Planning part one: how I think about the school year

Not super tidy, but it works!

It has taken me a while to work out a system I like for planning for the homeschool year and the daily stuff.  I start with planning out my year.  This is where the public school teacher in me comes out a bit because I still think of my school year as four, nine week periods.  The flexibility of homeschool means, though, that those nine weeks can start anytime, breaks can happen anytime, and the "nine weeks" don't even actually have to be nine weeks long (my last nine weeks isn't!). I have a ten week period to build in flexibility for sick days and days we took off for other reasons (like that the weather was so beautiful that we couldn't stand being inside!).

I start by listing the dates that are important to us: we almost always go to the beach in July and early September, travel for Thanksgiving, take a long break at Christmas, and we take off Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the week after Easter.  We also take time off before Lent sometimes to visit my in-laws or go have an adventure somewhere warm.  On my phone I make a little list of those holiday dates and a guess of the weeks we might be away at other times. 

I use Microsoft Word's calendar template and plug in the information like a title and break times first.  Then I think about a start date.  We usually start the week after our parish's VBS which is the first week of August, but since Covid changed that, we are starting the first week of August. 

This is a strange season in which everything has just been...different.  A spring without playgrounds and visits to the Botanical Garden, but thankfully we still got outside a lot.

A summary of my approach:

1. List important dates

2. Find a free calendar template or just use a real calendar and a pencil

3. Pick a start date

4.  Start counting up weeks.  Play around with things.  Do I want a long Christmas break? Do I want only two weeks of school in December so I can get more holiday magic happening? etc.

Note: We might not take a full week off in reality, for example, when I had planned to if we have a little bit of math to catch up or we are int he middle of something neat and I don't want to lose steam.

5. Make copies and make sure everyone in the family is on the same page. I like to print the calendar and highlight it.  I make a few copies: one to go next to my kitchen family calendar, one for my teacher binder, and now that my oldest boys are getting a little bigger, I like them to have copies, too.  

After I know what our year will look like, I can start to dream about magical days of discovery (insert toddler and preschooler) and then I adjust to come up with a simple, realistic plan of how to do the day.

A few other things I do to help me think about the year:

Our attendance page is very simple.  I like that I write in the date and can see very easily by "ten" how many days we have done.

I keep track of attendance and a "family events" by month because it helps me see physical proof of the work we're doing and the life we're living.  It is a list of anything we have done beyond going to church and doing school work.  I list birthday parties, field trips, errands outside of the normal kind of stuff, anything where we might have learned something, anything where we had fun.  I also try to write down the books we have read aloud and any of the story books we use for the Five in a Row curriculum.  It is fun to look back.  I make notes like "We saw Baby Thomas roll over!" too. 

Our herbs, and a basketball to help with soil ph. *Kidding* Thomas just leaves toys everywhere.

This all helps me when I get into those moods where I ask myself, "Are we doing "enough?" I see that we're traveling and going places and looking for opportunities to learn, and hey when we're stuck at home because of a pandemic, we made the most of it because we did all this stuff we usually don't make a priority (Like Max is helping Jonathan build a bed! I have started an exercise program! We are catching up on crafts I didn't have time for this winter! We tried to grow seeds to start an herb garden, which failed, but then we bought starter herbs so it's all good!)

To make an attendance page, I googled "free attendance page" I think many years ago and then I made a grid and filled in my own information.  You could use a piece of graph or notebook paper, too.

The "Family Events" pages help me to look back and see the good stuff instead of focusing on that nagging question of "Did I do enough????" Under the month I write the books we have read aloud or listened to on Audible.

To make a monthly "family events" page, again, you can literally use notebook paper or you could make a very simple "table" in Word.  I make a folder for each year in Word and then it is very easy to go to documents, update the dates and grades, and "save as" the new year's attendance page and so forth.  The first year you do all of this, then, you will spend the most time. 

When I print all these things, I keep them in a binder which I will post about at another time.  

You have a friend who homeschools!

It has been years since I wrote on this blog. Back when I started, we were just really dipping our toes in to the idea of homeschooling.  I had two babies, and I was having health issues. Everyone was blogging or thinking about it.  Then, in the busy-ness of life and then having more kids and moving to a new house ...just, you know...it slipped away.

Now a family with four boys! We have been outside a lot since everything is closed. 

I had totally forgotten about it until Covid hit and everyone was suddenly trying their hand at some form of home education.  I was getting texts and emails, calls and pms on Facebook from friends and friends of friends asking me all sorts of questions about how we homeschool. It has been my pleasure, truly, to be allowed a glimpse into another family's life and routine, especially when they are switching gears and maybe feeling vulnerable or stressed, and I truly appreciate the trust people place in me as a resource. I am the first to admit that I am not an expert! I don't know what will work for another family, but I will listen and try to help, and I do have a few ideas that might be worth weighing along with the many other far more polished expert opinions out there.

Our last day of the 2019-20 school year! A success, but not perfection!

Sometimes I wonder how we homeschool too, but it works out well most of the time!

