Quick thanksgiving hostess gift ideas

Hi everyone,

I'm over at one of my other blogs, the CreativeGiftGiver, sharing three super quick thanksgiving hostess gift ideas.  Please check it out   here


I'll be adding a couple of posts to this blog soon, too.  Want to share a special way that we've been learning to pray the rosary and some ideas for advent.

See you soon!

Cheryl

Celebrating International Homeschool Spirit Week

I'm over at the  Guiding Masha blog today, writing a quick post about International Homeschool Spirit Week.  Did you know that this is International Homeschool Spirit Week?  I love the idea of doing some fun and crazy things to celebrate homeschooling!   Check out Guiding Masha to discover some simple yet fun things we will be doing today.  I'm also sharing links to some freebies from Curriclick and other homeschool vendors are giving away to celebrate our special spirit week

Curriculum Review: What Worked and Didn't Work

Thought I'd take a bit of time to reflect on the homeschooling materials we used this year, but for myself and for others who might be wondering what curriculum to use for their families.  This is a list of "what worked" and "what didn't work" for us. I  homeschool my nine year old daughter, who has some learning challenges.  She is working at about second grade level.

Morning Prayer

We start every day with prayer.  Most of the year, we used LTP's Children's Daily Prayer as our main resource.  My daughter really liked this book, especially since the psalms would repeat for several weeks (or more) and the Bible passages are generally written for a children's point of view.  As a result, she requested to read more and more of the morning prayer, which means our prayer time also gave her additional reading practice!  I like Morning Prayer, too, since its readings follow the church lectionary cycle. 

Our plans for next fall:
I think we may use this resource again next year but supplement it with readings from her children's bible, especially since she is eager to read lately.

Phonics
We followed Kolbe's second grade lesson plan for phonics and used Pearson Phonics Book B.  For half of the year, she really liked it and would whip through the pages, even begging me to do more when I wanted her to stop at two pages.  But by mid-year, the work became harder and she started rebelling and throwing major temper tantrums when I mentioned phonics. I enrolled her in a phonics course offered by a local tutoring company and that seemed to break up the monotony.  Since that time we've gone back to playing phonics games or using Time4Learning.

Time4Learning is a paid website that features games and contests which help a child learn phonics, language arts, math and other subjects. an online She really enjoys the games and activities on Time4Learning, so I recommend it to parents whose children are tired of the workbook/textbook routine.

 Our plans for next fall:
We recently joined a homeschooling co-op, so this fall she will be taking a reading/phonics class there once a week and given homework to do the other days of the week.  I will occasionally supplement with Time4Learning and may try again to sneak in some pages from Pearson Phonics.  (It's the perseverance part of my personality that doesn't like to leave things unfinished!)

Spelling
We used Kolbe's second grade lesson plan for spelling.  They recommend 12 new words a week.  It was too overwhelming for her.  So I broke each weekly list up into two parts and we covered six words each week, completing the full list over two weeks. That seemed to work better. 

About mid-year, she began vehemently rebelling against spelling, so I decided to step back from it for a couple of months.  I've noticed that she is again starting to show an interest in spelling, so I think we will pick up where we left off over the summer and hopefully finish up the second grade spelling plan by mid-year.  I tend to stress out over uncompleted lesson plans, so I need to keep my own attitude "in check" and constantly remind myself that God is guiding her and she will learn these things when she is ready. 

Reading

It's been a tough homeschooling year, but the bright spot has been Seton's second grade  Faith and Freedom readers.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these readers!!   And more importantly, so does my daughter.  Although she often rebelled at doing any schoolwork, I was usually able to convince her to read a story in These Are Our Neighbors. Perhaps these readers might seem a bit old fashioned to some people, but the illustrations and gentle moral messages really resonated with my daughter.  She progressed from hating to read (at the beginning of the year) to loving to read (right now).  I think her change of attitude had a lot to do with these books. The stories are interesting, and told from a child's point of view, which I think she really liked.  

Over the summer, we will finish up the third book recommended in the second grade lesson plan:  A Book of Sanctity.   I'm thrilled that she has begun independently taking that book and reading it to herself and her dolls!

Our plans for fall:
We will definitely be using Seton's third grade readers next year and are really looking forward to it. 

