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Thursday, February 29, 2024

Sonlight Hands-on History Box C Review

 We finished Sonlight C's Hands-on History Box.  These projects covered World History 2 topics.  Here's the link to the box: https://www.sonlight.com/hands-on-history-world-history-2

It's currently priced at $68 for the box.  

The projects include:

  • An astrolabe
  • A Viking treasure box
  • Viking Runes
  • Signet ring
  • Stained glass
  • Samurai helmet
  • A letterpress
  • An Elizabethan theater (Shakespeare)
  • The Wright brothers' glider
Everything you need for the projects is included in the box.  It even includes glue and paint.  There is a box full of instructions with pictures and templates for each project.  The guide is very well-written.

My son loved the Hands-on History Box.  Some of his favorites were the Viking Treasure Box, the Stained Glass, the Letterpress and the Samurai Helmet.  He says his favorite project from the box was the Viking Runes.  The box was one of his favorite things we did this year for 3rd grade.  

Things we figured out over the course of the year:
  • Almost every project worked better for us with a hot glue gun instead of the glue it came with.  I know hot glue guns are not safe for kids, but I used the hot glue gun and he watched.  The glue dots the kit comes with made sense, safety-wise, though.  
  • The projects are too difficult for smaller kids to do themselves.  I helped him with every project.
  • The Wright brothers glider needed some serious tweaking.  Instead of using 12 toothpicks to fit the wings together, I glued 3 together into one thick toothpick and used 4 thick supports instead of 12 thin ones.
  • The Stained Glass and the Astrolabe are definitely the easiest of the projects.
  • They give you a little more of the craft items than you need, so if you lose or break a popsicle stick, it's ok.
Here's some pictures of our projects.  I should have taken more pictures of the projects throughout the school year, but here's what I have:













Homeschool Day 2/29

 3rd Grader

Bible

  • 100 Bible Stories
Wild Math 4
  • Volume word problems
  • Reviewed Times Tales
  • We played the board game Prime Climb
Reading/Language Arts
  • The Pesky Pizza Pirate (Doodle Book)
Sonlight C World History 2 (history, Bible and literature)
  • Hands-on History - we finished the entire box!  We are almost completely finished with this Sonlight level.  We just are trying to catch up on the read-alouds
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • Botany Experiments and Discovery
    • Checking on our pea plants
    • Dandelion experiment


11th Grader

Bible

  • 2 John
Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2
Grammar & Writing
  • Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Art & Music
  • Working on her audition video for a preprofessional ballet camp this summer
  • Ballet class

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/18

 3rd Grader

Bible

  • 100 Bible Stories
Wild math 3
  • Volume - we looked at metric and US system
  • We worked on filling a beaker with 500 ml using different volumes in beakers and graduated cylinders
Reading/Language Arts
  • The Gold of Black Rock Hill (reader)
  • Explode the Code
Sonlight C
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • Botany Experiments and Discovery Kit
    • The zinnias have sprouted!

  • We planted our pea plants
Art & Music
  • Piano practice
Extras
  • Ballet class
  • Wednesday night church activities

11th Grader

Bible
  • 2 Peter
Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2
Writing & Grammar
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Science
  • MicroChemistry Kit
    • Galvanic Cells - Electrochemistry
Logic
  • The Fallacy Detective
    • Analogies
Extras
  • Ballet class
  • Wednesday night youth group


Monday, February 26, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/26

 3rd Grader

Bible

  • 100 Bible Stories
Wild Math 3
  • We went outside and did the measurement activities and he had a blast
  • We played Prime Climb
Reading/Language Arts
  • Explode the Code
  • The Gold of Black Rock Hill (Simple Words Dyslexia Reader)
Sonlight C
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • Botany
    • We went outside with the 3D microscope and the handheld microscope and looked at moss, flowers and pollen
Fine Arts
  • Piano practice

11th Grader

Bible
  • James
Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2
Grammar & Writing
  • She wanted me to give advice on an essay she wrote
  • Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Logic
  • The Fallacy Detective
    • Hasty generalizations
Fine Arts
  • She took a field trip to Texas Ballet Theater over the weekend and saw "The Brilliants"

