Homeschooling with Classical Conversations

At the last moment - literally 6 days before the first class - we decided to join a Classical Conversations community that some friends were joining. I knew nothing about CC so I spent those 6 days ordering new curriculum and surfing blogs, websites and Pinterest for any and all things CC! Several hours, stacks of printed paper, and lists of bookmarked websites and blogs later I felt somewhat ready for the first day. I really wished I would have just relaxed! The day was amazing and really did not require all that stress!

We stated off the morning in a group 'morning meeting' typed thing. There were some announcements, prayers and pledges. It was a little chaotic but I am certain that was just because it was the first day. We were then dismissed to our Foundations classroom. Foundations is a class that teaches memory work in different areas: History (timeline and a sentence), geography, science, Latin, English and geography. The history part is a 6 or 7 different events from a timeline. They also do art and a science experiment The tutor was amazing! The kids traced different geography places using a laminated world map and tracing paper. They reviewed the history timeline memory work with a song and hand movements. Then they worked on the science and Latin memory work, again with song and movements. There was a snack and each student (there are 6 in my sons class) gave a short presentation with the theme "All About Me". They do this each week and there is a different theme or they can just talk about whatever they want. I really like this part. CJ can definitely benefit from a little public speaking. And it's very laid back and casual but just enough to get them up and talking. After the memory work and presentations there was some art then it was outside for a science experiment.

After Foundations it was everyone's favorite part of the day....lunch!

Next was Essentials. This is for the older kids and it the writing and grammar part of the program. And they throw in a awesome math game too! I really liked this class. Parents sit right with the students and participate in the class as much as the kids do. They use their own Essentials book for grammar and sentence diagramming and IEW for writing. I enjoyed being in the class with CJ. Because I work, I'm not home when he does the majority of his school work so it was nice to just sit and hang out with him. We (parents) stay in the Foundations class also, but in more of a 'just sit and watch" capacity. Which is great too! In the Essentials class we started with grammar, played a math game, then went on to writing. This class was also a little hectic, but again, just because it was the first day. So after this week's class, I'll have some more details about how this class works.

We are still trying to figure it all out. We don't even have all of our books yet! But I really think that we are going to enjoy this community and the curriculum. I'll try to post often so you can follow along with us on this journey!

Have you ever used the CC curriculum or been part of a group that did? What advice would give someone like me who is just starting?

How We Make Working Full Time and Homeschooling Work

        People I work with are always shocked when I tell them I homeschool my 11-year. They always look confused and say "But you work". Yes, I work outside of the home 35-40 hours a week and I homeschool. How do we make this work? Well, first let me say I am very blessed to have it easier than some. My husband works from home. So, while I still handle the homeschooling, he is home so we don't have to worry about childcare. Also, my son is 11 which means most of what he does is done independently. I don't necessarily need to be there with him while he does it.

       That being said, working full time and homeschooling still has its challenges for us.

Challenge #1: Scheduling and Planning
I work retail so my schedule is never the same. I work days, evenings, and most weekends. There is no consistency which makes planning difficult.  I sit down every Sunday with curriculum and my work schedule to plan the week. I make a daily schedule for CJ and plan out anything we need to do together for a day I am off or an evening after work. I gather up all the supplies and books he will need for the week and keep them together so I can easily pull them for him daily. Each day he is responsible for completing the tasks on his schedule sometime before 8pm. I leave the time up to him. Sometimes he gets up early and does it all. Sometimes he waits until I get home to do it. Of course, right now we are on  a light summer schedule and only doing Math and Science and a few other little things.

Overcoming Challenge #1:
I'm not sure there is much we can do to completely overcome this challenge. It's just the way it is. I just have to make sure I stay on top of the scheduling and planning, especially when we start our full schedule in the fall. I also kept these things in mind while I was choosing curriculum and I looked for things that would be easy for CJ to work with on his own. Now, I'm by no means saying that all of his work will be done independently. There are still plenty of things we will do together on my off days and mornings or evenings before and after work. But most of the book work he will do while I'm working.

