Apologia Review

We are now in year 3 of Apologia science. If you have never checked them out, you need to. When asking other homeschool friends what they have used for science, most often the answer is Apologia.

Why is one of the more popular? Well I can't say for sure what others think but I can tell you what my top 5 reasons for loving this curriculum.

1. Along with normal science, it teaches apologetics. Why is this important to us? Even though we believe in creationism, it is a theory. Apologia spends time showing where there is evidence for what the Bible says about the creation and animals.
2. It is not dumbed down. For me this is super important. I hate curriculum that is a waste of my time and my kids time. It is written on a 6th grade level, but there are so many activities that younger kids can participate in. Because it is not dumbed down, my 3rd grader has a large vocabulary and a higher reading level partly due to reading her science book. My younger kids can also participate with their sister despite being a few grades lower.
3. There are so many Try This sections that allow kids to gain a deeper understanding of topics that are being discussed. There is also an experiment at the end of each lesson that can be really fun.
4. Because it is a popular curriculum choice, there are a lot choices in extras. Apologia has journals that go along with the books. For elementary you have one for the younger students and one for the older. The journals are packed full of fun activities. If your kids are more lapbook type kids check out Christian Book Distributors. We have purchased the lapbook for the Human Anatomy and Physiology rather then the journals. We always purchase the experiment kit you can get on Christian Book Distributors as well. It is worth the price so that I don't have to get a package of something just to use one item.
5. It is so much fun! I never liked science in school (unless it had to do with math) but for some reason I love learning along with my kids. I can't even tell you why. Maybe they just pick much more interesting things for you to learn about.

There is no doubt we will continue to use Apologia as our science. We love it and all enjoy it!

If you use Apologia or have in the past, I'd love to hear what you think about it.

Year Two of Logic of English

After completing Level C and D of Foundations from Logic of English, I have to say I am so totally in love with this program. The results from this curriculum are outstanding.

Level C is just a gradual increase in ability from Level B. The books are set up the same with the same type of activities. Level D is a bit of a jump in ability and required skills. If I had more then one that I was teaching, I would have split the lesson into two days. Even with the amount of work on each lesson I really loved Level D and so did my daughter for several reasons.

1. The readers are non-fiction. Most kids today have no idea how to read non-fiction. These readers are fabulous non-fiction books that my daughter absolutely loved.
2. The extra books are super fun and classic books that again my daughter absolutely loved and would read to her sisters over and over.
3. They begin teaching grammar. I think this is super important. I didn't understand grammar until high school and grammar education is really lacking in most curriculums today.
4. Handwriting in Level D consists of copy work and dictation. I love that both are included but not everyday. Copy work helps with spelling and sentence structure. Dictation helps with both but in a way that requires listening skills.
5. Review lessons are more of a testing day including testing their reading comprehension and speed. This is really important because it will help you see where you may need extra review.
6. My daughter would say one of her favorite things was the games. She loved playing games with me in her workbook. Tic Tac Toe and Bingo are often in her book and she loved playing them.

At the beginning of Level D, my daughter was a little nervous about picking up books and reading on her own. After she finally picked up her first beginning chapter book there was no stopping her.

Although she was reading some on her own, I was still a little frustrated that her testing had her around 40 words per minute. This is really low for her reading level. She was missing a lot of words and spending too much time trying to sound a word out. At the half way in D I instituted a mandatory 30 minute quite reading time every day. This made a HUGE difference in her WPM. She went from 40 WPM to 70 WPM in about 4 weeks. She also went from getting 15 or more words wrong to 2 words.

So looking back over the past year, I am so amazed at the skills this curriculum provides. Kids are provided skills to read and spell any word in the English language. There are rules for every word and every possible strange spelling is explained. The kids aren't just shown sight words to memorize but instead explained the reason behind the spelling.

The next step for us now is Essentials. We have the 2nd addition which will take awhile as it has 3 levels. My daughter is only a few weeks into the curriculum. I will review that later on.

My two kindergarteners are currently half way through Level A and so excited to get their first reader. They also love showing off their letters. I cannot recommend this curriculum enough.

