Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ 2013 - 2014 Curriculum

Hello out there in blogger world! Are you soaking up the sun every chance you get just as I am?

With all of this glorious hot weather & these lazy pool days, I really don't want to start thinking about school. But C'est la vie. Think, I do & plan, I must soon.

So let's talk about what curriculum choices we will be using for the upcoming year.

 Let's start with the obvious here. This will be our 4th year with Tapestry of Grace & Story of the World. Do you KNOW what that means? (come on history cycle users, help me out here...) I DON'T HAVE TO BUY HISTORY ANYMORE!!! **happy dance**

That's right TOG is on a 4 year cycle. So next year I start back with teaching year 2 (which I have already purchased!) Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I will find something to use that , um, extra money on.

We love using TOG. I even found the Pop Quiz CDs at The Homeschool Gathering Place while we were in Raleigh last week. WE have also been blessed to be able to get copies of SOTW on CD. This is a great alternative to me having to read everything!

We will continue memorizing important events in history with the timeline cards by Veritas Press. This is a fun way for the kids (& myself) to remember those events. And you WILL be amazed at how much they learn!

Since we are studying Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, & Bible Times, I picked up a few art books to go along with it. Draw and Write Through History is filled with art lessons, information, & copywork. They have 6 different books that cover the different eras through out history.

The next easy choice was science. We LOVE Apologia Science. It is one of the few Creationist curriculums out there. I let the kids choose between swimming creatures & land animals this year. They were both good choices, but swimming had my vote as well.

I don't personally use the notebooks. Austin hated it the first year & Makenzie really isn't old enough for it yet.

Hold up! Before you ask. Yes, this is the same Latin that we used last year. Unfortunately Latin wasn't a priority for us last year, so we didn't learn much. Oh well. Let's try it again.

Austin will continue using Teaching Textbooks this year. He still has some of 6 to complete, then he will start on 7. Makenzie will work on Horizons 2. We have never used Horizons before, so we will see how this goes.

We will go back to Easy Grammar with Austin. Learning Language Arts Through Literature just wasn't working for us. He will finish Daily Grams 5 because I didn't enough difference in the 5 & 6 books. Besides he still had plenty of lessons left in 5 to complete.

He will also complete the second half of Jump In by Apologia. This is meant to last over 2 years. I am sort of on the fence with this one. I haven't seen much improvement in his writing this year, but I hate to just give up. I am still praying about Institute for Excellence in Writing's Bible Based Lessons. We tried IEW a few years ago, but he resisted so much. It was our first year homeschooling & I was really trying to pick my battles. IEW was not one I chose to fight over, so we dropped it. I wonder now if he really disliked it, disliked writing in general, or was just pushing my buttons. I don't have a clear answer yet, but I can't get it out of my head, so don't be surprised if we switch to that.

He is also using Wordly Wise 300 again this year. Last year was the first time we used it and he didn't fight it much, so that's a good thing!

Makenzie will be using All About Spelling & All About Reading this year. These are both BRAND NEW to her & me too! (I'm scared! They look so intimidating!) She is still struggling to read, so pray for us both!!

Austin has used Explode the Code before & enjoyed it so I thought I would try it with her this year. They even have an online version that I need to look into.

I have a generic 2nd grade work book for her. She seems to like those. I also found an easy writing curriculum to introduce her to the concept.

So, there you have it in a nutshell.

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Bees, Summer, & Blessings

May is such a strange month for us. We are trying to finish up school, while trying to keep from being too excited because summer is right around the corner. Concentration is somewhat harder once the heat cranks up! LOL

So, that being said, I guess that the Grace of God Christian Academy is officially on a lightened summer schedule! 

We will continue to read literary classics all summer. Makenzie will work mainly on reading, while Austin does math & writes a few times a week. We have too many "plans" (ie, fun activities) to fulfill a strenuous academic schedule during the hot days of summer.

We do still have several decades of history to complete before we jump back to the beginning of time next year. We also have a couple of lessons in science to finish. I don't stress too much about any other book not being completed. I know that the beginning of a new year always reviews so it balances out.

Now, back to this past week.

We finished reading The Outsiders & are planning to watch the movie tonight. YEAH! Of course, I got all teary towards the end. It happens to the best of us. ;)

We discussed Nixon's Watergate, Ford's forgettable term & Betty's desire to help women struggling with addiction. We learned that Jimmy Carter battled through an energy crisis and Reagan's plan to reduce debt & help the economy failed miserably. Hey, did you know Ronald Reagan was a movie star? Me neither!

