Quiet Corners

L, checking out the books in her basket.

A newly implemented addition to our daily routine is a Quiet Hour.  The baby (well, he's 3 now!) usually still needs a nap, and everyone else can now READ!!  So I made some "Reading Baskets" for each child, and in the afternoon, around 1:30 or 2:00, they have Quiet Hour. 

I set a timer, everyone gets their book basket and goes to their space.  For my girls, this is on the floor beside their bed.  For my 5 year old boy, this is on the bed in our guest bedroom right now, because I need to have access to his book basket, and he does call out for help occasionally with a word.  

What the Quiet Hour looks like in L's corner.

Our reading baskets are not ONLY used during Quiet Hour, but can be used throughout the day.  Right now, our "Reading Baskets" contain:

• Books they can read on their own at different levels - some easy, some more challenging.  For example, my 7 yo is at an upper 4th grade reading level, but many of the books in her basket are easier than that.
• Books they can bring to me (or Dad or their big sister) to have read to them (not during Quiet Hour)
• One children's Bible on their age level to look through or have read to them - The 7 yo has a devotional instead
• A coloring book
• Colored Pencils or Crayons
• Drawing paper
• A look and find book for the 5 yo and 6 yo (Where's Waldo?) 

 For this introverted homeschooling mama, that hour is a precious chance to refuel my energy, have some tea or coffee and read a little bit myself.  It improves my attitude, and everyone else's, to have a little quiet break in the afternoons.  We're loving it!

The Craft & Nature Table

One of my favorite places in our homeschool room (AKA our Living Room!) is this table that my husband built.  We call it our "craft table," because it holds craft supplies on, under and around it! However, it is also our nature table.

On the craft end of our table, we keep all kinds of craft supplies.  "Funny scissors," popsicle sticks, cotton balls, buttons, beads, a stapler, etc.  I keep sensory objects in the little sandwich tubs for my preschoolers.  Puzzles like the Perplexus and Find It are also kept here, in addition to normal school supplies like pencils and pens. 

While I love tolerate craft activities, the nature side is my favorite.  Here, we display our nature finds, and some that are not "natural," like an old plow point.  There are a few little containers to keep critters in, a bud vase, field guides and some Usborne Beginners science books and "How To Draw" animals books.  

It's the place where my kids drop off bones, sticks, stones, flowers and leaves that they find outside, displaying them for anyone who visits us, since this is the first thing you see when you step inside of our front door.  

Right now, the featured exhibit in our Nature Center is a cup of painted lady caterpillars, just beginning to pupate. My mom sent us this kit from Insect Lore.  Previous exhibits have included a spotted salamander, tadpoles, a toad and a crayfish.  

We're looking forward to seeing what kinds of creatures and other exhibits spring and summer bring to our Nature Table! 

Our Year-Round Homeschool

Until this year, we have followed the public school schedule, loosely, because we were houseparents of boys who went to public school.  It just made sense.  

Now, however, my husband is a farmhand and I am once again a "stay-at-home Mom."  Knowing that change was coming, we started our new school year over the summer, even though we had not moved yet.  We are loving our year-round school schedule, and right now this is (loosely) what it looks like:

July - Mid-August = Session 1 (6 weeks)

1 Week Break

Late August - September = Session 2 (6 weeks)

1 Week Break

October - Late November = Session 3 (6 weeks)

Thanksgiving - New Years = Winter Break (6 Weeks)

January - Mid-Feb = Session 4 (6 weeks)

1 Week Break

Late Feb - March = Session 5 (6 Weeks)

1 Week Break

April - Mid-May = Session 6 (6 Weeks)

Mid-May - June = Summer Break (6 Weeks)

Of course, this is flexible.  We had a sick day in February.  We made it up on a Saturday, but could have made it up on the next break.  Our session 5 will actually have 5 weeks, then Session 6 will have 7, because we have a friend coming to stay with us over his PS Spring Break.  

L doing math

We get our bookwork in on our "on" days, in addition to those also consisting of our co-op days (monthly) and field trips (also about monthly.)  We also spend LOTS of time outside in the creek, yard, barn and riding with Daddy in the tractor.  

On our 1 week breaks, we don't really do any book work.  I do have my independent reader pick something to read over the break, but mostly we just play, go visiting, go to the park, spend lots of time outside. 

Chincoteague Island Field Trip, Summer 2015

On our 6 week breaks, we do a little "fun" school.  This is when we do more art, more crafty stuff and science experiments. There is mandatory reading, but they get to pick the books.  We also read Life of Fred:Apples over our Winter Break, and the girls cannot wait until Summer Break to read Butterflies!  

Marshmallow Time!

My kids' favorite part of school is definitely "Marshmallow Time!"  This is memory work developed by cheerful bribery.  Every child who participates to their best ability with a good attitude gets the treat at the end of our memory work time.  Mini marshmallows and chocolate chips are the norm.

There are a few guidelines for how I choose what we are memorizing.  First, I want everyone to have some material that challenges them.  My 2nd grader will not be challenged by asking to count by 10's, but she is challenged to memorize her spelling rules and the names and locations of the continents and oceans.  My 2 year old cannot understand what a spelling rule is talking about, but he can sing the days of the week!

Second, just the opposite of the first point, I want everyone to be able to do SOME of the work easily. That means I still let my 2nd grader count by 10's, and I let my 4 year old count TO 10.