Starting Homeschooling

When families are first starting out their homeschool adventure, they often try to do too much. When your plate is too full you burn out very fast. Consider easing into homeschooling with these easy tips:

1. Do a four day week instead of a five day week. You don't have to follow the school schedule. We do a 3-4 day week, but also go year round. We take breaks when we are busy and during a big family vacation in the winter. Since my husband works in the summer and has the winter months off, I like being very flexible with our schedule. 
2. Consider curriculum carefully. I recommend trying one that has levels rather than grades especially if you are starting in the elementary grades. These are usually built around mastery and work well for those students who are fast learners and also those who need extra time and and more practice. Move to the next level when they are ready instead of to the next grade because of their age. This eliminates the stress of feeling like you need to get so much done by a certain date and feeling like your failing when that deadline isn't met. 
3. Focus on what your child needs. A kindergartener needs reading, writing, spelling, and math. Make sure those are covered before adding anything else. If your K-3 grader is struggling in those areas, anything else is going to add more stress for you and your child. 
4. Don't be afraid to change the schedule. Take time off when you need it. Try taking them to the library on Monday and start a week long research project. Even your elementary students can learn how to do it. On Friday they can present what they found . We all need time to refill and refresh. Take that time even if it's not scheduled. 
5. Lesson plan IN PENCIL. Planning is really important but so it being flexible. Plan at least 3-4 weeks in advance and do it in pencil so when your child needs an extra day of review or something comes up, you won't be redoing all your lesson plans. 
6. Have fun. Make learning fun. Encourage questions and teach your children how to discover answers on their own. Let them be creative. Don't expect them to be all the same and learn the same. Enjoy their individuality and let the decide how and what you teach. 

I have enjoyed Homeschooling my kids and I'm so thankful for my college classes in elementary education and special education and my experiences with so many young kids. That has made my experience much easier and given me a chance to do what I love.

Spelling-You-See Demontstration

Spelling-You-See

I really love being able to be home with my kids and involved in what they are learning. By homeschooling I am able to accomplish this. 

If you are wondering what I curriculum we are using and haven't read my previous blog post, you can read it HERE.

We have been using Spelling-You-See consistently since August. I am really loving this program. It is meant to be used for up ten minutes. There are no spelling lists and repetitive writing of words that only allows your student to memorize for the test and forget. 

Check out the video below to see how we do our spelling session.

As you can see we do school time in pj's and sweats. There are kids giggling in the background and a dog walking around under the table. I didn't stage this, I just set up the camera and pushed play. I wanted to give a real look into how we do it. 

 My daughter is fast at spelling and it has come easily to her. If my child was struggling, I would stop at 10 minutes and that would be the end of the lesson. 

What I really like about this book is how it is set up for mastery. A child works on a specific spelling skill or rule before moving on to the next and there are days and weeks of review before moving on to the next skill level. Because they say to stop at 10 minutes, the child who is struggling isn't going to feel that frustration hump they can't get over. As a homeschooling parent, you don't want to feel like your pulling teeth to get them to finish a lesson. This curriculum allows you to do what your child needs.

In the next book, level B, the child begins practicing dictation along with practicing spelling skills like chunks. This continues on throughout the series. Dictation length increases with each book and gives the child repetition in spelling words within context rather then a spelling list. 

Here is a sample lesson in book B

I haven't decided yet if we will continue with Spelling-You-See only because our reading/phonics curriculum also has spelling. Once we finish Level A I will reevaluate at that time and see what is the best choice for us. The programs are similar. I may end up using this program for my other girls in addition to their phonics, especially my 4 year old who has had speech problems, or just use the phonics spelling. It will depend on how much extra practice my girls will need.

Reading Out Loud is . . .

In one of my early childhood classes in college, my professor had one saying we all heard daily: "Reading out loud is the single most important thing you can do for a child." When it comes to their education I really do have to agree. Reading opens so many doors, and children who struggle in reading tend to struggle in most all areas of school.

Unless the child has a disability that interferes with reading ability, children who struggle often struggle because they were not read to at home. Just like many things kids learn there are stages to reading that can't be skipped. 

1. Kid's learn what a book is and how fun it is
2. They learn that the pages have something meaningful
3. They learn how to hold it the right way and turn the pages to make a story
4. Finally they learn that the scribbles on the page mean something. This is the point they are ready to learn to how to read. 

