History Social Studies and Science...VCF Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Virtual Curriculum Fair hosted by Susan at Homeschooling Hearts and Minds, and this week's co-host Stacie @ Super Mommy to the Rescue This weeks posts are all about History, Social Studies and Science.

We are relying very heavily on our co-op in these subjects this year.  For our youngest kids we are using Apologia Science Young Explorers Flying Creatures of the 5th Day and Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day  The little girls are thoroughly enjoying Science.  The books have bright interesting pictures and fun activities to go along with each chapter.  We are looking forward to purchasing Land Animals of the 6th Day for next year.

Our teen daughter is using Apologia Biology in Co-op.  I personally never took biology and was afraid to teach it, I am very thankful for the wonderful lady who is teaching this course at our co-op.

For History, one of the little girls is studying early American History using History Pockets.  Together we are all working on geography.  We have joined a 50 state postcard exchange on Facebook and will be learning about all the states as we receive our cards each month.  This is a new project and will not be completed until October. Go to the facebook page if you are interesting in participating, there may still be a few openings.

Check out the links below to see what's working for other homeschool families!

Exploring World History Through the Eyes of Scientists by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Exploring Our World With Social Studies by Stacie @ Super Mommy to the Rescue
Relaxed Homeschooling: Science and Social Studies in the Early Elementary Years by Brittney @ Mom's Heart
Living History by Sarah @ Delivering Grace
Classically Influenced, Project Strong, Adaptable Middle School History by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
Primary Sources for Delight-Directed History by Susan @ The Every Day of Education
Watching History, or Using Video Courses for Social Studies by Debra @ Footprints in the Butter
Exploring our World: High School Studies of Ancient History, American Government and Economics by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
History, Geography, and Worldview Lessons in Our Homeschool by Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life
Our Curriculum Choices 2015 ~ Science, History & Geography by Renata @ Sunnyside Farm Fun
Our Favorites for History, Geography, and Science by Becky @ Milo & Oats
Globe Trotting by Lisa @ Golden Grasses
Around The World by Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Bible-Based History Curriculum and Resources by Tauna @ Proverbial Homemaker
13 Living Book History Series for a Charlotte Mason Based Homeschool by Chelli @ The Planted Trees
Social Studies and Science in Our Classical / Charlotte Mason Homeschool by Sharra @ The Homeschool Marm
The Science Life by Laura @ Four Little Penguins
History, Geography Science for 2015 by Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
History Social Studies and Science...VCF Week 3 by Denise @ Fullnest
Learning About our World and History by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Taking the Mystery Out of History and Other Subjects Too With Our Favorite History Curriculum by Amy @ One Blessed Mamma

Math for ALL ages!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Virtual Curriculum Fair hosted by Susan at Homeschooling Hearts and Minds, and this week's co-host Laura @ Day By Day in our World.

My 7 yr old and 9 yr old are learning practical math....we count everything, we talk about money and count it and they randomly quiz each other on math facts.  When we bake, we work on fractions, both understanding the concept of fractions and the practical side of converting, adding and subtracting.  They have Brain Quest workbooks which have a great math section which they use a few times a week, mainly to stay in practice when it comes to figuring math equations on paper.

The Teens, are using Saxon Algebra 1 and Saxon Algebra 2.  I have to say that co-op has been a life saver for me in this area of math. There is a homeschool kit that can be purchased which contains the textbook, teacher's manual, tests and answer key.  My 16 year old son struggled with Algebra 2 in an online virtual school last year, so this year he is retaking Algebra 1 with his sister and retaking Algebra 2 simultaneously.  Half way through the year we are seeing major progress in his math skills!  I purchased these textbooks used on Amazon and have been very pleased with the quality.


Use the links below to visit more of the Homeschool Virtual Curriculum Fair

Learning about Patterns in Our World Through Math and Science by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
Relaxed Homeschooling: Mathematics in the Early Elementary Years by Brittney @ Mom's Heart
Using a Bible-Based Math Curriculum by Tauna M @ Proverbial Homemaker
Math, Science and Logic for 2015 by Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Playing with Numbers by Sarah @ Delivering Grace
Unschooling Science by Kristen H. @ Sunrise to Sunset
Logically Speaking: Math, Science, and Logic for 7th Grade  by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
Numbers and Molecules! by Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Math and Science in Our Homeschool by Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life
5 Math & Logic Resources We Love by Becky @ Milo & Oats
Giving Your Kids The Right Start With Math by Amy @ One Blessed Mamma
Math in Our Classical / Charlotte Mason Homeschool by Sharra @ The Homeschool Marm
Classical STEM by Lisa @ Golden Grasses
Math, Science and Logic - How do we Tackle Them? by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
The Physics of Delight-Directed Learning by Susan @ The Every Day of Education
Tackling High School Science by Debra @ Footprints in the Butter
Choosing Math Curriculum for Special Learners by Heather @ Only Passionate Curiosity
Math for all ages by Denise @ Fullnest
Middle School Monday - Math With Fred by Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Learning With Math and Science Resources  by Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road

Reading & Writing in our Homeschool....Virtual Curriculum Fair Week 1

I am participating in a Virtual Curriculum Fair this month with a group of homeschool bloggers.  This is our first year choosing all our own curriculum and homeschooling independently and it is going GREAT!  Making choices can be completely overwhelming.  I have looked at a lot of different options for my four homeschoolers and now that we are halfway through the year, I am surprisingly happy with everything we are using.

