April 30, 2009
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After having Seth 3 months ago, I feel like my interest and desire to homeschool has finally returned. I looked through our books yesterday and realized we have a good month and a half or more until we are done with this “year’s” work….however, today is day 2 of good, satisfying schooling and I am pleased and hopeful that things will continue to go well.
We do our reading together. I like to read the assigned passages out loud, while Jacob, Ethan, and Grace listen.
We all enjoy Homer, (see link attached to post). We are reading a version that is for children. The children say that “I greek” because after a chapter or two I find myself talking to the children like the book is written. “Mom, you’re greeking!” I get frustrated when I cannot for the life of me pronounce the names of the characters in the book. This morning I found a pronounciation guide online, I printed it out, and I am so thankful!
In the Bible we read about Elisha and his miracles. Once again, like the words in Homer, the words in the King James Version also make us laugh. The account of the “death in the pot” made us all giggle.
Grace is using “Teaching Textbooks Math” now, and it is much easier on me compared with A Beka. The boys will finish their A Beka books this year and I will buy them “Teaching Textbooks” to use for next year.
I decided to continue with My Father’s World next school year. We are finishing up “Creation to the Greeks” and we are looking forward to continuing with our History studies in, “Rome to the Reformation”. We all enjoy History so much that we might start the reading assignments as soon as the books get here. Do any of you do formal teaching throughout the summer?
I wish there was a way to keep David home next year. Rich wants him to go back to public school for first grade but I miss him when he is away and I feel like he is missing out on something special when he is not here for home school.
The outdoors supplies so much to think about and study. We had the toads all return for another weekend of mating and laying eggs in the pond. The children are experts at this event by now, after seeing it happen for the last 3 springs. This weekend I found Ethan looking up information in our Handbook to Nature Study book, all on his own. I was so pleased. He figured out what turtles like to eat, and we discovered that the turtles sometimes eat each other’s tails! Yesterday I heard a turkey gobble and Jacob went searching for it in the woods. When he came home he wrote a short essay about finding it, what it looked like, and what it did when it saw him.
~Mama Schoolteacher
Comments (16)
This is a great idea to keep things going…I know of a gal who has a great blog going regarding their home schooling etc. She lives just up the road from me too. I have been using some of her book lists to get ideas lately. Just thought you might be interested in reading some of her posts. (She reminds me of you with all of her picture taking and home school info.)
Here is the link…
http://mthopeacademy.blogspot.com/
I love your background on this page too!
Sounds like you are getting back into the groove of schooling quite nicely! I’ll be sure to check out your resources.
Not sure if I said the other day or just thought it….I am so glad you have the “Handbook to Nature Study” with all the nature and critters around you! Your family would also enjoy “Back to Basics – How to learn and enjoy traditional American skills”by Readers Digest. David used to carry it around and read sections of it. It has a section on raising livestock, including chickens.
My Father’s World looks great…the sort of homeschooling I do too. I have used Sonlight Curriculum off and on and learned how to use books to teach. I also think it is great to teach the kids all the same Bible, History, and Science.
One of the blessings of homeschooling is those moments through life that you can make references to what you learned, or use words or phrases that all have meaning or humor from a character or book.
I am looking into teaching textbooks for David for Geometry next year. Math is one of our most difficult subjects…something he has never taken to. My older guys were much better at it. The expenses for his curriculum next year are a concern…High School is expensive…but looking to the Lord to provide!!
This is great friend!
Terry and I both loved our homeschooling experiences and eagerly anticipate teaching our children at home. This post made me look forward to it even more, and I know I will learn soooo much from you.
One comment about math – both T and I and all our siblings grew up with Saxon Math, and we both think very highly of that curriculum. I have four sibling who have graduated/almost graduated from college as engineers (civil, mechanical, and chemical), and T also graduated as the top student in his engineering school, so I guess Saxon was adequate prep! T and I plan on using it with our children because we are familiar with it and like the constant review of concepts throughout the books.
