September 16, 2009 by gracefrombrazil.

I enjoy the luxury of not rushing through a book.  I decided to try to find a book that would last through several units and would reinforce the subjects .  I have not read all of Jules Verne’s novels but the few that I have read aloud always teach us so much in such a fun way.  I chose for this unit The Mysterious Island.  It is the sequel to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and my children have been wanting to read it after they finished Captain Nemo’s first underwater adventure. 

From the early chapters I immediately saw that it would encompass so much of our future studies while reaching back and touching on others.  Stealing away in an air baloon and barely surviving a hurricane brought back to our minds units already studied.  One of the real surprises was the day we were studying in our math about how to figure the height of something very large by comparing it to a much smaller item, that has a known length, we saw it illustrated by the brilliant Cyrus Smith in the book.  That was very cool.

My 9 year old enjoyed reading through a lovely illustrated version of Aesops Fables during this unit. 

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May 31, 2009 by gracefrombrazil.

Have you ever tried to read a book that is really popular amongst the home school “living books” crowd, given up, and felt bad since everyone loves that author?  You may have even wondered what was wrong with you.  Did you then valiantly try again only to have your children ask you to not read that book anymore? This is what happened when we undertook to read a few of Holling Clancy Holling’s books.  Of the three titles that I have, Seabird, Paddle-to-the-Sea, and Minn of the Mississpppi, none captured our interests.  Which is odd since my children are all avid nature entusiasts.  The other time this happened was when we read Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. The Holling’s books had all the earmarks of a perfect fit with this unit since the contents of the books coincided with many topics to be studied.  But alas it was not to be. 

 But on the other hand I had a similar experience with another author but this time what once seemed void of meaning now penetrated my mind and gripped me.  Reading the tragic tale of  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in my high school English class failed to engage me but when I dipped into it again while my children sat around it was a different experience altogether.  Words that once seemed remote and enigmatic now seemed within my grasp.  The rhyme was spell binding.  

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean

And then these well known lines:

He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.

I have learned that sometimes several tries is good enough to put something away forever, but on the other hand you just never know when that one illusive book or work will suddenly come alive.

Alongside these books my children read  Mutiny on the Bounty and Robinson Crusoe (condensed).

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February 17, 2009 by gracefrombrazil.

In a strange way my method of searching for living books for the topics in volume 1 chapter 3 reflected one of the themes itself.  For example one of the people introduced in this chapter is Helen Keller who lived in a world of silence and darkness.  As I groped through bookshelves, book lists and websites searching for living resources I felt lost and unable to find the source or two that would energize our academic studies.  I indeed felt shut-out.  Oddly enough when I was browsing among my personal library for the third or fourth time I finally saw The Story of Helen Keller in the Reader’s Digest Best Loved books for Young Readers.  It was a, “I-didn’t-know-I-had-that-book” moment.  The veil began to lift.   

I returned to my internet hunt with more hope.  A favorite online resource, www.mainlesson.com  offers a lovely collection of classic e-books written for children on a whole array of subjects. But the general topics of this unit were not readily apparent in the “subjects to browse” lists.    But at mainlesson.com  I found two works that will enrich this Weaver unit.  First, the book, Great Inventors and Their Inventions, by Frank P. Bachman has several valuable chapters for this study, especially for those who use the Supplement.  Gutenberg, Morse, Bell, Edison and Marconi are all covered in Bachman’s easy to read style.   Then I discovered, Granny’s Wonderful Chair by Frances Browne.  She, a blind Irish poet and author, wrote some fanciful children’s stories that the younger crowd will enjoy, especially “The Greedy Shepherd”.    Since one of the objectives for grade 3 is an introduction to poetry, I looked for one of her poems in my Illustrated Library of World Poetry and found, “O The Pleasant Days of Old!”

Fanny Crosby is one of my favorite heroines.  Although her physical eyes were scarred and blinded she was gifted with a spiritual insight that still illuminates many hearts with her songs.   Hymns may not be thought of as poetry but many of them begin that way.  I like hymns because the melody makes it easier to memorize sacred poetry.  Biographical information about Fanny Crosby and a long list of her hymns can be found here .  I would like to sing a few of her melodies as we open our school day especially since one of the Bible lessons emphasizes that language should be used in praising God.

