Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up- April 19

Is it Friday already?

This week in our homeschool has been a good one.  We are praying for those in Boston and in Texas.  Such devastation and loss of life.  I am saddened that two young people who came to this country for a new and better life with their family feel they should perpetuate violence and hatred against the very society that welcomed them.  My grandparents were immigrants.  They loved America, what she stood for, the opportunities she gave them and their future families and embraced their new land as their own.  Enough said.  Many prayers are needed, that's for sure.

On Monday, Kiddo #4 had her sewing class.  She finished her "surprise" (I can't wait to see it!) and started a summer nightgown for herself.  She is SO talented!  :-)   Hubby actually had a day off and  was glad to get some outdoor work done.

Tuesday was a fun day.  The Kiddos did a flashcard matching activity I made with their Italian vocabulary.

There were also documentaries to watch and math work to be done.  :-)

I also was given my first sewing "lesson" by Kiddo #4.  She was just too cute in trying to show me all that she has learned.

I also posted my "Try a New Recipe Tuesday" recipe linkup.  I am also having a giveaway of a great cookbook called "Chocolate."  Click here to see the post, recipes and to enter the contest.  :-)

Three of the Kiddos did get their new bikes on Tuesday.  We are still looking for a bike for Kiddo #1.  We don't want him to settle and just pick one for the sake of it.  We want him to really like it and be comfortable with it, so we will continue to look.  I posted more photos of the kiddos and their bikes on my Wordless Wednesday post that you can see here.

Wednesday was a regular kind of day, with schoolwork getting done and Kiddo 1 and 2 having their online class.  Each afternoon has had nice weather so they are definitely getting use of those new bikes.  :-)

On Thursday, we got our schoolwork done, went to church for classes (I teach, Kiddos 3 and 4 attend, and Kiddos 1 and 2 are volunteer helpers) and Kiddo #1 had his Civil Air Patrol meeting.  He is preparing and packing for his Ranger Search and Rescue weekend.  All outdoors, survival, tents, campfires, navigating...you know, just a boy Heaven, lol!  :-)

I also wrote my Thankful Thursday post, being thankful for the medical personnel, volunteers and ordinary people offering to help, both in Boston and Texas.  You can read it here.

Kiddos #3 and 4 are learning how to calculate perimeter in math.  I came up with a hands-on activity with yarn today (Friday) to demonstrate the principle for Kiddo #4 and she had a little helper, too.  :-)

As I type, she is busily baking a treat for us.  I can't wait to taste it.  I will just have to write all about it in next week's Try a New Recipe Tuesday.  :-)

I hope you have had a great week and that your weekend is filled with family, love and fun!

A quote to share: "If the purpose of learning is to score well on a test, we've lost sight of the real reason for learning."-- Jeannie Fulbright

Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-Up, NOBH, Show-Off Friday, Learn and Link and It's a Wrap, Friendship Friday and Friday Connection

Wordless Wednesday- April 17

Ok, almost wordless  :-)  Three of the kiddos got their new bikes yesterday.  They had an awesome time!

Just a quick plug for my giveaway.  I am giving away a cookbook called "Chocolate."  It doesn't get much better than that, lol.  :-)  Click here so you can enter to win!

Linking up with: Judy H-J's Thoughts, Mama to 4 Blessings, Create with Joy, NOBH, Musings from a Stay at Home Mom, Tina's Wordless Wednesday,Judy @ CoffeeJitters and Wordless Wednesday at Wordless and  Living Well Wednesday, Modest Mom,  Homemaking Wednesdays and Crafty Spices, Look What We Did and Do Small Things With Love and Wordless Wednesday Bloggers

Memoir Monday- April 15

Happy Monday and Happy Tax Day!  :-)

It was a good weekend for the 4 Kiddos family.  On Saturday, we did a really fun science experiment that turned a bar of Ivory soap into a huge blob.  It was so much fun to see the kiddos so engaged and eager to see more.

I love when learning is hands-on!  So much "learning" has become boring, mundane and "textbook-y."  A child (or anyone, for that matter) needs to be interested and engaged.  Their creativity and imagination need to be stimulated.  In order for true learning to take place, the student(s) must really have a desire and a curiosity to delve into the subject area and find out as much as they can.  That is true passion and that is what I witnessed with the experiment.   I truly believe that if we don't find out our children's true interests and encourage them to pursue such interests to the fullest, we are stifling the very spirit of innovation that has inspired countless others to success in this nation and around the world.

