Monday, June 27, 2011
1000 Gifts
Monday, June 6, 2011
1000 Gifts: Late on a Monday Night
Monday is almost over, but I just had to share our most recent gift.
Yesterday Marc lost his wallet. He looked everywhere for it, even driving to church tonight to see if he left it there, but it remained missing. I looked too, and as I searched I prayed for God show us where the wallet was hiding. I learned many years ago that God does care about the little things and would much rather lead me to a lost object than watching me lose my cool and yell at my kids for not putting something back where it belongs. So this afternoon I confidently expected to find that wallet. But I didn't. I still believed God would answer my prayer -- maybe later tonight.
Later tonight arrived, and Marc and Ryne sat on the couch as Ryne said his bedtime prayers. He prayed that Daddy would find the wallet. Not long after, Marc found the wallet, hiding in between the couch cushions, right where they had been sitting! Ryne was so overjoyed that he went searching for his Bible because he thought Psalm 100 seemed like the perfect way to celebrate finding the lost wallet. He read it aloud for us:
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
He explained that the Israelites probably read Psalm 100 when they found their lost wallets. : ) I marveled at how perfectly God answered our prayers and was so glad that I wasn't the one to find the wallet -- this was so much better!
So late on a Monday night I thank God for the magnitude of blessing in this one small gift:
63. Witnessing my son praise God for His faithfulness.
2011-2012 Homeschool Plan
We loved Adventures in My Father’s World. We loved, loved, loved MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures. So it only makes sense that we will . . . NOT be using MFW for ancient history! It was a hard decision for sure, but in the end simplicity won out. I already own all four volumes of The Story of the World, activity guides for the first three years, and all four sets of CDs. Plus, we really enjoyed the years we used SOTW. I just couldn’t justify the expense of switching to My Father’s World, especially when there would still be things I’d skip. So, it’s a bittersweet good-bye to MFW, but perhaps we’ll be back in the future.
If this is your first time visiting my blog, let me give some brief background information. I homeschool my two younger kids (Ryne - almost 12 and Grace - 8), while my 13 year-old (Anna) attends a Christian classical school three days a week. She studies at home the other two days, so it still feels a little like when she was a homeschooler too. My son has autism, which greatly influences the choices I make in homeschooling materials. We follow a classical model, with some Charlotte Mason influences.
HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY
The Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times with Activity Guide and extra literature selectionsVeritas Press History Cards
Continued memorization of Colossians as a family
Sunday School lessons and memorization
MUSIC
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Favorite Books of 2010 - 2011 School Year
Geography
Resource Books
Maps and Globes, Jack Knowlton
Georgraphy A to Z, Jack Knowlton
Missionary Biographies
George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans, Janet & Geoff Benge
David Livingstone, Janet & Geoff Benge
Gladys Aylward, Janet & Geoff Benge
Introduction
Miss Rumphius, Barbara Cooney
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, Marjorie Priceman
Maps & Globes, Harriett Barton
People, Peter Spier
North America
(United States) - we didn't really read much extra from this section since we covered the U.S. so heavily with Adventures in My Father's World
Someplace Else, Carol Saul
(Mexico)
Nine Days to Christmas, Marie Hall Ets
The Tortilla Factory, Gary Paulsen
Saturday Market, Patricia Grossman
(Canada)
The Way Home, Nan Parson Rossiter
South America
Here is the Tropical Rain Forest, Madeleine Dunphy
Welcome to the Green House, Jane Yolen
How to Draw Animals of the Rain Forest, Justin Lee
Europe
(Norwary and Scandinavia)
Welcome Back Sun, Michael Emberley
Annika’s Secret Wish, Beverly Lewis
Snow Treasure, Marie McSwigan
(France)
Bonaparte, Marhsa Wilson Chall
Anatole, Eve Titus
Mouton’s Impossible Dream, Anik McGrory
Madeline, Ludwig Bemelmans
Anno’s Journey, Mitsumasa Anno
Bee’s Own Good, Linda Talley
(Germany)
The Falling Stars, The Brothers Grimm
The Gift: A Hanukkah Story, Aliana Brodmann
(Poland)
A Gift for Mama, Esther Hautzig
(The Netherlands) – many of these we read last year for our homeschool around-the-world festival
The Wheel on the School, Meindert DeJong
Katje the Windmill Cat, Gretchen Woelfle
Boxes for Katje, Candace Fleming
Hans Brinker, Bruce Coville
The Greatest Skating Race, Louise Borden (better for older elementary)
Vincent’s Colors, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Hole in the Dike, Norma Green
Africa
If You Should Hear a Honey Guide, April Pulley Sayre
Nobiah’s Well, Donna Guthrie
When Africa Was Home, Karen Lynn Williams
One Small Square: African Savanna, Donald Silver
Asia
(Saudi Arabia)
Ali and the Golden Eagle, Wayne Grover
(India)
One Grain of Rice, Demi
Rikki Tikki Tavi, Rudyard Kipling, ill. Jerry Pinkney w/CD
Heart of a Tiger, Marsha Diane Arnold
The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
(China)
The Story About Ping, Marjorie Flack
Mei-Mei Loves the Morning, Margaret Holloway Tsubakiyama
The Warlord’s Puzzle, Virginia Walton Pilegard
(Japan)
This Place is Crowded: Japan, Vicki Cobb
Turtle Bay, Saviour Pirotta
Sadako, Eleanor Coerr
The Sea and I, Harutaka Nakawatari
Yoshiko and the Foreigner, Mimi Otey Little
Crow Boy, Taro Yashima
The Wise Old Woman, Yoshiko Uchida
Grandfather’s Journey, Allen Say
Tree of Cranes, Allen Say
(Russia)
The Trees of the Dancing Goats, Patricia Polacco
Rechenka’s Eggs, Patricia Polacco
The Impossible Riddle, Ellen Jackson
Peter and the Wolf, Vladimir Vagin
Australia
Flood Fish, Robyn Eversole
The Best Beak in Boonaroo Bay, Narelle Oliver
Antarctica
Ice Continent, Louise Young
Science
White Owl, Barn Owl, Nicola Davies
Walking In Wild Places, Jim Arnosky
Leaf Man, Lois Ehlert
Skylar, Mary Cuffe-Perez
One Small Square: Arctic Tundra, Donald Silver
A few other notes: The only five-stars in our fine arts category were the Opal Wheeler composer series that I've mentioned several times on this blog. Also, there were a number of books highly recommended in ECC that I was not able to find at my library and did not purchase. This list is not meant to be a substitute for the ECC curriculum. You will be missing out on so many good reading selections if you rely solely on this list, plus there is so much more to ECC than the reading list. I'm also using an older version of ECC, so I'm guessing the list is even better in the newer version.
That wraps up the Blue House Academy school year in review! Stay tuned for our 2011 -2012 plans.