New School Year

We began our year a couple of weeks ago.  Since Ellie has joined us, we have children from kindergarten up to eighth grade!  I've been staying quite busy!  Ellie thinks that she should be able to do all of her books every day (I bought books like cutting, thinking we would cover that once a week, rotating it with other books, like our reading skills, community helpers, and etiquette books).

Here are our books:

For Katie's 8th grade, we are continuing with Tapestry of Grace for literature and history.  We borrow many of the books from the library, but three of the books I purchased because of their on going use are here: Abraham Lincoln's World, From Sea to Shining Sea, and In the Days of Queen Victoria.  She is also covering Teaching Textbooks: Algebra I.  For Grammar, we are using Grammar for the Well Trained Mind, for both her and Gabby.  They find it challenging, but I do think it is a good challenge.  They are both also doing a Chemistry book.  We've not done much with textbooks in science before, usually using experimentally based or living books, but we are trying this, as we are heading into high school next year.  I also found the Just for Teen Girls: Bible Journal for the older two.  These will only last for the first semester.  I have a pile of books I'm going to choose from in the spring term, but I haven't settled on one yet.

For 6th grade, we are again using Tapestry of Grace, with a mix of the Upper Grammar and the Dialectic level.  I'm especially excited about Les Miserables (it is very abridged, but it is one of my very favorite books).  We also love Story of the World, which we are using with the Tapestry curriculum.  She is also using Christian Kids Explore: Chemistry, Just for Teen Girls: Bible Journal, and Grammar for the Well Trained Mind.  Keeping my students together whenever possible makes it much easier to keep up with everyone!  She is continuing with Spelling Power--we think she will be able to complete the entire book next year.  She is in Teaching Textbooks: Pre-Algebra.  Lastly, she loves Latin, and is going on with Once Upon a Time, in Latin.

 Nate is in 3rd grade this year.  Again we use Tapestry of Grace for literature and history.  He is in the lower grammar level, but I may choose some upper grammar assignments as the year goes on.  He is learning cursive with Handwriting Without Tears, which I used previously, since it is a simple introduction to cursive, without any extra flourishes.  He is in Singapore's Primary Mathematics 3B.  He too is using Spelling Power (though several units behind Gabby).  He has showed a great interest in astronomy, so while I intended to have him join the older two with the chemistry, we are letting him explorer his area of interest instead with Exploring Creation with Astronomy.  We used the text with Katie a number of years ago, but they have since updated it, making it hard to find the workbook.  Thankfully, someone local was selling an unused copy of the workbook.  We didn't quite finish the first Song School Latin last year, so we'll finish it this year before switching over to year two.  His Bible study is My Bible Journal.  It is much less a journal, and more a way to read through sections of the Bible and search for answers, highlighting key verses.  This seemed much more appealing to him than the coloring based journals I had been finding for his age.

Somehow our littlest is ready for kindergarten!  It is hard to believe this is our last trip through these books.  I didn't discover Five in a Row in time for Katie, but they are very much one of my favorites.  So far we have rowed The Story of Ping and Papa Piccolo.  I used the D'Nealian Handwriting with Nate, and thought it was a very good way to teach handwriting, starting with just lines and curves and moving on.  We are using Miquon: The Orange Book for the very first time, for math.  It is very hands on, which I felt would be a good way to start her.  Too bad for the others I hadn't found this one before!  So while Ellie must share me with more people, she does get a more experienced teacher!  Cutting has been one of the things she wanted to do the very most, so I got her a book just for that.  Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, is such a great way to teach reading.  She's read a few words with the set sounds she's learned.  The Bob Books are for practice a little later.  My rule for getting a library card, is that the child has to read me a book.  These are perfect for that.  We are having Ellie watch What's in the Bible for her Bible, along with reading The Storybook Bible.  The video was an effort to give her something to do while I gave the older children some undivided instruction, but they all like it too, so sometimes they come out to see it when it is on.

So that's our plan for the year!  So far so good!
Kristy

School Days

We're making our way through our year here.  We started late and we were a bit interrupted this fall with family circumstances, so we've been working hard to catch back up--starting early in January and going ahead with school when the local schools were out for snow and ice.

