the summer of 2015

I wish I could just skip this post altogether, but I can't.  I'll apologize in advance for the lengthiness.  But it needs to be recorded, and I'll start with the heavy.

April/May/June

The story of this summer has been a sad one.

Most of you know that we buried one of our best friends.  He was a childhood friend of Josh's.  He and Josh were hunting buddies.  He and Josh have hunting stories galore.  He married my cousin.  He was in our wedding.  We went to church together for the last 15 years.  Our kids have grown up together.  

He went into the hospital in early April and was diagnosed with cancer shortly thereafter.  He came home in hospice care in June and died a few weeks later.  

Throughout the ordeal, Josh and I looked at each other time and time again and said, "Is this really happening?  Is Rob really dying?"  It was surreal to write his obituary and to attend his viewing and funeral.  

What was beautiful to see through the depths of great sorrow was the way our church family stood with Rob and Jen throughout Rob's battle.  And not only them, they stood with us as well.  Josh and I spent countless hours with Rob and Jen during those months.  Friends and family were watching our kids and cooking meals for us so that we could spend as much time with Rob and Jen as possible.  It is something that would have never crossed my mind in the past.  It will be at the top of my list in the future to love and bless those in supporting roles.  It was humbling and a blessing to say the least.  

What a joy it was to know Rob and call him our friend.  He will be forever missed.

July

July brought some nicer weather and some much appreciated rest at the lake.  It also gave Josh some time to work on our house.  He has worked steadily since July and has accomplished much.

He passed a couple of necessary inspections and has a date in October marked on the calendar where things need to be "livable" per our government.  He doesn't want to pay to renew our permits, so he's working as hard as he can to get things to the "livable" point.  I, for one, am thankful for the deadline.  He works well with a goal in mind. :)

July also brought some sad news.  Our dog, Tucker (he'll be 12 in November), has a tumor in his mouth.  While we know that he won't live much longer, it doesn't seem to be bothering him.  He drools much more than before, and Josh has to doctor his food so that it is softer.  He continues to be playful and has been enjoying all of the extra, extra walks with the girls.  We even had a photo shoot with him yesterday which consisted of him lying on his back time and time again as I tried to take pictures of him with the girls.  He just wanted to play, and the girls were getting a big kick out of it. 

On a positive note, volleyball started in July!  This has been the highlight of the summer for the girls.  Claire tried out for the volleyball team in May, and she found out on her birthday that she made it.  Poor Meredith really wanted to try out, but she'll need to wait until next year. :)  She is on the 4-6 grade training team, and that is whetting her appetite for now.  

August

With the unexpected schedule through April, May, and June, I wasn't quite as ready for school in August as I would have liked to have been.  The last couple of years, I have ordered all of our curriculum right after the end of school.  I would put away the old, organize the new, and be ready to plan in August.  Not this year.  We started a week ago today, and I still didn't feel as prepared as I would have liked.

Claire and Meredith actually both started some of their subjects without me during the two weeks before I was ready to begin.  You know it's bad when the students are more ready to start than the teacher.  They kind of kicked my rear end into gear. :)  I feel like I keep them accountable most of the time, but maybe the tables are beginning to turn.  

Volleyball games started this month which have forced me to be o.r.g.a.n.i.z.e.d. and prepped for meals.  I saw a fabulous idea on facebook to help with lunch prep, and we've been using that for the days when we have volleyball games.  It has worked nicely, and I've decided to serve our big meal for lunch on early volleyball game days instead of dinner.  So far, so good.  We'll see what September brings.  

August has also brought an unexpected desire for me to eat healthier, exercise regularly, go to bed earlier, and get up earlier.  I'm not sure I'm succeeding on all accounts, but I've definitely made some positive changes.  Unfortunately, I love cookies a little too much.  I know we've discussed this before.  Thankfully, my good friend, Deanna, makes these awesome healthy cookies.  She assures me that I can eat a lot of them, and I take comfort in that.  I don't argue.  I just eat the cookies and trust her words.  Pass me another healthy cookie, friend...  

We also FINALLY got internet back in our house.  Our phone and internet have been out all summer.  I kid you not...all.summer.long...since like May.  It's been a little weird and kind of nice, and I've become an expert at doing everything (but blogging) on my phone.  Blessing and a curse, I tell you.  We still don't have our phone in working order.  Maybe someday.  

September

September is going to be a busy volleyball month.  (Can you tell I'm totally turning into a volleyball mom?  Sorry that you're going to have to hear about it for the next 15 years if all of my girls decide to play.)  

Our co-op also starts in September, and I agreed to be in charge this year.  Sometimes I question my sanity, but I just had to take the reins.  My friend, Cari, was formerly in charge, and her husband had cancer a few years ago.  And she was donating a kidney this summer.  And she has six kids.  I told myself, "Your husband does not have cancer, you're not donating a kidney, you don't have a baby, you're not pregnant, and your youngest child is four.  What is your excuse?!!"  I had none.  I knew I could handle it.  And Deanna promised to help.  Thankfully, she's been a super-awesome assistant, and she's done almost all of the grunt work.  She makes me look good!

