8/14/19 Wow! The End of a Long Break!

Hello again everyone!

It has been so very, very long since I have made a post about our homeschooling days! We have not stopped homeschooling, however we have had a lot of changes! I want to update you, my readers, on the changes that have taken place and also let you know what this upcoming school year is looking like for us. I am so excited to start blogging about our homeschool days again.

Since my latest post, Theia has grown into a beautiful 7 year old who is getting ready to start 2nd grade, and Apfeya has grown into a beautiful 5 year old who will be starting kindergarten. We also have had two additions to our family: Ciara was born 10/29/15 – is a very smart and strong 3 year old, and Iryna was born 06/29/18 – is a very sweet and happy 13 month old!

This year, for our Orthodox Study, we will still be using a lot of tools from the Garden of the Theotokos, as well as some lesson plans from a curriculum that my beautiful sister-in-law put together. I also sometimes find some neat ideas from other Orthodox mothers online that I will be using from time to time. I will let you know about it so that you can go check it out too if you like!

For the core of our curriculum we will be using Five in a Row, volume 2. I am really looking forward to using this with both Theia and Apfeya. With this curriculum you can really cover so much material just from studying the different books each week.

For our math we will be using Saxon Math. I haven’t used this curriculum before, but I am very excited to try it! For Theia’s kindergarten and first grade years I used Singapore Math, but decided to try something different.

We will be using a curriculum called All About Reading for the girls to study their phonics, spelling, and practice reading. I used this with Theia for first grade and we both had a lot of fun with it.

We will also be working on some science from Evan-Moor Daily Science as well as practicing our critical thinking with Balance Benders, Can You Find Me?, and Dr. Doo Riddles.

I think that is about all for now. I will, of course, keep you updated during our school year and how things are going for us. The girls will also be doing some “extra-curricular” activities that I might mention from time-to-time. I am excited to begin blogging about this 2019/2020 school year! Have a great day!

In Christ,

Llana Kyriake

09/09/2015 Venerable Pimen the Great

Hello Everyone,

We had a very busy day today. We spent a long time out at the park, which was nice because the weather was nice outside this morning – not too hot, but it threw our school schedule off a bit since we usually do school first thing in the morning. I can’t wait for cooler weather so we can go outside later in the day.

Today we remember St. Pimen. He joined a monastery with his two brothers, Anoub and Paisus. When their mother came to visit them, they asked of her to wait to see them until the coming life with Christ, and to please allow them to pray for her instead. Pimen became known as a great instructor among the other monks and the governor requested to have a visit with him. He refused the visit to avoid any fame. He wished to remain hidden and humble. He was a great spiritual guide to many monks. One of the lessons he taught was to, “Fear God, Pray Often, and Do Good to Your Neighbor”.

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! Our Father Pimen, pray to Christ God to save our souls! Troparian, Tone 8

For our “Circle Time” this week, we are using:

• The Wednesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• The Fruit of the Spirit
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• ROY G. BIV – color song

For our “Main Lesson” we worked on our unit study of the fruits of the spirit. Today we talked about the second fruit of the spirit, joy. We did a cute project – I had Theia glue pom poms on the word “JOY”. We talked about things that make us joyful and the scripture verse Phillipians 4:4.

For our “Play Time” we worked on a maze out of our Brain Quest workbook:

We worked on the letter “C” today. We did an activity out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find all of the big “C’s” and little “c’s” and color them in. We also did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook where she practiced tracing the letter.

For our “Art” lesson we made some cute little octopuses out of pipe cleaners:

That was the end of our school day. I will let you all know what we do tomorrow.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/03/2015 The Holy Apostle Thaddeus

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all well. We are having a busy day here today, but I will take a quick break here to tell you about what we did for school today.

Today we commemorate the Holy Apostle Thaddeus, one of the 70 Apostles. The Lord sent him to Edessa to do his ministry. Edessa was his birthplace and it is also where he had previously gone to take the Holy Napkin to Prince Avgar. When Avgar kissed the Holy Napkin, he was healed from his leprosy, save for one spot on his face.

The Lord sent Thaddeus back to Avgar to baptize him and to minister to the people there. Once Avgar was baptized the rest of his leprosy was healed, and shortly thereafter, all of Edessa was converted. Thaddeus also preached in Syria and Phoenicia. He reposed in Beirut.

