Our Students

This week we are introducing our students. (Like I don't have enough pictures of them on here already)

So here's our 2010-2011 student line up:

Brittany-10th grade

Britt's my super sweet right hand girl, she has a servant's heart and is always willing to lend a hand. She's out going yet shy and loves all things babies and animals. She loves arts and crafts and always has a mess craft going on.

Courtney-8th grade

Court's my wild and crazy kid that keeps me on my toes, giving me gray hair and an ulcer or two. She has a heart of gold and would give the shirt off her back to someone in need. She has a beautiful voice and loves to use it for the Lord. She loves to read and learning to crochet.

Cheyenne-Kindergarten

Our class clown! Chey keeps us laughing. She loves life and has the sweetest spirit. She loves to embarass her sisters and doesn't like being left out when the big kids are over, she has to be in the middle of everything. She loves the spotlight.

Ryan-2

My lil man, he thinks he's as big as everyone else yet still wants to be cuddled. He has a hair fettish going on, loves to play with moms and if mines not available will use his own, and unlike his biggest sister is not fond of animals. He's an artist in training, trains on my walls, furniture, toliet seat and himself. But who could get mad when he flashes that cute lil smile and big blue eyes.

And we've added a student to the line up:

Dad-The College of Biblical Studies

Ok, he's not my student, but he'll be studying here this year too.We are super proud of dad, he's been called to the mission field, so he's starting school to prepare for whatever lies ahead. It's been a lonnng time since he was in school so it will be tough, but we know he can do it and we'll be his biggest cheerleaders.

And that's the class for this year.

Our Homeschool Room

This week on the Not Back-to-School Blog Hop is a tour of our Homeschool Room.

For us, that space would be our small family room. Luckily this room is on the opposite side of the house from our living room so if someone happens to stop by they won't see the huge mess of books and papers, because the room is rarely as clean as they are here.

This is probably my favorite room in the house, it's small so it seems cozy, and it's got lots of windows so it's always bright (too bright when you are trying to take pictures).

It's right off the kitchen so it's convenient, and central to where we spend alot of time.

This is where we store most of our books, games, and manipulatives that we use everyday. I have two 8ft bookcases in another part of the house where the rest of our books are kept.

More books are kept in this entertainment center turned homeschool book storage center. In the basket on top we keep library books (away from little hands), and our index card box for our scripture memory system. And in the bottom drawers is craft supplies.

This shelf holds all of our school supplies. In the pull out drawers are nature coloring books, drawing books, and draw.write.now books. On the second shelf from the bottom is Ryan's shelf (our 2yr old), he has his own paper, coloring books, and dry erase board. Plus he has own washable markers, colors and dry erase colors. On the bottom shelf I plan to add things for him to keep him busy while we do school, like toys, playdoh, rice tray and such.

Here's our little table and computer. We have the cd player here for audio books and music. Usually it's covered with books and papers. We have another chair but Ryan can reach the table better with the stool, so it happens to be here today. Also the curtains are usually open but had to close them to take the picture, makes it look kinda dark and closed in though.

And this is our DIY chalkboard coffee table. It is usually covered in chalky scribbles.

We have a fireplace in here, which is good because it's the farthest room from the AC/Heating unit so in the winter it gets cool. I love to do school by the fire, and maybe even roast a marshmallow or two. I also display the art prints we study on the mantle.

One of our 'modified for us' workbox systems. We just started using this, this year and my kids love it. It's especially helpful to my 13yo organizationally challenged child., wish I'd discovered this years ago.

And here's another view of the room with maps, dry erase board, posters, and another workbox.

And this is not a great pic but right outside our homeschool room we have a large deck, so you might find us out here in the fall or spring. We also do our messy experiments and crafts here, bird watch, and in the fall have wiener roasts on the fire pit. We have another picnic table in the yard where we sometimes bring some school work.

Well thats it for our school space. Not very big, not very fancy...but we've created alot of memories in this small space and can't wait to create more this year.

Church Library Reading Party

Sunday night we had our reading party for the church library. And the reward was....

ICE CREAM...Yum!!

Cheyenne and Ryan "read" the highest number of books:

51

It thrilled the ladies in the library to death that the kids would come in so excited every week ready to pick out more books and have their folders checked to see how many "scoops" to add to their cones on the bulletin board.

Well Ryan didn't enjoy the party very much. He started getting sick, and by the time we got home was running fever and the works.

But Cheyenne enjoyed it enough for the both of them.

Along with ice cream, they got a certificate, a necklace medal, and got to pick out a toy!

We enjoyed our summer of reading

and

I hope they always have that love and excitement for reading,

even without the prizes.

Now...off to make a thank you card for our dear library ladies and let them know how much we appreciate them.

Our curriculum-2010-2011

Since I LOVE to look at other peoples blogs and see what they are using for school or what their homeschool spaces look like, I thought I'd participate in the "Not Back to school Blog Hop" and show some glimpses into our home.

So this year we have Cheyenne, 5 in Kindergarten, Courtney's 13 and doing 8th/9th, Brittany 15 doing 10th and Ryan whose 2 will be right in the middle of it all probably getting into trouble.

Cheyenne

Bible: Working thru Leading Little Ones to God, Reading Catherine Vos's Child's Story Bible, We have a Character Trait we work on each week usually trying to tie it into our FIAR story along with a memory verse, plus we work on our AWANA's stuff and have the bible on cd and bible story cd's we use thru out the year.

Math: Rod and Staff 1st grade

Phonics/Handwriting: 100 EZ Lessons, Get Ready for the code books, Starfall, and Getty/Dubay Italic Handwriting.

Five In A Row: Cheyenne loves this, we started a few weeks ago so have already rowed a couple of books and she can't wait to do all the activities with this like art which is her favorite.

Extras: We have lots of games, file folders, we try to do a weekly nature walk and keep a nature journal, some children's fine art study books we might try and lots of play time.

Brittany and Courtney

Bible: They are both working thru an inductive bible study on their own and together we are doing devotions from Training Hearts Teaching Minds and memorizing the catechism questions and memory verses.

Math: Courtney-Math U See finishing up Epsilon, and Brittany Teaching Texbooks Algebra I

Language Arts: This year we are working on writing which Brittany has alot of trouble with and that will be incorporated in with all other subjects, plus we'll use here and there from Learning Language Arts, Jensen's Punctuation and Format Writing, and Understanding Writing, and English From the Roots Up

History: Courtney-Mystery of History Vol II with lots of extra reading (she loves to read), and Brittany-Notgrass World History

Science: Apologia's Physical Science for Court and Biology for Britt

Extras: We'll be switching off between Art/Artist and Music/Composer Studies, Health, Drivers Ed for Britt, Geography and whatever else happens to work its way in thru out the year.

And Ryan:

Lots of reading and cuddling, Lots of paper for drawing, and Lots of WASHABLE markers.