Homeschooling is under way

/ Lisa R. Howeler

We started homeschool last week and so far it’s going fairly well. The whining from both has been limited, thankfully. We decided to ease into lessons by only working on three subjects a day during the first week for the oldest. I’m adding another subject this week and possibly a fifth by the third week.

So far The Boy is doing Bible, English, and History every day. He does Math Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and Science Tuesday and Thursday. We also plan to add some grammar lessons later in the year (see my rant on Sunday about grammar if you want to know what I think about grammar *wink*. Seriously, though, I think it is important but last year we had an extensive course so this year it will be less extensive.)

We plan to add economics to The Boys homeschooling experience this year, even though the course was written for high school students. I tend to think my child is pretty smart and want to rush ahead into educational territory that might be beyond him in some ways. On the other end of the spectrum, I sometimes pull back and decide not to teach him something because I think he’s not ready but he’s clearly ready and beyond that lesson, because his comprehension is so advanced for a kid his age. My mom says I underestimate him at times and I think she’s right, but then I worry, “But what if I overestimate him and he ends up feeling overwhelmed and inadequate because the subject matter was beyond his capabilities at this development stage of his life and he doesn’t say anything because he thinks I’ll be upset???”

I don’t overthink too much. I don’t. Do I? Maybe I do. I don’t know. I’ll think about it some more and get back to you.

For the youngest, I had to ease into the sit-down work by taking breaks and allowing her to go outside when she asked to (she loves going outside since we moved to a more rural setting) and turning it into a math lesson. I suggested she go outside and collect 20 autumn colored leaves and then we would count them together when she got back.

We need to develop a unit on trees this month I think. She loves collecting leaves. I need to figure out how to collect the leaves in a book. Surely there must be DIY information somewhere about how to do this? If someone reading this knows how to do it, let me know in the comments?

Last week I was reminded Little Miss loves numbers and is a whiz at them. Whose child is she? Oh. Right. My husband’s. Because she certainly didn’t get her love of numbers from me. Numbers make my stomach do weird things and then my head goes all funny and I have to reach for a book (with words) to steady myself. The Boy is good at math but hates it. Little Miss seems to love the counting, but she is only 5 (almost 6) so what does she know?

As for curriculum for The Boy this year, we are using Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science (second edition) for science; From Adam to Us by Notgrass for History/English/Writing/Vocabulary/Bible; American Literature by Apologia (which is also being used as history and writing on some days); CTC Math online for Math; and Exploring Economics by Notgrass for economics. From Adam To Us includes several fiction books to read throughout the year, which count for literature/language arts/English. We also plan to add Wordly Wise in soon for grammar and vocabulary.

(FYI: If anyone is interested in the American Literature book, the hardcover student textbook and the student notebook, where the student answers questions, is currently 76 percent off on Christianbook.com.)

So how about all of you parents out there? Are you homeschooling this year? Virtual school through your district? Or are your kids back in the physical classroom? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to know what curriculum you are using if you are homeschooling.

20 thoughts on “Homeschooling is under way”

  1. I’m homeschooling my middle girl this year! Your homeschooling year seems smooth so far this year❤️
    My homeschooled girl is a seventh grader this year and her spelling is absolutely atrocious..any suggestions?

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  4. Sounds like the year is off to a great start! I don’t know why I bother to plan days any more because something always comes up that puts us off. 🤪
    I remember making a leaf book in elementary school. We just put leaves between 2 pieces of wax paper, laid a thin towel on top, then ironed it. We had to write a little bit about each leaf and staple the pages to make a book. I loved that project!

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    • I had to start planning more this week when the almost 6 year old (two weeks) said “you really don’t even have a plan do you?” Because she was so bold about it, she now has a plan like her brother … but yes, we will probably keep getting interrupted. 😜

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  5. Pingback: Sunday Bookends: End of summer, musical documentaries, and photos of the week | Boondock Ramblings

  6. It looks like you guys got off to a great start!!! We are doing leaves next week actually! There are all sort of different things you can do – one thing is to make beeswax leaves. I’ll email you some ideas I found if you want. I am still working on pulling together the resources I am using but I’ll send them to you too.

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  7. Overthinking much? Yep, I do it too. A lot of moms do because we just want what is best for our kids. Looks like you and your kiddos are off to a great start. Things are certainly way different than when I was a kid in school eons ago – we used to collect leaves and press them with a hot iron between two pieces of waxed paper. I suppose you could use clear contact paper like laminating them, but then again, do they even sell contact paper any more?? Anyway, our district has opened up our schools for those who want to physically attend and is also doing online for those not comfortable with that.

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  8. I stress over the not enough/too much as well, although I tend to err on the side of too much (emphasis on the word “err”). Every year, we tweak our plans, and we’ve homeschooled for 16 years. Lately, I’ve considered working like crazy for 4 days, and leaving Fridays for reading and games, but it’s hard to do that with high schoolers. Or maybe I’m overthinking it? Am I? Maybe not. I’ll think about that a little more and get back to you. 😉

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    • I pretty much went with too much this year. We have an over abundance of subjects. His head might explode if I make him study them all. 😉. And that over thinking thing… what a struggle, huh? Or is it? Hmmmm…🧐

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  9. I know how easy it is to overthink! I did so much of that too, while we were homeschooling. It sounds to me like you are doing a great job. You are giving your children a joy in learning and a secure foundation in love. That is the best gift of all! You are in my prayers!

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  10. A “proper” plant specimen collection includes many parts of a plant, but for your daughter’s purposes, a tree leaf collection may include only two or three samples: Some plants (including trees) have leaves that are of a different form when the plant is young than when it matures, so there could be both of those in a collection. Some plants may have more than one shape of leaf at the same time. But at the very least, two specimens from each tree would be appropriate: one mounted to show the top side of the leaf, and the other to show the bottom side. because sometimes the two sides of a leaf can look very different. Leaves can be successfully pressed between two paper towels (per leaf) inside a heavy book, or inside a lighter book, which is then left at the bottom of a stack of books, for more weight. To mount the leaves, you can use a standard scrapbook, and fasten the the leaf to the page with just one strip of tape placed across the stem.

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