Highlights of our First Quarter

We are nine weeks into our school year and it is finally just starting to feel like fall weather outside. It's time for fall break! We are getting into a routine and the kids are more familiar with their materials. We have also made some changes after the start of the year and I like how they are working out. Time flies so quickly and we have already completed our first quarter of the school year!

Our reorganized school area in the basement has made it functional again. This has really helped me because I can be in the same room with both of the kids and be available to help as I am needed. Last year, it seemed like they would be on different floors of our house, both needing help at the same time. We can now fit all of our currently used books and materials in one area and it is a real time saver. They do like to go to other rooms sometimes for certain subjects, but usually those are the more independent ones.

Highlights of the First Quarter:

• J and I watched and discussed Julius Caesar and he is now moving from Roman history to the Middle Ages in his history studies
• He is also almost finished with research paper about Kobe Bryant, his topic of interest :)
• I think J is enjoying the history lessons and the Encyclopedia of the Ancient World. He doesn't mind the timeline too much, since I already printed the figures on sticky paper and pre-cut them for him
• I enjoyed reading the book More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell and our discussions about it were thoughtful
• B is touring the world with her geography studies and I can see how her map skills are outstanding from her years in Classical Conversations. Most of the map work is review, but this is adding depth to her understanding of the cultures, people, and environments around the world
• B and I are both enjoying her writing lessons from IEW's Following Narnia: Volume 2 and it is a much better fit for both the student and teacher than the previous writing program she started with this year
• We have completed the discussion guide for Anne of Green Gables and hope to watch the movie version soon, since we saw that a new movie of this book will also be broadcast on TV on Thanksgiving Day!
• B and I are reading the missionary biography Bruchko now, which is an engaging and amazing story about Bruce Olsen, a missionary to native people of South America. This is a fantastic story about a real person's experiences and all that he went through to share the gospel with the people God called him to serve
• We have completed two modules of Physical Science with the Virtual Homeschool Group class and it's been fun! This At Your Own Pace (AYOP) class is a big help to me in giving more information beyond the textbook in an interesting and engaging way. It seemed to help my understanding as the teacher and I think both of the kids have a better understanding of these chapters, as well. (I will write another post specifically about this soon.)
• We are kind of consumed with football during this season, with our high school football player, and we all really enjoy it! It's fun to watch him and his friends play a game that they love as we cheer on our team, especially when their hard work is paying off
• B and I have also been taking some horseback riding lessons and are enjoying spending time with these magnificent creatures

I appreciate the helpful suggestions in the high school curriculum for My Father's World on how to grade each class. The guide clearly states recommendations for how to grade the various aspects of their history, Bible, and English curriculum. Of course, you can change it however you want to as a home educating parent, but it is extremely helpful to have a plan already mapped out for the year and then we can tweak it here and there, as we go. Last year was the first year that I gave grades to the kids because J needed grades to turn in for his football team at the local high school and I decided to go ahead and start giving them to our middle school student, too. I have given grades to both of my children this quarter and have begun writing the course descriptions on my high schooler's transcript template so I won't have to do it all later.

Overall, it is hard to believe that we have completed 1/4 of the school year and I feel that the kids are learning study skills and lots of great information and truth! I thank God when I reflect upon how He continues to guide and direct our home school and prepares these two awesome teens for their future!