Apprentice

WEEK 24

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:47:00 +0000

Hello Dear Families,

THANK YOU! for the wonderful opportunity to be with your children! I will truly miss tutoring. You are all incredible parents.

Our last day of class was a success. Nothing broke, except the egg, and everyone smiled:o) a lot!

My prayer is that you have been inspired by our class and you feel that you can reproduce what we have done at home. Our children will naturally love to learn if they see that we naturally love to teach.

The Closing Ceremony is Thursday, April 7th, 6:30 pm. PLEASE arrive 15 minutes early so I can organize the kiddos. It is always a fun night.

Please know that my desire is to be available all summer long to you in any way I can. Call me for a chat, play date or anything. I want to keep posted on how these amazing kids are doing.

Make your homeschool a God school this summer. Make it a point to show/teach your kids something about our God's character each day.

Love to all,

Alison

Week23

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:38:00 +0000

Hello Wonderfully Wacky CC Families!

I really do not want this school year to end. I know that is not a popular sentiment, but I love tutoring and will miss it!!

Congrats to Matthew, our Memory Master! Great job.

If your student would like to test, please let me know. If they have tested with someone else, please make sure I know so that I can double check the certificates.

Our final ceremony presentation is shaping up. If your child would like to be a president that is great. Most kids are just going to have one or two props to designate them as a president. Next week will be our last practice, so PLEASE review the Presidents Song this week.

In Science we are working on egg protectors and talking about God's protection. There will be an egg drop contest at the end of classes week 24, before the pizza party.

Next week is going to be a blast. Pray for nice weather.

My deepest thanks and love to all of you,

Alison

Week 22

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:33:00 +0000

Hello Families,

Let your light shine!!!! This is what we discussed in Science. We bounced light around the room with mirrors and talked about passing the light of Jesus on!

Sorry if your child came home with a blue hand on Tuesday. We are making a banner for our final ceremony presentation and it involves paint:o)

Remember to get your child's president costume together, if they want to dress up. No pressure. Just fun! We are trying to remember to pray for our president and country each time we talk about the president's song. It would be great if you all could cover WHY we do this at home.

Please let me know if your child needs to test with me. We should arrange this soon.

Also, medals can be purchased to reward your child for a job well done whether they get MP, ME, or MM. Just let me know via email if you would like to purchase one. I will get back to everyone about cost. Last year some of the parents asked me if I would present the medal to their child after the ceremony, during the reception. I am happy to do this if we make prior arrangements.

I am sad that my time with your children is coming to a close. I will miss tutoring next year, but I look forward to serving our group in other ways.

Shine on,

Alison

Week 21

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Dear Families,

I forgot to blog last week! Life finds me a little to busy for my own good right now:o)

This week we started practicing for the Final Ceremony night. We are performing the President Song. It has been brought to my attention that I was teaching the old song. I will either pass out copies of the old song next week OR I will get the new song to the families that do not have it. For this week please just practice the order of the Presidents. If they know that, then the tune shouldn't be hard to pick up.

Machine madness was the Science theme. We had a blast learning about pulleys, wheels, and levers. I encourage you to show your kids levers in your home. 1st class: scissors, plier

2nd class: wheel barrow, nutcracker, door. 3rd class: tweezers, tongs

These simple machines all maximize our effort. Give your child a task and see if they can use a simple machine to give them a mechanical advantage (i.e. try to pick up cheerios from the table with one chopstick, then two chopsticks, then tweezers). We talked about how wheels reduce the amount of friction between the object and the ground; this was great review.

Make sure to let me know if your child would like to do any of the memory testing. Also please note that Memory Masters are awarded a t-shirt and trophy for there accomplishment. You do not have to purchase these. If you would like to award your Memory Power or Excellence students then you can purchase a medal through me. These medals will not be given during the ceremony, but you are free to ask your tutor to give it to your child if you want to after the ceremony.

Have a great week everyone!

Mrs. Dees

Week 19

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:20:00 +0000

Hello Families,

We had a great time on Tuesday learning about flight and aerodynamics. We focused on drag, lift, thrust, and weight. The kids got to fold paper airplanes and even take home their own glider. I love to see science in action.

