Preparation

  
    School is starting the last week of August for us. I'm sort of excited and fearful all at once. Our 7th was born on November and school went well last year till the second semester. I think I got a little side track after a month and a half break and it was hard for me to get back on track.  Overall, we finished but not without feeling very overwhelmed.

   Necessity is the mother of inventions. All through our homeschooling adventure we have adjusted according to our needs and every child that we have been blessed with. This year it was no different. When we used Weaver it came with a planner, but there was a lot that I didn't write down. Three or 4 years age,when we switched to mostly Rod and Staff, I started using a daily school planner from Rod and Staff and it has become vital to our homeschooling. We include every subject, lesson, week #, date, etc... It may not make sense to others but it keeps the program going.  I have planned up to 9 weeks in advance until this year.  This year I planned everything for K, 1st, 4th, 6th,  and 8th for the first semester! This is a major accomplishment for me!
I really want things to go better this year.

    I also planned out our school day for everyone. A few years ago I bought a book called Managers of Their Homes by Terri Maxwell. I spent a week working on a master schedule and finished it this week. (except for the baby's column) I still need to work on that.  Here's a few pictures but they are not very good.

And a snippet from my planner...

  So what are we doing this year?

Everyone is doing Rod and Staff Math, English, Social Studies, and Science. Spelling for 4th will be Rod and Staff's, but for 6th and 8th we will be doing something like Spelling Power's spelling list and plugging it in to AAASpell.com.  For 8th grade we will be using Apologia's General Science. Kindergarten is using Christian Light's Kindergarten program with a dose of Hooked on Phonics. And 1st grade we will be using Christian Light's LA and Learning to Read with a heavier dose of Hooked on Phonics. We will also be using 4th and 6th grade Christian Light's Reading. And finally, I will be using Lessons from History Creation to 100 BC for  K, 1st,  and 4th grade This is my attempt to bring in the younger children in and make our science and social studies more real to them. My 8th grader will be taking an outside Speech/Debate class as well as a History/Lit class about early Christendom and we are all doing co-op on Tuesdays.Our outside extras also include Piano/Choir on Wednesdays afternoons. Sounds complex? I think so sometimes. This is why I really needed a schedule on paper. I can't hold it in my head anymore.

Homeschooling has taught me several things. Some of them being that we have to adjust to changes. Another being that I need to plan. What works for others may not work for us and vise-versa. We have grown from the days of just a few children to a family with many others to accommodate  I'm preparing to have a good year. And this year, I needed a better prepared plan.

Reading....for the love of learning

I've taught 3 children to read already. When I first started homeschooling it was a daunting task for me. Why I couldn't even remember how I learned to read. Did they teach me phonics or whole language? My first language is Spanish, but I had to learn English sometime around 8 yrs.. old. Most children in 3rd grade have already learned to read by then, so I'm not sure how they taught me since I was placed in a 3rd grade class as soon as school began the year we arrived to America.

Children are all different. My first son took off after the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons. We briefly went over the Hooked on Phonics stuff and moved right into spelling rules because he has been reading  and progressing on ever since. He reads at the speed of light and keeps me hopping as I try to keep up with the young adult section of the library.  My second son was a different story. He couldn't take all the sounds that TYCTR offered. We had to go straight to Hooked on Phonics and slowly learn the short sounds, then the long sounds, then the diagraphs, dipthongs...etc I still monitor his oral reading to check to see where his vocabulary is going and how much he is retaining when he reads. My third child was average, not to slow and not to fast. She was right where she was suppose to be and moving on at the expected pace. But the fourth, well let's just say she is a combination of the second and her very own.

So what have I learned about teaching children to read?
1. They need to be exposed to a lot of phonetic awareness activities, like listening to rhymes and then having them fill in the end of the well reviewed rhyme. Ex.
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great ____

This is the first step in their brain making a connection with sounds.

2. Reading is not a race that we should start as soon as we our child is 3 or 4. Some children are not ready at 4 or 5, but how long do we wait till we teach them to read? The question lies in the child and his abilities.  In homeschooling there is a great advantage to waiting but also to starting. YOU must spoon feed the child history, science, etc until he can proficiently read for himself. Why? Because if not they will be delayed in everything else. I say this because I am not a believer in letting children choose when it is time to learn to read. Reading takes a bit of work for some children. Their abilities may well be able to start reading but not their will to work at it. The advantage to delay is that the child may need a little more time to mature, to develop motor skills, to grow mentally. This is not an option in public school, where children get left behind because they didn't grasp something as quickly as others. So you must observe the child and his phonetic awareness, his ability to recognize letters, and whether he can retain information well or not.

3. Once we teach them to read, we must listen to them read orally for the next couple years. Listening to them read orally is important because you can catch reading problems this way. You can tell whether a child is having trouble pronouncing words and which sounds specifically he is having trouble with. You can tell whether they know how to divide syllables this way. You can tell if they are smart enough to retrieve the information from what they are able to read by context clues  and or because they substituted words they could not sound out. And you can help them by making them face the word. By having them read each syllable and reminding them why it makes that certain sound. They will learn when to pause, when to stress words, etc...

There's probably more that I could say but everyone is waiting for me so we can go to the library at this very moment.

2011-2012 school year under way (long and windy)Be warned!

    Well, next week we start our 6th week of school. We have done one week on and one week off since the end of July to make up time for when the baby gets here. Overall, we had a good summer but my little breaks are over. We are doing 7th, 5th, 3rd, and Kindergarten. (plus a little Preschool with Noah, which I have yet to decide whether to do everyday or every other day).

    Our school this year has a new addition since Chloe started Kindergarten . The boys and Annabelle still get up at 6:30am and Jesse gets math(Saxon 87) done while Grant and Annie do Bible with me. This year we're covering from Saul's reign thru the minor prophets with Rod and Staff's Bible reading program.(most of it is oral because we are using it mostly for our Bible)


      At about 7:30 am Annie and I do math(R & S 3rd grade math) while Grant does his Saxon 65.
During this time, Jesse works on finishing math, doing Spelling or Bible. (also Rod and Staff) and we break for breakfast. After breakfast,  everyone gets dressed, beds made, teeth brushed, etc.

