Homeschool Update - May

We have been homeschooling for many years and I sometimes forget that what we do isn't the same for others. So, I am 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 May:

*The Holy Bible

Review PowerPoint presentations on Small Engine Repair provided from our FFA instructor

Watch videos on Small Engine Repair provided from our FFA instructor 

Watch Garden Expert Interview on Abundance Plus 

The Story of Painting by HW Janson

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards 

*The Ology by Marty Machowski 

The New Answers Book 1 by Ken Ham 

*The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason

Read/Discuss World Magazine articles. 

Watch Scratch Made Breakfast Ideas by Farmhouse on Boone on YouTube 

Watch Cooking for a Large Family by Farmhouse on Boone on YouTube 

Watch Easy Homemade Sour Dough Pizza Crust by Farmhouse on Boone on YouTube 

Watch How to Make Potatoes in Cast Iron on YouTube

*Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Mayberry 

The Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp 

 The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin

Charlotte Mason Geography 

B is for Bluegrass by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle

*Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels - The Occident

Watch various YouTube videos of locations mentioned in Halliburton's book

The Girl's Body Book by Kelli Dunham

Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People 

A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer

Daniel Boone by RG Thwaites 

Watch Weird History - Why Your Life is Better than a Medieval King on YouTube 

Viking Tales by Jennie Hall 

George Washington Carver by David Collins 

Magic Treehouse - Thanksgiving on Thursdays by Mary Pope Osbourne

*The Story of Inventions by Frank Bachman

Always Inventing by Tom Matthews

*This Country of Ours by HE Marshall

Our Island Story by HE Marshall

Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula

Tree in the Trail by Holling C Holling

The Little Duke by Charlotte Yonge

*Abraham Lincoln's World by Genevieve Foster

Of Courage Undaunted by James Daugherty

Various poems by Rudyard Kipling 

Various poems by Eugene Field

Various poems by James Whitcombe Riley 

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott 

*Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa 

Age of Fable by T. Bullfinch  

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 

Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel 

Watership Down by Richard Adams

English Literature for Boys and Girls by HE Marshall

*Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb

*Aesop's Fables by Milo Winter

*No Fear Shakespeare - King Lear by Sparknotes

Plutarch Project by Anne White

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. 

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Green

Chains by Laurie Anderson

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

The Once and Future King by TH White

A Wonder Book by Nathanial Hawthorne 

Watch/Listen various opera selections

Comfort from a Country Quilt by Reba McIntyre

Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge

The Tripods - The White Mountains by John Christopher 

The Tripods - When the Tripods Came by John Christopher 

Watch Amphibians for Kids episodes on YouTube 

Herb Fairies Book #10: The Root of Kindness by Kimberly Gallagher  

*All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriott 

Watched Burgess Animal Playlist videos on YouTube   

The Peterson Field Guide Coloring Book - Mammals 

*Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley

The Boy Scientist by John Lewellen  

The Head Bone's Connected to the Neck Bone by CK McClafferty 

Watched various videos on YouTube about woodworking 

The Wonder Book of Chemistry by Jean Henri Fabre

The Story of Inventions by Michael McHugh

Eric Sloanes Weather Book

*The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess

Paddle to the Sea by Holling C Holling

*Parables From Nature by Margaret Gatty

Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Thomas Seton

 

 

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

*A Humble Place - Unit Study on Monet 

*A Blue Stocking Guide to Economics  

*Geography for All Seasons

Story of the World III

*Song School Latin 

*Getting Started with Latin

The Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel Bluedorn  

*Right Start Math 

*Life of Fred - Honey

*Life of Fred - Cats 

*Life of Fred - PreAlgebra 0 with Biology 

Abeka Reading books - we received them as a gift and have been using them as supplemental reading material    

The History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner  

Signs and Seasons by Jay Ryan  

The Grammar of Poetry by Matt Whitling 

The Art of Problem Solving, PreAlgebra by Richard Rusczyk

*Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Fix It Grammar

New American Cursive

 

 

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

Facts-Based News for Christians | WORLD (wng.org)

Webucator online class about how to use Illustrator

Learn to Type | Type Better | Type Faster - Typing.com - Typing.com

Seterra Geography Games

 

 

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

USA Bingo

Knex

Addition and Subtraction Flash Cards

Human Body Trivia 

     *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 May:

- 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. 

 

- We welcomed a new addition to our farm. Meet Dixie!

 

- The oldest three kids continued to participate with their 4H Livestock Judging class. This included an on-farm visit to evaluate cattle. They have been working hard to prepare for the state contest in June. 

 

- We continued working at the Bluegrass Farmers Market in Lexington, Ky. The kids help to prepare items and work the market booth. 

 

 - The boys continued to participate in the youth group at church. 

 

  - The boys participated in their monthly official FFA meeting. They are learning about the roles of the officers and the procedure for the official meetings. After the official meeting, they played some fun team-building games. 

 

- Our daughter has been participating in the Young Disciples group at church. It is a fun monthly activity aimed for children in 3-5th grades. 

 

- We attended our FFA Banquet. It was a lovely event that recognized the hard work of the kids throughout the year. They also inducted the new officers for the 2024-25 school year. 

 

- Our son continued to maintain his worm farm.

He sells his worm tea fertilizer here.

He also completed an order for a custom worm bucket system.    

You can order your own bucket system here.

 


- The kids continue to alternate the cooking responsibilities. They are becoming great chefs and are learning a lot about cooking from scratch. 

 

 - The kids continue to help with the animals on the farm. 

 

- We utilize our property to participate in nature walks. The kids follow these explorations with journal entries.

 

- The girls love their time during horseback riding lessons at Riding with Rhythm. 

 

- Our son earned 2nd place in the state FFA Agricultural Essay Contest. 

 

 - The baby spent time in one of her favorite places, our swing set. 

 

- Our son created signs with our CNC machine and other woodworking projects. You can find more of his work here.

 

 - Our daughter has continued to work on photography projects. She has chosen her favorite photos from the farm and is selling them in various formats: cards, journals, etc. You can check out her work here.

 

- The FFA group participated in a field trip to Meade Tractor to learn about small engine mechanics. 

 

- Our daughter has been working to create her own flower arrangements to sell at the market. 

 

 

- The boys continued Spring Soccer Training with Bluegrass United. 

 

- The boys tried out for the Bluegrass United High School Soccer team that will play this fall. We are happy to report that both of them made the team!!

 

- The FFA group continued with their in -person classes on small engine mechanics. They had a guest speaker discuss aspects of small engines with them. 

 

 

Our lives are not what is considered normal, but we are loving it this way! 

 

 

If you are interested, here are some links to the places/items mentioned above:

Claude Monet Picture Study · a humble place

The Bluegrass Farmer's Market (bluegrassfarmersmarket.com) 

Harrison County 4-H | Facebook 

FFA | Preparing Members for Leadership and Career Success 

Home | bluegrass-united (bluegrassunited.com)

Home - Riding With Rhythm 

Abundance Plus Referral Code:  https://abundanceplus.com/?referral_code=DBgccacFBcgiHg

Facts-Based News for Christians | WORLD (wng.org)

Online and Onsite Instructor-led Training Classes | Webucator 

Harvest Right link: https://affiliates.harvestright.com/2487.html

RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc. - (rightstartmath.com)

Kentucky FFA Association | KY FFA 

Leesburg Christian Church - Co-op

Leesburg Christian Church - Home

 

*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. 


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