2022-2023

I really only blog for the kids to have something to look back on, sort of like a yearbook. So, here I am, pulling this post together nearly 2 years after the fact. 

The 2022 school year started off with a bang. We were barely 4 months into our school year when we were asked to step up for kinship care of our great nephew (4 years old) and nieces (8 y.o. & 3 months). Everything was upside down there for a while.  I didn't even remember to take "school" pics this year. 

We had our 11th grade daughter, 8th grade son, oldest great niece in 1st grade, great nephew in pre-k, and the baby was still taking a bottle every 3 hours. I think we all went on autopilot and were really just praying and hoping for the best. The littles stayed with us for 3 months and were then pulled into foster care. 

Following was the homeschool plan but honestly I can't remember if we made any mid-year changes or what was actually finished. Our daughter took one class as a dual enrollment student and decided she would wait till after high school to continue. I think the stress of having the littles with us played as much a part in her decision as anything else. Oh, she did decide she wants to pursue a career as a paralegal. Our son continued with Civil Air Patrol. Whatever else happened didn't hinder or hurt them since the oldest is headed to college and our son is headed into 10th. 

8th Grade

Bible

• Wise Up! Wisdom in Proverbs
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Covey

History

• Uncle Sam and You, Notgrass
• Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Henry
• Sam Colt and His Gun, Winders
• Lost On a Mountain in Main, Fendler
• Alabama History
• From Mounds to Missles, Akens

Language Arts

• Fix It Grammar, IEW
• Lightning Lit & Composition
  

Math

• Pre-Algebra, Teaching Textbooks

Science

• InnovatorsTribe.Com
• Thinking Like an Engineer
• Thinking Like an Architect
• Robotics and Automation
• Thinking Like an Innovator

Extra-Curricular

• Civil Air Patrol

11th Grade

Bible

• Issues in American Christianity, Notgrass

History

• Exploring America, Notgrass

Language Arts

• The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School, Watson
• American Literature, Apologia

Math

• Geometry, Acellus

Science

• Conceptual Physics, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum
• Physics, 101 DVD
• Physics Lab Kit

Electives

• Spanish II
• MicroComputer Applications (dual enrolled)

2021-2022

These last couple of years have been odd school years. The pandemic of 2020 threw a wrench in everybody's plans. Even homeschoolers couldn't do the things they normally would, library visits, field trips, and such. Then we roll into 2021 and life still hasn't returned to "normal". Partly, because of the pandemic and more likely because I really enjoy the "not going" and just staying home. The pandemic turned me into a hermit!

This school year my daughter is in her second year in high school! We arrived way too fast for my liking. She's a beautiful, sweet girl who truly loves Jesus. I think back over the years and I tend to focus on all the things I think I messed up because she was the first student I ever homeschooled. She was my learning curve. Leaning on Jesus and trusting her path to Him I've come to realize my "feelings" don't line up with the picture presented. My oldest loves to read, she is organized, knows how to prioritize, and is an independent learner. She isn't sure what she wants to do for a "career" yet, but her plan is to start off in business until she finds her way. Although her road has been a bit of a zigzag getting here, I'm pleased with where she's headed. 

My youngest is smack dab in the middle of middle school. He turned 13 this school year and I'm so thankful that neither of my teens experienced any of the teenage angst I went through. He is a serious young man, a thinker who likes to crack a joke every now and again (he's getting better at it!) I thought my experience with his older sister would serve him well when he arrived at the same grade levels but I quickly found out that they have different learning styles. Planning and scheduling aren't natural for him. So, we are focusing on using a planner and being more independent this year and so far, it's been going really well. He joined Civil Air Patrol over the summer and has decided after high school he will join the Air Force. We'll see, a lot can change in those 5 years. 

The biggest change for me is that I stopped using my yearly planner. It was getting redundant copying everything out of my oldest's planner and then writing everything twice in mine and my son's for his work. I generally grade all my son's work in the morning and write his assignments for the day in his binder. (Oh, that will make a good freebie!) Then I grade my daughter's "writing" work that needs a teacher score. She grades her math and everything else that has an "actual" answer she can compare to. She follows a schedule and then "logs" her work into her planner. So instead of all that writing, I went to a digital grade book. It helps with tracking weighted grades, transcripts, reading lists, and attendance. There was a learning curve but I love it! You can find the free one that I use here at Five J's. 

7th grade

Bible

• Journey through the Bible, Bk. 1, Benz, Pentateuch and Historical books 
• Boyhood and Beyond, Schultz
• From Boy to Man, Queen
• What is God’s Design for My Body? Horner

History

• From Adam to Us, Notgrass
• A Single Shard, Park (12th Century Korea)
• Don Quixote, Baldwin (17th Century Spanish Literary Character)

Language Arts

• English PACEs, ACE Ministries
• Jump In!, Middle School Composition, Watson

Math

• Math Foundations, Miller

Science

• Chemistry, Sabbath Mood Homeschool, Williams

10th Grade

Bible

• Bible Study Course-Old Testament, Dallas High Schools
• Know Why You Believe, Little

History

• Early Modern World History
• TruthQuest
• Story of Liberty, Coffin
• Sweet Land of Liberty, Coffin
• Story of the Renaissance & Reformation, Miller

Language Arts

• Easy Grammar Ultimate Series
• Composition I, Christian Light Education
• Introduction to Literature, Christian Light Education

Math

• Algebra IB, Christian Light Eductation

Science

• Chemistry, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum
• Chemistry 101 DVD
• MicroChem Kit for labs

Electives

Geography

• High School Geography & Cultures
• World Geography, Endeavor Learning Lab

Philosophy

• Introduction to Logic: Informal Fallacies, MasterBooks

Career Preparedness II

• Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers
• Money Matters for Teens, Burkett

Foreign Language

• Spanish I, Endeavor Learning Lab

Time to Catch Up!!

 WOWZERS!!

Life has been crazy insane. I haven't posted in 3 years? I have since graduated my oldest, my next child is a rising sophomore and now we have added one more to our home! I will make some updates and share what I've been doing over the past few years during the upcoming week. See ya soon!!