Starting Homeschool

Our family is starting out on the new adventure called homeschooling. We started last month due to Josiah's peaked interest in learning and doing something productive during the day besides playing with toys, or watching T.V. (he'd do this all day if I let him, but I love him too much:) Because of my background of working with children and (thankfully) my education degree I have been very excited about this day from before Josiah was even born. That, coupled with the love for the three kids we now have, I am overjoyed to be able to be my childrens' Mom as well as teacher. I am so thankful to God for allowing us to homeschool our kids and I don't take it for granted. Since the summer of 2004 when Kyle and I attended the conference for the Association of Classical Christian Schools, we knew we wanted to use a "Classical Christian" approach with our children. Classical, meaning it follows the Trivium of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, and Christian being Christ- centered in all we do. The reason we are doing this is so we can better honor the Lord in our training up of our children in the way of the Lord.

Below, I want to post some pictures from our school room. This room is in the, very nicely finished basement (thank you Bethlehem Baptist--it's a parsonage). The "Claunch Academy" sign as well as the desk top were a birthday gift from Kyle to me. He's so sweet! My Mom and Dad also gave us some wonderful items for the room. We are so thankful for this special room.

The boys enjoying the room, okay, so they are posing for this picture:)

Some links relating to our homeschooling
A great link that explains the Trivium
Spell to Write and Read - the reading and spelling, and writing program we are using.
SWR for young ones
Cursive First used along with SWR
A Classical Christian homeschool blog who has helped me immensely.

Snake Handling

I caught this "little" fellow while I was going to dump food scraps in the woods behind our house. He was in the back yard. True to form, Micah touches the beast right away. Josiah hesitated greatly: "I wish that was a toy snake." But he finally touched it.



I tried to let the snake go, but he turned and headed right for the house. So, I had to catch him again and throw him further into the yard. When my foot came down on his head (to pin him down), I felt my heart soar a little: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet" (Romans 16:19) because the Seed of the Woman has already crushed him for us. You lose, Serpent!

Pumpkin Patch

This week was a fun one. We got to take the kids to Boyd's Orchard. They have a pumpkin patch, apple orchard, animals, and some really fun playgrounds for the kids. It was the perfect fall weather and the kids had a wonderful time. Some of our friends from church went and I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the pictures from the trip.

It's hard to get 6 little ones to pose for a picture:)

The kids showing off their apples.

Micah didn't quite get what Kyle was telling them "Hold your apple and raise your hand"

Jo and Ash by the apple orchard

Jo talking to Graeme in his baby voice.

Sweet Isaac, Andrea and Kris' little boy

Kids running in the apple orchard.

Micah's perfect form... see the apple at the bottom? That's the one he threw.

I told the kids to hug for a picture, and hug they did.


Victoria (left) is doing her own thing.

We didn't forget sweet Sammy, he liked taking a picture with the pumpkin.

Tennessee fun

We had a fun weekend visiting Ashley's parents in Tennessee. We sometimes meet and see each other for one night so we can have some time together, since we live 12 hours a part. It was a beautiful weekend and we had fun celebrating Josiah's birthday. We also went to a state park that is beautiful, Henry Horton State Park. The boys, including Papa had fun skipping rocks in the pretty river. Here are some pictures...

Papa, Nonni, and the boys

Papa and the boys at the river. There's just too many interesting things for the boys to look at the camera.

Micah has a killer arm...a baseball player perhaps?

Mom enjoying Sammy while the boys play at the park

Okay, this is my parents Yorkiepoo. He's so cute! His name is Harley (Harlan-my dad's name and Ashley) He's my only sibling and we never fight!:)

The birthday boy! Can't believe he'll be four on Oct 17th!

Can I open them now, please!

Papa enjoying him some Sammy.

Nonni, Sammy, and Ash

Kids say the funniest things!

Micah sang to Kyle the other day:
"Row, row, row your boat gently down the drain..."
...Is that what you say when you're having a bad day?:)

Kyle and Josiah were reviewing Bible verses Jo has learned, particularly, "love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength..."
Jo said, "I love Him with my whole heart, do I have to love him with my legs too?"

Sometimes we find ourselves saying the funniest things because of our funny kids.
I heard Kyle declaring from the bathroom the other day:
"Micah, we do NOT put our head in the toilet!"

... these are fun(ny) years indeed.

The Young Preacher

Below is Josiah's first sermon. His rhetorical skills are superb. He deals well with the distraction of the young child who keeps invading the pulpit. He needs to work on staying on subject. But all in all, great sermon!




Here's the Transcript: "Turn your Bibles on... to the book of Ephesians. I am the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, and I want you to sit down and listen to me. I want to talk to you about little kids walking on the ceiling and nobody holding you on there... I am the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, and I would like for you to come sit down. I would like for you to just sit down... and um... sit back. Can you do that for me please? ... They put nails on him, and they nailed him on the cross, and they threw him into the water... Really did they throw him in the water, daddy? They put him in the tomb, and one day he raised from the dead, and Mary was bringing something to him, and angels said, "Jesus isn't there anymore. He came back." ... Well, I'm pretty tired, so one day we're gonna go home. And one day we're gonna play a game of raising from the dead."

Here's his second attempt at preaching a few minutes later. He's definitely more focused this time.




Transcript: "God made the earth... He made some people... One day when there was a flood, all the dinosaurs died, and they got killed by the flood. and the flood got turned into the ocean, and God turned the flood into the ocean so people can enjoy the ocean. and people can see crabs and find some sea shells and have tons of fun and wade into the deep water... And I would like for you all to sit down." (perhaps he received a standing ovation).

I put Josiah up to this, but the only scripted line was "turn in your bibles to the book of Ephesians," which being interpreted meant: "Turn on your Bibles." Everything else was his own original words, completely unprompted.

Enjoy!

Claunch boys in the morning

The boys were eating breakfast on Sunday morning at the kitchen table and they were so cute and sleepy. The last 20 seconds is the best footage of Sammy. It's kind of funny because during the whole video, Micah's complaining about Jo taking his bacon and I was oblivious because I was so focused on getting a good video. Jo's destroying Micah's bacon and getting away with it.