Beginning Our Homeschool Year 2015-2016

Good afternoon!  It's been a wonderful day here so far; we have finished school, household chores are done and I've had lunch with a very dear friend.  After I publish this article I'm going to go searching for a wreath in the garage, feed livestock and cook supper (tater tot casserole) before awana.

I promised a post on homeschooling so here ya go.  This is my 13th year of official homeschooling.  My oldest started kindergarten 13 years ago and graduated high school this past May.  Over the years I've become very relaxed and I have the bonus of knowing at this point what works for me, allowing me to tailor curriculum to the needs of my children. This year, Bear is in 2nd grade and Abby is in kindergarten.

As our base, we are using My Father's World Kindergarten and Adventures. I say base because we are following these very loosely and taking 2 years to do Adventures.  Really we are barely using kindergarten because I'm using up workbooks that I have here rather than buying more student sheets.  I am using the guide to pull out topics and I'm using the book list.  I love My Father's World book lists.  Abby is also rolled into the topics covered in Adventures.  We are taking those topics very slowly, adding in more reading and activities to some of the units.  We are on Christopher Columbus this week and probably next.  That should have us covering pilgrims right around Thanksgiving.

We will start using Singapore math whenever I have the funds to purchase it.  Currently we are using some worksheets I printed from Mama's Learning Corner, practicing money, time and "real life" math.  Abby is getting practice in writing numbers, counting, shapes, patterns, etc from the workbooks I had hanging around.  I'm trying to use up what I've got since this is my last kindergartener.

I love a Reason for Handwriting but as I mentioned, funds are tight, so I printed some amazing handwriting sheets for both kids from  Confessions of a Homeschooler.  If Bear finishes the ones that I have printed for him we will switch to copy work.

We use Alphaphonics to teach reading and All About Spelling for spelling.  I use letter tiles from a bananagrams game.  Bear is also reading through the reader from My Father's World 1st.

Method:
I keep a list on my table of what each kid needs to do each day.  Whichever kid is dressed with teeth brushed at 9:00 a.m. gets to start first.  Then we alternate through the list.  So today Abby did money first, then Bear choose phonics, then Abby did phonics, then Bear did money and so on.  While the one is working with me, the other has "free time".  During that time they can play with legos, color, look at books, etc.  No electronics and must leave me alone.

Here, Abby has spelled her friend's name with letter tiles (with help).  She really is just practicing alphabetical order with these right now. And yes, our cat sits on the table.  It is what it is.

During one of her "down" times Abby practices "sewing" with lacing cards.

My record keeping journal (more on that below)

Bear works on legos during his "down" time today.

"together' time

Another picture of my journal

After we get through our independent work we usually have lunch.  Then we do our "together" subjects: read aloud, Bible, science and history.  This takes place on my bed or the living room couch.

Record Keeping:
I've used lots of planners.  Lots of them.  Some were ok, some I hated, some I loved.  I just do better with a notebook.  This allows me to jot down what we have done and go on.  I do keep notes in my homemaking planner about things that I want to cover and My Father's World has wonderful lesson plans.  This makes it easy for me to keep track of what we have actually done.

We started late this year because of the move.  I usually take off from Thanksgiving to after the New year but I think we will plug along as best we can to make up some time.  I am hoping to get Bear finished with Alphaphonics this year and through AAS Level 1.  When Abby becomes proficient in her letter sounds I will move her to MFW1.  That might be this spring, it might not.  I'm hoping to get math books sometime after the new year.

We are learning though!  Lots of things.

That's what I love best about homeschooling :)

New Beginnings

Hello!

I'm so glad to be sitting back here with all of you blogging again.  I missed it.  I need to write, journal, contain my thoughts and nobody wants to read all that on facebook (although I will link this here).

So, what's new with me, you ask?
We bought a new home.  A homestead to be exact.  Almost 5 acres and a home, garage and barn all set up for exactly what we want to do.  Not just do, BE.

I think it necessary to take a second and explain something.  You can live in the country, in a rural area, and not be a homestead.  A homestead is what you do with your little piece of heaven.  Do you just live there?  Then you live in a rural area (which is totally fine, but is basically living in a much larger than average subdivision).  We are using our property to feed our family, relaxing our dependency on corporation and over-regulated entities.  We are NOT completely independent.  We rely on help and knowledge from friends and neighbors and will continue to do so until we are gone.  We rely on the blessings of our Lord Jesus to enable us to get through every single day.  Humans have never been meant to be alone on this journey.

I see these memes on facebook of a muddy truck or 4-wheeler and people dancing around bonfires and there is always a caption along the lines of "real country" or whatever.  REAL country are the people feeding livestock and planting fields.  REAL country is working fence in 30 degree weather, alone, because your pigs keep getting out.  REAL country knows where their food comes from and how to acquire it, if they and their vehicle of choice is muddy, its for darn good reason and that reason didn't involve tearing up property that didn't belong to them.  REAL country hunts, but not just for the trophy (although who doesn't like a trophy buck?).  REAL country can wear dresses, even while working (because I take pride in how I look) and can dress up just as nice as everyone else.

Here's what country means to me:
growing food for my family in a garden
raising or bartering for meat and milk and their by-products
eating REAL food
doing the work that these things require
making things with your own hands
spending time with friends and family
slowing down the pace of life and enjoying the rhythms that come with the seasons
knowing how to improvise or do without in most situations
using the wild resources to benefit the family (hunting, fishing, gathering)
helping your neighbors and strangers with the blessings that God has given me
working together and having fun together as a family

Country isn't:
muddy vehicles for no apparent reason
always covered in camo (or NEVER in my case)
beer drinking 24-7 (unless you are an alcoholic and then I suggest you get help)

So, we have our own little homestead here.  We are raising chickens for eggs and meat and pig for our own use currently.  We will probably get another steer in the spring and I'm hoping to get a couple goats for milk and meat and a llama or 2 for fiber.

I had someone tell me just last week that they had no idea what I did all day, I must get terribly bored.  I didn't laugh hysterically but I wanted to (people perceive me laughing at their ignorance as rudeness so I must be careful).

This morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. (the time change has got me messed up).  I woke Norman at 5 a.m. then read my devotional and scripture reading for the day (Wicked Women study, day 2, on YouVersion).  Norman left at 5:45 but forgot the medicine for our steer (who is still at our previous home) so I offered to feed and medicate. Started laundry then  I woke Greg up for school at 6 and then drove 5 miles to feed and care for the steers.  Back home, switched laundry, and had breakfast and coffee.  Made my bed, sorted dirty laundry, Greg left for school.  Lee came home from work (he works 3rd shift).  He went to bed and I went to the shower, finished folding laundry, and ordered propane.  I also balanced out the checkbook.  It is now 9 a.m. so we start school (Bear and Abby have been up, had breakfast and played a game of Monopoly Jr).

School will be its own post.  Maybe tomorrow.  We just started this year 3 weeks ago and it is going so well.  This will be my 13th year homeschooling. Bear is in 2nd grade, Abby in kindergarten.

We got done with everything around 11:00, except read aloud (right now about Columbus).  We had lunch and the kids are outside playing.

As soon as I hit publish on this I'm going to finish up my house chores.  Then we will finish up school and I will do something creative for a little bit before I do outside chores (chickens, pigs, dogs, cats) and then fix supper.  Norman and Greg should be home around 4 and Lee will get up around supper time.  Such is my day.  I hope that you will join me as I share the adventure on our new homestead.  I know that I can learn so much from you so feel free to comment!

Shinn Homeschool 2014-2015

Let the 2014-2015 homeschool year begin!

I'm sure you all remember my "thought process" a few weeks ago in deciding on a curriculum.  I scrapped that plan.  I just didn't have the money.  But that's ok!!!!!  Thankfully I have a lot of books here so for about $60 we will have everything we need to get a great 1st grade and Prek4 education.

Bear will be using:
Singapore math 1A and 1B (ordering)
A Reason for Handwriting 1 (ordering)
All About Spelling Level 1 (have)
Explode the Code books 1-3 (ordering)
Alphaphonics (have)

Abby will be using:
Amish workbooks (have)
Coloring, letter, number pages from the internet (just the cost of printer ink)

Together we will be studying:
Creation/Old Testament, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome (have)
the days of the creation week in relation to natural science topics (have)

Our read alouds for the year include: (have)
Mr. Popper Penguins (started)
Little House on the Prairie series
Winnie the Pooh
Charlotte's Web
Magic Tree House series

I plan to include mapwork that goes along with history and science topics and we will learn the oceans and continents this year.

We are currently working on life skills such as traffic signs, address and phone number memory, and usage of a telephone.  We are studying the Bible together and our character trait of the month is contentment.  This will also include Awana lessons and memory work when the time comes.

I also expect to spend at least one day a week doing nature study.

Abby will be continuing exercises in letter recognition, counting (she does to 15 really well) and some at-home speech therapy.  I will evaluate where she is in January and MIGHT order the Before the Code books for her.  MAYBE.  She is 4.  I will not push her.  We will also work through some of the activities in a Before Five in a Row book I found upstairs (getting books from the library if necessary).  She has made great strides in motor skills over the last few months so I am pleased with that.  If we can get a handle on her speech issues then she will be doing well.  She IS doing well, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

So that is where we are.

I've alotted about an hour in the morning for "seatwork", a short period for Bear to read aloud to me and then 30 minutes in the afternoon and again before bed for me to read to them.  Our first day was a success.  I look forward to many more happy days.

My Winter Routine

I think as wives and mother we are always trying to be as efficient as possible.  I know I am.  I think that is why I love reading about the days of others......it helps me think through the way I do things and fine tune anything that needs work.  So I try to share the things that I like to read from others, not because I think I have anything figured out, but because maybe my day can be a help to someone else :)

Wouldn't it be nice if I could just do this in bullet style and you could go on to something else?  Not going to happen.  I ramble.  Be prepared to make it to the end or get out now :)

And we being....
I get up at 6:00 a.m.  Every day.  There are cows to feed - 3 steers, named Larry, Mo and Curly - and they like to maintain a schedule.  In the evening that isn't always possible so I try to stay to the same morning time as much as possible.  So I get up, wake Lee if it is a school day,  add more clothes over my pjs if the temperature requires it (although anymore I sleep in so many clothes unless it is severely below 0 I am good) and then don my rubber boots, hat, double wrap cowl, sweatshirt zip jacket with hood up, then heavy brown cowl, barn coat with hood up and gloves.  I fill the woodstove up and then venture outdoors for my walk to the barn/pasture.  I keep a small flashlight in my barn coat pocket that Greg gave to me and sometimes I have to use it to find a path through the snow.  I check the water first.  It is all the way over on the far side of the pasture but we are very blessed to have automatic heated waterers for the cows.  We have had a little trouble with them this winter but I am so grateful every day that they work.  So I make sure that they are working then back-track to the barn.  I give the cows grain, check their bedding and make sure they have hay.  Norman does the straw and hay but I always check it so I can tell him if there are problems.  I call the steers in, make sure they are eating, lock everything back up and head back to the house.

Now I'm good and awake.  I unbundle myself and give the cats new water, milk and scoop their litter box (they will give you no peace until those things are done), move laundry from washer to dryer, start a new load in the washer and make coffee.  I sit down with my Bible and read my Sunday school lesson portion and my chapter for the day and pray.  Greg usually gets up about now.  Then I check facebook, eat breakfast and talk to the boys about their upcoming day.

Abby is usually up by now (around 7 a.m.).  Some days she wants to watch cartoons, some days she wants breakfast immediately, sometimes she wants to snuggle and read a book.  I go with the flow.  The big boys leave around 7:20.

I reboot the laundry and get a shower.

By 8 a.m.  I'm usually ready to tackle the day.  I will be honest here and say that if I'm not planning on going anywhere I put on new pjs.  My pajama pants are heavy fleece and I wear leggings under them.  They are honestly the warmest thing I own so that is what I wear if I'm going to be home.  On top I wear a t-shirt and sweatshirt...socks and slippers.  I get started on chores.  I try to do dishes the night before but if I didn't I start there, fold laundry and sweep the downstairs.  I usually have a "daily" chore like cleaning the bathrooms, dusting, mopping or something.  If I have time I do that now, if not later.