O holy Apostle Thaddeus, witness of God, Who appeared in the flesh for our sake, You brought the light of saving grace to those in darkness and were revealed as an excellent physician to those in Edessa. Wherefore shelter those who fervently seek you.

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Thursday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We reviewed all of the days, what we remember each day, and how the Church is our guide for the whole week.

For our “Our World” Lesson we worked on a page out of our Brain Quest workbook. Theia had to match the objects that belong on the dining room table and draw a line to their proper place, and do the same for objects in the kitchen.

For our “Number” study, we went over the number “1”, We did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we did some baking. I had planned to have Theia help me bake some bread, but I am making a cake for a baptism over the weekend, so it turned into baking cakes.

Lastly, we had “Art”. This was actually rather frustrating. We had scheduled a “Tie Dye in the Park” with some other homeschoolers. Apparently, the event was cancelled without me knowing. So, we went to the park and there was no one there. Then, I decided to go to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies so we could do the Tie Dye at home, but Hobby Lobby doesn’t sell plain white toddler T-Shirts. They have 0 Months – 2T, then it jumps into youth sizes. 😦 So, we didn’t get to do our Tie Dye, but we did at least play at the park while we were there.

Well, I hope you all have a nice weekend. I will be posting again on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday – yay!).

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/01/2015 Holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates

Hello Everyone,

Today was a very busy day! We were able to get all of our lessons done this morning though!

Today we remember Holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates. He was an officer in the Roman Army under the Emperor Maximian. He was a secret Christian. When he was leading his men into battle he told them that if they called upon the one true God before battle, they would be victorious. They did so, and won the battle. Some jealous men gave him up as a Christian and the Governor then arrested him, tortured him, and threw him into prison. The emperor Maximian ordered him to be released. He did not want him arrested for being a Christian, but told the Governor to find some other reason. After his release, he aided in baptizing 2,593 soldiers in a river. The Roman army found all of these men during the baptism and beheaded them all. This river became a spring of healing. The Bishop, Peter, gave all of the martyrs honorable burial.

You renounced the glory of earthly rank and inherited the kingdom of heaven; you adorned your incorruptible crown as with beautiful stones. You led an army of martyrs to Christ, and with the angels in the never-fading light you found Christ the never-setting sun. Together with those who suffered with you, holy general Andrew, ever pray to Him that He may save our souls. Troparion, Tone 5

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Tuesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Friday today, and how the cross is celebrated on Fridays (as well as Wednesdays). Also, how both days are fast days. We talked more about the cross. I let Theia decorate her Friday page however she wanted. So, she chose to use glitter today!

For our “Nature” lesson we did a work page out of our Brain Quest workbook. We talked about living and non-living things. Then, we went outside to try and find some living things. We found a lot of bees on one of the bushes in the backyard and the girls had a lot of fun watching them.

For our “Number” study, we learned the number One and did a work page on “1” out of our Brain Quest workbook.

For our “Art” we made some really cute popsicle stick critters. Theia made a giraffe and Apfeya helped me make a mouse – but then she took it apart before I could take a picture. 🙂

Thats all for today! I will let you all know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/27/2015 The Forefeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a nice day. Today was our last day of school for the week. We finished the first week! Yay!

Today is the Forefeast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. We are coming to the end of the Dormition Fast, and tomorrow is the Feast of the Dormition. We will be going to visit the monastery in Buena Vista tomorrow for the Feast Day – it is the Feast Day of Dormition Skete!

The Theotokos was visited by the Archangel Gabriel three days before her repose. He reveled to her that she would pass in three days time. All of the Apostles came to her bedside, from wherever they were in the world, by way of clouds, so they could be with her when she reposed. The Apostle Thomas was late, and when he came to say his goodbye, thats when it was revealed that she was translated into heaven. The Troparion of the Forefeast brings us together on this day in gladness. The Theotokos is about to depart from earth to heaven.

Dance with joy, O peoples! Clap your hands with gladness! Gather today with fervor and jubilation; sing with exultation. The Mother of God is about to rise in glory, ascending from earth to heaven. We ceaselessly praise her in song as truly Theotokos. -Troparion, Tone 4

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Angels (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• I am a Little Toad
• 6 Little Ducks

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Wednesday today, and how the cross is celebrated on Wednesdays. Also, how Wednesdays are fast days. We talked about the cross and all that it symbolizes. It can be a sad thing to remember, because it was the tool used to kill our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is also a symbol of victory over death. Christ rose from the dead! We talked about how St. Helen was able to find the true cross of Christ. I let Theia decorate her Wednesday page however she wanted. So, she chose to color it pink and then glued on sequins.

