American Government and Civics

Friday starts our Winter Break and we are very much in need of that.  We have had a great school year so far, but are definitely ready for a break.  We take an extended break until January 6th.

When I did the American Government with DJ he loved watching the debates and all the discussion that went with it.  Caitlin, however, hates it.  She will watch but is not retaining much because she is bored.  So, I have switched it up for her a little bit.  I found, Founding Principles:  American Government, on PBS.  We just finished up the videos today.  They are short and easy to follow.   I will look for other topics on there after we come back from break. 

We are also working our way through the Bill of Rights, and the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.  We finished up with 7 today.  There has been some interesting discussion on some of the more controversial topics.  She writes each amendment in her notebook and then has to find Youtube videos to watch.  For some of them, I have chosen to have her read books.  Like for the 6th Amendment, she read, You Have the Right to Remain Innocent.  It was a short and easy read and she can never read too much.  I will be reading it this week, myself.  I don't really care what politic side they choose, my most important goal with this class is to make her aware of how important it is that every American vote. Not only is it our right, but it is also our responsibility as citizens.   My oldest child has already voted in several elections, so my goal was met with him.  How do you teach American Government and Civics?

This post contains affiliate links. 
If you would like to visit my Health Coaching blog, click here.  

Week 2 of School and an Injured Knee

Well Caitlin didn't even make it through 1 week of school without an issue.  Last Wednesday she twisted her knee at church and is still not able to walk on it.  Thankfully I had a Quad Cane here that I picked up at a garage sale, just because.  She is not so greatly hobbling around on that.  The swelling has gone down significantly to almost normal, and she is wearing a knee and calf brace.  This has been a very humbling experience for her.  Learning how it feels to be helpless and need others for things you would normally do yourself.  I am doing PT with her, and hopefully, by next week she will be walking a little bit, partial weight-bearing at least.  She is still doing school, however, just no morning walks and no real chores.  Which brings me to my other life lesson she has learned, exercise is very important to ensure your body maintains strength.  She does not like exercise and complains terribly.  Maybe this will show her how important it is.

Today was our first day of grade 10 History.  We are studying Civics and Government, and the election process.  This falls in perfectly with the 2020 elections which is why I did it this way.  Today, we watched the top 4 candidates at their Climate Change town halls from last week.  I explained to Caitlin how the people bringing in the most donated money are the top candidates.  We watched Buttiegeg, Warren, Sanders, and Biden.  She has to follow all of the 10 candidates on Facebook, that made it to the end of September debates.  We do a lot of discussing and will learn more about the process as we go along.  Since we are doing one class a day we may have to skim some of the topics that come up in the coverage of the primaries.  The flashcards below will help prepare to take the Civics exam.

Tomorrow she will work on her ASL, sign language course.

Election Day, Obamas Grandmother Passes Away

Today is election day. We had early voting here in Florida, so the deed is already done. Of all the blogs, I have read today I have not seen one mention the death of Obama's beloved grandmother. She passed away yesterday, unable to hang on to see if he wins or not. Our thoughts and prayers are with Obama and his family at this very sad time. May the best man, win today. I think McCain has a chance, but it will be very exciting to see who wins. Wow how often can you say that, Politics is exciting.

Todays homeschool freebie is an ebook titled Little Hands Folded in Prayer. It is a Classic collection of short, simple, beautiful prayers especially for children, from the 1800s. If you are interested in this free ebook, you can go to http://www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com They offer a new free offer every day, Monday through Friday, and they are really free, no strings attached.

I wanted to share a great book on Homeschooling, that I am currently reading. I borrowed it from our local library, and it is called Homeschooling the Early Years. It is all about tips and skills for teaching early learners, up to age 8. The first two chapters were not really helpful, because they talk about thinking and preparing to Homeschool. The next chapters though, have been very informative and helpful. If you have access to a local library, you might want to check it out.

There is no school today, but here are the lesson plans for 11/5/08:

Reading: Read chapter 3 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Imagine you are the President of the US, what would you do for the country
Language Arts: Phonics review, grammar
Art: Draw Pichu
Math: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
Social Studies: Election day word find, the first Thanksgiving story with questions
Planets: Themed unit
Fire Prevention: video number two

We have several add ons, if we finish early. They will be posted in our daily homeschool journal, as completed.

McCain and Obama, Where Do They Stand On Healthcare?

Do you have Health Insurance? Are you one of the 47 million Americans, that have no insurance? As a Nurse, health care is something very close to my heart. I have been uninsured for many years, and know the stress and impact that can have on someones life. I know how ridiculously expensive Health Care has become. I have seen gouging, unkind acts, greed, and just plain cruelty in the Health Care Industry. So where do the candidates stand on Health Care? View the videos, and hear what they have to say. They both say health care costs, must come down. However I notice two very distinct differences between the two. McCain gives clear, and concise ways to bring costs down, Obama does not. McCain states that his plan will not raise taxes, nor be added to the already huge deficit. Obamas plan will most definately increase taxes, or as he has stated recently will be added to the already Trillions of dollars deficit. McCain will give, every single family in America, a tax refund, to help cover out of pocket expenses, or to help pay for their health insurance plan. Obama wants to mandate every single Business, both big and small, to offer and help pay for health insurance to their employees. This will only make it more difficult for small businesses to succeed, and prosper. This will cause more job loss, and even send more companies over seas where such requirements are not imposed. View the videos, and then you decide, who you want to be President. Time is running out, and so many people are undecided. Dont listen to the rhetoric and garbage, on the Campaign trails. See and learn where the candidates really stand, then make a knowledgeable decision that is best for you and your family.





My lesson plans for 10/15/08:

Writing: Write about a place you would like to go with friends
Reading: Read chapter 4 of Mummies in the Morning
Math: Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction
Spelling: Lesson 7- write each spelling word and circle the consonants
Vocabulary: Lesson 7- use each vocabulary word in a sentence
Language Arts: Phonics Review, fact and opinion
Social Studies: Georgia, Christopher Columbus
Spanish: Parts of the body
Art: Draw Patrick