It's been a long time since my last post. We've had a lot going on, and blogging about it wasn't an option. But, we'll be starting back in to school soon. In fact, my original plans had us starting today. However, Princess E found out last week that she made it to the semi-final round in our County Fair Talent Competition. She will be performing there tomorrow night. So to afford her practice time, and not try to do school while she is a bundle of nerves, we put off starting for a few extra days. If she doesn't advance to the finals, we will begin on Thursday. If she makes it to the finals on Saturday, then we will start on Monday.
We have started two weeks of swim lessons. All four girls are taking lessons. Princess E, if she passes, will be done with them after this go around. Princess S needs to test out of two more levels. Princesses L and M took lessons earlier on this summer, and this is their second time in levels two and one respectively. They are doing much better on the first day than they did on the last day in June!
Princesses E, S and L went to church camp this summer. It was Princess L's first time and she had a blast. All the girls are looking forward to next summer already! Princesses E and S also attended a music and drama camp this summer. They had to learn all the music before the camp began, and then spent four days learning all the choreography and perfecting the skits and songs. Princess E was allowed into the high school group because they needed a few more kids. She had a total of eight performances over two and a half days. Quite grueling. Princess S went to the 5-8th grade camp. They had four performances over a day and a half. Both girls were in their element and are itching to go back next year.
The biggest change, schoolwise, for next year is our core curriculum. Do to several issues we had last year, we are going to make a switch this year to Heart of Dakota. We will be following many of their suggestions, though we are keeping a few of our own tried and true things. So here is the lowdown of what each girl will be using.
Princess M - K4
She will be using Little Hearts for His Glory (LHFHG) this year. We will be spreading this out over two years, as she will not be five until November. We will take it slow and steady. There are only two changes we are making to Carrie's suggestions. We will use Math-U-See Primer for math. All the others used it and I see no reason to upset the apple cart. We will also be using All About Reading Level 1 for phonics instruction.
Princess L - 2nd Grade
She will be using Bigger Hearts For His Glory (BHFHG) this year. My plan is to take a year and a half to do this program. She is still in vision therapy working through some issues that affect her reading, so slowing down seems a great thing to do. We will work half speed for the first half of the year, then pick up the pace in February. The changes we are making to Carrie's suggestions are few. First, we are using KISS Grammar instead of Rod and Staff. For math, I'm a little bit unsure, but we will be combining Two Plus Two Is Not Five with Math-U-See Alpha. Math is not any of our strong suits. I know she is behind at this point. I'm choosing not to sweat it, and to figure she will catch up once she gets past the vision glitch and is reading better. Also, for literature, she will be learning the method used in Teaching the Classics. We will be loosely following the Reading Roadmaps at Center for Lit.
Princess S - 6th Grade
She will be using Resurrection to Reformation (RTR) this year. It was a hard decision whether to combine these older two princesses. In the end, even though it meant more money this year, I opted to put them in different programs because sharing books and a guide seemed like it would bring too much stress and negativity into our house. There will be several modifications we are making to RTR. For math, she will be doing Math-U-See Epsilon. For science, she will be using A Nature Walk With Aunt Bess from Queen Homeschool. Honestly, I wasn't sure which of these to use, but when I was at our homeschool convention I found a copy of this book in the damaged bin for 40% off. The back cover had a fold in it, and that was the only damage I found. So that is what she is using. She is very artsy, so I think this will be a good fit for her. We had already covered the topics in RTR science with a different curriculum in the past, so I wanted something open and go for her. For writing, I had planned to go with the suggested Medieval Writing. However, the opportunity came up for her to take a homeschool tutoring class. They are doing IEW Level B. She will also take an art class through the same place. For grammar, she will be reading through Grammar Voyage and then doing Practice Voyage. She will also be doing the second half of Latin For Children A. Literature will be the Teaching the Classics method with Reading Roadmaps. I am planning to combine the oldest two princesses and have them share these books. For the first quarter, they will read easy children's books along with Princess L and we will have all three girls involved in the discussions. For the rest of the year, we will use a mix of books between the 6, 7, and 8th grade suggestions. Finally, for vocabulary this year we are using Vocabulary Vine. She will be combined with her sister and we will try to do one or two each week before our literature discussion.
