2014 Year-in-Review

[my3sons]

Ok Fellow HOD Homeschoolers,

What was YOUR 2014 YEAR Like?

You can post:

a- A picture
b- A blog Link
c- A written synopsis
d- Your favorite memory
e- Anything you want that shares your HOD excitement!

Important Note: If you are linking us to your blog, please make sure it's not just a general link, but to your specific post of HOD. That way if someone reads through these a year from now they can find your share without needing to hunt!

[my3sons]

2014 Favorite Memories with Wyatt (who finished WG High School and began WH High School this calendar year):

Best writing moments...
Wyatt's "Essentials in Writing" essay on What Makes Great Leaders? was a favorite memory of mine. History is one of Wyatt's favorite subjects, and he really enjoyed writing this essay. Many of his 'heroes' and quotes they made pepper this essay, and I just loved to see him really enjoying writing the all-too-often less than highly anticipated "essay."

Runner-up - His essay titled "Hunting Is Necessary" (a nod to his dad's sentiments):


Christ-centered learning and discussions...
Rooted and Grounded, WRC Notebook, and Practical Happiness from WG...

The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study... I love the discussions! He really enjoys the study too - he said it was a favorite year of Bible Study! I have no picture for this!

Best Drawing...
All those maps for WG history - I was wondering how that would go for my less than artistic enthusiast! The results are in - it went GREAT! He enjoyed it thoroughly.

Pat Knepley's Fine Arts cours for WH is awesome!


Just a Natural...
Algebra 1 and Geometry went well! He has a natural affinity for math, and I think he'll probably do something math-related for college - but we'll see!


Most Enjoyed by Wyatt...
WG Literature readings and bookmark follow-up assignments - favorites were "Shane," "Children of the New Forest," "Ragged Dick," and "Captains Courageous." So far from WH, favorites are "Ben Hur," "Pearl Maiden," and "King Arthur."

Living Library readings in both WG and WH - Wyatt would be reading every moment of his life if he could! Favorites... The Cat of Bubastes
The Hero Schliemann, Cyrus the Persian, The Sign Above the Door, The King's Fifth, In the Days of Drake, Longitude, Around the World in 80 Days.
Total Health Project from WH...

Opinion Writing assignment - what teenager doesn't love to give their opinion?

Literary Synthesis sheet...

Prayer Journal - he's very private about this...


Most Enjoyed by ME...
Discussions in Total Health from WH
Discussions in Pilgrim's Progress from WH

Reading Wyatt's typed narrations...

Beautiful Notebook pages...

Talking Points discussions...

Plot Diagram...


In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

2014 Favorite Memories with Riley in Resurrection to Reformation:

Best Writing - IEW's Medieval History-Based Writing assignment the topic of knights. This writing project taught Riley so much, and by the end his finished piece was something we were both so pleased with!


Drawn into the Heart of Reading books are always winners with our kids, but a new part of DITHOR he really enjoyed this year was heading up the projects. In years past, Wyatt (Riley's older brother) took the lead on DITHOR projects, but now that Wyatt has completed DITHOR and is in high school, little brother Emmett just began DITHOR 2/3, and Riley takes the lead on DITHOR projects. He is coming into his own with it!


Most improved - Oral narrations and written narrations! Riley's oral narrations often were somewhat random before, with lots of long pauses, clearing of the throat, and losing track of what he was going to say. He also started virtually every sentence with "And then," but now he does so much better! The sequence makes sense, he has the gist of the story, and he is somewhat like a pacing broadcaster, animatedly giving his oral narrations and enjoying it! His written narrations at the start of RTR were often missing punctuation and capitalization. They also were very general and not all that informative, but he has finally turned the corner and writes with better English as well as with more interesting specific ideas important to the topic.


Riley's Favorites...
History readings from "Peril and Peace," "Monks and Mystics," and "Mystery of History" were his favorites, as well as "Forbidden Gates," "Mystery of the Silver Coins," "Ink on HIs Fingers," and "Mr. Pipes" so far from the History Storytime Set. He has begun reading these on his own and really enjoys these books!


History Projects are definitely a favorite time of day for Riley because he loves to work with his hands to build, create, experiment, etc. Here are a few favorites so far...


For Science, Riley is all about the science experiments. "Exploring Planet Earth" and "Exploring Creation with Astronomy" were his favorite science books to read so far.


Riley loves the poetry study of Emily Dickinson. We read them several times and discuss them according to the plans, but it really is the reading of the poetry that Riley adores! He tries different accents, tones, pacing, rhythm - he loves to read the poetry, and he thinks Emily Dickinson is a very clever, witty, insightful poetry writer (I do too).

The postcard research on an historical place relevant to his history readings - he always researches online with me near, and then writes his postcard to his best friend and cousin, Greyson (I get a 'postcard' addressed to me once in a great while too) ...


