Four Seasons: 30 Days, #29

 

This is what a cozy, fall school afternoon looks like at our house. Reading Little House on the Prairie while snuggled with a kitten on the couch. :)

2014-2015 Curriculum

Here it is for those who are interested, the annual "What the McEvoys will be learning" post. I'd love for my fellow home educating visitors to share your curriculum for this year. I'm always interested in what other families choose to use. Leave a comment or link to your own post, and I'll be sure to check it out!

Lukas, Grade 8

Total Language Plus
Daily Grammar
Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra
Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers History Studies
Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology
Artistic Pursuits Middle School Book 1 (Elements of Art and Composition)
Classical and Contemporary Guitar
Community sports leagues (hopefully flag football and basketball)

Ava, Grade 5

Intermediate Language Lessons
Spelling You See, Level D
Teaching Textbooks 5
Prairie Primer
Piano
Ballet

Four Seasons: 30 Days SPRING Days 11-12

We got home a little late last night, so here are photos from yesterday and today.

 We were invited by some friends to a homeschool share night at their house. Lukas played and sang the songs, "10,000 Reasons" and "Unashamed." It was the first time he sang while playing the guitar in front of anyone outside our family (he has played a couple times in front of people, but the singing along with it was the new part). He even transitioned between the two songs pretty seamlessly. He was FANTASTIC!

And here you see his not-so-serious side. LOVE that the kiddos are outdoors today!

Four Seasons: 30 Days SPRING Day 9

Today we learned a new-to-us Colonial era craft. Quilling!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal: School Beginning

In my life this week…
It's always a guess as to whether or not I feel creative enough to post something besides a list of everything we've done this week. Maybe that first sentence is indicative that you'll get something different. Maybe not. To read or not to read; that is the question.

In my life this week, I continued to guard my daughter's heart, repeatedly encouraged my son by reminding him that he is one of the smartest people I know, cheered for my husband as he seeks to provide for our family in a job that doesn't always bring fulfillment, and followed Jesus while I kept those things at the top of my list above all those places I had to go, classes and rehearsals I had the privilege of leading, and people I was blessed to spend time with.

In our homeschool this week…

Ava has declared that studying the human body is "gross," and I believe she intends to say so every.single.day.
 
Lukas is researching Ohio towns with Indian word origins and having a blast as he finds this to be so very interesting. He chose this project from a lengthy list of possible projects. That's the best kind of learning! 

I am focused on all things learning and keeping myself from attempting to do much multi-tasking during the school day. I'm getting so much more done, and it's all being done better. Why all this emphasis on multitasking in today's society? I'm changing my focus from multitasking to doing things well and on time. Much better, I say!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

My new thing is once a month planning. I used to plan every-other Saturday, but now we school on Saturdays since that is a work day for my husband. Sometimes, we have sporting events on Saturdays when the season calls for it. This year, I began the school year with a whole month of plans. Of course, things come up, and you have to be flexible, but, so far, the plans are working well. We're one science lesson behind for one kid, and tomorrow's plan is going to have to flex a little, but, overall, this is great for us. Sweetening this plan a little is the fact that my husband works 6 days the last week of every month, which means I can take that last Saturday of the month off and do planning instead of teaching. My recommendation to you? Monthly planning.

I am inspired by…

My daughter. She focuses so very hard on school, and she is learning so much because of it. She hasn't been complaining at all, and she keeps pressing forward. Wouldn't we all benefit from that kind of attitude?

 
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We are having a pretty routine week around here. I'll spend some time tomorrow evening with some ladies having a book discussion, and, on Thursday, I'll teach my music class at our co-op where my kids take part in art, science, and guitar lessons also.  

My favorite thing this week was…

I am truly just amazed watching my children learn right now. The last three school years were just plain hard for us, not necessarily academically difficult, but our life circumstances seemed to be insurmountable at times. I think we are due for something to go well with school. What I am seeing is getting me so excited. Lukas is becoming a deep thinker and an independent learner, and he is grabbing the reigns from me and doing so much without me, more and more each day. Ava is spelling and reading and writing and doing it all better than ever, and I never imagined she would start to take school so seriously. They amaze me. I never imagined such focus, determination, and diligence because we didn't have the time and energy for it. Overall, I am amazed at God and how He perfectly planned our curriculum and school year for us!

My kiddos favorite thing this week was…

Lukas is loving Apologia General Science, particularly the experiments (and I am loving that he will be doing it mostly independently very, very soon). Ava is thrilled to be using Teaching Textbooks for the first time, and she is proclaiming that to be her favorite thing right now!

What’s working/not working for us…

I'm not sure we're far enough into the school year to know what is working or not working for sure, but I will say that our routine isn't quite as smooth as I would like. We might need to start school earlier in the morning, and I think our school day will shorten slightly as the kids become more familiar with new curriculum and are able to work more independently. I guess we are still working out the new school year kinks.

Things I’m working on…

Organizing my calendar and to do lists so that I can actually get everything done. For instance, the laundry? Dirty. Or, if it's clean? Unfolded.

I’m reading…

What am I not reading? My favorite book that I'm reading right now is our fun read-aloud for school. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. I am so glad our children's librarian knows us well and recommended this beautiful story to us! It will be on our top 10 list of favorite read-aloud books. If you haven't read it, do it! Your children will enjoy Edward's journey so very much!

