2011/2012 curriculum

Sixth Grade

Bible – Explorer’s Bible Study Discovery series Early History of Israel

Math – Teaching Textbooks Math 6 and Evan Moor Daily Word Problems 6th Grade

Reading – various novels with weekly co op class (Homer Price, Love That Dog, Number the Stars, The Penderwicks, Tale of Despereaux, etc………)

Language – Easy Grammar

(creative) Writing – Apologia Jump In

Spelling – MCP Spelling Workout F

Vocabulary – Wordly Wise 6

History – Notgrass America The Beautiful part 1 and novels

• The Sign of the Beaverby Elizabeth George Speare (Units 4-5)
• Amos Fortune: Free Manby Elizabeth Yates (Units 6-7)
• Bradyby Jean Fritz (Units 9-10)
• Bound for Oregonby Jean Van Leeuwen (Units 12-13)
• Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (Units 14-15)

Science – Apologia Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day: Exploring Creation with Zoology 1

Critical Thinking – Editor In Chief A2 and Critical and Creative Thinking 5

Typing – Typing Instructor for kids Platinum

Third Grade

Bible – Explorer’s Bible Study Beginnings II series Jesus, My Shepherd

Arithmetic – Teaching Textbooks Math 3

Reading – A Beka

Language – A Beka Language 3

Handwriting – A Beka Cursive Writing Skillbook

Spelling – A Beka Spelling and Poetry 3

History & Geography  – A Beka Our American Heritage & Map skills book (1 semester)

Science – Land Animals of the Sixth Day: Exploring Creation with Zoology 3 and Junior Journal

Health – A Beka Health, Safety, and Manners 3 (1 sememster)

Critical Thinking – Building Thinking Skills Level 1

Kindergarten

Bible – My ABC Bible Verses

Phonics and Reading – The Reading Lesson and Explode the Code 1

Now I’m Reading Vol 1 & 2 reader and LOTS of library books!

Math – McRuffy Color Math

Handwriting – Handwriting Without Tears Letters and Numbers For Me

History & Science – lessons from www.enchantedlearning.com or www.sheppardsoftware.com once a week each

Computer practice (in all subject areas) – www.abcmouse.com and www.time4learning.com

Typing – Typing Instructor for kids Platinum

2010/2011 curriculum

2010.2011 school year

Fifth Grade

Bible – Explorer’s Bible Study Discovery series In The Beginning Genesis

Math – Teaching Textbooks Math 4 & 5 (four times a week)

Language – A Beka Language B Reading – A Beka readers

Writing – creative writing class at Co Op (three times a week)

Vocabulary – Word Roots A1 (once a week)

Critical Thinking – Building Thinking Skills Level 2 (daily) & Mind Benders A3 (once a week)

Spelling and Poetry – A Beka

History – All American History Vol 1 (three times a week)

Geography – Evan Moor Daily Geography Practice Grade 5

Science – Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany (three times a week) Physical Ed – Basketball

Second Grade

Bible – Explorer’s Bible Study Beginnings II series God’s Promises

Language – A Beka Language 2 and Letters and Sounds 2

Spelling and Poetry – A Beka

Reading – A Beka

Handwriting – A Beka Writing with Phonics

Arithmetic – A Beka Arithmetic 2

Geography – Evan Moor Daily Geography Practice Grade 2

History, Science, and Health – A Beka

Art – Co Op class once a week

Home Ec – Co Cop class once a week

Physical Ed – Dance class

Pre K/Kindergarten

Bible – The Early Readers’s Bible & The Beginners Bible

Phonics – Bob Jones Footsteps For Fours, Get Ready For The Code Book A, B, and C

Reading – Alpha Phonics Primer For Beginning Readers and LOTS of library books!!!

Handrwriting – Handwriting Without Tears Get Set For School

Math – Bob Jones Footsteps For Fours

Science – Bob Jones Footsteps For Fours

History – Bob Jones Footsteps For Fours

Art – Co Op class once a week

Physical Ed – Gymnastics Speech – twice a week

mommie Quiet time

Some mornings, despite my best effort, I just cannot drag myself out of bed (maybe getting up with an infant has something to do with it???)  So when the time to get up arrives, I decide to take a few extra minutes of rest.  Well of course those few minutes turn into an hour and I am jumping out the bed with the intention of doing my quiet time with the Lord after I get breakfast on the table.  Well with five kids situations where I need to practice what I read in quiet time pop up faster than toast!  It is at this point that i resort to blaming everyone but myself because they’re the ones who aren’t listening or doing what they are supposed to.  Mommy can only keep her cool for so long so even if I had bothered to read it, Proverbs 31:26 “When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.” surely wouldn’t be talking to me anyway because these kids asked for it!