Third, I base their success on trying, not succeeding, because when we do this every day, they will eventually get it!  So, I try to choose simple phrasing and hand motions that everyone can TRY to do, not difficult words that the four year old can't say, much less comprehend.  Some of it will be above his head, but the more of it that he can attempt, the more he is learning. It also means that he is memorizing things far before he actually needs them.  He doesn't need to skip count by 3's until 1st or 2nd grade, but he'll probably be able to before he's in kindergarten.  My K girl doesn't need to have her subtraction and addition facts memorized, but she will be ready before it's needed.

We use Marshmallow Time to memorize:

• Bible Verses (Our weekly Sonlight verse, we play the Sing the Word A to Z CD)
• Character Trait Definitions ("Love is wanting only the best for others, and showing it in how I treat them and speak to them."  We talk about what these mean, too, so that when we want to reference how they are (or are not!) showing this trait, they understand it.)
• Continents and Oceans (we keep a map right by the table on the wall)
• Skip Counting (I use the songs on the CD "Ditty Bugs" by Carol Barnier.)
• All About Spelling Key Cards (My Kinder has learned several spelling rules before beginning spelling, just because we include it in our family memory time for her sister's benefit!)
• Months of the Year
• Days of the Week 
• Counting
• Subtraction and Addition Facts
• Sight Words
• Poetry (My girls memorized Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost last year when they were 4 and 5, because we did it daily for a while.) 

When introducing something new, I break it into chunks and they repeat after me.  Sometimes we make up hand motions to go with it.  (Our oldest girl doesn't care for hand motions, but everyone else does!)  After a few times, they try to say it in chunks with me.  Then, we do it as we do the rest when they are starting to get it. 

What we do with already introduced material is go through each thing we are memorizing, usually interspersing the older kids' work and the younger kids' work.  We do it together, one or more times, then anyone who wants to will try to do an item on their own.  Sometimes I require a particular child to do it on their own if I think they are being non-participative in a work that they are capable of.  On their own simply means that they are saying it without the help of their siblings, it does not mean that they have to have it perfect.  It also does not mean that I won't prompt them if needed.  After we finish, they each get a little kid-sized handful of the treat.  

First Day Pictures!

Sam, Josh, Brooke & Lauren
August 17, 2015
(Not) Back to School!

Brooke is six and in 2nd grade.
She wants to be a missionary in Puerto Rico when she grows up.
She loves animals, Minecraft, snuggling on the porch swing in the evenings with her mama,
and doing any kind of work with her hands.
She doesn't care about being cute, just comfortable.
This year she's excited to learn some Spanish, sewing and cooking! 

Lauren is five and in Kindergarten.
She wants to be a good mother and a good person when she grows up.
She loves hugs & kisses, the Patriots, olives, writing/drawing, movies and being cute.
She is my class clown (at least until baby brother is in "class.")
This year she's excited to learn to read and to be officially in school!

(Not) Back to School

We're a few weeks into our curriculum for the year, because my girls decided they wanted to get ahead and be able to take more days off of school when Tim and I are off work, but today is our official "Back to School" day.

This is what our school area looks like.  Last night, the little guy wasn't feeling well and I stayed home with him while everyone else went out for pizza.  While they were gone, I moved this bookshelf over beside "my chair."  My chair is where most schoolwork occurs, and I really wanted the books to be shelved within reach of my chair instead of being stacked around it all day.

If you use it, you probably know exactly what is on that middle shelf.  This is our first year using Sonlight.  So far, we are loving it.  I waited to start Sonlight until my second daughter was in K, because my plan is to combine my girls and then combine my boys later on.  Here's what we're using for curriculum:

• History, Bible, Read-Alouds: Sonlight Core A
• Brooke's LA: Sonlight LA 2 w/ 2nd grade readers, Explode the Code, A Reason for Handwriting and All About Spelling.
• Lauren's LA: Sonlight LA K w/ readers K, Explode the Code and Handwriting Without Tears
• Math: Horizons (K and 2)
• Science: Apologia Swimming Creatures
• Spanish (Brooke): Rosetta Stone
• Art: 123 I Can... series.  
• PE: Playing outside as much as possible, gymnastics for the girls
• Other focuses without specific curriculum: Cooking, Housework and Sewing

We are houseparents to children who are in public school, so we loosely follow a public school calendar.  Our PS kids started school today, so we are, too.  However, our PS kids are off to school (20 minutes ago) and my littles are still snoozing.  Last night, I made them some little goody bags for back to school.  (The PS kiddos got some, too, but they're teen boys, so they just got the treats.  Not sure their teachers would be keen on us sending them to school with Flarp.  Yeah.)

The goody bags are just some things we had around (like Pop-Its) and some inexpensive things I got at Wal-Mart last night when the slightly ill toddler and I went grocery shopping.  I wrote the first letter of their names on the lids of their play-doh, flarp and bubbles, in Sharpie, because a few hours into this day, when this stuff is strewn everywhere, I'm not going to remember what color Flarp everyone had.  Helpful in settling property disputes as well as determining who put their Play-Doh on the cat's tail.  The goody bags contain:

• Pop-Its (like Snap Pops)
• Silly false teeth for the girls, Matchbox cars for the boys
• Bubble Gum
• Smarties (see what I did, there? Yep, the teens gave me that patronizing "I know, you think this is funny... I'm going to pretend I think it is, too, because I want to eat the candy" look.)
• Flarp
• Mini Play-Doh from a party pack
• Bubble Wand

And they are up!  Silly teeth were the first priority!  :-)