Greeks & Barbarians

So we're studying early Greece right now (Myceneans & Philistines) so after reading about them and then doing some map work, the kids built a wooden wall (like the Greeks) and then the Sea People (the barbarians) battled using their iron armor.  The woman of the house also cooked them a meal of fish from the Aegean Sea (i.e. goldfish crackers) We pretended with wood deck scraps, a blanket, and some tin foil for the spear tip and shield, but you get the idea :)

brought to you by the letter B

This week the little Hugaboo is working on the letter B.  So, she painted a Big B Blended with Blues using a toothBrush.  We're doing little lapbooks for each week (hopefully!) and the letter of the week will be on the front. 

Early Crete

Learning about early Crete around here!  While there is apparently a debate over whether Minoan ships had sails or not, X decided to make one with a sail.  We set it in the water and watched it go!  He also used some yarn (as indicated in the myth) to follow a maze like Theseus and the minotaur in the labyrinth.  Up for tomorrow is making a volcano that will destroy Crete and learn about Atlantis (which its believed that the story of Atlantis is based on this eruption.)  A is working on a lapbook and we'll show it off later this week :)

2010-11 School Year Planning

Well, I’m busy getting planning done for this school year.  Big Hugaboo will be in 1st/2nd grade combo depending on the subjects & his interest level.  The Little Hugaboo will be in her first official year of preschool!  As a quick rundown, here’s a little bit about what we’re doing and why…

Our family decided to homeschool for a number of reasons, the biggest factors are wanting to have the BEST possible education for our children in the best possible environment.  Both my husband and I felt let down by our own educational experiences in public schools.  And since we are fortunate enough for me to stay home during the day we felt homeschooling would be a great option.  It also allows us to demonstrate our Christian values to our children though out the day and incorporate spiritual learning into their education.

For our teaching method, we are only very loosely following a curriculum at this point.  We are not “unschoolers” but I do give the kids the flexibility (that only homeschooling allows) to pick and choose what they work on, when they work on it, and how long to do it.  Generally speaking, after breakfast we go down to our schoolroom and work for a while in the morning, breaks as needed, and then have the afternoons free to learn through play. 

We also spend a good deal (i.e. MOST) of time outside of the house visiting parks, playgrounds, the art museum, children’s museum, different libraries around town, dance lessons, swim lessons, theater productions, AWANA at church, art classes, physical education classes at the YMCA, visiting friends for playdates, at the drop-in daycare when I have photo sessions, and of course a number of activities & fieldtrips through our local homeschool group REACH.

In other words, very little of our homeschool education is actually done at home!  This is how children learn best, through practical experiences.  This is also the very best way to “socialize” children as they are able to interact in a multitude of situations and learn how to work with children and adults of various ages and ability levels.  These real life experiences are what will prepare our children to be awesome adults!

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And now for the curriculum info!

Big Hugaboo (grade 1/2)

History	Story of the World
Science	Alpha Omega LIFEPAC grade 1
Math	Singapore Math 1A & 1B (equals grade2) AND Alpha Omega Horizons grade 1
Social Studies	Alpha Omega LIFEPAC grade 2
Phonics & Reading	Alpha Omega Horizons grade 1
Grammar & Language	Prima Latina (elementary Latin)
Art	Start with Art @ YMCA
Religion	Alpha Omega LIFEPAC grade 1
Penmanship	Handwriting without Tears

Little Hugaboo (pre-school)

Still working on the details for her curriculum, but will be using the Preparatory level of Letter of the Week as a springboard.  We will also be using lots of ideas from the blog Walking by the Way & http://www.homeschoolshare.com

For both kids, its also an objective of mine to try to get them to compile at least six lapbook projects throughout the year.  Check out my older posts to see some samples!

To organize our workday we use workboxes.  If you do a google search you can find more info about the concept.  Basically it helps keep us on track, gives the kids expectations of what they need to do for the day, and helps me keep everything organized.  Much more gets accomplished in less time with this system!