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| Carmel Mission |
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| Colton Hall, where the California Constitution was signed |
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| Beach Fun |
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| Monterey Bay Aquarium |
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But I still read several blogs, and came across this one that I thought was so relate-able.
Have you ever felt like this?
I Want to Run Away
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Have You Ever Felt This Way?
I'm taking a few weeks off from blogging. My family and I got away to Monterey this week, which was so wonderful and much-needed.
But I still read several blogs, and came across this one that I thought was so relate-able.
Have you ever felt like this?
I Want to Run Away
But I still read several blogs, and came across this one that I thought was so relate-able.
Have you ever felt like this?
I Want to Run Away
Friday, September 21, 2012
Lots Happening in the Seiler Household
HOMESCHOOL CO-OP
We've been members of a nearby large homeschooling group, CHIL (Christian Homeschoolers in Lodi) ever since we moved to the Galt/Lodi area. However, we've never participated in their Monday co-op classes. It just hadn't worked in our schedule. My children have begged to do them, as they know many of the kids who participate in CHIL from different homeschool events. These kids are fabulous! They're so polite, well-mannered, clean-cut, and for the most part, share our family values. But I just never could make it work.
Recently, however, I sensed my kids really needed to spend more time around good kids who share their values. I went ahead and signed the kids up for the Monday classes. My kids were thrilled! We started this past Monday, and I was actually very happy with it all. I enjoyed hanging out with Mom-friends of mine. The kids loved their individual classes and hanging out with friends. It went very well! I think it's going to be very good for everyone!
I told you all before how I wasn't enjoying our state-adopted Language Arts curriculum. I returned it and ordered Pathways, and Amish-based Language Arts curriculum, for my three oldest. I started it today with my two boys, and we absolutely love it! I'm very happy right now!
FARMING
In addition, we're really starting to get serious about getting our farm going. As we anticipate the possibility of economic collapse in America's future, we have made a few goals for ourselves:
1) We want to grow our own food for our family, and
2) We want to create sources of additional income for our family.
I'm looking forward to our next couple projects. This weekend, we want to stake out our future garden and begin soaking the ground. We want to get our fruit trees planted. And we also need to start preparing the future pig pen, which will be in an existing pen on the back of the property, but it needs much cleanup. So fun!!!!
I've been wanting to share some new pictures with you of the chickens and how big they've gotten, as well as our newly painted coop. But, as I shared with you before, my camera took a nose-dive. My in-laws have their camera with them this weekend, so pictures will have to wait.
There's so much more going on, and I'll let you know more wonderful transitions happening with us in future weeks.
We've been members of a nearby large homeschooling group, CHIL (Christian Homeschoolers in Lodi) ever since we moved to the Galt/Lodi area. However, we've never participated in their Monday co-op classes. It just hadn't worked in our schedule. My children have begged to do them, as they know many of the kids who participate in CHIL from different homeschool events. These kids are fabulous! They're so polite, well-mannered, clean-cut, and for the most part, share our family values. But I just never could make it work.
Recently, however, I sensed my kids really needed to spend more time around good kids who share their values. I went ahead and signed the kids up for the Monday classes. My kids were thrilled! We started this past Monday, and I was actually very happy with it all. I enjoyed hanging out with Mom-friends of mine. The kids loved their individual classes and hanging out with friends. It went very well! I think it's going to be very good for everyone!
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| Hannah with her good friend, Sadie |
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| Three of my boys having lunch with some of their friends |
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| My two youngest boys in The Goldfish Gang class |
I told you all before how I wasn't enjoying our state-adopted Language Arts curriculum. I returned it and ordered Pathways, and Amish-based Language Arts curriculum, for my three oldest. I started it today with my two boys, and we absolutely love it! I'm very happy right now!
FARMING
In addition, we're really starting to get serious about getting our farm going. As we anticipate the possibility of economic collapse in America's future, we have made a few goals for ourselves:
1) We want to grow our own food for our family, and
2) We want to create sources of additional income for our family.
I'm looking forward to our next couple projects. This weekend, we want to stake out our future garden and begin soaking the ground. We want to get our fruit trees planted. And we also need to start preparing the future pig pen, which will be in an existing pen on the back of the property, but it needs much cleanup. So fun!!!!
I've been wanting to share some new pictures with you of the chickens and how big they've gotten, as well as our newly painted coop. But, as I shared with you before, my camera took a nose-dive. My in-laws have their camera with them this weekend, so pictures will have to wait.
There's so much more going on, and I'll let you know more wonderful transitions happening with us in future weeks.
