Category - Eagle’s Wing Academy

The public schools around here are starting back next week.  We’re taking one more week off before getting back to things around here.  I’ve been planning all summer, printing out class materials, making copies and just generally  making sure we will be ready.  I’m trying very hard not to think about Boo being in 9th grade.  A high schooler.  Lord, help us all.

I took these pictures of a typical day in our homeschool a while ago.  I was going to link up to someone else’s blog series, but I never really got around to it.  But since Back to School is in the air, I’ll go ahead and share them now.

First off, we start our day fairly late.  I am not a morning person at all. My kids get up, get dressed, eat and take care of their chores while I’m trying to wake up. We officially start our day at 9 AM.  And doesn’t Boo look thrilled?

We begin with what the kids have dubbed “couch work” or “soft work”.  We are still using Sonlight as our main curriculum and I have combined Boo and Pumpkin Girl so that they are doing the same core work.  Couch work includes anything that involves sitting on the couch while I read aloud.  We follow Sonlight’s Bible reading schedule, then history, poems, science and end with the read aloud novel that usually ties in with history.

Pumpkin Girl listens best when her hands are busy, so she likes to work on loom knitting projects while I read.

Meanwhile, Pipsqueak plays in the room with us or with Bip in another room.  On a good day it isn’t a problem.  Sometimes though, he does become a distraction and we have to send him away with varying degrees of wailing and carrying-on.

Before releasing Boo and Pumpkin to work independently, we do spelling.  We use Sequential Spelling which doesn’t take too long and doesn’t require that they spend extra time studying spelling lists.  Pumpkin is a natural speller and Boo is not.  She tries to get all her words right everyday and he tries not to yell out in anguish more than 5 times a day.  It works for us.

The school day is so much more enjoyable when Pipsqueak cooperates.

Then it is Bip’s turn. He is not a fan of reading, so we start with that, just to get it out of the way.  After a tortuous 10 minutes of him reading aloud we are both edgy and frustrated.  I would like to jump right into history, but Bip is my budding Evil Scientist, so we go with science first.  That puts him in a better mood and makes him more receptive of his history lesson.  We end with a read aloud novel, which at his age does not necessarily match his history.

Thursdays are science experiment days.  Boo and Pumpkin do their experiments together, without my help.  They usually do them while I’m doing couch work with Bip.  They are a hoot to watch.  Pumpkin Girl does all the real work and orders Boo around, making him go get the supplies and read the directions.  Then she explains to him why the experiment did or did not work.  He is happy to be the errand boy and gleefully writes down the answers that Pumpkin provides him.  Occasionally I remind him that Pumpkin Girl will not be going to college with him and he’ll be expected to do his own work.

Bip and I do his experiments together.  When I took these pictures, we were doing experiments with magnets.  We successfully got one magnet to float above the other with the use of a little tape.  We were having so much fun that all the other kids joined in, too. Even Pipsqueak enjoyed playing with the magnets.

With the exception of spelling, the kids are on their own for seat work, or as they call it, “hard work.” They have various language arts, religion, logic, math and geography lessons that they work through on their own time, usually after lunch.  Ideally I correct their work once a week.  Realistically, it happens when it happens.

I am done with my portion of the school day around lunch time.  The big kids usually work for an hour or two after.  They like to gripe about how l-o-n-g school takes until I remind them that they are done before their friends have even left school and they still need to come home and do homework.

How about you?  When do your children start school, home, public, private or what have you?  Are you ready?

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This is the Year of Catching Up. I slept most of 2010, being pregnant with Pipsqueak and all. Then I spent 2011 and 2012 dealing with a new baby. We used to school year-round until Pumpkin Girl started doing ballet summer intensives and workshops which took up 5 weeks of summer. And now, here we are, woefully behind where I would like to be.

But oftentimes, the lesson is about family. Picking up the slack for mom while she rests and sustains a growing new life. Trips to the midwife where everyone can see the miracle via ultrasound. Learning to care for the newest, weakest member of the family. Math can wait, people cannot.

Yet, falling behind my personal schedule bothers me. So we will work on catching up this year.

This school year we have grades 2, 6 and 8. Additionally, the two boys will receive a total of three sacraments. Exciting times!

We continue to use Sonlight. My children always sigh at the end of most read aloud books and declare that, “Sonlight always sends us the *best* books!” I can’t argue with that! Boo and Pumpkin Girl are in the middle of Core 5/F, a year long study of Eastern Hemisphere cultures. We’ll be done around January, I think. Then on to Core 6/H. Bip is doing Core K (C?), World Cultures, I think it is. All are using the corresponding science programs.

For math we have a new approach.  We liked Horizon, but it is mom intensive.  That worked fine until the addition of Pipsqueak into the equation.  (Ha! math analogy!) The boys are using Math-U-See at their respective levels. They like it and both can use it on their own. Pumpkin Girl is using Teaching Textbooks, which fits her well. Having them all do math on their own frees me up big time!! With TT, I don’t even have to correct the tests!

