Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Here we go: starting homeschooling.



Last week, Cole and I began our adventure in homeschooling!
About a year ago, God really laid it on my heart to homeschool Cole. 
I have really been looking forward to starting school and so has this little guy!
We are doing a Pre-K Letter of the Week curriculum as the basis of our reading/language arts.  A lot of what we are using is from the curriculum HERE.  
It is really fun and interactive and I know Cole will love it.  We also are doing other language enhancing activities I have found, a daily calendar/weather charts, and bible verse memory. 
Math and handwriting are incorporated into our curriculum but I am supplementing with other stuff as well. 
And of course we read a lot!  We read at least 30-40 minutes a day, which is our favorite part, and I think that kids learn so much through just reading lots and lots of books.  
Outside of home, we joined a Classical Conversation community and will go once a week, plus if course reinforcing all we learn at home too.
This was Cole's favorite activity of the week: gluing Applejacks to the letter "A".  
Why was it his favorite?
Because this was the first time that I have ever bought sugared cereal and he ate more than he glued!  He was not as thrilled at the elbow macaroni this week for the letter "E"!
(Jake also like the applejacks and we found him eating them off of Cole's sheets hanging up in the office :) )






(above: our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom alphabet tree
below: our by-weekly haul from the base library) 

I love teaching this kid so far and we are both looking forward to a great year in Pre-K!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Life lately in pictures.

A few photos from the past few weeks....
If you are around Clara Beth very long, you will know that she is obsessed and attached to her cow blanket, which she calls "moo".  This is how she likes to carry her blanket around when her hands are full.
Got to spend one morning with Brenner going to some ceremonies.  
It was kind of fun to look nice :)
Jumping buddies!
We actually had a date night!  
We went to Guy's restaurant in Sacramento which was pretty awesome.
Reading some books.
The girls love to play "night night" with everyone and last week's victim was our friend's teenage son.  
Y'all he did this for almost an hour.  
Best teenager award goes to Nolan!!!!
And this photo was snapped right before Elise started force feeding him pretend doughnuts :)
Popsicles!
We went back to the children's art museum in Sacramento and learned that Clara has an intense love of glue. 
Music class.
All was quiet.  
This usually means I need to brace myself for what I will find them doing.  
But on Thursday I walked in on this.  
I love my little readers. 
Little bit hanging out with dad.
And of course, in this heat, we have had lots of time in the pool!  

And there is a glimpse into our life lately!