PRESENTATION change!!!!! For weeks 20 and 21 we will be doing show and tell each week. I will let anyone go who prepares a presentation, so I will not be assigning weeks. Please encourage your student to think of 5 clever things to say about their show and tell item(s). Remember that we still need a good introduction and closing. Have fun! I look forward to seeing what interests them. Weeks 22, 23, and 24 will find us practicing our final ceremonies presentation on the presidents. Some of the parents have discussed dressing up. Please give me your feedback on whether your child would like to dress up as a president.

For Timeline each week I have been using the cards to tell the history story. I encourage you to approach the cards in this way. Look at the flow of the timeline. For example: There was Westward Expansion, and then because people were moving out to the west they got into a War With Mexico. This brought a lot of people out to California and they found gold during 49ers and the California Gold Rush. People liked the west coast so much that they decided to Open(ing) the Oregon Territory... Teaching the cards in this way helps the kids to get a mental picture, rather than just random cards. Let me know if you would like anymore suggestions.

I truly appreciate the time I get with your children. Thank you.

Love in Christ,

Alison Dees

Week 18

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:14:00 +0000

Hey folks!

What a great day we had yesterday. We did a lot of shouting with megaphones and rolling on skateboards. We missed Karolyne and Zoe. Hope you are feeling better Zoe and we hope that your chicks are doing well Karolyne! Will you tell us all about your chicks next tuesday?

Aha! Pointing is a noun. Can you find the subject of the last sentence? An action can be used as a noun if you use it as a name. Learning is fun :) I knew that there was something fishy about all that!

If your child didn't do a presentation this last week they can do one next week. Remember it is on a history sentence and they can just recite the memory work if they want.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what you would like to see the children perform for the final ceremony? Please let me know.

Have a great week. Let me know if you want to test soon.

Ms. Dees

Week 17

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Dear Families,

Cat, dog, ballerina, pointing? What is a noun anyway? So sorry for my mixed up brain on Tuesday. I hope that your kids didn't get too confused! F=mxa is an example of an idea/concept.

We were bowled over for Jesus on Tuesday. Isn't it cool that we can use Science to speak Biblical Truth into our child's heart? I hope you read what Leigh Bortins (CC founder) has to say in her newsletters. I think there is a misconception that she is "all academic". She is far from it. Here is a beautiful quote from her:

It's the conversations you have with your children about the grammar...or the science...or the history...that will lead to wisdom; workbook pages cannot impart wisdom. Proverbs 3:13 tells us, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom." So let the conversations begin!

We are so blessed to be a part of classical education. The doors are wide open for us and our children. Take a deep breath and RELAX into it.

Presentations for weeks 18 and 19 are on History Sentence.

Week 18 Bebo, Zoe, Peter, Samara

Week 19 Jackson, Karolyne, Abby, Matthew

Converse with your kids this week. Don't just teach!

Mrs. Dees

Week 16

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:37:00 +0000

Hello Dear Families,

So sorry for the late post. This will be short and sweet.

I hope you found the art book I sent home with your child and that it will help with the art concepts we have learned this year.

Presentations were great! Next week is still Science. Zoe, Matthew, Abby, Jackson, and Karolyne will present.

In Science, the Biblical focus about how God protects us from the outside forces that would knock us off His path for us.

We have been going on secret missions for History. The kids really enjoyed the "war bunker" I built this week, so I will have them help me build another "fort" this coming week.

I pray that everyone will be healthy and happy next week!

Take care,

Ms. Dees

Week 15

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Greetings Apprentice families,

The color changing Milk of Magnesia worked!! For someone who has always feared Science, I am beginning to love it! It is wonderful how God really does redeem our education through home education.

