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
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 Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
The New Answers Book 1 by Ken Ham
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
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
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
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
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
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
*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
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
Mind Benders by The Critical Thinking Co.
*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
Rewriting misspelled words
Here are some online classes/resources that we have used:
Here are a few games/activities that we have enjoyed:
Rummy
Activities with Snap Circuit Classic
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 kids assisted with our booth at the Bluegrass Farmers Market in Lexington, KY.
- 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