      Around 9:30 Jesse practices piano. This year we are using Bastien(the older edition). He has two hymn books, the classics book, his lesson book, a technique book and his theory book. This is different from our previous years where he has focused on the Suzuki method and used the Hal Leonard books for lessons. But I'm pretty pleased with it so far, and so is he. He really likes the Bastien books. This year I've taken Annie and Grant under my wing sort of speak and I've been teaching them lessons with the Bastien books also. I can probably do this until they get to book 2 or so and then we will have to try to get them in with a teacher.

   Soon after our morning chores, I do English (R & S) with Annie, send her on her way to get it done, along with Spelling and Handwriting, and begin school with Chloe. This was the first year I have ever attended a homeschool conference, and there I decided to purchase Christian Light's new Kindergarten curriculum. We do about 3 worksheets a day that entail learning letters and their sounds, numbers, prereading skills, handwriting etc. Except on Friday, which I save for some kind of Educational game and an extra project or so. I've also started using Teach Your Child How to Read in 100 in Easy Lessons with her because she is definitely not ready for Hooked on Phonics yet. We're also going to start using Happy Phonics next week. For her other subjects, we are using Learning at Home with Ann Ward Pre./K. and this leads us to storytime. We have a great library and depending on the subject that she is learning about, I tailor her storybooks to go along with that. We check out non-fiction, fiction, craftbooks, etc around the subject she is learning about.

     We are usually done with storytime at about lunch time(12-12:30) so we take a good break. (I really need it by then) Sometimes I wonder how this all can be done, but it does. Jesse is about done with everything, except English and any checkups that I may need to get with him on.(The check ups would be our discussion time for Science or History plus checking work in those areas. We usually do those once or twice a week.) Grant is also done with his Math, Spelling, Social studies, or Science( depending on the day) and Handwriting. After lunch and our break, it is about 1:30 or 2pm. (How time flies!) I then tie things off by getting English done with the boys, and science or S.S/history with Annie.

    So after telling you all this dear blog, all I have to say is that God is very good to me to allow me to keep my head straight with a good planner that helps me hang all this information and make it work!

School Plans

The used curriculum sales have come and gone. But it seems I bought the things I needed prior to the big sale. It was fun while it lasted but it was so good to know I already had the meaty stuff for our school year already purchased.
You tend to feel this way when there is a line of women waiting for the doors to be opened and then everyone rushes in. There are so many people looking over the subject tables that you can't hardly squeeze in especially with a double stroller by your side. Imagine women picking up curriculum left and right and all you can do is see the item you thought you wanted get put in someone's bag who got there before you did.
"I didn't really need that," was my consolation.

So what did I buy for next school year? Well, lets see....

1. 1st grade Rod and Staff Beginning Arithmetic 1 (TM, both student workbooks,and speed drills) All I need are the blacklines.


2. 2nd grade Rod and Staff Math and English(the whole set)Not for this coming year, but it was such a bargain that I bought them since I would have to next year.


3. 3rd grade Rod and Staff Math TM and Student Text and English TM and Student Text


4. 4th grade Rod and Staff English Student Text. Not for this year, but free is a good price.


5. 5th grade Rod and Staff English TM and Student Text.


6. Milliken books


7. 3rd grade Zoner Bloser Spelling Text


8. Zaner Bloser Handwriting Manuscript/Cursive


9. Saxon 65 (TM, Student Text, and Dive CD)


10. DK My Amazing Human Body CD


11. A civil war book, Alphabet Makers, a spelling drill CD, flashcards, My State Notebook from Abeka for our study of Tennessee, and a few other misc. items.

I'll be using Weaver again for next year's social studies/history, Bible, and science. Though I still need to get 5th grader's spelling, I've pretty much got it covered. I think. :o)

So have you gone shopping for your school next year? What was your favorite item? Please tell me- don't keep me in suspense!

I think mine would have to be the Rod and Staff purchases (Can't you tell I've overdosed?) But the friend who sold me the Saxon, offered me the Dive Cd for an outstanding price and I almost passed it up. I finally came to my senses when I realized teaching math next year might be more than I can handle. So 10 yr. old will be getting up to his Saxon Dive Cd and after he gets taught the lesson can get on with his math, while I teach 8yr. old and 6 yr. old 1st and 3rd grade math.

Homeschool aspirations are the thing daydreams are made of these days.

A month in time...

Can it really be May 24th? Time has just flown by. Maybe it went by so quick because I haven't had adequate sleep every night and I've been in a state of recovery.

• Baby is one month old now. She had me worried for a couple weeks because she wouln't latch on right the first week and my milk supply went down. Her weight went down too. We finally got the latch under control (and not a moment too soon because she had me in so much pain I just about wanted to quit doing this) but she began to gain weight and I began to heal. I pumped a little and have been taking Fenugreek (an herb that is suppose to help build your milk supply up.)
  
• My little 5 1/2 yr. old graduated Kindergarten Saturday. She was so excited.

• We have resumed school this past week and can say I didn't get much done but the essentials which are Math and Language Arts. We did go to the Aquarium one day and to Dollywood another day. Overall, our fieldtrips went well since baby nursed and slept most of the day. (Though I couldn't have done any of that without my husband.)


• The exciting part of homeschooling for me has begun. The Curriculum Sales! I've got a milk crate full of books to sell and have started shopping for some of my things for this coming year. I've decided to switch our math in 1st -3rd grade. So I'll be shopping for what I think will be Rod and Staff Arithmetic. I'm also looking for Rod and Staff English for 3rd and 5th grade. Our big regional used curriculum sale is Saturday and I can't wait! (I know..I know... you're so excited for me, but I've always like the beginning of the school year and teaching the stuff is not half as fun as looking for it and having great aspirations about teaching it.)
  
• My husband's garden is doing good. He planted lots of tomatoes from seed, cabbage, corn, potatoes, red peppers, beets, onions, and squash.

Considering he had a kidney stone a week and a half before I delivered, our lawnmover died, our weed eater is dying, his work vehicle is sick and he hasn't found time to fix it, and we finally got the pool open -this is a great accomplishment. I think the trick is to plant potatoes. They make your garden look good.

I feel somewhat tired but it is really good to have my body back. I've been thinking that maybe this summer I can finish some of the things I wanted to get done before I got pregnant. -Like paint the dining room and finish our kitchen trim.

Oh, it's good to dream and plan during times like these. Even if sometimes it can't or doesn't get done.

You never know ... it might.

