Chapter 41 talks about the attacking barbarians: Attila the Hun, Stilicho, and the Visigoths.
My son decided to draw a picture of Attila the Hun based on the description by Edward Gibbon, who is quoted in the Story of the World.
My son sketched Attila based on the description in the activity book
The kids were really disgusted by the Huns’ habit of eating raw meat which had been spiced up between their saddles and their horse. Continue reading
By the time we reach the end of the school year and the end of the history book, Rome begins to weaken and this is also the title of Chapter 40. The Celts and Boadicea captured our imagination.
The kids colored the queen of the Celts in pretty pink and green colors. Then, we had a Celtic feast as suggested in the Activity Book: berries, grape juice, bread, and (vegetarian) chicken.
Grape juice instead of wine, berries, bread and vegetarian chicken patties
We ate with our hands, as no silverware was allowed. Continue reading
Our son attended Cohutta Springs Youth Camp in Crandall, GA for five days (and five nights). It was very difficult to be without him for me. I missed him a lot, especially the first day. Deciding to send him there was a God thing back in May, so now that it was all done and settled, I prayed harder for peace. Peace finally came, along with confirmations that he was having a wonderful time. One of the counselors happens to be our sitter and she texted me by the second day that he was doing well and enjoying his time there.
He really enjoyed himself there. Every day, each cabin experienced four activities from a list which included: archery, swimming, BMX, the blob (giant air-filled pillow floating on their lake), banana boat rides (two boats shaped like bananas, connected in the middle, three kids per side), creative arts (they painted ceramic turtles), canoeing, indoor sports in the gym on rainy days, and more. Each cabin had their own worship time in the morning and then, as a whole, the campers assembled for morning and evening worship.
They put pictures on their secure site for parents to look at and it was fun to look for our son’s lovely face every day. He did not appear in the slide shows every day, as they could not get all the kids in there. When we did spot him, it was such a strange feeling: our son, so far away, having fun and living life away from us for almost a week.
My son (Superman shirt) with friends plus their counselor
It is not exactly a good feeling, but I decided I was going to be brave and accept the cycle of life. Children grow up. Continue reading
Last month, my sister graduated from a Romanian university with a master’s in education. I am so proud of her. She has been working on this degree for years, a bit at a time, as time and circumstances allowed. In addition to being a mom and an author, my sister has been working for a Christian radio station for more than two decades. She is not really planning on being a teacher, but she felt this master degree would give her the knowledge to continue to write and produce children’s radio programs.
The AL Abacus we use from Right Start Mathematics has two sides, for different operations.
As homeschooling moms, we also ought to invest in ourselves through continuing education. It is not only traditional classroom teachers who need in-service days. Home educators should read at least one book a year about how to teach. Summer time is the best time for this, of course, because many of us take at least a month off from teaching actively. Continue reading
We have been doing nature walks here and there, but I recently felt impressed to take it more seriously. Childhood obesity rates and nature deficit disorder motivate me to a degree, but the most important reason is that I want my children to learn from the book of nature. Nature is like a book in which we can “read” about our Creator. Then, of course, there is the issue of health and exercise and spending time outdoors and bonding with natural things.
Ready for a nature walk
As I was wondering how to proceed in a more systematic fashion, I received an email from Handbook of Nature Study, a blog I subscribe to and use off and on. I remembered how they have this great membership site now and they offer so much for so little. Plus, they sent a coupon for the summer (the offer ended a few days ago, I think, but I am sure they will offer more coupons as the seasons change, so stay tuned).
Wild daisies near our home
I invested in the Ultimate Naturalist Library because I will do these activities if I pay for them. It is human nature. We don’t always appreciate free things. But if we pay for a book, we are probably going to read it. In this case, we are talking about a lot of nature walks and challenges in order to discover our backyard and the different species of flora and fauna around us. It will also motivate us to get outside.
Mystery insect (dragonfly?)
Every season, there are excuses for staying indoors. Continue reading
Learning never ends, but school years do. After 180 days of school, we were happy to take our children out for a nice lunch at The Wild Plum Tea Room and give them their Certificates of Completion. Our son finished first grade, and our daughter Pre-Kindergarten.
We would like to go to the same restaurant every year for this event, but maybe that’s not necessary. Maybe every year we will feel like trying a different place. Who knows what the future will bring?
But The Wild Plum was a great choice for this year. They serve their delicious orange tea and many healthy choices.
Too bad it is not exactly man food. Our principal was not too fond of their menu, but we made it through and had a good time as a family (and school). Continue reading
Rome and the Christians or Chapter 39 brought up the subject of persecution. I have been enjoying ancient Rome up about until this point. Nero and all the Christian martyrs, not to mention how poor ol’ misguided Constantine and his Sunday law pretty much end all the fun I had with Rome.
Map colored by my son
We made a secret symbol for our family. Continue reading
Chapter 38 is titled The End of the Ancient Jewish Nation. I read the story to them and they colored the map. They also colored the flag of Israel. I pulled up the Israeli flag on Google Images, so they can see how to color it. Later on, I noticed that the Activity Book specifies the colors needed.
The Star of David and the Israeli flag, colored by my son
I would like to make latkes, but lately we have been making doughnuts and other fried foods a bit too much – too much for us. I need a break from grease for a bit. I don’t like to fry food anyway.
Playing Dreidel with LEGO bricks
We made our dreidels and played the game. It was really fun. We had never played dreidel before. We used LEGO bricks. Somehow, the dreidel fell on All or Nothing most of the time.
The Beginning of Christianity or Chapter 37 marked a welcome connection between the Roman Empire and the life of Jesus Christ. My five-year-old daughter asked me, before we started this chapter, whether Jesus lived close to the time of Caesar. I was impressed with her question and honestly I could not tell you if she made the connection herself from her previous Bible lessons or if she just happened to wonder.
Map colored by my son
She has been taken to church since she was six weeks old, as opposed to me. My parents did not take me to church but once a year, for Easter. Continue reading
My children are growing. They are doing what everybody else’s children are supposed to do: grow. It is glorious to behold and sad and so exhilarating at the same time. The first time they do something new, I rejoice. Then, I take a step back and analyze. They have never done this before. This is new. This signifies growth. Oh, they are growing before my eyes. Why am I sad?
I have asked other moms and they also say it is a bit sad to see children grow up. Do we not want them to lose their innocence? Their small size? Their cuteness? Maybe all of these combined and more.
This week, my daughter offered to clean the bathrooms. Again. I usually refuse because I feel uncomfortable with the thought. I think her too small and then I have to do double work, go behind her etc etc. Continue reading