I’m cooking…

Last night, I baked Parmesan tilapia, baked potatoes, and steamed California blend. Tonight, Eric is throwing some western style ribs and sweet potatoes on the grill as I type, and I'm roasting broccoli.

I’m grateful for…

Strong beginnings, ministry opportunities, and divine reminders of who God created me to be and what my gifts are. So excited for what God is doing in my life and how He is using me right now!

I’m praying for…

A dear friend going through an unforeseen, mind-blowing circumstance.


I rewarded my kids this week by…

This is the truth. I gave my kids play time. Yesterday, we had a long school day. When we got to what I thought was the end, Lukas reminded me that he hadn't actually done all of his silent reading, and there was one chore not finished. Maybe some mamas would have told him to get to it, but I believe in flexibility, and, once in a while, kids need a break. The sun was shining, the evening was beautiful, and, in my opinion, the kids earned those moments to run free. Part of the reason we homeschool is to allow our kids to be kids. I rewarded their very diligent day (actually they've been diligent since we started two weeks ago) by sending them outside. I admit it. Sometimes, this is what is best!

A photo to share…

Nerf War birthday cake!

Visit the blog hop at www.soyoucallyourselfahomeschooler.com

And so Began Year #8

This morning we will begin week two of our school year. Child number one is eating breakfast while child number two has fallen back to sleep on the couch. This may not be the most ideal way to begin a school week. You know, being half asleep (or all the way asleep) doesn't really lend itself well to the learning process. I'm not quite ready either, so I'll give her a few more minutes.

It was a grand first week of school. My gusto was a little lacking for all our first day of school traditions, but the kids love them, so, in true mommy fashion, I pressed on. Truthfully, I think it was less about school and more about where I am emotionally over the past week than anything else. Having my mom's birthday the day before we started school left me feeling less than upbeat, and it was a double whammy week with my parents' wedding anniversary on Friday. They would have celebrated 38 years. By Friday, my son's 12th birthday, I was fully immersed in covering up everything I was feeling since 12 sounds so very grown up and I was already rather off-kilter. Going to Zanesville didn't help, but I won't take the time to explain that.

Grand first week of school. That's what this post is about. I can't remember when last we began a school year so prepared for learning, so organized, so ready to get down to business.

That just can't happen without thinking about the reality that is our new normal, and our school week was definitely in the shadow of those things. There was hope in our week. I planned well. I taught well. I checked off every single thing in the plan book (I don't recall that happening since...um. I don't know). We re-established old routine and reinvented new routines successfully. We explored new curriculum and read poetry and great books about Pizzaro and Rumplestiltskin and smelly shoes. We created art projects which are displayed beautifully in my dining room and wrote first day of school journals that just make me smile. I couldn't have asked for a better week, and it has me looking forward to getting this new week of school started.

We'll be adding more into the schedule this week. Science, full history (we just read last week), and language arts all added to our daily schedule, and we're diving into a new co-op on Thursday. Between phys ed class and co-op, the children will complete four hours of school on Thursdays away from home! Ava is taking art, music, and science, and Lukas is taking guitar and science (this science will be in addition to their science at home). We'll see how it goes. 

So we wrapped our first week with great success. Lukas loves his new language arts curriculum (Total Language Plus), and I had fun learning with him last week. Ava loves, loves, loves using Teaching Textbooks for math so far and has been begging to do extra lessons each day (honeymoon stage). I am already excited by what I'm seeing in both of them in just three days. They have grown, and they are ready for new challenges, and they are both rising to the task already. 

These are the signs of a God-lead start to the school year, of God leading us toward the right curriculum, and that feels great. We made a lot of changes for this school year, and God is honoring that. 

Because He is awesome.

And so shall this school year be.

First Day of School 2013

 7th Grade

 4th Grade

 Insanity

 And then the best smiles

First day of school art projects

To Do for School

I have felt so very unprepared for the start of school with an anxious tummy to show for it. I am not great at flying by the seat of my pants. I know so many people who homeschool without much thought for planning ahead or without planning at all, and, if you are one of those people who can do that and feel successful, more power to you! I can't wrap my mind around it. I am a details kind of gal. I've done this homeschooling thing both ways. When life hits the fan, you cope in any way possible, but we are not in a coping season. We are most certainly in a season that allows for proper prep and planning, which will allow us to thrive. I want all my ducks in a row. All my Ts crossed. I want a definitive plan that isn't going to cause me to find myself panicking in mid-March because we are behind the eight ball to get it all done again. Oh how we know what that is like! I seek a return to the days of homeschooling that allowed me to feel fulfilled and my children learning and accomplishing daily tasks. Awesome school year, here we come!

Today was the day. I planned my to-do list last night (incidently, a to-do list is ever evolving, isn't it? Mine is now longer than it was this morning, and I crossed a bazillion things off). I began first thing this morning with a quiet time. I started my first load of laundry, and then I made four piles on the table. Math, science, language arts, history. I chose some great music that wouldn't be distracting. Oh, and last night? I asked a friend not to call me today, and I sent my husband to work with his lunch and our only car so I couldn't leave the house, nor would he be interrupting. I know. This was some serious planning preparation. I might be crazy. Or I might have OCD. Or something.

