Fire Station Visit

Before we officially started the 2014-2015 school year, we took a short walk to our local fire department.  They were so excited.  It was a warm day and very warm inside the station.  Our host/tour guide was a delight and managed my three busy bodies very well.  They asked plenty of questions that made him laugh and some that made him wonder if they were adults in a child's body.  Overall, it was a good trip had by all.



 

Curriculum 2014-2015

It seemed so far away and now, suddenly, it is here; The beginning of a new school year.  We've been on break since mid-May.  I will never do that again.  As usual I don't feel organized but I am nonetheless ready to begin.  We all need our structured days back.

Math
We use Spectrum workbooks mainly.  They are inexpensive and allow for plenty of practice work.  They are not used for instruction.  If (when) there is a topic I cannot teach I turn to Khan Academy and YouTube.  We are working from the 3rd, 4th and 6-8th grade books this year.

English Language Arts
Again, Spectrum workbooks are used for my 8 and (soon to be) 9 year olds for Reading, Spelling, Word Study/Phonics and Vocabulary. In order to focus on a specific topic or theme, I am able to pull a couple of pages from each book.  My oldest (12) is using this book for Reading Comprehension.  I like it for him because the stories allow for cross curricular application and discussion.   He will use Soaring with Spelling and Vocabulary, Mastering Vocabulary
and Digging Into Diagramming to round out his program.  We will also add in 3-4 novels for each child to read and complete reading response journaling.  Writing will be incorporated in all subjects so I did not purchase a curriculum.  Book reports, creating short stories, formal/informal letters will be done periodically.

Social Studies/Geography
We take a varied and eclectic approach to this subject.  My kids are very curious about people; how and why we are all different.  We often read and talk about different cultures, their customs and how they compare to ours.  My 8 and 9 year olds are using this Map Skills workbook to stay sharp on reading different maps and following directions.  Last year we all took a notebooking trip around the world to study facts about various countries.  This year, I plan to do a USA notebooking tour.  I am still figuring out how to beef up a study for my oldest.  I am leaning toward a literature based approach.

Science
I wanted to keep it fun and simple this year so I didn't purchase a curriculum.  Now that we are getting started, the kids are wondering what we are doing for science this year.  They want more experiments and projects.  Whyyyyy??  I admit I didn't properly plan ahead for that so we may postpone science until 2015 and work through the summer.  In the interim, though Easy Peasy Homeschool will suffice for them.  I will also pull from Middle School Chemistry for my oldest.  It involves some experimentation but I think I'll be able to manage.


I think that's it.  We'll add in some art, music study for fun.  I am excited to for this year to begin. 

The Homeschool Mom's NO HOMESCHOOL Tag

I originally posted this on the Mahogany Homemaker Google+ group page.

Okay, so I'm inspired by Mahogany Homemaker's recent rant video to engage in conversation out of the homeschool topic.  So to get us out of the homeschooling vacuum, I have 20 questions for anyone to answer.  We'll call it the "Homeschool Mom's No Homeschool Tag"  Be it a video or a post, have some fun thinking about something else other than homeschooling.  It may also help us get to know each other better.  I should probably break my self-imposed video ban.  Anyhoo, here goes:

1. How old are you?
40 and fabulous, honey!

2. Do you prefer tea or coffee?
In an effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle, tea.  However, I do enjoy a good cup of coffee.  Milk & sugar, please.

3. Are you married?  How long?
Yes, 13 years this September

4. What were you doing with life before becoming a mom?
Living la vida loca in NYC; climbing a short, rickety corporate ladder

5. What is your favorite color?
Purple
6. What do you (or would like to do) in your spare time?
What's that?  ha!  Read or sew.

7. What are you watching on TV nowadays?
Summer TV usually lacks watchability (I made up that word but you can use it) but in recent years, Major Crimes and Falling Skies on TNT is holding my attention.  Hit The Floor on VH1 gets some views as well.

8. What was your favorite TV show as a child?
I'm a 70s baby and grew up in the 80s... Brady Bunch, Facts of Life, Small Wonder, Diff'rent Strokes, Cosby Show (which influenced my career choices), Good Times, What's Happenin'... so many, too many to name. 

