Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts

Friday, June 24, 2011

GRADUATION

~Homeschool Style~

Our
Panoramic
View...







360 degrees
of scenery...









in the Pacific North West...











Including a beautiful view of the Sound, along with some random rain showers...











Followed by our favorite sports stadiums;

Qwest Field
&
Safeco Field









...and as we come around full circle...















...the sun peaks out for a moment.

After all, it is summer, right?






If you haven't guessed yet, this is our view from the Space Needle.


So, what does graduation look like for a student that is homeschooled?

The advantage of homeschooling is that you can personalize not only their education, but create a graduation that truly fits your student's personality.

Nickolas...

our gifted athlete, with a competitive drive within.
Thoughtful,
practical,
with a spark of humor & charm.


He opted out of:

Senior pictures;
he prefers
THIS picture. It reflects his senior year, his dog, his moments in soccer, his schooling.
Graduation announcements; we even bribed him with the idea that some folks may even send money as a congratulations of a job well done. He preferred not to have the extra attention.
Graduation party; again, not eager for tons of attention, he shrugged this idea off.

So what did we do?

I pondered his relationships with other folks, his interests, his personality...

then came up with a plan of celebration.

3 Surprises:

1) Biggest brother, JOE, along with TJ, took NICK to a concert.
A Christian Rock Concert w/ The Newsboys, The Disciple, & Kutless

2) A senior grad & dad overnighter at the Great Wolf Lodge with Nick's
best friend & his dad.

3) A dinner at the Space Needle with us, the parents. We invited Nick's bestest friend from public school (which they were in the same class Kindergarten - 3rd grade). I thought it fitting to have his last "field trip" be with the friend he had his first field trip with. *grin*
This is where we handed him his Diploma & his high school transcripts.

We are so very proud of Nick. He has worked diligently, as some things did not come easy. He has been my faithful slow-n-steady learner.

Always respectful;
listening & learning,
absorbing & applying
more knowledge than he lets on.

Congratulations Nickolas,
grasp the future and make it as you wish,
believe in yourself,
and trust God always,


We love you!

Monday, June 20, 2011

My Lil Ballerina...


I may have been caught in the rain showers chasing after roses for our ballerina; she, on the other hand, showered us with her grace on stage.





We loved watching her in
"Sleeping
Beauty
".

She curtsied & twirled as a courtyard lady;
she swooped and swirled as a minion (bat);
followed with a final performance as a "lady in waiting".





The Calm before the Chaos


Most things are now packed and ready for our big move. Now the boredom begins to set in...




Unless, ofcourse, you have a fun dad...

What does your husband do with marshmallows?

Mine happens to like those gigantic campfire ones to teach the kids how to make "taffy".










I just prefer not to watch as they enjoy their ooey-gooey-icky-sticky mess. =)




Preparing:

I have pulled together a monthly meal plan. It's simple & rotatable (is that a word? hmmm).

I have created a chore chart, implementing our morning routine, jurisdictions, & evening routine. Just so you know, this makes me smile #41.

Besides our typical daily school schedule, I put the "flow of our day" on poster board, with the adaptability of placing sticky notes on any changes out of the norm. This is with the intent of letting Grandma M. see how our days flow. We are a busy bunch, and I can see how the chaos could be confusing. This way she doesn't always have to chase me chasing someone else to ask what our plans are for the day.

And since I am such a planner, (you did know that about me, right?), I have already laid out how I would like our belonging to be set in our new house.

I am especially thrilled with choosing to use our formal dining room as our school area. I am leaning towards simple & natural. Many ideas are dancing in my head....

and then their is school planning to ponder in this week of down time. We love, and will implement the Robinson Curriculum. Our hot topic is of our foreign language studies. Several of us want to continue French, several others want to begin to learn Spanish. We have friends we will see quite often who will be learning Spanish due to possible mission work in the years to come. This would be fun to learn together. My quandry comes in the possibility of a multi-lingual approach.

Other things knocking on my door...

1) I've been asked to go to a Zumba class at our church...every morning. This disrupts our school schedule, or maybe not. The littles can go with me, the older kids can do their scheduled math hour while I am gone. Honestly, I need the exercise. really!

