School fun plus some

So we have officially gotten started on the "Next School Year" Stuff for Noah and also Brie is starting Little Hands to Heaven so is doing her Pre-K stuff pretty consistently. Kayla is still chugging away at Little Hearts for his Glory so here is a look at the last 2 weeks.
Week 1 LHTH
First off I can't say how much I love this program. It is so sweet and fits my dd personality to a T!! Since we were doing 2 new guides it took us about 2 weeks to get through the first unit, but we would repeat stuff which is fine because at 4 they love repetition. My 2 year old joined in at times, but he isn't quite ready to sit still and pay attention the whole time :)
   Each week there is a Fingerplay section which focuses on sounds and motions for the letter of the week put to a rhyme. This week we were on A and my kids asked to do this over and over.  A is for Adam so we got to spend time in the Bible and moving like different animals. I think their favorite part of the week was me taping a big and little A on the floor of their room. They wouldn't let me take it off either so it is still there. They walked on the A and their cars went on the A. What really surprised me was how Brie was able to pick out A's pretty well on a worksheet that you print off from the guide.
 We are also working on making a counting book for the numbers 1-10 and she got to work on her cutting skills. I am thankful that simple things like cutting are placed in the guide because I can overlook simple things like that with the kids and then you have a 9 year old who struggles to cut because mommy always does it for him ;) Anyway, we are really looking forward to what LHTH has in store for us this year and all the fun and mommy time Brie will get to have.

LHFHG Unit 27
Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of dd from this week. Sometimes I get wrapped up in school with the kids and don't think to take a pic, plus she doesn't like me doing it either ;)
We have had a great week through, we have leaned a lot about Thanksgiving and some of the early leaders from our country. I think dd favorite part was making up a Thanksgiving plate and tracing and coloring the food on it. She learned also how to properly set a dinner setting so we will put that into practice with her. Anything that has to do with coloring she is a fan of.
 Reading is going great also. We are nearing the end of The Reading Lessons. Each day we read at least 2 pages together than we color the picture together. It is such a fun time getting to color with her.
Math is going pretty well too. We have hit telling time and she is good when the clock is on the hour, but when it is not well... We are working on that ;0)
   The kids also took an art class at a local studio so it wasn't really part of school but they did such a great job I thought I would throw a pic in. I know she is going to love the higher guides with all the artwork she will get to do!

PHFHG Unit 1-2

So our first few weeks were long but now we are in a pretty good stride and Noah is doing better with his independent work also. I love that as the kids get older they are becoming more responsible and can do more on their own. I love getting to spend time with them and reading to them, but it is amazing seeing them pour over books that they actually enjoy and absorbing the information. I guess it helps that Noah loves non-fiction books the most :) I also am in love with the selection of books for this guide. I know many homeschool companies are Christian and all, but really the word of God just comes alive through the material that is used and I love what the kids are learning!!
  So anyway, in history these 2 weeks we have been talking about creation, sin, Noah's ark, and now we are spending a lot of time in a book called Life in the great Ice Age which is from the point of view from a boy who lives after the floor and Tower of Babel and it gives you a great illustration of how life was like during that time and especially in the harsh areas of the world where it was freezing!!
  History this year also has an independent portion where Noah has been working through the book Draw and Write Through History. He is really coming along in his drawing skills and cursive.
   On top of me reading to him his history and his independent history time, there is also a weekly history project for him to do. This is really what makes him love HOD!! In the first week he got to design a shield of faith. It really drove him crazy the first week not to finish it all on day 1, but I really think he learned patience and since he wasn't worn out by working on it did a better job than if we had finished it in 1 day.
   Week 2 we spent a lot of time reading about Noah and the flood so it was appropriate that our history project was a painting and we also got to learn the difference between warm colors and cool colors and also how to mix colors to get different ones. My 3 year old was in awe of how this worked so she just stared at Noah as he did his painting.

I didn't get any pictures of ds doing his science experiments these weeks either. Science is also independent this year so it is great that he can read and he is comprehending well what he is reading. This part always makes me a little nervous because I can't see what is going into his head, but he answers his comprehension questions beautifully and narration great also. The 4th day of science is an experiment so week 1 he learned about how layers help to keep heat in on animals in the artic and week 2 had to do with melting ice and trying to get it to melt quicker.
   Also, I just wanted also to say how awesome I think HOD selection for LA is also. We are using Drawn Into the Heart of Reading and I love how Noah is not just reading but really learning more about the characters and also thinking about their Character Traits. Also Rod and Staff I wasn't sure about but it is so thorough and I love how it teaches grammar. It does take a little time, but I think the time is well invested. Also, he is doing great with spelling through dictation. He is good at picking up what he sees and has never really struggled with spelling so this has been a great fit too.
 
   Finally, I thought I would throw in Noah's art work from the studio they went to. The kids had a blast here and I was so thankful that their dad was able to take them and have some good bonding time which they learned something too :)