Updating

Weeks 11 and 12 went well. I have been so busy lately it seems hard to find the time to share specifics and take pictures. I'm going to try to be better at this in the coming weeks. We will be working on week 13 this week but there is sickness in the house and there was no school today. It seems everyone has a touch of something! If you are reading send up prayers for us and I'll get back and update more as soon as I can. I want to post pictures of Meadow with her trophy that she received for completing Sing Spell Read and Write!

MFW and our Plan for Next Year

(This is more for me. I want this as a reminder for me to refer to. It looks like a lot and isn't meant to discourage anyone. It doesn't take as long as it looks.)

We use My Father's World, this year we are doing Explorations to 1850's and the following year we will move onto the 1850's to Modern Times. I use the 2nd and 3rd grade supplements for my 2nd grader.

Sky-7th/8th grade,

Bible-memorizing the book of James and Boy Have I Got Problems by Kay Author and Trial and Triumph

Hymns- Then Sings My Soul Volume One- This is so much fun. (I download the hymns from itunes as we go, which is just .99 cents every two weeks. Very convenient and we'll have a complete cd at the end of our study.)

History MFW uses: Exploring American History, In God We Trust, Building a City on a Hill, George Washington's World, The Last 500 Years, The Story of the World 3 (we have this on cd and LOVE it), and read alouds Almost Home, Amos Fortune, Free Man, Madeleine Takes Command, William Carey, Mary Jones and Her Bible & Bound for Oregon. (Plus odd and ends/writing state report, state flag stickers, state sheets and cards, maps of US and the World, presidents flash cards, and lots of projects)

Math-TT 7th grade and we plan to stick with Teaching Textbooks as long as it continues to work as GREAT as it has.

Spelling-Phonetic Zoo Spelling level B moving onto C (then if needed will try Spelling Power as recommended by MFW)

Language Arts-All in One English Series then Applications of Grammar Set, I will choose two Literature units from Progeny Press. I'm still undecided on which two. 8th grade we will do two more Progeny Press units but I'm undecided about LA, I do have English from the Roots Up, so we will probably pick this up.

Writing- IEW-SWI-B and will continue on with SWI C

Science-Apologia General Science (plan to stay with Apologia as long as it works)

Music-Studying Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Chopin using the 6 cd set: The Story of Schubert in Words and Music, Schubert Symphonies (music only), The Story of Mendelssohn in Words and Music, The Best of Mendelssohn (music only), The Story of Chopin in Words and Music, The Best of Chopin (music only)

Art: I have a vhs doodle series that they love to work from and I'm adding in God and the History of Art. Also planning to add in The Gluck Method: The Art of Drawing with dvds set one and two to continue through highschool. (adult set)

(link for those who may want to look at this: The Gluck Method )

Meadow 2nd/3rd grade does the same for Bible, hymns and music we add the Celebrate America cd.

History: The above list and her age level read alouds (both girls listen to each others books) American Pioneers and Patriots, North American Indians, Red White and Blue, The Fourth of July Story, Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Sarah Witcher's Story and The Thanksgiving Story.

Math- 2nd grade BJU (for 3rd grade it will be 3rd grade BJU or 4th grade Teaching Textbooks depending on where she places. I've always used BJU math and really like it, but for older grades I like the instruction and the dvds are expensive. After finally trying TT the plan is to use this for both girls through highschool.)

Spelling-Spelling by Sound and Structure/Rod and Staff 2nd grade. She is almost done with this and she just finished Sing Spell Read and Write. I'm either going with Phonetic Zoo A or Spelling Power. Undecided.

Language Arts-moving into Prmary Language Lessons for 2nd and 3rd. Writing we plan to move into IEW-SWI-A either 3rd or maybe 4th grade.

Science- we are almost finished God's Design for Life/Animal Kingdom and will be moving on to Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany. I also use Kingfishers The World of Animals as a supplement.

Art: Meadow also watches the Doodle series I have, and I plan to start her in The Gluck Method:The Art of Drawing Kids package. (Use same link as above.)

Both girls also have book baskets to enhance our studies.

We are in week eleven. A little later for us due to the late start last fall, we began around the last week of October. For details on next years history, visit the 1850's to Modern Times .

And there is a great review of MFW on our review page here at HSC MFW Review!

Also next year we will be adding in Rosetta Stone Spanish for our Foreign Language.

It looks like so much but our days are full not jammed. It's been our greatest year by far!

Oh and my reasons for choosing My Father's World is multiple. I chose this mainly because of the biblical content/focus. There is simply no way to take God out of this. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the teacher's manuals that Marie Hazell has created. It is very open and go, I can tweak if I so desire and plan my heart away BUT if I cannot it is there for me as is. I love that she has a schedule at the beginning of each week to give a complete overview of what will be covered each day that week. Again, this makes great ease when I want to tweak and makes my planning ahead easier BUT if I can't I simply print my schedules put them on my clip board and school away. I love the added lists of books for the book baskets and I love that the program has been around long enough that I can easily find full book baskets for sale. I do plan to incorporate our library more in the future but for right now owning these book baskets has been a REAL blessing. I feel the program gives you much freedom to choose in other subjects such as math, science ect... I try to use what MFW recommends as much as possible but after homeschooling for 7 years and having things that I know work, its no problem using what works for us.

I love the rotation and it will work out beautifully for Meadow as she will finish 2nd and 3rd as listed above and then be able to start the whole 5 year cycle over again in grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Year One	Geography: Exploring Countries and Cultures
Year Two	History: Creation to the Greeks
Year Three	History: Rome to the Reformation
Year Four	U.S. /World History: Exploration to 1850
Year Five	U.S./World History: 1850 to Modern Times

I LOVE the ministry that MFW supports. I love that we have been able to learn about the people and numerous different nations that still do not have God's word in their native tongue. I love that we are enabled to be missionaries in essence right from our living room. (Of course you don't have to have MFW to do this BUT I love that MFW has birthed this in us!) I could go on and on and on and on......................

Weekly Report wk 10

I've been so busy lately that I just didn't have the time to do a weekly report. Last week we finished all of our work for MFW week 10. We had a couple of days off since Tony was out of work. One day was weather and the other day was that the work truck broke down.

Meadow has finished her Sing Spell Read and Write! She is ecstatic! We are ordering her a trophy to present her with for this accomplishment, I can't wait! I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Meadow is moving along in math, completing around a chapter each week. She has almost finished her spelling book and we will be moving into Primary Language Lessons soon. I'm very proud of her.

Sky is doing great too. She has finished the first module in her Apologia General Science and tested. This is one tough course for us and I'm so pleased that she has transitioned well with it. Teaching Textbooks continues to be one of the biggest blessings that our homeschool has come across for math. It is a perfect fit for our family and doesn't carry the high price tag that BJU dvds did. This is a math that we can afford!

I'll have to take some pictures of the lovely art history work that Sky is doing and share with you. I love that their notebooks are filling up after only a few months of school. It shows that we are accomplishing alot.

This week we are doing week 11. I'll report in soon! Happy homeschooling!

The Preamble of Our State.....

Ours is Virginia~

Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other.

I love this. It's poetic isn't it? It's what our country was founded on but everyone seems to have forgotten. Our Creator, Our Father, His Son Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit.


'Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.'
- William Penn

BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD ... PSALM 33:12
GOD BLESS AMERICA