Challenge #2: Excuses (his and mine!)
We have had some problems with excuses. What I mean by that is that I leave a list of school things for him to do and sometimes when I get home all I hear is "I couldn't find..." or "I didn't know what this meant..." or "I couldn't get the computer to work". Then there are my excuses.... "I'm to tired to do school this evening, we'll do it tomorrow", "I've got to be at work in a couple of hours so let's just wait". Sometimes I can have just as many excuses as CJ!

Overcoming Challenge #2:
     I could be wrong but I think these come from 2 different sources. I think some of the excuses are because he is still just learning to work without me. And it wasn't a slow transition for him. He was kind of pushed into it. So, for now I am cutting him a little slack on the excuses and just trying to make sure they are just that, excuses, and not legitimate reasons. I have everything together for him, I make sure the computer works, make sure the directions are clear and easy to understand, things like that.
    I also think sometimes they are what they are, just excuses. Mom isn't here to make him do the work and Dad is busy working so it gets put on the bottom of his to-do list. Right after 4 hours or playing Xbox! And before you know it, Mom is coming in the door from work and the school work hasn't been touched! That's something we will have to deal by cutting off the Xbox, making a more detailed daily schedule, and getting Dad more involved in making sure the work gets done.
     As for my excuses, I'm working on those too! I have to remind myself that his school has to come first and if it needs to be done, then we need to get it done. I have to set an example by not letting school work get put on the back burner. 

Challenge #3: Hanging Out With Dad (and big sister!)
    Dad works from home which is great! And our 18 year old daughter is home, when not in class or working. We don't have to worry about childcare, Dad can help in making sure work gets done, he is home to guide and answer questions, and the best part, he gets to be home with his son all day! The drawback... he gets to hang out with his son all day! This leads to out for lunch, running errands, walking around the store, coming to visit me at work, visiting grandparents. Not to mention all the running around with Sissy. And before you know it, it's 6pm and no school has been done yet. It's so wonderful for both of them that they get to spend this time together and actually another one of the many reasons why I love homeschooling. But at the same time, I've got to convince CJ and Dad both that school has to come first....most days at least!

Overcoming Challenge #3:
I think this one will work itself out as the new of it wears off and summer ends. I really don't think it will continue to be a challenge. And I only schedule 4 days a week to allow for catch-up work that needs to be done!

Even with all the challenges, we have managed to stay on schedule for the past 3 weeks! Thanks to catch-up days! I'm thankful for that and hopefully that this school year is going to go smoothly.

With our crazy schedule there is no typical week, but so far it is working for us. It's a learning process and we are still figuring out what works and what doesn't. What about you? Do you work and homeschool? What works and what doesn't work for your family?

Summer Homeschool Schedule

The past several years we have had our break from school in April and May (and some of June) because here in Arkansas that's the best camping weather! And besides, by the time summer really gets going it's too hot to do much outside. Even during our "off" time we still keep a light schedule going. It gets CJ off of the Xbox for a little while and keeps his mind from tuning to mush.

Here is a sample of our summer schedule-

Monday:
Scout Merit Badge- work on for 30-40 minutes
BookShark 5 Science- Day 1
Building Thinking Skills- one worksheet
Chore- Clean off stairs and desk (clean off, organize and wipe down)

Tuesday:
BookShark 5 Science - Day 2
Einstein's Who, What and Where - 1/2 of next lesson
Classical Roots - 1/2 of next lesson
Chore - Pick up and organize all gaming stuff and dust shelf

Wednesday:
Scout Merit Badge- work on for 30-40 minutes
BookShark Science 5 - Day 3
Building Thinking Skills - one worksheet
Chore - (I leave this open for whatever I need help with that day)

Thursday:
BookShark 5 Science - Day 4
Einstein's Who, What and Where - finish lesson
Classical Roots - finish lesson
Chore - Laundry (wash, fold and put away) all trash out of room

Friday:
Scout Merit Badge - work on for 30-40 minutes
Building Thinking Skills - one worksheet
Chore - vacuum room

Do you take off completely from school work for a summer break? What does your summer schedule look like?