At the end of today, not everything is done, but I didn't expect it to be. I will do this again on Thursday. The math pile is gone, and Ava's portion of the language arts pile including spelling, reading, language arts, and hand writing is gone. My planner is updated for this school year (since I used it so little last year, I just updated instead of purchasing a new one). Three loads of laundry are clean. Two healthy meals cooked. More books reserved. I even remembered to call and make an appointment for Lukas to get a hair cut tomorrow. Woot!

I know how I tick. I know what allows our school days to run smoothly. This is important to me. 

We are going to blow school out of the water next week. Oh, there is still so, so, SO much to do (um...I haven't even thought about school supplies yet, let alone planning a shopping trip to get them), but we will get there. I'm thankful for a team effort. The kids and my husband will help around the house extra this week while I am immersed in books and internet research and whatever else I need to do. 

My anxiety level has decreased immensely today, and I'm getting excited for all the great things we'll be learning together this year.

So tomorrow...errand running day. Except for the school supplies. As I said, who really knows what we need?

2013-2014 Curriculum

Notification. It's that time of year for homeschooling families. In Ohio, this means that I provide a list of brief objectives and curriculum that will be used and sign a piece of paper assuring the school district that I will teach all the subjects listed in the homeschooling legislation and that my students will participate in 900 hours of schooling throughout the course of the year (which is 12 months in length, by the way). I'll attach a form signed by an assessor stating that my children did indeed accomplish learning during the last school year. That's it. We have little to complain about compared to our homeschooling friends in other, more rigid states. 

Our 2013-2014 notification is mostly done except that our assessment hasn't been accomplished as of yet. As I post this every year, here is a list of what we McEvoys will be learning together this year.

Ava: Grade 4

• Primary Language Lessons
• A Reason for Spelling Level B
• Sonlight Readers (for reading and spelling)
• Handwriting without Tears Cursive Grade 4
• Teaching Textbooks Math 4
• Answers in Genesis God's Design for Life: The Human Body

Lukas: Grade 7

• Total Language Plus
• Novels including A Light in the Forest, Treasure Island and others to be decided as part of TLP
• Poetry and novels including Stone Fox, The Sign of the Beaver, and Rascal as part of a junior high literature group
• Teaching Textbooks Math 7
• Apologia Exploring Creation through General Science

Both kids:

• Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends book and workbook
• Then Sings My Soul (hymn studies)
• Time Traveler's History Unit Studies by Homeschool in the Woods (American Explorers, Colonial America, The American Revolution, and Early 19th Century Life)

In addition to this, the kids will be taking part in a monthly homeschooling co-op. While there, they will be taking classes on Ohio History, science, art, and speech. They'll also take a phys ed class, music lessons, and sports and dance. Art and cooking projects will be completed throughout the year using various resources. This list is not comprehensive to say the least, but these are the basics for this school year. I'm excited! That's saying a lot for me!

What will you and your children be learning this year, fellow homeschooler?

Catapulting the Tar Pit: A Lesson in Making Curriculum Work for You

I've been planning history lessons over the past week.  It is the last subject to get put back into the mix of our schooldays since the funerals, though I still haven't decided what we're going to do with Five in a Row for the rest of the year. Ava says she misses it if I ask her, but if I don't ask her, it seems to not come up. At the same time, I don't know that I'm ready to give up those sweet story times yet. 

While planning history using Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers series in the fall when we studied their Civil War unit, I found there to be so much to do that I couldn't possibly do it all unless I didn't do some of our other subjects. It is a unit study, which has its pros and cons. Ideally, I could use this study for history, language arts, science, art, penmanship, and more, but I like our language arts and science, and I don't see any point in not sticking with those subjects. While I always want to give my children the best I can give them, I find that I live by the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" motto.

This time we are studying New World Explorers, and it is honestly a fantastic unit study. I am, however, reminded that curriculum is a guide and not a rule, so we're doing the parts that work for us, which I am certain is how Amy Pak would want us to use her outstanding curriculum. 

When we last studied this era of American history, Lukas was in second grade, and we used My Father's World, Adventures. I loved it, so I pulled it out last night and began to incorporate the history portion into our New World Explorers history and combining the two into what I believe is going to be ideal for my kids. The read-aloud narratives and stories with MFW are phenomenal, and the projects in NWE are equally phenomenal, so we have a perfect system.  NWE has components which will challenge Lukas since, obviously, MFW is a curriculum designed for much younger students, and both students will benefit from the rich story-telling that comes along with MFW.

My point in telling you all this is that I am surprised by my own growth in the ability to determine our curriculum rather than allowing a publisher to define our path for us. One of the reasons we stopped using MFW is because the lesson plan was stressing me out. Every homeschooling mom needs to learn how she ticks, and I have learned that I don't like being told which days I'm supposed to do what, especially when medical appointments and the necessities of life prevented us from keeping up with their schedule, which honestly isn't that intense. It was what life handed us that was intense. 

I seem to always re-visit this pitfall. Last fall, I was stuck there again, sinking, sinking, sinking in the "you must do it all" curriculum tar pit. It took us months to do what we could have studied in a matter of weeks, partially because our schedule was insane and partially because I didn't want to skip anything. The history portion of our day was taking an hour, sometimes more, and what homeschooling family has time for that?

I've catapulted over the tar pit. I'm more surprised than you are. After almost 7 years of homeschooling, you would think I would have made it across years ago, and I actually did make it a few times for a season. I hope it isn't a season this time. I hope I stick with it because this feels perfect. School has been fun, interesting, ideal, exciting, and challenging the past few days. That is as it should be.

