this blog.
I know I just started it back up and all, but it's too much of a hassle to keep a blog for regular life and a seperate blog for homeschooling. So, I am going to post homeschooling stuff back where I used to, at D.A.I.L.Y.
Feel free to visit me there, friends and family. I would love to share all that we have going on from day-to-day! At the end of the week, I am deleting this account. :)
Last year, I was looking at the cost of everything, which is good to a point. Through my experiences this last year with two unfortunate investments that I thought were “great deals,” I learned that sometimes, it pays to... pay.
The two $90 products I bought last year were Ray's Arithmetic and McGuffey Readers, each 12-13 year programs.
I *love* that Ray's Arithmetic is advanced. The drawback, for me, is that there is no how or why to the problems given. Ray's simply gives the problems and the answers, with no explanation of how to get there or why we do the problem in the manner needed.
I appreciated some of the content in McGuffey's Readers. I love it that God is mentioned liberally, but I dislike how God is portrayed. Here's just a sample of my discouragement: “Bad boys hurt the cow. God does not like the ways of bad boys.” I get the overwhelming sense when reading these that God is an overwhelming force that is ready to punish us at every turn. That one little snippet doesn't do justice to why I feel that way.
I felt so good to look at the math for those two products and think, “Holy cow! Under $8 a year per subject? That's awesome!” However, it's not a savings when you won't or can't use them effectively.
This year, all the homeschooling Mom's advice of how I have to go with the flow, and be willing to change curriculum if need be, hit me square in the head.
Here's Precious Jewel's pre-planned school list for the coming year. There will be more things we will utilize, from the library, used book store, and also the TOS Crew is going to send us more stuff to utilize as well, that may or may not be permanently implemented for the rest of the school year.
Grapevine Studies, Old Testament Overview Level 1
Rod & Staff Little Jewel Books, as readers
Math Mammoth – Clock
Art Adventures at Home, Level 1, year 2
Little Annie's Art Book of Etiquette & Good Manners
Rod & Staff's Proper Manners and Health Habits, Grade 2
Getty & Dubay Italic Handwriting Series, Book C
Stepping Stones Level 1
Rod & Staff's Beginning in Music, 1 & 2
Rod & Staff's Patterns of Nature, Grade 2
Sign Language Made Easy
Ten Boys/Ten Girls stories by Irene Howat
Ambleside Online and Old Fashioned Education pieces:
Aesop's Fables - free
Grimm's Fairy Tales - free
40 Missionary Stories - free
High Roads to Geography – free
50 Famous People – free
The Goop Directory – free
More Goops – free
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Quiet Arts Level One – still looking for an affordable, reputable seller!
The Button Jar and Kit – still looking...
I am still unsure about what to use for math. We will be doing a lot of hands-on activities and printed off free worksheets until I can find a curriculum that seems to fit. I want a curriculum that is advanced, fun, and gives the how-to-do-it, as well as the why (for the student and the teacher!).
Anyone with suggestions, I'd be up for them! I have had one person recommend Miquon Math... anyone have thoughts on that program?
Here we go! The household goes into full-swing on a brand-new kind of journey, The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.
I currently have four products that I need to use and review, and the review dates are all on or before August 29. I am also aware of two other products on their way to me right now, but I am unsure about the due dates for the reviews.
I am making a few aprons with Precious Jewel though this and we're getting ready to play a Hank the Cowdog game, read a book and listen to some of his CD's. I also am reviewing a DVD about how to make your own webpages.
I am not going to lie. I received an email about this opportunity, and became so excited about it. I still am. However, I had NO IDEA how consuming this would be! I am actually completely grateful for it, because it means that I get the opportunity to review products I have either been curious about, would never have been able to purchase, and/or might not have taken a second glance at. I love new adventures and doing difficult things (most of the time).
I think because of where my family has been in life, I try not to get too excited about what is coming my way until it's actually in my hands. There have been a few products I've been excited for Precious Jewel to try, such as the Sense and Sensibility apron, and I am hoping for her/us to try a cookbook coming up, but I am not hopeful that I *will* get things beforehand. Simply getting one thing was amazing, and all of this other stuff is simply fantastic.
A few months ago, Bubby and I were concerned we would not be able to afford the curriculum we wanted to get Precious Jewel. Not only were we able to afford it, but we have been so blessed with this program enabling us to receive and try new and extra things!
Precious Jewel is enjoying our new Bible curriculum, through Grapevine Studies. I decided to use the Old Testament Overview. It has 50 lessons, and I thought that since I find it harder to study the Old Testament, this would make it a little more fun for both Precious Jewel and I. It is fun! I am looking forward to the rest of the study.
