Eureka!

Monday, I took all of the girls on a field trip to Columbia Historic State Park. It's an old gold rush town about an hour and a half from us. We aren't studying CA history this year but we needed to get out and do something fun.

The old Main Street makes you feel like you are walking around back in the 1800's. They have the original Wells Fargo Bank along with the shipping station. The character of the shops have been maintained well. Some of the sidewalks were still wooden. The shop owners all wore costumes specific to that era.

They had a dress up room for children 

This was an old bowling lane with 3 small heavy  balls and wooden pins. 

Old 2 story school house. There was one room on each story

 

The school before it was restored

infamous dunce cap

The headstones in the cemetery were interesting. The old ones from the 1800's didn't have birthdates, but years aged instead. This one said this person was murdered. The headstones for small children didn't bear the child's name only son or daughter of the parents names. 

We are planning on going back again to do some gold panning. It was a fun trip and a nice day.

Starting Back to School

We started back to school on the 15th. August and Kiley started 8th grade, Haley 6th grade and my little babies are big Kindergartner's now. Oh where has the time gone? I was nervous about our homeschool days and how it would go helping Kiley and August and also doing Kindergarten with the little ones, but it has worked out fine.

Julia and Emily in their new 1st day of school clothes, with their new binders.
Big sisters drew Mario Brothers characters for them. 

Kiley and August, 1st day of 8th grade, Pre Algebra

All set to work. They are learning to their whole names.

 They are using flour in a cookie sheet to help them learn to write the letters.

see

August and Kiley are working on their Advanced Physical Science forces lesson.
They are building motorized electric racers.

Our first week back in school mode was tiring but exciting too. The girls were all ready to start learning again. I had an 8th grade reading list all ready to go; it included 20 different novels. Considering the public schools only read 4 a year, I figured 20 would be good. They have already read close to 5 of the books. I guess we will be expanding our list some. I have abandoned the text book thing this year, except for math. The books last year were so boring. We are doing a lot more reading with non fiction documentary books we find at the library. This provides a lot more detail into the things we are studying. 

Right now Kiley and August are learning about the Declaration of Independence. They have each chosen one of the signers and are researching and writing a report on that man. August chose John Adams and Kiley Chose John Hancock. Did you know that both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4th? Neato huh? 

Our little kitty Nora is doing well, she is growing so quickly. We are trying to get her litter box trained, which she does fairly well. I am using a small aluminum cake pan because she is much too small to get into a full size one. She is still drinking formula from a bottle but I'm hoping to get her eating real food by next week. She is having fun being a kitten and is very playful now. She's such a cutie. The other day her brother came over for a play date. They were playing together liked they missed one another. 

Nora and Chino

This is Garf our big boy checking out little Nora

It's late. I'll write more soon. Good night and God bless.

Getting Ready for the Next School Year

This weekend I've been working on all of our lesson plans for the upcoming school year. We will start back in full swing on August 15th. I am almost finished with our Kindergarten plans through the end of September. I will post more on that later when I'm finished.

For Kiley and August's 8th grade year I have just finished the outline for their US History. I am not going to be using one main textbook this year because they are very limited in information and are pretty boring to read. I have not decided on all of the books we will use yet, but we will be utilizing our public library and the wonderful world of the internet. Here is the outline for this year, this is just the minimum that we must cover.

8^th Grade US History

1.       End of 7^th Grade Review and Magna Carta

2.       Declaration of Independence 1776

3.       Lincoln’s presidency: Gettysburg Address 1863, Emancipation Proclamation 1863, Inaugural address and second inaugural address 1865

4.       Lives of leaders and soldiers on both sides of the war. War Department General Order 143: Creation of the U.S. Colored Troops 1863.

5.       Developments and events in the war, General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Surrender of Fort Sumter via telegram 1861 Articles of Agreement – surrender of the Army of Northern 1865 Virginia.

6.       Reconstruction and effects on political and social structures of different regions.

7.       Wade-Davis Bill 1864

8.       13^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery 1865

9.       14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights  1868

10.   15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights  1870

11.   Dawes Act 1887

12.   Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890

13.   Keating-Owen Child Labor Act 1916

14.   Inventors: Thomas Edison-Light Bulb 1880

15.   Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Declaration of Independence 1776, Articles of Confederation 1777, Constitution of the US 1787

16.   Federalist Papers, No. 10 & No. 51  1787

17.   Powers of government set forth in Constitution, Fundamental liberties ensured by the Bill of Rights. Constitution of US 1777, Bill of Rights 1791

18.   Ordinances of 1785 and 1787.  Northwest Ordinance 1787

19.   Interstate Commerce Act 1887

20.   Alien and Sedition Acts 1789: conflicts between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton/emergence of two political parties

21.   Basic law making process. Constitutional provision for citizens to participate in political process, monitoring and influence on government.

