Spring Thoughts
We have had such a great spring with school! It has been so very busy but so great! Last winter, I shared how we were finally getting back into a groove. And I am so happy to share that “our groove” has continued this spring. I feel like we are in such a great place with our schedule and routine and that feels really nice.
With that said, we have a lot of “catching up” to do still. I know those are some naughty words in the homeschool sphere sometimes, but I feel like there is a difference between being somewhere academically because that is what you are ready for and where your education sweet spot is right now – and simply in a place because learning didn’t happen. We have a little bit of both right now in our home. But the point is – we are moving forward and feeling really good!
Family
Come Follow Me
The Book of Mormon is truly the best. We are loving our study this year. This spring we finished 2 Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon. We are now studying in Mosiah and loving every minute!
Our bullet points of goodness:
- The Temple Is the House of the Lord
- I Can Rejoice in Christ
- Jesus Invites All to Come unto Him
- The Holy Ghost and Words of Christ
- Because of Jesus Christ – I Will Live Again (EASTER)
- I Can Strengthen My Faith in Jesus Christ
- I Can Labor to Bring Others to Christ
- Heavenly Father Hears My Prayers
- I Serve God When I Serve Others
- As a Disciple of Christ I Will Treat Others with Love and Kindness
- God Has Given Us Prophets
- I Will Stand for Jesus Christ
- My Baptismal Covenant
Extra Resources: Come Follow Me – For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 // The Red Headed Hostess Subscription
History
This spring Jacob and Sarah dove into the world of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. We read a fabulous book called The Saracen Steed by Arthur Anthony Gladd. We all loved it and the kids always begged for more each day we read. We learned about:
- The Spread of Christianity in Ireland
- St. Patrick
- The Spread of Christianity in England
- King Alfred the Great
- William the Conquerer
- Life in the Middle Ages
- The Age of Chivalry
- The Black Death
- The Renaissance
- The Scientific Revolution
- The Faithful French Huguenots
We also focused a lot on the Magna Carta and Joan of Arc. It was a beautiful unit and we all learned a lot.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful History: Year 1
Science
We are focusing on some health units this spring and upcoming summer. Our first unit was Health and the Physical Body. We are over half way done and Jacob is enjoying telling us all the things he has learned from his books on the body. I love his love for learning.
Topics we have covered so far are:
- How the Body is Formed
- The Basics of Nutrition
- Vitamins and Hydration
- The Renal System
We also really dove into the digestive system and the circulatory system.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Science: Health and the Physical Body
Music Appreciation
This spring Jacob and Sarah learned about George Frideric Handel. They are plugging along and it’s been a good fit for them and our family.
Curriculum: Music Appreciation Book 1
Jacob – Sixth Grade
Language Arts
Jacob is FLYING through his language arts! He did so much work this spring. Some of the things he has been working on are: spelling, sentence structures, compound subjects, verbs, direct object, compound verb phrases, diagramming compound subjects and verbs, poetry writing, restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses, vocabulary, diagramming direct objects, perspectives in literature, descriptive paragraphs with differing perspectives, diagramming verb phrases and complex sentences, headings and subheadings, editing and rewriting, accept vs except, parenthesis, linking verbs, subjects, and predicates.
He studied the religious poetry of Christina Rossetti.
Jacob made some Australian damper bread (he has been studying Australia).
In geography, he continued studying about Australia. He also learned about the Tropic of Capricorn. Then he moved on to New England. Then he bounced over to New Zealand.
He did an art project with his pastels of a wildflower path, pastel bubbles, and a rose.
Jacob did some nonfiction reading about Australian aborigines. He has also been reading about Elizabeth Kenny in the Australian Bushland all year and finally finished. I had never heart of her but her story was incredible.