A comment about Teaching Textbooks
Being a homeschool momma and also being homeschooled for my education, I have to say Teaching Textbooks is one of the best math programs out there! I am the oldest of four and I never did TT because it wasn’t around at the time…I wish it would have been though! I grew up on Saxon math which is a great program! But for someone who starts having a hard time grasping new concepts…or any concept for that matter…TT does the best job at explaining how to work each new concept! It’s just fabulous!
My twin brothers are Sophomores and were struggling when they first started Algebra, we heard about TT and my mom purchased the Pre-Algebra book and cd’s….and my brothers were hooked! The cd’s (that you can purchase separately) are an awesome help at explaining just what to do and how to do it! My brothers have done Pre-Algebra thru Algebra 2 using the TT method!
Great Job Mama Schoolteacher! You’ve made a wise decision with your math curriculum!
this looks helpful for not so far future use! thanx
@Momma4Ever - Thanks SO much for the encouragment about TT! Sonlight recommends it highly, as well, which gave me piece of mind. Grace really enjoys it so far.
@ProdigalChild - Thanks for the link…I’ll be sure to look at the site!
@angiearmour - I think about your family often as I homeschool, because everything you’ve told me about your Mom really inspires me to keep going. I know you are a firm supporter of what we do as homeschoolers. Thanks for the comment!
@ABAHM - The “Handbook” has become one of my most well-loved, “can’t do without” books on the shelf! I can’t say enough about it. It’s so detailed and well-written. I would recommend it to anyone. I hope TT words for your David. Let us know what you decide!
I’m so excited! This is great. I’m so looking forward to following your journey through your homeschooling experience. I’m still new and find I struggle some days…it will be a blessing to get an encouragement!
I’ll have to check out the Nature Study Handbook–we have a lot of wildlife around our house.
I’ll have to look into the teaching textbooks. We are going to keep schooling through the summer. With Christmas, having a baby in Feb, and lots of family visiting March–we lost a lot of time and i”m ashamed to say are a bit behind! We will probably do 2-3 days a week, and then take a break in August.
I’m already loving this new blog of yours!
The white lettering is harder to read. Love to read all your posts on both sites. Thanks for sharing.
@Danielle - Thanks for the input on the lettering…I made a few changes— hopefully they will make the site easier to read! ~Shanda
Hello, something I have been researching and going to meetings about is “Classical Conversations.” So I am praying about this if this is the direction I need to go with my homeschooling. The more I am learning it seems so appealing. The first time I heard of it their terminology was over my head but with the experts explaining it and “laying” it out it fascinates me. So I am thinking about taking my two public school ones home and homeschooling all of them!!!! One thing I have LOVED so far in my schooling has been “Daily Grams” by Wanda Phillips. Have a wonderful day!!
I am so glad you are doing this homeschool blog. If we were taking votes, I’d have to vote for TT.I have used Saxon but my two oldest are now doing TT and LOVE it. Mama here does,too, because it is explained so thoroughly. My oldest has gone thru Geometry and is now in Algebra 2 and my 8th grader just completed pre-algebra. Wish they would’ve had the younger grades for them, but till my 3 yo comes along, maybe they’ll have it all.:) Have a great week-end! God bless you!
“Do any of you do formal teaching throughout the summer?”
Yes, Shanda. We do in our home. It keeps their lessons fresh in their minds and gives them something to do when it’s too hot to go swimming in the backyard. Can you believe it would ever be too hot to swim???!!! Plus, if we slough off school for a week, there is no harm done. We don’t have anyone to report to in Oklahoma (that’s a good and bad thing!) and our school (Sophia Christian Academy) logs more than the 173 hours required by law.
What grade did you change Grace’s math textbook?
The only thing I do differently, which is a lot of talking and taking in different and new subjects, is we have “December School.” I use the books, “What Every First Grade Should Know.” This was the first year for it and we enjoyed the break from the monotony of the regular school books. We covered art and music more thoroughly, we discussed Egypt and the pyramids, and there was some fun poetry and tongue twisters that they wouldn’t have gotten from using only A Beka.
I love A Beka, but it may not be suitable for all of my children, since one is learning disabled.
@cherylyn_p - I have 3 of those “what every grade” books, i agree they are fun! I like A Beka, but it was too hard for me to keep up with all the books/papers/teacher manuals. Thanks for your input!