Homeschool Week 28: Golden Days

We try to start our school days as close to eight as possible.  After eating breakfast the boys have a few things to complete before any pre-school play time.  They have to get dressed, comb their hair, brush their teeth, and make their bed.   Once finished they can play until I call them for school.  I try to give them a five minute warning to help them transition from playtime to school time.  Most days it is a smooth morning process.  I have everything laid out and ready for them when they walk in the door. Whoever is the leader that day I greet them with the flag and they then lead us in the pledge as we begin our day.  I think the structure and consistent routine is the key to getting our days started right.  They don't always go as planned but more days than not we start out smooth.

Cruz reviewing nursery rhymes with Ben before school one morning.

I have mentioned it before that we begin with Bible class.  It is my favorite.  This week in school we covered the stories of Jesus Stills the Storm and The Transfiguration.  Cruz began learning a new set of memory verses.  This month he will be memorizing the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 3-5, 7-8, 12-17).  We learned a few new songs "Little By Little", "Wide, Wide as the Ocean", and "A Little Missionary".  We also began reviewing the hymn "Christ Arose" as we look towards the Easter season.  I love the song "A Little Missionary".  Below are the words- 

I can be a little missionary, if the gospel story to the lost I carry.  I can work for Jesus in the homeland "Lord, here am I , send me."  

I don't have to cross the salty ocean, to the needy heathen to show my devotion; I can pray and give to send the others, "Who'll represent me there?"

I'll be faithful, studying and praying, if the Master calls me, home I'll not be staying; to the fields "already white to harvest," "send me, O Lord," I'll pray.

Don't you just love that!


In Language Cruz spent the week working on the sounds "ow" as in how, "ou" as in out, "ow" as in snow, and "ew" as in new.  He took a daily spelling test and did a lot of reading. 

If there is one book I think we read to him the most as a child it would definitely be Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle.  We hauled that book everywhere we went.  It was definitely his favorite.  It was one of the books Cruz chose to read to me this week.  I am not sure how much of it he was reading and how much he was reciting.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I have read that book to him.  I'd be rich!

Of all the things he read this week this book made him the proudest.  This is another book that both of my boys have always loved.  He chose a sticker when he finished that says "you did it!" and he put it on his cheek.

 doing noun and verb review

Ben's language lessons were on the letter R.  His memory verse for the week was Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy".

We read several books about roosters.  Here he is looking through the pages of another Eric Carle favorite.  As I read it to him I would have him clap his hands every time I said the word "rooster".  He thought it was so much fun.

His nursery rhyme for the week was Jack and Jill.

Reviewing the letters of the alphabet.  He called this his alphabet train.

It was review week for Cruz in math. We spent the week reviewing the last six weeks of lessons and then on Friday he took a unit test.  He only missed 4 out of 48 so I think he did pretty well.

math review

Ben practiced counting 0-70 and writing numbers 0-18.  This week we introduced the number 19. 

Number writing practice.  I would call out a number and he would write it on the board.

It was gold week in History.  Our lessons were titled The Gold Rush and Gold Fever. 

Our activity for the week was panning for gold.  I sent the boys out to collect small rocks and pebbles.  We washed them and then painted them with our gold and glitter paints.

using their fingers to paint their rocks

some of our gold nuggets

We first mixed them back in with rocks and sand and let the boys dig around for them.  They liked the way the "gold" stuck out from the rest of the rocks.

Later we added water and let them pan for gold like the people in our lesson.

We learned about the beautiful State of Colorado.  

Our Science lesson was on leaves. We tried two experiments. One was called How Leaves Breath and the other was How Water Travels Through Leaves.

We used one of our gold nuggets to hold the leaf underwater for the breathing experiment.

We watched a few videos on why leaves change colors and then ended our study by doing a leaf rubbing.  Both of the boys always love doing this.

In Art we drew a baby monkey.

Cruz, out of the blue, wanted to write his name in cursive.  I wrote it on the board for him and then he gave it a try.

It was review week in Health as we finished up our unit on safety.

Here is one of Cruz's review sheets.  He had to write one safety habit for each picture.  He wrote: take turns, do not dunk people under the water, and wear a helmet. We now have one more unit left in the school year and it is on manners.  I am really excited about that study.

Here are Cruz's two journal entries for the week-

"My favorite room in my house is... the living room.  It has a lot of light.  I like to watch t.v. there.  It has a lot of room.  I play there a lot!"

"I am happy when... swimming, playing with hot wheels, playing with toys, with my Mommy, at the mall, playing video games, and when I am with my family."

We began a chapter a day in this book in our read aloud time.  Our read aloud books this year are recommendations from our history curriculum Adventures in America.  It is a one year curriculum designed for kids in grades K- 2nd.  It has been a perfect fit for us this year and so much fun.  

We will be starting Sonlight next school year and I am so excited about all the wonderful books we will be reading together.  It makes me a little anxious for August.  Go ahead and call me crazy.  That's okay.  I'm just having fun!