Homeschool High School Carnival: Record Keeping

For all my sharing of schedules each year, one thing I haven't really shared recently is how we record the bookwork actually done by the children.

Should we keep records on how much work we've covered?  Do I need to list every topic for maths, science and history?  Does it matter?  For some this is a state requirement.  In Victoria (Australia) it isn't.  However, I do really like to see progress made and it's a nice history of how our homeschool worked each year.

You may not have noticed, but I don't write up detailed lesson plans or set goals to finish topics by due dates.  I'm a 'fill in the calendar as we go' kind of gal.  Yes, we have a broad set of goals to get to by the end of each term, but as long as there's learning happening and it's consistent, we really just move with the flow.

Writing it in as we go is also my way of being flexible.  There are times we do extended writing sessions (as we did today, actually!), so we didn't cover maths.  Well, we'll come back and do maths tomorrow.  I can also then check back to see how long it's been before we do another longer writing session (seeing as it went so well today .. I'm sure we'll do it again).

I've gone through many variations on the same theme, but always find myself only writing down achievements after the fact rather than filling in pre-emptive goals.

Here's what I'm now doing:

Each week we start a new page.  I'll write in activities we're due to do outside the home, and then fill in what's completed during the day.  The left-hand "Weekly Objective" column has become where we write in the theme of the week.  Eg: spelling has been focussing on 'ie' words, with particular emphasis on 'ceive' words for Mariposa, and Maestro's working on module 13 in science this week.

I also write in every time we start a new book, whether that's a story, textbook or learning program.

In addition to the recording of all homeschool 'work' achieved, we began keeping a binder of every certificate each child completed from a young age.  This is something I had when I was growing up, which now contains everything right through to my Curriculum Vitae and job references.  If the children complete a course outside the home, I ask for a letter or some form of certificate verifying the learning areas covered.  All of this is added to their binder.

I try to keep everything pretty simple, and I'm still a keen paper user.  I know there are apps for this and that, and I enjoy using my blog to record some of our happenings, but in the end, if someone's going to ask me to show them evidence, I have my paperwork to show.

There are some resources I've listened to and read online that have been helpful.  I started my journey of research, a couple of years ago, with some information from Jim and Sheila Carroll about using Charlotte Mason in the high school years.  This basically encouraged me to continue from where we were already going and keeping notes on what was achieved.  This is when I managed to then come across Lee Binz's YouTube videos.

I don't know if I'm doing it all correctly, but I do know I have to do something to show when the children apply for tertiary entry.  We'll be aiming to get to an open day where Maestro hopes to study in a couple of years, and I'll take in a summary of all his work to give them an overview of his study habits and check his eligibility to start studying there.  If we have anything to remedy, we have a couple of years to fine tune that.

If you'd like to read more about how other homeschoolers are doing their record-keeping, jump on over to the Homeschool High School Carnival.  Thank you to Vicki for hosting it this month! :)

Until next time,

Catherine

Our 2013 schedule and curriculum

Okay, I confess!  I am (still!) a schedule addict!

I, personally, LOVE seeing what other people do to help organise their time.  I enjoy reading through their ideas and seeing if it would be something that may fit our family lifestyle.

So, in saying that, please take this post as a way of sharing in case you are part of that type of audience who does like seeing the ideas of others.  I don't want to send a whole lot of readers into a panic.  No, you don't NEED to write up a schedule like this!  This is 'me' and how I work, and I'm just sharing if you'd like a peek into my life.

Also, do note that I don't claim to have everything perfect here.  We certainly DO!! have off-days, even off-weeks. Sometimes we are so engrossed in learning a particular topic that we spend longer on it than a written schedule allows ... so I'm flexible.  However, for my purposes, I do need an outline of how to manage our time. This is my guideline, especially where having extra students for music are concerned.

What do I use to organise our homeschool routine?

Well, I drew a lot of inspiration from Managers of Their Homes, so will still write out our routine in that format.  It works so nicely and I can print it out easily enough and paste it into my diary to check against appointments, etc.  If you'd like a look at last year's schedule again, please see here and here.  Below is a screen shot of how our 2013 schedule is looking at the moment:

click image to enlarge

Today was our first day back to the books.  It was great seeing the children enthused and pulling the books out.  We did have a few disorganised moments here and there, but I was really pleased to see that the day ran quite well.  Tomorrow may be another story, but today ... we're all happy. :)



Here is what we are using in 2013 (taking up where we left off last year):

Maestro (age 14):

• Wordly Wise 9
• IEW (B continuation course, then Speech Boot Camp), plus adhoc writing journal/comprehension
• Math U See Geometry
• History Odyssey: Early Modern 2, with readers from Sonlight Core H and 100.
• Apologia's Physical Science
• A collection of other books on life skills.  He's already reading Money Matters Workbook for Teens. CLE's Home Maintenance is his next elective choice.
• Dance (ballet, jazz, hip hop)

Mariposa (age 11):

• Phonetic Zoo A
• IEW (A) plus adhoc writing journal/comprehension
• Singapore Maths level 4, book 1, then level 5
• Sonlight Core D+E
• Sonlight Science F (3/4 through from last year), then Science E.
• CLE's Home Economics, plus sewing projects I'll put together.
• Piano lessons (preliminary).
• Horseriding
• Dance (hip hop)

Together we'll also be using:

• Grammar of Poetry
• Bridge to the Latin Road
• Visual Latin
• Meet the Masters for art (purchased through Homeschool Buyers Co-op).

Well ... that's the plan!  I can't believe another year's already underway.  I hope you ALL have a wonder 2013, and I look forward to sharing more as the year goes on. :)

Until next post!

Catherine

A weekend to resettle and set new goals

Sometimes we really do need to find some time to be alone and just think things through, don't we?  Well, I know I did.

Thank you to those who replied to my last post.  I was very encouraged and now find myself ready to take on the next few years homeschooling with a much more positive attitude.