Standardized Testing

We just finished our standardized testing. Whew! Now I can have the baby,... I think. The boys took the Standford Achievement Test yesterday and today with the regional group in our area. One of the parents needed to help either proctor the test, assist, do nursery or be a floater. It cost me $28 per test and I think that's a deal since it usually would cost $40 + costs for a proctor to administer the Standford. The CAT test is cheaper but like I said, $28 was a good price.
They put me in the hospitality room. I was in charge of coffee and snacks. I didn't think about my every hour potty breaks but the coordinator did, so this was a good place for me to be. Our 10 yr. old tested with the 4th graders and the 8 yr. old tested with the 2nd graders. Here's some of their responses:

So how was your test?

Yesterday - 10 yr old's reply "Oh, it was easy. I had fun!"

Today - "Some of the math was hard."

How was the Bible section, was it easy like you thought? Did you know what Omnipotent meant? (He thought Bible was going to be a breeze.)

"I remembered from a couple weeks ago when I asked you. It means all powerful.

The science section was kind of hard."

So what did you think about testing? Was it hard? Did you remember to borrow?

Yesterday - 8 yr. old's reply " It was fun, but they asked me about thermometers, and things like how much more in word problems, so I just guessed on some of those. The teacher said it was going to be easy. I asked her if it was going to be 1+1 easy. She said it wasn't that easy. The math wasn't so easy. She also said we shouldn't look at other people's papers because they could be wrong. She was right."

Today - I didn't ask yet. They were the last to finish and he needed to go play.

You might wonder why I test if I don't have to. I don't test every year, but I have tested in 2nd and in 4th. Our 4th grader will test with city schools next year and I wanted to see how he was progressing in Social Studies and Science.

I test because I want them to learn to test. I also test because I already know their weaknesses and strengths but it's good to see how he does in a test situation. Will their weaknesses be worse or will they perform under stress? I also want them to see that other homeschoolers are also expected to really learn. That our homeschool is the real thing, and that they have a responsibility to learn the required subjects for their age and grade.

So now I'll wait for the results to come in the mail. We'll see how easy that test really was.

Homeschool Lyrical Science Vol. 2 Giveaway

Here's a nice giveaway from MamaArcher's Blog:

These are “singing science texts”. The complete program includes the text, tape or CD, and reproducible workbook. Each chapter in the text begins with a song. Memorization of scientific terms and concepts should be fairly painless as students sing such memorable lyrics.
Setting important science concepts with old, familiar tunes, they have created songs teaching the science topics of mammals, ecology, and biomes.
The reproducible workbook has exercises to reinforce the lyrics and textual information and ensure comprehension of the material. The first exercise in each chapter set has students fill in missing keywords from the lyrics. The second quizzes on information from the chapter. This exercise varies somewhat in format. The third exercise is in short answer/essay format and concludes with some “Digging Deeper” questions which require some critical thinking. A complete answer key is provided at the back of the workbook.

DETAILS FOR THE GIVEAWAY:

1. Included is the complete kit(teacher book, workbook, cd) plus an extra workbook.
2. The final day for entries is March 31.
3. Please place a post about the giveaway on your blog.
4. Return to her blog and leave a comment with the URL of your blog post.
5. For an extra entry, browse her blog and choose one of your favorite posts that she has written, blog about that post linking back to her blog again.
6. Winner will be announced on April 1st.

Kind of late, but you still have time!

Sincerely,

The Teacher In All of Us.

As I sat through my boys' music lessons today and I thought about the teachers before them, I looked at their qualities in teaching and was inspired. They truly are good teachers.

One inspired my boy by her love for music, while the other one introduced a concept that with her gentle touch made the medicine go down with a smile from his face. They didn't allow them to sit in a comfortable place where there was nothing required or expected, but at the same time used the love for learning and gentleness to make progress and help them grow.

What makes a good teacher? Homeschooling has forced me to look at this question very personally.

I remember back in high school when we were given our classes at the beginning of the school year. Next to our class would be the room # and the teacher's name who would be teaching that class. We all knew whether that teacher expected excellence or whether we would be passed if we laughed at their jokes. We knew which ones could care less whether we understood the subject and which ones actually loved the subject and wanted to share that passion with each and everyone of us who took the course.

A good teacher inspires. They inspire by example. They love the topic perhaps not because of the content but for the love of learning it. They know it well enough to know more than the student and are brave and humble enough to venture out and learn some more about it. This being because they love to learn.

A good teacher is gentle, kind, long suffering, and patient. I have much to learn in this area of teaching. I'm nice, really I am, but I could be nicer, more patient, and definitely more kind. Would I be a better teacher if the pupils I'm focusing on weren't my own flesh and blood? Would the patience that is needed be more readily available? Probably.

I saw it so clearly today as I watched their teachers teach.

A good teacher expects progress by doing their part. Sometimes we think that the remedy is to go easier on the child. To not require a lot from them but let them get enthused on their own and then try to keep up. As a teacher, this would be the easiest route, but is it the best one for the student? Am I teaching by example? Am I inspiring them by it? Am I challenging them to better themselves, and there by causing them to learn important disciplines in life?

We are all teachers and someone is learning from us. There is a teacher in all of us....and
teaching we are.....

May God lead us as we teach, so the lessons taught will bring forth fruit that God would be pleased at.

Updates and Reviews

I thought I'd post an update and review post since I'm totally not updated and let's not mention the review, because we are just keeping this train moving along. :O)

• Our 1 1/2 year old is doing much better. We're not sure what caused his tonsilitis, but it seems to have been viral. His white blood cell count got up to 27,000! We are back home now from the hospital and he is back to his old self. He is very normal for himself now(finding all kinds of things to get into) and I am very thankful he is well.
• In other news, I started a Sourdough Starter Saturday and can't wait to try it out. I think the brew is just about ready! This is my first time making my own from scratch. I hope to post on this soon. I know, this sounds sooooo exciting. But what can I say- I dig bread making!
• To review our school week- well....we're getting the essentials done but I think for Social Studies and Science we may take a more Five in a Row(very relaxed) sort of approach to finish off the year and start back on our Weaver next school year. I'm just tired and about to pop. Well, not quiet that big but I'm getting there. So maybe I'll make it more storytime about Einstein, the Caesars of Rome..A Bug collection..and whatever else my kids want to explore and learn about while we sit down and relax.
• The Spring Cleaning Challenge didn't happen much last week. The children did get at least half the baseboards done around the house, and I did get the curtains washed, but that's about it. Between doctor's appointments and a sick baby, plus the hospital stay, I'm just glad to be home.

