School Days, Patience, and Special Needs

This picture captures a moment between my two youngest children. My teen, who is homeschooled, was still working when his little sister got home from public school. She gravitates toward him, and this day was no different. He has so much patience with her and so much love for her. I love to watch the two of them together. Being a special needs family is difficult much of the time, but moments like these remind me of how much we all learn about love, patience, gentleness, and the beauty of life. 

2018-2019 Homeschool Year

We started back on August 13; however, I am just now finding the time to write about our curriculum and schedule for this year. It has been that hectic. With one senior and one sophomore, the workload is heavier -for them and for me- and also increasingly challenging. To add a little more stress  excitement, my senior is also working part-time. Plus, I still have my writing, which sometimes means early mornings and late nights to ensure that I meet deadlines. On a side note, look for exciting news about my writing coming soon. For now, though, let's continue with the homeschool discussion. We typically school five days a week, Monday through Friday, although we've already had to do some school on a couple of Saturdays in order to make up for missing some school time due to issues that arose during the week. Since I have high schoolers, most of their work is done independently. I check over it, and then we go over any corrections that need to be made. Some subjects, such as Literature, History, and the Sciences, are interactive in our home. We discuss ideas and themes, events and people, and do labs together. I'm also available to facilitate in other subjects as needed. I believe in teaching students to learn independently, and I've been fostering that type of environment since we started our homeschool journey in 2006.

I use a mix of different curricula. I choose based on the learning style of each child and also what fits my teaching style; it's important that you take both into consideration. Also, one other piece of advice before I share what we're using this year: be prepared. Plan, plan, plan. I spend around two months each summer planning our homeschool year. I block out around one-two hours 3-4 days a week over that time period and research options, buy materials, familiarize myself with the materials, see how many days/weeks it will take to finish each subject, and then loosely plan the year. That works for me. Find your style and then make planning work for you.

*My Senior's Curriculum
Psychology and You
Forensic Science Fundamentals and Investigations
American Government Balancing Democracy and Rights
Fundamentals of Economics
Math-U-See Pre-Cal & Trig
Memoria Press The Iliad & The Odyssey Set
Art Appreciation
Word: The Poet's Voice

*My Sophomore's Curriculum
First Form Greek
Art Appreciation
Word: The Poet's Voice
Math-U-See Geometry Set
History Odyssey Ancients Level 3
Ancient Literature
High School Chemistry in Your Home
Analytical Grammar

*Don't freak out too much at the prices. I didn't buy all of these new. Some I borrowed from friends and many I found on Paperback Swap and Thrift Books.

If you have any questions, please ask. Also, I'd love to hear about the materials that you're using and about how you plan and schedule your homeschool year. Let me hear from you soon!

Poe Party

I'd been missing the early days of our homeschooling years, when my children were "little," and school was fun. I longed for the excitement of activities we all looked forward to doing and the memory-making times of the past. Well, thankfully, I discovered that homeschooling high school can also be fun! I want to give a huge thank you and a shoutout to fellow homeschool high school blogger, Nerdy Little Birdie, for inspiring me. She shared a wonderful idea for a poetry party, and it sparked a fire in me. So, I took that desire and combined it with my love for Edgar Allan Poe. We studied his life and poetry throughout the month of October, and then we culminated our studies by having a Poe Party. Here are some of the highlights I'd like to share with you.

I printed out quotes, framed them, and placed them in various places in the dining room. I purchased the candleholders and raven on the pumpkin decor from Target.

We decorated coffee mugs with black Sharpies and then baked them in the oven to set the designs. Here you see the famous 'Nevermore' quote from Poe's well-known poem "The Raven."

And here, obviously, is a raven.

Another raven.

'Nevermore'

The 11th grader painted this to represent the last stanza of Poe's poem "Annabel Lee."

The 9th grader sketched this and then colored only the couple to convey artistically the meaning of the second stanza of "Annabel Lee."

We had a delicious apple crisp dessert while we took turns reading and discussing quotes of Poe's.

We wore these "masques" so we could be like the revelers in "The Masque of the Red Death." Well, not EXACTLY like them. We're still alive, thankfully!

We had a simple dinner: veggie nuggets, vegetables & ranch, & wine-for those 21 and over only!

More decor on the piano.

Vegetables and ranch for the party.

Cheese & crackers for an appetizer.

Tabletop decor - all purchased at Target.

More decor, printed by me or purchased at Target.

Finally, a coffee mug with the first stanza of "The Raven" printed on it.