New Year

I spent a few hours this morning making a plan for the coming year.

We are currently in Unit 20 in the Heart of Dakota, Little Hands to Heaven.
I have us scheduled to take a week off before every review week. That's a week's vacation every 4 week.
With that schedule this curriculum will take us through mid April.

I was toying with the idea of switching to Our Father's World -kindergarten. But after reading the reviews, I think we are going to stick with Heart of Dakota for another year.
That said, I have not ordered the next set of books yet so, until I do I can still change my mind.

As far as the rest of the year, I plan to try to stick with the 4 wks on 1 week off pattern, plus any VBS or camps over the summer. Then we'll take a break in December (maybe November, too) and do another fun Christmas study.

Here's to a fun year full of reading, learning, laughing, and lots of playing!
Happy New Year!

Christmas Unit Study: Week 3

10 more days
'till Christmas!

Here is our week so far, and the plan for the rest of it:

Monday:
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Sick day.

Tuesdsay:
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Story: Wise men followed a star
Bible activity: Acted out being a wise man, seeing the star and then following it.
Symbol: Santa: Watched The Santa Clause movie.
Craft: Cut out a stocking, and "sewed" it together with yarn.
Carol: What Child is This? First verse and chorus.
*Write in Christmas Journal each day.

Wednesday:
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Story: Wise Men visit Herod.
Activity: Act out the story.
Symbol: History of Santa
Craft: Cut out a star and cover with glitter. (Can use to play follow the "star")
Sing this weeks carol.

Thursday:
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Story: Wise Men find Jesus!!
Craft/activity: Draw and cut out a heart. Have Cora draw a picture of herself on the heart. Place in a box and have her wrap it up as a gift for baby Jesus.
Options: Add hands, and mouth in the box.
Sing Carol.

Friday:
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Story: Wise men go back home a different way.
Activity: On left side of a sheet of paper draw three men. In the middle draw a crown (Herod). On the right draw a house/home.
Draw a line from the wise men to the house, but go around Herod.
Sing Carol.
Hope to make pumpkin bread.

December: Christmas Unit Study

After taking a week off for Thanksgiving, and with the excitement of the Christmas season, I just couldn't bring myself to force us back into our normal routine.

So we are putting Heart of Dakota on hold...

Just for December.

I am taking this entire month to really celebrate the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.

So I took a little time and put together a Christmas Unit Study.

Here is what week one looked like:

Monday:

• Teacher planning day. :-)

Tuesday:

• Bible: Angle visits Mary (Little Golden Books. The Christmas Story)
• Bible activity: Cora acted out being Mary and I was the angle Gabriel.
• Carol: Learning Away in the Manger with hand motions (repeated daily)
• Symbol: Meaning of the Christmas tree (Science: What is an evergreen?)
• Writing: Copied today's date and the word Mary. Then drew a picture of today's story.
• Craft: Planned activity:Color and cut out a Christmas tree. Actual Activity: Made a Christmas count down, with tear away numbers.
• Christmas Countdown: Drew weather for the day on the calender and pulled off number on the Countdown board. (repeated daily)
• Advent: Verbally count number on the calender 1-25 (repeated daily)

Wednesday:

• Bible: Angle came to Joseph in a dream
• Symbol: Read more about the history of the Christmas tree
• Writing: Copied today's date and the word Joseph. Then drew a picture of today's story.
• Craft: Planned: Cut out different shapes to sort, glue them as ornaments on the tree from yesterday's craft. What really happened: No craft.
• Advent
• Christmas Carol
• Story: The story of the Three Trees

Thursday:

• Bible: Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem
• Bible Activity: Acted out packing and taking a long trip to Bethlehem.
• Opt bible activity: Look up distance from Nazareth to Bethe lam on a map.
• Symbol: discussed the meaning of Christmas lights/ Tree decoration
• Craft: planned: color and cut out light shapes, glue on tree from first day. Actual: none
• Writing: copied Date and Bethlehem, then drew picture of today's story.
• Advent
• Christmas carol

Friday:

• Bible: No room in the Inn, Jesus born in a stable
• Bible Activity: Went around knocking on "doors" asking for a place to stay, and finally going to the stable. Cora played the part of Mary holding baby Jesus, while Caleb and I pretended to be various barn yard animals. Then we switched places.
• Activity: Made and decorated Christmas cookies. Then delivered some to our neighbors.
• Advent
• Christmas Carol

Key bible Verse for this week:

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him, will not perish , but have eternal life."

Unit 20 - Review

I skipped this unit the week before Thanksgiving and we moved on to unit 21 - Letter Q.
The plan was to do the Unit 20's review after our Thanksgiving break.

Unit 19- P

Pending update. Check back soon.

Unit 18- O

Pending update. Check back soon.

Unit 17 Letter N

To be updated. Check back soon.