Homeschool Pioneer needs Prayer!

Jessica Hulcy has just been in a traffic accident; she was broadsided 
 by a fire truck. She is alive but badly hurt, in critical condition but
stable. Her lungs are collapsed. She has no broken bones. There is some brain 
 trauma but nothing to operate on. She is unconscious. Back in the most 
 challenging days of home schooling there were few options for 
curriculum. Abeka, BJU or write your own. Two neighbors wrote their 
 own and developed one of the first widely used curriculums written for 
home education... vs a classroom.

Jessica Hulcy, author of KONOS and national speaker... and friend of 
Texas home school families... Please keep her, the family and doctors 
in your prayers...
Her husband's name is Wade.

Workboxes

I made a loose outline of 3 lists, Must Haves, Want to Have, and Fun.
If I do a fun box after each harder box I'd end up with way more boxes than 12. Again I don't have the book yet.

My Must Haves include
Bible/AWANA
Literature
Math
History
Latin
Science (Apologia General)
Writing/Grammar
Spelling for Olivia
Computer/Technology
Audio Literature

I thought I could alternate History and Science, doing History 3 days a week and Science 2 days a week, but I don't think Science would get finished. We also notebook or lapbook these two subjects in addition to reading, so that would add another box for each.

Want to Have
Nature Journal
Art
Music appreciation (they do not have formal music lessons at this point, but Olivia is trying to teach herself to play guitar)
Enrichment Reading
PE
Homemaking/Handicraft- TOD-KAH (Training our Daughters to be Keepers At Home) and/or Polished Cornerstones
iPod-Listening to selected short messages- Joyce Meyer Radio, Grammar Girl, Learn French podcast, Faith Comes by Hearing Daily Proverbs and Psalms, Your Story Hour ( not all of these daily of course)


Fun
Mad Libs
iPod- Free, music or story
email
computer game
Geo-Safari
exercise/train dog
I suppose that tramp jumping & bike riding (PE) can also be on the Fun list.

Workboxes Holycow!

I read about this whole "workbox" concept a couple months ago and loved this idea. I had no idea it exploded over at FIAR, where have I been?! I read the whole thread at the FIAR boards today( all 37 pages, I need an award). SO now I just have to do this.

Like *many* of you I don't have room to have 3 sets of boxes. Today I found "File Jacket" packs of 10 for $5. I bought 3 packs.
I plan on using the file jackets for Emilie and Olivia in a plastic file box. Isabella, I think will like the whole box set up. I have room for one shelf/box unit under the big calendar poster.

I haven't gotten the book yet, it is on my wish list. I should be able to buy it next month.

Want to see what others are doing with workboxes? Check out this google search.

Bella's birthday!

Pictures to come!

hatching an egg?

About 2 weeks ago the girls found a little blue egg that had gotten blown out of a nest. Bella and Olivia decided to try to hatch the thing in a basket with old socks and washclothes. Do I have to tell it the out come?

It didn't hatch, but today while Olivia was cleaning her room, it cracked and I tell you it was a powerful stink!!

We opened the windows and turned on the attic fan, thank goodness it didn't last too long!

Olivia has had a fascination with eggs. As a preschooler she made a nest with her special blanket and sat on a chicken egg from the refrigerator.

Learning at Home

Emilie and Olivia ( the "Sisters")
AWANA
Math
Read Battlefield of the Mind
Read Mary of Plymouth
History-French and Indian War, Colonial homes, Massachusetts state notebook, Timeline figures
Science- Science Scribe-Tornado, Funnel cloud
Technology- computer research skills,
Life Skills

Bella-
AWANA
Read- Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Aesop (Milo Winter)
Copywork
Math
Life Skills

Weekly Menu

Hamburgers
Pork chops
Grilled Chicken
Korean Beef Tips
Pizza

Happy Mother's Day

Kitchen Detective

No self respecting homemaker wants to admit that her house stinks. It reflects badly on her cleaning skills. But I've got to be honest, something in my kitchen stinks! I cleaned out the refrigerator, took out all the old leftovers and wiped it all out. I cleaned the trash can over the weekend. There are no dirty dishes in the sink, yet the kitchen smells like rotten chicken or rotten potatoes yet, I went through the potato bin last night and didn’t find any nasty potatoes. So I’m still on the hunt...wish me luck.

Weekly Menu

BBQ Chicken
Tacos
Spaghetti
Pork Chops
Pizza

Happy Week

Home Learning

Emilie is reading 1984 by George Orwell. Olivia wants to read Animal Farm. But it's not in our library, so we will have to get it from Texarkana.

The "sisters" are working on Learning Adventures- A New World of Adventure.
History- Charles II, King Phillips War, Read Mary Of Plymouth, Read The Story of the Thirteen Colonies Chapters XXXVI, XXXVII
Science- Weather Advisory notebooking page, Fahrenheit notebook page
Literature- Little Pilgrim's Progress
Math
Grammar, Spelling, Journal
Battlefield of the Mind for Kids
Technology-computer research skills

Bella-
Reading- Frog and Toad
Math
Copywork
Poetry memorization
She is working on chores now.

I made our own chore packs. I like the concept of the Chore Packs but there is no way I'm going to pay for a book and chore cards, when I can make them myself. I wanted to find a way to get the girls to do their routine on their own rather than me nagging them. The "sisters" don't want to wear them, but I really want them to give it a good try for at least a week then I may tweak it a bit.

Years ago I bought (and later sold) one of their other books I found it to be very "institutional", law heavy and not flexible. I prefer routine rather then a strict minute by minute time table schedule.
I don't necessarily like their stuff. I think it can lead people into bondage to a clock, living to the letter of the law/schedule rather then being lead by the Holy Spirit.