2015 Recap and 2016 Planning

Wow. The end of 2015-16 schoolyear is here. No posts about why we homeschooled this year. No posts on plans. No summer reading challenge reports from last year.

The fact is, we are so preoccupied with doing our thing that there's no time (or is it energy?) to write about it. Since I don't want to let a year go by undocumented, I will attempt a recap.

Summer, 2015:

Reading challenge was successful. The boys earned movie and Xbox bucks instead of books, which cranked up the enthusiasm.

Thing1 (9 years old) wised up to the benefits and chose the books with the highest points first (1. The Hobbit. 2. Johnny Tremain. 3. Jack Plank Tells Tales. 4. Woodrow Wilson) He used the same report form as last year.

The Hobbit

Thing2 (6 years old) was still dictating and copying, but his reading abilities were much better!

The Long Way to a New Land

2015-16 School Year:

Classical Conversations. I directed a new community. It consumed me, but we were blessed. I feel much more prepared to take on this second year. I completed my first year of Essentials, and loved it. I see now that the kids need much less prep than I gave Thing1. I have adjusted Thing2's schedule appropriately. Live and learn.

rock study at camper school

Simplify. I made a conscious effort all year to simplify our plans and concentrate on the important rather than the urgent. We will be completing math books through the summer because of this, but the peace and fulfillment we experienced this year are worth it.

• We did no formal history or science. Every time we went to the library, the boys could pick books from four categories: History/Geography, Science/Math, Literature/Poetry, and Fun. They could check out as many books as they wanted as long as they followed the "rule of 4," meaning their selections were spread evenly over those categories. They read a lot of interesting material, none of it planned ahead. Sometimes they did a "report" on their library books, which could be a letter to a grandparent (Thing2's favorite), a copy of one of the illustrations (Thing1's favorite), or a traditional report. Interestingly, no one ever chose the traditional report. 
• We set aside traditional school work when opportunities for learning experiences arose, such as camping trips and speech competitions.
• I held a massive notebook purge, and I stopped keeping every paper. If, one day, I need proof that I actually educate my children, I hope their knowledge will suffice. There will also be standardized test results. In fact, we generate very few papers besides math now that we have simplified.
• I tried to quit being stubborn about plans that were not working out. For example, I quit trying to do Spelling Power with Thing2 halfway through the year. He was not ready! We concentrated on copywork instead. (He hates copywork! Sit still and pay attention to tiny details? No thanks.) As a result, I see more improvement in his spelling than I was seeing before.

Success. 

John Henry and Pony Express Rider
CHESCO Speech Competition

• The boys kept "Question and Thankful Notebooks." They wrote something they were thankful for and a question on each page. The goals were
• to improve attitudes with gratitude.
• to develop a question-asking habit so that learning continues as a way of life.
• Instead of me directing our Bible reading, they chose where they read each day. Each of them read a passage aloud, and this doubled as their reading/elocution practice. We listened to Thing1 read Revelations, Esther, Ruth, and Job. Thing2 read mainly Psalms and Proverbs, sometimes the same one day after day. During the second semester, Thing1 and I combined our sentence diagramming practice with Bible time. That was interesting! It was much more meaningful than diagramming random silly sentences out of the book.
• Thing1 completed his third Memory Master. He has done all cycles, so it will not be on my to-do list any more; however, he is  welcome to do it on his own. Thing2 made it through three proofings with 54%, 74%, and 77% results. Those last two proofings were cause for celebration! He knows the material, but, understandably, he has a hard time concentrating on it for two hours at a time.

Ghengis Khan
CC Faces of History program

Failure. Will I ever finish reading a book out loud to them within a reasonable amount of time? It hasn't happened yet. We have not quit on The Wheel on the School even though it has sat beside the chair for a year and a half. The Phantom Tollbooth, On the Banks of Plum Creek, and The Castle in the Attic are also unfinished. The amazing thing is that the boys can pick up where we left off months after the last reading. They have to catch me up every time because I cannot remember. We will keep chipping away at The Wheel (we are all hooked), but the others are history. We will try again later.

