Our Ninth Grade Curriculum Choices

matthew sailing

I have a high school student!!! How did this happen? It feels like just yesterday we started this homeschool adventure when he was in first grade. There have been ups and downs over the years but I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to homeschool him and we are looking forward to the joys of high school. I know there will be challenges but there will also be joy and celebration.

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I think I have spent more time contemplating (and sometimes agonizing) over our choices for this year, than ever before. It feels like such a weighty decision when you realize that these courses go onto transcripts that will follow him to college. However, I came to realize that I still had lots of flexibility and I could still change things up as needed. I did not need to add more pressure to myself or to him.

We decided to try a modified block schedule this year. Each semester he will complete three full courses. In addition, he will be working on music and physical education all year. At the end of the year he should have eight courses completed. We liked the block scheduling for allowing him to focus on fewer courses at one time. However, for music and physical education we felt that spreading the hours over the full year would make it easier to complete and show good progress.

First Semester:

During his first semester my son’s three main courses will be literature, biology, and financial literacy. Literature might be the course I am personally most excited about because we are going to work through that one together. We are doing British literature, but not just any British literature, we are focusing on the Inklings. (He will do another year of British literature later to catch all of the other wonderful British authors). For this course he will be studying C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and his choice of two other Inklings. He will read a variety of novels from these wonderful authors and participate in round table discussions about their works. He will also complete two papers related to the novels. I have chosen about half of the books and he will be able to choose the other half based on the author.

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For biology, we were blessed to be able to review Experience Biology: Upper Level and we loved it. Since we reviewed it this summer, he gets to start biology five lessons ahead when we jump into our studies in a few weeks. This will give him some flexibility to have a little smaller load during a few busy weeks of the semester. We truly loved this program from Journey Homeschool Academy. It was a great mix of well done video lectures, online quizzes and tests, and hands-on labs. I love that he was getting a strong college prep course from a Christian perspective and that it only took me about ten minutes a week to check the assignments that needed to be checked by a parent. If you want to know more you can also check out my review: Journey Homeschool Academy High School Biology Review.

Finally, he will be completing Dave Ramsey’s Foundations in Personal Finance: High School Editionfor his financial literacy course. Years ago, my husband and I read Dave Ramsey’s book and completed his Financial Peace University course. We love the sound, Biblically based advice and feel that it will set our children up to be good stewards of their money. I like that this course was already set up for high schoolers and is done digitally so he can read the information, watch the videos, and complete the quizzes online. He will also be keeping a journal and responding to journal questions. To prepare for this course and to help him start high school with the right mind set, he and I both read Debt Free Degree, by Anthony O’Neal and I highly recommend it if you have a student middle school or older.

Second Semester:

In his second semester he will be studying Ancient History using Drive Thru History and Geometry with Mr. D both with SchoolhouseTeachers.com. He will also be doing a Bible Apologetic course.

Drive Thru History!

Our family loves Drive Thru History and they are lots of fun just to watch, but I am excited for my son to be able to go through and use them as a high school history course. SchoolhouseTeachers.com has created worksheets with short answer and essay questions to accompany each video. In addition, I will have my son do a capstone project showing what he learned throughout the course.

As we reached the high school years I found it was best if math instruction came from someone other than myself. It has been a ‘few’ years since I took many of these courses and I have forgotten quite a bit of what I once knew. We were excited to find that the Mr. D Geometry course was included with our SchoolhouseTeachers.com membership. This course provides quality video instruction for geometry and my husband will also be available to help him if he has any problems.

Last year, I had the opportunity to review the Unbreakable Faith course from Pilgrim’s Rock. This is a high school level apologetics course and my son completed the first portion of the course during the review. This course is set up with readings and video and includes quizzes and tests that are computer graded. Matthew will be finishing this course for an elective Bible credit.

Year Round

For his other two elective courses this year, we chose music performance and physical education.

For physical education, he is working with my husband to create a weight lifting, running, and circuit training routine. He will track the hours he completes each week as well as his progress on several physical fitness goals.

