We changed things up a bit and instead of getting the kids to draw a tree on paper in Lesson #14, they drew their trees on the dry erase board. No complaints :)
My brown-eyed girl has been busily working on her Egypt lapbook. Here is the link to the FREE lapbook. My blue-eyed boy is not interested in doing anything of the sort if it involves extra cutting, coloring, or pasting...lol!
Bible
It was very interesting to learn that Queen Hatshepsut *may* have been the princess that took Moses from the water and raised him as her own. When you hear about her and the history behind her...it all just starts to click and I thought, 'Wow! That makes a lot of sense!'
History
I think all the talk of chariots, warfare, and Hammurabi's Code have really sparked my son's interests. He's been looking up all sorts of things related to what we are learning in the various extra school books we have. 'Mom! Listen to this...' is what I heard all last week :-D
We didn't get to the part about inventions or the waterclock activity. I have no idea how we missed this. I have been so scatterbrained lately. I'm hoping to do this on Monday.
Science
I had all the supplies right there at my finger tips, but sadly, we didn't get to a single experiment. I am hoping to catch up on this next week as well.
This was an ok week, but next week, I am going to be more intentional about not getting sidetracked or letting other things get in the way of doing more of the 'fun things' in school.
As you can tell from the picture, today was one of those days my blue-eyed boy was NOT in the mood for art. They had to copy a picture of an eye, then they had to look in a mirror and try to draw their own. My son somehow managed to scribble down a little eye-ball though...lol!
Bible
Bible is going well...between the Biblical passages and the Journey pages, it feels a bit repetitive at times. So, we skip around a bit in Journey and try not to cover the same things the Biblical passages covered. I can't wait until we get to Week 12 - I have sooo many fun things planned!!!
History
We haven't really had time to get to many of the projects and activities listed in the history lessons lately. Many of them have been really involved or time consuming. However, this week, I saw the kids were going to be learning about weaving and clay pots, so I figured, this was something we could try and tackle. My brown-eyed girl has recently taken up crocheting. She only knows how to make simple bracelets and necklaces for now, but she is having lots of fun. Pretty soon, she'll be able to move on to other things. Thank goodness for You Tube! I had to watch the intro to a video about a million times before I figured out how to get started...lol! Did I forget to mention that I am not really crafty? Crocheting was one of those things I just never got into, although, it looks kinda fun to me now.
Anyway, I was in Wal-mart and saw a simple weaving loom and a motorized clay potter's wheel. I didn't think my son would be so much into weaving, so I opted to buy the pottery wheel. It was only $20 and it looked like a fun twist to the traditional 'make your own clay pot by hand' which we had done several times already throughout the last few years.
Well, the pottery wheel was not all it was cracked up to be. It was actually kind-a difficult and took us a loooong time to get started. The end result looked NOTHING like what my daughter started out to make, but ended up settling for what it turned out to be rather than start the whole ordeal all over again. I so wish I would have taken a picture of us. We were both up to our elbows in clay mud.
She is going to try her hand at it again at a later date. My son was NOT interested. He said he'd rather make his the old fashioned way. He has yet to do so and probably never will. Did I ever mention he really doesn't like artsy things? LOL!
Science
We've been a bit relaxed in the area of completing the projects that go with the science lessons lately. Either we had done something similar in the past that was still fresh in our minds or they didn't look very appealing. We hope to jump back in to the science projects soon though.
Read-Alouds We are still loving the Star of Light!
With next week being Thanksgiving week, we will take a small break here and there from school. We also have lots of fun things planned :)
We are enjoying the Bible lessons and learning lots of Biblical history. The kiddos can rattle off the names of everyone from Abraham down to Benjamin as well as how each are related.
We LOVE the Star of Light! We never want to read just one chapter each day.
...Still trucking along in Egypt.
We watched a show called "Treasure Buddies". Several of the things in the movie went along well with what we were learning this week.
All in all, it was kind of a blah week and I didn't even take a single picture.
In light of the presidential election, the topic of a Biblical worldview has been weighing heavily on my mind. I see young Christians (lots and lots of them) who start off strong only to finish looking nothing like they used to. Their world views are muddied and unclear. Truth has become relative for them. Everything has become relative for them.
With that being said, Lecrae is probably one of my favorite artists (and would be preachers ;) of all time. He packs a powerful message into every one of his songs.
Lecrae said it best...."Man, It's just some folks say, "All truth is relative, it just depends on what you believe." You know, "hey man, ain't no way to know for sure who God is or what's really true." But that means you believe your own statement; that there's no way to know what's really true. You're saying that that statement is true. You're killing yourself. If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me, what if my truth says your's is a lie? Is it still true? Come on man! "
I have seen this way of thinking hit all too close to home...and it terrifies me. How can kids, who have the same parents, the same Christian upbringing, pretty much the same everything...be so different with their world views?!?
What has changed?