I spent the weekend decluttering my mind, starting with an early evening on Friday and a good rest.  On Saturday morning, I found myself contentedly sitting at the piano to play a couple of new pieces. When the family was ready, we headed out for church services early for the afternoon.

The rest of the weekend was spent alternating between tidying up 'hot spots' in the laundry and kitchen, and reorganising the homeschool bookselves.  I didn't set myself any time goals, and I know I'm not completely done with the bookshelves, but it's made a difference having made time to get everything back into order.  Before we were getting so busy that books were being left in piles here and there; one favourite spot being on the dining room floor.  The dining room has become the place to sit and work on lessons while I was getting a meal ready, then all got bundled up and just left there against the wall.  Having these places cleared so that the dining room is completely clean makes such a difference to a calmer mealtime.

And now that I've finished my cup of tea, I'm going to sit down with the children and set our goals for the week.  Mariposa will be starting a new science level (Sonlight's Science F), and we're going to be starting some embroidery lessons, which I'll link in with some quilting later on.  Maestro has his filming to complete for his Short Film Course, and I need to review where he's at with his history studies now he's getting close to finishing up Sonlight's Core G.    Ah .. add to that Mariposa making a chocolate cake for our neighbour.  I think we'll have to double the recipe so we have one to share here too.

Time to go!  Thank you for stopping by!

Help! My calendar's grown wings!

Is this happening to anyone else?  The time's moving so quickly that it is as though we're speeding away through the year.

See, I thought that if we homeschooled our children, I'd be able to enjoy a slower pace.  I thought we'd have numerous days where we'd be up early and outside to work in the garden for a bit.  Later, we'd come in and do some book learning together, stopping for lunch with some conversation about what we've just done.  Then we'd move into the afternoon with a read-aloud, and some activity learning with science experiments, art or music.

I envisioned a gentle flow through the day, with few interruptions, and certainly no rushing about to all sorts of outings several times a week.  Truthfully, we did have many days like this in years past.

Well ... it's certain that I've got it all wrong this year.  True, last year was building up to this, but this year is taking the cake!  Please don't get me all wrong, though.  I'm glad that each child has found activities they are enjoying, and they are learning an awful lot.  It just seems that some days are so FULL now, and there's hardly a week that hasn't got something happening.

To top it all off, the parents of the competition dance students (ie: that involves Maestro) were called in for a meeting tonight.  We were given some definite dates for the dance competitions coming up as of June ... AND through to January 2013!   I'm not ready to look at 2013 yet!  We're only 1/4 of the way through 2012.

Is this what it's really like with teens?  We're trying to open doors for learning opportunities, helping them develop their talents, and it's just non-stop activity?  Do I need to be ruthless and block out a few weeks at a time where we deliberately don't go out anywhere during the day, which means the only focus is on the dance lessons in the evenings? ( .. Actually, I really wonder how those teens who are at school cope with all these extra activities, so maybe I shouldn't be complaining!)

So, now that I've shared those frustrations with you, I think I'll again sit down with my diary and look at this scheduling that's supposed to be working so well.  I don't have a calendar for 2013 yet, but I'm going to have to at least figure out the month of January and block in intensive dance practice leading up to national competitions.  Then ... when I'm calm and amiable again ... I'll be asking my children if this is really what they want to do and can they please, again, share their goals so I know there's a bigger picture to all this frantic activity.

If you've read this far, thank you for sharing in my thoughts tonight.

Chatting about the new routine

I know many gasped at our new schedule when I posted them up earlier this year. Having each quarter hour allotted to some type of activity is a daunting prospect, and it's taken a little getting used to here as well.

I must say, though, that I'm actually very glad that I've made the decision to do follow this through. After three weeks of aiming to stay to the schedule, most of the routine has become automatic.

As we've been working through this, I made note of some points for some consideration when writing up such a schedule:

• It helps to write down how long a subject actually takes to complete each day, so you can average out the time allocation.
• Realise that sometimes a child will need help when asked to work independently and change to accommodate.  This happened with Maestro needing help with his violin .. he needed help with playing some passages in tune, which meant I needed to be available to accompany with the piano.
• Some activities were left out, such as our weekly trip to the library.  It didn't take too much to work out where we'd slot that in, accounting for travel time and a possible picnic lunch if it's a nice day.
• We don't always start the day at the time planned.  We've had to make a decision to jump in where the time sequence was and try and fit in the earlier subjects later, or (our preference) just start from the beginning and just modify/omit some afternoon activities.

I also noted that I preferred having the whole week mapped out, rather than a general day set out.  Here's what I now have printed out (a segment of the document, as I couldn't fit it all onto the page to capture and take to 'Paint').  One copy for the diary, and another for the fridge:

You'll notice there are some nice big empty spaces in the afternoons, especially for the children.  I do like some flexibility here, and filling it in with some gardening, sewing or reading is lovely.  The coloured blue boxes are where I'm teaching piano or singing, and one or both of the children often have a friend over to play or are visiting themselves during this time.

I know that as homeschoolers that it's really nice to work at the child's own pace and allow for great lengths of creative time.  I'm not trying to eliminate those times at all; in fact, our Fridays are very much like that still.  However, having an expected routine has been of benefit here. The children have been wonderful at getting on with their learning as they know what's expected, and I know to look out for which child needs my assistance throughout the day.  Maestro has also had to get involved with his own time management with some projects he's having to submit that are not part of our home learning (eg: the Film Making course has required him to do homework that we've set mini deadlines for to help him achieve the time goals).  Having his own diary and writing weekly goals has helped him along his way in this area.

I'm still learning about better organisation, and have recently borrowed two of Julie Morgenstern's books from the library.  I started with "Time Management from the Inside Out" (and have read about a third of it already .. excellent!!)  Her earlier book, "Organization from the Inside Out" is the book I should have started with first, and it's also the book I probably most need to read at this time.  So, I have my own homework to do for the rest of the week.  All this is aiming toward a more ordered, therefore peaceful way of living.

