Rubber boot homeschool week #2

This has been a very interesting week. We had to get through our bookwork by lunch every day, because the afternoons were full of other jobs that needed to be done.

You saw last week that we slaughtered a sheep. Normally, we would do this on a Sunday, work hard for about six hours, and have all the meat in the freezer. But Doug has felt very strongly of late that we are too wasteful. So we decided to alter our butchering method a bit. We also decided to split it up over a few days.

What does this have to do with homeschooling? Well, um, everything! More than book knowledge, our children need to know how to pitch in and work as a team, provide food for their family, use everything without wasting, use knives and equipment properly. Homeschooling is a way of life, so if history has to wait till after dinner, that's okay.

First, some pics of deboning the sheep. This sheep had a good amount of meat, for which we are grateful. Naomi and Holly have both been begging for months to be allowed to help with butchering. I wouldn't allow them, because deboning is difficult and it is easy to cut yourself. But then I realized that they could cut up the meat once it was off the bone. So two very eager girls sat down at their own cutting boards and began cubing the meat. They kept at it like troopers for two hours. I was amazed at their speed and their endurance.

Isaac was given the title of "bone boy." He had the very important duty of putting the bones into our big stockpot to be cooked down into broth. Here you can see some of the cubed meat, bagged and ready to be seasoned and stuffed into casings.

We also did another great activity that crossed curricular lines. Love that! This project could fit into homemaking skills, Ancient Egypt, Hebrew life, and botany. How about that?

It all started with an abundance of cattails growing in our pond. The kids were desperate to find something to do with them, since there were so many. We talked about how the ancient Hebrews used looms to weave their own fabric. Immediately the kids wondered if they also wove baskets. Well, you can see where this is going. We decided to use our cattail reeds to make baskets. I will let the pictures tell the story.

That's not a basket! I know, I know. When I tried to start weaving up the sides, I realized I was in over my head, so we decided to make mats instead. The one pictured above is Holly's.

What I learned this week:

• The best laid plans of mice and men......yada yada. Things don't always go the way we planned.
• Bedtime should be strictly observed. (Mommy's bedtime, that is.)
• You can put lung in jerky and it will still taste great.
• My daughter, Holly is a great artist.
• High speed internet would still be very nice.

Shabbat Shalom to everyone! Have a wonderful rest.

Can we obey 98% of the time?

As we enter into the fall feasts, we are given a wonderful opportunity to evaluate ourselves.  We need to look in the dark corners of our closets, peek under the cupboards, organize that high shelf.

So it is at this time that I ask the question:

Am I obeying YHVH 98% of the time?

Yahshua said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."  (Luk 9:62)


We have chosen to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We have studied Torah to learn His ways. But is there something lacking? Did we, in our haste, leave off that 2%? Have we rationalized and made excuses to protect that 2%? Does the 2% even matter?

I think the 2% does matter to YHVH.

• Achan only took a coat, some silver, and gold. What was that among all the treasures of Jericho? Probably less than 2%, yet it cost the lives of 36 men, and Achan and his family were stoned.
• Lot's wife only looked back at Sodom for a moment, surely not a long time, but as a result she turned into a pillar of salt.
• Saul only offered one sacrifice when he shouldn't have. That's not a big deal. But it cost him the kingdom.
• David only had one moment of passion, surely less than 2% of his life, but it cost him a child.

My fellow believers, the 2% matters! We must always be seeking to shed that last 2% and follow with our whole hearts. We cannot continue to say, "Look at all I'm doing right" while we hide the disobedience under the rug.

Do we eat kosher 98% of the time? But the other 2% is ingredients on the soup can that we choose to ignore.

Do we dress appropriately 98% of the time, except when it's inconvenient or when no one will see us?

Do we keep the Feasts and Shabbat, but delay dealing with trickier commands like the niddah laws?

Do we talk about our obedience and the things we have learned and forget to help those around us? Have we forgotten the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith?

But that's legalism!

Just a question: What is the opposite of legalism? Logic would dictate that the opposite is illegalism. So the question is whether we are obeying (legalism) or not obeying (illegalism).

The real question here is the heart. Are we busily occupied trying to take care of our 2% or are we demanding that everyone else deal with their 2%, while ignoring our own? 

Torah is very clear on what is expected of us. Sometimes we don't understand, and must lean on the Ruach HaKodesh. We have so much to learn and so much to put into practice. We obey our Heavenly Father because we love Him, just like a little child delights in pleasing their daddy. We are not saved by our works, but we work because we are saved. But let us not assume that we have arrived and are doing all we ought. We have put our hand to the plow. Let us not turn back from the plow, and let us not stand still looking at the plow. We must move forward, always seeking that 2%, that bit of obedience that is yet elusive. There is always room for us to grow closer to our Father. If we are truly seeking to serve YHVH 100%, when would we possibly have time to judge others for their 2%?