Do what works for your family. Don't do something just because you paid for it. I know, sometimes you have to do that, but find a way to make it work without drudging through the mess to the point that you hate it, or, even worse, your kids hate it and miss the excitement of learning. What works for your best homeschooling pal may not ever work for you. Don't sweat it. Move on, and do what's right for your family. You will only be relieved.  I promise.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…

We're adding some normal back into our lives. This evening, my husband will help me to un-decorate the tree and haul all the Christmas decorations to the attic. Yes, I am completely aware that it is the middle of January, but it is what it is. Yep. I'm certainly overusing that phrase these days. 

I'm supposed to call a probate lawyer this week. I went to my parents' house today to meet the company from which my Dad had rented a bed for Mom. The bed is gone. There is a big hole in the house. Lukas washed the dishes because I cleaned out their refrigerator. 

It seems like this week is a week of undoing. Undecorating. Emptying. 

In our homeschool this week…

We began a very loose routine yesterday. Parts of it feel great. We're not sleeping late so we can have our regular family Bible study time before my husband heads to work. It is such a blessing in our day to do this. Other parts don't feel great, but we're making it work. We began our schooling part of this day with art. Yep. We pushed academics during the fall, and now we're pushing art and writing and reading great books. Ava asked if she could read a certain Frog and Toad book yesterday. I tried to convince her in November that she was ready for it. She insisted that she must keep reading The Beginner's Bible, and I had so much going on that I didn't pick that battle. Now she has skipped half of the Beginner's Bible plus three other books on the Sonlight reading list she's working through. She is doing so very, very well. I'm so proud of her progress over the past year!

So this week will consist of a lot of laid-back schooling. Ava will read to me each day. Lukas will do his math. We will paint and sketch and paste and write silly stories. We will read The Black Stallion aloud. Daddy will read about Nate Saint to us before bedtime. It will be a blessing learning and living life together.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Yesterday, we had a meltdown in our house. I was discussing math with my 11 year old because I thought he was going to have to work 6 days a week to catch up if he wanted to finish by the end of May. It turns out that I was wrong, but I digress. Lukas said to me, "But Mom, we did what we needed to do. We needed to be with Nana." Yes. We sure did, Buddy. I was so proud of him. I wasn't at all concerned about him not being where we thought he would be at this point in the school year, and neither was he. My children learned the most valuable lessons in the past three school years. If you have a loved one who is ill or needs extra time and care from you, don't be afraid to slow down, skip a day or twenty. This is the blessing of homeschooling. These are the most important life lessons our children will ever learn, and they are far more important than any academic lesson there is to be learned.

I am inspired by…

Music. This is the last song I sang in church, and I made sure Eric recorded it since my mom was unable to attend to hear it, so it is also the last song my Mom ever heard me sing. Of course, I'm no Kari Jobe, but isn't this song beautiful? As I watched my mama slipping away a little more each day, I kept hearing the words to this song and pondering the lyrics and picturing Jesus saying these very words to my mama. I didn't realize Jesus was whispering to Daddy too. This song has been such an incredible blessing to me over the past month and a half. I hope it is a blessing to you too.

 
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

This coming weekend, Ava has been invited to two birthday parties. She's pretty excited about it even if it does mean that her own birthday party has been pushed to the next weekend. 

My favorite thing this week was…

I got a precious email from a friend yesterday, and I am so grateful to her for it. 

What’s working/not working for us…

I don't really care about what isn't working right now. What is working is doing what we need to do in the moment and not planning too far in advance.

Questions/thoughts I have…

I know a lot of people get stuck dwelling on why things happen the way that they do. I have certainly wondered why God chose to take both my parents home in such a short time, but I don't find myself dwelling there. I find myself noticing little things that are blessings, or little things that could be the reason. I don't even want to know a definitive reason. I'd like to think that because the Father loved my daddy more deeply than I could possibly imagine, He chose to rescue him from his grief, and, in that, I see one of the most beautiful blessings of my life. The reality of this for me is that...some blessings hurt.

Things I’m working on…

Counting my blessings. Organizing and cleaning my house. Cleaning and sorting Mom and Dad's house. Remembering to stop and let myself think.

I’m reading…

The Sound of the Trumpet by Gilbert Morris. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley (which just happened to be what we were already half-way through when my Dad passed away. It was a boyhood favorite of his).

I’m cooking…

Homemade macaroni and cheese, ham, mixed veggies. Check out The Pioneer Woman's mac and cheese recipe. It's so delicious!

I’m grateful for…

I could write a book about how incredible my husband has been over the course of the past couple months. Besides the fact that he immediately wanted to move to this little town two years ago when my mom got sick, he has been here doing so much for me. He took care of anything my parents needed that I couldn't do. He took over some cleaning and cooking duties when I was too busy taking Mom to chemo or Dad to an eye appointment. He helped plan both funerals and made phone calls. He tells me to slow down and take it easy and not to worry. He prays with me. This doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg. Eric is so many wonderful things for me, and I am so grateful for him.