We are doing "top secret" History missions for the next few weeks. We are using the game Risk. It is a fun way to get the memory work across to the kids, so ask them about the mission to find all of the WWI Allies and Central Powers.
We have had to rush through the last two weeks, but I hope to slow it down for week 16. I decided to let the kids get something from the treasure box weeks 15 and 16, because they have been such troopers during all the madness of delays and late starts!
I am out of snacks. Please bring in a non perishable snack next week. Also, the kids do not seem thrilled with the prizes I chose for the prize box this year:( If you have anything that you would like to contribute, I would greatly appreciate it (and so would the kids:).
Presentations for Week 16 will be Science question. The sky is the limit here. They could even do an experiment that shows something we learned! This is a great opportunity to do a mini science fair project (NO PRESSURE PLEASE! Just a suggestion). It is also fine for them to just recite the memory work.

Week 16- Bebo, Samara, Zoe, Peter

Week 17- Karolyne, Abby, Matthew, Jackson

HEADS UP: Next week I will be sending a book home with the kids about art that I got from the NC Museum of Art. It is a very effective tool for teaching. I hope you will use it in your homeschool. Please keep an eye out of it.

I want to express how much I love tutoring your children. I find that I am excited about becoming Director, but saddened about not tutoring next year. This class of kids is so special to me. Matthew's winning smile, Jackson's wonderful curiosity, Karoyne's love of nature, Peter's cheerful enthusiasm, Samara's adorable cuteness, Zoe's kind heart, Abby's gentle sweetness, and Bebo's sense of humor:) They are all precious to me. Please let me know if I can do anything to meet their needs better.

Your humble servant,

Alison Dees

Week 14

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:05:00 +0000

Dear Apprentice Families,

It was great to be back, even if we had a little less time than usual. The kids seemed really focused and eager to learn. I hope you are experiencing this in your homeschool. I love how Science and Art came together this week with the study of Linneaus. Botany is so cool. I encourage you to give it some further attention at home. Maybe find out whether plants like to drink more acidic or more basic liquids :)

Presentations: Everyone is presenting next Tuesday because of the shortened day this week. Please let me know if you need to watch at a special time. The topic is Timeline Card.

Science: Our Science experiments worked well except for the Color Changing Milk of Magnesia. Hopefully we will have a quick demonstration of that one Week 15 (if I can get it to work at home!). Anyway, I hope your child had fun playing around with pH. We talked about how acids or bases would make our tummies feel if we ate them. You could look up the ingredients for your next meal online and talk to the kids about the pH of what they are eating.

Math: We are filling in a chart each week with cool puffy geometric stickers. I will send them home with the children when they are complete.

Geography: We sang Baltic Europe to B-I-N-G-O. 5 countries on the Baltic Coast are Baltic Europe, E-L-L-E-P, E-L-L-E-P, E-L-L-E-P, these are Baltic Europe. Next time through say the names of the countries. The kids really liked this song.

Remember, we are giving our children tools to learn. I pray that God will overflow your tool box this week.

Just a tool,

Ms. Dees

Week 13

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:56:00 +0000

WELCOME BACK!

It was so wonderful to be back in full swing today. I missed our class over the break. I think tutoring keeps me on my toes. I was starting to get lazy :)

I hope everyone enjoyed seeing the wonders of liquid nitrogen. That was soooo much fun.

In Science class we talked about chain reactions in our physical world but also spiritually. We talked about the chain reaction that begins in our life when God does a work on our heart and then we go out and have an effect on the world for His glory. We will be incorporated a little spiritual lesson into Science each week to help the students know God even better.

Presentations for next week (week 14): The topic is Timeline Card

Bebo, Samara, Zoe, Peter

Week 15 will be the next 4 children and will also be Timeline Card.

Please remember folks that your child can do any card that we have already covered. They can elaborate and tell us about it, do a visual aid, dress up, anything. OR they can just recite the one card or the whole set from the week they choose. Remember it is about getting them in front of the class. Please work on an intro and closing, even if they are just reciting.

Please take the time to read the handout from today. It gives some Latin pointers. We are going to focus on the endings more rather than the whole word. They will need to know the whole word for Memory Master, but if they know the endings this should be no problem because the stem "ama" doesn't change. In class I wrote the endings on the board and had a piece of cardstock with "ama" for them to stick next to each ending as they said it. Please contact me with your questions.

