This blog is my attempt to document our busy but BLESSED lives raising and educating our children for His glory. A child of God, wife to one, and mom to 6 fabulous kids. We are in our 15th year of homeschooling using a Classical ~ Literature based approach.

Come along for the good, the bad & the ugly.



Thursday, May 26, 2022

2022 - 2023 Plan of Study

 Hi there friends! We are wrapping up year 13, yet we are looking forward to starting the new school year in August. All three kids made great strides this past year and I am so proud of them all for pushing through and excelling. 

image credit

Next school year we will begin our 14th year of home education and we will have a 10thgrader, 7th grader, and a 3rd grader. This year only Montana will be taking online classes as I jump back into the saddle teaching full time. My break was great and much needed, but now I am ready to get back into the grind of daily teaching and learning with the kids.

We will continue to school 4 days a week for McKenzie and Micah while Montana will do a traditional 5 days for Sophomore year of high school. It may become necessary to adjust our days for McKenzie because of her gymnastics schedule, something we did at this grade for Mikayla. To do this we will add in Saturday school, but for now we are planning on just four days. 

Right now our plan is to start our new year on August 1st. I may have to adjust this since the University girls need to get back to school mid-August but that is what I am planning. I’m also looking forward to going back to our Sabbath scheduling. This year we will school 9 weeks on / 1 Sabbath week off. It might get a little tricky for Montana as she is taking three online classes again, but we will make it work and make sure she gets her rest when needed too.

Without further ado here is our 2022 – 2023 Plan of Study…

Another year of high school is upon us for Montana! She has excelled in the three online courses she took with Veritas Scholars Academy with final grades ranging from 96-99%! We will continue to utilize VSA for three more of her courses for 10th grade. Montana has narrowed down what she thinks she wants to be after University, either a Veterinarian or a Medical Examiner. She wants to study art on the side and is interested in animation. Now, don’t be super alarmed at the amount of credits she is taking because everything will not be done every single day. I wanted to make room in her course load to include classes she is interested in as well as our required courses. The schedule will definitely adjust if need be, especially if she starts to get overwhelmed. Here’s what Montana will be learning next school year to earn 10 high school credits. 

10th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

Apologetics, 1 cr:

~ Sonlight Core 300

~ It Couldn’t Just Happen *she will just read this a few times a week

Math, 1 cr:

~ Saxon Algebra 2 with DIVE lecture or OutSchool lecture course 

Honors English II, 1 cr:

~ Rod & Staff 9/10, Book 2

~ Composition 2, online with Veritas Scholars Academy

~ Literature: Sonlight 20th Century Classic Literature

~ Article of the Week {current events only- not the writing portion}

Vocabulary Virtuoso: PSAT-SAT Book 1

 

Honors Chemistry, 1 cr:

~ Chemistry, online with Veritas Scholars Academy

 

Honors History/Geography, 1 cr:

~ Sonlight Core 300 : 20th Century WorldHistory


Honors Foreign Language, 1 cr:

~ Avancemos  Spanish 2, online with Veritas Scholars Academy

 

 Music Study, ½ cr:

 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation


Art , ½ cr:

~ (2-3) 2D /3D Animation courses on OutSchool

 

Philosophy, 1 cr:

 ~ The Discovery of Deduction

 

Home Ec, 1 cr:

Home Economics Household and Personal Management Skills
~ Home Economics Kitchen Skills

 

PE, ½  cr:

~ Rec Softball {Fall/Spring}

 

Drivers Ed, ½ cr: (1st  semester)

 

Extras:

Montana also works as a Mother’s Helper 5 hours a week

 ~ PSAT prep ~ 45 minutes/day, 4 days a week 

 

* Just as my older girls have done, Montana will sit for the PSAT in October to get her first look and baseline score as a 10th grader. 

 

Total credits ~ 10.00

 

 

McKenzie has made huge strides over the last year, especially in her reading, Latin, and spelling! For 6th grade she took two online courses, Apologia General Science and Latin Transition 1 with Veritas Scholars Academy. It was a great fit and the right amount of push she needed. This year she will not be taking any online courses because of timing issues, but hopefully next year course times will work a bit better for her schedule. McKenzie is still interested in being either a Chemist or a Gymnastics Coach/Manager. I’m excited to be feeding her excitement for studying Chemistry this year. Here’s what McKenzie will be learning.

7th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

Apologetics:

~ Sonlight Bible H

~ It Couldn’t Just Happen *we are going to use this as a devotional and stretch it to fit the whole school year with the lesson plans I have.