So, I hope you're all having a lovely week.  I'll try and pop by some of your blogs before the weekend (and say 'hi' where the comments will allow me  .. smiles!).

Thank you for dropping by!

Planning's over, let's get to work!

Another year of homeschooling has officially begun. All the books came out, along with the new schedule I drew up, and we were putting it all to the test.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well the day ran, and how well the children took to the idea of running to a schedule. We still had some adhoc things happening in the day, such as giving the dog a good grooming, some shopping during our lunch break, and a phone call from Papa to share notes about how he was going on his First Aid course. 


Our morning started with the usually routine and chores. Mariposa was then keen to get the maths done, but I suggested we try with the Spelling and Language Arts today to see how it would work. Maestro ended up needing some help tuning a new melodic minor scale during his violin practice, so I had to help him out with that on the piano, leaving Mariposa to finish off for herself.

Then we came to Maestro's Sonlight Read-aloud. We're reading "A Single Shard", and Mariposa wanted to hear the story also. This meant her computer time got bumped to later on.

A break (where Mariposa decided Midgy, the dog, should have his grooming done), and a cup of tea for me.

Then back again with Maestro reading his science (Apologia General .. still finishing last few modules before starting Apologia Physical), and Mariposa did her maths.

Maestro then took up his Wordly Wise whilst Mariposa and I read another chapter of "The Apprentice".

Checking back with Maestro, I looked over the history reading he needed to do for Sonlight, as well as his reader, and checked he could go ahead. He spent this time reading a number of chapters from Story of the World. Mariposa then took up her Science; we're still finishing using the NOEO Chemistry I. Today was all about experiments related to states of matter.

NOEO Science - comes with experiment packages

collecting gas from bi-carb and vinegar

gas created as tablet reacts with water

liquid and solid: cornflour mixed with water
getting the 'punch test'

With her science completed, she then did her computer time. This was a program from EdAlive that is to build word skills. I bought these discs many years ago, but they weren't being used. Mariposa also doesn't have the natural attraction to the computer that Maestro has, so this helping her develop some more of those skills.  I also have Times Alive ready for her to use, received from a TOS Review last year, and Typing Tournament which she tried out last week.

Lunch time .. and a quick shopping trip for me. Thankfully the store is only 5mins up the road. I really need to do another stocktake of our fridge and pantry, but that'll have to be later. At least I have enough to make a few day's worth of meals.

After lunch, Maestro took up his Maths. We'd started to try out Math-U-See's Pre-Algebra, so he continued with that today. He's grasping these lessons pretty quickly, so it won't be long until he's completed this and then I hope to take him back to the Singapore Maths (NSM level 1).

Watching Mr Demi explain how to convert
Celsius to Fahrenheit.

More reading for Maestro (Sonlight reader to be read: The Samurai's Tale) and Australian history for Mariposa (learning about Abel Tasman).

We decided to take 10 mins for another breather, then sat down to learn about some Composers. I know I said we'd start with Bach, but the book I had ordered from Christianbooks had arrived: A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers. I read the first chapter on early music, which lead us to Gregorian Chants. I've requested some cds from the library to use as samples, and I'll check for a few other resources online during the week.

Yes, a VERY full day ... but we did it! We had from 3pm to 6pm free from bookwork (and I then did some household chores). Maestro's ballet started at 6:15pm, which was the only other activity this afternoon.

Trying to adhere to this schedule has meant:

* I didn't spend more than 15mins on the computer myself this morning.

* I actually managed to get more housework done than anticipated.

* Both children got through their work quickly and really looked forward to that free time that was coming up at 3pm.

* Tonight, we're all suitably tired, but satisfied that we'd all done a good job.  Now that this has been posted, I'm curling up in bed with a good read myself. :)

Thank you for dropping by!

Now for our new weekly schedule (2012)

Okay, it's getting serious here now.  I'm able to spend a bit more time each day setting out our goals for the year rather than just think about it.

Papa is wanting to help me work out a better plan for the day and had asked me to write up some type of schedule for the children.  It's his way of having some input, where he knows what to follow up on each evening.  It's also become apparent that I need some tool to time manage now that I'm teaching music most afternoons. So, here's what I've come up with (with pseudo-names being used) as a general daily guideline:

I didn't come up with this schedule idea alone.  I have been reading a few blogposts and came across "Through the Narrow Gate" where she uses Managers of Their Homes to help set out her routine (all stemming from the Well Trained Mind forum!)

This is the most formal I've EVER set out our daily routine.  I ran it by Papa this morning and he was happy with how it all looked.  Then I asked the children what they thought.  Straight away Mariposa picked up that she got her computer time in the morning (which was a 'not before lunch' rule before .. which made 'who/when' an issue), so she was happy.  Maestro told me he wouldn't take as long as I'd given him to do some things, esp. science, but I was allowing for experiments which do take time.  If they finish early, then we'll just move a little quicker.

I like that I can see how much time I'll be aiming to give each child.  I know that Maestro is far more independent, but he still needs time with me to check he comprehends the work to be done and that I'll follow up with checking it's completed okay.  It was actually a bit daunting when I noted that I'd usually leave him to himself most of the time, whilst I worked with Mariposa for quite a bit.  My challenge was setting out their days so I was more equally divided between them.  Of course, it's also expected that the older the children get, the more independent they'll be too.

There will be times I know I'll be able to just work by myself nearby, just so long as I'm there in case they have a question.  That'll be when I'll have my crafts to keep me going, or something in the kitchen to be done (or covering books with contact, as I've been doing since Sunday evening!)

Another plus is that the children could see that if all was done by 3pm, they had free time .. time for friends to visit! .. unless one or the other has a dance lesson to get to (which is usually Wednesday). So, general approval all round.  I guess we'll have to put it to the test to see if it really works, but remember that it'll be used mainly as a guideline.  Nothing too rigid in our timeframes work when we're doing our homeschooling, only other appointments!


Thank you for dropping by!
 

Any thoughts on 'Schedules'?

