Homeschool Highlights in MFW: 2011-2012 Info and Guidelines

Last year Kathi at A Heart Like Water had a brilliant idea to host Homeschool Highlights in My Father’s World.  But due to her busy schedule this year she has decided to step back, so myself and Monica at Discover Their Gifts will now host it together.  Thank you so much Kathi for launching the MFW Highlights!

Check out the new spiffy button that Amber at Refined Metals Academy created for us!!!  Thanks Amber, you rock!!!

 

 

So What is Homeschool Highlights in My Father's World?? 

Its a weekly link-up hosted alternately by myself and by Monica @ Discover Their Gifts, for families using the My Father's World homeschool curriculum.

It's a way for us to connect and share with other MFW families.

What are the guidelines??

. Only family-friendly posts, from family-friendly blogs :)

. This link-up was created for inspiration and encouragement …... so try to visit a few of the other links, and leave at least one thoughtful, encouraging comment.  If you come across someone's simply amazing idea, please come back here and share it with the rest of us in the comments, so we can all be sure to be inspired!

. If, for some reason, you're not able to pull a great post together, may we suggest you at least share something...one tidbit about your week...one picture. Please don't feel like just because you had an 'off' week, you can't participate...seeing that other families actually have 'off' weeks too, may be the most inspirational post from the entire link-up!

. Sign up on the Linky. We've gotten the most emails/comments on this one. We realize a lot of homeschool moms have just started blogging, so here are our simple instructions for linking-up:
1. right click on the title of your post, copy shortcut
2. click on 'enter link' at Discover Their Gifts or 2 ladybugs and a lizard
3. paste shortcut in link, add your name, leave your email
If you don't understand, or if we run into any problems, we'll try to work them out...feel free to email one of us, and we can try to walk you through it.

. Please link back to the current Homeschool Highlights in MFW post here at 2 ladybugs and a lizard or at Discover Their Gifts, somewhere in the body of your post so that other MFW readers will know where to go to join in the fun.
We usually put this at the end of our posts like this:
" this post is linked to Homeschool Highlights in MFW at Discover Their Gifts or 2 ladybugs and a lizard "

. You can also add the new graphic (at the top of the page and in our sidebars) to your post and in your sidebar if you'd like.

We are excited for the new school year and to get the weekly posts back up and running!!!  We are also in the process of contacting each family that is signed up on Lainie's 2011 - 2012 My Father's World Blogroll.  Still, please help spread the word in case there are any other MFW families out there that would like to participate.

Where and When Does it Start??

The first link up starts August 26th here at 2 ladybugs and a lizard!

I am looking forward to seeing and being inspired by what everyone is doing in their own little homeschools.   May you all have a wonderful and blessed school year!!

Lapbook Storage: Lap-n-Scrap

This year I have many lapbooks planned for Big Ladybug as we travel the world exploring countries and cultures.  We plan to lapbook biomes, animals, some FIAR that coincide with the countries as we go, etc.

However……………

Storage space is very limited in my home.  Our home was built in 1925, and back then they obviously didn’t have as much crap personal belongings as we do today………we have VERY limited closet space.

So how was I going to store these beautiful works that my daughter is going to make???

I researched many other wonderful ideas out there in the blogging world…..binders with page protectors, using sketch books to put the pieces in, and even adding duct tape the edge of the lapbook folder, punching 3 holes in it, and putting it in a binder.

So what did I decide??

We are going to scrapbook our lapbooks. 

Before God blessed me with 3 wonderful children, I was an avid scrapbooker. But as my duties of motherhood have grown and my personal “me” time has dwindled, I have put my scrapbooks away and plan to get to them some time in the future.  By no means was I a marvelous scrapbooker, or did I get all fancy, but I really enjoyed it.

So instead of letting all of my supplies continue to collect dust, we will scrapbook our lapbooks.  Big Ladybug was thrilled with this idea!  She enjoys looking at her scrapbooks and has always wanted to help me, and learn how to.  So I figured this was a great opportunity to teach her, plus the 12x12 book is a wonderful size to fit it all on.

