Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Our Curriculum for 2022-2023

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Summer was exciting with camps and comic cons and a King’s Island membership.

Tori attended Air Camp on milkid scholarship. Akantha attended an art camp on merit scholarship and a fun traditional camp for trans youth. Alex attended a couple baseball camps.

This year will look very different for our family with only one child left to homeschool. I hope to keep him from getting too bored or lonely without his siblings!

We often celebrate the end of summer and beginning autumn and a new school year with not back to school activities.

I highly recommend the books by Louise Bates Ames. A good guide to follow are the What Your ?-Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. His books have some problems, but it’s a great jumping off point.

8th Grade

My youngest will almost be alone this year as his siblings head off to a local college with CCP. I’m looking into field trips, classes, museums, and group activities to keep him from getting too bored or lonely.

11th Grade

My middle two kids will attend a local university with CCP this year.

They’re taking Art History I and Classics together.

Akantha is taking freshman Writing and Tori is taking Environmental Science and Lab.

  • Tori is continuing Russian and Greek
  • Akantha is working on Latin Forms and various other languages and mythology
  • Tori continues aerial gymnastics
  • Akantha takes ice skating lessons

Tori works part time at a local grocery store. She took the Ohio driving classes and passed her driving test. We bought her a Toyota Prius. She loves the freedom and is very responsible and helpful.

Together

I will miss our morning read alouds together for religious studies, church history, natural history, world and American history, and multicultural literature. I’m not sure how to continue, except maybe some of the most important and favorite reading at bedtime or weekends.

While I want to continue our history studies and other work, I also don’t want to stress out my middle kids with too much. Their college courses will take priority. They’ve done more than enough in our homeschool.

We are on Year 3 in our history cycle. Year 3 covers some important near history and I cannot wait to dive deep into literature.

Our main text this year is The History of the Renaissance World: From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople by Susan Wise Bauer. Also the Study and Teaching Guide: The History of the Renaissance World: A curriculum guide to accompany The History of the Renaissance World by Julia Kaziewicz. My middle kids complete the critical thinking questions for each chapter.

We anxiously await the final book in the new history of the world series by Susan Wise Bauer!

See how we do history. Our main curriculum Tapestry of Grace (and the way I supplement it each year) covers all the humanities – history, literature, art, music, philosophy, government.

My kids are very active with skating/roller blading, cycling, hiking, walking, playing the Wii and Switch, in addition to their classes and sports.

Some electives the kids are pursuing in addition to sports are cooking/baking, creative writing, drawing/animation, arts and crafts, jewelry making.

I don’t stress over progress or worry much about my kids’ academic futures. I don’t care about testing. My eldest three have done CCP and if they need tutoring for the math placement test or ACT/SAT, we will cross that bridge. They all three passed the writing assessment with top scores!

I know this year will be busy and different and a part of me looks forward to it, but another part of me longs for the simplicity and freedom we had when the kids were little.

It’s bittersweet watching my kids grow up and do more and more on their own.

You might also like to see our other homeschool years:

Recommendations:

What’s next year look like for your family?

Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, April Harris, Silverado, Suburbia, Pinch of Joy, Create with Joy, Random Musings, Ridge Haven, God’s Growing Garden, OMHG, InstaEncouragements, Penny’s Passion, Momfessionals, CWJ, Slices of Life, Imparted Grace, Answer is Chocolate, Katherine’s Corner, Modern Monticello, LouLou Girls, Jenerally Informed, Soaring with Him, Homestead, My Life Abundant, Fluster Buster, Bijou Life, Anchored Abode, Lisa Notes, Simply Coffee, Pieced Pastimes, Pam’s Party, Mostly Blogging,

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Homeschooling in Ohio

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In Ohio, there are a couple different options for filing as a homeschooling family.

One way to homeschool is the traditional option, filing a letter of intent to the school district superintendent and providing a standardized test or portfolio assessment at the end of each year to show progress. Any parent with a high school diploma or equivalent can homeschool their children.

Every year, I read stories from parents who had their intents rejected or paid exorbitant fees for local certified teachers to assess their children. I have always tried to avoid standardized tests. Only my eldest ever had to do any – once in Hawaii and once in Utah. I have lots of thoughts about the required assessments from a certified teacher. I see ads all over social media and I get that this is a viable side hustle for teachers and homeschool moms. I just don’t want to be evaluated by a stranger who doesn’t know me or my kids or understand our goals and values. I have a master’s degree in education. I was certified to teach English 7-12, long ago in Georgia. I know what I am doing, probably more than most. It seems there can be a lot of hoops to jump through and I would rather avoid them all.

