A family friend recently commented on my lack of Facebook posts regarding the kids and their homeschooling activities. She was right, I had stopped posting anything on my personal page. When the chaos of early 2020 hit, I discovered that the posts that I reviewed were full of negativity and hostility. I felt irritated and angry after spending time on this social media site, so I simply stopped. I never imagined that anyone would ever notice, let alone actually care. It was so kind of this person to remind me that what we do may be considered interesting, even if it may seem weird, to other people.
Another reason that I stopped posting information about our homeschool activities is that this has become our "norm". We have been homeschooling for eight years and I sometimes forget that what we do isn't the same for others. So, I decided to try 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 January:
Maniac McGee by J. Spinelli*
On the Banks of Plum Creek by L. Wilder*
Old Mother West Wind by T. Burgess*
To Kill a Mockingbird by H. Lee*
Prince Caspian by CS Lewis*
Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone by C. Neuschwander*
Times Tales DVD
Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle by C. Neuschwander*
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by M. Venezia
Mozart CD
Lives of Musicians by K. Krull (portion on Mozart)*
Jonathan Park Audio Adventure Series #1*
Kirby McCook and the Jesus Chronicles by Stephen Arterburn*
The Jesus Storybook Bible*
The Tuttle Twins - Creature from Jekyll Island by C. Boyack*
The Tuttle Twins - Hyperinflation Devastation by C. Boyack
How to take the Grr out of Anger by E. Verdick
Tuttle Twins Podcast
The Science and Technology of Ben Franklin by A. Klepeis
Ben Franklin biography on YouTube
It's up to You, Ben Franklin by T. Hirschfield
Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? DVD
Stories of the Pilgrims by M. Pumphrey
Imperfect Union by S. Inskeep
Answering the Cry for Freedom by G. Woelfle*
Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth is a Planet by D. Fradin
Learn Our History - America's Government DVD
Abraham Lincoln's World by G. Foster*
This Country of Ours by HE Marshall
Trial and Triumph by R. Hannula*
Carry a Big Stick by G. Grant
Our Island Story by HE Marshall
Fearless Girls, Wise Women and Beloved Sisters by K. Ragan*
Learn Our History - Supreme Court DVD
Then There Were Five by E. Enright
Reading Rainbow DVD
Minn of the Mississippi by HC Holling
The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes by L. Spelman
The Lifecycle of Amphibians by D. Steele
American Alligator by C. Mooney
Toad by the Road by J. Ryder
Frogs by M. Gish
Madame How and Lady Why by C. Kingsley
Dinosaur Hunters by C. Chambers
Dinosaurs by G. Gibbons
Every Living Thing by J. Herriot*
Herb Fairies Book #7 by K. Gallagher*
The Secrets of the Woods by W. Long
My Patients and Other Animals by S. Fincham-Gray
Purdue - Soft Tissue Surgery on YouTube
*Books marked with an asterisk are my personal favorites and highly recommended.
Here are a few online classes that we have enjoyed:
Chalkpastel.com Art Classes
Intro into Microsoft Excel
Khan Academy - Introduction to Electrical Engineering
Foundations in Personal Finance for Middle Schoolers
Here are a few field trips and/or activities that we participated in:
We discussed how important it is to have good fats in our diet for proper brain function and then made homemade guacamole.
We took the avocado pit and planted it in dirt to see if we could get it to grow.
We invited friends and took a field trip to Boyd's Station Gallery to check out their America Reimagined Photo Exhibition.
*(I used their online photo as I was so distracted that I forgot to take my own pictures!)
After viewing and discussing the artwork, we stepped next door to The Next Chapter Bookstore for some browsing and snacks from The Sweet Boutique.
*(Again, I used their online photos as I failed to take any myself!)
We finished up the day at our house playing board games.
We needed to band our male goat, Caspian, to prevent him from impregnating our female so we decided to turn this into a learning experience for everyone. We brought in an expert to teach us the method as we explained the reasoning and purpose to the kids.
Our oldest son traveled to a jobsite with the hubby to help install a set of shelves. We will share more about this project in a later post.
We spent a day watching family members show off their skills in a wrestling tournament and bowling tournament.
*The bowling alley was too dark, and my pictures of this event didn't turn out very well.
A kind friend invited us to join them for an afternoon of Indoor Glow Golf. It was a fun trip, but the activity did not lend itself to good photos.
We obtained Princess and learned how to bottle feed her.
We continued our daily care of the other animals on the homestead and found creative ways to adjust for the cold weather.
We watched videos as a family on the Canadian Freedom Convoy. We discussed the reasons and implications associated with this historical event.
On really cold days, we found ways to entertain ourselves!
We met with some friends at Buffalo Wild Wings for food and games.
We took advantage of a pretty day to prepare our greenhouse and other garden spaces.
I am excited to experience all that February has in store for us!
In case you are interested, here are some links to the places/items mentioned above:
Introduction to electrical engineering | Khan Academy
Home - You ARE an ARTiST! (chalkpastel.com)
Middle School Foundations in Personal Finance | RamseySolutions.com
Boyd's Station Gallery — Boyd's Station (boydsstation.org)
The Next Chapter Bookstore - Book Store (business.site)
Ice Cream, Candy, Baked Goods by The Sweet Boutique Near Cynthiana, KY (thesweetboutiquellc.com)
What a great way to capture a months activities !! Great resources too. Thank you.
Looks like a busy but fun month. Please keep this up because it’s good to show other parents on the fence.