I am looking forward to next week. We are cooking up more chemistry!

Amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant,

Mrs. Dees

PS. A special shout out to Sharon for all of your amazing help to me last semester.

Week 11

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:16:00 +0000

Hello Families,

I must admit I have mixed feelings about going on break. I really do miss CC and seeing the children. Tutoring makes me a better mother to my own children.

We had so much fun Tuesday. The kids were full of energy. It worked in our favor to have a dynamic day of learning. The review animal toss game went really well. Our children seem to really know their stuff. In Science, we made glow in the dark constellation cards. I encourage you to use them at home over the break so the kids can talk about it when they come back.

Keep up your review too. Use the memory work like an admission ticket to do the next scheduled activity in your day. For example, ask your child to tell you about Charlemagne before they brush their teeth, list the biomes before they eat breakfast, or skip count their 7's before they get in the car. Walk them through the "armor of God" as they get dressed in the morning. You will find it reminds you to wear that amazing spiritual armor as well!

Presentations went great. I am so impressed that every child did a poster. I love learning more about them and seeing their baby pictures. Next week we will use presentation time for extra review fun and class interaction. A few of the parents volunteered to bring in some special snack items. I will set aside time in class for the kids to have fun with this. Let's just keep the sugar to a minimum:)

You are doing great. Your kids prove it.

He who has begun a good work in you WILL carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus...

Carry on,

Alison

Week 10

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:32:00 +0000

Dear Apprentice Families,

Sorry I am late! I hope you are all enjoying the amazing weather we are having and incorporating that as "school" :)

Presentations were wonderful on Tuesday. The kids really did well on all of their presentation skills. I look forward to week 11 when Matthew, Abby, Zoe and Samara will present. Remember to keep it simple, let your child own it. I would much rather see their artwork than yours on their poster! Let them express themselves. As always if time does not allow for you to work on a presentation, they can still get in front of the class and tell us about themselves.

If you would like to reproduce the science that we did, then just buy a pack of window markers (Target, Walmart) and draw on a hand mirror. Remember to shine the flashlight indirectly on the mirror to get the best image reflected onto the wall. Have fun. You can do all sorts of shadow play drawings this way.

Please be thinking of constructive criticism or suggestions for me for next semester. I really want our class to inspire you. My goal is to model activities that are reproducible at home with mostly found or inexpensive materials, while meeting the needs of all the children in my class.

Thank you for trusting me with your kiddos.

Be blessed today,

Alison

Week 9

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 13:35:00 +0000

Hello Apprentice Families,

I hope everyone has gotten a chance to be in class lately to see how much these kids know! Please encourage them to go for at least 2 or 3 subjects for the Memory testing. I always ask my kids what THEY want to do. We don't want to force anything, but we do need to encourage them to achieve new heights. Testing isn't scary. My kids love the one-on-one lighthearted testing atmosphere that our group supports. It is so good for them. Please ask me if you have any questions. Testing usually starts around week 22.

Presentations were awesome! Even those who had not prepared did a great job getting in front of class for their presentations on "nothing":)

The weeks 10 and 11 will be on the "About Me" poster. You can also do this in book form rather than a poster. Either is fine. I have split the kids into 2 groups so we can give extra time to learning about each child. Let me know if this doesn't work for you.

Week 10

Peter

Caroline

Jackson

Bebo

Week 11

Zoe

Abby

Matthew

Samara

Can't wait for next week. I know we look forward to learning about the space shuttle from Abby!

Have fun,

Alison

Week 8

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:32:00 +0000

Week 8

Hello Folks!

It has been so wonderful to work with all of the Apprentice families this semester. I hope you are having fun. Let me know if I can serve your family better.

Week 9 is their week to "put it all together" for presentation. There are some great suggestions on the handout sheet in the red folder. It may be a stretch for your student to understand presenting something from an unusual perspective as suggested, so straightforward is fine too. Make sure your student knows their introduction, "Hello my name is Mary. I am going to present on Jimmy Carter today...". Help them memorize 3-5 interesting facts to say about their topic (use notecards with simple sentences or picture cards to help them remember) and then work on a closing, "Thank you for listening to my presentation on Jimmy Carter. Any questions?"

