What does home school look like?

A lot of people seem shocked that we home school. 

A lot of people.

 

I won't get into all of our personal reasons for why we home school right now...but I want to offer a glance into what home schooling look like at our house.  We don't have a mini-classroom where all the boys sit at a desk all day long.  In fact, it looks something like this:

 

Music class:  we took the family to a Pentatonix concert in July.  We had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed hearing music created just with voices.  (I loved the cello-boxing as well.)  We also include our church singing and piano lessons as part of our music curriculum. 

 

 

 Science class: This nature study brought to you by our backyard! 

The boys love exploring the forest and the plants and animals back there.  We are willing to follow interests away from our curriculum to encourage a sense of wonder and curiosity.

 

 

Grammar:  We do have some subjects that require paper and pencil and a flat surface,

but the boys often choose where to work.  

Yesterday, one boy chose to work on his Latin Road to English Grammar in our school room.

 

Meanwhile, another worked on his in the living room spread across the coffee table.

 

 Reading:  My heart melted when I saw this one reading his literature assignment while swinging in the hammock.  So, when we have reading assignments (which is often with Tapestry of Grace!) the boys curl up to read wherever they are comfortable.  Of course, the older ones will often have questions to answer so a flat surface nearby is helpful.

 

Science:  The kitchen table often becomes the science lab--unless we're outside. 

I'm really liking that my 8th grader is working more independently this year.  He just asks for supplies and off he goes!

 

 

The computer is usually busy for one reason or another.  

We use Quizlet to learn Tapestry vocabulary words. 

Ezra uses Teaching Textbooks for math which is all on the computer (except for the tests I make him do on paper--I just can't let go of the paper trail!) 

And our most wonderful use for the computer is our online co-op. 

We start again next week...and I'll post about it later.

 

So, home schooling fits into our lifestyle and our home.  We did repurpose our dining room (that was rarely used) into our school room a few years ago.  It was a great decision.  It's good that our school stuff has a place to live and can be collected at the end of the day and put away.

 

And the next time you hear me say something about home schooling,

think of these pictures.

The First Day of School

We (the boys and I) agreed that we would ease into school this year.  Start with a couple of subjects and add a new one every few days.  This was a great plan!  We'll start with the subjects we rarely finish (like math) so that we have a head start on those.  Yay!  It's going to be a great school year!

And then.....

One is going to camp and one will be gone with a friend.  My husband and I sign up to help out at the church's booth at the county fair.  Okay, time to shift some plans.  I need some one-on-one time with Ben as he learns the dialectic ropes for Tapestry of Grace, our humanities curriculum plan.

So, today is the first day of school here.  We are just doing math and non-Tapestry Language Arts.  And I have tears.  Really?  The first day I've asked you to do any school work in 2 months and I get tears?  And on math review stuff?  Do you really not remember this?  The morning progresses and nothing seems to be happening "as planned".  The bug man was to come at 10 am and came closer to 11.  I was supposed to be going on my weekly prayer walk and didn't make it 'cause I was waiting for said bug man. 

So I finally get all the boys through all their school work...and I say "Let's go to McDonalds to celebrate the first day of school!"  And guess what:  McDonalds is under construction.  They were probably still open but I didn't want to mess with lunch-time crowds in a construction zone.  So I drive to the next closest McD's (less than 5 miles down the road) and it's under construction, too!

So here's what I learned: I can't plan for everything everyday.  Sure, I'm a planner/organizer and that is not going to change.  I like to have a plan.  I just need to embrace (or try to enjoy) days like this when nothing really goes how I had planned at all.

The good news?  The King is still on His throne; I am still His child.

School update

Where has the time gone?  How was week 5 the last update?  Oh, my!  We have done a lot of work since then.

Next week will be week 14 and World War II will get underway (though the US won't join until week 15 after Christmas).  Ezra and Benjamin just finished reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.  What a wonderful book!  We were able to have weekly discussions about the reality of racial tensions and double standards.  Next week they will be reading The Hundred Dresses about loving all your neighbors.  I am so pleased with the Upper Grammar literature books that are suggested with Tapestry of Grace.  I was really impressed last year...and even more so this year.  We have substituted a few of the alternates this year and that is working out well, too.

Micaiah continues to grow as a reader and an artist.  Being inspired by his interest in drawing and coloring, I am looking into a better way to do art. (Caleb can spend hours coloring--and all his Sinterklaas presents were coloring-related.)  I am previewing the series Draw Write Now that I think will fit in nicely with our Tapestry and Science work as well as Feed My Sheep for the older boys.  I just hope we can find time to do them!