Friday, August 31, 2012
My Week, Including a Few Bummers, and Some Yummy Homemade Strawberry Jam
We're on our second week of school, which has gone very well so far! We're having a good time, and there's several aspects I'm really enjoying:
1. All of my children are doing computer-based math, which is a first for our family. This has made a HUGE difference for me, as I spent the bulk of my time schooling the kids in the area of math. It's just time-consuming. All the boys are doing Time 4 Learning, and Hannah (my 8th grader) is doing Teaching Textbooks. So far, so good!
2. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Vintage Remedies for Tweens, as I knew I would. It's a total blast, and the kids are applying so much of what they're learning.
3. So far, I like my Bible curriculum, Bible Study Guide for All Ages. I wish I would have purchased the pieces that supplement it, though, such as the timeline and music CD. That would probably make it more enriching.
4. My kids are LOVING their new music classes at a nearby music studio, Newsongs. They are all doing very well. I'm grateful for exposing them all to music from a young age and teaching them each some foundational parts of music, as it is paying off. Their teachers are impressed with their rapid learning pace.
There's a few things I already want to tweak about our schooling:
1. I've been doing my lessons for history and science and Vintage Remedies on Tuesdays, and the projects for those lessons on Thursdays. But that is making for a very busy Thursday, hard to squeeze everything in, a bit chaotic. I may have to do my lesson and projects for history on Tuesday, and lesson and projects for science and Vintage Remedies on Thursdays, and see if that feels more balanced.
2. I tried out our state-adopted Language Arts curriculum this year for the first time. So far, I'm not impressed at all. It's just like I remembered it from my school days - boring, and somewhat pointless, and full of busy work that seems to have no value. I'll hang in there a while longer and see if I feel better about it over time. If not, I may need to make an adjustment there.
In our Vintage Remedies class this week, we did some cooking in the kitchen. We made a delicious "real food" strawberry jam with natural pectin. It was absolutely amazing and super easy!!!
Ingredients
1 green apple, cored and grated (this will provide the pectin)
1 quart strawberries
1 cup organic sugar (jams need real sugar because it is a natural preservative)
3 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
Begin by removing the green ends from the berries. Combine the sugar, berries, juice, and apple in a large saucepan. (When sugar boils, it expands, so make sure the pan has plenty of extra room!) Place the pan over medium high heat to bring the mixture to a boil.
As it boils, some foam will form at the top of the pan. Remove this from the pan with a slotted spoon. Keep stirring while it boils so the bottom does not burn! After 12-15 minutes, check for firmness. You can do this by dropping a small amount of the jam on a cold surface such as a plate. If it is runny, the jam is not ready. If it is thick - like a blob of jam - it is ready!
Scoop the hot jam into clean jars or containers. If you place it into canning jars, you can put them in a water bath and store the jam in the pantry. Otherwise, you can put the jam into pretty jars and keep in the refrigerator.
BUMMER #1: On the same day, we attempted to make homemade whole wheat bread in my bread machine. However, half way through the cycle, my bread machine started smoking and smelling awfully burnt. It's pretty old. I quickly turned it off. It was dead. The machine had seen it's last. I am so sad! Obviously, that bread was ruined.
BUMMER #2: Today, as I attempted to take photos of my strawberry jam for you with my Canon camera, it died. It's been acting funny for a while, always saying the batteries are dead even after putting in new ones. Now, I cannot get it to turn on at all. It tries, but immediately shuts off. SO SAD AGAIN! My Blackberry has a camera, but it often takes pictures much darker than it should. But it's all I have now. Boo-hoo.
Around the farm, the chicks are getting big and beautiful, with all their colorful feathers. There is one or two we suspect may turn out to be roosters, but still too soon to tell. They are starting to eat scraps from our kitchen, pretty much anything I chop up very finely for them. Tomorrow is coop-cleaning day. Whoopie!
The tree-house building is still coming along! They've got most of the bridge finished between the two trees. New ideas of what to add keep coming. For history this week, we had a Scottish Nationalism project, which led to the children developing their own Seiler tartan pattern, painting it on a large piece of cloth, and they plan to use it as their tree-house flag.
My father-in-law received a gate opener for his birthday this past week. We all cannot wait until it is installed. Then we won't have to get in and out of the car to open the gate every time we leave or come home. We hope to get it installed next week. Another whoopie!
And that's about it around the Seiler home.
