Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On InstagramVisit Us On Linkedin

Our Curriculum for 2025-2026

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By 2 Comments

Check out my Instagram to see what we were up to this summer. We went to several fun concerts! I took several trips for baseball tournaments and we had a lovely family summer beach trip to Alabama.

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

This summer seemed to fly by. Honestly the last six months were very busy with my traveling to Atlanta so often to care for my parents.

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.

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 middle two are both officially attending university full time. One is double majoring with biology and environmental sciences and the other majoring in classics. They both took college algebra over the summer instead of the placement exam for maths. Tori is on the uni noncompeting gymnastics team, and she still does aerial weekly. She works in the entomology lab. Tori is taking Spanish, entomology, calculus, and an education course that satisfies social science element. Akantha is in the classics club. Akantha is taking French and Latin, chemistry, and art.

My son is fifteen and starting university with Ohio CCP. He’s taking Spanish and Earth Science at a local state uni. He will continue with our homeschool humanities program while working through maths and physics with his dad. He plays elite travel baseball and high school baseball with our local district. We have to submit transcripts to the school so he knows he has to keep up with his work which is great accountability.

We encourage our kids to live at home as long as they need for support and saving funds. I still do laundry and cook meals and pack lunches and drive two of them to classes and activities.

We are fortunate to be able to provide an environment my kids feel safe and comfortable as they transition into functioning adults.

You might also like:

Resources:

Share
Pin4
Share
4 Shares
You might also like:

Our Curriculum for 2024-2025

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By 6 Comments

We had a fun beach trip to Panama City Beach, Florida.

We checked some items off our Ohio summer bucket list with several staycation day trips.

I went to a lot of fun concerts with Tori!

Check out my Instagram to see what we were up to this summer.

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.

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.

They are all finishing up chemistry and physics and maths.

We have been lucky not to be required to take SAT/ACT, but they do have to complete maths placement exams for university.

My kids are very active with skating/roller blading, cycling, hiking, walking, fishing, 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.

  • Tori continues aerial gymnastics twice a week.
  • Akantha continues figure ice skating lessons several times a week.
  • Alex plays elite 15u baseball with Midland Dayton.

My son is “officially” 9th grade according to his age and on transcripts that I must submit to the local high school for his eligibility to play baseball. He may decide to do CCP next year, 2025-2026. I am starting over again with Ancient History Year 1 cycle.

Akantha is “officially” 12th grade according to transcripts that I must submit to the local university for their third and final year with College Credit Plus for admission next year. They’re already a sophomore. They’re taking Latin, Hindu Goddesses, writing, and Greek Magic. Love seeing their watercolors this summer and they’re starting an oil painting class! Follow their journey on their Instagram.

Tori is beginning her first “official” year of university with honors biology and environmental science, minoring in photography. She’s already a sophomore from two years of CCP.

I stilll love learning along with my kids.

We are reading aloud several classic novels to round out our education. We are finishing up The Philosophy Book.

We are reading through Discovering Life’s Story and History of US by Joy Hakim.

My eldest child is working full-time in a blood donation center.

I’m still very needed to make breakfasts and pack lunches and help getting my college kids to their campus since only one drives and their schedules don’t overlap much this year. We eat a hot dinner together almost every night. I cherish these last few years before they go off on their own.

You might also like:

Resources:

Share
Pin3
Share
3 Shares
You might also like:

Our Curriculum for 2023-2024

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By

Summer was exciting with a fun Alabama beach trip and a lake trip near Cleveland.

Tori attended Space Camp!

Akantha attended a CCAD art college preview on merit scholarship.

Summer seems shorter and shorter each year.

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.

9th Grade

My son is 13 and working on high school texts. I am not worried at all about his academics. I’m trying to find materials to keep him interested a few more years! We might focus more on writing this year.

12th Grade

My middle two kids will attend a local university with CCP this year. It will be their second year doing this.

Tori has her driver’s license, a car, and a part time job at a local grocery store.

Tori is in her last homeschool year and will apply to the university to continue her studies.

Akantha has two more years before they can apply to college. So they will have like a double senior year, since they’re mostly done in our homeschool.

Both have always done much of their school work and many activities together.

First semester:

Tori is taking photography, ecology science with lab, and freshman writing.

Akantha is taking Latin and drawing.

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

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

  • Tori continues aerial gymnastics twice a week.
  • Akantha takes ice skating lessons three times a week.
  • Alex plays elite baseball.

Our main text this year would be (as soon as it’s released!) The History of the Modern World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade by Susan Wise Bauer. I also hope to find the Study and Teaching Guide: The History of the Modern World: A curriculum guide to accompany The History of the Modern World by Julia Kaziewicz. We have so enjoyed the other three books in this series!

We are technically on Year 4 in our history cycle. Year 4 covers some important near history and I cannot wait to dive deep into literature. Since this series follows a slightly different timeline than our earlier cycles, I can pull ideas from our Year 3 books while we wait for publication.

We are enjoying these books in the meantime:

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 eldest child is working full-time in a local hospital with the medical laboratory and phlebotomy.

I hope everyone has a great year!

You might also like to see our other homeschool years:

Recommendations:

Share
Pin6
Share
6 Shares
You might also like:

Our Curriculum for 2022-2023

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By

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.

First semester:

They’re taking Art History I and Classics together.

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

Second semester:

They’re taking Art History II together. Tori is taking another Environmental Science and Lab. Akantha was invited to an advanced Classics course!

  • 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,

Share
Pin29
Share
29 Shares
You might also like:

Our Curriculum for 2021-2022

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

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,

Share
Pin26
Share
26 Shares
You might also like:

Our Curriculum for 2020-2021

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

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?

