The biggest change we are making to our homeschool is the addition of a homeschool co-op. I never wanted to drive an hour so my kids could do arts and crafts, but we are very lonely and need to get out and meet quality people. I've been out here for eight years now and the KP just doesn't produce quality people that aren't already scheduled to the teeth. So we are joining them, all seven kids and I.
Shane
Age 14
8th/9th Grade
He originally wanted this to be his first year in public school, just like Ian. But when we discovered Sea Scouts and realized his crew was a homeschool/running start/daytime group, he decided that sailing every Friday was way better than cafeterias and bus rides. We still haven't made the final decision on whether this is his 8th grade year (no official record needed) or his 9th grade year (tracking credits required). Shane's curriculum this year will be Memoria Press's 8th Grade package, subbing First Form Latin. We are also going to attempt to use Winter Promise's Adventures in Sea and Sky, modified for an older learner. I don't know how much he will get out of this since all the activities that make this curriculum awesome are geared for younger learners, but so far he loves it. His co-op classes are The Battles That Shaped History, a math lab, and Mini Weapons. His electives will still be Taekwondo-he will be testing for black belt very soon!-and orchestra.
Genevieve
Age 11 (almost 12)
6th Grade
This is Genevieve's first year of middle school and I am so thankful I don't have to send her to the local dump of a public school. Our lovely community is so excited to build a drug recovery home next door to the school, where people will be free to come and go as they please. Anyone who has any concerns about the existence or location of the treatment center is publicly shamed and criticized. The KP is a great example of the Fall of Western Civilization. Genevieve will be continuing the 5th Grade package from Memoria Press that we started near the end of the school year, but using Teaching Textbooks instead of Rod and Staff math. Her electives are...can you guess? Taekwondo and vaulting. Her co-op classes are Music Appreciation, Choir, and Practical Needlework. Sounds fun!
Fiona
Age 9
4th Grade
Fiona is plugging through Memoria Press 2nd grade and I'm hoping to move her to 3rd Grade by the time they offer free shipping in February! I could easily spend $1000 on just third grade materials. MP has become a good fit for us in this phase of our homeschool. My only complaint is the easy science. Everyone here is due for some biology, so I'm having Fiona and Daniel use Bookshark's Level 3 science this year. She is also almost done with Math-U-See Beta and will start the Gamma level in a few weeks. Fiona will be taking the same classes as Genevieve at co-op. She is in Taekwondo and will be starting orchestra as well. She is so excited to play the cello!
Daniel
Age 7
2nd Grade
Daniel is working on MP First Grade, but is only really using the phonics, spelling, and reading. The first grade level is too easy for him in my opinion, but knowing Daniel and how he responds to being taught by me, it is much better for him to feel mastery and superiority over his schoolwork. Plus I do want Fiona to finish 2nd grade before Daniel starts it and it is going to be close. He is using Saxon 2 for math (and already 40 lessons in) and Science 3 with Fiona as I mentioned above. His classes at co-op are Heroes of the Bible, Math Games, and PE. After school activities include Taekwondo (what?) and Cub Scouts.
Lula
Age 5
Kindergarten
Lula is officially a Kindergartener! And by the looks of her picture, she is ready to do more bookwork and less Pokemon watching. She has the best classes lined up at co-op. She is in a literature class, a science class, and a gardening class. I'm doing Math-U-See Primer with her for math. And I have the Kindergarten level from Memoria Press because she loves to do school!
Heidi
Age 3 (almost 4)
Preschool
Heidi has classes at co-op too! She has playtime, Explorations and Discoveries (a theme-type class), and Creating Readers, which looks like a letter of the week class.
Jason
Age 2
Jason's school will be... climbing on the table, cutting up pieces of paper, and playing in the nursery at co-op. It will be fine, right? I've never had a kid stay in a nursery without me or Sissy for 3 1/2 hours.
Ian
Age 15
10th Grade
Last, but not least, is Ian. He is at public school and learning that you don't get to choose your classes or your books or your curriculum or if you have friends in your class. He is also learning important skills that we who have grown up in public school take for granted: you have to listen to announcements or you will have to do an entire summer's worth of AP homework in three days and you have to sit in your assigned seat or you will be marked absent. He is learning his electives are used for required courses, not actual electives that he wants to take. No more finishing up math and moving on to game design like he did in homeschool! This year he is taking Algebra 2 (which he did two years ago here, but wants to redo), World History, Health, Spanish 2, English 10, and AP Biology. He said he was looking forward to World History. I got all homeschool-mom on him and said I was looking forward to seeing what the teacher was going to cover and what kind of projects they were going to have and how the teacher taught and I bet he was going to get good grades because he covered world history several times with me....and he's was all like, "No, mom. I'm looking forward to it because I have two friends in my class." Poo. He's all about the socialization and not at all about the education. Ian is playing football again this year. The team works out together all summer and all workouts are required. They have a 100% attendance club, which sounds like an optional thing because those with the best attendance get to pick their jersey number and locker first. The truth is, the 100% is required and if you miss a summer workout, you are held for extra conditioning when the season officially begins. Way to bait and switch, coach! But honestly, I love the football program and what it does for these boys. I'll put that in a different post though.
