Homeschool Series: What’s in Store for Next Year

Previously in our little homeschool series we have discussed why we homeschool, what we have done and are doing with toddlers and preschoolers, and what we are doing this year for kindergarten.  Today I’ll be writing about our plans for next school year when we will have a first grader, a kindergartener, a preschooler, and a 1-year-old…and I thought life was a bit hectic this year!  ;)

At the start of August when we began our first official year of homeschooling, I read that it would be wise to already begin thinking about first grade.  This overwhelmed me more than I can describe.  We were learning a memory verse each week and Joshua was starting a phonics/reading program – and that was more than enough each day!  But after following this advice, I now see the wisdom in such a suggestion.

I visited all of the major Christian homeschool curriculum publishers – A Beka, Sonlight, and Horizons to name a few – but none of them seemed quite right.  So, I kept adding to our daily school lessons and continued looking into grade school options.  Then one day in the church nursery, one of the volunteers told me about a program her grandson was using.  They memorized everything from the Five Kingdoms of Living Things to the Hittite Empire to the multiplication tables through 12’s - and her grandson is only six years old.  This, surprisingly, seemed doable to me because it was right in line with how we’ve taught our kids from before they could talk.  We read, we memorize, we recite, we retell, and we repeat, repeat, repeat!

I ordered the book for this program – Classical Conversations – and so began our journey into the classical model of education.  It’s a model that I automatically turned down in all of my reading about different styles of homeschooling.  Who would want to spend all day reading Homer and learning Latin?  But the more I read about the method, the more convinced I became that this would work for our family.  Besides, it's more than ancient literature and dead languages - it's a method that, to me, seems very natural and workable for our family.  I’m not sure that I can give a great explanation of the method, so please refer here to learn more about it.

I read "The Well-Trained Mind" and really liked that the emphasis for the early years is to produce strong readers and writers, and to take time to learn well the foundations of math and English grammar.  I also really liked how natural the history, geography, and science was laid out.  And I loved that history and geography are taught in chronological order starting in first grade with the ancients.  Again, I’m not going to attempt to recreate the wheel here.  If you want to learn more, please read this book and check out this blog or this website.

"The Well-Trained Mind" not only gives a very thorough outline of teaching your child in the classical method from preschool through high school, but it also gives great reviews of the main curriculum choices for math, English grammar and spelling, Latin, and every other subject that is needed in grades K-12.  It is by far the best homeschool book I have ever read because it gives the big picture and also the nitty gritty of how to do it.  I highly recommend this book!

Anyway…back to our plans for next year.

Joshua, turning six in July, will be in first grade.  His school day will look something like this:

-Memory Work – Bible verse, *Science, *History, *Geography, *Math Skip Counting (memory work from Classical Conversations - we will not be doing the CC co-op, but will be using the memory work as a guide in our own lessons)

-Math – Singapore PrimaryMathematics U.S. Edition 1A and 1B (plus Intensive Practice, Extra Practice, Challenging Word Problems, and Math Sprints as needed)

-Handwriting and Structured Reading – A Reason for Handwriting: Manuscript A; reading about weekly science and history/geography topics and writing short notebook entries about what he reads

-Spelling and Grammar – Spell to Write and Read; First Language Lessons, Level 1

-Writing – Copy work and letters to friends and family; Writing with Ease: The Complete Write

-Music – Violin and Piano practice as usual

-History (Mon, Tue, Wed) – The Story of the World, Volume 1; library books and other resources; note-booking about what we read together

-Science (Tue, Wed) – the human body, animals, and other living things using library books and encyclopedias like this and this; hopefully some fun projects to go along with our topics; note-booking about what we read/study together

-Art (Thur) – Drawing with Children; other fun art projects as time allows

The days look full, but Joshua is a busy guy and if he’s not gainfully occupied I’m never really sure what condition the house will be in at the end of the day.  He definitely thrives on structure and lots and lots of fun and appropriately challenging plans.  I’m looking forward to diving into this with him later in the year and I think he’s going to have fun, especially with history and science!

Hannah, turning five in October, is officially slated as a Kindergartener but her work is primarily on the first grade level.  Instead of keeping her on a Kindergarten level in subjects where she’s ready to continue progressing, I’m choosing to keep her load light so she can still work at a good pace in the core subjects but wait on things like grammar and writing.  Her day will look something like this:

-Memory Work – same as Joshua

-Math – same as Joshua with the option to work slower if she needs to (although, math seems to be a strength so I anticipate her keeping up just fine)

-Handwriting and Structured Reading – with Joshua; no required note-booking

-Spelling – Spell toWrite and Read

-Writing – with Joshua with the option of skipping writing if she is tired or needs a break

-Music – Violin and Piano practice as usual

-History (Mon, Tue, Wed) – with Joshua; no required note-booking

-Science (Tue, Wed) – with Joshua; no required note-booking

-Art (Thur) – with Joshua

As for Abigail, who is turning three in September, I have not yet decided the best way to get her involved in school time.  They will certainly join us for the beginning of our Memory Work – we always learn Bible verses together as a family, no matter how old our youngest kiddos are.  Abigail already joins us for Handwriting, so I think we will continue that.  She will certainly be able to participate in special history, science, and art projects, and will also be with us for anything we read aloud.

