Homeschool

It is that season again. We usually educate year round, with an 8 weeks on 2 weeks off schedule. This allows for those days when you just cant get around to teaching, due to sick children or a sick mom. We did not follow that schedule through this summer. I actually took the summer off. With company staying here for a few months and the ominous all day sickness I had with this pregnancy early on, it was a much needed break!

I am excited to get started again and will begin this next Monday-Thursday (we take Fridays off). I have alot more on my plate this year, with Ethan my 5 year old beginning some basics. I must admit it was much easier when there were only two to teach. Then it got a little more busy with three. Now I am adding a 4th and in a few years it will be a fifth, then a sixth, then a seventh. YIKES! I have to admit I will have to put away my carefree ways and really become the time conscious person I need to be. But we will walk down those roads when we come to them. I must focus right now on structuring my days with four. That in it self seems overwhelming! BUT, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Devon this year will be refining his reading, writing and spelling skills. As well as mastering math facts. He will also begin learning Hebrew. The resources he will be using are:
Math: Saxon 3&4 (we usually get through 1 1/2 years within a twelve month span)
Reading: A plethora of resources. Mostly reading whole books and writing reports and the like, along with Pathway readers, he will be in Grade 3-4 in these this year.

Jordan and Seth are at the same grade level (Jordan has learning difficulties) so in truth Seth who is two years younger is ahead of Jordan. I am trying to keep them together in math which will be Saxon 1&2 this year, but I am prepared for Jordan to not be able to keep up.
They both are also using Pathway Readers K-1, as well as Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons , I am also starting to teach them phonograms and spelling rules. I really use a large range of tools, lots of games, boys seem to need that.

Ethan this year as he is only 5 will begin 100 easy lessons and begin forming letters and numbers, as well as starting Saxon K. We will keep it basic, light and fun!


Science & History: for these areas we use HOW , Heart of Wisdom. It is a four year unit study program, teaching with the Bible as the main focus. I love this! Below is the Four Year Plan, we of course will be doing year one, with all children at applicable levels. I switch back and forth through the units. We will do a history unit, then switch to a science unit then back again to history and so on. We will be beginning our timeline this year as we move through the history of the world. It is neat for us visual learners to see things in chronological order.


Heart of Wisdom Four Year Plan

YEAR ONE
ANCIENT HISTORY******* PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Adam to Abraham ***********Creation
Mesopotamia ****************Light
Ancient Egypt ***************Energy
Ancient Israel ***************Matter
Ancient Greece **************Motion
Ancient Rome*************** Electricity
The Messiah

YEAR TWO
WORLD HISTORY *********EARTH SCIENCE AND BOTANY
Early Church *****************Weather
Vikings **********************Oceanography
Middle Ages ******************Botany
Renaissance ******************Geology
Reformation ******************Astronomy

YEAR THREE
EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY *********THE ANIMAL WORLD
Age of Exploration ***********************Marine Biology
Pilgrims to Colonies **********************Ornithology (Birds)
Colonies to Country********************** Entomology (Insects)
Civil War and Reconstruction *************Earth Zoology
American West

YEAR FOUR
INDUSTRIAL ERA,MODERN TIMES ****ANATOMY
Industrial Era ****************************Cell Design
World War I ******************************Brain/Nervous System
The Depression ***************************Skeletal/Muscular Systems
World War II *****************************Respiratory/Digestive Systems
Holocaust ********************************Heart/Circulatory System
Modern Times (1950 until Today) ***********Reproductive System


When you have gone through the first four years then you start over again, of course using different resources and the children who were younger are now four years older and will be doing much deeper research on each unit. I have been so blessed by Heart of Wisdom. If you are interested in learning more about it I would suggest buying the Heart of Wisdom teaching approach.

So there you have it. Our school year at a glance. We split it up with doing reading, writing, spelling and math before lunch and HOW after lunch as a group. That seems to have worked best in the past so we will stick with it this year. I wish all of you other homeschooling mom's a blessed and happy school year. With much growth educationally but most of all spiritually!