This morning I find myself seriously thinking about schedules.  Should I write one up and really try to stick to it?  Should I post it up somewhere on a wall for everyone to see?  How rigid should a routine be to suit our needs, given I'm also teaching most afternoons?

Why am I thinking about this again now?  Is it because we've had a decent break and I'm just trying to get my head together, or is it because I really believe the children and I will benefit from this?  My children are now ages 13 and 10, so they are capable of quite a bit of learning, but need their own creative times.

I've wandered around a few forums and had a look at advice from others, and also considered our past experiences.  Down to Earth has been discussing theirs for homekeeping.  Well Trained Mind has advice about 'Managers of Their Homes'.  Then there's Catherine Levison's book about my preferred teaching method, Charlotte Mason, with her outline schedule in A Charlotte Mason Education.

So, I'm just thinking about all this.  I'll probably continue to ponder on it whilst finishing up some jobs in the kitchen, too.

I have an outline of what the daily routine may look like, which was put together once the dance timetable came in.  Here's what it's looking like so far:

Is anyone else a scheduler and have ideas/thoughts to share?

 Thank you for dropping by!

 

Good morning!

Hello everyone!

It's been another bit of a gap between posts, but the quiet in blog land only reflects that there's plenty of things happening here to keep us very busy.

The past two weeks have been especially busy with extra dance rehearsals in preparation for the concert, which was this weekend gone.  What a great night!  The format was a little different this year, with the juniors all performing in the afternoon with the theme 'Circus'.  Then, in the evening, the older students performed with the theme 'A Walk Through The Art Gallery'.  Pictures from famous artists were projected onto the back screen, and appropriate music and dances reflected these pictures.  We really enjoyed watching it, and the children enjoyed the different format.

In our homeschooling, we're looking to finish up in another month.  Many projects and books are almost completed.  Mariposa's almost through the level 3 Singapore Maths books, but Maestro is swiftly working through MUS Pre-Algebra.  We've also become the proud new owners of IEW. Maestro is LOVING this intensive writing course, and I'm really happy with the work he's produced so far. Science is still being worked on at a steady rate, but we're only about 3/4 through each of the levels (NOEO Chem I for Mariposa, and Apologia's General Science for Maestro).  It's the same with our history: Maestro's at the beginning of the Middle Ages through his Sonlight, whilst I only recently started doing Australian history with Mariposa this term.

I've been learning more about certain learning issues.  Mariposa has had several severe ear aches since a baby, thus the reason for her operation in September.  This week, I've been watching some online videos about the affects that all those antibiotics have had on her young body, and how they could be contributing to some learning difficulties, via Dianne Croft's site.  Once the cds, 'The Biology of Behavior', arrives here and we've had a chance to really study it, we'll be implementing ways to improve her health for better learning (and all the rest of us, too!)

In the henhouse, we have had one of our youngest hens go broody.  She's now successfully hatched 1 of 4 chicks that we planted under her as preincubated/fertilised eggs.  They're quite happy occupying a fenced off area along the side of the house (because I'm running out of room to put these chickens!!!!), so I often wake to the sound of 'took, took, took' as Mama hen takes her young chick out for a forage early each morning.



This morning's been one of checking over budgets, menu planning and shopping.  Now it's time to get the diary out and check what the rest of the year looks like, because I don't want it rushing by in a blur as the last two weeks seemed to do.  Time for a cuppa, and we'll get on with that whilst the children do their math I think!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Let's take this notebooking a little more seriously

I've been putting myself through some more teacher training.  We have a teen in the house and I don't want the learning to be all textbook based.  It's has to remain engaging and encourage discussion.

The Primary years have been a lot of fun, and thankfully they're not over YET with Mariposa being at the end of grade 4 level.  But with Maestro, we need to get a little more serious in defining interests while still broadening understanding on the bases already established.

So, where does one go for inspiration?  Friends!  Yes, I've been talking with those who have older children and watched what they're doing.  Still, I really want more angles on how to do this.  How have others successfully pulled together the final years of learning with their teens?

I learned about a month ago that there's a Charlotte Mason High School online course, complete with papers and audio files that arrive in monthly installments.  This is put together by Jim and Sheila Carroll over HERE.

After a few weeks, I've already received enough information to seriously whet my appetite for MORE PLEASE!  After reading and then listening to the audio files, I've been bunny-hopping around the internet looking for more information.

So far, the main inspiration has been to finally sit down and have the children really start working on regular notebook entries.  It was after listening to Cindy Ruston that this has really taken off.  Her talks on her 'Talk-A-Latte' pages were fabulous.  It's so easy, and then I wonder why I didn't seriously set it all up this way from the start.

So, now the children each have a 3-ring binder and all notes are going in there.  Beautification is a good thing, but if we don't have time, we come back to it later.  Whilst we were away, the children were studying parables, such as "The kingdom is like ..."  which they wrote out, then paraphrased the meaning.  I also want them to have a go at making up their own parables as we didn't really have that happen last week.

The children seem to prefer notebooking much more than lapbooking.  The 'everything in one place' works with the plastic sleeves and papers already on hand, and half-done projects easily contained where they can be transported for work elsewhere.

I'm looking forward to 'notebooking' all my recipes.  They seriously need a tidy-up!

If you'd like to check out some of the places I've been to when looking for ideas, here's a quick list:
- A Quick Start for Notebooking Mini-Set, Cindy Rushton
- Notebooking for High Schoolers
- Notebooking Resources for Homeschoolers
- Beautiful Feet samples
- Harmony Art Mom's Notebooking Resources
- By Sun and Candlelight, "My Homekeeping Notebook"
 ...... and there are HEAPS more if you do a google search. :)

*** Pictures to come in a future post .... when we have finished our covers and have a collection of interesting pages to share! :)

The "to be done" list

Do you keep a list of things that need to be done around the house? We always manage to write up an impressive page or two of tasks that we'd like to get done before Summer comes. There's something about the birth of Spring which brings about the homely nesting instincts, and hubby and I found ourselves, once again, writing out such a list.