Alternatives to Public School

The other homeschooling option is to register as a Non-Chartered, Non-Tax Supported Schools, or 08 School, as it is called in the Ohio Administrative Code. A parent must have earned a bachelor’s degree in any subject to file as an 08 school. This option is for schools not seeking a charter from the state because of “sincerely held religious beliefs.” They don’t specify anything else, so this is open to interpretation.

There is a list of basic curricula to follow (which is pretty common for most homeschools) and local fire, health, and safety regulations to comply (which we should all do anyway). I like the primary benefit of this option: NO assessment requirement to report.

Each year, I mail in treasury letters, attendance forms, and cover letters to the state and a copy to our local school district. The language in the letters is a little disconcerting, since there are no other pupils or parents other than our immediate family.

I receive a letter from the state each year that I can show to prove we homeschool legally and to get teacher discounts.

I am listed in the state NCNT school listings online. Some people do not like this and feel it is an invasion of their privacy, perhaps opening their home up to local health inspections to ensure compliance. We have never been contacted or inspected.

I like how easy it is to register as an 08 school. I have always homeschooled our four kids and graduated one so far. Our two middle kids are completing high school and opting for CCP next year. My youngest is well into middle school and doing great.

08 School Templates:

We have homeschooled in Texas, Hawaii, Utah, Germany under SOFA, and now Ohio.

Each state has different regulations to follow and paperwork to complete and records to keep.

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Relaxed Homeschool Schedule

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When I began homeschooling my eldest back in 2005, I thought we needed lots of structure, routine, and a strict schedule. We were coming out of a school mindset and it took a while to learn how to relax and plan and live the homeschool life.

We’ve shifted our schedule so many ways over the years with babies, toddlers, moving across the country and world. There were years when I tutored to make some extra money. I’ve provided my kids with reading lists, daily and weekly checklists, worksheets. We have homeschooled year round most years and other years, taken a long summer break. Some years, we only have a few weeks of a summer break or just a very short, vague transition into a new history cycle.

We have probably done everything in the name of productivity.

I’m more about prioritizing rest and being stress-free these days. I don’t want my kids to be anxious over school work, tests, jobs, or anything else that society claims is more important than rest, physical and mental health.

Now that we’ve been educating at home for over sixteen years, it’s pretty streamlined and more comfortable. I do love having big kids and teens who are more independent. My children have a voice in their schedule and education and life and we want to help them budget their time wisely.

Alas, the days when our academics were done before lunch are long gone. Nowadays, we do blocks of academic work with several breaks – in the mornings, before and after lunch, before and after dinner. I’m more interested in flow and the kids having free time to relax and create.

We don’t limit screens. We offer a huge variety of activities and options in our home for creativity, hobbies, and more.

Relaxed Homeschool Schedule

This year, we are focusing on Year 2 in our history cycle.

Morning

I don’t set alarms unless we have appointments. I try not to make appointments in the mornings.

The kids and I wake up whenever we do so naturally.

I provide a hot breakfast every weekday morning. Dad does weekend duty. I have a pot of Yorkshire Gold tea.

I give the cats their little snack inside little mouse toys. I refill the bird feeders. I check the garden. I unload the dishwasher and start laundry.

After everyone is awake and fed, I do read alouds. I usually have a stack of history, literature, living books that I read for each unit of our curriculum.

Depending on how late it is, I have instituted “science time before lunch” to ensure it gets done. They’re each doing a different science, so they have to work more independently and ask for help as needed. If they need to eat first, they know they need to do their science right after lunch. Sometimes, they have questions for Dad later.

We’re flexible.

Afternoon

The kids usually have leftovers or organic semi-homemade ramen for lunch. I usually have a protein smoothie. The kids watch a show or play video games during lunchtime.

I encourage the kids to rest during and after lunch, but not for too long.

Language time is early afternoon. Latin, Greek, Russian, whatever is interesting.

I do have individual reading and writing assignments that the kids are responsible for in history and literature and they have to fit those in how and when they can. I help them budget their time and some weeks, we work through weekends or finish up later or take two weeks if we need it.