1. All of my children are doing computer-based math, which is a first for our family. This has made a HUGE difference for me, as I spent the bulk of my time schooling the kids in the area of math. It's just time-consuming. All the boys are doing Time 4 Learning, and Hannah (my 8th grader) is doing Teaching Textbooks. So far, so good!
2. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Vintage Remedies for Tweens, as I knew I would. It's a total blast, and the kids are applying so much of what they're learning.
3. So far, I like my Bible curriculum, Bible Study Guide for All Ages. I wish I would have purchased the pieces that supplement it, though, such as the timeline and music CD. That would probably make it more enriching.
4. My kids are LOVING their new music classes at a nearby music studio, Newsongs. They are all doing very well. I'm grateful for exposing them all to music from a young age and teaching them each some foundational parts of music, as it is paying off. Their teachers are impressed with their rapid learning pace.
There's a few things I already want to tweak about our schooling:
1. I've been doing my lessons for history and science and Vintage Remedies on Tuesdays, and the projects for those lessons on Thursdays. But that is making for a very busy Thursday, hard to squeeze everything in, a bit chaotic. I may have to do my lesson and projects for history on Tuesday, and lesson and projects for science and Vintage Remedies on Thursdays, and see if that feels more balanced.
2. I tried out our state-adopted Language Arts curriculum this year for the first time. So far, I'm not impressed at all. It's just like I remembered it from my school days - boring, and somewhat pointless, and full of busy work that seems to have no value. I'll hang in there a while longer and see if I feel better about it over time. If not, I may need to make an adjustment there.
In our Vintage Remedies class this week, we did some cooking in the kitchen. We made a delicious "real food" strawberry jam with natural pectin. It was absolutely amazing and super easy!!!
Ingredients
1 green apple, cored and grated (this will provide the pectin)
1 quart strawberries
1 cup organic sugar (jams need real sugar because it is a natural preservative)
3 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
Begin by removing the green ends from the berries. Combine the sugar, berries, juice, and apple in a large saucepan. (When sugar boils, it expands, so make sure the pan has plenty of extra room!) Place the pan over medium high heat to bring the mixture to a boil.
As it boils, some foam will form at the top of the pan. Remove this from the pan with a slotted spoon. Keep stirring while it boils so the bottom does not burn! After 12-15 minutes, check for firmness. You can do this by dropping a small amount of the jam on a cold surface such as a plate. If it is runny, the jam is not ready. If it is thick - like a blob of jam - it is ready!
Scoop the hot jam into clean jars or containers. If you place it into canning jars, you can put them in a water bath and store the jam in the pantry. Otherwise, you can put the jam into pretty jars and keep in the refrigerator.
BUMMER #1: On the same day, we attempted to make homemade whole wheat bread in my bread machine. However, half way through the cycle, my bread machine started smoking and smelling awfully burnt. It's pretty old. I quickly turned it off. It was dead. The machine had seen it's last. I am so sad! Obviously, that bread was ruined.
BUMMER #2: Today, as I attempted to take photos of my strawberry jam for you with my Canon camera, it died. It's been acting funny for a while, always saying the batteries are dead even after putting in new ones. Now, I cannot get it to turn on at all. It tries, but immediately shuts off. SO SAD AGAIN! My Blackberry has a camera, but it often takes pictures much darker than it should. But it's all I have now. Boo-hoo.
Around the farm, the chicks are getting big and beautiful, with all their colorful feathers. There is one or two we suspect may turn out to be roosters, but still too soon to tell. They are starting to eat scraps from our kitchen, pretty much anything I chop up very finely for them. Tomorrow is coop-cleaning day. Whoopie!
The tree-house building is still coming along! They've got most of the bridge finished between the two trees. New ideas of what to add keep coming. For history this week, we had a Scottish Nationalism project, which led to the children developing their own Seiler tartan pattern, painting it on a large piece of cloth, and they plan to use it as their tree-house flag.
My father-in-law received a gate opener for his birthday this past week. We all cannot wait until it is installed. Then we won't have to get in and out of the car to open the gate every time we leave or come home. We hope to get it installed next week. Another whoopie!
And that's about it around the Seiler home.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Mission to Mexico, Homeschool Plans, and Growing Chicks
MEXICO
We got back from Baja, Mexico almost a week ago. We had a fabulous time serving and growing in God. I took my two oldest children (Hannah, 12 and Joshua, 9) with me, and we were three of 64 people building three houses in four days.
My children and I were very touched by what we saw and experienced. My son, especially, was surprised by the poverty level compared to what he was used to. He was ready to move to Mexico and help the people full-time.
