Our Erynn is Married!!!

Those of you who have been following Solagratiamom know that in November, we had to say goodbye to Ms. Erynn as she moved away to Charleston, SC following her engagement to Mr. Pat.  Erynn was a BIG part of our lives on multiple levels.  She worked with my special needs son, I mentored her along the way as a friend and she also was in our CC world as she provided childcare to our Community and assisted me with Wonderful Wednesdays! 

I was very proud of her making the decision to be baptized at the ocean the day before her wedding rehearsal!  Her proclamation of faith was a beautiful sight to see as I remembered back to the first day I met her - God has done a work in her heart and life and I'm humbled he allowed me to watch, challenge her at times and play a part in her life as He chose my crew to be a part of that refining work (ahem, some of those in my family are more refining fires than others, I must say - LOL).

Erynn bravely wanted BOTH of my kids IN her wedding.  Sarah I was confident of since she follows directions (well, CAN anyway for the beloved Ms. Erynn) -BUT..... Mason.....well.....let's just say that I did a LOT of praying because that was a gamble and I didn't want to be responsible for ruining her wedding!

I've shared before that my son has both a brain injury from birth as well as a little heard of or understood and debilitating autoimmune disease called P.A.N.D.A.S. and unlike those cute pandas that you see at the zoo - well, when Mason's PANDAS flares up, it is anything but cute!  If you'd like to read about P.A.N.D.A.S. and how it affects families like mine, you can check it out at   www.pansawareness.org.





















My son was very interested in being in Ms. Erynn's wedding.  He really loves her and misses her.  He wanted to do something that would make her proud of him and he counted down the days till he could go to Charleston, SC for the wedding.  He did SUCH a good job!  It was reminiscent of the days before we ever met P.A.N.D.A.S. and for a moment in time, I could pretend he wasn't sick.  Sarah was a very good little sister as she helped him follow instructions to go down the isle of the Church with her.  As God works, we ended up eating rehearsal dinner at the table with the Pastor and he shared how his daughter recently had been diagnosed with a debilitating case of P.A.N.D.A.S. as well.  We spent time talking and I was able to share much of what we've learned to be helpful in our journey with this illness over the past 6 years.

This blogpost wouldn't be true or complete without revealing the real earthly power behind Mason's achievements and progress despite his illness.  That power is another young remarkable woman named Brittney!  Brittney has been a part of Mason's life since he was 2 years old.  She also became friends with Erynn as a result of working with her on Mason's team.  Brittney has provided help and care for Mason in a variety of capacities since she was just herself turning 15 years old!  She started as a mother's helper and has progressed from there to being one of our most knowledgable persons on Mason's team of therapists.  We jokingly all call her "the Mason whisperer" because she is able to get him to do things no one else can!  If it wasn't for her assistance he would not have been able to do what he did for Ms. Erynn's wedding.  She lovingly helped him, encouraged him, directed him and grounded him so he could complete the tasks asked of him each day.  Britt together assisting Erynn, thought out all the logistics of what would work best for Mason and knew how to accommodate his special needs.  Job well done Brittney and Erynn!!!  I was struck with the depth of love both of these young remarkable ladies has for such a little guy like my son Mason.  Any days I may have that are down, I only need look at these ladies to remember that God has not left me alone to struggle in this journey.  I am very blessed and Mason is very loved.  

So for the part that is the most fun.....PICTURES!!!!  I warn you that my camera wasn't the best and any movement came out blurry so the professional pictures will be much better -but....here they are.....

 

Warfare by Duct Tape - Cycle 2 Fun Resource!

In Classical Education we talk about imagination and how important it is to a well educated individual. This year at the Classical Conversation's® Practicum they actually gave out the book by Anthony Esolen:

10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child

If you've been following me for a while, then you have caught on that I LOVE to encourage the imagination of my children and weave that into their educational experience - much of what I put out there is to help you do just the same.  That was why I was so excited to speak with http://www.warfarebyducttape.com/ concerning the great imaginative e-books that two homeschooled boys ages 17 and 18, have put out there that coincides wonderfully with Cycle 2!  Their e-books are filled with imagination woven into education regarding history about topics such as; Greco-Romans, Barbarians, Medieval Knights and the Armor of God just to name a few.   

These talented young men have come up with an entire imaginative world of play they have called "duct tape wars". Their e-books teach you how to create your own duct tape weapons and armor with detailed, step-by-step instructions, patterns, and pictures using simple items like foam, dowels and you guessed it....duct tape!  They also include information about this game of duct tape warfare. The topics discussed in their e-books are things such as chivalry, rules of the game, battle strategies, making costumes and even ransom money.  There are step by step photographs to guide you in the construction of everything.  My favorite part is that each book has historically-based designs and period information throughout.  Your kids can't help but learn as they play!  

I was given The Knight Book Warfare e-book for this review...  

Click Here To Purchase

Included in this book:
Description of the Game

Includes strategy hints and provides a basic
overview of the thrilling game of duct tape
warfare.

Rules of the Game
How to battle with chivalry and honor.
Explains ransom and diplomacy.

Instructions & Patterns
All the help and instruction you need to build
weapons, shields and helmets from basic
materials found at your local hardware store.
 
The Weapons are made using PVC pipe,
foam, and of course... duct tape.

The Helmets are made from cardboard,
cardstock and... yes... duct tape.
 
Bring History to LIFE!  This Knight Book is full of great weapons and armor patterned after the medieval knight of old.  Object of the game and the rules are laid out nicely for play. 

I will be posting pictures once we are able to get together our creations from this fantastic fun resource!   

GIVEAWAY!! Lapbooks from Wisdom and Righteousness!!

