Jordan is really excited about his new independent study routine. I’m so thankful for my husband’s input on this matter. I tend to shy away from giving our kids greater academic responsibility, but he helps me see the bigger picture. Being able to manage your own workload successfully is a great lifeskill.

Cover Art:

I realized Jordan didn’t create a cover page for The Boxcar Children when we started rowing it.

This week, I asked him to create cover art in his FIAR notebook. He decided to draw a boxcar which was MORE than fitting.

Chapter 2:

Jordan read the second chapter all on his own. He’s really taken the lead which shows initiative and responsibility.

Bible:

I assigned the second chapter Bible lesson “Night is Turned into Day” from the Beyond FIAR Christian Character and Bible Supplement Guide. Jordan looked up the coordinating verses and read the lesson in the manual. It’s always great practice having him look up various verses in the Bible.

Since there was only one Bible lesson, I created daily Bible lessons, with coordinating verses, that tie into one of the topics he was learning about that day.

Bible Verse:

This week, Jordan chose to memorize Psalm 118:24, the verse from the Beyond FIAR Christian Character and Bible Supplement Guide.

Language Arts:

Vocabulary:

I created a vocabulary worksheet for the second chapter.

First, I let Jordan try to match up the vocabulary words with the proper definition. If he’s incorrect, we either move to the next one or I give him a hint in the right direction. Later, I added the list in his FIAR notebook.

SCIENCE:

The FIAR manual provides adequate information for each topic; however, I usually assign additional reading material to enrich his reading assignments.

The Water Cycle:

Since Jordan didn’t finish reading the entire Oceans and Seas! book while rowing Arabella, he read the next chapter which was all about water.

He also read about water conservation and learned some really cool facts in 5,000 Awesome Facts.

Drought:

Since Jordan finished his assigned chapter book, I thought it would be fitting for him to read What Was the Great Depression. He really enjoys books from this series.

Human Body & Sleep:

Jordan read about the benefits of sleep in the Ultimate Bodypedia. This is always a great subject, since most kids seem oblivious to the need of getting a full night’s sleep.

Inventions and Discoveries:

Farming Equipment:

Jordan read about the history of the “barn” and “plow” in our An Uncommon History of Common Things.

In addition, he read about other farming inventions that improved both agricultural and dairy farms in The Usborne Book of Knowledge.

Afterwards, he headed to the kitchen for a delicious glass of chocolate milk.

Fine Arts:

Functional Design – Fountain:

Jordan read about working fountains in the teacher’s manual. I gave him a challenge to design and create a fountain. He could use paper or building blocks (i.e. Legos, wood, etc.).

To my surprise, he decided to design and create it on Minecraft. It turned out beautifully!

HELPFUL LINKS:

Chapter Book GRAB BAG:

I created a Grab Bag for the The Boxcar Children Mini Unit. The Grab Bag series is a collection of worksheets and/or activities that I created while studying the FIAR Chapter Book units with my children.

You can purchase your copy HERE at our TPT Store.

*NOTE: Please be aware that any printable from the Grab Bag series may have worksheets that are similar and/or the same as those available in our other printables. We try to include anything that could enhance your student(s) learning experience as you row the chapter book series.

Pinterest Board:

You can find most of the activities, ideas, and printables from this post on The Boxcar Children Pinterest Board.

Youtube Playlist:

As with our other rows, we created The Boxcar Children playlist with read-alouds, music, science, and other clips.