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.

Post Break Wrap-Up for Week Ending Jan. 10

All in all I will say we got a good start on our second half of this school year.  We started the week with icy cold weather and a bit of snow.  The kids of course wanted to declare a "snow day" but the temps were too frigid for outdoor play.  Hubby stayed home on Monday so we ended up taking that day off anyway.  Three cheers for an extra vacation day!

As I am sitting down to write this post, I have discovered that I did not take any pictures last week!  So I will have to recap this without photos.  I do remember that on Tuesday, we did our work in my bedroom because it was chilly downstairs.  Imagine, all three kids with books, papers, pencils/pens on a queen-size bed.  No one cared that I didn't have a spot.  They were literally like three peas in a pod.  :)

We were back full steam ahead on Wednesday.  T(8), is moving along with her multiplication.  She has grasped the concept and is bulldozing her way through.  E(11) is finishing his decimals unit.  He's overjoyed about that.  Dividing decimals has kicked his butt.  Next up, percentages!  A(7) is finishing her regrouping/renaming (or, carrying/borrowing depending on your generation) with 2-digit numbers.  As long as she remembers her basic math facts, this unit is fairly easy for her.  She's not a confident mathematician but once she's on a roll she has no trouble.

I am on the hunt for a science curriculum.  I have toyed with purchasing Elemental Science.  I would rather do something a bit more relaxed but easy enough for me to "teach".  I definitely want to get a library load of reference books.  For E, I really need to discuss his prior learning to gauge where he is with science.  He does a lot of independent study and is probably well versed in the typical 6th grade scope.  T and A will be fairly easy as they've done minimal science in the past.  Either way, we'll all tackle Life Science first and then Earth Science.  My plan is start sometime next month and work through the summer.  Kind of like a summer of science.  We'll see what happens.

Happy New Year!

Vacation Mode

Am I the only one who gets into vacation mode around the holiday season?  We don't get into all the festivities of celebrating Thanksgiving but we do have the big turkey day feast.  All this week, I've been so slack and unfocused.  I've kept up our scheduling but I've relaxed my teacher role a lot this week.  My focus is on all the prep work and feasting we'll do next week! lol  I really can't wait.

The kids are moving right along with their studies.  E(11) has moved on to decimals. He worked on Khan Academy this week to refresh his memory. (He started working with decimals last year, but eventually the teachers started teaching for the state exams so it wasn't a necessity for his grade level.)  He was so happy to finally be done with the fractions unit.  A lot of it was a repeat from last year but dividing fractions kicked his butt.  He stuck with it and made it through.  I expect this decimal unit to last throughout the month of December and then after the new year, we'll move on to ratios, percent and conversions.  What fun!
 

T(8) has finished her review of addition up to 4-digit numbers.  She struggled a bit with her math facts but she remembered the rules for carrying (regrouping) and borrowing.  Her next unit is multiplication.  We've discussed it previously so she's familiar with how it works.  She determined that it is just like skip counting.  We'll start the unit in December.

  

A(7) has just learned how to regroup 2-digit numbers!  I'm so proud of my baby.  She fought me so hard when I introduced this new skill!  Oh my goodness, that girl is tough!  She insisted it was too hard... she would never learn it... she didn't need to learn it.... I took the whole week to go through the problems in the first lesson.  It was about 25-30 problems.  We started with doing five a day using base tens rods.  By the third day she said she didn't need the rods.  Day 4 she was doing the problems on the whiteboard with my confirmation of a right answer.  On Friday, she was doing the remaining problems in the lesson by herself.  My girl!  She proclaimed she is now a pro at regrouping.  We'll do another lesson of problems and then we'll move on.  I'm not sure if we'll do larger numbers with regrouping or learn borrowing with subtraction.  Either way, it will begin in December.


Next week, is a short work week for us.  We'll do fun stuff on Monday & Tuesday and then take off the rest of the week to enjoy some much needed rest and family time.  Whatever your plans, have a fantastic time!!

Our Days in Pictures

This is not all of the pictures I've taken since September.  It is only a fraction.  It has been my intent to update weekly, biweekly, at least monthly.  You see how that has gone.  I promise to try to do better to document our journey.

Week One In The Books

In my last post I talked about how I wanted to homeschool for free.  Well, that was a difficult task.  I decided to buy a few workbooks for the 3 R's - reading, 'riting & 'rithmatic.  Everything else I am using free resources.

Thankfully our first week back was a short week.  We started back Tuesday, September 3.  Everyone was excited.  I made them pancakes for breakfast to help ring in the new school year.  Even the dog behaved.  Usually, he whines and whimpers for their attention.  He sat quietly until they showed him some love.

