Year 2: Our Final Week!

     What a finale!  Some of the things our school year included:

• reading and digger deeper into the first few books of the Old Testament
• studying and reading about all the California Missions
• memorizing a chronological timeline of 161 events and people
• memorizing The Bill of Rights
• memorizing the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
• learning (and drawing) all the U.S states and its capitals (plus geographical features)
• learning math facts and doing drills
• science experiments along with learning science facts, including the first 12 elements of the periodic table and the parts of the 8 body systems
• learning Latin rules and vocabulary
• reading 7 classic literature books which were also used for our grammar lessons
• reading over 70 books covering U.S. History and who-knows-how-many books read for fun

     Whew!  All of it was topped off with my Little Toughie playing the part of Small Alice in a production of Alice in Wonderland.

Small Alice in her wig and costume

     As my daughter stepped onto the stage my heart swelled with pride and my eyes filled with tears.  Seeing her take the stage represented the culmination of not only her hard work for and dedication to the play, but also all the hard work of both kids during our school year, which had just ended a few hours prior.  As my daughter took her bow at the end of the show, I bowed my head in thanks to God; for guiding us through another year of homeschooling and for His hand on my daughter through her first lead part in a show.  It was overwhelming to say the least.

     What did I learn this year?  A lot!  I learned that math online for my son is not a good thing.  It was the only thing we did online and he struggled with it.  I learned that my son isn't a great reader but he does a little better with audio books or when he's being read to.  He especially enjoyed The Wind the Willows.  I learned that he likes to write in cursive more than basic print, and I have to say toward the end of our school year his work was neater and his writing had much improved!

     I learned that my daughter is easily frustrated if she doesn't get something right the first time.  She wants to learn it all and she wants to learn it NOW!  I had to point out to her (many, many times) that the more she practices the better she'll get, whether it be math facts or writing.  By the way, her printing is excellent for her age.  She thinks it can be better.

     I learned that my kids will turn anything into a competition.  Who can do their copywork the fastest?  Who will be done with math first?  Who will be done reading first?  Who can recite John 1:1-7 in Latin the fastest?  I had to remind them that I wasn't looking for it to be done quickly, I wanted it to be done neatly and correctly and for them to understand what they were reading or saying.  I have a feeling that I will still have to deal with the competitiveness in our new school year.

     My favorite thing about homeschooling is, aside from being with my kids and watching them develop, grow and mature, is being able to read to them.  That is my absolute favorite thing to do.  Whether it's the Bible, a classic book or some silly book they picked up from the library; I love to read to them.  Thus, I learned that I need to take care of my throat!  At one point during the year I couldn't read Peter Pan to them because I was losing my voice.  They had to listen to the audiobook, which they weren't too happy with but tolerated.

     All in all, it was a wonderful year.  We had our ups and downs, of course, but my kids amazed me.  There were days I felt I was either asking them to do too much or not asking enough, yet they did the work with only the occasional complaint.  I know that none of this would have been possible without God's grace and mercy.  He's blessed my hard-working husband with a job that allows me to be home with the kids.  My husband is understanding and supportive in our homeschool journey and let's me choose the curriculum, though I do seek his input and opinion.  God has blessed me with a man who has faith in me and my abilities to care for our kids, teach them and raise them up for God's kingdom.  Praise be to God!

     As I wrap this year, the new school year is already on my mind.  I tried to resist, but there's so much out there and I like to see what our options are.  I'll have our new curriculum up in late June, but for now here is our Summer Reading List.  Have a wonderful summer.  See you when we start the new school year!

Year 2, Weeks 32-35

     The past four weeks have been a whirlwind but let's try to catch up.  Shall we?

     Week 32 began with a wonderful dinner with the supermom/woman behind Half a Hundred Acre Wood, along with her lovely family.  If you participate in Classical Conversations, then you are likely familiar with Brandy's blog and the wonderful plans, resources and ideas she shares.  If not, go check it out.  She's also an Usborne consultant.  Usborne books are used by several complete homeschool curricula, such as Sonlight and My Father's World.  If you're interested in looking at what Usborne has to offer and would like to purchase some books please click here.

     Brandy and her family made a quick stop in California before heading across the U.S. back home, checking off a few more states on her 50 States Before They Graduate List.

     We also concluded our reading on Corrie Ten Boom.  Her story was loved by all in our family.  Seriously, read some YWAM books.  The books are well written and engaging.  They're having their Spring Sale and a Mix and Match special right now.  Stock up!

     Week 33 was our final week of CC.  I can't believe how quickly it passed.  This was my first year tutoring and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I loved seeing my class and they way they would sponge up all the information presented to them.

     Needless to say, Week 34 was pretty laid back.  Since we were done with CC and all the work we do with it, the kids didn't have much to do.  Our school day would end pretty early which was nice, since we were having summer-like weather.  We were outside a lot and got extra books from the library to read while soaking in the sun.

     Easter happened to fall somewhere between these weeks, thus we made Easter cookies.  My Little Toughie worked with me each step of the way, from making the dough, rolling it out, cutting and then rolling fondant and making royal icing.  Then, both of my kids got creative with their cookie decorating.  See?

