Year 0 and Year 2 recap
We did it! I am so proud of my kids and their hard work this school year! I am also very blessed to have had another beautiful homeschool experience this year. I know I've written before about the beauty of Charlotte Mason and I feel that the beauty continues to grow at a deeper level as I study the volumes and follow the sage advice from some wise educators that can be found on the internet! I will say that our monthly mom book study is at the top of my list for homeschool support this year. We've finished Volume 6 along with all the readings from the Brandy Vencel Start Here guide. This was a two year commitment and we celebrated as moms with a relaxed and delicious meal at my house!
Now, to get on to the good stuff and recap each subject!
Bible: We continued to commit one Bible verse to memory each month and read directly from scripture while adding in our monthly hymn and closing with prayer time. We call this our "Morning Basket" and it truly sets the tone of the day. I also added in a few readings of Trial and Triumph at the beginning of the school year, but found that through Term 2 and Term 3 we didn't complete these readings on the list. We did continue to use the Pilgrim's Progress recording and coloring sheets each week. We will continue over the next few years to slowly listen to each track as we follow along with Christian's journey! I've been pleasantly surprised at how well the kids have followed the story line even in the old English. There are quite a few times that I have to help fill in the gaps!
Math:
Christian is finishing green and Eva Mae is finishing Orange in the Miquon math series. I LOVE how well they are understanding the math concepts and using it in real life. I've also supplemented with the book "Ready Set Remember" for some multiplication facts. It uses the "Memory Palace" technique of picture mnemonics. Eva Mae is also so cute as she figures out skip counting and number lines! Here's a few videos I've done this year to help her with some concepts!
Literature: Both Christian and Eva Mae have done an incredible job following along with some great literature classics! Eva Mae has listened to all the stories I listed in her Kindergarten curriculum (mostly fairy tales, Beatrix Potter collection, and other classic children's tales found in the anthologies my grandma had purchased for my mom as a child!) She has even begun to give some great narrations this month! I haven't required them from her since she is not technically Year 1 yet, but she has heard Christian narrate after each reading and is ready to give her own account from the stories she enjoys!
For a list of the books in Year 2, visit Ambleside Online and view their free curriculum! I would say that Mr. Popper's Penguins and Wind in the Willows were the favorites from this year because we had some fun book parties after reading the books with our friends in our Wild + Free group!
Natural History: We read Burgess Animal over Term 1 and Term 2 but switched to a great book "How to Classify Living Things" during Term 3. We will pick back up with Burgess Animal next year and I plan to finish a picture guide to go along with the book for the kids. We also had a TON of nature studies through family hikes, zoo programs, and starting the Saplings Student Garden in Spring Hill! It is a homeschool community garden that we look forward to growing over the next few years!
Geography/History: Geography and history go along with each other in a Charlotte Mason education! We have loved finding locations on maps while reading books like Tree in the Trail and Seabird. I also am very impressed with the Hillyer book "A Child's History of the World." I plan to continue using it as we jump into the 1500-1700AD history timeline. This year, we focused a lot on the 1000-1500AD moments in history through books like Joan of Arc, Men of Iron, Little Duke, and Leif the Lucky. We also read up to Henry IV in Our Island Story focusing on some very interesting Medieval history! I always find it interesting when Christian asks "Who were the good guys" while reading about Crusades and the 100 Years War! His narrations have become so good! Here's a clip of a narration he started after reading a section of Men of Iron:
Co-ops: We've had two co-ops going this year! Our 6-10 year old Charlotte Mason co-op and Eva Mae's small kindergarten co-op! Both have been a huge blessing and source of fun and fellowship!
Eva Mae's kindergarten group also had a sweet graduation ceremony this year! Complete with some adorable singing and tossing of graduation caps!!!
Another blessing of our homeschool year is the amount of trips we took. We went to Florida and to the beach, Huntsville Space museum, Chattanooga Aquarium, Atlanta (Aquarium, puppet museum, and Lego Discovery Center) and several State Parks in Tennessee! The kids are at the perfect age to take school on the road and discover all these great places and learning opportunities!
I truly am blessed to have the ability to document these wonderful moments (that go by SOOOOOO QUICKLY!) and I look forward to what is in store next year! I'll be sharing my school plans in the next few months for our 2018/2019 adventure! Thanks for reading!
Comments
Post a Comment