2016-2017 6th Grade Curriculum Choices

Wow! A lot of changes have occurred in our house in the last few months!! I've gone back to work full time and my husband is now working from home. Big changes that have thrown our homeschool schedule out of orbit. I tried really hard to just keep it business as usual, just leaving lists and pages of instructions for CJ to follow. That didn't work. CJ's great at doing the work when I'm gone but the books and resources we are using just weren't good for this. I was having to leave pages of details instructions and explanations about what I wanted him to. He needs very short straight forward instructions. Dad is here to help, but he needs clear straight forward instructions too! Next I tried cramming a whole week worth of instruction and teaching into one evening or morning that I was off work. I work retail so my schedule is whacky. That didn't work either. Too much information at one time.

     So, simple solution - and just one of the many things I love about homeschooling! - we are taking off now until June, except our co-op classes which end in May, so that everyone can relax and adjust to the new schedules. And I went on the hunt for curriculum that was more of an all-in-one. Something with everything laid out and organized and with a clear plan that CJ can easily follow on his own.

    Changes with our co-op (I told you we had a lot of changes!) actually helped make this process easier. We decided, as a group, to all use Oak Meadow and meet once a week to do some projects or experiments and go over the lesson together. I'm super excited about using this curriculum. I've wanted to use it for the past couple of years. I think it's going to work perfectly for us. It's written so that Connor can just open it up, read and follow the instructions. All the subjects; History, English, Science, are laid out the same so that there is consistency, which makes it  easier on both of us.

     With  a few other little things added in, this is what our 6th grade plan looks like right now:

Oak Meadow 6th- History, Science, and English

Bookshark 6th- Readers and Read Alouds (as time allows)- I really like this curriculum and wanted to find a way to use it and Oak Meadow. Since there in so way we can, or need to, use the full program, I ordered the IG for 6th grade history and we are going to go through the readers and read alouds, as time allows, using the guide for the schedule, discussion questions and whatever else we might want to do.  

Logic - Thinking Toolbox and Fallacy Detective

Vocabulary - Wordly Wise 6 and Vocabulary from Classical Roots

 Reading Comprehension- Einstein's Who, What and Where

                           

That's it.... now we just wait and see how it all turns out!

                          

Morning Routine

What do your mornings look like? Are you the early riser that exercises, showers and dresses before the kids get up? Is your house full of energetic kids that are up and running before 7am? Do you have circle time and cute baskets full of books and busy work? I must admit when I first began homeschooling I pictured my mornings like that. Smiling happy faces sitting around the breakfast table ready for a day of learning and fun.  Three years into our homeschooling journey and our mornings are far from spectacular. What they are is quiet, laid back, even a little lazy. Every time I read a blog post or an article about a fabulous morning routine I feel a pang of guilt that maybe I'm not doing enough.

I read a great post by Kris Bales over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers that reminded me that my morning routine needs to work for me and yours need to work for you. And that's all. There is no right or wrong way to start the day.

The truth is as homeschool moms we have to stop comparing ourselves and our families to other homeschool families. The uniqueness of the homeschool community is what makes it great! Isn't that one reason we started homeschooling in the first place? To leave behind the cookie cutter world of public school that tries to keep everyone the same. Our routine works for us and that's all that matters.

So, I'm coming out of the closest with my morning routine! I'm proud of what we accomplish during the day and how it gets started is a big part of that, no matter how unexciting it may be.

Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays I get up just whenever the dogs wake me up. Usually around 7:00am. Tuesdays and Thursdays my daughter gets up early for classes, which wakes the dogs up, who in turn wake me up so I'm up by 6:30. I use the term up loosely. Being up on Tuesdays and Thursdays generally consists of moving from the bed to the couch and dozing again after the dogs have been fed and let outside. I'm usually up and moving by 7:30 or so.