PLEASE REMEMBER: The above are only suggestions. The important skill is to be able to get up in front of the class. Even if you do not prepare anything at all it is ok for them to stand up in front of the class and do an introduction and closing.

I am impressed with the kid's tin whistle skills. It may sound like cacophony to you, but they are actually my best class yet! I am determined to hear them play a song by week 12 :)

We can learn so much from our children. Just last night my oldest son (10) taught me about showing God's joy to all those we meet. He sat at a table for 4 hours handing out shirts for his Daddy and never missed a beat! He smiled at everyone and had something clever to say each time.

Let your child teach you the memory work today. Turn things around. Get some stuffed animals and make a "classroom", with you as a student and your child as the teacher. You can even take a break and they can continue teaching the animals.

Next week is a treasure week:)

Staying teachable,

Alison

Week 7

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:25:00 +0000

Dear Apprentice Families,

How great God is! We read the lyrics to "How Great Thou Art" today for Science. Read them sometime, they will inspire you!

Presentations went wonderfully yesterday. I think the kids felt a sense of accomplishment. Please tell them how proud I am. We worked on questioning/commenting skills. The kids did a great job. Ask them about it.

Week 8, I will continue with a lesson on presentation skills.

Week 9 is their week to "put it all together" for presentation. There are some great suggestions on the handout sheet in the red folder. It may be a stretch for your student to understand presenting something from an unusual perspective as suggested, so straightforward is fine too. Make sure your student knows their introduction, "Hello my name is Mary. I am going to present on Jimmy Carter today...". Help them memorize 3-5 interesting facts to say about their topic (use notecards with simple sentences or picture cards to help them remember) and then work on a closing, "Thank you for listening to my presentation on Jimmy Carter. Any questions?"

PLEASE REMEMBER: The above are only suggestions. The important skill is to be able to get up in front of the class. Even if you do not prepare anything at all it is ok for them to stand up in front of the class and do an introduction and closing.

I suggested to the children to practice the D scale on the tin whistle for next week. Remember the left hand is the top hand.

I think I am going to make a picture of a rocket for my homeschool. Each day we complete tasks we fill in a section of the picture (10%, 20%, 30% etc. ) When it is all filled in we will set off a real rocket ($10 at Toys and Company or make your own). Great incentive and fun fun fun!

Have a blast!

Alison

Week 6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:35:00 +0000

Hello Apprentice Families,

Our kids are magnetic! They draw me in each week:)

Short and sweet today:

Presentations are either on a timeline card or teach us something. Remember do as much or as little as you want. It is about the child getting up in front of the class with confidence, not content. Make sure they LIKE what they are talking about!

A mom reminded me yesterday that we should reward our children for what they know or what they have retained in CC, not worry so much about the process. In other words, don't drill em' till you kill the joy of learning! If your child has learned it, reward them and move on. Don't spoil your joy either. We are to model a joy attitude toward school/learning to our children. Who else do they have to copy?

Kuddos to Peter who noticed that the timeline card "Prophets of God", features a painting by the famous artist Rembrandt. Great connection :)

Have confidence this week in your God given ability to homeschool!

In confidence (because of the King),

Alison

Week 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:55:00 +0000

Hello Apprentice Families,

God made our universe so beautiful. Can you imagine what He must be like to behold? What a joy it is to see our children excited about all the subjects we cover in CC :)

We used window markers in Art to learn about perspective. These are a great tool. Have your child sit in front of the closed window, close one eye, and "trace" what they see outside. It is amazing how well they do at this exercise. Then give them a piece of paper taped to the window to try and do the same thing. Next week is the final project for drawing. I am excited to see their improvement from the first week of class.

