Wednesday, August 31, 2016

fun changes this school year! + printables


the 2016-2017 school year is off to a great start. it feels like i'm talking about someone else's kids when i say that they are in 7th and 4th grade.


some fun changes for my sweet girl this year! she is going to a university model school twice a week for 7th grade classical Christian education, and is at home the other three days for homework and application. this means we pack lunches, lay out clothes, and get up super early to take her to school twice a week. that is new for us! we are adjusting. :) as we approached the upper grade school years, we knew she needed and was ready for more - more academics, more challenges - than what we could offer at home. she is taking 6 courses including Latin, Algebra, and Speech and Debate. we felt like this was a good year to immerse her into a school/classroom experience, and we believe this school in particular - rigorous! places responsibility on the students! - will adequately prepare her for college. class of 2022! i am so proud of her.


bubba is home with me full time for 4th grade. i am really enjoying the one-on-one time with him on the days sister is in school. we get focused time for his academics, but also quality time for a few hours after he finishes his work. his favorite subject is Math, and it's also the hardest subject, he says. he also loves Story of the World and Science. he likes to grade his own papers and really pushes himself to beat his own scores each day. his least favorite subject is English. i get it. sentence diagramming.


 our 4th grade homeschool curriculum:
Saxon 5/4 Math
BJU Press English 4
Story of the World Vol 2
BJU Press Science 4
Handwriting Without Tears Cursive Success

both kids are in dance (her: advanced lyrical, him: intermediate hip hop), in Martial Arts (her: advanced brown belt, him: red belt), and are plenty socialized, i assure you. :)

i met a lady at church who is a few years ahead of me and when i mentioned that we homeschool, she put her hand gently on my shoulder, looked me in the eyes, and said, "let me encourage you, homeschooling is incredibly rewarding." she went on to tell me that her homeschooled daughter is in her second year of college and is bearing the fruit of her years at home under the teaching and guidance of her parents. her words definitely encouraged me!

not all of our days of homeschooling feel rewarding, but we keep the end goal in sight, our "why" as our foundation and motivation, and kind words from families who have been there done that tucked in our hearts, and we keep on.

i pray my kids will be alert and discerning, will grow in their walk with Jesus, pursue wisdom joyfully, and be salt and light in the world. 


 happy new school year!



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