He also spent a LOT of time working on an essay about the Australian Wildlife. He did a fabulous job! He also learned a lot about autobiographical writing.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful: Language Arts – Level 6
Read Aloud and Handwriting
Jacob’s cursive will continually amaze me. I love it. He is very close to being done with his handwriting. This winter he listened to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. He is now listening to his final book this year, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful: Handwriting – Level 6
Math
Jacob is doing so well in his math as well. I am so grateful for how he manages his school work. Just like his language arts – he worked SO HARD this spring. He is in his final unit and should be done this summer.
This spring he learned: percents, complex fractions, identifying turns, solving equations with roots, solving equations with squared and cubed variables, estimating and finding square roots, finding tax, percent discounts, simple and compound interest, conversions, using the percent formula with fractions of a group, distributive property and factoring with variables, solving two-step equations, volume of prisms, bisectors, graphing inequalities on number lines, solving one-step inequalities, solving two-step inequalities, dependent and independent variables, graphing lines, ratios, proportions, proportions on a graph, proportions and cross products, solving proportions give part to whole ratio, solving proportions given part to part ratio, using proportions to solve percent problems, scale drawings, unit rates, similar and congruent figures, parallel lines cut by a transversal, polygons and polyhedrons, introduction to statistics, dat, bar, line, and circle graphs, histograms, stem and leaf plots and line plots.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math 6
Creative Writing
Jacob has been working on a story for MONTHS! As happy as it makes me for him to work hard on this particular story, I told him that he needs to get it finished this summer. I have a feeling a good story is coming our way soon!
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Creative Writing Notebook 1
Piano
Jacob’s piano playing is blowing me away lately. He has entered this new sphere of beauty with it and I love listening to him play. He is very motivated and it shows with his growth that he has achieved. He is preparing for our spring recital coming up!
Resource: Faber Piano Adventures: Level 2A
Sarah – Third Grade
Language Arts
Sarah has also worked so very hard this spring! She continues to be an absolute delight to teach. She is doing really well.
This spring she learned about: capitalization rules, commas in dates, spelling rules, types of sentences, heteronyms, the elements of plot, writing summaries, revising, animal poetry, word work, earth’s physical systems, animal idioms, irregular past tense, pronouns, strong verbs, writing instructions, weather poetry, forming words with TION, abstract nouns, irregular plural nouns, and messages and themes in books.
She has done a couple of literature studies this spring, including Thornton Burgess, Marguerite Henry, and the McGuffey Readers.
She did an oral narration.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts: Level 3
Read Aloud and Handwriting
Sarah is doing well with her handwriting. She is about two-thirds of the way through her book and is just going steady.
This spring we read The Railway Children by E. Nesbit and Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting: Workbook Level 3
Math
Sarah is playing catch up with math right now (I explained all about it here). She finished up her Math 2 level and is now into Math 3. She is at the very end of her first unit and doing wonderfully.
This spring she has learned: numbers through the ten thousands, rounding to the nearest ten or hundred, LOTS of multiplication, story problems with addition and subtraction, two-step story problems, telling time to the nearest minute, measuring and estimating using inches and centimeters, measuring length in inches, feet, yards, and miles, multiplying by 100, 1,000, and 10,000, introduction to metric units, time, estimating distance in miles or kilometers, measuring to the half inch, elapsed time, writing numbers to the hundred thousands, gallons, quarts, pints, and cups, rounding to the nearest dollar, fractions, estimated time, reading a pictograph and tally chart, liters and milliliters, and adding and subtracting rounded amounts of money.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math 2 // The Good and the Beautiful Math 3
Typing
Sarah is at the very end of her typing program. I am undecided if we will continue it. She has definitely gotten quicker at typing, but I have noticed that Sarah still has to look at every letter she types. So I am on the hunt for something that will help her learn it a little better so she can type more efficiently.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Typing Level 1
Weathering Your Emotions Journal
Sarah cruised through her emotions journal. She is probably my kiddo that needed it the least but I still think it was great for her to do. She is all done!
Resource: Weathering Your Emotions Journal
Piano
Piano is going well for Sarah! She moved up another level this spring and she was really excited about that. She is also working hard preparing for our spring recital coming up.