Mainly, I want all women who are considering or who are currently homeschooling to feel like they have an ally, a friend who homeschools who will be in their corner. I am blessed to know some amazing homeschool moms and other moms who have helped me grow, who share their wisdom and encourage me, and I know what a gift that is.  So...my goal here is to try to answer some of the questions recently asked of me in a more public format, so that I can share this information more readily with anyone who might find it helpful.  If this is something that seems useful, we'll go from there...

Making it count in Pittsburgh

We visited Pittsburgh! In about four days...

Motorcycles at Kennywood!

saw almost all of our extended family on my side (some people more than once), visited my two good friends from high school, went to a pool party at our cousins' house (where the boys tried out their contraband snorkel and facemask), rode all the little kid friendly rides at Kennywood and the boys tried cotton candy for the first time (plus we played lots of ski ball in the arcade), saw the Pirates beat the Nationals, the Pirogues race the Presidents, and Pirate Parrot shoot hotdogs into the stands(from the view of our fabulous seats) at PNC park, rode the T(rolley), went to Mass twice, slept, ate, ate and ate some more.  Whew!

We were so busy having fun that I didn't do a great job documenting it...oops!




I ate ice cream out of these kinds of helmets when I was a kid, so we had to buy them for our own!

Riding the T to the game.  I think this was Charlie's favorite
thing!
 

From the backyard

Hanging on for dear life to the upside-down side of the sandbox lid was a snail, sandy and still slimy.

Max saw it first. He set it on the sandbox for closer inspection.

"Aww it is SO cute! Hi cute little snail..."

Charlie inspects.  We ask, "What do you think?"

"It is so cute...and so gross!"


But when you're four, that isn't a bad thing.



Just some pretty flowers from the hydrangea that won't stop blooming in the front yard.  Why do some bloom and others don't?!

Books for Australia Unit Study

The unit study of Australia sprang out of our last Before Five in a Row book Katy No-Pocket. I knew it would happen, even though I resisted, that our little unit study would grow into something that feels possibly unending (but it will because we have a new book we'll begin in August...).

I like to add on to the Before Five in a Row studies with additional books because it extends those connections and illuminates them, so at the end of "the book" we actually have a few books, some fiction and others not, poems or Bible stories, whatever fits.

For Australia, I just kept adding books and online things because there are so many good ones.  Then, my dear friend lent me a box of Australia things from her own unit study, and now I have another book on the way from Amazon (about Blessed Mary MacKillop who did lots of great things and is very quotable apparently, I'll let you know how it goes) and we've read one of hers, too, from the box.

So...like anything exciting in a home school (or home where learning outside of formal school is highlighted), the sky's the limit. 

Here is my list "so far" of books from the Australia unit:

 

Katy No- Pocket written by Emmy Payne Illustrated by H.A. Rey

 

A cheery story about Katy, a mama Kangaroo without a pocket who goes with her son Freddy (which obviously couldn't happen in real life because he would have had to be born in her pouch...) to find a pocket. 





After a series of not very helpful encounters with various animal moms and their babies, the wise owl directs Katy and Freddy to the city where a kind "worker man" with an apron full of pockets shares his wealth leading Katy to blissful, motherly care of Freddie and all the other forest babies when their mothers need help.










How we use it:
It is the primary book along with the Before Five in a Row manual. Since my boys are on the end of that book, we've added more to the discussion, mainly through the Australia unit.  This book could be used along with an Australia study, but it isn't scientifically accurate.  It is better used in a discussion of being kind and helpful, problem-solving, etc.

Australia by Xavier Niz (published by Bridgestone Books)

 

An informative overview of Australia with large, clear print and several sentence long "paragraphs" per page with full page illustrations opposite.  Each page pair covers one topic and there are a table of contents, glossary, and index. 



 

How we use it: I found a free map of Australia that has illustrations on it (link below) that we color as we learn about the things depicted on it.  We reference this book along with a few others.  Everything is simply explained and depicted, but there isn't a lot of information (one page per topic).  It is definitely something we'll use again and again.  I like to switch books out in the car and this one is the right size and not too long for them to really read it in a year or two.





 

The Usborne  Children's Encyclopedia, World Atlas (not Usborne)



This is from the non-Usborne book, just fyi.



This is from the Usborne Encyclopedia, a lovely book but most of the information is pretty basic.  Perfect for early elementary ages. 

 

Both books we've used a little just to look at the different maps, talk about the pictures on the pages, and compare their maps to the one we're coloring.http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/australia-map-colouring-page


 

Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan illustrated by Pamela Lofts

 

 

 

 

 

 

A naughty dingo catches a wombat and tries to make him into stew while the other outback critters (an emu, koala, echidna, lizard, and platypus plus a Kookaburra who is only illustrated but doesn't have an actual role) suggest other items for the stew, ultimately leading the dingo to run off in disgust after tasting the brew.








 

How we use it: We read it. A lot. The boys laugh and laugh, act this one out, and sing the song.  They know all the animals and we've learned a little more about each of them. 

As we've colored our map of Australia (link below) which has pictures of some of these animals, I've been happy to see that they do remember their names and some of the facts we've discussed. Tied with Possum Magic for being fun and informative.  Also, the boys like "the billy can" and the "billabong" all the Australia words. 