Princess E - 8th Grade
She will be using Revival to Revolution (R2R) this year. I debated whether or not to use extensions, but decided that, since this was our first year with HOD, and because there is a little catching up to do from last year, that we would skip them. There are a few changes we are making with R2R. First and foremost, she is switching to Aleks for math this year. When she did the Peabody this spring, we identified some issues that we want to clear up. She began using this at the beginning of the summer. The goal we have set is for her to get through all three of the middle school math levels by the end of July 2013. This should have her set to begin Algebra next year. She is required to spend an hour a day on math. Second, we will be going light on the grammar this year. She will do 4 Practice 1, and then will be finishing Latin For Children B. She is a little over halfway. As stated above, she will be doing the same writing tutoring class as her sister, and will be doing literature and vocabulary with her as well. She is also taking an Intro to Theatre class through a different homeschool class.
That is our year in a nutshell. It looks daunting as I type it all out, but I'm also trying to approach this year a little more laid back than last year. My older two princesses will have a bit of a learning curve with having written and oral narrations. But I'm confident they can do it. They also will have to learn that it pays to be diligent and keep your mind on your work. They will have to complete each week's work mostly on their own, and will reap the consequences on the weekend if they don't. The little two will be working mostly with me, but since we will be starting at half pace, it should make the transition a little easier. Now we just have to wait and see if we will be starting on Thursday or on Monday.
Showing posts with label preparing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparing. Show all posts
7/27/10
Homeschool Room
Last year at Christmas break, I decided that I wanted to change our little used living room into a homeschool room. So little by little we have added some things to make it more usable as a homeschool room. Here's a little bit about each of the shots in the slideshow:
Piano - This would be the piano my parents bought when I was five. I took lessons on it for almost eight years. When my mother moved across the country right after I graduated from college, my step dad told her he would buy her something else if she would leave it with me. (I think he knew it would get a lot more attention from me than from her.) Princess M has been taking lessons for four and a half years and Princess S for three years. Princess L would start this year if we let her but we told her she had to wait until she was reading well enough, or until she was 6 1/2 - whichever came last.
Teacher's Manuals - This is where I keep all of my big stuff.
Ikea Billy Bookshelf - I've waited for this for a long time! I finally was able to take my books out of boxes and bins and put them all up where they are easily seen and accessible. And would you believe they are almost totally full! I can gain a little space by putting books of the same height on one shelf and add another shelf.
Teacher/Mom's Desk - We've had this awesome desk hanging on the wall for about six months and I love it! It's another Ikea buy. The nice thing is that when we do need to use the room for something other than school, like an extended family celebration, then it closes up into the wall and locks! Which also means I can keep my laptop away from the kids if I'm not going to be around. The organizers came from DH's work. They are moving their office at the end of the summer and are getting rid of stuff. He brought home several things that had been left in the cafeteria for anyone who wanted them. They're a little beat up but they work great.
Whiteboard - This was a Christmas gift from Nanny and Papa. Another nice addition. Notice the picture of the principal (DH) that hangs over it. He hung that as a joke a long time ago when his family was going to be coming over. But, I teased him endlessly because he wrote "Principle (name) Strive for Excellence". I reminded him that the principal was your pal. It remains there still to remind us.
Height Adjustable Tables - I purchased these from Sam's Club. I love them because they are easily taken down and stored, have handles built in, and are height adjustable. Last year I had one as low as it goes, and one at chair height. I figured Princesses L and M would use one, but they really didn't yet. So this year, since we had the stools, and I have one (Princess S) who NEVER SITS STILL, I thought we'd try this at counter height and see how it worked. It will keep Princess M from coloring on, spilling on, grabbing or otherwise attacking whatever is on their desk at the time. I also have one sorter on the top that they can use to put some of the more often used books. For this year, only the older two princess will use these tables. Princess L still does everything with me, so we just work at the kitchen table, which is just to the left of my desk.
Read Aloud Sofa - When we made the room over, we brought our old beat up sofa (which was our first major purchase as an engaged couple) up from the family room and moved our "nice" furniture (read less beat up) down to the family room. While it takes up a large foot print, we needed to have a sofa for read alouds. At least for those that we don't do during lunch.