The kids have lately asked to do chores for pay and even created little charts for themselves. My son just wants his pay direct to the Pokemon app. The middle kids want theirs direct deposited monthly into their accounts. I love that they’re helping more and learning about money.

The kids have some extracurriculars in late afternoons/early evenings: art class, aerial arts, baseball practice. Saturdays, one takes ice skating lessons. I usually drop the kids off and use that hour to run errands or even get in a quick workout at a nearby park outside. Sometimes, I just sit in the minivan and read.

Evening

Dad usually works on math and some science with the kids when he gets home from work.

I try to have a nice homecooked dinner for the family every night. Some nights are getting difficult with baseball and extracurricular classes. I still make something in the slow cooker or a casserole so everyone can eat when they can.

Friday nights are for homemade pizza and movies.

I like to walk around our neighborhood pond in the evenings. It’s a great way to unwind and I love seeing the birds and bunnies, and sometimes deer.

Bedtime is around ten and all devices are plugged in away from bedrooms and WiFi is turned off by midnight so we sleep better.

I still read to my son a story each night.

Our Schedule Through the Years

What’s your schedule look like?

Linking up: Pam’s Party, Pieced Pastimes, Create with Joy, Stroll Thru Life, Jenerally Informed, Shelbee on the Edge, OMHG, Suburbia, InstaEncouragements, LouLou Girls, Across the Blvd, Pinch of Joy, House on Silverado, Anita Ojeda, April Harris, Mostly Blogging, Ducks in a Row, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap, Random Musings, Eclectic Red Barn, Anchored Abode, Soaring with Him, Thistle Key Lane, Embracing Unexpected, Debbie Kitterman, CWJ, Imparted Grace, Mummpreneur, Hubbard Home, Penny’s Passion, Cottage Market, Wordsmith, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Slices of Life, Anchored Abode, Moment with Franca, Pam’s Party, Ridge Haven Homestead, Artful Mom, Grammy’s Grid,

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Our Curriculum for 2021-2022

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Whew, it has been a year, y’all.

We spent most of last year isolated and anxious. While our actual lifestyle didn’t much change, just the knowledge that we couldn’t and shouldn’t go out was hard at times.

We’re looking forward to a better year now that we’re vaccinated.

I’ve been homeschooling my four kids for about seventeen years now. My younger three have never attended school.

My eldest attended day care, preschool, and one month of third grade at a DoD school. She’s on her own now, working full-time and living in her own apartment.

We learn year-round and love having freedom to learn when and how and what we want. We love being able to take breaks for field trips, extended travel just for fun or educational purposes, sun days, snow days, movie days, game days, park days.

Most of the anxiety I had in the beginning years has faded away and I am mostly in awe of my kids’ abilities and interests. I learn so much from watching and learning with them.

I highly recommend the books by Louise Bates Ames. A good guide to follow are the What Your ?-Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. His books have some problems, but it’s a great jumping off point.

We had somewhat of a break this summer, just continuing with math and science since we take those slower than other works. The middle kids each did a week of art camp – film photography and ceramics – and my third child did another two weeks of an art workshop they won on scholarship! My son did a week of baseball camp at a local university.

We often celebrate the end of summer and beginning autumn and a new school year with not back to school activities.

7th Grade

My youngest is working on 7th grade material this school year.

10th Grade

This was my favorite grade and age to teach when I taught public school.

My two middle kids are well into high school now. I’m keeping track of their credits in a transcript for their future needs. Our high school goals are four full year credits of English, math, science, social studies, with two full year credits of foreign language, and multiple electives for creative arts and physical activity.

Some electives the middle kids are pursuing in addition to sports are cooking/baking, creative writing, drawing/animation, arts and crafts, jewelry making.

Ohio doesn’t allow students to work until age 15, and my middle kids are already looking forward to their first part time job later this year – maybe at our Dairy Queen around the corner or a locally owned shop or volunteering with the Red Cross. My second child already volunteered over the summer with an invention camp and works once a week as a coach assistant with aerial gymnastics. She should start getting paid for coaching soon!

It’s exciting thinking about the kids learning to drive. My eldest waiting until she was eighteen and we didn’t push her. We signed Tori up for the required Ohio classroom drivers’ education. She will then take the state test for a learners permit and take the road driving classes before getting her full license next spring!

Together

We still do lots of morning read alouds together for Bible, church history, natural history, world and American history, and lots of multicultural literature.