School starts at 9.  Usually Bear is up by now.  Usually Norman is too.  School takes about an hour.  Please remember that I have one in kindergarten and one in preschool.  We have a good routine and it doesn't take long if everyone is cooperating.  Next year will take a little longer.

School is usually over by 10.  By now, Norman is moving.  He waters the chickens, gathers morning eggs and does any cow chores for the day.  I fix lunch.  I either fix a big lunch and we have the leftovers in the evening or we have a big supper with the leftovers for lunch.  I try to know what this will be the day before.  It is a work in progress.

Lunch is usually around 11.  Norman and I visit.  I finish any house chores I had.  He gets ready for work.  He leaves around 1:30.  After that the littles and I read together, play, I bake and sometimes we run to town for errands or the library.  Often I can get some sewing or knitting in depending on how the day is going.

The big boys get home from school at 4 unless Greg has basketball practice.  That gets over around 5 so either Lee or I run back into town and pick him up then. I gather the evening eggs and feed the cows their supper sometime in between 4 and 5.   I fix  our supper (the difficulty being in a whole new meal or leftovers).  I start a load of laundry in the washer (you can see why in my long hard winter post).  After we eat I clean up the kitchen and we settle down for the night.

Abby and I like to go lay down around 6.  She watches TV.  I read a book.  She usually drifts off around 7.  I usually crash around  8.  I know that is early but I check on the woodstove at 10, 12, 2, 4 and then get up at 6.  So I need the sleep.

Norman gets home around midnight.  And the new day begins :)

In the comments link up your day.  I really do love to read all about it!!!!!

Our 1st 4 Weeks with My Father's World K

Good evening!

I'm working on prioritizing some "momma" time and this blog is going to be one of those things (1. bible study, 2. exercise, 3. blogging, 4. reading, 5. knitting). 

I am severely delinquent in keeping up with our school stuff.  We started school the first Monday of Aug.  I don't remember the date (you are going to have to bear with me on this). 

I guess I should back up.  We started MFW K last year, January I think.  We worked through a few units, the creation unit and then I think units 1-5.  It was going ok, but I was having to push Bear a little and I didn't really want to do that so we just backed off.  It's ok to back off something if your child isn't ready!

Now, technically Bear is in kindergarten this year.  His late birthday would have only had him in preschool last year.  Even if he should have been in kindergarten last year I still wouldn't have pushed.  We might have worked on developing skills and review but I would not have pushed.  Pushing kids to do things they aren't ready for can really hamper learning later.  Trust me on this one.  There are a lot of FUN things that can be learned while skills develop and children grow in maturity. 

Back to planning:  I started where we left off and then scheduled 4 units, then a review week, 4 units, then a review week.  That way, if Bear was still struggling we could back off and go at a slower pace.  Scheduling this way also allows me to take time off without guilt.

Amazingly, Bear is just zipping through his work now.  We are finishing 4 days of work in 3 so moving at a quick pace through our worksheets.  I don't want to push to hard so I throw in review sheets when needed to keep him busy (and it reinforces the "I can do it" attitude).  I get the review sheets from little workbooks you can buy at Dollar Tree, Dollar General or Walmart.  I recommend Dollar Tree.  You can pick up the neatest things there!

We are 5 weeks in and finished with the first 4 units I had scheduled.  We are also working on Alphaphonics.  I wasn't sure if we would start it yet because I didn't want to push, but he was ready and is doing great.  He loves that he can read now!  CVC words right now but we are getting ready to do consonant blends :)

A lot of people ask about phonics programs.  I use alphaphonics.  It is cheap.  One reusable book.  I've had our copy for 11 years now.  It is falling apart, but useable.  If more review is needed I use Victory Drill Book. It is also reusable.  I don't use it as intended and am not using it with Bear at this point.  That can be another post.  I also love the phonics attributes of All About Spelling and would probably love their reading program.  I'm using what I've got :)  I used All About Spelling with the older boys and was amazed how much it helped their reading skills.  We will start that in 1st grade.  Back to Alphaphonics......on day 1 we read lesson 1.  We did it for a few days till I felt he was comfortable (I honestly think he had it memorized).  The next day after that we did lesson 1 and lesson 2.  The next day we did lesson 1, 2 and 3.  The next day we did lesson 2, 3 and 4.  We kept doing those 3 until I felt that he was comfortable with lesson 2, then we dropped it and added in the 1st half of lesson 5.  At this point we are doing lesson 4 and all of lesson 5.  I think on Monday we will add in lesson 6 and see how he does (consonant blending).  We continue on this way, at the students pace, until the book is done.  Sometimes we spend a lot of time on 3 lessons, or I drop one but don't pick a new one up.  You will know what is best.  Don't push.

We read a lot.  I tried ordering the reading suggestions from the library online, but either my computer doesn't like their system or their system doesn't like me....I couldn't get it to work.  Now I take my list to the library every week and they order for me.  It is hand written.  2 lines for each book (title/author) with a line in between each book.  About 20-25 books a week.  The librarian looked at me like I had grown 3 heads but doesn't even batt an eye now, cause we are bringing them back as fast as she can get them ordered (I also check out 1-2 books for myself per week and allow each kid 5 books and 1 movie apiece, each week).  What the librarian doesn't understand is that we read each of those 40 some books each week and sometimes more than once.....and we also have an extensive library here at home.  We read ALOT.

We are going to spend several days this fall at our local state park.  I think it will help all of us to smooth the transition to school, especially to see the leaves change color.  It is beautiful there!  We took a picnic lunch Friday and enjoyed some time at the lake and playground.  Good memories!

Abby is working on colors (she's about got them), shapes (almost got them also), number recognition and letter recognition.  We also do the songs, rhymes and Bible stuff together.  She picks up a lot of things from read alouds and her speech is improving....slower than I would like but it is improving. 

I'm really pleased with how this year is going :)  I'm in a good place with homeschool.  I've done it long enough now not to be pushy and stressed.....it really is a short period that we get to be with these kids....it goes fast.  Enjoy it!

2013-2014 School Year

It is that time of the year again!!!!  School Time!!!

