Heavenly Mothers Prepare - Day 26

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"

Ephesians 6:14-15

It is Sunday night, a new school week is looming ahead, and although I have thought about it a lot, I have not set any plans down on paper.  This is not ideal. 

I have tried many of different methods for homeschool planning. I have tried making plans two weeks ahead of time and handing them out to my children (my favorite). I have also tried planning a day at a time, and then there is my current mode, not planning at all. 

Although, I am not writing things down weekly for us to do, we have had a school routine for many years that keeps us learning, even when we are in a season where the daily planning might not be as detailed. This routine keeps a regular rhythm to our days which provides a healthy amount of structure, with lots of time for creativity.

Our routine-

Wake up
Personal Bible Time
Breakfast
Make Beds, Tidy Rooms
Start Laundry
Do Breakfast Clean-up
Feed Animals, Collect Eggs
Circle Time: Worship, Bible Reading and Devotionals, Prayer, Memory Work, Spanish, Timeline, Spelling, History or Science Read Aloud
Independent Work: Math, Science, History, Handwriting, Writing, Grammar, Phonics (This is also when I help younger learners.)
Lunch
Clean-up
Outside Chores or Free Time
Read Aloud
Outside Activities
Dinner Prep

Although I am not doing a stellar job with passing out school plans to the children right now, I do have a two-week at a time  plan that was inspired by this schedule which Ann Voskamp created. On this sheet, I list weekly meal plans, school subjects that I want to highlight and also any projects that we need to accomplish. 

I also have a master list of all the school subjects that my children are supposed to be doing, so I can yell out, "Do your math!", if I see them stealthily pulling up a video game while they are sitting at the computer. 

Having some kind of routine or plan is essential for having a heavenly home. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." 

Children are happier who have some framework to their days. A routine offers security and direction, and until they are mature enough to create that direction and vision on their own, it is our responsibility to provide it for them. Having a routine, even a loose one, is a good preparation for peaceful days.

Check out some other homeschool schedules here
and here
and a post about routines vs. schedules here

For more on Heavenly Mothering, click here

Discovering Early Americans

We have started another wonderful year of learning and this year we are doing Early American History. We have used various curriculum in the past but this year we are staying on a budget with homeschool materials and just studying a different event in American History each month without purchasing a curriculum. We will then celebrate with a monthly project day with a few of our friends.

Although we don't have a formal curriculum this year, I own a few high school textbooks and student readers which I can use as resources for the younger children, as well as a wonderful set of timeline figures and blank maps which will be resources that I pull from.

Our first month was the study of Native Americans, and we found some interesting books to read about a few different tribes. Because the content of some of these books may be a bit dark, I will edit as needed while I read, but they were all fascinating.

Book List

Sing Down The Moon- Scott O'Dell

If You Lived With The Hopi-Kamma

The Serpent Never Sleeps- Scott O'Dell

The Trail Of Tears- Joseph Bruchac

                                                       

We used our Picture Story form to write and illustrate a book report for each story that we read. This has been a good way to use the writing skills that we have learned through Institute for Excellence in Writing, as well as a good opportunity to evaluate the story and get writing practice.

Another fun activity was to label a United States map with geographical features as well as the territory that each tribe was living in.

The big finale was our project day. The children dressed up in costumes that I had made for some of their older siblings. We mixed up corn cakes in honor of the Pueblo people that we had been reading about and cooked them over an open fire. We used long branches that we had pruned off our apple tree to build a teepee which we covered with an old sheet.

                           

The children also made beaded jewelry, bow and arrows and ground acorns in a grinding stone. They  ate snacks from the time period such as dried cranberries, popcorn and beef jerky.

They also presented reports, my youngest students had a report on the Pueblo people complete with a rigatoni noodle pueblo village and my 11 year old son presented his Pueblo report while donning an elaborately painted mask which he had copied from a book.

                                 

Although our project day incorporated elements from many different tribes, it was a fun filled time to experience some of what the early Americans had experienced.

After we had finished up with our project day, I handed out blank books.  I purchased these in the dollar aisle at Target and we will use them as a scrapbook of our year. The children will fill in one or two pages each month with some of the information that they have learned.

                 

We are having so much fun incorporating many elements of learning into our history studies this year! Reading interesting books to my children and exploring other cultures and time periods are just a few of many wonderful aspects of homeschooling. 

This post contains affiliate links. So far, I haven't made any money from it, but it is worth a try!

2014/2015 Curriculum Plan

I am so excited about this school year. I graduated my second student last year and so this year I only have five students to homeschool. I also have no babies or toddlers this year and although I would love a baby and I miss that stage, it will be really fun to delve a little deeper into learning this year with my school age children.
My oldest student is taking most of his classes at the local junior college so I will only be overseeing a few classes for my advanced students. I love having other teachers involved with my older students and so far, they have had good experiences in their classes.
Because I just published Bountiful Homeschooling On A Budget, I am also including what I paid for each class or subject.
So here it is, the 2014/2015 curriculum plan.



