Homeschool Weekly - Blog Hop Edition

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In our homeschool...  I took it pretty easy on Kennady this week - the last week before we 'officially' go back to school - and Landon wasn't even home. Kennady has continued reading the Mark Twain book Puddin'head Wilson as part of the Illuminating Literature curriculum from Writing with Sharon Watson that we'll be reviewing in a couple weeks. I was surprised that she didn't finish the book sooner, but I guess she was just taking her time and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere this week. She did work pretty hard on this week's art project for our Artist Studies August post on the Virtual Refrigerator, and I thought her paintings turned out beautifully!

Birch Grove with Blossoms by KAT, 2015

Birch Grove in Autumn by KAT, 2015

Birch Grove in Winter by KAT, 2015

 Without Landon home, and with Kennady taking a break, we didn't do much with Stinky Kids Math this week, but we're looking forward to exploring that resource more starting Monday, so we can bring you a full review in a few weeks. Something else we'll start on Monday is a book and study about C.S.Lewis from YWAM Publishing. That's also for an upcoming review for the Schoolhouse Review Crew. 

 I did a lot more in the way of schoolwork than Kennady this week, because I am putting finishing touches on lesson plans - or at least the first month or two of plans - so we'll have assignment lists and schedules and such ready to go on Monday morning. I'm primarily using Homeschool Tracker Online - and I'll be sharing a full review of this great lesson planning tool next week!

In other news... on Sunday, the hubster and I got to enjoy an evening out together. We headed to Frederick where there was a free concert in the park - an Irish rock band! The weather was great for an outdoor concert and we had a good time, and went to one of our favorite date spots afterwards too - the Wegman's grocery store! It's funny how many of our dates include either Wegman's or Lowe's.

beautiful evening at the park!

On Wednesday morning I attended our homeschool group's reviewers brunch, and managed to get some shopping done afterwards. Other than that, it was a quiet week at home with Spencer working most days, and Landon away at camp. Kennady and I had the place to ourselves! And she went to a birthday party overnighter on Thursday and Friday, so I really felt alone. Today Spencer is working as well, and the hubster is playing in a weekend hockey tournament, so it's another quiet day.

Things that made me smile... we all went out on Wednesday night and watched the meteor shower for a bit. I'm so glad we live in an area far enough from town that we have excellent conditions for stargazing and enjoying the beauty of the night skies.

34 Weeks of Clean...
I had been participating in a weekly challenge and link-up at Family, Faith, and Fridays and we were to be working on the garage this past week. Well, our garage needs much more than a week's worth of work, but we have been tackling that over the past few weeks and have made some progress. Our garage has a second story, unfinished, that has been a storage area for all kinds of stuff over the years that we've lived here. It started out with some semblance of order, but sure didn't stay that way! We've been working on getting that second floor sorted out and getting rid of as much of that stuff as we don't really need. Which is a lot of it. It's definitely improved.

Well, THIS half of the upstairs in the garage is clean!

We had also set aside part of the main floor in the garage to put items that we plan to get rid of in an upcoming yard sale at church. Having it all together will make it easier to load it all up and know just how much space we'll need.

 For Week 33, the assignment is The Cars! Yay! This one will be easy for us! And there's only one week left in the Challenge, so even though I didn't keep up every week, I still feel pretty good about how much we got done! For the details of this week's assignment, go to Family, Faith, and Fridays.

I recommend... SchoolhouseTeachers.com - and yes, I always recommend this website for homeschool curriculum and resources at a great price, but with the Back to School special pricing that will be offered from August 17 through September 21, it's an even better deal! Buy a one-year membership and get a second year free - two years for just $139.

On my blog this week...  five Back To Homeschool Blog Hop posts plus an Artist Study:



Back to Homeschool with Possibilities
Back to Homeschool Past and Present
Back to Homeschool with Pencils, Papers, and Programs
Back to Homeschool with a Plan
Back to Homeschool with a Purpose



Virtual Refrigerator - Gustav Klimt

On the bookshelf...

The Fatal Tree (Bright Empires) by Stephen R Lawhead
Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot
The Potter's Lady by Judith Miller
Murther and Walking Spirits by Robertson Davies

This week I finished Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen, Swept Away by Vanessa Riley and reviewed them all on my book blog, Just A Second.

A parting shot... What happens when I leave a tub of disinfecting wipes unattended and Kennady has a sharpie at hand...

     

   

This post is linked at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, and at Home to 4 Kiddos. I'm also sharing on the Homeschool Mother's Journal co-hosted by NextGen Homeschool and Vibrant Homeschooling.

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 ©2006-2015 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/

Back to Homeschool With Possibilities

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from Homeschool Coffee Break helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you!

We start Monday, and I guess I'm about as ready as I'm going to be! I don't know for sure how the kids feel because they aren't home today. I have this whole day to do my final preparations, or at least whatever I can do without them here. This will be my eighteenth year homeschooling, and although I'm way more relaxed and confident going into a new year than I once was, I am still excited and hopeful about all the possibilities a new homeschool year holds. Maybe a little bit nervous too, because almost every year means a new experience of some kind that we'll have to figure out.

