Back to school

Though we are crazy in love with homeschooling, it's not an option right now for us. So yesterday we spent the day getting ready for back to school. Clothes were tried on, purchased, washed, dried, hung up...New shoes were purchased the day before. School supplies have been sorted and placed in new backpacks.

And through it all, I find myself feeling sad, yet excited too. Sad that I can't homeschool the boys right now. But excited for them. Jerimiah starts band this year. Anthony's teacher seems really nice and her room is fun. Plus, they are both going to schools I attended. So there's that cool feeling of nostalgia. I'm blessed to be able to take the day off from work tomorrow, so we can at least start the day with a minimum of crazy. Just one morning. :)

We are reading "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief." The boys are really enjoying it. It's a big change from "Little House on the Prairie!" We also continue to cook new food. This summer the boys have made themselves breakfast almost every morning. They can cook eggs just about every way there is!

They are good little men, and we will continue to do school at home- and outside of the home!

The end of an era

We've been steadily working on reading The Little House series.

We just finished The First Four Years. I am glad we are moving on to the Percy Jackson series, but my heart is pretty sad.

We started The Little House books when we began homeschooling. And since we can't homeschool now, it was a way to keep a little piece of that going.

And now it's over.

Logically, I know we still do lots of homeschooling things. Our family is close, and we are investing in our futures. But it's not the same.

Tomorrow night starts a new chapter (a punny!) in our family education. But for tonight, I'm going to take the time to morn our loss.

Sunday School-homeschool style

We've not been able to get to church the last few weeks, and while we do Bible study each night, something was missing. The church we attend now has a lot of great features, but there is no Sunday School. So it's been months since the boys have been to Sunday School.

We needed to fix that.

Today we studied:

1 Samuel 2:2 NIV

“There is no one holy like the Lord ; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

 To really help bring the meaning of the Scripture home, we looked at the key words of the verse and gave definitions, synonyms, and words associated with the key word. 

Then we compared the columns and talked about how each of the words have something in common. Our conclusion was that God is our Rock, because He is our foundation. He is strong, powerful, holy, perfect, and heavenly. Both of the boys acknowledged that God is the Rock of their lives!

It's just not Sunday School without a craft. A few days ago, we had traveled to the creek near our home and found some really great rocks. The plan was to paint them and make rock critters for our garden. We didn't get that done because of one thing and another, so I thought we could do a Sunday School craft instead. 

Jesus is my Rock craft

Materials:

large, flat rocks

paint

paintbrushes

paper towels

water

Instructions:

After discussing why Jesus is our Rock, paint a reminder to keep at home or in the garden. (Note: if making these for outdoor use, make sure to spray with a sealant to protect the paint from the elements.)

My guys each made one rock bearing Jesus' or God's name, and a couple of rocks praising Him in some way.  

 Anthony declares God is his Rock!

 Jerimiah painted God's amazing Creation.

 Jerimiah's rock declares Jesus is his Rock! (It's a bit abstract.)

 The tall rock in the back is Jerimiah's depiction of the cross, with the words holy and love written on the sides. 

 I like to craft, too!