January ’12 Homeschool Highlights

With all the popularity of my green smoothie and natural hair journey posts, along with my own preoccupation with a new year and new refreshed attitude, I’ve missed the opportunity to blog about the reason I started a blog—homeschooling!

There were a number of planning activities that I wanted to accomplish during the Christmas break:

1. Updating of planners for all three kids
2. Update/ print high school transcripts for the older kids
3. Develop 2^nd semester economics lesson plans
4. Make significant progress on the high school curriculum
5. Review science curriculum and secure all needed resources
6. Secure all resources for 2^nd semester’s composer study

Most of these plans fell by the wayside, although I did complete ^#s 1 (for two kids, not three), and ^#4 (though significant is relative).   What I did primarily is rest.   Though I’m now upset that I didn’t have more boxes checked on my “to do” list, I know that I just needed a break, and that’s what I got.

Given all the items that didn’t fall in line, we are actually are in a good place.  (There’s a lesson about what can happen when you don’t plan in there somewhere).    Here are some highlights of our semester so far:

• We are slowly moving into the early American years, while still focusing on the rest of the world as well, with both girls at different levels, obviously.   We completed our read-aloud, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, but as we learned more about Dickens and his writing style thanks to Invitation to the Classics, the kids actually looked forward to delving into more of his work.  Besides, I’ve not seen the day yet when the kids turned down the chance to watch television for school (smile).   First, we watched “Great Expectations,” then “David Copperfield.”    What I loved most was hearing all of their conversation, first with one another, then with me, regarding their thoughts on the stories, and on Dickens.   It was the rare Socratic dialogue that is a homeschool parent’s dream.   Not to be outdone, the youngest is watching the Bee Movie and a little Magic School Bus as we discuss bees and ants as social insects.
• The oldest is tackling new challenges with an online modality for one of her college courses.   But in the meantime, our school began a week before the local community college.   The end result was that, for a number of days, she had very little to do.   In addition, I ordered her science materials later than planned (the last of what I needed just arrived yesterday), so she had a lot of time on her hands—so much that she actually thanked me for such light days.   I suppose I could have basked in the glow of her gratitude, but I went for the teachable moment instead, talking with her about time management, and getting ahead when you have the opportunity rather than being content to take it easy.
• Speaking of the oldest, we wrapped up chemistry studies, and we are now using Connect the Thoughts to study Meteorology, based upon the oldest’s interests.    Our journey through science—the fits and (mostly) misfits, given a child who genuinely enjoys science—is a post all its own.   I plan to write it soon.
• It’s our son’s turn to travel through Homer’s Odyssey.   Greek mythology is one of his passions, and it occurs to me in reading through this now for the 2^nd time how much difference the audience makes.

Not too many years ago, I would have been far too flustered to even write that I had this many holes in my preparation and to be sure, it’s not the norm for me.    But experience has taught me that if I have enough raw materials to get the kids going, they will craft marvelously their own learning, and that’s what school at home is really all about, right?    Praise God for growth, and for the ability to have faith in a plan and a process that isn’t always my own.

At some point, we’re going to learn about Chopin, but in the meantime, homeschool is grand.