2) I am excited at the thought of offering Bryson's little friend to join us for preschool hour(s). Let's face it; songs, fingerplays, crafts, and stories are more fun with a friend.

3) I have been asked about homeschooling someone else's child. I.am.praying.about.it. This is not a new offer, it is something that was being pondered before the move.

4) to co-op, or not. 4 moms, including myself, may rotate Friday mornings to teach our own beloved topic. In other words, I would have one morning a month to share nature studies with a lovely bunch of children. Katie & I had wanted to begin a Nature Club anyways, so this may just be the right approach. In turn, I would have 3 other friday mornings a month without the littles. They would be off having fun doing creative arts, food crafts, etc.. and quite frankly, I like the thought of some quality time with my older boys. =)

5) my biggest contemplation is the desire to begin to unplug our family. I will save the details for another post, but really, this tugs at my heart...

So, What's been knocking at your door?

Friday, May 27, 2011

RC...
and what our year looked like...

Go HERE to for the details of what RC is.

This is what RC looks like in our home.



There are no textbooks...
no lapbooks...
no quizes...
nearly no tests (we do have spelling/vocabulary tests).
No more loose papers,
nor stacks of workbooks,
nor stacks of papers to correct,
and no more CHAOS!

What do we do, you ask?

...simply read.

We read good old fashioned books. The quality of the content in these books has opened my eyes at how much the educational system has been watered down over the years, both in education and morals. Not to say that all curriculum out there is bad; I'm just saying that we have found a better choice for our family.

Someone asked about boredom. No thrills, frills, etc... We are only a year into this new journey called RC, but thus far boredom is certainly not something we have ran into. Instead we have discovered that letting go of busy work lets us focus on content, and the quality of the books keep them interested.

Our Classroom Schedule:

Morning:
1/2 hr writing
1/2 hr English (grammar, punctuation, & vocabulary)
1/2 hr Science
1/2 hr Literature
1 hour Math

Afternoon:
1/2 hr French
1/2 hr Fine arts

Evenings:
1 hr history(reading, map work, & sometimes history related activities)
This is intended as a family read aloud. I missed out on so much details of our history, that I am enjoying learning so much more through these quality books.


Fine arts is broken into days:
(this is not RC, but I feel it completes what I want out school years to look like)

Monday is our official Bible lesson,(w/ scripture review the rest of the days)
Tuesday is our composer study.(we continue to listen to the musical piece all week)
Wednesday is our artist study.
Thursday is our poet study.
Friday is our Nature Study.

I do have a scope & sequence I have created to sort the extensive list of books that RC has on a list. The original RC way is to just simply start reading at the beginning of the book list, and work your way through. They do have different "levels" as you go through, but they are not to be considered grade levels as the easier books can be challenging in content at level 1 for a typical 1st grader, and level 12 is more of a college level reading. Non-the-less, I wanted an guideline to go by. So I sorted books by not only levels, but topics (subjects), and tried to find common ideas amongst the topics & grade level put together.

I will share the scope & sequence on a following post, along with how we implement the McGuffey Readers that are provided in the Robinson Curriculum.

What about the cost of printing & binding books?
I like printing out the books. Admittedly, many books can be found in the local city library. Many folks opt for e-readers and download all the books from the RC list for free.

Our printer was worth the investment; binding for me is pennies (duct tape & staples);
ink & paper are a cost, but compared to the money I was using for this curriculum or that, or this workbook or that, or this cool new method or that, the $$$ we will save in the long run for this quality education is far worth it! For me, I will be getting 41 years worth of education out of this curriculum (counting each students years left in home education)...discs, printer, ink, paper, staples, duct tape, & few late fees at a library might eventually add up to a $1000 over the years, but that is one inexpensive route in the long run.

And if I am really blessed, I will be able to pass it along to my own grandchildren some day...

education is a legacy worth leaving, eh?

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Homeschool Year End State Testing Day!


My kids (on left) are always happy on test day. It means it is the last day of school before summer break*.


