First Day of School!!!

Yes, it's August 1st, and yes... I know many kids are still doing summer, but we always start the first week of August. It's hot, muggy and we are cooped up inside, so what better time to get school underway! :) We'll take a break when it's beautiful out and everyone else is stuck at school. LOL

Ashton wanted to take another opportunity to have his new boat photographed...

The morning got underway and it was a pleasantly successful start! Everyone cracked open their new books, sharpened their pencils and jumped right in. The first few weeks are always a juggling act for me until I figure out our pace and schedule.
Of course the school day wouldn't be complete without a jedi lightsaver break...

We are using Apologia's Human Anatomy and Physiology for our science this year. I'm already SUPER impressed with it. I will say though, the schedule, how it is written, is too quick of a pace for us. It is designed for 2 times per week and that is just too much information to cover in those two days. So we are going to be spreading it out throughout the entire week.

We started out by studying how Ancient Egyptians were actually pretty incredible in their knowledge of the human body. We even performed our own experiment to mummify these apples.

We peeled two apples and placed them in individual bowls.

Pour 1 1/3 cup of baking soda

With 2/3 cup of salt

Covered one of the apples completely with the mixture

and the other apple had none to be our control apple.

Then we placed them up high, to sit for a week. Next

Monday we will bring them down off the ledge to see

what happened to the apples!

Probably the biggest AHA moment for me (just one of the cool things I LOVE about homeschooling is just how much this momma learns!!!) is when we studied the Ancient Hebrews. They were not as sophisticated in their knowledge of the human anatomy or its physiology. However, as God's chosen people, they were protected from much disease because of the laws God gave them. I never understood why so many laws and rules that He required of His people. There were hundreds of them! HE WAS PROTECTING THEM from things they didn't even begin to understand (germs, disease, parasites, etc..). Most of the people of that time did not wash their hands often, they thought the Hebrews were crazy for all the washing that was required of them. They weren't to eat certain types of food (pigs, unkosher food, lions, blood, etc.) Many of these contained parasites that would have seriously harmed them. They were to abstain from certain types of animal fats, which we now know leads to obesity, cholesterol and heart disease.

Without these laws, the Hebrews would have fallen to grave dangers and sickness. Can't believe I just now but this together. Pretty awesome God we have, huh?

Wish I could say the entire day was a success but we did have some issues that needed addressing, including my own. I think I sometimes have higher expectations of how something will go and when it doesn't go that way, well I get frazzled, frustrated and disappointed. There seems to be a fine line that I'm trying to figure out between what's too much for a 2nd and 4th grader to do vs. heart issues of laziness in our work habits.

Here's to tomorrow with the right expectations, as well as the right heart attitude from all of us! :)