2016 Summer Plans:

First we will participate in the CTP4 standardized test. This is Thing1's second time and Thing2's first.

We will continue doing math lessons as a part of daily chores. Goal: Do an entire math lesson without getting distracted. Be a math ninja.

The reading challenge, which has blossomed into a favorite summer tradition, is on in three days! Again, they will earn movie bucks, which can also be used for Xbox games or books. They both have Kindles now, which makes it a lot cheaper to own all those hard-to-find books that libraries don't care about.

Let me talk about Thing2's reading! He has finally settled into reading as a hobby. He has finally realized that all those books on Thing1's Kindle are actually entertaining (and now the Kindle is his)! He has finally learned how to sit still and concentrate on written words! Truthfully, he has been learning this since he was an infant, but I can see the fruits now. My hunch that even an active, social person can appreciate literature is turning out to be correct. His list is adapted from Ambleside Online  with some additional fun novels thrown in. I thought I would just use Thing1's list from when he was 7, but it turns out Thing2 has already listened to most of them. He is a well read young man, thanks to audiobooks. I'm not sure if he is ready to read most of the AO titles independently since many of them are meant to be read aloud, but we will play it by ear. This summer he graduates to the Busy Teacher Cafe report form.

Thing1 is transitioning. That middle section of the Well Trained Mind, the one called The Logic Stage, is suddenly very relevant. I have not ignored it, but I have set it aside with the excuse, "It's not time." Well, now it is time. 5th-8th grades is what Ms. Bauer and Ms. Wise call the Logic Stage, and they put together a chronological reading list for these years. Since we have had tremendous success with their book recommendations from the beginning, I'm assigning this list to Thing1. This will be his summer reading challenge that will bleed over into his next two years of reading assignments. Since he has read copiously about ancients this year, I only selected a few titles that fill some gaps for that period, and I would like for him to read them all this summer so that he can start the full list of Medieval titles this Fall. And here's the big challenge: I need to read them, too, so we can discuss them. I have already started. It will take some re-prioritizing to actually get these volumes read...or at least scanned...as he reads them. Another transition is that he will write me a formal critique, as he learned in IEW's Unit 9, for each book. I don't expect a perfectly polished product every time. How's that for alliteration? But I do want him to become so familiar with the process that it becomes a routine task.

2016-17 School Plans:

The lessons about simplifying and prioritizing came at the perfect time, right before a transition year for Thing1. That is evidence that it was of God because I was too wrapped up in starting a CC community (urgent and important) to realize the changes were imminent.

Thing2 (8 years old)

• Keep reading, copying, and taking dictation. I have started dictating Dick and Jane to him. It is so simple that it seems silly, but he can take the dictation successfully, which means a lot. We can actually concentrate on periods and commas without worrying about the dreaded spelling aspect. 
• Keep a relaxed schedule in 
• Growing with Grammar Level 3.
• Typing Instructor
• Zaner Bloser Handwriting Levels 2c/3.
• Keep a more rigid schedule in 
• Math-U-See Gamma
• CC Memory Work
• Visit the library using the "rule of 4."

Thing1 (10-11 years old)

From highest to lowest priority:

• Math - I'm leaning toward making the switch to Saxon 65 with the DIVE download. The Husband votes we transition before pre-algebra, which means this year or next. If it does not work out, we can always go back to Math-U-See. See? I am learning about how stubbornness sabotages simplicity.
• Essentials - Take a step towards independence in writing essays.
• Read and report on books from The Well Trained Mind logic stage chronological reading list.
• CC Memory Work
• Start a keepsake timeline. This one is my favorite. 
• Piano Lessons
• Latin Christiana I in preparation for Henle Latin in two years. (What?!?)
• Rosetta Stone Spanish. He and his dad want to learn, and we know a few people who can help them with conversation.
• Read science-related topics such as the Aviation books a friend loaned us.
• Typing Instructor - We love this program. He is getting faster! Hopefully by the time Essentials starts again, he can type his own papers semi-quickly.
• Handwriting - Practice neat cursive.