 

Possum Magic by Mem Fox illustrated by Julie Vivas

 

 

 

 

 

I wrote a little bit about Possum Magic in my other post about making pavlova, so to avoid being redundant...This book is very sweet without being annoying with lively illustrations of Grandma Poss and Hush, her granddaughter possum who was made invisible (to avoid being eaten while exploring the outback) and who wishes to be made visible. 









Grandma Poss remembers the magic of making Hush visible has "something to do with food! People food - not possum food!" and off they go exploring the geography of Australia via their search for the "magical food" which ultimately enchanted my kids and me to the point that we're working on tracking down Vegemite and we've baked pavlova.





 

 

This book is tied with Wombat Stew for "fun while still informative"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Australia (Rookie Read-about Geography) by Rebecca Hirsch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primarily a great little reader, so not full of content, but it simply touches topics in two or three sentences in clear, large, simple font. Opposite the information pages are nice illustrations with phrase or single sentence captions. 

How we use it:
We use it some mornings instead of other reading work, and since it is our own copy, we underline or circle various phonetic sounds we've talked about. I have used it to reinforce content from other books we've looked at. A very nice change of pace.  We have some other Rookie Read-About books, and I like using them this way.

 

  

A True Book: Australia and Oceania by Mel Friedman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An age-appropriate and still fact-filled overview of Australia divided into "chapters" of several pages each with titles such as "Awesome Animals" and "Australia's Past", great photographic illustrations and maps at about a second grade level.










How we use it:  I found a free map of Australia http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/australia-map-colouring-page
so we look at the map and look at the various illustrations and read more about what we see using this book and a few others.  I've also found some Youtube and internet "articles" about some of the topics on the map.  I'll post more about the map later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diary of a Wombat written by Jackie French illustrated by Bruce Whatley

 

 

 

 

 The title says it, really.  The book is a diary written from the perspective of a mischievous wombat who "trains" his human pets.  It is the sort of tale that makes me wonder if it was inspired by a true story. 

 

 

The silliness continues with funny illustrations, and now the boys remember what wombats look like. 

How we use it: We've read it a few times so far.  I do think they find it funnier each time. Max is happy he can read this one himself.    It is fun and the illustrations are great.

 

Ocean Life from A to Z, book and Dvd by Annie Crawley

 

 

I already wrote about this book, so without going on and on, it is a look, alphabetically, at lots of great ocean critters found in reefs (and other parts of the ocean, too, but I'm not picky...).




How we use it:  We just flip through it whenever.  During a few especially hot afternoons, they've watch the dvd which provides a hearty (for Kindergarten/ 1st grade level) look at many of the creatures from the book. There is some bonus materials about scuba diving that has inspired a lot of pool time acting like divers and the different kinds of fish and other critters they've learned about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Step Into Reading (Level 2): Platypus written by Ginjer L. Clarke illustrated by Paul Mirocha

 

 

 

 

 

 

This book is intended for "Reading with Help, grades preschool to Grade 1 with basic vocabulary, short sentences, and simple stories" 



This informative book also has a little story, too, about a mother platypus hatching her eggs and protecting them. 












How we use it: Max and I read it before bed one night.  He enjoyed it, and the illustrations were realistic and gentle. Clearly teaches facts in an interesting way. I'm curious to know if there are other books like this about animals...Amazon here I come...

 

 

 

 

 

Walking with the Seasons in Kakadu by Diane Lucas illustrated by Ken Searle

 

 

A  chart to map out the seasons given by the people of Kakadu, interesting
to me but too much for our needs.

Walking with the Seasons is best described in its own words from the back cover "Join Diane Lucas and Ken Searle as they walk through the bush of northern Australia.  Follow the seasonal calendar of the Gundjeihmi-speaking people of Kakadu"  Most of the positive reviews on the book and online speak to the beauty of the illustrations.


See what I mean?

In reading it myself (the kids haven't seen it yet), I wasn't surprised that the interconnection of the native people between nature and religion made for moments where the tone was "nature worship" rather than appreciate of nature.  It isn't over-the-top, and since we frame our appreciation of the beauty of the earth with an appreciate of what a good God we have to have created such wonders, I don't think this book poses any threat.  Still, when I look through this with the boys, we will look at the pictures and read the sections about the plants and animals and avoid the topic of the seasons overall as (I think) it is too confusing to little kids who are still learning to sequence things like the seasons to get another set of six seasons of varying length, so we will just enjoy the parts we can. 

 "These native people have different words for the seasons and they live in nature and are very connected to it...let's see how they live and what things they think are so special about Australia..."
Which animals do you recognize? What are the people doing in this picture? Would you like to do that? (swim, dance, tell a story or talk with friends, swim, harvest yams, build a shelter with pieces of bark, etc.)  We can practice saying some of the words they use, too.  Always fun to try out another language.  There is a glossary/index combined at the end of the book.

***A happy delivery today from Amazon yields another book for review (about blessed Mary Makillop, the only Australian saint so far)...another time... off to bed!