Winter Thoughts
Homeschooling has been a struggle for us for a while. Longer than I would like to admit. It has just felt like one thing after another has been against us. We really have been struggling even since Lydia’s diagnosing period clear back in 2021. That’s THREE years! That period was hard for obvious reasons and between the emotional toll as well as physically running around to so many appointments 2021 was difficult for “school”. Then 2022 we found out we were moving in February and we had the move and then the settling. Then we got into a groove but then we started a co-op. It was wonderful but that with the mix of therapy schedules for both Jacob and Lydia pushed me to a place that was not great. We made the decision to not participate in co-op this year but we still had the problem of Lydia having at least one therapy 4 out of the 5 week days. There just wasn’t enough time. Then add my doing CNA school and it has been a struggle.
I was feeling really run down. I was feeling like I just couldn’t catch up. And we desperately needed a reset. I sat down with Lydia’s therapists in November and December and shared that I really needed to make a change with her schedule. Luckily, we were able to shift things around and Lydia’s therapy schedule is so much better!
So this winter, after so long, we finally got our reset! December was filled with Christmas School which was delightful and unifying. And we really finally got into a groove. After so many years! It has felt so energizing and I think the kids and I have all felt that. And I am so grateful. We have been able to accomplish so much the last three months and it has put us in a really wonderful place. So we are hoping to keep the momentum going!
Family
Come Follow Me
In December we finished up our study of the New Testament. It was such a beautiful year learning and connecting with our Savior and His apostles. In January, we began our study of The Book of Mormon. It feels like reconnecting with a good friend. It is so tender and spirit strengthening and we are loving every moment of our study.
Our bullet points of goodness:
- God is Love // Becoming Like Christ
- Heavenly Father’s Plan // Jesus Christ is Key
- The Latter Days // The War in Heaven
- Christmas // Jesus Christ’s Mission
- Final Judgment // Overcoming Babylon
- Book of Mormon // Being a Witness
- God Will Prepare a Way // The Word of God
- God Will Reveal Truth // Hold Fast to the Word of God
- Hold Fast to the Word of God // Armed with Righteousness and Power
- Savior’s Help with Life’s Challenges // Trials Can Be Blessings
- Agency and Accountability // Trials into Blessings
- Joseph Smith // Things of the Soul
- Atonement of Jesus Christ // Gift of Joy
Extra Resources: Come Follow Me – For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 // The Red Headed Hostess Subscription
History
In January, Jacob and Sarah finished their unit on Ancient History. This winter we learned about:
- Joseph in Egypt
- Moses and the Passover
- Egypt from 600 BC to Modern Day
We had lots of fun making unleavened bread while discussing the Passover.
At the end of February, we began our next unit which is all about the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. So far we have studied about ancient Britain and King Arthur. We even made some playdough so the kids could remake Stonehenge.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful History: Year 1
Science
We decided this year to shake things up a little with history and science. Rather then doing them both at the same time – we alternate between units. So we focus entirely on a unit of history and then when that is done we switch to science and go back and forth. I think we are all enjoying it! And it feels like we are getting through more (I can’t tell if that is actually true, but it makes me feel like it is!).
In January and February we learned about Kingdoms and Classification. This is probably my least favorite science unit. I had done it before we Jacob and it is just really not my thing. But Jacob and Sarah enjoyed it and I think we all learned a lot. Topics we covered, included:
- Introduction to Living Things
- Cells
- Classification
- Archaebacteria and Eubacteria Kingdoms
- Protista Kingdom
- Fungi Kingdom: Yeast, Molds, and Mushrooms
- Plantae Kingdom: Nonvascular and Vascular
- Plantae Kingdom: Gymnosperm and Angiosperm
- Animal Kingdom: Invertebrates
- Animal Kingdom: Vertebrates
- Taxonomist in Training: Classification Review
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Science: Kingdoms and Classification
Music Appreciation
A new subject we added this year was music appreciation. We have dabbled in this off and on over the years in our homeschool but we’ve really enjoyed how we are doing it this year. Jacob and Sarah are the only two currently doing it.
We are diving completely into one composer at a time. This winter they learned all about Sebastian Bach. I love that this curriculum combines literature, with biography, with listening to the actual compositions. It is also something Jacob and Sarah can do mostly independently and so that is great!
Curriculum: Music Appreciation Book 1
Jacob – Sixth Grade
Language Arts
Jacob is rocking his first year of middle school! He is very self motivated and I love his love of learning. He did have a little bit of a set back with language arts though. He was asked to participate in a pilot program for a new language arts and we signed up. It was very demanding and time consuming for us (you had to time various parts of the lesson and fill out a questionnaire for each lesson). He got almost a fourth of the way through that and they cancelled the program. It was really discouraging.
