Weekly Homeschool Roundup - 1/17/20

How can it already be Friday?

As I was talking with another homeschooling mom this afternoon we were ticking off everything that was on our to-do list. I reminded my friend what my mother used to tell me - “Mary, it is GOOD to have a sense of purpose.”

This is so true, isn’t it? Even though homeschool days can sometimes be long and hard, I’m pretty sure none of us would have it any other way.

What we are doing matters and it has eternal significance.

Our week was full of basketball, school, and music.

One of the highlights this week was that my husband taught the first class of the Dave Ramsey Foundations in Personal Finance for High Schoolers - I can already tell this is going to be one of the most valuable experiences of high school for my son. Our class consists of 11 students. There was such wonderful discussion and instruction!

There are days when I miss homeschool little ones, but there are also many days when I marvel at the young people homeschooling has produced, and what a gift it is to homeschool them, too.

I think you will find that the 5 things in this week’s roundup, however, are great for all ages. Enjoy!

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• Compass Classroom - Free Resources

  There are many resources on this page - my favorite is the high school credit planner. I’m sure there is something you can find, and while you’re at it you should check out all of the wonderful curriculum Compass Classroom offers!

• The One Life Dream That Makes Girls Blush

  “We all buy into this narrative so much that when a 21-year-old girl sits across the table from me and tells me that she wants to be a mother, she blushes and gives a thousand caveats as to why she knows it’s not the optimal choice.”

  There is so much I love about this article, but so much about it rings true - and that scares me. I am thankful I could homeschool my daughter with the aspirations of being a wife and mother, but I want her to know that this is a NOBLE and WORTH goal.

• How to Draw Mary Poppins with Chalk Pastel

  This is such a wonderful chalk pastel tutorial from Nana at Chalkpastel.com. I recommended it to our SQUILT LIVE! members this week because we were having live lessons all about Mary Poppins. SO MUCH FUN!

• Before & After - by Lisa Wingate

  This book, which I just finished, was a moving experience for me. Our local book club has picked this book for January, and we are going to see the author - Lisa Wingate - in February. It is the follow-up to her very popular book, Before We Were Yours, and contains real-life stories from the Tennessee Children’s Home Adoption Scandal.

• Following a Homeschooler to College

  I gave my Facebook page an update on my daughter, Anna. I want to encourage all of you that this hard business of homeschooling is SO WORTH IT! I hope you enjoy the updates about her progress in college and plans for a career in Special Education.

Maybe I’m getting old and sentimental, but this picture just fills me with such joy and thankfulness. I’m not sure that putting my daughter into school - where every bit of learning was decided by the state department of education - would have nurtured her love of and gift for working with people with special needs.

Keep up the good work, parents. I’m cheering you on!



Weekly Homeschool Roundup - 1/10/20

Happy New Year!

It’s time for us to jump back into the weekly homeschool roundups. I’ve missed them!

So many homeschool families find it a bit painful to get back into the swing of things after the Christmas holidays - our family is right there with you!

We didn’t have the opportunity to ease into things - it’s been full steam ahead this week. It HAS been difficult, but at the same time it has been productive and it does feel good to be back into our normal routine.

We’re in our second semester of 9th grade (Classical Conversations Challenge 1), which is a very intense semester. Grant has his normal load of schoolwork, plus he will be doing Teen Pact in February and has a couple of piano competitions.

The huge time hog is BASKETBALL, and if my son didn’t love it so much we wouldn’t be doing it.

Especially for the teens, having a physical outlet is a necessity. I believe it makes the rest of life so much easier when our children are getting the exercise they so desperately need.

Anna is back at college, in her second semester of freshman year. It’s hard to believe last year at this point we were in the thick of college admissions, etc… There has been an exponential amount of growth in her life and I’m so pleased for her!

Life gets quiet with just one child at home. I guess this is easing us into what life will be like in a few years when we have no children at home.

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Let’s move on to the five good things for this week - I hope you can use a few (or all) of them in your own homeschool!

• Muffin Cup Math

  I shared this little tidbit on Instagram and Facebook this week - it sure helped with math when my kids were younger.

• Have You Read These Books?

  My love for Modern Mrs. Darcy is no secret! She inspires me to read and provides so many book suggestions. I love her list of books you should have read in high school that are totally worth reading now. .

• Parcheesi

  Our family had a minor obsession with this game over the holidays. I had never played before, but my husband used to play a lot when he was little. There is something about this game I really like (maybe the fact that it doesn’t take as long as Monopoly?) - it’s great for all ages and involves quiet strategy. If you incorporate games in your homeschool you need to add Parcheesi!

• Broadway Musical for Kids

  At SQUILT Music I shared a list of 15 Broadway Musicals that are good for children. January is the perfect time to watch musicals with your kids. It helps break up the monotony of the month and provides some excitement. We always have a month of musicals in SQUILT LIVE! each January and it’s a huge hit!

• Read-Aloud Tracker

  This episode of Read-Aloud Revival, along with the free printable read-aloud tracker, is wonderful. Reading aloud is one of the things that created the most memories and provided the most calm in our homeschool. It’s important. Make time to read aloud to your children!

It is my hope that your homeschool is happy and productive in 2020 - and I am thankful Homegrown Learners can play a small part in your life.

Come back each Friday for 5 good things!

And, if you have a good thing - leave it for me in the comments below!