Recitation:

~ Rhetoric/Latin/Math memory work from Classical Conversations

Math:

~ * At My Pace Pre-Algebra with High School Math Live

~ Pre-Algebra with Saxon 8/7 using DIVE

*we are currently reviewing the first half of this math program.

Language Arts:

~ Rod & Staff Grammar 7

~ Rod & Staff Spelling 6

~ Sonlight Literature H

~ Doodle & Do Vocabulary

~ Analogies For Us All from CC Challenge A

~ IEW Structure & Style, Level B

~ Current Events with World Magazine

History:

~ Sonlight Core H

Geography:

~ CC Cartography course from Challenge A

Latin, 1 cr:

~ Latin Alive 2 *we will count this course for high school credit


Logic:
~ Fallacy Dectective 

Science:

~ Elemental Science Chemistry for Logic Stage

PE:

~ Level 8 (9) Developmental Program Gymnastics Team, 26 hours/week

Extras:

~ co-op enrichment courses

Total credit ~ 1.00

Micah is moving ahead to 3rd grade, wow! It seems just like yesterday that he was just going into Kindergarten. Cliché, I know, but nonetheless I am excited that my baby boy is growing up. He is a strong reader (yes!) and doing great in math as well. Years ago I did Classical Conversations Foundations at home with the older girls so I am planning on doing the same this year with Micah. We will be focusing on the memory work for Recitation as we work through Sonlight’s Core C that we dropped for 2nd grade. Micah is also looking forward to starting his formal study of Latin this year. As of right now he would like to be a baseball player or a military officer. Here’s what Micah will be learning next school year.

3rd Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

Apologetics:

~ Sonlight Bible C

~ Thy Ology

Recitation:

~ Classical Conversations Foundations Memory work (at home)

Math:

~ Saxon Math 3 

Language Arts:

~ Rod & Staff Grammar 3

~ Rod & Staff Spelling 4

~ Sonlight Literature 3/4 Readers

~ A Reason for Writing, C

~ Writing across the curriculum

History / Geography:

~ Sonlight Core C

Latin:

~ Latin for Children A

Science:

~ Elemental Science Chemistry for Grammar Stage

PE:

~ Fall / Spring baseball

Extras:

~ co-op enrichment courses

~ Cub Scouts Wolf

Thanks for reading our plans! Have you started thinking about what you will use for next school year? I would love to hear your plans! Drop me a note below in the comments and let’s keep the conversation going.




 © 2008 - 2022 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

English Communication Skills ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations. 


 Morning friends! We are literally just days away from the end of our school year…THE FINAL COUNTDOWN is upon us and it feels so good! But first I wanted to share with you an easy to use homeschool curriculum for your middle schoolers. For the last several weeks my 6th grade daughter, McKenzie, has been using the English Communication Skills from Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum to finish out her grammar lessons for the year. 

Dr. Johnson and his wife, Nancy founded Paradigm Alternative Center in Dublin, Texas with the mission of producing curriculum with superior academics while building character development. Since Paradigm’s courses are created for independent learning, parents have less prep work to get lessons taught while still being confident that your student is getting a quality education. 
We received the physical copy of the Full Course Kit for the English Communication Skills in addition to the digital downloads of each too. The full curriculum kit includes: ~ 5 Text booklets ~ 5 Activity booklets ~ Teacher Resource Kit 

This curriculum is a comprehensive course geared for seventh graders, however, it can be used in 7-12 grades if your student need extra practice or a review of these skills. The books are divided up into topics to be studied. Students will learn how to construct sentences, paragraphs, essays, letters, and other forms of communication necessary for successful communication. Each of the 15 lessons are divided into three sections and are designed to engage both the right and left brain hemispheres. There are also activities to complete in the Activity books. The questions asked in the Activity books are asked in chronological order as the student has read in the text. So it is suggested that the student read the paragraph, then answer the questions. After every five lessons the student should then take a section quiz. 

The Teacher’s Resource Kit (TRK) includes all the answers to the activity questions, section quizzes, chapter tests. The TRK also includes helpful forms such as a Transcript Planner, Academic Goals chart, and an Academic Contract for the course. 

 Overall, this has been a great course for McKenzie. She did enjoy that the work was easy to complete each day. She did have to look back in the reading at the beginning to make sure she was reading the questions correctly, but that is a great skill to have. As of right now, she will continue to work through this course over the course of our summer revision. Several of my CrewMates were able to review this and other curriculum from Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum, be sure to click the banner below to find out what they thought of this course as well as 
 Company ~ Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum 
 Product ~ English Communication Skills (7th grade) 
 Format ~ physical books and digital download 
Ages ~ geared for 7th graders but appropriate for 7-12th grades Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum 




Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Wordless Wednesday


 

© 2008 - 2022 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.