Here is my rundown this year:
Leland, (will be on 8-9) 16, junior at NCHS
Gregory, 13, 8th grade at JCJH
Norman (Bear), 5, kindergarten at home
Abby, 3, prek at home

So, this year, I'm starting over.  Back where I was 11 years ago.  The spacing is a little different because Bear has a late birthday.  Where Lee and Greg had 2 grades between them, Bear and Abby will only have 1.  I'm not yet sure how that will work out in the long run.  THIS year, we are using MFW K.  We started last year but life happened so we didn't get much done.  I've spread what we do have left over the year, adding time off to studying things like Pilgrims and Indians at Thanksgiving and Presidents in January. 

The "learning" focus will be on Bear this year.  In addition to the core we will be adding Alphaphonics for reading.  Sometime this year I will also get Singapore math level K or 1 (haven't decided yet). 

Abby will be learning right along with us.  In addition I will be adding units that will focus more on her skill levels from places like 1+1+1=1 to give her repetitive skills practice.  Bear will also get to work on some of this stuff depending on his interest and whether it would actually be useful for him to do. 

Our read alouds will be plentiful and we will be exploring the nature that is around us.  I'm hoping to add a trip to Lincoln Log Cabin soon so that they can get some hands on history in. 

It's here....we start tomorrow :)  Check back and see how we are doing!

Our Current School Stuff

I could go through the list of educational stuff that I do with the babies but suffice it to say that they play....a lot.  We read, we color, we practice letters, numbers, shapes, biggest/littlest, colors....you get the idea.  Bear will start "formal" preschool next year.  I will post about all that stuff next year :)

For now, we are focusing on Greg.  He is 10, 5th grade.  Just finished Saxon 54....I will be ordering the next level (65 I think) sometime next week.  We are using  A Reason for Handwriting to learn cursive.  He hates it, I make him do it anyway.  It is what it is.  For science we are using Creation Science unit study by Media Angels.  Very thorough and he seems to like it.  We are also basing writing assignments and spelling words from that study.  Works for me.  That brings us to history.  I like Sonlight.  Actually, I LOVE Sonlight.  We finished up Core 4 in December.  We can't afford to buy another core right now.  So I am improvising.  I borrowed Diana Waring's new Ancient History curriculum available from Answers In Genesis from a friend.  It is nice.  It is geared with activities for all learning styles.  We skip most of them but that is ok.  I read the lesson to him on the first day, then he spends several days listening to material on the provided CD's, does the Bible reading assignments, we discuss the discussion questions, do timeline/map work.  Then he chooses a research/report topic from those given.  I have been giving him 3 days to do the report and he presents it at supper that night for the whole family.  That is forcing him to work on his thought organization and accountability. The whole history units are taking us 2-3 weeks.   He is reading books I assign that we are still working on from Core 4 (we got behind on that reading somehow) or Louis L'Amore.  He really likes westerns.  Our library card expired and I don't have any money for that either so I guess he will be reading my books for a while.  For read-aloud right now, we are reading through D'Aulares Greek Myths.  I thought he would like that but he doesn't.  Go figure! 

How our day goes:
I get home from taking Lee to the bus at about 7:45 a.m.  Greg gets up about 7:15 so I encourage him to get breakfast and get dressed when I get back.  School is supposed to start at 8.  Sometimes it is 8:30. 

Ideally:
At 8 a.m. Greg and I would sit down, I would read read-aloud, history lesson and we would work through the science lesson.  Then I would teach the math lesson and go over any spelling for the day.  After that, Greg is on his own to complete history CDs, Bible reading, regular reading, math worksheets and lessons, handwriting lessons, grammar corrections, spelling practice, etc.  The papers go on my pile and I will stop and grade/correct them as I go through the morning.  If he applies himself, he is almost always done by 10:30. 

Normally:
Bear starts begging me to play with him at 8 a.m.  I send Greg to get started on independent school work (I have all sheets, etc in a folder for each day so he can do that).  At 8:30 I manage to get away from the kids and we do read-aloud.  Then Abby wants a bottle so he works some more on his own.  I manage to get her asleep and put down and we read through history (or I start CDs).  Abby starts screaming so I quickly teach the math lesson.  I get her calmed down, convince Bear he can play with her or alone and manage to get science taught.  Greg finishes his independent paperwork and begs for a break.  I let him take one.  He comes back around 10 and works on math.  Then he convinces me that he will do his independent reading later.  He disappears.  Throughout the day I remind him until he finally gets tired of listening to me and just DOES the 30 mins. of reading. 

How's that for keeping it real?  You can tell if there is something special planned for the afternoon because Greg will just sit down and do his stuff.  You can tell when Dad is home because the schedule goes almost exactly like the ideal scenario.  The rest of the time, it is a crap shoot.  LOL 

Greg says he is staying home for school next year (6th grade).  He is wanting to try Switched on Schoolhouse on CD.  Hmmmm.......I guess we shall see.

School

I'm waiting on Greg to get up (he is not a morning person) so decided to update on school around here.

Bear:
*knows all his shapes and colors
*knows most body parts
*is familiar with positional words and directions
*learning left from right
*learning letters A-F
*he can count to 20, but we are working on number recognition
*basic addition (he understands 1+1, 1+2, etc)
*he has most of his favorite storybooks completely memorized and can "read" them to you.  He is getting new books for Christmas.  I hid all the early readers so I would have something new he could read while learning phonics otherwise I won't know if he is reading or reciting.  LOL

Greg:
We finished up modern American history.  I love American history.  We started ancient history.  I hate ancient history.  We are using Diana Waring's new series available through Answers in Genesis.  She makes history interesting and even I am not bored.  Right now Greg is enthralled with Louis Lamour books.  Our library card expired so that is a problem, but he is reading from our extensive stash of historical fiction and biographies...the stuff he really likes.  Right now he is reading Davy Crockett's autobiography.  He says it is very good.  Math, language arts, spelling, and handwriting are going well.  We are reading Men of Science, Men of God for science and Minn of Mississippi as our read-aloud so that is covering science.  Diana Waring has science topics woven through her curriculum so after the new year we will pull some stuff from there as well rather than do science separately.