I hope September is treating all of you well.  I'm sorry if I don't tell you enough that I'm thankful to have you as my friends.  And if you were all here, I'd give you a hug...so instead, a virtual hug, right here.  Maybe I'll get caught up on reading blogs, but let's be honest and realistic...I probably won't.  I'll just pick up bits and pieces where I can.  If anything major has happened, just tell me.  Happy September to you, my friends!

our homeschool curriculum 2014-2015

School starts on Monday, and I'm finally looking forward to it!  I don't know why I was dreading planning so much this year.  Thankfully, once I was elbow deep into planning, I started to get excited.  Then, I was trying to decide why we waited until next week to start! :)

Amelia couldn't be more excited to start.  She was super disappointed a couple of weeks ago when I told her that we still had two weeks.  Meredith is supposedly "dreading" it, but I know she'll do great once we begin.  Claire is pretty excited as well even though she keeps telling me, "At the end of last year, I told myself that I was NOT going to be excited about the beginning of the year, but I am!"  Love it.

Amelia (1st grade)

Sonlight Readers 1 and 2
She started Readers 1 last year.  She has a few to complete, and she'll move on to level 2.

Handwriting Without Tears, My Printing Book

Explode the Code 1 and 2

Saxon Math 1

Spelling You See, level B

Harcourt Language Arts 1 workbook
We haven't done this book before.  It is a pretty simple little book, but I think she'll enjoy it.  I don't start them on their language arts curriculum until 2nd grade, but this will give her something to do and work on some skills.

Artistic Pursuits K-3, book 1

Co-op: performance, anatomy, and math/reading games

Amelia will be doing read alouds, history, and (some) science with the older girls.  She'll also be in gym class once a week, and we hope to find a swim lesson option in the spring.

Meredith (4th grade)

Saxon Math 5/4

Harcourt Language Arts 4 and Workbook

Spelling You See, level D

Explode the Code 5

Handwriting Without Tears, Cursive Success

Sonlight Core E: History, Readers, Read Alouds (American History, Year 2)

Sonlight Core E: Science (Electricity, Magnetism, and Astronomy)

Artistic Pursuits Grade 4-6, book 1

Daily Geography, grade 4

Writing, IEW's All Things Fun & Fascinating

Westminster Catechism for Kids

Co-op: performance, teamwork, and science 

Gym

Volleyball, fall season


Claire (6th grade)

Saxon Math 7/6

Winston Grammar

Spelling You See, level D

Explode the Code 8

Handwriting Without Tears, Cursive Success

Sonlight Core E: History, Readers, Read Alouds (American History, Year 2)

Sonlight Core E: Science (Electricity, Magnetism, and Astronomy)

Artistic Pursuits Grade 4-6, book 1

Daily Geography, grade 4

Writing, IEW's All Things Fun & Fascinating 

Westminster Catechism for Kids

Co-op: performance, teamwork, and science 

Gym

Volleyball, fall season

We are keeping a lot of things the same for the coming year, but we're also doing a lot of new things.  It's a good year for transition since we don't have any kinders this year.

Art, geography, spelling, and Claire's grammar program are all new to us this year.  Josh took the girls golfing each week all summer, and they both wanted to do volleyball this fall.  I loved that they both wanted to do those activities...make them much more easy to justify the travel aspect.  They are basically just participating in the practices once a week.  Claire was old enough to try out for the team, but she didn't feel like she had enough volleyball skills.  She wants to work on them this year and try out next year.  Meredith will have to wait patiently for her turn. :)

I'm looking forward to this year since I don't have to teach anyone to read!  And I love that Olivia is getting older and will sit and play/color/entertain herself.  She is so good at playing alongside her sisters.  She just loves being near them and watching them...monkey see, monkey do.

school year in review

The end of April and the month of May are always crazy busy in this house.  This year was no different, and actually I think it was busier than usual.  We threw in a homeschool convention, an out of town trip, and a half marathon along with the usual set-in-stone events.

I'm always a bad May blogger, but I see that I threw April under the bus this year as well.  Easter in late April didn't help. :)  I'm typically not a great summer blogger, but I'm hoping to change my reputation at least for this summer.

We had our last day of school last Thursday, and I've been thinking about our school year a lot.  Last year, I ordered all of our curriculum as soon as school was completed, and it was nice to not have to think about it all summer.  I'm definitely doing that again while things are still fresh in my mind.

Overall, this was our best year yet in spite of parenting a tween and a toddler at the same time.  The unexplored territory of the tween years baffles me at times, but we're going to survive (sometimes just one hour at a time, though).  This toddler thing...I totally thought I had it down...and then potty training reminded me that I, indeed, know slim to none.

Claire
Claire was an excellent student this year other than a slight hiccup in December.  She took complete charge of her math and her language arts programs and did an outstanding job.

For some reason, she was struggling to complete her reading assignments on time during the month of December.  She assured us that she would catch up over Christmas break, but we all know how difficult it is to catch up when people are building snowmen, decorating for Christmas, and drinking hot cocoa.

We put her on a strict school/chore/free time (or lack thereof) schedule through the month of January, and that seemed to do the trick.  She had no other problems through the remainder of the year.