For our “Our World” lesson, we did a work page out of the Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook about what objects in the house belong in which room of the home. For example, in what room would you find a bed?

Then, for our “Number” study, we reviewed the number Zero and did a work page on “0” out of our Brain Quest workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we had a pretend picnic on the living room floor – complete with watermelon, chocolate milk, sandwiches, carrot sticks, and cake for dessert. Some of our favorite stuffed animals joined us!

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 8 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our week! I hope you all have a great weekend – we will be back on  Monday.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

03/31/15 Saint Cyril

Hello,

Today we celebrate Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem. He went through two great struggles. The first was with the Arian heresy and the second was in the time of Julian the Apostate. During the time of the Arian domination, a wonderful sign took place during Pentecost to strengthen the Christians. The sign of the cross, as bright as the sun, was seen by all stretching over Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives for several days. During the time of Julian the Apostate, another sign took place. Julian himself had arranged for the Jews to reconstruct the Temple of Solomon. Saint Cyril prayed to God to not allow this. Then, a great earthquake came and threw down all of the new construction as well as any stones that were previously there. Therefore, the words of the Lord came true: ‘Not one stone shall remain on another.’ Saint Cyril was a meek, and humble man. After his life doing battle for the Orthodox faith, he entered peacefully into rest and went with the Lord.

Today, after prayers and circle time, we did a little catch-up project. We painted a ladder for the Sunday of Saint John Clamacus, which was two Sundays ago. We also talked a little bit about what the ladder represents.

We also did some work in our Hidden Pictures book and worked on the letters “A” and “B”. Theia has gotten to the point where she is reading her books from memory, so now is a great time to get her to recognize the letters!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

03/02/15 St. Mariamna (Maria)

Today, on the eighth day of the Great Fast, one of the saints commemorated is Saint Mariamna. She was the sister of the Apostle Philip and became his companion, along with the Apostle Bartholomew. She helped to assist in their apostolic work. All three of them were thrown into prison for preaching in the Phrygian city of Hieropolis. This is where the holy Apostle Philip was martyred, however Mariamna and Bartholomew were set free. After she buried the body of her brother, she preached the Gospel at Lykaonia (Asia Minor). She died there in peace.

Yesterday was the first Sunday of the Great Fast, the Sunday of Orthodoxy. This day we celebrate the victory of the Church over the iconoclasts. This is also the day that we have our evening “Anathema” service. We did an activity to celebrate this Feast Day. We made our own icon banner to keep up in the house throughout this week.

In the center we have the icon for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and on either side there are icons for each member of the family. You can make yours using any of your most loved icons. We also did some work in our Hidden Pictures book. Theia actually did quite well with these!

Today we did our usual circle time. Theia worked on a few activity pages in her “My Book of Great Lent” by Pontamitis Publishing.

Today we also worked on our fine-motor skills by making some necklaces using straws and string. You simply cut a piece of yarn or string to length and cut some plastic straws in 4. Then you have your child string the necklace! Lots of fun – and you get awesome jewelry out of it!

I hope you all have a great rest of your day. I will be back soon!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

02/26/15 Our Holy Father Simeon the Myrrh-Streamer

Saint Xenia:

Today, on the fourth day of the Great Fast we commemorate Our Holy Father Simeon the Myrrh-Streamer. St. Simeon was once known as Stevan Nemanja. He was the ruler of the Serbian people. During his rule he unified the Serbian lands, made Serbia its own country independent of Greece, drove out heresy, and strengthened the Orthodox Church within. After this, he became a monk at the monastery of Studenica , and was given the name Simeon. After he had lived in Studenica for two years, he went to the Holy Mountain with his son Sava. They stayed in the monastery of Vatopedi. Father and son spent days and nights in prayer. There they built six chapels: to the Savior, the Unmercenaries, St George, St Theodore, the Forerunner and St Nicholas. They also bought the ruins of Hilandar and built a beautiful monastery, but Simeon lived there only eight months before his death. One year after his death, Simeon was recognized as a saint by the community of Mount Athos because holy old was flowing from his relics. Even today his relics give forth a sweet smell. Below is an icon of both St. Simeon and his son, St. Sava.