     Week 35, along with their school work, involved appointments, new activities, final rehearsals and our CC end-of-the-year celebration.

     My kids have done CrossFit Kids before and recently signed up at a local box.  Of course, they love it.  What's not to love?  They think they're playing but they're learning functional movements and getting a workout.  Adults need to play more often too; chase the kids at the park, climb the jungle gym with them or play catch.  Just move!

     As for the rehearsals, my Little Toughie has always loved acting.  Since she started talking, she would put on her own shows.  Last year she was in a production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  This year she's in Alice in Wonderland and has a lead part.  She is very excited and is taking it very seriously, but we'll get to that next week when I wrap up in the last post of our school year!

     Ciao for now.

Year 2, We've just finished Week 27

     My last post was in January!  It's been quite busy here, as usual.  I think next year I may have to take a different approach to how I blog about our school year.  I just don't know what that is yet.  It seems that as I tutor for Classical Conversations and homeschool the kids (let's not forget their extra curricular activities and my domestic duties too) that I barely have time to read a magazine let alone blog (FYI, I still have a Christmas issue to read.  Just in time for this December)!  I have a stack of homeschool books, Christian books, and "just for fun" books piling up on my coffee table too.  The good thing is that we only have 9 more weeks of school and then I can take, oh about a week or possible two, to read the 10 books I have and then plan next year's curriculum.

     Yes, next year I definitely need to change the way I blog.

     Over past few weeks we finished reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (the book we had  a copyright of 1929!) and began Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.  My daughter loves the stories; my son, not so much.  As for me, I find Alice a bit annoying!  The "curiouser and curiouser" thing about it is that coincidentally my daughter will be in a Spring production of Alice in Wonderland, playing the role of Small Alice.  Have you ever watched Disney's animated Alice in Wonderland?  We did after we finished the first book.  If you've ever read both the books, you'd know that the movie is really an odd combination of both books.

     We're also completed reading about Milton Hershey.  It's a fascinating story.  I chose it because, well, we love chocolate and I thought it would be an interesting read.  Plus, I timed it so that we would finish it close to Valentine's Day.  His is a great story of the rewards of determination and hard work coupled with compassion and vision.  Even my husband was intrigued by it.  I highly recommend it.

     In CC, we wrapped up chemical experiments and our study of great artists, from Grandma Moses to Jim Davis.  The kids even got to create their own comic strip.  It was great to see what the kids came up with for their art projects.

     I think that's it or at least that's all I can remember from the past few weeks.  I'm off to try and read a book, despite the fact that laundry is beckoning me!

Year 2, Week 10

     I'm just a few days late with this post.  Progress!  We've found our rhythm since beginning Classical Conversations.  We just completed our first month of CC and week 10 of our homeschool year.  Just to refresh your memory, we officially began our homeschool year in July, studying the California Missions.  Once Classical Conversations began, our curriculum shifted to line up with what was being covered during this CC Cycle (we're in Cycle 3).  This is our second full year being part of CC.  We got to join a community in the early 2013 and have enjoyed it ever since.

     Which brings us to what we studied this week.  We focused on the Declaration of Independence.  As a special project and a break from the norm, I had the kids translate it into their own words.  Yes, it was a big task for my (technically) first grader and for my oldest, but with The Principal's help they got it done!  Here they are hard at work, writing their translation next to a break down of the Declaration:

     When they were done I typed up their words to look like an official document.  On the other side is a printed copy of the Declaration of Independence:

     

     We also read The Fourth of July story by Alice Dalgliesh, which got them excited for next year's Independence Day celebration.  My daughter said she plans on yelling, "Hooray for Liberty!  Hooray for Freedom!" during our neighborhood's annual Fourth of July Parade.  I'm sure she will.

     That wraps up our week as we begin another!  Have a wonderful week.

Year 2, Weeks 6 and 7

     Can I just say...oops I did it again!  I forgot to sit down and write about our previous week so now I'm having to play catch-up AGAIN.  I hope this isn't a pattern.

     Week 6 brought us to the end of our California Missions study.  I'm making use of every inch of available wall space in our house so this is a picture of their maps hanging in our hallway:

     I think their favorite part was mapping the Missions.  We're planning a trip to visit as many of them as we can to get an up-close look.

     Week 7 also kicked off our first week of Classical Conversations, thus our History curriculum shifted to coincide with Cycle 3 of CC.  This CC year, I'm also a tutor and am enjoying getting my kids' feedback as I practice the lessons with them.  They let me know what works and what's fun.

     My favorite part of homeschooling?  My kids get to read books that I select and at their own pace.  When we go to the library the kids get to pick books they want to read while I select books that I've already chosen for our curriculum.  Every day they read at least one book of their choice and a book from our curriculum.  This week I accidentally returned a book that they had read but apparently wanted to read again and reference during their studies.  Another oops.  I won't do that again.  Below are picture of my kids reading away.

