Owlowiscious Girls

 What?  School on Saturday!?!  NOOOO!  Just kidding!  That is just the update title and so I can keep the alliteration going.  I have been so super super blessed to homeschool not just my preschooler and a friend this year but to also have a first grader at home and by Christmas my prayer is to have all my children home.  But I am going to try to tell you what we are learning about and the curriculum choices I have made and how they are working. We will start with Preschool.  I use  Little Hands to Heaven  and  Letter of the Week .  The simple idea of one letter a week with a week of review after every 4 letters is so fun.  We have a friend who joins with us a couple times a week.  We are going at a slower pace because of lack of consistency but life is never consistent so we just roll with it!  This week we have been focused on the review and sounds of A, B, C, D.  And we have started putting all our wo...

I am still reading Ester Ried .  It is a fun read.  Like I said last time I could totally see this as a modern movie.  Ester would work at a family business probably a diner.  She gets an e-mail or call or text from her cousin that she is getting married.  She gets to see New York city but her cousin is all "religious" and getting married to a youth pastor.  Ester always thought of herself as a Christian but not like her cousin.  Abbie goes to all the prayer meetings and volunteers for everything.  Meanwhile her sister is being influenced by a horrible guy back home in some small town in Ohio (?) maybe.  Okay....in reality Ester works with her mom at a boarding house and there is no e-mail or texting it was all done through a letter, but pretty much the same thing. With the girls, we just finished Little House on the Prairie .  I am excited to introduce them to the show.  Since we just a finished a book we jumped right into the ne...

Mom is reading Ester Ried by Isabella MacDonald Alden.  This is the book currently being read on BBN as a Christian Classic.  Thought I would give it a try.  One minute reviews of what I have read so far- Chapters 1-8:   -Ester is looking for something awesome to happen in her life and she gets to go to New York City! -I can totally see this as a modern movie. -I can't figure out what time period exactly this was written for but I really enjoy trying to make it modern in my head.   Girls are reading: We only have 2 more chapters to finish!  They have done a very good job of listening to this.  Hermione enjoyed the Christmas story.  After we finish this we are going to start watching the show and I am going to see if we can read the next one. Hermione can actually read these.  I remember growing up with these stories.  It is so much fun to see her read these and really apply God and Jesus to norma...

I have not been a good blogger.  I have not made it much of a priority.  It is a good thing this is for me and not for others.  I am going to go back to my regular updates I hope.  Just wanted write about the last things we have been up to before September rolls around.  While I was gone at Women's Camp my husband introduced the two older girls- ages 4 and 6 at the time- since then both of them had a birthday, to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .  They LOVED this book and both subsequent movies.  We spend most of the rest of the summer reading the book and then watching the movies.  Neither can decide which movie they like better and everyone agrees that the tunnel scene in the older version is extremely creepy.  I had all these grand plans of introducing that book and the movies but I guess being flexible and just letting them enjoy stuff is the way to go especially for a family in our financial situation.  It would be great...

Sorry I haven't been posting.  My goodness did we have such a busy "nit" picking time.  The girls all got lice!  Plus a lot of other things happened in between but that was the main battle for nearly 2 months!  Finally got back to reading a little. I am just going to list a few of our reads. LUCY ARIANA HERMIONE

In a small effort to highlight Africa and Black History month we leaned toward those books this month. Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson Mom:  This is a story about Wangari Maathai who led the Green Belt movement in Kenya.  Wangari and other women started planting trees to help their village be more sustainable.  Wangari was the first black woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize and fought for the rights of women.  It is a wonderful story to read to kids about how one small idea can turn into something big and wonderful.   Girls:  They loved this book.  I must have read it at least 5 times- maybe more.  Hermione is always the one most interested to know if it is a "true for real story", which I still love that question.  It is such a teachable moment.  Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter Mom:  Okay, so I honestly didn't know these were practically the same story just told differently when I first reserved ...

Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham Mom: This was a beautiful book about a girl who wants to help her mom because her mom is sick.  She tries to do her mom's job, which is picking tea leaves.  She is just too small for such a big job, but her monkey friends help her and save the day. Girls: They didn't listen because they were more interested in playing with their dominoes and drinking hot chocolate. Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen Mom: A cute story about a girl who just KNOWS how to raise dragons even if her parents are a little reluctant at first.  The unnamed girl names her first dragon Hank.  She reads to him, feeds him, and he flies her to school.  Even though she does disobey her father in the beginning (I may need to discuss consequences) it all turns out okay because this is what she was born knowing how to do- raise dragons. Girls:  Ariana liked it enough to stop playing with dominoes and take a look.  She r...