Curriculum and Routine 2012-2013

As I said before, this year has brought about a refreshing sigh of relief into our school.  

Taking this deep breath has allowed me to focus on the things that really matter...family, friends, our church, The Little Mermaid...hey, how did she get in here????  Oh yeah, she is in absolute control of our lives until next weekend!!  Karsyn is in a local production (Central Community Theater if you're from around here) of The Little Mermaid which means that we spend a whole lot of time singing Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl.  She loves theater and drama, and has begged for years to "be on a stage", so this fall we signed her up.  She loves it I tell you....LOVES IT!!!!  But what I love is that I have come to a place in my homeschooling walk where I can be okay with practices until 10:00 at night, knowing that if we sleep in the next morning all will still get done....or it won't, and either way it is okay!!!!  This has been a crazy phase of our lives.  SO WHAT!!!  I don't want to wash out all the excitement with the all too familiar, "I hope you know that we are still getting up at 7:00 in the morning, and you will still get all of your chores done Missy.   I hope this play is worth it."  {I'm most likely paraphrasing} No, I want this to be a time of excitement for Karysn who has dreamed of this for many years!!!  Will she still get her chores done? Yes.  Will she get up at 7:00?  No.  Will school start at a quarter til 11:00?  Maybe.  And that is okay.  THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WE HOMESCHOOL!!!!!!!  Why is that so hard for me to remember sometimes.  I laugh at myself because I always see people's blogs say that they blog to have an account of their days and some memories to look back on.  I blog so that I can read my own blog posts and beam myself back down to earth.  I am just flaky like that.  I will write all about relaxing our homeschool and then wake up in a complete tailspin that we are relaxing around here!!!  Then, I just quietly click on over to read and remind myself why I wanted to be more relaxed!!!  Medication??  Maybe!!!

I truly think that is just a characteristic of being a momma.  Even if its never said, we all just want what is best for our children, and we sometimes try too hard to get there...or go in the complete wrong direction....or have to wave the white flag in surrender that maybe that wasn't the best plan.  And guess what???  Our moms did the same thing.  They just didn't have social outlets to let the world know.  

So, ANYWAY!!!  Our curriculum this year is very basic.  We are only trying a few new things and have settled in nicely to a routine!!!  We have also changed our schedule up a little bit, which I will share with you too.  Hope you've got some coffee!!!!  

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This year our schedule looks alot like last year's, except we have implemented a very distant, off the beaten path version of the workbox system.  We use these hanging wall pockets.  I put all the books they will need for each task in the pockets, and they go from pocket to pocket as needed.  When the pockets are empty our day is done!!!!!  They are working very well and are a great space saver since they hang on the wall!!!!

Something very different this year, that has been so great, is eliminating time slots.  I have always (being a teacher) assigned blocks of time to everything we do.  This year, we are just doing things in order. Eliminating times has really taken alot of pressure off if we want to extend our studies with a movie, have a trouble spot in math, or just need to go outside!!!  FREEDOM!!!

So it looks a little like this on a good day....

1st{most of the time around 8:00}

We start our days after breakfast and chores with our reading for the day from Jesus Calling.  I am reading this devotional as well, so it is really neat because the girls' reading doesn't go as deep as mine which gives us something to discuss.  I love it!!  After that, the girls have their assigned Bible reading for our History.  This year we are studying Ancients from Creation, so we are learning the Biblical account alongside the historical timeline.  We are just finishing up with Genesis and learning all about the Egyptians.  It is really neat to see how our world has come to be from the beginning.  We use the Bible, of course, as well as The Catherine Vos Children's Story Bible, and the Victor Journey Through the Bible.  It really makes things clear to read the scripture on day one, then follow up each day after with a paraphrased version that elaborates.  It is really working nicely.   Also, Karen at Simply Living for Him is doing the Bible as her main text this year, and has tons of good resources that I have also incorporated!!!We also review and learn new memory work during this time.  The girls have memorized the continents and oceans, days of creation, and 5 longest rivers in the world so far.  

2nd{most of the time around 8:30/8:45}

After Bible and Memory, we dive into History.  Because its the Ancients, it just naturally flows.  We are using Story of The World Volume 1 as our spine, along with lots of library books, movies, and anything else I can get my hands on.   We also use the Biblioplan program for our History/Science Co-Op that we do once a week.  I have mixed reviews on this program.  If it were up to me we wouldn't use it, simply because it just doesn't work for our family.  The way that it is written is very magazine like with alot of "snippets" of information which just confuses us around here.  It works for our Co-Op though, and our teacher does a really good job making things clear.  Without her, though, I feel like it would be a mess. She is a one of a kind!!!  I generally read a Chapter from Story of the World aloud while the girls color, play with blocks, crochet (now that its getting cooler out...its just what they do), or try to kill each other!!  LOL!!!  Then we have questions to answer about what was read that they will have to answer in Co-Op so we do those and follow up with the Biblioplan sometimes.  Sometimes I skip it altogether honestly, because it is just a program that doesn't come naturally, so its a chore.  They do have maps with the Biblioplan that I like.  They are basically the Story of the World maps just with additional information, so since my girls are bit old (according the Story of the World recommendations) for Volume 1 this kind of beefs it up a bit...especially for my 6th grader.

After History the girls go outside to see the chickens or ride the golf cart or play with the dogs or here lately pogo stick.  I stay in most of the time, fold some clothes, start supper, or do something around the house.  When the arguing starts I call them in!!!