Imagine if they went to kindergarten not having been read a book? 

What should you read to your child? Everything and anything you can get your hands on. One of the great things about being a parent is knowing what your child is interested in. Teachers can't know everything about your child and can't customize reading to fit your child's need, but you as a parent can.

In our house we read picture books for fun and for information. My four year old is very interested in a spider book now and her Bible. My oldest is interested in easy readers since she can read some of the words on the page. Picture books is where I let them be in control of what we read. 

My girls are currently 5, 4, and 3. Guess what we read at night? Before bed we read a short devotion from a princess devotional and a chapter book. If it's my husband's night to read, they read something he has picked out. Currently it's an Usborne girl story book, but in the past they've read The Bernstein Bears (chapter books), Magic School Bus and so many others. On my night's (Mon-Fri) we are reading through the Little House Series. Currently we are reading By the Shores of Silver Lake and the girls are loving it. 

Now I'm sure your wondering if they actually listen and understand chapter books. Well the answer is yes and no. Yes the 5 year old listens, understands, and remembers. The 4 year old listens most of the time, understands some and is curious about some things, and sort of remembers. The little one will usually sit quietly and listen.

So what's the point of reading to the younger ones if they barely remember and understand? The purpose is to train them to sit and listen and retain. It's a skill that has to be developed. We have been reading chapter books for 2 years now and you can slowly see the abilities in sitting still, listening and comprehension increasing. Vocabulary also increases since they are exposed to more complicated language then you find in typical picture books.

As a family we are closer. Spending that time reading together is a memory they will always cherish. It is one of my favorite childhood memories. It is something that brings us together at the end of a long day. 

So don't be afraid to pick up books that are slightly above their reading level. Spend some quality time with your kids and help them become lifelong readers. 

Here is my list of book recommendations to get you started:

• Little House Series
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Harry Potter
• The Secret Garden 
•  Adventures in Odyssey book series
• Micheal Vey by Richard Paul Evans
• Lion of War series by Cliff Graham (about King David's Mighty Men)
• The Boxcar Children

I'd love to hear what you like to read with your kids. 

Our Kindergarten Curriculum

No matter if you are a well seasoned home school parent or a beginner the one question everyone always asks is what curriculum are you using. So for those who are curious I will share that information with you today.

In searching for curriculum I found that a whole curriculum didn't work for us. I know families that love Sonlight and My Father's World and other whole package curriculum and it works well with their families. For me, I knew that wouldn't work as well. I have a background in teaching and don't feel I need something so scripted. My background in special education has given me the ability to adapt curriculum for the individual child, which I will need to do for my own kids since they are very different learners. 

What we have ended up with is a bit of a hodge podge. I've taken from several different places. I will start preschool with the two younger in the fall because they want the school time too. It establishes the routine early for them as they are a year apart and will continue to do reading and math together for the next several years. We will use the Horizons preschool for 4 year olds. 
 
Together all three will do social studies and science and we notebook for those subjects. It is simple and easy topics that they want to know more about.  At night we are reading through the Little House Series. We pick and choose things that interest them with in the book to talk about during the day. They are very curious about how different things were back then and I want to cultivate that interest. 

Science we are talking about dinosaurs. They are curious about the different kinds and love seeing the pictures of skeletons. Each dinosaur has a page in their notebook with a picture of the dinosaur and the skeleton along with something they learned about it. 

We also do experiments from time to time using Clifford Science Kits. These are great simple experiments for little ones. Before the experiment begins the girls are to predict what might happen and draw a picture. At the end they tell what happened and draw a picture. This has been a lot of fun.
 
For our Kindergartener we have chosen Spelling U See, Logic of English, and Math U See. All have worked really well for her so far. 

Spelling U See focuses on the visual part of spelling. Since we don't spell phonically most of the time, Spelling U See doesn't focus only on that part past the first level. There isn't meaningless word lists that the student will memorize and then forget. The lessons are short 10 minutes and focus on reading, copywork, listening, and speaking. My kindergartener actually likes spelling, and is cruising through the program. What I like about it most is that my other two will probably need to go through it slower and this has the ability to really benefit those students who struggle with spelling.

