Back At It

I hope you have all had a wonderful summer break. We are ready to get back to a regular routine. You can add up on one hand the number of times our whole family spent an entire 24 hours at our home. We spent the majority of our time at the lake with a week here and there at camps or visiting friends.

We'll start lessons in a week and I will be posting more regularly now that I'll actually be at home. We have no internet at the lake and that's okay with me. All I want to do when I'm there is swim, float or fish and visit with good friends.

I plan on deep cleaning our learning room and doing a little more organizing this week. The kids are chomping at the bit to open their new books. My non-homeschooling friends think we're strange. It's like Christmas when those book orders start arriving!

We have our books and materials all ready to go. We're trying out a new spelling program this year- I'll post about that after we've been into it for a few weeks. I have also written up my own history curriculum for the most part for this year. I loved Mystery of History, but we finished Book 3 and Book 4 won't be done for awhile yet. I couldn't find anything I liked quite as well, so here goes nothing...

Summer Break

We're on summer break for now. I'm looking forward to time at the lake, vacation, visits with friends, gardening, grilling, plenty of time to tackle my reading list and for working on my new history plan. Hope you all have a blessed summer!

Be back in August...

Talent Show

The Niles Area Christian Homeschool group held our annual Spring Talent Show last night at our local library's auditorium. It was a wonderful evening of listening and watching the display of talent that God has blessed these kids with.

We prayed together before the start of the show and asked God to calm our nerves. One of the kids asked that their efforts would be glorifying to God. I can say that they definitely did that. It was a moving evening.

Bookworm performed Sonatina No. 1 by Beethoven. She did a great job with it. I have really enjoyed listening during her practice times at home as she has become more accomplished. She has a lovely touch on the piano, a lot like her personality, very gentle.

Ladybug performed Spinning Song by Ellmenreich. It's a very lively song that suits her personality as well. She plays piano with passion for sure.

Busy Bee played Symphony No. 1 by Brahms. He didn't show any nerves at all. He actually seemed a little in his element. Maybe it has something to do with being the youngest, but he seems to enjoy a crowd. He is a ham!

Ladybug and two of her closest friends performed a stick routine together to the song Who Am I? by Casting Crowns. The girls choreographed the routine themselves. Several people commented that it brought tears to their eyes. It's a very powerful song anyway and several of the movements that they added really brought home the lines "not because of who I am, but because of what You've done, not because of what I've done, but because of who You are."

After the show we went for ice cream with a few other families. There was a lot of chating and laughter. It was a great end to a great night!

NACHS Science Fair

Our homeschool group puts on a science fair every spring. The kids make display boards, prepare reports, prepare speeches, create models or an apparatus and study so that they are prepared to be questioned by judges and visitors. It was a great day!

Busy Bee worked on simple machines. He experimented with his own pulley system and learned to calculate mechanical advantage. He also created a complex machine using several of the simple machines that he learned about. He really enjoyed himself and had fun talking to people about his project.

In the picture above, Ladybug is watching her car go down the track in the Derby Race. Both she and Busy Bee participated and had fun. They like working with Dad on their cars.

Bookworm completed her study of Sir Isaac Newton. She seemed to particularly enjoy learning more about inertia and created a simple apparatus to show what happens to a person in a car who doesn't wear a seatbelt. The car comes to a sudden stop and inertia causes you to stay in motion. Who knew you could do so many motion experiments with a grocery cart?

Top Children's Novels???

Recently I came across this list of the 100 top children's novels. I must say I was very disappointed with the amount of fluff the list contained. There are so many quality books to choose from, it's too bad that there are so many low quality choices on the list.

I put the books I've read in bold. How many of these haveyou read?

100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)
88. The High King - Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief - Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)
72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes - Streatfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)
49. Frindle - Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)
35. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)
27. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass - Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes - Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

Midwest Homeschool Conference

• We had a wonderful time at the Midwest Homeschool Conference. It was a time of planning and a time to get inspired and excited about the next school year. I am so thankful that I was able to find everything on my list. I love books, it was like Christmas!
  
• I took both girls and my friend and her daughter. We were able to stay with some super friends in Dayton and drive down to Cinncinatti each day of the conference. The girls all went to the Teen Worldview Track and really enjoyed themselves.

• My good friend, Gina, was at the conference with her Total Language Plus booth. Whenever I started to feel overwhelmed, I would stop by her booth for a short visit. Gina brought two of our friends to help in her booth, so I had several ladies to chat with. You can learn more about TLP by visiting her blog: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/tlpgina/ They are very good products that both of my girls enjoy using!
  
• The conference itself offered a large number of workshops and vendors. It took me a long time to make it through all 1200+ booth spaces. It could be a bit crowded at times but it was worth it to have so many options.
  
• The highlight of the whole weekend was the Tim Hawkins Concert! I laughed so hard my face hurt. He's funny just walking around on the stage and he sang my favorite song- Chick-fil-a. I walk around singing it all of the time. HILARIOUS!

• If you don't know who he is, where have you been? I'm kidding, you should do yourself a huge favor and check out these clips on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJHqstPuNo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2eh6f5Go0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM6uqj0_jQc&feature=related

My sons favorite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSAGPC7hGp0&feature=related

• On the way home I had car trouble and had to turn around and go back to my friends home. God really protected us on the road and we are very grateful. We ended up having to stay two more days while the car was fixed. We were pampered and taken care of by all my Dayton pals. I am blessed to have such awesome women in my life.