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 January:
*The Holy Bible
Watched a video of a calf being born that was shared by a fellow FFA member
Watched a video about growing potatoes on YouTube
Read articles about various cattle, sheep and swine breeds.
Watched Frugal Homesteading Course on Abundance Plus
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
The Squire and the Scroll by Jennie Bishop
VeggieTales episode
The New Answers Book 1 by Ken Ham
*The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
Watched videos on cooking from scratch from Farmhouse on Boone
*Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C Holling
The Story of David Livingstone by V Golding
Elementary Geography Charlotte Mason
*Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels - The Occident
*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
Watch video Junk Food in Medival Times on YouTube
A Child's History of the World by VM Hillyer
Abraham Lincoln's World by Genevieve Foster
This Country of Ours by HE Marshall
Of Courage Undaunted by James Daugherty
Age of Fable by T. Bullfinch
*Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
*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.
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
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Watched Lego Shakespeare -Two Gentlemen of Verona
Various poems by Walter de la Maro
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Green
Various poems by Rudyard Kipling
The Once and Future King by TH White
*The Warlord's Puzzle by Virginia Pilegard
Listened to various Maurice Ravel songs on YouTube
Listened to various Hymns and Folksongs on YouTube
*Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Watched YouTube videos on photography
Take a Look Around by Jim Varriale
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DeCamillo
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
The Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel
Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning
Mr Poppers Penquins by F Atwater
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Jungle Pilot by Russell Hitt
The Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp
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
Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen
Watched Crash Course Astronomy on YouTube
*James Herriots Treasury for Children
*All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot
Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Thomas Seton
Great Astronomers by Robert S Ball
Watched videos on woodworking skills
Here's a list of more "formal" curriculum products that we have used during the month of January:
Completed Small Engines Parts Review from FFA class.
Claude Monet Picture Study · a humble place
Song School Latin
*Right Start Math
Flash Cards
*Life of Fred - PreAlgebra 0 with Physics
Abeka Reading books - we received them as a gift and have been using them as supplemental reading material
*Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology
Here are some online classes that we have used:
- Various quizlet.com quizzes about livestock terminology and small engine maintenance
- Webucator online class about how to use Illustrator
Here are a few games/activities that we have enjoyed:
Color Cubes
*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 January:
- We continued with our homeschool co-op. The high school and middle school kids participate in an Art class focusing 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.
- Our son continued to care for his worm farm. He is using this as an AET project for his FFA group.
- Our oldest three kids joined the newly formed 4H Livestock Judging club. They attended the first meeting in January.
- The boys participated in an official FFA meeting followed by a class on small engine mechanics.
- The kids participated in a FFA site visit at Meade Tractor Repair. They learned hands-on what it takes to repair machinery.
- Our sons participated in youth group meetings at Leesburg Church.
- Our daughter participated in the monthly Leesburg Church Kids Bible study.
- Our oldest participated in the KACTE Entrepreneurship event. He prepared and submitted a business plan with a video description of his business.
- The kids have prepared multiple dishes from scratch.
- We hosted a playdate with friends and played board games.
- Our son spent part of an afternoon working with a local craftsman on knife and sheath making. He enjoyed this time with a mentor on this craft.
- Our son spent time working on the sawmill.
- We went bowling at Galactic Alley with other homeschoolers.
- We attended a high school basketball game to cheer on a family member.
- Our son participated in an indoor soccer league with his Bluegrass United team.
- The kids continued to help with the animals on the farm.
- The kids enjoyed a snow day sledding down our hill. I chose to stay inside and enjoy the warmth. They didn't seem to mind the cold.
- Our son was gifted an egg incubator. We set the machine up with 22 eggs and had fifteen of them hatch into healthy chicks.
- They took a break for a tea-party.
- Our daughter set up a play area on top of the hay. It included a pully system to lift up items from the ground.
If you are interested, here are some links to the places/items mentioned above:
Abundance Plus Referral Code: https://abundanceplus.com/?referral_code=DBgccacFBcgiHg
quizlet.com
Meade Tractor of Georgetown, Kentucky
Online and Onsite Instructor-led Training Classes | Webucator
Harvest Right link: https://affiliates.harvestright.com/2487.html
www.youtube.com/@FarmhouseonBoone
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc. - (rightstartmath.com)
Kentucky FFA Association | KY FFA
Leesburg Christian Church - Co-op
Leesburg Christian Church - Home
KACTE Entrepreneurship Event 2024 (kyfbla.org)
Willow Bend Farm - willowbend01@gmail.com
*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.