Math U See is similar in the fact that students do better when they can use as many senses as possible. It also focuses on mastery, which is really important to me. This is different then most curriculum used in schools today. Schools use a spiral approach where they will introduce and then reintroduce the next year. Math U See believes in mastery so that if you can count, you can add. If you can add, you can multiply and so on. Students have a video to introduce each new lesson, manipulatives, and work book pages. Students work as fast or slow as needed.

English of Logic is a phonics, reading, spelling, and handwriting program. Although we are already using a spelling program, we use the spelling portion to practice reading words and writing them. We have chosen the cursive program and I'm very surprised how well she is doing with both reading and writing cursive. What I like about this program is that it teaches specific phonograms instead of briefly teaching what sounds letters make. We blend words and chunks, play phonogram games, and practice different fonts that the letters may make. It is a very well rounded program that uses as many senses as possible to help students learn. 

All three of these programs I chose because they are based on ability levels and not grade levels. Each focus on mastery. My girls will be able to move through the levels at the pace that is best for them. My oldest will probably move much faster then the other two because of her learning style, but I believe these curriculums are set up in a way that not only cater to many different learning styles but also at different learning speeds. There is no pressure to finish by a certain time so that they can start at the next grade on time.

If your homeschooling I'd love to hear what you are using and what you love about it. 

Why Homeschool? Part 2

In April I attended my first homeschool conference. It was a wonderful experience for me personally. I already had an idea of what I wanted for my soon to be kindergartener. But after my sessions and browsing the curriculum, I was able to decide on what I feel is going to be the best and easiest for our family. 

I didn't think it would be so easy. So many said it will be overwhelming but with my background in education, I didn't find it so overwhelming. I knew what would work for my kids and what wouldn't. I don't say this to brag to those who don't find it so easy, but to tell you how thankful I am for all those hours spent in a classroom, studying in my room, testing, and volunteering in different schools.

I walked away Saturday afternoon feeling confident in our choice to homeschool and with another long list of reasons to homeschool. Here are the main ones I felt I needed to add to my first list reasons to homeschool.

1. Minnesota has just passed an anti-bullying law. We can all agree that bullying is wrong but you can't legislate behavior. It has to be taught in the home. This law is dangerous and takes away parents rights and invades private property. The lawyer discussing the law told parents to teach their kids this phrase if ever taken into police custody before talking,"Call my mom." The main problem with this law is that the state can discipline the child how they see fit rather than the schools are parents.
2. Homeschooling provides flexibility, schools do not. My oldest is a very motivated learner and flies through her work. She has a desire to do more then one lesson a day. My other two aren't quite as motivated. My middle needs confidence in what she's doing or she shuts down and stops trying. She is very smart. If she can observe and then try when she is ready, she is very successful and maintains what she learns. Homeschooling gives me the chance to pick and choose curriculum that works best for my kids. If it doesn't work I have the choice to pick a different curriculum. If you have a child who is struggling in school and hating it, there is no choice in different curriculum. Since they are accommodating so many students they have to pick what they feel will work best for most.
3. Testing. After working in the schools and seeing the changes in law which increase the amount of standardize testing, it makes me so frustrated with what we have allowed our government to decide for our kids. Just before the testing, teachers take a couple weeks to go over what might be on the test instead of focusing on what they still need to master. They teach to the test rather than teach for mastery. Homeschoolers are currently required in Minnesota to test once a year from age 7-16 and report to the district that they tested. Results stay in the hands of parents and have no effect on anything except maybe seeing where your child might be lacking. I am not worried about this because most curriculum I have purchased will be a year or so ahead of tests aligned with Common Core.
4. Family connectedness. One thing I heard from several people is that homeschool conference, is that homeschooling allowed them to be a very close family. When the kids were in school all day and only home for a few hours, there was little communication between family members and little relationship building. Your kids friends will come and go but family will always be present. Those who experience strain in family relationships know first hand how precious those relationships are.
5. Since we parents spend most of our time with our children we become the most influential model for behavior in their lives. My husband noticed one time when we were with friends how much more behaved our girls were. Ours were the only ones not in daycare. I'm not saying daycare is wrong but you can see when one adult is in charge of several children, how the behavior they imitate is not the adult but peers because they see more peer behavior then adult. This is the same in public schools. I want my kids to be respectful to others, caring, generous, hard-working, diligent, and so much more. I truly believe they cannot learn this as well in any other environment but our loving home. 