I guess that is about it.  Everything is going well.  After so many years of homeschooling we finally have a good routine and so everything just kinda gets done.  There are crazy days and days when it takes longer than others but for the most part everything is fairly stress free. 

Now Greg is late getting up so I get to go be the bad mom.  LOL  Have a great day!

Fireflies and LadyBugs

Today's science lesson was on Fireflies and LadyBeetles (Ladybugs) - because officially neither of them are bugs or flies....they are both beetles :)  There is your science lesson for the day.  Also note that I was spelling beetles like the rock group...but spell check didn't like that!  LOL

Anyway, Bear is terrified of any bugs, but especially ladybugs and fireflies.  No matter how much you explain about their good qualities, he screams whenever he sees one.  Heaven forbid they be in a herd.  LOL  But he participated and drew a fantastic rendition of a ladybug...in purple.  But hey, that's something anyway.  He has also been "teaching" us all about ladybugs and fireflies.  I hope he remembers some of it for his dad this evening!

First Few Days of School

Many of my online blog friends have been doing "first day of school" posts. I don't think that I usually do one but there isn't any reason not to so here we go.

Lee had his first day on Friday. At least I didn't cry this year. And yes, I do realize that he is 13. I think I am making big strides in the "letting go" department. Anyway, he had a good first day and the last 2 days have went well also. He is very glad to have a study hall this year. He is on a new bus route in the afternoon. He gets home at the same time, but is with different people. So some of his friends that he rode home with last year have dropped by. I always wanted to be the house where all the kids hung out, but let me tell you, teenage boys EAT....a LOT. LOL I will definately need to go grocery shopping and I need to just plan on baking several times a week in anticipation of a visit. It is great getting to know his friends though.

Greg and Bear had a very short "here is the plan" class on Friday and then a short day on Monday - dad supervised while I was in town. So today was actually the first "real" day of school for them. I think it went well. I gave Bear my undivided attention right off the bat. He was THRILLED. We are using a free curriculum I found on the internet. It is going really well. With our letter of the week we are using the Abeka memory verse cards that my friend Shanna gave to me. So this week for the letter A we are memorizing "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23". We drew pictures, sang songs, read about the days of creation and several books that I had gotten from the library. I think it went really well.

While I was working with Bear, Greg was working on independent stuff. Mainly drawing. I am encouraging his artistic abilities this year. I think it is going well so far. Everything else went about the same and I was done with schooling by lunch time, just like last year. I was afraid with the addition of another scholar and a baby that I would still be working after lunch, but other than a few minutes of grading I was done by 10:30. Greg finished up shortly after lunch and was done with chores and everything by 1:00 ish so that isn't bad. He hasn't started working on his character building projects yet, but I don't anticipate that taking to much more time.

Abby is her normal sweet self :) I have nicknamed her smiles. She is such a sweetie. Loving her so much and yes, she is very different from the boys. So very thankful to have her every day :)

Our family is very blessed in that my husband will be going to day shift in 2 weeks. He has only worked less than 1 year of day shift in the 15 years we have been together. It has been at least 11 years since he worked day shift. I am so excited! I am sure that I will have to rework our schooling a little as I am used to him being home and awake at least during lunch time, but Greg and I agreed that if Dad wasn't home, we could eat lunch whenever we wanted! LOL

Thinking about sharing some struggles, but will save that for another post. Have a great week!

Back to School

Lee was back to school this week so that means we went back to the books here at home too. I thought that I would give a run down of what was accomplished this week. Keep in mind that our little snowstorm canceled school on Thursday and Friday so we had a short week :)

Greg - 4th Grade
We are one chapter from being finished with Caddie Woodlawn. I guess we will finish it up next week :) Amazingly he has been able to see several birds and gotten good use out of the bird field guide that he got for Christmas. In history we are studying 1865-1890's - and all the exciting things that changed our world during that time. In science we are studying feathers.

Bear - 2 years old
This would be tot school. This week Bear has spent quite a bit of time working his Melissa and Doug puzzles, play doh and pegs. We used the pegs to sort colors. He also loves to build towers with blocks and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Very cute.

Baby
We have been very blessed today to find out that the baby is a GIRL :) According to the ultrasound she is about 13 ozs. We are eagerly anticipating her arrival in a few more months.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Odd Hours

It was noticed by one of my commenters that my dh works "odd hours" - 2nd shift. She said her husband did too and was relieved to find another homeschooler whose dh didn't work 9-5 hours. Let me tell you, it is great to meet you too!

My dh currently works 2nd shift as a correctional officer. He leaves here at 1:30 p.m. and gets home around midnight. Some days he works a double shift and doesn't get home until 8 a.m. We are so thankful for 2nd shift though, because 3rd shift is almost impossible!

It took me a while to figure out how to make homeschooling "work" around my dh's schedule. Here is what we have so far :)
We school main subjects in the morning. Math and language arts are the "main subjects" in my homeschool. I say that because if you can read and do math you can learn anything else. We school from around 8:30 till around 10-10:30. Sometimes the boys finish up independent reading after that, but I am usually done by 10:30. That also happens to correspond with when my dh gets up (unless he works a double shift - more on that below). The boys do their chores while I cook lunch (the big meal of our day because that is when dad is home) and then they are free to visit with dad and play. We eat lunch together as a family almost every day. When dh leaves for work at 1:30 we do the rest of school: read aloud, science, history, geography, art, music, etc. NOT all on the same days or even same weeks! That is the allotted time for such subjects. This time is also when Bear takes his nap so that works out well. Dh has gotten into the habit of putting him down for his nap while I clean up from lunch and that has been such a blessing for me! School is almost always done by 3. We eat a light supper. I call it "fend for yourself" LOL Our evenings are filled with things like reading, playing, drawing and TV/computer time. We are all in bed when dh gets home from work. He "decompresses" alone when he gets home and comes to bed around 2 a.m.

When dh worked 3rd shift it was very difficult to get schooling done. My husband has a very hard time going to sleep in the daylight. We never really could be quiet enough so that he could go to sleep. Most of the time we ended up leaving the house for a few hours and came back after he was asleep. At that time the boys were younger and we did all of our schooling in the afternoon after dh was asleep. That way he was able to spend mornings with the boys.

