Beyond Curriculum: What We're Learning! 2018
The following is not a concise list of what we will learn this season. "No one puts baby in a box!" I'm a free spirit in teaching. Instead of a detailed calendar of teaching, I sit down at the beginning of each "term" and list topics of learning and character goals we would like to hit. Then leading into any given week I pull the resources needed for that week. I plan loosely, leaving room to follow the girls lead. I even have a hard time breaking our learning down into "subjects" as I find we are very fluid with our learning and it all ends up blending together. If we get on a roll in one area of learning we could work on the same topic all week long. This often happens as we read a book from the Who HQ series. It's the best!
History
This year we are trying a new curriculum, The Good & The Beautiful History by Jenny Phillips. It appeals to me as it is family style. All lessons are taught together then the hands-on work is based at the different grade levels. This course offers ancient history through modern history connecting history to God and his character.
Just today we received a beautiful copy of a new magazine called Honest History. It is a quarterly magazine for ages 6-12 highlighting history in a fun and engaging way.
Who HQ - Who Is? Who Was? Where Is? What Was? are all covered in these books making them a great starting point for all areas of learning. They cover people present and past, places and events that have impacted our world. We use these books as the base for all subjects and topics of learning. They don't shy away from difficult world events but embrace them in an easy to follow and exciting way. Historically some of the events our family has covered are The Underground Railroad, The Holocaust and The Great Depression. You can imagine with these topics that they weren't covered in an afternoon. No, they catapulted us into weeks of exploration.
Math
We are focusing this year on life skills math. Teaching the girls mind math and how to properly use a calculator is a must in today's world. How often do you pull out a piece of paper to do long division or percentages? You don't. You whip out your calculator. In the past we used Teaching Textbooks. I highly recommend this program but for us, it still just checks a math box. I want them to see math as useful for their everyday life instead of dreading a math that seems irrelevant.
For my 9 and 7 year old we are beginning the year on money math. Understanding the money we use. We will do this through hands-on money practice and games through Teacher's Pay Teachers. The goal will be to be able to hand them a handful of change and they will not only know the value of each coin represented but they can count the change using skip counting. They already have a grasp of this, but I want to work towards ease.
For my 12 and 9 year old we will be focusing on math projects. A bakery that requires the use of fractions. A trip that requires distance calculations. A home that needs to be built using measurements. All math. All hands-on. All practical. We will take each project to the next level by putting what they have learned into real hands-on experiences whether it be in the kitchen, car, or a building project. I'm hoping to work together to put ship lap in my living room using their skills of measurement. There will be little written math, mostly hands-on learning experiences.
Science
The Good & The Beautiful - Study of Arthropods. No idea why I chose this as we hate bugs... but I like the idea of understanding how important they are to our ecosystem. We will follow up this study with a trip to the Bug Museum. Lord help me!
I plan to use more of TGTB science studies throughout the year including chemistry. The Girls loved learning about the digestive track a couple of years ago and making their own "poop" and tooting machines. This year we want to learn more about the female body and it's reproductive system. They would like to watch a real baby being born in person. I think they will have to settle for a video and a trip the the Human Body Exhibit at Science World. But if there are any adventurous pregnant ladies out there who want a young audience let me know!
We start our science time with Indescribable, a devotional on God & Science by Louie Giglio.
Nature journaling is a big part of how we see the world. We draw and use watercolours to highlight nature and the science behind this beautiful world we live in. The only rule I have is that they take their time and it's meaningful to them. We have beautiful memories, hand painted as keepsakes.
Bible & Theology
The New City Catechism App - This app teaches the essential Christian doctrines. There is a kids mode that simplifies the answers and offers a song to go along with the question. The way we do it is the girls write the question and answer in their bible journals. We discuss the topic together, sometimes I will read a portion of the commentary notes. The girls will then write the bible verse in their journal in a creative way using colours and we memorize the verse together. (Bella, 7, will either copy the verse or the questions.) We don't move on to the next question until we all can answer the question with ease and understanding and have the verse memorized.
Real Girls of the Bible by Faith Girlz - This is a beautiful study for a house of girls. In this book we get to know and be inspired by thirty amazing girls of faith with guts and grace whose journeys give us glimpses of God.
The older two will each do a personal study by Wynter Pitts. Over the years Sienna has been encouraged and has grown greatly through the wisdom of these books.