3rd{ usually around 10:00}

After Bible and Memory, we break up for Math.  Kamryn does hers completely on her own because she says I confuse her (imagine that) and I work with Karsyn.  This year we are using Saxon.  Right Start was a great start for us, but now that the girls are getting the hang of things I wanted to switch to something that looked a little more like Math.  They each need lots of review so Saxon has proven to be WONDERFUL!!!  I have to say though that Right Start did a great job for Karsyn though, who now understands things much better than she did a year ago.  A hands on math program was just the trick for her.  She now loves Saxon.  She does 5/4 and Kamryn does 7/6.  Its great and it's proven.  The only downfall is that it does take an hour.  There is just no way around it.  But the kids both say they feel like they know something when they are done!!!

4th{usually around 11:00}

We continue with "Pocket Work" as I like to call it until lunch.  The girls each have piano and language arts to do now.   Most days Kamryn will practice piano first while I work with Karsyn using All About Spelling for her spelling and Abeka Language for her grammar.  I must say that she is outgrowing All About Spelling, which is a testament to the program.  When we first began using it she had a really tough time.  Now she knows most of the rules before they teach it.  GREAT PROGRAM!!  I will be sad when we complete Level 3, which is where we are now, because I think we will move on from it to a more commonly misspelled word program like Spelling Power.  Again, All About Spelling has been great!!!  

As far as grammar goes, it is really an mistruth to say that we use Abeka.  Being an English teacher, I am only using the Abeka Scope and Sequence.  We use Language A, which is the 4th grade grammar program.  This year is a foundational one.  By the end of the year using this program, Karsyn will have learned every part of speech, capitalization rule, and basically all of the basic grammar functions.  I use the worksheets occasionally, but find that if I have her write a summary of what we learned in history or a paragraph about something, she will show me what she needs work on.  Using Dianne Craft's methods, which you can read more about here, I don't say anything to her about what is wrong, but instead create a lesson for whatever it is to do the next day.  Then I have her look at the paragraph and tell me what is wrong.  We usually will spend the rest of the week working on whatever that may be.  She has a hard time crossing over from worksheet to writing, and this has helped her tremendously!!! 

For Kamryn, a natural speller, we focus more on vocabulary from what she is reading.  I try to pick out some words that she will define and use in her writing for the week.  She is also a grammar whiz, so we have stopped formal grammar for now.  In 8th grade I think we will do a review using something like Analytical Grammar.  I'm not really sure yet, but for now we're holding off.  She was into some advanced stuff that even this English teacher didn't think was useful.  She mostly reads or writes during this time and works with her vocabulary words.  Both girls have assigned books for history and they read a chapter each to me.  

Lunch{usually around 12:00/12:30}

5th{usually around 12:30/12:45}

I have found that if I try to break here for anything {nature study, quiet time, etc.} we will never regroup.  We get right back to it after lunch and the race is on to clear the pockets.  Usually we only have science left, so its not too hard to do.  For Science this year we are doing Exploration Education's Physical Science.  It is a computerized program that uses projects that the students make to learn the different concepts of physical science.  It is a great concept, but seems to be very advanced and moves quickly.  My 6th grader rocks and rolls.  Its kind of tough for the 4th grader, but we chug along.  I supplement it ALOT with Bill Nye and the Magic School Bus and any kind of youtube anything I can find.  We also use reading comprehensions from Ed Helper to hammer in the details.  Physical science is a tough subject and this program does make it fun. I also like that its a no fluff program.  It summarizes nicely and speaks to the kids in a way that is much easier to understand than your typical text.  We like it!!!  So far we have built a race car that has helped us to learn about force and work and now simple machines.  Its fun!!!

By the time we finish science its usually somehow 2:00.  I don't require quiet time regularly after we finish school because I feel like they just want to play!!!  I have started putting in a little rest period before lunch where they will read or write or have some kind of assignment in their rooms that they must do and then stay in their rooms until lunch.  For us that works much better.  Its amazing what they will come up with when they are by themselves!!!

So that is our day, most of the time, and while it is very basic I do feel that we are getting some good stuff done.  We don't do art or music appreciation nearly as much as I would like, but we do manage to fit it in here and there!!!

On Mondays we have our History and Science Co-Op after lunch.  On Wednesdays the girls participate in a local choir, and on Thursdays they have their piano lessons.  Oh, and every single day till midnight Karsyn has theater.  Not really, LOL, its just the week before the big show!!  Things are getting serious!!!  Lots of fun!!!!!

I am feeling good about this year!!!!  Sorry that I have no pictures!!!!  I have got a post coming with lots....and a series on starting a one room school house style Co-Op!!!!!!  Stay Tuned!!!!!

xoxo,

Kellye

Breaking Up is Hard To Do

**This will be a very long and boring, pour your heart out kind of post so either just X out now or grab you a cup of some strong stuff because we may be here a while.  You can't say I didn't warn you.**

Nobody likes to say goodbye!!  I hate it...especially when I'm saying goodbye to something I really don't want to say goodbye to...like Blue Bell ice cream, Housewives of New Jersey, or Institute for Excellence in Writing....

That's right.  I said it.  Hang me now!!!

We have cut IEW from our school plans for this year!!!!  I cannot believe the words are coming out of my mouth {or should I say from my fingers}.  I have sold so many people on this program its ridiculous.  I have read so much about this program its ridiculous.  I have spent so many hours on the IEW website and yahoo group its ridiculous.  And now we're aren't even going to use it.