Math

We used Math U See, for part of the year, but she complained so much!  She liked the videos but didn't want to do the accompanying work in the workbook.  Unfortunately, by November, she refused to do any of the work.   So I pulled away from math.  I fretted that she was falling behind, but at at point she was starting to rebel about all school, so I decided that if she would only "do" school for an hour, we should focus on reading.  I hoped that once she overcame some of the hurdles she was experiencing with phonics and reading, she would have the confidence to tackle math.

For a month, she took math tutoring sessions at our local Mathnasium.  But there was just too much activity there, with kids coming in and going all the time.  I don't think she got much out of it.

We were doing some math on Time4Learning, but she complained it was too hard.  When I looked on the parent reports, it appeared that she was guessing or just jumping out of exercises without completing them.

About a month ago, I discovered Dreambox Learning on Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. Like Time4Learning, it is an online website with games that teach math concepts.  But unlike Time4Learning, the program actually continually evaluates a child's progress and difficulties (based on answers to games).  Using that information, it will adapt the problems to help the child get better in certain skills.  If a child is proficient in an area, it will skip ahead to give her more challenge.  Kids are motivated by earning "tokens" to use with online carnival games.  They also win a variety of virtual prizes and certificates which can be printed out and saved. 

I decided to try the free 14-day trial.  I'm thrilled that this method seems to be working for my daughter!  I can already tell that her understanding of basic math concepts is much better.  She loves using the online "manipulatives" like the abacus.  I also like that Dream Box sends an email note to parent each time their child has been online, telling what the child did and how she is progressing.  Their parent dashboard has a chart showing the concepts to be covered, percentage that the child has completed, etc.  It's been very helpful to me. 

Our plans for this summer and fall:
Our trial expires in a couple of days but I think I will switch to the paid version by subscribing through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op.  (Right now, they offer a great deal on the annual subscription!)  I plan to use it throughout the summer.
   
English

We used Seton's English 2, which covers using the dictionary, ABC order, writing different types of sentences (like commanding and asking sentences), punctuation and more.  Neither of us cared for it too much, unfortunately.  I think alot of the vocabulary in it was too hard for my daughter, which frustrated her.  (I would help her read it, but she would have a temper tantrum that she couldn't do it herself!) 

Our plans for fall: I printed out a couple of sample lessons of Emma Serl's Primary Language Lessons (PLL) and we tried them out.  We looked at the book published by Hillside Education and one published by homeschooling mom Cynthia Albright. 


I liked Cynthia's version because it has "fill in the blank" sections would not require my daughter to re-copy sentences (something she greatly dislikes right now).  However, she preferred the large, full color illustrations in the Hillside version and said she wouldn't mind re-copying sentences in her journal.  (We'll see--maybe I'll just have her do one or two sentences rather than the 8-10 in some of the lessons.)  

For those who aren't familiar with Primary Language Lessons:  it is a language arts  drill book written in the early 20th century which combines picture study, writing and composition exercises, memorization, poetry and more.  It is suggested in several homeschooling curricula including  Mother of Divine Grace, and Mater Amabilis Charlotte Mason.  You can read reviews about it here and here.

Handwriting
Because my daughter has nice printing penmanship (when she wants to!)  I skipped right to the cursive portion of Seton's Handwriting 2 course.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  I think it provides great practice, but my daughter quickly grew bored of it. We started to skip it when she began tantruming about school this winter. 

Our plans for the fall:
She is again expressing interest in learning to write cursive again, but I think I will combine this book with spelling, and emphasize learning to write words that she is interested in. (For instance, she is really interested in American Girl Dolls right now, so we're learning to write the dolls' names in cursive.)  I'm still looking for ways to motivate her so that she wants to learn cursive.

Map Skills and Geography

We used Continental Press' Map Skills C from Kolbe's second grade lesson plan.   The workbook includes lessons on understanding map keys, compass directions, distinguishing between different types of maps (e.g., political and physical maps) and more.  My daughter liked the workbook at the beginning of the year, but by February she was fighting me about using it.  We did manage to finish it, but barely!

Our plans for the fall:
I love teaching geography, but using a workbook like this also made it a bit boring for me!  I am pulling together a U.S. geography study for this summer, which we will continue through next year.  I plan to use Cantering the Country  and supplement it with living books.  Inspired by Jessica's "State by State Baking" study (see her Shower of Roses website), we'll also be doing some cooking for each state, using Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. and The United States Cookbook:  Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States.

I'll encourage her to make notebook pages for each state.  I'm hoping to compile them into two or three 3-ring binders so she can add additional facts, photos, drawings, etc. whenever she finds out something interesting about each state.

