NEW ART STATION

 

We broke in our new art station table today and rather than flinch at the vibrant color spatter on the

freshly painted white, I breathed out freedom after a long inhale of creativity.

 

 

I love watching children concoct art in any form and I'm always looking for ways to enhance the creative energy in our home.

 

(Bea was so proud of her beautiful first ever painting!)

 

(She wouldn't stop! Looks like we have another artist in the family!)

 

(Elka, always creating, got a new easel and acrylic paints...keeping her very busy.)

 

I haven't seen India so quiet, still, or enthralled in some time...in and of itself worth the entire project!

 

 

The boys got in there too and we all discussed one of my most important art lessons:

 

"There are NO mistakes in art!"

 

A strict rule around here...We always make lemonade from lemons, turn frowns upside down,

etc., seeing any artistic "mistake" as simply a detour to a new concept, design, or plan.

 

 

They bought it!

 

 

Nova handcrafted portraits of each sibling (which we laminated) so we could hang drying paintings by each one.

 

 

I absolutely LOVE children's artwork!! It's the best...

 

 

...and messy hands are beautiful...

 

 

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

EASY GRAMMAR

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time."

Ephesians 5:15-16

 

Though some of our children thrive on textbook learning and worksheets, etc., there are others who learn better through more creative, alternative approaches. This also varies by subject per child, I might add, further complicating the matter of curriculum choices, but ultimately driving me to be an intentional homeschooling mommy, readily available to meet each child's needs (per subject) right where they are. This way, each individual student is not just surviving their education, but rather thriving. That's the goal! And, homeschooling allows us this excellent advantage if we're careful to pay attention and adapt accordingly.

 

Today, easy grammar unfolded naturally for Olia as she narrated a drawing from her early morning meanderings. There were no fussy worksheets or tears involved. Just us, chatting about her pretty picture and discussing a few simple rules of...grammar. Meanwhile, down the table, another sibling worked heartily on her Easy Grammar worksheet, fully engaged and contentedly so.

 

(Tomayto, Tomahto)

 

 

In our family, we emphasize matters of the heart and enjoy that as the focus throughout our homeschooling educational goals. It's a marvel how much we learn through enjoyable activities and also how hours of tediousness can be accomplished in one meaningful interaction between a parent (or older sibling) and an engaged learner when we think outside the box.

 

 

After Olia finished her drawing, we cued up a song from our funky old faithful "Grammar Rock" by Schoolhouse Rock!...ha!

(I think most of my kids learned to count by 5's thanks to "Ready or Not, Here I Come" on "Multiplication Rock".)

Anywaaaay, the point is, there are many, many ways to learn the same thing and
thank the Lord we're not all wired alike. How incredibly dull would that be?!

 

So, today, I'm thankful for homeschool, thankful for freedom in our country to educate in

creative ways, and especially thankful for my sweet time with Olia learning easy grammar.

 

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance."

Proverbs 1:5

COLOR SORTING

 

Our younger crew has been interested lately in sorting and considering our coloring sessions can look more

like a war zone than ART at times, it occurred to me today there may be a remedy right under my nose.

 

<< COLOR SORTING >>

 

 

It's remarkable how serious coloring can actually be when the children are intent upon organizing their crayons. :)

They thoughtfully take just ONE out at a time (amazing!) and promptly put it back in the right color jar, so proud.

 

 

Getting them involved in the initial sorting process seemed to help them take ownership over their newfound system,

absorbing a concept all the while, unknowingly. Little learners are so much fun, tiny sponges that they are.

 

I wonder what other lessons can we discover around our house today??

 

"And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence,

with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs."

Exodus 35:31-32

SCHOOL IN THE BATH

 

"Mommy, look! School in the bath!" She yells for me to see...

 

 

What a fun way to practice spelling letters A to Z.

 

 

Aww...thanks, Nova! Mommy's so proud of how you're learning all the time.

 

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,

and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Deuteronomy 6:7



COOL COUNTRY REPORT

It's pretty cool that Elka got to write her Cool Country Report about China with her Chinese brother on her lap.

 

 

This is very Elka...and one of my favorite aspects of homeschooling.

 

It's also pretty cool that Beck trusts his sister enough to simply doze off while she worked on her poster.

 

 

Talk about bringing China to life! I'm so thankful for Brodie and Elka's experiences in China and for

the education of their hearts through their role in Bea and Beck's adoption process. It's been sweet.

 

"I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”

Isaiah 43:5-7

BLANK BOOKS

In my quest to buy masses of inexpensive blank books for writing projects today,

I stumbled upon a suggestion to sew them at home. Why didn't I think of that?!

 

Not wanting to waste any time (or money), I grabbed my sewing machine,

some blank paper, and plain card stock and got straight to work!

 

First we layered the writing paper, folding just the middle page as a seam guide.
The card stock piece stayed on the bottom to represent our front and back cover.

