Celebration of Hymns

This Sunday, we attended the Celebration of Hymns program which was hosted by the Masterworks orchestra. We enjoyed singing hymns and listening to the musicians play. We also had fun chatting with the musicians afterwards. It was a pleasure to celebrate hymns and praise God!

Top Ten Questions Asked About Homeschooling

Once people realize that we are home schooled, there are several questions that they always ask. we decided to write this so hopefully you can get a better picture of what it's like to be home schooled.

Q: You can wake up whatever time you want, right?

A: No, we've found it important to set a schedule for each day and stick to it. Without our schedule, we won't meet our goals for the day.

Q: Can you do school in your pajamas?

A: No, wearing PJs during school time is not allowed. :-)

Q: Do you ever take tests?

A: Absolutely! The curriculum we use includes quizzes, check-ups, and tests which are taken regularly to make sure we are "on track" and meeting the objectives for each lesson.

Q: Which curriculum(s) do you use?

A: Well, I use the Switched-on Schoolhouse curriculum which is a computer-based, Christian program. Sara, Leah, and Jude use the School of Tomorrow curriculum which is published by Accelerated Christian Education. It is book-based and each subject is divided into12 booklets per grade.

Q: What are your school hours?

A: We begin our lessons at 8am and finish somewhere between 12pm and 1, depending on our assignments for that day. In the afternoon, we do electives like arts and crafts, music, photography, and foreign language studies.

Q: Do you have to do "homework"?

A: Well, all the work we do is "home work". :-)

Q: Do you ever go on field trips?

A: Yes, we go to various public events and ceremonies that are held throughout the year. We like to go to public parks where we study the wildlife that is found there. We also visit the aquarium, the Dockyard, and the Town of St. George.

Q: Which instruments do you play?

A: We all love to play the piano and sing. All of us know how to play the descant recorder. Leah and I know how to play some guitar and I'm currently taking violin lessons.

Q:Are you allowed to do "whatever you want" during school hours?

A: No, we have goals that need to be met each day and we strive to meet them. If our assignments aren't completed before lunch, we have to finish them in the afternoon before we can do recreational activities.

Q: Do you get recess during school time?

A: Yes, we take recess on an as-needed basis.

Quiet Sunday

This Sunday was relatively quiet, compared to the busy week we just finished. All of the guests who were a part of the Back to the Bible group left by Sunday afternoon. We spent most of the day playing the piano, knitting, or reading. We also got a chance to get our picture taken with Dr. Woodrow Kroll just before he left.

~Sara, Leah, Dr. Kroll, Jude and Eden (L-R)~

Singing at Willowbank's Talent Night

Last week, Back to the Bible (a Christian ministry led by Dr. Woodrow Kroll) brought a group to Willowbank and there were several evening programs. We were blessed with the opportunity to sing at Wednesday evening's talent night. Although we were given short notice, we were able to learn and sing "Days of Elijah". Everyone enjoyed it and we were glad to be able to bless others with our singing. Mom and the kids sang, I also played piano.

~Sara, Leah, and Jude (Left-Right)~

~Eden & Mom (Left-Right)~

Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. Psalms 21:13

P.S. If you would like to know more about Back to the Bible's ministry, please visit their website at: http://www.backtothebible.org/

Meet the Kitties!

I thought now would be a good time to introduce our two kitties, Onyx and Opal. We got them a little over 6 years ago, when they were kittens. They were four and six weeks old when we brought them home. Onyx, the little boy, is all black and is very cuddly. Opal, the girly girl, is black like Onyx, but has white paws, white bib, and little white whiskers. They both love going with us to the beach and playing in the sand; but they don't like to go near the water. We love them dearly and hope to have them for many years to come!

~Sara 

 

Opal sitting on her favorite blanket by the window.

Onyx enjoying the sun on our back patio.

Rain, Rain, Rain

We spent most of today indoors. It rained almost all day; when it wasn't raining, it was very breezy making it unpleasant to be outdoors anyway. This afternoon, the rain paused just long enough so we were able to go andlisten in on a talk about Bermuda by Tim Rogers. He's a very knowledgeable guy that knows almost everything there is to know about Bermuda. This evening's talk was about Bermuda's flora and fauna and we learned (or relearned) about some of the common plants and animals that can be seen here. It was very informative and we all enjoyed it.

~view from front door looking towards Heydon Trust~

~bleak day~

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. Psalm 147:7,8

Some Beautiful Pictures...

Wednesday was a beautiful day here in Somerset, Bermuda. My younger siblings Leah and Jude wanted to take a walk around the property and I thought it was a good idea. One of my favorite hobbies is nature photography. I particularly enjoy photographing small flowers and capturing the beautiful petals that our Creator has painted. We also took pictures of the beach and some of the clouds we saw out to sea. I hope you enjoy them!

~pink zinnia in garden~

~beautiful yellow cosmos flower~

~large clouds brought rain that evening~

~ "Ocean Beach" ~

~Leah drew this beautiful heart in the sand~

~tall coconut palm trees~

Autumn is here!

I love autumn! Maybe that's because I love winter and autumn is its herald. Just a few evenings ago, I was walking home from my Mom's job and was delighted to see that the air is cooling and becoming crispy --it seems so much cleaner too! It's fresh breezes are so invigorating.

Autumn is also a busy season for me. School starts in earnest just a few weeks before autumn does. I also start knitting and crocheting to make warm clothes for the winter to come.

The leaves don't change color but the water does. During the summer, the ocean is the most beautiful shade of translucent blue. But as summer changes into autumn, and eventually winter, the water changes from this beautiful blue to a blue-gray color. I think it changes because of the position of the sun in the sky. During the summer, the sun's rays can reach straight to the bottom of the ocean. But in the winter, the sun hits the water indirectly and the water seems to be a shade of blue-gray. I love the summer blue; the blue-gray seems to be a little dreary and reminds me that the water is cooler now -and swimming days are over.

At least I can look forward to the cold days of winter when we can bundle up snug, do our school work in cozy sweaters, and drink a warm cup of tea. Oh, good thoughts of the season to come!

Happy autumn friends,