The Man Crew 2012-2013 Homeschooling Update

Homeschooling Overview for 2012-2013 School Year

Hi friends! Just a little update now that school is in full swing this year. While we continue to home school, we remember it's a journey, not a destination so we revise our plans a bit each year depending on work circumstances, the boys' ability to work alone or in pairs, where we need to work harder, whether a particular curriculum is meeting our needs, etc. Plus, we pray like crazy over it and ask the Lord to fill the gaps, as there are sure to be some along the way.
So let's cover a few things that are the same as last year, then we will mention a few new things for this school year.
SAME~
*Same curriculum for all. D is using Blessed is the Man, an independent unit study approach that allows him much freedom in choosing his own assignments, but that keeps him focused on the Lord and his education. P is working through what will be his last year in MFW and is using the Creation to the Greeks set. DT is enjoying MFW as well and even though he's officially in second grade, we're re-doing last years 1st grade to reinforce some concepts that he's still struggling with in phonics.
*Same scheduling time blocks as last year. D and P work independently in the mornings while I work one on one with DT. Then in the afternoon, DT rests/plays quietly and I work with D and P.
*We have the same goals as well. We want our boys to have a firm foundation not only in the basics of education but to be well grounded in the Bible, character traits and loving their neighbors.
A few things that are NOT the SAME~
*We are not following the same pattern of working like crazy forever and a day, and then taking a super long break during the holidays. While we've enjoyed this routine and it was most definitely a must while I was working nights at Kohl's, I don't work at night anymore and the break was too long and allowed us to get too far off track in our studies and out of the good study habits we'd been working on so long. So this year, we are following a 6 weeks on/1 week off routine that allows us plenty of wiggle room when we need it, keeps us from getting burnt out on school before having a break, and doesn't let our good habits slip during the breaks.
*We've also returned to a 5 day school week, whether Dan is working 4 day weeks or not. The boys are old enough now to focus on school even when Dan is home :) And it gives us a little wiggle room for when we want to join our friends at the park for a picnic and some free time. DT's curriculum calls for one day of exploring nature, so he takes along his microscope and digs for bugs, leaves and such while he's playing.
*My parents will be joining us for the winter months. From early December until late April/early May, so we are really looking forward to that. My mom is already chomping at the bit to dig in and do school with the boys and has spent hours scouring books and Internet sites looking for fun learning activities. It will be such a treat for us to have them with us!
*D and P have added Apologia Science to their studies and are enjoying the experiments already. They are also working on their cooperative skills since I am asking them to work through everything together.
*DT has added tutoring to his repertoire of activities and enjoys his few hours with Aunt Jodi's office each week.
*We enjoyed our first ever home school Co-Op this fall and while P balked at the change in routine (he's such a homebody at times) I think P and DT enjoyed it. D opted out for the fall session. I have already signed up for the spring session and am looking forward to it very much.
*Last but decidedly NOT least in the new category is an actual HOME SCHOOL section in the monthly budget. Since we are nearly done buying curriculum forever (hurray for re-using curriculum) we can afford to spend a little bit each month on a new lapbook, a field trip, some new books, new manipulatives or a day of fun that's home school related instead of using a large chunk of the tax refund to buy new curriculum for all the boys. I'm pretty excited about this! This month's addition was D and P's Apologia curriculum. Next month's purchases will probably be some crafting supplies to make holiday gifts. :)
I think that sums up our school year pretty well. Things are rolling along smoothly most days and we are getting much done. Good stuff!
Blessings, ~K~

How's YOUR School Year Going?

Hi everyone! Just popping through here to say hey and give a quick update about school so far this year.
~Overall, couldn't be happier. It's probably our best school year ever. Everyone is content, there is little complaint about starting school each day, there is not tons of busywork and everyone is enjoying learning.
~David~ He's enjoying his Blessed is the Man curriculum. He likes being able to make so many of his own choices, even on the days that he doesn't like any of the options. This month he's been doing some heavy reading, memorizing the entire first chapter of Genesis and starting his study of Spanish. He's enjoying that so much. He's got it downloaded to his MP3 and he keeps popping in and out of his room to tell me what new word he's learning and how to use it. GOOD STUFF! His practical arts hours and PE hours are already worth a semester of credit each, so he will have no problem fulfilling the requirements there. He's liking it a lot and I am super pleased.
~Patrick~ is going strong with his 2nd year of MFW. There's not much busy work, so he is glad about that. We're doing the teaching textbooks on the computer again and he's thrilled with the short lessons and no paperwork. We added in art and music this year. He's not sure how he feels about the music yet since we are studying Vivaldi right now, but he is excited about the art part. He's busy reading "Swiss Family Robinson" reading through Genesis and getting his time line going. He still enjoys our map above the dining room table so he can locate things while doing schooling or eating a meal. His new fave place on the map is the "Drake Passage" south of South America since Drake is the name he's chosen for himself since he wants a "D" name, like everyone else. : )
~Derek~ Is enjoying his first year with official curriculum. We're digging into his My Father's World 1st grade set. We've made pottery jars and will be finishing our 'scrolls' tomorrow. He is sounding out short vowel words and starting to recognize some words on his own. He likes Exploration Day, library trips and art. His book basket by his bed is full of 'topic' books or seasonal books and he falls asleep every night while looking at them. It's good. I add a fun game or activity as it applies or sometimes, just for fun. Like today, we found a alphabet game printed on paper leaves, so we played 'leaf gathering' for a while and identified the letters. He is participating in some of Pat's lessons since some of the topics overlap, and that makes him feel BIG.

I guess that's all for now. Just really enjoying this year and glad it's going so well this far. In a few weeks, we'll be taking our break from Thanksgiving until after the new year, but I'm not worried about losing momentum this year. The older 2 are capable of doing so much on their own, Derek's lessons only take about an hour a day and if we add in some reading and educational videos or links on the days that we don't do school, I think all will be well.
So, how is your school year going? Are you loving new curriculum, enjoying an old favorite, still looking for that special set, or making it up as you go along? Share your homeschooling adventures with us!

New School Year Coming UP

Hey ladies, it seems that I stink at keeping up with ANY of my blog lately, so I want to change that. Anyone want to share how this year went, what you are keeping vs what you are changing and what you have planned for next year?? I'll post my list tomorrow when I can think straight. Either leave a reply to this post or make your own post about school. Please and thank you!