Hi Mommas!
Since I'm essentially new to HOD, I think having a goal to post here each week will help keep me motivated to make sure my kids are being diligent with their lessons week to week. I may laugh at this statement later...
This is our 11th year of homeschooling. I began with preschool using Little Hands to Heaven and as our school morphed over the years have come back--with much excitement on my part--to HOD for all three of our children this year.
- We LOVE first day pics (ha!)
- HOD 1st.jpg (26.1 KiB) Viewed 8206 times
Our guides:
Elena, 9th: World Geography
Her first week report was "it's okay." Coming from our reluctant student, this is high praise! I'm thrilled with the set up and the ease of checking her progress for each subject. The tools from Carrie and others that I gleaned from the forums has been invaluable as we established a daily routine. She is not a fan of reading so we have already decided to pick and choose when it comes to the Living Library, but otherwise we are using the guide almost exactly as written.
Kai, 7th: Revival to Revolution
Kai was most looking forward to having all his work pre planned for him in a daily format. This is a change from the previous years where I would make a syllabus for each class that he followed using a loop schedule. So far he gives RtR a thumbs-up. The mix of reading and hands on for history is such a good fit for him! We have previously utilized Write with the Best so he is substituting The Good and the Beautiful Level 5 for all the Language Arts and Literature boxes except poetry. Kai is attending a two-day academy (just mornings) for art, science, P.E. (and friends!) this year, so we may struggle with pacing through the week, but I think it is doable with some tweaking. The four-day format is so great for space to add on opportunities like that.
Zane, 3rd: Bigger Hearts
Zane still needs me by his side for most, if not all, of his work. He is can be distracted by a puff of wind--and if there is a moth fluttering by the window or he hears a cricket, well, he's off! So. The boxes....are perfect! I printed a little Velcro star chart from Tara at monarchroom.com and he loves adding a star to each box as he moves through his day. He especially enjoys the fact that the subjects move so quickly. We visited Lake Michigan this summer, and have been to other beaches in the past, so he really likes the science so far. My other two children were happy with Teaching Textbooks for math by 3rd grade, but not Zane, so I opted to order Singapore this week instead. I'm so pleased with the clear directions in the guide and it looks like a good fit for him!
And as for me...I survived!!! I was a little "deer-in-the-headlights" after the first day hearing "Mom!" "Hey, Mom!" "Mom! Maaawwwm!" all day, but I've settled down as they have settled in. Thanks so much, Carrie and team, for providing such a well-done, rich and beautiful curriculum!