For Drake, this year has been far more full than any other. He's nine and in third grade. I suppose it stands to reason that as you get older and can do more, more is expected. I feel like I'm finally "hitting my stride" or however that goes when it comes to teaching Drake. A number of factors made the first year or two of homeschooling a bit rocky. Drake is the first; he doesn't have an older sibling to emulate. Drake is also on the, um, free-spirited side, shall we say. ;) He hasn't really ever showed an interest in academics on his own, but would love to be allowed to talk to people and play imaginatively all day, every day. (He'd be a bad candidate for unschooling!) He also wasn't homeschooled completely "from scratch", and I think that also took us backwards a bit.
But this year feels different. For one thing, I feel that I finally have Drake's full respect and cooperation as his teaching parent. For another, his reading fluency and comprehension have taken off and now are solidly at his grade level, and advancing quickly! Mostly, it just seems there's been a shift, perhaps an advancement in maturity, that allows us to do more in a day before hitting maximum mental capacity.
This is what a typical school day looks like for us:
As much as I would like to change this part, I rarely seem to get going with formal schooling before about 9am. But at least we have breakfast, relax a bit, get our teeth brushed, get dressed, and make beds before then! Drake is naturally an early bird. Levi and I are not. In my mind's eye, I envision that progress in starting earlier will probably need to be made in order to maximize Drake's effectiveness/efficiency and my ability to teach many subjects to two different ages in a few years. But anyway...
About 9am (*sigh*) we usually head downstairs to our school area in the basement family room. First we have devotions - right now, we're reading through Leading Little Ones to God, which I'm really enjoying. It's probably written for a child about halfway between the ages of my kids, so it works out - a little on the "review" side for Drake, but definitely in a good way - and some of it is over Levi's head, but he's still learning quite a lot!
Then we work on Drake's Awana verses, although more and more I've been delegating this to him or working with him later in the day on it. Then we can jump right into language arts after devotions. During Drake's school time in the morning, Levi bounces around from one activity to the next, but pretty much stays downstairs with us. Sometimes he sits at the table and works in preschool workbooks, but lots of times he plays with Playmobil, army men, stickers, playdough, paper airplanes, bouncy balls, math manipulatives, craft stuff, puzzles, the balance scale... etc.... etc. Often he makes messes and doesn't want to clean them up. Frequently he interrupts or wants attention and comes to sit in my lap. That's okay. He is learning that the world doesn't revolve around him, he's learning self-control (not sneaking off and making the really BIG messes, because then he gets in really BIG trouble!), and he's soaking up a lot of academics in the process.
Next is spelling. We are using All About Spelling with Drake this year, and truly, I wish I'd started it earlier. MUCH earlier. Drake's reading and spelling are improving by leaps and bounds with this very rule-based spelling method. (Orton-Gillingham based, specifically.) He is not a natural speller, but is becoming much more proficient as he "takes out" words and word families, rule by rule. Spelling always just made sense to me. I never knew why words are spelled the way they're spelled, I just knew how to spell them! Now I am learning why. I'm blown away now by how orderly the English language really is! So many words that I thought "broke the rules" really don't break them at all. There are just a lot of rules, and I didn't learn them all. So this is definitely a great program for a kid like Drake, and a huge improvement over what we've used for spelling in the past, which felt more like spinning our wheels.
After spelling, we do writing. We're using Writing with Ease, Level 3. This is the third year of a four-year writing program which relies mostly on copywork, narration, and dictation to teach a student to easily summarize and identify main ideas, hold long thoughts or passages in his mind, and write them on paper in a well-organized manner. This is an explanation for anyone really interested in the whys of teaching writing the way we're doing it, as opposed to more common, creative-writing-based methods. (WWE uses passages from classic children's literature to teach writing, so twice a week Drake reads aloud to me as part of this program, as well. I don't typically have him read aloud to me outside of those passages, but I probably should be doing that more frequently.)
