Recently, we finished up our FIFTH year of homeschool. Our goal was to finish by the last week of April, and somehow we made it! It felt so good to go to track & field nationals knowing we were completely finished with school for the year.
Brenson, Brooke, Brecklyn, and Brianna on the last day of school
As always, my students grew so much from the first day until now! However, I really grew this year, too. I realized several months into the year that I had unintentionally overloaded our schedule in my enthusiasm to introduce new subjects and experience all the things. Although it went against my commitment to finish what we had started and to do things exactly like I had planned, I reassessed and made a new plan around November. I pulled back the reigns on our Gather Round units on Medieval Times and the Renaissance and decided we would extend our Renaissance studies into next year instead of trying to cram it all in by our last day. I also pulled back on how much history I was requiring from the Bigs and eased up on some of their science, as well. In the end, I was SO thankful for the changes we made (as hard as they were) because it resulted in far less stress and a much happier home/school environment.
Brianna's freshman year was a great year for her. I feel like we haven't really had a bad/tough/challenging year since we started homeschooling. Her core subjects included Algebra II, Physical Science, American History, and a self-guided ELA curriculum through The Good and Beautiful. She did great in every subject and surprised us all by saying American History was her favorite. We're doing Notgrass for American History, which includes book studies, projects, quizzes, and daily questions. Because of this, I decided to spread the curriculum out over three semesters instead of just two, and that is working out really well so far. She had no trouble at all with Physical Science or Algebra II, although neither were her favorite. It did take her a bit to learn to balance her ELA which was set up at 10 units. She had two to three weeks to complete each unit, which included writing, dictation, spelling, art, grammar, and reading. She struggled some at first with procrastinating too much, but soon found a rhythm and finished strong. In addition to her core subjects, she studied Medieval Times and the Renaissance in our Gather Round unit, participated in cross country, ran track & field, took an OABS class on Ezekiel, took Bible classes at church, studied the Spanish language through DuoLingo, and finished reading the Bible cover-to-cover. On Fridays, she would spend the day with G-Jo for a life skills class where they cooked, cleaned, and did various sewing projects. Just last Saturday she took a one day (10 hour) driver's education course at our local tech center. Once we return from our spring vacation, she will complete driving hours with a certified driver and will then be eligible to get her learner's permit. Eeeep!
Brenson also had a great year . . . maybe the best year we've had since we started homeschooling! He finally learned to balance his school work and all the other things he likes to fill his time with and not get so overwhelmed with things. His core subjects for 7th grade included Algebra II, Physical Science, American History, and ELA. He did struggle some with the workload in Physical Science, so mid year I had him begin the book over and go through the first 7 units again. He didn't like doing this, but in the end realized that he needed it. It worked great to have him and Brianna in the same math and history, and he also said American History was his favorite subject. His ELA curriculum covered writing, spelling, dictation, grammar, geography, social studies, art, and reading. While he would much rather just read books, he did like the variety in the curriculum. In addition to his core subjects, he studied Medieval Times and the Renaissance in our Gather Round unit, participated in cross country, played basketball, ran track & field, took an OABS class on Ezekiel, took Bible classes at church, and finished reading the Bible cover-to-cover. He spent most of his Fridays with Grampy working on various projects, including turning a few beautiful pieces on the lathe. I tried to get him to do an online typing course, but he wasn't disciplined about it so we'll try again in the fall. He was also part of a Middle School Boys Game Club that met a few times a month, and he always enjoyed that time.
It was just a coincidence that he wore the same shirt in our first and last day photos . . . but I'm not sad about it!
Brooke Ellie completed 4th grade with a bang! She grew so much as an independent worker and student this year, especially in her reading abilities. In addition to math and ELA, we did a supplemental grammar curriculum, completed an analogies workbook, and studied Weather, Mammals, and Botany for science. She also explored Medieval Times and the Renaissance in our Gather Round unit, and she did an online typing course. She is learning cursive, although she has a ways to go. For extra-curriculars, Brooke participated in cross country, volleyball, track & field, a few art classes at a local studio, and performed in a play put on by a local private school. She also finished reading the Bible cover-to-cover, and had a special Friday class with G-Jo where she cooked, cleaned, and sewed several projects. Her favorite subject was ELA, probably because it included geography, social studies, writing, and art. She is most definitely ready for 5th grade!
Also wearing the same shirt in both photos . . . love it!
Brecklyn also had a fantastic 4th grade year! Her biggest struggle was probably time management (she reminds me SO much of Brenson at this age), but she was doing much better with it by the end of the year. In addition to math and ELA, we did a supplemental grammar curriculum, completed an analogies workbook, and studied Weather, Mammals, and Botany for science. She also explored Medieval Times and the Renaissance in our Gather Round unit, and she did an online typing course. She is learning cursive and really enjoys practicing her handwriting. For extra-curriculars, Brecklyn participated in cross country and track & field, as well as performed in a play put on by a local private school. She also finished reading the Bible cover-to-cover, and had a special Friday class with G-Jo where she cooked, cleaned, and sewed several projects. Her favorite subject was ELA due to the variety in the lessons which covered grammar, spelling, writing, reading, vocabulary, geography, social studies, and art. Although she is a good writer, it is a challenge for her because she likes things that have exact parameters. She is very excited for 5th grade since we are hoping to get her in beginning band where she wants to play the flute.
Although we began the year with too much pressure and a bit of overwhelm, we ended it on a high note! The adjustments we made mid-way through the year were just what we needed, and I need to remind myself that it is ok (and good even!) to reassess and make changes as necessary. I asked each of the children privately if they would return to public school if given the chance, and they all emphatically said NO! Homeschooling has been a huge blessing for our family, and I am grateful every day that we have the opportunity to do it.
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