Why???  You ask.  Why, if I am so in love with this program are we putting it aside??  

Well, I will just tell you.  

We don't need it!!!

Very complicated answer right???  And now you are thinking, okay, does she think she is raising geniuses or something??  No, I don't.  But the truth of the matter is that right now my girls are pretty good little writers for their ages.  Its not a place where we struggle nor is it a time of the day I dread.  They write every morning in their journals, they write for fun during their quiet time, and now with our new Living Books Curriculum they will be writing narration constantly!!  I just don't see where we need an hour of our day dedicated to a formal writing program right now.

You see, this homeschool thing really gets to your heart in places that you never knew existed.  You go into this thinking that your kids are supposed to do everything public school kids do, they must take the standardized tests that the other "real school kids" take and you spend an hour on every boring and monotonous subject.  Then about half way through the first year something happens.  I realized that we really didn't need to do all that we were doing.  We really didn't need to do 45 worksheets on nouns because guess what...does anybody ever write a sentence without a noun???? EVER???? Somebody answer me because I don't believe in all my years of teaching and parenting have I ever read a sentence that somebody wrote that didn't have a noun in it!!!!  So why on earth am I drilling nouns for weeks??? 

Then I find this Living Books Curriculum that nobody has ever heard of and has no reviews anywhere except for a few people that are the same people who are on their very quiet forum and I FALL IN LOVE!!!  Its all about writing constantly, testing what they do know, not what they don't know, science experiments every day, World History and American History simultaneously, all in 8 weeks of instruction and a week of review and testing.  Its exactly what I have been looking for.  And as I read all of this stuff in the teacher's guide I am learning that 20 minutes per subject is plenty and that if you rotate subjects between fun and boring, everybody will always be interested.  

So, no formal writing program for us this year.  And to boot...I have completely revamped my schedule of our day to follow what Charlotte Mason and LBC recommends and I could not be happier.  I feel like this is where we belong.  We will be done by lunch and my kids will have learned more in the 5 hours of school this year than they have learned every year up to this point combined!!!  And the best part is half the time they won't even realize they are learning because we are just reading and painting and listening to the orchestra and chasing invertebrates in the "out of doors" as Mrs. Mason would call it!!  And writing about all of it!!!  

So IEW, I must put you aside for this year.  Who knows maybe next year we will come back for you.  Or we may be unschooling by then...at the rate I'm going :) 

I hope that you are getting ready for your year and learning all kinds of things you didn't know about yourself and your school!!!!

Here is our new schedule...

My Favorite Homeschool Links

I am almost finished with school planning and am getting very excited about this upcoming year!!!  I went out on a limb and chose a spine that I had never heard of before and that had very little reviews, but WOW, it is phenomenal!!  It is totally Charlotte Mason, so it fits me perfectly and I think what what we have been looking for in our school day!!  I cannot wait to get started!!!  Living Books Curriculum I am so glad I met you!!

This year, I took the advice of Carrie and am trying to be ahead of the game with my planning.  I am working on getting everything planned through Christmas.  I am talking everything...copies made and in a folder, library books decided on and saved in a list, vocabulary words decided on and printed, EVERYTHING!!  So far so good.  As soon as I finish that, I will move on to cleaning up and moving the school room to the playroom which looks like a tornado went through it at the moment!!  We start on September 6th.  Hello!!

During this planning phase I have learned that I have several "go to" websites for resources and wanted to share them with you in case you had never been to them.  All of these websites are free and are AMAZING!!!

So here is my favorite homeschool links...

www.homeschoolshare.com

Here you can find all sorts of free lapbooks, unit studies, etc.  Did I mention it is all FREE?? Sometimes I don't go all out and do the lapbook, but I will use the information just for my lesson.  Vocabulary words, other books that compliment the subject, art to go along with topic...it can all be found here.  This is a great site!!

www.currclick.com

This is a great jewel of a website because sometimes for free and most of the time for less than $5 you can find just what you need to completely flesh out what you are teaching.  I have found so much on here like word puzzles, unit studies, book studies.  This is a great tool.  And you can sign up for their "Follow Your Favorites Mailer" and they will email you what you like every morning.  Most of it is FREE!!!  Great website!!

www.spellingcity.com

Awesome and FREE resource!!  You can type in your child's spelling list and she can play games, take

practice tests, and even take the real test all online!!!  We visit this site daily!!!!


www.edhelper.com
I love this website when I want a little something more about a topic.  There are crossword puzzles, reading comprehension quizzes, all kinds of stuff here.  There is a membership fee but it is nominal I believe and well worth it!!!


These sites are huge helps for me as I am "fleshing out" my spine over here!!!  I would love to hear anyone else's fave sites if you have them!!


And before you go...Remember I told you that we had a wedding at our house a few weekends ago!!!  Here are a few pics...

Curriculum Choices 2011-2012

I think I have our curriculum choices narrowed down for the 2011-2012 school year.  It is definitely no secret that this year has been a huge learning experience for me.  From learning that one daughter is very right brained and visual to figuring out the hard way that my other was bored to tears and needed a challenge so badly, I can say without question that I have done my research on what will {hopefully} work best for our family next year!  Some things I'm listing, we are already using since the big curriculum switch we made in March and we will finish those this coming year.  Other things are brand new to us and I cannot wait to get started!  So, here is our coursework plan for next year...Kamryn in 5th grade and Karsyn in 3rd!!!