May we all grow closer to YHVH in this precious feast time! (I'm off to try to deal with my own 2%.)

Shalom!

The Simple Woman's Daybook - September

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it is dark and cold.


I am thankful...for life. I am glad to be given another day. I am glad to have six children and a wonderful husband. I am thankful for a healthy dose of perspective when things don't always go the way we planned.

From the learning rooms...We are moving a bit slow this week. With Gramma coming tomorrow and staying for 7 weeks, we have been a bit distracted with preparations. On top of that, we are still trying to finish putting up the 40+ pounds we got from the sheep last week.

In the kitchen...Egats! My kitchen needs a bit of help. I am taking a short sit down break to write this and then back to work. I have to make room for all the food Gramma will be bringing tomorrow. Bless her heart!

I am wearing...Denim. I need to be wearing a sweater and socks. It is cold tonight! Oh, and I actually put in a pair of earrings. I haven't worn any for probably a year. Doug thought they looked very feminine.

I am creating...a tunic length knitted vest. It is variegated purple wool, open in the front with a tie. I love having a good knitting project during Sukkot.

I am going...nowhere exciting. I can't even look forward to food co-op because I didn't get an order in this month.


I am reading...a book about food rationing during World War I, titled Everyday Foods in War Time . It's a very interesting read, outdated, but fascinating. Her understanding of nutrition at the time was uncanny. She lived in a world that had just invented oleomargarine, but also had some grasp of the importance of vitamines, as it was spelled at the time. Oh, and she knew that oatmeal should be cooked overnight, wise woman. :)

I am hoping...that my ebook will finally be available on Amazon this week.

I am looking forward to...Gramma's arrival tomorrow. She is more than a mother-in-law, but truly a friend. We have wonderful visits together.

I am hearing...the dishwasher, my drippy faucet and the clock ticking. Can't wait for a new faucet, and what possessed Doug to wind that clock again? I find myself doing everything in time with the clock. Very annoying.

Around the house...We are almost clean and shiny for tomorrow. I still have work in the kitchen, of course, but the rest is pretty good. I even cleaned my desk, ie my life, which seems to need tidying daily.

I am pondering...how to better implement Torah in our daily goings on. Can I be a better example? Is there a command that we have missed and need to be incorporating?

One of my favorite things...chocolate. Where is it when you need it?

A few plans for the rest of the week: Stuff hotdogs into casings, greet Gramma, absorb all the food she will be bringing into the kitchen, develop an entirely new daily routine, make soup, prepare for Shabbat, REST!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

 brotherly love xoxox

Check out more daybook entries at: The Simple Woman's Daybook

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Wondermaps! Review for Timberdoodle

I am pleased to bring you a review of Wondermaps, a very exciting geography tool.

This software program is basically a one stop shop for all your map needs. It has 350 maps and an ingenious layering tool that allows you to customize each map. With a few clicks, you have a personalized map ready to print. It has modern, historical, and biblical maps. Want to see Christopher Columbus's journeys? There's a map for that. Want to see Jonah's travels? There's a map for that, too. You can even print a map showing the countries in the UN.

Let me give you an example of the layers and how they work. Here is a map of Israel with all the layers on. I love the colored terrain. That is hard to find in printable maps.

Here is the same map of Israel with several of the layers turned off. Do you see how now the student can fill in the country names, city names, and river names without working around the terrain?

How can you make good use of a versatile program like Wondermaps? Well, here are a few ideas I came up with.

• Keep the globe safe, and look up places in Wondermaps.
• Print the maps smaller by setting the printer to multiple sheets per page. Then you can use these little maps in lapbooks or notebooking. Particularly useful with the historical maps. Back when I was homeschooled, we hand traced little maps to put in our timeline notebook.
• Print off several maps to create a mini atlas to keep in the child's notebook.
• Create blank maps for the student to fill in. Print a filled in map for the student to copy as they learn new material.
• Look up settings and locations that you run across in books. The clicks are so fast to find what you want that this is very practical.
• Compare historical and modern locations. How have things changed?
• Understand the terrain where historical events took place. Was it mountainous or near water?

Okay, I hope by now you are excited. If you are like me, you have spent hours in the past scouring the internet for maps. If you did find the one you needed, it was probably only modern, and almost never topographical. So let me give you the nuts and bolts now. What are the pros and cons of Wondermaps?