Funny thing about God, He doesn’t hold us accountable for what others do, only how we respond.  So in that moment where I am making sure my kids know EXACTLY how upset they MADE me I am reminded “Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; is not proud; is not conceited; does not act foolishly; is not selfish; is not easily provoked to anger; keeps no record of wrongs; takes no pleasure in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” (I Corinthians 13:4-7)

I do love my children but I am not acting like it according to that verse!  My quiet time with the God would have prepared me for my day because it fills me with His love and gives me the strength to do all things (including listen to each child with compassion and respond with the same grace He gives me.)  Motherhood is hands down the hardest job on the planet!  The hours are long, the duties are endless, and my emotions are unpredictable!  All the more reason why I must seek direction and wisdom from God, which means lots of time in His Word seeking to understand my position in Christ and as a mom.  I asked the Lord to help me be more consistent and the Holy Spirit kindly pointed out that since I am getting up at 4 am to feed the baby that is a perfect time to feed my soul as well

my meal planning secrets

Anyone who knows me wouldn’t use my name and cooking in the same sentence (and I am not offended!)  It isn’t that I don’t know how to cook but it is one of my least favorite things to do with crafts coming in at a close second.  So people like me have to be creative especially since I have five kids and a husband who like to eat at least 3 times a day!  I may not have the passion to get in the kitchen and make magic but what I do have going for me are my researching and planning skills.  Google, and sometimes Bing, are my best friends when it comes to finding  information on anything including school lunch menus and kids snack menus.  The reason I chose school lunch menus is because they follow USDA nutritional standards and they’re detailed (entree, side, and drink for breakfast, lunch & snack).  Here’s how it works.

step one: google school lunch menu

step two: browse through different menus for ideas.  here is an example of one I like www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/foodserv/menus/cafemenus.shtm

step three: fill in your weekly menu. i like to have at least four different ones to rotate through out the month.  ours is posted on the fridge.  Weekly-Menu-Planner2

step four: make your grocery list using the menu

step five: HAPPY SHOPPING

Wild Adventures homeschool day

2012 HOMESCHOOL DAYS Friday, June 8 and Saturday, September 8 2012

Plan your next journey to Wild Adventures, during a Homeschool Day, and discover a day full of exploration!

Learn about all of your favorite animals as you uncover hundreds of creatures from around the world as you wander through the park. Sit back and enjoy Do You Zoo?, an educational and entertaining animal game show.  Then travel half-way around the world on our Safari Train ride – an adventure that brings you face to face with rare Indian rhinos, giraffes, elephants, zebras, wildebeests and more!  The discoveries are endless at Wild Adventures.

CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets online, using the Homeschool Days PROMO code.

If you would like to receive more information on Wild Adventures’ Homeschool and Education Days, please email Group Sales at groupsales@wildadventures.com.

CLICK HERE to print out a variety of educational lesson plans for students of all ages.

HomeSchool   Day – June 8, 2012 Schedule of Events
Animal   Interactions
Lorikeet   Landing Aviary	Attraction #6 on   map	11am – 6pm
Safari   Ranch Petting Zoo	Attraction #13   on map	11am – 6pm
Giraffe   Feeding Overlook (additional fee)	Attraction #19   on map	TBA
Shows
Do   You Zoo?	Show #1 on map	12 pm & 4 pm
Special   HomeSchool Tigers of India Show	Show #4 on map	1 pm
Creature   Feature Extreme	Show #5 on map	2 pm & 6 pm

If you have any questions, please contact Group Sales at 229-219-7080

Band

Joy Unspeakable Homeschool Band has been providing music education to homeschooled students (from age 3 until high school graduation) in West Georgia and East Alabama since Fall 2004. We are embarking on our second year of marching band, beginning Tuesday, May 29th! In addition to flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, horns, trombones, euphoniums/baritones, tubas, and percussionists/drummers, we also need: -PIANISTS (to play percussion keyboards, timpani, cymbals, etc. in the pit) -a BASS GUITAR player (in the pit) -young ladies (ages 8 and up) for COLORGUARD (FLAGS) – no previous experience required! -a DRUM MAJOR (must have musical or dance experience with a very strong ability to keep the beat). Please email Amber immediately if you have a student interested in this position!
Band camps and rehearsals will be held in Bremen, GA. For those of you not familiar with where Bremen is, it is exit 11 on I-20, 11 miles east of the Alabama state line and 23 miles west of Highway 5 in Douglasville, GA.
The schedule, registration, and all additional information can be found on our website juhsb.org. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Amber amber@juhsb.org.

new Georgia homeschool law

With the signature of Governor Nathan Deal on House Bill 39 on May 1, 2012, Georgia enacted significant improvements to its homeschool law. Effective with the 2012–2013 school year, parents will no longer have to submit monthly attendance records to their local public school superintendent. Instead, the records will be submitted only once a year to the Georgia Department of Education. Additionally, the initial and annual declaration of intent to conduct a home study program will be filed with the department of education instead of the local superintendent.

