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Weekly Wrap Up #3 - We Accomplished?

Our weekly verse:


Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.


Psalm 119:105


We begin each day with our devotion and then scripture memory, using the Charlotte Mason scripture memory system.   It is such a routine now, that we feel lost without it.  I loved our verse this week.  We would turn on the Amy Grant song and then follow it with Michael W. Smith's instrumental version.  Click this link to hear it, and then just enjoy listening while you read the rest of my post!  


My children have gotten very good at WAITING.  Each week I have physical therapy twice... and each time they come armed with lots to do.   Miss B always reads her Kindle, and GMan reads his current book for half of the time and then he is allowed to play on his Leapster.  It's working well, and I must say everyone has complimented me on what good children I have - major score for homeschooling!  

Oh, and a major score for mom, too.  My physical therapist homeschooled her own children for 18 years.  They are now grown and this is her second career.  She gets me and she gets my lifestyle.  She is a Godsend and I am slowly feeling better.  Today I swam laps for an hour  and then went to therapy for another hour - and I'm not in massive pain.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.    I'm brought back to our weekly verse this week:  "They Word is a light unto my feet and a light unto my path."


Miss B has also loved working on this simple weaving project she got for her birthday - she takes it with her everywhere!  


In science this week GMan was learning all about magnets (more on this later in a review I'm doing for The Old Schoolhouse!)... I had purchased a great magnet game and book which he loved!   


Now that my daughter is getting older, she is doing more independent work.  Some of her science this week involved research on the computer.  She learned about the five kingdoms in depth.  She was quite proud of herself.  She was helping me do some research for a review I'll be writing soon!  


My favorite photo of the week - my precious daughter reading her Kindle at her brother's baseball tryouts.   She is most happy when she has a good friend and a good book!   A victory with Miss B this week was also understanding and kind of enjoying long division and multiplying three digit by three digit numbers.   


Favorite Resource This WeekWe are loving our spelling curriculum, Spelling Workout.  It is very traditional - and by that I mean it could probably be found in a traditional school.   For some reason my kids like the exercises, and yes, you see some "bubbling in" in this picture.   It's a valuable skill, because my children will have to be tested every three years.  This is the only experience they get with it, so I hope they remember!   (I'm linking this to Susan's Favorite Resource Linky each Friday, too!) 


We incorporated some rhythm instruments with our grammar this week, learning the state of being verbs from First Language Lessons.  I posted a video of GMan's improvisation here.  




Finally, the kids really enjoyed learning about ancient Rome in The Story of The World.  They built an aqueduct out of Legos!   I was thrilled with their cooperation and creativity... I know it's not exactly architecturally accurate, but the water runs through a channel on top of the bridge and into a public bath (on the right side).  See that mini figure?   That's Alexander the Great in the public bath!  



Tomorrow I will be attending a lunch with the women from Apologia Live Retreats.  I'm very excited to meet them and also some other homeschool moms (many of them bloggers I know online but not IRL!).  


That was our week in a nutshell.... how was your week?    Sometimes it feels like we don't accomplish much in a day, but when you look back on the week you see just how much your precious children are learning under your care.  Isn't that amazing?  



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The Big Orange Splot: Read-Aloud Thursday

In all of our beautiful chapter book reading the past few weeks, I feel like we've lost sight of the fact that we have a six year old (and a 10 year old for that matter!) who still love picture books!   I'm making an effort to pull at least one of our favorites each day to read to them.   This time spent with my children is such a gift for all of us. 

The book to share this week for Read-Aloud Thursday is a KEEPER.    We've had this one for a couple of years, but just recently pulled it out and read it again.  It was given to me by my older sister - it was a favorite of her son's when he was growing up.   Now, it's one of our favorites, too.    It's worth purchasing, or at the very least checking out of your local library!

 The Big Orange Splot is a wonderful story about the importance of being true to yourself. (click on the link to watch a very cute reading of the book on Youtube!) When a Big Orange Splot is found on Mr. Plumbean's house (dropped there by a seagull carrying a can of orange paint!), Mr. Plumbean takes the opportunity not to repaint his house to look like everyone else's, but to paint the house of his dreams!    Eventually, he inspires all of his neighbors to do the same!


We had a talk about being individuals and how it is important to stay true to yourself and not just do something because it's the "in" thing or what's "cool".   

The book, written by Daniel Pinkwater in 1977, is still available.   I found it on Amazon for $4.99 in case you're interested!    Wouldn't it be fun to read the book to your children and then have them draw the house of THEIR dreams??  I'm thinking we might have to give this a try. 

~ Linking up to Amy @ Hope is the Word for Read-Aloud Thursday


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