Thoughts this Winter
Oh goodness. As we leave this winter season behind us I am filled with all sorts of feelings. The last couple months have been rough. Ever since the beginning of December when we had Lydia’s big appointment with our developmental specialist, we have been going full throttle with appointments for Lydia. We have been driving down to Primary’s several times a month for the last three months and I am burned out. Plus, all of Lydia’s therapy that she receives here at home just has made things feel very busy.
I had a moment about two months ago when I thought, I just don’t know if I can keep doing homeschool. This was the first time in four years I have had this thought. I am grateful though that it was fleeting. I immediately took it to prayer and felt peace about continuing. Things are not easy right now. And I don’t know if that’s going to change anytime soon. We are in the middle of some life changes for our family and we need to adapt.
One thing I am grateful for is that we decided to embrace the idea of year round homeschooling two years ago. I always viewed that for us as more of a traditional school schedule and then summer-lite. Now (or at least this year!), it’s probably going to look more like FULL year round homeschool. We are a lot further “behind” where I would like to be this time of year, but we will just keep plugging along. I feel peace in knowing that this year, maybe the biggest lesson my children (and Mark and I) needed to learn was faith through adversity – and I think we are learning that.
FAMILY
Come Follow Me
We finished our study of the Book of Mormon and it was incredible. We grew so much as a family and closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. To finish our study, we read the book of Moroni and focused on the Christmas story.
Now for our final bullet points of goodness from the Book of Mormon (aka what we learned):
- I take the sacrament to show that I will always remember Jesus Christ.
- I can prepare to be baptized.
- I am blessed when I go to church.
- If I have faith, I can do whatever God needs me to do.
- Believing in Jesus Christ can give me hope.
- “Charity is the pure love of Christ.”
- I can know for myself that the Book of Mormon is true.
- Heavenly Father gives me spiritual gifts.
- Jesus Christ wants me to come unto Him.
- Jesus Christ was born to be my Savior.
- The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ.
In January, we began our study of the Doctrine and Covenants. Oh boy, it has been so good. It has been filling to my spirit to dive into the restoration of the Lord’s church on the earth. I am hoping to do a post explaining more about what we are doing specifically this year, because it’s been FANTASTIC. We will see when that happens 😋!
Our first Doctrine and Covenants bullet points of goodness:
- Through His prophets, the Lord warns us of spiritual danger.
- Joseph Smith is God’s prophet.
- The prophet’s words are God’s words.
- Joseph Smith was prepared to be a prophet of God.
- Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers.
- Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
- Heavenly Father called Joseph Smith to help Him do His work.
- Elijah gave Joseph Smith power to seal families together.
- Learning about my ancestors can bring me joy.
- I can choose the right when others try to get me to do wrong.
- The Lord needs me to do His work.
- We have received the word of God through Joseph Smith.
- Heavenly Father can speak to us through the Holy Ghost.
- With the Savior’s help, I don’t need to be afraid.
- When I pray always, Heavenly Father will bless me.
- The Holy Ghost leads me to do good.
- John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood.
- The priesthood is God’s power.
- I can be baptized.
- I can help the Lord do His work.
- I can help others come closer to Jesus Christ.
- I can be a witness of the things God has done for me.
- Each of us is of great worth to God.
- Sharing the gospel brings great joy.
- Jesus Christ obeyed Heavenly Father, even when it was hard.
Extra Resources: The Red Headed Hostess
Science
This fall was ALL about MAMMALS! We have done a lot of science units over the years – but this one just might be my favorite. The kiddos and I loved everything about this unit. You can read my full review HERE.
This winter we covered felines, canines, monotremes, marsupials, bats, rodents, bears, and endangered mammals.
In February, we started our unit on ENERGY. Jacob and I did this unit before (when he was in kindergarten!) but it has been adapted since then and I have liked the changes so far. It actually used to be two units but has been molded into one which I have really liked.
We have only done one lesson but it was full of experiments and activities and so the kids are PUMPED for more! So far we have learned WHAT energy is! More to come!
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Science: Mammals; The Good and the Beautiful Science: Energy
Art
My kiddos love art! It is definitely a highlight for them but, sadly, one that we have definitely neglected this winter. But the kiddos did do three projects. We went to the basics and made a watercolor wheel, made a Van Gogh inspired night, and made a snowman!
Resource: Let’s Make Art Kids Catalog
Christmas
December we spent a lot of time doing some “Christmas School”. We had so much fun with it! All of the details are HERE.
