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Can you believe it?! December! This year went by so fast (except for when we were frying this Summer because it was sooooo hot)! October, November and December are definitely our favorite months out of the entire year because of all the wonderful celebrations, birthdays and holidays that take place during these months. To us, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
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| This is a fun and easy Advent calendar from the dollar store. The kids really enjoy gluing the pompoms every day. |
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| Our little garden. We have red, yellow and purple bell peppers, eggplant, jalapeños, seranos, tomatoes, and zucchini |
The Star of Christmas (Day 1, actually we started on Dec 2nd): Introduction to the Star
This year, we aren’t doing the Elf on the Shelf. Instead, we are taking a more spiritual approach by using the Star of Christmas because it pointed the way to Baby Jesus.
I got my inspiration from a great blog, but I am not copying it verbatim or following it exactly. It was a great way to get ideas and then run with my own family’s Christmas Advent celebration. It has been so fun for all of us, not just the kids.
Basically, I purchased a very pretty and glittery star-shaped ornament for 97 cents and that is what I use as the guide to Baby Jesus. Every morning, the Star of Christmas is in a different spot in the house, along with a card with a special message and a little treat or treasure.
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| Day 1 (actually Day 2): The Star of Christmas was by the back door. |
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| I put a drop of Christmas Spirit essential oil on the corner of the card (Young Living essential oils). |
Classical Conversations Community
Today, we visited a Classical Conversations community. The curriculum is supposed to be taught like this, but the group was full, so I started teaching the kids at home. When they told me of an open spot for us, we excitedly went to visit. I was so excited about it that I didn’t sleep well the night before! haha. Yes, I am that nerdy and geeky. What an experience that was! I had been praying so much about God giving us an opportunity to be a part of this community and visiting would definitely be the deciding factor. Wow, was that an interesting experience and a hard decision to make!
The group was great, the lessons were great, the kids were great, but why was I not feeling 100% there and super pumped about it? Well, I will be completely honest with you about this. I am, in no way whatsoever, speaking negatively about this amazing and incredible program. I am simply stating what we find to be best for our family right now.
First and foremost, it’s the time that it is scheduled. It is on Monday mornings and that is when I run our homeschool co-op at our neighborhood, so I’d have to figure out a time when all the other families involved could find another time to meet. That would be very difficult and I didn’t feel right about possibly losing families because of scheduling conflicts.
Secondly, it’s the pace. We have been taking two weeks to do one week’s worth of work. I feel that we are less pressured that way and K retains more, too. So, moving at such a fast pace as the community was too much pressure for us and we want to keep it fun for all of us. While we were there, K retained a little bit, but most of it was so fast-paced and were so pressed for time to cover it all that most of it was going over their heads.
Thirdly, it’s the time block factor and work load for K. It is a 35-minute drive for us from where we live and then a 3-hour block to rush through the material and then another 35-minute drive back home. I know that this was his first time, so he wasn’t used to it, but K was getting tired and was kind of tuning out some stuff they were teaching. He needed a break, He kept asking if we could go play outside for a little bit, etc. I feel that, for us, at this age (he just turned four years old), doing it for a few minutes every day is much more effective than doing a 3-hour block with no breaks in between.
Fourthly, it was the work load for me and monetary burden. When we lived in another state, I had a friend who had her children in a Classical Conversations community, so I got to see a little bit of how it ran there. The moms were required to be on the premises during the 3-hour block, but did not have to be in the classroom at all times. Here, you have to be in the room and be actively involved at all times. Honestly, it was a lot of work and I feel that I could’ve gotten a lot more out of those 3 hours teaching him the material one-on-one than in the community. By the end, I was exhausted and wired from all the go-go-go rush that we had been in for the past 3 hours. Oh, and did I mention that it costs about $300 a semester? To do all that work (felt like 10 times more than at home) and to have to pay that much, too? Ummm, no. And, it was so much work to keep up with K that I couldn’t watch A, so I had to put her in childcare for $5. So more money would have to be put out every week. I prefer to keep A with my while I teach K at home because she is picking up so much. I don’t want to isolate her because she is interrupting the community class or because I can’t fulfill my expected roll for having to chase her around the room for 3 hours. It just wasn’t going to work.
The moms were wonderful and I was happy to meet them. They were very supportive and very honest about ages, timing, etc, but they love it and are used to it. But I did notice that all the moms that were in with the youngest group had older children in the other classes as well, so maybe they were doing more for the older ones or something.
I am very glad that we went because it made me appreciate what we have at home. Our co-op is such a God-send to us! It brings tears to my eyes to think of the wonderful moms I work with every week to make our children a little smarter, a little wiser, a little more cultured. I also started appreciating our Classical Conversations rhythm at home so much more as well and the fact that A can be a part of it and pick up on things here and there. She is a smart little munchkin!
So, after praying, taking to hubby and bouncing my thoughts off of a close friend, it just felt right in my heart to pass up on this opportunity. Who knows when there will be another opening available and who knows if we’ll ever be comfortable with such a fast pace, but that’s ok. My number one rule for homeschooling is to keep it fun. If it’s no longer fun, then it is time to change something, move onto something else or just stop that method completely. We have found a pace with CC that works for us and is really fun. We all love it so much! We want to keep it that way.
Bible: Kidz Klub
We decorated Christmas (sugar) cookies for snack. It was so much fun!
The Star of Christmas (Day 3): The Kings from the far east
Instead of the Elf on the Shelf, we are doing the Star of Christmas. It is more faith-based and the star always points to Baby Jesus. Every morning, we look for the star and a card with a special message. Today, the star is in the play room!
Looking…looking…looking…
Getting closer… warmer… warmer… found it!
K can read, so it is easy to have him read the messages to us.
As a special gift, we got the verses from the Bible that narrate the birth of Baby Jesus.
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| Click here to see where I got these free printables. |
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
¡Español! We reviewed some of the things we have been learning and we learned to say “Merry Christmas” in Spanish. We sang the song “Feliz Navidad” and I showed them a video of the song (I’ll post the link in comments).
We practiced it several times and then played it in the background as the kids colored the nativity scene. I kept the sheets because we will practice again next week and sing to everyone at our co-op Christmas Party on the 13th. 🙂
Gym: Parachutes!
Art: Salt Dough Ornaments
What a day, what a messy day! But it was oh so much fun. We played with salt dough first by rolling it and cutting it. We also did our handprints. Then I gave each kid their own baking soda, corn starch dough. It was much more like play dough. I think the kids all had a blast, and Lincoln even came over to play with us. Next week we will decorate our wares!
To see the super easy recipe, click here.
Star of Christmas (Day 4): Christmas is about Love
This morning, the Star was in the gym room! Inside the card, K and A found hearts!
Read Colossians 3:14: “Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity.” According to this verse, what does love do?
Inspiration…
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