School Post 2018

I keep meaning to come back later in the year and post what we actually ended up doing!  Each year after we start we decide what is working and what is not.  We adjust and get in a groove.

This year I am doing my school post after we have been doing school for a month so I think it should be pretty accurate. 

 Aiden is in 10th grade, Alex is in 9th grade, Riley is in 7th grade, Remy is in 5th grade, Oliver is in Kindergarten, Olivia is 3 and Zach is nearly 2.  We have another little girl due in October!

This is what we are doing.

Everyone
The Bible Project All of our readers are using this to read through the Bible in a year.  Everyone reads on their own in the morning and we watch the videos together now and then.  The plan to read the Bible in a Year is found when you scroll down on this main page.
What Does the Bible Say About That
School of Biblical Evangelism  We are doing this together as a family.  They allowed us to pay the $150 enrollment fee and use the curriculum for our whole family.
Read Alouds  This year we plan to work through the Great Christian Adventures (Swiss Family Robinson, Titus:A Comrade of the Cross, and The Life of Henry Martyn) as well as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Trumpet of the Swan, and Robinson Crusoe
Flash Cards I just drill one big boy per day with different kinds of flash cards.

Aiden and Alex
Video Text Algebra (Aiden only)
Teaching Textbooks Algebra (Alex only) 
Devotional Biology and labs
Great Christian Classics
Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts
Kickstart
Holiness
Basics of Biblical Greek and workbook
Narration Telling me about what they read or writing an essay about it.
Recitation Memorizing verses from the School of Biblical Evangelism and What Does the Bible Say About That
Piano Lessons 
Record They each have to write down what they did in each subject every day.  This is not detailed, but helps us keep track of how much school we do every day.

Riley and Remy
Math U See Epsilon for Remy and Pre-Algebra for Riley
Hey Andrew Teach Me Some Greek
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the 5th Day (with Oliver) I am also using this simple schedule for it.  It was worth the few dollars to have things divided up neatly for me.
Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts
History's Heroes and Trial and Triumph
Auditory Processing (Riley only)
Plants Grown Up They choose things to work on from the book for about 15 minutes per day.
Narration Telling me about what they read or writing an essay about it.
Recitation Memorizing verses from the School of Biblical Evangelism and What Does the Bible Say About That
Piano Lessons 
Record They each have to write down what they did in each subject every day.  This is not detailed, but helps us keep track of how much school we do every day.

Oliver, Olivia and Zach
Read 2 picture books to them
Do activity with them (play ball, go outside, build a fort, lincoln logs, play dough, etc.)
Read 1 Bible story per day from children's Bible or ESV Bible
Narration
Recitation
Mathematical Reasoning (Oliver only)
Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (Oliver only)
Explode the Code A, B, and C for Oliver and Olivia when they want to

An Outline of Our Day

Our day is roughly divided up into 4 sections.

First, we are all together for Circle Time.  Around 9:00 we read 1 chapter of the Bible and pray.  Then we move on to What Does the Bible Say About That or School of Biblical Evangelism (we usually alternate weeks).  Next we go into Oliver and Olivia's room (hopefully stretching on the way). We read aloud, and I do some kind of flashcards with one kid per day.

Second, I do Preschool and Kindergarten with Oliver, Olivia and Zach while big kids do whatever they can do on their own.  We read 2 picture books, do some kind of activity, read a Bible story, practice a memory verse, I do math and reading with Oliver, and they narrate to me.

Third, I get with Riley and Remy.  We call Oliver in to do Science with us (reading a lesson or doing some activity) and then he goes to play.  I do MCT with them, read History's Heroes, do Auditory with Riley, and they recite their verses and narrate.  I also wrote a reminder to check their papers so I can touch base with them on their math grades and other things they have turned in.  I sometimes ask a big boy to keep an eye on Olivia and Zach, or put him in a pack and play and give Olivia an activity.  We are still working out the kinks!

Last, I do what is needed with Aiden and Alex.  We watch Devotional Biology videos together, read from Great Christian Classics, do MCT, watch a Kickstart video every couple of days (then they work on the workbook on their own), talk about what we are reading in Holiness about once per week, they narrate and recite their verses.  I check papers and touch base with them about math and other papers they have turned in.

I am trying to do a lot WITH them this year.  So far it has worked for me to do that during the day (especially during nap time for the little ones) and make my private reading time their school material.  However when the baby comes in October we will see how well I keep up.

New Focus

I have been very grateful for the vision from Generations about having a thoroughly Biblical Worldview saturating your curriculum all during your homeschooling years.  They have a huge focus on the Proverbs, Psalms, the growth of the Church through history, Bible knowledge and personal piety.  They tackle other worldviews, but mainly after your kids have been thoroughly taught Godly principles and beliefs.  We are raising disciples and I want my kids to know God and His Word more than anything else.  I also want them to learn everything in light of His Word.  So far I am thrilled with our curriculum for the year and the way that it is nurturing each of us in our faith.

Thanks for reading this!  If you have any questions about what we use or how we use it I would be happy to answer them.  Have a lovely week!