Time to re-bookmark

This is the end of our 2nd grade posting.  Please re-bookmark your favorites with Micah's 3rd grade blog, where we'll begin posting summer 2012 events.
www.richhomeeducationgrade3.blogspot.com

EE Camping Wraps up another school year

School's Out for Summer!  The Eastside Explorers camping trip over Memorial Day weekend is a great way to wrap up our school year and begin the summer.  This year we had 24 families signed up for camping at Dead Horse Ranch in Cottonwood, AZ.  We were near 3 lagoons, Toozigoot Ruins, and the cities of Jerome and Sedona.  We had wonderful weather for kayaking and mountain biking.  The kids roamed free in our group site of just Eastside families.  We had flushable toilets and hot water showers.
We literally slept under the stars (keeping the rain fly off through the weekend), seeing the big dipper every night when we turned off our headlights.

Last Day Celebration

Today, May 24, 2012 is our last 'official' day of 2nd grade.  Wow, what a fabulous year!  We are celebrating today with ...

*Einstein's breakfast

*Grocery shopping for our camping weekend

*An afternoon playing with the neighborhood kids (their last day is today also; 1/2 day)

*Celebrating 2 neighborhood friends' birthdays (Kevin: 5/23 and Ben: 5/24)

CONGRATULATIONS MICAH (& Lilly) on a job well done this year!

His smile's got ... braces!

Micah got braces today!   He said he was feeling somewhere in-between nervous and excited. The expander in the roof of his mouth is still there. It did an amazing job of moving and preparing his teeth for today.  His 6-month cleaning appointment was Monday and his dentist kept raving about how great his smile was looking already.  He chose purple and gold for the band colors.

P.E. Class

Today we had an opportunity to take a trial P.E. class with our Eastside Explorers homeschool co-op.  We met at the Police Park (Horizon), which is one of our favorites.  Eastside is determining if there is enough interest to partner with Sportskidz on a regular basis.  Coach Rob had a great crowd of kids and they all had a great time - it was a hot day, but they didn't seem to mind.
Micah really liked it! Lilly got to play on the playground with some of her friends, and I had a chance to take pictures, play with Lilly, and talk with some parents.  This might be something we add to our 3rd grade curriculum.

Granola Girls

Tuesday evening has become - 'girl time'. Matt takes Micah to baseball practice, giving Lilly and I from 5-7pm to hang out. This week Lilly and I made homemade granola.  The recipe was given to us by our friends Janice & Phil Cook. It is so delicious, I'm going to include the recipe.  The measurements are nice and simple for beginning measurements and fractions.

Cruncharooni
1/2 c pumpkin seeds
1/2 c sunflower seedsd
1 c almonsd flour or almond meal (buy in bulk or it will be super expensive)
1 c unsweetened coconut
2 c almonds - chopped
1/2 c coconut oil
1/2 c agave (or honey)
2 t vanilla
1/4-1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 bag mini chocolate chips (optional - we did, of course!)

In a bowl, mix dry ingredients well before pouring in wet.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and press mixture down on sheet.  When done cooking, let cool 15-20 minutes and break into snack size pieces.
*All nuts should be raw, not roasted or salted.
Oven temperature:  325 degrees
Time:  20-25 minutes (might be sooner depending on if you adjust the amount of the recipe)

Game Ball!

What a game day!  The weather was cold and windy (like an October day in Indiana; football weather).  It was picture day.  We were playing the Athletic A's for the 3rd time.  The boys played great and we (Matt, Lilly & I) were super proud of Micah's "on" game.  He batted 5 for 5, making at least a base hit each time he was up and bringing in lots of runs.  During the last inning, Micah made the play that coach Scott deemed worthy of today's "game ball".  He stopped the ball, threw it to first base, and the final out of the game was made.  The crowd went crazy and the game was sealed as a win for the CO Rockies! 

Watch out for quicksand!

"On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand".  While singing this song in church on Sunday, I thought of how pirates sometimes get caught in the quicksand when they are in search of their treasure in unknown territory.  How desperately Jesus wants us to follow Him and let Him guide us in our journey of life.  His way is the best way.  In Micah's Jesus Calling Devotional (kids version by Sarah Young) this week he read:

"I have planned out a perfect path for your life, and I am leading you along that path.  In the distance, you can see the mountaintop.  That's our goal.  I know that you want to go straight to the top, but don't take shortcuts.  Follow Me instead.  Shortcuts can take you into dangerous places.  There will be difficulties along the way, for sure.  But I will use them to bless you with courage and strength.  At times it might even seem that I am leading you away from the goal.  Follow Me anyway.  I have lovingly planned every inch of your journey.  Hold My hand and walk with Me.  When the path gets rocky and steep - when problems get in your way - hold even tighter to My hand.  Together we will make it to the top!"

Verse:  The Lord God gives me my strength.  He makes me like a deer, which does not stumble.  He leads me safely on the steep mountains.  Habakkuk 3:19

The Pirate Cruncher

Wow!  We found this book at the library a few months ago and I knew that it was one to use for this unit.  God kept pressing it in my mind because it ties in Colossians 2:8 beautifully.  The Pirate Cruncher is written by Jonny Duddle.  The lessons from this fun book are:  that we need to keep our hearts focused on our treasures in heaven; we must hold tight to the truths we know by keeping them pressed upon our hearts; we can be deceived/tricked so easily by human philosophies and the spiritual forces of this world.  We must be alert at all times and take captive every thought and desire to make them obedient to Christ.  Read it ... and you'll see how you can get all of that out of it.

Language Arts Land Lubbers

Lilly's lasting longer on some of the 'lessons'.  So, while Micah is looking up some of our words and getting ready to read the definitions, Lilly is pointing out the letters, that make up the word, on her alphabet strips.  She even runs her finger over the lines to begin learning how to 'write' more of them.  Nice job land lubbers!

Digging for gold

Yukon gold that is.  It's time to harvest some potatoes.  We made soup with our potatoes, parsley, and carrots.  Wow - good stuff!

A larger "crew"

On Wednesday we had the joy of playing with two friends from Eastside Explorers.  Their mom is within weeks of having their fourth girl.  We felt she needed some 'rest time' (or she'd have to walk the plank!), and we needed some 'play time' with the 2 older girls.  We picked up Victoria (7) and Olivia (5) and gave them a full day (from 9 to 6) of "scrubbing the deck" (well, more like biking, climbing, eating, and dressing up).

Pirate Flags

Pirate flags were representative of the ship's captain and were hoisted to scare their enemies.  The best flags scared the captive ship's mates so bad there wasn't much of a fight, they just gave up.  The kids designed their own flags and then we waved them on our ship.  So far, no battles.

"Ahoy Mateys"

Our first day started out with me coming into the playroom/school room all dressed up.  The kids were thrilled and began digging through the bag of pirate accessories I had ready for them.  We went outside to board our pirate ship and read some books.  I started out with Pirate Mom by Deborah Underwood.  The kids each got a 'treasure map' that I made for them, got their shovels, and dug for chips of gold.  Then Micah made one for me.

Pirate Unit

Our Pirate Unit is beginning.  I'm excited for Micah on this one.  Boys like pirates!  He got a really cool pirate book for his birthday and it will be perfect to read this month.  It's called 100 Facts on Pirates by Miles Kelly.
We'll learn some general information about pirates, past and present.  We'll learn about what their focus was in life and how they obtained those goals.  We'll integrate maps and map skills using treasure maps.
Our verses are: captive-related (since pirates take people captive)

• Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
• Acts 8:23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.
• 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere.
• 2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
• Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
• 2 Timothy 2:26 ... and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

2nd Grade Curriculum

I'm behind in entries, so for those of you visiting, please come back randomly through the year.  In a nutshell, here is our 2nd grade curriculum.  I love how it flows into a full-circle.

Themes:  1st Semester
1.  Not Of This World (NOTW) - We live in this world, but we are not of it.  Learning about our community and where God has us living while we are here.  Community and Community Helpers.
2.  Maps & Directions - Learning to navigate in our community and world.  Our map for life is the Bible.
3.  Follow the Star - (Special study for December) Learning more about the Wise Men and how they followed the Star;  Jesus calls us to follow Him.
Themes:  2nd Semester
4.   Pirates & Treasure Maps - (fun twist for a boy!) False teachers of the scripture; Spiritual warfare
5.  Treasures - What are our treasures?  Earthly treasures vs. Heavenly treasures
6.  Not of This World - overview; Where our treasure is there our heart will be also;  Are our treasures earthly or heavenly, are we of this world or in this world?

Cover Contest Entry

Micah submitted an entry into the Eastside Explorers' 2011-2012 Yearbook cover contest.  He is in the 7 and older group who compete for the front cover.  The theme for the yearbook is: Journey.  Micah's entry is a picture of a little boy walking around his neighborhood (fits our home study theme too) with the verse:  "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" Galatians 5:14.  That is a journey!  Judging was today at the Fall is Fun Festival.

Art Class - Acrylics

Micah attended his first art lesson with Mrs. Whitehouse.  She's a member of Scottsdale Bible Church and has been working with the Bubar boys using acrylic paints on canvas.  I've been impressed with their work and finally gave her a call.  Her websites are:

http://www.amywhitehousepaintings.com/
www.amywhitehousepaintings.blogspot.com

Yesterday's class consisted of Micah & two of the Bubar boys (Joey & Willy).
Micah LOVED it! They did a festive fall arrangement. Mrs. Whitehouse's comment for Micah "he's very teachable."

Neighborhood Party

We enjoy hosting a neighborhood party regularly.  Due to our unit study and the timing of the sermons at church (Grace and your Neighbors), we chose to challenge ourselves and extend our invitation to all 30 houses on E. Williams Drive.  The kids and I used our maps, made our invitations, and walked them to each of the houses.  Our dinner party was Saturday October 15th - 8 homes were represented and it was a wonderful evening.

2305 E. Williams Drive

This is our address:  2305 E. Williams Drive.  How many houses are on 'our drive'?  How many of those neighbors do we know, know well?  We went out today to find out.  The kids grabbed their scooters, and I had the clipboards, paper and pencils.  We made the rounds, stopping at each house to gather our information.  The kids made maps, drew houses, and wrote the house number on each square.  We talked about who lived in each house - names (first, last), and any other information we could come up with.  When we got home, we made an enlarged version of their maps and added all the names, phone numbers and email addresses that we had available.

Barton House - Beauty Pageant Escort

During our September visit to the Barton House, Ellen asked Micah to attend their beauty pageant social event and be their escort. She asked him to wear dress pants, a nice shirt, and a tie. Today was the day. The Barton House #1 pageant started at 11:30am, we were to have lunch with them, and then we'd walk over to the Barton House #2 for their pageant at 2:30pm. We love to share Jesus with them on a monthly basis, but the social events are a great opportunity to interact with them more, see more of their personalities, and meet family members. It was an outstanding day!! I was so very proud of both kids. Micah did an amazing job listening to his instructions, being a team player, taking care of the residents, and voting. He walked each participant down the "runway" - by holding their hand or pushing their wheelchair.  Lilly did a terrific job watching, sitting in (or around) her chair, and letting me take pictures and video. It was well organized and we had a great day with our friends!
Here he is with the winners:  Sally, Mary Sue, and Patty.

Our Home / Community Unit

This is our home, a temporary residence, that God has blessed us with while we are here on Earth.

In this unit we will be learning about our home, neighborhood, and community in which we live.  We will have lessons on:

addresses

phone numbers

community helpers

thank you notes

As we live out our days on this Earth, as Christians we can rely on these promises:  (Our memorizing verses)

• "We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from Heaven."  Philippians 3:20
• "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you."  John 14:26

As we learn these verses, Micah & Lilly are well aware that these promises are for those that have recognized themselves as sinners, have accepted Jesus' gift of crucifiction on the cross, have received Him as their Savior, and are ready to follow Him.

CrackerJax

We brought our 'summer sticker charts' to fruition this weekend with a trip to CrackerJax. The kids chose CrackerJax as their prize for reaching the 500 stickers goal. We purchased a great Groupon for four 4-hour tickets to CrackerJax on a weekend day. This Saturday was a perfect day for it - the weather was overcast - cool enough to not sweat the whole time, but still warm enough to be comfortable when we got wet in the bumper boats.  This was our first time to do the bumper boats as a family - it was so fun!  We were all laughing so hard out there.
Lilly was 36" and was able to drive the mini go-karts for the first time.  Micah was able to drive the bumper boats by himself.  It was neat for both of them to reach these milestones.

Lilly's Cupcake Corner goes "real"

Lilly has spent months making "pretend" cupcakes, muffins, etc. for her business "LILLY'S CUPCAKE CORNER". We made "real" cupcakes on Wednesday. At the grocery on Sunday, she picked out the flavor of cupcakes and frosting.  We put on our aprons and got fixing - small and large cupcakes!  Lilly poured, mixed, baked, frosted, and sprinkled. Then, we wrapped them up on pretty pink plates, attached a note, and delivered them to some of our neighbors. Lilly got some 'assistants' throughout the day - Micah helped with frosting and sprinkling; Kaitlyn (her friend) helped with deliveries. She was so excited to do this. It was a very special day for her.