One of the most important things I've learned about customizing, adding-in, or modifying curriculum for my kids is that I can't write anything down in a schedule. I will be much happier if I just go with the flow. This year, I'm using BKSK 5 with a 13b, 10g, 8g, and 6b and modifying for all by flying by the seat of my pants ;) That is why I will use a title like 1-ish...
The biggest complaint I've read in the forums and on Facebook is that the World Book Encyclopedia is boring and difficult for a 5th grader to read. Sonlight and Bookshark released their own version of a spine called Eastern Hemisphere to replace the World Book. This book really isn't any more 5th-grader friendly. It's certainly full of important information and I like reading it for my own knowledge, but reading it out loud to a bunch of kids? Bleh.
Now, my 13b can and should be able to read the World Book Encyclopedia/Eastern Hemisphere book and fill out the Notebooking pages. He does this in his own study area where he won't be distracted by the younger kids. I am having him use BKSK 5 as a Geography course only. His history this year is BKSK 8.
But this is my big secret for my middle three: I use the scheduled Read Aloud to hook their interest. After a few days of getting into the story, my students are ready for more information about the country that the story takes place in. Bait and switch, baby. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a delightful story that all my kids are enjoying.
Today, before everyone was all settled and ready for some story time, I casually introduced some interesting age-appropriate information about China from the Eastern Hemisphere book. After I read the chapters I could read from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (I can't follow the schedule, I have to follow what I can do with seven kids in the house), I quizzed them on the facts of China and then....
....we made rice (and only rice) for lunch. Just like Minli!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Monday, August 15, 2016
Planning Planning
Summer is coming to an end and I have really enjoyed my break. I spent my whole break loving my kids and not worrying about anything. It was wonderful. Now, I've been homeschooling for ten years and I feel like I can call myself a veteran. But I read a very inspiring set of books that made me feel like I could start all over again, with a fresh perspective. The book, or I should say the series of books, is A Thomas Jefferson Education. Read it. You won't be sorry.
So without further ado, here is the line up for the 2016-2017 school year:
My 10G, 8G, and 6B will be doing Level 5: Eastern Hemisphere. I am absolutely ecstatic about this level. Not because I think the World Book DVD or the new Eastern Hemisphere book are going to be fabulous, but because this level lends itself to many additional fun projects.
They will also be doing Science 5, along with Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology. The books in Bookshark are great on their own, but I like the notebook that goes along with Apologia.
My 13B will be doing BKSK 8: History of Science. I have been waiting for this forever! I can't wait to get it ordered! I will be buying it the day it comes out, which just happens to be a day or so away from my son's birthday.
He says I can't use the books for his birthday present. I don't understand why. It's what I'd get myself!
So without further ado, here is the line up for the 2016-2017 school year:
They will also be doing Science 5, along with Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology. The books in Bookshark are great on their own, but I like the notebook that goes along with Apologia.
My 13B will be doing BKSK 8: History of Science. I have been waiting for this forever! I can't wait to get it ordered! I will be buying it the day it comes out, which just happens to be a day or so away from my son's birthday.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Springing Along
We are finally coming out of the winter doldrums here in the Pacific Northwest, which means the weather changes from cold grey rain to.... cold greenish-grey rain. Well, not always. We do have amazing spring weather with plenty of sunny days. I have a hard time sticking to a schedule when the weather gets nice and my kids are not at all motivated for school projects.
Books are being discarded left and right as kids go slipping outside to play... in fact, I just told my 10 year old to put her language arts assignment away and get outside!
...they are finding frogs and snakes, building forts and climbing trees, taking lessons and starting spring sports... they are choosing to skip the "hands on" portions of their schoolwork so they can go off and play. Read, fill out the worksheets, go play. And play and play and play.
But this is why we homeschool!
We do tend to take an extended Spring Vacation that I like to call Spring Turnover (that is a term that describe the way water moves in a lake when the surface warms or cools with the seasons). I spend my pondering hours planning my curriculum choices for next year and plan how we are going to spend the rest of this school year.
We've decided that the oldest is going to high school next year, so I don't get to be waiting excitedly with the rest of the homeschoolers for BookShark to release their high school levels. We will just get there if we get there.
But, I am really excited for the new Eastern Hemisphere book! I started drooling over this level back when there was only Sonlight and my oldest was in Kindergarten. I couldn't wait until he was in 5th grade and we could snuggle up together and read all those wonderful books! The reality however, was that life happened and when we got to this level, he didn't like school anymore. He became the typical preteen that just wanted to sleep in and play video games. So the school year (and every year thereafter) was a flop.
But next year is my year. Next year we will attempt this level again, this time with the whole crew: 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders (and 4, 3, and 1yo). We will add the fun hands-on projects. We will snuggle and read! And to get us ready for that, I will be redesigning the rest of this year.... so stay tuned!
 |
| A quick game of foosball interrupts reading time |
Books are being discarded left and right as kids go slipping outside to play... in fact, I just told my 10 year old to put her language arts assignment away and get outside!
 |
| The 8th grader sleeps in... |
...they are finding frogs and snakes, building forts and climbing trees, taking lessons and starting spring sports... they are choosing to skip the "hands on" portions of their schoolwork so they can go off and play. Read, fill out the worksheets, go play. And play and play and play.
 |
| Schoolwork on the trampoline |
We do tend to take an extended Spring Vacation that I like to call Spring Turnover (that is a term that describe the way water moves in a lake when the surface warms or cools with the seasons). I spend my pondering hours planning my curriculum choices for next year and plan how we are going to spend the rest of this school year.