12th Grade Son

Bible-One Year Bible (I own)
English 1A (Jr. College, $14 fee, dual enrollment is free in California but there is a registration fee.)
Algebra 2 (Jr. College, $0)
World History, BJU (given to me several years ago)
Biology  (Jr. College)
Peer Tutoring (Jr. College)
Guitar (self taught with occasional lessons)
Physical Education, Martial Arts ($195 per month for the whole family)
Spanish 3 (BJU, I own the book, donation find at a non-profit book sale)


9th Grade Son

Bible-Studying God's Word-Book G (Christian Liberty Press, free)
English 151, Intro to College Composition (Jr. College, $14 fee)
Algebra 1-(Teaching Textbooks, purchased last year)
U.S. History (Clarence Carson, given by a friend several years ago.)
Physical Science-(Purchased for $25 from a friend a few years ago.)
Spanish 1 (BJU, I own)
Guitar
Physical Ed-Martial Arts (see 12th grade boy for cost)
Speech Club ($125 for the family plus tournament fees, we will probably do 1 or 2 tournaments)

camping fun

7th Grade Son

Lincoln's Daily Devotional-(Given to me)
TT Math 7 (owned for several years)
Rod and Staff Grammar 5 with worksheets (I own)
America-Land I Love-(ABeka, I own)
Reading (I took all my American History books, put them in a basket and the children will read them)
Spelling-Spell To Write and Read ( I own)
Science- (CLP Nature Readers, Computer Science, pre-owned or computer tutorials)
Piano- (Local friend $12-15 a lesson twice a month)
Speech Club (see 9th gr.)
Martial Arts (see 12th gr.)

3rd Grade Daughter

Bible-(CLP Book B, I own)
Math- (Saxon 3, $20 at used book sale)
Explode The Code 6 (trade in at used book store)
A Reason For Handwriting  ($14, purchased at Homeschool Conference)
English For The Thoughtful Child (owned for years)
Spell To Write and Read (I own)
Picture Story (my older daughter made this form to use with our narrations)
Reading (BJU Reader/CLP Nature Reader)
Life Science (Steck Vaughn Workbook, given to me)
Piano (Local Friend, $10 a lesson)
Ballet ($50 a month)

my youngest students

K/1 Son

Bible- I read children's Bible
Math N More (Review copy, owned for several years)
Explode The Code 1 (trade in from homeschool used book store)
All About Spelling (borrowed from a friend)
Handwriting Without Tears (13.81, Amazon)
Spelling Power Book A (I own)
Reading-I am reading Early American History books this year, more on that to come)
Science- Nature Study

We are also doing an early American History project day with a few friends which will be a fun opportunity to present reports, do map work and make crafts. This will be a highlight of the year for us.

I only spent around $65 dollars for curriculum this year, which makes it one of my most economical years ever. This is so helpful because I also have more monthly activities than usual. When totaled, these monthly activities add up to around $300 dollars a month. Although my homeschool students cost very little this year, my two students who we are helping put through college, have classes and books that are not quite as economical, another reason I am thankful that I was able to keep curriculum costs low this year. The upside is that my homeschool students are taking some of the same classes as the college students and can share their books, resulting in more savings.

What books are you using this year? How have you stayed within budget? I would love to hear about it!

Busyness is the Enemy of Loveliness

I recently had an article published in Above Rubies  magazine which described three areas to work on to develop a lovely home environment. I described walking into our home and being greeted by lovely scents, shining windows and a refreshing beverage, and on a bad day merely having to shut the laundry room door to hide the stacks of dirty laundry.

The lovely shelf with toys for little ones.

This was a hard week for my ideals however. We had an out of town wedding over the weekend, several out of town guests over the last few weeks, and the usual round of school, ballet, karate, Awana and music lessons.  By Wednesday night when my posh aunt who inspired my renewed commitment to clean windows was set to arrive, the loveliness meter was a little low. 

You see, if I have a choice between a lovely house, or reading aloud to my children and doing projects with them, I will always choose the children. Usually it all balances out because we can quickly jump in together and polish the windows, put away the clean laundry and wipe the bathrooms. 

By Wednesday night, the main living areas were still living up to the ideal, but the laundry stack in my bathroom had gotten to twice the height of the basket and my closet looked like a bomb had gone off. 

When we are constantly running out the door to a new activity, it is very hard to keep up with basic good habits. Tidy rooms, clean bathrooms, and organized drawers soon become a thing of the past.

This is one reason why I believe so strongly in a family vision. It is an important safeguard against being over committed. 

My bathroom vanity after running out the door too many times.

Sometimes, we cannot avoid busyness and so we must flex in some area. For me, this might mean quickly mopping the floors after the kids are in bed so that school and family time aren't interrupted. It also might mean letting my closet be less than ideal, and keeping the door tightly closed. Our surroundings need constant care, and teaching our children to care for their surroundings is an important way that we care for them. However, in a busy season, my priorities of time with God, family time and then housework remain fixed. There is nothing noble about a messy house, but if the messy house is a result of caring for sick children or helping with a family emergency, it may just be a necessary evil. 

A little tidier.

Now, off to tackle my closet and work on getting the laundry under control. How wonderful to have a full day at home!

Click here for:

A good post on homemaking in busy seasons with some helpful links

Linking up with

Welcome Home Wednesdays

Developing a Family Vision

Conference season has shifted into high gear and as I prepare to speak this year I can see that one of the recurring themes of my sessions is having a family vision that is written down.

Enjoying the fruit of our land.

With so many choices as homeschool families it is essential that you know what the driving values of your family are. Having written down a vision statement way back before the turn of this century, we have been able to resist the temptation to jump into every available activity and focus on the ones that work towards the fulfillment of our goals as a family.

One of our friends at Niños De Fe orphanage in Mexico.

 For us, that involves projects that promote simple living, time with family, and Isaiah 58 ministry.  Although some of our implementation has changed through the years, the core values have remained consistent and have been essential in keeping us focused, even when it meant missing out on the fun of following the vision of another family.

Simple family fun.

Although our overriding goal as a family is knowing God and reflecting Him to others, having specific ways to accomplish that and writing them down has been a big blessing to our family.

Below I have included a PDF of a document that we used to build vision as a family. If you would like some ideas on filling it out, feel free to comment and I will try to answer your questions.

Click here for a Family Vision Document