Homeschool Sunday

Sundays are typically my day when I plan and replan for the upcoming homeschool week.  It allows me to really take a look at our schedule for the upcoming weekdays and plan our schooling accordingly.  This upcoming week we have a few appointments and a few other priorities that need to happen, but we should be able to easily fit our school educating in before "needed" appointments.
I have decided to try a few new things with the kids and these new things are obsessing in my mind.  I am a classic overthinker and things are always tremendously difficult when I first get started.  So I sit here, obsessing until I can get it down to basics to keep my children from becoming overwhelmed and begging to be released from the terrors of "school". 
I also realized in my new adventures that I will very well go broke buying printer paper and ink before the end of the first week.  Hmmmm, not really ready to give up due to a few empty spaces in the inkwell, but pondering what deal I can make with a copy company.  Maybe they could use someone to mop their floors in exchange for a few hundred copies a week?  It is a thought!
Of course there is always the fear that I won't be great at these new adventures and my kids will see my struggle.  Then I remember, kids who see their parents struggle and watch as their parents continue to push through even if the end result isn't what is necessarily desired, understand the importance of pushing through difficult times and know that you can struggle and win or maybe not win but still stand tall with self confidence in tact. 
So I sit with books open in front me..struggling to keep it simple and interesting and doable.
Homeschooling isn't always easy, isn't always fun, but it is worth every second, worth every frustration!!
Have a fantastic week and if you homeschool..have a productive week as well.
Zookpr

Homeschool Helper Freebies

There has been much discussion about where to find free things to help us along our homeschool journey, so I thought I would put as many free places I know of to find help or curriculum or just interesting things. 

Kahn Academy www.khanacademy.org  They show videos to help learn concepts

Rays Arithmetic, you can sometimes find these books for free in the library, but if you cannot, they are free online
Rays New Primary
http://books.google.com/books?id=ntTy0NUjKHQC&dq=free+ray's+arithmetic&pg=PP1&ots=1tWQT_uPi2&source=citation&sig=9FLY29dJ8-Mj5BFjbEFufrJ7EBw&oi=book_result&ct=result&hl=en

Rays Intellectual
http://books.google.com/books?id=cddHAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=ray%27s++intellectual+arithmetic&ei=JTuKSM6LGYqeswPWjNiPDw

Rays New Practical
http://books.google.com/books?id=tb-blvznpS8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=ray%27s++practical+arithmetic&ei=ZTuKSK22Kof6sQOT1ImVBg

Rays New Intellectual
http://books.google.com/books?id=ZtEpb5LFNVcC&pg=PA5&dq=ket+to+ray%27s+new+intellectual+arithmetic&ei=ID2KSMDICIWQtAOf0Y04

Rays New Higher Arithmetic
http://books.google.com/books?id=cNdHAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=ray%27s++new+higher+arithmetic&ei=7z2KSKSPA460sgP48MSXBg

Rays New Higher Key
http://books.google.com/books?id=lyRQTuXaiNUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=ket+to+ray%27s+higher+arithmetic&ei=rD2KSNb9E42AsgO20ankAQ

Rays New Test Example in Arithmetic
http://books.google.com/books?id=53O66PcmMEEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Ray%27s+New+Test+Examples+In+Arithmetic&ei=OT6KSL2kFYqeswPWjNiPDw

McGuffey Readers for free online and downloadable
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=mcguffey+readers

Sonlight for Reading Level Tests
http://www.sonlight.com/blog/2011/07/what-is-my-childs-reading-level.html

Alpha Omega Free Whitepapers
http://www.aophomeschooling.com/whitepapers.php

Alpha Omega Free Placement Tests
http://www.aophomeschooling.com/diagnostic-tests.php

Lesson Pathways  free homeschool curriculum online
http://www.lessonpathways.com/info/homeschool

Free Printable Worksheets, Unit Lessons and More, not everything here is free, but they have tons of resources that are free.  Sign up for their email and you will be notified every time some new and free is posted.
www.currclick.com

Math Worksheets and more
http://www.homeschoolmath.net/

That is all I have time for today.  I will post more as I gather it all together.  I have used or perused through all of these sites and I recommend them. 
If you have more to add to the list, please add it in the comment section.  Lets help each other be as successful as possible, for a free as possible.

Progress of Our Year, Thus Far

I have been meaning to update on how our year is progressing, so here it is.

