Welcome back to Collage Friday!
For those of you not familiar with the Collage Friday link up, it is simply a weekly meme where homeschool bloggers (and anyone else for that matter), can share photo collages of their week.
It is also a time each week where I share about the events of our week - favorite resources, fun ideas, and anything else I'd like to document. Collage Friday is my homeschool scrapbook!
This year I am trying to be much more INTENTIONAL about keeping track of each Collage Friday post. While I have been running this link up for FIVE YEARS, this year I will start numbering each Collage Friday post and housing them all on the Collage Friday page.
Each week will have a theme and number.
So here goes -- the very first edition of the 2015-16 school year, and the very first edition where I am the parent of a HIGH SCHOOL student!
Ninth Grade Homeschool
We've had a less than perfect start to the year.
Since I had surgery last week, I have been moving slowly. I've been very proud of the way Anna has started her classes and work pretty much on her own (with a little input from her dad and me).
The core of Anna's work is Challenge I (Classical Conversations). Her first class was Tuesday, and from all reports it was wonderful! She has a class of five students - and one tutor - who meet one day a week.
We aren't following the Challenge I curriculum to the letter. Changes are being made in math and Latin.
One of the largest benefits of the Challenge program is that the PARENT is the final authority and teacher. Yes, we try to follow the program as strictly as we can, but when adjustments need to be made for my child, I feel it is quite possible to do so.
Anna is taking Algebra I online from Mr. D Math. The first class was this week and I was most impressed with the ease of technical setup, the content of the class, and the online environment that Anna completes her math lessons in throughout the week.
Henle I Latin will begin after Labor Day, and this is done through Memoria Press Online Academy. Technical setups were done this week and all went smoothly there, too.
Between the two online classes, Challenge I seminars, and Anna's interest in music, I think it's going to be a busy and productive first year of high school.
A Consistent Start to Our Homeschool Day
Last year became a bit disjointed for my children. It seemed that Anna was working on her Challenge curriculum and Grant was working with me on Foundations and Essentials, and we didn't meet much in between.
This year I am really trying to change that. We start each day together with our simple morning basket.
Even though I wasn't feeling 100% (or even 50% most days!), I did try to get up, shower, and meet the kids downstairs for breakfast by 8:30.
We would have our devotion, talk about a piece of art, and go over memory work.
(I detail all of this in my Simple Morning Basket post.)
Next week we will do the same, but have a SQUILT Music Appreciation lesson instead of art. The plan is to alternate art and music each week.
I must say that reading Sarah Mackenzie's Teaching From Rest has given me a lot of inspiration to start the school year well. The section "When Your Daily Grind is Holy Ground" hit me between the eyes. Why can't our daily homeschool grind be full of beauty and holiness?
Percy, Piano & More
I love God's timing.
Grant has never been a huge chapter book reader. This summer, however, Anna suggested to him that he might want to give the Percy Jackson series a try (considering we will be in Cycle 1 this year).
Six books later, Grant is HOOKED! He spent much of the last week READING.
That made this mom very happy, and lessened a little of my guilt for being not available much of the time.
Grant was either reading, building with his Minecraft Crafting Box, making rubber band bracelets, practicing baseball, or playing piano.
We did manage to get back on track with a little bit of "school", also.
Saxon Math lessons continued (as they did all summer).
Grant also began his Veritas Press self paced history course. I'm especially excited about this, and so is Grant. He loves that it's all done online, and I love the content and that it builds up more independence in his day.
All in all, it was a good week.
The kids were helpful to me and each other, and we managed to "wade" into the school year slowly.
There were no "back to school" pictures or celebratory breakfasts. I'll have to do that once I'm feeling a bit better, which I anticipate will be very soon.
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