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Showing posts with label Back to Homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Back to Homeschool. Show all posts

Friday, August 14, 2015

A Projected Day in the Life of Chestnut Grove Academy for the New School Year#Homeschool #TOSReviewCrew #HSConnect

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I have 4 kids – Ages 9, 6, 4, and 22mos (Grades 4th, 1st, PreK and Tot)

My oldest is the first one up everyday, though he has stopped getting up as early most days (use to be 5am).  He has daily computer school work that he does first thing, after taking the dog out and getting breakfast.

 

Typically Everyday

Well the following morning routine is typical Monday through Friday.  The exceptions would be field trip or co-op days (mentioned below).  I have times listed, but these are more of a general time frame, I’m not a huge stickler for the time. But the closer we stick to the schedule, the better it is for everyone.

0900  - We recently implemented our morning scripture study during breakfast.  It’s one of the few times we are all in one place (well, minus hubby, so we do it again at night.  This also makes it a little more fool proof, so even if we forget one, we still get in one study a day!).  I also read a story from The Friend magazine (a church magazine subscription for kids).  This has seriously CHANGED our homeschool!  I notice such a HUGE (and not good) difference on days we don’t do it!  The kids notice too!

930 – We aim to start the school day, sometimes I send C down by himself to get started.  This year I plan to print his daily schedule from Homeschool Planet so he can check off everything (including getting dressed, brushing teeth…stuff he never remembers to do)

1000/1030 – Snack Time (usually, depends on how late we he breakfast)

1030/1100 – I call the other two in to start their school work (they have been having free time)

1230 –  Lunch.  I wish I was inventive for lunch, typically it’s leftovers, PBJ or Mac and Cheese….I tried to get more creative, but I fizzled! 

During lunch or directly after is when I do our read aloud story.    I much prefer audio books, my voice gets tired! If we do Audio I play it during lunch, it helps keep them civilized during lunch time.  By this point I really need a time out period for myself, so I usually step away during lunch. 

This is the most ‘structured’ time of the day, though it’s still subject to change and open to changes any give day!

Now, here is where our routine begins to vary by day-

Monday and Wednesday

1330-1430 –  We are not sure if MMA is going to have a homeschool class again this  year, it depends on interest levels…last year there were only 4 kids, 3 of which were mine.  They enjoyed MMA, but it will save us money if they don’t have it, but I also loose my kid free errand time…. K can get a nap though which is good!

1930 – Monday – Family Home Evening - FHE always has a treat too, so the one night a week we get dessert (unless we also have company, like the missionaries, sometime that week).

 

Tuesday and every other Thursday

These are either a Field Trip Day (though they can happen any day really) or it’s a stay home and chill day.  I’ll put Baby girl down for an afternoon nap so that we can get some art in or play some games.  We will sometimes get some educational TV time in.

1900 - Tuesday – C has Cub Scouts from 7-8p. 

The Other Thursday

0800 – Leave for co-op, co-op is about 45mins away.  I try to leave by 8 in case we get stuck behind a bus or hit some traffic.  We are always early, but it’s better than being late!
0900-1300 – Co-op

Friday

1000 – Leave for swimming
1030-1200 – Swimming – they get 45mins of lessons and 45mins of free swim!  It’s a great set up!

Everyday

1300+ Down time.  C finishes up computer work he may not have finished, kids can watch some educational shows, go outside, play games, etc. K takes a 1-2 hour nap. We don’t usually do any school in the afternoon, I don’t function well in the afternoon, neither does C.  It gets ugly.  Sometimes I’ll just veg for a bit and catch a short show myself. I need to get back into doing my 7min workouts…they really helped!  (note to self)

1630 – Hubby gets home around this time and takes over the kids!  Thank goodness!  This frees me up to do planning, blogging, picking up and getting dinner started!  