I’m praying for…

My children, my sister and her family, my husband, my extended family and friends of my parents.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

 

http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/homeschool-journal/

In my life this week…

Remember that little girl at the playground in the pretty dress spinning around and and around and around in circles until she falls over with dizziness and giggles? That would be me this week, minus the pretty dress and the giggles. I feel like I've been spinning and accomplishing so little. I look back and can see that I got a lot done this week, but I also see the long list of things that never got accomplished. My husband keeps telling me that I over-plan. My to-do lists are impossible for any one person to complete in a day's time (or a week's time sometimes). I should listen to him and start chopping them in half every single time. It would leave me feeling so much more positive about myself. In fact, that should be at the top of each to-do list so I can cross it off. "Chop list in half." Check.
 
In our homeschool this week…

We began our week with our co-op. We have to drive about 40 minutes to get to it. It is honestly so worth the drive. We go once a month. The kids are taking speech, writing/poetry, and science/art. I'm currently assisting in Ava's speech class and Lukas' science/art class (they alternate each month), and I've happily volunteered to help in the pre-k/K class also. These homeschooling moms really, really plan. I am so impressed with the teaching I have been able to observe so far. No one is just throwing something together all in the name of "socialization." Everyone is doing their part by preparing their classes and conducting them professionally and with ease. There are so many experienced homeschoolers, several who have graduated kids. It is a rich place to glean wisdom from more experienced homeschooling moms. I'm so glad we joined this co-op! We are having so much fun!

I especially enjoy that I get to be in class with each of my kids. During Ava's class, I'm watching her as she gets to know some of the kids since she previously only knew one friend in the class. She is being challenged in her reading and speaking skills. I love it. She is doing so very well.

Lukas is getting along too well in his class. I waffled about trying to decide which age group suited him best (parents of 11 yr olds got to choose since there were so many of them) and finally decided to put him with 11-14 year olds when another mom pointed out that, at our organizational meeting, he was hanging out with the older boys. Oy. I'm so proud of him. It's bittersweet to watch your child mature and come into their own. He is being quite successful with the older kids, and he is fitting in socially as well!
 
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Do a load of laundry in the morning before school starts. Do a second load after lunch, and a third load immediately when school ends. If only I could stick to this bit of homeschooling wisdom. ;)
 
I am inspired by…

Autumn landscapes. Appalachian Ohio is gorgeous right now, truly breath taking.
 
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We are blessed to celebrate the wedding of a couple with whom we attend church tomorrow afternoon. After church on Sunday, we're going to enjoy our county's fall farm and foliage tour which sounds rather nerdy but is actually completely awesome. Our whole family enjoyed a peaceful, relaxing afternoon on the tour last year, and the kids have been asking to go again since the first cool air blew fall our direction.
 
My favorite thing this week was…

It's a big deal for me to say this, but my favorite thing this week was science. If you really know me well, you can pick up your jaw off the ground. I remember that I vaguely enjoyed studying biology in high school, but I guess I didn't remember how much I enjoy botany. Today, we set up a germination experiment and did another experiment looking for pigments in leaves using coffee filters. It didn't work. In fact, I might be scientifically challenged when it comes to experiments that actually work the way they're supposed to (and we've used several science curricula over the years, so I can assure you that it is me, not the curriculum). However, I just don't care. We're having fun!
 
What’s working/not working for us…

Oy. I'm not sleeping enough, and that is causing everything to be off-kilter. This household needs a rested mama if it's going to run smoothly.
 
Questions/thoughts I have…

To trick-or-treat or not to trick-or-treat? That is the question. Some Christians are so completely convicted that they should have no participation. Others don't give it a second thought and fully embrace the day. Others go middle-of-the-road and choose an alternative option. How about you? What does your family choose and why?
 
Things I’m working on…

Remembering that, in the long run, our children will graduate from high school not really remembering when they became fluent readers, and that the progress my child makes in her school work is more important than how she measures up to her peers even though other parents don't agree. Peers don't matter. She is who God created her to be. She is learning so much right now, and I am so proud of her.
 
I’m reading…

I just finished reading Sarah's Key. Oh my. It was eye opening. It's definitely not my normal kind of reading. I learned so much about the cruelties of this world. Read this holocaust era book. It will paint vivid pictures in your mind, but you will be better because of it.
 
I’m cooking…

Pampered Chef recipes for my new business. Tonight I made a ham and cheese calzone with a delicious salad consisting of romaine, apples, craisins, walnuts, and cheddar cheese which I doused with a little apple cider vinegar (the family used syrupy salad dressings). Yum!
 
I’m grateful for…

My husband's presence in our lives. This is a long story that I will some day share more vividly. It's not what you think. It's...a miracle.
 
I’m praying for…

Someone I love is going through a difficult marital situation. Join me in praying for this couple.
 
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…



Click on the box at the top of this post to join us or to read what other moms have written in their journals!

What we Homeschool: Curriculum

This post is later than I had hoped. I have always managed to post this before the school year begins, and here I am posting it in the second week of October. Oh well! The demands of life have taken precedence over blogging, though I am dedicated to a blogging comeback. Would you believe I actually began writing this post over a month ago?

So here is what we are learning together this year, subject by subject.

Bible: Our kids very much enjoy reading from a book called Victor Journey Through the Bible. We have used it off and on for a couple years. We're studying the book of Acts along with it right now, and we'll continue through the New Testament after that. It provides simple commentary or explanations to go along with what you're reading in scripture as well as diagrams, maps and actual photographs of the Holy Land. We're also using THIS SCRIPTURE MEMORY SYSTEM which we've used for over a year now and absolutely love. It works. It is simple. I highly recommend giving it a try. In the evenings, we have recently been reading through Hero Tales 2 and enjoying keeping up to speed with various missionaries around the world, some near (5 doors down) and some far (India is the farthest, I believe).