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Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Farmyard Faith ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations. 

Whatsoever Stories
Hi friends! Today I am excited to share with you a new book called Farmyard Faith from Whatsoever Stories. The book tells you of the true-life story of Kinsey Rockett, who at just 9 years old faced a dramatic life change when her family picked up roots from the suburbs and headed to the country to live. The short stories within the 203 pages of this paperback book are meant to inspire the reader and lead them to a closer walk with the Lord.

Whatsoever Stories is the brainchild of Kinsey Rockett, a homeschool graduate. She writes wholesome stories that families can enjoy together or ones that you wouldn’t mind handing over to your child. She currently has three books in her series, these one and two fiction books called Trial at the Ridge and Prisoner of War.
  
Not only did the Rockett family change their daily scenery, but they also moved to an entirely different part of the state during 2008. 

Over the course of the books 26 chapters, Kinsey, takes us along on her country life adventures and shows us her heart and how the Lord used each challenging situation for his glory and to help her grow as a person.
  
Reading this book with McKenzie (12) and Micah (7) has been a joy. We have been using this book as part of our daily read-aloud during the evening after dinner. Since the chapters are short, it’s easy to read just one a night. We would like to be able to move to a farm in a few years and reading these stories has given us a glimpse of how life with farm animals and farm chores could be. We all really like that a photo is included for just about every chapter. It gives us a glimpse of the animals or scenery in the story and makes us feel as if we are there.    

The stories are all well written and this book has definitely earned a spot on our bookshelf. I am glad that we had a chance to read this book. We will continue to keep reading each night until we finish. We all look forward to the adventures that Kinsey gets into and seeing how the Lord is going to use her. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a great story to read. This book would make a great summer reader. Thirty-four of my CrewMates also reviewed this book and the following other books. Be sure to click the banner below to read their thoughts.

Christian Fiction Stories
 

Company ~ Whatsoever Stories 
 Product ~ Farmyard Faith 
 Format ~ paperback book, ISBN 978-1-63961-003-7 Price ~ $15.95 
 Ages ~ 10 years old through adult
  Whatsoever Stories


© 2008 - 2022 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 https://astablebeginning.com

Friday, May 6, 2022

Grow with me toys with the LeapStart® Learning Success Bundle™ from LeapFrog ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.
Morning friends! It’s a beautiful day in our neighborhood (at least until this afternoon when the storms will roll in) today and I am excited to tell you about the LeapStart® Learning Success Bundle™ that Micah, my 7 year-old son, has been playing with from LeapFrog

LeapFrog
LeapFrog is a well-known company that has been around for more than 20 years encouraging a child’s natural love of learning and curiosity. I can remember buying our oldest her first LeapFrog learning toys when she was a little toddler. By turning playtime into quality learning time LeapFrog has been able to help so many children gain confidence in their learning abilities.

We were blessed to receive the Learning Success Bundle a few weeks ago. The complete system includes: 
~ Go! Go! Cory Carson® Cory Carson Superhero School™ Book 
~ Additional Activity Book 
~ Stylus 
~ USB Cable 
~ Instruction Manual 
The LeapStart Learning System is about the size of a 13” laptop but opens up like a book. A chunky stylus pen is attached by a cord and is the perfect size for the growing child’s hand. By touching the pen to a word or picture in one of the interactive books initiates the reading of words.
This learning systems works with all LeapStart® books but not the LeapReader® books. The system currently has 24 books acroos the four different reading levels. Reading levels break down as follows: 
Level 1 ~ Preschool books 
Level 2 ~ Pre-Kindergarten books 
Level 3 ~ Kindergarten books 
Learn to Read series 
Even though this is not a complete learn to read system, it has great value in getting kids interested in the process of reading. Micah is already reading, but he was able to still play with this system. 
The additional activity book has a fun sampler of what is included in some of the other books available to purchase. He especially enjoyed playing with the musical notes and different instruments found on the front cover of the system. By far, the chicken sounds were his favorite! 
 The LeapStart® Learning Success Bundle™ is perfect for young children just learning to read! The activities in the books are engaging and fun while providing learning in disguise opportunities. Seventeen of my CrewMates also reviewed this interactive toy so be sure to click the banner below to read their thoughts too. LeapFrog

Company ~ LeapFrog 
 Format ~ physical set 
 Price ~ $29.96 on Amazon 
 Ages ~ 2 – 7 years old
LeapFrog
Find LeapFrog on these Social Media sites: 


© 2008 - 2022 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.


https://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Wordless Wednesday

 


© 2008 - 2022 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.


https://astablebeginning.com