Submission of monthly attendance records has always been a thorn in the flesh of homeschoolers in Georgia. Problems with parents missing the end-of-month deadline by a few days or misplaced records by school officials often led to inappropriate action by the school district. School districts routinely reported families to social services for educational neglect or threatened truancy charges against family members. They also initiated action to bring about the revocation of the driver’s license of students by reporting excessive absences to the department of driver services. Annual reporting at the end of the school year should bring an end to these excessive and unwarranted enforcement actions.

Filing the declaration of intent with the department of education removes the local school district from the administrative process of beginning and continuing a home study program. HSLDA’s experience has been that the less involvement homeschoolers have with the local school district, the fewer legal problems they have.

 

here is a link to the bill that was passed

http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2011_12/pdf/hb39.pdf

Get Outside the Box Dude!!!

I happy to say that I am making friends because of my courage to go “out of the box.”  I am not shy, but meeting new people is hard for me.  For girls it is just all easy and stuff ( for most girls).  All girls do is walk up to someone and ask them a girly question and they start chatting!  For guys well, ugh… we just ask someone what school they go to and if they go to the school you are thinking of you ask them if they know your friend that goes to that school.  What I learned is the more activities and clubs I participate in the more people I will meet.  Some of my friends I only know because their mom is friends with my mom.  A good tip is be yourself when you meet someone new.  Not all friends like the same things but they should have something in common.  Liking different things allows you to teach each other  something.  I usually don’t just introduce myself to new people, but I will talk to people I see around but haven’t talked to much.  It feels weird to see someone every week and not talk so i figured that would be a good start.  Hope these tips help you!

The Good Book

Have you ever read a book that was so good that you wanted to tell everyone about it?  Well, there is one book that I just read (my mom gave to me)  about how God showed a nine year old boy that there are people in need in differents part of the world.  Now if you are wondering, this is a true story and the kid wrote the book with the help of someone.  That kids name is Austin Gutwein and he wrote a touching book called Take Your Best Shot.  What really hit me about the book is how Austin played basketball to raise money for kids in Zambia who have Aids or are orphaned because their parents died with Aids.  Austin collected a few dollars for every free throw that he shot and made.  By collecting a few dollars every made shot, he earned enough money to build a large school that had a shelter for kids without parents.  You can get this book on Amazon or at a Christian book store near your house.

youth and pottery camps

Youth and Children’s Pottery Camps!

Bright Star United Methodist Church, 3715 Bright Star Rd, Douglasville, GA

770-949-2555|

Please call the church to register!  Camps fill up very quickly due to limited space!

Camp #1          June 4-8 (M-F)            Children Camp 1C/ teens camp 1T

Camp #2          June 11-15 (M-F)        2C/2T

Camp #3          July 2-6 (M-F)              3C/3T

Camp #4          July 9-13 (M-F)                        4C/4T

Camp #5          July 23-26 (M-Th; afternoons; $40)  Camp # 5T (teens only!)

Children’s Camp:  $75     9:00am-noon each week

Teens Camp:       $50     1pm-3pm each week

LAST WEEK of summer (July 23-26) for teens only!  M-TH cost: $40

9am-Noon each day:   Children’s Pottery Camp is kiln-loads of fun for children who have completed kindergarten-fifth grade!  Children may be dropped off at Bright Star United Methodist Church, or a parent/guardian may stay to watch the child during class.  Each week consists of daily experience on the potter’s wheel, hand building with clay, glazing, painting and firing items made by the children.  Each day is filled with individual instruction, learning about clay, exciting stories, Bible time, snacks and fun!  Beginners welcome!  Cost: $75 per week

1pm-3pm each day: Youth Pottery Camp is a great way for youth/teens (completed grades 6-12) to spend summer afternoons!  Get creative, learn all about pottery, make new friends!  You will learn to use the potter’s wheel, and you will have daily opportunities to practice…plus individual instruction on the wheel!  You will also create your own pieces as you learn to mold and build clay by hand! Have you ever seen a kiln? Know how it works? How hot it gets?  Come join us this summer and you’ll learn all about it!  Devotions each day!          Cost: $50 per week

Richard Black, Instructor

Discount fees and partial scholarships are available to those who qualify.  Call for details.

Pick up dates for projects made during camp will be 7-10 days after the end date of each week when camp is finished (due to firing process).  All projects must be picked up by August 15, 2012.

 

Youth and Children’s Pottery Camps!

June 4, 2012 / June 11, 2012 / July 2, 2012 / July 9, 2012 / July 23, 2012, 9:00 am

Bright Star United Methodist Church

3715 Bright Star Rd, Douglasville, GA

We meet in the gym classrooms.