Weekly Homeschool Roundup - 4/17/20

We are entering the home stretch for the formal end of my son’s 9th-grade year.

Despite quarantine, everything has proceeded quite smoothly. Thank goodness for homeschooling - I feel like it has been a huge blessing for us!

The weather here was glorious this week and I spent a lot of time sitting on the front porch working and reading. One day a friend came over and sat with me (6 ft. apart) in the front yard and we chatted. Isn’t it a sweet benefit of this time that we are appreciating the little things again?

My daughter is in her last week of freshman college classes before exam week.

Life is proceeding - just with a new normal.

---

I read an article today about how this crisis will most likely impact Gen Z’s worldview.

It’s a lot to think about. Right now we are all in survival and adjustment mode, and I imagine next year at this time we will begin to see how this has truly changed our world - and the world our children will be living and working in one day.

For now, homeschool is that wonderful anchor that has remained largely unchanged!

I hope you find the five things in this week’s roundup of use to you!

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit & Other Stories (Audio)

  This lovely audio of the stories of Beatrix Potter and Thornton Burgess is narrated by Jim Weiss! If you’ve never listened to Jim Weiss you are in for a treat! I recall listening to him read stories to a group of children at a homeschool convention and it was MAGICAL.

  I have been using Chirp discounted audiobook for over a year and find the best deals through this platform. Purchase the book and then use the Chirp app to listen. Use this link and receive 20% off your first purchase!

• Memorization for Moms (and other Busy Ladies)

  The author of this article encourages us to memorize for life - and what a beautiful thought this is. “It really is possible for memorization to be soothing, not stressful.  Let your memory work be a comfortable companion, whose presence you will enjoy for the rest of life.”

  This is one of my favorite blogs, and this post truly spoke to my heart this week.

• Have you heard of Bookshop?

  Amazon has some new (and exciting) competition. If you want to purchase books and support your local Indie bookseller, you should investigate Bookshop. I have recently created a Bookshop page and will be working to list our favorite books! I’m excited to support this website.

• Speaking of Books… The Latest Read-Aloud We Just Finished

  I’m not giving up on reading aloud to my high schooler! Our time we spend reading aloud is so valuable - and even when he might resist, I find that after a few minutes he settles into reading aloud and enjoys it.

  We just finished Rocket Boys, by Homer Hickam. I recommend this for high schoolers. Friday night movie and pizza night this week will feature “October Sky”, the film based on the book.

  It was fun to go down a space rabbit hole for a while, and of course, we incorporated some LEGO bricks into the mix. Check out this amazing Apollo Saturn V rocket Grant built to go with our book.

  (If I am being totally honest sometimes I mourn all of the interest-led learning we had when the kids were little - but even in high school we can do some bigger things that the family takes part in.)

• Homeschool to College (a blog series)

  I have pointed several people in the past week to my high school posts - specifically how to prepare a homeschool high schooler for college. The series I wrote last year is very popular, so if you haven’t read it I hope you can gain valuable insight and information.

Did you have a good thing in your homeschool week?

Tell me about it in the comments below!

Homeschool High School: Meeting the Foreign Language Requirement

A well-rounded homeschool high school program includes at least two years of a foreign language.

When we talk about benefits of homeschooling high school, this one is at the top of my list! The world is your oyster when it comes to what language you and your child decide they will pursue.

There are many resources for learning a foreign language in the high school years.

Let’s talk about the approach we have used in our homeschool with foreign language. I hope it provides you with some direction and practicality - as well as a favorite resource or two!

---

Start with Latin

The pre-high school language requirement in our homeschool is Latin.

I could go on and on about the benefits of Latin - our whole family has a better grasp of language because of Latin.

Because of our involvement in Classical Conversations, Latin has been a part of our schooling from little on. I love the way we gently memorized declensions and conjugations through song.

We also included a wonderful book, Getting Started with Latin, in our morning basket for several years. These were short, gentle lessons that I could work through with both of my children at the same time. I LOVE this resource.

Formal Latin studies began in 7th grade, using the Henle Latin books in Classical Conversations Challenge A.

Learning Latin this way was very self-directed, which will work well for some children - but not for others.

My son did well learning on his own (and with the help of his Challenge tutors and myself), using Latin with Andy, and other resources offered through Classical Conversations.

My daughter, however, needed more expert teaching, so we enrolled her in the Memoria Press Online Academy Henle Latin courses. This was a wonderful experience for her, and was also a good opportunity to learn in more of a traditional classroom environment.

Whatever the case, I required my children to have two years of formal Latin learning by the 9th grade.

---

Pick Your Next Language (If That’s Your Thing!)

Because my daughter completed two high school credits of Henle Latin, I think she was DONE with foreign language. She also didn’t have the love for language my son has - so she decided to take the two credits of Latin and call it a day.

We homeschool because our children possess different strengths and we want to tailor their education accordingly.

As I noticed my son’s affinity for language, I encouraged him to take a second language when he got to 9th grade. I only attempted this because we were homeschooling. I could fully control his Latin assignments, so if at any time it became burdensome we could adjust.

A few years ago I traveled to Ecuador on a mission trip with Operation Christmas Child. A couple months later my husband traveled to Honduras on mission with our church. We had the Spanish language swirling in our heads, and the people of Spanish speaking countries in our hearts.

Spanish has so much in common with Latin; it seemed like the next logical step for Grant. He agreed, so I began investigating options for him to take Spanish online. I wanted an opportunity for him to learn from a native speaker - preferably in a one-on-one situation.

I will admit that Grant was NOT 100% on board with this. I had to PUSH him and pretty much require it in the beginning. Yes, I believe in letting our children determine their path in high school, but I am still in charge of their education and do believe I know best.

Homeschool Spanish Academy

Grant is completing his first year with Homeschool Spanish Academy.

We have been extremely pleased with the model of instruction and the progress he has made.

Their model of instruction is a bit different - but here are a few things for you to know:

• One-on-one instruction; teacher located in Guatemala - lots of conversing in SPANISH during the classes

• You schedule your individual classes - and choose your own teacher for each class (we have one that we have really liked and have chosen her as much as possible)

• Receive instruction and then complete homework

• Submit homework via their website - quizzes are taken in class

• Parent “conferences” occur at strategic points during the course

To this point, Grant has. completed 1 full credit of Spanish. When you login to your account you can see the syllabus, all grades, and credits earned. I like that he is accountable, conversing a lot in Spanish, and then telling ME everything he has learned!

You can take a preview class - which is what sold us on Homeschool Spanish Academy. I highly recommend you do this if you are interested.

I know that high school and credit requirements can seem daunting. These posts may also help:

The Homeschool Journey to College

Homeschool High School: Don’t Lose the Wonder

Is your child currently taking a foreign language?

Which one?

Or, if you’re not quite there yet, what are your plans?

*Disclaimer: Last year I found Homeschool Spanish Academy and was quite impressed by them. I asked if Grant could take the classes in exchange for my honest review. This is that honest review - I’m so happy with Spanish this year and he will be continuing with Homeschool Spanish next year.