 As you can see I learned a lot about why homeschooling is so important for my kids and my family. God gave me reassurances I needed and I saw my husband go from reluctant to somewhat interested in how this is going to work. Although he'd love to save money and just send them to school, especially since we already pay for it, he is seeing more value in homeschooling. Yes we could save money and yes I could have at least a part time job, but this is about our kids spiritual well being not about our temporary comfort.

What are We Reading This Month: January

January: Here in Minnesota it means cold temperatures. Very cold temperatures. Many days of negative temperatures. This month is going to be filled with appropriate cold books. Anything with snow will be covered this month.

Here is our list:

• The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
• The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel
• The Hat by Jan Brett
• All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle
• You Can Do it Sam by Amy Hest
• Boots by Anne Schreiber
• A Silly Snowy Day by Michael Coleman
• There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell by Lucille Colandro
• Little Snowflake's Big Adventure by Steve Metzger
• The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg
• The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler

What are we reading this month?

Here is a list of the books we are planning on reading this month. Since it is December they are all Christmas related books.

• Corduroy's Christmas Surprise 
• One Snowy Night by M. Christina Butler
• An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco
• Clifford's First Christmas by Norman Bridwell
• Christmas Angel by Quinlan B.Lee
• The Christmas Donkey
• The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia Scarry
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
• Christmas Storybook Collection from Disney

What are you reading this December?

Why I Choose to Homeschool?

The past month or so I have come to the conclusion that I need to write down the reasons why I want to home school my children. My husband and I have agreed to home school at least through Kindergarten and there always seem to be someone who wants to know why.

I've been in Kindergarten classrooms before and know that my kids don't need to be in a glorified daycare. The teachers are wonderful but unfortunately since it's now a full day, there are kids that shouldn't be there but are because parents don't have to pay daycare costs.

After Kindergarten we will see where the Lord leads us. One thing I do know is that even if my kids are in school, I will be home when they leave for school and when they come home.

1. Cost: Preschool in our district costs $80 a month. Starting this year and for the two years there would be two in preschool at the same time.The total cost for preschool would be almost $6,000 for all three years.
2. Flexibility: My husband is unemployed for four months of the year. He finds odd jobs that friends and family need done during the winter. Where most families have their vacations in the summer, we have ours in the winter. Homeschooling gives us a flexibility to spend more time with Dad when he's around and home school when he is working.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Moments: I love teaching. I went to school to become a teacher. I love seeing a child finally understand something. I love watching a child work hard and succeed. I love helping kids. I love their endless questions. There are no kids I love teaching more then my children. If my kids were in school, someone else would get to have those moments that I want with my children.
4. Influence: I won't put my kids in a "bubble" as much as I'd really like to. When kids are in school for 8 hours and are surround by positive and negative influences, will I be able to influence them in a positive way? Getting home after work, making supper, helping with homework, light house keeping, and bed time, where do I get the opportunity to make sure they are being positively influenced to become someone who loves God and others.
5. Calling: I feel that God is calling me to do this. God has given me three beautiful daughters to raise. Homeschooling feels so right for me right now. I don't know when God will call me to do something different but I am trusting Him to lead our family in the right direction.
   
   

My husband and I are choosing this path for our family. We know many families who send their kids to public school, there are many that go to private and still many who home school. The only right decision is the one God is calling you to. This is a sacrifice of my time and ability to work outside the home, but I know God rains down blessings when we follow His plans for us.

Our little school

As a family my husband and I have decided to start homeschooling our girls. I don't know how long we will homeschool but for now we are doing preschool at home. 

I just makes more sense for our family at this point in our lives. Having our kids so close together means we would have 2 in preschool for three years in a row. Because they would also be in different classes, it would be almost impossible to plan anything during the week. Not to mention how expensive it would get just for a few hours a week at school. 