This year's list, for us, is going to be fun, but a lot of work. We'll be pulling out carpet and polishing more floorboards (it's taking us about 3 years to work through the whole house in stages), painting the bedrooms, and finishing a few touches that were left from last time.

Mariposa's selections: flowers for the garden,

and a choice of a blue for her bedroom wall.

We're also going to tackle sprucing up the kitchen on a budget. Basically this means giving the walls a lick of paint, as well as painting over all the cupboards in a complimentary colour (they're currently all polished pine paneling). The sink .. yes, the faucet needs replacing, and I've just ordered a venetian blind for the window (now that the neighbour's tree has fallen down and been removed, we can each see straight into each others kitchens).

Most importantly, though, is the installation of a new greenhouse I recently purchased. We have a space in our backyard where a concrete slab was poured to make a detached BBQ area. However, we've not found it very functional, with all the roofing disintegrating not long after our move into this house. So, it's become a bit of a storage area for tree trunks and prunings to dry out, bags of compost and miscellaneous materials. Well, it's time for a clean up! All the wood is to be cut up properly for firewood, and we'll have to organise trips to the tip with whatever is deemed unusable. Maestro's been given the fun task of demolishing the brick BBQ, which we will rebuild in another location. Then, this space will contain our new productive greenhouse. More yummy organic vegies; I can't wait!!

The site for our new greenhouse.  

I had to take a before picture .. but it's such a mess!

Today, I'll also start sowing some seeds for the front garden. We've decided to put in a number of sunflowers, along with some chinese greens and herbs. The shadows will begin to retract soon, so we'll start these plants off in little punnets and plant them out in a couple of months.

I have no idea how long it will take to get all of these jobs done, but I think writing some time goals are in order. Mariposa is champing at the bit to get the paint for her room. Some paint swatches were bought home, and she's chosen a lovely cornflower blue as a feature wall. Oh yes, I should write this down too: her furniture to also get a lick of paint. Oh dear, we are going to be busy!

You can all look forward to some updates as we go along.  I really needed to put up this post as motivation, because these jobs MUST get done, even if they do take until the end of the year.

How goes the homeschool planning?

In the US it's the beginning of another school year and the buzz is all happening with new curricula and planners. I love hearing what other people are doing and keeping track of ideas I'd like to try. My email box keeps receiving messages about new or updated products, and discussions happening on various forums does get one very excited.

Back here in Australia, though, we're in the middle of our schooling year. Even then, our homeschooling 'year' never seems to start in any one fixed position on the calendar. We phase from one book per subject to another on a sliding scale. If we stop for a vacation or term break, then we simply just pick up from where we left off once we return.

So, how do you schedule? What do you use to show others what your children have achieved, or even as a reflection on all those things the children have done over the years? How then do you plan ahead and anticipate what will be achieved in the next 12 months?

In our state, we don't currently need to have a planned report to present in application to homeschool. Many other states around Australia do have this requirement, however. Personally, I think there are some clear advantages to having this type of documentation completed, because it maps out the journey you'd like to take with your children. Sometimes the route may change a little along the way, but the destination is important.

Being realistic is of utmost importance. I've been guilty, as I'm sure many other homeschooling parents have also, of planning out the perfect daily schedule, only to find that there is no physical way that it will work out perfectly each and every day. Yep, I'm guilty! I've done the timetable thing, when Maestro was 6 years old and Mariposa a toddler, of saying we'll do one activity at 10am, then another at 10:45am, then we'll do the shopping, lunch, nap/storytime, swimming ...... It can't work like that everyday.

So, how CAN you schedule?

Everyone does this differently. I've picked up a few things from various homeschooling suppliers and friends along the way, but this is how I currently work:

Start by writing down the key subjects (or 8 KLAs as is known here), and write in how you like to achieve coverage in those areas. For example (I'll use Maestro's plan for this post):

Arts - violin, some piano, Artistic Pursuits
English - Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts, with Newsademic and Wordly Wise 6; Sonlight Core G readings
Health / Phys. Ed - dance (5.25hrs/wk), adhoc sports days with other families; nutrition/health as family activities at regular intervals
Language other than English - Spanish using Auralog
Maths - Singapore Maths NSM yr 7
Science - Apologia General Science
Studies of Society and Environment - using Sonlight Core G for history; current affairs with Newsademic.
Technology - responsible for some cooking per week, regular household chores/maintenance, woodwork/leatherwork classes in 1st term. Computer time regularly per week (teaching himself music technology), touch typing skills.

This is the thumb-sketch of our year, 2011. Other things will come up that can be added to our list, including all the excursions we'll be doing.

Next, I grab my planner and write in the weekly plan. The only times I have actually booked per activity are those booked as appointments. So, this includes the weekly violin lesson, and all the dance classes. We also had a dance competition on the weekend, so that was blocked out.

Now it comes down to the day-by-day homeschooling lessons. There are a number of things Maestro can work through on his own, but I still need to keep my finger on the pulse. How do I do that? Well, I actually had asked Dr Jay Wile how he worked that with his teenage daughter, when he was visiting for the seminar a month ago, which helped me with this method. What Maestro and I are doing is meeting together just after chores are done in the morning and going through the day's plan. We grab out his books and I go through the texts to see what he can manage. If I need to tutor him for a bit, we start there and then I write notes in his diary for what he can then proceed with alone. We move through all the key subjects in this manner, and I note where I'll be needed for more time together later that day (for eg: with read alouds). He tracks pages and assignments done in his diary, and then we get together at the end of the day to recap and check what may need to kickstart the next day should anything have been missed. We don't block in time periods for 1/2 hr math, 1/2 hr science, etc. There hasn't been any need for this as the day moves quite smoothly from one subject to another. Generally speaking, he's all done by around 2pm if he's started around 9:30am.

One thing I haven't yet ever done is to write up an actual report for each child. It is something I'll start doing, though. I've seen some great ideas and heard reports of how friends are making up reports and certificates to mark their child's milestones. I think that a portfolio as Renelle has done HERE is a great idea.