It was so awesome to see the joy on the mother's face to receive this home! In America, we would consider a home like that a place to store our lawn equipment. But to her, it was everything. She kept clapping her hands, saying, "Gracias!" and, "Porque de Dios!" which means, "Because of God!" This home will give this single mother and her children the jump start they need for a brighter future!
My pastor-husband and I believe every Christian should go on one missions trip in their life. This Baja, Mexico missions trip, which we took with some good friends and their ministry, StudentReach, was the perfect introduction to missions for my kids and anyone who has never been on a missions trip before. Please check out their website for future dates and other trips they will be leading.
HOMESCHOOL PLANS
I must admit, I'm quite behind schedule with preparing for this upcoming school year. We moved into our new country home a month ago, then we went to Mexico for seven days, and a day after returning, my parents arrived for a visit. They just left a two days ago. I feel so disoriented and still trying to set my feet on solid ground. I'm thankful I did as much planning for the school year as I possibly could before we moved .
This year, I will be schooling all five of my children.
Our daily schedule will look like this:
GROWING CHICKS
Our chicks are growing so fast. When I got back from Mexico, I couldn't believe how much bigger they were. They're almost four weeks old, and I'm starting to let them out to peck around in a pen outside during the day.
Unfortunately, while we were in Mexico, a visiting friend was holding a chick and dropped it, only for it to be snatched up by one of our beagles. That particular beagle has been giving us trouble since we moved here, and this was the straw that broke the camels back. We know that, once a dog gets a taste for killing another animal, they will want more. We made the tough decision to find a new home for that beagle. It was sad, but she really was better suited for the city life.
And that's what's been happening around Heritage Farm...
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| This is me nailing together a roof piece. |
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| My daughter, Hannah, helped roof the outhouse |
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| My son, Josh, nailed the flashing along the roof edge |
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| Our family (from left to right): Maricia (single mother), Alfonso (13), Maribel (21) and her baby girl, Luisa (15), and Patricia (18) |
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| Josh played sports with Alfonso every single day. |
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| Josh playing with little 2yo Maria |
My pastor-husband and I believe every Christian should go on one missions trip in their life. This Baja, Mexico missions trip, which we took with some good friends and their ministry, StudentReach, was the perfect introduction to missions for my kids and anyone who has never been on a missions trip before. Please check out their website for future dates and other trips they will be leading.
HOMESCHOOL PLANS
I must admit, I'm quite behind schedule with preparing for this upcoming school year. We moved into our new country home a month ago, then we went to Mexico for seven days, and a day after returning, my parents arrived for a visit. They just left a two days ago. I feel so disoriented and still trying to set my feet on solid ground. I'm thankful I did as much planning for the school year as I possibly could before we moved .
This year, I will be schooling all five of my children.
- Hannah - 8th grade
- Joshua - 4th grade
- Luke - 2nd grade
- Noah & Nathan - Kindergarten
- The main reason we homeschool is to build our children's character, guard negative outside influences, and ultimately see that they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Academics is secondary, for us.
- We also believe strongly that much learning takes place in everyday life, especially now that we are building a farm. Caring for newborn animals and tending gardens, building shelters and making repairs, managing personal finances and cooking meals for a large family, all are important learning opportunities for our children that prepare them for real life.
- One of my goals for each child is to teach them how to teach themselves, therefore, moving them towards more independent learning. For that reason, I focus the first part of my day on the littlest ones, while the older ones work on their lessons independently.
- I will work hard to manage screen time this school year. With lessons and farm work, there won't be much time to waste with computers, Wii, and TV. We limit screen time to one hour a day, and it must be used after all lessons and work are completed.
Our daily schedule will look like this:
- I wake before the children to spend time with Jesus and get a jump start on my day.
- Children awake and read their Bibles and pray independently.
- Personal chores: everyone showers or gets dressed, brushes teeth, and tidies their bedroom and bathroom.
- We work on morning chores, including starting laundry (each room has their own laundry day)
- Breakfast Bar (I lay out several healthy options for the children to serve themselves); do any necessary preparations for dinner
- Family devotions/Bible class - this fall, I am going to try something new, as I've been really looking for a curriculum I could use like an actual Bible class - going verse by verse through the Bible with my kids - I just ordered Bible Study Guide for All Ages - we'll see how it goes
- Kindergarten: Math - Time4Learning; Phonics - MCP Plaid; Handwriting - Zaner Bloser; Journaling; and Reading
- Snack
- Core Subjects: Math, Language Arts, Science, & History (Story of the World)
- Lunch
- Other Subjects: Health & Safety, Technology, Vintage Remedies for Tweens, etc. - (quiet time for little ones)
- Afternoon chores; farm/house projects
- Screen time - snack
- Extra-curriculars: all five kids are taking music lessons on Wednesdays, two boys are playing basketball this fall, the other three kids are doing gymnastics for their PE, and my daughter goes to youth group on Wed nights
- Dinner
- Family Time
GROWING CHICKS
Our chicks are growing so fast. When I got back from Mexico, I couldn't believe how much bigger they were. They're almost four weeks old, and I'm starting to let them out to peck around in a pen outside during the day.
