CC Downtown Bakersfield
Week 4 Recap
Contents
In this email you will find the following:
- Director Notes
- Week 4 At Home
- Digging Deeper
- Looking Ahead/Upcoming Events
- Mom's Night
- Prayer Requests
- Map Challenge
Director Notes
"For His sake, I'm driven to inspire my children with a love of learning and life that boils out of their spirits even in the most difficult situations. I feel compelled to 'ride horses up the White House stairs' as Teddy Roosevelt did with his children...I want them to know that everyone they encounter can be their teacher and they they are to inspire each person they meet to draw a little closer to our Father in heaven. Life is but a vapor, but it's also a divine journey that can result in unspeakable joy and heart-satisfying peace that passes all understanding." Leigh Bortins, Echo in Celebration
Wonderfully, I have found a deep sense of peace that passes all understanding this year as a homeschooler. I am enjoying all aspects of homeschooling so much more and I can already see the joy it is bringing to my children. I recently watched a few webinar like recordings by Sarah Mackenzie and in several she mentioned that the most important thing for a successful homeschool year is a happy mother. I am praying for each and every one of us to be that key this year.
Thank you all for your grace and prayers this week. I got a nasty flu last week and was barely "well" on Tuesday and had an added physically painful issue I have from a congenital bowel disease. As some of you saw in opening assembly, when my youngest decided to run wild, I began to cry. I just couldn't think through that moment and felt so overwhelmed. It was a hard day! I appreciate all the "I'm praying for you" & "I've had so many moments like that" comments. The support I receive from our community is such a blessing and I hope to always return the blessings to you all.
Week 4 At Home
This week at home for Foundations you should be reviewing week 4, 3, 2, and 1 Grammar with your children. Remember to keep it simple!
Please read your Foundations guide starting on page 125 for memorization tips for the new grammar portion. These few pages will give you good tips on how to memorize at home. Here is a great method how-to:
http://www.nurturinglearning.com/classical-conversations-memory-box/
Additionally, keep in mind the amazing resources on CC Connected! Just promise me, yourself and your family you won't let yourself get overwhelmed and spend $100 on ink and paper! :)
Digging Deeper
Regarding History sentences from weeks 3 & 4: If you would like to know more about The Crusades you can read Timeline card #72 and Story of the World Vol 2 Ch 18 19 pgs 160-177. If you want to know more about the signing of the Magna Carta you can read Timeline card #79 and Story of the World Vol 2 Ch 19. Foundations Guide Tip: page 201 is the first page for Cycle 2's history sentences and Acts and Facts Timeline cards integration.
A great way to go deeper with our children who are entering into the Dialectic stage is to talk to them about the science experiments. Ask them a few questions and see where it goes. Their replies will let you know if they are in need of more in depth learning. (Keep in mind: The primary focus for science in Foundations is the scientific method and process of doing "good science.") It is also a great way to involve Dad or other family members. Sometimes my kids do not want to tell me (I already know -I was there!) but Daddy wasn't, Grandpa wasn't, etc.
If you find a great resource, let us know! I remember sharing a YouTube video I found about Gutenberg's Printing Press in Cycle 3 and a few other moms said they enjoyed watching it with their children. We are a community and the more we contribute, the better it is!
One last thing: This is a great website full of CC related posts. Just be warned, it could very easily consume you! I try to read an article of her's as a treat during midday quiet times (which next to never happen, lol). http://www.halfahundredacrewood.com/
Looking Ahead/Upcoming Events
October 4 there is no Community Day (every 6 weeks we have a break)
Starting week 7 we will be using Tin Whistles (in Key of D) -make sure to have one for each child and label them!
The Great Meet Up (3 CC communities of Kern County) is on Monday, September 26 from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM 16000 Rosedale Hwy Bakersfield, CA 93314
Mom's Night
6:00 PM, Thursday, September 29 (two weeks from today!) I will be at the Panera off California by Hobby Lobby. Come and join me for a meal or just a treat and good discussion. I will be talking about The Core and Teaching from Rest -two "must reads" for any CC mom! No need to buy/read before coming. I will give a basic intro to both and we can see where conversation goes from there. RSVP to me if you plan to attend.
Prayer Requests
If someone has it on their heart to be our resident prayer warrior, let me know and I can have requests sent to you! In the meanwhile, I will add your requests to my prayers. <3
Map Challenge
For my 9 (nearly 10) year old: I am asking Katelyn to daily trace with tissue paper taped over the placemat maps I got from CC during practicum. She has to trace and label her maps with all the information we have covered. I am also requiring that she free hand draw at least one map a week. I am also having her concentrate on individual countries to be more familiar with their shape so that she could recognize England if it was an isolated silhouette (like how she can with the USA and a British child would be able to recognize their own country). The rest that she chooses to make may be tracing with a dry-erase, coloring in of photocopies I made of the maps from the foundations guide book or "blob mapping" Europe.
For my 7 year old: I am requiring of Grace similar to her big sister -I am only not requiring the individual countries to be traced and I am not requiring her to free-hand draw the map. Free hand is a challenge for her and she gets upset and clearly isn't learning and certainly not enjoying geography.
For my 4 year old: I am working with Rockwell each morning to circle "trace" the continents and countries. He does well with tracing the rivers so I have him trace the rivers and we say the names together. I am counting each session as a map for the challenge.
Once you know what you want your child to do for map work, every time they do it you count that toward the challenge. Each time we meet for Community Day I will have the poster board with "Ice Cream Party" written on it and each area within the letters (and the ice cream cone and popsicle) count for 10 maps. My kids went crazy on the maps while I was sick last week and did 84!!! So we colored in 8 "areas" and carried over the extra 4 for this week's total.
*If your child has a map challenge with their tutor you may count the maps done for that toward this challenge, as well. Also, you can count what your child has done since the beginning of the year. And lastly, I only want ONE map from each participating child for the EYO celebration in April.
Mom's Night Out
We will be discussing (brief intro) The Core and Teaching from Rest (see links and details above).
Thursday, Sep 29, 2016, 06:00 PM
Panera Bread, California Avenue, Bakersfield, CA, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.