Why am I homeschooling again next year? Because it is working and because I do not see any better options at this point. I am thankful to witness slow and steady growth in my children, especially after our "simple year." They can do their chores (the same 5 they have been doing for two years   -  rooms, beds, dogs, piano, and bathrooms) with less than three demerits half the time. Our afternoon "ten-minute pickup," which has been a daily hour-long ordeal in the past, only takes about ten minutes now. Thing1 has realized the satisfaction of having money in his pocket by doing additional commission jobs with the requirement that he "budget" the money he makes into save, spend, and give envelopes.  I watch both of them gradually tackle more difficult literature voluntarily and without dread. The day-to-day is hard, but looking at the big picture while writing a summary like this one convinces me that, by God's grace, we are making a good decision.

C.S. Lewis

In the less than eloquent, albeit sincere, words of Thing1,

"C.S. Lewis sure did write some good books."

Chill

Yesterday was unusual because Thing1 and I had a day to ourselves at home.

Instead of regular schoolwork (you know, where he checks off his predictable, everyday tasks as he does them), we did real life. I was chill. Chill is usually not my strong suit.

He recently discovered he could make cookies by himself, so he decided to use that for his weekly presentation. (Every Tuesday the kids have to give a presentation in front of other homeschoolers.)

First, he typed out the recipe to hand out to his classmates. Honestly, he typed the ingredients, and I typed the directions. It was quite a task for a hunt-and-peck 8-year-old. We discussed margins, page layout and setup, and the function of the shift key. I am determined that next year he will learn to type for real.

Next, he made the cookies. He learned that brown sugar is difficult to measure when it gets hard. He pointed out that the package says to store it in an airtight container. Yes, sir. I will try to do better in the future. The cookies were good. Too good. Much better than the last time he made them.

He listed three things he learned about cookie making, packed up the recipe cards and cookies, and the presentation prep was done.

Later, we reviewed some memory work. He and I both aspire to be Memory Masters this year, so we took turns asking each other questions. (Have you ever noticed how much more seriously a kid takes something when the parent asks for his help? Interesting.) We had fun using dry erase markers on our new, huge, European blackline map. The kid loves maps.

We never cracked a workbook all day long, but we were busy learning all day.

Before he went to bed last night, he hugged me and told me spontaneously that he had a great day and that he loved me. A little affirmation goes a long way with this Mama.

Typical Monday

Warning:  This post is a potentially boring play-by-play of my day.  Read at your own discretion.

I forgot to set the alarm on Sunday night and woke up at 7:30 Monday morning.  Oops.

I took the trash to the curb, hauled wood for the fire, made coffee, and woke up the boys.

I made a goal chart for Thing1's week because I forgot to do it yesterday.  Oops again.

Thing2 and I did his lessons (phonics, math, and handwriting) while I ate breakfast and drank coffee.  He felt like a rebel since he didn't have to eat, dress, and brush teeth first. I should have taken a picture.  He was wearing underwear and my fuzzy blue robe with the sleeves rolled up.

I woke up Thing1 again.

The boys ate, dressed, and brushed teeth.  I put off my shower because I didn't wake up early enough.  I dressed and put my hair in a ponytail.  Mercifully, I am not including pictures at this point.

I did some long-procrastinated, due-today computer jobs while the boys bundled up and played in the snow one last time before it melted.

When I realized I had not written a blog post in a month, I decided to document an actual sample day for two reasons.  First, I am feeling frustrated with never getting my chores done. Second, I want to be able to look at it in a few years and remember. Maybe one day in the future, when I look back at this post and remember the simplicity of our life "back then," I will laugh at how anxious and scatterbrained I was and smile in contentment about how serene and organized I have become.  Or I will compare what used to be hectic with what is hectic now and sigh in resignation as I realize that I am what I am.  Either way, I will thank God for the blessings that keep me busy.

At 10:20, I finally got started on some chores.

At 10:45, My trusty Home Routines app (very useful for $4.99) reminded me that I had not done hair and makeup.  Plus, I remembered how lazy I sounded when I had to blog that I had not taken a shower yet.  So I took a shower.  Still no makeup or fixed hair, but at least I was clean.

