May 8 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 5

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We got to the Civil War in chapter 5. Both stories covered the topic: first the conditions in the country before, during, and after the war. Lincoln’s assassination is one of those events like the Titanic going down – you know how the story ends, but as you read the story again, you hope against all hopes that it would have another ending.

Juneteenth Feast

Juneteenth Feast to celebrate the emancipation of slaves

Walt Whitman’s poem was touching, but because of the drops of blood mentioned we will not memorize it. My eight-year-old was a bit disturbed by the expression and the mental image. Continue reading »

May 7 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 4

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For chapter 4, we traveled to the Italian peninsula and then to China. It was so interesting to really stop and think about the fact that there was no Italy in 1850. The small states on the boot-shaped peninsula were either ruled by Italian princes or by Austria. Talk about a mess that needs to be cleaned up.

Gluten free pizza - Scharr crust

Gluten free pizza – Scharr crust, my toppings

Garibaldi came into the picture, as well as the Young Italy Society, which reminded me of the Young England Society who tried to assassinate Queen Victoria over in England about the same time. I feel good when I start to make connections of my own as we study. Continue reading »

May 3 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 took us back to Great Britain. This time, it was about the great game between Russia and Great Britain regarding Afghanistan. The second story was about David Livingstone and his travels through Africa.

The Great Game craft

Britain and Russia needed a buffer represented by purple between red and blue.

We had just learned about the color wheel in our art class outside the home. Now, the history craft was all about colors and, in particular, how primary colors combine to create secondary colors. It was a great coincidence – though I do not believe in coincidences, friends. Continue reading »

May 3 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 deals with the re-opening of Japan for the West, as well as the Crimean War. It was fun to learn about Florence Nightingale and fill out the forms about patients’ basic health information.

Learning how to take the pulse

Learning how to take the pulse

I became our daughter’s patient and my husband became our son’s patient. They will probably not go back to that form to fill it out every day as suggested, but at least they got started and understood the concept of medical records. Continue reading »

May 3 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 1

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We have made it to volume 4! Yeah! We should celebrate somehow, but we are too excited about history to stop, even for a celebration. We have built momentum and we want to keep on going.

British Empire craft

“The sun never sets on the British Empire.”

My plan is to finish volume 4 before we start school again in August, because I would like to start the whole four-year history cycle all-over again. My son will be in fifth grade next year, so he gets to experience it on a different level than my daughter. But I think this time it will be clearer for her and I want her to start again with the Ancients so that things will make more sense. Continue reading »

May 2 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 42

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Chapter 42 is the last in Story of the World Volume 3. We made it! The story of the forty-niners was familiar to the kids from other books we had read, so it was easy to delve into this chapter.

Gold nugget craft

“Gold” nuggets – a craft to remember the forty-niners

For our craft, we chose to paint pebbles with gold paint to make them look like gold flakes and gold nuggets. They played with them a bit afterward, but not too much. They consider them more of a collection, so they keep them proudly on their nightstands.  Continue reading »

May 2 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 41

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New Zealand and Her Rulers is the title of chapter 41. What a difficult chapter to read! We really dislike the parts of history in which people are treated unfairly. The Maori tribes really got the short end of the stick in their treaty with the British.

Maori butterfly craft

Making the Maori butterfly craft zing

The map work and coloring pages kept us busy. For the craft, we decided to check out the special butterflies (purerehua) the Maori made. Continue reading »

Apr 26 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 40

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For chapter 40, we came back to North America, mainly to Mexico. We read about the Alamo and Texas independence. The kids had already heard about Davy Crockett and the Alamo from books we have studied.

Boy writes in flip book

My son creating his flip book about Alamo

Ironically, there is a restaurant ten minutes from our house called Alamo. It looks just like the ill-fated fort. It burned down in the 2016 wildfires, but it has been rebuilt and enlarged since. Also, there is a “Davy Crockett mini-golf course” in our town, as well. We drive by it every time we leave the city to go to Pigeon Forge on the main roads. Continue reading »

Apr 26 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 39

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In chapter 39, we traveled to China. The kids were appalled by the greediness of the English merchants and the weak character of the Chinese who got addicted to opium. It was another opportunity to talk about smoking and illegal drugs, as well as the love of money.

Gluten free, vegan poppy seed muffins

Gluten free, vegan poppy seed muffins

We made poppy seed muffins for our craft. Since I had to go on a gluten free diet, I have been perfecting my gluten free baking skills. I like my creations, but my children do not. Oh well. More for me. Continue reading »

Apr 23 2018

Setting Up Your Home For Homeschooling

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When you decide to start homeschooling your children, it is a huge moment – one which is bound to change the course of your own life as much as your kids’. One of the first things you will need to think about is how well set up your home is for homeschooling.

Most homes need some work before you can say that the are ready for homeschooling, even if you are the most radical unschooler. What do you really need to do in the home to prepare it for many years of homeschooling?

Study Word

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Finding A Dedicated Space

Although you could work from room to room, it is likely to be much more effective to simply find a space you can work in and go from there. If you have a specified space for homeschooling, your children will get in the studying zone more easily. Continue reading »