A New Homeschool Year- The Plan

Well, we are almost to the beginning of the school year again and unlike in years past I am not really prepared.  I was a teacher for 12 years and I spent most of my time preparing for the school year the last week before it started and with homeschool it seems like I was always planning.  But our life took a turn this year and we actually had a very tough year from October 2017 to the present.  Many different things affected our family including death of 2 loved ones, a fire and a possible big change.  These kids have been resilient, but I feel like we fell off the wagon so many times and I never really got back up.  Needless to say, we just abruptly ended the school year and I took a lot of time off this summer working on projects around the house and praying!

I really did love Heart of Dakota which is what we used last year.  But it seemed like too much for my kids.  I thought when I initially started homeschooling I planned everything out from K-12.  Well, almost.  But each year it has been different and I don't know why.  This year is even more different.  We thought we might try a different school route with the kids, but it didn't happen right at the time we thought.  I ended up not even really thinking of what I wanted to use for homeschool.  But we didn't finish some things like math and there were many things I wanted to do, but never got around to them.

So this year it will be very simple.

Here is The Plan:

My son is 9-
*Language Arts 3 from Easy Peasy (free)
*Reading- I will choose 4-5 chapter books for reading and discussion.  See Read Aloud Revival PDF.  We will also be doing vocabulary with these books.
*Math- Finish Math Mammoth 3, Xtra Math (free) (Drill) and Math Playground (free) (play games a few times a week for 30 min)
*Introduction to the Bible from Heart of Dakota- under self study
*Read through John
*Cursive- finish our book from Intoxicated on Life
*Science- Thunderbolt Kids (free)
*History- Portraits of Integrity from Character Concepts
*Typing- Dance Mat Typing (free)
*Keys for Kids- daily devotion as a family
*Memorizing- I chose a few things for him to memorize this year: the Preamble to the Constitution, States and Capitals, Prepositions and the Gettysburg Address.



My daughter is 7:
*Reading/Language Arts-  I just discovered Reading Eggs works really well for her and it includes spelling, vocabulary and comprehension.  It's a subscription service, but you can have a free 4 week trial (they do not collect your credit card unless you order).
*Writing-  We are finishing a handwriting book and will work on handwriting by writing spelling words or copying sentences.  We will use Activity Mom's Drawing Through the Alphabet (free) to create a picture and write about it. 
*Math- Finish Math Mammoth Grade 1, Xtra Math, and Math Playground (so many fun game possibilities).
*Science- books at library, Netflix videos
*History- Portraits of Integrity from Character Concepts
*Keys for Kids- daily family devotional (free)
*Piano- Pianimals (I bought this set awhile back but she really wants to learn so we are going to try to make it work this year.)
*Typing- Dance Mat Typing (free)  She tried it this summer and did really well and it will help with Reading Eggs as she needs to type a lot.


We will be doing a variety of these everyday.  We also have Awana on Tuesday nights, library days, biking, park days (meeting up with other homeschoolers) and cooking. We will also have daily chores and other skills that include getting a basic routine. 

I will be writing out their assignments in a notebook inspired by Sarah at Read Aloud Revival.   I have actually been using this method, but I also used another book as well.  We'll just keep it simple with this and see how it works.  I also have a binder for each child for things I've copied off that they need. 

I will also be reading through the Christian Heroes series from YWAM  (I have about 40 of them) during lunch time and various other books that strike my fancy. 

Here's to a new school year and whatever may come!!  

The Lifegiving Parent by Clay and Sally Clarkson Book Review

The Lifegiving Parent by Clay and Sally Clarkson is a much anticipated addition to round out the trio of books by Sally and her daughter Sarah in The Lifegiving Home and The Lifegiving Table.  The Lifegiving Parent is the long awaited book that Clay had been working on since before their ministry for parents began.  There is one main thread through this book and it is that lifegiving parenting starts with the parents sharing the life of Christ in their home and to their children.  The bulk of the book are the eight Heartbeats for Parental Lifegiving.  Clay begins each chapter with a mixture of family stories and Bible truths.  He then breaks down the heartbeat into practical ways to live out in the family.  Sally rounds out the chapter with one of her lifegiving "momoirs."  And the Lifegiving ParenTips reviews the lessons shared in the chapter with an action step.  

This book was full of excellent parenting principles that I hope to live in my home so I can be a life giving parent.  They said that they only scratched the surface in sharing the eight "heartbeats" but I feel they encompass a lot of what God wants parents to develop in their hearts and homes.  One of my favorite chapters was Strengthening Your Child's Faith.  I know that walking my faith journey is helping my children learn about their faith journey.  That is the key to strengthening their faith which is broken down by Clay into belief, trust, assurance, allegiance and life.  But one of my favorite quotes that I want to share with my children is "You are God's...You are loved...You are good."  Being a life giving parent is lot of work, but with God I know He will lead and guide me.  I underlined about half of this book, but this quote defines what I think life giving parenting is for me:  "It's all about helping them find and follow the life of God."  

Be sure to check out the podcast series when Sally interviews several moms and some dads about their life giving ideas.  Also, Clay and Sally do unpack all of the eight heartbeats of parenting in special podcasts they do together.  Links are shared below.  

*Lifegiving Parent Podcast Series

*Clay and Sally Heartbeat podcasts 

Find The Lifegiving Parent by Clay and Sally Clarkson at any major book retailer.  

*FTC: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers.*

Parents Rising by Arlene Pellicane Book Review AND Giveaway!

Parents Rising is Arlene Pellicane's newest release.  This book breaks down eight strategies for raising kids who love God, respect authority and value what's right.  Arlene's honest and sometimes amusing family stories give a glimpse of how to apply these strategies to everyday life.  Each chapter begins with a Bible verse and a short story.  From there Arlene uses her research to share some startling statistics for the breakdown of the strategies in modern day culture.  She weaves other author quotes and solid suggestions for implementing these ideas into the family.  At the end of each chapter there is a question, a prayer and an action point.  And interwoven in her writing she continually encourages parents to rise up.  She also gives tips for single moms and blended families. There are also discussion questions at the end of the book for group meetings.  Some of the topics covered are entertainment, boundaries, the role of the parent, daily Bible time and prayer, the priority of marriage, spending time with kids and getting them ready for life beyond the family home.  

Arlene's latest book is another one to read and devour.  She directly addresses the needs of today's family with love, encouragement and plenty of Biblical wisdom.  Arlene is candid and witty with a generous dose of common sense and a purposeful edict for parents to subscribe to God's values for raising kids today.  The best part is the Parents Rising Manifesto at the end of the book which challenges parents to read it weekly and includes all the strategies from the book to keep in mind through daily life.  I plan to read through each chapter again and evaluate where I need to rise up and read the manifesto in my morning devotions.  I love this book and I hope you will too.  

*I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for a review.  All opinions are my own.*

Giveaway!

A copy of Parents Rising to one of my readers.

US entries only

Giveaway ends Tuesday, Apr 17.

Winner will be notified by email.

To enter: 

Fill out the Google form below.

Extra entry points:

*Follow Arlene Pellicane's author page on Facebook

*Subscribe to Arlene's blog

*Follow Milk N Honey Learn and Grow on Facebook

*Subscribe to Milk N Honey Learn and Grow by email

Entry Form