We are working on Year 2 in our history cycle. I love, love, love year 2 and I cannot wait to dive deep into the literature this year.

Our main text this year is The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade  by Susan Wise Bauer. I just purchased the Study and Teaching Guide: The History of the Medieval World: A curriculum guide to accompany The History of the Medieval World by Julia Kaziewicz. My middle kids are completing the critical thinking questions for each chapter.

See how we do history. Our main curriculum Tapestry of Grace (and the way I supplement it each year) covers all the humanities – history, literature, art, music, philosophy, government.

My kids are very active with skating/roller blading, cycling, hiking, walking, playing the Wii and Switch, in addition to their classes and sports.

This last school year looked very different for some kids and families with online school, hybrid, or new homeschoolers. We have an opportunity to examine what worked and what needs improvement in our education systems.

You might also like to see our other homeschool years:

Recommendations:

How is this school year looking for your family?

Linking up: Anita Ojeda, April Harris, Mostly Blogging, Create with Joy, Suburbia, Random Musings, InstaEncouragements, Anchored Abode, Soaring with Him, Ridge Haven, Ducks in a Row, Girlish Whims, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap, Artful Mom, Try it Like it, Debbie Kitterman, Slices of Life, Imparting Grace, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, CWJ, OMHG, Grammy’s Grid, Simply Sweet Home, Bloggers Lifestyle, Building our Hive, Jenerally informed, LouLou Girls,

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High School Homeschool

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I graduated my eldest daughter from our homeschool a few years ago.

Her homeschool high school years were exciting for us all, and unique since we lived in Germany at the time.

My two middle girls are entering their high school years.

I feel a little more comfortable for our second round.

We’re adding more multicultural and social justice books to our reading lists. I am much more relaxed.

More and more, I am watching them walk away from me.

What Homeschool High School Looks Like for Us the Second Time

We’re trying to max out their academic transcripts with 4 English, 4 Social Studies, 4 Math, and 4 Science.

My girls have already completed General science, Physical science, and Biology from Apologia.

We use Tapestry of Grace for humanities with a 4-year history cycle. Tapestry of Grace offers lovely descriptions for each thread to help with transcripts.

Electives are religion, art, cooking, sports, and foreign language.

My girls are 13 and 14 this year and we homeschool year-round so we don’t have to rush.

They expect to complete all my requirements around age 16, like their older sister did. They want to get part-time jobs, volunteer, explore hobbies, perhaps pursue dual college enrollment locally until beginning college full-time. And we don’t pressure about college.

9th grade curriculum

  • Ancient world literature
  • Ancient world history
  • Ancient world geography, philosophy, government
  • Ancient religion and Bible history
  • Algebra I (Life of Fred, VideoText, OpenStax)
  • Astronomy and Microbiology from OpenStax

10th grade

  • Middle Ages world literature
  • Middle Ages world history
  • Middle Ages world geography, philosophy, government
  • Middle Ages world religion and Bible history
  • History of language – King Alfred’s English
  • Algebra II (Life of Fred, VideoText, OpenStax)
  • Chemistry (either Apologia or OpenStax)

11th grade

  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world literature
  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world history
  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world and US geography, philosophy, government
  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world religion and Bible history
  • US History from OpenStax
  • Geometry (Life of Fred, VideoText, OpenStax)
  • Physics (either Apologia or OpenStax)

12th grade

  • Modern and Contemporary world literature
  • Modern and Contemporary world history
  • Modern and Contemporary world and US geography, philosophy, government
  • Modern and Contemporary world religion and Bible history
  • US History from OpenStax
  • Trig/Calc from OpenStax
  • Psychology and/or advanced science from OpenStax

Pinterest Boards

High School Homeschool Resources:

How do you homeschool high school?

Linking up: Random Musings, Mostly Blogging, Anita Ojeda, Welcome Heart, April Harris, Marilyn’s Treats, Little Cottage, Kippi at Home, LouLou Girls, Home Stories, InstaEncouragements, Purposeful Faith, Our Three Peas, Grandmas Ideas, Anchored Abode, Soaring with Him, Ducks in a Row, Girlish Whims, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap Crafts, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Debbie Kitterman, CKK, Imparting Grace, Ridge Haven Homestead, Apron Strings, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Create with Joy,

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Not Back to School

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Homeschoolers often celebrate “back to school” with fun and different traditions than other families whose children attend school.