Frequently, dh works double shifts. He will get home at 8 a.m. and will have to leave again at 1:30 p.m. Those are days that we have to be very, very quiet. The boys don't spend much time with dad and we eat without him. He will eat after he gets to work. Otherwise our schedule stays the same.

Another hurdle that we have crossed is the fact that my dh has Thursday and Friday off each week. On those days we school in the mornings only. At this time we do not school on Saturday or Sunday. We attend church on Sunday. Saturdays are for cleaning and other projects that I need to do. Sometimes we will completely take off on a Thursday or Friday but we try to make that the exception to the rule.

Homeschooling is possible when the father works 2nd shift. It is important to remember when planning your school schedule that your children need to spend time with their dad, especially if you have boys! Don't force school for the whole time when dad is home. Try to allow time for daddy pursuits! We pray that one day dad will have "normal hours". It will be several years. For now, we have learned to function around his schedule in a manner that works for all of us. Be creative!

The Perfect Homeschooler

Will the perfect homeschooler please stand up?

Now, please go somewhere else. I am not worthy to be in the room with you!

Ok, now, for the rest of us, lets lay down the myth of the perfect homeschooler.

1. Most homeschoolers don't get EVERYTHING done, every day. It might be studies, meals, cleaning or ministry that slides but something probably goes every day. That's ok. Just keep doing the next right thing!

2. Most homeschoolers think that someone (or everyone!) is doing it better than they are. Guilt runs rampant among homeschooling mothers.

3. Most homeschooling mothers have had a bad day......most have had that bad day sometime this week.

4. Having a bad day doesn't mean that you are a failure or a bad mother. It doesn't mean that you should send the children out to meet the bus. It means that you need to pick up where you are at and start over.

Ways to combat super-homeschool mom myths:
1. Spend time with God every day. He is the super-homeschooler!
2. Remember that nobody is perfect. You aren't perfect, your children aren't perfect and your homeschooling friends aren't perfect.
3. Do the next RIGHT thing. This is my motto for the year. Remember that the next RIGHT thing might be to take a shower, read a book or take a walk. Mothers need a break too!

I am the mom of 3 rambunctious boys. Many people tell me my life must be very exciting. It is! Yesterday I baked cookies while the boys drove the Little Tikes Jeep through my kitchen. My kitchen is only 3-3.5 ft. from counter to counter. I had to stand very still and hope that the older ones were steering! At any given point in time, there are dirty rocks, dirty ATV helmets, dirty socks and shoes on my kitchen table. Yes, we eat and have school at this table! I count it a GREAT day when I can see the table, bar and living room floor before I go to bed. Many days I wonder why I even bother, but, I just do the next RIGHT thing!

God has great things planned for me and my boys (and my husband too!). I am blessed to spend every minute with them. Your children are a blessing too! God has great plans for them and you! We don't need to be the perfect homeschoolers. We just need to roll with the punches and keep doing the next right thing!

***I got "The Next Right Thing" from the new First Place 4 Health book by Carol Lewis, available as part of the First Place 4 Health member kit....available at CBD.

A Day in the Life of Us

Candy posted about her day today, with pictures and everything. I am skipping pictures because it drives me batty to upload them here, but thought that I would share a fairly typical day at our house!

6:00 a.m. I got up and read Genesis 10-15 and Psalms 7 and 37. Then I walked a mile with my new Leslie Samsom DVD. Bear still wasn't up so I read some from my First Place 4 Health member's guide.

7:45 I woke up the older boys and then Bear woke up. We knew he was up because he was turning the light on and off. Luckily his dad slept through it! I made Bear and I eggs and the boys ate breakfast and took showers. Greg did Math (Aleks) first while Lee did spelling (All About Spelling) then they switched and worked in Handwriting all the while (Italic Handwriting).

10:00 I started baking chocolate chips cookies. Norman wanted to take some to work so I needed to have them done before he left. Bear was more than happy to lick the beaters and the older boys played while I baked. Then I fixed broiled chicken breasts, mac and cheese and mixed veggies for lunch.

11:30 Norman got up. The older boys were outside trying to get their 4-wheelers to start so he went straight out to help them. Bear and I ate lunch. When Norman came in he joined us. The boys ate later, after they were done riding.

I did laundry while Norman gave Bear a bath. I also got the kitchen cleaned up from lunch. At 1:00 Norman took Bear to bed for his nap. I swept and mopped the kitchen floor. Norman left for work at 1:30.

1:45 The boys and I started school again. We are using Further Up and Further In as a unit study during the month of January. We are reading The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. While finishing that up, the UPS man knocked on the door. He had Rock Band! So after school the boys finished their chores and cleaned up their room and happily played rock band.

Bear slept until almost 6 so I read part of a book, did some internet stuff and relaxed. I don't always get that opportunity. We had supper when Bear woke up ( a hodge podge of leftovers and quick fix items) and then the boys happily played with the great big box that Rock Band came in for about 2 hours. It is amazing what happiness a big box can bring to 3 boys! They also drove Bear's Little Tike Jeep around the house. It isn't an inside toy but they sure think that it is. LOL I was able to get some more reading done and a card of encouragement written for a friend.

It is almost 9 and time for bed. Norman is home tomorrow so I don't know what he has planned. I am going to throw the diapers in the washer and hit the sack! Have a good night!

Homemaking

As a homemaker, I come to my job with many goals and a few dreams. It has taken me many years to realize that I am NOT, and will never be, Martha Stewart. I don't like to clean that much and we believe in comfy as a decore. The fact that my house is very rarely spotless, doesn't make me any less a homemaker. I am a homemaker, just by nature of the fact that I "work at home". I spend my days cleaning spills, doing dishes, changing diapers, making beds and folding laundry. Between my daily doings and the chores the older boys have assigned, we usually manage to maintain a liveable, happy home environment.

As ladies, I think that we spend way too much time comparing ourselves to others. I did it too!!! We look at the other moms we know and think about how we don't measure up. Or we secretly "gloat" because for once we had it together while someone else struggled. This isn't what God wants for us! Once I realized that, a tremendous burden was lifted from me.

God wants me to do my very best in my home, for my family, every day. My best may be better or worse than yours. That's ok. God only asks for our very best!

