Reading is an integral part of my life.

Not only is it good for my soul (who doesn’t love a good story?), it has also proven beneficial in my role as a homeschooling parent - or lead learner as I prefer to describe myself these days!

Last year I read a lot.

This year I want to deepen that experience and read more for my professional development.

Enter the Homegrown Learners Book Club!

Many readers gather in our private Facebook group, Equipping Homegrown Learners, to discuss homeschooling ideas, resources, and concerns. They come to the group for encouragement and support.

Our conversation naturally drifts towards books, so it is time to formalize that conversation into a book club.

In the Homegrown Learners Book Club we will discuss a book each semester that is pertinent to our roles as home educators.

These discussions will typically take place on a Thursday evening at 8 p.m. ET. You will be able to join in the discussion via Facebook or (if you aren’t on Facebook) through a simple webinar registration.

Equipping Homegrown Learners

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Beauty in the Word

I have long had Beauty in the Word on my shelf.

To be honest, it has intimidated me. It is quite deep - AND - it is written for Catholic schools and educators.

Let me debunk both of these myths: yes, it is deep, but after reading and re-reading I am finding so much BEAUTY and wisdom in this book! And, I am not Catholic, but am gleaning so much from the Classical principles in the book.

Beauty in the Word - Homegrown Learners Book Club Selection #1

The central idea of the present book is very simple. It is that education is not primarily about the acquisition of information. It is not even about the acquisition of ‘skills’ in the conventional sense, to equip us for particular roles in society. It is about how we become more human (and therefore more free, in the truest sense of that word). This is a broader and deeper question, but no less practical. Too often we have not been educating our humanity. We have been educating ourselves for doing rather than being. We live in an excessively activist civilization, in which contemplation and interiority are often despised and suppressed in favor of mere action and reaction. ~ p. 11 - Beauty in the Word

Let the above passage sit with you for a moment.

This book is rich and timely - relevant and pertinent. I am excited to make this our first Homegrown Learners Book Club selection!

More information will be published soon, but we will meet on the following dates:

January 31 @ 8 p.m. ET
February 7 @ 8 p.m. ET
February 21 @ 8 p.m. ET
February 27 @ 8 p.m. ET
March 7 @ 8 p.m. ET
March 14 @ 8 p.m. ET
March 21 @ 8 p.m. ET
March 28 @ 8 p.m. ET

All sessions will be recorded and made available, so no need to worry if you cannot attend live. Live attendees, however, will have the benefit of an interactive discussion and asking questions.

Subscribe to the blog for updates and reminders about book club.

I hope you will join me - I look forward to learning with you and from you as we discuss great books together!

Any questions or comments?

Have a book you’d like to suggest?

Let me know in the comments below.

As we enter the second semester of our school year I wanted to bring you up to speed on how our homeschool is moving along.

I long for the days when we did a lot of notebooking and creative unit studies, but middle and high school have their good points, too.

Our children begin grappling with BIG ideas, and begin to take responsibility for their own learning. Our role as parents shifts from that of teacher to mentor and coach.

January Homeschool Update - Homegrown Learners

Our homeschool word for 2019 is INTENTIONAL. Each and every thing we do is evaluated carefully, because my time with my children at home is short!

Eighth Grade

My son continues in his Classical Conversations Challenge B group.

His tutor and classmates are a TREMENDOUS influence in his education. All of the parents in this group often remark that a combination of children like this is RARE.

These kids support each other, spur each other on, and are genuinely committed to a pursuit of knowledge and goodness. We don’t take this blessing lightly.

This year has been one of a lot of growth (physically and mentally) for my son. I’m working on letting go and trusting him with more responsibility. That isn’t always easy, and I have to remind myself that my goal is to work myself OUT of a job.

He is enjoying playing basketball for a local Christian school and also plays the piano. Before bed he likes to draw Fortnite characters in his sketchbook and listen to music.

His life is busy and full. This is a great age!

Curriculum Update - January 2019 @ Homegrown Learners

A few subject updates:

Math

Grant made the switch to Shormann Math this year and it has been very good thus far.

We switched from Saxon Math to Shormann because of the video instruction and its reputation for SAT and ACT preparation. Shormann also will carry my son through Calculus, which is a requirement for him.

Latin

This has been a surprise for me.

Grant LOVES Latin and I think he does very well with it. We are continuing his Latin studies, and I hope to add another foreign language to the mix next year.

Reading

Grant is a reader. I’m finding that boys of this age really enjoy series of books.

We also read aloud during our Morning Time.

A few of his favorite series right now include:

12th Grade

(You might want to check out the series, Homeschool to College, where I have been documenting our journey with Anna.)

I’ll be honest with you. This is a tricky time for me.

Keeping the momentum and motivation in the last year of homeschooling is a challenge! I can see so much growth in my daughter, and a gradual pulling away from her dad and me (which is what we want, but, oh it’s not always easy!) . Anna is just a few months away from turning 18 - she still needs guidance and direction, but no longer the same rules and structure she had earlier in high school.

Homeschool Curriculum Update January 2019 @ Homegrown Learners

She is a nanny three afternoons a week and continues to volunteer a lot with the special needs ministry at our church. She plays guitar (she recently played and sang for her Granddaddy’s funeral, which completely reduced me to tears) and has a beautiful, authentic sound when she sings.

She is a textbook introvert . She has a HUGE heart.

She loves to bullet journal and has really gotten quite good at her hand lettering.

My daughter has been accepted to three colleges and has narrowed this down to two. (We should have a decision soon). She technically has enough credits to graduate high school right now, but is finishing an anatomy and English Literature class at our local classical school. She will be participating in a formal graduation ceremony in May with the classical school.

{Insert mom freaking out}

She wants to study Special Education in college - but I have a feeling she may wind up in some type of therapy field. I’m excited to see what God has planned for her!

Academic Updates:

Last semester she took Homeschool Psychology with Dr. Tim Rice - we HIGHLY recommend this course!

This semester she is going to be working her way through some of the review courses on Study.com in preparation for taking a few CLEP exams this spring.

She is really enjoying her Anatomy & Physiology class.

I’m really not sure where the time has gone with her. It truly does seem like yesterday when we dropped her off at Kindergarten and she walked into the room like she owned it. Three years later we brought her home for school and never looked back.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I hope this brief update has been helpful to you. Sometimes there isn’t a ton to write about as our children get older - and they are picky about their privacy. Hopefully this has given you a glimpse into our world!

The Homegrown Learners Book Club