School Post 2017

This post is my plan.  But, just like every other year, as we go through the year we realize what is really working and what really isn't and we cast the latter aside.

Zach's (age 1) school mainly consists of me learning some new finger plays, lap bouncing songs, and other ways to play with him (like the ones in This Little Piggy and Games Babies Play) and training him for blanket time and sitting on my lap better.

For Oliver (age 5) and Olivia (age 2 1/2) I am pulling from these resources:

A Year of Playing Skillfully

Busy Bags Kids Will Love

Montessori at Home Guide

Bible Stories (read straight from the ESV Bible or Olivia's ICB Bible or other children's Bibles)

Reading Classical Literature at their level and picture books

Recitation to help them learn memory verses.

Outside for 15 minutes (at least 15 every day)

Storytime with the Millers (and others from that series)

Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (Oliver only).

Explode the code A, B, and C You don't have to have the teacher's guide.

Jamie Soles music (especially Good Advice)

For Riley (grade 6) and Remy (grade 4) I am using these things:

Proverbs workbook

Hey Andrew Teach Me Some Greek

Exploring Creation With Zoology 3 (with notebooking journal and Jr. notebooking journal)

Italic Handwriting

Math U See (Riley in Zeta, Remy in Delta)

Narration

Outside 15 minutes (at least 15 every day)

Help for Auditory Processing (Riley only, but Remy asks to do it too!)

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts Curriculum

Explode the Code  the boys love these!

History and Literature books from 1900 to present.  I chose books from Ambleside, Sonlight, and other credible reading lists and pieced together a history and literature book list that my 4 big boys were going to use.  Then I came across something different for Aiden and Alex.  Now I am going to use World War 1 for Kids, The Great Depression for Kids, A History of US (book 9) and others to read through these things and discuss with Riley and Remy.

Recitation (Memory work from Prov workbook and 1 longer passage from Romans)

Piano lessons

For Aiden (9th grade) and Alex (8th grade) I am using these things:

Proverbs workbook

Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek with workbook, study guide , DVD lectures, and Sing and Learn New Testament Greek

Devotional Biology with Kurt Wise I'm SO excited about this!

Italic Handwriting

Type It (Alex only)

Math U See (Aiden in Algebra, Alex in Pre-algebra)

Narration

Outside 15 minutes (at least 15 every day)

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts Curriculum

Discipleship Curriculum from Generations with Vision we are doing 9th grade with both Aiden and Alex

Recitation (Memory work from Prov workbook and 1 longer passage from Romans)

Piano lessons

Aiden is also finishing his One Year Adventure Novel from last year.  He is really enjoying that.

As a family we are using The Family Bible Study Series for the Psalms and Proverbs.  We all read the portion for one Psalm per week and get together to talk about it on Sunday night.  We do one lesson from the Proverbs books as a family each night during Bible Time. We are also using lots of songs to help us learn the Psalms (Jamie Soles, Sons of Korah, and Seeds Family Worship) and trying to have more of a plan and focus for our family prayer time.

Also, all together we are using Draw the USA (love it!), Laying Down the Rails, and lots of Lamplighter books!

If you have any questions about how we use things please ask!  I have loved asking others the same thing!

Modesty

Here are some helpful resources on the topic of modesty.  All of these links were extremely helpful to me in thinking through this topic and would be especially wonderful in helping your daughters have a well rounded view of modesty.

Here is the first of a 4 part series that I appreciated.  It's just the intro, but if you like to start at the beginning, here it is.

The second post in that series includes 8 terrific questions to ask yourself about modesty.

The third post in that series had some great original thoughts about modesty in worship.  Do we aid others in worship or do we detract from it with our finery or by showing too much skin.  Do we really want to steal attention that should be directed at God?

The last post focuses on how your fashion affects your worship and the worship of others and it asks hard questions about the nitty gritty.

Are you contributing to a culture of lust?  Wonderful thoughts about what our pictures say about us and how women can unknowingly imitate the form of porn in the way they pose, use make up, or photograph themselves.

The ones above were all by the same author, but this last one is from The Bible Project.  We have loved devouring these videos!

1 Timothy tells women where their beauty should come from.  The Bible Project video about 1 Timothy brings this to life and helps us see what was going on in the church that the letter is written to.  In case you are short on time you can start at the 3 minute mark and see that some of the women were using church as a fashion show.  Do you think that would distract from the worship of the Lord or bring him glory?

May we be lovely and righteous women who seek to honor our Lord!

My Grandpa

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