Where we school

Lots of blogs I follow have been posting school room pictures lately.  I love to look through them all for ideas and inspiration.  While I don't have a specific room for schooling I thought I'd share the areas where we work.  :)

Our Kitchen Island

Dining Room Table

Kitchen Table

This is technically the playroom but it's 

where the bulk of our HSing stuff has ended up.

Bookshelf w/curriculum 

Bins are full of art supplies & library books

Hallway into the dining room.

We don't have a ton of open wall space so we're

taking advantage of what we do have!

Michael Clay Thompson = Love

On the recommendation of many many people I decided to go with Michael Clay Thompson's Grammar Island.  http://www.rfwp.com/series3.htm  After much trepidation about how to schedule this book I decided just to dive in on Wednesday and start reading it and boy am I glad I did!  The kids have learned so much in just 2 days.  The way he explains grammar and how words work together is phenomenal.  I am so excited to have found this program and am now off to look at his entire Language Arts curriculum as I am pretty disappointed in WWE.  (but that's a different post altogether)

Our Week in Review 8/23 - 8/27

We had a successful week 2.  Dad is substitute teaching tomorrow morning while I'm at work, can't wait to hear how that goes.  :)

 

Making Cuneiform tablets

Planting red pepper seeds

Allie getting in on the action :)

Making our model of the Nile river.  1st we created the shape of the river.

Then we lined the river with foil.

We put rocks in the river and sprinkled grass seed.

Finally we flooded the Nile, which we'll do once a week. 

Hopefully in a few weeks we'll see our grass start to grow!

Our Day at the Museum

I have lived within day trip distance of Washington DC my entire life but have only been there a handful of times.  When Shawn suggested we take the kids I thought it was a great idea.  Mam Mom and Granddaddy went along too.  We visited the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Air & Space Museum.  It was a HOT day with a lot of walking but we all had a good time and are already thinking about when we want to go back to do a monument tour.

The Washington Monument

Megan trying to kiss the T-Rex

Learning about minerals

Touching a piece of Mars

The First Farmers, they were very excited to see this.

The heart weighing ceremony, Megan schooled us all on the story behind this ceremony.

I was very proud! :)

Checking out the space suit.

All he kept saying was "I can't wait to get to Jupiter"

Our Curriculum

I started off thinking that I needed a boxed curriculum where everything was laid out for me which is what led me to order Sonlight. After using it for a few weeks over the summer I realized that while I liked not having to do the scheduling work and Megan liked all the reading, Michael did not and was fighting me at every turn. As much as I wanted it to be what worked it didn't so back it went. That left me wondering what to use. I knew what I wanted to teach but wasn't sure how to accomplish it. Here's what I came up with. I've included links if you'd like to check them out. As our year progresses I'll review how these things are working for us so check back for updates.


History - Story of the World 1, the Activity Guide, and tons of great books from the library thanks to many recommendations of the WTM group - http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/history-and-geography/story-of-the-world/volume-1-ancient-times.html

Math - Horizons 3 & 4, but I'm already wishing we had gone with Saxon. Maybe next year. http://www.aophomeschooling.com/horizons/grade-3/math/

Science - Exploration Education, Physical Science Intermediate Level - http://www.explorationeducation.com/intermediate/overview.htm

Grammar - Grammar Island, http://www.rfwp.com/series3.htm#59

Vocabulary - Wordly Wise 3000 (book 2 & book 4), http://www.wordlywise3000.com/

Language Arts - Writing With Ease (book 2 & book 4), http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/language-arts/writing.html

Logic - Primarily Logic, http://www.amazon.com/Primarily-Logic-Judy-Leimbach/dp/1593631227/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282742646&sr=8-1

Shawn is reading the kids the Chronicles of Narnia series.

I am also incorporating spelling, handwriting, cursive, hands on activities, and field trips.

That seems like so much yet there's more I want to add in. I'd love to start a 2nd language and have purchased the Trail Guide to World Geography program that I want to get in the rotation somehow. Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it! :)