Share
Pin30
Share
30 Shares
You might also like:

Secular Curriculum

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By 2 Comments

I have come full circle, back to the views I had during our first year of homeschooling.

We began homeschooling for academic reasons.

I got confused, sidetracked, shamed, humiliated, and lost with all the religious homeschool groups, sites, curriculum.

I am a trained English teacher who has taught public, private, middle, high, college, and tutoring – but I questioned my abilities to homeschool my children well.

Homeschoolers, groups, and co-ops are only too happy to jump in to offer advice and help to new homeschoolers. But it seems to come with a catch. Many homeschoolers meetup or co-op through their churches. There is still a large percentage of homeschoolers who are conservative Christian and they feel this is the only way. They ostracize anyone who doesn’t conform.

Do a web search about the origins, beliefs, and requirements for Classical Conversations, HSLDA, many homeschool conferences, and other large homeschool organizations. They’re certainly not secular or even welcoming.

I didn’t even grow up Christian. Not evangelical at all, not going to church except with my Lutheran grandma who visited two-three times a year. I was never confirmed. I had been christened as an infant at the bequest of the grandma and I said meal blessings and bedtime prayers, but that was the extent of my religious upbringing until I met my first husband.

Growing up in the Bible belt of Georgia, I was odd. I always felt out of place. I didn’t understand the Christianese language.

Many homeschoolers don’t identify as evangelical Christians. There are Catholics, Jewish, Muslims, and other faiths (or no religion or faith group) who homeschool their children and would like secular or faith neutral materials and curriculum or something designed just for them. It’s really hard to find.

We started off with The Well-Trained Mind and I found it (and still find it, mostly) to be respectful regarding those other than the evangelical Christian faith. We began with the materials suggested for first grade.

Having four kids, we reuse curriculum each year. It saves us money. So, we own the entire Apologia science curriculum. They have since separated from Dr. Jay Wile and and he wrote and sells new texts while Apologia commissioned another author to recreate their middle and high school science texts. I think their quality has deteriorated, so we continue with what we’ve always done. The science hasn’t greatly changed.

We bought all four years of Tapestry of Grace online. It was great our first couple years, for the most part. As my eldest daughter went through the dialectic stage for high school, we didn’t buy some of the book selections, and very few of the religious texts recommended.

As the kids and I grow, we tend to edit out much of the religion in our curriculum and it can be tiresome. The science books are still solid for the academic lab science and we just skip the weird Bible parts. We don’t read a lot of the religious selections from the Tapestry of Grace humanities book lists. I supplement church and religion history lessons from better books when I feel it’s appropriate.

If I were beginning our homeschool journey now, I would choose more secular materials. I wish there were any complete affordable science lab homeschool curriculum good enough for high school credit, but I have yet to really find any we’re happy using.

I have found many Waldorf sites and curriculum is sometimes secular or very respectfully spiritual.

Secular Curriculum

I haven’t used all or even a lot of these. Some we reviewed when my kids were younger. Some of the materials for middle and high school may or may not meet standards in my opinion. My kids are all 10+ now and we are mostly finished buying curriculum and making do with what we have.

Complete or All in One Curriculum

Science

See how we do science in our homeschool.

English and Language Arts

See how my kids learned to read. I don’t teach English in our homeschool.

History

See how we do history in our homeschool.

Math

See how we do math in our homeschool.

Fine Arts

See how we do art in our homeschool. See how we do music and cinema in our homeschool.

Foreign Languages

See how we do foreign languages in our homeschool.

Other

See how we do health and PE in our homeschool.

Secular Sites

Some of my favorite secular homeschooling and parenting sites:

What’s your favorite secular curriculum?

Share
Pin25
Share
25 Shares
You might also like:

Homeschool Middle School

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By 14 Comments

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.

Share
Pin45
Share
45 Shares
You might also like:

Our Curriculum for 2019-2020

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

I have reached the apex of homeschooling where my kids are pretty much independent learners!

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.

I don’t have little kids anymore!

More and more, I just stand back in awe and watch them create and perform.

We love learning and exploring together!

My eldest daughter is 18 and beginning her first official year of college! She has a part time job as a bank teller.

My middle girls are doing 8th grade work.

Tori is 13 and doing Greek 2 and Katie is 12 and is continuing German.

We’re looking into private art lessons for Katie. She does fall soccer. She loves to cook and draw and create.

Tori practices weekly aerial arts at a local gym.

My son is doing 5th grade work.

Alex is 9 and does fall and spring baseball and weekly ninja classes. He won 3rd place recently in a ninja competition!

We’re in year 4 of our history cycle.

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

I can’t believe how time has flown!

Share
Pin2
Share
2 Shares
You might also like:

3rd Grade Curriculum

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

By Leave a Comment

I remember 3rd grade. It was one of the few years I enjoyed in school. I loved multiplication and would do worksheet after worksheet, asking my teacher for another when I finished and was bored.

Homeschool 3rd grade is pretty laid back. I felt like I was almost getting the hang of homeschool by year 3 and then when my younger kids were doing 3rd grade, I was like a pro.

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

My eldest in 3rd grade:

We had just moved to Hawaii.

We joined a history co-op.

My daughter tried school on Hickam AFB. It lasted one month.

We took a tour of Pearl Harbor Memorials.

My middle girls in 3rd grade:

  • Tapestry of Grace
  • Life of Fred
  • Singapore Math 3
  • Spelling Workout C
  • Apologia Chemistry and Physics
  • Prima Latina

My son in 3rd grade:

  • Tapestry of Grace
  • Christian Liberty Nature Reader
  • Life of Fred
  • Singapore Math 3
  • Spelling Workout A
  • Apologia Animals

Third grade is an exciting time and I want to make sure my kids have fun, play lots outside, and love learning.

Share
Pin10
Share
10 Shares
You might also like: