In the Storm

homeschool 101: school supplies

last week we received the box from christian books.com with our curriculum for next school year. i love school supplies. one of the ladies from our small group seemed to think it was amazing that we already had our curriculum for next year. thankfully God provided the funds, i worked up a plan for the year so we were able to go ahead a get the curriculum. did i mention i love school supplies and text books.

the same lady i mentioned is also head of our co-op and she passed on information regarding the boys' physical science class. they will not have a notebook for the class (like their human anatomy class this year) but the co-op has a subscription to LAP books for each of the science classes. visual learners love lap books. both john and jarrod at least in  part are visual learners. i've downloaded the physical science LAP book for each of the lessons. the chore will be cutting each of them out before co-op begins again next fall.

i'm excited to start geography with the around the world in 180 day curriculum. it looks like alot of fun. and grammar - well - grammar is grammar. not my favorite but we (and i truly mean we) - are learning alot.

with the curriculum in our hot little hands just thinking of next year's school sends me giddy. looking forward to the new co-op classes for the boys. and especially thankful they aren't taking writing!!! there i said it; i cannot tell a lie. this year has been such a trying year just because of writing. we'll have to revisit writing probably again in 10th grade but that is then...

so, just a revisit of our 2012-2013 curriculum:

Exploring Creation with Physical Science (C-op)

Wordly Wise 9 (Vocabulary)

Easy Grammar (Daily Grams)

Around the World in 180 Days (Geography - begin)

Algebra I (first half); Algebra II (second half)

Art: Drawing and Design (Co-op)

Bible History (World History): (Co-op)

Spanish II (Co-op)

Bible: Pilgrims Progress

homeschool 101 l 2012-2013 homeschool schedule + curriculum

i have made our high school schedule in order to ensure we maximize our time and complete all required courses + electives. i am not so much going on a grade schedule as a class schedule. mostly because the boys are already ahead of schedule. here is their '9th' grade schedule: 2012-2013

Spanish II (Switched on Schoolhouse)

the boys will have already completed Spanish I (Switched on Schoolhouse curriculum) by their 9th grade year begin so they will take Spanish II. This is a Kingdom Builders Co-op course with our beloved, Alice teaching.

Algebra I (Saxon curriculum) (1/2 way done)

the photo is of the Algebra II (Saxon curriculum) textbook which we will need to purchase 1/2 way through the year. They are already well engrossed in Algrebra I. For the boys, Saxon is the way to go. They love it. We also use the DIVE DVDs that are available with each course.

Bible History (World History). The boys need a world history, a US history, and another history/social science course. They will be taking a year-long bible history in Kingdom Builders Co-op that will fulfill a world history credit. This is a new course so I'm not sure what curriculum they'll be using yet.

Art Drawing and Design. This is being taught by a young man who has attended SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design); a major art and design school heavily sought after by art students. This serves to cater to my sons artistic bends - and a drool elective.

Physical Science (Apologia)

The boys have taken an Apologia Human Anatomy (for middle school) and it was wonderful. I'm sure the 9th grade Physical Science will be just as impressive. Apologia is a Christian-based curriculum. The plan for the next 4-years for science is Physical Science, Biology, Atmospheric Science, and Advanced Human Anatomy/Biology. All are Apologia curriculums except Atmospheric Science which is the class i teach.

Literature (Sonlight Curriculum). We are finishing up Core H which may or may not run into the 2012-2013 schedule. If we finish before the 2012-2013 schedule then I will write a reading/literature schedule for the year.

 
We are also finishing up Easy Grammar Plus which is a junior high through adult curriculum.

Then we will move into the Easy Grammar Ultimate. and the Daily Grams.

They will also complete another Vocabulary curriculum, Wordly Wise 9.

We will purchase the Sonlight Core 100 curriculum for the 2013-2014 school year. This will not only fulfill those Literature requirements but the US History requirement also.

Our bible curriculum is Pilgrims Progress, an allegory. Not sure how long this will take us to complete. I don't plan on us going fast because Pilgrims Progress is not an easy read.

Our last curriculum for the 2012-2013 school year is geography.

This will fulfill that third history requirement. I don't plan on completing this in one year either.

The remaining years look (tentitively) like this:

2013-2014

Literature: (Sonlight – Core 100), Wordly Wise 10, and Easy Grammar 10)

Algebra II / Geometry: (Saxon)

US History: (Sonlight)

Biology w/ Lab: (Apologia)

Bible: Precepts, Covenants; Beth Moore, James; and Beth Moore, Daniel

Institute for Excellence in Writing: (US History-based writing lessons – Volume II)

Spanish III: (Switched on Schoolhouse)

another co-op elective

2014-2015

Atmospheric Science w/ Lab: (Pearson)

Geometry/ Advanced Math, Pre-Calculus: (Saxon)

Literature: (Sonlight), Wordly Wise 11, and Easy Grammar 11

Spanish IV: Switched on Schoolhouse

Bible: Precepts, Genesis; Beth Moore, Jesus, the One and Only; Precepts, Kinsman Redeemer

US History: (Sonlight) – cont’d

Geography: Around the World in 180 days (cont'd)

co-op elective

2015-2016

Advanced Human Anatomy: (Apologia)

Advanced Math/ Pre-Calculus: Saxon)

Bible: Precepts, Beth Moore

Any electives needed; possibly college courses

So that's our plan for our coming high school years...such exciting times ahead.

 

homeschooling 101 l the sherwood ring

The Sherwood Ring. We have read many books thus far in our homeschooling quest to learn, truly learn. Our homeschool curriculum for history and literature is through the Sonlight Curriculum and the large box that arrived on our doorstep over a year ago regaled us with a plethora of mostly historical fiction books. While I, and dare I say we, have enjoyed immensely many of the books we have read (in the order our Sonlight Curriculum has suggested), I believe we have stumbled upon my favorite: The Sherwood Ring, by Elizabeth Marie Pope. And I say this now, even though we have not even come to the end of the story. In fact I have only read-a-loud less than half.

Our wonderful, witty present offering is set in a particular house in Upstate New York (in present-day times; at least, present-day for the time of the author); this house, supposedly haunted, has survived through the generations from the American Revolutionary War-era and is named, Rest-and-be-Thankful where our heroine’s uncle, Enos, is caretaker, who has kept the house in estimable condition, as is his passion. When Peggy Grahame’s father dies unexpectedly, she’s sent to live with that eccentric Uncle Enos, a man who, thankfully for our story, is also obsessed with the past. 

Uncle Enos has little to do with his niece Peggy; and with Peggy spending so much time to her own devices, in a house awash with history, stories unfinished, and treasures awaiting revelation, Peggy discovers the amazing past of Rest-and-be-Thankful when she is visited by four ghosts: Richard Grahame, an ancestor of Peggy’s, and a proud, dashing Revolutionary War officer; Eleanor Shipley, a feisty girl from a neighboring farm; Richard’s dutiful but resourceful sister, Barbara, who finds surprising respite from her frustrated life through an unexpected meeting; and a rather-troublesome British officer named Peaceable Drummond Sherwood—I guess one would call the antagonist of our story, who brings little peace to our protagonist and kind.

The ghosts appear to Peggy, at unexpected times at Rest-and-be-Thankful, and relate how each of their lives became entwined when Richard Grahame is sent by none other than General George Washington to capture the elusive, rogue Peaceable Sherwood and his ring of Tories who has been leading daring raids against the Continental Army and thwarting their supply trains.  When Grahame is headquartered at the farm of Miss Eleanor Shipley, his childhood nemesis, now a fiery and spirited woman, Richard finds Miss Eleanor to be as much of a challenge as catching Peaceable. Although Barbara is the first to appear to Peggy, she re-appears to bring us the story of her difficult Aunt Susanna, a frustrating, I-want-to-slap-that-old-woman “tyrant suffering from twenty-seven different diseases...’ and her escape from her aunt’s clutches, or captivity as it better appears, to Barbara’s surprising encounter with the very last person she’d ever expect to come face to face with – Peaceable Sherwood, at none other than at Rest-and-be-Thankful and which has a surprising turn of events.

I would like to share what happens next but that is the very spot I closed the book after reading each delectable, page-turning nugget that Ms. Pope has brought to us. The chapters may be overly long but they are witty, and unravel a story-full of intricate characters and thickening plot that an hour of reading aloud cannot satisfy the pungent desire to read more. The book is a forest of spies, unlocking secret codes, perilous chases, witting escapes, and delectable, blushing romances (while the boys hide their face under a pillow, giggle, and go eeeewe).

10 places we've been - homeschooling 101

1. we first visited Yorkshire, England when we read a murder for her majesty. set in the elizabethan era, alice a young girl, after witnessing her father's murder flees and takes refuge with the choirboys of a large cathedral, posing as none other than a choirboy. the book has much mystery and intrigue to keep attentions

2. we joined 17-year estaban, a cartographer accused of stealing the kings fifth, and a band of conquistadors in a search for the golden city of Cibola in an unknown land, but is now america's great southwest.

3. then we were off to join joanna sprague on her journey that begins on the atlantic ocean waters and makes her way to the massachusetts bay colony as a bond servant to a wealthy family of ironworks owners in the iron peacock.

4. we fast forwarded in time to a more modern-day tale in the middle of nowhere but desert, Camp Green Lake where Stanley Yelnats is serving out his sentence and is digging many holes.

5. we spent alot of time in the forests of northeast america near lake champlain and fort william henry with the last of the mohicans

6. then we joined teenager, madeliene as she takes up arms to defend her home, family, and country from the iroquois in 17th century new france, canada

7. along with daniel and his family we escaped france to the island of guadaloupe before finding refuge in the northeast

8. off to japan in search of a mystery

9. we visited brazil during the times of the porteguise inquisitions

10. we are presently in london, the tower of london, the slums of london in the 1730s.

our travels. our adventures. our most favorite part of homeschooling.

homeschool 101: our day

 
our typical day begins with bible study. we follow that up with history and reading. both involve read-a-louds from a few books that includes a fiction, historical-based novel. Probably the boys' favorite part of the day. We take care of vocabulary assignment, easy grammar, and spelling if we are doing that then we head back to the den, and the computer, for the Saxon Math lesson review using the DIVE dvd. Following math we knock out the Spanish lesson since it is a computer-based program also. There is usually some kind of Human Anatomy and IEW Writing work as well.

it is a filled day that begins about 8 am and goes until the boys get their individual work done. Usually around 2 pm. But sometimes John procrastinates, or daydreams and he takes longer. Jarrod usually stays on track so he can play, watch a show, or play a 1/2 hour of x-box.

lately i've been having the boys take care of chores before we begin school just so i know they get accomplished. but really now that we've been going strong now for almost two months and with the addition of co-op classes the boys are taking in alot and learning alot.

i really don't sweat it if our day gets shortened and we only accomplish co-op classes, or just get a math lesson done and reading. john and jarrod would be fine if all we did was read-a-loud. ha ha, like, not!

homeschooled

 
This week begins the addition of the co-op class assignments to our study regimen. The additional work already shows that we will definitely be spending more time completing assignments. This will mean I will need to consider some juggling. I may need to consider something like Math on M-W-F, daily Vocab, Grammar on T-Th, daily reading, T-Th History or some such. With the addition of IEW Writing, Apologia Human Anatomy, and Switched On Schoolhouse Spanish co-op classes our time is no longer our own.

Right now we begin at 8 am and I really don't want to begin earlier. The boys are in a good place where they eat then go for a walk/run. This needs to continue for their health. But I can also see us spending more time in the mornings together before they breakout on their own to complete assignments individually which in turn means more time on individual work.

I think I need to give it some time to decide before I jump in and start changing things up. I do know that I am grateful for the flexibility afforded us because we homeschool.