We've decided that the oldest is going to high school next year, so I don't get to be waiting excitedly with the rest of the homeschoolers for BookShark to release their high school levels. We will just get there if we get there.
But, I am really excited for the new Eastern Hemisphere book! I started drooling over this level back when there was only Sonlight and my oldest was in Kindergarten. I couldn't wait until he was in 5th grade and we could snuggle up together and read all those wonderful books! The reality however, was that life happened and when we got to this level, he didn't like school anymore. He became the typical preteen that just wanted to sleep in and play video games. So the school year (and every year thereafter) was a flop.
But next year is my year. Next year we will attempt this level again, this time with the whole crew: 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders (and 4, 3, and 1yo). We will add the fun hands-on projects. We will snuggle and read! And to get us ready for that, I will be redesigning the rest of this year.... so stay tuned!
Monday, February 15, 2016
Half Way Mark
I knew going into this school year things would be hard. I did have to neglect most fun things, including projects, photographing projects, and blogging. Sorry.
I had no idea just how hard a 3yo, a 2yo, and a baby could be while also homeschooling five other kids.
Here is a quick update:
My oldest is truckin' along in BKSK 8. He is reading the history books and answering the questions in a spiral notebook that I correct on the weekends. He does no map work and no time line. He claims that if he needs to know where something is, he can just look it up online. And he knows how a timeline works. He does all the literature reading on the weekend after we've cut him off from screens and he wants to stay up late. Not my ideal schedule, but as he gets older and wants more independence, I'm okay with him trying new ways of homeschooling. He is on Week 22 and is on track to finish school by the end of May!
The second two, the 12 and 10 year olds, are around Week 18. We are just getting into World War I. This is the point in history where I look at my current fourth grader and shake my head. The World Wars straight out of the Landmark and Usborne books are just too much for this age. I've decided to cut my 10 year old loose and let her read American Girl books for the next few topics, along with biographies for the Wright Brothers, Hellen Keller, and whatever I come up with... They are both told what reader to read on Monday and what chapter to be finished with by Friday. They are learning to budget their time with their language arts assignments.
I've had to follow that same plan with science as well. I hand the 10 and 12 year olds their science activity sheets and tell them what book to read. I've given up on the TOPS books for now. I'm hoping to add some of the other projects when spring rolls around. But for now they are fine with a bare minimum schedule.
My 12 year old is not liking BKSK Science 7, which is sad. Too many labs from the Robotics book don't work out, so he is discouraged. The solar panel lost its wire, so his solar bot couldn't work. The walking robot wouldn't walk. But he is still doing the reading and worksheets in the other books.
My BKSK Level 1 groups was dissolved. My special little Kindergartener just needs more time before he is ready for organized learning and this is the perfect year to let him play. He does like to earn screen time by doing a math sheet, so we keep that up. My 2nd grader really does need to do more, but she will not miss out on too much and will join us all next year when we start the Eastern Hemisphere as a group. She is cruising through the reader schedule for LA 2.
I had no idea just how hard a 3yo, a 2yo, and a baby could be while also homeschooling five other kids.
Here is a quick update:
My oldest is truckin' along in BKSK 8. He is reading the history books and answering the questions in a spiral notebook that I correct on the weekends. He does no map work and no time line. He claims that if he needs to know where something is, he can just look it up online. And he knows how a timeline works. He does all the literature reading on the weekend after we've cut him off from screens and he wants to stay up late. Not my ideal schedule, but as he gets older and wants more independence, I'm okay with him trying new ways of homeschooling. He is on Week 22 and is on track to finish school by the end of May!
The second two, the 12 and 10 year olds, are around Week 18. We are just getting into World War I. This is the point in history where I look at my current fourth grader and shake my head. The World Wars straight out of the Landmark and Usborne books are just too much for this age. I've decided to cut my 10 year old loose and let her read American Girl books for the next few topics, along with biographies for the Wright Brothers, Hellen Keller, and whatever I come up with... They are both told what reader to read on Monday and what chapter to be finished with by Friday. They are learning to budget their time with their language arts assignments.
I've had to follow that same plan with science as well. I hand the 10 and 12 year olds their science activity sheets and tell them what book to read. I've given up on the TOPS books for now. I'm hoping to add some of the other projects when spring rolls around. But for now they are fine with a bare minimum schedule.
My 12 year old is not liking BKSK Science 7, which is sad. Too many labs from the Robotics book don't work out, so he is discouraged. The solar panel lost its wire, so his solar bot couldn't work. The walking robot wouldn't walk. But he is still doing the reading and worksheets in the other books.
My BKSK Level 1 groups was dissolved. My special little Kindergartener just needs more time before he is ready for organized learning and this is the perfect year to let him play. He does like to earn screen time by doing a math sheet, so we keep that up. My 2nd grader really does need to do more, but she will not miss out on too much and will join us all next year when we start the Eastern Hemisphere as a group. She is cruising through the reader schedule for LA 2.
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