.  You'll find yourself feeling better every time you wear it or use it.

What works for one person, doesn't work for everyone.  Some might say exercise is not an option.  But remember, exercise doesn't mean you need to run a marathon.  It means to get up and walk.  Get moving.  Getting extra sunshine helps. Healthy eat helps.  Find your support...because you are not alone.  Taking it one moment at a time is doable and you will overcome the mountain on a daily basis.  You just need to take care of yourself in the process.  And I know this is the hardest thing to overcome....you are not being selfish in helping yourself.  You are making yourself stronger for your children's sakes.

We are linking up many others from the Schoolhouse Review Crew on the 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.....Take some time to see what they have learned on their homeschooling journeys!

Annette @ A Net In Time
Brandy @ Kingdom Academy Homeschool
Brenda @ Counting Pinecones
Carol @ Home Sweet Life
Cassandra @ A Glimpse of Normal
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Cristi @ Through the Calm and Through the Storm
Crystal @ Crystal Starr
DaLynn @ Biblical Womanhood
Danielle @ Sensible Whimsy




Monday, March 28, 2016

Things to Avoid When You Start Homeschooling


5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents

I came to the realization that we have been homeschooling for over 7 years now.  We have grown from it just being Joey to all four of the kids now homeschool.  Some days are wonderful and other days I just want to make a phone call for that big, yellow school bus to show up.

I have learned quite a bit in the past few years, and I thought I would share the top 5 mistakes that I made and sometimes fall back too, and have to kick myself back in line again.

1.  You are Homeschooling....which is education at home, not re-creating a public school classroom in your home.

I'm not saying you shouldn't have a room dedicated just to homeschooling, but if you don't have the money or space to have such a thing, don't think you can't homeschool.  This is not necessary.  We don't have the space to have an individual room.  I wish we did sometimes since it would be nice to have some of the school clutter to be hidden behind a closed door.  But that has just made me more conscious of not leaving piles everywhere and come up with creative ways to keep their books out of the way.  Currently each child has a backpack that has their current study books and their assignment notebook in it.  It works out well for us.  Their materials are portable anywhere in the house they want to work.

2.  There are so many hours in each day.

Overplanning is a bad thing.  There are only so many hours in a day.  I know there are some awesome projects and we have a limited amount of time to teach our children, but if you overwhelm the kids and yourself no one will be having fun.  No one will really be learning.  Keep track of how many hours you are schooling each day.  If the kids are whining and getting frustrated, maybe you need to take a look at how much you are packing into each day.  It's ok to change your schooltime around.  Do some in the am and the evening.  Give yourself and the kiddos a rest break or quiet time to read books about the topic you are studying.  Get out and take a walk or bike ride.  If you find you are planning too much into each week, then definitely take a look at your schedule and experiment over a couple weeks.  Adjust how much material you are including each day.

I fight this often.  I try to cram too much into each week, and then I feel frustrated that we didn't get to everything.  This frustration distracts me from what we actually accomplished.  

3.  Spend a ton on your first curriculum purchases.

I am a bit of a curriculum junkie.  I have shelves and shelves of it.  I was even worse though in the beginning.  I would buy whatever I read about.  We would use it and I would see quickly it wasn't a fit.  Sometimes it would fit, but that was a lot of money to waste.  A LOT of money to waste.  Before running and buying the first curriculum that you like, really look at your child's learning style.  Look at various curriculum and go through their samples.  Read reviews.   Don't go in debt for curriculum you cannot afford.  It will frustrate you also.  Remember that library books can work at curriculum also.  You do not need a fancy box curriculum to homeschool.  Find what works best for your family's educational style and also your budget.  I am not against box curriculum, they work well for many families.  But not for everyone.

Also do your research, you can find used options many times that will save you a ton of money.  So if you do want the boxed curriculum, do your research.

4.  Sign up for a bunch of clubs and activities

Homeschool clubs abound.  It is so different than a few years ago.  There are clubs, activities, and field trips that will keep you very busy.  In our area, we could find something to do almost daily.  Unfortunately our kids are not unschooling kiddos, so I have learned to cut back on activities.  We still do field trips and we find many life skill trips to take.  But I really look at our schedule now and the activity.  I ask myself if the kids will enjoy it or if it is for me.  How much are we already doing that week?  Will it apply to any of our recent studies?  Have we done a field trip or activity like this recently?   Going to similar museums repeatedly is rather boring....trust me we have reached this stage in our travels.

