MFW 1ST GRADE ~~WEEK 3~~

Welcome to my first post about MFW 1ST Grade (we are using 1ST edition)! 

You may be thinking, hmm, you are on Week 3, but this is your first post...Yes, you are correct! I had the idea to create a blog to document our homeschool journey and to hopefully encourage others in the process.  

And then IT happened...Pumpkin (nickname of our youngest son) came down with pneumonia and a double ear infection. Ladybug (nickname of our daughter) and I got sick,and my hubby, and then Buddy(nickname of our oldest son).  The thought of creating a blog left my tired mind.  

But, thank our Gracious Lord, we are on the mend.  So, without further delay, here is what we did for MFW 1st~Week 3!

Bible:  Our Proverbs for the week is Proverbs 23:12 ("Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge").  We discussed ways to listen and do our best to learn.  We need to listen to our parents, our pastor (who is Daddy :) ), others who teach us God's word (like our Sunday School teacher).  Most importantly, we need to listen/obey God and His written word. On Day 2 (beginning this week) of week 3, Ladybug copied our Proverb of the week on a handwriting sheet.  If you are looking for some cute Proverb handwriting sheets, look here.  

Ladybug working on her Proverb copywork

Reading: In our MFW workbook, we reviewed short vowel sounds and started working on long vowel sounds.  Ladybug does very well in reading and we breezed right through this week.  Below is a sample of a MFW student sheet (these are similar to MFWK student sheets). We also try to read 15 minutes a day (like the manual suggest).  Most nights, this happens during our Family Worship Time (FWT).  We are currently using this book for our FWT.  Ladybug enjoys reading out loud to all of us. By the way, if your interested in a look at our daily (normal) routine (including curriculum), click here.

Sample of MFW Student Sheet

Showing one of her completed Student Sheets

Math: We are using the Complete Book of Math (CBOM) and the suggestions from the Teacher's Manual.  I've found the CBOM to be very, very EASY so far, but I know it will pick up.  The format is very similar to other workbooks we've done in the past (lots of color, games).  We have been working on patterns,sequences and classifications.

Science: We are enjoying the science books that are included with MFW.  We studied flowers this week and had a blast.  There are lots of fun suggestions in the Teacher's manual for activities with flowers.  Unfortunately, we are in the middle of winter.  Solution: Buy a CHEAP Bouquet from the grocery store!  Our bouquet was a little under $5.00, and really pretty!   Ladybug loves flowers and enjoyed making a small bouquet for her room.

We had fun observing the stages of growth

Ladybug took apart 2 flowers and counted their petals.  

We pressed the petals in a book

And then stacked a few more book on top (commentaries that Daddy is not using right now :) ) 

In a few weeks, we will use the dried, pressed petals to make bookmarks!

We also soaked kidney beans in water and will watch them sprout in the next few days.  

What fun Week 3 has been!!!

Wife and Mother: Power to Grow or Destroy

 The following post is taken from the devotional, Devotions, Advice & Renewal for When Motherhood Feels Too Hard..

I read this devotional last year, but I find myself daily coming back to it. It refreshed my soul and refocused my mind on what is most important in life.  May it be the same for you.

"Motherhood has the greatest potential influence in human life."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lord, I want to be a wife who causes her husband to flourish, and a mother who causes her children to grow."

This was my earnest prayer after weeks of battling some emotional issues that strained our family.  If you are a wife and mother, I have good news and bad news: but it is the same news.  

You profoundly affect the atmosphere of your home.  There is no way around it.  

My emotional, spiritual, and physical response to daily life can snowball to the rest of my family and bring peace and life or bring stress and destruction.  

So when I prayed that prayer, I cried it from the depths of my soul. I have been brought to a place that is the end of myself.  "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling" has become the song of my soul.  

But the very good news is that the God of all our needs IS sufficient. But He's waiting for us to realize there is now power in ourselves. He's waiting for us to "draw near to Him" so He can draw near to us.

There is a tidal wave of peace when we finally throw up our hands and take hold of His our helplessness without the indwelling of Christ.  

The prayer I prayed evoked a gentle reminder from my Father...I heard it..."His wife shall be like a fruitful vine about thy house"...

 I had always thought this verse referred to fruitful as in "child-bearing", and it may have those connotations.  But today I saw something else: a fruitful vine is something out of which fruit grows and flourishes and abounds.  The power of my position as a wife and mother is LIFE-GIVING nourishment to my family!  Or, it can mean death is the Life-Giver is not pouring through me.

That's heavy!  But we all know it's true.

I am to be the vine-the lifeblood of the fruit that God wants to produce in our home.  Does my husband flourish or wilt from my influence?  Do my children grow and mature or do they shrivel under a harsh spirit?

Oh ladies, our role is so crucial and what's more, our dependence on the God who placed us here is even more so.

Run to Him each morning, each moment, and beg for His mercy and wisdom and spirit.  Meet with Him when you wake up and commit your words, your thoughts-your whole day to Him.

"Faithful is He who called you who also will do it".

