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
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
*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
*Song School 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
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
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)
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.