Our dear friends (on right) have been testing alongside us for many years. I have to admit there is something relaxing about seeing friendly, familar faces, which makes the "drive" worth it. When we moved to Washington (state) 2 yrs ago, the laws & requirements for us changed quite a bit, but the required 'test' was still the same, thus I choose to go to our familar testing center (a church in our small hometown).


All was not as usual this year though. We have been doing the CAT (California Achievement Test) for the past 9 years. This year, however, they threw us a curve ball and banned the CAT for the Terra Nova Test. In general, that is fine, but for a student that already struggles with testing, this is not so fine.


For my readers whom also homeschool, do you do testing? If so, what is your families attitude towards it? We do testing because it is required. I find it rather vague in exposing knowledge, but rather to know how to take the (a) test. The test does not reflect intelligence. After all, many of us parents have graduated from highschool, a few of us have a few years of college underhand also.... so, years later, does it really matter what a predicate nominative or reflexive pronoun is? Better yet, diagramming sentences? Really, is that even necessary?


My kids are graded on:
obedience~ to do their work that is required, and in a timely manner.
quality~ Neatness and effort matter.
attitude~ the kids don't necessarily have to like what we are learning, but respect for education is a must.


We are on summer break*. Technically anyways. ;^)

Our "school" year begins the first monday of August. We follow a 9 weeks on, 2 weeks off outline. With 4 quarters in our official year we usually wrap up our year by mid May. Thus our summer lasts about 8- 10 weeks. Interestingly enough, in the summer we still read, practice math, and do an abundance of science & nature projects, all in the name of *fun*


What do your summers look like?

Saturday, September 4, 2010

HOMESCHOOL SHARING...

...how to stay organized.



We live in a small home with many people. So to stay organized helps my sanity. =)

Believe it or not, we actually have a small kitchen table in the same area (not pictured)

OUR STUDY ROOM
aka the dining area

We like to leave our computer in a open space. Privacy is not an option when using it....call it... accountability.

The desk can store many things. On the shelf below the computer is (left to right) Hooked on Phonics tapes, an oatmeal container that holds all our BoxTops that we are saving for a local school, Mom & Dad files, School files, reams of paper, and common curriculum we have used for 1-8th grade.

On top of the desk is Activity Trays (for playdough, painting, etc), Student Planners, and pencil/crayon boxes. The file box contains any Mon-Fri worksheets, along with a file per each student.

On the wall is a Message Center and a calendar. I do color code our family to write activities and appointments on our calendar. The big pictures are The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution. We are studying these in depth this year.



A Work Station:

We study a piece of art every month (along with a classical composer and a poem), memorize a Bible verse each week, and do daily journals. We like to use a calendar page that has journal prompts on it.


We keep our library books in a basket. This avoids the scramble to find random books on library day. If we had one or two kids, I suppose I would let the kids keep track of them on their own, but we have 5 homeschoolers...sanity is the key ;^)


Katie's desk stores our encyclopedias. She is endless about seeking knowledge.

She takes ballet; where did ballet come from?

Sees a hummingbird; why are they so tiny?

Found a frog; what kind is it?

Shoestrings; who invented it?

Revolutionary War; when was it?

Go read about it Miss Mikayla (katie), and tell me what you found out.
Many times she chooses to write a report on her findings.



The best technique we use for staying organized...

WORKBOXES!!



Andrew, Katie, TJ, and Nick all have one.

Simple put, they are just drawers that store their school work.

Older kids drawers contain:
LITERATURE
LANGUAGE ARTS
MATH
SCIENCE
FRENCH
HISTORY

Notebooks lay on top:
These store our studies on Fine Arts

We use spiral notebooks for most school work.
They are inexpensive ($ .10 each on a good sale).
By using spiral notebooks for each subject, I find it easier to log in their grades.

Andrew's drawer:
READING
LANGUAGE SKILLS
LEARNING GAMES
CRAFT PROJECT of the day
ACTIVITY TIME
(currently playdough and cookie cut outs are in there)

We are a month into our school year. I have not had to adjust much, the kids are staying focused, and most days things are running somewhat smoothly... as smoothly as a 2 yr old will let it. =)

Monday, August 16, 2010

Keeping it real~ Homeschool Style

Ah, Yes...