Together we will study...

Bible - We will continue reading together from the Arthur Maxwell Bible Story Books I have from my childhood!!   They are phenomenal!  Both girls will also read a good bit on their own from Old Testament with history.

Latin - We began Latin for Children this year and LOVED it!!  It was beginning to get pretty complicated however, so I didn't want all of what they had learned to be forgotten over the summer, so we just stopped where we were {before it became in depth} and we will pick it back up in the fall with a few weeks of review and on to finish the book!  Everyone really likes the program and we enjoy doing it together!

Memory Work - Strangely enough memory work has become one of our favorite parts of the day.  Each day after we read our Bible story, we work on memory work.  Next year the girls will also have some independent time to work on individual pieces as well.  I am going to use things from our history and science curriculums for memory work assignments!  And some fun poems too, of course!!  We memorized Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout this year and it was a huge hit!

History - History is so tough for me because I want the girls to really enjoy learning about God's plan for the world and how it has played out so far because history is just HIS STORY!!  It is also difficult for me to commit to one particular curriculum.  I really want to do My Father's World, Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, and Story of the World, but I want to do them all.  This year we did world geography for the simple reason that I just couldn't decide on one.  For next year, I had to make up my mind.  The other crossroads for me was whether I would start the chronological 4 year cycle, or if I would do American History {I could do colonial America til the cows come home}.  It was a tough decision for me, but after much prayer and research we will be doing Ancient History and sort of beginning the four year cycle.  Im not crazy about this time period, but I know that the girls will get so much more out of it to learn it in context!!  After all, I didnt know that the world truly existed PRE-1492 until I got to college!!

So, we will be using two curriculums and I am just going to piece things together and make things work for us.  We will be using Living Books Curriculum (teachers guide) and TruthQuest History guides.  I like them both and just couldn't decide, so why not use them both??  The Living Books Curriculum is a full curriculum, but we will only be using it for Science and History mainly.  It is an amazing program in that it teaches World and American History simultaneously!  I am very excited about that because neither of my girls have had any real history as of yet, so I think it will be good for playing catch up.  It is a little too rigid for me, but I love they way that they are total Charlotte Mason.  I am also so in love with their language arts additions like story-telling and Shakespeare!  BUT, TruthQuest has an extensive booklist so I won't have to search the library constantly like I did this year.  I love that TruthQuest has books listed by grade level so it is a no brainer and it will be great for beefing up lessons,  but its a little too unstructured for me.  So, I think that it will balance well with what I will be pulling from Living Books Curriculum!!!  In the LBC guide we will be working quickly through 1st grade.  I know that you are probably thinking I am nuts, but when you switch curriculums it is always so hard to place them.  Neither of my girls have had any American History, so I want to start them from the beginning.  That is where the TruthQuest booklist will come in handy because I will be using their recommendations where needed, especially for my 5th grader.  I am hoping to get through the Living Books 2nd grade year by Christmas and then move onto 3rd for the remainder of the year which I think will be more on their level.  We will study Ancient Egypt and American Westward Expansion the first half of the year, and I can't wait.  Im very anxious to get this in my hand and get busy picking it apart and planning because whether it looks like it or not, Ive got a plan (oh my)!!!

Science - Living Books Curriculum also includes a science plan of earth, physical, living, and health that I am very excited about.  We did a full year of flying creatures last year and it was a little monotonous.  I want to go back to Apologia in the future, but I think that we need a more true science next year to give the girls a good foundation for what is to come for them as they get older.  Because everything is living books, many books are recommended and once I see what is involved I may add in some things of my own.  Nonetheless, we will for sure be doing earth, physical, living, and health sciences and for that I could do a jig!


IEW - Need I say more....really???  We will be doing Level A and I am starting out with the girls watching the DVD and hoping to move to me teaching after the first couple of units.  I really want to combine this with our history and science readings, so I want to work without the DVD eventually, we will see!!!

Independently Kamryn will work through...

Megawords Spelling
Fix It Grammar
A Reason for Handwriting
Science Detective
Logic 
Mindbenders 
History and Science to some degree
lots of on her own vocabulary cards, writing assignments, researching, and reading!

My plan is to have Kamryn working independently for around an hour and a half each day.  She will be in the fifth grade, so I know that she needs more, but she came from being very spoon fed, so we are working slowly!!!

Together Kamryn and I will work through...


Right Start Math Level E


I have love feelings for this math program and excitingly enough, the next level after E is independent.  WOW!!!  I think we are all learning more about math than we ever knew!!!  Kamryn has been a little bit reluctant to begin thinking in a math way, but she is coming around!!  She sees the fruits of it and can't help but get on board, but it does take her a few lessons to finally give in and stop saying, "Mom, why does it matter, I just know that 7x9 is 63.  I don't care why!!!"  The program also comes with so many games, and we love to have a Math Game Day, every now and then!!!



Independently Karsyn will work through...

A Reason for Handwriting
Mindbenders
History and Science to some degree
Reading

I want her to begin working independently, but I also don't want to wish away her childhood.  I want to enjoy our time together learning while still giving her a little bit of time on her own.  She will work independently for about 45 minutes this year I think!

and with me she will work through...