1700/1730 – Dinner

FALL TIME – it’s SOCCER season:  Z has practice M and W from 1800-1900, C has practice W and Th from 1800-1930 and c has practice on Saturdays.  They all have games on Saturday.  This is were we need to get inventive…. Wednesday’s are hard b/c practice is at two different locations, Saturdays…well, once the schedule comes out we will have a better idea how that will work.

1830/1900 – Baths – Hubby has bath duty! 

1930 – Scriptures, Prayer, Stories and Bedtime, Hubby’s job as well!  (Though Scriptures and Prayer is as a family)

I spend the rest of the evening cleaning up, blogging, planning and setting up for the next school day. Setting up for next day consists of making copies I may need (if I didn’t already) and making sure their workboxes are ready to go! Each week I fill in the lessons on Homeschool Planet, each night I update them and print the next days schedule. Hubby exercises and we take turns doing dishes, depends on how much I have to get done.

I typically head to bed around 2200 and read for a bit.  Asleep by 2300. Then it begins again the next day! 

So that is a typical week.  Some times we get a few curve balls thrown at us and change things up. For instance, If we miss one of the martial arts day time classes because of a field trip, we can pick up a Thursday night. 

Chores:  I don’t have a specific chore time scheduled, I know some people do.  It’s on ‘as needed’ basis.  If the dishwasher is full, I’ll ask someone to empty it.  If I need to wash the boy’s laundry, I’ll ask someone to take it down.  The kids do have chores and are expected to help out when needed.  They are paid for ‘some’ chores, though other chores are considered responsibilities as part of the family. 

How do I keep it all straight? This year I am using Homeschool Planet and I always set the alarm on my phone!  I set it to go off about 15mins BEFORE we are suppose to leave,so that we have time to get ready to go.  If I don’t, I forget things! 

Schedule of Subjects:  Because we really only maintain a 3/4 days a week of school schedule our daily school agenda varies.  I’m still working out kinks to make sure we cover everything. But here is the plan for my 4th grader: 

5 days a week:  Computer work:  Math, Chinese, Grammar IXL, Scriptures, Handwriting

3 days a week:  Computer work:  History, Star Toaster, Writing

2 days a week:  Computer work:  Vocabulary, Grammar, Spelling

One day a week:  Science, History, Art/Music (every other week), Field Trip

*The one day a week items will most likely be incorporated throughout the week via educational shows, hands on activities, books, etc….  The actual lesson for each week will only take place once a week however. 

Co-op:  Every other Thursday: 

c – Health, Story Time and Dramatic Play
Z – Health, Lego Engineering and Animals and Continents
C – Maps, George Washington and Experiments with Lights

For my younger kids we will have Math, Reading every day in some capacity and Handwriting every school day. 

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Here is a screenshot of our first week of school for the new school year with Homeschool Planet.  It still needs to be tweaked a bit, I do that the start of each week! 

So that’s our Day/Week in a nutshell! 

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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Through the Eyes of the Student–Meet My Students #Homeschool #TOSReviewCrew #HSConnect with #Free Printable Student Survey

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C – 4th grade, will be 9 on the 18th

When I grow up I want to be: A video game tester
Favorite Color: Rainbow
Favorite Snack: Nutella to Go
Favorite Cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Favorite book: Minecraft books
Favorite holiday: My birthday
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite game: Lord of the Rings Risk
Favorite hobby: LEGO
Favorite thing about homeschooling: Takes less time
Favorite subject: Star Toaster
3 words that describe me: Happy, Fun and Skillful
Something I’m good at: Shooting

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Z – 1st Grade, 6years old

When I grow up I want to be: ??
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Snack: Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Favorite Cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Favorite book: Star Wars books
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite game: Axis & Allies
Favorite hobby: Soccer
Favorite thing about homeschooling: Playing games
Favorite subject: Star Wars
3 words that describe me: happy, sad, glad
Something I’m good at: Soccer

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c – PreK, 4years old (5 in November)

