Homeschool Update - February

  • 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 February:

*The Holy Bible

Read various journal articles, PowerPoint presentations and completed question worksheets about food science provided by their FFA teacher. 

Watched various YouTube videos about food science provided by their FFA teacher.   

Review 4H Skillathon activities. 

*You Can Farm by Joel Salatin 

Stockman Grass Farmer online class - Why Farmers Should Direct Market

Watch 6 Ways I'm Building My Farm into a Business - the Shepherdess on YouTube

Watch 3 Ways I'm Prepping for a Recession - the Shepherdess on YouTube

Complete practice activities on livestockjudging.com

Watch Comfrey in Chicken Run - How does it work? - EdibleAcres on YouTube

Watch Smart & Special: The Big Picture with Joel Salatin (Part 1) - The Stockman Grassfarmer on YouTube

The Usborne Book of Famous Artists by Ruth Brocklehurst

Watched various YouTube videos and reviewed websites about Chihuly provided by the Co-op Art teacher.  

Heroes of the Bible by J. Cooley

To a Different Drum by Pauline Hamilton

The Ology by Marty Machowski

The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason

Read various essays by Francis Bacon

Character is Destiny by Russell Gough

Utopia by Sir Thomas More, Edited by Paul Turner

Various articles from the Student News Daily

Watch The Paradox of Being a Good Person - George Orwell's Warning to the World - Pursuit of Wonder on YouTube

Watch Illusion of Home Equity - LifeDoneFree on YouTube

Watch How to Crochet a Granny Square for Beginners - Maddy Marie on YouTube

Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling

Anno's Italy by Mitsumasa Anno

Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels -The Orient by Richard Halliburton

The life of Christopher Columbus by Edward Everett Hale

Don't Know Much About the 50 States by Kenneth Davis

Elementary Geography by Charlotte Mason

Marco Polo by George Makepiece Towle 

*Whatever Happened to Justice? by Richard Maybury

Facing the Facts by Stan and Brenna Jones

The Ultimate Girls' Body Book by Walt Larimore 

Our Island Story by HE Marshall

The New World by Winston Churchill

This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall 

The Voyage of the Armada by David Howarth

The Little Duke by Charlotte Mary Yonge

A Child's History of the World by VM Hillyer

Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula

Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England by Diane Stanley

The Story of the Greeks by H.A. Guerber

The Life of Sir Francis Bacon by William Rawley

Prince Henry the Navigator by Leonard Everett Fisher

Daily Life in Ancient and Modern London by Betony Toht

Watch The Richest Man in History - The Science Behind Gold - After Skool

Watch Liberty's Kids DVD

Don't Know Much About the Kings and Queens of England by Kenneth Davis

You Wouldn't Want to be Sick in the 16th Century! by Kathryn Senior

The Great Explorers by Robin Hanbury-Tenison

*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

Listen The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyon on Audible

*Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb

The Heroes by Charles Kingsley

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien 

Age of Fable by T. Bullfinch   

Everyman & Other Miracle & Morality Plays by Anonymous

Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley

English Literature for Boys and Girls by H.E. Marshall 

American Tall Tales by Adrien Stoutenburg

The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat

*Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad by Rosemary Sutcliff

Poetry for Young People - Carl Sandburg by Frances Schoonmaker Bolin

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Listen The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame on Audible

Various Shakespeare sonnets

Plutarch's Life of Camillus Study Guide by Anne White

Various poems by Eugene Field

Watch High Noon DVD

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler

Listen/Study Hymn - Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah 

Listen/Study Hymn - Marie's Wedding

Listen/Study Composer - Vivaldi

Photograph for Kids by JP Pullos

The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott

Listen Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Henry and Mudge books by Cynthia Rylant 

