Revamping Our Homeschool Curriculum

Well I think this next school year we will be trying something new in our homeschooling. I always thought that you should get one curriculum and stick with it. But I have seen so many homeschooling families do such neat activities.  They study a subject and spend days learning about it...doing various activities such as making models or doing experiments etc... I want my kids to learn to work in their books and memorize, but I want some fun activities for learning. I think it is enjoyable when the kids can all learn together. I am looking at a lot of new books, but I will be looking into the Weaver Curriculum http://www.aophomeschooling.com/weaver/overview.php  . It teaches all the kids together, but they learn on their own grade level. I am not sure if this is a right fit for our family, but it looks like a really interesting curriculum. I have used A Beka this year, and while I like what they teach, it is extremely time consuming. I am always worried that if I put together my own curriculum, that I will miss something that the kids need to learn, and that when they graduate that they will be lacking. I want to make sure that they aren't lacking when they graduate. One thing I want to keep up for my oldest is Japanese. A local friend of ours who is Japanese comes weekly and teaches our kids Japanese. Our oldest has done extremely well in learning it. He can write and speak some. I am hoping that when we leave and go back to the states that he can continue to learn it. I would like him to become fluent. Anyways for some fun projects, I have found a web site called Home Science Tools. They have some neat products. One is to hatch quail eggs. For $31.95 you can get 4 quail eggs and an incubator. http://www.hometrainingtools.com/incubator-with-four-quail-eggs/p/LD-INCUBAT/  I think this would be such a fun thing for the kids and a great way to learn to care for animals. They also have a frog hatchery kit. http://www.hometrainingtools.com/frog-hatchery-deluxe-kit/p/LM-FROGKIT/ Their prices are so reasonable, and the products look so exciting.
If anyone has any suggestions for books they have used, I would love to hear about it.

TO MY GROWN UP CHILD

My hands were busy through the day.
I didn't have much time to play
The little games you asked me to;
I didn't have much time for you.
I'd wash your clothes, I'd sew and cook,
But when you'd bring your picture book,
And ask me please to share your play
I'd say, "A little later in the day."
I'd tuck you in all safe at night,
And hear your prayers, turn out the light,
Then tiptoe softly to the door...
I wish I'd stayed a little more.
For life is short, the years rush past...
A little child grows up so fast.
They are no longer at your side,
Their precious secrets to confide.
The picture books are put away.
No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear...
That all belongs to yesteryear.
My hands, once busy, now are still.
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do
The little things you asked me to.
                    -Author Unknown

count your blessings

 When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
 When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
 Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
 And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Words by Johnson Oatman Jr.
Music by Edwin O. Excell

Randomness

I keep thinking I need to write on here, but lately it seems that I don't have any thoughts to put down and when I do have thoughts then they seem to not be enough to fill up a blog post.
The days sure fly by. With getting ready to move and a new little one in the house time flies by quickly. I couldn't wait to move off our island, but now that we are soon to leave, I am starting to think of things I will miss. Don't get me wrong, I still want to move, but I will miss some things. This past year we were extremely blessed to get to know a local lady here on the island. She has been such a blessing to us. We have gotten to learn and see so many things that we would not have been able to otherwise. When my husbands parents were here, she took time out of her day twice to help take them out and make their time here even more fun. Our kids have been blessed to get to play with her daughter also.
I will miss the beach. Where we are going, there is no beach. I will miss the warm weather...we are headed back to the midwest...to a colder state. It's weird, when we first moved here, I missed the snow. Now I am not really that excited to be back in snow country. I will miss the 100 yen store. Now here is the thing. I hate the dollar store in the states, but I love the hundred yen store here. It has practical everyday items. I will really miss our homeschool groups here. We have been blessed with meeting some great people in our groups. I hope that we can find some equally good homeschool groups at our next base.
As I said we will be moving back to the midwest. I will miss the adventure of being abroad in a way. I feel kindof sad that this could be our last move, and our last overseas assignment. But you never know. And while sometimes I would like to have more adventure traveling...sometimes I think its best to be back in the states.
We have been busy trying to get school finished up before the move. The kids are working at finishing up their books. The kids also got to be in a science fair. It was so much fun. It was our daughter's first. The boys have been in one already. We had a TON of ice cream from one of the local ice cream shops. One of our sons needed dry ice for his experiment. So when you buy ice cream to take home from the ice cream shop, you get a piece of dry ice. I think we spent over 100 dollars in ice cream between trying the experiment, trying to store the dry ice, and the actual science fair experiment. The kiddos sure weren't sad over the abundance of ice cream! Our other son did his experiment on Vortex Energy. That was so much fun too. We were blessed to be able to find a fog machine and the solution to go in it. He needed it for his science project. Maybe I will post about the two projects and how to make them. They are such fun. Our daughter did her project on salt crystals. She worked really hard at stirring all the salt in...and there was a lot of salt!
I want to leave you with a link to a great blog post on raising men. Hope you go over and check it out.
http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2012/04/raising-men-in-a-man-hating-world.html

                               I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
                                From whence comes my help?
                                             My help comes from the Lord,
                                Who made heaven and earth.

                                   He will not allow your foot to be moved;
                            He who keeps you will not slumber.
                                              Behold, He who keeps Israel
                              Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

                                                  The Lord is your keeper;
                    The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
                                  The sun shall not strike you by day,
                                   Nor the moon by night.

                            The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
                            He shall preserve your soul.
       The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
               From this time forth, and even forevermore.

                                        Psalm 121:1-8

Gather the children, Mother,
The little heads close to your knee
In the hush of the beautiful twilight,
And talk to them tenderly.
When the bright eyes grow tired and restless
And gaze at you wistfully
And the sweet lips beg for a story,
Then gather them close to your knee.

Not long will your little ones linger
So talk to them while you may.
A world may be better tomorrow
For the story you're telling today.
So tell them the story of Jesus,
For the child's heart is tender and true;
And not all the teachers and preachers
Can guide them, oh Mother, like you.
                         -Author Unknown