McBenning School Updates

Our school has been very busy, putting in the garden. The soil where we live is not the best, so we've had to add manure and potting soil. The ground is so hard and I can actually understand how flash floods occur. The ground is so hard that the moisture doesn't seep into the ground, it flows on top.

We have tomatoes, peas, potatoes, cilantro, garlic, mint, watermelon, cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, dill, marjoram, zucchini, sunflowers, Jalapenos, and Serrano's. On Saturday we are going to plant the second wave of plants, so that we will have producing plants throughout the summer. (We will do this every 2 weeks for the next month).

I love that the kids have this opportunity to help grow the food. It will definitely be a savings on the budget, to have our own produce, plus the surplus each week we will sell at the farmer's market.

The students have finished 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, and Amos. They have stayed on track on our goal of reading the Bible through the year. We also have done a study on Proverbs. It has been very exciting understanding what God wants for us.

In history, we are continuing our study of Southern Mesopotamia, we practiced cuneiform writing. It was very neat to try this method. We used plaster of Paris, and the hardest part was waiting for the plaster to harden enough for us to write. It was quite telling, how much we take for granted having paper and pencils.

We are also continuing our penmanship using the Spencerian method. I wasn't very happy with the materials promoting penmanship. I bought this series to teach the theory of cursive writing. All are doing very well.

In our biography studies, we are now reading George Washington Carver. I collect the older Landmark books and this book was published in 1953. It is a very good book and there is no hesitation in telling that George sought the Lord. I must say it has been enjoyable for me to read also.

In the rest of our classes we are still working on course. Steady pace reinforcing the fundamentals.

For any non home schoolers we are in constant interaction with other children their own ages, through gym days every Friday, activity in the park every Thursday, Bible studies, church and bi weekly get togethers with their friends. Every week there is Keepers at home for my daughter, and Contenders of the faith for the boys. All three of the boys in the house also have outside jobs, one working as a manager of a custard shop, and the other 2 working as yard boys.

For the staff of McBenning School: full time staff- study of Philippians, Old Testament Kings, Study of Proverbs, Christian Marriage Counseling, Church Missions, and Science and the Bible.
Part time staff- Theology 201, and Evangelism 201