Spring is almost here and the trees out my upstairs bathroom window are starting to bloom. The birds are getting loud again about 6 am and we are watching our tomato plants take off indoors. My husband bought me two semi dwarf apple trees a few days ago. We just need to figure out the perfect place to put them.

In the midst of all of life's concerns, God is always so good!

Our Week In Review

Well, I haven't got my camera battery issue taken cared of, and so I don't have any pictures. :o(

Around the House: This week in review should be pretty quick too, since I don't feel like we got much done. Except- I organized my kitchen cabinets and I feel like a new woman! Yes sirree...those kitchen items in their new locations make me feel like I have a brand new kitchen. There's nothing like changing where you keep the baking power.
We purchased some gamma lids for my 5 lb buckets where I keep my soft and hard wheat, my dehydrated refried beans, and oatmeal. It is now super easy to open them.

In School: 5 yr. old-

• This week we learned some new phonograms - and reviewed some that she doesn't quite have down: ed, ew, ey, ei, ar. We normally work thru her Hooked on Phonics workbook and in the meantime I teach her the phonograms from the original Writing Road to Reading method. She has also enjoyed reading from some of the early Abeka readers.
• In Math, I've introduced subtraction using cusienaire rods and she seems to like figuring them out. We also reviewed decimal street by having her take- say number 52 and in our place value mat making the number with rods. So she would pick out 5 ten rods and place them in the tens place, and 2 unit rods and place them in the ones place. She's getting good at this. She practiced counting by two's, tens, fives, and backwards from 20.

8yr.-

• In Math this week he is working on perimeters and subtraction with borrowing. He learned the concept of $ sign/decimal point verses the cent mark, and we used rods to demostrate the dollar and cent place values. We also spent more needed time playing some math games from Math Mouse games. The games involved addition and multiplication. (He used his skip counting facts to help him solve the multiplication problems.)
• L.A this week involved him working on his poem memory work. He spent time writing out a post card and mailing it. He also worked on copy work and dictation. He learned about adverbs this week and seems to understand them well. First Language Lessons does a really good job teaching this for a child his age.

10 yr. old-

• This week in math he learned about percentages/fractions, quadrilaterals, and two step word problems. He spent time playing during our math time with 8yr. old a game from Math Mouse games where he could work on fractions and multiplication while brother worked on addition and multiplication.
• In L.A. He also wrote out a postcard and and a letter to family and mailed out. He also reviewed adverbs- which were not really set in his mind well. We have been working on newspapers and so we researched a little a bout editors, publishers, opinions, facts, and the set up of the front page. He made a front page with Flag, Editorial, Index, and Top Story. He also spent some time writing some letters to our make-believe editor.

Other subjects-

• I can't say we did an awful lot of other subjects, except music has been a biggie around here for everyone. The children have begun playing Music Ace on the computer, and Music by Jumpstart.
• We visited the police station this week and the children got a chance to see what the inside of the station looks like and how the police files a report.
• 5yr. old has been commenting on how her nervous system seems to really get the message to her brain quickly about being cold after a shower.
• Avoiding the very appearance of evil seems to keep coming back into our conversations.

That's our review of the week. It seems I had a hard time moving on this week because we didn't really continue too much our science and social studies. I think that's ok though. Maybe we needed it. We should be covering insects next.

The weather is getting nice again and it makes me anxious for Spring.

Where have I been?( Journal Letter )

Dear Journal,

I better make this quick since I'm running out of time. Like time is fleeting right? I've been swimming somewhere in my thoughts between switching violin teachers, becoming a little more savvy about identity fraud, organizing my kitchen cabinets, and feeling a little more pregnant each day.

Have I mentioned that it is getting very difficult to bend over? That my mother in-law teases me about getting thru the door, and that when I'm done with this pregnancy I plan to get most of my waist back? By the way, mother in-law had 11 children, and I don't have trouble getting thru the door.

In other news, I'm done with my teaching turn at co-op. The children learned about Squanto, Paul Revere, Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Ben Franklin, and Harriet Tubman. The last quarter ends at the end of April, so my loyal friend and co-op partner will finish the school year with geography and I'll just smile along.

My pondering thoughts of the moment ~ I'm not one of those unbreakable people that never cry. I know about crying. I've cried over being hurt by people I love or don't even love, over accidents I've had, after I had a baby or two, when my husband looks at me the wrong way, when I feel I'm incapable to the task at hand, and when I have failed God miserably.

Sometimes, I'll go thru a season where I haven't shed too many tears if any, but then all of a sudden, it happens.
Crying is good for the soul sometimes- just as long as you don't drown in your weeping. It helps clear stuff out, keeps hurtburn from building up, and keeps you from becoming unfeeling.
Just make sure if at all possible, you're the one who turns the faucet on, and keeps it from dripping over spilt milk.

Since I mentioned milk, I've gotten a deal of a steal on powdered milk and have been making 2 qt. batches and using it in my cooking. If you're interested in recipes using powdered milk you ought to check out the Hillbilly Housewife link I have on my sidebar. She has recipes for everything from shakes to buttermilk, even cheese. Just make sure you keep your powder milk fresh and you won't be able to tell. (I keep mine now in the freezer)

See ....It's a good thing you don't live in my brain because you'd been swimming all over the cerebrum this week. This is why for people like me, thinking too much on a certain subject can be dangerous.

Sincerely,

According to my friend..I'm not into ♥'s this Valentine Season. (Our Week in Review)

I can't believe how quickly this week has gone by! Maybe I was productive, because I don't have a dry load of laundry waiting for me to fold and put away right now.

Around the House: We did the basics. While school is in session around here, that's about all we get done. (Specially, if I'm pregnant.)
Today, I had a prenatal visit and the glucouse test. I got to see the baby in the 4D ultrasound. She's got chubby cheeks and weighs 3lbs. 10 oz. according to the ultrasound measurements. I've gained about 25lbs. Could this be why I'm seemingly hungry every few hours?
I had enough bread to get me by till this weekend. I should be making bread this Saturday.

School: 5 yr. old-

• In Math this week we have been working on simple addition, and decimal street. She's getting better at recognizing the difference between the units(ones) and the tens. Also, worked on the hundreds.
• In reading, she has been reading from her HOP reader and reviewing her phonograms. Her new sounds this week are: ew, tch, oy, oi, ph. We review all her sounds almost every day and she's starting to pick them out in words she notices around and about.
• For music this week, she has began to teach herself Rocky Top and continues to practice the other songs she can play by ear. She also made up her own little song that she plays with different complimenting notes, hands together.