We celebrated the last day of public school with popsicles outside! Then we enjoyed friends at the park and a homemade waterslide. Oh and a particularly proud momma moment - Austin & a friend were playing with a little boy's ball at the park & accidentally lost it. After looking in the bushes for a long time, he asked me if we could give him one of the balls in our car to replace it. (*sigh* sometimes I guess I am doing the right thing with these kids)

Poor Logan got the short end of the stick after Austin tortured a "bumble bee". I was brought a screaming youngin, then I was brought the dead bee. What they thought was a bumble bee because it was furry turned out to be a Japanese Hornet! His poor fingered swelled up twice its normal size!

Tomorrow I get to go to the NCHE Conference in Winston Salem! YEAH! I'm not actually sitting in on any of the speakers this year, but I get to stroll around the book fair BY MYSELF ALL DAY LONG!! Then I get to go on a DATE with my hubby!

Stay tuned to see what kind of awesome deals I pick up!

As I look back on this week, even through my troubles & trials, I can't help but be reminded that I am blessed far more than I deserve! Far too many people woke up this morning after losing everything they own. Far too many people woke up this morning in hospitals. Far too many people woke up this morning with broken hearts because someone they love can no longer wake up.

Why God continues to bless me, I'm not sure, but I'm thankful He does!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ I Like My Grass Blue

We're back! Last week we took a not so relaxing, VERY soggy camping trip. Even with all of the rain, we still had fun & it was certainly a much needed & intentional break.

>>>Insert funny story here>>> Logan decided he HAD to carry an egg back to the house after we fed the chickens one day. He started pretending to eat the egg. To begin with, he just put it close to his lips & pretended to bite, making an "omph" sound. He got closer & closer with the egg until he finally had it in his house. Of course I discourage this because the egg has NOT been washed - YUCK! He didn't seem to mind though. He continued "eating" the egg all the way back to the house until we heard a noise & realized that Logan had actually bitten the egg & now had a mouth full of yolk. BWAHAHAHA Needless to say, he was spitting it our pretty quickly.

Aside from the usual issues that we are still working on, school ran very smoothly.

We covered tattling, making excuses, & disobedience with our Child Training Bible. Austin read several of the verses for us.

Austin & I had a long heart to heart discussion about dealing with his anger better. He also confided in me about his fears of not having many friends. It broke my heart. I can empathize with him to certain extent. Even though I was never home schooled, I know (just like most people) what it was like to be friends with someone one minute & seemingly hate them the next. We all go through times where we doubt if our friends are really our friends.

Even through his tears, he said he still wanted to stay home next year. That decision should me just how much he is maturing. Something is obviously getting through to him even when I think its not.

I guess we really are taking this journey one day at a time.

Meteoroids are similar to "dirty snowballs". We learned the difference between a meteoroid (still in space), a meteor (burning up in our atmosphere), & a meteorite (fallen to Earth). The only difference between meteoroids & asteroids are the size. And there might have been another planet in between Mars & Jupiter. Did you know any of this? If I did, I sure didn't remember it.

We have been enjoying LIFE: Our Century in Pictures for Young People. Can I just say that I LOVE this book?! It covers SOOOO many things that we are studying & I love the fact that even Makenzie can look at a picture & remember what it is from!

I thought it would be fun to "indulge" in a little historical food from the Nifty Fifties. Yep, Richard &Maurice MacDonald opened a Drive In restaurant where hamburgers sold for $.15. Unfortunately, we didn't get our burgers that cheap, but they were still appreciated. (note the little hand reaching anxiously for the bag)

Suburbia, "I Like Ike", the birth of a King, & Civil Rights were all discussed this week. We watched PBS videos about MLK Jr's March on Washington, Rosa Parks, & even bits & pieces of Forrest Gump (I chose to fast forward or mute some of it).

Austin is working on mixed numbers and fractions through Teaching Textbooks, writing a report about snakes, and continuing Daily Grams & Wordly Wise. Makenzie is adding & subtracting 2 digit numbers, working on blends and sight words, & reading.

We finally finished our post cards and mailed them out this week. We are participating in a post card exchange with others all over the United States. We have received many cards from several states all ready & have been enjoying them.

