Our Homeschool Day

For those of you who may be interested in what our home school day is like, I will tell you what we typically do. This is only my second full year doing this, so we are still adjusting to suit our family. I'm beginning to think it is a constant state of adjustment!

• We are using a Unit Study approach/curriculum for History, Science, Literature, & Fine Arts. Health is also covered in Science. Logan and Hailey (& Corbin) do all of these subjects together. We studied Egypt our first 6 weeks; Corbin can even point out and name the Pharaoh, a mummy, Egyptians, and a pyramid. He and the older two have built block cities based on Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and now Ancient Rome. We always locate the country on our world map. They have hand-drawn maps of the countries, labeling and colored each. We created a diorama of Egypt/The Nile with clay, dirt, sticks, etc. As a side, we have also begun reading The American Adventure series. This is a wonderful series of historical fiction, written from a Christian perspective! The kids absolutely adore them, and always groan when we have to end for the day. We read these before bed, so they aren't actually 'school', but they are still learning a lot about our early history as a country. One of my loves is History, so I'm having a blast with them too. We will be doing some book reports and possibly a Lapbook for some of these books as we read them.
• In Science/Health we've studied deserts and desert life, the body and its systems, first aid, nutrition, teeth, and are focusing on rocks; minerals; volcanoes; fossils in our current unit.
• We have read some excellent literature this year. We read The Golden Goblet, The Bible, and are now reading The Bronze Bow. So far, they seem to enjoy all of it. The selections are meant for 4-8 grade students, so Hailey doesn't always understand what answer is wanted for the questions asked, but she remembers events from the stories pretty well. And all of them have learned to sit longer and listen for enjoyment. Picture books used to be a BIG thing with Hailey, especially. We all still love the picture books, don't get me wrong, but now Hailey says, "I like to close my eyes while you read so I can imagine." Just what reading is all about! :)
• We've done various art projects: the diorama I mentioned, a frieze, gold medals and olive wreaths for the 'Olympics', clay animals just for fun, etc.
• In Math, Logan and Hailey are using different curricula. We were given a copy of Saxon 54 from a dear friend in Florida before we left for New York. This is what Logan is using, as it is for his 4th grade level. He is doing well with it. He is learning multiplication and division, as well as reviewing his addition, subtraction, word problems, and working with money. Hailey is excelling with Horizons Math 2, which is the 2nd grade level. She has also been working on solidifying her addition and subtraction facts, and has begun learning her 0, 1, 10, and 5 multiplication facts. This curriculum requires more hands-on from me, but she is doing so well with it I don't mind. She is beginning to work with money, as well. Corbin is working on counting to 20; he always wants to count everything from green beans on his plate, to the number of worksheets for his 'school work', to how many cars he is playing with. We are beginning to ask him questions, using objects such as grapes during snack, like what is 2 + 3 while pointing to the groups of 2 and 3. He is catching on very well!
• Both of the older children have their own Language Arts programs. These include spelling, reading aloud, writing, reading comprehension, grammar, etc. Logan has always been a stong reader. We are working on improving his handwriting, writing skills, and spelling. He has a good grasp on comprehension, grammar, and reading aloud. He also keeps a book list of books that he has read on his own this year. He's read 15 books since we began school in August! :) Hailey has improved greatly in her reading skills. We still make sure she reads aloud every day. We are focusing more on her spelling now, as well as her reading comprehension. She's learning about punctuation and such in her program. Both kids occasionally write in their journals, either something of their choice or something I assign.

So, this is our typical day! Our older kids have a 'camp' for homeschoolers that they do on Wednesdays, so those days are usually shortened. And of course if we have to run errands or if Daddy is home we do less academics and more creative learning on those days. I hope you've enjoyed reading about our day; I've certainly enjoyed writing it all down!