Lets start with the youngest and work our way up.  She is 7 and a reluctant reader, but she LOVES to write.  We are using Five in a Row in our once per week co-op and at home we are working on  Explode the Code.  We have an extensive home library and access to two wonderful public libraries as well, so there is never a shortage of good story books.

Our next child is 9 and she is a voracious reader.  She recently finished both the Harry Potter series and the Percy Jackson series.  At co-op she is using the IEW workbook All things Fun and Fascinating, it is a fantastic book and is helping to bring her writing skills up to the level of her reading skills.  This is NOT an easy book and is probably best for kids working at a 5th to 6th grade level or higher in language arts.

The teens are 9th and 11th grade and using The Lost Tools of Writing.  This is a great program.  The difficulty can be adjusted depending on what books the students read.

Click on the links below to visit other homeschoolers participating in the Virtual Curriculum Fair.  Check back next week, we'll be talking about MATH.









Co-Hosted by:
Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
Stacie @ Super Mommy to the Rescue
Lisa @ Golden Grasses
We are being joined by these lovely bloggers:
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Brittney @ Mom's Heart
Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road
Becky @ Milo & Oats
Tauna @ Proverbial Homemaker
Amy @ One Blessed Mamma
Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset
Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Sarah @ Delivering Grace
Kristi @ The Potter's Hand Academy
Hillary @ Walking Fruitfully
Heather @ Only Passionate Curiosity
Susan @ The Every Day of Education
Debra @Footprints in the Butter
Jennifer @ a Glimpse of our life
Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning
Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
Renata @ Sunnyside Farm Fun
Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun
Chelli @ The Planted Trees
Denise @ Fullnest
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Laura @ Four Little Penguins

We had an unexpected visit from Hubby's Dad at Thanksgiving

I'm copying and pasting from Hubby's facebook:

It has been 26 years since my father died. In one way or another he's always around especially at this time of year. This year he decided to come join us for Thanksgiving.
My son, Mason, had some Sailor Jerry's spiced rum. I noticed a pinup girl on the label and thought it looked familiar but didn't really think much about it. Later in the evening Mason asked if I'd ever had or seen Sailor Jerry's before. I hadn't and he told us that all the labels are different and show the work of a famous tattoo artist by the name of Norman Collins.

Anyone that knew my father is likely to remember the half naked hula dancer he had on his forearm. The pinup on the label bore a striking resemblance to this tattoo. I figured there was no way that Norman Collins could have done my fathers tattoo but decided to look him up anyway. It turns out he mustered out of the navy in Hawaii a few years before Pearl Harbor and then spent WWII tattooing in Hawaii. I have to think that this is the person who did my fathers tattoo.
It was good to have my father with us at Thanksgiving and for that I have to thank Sailor Jerry.
Anyway here's his story.
http://sailorjerry.com/en/norman-collins/

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Choral Society Christmas Concert

Morgan and Maggie are members of the Sevier County Choral Society.  This program offers a generous scholarship for high school students who participate in their rehearsals and concerts.  This is Morgan's third year participating and Maggie's second year.

 I think he needs a haircut, but he is still very handsome in his tux.

 Maggie is growing up right before our eyes.

 The first portion of the concert was a little too soothing for Melanie.

Blue Manor Pre-K and Kindergarten Curriculum Review-Giveaway!

We were recently given the opportunity to review The Blue Manor Preschool curriculum

eBook Set includes 23 individual books and an additional "how to" teaching manual

and the Kindergarten curriculum 

I was provided with a free digital copy of each curriculum in exchange for this review.  Blue Manor offers several freebies on their website and has graciously offered to give one of YOU a digital copy of either the Preschool or the Kindergarten curriculum.

My youngest is 7 and while she excels in some areas, other areas have been more challenging for her.  As a homeschooler, I try not to pigeon hole her into a specific grade.  Instead, we work based on her needs and abilities.  We are thoroughly enjoying both of these sets.  We have not encountered anything in these books that was completely new to her, but they have been a fabulous reinforcement for concepts we've previously covered. Melanie enjoys looking at them on her own and reviewing them with me or one of her older siblings.  They have been wonderful for building her confidence in both reading and basic math.

The quality is incredible, beautiful pictures and easily understandable concepts.  Even my 9 year old has enjoyed reading them.  I can easily see how this would be a full year curriculum for a preschooler or kindergartener. The e-book format makes it easy for us to take it with us without fear of losing anything. 

Blue Manor also offers other sets, individual books and games, some of them are for older children.  I am very impressed with the quality of these books and will be purchasing the next level when Melanie finishes working on level 2.


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Go to the Blue Manor website and come back to leave a comment about what Blue Manor games you think your kids would enjoy.
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