Mosquito Creek Farm: Our Homeschool 2013/14

Meet Penelope

For our records. Now that we are on the finishing stretch of our school year I thought I'd better get in our year plan and a few thoughts about what we did and are doing, liked and dropped. I think our expenses this year where under $30.00. I borrowed a few books and some where given to us as well as the treasures already collected.

I, for one, was on board this year. I actually have gotten a good rhythm going with my 5 pupils. I wouldn't say it's a great beat but I'm ok with it. Now I'm ready to talk about it.

I have placed the subjects in the order as we approach them each morning.

This year we have had a really hard time with getting started early. I can count on 1 hand the days we started at 9am. I have had to come to terms with this: I love having a schedule but I don't want this battle.
Bible: This year I really encouraged quiet reading for the oldest 3. Then lately I have found a way where we can get in good participation for everyone. I have been taking the scriptures from our Sunday services at church and use them for copywork, memorization and further discussion. I find this helpful in memorization, even for myself.

Geography: I usually cover this subject with our history but I ran across an old version of these books at Goodwill and we have really been enjoying them. We are whizing around through Europe, drawing flags , maps and discussing historical events, looking at Google maps, and library books on the countries we go thru. I like these because I tend to get stagnant and over do a subject, this keeps me moving. We also are reading Handmade by Drew Langsner. I LOVE this book. You taste smell and feel Old World. It really puts you there.

Now this is when I go and work with the little guys and Nathanial, Abigail, and Jeremiah finish the day on their own...sort of.

Spanish: Really? For Nathanial and Abigail. I just about gave up on getting a second language ever, but this year the kids are moving through The Adventure Begins. A freebie book someone was just tossing away! The cassettes are a bit scratchy and the 2 oldest had a struggle cooperating together but they are actually making progress! They will probably be working on this for a while!

Math: Saxon all the way... except for a brief detour thru Math-it for the little guys. Samuel will be ready for Saxon 54 soon. Jonathan is managing to keep up with him somewhat. Jeremiah is flying thru 65. What a relief considering all the tears we've had in the past. They aren't over but confidence is building. I have a feeling that with Jeremiah I will be letting him work thru to 87 instead of jumping to Algebra 1/2 like I did with the oldest. Oh it has been a tough year for them two. Fortunately Bryon helps or they work it thru together.

History: Nathanial is reading "The Story of Inventions". Abigail is reading This Country of Ours (free on Kindle here) . Jeremiah is reading The World of Augustus Caesar. The little guys are getting what they can from readers and discussion etc.

Reading: This year I made a reading list for the 2 oldest to get thru. So far very little has been accomplished. But we are working on that. Jeremiah is enjoying The Sower books that we had laying around. My boys really seem to love biographies.
Jonathan is making slow but sure progress in his reading. Over the summer a very good friend came 3 time a week to tutor. It was a win win situation: Mary needed reading tutoring experience for some classes she was taking and I was desperate for some help with Jonathan. Both Abigail and Jonathan got glasses last fall. We are still using our McGuffy readers.

Writing: I got the big kids on to some grammar lessons this year. Not really in a big way. But I recently signed up to attend the Homeschool Retreat With Brave Writer
And I have a good feeling that my sloppy approach to language arts is about to end, well sometime in June that is. I have never even been to a homeschool convention of any kind let alone a retreat. I am really looking forward to getting some help.
But we still do copy work, and some writing lessons, just nothing as concrete as I think they need to get their credits (yes, I have credits in my mind - lets get this project done!).

Science: aahhh. Apologia! General Science, Biology, Flying Creatures!

Art....do drawing caricatures and airplanes bombing the enemy with tremendous explosions count? I hope. We painted by number a few hours one day. We repainted matchbox cars the next. I love to draw, that is fun stuff, we do it for fun, not as part of school (smacks of unschooling doesn't it?). It'll have to do for now.

Music...the same thing. Oh, except for Abigail. She plays her guitar for fun. I don't need to push that. She is working on turning a friend's poem into a song. It's proving to be harder than she thought! The other kids just use their vocal cords all the day long.

Extras: The Girls Guide to Homeskills has been good for Abigail. She quotes "Aunt Sophie" quite often! She has really been a help in the kitchen with lunches. She was in charge of the kitchen for the two weeks that I was gone to WV and did very well.
I have a Boys Guide but I got into a terrible row with the printer and left it all undone. Nathanial's homeskills have greatly improved to doing his own laundry, making his bed (duh), making bread, washing dishes (every evening), and some cooking lessons. All of the kids have "stations" where they learn to clean that area of the house. I had hoped to get more things like typing and office help, but as the skills are needed then we will learn.

There it is, what we do from 9 til 2, aaaaalllmost every day!