We are finishing our second year in Tapestry of Grace (for history, writing, and literature)--starting the final unit on the American Revolution.  Katie is in the Dialectic level, Gabby in Upper Grammar, and Nate in Lowe Grammar.  We've already purchased year 3, so we can start the introduction before we break for summer.  I plan to assign a couple of books for summer reading this year.  I don't usually do that, but with Katie moving in to 8th grade, we may mix in some of the high school books, if they look more interesting or they are easier to get.  I've already started Gabby reading a few of the novels that are at the next level up.

We found a great YouTube channel (Kristina Edgar) for introducing the era.  The kids have enjoyed her sense of humor.  And I liked that we could start it with all the kids together before we split up to do their individual readings.

Our science this year has been a History of Science experiment kit from Thames & Kosmos.  We will be switching over some this unit though, with a book about Ben Franklin (set at Gabby's level) that has experiments and activities in it.

Nate and Gabby are both in Singapore's Primary Mathematics, but as Gabby is nearly finished with the last of Singapore, we are supplementing her with a book called Balance Math (which is a pre-pre-algebra book that teaches balancing equations).  Katie is using Teaching Textbooks for Pre-Algebra.  We have the older version that doesn't self grade, so we just do it the old fashioned way, and I grade as she goes.  Since math is not her favorite way to spend her time, I have her read out each answer as she goes through it to help her get immediate feedback and prevent practicing a skill incorrectly.

Nate and Gabby are both in what we call The Orange Book for spelling, Spelling Power.  Gabby has a head for Latin and enjoys it, so she is using the Once Upon a Time, In Latin series to keep up on her Latin.  Nate is in Song School Latin I.  Katie is taking a break from languages for the next two years before we pick a high school language.  Instead, she has more focus on English grammar.  We have an ancient workbook I picked up at a curriculum sale and we use Khan Academy too.

Katie is doing part of Teaching Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home for Home Ec.  She made a dress--which she found not to be enjoyable.  She does, however, love making dinner for the family once a week.  Gabby is also working on a visual arts class (Artistic Pursuits), which she has enjoyed.

That's school here these days!

Kristy

State of the School (Part I)

We're a bit past the half way point in our school year, so I thought it would be a good time to look at what we're using.  Evaluating what we love, and what we're putting up with.

We are using several curriculum choices that we have tried in the past, that are still fitting well.

First, for math, Gabriella is still using Singapore Math.  She's doing well and moving quickly through it--I like that it is pretty rigorous as math programs go.  I picked up used copies of Life of Fred: Kidneys, Liver, and Minecraft.  On Friday's she takes a break from Singapore and does a lesson in those.

I also got Life of Fred (Fractions and Decimals) for Kate this year.  That has been a bit more challenging.  Life of Fred encourages students to learn on their own.  I love that it is story style, but as the book cautions, it is easy for a student to read too quickly and miss the math lesson inside.  I've spent many days reviewing lessons to help her be able to cross the bridges (tests) between the sections.  We're making it through, but I'm not sure that it is as good of a fit as I had hoped, so we may look for a change next year.  Kate says that she finds Life of Fred is more enjoyable, but it won't let her go on until she gets it (She sees that as a negative at this point.).  She also said that she understands Singapore better.

Both girls are also using Khan Academy and Xtra Math (free computer based math programs).

Nate is using the The Complete Book of Math: Grades 1-2.  Both girls have used the same book, and it has been a good solid math introduction for all of them.  It covers everything from number values to money and geometric shapes to graphing.  He says he liked graphing with candy, money, and cutting out shapes.

The girls are using Sequential Spelling.  It works.  It isn't exciting, but it's spelling.  It has suited Kate better than Spelling Power did, though I did like that program.  We might try it with Gabby at some point, but for now Sequential Spelling works.  Both girls agree that they don't like spelling, and there isn't anything that can make it better.