And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew.
Just go right along, you'll start happening too!
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

I took a few moments to think about the opportunities and options that we have because we homeschool, and came up with quite a list. Here are some of the many possibilities before us, advantages big and small.

I have a student that wants to graduate a year early, and that is possible because we homeschool. He can take a couple extra credits and it's not a big deal with scheduling or administration. We just figured out what he needed to do this year in order to graduate, and now it's up to him to get it done if he still wants to. 

Our kids can work part-time jobs, and their schedule can be quite flexible because we're in charge of our own school schedule. My son worked at his job two weekdays through most of the spring season last year, which wouldn't have been possible if he'd been at a traditional school. Because they can work during the day, there are more job options open to them as well.

Coming home after a hard day at work.

My students have a lot of input into what they study. Sure, there are certain required courses, but there are lots of choices in which curriculum to use. I'm sure my kids would prefer if they didn't have to study Algebra at all, but at least they can study it at their own pace and using a curriculum that works for them. And when it comes to electives? The possibilities are almost endless!

Selfie credit: Kennady

We can spend more family time together. I spend time with my kids during the day, and they have less homework to take up their evening and weekend hours. This opens up some great possibilities - strong relationships, meaningful conversations, mentoring, and discipleship. And when extended family comes to visit, my kids are available to spend lots of time with them as well, even if it's in the middle of the school year.

We're in charge of our calendar and our schedule, which means it's possible to take a family vacation in October, or take extra time off around Christmas. It's also possible to arrange our daily schedule so that it works for us. Were we out very late on Sunday night? We can decide to start school and hour later on Monday morning, and not miss any classes. Does someone have an appointment in the middle of a Thursday? Somebody not feeling well? We can adjust our schoolday accordingly, and no doctor's note required.

The possibility also exists that things will change as we go, or that something new will get thrown into the mix. It might be an extra opportunity, or it might be a new challenge to work around, so we know that we'll need to be flexible and sometimes creative.  And we might need an extra cup of coffee...

I'm looking forward to a new year full of adventures in homeschooling - and lots of possibilities!

You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

What kind of possibilities does the new school year hold for you? Leave a comment and let me know! Be sure to visit all the participating blogs in this week's Back to Homeschool Blog Hop, hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew and Homeschool Blogging Connection. Or you can stop by my Back to Homeschool Blog Hop page, which has links to all the participating blogs.

2015 Carnival of Homeschooling hosted by Nerd Family.

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 ©2006-2015 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/

Back to Homeschool Past and Present

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from Homeschool Coffee Break helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you!

I'm going with a Throwback Thursday theme for Back to Homeschool today. A little look back at some past back-to-school memories, and how they compare to what things are like this year.

Landon in Kindergarten or Grade 1 - Check out how happy he is to be learning how to read!

2006 First Day pictures

    

This is how Kennady worked on phonics in those days. Now she does most of her reading in bed!

First Day 2007

First Day 2008

He's totally patronizing me! 

Her smile is still pretty genuine!

First Day 2009

2010 marked the first day of college for Harrison.

First Day 2011 - Only Kennady would pose that year.

I made do with candid shots of the boys. They look like bookends.

Okay, and just for fun (and I won't tell the years!) here's my official school photo from Grade 1, and a picture of the hubster on his first day of Grade 1.

This year? Well, I have my doubts that my students will cooperate for "official" first day pictures, but here's what they look like now.

Way back when these two were just starting in school, we had a schoolroom, and all five of us spent at least part of the day doing school together in that room or in the dining room. We had a schedule for the whole day, so we'd spend the first hour doing History together, then the next hour the big boys would work on their Math and Language Arts on their own while I helped the little ones with theirs... and so it went. We went on lots of field trips, and we all participated in the spring co-op classes. 

Over the years, those two biggest boys have graduated and are now doing their own thing. Harrison is an on-air radio personality in Ohio, and Spencer works at a restaurant locally. Landon and Kennady have gradually moved to doing almost all their schoolwork independently. We lost our schoolroom years ago when it was converted into a bedroom, so when we work on school together it's in the dining room. Landon does most of his work in his room, while Kennady might work in her room or mine, or at the table. We outgrew the co-op classes, and don't go on as many field trips, but we still do co-op gym class. Landon is moving up the ranks in Civil Air Patrol, and Kennady is singing in a Children's Chorus and studying piano and guitar.

How do your past years of homeschool compare to this year? Do you take First Day pictures? Do your kids LET you take First Day pictures? Leave a comment and let me know!

Be sure to visit all the participating blogs in this week's Back to Homeschool Blog Hop, hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew and Homeschool Blogging Connection. Or you can stop by my Back to Homeschool Blog Hop page, which has links to all the participating blogs.

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to Homeschool Coffee Break by Email!

 ©2006-2015 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/