We’re doing something new for creative writing, too. For the older two, they are using Institute for Excellence In Writing for both creative writing and grammar. Again, they are able to do this with minimum effort on my part which is good as I deal with Bip learning to read. More on that adventure later!!

Religion is more complicated this year. We are using Seton for regular, grade level work.  The boys will be required to attend the sacrament prep classes in person at our church, which irks me. But since we have a “home study” option for their regular classes and I’m “allowed” to use my own books, I’m willing to make this effort.

Extra curricular-wise, we have soccer and scouts for boys, ballet for Pumpkin Girl. Whew!  I’m wiped out just typing that all!

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A couple of days ago, this chain of emails transpired between Boo, my husband and me.  Watch this Toy Story clip first, it’ll be funnier that way.

On 2/7/12 Boo wrote:

> dear dad, I emailed [Eagle Scout candidate] to see if I should bring anything els then me my
> gloves eye protection and the other usual stuff here’s what he said. Love
> Boo
[forwarded email omitted]

2/7/12 12:34 PM Phil wrote

OK.  Sounds good.

You really need to check your spelling.  Kind of makes me sad. 8′-(

Dad

2/7/12  12:52 PM Lorri wrote

Actually, his grammar is what is especially painful.

2/7/12 12:55 PM Phil wrote

<sigh>

All those years of academy training…wasted…all gone…bye..bye

<sigh>

2/7/12 12:56 PM Lorri wrote

Does that make him Mrs. Nesbit?

2/7/12 1:01 PM Phil wrote

Definitely, can’t you see the hat?

2/7/12 1:15 PM Boo wrote

Ha ha very funny dad and mom here me laugh HA!

As Boo’s parents, we crack ourselves up.  As his principal and teacher, we are completely mortified.  We started a new grammar program that very afternoon.

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A part of Boo’s promotion requirements to first class scout included talking to a civil servant about the Constitution. There may have been more to it than that, but that’s the important part. He and a couple of other scouts chose to talk with one of the scout dads that was at camp for the week.

As they sat down, the dad started talking about “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” An honest enough mistake, right? In fact, you might even be reading this and wondering what was wrong.

Boo caught it right away. He said, “Actually, that’s the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution is the one that starts, ‘We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union…” and then proceeded to rattle off the whole preamble.

The dad said, “You’re right! I got the wrong document!” and they moved on with the discussion.

I think we should all stand up and applaud Boo’s history teacher, don’t you think?

Oh, wait…

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We’ve been enjoying our school work, now that we are recovered from our vacation and are back to normal.

We read about Emperor Norton, learned that Raytheon manufactured the first microwave ovens, and sang Civil War songs (specifically “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Goober Peas,” “Dixie”, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”). We learned that after John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln, he jumped to the stage, breaking his leg. He then cried, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” which as everyone knows, means, “Ouch, my leg!”

But the best part came when learning grammar. We’ve been using the DVD of the old School House Rock songs to learn parts of speech. Go ahead, sing it with me – Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?. We made our own version of “The Tale of Mr. Morton“. It goes like this:

“Little Pipsqueak naps on my lap.
Little Pipsqueak naps.

Little Pipsqueak cries for a snack.
Little Pipsqueak cries.

Little Pipsqueak was happy.
Little Pipsqueak was.

Little Pipsqueak is the subject of the sentence,
and the predicate says, he does.”

Because grammar is more fun with baby brothers!

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How do you know when homeschooling is working?  Test scores? College admissions rates?

When your 8 year old finds the word “tzar” while playing Boggle with the family.

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I think I’ve mentioned a time or two that I’m a regular writing over at The Homeschool Classroom.  Go check it out – it’s a great resource.  Lots of good articles by fellow homeschooling moms sharing tips, ideas and inspirations.  I just did a three part article on the Homeschool Preschool.  You can find them here:

Part 1 – Preschool At Home…Or Not
Part 2 – Toys and Games for the Preschooler
Part 3- A Preschooler’s Day

I need to take a break from writing for The Homeschool Classroom for a few weeks.  Nothing serious, I just need a break and get some pre-pre-move stuff done.

So if you’ve got a good idea for an article that you’d like to write, now’s your chance!  Actually, it could be an article you’ve already posted on your blog, you just need to state that at the end of your article.  Search your mind and your archives and help me out by submitting an article to run during my hiatus.

Details on becoming either a guest writer, regular or semi-regular writer can be found here: Guest Writers.

What sort of topics are we looking for?  Product and curriculum reviews (positive and negative), craft ideas, organizational tips, co-op ideas, more preschooler ideas, teaching a child with disabilities.  Do you follow a Montessori model or use Charlotte Mason’s ideas?  We’d love to see more information on these methods.  Anything that has to do with homeschooling is good!

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This just in:  The Boy got an A in math.  Not on one test, but for the whole book.  This boy.  Got an A.

He’s made such a huge improvement in his attitude towards school which has shown up in his math grades.  He’s worked so hard to overcome his difficulties and I’ve gotten so much better in being compassionate and patient.  He called his daddy at work to tell him, then played a little air guitar in celebration.

So anyway…just had to share.  An A in math!

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