End of the School Year Wrap Up

We have just wrapped up Ansley's LAST YEAR in elementary school. This is crazy to me. This marks the end of my sixth year of homeschooling. That may be even crazier. I remember starting out on this journey, and questioning every choice, wondering if I was teaching Ansley what she was supposed to be learning, and was I bringing out her strengths while allowing her to use her creativity? Oh, wait, all this might have been last month. Homeschooling is unquestionably challenging, and it is not without tears and frustrations. Yet, for me, I just can't imagine doing anything else. I love the learning, the constant interaction between my kids (granted sometimes it's that very constantness that can drive me up a wall), the really knowing my kids, and them knowing each other. It brings me great joy to watch my kids learn and grow and get to witness it all firsthand. It just works for me.

Anyway, back to the finishing up part. Every year, I like to do an end of the year review, just to remember what we liked and didn't like, and what worked and didn't work, the highs and lows from year to year. So Ansley will be in sixth grade in the fall, Christian will be in the second, and Avery will be on her third year of preschool.

This year was the first year in awhile that we didn't do any type of co-op. I would have liked to, but it turned out to be a great year, without having to be anywhere, plus we were able to stay on task with our schoolwork so we didn't get behind. Our previous church had a one day a week co-op, but when we left and started attending another church, we weren't allowed to attend the co-op. We will be doing a co-op next year (more on that later) but for this year, it turned out to be a rather welcome change, as well as freeing us up to get together with friends, go on field trips, or head to Dollywood without getting behind.

{August 2013 - in the beginning}

This is how my three looked at the beginning of the year. It's really amazing all the changes that take place in the course of a year - especially that youngest one!

I used A Beka for Ansley for Grammar this year. It was okay and it worked, but I won't use it again next year. I am looking at a couple different options for her in the sixth grade. By far Ansley's favorite subjects are grammar and spelling. She picks up concepts quickly, and spells well. She uses BJU Grade 5 for Spelling, and we both love it. She loves it because she loves spelling, and it has fun activities that review the spelling words each day. I love it because she can just grab her workbook and get started on spelling each day without any help from me. She just needs me to give her spelling tests! Ansley really loves to read, so she read many books throughout the year, as well as participated in a mother/daughter book club with friends.

For Science this year, I tried something different and went with Sonlight specifically for girls. I thought that Ansley would love it because she loves to read, and it had a dozen different books that came with it, and she would read from a few pages of each of them every day. But she didn't like that approach - she found it confusing and disconnected. It was good, and we learned a lot, but I won't use it again next year. It was Anatomy, so I also used this for Christian (except for the month long study that was specific to girls).

{September 2013 - building words together on the porch}

I really struggled to find a phonics program that worked for Christian. I went through two different ones before finally landing on All About Reading, which has been WONDERFUL for both of us. I will use this again next year. It is a great balance of learning phonics and special rules while providing fun hands on games and reviews (which is key for Christian). He gets bored easily, and as of now, he doesn't seem to enjoy reading like his sister does. We would do the lesson each day, and then he would read to me, and then put a star for each completed lesson. I'm pretty sure this was his favorite part. This program says that kids need to learn how to put words together before you throw spelling at them, and I really like that approach. So, we didn't do any spelling this year, but we will use All About Spelling next year.

{October 2013 - Reading Time on the porch}

We used The Mystery of History for both the kids. It was very enjoyable and interesting! The kids enjoyed reading about historical figures, doing various activities, as well as creating a timeline. We will do something different next year, just because I found a curriculum I love for Christian that incorporates history with it, but we will definitely come back to the Mystery of History. It's very good!

{November 2013 - A little playtime is good for everyone}

Christian used A Reason for Handwriting to practice, what else?, handwriting each day.

It looks like I saved the best for last - math! (Not really.) (Math is my nemesis.) We started out the year with Teaching Textbooks. It's no secret that Ansley really struggles in math. It's also no secret that I really struggle in math. This makes for a challenging combination. I find it difficult to teach it, and Ansley has a hard time grasping some of the concepts. Teaching Textbooks introduces a new concept each day, and then moves on. I don't think this approach works well for Ansley, as she quickly forgets what she learned since there wasn't much time spent on it. Towards the end of the year, I switched to Math U See, and it has been so much better. My Mom actually comes over to work with Ansley on each lesson, and then it reviews and reviews that concept until she has mastered it. Once the mastery of it is certain, it goes on to the next topic. This approach works much better for the way Ansley learns. We will continue with Math U See through the summer to get caught up, and then start the next level in the fall.

{December 2013 - playing Avery's favorite game}

For Christian, I used Singapore Math and quickly learned that math is Christian's gift. This boy has a way with numbers that is quite extraordinary. He moved through the first grade books about midway through the year, and finished book 1 of the second grade.

{January 2014 - Christian playing with one of his favorite toys, Snap Circuits}

So now I have a tricky situation in that I have to challenge a child who is good at math when I am not. I'm switching him to Math U See for next year as well. I think it will be a good fit for him, and he has learned so much from listening to Ansley that I know it will be fun and easy for him.

{February 2014 - snow day}

Avery was so much easier this year than last year. That's not to say that she didn't have her moments, but overall, she's much easier and can do some activities and play while we get school done. Oftentimes, I would work with Ansley while she and Christian played, and then I'd work with Christian while Ansley and Avery played. And SOMETIMES, Avery would play by herself while I worked with Christian and Ansley completed her work independently.

{March 2014 - Avery helping Christian out}

She often wanted to "do skoo" as she would say, so I would give her an activity to do. I love that she wants to imitate her siblings. Next year, we will start letters and numbers in a basic preschool program. I think she will love it, because I can already tell that she is excited about doing "skoowork."

{April 2014 - dying Easter eggs at Mimi's}

We enjoyed a wonderful year together. Ansley is about to wrap up her ballet season, and Christian took karate and baseball. My Mom did a math club for 4 sweet girls once a month to help develop some math skills. There were lots of get togethers with friends, playtime, field trips, and fun. Now, we will take a few months off and then start a new school year. I'm slowly getting all my curriculum in. Next year, we will participate in a Classical Conversations co-op once a week. I am looking forward to all that a new school year will bring! But first, here's to a break!

Comments

[Marni]

Sounds like a wonderful year! I can't wait to wrap up our year in two weeks. I would love hear more about Math U See. My oldest struggles too but my middle is gifted with numbers like yours. We use Teaching Textbooks with the 4th grader and math in focus for the 1st grader, though he is in he 2nd grade book too. We have done CC for our whole homeschooling journey and really love the community. The boys enjoy the memory work and time with friends. Essentials was a lot of work this year but he grew in confidence and skill so it was well worth it. I think your kiddos will really enjoy it and the resources and support you gain from the other families is invaluable. What an exciting thing to look forward to!

[Megan]

Oh, how fun, Marni - I didn't know ya'll did CC, too! I'm looking forward to it, and I think it will be fun for the kids. I went back and forth on doing Essentials for Ansley! I think we are going to try out Foundations first, and then go for Essentials the following year. I'd love to chat more about Math U See! Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Sounds like we have similar math paths! ;)

[Laura Campbell]

Megan, we have done CC at Bearden for two years. We've enjoyed it. It has been a wonderful community, and I've enjoyed making friends with other moms as well as our kids making friends. They have an informational meeting sometime during the school year that gives an overview of middle school (Challenge) and High School. I found the meeting helpful to understand what the longterm view is with CC. There is also a practicum in June 23 -25 Practicum at Paideia. You may already know about that. I remember going to a practicum before the first CC we went to and found it helpful and encouraging. I think they discuss the long term vision of CC at the practicum as well.