I tried a new subject - current events.  I wanted to pull articles for International, National and Local news.  I decided to use a country they were not familiar with but would be interested in. I chose Delhi.  All summer, my kids have been watching a movie called Delhi Safari on Netflix.  I figured it would be a great tie-in.  While they enjoyed seeing some of the places (Parliament) in real life photos, the lesson took too long.  They enjoyed coloring the flag, looking at the money and talking about the people, food and neighborhoods.

We did everything else on plan with a little push back and laziness.  It was expected so it didn't upset me too much.  It was a great start and we are moving forward in to the second week of school.

2013 Fall Planning

It is that time of the year... planning time.  Though, when are homeschooling moms not planning?  It seems we spend a bit of time planning the next school year throughout the current year.  As you know, we spent most of the 2012-2013 school year with K12's Virtual Academy.  We made the decision primarily based on financial necessity.  This year, we are not much better financially but our resolve to independently educated our children is stronger than ever.

Earlier this year, I discovered the wonderful resourcefulness of YouTube.  Now, I've watched many a YT video but never did I watch (or look for) homeschooling videos.  All it took was one video for me to get hooked.  (Don't ask which one because I couldn't tell ya!)  Most of the videos I was attracted to were the ones explaining how to homeschool on a budget.  And not just the average 'get books from the library' suggestions.  I was learning the who, what, where & why of creating your own homeschool curriculum for free or as close to free as possible.  I've discovered so many websites that provide free curriculum, resources for creating lesson plans, etc.  I've always known of free printable websites but for the first time since we began homeschooling officially in 2006, I've come to realize I can (and will) homeschool for free.

Now by "free" I mean I will not purchase a full curriculum from publishers (with the exception of science that we will begin in the Spring).  The majority of my lesson plans will be created via printables I find online, unit studies,  notebooking and lapbooks centered around living books.

I'm so excited to begin formulating a plan for each of my children.  I love to shop but I'm just as excited to see how little money I can spend this year! I'll keep you posted.  How's your planning coming along?

How Am I Smart? {Freebie Alert!} *Limited Time*

If you haven't heard yet, Great Homeschool Conventions is giving away a free e-book by Dr. Kathy Koch titled, "How Am I Smart? A Parent's Guide to Multiple Intelligences".  It's about behavior struggles, solutions to relationship conflicts and how we as parents can tap into our children's individual intelligence.

This free download expires Wednesday, July 31 at midnight EST.

What We've Been Up To

Since officially withdrawing from K12's Virtual Academy, we've been very relaxed with our school days.  Using the workbooks and other materials I was able to keep from k12, we continued with our work but without the pressure to complete it by a certain date.  No pressure to attend and pass testing.  No meetings with teachers to review what's expected by the end of the year.  A relief!  The kids enjoyed it as much as I did.

Following my district's school calendar, I chose May 17 as our last day of school.  Since then, we've done a bunch of fun stuff around the house.

Homework

I saw this on Instagram and got a little chuckle from it!

It's Official!

We are no longer schooling at home.  This morning I submitted my withdrawal notifications to the kids' homeroom teachers and mailed out my "Notice of Intent to Home School" letter to my local school district.  Surprisingly, I was a bit nervous about sending the withdrawal notices.  I think it's because I really didn't have any problems with the virtual academy.  The teachers were wonderful.  The field trips were exciting and fun for the kids.  We just prefer independent homeschooling.  So, with just under 3 months remaining in the school year, we took the leap and reclaimed our freedom.  Ha, and this was the day the girls were to take diagnostic testing! 

For the remainder of the school year, I will continue to use the K12 materials I am allowed to keep and download some assessments and learning coach guide sheets that are available online.  I need to jump on it tonight because I'm sure once the teachers file the paperwork, access will be denied promptly!

Realizations

We've come to realize we want need more flexibility than what "schooling at home" provides.  Now, I know I can plan our day and meet objectives without doing all the busy work, but good grief having everything planned out for me was one of the reasons I chose to go this route! 

Three different learning styles, three different grades has proven a great challenge for me.  A is struggling with Math, k12 style.  That means I have to teach the lesson differently than what k12's teacher's guide suggests.  Work!  My baby is worth it, of course, but I didn't plan for that.  Language Arts is "boring, just a bunch of reading", but she is learning a lot of different things.  T is doing well overall, but doesn't like to write (much like her sister, A) so getting her to complete a written assignment is like pulling your hair out, strand.by.strand.  We often complete such works orally. (so glad I don't have to submit work samples!) She's a competitive perfectionist which allows her to strive for 100% on everything she does, but also leads to a diva like meltdown if that goal is not achieved.  humph, now I have to send that into a room full of other kids to do a diagnostic test?!  I think not.  E is coasting.  He slacks off, procrastinates and excels all at the same time.  I often have to remind him he is to do his work on the computer, not watch videos or play games (even educational ones).  He is a typical 5th grader and my only child doing well with k12's virtual academy.