11:07 and the boys were still outside.  I checked on them again. (I banged a pan with a wooden spoon.  They waved and hollered, "We're okay.")  They have been busy building a fort in the brush.  Snow just makes it more fun.

I fixed lunch - leftover spaghetti and salad - and started eating. While I was eating, at 11:30, the boys came in and piled up an entire load of dirty, wet laundry.  It took awhile to undress, warm up, and make hot chocolate.

I resumed my lunch while we did memory work.  The memory work prize was dessert - one bite for every correct answer.  Sometimes it's hard to get started:

At 12:45, we started rest time.  Thing1 took his work to his room (getting a late start on his goal chart).  Thing2 played Lincoln Logs in the den.  I took my Bible to my room and read like I should have done this morning.  There's another penalty for waking up late.  What else does Mom do during rest time?  It is a mystery.

At 1:45 the rest time timer ended, and I did hair and makeup.  After this point, unexpected company or Facetime calls were welcome.

I stoked the fire and vacuumed the kitchen and mud room.  Not on my afternoon routine list, but necessary.

I discovered that Thing1 finished all his independent work except for math during rest time.  That is highly unusual.  I corrected his work.

At 2:30, I worked on this post and printed out Thing1's writing worksheets...Something else I was supposed to have done yesterday. Oops again.

I read a few pages of Castle Diary to Thing2.

Thing1 took a play break, then I helped him with writing, spelling, and history for an hour and a half.

Every day around 5:00 I have to make the daily decision of whether to get supper on the table or do some afternoon chores that, once again, have not been accomplished.  Today, as usual, I chose supper. Therefore, the clean laundry pile grew even higher, and I did not get any gold stars on my afternoon chore list.

We ate and wasted some time until about 6:00.

Thing2 got ready for his basketball game and practiced dribbling and passing in the kitchen for a few minutes before we left for his 7:00 game.  No dishes were broken. By the way, 7:00 is too late to start a 4 and 5-year-old basketball game.

Thing2 hustled during his game, so we skated (almost literally-the parking lot was slick) to Starbucks to celebrate.

When we got home, we read.  The Husband read The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, Thing1 read a library book about Vikings, and Thing2 read Berenstein Bears to me.

The Husband put the boys to bed at 9:00, I finished addressing Christmas cards at 10:00, and then I finished this post. Throw in a few mess cleanups, phone calls, washer to dryer switches, etc., and that pretty much sums up the day.

Most days, I feel frustrated about never getting all of my daily chores done, much less weekly or monthly chores. However, after reading this post, I feel satisfied that we get some important things done every day even if the house looks like barbarians live here and even if I never get gold stars on my routine app.

Another Schedule Revision and an Initiative Experiment

Well, the schedule I posted here is already obsolete.  We used it until the routine was semi-established and then reverted back to the old goal chart.  I know some veteran ACE homeschoolers who might remember those...The Husband, for one.

I purposely did not purchase planning software this year (big change for me) in an effort to get away from "doing school" and to get closer to "learning as a way of life."  However, there are some tasks, usually the mundane ones, that we forget to do if they are not spelled out for us in a schedule.  So, after using a handwritten goal chart successfully for a week, I created another Excel spreadsheet to use with Thing1.

It is similar to last year when I printed out a daily task list, but this one is for the whole week.  I saved the template in Excel so that I can change the assignments for the week each Sunday night.  The peaceful feeling I get when I look at those red marks reminds me of why I enjoy planning software.

My dilemma now (because I always have one) is how much initiative to expect from a 7-year-old in completing the goals.  I want to put some responsibility on him because he needs it, but when I see "7-year-old" typed out in black and white, I back up a little.  How much prodding throughout the week is appropriate for his age?  Obviously, the tasks that require my attention (spelling, writing, history, and science) are done on my time.  The independent work is the challenge.  My solution for now is to insist on work before play but not to hound him about lolligagging (difficult for me).  Usually a wordless, appropriate consequence works better than my endless nagging.

