On to better things...

It's been a busy week for us here at the Mighty Masters Academy. Last Thursday we had some computer problems which put a stop to some of our learning, but also taught me a valuable lesson; do not be so dependant on the computer. Since then I've made sure to have things ready in the event of a computer emergency. I also managed to learn how to fix a lot of performance and security issues on the computer. Old dogs can learn new tricks.
Now the computer is back up & running and we are back to work. One of the first things we did this week was take a look at the Lifepac curriculum. It was becoming very clear that this language arts curriculum does not fit our family. In the kid's words, "It is boring and it doesn't make any sense!". At first glance it seemed like the perfect solution. It laid out everything they needed to learn in a way that made it easy for me to teach & there lies the problem. I was too worried about getting it right & making it easy on me. I was focused on my fear instead of trusting that I could teach them in a way that is natural for them.
The curriculum went over things that were unnecessary or could be taught in a way that made it more exciting. Now it did give me the joy of checking off certain things, but afterwards the kids were left not understanding what they had read.
So we have switched over to something new. Which is the thing I had originally felt drawn to until I started letting fear set in...
SIMPLY CHARLOTTE MASON
This website has links to all the information about Charlotte Masons' teaching method. However our method is going to differ in many ways. Mostly what we are focusing on is the use of dictation, narration & copy work which will be done using our bible study & history material. So far this has worked out wonderfully for us. Killian is able to see grammar & writing in its proper form. We are also able to make spelling list for Lotus; spelling words she is actually struggling with. I also get to work on grammar and sentence structure as it comes up. Lotus is good about telling me what she doesn't understand, but it takes a little more investigating with Killian. Yet its easy to see what he needs help with when he's right there with me. This might take a little more effort on my part, but its worth it.
We are still using the same math and history curriculum, which seems to be working great. I'm learning that I need to be constantly looking for new ways to teach the kids that works with there individual styles.
We also added some new books to our science curriculum. Basically we took the Knox County guidelines & found ways to teach it with living books & experiments. Another factor is our use of the nature journal (a Charlotte Mason method) to instill a love for nature. Lotus is loving it. Killian on the other hand could take it or leave it which will lead me to another post later. For now Im off to teach & learn

Tolerance

Last night as I looked at our blog I wondered what people thought when they saw how much importance I place on teaching the gospel of Christ. I wondered if the words I wrote did justice to what we actually teach. Let me explain. In the past few years my life has changed tremendously and I attribute that to my faith. God is the reason for the healing, for the joy & for this opportunity. To be honest a few years back I wouldnt have had the patience to homeschool my kids. In fact I barely could do homework with them without losing my cool. In the past I yelled more than I would like to admit. Some might ask isn't that just the result of maturing or couseling, but without a doubt the thing that made the most difference was allowing Christ to transform me. Allowing him to heal the parts of my heart that were once broken.
This has become a major part of my families life, because the children & Scott have seen the difference it has made. I believe ,because of that, that teaching the kids about the bible, about who Jesus was & is, and teaching them who God is & what they mean to him is more important than anything else. I take very literally Matthew 6:33,

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness & all these things will be added unto you."

I know that if I do nothing else that I must instill in them a faith that will carry them through this life. However I also know the importance of teaching them tolerance & to think for themselves. Obviously history teaches us that Christianity has been misused & misrepresented. We as Christians would be foolish to ignore our history, the good & the bad. The fact is there is no religion (or spirituality) out there that has not succumbed at one point to hatred, inequality or various other negatives. No matter how pure something is, in the hands of imperfect people it becomes tarnished.
I want them to practice a faith that brings wholeness & I believe that Christ offers that. I believe this because I have taken many different paths to get where I am today & in the end I found what I was looking for in the one thing I tried to run away from. Yet although I believe the bible is true & I believe Jesus is the answer. I also look back on where I came from & see God in it as well. So I balance my teaching of the gospel with tolerance. Although that word doesnt quite fit what Im trying to say. I want my children to do more than just tolerate other faiths. I want my children to be able to discern whats right & wrong even in the church we serve. I want my children to love like Jesus loved. I want them to put their faith into action & faith in action is more than just judging everyone else thats different. Its seeing the heart of a person. Its seeing whats behind the way a person lives. It's looking past what something appears to be & seeing what God see's. There are a lot of grey areas that one day will be made clear. However in the here & now all I can do is make it as clear as possible to my children & pray that God guides them as he sees fit. That may or may not look like the faith I practice, but in the end that might be something greater than what I have come to know. Perhaps they will not make the same mistakes that I have made or that have been made throughout history. Maybe what I teach them today is only a small vision of who God truly is. I can only hope that they will do greater things than these (John 14:12), but in the meantime I teach them what I know.

Todays other work...

Before our trip to Ijams we had some other stuff to get out of the way. The boring stuff. Well only if you think learning is boring.
Both Lotus & Killian worked in their lifepac workbooks. Lotus also practiced her spelling words online using Spelling City. Then Killian did an online study of the Erie Canal & wrote a report on it. Lotus did ch. 2 of The Story of the USA & worked on learning the continents & oceans. Later we all read the preface & ch. 1 of "Walk the Worlds Rim". Very cool stuff.
At breakfast we continued our study of John & then the kids worked on memorizing their memory verse. This was a very special time for us. Especially when Killian narrated the whole thing back to me. It was incredible how much detail Killian remembered from the story, but Im starting to see that this is how Killian learns best. Lotus on the other hand does better when she can read it for herself. Its amazing how different two kids can be.
We also had a question come up that we are going to explore further...
-Why does fog form over bodies of water? (Each one of us gave our hypothesis, but we are going to do some research & possible experiment to figure it out for ourselves.)
This will be a great thing for Killian to research & then share his findings.

Todays classroom...

This evening we took a field trip to Ijams nature center. After a long day we needed to get out for awhile & science still needed to be done. So we packed up our nature journals & headed out to explore.

The journal activity was to make 2 list (living & non living), then find things that fit the definition of living & non living. Tomorrow I will go more in depth with them & look at what they put on their list, but tonight was all about exploration.

Luckily for us we found a net that suited our scientific exploration & helped up find snails & many other small creatures.

Plus we made a new friend along the way.

Then we almost lost Scott to the pond. Just kidding, but it was very tempting to push him in.

Afterwards we fit in a little physical education (AKA a walk through the woods).

Which led us to some much needed rest....

I think Killian took it a little too literally.

Right before going to bed Lotus told me that she loved homeschooling & I can honestly say I do too. We are only two days in, but Im loving it. God has truly blessed us.

First day of school...

Today was the first day of school(check out the photos page) & boy was it a full one. We started out the day getting used to the way we will be doing things. I explained where everything was & what they will be working on. We also got all our folders & notebooks together, then decorated them.
Then Lotus completed the first chapter of "The Story of the USA." Together we discussed & learned about the first Americans. While we were doing this Killian watched Episode 4 of "America, The Story of US".This is an incredible series that covers America's history. He learned about the events that would lead to the civil war. He also learned about early American industry such as cotton farming & the Erie Canal. Later we will do some activites to reinforce what he learned.
After lunch the kids took a small break which led to Killian taking an hour long nap. I guess waking up is hard to do when your not use to it. However this gave me time to work one on one with Lotus again. During this time she finished pages 1-7 of her language arts curriculum (Lifepacs). When Killian finally woke up he did pages 1-5 of his Lifepac.
Afterwards we went to the bookstore & library. Which was the perfect time for a little multiplication. I also used words I saw on billboards & had the kids take off the affixs to find the root words.
Now they are playing in their rooms, but I have a feeling it will be an early night.

Too much, too little....

For those of us that have never homeschooled it comes as a surpise how many resources are available to homeschoolers. There are classes at co ops, at the zoo, at the aquarium & too many other places to mention. Yet all of these things dont mean much if you dont have the money to pay for them. Of course you dont have to do any of these things to get an education. Heck public schools very seldomly get field trips. Yet I know that these things have something to offer my kids that I cant. Plus its fun! So we have been thinking about ways to earn money as a family. You know kinda of like a fundraiser or something. Something to cover the cost of books, field trips & whatever else comes up. So far we have mentioned selling candy or doing a lemonade stand. Obviously with me being at home with the kids it needs to be something that we can do together. Then I can add it to our lesson plans also. If I were crafty I would start selling the things I make, but sadly I am not. However we have thought about giving candlemaking or soapmaking a whirl, but once again it takes money to get started. I guess we will have to brainstorm a little bit more & then just do it! Perhaps in the near future we may have a sucessful business to go along with our sucessful homeschooling. Hum?! Picture it now........ "Mighty Masters Candles & Soaps". Oh & hot boiled peanuts. Every successful business needs hot boiled peanuts.

Not too much to share today.  I have been getting some last minute things together & organizing the lesson plans. The kids have been playing with friends & watching way too much t.v. Well at least some of it was educational. Right now the kids are fighting/playing. Sometimes its hard to tell the difference. All I really know is that they seem to be getting along better. Much better! Im not sure if its because of their age or the fact that they spend a lot of time together. Either way Im happy.

Worn out....