Black History Month & President’s Day
I’ve also been trying to add a little more extras. This was some extras we added for black history month and President’s Day. All of the info HERE.
JACOB {3rd Grade}
Language Arts
Jacob finished up his second unit and is slowly chugging along. In unit two he learned about spelling rule #5, the many forms of visual art, commas in dates, idioms, and how to decode difficult words.
We had an awesome lesson about the artist, Edmund Adler. And in geography, we focused on the Netherlands.
Jacob is over halfway through unit three now and the highlight of this unit was definitely reading The Kingdom of Kind. I wish this book was available to purchase because I would buy it in a heartbeat. Jacob and I were always wanting to read on past the lesson. It was a beautiful story with many beautiful lessons.
We also covered spelling rule #6 and #7, worked more on decoding difficult words, and spent a lot of time talking about messages and themes in a book – and WHY its important. It’s become a topic I’ve grown very passionate about and love to see Jacob developing his own feelings about it as well.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts: Level 3
Read Aloud
In January we finished The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and we loved it. It is a beautiful classic and I highly recommend it.
Now, we are reading At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald. I had never heard of this book before but it was recommended to me and I have to admit…it’s not my favorite. I have struggled to get into it the entire time, but Jacob enjoyed it at the beginning, but even he feels like it has lost some of its magic. But…we continue. I’ve thought about stopping several times but Jacob and I decided together that we would see it through. And just to note, the story itself is very sweet, it’s just really slow paced and long.
Click HERE for our read aloud list for third grade.
Handwriting
Our handwriting continues to be slow moving. Not because its hard, it’s just I always have Jacob do it while I read aloud to him and that hasn’t been happening pretty regularly. We are barely halfway through his book but we will just keep on keeping on. Jacob continues to love learning cursive though and I am always impressed with how neat his handwriting is. I love these books!
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting: Level 3
Math
Jacob finished Level 2 of Math!!! He (and I!) were SO EXCITED! It’s been wonderful but it is always so exciting to move on to another level. Jacob only had a little bit left in his final unit on FRACTIONS in Level 2. He learned about dividing groups and solving two-step story problems.
We have really enjoyed Level 3! Jacob finished his first unit this winter all about MULTIPLICATION. It never ceases to amaze me how well thought out our curriculum is – especially since it is “new”. Level 2 focused a lot on skip counting in math which is something I don’t remember ever learning except for by 2s and 5s. But when I introduced multiplication to Jacob he was like “duh” this is so easy! He picked it up without blinking an eye and it was so neat to see.
Level three saw Jacob learning: arrays, multiplying by 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10, volume and multiplication, commutative property, polygons and quadrilaterals, multiplication and measurement, logical thinking, number line jumping, metric system, giving to the other, multiplication word problems, mental math strategies, expressions of time, intervals of time, metric system and multiplication, volume, multiplying with unknowns, multiplication and money, associative property of multiplication, and square numbers.
We also learned about two mathematicians: Euclid and Omar Khayyam. FASCINATING!
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math: Level 2; The Good and the Beautiful Math: Level 3
History
History is a subject we are painfully behind in. This winter we started our second unit which was about ANCIENT AFRICA and NATIVE NORTH AMERICANS.
I loved our study about ancient Africa. It was a subject I, sadly, knew very little about before. We learned about the geography and climate, family life, trade, skills, education, and religion. We also talked about the ancient kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
Then we kind of shifted gears to Native North Americans. We reviewed them as a whole as well as the geography. And now we are breaking about into smaller culture areas. So far we have reviewed the Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, and Plateau culture areas.
This unit we read Tikta’liktak: An Inuit-Eskimo Legend by James Houston. This was a really quick read but was perfect for the subject and Jacob’s age level. It was engaging and really dived into the arctic region of Native American life (plus it had polar bears so it was an instant hit with Jacob!). I would definitely recommend it. The only thing is that I started it at the beginning of our unit, and since it is a quick read, I would wait to start it when you began your study of Native North Americans, rather than when we you are learning about ancient Africa at the beginning.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful History Year 3
Typing
Typing is the ONE subject that we are actually where I would like to be! So WOOT WOOT!!! It’s probably because I leave this 100% to Jacob and he does really well with it! Jacob is about 3/4 of the way done and should be easily finished with it this spring.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Typing: Level 2
Drawing
Jacob has loved doing his drawing. This is another thing that he does independently and just loves it. He would sit and do it ALL DAY if I let him, but he is moving forward nicely. He finished his level one book and has moved on to level two. He loves the extra challenge and has even begun designing backgrounds for his sketches. They are so fun and I love that he is taking such pride in his work.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Drawing: Vintage Images Level 1; The Good and the Beautiful Drawing: Vintage Images Level 2
Piano
Piano continues to get better and better. In December, Jacob and Sarah put on a Christmas recital and they did so well! I was really proud of him for all of his hard work.
Curriculum: Faber Piano Adventures: Level 1
Sarah {Kindergarten}
Language Arts
Sarah is doing so well with her reading. She is HIGHLY MOTIVATED and I love her enthusiasm. She finished up her second unit and focused on B and D recognition, short words with long vowel sounds, and simple AY words.
Once Sarah moved into her third unit she was SO EXCITED to begin her “reader”. She officially feels like a big girl now! In unit three, she has learned about sentences, beginning consonant blends, silent e, and capitalization rules. We also had a really great lesson about honesty that was just awesome.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts: Level K
Read Alouds
Sarah and I breezed through all of the read alouds I had planned for this year! They have all been so fun though and I’ve extended her list for more goodness! This winter we read:
- Lumber Camp Library by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock: This is such a sweet story about a young girl who falls in love with reading and takes her passion for learning to help others. It is a sweet story of family. Highly recommend this one!
- Logan Pryce Makes a Mess by Grace Gilmore: (QUICK READ) This is the first book in a series and we really enjoyed it. This book is a chapter book but has pictures on every page and so is great for younger audiences.
- The Flop-Eared Hound by Ellis Credle: (QUICK READ)
- Three Dollar Mule by Clyde Robert Bulla: (QUICK READ) I love Clyde Robert Bulla books for this age. This is a fun story about a boy who gets a mule that is not the most likeable creature at first. It’s a great story of friendship.
- A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman: (QUICK READ) This is another one of our favorites. It’s a clever story that takes place in China and is a great read + you can even incorporate some math!
- A Little Princess by Andrea Posner-Sanchez and Lorena Alvarez: (QUICK READ) This is a Little Golden Book version, so it is a very quick read, but really darling. I felt like it stayed really true to the classic and helps dip your toes into the stories.
- Freddy and Linda by Jane Quigg: This is another great story of friendship between two young children and some of their adventures together. It’s a sweet story and takes you back to the times we wish we could give our children.
Click HERE for our complete list of read alouds for Sarah this year.
Handwriting
Sarah is progressing well with her handwriting. She has moved into a smaller print size to practice and is doing well. We have also been working on her writing her first AND last name.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting: Level K
Math
Sarah finished her second unit in math and is doing really well. She always wants to be skipping ahead but she is moving along well. Her second unit was all about ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION. She learned subtraction, the minus symbol, taking away from five, making squares, taking away with tally marks, making five, making and taking four, making hexagons, plus one, minus one, growing patterns, counting by twos, adding two, adding two to odds, adding three numbers, commutative property, subtracting two, number line subtraction, story problems, doubles 1-5, and began some fact families.
We have now moved onto her third unit which is all about NUMBERS UP TO 20. We’ve barely begun, but she has learned adding on to five and five plus.
Curriculum: The Good and the Beautiful Math: Level K
Piano
Sarah is such a good little student. She loves to practice her piano and is doing really well. She was so excited to be able to participate in our little family Christmas recital in December – her first!
Curriculum: Faber Piano Adventures: Primer Level
Benjamin {Preschool}
All Aboard the Animal Train
Kindness / Cat / Purple
Benjamin loves when it is his time to do school. He definitely wants to do more but I feel like what we do is perfect for him right now. The activities in each unit are very similar (if not the same) and just tweaked based on the themes. But I also think that repetitive schedule is good for this age.
This unit we read lots of stories about kindness and kitties, made purple yogurt popsicles, ate grape jelly, sang songs, learned new shapes, and made purple playdough.
Curriculum: My Father’s World All Aboard the Animal Train
Sharing / Lion / Green
We definitely whipped out our Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss book in this unit – and had to make some of course! We made some kiwi popsicles ate guacamole, read lots of stories about lions and sharing, colored, and sang more songs! We also added some time learning about trains!
Final Thoughts
This was a rough season for our family – and that filtered into our learning. We may not have learned as much as I would have liked from our books, but the kiddos are doing well. I go through days where I feel guilty about it. I wish there was more of me to spread around. But most of the time, I try really hard to remind myself that THAT is part of homeschooling. The merging of LIFE with LEARNING. And the kids are seeing and a part of all of that right now.