Language Arts: We take a Charlotte Mason approach to learning in our house. My sixth grader can spell, speak with excellent vocabulary, think abstractly, narrate almost anything, and write in several genres. I don't say this to brag to you. I say this to tell you that even I wasn't sure that this approach to learning would work for language arts, but it most certainly has.

We began language arts when Lukas was in grade two taking two years to work through Primary Language Lessons. When we finished that, we moved onto Intermediate Language Lessons, and Lukas will complete the third year of that book this year. This program was written in the early 1900s, and I haven't found anything that beats it. It uses a lot of copywork, dictation, narration, picture study, conversation study, and writing in the first book. The second book gradually adds more and more writing and begins to explore parts of speech, verb tense, noun/verb agreement, etc...while not officially giving the parts of speech names until this coming year. Charlotte believed that formal grammar study should be left until the child is capable of understanding the mechanics of grammar rather than simply expecting them to do it because we said so. By copying, dictating, and narrating what others have written, our children learn to communicate well through writing and speech.

Five in a Row also serves us well in language arts by providing us with great books to read. Mostly, at this point, we utilize the language arts study from FIAR rather than doing the entire study on each book. I teach the literary techniques used by the author, we study the artwork, and we learn life lessons. This year, we will re-visit books from Volumes 1-3 and study from Volume 4.

 

I also include penmanship for Ava in this category. She uses Memoria Press Copybooks for her handwriting practice.

Reading: Lukas has just begun to love reading this summer. His current choice in reading may be considered to be twaddle by Charlotte, but I am okay with that. He is learning a little history and geography as he works his way through the 39 Clues series. I don't want to stunt his new found enjoyment of reading, so I am treading softly as we choose books together. He will read books that I choose for him and that we choose together, often a living book that coordinates with our history study, but I want to leave time for him to keep reading through 39 Clues, especially since my husband is reading them with him. There's more to reading than formal education, yes? Currently, Lukas is reading Turn Homeward, Hannalee, which coordinates with our Civil War study.

Ava is reading from the Sonlight list of readers for 2nd grade. She is working her way through The Beginner's Bible right now, and she will continue through the list until she completes it.

Spelling/Phonics/Vocab: Lukas will study spelling through other subjects as needed. Basically, if he misspells a word, then we study the word, and rarely does he miss it again. That's the way he ticks. His vocabulary study comes from his science and history studies. Right now, we're focusing on science vocab, but, once we move onto a different history unit, I plan to do some historical vocab also.

We just started a new spelling curriculum with Ava. We are in our second week of using A Reason for Spelling. It seems like it will be a good fit for her. She really needs spelling reinforcement, which is why we have broken away from the Charlotte Mason method for her. What I like about this program is that it incorporates other aspects of language arts including poetry, copywork, dictation, and more, and it utilizes techniques that serve every learning style. Ava is excited about it, which makes it even better. If you are looking for a new spelling curriculum, their website actually allows you to download an entire week's lesson and lesson plans. Level B, which is what we're using, begins with a 30 day phonics review, which we're going to complete in about half that time since Ava isn't needing it as much as I anticipated.

History: We're beginning the year by finishing a study of the Civil War by Homeschool in the Woods. I love this curriculum. It is phenomenal. I honestly can't say enough good things about it. It is a unit study, and there is so much to do that it is hard to race through it. I could have blown through it in the spring and finished it, but we would have had to skip so much that I chose to take our time and pick it up this fall. Later in the school year, we will jump back and begin a more chronological approach to American history by using Homeschool in the Woods' New World Explorers and Colonial America unit studies. We are studying the Civil War at my 6th grader's request, and, since we had previously had a less than stellar experience with history, I chose to go against my usual bent toward doing everything in order.

Civics: We are loosely studying the electoral process. I hope to get more in depth into this study over the next few weeks, but I have not found a curriculum that seems well-suited for it. If you are a homeschooler who has a good idea, please leave a comment!

Science/Health: We will continue studying life science this year using Answers in Genesis' The Human Body and The World of Plants. We began the year with The World of Plants, and the kids are having a blast with it. I had planned to study it over the summer, but this particular summer just wasn't the time for it in our lives. Fall is working out fine. We will be growing some things in our dining room, and we'll continue to learn about plants at least through the month of November, possibly December depending on interest levels.

Math: Lukas is using Teaching Textbooks 6, which is a computerized curriculum that we began using last year. It utilizes spiral review, which works very well for him. Ava will continue working through the Math-U-See program wrapping up Beta and working through Gamma. We fell behind in math by no fault of Ava's since this is her strongest subject, but we will eventually catch up. Math-U-See works well for Ava because she loves the hands-on approach to math. It is a mastery program, and I like this approach for the early elementary grades.

Physical Education: Both kids are taking a homeschool phys ed class this year at a local place called Kids America that is the closest thing to a Y that our community has. Lukas is also playing soccer and will play basketball later this winter. Ava continues to study ballet and tap dancing and has added lyrical dance to her studies this year.

Art: A lot of homeschooling families choose not to devote much time to art, but we love it, so we are always doing crafts and art projects. We loosely use Artistic Pursuits, which I highly recommend and love, but I often add so many crafts and projects of my own that we end up setting it aside for much of the time. It explores various artistic media and includes art appreciation also. 