For music performance, he is taking lessons from Mrs. Sarah VanKleek at Practice Monkeys. He is currently taking violin lessons, but as they are getting ready to start guitar lessons he may switch instruments. He will track his time completed in both lessons and extra practice and also track progress based on assessment lesson results. In addition, he will be performing with his youth group band and if things open back up from the pandemic he will also continue to perform at a local nursing home. To round out his music course he will participate in monthly SQUILT Music lessons. Our family has been enjoying a subscription to SQUILT Music this summer and plan to continue to use it throughout the year. These lessons will help increase his knowledge and background in the music appreciation aspect of music.

In addition to these programs, he will be doing Bible study with us each morning and listening to some of our read alouds. As we move forward, we will see how timing is going to determine how much of our other morning time and extra activities he participates in with us. He knows that he will have to focus and work hard with this course load, be we want to continue to make time for life learning and fun.

What are your favorite high school resources?

This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

Deals and Freebies

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is doing an amazing sale this month! Buy One year get One Year FREE! We use this for several of our courses and one price covers all the students in your home for as many of their over 400 courses and you would like to use.

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Harry The Happy Mouse (Free on Kindle)

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

Enrichment Studies has a great free fine arts memory match game this month!

Free Help Your Child’s Memory Book from All About Learning Press!

Our Seventh Grade Curriculum Choices (2020)

Today, I am sharing with you what we are using for my daughter’s seventh grade curriculum. While there are a few things that are similar to what I shared a few years ago for my son in seventh grade it certainly is not exactly the same. That is because there is no one best program, it all really depends on the student and what works best for them. Hopefully, a few of these wonderful programs will be a great fit for your family.

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Glossary Sample

For language arts, we are continuing to use several different programs. First, we are sticking with All About Spelling. It is one of my favorite programs ever because it was such a game changer for our family. This program helped both of my older children to finally understand spelling and translate what they were learning in spelling to their everyday writing. This will be her last year with the program as she completes the final level. We also plan to continue with Fix It! Grammar from IEW. The short lessons are effective without being overwhelming and I have seen an increase in her understanding and use of proper grammar. Last year she started Sharon Watson’s writing program Jump In and will continue that program this year. The program is designed to be broken up between two and three years. Since we also include several research projects and essays through Junior Historians and 4-H we will probably take the full three years to complete the program. It is a gentle but effect approach to improving writing.

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Finally, for literature we are really switching things up. Last year, my daughter started a wonderful music appreciation course from Zeezok that she had planned to complete. However, we found that it was just too much on top of all of her other school work and extracurricular activities. The program is based around some wonderful biographies. So this year, we decided that for half of her literature we are going to focus on those biographies and activities. She loves music and hopes to be a violin instructor one day so this is a great way to incorporate her interests into her school work. In addition, we are going to read a novel together in between each biography. We are still working out the exact list but we are looking at some classics including Anne of Avonlea, Pride and Prejudice, and Little Women.

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She was very sad that she had to switch programs for math this year because she had completed the highest level of Math for a Living Education. We tried samples of various programs, and she decided that she wanted to try using Teaching Textbooks for pre-algebra this year. This will be her first time using an online program for math. We will see how that works for her, but she enjoyed the sample lessons at the beginning and is looking forward to getting started.

For science, she will be doing a study of anatomy and physiology. We are using Apologia’s Anatomy and Physiology course as our spine. This is the last book in that series that she needs to complete. We have really enjoyed using the series with both she and my ninth grader. My first grader will be joining her for science this year, though obviously with much different expectations.

For history this year our family is going to study ancient history. My daughter along with my first grader will be Story of the World Volume 1. My high school student will also study ancient history but using a high school level course through SchoolhouseTeachers.com. This will be my daughter’s second time going through volume one and I will be adding in some addition reading. In addition, she will be adding in some history pockets from Evan-Moor. Those can be purchased individually but they are also included in the Evan Moor Teacher FileBox which has a ton of great resources all in spot and they are offering a 30 day free trial right now.

For art, she will work on lessons from You Are An Artist Chalk Pastels. She does not see herself as much of an artist, but has found that she can follow along with Nana’s simple and clear instructions to create adorable pictures. She is also very excited to try the new sewing course that is being offered from You Are an Artist. Needlework is an art form that she really enjoys.