8 yr. old-

• In Math, we are learning to skip count by 12's learning to calculate inches by feet. Working on subtraction facts/addition. In Math U See, working on Magic Squares and area. Reviewed random skip counting from multiplication 2's-10's.
• L.A. Reviewed past memorized poems, four types of sentences. Worked on direct and indirect quotations, narration/dictation, adjectives.
• In music, didn't practice too much and picked a different song for a Fiddle Competition.

10 yr. old-

• We did much better this week because I got my act together and corrected each math lesson that day and so he made corrections that same day. Introduced multiple-digit multiplication (ex. 23x42=).
• L.A we are working on newspapers. Pulled out our handy dandy typewritter. Would you believe the ink still worked? It did. And they typed away. They have been playing with it and decided they would be reporters. We're covering research on Ben Franklin and Peter Zenger's involvement in the printing of newspapers. Worked on odd verbs. Copied poem to a poem format, typed, and printed out to mail to River of Words Poetry Contest. Worked on vocabulary definitions and their parts in speech. Also worked on contractions and possesive pronouns, which he has trouble on.
• In Music, he also didn't practice much this week and needs to spend good practice time to prepare well for recital. (I'm not sure why they didn't practice much?? Maybe it was the weather. It was just so nice outside.)

In Science and Social Studies-(Dear friend says I should post pictures and tell you how I'm not into hearts but more into brains.)

We began our study about the brain this week. We read about the five senses, traced the brain and labeled it, and dissected a cow's brain. We also disscussed which parts do what and a few things that hinder us from solving problems.

Here's a few of their speculations during our dissection: (Which involved me cutting the brain in half and showing them the two hemispheres. Letting them touch the cerebrum, cerebellum, and medula. They were to take notice of the different texture for the 3 different parts.)

"Is that what our brain really looks like?"
"Is it really that soft?"

I was amazed at how little a cow's brain is. Also the cerebellum is small and it took me a while to recognize it since I was looking for something about half the size of the cerebrum. Instead it was about 1/5 of the size of the cerebrum. I thought this would be a really queazy project, but it turned out that it didn't bother me any more than dealing with the liver, gizzards, stew meat from a turkey or beef cut.

Was it worth it? Definitely. The children were amazed and the safety issue of how important it is for them to care for their head really hit home. This is one memory that won't be forgotten. Sadly, I couldn't get any pictures because I was having trouble charging my camera.

Well, there you have it. A whole week in review. I forgot to mention that our Bible lesson covered Achan's sin and Israel's battle with the city of Ai. God isn't mocked, and sin seriously separates us from Him. Perhaps our study wanted us to think a little more on premeditated sin. What do you think?

Hope you have a very nice Happy Valentine's Day. ♥♥♥

Quick Late Review of the Week..w/ a spin on things.

It seems that I've gotten a little behind on this review of the week thing. I might not always have one. This one is going to be a little different since I need to make it quick and I really had more thoughts to share on my week's events than I did details.

Around the House: I don't feel I was very productive this week. I got my bathrooms cleaned, we got our taxes done, the laundry is progressing, and school is steadily moving along.
Sometimes, I look at my progress and it could be pretty disappointing if compared to other ladies who seem to have it so put together. But then I remind myself, that for one thing comparing oneself to another is not wise since each have their own cross to bare, and that perfect or not, I will get to it- whatever it may be someday. Oh..., I didn't get my bread done.

School: Friday night we sat down and started talking. We do that quite a bit around here. The conversation went from talking about piano to Einstein's childhood.
Einstein lived with facination with light, the stars, space. He liked all the things that perhaps had me in knots when I took trig and physics in highschool. (By the way, I dropped trig and physics after the 1st quarter because it was beyond me, I didn't need the credit, and my teacher recommend it.) He loved the things he loved to learn and avoided the very things he didn't.
He had to go back and learn the things he avoided to get to the goals he wanted and loved.
We have continued our poem studies and the children have submitted one poem for a contest and are in the procees of submitting a second one this week. Here's an outstanding resource link for writing contests: http://homeschoolwriters.com/
They have a contest going on right now, w/ a deadline of Feb. 14th, in which the children who get a price will be awarded their poem published in a book and a trip to Washington DC. The topic for this one is nature. Most submissions are free, and many include K-12th.

There has been and on going discussion at our home between the 4th grader and the 2nd grader concerning whether Thomas Edison or Samuel Morse were more important.
In co-op we made slime as an experiment to help the children remember Thomas Edison.
He is a great example of how to try again.

I have decided to spend a little more time in the MathUSee foundations workbook and put Miquon on hold for a bit. Alternating is good, specially since we're a workbook ahead in Miquon and sometimes it gets sticky. Or should I say, icky?
Saxon 54 Math, what could I say about Saxon? I love Saxon Math 54. 4th grader knows his timetables/division impressively well, and though he gets 3-8 wrong problems in a lesson(30 problems in all), it is mostly out of lack of attention or lazyness to write out the problem. I love the way it is set up and teaching from his lesson book has never been easier for me. At least easier than Miquon.

In other news- we let the boys join a church sports program and play basketball. I have mixed feelings about sports. I really, really do. Not so much when they're young, but all things change when they get older. So it has been 2 yrs. since the last time they played sports. Except in P.E. Why my mixed feelings? I want them to have a rounded education. Not centered on one thing alone. This, I feel, we have done well at so far. Sports brings mixed feelings because of what goes on as they get older. I have provided for the children a selective socialization of friends that I felt would not damage the labor of love that has gone into homeschooling them. Sports for some reason, seem to attract attitudes as they age that I don't want to allow the boys to perceive as becoming of a Christian. So....it will be monitored and kept on low priority.

Our Bible Study this week was about avoiding the very appearance of evil. When we don't avoid the appearance of evil than perhaps we are not our brother's keeper, nor our own. For we bring distaste to the gospel. We just don't care, and God wants us to.

Well, this is all for now. I have many more thoughts to share, but like Thomas Edison said,
"...Not enough time..."

Sincerely,

Our Week In Review

This is my 2nd time doing Our Week in Review and I had anticipation to get to it.

Around Our House-
Dear Husband had a week off from work. I can't tell you how high in cloud nine I was Monday and Tuesday. He has worked just about straight since after Christmas, and has been gone almost every weekend. The saying (and don't laugh if I get it wrong) "Distance makes the heart grow fonder," is so true. I appreciate that man so much more now than ever. Not just because he is the provider of our home, my husband, and partner in this journey of mine, but because he's my friend. And I missed him alot. So let me tell you what went on around our house...