School began Aug 02, 2010.

Our day was to begin at 9:00 a.m.

We went to urgent care instead...
then the kids did do math and 'some' reading.

Next day was to the orthopedics...and some math and reading.

Wed, Thurs, & Fri...math, reading (history and literature), and some grammar.

2nd week:

House-sitting out of state, in our hometown, but with good intentions... lots of play, some reading.

3rd week:

Most of the kids are back home w/ me. TJ is still with his dad and oldest brother out of town...
One student did math, one did reading and grammar. :^/

Now, this isn't entirely truthful, as Katie-girl does plenty of self-motivated learning. Like reading next years health book, researching ballet in the encyclopedia, and digging up Scriptures to ask about, and the all-inquisitive remarks of "It's Circle Time on the schedule, when are you going to start?" "Andrew & Bryson missed their Table Time, mom"....

but hey, Andrew is getting his reading & writing lessons done. This is saying a lot for my unique student.

And the "littles" randomly get to practice French, play with marbles, build with Lincoln Logs, create with Play Dough, and help tend to the garden outside...

so....maybe, just maybe, LIFE accounts as some education, eh?


Wednesday, August 4, 2010

L.I.F.E. ACADEMY ~ 2010-2011

Ready.... to live

Set.... to learn

Go!

Our curriculum choice this year is Robinson Curriculum.

To create self-learners is our main goal~
to be able to educate oneself is a limitless opportunity;
the possibilities to succeed are endless.

NICK ~ a senior

BIBLE:
Pilgrim's Progress, The Study of James

Math: geometry/algebra II

Science: Environmental Overkill, Access to Energy

Civics: The Federalist Papers, US History Documents, The Diaries of George Washington (series)

Economics: What has Government Done to Our Money, Economics in One Lesson, On that day began Lies

Literature: Call of the Wild *(not RC), Tom Sawyer, Pudd'nhead Wilson, Huck Finn, Life on the Mississippi, To Kill a Mockingbird

Language Arts: Writing Composition, SAT study skills, and Vocabulary

Electives: French, Fitness Training, & Basic Car Mechanics

*Senior Project:
List 3 career interests; research, interview, and job shadow for those careers.
To be done 1st 3 quarters.

TJ - 8th grade

Bible: New Testament- daily reading

Math: Saxon 7/6

Science: The friendly Arctic (geography), Seasonal Nature Journal

History: Christopher Columbus, The Life of George Washington (series), Biography of Ben Franklin, Life of Davy Crocket

Literature:
A Boat to No Where *not RC
Swiss Family Robinson
Robinson Crusoe
Treasure Island
The Vicar of Wakefield

Language Arts:
Professor Klugimkopf's Old Fashioned English Grammar
Prof "K"s Spelling Rules
Daily Grams-junior high- *not RC
Creative writing-30 min per day

Electives: French, Weight Training, & Cooking

Katie- 3rd grade

Bible:
My Prayer Journal *, New Testament Study

Math: Saxon 5/4

Science: Tale of ... (animal series), Seasonal Nature Journal.

History: Christopher Columbus, The Life of George Washington, Our Hero General Grant

Literature: Bobbsey Twin (series), Lil Pruddy, Dottie Dimple (series), 5 Little Peppers (series)

Read-alouds: Little House on the Prarie (series)* ~we are on book 2

Language Arts: Prof "K" Old fashioned Grammar & Spelling, Easy Grammar *(3rd grade)

Electives: Ballet, typing, & recorder

Andrew- Kindergarten

Bible: New Testament Study w/ sissy =)

Reading: Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Penmanship: Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Science: Nature walks, animal study (per letter of the week)

Readiness Skills: 'Letter of the Week' study to be done w/ Bryson, along w/ many hand-on activities. =)

Bryson- TOT School Fun

Up until Kindergarten, I choose a variety of activities. Mainly, I choose to do a letter of the alphabet per week. I prefer Abeka's preschool cards for this. Here are a few sites that make my job as 'teacher' so much more fun:

Totally Tots

No Time For Flash Cards

Confessions of a Homeschooler

dltk-teach.com

letteroftheweek.com


~I have endless supply of links when it comes to those fabulous toddler years, but I limited it to my favorite resources =)

Living
In
Faith
Everyday...

