MorningSong's HomeSchool of Higher Learning

So here is a glimpse at the tools I am using for our Home School experience. We start each day off with these two great tools - the Bible and Hillsong's United CD!! I have been reading Matthew 4 : 1 - 11 for several weeks. I don't know why really. It is the first thing that popped out to me and I am sticking with it until she begins to interact or seem to understand it. We then pray and then we usually listen to the last 3 tracks on this Hillsong CD, or we listen to #13, 5 and 6. We do change it up but we consider track #13 to be our family song. It is called Shine. Our goal is to Shine for HIM in all we do. We cannot accomplish that on our own, but with His guidance we will do that without realizing it!



This first book is what I am using to teach my daughter to read. It is very simple and we are having great results. I have slowed down our progress because HC has started confusing the short vowel sounds of E and I. But we are back to the grindstone now that she has straightened out that kink.


This is the Handwriting without Tears workbook. At first I wasn't impressed with this. I'm still not impressed actually. But the goal is for her to get control of her ability to write. It does accomplish this task. I think I will try something else after we complete this year. We are focusing on Capital letters only.
So far, she is doing a lot of controlled coloring:
and drawing occasional lines.

This is a gift I was given. A friend gave my mom several partially used A beka workbooks and other little pieces to compliment the workbooks. I do not have the teachers guide but we really use the A Beka stuff as a reinforcement of what I have taught her.


This is the book that had the cute little pig craft in it. We did another craft, from this book, today and HC loved it. She colored the branches and body of the tree trunk brown and used finger paint to paint the apples red. She LOVED the paint. This led to smearing paint all over a piece of construction paper. She really had fun! JB joined in on the smearing painting fun too!

HC's smeared messMasterpiece. Can you see the 'image' we saw? It looks like something - do you see it?Here is JB's work. To be honest - I don't know if this is right side up or not! haha He had fun!
This book was something I bought at Target last year. I was trying to teach her a little last year, but lost my focus and we never used one page in this book. I found it the other day and it is full of little matching puzzles or the find your way mazes, ABC practice, numbers, counting. I mean - this book is great! This is the last thing we do when we have a real big learning day. It helps the day end on a fun note.

Here are other little fun things we use to enhance our learning. We try to mix it up a bit, it reinforces our lessons but they are fun. I bought the shoe string thing and the Alphabet puzzle last year. The card games are a gift from Aunt Candace and Uncle Kiva - we are really having fun with these now. The books and the alpha cards are a part of the A Beka stuff we were given. I find when I mix it up and use different tools HC has fun and it reinforces the heart of our lessons.


This picture is one I found on the internet. I printed it out and it works on horizontal lines. They progress from horizontal to vertical to diagonal. These tasks will help her in her handwriting, once we get to that stage. As you can see, my daughter is a lover of scribbling. I have to let her scribble on things that do not accompany her lessons, so she will focus on careful coloring when it matters. Would her teacher be this patient?? I think not! She would probably give her a verdict of "messy" and frustrate the process of trying to get her in line with her peers. I find HC will color well in her workbook if I let her get the 'scribble bug' out of her system.

There are several other things we do. We go to the Library, we play computer games (if HC only knew that real computer games do not include ABC's, #'s or shapes), we read library books and/or books we have at home. There are also great websites out there too! I am feeling more and more at ease with our routine. It feels like we have a good fit to our learning. Speaking of fit, we get our exercise out via playing outside in the yard, going to the park, going to a local indoor space walk area, or whatever else we find to do! Our 'PE class' is often offsite and a much needed break for our book learning! :)

Tomorrow begins our Home School small group at church. We will go on Field Trips and to the park. There are about 30 other families in this group and many have girls HC's age. I am excited to see how things grow and change for us over the year. It is fun having all these firsts with my girl! Not to mention watching JB join in and learn too! I find it funny when HC begins teaching JB and he listens intently although he has no idea what she is talking about. A family event for sure!

I know I have had my reservations about Home School, really about me. I was worried I would somehow not do well and I didn't want to hold her back in any way. I can see now the perks to my journey. I get to teach her and see the 'aha' moments. I hear her giggle at learning a new task. I can choose what art work we keep. It isn't up to the teacher what is sent home for me to have. I get her workbooks and the progress journey. I see that she was as doubtful of this idea as I was and now, I guess, I have proved myself.

Several weeks ago she was telling me how she needed a 'real' teacher, ie Mrs. Christina, and now there is no mention of a teacher at all. Even when she found out Olivia was at school, when she wasn't, HC didn't bother to question my decision to teach her. Seems like a silly statement, but if you knew how great Mrs. Christina was and how HC thinks school = Mrs. Christina, then you would understand the victory I have won.