We are now embarking upon our 7th year as a homeschooling family, and I can't imagine life any other way. When we started out Leah was just 4 years old with a passion for learning and reading. It was so easy back then-- we played fun games and did worksheets and went on field trips. And we still do all that, now we've just added two more kids in the mix. It's definitely not as easy anymore, and we've already faced some challenges this school year, but its still worth it and I love seeing them learn.
Fifth grade-- almost middle school-- is a whole new world for me. Leah can do about half her subjects without me but still needs my instruction the other half. She is pretty self-motivated but still unsure how to make a schedule and balance her time each day, something I work on myself, so we're learning together. She is the classic first-born overachiever and much harder on herself than I am on her-- she hates to fail.
This year I'm considering giving her actual grades and a report card just so she can see how well she is doing and more than likely see how smart she actually is! Her subjects this year: Grammar & Composition, Spelling, Math (on the computer, because there is no way I can teach her some of the stuff she is learning), Latin 2, and then the subjects we are doing together-- Science (Animals & Earth Science) and World Geography. She wants to learn another language like French but we will see if we can fit it in.
Andrew isn't quite as self-motivated or eager to learn as Leah, unless its something on a computer game. Still, he's obedient and will do what he's asked and can do maybe 30% of his work independently, so long as I remind him to focus every once in awhile. He is active during school time and doesn't really like to sit still long. He does enjoy science (especially animals, which we are studying this year) and he seems to enjoy math more now that he gets to do that on the computer. He is also starting formal writing instruction this year, although his handwriting is not at all great, nor is his spelling. He does seem to like writing stories, just so long as he doesn't have to follow a lot of rules!
And then we get to Abi, by far my most challenging pupil. All the methods of teaching reading I have used with Leah & Andrew do not work on this busy little girl, and it just isn't clicking for her. I bought a new curriculum for her which starts at the very very beginning of letter sounds and blending them together. So far she is enjoying the games and variety it provides, but it requires me to give her constant attention and direction. I am praying it will soon just flip a switch for her and she will be a super reader. She is great at math and enjoys numbers and games and really wants to do pretty much everything her brother and sister are doing, even if it takes her forever to write each and every letter I tell her to spell. She tags along with us on Science and Geography, but loses focus unless I am holding her in my lap and including her in discussions. She would much rather be outside learning with her hands-on.
And of course this littlest learner always provides extra challenges during school time. He's actually pretty good about playing on his own while we work, but of course doesn't know how to be quiet, and also can't change his own diapers. So he is good for providing a few distractions. Lately when I'm working with Abi on her reading, Jacob is right there tagging along and has learned quite a few letter sounds himself. He loves sorting and counting toys and lining up his cars.
Here is our little school room this year, although so much learning takes place outside this room. Abi prefers to do her work on the couch. We often do Bible time and science projects upstairs in the dining room. Leah sometimes goes off on her own. Still, I love having a place we can all gather together that feels like a special school only place!
Here are some of the things we worked on this summer. Even though we don't do a formal school schedule over the summer, I do like to do some science when we can, and of course I always count field trips as educational opportunities.
We learned about plants, a little from books, but mostly from working in our garden. We also put some seeds in jars to see how they would germinate and grow indoors.
We made edible flowers in dirt. School you can eat is always the best!
Jacob is using our salt letter box to practice his "writing" in salt!
This past week we visited a cool place closeby that we really didn't even know existed. It is a working Morgan Horse farm. Until then I didn't even know what a Morgan horse was, but apparently they are a special breed that is known for their unique stance and walk. They can also be bred with any other horse and still maintain these unique qualities that make them work harder than many other breeds. The farm in Middlebury is the oldest continuously breeding Morgan horse farm in the world. They let us touch the horses and see how they train one to be ready to sell or ride.
Another fun school activity which I probably enjoy more than the kids is hikes. The "trail" by our house isn't really considered a hike, but its within walking distance so we use it for nature lessons and we went recently to look for different types of leaves.