We do have a type of portfolio coming together for each child, but it's more a collection of all their certificates, exam results and such that could be used as a reference folder when the children are older. I had made up one when I was growing up, and it has come in handy many a time for interviews with the Dept. of Education, and character references. I think we'll still continue to keep this, but add it to a binder with regular reports of homeschooling successes.

Lots of people do set out their homeschool plans in different ways. Often the state requirements have dictated the need for different details. Here are a couple places you can visit if you're looking for planning ideas:

• Renelle at Dove's Rest
• Michelle at Homeschooling Down Under
• HEA's Articles on Programming with real examples of people's planning submissions.

If you have some planning suggestions, especially if you are required to keep records as per state requirements, please leave a comment and a link back to your relevant post.  I'd love to see what others are doing, too!

You may also be interested in a timely reminder from Julie at Bravewriter: Beating the Homeschooling Blues (Instead of Singing Them). We need to remember not to overburden ourselves and enjoy these times we have with our children.

Cute, practical bookmarks

Sometimes I order something, not quite knowing what it will look like from the description given. It's nothing habitual, but I'm glad to say that my curiosity worked this time.

In my searching for stationery to complement my butterfly theme (ie: planner and stickers, as per previous post), I had come across something called 'i-clips'.  These are magnetic page markers.

Aren't they cute? Each is about the size of a thumb nail and clips to the page magnetically.

The reverse side has an arrow at which you can place the marker to remind you of the exact line you last read.

For some reason, I had thought these may resemble more of a small bulldog clip, with a rounded edge. They are very slim, however, and will make great little gifts to send via the post.

This and that

It's a lovely, quiet morning, with the sun streaming in the windows. The air outside is crisp and snaps your senses to attention the moment it's inhaled. It's the kind of morning that invigorates and makes you just want to 'get on with it'.

I've been sitting and enjoying a cup of tea, while looking over my new diary/planner. It arrived in the post yesterday and I have only just started jotting in birthdays and a few other notes. I know .. I used to make my own planner and keep it in a binder. That works fine, but I guess I've become a little lazier and looked for something pre-printed and of a nice size to slip into my handbag.
I've gone with the butterfly theme, but others were available: Mom's Weekly Planner. (Sample pages are available to view through Amazon, here.) 

Pretty butterfly glitter stickers have been added to some pages, too.  These will be quick reminders of special dates coming up.

A number of pages have already filled up with notes of Maestro's dance competition dates. His very first comps for the year have already happened last weekend, taking all of us up to Shepparton. The troupes did very well (3x 1st place and a 2nd placing), and we enjoyed watching the performances. I personally also enjoyed watching the under 6's perform some song/tap solos; they were so cute!

The weeks leading up to the competitions were spent sewing and knitting costumes. Actually, I had to have two goes at knitting the vest for Maestro. He's so lean that the first was swimming on him! Thankfully a smaller sizing meant it was quicker to work up.

Well, the morning is quickly passing. Mariposa has made a lovely batch of pikelets we can enjoy for morning tea whilst I've been typing, and then we'll start working through our bookwork again.

Have a lovely day all!

Maestro's Books for 2011

Well, it's the quiet of the evening after a most beautiful day today. We've caught up with several dear homeschooling friends for a picnic, arrived home and everybody is calm. I have a few moments to stop and write about what Maestro will be studying this year, his first year in high school (year 7) now he's 12 years of age.

I've already put most of his books onto the bookshelf, but they're taking up so much room this year! There are more books than I thought, and some of them of considerable size. I think that the fact he'll be using a few binders has had an influence and I'm already wondering if the placement of all these items is going to work well or not. I guess we'll be finding out how the logistics go once we get on with the routine.

Spelling:

Wordly Wise book 6 will offer us lists, as well as vocabulary usage. Maestro really enjoyed working through book 5 last year, so it makes sense to stay with what works. Once he's completed this book, we'll move to Vocabulary from Classic Roots 6.



Language Arts:

Both Maestro and Mariposa began using LLATL last term, so we'll continue to use this. We're planning on working through the tan book fairly quickly, followed by the green book. The green book will have more grammar diagramming, which is where we want to begin our focus, but the tan book will ensure there aren't any gaps before proceeding to this step.

Some weeks, we will leave LLATL for a while and go to a product I was given via the TOS Review team called The Write Foundation. Maestro has already learnt some interesting lessons on paragraph writing and poetry. As writing is a point of interest with him, we'll take time to do some intensive learning using this product throughout the year.



Maths:

We will continue with Singapore Maths, beginning the year at level 6B. From there we'll move to the New Syllabus Singapore Maths, level 1.

We also have a couple of the Life of Fred books we still haven't worked through: Percentages and Decimals, and Beginning Algebra. I'm thinking we may put these to use after the Singapore Math 6B book has been completed. The first book we used was a lot of fun.

Sonlight:

We're into Core 6 this year: World History Part 1. These books are very enticing. I'm planning on reading his readers before him, they look so good!

Science:

We're moving right into Apologia's General Science.  Unfortunately, the experiment supplies kit isn't transportable to Australia, so I'm still needing to check the items needed so we can make sure we have them at the ready.

A friend, who also has her daughter currently working through this science curriculum, told me about Currclick's Apologia lapbooks.  I downloaded the first module, which is offered for free, and we'll give this a try before I commit to buying the whole package. I suspect that it will be of great benefit to have these visuals to help Maestro through the work, but he's not a very 'crafty' type of person, so I don't know exactly how they'll be received.

LOTE - Spanish

Okay, I struggle here. LOTE (Language Other Than English) has been done in fits and starts here, but I'm really hoping we'll have some more consistency now that we've decided to use Auralog's Language Learning software for Spanish. The plan is to have a set time, once a week, where Maestro will use the program to learn Spanish. I plan to have a go learning this myself so that I know what's going on, and use the built-in tests to record progress.

Art:

This is something both children will do together, as I've detailed in Mariposa's post.