Pros:

• It is not internet based. I know I am part of a dying breed, but I have dialup. This is an important feature.
• It is PDF based. I like PDF because it is very easy to work with.
• The maps are professional looking.
• You can add terrain to the maps. Most maps out there lack this feature, and I think it is very important to have.
• The combinations possible with the layering options are phenomenal.
• The program and maps are flexible enough to fit in with any geography approach.
• You aren't going to find most of these maps free on the internet. Believe me, I've tried.
• Two words: Pan zoom. If the labels are a bit small on the screen, go to View, Zoom, Pan & Zoom. Very cool feature that magnifies those little details.

Cons:

• To be frank here, after starting at the world map, clicking on a continent, then clicking on a country complete with mountains and deserts and grassy plains, I was a little disappointed to not be able to click one more time and see photos of house styles and local wildlife. I know, I know, you can't have everything! :) The program just had me that wrapped up in the excitement of far off places.
• The price does seem high at first glance, but as I explored the options and reflected on all the lost hours of vain searching in the past, I concluded that this program is complete, thorough, and will serve us for many years. 

Wondermaps was reviewed by my entire family, and we all enjoyed it. The maps of Isreal above were printed at Daddy's request and he spent much time studying them. The next pic shows Isaac (6) and I looking up every country he could think of, from India to Cuba

.

We also will be filling in some maps of the Middle East this week. We just learned about the rivers where the first civilizations after the flood popped up. Of course, I was able to turn off the river names for their map, and print a copy all filled in for them to copy. This will be a popular way for us to use this program.

If you feel this program would be helpful in your family, I would encourage you to head on over to Timberdoodle to get your program. But don't take my word for it. You can read more reviews here:

I received a free copy of Wondermaps in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. The review shared is based on my personal, honest opinion.

Homeschool 2011-2012 Week 1

Isn't that an awful title? I'll try to be more creative next time.

So we had our first week of school this week. I could say it went well, or I could say it didn't go so well. I think mostly it was about learning to work with life in the middle of school.

I wrote out a very detailed lesson plan for the week, and used a timer to keep us moving. In the past, my gentle learning was a little too gentle. So I decided to push a little harder this year. It worked very well for a few reasons.
1. We didn't lollygag around. Isaac tried to play around during his reading time, but I told him if he didn't finish his reading lesson in the twenty minutes, he would do the whole lesson again the next day. He never had to do that.
2. I wrote down the time we took for each lesson right on the lesson plan. At the end of the day, I was able to input everything into homeschool tracker for a permanent record with time spent. We are not required to report anything in Michigan, but I want to be prepared if that changes.
3. If we did get interrupted by life, I knew exactly where to start when we returned. For example, an important phone call came in. I let the machine pick it up, and as soon as we were done the current subject, I returned the call, and gave the kids a short recess. This worked much better than expecting them to keep working. They just aren't ready to work independently like that.

Here is what our daily schedule looks like:

40 min. Torah School (includes reading part of the Torah portion, copywork, reading related stories, activities, etc.)
20 min. Hebrew Life and Times(read chapter on Monday, do related activities on following days)
15 min. Hebrew (vocabulary, copywork)
5 min. ABC and 123 ( recite sounds of alphabet and count forward and backward)
80 min. Reading (20 min. for each child, Naomi- Learn to Read Bible, McGuffey 1st Reader, Holly and Isaac- Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Sadie's Stories- The Poky Little Puppy (A Little Golden Book Classic))
30 min. Math (Matrix Math timed addition and subtraction worksheets)
30 min. Physical Education/ Recess
30 min. History and Science (Read alouds and activities on alternating days)
30-60 min. Home economics (Deep cleaning of assigned rooms, with us working as a team, and teaching kitchen skills like bread, peeling potatoes, etc.)

Now for the highlights!

Torah School!
We studied Ki Tetse (Deut. 21:10-25:19)
We did a copywork page, read a story, listened to a great teaching on Shabbat, and looked for things in our house that are unsafe.

Naomi practiced until she could read a book about frogs by herself!

We drew pictures of shepherds in the Bible.

We learned about important rivers in the Middle East and India.

We spent 45 minutes scrubbing the kid's bathroom, and boy, did it look good!

Naomi and Holly both moved up a worksheet in Math.

The girls learned how to knead and bake bread. Daddy likes their bread better than mine lol. I think I've been replaced. :)

We slaughtered a sheep, and learned about various organs. When I pointed out the lungs and explained that they were for breathing, Isaac responded with, "Man, that is so disgusting!"

We learned how to process sheep casings to use for making homemade hot dogs and meat sticks. This picture is of the casings soaking in salt water.

What did I learn this week?

• My children are capable of more than I thought.
• A lot of learning goes on in everyday life, and I might as well write it down.
• It is hard to read a history chapter out loud over a toddler pretending to be a puppy.
• Every day is precious and should be used wisely.
• High speed internet would be so nice. :)

Shabbat Shalom to everyone!

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