Academically, we covered a lot of ground this year. B was in seventh grade and C and J were in fourth. We used My Father’s World’s “Creation to the Greeks” curriculum as a base for Bible, history, geography, and reading. We supplemented with Teaching Textbooks for Math and A Beka for Language. The boys learned to lapbook and made six books each. We also joined the largest local home school co-op this year, Creative Kids. Below is a breakdown of some of the things we studied.
Matters of the Heart
In keeping with our motto and school name, "First Things First," I am reminded to start with the heart. We often sit on the couch and talk about our attitudes, words and actions and how they affect others. We've started using push ups as consequence for disobedience, disrespect and overall bad attitudes. I also encourage Scripture writing, pairing a reference that speaks right to the offense. At the start of the new year, each of us shared one area of concern in our lives that we daily need God's grace and help with. From time to time we will revisit that list and check to see if progress is being made. We hold one another accountable each and every day, iron sharpens iron in this house. A LOT!
Bible
We memorized the books of the Old Testament, the boys memorized the Ten Commandments, Psalm 23 (review), Psalm 1 and portions of Isaiah 40. We also went back and reviewed the verses from last year. As the boys recite the Word of God, my heart is blessed.
We discovered “Victor’s Journey Through the Bible,” written by V. Gilbert Beers. I recommend this book to everyone! It is the most user friendly guide to the Bible that I have ever used. The format is well laid out and the information is simple enough for a child to understand, but interesting enough to hold the attention of children and adults. It breaks down each story in the Bible with a summary, cultural notes and facts of that time and lots and lots of photos. What a wonderful resource!
History/Geography
Our timeline began at Creation and carried us all the way until Alexander the Great. As an educator, I am concerned about how much my children retain. When we are learning so much so fast, I wondered what actually sticks with the boys. When they enter into high school we will repeat these units with advanced studies, so they will have a foundation to build upon. The boys kept a history notebook and wrote summeries of the stories we studied to go with pictures they drew or colored.
*Days of Creation *Adam and Eve *Cain and Abel *Noah *Tower of Babel *Kin Menes *Pyramids of Egypt *Abraham, Sarah and Isaac *Jacob *Jacob’s Sons/12 Tribes of Israel *Joseph *Israel in Egypt *Code of Hammurabi *Moses *The Exodus of the Israelites *Ten Commandments *Trojan War *Samson *Naomi, Ruth and Boaz *Samuel *Saul *David *Solomon *Israel and Judah *Elijah *Elisha *Kings of Israel and Judah, including Hezekiah and Josiah *Israel taken captive by Assyria *Babylon Conquers Assyria *Judah taken captive by Babylon *Daniel *Persia *Jews return to Israel *Queen Esther *Alexander the Great
Lapbook Themes
*Timeline of Creation to the Greeks
*Days of Creation
*Dinosaurs
*Ancient Egypt
*Ancient Greece
*Lego (C and J’s 4 H Project)
*Hedgehogs (B’s 4 H Project)
Family Read Aloud Books
*"The Tanglewoods’ Secret"
*"Star of Light"
*"Treasures of the Snow"
*"The Children’s Homer"
*"Aesop’s Fables for Children"
Science
D took on the bulk of this subject, using “Genesis for Kids.” This book was a wonderful resource that used the days of creation to teach all kinds of Biblical based scientific truths. The boys enjoyed their time with D and the experiments and humor in the book kept them hooked. We will be reading “Archimedes and the Door of Science” this summer to complete the program.
B took the Apologia General Science course offered through our home school co-op. The work load was pretty intense, but he loved it and did neat and careful work which his instructor appreciated. He even dissected a fetal pig in class, along with many other fun experiments. I wonder if this child will grow up to be a scientist, he loves this subject so much.
Reading
Each day of the week we try to set aside two hours of quiet time. The boys are allowed to read or rest during that time. Each time they complete a chapter book, they record it in a log. It is fun to see their excitement as they accomplish this goal.
*B reads and reads and reads! He has enjoyed Andrew Clements, Beverly Cleary, Warner’s Boxcar Children series, Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” and many others. He gobbles up non fiction books about science as well and can often be found working on experiments found in those books. He is a fan of the Calvin and Hobbs comic series, as well as anything that relates to Transformers or Legos.
*C is a strong reader as well. He falls in the middle of my boys as far as his level of desire and ability to read. His older brother got him hooked on Andrew Clements this year. He enjoyed the Shel Arensen series about missionary kids in Africa. He also read “Stuart Little.”
*J has made great strides in his reading this year. For him, it’s all about subject matter. If we find something that he is interested in, he gets so excited. The Animal Pride series has gripped him, as he loves creatures of all kinds. He discovered the Magic Tree House series and, like his mama, insists on reading them in order! With encouragement from his brothers, he also conquered an Andrew Clements book.