Saturday, July 10, 2010


TO BE

OR

NOT TO BE....

...a college student.

The choice to homeschool is an amazing journey. In our home, the children do get to decide. They get the summer to ponder their choice, and once a decision is made, it is a year commitment.

Nick was pulled out of public school the second week into 4th grade, and he never looked back. Now entering his senior year, new choices are coming up quickly. College, Trade School, Military, on-the-job training to name a few. Trying to pin a "what do you wanna do when you grow up" on a young adult is amusing to me....trying to pin down college options for a Christian-conservative-athletic male is not such a laughing matter.

Add in deciding on which colleges to visit;

Encourage student to write college application essays,
introduction letters to the coach of interest of a specific sport,
and to prepare for admission tests, SAT, and ACT tests.

Research scholarship options,
know grant deadline for applications,
and plan college financing;

Start acquiring letters of recommendation for said colleges,
create an on-campus budget,
and complete a housing/mealplan applications when neccessary.

Now, these are the things I do know is part of the process...
Now I need to spend time on discovering the things I don't know!
Suggestions are welcomed! =)

In the meantime,
I refuse to be overwhelmed,
yep,
definitely
refuse
to
be
overwhlemed....

Sunday, June 27, 2010

SCHOOL YEAR 1010-11 will begin in 5 weeks. =)

Summer is a season in which I begin to plan our year. I have tried many styles & curriculum over the years. You can read more HERE if interested. This year we will begin a new journey.

ROBINSON CURRICULUM

It is so simple, yet so effective (I am told ;^), that it is almost hard to explain. The concept is so basic. I consider it the very foundation that "education" was intended to be.

What it is:

A complete set of DVD's that contain a seemingly endless supply of books! Lots of them! It begins with Level 1 thru Level 12. They are not to be considered as grade levels as to not hold back (or push) a child, but to let the student progress naturally to self educating.

"From Phonics to Physics, these 22 CD's and a set of Saxon Math Books is all that you need to give your children a superior education."

Who it is:

A couple who both happened to be scientists, aware of the flaws of our public school system, began to seek out how to best educate their own children as to give them more than a fighting chance.

How it is:

The Basic Rules and Procedures are :

1) no sugar
2) no TV
3) 2 hours of math
4) 2 hours of reading

5) 1 hour of writing

Yes, apparently that simple! Ofcourse, this is what Dr. Robinson can claim as success, cuz this is what has effectively worked for all his children!

The cost:

$195 for all 22 CD's.
$275 includes 22 CD's plus G. A. Henty CD's .
We purchased the latter. =)

As for us:

I purchased this curriculum at the first of the year, and have been slowing setting the kids up for this self-taught style. We have reduced our sugar intake, and are limiting TV as we see fit.
I have created a schedule that I think will serve our family best, along w/ a scope & sequence of the curriculum. The "RC way" is exactly as described in steps 1-5 listed above. I, however, live in a state that demands 11 specific topics are to be taught in order to "home educate". My need to adjust the books into subjects and years gives me peace of mind over our government.

Up to this point:

I did purchase a new printer. I did have a fear of "printing" books, binding books, etc... I am not very gifted at this sort of thing. I love it! It is so amazingly easy. The books are of such old-fashioned character and of amazing quality of content. Where good ole Family Values are encouraged.

My next post will contain our intended schedule, and why, along with the scope & sequence with tidbits of details. I had several folks ask about this, so please feel free to ask questions here or to e-mail me at sherihollinger@yahoo.com

Monday, May 24, 2010

THAT WAS THEN......










THIS IS NOW!!


School is officially out for the summer.

The kids took the year-end-make-the-state-happy tests last friday.