• Daddy and the boys cleaned the van in and out. He also steam cleaned the living room carpet.
• I'm not sure what I did.....except for the normal cooking, cleaning/laundry, school, etc. This is probably due to the fact that I was on cloud nine. Oh, I did make my five loaves of bread.

School-

5yr. old:

• In Reading/Phonics, we played Happy Phonics games this week. We used games that reviewed ch, wh, sh, th, long sound of e, first sound of ea, ee, and the famous er,ir,ur,wor,ear,our. Her newest sounds are ng, oa, igh, tch. Played several times this week Curious George Reading and Phonics on the computer.
• *Math- We worked on patterns and she made some of her own. I gave her a jump rope this week and she has been using it to practice counting and of course jumping! She also read to me lottery numbers from our Chinese cookie fortunes. (This was a good exercise, because the numbers were random and not in order.) Reviewed decimal street again.

*Music- Practicing her Ode the Joy, but mostly Long Long Ago. She can now play the melody with both hands at the same time.

8yr. old:

• Math- Began continued work in Miquon on subtraction.
• L.A- For his reading, he has been reading orally Beautiful Stories for Children. He bought himself "In His Steps, What Would Jesus Do."(an illustrated adapted classic version) from a swap your used books bookstore. He learned about quotation marks this week and we reviewed the helping verbs list.
• Music- Practiced violin alone this week. He said he really liked his new song "Dixie" and practiced it more than needed because he finally got the right note in the tough part of the song.

10yr. old:

• Math- spent the week taking test and making corrections of past 10 lessons. I could let it go, but I feel that math requires attention and accuracy. Some of the mistakes were because he was too busy cutting up with his brother. :0)
  
• L.A- In English, he worked on Cinquain poetry. This was a good type of poetry to review/teach parts of speech. Also, worked on Limericks. Reviewed difference between linking verbs and helping verbs.
• Music- practiced his piano. He has two pieces he has begun working on for the March recital.

Social Studies/Bible:

• This includes everyone since we're all learning about the same things in our studies, just at different levels. Our S.S stems from the children of Israel walking around the city of Jericho 7 times and blowing their trumpets. We read together about Bach and the children listened to Back Comes to Call by Classical Kids. 10yr. old read to 8yr. old about Beethoven.

• We also covered aspects of music like dynamics, tone, tempo by singing hymns and traditional songs loud,soft,fast,and slow. And by listening to songs that changed the feel from happy to bouncy or smooth to boisterous. We watched The King and I.

I meant to also cover Hymn Writers with an Adventures in Odyssey but we didn't get to that. We will probably get to it tomorrow.

Art: We painted this week. The boys have been learning about painting in their co-op class, so they painted some more at home.

Co-op: Co-op went well for me this week. I taught in our 1st and 2nd grade class about Benjamin Franklin and they made a sort of kite lapbook. And 5yr. old covered the letter "P" in her class by having a Princess Tea Party.

The children are so excited because someone has given us a trampoline! (with net) And I am too. Maybe they can wear some of that boy energy out bouncing to their hearts' delight. This will help my starting to get very achy ligaments and pregnant joints a break. Did I mention how much I love Spring?

Our Week in Review

I got this idea from Lighthouse Academy Homeschool Blog and thought it was a nifty one. I'm sure it will be tailored as we move along. We'll see how long it lasts. :o)


Around the House: Organized the school closet(it was getting unbearable), made 5 loaves of bread, rearranged my bedroom(I must do this once a year, but I think this time it's just right.) Went through the girl's toybox and finally took a large bag and misc. to the thrift store. I wasted a lot of time on my blog. Hubby has been working a lot of hours/days for several weeks and it seems that I miss him a lot, so what do I do?- Blog. Is this even good for me?



In School:

Bible- The Walls of Jericho and Talking to God.

With 5 yr. old-

• L.A - reviewed these phonograms, which includes all their sounds a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,qu,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z, or, ar, ow, oo, ck, wh, er(her)ir(first)ur(church)wor(worships) ear(learns) our(courage), sh, ch, ee, ai, ay, th. (I'll only cover the ones she's learning next time. )She's learning some new ones.. igh, oa, ea, ng.


• Social Studies- Looked at the book Castle by David Macaulay. We are learning about why there were or are walls around a city or castle. Learned about Handel and his Messiah from books and Classical Kids.


• Science- She told me what Lava is in our conversations about rocks. We were talking about Igneous rocks and she was describing to me how they are made.


• Math- Covered a concept from MathUSee with her, Decimal Street. How to know whether 20 is written like 20 or 02 from a Kindergartner's point of view? Tell me how many tens live in the tens house. How many live in the units house? (Because only up to 9 can live there.)


• Music- Though I'm really torn whether to even go there because I've been there(started my first at 5) and done that(learned I should have waiting till 7). She taught herself Ode the Joy by herself and is now learning Long, Long Ago with a little help from me. Right hand only. What am I going to do???

With 8 and 10 yr old-

• Social Studies- Learned about the Berlin Wall, The Great Wall of China. Discussed why we have walls. Began study on music with Handel. I've included on the sidebar a Classics for Kids Podcast. I tried to teach the concept that most have the ability to enjoy music, but some are given the gift to make it. (5yr. seems to have been case in point) 8yr. old was shocked that she could play Ode the Joy so quickly and now was starting on Long,Long Ago)


• Science-They researched rocks and made a chart to describe. Went looking for rocks to classify outdoors.


• Math- Good grief..... 10 yr. old has geometry terms like isosceles, equilaterals, translation...


• L.A- 8 yr. old wrote his first thank you letter to our neighbor. An official letter with opening, greeting, body, closing, and signature. He also addressed the envelope. This was to thank her for the nice goodies she brought to them during Christmas. 10yr. decided he would do the same. He's been reading a lot of Shel Sylverstein and writing different types of poetry.

The children played in the snow twice this week. We actually got snow and enough cold weather to cancel church and co-op. But it didn't last long.(I'm so glad.) The crocuses in my front yard have peaked their pretty color. Could it be that Spring will soon be here? I hope so.

Maybe the weekly review shouldn't be this thorough.

A few things I've learned while homeschooling...

