It's that time of year again... Back to School time!
Well, it's probably a little early for school to start back based on the traditional public school calendar, but when you are quarantined homeschoolers in the middle of a global pandemic, school provides much needed structure for these long days at home. Starting school in July also gives us extra time to take breaks throughout the school year, so here we go!
2020-2021 will be our TENTH year of learning at home! This year is an exciting year for Smith Academy, because it will be our first experience with homeschooling in High School. (I'm still trying to figure out how I'm old enough to have a kid in high school....) So we will have a 9th grader, 7th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, and a Preschooler. Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me. I'm so thankful that Jesus promises that in my weakness, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9). Here's are the resources we'll be using at Smith Academy this year:
Morning Meeting:
Our homeschool days will start with Morning Meeting time, which is my favorite part of our day. Following Charlotte Mason's recommendation, we sit down at the table together every morning to pray and then "feast" on beautiful things - Scripture, Hymns, Art, Poetry, Music, etc."We spread an abundant and delicate feast in the programmes and each small guest assimilates what he can..." – Charlotte Mason (Vol. 6, p. 183).
Bible: Daily in His Presence by Andrew Murray
Hymn Study: Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan
Artist Study: Claude Monet & Michelanglo
Poetry: Favorite Poems Old and New - Selected by Helen Ferris
We'll be studying Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Alfred Lord Tennyson
Shakespeare: Shakespeare Retold by E. Nesbitt
We'll be studying A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and Much Ado About Nothing using Shakespreare Retold and AmblesideOnline.com.
Composer Study: Maurice Ravel & Ludwig Von Beethoven
For composer study, we will be using ClassicsforKids.com and AmblesideOnline.com.
9th Grade:
We have loved using My Father's World since our oldest was in Kindergarten, so I'm super excited to see how it goes using their material for the High School years. Our 9th Grader will be studying Ancient History & Literature.
History/Read-Alouds/Geography:
For our core curriculum this year, we're continuing with the Family Cycle from My Father's World using 1850-Modern Times. I absolutely love My Father's World, because it is designed to teach multiple kids ages from 2nd/3rd grade through 8th grade and it combines many subjects. It's an open-and-go curriculum (so it requires very little prep from mom), and it's Charlotte Mason inspired with a heavy focus on learning from a variety of living books.
Math:
We will be using TeachingTextbooks.com for Algebra 1, 7th Grade Math and 4th Grade Math, and Horizons Math 2 this year. We've been using both of these resources for many years, and they work well for us.
Language Arts:
We have loved learning Language Arts with The Good and The Beautiful. I can't recommend it enough! We be using The Good and The Beautiful Levels 6, 3, and 1. Our 9th grader will be focusing on Ancient Literature (see the post below about all of her materials.)
Science:
Our 9th grader will be doing Apologia's Biology and our younger kids will be focusing on Zoology using resources from Apologia and Answers in Genesis.
Foreign Language:
Our 9th grader will be working on her second year of Spanish with Duolingo.com. I'm super thankful for this FREE resource! Next year we may consider switching to Rosetta Stone, but so far Duolingo has been great.
Preschool:
The more kids I have, the more I tend to agree with Charlotte Mason's philosophy that formal lessons shouldn't begin until children are six years old. My focus for our 4 year old will be reading lots of beautiful, living books based on the recommendations of AmblesideOnline.com and A Peaceful Press. I also have quite the collection of puzzles, manipulatives, and games that we have accumulated over the years (hello, 5th kid!). Here are a few of my favorites:
Extracurricular Activities:
Extras are sure to look quite different this year, but I'm a half-full kinda girl so I am hopeful. As of now, our co-op still plans on meeting this fall, so we will do that one morning per week. We also plan to continue music lessons for our 3 oldest kids, whether it's in person or via Zoom/FaceTime. Our oldest is also registered to play soccer again in the fall.
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I think that just about sums it up!
I surely hope you found this post helpful. I have learned so much from other homeschool moms and bloggers and have found some of my favorite resources from their recommendations. Can we all just thank Jesus that we are homeschooling in the age of the internet? Praise Him!
I'd love to hear about what you're using in your homeschool this year!
Please leave a comment and share any resources/tips/life-hacks that you have found helpful.
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