I'm continually impressed at Claire's self discipline.  She often wakes up long before everyone else so that she can get to work on her math assignments while it's still quiet in the house.  I know that her motivation is that she doesn't want to "miss out" on free time when everyone else has completed their work, but I would have struggled to discipline myself at that age.

What is most shocking is that we now have a 6th grader.  When did that happen?!  We're looking forward to the next stage of the journey. :)

Meredith
Meredith was also a great student this year.  She continues to excel at reading and can often be found lying on her bed with her nose in a book.  I think it calms her.

Math is a frustrating subject for her, but she did extremely well this year while learning all of her multiplication facts.  Certain facts were continually giving her fits, and we did our best to work through those.

I'm praying that her attitude will be a positive one for the upcoming school year as she will be transitioning from me teaching her math lessons on a daily basis to her using Dr. Shoreman's DVD for her daily instruction.  Sometimes she has a difficult time with change, and I think she's feeling some anxiety regarding this.  I know she'll do just fine once she gets a few weeks into the program.

Meredith is a very willing student and typically gets right to work without much prodding.  She works right through her subjects and doesn't get distracted easily.  This is a blessing, for sure!

Amelia
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Amelia this year.  She is so easily distracted and by far the wiggliest child in our home.  Despite my fears, she was a joy to teach.  Distracted?  Yes...but also easy to put back on task.  Wiggly.  Ummm...for sure.  But, thankfully, kindergarten doesn't require that you sit and listen for hours upon hours each day.

She was the easiest child, thus far, to teach how to read.  Claire was the most challenging, then Meredith, then Amelia.  I'm not sure if their personalities/learning abilities are playing into this, or if I'm just getting better at teaching it each year.  I'm sure the latter is true!  If Olivia is the easiest, we'll know it's my experience playing a huge part.  My patience was certainly better the 3rd time around.

Amelia loved math this year, and often requested that we do it first.  Her Explode the Code book was also enjoyable for her.

Olivia
Olivia did great this year as far as finding things to do to keep her busy.  I often gave her little activities to complete this year, but mostly she was just happy to sit next to someone and play legos, look at books, or color.  She has learned her colors, shapes, and numbers.  We've done nothing formal, so I can't take any credit for her knowledge.  I am continually impressed at how much kids learn just by watching and listening.

Last year at this time, she was very interested in potty training.  I thought it was great timing with summer break upon us, but she only wanted to potty in the toilet...no pooping.  This was not what I had envisioned when I began the potty training journey.  Have I mentioned that potty training is my least favorite part of parenting?  Because it is.

I cleaned disgusting messes all summer, and I gave it a rest in the fall thinking that she would come around.  We tried to start again a few different times.  No go.  Mess after mess after mess.  Seriously, a few weeks ago, Claire took her into the bathroom and told her that she couldn't get up until she pooped on the toilet.  She sat there for about 5 minutes and then pooped.  We all celebrated! :)

Of course, she's had an accident here or there, but she's been really successful during the last few weeks!  This is such a relief.  Everyone has been super encouraging to me, and you'll find me often saying things like, "She'll figure it out by the time she starts kindergarten."  But honestly, I was kind of doubting it on this one!  Thankfully, I think we've made it through the hard part.  And if for some reason we happen to have a surprise 5th baby...I'm turning potty training over to Claire. :)

Overall, it's been a truly enjoyable year to teach the girls.  They are such a blessing to our family and to others.  Even though they have their sisterly squabbles, I'm continually impressed at the way they love each other and truly enjoy being together.

Selfishly, I must admit that I'm looking forward to the next two years of having the same number of students to teach.  Middle school seems like a daunting task when I think about it too much, but we're just going to keep doing what we're doing and making changes where we see fit.  It seems to be working, thus far, so we're sticking to it.

I can't tell you how much I love summer break!  We're looking forward to park days, lake days, zoo days, and lazy days.  Hope all of you have a great summer as well!

slight exaggeration

Each school day, the girls have to complete their memory work.  It includes all subjects with things like history dates, grammar rules, scripture verses, word definitions, random important information, etc.  There is a rotation so that they are reviewing things about once a month and practicing new things on a daily basis.

Currently, Claire has some definitions that she's working through.  There are probably about 15.  She has to read through them at least 5 times when she does her memory work.

In light of this info, here is our most recent conversation regarding memory work:

Claire:  Mom, these definitions are taking forever to get through!
Me:  There aren't that many.  Just work through them.  I'll go through them with you once or twice if it would help.
Claire: No...I can do them...they just take like 2 hours to go through!
Me: Two hours?  I don't think so.
Claire:  (sigh) Well, they take at least 5 minutes!!!

We don't exaggerate around here at all.

b.i.f. twenty-one

Any teacher will tell you that one of the best parts of being a teacher is watching kids work hard and then succeed because of it.  Let me tell you something: teaching your own child, watching your own child work hard, and then watching your own child succeed is even better.  

Today was one of those pay-off days with Meredith.  She works so hard in math mainly because it's so tough for her.  It isn't naturally her easiest subject, and there are days when she gets a bit overwhelmed and frustrated.