22.   US Physical Landscapes, political divisions and territorial expansion during terms of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison. Louisiana Purchase Treaty 1803, Jefferson’s Secret Message to Congress – Lewis & Clark Expedition 1803,

23.   Washington’s 1^st Inaugural Speech 1789, Washington’s Farewell Address 1796

24.   Rise of capitalism. Jackson’s opposition to the National Bank. McCulloch v Maryland 1819, Gibbons v. Ogden 1824

25.   Political and economic causes and consequences of the War of 1812, major battles, leaders and events. Treaty of Ghent 1814

26.   Influence of the Monroe Doctrine 1823, westward expansion, and Mexican American War. Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress  'On Indian Removal'  1830, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848-

27.   Pacific Railway Act 1862

28.    Development of the agrarian economy in the South, significance of cotton and cotton gin. Patent for Cotton Gin 1794

29.   Election and presidency of Andrew Jackson (Lewis and Clark expedition and removal of Indians- Trail of Tears).

30.   Homestead Act  1862  Check for the Purchase of Alaska  1868

31.   Texas War for Independence, Mexican American War,(Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848)

32.   Northwestern Ordinance 1787  in education, banning of slavery in Northern States

33.   Slavery issues and annexation of Texas and California’s admission to the union as a free state. Compromise of 1850

34.   State’s Rights Doctrine, Missouri Compromise 1820, Kansas Nebraska Act 1854, Dred Scott v Sanford 1857, Lincoln Douglas debates.

Doesn't that look like so much fun?

Do You Know Enough to Pass a Citizenship Exam?

These are sample questions that can be found on the test that is given by INS for citizenship to the USA. 

I wonder many students graduating high school can get these correct? I have a feeling the results would be sad. 

How many can you answer?

1. What are the colors of our flag?

2. How many stars are there in our flag?

3. What color are the stars on our flag?

4. What do the stars on the flag mean?

5. How many stripes are there in the flag?

6. What color are the stripes?

7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?

8. How many states are there in the Union?

9. What is the 4th of July?

10. What is the date of Independence Day?

11. Independence from whom?

12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?

13. Who was the first President of the United States?

14. Who is the President of the United States today?

15. Who is the vice-president of the United States today?

16. Who elects the President of the United States?

17. Who becomes President of the United States if the President should die?

18. For how long do we elect the President?

19. What is the Constitution?

20. Can the Constitution be changed?

21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?

22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?

23. How many branches are there in our government?

24. What are the three branches of our government?

25. What is the legislative branch of our government?

26. Who makes the laws in the United States?

27. What is the Congress?

28. What are the duties of Congress?

29. Who elects the Congress?

30. How many senators are there in Congress?

31. Can you name the two senators from your state?

32. For how long do we elect each senator?

33. How many representatives are there in Congress?

34. For how long do we elect the representatives?

35. What is the executive branch of our government?

36. What is the judiciary branch of our government?

37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?

38. What is the supreme court law of the United States?

39. What is the Bill of Rights?

40. What is the capital of your state?

41. Who is the current governor of your state?

42. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the vice-president should die?

43. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

44. Can you name thirteen original states?

45. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?

46. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?

47. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?

48. How many terms can the President serve?

49. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?

50. Who is the head of your local government?

51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.

52. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?

53. Who selects the Supreme Court justice?

54. How many Supreme Court justice are there?

55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?

56. What is the head executive of a state government called?

57. What is the head executive of a city government called?

58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the Americans colonists?

59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?

60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?

62. What is the national anthem of the United States?

63. Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?

64. Where does freedom of speech come from?

65. What is a minimum voting age in the United States?

66. Who signs bills into law?

67. What is the highest court in the United States?

68. Who was the President during the Civil War?

69. What did the Emancipation Declaration do?

70. What special group advises the President?

71. Which President is called the "Father of our country"?

72. What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?

73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?

74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?

75. What are the 13 original states of the U.S. called?

76. Name 3 rights of freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

77. Who has the power to declare the war?

78. What kind of government does the United States have?

79. Which President freed the slaves?

80. In what year was the Constitution written?

81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?

82. Name one purpose of the United Nations?

83. Where does Congress meet?

84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?

85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?

86. Name one benefit of being citizen of the United States.

87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?

88. What is the United States Capitol?

89. What is the White House?

90. Where is the White House located?

91. What is the name of the President's official home?

92. Name the right guaranteed by the first amendment.

93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

94. Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

95. In what month do we vote for the President?

96. In what month is the new President inaugurated?

97. How many times may a Senator be re-elected?

98. How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?

99. What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?

100. How many states are there in the United States today?

I'll make a separate post with the answers in a few days. 

Some Things I've Learned Along the Way

1. It's impossible to keep the Play-Doh colors separate. Stop stressing over it.
2. Band Aids are cheap and will make a hurt child stop crying, especially in the absence of blood.
3. Forgive your spouse for everything. Didn't Jesus forgive us for everything?
4. If you stand up for what God says is right, people will not like you. This includes members of your own family.
5. One sure way to guarantee spilling your coffee is to wear a white skirt.
6. No matter how many times you use a hot glue gun, it's impossible to walk away without at least one burn.
7. Little kid hugs are the most wonderful things in the world. 
8. Mothers should do anything and everything they can to be    home with their children. The children deserve it. 
9. The second your children are born, someone presses the fast forward button.
10. It never fails, no matter how hard you try, there will always be single socks.