Resources: Faber Piano Adventures: Level 1 // Faber Piano Adventures: Level 2A
Benjamin – First Grade
Language Arts
I am so very proud of this boy. He is so close to being done with his language arts level. He has worked really hard and he is picking up on things quicker and is really starting to see the joy in learning. We’ve still got a ways to go but I couldn’t be happier for him.
This spring he has been working on: punctuation fluency, SH, CH, reading words with suffixes and prefixes, TH, the parts of a book, ING, nouns, spelling practice, EE, action verbs, being verbs, plural nouns, categories, sight words, and some poetry and reading practice.
We did a poetry party all about BIRDS! In geography he learned about the polar regions and our great, wide, beautiful, wonderful, world. Ben did a writer’s workshop on Japan. He also learned about the art of Hasui Kawase.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level K
Read Aloud and Handwriting
Ben is doing well in his handwriting as well. He is still working on forming a couple letters correctly but we are getting there!
This spring we read The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary and Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary. These two books are part of a series and Ben and I agreed that we weren’t big fans. The story was okay but we did not like how some of the relationships were portrayed. I wouldn’t recommend them.
We also read Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater, My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stile Gannett, and The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.
Math
Just like with Sarah, Ben is playing a bit of catch up with math (again, I explained all about it here). But Ben is doing so well. His ability to naturally do a lot of mental math is amazing.
He finished Level K math in May and just started Level 1. He was so excited to be starting this new math and it was a big boost to his confidence. YAY!
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math Level K // The Good and the Beautiful Math Level 1
Science
Ben is continuing to work through his science unit about fields and flowers. This spring he learned about butterflies, honeybees, and ants.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Science: Fields and Flowers
Drawing
Ben doesn’t seem too interested in his drawing yet. We are working on not rushing through things. But we are still plugging along.
Resource: The Good and the Beautiful Draw Vintage Images Level 1
Lydia – Preschool II
All Aboard the Animal Train
Lydia is so happy and content. I love that little girl so much. She listens to so much of what we do as a family. She has a seat at the table and we love having her there. Her neurologist is convinced that once we figure out the speech part of things, a whole new world will open up. We are still working on it.
But Lydia and I have been using a preschool curriculum that I used with Sarah and Benjamin. It is very relaxed. Each unit has a virtue, an animal, and a color. This spring was all about rabbits, and love, and the color RED! We have been reading lots of book about bunnies, singing songs, and looking for all things red.
Curriculum: My Father’s World: All Aboard the Animal Train
Koala Crates
We’ve been getting these for about a year now and they have been such a fun thing to do together. So much of it is hands on – but it has become a special thing just for Lydie and I to do together. We did some “Medieval Fun” this spring!
Physical Therapy
Lydie just keeps going!
Speech Therapy
We are currently working on switching Lydia’s speech therapist. She has gotten passed around a lot in her current place and no one has been familiar with AAC devices. We are currently on the wait list for a new place and crossing our fingers it works out!
Occupational Therapy
Lydia also just got switched to a new occupational therapist. I have to be honest, therapy has been a tough go recently. I feel like Lydia just keeps getting passed around and she is not getting a lot of consistency from her providers. It’s so frustrating.
Horse Therapy
THIS, however, is an exception to the above comment. I feel like horse therapy is going so well and I am so grateful for the loving care she is given there!
Music Therapy
It’s music. Lydie loves it 😉
Massage Therapy
Lydie continues to love massage. With the exception of her horse therapy, ALL of her other therapies have been put on the same day. She is wiped out by the end but then we can come home, have lunch, and massage comes. It is the best reward time and Lydie loves it!
Final Thoughts
Last winter I shared that I was trying to give myself grace with where we are in school. And this spring the kids really did INCREDIBLE. I am so proud of how hard they worked (and yet we still had a whole lot of fun sprinkled in there, too!). Our days are FULL and I know one day I will miss this. We won’t be getting much of a summer break but the kids are thriving and I am doing my best to thrive along with them 😉