This girl has been working on her math facts every single day.  She takes a math facts test every single day.  And every single day her goal is to get at least 15 problems correct in 45 seconds.  There are several different tests, so she typically doesn't have the same test two days in a row.  If she gets at least 15 problems correct in 45 seconds, she gets a little piece of candy.  Rare is the day that she gets her 15 problems completed.  She usually gets more than 10 but less than 15.  

Today was different.  She answered 21 problems correctly in 45 seconds...21!!!  The most she had gotten through on this particular sheet in the past was 11.  Saying that she was thrilled is a gross understatement. She was smiling ear to ear, jumping up and down, and running around the house to tell her sisters.    

We all celebrated together, and I'm sure that particular piece of candy tasted awfully sweet today. :)  It was a lovely moment to be able to watch.  

toddler activity ideas

We're at the beginning of the school year once again, and once again, I have a two year old to try to distract while trying to get school lessons completed in the morning.  This can be a very challenging part of homeschooling.  

Thankfully, I have some experience from the year that Amelia was 2.  Even more thankfully, I'm not pregnant like I was that year.  I won't be lying on the couch in the midst of exhaustion trying to teach, distract a toddler, and eat a bowl of plain Cheerios all at the same time.  This year just HAS to be better, right?!  

The creative ideas that I am about to share are mostly not my own.  I have perused many a blog post looking for the simplest, yet most effective, ways to distract my own child.  The non-creative, linked activities are things that we probably already had on hand that I pull out for Olivia.  They are things that we've most likely given to or received as gifts for our kiddos.  

I did go shopping at the beginning of the week to purchase items that I needed to get my activities together.  I did most of my shopping at the dollar store, and I think I spent about $30 total.  Look around your home to get ideas of what you already have that can be put to use!  

If you have a preschooler, please check out my preschool activity ideas post.  Some of the activities overlap.  And I don't know why I ended up with 60 both times.  It really was just a coincidence.  (I actually had 61 on this list, but 60 is such a nice even number, so I deleted one.)

Be sure to keep an eye on your kiddos as they do these activities since they are still possibly in the "I'd like to pop this thing in my mouth and chew on it for a bit" stage.  Who am I kidding?  My 5 year old reverts back to that stage occasionally.  

Most of these activities are things that I'll give Olivia at the school table/counter.  She'll play with them as she sees fit...nothing formal from me on the whole, but I'm sure I'll be able to squeeze in an educational opportunity here or there.  I'm also certain that her sisters will happily stop what they're doing to teach her something. :) 

Here we go...Operation: Distract Olivia.

1. sponge towers: cut several sponges into block-type pieces to stack/build/play/etc.

2. sensory balloons: large, heavy-duty balloons (not blown up) filled with dry beans, coffee grounds, flour, water, rice, etc.

3. piggy bank toy

4. ribbon pull activity: one slit on each side of a container with a long ribbon pulled through the slits and knotted on the ends; put several ribbons with different textures through one container to be pulled back and forth

5. popsicle stick container: yogurt container with slits in the top for popsicle/craft sticks; put them in/pull them out

6. lacing beads

7. outdoor water bins/buckets (warmer months): add some measuring cups/large serving spoons/tupperware

8. indoor water bins/buckets (bathtub/colder months): same as outdoor just in the bathtub (never underestimate my ability to teach a reading lesson in the bathroom :) )

9. water color books

10. pom poms pushed through the top of a yogurt container with holes

11. pipe cleaners and a strainer

12. egg carton filled with plastic eggs that are filled with rice/beans/bells/etc.: the eggs will be super-glued shut

13. puzzles

14. legos

15. soda bottle filled with glitter, oil, and water; yes, this will be super-duper super glued shut

16. wooden blocks

17. stickers

18. teddy bear counters

19. clothesline play: heavier string tied between two chairs, clothespins, hang socks/baby doll clothes/washcloths/etc.

20. nesting ABC stacking blocks

21. stamps/stamp pad

22. junk mail/cutting practice

23. play-doh

24. sorting: nuts/bolts, colored pasta, pom poms, etc.

25. chalk coloring on black construction paper

26. pouring practice: water, plastic cups, towels :)

27. pattern block play

28. stacking cups: plastic solo-type cups to create rows/towers/etc.

29. sorting pie

30. train bin

31. balloon play

32. pet shop bin

33. chalk board painting: water, paintbrush

34. plastic animal counters

35. play-doh/spaghetti/Cheerios: ball of play-doh, hard spaghetti sticking out of the top/Cheerios threaded onto the spaghetti

36. button snake: long ribbon with a large button sewn on the end, squares of felt with slits to "thread" onto the ribbon

37. shape puzzle box

38. duplo blocks

39. table fort

40. dot markers

41. coloring pages

42. caps activity: collect random milk/container caps, cut a hole in an oatmeal or yogurt container, drop caps through hole

43. book bin: lots of lift the flaps/color/animal books (her favorites)

44. stack and roll cups

45. bathe our baby dolls: washcloth, bowl of water

46. rainbow stacking toy

47. wooden balance board: 2x6 that lays on the floor to practice walking/jumping/balance, slides under the couch for storage

