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Parenting & Farm Kids:  What did you do in your homeschool today?  |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 11 2017 : 11:08:52 AM
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Hi Farmgirl homeschoolers :-)
I thought it might be fun to start a thread similar to 'what are you working on today?', but related to homeschooling.
We have been homeschooling since 1997 and have graduated 2 sons, with 2 to go. Our graduated boys are both in college and our two still in our homeschool are 6 and 16.
Our 16 year old, Seth, works primarily on his own. I meet with him once a week to make sure he is staying some what on track :-). Our home school is pretty relaxed, although I have learned to better prepare my high schoolers for the possibility of college. This year he is using the Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum (recommended by his dyslexia tutor), Khan academy for algebra, Switched on Schoolhouse for Biology, and personal projects for history (that's his thing). This is the first year he has had really structured curriculums due to the feedback i have received from his older brothers.
Our 6 year old, Zeke, is just exploring reading, writing and math. Since he's our 4th, he and i spend alot of time outside enjoying nature and our homestead and don't feel a bit guilty about it!. When we are inside we use Reading Eggs (a great online program for teaching reading), Handwriting without Tears, and Shiller Math (he was born prematurely and has some learning delays - these last two programs really work well for him). He and I also do some sort of bible/character study each morning. In the afternoon I always try to include some read aloud - Charlotte Mason has had a huge impact on me as a home educator and i love making sure we enjoy nature and good books!
If anyone is interested in joining, i would love to hear about your days!  . Here's me and Zeke.
.jpg? v 32674602) . And me and Seth!
Many blessings on your day!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2017 : 11:27:26 AM
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What a neat idea for a thread!!! I homeschool my 13 yo dd, 11 yo ds, my 9 yo ds, my 7 yo dd (she'll be eight Monday!!!), and my 5 yo ds, with my 3 yo dd and 1 yo dd thrown in the mix. Their curriculum and days are pretty diversified... but today was Bible (everyday), English, Spelling, Grammar, Reading/Literature (everyday), science (my oldest is doing Physical Science and the next three are doing Botany) and later we will do Art. For Reading/Literature for the younger ones (7 yo and down) we use Five In a Row. Right now we are studying Katy No Pocket. For Botany today, we made a light hut and will be using herbs to make soap :)
~ Shannon, Sister # 5349
Farmgirl of the Month - January 2016
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2017 : 7:19:53 PM
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Shannon, I love FIAR!!! Such a special curriculum. I'm sad to be finishing the last of our FIAR books with our youngest. I think i will save them to read to future potential grandchildren???
Are you using the Exploring Creation Series by Jeannie Fulbright for Botany? That's a great series as well - particularly loved the Exploring Swimming Creatures one.
Tomorrow is an 'out day' for us. My 16 year old will be at our homeschool group and, after doing some book work with Zeke in the morning, we will travel the 40 minutes to play there for a bit and pick Seth up. I like getting them out at least once a week; been a real blessing for all of us:-).
Have a great day tomorrow!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 09:31:37 AM
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Hey girls!!! (Dena, I found it! ;) )
Let's see...I have 3 children I school. My oldest is 14 (Freshman). We are using a lot of Charlotte Mason this year. I have 2 boys, one is 1st grade/6, the other PK/4. We love the hands on learning, all around! We are eclectic schoolers. So even though we incorporate a lot of CM's philosophy, we also have some Waldorf, Classical, and Unschooling in there. We are using a LOT from Ambleside Online this year, though we have added and taken away, too.
We are almost through our second 12 week term. One more after that. I actually just wrote a blog post this morning about what the rest of our school year will look like. https://derbauernhofsite.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/homestead-happenings-jan-12-2017/
So far, today, at 12:30pm, we have accomplished nearly nothing. We are truly being lazy today. The weather is sooooo nice!! It is 68 degrees!! I can hear Spring Peepers! :O I have the boys out playing, though Gabriel did get through his handwriting. We will still do reading, phonics, and math today, as well as Bible.
Isabelle hasn't done much either, we are sitting in the living room with the windows open feeling the breeze. She has been reading and I have been working on building my Vlog and Blog audience, which is actually harder than you would think. :/
Lots to do...but it is so nice to relax....
Many Blessings- Alicia #5232 FGOTM May 2016
<3 OUR FARM <3
https://www.facebook.com/WinklerDerBauernhof/
https://derbauernhofsite.wordpress.com
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DandeeRose Farmgirl Accessories and more!
