Our first official year of homeschool is almost complete. (Our 2020-2021 school year for our kindergartener and first grader in Alaska was “school at home” not homeschool due to muliple variables.) So… what does our homeshool day look like today?
We use Calico Spanish for our language learning and start the day with our Spanish calendar.
In addition to the Total Physical Response (TPR) activities, we read Spanish comic books and complete lessons in workbooks.
We also begin our day with prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, the 4H Pledge and New Mexico State Flag Pledge:
“I salute the flag of the state of New Mexico, the Zia symbol of perfect friendship among united cultures.”
We discuss and study our weekly Biblical memory treasures (Bible verse, Hymn, Catechism teaching) provided by daddy.
Both our children were struggling with the new math method they used in public school in Alaska and New Mexico. I decided to go back to the beginning of how I learned, Saxon Math – “original” editions thanks to online thrift book shops. We also use Xtramath which the kids adore to use.
We are currently taking a break from our The Story of the World history series and studying the presidents outlined in Presidents of the United States and watch YouTube videos, offering additional details. As an adult, I find these fact finding presidental studies fascinating. It is interesting to see the similar division of our country in the mid-1800’s and now-different issues but the same opposing deep opinions, sometimes even hatred. Our daughter continues to pray for our nation to be the UNITED States of America instead of the DIVIDED states of America. Amen.
A core program called Brave Writer offers an abundant variety of resources for English Language Arts. We are reading through a list of nine recommended books to “enjoy literature while learning grammar, spelling, punctuation, and reading comprehension.”
We are also using their Partnership Writing Program that “offers ten engaging, academically-sound writing projects and a host of oral language activities that help emerging writers grow into powerful communicators.”
Right now, both kids are working on the imaginary chain of islands which fits in well with the current book we are reading, Land of Roar. This week they are adding vegetation and topographical features to their maps coordinated with a legend they design.
Our son is in his third year of violin instruction and our daughter began learning to play the guitar. Both of them have amazing teachers who go beyond the role of a teacher and really care about their students.
Handwriting Without Tears has been with us since our toddler years. Now we are using their cursive books. We also use an online typing program to work on their keyboarding skills.
We use Getting To Know The Worlds Greatest Artists series to learn about different artists and do a different art project similiar to the artwork we are studying.
We also have two bunnies, who continue to teach all of us to love and care for them. Hopscotch is a mix of a rabbit we adopted from our backyard in Alaska five years ago. Scout is a Broken Chocolate Havana we adopted at a Rabbit Clinic/Workshop last month. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on Christmas Eve.
We are thankful for all the community educational resources, activities and opportunities at the public library, E3 Museum, Weekly Homeschool Enrichment Program, 4H club & programs (e.g. Hop-A-Long for bunnies & their owners), Riverside Nature Center, science classes and summer program Kids Kollege at San Juan College, homeschool PE group, homeschool mountain bike classes, Four Corners Equine Rescue, coordinated field trips (Telluride, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, Alburquerque Zoo…), Ski club at Wolf Creek, CO and other families in our Four Corners Homeschool Community.
KNECHTTREK 