As I was reading blogs on homeschooling and searching for moms that had children the same age as mine, I found it SO helpful when they told me {in as much detail as they could} how their day went, what curriculum they used, how they schooled children that were different ages, etc. So, that's what this post is--what our day looks like in the schoolroom from start to finish! I also included several books/resources we're using that I'm totally loving :)
A few small changes since my, "Well, It Looks Good on Paper" post!
8:30 - 9:00 Isaiah: Math-U-See Beta
Elijah: abcmouse.com {I love this resource!}
9:00 - 9:30 Bible/History/Geography
{Simply Charlotte Mason curriculum}
{both boys}
9:30 - 10:00 Enrichment Studies
{Mon: artist study, Wed: composer study, Thurs: poetry, Fri: art}
{both boys}
10:00 - 10:30 Read Aloud
{right now we're reading The Little House on the Prairie}
{both boys}
10:30 - 11:00 Isaiah: Copywork, 20 minutes of silent reading
1 on 1 with Elijah: Reading/Handwriting {Delightful Reading} & Math
{Math-U-See Primer}
*** Science is done on Tuesday's & Thursdays. Tuesday's we read out of the Burgess Animal Book for Children from 9:30 - 9:45 and Thursdays we do our Nature Study and Nature Journaling after we're done with everything else for the school day. This gives us the freedom to leave the house for a while {go to nature trails, ponds, etc...)and not have to come back and "finish school." ***
Ok, so here are some books/resources that I've loved so far this year...you know, the whole week and a half that we've been homeschooling :o)
This is the copybook reader Isaiah uses. It reinforces reading, handwriting and grammar. This little book is so precious. Right now he's copying a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander entitled, "All Things Bright and Beautiful." Here's a little sample of it:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
This is one of the chapter books Isaiah is reading for his silent reading time. It's written by Milly Howard. It's a cute book for little boys :) He read, "On Yonder Mountain" last year in first grade and LOVED it so I thought I'd stick with the same author for his first few chapter books this year.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson is one of the poets we're studying this year. The introduction of the book is his biography. I'm breaking the biography up into five sections because it's pretty long. We read the first poem last week and the boys weren't sure about it :o) Maybe it had something to do with it being titled, "The Mermaid." Hopefully they'll like the next poem better...it's about an owl!!!
Our school year is broken into three terms {each term is 12 wks.} We study a different artist every term. Right now we're studying Rembrandt. We change the painting we're studying every two weeks. So we'll end up studying six paintings per term. I use the Picture Study portfolios that you can purchase on the Simply Charlotte Mason website and I LOVE THEM! They come with twelve laminated paintings and a small book with the painters biography and details about each painting, when it was painted, etc. It's such a great resource. I also purchased this book by Usborne that I really like--just some additional information, pictures, etc.
Same thing goes for composers during our school year. We study one composer every term. This consists of reading about the composers life {I really like The World of Composers books} and listening to their music during our school day, during dinner, through-out the day....whenever. I like to play it during our quiet reading time--it's relaxing for everyone :)
This is one of the books that I'm using for Science. This book is considered a "living book." Living books are quality literature (can be either fiction or non-fiction) written by an author that has a passion for the topic. The writers passion and expertise breathes life into the book. Living books engage the mind of a child and give them characters they can look up to and emulate. We started reading The Burgess Animal Book for Children today and the boys looooved it--I did too! Can't wait to get all of the Burgess books!
These are the boys art books. Barry Stebbing is amazing. The books offer beginning drawing, art history and beginning painting to name a few. One thing I like about Elijah's book {Baby Lambs} is that many of the projects include puzzles, math, the alphabet and stories along with drawing and colors!
And this is how I organize it all :o) Isaiah has the top shelf and Elijah has the middle shelf. The bottom shelf is subjects that they do together {mainly Bible, History and Geography} and most of their enrichment studies {artists, composers, poets and their art books.}
Well, there you have it--our life from 8:30-11:00 Monday through Friday :o) So far this schedule has worked out great for us...so excited about that!
I still can't believe I'm actually doing this, sweet friends. This is definitely a time in my life that I wake up everyday acknowledging that every last ounce of this is Christ in me. Some days as the boys are working quietly on schoolwork I think to myself, "who AM I????" As so many of you already know, the thought of me teaching our boys was just
waaaaay outside my comfy little box I'd made for myself. But, it has proven to be one of the greatest joys in life yet. Step out on faith today, believer. Do something that requires your
FAITH to be bigger than your
FEAR.
{2 Corinthians 9:8}
Here's to another week and a half of happy homeschooling!
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