Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE

As September comes to end, we're wrapping up our focus on "Love" as the first fruit of the Spirit.

We have memorized the 9 fruits of the spirit using this song I learned as a little girl...

So while we'll continue singing this song, we'll be moving onto learning about JOY in the Spirit for October!

Here is a list of what we have memorized and focused on with "Love"...

--Hymn: "My Jesus I Love Thee"

--Hymn: "Jesus Loves Even Me"

--John 3:16

--1 John 4:19-22

--1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (below is Trusten saying it in rhyme)

I have noticed a huge difference in my boys since we have been focusing on this fruit.  Sure, they still need daily (sometimes hourly) reminders, but they are quickly learning that with each decision, it either grows a good fruit in us or a bad fruit in us (they called them "poison berries")!

I again, am so thankful that the Lord led me to focus on these fruits of the Spirit with the boys this year!  I am convinced I'm learning just as much as they are!

And now as I prepare us to learn more about "joy" and apply it to our days, it is so neat to see how it so easily flows out of "love"!

2010-2011 Curriculum

I'll admit it, I'm one of those super-excited, over-the-top, ridiculously organized, gun-ho, newbie homeschooling mommas!

And while I've had lots of well-meaning moms tell me to not to worry about schedule and "book education" with my Preschooler and Kindergartner, I just can't help it!

I'm excited to get into our first real year of homeschooling (last year I casually took Trusten through "Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons" and the Rod & Staff Preschool books).

And the kids are ready too!  They love to learn, they love having books to work through, they even love a reliable schedule, so why not take advantage of their love for that kind of structure?!

In fact, I'm so excited to start school, that we're starting today, August 2nd!

We're starting each day just like we always do, but with one new addition...

Morning devotions with Daddy!  I'm super excited about this part!  We always have family worship in the evenings, but now we'll be starting and ending our days the same way!

• 6:45--Devotions with Daddy
  (Time schedule stops there!  Then we move onto routine schedule!  :)
  
  
  • Breakfast
  • Hygene (brush teeth, get dressed)
  • Chores
  • School!
     
•  School routine (we'll start all together with these activities)
• Prayer- we'll be praying through Voice of Martyrs weekly prayer updates
• Globe- Locate country from VOM prayer request
• Hymn-Starting with "This is My Fathers World"
• Pledge of Allegiance-American flag and will add Christian flag and Bible
• Scripture memory verse
  
• Bible/character concept-We'll be going through the Fruits of the Spirit
• Calendar- (My Fathers World curriculum)
• 100 chart with straws- (My Fathers World curriculum) Teaches numbers, counting by tens, etc.
• Weather Wheel

So here's a look at the curriculum we'll be using this year:

Pre-School
*Handwriting Without Tears~

Nice handwriting is VERY important to my husband.  And after looking over this curriculum (which we were given for free!), I am so excited about this approach to writing!  I am learning as I read the teachers manual, the importance of "golf" pencils, posture, and so much more!

Brahm will be doing the whole sh-bang: work book, wood letters, slate practice, wet-dry-try...

Like I said, I'm learning a lot as I read through the teachers manual!  I didn't realize journal writing, "free" writing, dot-to-dot letter formation and other "innocent" methods were maybe doing more harm than good.

So, I'm excited to try their methods...and excited to see how the "Mat Man" approach enhances my boys ability to recognize where letters start, touch, and end.

Plus, it will be fun to make letters with the wooden pieces, play-dough, string, spaghetti...and anything else we can think up!

Kindergarten

My Fathers World

I'll be taking Trusten through this in the first semester (and originally, I was going to have my Preschooler sit in on this and just tweak it a little for him, but MFW and HWT have different letters they emphasize each week, etc...plus I'll enjoy my one-on-one time with each of them and enjoy the benefit of having a brother to keep the little ones occupied while the other brother does school with me!). 

I'm excited at the Biblical world-view this curriculum offers, as well as the emphasis on phonics and the introduction to quality literature.  It's also nice that My Fathers World covers math and science too!

Since Trusten already has a strong foundation of phonics, and is already beginning to read, we'll "double-time" this curriculum and do 2 letters/lessons a week.  We'll also be incorporating some of the concepts from Handwriting Without Tears.

I also feel so blessed to be apart of the My Fathers World Kindergarten Yahoo Group, which has tons of ready-to-use spread sheets and project ideas at my fingertips!

Thanks to my Yahoo Group, my year-long lesson plan for Trusten was completed in less than an hour!

Singapore Math
Math is included in the My Fathers World curriculum, but since Trusten will complete it in the first semester, I'll move him onto a separate math curriculum we'll do all by itself in the second semester.  

We'll probably be using Singapore Math's "Early Bird Kindergarten book B".  Trusten is already so good at math that I know he'll enjoy this emphasis on building up his foundational math concepts.

Spanish/Latin
We haven't picked out the curriculum yet, but during the second semester we'll also start a Spanish or Latin curriculum with Trusten!  Hey veteran homeschool moms...any ideas on a good curriculum for this???

~~This post is linked to the "Not Back To School Blog Hop" over at "Heart Of The Matter"