All About Spelling Level 3
First Language Lessons 3
Right Start Math Level C

I cannot say enough about all 3 of these programs.  It seems that Karsyn has learned more since March than she has learned her whole life.  The light bulbs are just going off everywhere and it is so great to see!!!


We have ourselves a busy year, but I have copied Carrie's planning system and have made my own planner and all.  She is so talented and organized...I love her!!!

I am very much ahead of where I was this time last year, so I am excited!!  Ive got lots of work to do, but I will post lots of pics!!!  Especially since I realized that this post HAS NONE!!!!  Let me make that better...here is next year's schedule!!  The reason it has 2 history slots is because one is World and one is American!!!  Im so excited!!!

Hope your plans for next school year, whatever they may be are bringing you lots of joy this summer,

Kellye

Welcome Summer

Our official first year of homeschooling has come to an end and WE SURVIVED and even THRIVED (with the occasional meltdown or two or three)!!!!  This year was such a huge learning experience for me.  I don't think I would even recognize the me that was walking the earth exactly one year ago.

We learned alot, but since I already posted about most of what we did that was exciting, I won't bore you with the details again!!  But I am super excited to share with you what we are doing next year!!   I even made a super fun daily schedule that we are going to try really hard to stick to.  This year I think that was our biggest struggle, finding a schedule that we liked.  If it were too rigid, I ended up feeling defeated and behind.  If it were too unstructured we ended up not doing science or history.  I think I have come up with something somewhere in the middle.  Most importantly, I think, is that I have learned that we have to start before 9.  I really want the girls to each have some independent time to work {and for me to do some housework} and it just doesn't happen if we start school later than 8:00 or 8:30.  There just isn't enough time.  So for the upcoming year we will definitely start school at 8:00.  That will take some getting used to, so for the summer I am going to slowly move up ALL OF OUR bedtimes to prepare us for some early rising in the fall!!

Here is our tentative schedule for the 2011-2012 school year...

Hopefully this one will stick!!!  Last year we just seemed to go round and round with schedules!!  Im finishing up my curriculum selections and getting getting ready to start buying!! I will let yall know what I pick as soon as its all decided!!!

And as promised, my new obsession post is up next!!!!

So here is what I bought...Walking in Memphis Part 2

As promised here is everything I bought in Memphis and a few things that I just fell in love with, but will have to wait until next year or a few years from now....

Math

My most exciting purchase was a new math program for both girls!  What we have been doing,  just isn't working for us.  Karsyn was beginning to get frustrated in math and wanted to know WHY things were and to be honest, I didn't know.  Kamryn was doing a very watered down math curriculum (didn't know it was watered down when I bought it) and we have realized that she has a knack for math that was literally being extinguished before our eyes.  Every day she has been begging for something harder, and I just didn't know how to give it to her.  Then I met the writers of Right Start Math and finally things began to make sense.

This program is the premier choice as an elementary math program by the creator of VideoText, which I will explain to you more in a minute.  He had many wonderful things to say about this program and I fell in love with the writer.  I knew it was right for us.  I asked her if she thought it would be okay to change programs in March and she used the perfect analogy.  She said,

Did you have a boyfriend before you met your husband?  Did you break up with him?  When did your break up with him?  Was it the first minute you realized this wasn't working or did you wait until you absolutely couldn't stand the sight of him ever again and you were D.O.N.E?  Imagine the heart ache, frustration, agony, money, and time you could've saved yourself if you would have just ditched him the first moment something felt wrong.

Hello...that was such an ah-ha moment for me.  This program should be arriving via UPS on Thursday and we are hoping to begin on Monday.  Karsyn will begin in Level C and Kamryn in Level E.  Another great thing about this program is that it doesn't deal in grade levels.  Instead, they use the level system that will allow the students to stay for as long as they need in each level or move as fast as they are comfortable.

The rundown:  Very little worksheets, lots and lots of manipulatives and games to reinforce concepts.  It is a teacher intensive curriculum that will require us to do math together, but I am very excited to LEARN math and learn how to think mathematically which is what this program will do.   After Level E, students move to the Geometry Level {6th grade} and then onto VideoText for higher level mathematics.

So, about VideoText...what can I say besides WOW!!!  This program is unreal.  It is a very thorough, concise, and deep interactive, computer based math program for Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry.  The author says that once these levels are completed the student should immediately go to the local college and test out of Algebra and then go on to Calculus at a university to obtain college and high school credit at the same time.  That is what I'm talking about.

I am hook, line, and sinker in love with these math programs.  Dr. Jay While is too.  He was hanging out at the VideoText booth and chatting with us about why the program is so great!!!  I couldn't be more impressed and would encourage everyone to hear either the author Tom Clark or Dr. While speak on this program.  I would also encourage you to attend the other Great Homeschool Conventions to talk to these folks in person to see how amazing Right Start and VideoText are!!

Spelling
Another purchase that I am over the moon about is All About Spelling.  I was in love before the conference, but then I went to a workshop on the Institute for Excellence in Writing and they recommend it.  I was pumped.  I totally respect Andrew Pudewa and the entire program and was so excited that they not only recommended it but also were selling it at the conference.  I high tailed it to the IEW booth and bought them out!!

