Weeks 3&4 Jamestown Settlement

It seems like ages since I have posted homeschool stuff. I guess we have been too busy with it all but we have slowed down a bit and taken 3 weeks instead of 2 for both our Jamestown and Indian studies. Part of the reason is that we finished Squanto early and I decided to read aloud Blood on the River. I can't say enough good things about this book. At first I was a little apprehensive and couldn't find many reviews online to find out if it was appropriate for my girls. I decided just to go ahead and read it and it is a great read! There are parts that get a little (unnecessarily) graphic. But all-in-all it is a wonderfully written living history book. The characters John Smith, Reverend Hunt, and Samuel Collier (the main character) all teach some great character values - channel your anger, you don't work you don't eat, act out of love not fear, and rely on others/have many legs. Although it is not a blatant Christian work it does have positive Christian elements and influence.

We are even thinking about going to Jamestown for a couple of days. They have homeschool days going on right now. Even if you can't attend I recommend virtually visiting their site. There's lots of resources there.

WWJD Bracelets

Jesus the Light of the World Candle

Paint with Glue and attach the "Jesus the Light of the World" label
Sprinkle with glitter
Voila

Enjoy!

We've been burning this at night for dinner. Simply wonderful.

Scripture memory verse - John 8:12

I made Ms. Priss' a little more difficult by cutting apart every word. For Lil Bit's I printed what I could fit on a 3x5 card and let her piece that together. By the end of the week they could say it and put it together no problem without looking at the white board with the written verse. So, as a little treat we decided to hone our sewing skills and make some room decorations.

Punch holes

String together with some of Mom's ribbon stash - if you've read much of my blog you know I have a little bit to spare!

There you have it!

Making Wigwams & Teepees
tip #1: Use Tacky Glue and clips

Tip #2: label the inside of your wigwam with two 1's, two 2's, two 3's, and two 4's directly across/opposite from each other to help the kids know where to place their strips.

Tip #3: Secure the strips around the ring with paper clips

Tip #4: Thin the glue with a little water

Could this be Powhatan Territories? I got this idea from Erica. I just love her blog!

We're moving on to the Pilgrims next. I have LOTS of books for that. I'm thinking we'll be through with this curriculum in about 4 years.

What do you do when you have the stomach flu...

...and the rest of your family is at the grandparents having an Easter egg hunt and lunch? You put together a book list, of course then update your blog with it.
Elementary Book List

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

I got these titles from a wonderful little book called The Book Tree by Elizabeth McCallum & Jane Scott. It is a Christian reference for Children's literature. It has four different categories, one for preschool, elementary, middle, and high school levels. I simply went through the elementary level and marked the ones that I really liked. I strayed away from too much magical, whimsical, and mythical books of which there were quite a few surprisingly listed.

Speaking of books, we are STILL reading Boy of the Pyramids. I don't know why it has taken us so long to get through this one because it really is a good and interesting book. Miss Priss is also simultaneously reading the Little House books and we are almost to the end of the series. My little reluctant reader has really taken off and now she doesn't even want her Daddy or me to read them to her which in a way makes me a little bit sad...be careful what you wish for... Anyway, back to Boy of the Pyramids. I decided to turn that little book into a fun little hands-on math time for the gals. I simply gave them the lucite pyramid shape (you can see it to the left in the last photo) and helped them a little to start construction and this is what they did.


Did you know a pyramid's bottom was in the shape of a square? I hadn't ever really thought about that and Little Bit said she thought it should only have 3 sides since it was like a triangle. I'd be willing to bet dollars to donuts if I asked her today she'd tell me the bottom is square shaped.

We also had our monthly homeschool group meeting this past week. Above all else the kids' favorite thing to do there is play the Yes/No/Maybe game. They love it. We could play it all day. You simply make 3 signs labeled "Yes", "No", and "Maybe". Put them on the floor in the room (the further away from each other the better) and simply make statements like, "I am wearing blue jeans", "I have a little sister", etc. and they have to run from one sign to the other depending on whether or not it is true for them. Its a nice little mixer even for adults. You can give the adults some time to talk with one another while "mixing up" the room. But for kids, it's best to keep them moving - and on task - we've found.





This game won out even over decorating cookies...hmmm...wonder HOW on earth I could ever have gotten a stomach bug?



For a little "Civics" lesson, we threw actual tea into our river here at a local Tea Party/Fair Tax rally. Miss Priss has been asking a lot of questions about it and I don't think she still fully understands it all. Do any of you have any good recommendations for books or resources on elementary civics? I found a couple of titles in The Book Tree and I also found this very interesting youtube. But I still feel like it is a little deep for an 8 year old and wasn't really answering some of the questions she had. Anyway, are YOU going to a tea party on Wednesday?


Do you own a copy of The Fair Tax? I HIGHLY recommend reading it. It simply validates everything I ever felt and knew with some VERY interesting history about taxes in this country. Did you know that before the 20th century Americans didn't really pay a federal income tax?!? Just remember one thing about taxes: WITHHOLDING is the devil!!!!