Entire Room - Someday I have dreams of doing more, but not until we have a lot more saved up.
Well there you have it. I hope this gives you a little better glimpse into our homeschool life. And for a full disclaimer - it never looks that straightened up. I grabbed the rest of the stuff that was scattered all over and put it all in a laundry basket so I could take pictures. I'll have to go through it all tomorrow.
Piano - This would be the piano my parents bought when I was five. I took lessons on it for almost eight years. When my mother moved across the country right after I graduated from college, my step dad told her he would buy her something else if she would leave it with me. (I think he knew it would get a lot more attention from me than from her.) Princess M has been taking lessons for four and a half years and Princess S for three years. Princess L would start this year if we let her but we told her she had to wait until she was reading well enough, or until she was 6 1/2 - whichever came last.
Teacher's Manuals - This is where I keep all of my big stuff.
Ikea Billy Bookshelf - I've waited for this for a long time! I finally was able to take my books out of boxes and bins and put them all up where they are easily seen and accessible. And would you believe they are almost totally full! I can gain a little space by putting books of the same height on one shelf and add another shelf.
Teacher/Mom's Desk - We've had this awesome desk hanging on the wall for about six months and I love it! It's another Ikea buy. The nice thing is that when we do need to use the room for something other than school, like an extended family celebration, then it closes up into the wall and locks! Which also means I can keep my laptop away from the kids if I'm not going to be around. The organizers came from DH's work. They are moving their office at the end of the summer and are getting rid of stuff. He brought home several things that had been left in the cafeteria for anyone who wanted them. They're a little beat up but they work great.
Whiteboard - This was a Christmas gift from Nanny and Papa. Another nice addition. Notice the picture of the principal (DH) that hangs over it. He hung that as a joke a long time ago when his family was going to be coming over. But, I teased him endlessly because he wrote "Principle (name) Strive for Excellence". I reminded him that the principal was your pal. It remains there still to remind us.
Height Adjustable Tables - I purchased these from Sam's Club. I love them because they are easily taken down and stored, have handles built in, and are height adjustable. Last year I had one as low as it goes, and one at chair height. I figured Princesses L and M would use one, but they really didn't yet. So this year, since we had the stools, and I have one (Princess S) who NEVER SITS STILL, I thought we'd try this at counter height and see how it worked. It will keep Princess M from coloring on, spilling on, grabbing or otherwise attacking whatever is on their desk at the time. I also have one sorter on the top that they can use to put some of the more often used books. For this year, only the older two princess will use these tables. Princess L still does everything with me, so we just work at the kitchen table, which is just to the left of my desk.
Read Aloud Sofa - When we made the room over, we brought our old beat up sofa (which was our first major purchase as an engaged couple) up from the family room and moved our "nice" furniture (read less beat up) down to the family room. While it takes up a large foot print, we needed to have a sofa for read alouds. At least for those that we don't do during lunch.
Entire Room - Someday I have dreams of doing more, but not until we have a lot more saved up.
Well there you have it. I hope this gives you a little better glimpse into our homeschool life. And for a full disclaimer - it never looks that straightened up. I grabbed the rest of the stuff that was scattered all over and put it all in a laundry basket so I could take pictures. I'll have to go through it all tomorrow.
7/23/10
Getting Ready - Part One
Well, we're on the countdown for the start of our school year on August 9th. I cannot believe how fast this summer has slipped away. I still have a few things left to do, but I'm almost done. Here is where my list stands so far:
Make spreadsheet with library request datesMake and print schedules for everyonePurchase bookshelf for home school room- Clean and organize home school room
Make copies of phonics gamesGet MCT books spiral boundGet Latin books put into page protectorsPurchase school supplies - pens, pencils, markers, paint, glue, etc.Print TOG SAPs- Organize recipes and menus for meal planning (I'm beginning a kids cook night where the older two princesses will help me with a meal, so I want to decide which recipes are simple and easy for them)
Make handwriting books out of this year's Awana verses- Finish summer unit study on the Civil War
- Finish summer science chapters on the planets
7/29/09
All Set to Start the '09/'10 School Year
Boy does that title seem surreal or what?! I cannot believe it is the school year 2009/2010. This means it is exactly twenty years since my senior year of high school. I feel so old - and yet at times it seems like it was just yesterday. I'm sure many of you know just what I mean by that.
