We have been homeschooling for many years and I sometimes forget that what we do isn't the same for others. So, I decided to try adding a monthly homeschool recap to this blog to demonstrate one way (there are so many methods out there!) that homeschooling can work.
We use an eclectic method of homeschooling that leans very heavily towards the Charlotte Mason method of teaching. Without going into too much detail about this method, it can be described as very literature-heavy. We read and discuss A LOT of books. We don't spend a lot of time on workbooks, worksheets, etc., We have gravitated toward this method over the years and found that it works very well for our learners and family lifestyle.
Here are some items that we have read, listened to or watched during the month of December:
*The Holy Bible
Watch American Meat Documentary on Abundance Plus
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
VeggieTales episode
The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit - To be completely transparent, we gave up on this book. It was just not something that we enjoyed.
*The Tuttle Twins Podcast
Home Geography for Primary Grades by CC Long
*Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C Holling
The Story of David Livingstone by V Golding
B is for Bluegrass A Kentucky Alphabet by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle
*This Country of Ours by HE Marshall
*Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle
*George Washington's World by JoAnna Foster
*Augustus Ceasars World by Genevieve Foster
Abigail Adams by Natalie Bober
We Were There at the Battle of Gettysburg by AS Malkus
Our Island Story by HE Marshall
50 Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
*Genesis Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick
Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula
The Story of the Romans by HA Guerber
The Ocean of Truth by Joyce McPherson
Buried in Ice by Owen Beattie
Don't Know Much About the Pioneers by Kenneth Davis
Tree in the Trail by Holling C Holling
The Little Duke by Charlotte Yonge
Age of Fable by T. Bullfinch
*Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
A Childs Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa
*Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Plutarch Project by Anne White
No Fear Shakespeare - Twelfth Night
A variety of Wordsworth poems
The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Blue Fairy book by Andrew Lang
*These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes
Elsie Dinsmore Book 1 by Martha Finley - we found an older copy at an estate sale, but I have attached a link to a paperback copy.
*A Foxfire Christmas by Eliot Wigginton
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling - We utilize the audiobook version with this book. Sometimes we use only the audiobook and sometimes we read along with the physical book as the story is read to us.
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Listen various Renaissance songs on YouTube
Listen various Hymns and Folksongs on YouTube
National Geographic Complete Photography
Watch YouTube videos on photography
The Book of Photography by A Hoy
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DeCamillo
Amos Fortune Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel
Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning
The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Jungle Pilot by Russell Hitt
The Storybook of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
*Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley
*The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
*Listen Burgess Bird Playlist on YouTube
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson
It Couldn't Just Happen by Lawrence Richards
The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin Wiker
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C Holling
*Parables From Nature by Margaret Gatty
Exploring the History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick
Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen
Watch Crash Course Astronomy on YouTube
The Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna B Comstock
Why Does My Heart Begin to Race by Chris Oxlade
Here's a list of more "formal" curriculum products that we have used during the month of December:
Tintoretto Picture Study and Art Prints - ahumbleplace.com
Claude Monet Picture Study · a humble place
Song School Latin
*Right Start Math
*Life of Fred - PreAlgebra 0 with Physics
*Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Abeka Reading books - we received them as a gift and have been using them as supplemental reading material
Watch videos on woodworking skills
Here are some online classes that we have used:
Here are a few games/activities that we have enjoyed:
Checkers
*Items marked with an asterisk are my personal favorites and highly recommended.
Here are a few field trips/activities that we have participated in during the month of December:
- We continued with our homeschool co-op. The high school and middle school kids participate in an Art class focusing on charcoal and watercolor techniques, a Literature class with some writing components and a Bible class. The elementary students are participating in classes for Bible, Science, Logic and PE.
- We completed our Tintoretto artist study by copying one of his pieces.
Unfortunately, they became sidetracked and decided to decorate their sister instead.
- The boys participated in their FFA livestock judging class. They learned a lot about this skill and hope to apply it in the future.
- The boys participated in their FFA site visit. This month, they visited two farms to gain hands-on experience with livestock judging.
We are loving our FFA group so much that the baby is trying to join!
- The girls made gingerbread houses from kits.
- The kids helped move the animals into their winter home.
- I took each kid out individually to do their Christmas shopping. They all talked me into a treat while we were out!
- The girls attended a movie night at church to watch The Star.
- We attended the Christmas lights at The Ark. We had a great time!
- Our son celebrated his birthday with a Man's Day Out. They ate pizza, raced go-karts, threw axes and more!
- We participated in various Christmas celebrations with family and friends.
- Our son joined some friends for a day at Activate, an indoor gaming facility.
- We welcomed an addition to the farm. The kids assist in feeding and caring for him.
If you are interested, here are some links to the places/items mentioned above:
Abundance Plus Referral Code: https://abundanceplus.com/?referral_code=DBgccacFBcgiHg
Harvest Right link: https://affiliates.harvestright.com/2487.html
www.youtube.com/@FarmhouseonBoone
Home | Harrison Co Farmers (hcfmky.com)
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc. - (rightstartmath.com)
Ice Cream, Candy, Baked Goods by The Sweet Boutique Near Cynthiana, KY (thesweetboutiquellc.com)
Kentucky FFA Association | KY FFA
Goodfellas Pizzeria - Pizza and Bourbon Bar
Battle Axes Lexington Axe Throwing, High Speed Go Karts, Bowling (battleaxesky.com)
Activate Lexington | An Active Gaming Experience (playactivate.com)
Leesburg Christian Church - Co-op
Leesburg Christian Church - Home
*For those that enjoy the booklists, I have attached links to my Amazon affiliate account. As an Amazon associate, I will earn money from any qualifying purchases made by using these links.