Shakespeare Notebooking - he loves to color the accompanying notebooking drawings to his readings!


My Favorites...
Boyhood and Beyond discussions are definitely a favorite of mine! I could talk all day about some of those crucial topics, and the way Bob Schultz tells stories to set up those awesome devotions has Riley and I retelling the stories at dinner time with the family. I absolutely love his writing style, and his advice for how we can help our boys become Christian men is right on track!

Picture Study with "Looking at Pictures" and the HOD Art Gallery - I have always loved this CM skill, and it has been such fun to do alongside this book that does an excellent job of explaining what is going on in the pictures, how the artist achieved the look and feel of the paintings/sculptures/etc., and what was going on in history at that time.

Riley's RTR Notebook - he is just one of those kids born to scrapbook, and seeing his notebook come together so beautifully with little effort on my part is a blessing!


DITHOR Student Notebook - this keeps Riley challenged and doing higher level skills in reading! Riley has always been a strong reader, but the DITHOR Student Book ensures it doesn't stop there. The skills he is learning in DITHOR are so key for prep for high school lit courses. I am thankful for every day we spent in DITHOR with our now high school student, and it makes me that more purposeful in not missing DITHOR and getting the fullest out of each lesson with Riley.


What a wonderful year of school!

In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

2014 Favorite Memories with Emmett in Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory:

Emmett virtually loves every single part of Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory! We are near the end of the guide, and that is always such a rewarding place to be. He can do well with all of it now, but it was not always that way. At the start of the guide, we went half-speed so Emmett could grow into it. That just makes what he is able to do now that much more exciting!

Projects are a favorite part of Emmett's school day. He loves art projects, baking projects, any kind of project really!


Biggest Area of Growth - definitely copywork! We began Beyond Little Hearts half-speed to give Emmett time to grow into the copywork portion of skills.


Emmett has also grown into being able to do the written portion of his DITHOR 2/3 Student Book. He has always been a strong reader, but the written part of the Student Book was more difficult. I knew it would be, because he is 7 yo, and at first I did the writing for him, but now he has grown into being able to copy the answers from a markerboard after having dictated them to me first.


Emmett loves history and Bible activities too! Any event he can reenact, anything he can use his beanie balz as a part of, any activity he can get his whole body into is a hit!


My favorite times are cuddling up on the couch to read, watching Emmett zip around doing his large motor skills to practice his Bible verses, hearing him recite his Bible verses and sing his verses with heart, and seeing how much he loves everything I am reading to him and everything we are discussing!

In Christ,
Julie

[Nealewill]

Thanks for sharing Julie. I love reading all of your fond memories of your year with your kids.

I didn't take so many pictures because I just don't take pictures of much LOL. I think as I look back at 2014 as a whole I have some precious memories of when my two younger kids completed Beyond together and then seeing the changes in them once I split them apart. It was such a bitter sweet moment at my house because my two younger kids are so similar in level but my son only wanted to piggy back off of his younger sister's work. The amazing blessing that came out of that scary decision to split them up is that my son is now completing his assignments well on his own and no longer seems stifled by his sister's abilities. He has no pressure or expectation of himself. His reading has significantly improved and he read his science text to me again today. He is loving the OSS Woods book (he loves each of the OSS books in general so I am excited he will do them with DITHOR and with Preparing too). For him, his accomplishments this year are: gained more independence in doing copy work, increased the length of copy work he can complete well, his spelling skills are growing in leaps and bounds, his drawing has improved with his pictures so much recently that I can actually tell what he drew, and loves the science experiments. But I think the part he looks forward to most each day is the Storytime box. That is his FAVORITE subject of the day. He could listen to me read those books for hours!

For my youngest daughter, I have seen her reading grow in leaps in bounds this year. She is completing LHFHG and she always reads the storytime box and devotion book to herself. She just can't get enough (of books in general - that girl will read regularly because she is waiting for someone to play with her LOL). Some days she even refuses to wait for me to read Bible. But probably her favorite part of the day is when I act the stories out with her. She loves that. And it does help to make such a connection. Some days the other kids will join and play too.

My oldest has also increase her reading abilities tremendously. Her narration skills stand out so much to me though. I can't believe how well she is doing with this skill. I can honestly say that written narrations are probably one of her least favorite activities but they are so interesting when she is done She also is thoroughly enjoying the DITHOR books as well. Her favorite one this is year was The Children's Book of Virtues. For this child, her favorite genre out of all the genres is folk tale. I would have never guessed this to be a favorite of any of my children. LOL. What makes this funny to me is that this specific genre is my absolute least favorite But that is one wonderful thing with HOD. If we hadn't of studies all 9 genres in DITHOR, I would have never discovered which books she likes best - Folk Tale, Mystery and Biography. I personally am a fantasy and adventure junkie along with all non-fiction. But since we are so different, it is neat to see which books she styles is most drawn too.