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For music, she takes violin and piano lessons from Practice Monkeys. We love this gentle and convenient approach to music lessons. She is progressing through the levels of the program quickly and enjoys practicing each day. I love that I never have to push her to practice or even remind her. She sets an alarm on her watch so she doesn’t forget and she is happy to virtually go to class each day.

We have also been using a subscription to SQUILT Music over the summer for music appreciation and the children have asked to continue to us that program through the year. This program supports her love of music and encourages her to learn more about other great musicians. Each month there are two new ‘live’ lessons that are done virtually and introduce students to a new composer or musician. In addition, you can access all of the previous lessons as recording at any time.

In addition to these programs, she will be doing Bible study each day and our morning time which will include read alouds, hymn study, nature study and more. We try to stay flexible and change things up if they are not working well. We will also be included a wide variety of review products.

What are your favorite middle grades resources?

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Deals and Freebies

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is doing an amazing sale this month! Buy One year get One Year FREE! We use this for several of our courses and one price covers all the students in your home for as many of their over 400 courses and you would like to use.

Free ABC Mouse Trial: Looking for a little summer education for your children when it is too hot to play outside? ABC Mouse is offering a FREE 30 day trial. This is a great way to give it a try and see if it works for your child.

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Harry The Happy Mouse (Free on Kindle)

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

Enrichment Studies has a great free fine arts memory match game this month!

Free Help Your Child’s Memory Book from All About Learning Press!

Our First Grade Curriculum

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This has been a year of extreme interest in homeschooling! Several times a week, over the course of the summer, I have been asked, “What is the best curriculum for….?” I will be the first to tell you that there is no one right answer to that question. Each child is different, each family situation is different, and there are hundreds of wonderful curricula. However, I did want to share what we are using in case it benefits someone who is looking for good options.

There are so many great options, but I think it is important to remember that sometimes less is more when it comes to younger children. They need plenty of time to play and explore. They need to use their imaginations and learn from active life experiences. Even with our list of curricula for my first grader, he will only be doing about one to two hours of school each day.

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All About Reading's new color edition review

My son was very reluctant to start learning to read and so we held off until he showed more readiness. Over the summer we started the pre-reading level of All About Reading. It has been a really great fit for us. He was finally ready and willing to learn how to read and doing it over the summer allowed me to really be focused on him while my older children had a break from regular school work. We will finish that level around October and move right into level 1. In addition to All About Reading, he is going to use Reading Eggs for a little fun reinforcement. He adores getting on the computer to do reading eggs, can navigate the program himself, and earning the eggs seems to be highly motivational for him.

Next, he will be using MasterBooks Math For A Living Education. My daughter used the program for several years and we really find it to be a quality program and a great fit for our family. In addition to the math skills sheets, there is a story woven throughout the book which is engaging and also helps students understand how they use math in day to day life. The Level 1 story involves children at a farm which I think my son will really enjoy.

For science, he will be joining my daughter in a study of anatomy and physiology. As a seventh grader, I will expect much more from my daughter but I think they will enjoy the study together. We are using Apologia’s Anatomy and Physiology course as our spine. I think he will enjoy learning about the various parts of the body and it will be a good course for them to work through together. However, if I just had a first grader, I would probably choose a different book in that same series. The zoology ones are a lot of fun with younger children. This is the last one in the series that my daughter needed to complete and he will go through the series over the course of his elementary years.

For history this year our family is going to study ancient history. My son and daughter will be using Story of the World Volume 1. My high school student will also study ancient history but using a high school level course through SchoolhouseTeachers.com. I have found that the short, story style lessons and the fun projects really make Story of the World a great option for young learners.

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For art, he will continue to work on lessons from You Are An Artist Chalk Pastels. He loves doing the lessons with nana and has progressed from her simple preschool lessons to being able to do some of her more advanced lessons. She has so much to choose from and we rotate between choosing lessons that align with what we are studying and just letting him pick lessons based on what looks like fun.

For music, he takes violin lessons from Practice Monkeys. We love this gentle and convenient approach to music lessons and looks forward to them each day. We have also been using a subscription to SQUILT Music over the summer for music appreciation and the children have asked to continue to us that program through the year. Each month there are two new ‘live’ lessons that are done virtually and introduce students to a new composer or musician. In addition, you can access all of the previous lessons as recording at any time.

