Each Friday I write a weekly homeschool roundup - which has turned into sharing five good things from the week with you.
I’d like to rename this weekly post to more accurately reflect those good things! So, I hope you will look forward to reading “5 Good Things” each week here at Homegrown Learners.
Because of the tremendous amount of time I put into SQUILT Music Appreciation each week I’m finding my time to write about homeschool, in general, is dwindling - but I still have the heart to share information and encourage homeschoolers. Homegrown Learners is the place it all started many years ago (read how we went from school to home here), and I still marvel at how beautiful this homeschool journey has been.
In Our Corner of the World…
Our state is beginning to open up.
I’ve returned library books, gone to Target, and done a few more “normal” things. It feels good. We’re beginning to let the kids spend time with a friend or two, and I am noticing a difference in everyone’s mood and motivation. Let’s pray things keep going in a positive direction and the rhetoric in our nation settles down.
We certainly have interesting points for discussion and discernment with our homeschoolers, don’t we?
This week, I’ve been writing our year-end summary - looking back on my son’s 9th-grade year. Several things just WORKED, and I wanted to share a few of those with you today.
Additionally, I will share a couple of MY favorite things - because mama needs things for herself, too!
Shormann Math
Grant made the switch this year to Shormann Math - mostly because I wanted the grading done for me, and for my Grant to have more of an independent experience for math. It’s been a good change for both of us, and he will continue with Algebra 2 and Integrated Geometry in his 10th grade year.
Homeschool Spanish Academy
Although Latin has been a part of our curriculum for the past several years, I decided that we needed to add a functional language to Grant’s high school years. He continued his Henle Latin studies this year while taking Spanish 2 times each week through Homeschool Spanish Academy. It was a lot of work, but he did it!
Next year Grant will step back from Latin a bit and focus more on Spanish. We’ve been extremely happy with the model used and his progress so far. You can read all about it in my article about the foreign language requirement in high school.
Reading Aloud
We continue to read aloud through high school. It’s actually a very fun time in our house - most often Grant does the reading aloud and it’s usually quite dramatic and entertaining. The latest read-aloud was Freak the Mighty, which we both highly recommend! You can follow along with our read-alouds (and all of the books I read on my own, too) at the Homegrown Bookpicks Instagram account.
Emma
Thanks to the Read-Aloud Revival Emma event, I have a renewed interest in Jane Austen. My daughter, Anna (18), and I watched the BBC 4 part series on Amazon Prime and enjoyed it immensely! (I recommended this to all my friends with teen girls) Now, I’m watching Sanditon, which is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s last (unfinished) novel.
Part of Grant’s 10th-grade curriculum includes Pride & Prejudice, so I will try to re-read that this summer in preparation for discussions with him. It might just be a Jane Austen summer!
The Silvan Reverie
If you aren’t familiar with this site, you should be! I first found Sarah on Instagram and since that time I’ve gotten to know her and work with her a bit. She is such a creative, clever homeschool mom and creator.
And, I am totally IN LOVE with the peg dolls she creates. I have a set of composers dolls coming soon and I can’t wait to display them in my office!
Look at these Beatrix Potter peg dolls - I’m in love!
