This was one of those homeschool weeks I'm happy to write about.
There was learning, fun, exerecise, relaxation, and a little of everything inbetween. I know all weeks aren't like this, so I treausre the ones that are!
After a particular day of being cooped up inside (after many days of rain and cold here in Georgia) we went to a local nature area and hiked the creek trails.
We come to this area often, and the last time we were here the creek was almost dry. This week it was flowing and that was good to see. I have a good homeschool friend who takes her children to this area weekly (sometimes more than once a week) to observe the changes throughout the seasons. This is something I'd like to do with my children this year.
I shared last week that my word for this year is HEALTH.
Jen, at Forever, For Always, No Matter What, encouraged me to take my health by the horns this year. I am doing a 10 day Shakeology challenge. So far I am feeling GREAT! I have also given up Coke Zero and am seriously limiting my sugar intake.
All of us have been eating much more healthy. Planning our meals (quite specifically) and making sure there are only healthy foods in the pantry and frig is immensely helpful.
To that end:
- Plan to Eat has been a lifesaver! Not only do I have an automatically generated grocery list, but I also have my meals planned in the online planner. I can also share recipes with Jen (and lots of other friends who use Plan to Eat). If you want to find out more, read how it is The Best $5 I Spend Each Month.
- We replaced sugar with Stevia and Agave Nectar. So far no one is really missing it, although there have been a few whines and groans about ice cream and cookies. I'm sure we'll have them as a treat every now and then.
- I am in love with almond butter and spinach - go figure. Almond butter on a rice cake is my favorite snack, and almost every day I have been having a spinach salad.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos were a hit in our house this week. This is a healthy recipe that made everyone happy. I've been pinning a lot of healthy recipes to my HEALTH Pinterest board, too.
Some of the highlights of learning this week included:
- Lots of math drills - I love the drills in Saxon Math, and Grant loves the drills on the iPad. Math Monkey and Math Drills are his two favorite apps right now.
- We have been reading The Hobbit aloud. THEY LOVE IT! Grant has decided this book will be the book for his literature fair project in February. He even asked me for "Hobbit Handwriting Copywork" this week. What?!?!
- The kids requested a baking soda and vinegar experiment this week. We did the classic dancing raisins experiment and then I just put baking soda on a baking sheet and let them drop colored vinegar onto it. They had so much fun with this. We talked about baking soda being a base and vinegar being an acid and the formation of CO2.
- Anna had some hard spelling words this week. I asked her to create a Word document to study her words. She created a colorful sheet which she put on the refrigerator and also taped one on her bathroom mirror.
This last collage does my heart good.
Anna has been working on a quilt. Her aunts got her started, and a dear friend of ours is helping her finish.
We spent several hours learning, quilting, talking, and just having a good time. I consider this friend to be a mentor mom to me. I think relationships like these are a necessity in these sometimes lonely and uncertain homeschool years.
I am thankful that we had the time in our schedules (I've been intentional about not overscheduling this year!) to do something like this. I am thankful for friendship and Godly women to guide me, and I am thankful for the opportunity to learn ALONGSIDE my daughter, not apart from her.
It isn't always easy, but is definitely always worth it in the end.
Other posts from the blog this week:
As I wrap up this post (late Thursday evening) we are just home from a Classical Conversations information meeting. My husband and I learned SO much and there is a lot to be discussed, prayed about, and researched. My gut is telling me this may just be the direction to take in our homeschool next year. {I will keep you posted.}
How was your homeschool week? I'd love for you to join Collage Friday. The rules are simple: Write a post with photo collages documenting your homeschool week. Grab the Collage Friday button (in my sidebar) or text link back to this post. Then, sign the linky and visit a few others who have linked as well. This is a great way to gain ideas and offer support and encouragement.
