New Memory Verses

This week Charlotte added two more verses to her lovely little keepsake collection.

Letter O.... memory verse.

Letter P..... memory verse.

What her collection is looking like these days.

Super pretty, don't you think?  

Then we just keep them stored in her little card box.

And Just Like That...... School Started

Yep, we started our 2019 school year today.

I've got my tick list all good to go.....

Charlotte started SOTW III.

And because it's Monday...... Art Monday.

What I'm reading to Charlotte and Noah for Bible time.

And this is how we started the new school year.  

There was plenty of other work done, but yes, these were my happy snaps this morning.

* * * * *

Chloe is in year 9.

Phebe is in year 7.

Hannah also doing year 7.

Charlotte doing year 2.

And Noah doing Kindergarten.

Combining Bible and Copywork

The thought here is that I decided that we should combine Bible and Copywork in the one lesson.

Basically, I've taken a photocopy master with a picture and a story with which Charlotte reads the story out loud to me and narrates a sentence or so between each paragraph.  I write it down, and then at the end she can copy it out into her book.  She uses the picture on the left hand side to trace, thus producing these examples. 

She is really enjoying this activity, so we'll continue daily until she tires and then I'll probably make it a weekly thing and move her into the Golden Children's Bible on the other days.

End of May Update on Charlotte { 6y 9m }

Here's where Charlotte was roughly by the end of May.  She's currently in Grade 1 according to the public schedule, but as you'll see, homeschooling has allowed a little more wiggle room to accommodate her more appropriately.

{ Bible: }

Charlotte has continued with her character copywork and is now at the end of Creativity.

Don't forget that you can pick up this workbook for FREE on the blog here.

{ Math }

In the maths department Charlotte is making exceptional gains.

As of posting this particular photo, Charlotte is actually past the 40th lesson and has started official multiplication in all earnest.

{ Reading } 

She is thoroughly enjoying reading her Rod and Staff Nurture reader.  There has been a hidden blessing in not doing too much in the way of Bible Stories with her previously to this.  As she reads each story for herself.... she is scandalised, captivated, entirely intrigued by the content of each story as she goes on through.  Not having those basic Bible story backgrounds already - it has shocked her at some of the content, and thus kept her completely interested in reading.

Here's a recent story that she's read.  Yep, this is considered Grade 1.  The story actually goes over to the next page.  She reads these out loud to me so that if there is any need for help or correction I am right there to address any problem immediately.

{ Science } 

We're having some down time with Science and keeping it light with a little detour on the Water Cycle.  I'll be looking to start a new topic soon though.

{ Penmanship }

Another thing that Charlotte has been regularly attending to this month was cursive handwriting.

{ History } 

We also continue with SOTW II.  I've moved it to Fridays so that we can be free to spend that read aloud time on Mondays and Wednesdays on another History book.

That other book or read aloud time is for this:

We're nearly finished......

And of course she is still working largely from Rod and Staffs Phonics and Reading workbooks.

{ Art }

To see Charlotte's Art, you'll have to pull up all the Art Monday posts.  I generally keep all the Art together.

* * * * * * *

Yes, so I just wanted to do a quick little update on where Charlotte was at this point in time.

Thanks for visiting.

Homeschool Update Chloe

It's been a seriously long while since I did a straight out comprehensive homeschool catch up.  Nobody knows what my children are using these days, unless of course we're facebook friends and you visit my wall regularly.

I haven't even got a current curriculum list on the blog anymore either.  The years come and go like a blur.  { The baby is 3 already and pretty much toilet trained. }  We swap in new materials, we swap out old materials.

So, Thank you for visiting today.  Let me share with you about what my 12 year old is doing { she's about to turn 13 - and I was blogging about her as a 4 year old - some of those posts may or may not be here on the blog  since I deleted the blog once upon a time ago..... but I digress }:

{ Chloe } 

Bible:

Rod and Staff workbook 7.  At some point this year she'll make the jump over to book 8.  She truly likes it - the series has been a good and solid keeper.

{ English }

Currently using Christian Light Education { CLE } Grade 5.  Don't let those grade numbers fool you - there is some serious grammar in there!  And you seriously can't go wrong if there are quizzes and tests included.  I love that it is entirely open and go.  No prep work needed.

{ Reading }
Mostly at her own leisure, but occasionally I'll put a book in her hands.  She still reads a fair amount, but yeah... 

{ Maths }

This year we made a purposeful choice to allow her to use Maths Quest 8.  It is entirely inline with her grade level should she had gone to any local public school.   Some days are good, some are tough.  She will not give in.  She will not return to a lower grade.

This month she'll be swamped out with Geometry.  We'll be toggling between her main text book, maths online, and a pack of foldables that explains all the formulas.  I highly recommend getting the mathsonline subscription - we are entering our 4th year.  It is brilliant, and worth every. single. penny. spent on it.

{ History }

This year Chloe is using History Alive.  This book also runs current to her grade level.  It's ok.  Not brilliant, but ok.  But at least it lends itself to basic note taking skills.   A couple of paragraphs and it's all done.  So it doesn't tie her up for half the day.


