Whatever will be, will be - Homeschool Blogger

As This School Year Comes to An End....

Tue, 26 May 2009 19:19:00 -0500

I'd like to thank the following people for making it possible.....

Well, actually it's not coming to an end, just sort of morphing. Because I've decided to do year-round school, and we had a week off every month in preparation for NOT having a summer break and by george we're going to WORK all summer!!!

Honestly...that's how I'm feeling right now. : )

I *really* don't want to have to worry about getting them up and through with their school work right on and on...and this week is our week off and it's been NICE...but still, we have taken off a week every month since we started this school year.

BUT, they have finished all their work for this year (8th for Em, 6th for Anna), so what they are doing is working ahead into 9th and 7th grades....maybe a couple weeks off wouldn't be so bad? : P

I do want them to work ahead a little at least....that way they'll have less to do during the fall and winter next year, and less is always easier. I know if Anna keeps on like she has been she'll be finished with 7th grade Science before September, and maybe History, too. I think of how much easier it will be on her, and I want to keep going...then on the other hand, I don't want anyone (including me!) to burn out.

I'll decide on a day-by-day basis, maybe......

Sounds good....

4-15-09

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:25:00 -0500

We're all good....Em is working on FAR, and so far she's enjoying it. She was under the (mistaken) impression that the Bible category was the only one for this unit.....um...no....there are several other categories to work through. lol She chose "Set Proverbs 31:10-31 to music and sing your song." yesterday. It was SO funny...she started singing it...just randomly...and it came out to the tune of "B-I-N-G-O". So we sang Proverbs 31 to the tune of "B-I-N-G-O"...we were really cracking up, but THEY REMEMBERED IT BETTER! She'd read the verse, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.", then we'd all sing it , "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. R-U-B-I-E-S, R-U-B-I-E-S, R-U-B-I-E-S, for her price is far above rubies." It was so cute I wished for a video camera to tape them...maybe after they've practiced it a bit they'll sing it for their Daddy and he can film them and we'll put it on youtube. I LOVED it! ; )

We haven't done as much exploring lately.....but, hopefully after tomorrow we'll have more time (and better weather) for exploring and having fun together. Both girls spent the night with my mom Saturday, then went to church with her Sunday, and came home with different attitudes. I don't mind them staying with my mom, but it always seems they come home acting differently than they do when they're just with us. They had gotten SO sweet and kind, hardly fighting at all, now they're back to bickering.

Today Em was awfully sweet to Anna, though. Anna fell, slipped on a rock, and scraped her leg really bad. She has a goose-egg knot, and a big scrape down her shin. Emma rushed to her, wet a napkin, wiped off the blood, and helped Anna to the van. I thought that was so sweet. They're good girls, and I love them dearly, I just wish they were so sweet ALL the time! lol

Accomplishments

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:40:00 -0500

I feel we've accomplished SO much more this year than any year before...with maybe the exception of Kindergarten! lol

I decided to try a year-round schedule...of course, we haven't gotten to the point of seeing if we will stick it out year-round, because we've been doing it 6 months so far. But, I do believe it's going to work. We're doing school three weeks from each month, and taking one week off. I think we'll also take June off.

We were taking the last week of each month off during the winter, but since spring has been so lovely, I've been checking the weather and taking off whichever week looks like it will be the loveliest.

Both girls are finished with most of their work...6th for the younger one and 8th for the older. I've already got my older dd started on her 9th grade work..hopefully 9-12. Far Above Rubies. So far she likes it, so maybe she won't want to change *again*. ; ) I haven't started my younger dd on 7th grade work yet, I'm still needing to get a few things at the used curriculum sales in May! Hopefully her work will be ready for her when she's ready for it. She has finished Science and History, but History is one of the books I need to find, so it will have to wait. I do have a Science book, though, and I need to get it out. She LOVES Science most of all her subjects.

This year she has had Simply Grammar, Saxon 6/5, Abeka Science and History, Spelling (I don't know the publisher right off), Vocabulary (it's a little workbook from Scholastic, I believe), and she's reading through What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know. She enjoyed the Science and History and WYSGNTK, liked some of the spelling and vocabulary and math, and tolerated the Simply Grammar. Grammar isn't a strong point for her, and I believe it's something that needs to be intrinsic. I had hoped Simply Grammar would be the key to her liking grammar study better, but it hasn't worked. I have a different sort of book for next year, though, so we'll see what happens.