In math, we are learning a lot, too.  Ezra just learned the distributive property of multiplication over addition and has extra pages to do to prepare for MathCounts competition in February.  Benjamin is excited to learn more division (he says he doesn't already know it, but he does).  Micaiah has just started subtraction and learning subtraction facts.

Caleb continues to join in when he's interested in something.  Often when I'm reading to Micaiah, he comes to sit by us, too.  Otherwise he's coloring, looking a books, or playing in his room.  What a blessing!

Week 3--The Great War has Begun

This was a very busy week for our family with meetings and practices and such...but we were very good about getting school work done during its designated time.  Even when schools around us were closed due to local flooding, we pressed on!

For the next few weeks, we will be learning about World War I (also called the Great War).  Benjamin is working on a cool diaramma.  (Pictures of that will be posted next week as the Model Magic is still drying.)

We talked about the assembly line and had two opportunities to practice this concept. 

First, Micaiah and Caleb helped me wash transparencies.  We use transparency sheets to do workbook pages without writing on the page.  That way the next boy in line can use it when it is his turn, and we are not breaking copyright laws.

Then Micaiah, Benjamin, and Mark used an assembly line to stuff envelopes: one counted five tickets, one put them in an envelope, and one sealed and labelled the envelope.

And, finally, just a nice picture of two of the boys with Brandybuck, our dog.  We got her from a local shelter after Easter and are adjusting well to life with a dog.

Week 2 Happenings

Sunday we experienced our first hurricane.  It was rain all day with winds picking up mid-morning and staying strong until bedtime.

Benjamin and Micaiah decided that they could play "Quidditch Soccer" by lining up the goals so there were three in a row. 
(Can you tell we've been reading Harry Potter all summer?  We are in the middle of book 6 now.)

We learned about the second term of President Theodore Roosevelt and President Taft.  We learned about the great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and built block buildings to (maybe) withstand our table-quake.

And we finally got to spend time with our friends at the park.

Scheduling

One of the best things about home schooling is setting our own schedule. We start our school year when we want to--as long as we have about 36 weeks of school. We start our school day when we want to--and NY wants to know we put in at least 900 hours. We take breaks when we want to--not every day that we want, but we take breaks usually when the schools around us don't. I really like the flexibility of home schooling--especially with my husband's flexible job schedule.




But I can only take so much flexibility…I'm a planner.



So, while we try to maintain some flexibility, I find that it also benefits us to know what the "game plan" really is. So here's our outline of what a school day should look like (more or less):



8:30

• Morning watch as a family (singing, Bible reading, and prayer)

• Tapestry work as a family…This is reading the SAP introduction page or doing some read-aloud. We will also do geography and some lapbook work right away in the morning.



9-10(ish)

• This is my one-on-one time with Benjamin. We are doing some grammar exercises orally as well as spelling and piano lessons during this time. Any time I need to check progress on a project or writing assignment can happen now, too.

• Ezra can do some other independent assignments (like reading) and Micaiah gets some more play time with Caleb.



10:00 BREAK!!!



10:30

• Science with somebody! Ezra and Benjamin are working together and using Noeo Chemistry II. I am being more relaxed with Micaiah and taking topics to explore and experience…starting with bugs and trees.



11-12(ish)

• Now it is time for me to work with Micaiah. Since he is just starting with 1st grade, we do a lot of work together…including reading his Tapestry books. And somewhere in there I'll start some lunch so we can eat around 12:30.

• My goal for this year is to have Ezra and Benjamin (who are both doing Saxon math this year) work on math at the same time to try and help each other. This should also keep them from constantly interrupting my time with Micaiah….maybe.



12-1 BREAK and LUNCH



1-2(ish)

• I finally get to work with Ezra on whatever needs attention. We'll do some Latin everyday along with spelling, writing, piano, or whatever else we need to do together. I am easing him into the Socratic discussion by taking some of the key points of the Dialectic discussion to see how well he is absorbing the information.

• Micaiah is usually done for the day (unless we have a group project to try). Benjamin can finish up any independent work.



2:30 END OF SCHOOL DAY

• A wise, seasoned home schooling mom told me to have an end to the school day. My boys know that any work they do after 2:30 is to be done on their own with any questions to be directed toward Dad or wait until the next day. After all…kids doing homework for public school can't ask their teachers questions all evening!

• I need some transition time as I start teaching my piano lessons at 3:00 3 days a week. And maybe some time to get some cleaning in…or laundry…or cleaning up the mess left in my kitchen…or walking the dog…or....well, the list never ends!

Start of School

This is our first official week of school...even though Uncle Brad came to visit and one son is running a fever and taking a lot of naps.  So, in tradition of taking first day of school pictures, here are our start of school pictures (mostly over math!).

Ezra is starting 6th grade. 