The summer break is almost over. I don't know for sure who is more excited by that - me or my princesses. Oh - they won't tell you they are excited. But I can tell by the fact that they are bored with everything that they are more than ready to get back to having something constructive to do all day long. I, too, am excited. (But then again, I always enjoyed school - I was a bookworm geek who actually enjoyed school and learning new things. I cared about getting good grades, and studied hard to get them. Well, actually I studied hard in college. I was sidetracked with danceline when I was in high school, therefore I would gladly accept a B+ on a test in exchange for spending all my time on the sport I loved.)
While the princesses have spent their summer break having lemonade stands, reading books, watching way too much TV, and playing with their neighborhood friends (all two of them), I have had my own agenda.
I had three main goals for my time. First, I wanted to get all of our lesson plans into my HomeSchool Tracker Plus software. But, I didn't just want to enter the assignments; I wanted to enter things in as lesson plans so that next year I can simply reassign the activities that will remain the same and put in the specifics with a few keystrokes. This has been a long-suffering project, as I changed things many times in the entry process. But, I think that all the time and effort will really pay off next summer when the planning process will be much easier. Second, I had to decide how to deal with Princess L's MFW Kindergarten. I decided to create my own HST+ lesson plan, not so much for keeping up with grades, but to make sure I don't fall behind. We will only be doing kindergarten with her three days a week, as she is technically still only four. So, as this curriculum is based on a six day cycle, it will take us two weeks to finish a lesson. This has her taking a year and a half to get through kindergarten. We will still consider her pre-K, however, as we will keep her with her age peers for activities and church events. Finally, I spent time thinking through how to implement Sue Patrick's Workboxes with our princesses. Princess E said she wanted to keep things how she was doing last year, so she will not be doing them. She will, however, be assigned a few boxes to help Princesses L and M complete. Princess S has these set up on two shelves in her room. She currently has a desk next to them, but I am looking into moving that desk into Princess L's room and getting her a simple table desk with an excersize ball so she can move around to her heart's content. We are looking into getting her tested for SPD, and are implementing a few strategies to deal with it. I bought the shoe rack as suggested by Sue Patrick, along with shoe boxes, but will only have one for Princesses L and M to share. I will not be putting any of the kindergarten work in there, only various activities for them to do individually with their older sisters. Princess M will do two activities with each sister, and Princess L will do one with each sister. I am hoping that this gives me enough time to work one-on-one with Princess L, give them each dedicated time with each sister, and hopefully keep the house from getting as chaotic clutter wise as it has in the past.
Another goal was to once again re-evaluate how we do chores. It has been difficult to keep track of and make sure they are done. The chores themselves have not yet changed, just the system used for tracking them. We are trying to decide whether or not to utilize allowance.
Princess M has hurled herself into the terrible twos! It is not uncommon to hear her high-pitched shriek when you tell her "no" or "stop", or to see her throw herself backwards onto the ground if she doesn't get her way. I've been reminded that this is the time to nip it in the bud. However, seeing as how the past methods we've tried have not exactly worked, I'm not sure how to do that. Fun times!
The summer break is almost over. I don't know for sure who is more excited by that - me or my princesses. Oh - they won't tell you they are excited. But I can tell by the fact that they are bored with everything that they are more than ready to get back to having something constructive to do all day long. I, too, am excited. (But then again, I always enjoyed school - I was a bookworm geek who actually enjoyed school and learning new things. I cared about getting good grades, and studied hard to get them. Well, actually I studied hard in college. I was sidetracked with danceline when I was in high school, therefore I would gladly accept a B+ on a test in exchange for spending all my time on the sport I loved.)
While the princesses have spent their summer break having lemonade stands, reading books, watching way too much TV, and playing with their neighborhood friends (all two of them), I have had my own agenda.
