It's a new year...for homeschooling! Part 1

I always feel so badly when I don't update this as often as I would like...so please, accept my apologies! After our vacation, we jumped into this years homeschooling full force and as this year I am teaching a 12th grader, 11th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader....and a busy 2 year old 2 days a week, it has been a little hectic to say the least! LOL

Just as an update...my wonderful husband started his new job last week, working daylight for the first time in almost 10 years...and it will take a little bit to adjust to the hours and time changes. He is able to come home and have lunch with us every day....what an unexpected blessing! Everyone stops and gathers around dad when he is home, since he only has a short time before he needs to be back on the job. My older girls and I are spending a lot of time planning menus lately.

Lots of canning and freezing has gone on....tons of quarts of salsa were canned recently as well as lots of quarts of pureed tomatoes, corn cut off the cob and frozen and I even tried pickles this year. (I really hope they turn out!) Going to the farmer's market tomorrow to see what else I can get...I would love to make plum jam again...and maybe still can some peaches and nectarines and lots of pears and apples as well. We will be canning lots of applesauce this year, too...to bake with,make granola with and of course to have on hand for a healthy snack, too.

So....homeschooling. Well....this is our 12th year, and I wanted to write down a little of what we are doing with my youngest two. We are starting our day with reading/discussing the psalms...then we are finishing up an attentiveness study to be followed with an obedience study. The kids and I are loving the character studies from www.iblg.org this year. We are studying proverbs at lunch and it is really neat listening to all the ages of my children and how the older ones explain and mentor the younger ones.

My little ones have to read every day. Ronnie is reading a chapter book of historical fiction on the Revolutionary war...and Anna is reading...some easy readers. We are studying the Colonial time period thru the westward expansion this year, so will be following Lewis & Clark and doing some Little House books as well.
This year, Ronnie and I were discussing what he was really interested in for science and found that the Answers in Genesis physical science curriculum is a good fit for him. So far, we've learned the 8 forms of energy...and are learning about each one in more depth. Last week was chemical and mechanical energy...this week, we are reading about nuclear energy. He is loving this!

We have found that the Abeka math curriculum is a good fit for us. I really like their 'spiral' approach to constant review of concepts learned to cement the facts in. My kids like it, too.
We are studying all 50 states this year. We are learning the geography of the United States, the different regions, all about each state...such as geography, topography, famous people and events and even foods. We are also studying Native American's from each state....we're finding that that is very interesting!
This is the book that we read tonight. We are using these wonderful books, along with many other 'living books' and history texts about the time periods that we are studying...along with unit studies, too.

One of the things we are doing all together is a unit study of 'Pilgrim's Progress' from Answers in Genesis. Even my little ones are learning so much from reading aloud and discussing with them and my older girls.

I had honestly forgotten how much TIME it takes to plan lesson plans for the younger children...from phonics for Anna to grammar for Ronnie....to each state study, science experiments, history lessons, reading....the list goes on. Planning 2 highschoolers as well, the whole family adjusting to my husband's new job and hours...meals and preserving the harvest and getting ready for winter....my days are very full. I am so blessed! I know that no matter how tired I am, or how much my head swims....I am abundantly blessed! So...if this little blog suffers....my phone doesn't get answered as much...or we don't leave the house as much....this is a good season of our lives!

I want to write more about what we are doing with my older girls soon. It hit me this summer....this is it...I only have 1 year with Meghan and 2 with Sara....what does the Lord REALLY want me to teach them before they 'officially' graduate?

Now...it's off to bed! 5:45am comes very early around here! I like chatting with my husband and seeing him off...and having my quiet time before everyone else awakes! May God bless you all abundantly! Thanks for listening to my little update! I love journaling...on my blog and in my journal....and hope to look back at this little blog someday and have a wonderful record of our lives together! ~Sue~