The rundown:  I'm starting both girls with Level 2, even though both of my girls are way above this level.  They recommend starting way low and just moving quickly because it is a program that teaches you how to put words together based on common patterns and the only way to learn all of the patterns is to begin early.  Both of my girls had Abeka phonics so I felt really good that they would do fine in Level 2.  We will begin this on Monday as well.  No lists, no writing words 5 times.  Lots of games to reinforce patterns.  They use letter tiles to piece words together in common patterns and then use the tiles and games to write more words with the same patterns.  The only words you write are the ones that have that pattern that you are practicing that day.  I'm just giddy I tell you!!!

Grammar
And speaking of IEW, they have a brand new Grammar program that I bought and will start next year just with Kamryn.  I have been wondering how long to teach grammar, and how could a student possibly understand high level grammatical concepts by learning rules.  This program is my answer!

The rundown:  This program works alot like Easy Grammar as it is just a sentence per day that students who have had basic grammar instruction will dissect and correct.   What I love about it is that it is $30 and it is for grades 3-12!  All right there in one book.  Never buy a grammar book again!!  I love it!!  It is divided by level with a set number of sentences per level.  No need to worry about what to do if your child hasn't learned a particular part of speech that comes up to be corrected, no biggie, because if they miss it, you teach it right there using their notes in the margin!  Perfect-o!!!

Writing

And I guess it goes without saying that we will be starting IEW next year!!  I love that program, it just had to take a backseat for now!!!

So that is what the remainder of this year and next look like for me!!  I had such a great time in Memphis and learned a ton!!!  If you are near another convention location GO!  You won't regret it.  Just prepare yourself ahead of time that the food will be gross and there is no wi-fi!!!

I am taking a break from blogging for Lent, so I will see you guys soon!!!

Walking in Memphis Part One

As you may already know, the MidSouth Homeschool Convention was this weekend in Memphis!!

Kayce, from Pastorette's Progress, and I left for our road trip early Thursday morning and arrived in Memphis around lunch time.  We unpacked and headed to Beale Street to see the sights and grab some lunch.  We immediately fell in love with the city of Memphis and the soul that just oozed out of the people. It is an amazing place!  But our tour ended pretty quickly as we rushed to the Memphis Convention Center to check in, get a game plan, and get ready for back to back workshops, a HUGE exhibit hall, no wi-fi, no coffee, overpriced food, 30 degree weather, and rain!!!

And for the next 2 days we wouldn't see the light of day...And every second was worth it!

While the lack of wi-fi and overpriced gross food {think JUMBO HOT DOG} were both equally devastating, the workshops and exhibit hall did not disappoint.  We learned so much!!!  Tomorrow I will be back to tell you what I bought in the Memphis greatness!!

To start though, I think I should just tell yall what sticks out with me the most out of the whole weekend.  What I learned this weekend could never be summed up in 3 sentences, but I will say, this is what I walked away with!  Some was taught to me in a workshop, some was taught to me while I chatted with vendors, and some I learned while Kayce and I laid in our hotel beds chatting at 3 am.  Here are the highlights...

1.  Whether they choose Harvard or home, our children should be ready!


2.  Shyness is not a disease, it is a by product of a very unique package of wonderful qualities that God is going to use!


3.  We must expose our kids to the wrongs of this world NOW...while we  are with them all day to defend what we believe.


Maybe these 3 things don't sound like rocket science to you, but for me, it was like I had never thought about them before in the way that I think of them now.

The very first thing that the very first speaker said was that her family's homeschooling goal was whether her children chose Harvard or home, they would be ready.  That was like the "ah ha" moment of the weekend for me...and it happened in the first 20 minutes of the first speaker.  I have just not been confident in my homeschooling philosophy so far this year.  One minute I am on the Susan Wise Bauer train, the next I am nature studying in the backyard, and a week later I am all about unit studies.

AND THAT IS OKAY!!

How about that?  Its okay that I want my girls to be prepared.  That doesn't make me an overachiever, it makes me a Momma.  Sure, I almost always wish my day looked like someone else's but truly, my goal is for my children to be prepared.  Period.  And if that means that our day may look different from yours, that is okay.  I learned this weekend that as much as I wish we could just read all day and somehow math would just evolve, that isn't reality.  Its not reality for the girls, and its not reality for me.  I am very hands on...I am very visual, I need manipulatives, and so do my girls.  And what is my goal?  For them to be prepared for whatever comes their way.  So, what should I do?  Fill my day with as much of those things as I can.  I don't want my girls to just know 3+3.  I want them to understand math concepts.  I want them to be able to think mathematically.  I want them to be confident in this subject.  And they can be!

So empowering huh??  Im telling you, I was just amazed at some of this stuff.

So tomorrow, I will be back to tell you all about what I bought and what Im starting when!!  Mr. UPS should be paying us a visit on Thursday and I can't wait!!!

I am so thankful for this weekend and for all that I learned {and bought}!!!  And I can't wait to tell you all about it!!!  But its late and I'm rambling so it will have to wait until tomorrow!!!!

Im Going to the MidSouth Homeschool Convention....anybody else??

Im so excited I can hardly type!!!  I am going to the Mid South Homeschool Convention in Memphis!!!

After reading the line up of speakers, workshops, and the proximity to Neely's BBQ {love me some Pat and Gina} I had to get myself a room!!!

So, I was curious if anyone else is heading to Memphis for the convention???   If so, lets meet up!!!

Moo Cows, Owl Puke, and Report Cards

You know its fall around here...the "Harvest Spice" candle is constantly burning,  I'm cooking like we live in Alaska at about 40 below (aka...lots of soups, gumbos, and stews with cornbread).