My older dd is still working on 8th grade math...although she nearly exhausted my supply of math books she changed so many times! She's working in a college text right now, the one they use for remedial classes. I really like the way it explains things...she seems to be catching on to things that confused her before. Hopefully that will keep her from having to take a remedial class if/when she goes to college. She says she doesn't want to go to college......last week she wanted to be an actress (a STAR, she actually said), and this week she says she's decided she no longer wants to be an actress, she wants to start a band. I reminded her she doesn't play an instrument, and she said she'll take up piano again. She also named two cousins and her sister for members of her band, and I pointed out none of them play an instrument, either. I asked what kind of band this will be, and she got annoyed with me. Should be interesting, though...a band in which no one does anything.

This Year Is Going By SO Fast Already!

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:27:00 -0600

I can't believe there are only two weeks left in February!

The weather was so nice last week we went ahead and took our week off for this month...and it's going to be hard getting back into things this week! Something that might make it easier, though, is that the girls are starting to get finished with their work for this school year. Emma has finished everything except math and literature, and Anna is through with Science and almost finished with vocabulary and History.

We did some exploring local areas last week, visiting places in our county we'd never gotten around to going to. I think I was more interested in the local history aspect of our trips...Emma wanted to do some geocaching everywhere we went, and Anna was interested in the Science-y aspects of the areas...so we all got to experience something we enjoy. (I'm not mentioning DH and his metal detector...since he found riches... .02! lol He says he had fun, though.)

Do Unto Others...

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:59:00 -0600

I feel uncomfortable tonight. We went to my little brother's basketball game, and some of the parents were dreadful! (And I am talking about *our* parents here...the other team parents were quiet unless they scored, then they cheered. Quietly.

Our team parents yelled when the other team was trying for a foul shot, (bear with me here...I may get some of these basketball terms wrong) trying to make them miss. I mean, LOUD yelling, and cow bell ringing.

That's the only thing I can put my finger exactly on right now...the rest of the time they were pretty much just yelling, "Go Blake!" or whoever, so it didn't matter much, but that yelling, trying to distract, bothered me.

I wouldn't want it done to my little brother. The other team drove about 3 hours to come up to play our boys. There have been LOTS of times that's been my little brother driving long ways to play...I like to think the parents of the other team is respectful, at least, when he gets there.

Oh, My! How Long Has it Been?

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:42:00 -0600

We've been keeping busy. Emma finished her 8th grade work before Christmas (Except for Saxon Algebra 1/2) so she's going into 9th when we start back in Janurary...you know...except for math...lol.

I'm working on a *few* fresh New Year's Resolutions...Bible studies, Bible readings, getting through that dadburn pile of magazines beside the couch... ; )

We're also going to try a new way of attacking the house-cleaning. Since we have four main areas in the house we use lots, we're going to pick one area each week and DEEP-CLEAN it. The whole family. Together. Cleaning the bathroom. Is that going to work? Maybe we should just clean the *larger* areas together. Maybe.

In other news, Anna started basketball a couple weeks ago. It's a church-sponsored team, with kids from 4-11. The small ones are SO cute! They just run along after the others never knowing why...they just run. ; ) Last night they had their first game, and Anna's team won! (They're the Wildcats. Makes me want to sing that part from HSM.)

HSM

Emma's Science Lesson For Today...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:02:00 -0500

Emma had an exercise in her Science today in which she was supposed to restate facts, writing a new sentence using different words.

Their sentence said, "Nuclear energy is a powerful tool and a dangerous weapon."

Her sentence said, "Dangerous, nuclear energy is. ~Yoda"

LOL

Starting Back to the Books

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:35:00 -0500

Not that we actually ever *stop* books....lol...but we've got back to doing more of a school-book sort of day.

Emma is working on a pre-ged book this year, and Anna is playing around with a math book of sorts...math wizardry for kids or something like that.

There is an art show nearby, and I am wanting to take the girls to it before it ends...I'm hoping we can go tomorrow. I wanted to go today, but Emma was feeling a bit sick. Hopefully we'll all feel good tomorrow and be able to go.

June 26, 2008

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:45:00 -0500

The girls are working on their nature study blog, and while I'm waiting for Emma to come up with a hiaku for a squash, I'm blogging. lol

Anna's gone back out to take more pictures...hers didn't turn out very good this morning...trying to take a picture of a rabbit from across the fence. When she was close enough to see it, the fence was in the way.

Nature Study Blog

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:30:00 -0500

I've started the girls a nature study blog... http://365naturestudy.blogspot.com/ ...it should be really cool, if it works out like I have in mind.

I was reading about Charlotte Mason nature study today, which is what brought it all on. We've kept nature notebooks before, but I thought they'd like this way of combining taking pictures (which they're really starting to get into) with researching nature online, which is something they both enjoy already, and learning some computer basics. Plus, we can share what we learn with others.

Stop by and visit us there!