School Update

After the holidays we dove back into our full school schedule. The boys have done a great job working on their reading, writing and math while we took a bit of a "baby" break, but now we are back in full swing. It is funny, I don't know who missed all the extras more, me or the kids! :)

With our Tapestry of Grace studies we have done a whirlwind tour through three ancient civilizations; Indus Valley (India), Ancient China, and Mayan civilizations. At this young age it is basically a brief introductions to the history and geography of these civilizations, and the World religions that began in those regions. It is fun to watch the boys compare the inventions of the Ancient Chinese to the Egyptians, and the methods of farming of the Indus Valley people and the Mayans. I too am continuing to learn so much.  

As we learn about other World religions (Hindu, Buddhism, etc.) we focus on how they differ from what we know our Bible says. We also think of ways we can show the love of Christ to people who may follow those beliefs. As we have been able, we have also been reading children's biographies of missionaries who served in those regions. We read about Amy Carmichael in India, and Hudson Taylor in China. The goal is not to be elitist and teach our children to look down on those who believe other views, but to instead instill in them a love for people that were all created in God's image. In one conversation Luke and Ben were discussing how all of these people in early civilizations were able to see that there had to be a creator, they just didn't have anyone to tell them the truth about who that Creator was, so they made up their own stories to try to explain the world around them.

Here the kids were all learning about the Chinese New Year, coloring a dragon picture.

Luke and Ben had fun trying to copy the numbers 1-10 in Chinese on their papers!

Of course after studying about China, we had to eat Chinese take out after Church one Sunday! :) Yes, I know it is not real Chinese food, but hey, we enjoyed it all the same!

We also drank hot tea!

Of course, after our study of the Mayan people in Mesoamerica, we celebrated by making homemade tortilla chips and enchiladas out of corn tortillas! :) So maybe it was just a good excuse to eat amazing Mexican food (my Dad and Grandma's recipe!) Hey, that's the beauty of homeschooling right?

We learned that the Mayans believed cross-eyed people were the most beautiful!

A few weeks ago I was on the search for some way to make a timeline with the boys. We are learning so much about all these fascinating civilizations, and Bible history, but I myself have trouble mapping it all out in my head, let alone 5 and 6 year olds! On my search I found this article, which was incredibly informative about different methods of making a timeline. Down the road, maybe through our next cycle of Tapestry of Grace I will have the boys make their own timeline. For now, I am not going to add in any extra assignments to our schedule, but I still wanted the visual. I found this amazing book on Amazon.



(It was $13 when I purchased it, but I looked and it is now $20.) I think this is one of my favorite home school purchases all year. This is not just a book, it is a huge foldout timeline. Perfect for our house that does not have the wall space for a real timeline. This book is so jam packed full of information it is incredible, (and a bit overwhelming). The boys LOVE it, when I first pulled it out of the Amazon box, all the kids poured over the pictures and information. Luke and Ben were both thrilled to be able to find several different events and people that they have already learned about. Luke was pouring over it trying to find specific Chinese dynasties! :)

This timeline goes from Creation to 2011, and follows Bible history right along with the rest of World history. On the back of each fold out is a full breakdown of important leaders from each civilization/country. Can you tell how much we love this timeline?? They also have one that is just Biblical history, but I wanted the boys to be able to see what was going on all over the World during Biblical events. I don't want them to see it as detached from World History, but an integral part of it! Obviously this was written from a New Earth, Creation perspective. It is not the timeline for anyone with an Old Earth view!

Here are some other fun read alouds we have have enjoyed the last few weeks: (Some for our cultural studies, some just for fun from Sonlight suggestions!)










 

In art class, the boys' assignment was to draw a picture of something they had experienced. The goal was to draw something which would allow anyone looking at the art to feel like they could experience it too.

Ben of course drew a picture of his favorite subject, the Monster Truck Jam. I forgot to take a finished photo, but his monster truck was complete with mud flying up the back of the truck!

Luke drew a picture of himself digging for insects in the backyard, with all kinds of assorted creepy crawlies.

Gracie and Jacob like to get in on art class as well,

In science we finished our study of Venus with two experiments. We poured melted butter over flour to imitate lava flowing from Venus' volcanoes. Then observed how the butter hardened and left crevices in it's place.

We also learned that the majority of scientific knowledge regarding Venus is due to radar. Venus' atmosphere is too thick and dense to see through. So, I made a paper mache "Venus" in a box and hid it under a washcloth. The boys colored a bamboo skewer every half inch, then poked the skewer through the washcloth to see how far down it would go before it hit something. Then they charted what they found, and were able to tell where the high and low points were, like radar bouncing back images of the surface of Venus.

Okay, now halfway through the year I can truthfully say one of my other favorite purchases was a kit of supplies for our science experiments. It seemed like a bit of a splurge at the time, but the amount of time that it saves me from running around looking for ingredients is by far worth it! I don't know that many science experiments would happen in this house without the ready made kit.

Jacob and Gracie really do an amazing job waiting for their turn with Mommy while I am doing school with the boys. Jacob and Gracie also both LOVE to be in the kitchen with me. Their favorite jobs include setting the table and peeling Cuties! :)

Playing with rice, pouring, measuring, etc. is also another great distraction for Gracie and Jacob. (Although, I must admit....not my favorite thing to have to clean up when they are done, but they do love to help sweep!)

Now we are off to study Ancient Greece over the next few weeks!