We were going to order New Tribes Mission bible study for children. It is recommended by Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis for being in-depth about issues not commonly talked about in studies, such as the why of God's commandments, etc.
So far, I am glad God placed this in our path and prolonged the NTM study by sending Grapevine throught the Crew.
Precious Jewel is remembering the story synopsis easily and with little prompting. It's really cool to see her be able to see a stick drawing and say, “That's the tower of Babel. God told people to go different ways, but they disobeyed and made a big building to gather at instead. God confused their words and they finally went to different places.”
Right now we are on the introductory two weeks, but will soon be in specific lessons. Precious Jewel really is enjoying it.
On a side note, if anyone that reads this blog knows of where I can find the following books for used and/or fairly cheap at a reliable supplier, please let me know! The Button Jar Book with kit (in the Grandma's Hope Chest series by Rebekah Wilson) and For Instruction In Righteousness by Pam Forster. The place I was going to order them from had discontinued them. :P
At farmer's market yesterday, I noticed a new guy. He had paintings for sale. Beautiful, rich, deep paintings. I love them. I thought they'd be awfully expensive because canvased art in a decent size is usally in the low ranges of $80-90. But these decent/average-size pieces were $25!
I am a tightwad. Not the kind that doesn't enjoy giving to others (I LOVE giving things to others!), but the kind that just finds satisfaction in saving money for my family. Normally, I would consider $25 a chunk of change to spend on ANYTHING. But when I see this man's work, it seems like I'm stealing from him.
Well, to get to the point. I've been wanting a logo for our school. This coming school term is the year, in my state, that according to Precious Jewel's age, I must let the government know she's not theirs, and that we have a name for our school.
I talked with the man, and I'm "commissioning" him to create a piece for us that not only will hang on our wall, but I can use as our school "logo" for letterheads, I.D. cards (to be used in stores for discounts), etc.
I believe the size will be 16x24", and will be a willow tree alone in a field, with a musical note ingraved in the trunk. I've always loved willow trees, and always loved singing.
We're called Willow Tree Academy because (we hope) that like willows, we will be grounded in the Word and our roots will sink in deep. Like singing, our hearts will rise up high to the One who gave us voice to sing, and we will make a joyful, sweet noise through the way we live our lives.
I honestly could have pictures of willow trees all over my house and be happy for a long time. I dearly love them and their dreamy, romantic look.
I am starting all over here with the HSB, with our school name. Eventually the page will be changed up a little bit, but this is the homeschooling blog of mine. :)
My name is Jess, but elsewhere in the internet world, you'll see me as Pursuer or God's Dancing Child. While I don't mind who sees any of my blogs, this one is specifically to share with my family. I want them to have a place that they can come and see what's going on with their neice, grand-daughter, cousin, etc.
My one and only daughter, who is 6, is going into her 2nd grade year of school, which will be the beginning of our 4th year homeschooling. I will call her Precious Jewel on here, as I do anywhere online. My husband I call Bubby, whom I've been married to for going on 7 years. He's a hard worker!
Summer time is a little more relaxed in our homeschooling. I am using two sites call File Folder Fun and Lapbook Lessons during the summer, along with keeping up a light math and reading/writing regimen. But it's done whenever in the day rather than after breakfast and chores.
The older one gets, the busier it seems. Even after Precious Jewel is grown and gone, there will be so much at home to keep me busy - I know it!
We are getting ready to start selling the natural cleaning supplies at farmer's market next week, and I am so nervous I feel like I could vomit. Precious Jewel is going to be with me, and she will be learning how to make change, total up orders, etc. I am excited, but again, really nervous.
We are keeping an herb garden for our family, but like anything and everything else in life, it's a part of a learning process and we are definitely learning from our first herb garden (first one, ever). I count life as school.
It makes me sad that I never paid too much attention to my Dad's love of the outdoors, because now I adore it. Perhaps if he hadn't loved it so much, I wouldn't now... it just needed to take several decades to sink in. *smile* I do hope that Precious Jewel will love the outdoors much sooner in life than I did.
I received half of the school curriculum in the mail already and am about to place the last orders. I ordered from Rod & Staff, CBD, New Tribe Missions, and am wanting to order from The Urban Homemaker, but their website is rather confusing and it seems many of the catalog products are not available on their site. I don't know. Then we'll start looking for great deals on the smaller supplies like glue, construction paper, etc. I'd rather be able to find that stuff by dumpster diving. (It would have been awesome to find any of the curriculum, unused, by dumpster diving as well - but that will probably never happen!)
Well, that's all for school right now.