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 October:
*The Holy Bible
*Watch Hidden Figures DVD
The Tuttle Twins Learn About the Law by Connor Boyack
Watch The Coming Population Collapse - Nick Freitas on YouTube
The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire
Watch Illusion of Home Equity - LifeDoneFree on YouTube
Read and discuss various news articles
Rights of Man, Common Sense and Other Political Writings by Thomas Paine
Read article Fish in our Diets from Backwoods Home Magazine
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler
The Boy Scientist by John Bryan Lewellen
Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles by Jim Arnosky
A Walk through the Heavens by Milton D. Heifetz
The Wonder Book of Chemistry by Jean Henri Fabre
Stories from the History of Rome by Mrs. Beesly
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Beowulf by Burton Rafel (Translator)
The Once and Future King by TH White
The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin
Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen
The Picture History of Great Inventors by Gillian Clements
History of English-Speaking Peoples Volume IV: The Great Democracies by Winston Churchill
The Great Explorers by Robin Hanbury-Tenison
Excerpts from the Diary of Samuel Pepys
A History of the American People by Paul Johnson
American Tall Tales by Adrien Stoutenburg
Eric Sloane's Weather Book by Eric Sloane
Listen to The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald on Audible
Watch How Big Business Built the Food Pyramid - Weird History Food on YouTube
Watch Permaculture Q&A #1: Can I Grow Food Next to a Commercial Farm? - The Permaculture Consultant on YouTube
The Great Astronomers by Robert S. Ball
The Story of Painting: From Cave Painting to Modern Times by Horst W Janson
Completing various drawing activities
First Studies of Plant Life by George Francis Atkinson
Adventures with a Microscope by Richard Headstrom
Watch selected videos related to microscopic images related to readings on YouTube
One Race One Blood by Ken Ham and A. Charles Ware
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
Listen I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) by Alessandro Manzoni on Audible
Read articles and watch videos provided by the FFA teacher related to Direct-to-Consumer Sales
Correct and rewrite misspelled words for spelling practice
Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling
Watch Learn Our History DVDs
Poor Richard by James Daugherty
The Story of the Romans by HA Guerber
A Coffin for King Charles: The Trial and Execution of Charles I by CV Wedgewood
*Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle
Watch What They Aren't Telling You About the Constitution - Nick Freitas on YouTube
The New Answers Book 2 by Ken Ham
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Andrew
Asgard to Athens by Anne E. White
The Bears of Blue River by Charles Major
*Five Little Peppers and How they Grew by Margaret Sidney (we have an older copy but this one is comparable)
*The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (we have an older edition, but his one is comparable)
The Royal Road to Romance by Richard Halliburton
Listen and study various hymns and folk songs
Listen to works by composer Frederick Delius
Read various poems by Alred, Lord Tennyson
Read various poems by William Blake
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
Billy and Blaze by CW Anderson
Marco Polo by George Makepiece Towle
Watch The World's Craziest Population Pyramids - The Geography Bible on YouTube
The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
*Whatever Happened to Justice? by Richard Maybury
This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall
Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Ultimate Girls' Body Book by Walt Larimore and Amaryllis Sanchez Wohlever
Parables from Nature by Margaret Gatty
The Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp
The Book of Virtues by William Bennett
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick
Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra
*Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley
Various Nature Field Guides
Watch Spiked by Sharpest Lizard on Earth - Brave Wilderness on YouTube
Watch How Baby Sea Turtles Find Their Way Home - Be Smart on YouTube
No Fear Shakespeare - Othello by SparkNotes
Here's a list of more "formal" curriculum products that we have used during the month of October:
The Art of Problem Solving, Introduction to Algebra by Richard Rusczyk
Life of Fred - Beginning Algebra Expanded Edition by Stanley Schmidt
Unit Study on Camille Pissarro from A Humble Place
Grammar of Poetry by Matt Whitling
Fix It Grammar
Life of Fred - Butterflies by Stanley Schmidt
Life of Fred - Cats by Stanley Schmidt
Life of Fred - Farming by Stanley Schmidt
All In One Homeschool Online Spanish Course
A Bluestocking Guide: Justice by Kathryn Daniels
Mind Benders by The Critical Thinking Co.
The Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel Bluedorn
Completing entries in a Nature Journal
Apologia - Anatomy and Physiology
Here are some online classes/resources that we have used:
Here are a few games/activities that we have enjoyed:
Rummy
*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 October:
- The girls attended a 4H Calligraphy workshop. They learned how to use various techniques to create artistic designs.
- The kids assisted with the farmers markets. They placed items of their own to sell and helped customers during the day.
- They attended youth group and services at our local church.
- Our high schoolers attended elective classes at Bluegrass United that include Freshman Foundations, Intentional Technology, Epistemology and The Art and Science of Wellbeing.
- The kids worked to prepare meals from scratch.
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- They attended in person FFA class focusing on Ag Business. The topics covered were direct to consumer sales, profit margins and efficiency.
- Our son purchased two ewes. He hopes to grow a small sheep flock to learn skills and earn money.
- Our sons finished up their soccer season with the BU Boys High School Soccer team.
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- Our daughters continued to practice crocheting. They even moved this activity to the fireplace.
- Our oldest continued to improve his driving skills.
- Our daughter completed a sewing project where she created a decorative pillow.
- Our sons attended the BU Barn Dance.
- We hosted a Rummy party.
- The kids assisted with various farm chores.
- We celebrated a birthday.
- They participated in a FFA site visit to Cornett Farms.
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