English Language Arts 2 (Term 1)

English Language Arts is are biggest subject. It requires the most time and it produces the most paper! We are continuing to use  the Sing, Spell, Read and Write Curriculum which we are continuing to enjoy. It is colourful, and offers a lot of variety to keep things interesting. I went through the pile and tried to list everything that we have covered this term. It also has a "Writing Connection" section which gives ideas for journaling and sometimes we come up with our own topics. Journaling is not David's favourite thing to do but he is coming along quite well with his writing and finds it easier to write longer entries then when he first started journaling in August.

SSRW also has stories for reading and comprehension. David participated in his first reading club this summer and read 2 Geronimo Stilton Chapter Books. He is independently reading so he does this throughout the day with whatever might catch his interest. He also likes to read to his sisters.

Manuscript Writing
Short a, Short e, Short i, Short o, Short u, Silent e, c=s words, ay, y=I, ge gi and gy, y=e
Sentence Scramble
Syllables
Compound Words
Root Words
Twin Consonants
Cloze
Suffixes
Verb Usage
Proof Reading
Word Clues
Rhryming
Matching (Word to Picture, Subject to Predicate)
Two Vowel Words
Literature Puzzle, Cross Words, Word Search
don't and doesn't, went and gone, came and come, did and done
Word Meanings, Word Association
Alphabetical Order
Sentence Structure, Complete and Incomplete Sentences, Subject and Predicate

Christian Foundations 2 (Term 1)

David started out first term using the same curriculum from last year for Christian Studies because we really enjoy it. After a few weeks I decided to take a break from it because I found he is learning so much just from the activities he attends. Studying God's word is a wonderful thing but we definitely don't want to overwhelm him with it!

This year David is attending BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) with his Grandpa on Monday nights. I recommend this to ALL parents who are wanting a more in depth Bible Study for themselves and their kids. It is a 2 hour program and the teachers are excellent. David has a really fun time.
During the week David completes 6 days of BSF homework. He also memorized a verse. These are NOT your typical Sunday School memory verses.
This year in BSF they are studying the book of Matthew. Here is the memory verse David learned for lesson 6.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

David also attends Sunday School at our church. I really like the program they are using as well. He has 4 days of Bible Study homework. This is a themed study where they have been learning about Honor. He also memorizes a verse each week for Sunday School. This year he is working towards earning his second pin in a 9 year memory verse program. During Sunday School they have also begun practising for their Christmas performance. David is part of the choir so he is learning to sing as part of a group. He enjoys practising at home with the music CD.

For Bible Reading David has The Adventure Bible and The Adventure Bible Devotional. He also enjoys reading his Action Bible (which is the stories of the Bible in Comic Strip). He has memorized the names of the 66 books of the bible in order. Last week his Opa was telling a friend that David knew the Bible Books in order so the friend asked David "What comes after Ezekiel?"... David-"DANIEL!" He has also learned this term how to find the book, chapter and verse he is looking for.

As a family we enjoy watching "What's in the Bible with Buck Denver."



This year we sponsored a compassion child. Her name is Sabrina and we often pray for her before dinner. David decided it would also be good to pray for Dixon who is one of the Compassion Children our Church All Star Kids sponsor, they raise enough money during 1 week Vacation Bible School to provide for 2 sponsor kids all year long. David recently filled a shoebox for Samaritans Purse (this has been part of our Christmas traditions for many years now) then on Sunday he came home with another box so he went with me to fill it yesterday. These have been good opportunities to learn that not everyone has the same abundance we so often take for granted.

Mathematics 2 (Term 1)

Summer always goes by in a hurry. This is our 3rd year homeschooling and the school year now seems to pass just as quickly. Here I am beginning my reports for Term 1.

Math is David's favorite subject. He finds it easy and quick. It is the easiest subject for me to teach. We are continuing to use "Math U See" curriculum which I love! There is a DVD for each lesson which we watch together. If David needs more instruction we go over it further on our white board but this is seldom the case. There are also lots of online resources on the Math U See website. Each week we cover 1 lesson which consists of 12 worksheets and 1 test. There are also unit tests and each week also reviews the previous weeks so that it all stays fresh.

David is currently working on lesson 8 and will have completed 10 lessons by the end of term 1. These lessons cover the following:
1. Place Value
2. Sequencing; Word Problem Tips
3. Inequalities
4. Rounding to 10 and Estimation
5. Multiple-Digit Addition
6. Skip Counting by 2
7. Addition with Regrouping (Carrying)
8. Skip Count by 10
9. Skip Count by 5; 5 cents=1 Nickel
10. Money: Decimal Point and Dollars
Many of these lessons we covered in kindergarten and Grade 1 so they were review. David caught on to the new lessons easily. Estimation and Regrouping were both completely new to him. David does well on his tests. He completes them without help which allows him to feel confident and allows me to know if there is anything we need to work on. He often gets all the answers correct. He sometimes gets one answer wrong and the most he has gotten wrong on a test is 2. This is where we see his perfectionist side come out! He really doesn't like to make a mistake. He is learning to check his work.

A+ from Mom
Good Job David!

Rebekah's 1st Year

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly baby photo books are the perfect way to preserve your baby's precious moments.

I just finished and ordered Rebekah's Baby Book. I've used Shutterfly before and I have been happy with them. Because life is busy with 4 I worked on Rebekah's book online, one month at a time. I would recommend this method to all busy Moms. You can journal while it's fresh in your mind and if you dedicate one page per month it is easy to just add your favourite pictures at the end of each month. Here it is for anyone who wants to view it online. I should have the hard copy in my hot little hands in a few weeks time. "The days are long but the years are short."

Pumpkin Picking

This year we tried the AppleBarn Pumpkin Patch in Abbotsford for the first time. We have been 2 or 3 times to the one in Steveston. We enjoyed it and it was nice to experience a different farm. Highlights compared to Steveston are the petting zoo, giant bouncy mat (although it was out of order) and Pony Rides (if you want to pay extra). Our kids were pretty leery about touching the animals so we ruled out Pony Rides this time. Don't get sucked in about the "Zip Line"... it is just a glorified playground pulley). A plus is the store where you can buy fresh apples and fresh apple juice (called apple cider). Downside is it was expensive... the pumpkins cost more too. But it was a really fun family day, great weather and not too crowded.

Tad Lake - Thanksgiving 2013

This year we were able to make a second trip to Tad Lake for our 2nd annual early Thanksgiving. It was a lot colder then last year but that made for a new kind of fun. The kids did well and are really settling in to the cabin and camper being home away from home. The new family picture isn't the best shot we got but I will likely be using it for Christmas cards so I thought I would save it for now.
It was nice to see Fall settling into the Caribo. It's much different then our fall... no reds... just greens and golds. We were fortunate to see some different animals this year. A hare, 2 swans, cows and squirrels (okay cows and squirrels we see here). Jonathan also got to see a Doe and her Fawn when he was out hunting... two bad it wasn't a Buck! Oh well, maybe next year Honey! The week went by so fast. I didn't even manage a quad ride this time around but we were blessed to be surrounded by nature, fresh air, family and lots of yummy food... who could ask for more?