Im am tired & Im sure Scott is too. Yesterday we spent the day shopping for school supplies (ie. books, social studies curriculum, grammar books, notebooks, folders,paper, mouse pad & new wireless mouse). All in all with two pairs of shoes we managed to get it in under $160. Not too bad, but there is still some stuff we need to buy. Luckily school clothes arent one of the things we need. Although we will eventually need to get some clothes for the fall. I think that is the one thing that Lotus is hating about not going to school. The girl loves new clothes! However she also loves books, which was proven when she came home to read her book about sea lions. Killian on the other hand could really care less about either. Instead of shopping yesterday he played good grandson & wheeled my mom around so she could shop. I was very proud watching him stand patiently while she looked at books. I was also proud when I awoke yesterday to find Lotus practicing her multiplication tables in her room. I thank God that he gave me such good children, not perfect, but better than most. Ok I went off on a mama love fest. Now back to our day. Well as I was saying we shopped yesterday & later Killian went to a birthday party. A birthday party that he has yet to go to sleep from. So I think that makes it like 36 hours & he is learning a very important lesson on the importance of sleep. Yeah who am I kidding he is in the other room playing games right now. Lotus is helping Scott with some laundry right now & she has been a big help today. Oh yeah thats why were tired. Today we spent all day cleaning out our backroom which will soon be known as the homeschooling area. Right now its half mess & half homeschooling area. My back on the other hand is fully aching so were off to bed. Good night & God bless!  

Its a bee's life.....

We got started with a little work today. Not too much, but just enough to give them a taste of whats ahead. We started out by reading pages 1-11 of "The Life & Times of the Honeybee". Both Lotus & Killian helped with the reading & then I had them answer questions to check comprehension. I also had them recite back to me what they learned. The plan is to take a field trip to a honey farm & learn more about the importance of bees to the enviroment. There were some fun moments during our study such as when I told them that the drones (males) of the hive are so lazy that the workers (females) have to feed them or they would die. Killian spoke up & said, "Yep sounds like me!" Then I had the kids try to flap their arms 250 times in a second. Of course it cant be done, but it was hilarious watching the kids try. Killian finally just stopped & told me he was going so fast that we didnt see him move. Smart boy!! I thought it was amazing to think that a bee flaps it's wings 250 times in a second. Afterwards I gave them a pre-test on the multiplication tables. They have definently forgotten some things over the summer, but this just showed me what we need to work on. Multiplication tables will be a constant in our curriculum. Altogether they did 90 problems. 

More changes.....

The more & more I look at whats available online the more changes I make to what we are doing. Actually what I have changed is the way I organize it.  This is very new to me & I have been told it can take up to a year to really get organized. It can also take that long to find out what style of homeschooling fits your family. I've noticed that's not very different from what happens in the typical school. Every year brings new changes to the way things are done. Sometimes its hard to keep up. Right now my focus is on finding out what works for our family. So for the time being you will notice changes almost daily. Yesterday I changed some of Lotus' curriculum. Well I changed the way I worded it so it better fit what we are doing. God bless the teachers in the world who do this with 20 or more students who they dont even really know. I cant imagine! So our little classroom is a work in progress that will continue to improve over time. Hopefully. :-)

Character Qualities....

Just found this great list of character qualities off the Duggars website. For those of you not familiar with the Duggars they are a very large family off the show 19 Kids & Counting. Yeah 19 kids large! They are also Christians who practice what they preach which sadly is very rare. So for me I will gladly take their lead in training our children. Actually what I like most about it is that it uses scripture at its core which is the lead I hope to follow the most. So thank you Duggars for sharing your life & your faith.

Life so far.....

The kids are enjoying their last bit of freedom, but I'm trying to sneak some learning in as well. After all we only have a couple of weeks to the official start of school. Well for us we will be doing a more year round school, but we are saving the majority of the work for the regular school year. AKA Knox County School calender. That makes it a little easier considering their friends are out & they want to play. Right now Lotus is playing with a friend in her room & Killian is off spending a night with a friend.
Sunday we went to church & then heading out to my niece's house which is always a lesson in itself. We looked at frog eggs in the kiddie pool which was really neat & gross. Then we petted chickens & goats. Lotus loved the baby goats that sounded like a baby crying. Killian went on a rattle snake hunt with Scott. Thankfully they didn't find any which surprised me considering they are every where out there. Scott & Killian walked all around the property with a stick poking at bushes. They are very lucky they didn't get stung by bees. However Scott reassured me he was a professional snake hunter.
Yesterday I had to do some errands so Killian chose to stay at home. Surprise, surprise! Lotus of course had to ride along with me. We practiced multiplication tables while waiting in line & talked about the school year. I also spent some more time looking over the science & math curriculum for Killian. Plus I made some changes to both of their curriculum for the year. The kids have really lucked out & have been provided with tons of resources by my Knox County Schools connection. Having friends makes a difference. Having friends who happen to be teachers & support your decision means the world. We are blessed to know such good people who are more the willing to offer whatever they can. That also helps with our homeschooling budget. God is good  & very obviously has his hands in this process. I try to remember that whenever I feel incapable. Not matter what I lack, God more than makes up for.