Courageous Joy

WEDNESDAY

I read only 1/2 of "Blueberries for Sal" and Arielle and Nolan can't wait for school tomorrow. We finished a *Children of the Dust bowl* - this was an excellent book.

I realized that buying good flour is going to break my budget! LOL I went through 5 lbs of flour in 24 hours....I can buy 50lbs of wheat to grind for $11...

I realized that I could pull out the scrapping stuff and let the children enjoy it for their lap books. Arielle told me that she is enjoying this "lap book stuff" now. Shew. I'm glad. I thought she would, but she really wasn't acting like it all through the Thanksgiving project. They made a booklet on the Advent season (blurbs below inside a book) and did the little Advent Wreath project from Hands of a Child. I think she is liking it better because I am letting them dictate what they want on the computer and then they can decide what sort of booklet they want to make.

Hmmm.... I'm not wholeheartedly enjoying the Hands of a Child book. First, I found some things in the notes that simply are not found ANYWHERE else that I've looked...like advent wreaths being invented by Protestants....I'm not sure it MATTERS but it makes me leery to see info here that I find no where else. There are no instructions on how to assemble or use anything, at least none I can find. Is this common with HoaC kits? I think I do like the Live and Learn lap book kits better. This one seems to be all the same thing.....we are using the graphics and shapes to make our own books....but I'm really sort of gun shy about teaching the children the info in their guide unless I see it in my other books and trusted websites. I spent quite a bit of time today researching the advent wreath thing and the candles as well. I know there are discrepancies about the candles...and the main thing is to celebrate....but honestly some of these practices have gone back to 300 AD and to say a Protestant in Germany came up with it in 1839 is...well I want documentation before I teach that to my children.... Ok so those who know my inductive Bible Study bent are laughing now....yes.... I'm still a "show me the chapter and verse" type learner and teacher.

WHICH brings me to another observation. I noticed in the Thanksgiving project and now in this HOAC Christmas symbols, that you are given notes but no sort of documentation at all. I had several resources I was looking at for Thanksgiving, for instance, and one said Squanto learned English from "fishermen", one said he was a "captured slave" and one said he was an "English guest" (all of which are sure to have a kernel of truth). I'm guessing these companies are marketing their cute graphics and hands on ideas and not necessarily their "in-depth academics", but still.....I'm thinking I'll do better finding those companies whose facts I can trust and/or doing our own lapbooks based on our research and reading with TOG. My disclaimer here would be that this is the only HoaC lap book I've done and maybe they aren't all like this. I do like the graphics and shapes, without having to search them all out on google. I wish that the printer I'm using would do coloring book - I'd print more images and let the kids color them....maybe even on sticker paper.

We are enjoying our readings in Tabitha's Travels. The children asked again tonight if I would read ahead. Josiah is at work and I don't want to leave him behind. I read a chapter of Peter Pan instead. I had to read the last page 3 times because I was reading "gibberish" again. ::snort:: I get so tired at that time of night and then after I get everyone in bed - I pop awake.

I realized today that we've gotten away from "family breakfast". Honestly, the children want to begin their school days and not wait for each other...but I think we'll bring this back in. If I work on it for the next three months it should be a pattern and when Mike gets back they can spend a few minutes in the a.m. with him before he leaves for work. Of course, this will cut into my a.m. study and work out time....always trade offs.