We have been homeschooling for many years, and I sometimes forget that what we do isn't the same for others. So, I am writing a monthly homeschool recap 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
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Thomas Stanley
Watch Low Risk Farming: The Smart Profitable Future - Farm Learning with Tim Thompson on YouTube
Watch How to Start Your Own Profitable Grazing Operation Without Owning Land - Greg Judy Regenerative Rancher on YouTube
Heroes of the Bible Devotional by Joshua Cooley
First Studies of Plant Life by George Francis Atkinson
The Wonder Book of Chemistry by Jean Henri Fabre
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Watch The Devil and Karl Marx - Dr. Paul Kengor - Jordan B Peterson on YouTube
English Literature for Boys and Girls by HE Marshall
Bulfinch's Medieval Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch
Listen to The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
Watch videos assigned by their FFA teacher related to Ag Business
Read articles assigned by their FFA teacher related to Ag Business
Watch Compost Tea and Extracts - RAFI on YouTube
Watch Easy Octopus Crochet Tutorial - CreateOsaur on YouTube
Watch SPIKED by Sharpest Lizard on Earth - Brave Wilderness on YouTube
The Story-Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
Watch The Strange World of Lizards - Real Wild on YouTube
Read various current event articles
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard J. Maybury
What the World Eats by Faith D'Aluisio
Our Island Story by HE Marshall
The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire
*Abigail Adams by Natalie Bober
*John Adams by David McCullough
A History of the American People by Paul Johnson
Read Historical Document - Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech
A Patriot's History of the United States by Larry Schweikart
The Life of King Alfred by Asser - selected passages
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
American Tall Tales by Adrien Stoutenburg
Listen to The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald on Audible
The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
Watch Homemade Cranberry Sauce - Deep South Homestead at Pecan Grove on YouTube
Isaac Bickerstaff by Sir Richard Steele
The Story of Napoleon by HE Marshall
One Race One Blood by Ken Ham and A. Charles Ware
A Child's History of the World by VM Hillyer
Listen I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) by Alessandro Manzoni on Audible
Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling
The Story of David Livingstone by Vautier Golding
The Royal Road to Romance by Richard Halliburton
How Would You Survive as an Ancient Egyptian? by Jacqueline Morley
Watch The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006) - Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice on YouTube
Poor Richard by James Daugherty
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Andrew
The Bears of Blue River by Charles Major
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
*Five Little Peppers and How they Grew by Margaret Sidney (we have an older copy but this one is comparable)
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Read articles from Backwoods Home Magazine
Watch How to Hand Sew a Slip Stitch... - Cutesy Crafts on YouTube
Watch How to Crochet a Simple Flower... - Pora Pora Crochet on YouTube
Watch How to Sew by Hand for Beginners - Cutesy Crafts on YouTube
Listen and study various hymns and folk songs
North American Wildlife by Reader's Digest
Listen to works by composer Frederick Delius
Read various poems by Alred, Lord Tennyson
Read various poems by William Blake
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
Marco Polo by George Makepiece Towle
Watch Why the USA Will Always be the Global Superpower - The Geography Bible on YouTube
The Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp
The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall
Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula
Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen
Read Historical Document: Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Watch Where Did Cheese Really Come From? - Weird History on YouTube
Read Historical Document: Free Grace: John Wesley Denounces the Doctrine of Predestination Sermon
DK Life Stories - Florence Nightingale by Kitson Jazynka
Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Parables from Nature by Margaret Gatty
The Warlord's Fish by Virginia Pilegard
The Book of Virtues by William Bennett
Watch DIY Lavender Filled Hanging Hearts - Made to Sew on YouTube
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick
Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra
Watch 50 Fun and Interesting Facts About Europe - The Geography Bible on YouTube
The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill
Sailors and Seababies: The Fairy Tales of Charles Kingsley by Anne E. White
*Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price
No Fear Shakespeare - Othello by SparkNotes
The Plutarch Project Volume One by Anne E White
Here's a list of more "formal" curriculum products that we have used during the month of December:
Correct and rewrite misspelled words for spelling practice
Create and update a personal quote book
Create and update a timeline
A Walk through the Heavens by Milton Heifetz
Exploring Creation with Physical Science by Jay Wile
The Art of Problem Solving, Introduction to Algebra by Richard Rusczyk
Life of Fred - Beginning Algebra Expanded Edition by Stanley Schmidt
Life of Fred - Goldfish by Stanley Schmidt
Fix It Grammar
Life of Fred - Cats by Stanley Schmidt
Life of Fred - Farming by Stanley Schmidt
A Bluestocking Guide: Justice by Kathryn Daniels
Getting Started with Latin by William Linney
Mind Benders by The Critical Thinking Co.
Completing entries in a Nature Journal
Apologia - Anatomy and Physiology
Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy by Jay Ryan
Here are some online classes/resources that we have used:
Turning Point Bahnsen Economics Course
All In One Homeschool Online Spanish Course
All In One High School - Biblical Hebrew I Course
Principle Based Permaculture Design Course by homefoodsystems.com
*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:
- They attended activities with the youth group at church.
- Our high schoolers attended elective classes at Bluegrass United that include Freshman Foundations, Intentional Technology, Epistemology and The Art and Science of Wellbeing.
- They prepared meals from scratch including honey chicken, cole slaw, cookies, tomato soup, rack of lamb, ribeye steak and homemade pizza.
- We attended the Bluegrass United production of Pride and Prejudice. They did a great job!
- We participated with our FFA group.
- We attended a FFA class with a speaker from Ag Credit.
- We attended a FFA class with cattle buyer speaker.
- We attended our FFA Christmas party.
- We watched a cattle sale at the Bluegrass Stockyards
- We went roller-skating at the local roller rink.
- We spent time with family and friends.
- They helped with farm chores.
- We celebrated a birthday.
- We spent time together celebrating the holidays.
- They enjoyed free time outdoors.
Our lives are not what is considered normal, but we are loving it this way!
*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 link