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 09:54:00 AM
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I know; its such a nice day here too!!!
Zeke and i have done bible, math, and reading - will do writing after lunch and then we are heading out!
Its so nice to have the flexibility to do nothing structured - you and i know they are still learning doing the stuff you mentioned :-)
Enjoy the nice weather!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 10:18:13 AM
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we are doing our normal school :) Today is Bible, reading, math, FIAR, history and writing penpal letters
~ Shannon, Sister # 5349
Farmgirl of the Month - January 2016
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 4:54:36 PM
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Shannon, who do your kids have as pen pals?
Alicia, I know; its getting colder here too :-/
I wanted to add a little more 'meat' to my description of our day - for example, today for bible we worked with the word 'forgiveness'.
I bought these great character books years ago and we are still using them. I don't even know if they are still in print. They are called
'A Child's Book of Character Building: Books 1 and 2'. The format is basically a word for the week and 4 stories that follow to illustrate the word; One from the bible, at home, at school and at play. They are so simple - all the boys have loved them. They are black and white drawings so i always had the boys pick their favorite and color it at the end of the week. I am in the 2nd book with zeke and he is also enjoying it - except the coloring part- small motor skills are not his strong point.
Speaking of his hand writing, i am so excited because this week we finally started actual writing in his program 'hand writing without tears'. If you are not familiar with the program, we have basically been preparing to write all year! Its great for students who struggle in this area. Anyway, this week we finally broke out the first workbook! He's prepped for so long he just started writing F then E today with no fussing! And his letters looked fine - praise God! I had put off buying this, but i'm so glad i finally caved and did it - its kind of expensive for a writing program and i prefer using copy work. Just wanted to share this exciting achievement !
Have a relaxing evening :-)
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2017 : 7:04:56 PM
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Friday is the day i usually meet with our teenager. We go over what he has been doing during the week and what he will do next week. Since this is our first full week after the holidays, we were both a little negligent as to the things we should have been doing. We laughed about it and promised to do better next week. I love that part of homeschooling - being able to spend time with our kids and develop close relationships with them.
Seth just started learning piano using Piano For Life, a DVD that teaches chords instead of the current method of learning. So nice to hear him practicing on our oldest son's keyboard! I've been wanting him to take up some hobby and glad he is enjoying this.
Have a great weekend!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2017 : 06:13:40 AM
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Alicia,
I have a great guitar DVD for really young ones - have to dig it up to get the title so i'll post it for you soon :-).
I know - my teens never liked the really awesome assignments i assigned to them either. I think it turned out great and it helped me learn more about chinchilla rabbits, a breed i was considering getting. Tell her thank you for the informative blog!
You have almost the same age span as we do between our oldest (in the home right now) and our next oldest. Ours is 16 and 6; fun eh???
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2017 : 10:53:04 AM
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Oh, Alicia I'm so sorry. How is it that simple questions can bring losses to the forefront?
For us, we wanted more children but couldn't get pregnant again. After 8 years of trying, we decided to adopt. Who knew it would take a total of 10 years to add Zeke to our family!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2017 : 6:58:12 PM
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Today was kind of an unusual day in our homeschool. Our youngest has some special needs (he has severe ADHD and Sensory Integration Disorder) and we are implementing a program to help him better manage himself and his body/emotions. A therapist we have been working with came out to the house to train our older son and a babysitter we use to work in Zeke's 'Play room'. The therapy is called DIR Floortime and it is a way to join with the child in a way that gives him the reins and helps him move from where he is relationally to the next level. Thank God the time was blessed and we are looking forward to more training in a couple of weeks. Hopefully this will give Zeke the tools he needs to improve in the areas that give him such trouble.
Hope you all had a blessed day :-)
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2017 : 4:23:09 PM
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Hi Ladies, I wanted to report on what Zeke and I did last Wednesday - sorry for the late update. A friend and i have been trying to take our children on a nature walk at least 2 times a month. This month we went to a lovely place called Springton Manor Farm. It is a county run estate that has an active farm and nature trails. It was a lovely day and Zeke and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
Best,
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2017 : 7:42:17 PM
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Dena - on the swap area I have a sign up for children penpals if Zeke would be interested in writing other children around his age...