Listen Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses by Jan Brett

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley

Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

STEM Starters for Kids Robotics Activity Book by Jenny Jacoby 

Watch Why Do Robots Use QR Codes? - TeachKidsRobotics on YouTube

*Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny Le Couteur 

Adventures with a Microscope by Richard Headstrom 

Watch various microscope videos on YouTube

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess 

Pagoo by Holling C Holling 

The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess

*Watch various episodes of Ryan Hall, Y'all channel 

The Great Astronomers by Robert S. Ball 

The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday

All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot

Rural Hours by Susan Fenimore Cooper

Watch How Does Air Pressure Impact the Weather? - 10 Tampa Bay on YouTube

Wild Life in Woods and Fields by Arabella Buckley

Watch Weather Barometers: Understanding Barometer Readings - ehow on YouTube

Work on essay writing for a local contest

Watch Did You Know That This is Edibile? Let's Forage & Setup Fresh Tinctures - The Honeystead on YouTube

Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herb by Rosemary Gladstar

Watch Native PawPaw and a Find That Was Worth Digging Up... - The Honeystead on YouTube

 

Here's a list of more "formal" curriculum products that we have used during the month of February:

A Humble Place - Caravaggio Artist Study

Beautiful Feet Books Around the World 

A Bluestocking Guide: Justice by Kathryn Daniels

Song School Latin 

Getting Started with Latin 

Mind Benders by The Critical Thinking Co.  

*Right Start Math 

*Life of Fred - Jelly Beans by Stanley Schmidt

*Life of Fred - Apples by Stanley Schmidt

*Life of Fred - Dogs by Stanely Schmidt

The Art of Problem Solving, PreAlgebra by Richard Rusczyk

*Life of Fred - Prealgebra 2 with Economics by Stanley Schmidt 

Abeka reading books - these were gifted to us, and we use them for reading practice.  

Apologia - Anatomy and Physiology

Completing entries in a Nature Journal  

Michael Faraday's The Chemical History of a Candle with Guide and Activities by William Hammack  

Fix it Grammar

New American Cursive Book 3 

 

 

Here are some online classes/resources that we have used:

Typing.com

Seterra Geography Games 

 

 

Here are a few games/activities that we have enjoyed:

Trekking the National Parks

Rummy

Connect 4

Jenga

Activities with Snap Circuit Classic 

 

     *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 February:

  • The FFA group attended a site visit at Rowlett's Milkhouse and CreameryThey toured the facility and learned about how various milk-based products are created.

They even took a few minutes to enjoy the product!!

 

  • The girls continued to work on their crocheting skills. 

 

  • The kids attended 4H Livestock Judging classes. They are preparing for the state competition in May. 

 

  • Our oldest attended elective classes at Bluegrass United. He is participating in a Comic Club, a computer class of Introduction to AI (to clarify, artificial intelligence not artificial insemination) and a history class focused on Events that Changed the World.

 

  • Our FFA advisor developed spotlight pages for our kids.

 

  • Our son continued to participate in his indoor soccer season. He enjoys having fun with friends while continuing to improve his skills. 

 

  • They helped with chores on the farm (even in bad weather).

  • Our daughter continued to work on her photography by taking winter pictures and making cards. 

 

  • Our sons attended their monthly FFA meeting. 

After the official meeting, the kids found time to enjoy some Valentine's Day donuts!

 

  • Our son continued his wildcrafting unit study by researching and preparing various herbal preparations. He made a thyme honey and a sage throat spray. 

 

  • Our sons attended their in-person Food Science class and lab focused on dairy products. They made butter and casein plastic from milk products. 

  • Our kids participated in their Young Disciples group and Youth Groups at church. 

 

  • We witnessed baby chicks hatching. 

 

  • A couple of our kids participate in the local co-op. Our son attends classes for Bible and Art. Our daughters attend classes for Bible, PE, Science and Logic. They really enjoy their time learning with their friends.  

 

  • They competed in their first 4H Livestock Skillathon competition in Bowling Green Ky. They had a great time!  

Their team placed 6th overall and our son placed 9th in Quality Assurance. 

  • We experienced a flooded creek. The kids assisted with the cleanup. 

 

  • Our son completed an essay for FFA SAE grant. He is hoping to start his own flock of registered Katahdin sheep. The grant would pay for the beginning ewes. Cross your fingers!

 

  • Our son continues to maintain his worm farm. We hope to utilize the worm castings in our garden this spring. 

     

     

    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


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