Nov 29 2021

Thanksgiving Break

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We only take three days off for Thanksgiving. For my nonAmerican readers, Thanksgiving always happens on a Thursday – the fourth Thursday of November. I cook a lot on Wednesday and Thursday, we have our family luncheon on Thursday, and then on Friday they decorate the Christmas tree. Thus commences the Christmas season at our house.

Thanksgiving Plate

Thanksgiving plate (clockwise): dressing, vegetarian turkey, cranberry salad, corn, green beans, potatoes, stuffed eggs, salad.

This year we had a cozy Thanksgiving, the four of us, and it was wonderfully relaxing. Besides, I came down with a bug the Sunday before, and spent Sunday-Wednesday in bed. No fever, no coughing, no sore throat, just a general fatigue that kept me in bed. So… the children took care of their own schooling on Monday and Tuesday. Continue reading »

Nov 22 2021

Sam Houston Historic Schoolhouse

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Every year, Cedar Springs Homeschool Support Group organizes a Thanksgiving Feast at the Sam Houston Historic Schoolhouse in Maryville, TN. It happens on a Tuesday a few weeks before Thanksgiving, but the menu reflects the holiday. It starts us celebrating early.

Sam Houston Schoolhouse

Sam Houston Schoolhouse

The children get a tour of the schoolhouse, historical details on the life of Sam Houston, and demonstrations on how to make butter, candles, cornmeal etc. After the workshops, we have the meal, and then they play capture the flag. Some of the parents and coaches used to bring their children many years ago, so this tradition has been going on for years. Continue reading »

Oct 24 2021

Meeting Ambleside Online Co-Founder

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Last week, I had the privilege of meeting one of the co-founders of Ambleside Online. Lynn Bruce worked with five other homeschool moms more than 20 years ago to put together a Charlotte Mason curriculum for homeschoolers. They fought in court to keep it free. Details, details, details. You don’t want to know. But trust me, the world of homeschooling curriculum creation can be as brutal as the business world.

Lynn Bruce

Lynn Bruce and I, at Seven Islands

By the way, have you seen the Ambleside Online website recently? It is new and improved. Totally worth a visit.

When my children were younger, we followed Charlotte Mason and principles, guidelines, and recommendations. Many evenings, I would go to Ambleside Online to get guidance and book titles for my children. Good times.

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Oct 18 2021

Algebra Going Well

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Our son is in 8th grade and taking Algebra I for high school credit. He has always found math easy to understand. Our curriculum of choice was Math Mammoth since 2nd grade. We tried Singapore Math and found it too easy.

Thunder on book

Thunder, our cat, used to keep us company before he disappeared.

Then we tried Right Start Math Level B and found it so great, we ordered Level C for the following year. Level C proved too weird for me to teach. I do not understand math in that way. So we had to ditch that and tried Alpha Omega Publishing’s math textbook, which we found too colorful and printed too closely together on the page. Picky, aren’t we? Continue reading »

Oct 4 2021

Hiking Our Hearts Out

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Once a week, we go hiking with a group of local homeschoolers. It helps that we live five minutes from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, but we go other places, too. Last week, it was Panther Creek State Park. Next week, it will be Seven Islands Birding State Park.

Fern Branch Falls

Fern Branch Falls

The thing is, the National Park is so immense, some of the trails are still an hour from my house. So even if the destination is in the Smokies, we still have to drive for 30 minutes or longer. What can I say? America is big. That’s what this Israeli family told us last week, when we were at Grotto Falls and started chatting with them. “America is big.” They could not believe how long it would take them to get from point A to point B. Continue reading »

Sep 27 2021

There Goes September

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October looms large and what have we learned? Lots. For one, we love middle school. Our children are in 8th grade and 6th grade respectively. Maybe they are more mature or maybe I am more relaxed, but things are going smoothly.

Grotto Falls

Hiking the Grotto Falls trail

With the pandemic, nobody is living their Plan A, and we are no exception. We wish we could do orchestra again, but alas, they require masks. My children cannot play violin for one minute with a mask on, let alone one hour. This is our second year of not doing orchestra and we miss it dearly. Continue reading »

Aug 29 2021

New School Year

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And… we’re off! Grade 6 and Grade 8 (with three high school credits), here we come! I am so much more relaxed this year because we do not have that March exam looming over our heads at the old umbrella school. It was good while it lasted. That achievement test gave me a calendar and a benchmark. I am glad I don’t have that anymore though. We have entered a new era.

Mom and students

Mom and students before 6th and 8th grade

With our new umbrella school, we do not have to take a test. If we test at all, it is because we need to figure out if the kids like the ACT or the SAT better. Once we have decided, we only prepare for that one test as we look long-term to college admissions. Continue reading »

Aug 6 2021

Here Comes August

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We start homeschooling in the middle of the month. I am spending the first two weeks of the month taking it easy. However, here and there, I am getting ready. For one, we will do IEW for the first time and there is a bit of a learning curve for me, even though we got the forever streaming. While Andrew Pudewa will do the teaching, I need to understand the philosophy behind this curriculum. With the downloads, I got these audio presentations Mr. Pudewa gave at homeschool conferences. They are inspirational.

HS Meme

The more I homeschool, the more I want to homeschool.

I am knee-deep in middle school, so I need a sense of humor more than ever. Memes to the rescue. If you ever get tired of homeschooling, or angry at the kids, just Google homeschool memes. Of course, you will have to toss out the memes created by public school teachers and students… who totally misunderstand homeschooling… For the most part, you will find many memes that will make you laugh and appreciate the journey further. Continue reading »

Jul 25 2021

Jarring July

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This July was a jarring month for us. Two friends died and Smoky – our tuxedo cat – went missing. I supposed it could be worse, but it was pretty shocking to go through all of this. The kids are learning that life is fragile and we should not take anybody for granted.

Smoky

Our cat who went missing – Smoky

We kept reading through July. Our daughter is going through the Mensa for Kids reading list for grades 4-6. Our son is going through the same list for grades 7-9. He likes to read to himself. My daughter enjoys listening to me read. I like reading to her because I have not read these books. It’s a good way for me to find out what the American classics for kids are all about. Also, we enjoy talking about the characters, laughing and crying about the situations, and generally having a bonding experience.

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Jun 21 2021

Summer Break

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We have been on summer break for a month now. Every day, we do what we want to do, but we also have certain goals to reach this summer. Many homeschoolers use their summer break to finish up a history book that they did not finish, for instance. We are doing the same thing.

Andrews Bald

Andrews Bald picnic with friends

Do you have academic goals for the summer, in order to avoid the summer slide? You probably should. Many libraries have a Summer Reading Program going, with workshops and activities, prizes and craft projects. I am finding out quickly that tweens and teens are not interested in those programs though. Continue reading »