Probably my favorite curriculum choice is Visual Latin.  I can't say enough good about this.  We purchased the DVDs, but you can also subscribe, so if you want to try it for awhile and not have to buy it, you can do that too.  We are going sort of slowly.  The first few weeks we kept a lesson per week (they have several parts and a test), as they were largely review of things we'd learned in Song School Latin (I & II).  Now we're taking about two weeks per lesson.  The girls are correcting their own assignments, as we go over the answers, so they see each lesson twice.  The teacher (Dwayne Thomas) is funny and he works hard to make Latin relevant.  We plan to take three years to go through the two year program this way.  At that point, we will discuss if they want to continue in Latin or try a different language.  Gabby rates this class as 'Acceptable' and Kate gives it 'Troll' (if you're up on you Harry Potter OWL scores).  They are definitely learning though--they both got A's on their latest test.

I'll write about some of our other choices another time.

* I don't gain anything from the reviews--no affiliates, etc. *

 

Done

Our year ran later then usual this year, between illnesses, snow days (because who wants to do school when even the university is closed and there is legitimate sledding in central TN?), and playing hookie a few times to visit family.  In Tennessee we have to put in 180 days for our school year, and we aren't allowed sick days at all.  But it is O-V-E-R.  Well, except that we didn't quite finish our speller.  We'll work on that a few minutes a day for a bit to wrap it up.  But our daily lessons are done.

We're actually looking at the possibility of starting our next school year soon to get some days in on those off days that there isn't anything to do and the weather is bad, in the hopes to enjoy more days in May next year.  We'll see how that goes.  We may not get to it if we're having too much fun, and just get back to the books in August.  We're keeping an open mind about it!

I thought I'd review some of the books we used this year (I'm not receiving any compensation, so just my opinions).

We tried Sequential Spelling this year.  I've really liked it.  The only down side is it has 180 days of spelling lists plus a few assessments, so that put us above our 180 days to start, then there are days that we just didn't do spelling through out the year because we had a packed day with something else.  So we're hanging on a bit after the year ends.

I also tried Learning Language Arts through Literature this year with Kate (4th grade).  I like how it was set up--it was easy to use and literature based, which is a big plus in our house.  And I didn't have to make copies.  I like the idea of cost savings of reproducible books, but I'm not sure I actually save any money on most workbooks, since I have to pay for copy ink.  And this way I don't have to think ahead to be sure I have the copies that we need or leave someone waiting while I run pages off.

We've used Singapore math again, which I really like the strong basis of.  We've also kept to Writing with Ease in the lower grades.  Like I said last year, I don't like it for third grade, but I really do for first and second.

We used the second of the Song School Latin books.  The book was great, though this CD wasn't as fun to listen to.  I still don't have a full grasp of the declinations, but hopefully as we go through it in a new program next year I'll learn even more.  I did take the final test on the website and got an A in the vocabulary for this year, so I've learned something with the girls anyway!  I was hoping they would each earn a 75% on that test, but they both exceeded that quite well, with an A and a B.  It is very long, so I don't think that they scored even as high as the words they know, since they were likely a bit distracted by the end.

I haven't loved the second level of Noeo for physics.  We didn't get all the experiment kits, since they were expensive, but did use kits we had or found locally, so we weren't left wanting there.  My complaint is that in using 'real books' they were redundant.  We would often read about a subject in The Usborne Science Encyclopedia and then read about it again in Mysteries and Marvels of Science.  It became so common that I would read only small sections of the second reading on a topic to cut down on the repetition that was annoying.  Sometimes there were things stated in a better way or some new information, but it wasn't my favorite science we've done.  It did have some good readers though--We liked Along Came Galileo and Archimedes and the Door to Science.  I'm not sure that we'll find a program we like better over all, but I think I'll be prepared to do a little editing if we use it again, as the Encyclopedia and Mysteries books are in both Biology and Chemistry as well.

We also followed through with the final year of Story of the World.  Honestly, the kids didn't like it as much.  There is much more war and people were much better at waging those wars too.  They way these wars were written was much more real to them than the ancient wars we'd covered in the past, and they are older and understand loss more fully.  Nate may really take to it, but the girls would groan, as nearly every lesson talked of death, destruction, and war.