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/22

 3rd Grader

Bible

  • 100 Bible Stories
Wild Math 3
  • We played Math War (card game)
  • Times Tales review
Reading/Language Arts
  • The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate (doodle series)
Sonlight C
  • Captain Nobody
  • We worked on the Timeline book
Science
  • Botany Experiments and Discovery
    • We checked the seeds and the water cress has sprouted already
    • We built a small greenhouse out of a cardboard box and plastic wrap and put the sprouts outside
Art & Music
  • We listened to Vivaldi (winter and summer)
  • He practiced piano
  • He practiced ukulele

11th Grader

Bible
  • James
Grammar & Writing
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
History & Geography
  • Crash Course US History
    • The Great Depression
  • Trail Guide to US Geography
    • South Dakota
Logic
  • The Fallacy Detective
    • Generalizations
Extras
  • Guitar practice
  • Ballet class

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/21

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • Prime Climb (board game)
  • Comparing fractions
  • Numerator/denominator
Bible
  • 100 Bible Stories
Reading/Language Arts
  • The Gold of Black Rock Hill (Simple Words Dyslexia Reader)
  • Explode the Code
Sonlight C
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • He watered his seeds from the botany kit yesterday
Extras
  • Wednesday night church activities

11th Grader

Bible
  • James
Mathusee Algebra 2
  • Graphing
Writing and Grammar
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Science
  • MicroChemistry Kit
    • Boyle's Law experiment
Logic
  • The Fallacy Detective
    • Either/Or
Extras
  • Aceable Driver's Ed Course
  • Ballet class
  • Wednesday night church activities

Our 12th Grade Plans 2024-2025

 Here it is.  We've worked out our last year of high school.  Her goal is to try to go professional with ballet, so we are being flexible with our idea of college.  She is going to do dual credit/enrollment at the college this fall.  Our goal is to possibly finish a general studies Associate's degree, so she has a head start on college if she decides to stop ballet.  

At Home:

  • Classical Literature - reading through some classics on her own
  • Personal Finance - Mathusee Stewardship and we'll try Investopedia
  • German II - I'm putting this together somehow
  • Music - working on guitar.  She has a classical, acoustic, electric and a ukulele
  • Art - trying to find her a class at the pottery shop here
Dual Credit at the College (fall)
  • English 1
  • Intro to Kinesiology
Extracurriculars
  • Still teaching gymnastics
  • Ballet classes + a preprofessional camp this summer she's auditioning for
  • Church activities

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/20

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • We worked fractions onto a number line
  • We played the Board Game Prime Climb
Reading
  • Explode the Code
Sonlight C
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • We started the lab kit Botany Experiments and Discovery.  I bought this on Amazon for around $25.  It has about 30 labs. This is a very messy lab kit, but he enjoyed it so much.  He said he could do this kit all day.
    • Cress lab
    • Growing zinnias












These plastic plant models are part of another kit called "Cognition Series Growth Cycle".  They're a Montessori botany learning aid.




11th Grader

Bible
  • Hebrews
Mathusee Algebra 2
  • More graphing
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
History & Geography
  • Crash Course US History
    • The Roaring 20s
  • Trail Guide to US Geography
    • North Dakota
Extras
  • Gymnastics class
  • Ballet class


Monday, February 19, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/19

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • We played the board game Prime Climb
  • Fractions with cuisinaire rods
Bible
  • 100 Bible Stories
Reading/Language Arts
  • Explode the Code
  • The Gold of Black Rock Hill (dyslexia reader)
Sonlight C (history, Bible and literature)
  • Captain Nobody (read-aloud)
  • We are pretty much finished with Sonlight C history.  We're stopping at George Washington/American Revolution, because we are doing US History for 4th grade and that's about where we will pick up again this summer/fall
  • Hands-on History Box
    • We did the Wright Brothers Flyer - this project was terribly difficult

Extras
  • We are playing pickleball at the park
  • Piano practice

11th Grader

Bible
  • Hebrews
Mathusee Algebra 2
  • Circles and ellipses - This lesson is so hard.  We have to break it up - we couldn't finish the B page in one day
Grammar & Writing
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Extras
  • Pickleball at the park


Sunday, February 18, 2024

Field Trip 2/17 to the Mayborn Museum in Waco, Texas

 This was a fun, but a bit overstimulating field trip.  Mayborn Museum is a children's science and natural history museum located on the Baylor University campus in Waco, Texas.