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| This is Noah, my 5yo, with one of the 3wk old chicks |
And that's what's been happening around Heritage Farm...
Friday, July 20, 2012
Third Week on Heritage Farm
In many ways, life in the country is similar to life in the city. But in more ways, it's very different. It may be because we're still settling and getting things in order, but there's a lot more things that interrupt your routine. I have a plan for each and every day, but that plan doesn't always happen. Hired help shows up to work on something, a dog has a tick that needs to be removed, we find a dead animal that needs to be buried (I'll tell you about that in a minute), the mower/tractor won't start...always something. But it's always exciting and fun! We are having a blast! I think the best part is watching the creativity in my children - they are always coming up with some new adventure or activity to engage in outdoors. They don't get bored. I love that!
THE HEADLESS DUCK
Last week, while my two oldest were gone to Kids' Camp, I was on my morning walk with my four dogs around the property's perimeter when I came upon a dead headless duck. Our rear neighbors have a very large duck pond on their property, and I'm sure this duck was one of theirs. I'm not sure how it got on our side of the fence, and what took it's head but left it's body. A farmer-friend suspects a raccoon. But to detract other wild animals from coming, the little guys and I buried it. The boys really thought they were true farmers with that job!
A DOWNED TREE BECOMES A PLACE TO CONNECT WITH GOD
The same rear neighbors have a tree that has fallen down and is leaning across our fence and onto our property. My daughter decided to make it her place to pray and read her Bible each morning.
Once all the boys discovered the tree, they made it their "tree house hide-out." They've been nailing random boards to it and painting it, all kinds of things.
MY HIGHLIGHT - BERRY PICKING
One morning, my missionary sister-in-law, Holly, and my oldest boy, Josh, went on a jog and discovered a dirt path leading to railroad tracks. Along those tracks, they found blackberry bushes. They came back to get the rest of us, and we all went berry picking. That was the highlight of my week!
GETTING READY FOR NEW SCHOOL YEAR
I've also been preparing for the new school year this week. All curriculum is ordered. We actually already have our subscription to Time 4 Learning, so I have two of my boys doing 30 minutes a day of that now. We've been talking about what activities each child wants to sign up for - some want gymnastics, some want to play sports, all will be doing music lessons. I'm trying to get everything in order before the two oldest children and I got on a week-long missions trip to Baja, Mexico at the end of this month. I'd like to start school shortly after we return.
And that's what's been happening at Heritage Farm this week!
THE HEADLESS DUCK
Last week, while my two oldest were gone to Kids' Camp, I was on my morning walk with my four dogs around the property's perimeter when I came upon a dead headless duck. Our rear neighbors have a very large duck pond on their property, and I'm sure this duck was one of theirs. I'm not sure how it got on our side of the fence, and what took it's head but left it's body. A farmer-friend suspects a raccoon. But to detract other wild animals from coming, the little guys and I buried it. The boys really thought they were true farmers with that job!
A DOWNED TREE BECOMES A PLACE TO CONNECT WITH GOD
The same rear neighbors have a tree that has fallen down and is leaning across our fence and onto our property. My daughter decided to make it her place to pray and read her Bible each morning.
Once all the boys discovered the tree, they made it their "tree house hide-out." They've been nailing random boards to it and painting it, all kinds of things.
MY HIGHLIGHT - BERRY PICKING
One morning, my missionary sister-in-law, Holly, and my oldest boy, Josh, went on a jog and discovered a dirt path leading to railroad tracks. Along those tracks, they found blackberry bushes. They came back to get the rest of us, and we all went berry picking. That was the highlight of my week!
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| One guy couldn't wait until we got home to eat the berries |
GETTING READY FOR NEW SCHOOL YEAR
I've also been preparing for the new school year this week. All curriculum is ordered. We actually already have our subscription to Time 4 Learning, so I have two of my boys doing 30 minutes a day of that now. We've been talking about what activities each child wants to sign up for - some want gymnastics, some want to play sports, all will be doing music lessons. I'm trying to get everything in order before the two oldest children and I got on a week-long missions trip to Baja, Mexico at the end of this month. I'd like to start school shortly after we return.