Music: Our kids are taking piano lessons from my husband this year. They're also actively involved in both Christmas and spring musicals at our church. In addition to this, I choose an era of music history to study each year. This year we are studying the classical era (1750-1828). Right now, we are listening to Mozart. Typically, I also check-out books from the library on whatever composer we choose to study, but I have been slacking in that area so far this year.  Later this year, we will, of course, study Beethoven and several other classical era composers that I haven't yet chosen. We usually spend 4-6 weeks on each composer.

In summary...

I know this seems like quite a lot of information to cover, but keep in mind that we don't cover all of these subjects every single day. Reading, language arts, and math are daily tasks. History and science are taught 3-4 days each week. Art and Music will only require one or two days each. I'm still working on tweaking our schedule, but it all works out somehow. Certain times of the school year allow us to focus heavily on certain subjects. This fall, we've been blowing through a lot of science and nature study. The winter months typically allow time for a lot of arts and crafts. In the end, we get done whatever it is God planned for our school year in spite of what we planned! I have learned that this philosophy works best for us. As long as we're following God's plan, our children will learn what He has for them!

Why We Homeschool

If you've been following my blog over the past couple weeks, then you know that I'm posting a series on homeschooling. If you are new to my blog, then I think you'll still find this post to be interesting. You can read about our path to becoming a homeschooling family in my post, Before We Homeschooled. This post is going to focus on why we choose to continue this quest to educate our children at home. If you are a homeschooler, then your reasons for doing so are likely broad and varied, as are ours. Here is a glimse into some of the reasons why we do this thing we do.

Homeschooling is a calling placed on our hearts by God...When our oldest child was just a few months old, my childhood best friend called to tell me that she was expecting her first baby. In that conversation, somehow, we started talking about education. It was in that moment that I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my fun-loving, normal, spontaneous, previously rebellious friend had fallen off her rocker. Completely. Totally. Off. Her. Rocker. Even so, God planted a seed that day. It was the first moment that I ever thought a normal person might choose to homeschool. Five years later when it was time for us to homeschool, I was hesitant. I took this homeschooling plunge because I knew God wanted us to do it having no idea what His purpose for doing so was. Since then, I have learned that God has given every parent the task of discipling our children first and educating them second. For us that means educating our children in our home. The best place to make sure that our children are learning in an environment in which their faith in God is the top priority, we educate them ourselves. We personally have no desire to delegate this responsibility and are grateful to this calling that God has given to us!

Higher quality of academics...I don't believe that most classroom teachers would argue the fact that, if you are teaching only a few students, you are able to do a better job than you are when you are teaching 25 students. As a classroom teacher, I always knew that, the smaller the class, the easier it was going to be for me to teach them. This is true in the home as well. Our kids are getting individual attention every single day.

Variety of subject matter...What a blessing it is to study subjects that are of interest to our kids! Lukas asked to study the Civil War, and so we did. Ava asked to learn about butterflies, and so we did. Of course, our children don't get to choose every subject they study, but when they do have an interest, we are able to cover it. This makes learning fun for them and shows them that learning has a life-long purpose.

Flexibility...When we began to homeschool, I never imagined how important this would be for us. All homeschooling families have to learn to be flexible as the demands of managing a household collide with the demands of academia, but, for us, this became even more real when my mom became ill last year. We were able to be so flexible that we moved to be closer to her! Since then, we have been able to take days off when she had a chemotherapy treatment or other appointment. This is one of the many blessing of homeschooling! This time spent with my mom is irreplaceable, and my kids will never forget the opportunity homeschooling allowed them to spend time with their grandmother. If our kids are going through something emotionally, like finding out just how sick their grandmother is, we can throw school out the door for a day and catch things up later. After this past school year was interrupted with chemotherapy treatments, a bout of pneumonia, and a round of bronchitis for the kids, we continued to have school through the end of June. All that matters is that the material was covered.

Ability to meet the needs of our kids where they are... We are able to carefully chose curriculum based on the individual needs and learning styles of our children and to tailor their academic program to their ability levels. Of course, there is a time and place for children to learn to adapt, but that doesn't need to be an everyday occurrence. Lukas is an auditory learner, so we have learned that Teaching Textbooks works well because he can hear the lecture as he sees examples being worked on the computer screen. Math-U-See works well for Ava because she is a kinisthetic-tactile learner who loves hands-on projects. Ava is creative, and Lukas is intuitive. Both are getting their academic needs met in our home.

World View...One thing that I love about homeschooling is the ability to weave our personal world view through our curriculum. This doesn't mean that our children aren't learning about other world views or religions; it just means that our curriculum reflects our belief system. For example, we believe that the creation story in the Bible is literal, so our science curriculum is based on that belief and actually teaches them the opposing belief of evolution so that they will know how to defend a creationism stance. Biblical standards are also woven through things like history study, hand writing, read-alouds, and more. We also study the Bible and use Bible verses as copy work, dictation, and memory work. What better resource is there?