Our to-do list:

1) continue French lessons.
2) start weekly visits to the library.
3) grow a garden.
4) begin a "flat Stanley" project w/ a few families overseas.
(details later)
5) explore biology hand-on style.
6) get re-focused w/ daily devotions.
7) a handful of college showcase soccer tournaments.
8) weekend outings fishing w/ Dad.
9) to find a class, camp, or VBS to participate in.


How's your summer going to look?

Tuesday, May 4, 2010


AS THE DAYS GO BY...

i ponder many things.

...end of the school year is near...

~testing time is among us.

This is the time of year I start questioning if 'we' have done enough. Don't get me wrong, we (yes, I learn along side them) have learned so much this year.

Many of it is in tangible things like life skills, social skills, survival skills, a bit of first-aid, endless varieties of nature study (a favorite), fitness training, and compassion aimed on a specific special needs (aspergers syndrome).

Our books studies include (but not limited to) Ancient Greek, Ancient Rome, & Biblical times of the same era, WWII, math, vocabulary, grammar review, and some French.

Specialty studies per students interest:
Nick- photography, sports, & driver's ed
TJ- cooking & weight-lifting
Katie- ballet, cursive, & typing

The side-effects lessons:
patience, time management, flexability in circumstances, simplicity of real needs, determination, a desire of righteous things, and embracing multi-aged hands-on activities.


Too bad testing nowadays is focused on knowing how to take a test.

Life is our classroom; our lessons are for a lifetime














**another rushed moment out the door;
facing our days, one moment at a time!

Saturday, March 27, 2010


It is Science Day!

And since Andrew & Bryson were learning about the letter Aa this week...

We thought aerodynamics was a great Science Topic of the Week!


There is never a lack of participation in our house when creating paper airplanes!!
~

Much time went into internet research, along with time consumed at the assembly of their latest productions...






Out of the
MANY
photographs
taken,
I was only able to capture one plane in flight...clearly I am not the photographer in the family! Nick, our photographer, was occupied with test piloting!

Friday, February 19, 2010

LIFE IS FULL OF... TEMPTATION



I am wanting to take our 2-week Spring Break early. Maybe it's the sunshine tempting me? On the more realistic side, it is the perfectionist in me that is leaning towards time off. With our transitioning move, I want to get the school books in order, arrange our new classroom, and adjust our daily schedule.


I loved Oregon, cuz you could be more flexible w/ your school schedule. Life was always about learning, but it was fun to think outside the box... as in beyond 4 walls.

Here in Washington, they hold you to 11 specific subjects, hours per day, weeks per year, etc...


Folks that don't homeschool seem to think strict rules will hold parents "accountable", and that should be a good thing? For us? I find it a bit of a hinderance, but ofcourse, we have adjusted as needed. You see, to take spring break early would throw off our "record books" on our length of each quarter. Although, if I were to add in all the hours that we "school" (aka learn) during the evenings and weekends, I suppose the hours would be quite sufficient.

After a bit of pondering,
I've come to the conclusion,
that I will do what the public schools do...
take a few days off as "in-service days"...
funny thing is...
my kids will continue to show up for class. ;^)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Science in a Bottle?

Objective: to create "Invisible Ink"

Method: Using acidic based items, then applying heat.





The "invisible" part worked very well, don't ya think?
The Challenge: applying the heat.
Attempt #1-blow dryer-it bombed.
Attempt #2-by candle flame-caused charcoal marks (can you guess what page it was?)
Attempt #3- hot burner-this did work, but took a long time to pull the picture out of the paper.
Analyze Results: Lemon & O.J. worked best, vinegar failed.


Conclusion:


I think we will stick to the "white crayon" method of invisible ink...
easier, quicker, & more legible!

Monday, January 25, 2010

THE BEAUTY OF NATURE
~winter study



~ Waterfalls...



~a very active squirrel...



~bare trees...





~and mossy rocks...


~makes for a successful nature walk!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Homeschooling is...

A LIFESTYLE, not a classroom.



We are well into our 1st quarter of school, and personally, I am pleased with our progress thus far!



When I first began homeschooling (8 yrs ago), I very much immitated a classroom setting. Desks, full curriculums of subjects, schedules... and the greatest of intentions. My 1st grader began to read well, my 4th grader devoured math, and overall, the year went well.


