What We Read in August and Our Homeschool Read Alouds ll Aug '24

What I Read: 

Better Together by Pam Barnhill

I love, love, love this book!  I come back to it year after year as I plan our morning time together.  While I used lots of Barnhill's ideas in the past, there's still a plethora of resources here to choose from.  This book is inspiring and reminds me every year why we do what we do.

Life Minded by Brady Boyd

See my full review here.

The Protector by Wanda E. Brunstetter

See my full review here.

Our Homeschool Read Alouds:

The Ever Storms by Amanda Foody

We've been reading through this series this summer and absolutely loving it.  This is a fantasy series with magic and wild beasts, folk lore and friendship.  Barclay is the only Elsie in the mist of a bunch of Wilderlands.  As he and his friends work to discover the source of the Ever Storms, he also learns that he's not "Just an Elsie."  My 8th grader and I are loving these.

Jonathan Goforth by Janet and Geoff Benge

We're back to our missionary history.  This year we'll go through 10-12 Christian Heroes books together.  Goforth had an incredible like, overcoming so many heart aches to fulfill the calling god placed on his heart.  Great way to start our homeschool year.

What are you reading?

The Protector {Review}

 

When Rosa Petersheim disappears without a trace, all of Big Valley is shaken.  Not the least of which is her brother, Norman.  And as the family's struggles mount, Norman's protective side is stretched thin.  He throws himself into following every possible lead, to the neglect of his girlfriend, Salina.  While Salina tries to be supportive, Norman falls deeper and deeper in to the mystery of Rosa's disappearance.  Can he accept what he may never solve?  Or will the Petersheim family be torn apart?

I do enjoy Brunstetter's writing and this one definitely does a beautiful job of combining a mystery with the wholesomeness of Amish fiction.  I was also intrigued by the fact that the main character was a man.  It's not often you find a male lead in this genre, particularly one that acts as the nurturer.  Brunstetter does a great job of bringing out Norman's nurturing side with his family while still maintaining his masculinity.  Additionally, while Rosa is never actually present in this novel, her impact on the family is felt strongly throughout the writing.  Brunstetter leaves us on a cliffhanger, with her disappearance still a mystery.  

All in all, The Protector was a good book with a unique perspective.  I look forward to seeing where the author takes the storyline from her as she continues the series.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Amish fiction or is looking for a mystery.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Our Morning Basket for 11th and 8th Grades ll 2024-25 Picks

Imagine the following scenario: You wake up on Monday morning.  You're excited to get started on your week, but you also have some lingering weariness from the weekend.  It was a good one, but left you a little tired and whistful that it's passed.  Still you go about your morning, have a good breakfast, and drive hopefully off to work.  You imagine a few moments of easing into your morning, checking for any emails that may need your attention, greeting a co-worker, and completing an enjoyable task before tackling some of the harder assignments.  

But when you arrive at work, you're greeted by your boss.  He's spent the weekend looking over your latest report and he's not happy about it.  In fact, he's furious.

On top of that, you arrive to find out that the contract you negotiated on Thursday has also fallen through over the weekend.  That means five weeks of work down the drain and you have to start over.  Suddenly this Monday morning has turned into a high pressure situation and you find yourself trying to complete two very challenging assignments.

That's the way I've always pictured just jumping into a homeschool day.  Roll out of bed, make the LONG commute to the dining room table, and ... start with Algebra????  No Thank You!

Thus Morning Time was born in our homeschool!

Morning time became a foundational part of our homeschool day out of necessity.  A way of bridging the gap between waking up and charging full force into learning.  A way of sweetening our morning, building shared experiences, and finding time for delight and beauty.

And now entering year 13 of our homeschool, morning time is still going strong.  It's evolved over the years, changing and growing with my children.  And even though my middle child is in high school and my youngest is finishing middle school, we still find enjoyment in our morning time routine.

So I thought I'd share with you how we're making morning time work with our older kids.  How we hit the subjects that bring us the most joy and keep challenging them, even in their teen years.

Folksongs/Hymns:

I love the idea of learning hymns and folksongs in our homeschool.  There's so much rich theology and history woven into music.  However, I have one student that really hates singing and one that really loves it.  So instead of requiring my kiddos to sing the songs, I use them as a call to Morning Time.  We utilize Folksongs and Hymns on YT and rotate through Hannah's songs of the month.  This way they hear each song every other day, and it give them 2-4 minutes to gather their things and meet at the table.  My kiddo who loves to sing can do so and my other child just has to hear it and meet us to start.  We do a song a day.

