2011-12 School Year is Under Way...

...and we've all survived!! :D To be honest, we have started slowly. We are doing My Father's World, as you most know, and we started our core this week. We have done math drills and online games to refresh, but not started our curriculum yet. We have not picked back up on English, Spanish or spelling yet, either. My goal for August is to get the kids back into the swing of things, add one more subject in every few days, and be in full swing by September when we start co-op.

As for the core: what can I say except WE LOVE IT!!! The books we are using so far are our Bible, Celebrating Biblical Feasts, Dinosaurs of Eden, Genesis for Kids, God and the History of Art, David C. Cook's Journey Through the Bible and English from the Roots Up. I am so pleased with each book, no complaints as of yet.

This week, we have learned a little about the Sabbath and how it is kept in the Jewish faith. We plan to do this ourselves soon. The kids found it curious that the Jewish people observe Sabbath from Friday night to Saturday evening. We were pointed to Genesis 1, where in the creation account it states, "..and there was evening, and there was morning - the first day." WOW! I had never thought of it, but it's right there in God's Word. One of the reasons I love homeschooling and studying scripture with my kids - His Word is new and fresh every morning!

We have also been reading about dinosaurs - now you know the boys are loving this! I love this book, you need to find it: Dinosaurs of Eden. It gives simple accounts relatable for kids how science and our faith CAN and DO go hand in hand. I'm excited about what's next in this study.

We are using Genesis for Kids for science right now. I can't believe how fun this has already been! We've learned about blind spots and optical illusions this week, and it was just so much fun watching the kids do these experiments. Again, I love that it all goes back to the Lord and His creation.

God and the History of Art is going to be wonderful. We had a lesson called "frustration" on Tuesday, and it resonated with the kids. Have you ever heard of Joni Eareckson? Well, feel free to ask my kids about her and how God has used her life for His glory.



Tonight we are going to Wilson's Creek Battlefield for the 150th anniversary reenactment kickoff. It should be interesting, hopefully not too overwhelming. We have been reading a book called Joseph - 1861 about a young boy in Kentucky forced to choose a side even before the Civil War began. If you have never tried finding living books to coincide with your history lessons, I strongly suggest it. We can read all the textbooks we want, but until we look at the effects of the events on the life of a person or a family, it will never go beyond facts and knowledge. I want my kids to have wisdom and understanding. Every time we read a book like this, I can see their minds and hearts being touched by the event. When they go to a history book and read a paragraph about slavery or a Civil War battle, they will think back on this book and the choices a family had to make. It will change their lives.



So one week is practically under our belt. Greek is not at overwhelming as we expected, and handwriting is...well, let's just say not as emotional as last year. We are all works in progress, and we are doing it together.

When are you starting your year? If you've begun, how is it going? Leave a message so we can share in this adventure together! Blessings!