My plan for Jeremiah is still hatching but I think it will involve one of these.  He is proving to be the most active baby we’ve had so far…I need to keep him safe somehow!  ;)

So, that’s our 2013-2014 academic year in a rather large nutshell.  This year has been challenging but rewarding and fun…overall.  We’re developing a stronger and stronger sense of family community through the common pursuit of “school time”.  I am looking forward to what’s in store for next year.  I am especially excited about diving into the life sciences, ancient history, and geography!  We get to order maps and globes and all kinds of cool books…see Mom, all of those summers playing school in the garage are paying off!  ;)

For all of you homeschoolers out there, what are your plans for next year?

 

Chores

Around the time of our character crackdown escapade, we instituted some assigned chores  to the kids.  This has given them a sense of contribution to the household, some responsibility, and some useful skills that they will need for the rest of their lives.  It has also helped us keep our house in order and has given us some set times of day when we're all working on something together.  Some days our chore times are fun and productive.  Other days we have a handful or more of complainers, but we always make it through and everyone is learning the value of hard work.

Our kids are 5 1/5 years old, 4 years old, 2 years old, and 7 months old.  They're chore routines look like this:

Morning Routine
All three of the older kids accomplish these tasks on their own.  I usually walk Abigail (2 years old) through her routine, but she does all the work.  I simply remind her what she needs to do next.
-Get dressed and put pajamas in the laundry basket.
-Make bed.
-Brush teeth.

Morning Kitchen Chores
-Joshua, 5 1/2 years old: Empty the dishwasher.
-Hannah, 4 years old: Set out cereal, bowls, and spoons for breakfast.
-Abigail, 2 years old: Help Hannah with breakfast set up.

After Meal Chores
Everyone clears their own dishes and puts them in the dishwasher.  I rinse them off when necessary.

"Foursies" at 4pm
Each of the kids has two jurisdictions that they are responsible to clean up at the end of the day.  Abigail is my "Foursies" buddy since she's still very much in training.  "Foursies" is a time of day that the kids have latched onto as a major anchor in our routine.  They get a bit stressed if the clock passes 4pm and we haven't cleaned up.  But, it has to remain flexible.  Some days we do "Foursies" at 1pm so that we can go play at the park and come home to a clean house.  Other days we wait until 5pm, but usually we stick to 4pm.  We try to have fun with this one.  We turn on some upbeat music - the kids like Veggie Tales, Raffi, and Chris Tomlin and I like to throw in some Prokofiev and Shostakovich when I get a chance.  We set a 15 minute timer (or less if we don't have much to pick up) and we race around trying to finish before the "quack".  Then when we finish we have a little treat - a small snack, a game, or a read-aloud time.  Here are the kids' jurisdictions...
-Joshua: Boys' Room and Living Room.
-Hannah: Girls' Room and Kitchen.
-Abigail (with Mommy): Girls' Room and School Room.

Evening Kitchen Chores/Dinner Time Clean Up
We all pitch in with this task.  Claude and I usually clean up pots and pans from dinner preparation and wipe down the counters and stove top.  The kids jobs look like this...
-Joshua: Sweep the floor.  Help load and/or wash the dishes as needed.
-Hannah: Clean the table, chairs, and bench.  Help load and/or wash dishes as needed.
-Abigail: Usually she is asleep by this time, but when she's awake she clears the table, loads the dishwasher, or helps clean the table and chairs.

Dinner clean up isn't always this exuberant, but we're all getting the hang of pitching in so that the work is both easier and more enjoyable.

More Footage of "Leviathan"

Here's some live footage of the alligator we saw 2 weeks ago, hope you enjoy, it's much more awe inspiring when you're actually standing there watching it and hoping it's not annoyed at you!

Coffee and Common Grace

Well I never thought that I would become a coffee drinker but here I am now drinking at least 24 oz a day!  The reasoning to start drinking was simply to help me stay awake on the roads so that I am able to see my family again at the end of the day after work which is something that I just had to make a priority rather than taking chances with falling asleep at the wheel!

So as I drink each day I often think about God's grace and how His grace comes to us.  I'm no theologian nor claim to be but I have heard the term thrown around of God's "Common Grace".  And here's how Dr Tim Keller of NYC's Redeemer Presbyterian explains it:


"The Bible consistently teaches what theologians have come to call “common grace,” a non-saving grace that is at work in the broader reaches of human cultural interaction. This gift of God’s grace to humanity in general demonstrates a desire on God’s part to bestow certain blessings on all human beings, believer and non-believer alike. Understanding common grace provides the basis for Christians to cooperate with and learn from non Christians."