There are a few things I've learned while homeschooling that I thought I'd share on this blog. It seems the first year you home school you are about to climb a huge mountain and you don't know how well the ups or down will go or whether it's even possible. Well, it feels the same way the next year and the year after that except you have more confidence in yourself because you know it's possible and actually successful even if you had more downs than ups.

I guess I realized teaching reading wasn't so hard since my first son took off and now I have to put time limits to how much he reads or he wouldn't ever come down from la-la land. But then my second little fellow came along and he wasn't so thrilled. As a matter of fact- neither was I.
But his handwriting back then was beautiful. Notice I said, "back then." He is now in 2ND grade and he could take a few lessons from Kindergarten. Though, he returns to his old ways when he wants to.
I had to take a different approach to teaching him to read and had to reconcile with myself that it was not going to be my way or the highway. (What was the point anyway?) He has just now plunged into chapter books like Geronimo Stilton. I asked him if he was having trouble with any of the words. He said a few, but that didn't seem to bother him because he was having so much fun reading them. A few words jumbled up didn't matter much.

If you think reading can get scary, try going back to explaining those wonderful fractions in math. Things like 1x 1/12? The answer to this is easy, but it took me a while to figure it out. I've started them all counting beans, pennies, dimes, nickels...backwards from 20, odds and evens..playing Math Mouse games...etc.

I've learned through trial an error what works for us and what is disastrous. I've also learned that we have more time than I feel we have to learn the concepts needed to succeed in life. (Though, I still believe deep inside that they should be reading well by third grade if you have multiple children to teach -and only two eyes, one mouth and two hands, not to mention one brain to keep up with all of them. If they can read well, then they can do many things on their own that could not be done without your assistance otherwise.)

History and Science have been fun for us all along, with little discomfort if any. Over the years, I've read to the children picture books about important people in history like Mr. Lincoln, Helen Keller, the Wright Brothers, Benjamin Franklin..etc. I've exposed them to American History early on before they really understood that it was something they would have to learn someday. They've played pirates, explorers, patriots and more. They've drawn pictures of the way people dressed and the homes people lived in during certain time periods, of battles that took place, of weapons and the kind of warfare that was used. We've listened to living stories on tape or Cd that incorporated fiction with true history to make it fun.

Sometimes, I wonder how I've taught science to my kids, but it really has happened so naturally. They learned about insects by catching them and making a bug chart. They glued them and labeled them to their chart. We have collected rocks, searched for clouds, taken walks that brought on all sorts of conversations that filled their brains with information without ever having to memorize stuff that didn't fit their attention. We've read books that introduced those special messengers called the 5 senses and then had them use them personally. This is called exploring the human body the way it should be done.
How about creation and the millions of years ago stuff that is forever showing up in all kinds of literature? We've exposed them to the truth and what is real and showed them what is not.

All in all, I've learned each child of mine has been different. They all have their own way of learning and taking information in. But children are sponges and they will soak things in some time or another.
Homeschooling them has given me the opportunity to build relationships with them, while at the same time teach them about God's beautiful story.
It has not all been pleasant and without tears. But that does not mean the sun won't shine tomorrow and that perhaps then he or she won't do better. It does not mean that I can't teach and so I should just let someone else do it. It means that perhaps it's time to look at doing it a little different from what we thought was the way it should be done and try it again.
Perhaps, I'm a better teacher then than I thought.

Dear Journal Letter (cheese...violin, math)

Dear Journal,

I thought I'd write personally today. My mind has been in a lot of places but lately I've had it stuck between the pages of a book about cheese. How I get myself involved in these things I'll never know, but the desire to learn to make cheese has surfaced off and on for a few months now. You would think with all I have to get done and all I don't get accomplished that I would stick to the task at hand, but nooooo...not me. The thought of trying something so pioneering just thrills me sometimes and then there are other times when it makes my head spin. Then it hit me today at co-op as we were learning to weave like the Navajo Indians, "What are you thinking trying to learn to make cheese when you haven't even worked on your crocheting since when, August??" My mind reasons this out by interrupting and saying, "Hello...if I always waited till everything was complete, I'd never go anywhere or do anything."


My 7 yr. old has a nice Christmas Beginner Group performance at the Mall in December. He just started playing the violin in April and is doing good except for:

• His practice time is short(about 15-20 min.)


• He's been practicing playing most of the C sharps like C naturals, and doesn't practice pulling the bow out far enough.


• One more thing, he hasn't been playing the 1/2 notes long enough. He's been playing them like quarter notes.

With all this said, it has come time for me to step in and make sure that he practices a little better by being present and attentive during his practice sessions. It took two consecutive (1hr)sessions to make a lot of progress so far. While I was making dinner, he mentioned how he should probably quit because he couldn't imagine spending that much time every practice.

"Think about it hard and let me know by Thursday. You can let your teacher know then." (gulp..)

Practice took 40 minutes last night. He paid close attention to the C sharps and the half notes so they didn't have to be repeated as much. Half way thru, he was giddy with joy that he had improved so much. At the end of the session, he told me he couldn't quit now. All I could do is be proud.

Math has been going really well at our house. I just love that Saxon 54. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I really like it. It has done a great job helping me teach the 9yr. old and I love the progress we have made. Maybe it is because we do a very untraditional program like Miquon at the beginning. Maybe it's because I floundered around remembering math with my first son and things are just falling into place now. I'm not sure, but all I can say is that we seem to have found some happy ground that is very stable and secure in Saxon's middle school series. Not to mention, how much Math U See has helped us round out the Miquon progress and move smoothly along with the others right behind. I now have good feelings about what I'm going to do with the others.

Well Journal, I must bid you farewell. I need to get ready to make dinner. I would like to make Chicken and Dumplings tonight.





Linda

A Post For Me to Remember

Usually I write my posts with my children in mind, since I hope to one day give them these journals in CD form, but this post is really for me.

Homeschooling has its ups and downs. It has given me the opportunity to learn about myself in a way that perhaps I may never have given myself the chance to learn. One thing that I have learned is that I really enjoy teaching. I'm not talking about handing over a workbook and saying, "Here you go, finish page so and so..." But I'm talking about really teaching.

I've discovered that I like teaching most things relating to Language Arts, specially English. I enjoy teaching other subjects, some more than others, but English has inspired me! From seeing pretty handwriting to hearing them laugh while they enjoy reading, to correcting grammar, and listening to them recite poems. It is like seeing a flower bloom in slow motion, and I love the scenery.

It almost follows my belief in a quote I read that says "Excellence is not an accident." Neither is good penmanship nor is quality,thoughtful writing.