Happy Summer Break to all!

Looking Ahead

I have a nice detailed list of the curriculum we're planning to use next year.  There are things I can justify as needs, others that are on the it would be really nice to have (it looks like we may get all of these!), and some items that are on the that would be great if it fits in the budget, but definitely not necessary.

Next fall we are planning to continue in:

• Singapore/Primary Mathematics (we are currently in book 2A and will not finish it before next fall)
• Story of the World (we will finish volume one soon)
• We'll do unit studies in geology and geography in the fall, as we did for our biology this year
• Writing with Ease (our text goes through 4th grade)
• McGuffey Readers (we're currently in the 3rd Eclectic Reader)

We will be adding:

• Spelling Power, from Evan Moore, which was a simply and easy program, but I like the idea behind Spelling Power and got a great used copy for much less than it sells retail!
• Rod and Staff for ArtPack and health
• Song School Latin (this was just on my wish list, but Justin is encouraging this purchase to encourage the children in language studies at younger ages...and in a fun way)
• Exploring Creation with Astronomy (It doesn't side step the creation/evolution debate, as I would like at this grade level, but I got it used at a good price, so we can sidestep it if Miss Kate doesn't read ahead.)
• I also added a grammar workbook I got at a used book store

Then there is Miss Gabby.  She will tag along for science and social studies.

She'll get to do a simple handwriting practice book, The Complete Book of Math (this is listed as 1st-2nd grade book, but I found that Kate, with very little background picked it up easily), a Bible stories coloring book (also by Rod & Staff), and we also have a kindergarten workbook.

We also read in McGuffey and Dick & Jane books.

We lean heavily on the library in kindergarten, and I suppose all the way through, but I have less of an agenda in kindergarten aside from learning to read and figure out how to figure!

Supplemental we use:
Flashcards for math
Holey cards for math drills
How the World Works (for geology--it is a pop up book--I can't wait until it gets here!)

It would be nice to have:
GeoPuzzles (both the world and U. S.)
Tennessee a First Pocket Guide
You Can't Smell a Flower with Your Ear

Making it Fun

I try to be a practical person for the most part. Why buy a new car, when a used one does just as well without the sticker shock? The same applies to name brand products for the most part. Sure there are certain things that really are better and I'm all for purchasing, say name brand tub cleaner if you find it works better than the generic, but who cares if my t-shirt says 'Hanes' on the label, so long as it fits and lasts as well.

Kate hasn't been thrilled with the idea of back to school. She tells me, "It cuts in to my play time." Ha! Mine too girlie! I'm trying to find out what parts of it are the most distasteful and work around them where I can. She tells me that she doesn't like to write because it hurts her hand. Of course, then she spent much of the time with my in-laws scribbling out rules for her own classroom (she's really strict by the way), holding a pen much longer than I ever require, but anyway! Since writing is a pretty necessary skill, I'm trying to find ways to make it less like work and more like fun.


I saw these for sale at Target and I had to buy a couple. They are black on one side and white on the other. The gray at the edges keeps the boards from sliding on the table.


They come with the *washable* dry erase crayons and the cleaning cloth.

Sure, paper is less expensive, but sometimes you need a little something fun to mix in with the tedious. They remind me of old fashioned slates without the chalk dust, and of course with the fun of the bright crayons.


Instead of practicing her spelling on paper, she gets to do it on the board. The novelty may wear off, but her only complaint so far was when I asked her to rewrite a misformed letter.


Gabby got to practice some letter writing too and Nate threw crayons in the floor for me to pick up...several times.

** Not an advertisement, just a fun find. **

Testing 1 - 2 - 3

I gave Kate her very first spelling test today. She got a 100% on her long e words, so I put a sticker on her paper. She was excitedly telling Justin about her perfect score this evening. He told her that his spelling was never that good, so he never got a sticker on his paper. In turn, she told him that when he finishes his dissertation that she'll give him a sticker to put on it. He told Kate that there will probably be a misspelled word somewhere in his dissertation. She looked at him thoughtfully, reached out her hand, placing it on his shoulder, and said, "That's okay, you can still have a star."