Thursday, April 16, 2015

Curvy

I like to fly by the seat of my pants. I will plan like crazy so I know exactly how to get from point A to point B. I know, it doesn't sound like flying, but I have to wander a bit before I get to the point. You know that! Now, hush and let me finish! Anyway...once I get it all planned, I rarely follow it. I always say it's about the adventure of getting there, not the actual arriving that makes a journey so much fun. Well, then our school year has been quite the adventure.

  • We ditched geometry and literature for the big girl. Sometimes you just have to. So we did. Easy Peasy, also known as All in One Homeschool, has been a great go to for geometry. The program is computer based and the site for the math offers free tutoring. Since the program itself is free as well, um, ok. She has flourished and that makes me happy! She went from BJU American Literature to using  Progeny Press study guide for Red Badge of Courage. It also fits right in with American history since we're right at the Civil War. That has been a much better fit for her as well. She's used several of the study guides over the years and really liked them. They got her interested in some different authors and different kind of books. Win!
  • I changed the baby's history right as we were getting ready to start school. There was too much involved with the 1st one. Her brother and sister were going to study American history and it didn't make sense to have her do world history. I had a couple of resources but figured out pretty early that they weren't going to make it to the end of the school year. She would have shot ahead of her brother and sister and not really been able to study anything specifically. So, let's piece something together. I am so grateful for all of the freebies that I have downloaded all these years! I have at least 3 unit studies she can use to supplement and she gets time to actually get details instead of a general overview. Add searching the library for books and her history is keeping me on my toes.
  • We didn't change anything for the boy. That doesn't mean he hasn't had his own set of problems. I was given 95% of the curriculum that he is using this year. I am grateful beyond all there is for that. A Beka, although reasonably priced for what you get, can get expensive if you get all of the bells and whistles. It's just not the right curriculum for him. We both went into this year knowing there would be issues, but we've tried to get around those as best we could. He has done an outstanding job. There is much more leeway in his high school years with all the stuff I have, so hopefully we'll work something out.
  • I'm already planning for next year and watching for used curriculum sales. There is a big one that's about an hour from here. It is so worth the drive! Some people were extremely proud of their stuff. Thank you, I'll buy the one next to it that's $10 cheaper. There is one coming up in a couple of weeks that I'm going to miss and I'm so sad. It's local and I have a bunch to sell. I'll just post it on my social pages. Normally I would buy stuff just to buy it. Not anymore. I have a list and I'm sticking to it!
  • We didn't take as many field trips as I wanted. We missed all of the ones at the zoo. That's my fault. We have, however, spent some great time at Disney. That more than makes up for it!
That's our overview. Sometimes, everything gets checked off for the week. That doesn't mean there wasn't school happening on a Sunday. Because there was definitely school happening on Sunday. After chores. And that is why I always plan in pencil. Because it's all about the adventure! And a big eraser!

Have a great day.