Homeschool 101: The Last of the Mohicans

For the last couple months, and I really do mean months, our read-a-loud has been the classic by James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans. Even though we are on our break from school there have been a few things we need to finish up or continue and reading is one of them. We had missed alot of reading time when I was sick in June so I knew we'd need to continue it in July.

Let me say that The Last of the Mohicans is a very difficult read. What can be said in a few words Cooper said in as many words as he could. I really don't think the Georgia Boys would have enjoyed it as much as they did had I not read aloud to them.

They truly love me reading aloud. And their comprehension and retention is enhanced because of it. So anyways, my mom has been here for a couple weeks and she loves to read. I asked her if she wanted to finish out the last paragraph of the book.

 
So she did. She is a very good reader too - like me (no really I do read well) and yet strangely she too stumbled over some of James Fenimore Cooper's word choices.

 
I didn't have the boys do any sort of paper on the book because we really did alot of discussing of the book while I was reading it. Mostly, because I needed to know they were understanding what I was reading. (Don't tell them but I even had to concentrate to figure some of the scenes out). Yikes! I'm telling you it was a difficult read.

But I have to say that I felt a great accomplishment for myself and my Georgia Boys having read it.

 
Then we watched the movie. Again, I verbally asked them to compare and contrast the book and the movie. The movie is nothing like the book except for the names of the characters and some of the historical use

But both are fabulous. I would recommend the book first then the movie to any middle school or high school student.

Oh, and definitely read the book aloud. Enjoy it.

27 States of Sky

As a weather observer in the Air Force one of the first things I learned was the 27 states of the sky. I don't think even colleges teach clouds this way but the Air Force's weather observing school did and it is the best way to learn clouds and what clouds can tell you about the weather and impending weather.

I'll be teaching Atmospheric Science with Weather Observing to 9 middle and high school students this fall for a homeschool co-op and one of the first things they will learn are the 27 states of sky. So, I've been gather pictures every chance I get.

Here are just a few I've gotten lately:

 
Nothing beats altocumulus from the spreading out of cumulunimbus

 
Pretty skies in San Antonio for high based altocumulus

 
Altocumulus moving in and a stratiform cloud (stratus lifting into stratocumulus)

 
More altocumulus

 
Cumulus and Altocumulus

These are just some of the pictures I'll print 8 x 10 and put in a book for my class to use to help identify clouds.

Homeschool 101 - Learning about Coins

A couple days ago I saw a review on The Pioneer Woman - Homeschooling site for Coin Collecting for Kids by InnovativeKids and I knew I wanted them for the boys. A fun and simple learning tool this book board is awesome for even 13-almost 14-year old boys. The boys read each page and sifted through our stash of coins to see how much of the book they could fill.

 
Sturdy and colorful. Perfect for keeping boys' attention.

 
We spent several hours reading about how coins are made...

 
And filling up the first pages of the book with pennies from 1970 on.

 
The book covers all coins very well, when and why the coins were made.

 
Each page is filled with color pictures and highlights specific facts about coins.

 
There is even a spot for the oldest finds...

 
Is that a 1930 penny?

 
There are even spaces for special minted coins such as the Western Journey Nickel Series. We were able to find almost all of those to fill both books.

We will need to re-visit our coin books every couple of months or so and maybe the boys will get in the habit of looking at dates for those 'oldest finds' even.

Loved this addition to our homeschooling learning

Homeschool 101 - Curriculum arrived!

 
Growing up I always loved school supplies. I loved having all new pencils and folders and packs of paper. And I loved getting all my textbooks (even thought by the second week of school I was hating those textbooks - he he).

Nothing has changed. We got the box of curriculum supplies from Christian Book distributors the other day and I got all giddy. And the books aren't even mine. We will be able to dig into the Spelling Power workbooks probably this week (because we ran out), the Vocabulary not until August I'm sure, and some of the other curriculum is for Co-op classes the Georgia Boys will be taking the end of August. But we are definitely going to dig into the DIVE DVD for their Saxon Math curricula that they currently have and won't be finished with until late fall, early winter time frame.