A Trip to Chicago AND Week 2 of CTG Finished

This past week, we finished week 2 of Creation to the Greeks. We would have done it the previous week, but decided to take an impromptu, and much needed, family break. David was able to get some time off work, so we took advantage of it! First, on September 11th, we helped David's parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary...

After that, we took a couple days and saw the sights in Chicago.

I guess you could say it was "hands-on school" that week, as we visited the Museum of Science & Industry...  

The Adler Planetarium (which nicely coincided with our first week of CTG, learning about space, Creation, the sun, moon, stars, planets, etc)...

And Shedd's Aquarium...

We also visited Buckingham Fountain at night, Union Station, and saw the tallest building in the United States up close and personal. (To me, its still the Sears Tower, but I guess it has a new name now - the Willis Tower.)...

This week, we got back into the swing of things with our main curriculum, and learned about Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, and Noah. For Science, we learned about how to bend light. Yes, it can be done! All you need is an empty tin can, a nail & hammer, and a flashlight. Wash out the can, put a hole in it with the nail and hammer, go into the bathroom and put water in the can. Keep the hole covered so the water doesn't leak out yet. Then, turn out the lights, shine a flashlight into the can, and unplug the hole. As the water pours out of the can, the light will follow it. Therefore, the light can be "bent." (Sorry, I don't have any pictures of it.) We also learned about invisible infrared rays. We used a TV remote control to turn on the TV, and saw how something solid will block those rays. 

Friday was the first day of FALL so, for Home Ec. class, we made pumpkin bread and had a yummy treat for supper that night. 

ENJOY THE FALL SEASON!

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First Week of Creation to the Greeks

Life has been rather hectic lately, but in a good sort of way. For example, Coyote decided he wanted to be baptized, family came for a visit (due to Coyote's baptism), an AWANA program began at our church, events are being planned for our local homeschool group, etc. So, with all we've had going on, it took us 2 weeks to get through the first week of Creation to the Greeks.

As you can see by the picture below, each student has their own notebook to keep all their papers in. At the end of the year, it makes a nice keepsake of all we've learned.

Creation to the Greeks is the beginning of a chronological account of historical events, beginning with the Biblical recordings of Creation. One of our activities is to make a timeline to be displayed on the wall or in a notebook of some sort. Two years ago, I put a timeline on our wall with poster putty and, when I removed it, some of the paint was removed from the wall also. So, this year, I decided to put our timeline in a 3-ring binder. We are going to add to it through-out the year, and then continue with it in following years. It will be a nice record of things that took place in history, and when they took place.

 
Along with Biblical history, we are also learning about various Jewish celebrations and feasts. Tonight, we had our first experience as a family with celebrating a Sabbath (Shabbat) meal.

We are using a book recommended by My Father's World. It is "Celebrating Biblical Feasts" by Martha Zimmerman. Its a neat book that explains the various symbols and traditions of each celebration, and takes us step by step on how to celebrate them on our own. The first thing we did today was set our dinner table with our best dishes, and we also baked bread. The blue bowl at the end of the table is for washing our hands during one portion of the meal. The hand washing and the blessing beforehand is intended to show our gratitude to God for his sanctification of us.

As supper was being prepared, the kids helped me make candlestick salads. Lettuce on the bottom, pineapple rings, half a banana, and a cherry attached on top with a toothpick (for the "flame.") It added a nice, fun touch to our meal.

At another part, before the meal was eaten, the father blesses each of his children with a special prayer for them. This was really neat. He also takes time to honor his wife.

There is a recommended menu in the book, but it is not mandatory. We partially followed the list and ended up with baked fish, cooked carrots, buttered noodles, fresh bread, candlestick salad, and creamhorns for dessert. It was a really neat experience for all of us, and I wouldn't doubt if we did it again sometime in the future.
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