When I grow up I want to be: Pizza hut worker
Favorite Color: blue & green
Favorite Snack: Peanut Butter crackers
Favorite Cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Favorite book: Star Wars books
Favorite holiday: Halloween
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite game: Lord of the Rings Risk
Favorite hobby: Soccer
Favorite thing about homeschooling: Animal Workboxes
Favorite subject: animals
3 words that describe me: (per me) Silly, Fun and Loveable
Something I’m good at: soccer

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K – she’ll be 2 in October

(filled out by me)
Favorite Color: pink
Favorite Snack: fruit
Favorite Cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Favorite book: Curious George books
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Favorite food: fruit
Favorite game: Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Favorite hobby: watching Curious George
Favorite thing about homeschooling: getting into things!
Favorite subject: Playdough and stickers
3 words that describe me: Dramatic, Silly and Entertaining
Something I’m good at: Giving hugs and kisses

JUST UPDATED THIS PRINTABLE FOR 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR!!
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You can download yours by subscribing to my newsletter

Throwback from last year!

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Our Homeschool Room #Homeschool #TOSReviewCrew #HSConnect

Homeschool Room

In all seriousness my homeschool room is in complete disarray!  I usually have it well organized before the new year, but with 4 kids, one of which is a tot that is into EVERYTHING, I have a hard time keeping things organized these days!  Ugh! 

So here is the room in all of it’s glory (NOT!)

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Just outside the schoolroom is the play room (I managed to cut out most of the toys all over the floor!)

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and the TV area/book shelves on the other side of the room

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I REALLY need to get it more organized down there!  I just can’t bring myself to do it, even in all my OCD tendencies, I think I’ve just completely given up hope!  ha!

It’s turned into piles, piles and  more piles!  I ordered a bunch of containers and items to make tot boxes for K….they are in piles.  I think it all boils down to having a serious book/curriculum/materials hoarding addiction!!  Anyone else with me???

We moved the white desk out b/c it didn’t function as I had hoped, it’s now in the toy room housing the keyboard….it’s also where I send kids that need to work away from the rest of the group (either they can’t concentrate, or the other kids are bothering them somehow).  The table can seat 4 around it, plus there is another desk in the school room for sitting.

The shelves in the school room house current curriculum items/books….the shelves out of the room hold all other books.  I would like to start rotating books but I’m torn about it.  I think we have too many, and they typically only have a few favorites they read most frequently anyhow.  This will be a future project.  I just got rid of a bunch of baby clothes, which freed up some bins I could use. 

The workboxes still work well for us, they are not going anywhere!  The cabinets have been filled with junk that I need to sort through also.  My husband also says I have a container addiction, I need containers for my containers.  HA!  Maybe so.  I use to be so organized and neat….see what children have done to me!

Anyhow, I thought you guys might appreciate a REAL look at our school room.  I did have it organized and neat at one point. Maybe some day I will again!?!?

Problem is I have 3 boys in one bedroom, and hubby and I were discussing how to arrange them, we may need that room downstairs… oh where or where will we put everything???  Sigh! 

I’ll be sure to post pictures if/when I get it together…..but I’m not promising anything any time soon! 

Back-to-Homeschool-Blog-Hop

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Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Our Curriculum Choices for 2015-2016 #Homeschool #TOSReviewCrew #HSConnect

Our Curriculum

So this coming school year we will have PreK (5 in November), 1st grade and 4th grade, and a tiny tot! 

It’s hard to believe this will be my 5th ‘official’ year of homeschooling!  Time flies!

So we’ve decided on the following: (*indicates it will be done together, all ages)

4th Grade:

Writing:  IEW we will finish with the current program and also begin using Medieval Based Writing Lessons

Grammar: Continuing with Fix It Grammar by IEW and IXL (See our review)

*History:  Pandia Press History Odyssey Middle Ages Level 1 and Veritas Press online self-paced history Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation

Math: CTC Online Math, I really needed him to have something more independent this year.  See our review

*I’m also go off of the Middle Ages theme and using some Sir Cumference living math books!