I've replaced a few books on my sidebar for some books that I believe come with excellence in mind. One is First Language Lessons. This is really a good beginning grammar book. The author does a very good job leading a parent in teaching grammar. The further we progress in this book the more impressed I am. We are in the first couple of weeks into the 2ND grade material or the second half of the book.

I would have never realized I enjoyed teaching about helping verbs and that I would relish in hearing beautiful poetry being recited by my kids. That proofreading sentences and seeing cursive flow would actually motivate me in our homeschooling. I thought I was more the medical type. Boy, was I wrong! My husband even mentioned it to me one day. He said, "You know, Linda. You really like to teach them..."

Yeah, I guess I do. When the laundry is not piling high and I can come up with good dinners and can keep my house in order - those are the best days for me. But I've had days where I just wanted to go somewhere and bury my head and cry. Where I thought perhaps this task we had undertaken was going to be too hard. That is why I'm writing this post. Because I know I will have long days again and I want to come back and read this. I want to remember what I have really liked about homeschooling. I want to encourage myself to know that these years will soon be gone and what I instill in them now will not so easily be removed because I have loved teaching them to love to learn. And they will not go away empty or void. Some things can be forgotten, but there are some things love writes within our very soul.

There is no doubt in my mind that God will be faithful to write within their hearts things that only these years could have inspired within their mind and soul. That is my prayer for homeschooling my children.

So Linda, when you read this again someday soon, dry your tears and thank God in heaven for His faithfulness to you. Thank Him for giving you a love to learn and for instilling within you the love to teach. These are priceless tools in homeschooling.

Dear Journal Letter (a casually long update)

Dear Journal,

I've been wanting to write but I've had all kinds of thoughts running through this mind of mine. Topics ranging from how I'm going to teach Lewis and Clark to 1st and 2ND graders in our co-op to Suzuki piano becoming more Traditional to the definition of apostasy. You see, how could you possibly come up with a sensible post? My days go from good when I'm caught up with my laundry and the downstairs is organized and tidy to a poem that describes my heart is heavy and I need to take my cares to the Lord. And yet in all this storm raging within me, I find my Savior cares so much for me.

Co-op has been good this year considering I have 3 children to home school and toddlers to keep me busy. The prep time for this one hour class hasn't been hard and I've really enjoyed teaching them. I'm sharing our teaching with another dear mom who I'll alternate every 7 weeks with. So two more turns of mine and then she'll have to do the prep work, at least for 7 weeks. We've learned so far about what an explorer is, Marco Polo, C. Columbus, H. Cortes, and Capt. Cook. I've learned a few things along the way. I've been reminded of a few things -those being that greed is a great motivator and inflicter of sorrow, that perseverance and good workmanship brings forth great things, and that there is a great will to live beyond the mundane.

Music has lately troubled my heart torn by what I feel would be most appropriate and an excellent teacher who has a different opinion than I. We began Suzuki piano when my little boy was 5. If I had to do it all over again, I would have waiting till he was 7. He has had good piano theory and very good ear training. But alas, we are moving to a more traditional approach. We
have decided to drop the Suzuki Vol. 2 book and pay more emphasis on his reading. His teacher is really a good teacher and has the better in mind for him. But the Suzuki method, I feel requires more time than I have to give now, plus I want his reading to progress further on. She wants him to have the freedom to untimidly move about the keyboard, to be able to feel the music. Who would know that this would be such an issue in my heart, to play by ear or read the music? She has began to introduce an option that I'm beginning to see as a wonderful compromise. He's in the process of memorizing A Gift to Be Simple and Kumbayah after the fact that he can play them both fluently by reading the music.

It seems that it has been so long since I've spoken to anyone about Apostasy, that I kind of forgot the exact meaning of the word. I had to look it up in the dictionary. I knew it either meant someone who was saved and left the truth or I was thinking it might be someone who knew better and was teaching false doctrine. Turns out that it was someone leaving the truth.
I read 1st and parts of 2ND Peter along with Jude today. The thoughts that stuck in my mind was the dog going back to its vomit, and having been better not to have known of the truth and left it since the end of apostasy is worse.
I'm not a believer that once you're saved - you're always going to be saved. I believe you can walk away from God. I also believe someone who has genuinely been born again will have quite a time leaving the Savior. For He will not easily let you go. He tugs at your heart through His Spirit. But His Spirit can only be grieved so long. That makes apostasy ever so sadder I think.
I've been thinking about that and the parallel of marriage came into my mind. Salvation is like that vow of marriage. Perhaps they forget their first love. It is a decision to stay married. A decision to be faithful to the groom. A choice made out of love for Him who first loved me. When you break the vow, you've committed adultery and unless you make things right with the groom, you are an adulteress. The Bible tells us about no adulterers entering into Heaven. Or perhaps it was idolatry or.....
The prophet Hosea comes to mind. He loved Gomer yet she would not.
This apostasy that I speak about could happen to me, to my heart. Would I go back to the heart I had previously to coming to Christ? I could if my heart gets hard. I could if my eyes waxed dull. I could if my love turns to other and I forget the Savior. And the scary thing is that it all could happen and I could remain in church. A waterless cloud with no savour, with withered fruit that has no roots, or perhaps I could leave it all and start over -but that I don't know how to do. For how would I erase the feeling of His presence or face life all be myself again. It could happen, and if it did, mark that I would be what is called an Apostate.

Spies

We've been learning about the art of espionage in our home for Social Studies. This correlates with our Bible lessons which right now are on the spies that went into Jerico to spy out the land.
The children have really enjoyed this chapter. I have assigned them everyday a different person in our household to spy on and their job is to be unnoticed and report to me without anyone knowing who told on who, what. They get paid a nickel for any true intelligence report.
We've also learned about codes like morse code and acronyms and the beginnings of the alphabet. They have designed their own spy language to communicate with me. I can tell you they are having a ball with this. They've learned about the "dead drops," the CIA, KGB, and FBI.

I've also learned a few things too. It became real evident to me that one should value loyalty. Many spies were either very loyal or very greedy. Some were blackmailed into sevice while others offered their services for lots of money. The love of money truly is the root of all evil, and many will sell their souls for it.

Our next Bible lesson is on how that we are spied on everyday by Satan and his cohorts. He is a subtle and intelligent spy. He is in the blackmailing and recruiting business. He checks our actions and watches carefully to see if we have a price.