Science 

I planned to use Apologia's Exploring Creation with Astronomy but for various reasons we did not progress far into the book.  I think I'll reintroduce it in a couple of years.   My daughter has become very interested in learning about birds, so this spring I switched to Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day: Exploring Creation with Zoology 1.   She's really enjoyed the nature hikes, adding a couple of bird feeders to our yard, and determining which bird seed is most popular with the birds in our neighborhood.  

We have also been "bird watching" online regularly.  Our favorite spots are the Ustream live feeds from an eagle's nest in Decorah, Iowa   and Cornell University's live feeds of a Red-Tailed Hawk nest  and a Great Blue Heron nest.   It's been fascinating to watch the eggs hatch and see how birds nurture and care for their young! 


Our plans for the fall:  We will continue working through Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day throughout the summer and fall.  I'm hoping we get through the insect unit before the cool days of fall! 

History
We attempted Connecting with History, Volume I, but didn't get very far.  I think it is a good program but perhaps better done with older kids.  I really needed the lesson plans laid out, but it really just makes suggestions using a broad outline. I hope to bring it back off the shelf in a year. 

Our plans for the fall: In the fall, my daughter will be attending a homeschool co-op class based on Addy, the American Girl doll who lived during the time of the Civil war.  They will be reading the various Addy stories, making crafts and doing a variety of activities. I've decided to springboard off this and take the summer to learn more about the Civil War with both kids.  We will be reading living books and picture books and doing a variety of activities that will help them see what it was like to live during the time of the Civil War.  Since it's the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, there are quite a few learning opportunities at various museums and battlefields around the United States.  The Civil War Traveler website lists some of them.   I'm hoping that we can visit a Civil War re-enactment sometime this summer.

Faith and Religion
Besides twice weekly Mass and an hour in the adoration chapel, my daughter attended the catechism class I taught for our parish. The parish used the RCL Benziger's Blest Are We program.   However, I deviated quite a bit from the book, instead using my Catechesis of the Good Shepherd materials and presentations.  

Our plans for the fall: I purchased   The Great Adventure: Kids  from Ascension Press, and we will be using that to learn more about salvation history and better understand the books of the Bible.   I'll also be using my "Books of the Bible" CGS materials and perhaps memorize a song about the books of the Bible. 



Wow!  It looks like I'm being overly ambitious again!  I just love exploring the world with all the wonderful resources that are available to homeschoolers today.  Now I just need to pray that I keep it in perspective and let the learning evolve as my daughter is ready for it.  Slow and steady...! 

Our Good Shepherd Garden Party: The Heavens Tell God's Glory

I have been intrigued with the "Garden of the Good Shepherd" garden parties created by Jessica (of Shower of Roses) and Charlotte (of  Waltzing Matilda). For the past couple of  years, they have created special meals or a tea party inspired by the Garden of Good Shepherd Sticker Calendar.  The calendar counts down the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost with a variety of Bible readings, each built around a specific weekly theme.


Last week's theme was "The Heavens Tell God's Glory." They created food items to match the various stickers, which were:  the sun, clouds, rain, thunder, lightning, wind, hail and a rainbow.  When my daughter saw the photos of their colorful meal she asked, "Can we try to do a meal like that for Daddy and Jimmy?"

We  read through all of Jessica and Charlotte's posts, and also perused those on the Catholic Cuisine website for our menu.  Here it is:

Sun Pizza and Bread Sticks

Lightning Carrots (baby carrots shaped like lightning bolts)

Rain (Blue Lemonade Kool-Aid)

Wind (Windmill Cookies) and Clouds (white cookies purchased from local deli)

Hail (yogurt covered peanuts)

Rainbow (rainbow parfait of fruits:  blackberries, green grapes, pineapple, mango, strawberries)

It's been a long time since I've done a themed meal, so my daughter and I had a blast putting this together!  I'm hoping to try at least one more of these themed meals in the next four weeks.

You can see more Garden of the Good Shepherd party ideas here.

Divine Mercy Chaplet

I've been receiving quite a few requests lately for the Divine Mercy chaplet/novena printable that I created last year.  Here's a photo of it:

 

If you would like to download it, I've posted the document on Google docs.  I updated the authorizations and now anyone should be able to download it without sending a note to me first.  If you are still having problems, please email me through the Google docs link and I'll try to figure out the problem.  You can get it here

I would also like to recommend a sung version of the chaplet, recorded live at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  I guess this is played on EWTN (I don't have cable so I can't verify it.)  My Relevant Radio station used to play it sometimes and I fell in love with it.  It really brings tears to your eyes!  There are several versions but I especially like the one produced by Trish Short.