Homeschoolers also do many of the same things as school families. We buy new supplies and clothes with all the sales, tax-free days, and coupons. We like the first day photos.

Homeschoolers look forward to the day when school kids go back to classrooms and all the fun places we love to frequent aren’t busy with summer crowds anymore. But even homeschoolers aren’t gathering or doing co-ops or meeting up this fall.

My kids used to wave goodbye to their neighborhood friends who rode the bus to school while we began our homeschool day. They often waited for their bus at the end of the day to greet their friends again.

This school year looks very different for many families. Some school districts are offering options for in person full or part time attendance, or online remote classes.

No matter what kind of school year our kids are beginning, making the first day of the new school year a special day may help ease jitters or disappointments. We need to make great memories with our kids.

Celebrating Not Back to School

  • Night before school party
  • Special breakfast or dinner night before
  • Pictures to commemorate the new year (preferably with their consent to post online)
  • Memory board or interview page
  • Gifts or treats
  • Look through new school materials and books together to get familiar.
  • Set up a work area for each child to complete assignments.
  • Special back to school books. It’s hard to find books celebrating homeschool.
  • New clothes fashion show. It could be new loungewear or pajamas!
  • Schultüte – traditional school cones for 1st graders in Germany. Another Schulüte DIY idea here. DIY auf Deutsch hier.
  • Ice cream!!!
  • Chalk drawings in the driveway or sidewalk
  • Fresh flowers, especially roses for new schoolers! I love the Waldorf rose ceremony.
  • Discuss plans, desires, and dreams for the year
  • Make calm jars with glitter, oil, food coloring, and water.
  • Make tie-dye shirts or bags.
  • Go hiking or do a nature scavenger hunt.
  • Picnic lunch
  • Bowling
  • Pool or lake party
  • Parties with a fun theme, even if it’s just immediate family
  • Movie night

My kids are older now and we still try to do fun things, but we don’t even really have one single official back to school day. We just kind of ease into it sometime the end of August, transferring from one history cycle to the next and new math books and maybe new science and foreign language.

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How do you make the first day of school special?

Linking up: Grammys Grid, Pinch of Joy, Eclectic Red Barn, House on Silverado, Jenerally Informed, Stroll Thru Life, OMHG, CWJ, Shelbee on Edge, LouLou Girls, April Harris, Suburbia, Random Musings, Anita Ojeda, Jeanne Takenaka, InstaEncouragements, Blue Sky at Home, Soaring with Him, Anchored Abode, Ducks in a Row, Fluster Buster, Ridge Haven, Ginger Snap, Try it Like it, Artful Mom, Penny’s Passion, Slices of Life, Simply Beautiful, Modern on Monticello, Everything, Create with Joy, Books and More, Simply Sweet Home, Answer is Choco, Being a Wordsmith, Cottage Market, Oak Hill,

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Our Curriculum for 2020-2021

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I’ve been homeschooling my four kids for about sixteen years now. My younger three have never attended school. My eldest attended day care, preschool, and one month of third grade at a DoD school.

We learn year-round and love having freedom to learn when and how and what we want. We love being able to take breaks for field trips, extended travel just for fun or educational purposes, sun days, snow days, movie days, game days, park days.

Most of the anxiety I had in the beginning years has faded away and I am mostly in awe of my kids’ abilities and interests. I learn so much from watching and learning with them.

I highly recommend the books by Louise Bates Ames. A good guide to follow are the What Your ?-Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. His books have some problems, but it’s a great jumping off point.

My eldest daughter is taking a break from college and working full time.

6th Grade

My son is starting middle school! It’s a lot more writing and independent work than he’s used to, but we will ease into it. I love this age! It’s so exciting to see all the changes and connections.

9th Grade

My two middle girls are officially in high school!

I’m keeping track of their credits in a transcript for their future needs. Our high school goals are four full year credits of English, math, science, social studies, with two full year credits of foreign language, and multiple electives for creative arts and physical activity.

Some electives the girls are pursuing in addition to their sports are cooking/baking, creative writing, drawing/animation, jewelry making.

Ohio doesn’t allow students to work until age 15, and my girls are already looking forward to their first part time job in a year or two – maybe at our Dairy Queen around the corner or a locally owned shop or volunteering with the Red Cross.

