Pyramids, Spelling, Skeet Savage, and Scarecrows

Last week was a busy week for us, so I don't have a whole lot of pictures to show you about our CTG week 4. However, I do have one here of the kids making a pyramid out of straws and molding clay. (If you haven't figured it out, we have been learning about Ancient Egypt and the pyramids)...

But, on a different subject, I wanted to share with you what is working for us for SPELLING this year. In the past, I have tried a couple of different spelling programs for Road Runner, our autistic daughter. We started with Word Building paces from A.C.E. Those worked great for her, up until about the 4th grade level. Then, it got to be too much. So, last year, I used Learning to Spell through Copywork from Queen Homeschool for her. That worked good also, and I would probably still be using it this year if I hadn't come up with a totally different approach that I think works even better. This year, Road Runner is going through the Explode the Code workbooks for a combination of phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and spelling. She is currently in book 4, and loves it! I have her do 2 pages per day until she gets to the end of a lesson. Then, at the end of each lesson, there are 7 words that we use for our spelling words.  I input those words into a list on Spelling City (a FREE online program), and have her take the test online. If she misses any words, she can go back over them by hitting the "teach me" button. Then, when ready, she can take the test again. Its working great! And, if you register on the site, you can save your lists and use them again for another child later on!

I am currently doing this same thing for our 8yo son who has been struggling with learning to read. The only difference is that he is in book 3. He loves it, too! It has really helped take away some of the stress of doing spelling work, and I'm so glad for that. Just thought I'd share, in case it can help someone else.

On Friday, our homeschool group had a conference with Skeet Savage as the speaker. She is the Founder of Wisdom's Gate Ministries, the Editor of 3 magazine publications (Home School Digest, An Encouraging Word, and Brush Arbor Revival Quarterly), and an author. She spoke to us about her book, "Homeschooling for Eternity" and also about how to build Christian Character in our children. What stood out to me the most was how, as Christian homeschoolers, we should be focusing more on our children's spiritual lives, rather than on their academic status. Of course, it is important to teach our kids how to read, write, etc. And, we definitely don't want to neglect the requirements of our State in educating our children. But, instead of getting "hung up" on making sure they get the best grades so they can attend the best schools, etc..., NONE of that really matters in eternity. There needs to be a good balance between academics and teaching our kids to have a growing relationship with the Lord.

On Saturday, we went to a nearby campground to spend a beautiful Fall day outside with my husband's parents. While there, we also attended a local Fall festival called, "Scarecrow Daze." Here are the two little scarecrows that followed us home...