I had three main goals for my time. First, I wanted to get all of our lesson plans into my HomeSchool Tracker Plus software. But, I didn't just want to enter the assignments; I wanted to enter things in as lesson plans so that next year I can simply reassign the activities that will remain the same and put in the specifics with a few keystrokes. This has been a long-suffering project, as I changed things many times in the entry process. But, I think that all the time and effort will really pay off next summer when the planning process will be much easier. Second, I had to decide how to deal with Princess L's MFW Kindergarten. I decided to create my own HST+ lesson plan, not so much for keeping up with grades, but to make sure I don't fall behind. We will only be doing kindergarten with her three days a week, as she is technically still only four. So, as this curriculum is based on a six day cycle, it will take us two weeks to finish a lesson. This has her taking a year and a half to get through kindergarten. We will still consider her pre-K, however, as we will keep her with her age peers for activities and church events. Finally, I spent time thinking through how to implement Sue Patrick's Workboxes with our princesses. Princess E said she wanted to keep things how she was doing last year, so she will not be doing them. She will, however, be assigned a few boxes to help Princesses L and M complete. Princess S has these set up on two shelves in her room. She currently has a desk next to them, but I am looking into moving that desk into Princess L's room and getting her a simple table desk with an excersize ball so she can move around to her heart's content. We are looking into getting her tested for SPD, and are implementing a few strategies to deal with it. I bought the shoe rack as suggested by Sue Patrick, along with shoe boxes, but will only have one for Princesses L and M to share. I will not be putting any of the kindergarten work in there, only various activities for them to do individually with their older sisters. Princess M will do two activities with each sister, and Princess L will do one with each sister. I am hoping that this gives me enough time to work one-on-one with Princess L, give them each dedicated time with each sister, and hopefully keep the house from getting as chaotic clutter wise as it has in the past.
Another goal was to once again re-evaluate how we do chores. It has been difficult to keep track of and make sure they are done. The chores themselves have not yet changed, just the system used for tracking them. We are trying to decide whether or not to utilize allowance.
Princess M has hurled herself into the terrible twos! It is not uncommon to hear her high-pitched shriek when you tell her "no" or "stop", or to see her throw herself backwards onto the ground if she doesn't get her way. I've been reminded that this is the time to nip it in the bud. However, seeing as how the past methods we've tried have not exactly worked, I'm not sure how to do that. Fun times!
7/11/08
Stormy Weather
Well, we're having our third storm in two days. There has been heavy winds each time that have toppled several trees and put power out. Thankfully, we have not had any damage. The flower pots fell off the deck, but they were salvageable.
I've made some progress on things for our school starting up. I've got a list made of which library book needs to be requested on what date in order to be here on time. I've left myself a two week window in case we have to wait. I've also earmarked the closest substitute should that book not be available. I have E's daily task chart done and plan to print up a few for her. I have listed certain days that she needs to work in each subject area, but it will be up to her to figure out which assignments to do on which day. The exception is her vocab words, important people and science. She is going to need the computer to do these assignments, so I have certain times she is going to have to do these. I have S's daily task chart designed but I am going to be scheduling all of her work for her, at least for the first half of the year. So I'm just entering all the info into an Excel file and then I'll print it out for her.
Math will not be listed but printed in after the fact. The way that I use Math-U-See is a little different. They will watch the DVD first. I will orally quiz them on what the lesson was about to determine if they understand what they need to do. If it is a completely new concept, then we will do a few practice problems on paper. If they seem to know what they are to do, then they do worksheet A. If they get them all correct then they move on to the first review worksheet D. If they get that one all correct then they may take the test. If they feel they need more practice they can opt to do any of the other worksheets. It was hard for me to see unused pages at first. But, it has allowed us to feel more like we are moving at their pace. If they seem to "forget" how to do something, then they can always go back and do the other pages. With my two extremely distractable scholars, this has helped to keep us from getting bored and goofing off. They prefer learning directly from the DVD first as opposed to listen to me teach so I let them. Mr. Demme is more fun to listen too :)
I still have to: get schedules laminated, get chore schedules put into Handipoints and a hard copy printed, decide on hands on activities for first four weeks and buy supplies needed, and put notebooks together. I've admired the spiral bound workbooks that other's have put together, but realize that I just don't have the time to do that yet. I also know how much I realize I have forgotten to do and we'd have several to many pages that weren't included. I would rather put everything in a 3 ring binder and then have them spiral bound together after we were done with the unit.
