Austin's curriculum

Well, for Austin, we are also using Sonlight. He is working through Core F  which is the Eastern Hemisphere.  And Science F; Health, Medicine and Human Anatomy.

For History there will be about 15 books that he should go through.  I am sure we won't get to all of them, but that is OK.  The Easter Hemisphere also has a workbook and a new (2011) version  CD-Rom World Book Encyclopedia.

Right now just finishing up with an overview of the South Pacific Islands.  Did you know that there are more than 30,000 islands and 8 million people that make up that area?  Next week we start a more in depth look at Australia.  Some of the areas of study will be the Great Barrier Reef, Captain James Cook, and a brief look at climate, and a few important dates in Australia's history.

A couple of other books for history are:

The core of unreached (Christian) people live between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator.  This book covers 100 cities and gives a brief history of each.

Another one is:

This is a true story about one missionary family and the adventures they have New Guinea.  A bit advanced for Austin at this time, but working through it.  I think we might put it aside and come back to it later.
 For Science the last couple of weeks we have been using these books:

We have been working on the digestive system, which I think is a favorite one for kids.  Learning about sphincters and why people have gas.  I bet you didn't know you have a sphincter around your lips!  It is your kissing muscle.  That was good for a laugh for quite a while at our house!  LOL!

 Bible study for Core F is mostly all this work book.  Check it out  here.  It is a little hard to follow, so for sure need adult assistance, but so far it is not too bad.  Here is place to review what it is all about from someone who used the entire program.  We have just started.

Austin is reading:

Not everything has to do with following the history curriculum  :). And for someone who 'hates' reading, is almost finished.

And for Read Aloud, one of my favorites;

Austin is doing the same math and spelling as Ryan.  As well as typing, daily journal, Wordly Wise, and handwriting.  Next month we will start some art.

Ryan's curriculum

We are using Sonlight this year for everyone, and Ryan is using Core W and Science G.  Core W in one year World History, and the Science is

Geology, Physics, and Origins.

Here is a look and what he starts out with:

Science

This is a really great book on how evolution cannot prove life on earth.  You can read more about it here. 

 A good read for children and parents alike. 

Ryan reads a chapter and then answers questions like:

What is the theory of applied characteristics?

How was the law of disuse finally proved false?

For History, he is working through these two main books:

Basically, we just read through these and have discussions about it.  To go along with these two, the novel Ryan is reading right now is

And the one I am reading aloud to him:

Although both these two books are fiction, they are beautifully written and give the reader a real sense of what life was like during that time in history.  There are 20 more novels Ryan will work through an his own, and at least 9 more read aloud.  Busy year!!

Bible study includes the following at this time:

These last three really stretch the mind and make you want to learn more about what is really means to be a Christian.  It's much more than blind faith.

For spelling we really like:

Check it out online here.  I like it because there is ZERO prep time!  There are no spelling tests, but the student does 25 words every day.

Typing:

About 15 minuets each day.  Easily adjustable for different skill levels.  All the kids are using this and me as well.  Can always get better!

Now for math.  Ahh math, that strange subject that can be so subjective.  This is still a struggle for me.  I was never very good at math, so I think that is still haunting me.  We are using a mix of curriculum this year.

Right Start Math is asian based math that uses an abacus to help children visualize what they are working on.  We are lower than grade level on math right now, but I really want to make sure the kids are getting it before we move on.  I will also be using:

Teaching Textbooks is a great resource.  This math is done on the computer and it is like having a personal tutor and the kids can work on it on their own and it keeps track of how well they did.  For each lesson there is a real 'lesson', then some practice and then the questions.

Also this year I have found a good web site called Xtramath.  This I am using for review and practice.  It is a free site, and you can have multiple children signed up.  As the parent (or teacher), you choose which grade level you need.  You can adjust the questions later to focus more on one area, like just addition, or just division.  You can then review your students and see where they may need more work.

Now for L.A.  This year we are taking a break from the BIG assignments.  Like story writing.  We will do some of these, but later on.  For now we are just focusing on narration, dictation, and copy work.  I am following the formula in this book:

You can check out some reviews here.  This comes from the 'Well Trained Mind' series.  It will really help us get our words onto paper much better.  There are workbook for the kids that come with this, but for now I am just following the directions in this book.  Mostly because I have used all my funding for this year  :)  For vocabulary we are using Wordly Wise.  Pretty good, but all the kids hate it.  LOL!  I think it's funny because it's not hard at all.

Handwritting:

 Practice for cursive

   So that just about covers it for now, I will add in the different books as we use them.  Most of these books can be found at Christian Books.  It is a great web site for ALL types of christian books, including a very large home school section.  I like this site because you can view the inside of all books, they have great sales, and ship very quickly.  Check them out if you get a chance!

Thanks for reading and good luck to all who are homeschooling! 

Our Big Box Day

   "Time to get ready for our next school year!"
   "Already?"
   "Yes, already."
   "Sigh. OK then, let's do this!"

   That was my internal conversation not too long ago.  It felt at first that my break had just started, and was over much too quickly.  But once I realized that wasn't really so bad, I got right into it.
  Since we have started our home school journey, I have tried a TON of curriculum,  as most homeschoolers do, trying to find the 'magic' one.  There is no 'magic' one.  And I have also tried to create my own.  Too hard with 4 kids.  I need to get some sleep. 
   The best one I have found for us is Sonlight.  Great subjects, great books, easy to follow for me and the kids. 
   Placed my order.  A huge order as each of he kids is getting their own 'core' this time with no sharing.  Didn't have to worry about the mail strike as they send all their stuff by Fedx. (pricey but effective).  It only took a week to get here, and then the real fun begins.  Unpacking and organizing!!


Only 4 boxes for all that money??  LOL





Box number 1





These are from one box



All the boxes have been unpacked

 

It took me one whole day to get them sorted out and grouped together where they belong.  We are now ready to start full swing again in August. 
   Evan is doing Core C, intro to World History/ with geology, meteorology & mechanical technology for science.
   Sarah is doing Core D, American History, first year (I know, but we will put with it Canadian history)/ with biology, taxonomy & human anatomy for science.
   Austin in doing Core F, Eastern Hemisphere/ with heath, medicine & human anatomy for science.
   Ryan is doing Core W, World History/ with geology, physics & origins for science.
   Everyone also has math, typing, spelling, art, bible study, LA, and a load of novels (both historical and for fun) to go through.
   I think we will be busy.

Summer Time

   Summer is here, and who wants to do school?  Not me! (or my kids)  So what do we do with all our spare time?  We relax.  We sleep in, even more than before.  We watch our favorite movies if it's raining outside.  We play.  We cut our grass, and the grandparents grass too.  We color.  We ride bikes, and play in the sandbox.  We help Dad with fencing, and splash in the pool.  We listen to the Rooster and the Gold Finch outside the kitchen window, having a singing contest.  Rooster wins for volume, Gold Finch wins for composition.
   Many people try to get so much done in the summer.  Vacations, family get-togethers, etc.  Cramming as much 'quality time' in as they can stand and their budget allows before school starts again in the fall..  I've been there and done that as well.  I must admit that it was fun at the time.  But on this side of the fence, where I spend every day with the children, I am learning what real relaxation is for us.  Just being.
   We have been done school now for only 2 weeks, but for some strange reason, we are starting to miss it.  The kids would deny it in an instant if you asked them outright, but they are.  Don't get me wrong, we are all enjoying doing 'whatever' during the days, but that routine is gone for now and it leaves a strange feeling behind.

  

Owl Pellets

The day of dissecting the owl pellets had arrived.  The older boys were not as excited as I thought they might be.  It was kind of gross.

You need to let them soak for about five minutes to help the pellets come apart more easily.  We picked up the pellets at our local home school convention.  This is our first time dissecting anything, and now the kids are not sure if they are ready to do any more things.  I am hopeful that they will change their minds later on.
Well after they were soaked up, then came the gross part.  You need to pull them apart to see what bones are inside.

They were pretty nasty and smelled real bad.

Both the boys found what we think are mice or voles in their pellets.  Ryan just had one bigger one, and Austin had a bigger one and then at least three small ones.  We hypothesized that the owl must have found a mouse nest.

We will for sure be doing this again in the future.  Even though the kids thought it was gross, they enjoyed themselves.  It's always fun to try something new.

All in a Day's Work

     What do you remember most about when you went to school?   That can easily be a loaded question.  Most people have a few good memories, but more than a few they would like to forget forever.  A precious few only have great memories.  For them, it was one of the best times in their lives. 
     Ahh, to be one of those people...

     As you may, or may not know, the biggest reason we decide to pull our kids out of school was the fact that they were NOT having a happy time.  Getting picked on and beat up at school AND on the bus makes for a very long day.   All those bad times are just a memory now.  I am thankful every day for that. 
     So here is a very small glimpse into what some of our school days look like.

attempting to catch frogs out in the slough

Those frogs are soooo annoying!  You can hear them, but can never see them.



We chased them for almost 2 hours with no luck.



Ryan learned a math game and then taught it to Evan.  This was part of their math for the day.

The start of a great art project.

     Even though the complain about doing school, EVERY DAY, no one has ever, ever asked to go back to public school.  We have made the right choice.  My house may not be as clean as it could be, there is always laundry waiting to get washed, and some projects have been on the back burner so long now that they are burned beyond recognition.  There is nothing that could make me change my mind that home school is a great thing!