~ Shannon, Sister # 5349
Farmgirl of the Month - January 2016
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2017 : 07:32:36 AM
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Thanks Shannon. I will send you his info for the swap. He's a bit behind with his writing, but what i did with the other boys was to have them dictate to me and i would write for them. He may enjoy connecting with other children, as he has not been able to socialize as much as he would like due to his sensitive immune system (preemies typically have to be more careful about sickness exposure than other kids - he seems to get sick just by looking at other kids, which interfers with his eating and weight gain - he is still between the 3rd and 5th percentile and we constantly have to keep monitoring his growth).
Thanks for thinking of him!
Blessings,
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2017 : 09:04:56 AM
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Alicia - it is great practice and he can always dictate to you! I write for Ben, and depending on how Sammi is feeling, I do for her as well.
~ Shannon, Sister # 5349
Farmgirl of the Month - January 2016
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2017 : 10:36:30 AM
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The 11, 9, and 8 yo are using Apologia Botany this year for Science... so today we put beans seeds in plastic bags with wet paper towels... one in the dark closet, one in the fridge, and one in a sunny window. I love listening to their minds work as they figure out what is going to happen...
For FIAR we are looking at Snowflake Bentley. We examined snow under a microscope, and used snowflake cutouts to decorate blue construction paper. Simple things, but they brought such excitement and joy!
~ Shannon, Sister # 5349
Farmgirl of the Month - January 2016
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2017 : 1:08:26 PM
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Alicia, Warm hug for you and Levi:-). It was a lovely wednesday - not 70 but sunny and 50's. today it is terribly stormy with power outages:-(. My teen is just chalking this day up to another day where we don't have to do school...These last 2 homeschoolers really keep me on my toes!
Shannon, hearing about your day takes me back to when my older ones were little. I love Snowflake Bentley and the bean experiment sounds awesome! With the big age difference between our last 2, our day is much more segmented into 'high school stuff' and 'elementary stuff'. That has its benefits - alot less chaotic, but I miss us all learning together. What a special blessing for families to be able to learn together!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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knittingmom
True Blue Farmgirl
665 Posts
AnneMarie
Edmonton
Alberta
Canada
665 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2017 : 5:23:46 PM
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Great thread! I homeschool our 14, 10 and 6 year old with our 2 year old participating in his own way.
This is our second year homeschooling and I'm still trying not to be too panicky about our pace. I discovered the kids are actually absorbing what I'm teaching.
We are mostly on track. It was nice out today so taking advantage of the not sub-arctic weather the girls were outside playing.
"There is no foot so small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world"
"The things that matter most are not really things after all" |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2017 : 7:12:12 PM
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Hi AnneMarie - Glad you joined us! Always good to take advantage of those nice days :-). Isn't it amazing what the kids actually learn while they are home with us? Since your kids are older, i'm guessing you took them out of some kind of school situation. How have they adjusted to the change? Are they enjoying it? Our second son went to 3rd grade at the local school. I was dealing with some health issues and needed to lighten my homeschooling load a bit. It was pretty much a disaster so we brought him home for 4th grade and never looked back. Thank goodness i was feeling better and able to have all the kids home again that next year.
Here's a question for everyone: Does anyone use any homeschool groups or co-ops? We did not use anything the first couple of years. Then when our oldest turned 13 we all began to feel like we needed some diversity one day a week. We found a flexible co-op and have been there every since. They offer a variety of elective class options so you still do the bulk of your academics at home. Its mostly for making and having friends since we live out in the country with no other kids close by. I feel pretty old now when I show up with Zeke - I'm 51 and he's 6! Most of the moms with 6 year olds who go there do not have gray hairs :-). I like being an older mom to zeke - i feel more relaxed and wiser - thank God!
We're planning to enjoy our weekly library trip tomorrow - zeke loves books - what a blessing! None of my other boys really got into going to the library; zeke thinks its the highlight of his week - too cute!
Have a good one :-)
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2017 : 03:56:34 AM
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Yes! I started attending a fellowship group last Fall that I love. I will really miss it when we move to the farm. All the ladies are Christian and we seem to all have similar beliefs on everything, as in we are pretty much all Constitutionalists. I have attended several group, but this is the one I feel at home with. I love these girls.
Welcome AnneMarie! Our kids are almost the same age!! Levi would be 10 this year, and I have 14, 6, and 4, in addition!
Many Blessings- Alicia #5232 FGOTM May 2016
<3 OUR FARM <3
https://www.facebook.com/WinklerDerBauernhof/
https://derbauernhofsite.wordpress.com
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DandeeRose Farmgirl Accessories and more!
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1509 Posts |
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Parenting & Farm Kids: What did you do in your homeschool today? |
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What did you do in your homeschool today?