- taken from http://timothykeller.com/images/uploads/pdf/What_Is_Common_Grace.pdf

At least my layman, simpleton interpretation is that God showers grace upon grace down upon humanity and Creation, He certainly doesn't have to but choose to because of His character and nature of being Good and being Love.  I guess in Him He personifies those characteristics because He is those, before we even came to recognize or define the pale attempts of humanity to emulate those characteristics, He is!  

In fact Jesus' exhortation to us to love our enemies in Matthew 5 comes from the call and command to us to be like God, to be holy as He is holy or perfect as He is perfect, i.e. to be transformed by His Word and Spirit and empowered to live by Him so much that loving our enemies flows out of His nature in and through us, not our own.

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:44-45

So God's grace is not limited to those who believe or who are 'good enough' to believe, or those whom we think are worthy, because frankly we aren't worthy, but Jesus is and that's why we needed Him to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin and to be raised again on the third day so that we too can be raised with Him to eternal life!

So His grace extends to all, whether all acknowledge Him or not!

But how does this relate to coffee at all???  Well in my random thinking, it seems like He has enabled me to recognize this common grace at this time so that I can drive safely on the roads to be present with my family!  Believe me I have prayed and prayed but it doesn't seem like God wants to zap me with some kind of supernatural staying awake power, but part of my dependence on Him at this time is exercising the wisdom to drink coffee!  It's a lesson in trust because we are on a budget and so the thought of having this ongoing expense could lead to worry and anxiety but what does Jesus say:

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[g] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matt 6:25-33

So, apparently God's going to look after us as we seek after Him first!  Pretty good deal I have to say, pretty good deal :)  Although to be so blase about it would be silly seeing that God would see right through the, "I keep my end of the bargain and you keep yours," type thinking.   But as we passionately and wholeheartedly seek after Him and His heart and what's important to Him, He will supply all of our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus as we go on our journey and mission with Him.  

So I guess I don't need to worry, I can trust God which is awesome because He is more than trustworthy!  But I love the punchline of that passage of Scripture in Matthew 5:34

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Even better, it's not our job to be in control of everything in our lives, let alone what's in the future, that's God's job and He seems to do it infinitely better than I could, so I'll just choose to trust Him to do that!

But again back to coffee, as I drink it I meditate on God's goodness and grace and provision.  You could say that even that time of meditation in and of itself is a means of grace to take the time to reflect on Him and give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all that He's done and is doing for us!  

Praise God!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Friday Funnies: Pretend Play

Joshua and Hannah just came in the room to get Abby.

"Come on, Abby," they coaxed.  "Don't you want to come be put in jail?"

Just before I started a speech about not putting their little sister in jail I heard Abby say with a smile, "Yeah.  I like going to jail."  And off she went, arm in arm with the self-proclaimed Babylonian Jail Arrestors.

Even as I'm typing I hear from the other room, "Abby, do you want to be handcuffed?"

And she replies, "Yeah!"  :)

Incarceration is definitely not my idea of fun, but Abby seems quite happy with her place in the pretend play.

Potty Training and "Pribacy"

Abby (2 1/2 years old) has started potty training...kind of.  I'm not fully on the bandwagon yet, but I need to hurry up before this train takes off without me!

Today I couldn't find Abby in her room during rest time.  I called out to her and heard a little voice shouting back to me from the master bathroom.  "I'm in the potty, Mommy, because I had to go potty because I had to."

This is the third time this week she has gone to the bathroom, taken off her pants and diaper, and sat down on the toilet.  Her favorite thing to do is tear off pieces of toilet paper and stuff them in between her legs.  But my favorite part is hearing her say to me, "I need 'pribacy' because I really do need 'pribacy'."

I'll give her (almost) all of the privacy she needs, but I will take the toilet paper roll with me as I exit the bathroom.  :)

Celebrations: Valentine's Day and the 100th Day of School

We've been celebrating around the Chew house.  Last week we celebrated Valentine's Day as a family.  Keeping it simple, we prepared a special breakfast, decorated the table (with help from the kids), and wrote each other notes to say how much we love one another.

And today we celebrated our 100th Day of School.  That's right...we've made it through the first 100 days of homeschooling.  We had fun with some friends counting fingers and toes, snack mix, stickers, reading 100 words, and even spinning 100 times.  And to make it extra special, Claude took the morning off and was able to join us for the festivities.

The only disappointment was when Joshua said excitedly, "Do we have school tomorrow???"  I replied, "Yes, we do."  To which he answered, "But now we're all done with school because we finished 100 days."  It is a milestone, especially for a kindergartener, but I have a feeling the next 12+ years could be pretty painful if he thinks it's over so soon!  :)