 

 

Next, we sewed the binding.

 

 

 

After trimming the extra threads, we folded the whole book evenly.

 

 

Lastly, I added faint pencil lines for those who prefer a template.

 

 

And, voila!

 

In a matter of minutes, we made ourselves blank books in bulk, (for free!) ready for the creating!

 

For their first book, I gave Nova, Olia, and Elka a prompt to write about Christmas, telling any tale they'd like to tell.

 

The memories rushed back as I scripted Nova's dictation, though for me, I remember standing

by my kindergarten teacher's desk at school. Nova will remember storytelling to Mommy in the kitchen.

 

 

Olia chose to write about Jesus' birthday.

 

 

She worked so diligently and carefully, emphasizing the "true meaning of Christmas" in her book.

 

 

Elka's book was titled, The Nativity.

 

 

Her heart and understanding for the meaning behind the birth of Christ shone through.

 

 

This was such a fun, quick, and easy project...I'm sure our bookshelves will be bursting with special new stories!

And, our new beautiful Christmas books will come down with our other decorations every year.

 

 

If you ask me, homemade anything is always of greater value than something bought in a store.

I love to see what kids create from scratch and the sky's the limit when you begin with blank books!

 

"He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work."

Exodus 35:35

THANKSGIVING TRADITION

 

We started it years ago, our dress up Thanksgiving tradition. The kids have always loved historical pretend play so every year at the local children's resale shop I buy what I can at the costume sale. Our costumes are well-loved and on high rotation,

always creating fun play days for the kids outside...and every year around our table to celebrate Thanksgiving.

 

 

Affectionately called our "back row", the little guys especially enjoy any chance they get to dress up (and paint their faces), learning all the while about the history of our country and the freedom we're able to enjoy living here.

 

 

We don't make all the extra fancy foods for this tradition, just the basics so our emphasis is really on the history lesson and all that we have to be thankful for. (We save the actual Thanksgiving Day for the extras...yum!) We spend the day cooking, enjoying each other's company, reading history books to the little ones, and watching a DVD on the pilgrims.

 

Traditions knit hearts to home and the holiday season brings out the best! We have much to be thankful for this year as we welcomed Beck home from the hospital, which made it an extra special celebration the day of our Thanksgiving tradition.

 

"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,

and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High."

Psalm 7:17



EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

...according to Wikipedia is the process of making meaning from direct experience,

i.e., "learning from experience". [ 1] The experience can be staged or left open.

 

"For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them". -Aristotle

 

 (Elka and Brodie 2014)

 

I look at photos of Elka and Brodie on the Great Wall of China and I think back on the books we've read,

the talks we've had, even the photos and videos they've seen of Aida on the Great Wall years ago...

 

 (Aida 2011)
 

...and I think about how different it is to learn from experience, to smell the smells for themselves, to eat the foods, to be in China on the Great Wall learning even more about what they've studied! What a blessing to learn in such a way.

What a gift to have the time and freedom to study by living it.

 

 

The history they've witnessed,

 

 

the Buddhism they've seen in the temple,

 

 

the cultural experiences they've taken in,

 

 

 

not to mention the intensive heart work and spiritual growth that takes place when they cry with their grieving, newly adopted sibling, ache for her pains as if they are theirs, take in with all of their senses where it is she's come from...

 

 

This is experiential learning and there's no education of the mind or heart that I could

hope more for my children than what they're absorbing right now.

 

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,

kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another."

Colossians 3:12



KEEPERS OF THE FAITH

      

Over the years, we have participated in Keepers of the Faith both in the context of

groups as well as independently just within our own home. It's a really sweet resource.

 

The idea is similar to Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts in that the children earn badges as they acquire
skills and memorize Scripture, and everything is approached from a biblical perspective.
For boys, they offer Contenders for the Faith and for girls, Keepers at Home.

 

In the past, when we have participated in groups, we have had t-shirts, sashes, and pins. But one group we were part of chose to simply have the meetings for fellowship and fun without even ordering all of the extras. Typically, we have met once a month, which feels about right for this type of involvement. We've forged friendships while learning new things (like knitting which we had always hoped to learn!). We've also enjoyed various outreach opportunities like singing for the folks of a local retirement home (outreach being something we're always looking to participate in as a family!).

 

At home, Aida in particular enjoys working through the handbook on her own.

She asks me to sign off on things she achieves and finds it very rewarding.

 

We're thankful for Keepers of the Faith as an extra curricular resource we've taken advantage of, both independently at home, as well as socially. There've been many memories made...and I'm sure there will be many more!

"Teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste,
keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Titus 2:4-5
 

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary
to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."
Jude 1:3

TEEPEE

old sheets + twine loops + ceiling hook + Indian costumes = Native American history

 

Who wouldn't want to learn in a teepee??

(teepee memories...where has the time gone?)

"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy."
Psalm 65:8