First Nine Weeks of School (August 17-October 19, 2009)

Today marks the end of our first nine weeks of school. It's hard to believe that our year is going so fast! The boys are learning new things every day and I am learning right along with them. I even let C quiz me on Bible memory this morning, to see if I am able to recall the verses we've learned so far. In geography, I plan to let B call out the countries and I will use his game pieces to test my memory. I may surprise myself! The twins could only identify three countries at the start of the year, now they are able to locate dozens!

Bible

Memory Work
John 3:16
Matthew 1:23
Matthew 4:4
Matthew 4:19
Matthew 5:11-12
Matthew 5:14

Each boy is also learning his life verse, the one I gave to him in while he was in my womb. They have enjoyed having their own Bibles to look up verses and I wrote those special references on the front pages, along with the Paul Bunyan quote "This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book." It is a delight to see their love of the Bible and their excitement when they find a special verse. J literally trembles when he reads Psalm 23, we helped him memorize a version of it about two years ago when he was feeling scared about many things. Now those verses light up his little face!

Each week we read from "Window on the World" and "Hero Tales," learning more about the people and places around the world who need to hear about Jesus.

Writing/Reading/Language Arts

Daily opportunities are given to practice cursive writing and once a week the boys put an entry in their journals and/or write a letter to a family member.

Read aloud books have become a family favorite. D reads to us each day and so far we have completed a book about Cameron Townsend, began one about Nate Saint and we are in the middle of "Kingdom Tales." I created a book report form and it's fascinating to see how each boy comes up with a unique report of the same book.

Each day, during down time or quiet time, the boys read chapter books for 30-90 minutes. B is enjoying Star Wars series and Beverly Cleary books (what a combo!), C is on a "Boxcar Children" kick. J is more interested in science or engineering books, but he did discover the "Littles" and seems to be enjoying those. He does not like to read, so this is an area that I must be aware of!

English

We are still using the A Beka curriculum for this subject. They offer such advanced lessons, I grow in this area right along with the boys!

C and J (Grade 3)
Sentence structure/identification (declarative, exclamatory, interrogative)
Capitalization rules
Punctuation rules (periods, question marks, exclamation points, commas)
Possessive Words

B (Grade 6)
Sentence structure/identification/diagramming
Capitalization
Comas
Colons, Semicolons, Hyphens, Italicizing

Spelling

I never thought I hear the words, "Mom, one of my favorite subjects is spelling." Wow, direct quote from J! D has taken the baton with this and is using "Spelling Power" to increase the boys' spelling accuracy. This one book and the resources given with it will take the boys all the way through high school. It takes the 5,000 most commonly misspelled words in our language and they spend about 15 minutes a day learning to spell. D quizzes them for five minutes with new words. If they get them all correct, they are finished for the day (J often gets them all correct, go figure!). Any misspelled words are then rewritten and a 10 Step Study Process begins (say, look, say, close eyes (say), check, trace and say, check, write, check, repeat). After that, D chooses an activity for the boys to work on any that are still misspelled. There are over 100 suggested activities, including the following: cutting letters out of old magazines and taping onto the study sheet, dialing the words on a telephone, using them in a sentence, etc. I am already seeing a difference when they say, "Mom how do you spell ----?" I respond, "You tell me..." and often, they get it correct on the first try!

Math

Teaching Textbooks, Grade 4 for C and J. Teaching Textbooks, Grade 6 for B. Each morning, the boys take turns using the computer to do these lessons. They are making good progress and the computer tracks their grades. It is a joy to see the twins' excitement each day as they do bonus problems and gain extra credit points. B is not fond of math at all. This is our third set of curriculum, so we know by now that it's just something he needs to work at. He excels in every other subject, math is just the one thing that he will need to persevere through.

Geography/Science

We are having so much fun with "My Father's World," each day learning new things about the world. The boys have made vocab cards with illustrations and are able to identify the following:
*continental divide
*zone
*biotic
*abiotic
*dune
*scavenger
*desert
*badland
*ocean
*butte
*forest
*longitude
*latitude
*precipitation
*evaporation
*canyon
*flora
*fauna
*coniferous
*deciduous
*isthmus
*cape
*carnivore
*omnivore
*herbivore
*continental shelf
*ocean ridge
*continent
*bay
*food chain
*gulch

We have "visited" four countries and learned so many facts about the following:
*USA
*Canada
*Mexico
*Brazil

I am adding some extra assignments to the mix, so they are also going to be doing a state report each week, beginning with Virginia, Florida and those in between. It's always easier to learn about something that we know, so I begin with familiar states. Years ago, my mom subscribed us to a Highlights program that gave us a huge map and workbook for many states. Once we use those up, we hope to resubscribe and finish out the series.

I am also assigning B a continent report. We have studied North America and the Central (0r Middle) America countries. I need to challenge him more than the twins, so this is one area I will push him on. He also works from a book titled "World Geography." This allows him to use the Internet to research. He then relays the information to the twins and they fill in their sheets. This allows B to teach a bit and I don't worry about how much the twins are getting, as the material is geared for junior high age. Anything they retain is "extra."

C and J also use a book titled "The Complete Book of Animals." Each unit they study animals that are common to the region we are studying. By the end of the year, they will cover hundreds of interesting creatures.

The boys also keep a nature journal and they add an entry to that each week. When the weather permits, we go outside and sit on a blanket or take a walk to explore. As the weather is growing cold, we might need to revise that plan!

Physical Education

Little boys need to get out and exercise. Often. The twins are enjoying their fourth year of soccer at CCS, D is coaching for the fourth year as well. This is the first time they have had D as their main coach and they really like that! B goes along to help D with drills, etc. We attend games as a family once or twice a week.

On other days/evenings the boys go outside and romp. The newest game they love to play is "Noodle Wars." All four of them go outside in the dark and use pool noodles to beat each other. It gets rough and there are often tears, but the giggles far outnumber the boohoos!

I purchased an "Air Climber" to increase my workouts. The boys enjoy using that as well. With winter approaching, I will need to get more creative to keep them active. Inactive boys equal added naughtiness. We can't have that!

WHEW! No wonder I am tired! That's a lot of learning! And, it's no wonder why I don't get to blog often! It has been a delightful year, so refreshing for us all! We press on!