It's been over a month since I've updated. We went on a trip week before last and so were gone for a few days. Before that Jade worked on his writing lessons, and we went through some animal science lessons. We read our daily proverbs, bible stories, and prayer book. He still does Explode the Code on Sundays and Fridays.
Youtube videos watched during that period were: acrobats w/ trapeze, a Powerpoint presentation on the six days of creation, lions, blue whale, "The Atom" animated, seal eating salmon, seal eating a fish, seals and penguins on coast of Argentina; and Crawford the Cat: Lets Everyone Play, Practice Makes Perfect, "Try a Bite" Club, Crawford & Harriet Work Together
My friend Angela came over on Jan. 6 with her two girls. She and I visited while the kids played. Another day we visited another friend Amy and her two girls at Barnes & Noble. I bought the boys a new Berenstain Bears book. Apparently they now have a bible-based series. We own over fifty BB books, and the boys love them. The BBs are Jade's favorite, which equates to my being burned out on them. Thankfully he's reading better by himself all the time (but he still likes stories read and sits while I read to both boys).
We've also had a lot of snow, which Jade has absolutely loved. He talked all last summer about wanting a lot of snow and that he prayed God would bring him snow. WELL! We've had plenty of it. We've already seen more snow than we ever have since living here, and we're probably going to get more.
It sleeted where we were while we were on our trip visiting family and my friend Lindsey. My dad pulled Jaden on a sled behind his MTV. Also the boys got to watch the movie Swiss Family Robinson, which is the book we started but have not yet finished. My mother bought the movie for them.
The day we left I had fixed muffins that morning, which is what I most often fix. Trusten wanted to watch and help. He asked, "What is that?" I explained to him all the ingredients that had to go into the batter and explained that it then had to bake. I said that all the ingredients had to be put together just right and in the right amount and had to be baked before we end up with muffins.
I said, "It's just like how we were made from water and dirt from the earth, but if you went outside and just mixed dirt and water together, you would get mud. But, if you put together certain minerals and things from the dirt in specific amounts and arranged it correctly with the water, then you could get our bodies or the bodies of dogs or tigers or other animals, depending on which recipe or instructions" you use. "Ooooh," he said. "I see." :-) Then both the boys listened to me explain different measures, and how it took two half cups to equal the same as a cup.
Now since we got back:
*Wednesday, February 3: I lectured Jade about how a house and the human body is similar. He knows a little about building, so I quizzed him about the order a structure is built. I then asked him to guess the which parts in our bodies to which those things corresponded. He guessed some correctly; others he did not, but he did a good job guessing. We talked about the foundation. Then I explained that our skeleton is our framework, the muscles our reinforcement/strength, our network of nerves the electrical wiring, the plumbing our digestive system and partly our circulatory system, our fat our insulation, our skin and glands (and most specifically the hypothalamus) our climate control (HVAC), and so on.
Jade asked about our bones, and I explained that they're mostly made of calcium, which is a white mineral. He asked why bones aren't completely white, and I explained it's because they are not 100% calcium but also have phosphorus and a small amount of other things and are also surrounded by our other blood and tissues. I told him calcium was a pretty hard mineral and that our teeth are also made of it. I then told him it was not the hardest mineral, but rather that diamonds are. I said, "Can you imagine if we had a framework made of diamond?!"
We also read some out of a book called Charlie Brown's Fifth Super Book of Questions and Answers. We read about machines, especially levers and inclined planes. This is a topic that we discussed not too long ago, but we didn't read there about it.
When we read our daily proverb, I explained to the boys some differences between a virtuous woman (or excellent wife, as the note renders it) and a lazy harlot. I explained that the former was good to her husband and did not lust after other men to commit adultery, she took good care of his children, kept a clean and neat house, and fed her family nutritious food. I explained that the latter disrespected her husband with her words and actions, lusted after other men and may physically commit adultery with them, didn't safeguard her children or keep a clean house. I told the boys that I'd read and seen people who had food and dirty dishes throughout their house and trash and dirty clothes on the floors and that such people often abused bad drugs. I said that some houses would be tearing apart and that some people even left rotting carcasses in the kitchen that would spread bacterial infection and would attract flies. Jade said that he knew those flies would hatch maggots on the rotting meat. I then said that I've read of people who leave their babies in dirty diapers for up to days, and they would have clothes soaked with urine and unchanged bedding that had urine on it. The boys were listening intently, and Trusten said, "Momma." I looked at him. He said, "People do that?" :-( I said, "Yes, some people do that. Isn't that sad?"
I also talked about how people and trees can be likened to each other and that just as trees could be struck by lightning, blown down by strong winds, rot, or cut down by someone who was not impressed with its fruitlessness; people who were unfruitful and wicked would also be uprooted or cut down by God.
We talked a bit about drugs: the good and the bad, the bad usage of the good, and the three categories/reasons of/for drugs (medicinal, religious, and recreational). This conversation was sparked, because Jaden was playing like he was a cheetah, and he came up to me complaining that his leg was injured and that he needed it put in a cast. I pretended to put a cast on it, and then I pretended to give him a painkilling medication by mouth. He took it, and then he gave me a look of uncertainty and said, "Was that good?" So, I briefly explained the good and the bad and the three reasons why we use drugs, which are made by God, and I also explained briefly about how synthetic manufactured drugs are mostly dangerous, both those made "legal" by the U.S. government and those "illegal" by the U.S. government that individuals manufacture (such as methamphetamine). I discussed briefly what horrible things happen to a person who uses meth and what kind of horrible things go into making it. Drugs can be good, and drugs can be bad. Food can be good, and food can be bad. God made them both for our proper use.
Jade did a reading lesson in the Grade 2 Complete Curriculum and a writing lesson from the Grade 1 CC.
Thursday, February 4: Jade requested to do a reading lesson from the Grade 2 CC. He's doing really well with it. He also wanted to do math, so he did some math in the Grade 2 CC book. The bible story of the day dealt with Christ letting those who helped others in need into his kingdom and rejecting those who did not help others (separating the sheep and the goats). I reminded the boys that we should want to help those in need and that not everyone had the blessings which we enjoy. One of our favorite organizations is Save the Children. I reminded him of the earthquake in Haiti and how Save the Children uses the money from those who donate to help the people get clean water, food, and other needs, and how other people use their time to go help. He then asked more about earthquakes, which then led to volcanoes, which led to diamonds (again).
Youtube: how volcanoes form, how earthquakes form, seismic waves inside the earth, how diamonds are formed, carbon and diamonds
Friday, February 5: Jade did his Explode the Code lesson. He made a ladybug habitat from one of the big yogurt containers that I keep to reuse. He is going to collect ladybugs from our house. I suggested he study ladybugs in this way, because we've had ladybugs in our house all winter. They have apparently hibernated in a wall somewhere and are coming in. We see them mostly around the window to Liv's room.
Youtube scheduled for today or tomorrow (Sun. or Mon.): ladybugs, controlling aphids with beneficial bugs, how to draw a cartoon ladybug, Frank Leto's Ladybug, Ladybug song
Until next time....
My 7 yr. old is using the Explode the Code and doing well with it.. :)
ReplyDelete