He will be joining us for Bible study each day and our morning time which will include read alouds, hymn studies, and more. This will give him a good base while still allowing time for free play, field trips, and life learning.

What are your favorite first grade resources?

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Deals and Freebies

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Harry The Happy Mouse (Free on Kindle)

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

Enrichment Studies has a great free fine arts memory match game this month!

Free Help Your Child’s Memory Book from All About Learning Press!

Our New Homeschool Library

When we moved into our home almost fifteen years ago, the downstairs area was finished space and all of the upstairs was unfinished and used as a storage area. We kept it that way for years, until we started to homeschool. The year we started to homeschool my husband finished one portion of the space to serve as a school room. Over the years, we later finished a space for an extra bedroom and a closet but we still had a room in the middle that was being used as storage.

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Over the course of this summer, we took everything out of that room and my husband and son finished it into a library/music room!! I have always dreamed of having a home library but never thought it would actually happen. We have a rather large collection of books because we frequent yard sales and used book stores. This gives us a place to neatly store our book collection, a place for their instruments and music practice, a place I can go to sit and read quietly, and a place where they can have friends and hang out chatting or playing board games.

My husband and son did all the work from putting up wood slats for the ceiling, sheet rock on the walls, and carpet tiles on the floor. We were blessed to get a large selection of bookshelves back in the beginning of March from a bookstore that was going out of business. Those finished off three of the walls and gave us a place to store many of our books.

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One of my favorite parts was a special touch that my husband put into the room. We are hug fans of C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia. So my husband turned one of the doors into the ‘wardrobe’ that leads to Narnia. This makes me smile every time I see it and reminds me both of my husband’s love and that this world is not my home.

We have one step left, we are going to get quotes from some of our favorite books printed onto vinyl and put up on the walls. We plan to use quotes from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, The Hobbit, and The Green Ember series. I know that we are going to include: “It will not be so in the mended wood.” and “My place beside you, my blood for yours. Till the Green Ember rises or the end of the world!” from theGreen Ember. We also know that we will use “Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” and “Oh Children” from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We are still choosing a couple more from those books and a couple from the Hobbit.

I think our new library might just be my new favorite room! Do you have a favorite room in your house or dreams of a library or special room that you might be able to complete one day?

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Deals and Freebies

Final 2 Days to get the Ultimate Homeschool Bundle for less than $30! Includes a variety of curriculum from pre-k through high school. What courses are you excited about? I’m going to do the Jane Austen course with my daughter!

So many folks looking for homeschool options at a reasonable price during this unusual time. SchoolhouseTeachers.com is having an amazing sale. For less than $200 you get 2 years access to over 400 courses that you can use with as many students as you have in your home! We use this for several courses and I am always happy to answer questions. Just click on this link and use code: SHARK20

If you are looking for a fun way to encourage reading this summer, check out the FREE summer reading materials from Your Morning Basket with Pam Barnhill. The passport and reading bucket list are a great way to encourage reading!

Homeschool Complete is offering a special 10% off discount to my readers! Just use code: SWAG

Get a FREE Literature Kit from LitWits using Code 11READ4FUN. We are currently enjoying the Heidi kit but have also previously loved the My Side of the Mountain kit.

IEW is offering some great free resources right now.

Journey Homeschool Academy High School Biology Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

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I get the privilege of sharing lots of reviews with my readers for many great products. However, it is not often that I feel like a review product was a true answer to prayer, but for our family Experience Biology: Upper Level was just that. My husband and I were struggling to find a biology curriculum for my 9th grader that we both liked and I had been praying that God will help me because I didn’t know where else to look. In the same week I was offered the opportunity to review this course by Journey Homeschool Academy.

How Does Journey Homeschool Academy Work?

This curriculum is set up to allow the student to be very independent with the work. Each lesson includes two video lectures, a textbook reading, a quiz, and research questions. The quiz is automatically graded by the computer. Since the research questions are done short answer style they need to be graded by the parent but there is an answer key to help out. Experience Biology: Upper Level has a student notebook that can be printed (or purchased as a hard copy) for the student to take notes as they watch the lectures. These pages have fill in the blank style notes that help the student learn how to take notes and what information is important to remember. Students cannot move onto the next lesson in the course until all of these items are marked complete and the quiz has been successfully passed.