Justin took off a couple of days this week, so we took advantage of the opportunity & went in search of curriculum deals one day. Check out the picture, I got all of that for under $100. The down side to this was that I didn't get anything I actually went after. The plus side - I got ALL of next year's Tapestry of Grace for $40!!! I buy the DE version one unit at a time for $45 (total $180) where I can print it myself  as needed. The print version is more expensive at $80 a unit ($295 for all year). I saved $140!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Its that time of year again. That's right - MerleFest! YEAH!! Sun, fresh air, cool breezes, friendly people, & blue grass music all weekend!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ State Achievement Test & a New Plan

First off, let me apologize for my slackness in not posting an update last week. We reviewed for Austin's upcoming achievement test & honestly didn't do much of anything else that was news worthy.

Second, let me fill you in on a little insanity that I like to call Mother Nature. We went to the park on Monday because it was beautiful weather. But then it snowed yesterday! Yes, that's right. It SNOWED & sleeted in NC on April 4, 2013. Has it EVER snowed this late before? (Yes, I know it has - bear with me & my rant!)

But wait, there's more.....the weather for the next 7 days after the snow - 70's! Yep, it's time to find a new ground hog!

Ok, back to relevant issues.

Austin took his state achievement test this week. I believe that I was more nervous than he was, I couldn't sleep any the night before. Thankfully he takes it on the computer & we get the results almost immediately.

Up side - There was plenty of growth. He is still excelling in reading and doing much better in math than when he was in public school.

Down side - His language arts score was not as high as I would like so we really have to work on that.

Oh & get this ...... his listening skills were AMAZING! Um, hold up! I think they confused his score with someone else's. That kid hardly ever listens! At least now I know that he knows how! BUSTED!! LOL

So, that being said, I need to change up his LA. We have used Learning Language Arts through Literature and obviously it isn't working for us. I need ideas! I am going to have him work on Easy Peasy the rest of this year. We'll see how that goes.

We studied Ecology & Crochet with Keepers & Contenders yesterday. Austin taught archery to our 4H group. Then we went bowling! (in the snow & sleet)

I am hoping we can make it to a star party tonight for the 2013 NC Science Festival kickoff. I'll let you know.

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Amo Amas Amat

We have successfully made it through week 2 of our 3rd year in homeschool land! Woo Hoo!

It was a relatively "normal" week - whatever normal may be. Nothing really special, nothing too traumatic. That's ok, I'll take ordinary anyday over drama!

We welcomed Hurricane Isaac by having a hurricane cleaning party. And since we live in NC, there's no real threat from Isaac anyway. BUT, Hurricane Logan is another story all together. He has WRECKED my house. As we speak, he is in the kitchen flooring, getting jacked up gaining strength on froot loops. WOW! Who would have believed that such a little bitty critter could make such a mess.

Anywho, we added Latin this week. {Hey, don't look at me that way! I already know I'm nuts.} WHY Latin you may ask? Well, I asked the same question. But, logically, its the best choice for my kids at this age. It helps with understanding English, grammar, and will make learning another foreign language easier later on.

I didn't expect to see immediate results, but guess what? They LOVE it! No, really! They have actually asked "Can we do it again?" {Who are these kids & where did mine go?} I must admit that the chants are very catchy. I find myself singing "amo amas amat amamus amatis amant" in my head at the strangest times. By the way, just in case you were wondering - amo means "love".

We also made our very own solar system in science. We are studying astronomy with Apologia this year. I have always wondered why God created all the stars & planets if He didn't plan to put life on them. Yeah sure, He could have just given us something else beautiful to look at & study, but was there any other reason? I never thought about everything having an equal pull on each other & keeping us in our rightful place. I also didn't even consider the time, days, or seasons.

Our God is awesome! I can't wait to get outside at night & have an excuse to watch the stars.

Book Store Goodies

Given my love of books, the bookfair was naturally one of my favorite parts of the NCHE conference. I could have spent HOURS in there just walking around & looking - oh wait, I DID!

I loved being able to put my hands on all of the different curriculums that my friends keep talking about & several that I have never heard of. I enjoyed finding historical fiction books that would make great additions to our library. I was encouraged to look through my kids eyes at all the "fun" stuff to enhance natural curiosity. I allowed myself the time to get lost without worrying too much about anything else.

So naturally I walked away with some really good resources & I can't wait to start devouring them!

Apologia Astronomy

Jump In Writing

Draw & Write Through History: 20th Century

Draw Write Now Book 5

Wordly Wise 3000 Book 5

Raising Real Men

God Cast

bare books & lined stencils from Miller Pads & Paper

math manipulatives from Rainbow Resource Center

Tea with Michelle Duggar from Vision Forum

lots of historical fiction, easy readers, & just for fun books

After we left the book fair, a trip to Ollie's was necessary. I was able to pick up lots of fun & educational materials there.

I still have more to buy before next year though.