One other item I have recently just acquired secondhand is Complete-A-Sketch. I will occasionally offer these for a short drawing lesson, although, again, I'm not sure how they'll be received.


And, finally, Dance will continue. This is something Maestro is quite emphatic about, so it's the full routine again this year: ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop.


When it's all written out like that, it does look like a very full year! I assure you, though, that we'll take one step at a time and pace ourselves carefully. One thing I would still like to do is have a good search online for some local activities, especially ones that will compliment our studies (for both children). I can already see at least one visit to the Melbourne Zoo will be on the list, but I need to check the Art Gallery and Museums also.

Mariposa's Books for 2011

I know! I should be enjoying the peace and quiet, the relaxed days that have a minimal routine, no rushing about ... but I can't help myself! I think I'm addicted to my children's books. I keep getting them out for a look, to stack them neatly in piles and play with the planning pages. So, when I again found myself leafing through a folder, I decided to direct my enthusiasm to a blog post instead. Lucky you, lol!!

I'll start with what Mariposa is doing. She's now 9yrs old, so grade 4 in our state/country. We had a great time doing Sonlight's Core 1+2 in 2010. I bought a whole lot of the readers, from intermediate to advanced in that Core. We still haven't finished them all, but they're there for use now that her reading skills are picking up.  Along with those readers, we have the following:

Spelling:

We started using All About Spelling in October. We needed something to help boost Mariposa's confidence, and manipulatives are ideal for her learning style. What she already knew, she's skimmed through very quickly. This has been great, because we can tailor this perfectly to her needs.

Having the letters on tiles has helped her immensely. As she often wrote many letters in reverse, or whole words in mirror, having these already on the tiles has helped her quickly get the word 'done' and spelt correctly the first time. When we then do dictation with pen to paper, she has found that it's helped give her a better visual of what the letters and word look like. I've noticed an improvement and she's enjoying it, so we'll continue with this product for her.

Actually, we're not too far off finishing the first book, but along the way she has already had to practice some of the tricky spelling words that were tripping her up. We'll review some of the latest lessons before proceeding further along. Even Maestro picked up some rules he didn't know before, just from listening in.







Language Arts:

We're changing over to LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature). This change came about from a few steps. Firstly a friend showed me how she was using them, then another friend offered me use of her Teacher's Manual. All I had to do was to purchase the Student's books, which is available at Christianbook.

Mariposa is starting with the Yellow Book, which is probably a little easy for her, but will again build up her confidence in reading/writing.  We can plough through what the book specifies as a week's worth of work in a couple of days, then slow down to the recommended pace as she the work gets harder.

Maths:

Singapore Maths again. This program worked so well in 2010, so we're sticking with it. She'll start working on Level 3 this year.

Winter Promise:

Yes, we're having a slight diversion from Sonlight for a little bit. Whilst she still has some readers to keep her busy from Sonlight's Core 1+2, we're going to use Winter Promise "Animals and Their Worlds" for the main. It's set out in the same style as Sonlight, only with different themes.

This is probably something we could have done when she was a couple of years younger, but there is a HUGE attraction to animals in her life, so why not exploit it? This is the folder I've been pulling out often, as I can see that some things in the Instructor Guide will be quite easy for her. I may need to tweek this a bit, omitting the 'too easy' and adding a few other ideas/resources from our library.

Science:

Well, I know that Winter Promise has books that would cover Science, but we're still going to have a go at another lot of science from Sonlight. I've decided to let her have a go at Science 2. It may be a bit of a step back from Science 3, but my reasoning is that she could probably do a lot of this on her own, helping again to develop some independent learning. The experiments should be fun, too.  See ... I'm trying to cater to her 'hands on' style, and if it all gets too busy, we'll stretch it over 2 years.

Art:

We're staying with Artistic Pursuits. Mariposa is naturally into the art supplies anyway, so this book will give guidance.

I have also invested in a great calendar that I heard about on Jimmie's Collage. Jimmie uses a calender from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which can be used for incidental learning of art each day, or sketching.


Dance is still going to feature in our regular routine, but Mariposa has cut back on a few classes to fit in time for gymnastics in 2011.  The gymnastics lessons will be held with a local homeschooling group.


Well, that's it for now.  I know we usually add and take away things as the year progresses.  Nothing is ever set in concrete.  At least sharing this with you all has helped stop me from playing with folders and things for a bit (smiles!).

Our big annual homeschool schedule

It's almost time to get serious about our plans for 2011. Actually, I don't want to get too serious about it yet as the end of the year is so close and we're really looking forward to a break, but think about it we shall (a bit! *wink!*)

A question being discussed by the TOS Crew is Do you follow a traditional school day/time/schedule/year?, so I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts on the subject.

We actually don't run our days like traditional schools. Many years ago I did try (I guess that was the teacher training in me!), but it just didn't work. So much time is spent at school in assemblies, filing into the classroom, listening to the teacher, waiting for other students to settle and a whole lot of other activity that just doesn't happen here. So, because we can cut to the chase, our days aren't as long as that of most children attending school. In fact, schooling is really just part of our family lifestyle.

I am often asked "So, when do you start your day?" Well, as soon we're up, really. I do think that mastering chores is a part of our learning. Maestro has also been known to wake up early, so he'll start the day reading.

For a more structured answer, after breakfast and chores, we'll start bookwork while the children and I are still very fresh. It's amazing how well they work in the mornings! I've learnt that getting the Maths and Language Arts done first thing works best here, so it's now a part of our routine.  We have a nice, easy flow to the day established now, where the children move from one subject to another without too much prompting.  The only time we have to consider a time to do a particular subject is if there's preparation involved, such as the Science experiments.

Now, you probably want to know how long we school for each day? Well ... that can really vary! There are days we get it all done by lunchtime. Other times we take a moderate break for lunch and finish around 2:30ish. I can monitor how the children are responding and tailor each day as it comes, so a good day will see me giving them that bit extra to do, while another day I'm happy to back off if there's a need.