Another interesting part of this unit shows the wide variety of accents and languages that exist in the U.S.  It was fun to uncover some poems and tales that highlighted differences in speech that exist across America.  If you have some Brer Rabbit stories on your shelf pull those down.  If you don’t you can find nine tales here.   One poem I uncovered in Favorite Poems Old and New selected by Helen Ferris,  is sure to add some giggles.  It is called, “Leetla Giorgio Washeenton”, by Thomas Augustine Daly. 

The objectives for the 3rd grade look to be a lot of fun.  Although the Supplement work is a bit more demanding, these resources will make it a bit gentler.

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July 2, 2008 by KellyH.

I’ve become a contributing writer for Suite101.com. My first article, titled Clean Up Your Homeschooling Area, was recently posted. I hope you enjoy reading it!

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June 30, 2008 by KellyH.

I just made the most amazing meal! I don’t know why I haven’t tried it before, except that I was afraid my family wouldn’t eat it. I’ve had bland chicken and dumplings in the past, but this recipe tasted delicious!

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Chicken ‘N’ Dumplings

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 T. oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 can biscuit dough (10 biscuits)

Cut the chicken into large pieces. Place in a large saucepan with the vegetables and chicken broth, and simmer until chicken and vegetables are tender (about 5-10 minutes).

While this is cooking, combine the oil and flour in a small saucepan to form a paste. Add the milk and spices, and then heat over medium heat until it begins to thicken, while stirring constantly.

Pour the sauce into the pan with the chicken and vegetables. Stir until the sauce is blended into the chicken mixture. Place the biscuit dough over the chicken pieces, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the biscuits are done.

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That’s all there is to it! If you’re interested in more delicious recipes like this, check out Miserly Meals, by Jonni McCoy. That’s where this recipe came from. This is so easy to make, you can even make it for lunch! And if my family liked it, your’s will too!

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June 12, 2008 by holly cowie.

Several months ago Kelly asked for volunteers to help blog and I quickly responded as this was something I really thought I could easily add to my schedule. Well…..my last post was sometime at the fist part of the year. I had 6 students this year with a 7th one that is from another family and I supervise her schooling for legal reasons. Most days you would have a difficult time convincing me I am the mother of 10 children, 9 of which are still at home. The past few months have made up for all those days as I helped graduate another child. Yes, I feel a great accomplishment that God has worked through me to see this daughter through. She was always a good student but never really liked school. But there is a special feeling with this graduation as she is the first child I have taught the whole way through. From kindergarden through 12th my daughter has been taught at home. My oldest daughter did not have that priveleg as she was in public school until the 5th grade.

As I sit here typing my hubby told me that by the time I am finished teaching all the children God has blessed us with I will have taught for exactly 30 years. My response was that I should be able to collect some type of pension!!

The senior year for our daughter was jam packed full. Her gifts lay not in academics but in music. Playing in two orchastras and continuing to take lessons in piano and violin keep our whole family on the move. I was never so thankful that she could drive herself to most of her commitments. The last 3 months before graduation were the most busy. Final concerts were plentiful as well as completion of academics, final lessons, portfilio assessments and preparing for the graduation ceremony itself.

After much ado the graduation day finally arrived. I had most of the food ready to go and several sisters in Christ waiting to help with the last minute items. 40 people responded, I planned for 100 and 85 showed up. Her father (and principal) gave a short talk/devotion about the priviledge of teaching our children at home, how much her devotion to God has meant to our family and how God will lead her in this next season of life. We presented her with her diploma and she surprised us by giving a speech telling everyone how thankful she was to be able to be taught at home and how grateful she was that she was brought up in a home with disapline. She then thanked us for being such great parents albeit not perfect. My husband then took over again, thanked all the people that came for their support, their prayers and their love for our family. I really feel so blessed that God had such a hand in all of this and am humbled again even as I type.

So, why is Holly typing all of this? To show and share with all the moms in the trenches with me that weaver not only works for the present but it works for the long haul. Many times these past few months we had to “alter” our weaving days because of scheduling, but because weaver is set on God’s word first we never really put it aside we just worked it in differently. God continuly put before us subjects that pertained to our busy life. Authority in the home fit so well with our recent graduation as we witnessed our daughter submit to her fathers authority many times and seek his counsel. The resuly of disobedience by the Isrealites hit home often as we spent more time away from our home and our children had to adjsut to many different surroundings or jsut being in the van for long perionds of time. They were reminded many times of the grumblings and complainings of God’s children and what they received from it.