{ Science }

This year we picked up something entirely new - and public school based. ie.  Australian.  It's Pearsons Science for her current grade level.  Read a chapter, look the experiments over, do a worksheet.  

{ Geography }

Ummm, guess what?  Yep, another grade level school text.....

It's serving its purpose, so there's that.

{ Art }

We continue with randoms each and every Monday.  Everything from Australian birds, to flowers, to girl faces.  Next term I have some construction animals for them to assemble.

{ LOTE }

I want them to learn Greek.  She would prefer French.  So, we toggle and somewhere in all of it we also did some Japanese.   We're still using Elementary Greek 1 and First Start French 1.  No serious progress has been made in either book, but we do a little here and a little there.  Sadly, there is no Latin on the table.  It's not even on the horizon.  You may shed a tear for me if you are so inclined.

{ Australian History }

This year Chloe is working from the BLM from a RIC publication book.  I have some gorgeous Australiana in books that I feel would prove to be a better resource though.

{ Literature }

Currently in a BJU Literature book.  She really likes it.  I think it's mostly a good waste of her time though because she doesn't use it the way its intended, you know, with answering detailed questions.  She loves the reading, but the questions don't really do much for her.

{ Randoms }

As you know I also throw in randoms.  This year they've done some stuff on spiders, horses, and salmon.  I just pick up pieces from the lapbooks for them.

{ Extra-curricular }

Chloe does Pathfinders, which is the Seventh Day Adventist version of Scouts.  There is a TON of camping.  She loves it.  Best thing since sliced bread.

* * * * *

All this school text book stuff, I'm starting to feel entirely sorry for the child.  What are we doing?  Just ticking the boxes on the Australian Curriculum Frameworks booklet?

We're definitely moving from Christian American to Secular Public and when I write it all here I am seeing this tragedy unfold. 


* * * * *

And then I had a bit of an internal crash.  Yep, I cried.  I resorted to public school texts because I have a lot of children to juggle, and I am doing it entirely alone.  I don't have the confidence that I should have.  I also do not have the intelligence that I should have.  And of course the season of one's life either enables or destroys you.... right now I'm in a bit of a low.


* * * * *

Then I remembered AO

and I thought, it's not too late, you could do that - well, at least some of it.

So I started building the book list.

I felt overwhelmed.  I felt sick in my stomach.  True story.

I cried some more.

I'll let you know if I get it together - or if Chloe will remain doomed to the mediocre public school education at home.

Character Studies Update

We are still using the character materials that I put together a few years ago.  Just yesterday Phebe my super fresh 11 year old worked on this:

The left hand side:

The right hand side:

And for my little Miss 6 - she uses the same text book but puts all her copywork into a workbook especially designed for it.

I have them available for FREE.  Just click the links below to go and pick them up.

Here's where I keep them:

Character worksheets

What it looks like worksheets

Character & Commands for Littles

Memory Verses for September Week 1

I went back and re-established Charlotte's { 6 }
Memory Card File Box.

I used the A-Z verses from Confessions of a Homeschooler.
I just printed them up - it's a one page download, then cut the verses apart and glued them individually onto cards.  This made 26 cards.
Then it was time to stamp some pretties onto the sides of the cards.

The very next day we were all good to start.
She copied the verse and started the coloring.
Soon we also did the cut and paste.  Essentially, it's the verse cut apart and put back in sequence.  She really LOVED this activity.

Alternatively....
Print the plain one and print on a colored piece of paper.

If you'd like a FREE copy of this weeks verse just click the picture below.

I'll be making a FULL set to match the verses in the A-Z memory verse list.

I'll pop them HERE.

Don't forget to visit on occasion.

Other Items We Traveled Through In August

Chloe worked on finding midpoints with x,y co-ordinates.

Phebe got through this little collectable beauty.

A bat craft.  Yes, I know we already finished our Bat lapbook but.... it was too cute a project to pass up.

Chloe finished Bible 6.

And I gave her the next book in the series.

What I saw in Chloe's Geography this week.

FREE Books of the Bible Lapbook

Today I had a ton of fun making a

Books of the Bible Lapbook.

Print out all your pieces.

Assemble the accordion books.

Attach the cover to the front of the lapbook.

How it looks when you first open it up.  Bible notes on the left hand flap.  Bible vocabulary on the right hand flap.  The beginning part of the Old Testament books on the first insert.

Under the Bible notes tabs.

Just a close up of the first set of pockets.  The accordion books are folded up.

The match book vocabulary can be either written in or pasted in.

Turn the first insert page over and here are the remaining pockets etc... for the OT.  Then we have a 400 years separation note stuck to the bottom part of the page.

Turning to the middle we start the NT pockets.

And continue over for the remainder.

How it looks when both inserts are open.

On the back of the right hand insert.

A full listing of the books of the Bible.

Yes, so that's it. 

It is quite a project, and I suggest doing it in small parts as a child learns the Books of the Bible by rote memory.

So, if you're interested in this lapbook feel free to download a FREE copy here.

Thanks so much for visiting.