And that's what's been happening at Heritage Farm this week!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Planning School For Next Year
My husband gifted me with the privilege of getting away for two nights to put thoughts on paper for next school year. I consider it so much fun to plan for homeschooling! I love every minute of it! I came away with a rough outline of the direction we will head. I still have more work to do, but the "skeleton" is done.
HOW DID I DO IT?
I started with interviewing the children.
The week before I went away, I talked with each child individually. Mainly, I discuss with them their passions, interests, favorite things, and what they want to learn about. I strongly believe in capitalizing on their individual interests while they have them. From this question, I gained the following insight:
My younger ones are a little too young for this discussion, but I kind of know what they like and what I want them to learn.
After learning their interests, I discussed with the older children a few options about core curriculum changes we're considering. For my oldest, who will be going into Algebra 1, we're looking at changing curriculum, because she needs quite a bit of guidance with math, and Saxon, the curriculum she's used her whole life, is getting more difficult for her to learn independently (Mom can't help too much anymore). So I have her exploring online with Teaching Textbooks, ALEKS, and Math-U-See to see if she preferred one over the other. I'm doing the same with my 9yo son, just because math is his strength, and I felt like ALEKS might allow him to skip through what comes easy to him and focus on material that needs to be learned.
So, fast forward to my getaway, and here's what I've planned so far for our family.
BIBLE:
I am looking for something new this year for Bible, and haven't quite found it yet. I'm trying to treat Bible like a class just like any other, where we actually study the who, what, when, and where of the Bible, book by book. I've got a few leads, but haven't made a decision yet.
I always require my children to spend time in personal devotions to God each morning - reading their Bible alone and praying.
We also do weekly character studies, memorize the order of the books of the Bible, do Scripture memorization, and learn great hymns.
MATH:
12yo - She's thinking she likes the looks of Teaching Textbooks the best, as it's the most like Saxon in terms of format, but not as intense, which is fine for us
9yo - Probably going with ALEKS this year, as he's goal-driven and will enjoy filling in his pie chart
7yo - Saxon 3
5yo & 4yo - Saxon K
LANGUAGE ARTS:
This year, I'm going with the state-adopted curriculum for most of the children.
In addition, they all will do some regular journaling, whether it be prayer journaling, nature journaling, or journaling based on a prompt I give them.
And, of course, lots of reading!
7yo - I will add a handwriting practice book for this son. I also have a subscription for him to Headsprout, and will continue with that to strengthen his reading skills.
5yo & 4yo - For my little guys, I will not be using the state-adopted curriculum. Instead, we will use Modern Curriculum Press's Plaid Phonics - this is the curriculum I was recommended when I started homeschooling, and I've used it ever since, and really like it. In addition, these boys will also have a handwriting practice book.
HISTORY:
We've been using Story of the World for history for the past two years, and we love it. The whole family does the same history lesson together. We will continue with Level 3 this year. We are considering combining it with History Odyssey.
SCIENCE:
I'm very grateful that our charter school, Visions in Education, has science lessons for every state standard posted online at their Homeschool Hub. I've already taken the time to print them all out for the grades I will be teaching next year (8th, 4th, 2nd, & K) and put them in a binder. I then look for commonalities amongst them. For instance, the two younger grades both have Animals as a standard, and my 4th grader has Food Chains. I will spend a month covering that standard - all the children taught at the same time together the exact same lesson - and I'll use each of the lessons for their grade level. Another standard that three of the grades has is Health. Perfect! Saves mom time and energy to teach it altogether. I will not be buying a separate curriculum for science this year. We will use what's on the Hub, as well as the internet, encyclopedia, and the library to explore our topics.
In addition, we will be working through Vintage Remedies for Tweens as a family. I can't wait for this curriculum!!!! It will teach them all kinds of natural living skills, and includes projects in each chapter for them to complete. So fun!
I also have a very basic Health & Safety curriculum that I used with my older two (it's for early childhood and written by Laurie Anderson, but I couldn't find it online), and now need to complete with the younger three.
So that's all five of our core subjects.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
This year, I will be developing a very simple daily workout for each of the children to complete alone with their morning chores. It will alternate strength training with cardio (totally kid-version, though). My goal with this is for them to not only be active, but get in the habit of daily exercise.
12yo - My daughter asked to do gymnastics again. She also expressed desire to learn more about volleyball. She's not ready for a team, yet, she just wants to learn more. We have a family friend who loves volleyball that I've asked to meet with my daughter to teach her the basics. After that, we'll decide if she wants to try anything else.
9yo - This is the most athletic of all my children, and he's regularly active in sports. That's P.E. enough for us.
7yo - This son may play a sport or two in the next year. It's not his passion. He enjoys watching more than playing. But he changes his mind often, so we'll see.
5yo & 4yo - These guys are in the exploration stage. At this age, we try lots of things to discover new gifts and abilities. They also express desire to play some sports, so we'll give different ones a try this year.
FINE ARTS:
In our state, elementary children must take a fine art for one semester. That includes visual arts, music, dramatic arts, or a foreign language. Because I am a musician and play piano, I have a personal opinion that every child should take at least one to two years of piano. After that, if they don't like it, they don't have to continue. I taught my oldest piano, but she's ready for an outside teacher to take her to the next level. My boys have all tinkered on the piano and know a few things, but because of my busy schedule, I'm thinking of putting them in outside lessons as well.
12yo - Besides piano, my daughter will be doing voice lessons as well this year. We may focus on piano one semester, and voice the next. Otherwise, it can be way too costly. In addition, she wants to continue with the art class she took this year from a local woman who teaches art out of her home.
9yo - This is the child who resists all fine arts. He's an athlete. He doesn't like art of any kind. However, I'll have him take piano. In addition, he's expressed interest in learning some woodworking skills. I'm looking into a local 4-H club that offers a woodworking project that he could join next year.
7yo - This guy could possibly have a musical gift, but it's unexplored. He will do piano this year (eventually, he wants to try drums), and he also wants to continue with the art class he took last year. In addition, locally, we have a Lego class for homeschoolers that teaches introductory engineering skills. I think this guy would love it!
5yo - If I can, I will look at having this little guy do piano and art class. We'll see if he's old enough.
TECHNOLOGY:
Technology is a requirement in our state for all elementary grades. My children work on Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing until they finish the program (my daughter already has).
In addition, I plan to teach my kids very practical technology this year - how to use the computer, the internet, sending emails, Microsoft products, Google products, smartphones, etc. We only really work on this once or twice a month.
I also read "How I Am I Smart?" during my mini-retreat and gained great insight and ideas!
So that's my head start! So fun! I love this stuff!
HOW DID I DO IT?
I started with interviewing the children.
The week before I went away, I talked with each child individually. Mainly, I discuss with them their passions, interests, favorite things, and what they want to learn about. I strongly believe in capitalizing on their individual interests while they have them. From this question, I gained the following insight:
12 year old daughter
1. Singing
2. Piano
3. Volleyball
4. Reading
5. Gymnastics
6. Art
9 year old son
1. Sports
2. Building with Wood
7 year old son
1. Sports
2. Building with Legos
3. Art
My younger ones are a little too young for this discussion, but I kind of know what they like and what I want them to learn.
After learning their interests, I discussed with the older children a few options about core curriculum changes we're considering. For my oldest, who will be going into Algebra 1, we're looking at changing curriculum, because she needs quite a bit of guidance with math, and Saxon, the curriculum she's used her whole life, is getting more difficult for her to learn independently (Mom can't help too much anymore). So I have her exploring online with Teaching Textbooks, ALEKS, and Math-U-See to see if she preferred one over the other. I'm doing the same with my 9yo son, just because math is his strength, and I felt like ALEKS might allow him to skip through what comes easy to him and focus on material that needs to be learned.
So, fast forward to my getaway, and here's what I've planned so far for our family.
BIBLE:
I am looking for something new this year for Bible, and haven't quite found it yet. I'm trying to treat Bible like a class just like any other, where we actually study the who, what, when, and where of the Bible, book by book. I've got a few leads, but haven't made a decision yet.
I always require my children to spend time in personal devotions to God each morning - reading their Bible alone and praying.
We also do weekly character studies, memorize the order of the books of the Bible, do Scripture memorization, and learn great hymns.
MATH:
12yo - She's thinking she likes the looks of Teaching Textbooks the best, as it's the most like Saxon in terms of format, but not as intense, which is fine for us
9yo - Probably going with ALEKS this year, as he's goal-driven and will enjoy filling in his pie chart
7yo - Saxon 3
5yo & 4yo - Saxon K
LANGUAGE ARTS:
This year, I'm going with the state-adopted curriculum for most of the children.
In addition, they all will do some regular journaling, whether it be prayer journaling, nature journaling, or journaling based on a prompt I give them.
And, of course, lots of reading!
7yo - I will add a handwriting practice book for this son. I also have a subscription for him to Headsprout, and will continue with that to strengthen his reading skills.
5yo & 4yo - For my little guys, I will not be using the state-adopted curriculum. Instead, we will use Modern Curriculum Press's Plaid Phonics - this is the curriculum I was recommended when I started homeschooling, and I've used it ever since, and really like it. In addition, these boys will also have a handwriting practice book.
HISTORY:
We've been using Story of the World for history for the past two years, and we love it. The whole family does the same history lesson together. We will continue with Level 3 this year. We are considering combining it with History Odyssey.
SCIENCE:
I'm very grateful that our charter school, Visions in Education, has science lessons for every state standard posted online at their Homeschool Hub. I've already taken the time to print them all out for the grades I will be teaching next year (8th, 4th, 2nd, & K) and put them in a binder. I then look for commonalities amongst them. For instance, the two younger grades both have Animals as a standard, and my 4th grader has Food Chains. I will spend a month covering that standard - all the children taught at the same time together the exact same lesson - and I'll use each of the lessons for their grade level. Another standard that three of the grades has is Health. Perfect! Saves mom time and energy to teach it altogether. I will not be buying a separate curriculum for science this year. We will use what's on the Hub, as well as the internet, encyclopedia, and the library to explore our topics.
In addition, we will be working through Vintage Remedies for Tweens as a family. I can't wait for this curriculum!!!! It will teach them all kinds of natural living skills, and includes projects in each chapter for them to complete. So fun!
I also have a very basic Health & Safety curriculum that I used with my older two (it's for early childhood and written by Laurie Anderson, but I couldn't find it online), and now need to complete with the younger three.
So that's all five of our core subjects.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
This year, I will be developing a very simple daily workout for each of the children to complete alone with their morning chores. It will alternate strength training with cardio (totally kid-version, though). My goal with this is for them to not only be active, but get in the habit of daily exercise.
12yo - My daughter asked to do gymnastics again. She also expressed desire to learn more about volleyball. She's not ready for a team, yet, she just wants to learn more. We have a family friend who loves volleyball that I've asked to meet with my daughter to teach her the basics. After that, we'll decide if she wants to try anything else.
9yo - This is the most athletic of all my children, and he's regularly active in sports. That's P.E. enough for us.
7yo - This son may play a sport or two in the next year. It's not his passion. He enjoys watching more than playing. But he changes his mind often, so we'll see.
5yo & 4yo - These guys are in the exploration stage. At this age, we try lots of things to discover new gifts and abilities. They also express desire to play some sports, so we'll give different ones a try this year.
FINE ARTS:
In our state, elementary children must take a fine art for one semester. That includes visual arts, music, dramatic arts, or a foreign language. Because I am a musician and play piano, I have a personal opinion that every child should take at least one to two years of piano. After that, if they don't like it, they don't have to continue. I taught my oldest piano, but she's ready for an outside teacher to take her to the next level. My boys have all tinkered on the piano and know a few things, but because of my busy schedule, I'm thinking of putting them in outside lessons as well.
12yo - Besides piano, my daughter will be doing voice lessons as well this year. We may focus on piano one semester, and voice the next. Otherwise, it can be way too costly. In addition, she wants to continue with the art class she took this year from a local woman who teaches art out of her home.
9yo - This is the child who resists all fine arts. He's an athlete. He doesn't like art of any kind. However, I'll have him take piano. In addition, he's expressed interest in learning some woodworking skills. I'm looking into a local 4-H club that offers a woodworking project that he could join next year.
7yo - This guy could possibly have a musical gift, but it's unexplored. He will do piano this year (eventually, he wants to try drums), and he also wants to continue with the art class he took last year. In addition, locally, we have a Lego class for homeschoolers that teaches introductory engineering skills. I think this guy would love it!
5yo - If I can, I will look at having this little guy do piano and art class. We'll see if he's old enough.
TECHNOLOGY:
Technology is a requirement in our state for all elementary grades. My children work on Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing until they finish the program (my daughter already has).
In addition, I plan to teach my kids very practical technology this year - how to use the computer, the internet, sending emails, Microsoft products, Google products, smartphones, etc. We only really work on this once or twice a month.
I also read "How I Am I Smart?" during my mini-retreat and gained great insight and ideas!
So that's my head start! So fun! I love this stuff!
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