What We Really Do in Homeschool

Some of you may wonder what we really do in homeschool.  My first post didn't give you much indication, except that I've tried to instill a good ethic in our kids.

Usually, we do 3 or more subjects.  Math, reading, writing (the 3 R's).
Singapore math and computer games for review.
The Reading Lesson (for Hulk Boy grade 1)
Pick something interesting to read (everyone else)
Picture journal entries (this is a big hit!)

 We try to do an art project each month.  

Here are some self-portraits I think 

 turned out well.

We also have workbooks for grammar (Daily Grammar), Bible (A Reason for), and spelling (A Reason For).  We do those on alternating days so as not to burn out the kids or me!  We are also trying out Life of Fred books.  We made it through Apples together and are now working on Australia.

Everything else is bonus.

We watch JellyTelly for devotions. We sing all sorts of songs - from goofy to worship.  Sometimes Seeds Family Worship, The Rizers, Lifetree Kids, and of course Group's VBS worship songs!  We're also trying to memorize the books of the Bible with Readeez.  We like SuperSimple Songs, ScratchGarden, and Mr. Demaio videos too.  All are available on YouTube!!  Did I mention how much I love YouTube?? 

We love science videos!  Bill Nye (more in-depth - Netflix), Magic School Bus (new series on Netflix!), and of course there's always SciShow Kids (my fave b/c it takes about 3 minutes and teaches an interesting science topic in every video - YouTube).

And for history/geography, we've been following the World Explorers study from Focus on the Family (free).  We are learning world geography, and spiritual needs in other countries.  We're listening to a Rush Revere book on cd (The Star Spangled Banner) and Art Girl is working her way through a really neat activity book about the Civil War I found at a National Park last year.

Ha!  I just found the author of this historical comic book series!  It's called Chester Comix and we love it!  Making history fun, especially for kids who wouldn't like to read long volumes of history books!

I discovered this resource when we visited a National Park a year or two ago.  Most have free workbooks if you ask at the information desk.  They can become a Junior Ranger, earning badges and learning all about our nation's geography and monuments.  It's fun and...mostly free!  We picked up some neat solar eclipse resources at the end of last summer.  I encourage you to visit your local National Parks and see what they have to offer.


And then we throw in field trips, play dates, and other fun activities when we can.

Learning how to make bread and rolls at a historic local farm.






Emergency safety night at our local mall.  We watched them rip vehicles apart, sprayed fire hoses, and met local heros.


Our favorite new find is a program at our local college where education majors get their feet wet by teaching our homeschoolers!  And our homeschoolers have a once-a-week classroom experience. They offer a variety of programs for ages pre-K and up.  Our kids love it!

Our college kids waiting with daddy for class to begin.

So, as you can see, I'm what you might call an "eclectic" homeschooler.  I try lots of things, find out what works, and keep going.  Hubby teaches 1-2 days a week to give me time to work on other things, including my new job (more on that later!).

This fall, we passed around a bad cold for 8 consecutive weeks.  Yippee Skippy!  Inhalers, 2 rounds of antibiotics, and countless doses of Tylenol and cough syrup later, we are slowly adding activities back in as our health improves.