Reading Time

As a homeschooling mom, I'm proud to have a houseful of kids that LOVE to read! We visit our local library at least every two weeks and sign out a hefty stack of books. Even then, I hear, "Mom, I've read all my books--when can we go back to the library?"

Given the number of books we sign out, it's no wonder that I dread to hear the word "overdue." Thankfully, I recently discovered Library Elf, a free service that emails me a few days before our books are due. What a great idea! You can check it out here if you are interested.

Our American History Timeline

Timelines are such a nifty learning tool, helping students form a mental picture of history as one continuous story. I made this version to accompany our study of American history this year. Here's how:

First, I purchased a tri-fold display board, available in several sizes at Walmart and other stores (just like the ones you may have used for science fair projects during your own school days).

Next, I determined how many "rows" I needed to plan for, and divided the board accordingly. Since I wanted to include only events from American history, I started with A.D. 1000 and ended with A.D. 2000. For the sake of clarity, I designed each row to represent 100 years EXCEPT for the first row, which covers the period from 1000 to 1600--those early years have only a few significant events to record.

Then, using a fine-point permanent marker, I made the lines and marked them in 10-year increments. Finally, I covered the board with clear contact paper for durability.

This timeline stands alone or lies flat during use, then simply folds up and stores away out of sight. It's a terrific and inexpensive addition to our American history program!

School Days

Brandon, hard at work on his math

Kaylee and Devin working at the school table

Keaton's favorite spot to read--Dad's easy chair!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of our new school year! Things went pretty smoothly, although we have a few scheduling difficulties to work out. . . and I didn't even get Collin's kindergarten lessons done. (Happily, he forgot about "doing school" and went outside to play!)

Brandon is using:
--Saxon Math 76 with DIVE CD-R (he does exceptionally well with the DIVE instructor, and it really frees up my time to help the others)
--Easy Grammar 6 (the very best approach to grammar that we have found so far)
--Sequential Spelling 2
--Wordly Wise 3000, Bk. 2 (our first year to try this, and so far it seems good)
--Handwriting Skills E
--BJU Life Science 7 (haven't started yet)
--Writing Strands 3 (haven't started this, either)

Devin is using:
--Saxon Math 54 with DIVE CD-R (he loved the DIVE instructor, and wanted to do another lesson!)
--Easy Grammar 5
--Sequential Spelling 1
--Handwriting Skills D
--Science PACEs
--Writing Strands 3 (haven't started yet)

Kaylee is using:
--Saxon Math 54 with DIVE CD-R (another positive experience here, too!)
--Easy Grammar 4
--Sequential Spelling 1
--Steck-Vaughn Reading Comprehension 4
--Handwriting Skills C
--Science PACEs (haven't started yet)

***All 3 of the older kids are doing history through lots and lots of excellent books, including biographies, historical fiction, and non-fiction. We usually read together, then do copywork and/or original writing to cement what we have read. They also maintain their own timeline books (we love the timeline figures from Homeschool in the Woods), which helps to provide a "picture" of history for them. This year we are focusing on the Revolutionary War Period, using Abeka History of Our United States as a "spine," with plenty of good literature to go along with it! We all love history, and hopefully we'll be able to share some of what we have learned with you.

Keaton is using:
--Saxon Math 1 (have to finish up what we didn't get done last year)
--Abeka Language 1
--Abeka Letters & Sounds 1 (I'm wondering if I should even bother with this, since he is reading at about second-grade level?)
--Abeka Writing with Phonics Manuscript (I don't start cursive quite this early)
--Science PACEs
--History with the older kids, on his own level

Collin is using:
--Saxon Math 1 (he has tremendous potential in math, so I'm starting him a little earlier than I normally would)
--Abeka Letters & Sounds K
--Abeka Writing with Phonics Manuscript K
--History--listens in on our reading

Wow! No wonder I'm tired tonight! :)
I just had to share a few pictures of our schoolroom, too. Brandon painted it for me during summer break, and I made new curtains a few weeks ago.