Today we spent some time with some good friends. We learned a game that is similar to “red light, green light”, but it is called “1,2,3, star”. Basically one person stands across the room from the others and turns around and counts to three. Once they count to three they turn to face the others and they say “star”. The others try to make it to the other side of the room as quickly as possible, but they can only move while the one person is counting. When the one person says “star” and turns around, the others have to freeze. Whoever makes it to the other side first wins. This is a great game to get children to listen and follow instruction.

It has been snowing all day today and is supposed to keep snowing for a while. I am so glad I have a four-wheel-drive car. This weather is really great for the first week of the fast. 😉

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. 

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephriam

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

02/12/15 The Holy Martyr Theophilus the New

Hello there everyone!

We had a fun-filled day today. We had some very special visitors today and we were even blessed to have a visit from our Bishop, Vladyka John! This is such a blessing and one of the reasons I am so glad we were able to move to Colorado Springs. Not only is there an Orthodox community here, but the Fathers are only 2 hours away and we are blessed to be able to visit often.

Silly Faces!

Today our Circle Time songs are:

• Thursday: The Apostles (from the Children’s Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Children’s Garden of the Theotokos)
• Sing! Sing! Sing! (from the Children’s Garden of the Theotokos)
• Listen to the Horses (by Raffi)
• Shake My Sillies Out (by Raffi)

The saint commemorated today is The Holy Martyr Theophilus the New.

As commander-in-chief under the Emperor Constantine and Empress Irene, he was enslaved by the Hagarines and held four years in prison. When he withstood all the Moslems’ insistence that he repudiate the Christian faith, he was beheaded with the sword in the year 784, and went to the Lord.

We did a counting activity with the girls today. We worked on counting and keeping in time with a music beat for 8 counts. We made some “soup” while counting. Basically the girls used a wooden spoon to splash their soup for 8 counts and then stir their soup for 8 counts. They each were able to take turns “putting something in” the soup and in the end they got to “taste” it. After that counting activity, we worked on counting to 12 for the 12 holy apostles. Then, we worked on naming all twelve of them by using the Thursday song from the Children’s Garden of the Theotokos.

Our sensory activity today was with shaving cream. The girls were able to make designs on the sliding glass window with shaving cream. This activity was so simple, but so fun!

Shaving cream mess!

Well, that was the end of our day, and our week. We are planning to go and visit the Cathedral of the Dormition for the feast day of the Meeting of our Lord on Sunday and are looking forward to that trip. We will be back on Monday and I will let you know what we are up then!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

02/11/15 The Hieromartyr Ignatius

Good Evening!

I hope you all had a wonderful day. I had a really busy day and feel like I can’t keep up! I honestly feel like my life is set at a speed of 10 and I can only go 8. 😦 I just have to trust in God to give me the strength I need to get through every day and try to take it one day at a time.

Today our Circle Time songs are:

• Wednesday: The Cross (from the Children’s Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Children’s Garden of the Theotokos)
• Sing! Sing! Sing! (from the Children’s Garden of the Theotokos)
• Listen to the Horses (by Raffi)
• Shake My Sillies Out (by Raffi)

The saint commemorated today is the Hieromartyr Ignatius. Today we remember the translation of his relics from Rome, where he was martyred, to Antioch, where he had been archbishop. I took this opportunity to explain what exactly it means to “translate relics”. I began by describing how you can move things and we moved some things around. Then, I described that translation is simply to move something from one place to another. Next, we talked about what a relic is. I explained that it is the body after one has died. We all have a body and a soul. When a saint dies, their soul goes to heaven, but their body stays on earth and is called a relic. I did not explain yet about how, because many of these saints were so close to God, their relics, or bodies, did not decompose like usual and they remained incorrupt.That is a lesson that I will explain later.

For our prewriting activity we worked on tracing lines again.

Something fun that we did today was building. Theia built a “house for her bunnies” out of legos. Its pretty awesome too. It has carrots and flowers on the roof for them to eat! This sweet little girl thought it through!

In the middle of the day Theia had a dentist appointment. So, that is all of the homeschooling I got done today. Theia did get a “No Cavities!” certificate and a prize from her dentist for being such a good girl. 🙂

I am working on planning what exactly we are going to be doing, both in homeschool and as a family, during the Great Fast. I have found some great resources and am getting approval for some of the activities from our Priest. I will let you know what my plan is once I have it down so that you can follow along with us if you wish!

Have a great evening and I will let you know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake