We're BACK!!!!!

Yes, we have RETURNED to homeschooling! We homeschooled Alex from kindergarten (or from birth!) through 5th grade. During 6th & 7th grade she attended a private school. But, now she's in 8th grade... & we will be homeschooling again!!!

How do I feel about it? Excited! Nervous! Tired!

Our first science experiment of the year

 

I'm excited because I love homeschooling & love learning & love teaching my daughter! Also, we love the flexibility of homeschooling. We plan on traveling 'a lot', though I haven't defined that yet.

I'm nervous because this is middle school... and almost high school! I feel like I could really mess things up. But, I know we can do this & do it well!

I'm tired because we started school on Thursday. Both days I was exhausted when it was over! I'm already working on some changes this morning so it won't be so hard. History is NOT working and I'm totally changing it.

Over the next week or so I'll try to share what curriculum we're using. I'm so excited to be returning to this wonderful way of life and this wonderful community!!! I've missed you all!

Only He (God) Completely Understands... (portion of an old letter)

I find it easy to get on the computer every day. I usually find it easy to do my workouts. But, I find it hard to spend time with God every morning.

This morning, I was having a Quiet Time. I started by reading a chapter in a book by Anne Ortlund, "The Gentle Ways of the Beautiful Woman." The chapter was discussing how our "invisible life" is the basis of our life. In other words, the time we spend alone with God determines who we are - how we react to life's challenges, how we talk, how we spend the rest of our time, etc.

So, I've determined to get back into my Bible... daily. I am starting by reading a chapter of Proverbs every day for the next month. (I learned this from SparkPeople and my new diet/lifestyle and exercise habits - start small and it'lll become a habit much more easily!) I'll be reading the chapter that corresponds to the date. But, oops! I thought today was the 8th, so I read chapter 8. Or, maybe God lead me there...

It was talking about seeking wisdom - it is "more precious than rubies." And to "choose my instruction instead of silver." Well, this got me thinking and praying about Alex's school schedule for this year. I am really struggling with what outside classes to put her in (both at our co-op and online). As I finished praying, God lead me to the zippered part of my Bible where I've kept a piece of paper since March 3rd, 2005. It is something I wrote the year before I started homeschooling Alex, and it was an incredible reminder of how I need to schedule our year. Here's a portion of that letter

God made Alex. Only He completely understands what she is capable of, what she needs, the things that will heppen to her (and us) in her life, what she will become, etc. Only God knows what she needs to learn and when. I need to go to Him, the Author of Alex, to learn how to instruct her.

I hope you can insert your own child(ren)'s name in that short piece and see how we need to seek God as we plan on how (and what!) we will teach our children. God will show us the path He wants us to follow, but we must seek Him first!

Getting Ready for 5th Grade!

I know I've been neglecting my blog. But, I'm getting ready for school now. I cleaned off my shelves today. I meant to do this at the beginning of summer, but I didn't.

                                    

So, now they are pretty much cleaned off! I'm finalizing plans for school and trying to get ready. We start on the 23rd, so about 2 1/2 weeks of summer left! Hop everyone is enjoying their break - if you break for the summer.

I Will Survive!

I found a "new" blog today called  Dynamic 2 Blogs. They have lots of interesting, free lapbooks. And, they had posted this cute homeschooling video that I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

My Lesson Planner

I'm only about half way done posting about our trip to San Francisco and Monterey Bay, but I thought I'd take a short break and post about my lesson planner.

I bought this Elementary Lesson Planner for homeschoolers at Mardel. I came up with this method of lesson planning this year, and it has worked great for us.

Basically, there are a lot of columns with different headings like Langage Arts (with 4 columns), Math, Social Studies, etc. The pages on this post are from this week. You will see they are already filled out, but I usually just plan one day at a time! I either write my plans out at night or in the morning. I do this because I never know exactly what we'll cover. Sometimes, we don't cover everything I've planned so it needs to be moved to the next day. And, today, we started our "Drugs" unit even though I had it scheduled for tomorrow. (When I was a public school teacher, I worked the same way. We had to have weekly plans, so I did them. But, then I did my "real" plans one day at a time!)

Here's a close-up of the left-hand page. It is my most used page as it covers the basics of LA and Math along with Social Studies. I include Bible under LA (basically because there isn't a Bible section.) I read a passage of the Bible (not listed) and then we work on memorizing a verse. Under LA, I am currently listing what we are working on in spelling, cursive, test review (for Stanford test - Alex's first time), and Vocabulary. Under math, we are back to working with Teaching Textbooks and working on a test prep book. And, Scoial Studies is the online history class we are doing.

This is my right-hand page. Under "Science" we are starting a "Drugs" unit. (More on that later, but it is free and includes a lot of learning about the brain!) Under "Related Studies" I list things regarding Alex's 2 outside classes. If we do art, I list it next. Under PE, I list Alex's 2 "sports" - TnT (which is Trampoline and Tumbling) and Dance (which is part of an acting class). And, under Misc, I write whatever books she is reading independently. You also might notice the little numbers to the right (136-140). This year, for the first time, I am keeping track of the number of school days we have and am trying to make it to 180 for the year! (And, I do include traveling days as long as we are learning!)

So, that's how I plan our school days. I hope it might help someone!

10 Trivia Facts You Probably Used to Know

I came across an article by Caroline Taggart titled "Ten Trivia Facts You Probably Used to Know."  I thought I'd use her list, which covers a variety of subjects, to see how many of the 10 I have taught Alex. Here is her list and my reponses:

1. Language Arts What is the difference between a phrase and a clause? We covered this last year in Classical Conversations as part of our memory work.

2. Biology: What is photosynthesis? If we've covered this, it has only been in picture books and briefly. But, Alex is taking a Botany class at our co-op this semester using Exploring Creation with Botany. So, I'm pretty sure she'll cover this!

3. History: What was the War of 1812? We learned a history song about it in Classical Conversations last year. And, we also read the Mackinac Island trilogy by Gloria Whelan (great books) which were set during this time and talk about the war.

4. Literature: Where does the expression "It just growed?" come from? First of all, I don't recgonize that expression. But, it came from the character Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin!  So, we haven't studied it, but we are becoming familiar with Uncle Tom's Cabin.

5. Math: Who was Pythagoras? We've read What's Your Angle, Pythagoras?

6. Geography: What were the original 13 colonies? We've talked about them, but haven't memorized them.

7. Chemistry: What's the Periodic Table of the Elements? We've talked about this quite a few times and really enjoy our poster by Theodore Gray.

8. Physics: What are conduction, convection, and raditaion? No, we haven't covered these!

9. Art: Who was Jackson Pollock? We studied him this year and Alex has recognized his artwork at various musuems we've been to.

10. Music: Why should I care about Johann Sebastian Bach? We haven't studied Bach, but I play some of his pieces on the piano and Alex recognizes them. I would like to study him, though!

So, how are we doing? Overall, I'm pretty happy with what we've covered. I know this is only 10 questions, but it shows that we are covering quite a varietly of subjects. I think it shows me that I do need to concentrate more on science, which I've been telling friends for quite a while. And, although I don't think it is of utmost importance, I would like to cover more about music and composers.

How about you? How many of the 10 have you covered?

First Day of School... plans???

We will be starting school on Monday... and we'll also have a house painter here at 8:30 am. So, I've been thinking about what we should do for the first day of school. We traditionally go out for a doughnut breakfast and take a photo at home, but I was trying to think of more ways to make the day special... even with a painter around all day. :-) Any ideas?

Oh, and we organized most of our school things today. Yeah! I'll have to share photos tomorrow.

Homeschool Humor

I have been out on the road again and have been totally taking a break from homeschooling. I even started doing some genealogy research again - and finding a TON of information! But, we start back to school on Monday, so I need to get our "school" in order. I'm reading some blogs tonight and came across some great homeschool humor at Alston Academy. Enjoy!

You Must Be Homeschooled If...
Someone asks what grade you're in and you're not sure.
You sometimes go to school in your pajamas.
You sleep till 9:00 am on school days, but get up early on Sundays.
Your favorite author is Jane Austen (girls) or Robert Louis Stevenson (boys).
You own the entire series of Saxon Math books.
Your birthday is an official school holiday.
You don't get to stay home from school when you're sick.
You are unaware of the current fads, fashions, and slang terms.
Your favorite activity is reading.
You know what a unit study is.
Watching a movie means you'll have to write a report comparing the film to the book.
You dress up as historical or literary characters for Halloween.
You exchange e-mail Valentines with your homeschool pen pals.
Your room looks like a science lab.
You can get science credit for going to the dentist.
You go to the park for P.E.
You check out at least ten books every time you visit the library.
You have ever attempted to teach yourself physics.
You have no idea what rock bands are currently popular.
You get books and science kits for your birthday.
You know what Latin roots are.
Your board games all have names like "Bookworm", "Scrabble", "S'math", "Game of Knowledge", and "Name The State".
Your home library is arranged in Dewey Decimal order.
Your favorite place to study is outside, under a tree.
You can quote lines from Shakespeare, but not from South Park.
You memorize math formulas for fun.
You never get nervous on the first day of school.
The only bully you ever run into is your big brother.
You don't have to remember a locker combination, just your computer password.
It takes you less than a minute to walk to school.
You don't have to worry about forgetting anything - you can just run back to your room and get it.
Your school bus is a nine-passenger van.
There are only nine students in your class - but all of them are your brothers and sisters.
You have a 12-year-old, a 6-year-old, and a 2-year old in the same class.
You can get extra credit for cleaning your room.

* * *
You Must Be a Home Educator If...
You live in a one-house schoolroom.
Your walls are covered with maps and timelines.
You know what math manipulatives are.
You have mold growing in your fridge…on purpose.
Your preschooler can name all the planets, but doesn't know who the Rugrats are.
You've mastered the fine art of vacuuming a floor without sucking up a Lego or K'nex piece.
You're either an expert at doing the Lego dance - Oooch! Ouch! Yeow! - or else you've resorted to wearing shoes around the house.
You know the recipes for homemade versions of Play-doh, finger paint, and paste.
Your students have to clear the breakfast bowls off the table before sitting down to do their school work.
Your house is messy, but your kids are happy.
You know that reverse psychology really works.
Your kids publish their own family newsletter.
You shop for birthday presents at educational stores.
All you want for Christmas is a Barnes & Noble gift certificate.
You'd rather buy books than clothes.
Your friends don't want to help you move because you have so many books.
You turn a trip to the grocery store into a learning experience.
You get nervous about what people will say when you take your kids to K-Mart in the middle of the day.
You have a standard one-minute speech to give to store clerks, mother-in-laws, and school officials about why you homeschool.
You are sick and tired of answering the question, "But what about socialization?"
For your wedding anniversary, you decide to splurge and get a photocopier.
Talking out loud to yourself is the same as having a parent/teacher conference.
When you see a parking lot full of mini vans, you wonder if there's a homeschooling conference.
You take your family vacation in September, when the beaches and theme parks are empty.
You take a suitcase full of books along on your family vacation.
You can never find your kitchen utensils because they're out in the sandbox.
Your kitchen doubles as a science lab.
You are on a first name basis with your local librarian and bookstore owner.
The UPS driver delivers a box of Scholastic books to your doorstep once a month.
You know the scientific names of dinosaurs from A to Z.
You're willing to drop what you're doing at a moment's notice to go look something up in a dictionary or encyclopedia.
You have ever vented for more than five minutes on the evils of standardized testing.
You don't get fired for teaching your students about God.
Some days you learn as much as your students.
The more your kids learn, the less you seem to know.

Twinkling Star's Friday Freebie

Makita over at Twinkling Stars has started a new weekly contest. This week's contest is this: "Share your best lesson you have learned about homeschooling. And do it in 13 words or less."


What I've learned in 13 words or less:

Have fun.
Modify curriculum.
Read inspirational blogs.
Educate yourself.
Don't compare to others.


I think most of your learning day should be fun, though there are some things the child just "has to" do. I am always researching ways to make learning more fun.


I never follow a curriculum as written. In math, we skip a lot of the problems. In history, I only do projects that I think we'll enjoy, learn from, and that won't overwhelm me. If we get halfway through a book, and we are both hating it, we put it away.


I really enjoying reading blogs and getting excited about what others are doing. I often find new ideas I "have to" try!


I'm just learning to educate myself first. Besides trying to read the classical books I mentioned earlier, I'm getting ready to re-start piano lessons!


And, most importantly (and probably hardest), is don't compare your school or your family to others. Do your best and know that each family and each school is different and God didn't make us all the same!

Our Daily Schedule

The past 2 weeks were Spring Break for the 2 half days of classes Alexandra usually takes. During this time, I figured out a new daily schedule "system" that seems to be really working for us.

Each night or in the morning, I make a list of the things I want to cover for the next day. I'm actually doing this by emailing myself - it is just really easy that way as I don't have to open up another program or anything.

I do it day by day because I know how busy we are that day (for example, we needed to take my husband to the car dealership & airport today AND Alexandra had her "extra" classes). Then, I make the list, email it to myself, and print it off. I usually let Alexandra pick what order we'll do things, though I usually have us do Bible & Bible verse first. And, occasionally, I add something on the list with "IF we have time" - that item has to be saved until last. As we do each item, she crosses it off. When we're done, we're done!

Here's what one day's schedule might look like:

• Bible Story - We're using Student Discovery Bible: A Journey Through God's Word. It contains actual scripture passages and also some background information. I like that it is walking us fairly slowly through the Bible using kid-friendly stories, but real Bible scriptures.
• Bible Verse - All year, we've been memorizing fairly long passages. Right now, we are working on Phil. 2:3-11.
• Timed Math - We're working through Calculadders and I can see a big improvement in speed.
• Singapore Lesson - I actually highlight in her book what problems she needs to do that day. We might do several problems from several different lessons.
• Key to Decimals 2 pages - This is our 2nd of these books, and we're enjoying them, too.
• Read 15 minutes Bambi. We actually finished Bambi yesterday. It was a long book with wonderful descriptive passages and some very sad scenes. Quite different from the Disney version.
• Copywork - taken from whatever current literature we are reading
• Cursive - I make up a short page for her to copy.
• Language Arts - various - sometimes computer games, sometimes some workbook pages
• Piano - practice 15 minutes
• Piano worksheet
• Lapbook - this week we've been working on 1 section (like science) per day

So, that's how we're doing things! We both enjoy knowing exactly what we need to get done that day. And, Alexandra enjoys choosing what we do next. She picks the more "fun" things first, like the lapbook. I used to think this wasn't a good idea, but we also used to often "burn out" in the day before getting to the fun stuff. Now, if the "fun stuff" is done, I do have the energy to "make her" finish the rest of her subjects. And, when occassionally we don't get it all done, it carries over. :-)
On another note... several of you have commented about the chicken ear lobes. Even though I'd read that fact on 2 different websites, I started to doubt it. So, I looked up chicken anatomy, and they do have ear lobes! You can look here. :-)

One last thing... at Alexandra's "school" today, I was sitting in a field of white clover taking photos of bees when the kids came out. A lot of them were curious as to what I was doing. I told them and 2 of the kids wanted to take pictures, too. The photo above was taken by a 7 year old boy! You'll have to enlarge it, but it is really good if not kind of off-centered. And, while talking with the kids, I found out that one of them has some bee hives and they are getting ready to get more! I went over and talked to her mom and was fascinated that they are raising bees. Now, I want to move to the country and have my own hives. :-)

Animal School

This gives me chills... and makes me appreciate homeschooling all the more.

Spelling

While at our local homeschooling convention, I attended a seminar on spelling given by Andrew Pudewa of Excellence in Writing Institute. I was amazed by what I learned! (And, I was happy that he recommended either his own spelling program or AVKO, which is what we're using this year.)

Alexandra always wants to practice spelling using a spelling bee format - and this is a great way to practice! I wanted to share what I'd learned from Mr. Pudewa, and his website did a nice job of summarizing:

"Spelling is the correct retrieval of sequentially stored, virtually random bits of information. To spell well, students need to correctly retrieve that information.

When we look at a word we see it as a whole. But spelling is sequential, and the correct sequence can be missed when seen as a whole. Spelling the word out loud, letter by letter, ensures accurate storage of the correct sequence in the brain. Hence, auditory input is the best possible way to store spelling information accurately."

735 Kids

This weekend, we went to our local homeschooling convention - one of 2 large conventions they have in the Houston area. This is the 2nd time I've been, but last time I didn't listen to any of the speakers and Alexandra didn't come with me.


I learned a lot in the classes and spent a lot while shopping. Alexandra had fun in the children's program. At the end of the convention, the children got together and sang some songs they'd learned. The Children's Program had served 735 kids!!! And, there had been 192 teen helpers! Now, that's a lot of homeschoolers!

I'm so happy we homeschool in Texas where there are so many homeschoolers and so much freedom. And, I'm grateful to the homeschoolers who have paved the way in Texas.


To those of you who live where the environment isn't so homeschooling-friendly, I'm so glad that you are out there making the road easier for those who will come along next - like our children! I don't know how you do it, but keep up the good work!

Homeschool Open House 2007

Less of Me - More of Him has started a homeschool open house for everyone to share about their homeschooling plans for the coming year. More than 150 homeschoolers have already shared their plans, so I thought I'd add mine. It's something I've been meaning to do anyway!

We have one child, a daughter who is almost 7. We decided to homeschool her around the age of 3, so she's been homeschooled from the start. This will be her "2nd grade" year - our 3rd year of "real" homeschooling.

I've been pretty laid back and flexible the past 2 years, and plan to stick to more of a schedule this year. We do most of our homeschooling at the kitchen table, on the couch, or with Alexandra at her "desk." In the past, we've been very busy with field trips, but I plan on cutting back on those this year.

We've never stuck to a daily schedule, but this is our plan for the coming year:

• 7:30 - wake up Alexandra!
• 8:30 - breakfast and Bible time
• 9:00 - math
• 9:45 - reading
• 10:15 - language arts (spelling, grammar, handwriting, narration, dictation, etc)
• 11:00 - KONOS
• 12:00 - lunch
• 12:30 - KONOS
• 2:00 - done!!!

For math, we are using Horizons for the first time. We are using AVKO's Sequential Spelling, LLATL, and a variety of other things for language arts. And, we are using the online KONOS co-op for science and history. This is a very fast paced, fun group that should help me stick on schedule.

One day per week Alexandra will be taking enrichment classes. And, she'll also be taking karate 3 times per week, gymnastics 1 time a week, and probably continuing with Keepers (which is like Girl Scouts).

That's our plan! So, check back if you'd like to see how we're doing. We are opening the school doors on August 2oth!

homeschool schedule

I've been having trouble sticking to any kind of homeschooling schedule lately. I know one of the reasons is that we do so many extra, out-of-the-home activities. But, even on other days, I've been really struggling lately. So, I thought I'd follow one day and see if I could figure out how to improve our school and get more schooling done.

I followed our schedule on Friday, and these are some of my conclusions:

• clean the kitchen at night - including putting the washed dishes away! (I often leave them out "to dry")
• get up at 6:30 & shower before Alexandra gets up (I had been doing that faithfully, and I've been slipping - I would like to change that to 6:00 after the new year)
• give Alexandra her bath/shower at night
• type up history questions at night
• check email early & quickly & then stay off the computer until school's over!
• aim for starting school at 8:30 (maybe 8:45 to start with)
• consider changing our math routine - should we take a break from our curriculum??? (this has been a big struggle lately)

What I'm Learning This Week

God has been teaching me two things this week about homeschooling:

1. Homeschooling is not a race.
2. Homeschooling is about more than academics.