School is now in session

We started school back on the 19th.  I wanted to get a few weeks under my belt while the sun was at its hottest so that we could vacation when it was nicer (and all the regular kids are back in school).  So we are wrapping up our second week of school.  Next week we have off  for a camping trip and then back to work for about a month and then a big vacation to DC and Williamsburg.  Apparently I am the only one who has ever been to DC!  That will change soon.  I will take our first of school year pics tomorrow and post them up.

We also had two birthdays come and go all in one weekend.  Claire is now 14 and Avery is 6.

Claire getting ready for her first science experiment of the year.

 Avery the morning of her birthday.  sorry the quality is bad but a picture had to go here as the other one was not working

What we are using this year.........for the big girls

C- Freshman in High School (really wasn't she just learning to talk yesterday?)  This year I had to take a different approach with C as she needed high school level courses.  So far so good on the text book type things I threw in.  We will start Spanish when I get around to scheduling it.

History- BJU Cultural Geography
Math- Teaching Textbooks Algebra I
Language Arts- Monarch English 1/ My Access
Foreign Language- Rosetta Stone Spanish
Health - LifePac Health
Science- Apologia Exploring Creation with Physical Science
Readers/Read Alouds- Sonlight Core 7
Concert Choir via CCSA
PE via a homeschool PE Class
Bible- Bible Study Guide for All Ages

H-7th Grade.

History-Sonlight Core 7 part 2 of World History
Math- Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra
Language Arts- Monarch LA 700
Foreign Language- Rosetta Stone Spanish
Science- Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science
Readers/Read Alouds- Sonlight Core 7
Piano
PE via a homeschool PE Class
Bible-Bible Study Guide for All Ages

TOS Review: TOS June 2010 Module Travel the World!

I enjoy traveling, who doesn't?  Our family takes new roads just to see different scenery.  So imagine my delight when I was asked to review an E-book Schoolhouse Planner June 2010 module Travel the World!.  This E-book put out by The Old Schoolhouse, which is available for $7.95 at TOS Magazine's Schoolhouse Store is an introduction to world geography.  My kids and I were on a summer break when this arrived but we chased away some of the summer blues by diving into Travel the World.


All of my kids ranging in age from 6-14 enjoyed the different aspects of this E-book.  It has lapbooking activities for the younger set and a separate section set aside just for high schoolers to go more in depth.  Within the module there are links to geography games online which were a huge hit with the whole family. The kids and I raced against the clock and each other to place the countries within the continents.  The younger ones enjoyed the included coloring pages and word searches.  My high schooler got a taste of geography through fun activities before she tackles a full year of high school geography.  The high school expansion activities listed in the E-book are ones that I hope to incorporate in her geographical studies this year.  The links to online maps of the different continents and quiz games reinforcing the memorization of countries will prove invaluable.

Included in the E-book is a brief introduction to geography.  It then goes on to talk about each of the seven continents with plenty of links to maps, quizzes and other details about the continent.  There are copy work pages for both manuscript and cursive, famous quotes and bible verses.  A resource list, lap booking ideas, and an answer key are also included in this 56 page E-book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product for review purposes. 

1 week to go

 I will be starting the kids back to school next Monday.  I am working in peace right now as my 3 oldest are off to Xtreme Adventure wired and my youngest two are happily watching Mathtacular 3 over and over again!  I am slowly dwindling the paper pile that has become my desk! I graded a few forgotten math tests from May, inputed unit one of Health into Home School Tracker and cleaned up a few workbooks that were still hanging around from last year.  I have one pile to go and then I will be on my way to starting this year off on a good foot.
So when do you start back to school?  Do you school year round?
Our plan this year is to start on the 19th - school for 2 weeks (it's so hot here it makes sense to do it now)
break for 1 week
school for 4 weeks
break for a week at labor day.  Everyone else will be back to school so we will probably hit the pool, see some area sights and maybe get the trailer out for a weekend of camping.
That is as far as I have gotten in solid planning.  I have the rest of year penciled in but not set in ink!

B is for Bicker Busters

I subscribe to CurrClicks newsletter.  They often have a free product to download.  I download, I look at it, I make plans to use it, but you know what I never do.  I'm too busy to do "fun" stuff.  Well the kids were bickering over the Wii so I made them shut it off.  I had printed out the B is for Boats by Sharon Crooks a long time ago and never put it to use.  In cleaning out the school room this week I found the printouts and decided to actually use it!  So right now my littles are talking boats, coloring and gluing and learning terms like "stern" and "bow".  Rainy day bicker buster worked.  If you are at home with littles I recommend you sign up for their email newsletter and then you too will have bicker buster freebies.

1776 was a great year and $17.76 is a great price!

I just snagged my two year renewal!  This is an unbelievable price available today only.  Find rest, resources and real homeschool stories in this magazine.

1776 was a spectacular year, and it's a smashing, save-more-money price! Grab your subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine during their four-day Fourth of July sale, and check out the craziest price on July 1 only! Receive a 2-year subscription, free Homeschooling with Heart tote bag, and five FREE E-Books for just $17.76! While supplies last. U.S. and Canadian residents. July 2 through July 4 the unprecedented savings continue. The sparks are flying at TOS Magazine . . . join in the celebration and savings! Get the details here.

TO DO

My big girls are gone for the week visiting with grandparents in another state.  The dynamics in our house are very different right now.  The three youngers are content to be on the WII for large chunks of time, so using it to my advantage I am gutting the school room in prep for our new school year.  I plan to start mid July giving us time off when the weather is a little less severe in Texas.  So bear with me as I post my to do list for the day.  I figure it might keep me accountable :)

1. wash jeans for John (nothing to do with school but my man needs clean jeans which he did not have this am)
2. tackle the paper piles that spawned from the large one in the school room
3.  input science for both learning groups into HST+
4.  Make a list of items needed
5. Gut the bookshelves
6.  Move old cores down and new ones up
7. label core 2 adv readers
8.  sit with avery and work on some phonics


that should keep me busy right??