Fall is here!

Ahh, my favorite season has arrived.  Sunday was Mabon or the autumnal equinox.  It's when the days shorten and air gets crisp.  Food is harvested and leaves begin to fall.  I've always favored the quiet of the night vs. the loud, brightness of the day.  Maybe that's why I sit out on my deck during the evening and night time more. Of course I love Halloween/Samhain. It's our favorite holiday in this house.  I look forward to celebrating it with all the color and smells of the season.  I hope to post some pictures of our projects and celebrations. 

Free Homeschool Resources

As I read posts on Facebook and other homeschool forum I am amazed to find how many homeschoolers that do not utilize all the free resources out there.  I thought I might mention a few that we are using in this post and then write about others in the past in a later post.

Having a high schooler we have to of course use some lecture material.  This can be expensive to purchase.  I did purchase US History lectures from The Teaching Company this year for T, on sale of course.  But for chemistry, algebra II and literature I've found some great free lectures and helps.

For chemistry and some literature I use You Tube a lot.  There are tons of free lectures and virtual labs that are well done.  It does take some time to weed out the bad videos but for the most part I have been extremely happy with what we have used, and I am picky.

One of my favorite set of videos on You Tube for lit is 60 Second Recap.  They are fun, informative
and just right to grab the readers attention.

Khan Academy is also a great source for math and science.  I use it to expand or further explain a subject in algebra II and chemistry.  Sometimes the original lesson just doesn't hit home.  So using a different approach or view of the concept is great.

I am planning another post with free resources I use for Poogie. Until next time...

First week hits and misses

First week of school is complete and so far we've only hit a few little bumps.  Those were mostly felt on Monday with all of us trying to adjust to so much new curriculum.  It happens just about every year but it still makes the first few days trying. 

So here is a brief list of our hits and misses...

For T pretty much every thing is a hit except...

DIVE Chemistry. 

Now I won't say that we will quit using it, but it won't be our main source.  I will use the labs to supplement our keeper curriculum which is Apologia.  T is just an Apologia kid.

For Poogie so far NO misses, but a few hits with new curriculum.
Hit #1, for language arts we needed something new.  Something other than Easy Grammar.  Poogie just didn't retain anything from it.  So I found these from JacKris Publishing.  It's called Growing with Grammar.  I, not only purchased GWG, but Soaring with Spelling and Vocabulary, Winning with Writing and Digging up Diagramming.   We love it.  It's simple and easy to use.  I can supplement with lots of things and still not feel overwhelmed.

 

 

 

Hit #2 is science. We went with a new science with a base in classical education.  So far we love it.  It is challenging, but fun.  It's called Elemental Science.  We love it.  The lesson plans are so easy to use and flexible.

 

 

 

Finally, Hit #3 is great because it is secular and it covers history and literature.  I've been wanting to try it for two years but was afraid we wouldn't like it.  Well, so far it has been fun and not stressful at all.   We are using History Odyssey Middle Ages Level 2.  I love the check lists and flexibility of this curriculum so much. 

 

 

If you have any questions about any of these, click the links or ask me.  Lesson plans are already complete for next week, so we will see how it goes.  Here's hoping. 





New School Year!

Well, another school year has begun.  We got off to a rusty start on day one but now it seems we are finding our stride.  The curriculum choices this year are random.   Some things we have stayed with the old faithful, such as math.  Others we have branched out to totally different choices, such as language arts with Poogie.  I hope to post the more often and share the pro's and con's of each as we go.

I would also like to share more of my cooking adventures.  I've enjoyed exploring all types of recipes in the last year and look forward to sharing my accomplishments and failures.

As far as extra curricular activities go we have made a big change.  We moved dance schools to one much closer and smaller.  This gives the kids a chance to actually learn and improve in a less congested environment.  Plus, we get to eat at home more due to the fact this studio is only 5 minutes away.  That, in turn, leads to saving money eating out and being healthier.  YAY!

Off to teach this kiddo's something...

What are we teaching our kids??

As a former public school parent turned home school parent I have seen the world from both sides of the fence.  I must say my family and I are much happier on this side.  Not only do we get to choose what and how our children learn their school subjects, but we get to teach them about life.  

I could go on and on for days about the benefits of homeschooling.  But today I would like to address the benefit of a child being able to explore who they are outside the confines of a school setting.  Both of my children know who they are and have good self-esteem. They like what they like and don't really care if others don't share their views.  They explore and change without ridicule for the most part and have become well rounded individuals.

In the past I worried that my children would get caught up in the label obsessed world we live in.  Yes, my kids and I like name brand clothing and products, but we like them for our own reasons not because we must have them to be somebody.  For the most part we all choose items that are what we want, no matter the brand.   I've never understood those parents who will spend their last dime so their kid can have latest whatever so that they won't be the only child without it.  And that thing will be tossed aside the next week for the new must have thing.

I tell my kids all the time, things don't define who you are.  They have taken that to heart.  I am so proud of the young adults they are becoming.  Yes, we are looked down upon because we aren't trying to keep up with this world.  But the way I see it that is just another part of this  low-self esteem, label obsessed existence that our society has created.

Okay that's my soapbox for today.

Update on what's going on...

Well, hello all!  As usual my crazy life has not allowed me to blog as I would like.  But I thought I might drop a few lines to keep you posted on what is going on around here since January 1.

We made some changes in several school subjects which I will tell about in a later post.  Most changes have been in the area of everyday life and dance.

As most people we struggle to keep to a budget, especially with the rising cost of everything.  I began this year using a free program for budgeting call Mvelopes.  It is really easy to use and I even have an app on my phone to track spending.  However, tracking is the only thing we have to do to trim the budget.  I have been experimenting with making more food items from scratch and I have to say it has worked wonderfully. 

I received a new Ninja Cooking Systems for a holiday present and I have been putting it to use regularly.  Between the Ninja and my bread maker I have been able to make decently healthy and cheap meals for my always hungry family.  

I hope to share more of my cooking from scratch adventure in the months to come.

In other news, my sweet Poogie had an exciting January.  She was put on pre-pointe at our dance studio.  It was so much fun and exciting.  It just reminds me of how fast she is growing up.

 

T also has news in dance.  He auditioned for and received an invitation to go to the Kansas City Ballet Summer Intensive.  We initially just let him audition for the experience but low and behold he got in.  His dance ability has improved so much since moving here I am amazed.  This experience will only help him improve to become quite the dancer.  I am so proud of him.

More to come.