Memory Work:

We use a memory box system.  I was able to find a nice sterilite box from the Dollar Tree a few years ago and now it's fill to the brim with Scripture we've memorized over the years.  We memorize Scripture, but this system would be great for any memory work you wish to have in your homeschool.  Again this is something we do every day.

Current Events:

We found World Watch News last year and love it.  It's 10 min segments of world new presented at the student's level.  It's very similiar to CNN10, but from a Christian perspective.  And it's been great for me to learn what's going on in the world as well.

Bible:

We're continuing our way through Rod & Staff's Bible series.  This year we're picking up about 1/4 of the way through level 7.  Level 7 and 8 both going over New Testament, specifically the culture, customs, and background of the time.  And then the curriculum ties it into what Jesus was actually saying when He taught.  I introduce the lesson on Monday mornings, the kids work independently through out the week to cover the material, and then we go over and discuss on Friday mornings.

Ballet Study:

This year we're using Delightfully Feasting's Swan Lake study.  It utilizes several easily available books to study the ballet from lots of different angles.  We never done a ballet study of any sort, but thought it would be a good way to include an art field that we don't know much about.  We chose to focus on Swan Lake as we'll be seeing a production in the fall.  We do this once a week and this study will take us approximately 12 weeks.

Apologetics:

We're starting off with Cold Case Christianity for Kids.  We'll be utilizing Warner's book as well as his online videos found on his Cold Case Academy website.  We will also be touching on this subject once a week and this study will take us about 10 weeks.

Artist Study:

We've again using Ambleside Online's artist study.  I love that this one is free and only takes about 5 min a week.  It's taught us so much about artists we've never even heard of.  This year we'll be studying Durer, Caravaggio, and Delacroix. 

Shakespeare:

I'm trying Shakespeare ... AGAIN!  We have tried over and over again, and this year I think I may have found a process that will work.  We're using Lamb's Shakespeare and Nesbit's Shakespeare for Young Readers to get the ghist of the play.  Then we'll find a YT production to watch together, broken into approximately 12 weeks.  I found where another homeschool mom used Chat GPT to break up the play into 12 parts, making it bit sized for morning time.  We're going to watch the play rather than read it as that how it was originally meant to be enjoyed.  I'll have a written copy for my 11th grader if she wishes to follow along with that as well.  This will be paired with lots of discussion.  We'll be studying As You Like It in the fall.

Finances:

Currently we're working our way through Turn $100 into $1,000,000.  We're are going over about a chapter a week.  After we finish that, we'll be moving on to other financial books geared toward teens.

Misc:

One of the misc items I have in our Morning Time is nature lore books.  My son has really aged out of Burgess' Peter Rabbit series, but we're still enjoying it so we'll read a few chapters a week.

I also try to include picture books related to our Story of the World curriculum as they apply.  It's a good way to whet their appetite for further study.

Read Alouds:

We always end our Morning Time with a read aloud.  I still like to read before bed, but as the kids have gotten older and are out more evenings of the week, we've also added a block of reading in our mornings so our books don't linger.  I shared our Read Aloud List for 2024-25 on Instagram, but it's ever growing.  Sometimes we detour off that list, but I try to at least prioritize the read alouds that go with our history curriculum.

So that's what I have planned so far for our 2024-25 Morning Time and how I'm making it work with older students.  

Do you do Morning Time in your homeschool?

And what are some of your favorite resources?

Weekend Links ll Aug 23, 2024

 

Back to School Scattergories

6 Ways to Teach Math Using Slime

How to Host a Mother Daughter Book Club

Guide to Gone Away Lake Chapter Books

Historical Fiction Books for Middle School

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

We had company last night and for whatever reason, I was in the mood for homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs.  Something I haven't made in years.  I used a few links posted by Rooted in Rest and dinner was AMAZING!  I'm so glad I made extra and threw it in the freezer.  Now we have yummy leftovers for lunches this weekend.

 

What I'm Reading:

Still reading Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson.  I'm taking my time with this one as it's so rich.  On the surface, it looks like a homeschool book.  But there are so many principles in it that apply to parenting. 