Journey Homeschool Academy Lab Assignments

In addition, each lesson includes a lab assignment. The creators suggest in the parent guide that the students complete at least some of the labs but not necessarily all of the labs to have a complete course. There is a lab notebook that helps the student go through the lab process and a video that explains the assignment for each lab.

Experience Biology Upper Level Review photo

There are also quarterly exams that the students take at the completion of a set number of lessons. On those weeks there are not lectures, labs and quizzes. The students are given a study guide to review and prepare for the exam. These exams help you see how well they are retaining information and unlike the weekly quizzes, the grades are final and cannot be reset.

When you purchase this program you have one year from the start of the program to complete the 35 week course. This allows time for breaks, sickness, and life in general while still completing the course.

My Experience

When we got started with this program, I decided to sit through the first week’s lesson with my son. This was to allow me to learn more about the program and to make sure that he was understanding what he needed to do and how the process worked. We were trying it out during out summer break, so he would work on it at night after he had completed whatever he had on the agenda for the day.

I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging the lectures were, while still being solid and full of good information. The instructor had a very relatable style that made it easy to listen and pay attention. Journey Homeschool Academy has invested considerable time in production, which comes across as clean graphics, images, and sound-which provides a very ‘professional’ product. I only required my 9th grade son to watch, since it is his course, but found that my twelve year old daughter and six year old son would sometimes stop what they were doing to sit and watch as well.

I started by printing out the student notebook pages and lab pages that my son needed each week and having him put them into his three-ring-binder. After trying that for a few weeks, I decided it would be easier on me to go ahead and print everything he would need and let him set up in his binder. This way he can get started each week without needing any assistance from me. I will just need to grade the research questions and make sure he has the lab supplies.

I also appreciated that the labs started by working through what a lab report should look like and how the process works. This allows a student who many not have done any formal labs to get a better grasp of what is expected before diving into the regular labs.

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My Son’s Thoughts

My son felt like he could complete the work independently and liked the video lectures. He is excited about continuing to use the microscope and complete more labs as we continue in the course. He completed the first five lessons (which would be five weeks of the course if you were using it as a year long course) and after taking a short break to finish out our summer will be finishing the course in the fall semester.

Overall, I felt like this was a great high school biology curriculum. I feel like it will help prepare my son for his college level science courses with lectures and lab reports. It covers a great deal of information but in a way that is engaging and not dry. I also really appreciate that he can do it mostly independently so that I can focus on some other areas of our home school. In many ways Experience Biology: Upper Level blends the traditional video based course with up to date distance education assessment tools.

I highly encourage you to click on the graphic below and check out the other reviews to find out more about the different courses from Journey Homeschool Academy and how they were used by the Review Crew members.

Story of the World Volume 2 Book List

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General Books:

Story of the World Activity Book

Stories From Around the World

Dig This!