The next year was way more lenient as many outside challenges came forth; a l o n g layoff, a loss of our home, not one but two of our boys had their appendix out in the same school year; thus my 'ideal' school day became very minimal.


The following year we tried charter school via public school system, which was ok for that season. My husband was back at work, and I was juggling many mini-jobs to make ends meet. My perfectionist personality appreciated the charter schools laid out plan, yet it was clear by the end of school year that it wasn't a good fit for our boys.


Our 4th/5th year of homeschooling was still chaotic, but we worked together to make it work. A new baby was now in the mix, the boys helped out with my church cleaning job, and endured the sharing of their living space (and mom) with many other little people. I was very good at running a daycare/preschool, and it was an accomplished feeling to know I was making a difference in so many little lives. To embrace, love, guide, and teach other peoples children (during the hours when they couldn't) was a responsibility I did not take lightly. Children are precious no matter whom they belong to.


The 6th year brought about a new journey for us. My husband was offered a great opportunity to help start a new company... a risk that has paid off amazingly. Suddenly, I was faced with the reality of not HAVING to work. God started stirring my heart that it was my own childrens turn to have their mom's full attention. We were now up to 5 lil blessings. My oldest was in his last year of high school (he has survived well the public school system- the credit going to much prayer and good communication). The two boys (now entering 5th and 9th grade) were spending more time hiding out in their own space, while I was spending more time w/ other peoples' children...it was time to let go... time to embrace my own blessings, er, children. We discovered Unit Studies... WOW... a 'learn as a family' style. We learn most subjects together, (yes, even me!) and adapt the assignments to depend on comprehension.


Now into our 8th year of this journey, 6 blessings in tow... life IS education. Everything is a teachable moment whether we would like it to be or not.

*When teen boys (most of them) use foul language while they are playing in a soccer game w/ my son... it is my job to step up and say this behavior is unacceptable... to lay a boundary to sportmanship-like conduct... to not be intimidated by the lack of other adults ignoring, er, not addressing it.
*When Dad faces challenges at work and displays grace through it, they learn about integrity.
*When an older child can guide a younger child into a good choice, they have learned about leadership.
*when we see someone different than ourselves, we take the time to explain the why's & how's, not just shush their curiosity, thus teaching compassion.

We also enjoy...
*French lessons with Aunt Chanelle in the evenings.
*Nature hikes to examine natural habitats on a week end.
*Field trips, movies, and games that support a current lesson.

Yep, Homeschool is a lifestyle... and we are lovin' life!


Monday, September 7, 2009

Homeschooling is...

as easy as CHEMISTRY!

This weeks element of the periodic table is ...
CARBON

Simple facts:
atomic number is 6
symbol name is C
2 electrons in shell one, 4 electrons in shell two
Is the most important element of a plant...

Bond with it:
carbon dioxide CO2
(2 part oxygen, 1 part carbon)

Experiment: FIZZY POP

a 16 oz bottle of soda pop and a balloon;
remove cap, place balloon over opening, and SHAKE!!

Now try one at room temperature (or warmer) and one refrigerated...DO NOT SHAKE....wait 15 or 20 minutes...
Which bottle loses more fizz (aka. carbon dioxide) ??
The balloon that is bigger, of course!!

For more fun:
1) try adding pop rocks to the soda
2) and of course the infamous 'drop as many mentos as you can' in the soda bottle, in which I recommend a 2 liter bottle of soda, using the great outdoors, and lots of room. ;^)

Resources:
Chem4Kids
howtoteachscience
kidscience

poprockexperiment

Monday, August 31, 2009

Our School Year '09-'10~Curriculum

Did you know school can be as fun as skipping rocks??

Ah, yes, just count it as physical education, social-science, physics, and nature study all wrapped into one fun afternoon together!

OUR CURRICULUM:

Mystery of History~Creation to Resurrection
(multi-level)
Covers a variety of subjects including, but not limited to...
ancient history, geography, map & graphing skills, creative arts, fine arts, and Biblical history.