What I'm Doing:

My daughter started dual enrollment at our local community college this week and with that has come a lot of last minute details: getting books lined up, getting online accounts set up, moving off waitlist and making last minute purchases.  It's been a lot more work than I anticipated.

 

What I'm Enjoying:

A cool August after a record hot July...

Afternoon swimming...

Good read alouds..

Company dinners...

Word cookies...

What are you up to?

Eleventh Grade Curriculum ll 2024-25 Picks

As we go into our 13th year of homeschool, I find myself deep into my daughter's high school years.  We're now at the stage of looking at colleges and planning the end game.  It came so fast.  

She's not sure what she wants to do after high school so we're planning the next couple of years with keeping her options open.  She'll continue to keep a heavy workload and do lots of dancing to build a solid transcript and resume.  She's also taking the opportunity to try out some community college classes to get a feel for the workload.  

Here's what she'll be learning her junior year:

  Algebra II:

We didn't use Saxon until the high school years, but it's been a great fit for her.  She has a strong math background from using Sadlier Oxford and it's made Saxon go very smoothly.  I've purchased the Compass Classroom videos as a back up in case we need more instruction, but so far, it's just been a perfect fit for her.

She's also working through this Life Skills series with her brother.  It's a bit below her as far as the math goes, but I love that it focuses on real life application.  It's a good reminder of the real world that's coming in a few years.

English III:

For English this year, she'll be taking Eng 101 at our local community college.  We're not quite sure what to expect as it's her first experience there, but we're thankful that she has the opportunity to take college classes at such a low rate while still in high school.

U.S. History:

This is the only the second year we've ever used Notgrass, but so far, it's been a good fit.  We tend to treat it as a single subject resource, but if done completely, it could serve as a resource for three credits: History, English, and Bible.  We focus on history text and had her read some of the historical fiction throughout the course.  Each week, she reads the text and does the review questions, works on one of the projects, and completes a quiz, with an exam every 5 weeks.

Physics:

For Physics, we're going to be using Discovering Design with Physics.  This is a new company for us, so I'm excited to see how it all works out.  She'd like to eventually take some sort of sustainable living/ homesteading science, but for now, we're trying to get something on the transcript that colleges will recognize as a 3rd science.

Performing Arts:

She'll continue to take dance classes and this year we'll label that time as performing arts instead of P.E.  

I can definitely see this girl dancing throughout her life.  Between classes and performing, she'll have more than enough hours for a credit in the arts.

Sanitation and Safety:

She'll also be taking an elective at the local college.  This is the introductory course to start her culinary arts classes.

Bible:

Besides establishing a regular devotional time, we'll also be using at Rod and Staff's Bible curriculum.  This curriculum runs from level 5-10, but that doesn't necessarily coincide with grades.  Rather each level looks at a different part of the Bible, what was happening culturally with the people, what was the background, etc.  This year she's in level 7 which works with level 8 to take a deep dive into the New Testament.

Morning Time:

Next week, I'll go more in depth into what exactly is in our Morning Basket, but some subject we'll explore this year include apologetics, Shakepeare, and the ballet.  These are enrichment topics that we'll be learning together with my 8th grader.

Outside Classes:

Lots and lots and lots and lots of dance--Besides classes at her regular studio, she'll be auditioning for the Nutcracker and the spring ballet so that's sure to keep her busy.

Women's Bible Study--She'll be attending our Women's Bible Study with me as her dance schedule allows.

This is defintely a year of trying new things for her.  Between some new curriculum and trying college classes, she's definitely stepping into her own.  I'm excited to see it all come together and to see her take on the challenge.  I know she's going to have a great year.

What curriculum do you use in the high school years?

Eighth Grade Homeschool Curriculum ll 2024-25 Picks

It's hard to believe that we're entering our 13th year of homeschooling and my "baby" is going into 8th grade.  He's a young 8th grader at only 12 years old (hello, fall birthday), and would technically be in 7th grade if in public school.  However, we homeschool so his curriculum is sometimes all over the place and truthfully, he knows more about space the I will ever know in multiple lifetimes.  Seriously, this kid is a genius when it comes to science.

Being true eclectic homeschoolers, our choices reflect a wide variety of resources from secular to Christian... school in a box to a little Charlotte Mason... and a few surprises to savor this final elementary year.  It can't all be about science. :-)

So here's to 8th grade one more time.  And here's to what he'll be learning!