Middle Ages Coloring Book

Most Fascinating Places on Earth

Look Find World History

A Childs Geography Explore Medieval

History of Western Paintings

Chapter 1: Glory That Was Rome

Ancient Rome Bubble Facts

Reading Expeditions: Rome

Gladiator

Chapter 2: Early Days of Britain

Beowulf

Celts See Through History

Explore Celts

Hands on History: Celts

Usborne Beginners: The Celts

Celts: Discover Through Crafts

Chapter 3: Christianity Comes to Britain

Augustine of Hippo

How the Bible Came to Us

Augustine Came to Kent

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland

Gawain Green Knight

Chapter 4: Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Fashions

Famous Men of the Middle Ages

The Miracle of St. Nicholas

Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend

I am Eastern Orthodox

Chapter 5: Medieval Indian Empire

The Life of Buddha

Hands On History Ancient India

The Elephants Friend

Tikki Tikki Tembo

Indian Fairy Stories

The King With Dirty Feet

Tiger, The Man, and The Jackal

Three Princes

The Encyclopedia of World Religions

Tell Me More About Ramadan

Chapter 7: Islam Becomes an Empire

The Golden Sandal

Arab Science and Invention

Chapter 8: Great Dynasties of China

Ancient China: Thematic Unit

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story

DK Eyewitness Ancient China

If You Were Me and Lived In… Ancient China

Great Ancient China Projects

All About China: Stories, Songs, Crafts, and Games

Chapter 9: East of China

Japan: Make it Work

Hands on History! Ancient Japan

In the Moonlight Mist

Chapter 10: Bottom of the World

Dingos at Dinner Time

The Pumpkin Runner

A Kids Guide to Australia

If You Were Me and Lived in …Australia

New Zealand

Chapter 11: Kingdom of the Franks

Favorite Medieval Tales

Famous Men of the Middle Ages

Medieval Paris

Chapter 12: The Islamic Invasion

Count Your Way Through the Arab World

The History of Spain

Look What Came From Spain

Muslim Child

The Beautiful Butterfly

Chapter 13: The Great Kings of France

A Child’s Geography

Famous Men of the Middle Ages

Puss in Boots

Ten Kings And the Worlds They Rule

Son of Charlemagne

Chapter 14: Arrival of the Norsemen

Eric the Red

Viking Ships at Sunrise

Fact Tracker Vikings

Who Were the Vikings

Who Was Leif Erickson

Beorn the Proud

Ten Kings and The Worlds They Ruled

Chapter 15: First Kings of England

Cathedral

Adventures with the Vikings

If You Were Me and Lived in Viking Europe

Chapter 16: England After the Conquest

Incredible Cross Sections

Castles

Eye Wonder: Castle and Knight

Chapter 17: Knights and Samurai

Saint George and the Dragon

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

Medieval Knights Paper Soldiers

The Samurai’s Tale

A Farm Through Time

Fact Tracker: Knights and Castles

The Knight at Dawn

Chapter 18: Age of Crusades

Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales (Puffin Classics)

Saint Francis

Chanticleer and the Fox

Chapter 19: New Kind of King

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Lives of Extraordinary Women

The Magna Carta

Chapter 20: The Diaspora

Jewish Holidays: All Year Round

Jewish Holidays and Traditions (coloring book)

The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen

Chanukah Coloring Book

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Homeschool Resources for New Homeschoolers

Many parents are making difficult decisions about school choices next year. There is no cut-and-dry right or wrong answer. Each family is facing a variety of different circumstances and challenges. For those that may be choosing homeschooling for the first time, it can feel like a daunting undertaking.

I can’t pretend that it is the easiest choice, but for our family, it has certainly been the most rewarding. I have compiled a few resources that I hope will help you as you begin this journey.

*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

What curriculum should I use?

First, one of the major questions that I have been getting from parents is what curriculum should I use? There are so many factors that go into this answer and there is no one set answer. Some students work well with textbooks, others enjoy literature based studies, some families need videos or online instruction.

There are many wonderful programs available but there is not a blanket answer to the question of which one is best. I will share a link to some wonderful programs at the bottom of this post.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com

I will say that I have recommended SchoolhouseTeachers.com to many families because of the flexibility and low price point. With over 400 courses covering all grades from Pre-K to High School, it is a great option for many families. There are courses that are printed out and completed as well as some courses that can be done online. We do not use them for all of our subjects, but do use them for a variety of courses.

Differences Between Public Virtual School and Homeschool

Another common question has been about the difference between public virtual school and homeschool. This may vary some by state, but here in North Carolina, a virtual school student is still considered a public school student and falls under their jurisdiction for attendance, grading, expectations, record keeping, etc.

Parents are responsible for grading, attendance, etc for a homeschooled child and they are registered with the Department of Non-Public Instruction.

What tips do you have for new homeschool parents?

I could go on and on about this question, but I wanted to share a few things that I think are really helpful in the beginning of your homeschool journey. Be flexible and prepared to change things (schedule, curriculum, expectations) as needed. Reach out to other homeschool parents and tap into the rich knowledge of the homeschool community (even if it has to be virtually). Remember that hard days do not mean that you are doing it wrong, there are hard days for everyone.