*Science:  Visual Learning Systems Digital Online Science (focus on Physics and Chemistry).  We will also be using K’NEX Education Simple Machine Kits

Spelling:  All About Spelling, but we are hoping to land a review with Phonetic Zoo from IEW (fingers crossed). 

Chinese:  Rosetta Stone

Handwriting:  Memoria Press New American Cursive (finish up) as well as Draw and Write Through History: The Vikings, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance

*PE:  Mixed Martial Arts, Swimming, Soccer (Fall)

*Music:  We will listen to a wide variety of Music, focusing on the Renaissance Era.  We will also be using Hands On History Activity Pak: Composers

C will read (as part of Music):

*Art:  Completing projects associated with history lessons, focus on Renaissance period artists and architecture. 

*Religion:  C is working on the New Testament.  As a family we have devotional each morning, we sing a Primary song, read from the scriptures (currently Book of Mormon) and we read from The Friend magazine. 

1st Grade:

Math:  Life of Fred, Math Seeds

Reading:  Reading Eggs, Early Readers and Supplemental Activities

Reading Eggs - Free Trial

Handwriting:   Horizons 1st Grade Penmanship Set (Review coming soon), though he is also asking about Cursive, so we may try Memoria Press New American Cursive

Spelling:  I may start spelling this year (but later on) and will use All About Spelling

PRE-K:

Animal Trackers with supplemental activities (get a coupon by downloading my Safari Printable Pack)

He really likes animals, and we need more ABC practice, so I’m also considering Animal ABCs from 1+1+1=1, I think my 2yo would like this as well.  So it would definitely be worth the $10!

Star Wars workbooks for fun

ABC Mouse

AND SOME FUN FOR ALL

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Monday, August 10, 2015

Curriculum Sale!! #Homeschool #TOSReviewCrew #HSConnect

Curriculum Sale

Motivate Your Child book and Action Plan book $25

Happy Phonics, already cut out and organized $25

We Choose Virtues, KJV cards $15   SOLD

Artistic Pursuits K-3 book 1 $30

Memoria Press Astronomy $15

Memoria Press Greek Myths with Greek Myths Story book $20


The Plans I have for you journal and devotional $10

Strong and Kind book and journal $10

Math U See Alpha Teacher and Student Set $40



Memoria Press Poetry $15


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$7
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New $6 each or both for $10
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3 units have been torn out and done, the rest is there and like new.  (the torn out portions are included in case you want to reference them).  We used this for a review.  $50 for both

We LOVE Fix it Grammar!  I ended up with 2 of these…  Book 1 – NEW, you would need to purchase the student copy.  We reviewed this item and still use it! $15
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Like new $8      Review
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Like new $15 
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Like new $5
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Like new $10
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NIP – $8
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Used for a review, it seems that it has now merged with Rosetta Stone.  $30
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all included $75 like new, most of the cards are not even separated.    All About Reading Pre Level

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includes smart tray, like new $15
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$5 each Sonlight Readers Schedule/Guide
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Does not include consumables... $17 for both books. Moving Beyond the Page

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new CD still in wrapper!
$15 for both or $10 each
First Language Lessons Book and CD
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Elemental Science earth science/astronomy classical curriculum core books. $40 most new, the night sky is NLA
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$50 for all see video of my son using the program


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$10, includes CD-ROM

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Times Tales $15, Time & Money $5
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$20 guide with Your Story Hour CD's (not pictured), missing CD 1
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Moving Beyond the Page (L)Magnetism & Electricity, $15 for both books, have most experiment items will sell for $25 additional.
(R)Ben and Me $20, with kite kit and novel (not pictured)

$6 Opened, but NEW in box.

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$5, new
Funtastic Unit Studies_zpsljdy1cy8
$10, Like new.  Used for a review.
Postage is an additional cost, payment accepted via paypal to jqaltman(at)yahoo(dot)com.  All items are new or like new condition, unless otherwise indicated.  Feel free to comment or email with questions.
Back-to-Homeschool-Blog-Hop[5]

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