Today I just wanted to give you an idea of how we have set things up to homeschool. It took me about a week to get everything set up. We have kept it simple with a small space reserved for school time. 

All my pages needing to be laminated

2 Days straight my laminator was going strong

My printer was going as strong

Pages laminated and flashcards cut out and in envelopes

Books picked out for the first few weeks

worksheets and laminated pages ready for the next 3 weeks

Everyone on their spots. Under their butts is tape in the shape of the first letter of their name.

Table work. Each have their own pencil box with crayons and markers. Eventually scissors will be added

Tracing the letter A on our laminated card

Practicing letter A and number 1 on chalk wall

Our work for the day

The girls are loving school time and there isn't a day that goes by that they aren't asking when we get to do school.

Christmas Crafts for Preschoolers: Mooseltoe

 One of my favorite Christmas books is Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini. It's about a Moose that in the hustle and bustle of Christmas makes the mistake of forgetting to get a Christmas Tree. The idea of the perfect Christmas is sadly disappointing until he realizes that he can be the Christmas Tree for his children.

There are a few lessons that you can teach your kids (and remind yourself) from this book. The first is that a perfect Christmas is one you spend with your family. The memories you make are so much more important. The second lesson is that we need to slow down and enjoy Christmas instead of trying to do so much. Family and memories are again more important. 

After reading Mooseltoe, we decorated our own moose. I strung popcorn. Used some leftover beads as Christmas lights. Took apart some tree decorations Grandma gave the girls (they had already pulled most of it apart). I just looked for things I already had. My three and two year old had so much fun. It took some prep for me to get this activity ready, but it was so worth it to spend some time having fun with my girls.

What you need:

•  Scissors
• glue
• odds and ends decorations for your moose (anything you can find just laying around the house)
• popcorn
• 6 pieces of brown construction paper
• A moose 
• I used 6 pieces of brown contruction paper and free handed my moose. 
• 2 pieces for the head
• 2 pieces for the moosetache
• 2 pieces for the antlers

Christmas Crafts for Preschoolers: Nativity

Idea found on ScrapWarrior.com

The nativity is always a great teaching tool for kids when it comes to explaining the birth of Jesus. I love setting mine up every year and love that my oldest likes to ask questions about it. I came across this wonderful nativity set craft and knew it was a wonderful opportunity for my children. 

What you need 

• About 13 toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls
• Glue
• Scissors
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
•  Printed Coloring sheets
• Nativity Sheet 1 
• Nativity Sheet 2 
• Nativity Sheet 3 
• Nativity Sheet 4 
• Nativity Sheet 5 
• Nativity Sheet 6 
• Nativity Sheet 7 
• Nativity Sheet 8 

This does take a while to finish since there are many pieces to color and cut out. Next year I plan on breaking it up and doing it several days. This will give up a better opportunity to talk about how God used many different people to welcome Jesus into the world. 

To break it up here are a few ideas: 

Day 1: Stable, palm tree, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus
Day 2:  Angel, Shepards, sheep, and donkey
Day 3: Wise men and camels 

Books to read with the nativity:

    The Christmas Donkey by T. William Taylor (a childhood favorite of mine)

         The Cripled Lamb by Max Lucado




Let us know what your favorite Nativity Books are. I love adding to my book list.

Finger print tree

     My 3 year old has been so curious about the trees changing colors and the leaves falling off. I've tried the best to explain the whole process. A great book to explain is Leaves Fall Down by Lisa Bullard.    
     
  
She has finally entered that stage where she has a question about anything and everything. Those conversations seem to be very interesting and I find myself not always sure what she wants to hear, but I try my best.

     Since my girls love painting, I had my husband pick up finger paints so that we could do some fun projects. I decided we should do some fun fall art projects since it is fall and we've been talking about what fall is. 
     I came across this activity on All Kids Network and tweaked it to fit my girls. I prepped a tree ahead of time (as I do with all art projects) instead of using their hand and arm. They were so excited  about painting and had been waiting a couple days to do so.

 The kids are supposed to make finger prints with the paint, but after a few minutes of trying to get them to just use their finger tips, I gave up and let them go at it on their own. After about 15 minutes they had their paper covered and their hands full of paint and huge smiles on their faces.