What books do you recommend for new homeschooling parents?

Help! I’m Homeschooling!: Helpful Habits for the Heart of Homeschooling is a great simple book with lots of good tips. I also really like Lifegiving Home by Sally Clarkson as an encouragement for moms.

The Read-Aloud Family is an excellent choice for helping encourage reading in your home. Finally, if you are looking for ways to teach your students together and have a ‘morning time’ together, I recommend Pam Barnhill’s Better Together.

Encouragement

You really can do this and there are many fellow homeschoolers who are ready and eager to help you get started. If you want to know more about getting registered, finding your style, and choose curriculum you may enjoy reading this post: How Do I Get Started Homeschooling?

I have included some links to Facebook Groups that can provide support as well as curriculum reviews and other resources below. Please feel free to reach out and let me know if I can help in any way.

Resources

Schoolin Swag Facebook Group ( over 5,000 members with great resources and discussions)

Curriculum Reviews

North Carolina Department of Non-Public Instruction

HSLDA (a great resource about legal questions regarding homeschool)

Evan-Moor Homeschool Resources (these books tend to align with public school standards for those looking for more alignment)

SchoolhouseTeachers.com

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Deals and Freebies

Evan-Moor Learning at Home Skill Sharpeners Bundle is 20% off with Code : LAH20

This great writing program is 20% off through July 21st with code SUMMER20!

Why My Homeschooler Needs A Book Bag

As the back to school sales start rolling out, I love to get fresh pencils and crayons, and new empty notebooks. One school supply that I often hear homeschool parents talk about not needing is a book bag. However, in our homeschool we have found book bags to be a great resource. For several years we did not use book bags, but for the last several years we have found that they solved a long running problem in our home.

*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

We have a school space set aside for school, but often the children do they work in other rooms of the house or even in the car. We love the flexibility and freedom of homeschooling, but I hated having their books strewn throughout the house. That also meant that we wasted valuable time looking for books and materials that had been left in the wrong place. I worked towards having them put the materials all back at their desks when they were done but inevitably they wouldn’t want to go upstairs (where the desks were) or they would only put part of it away.

While not always a perfect solution, we found that giving each child a book bag and a hook on the stairs for that book bag helped contain the school materials. This cut down on both the mess and the lost time. This also means that when we need to jump in the car to ride to a field trip or go to an appointment, they can grab their book bags and get some school work done along the way. This gives us much more freedom in our schedule.

A book bag may not be beneficial to every family, but don’t rule them out just because you homeschool. What school supplies are on your must have list for homeschooling? Are you shopping the back to school sales that have recently started or waiting until fall?

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Deals and Freebies

Check out this 41% off Sale at Evan Moor

If you have not tried SchoolhouseTeachers.com, you don’t want to miss this sale!

Homeschool Complete is offering a special 10% off discount to my readers! Just use code: SWAG

Evan-Moor is offering their Daily Fundamentals book FREE right now to help out during this time.

Get a FREE Literature Kit from LitWits using Code 11READ4FUN. We are currently enjoying the Heidi kit but have also previously loved the My Side of the Mountain kit.

IEW is offering some great free resources right now.

MaxScholar Reading Intervention Review

I recently had the opportunity to check out the MaxScholar Orton-Gillingham Software as an online reading intervention program. Both my 12 year old daughter (who does not struggle in reading) and my six year old son (who is still in the early stages of learning to read) spent some time trying out different aspects of the program.

There are a variety of different component to this program that work on reading through vocabulary, music, phonics, words, and more. When the student first begins they take a placement test that helps them be in the right levels of the various programs.

My daughter is a musician, so after her placement test, she immediately wanted to check out MaxMusic. This program used songs from a variety of popular movies and musicians to help with reading skills. There were different activities including reading the lyrics and picking out various parts of speech. My daughter’s favorite was when she was able to use a virtual keyboard to follow along with the music and choose the right notes.