After writing, we do grammar. We're using First Language Lessons, Level 3. Again, really loving this program. Drake has memorized quite a few poems, as well as many grammar rules, definitions of all the basic parts of speech, and long lists of certain parts of speech which are better to just "know" than to have to figure out from a definition. For example, we have a prepositions chant, a helping verbs chant, etc., and even Levi comes running and joins in when we practice them! This year Drake has begun diagramming sentences. I am enthralled with this latest development, and I'm learning along with him, because that's something I never learned in school. (Most of my English grammar knowledge comes from learning Spanish.) In case you're wondering, the purpose of studying English grammar formally is basically to increase proficiency in writing and to aid in the study of foreign languages. (More thoughts here.)
After grammar, I assign a page of cursive handwriting practice (we are almost done learning cursive, finally!) and a page from our phonics workbook (MCP Phonics, Level C) that is good for all-around language arts practice and review (phonics rules, a little spelling, reading comprehension, syllabication, using prefixes/suffixes, etc). I put both of these pages on a clipboard for Drake to complete on his own time after lunch.
Then we usually have a snack. :)
Then we tackle math. Which usually isn't very difficult. Drake is naturally a mathematical thinker, which is a huge blessing to me (because I'm not)! We use - and truly love - Singapore Math, as it's usually called. (Check out that last link if you want to know the benefits of this method - the short version is that it emphasizes mathematical reasoning over memorization of formulas/algorithms and that it masters one topic before proceeding to the next one, rather than "spiraling" with constant review.) Primary Mathematics is the true name of Singapore's first through sixth grade curriculum. This is Textbook 3A (that we just finished) and Textbook 3B that we're starting for the second semester. There are also a student workbook and a home instructor's guide that accompany each textbook.
So our "math time" could look different, depending on what's being taught. If it's a new or confusing concept, we work through it with manipulatives (counters, pop cubes, or a base-ten set), then with pictures in the textbook, then with numerals. (Concrete - pictorial - abstract.) Usually though, we just read the textbook, do some sample problems, and that's it for math time. Drake gets a workbook exercise assigned for his independent work time in the afternoon (usually two to three pages) and often a "Mental Math" worksheet to practice basic operations in his head.
At this point, it could be nearing lunchtime. Or maybe we have enough time to squeeze in some history. If we're really on a roll, maybe we can do history and science before lunch.
For history, we use The Mystery of History. This year we are in Vol. III: The Renaissance, Reformation, and Growth of Nations. I could go on and on about this one - we really love it. Ever since we started Vol. I in first grade, Drake has said that history is his favorite subject. He loves the way the lessons tell a story and weave familiar Bible stories and the stories heroes of the Christian faith into all the rest of history. (Which is, of course, how it actually happened, but we're not accustomed to thinking that way!) I have learned so much from these books - they are truly fascinating! For more info on the series, click on the links above.
So when it's history time, I read the lesson out loud (usually four to six full-sized pages of fairly small print). Meanwhile, Drake colors a figure for our history timeline on the wall and then draws a picture on the blank side of a 5x7 index card of anything he wants that corresponds to the lesson or will help him remember the lesson. After I'm done reading, we talk about the main ideas we learned about that specific person or event, and then write a brief summary of the lesson on the lined side of his picture index card. (I write the summary. He gives a narration or we come up with it together if he's already done narration in writing or grammar and his brain is getting fried.) The picture card gets filed in a small binder for him to look through or mix up and put back in order for periodic review. The MOH text has all kinds of cool ideas for projects and additional assignments, but sadly, we rarely do any. He seems to understand and remember history fairly well without them, and our school days are so full as it is. I like having the timeline and the picture cards for review.
Science. I probably should have mentioned this earlier in the post, as it's kind of an important detail - but we're loosely following the classical method of education. The classical method teaches a lot of things in specific ways, dividing education into three major "stages" - grammar, logic, and rhetoric. (Read the link above for more info.) History is learned in order and repeated in cycles every four years. Science is learned in four parts and repeated as well: biology, earth and space science, chemistry, and physics. We devote one year to the study of each in a four-year rotation. But science is the subject that, honestly, is my least favorite. Drake likes it pretty well, and really, he'd probably like it a lot more if we did more experiments and things. We do some. I try to act enthusiastic. ;)
Science is also the subject I've had the hardest time settling on a curriculum for. We haven't used the same series for more than one year. The program we're using this year is called God's Design for Science (specifically, the Chemistry and Ecology books), and I think it's probably about the best we can do...for a mama who doesn't love science experiments! It actually has quite a few of them, but most are pretty simple and we don't do them all. A program with no experiments is not going to keep a kid's interest, and a program with too many time-consuming experiments is going to get seriously chopped (by me!) or abandoned altogether. I envision someday that Drake could participate in a co-op or something and get some more "cool" science in that way. Also, when he's older (more self-educating, with spelling, phonics, and grammar mostly under his belt), perhaps science could be pursued more fully.