You can listen to part of it here:

For more information about it, click here.

Good Friday Stations of the Cross at home

How is your Lent going?  I can't believe it is already Holy Thursday.  The next few days will be so busy and I know that the devil will try to creep in and move my focus off Jesus.  I wish I could find a way to shut the door on the many diversions he always seems to throw at me.

I feel guilty because I have only made one Stations of the Cross meditation this Lent.  It seems like there has been something every Friday night--doctor's appointments, a quick out-of-town trip, a scout campout,  soccer games.  I find myself getting more and more irritated that I can't just sneak away and spend a half hour in church.  I especially miss singing the Stabat Mater.

It looks like tomorrow night will be no better.  However, I've decided I won't let that stop me!  We will pray the stations at home at night, after all the day's demands and activities are done.  Even if it's late, we can sleep in a bit on Saturday!  I plan on using my newest  "meditation" tools:

Stations of the Cross candles
For a couple of years, I've been thinking about how I could implement a tenebrae service at home (and perhaps even in my catechism class, if it works at home.)  I love the idea of 15 different candles slowly extinguished while praying special prayers.  Although we're not yet ready to tackle tenebrae, I thought that maybe we could do some sort of candle service while praying the Stations of the Cross, like Tami describes in her Smart Martha website.


I love the "Stations of the Cross" votive candles created by Ruth (Another Day in Paradise), Evann (Homeschool Goodies) and by Joann (10 Kids and A Dog) .  However, I wanted some pictures that would match those I used on my prayer gems and stations of the cross prayer ring.  So I decided to reduce those images and then use Mod Podge to attach them to battery operated tea lights.  One side of the tea light has a picture; the other side lists the station.  Here is a photo:

After I finished the candles, I knew I needed some type of holder.  I originally just used a piece of plywood painted black, until I stumbled across this 7-votive candlebra at Big Lots for $10.  (I had been pricing similar ones online and they all cost more than $30 with shipping.  Two candelabrum would be $60--too much out of my price range.  So I was so excited to find these!)

 A closer view:

 I chose not to use the glass votive holders, since we're using battery operated candles. My candles are a bit smaller than the candle dish but it works okay.  (Next year I may cut some cardboard or Styrofoam to put in the bottom of the candle dish so the votives stand up a bit higher.  But it will do for this year!) 

I'm so excited with this find--I know I will be using it for many occasions other than Lent!

Processional cross
I love the beautiful San Damiano processional cross we use with the kids in the atrium, but it's a bit out of my budget.  However, when I was at Hobby Lobby the other day, I noticed this 4 foot white cross made out of wood:

It was $9.99 minus a 40% discount.  It is designed as an outdoor decoration, but I'll adapt it to indoor use by asking my husband if he can create a stand for it.  My daughter already said "we need to drape it with a purple cloth, mom!" 

How I will use these two items for our Good Friday Stations:
If the weather is nice, we may take our meditation outside to the back yard after it is dark.  Otherwise, I may just darken our basement family room and set the candles around the room. We will start with all 14 candles illuminated.  After we meditate on each station using our prayer cards, one of the kids will put out the candle, and then the cross bearer will lead us in a procession to the next station.  This will continue until we have finished all 14 stations, at which time all candles will be extinguished. I'm hoping this will be a beautiful and memorable way to pray the stations together!


How will you make your Good Friday special?  Would love to hear about it!




 

A fun weekend away; Holy Week idea link up

I'm heading out of town for a fun weekend with my daughter and godchild (who is now a college freshman!)  We're going to a Rockford, Illinois, which is only an hour from home, but I've wanted to explore the city's many museums for years.

In a way, it will also be a mini pilgrimage because I hope to visit several beautiful Catholic sites while we are there.  I plan St. Mary's Grotto, a replica of the one where the  Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 in Lourdes, France.  I also hope to take in a Latin Mass (my daughter and godchild's first Latin Mass) at the Saint Mary Oratory.  Finally, we're hoping to check out the St. Joseph's table and go to Mass at the beautiful St. Anthony of Padua Church.   I'll try to take some photos to share with my blog readers next week.

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I'm participating in Equipping Catholic Families'  Holy Week Fiestas de Enlaces Linkup, sharing ideas on how to make Holy Week more meaningful for your family.   Check out all the great ideas here!