Homeschool Update - March & April

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 March/April:

*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.   

Prepare agriculture speeches for an upcoming competition.

Watch Joel Salatin Talks Farm Business - the Shepherdess on YouTube

*You Can Farm by Joel Salatin 

Watch Greg Judy Discussing Their Lifetime Grazing Lease - Greg Judy Regenerative Rancher on YouTube

Complete practice activities on livestockjudging.com

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

Watch Greg Judy with Leased Farm Water System - Greg Judy Regenerative Rancher on YouTube

The Story of Painting by Horst W. Janson

To a Different Drum by Pauline Hamilton

The Ology by Marty Machowski

The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

The New Answers Book 1 by Ken Ham

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason

Read various essays by Francis Bacon

Character is Destiny by Russell Gough

Heroes of the Bible Devotional by Joshua Cooley

Utopia by Sir Thomas More, Edited by Paul Turner

Various articles from the Student News Daily

The Tuttle Twins and the Messed Up Market by Connor Boyack

Watch Would Price Controls Work? - Nick Freitas on YouTube

Watch Marcus Aurelius - The Power of Indifference - After Skool on YouTube

Watch How to Crochet a Blanket Step-by-Step - B.Hooked Crochet on YouTube

Watch Carding and Spinning Angora Rabbit Fiber - Tiffany Smith on YouTube

Watch How to Crochet a Blanket Step-by-Step (for Complete Beginners) - B.Hooked Crochet on YouTube

Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling

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 

Anno's China by Mitsumasa Anno

Seabird by Holling C. Holling 

Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft by Thor Heyerdahl

Watch Where on Earth is Carmen San Diego? DVD 

*Whatever Happened to Justice? by Richard Maybury

Watch What is Government? - The Singing History Teachers on YouTube

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

Daily Life in Ancient and Modern London by Betony Toht

Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley

Heroes Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright Mable

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

History's Most Magnificent Rulers by Hywel Williams

Night at the Museum 3 DVD

Augustus Ceasar's World by Genevieve Foster

Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle

Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill by Stephen Mansfield

*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

Age of Fable by T. Bullfinch   

Everyman & Other Miracle & Morality Plays by Anonymous

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

Various poems by Sara Teasdale

Parables from Nature by Margaret Gatty

Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Various poems by Hilda Conkling

Various poems by John Donne

How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler

Listen/Study Hymns - Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah, Beneath the Cross of Jesus 

Listen/Study Folk Songs - Marie's Wedding, When You and I were Young

Listen/Study Composer - Vivaldi

Photograph for Kids by JP Pullos

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott

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

*Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

*Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley

The Innocence of Father Brown by GK Chesterton

*Emma by Jane Austen

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra

STEM Starters for Kids Robotics Activity Book by Jenny Jacoby 

Watch How do Robots See? - TeachKidsRobotics on YouTube

Watch What Are Robots Doing in Stores? - TeachKidsRobotics on YouTube

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

The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday

A Drop of Water by Walter Wick

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 

Rural Hours by Susan Fenimore Cooper

Wild Life in Woods and Fields by Arabella Buckley

First Studies of Plant Life by George Francis Atkinson

Watch Atmospheric Pressure - How Does Pressure Affect Air? - scienceCAMP on YouTube

Watch The History of the Barometer (and how it works) - Asaf Bar-Yosef - TED-Ed on YouTube

Electricity (Eyewitness) by Steve Parker

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman

It Couldn't Just Happen by Lawrence O. Richards

Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick

The Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long

Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin D. Wiker

The Elements by Theodore Gray

Herb Fairies: A Fairy Festival Surprise by Kimberly Gallagher

Watch Weather 101: What Causes Wind? - The Weather Channel on YouTube

Watch Wild Kratts episodes - Sharks

Watch Homemade Remineralizing Tooth Powder - Amy K. Ferrell on YouTube and prepare own toothpowder

Watch Poke Video - Darryl Patton on YouTube

Watch Wild Rose Medicine - Herbal Jedi on YouTube

 

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

The Art of Problem Solving, Introduction to Algebra by Richard Rusczyk

Life of Fred Beginning Algebra by Stanley F. Schmidt

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

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

Completing entries in a Nature Journal  

Apologia - Anatomy and Physiology

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

Signs and Seasons by Jay Ryan

Fix it Grammar

New American Cursive Book 3 

Rewriting misspelled words

 

 

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:

Risk

Rummy

Monopoly

Trekking the National Parks

Activities with Snap Circuit Classic 

Sibley Backyard Birding Bingo

Scrabble

Word Nerd 

   

  *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 March/April:

  • We attended the Beef Expo in Louisville, KY. They competed in a livestock judging contest. While they didn't win, they gained experience and confidence in this activity. 

 

 

  • The boys attended their official FFA meetings. 

 

  • The boys helped to replace a side of an old barn. 

 

  • The boys competed in an FFA Speech competition, one in ag mechanics and the other in general ag prepared public speaking. They won second and first places, respectively and earned the opportunity to compete at the state competition in June. 

 

  • They attended 4H Livestock judging meetings. They are learning how to evaluate livestock and how to provide oral reasons to support their decisions. 

 

  • They worked on the sawmill and set up methods to improve workflow efficiency.

 

  • They dyed Easter eggs. A mess was made but fun was had during the process. 

  • Our son earned an SAE Grant from FFA to help fund his own registered Katahdin sheep flock. After he won the money, he spent time researching registered Katahdin farms in the state. He contacted KCR farms in Paris, KY. The owner was very helpful in providing information and advice. He purchased two registered ewes that he plans to breed later this year. 

  • They attended an FFA Site visit to the Sensory Lab at the University of Kentucky. They listened to experts talk about various components involved in getting foods prepared for packaging to market in the grocery stores. They even participated in a tasting experiment. The red light was to ensure that they didn't experience taste-bias based on sight. 

  • Our oldest continued to attend elective classes through Bluegrass United. His classes this semester include Comics Club, Intro to AI (artificial intelligence) and Events that Changed the World.

 

  • Our kids participated in our Co-op. The classes included Art, Bible, Logic, PE and Science. 

 

  • The kids attended Youth Group and Young Disciples meetings at our church. 

 

  • We spent time at the Creation Museum. 

  • The girls continued practicing their crocheting skills. Our daughter hopes to add her products to our offerings at the market this year. 

 

  • We hosted family Rummy tournament parties. It is always fun, even if I don't win. 

 

  • Our oldest is improving his driving skills. 

 

  • The boys attended their FFA classes. They focused on marketing campaigns and produce. 

 

  • They led a dairy station at "Ag Adventures Day" for students in multiple local elementary schools. 

 

 

  • The boys attended UK field day. They participated in the livestock judging, job interview and seed identification competitions.  

 

  • We attended a field trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum with our Co-op. We were granted special permission to examine original pieces by John James Audubon. It was a great learning experience!

 

  • We participated in our church's Journey through Jerusalem event. We helped to create some of the items to decorate our booth. We dressed in character and explained our role in the marketplace and the exciting news of Jesus' resurrection. 

 

  • Our son attended the Spring Formal hosted by Bluegrass United. He had a great time with his friends. 

 

  • Our boys participated in spring training for their high school soccer team. 

 

  • Our daughter continued horse lessons at Riding with Rhythm. Ms. Shirley is the best at making the learning process fun!

 

  • Our daughter participated in the middle school soccer team through Bluegrass United. She is really enjoying being a part of this amazing team!

 

  • We went roller-skating with friends. Some of us enjoyed it more than others. 

 

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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