48. zingo

49. paper towel roll taped to a cabinet/drop pom poms through into a cup or bowl

50. masking tape play: put pieces of masking tape on counter, she peels them and puts them on a piece of paper

51. day and night activity

52. wipes box with continuously-knotted-together strips of material to pull and pull and pull

53. bumpy foam (think pet bed) with a bowl of marbles and a teaspoon sized "dipper" to transfer marbles into bumpy divots

54. toothpicks dropped into a parmesan shaker

55. salt shaker dump/small funnel: dump salt back and forth between two shakers

56. toilet paper roll threading: cut tp tubes and thread them onto a string or ribbon

57. magnetic dress up book

58. stuffed animal toss: stuffed animals/empty hamper/tape line to stand behind for the toss

59. jenga

60. tongs and toys: move toys/blocks/etc. from one bin to another using kitchen tongs

(If you can't tell, we're kind of big Melissa and Doug fans around here!  I love their products.  They are the best!!  We ask for them each year as gifts from our more than generous Grandmas and Grandpas!)

Let me know if anyone needs clarification on any of these!  Happy playing, distracting, entertaining, educating, and loving on your kiddos!

our homeschool curriculum 2013-2014

School starts in our home officially on Monday, with an orientation day this coming Friday.  My friend, Cari, informed me recently that she does an orientation day with her kiddos the day before school starts.  This involves talking through their assignment sheets, looking through their books, showing them how to get their computer programs running, and talking through their daily schedule.  She informs me that this makes the first day of school run so much smoother.  Can we say brilliant?!  I think yes.  

We have an exciting year ahead since Amelia is starting kindergarten...how did that happen?!  Even though this will add more people to manage, I think it will be good for her to have a bit more routine to her day.  And this is Claire's last year as an elementary student (sniff), unless of course, you consider 6th grade elementary.  We might just do that...6th was still elementary in the school where I taught, so it can be elementary in my homeschool as well. :)

Here is the rundown of our 2013-2014 curriculum:

Amelia (kindergarten)

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons:  The title is a bit misleading with the words "100 easy lessons".  I'm not going to lie...there are a few easy lessons, a few okay lessons, and several hard/frustrating/make you want to pull out your hair because your child just can't sound out those words lessons.  Overall, though, I really like this book.  This is the third time we've used it, and I'm certain that I'll use it with Olivia as well.  It works.  Need I say more?!  

I'm going to be honest here...I've never made it to the 100th lesson.  We're quitters because really, we just want to read regular books.  So we do.  And it's okay.  And everyone can read.  Maybe I'll make it to lesson 100 with Amelia. :)

Handwriting: Printing: I haven't used this one before, but I'm not super particular about kindergarten handwriting books.  She already knows her letters, so I really just want her to practice.  

Get Ready for the Code A: I love the Explode the Code books.  We'll do B and C once she finishes with A.  

Saxon Math: K  We're doing my own personal version of this curriculum.  You know you're a veteran homeschooling mom when you're getting ready to go through a curriculum for the third time and know exactly what lessons you can skip.  Thank you, experience, you are so kind to me.

Sonlight Read-Alouds: Sonlight pretty much has the best read-alouds on the face of the earth.  If you don't want to buy the curriculum, just make a list and check them out at the library.  Sonlight read-alouds are some of my favorite books ever!

Co-op: Letter of the Week curriculum

Gym Class: once per week

Swim Class: once per week in the fall

Amelia will also be participating in some of Claire and Meredith's science activities, but it will be on a simple level.  She'll be starting a drawing journal where she will dictate, and I will write.  She will be doing a lot of free play when she is finished with school because I'm a huge believer in free play...especially when you're 5! :)

Meredith (3rd grade)

Saxon Math 3 

Harcourt Language Grade 3 and workbook  Overall, I've been pleased with this language arts program.  We're using the workbook for this year's assignments which we haven't done in the past.

All About Spelling Level 2  We're in the middle of this book, and I imagine that we'll make it through to Level 3 before the end of the year.  I really like AAS, but I also like my kids to have weekly spelling words and activities.  So, we're supplementing with...

Spectrum Spelling Grade 3  This is our first year doing this particular program.  In the past, I've used lists that I've found online for spelling words.  I'm using an actual book to simplify my life.  We'll see if it works.

Explode the Code 4

Handwriting Without Tears: Cursive Handwriting  A certain teacher in this house may have forgotten to order a cursive handwriting book for her 2nd grader last  year.  Said 2nd grader was a bit disappointed when she opened her handwriting book to find printed words instead of cursive words.  Oops!  The teacher assured the student that she would order a 3rd grade cursive book the following year.  Here it is. 

Co-op: Hands-on science, World Cultures/Geography, Art

Gym: once per week

Swim: once per week in the fall

Claire (5th grade)

Saxon Math 6/5 with DIVE CD If you are a Saxon Math homeschooler, purchasing the DIVE CD is one of the best $50 you will spend in your curriculum.  The DIVE CDs start at the 4th grade level, and I can't tell you how freeing it is to have math lessons taught on the computer by Dr. Shormann.  Claire pulls up her math lesson each day, listens to it, and asks for help when necessary.  I cannot recommend this enough!  What a blessing!!