Benjamin is starting 4th grade

and is very excited to do more "grown-up" work. 

Micaiah is starting 1st grade.

Micaiah gets a head start!

Micaiah is getting a jump start on school by having a week without his brothers.  We are reviewing phonics, remembering penmanship, and reading books to ease back into school before we start our first week of Tapestry of Grace next week.

Here's a picture of what his brothers are doing this week:

We think Ezra is standing on the left side but have yet to find Benjamin or his friend.

Here's a picture of what Micaiah is doing this week:

And he turned to me after supper and said, "Mom, can we do some more school?"

What summer means to the home schooling mother....

First, you can regain some composure because I'm actually updating my blog.  Even I re-read my goals for 2011 and, while I'm doing great with my prayer time and Bible reading, the other two haven't gone anywhere!  So I will attempt again......as school will be starting soon............blogging on a nearly weekly basis......maybe.

So, what have I been doing this summer?

• enjoying a change of pace and lack of a schedule
• teaching a few (very few) summer piano lessons
• playing with my kids and their friends
• letting the house get messier than normal and then
• going on sporadic cleaning sprees
• reading Harry Potter as a family (we are on #5 and my husband does wonderful voices!--but more on that with another post)
• getting ready to start another school year

Yes, that's right.  Part of summer for a home schooling mother is getting ready for the next year.  I'm actually quite organized at this...not that I realized that until other moms pointed it out!  I keep track of curriculum I want to use and ideas I come across all year long so I can essentially put together my IHIP's (NY required paperwork) by mid-May. Not that I send them in until the school district requests it, which they haven't yet.  I watch for sales and jump on the ones that are the best.  I make a spending plan to spread out cost of the next school year over a few months rather than all at once.  And then I buy....and packages come....and I sort things out....and pre-read....it is really wonderful!

I've learned not to micro-plan.  I try to find a good rhythm for our week and schedule time each day to spend with each child one-on-one.  I map out how to get through the grammar lessons (which is about 3 lessons per week) and science (which is one unit per week) and try to wrap my head around Latin Road to English Grammar (our first attempt--I'll have to get back to you on that!).  And then I excitedly wait to try it and find out how it all works.

My Little Micaiah...but not so little!

I have to report progress on Cai...a lot has happened in the past month.

First, he turned 5!  I was pregnant with him when we moved here!  Time marches on-whether we like it or not.  But I am glad to report that we love parenting this 5-year-old.  He had a fun birthday although we celebrated a day early because we were so busy on his actual day.  He chose the "colors" cake and got a pillow pet as his present.

Not long after this milestone, he reached another.  He completed the yellow box of his phonics (the first of 5).  He has learned 31 sight words and can read many simple, 3-letter, short vowel words.  In fact, we've been working on spelling them, too!  He is so proud of this accomplishment...and he's well on his way into the next box that adds initial blends.

One week down; 35 to go

We have completed our first week of school. Things went along rather well...considering that May was a really, really long time ago.

We are continuing with our Tapestry of Grace studies with Year 2. This year we will start with the Byzantine Empire and end with the writing of the U.S. Constitution. The first week was a bit of review and overlap from last year as we pick up near the end of the Roman Empire. I hope to have all kinds of interesting tidbits and pictures to share as we journey from the middle ages to colonial times.

This is also Micaiah's first school year. Last year we did preschool very loosely. Did I write very because I meant VERY? I would often ask him if we wanted to read or do an activity. This year, when I say it is time to do schoolwork, saying "no" will not be an option. After one week he seems to understand this pretty well. He loves his math and reading but doesn't want to do much writing--even though he loves to draw and color! We'll work on that....

Benjamin is now doing 3rd grade work and doing a lot more independent reading. It is a lot more reading than last year and I expected to hear some complaining, but not yet! His favorite subject to do is the Arts and Activities section of our Tapestry work.

Ezra is in 5th grade and learning to work on his own. He has added a formal grammar program and Mind Benders, which develops critical thinking skills. His favorite subject is still math, and he tells everyone that he is in 5th grade but doing 6th-7th grade math.

We are also going to try to fill out our planners on Fridays for the next week. This way they can read ahead if they want. And, come Monday morning, we'll be ready to get to work!

It's a New Year!

for school, that is. New York home school years run July 1 through June 30, so we have "started" our second year of school at home. I actually heard Ezra say that home school is "so awesome". That really made my day!

Plans are well underway for next year (we'll start mid-August), but right now we're enjoying summer. Maybe too much summer--it's hot, hot, hot!

So disregard that I didn't finish posting through last school year...and get ready for new things as we start kindergarten, work on potty training, and journey between ancient and modern history. Who knows what we'll find along our way!