Here's the website: https://mayborn.web.baylor.edu/

When we went, it was $10 per adult and $8 per child.  The parking is free, but they are doing construction, so the parking lot was a bit of a mess.  

The museum has a Tyrannosaurus rex on loan from the Perot Museum in Dallas.  











The downstairs of the museum is full of fossils, animal exhibits and things like dinosaur footprints.  There is also a traveling space exhibit at the museum right now - I think that exhibit changes.

The downstairs is the best part of the museum, in my opinion.  The fossils were pretty spectacular.  When you go into the room with tall wooden cabinets, you can open the drawers and there are more artifacts in the drawers.  Here's a humpback whale skull from that room.








This is a cast of a dinosaur footprint from Glen Rose.




The museum also has some early Texas history exhibits.
















The upstairs of the museum is the overstimulating part.  It is full of hands-on things for the kids - dress-up/play areas, hands-on physics displays, a light and sound room, a room with Old West wagon and log cabin play area.  Because it was a Saturday when we went, it was packed in there and the light and sound room was pretty deafening.  If you went during a less busy time, it's probably fine.








Thursday, February 15, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/15: TSIA2 Testing

 3rd Grader

This poor guy had to do his schoolwork in the study area of the college while his sister took the TSIA2 (college placement test).

Wild Math 3

  • We played Sleeping Queens
Reading/Language Arts
  • Explode the Code
  • Doodle Adventures: Pesky Pizza Pirate
    • This is a book where you fill in blanks and draw pictures that go along with the storyline
Music and Art
  • Practicing ukulele like a crazy man
  • Piano practice

11th Grader

She finished the TSI today (college placement test).  She will be a dual credit/enrollment student this fall.  She's planning to take English 1 and Kinesiology for her first semester at the college.

She had the highest essay score of all four siblings.

This fall, I will have four kids who are college students. Five, if you count my daughter-in-law, who also lives with me.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/14

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • Division problems
Reading/Language Arts
  • The Gold of Black Rock Hill (Simple Words dyslexia reader)
  • Explode the Code
Sonlight C (history, Bible and literature)
  • Captain Nobody
Art & Music
  • I bought him a soprano ukulele and he has spent hours working with it.  He even wrote a song with sheet music, practiced the song and recorded it
Extras
  • Ballet Class
  • Ash Wednesday church service

11th Grader

She is at the college all day today and tomorrow taking the college placement exams.

Monday, February 12, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/12

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • We played the board game Prime Climb
  • Reviewed Times Tales
  • Division activities
Reading/Language Arts
  • Barton Reading and Spelling
Sonlight C (history, Bible and literature)
  • Bible reading
  • Usborne Book of World History
  • Captain Nobody
Art and Music
  • Piano practice
French
  • Ecoutez, Parlez!

11th Grader

Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2
Grammar & Writing
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Extras
  • She took multiple TSI practice tests today to get ready for the TSI on Wednesday and Thursday
  • Ballet class

February Planning for 2024-2025

 Nothing is set in stone, but I've started to do some planning for later this spring as we finish up everything.  Due to dyslexia and ADHD issues, I'm changing our homeschool method a bit for the youngest kid.  Up to this point, he has been using a lot of curriculum.  I'm going to move away from that and tailor everything to him.