All the kids have been using Handwriting without Tears and so far, no tears.  We have minimal complaints but it is not the program itself, it is the children who wish to be outside. 
All the kids are using Math U See and we LOVE it.  No complaints at all.  Having the tactile and visual along with the written math problems has been awesome.  I do believe that we could easily knock out an entire level of math in less than the typical school year.  AWESOME program!
We are doing our daily bible reading and the kids are learning new words and I am hearing them being said throughout the day.
We are not using a curriculum for science or history, we read books, go outside, cook and right now that is working well for us.  I do believe, however, after the new year, we will be moving my oldest son into a set science curriculum.  I am ready for something more "solid" for him and I believe he is as well.  If he is not ready come that time, we will back off and encourage it again later.
Everything else we do is not really planned or programmed into our schedule.  We work with the kids motivation and slide things in here and there as we wish.
The year is going well. 
I do not really like to make my blog posts this way, it is very choppy and my mind doesn't like the singularity of it all, so it is likely that more often you will read more word "vomit" type of posts.  I am tired tonight and singularity is about as good as it can get :)  Good night!  Okay it just took me 5 mins to find my spell check button...I really do need to go to bed :)

Homeschool 2012-2013

It is that time of year again..SCHOOL!!  Everyone is prepping and excited about the new school year. People are rushing about to purchase new school supplies and new school outfits, but not us and that is the way that I like it. 
We do partake in the BTS sales that offer up the occassional great deal on much needed school supplies (ie. $.17 single subject spiral notebooks), but unless we have managed to run out of the 15,000 pencils that I bought last year (and we haven't), we don't purchase very much.
Several months back, I did invest in some new homeschool supplies in the form of new curriculum.  Shhhh, the kids don't like that word!!

So here is my curriculum for the 2012-2013 year. 
Math U See Primer for Bug 3, Pooh 4 and Bean 6
Math U See Delta and Gamma for D 8
Math U See Gamma and Zeta for Em 12
Handwriting Without Tears for all with Cursive books for D and Em
We will be utilizing classic books for group read alouds and level appropriate books for either silent reading or read tos.
We have sight word cards for Pooh and Bean and to encourage more speed reading for D.
We have miscellaneous phonic books and manipulates for all the littlers.
We will be lapbooks and unit studies for geography and history.
Art will be group activity, as always
We are also blessed to be able to attend class with a local co-op group on Tuesdays.  My 12yo will be taking Apologia Biology, D will be participating in PE and living math, the littlers will be participating in hands on reading classes.

I am looking forward to this coming year and excited about how far we can push the limits of learning and fun.

Another highlight for the upcoming year is that I am also enrolled in the local community college.  I was blessed to be able to finish 12 credit hrs of classes in the Spring 2012 semester and my hard work paid off with achieving a spot on the deans list.  I was 1 answer away from a 4.0, okay that may be a stretch...it might have been 2 answers.  This fall semester I am signed up for 18 hrs.  I anticipate many late night and quite a few early mornings, so if you find Coffee on sale, keep me in mind!

Have a very blessed school year and kiss all those noggins as they load that big yellow bus or as they smear their art projects on your freshly pressed PJ pants :)

Chosing Curriculum

It is that time of year..the time to look at your curriculum and decide if it is achieving the results you wish for and IF you are happy with it. 
I am not happy with mine.  My kids...might not be either.  It has been very worksheety (not a word, but completely understandable by those in the home education world), which means "BORING" or at least in our house.
It is hard to find something new.  If you have experienced it, it is difficult to fork out the money and know it will be exactly what you have been dreaming of.
I have made a few decisions.  I do believe we will use Math U See for my 4 yo, 6yo and 8 yo.  I will be utilizing Saxon math for my 12yo but this may roll into Math U See also.  We will use XtraMath online for a change up and refresher.
I think we will stay away from any formal English/Comp curriculum and stick to reading good classics and copy work.
I am considering Apologia for science, but not sure yet.
History, I don't know.  We may just use living readings for History. 
I want to incorporate unit studies and lapbooks and some fun stuff, but we will have to see where it all takes us as we move into the summer and out of my spring college semester.
I need to be more diligent in planning for them as I will be taking a full college load again this fall and next spring, so there will not be any time for "I will just plan next week, tomorrow".
So, what is your homeschooling year next year going to be?  What have you used that you love?  What have you used that you prefer never to use again?  Would love to hear ideas.  It seems every year I hear of something new that I had never heard of before, but that people have been using for years.