  • Astronomy and Microbiology from OpenStax
  • VideoText Algebra
  • Tori is continuing Russian and Greek
  • Tori continues aerial arts and is beginning lyrical dance
  • Katie is continuing German
  • Katie is participating in a virtual Dungeons and Dragons weekly game

Together

We still do lots of morning read alouds together for Bible, church history, natural history, world and American history, and lots of multicultural literature.

We are currently finishing up reading Life of Fred pre-Algebra 2 with Economics. We also have Life of Fred Financial Choices. We will soon start Beginning Algebra. My son may not be quite ready for it yet.

We’re starting over again in our history cycle with Year 1. It will be my last history cycle with my girls and I feel so sad. I will update as we continue to add better book selections to our repertoire. Libraries still aren’t open except for requests by appointment.

Our main text this year is The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome by Susan Wise Bauer. I just purchased the Study and Teaching Guide: The History of the Ancient World by Julia Kaziewicz. My girls are completing the critical thinking questions for each chapter.

Also The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by DK and The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim are daily read alouds.

I look forward to studying in depth ancient art history!

See how we do history. Our main curriculum Tapestry of Grace (and the way I supplement it each year) covers all the humanities – history, literature, art, music, philosophy, government.

My kids are very active with skating/roller blading, cycling, hiking, walking, playing the Wii, in addition to their classes and rec sports.

I love seeing my kids get creative with floral arranging, jewelry making, various arts and crafts, cooking, writing, map drawing, herbology and foraging. We will discuss elective transcript credit for various hobbies if they complete enough or do a big, long project.

How is your new homeschool year looking?

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August Themes

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August is the end of summer and usually back to school time for many of us.

Are you New to Homeschooling?

When my kids were very small, we had monthly themes on our bulletin board, for our homeschool lessons, and to order our daily lives.

As the kids get older, the themes aren’t quite so vivid. I enjoy the liturgical calendar, the natural cycles of the world, and celebrating the flow and small events in our lives.

We loved these themed Calendar Connections.

Fun Stuff: National Days

We love reading about Catholic saints and Celtic Saints and sometimes do spiritual activities. And we also talk about how white saviors and missionaries weren’t the best for indigenous peoples.

Celebrating Lammastide is a great goodbye to summer and welcome to fall.

August is a great month to purge old clothes and toys, minimize, organize for fall.

Here’s a neat list of what is on sale in August.

Second Saturday in August is National Bowling Day and National Garage Sale Day 

A fun back to school unit.

August is American Artist Appreciation Month. See my art Pinterest board and how we do art in our homeschool.

August is National Eye Exam Month. See my Back to School Eye Health Tips.

2nd: Coloring Book Day, Friendship Day, Sisters Day

3rd: Watermelon Day. We love these fruity icies!

4th: Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! Here’s my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

7th International BEER DAY! Also water balloon day

8th: National Sneak Some Zucchini Into Your Neighbor’s Porch Day!

9th: Book Lover Day (Isn’t that every single day?)

11th: Presidential Joke Day (isn’t that every day since the 2016 election?)

13th: Lefties Day!

14/15: V-J Day

Third Saturday in August World Honey Bee Day

19th: Aviation Day. See my Wright Brothers Unit Study.

28th: Red Wine Day

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day on August 28th sets aside a day to remember the pet companions we’ve lost. We’re a cat family.

On August 30, National Grief Awareness Day recognizes the time it takes to heal from loss doesn’t have a prescribed course and is a reminder closure comes in many forms. When a loved one dies, the void they leave affects everyone differently.

History: Racial Injustice Calendar and The Zinn Education Project.

What’s your favorite activity in August?

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Homeschool Space in Texas

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We began homeschooling in 2005, in San Antonio, Texas.

We didn’t have much of a clue what we were doing at that time and that ended up being the best thing!

We had no formal homeschooling space.

Liz used the kitchen table and a little plastic desk for a couple years to do workbooks and crafts.

We had an easel with a whiteboard on one side and a chalkboard on the other side.

We had a little aquarium on the other side of the half wall. Seamus the cat was always fascinated with it.

We had a little backyard garden.

We had lots of books. We spent most of our time on field trips, park days, playgrounds, libraries, running errands.

We cooked and cleaned and did chores. I sewed curtains and crafts with Liz.

I had two babies those two years in Texas, and Liz learned how to be a mama’s helpers with two new little sisters.