So the only option we had was to start over with the existing program for his level. He’s been working so hard but is not where he wished he was. He is over a third of the way done. It is one of those situations that is just what it is but was a hard one. He is doing amazing though.
Some things he has been up to this winter are: writing a magazine travel article, irregular plural nouns, plural nouns, homophones, ellipsis, spelling, vocabulary, editing, art, diagramming imperative sentences, poetry reading, run-on sentences, commas with dependent clauses, correlative conjunctions, shades of meaning and nuances, possessive pronouns and adjectives, capitalization with family relationships, quotation punctuation, Latin and Greek roots, writing an effective book summary, prepositional phrases and commas, diagramming compound sentences, and farther vs. further.
He also read Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett along with his curriculum.
In geography he studied the Great Barrier Reef and eucalyptus trees.
This year for art he is working with pastels! He did two projects this winter – Australian Sunrise and Eucalyptus Trees.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful: Language Arts – Level 6
Read Aloud and Handwriting
Jacob’s handwriting is beautiful – especially his cursive. I wish he would write in that style all of the time. But either way – it’s gorgeous! He listens to audio books while doing his handwriting – he is over half way through his book.
In January he finished, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and in February he finished, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful: Handwriting – Level 6
Math
Math continues to be Jacob’s favorite subject. He is almost half way through his level and is doing really well. He has definitely entered the phase that when he needs help I frequently have to look over the lesson to remind myself how to do things!
This winter he has learned: conversions between fractions, decimals, and percents, reciprocals and division with fractions, properties, coordinate planes, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of integers, square and cube roots, expressions, evaluating expressions, transformations on a coordinate plane and symmetry, geometric figures, measuring and constructing angles, interior angles of triangles and quadrilaterals, circles and semicircles, area and circumference of circles and semicircles, equations, finding the percent of a number, combining like terms, distributive property, factoring, solving equations with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, and fractions, and LOTS of work with percents!
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math 6
Creative Writing
Jacob takes his writing very seriously! He has become such an excellent writer. His stories are getting longer and longer and so he is moving slower through the program BUT his enthusiasm is so high I am just letting him work at his pace and not rushing his story. I will have to share one of them sometime. They are amazing!
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Creative Writing Notebook 1
Piano
The kids and I made a goal that we would prioritize piano this year. And we have been doing really well with it! Jacob has improved so much and it is a delight to see his growth and interest in music.
Jacob and Sarah did a Christmas recital for our family and grandparents and they did beautifully!
Resource: Faber Piano Adventures: Level 2A
Sarah – Third Grade
Language Arts
Sarah continues to be an absolute joy to teach. This is her last year where she will be working with me during her core subjects and I am trying to enjoy every minute. She is about a third of the way through her current level and learning a lot.
This winter she learned about: common and proper nouns, LOTS about prefixes and suffixes, synonyms and shades of meaning, LOTS about sentence diagramming, syllable types, what makes a book worth reading, adjectives and adverbs, heteronyms, LOTS of poetry, dictionaries, using complete sentences, idioms, commas in a series, LOTS on writing summaries, possessive nouns, and LOTS of animal poetry.
She has done a couple essay workshops on Switzerland and Austria.
We’ve also worked quite a bit on spelling. Some of the spelling rules Sarah has focused on is: DGE or GE and dropping the e, and 1-1-1.
Sarah also did a literature study on The Swiss Family Robinson.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts: Level 3
Read Aloud and Handwriting
The time has finally come this year for Sarah to learn cursive! She was so excited and has been begging to learn the last couple years. She is about a third of the way through her current book.
This winter she has read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling and Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Workbook Level 3
Math
Oh math. This year I made a mistake. Last summer, math was not going great for Ben or Sarah. I did not love how certain concepts were being taught and neither was grasping them as quickly as I hoped. So I did something I truly never do. I switched curriculum. Long story short, I was waiting for Sarah’s level to come out with a curriculum I had used in the past with Jacob and liked but the level never came out. So we wasted many many months doing no math waiting for this curriculum that never came.
Finally, this winter I knew we couldn’t wait any longer and we went back to what she was doing before. I was worried she might have lost some things but she has picked everything back up beautifully. However, we are very behind where I wished we were.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math 2
Typing
Sarah started typing last year but it wasn’t a good fit. So she has been trying it again this year and it is going so much better. She is over half way done and is progressing nicely.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Typing Level 1
Drawing
Sarah has cruised through her drawing this year! She finished her level this winter and she did a beautiful job. I love having art be a part of the kid’s education.
Resource: The Good and the Beautiful Draw Vintage Images Level 3
Weathering Your Emotions Journal
I first found this journal when I was looking for something with Jacob. It has been a wonderful resource for him and I thought it would be great for Sarah to do as well. She has really enjoyed working through it. She picks what she wants to do in it and it has been working great!
Resource: Weathering Your Emotions Journal
Piano
Sarah continues to love and do so well with her piano. She is very close to moving on to the next level and is SO excited!
Sarah did so well in her Christmas recital with Jacob back in December!
Resource: Faber Piano Adventures – Level 1
Benjamin – First Grade
Language Arts
I am so very proud of Ben. Bookwork has not come easy for him. BUT he is doing it! He has made so much progress this year – especially this winter. He is picking up things quicker and his overall feeling about learning has improved a lot and I am so grateful. Lots of answers to prayers.
He is over two-thirds of the way through his current curriculum and, again, I am seeing so much progress. I am very happy for him!
This winter he has been working on: LOTS with ending consonant blends, LOTS on spelling words with ending consonant blends, LOTS on reading words with SS, FF, and LL, syllables, neighborhood maps, LOTS on beginning consonant blends, spelling words with beginning consonant blends, LOTS on short words where Y says the long I sound, LOTS on reading words with AY, spelling words with AY, sight words, and punctuation fluency.
We read and discussed a couple short stories on honesty and kindness and spoke about having respectful conversations.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level K
Read Aloud and Handwriting
Ben is doing wonderful in his handwriting. He is about a third of the way through his book where he is working on his print.
This winter we have read All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald, and In Grandma’s Attic by Arletta Richardson.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Workbook Level 1
Math
So along with what I said earlier about Sarah, I paused Benjamin’s math as well. However, unlike Sarah, this other curriculum did have his level. He was working fine with it but the lessons were long and definitely starting to feel very tedious. I think we both started to feel it. Finally, Ben actually asked me if we could go back to the other math. I agreed.
As with Sarah, I was worried whether or not he would be able to jump right back in, but he has done so well! We are behind where I wished, but he will catch up and get there.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math K
Science
Ben is continuing to work through his science unit about fields and flowers. This winter he learned about desert plants, plants that eat, the parts of a plant, and edible plants.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Science: Fields and Flowers
Drawing
Ben is also in his first year of doing drawing. He is still feeling it out I think but he is moving forward well.
Resource: The Good and the Beautiful Draw Vintage Images Level 1
Lydia – Preschool II
All Aboard the Animal Train
Teaching Lydia has been a large learning curve. I am still learning how to tell what she is understanding. A BIG thing is that Lydia finally received her AAC device. This is really exciting but both of us are still learning. I have made peace with a lot of things with Lydie and spending quality time together, looking at books and other things bring us joy and that is how I plan to continue moving forward – at least for the next little bit.
We have been talking about rabbits and love and the color RED! We’ve been reading lots of books about bunnies, singing songs and looking for all things red.
Curriculum: My Father’s World: All Aboard the Animal Train
Physical Therapy
Lydia continues to do physical therapy once a week. It is not her favorite activity but she is continuing to keep her strength up and we are grateful for that.
Speech Therapy
The biggest thing Lydia is working on in speech is her AAC device. It is a learning curve even for her therapist but we are all figuring it out together!
Occupational Therapy
Lydia has been working hard in occupational therapy. We are currently trying to get some new arm/hand splints to keep her finger open. Right now she usually has her hands clenched and we are worried that they might get stiff and stay closed. So we are trying to anticipate some things that could happen soon and do our best to prevent.
Horse Therapy
Horse therapy continues to so fun for Lydie. It is cold in the winter but she gets all bundled up and is doing well. She is getting less and less fatigued and it has been exciting to see some progress!
Music Therapy
A new therapy for Lydie has been the addition of music therapy. This just seemed like a given because of Lydia’s deep love for music. I am not exactly sure what they do but Lydia always seems happy and they play and listen to a lot of music so it seems to be a win for Lydie!
Massage Therapy
Another new therapy for Lydie is MASSAGE! This is easily the favorite. It is the only therapy that comes to our home and I am so grateful for that. Lydie seems to genuinely enjoy it (who could blame her?!). It is her last therapy of the week and it feels like a sweet reward for her.
Final Thoughts
Grace. I have tried to give myself a whole lot of grace. And even though things were not as I wished when we began this winter – we are in such a better place as we leave winter behind. I am grateful for the growth we have made – in all of the ways! The kids are doing so well. And they have had a front row seat to a lot of real life. I am so grateful that we get to go through it all together. This time together is precious and I am leaning into it a lot this season.