I realize that if I put my mind to it, I could have every one's work prepped for the week, assessments printed, materials available for use the night before.  I just didn't want to have to do all that while using a virtual academy.  I thought it would save me some time.  I wanted it to save me some time.  It's not.  There's a lot of busy work, that while I can skip some of it, some of it is essential to mastering the lesson.

I miss my freedom!  I don't like being required to attend teleconferences, outings and various testing locations.  I miss Black History lessons.  We initially moved those lessons to Saturdays so Dad can teach but the kids felt punished because they had to do "Saturday School".  So we incorporated Black/African historical facts into E's k12 U.S. history lessons and the girls listened in. 

All in all, this year was a huge learning experience.  I'm glad my kids were able to attend some of the outings (limited since we are a 1 car family).  I'm glad I am making this decision now to return to independent homeschooling for the next school year.  I have six months to purchase workbooks, print free resources, etc.  I just realized I need to get organized, too.  eek!

Catch Up to Week 5

We have completed our fifth week of schooling at home with K12.  Juggling the three kids has definitely been a struggle, but I am proud of the progress we've made so far.

September seems to have gone by quickly.  We had a short week after Labor Day.  We only had three days to get some work done before we went to one of the many Back to School Picnics held in our area. It was a successful week.   During that week, the girls had their AIMSweb assessments with their teachers. I am very proud and happy to say they both did exceptionally well and are on track for their respective grade levels. In fact, Miss T reads at a upper 3rd to 4th grade level. *insert fist pumps and swelling chest* T & A both need to work on their handwriting. They had to write 2-4 sentences about themselves as a writing portfolio to send to their teachers. This gave the teachers an idea of where the students may need help with either handwriting, spelling, structure, etc. They also had an opportunity to speak with their teacher on the telephone while completing the assessment. This was a wonderful introduction to the up coming picnic where they personally met their teachers. They were so excited. E was a bit disappointed since his teachers were not there but he had fun none.the.less.

In the weeks to follow we have worked hard to find our groove.  The girls are learning how to work independently and share "Teacher Mommy" with their brother.  He, meanwhile, is learning to discipline himself to focus on his work while I am busy with his sisters.  I am learning how to give each of them 1:1 attention throughout the day.  It is not easy.  However, it is beneficial to everyone because with this 1:1 time, I have learned that Miss T does not know all her basic addition facts.  Some she knows by heart, others it takes a little longer for her figure out how to count/work it out.  I will probably shuffle her Math program around to better suit her needs.  For example, on her scheduled plan she should be learning about money.  Well, she can't very well count money if she can't remember the basic addition.  This week, I plan to put the K12 math on pause and give her some supplemental addition work to help her memorize facts.  Miss A (my 1st grader) is now starting with her addition facts so hopefully I can give them group work to make it all a little easier.

October brings the next round of Parent/Teacher conferences.  I will discuss, T's math struggles with her teacher.  A will probably have her handwriting assessed.  E's conference will be a review of his test scores (Scantron and Study Island Benchmarks), plus his Fall writing portfolio.

Back to School: Week 1 Wrap Up

Well, we've completed a full week of school.  It was a first of many for our household.  E started what is (unofficially) known as the "intro to middle school". 




And my sweet girls began their first year as K12 Virtual Academy students.



There was lots of reading new books for my precious first grader (who wants to go back to Kindergarten).  She spent lots of time with books while I worked 1:1 with her older siblings.  As these early months go by, I will have to develop some sort of schedule to do more 1:1 with each of them and provide independent work for the others.

E struggled a bit this week getting in the groove.  His body is certainly in attendance but his brain is vacationing.  Math is already kicking his butt.  Estimation is not his friend.  He is studying American History this year.  This week focused on the early beginnings of U.S. History.

Handwriting Without Tears (!!!) is a part of the 1st and 2nd grade curriculum.  The girls are loving their 10 minute writing drills.  I set the timer on my phone for 10 minutes and they have to complete as many pages as they can.  They've been doing 1-2 pages per day.  I can alreay see improvement in their handwriting.  Both T & A would write with uppercase letters exclusively if I let them.  I'm glad this course is emphasizing writing with lowercase letters.

T had her hands full with writing big numbers up to 500.  It was a lot of busy work but good practice.

As for me, I had a few class connect sessions with the teachers for each grade level.  My goal for next month is to develop the habit of laying out the girls' workbooks the night before.  I definitely need to get some drawer carts for the girls.  Workboxes will help with increasing their independence.  E has his books in crates next to his desk that he can easily reach when necessary.  It worked well for him last year so I won't rock the boat by changing him to workboxes.

All in all it was a great week and I look forward to the busyness that is to come.