The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.276: Our 2018-2019 Read Alouds

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I’ve wanted to record the books we read aloud each school year and now, at halfway through the summer, I’m finally getting around to it!  Better late than never.  Here are the six books we read in 2018-2019: 
This book is about a brother and a sister who run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  A fun mix of adventure, mystery, and art in an exciting and humorous way.  We all loved this one.
I’m not sure where I heard about this easy read, but it had the kids laughing!  It’s about a father who tells a bedtime story about a wolf to his very helpful and imaginative son.  Well written and a classic!
I think I learned about this book from Read Aloud Revival.  It was described to me as “Jurassic World meets Planet of the Apes” and I think that’s pretty accurate.  The first few chapters are slower, but quickly pick up.  And the end is a cliff hanger!  One of my older boys read the sequel and enjoyed it too.  Definitely one of the favorites of the school year.
 
Oh my goodness…this book!  Another hilarious, yet endearing story about two children who spend their summers with their eccentric grandmother.  We could not get enough of Grandma Dowdel and her crazy antics.
Since I have kids from middle school down to toddler, it’s hard to choose read alouds that will be enjoyed by most, if not all, of them.  This cute book was definitely geared toward the younger ones but the big boys sat through it too.  We especially enjoyed watching the movie afterwards.  It’s definitely dated, but still entertaining!
 
A heartwarming story about a homeless Parisian who meets a struggling family and wants to help them find a better place to live.  We had many great discussions with this one.

No.253: Reflections On Our Second School Year at the Farmhouse

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School’s out for summer!  A few thoughts and memories I want to remember:

We went into our second school year at the farmhouse with the goal of getting ourselves out there.  We joined a weekly co-op and started new activities in town.  While we still have a ways to go, I think we made progress in the right direction.   

Duds and failures:

1. Not enough creativity and too much “do the next page” // Because of our new extra-curricular commitments, I had trouble keeping creativity alive in our daily work.  Most of the kids took an art class through the co-op and I scrapped that subject from the plan – much to our detriment!  They really enjoy that creative expression in their schoolwork, so I’ll be working extra-hard to add art and projects to our plan again in the fall.
2. Shakespeare // Can I just say that Shakespeare really intimidates me?  I read parts of How to Teach your Children Shakespeare and a handful of helpful blog posts, but I still had trouble implementing it.  We did manage to read Macbeth, but I’m not sure I taught it correctly.  
3. Nature Study // I have a crazy two-year-old who made this impossible.  Maybe next year?

Successes:
1. Dictation for Dyslexic Learners // A handful of my kids have various degrees of dyslexia so I’m always looking for off-the-beaten-path ways to help them learn.  Another homeschooling mother recommended dictation and she was totally right!  I used Dictation Day by Day with my fourth grader and his handwriting, spelling and grammar all improved just from studying a passage and then writing it as I read it aloud. 
2. Beautiful Feet Books // We used four guides from Beautiful Feet Books this year: Modern American and World History, Early American History, History of Western Expansion and Geography Through Literature.  I loved them all!  Their book choices are great and the guides provide enough structure to keep us on task but are open-ended that I can pick and choose which assignments to complete.  We’ll definitely be using them again next year.
3. Grammar // We used First Language Lessons in our morning basket for grammar and I am amazed at how much the kids retained!  Just yesterday, as they were working through a MadLib book, I heard: “Okay, we need a verb.  A verb is a word that does an action, shows a state of being, links two words together, or helps another verb.”  A proud moment where homeschooling feels worth it, hah! 
To celebrate the last day of school, everyone got a book to jumpstart summer reading:
D (age 10) // Click Here to Start
Tradition is also to get everyone a treat, so we celebrated with soft serve ice cream!

It was a good year and I’m happy to continue again in the fall.  But first – a summer of relaxed schedules and gobs of long overdue house projects.  

No.171: Our Farmhouse Schoolhouse in Photos (Week 01)

Every year around this time, I get a twinge of anxiety.  All of the doubts come flying and I wonder: Did I make the right decision?  Is this going to work for all of them?  Am I screwing them up for life?  Public school or homeschool, the agonizing questions are always the same.

We jumped back into school this week and the transition was incredibly easy.  The kids were eager and the younger ones couldn’t get enough.  They were asking for more and more!  Our calendar is filling up with co-op, CCD, Trail Life, and youth group.  What a gift it is to begin a new school year knowing we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.

No.167: Our 2018-2019 Homeschool Plan: Term One

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And just like that, the school year is upon us again!  Charlotte Mason once said, “And all the time we have books, books teeming with ideas fresh from the minds of thinkers upon every subject to which we can wish to introduce children.”  This is the feast of ideas for the first twelve weeks:

TERM ONE: AUGUST 20 – NOVEMBER 9

MORNING BASKET
We are continuing this program from last year.  I haven’t decided yet, but we probably could fill an entire school year just on WWII to current day.  There’s so much to learn!
Books:
We’re finishing up the last few books in American History before moving onto Western Expansion.
Books and Field Trips:

WRITING
LITTLE KIDS READING & PHONICS
  • J: Explode the Code Level 2.5 and Level 3 (this is largely review, but we’re working on his confidence)
  • S: Get Ready for the Code A & Get Set for the Code B
  • S: ABC See, Hear, Do
  • tons and tons of picture books
SCIENCE
All of the kids will have their primary science curriculum through co-op.  We’ll supplement with extra reading and/or activities at home.

RELIGION
The three big boys will also be attending religious education at our parish.
GEOGRAPHY
Books:

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