Getting dressed consist of brushing my hair and teeth and putting on clean clothes. I consider "comfy clothes" (yoga pants, athletic shorts, t-shirt, etc.) getting dressed. Unless I'm going out, that is what I wear. 

My two favorite morning things: coffee and yoga. I'll sit and drink my coffee and watch the news for a few minutes and then do about 20-30 minutes of yoga. Not a lot I know, but it's better than nothing.  When coffee and yoga are done, the TV goes off and the music comes on. I despise daytime TV so it is rarely on during the day. Sometimes if I am feeling really energetic I'll get in a load of dishes or sweep the kitchen while I'm waiting of CJ to get up. He is usually up by 9:00am.

That's my mornings. Nothing exciting. I'm even feeling a little silly about writing a post about it! Hopefully, it will remind someone that just because your day or routine or schedule does not sound like someone else's that doesn't mean it is anything less than the best.

What do your morning look like?

What Our Homeschool Week Looks Like

We've been going for a little over a month now and I think we've found our groove. A typical week for us (if there is such a thing!) looks like this:

Monday
CNN Student News
Co-Op Classes 9:40 - 3:30
      IEW Writing, Real Science 4 Kids Physics, History Odyssey Modern Level One, Leadership and
      Art

Tuesday
CNN Student News
Writing-read source material and complete key word outline
Science-read chapter and take notes; finish writing lab report if not finished in class
History-20 minutes review countries for geography quiz; 20-30 minutes work on lesson
Math-Teaching Textbooks 6 one lesson
Spelling-2 pages
Vocabulary-16a and 16b
Grammar-Exercise 1 and 2
Reading-30 minutes independent reading (can be done before bed)
 Loop work until 3pm

Wednesday
CNN Student News
Writing-rough draft; revise and edit using checklist
Science-Daily Questions
History-20 minute country review for quiz; 20 minutes work on lesson 2
Math-Teaching Textbooks 6 one lesson
Read-30 minute independent reading (can be done before bed)
Spelling-2 pages
Vocabulary-16C and 16D
Grammar-exercise 3 and Playing with Words
Loop work until 3pm

Thursday
CNN Student News
Writing-type polished copy
Science-20-30 minutes on project
History-20 minute country review for quiz; 20-30 minutes on project; finish lesson if needed
Math-Teaching Textbooks 6 one lesson
Spelling-spelling test
Vocabulary-16e
Grammar-Test
Reading-30 minutes independent reading (can do before bed)
Loop work until 3pm

Friday
CNN Student News
Science-20-30 minutes on project
History-20 minute country review for quiz; 20-30 minutes on project
Movie / Documentary Day

Sunday Evening
Science-review study guide for quiz; finish project if needed
History- review countries for geography quiz; finish project if needed

Loop subjects are (these have changed some since we started):
Art
Game Time
Life of Fred
Sign Language
Uncle Sam and You
Logic
Typing
Photo Finch Photography

So far everything is going smoothly. I sit down on Sunday's and make out a checklist for each day. CJ likes to know exactly what he needs to be done for the day! We seem to be able to get through all of the daily things and still have time for one or two loop things.

Science Day

CJ LOVES science! He would gladly do school work all day long every day ... if it could be science! So, every once in a while we spend the whole day do crazy science experiments. One of our favorite websites to use Science Bob.

Today we did Build a Fizz Inflator, Fantastic Foamy Fountain, The Exploding Sandwich Bag, Make a Paperclip Float, Try Some Lava in a Cup, and Make a Balloon Rocket.

It was so fun! And a great way to take a break from some 'book' work and still learn a ton! Today we just did the observation part. Next week we are going to pick one and turn it in to a real experiment by changing some of the variables to see what happens. It should be fun!