Another outlet that is of critical importance to a young person's development is the ample opportunity for physical activity.  It saddened me deeply when I was teaching in the public schools that the students in grades 7-9 were not permitted outside once all day long!  The benefits of exercise are obviously well known and to deprive kids of that outlet after being cooped up in a desk for hours and hours on end is detrimental and unfortunate.  I don't think any of us could be cooped in a desk for hours without being given a chance to stretch or go outside for some air.  Many adults use their lunch hours to go to a gym or exercise facility at their office complex.  Countless others run errands or go out to lunch.  They need that time to unwind, get fresh air and move around.  But, youngsters, who have an even greater need for physical release aren't given such opportunities.  Even if my children and I aren't able to get outside due to weather, we will do some sort of physical activity inside-- even in the middle of a math lesson, if necessary.  You would be amazed at how a jog around the house or up and down the steps helps a child to focus.  When more oxygen gets to the brain, there is a marked change in attention, performance and attitude!

We have been blessed with great weather, so the kids have been outside almost everyday.  And this weekend was no exception.

As you can see from the photos, the bikes are all getting a bit small for the Kiddos, so hubby and I took them all out bike shopping after Church on Sunday.  Two of the bikes needed to be assembled, so they will not be ready until Tuesday.  You know I will happily post pictures then!  :-)  Everyone is excited about "graduating" to bigger bicycles, that I hope will give them much pleasure and exercise for a few years to come.

The beautiful weather has also brought back many of our feathered friends.  We are eagerly anticipating  additions to our photographic bird journal and to learning more about their traits and migratory patterns.

So, yes, in addition to the laundry, cleaning, cooking and other "regular" activities of a weekend, there was much fun and activity in our household that has given me even more reason to smile, be grateful and record memories here for my children to cherish in the future.  :-)  I hope your weekend was memorable and meaningful!

Linking up with:  On, in and around Mondays in addition to Wisdom Wednesday, Living Well Wednesday, Mom's Monday Mingle, Monday Mingle, Modest Mom, Crazy Mama, Homemaking Wednesdays and Raising Mighty Arrows and Titus 2sday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop and Memoir Monday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Create with Joy

Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up March 15

March just began and it is already half over!

In my life/homeschool this week:

Sunday, after Church, we had beautiful weather for outdoor fun and yard work with my hubby.

Monday was a good day getting back to the books after a fun weekend that had both snow and spring (that you can read about and see here).  Kiddo #4 had her sewing class.  She is making herself a skirt to wear on Easter Sunday!  :-)  We also went to the local garden center and bought our supplies to get started with our seeds.

On Tuesday, that is exactly what we did.  Our vegetables and flowers all were planted with much care in their little biodegradable pots.  You can see many more pics here.

The Kiddos have been looking forward to this for some time!  It is a wonderful process to see, literally, the fruits of their labor grow and develop before their eyes; and to be able to either appreciate the beauty of the flowers or eat of their "harvest."  :-)

I also posted my weekly recipe linkup that has grown so much.  I am very appreciative for all of the support and participation.  Over 60 recipes were shared again this week.  I shared our homemade donuts (yummy!)  If you missed it, or would like to check out all of the recipes, you can click here.

Wednesday began as an ordinary day, but then turned into something very special for us, as we got to witness something truly wonderful-- the white smoke billowing from the roof of the magnificent Sistine Chapel signalling the election of the 266th successor of St. Peter.  It was something so exciting to experience with my children, who were jumping up and down along with me at the news and then glued to the coverage to meet Pope Francis along with the world.  What a good, holy and humble man, one who truly strives to be Christ-like.  We are blessed indeed.

Thursday had Kiddos 1 and 2 taking their online class and Kiddos 3 and 4 playing a little matching game that I designed to teach them about how many seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks there are in a day, month, year, decade, century, etc.  This led into some math problems to delve into these even further.  What fun for them to figure out how many days or minutes they have been alive!  :-)  To get kids that enthusiastic about doing some math problems is an accomplishment in my book.  We also had our classes at church in the evening and Kiddo #1 had his Civil Air Patrol meeting.

I posted on Thursday about being grateful for many things, among them the beautiful spring-like weather of the last few days and the children getting to enjoy it.  You can see it all here.

I don't think we'll have snow again this Friday (but who knows?  March is pretty unpredictable), so we will try to go over to Church for Stations of the Cross.  It is a wonderful way for the children (and I!) to "walk along" the path of Christ on Good Friday and come to a better understanding of what He endured for our salvation.  Isn't that what Lent is all about?

A quote or photo to share: "If you judge a fish by its 'ability' to climb a tree, it will spend its entire life believing its stupid."-- Albert Einstein

Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-Up, NOBH, Show-Off Friday, Learn and Link and It's a Wrap, Friendship Friday and Friday Connection