Breathe, It's Summer Time

So, we finished out our formal school year. . . YAY!!! We had an impromptu "ceremony" in our hallway upstairs. I gathered the kids and told them all that last Friday was our "official" last day of school. I spoke to each one individually and congratulated them on a specific thing they did well. We all applauded each person. Even the littlest 3 were congratulated. I've never done that before, but the kids loved it, so maybe we'll start something new??
Sonny Boy at his baseball game. He looks good, doesn't he?
 We did not do everything I had planned, but I totally feel like it was a success. We had some really great highs, and a few tough lows, but this is what matters most: I could see God's hand through it all, the story He's writing and weaving into our lives. That is what matters, because what are the highs and lows apart from God? On my highs I'd think they were of my own doing, and in my lows I'd feel great despair. But with Him, I keep my perspective in line knowing that He blesses and He is my hope.

These 2 must be watched at ALL times! LOL
 The kids progressed very well and improvements were seen all around. We enjoyed some great books, fun read-alouds, and some good creative writing. We had some leaps in math that everyone feels good about. History is unfolding and the kids love the way they learn about how things came to be. Science, on the other hand, eh, mmm, well, uhm, we need some prayer for new curriculum in that area. While we completed it, we literally trudged through it. Taking a classical approach to science is just not a good fit for our family in this season of life, so this mama has some things to figure out. Homeschooling mamas: Please feel completely free to leave your suggestions on Science curriculum!!!


My oldest, such a sweetheart!

2nd oldest, such a little lady.
 The start of this week began with an extended family gathering at our house on Sunday afternoon. Together with my husband's siblings and parents, we are trying to be intentional about getting our families together once a month. {Moments like these are when I wish my parents and brother lived close by!!} Anyway, that was a lot of fun and gives me the opportunity to practice hosting/hospitality.

Our kitchen eating area the day following the gathering.
I still need to put the food servers and condiments away.
Husband has to move the table back in the center.
Maybe tomorrow. . .exhaustion is real!
On Monday morning, I met with my homeschool umbrella to review our homeschool year. It was a great meeting, nice and smooth, refreshing with some good advice. Although the meeting itself was fairly laid back, planning for it on the other hand had me pretty busy. . . and that was just for 3 kids. I'm not sure what things will look like when all 6 are school-aged. But, we'll just let the Lord handle the future, since He is way more capable than I am.
These totes are packed with homeschool work/projects for my older three.
I used them to transport their work to my homeschool review.
Found them for $4 each at Dollar General. . . .steal! :)

For the rest of this week, we will begin to implement our summer routine. We will continue with math every day, and add in some alternating combination of History and Language Arts. We have signed up for the summer reading program at the local library and we will work on some type of handiwork: crafts, recipes, wood work (boys) and crochet (girls). The kids' summer schedule will loosely look something like this:
Morning Chores
Breakfast
Bible/Catechism/Scripture Memory
Math + Other Subject
Free Time
Lunch
Handiwork or Project
Reading
Nap/Quiet Time*
Afternoon Chores
Free Time
Dinner
Family Time
*Older kids are free to continue reading or complete a quiet project independently during nap  time.

Some conversations must be had over the phone! LOL
I am excited about this summer and spending some fun time with my kids. I hope to keep  you all updated about our weekly summer time adventures.

What are your plans for the summer? Do you homeschool year round or do you take a break during the summer?

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth


Comments

  1. Stacie, I'm so excited for you. Finishing up another year!! Yeah! I love hearing your stories about your homeschooling as I remember when you were thinking about homeschooling. :) We used a variety of science over the years. That was really one of our all time favorite subjects. We started out with ABeka science and I also used another hands on curriculum that was really good, but the name escapes me now. In 6th grade we used the Jeannie Fulbright books that are published by Apologia. In middle and high school we used the Apologia science curriculum. In the younger years we just studied nature and mostly things we found interesting. Like animals, insects, plants, space. That all worked wonderfully for us. I hope you find something that you and your children enjoy. Have a wonderful summer!
    Blessings, Jen

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Jen,
      I remember those early days, getting ready for our first year of homeschooling. Thank you for your encouragement over the years. Many people have recommended Apologia. I love the biblical worldview, and the fact that a few grade levels can be combined. I've not looked at ABeka yer. But will check it out. Thanks! Happy summer time!

      Delete
  2. Hi Stacie!!!

    Congratulations!!! Another school year completed!!!! I am so glad school is out(: I have teenagers now and their courses with k12.com (Georgia Cyber Academy) was a heavy workload.

    Your babies are growing so fast! They are tooo cute(: I was LOLing when you wrote; "these two must be watched at all times!"

    I like that you continue to work on a few topics over the summer. I find it helpful and it doesn't leave a learning gap due to summer vacation.

    Stacie, I used these websites as my science curriculum prior to enrolling in k12. I found their site map(s) covered most topics. Here's the list: geography4kids, biology4kids, chem4kids, physics4kids and cosmos4kids.

    I hope this is helpful. Be blessed and take care lady!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Gertha!

      Wow, it's hard to believe both your kids are teenagers now! Time moves so quickly. . .
      Yep, working over the summer makes so much sense. I feel like I might as well, since we're still together all day. :) Thanks for the science resources; I'll check them out!
      Glad to "see" you around here. :)

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  3. Hi, Stacie! Thanks for sharing! I've missed you :) We use God's Design series from Answers in Genesis. We all really like it. It can be used for all grade levels K-8.

    I've been thinking of doing something a little ceremonial at the end of the school year. I may try your method. It does feel good to know where you stand and what you've done well in.

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    Replies
    1. Latonya, hi!! I've missed you, too and writing in this space. But, I've tried to keep up with you and your girls and all of your wonderful adventures. :)

      I have considered God's Design series in the past, as we are huge fans of Answers in Genesis. For some reason or another, I would talk myself out of it to try our method "one more time." Thanks for reminding me of it; I'm going to take another look!

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  4. Love the two on the phone! So cute! We really enjoy science and up until high school I've written my own curriculum. We do more of a unit study approach with lots of library books and you can find a lot on the internet to supplement. For instance, this year we did habitats. I broke them down into 7 different ones (grasslands, rainforests, etc) then checked out library books, did research/sketches of a plant and animal, and some book/lapbook activities from homeschoolshare. We put it all into a binder and the kids have really enjoyed that. We do the same for history just in centuries, not topics. For high school we've done Abeka for both but I always tweak it and switch out some things with my own :).

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Courtney!
      I actually took a look on your blog at a few of the science resources you have there. You've share a lot, so I will be back to finish browsing. I am on a quest for science that fits us this year! :)

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  5. Hooray!!!! For another school term done! Nice family.Like the summer hats.Am in the same boat as you for the science curriculum. But l know will do fine. God will guide us and give us wisdom. On another note, l once sent a song song through your email did you ever get to listen to it...
    Can visit me here www.intunemotherhood.wordpress.com
    Lee.N

    ReplyDelete

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