Harcourt Language Grade 5 and workbook  And just to be clear, I always buy these textbooks under the used section of Amazon's offers.  They are usually around $5 with shipping.  Such a steal!!  Of course, I buy the workbooks new, but they are extremely reasonably priced.  

Spectrum Spelling Grade 5

Handwriting Without Tears Grade 5 Cursive

Explode the Code 7

Co-op: Hands-on Engineering, World Cultures/Geography, Intro to Spanish 

Gym: once per week

Swim: once per week in the fall

Claire and Meredith

The girls will be doing the same history, science, reading, and writing programs this year.  I'm extremely thrilled to be combining so many subjects.  This should allow for better discussion and learning for everyone.  Claire's reading program will be the advanced version of Meredith's.

History/Readers/Read-Alouds:  Sonlight Core D American History, Year 1  We are so excited to be studying American history for the next two years!  The history books, readers, and read-alouds all work together in this core.

Science: Sonlight's Biology, Taxonomy, and Human Anatomy

Writing: IEW's Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales 

And while all this is going on, we're praying that Olivia keeps happily busy doing her own activities, which I'll post about in the future (update: my toddler activity ideas are posted here).  And I'm also hoping that she doesn't give up her nap time until next summer...probably wishful thinking. :)

our family chores

Training kids for chores is a whole lot of work.  It's also an enormous blessing to our family.  I've made chore charts for the kids for several years.  I think I started with Claire when she was 4.

I'm a huge believer in chores for kids.  They help make the mess; they should help clean it.  It also provides good training for when they leave the house as well as when parents are busy or ill and need some additional assistance.  

Chores within your home will look different depending on whether you have younger kids, older kids, kids in public/private school, or kids at home who homeschool.  Schedules and abilities will vary...be flexible.  It's a complete trial and error process until you can find something that works well for your family.  We've done it several different ways.  What I'm describing here is what is currently working for our family.  

I used to make new charts for the kids every few weeks so that the kids wouldn't get bored with their chores.  And then, I read about a woman who had her kids do the same chores for an entire year.  Wow!  Being someone who likes variety, I didn't know if this was for our family.  Then, I had Olivia, and I did my best to simplify virtually everything in my life...including chores.  

I decided to give the kids daily chores and weekly chores that they would do the entire year.  I knew that once I taught them how to do their chores, I wouldn't have to teach new chores again for a year.  Doing the same chores for the entire year would give them routine as well as allow them to master a specific chore/skill.  This year, I'm training in the summer so that everyone will be in their routine by the time the school year starts.

I typically choose chores for my kids that help our household run smoothly.  I try to think about what drives me most crazy by the time we make it to 1:00 in the afternoon {which is about the time we do chores}, and I base their daily chores on those things.  Usually, the entryway is a mess, there are toys/games/things all over the kitchen and family room, the main area of our kitchen and the bar area are covered in crumbs of food, the kitchen counter needs attention, etc.  You get the idea.  This year I added dinner/after dinner chores for everyone as well.  This is a first for us...prior to this year, I have always wanted the girls to be able to get all of their chores finished during our "chore time."  It's working well so far.

On a side note, this is the first time in a couple of years that no one has had a "mom's choice" chore.  I've had those on our charts a lot, and I'm always thankful for that specific chore.  I can choose anything I'd like, and there is usually something random that needs done.  Consider adding this to your own kids' charts if you need an extra idea.

I always give my kids a set of daily chores and a set of weekly chores.  I assign their weekly chores to specific days, or the kids would wait until the last day, and everything would turn into a huge fight.  

Here are our chore lists for this year:

Claire {10 years old}

daily 

make bed, pick up bedroom floor, load dishwasher after dinner, wash pots and pans

weekly

Sunday: make dinner with Meredith

Monday: one load of laundry {pinks...I know you're not surprised to know that we have a full load of pinks :)}

Tuesday: sweep and steam the entire kitchen floor, clean the bathroom

Wednesday: vacuum all carpeted rooms

{This year, I allowed Claire to choose the days of the week in which she wanted her weekly chores.  I know she is going to have more school work this year, so she will have the flexibility to "make up" her weekly chores on Thursday and Friday if she doesn't get them done on the first couple of days of the week.  We'll see how it goes once school starts.}

Meredith {8 years old}

daily

make bed, pick up bedroom floor, sweep main area of kitchen and under bar, pick up entryway/hallway, kitchen counter clean up with Mom, wipe table and main counter after dinner

weekly

Sunday: make dinner with Claire

Tuesday: sweep entryway and hallway

Thursday: one load of laundry {light colored towels}

Amelia {5 years old}

daily

make bed, pick up bedroom floor, pick up family room floor and kitchen floor, pick up 50 toys/things in the playroom, set dinner table, clear dinner table with Mom

weekly

Tuesday: dust family room

Wednesday: load of laundry with Mom {dark colored towels}

Me

daily

make bed, pick up bedroom floor, declutter kitchen

weekly

Monday: kitchen {The kitchen usually gets a bit crazy over the weekend, so Monday is a good day to get it back in order.}

Tuesday: straighten/clean master bathroom

Wednesday: declutter laundry room, office, hanging rack in entryway

Thursday: lesson plans/school prep

Friday: wipe cabinets/appliances, prep laundry

Saturday: laundry

  

If everyone gets to work, usually they can finish their chores in about 30 minutes.  The complaining, moaning, and distractions usually add to the time.  Some days, my kids really get right to work and are done in a flash...other days, not so much.  As of now, I'm pretty much walking along side of Amelia to keep her on task while she's learning.  She gets overwhelmed easily, but if I'm helping her, it's not so bad.  

