Hi, I'm Christi and I am a list maker, goal setter
& scheduler by nature.....and that's good.
I will never be otherwise and that's not bad. (in my Wreck It Ralph kinda voice)
This is our 7th year of home school! I can't believe that! My oldest is turning 11 this year and he will be starting the 6th grade this fall. He is becoming "middle schooler"?!?! What!?
In the 7 years we have journeyed, you would think that I would have figured it all out right!?
But I haven't...and that's okay.
I have recently found a system that helps our entire family and the kids love it!
I went ahead and planned out the rest of this year and all of next year. I took all of the kids workbooks and dated every lesson, page, test, quiz and activity based on out school calendar. The older 2 like to look ahead a few days and see what the week holds. Jesse has even peeked and found that the work load is a little heavy for the next day, so he will ask if he can get a jump start the night before.
We just started our new school year September 10th and have had 2 very good days and 1 not so good day. Those "not so good days" have to just dissolve and we have to rest so we can make up for them the next day. My 9 year old HATES to write (I loved writing at his age) and isn't very strong with comprehension (he gets that from me). So, when it came time to answer questions for his literature reading for the day, he all of a sudden got very "sleepy" and couldn't answer any of the questions. After re-reading the chapter and not being able to answer any of the questions still....we had to call it a day.
He got up early this morning, because he knew he had to make up for what was not completed the day before. I assigned his unfinished work first thing and he amazingly answered ALL of the questions!
REST AND CHANGE UP
Rest. Just as my boy had to "come apart", sometimes we as mamas have to give it a break and come back to whatever it is that feel we can't accomplish and once we have rested it seems to be so much easier to tackle. We need to make sure that our little ones have a time of rest too.
Relocate. Sometimes a change of "scenery" helps as well. My kids like to curl up in the recliner in my bedroom with their Literature book and it makes it a little more special and fun. Folding laundry in the laundry room can get a little tiring, so I like to dump it all on the couch (and include all the kids) and turn on one of our favorite shows and we are done in a flash. Some times we load all of our books up and go to the library to do school. Instead of having a traditional lunch for your children, make a "picnic" and eat on a blanket in the living room. Your kids will never forget it.
Reschedule. Change up your routine a little. I like to assign my kid's subjects in a different order everyday and they love running up to the school room to find out which subjects are first and which "special" assignments are planned for the day. The way I do this is by having "Task Cards" for each one of them. READ MORE HERE. Instead of doing the same thing everyday, try to have different tasks each day and do differently the things that you have to do everyday to keep things a little more interesting. Clean Mama has some great Monthly Cleaning Calendars and Fall Cleaning Checklist to give you some ideas on rotating chores.
BABY # 5
On September 1st we found out that baby #5 was on their way! It will be interesting to see if the pattern continues (boy, girl, boy, girl...?) We have been truly blessed with a house full of little Sykes. And to be sure that this one gets a healthy start I have ordered my prenatal vitamins.....
Toilet Paper Rolls and cute 5x7 backgrounds printed and cut out....
I centered the roll onto the paper and used tape to secure the paper onto the roll and tucked the remaining at the top and bottom so that you couldn't see the roll....
Wellll....the rolls are too long so I cut it in half.....
Ohhh...It's going to be so cute!!!
After all the rolls were covered I placed them on a piece of
foam board and marked the board so I could cut it to size.....
Then I hot glue the rolls onto the board.
Viola!
Now the colors are easy to find, organized by color and looking happy :)
We have been using Veritas Press for years. This will be our 5th year with them. We love the curriculum and do not want to change at this point. BUT...I am having to switch a few things up. Shurley English Grammar is very good. I love it, but it doesn't work when you have 3+ kids to teach (for me anyway) So, I've decided to change our English for this year to see how we like it.
"First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind uses picture study and other classical techniques to develop the child's language study in those first two all-important years of school. Each lesson leads the parent, step-by-step, through the simple oral and written projects that build reading, writing, spelling, storytelling, and comprehension skills. Use this book to supplement school learning, or as the center of a home-school language arts course."
MATH-
Saxon is my all time Favorite Math Curriculum. Probably will never change on this one!
Jesse is the only one currently doing Science and he is enjoying Answers in Genesis God's Design for Science. Such an easy curriculum to manage. Fun, engaging, colorful, not so overwhelming Science for young ones.
Some of the titles include: 3rd-Alice in Wonderland, Charlotte's Web, Brother's Grimm Fairy Tales, Chronicles of Narnia Series, Detective in Togas, The Dragon of Lonely Island, Homer Price, Misty of Chincoteague, Peter Pan , Stuart Little.....
4th- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Beowulf, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dangerous Journey, Faerie Gold, Hobbit, Leepike Ridge, Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, Twenty-one Balloons.....
Phonetic Zoo I LOVE this program! It is the way to teach children to spell.....
Each lesson presents a rule, jingle or hint, with fifteen words which follow the rule OR break it. Flashcards with animals and animal names can be used for visual reinforcement. Every fifth lesson is a ``personal spelling`` test using words from the student`s own writing or vocabulary. Students study independently, using a CD (headphones are helpful) and practicing the ten-minute lesson each day by taking the auditory ``test`` again and again until a perfect score is achieved.
LIFE SKILLS-
Every Thursday we will be doing some sort of project or lesson on Life Skills ie. cooking, sewing, candle making, baking, gardening, cleaning, painting furniture, organization, consumer shopping....
ART-
Every Monday we will make and do some sort of Pinterest Inspired Art work or craft.
Well, that is our Curriculum for the year 2013-2014.
It is here! Boy did it get here quick! Making last minute school room arrangements, planning the school year, setting goals, making a list (and checking it twice) so we aren't missing anything. Looking over all the books that we will go through. Going to be a fun year! Teaching a 9 year old boy, 7 year old girl, 5 year old boy and 1 year old girl.
ROUTINE FOR OUR SCHOOL
Trying something new this year! I have tried every kind of schedule I can come up with to make the day flow smoothly. I have struggled with juggling 3 different grades, having to teach certain subjects and having everyone need me to teach at the same time! So, I came across this and fell in love with the idea! It should help them to be encouraged with their progress through out the day and it will benefit me as well.
Check out The Unlikely Homeschool Blog to download your TASK CARDS for your little school :)
from The Unlikely Homeschool Click the TASK CARDS link above
How to Use the Task Card System {with videos}
ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE ROOM
This has been my week so far. Getting everything set up for our first day of school. I feel like I have way too much stuff, but I went through it all and I need everything here :P Oh well! Hope it all stays organized.....haha! (By the way...I have a closet with two tall shelves full of books and supplies as well).
For now's arrangement. May change once we get in the swing of things and figure out what needs changing.