Language Arts
We do copy work and dictation to learn spelling and the flow of writing.
Last year we implemented daily read aloud time. We do at least once a day but not limited. It is a great tool if the kids are getting hairy and you are about to lose it! We gather in the living room and I open a book and read aloud to the girls. During this time they can choose to do a quiet activity like a puzzle, drawing or playdough while I read. If you could only fit one area of learning in your day, it should be this. The bonding that has taken place around stories is incredible. We have inside jokes over characters, have looked up big words and it has made us all better writers.
Read Aloud Revival is a great book and podcast to help resource you in this world. She offers great book suggestions that are age appropriate.
Who Is HQ. We will read one in a sitting or two and then it will become our schooling for the week. Julia Child inspired us to make our own cooking shows. After reading Helen Keller we learned braille and set up courses in our house the girls needed to navigate without the use of sound and sight. I blind folded the kids and they had to guess items using their other senses. They learned quickly that smell should come before taste. Ha ha! We are currently reading "What was the Titanic?" and will follow up by visiting the Titanic Exhibit. I am thinking of doing a Who is It? blog series with activity ideas that go along with each book.
Poetry Tea Time - There is something so special about this time together. We light candles, eat treats and share a pot of our favourite Teaja tea. We use dainty teacups and saucers and read poetry to each other. We can choose from library poetry books, song lyrics, bible verses or their very own. There are no rules. When Bella couldn't read I would whisper it in her ear as she would recite proudly. Now she reads her All About Reading books as they all rhyme.
Silent Reading - I would recommend consistent reading. They will begin to understand the patterns they hear. Sienna has some fun book recommendations of on Sienna's Space.
All About Reading is a great program. It is easy to follow but is quite expensive. For me, it was worth the cost as it gave me the confidence as a teacher to teach reading. But for the most part, I believe reading is best taught through doing just that, reading.
Leap Frog Movies are awesome for early reading. I can hear the letter factory song in my head right now, "every letter makes a sound..."
My girls spend the majority of their day writing. Movie scripts, blogging, newspaper articles, children's books, novels, short stories and songs, are always on the go. We are realizing just how expensive homeschooling can be as the older two are needing laptops of their own this year as we are always battling over who gets to use mine. It is stressful when a creative thought comes and you can't start typing.
Each week we each choose a person to write a letter of encouragement. The girls get excited to do this and love dropping them in the mail.
Creative Arts
Art for Kids Hub is a family YouTube channel that teaches drawing to kids of all levels and ages.
We have started Art Class, a DVD course teaching drawing. The teacher is super encouraging and brings God and Art together in an engaging way.
Arts & Crafts are always on the go and is a part of every aspect of our learning. We have a cupboard full of craft supplies that the girls have full access to use.
The girls are all a part of a children's theatre company where they learn skills and perform in a year end production. This is a highlight of their education and have made great friends through this program.
Music - At any moment in the day music can be heard in our home. Piano, ukulele, guitar and voice are the current instruments of choice. The girls will work on this craft alone but often they will sit down together and harmonize together. Sienna is teacher the younger two to play the ukelele.
Our World
I want my girls to have a vast love of this beautiful world we inhabitant. I don't want them to only experience what is right in front of their faces but see beyond to the diversity that is all around. Any opportunity we have to learn and explore will build empathy and understanding in their hearts.
Letters From Afar - We just received our first mail from Letters From Afar. It is an online subscription that mailed out a new letter each month highlighting a new adventure from afar. This month we learned about Ireland. We have a scrap book that we are storing the letter, envelope and stamp for safe keeping. We will further this study by heading to our local library and getting more books on Ireland and try cooking a traditional meal as described in the letter.
This February our family will be heading back to Uganda. The girls are fully immersed in the culture and are planning fundraisers with their friends for the mission. This gives the girls the opportunity to see the world in a different light and help in a hands-on, and practical way.
And of course we cannot forget our beloved Who HQ to begin the exploration of the amazing wonders of this world.
If I could leave you with one piece of advice as you begin this year of learning it would be to be fluid in your teaching. My favourite mug says it best, "Sometimes Plan, But Sometimes Wing It." I am a big believer of planning from behind. After we complete a topic of learning I mark it in my journal so at the end of the year I can look back and see everything covered. I have the idea of where we are going, but how we get there is always an adventure.
Happy Homeschooling,