In the meantime, we're doing a science lesson (almost) every school day, and the occasional experiment. As far as science curricula go, I do like this one, and I'm learning a lot too. We will probably use the Physics books by the same company next year.
Okay, so if lunch hasn't been eaten by this point, it's probably 12:30 and the kids are about to mutiny. Off to make lunch. Drake gets a wiggle break and Levi comes upstairs to "help" make lunch. ;)
Lunch is consumed.
After lunch, Drake usually tries to convince me that he needs to do _____ instead of finishing his schoolwork. I usually tell him "too bad". Occasionally, he gets another little break after lunch, but I've found that letting him take very many breaks usually makes it all the harder to concentrate when he comes back. (I know, that sounds contrary to logic, but it's really true for him.) The earlier in the day he can finish his work, the quicker - and better - it gets done. And then it's not hanging over his head, either.
So after lunch, Drake does cursive, phonics, and math. He also practices piano (or I give him a lesson if he's ready for one) and does timed math fact practice on the computer for about 10 minutes with XtraMath.org. Then, ideally, he reads for at least 30 minutes. I say ideally because it doesn't always happen. We're working on this. There are occasional days when he reads for a couple of hours on his own and days where he doesn't read at all, outside of his schoolwork. Trying to be more consistent with this.
The flip side is that during this afternoon independent work time for Drake, I'm now doing kindergarten stuff with Levi. Levi will be five next month, and he seems to be "wired" for academics. We're working through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Seriously cheesy title. And they lie - the lessons are not so "easy"! ;) But the content is good. We are on Lesson 44 now, and we've had to slow down, often repeating lessons or supplementing with other books, but he's making progress! Since the beginning of December, Levi has also been working on handwriting (Pentime 1), phonics (MCP Phonics), and a math workbook (Liberty Mathematics). We are planning to start him in Singapore 1A at some point, probably within the next year, but we didn't want to buy the expensive Singapore kindergarten curriculum. :) And really, there's not much that must be mastered before Singapore 1A, but I know 1A will progress too quickly for Levi to start now, so that's why we're using the Liberty Mathematics workbook - just some practice writing numbers and getting used to concepts before starting first grade math. I could talk some more about Levi and school, and I probably will at some point...but not in this post.
And I mentioned Awana. Both boys are in Awana, Drake in T&T and Levi in Cubbies. Both play baseball (in the spring). Both will be taking that art class this spring that Drake has taken for the past two years and loved. Drake is also involved in 4-H this year, and is doing one "project" (really more like a class) as an independent study, called Wildlife Conservation I. He's also doing three shooting projects for 4-H: air rifle, archery, and BB gun. He had eight weeks of air rifle shooting this fall, he's just started eight weeks of archery in January/February, and he'll do eight weeks of BB gun this spring. We go to the library every two weeks, and roller skating with the local homeschool group about once a month. I'm thinking of having both boys take swimming lessons this winter if we can manage it. Levi, especially, should really have them.
So life is busy, but good! We get plenty of family time, and we take lots of days off when Adam is home. :) We (almost always) read aloud before bed, picture books for Levi and a chapter or two in our current read-aloud for Drake. Sometimes we read aloud earlier in the evening, too, just for fun.
I would say that this year, we're pretty much on track to accomplish what we planned, Lord willing. I have curriculum decisions to make for Drake next year in science and history, and I'm thinking about a foreign language. That whole foreign language thing might mean I'm crazy. And I'll probably wait until Drake is in at least fifth grade. But aside from when to begin teaching a foreign language, I also have to decide between Spanish and Latin (at least which one to teach first). But that's fodder for another post. This one is more than long enough!
So that's what life - through the lens of school - looks like right now.