**Words written in BLUE are taken from Devotional

Our Daily School Routine (when we are home and life is normal) and Curriculum

Thanks for checking out our Daily School Routine (when we are home and life is normal) and our Curriculum for this school year! Here's a look at what we do:

Daily Routine:  We try to start our school mornings (afternoons some days :) ) with the pledges!  We learned these in our Classical Conversations Community, and we love taking turns holding the Bible and Flags (sometimes we like to take each other turn as well, but we are working on that character trait ;) )

Buddy Loves holding Mommy's Bible up for the Pledges 

Ladybug's turn to hold the American and Christian Flags

Next, we read a Psalm together and discuss ways to apply to our lives that day.  We pray for each other and others (our families, friends, church family and missionaries, the sick, stuffed animals, worms, etc)

Then, we do our calendar/weather chart/days of the week time.  I got all charts from Confessions of a Homeschooler a few years ago.  I printed them off and put the days of the week in page protectors (since we use those over and over again) and everything else in binders that fit in their workboxes (I heart workboxes).  I love the charts because Ladybug (first grader) and Buddy (almost kindergartner) can do it together with little help from Mommy (who,about this time, is usually holding a wiggly, very adorable, squishy 8 month old).  

Buddy working on his monthly weather chart.

Ladybug's Days of the week binder

After, we do calendar time, Ladybug starts MFW 1st Grade. 

Here's our curriculum/materials/add-ons that we use for first grade:

MFW 1st Grade (first edition) Curriculum

MFW 1ST Grade Curriculum: We use MFW for the bulk of our learning (reading,handwriting, math, science, Bible). We purchased this curriculum used (saved lots of $$ and most books were brand new).  We did add in a couple of things:

1) Phonics Workbook

Short Vowel Workbook Add-on

This is a phonics workbook (Grade 1st and 2nd) that I got used on a Facebook Homeschool Resale Page. It has lots of word puzzles and word finds in it. FUN Stuff (I'm not the only one who thinks they're fun, right?)!!   We don't do the phonics workbook every day, but add it in about once a week.  

2) Draw Write Now 

Draw Write Now Box Set 

 We purchased the Draw Write Now box set when it was on sale at zulily for $50.00 plus shipping!!  Look for these used at your local Homeschool supply store.  This is something we will use year after year!  Ladybug loves these books! Ladybug struggled a little with her handwriting, so we incorporated these fun books into our curriculum. We usually do 1-2 pages a week.  Ladybug chooses what she wants to draw, prints the sentence in her writing tablet (that way we can re-use this set with Buddy and Pumpkin...Score!!) and then draws her picture on a piece of computer paper.  Below is a page from the Farm-Themed Draw Write Now Book and Ladybug's drawing.

Ladybug chose to draw a cow 

3) Books!  Books! Books!:  Ladybug loves to read (she gets that from her mama) and we read LOTS of books. We enjoy the My First Little House Books (we purchased these used on Ebay but also check local libraries).  We read together, but she also has books that she reads on her own.  

We found Ladybug's Readers used at a local homeschool store 

4) Classical Conversations:  There has been no greater blessing to our homeschool journey than discovering and being apart of Classical Conversations (CC). If you have never heard of CC, please check the website (www.classicalconversations.com) out.  Locate a local CC group, and visit with your husband and children.  Prepared to be overwhelmed, but in a good way.  Our CC family is so special and we look forward to our meetings every Tuesday.  We have laughed and learned together, prayed and cried together, and worshiped and praised our Savior together.  CC's motto is to know Christ and make Him known, which fits 100% with what we are striving to do and be.  I am planning to write a post about CC soon (and how we fit that in) and share more!

Buddy learning European Rivers During Week 4 

Classical Conversations

Those are the 4 "add-ons" to our First Grade Curriculum and a quick glance at some of the things we do every school day.  We try to keep it simple and fun.  I hope this has been a help to you and encouraged you in your homeschool journey.

Blessings!

Jessica

Reviewing Numbers Game (Pre-K/K)

Here's an Easy-Peasy Review Game that requires little preparation but LOTS of Fun (SCORE!)!

Materials: 

1) Flash Cards (this time we reviewed Numbers 0-25)

We Just used the Numbers Flash Cards

How To Play:

Turn cards over (so numbers cannot be seen) and shuffle (if you have a young son he will LOVE to help shuffle! And.he.will.not.want.to.stop)

Flashcards with numbers facing down all shuffled and ready to play!

Now it's time to play (errr...learn)!

Have child pick a flashcard and turn card over and tell you the number.  

If child gets the number correct, celebrate (YAY), high-five, and give the flash card to the child.  

If the children gets the number wrong.  Tell him/her the correct number, and put flashcard back in the pile.

Buddy (nickname for our oldest son) loved collecting his "correct" flashcards in a pile and grinned ear to ear when he had got them all!

Want to make this more difficult?  Just add higher numbers!
Don't have flashcards? Make your own! Or have one of your precious gifts (children) make them! 

Enjoy Learning!

WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG!!

Hi! I am Jessica; it's so nice to meet you! 


I am a believer in Jesus Christ.  My handsome husband and I have been married for almost 8 years.  They have been the best years of my life!! He is a godly (preacher) man and the apple of my eye.  We have 3 precious children whose ages range from 8 months to 6 years.  We are "convictional" homeschoolers, who homeschool based on the biblical view of training our children in the Lord.  I love photography and encouraging others! 

I created this blog to be able to show my children (as they grow) our homeschool adventures; and to perhaps encourage others. Perhaps a lonely pastor's wife or a discouraged mother, or an overwhelmed mother, or someone interested in homeschooling!  My prayer is that you will seek God first and His will for your life!

Grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and stay awhile and visit! Oh! And please say hello! 

This was the view from our front porch last week! Our Little Winter Wonderland!!