I think a major difference is our educational system. Our children are being indoctrinated at alarming rates. Sure...reading, writing, and arithmetic may not have changed much throughout the years, but those things have taken a back seat. Social issues, evolution, relativity, and more have taken the front seat. At least our biblical glasses could be put on or used from time to time in the educational system of the past, but now, those spectacles have all but been destroyed and smashed to bits.
I have had people tell me, it's because all the Christians have taken their kids out of the schools. Really?!? I can tell you, as a former public school teacher, that is NOT the reason. Parents (and even teachers for that matter) have very little control (if any at all) over what curriculum is brought into the classroom. There were things, such as evolution, that I would NOT teach. I would tell the kids of that theory, (and I made sure they knew what the word theory meant) but I would also tell them of the creationists views. But what about that teacher who did NOT hold to my same Biblical values? Do I really think he/she to talk about the other side and present it in a valid way?
Certainly not! and I would be a fool to think otherwise.
So, why would I send my children out into this battlefield?...unprepared? Even the disciples had years of careful training under the watchful eye of their master before 'going it alone'. I like how Voddie Baucham said it (and I'm not quoting word for word), but he said something like this...we are sending our kids out into the battle fields with no armor, no weapons, and no way to defend themselves and *hope* they'll be ok.
I've got news for some people, school is not the only place we can share the gospel with others. Having been a teacher (and student one time long ago), I can tell you, the most time kids nowadays have to talk or get into any type of meaningful discussion is on the bus or in the lunch room...well, maybe. I know of some places where talking even during those times is not allowed.
No, we can 'evangelize' best through everyday life and living. For those who may have their kids in the public schools, then school is just one of those aspects of living, but not the only one. The grocery store, your neighborhood, the gym, your mission outreach activities, your home, your church, your community, and so much more are all aspects of everyday life and living! Jesus taught and 'evangelized' by the example He set for others wherever He went. People flocked to HIM. He didn't turn His evangelical switch on and off, He didn't have to beat them over the head with God's word or pound it down their throats, He simply lived God's words consistently out in front of them.
They saw something different in Him, something they wanted and they followed after Him for it.
When we allow Christ to live through us, we can do the same.
For those who have their kids in the public school system for whatever reason, please do not think all hope is lost....please remain diligent!!! I know God calls different people to different things. Talk with your kids everyday, go thru their books, and read over what they are reading everyday being careful to discuss every little thing that may go against God's Word. By all means....stay involved!
God said His Word will not return void and to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Sundays and Wednesdays are NOT going to cut it. I know kids who will go to baseball or basketball practices 3,4,5 or more times a week, yet somehow think a few hours here and there is sufficient Biblical training. That is not 'training up a child'. Training is an everyday thing. Would you have surgery from a doc that only trained for a few hours twice a week, would you attempt to run a full marathon after only training twice a week for a few hours?
Parents, wether or not your child is in the public school or homeschool it is our job to train them up.
Even though I homeschool, I fall short many, many times and must daily seek God and His will for our lives. I want my kids to be raised knowing what absolute truth is based on God's Word, not my word or the words of others. I know they'll eventually get out on their own and decide for themselves, but I hope, with God's help, coming along side them through this 'training process' will make a lasting impression on them and they will not forget and, in turn, pass on to others.
Homeschooling our children does not give us a free pass to seclude ourselves from society and live out our homeschooling lives in some little 'Jesus bubble' with doors barred, gates shut, and blinds closed . I know, I've been there.It is all too easy to 'get comfortable'. God has called ALL His children to be a light to the world. We can't be a light unless we reach into the darkness. Get out there with your kids, working along side them, teaching and training them...pray - God will guide you in what you should or should not be involved in and in the timing of those things.
This week, the kids tried their hand at drawing an Egyptian. They were NOT interested in drawing the grid though. I tried explaining to them the benefits of doing this, but they didn't care if theirs looked exactly like the picture. Even though they opted not to use a grid, their Egyptians turned out pretty good :)
Brown-eyed Girl's
Blue-eyed Boy's
Bible
Bible is going really well. I am excited about digging deeper into these familiar Bible stories. I always learn something new!
History
We learned how the Egyptians used different minerals to make their own paints and different reeds and straw to make their own paint brushes.
Making our own straw paint brushes and paints was kinda fun. I didn't think the straw would work, but the kids managed and ended up doing pretty good.
The project called for chalk, but we didn't have any, so we made our homemade paints out of different spices, some water, and a little cornstarch.
Science
The kids had some fun with the experiments this week. They enjoyed the 'karate kid' experiment. For about an hour, all they wanted to do was chop things. We just used sticks from the yard. The bark made a bit of a mess, but not too bad.
We also did the 'straw drinking race' experiment where we poked lots of holes in one straw, then left the other intact and had a race to see who could drink their drinks the quickest. My blue-eyed boy knew something was up when his sister beat him. He just kept drinking and drinking, but it took him forever to finish his.
Lastly, we tried the 'old upside-down-glass-of-water trick'. The kids really liked this one.
All in all, it was a great week of school. The weekend was a little busier than I would have liked, but we survived. How was your week?