 Math:

I love the Sadlier Oxford series in the elementary years.  Seriously, it can't be beat!  He'll actually be in the purple book this year which I would label as Algebra I.  My daughter completed it in 8th grade and felt like her high school algebra was a repeat.  Sadlier-Oxford puts out a VERY STRONG math curriculum and it's allowed my other two children to sail through high school math.

We've also been working our way through this practical math series, adding in a new book each year.  This year, we're focusing on budgeting and adding up discounts, etc.  We'll probably do a few pages in this book each week to see how math applies to real life.

LA:

We're using a tried and true curriculum for our reading this year.  I love how Rod and Staff uses wholesome stories and Scripture to teach the elements of good stories and writing.  Although he'll be working in level 8, I feel that this program really is advanced.  It's made him an incredible reader.  

We'll also be using level 8 for his English from Rod and Staff.  This is the level where I typically need to the teacher's manual and we really slow down the pace.  Level 8 focuses on very in-depth concepts and actually addresses concepts typical of high school and even college level.

This is a new to us program this year.  Although Rod and Staff does provide some writing instruction in their English curriculum, I've always struggled to communicate to the kids exactly what I'm looking for in good writing.  And since he's taken all the IEW classes available at the charter school, we're trying something new.  I've heard good things about The Lost Tools of Writing so I promise to share more as we learn ourselves.

Science:

We love the Abeka science series in from about grades 4-8.  I generally only purchase the student text and we supplement with some hands-on projects as we find interest.  Abeka comes from a Christian worldview and weaves God's purposes in the subject matter.  I'll have him answer the review questions in the chapter and write my own tests based on what we focused on for each section.

Twice a month, he'll also be following along with the lessons from No Sweat Nature Study.  We love how Miss Cindy really makes the material come alive.  The lessons are well-researched and presented in an engaging way.  Plus there's tons of topics covered that we'd never think of exploring otherwise.

History:

Although technically a secular resource, we see a Christian worldview also woven throughout Story of the World.  This year we'll be in volume four, completing the cycle for the second time in his elementary years.  We sometimes pull project ideas from the resource book, but our main focus will be on reading the text, narrating, doing the map work, and supplementing with living books.

Bible:

Besides establishing a regular devotional time, we'll also be looking at Rod and Staff's Bible curriculum.  This curriculum runs from level 5-10, but that doesn't necessarily coincide with grades.  Rather each level looks at a different part of the Bible, what was happening culturally with the people, what was the background, etc.  This year he's in level 7 which works with level 8 to take a deep dive into the New Testament.

Additionally he'll keep reading through the Christian Heroes series.  I've picked out 12 books for us to read and be inspired by this year.

Morning Time:

Next week, I'll go more in depth into what exactly is in our Morning Basket, but some subject we'll explore this year include apologetics, Shakepeare, and the ballet.  These are enrichment topics that we'll be learning together with my 11th grader.

Outside Classes:

Robotics Class--Twice a week, he'll be taking a middle school robotics class.

Chess Class--Twice a week, he'll be practicing with a group of middle school and high schoolers, honing his chess skills.

Choir--This year he's moving on to the senior high choir and will be involved in that for about 12 weeks in the fall, and then 12 weeks in the spring.

Youth Group and Worship Team--He'll be entering his final year of middle school youth group where he'll also serve on the worship team once a month.

Trampoline-- 1-2x/week, he'll continue trampoline lessons in big trampoline, double mini, and some tumbling at our local gym.

A lot of the curriculum that we're using this year, we've used in the past with great success.  While I try to tailor our year to each child's needs, I also find that when we find something we like, it's best to stick with it.  So many of these curriculums are returning from previous years.  Plus, he's been very lucky to find several outside opportunities that fit his interests this year.  He'll certainly be busy, but I don't think my social butterfly would have it any other way.

What curriculum did you use for your 8th grader?

Weekend Links ll August 16, 2024

 

7 Tips for Teaching Creative Writing in Your Homeschool

Free Marine Biology Printable

How to Create a Unit Study

Butterfly Lapbook

Free Statue of Libery Lesson

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

One thing about meal planning that I'm still working on after all these years is planning for AFTER the camping trip.  This caught up to us again this week when we came home and immediately jumped into homeschool.  Most of the week, I spent making small trips to the grocery store.  Finally one night I was sick of these "quick trips" and started digging around in the back of the pantry to see what I could find.  I remembered when the kids were little and I used to make a potato flatbread with Rosemary and Parmesan. Unfortunately the recipe has been taken down from the website so I had to recreate it from memory.  But paired with a quick spinach salad, it ended up being the perfect filling and quick dinner made from mostly items in our pantry.

