Monday, May 22, 2017

Homeschool Week 36: We are done!

We did it!  We finished the 2016- 17 school year on Friday.  What a huge accomplishment that feels like.  It has been a few days now and I am still smiling big. 

We wrapped up our Bible curriculum with a wonderful study on the life of Paul.  Cruz and I were talking one afternoon and he told me "Mama, God can use one family to help spread the gospel.  That one family can tell one family and then that family can go tell another family.  Before long the gospel can reach to places like China and Africa."  I think he is starting to understand and it is a beautiful thing.  I am proud of all the things I have been able to teach them this school year but what I am most proud of is the time I have had to teach them Biblical truths. It has been my main passion for homeschooling them and if I don't get anything else right I pray I do that well.  3 John 1:4 says "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."  I pray that regularly for my boys.  

They spent the month of May learning the books of the New Testament.  We have a song we sing that helps them practice.  I am proud that Cruz learned them but even prouder that Ben can say them too.




Ben was very excited this week to have finally reached the letter Z.  His memory verse was Psalm 97:8 "Zion heard, and was glad."  His nursery rhyme was "Here is the Beehive."  I think overall he had a really good K4 year and has a great foundation to begin kindergarten in the fall. 

Letter Z!!!



singing the alphabet song using his Jolly Trolley mat

reading practice

playing alphabet bingo

Cruz finished up his two year language arts curriculum- Sing Spell Read and Write.  This year it had a race car theme that had us racing through 36 steps to reading success.  I will admit my fears as we began the program in kindergarten wondering how I would ever teach him to read.  But, I did and I am very proud of it.  It required a lot more patience than I ever thought I had but seeing the end result has me beaming with joy.    He is pretty proud of himself too.  As you can see from that big smile below.  He finished the week by taking his bookend assessment and then his 3rd achievement test of the year.  He did well on both of those.  One of the things I have enjoyed about this curriculum is the regular assessment tests you take that assures me that we are on track.  It has especially helped when I have had doubts.  I am breathing a little easier now as I think about beginning the program with Ben in the fall.  Now that I have done it one time I feel like the second time around will be much easier.

taking his last language assessment test for the school year

His last story to read was about a class who finished the raceway program too.  They had a party and were given trophies for their reading success.  I took that idea and had us a party on the last day of school and Cruz was tickled to get his own trophy.  Here I am presenting him his certificate and trophy.

What a proud moment!

We spent the week in Math reviewing and then Cruz took his final exam on Friday.  He received a certificate for completing his math level also.

This was at the end of his Math U See workbook.

hooray for another good year in math

 Ben reviewing his math facts on the Math U See website

Our week in History was spent learning about our home State of Mississippi.  The curriculum tells you to save your home state for week 36.  We spent each day watching videos and learning facts about Mississippi.  It was perfect timing before our upcoming Stateside Assignment and a great way to end a fun year in history.  I have loved our history curriculum and all the fun things it has had us doing.  It was a great choice for this school year.


We learned about the state flower, state flag, and state bird.




What do you do when you are in the middle of school and spot a beetle on the windowsill? You grab your magnifying glasses and get an up-close look.  Moments like this have been some of my favorite this school year.  I hope I am instilling in them a love of learning and exploring the world around them.

In art they drew a baby kangaroo.



Journal entries for the week-
Why I like books... "they have pictures.  You can read them.  I learn things in them.  They teach you things!!"

On summer vacation I want to... "go to the beach.  I will build sandcastles.  I will swim.  I am going to the skate park."

Tomorrow I will share about our last day of school celebration and the fun way we ended the school year.  It has been quite a journey we have been on since last August and I am thankful to have reached the finish line.  There is no way I could do this on my own.  I give all credit to the Lord for any homeschool success.  He is the one who has walked me through each and every day.

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”
  Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
    “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

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