9. Do you have any tattoos?  Do you want any?
Yes and I will not get another.  No regrets, I just wouldn't do now.

10. What is your dream vacation?
Tropical island with my husband.

11. Did your husband match the "man of your dreams"?  (for example, you always imagined marrying Mr. Tall Dark & Fine but fell in love with Mr. Short Light and Decent Looking)
He's a little shorter than I expected. :) 

12. Would you go to an adult roller skating party?
Absolutely.  It would've been great as an 80s skating party for my 40th.

13. As a teen, were you the social butterfly or wall flower?
A little of both.  I'm shy but around the right crowd I can cut loose.

14. Have you traveled internationally?
No

15. Do you know how to swim?
Only underwater.  Does that count?

16. Do you prefer a bath or shower?
Shower.  I never feel clean after a bath.  I only get in the tub to soak.

17. What is your favorite movie genre?
Hard to choose a favorite.  I mostly enjoy drama, comedy and sci-fi.

18. Do you have any pets?
Yes, a pedigree English Labrador named Kiiroi.  He's my smoochy poochie. :)

19. What is you favorite music genre?
"It Ain't Nothin' like Hip-Hop Music" nuff said, really.  The 70s pioneered it but I think the 80s/90s was hands down the best rap/hip hop music.  This new, commercial stuff is pure garbage.

20. Would you participate in the "Real Homeschool Moms of Your Area" reality show?
For sure!  I'm pretty sure I'm the angry, militant Black Mom.

I really enjoyed creating and answering this tag.  I hope some of you participate!

Summer Plans

Ha! I actually don't have any.  I struggled, do you hear me, struggled to get through the last weeks of school.  I never recovered after taking those two weeks off for our Spring break.  It was made easier though, by the kids seeing their own progress within their workbooks.  Once they saw that they only had a few more lessons they pushed hard and hustled to finish by May 16. 

So, summer break is finally here and we couldn't be more excited.  Honestly, we haven't done anything other than veg out on Netflix and video/computer/tablet games.  There have been multiple games of Uno and Hedbanz.  We've done a couple of park/playground trips but that's about it.  Maybe things will change once the weather stabilizes.  I thought I was going to give them some refresher work starting this month, but I am just NOT in the mood.  I really think this summer will be a true vacation and no work will be done.  Well, other than my planning for next year.  I'm not even in the mood for that.  I'm in true relaxed, vacation mode right now.

What are your plans? 

Review: Time4Learning

When I first introduced the Time4Learning website to E, he was excited.  He loves being on the computer for ANY reason.  I had planned for him to use the program exclusively with no other supplements.  Afterward, I asked how he felt about it:

“I liked being on interactive learning sites because everything is online.  I like online work.  I like Time4Learning because it reminds me of k12.  It is easy to understand and fun too.”

By the end of the week he was still happy about using Time4Learning but did acknowledge that the lessons were kind of easy.  “It felt like a review of last year’s work and some stuff we did already this year.”  (I did allow my younger two who are in 2^nd/3^rd grade to give it a try.  They were able to do a math lesson at his level.  When I asked if they wanted to log on for their level, they declined.)

I did not have a chance to fully use their record-keeping options.  I do know that once your account is deactivated, everything is deleted. I would suggest printing weekly reports or at least once a month if you are a monthly customer, just in case you decide not to renew your subscription.

I think Time4Learning would be a great supplement for some homeschooling families.  For my family, Time4Learning would be best used for a summer school session. I think a free limited use option would be an excellent addition to subscription options.  As a family on a budget with multiple children, the price is a bit high for a program that we cannot use as a standalone curriculum.  There are too many free resources available that could easily replace this program in my household.  However, for others, it may be well worth the price to be able to have your child on a computer and let them complete their work independently.

In full disclosure, I did not use Time4Learning for a full 30 days.  A few days after I was given the opportunity to try the program, we took an unplanned two week Spring break from school.  I used Time4Learning with my son who is in a 6^th/7^th grade level of learning. The opinions presented are mine and those of my 12 year old son, E.

Did You Know?

We're on Instagram now!  You can find us under the name of Homeschool Housewife.  (<---that's my YouTube name too.) I find it much easier to snap pictures of our day and do a quick post to IG.  It is very nice to see many of the homeschool bloggers I've followed in the past, resurface over on Instagram.  Feel free to follow us and we'll follow back.

I am not going to abandon my blog...  I am not going to abandon my blog... I am not going to abandon my blog. 

It worked for Dorothy, let's see how it works for me. ;)

Coming Soon...

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.