OK., about Presentations. I have decided that I will teach the concept with an in class exercise the first week of each segment and assign a topic for presentation the next week. So, week 6 is in class exercise and week 7's assignment will be: present a timeline card topic (that we have learned so far) with confidence (and proper body language and voice control) OR teach the class how to do something. In the past "my favorite recipe" has been a winner. The students have brought in taste tests of their favorite and the recipe card. I have even had students who made their recipe there in class (Zoe's smoothies last year were a hit!) Just make sure that you keep it short and easy! For non readers use picture cards to help jog their memories.

Make the memory work fun this week. Instead of formal sit down quizzing/drilling, do it randomly throughout the day. While they are brushing their teeth, playing, etc., call out," Tell me about...".

Tell me all about it next week!

-Alison

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:11:00 +0000

Week 4

Thank you for the warm welcome back! I had so much fun today. Our kids really seem to be getting the Memory Work down. I am extremely proud of them.

We went on an eating tour of the European cities in Geography today. I think most of the kids were excited about the pizza in Rome. Duck duck nominative pronouns was a blast to play, remind your kids to say , "I nominate you!" For History we got to sign the Magna Carta with a feather pen. Definitely the highlight of my morning. In Science we learned about friction and inertia with a marble race. Cool stuff.

I will keep everyone posted on presentations. For now just practice voice control with their favorite book or mime. Sorry, I kept saying articulation when I meant gesticulation today during presentations. The point is to tie in the body language with the voice control.

Note this week how well our Geography ties in with the History sentence. Let your kids set up a History cafe and serve you a Magna Carta sandwich in England, made by chef King John. Later, chef Edward III can make some french fries. I know it all sounds a little corny, but the kids love it! The point is to have fun and relax into your learning this week:o)

Bon Appetite,

Alison

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:55:00 +0000

Week 2

Wow the atmosphere never looked so cool! We had great fun learning about God's beauty today in Science.

This is a little long but please read.

Check your child's backpack for an English grammar teaching aid. The noun gets replaced by the pronoun in the pocket.
Lisa Maier is substituting for me next week. She is well versed in how the class goes. Parents, please help her with the flow of the class. Also, remember that next week is a treasure week! Ms. Maier will have the treasure box so don't worry :o)
I want to encourage you to see your whole day with your children as a learning opportunity. We want our kids to see God's joy in all that we do. Practice your memory work under a blanket with a flashlight one night (and see if you can see dust particles in the atmosphere with the flashlight). Talk about herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores at dinner, explaining God's amazing digestive handiwork to your little one's. Buy some animal crackers and use them for this week and next week(food chain) Science questions. Tie in the Geography by talking about the different animals living in Spain, England, etc.

Presentations - We will use the first week of each 2 week segment to practice the presentation and I will demonstrate for the class. We will then perfect our presentations for the next week. I am adding some formal presentations skills to our repertoire: introduction, posture, eye contact, projection, enunciation, closing and questioning skills. I will add on these new skills slowly. You should just focus each week on what the sheet in the red folder says to do. PLEASE EMAIL ME AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON PREPARATION and really want your child to present. Sometimes they get up there and say," Nope, I don't have a presentation this week". I will always have them get up in front of the class and say their name and something else, but I want to be able to say, "Hey, Your parents told me that you DO have a presentation!"

I will miss everyone next week. Please let your kiddos know that I am excited to hear what they learned about God and His creation when I come back.

Keep smiling the whole time I am gone!

Smiling too,

Alison

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:07:00 +0000

WEEK 1

Dear Families,

Tuesday was great. This is a very responsive class :o) I was so glad to see so many smiles and everyone's excitement about where we would go next on Mr. Apprentice's map.

It was interesting that the kids came up with the analogy of the speck in Horton Hears a Who for the concept of "the universe to me". It really is a great way to help them see where we are in the universe and of how "big" God is! We can truly see God's beauty through science. Remind your child of this over and over and over. Keep your sense of wonder at God's creation and it will inspire your children. Let them stay up late one night this week and say,"hey, you want to go outside and see the Milky Way around us?"

This is a great week to connect Science and Geography. Most Apprentice students are still struggling to understand what a map is, let alone a continent, country, etc. Start your Geography lesson with the Universe and end at the European waters.