Last week, he did not accomplish all of his goals before Saturday and, as a consequence, had to stay inside to complete them on Saturday while The Husband and Thing2 were outside working on projects.  I felt bad for him, and I really wanted to let him off the hook.  But with the hope that a couple of disappointing Saturdays would help the initiative development along, I stuck to my guns.

My conclusion from my last schedule experiment is that it was profitable for a few weeks.  I am hoping this goal chart method will last a bit longer.

As for the initiative experiment, results will take time...11 years, perhaps.  Remind me to post the results then.

Plans and Changes

I have been hesitant to publish my plans for this year as a lot of changes are taking place, and many of our plans are at a see-how-it-goes-and-go-from-there status.  However, much of our lineup for this year looks similar to last year.

The first big change this year is that there are two school-aged children in our house, so Thing2 feels very important now.  He is especially looking forward to math.  Thing1 is 7 (roughly 2nd grade), and Thing2 is 5 (roughly kindergarten).

The second big change is that we have joined a Classical Conversations Community, which excites me greatly!  The rigor in math, science, history, geography, and Latin memory work will be a change (hopefully for the better), but the underlying classical method will be consistent with our last two years. (What is Classical Education?)  The one day a week away from home will also be similar to our last couple of years in Wednesday School, which has worked well for us.  I look forward to the community for the kids and accountability for myself.

The third big change is that, Lord willing, we will be in a new house by the time school begins.  If everything goes through, I will have a den connected to the kitchen and laundry room that can be dedicated to school!  This will be perfect since the three things I do every day are kitchen, laundry, and lessons.  It might actually be possible to multi-task with this setup.  I am ecstatic about the possibility of not having to use a bedroom for lessons and school storage.

At-Home Lineup:
Math-U-See Beta for Thing1
Math-U-See Primer for Thing2

Writing With Ease Year 2, Growing with Grammar Level 2, Prescripts, and Spelling Power for Thing1
Reading Reflex and Handwriting Without Tears Grade 1 for Thing2

Story of the World, Middle Ages (See how it goes...Probably just reading, coloring, and using the activity book's excellent Corresponding Literature lists) for Thing1 and Thing2
Famous Figures of Medieval Times

Exploring Creation with Astronomy and the Jr. Notebooking Journal (See how it goes...We will be memorizing Science Facts and doing experiments with CC, so we might take it easy on this set.) for Thing1 (and Thing2 as desired)

Books, Books, Books for both Thing1 and Thing2 to read aloud and read alone.  I keep a Pinterest Board for inspiration when we run dry.  Also, the Writing with Ease Workbook is full of ideas.  And I won't forget Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook.

All in all, I am excited about this new year.  Each year so far has brought a deeper desire of learning for myself, and I think that desire is contagious...except in the area of spelling.  Lessons have not yet become a drudgery for the kids.  Learning new things as well as reviewing familiar things still fires them up.  (Please note that I did not say that developing the self-discipline to actually do the work is not drudgery.  On the contrary, it is the definition of drudgery for them and me.)  I am looking forward to the changes of this year encouraging us to look at familiar things from new perspectives.

2013-14 Shopping List

Drumroll, please...

I have finalized my 2013-14 Shopping List Pinterest board.  Check it out if you are interested.

I am reusing some things (Reading Reflex, math manipulatives, Writing With Ease Instruction Text, Usborne World History, and an old Story of the World Activity Book I found in my Mom's stuff), but I am still having to buy a lot.  Maybe next year I will be able to use more of what I already have for Thing2.  Then again, maybe not!

My financial conscience balm is that the total of my shopping list is thousands less than sending the kids to a private school.  And even though it is several hundred dollars more than sending them to a public school that I already support through taxes, I get to maintain control of their education, which is priceless in my book.


Needless to say, I am super excited to have my list.  I plan to wait until after the OKC Curriculum Fair to order.  If possible, I will go and buy there.  I would love to support the vendors who travel to these fairs and let us homeschoolers flip through actual books and handle materials before we buy.