     Have you read The Core by Leigh Bortins?  If you haven't you should, even if you're not a homeschooler.  It gives great insight into the kinds of books your kids should be reading and the levels they should be reading at to increase their vocabulary and comprehension.  See that book my daughter is reading?  It's for grades 3-7.  A very wide range, but my daughter is only 6 (technically a first grader) and is able to read and understand it.  I thank God for blessing me with another voracious reader in the family!

     That's it for now.  Hopefully, I won't forget Week 8.

Year 2, Weeks 5 and 6

     We've already come to this?  I've already somehow missed a week and am having to catch up?  I don't even know if I can remember what we did two weeks ago but I'm going to try!

     Week 5 the kids memorized and recited a poem for The Principal.  They memorized "The Months" by Sara Coleridge  They were very proud of themselves (We are too!).  It's actually a lovely poem and a great way to introduce the months and seasons to your kids.

     We continued our studies of the California Missions.  My kids are trying to memorize them via a song, but we're having a hard time coming up with a tune that's can carry all 21 missions.  We're almost done, just three more to go.  Our Classical Conversations class begins in two weeks, so our studies will shift.  Cycle 3 here we come!

     I remember in my last post I mentioned Free Time and how I was going to bring up Quiet Time in this post.  Quiet Time is something I learned about during the homeschool convention.  One presenter (an experienced mom and homeschooler for 17 years) said that every day she would make her kids separate and have quiet time to themselves.  During this 20-30 minute time period they could read a book, draw, quietly play a game,  or even catch up on any school work (if they wanted to).  However, the key was that it had to be quiet and they had to be by themselves.  It gave each child the opportunity to refresh but also take a little time to be in their own space, perhaps get creative or take in what the day has presented to them thus far.

     Our Quiet Time is usually right after lunch.  After playing outside (while I work out) to build up their appetite, they march on in, wash up and help me make their lunch.  When they're done chowing down they both wash their dishes (Parents, please teach your kids how to clean, especially if you have boys!) and head off to each of their bedrooms for 30 minutes.  Every now and then I have to remind them to separate and sometimes they'll argue that they can read quietly in one or the other's room, but I want them to learn how to take some time for themselves.  Most of the time, my daughter will end up softly singing her own worship song or making a book.  My son will read his commercial airline magazines and pick up on things he didn't see previously.  During this time, I'm catching up on email and going over what was done earlier in the day and what else needs to be completed.

Quiet Time sometimes includes reading to the pup!

     It sounds a little selfish, asking them to take time for themselves, but it's quite the opposite.  I think they need to learn how to be alone so that they can help others.  I think they need to know what to do with themselves when there's no one else around.  I think they need to learn to grow in silence and solitude, perhaps hear the voice of God.  I think they need to learn how to harness their thoughts into action, to learn how to solve problems without distractions; to think of the world beyond what they see on a daily basis.  I for one do not want my kids staring at a screen, counting on someone else to entertain them, get them to think and keep them busy.  I want them to use their God-given noggin and plug into their creative outlet, not the t.v. or latest electronic gadget!

     "The monotony and solitude of a quite life stimulates the creative mind." -Albert Einstein

Linked up at Managing Your Blessings|The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2014-2015 Curriculum

 Our 2014-2015 school year began on July 14, 2014.  We are still participating in Classical Conversations, which starts in September, but I put together my own curriculum this year instead of purchasing a complete curriculum as I did with Sonlight last year. Don't get me wrong, we LOVED Sonlight, it's just that the books they have for American History (which is our focus this year) are beyond both of my kids.  Here is what we're using:

• Bible:  Both are using Long Story Short.
• History:  We've begun with studying the California Missions.  In September we'll be studying U.S. History for the remainder of the school year.  They will be reading a variety of books with me and independently to further their studies.  Of course, there will be plenty of copy work!
• Language Arts:  A380 is using Teaching Cursive and Little Toughie is using Explode the Code workbooks.  Both are using English Lessons Through Literature, Level 2.  I'm still looking for a Spelling Program.   We'll be using All About Spelling.**
• Math:  A380 is using Monarch.  Little Toughie is using Singapore.
• Science:  We're studying Human Anatomy this year.  Life-sized outlines of both kids will live on our walls until the end of the school year.
• Geography:  Learning the States and Capitals and how to draw a map of the U.S.
• Spanish:  La Clase Divertida (which will start in August)**
• Keyboarding:  Typing Pal

     

     This page will be updated with any changes we happen to make throughout the year.  Sometimes you find something doesn't work and you have to use something different.  If that's the case, I will explain the changes below.

---

*I was having a hard time finding a spelling program that used the Orton-Gillingham method and one that I liked. We decided to give this a try this year. We can always change it if we have to.

**We passed on an official spelling program this year.  My kids do so much copywork and dictation writing that I didn't feel the need to get it.  We will likely use it in the 2015-2016 school year.

***I'm up in the air about Spanish. We're covering a lot of Latin this year in Classical Conversations and I don't want to make it harder for them by throwing Spanish into the mix. I was told by a long-time homeschooler that teaching them Latin first will actually help them when I introduce Spanish. I think Spanish will have to wait.