Let us praise God together for the time out we need to take and remember to take time to share His workings in our lives as often as He allows.

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April 3, 2008 by KellyH.

And that means time for the BIG sale!

Save 20% On All Weaver Curriculum Products For Homeschooling! Click Here!

Remember, all sales made through this blog, and through the Unofficial Weaver Pages, earn a commission for the site. Commissions are used to keep the site online. Excess monies go into the Blessing Fund. The Blessing Fund is a way to assist families who are struggling financially so they can obtain homeschooling materials. If you’d like to help bless someone, there is a box explaining how to do so on the front right of the site.

If you have the opportunity between purchasing new during the sale, and purchasing used, and the cost of new is out of your reach because of shipping costs, please contact me! I can help you get the new materials!

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February 16, 2008 by KellyH.

Our schedule has gotten off-track just a little. Last Thursday my husband returned from a business trip in the afternoon. I couldn’t go grocery shopping because I was waiting for him to call for a ride home from the airport. I couldn’t go Friday because we had the day off from school and spent it an hour away visiting grandparents. I couldn’t go Friday night because we had other commitments. I finally went this evening (Saturday) even though I dislike shopping on weekends/evenings. Not only has my “mom” routine gotten off-track, but some of the children didn’t finish up school on Thursday, so they’ll be working on Monday to catch-up. I’ll have to go through my lesson plans and rewrite them to fit in the catch-up day. But, that’s okay–that’s what makes homeschooling so great! We are not working on anyone esle’s schedule but our own. If we need to spend more time on something, we do. If we need to wrap it up quickly, we do. If we need to postpone it, we do. You’ll hear people refer to “teachable moments.” That’s where flexibility comes in. As we drove to visit grandparents yesterday, we observed the devastation caused by ice storms a couple weeks ago. Trees cracked at the top, and branches totally ripped off… the poor trees looked so sad and wounded, my heart broke. We were able to discuss how the damage happened, which led to weather and other science-related issues. There was a pile for burning branches in the community where my parents live. This led to another scientific discussion about heat, and “reactions.” Flexibility. Rabbit Trails. Teachable Moments. Call it what you like, it all comes down to educating our children according to God’s perfect plan: through the family. I am so thankful that we homeschool, and that my children feel they can ask anything, discuss anything, comment on anything… they enjoy having conversations with us!

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February 13, 2008 by KellyH.

Every now and then, homeschooling parents will come across a program or book that they feel is a must for their students to complete or read before they officially graduate. Although there are many books that I’ve read that I would like my children to read as well, only one has been so well-written that I felt it needed to be a “must read” for my children.

Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About God, Dreams, and Talking Vegetables, by Phil Vischer, is that book.

Phil had a dream–a dream of furthering the Gospel message and pointing children in the Right Direction. Surely God was blessing him when that dream came true in a big way. So… what happened? Where was God when it all came crashing down? Learn from Phil in this excellent book that will point you (and your high school student) toward the path that focuses on God.

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January 14, 2008 by pattycov.

You know why? Because my children will not get out of bed when they are supposed to! We started back to school last Monday after 3 weeks off and going into our second week back, my daughters are struggling more than ever. Typically, both of them are up by 8:00, at the latest. That gives them time to clear the fog from their sleepy brains, eat some breakfast, and do their morning chores in time to start school by 9:00. Yes, it varies in actual start time on occasion but we try to hit the mark most days. However, these past 6 school days have been a joke. At first, I was very relaxed about it — oh, they are just recuperating from all the festivities, traveling and inconsistent bedtimes — but by now, I’m running out of patience!

It doesn’t help that this time of year also creates a little lethargy in myself. Getting up while it’s still dark takes quite the effort on my part (and on my husband’s part — his foot on my backside pushing me out of my warm covers). But thankfully, because of a commitment to provide daycare for my cousin’s daughter, I am up and at ‘em without fail.

Any ideas for breaking your children out of a “sleeping in” habit? So far, releasing the aforementioned commitment (Dayna) into their bedroom is at least waking them up. She is my secret weapon for now!

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