Today is a cold, gloomy winter day. Our whole household has been struggling with sickness. I am tired - but not sick - yet anyway. I rolled out of bed at 6:30 and started the diapers that were soaking. Unloaded the dishwasher and started coffee before Bear woke up at 7. We enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast and woke the older boys at 8. Right on time! I moved the diapers to the dryer, started another load of laundry and we began our homeschool with reading Galatians 5. The boys usually eat breakfast while I read and then brush their teeth and get dressed. Then I read-aloud a chapter from Johnny Tremain. Greg went off to listen to his Spanish CD while Lee and I worked through a lesson in All About Spelling (review to come soon!). Then Greg and I did his lesson while Lee listened to his French CD. Bear sat in his highchair drawing with - I mean eating - a red crayon. As a mother, you can't always win! The older boys finished up with copywork, language lessons, and math while I held Bear and he drew with a pencil on paper.

My boys have daily chores. I will be honest and say that if they don't do their chores, this house is a WRECK. I am sure that says something about my homemaking abilities, but I DON'T CARE. See how easy that is???? After school work is finished, the boys did their chores while I started lunch. I may be a terrible housekeeper, but I am a fantastic cook (if I do say so myself - and I DO!). Today, we had home-made chicken and noodles (Amish noodles - I am not that dedicated), mashed potatoes (home-grown), candied sweet potatoes and fried okra (also home-grown). It was all very yummy! The older boys watch TV or play video games and entertain Bear while I finish up lunch. The 4 of us ate together and played "find that state" on the US map placemats. At 11:30 Bear and I woke up Daddy. He has been working very long hours and is also sick so he slept late.

During the morning hours, I have been grading papers and rotating laundry. Usually lunch is prepared in bits-and-pieces. That is how I manage to get things done around here. After Dad was up, the big bed was stripped and those sheets went in the wash. The rest of the laundry (washed-dried-sitting in baskets in the living room) was folded and put away. I finally got a shower. I cleaned the kitchen up while Dad played with Bear. After Daddy went to work, we read our history and science lessons while Bear ate cheese-balls in the living room. Sadie had her fair share as well.

Bear is down for his nap now. The older boys are playing in their room. They still have independent reading to do this evening. I looked through some books that I ordered, cleaned off my desk, packed some jars in the closet, made my bed back up and worked on some book-reviews.

My house isn't spotless. Toys and blankets are on the floor. There is clutter - I am working on it. I really need to give Sadie a bath.

The most important thing is that we are happy, reasonably healthy and that we are striving to do our very best. I hope and pray that what I have said here encourages you to keep striving toward your best. That is all that God wants from you! Put away the unreasonable expectations that others and YOU place on yourself. Love God, love your family and don't make your home an idol in your life.

Have a wonderful day!

2008-2009 School Year - Day 1

What a title that is!!! LOL
Today was a good day. I made a lot of changes to this year's schedule. I wasn't sure if I would like it, or if the day would "flow" like it always did but it seemed to work out really well.

For the past......6 (has it been that long???) years, school mornings have contained english, foreign language, reading, math and drill work. Science, history, geography and literature have happened in the afternoon. I am sure that you can guess what happened to science, history, geography and literature as soon as something more delightful came along. Yeah. So I feel that we are behind in those subjects and feel that God wanted me to work our schedule to ensure that these subjects were covered with regularity.

Today, our subjects occured in the following order:
Bible
Read Aloud (literature)
History
Geography
Science

Then we moved into english grammar, spelling, handwriting, typing (new this year) and math. This took us right up to lunch time. I allowed the boys to take a break, run around some and do their chores while I prepared lunch. I will need to plan out lunches better though......we can't live on hamburger helper (can we???). After lunch, the boys did their reading and book baskets (see My Father's World for information on book baskets). They finished up around 2 p.m. but I was done at 11 a.m. and able to get some of my chores done. What a relief! I had visions of school lasting all day long! I think it helped that I set time limits for each subject and told the boys that they only had to work (diligently) for that period of time on that subject and then could put it away. What a relief to them.....they knew that the lesson wouldn't drag on forever and ever without end. Math was the longest time limit of 20 minutes. Most subjects were slotted for 15 minutes. Charlotte Mason advocates short lessons and I agree!

I will have to work on ways to entertain Mr. Bear during school time. He spent most of the morning trying to eat dog food, hitting his brother with a walking stick and wailing in disbelief that he would be contained by the playpen (baby jail) for any period of time. I was very thankful when he went down for his morning nap at 10 a.m. What a blessing that routine is! Any suggestions on what to do with a 9 month old would be greatly appreciated.

All in all our first day of school was a success. I enjoyed the day and even caught myself laughing with my silly boys. I thank God for the opportunity that He has given us to be together!

A Day in our Homeschool

Candy has been posting about how her homeschool works and encouraged us to share what a day in our homeschool is like. It isn't exciting, but here it is!

We get up around 7-8 a.m. It kinda depends on what the plans are for that day and how late we were out the night before. Days after taekwondo classes usually start later than other days.
We begin with Bible. Right now we are reading through the book of Luke. Sometimes we split the reading, sometimes I read to them. Then we share prayer requests and praises and have a time of prayer. I think that this really helps start our day off on the right foot. Then the boys take turns taking baths while the other starts school. Then they switch. I limit bath time to 15 minutes, otherwise they would stay in there all day.

In the morning, both boys must complete the following:
spelling
language lesson
math
latin
handwriting
writing (Lee - once a week)
reading practice

They are allowed to do these things in whatever order they choose. Some of them they can always do on their own (handwriting) and others always need my supervision (reading practice). Most of them vary from day to day depending on the assignment. During this time I also work on laundry and try to either play with the baby or put him down for a nap. He has decided that he doesn't always want to take the morning nap.

After their subjects are done then they are required to read for 30 mins. We alternate between a book of their choosing and a book of my choosing. When that is done they are free until after lunch. They will usually get most of their chores out of the way for the day and then play with Baby Bear for me while I get lunch fixed.

Norman leaves for work and then we commence history and science studies. We also read some poetry at this time. They do any notebooking, mapwork, timeline work and also complete lyrical life science at this time. Hopefully Baby Bear is asleep at this time as well, but if he isn't we just roll him in with what we are doing. He plays really well in his walker so that helps.