Discipleship rather than Evangelism...I could have chosen to cover this thoroughly in a couple of the above points, but I wanted to discuss it specifically. As a homeschooler, I have heard all of the reasons why we shouldn't be doing this, mostly from fellow believers. The biggest lie that many Christians choose to believe is that our children are designed to be salt and light, just as Jesus calls us to be. This simply isn't true. Children are children. It is our job to train up our children in the way they should go, and it is our job to protect their hearts and minds. It is not their job to evangelize the local elementary school. Sure, there are times that happens, but that is rarely the case. More often, Christian kids are sucked into world views and experiences that go against scripture. There is a time and place for children to be introduced to such things, but it is the parents' responsibility to do so, not a teacher who truly barely knows our children. If an adult feels called to serve in the public school setting with the goal of being salt and light, then that is certainly what they should do, but don't use this passage of scripture as your basis for putting your children in harm's way. We disciple our children in our home and provide them opportunities to minister in our community and church. Some day, they will be able to evangelize the world, but that day is not today.

Come back next week to hear about a typical school day in our homeschool!

And That's a Wrap!

Another school year lies behind us. It was, by far, the most emotionally taxing year of our lives (and that part isn't over yet), but we managed to get the schooling portion of our life accomplished in the normal amount of time. Sort of. We usually finish in May, but we don't usually miss a month of school for pneumonia and bronchitis. While I'm all about the philosophy that you don't have to catch everything up and tie your school year in a neat bow, I am also a realist. There are topics that need to be covered, and missing a month of school means something didn't get covered, right? Right.  Schooling in June was fine, but I sorta feel like we missed the best month of summer. Here's to hoping for better health during our next school year.

This is a year in which I can say that we covered all the subjects, and I know we covered them well; but did we have fun? Eh. Not really, or, at least, not as much fun as we usually have. There was fun, but there wasn't enough. We usually do a lot of fun projects, art lessons, read-alouds, crafts, and field trips. We didn't really get to do much of that this year, but I am not complaining at all. I am grateful for the flexibility that homeschooling has allowed us so that I can take a Tuesday and spend the day with my mom at her chemotherapy appointment (love spending that time with her), or drop everything and earn a little cash by running some Amish friends to the Cleveland Clinic, or take a mental health day when life gets so incredibly taxing (and let me tell you, life has been more taxing than ever).

That said...fifth grade is now in the past for Lukas. He is tall and wears a men's size 8 shoe. Do you know how much a boy's shoes cost as soon as he hits a size 6? Oy. Size 8. No one prepared me for this, so I am here to prepare all of you who have little boys. Get ready for it! 

Obviously, Lukas' shoe size has no effect on his education, but it is shockingly mentionable for a blog post, don't you think?

Okay. Maybe not. 

Back to the topic of this post (I told my husband last week that I should donate my brain to medical research because no one can jump from one subject to the next the way I can)...Lukas worked diligently this year. At the beginning of the year, he was working through some vision therapy, which helped to improve his math scores and decreased the amount of time it was taking him to accomplish his other school tasks (like...cut it in half!). It was definitely not his favorite thing to do (ha! He pretty much hated it), but I can see how it very much helped him academically. He has never really struggled with academics, other than a little with math, and he didn't struggle with math at all this year thanks to the therapy fixing the eye muscle issues he was having. He carried an A in math the entire school year! We don't generally give our kids grades, but Teaching Textbooks keeps track of his scores, so it isn't hard to figure out.

Moving on to sweet Ava...She has also had great success this year but, thankfully, she does not wear a size 8 shoe. Heehee!

At the beginning of the school year, I pulled out the books on the Sonlight 2nd grade list. I wasn't surprised when she wasn't really able to read them in September, so we dug into the Pathway Readers (much to Ava's chagrin) we had been plugging our way through. 

In February, just as Lukas finished therapy, Ava began vision therapy, and, around that same time, she seemed to develop a little more dedication to the educational process (that wore off in mid-May making the last month and a half of school rather trying at times). Those two things combined brought great success in reading. She is now reading her way through The Beginner's Bible, which she will continue to read throughout the summer break, and she is still doing vision therapy 2 days each week until August. I am so very, very proud of her. She finished her reading lesson this afternoon, and then I pronounced her to be a 3rd grader. She was sitting on the couch snuggled next to me and very wisely asked me if she could scream before actually screaming. Of course, under the circumstances, I allowed her to scream with excitement.

In the foyer. NOT sitting next to me on the couch. 

Here are some of my other highlights from this school year:

• Finished the Narnia series
• Discovered Homeschool in the Woods history unit studies and Bible supplements
• Enjoyed teaching science for the first time with Answers in Genesis' World of Animals and a little of the World of Plants
• Lukas really started to apply Biblical passages during our family Bible study each morning
• Our 24 Family Ways family Bible study
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. If you haven't read it, you will love it every bit as much as your kids.
• Island of the Blue Dolphins. I loved, loved, loved introducing this story to my children, my favorite book since 4th grade.
• Several Five in a Row books including Owl Moon, Miss Rumphius, The Story of Ferdinand, and several more. Five in a Row is always a highlight.

Ava had her list of highlights:

•  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle 
• History
• Finishing Narnia 
• Bible projects
• The Salamander Room

Lukas' highlights: 

• History projects
• Bible projects
• Discovering the 39 Clues series

Now let me add a further highlight to this school year. Lukas just stated that he found a book series that he loves reading so much that it was a highlight of his school year. Yeah. That pretty much ROCKS!

If you are a blogger who wrote about your school year (whether or not you homeschool), I would love to read all about it! Leave me a comment, and I'll check it out.