I just finished assembling the Cycle 2 Lapbooks from www.wisdomandrighteousness.com!  They are terrific and I'm super excited about the new option to make a notebook style memory book - instead of the usual tri-fold lapbook (although that's still an option with these latest lapbooks).  We have a lot of kids at the table and this will save us room!  If you have kids like mine, who need something visual and interactive to get into memorizing the memory work for CC then these are the best!  They are colorful, creative and hands on - they really bring the memory work to life.  

I'm also very excited to offer 2 FREE copies to two winners of the raffle that will end on July 23rd - so look to the right of the blog page and enter today for your chance to get a free copy!

I use these lapbooks to start out our Wonderful Wednesday's Group and I reference them in my Enrichment Teaching Plan.  They compliment one another perfectly!  The Moms in my group get together and we pre-assemble them - given the ages of our kids, it just saves time for our group and makes it run much smoother each week.  

Here are some pictures of my pre-assembled book for the coming year!  

When you look at these picture above, you can see that these lapbooks are not just blank templates, they help the student interact with the information – identifying, labeling, sorting and copywork elements are all woven into this Lapbook!   It also provides your child with a keepsake that they can use to review and reference that Cycle's memory work.  If you or your child can cut, fold and paste then you can easily make one of these terrific lapbooks for your family!  

If you would like to purchase Wisdom and Righteousness Lapbooks for Cycle 2 and/or Solagratiamom Teaching Plan then click the links below!

Lapbooks for Weeks 1-24 Available in
6 weeks segments or as a complete package!

$29.95 for all Weeks 1-24
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Solagratiamom Teaching Plan
Weeks 1-24
$29.95



(If you previously purchased Weeks 1-12 - Click Below to Purchase the 2nd half!)
Solagratiamom Teaching Plan
Weeks 13-24
$13.00

School Year Planning - FREE Checklists and Pledge

I don't know about anyone else out there, but I seem to have kiddos that move a LOT!  They are not content to work alone at their school work, enjoy sitting still while we read for hours and only break for lunch-not giving the clock a glance!  If you have one of those kids, that's amazing and I envy you!

My kiddo's need to know exactly how many subjects they have to do, how much they have to recite, when lunch will be, how many pages they have to read, ask for snacks throughout the day, want to know when they can see a friend, talk more than they write and can't sit still for very long periods of time!  Does anyone else out there have one of these kiddos????  As a result, I have to make my classical homeschool a little bit interactive, hands on, creative, include movement, involve lots of outdoor time, imaginative play and I work hard at increasing their ability to sit longer, read longer, listen longer and write longer.  

I've found that a schedule helps with staying on task and focus.  If you have children with or without a diagnosis, a schedule can be a useful tool!  Once they know what they have to do it decreases that unknown and the anxiety they feel in not being able to estimate when they will be done (for those fidgety learners).  It makes the day seem like it will never end, when they don't have a checklist.  Once they do... now their day has a definitive end point and they can see how they're working towards that as they check off their list.  Here is a document that you can download and modify for your own child....

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD COPY TO MODIFY

I would laminate this and use a dry erase marker to check it off each day!

I also am providing a ticket system document (sample page is below) for anyone who might find them helpful to their children.  Some kids are check a box kids and some are more interested in tickets.  Use what works best for you kid.  I left them both in .docx format so you can modify them to suit your own child's school day and needs.

 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD LINK 

Another thing that I do each year is a School Pledge.  It's just a way to start off the year with setting the expectations for our school year to encourage good school habits and behaviors.  Here is the link to that document if you would like to download it and then you can add your own school name and child's name in the headers/footers and modify the body of the document to reflect your own homeschool's expectations and consequences.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT

I hope these documents will be helpful to you as you continue to plan this summer for the 2013-2014 school year.

Math Laws Freebie

I'm working through my planning for the year.  Here is another FREEBIE for you to teach math laws!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT

This document can be used a couple different ways.  You can print it out to use as a rebus for paired association to memorize the letters/formula.  This would be easy to use for Tutors working with Abecedarians too, for example.  The other way you can use them is to print them on white card stock and cut out the pieces to use as a puzzle and have your child put it back together in the right order (I'd laminate it for durability).

Free Year 2 Latin - Hands on Learning Folder Match Up (1st Conjugation Endings)

How then shall we study Latin?  Cycle 2 Hands on Learning Folder Match Up!!  FREE

CLICK HERE FOR FREE COPY

I am sharing with everyone a copy of what I have made for my daughter to be able to study this year's  Latin memory work.

All you need is a pair of scissors, two envelopes, a printer and a file folder!  Easy peasy!  You can make this interactive folder for your child to learn the 1st Conjugation Endings for Latin.

I used the same concept for last year's Latin and it can be made to be progressive with your child's learning level in the memory work.  I start out with the pieces cut in columns.  This way it only requires they first recognize the proper tense that the combination goes in and whether it's plural or singular.  Once they have mastered that and can consistently match it up this way, then I would cut the pieces to be individual, requiring your child to recognize the proper person and whether it's plural, singular and the tense it falls under.  Additionally, you can use the blank table from page 2 (above) to have them do their copywork on.  Just print an extra copy of this page and put a page protector over it or laminate it.  Then you can have them write in their copywork with a dry erase marker for the Latin when they're ready to progress to that level.

I intentionally did not make a label for the cover.  This way your child can make their own cover by drawing a picture, putting stickers or whatever they would like to make the Latin matching folder their own this year.  I think it adds an element of "buy in" to the whole idea of doing their Latin!

This is a favorite way to "teach" the Latin each year!  You can get a FREE copy of this document to print yourself and make.  All you have to do is click on the above link under the pink flower folder.

This will be included with the Year 2 - Weeks 1-24 Enrichment Teaching Plan which is ready to be released the end of this week!  Yay!!!