It needs to be realised that homeschooling isn't a 'log in', 'log off' scenario. It's recognising that you can fit learning into all the other things that happen in your family lifestyle. When we stop for morning tea, it may well be a time when we read together, or we'll go to a park for a run and play. And I've learnt from Mariposa that waiting for dinner to be ready can also be time to get tomorrow's maths done, lol!


The closest I've come to having a schedule is with the Sonlight Instructor Guides, and my diary. I own these as resources to help with the sequence of study and reference notes rather than a rigid 'must do each day' list. Appointments I must keep, but teaching needs to be more flexible to keep it fun and interesting. It needs to be pliable so I can mold the children in many more ways than just through bookwork. I especially like it if we find a practical activity that reinforces something we've recently learnt, like I did with my children a while ago when we did geometry using origami.

Just a few weeks ago, I had started checking out some high school schedules for Year 7, as Maestro is of official high school age next year. Wow, those timetables vary! One school does only 4 classes a day, spreading 9 subjects over a 2 week cycle. Another school does 7 classes a day (starting earlier and ending later, also) with 13 subjects spread over a 2 week cycle. I did this because I wondered how our homeschool would compare. Well, if we keep with the same routine that we've comfortably molded ourselves into, Maestro will still be covering all those subjects far more consistently each day.  We'll just have to accomodate for the out-of-home activities such as violin, dance and gymnastics (for Mariposa next year).

When it comes to how our year runs, we do have two types of schedules running here. It's based on my children's learning styles. Maestro likes to catch up with friends over term breaks, so he's opted to stick with the state's term dates. Mariposa, however, likes to let her creativity have a decent run, so she does her regular subjects for 3 weeks, then takes a week off to explore crafts, horseriding, and whatever else may come to mind. We've done a full year on this type of schedule, and I've found it's worked well. I worked it out so some of those breaks co-ordinated together, so we could have a complete break and either go away or do lots of visiting.

Now that I've written this up, it's very tempting to sit and plan out next year.  Granted, I do have most of our books ready, but I want to review a few more ideas and see how they'll fit into the flow nicely ... but, not today. I'll work on that over the next couple of weeks and share our plans in future posts.

I recommend reading Barbara Frank's blog post about taking care not to overschedule HERE.  I've actually started reading her book "The Imperfect Homeschooler's Guide to Homeschooling" and finding lots of supporting information and food for thought.  She talks a lot about techniques and various homeschooling challenges.

Don't forget to drop by the TOS Crew Blog Cruise to read what others have to say about scheduling, too.  These will be posted up from the 10th January, 2011.

Concert week

Final rehearsals. Sewing and amending costumes. It's all happening again, this week. I've already made several outfits, the final being tails and bows for Mariposa's tap troupe, and the sequencing required also.

Mariposa's tap troupe outfit, with hair bow.

They also have silver dance sticks to set their routine off.

This is the week where the past has already taught us a lesson. That lesson is "Don't try and fit it all in. Ease up and try to relax."

Well, I'm doing just that. Having had a horrid headcold over the weekend, I'm really glad for the rest I had the past couple of days. We've only done a minimal amount of schoolwork today, and now over lunch, my children have been introduced to the tv series I really enjoyed as a child, "The Waltons". We need to fit in some fun this afternoon before the children have their 3.5hr full concert practice. And, if history repeats, then yes, I'll have a few more last minute projects tossed my way.

There are also a few "Must Dos" this week:
* Maestro needs to practice his vocal solo for Musical Theatre. A broken voice and nerves has made this a big deal.
* Menus .. I definitely need to get the menus working. We'll have late nights Monday and Thursday with full rehearsals. A proper picnic lunch and dinner for concert day on the weekend is also essential.
* Make sure all shoes, tights, outfits, accessories, spare safety pins (etc.) are all packed ready for the day.
* Washing MUST be up to date. We won't be able to function if this falls behind.

Hopefully that will be the main things to worry about, and with those things taken care off everything else will run smoothly.

Time to fill your own tank

Every day can buzz along so quickly. You blink and the morning has become the afternoon.

Let's just catch a moment in the morning, as the sun is rising, to sit. We can talk together before you head off to work, eating breakfast in quiet, sipping the freshly brewed coffee. Then after you've left, I have a few moments of solitude to read, think, pray.

Then the day begins with cuddles and smiles with the children. Our chores commence, as do the lessons. We'll stop occasionally to change our activity, but there's still always work to be done. The day builds momentum and I've only snatched a moment to stop and watch the children play with the dog, or made another cuppa before starting a new project.

There are then those times when the world is weighing us down. We need to retreat, take a walk and collect acorns, or investigate the blooms out in the garden. Sometimes we'll head to a park, me with my book and them full of energy.

When they were younger, we'd play with bubbles in the bath to turn frowns into smiles. Then we'd snuggle on the couch for a hug and a story. Other days they were happy to use some quiet time to give me my needed quiet time. We help each other through the tougher times.

Friends and family are there if we need them. We've learnt to ask if there's a need. But mostly we watch each other and have developed a balance over time. I fill your tank, you fill mine, and we each fill our own individually when we need to say 'enough' for a time. This is how we work and live together, because all too soon these days will be gone.

Before we know it, it's the end of the day. You're home with me, the children have had their time to talk with you, read, cuddle and play. They are in bed and we can be quiet. Do you remember that song from Carousel, called "When the Children are Asleep"? That makes me smile, with thoughts of how I imagined my life would be before we married, and now that family is mine. ☺

When the children are asleep we sit and dream,

The things that every other dad and mother dream.

When the children are asleep and lights are low,

If I still love you the way I love you today,

You'll pardon my sayin', I told you so...

When the children are asleep, I'll dream with you

We'll think what fun we have had and be glad

That it's all came true.

This week on the TOS Blog Cruise, we're discussing this question about personal time out. "How do you find free time? Is it okay to take time for yourself? If so, how?", so if you'd like to read the advice of others, head on over HERE.