These guys are always trying to figure out just what in the world we are doing over here.

And its science project time.  I whipped up a little detour from our Apologia Exploring Flying Creatures of the Fifth day, and we have been studying birds of prey for the last 2 weeks.  They are extremely interesting critters, and there is plenty to learn about them.  My lesson plans are here if you are interested in going on a little detour yourself, in honor of Halloween {creepy birds} and all.

We enjoyed learning about hawks, eagles, and those nasty vultures, but NOTHING even came close to our study of owls that has lasted waaaaayyy longer than it should have.  I just can't help it.  I am officially obsessed with owls.  They are amazing.  Again I say...take the detour people!

As the creme de la creme we dissected owl puke today!  Technically and officially they are called owl "pellets" but in reality they are the dried up regurgitation of all bones, fur, and animal parts that the old wise one couldn't digest.  They can be dissected to see what owls eat and see how amazingly perfect God created them for His purposes on this earth.  Evolution???  Seriously???

anyway...

The owl puke dissection took place this afternoon after a weird week of nothing really going as planned with Kami's birthday, a little birthday trip to the mall, and a weird little bug that has had us all feeling yuck.  But we were not letting this go by.  And I'm so glad we didn't just clip it {believe me it wouldn't have been hard for me to do with how this week has gone}. 

First you measure the pellet {aka dried puke ball} to give you an idea of what the owl may have eaten.

Then you break the pellet apart to see what you are working with and let the fun begin...

And waaa laaaa Mr. Owl had himself a vole and a few mice for supper last night!!

A+ for everyone!!!

Speaking of A+'s we are getting our 1st 9 weeks report cards tomorrow.  I know that this is a touchy subject, and I am not even sure how I feel about report cards, grades, tests, etc.  I love the hands on learning, the living books, and all of that, but at the same time I love a red pen!  I'm so torn!!  And with super cute report cards like these that come with the Well Planned Day planner {side note...love that planner} how can you resist!  

And finally, my biggest accomplishment this first 9 weeks of homeschooling has definitely been the mastery of the workbox system, which I have completely butchered to the point of I don't even think it can really be called a workbox system anymore.  But, it works for us beautifully!!  Here is what we are doing...

I used Edie's idea at Life In Grace to make this daily schedule that I give the girls every morning.  I actually print them out for the week and tack them to their bulletin boards on Sunday evening, so that they are there and I don't have to worry with it throughout the week.  The only downfall to doing it this way is I do find myself changing things up as the week rolls along and I have to reprint.  I still like having it all up there though. 

Everything they are doing is in a corresponding folder in their "to do" tray, so they just take out the next folder and get to work.  I also stuff these for the week on Sunday and let them know what to do on their schedule.  If its something that we will do together, they will see that on the schedule and meet me on the couch.  If its something that they will do with me, they will get their folder out and wait for me.  It works so great and really makes things take so much less time.  Its amazing I tell ya!! 

I will have our 9 weeks wrap up here in the next few days.  I love our world geography tour and we have had a blast in science.  The 3 R's aren't so shabby either.  Its been a great first nine weeks!!!

Unit Study....OWLS {whooo, whoooo}

photo via

When I discovered that you could purchase owl puke and dissect it, I knew that there would be an owl unit in our future.  Then when I got online and found that owls could quite possibly be the most fun and adorable animal on planet earth, I got busy!

We had so much fun these last few weeks studying Birds of Prey, or the raptor family, of which owls are a part.  I just had to share our study with you because it was so fun and is a perfect unit to sneak in right before Halloween!

So here is what we did:




First, I checked out every book in every children's section in a 50 mile radius about birds of prey.  I touched on hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures during week one and then devoted week to exclusively to owls!  It went a little something like this....

Week One:

• Introduced birds of prey using DK's Eye Witness Birds of Pray and my other library books and Homeschool Share's lapbook study that you can download for FREE!!   I am a huge fan of Homeschool Share as well as lapbooks.  For a study like this, lapbooks just really send it on home.
• We also used Homeschool Share's suggested books for the beginning of our study as well.
• We read The Tale of Pale Male by Jeanette Winter about a red-tailed hawk in New York City.  It is a true story, and we enjoyed it.  

You would be so surprised how much information their is out there about these guys.  It took us all week to go through these birds without mentioning owls.

Week Two

• This week we started with our library books.  Some of our favorites were:
• Owls by Michael George
• Owls Whoo Are They?  by Kila Jarvis and Denver Holt
• Animal Predators - Owls by Sandra Markle {great book, my favorite}
• Great Horned Owls by Doug Wechsler
• We watched the unbelievably amazingly wonderful movie OwlCam:  The Hidden World which is a documentary following 2 Barred Owls named Ward and June {how adorable is that} as they nest and raise their 3 owlets Emmett, Abigail, and Ernie.  This documentary is unreal and done so tastefully.  Nothing inappropriate, nothing gross, and nothing sad.  Perfect for kids and a must see!  This movie is available through Netflix {can I get a whoop whoop}.
• Our read alouds were Owl Babies by Martin Waddell that my 4th grader asked to read again and again.  It is such a sweet and cute book that is very young but so worthy!  And, we read the Owl and the Woodpecker by Brian Wildsmith which is also cute.
• We followed Lapbook Lessons' owl lapbook pretty closely and used Homeschool Share for what we couldn't find on Lapbook Lessons.  Both of these websites are great and chock full of resources!  
• We ended our week by dissecting owl pellets {aka owl puke} that you can read about here.  It was something that I just know my kids will remember forever.  We bought these owl pellets from School Aids, but you can visit the company here .  I am pretty sure you can order them right off their website and I must say that being the owl puke expert that I am, I have heard that you have to be careful with these companies because you may either get a "synthetic" pellet that is not REAL...HELLO!!! Or, even worse, you may get a pellet with NOTHING IN IT!!!  That would be horribly anti-climatic wouldn't you say???  Our pellets were full of skulls and bones.  One had 12 small skulls in it and the other had 5 larger ones in it.  The skulls are what you want {TMI...yes I know, but bear with me} because without a skull its no fun...sorry that is just the truth.  Some owls eat caterpillars, insects, and snakes which would leave you empty handed, well I guess not really empty handed, you would still have a handful of owl puke {LOL}.  Anyway, this company has top quality owl puke!!  And they aren't paying me a red cent to say that, but if they would like to I would take it in a flash!

