Planted by Streams: July 2009

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Not Back-to-School Blog Hop

Don't you love this time of year?

I would send you a bouquet

of newly sharpened pencils

if I knew your name and address.

(Loosely quoted - Tom Hanks character in You've Got Mail.)

Homeschoolers, make sure to visit Life With My 3 Boybarians every Monday in August for the Not Back-to-School Blog Hop. It's sure to be a fun time. Visiting there always is.

I know you're all busy with your Not Back-to-School planning, or maybe you already started, or maybe you school year-round. Regardless, join in! Darcy has already spelled out all the details for you.

Happy August!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Our Homeschool : Year 2

Here's the plan. And I'm a planner. I'll spare you the excel spreadsheet.

Hannah, 7-8 years : 2nd grade

Math:

Saxon 3, 4x a week

Language Arts:

First Language Lessons - second half of book (supplementing with Evan-Moor's Grammar and Punctuation 2, Write a Super Sentence, Paragraph Writing, Daily Paragraph Editing - later in the year), 4x a week
Explode the Code - Books 6 & 7, 1 lesson a week independently
Spelling Wisdom, 3x a week
Poetry Memorization (pulling mainly from The Harp and Laurel Wreath), 4x a week
Handwriting - Cursive: A Reason for Handwriting C, 4x a week independently
about an hour of independent reading a day
nightly read-alouds with Mom/Dad

Will, 5-6 years : Kindergarten

Math:

Horizons K, 4x a week

Phonics: 4x a week

Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading
Explode the Code - Books 1 & 2 (independent?)
Evan Moor's Phonics Skills
daily reading to parent
nightly read-alouds with Mom/Dad

Handwriting:

A Reason for Handwriting K, 4x a week independently

Peter, 3-4 years

We will make an Alphabet Book and Number Book.
Lots of books, games, puzzles and mischief to be sure.

Everyone:

Bible:

Leading Little Ones to God
reading through The Child's Story Bible and The Jesus Storybook Bible
Scripture Memory
Westminster Shorter Catechism/Children's Catechism

Latin:

Song School Latin, 1-2x a week

History:

Early American History, A Literature Approach (Beautiful Feet Books), 3x a week
Williamsburg/Jamestown - late September, during homeschool days. Other ideas/possibilities - Mount Vernon, Lincoln's Cottage, Philadelphia, DC museums/monuments/memorials....

Geography:

States and Capitals using My Father's World state sheets/cards, 1-2x a week
A Child's Geography, Explore His Earth

Science/Nature Study:

All kids of fun using the Usborne First Encyclopedia of Our World, the Usborne First Encyclopedia of Space, Science with Air, Science in the Kitchen.
A study of birds using the Burgess Bird Book, Birds, Nests and Eggs, Backyard Birds, State Birds and Flowers coloring book (state birds and flowers are also included on MFW state sheets/cards).
lots and lots of library books, hikes, science center, museums...
4x a week. 2 days earth/space, 1 day experiment, 1 day birds, exploring everyday

Literature:

lots of good stuff : )

Art/Artist Studies

Weekly art projects (still need to organize my thoughts on this one). I love to get ideas from Art Projects for Kids and That Artist Woman.
Artist Studies - ideas... Audubon (birds), Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Homer, Hopper.
Homeschool co-op art class

Music/Composer Studies

I know we will start with Haydn and The Farewell Symphony and go from there.
Piano lessons
Hymn studies
Children's choir at church
Kennedy Center field trips

Whew! Did anyone make it this far? : )

Monday, July 27, 2009

Quiet : 1000 Gifts

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A weekend alone. Projects and Quiet.

As a big gift to me, my sweet husband took the boys up to his parents' lake house Thursday afternoon through Saturday evening. He retrieved Hannah and gave me a weekend to check a few things off my list. I realized I haven't been at home alone overnight since Hannah was born... very nice.

0015

Quiet hours spent prayerfully planning and preparing for a another school year at home. Cracking open new books. Fresh school supplies.

0016

My Sunday afternoon reading. And a house full again. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller. (Halfway through, loving it.) Husband working on evening sermon. Peter napping. Hannah reading. Will lego-ing.

the continuing list...

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Just the Boys

Taking in a local baseball game with the boys.

The crack of wooden bats, crickets singing...

where every seat is a good seat...

and Gifford's has $1 cups. Perfect.

The boys spent most of the evening watching the older kids chasing after foul balls. So, finding one in the parking lot on the way to the car made the night!

Hannah is spending the week with her grandparents. She's having a blast being a big kid away on her own. Yesterday, they took her to Mary Poppins on Broadway! (I'm a tad jealous.)

It has been fun to see what the boys do without her direction. They haven't played 'house' or 'school' all week. Go figure.