I hope your children enjoyed sharing their parts of speech "sandwiches" with your family. I found one that was left in the room. Let me know if your child did not come home with theirs.

Please make sure you review the presentation topic for Week 2. If you need clarification please contact me. Also, if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns about anything, please let me know. I am here to inspire you, so please make sure I am doing my job!

Just a speck too,

Alison

Final Ceremonies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:29:00 +0000

Congrats to all my Apprentice Families!

Thank you for the joy of getting to be part of your lives this year!!!!

I sent home a book with the kids about the lineage of Jesus. There is a cd in the front. This book has really blessed my homeschool this year. It has helped my children with "tying it all in". We have looked at the geography this semester and seen where Jesus' family was from and where He walked. AND since we are adopted into the family of Jesus, this is our lineage as well! I pray it is a blessing in your homes as well.

FINAL CEREMONY: Please note that the KIDS decided that they want to sing as a class and NOT do solos. I am fine with this. Everything else is the same. Please let me know if you will be late or will not be able to make it on Monday night. I am praying everyone will be there!

I will miss you all over the summer and hope for play dates with our kids!

I am truly blessed by your children.

It has been an honor.

Love,

Alison

Week 22

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:34:00 +0000

Dear Families,

Thank you for all the love and support you have blessed me with these last 2 weeks. I will keep everyone posted when I get my results.

The kids are doing great in class. I can really see their reading skills improving.

For Latin I want to encourage you to give them a way to remember which declensions go with which number. For instance: 4th declension singular starts with all "u's" . So you could say to your student "4 u's". 1st starts with a (the 1st letter of the alphabet). 2nd is the only one with "o", so maybe say "2nd is o so fun". 5th is the only one that starts with "es", so you could use the "e" and say "5th es the end." (a little play on words). These are just suggestions! It is too much to teach this in class, but I thought it might help you at home.

Our class will be performing the Ten Commandments for the closing ceremonies night (Monday, April 12).

Please practice the song with your child. The girls wanted to sing solos for each commandment as follows:

Zoe - 1 and 6

Leah- 2 and 7

Mary Blake- 3 and 8

Abby- 4 and 9

Hannah- 5 and 10

Anthony is Moses and will hold the Commandments. Sam will be a shepherd (Laura I will tell you more later).

The kids are going to do great!

See you next week,

Alison

PS. Call me if you have any questions about anything!

Week 21

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:21:00 +0000

Dear Amazing Apprentice Families,

Mr. Apprentice visited a new place on Tuesday - Linking Verb Bridge!

We started making paper chains out of linking verbs that I will send home Week 24.

I want to remind everyone that the Week 24 Final Presentation is OPTIONAL. If your child does a presentation, I want them to "educate" the class about their topic. Please note that their topic can be something as simple as "How to brush your teeth", or a topic they research. It is completely up to you and your child.

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Ms. Dees

Week 20

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:45:00 +0000

Dear Families,

Whew, we are done with presentations for a while. We ended on a sweet note! Delicious foods and then into Orchestra!

Thank you for all your hard work.

Please talk to your student about their last presentation topic. It should be educational and something they LOVE to talk about.

These presentations should include an introduction, 5 good points, a visual aid (in addition to any dress up - dress up is optional and should not be sole visual aid), a good closing statement.

Please remember to use pictures and/or a few words on a cue card to remind the student what to say. ONE or TWo words is sufficient to remind them of what to say. Please use word pictures if your child is not a proficient reader. Remember, this is for practicing their public speaking, NOT their reading skills. They need to feel comfortable in front of the class.

I sent home a rocket with the parts of the atmosphere. The kids had fun going outside and breathing in the troposphere and pretending to fly their rockets through the different layers (I focused on the beginnings of each word: tropo,strato,meso,thermo,exo). We chanted the beginnings and then added sphere on.

Have fun this week. Build a tower out of blocks that goes up into the "layers of the atmosphere" and then talk about the Tower of Bable.

The sky is the limit for us, but we SERVE a LIMITLESS GOD. Fly with Him. OR YOU WILL BE grounded for the week!!

Ms. Dees