Here are a couple she has done so far this school year.  You can’t beat having fun while you are learning!

Printing Tip:  To help to fit everything we want to on 2 pages, on larger items I sometimes change the print page scaling to “print multiple pages per sheet”.  This way they are smaller and we can fit more in our book. :0)

Summer Science!!

This summer our co-op of 5 families and some added friends, got together to have some summer science fun!  We each took turns teaching the big kids, teaching the preschoolers, and toddler duty :) 

Topics included:  Trees, Bugs, Weather, and Rocks

14 Big Kids

3 Preschoolers

4 Toddlers

We all had a great time!

Little Ladybug is 3!

Well she actually turned 3 mid-July, but I’m a little behind in blogging my family memories!

Boy time sure does fly by, it’s hard to believe she is already 3!  This is not the most flattering of photos, but it definitely is true to her.  It’s pretty hard to get her to sit still, let alone smile naturally for a photo ……… so this is what I get!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love you my Little Ladybug!!

Our Curriculum 2011-2012

Well we have successfully completed our first official year of homeschooling.  Now it’s time to plan the next!  So here are our choices:

                                                                                          

As our core we will be Exploring Countries and Cultures with My Father’s World.  Typically we would be doing Adventures with My Father’s World for 2nd grade, but we have the opportunity to continue our co-op with my sister and some dear friends. So we are choosing ECC this year and looking forward to it!

 

We will be traveling the world exploring different countries and their cultures!!!

ECC includes lessons for Bible, history, geography, science, read alouds, art/crafts, cooking, nature study, and music!

Every Thursday our co-op will meet to complete ECC projects, crafts, cooking, geography games, memory verse games, science projects, etc.

 

Geography supplements we are using: (Since some of the books that came with ECC seem to be to advanced for a second grader, we will be supplementing with more age appropriate books.  We will use the other items in 5 years when we travel with ECC again.)

 

Some added read aloud resources:

Other supplements:

Math-U-See Beta and Gamma

Learning Language Arts Through Literature Red Book and Readers

All About Spelling Level 2

Harmony Fine Arts Grade 1 Overview Year in addition to I Can Do All Things art book and paint cards.

American Sign Language-  I took 7 classes of ASL in college (which was a VERY long time ago). I pulled out my old resources and am working on word cards to add to our morning board.

 

So what will little ladybug be working on? 

Well I am throwing a few things together to keep her busy.  She wants to do “school work” and coloring just doesn’t cut it!  If she is not cutting and pasting, then she thinks she isn’t doing “school work!”  So we will be using:

Before Five in A Row-  We will be reading age appropriate books and adding hands on activities that go with the book, such as, lapbooks, cooking, crafts, and games.  Check out Delightful Learning’s great rowing posts!

Learning the letters of the alphabet.  Little Ladybug is working on learning the alphabet song, but that’s as far as we have gotten in this area.  So she will be learning a letter a week, or every two, depending on her readiness to learn.

To do this we will be using Teach Me Joy Animal Play downloadable preschool curriculum.  It is described nicely in this blog post. 

 

 

Added resources: 

And Little Lizard will be joining in as we go. 

So for now I am busy planning and setting up a file workbox system.  I am excited that all the planning will be done in advance and everything will be printed and ready to go, week by week.

Check out the details for setting up this great system at Discover Their Gifts. 

You can also check out what others are planning for their 2011-2012 school year here!

Family Scouts Camping Crew

 

This is my wonderful friend and fellow homeschooling mom, Jess.  She has been a girl scout leader and she had a wonderful idea to start a family scouting group. 

 

 

On our first scouting the kids got together to talk about fire safety.  Jess had them make their own food fire, and then of course they got to eat it :)

They enjoyed hanging out around the fire, catching lightening bugs, and making smores.

They also really had a great time camping too!