 

What I'm Reading:

I finished up a review book this week that I posted about yesterday.  So I'm just getting started on Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson.  I love Clarkson's books.  They always inspire me to look at education differently, even if her application isn't quite how things look in our home.

What I'm Doing:

Homeschool started this week.  I always do an ease-in week with fewer subjects before we really hit the books the second week.  So we've been spending the mornings learning and then the afternoons catching up from camping... laundry, restocking the trailer, etc.

 

What I'm Enjoying:

Read Alouds on the patio in the cool mornings...

Prayer nights with friends...

Revisiting old recipes...

Rod & Staff Bible lessons...

Remote camping with friends and family...

What are you up to?

Life Minded {Review}

 

   In Life Minded, author Brady Boyd lays out 8 practical steps to help Christians walk in love and unity despite living in divided times.  Some of his steps include: devotion to Christ, seeking to understand, and weighing our words.  For each chapter, one practice is explored in depth with examples from Scripture and the author's own life, followed by a one to two page outline of how to put that principle into action.  I found these actionable outlines to be particularly helpful in applying the practices.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book include:

*"I don't want to respond to the situation based on the issue at hand.  I want to respond to it based on their hearts."

*"When we stop seeing each other as people, we stop forgiving each other for doing the things that people tend to do."

*Ask God each time you pray for a lost person, "Is there something you'd have me do? Is there something you'd have me say?  Is there something specific I can be praying for?  Is there something you'd have me know?"

   For as much as I enjoyed this book, I can't whole heartedly promote it without a word of caution.  Boyd using several examples in his book that speak to social justice issues.  Some of the descriptive language he uses felt heavy handed and subjective.  While the practices that Boyd lays out are not necessarily wrong in theory, I didn't feel like his examples or even application of Scripture was always appropriate.  This was not the case in all instances; however, it happened enough times that the reader should be aware and read with their brains fully engaged.  Therefore, I'm reviewing Life Minded with mixed emotions.  This title may not be for everyone.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this title from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Five Tips for Saving Money on Next Year's Curriculum

  *This post was originally published on 3/14/23.  Enjoy!

(Click on post for video) 

It's here! Curriculum shopping is starting for the next homeschool year and here we go! Tips for how we can do it on a budget.

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑21yrs led to 👱17 yrs, 👧15 yrs, and 👱 11 yrs. Ten Tips for Making Writing Fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP7Bl-OEIWs What We Read in February: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1sGoh1yeuI What's In Our Morning Basket ll Middle and High School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKSl_DnZtyg&t=1s Our Homeschool Read Aloud List ll 2022-23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0bBWBJNXyk&t=657s Winter Reading List ll 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-UZaL838gg Three Free or Inexpensive Art Resources for Homeschool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNgmMQEj4pM 1000 Hours Outside in 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gat0hSyCBLc Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com C O N N E C T subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/52903?ref=nav_mybooks Music Attribution: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod FTC Disclosure: This video is not sponsored. *This video is not intended for audiences under 13 years.

Weekend Links ll August 2, 2024

 

102 Thought Provoking Questions to Ask About Life

Six Fun Ways to Learn This Summer

Studying a Shakespeare Sonnet

Easy Sewing Projects for Kids

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

We wanted a quick dinner after spending so much ttime at the lake this week so we went with a fall favorite: pulled pork sandwiches. We planned a little ahead so we could have the pork in the crockpot where it cooked all day in root bear.  The root beer made it really moist and helped tenderize it.  So at the end of our lake day, all we had to do was shred the meat and make some coleslaw.  And it was delicious!

 

What I'm Reading:

I'm in homeschool planning mode so one of my last summer tasks is to read Better Together by Pam Barnhill and finalize my planning for our morning basket time.  I always love reading this one in preparation for a new year.  Morning Time is my favorite part of our homeschool day and I just love dreaming about how we'll use that time in the new year.

What I'm Doing:

So many things... scrapbooking Noah's 7th grade photos... planning Morning Time... turning in summer reading for the library... getting Lydia's college classes lined up...

 

What I'm Enjoying:

Swimming at the lake...

Cool mornings...

LIIFT4 workouts...

What are you up to?