Language/Writing
All three boys grew in their language skills and knowledge, using the A Beka curriculum. This was our third year using A Beka and the work was intense and overwhelming at times. We will be taking a different path next year, but I am still glad that they had these years to lay a solid foundation. Because of the work load required by this course, we didn’t do as many creative writing projects this year. They wrote summeries of many of the stories we studied in history. Creative writing will be an area to improve on next year. All three of the boys are good writers and I want to instill in them a love for writing.
Spelling
We continue to use Adams-Gordon’s “Spelling Power” for spelling lessons. This book takes the most frequently used words in our language and teaches kids from age eight through college how to spell. The program only requires about fifteen minutes a day and offers a refreshing approach to a subject that many children dread. Dad taught this subject most days.
Math
We are so glad that we discovered Teaching Textbooks. My children actually ENJOY math and look forward to their lessons each day. The program is computer generated, so they each have a laptop to work on. The system tracks their grades, so that is one subject that I do not have to grade.
C and J’s (Math 5) studies included:
*operations with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals
*simple geometry concepts
*units of measure
*percents
B’s (Math 7) studies included:
*all of basic arithmetic, including fractions, decimals, and percents
of geometry
*statistics and probability
*simple graphing concepts, equations, and inequalities
*math in the real world
Physical Education
With three boys, it is a must that they get outside and get their energy out often! They enjoy playing basketball, baseball and soccer in the yard. Each year they take golf lessons with the local First Tee program. They also ride bikes, scooters and wave boards often. Dad is involved in making sure they get ample exercise each week. The twins also had PE during co-op each Friday morning.
Places We Visited
We kicked off our school year with a trip to New York City. We took our Fresh Air Child, A, back to his home town. We toured the city, took a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, walked miles and miles, took in the sights of the city (Times Square) and Central Park. In September, we took a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. We also visited the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. In the spring, we tagged along with D as he went to Maryland for training for his new job. While there, we went sightseeing in DC and stopped at the Air and Space Museum on the way home. Locally, we enjoyed our own backyard, Hopkins Park, A Dream Come True Park, Elkton Park, Sherando Lake and Highland Retreat.
Creative Kids Co-Op
This was our third year of home schooling. To this point, I resisted getting overly involved in groups and activities outside of our home. This year, I felt that it was time to try a co-op and knew that this was the best one in our area. Comprised of more than 150 children from more than 60 families, CKC is a well oiled machine that runs smoothly under the direction of VB. She does a fantastic job organizing the students and moms into a schedule that works well. Each mom is required to teach and/or assist equal hours each year. I assisted with the twins’ PE and Human Body classes. The twins enjoyed the year immensely and look forward to returning next year. B’s class was smaller and his work load was more intense. Most of his peers move on to public or private school by this age, so we will find a workable solution for him next year.
C and J’s classes included:
*Art (one semester)
*PE (both semesters)
*Virginia History and Geography (one semester)
*Human Body (one semester)
*Founding Fathers (one semester)
*Music (one semester)
B’s classes included:
*Apologia General Science (both semesters)
*Art (awesome class where he leaned how to make a hedgehog stamp print)
*Spanish (one semester)
*Music (one semester)
*Mini Society (one semester)
Helping Hands
We want our boys to learn to take care of themselves and to care for others. This year we all grew as I learned to hand more chores and responsibilities over to them. Each day, B cleans his hedgehog cage (not a simple task, that little critter is messy; it takes 20-30 minutes to clean the cage each day), straightens his room, makes his bed and vacuums the downstairs for me. He is also learning to mow the grass to help his dad out. C and J keep their room tidy and empty the dishwasher for me each day. All three of the boys now put their own laundry away after I fold it. I will increase their responsibilities a bit more over the summer. I hope that by this time next year they will know how to do a load of laundry from start to finish. They also enjoy helping in the kitchen, so D and I need to teach them more in that area.
We want to see our sons care for others outside of our home. Almost daily, when the weather permits, they are outside interacting with our young neighbor kids. At least once a week, my niece and nephew come to visit and the twins play with the five year old while B chases after the one year old. It is a blessing to see them growing up and bringing younger children under their wings.
Wow, that took an hour to write (and two more hours to load the photos!). This was a good exercise for me. Ask almost any home school mom and she will tell you there is often a fear that her children are not getting “enough.” Since we rarely test in any given subject, sometimes it is difficult to measure progress and see what our children are retaining. However, as I read back over this post I quickly realize that my boys are being saturated with Biblical worldviews and practical instruction and life skills every single day. As they get older, we will be able to tailor certain subjects to fit each one’s need and interest. We are one year away from jumping into the unknowns of high school home school education. Some days that is daunting, but this adventure will be well worth it as I watch my sons grow in stature, knowledge of God and His ways, academics and beyond. I am blessed to be able to be with them each and every day and I thank God for allowing me this awesome opportunity!
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