My tentative plan for 4th grade:

Bible

  • Finish 100 Bible Stories
  • Mini classes I'm going to put together on Lutheran Catechism and the Apostles
Math
  • Beast Academy
Reading/Language Arts
  • Barton (reading and spelling for dyslexia)
  • Readers
  • Handwriting without Tears cursive
French
  • continue Ecoutez, Parlez!
Literature, History and Science
  • By interest and with as much hands-on, experiential learning as possible
Music and Art
  • Art - he's been doing this himself using online videos
  • Continue Piano, start ukulele
Electives
  • He wants to try woodworking
  • Unit on First Aid and Safety


My tentative plan for 12th grade:

Math
  • Mathusee Stewardship
  • Investopedia
English
  • Continue The Elements of Style Workbook
Art and Music
  • Continue classical guitar, acoustic guitar and ukulele
  • We're trying to find pottery classes
Literature
  • Reading through classical literature that she chooses
Dual Enrollment at the college (hopefully)

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Field Trip 2/8: Fort Worth Stockyards

 Here's the website with information about the Fort Worth Historic Stockyards: https://www.fortworthstockyards.org/  

There are shops, restaurants, museums, a petting zoo, a longhorn herd, horse stables, a maze and a twice-daily longhorn cattle drive through the streets.  It costs about $15 to park.  You also can walk through the actual stockyards where they held the sheep, goats and cattle in the 1890s before continuing on the Chisholm Trail.  Here is some history about the stockyards and a video:  https://www.fortworthstockyards.org/history  

This was a great, inexpensive field trip.




























Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/7

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • We played the board game Prime Climb
  • Times Tales
Reading/Language Arts
  • Barton Reading and Spelling
Sonlight C (history, Bible and literature)
  • A Child's History of the World
    • Frederick the Great
  • Bible
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • National Geographic Stunning Science Chemistry Kit
    • We erupted our volcano!!  


Art and Music
  • Piano Practice
  • Sketchbook work through Art for Kids Hub (YouTube channel and website)
Extras
  • Ballet
  • Wednesday night church activities

11th Grader

Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2
Bible
  • Hebrews
Writing and Grammar
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Extras
  • TSI Practice Test
  • Ballet
  • Wednesday night church activities

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/6

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • Times Tales
Reading/Language Arts
  • Explode the Code
  • The Gold of Black Rock Hill (Simple Words Dyslexia Reader)
Sonlight C (history, Bible and literature)
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • One mile nature hike 
Extras
  • Karate class

11th Grader

Bible
  • Hebrews
Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2
Grammar & Writing
  • Elements of Style Workbook
Extras
  • Gymnastics class

Monday, February 5, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/5

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • Times Tales - we are almost finished with this and it has been excellent
  • We worked on multiplication from 0 to 10 with the Mathusee blocks
Reading/Language Arts
  • Barton Reading and Spelling
Sonlight C
  • Bible
  • A Child's History of the World
  • Captain Nobody
Science
  • National Geographic Stunning Science Kit
    • We mixed plaster of Paris and molded the volcano
Art & Music
  • Piano practice
Extras
  • Blue and Gold Boy Scouts Banquet

11th Grader

Bible
  • Hebrews
Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2
    • Graphing
Grammar & Writing
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
History & Geography
  • Crash Course US History
    • Women's Rights and Suffrage
  • Trail Guide to US Geography
    • Missouri
    • Iowa
Logic
  • The Fallacy Detective
    • Whole to parts
Music
  • Classical Guitar
  • Ballet class

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Homeschool Day 2/1

 3rd Grader

Wild Math 3

  • Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar (read-aloud)
Reading/Language Arts
  • Explode the Code
  • He read The Gold of Black Rock Hill (Simple Words Dyslexia Reader)
Sonlight C (history, Bible and literature)
  • Captain Nobody
  • A Child's History of the World
  • Bible
Science
  • National Geographic Stunning Science Chemistry Kit
Extras
  • Piano

11th Grader

Math
  • Mathusee Algebra 2 Honors Page
Grammar & Writing
  • The Elements of Style Workbook
Bible
  • Titus
Literature
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Science
  • MicroChemistry Kit
    • Decomposition with water and electrolysis device
Logic
  • The Fallacy Detective
    • Parts to whole fallacy
Extras
  • Classical Guitar
  • Ballet class