5.  Forget that learning happens anywhere.

While you are stressing about how much you have not gotten done this week and what you still need to finish, did you realize that your child was watching a movie on bees?  Or maybe they learned how to make a new dinner dish for the family?  Did they learn how to plant garden plants?  Or maybe how to be a better neighbor by helping out next door?  Learning happens all around us.  Your child can learn while going out and running errands.  Let them help make a menu plan for your family.  Let them help you grocery shop and plan out your errands.  Life learning is as important as book learning.  So many kids graduate that are not able to cook, balance a checkbook or even clean up after themselves.  You have the perfect opportunity to not only educate your children with books but also in life.

We are linking up many others from the Schoolhouse Review Crew on the 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.....Take some time to see what they have learned on their homeschooling journeys!

Monica @ Grace Christian School
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Missica @ Through the Open Window
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling
Rebekah @ There Will Be A $5 Charge For Whining
Renita @ Krazy Kuehner Days
Sarah @ Renaissance Mama
Sasha @ Such a Time as This
Tawnee @ Adventures in Homeschooling
Tiffany @ The Crafty Home
Tina @ Desperate Homeschoolers


Sunday, March 27, 2016

Week 43 - Greenhouses, Weather, More Anne Frank and States



We survived yet another week.  There were some major issues involving attitudes.  I about lost it on a daily basis.  It was mainly the girls, unless we were in a store and then the boys and the girls were working against me.

I tried using a relaxed approach again this week. It did not work at all.  I was trying to work with each kid on their 4H projects.  This totally backfired.  I didn't give them a specific list.  They revolted and didn't even want to do their reading daily.  It was awful.  We got some history and science done, but that was it.  So this will not be happening again.  They have next week off from school because we have a ton of activities to get done, and daddy is home.  So I am giving myself a bit of a break.

But this week we did do a lot with History.  We continued watching the PBS - Liberty series, as well as Liberty's Kids.  We watched the episodes of Liberty's Kids that matched up with our history textbook reading.  We have reached the Declaration of Independence and the first battles of the Revolution.  Next week each one of the kids will be writing their own Declaration of Independence from Mom and Dad.  We'll see how that goes...lol

This week the greenhouse arrived.  So we spent an afternoon working on that also.  First we had to make a trip to Home Depot to get supplies for it.  We need mulch and dirt.

I was nervous taking this on.  I am not good with building things.  I was afraid we would get started and not be able to finish.
They somewhat worked together.  There was a lot of bickering.

Who was going to join what piece...I was ready to lose my mind before we were finished.
 But we did get it done, even though the winds were blowing pretty hard.  We had to use the mulch we bought as anchors instead of putting it on the ground.
 Brayden planted his carrots.  We also planted basil, saige, yellow and cherry tomatoes, zuchini and started the peas.

Brayden has been excited since the greenhouse went up.  He wants to make sure everything is watered daily.  I have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't overwater the plants.



Since it was Severe Weather Awareness week, we as a group reviewed weather.  We reviewed weather terms, tornadoes, thunderstorms and how meteorologists predict the weather.  We also reviewed how to read weather maps.

Making cloud models


Made a rain gauge
 We had a downpour and got two inches.  It's a good thing Mom watches the weather and we got our rain gauge out in time...lol

 They also made thermometers, and they even worked!!




Caty and I worked on her Anne Frank project for the Women Empowering event with our Girl Scout troop.  She made a board game about what we learned.



We finally found her a new bike.  She is really enjoying it.

There were a couple nice days this week.  We rode bikes down to the library and even just rode out into the country one day.  The girls played with their cousin and sidewalk chalk one day.


We also spent a lot of time talking about Jesus Life and his death in advance of the Memorial of his death with our congregation.  They made Memorial Bread one day, which is just unleavened bread.





Caty had her last online art class.  She really has liked this.  There is a two week break and then classes start back up.  

This is her final project.  It was inspired by George Rodrigue, the artist they studied this session.


We did watch two states this week on Aerial America.  This week was Missouri and Ohio.


We also played a US Geography game.  I was surprised how many states the kids have started remembering.  Brayden was a whiz at this game.  It was fun!


Hope everyone has a great week!!  Watch next week as we participate with other Schoolhouse Review Crew Members in the 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop!

Linking up with other Moms with Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Weekly Wrap-Up