Next year, the children will both take US History for high school credit. It is hard to believe this fact as I type it out: our daughter will be in eighth grade and our son will be in tenth grade.
Exploring America, a Notgrass US History curriculum
Our umbrella school allows us to take three high school credits in eighth grade and we took advantage of that with our son last year. He took Algebra I, French I, and Physical Science in eighth grade. Continue reading
The other day I was doing math with my son and noticed that my daughter was practicing violin outside. The weather was nice and sunny, but I wanted to know why she chose to be outside: just for some vitamin D? Or was there anything else?
Playing violin outside
Well, it turns out that she felt completely unmotivated to practice her violin. She knew she had to do it while I did math with her brother. That is our routine. And then we switch. I do math with her while her brother practices his violin. Continue reading
Have you ever gotten ill three times in two months? It seems like this upper respiratory virus keeps targeting our son, then it moves to our daughter and me. Thankfully, my husband never gets it.
Our daughter likes to create different characters. Meet Humphry.
Our son spent the week in bed, getting behind in all his school work. He barely had enough energy to check Slack and emails every day for communication purposes with his co-op teachers and Science Olympiad coaches and team partners. Continue reading
We are one fourth of the way into the school year. It may be premature to write a post about our geometry curriculum, Saxon. I will just state a few things here for the record, nevertheless.
Saxon Geometry
Let me start with the overarching feeling we have towards it: we like it and it feels comfortable. I was not sure how I would handle American high school math, but so far so good. In Romania, where I grew up, we started algebra and geometry in 6th grade, combined. My math teacher for those grades expected us to have a really clear understanding of the concepts he was teaching. Continue reading
Several happenings around our home for the past month have lead me to the conclusion that “character trumps academics.” I am so tired of interpersonal conflict. Can we please get through a day without somebody getting mad at somebody else?
Our family five years ago, in Abisko National Park, Sweden, above the Arctic Circle
At the same time, I realize this is real life and not utopia. Conflicts will happen and tempers will flare. However, if we make a concerted effort to minimize such situations, we could probably make some progress towards more peace and peace-keeping. Blessed are the peace makers, right? Continue reading
We just got back from Myrtle Beach, SC. Almost a week spent at the beach does the body and mind wonders. Here is an opportunity to transform any vacation into a learning experience or field trip: just have a Socratic conversation about what they see and hear.
Our family in Myrtle Beach, SC
On the way there (a 7-hour trip by car), we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch. In the parking lot, our daughter spotted something different in a palm tree. “What’s that?” she asked about these green berries hanging in clusters underneath the usual palm fronds. “We don’t know, but let’s look it up.” I took pictures and my iNaturalist app said it was a palm tree. Thanks a lot. So I Googled “berries on palm trees” and found out things we did not know. Continue reading
In 2006, when I first heard about the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, something told me this would be a wonderful thing for my children, if I had any. At the time, I did not have any, but I had recently been married.
Our children before the first orchestra rehearsal of the school year
Fast forward a decade and our children auditioned successfully for the youth symphony. For four years, between 2016-2020, we drove to Knoxville every week for rehearsals and concerts at the Tennessee Theater. The children made progress slowly but surely, advancing through the orchestra levels. Continue reading
Keeper of the Lost Cities (KOTLC) is a book series by Shannon Messenger, written for middle school students. My children introduced me to the series in 2020. I got it for them for Christmas that year, but I only started reading it in 2021.
Keeper of the Lost Cities volume 8, Legacy, has 789 pages.
Fantasy does not grip me. I have a hard time with elves, ogres, gnomes, and dwarves. However, the kids talked about it so much and showed me so many memes online about KOTLC that I realized I should read the series. If nothing else, it will give me a common vocabulary with them.
KOTLC Legacy, volume 8
There is something to be said about sharing a book or a movie or expressions and situations from a book or a movie with your children. It’s your family’s culture. Continue reading
As I watch tennis, my favorite spectator sport, I can’t help but see similarities between tennis and homeschooling. Here are some of the ways in which homeschooling is like tennis:
Our son removing moss from outdoor carpet – another metaphor for homeschooling – a tedious combination of perseverance, effort and skill
Many homeschooling wars are lost because of the way we plan and execute the plan. Every homeschool mom is different. Some are more organized and others are free spirits. It works well as long as you keep at it.
LEGO Calendar
For me, I need a plan. Then, I need to execute the plan. Last but not least, I need to relax when things don’t go according to plan. Continue reading