While I'm really good at getting my kids to complete their chores, I'm not the best at getting my own completed.  I've been doing better in recent weeks, but honestly, the laundry room and the office are huge collecting spaces in our home.  We're working on it.  I try not to get too overwhelmed and just try to put out the biggest fire at the time.  

Here are some good links for chore chart printables or fill-in printables to make your own:

http://www.designfinch.com/2011/07/31/sunday-planning/ {I'm using one from this list for Claire and myself this year.}

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6a/9a/95/6a9a953c46a238cd327918ee3ef6b1c6.jpg {I'm using this for Meredith and Amelia.}

http://blog.worldlabel.com/2012/organizing-labels-for-more-stuff.html {I used these last year.}

http://www.howdoesshe.com/1-free-organizational-printables/

I always print them, laminate them, and hang them near the kitchen.  

Happy cleaning!

preschool activity ideas

One of the most common questions I continually get while homeschooling is this: what do you do with your younger kids while you homeschool?  Always a great question.

This is, admittedly, one of the most difficult aspects of homeschooling.  If I play my cards right and get my act together, I can usually make things go pretty smoothly for our family.

This year, during winter break, I came up with some easy "school time" activities for Amelia to complete while the older girls were working on school.  I geared these toward her current age at the time which was 4, almost 5.

The list that I put together is a little something I like to call "Operation: Distract Amelia".  I found a lot of these activities on Pinterest, blogs, and just by opening our game cabinet.  I brainstormed all kinds of ideas and chose the ones I thought I could tolerate and would take less than 5 minutes to get out each morning.

{If you need ideas for your toddler, please visit my toddler activity ideas post.}

I printed, laminated, and posted the list in my school cabinet so it's front and center each morning.  I chose two activities for each day.  Whatever day of the month, that's the day I choose.  Easy enough, right?!

These first 5 items are things that get put out each day.  Anything that I put in brackets {like this} are notes regarding my list.  Any games that you see listed/linked are just things that I pull out and let her play with the pieces...nothing formal.

-coloring page

-books on table {I choose about 5 books just for her to flip through...might be library/might be off of our shelves.}

-preschool skills activity page {Just a preschool skills page from one of those huge preschool books.  It might have drawing, cutting/pasting, circling, etc.}

-toddler swap box activity {We participated in a toddler activity swap a couple of years ago.  I just rotate through these each day.  I probably have 25.}

-puzzle {Amelia loves puzzles!}

The next activities listed are the ones that change each day.  I keep a special box on top of one of our cabinets that holds some of the "extras" that aren't regular toys so that they are new to her each time she plays with them.  

-activity of the day:

1.      Muffin tin sorting: buttons; cotton swab writing: alphabet {I printed off several alphabet pages for Amelia to use during these types of activities.  She uses a cotton swab and paint to trace the letters on an alphabet page.}

2.      Lacing beads; santa box

3.      Legos; stacking cups {these are just plastic solo-type cups that my kids love playing with and stacking}

4.      Rice and coins; Animal Logic lineup {rice and coins: store them dumped in a plastic bag kept in the special box}

5.      Play dough/spaghetti/cheerios; balloons {ball of play dough, uncooked spaghetti stuck into it, put cheerios on the spaghetti}

6.      Train bin; Uno cards

7.      Magnetic dress up book; sock match {I pull a bunch of my socks out of my drawer, mix them up in a basket, and have her match them.}

8.      Puzzles; pet shop box

9.      Muffin tin sorting: crayons; fill the bag: choose a color {fill the bag: choose one color, like red, and say find all of the toys that are red and put them in this bag}

10. Count the lights; zingo {I printed a bunch of pages with the numbers 1-20 on them, and she has to walk through the house and cross off a number each time she sees a light.}

11. Duplo blocks; cut magazines and make collage

12. Cookie sheet with flour; spoon matching activity {put a little flour on a cookie sheet and let her draw in it; spoon activity: plastic spoons with capital and lowercase letters...she matches them.}

13. Play dough; phone number practice {I write our phone number on a piece of paper, and she copies it several times.}

14. Chalk board painting; cotton swab writing: numbers {chalkboard, water, paintbrush}

15. Strainer/pipe cleaners; sticker book {picked up a huge sticker book where the stickers go somewhere in the book, she has to find the "shadow" of the sticker and put it in the right place}

16. Sorting pie; wash tupperware/plastic dishes

17. Wooden blocks; fill the bag: choose a letter {choose any letter and have her find toys that start with that letter, put them in the bag}