I love that we were actively living and learning the most during our first two years of homeschooling rather then the formality I explored for a few years. We went back to a more unschooling life as soon as a I knew better!


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Homeschool Middle School

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Middle school, or junior high, is a transition time – between elementary and childhood, high school and college prep.

It’s awkward and gawky and uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally. For the kids and for me!

I loved teaching 8th grade, many years ago now. It was so exciting to see the kids change from the first day to the last day. And I love seeing my students all grown up and starting their own families and teaching their own classes!

Homeschooling was a huge switch for me. I went from teaching teens and adults to teaching a 5 year old, then my babies. As they grew, I became more comfortable. I grew with them, learned with them. We all adapted.

Having my kids reach middle school is so much fun for me. I tease them: you’re in my world now. I know this. I got this. We’re gonna do this right.

The kids know I was totally out of my element teaching preschool and elementary. We laugh about it now. I learned to love it, but I absolutely adore teaching middle and high school.

I love having my tweens and teens home with me. I love discussing history and literature and science and art and music, and even math. I love seeing the connections and assimilation going on from all the topics and travels and years I’ve taught them. I love still reading aloud to them.

I love the sudden fierce hugs. I love watching their bodies grow full and strong, giving me a glimpse into the adults they will soon be. I giggle that they’re all becoming taller than I am! I love hearing about their sports events and art and what they found in the woods. I love that they still show me rocks and flowers and worms and cicada shells.

They’re still so much children but they’re becoming so responsible and big. I desperately want to protect them while realizing I must fall back little by little and let them learn their own path.

I was horrified by a conversation I had the other day where a lady described her son’s harsh transition into middle school. He was suddenly completely responsible each day for turning in his work in the correct tray, completed, on time. There were no reminders or anything. I gave multiple reminders to my kids, even my college students! This is just ridiculous and sets kids up for failure. Her son’s As and Bs turned to Ds and Fs. Without an IEP, there was no assistance from the teacher or support from administrators. This is not the real world!

A master teacher, rather than pushing pupils toward independence, supplies them instead with generous offerings of assistance. A master teacher wants her students to think for themselves but knows the students cannot get there if she resists their dependence or chastises them for lacking maturity. Her students are free to lean on her without any sense of shame for their neediness.

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté, MD

Middle school need not be a scary age to navigate or teach.

It’s important as parents, we understand the changes our kids go through at this age. We must be supportive and patient. We must remember what it was like for us at that age.

Adolescence is a critical time for brain growth. Thinking become less concrete and more abstract. Hormones and body changes are awkward. Critical thinking is more advanced. Short term memory may be compromised as everything tears down and redevelops.

I highly recommend the books by Louise Bates Ames. A good guide to follow is What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education by E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

I still read aloud every morning and evening. We go on lots of family hikes. We go out for ice cream and slushies a lot and this is a great time for conversation. We have dinner together at home as a family every night.

It becomes more and more difficult to find interesting and wholesome activities for older kids and teens in our society. It becomes narrower for homeschool kids. Even school kids mostly do sports.

Most states don’t allow paid employment until after age 14, and most of those jobs are pretty undesirable. We’ve found the minimum age for many volunteer opportunities is 15 or older.

The town library closes at 5 PM on Fridays and it’s a big joke in our family that there is nothing wholesome to do.

I constantly shift our priorities as interests change.

Our Middle School Curriculum

6th Grade

This is a huge transition year for most kids – in schools and with homeschooling. For us, dialectic work begins. There’s lots more writing, questions, critical thinking. My kids expand their interests: dug deeper and explored new things!

7th Grade

This is one of my favorite years. My kids constantly surprised me with their interests, abilities, and minds. Their intelligent, thought-provoking questions encouraged me to be more honest and authentic. We all made lifestyle changes for improvement.

8th Grade

My kids began to earn high school credits. We transition from dialectic level to rhetoric level work. It’s amazing to look back on the changes since 6th grade!

These few years between elementary and high school are crucial to having a great relationship with my kids when they’re older teens and young adults.

You ought to give him a taste of freedom while he still thinks it’s yours to give. ~Outlander

I give them more space, freedom, privacy. I encourage discussion about academics, religion, sex and culture, current events, their interests, their lives.

I still remember them as rambunctious babies, toddlers, youngsters…and now they’re growing up into these wonderful young adults.

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