Peek at Our Week: April 10-14

Happy Resurrection Sunday! 

 

We had a lighter week this past week. Each of the girls did half of a Heart of Dakota unit this week and will finish the other half next week. We had dentist appointments and a day planned with friend on Good Friday morning as well as services at church Friday night. The girls still had school work every day, but it was a little bit lighter on Thursday and Friday. 

Beth (4th grade): Creation to Christ Unit 10

 

One of the fun aspects of homeschooling is the various mediums the girls use for learning. One of their favorite things is when they listen to the What in the World? CDs from Diana Waring's History Revealed. Both Beth and Rose listen to these as a part of their Heart of Dakota studies. They enjoy them tremendously. And of course they enjoy listening in their bedroom! It's not always neat, but it is cozy and their favorite place to study when appropriate. Usually they listen to CDs or read up in their room.

Rose (6th grade): Resurrection to Reformation Unit 30

 

Rose is such a diligent worker these days! She has learned that if she just buckles down and focuses on her work she is easily finished by lunch. One of the fun things I'm starting to see is her retention of the history she is studying. There have been quite a few moments in the last few weeks when she would mention something she learned outside of our school time. We were playing a new game with my parents today called Codenames. The idea is to try and get your teammates to choose word-cards based on single-word clues you give. Several of her clues were related to her studies in history with Heart of Dakota! It is a joy to see her retaining, but also enjoying what she's learning. 

 

Grace (1st grade): Bigger Little Hearts for His Glory Unit 4

 

 

Grace is significantly more independent with her schoolwork than her sisters were at her age. I have absolutely no doubt that this comes from watching her older sisters become more independent. Like most younger siblings she is always looking for ways to be more grown up and like her big sisters. I am still highly involved in her learning process, but she often likes to read her history on her own. Since she is reading 4-5 levels above grade-level this isn't an issue in any way. She also is very good to ask about words she does not yet know. Is it any wonder she's constantly amazing us with the vocabulary she uses?

 

Our sweet pup, Penny, is ever present with us during our studies! You can see Beth playing with her with her feet while she is reading! She is such a good little doggie and our girls absolutely love her!

 We ended our week by spending Friday morning with good friends who were off from their traditional school for spring break. They have three girls close in age to my own and we had such a great time with them. Their mom is a very good friend of mine and we often talk about the benefits and struggles of our different educational choices. She relayed the most interesting story to me about her daughters. She said that inevitably the topic of homeschooling comes up within the traditional school setting and most of the kids make comments about how weird homeschoolers are. She said a wonderful side benefit of the friendship our daughters have formed is when people say things like that they are quick to respond with statements like, "Weird? We have friends who are homeschooled. They aren't weird!" I also love that my girls have friends from all different styles of education. We talk openly about why we homeschool and how they are feeling about their studies. They know we will always make the final decision about their education, but they also know their opinions matter to us and it helps for them to have friends from many different educational backgrounds. Inevitably, they tell us how much they love homeschooling and their friends sometimes ask their parents if they can homeschool. I know it may not always be like this, but I'll take it for now!