The boys have the afternoon free. Depending on the day of the week we may be going to taekwondo. On those days we also usually go to the library. The boys love the new library! If it is a "stay at home day" then they play outside, in their rooms or work on crafts. Right now, Greg has a study on turtles that he and I are working on during his free time.

We try to have read-aloud time during the evenings when we are home. This doesn't always happen. I need to be more diligent about it.

There is our current school day. I look forward to seeing how everyone else works their days!

Homeschool Tuesday

Today was just another day in our fabulous homeschool. I find that most days the routine runs itself :)

Greg
15 mins. independent reading (almost done with Boxcar Children book 1)
20 mins. book basket (he was reading about the moon)
spelling practice
copywork (a verse fromGenesis)
Math review sheet
Math fact practice (using fact cards and wrap ups)
Victory Drill Book

Lee
30 mins. independent reading (Revenge of the Shadow King)
20 mins. book basket (he was reading about the phases of the moon)
spelling quiz (he missed 1 and wrote it 5 times for practice)
critical thinking worksheet (from Math Detective book)
Math review sheet
Latin (workbook activity and flashcards)
Victory Drill Book

Together
We read about Balaam and his donkey. We also read another chapter from Tirzah. This morning the boys helped dad mow the yard. This afternoon they went to grandma and grandpa's house for a while.

Tomorrow
We usually take Wednesday off from formal schooling because daddy is home. Unless we manage to do something spectacular, I won't post again until Thursday :)

Have a great day!

Homeschool Monday

Candy is hosting a Homeschool Week over at here blog, so I thought that I would join in. Here is a look at our Monday:

Greg (7 years old - 1st grade)
15 mins. independent reading (Boxcar Children book #1)
20 mins. book basket reading
Italic handwriting page (he was working on numbers 0-5)
Math-u-see page (it was a review page, he is working on addition)
Spelling quiz (he aced it....moving on to the next list)
He spent probably 10 mins. working on his math facts using fact cards and wrap ups.
He is on the last page in Victory Drill Book, a speed reading drill book so he worked on that. The words are 3 syllable (generous, character, ect.)


Lee (9 years old - 4th grade)
30 mins. independent reading (Revenge of the Shadow King)
20 mins. book basket reading
Italic Handwriting page (he is working on cursive capital letters)
Math-u-see page (review page, he is working on multiplication)
Spelling practice and review of words
Latin exercises (he is learning future tense verb endings - we forgot to do flashcards)
He worked through his 3 Victory Drill book pages.
He also spent about 10 mins. working through fact cards and wrap ups for multiplication practice.

Together
We have virtually abandoned science for the year. We finished everything that I wanted to get through so now we are done. And lets face it.....watching the huge snapping turtle cross the yard the other day is way more exciting than any book lesson.
For history we learned about the 40 years of wilderness wanderings by the Israelites for their failed trust in God. We also read a chapter in Tirzah.

That is about it. Things are winding down here so we are dropping subjects as we finish books. History and Bible will be the last to go (along with math) and we should finish our "year" in May sometime. We will probably take a very short break and then start the next "year" in early June assuming that I have ordered the rest of my books by then. I am also hoping to garner enough energy over the next couple of weeks to finish next years lesson plans :)

I will continue to post what we are doing this week for anyone interested, but to be honest it will probably just be more of the same thing. We aren't very exciting but we are consistent!
Blessings,
Carie

A look into our homeschool

I think that it is important for us homeschool moms to see how others organize their days. I find it particularly encouraging and refreshing to see how others do things. I learn so much from my homeschool mom friends!!!!!!

Here is a look at our homeschool today :)

Chad (the little guy I babysit) got here early because school was canceled due to bad weather (he attends PreK at the public school and usually doesn't get here until around 11 a.m.). He arrived at around 8 a.m. Luckily I had knew that school was out and I had already showered and had breakfast. Norman worked a double shift last night so he was just getting home at 8 a.m. He would only be able to sleep a few hours before returning to work, so it was going to be imperative that we be very, very quiet this morning.
My boys got up, got dressed (Lee is still in his pj's for some reason), ate breakfast and brushed their teeth. We started school around 9 a.m. I instructed them to do all the subjects that required me FIRST (usually I let them pick the order) so that I could spend a little time with Chad one-on-one later. We zipped through copywork, Latin (Lee), math and spelling. Then both of my boys got to reading. They have time for selections of their choice and then time for book basket (history, science and literature selections). While they were reading I worked through a couple of preK worksheets with Chad. He likes to be able to "do school" too :)

I started cooking lunch about 10:30 and the boys finished up with their reading. They played quietly in their room until I called them for lunch at 11. We had hot dogs, pork and beans and green beans. When lunch was finished everyone gets "free time" till dad goes to work at 1:30. The boys played and I pre-read the science chapter for later. I also put an apple pie in the over to bake :)

Norman got up, cleaned up and left for work at 1:15. The road were horrible today and it took him forever to get to work......almost 1 1/2 hours rather than the 45 mins. it usually takes. We kept in touch by cell phone so that I knew he made it ok. School started back up at 1:30 and Chad laid down to take a nap. We read a chapter from Story of the World Vol. 1, reviewed our Veritas Press history and Bible cards and read the corresponding pages from Streams of Civilization. Then we started the book Tirzah. In case you were wondering we are studying ancient Egypt and the Old Testament this year. Then we read a chapter in our science book and discussed it. Then we were done!!!!!

The rest of the afternoon is left for playing (quietly while Chad is sleeping) and housework for mom. I am almost done with laundry. I think that we will have soup for supper. I managed to carve out some internet time (I always manage to get some time, it just depends on when!) and will be finishing up laundry, supper and kitchen pick-up shortly. Then I should have some time for Bible study (I am studying laziness) and knitting (trying to finish that pair of socks).

This is a pretty typical day. We are usually done with our a.m. subjects by 11. The best thing that I ever did was write out their daily assignments for them each day and they just check them off. They are very motivated to finish that card. I usually have time to check their assignments as they go. Chad should wake up from his nap at any time and his dad will be here to get him later. I guess that I should go finish up my housework!!!!!