I really think you would love this study and your kids...I know would!!  We had a blast!  Feel free to email me or comment me with any questions and I will be happy to help you if I can!!

Happy Homeschooling!!!

September Wrap Up

WOW!  Is it really October 11th already??

How time flies.

I am so thankful to be spending my days with my girls.  Its just like the precious time of having the little ones crawling around your house with leaky sippy cups {remember those days}.

I miss those days.

The time we have together has been great and we are having a great year so far.

I know that I have been sorta MIA here lately, and really, I don't know how to change that.  I spend the bulk of my day lesson planning and researching because I am a total control freak and can't just follow a curriculum.  No, I have to re-write and "kellye-fy" everything I get my hands on.  Medication people.  Medication.

September began with a frazzled momma and a way too overwhelming and overachieving schedule.  Many of my curriculum choices just didn't work for us, but you live and you learn, right??  Right honey...yeah about all those books that we didn't really need and aren't returnable...love you!!

By mid-September I finally got the hang of this homeschooling gig and learned 3 major lessons.  Everyone who is reading this that even thinks that they may ever....ever....want to homeschool...keep reading.  Im serious, you must know these three things..

Lesson #1 - you better get your act together and get you some lesson plans STAT and get on the workbox and lapbooking bandwagon.  Trust me on this one...just do it.  You're welcome.  And while you're at it, make sure you have all of your copies made and sorted and stapled, and in everybody's folders like PRONTO at least a week ahead of time.  That is unless you just love doing school and planning for school and worrying about school until supper time...which brings me to lesson #2....

Lesson #2 - go ahead and get you some meal planning sheets and plan you some meals.  And I mean plan...down to what salad dressing is going on the salad.  Trust me on this one.  NOBODY wants to be trying to figure out what is for supper at 5:00 while you are STILL IN THE SCHOOL ROOM!!!  Take it from someone who knows.  I really think in September we may have very well starved!!!

Lesson #3 - And last but certainly not least, make the most of every day.  Homeschooling has been such a blessing to me, but I realized somewhere in September that I was already just going through the motions.  Math. Language. Spelling. Handwriting.  Math. Language. Spelling. Handwriting.  That is no fun!!!  I had to kick it up a notch and start trying to implement some fun stuff around here.  That is when I started re-writing everything.  I put MFW on hold and began "My Kellye's World" which is alot like MFW except, well, its not...really.  We do a little bit of mapwork, we still play the geography game {thank you Kayce}, and we still read about missionaries, BUT we do so much more of what is my personality.  I have crossed over into lapbooking and have never looked back.  We are reading, lapbooking, reading, internet researching, reading, video watching, did I mention reading??   Even the librarian thinks I am off my rocker.  I have gone completely coo-coo!!  We are learning so much {posts coming soon} and having so much fun that I can hardly believe we are the same little school that got started a little less than 2 months ago.  I have learned so much from Ruth Anne and Jolanthe, I cannot even tell you.  Not that they even have a clue who I am, but ladies I LOVE YOU!!!  It has been alot of work, but now that I have finally figured out my system, I am more excited than ever about our year!!!

I can tell you that I don't have a lot of experience homeschooling, I am not a pro, nor a veteran.  But, I can trial and error with the best of 'em and I know that lesson plans, meal plans, workboxes, and lapbooks have forever changed my life!

I will begin sharing in detail soon, but I just wanted to stop in and say hello, and let you know about hte ah-ha moments Im having over here!!!  Good stuff yall, good stuff!!!

And not to rub it in or anything, but we saw this AWESOME chick in concert at a local church here in our little bitty town!!  Do you know who she is???

Here is a hint... "Everything rides on hope now.  Everything rides on faith somehow.  When the world has broken me down.  You're love sets me free."

Its ADDISON ROAD...so awesome and so so sweet, cuz how bout when you go see a group in concert at a small church, everybody gets to meet the band!!!

Yep...that is my gals taking a picture with Jenny, the lead singer of Addison Road who is just a sweet sweet momma, like the rest of us.  And that other girl in the pic would be my sweet friend Kara who just couldn't resist jumping in the pic...we are so paparazzi!!!  The kid in the background...who knows, she is just mad that her momma didn't bring the camera I guess...LOL!!!!

Details from our school days coming soon!!  I have so much to tell yall!!!!  Maybe this means Im back :)

And in case you want to add a little Addison Road to your school day...enjoy my favorite song of theirs.