MaxMusic

My six-year-old son enjoyed the MaxMusic but also checked out the MaxPhonics component of the program. He was working on the earliest level, which was all about learning the individual letters and their sounds. Each letter has a lesson which worked on learning to recognize the letter, learning the sound of the letter, and learning how to write the letter. The program incorporated tactile, visual, and auditory learning for each letter. The student would hear and see the letter, then have an opportunity to trace and write the letter with the mouse. Finally, there were activities to help them work on recognizing which objects began with that letter sound.

maxscholar

The MaxReading section has selections for a variety of reading levels including high school students. There were even selections about a variety of college majors which would be very interesting to a student that was trying to decide what they wanted to study. Inside of the reading program the selections has vocabulary words highlighted and if the student needed help with the word, they could click on the word and be provided with the definition, an example in a sentence, and synonyms. Next, the passages had the student highlight the topic, main idea, and important details. After that step the student worked on using an outline with the reading passage. Following the outline, the student completes a writing exercise. They can choose from three different options for the writing prompt. Finally, the student is asked questions about the reading passage.

maxreading

In addition to the MaxVocab that is offered with-in the reading component, students can go directly to MaxVocab to get more vocabulary via the dictionary portion or play games such as hangman to improve the students vocabulary.

Another great component of this program are the MaxBios. you could choose a famous person from a variety of options including Aretha Franklin, Georgia O’Keefe, and even Mother Teresa. The student would then read the short biography, have the option of virtually highlighting important facts, and then be asked to answer questions based on the biography. A great way to include history and even art and music studies into reading. Similar to the MaxBios is MaxPlaces except instead of people it uses reading passages to explore a variety of different places throughout the world.

Overall, I found that this program has a variety of different activities and could be a great asset to a student that enjoys working and learning online. It can support reading skills for everyone from a young student learning to read to a high school student that wants to improve comprehension skills.

I highly encourage you to click on the graphic below and check out the other reviews to see how different families used MaxScholar in their homes with a variety of different ages and reading abilities.

Hymn Study: America the Beautiful

america the beautiful graphic

America the Beautiful seemed like the perfect hymn for July as we celebrate Independence day and thank God for our blessings. This song was written by Katherine Lee Bates, a teacher and college professor. She wrote the hymn in the summer of 1893 after having hiked to the top of Pike’s Peak.

The view and resulting conversations inspired this now beloved hymn of thanks. In her own words Bates said, “One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.”

*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

O beautiful for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain;
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
and crown thy good with brotherhood
from sea to shining sea.

As we study and learn about this hymn this month, we plan to spend some time talking about all of the blessings that we see around us. From the fields of food growing along our roads, the beautiful river that runs through our town providing beauty, enjoyment, and food, and all of the other beautiful things that God has provided us.

In addition to our regular hymn study activities, I thought it would be a lot of fun to take a virtual tour of Pike’s Peak, the place that inspired this beautiful hymn. Due to the current pandemic situation, you can take a tour of the peak as well as some other virtual activities here:Pike’s Peak Virtual Tour.

If you would like to add some art to your study this month, Nana has this wonderful chalk pastel painting of “the purple mountain majesties and the amber waves of grain”. this painting is absolutely beautiful, but also simple enough for even younger children to participate. As always, her hymn studies are included in the You Are An Artist Clubhouse Membership.

I pray you enjoy time with your children studying this hymn this month. As we celebrate our nation’s independence, I hope we always remember to give thanks to God for all of our blessings.

Hymn Study Resources:

Pike’s Peak Virtual Tour

America the Beautiful (Story and Lyrics)

America the Beautiful (Ray Charles)

America the Beautiful (U.S. Navy Band)

America the Beautiful (Willie Nelson and More with tribute to 9/11)

America the Beautiful (Cedarmont Kids)

Download Your Freebies Below!

Hymn Study Fact Sheet

America the Beautiful copywork

Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure

Resource Library

Deals and Freebies

If you have not tried SchoolhouseTeachers.com, you don’t want to miss this sale!

Homeschool Complete is offering a special 10% off discount to my readers! Just use code: SWAG

Evan-Moor is offering their Daily Fundamentals book FREE right now to help out during this time.

Get a FREE Literature Kit from LitWits using Code 11READ4FUN. We are currently enjoying the Heidi kit but have also previously loved the My Side of the Mountain kit.

IEW is offering some great free resources right now.

FREE Baby Yoda Art Lesson from Nana!

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)