Author Archives: Adriana Zoder

Jul 31 2019

Second Grade Curriculum

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“What curriculum are you using?” That is one of my favorite questions from homeschooling parents. I love talking about the great curriculum available to the homeschool community. Since several of you have asked, I will take some time and share our choices, grade by grade, in several posts.

Latin and French for Children

Latin and French are totally optional in second grade.

As a rule of thumb, I go with The Well Trained Mind recommendations, but not every single thing. I have not started teaching my children Greek, for example. Besides, her recommendations for spelling have not worked for us. Continue reading »

Jul 28 2019

Back to Homeschool, 3 of 3

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One more week of summer break and then we are off to the races! Maybe you have a few more weeks. But I need to think about starting in a very real way. What is there to do, once you got a plan, organized your schoolroom, and ordered your supplies? Put some finishing touches on your preparation.

Relaxing at the pool

Relax by the pool while you still can.

Start by putting yourself first. As I said in a blog post around this time last year, homeschool moms need self-care. Do you have enough time in the day to exercise and clear your mind at regular intervals? I need about 30 minutes every morning to myself: reading, writing, praying, answering urgent emails or social media communication with my family – these are all important to me as a person. If I do not take care of “me,” it will be incredibly hard to focus on my children’s needs for the rest of the day. Continue reading »

Jul 21 2019

Back to Homeschool, 2 of 3

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Last week, we analyzed your homeschool’s performance in the previous school year and planned for the next school year. This week, we will spend some time cleaning the school room.

Boy hides behind cape at hairdresser's.

My son hid behind the cape at the hairdresser’s when I took his picture.

Do you have a school room? If you do, chances are you could spend at least one hour organizing its contents. If you do not, you probably have some book shelves and drawers or cabinets for your supplies. It will help you to go through your inventory and determine if you need any school supplies. Soon, stores will be dropping prices on school-related items and you can go there with a clear list of what your need.

Amazon, Rainbow Resource, or other online retailers offer great deals this time of the year, as well. If your children attend a co-op, they probably need a lunch box and a backpack. What about other gear? Special shoes or sports clothing your children have outgrown?

Yesterday, I noticed that my son has grown even more, to make his black dress pants too short for the next school year. He wears them for concerts with the youth symphony or other formal occasions. So I added “black trousers, size 14” to the list of things I need to get for the next year. What about haircuts? Why not get them out of the way now?

In conclusion, don’t think of cleaning the school room as drudgery. Think of it as an invitation to make a shopping list. Shopping for our homeschool has got to be my favorite activity, but I like to know that I have a plan of action and a reason for spending money.

Jul 9 2019

Back to Homeschool, 1 of 3

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For the next three weeks, I will be blogging about going back to homeschool. Research indicates that writing goals down dramatically increases your chance of reaching them, so all of us need to spend some time planning for success.  If you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants, you go right ahead. We will not judge. However, the rest of us must organize our chaos at least a little bit.

Color-coded schedules help moms.

You are a professional. Plan accordingly. Color code your planner if you prefer.

In this first post, we will focus on looking back at this past year. First, what has worked for you? Secondly, what has not worked? Thirdly, how could you improve? Above all, did you experience burnout? Do you know how that happened? We all know our strengths and growth areas. If we do not, this is the time to sit down and spend five minutes writing down what comes to mind, under two columns called Strengths and Growth Areas. Continue reading »

Jul 8 2019

iNaturalist App

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These days, I am obsessed with a new app called iNaturalist. It is free in the app store on your phone. You can take a picture of anything in the natural world and it will tell you what it is. I do not know the names of all the plants or insects in my neighborhood. If we find a turtle in our backyard, I cannot tell if it is a box turtle or any other type.

Yellow Jacket

Wasp? Bee? Yellowjacket? The app helped us identify it.

So many times, I have taken the kids on a “nature walk” but I could not help them identify much beyond Black-Eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s Lace, and oak trees. It worked when they were younger. I feel we need to learn more. Continue reading »

Jun 30 2019

ARTiculations Curriculum Review

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ARTiculations is the clever name of an art curriculum put together by a Christian high school teacher with a master’s in art education, Hannah Nolt. If you want to teach your children art in a systematic way without having to prepare and plan a whole lot, ARTiculations can help.

Children doing art lesson at home

Designing their own Taj Mahals.

A recent addition to the art curriculum market, ARTiculations has five levels depending on your children’s grades. Level 1, for instance, covers 1st and 2nd grade levels. Level 5 corresponds to high school. First, you would have to decide which level you need, based on your children’s grades. Continue reading »

Jun 23 2019

“Math Island” – Book Review

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Math Island is a book written by John Koller and Gillian Singler for children of all ages. It helps if they are past third grade though, in my opinion. That way, they get more of the math content. The book has two main characters, Lily and Tad, who are siblings. A host of supporting characters joins them from chapter to chapter.

Reading Math Island

Our son reading “Math Island”

Together, Lily and Tad discover – by chance – that they can travel to a magical location called Math Island. A crab named Carl functions as their guide, while other animals also help explain math concepts to the visitors. Continue reading »

Jun 15 2019

Planning for the School Year

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On my week without children, because they spent this week at camp in Georgia, I decided to tackle planning the school year. Over the years, I have tried different planners and even made my own. This year, some homeschooling moms told me about a digital conference which, so far, has been worth every penny.

Trello Board for Homeschooling

My daughter’s first week of homeschooling as laid out in Trello.

One of the workshops dealt with planning your entire school year in Excel. I tried to do what she wanted us to do, but it just never seemed right. What if Lesson 46 does not get done in math one day? Well, you put it on the right side and move it to the next week. Then, you build in make up days. It just seemed too difficult.

The other thing that did not work for me was how fiddly Excel is. The presenter offered some free forms and logs, but they all got changed by the time I opened my Excel file. Then, I had to mess with cell formatting and that’s just not something I enjoy. Continue reading »

Jun 10 2019

Gardening with Children

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One of the most important things you can do for your children is to help them connect with nature. We live in an era of nature deficit disorders due to technology’s influence on our lifestyles. In my own experience, I have had to be intentional about the time we spend outside.

It is easy for me to say, “Well, they are inside and reading. They are watching educational videos or building with LEGO bricks and other building toys. So, they are learning. Why go outside and deal with gnats, ticks, sunburn, and mud?”

Girl pulling weeds in garden

Our daughter helped pull many of the plants out of the garden bed.

Besides, we live five minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and we get black bears in our yard. Also, coyotes, raccoons, deer, and opposum. We feel so much safer inside. Our windows are large, so we can see all these animals, plus birds and insects galore – almost like a National Geographic video right here in our backyard. It is so much safer and easier to stay inside. Continue reading »

Jun 3 2019

How to Avoid Summer Slide

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Everybody needs a break, including homeschooling moms and students. While you should take a few weeks off to relax, you should also consider the perils of summer slide. Sorry for shoulding all over you, but I figured we all need a little encouragement in the right direction now and then.

Baby Turtle

Our son found a baby turtle in our backyard. We left it alone after taking a picture.

We have taken two weeks off after finishing the school year. Now, it is time to get back into a relaxed routine of educational activities like reading and practicing the violin and piano, alternating with physical activity outside, chores, and some screen time. I even make them do a bit of math and writing or spelling now and then. Not every day though. Continue reading »