The rest of July is looking to be quite busy. I think the time will fly be. E has a birthday on Monday. She will be 9. That is hard to believe. She will be coming back from Big Sandy Camp tomorrow afternoon. S cannot wait to see her. She realizes now, I think, that her sister is her favorite playmate.
Blessings.
I've made some progress on things for our school starting up. I've got a list made of which library book needs to be requested on what date in order to be here on time. I've left myself a two week window in case we have to wait. I've also earmarked the closest substitute should that book not be available. I have E's daily task chart done and plan to print up a few for her. I have listed certain days that she needs to work in each subject area, but it will be up to her to figure out which assignments to do on which day. The exception is her vocab words, important people and science. She is going to need the computer to do these assignments, so I have certain times she is going to have to do these. I have S's daily task chart designed but I am going to be scheduling all of her work for her, at least for the first half of the year. So I'm just entering all the info into an Excel file and then I'll print it out for her.
Math will not be listed but printed in after the fact. The way that I use Math-U-See is a little different. They will watch the DVD first. I will orally quiz them on what the lesson was about to determine if they understand what they need to do. If it is a completely new concept, then we will do a few practice problems on paper. If they seem to know what they are to do, then they do worksheet A. If they get them all correct then they move on to the first review worksheet D. If they get that one all correct then they may take the test. If they feel they need more practice they can opt to do any of the other worksheets. It was hard for me to see unused pages at first. But, it has allowed us to feel more like we are moving at their pace. If they seem to "forget" how to do something, then they can always go back and do the other pages. With my two extremely distractable scholars, this has helped to keep us from getting bored and goofing off. They prefer learning directly from the DVD first as opposed to listen to me teach so I let them. Mr. Demme is more fun to listen too :)
I still have to: get schedules laminated, get chore schedules put into Handipoints and a hard copy printed, decide on hands on activities for first four weeks and buy supplies needed, and put notebooks together. I've admired the spiral bound workbooks that other's have put together, but realize that I just don't have the time to do that yet. I also know how much I realize I have forgotten to do and we'd have several to many pages that weren't included. I would rather put everything in a 3 ring binder and then have them spiral bound together after we were done with the unit.
The rest of July is looking to be quite busy. I think the time will fly be. E has a birthday on Monday. She will be 9. That is hard to believe. She will be coming back from Big Sandy Camp tomorrow afternoon. S cannot wait to see her. She realizes now, I think, that her sister is her favorite playmate.
Blessings.
7/5/08
Fourth of July and Listing Tasks
So our fourth of July was busy but fun. We handed out the Freeze Pops and watched the first half of the parade. M slept through most of it. We went home for an hour then went to a BBQ hosted by a family from church. The kids went through the sprinkler, even though we forgot to bring swimsuits, so they were completely soaked. But they had fun! Then we went to see fireworks. Our Pastor and his family live a block away from the park where they are let off. So they always let a bunch of people park in their driveway and walk over. We all pitch blankets and chairs on the grass. The kids get to run around and chase each other for a half hour until they finally start. M cried at first so I held her close to me and covered her ears. But then she got quiet and watched. She was asleep again after only about four minutes. We laughed at one of the young teens in our group who was more interested in texting her friends than watching the fireworks.
I made a list of all the things I want to accomplish this next week while E is at church camp. Here they are:
Jennifer
I made a list of all the things I want to accomplish this next week while E is at church camp. Here they are:
To Do’s While E is at Camp
· Get schedules laminated
· Get chore schedules put into Handipoints and a hard copy printed
· Type up list of TOG books to request out three weeks prior
· Type up list of books for LOTW
· Find and purchase used copies of What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers, Walk with Y'shua Through the Jewish Year and A Place in the Sun
· Decide on hands on activities for first four weeks and buy supplies needed
· Print out several copies of assignment checklists for E
· Type up first four assignment checklists for S
· Put notebooks together
Blessings.Jennifer
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