18. Count the windows; dry beans {same as count the lights; I have dry beans for play similar to the rice and coins}

19. Day and night activity; write name with pens, markers, crayons, etc.

20. Sort laundry; teddy bear counters {teddy bear counters are from our math curriculum}

21. Shape puzzlebox; plastic animals

22. Quirkle; count the cabinet pulls

23. Marshmallows/toothpicks; pattern blocks {build things with marshmallows and toothpicks}

24. Jenga blocks; table fort {throw a blanket over the table and play}

25. Build a letter; white board/markers {build a letter is a book that we have with pieces that allow you to build a letter along with the book...can't find a link for it}

26. Dominos; cutting practice

27. Legos; Rummikub

28. Popsicle stick free play; junk mail {I save our junk mail and let her open it, cut it, write on it, etc.}

29. Dot markers; memory match {basically a memory/match game that I picked up at a garage sale}

30. Chalkboard drawing; muffin tin sorting: coins

Hope this gives you some ideas for your own toddler/preschooler.  I can usually get at least 30 minutes of teaching time out of these.  She doesn't always want to do them, but most of the time if they're already out, she's itching to get started after breakfast.  

If you have any links or ideas to share, please do!  

{gingerbread houses 2012}

I'm just going to let these pictures speak for themselves.  I absolutely loved doing this with the girls today.  Such a sweet day.  Amelia and I worked on hers together. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{curriculum plan 2012-2013}

We started school on Monday!  I always find curriculum plans interesting, so I thought I would post ours for this school year.  

Claire {4th grade}

Math: Saxon Math 5/4  I find it slightly crazy that Claire has moved into "middle grades" math {she's not that old, is she?!}.  We did Saxon for grades K-2, and we tried Math-U-See last year.  While I really enjoyed how simple MUS was to navigate last year, I continually felt like it wasn't a good fit for our family.

Saxon is an extremely facts-based program.  Sometimes I think it's slightly overbearing when it comes to math facts, but after using MUS last year, there really wasn't any continual facts practice written into the curriculum.  I know as the parent/teacher, I could have/should have pushed it myself while using MUS, but looking back, I really liked it being a part of the daily program.  I also like that at the 4th grade level, DIVE CDs can be purchased and used for daily instruction with Saxon.  It's definitely not a curriculum that fits everyone's style, but I'm a fan...for now. :)   

Reading:  We have used Sonlight's reading program since 1st grade, and I have been nothing but impressed with it.  She will be reading the 4th-5th grade readers for this school year!

Language Arts:  Harcourt Language Grade 4  I've been really disappointed with the language arts options that I've seen {maybe I'm not seeing the right ones!!}.  Last year, after I felt like my head was going to explode, I decided to purchase a classroom-style language arts book.  I still don't feel like it's the perfect solution to our language arts goals, but I really like the set up of the lessons and that it has reviews and tests.  And, it only cost about $5 {including shipping} for a used text book.  Love that.

We're also going to give Easy Grammar a try.  We'll see if it lives up to it's name. :)

History/Geography/Read Alouds:  We'll be using Sonlight's Core C this year.  It is Intro to World History, Year 2 of 2.  We did year 1 a couple of years ago and took a little break.  I love, love, love Sonlight's choice of history books and read alouds.  The read alouds have become some of our very favorite books.  If you're ever looking for great reads for your kids, Sonlight's website is a great resource even if you don't use their curriculum.

Science:  Apologia Botany  We did Apologia Astronomy last year and the girls really seemed to like it.  We're going to try botany this year and work through a lapbook.  I haven't done any lapbooks in the past, but I think the girls will enjoy doing one!

Handwriting:  We've done A Reason for Handwriting in the past.  I've decided that I still think handwriting is important, and I want my kiddos to keep practicing!  Claire will be doing level D.

Typing:  Typing is obviously not going anywhere anytime soon.  Typing Instructor was recommended to us by several people.

Art:  Claire is taking an art class at our local elementary school once a week along with a regular 4th grade class.  She loves art, and we're excited to offer her a weekly class to challenge her!

Gym: The girls will be participating in the gym class that is offered in conjunction with our weekly co-op.  They will also be taking swim lessons this fall.

Co-op: This year in their co-op classes, the girls will be studying space, art appreciation through literature, critical thinking, and performance.  Should be a fun year!

Meredith {2nd grade}

Math: Meredith will be using Saxon's math program as well.  We'll be skimming through Saxon Math 1 and moving into Saxon Math 2 once we're finished with level 1.  I decided to go ahead and do the parts of 1 that I thought would benefit her since math isn't her strongest subject.

Reading: While math isn't Meredith's best subject, reading is.  Meredith will be finishing up the Sonlight 3rd grade readers during the first half of the year, and she'll begin the same curriculum that Claire is reading now.

Language Arts:  Harcourt Grade 2.

History/Geography/Read Alouds: Same as Claire.

Science: Same as Claire.

Handwriting:  A Reason for Handwriting, Level B.

Gym/Co-op: Same as Claire.

Hope you've enjoyed a peek into our school year!