Drawn Into the Heart of Reading~
(a multi-level reading program)
Genre studies, Godly Character traits, vocabulary strategies, scripture memorization, emphasizes story elements, and encourages literature discussions.

Math-U-See~
Nick...algebra (continuing previous years program to boost understanding)
TJ... fractions/percents/decimals
Katie... focus is on addition/subtraction w/ fun side lessons for times tables.

Language Arts~
Easy Grammar/Daily grams~TJ, review for Nick
WordSmart~vocabulary builder for Nick, SAT friendly
McGraw Hill~spelling, grammar, reading workbooks for Katie

CompleteWritingProgram ~
an easy multi-level writing program; creative, yet simple.

Science~
nature study by way of explorative field trips (from beaches to mountains to forests to backyard adventures!)
Painless Life Science (book)
...continued study of periodic table, one element researched per week.
1 simple science experiments per week.

Physical Education~
soccer (need I say more?)
daily treadmill and basic military workout encouraged.

Extra-curricular~
Nick- sketching/drawing
TJ- whittling
Katie- embroidery

Preschool:

ABC Jesus Loves Me (*note: logo on left)

notimeforflashcards (for quick, fun projects)
childcareland (simple art projects)
starfall (interactive, also has great print out worksheets)
letteroftheweek.com also has great alphabet activities!
(THESE SITES ARE ALL FREE... how could you NOT do preschool?)

**admittedly I have endless resources I could share related to early childhood education. I spent many of our previous homeschool years also running a daycare/preschool. Now my own Littles are reaping the benefits ;^)

For an idea of how we homeschool, feel free to read here.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Our school year begins... '09-'10

Living life is our education;




The world is our play-ground;


God is our authority;
Dad is the principal;

Grandma is the recess aid;

Auntie Chanelle is our school counselor;

I am the teacher;





Nick is a junior;

TJ is in 7th grade;

Katie is entering 2nd grade;

Andrew is our pre-k student;

and Bryson loves TOT school.

May God bless, guide, and protect our up-coming school year, and all the events that we may participate in... in Him we give thanks!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

MOVING step 2: Paper Clutter

Paper Clutter...
just thinking about it seems over-
whelming. Oh where to start?
First
I sorted through our bills; tossing old ones, marking the calendar for up coming ones. Cancelled our water cooler account. Now how to figure out magazine subscriptions?...some are gifts, some are school related, the rest for fun. They consist of National Geographic, Highlights, Disney Princess, Boys' Life, & Christian World News, among a few others.

Next I went through my stack of home-schooling catalogs as a few were getting a bit outdated ;^D. Yes, I am a catalog reader, I admit it. I can spend hours (if I had that much free time) reading through catalogs. My current favorites are:
ABEKA- Great for preschool! It is also good for classic textbook/workbooks. At the higher levels, it does seems to be advanced, so I don't recommend it for struggling learners.
SONLIGHT- considered a "living books" style. Great for avid readers. I find it a bit expensive, so I have not used the curriculum as a whole, just good books here & there.
OAK MEADOW- I think this one is less known in the home-school community. This is not Christian based, but is moral-based (do good/feel good). I would recommend it for a creative thinking student. I also found the higher levels good for struggling learners, as all English & spelling lessons are based off one history story.
SRA/McGraw Hill- secular based. Has an incredible reading program (reading mastery) which is great for all of my students. I discovered this after using "How to read in 100 Easy Lessons", which btw, was extremely successful w/ my daughter at age 3/4ish. Our Andrew will use this when he is 5 as he is a bit more aloof with his attention span. ;^)
Teacher Created Resources & Learning Train are not curriculums, but great resources for workbooks/reading books, and for learning tools & toys.

I also went through my cookbooks and phonebooks. Do we even need phonebooks nowadays??

Last
will be to organize and sort our school books, arts & craft supplies, and Bible lessons. This should be a challenge, because I will need to set aside what we directly need for this August while trying to pack the rest to storage. I will have a Junior, 7th & 2nd grader, and pre K going into our new school year! Limiting books seems a joke. This gives me a bit of anxiety, as the teacher, I like access to our resources at my disposal. Wish me luck ;^D