A Week in the Life Project and MemoryWorks

I am gearing up for the Ali Edward's Week in the Life Project. This will be the third time I have done this project.  It is a great, and I mean fantastic way of showing a typicl week in my life to the world.  This year, I am going to try and blog my week.  So just a warning to all my friends, you may end up on my blog if we have plans next week. :-)

So what is Week in the Life Project?
Ali Edwards spends a week guiding her readers through documenting a week in your life. Often we are so busy caring for our family and others, that we forget that this is our life!  So document where you are and what you are doing next week.  I would love to see your projects. 

On another note, I received my Simple Stories Life Documented Kit last week.  I finally got it out over the weekend.  Let me say, it is such a nice quality product that I think I need to order another kit!  This is simply a very nice, and usable kit.  It is think - like the nice patterned paper out there.  It is so defined and usable yet flexible for any kind of scrapbooker.  So if you want another opportunity to order a kit, just let me know!

I will be hosting a MemoryWorks Event in May.  I'll post the date and details later this week!  So fun to get to create something new!

The Joy of Project Wednesday!

Having a High School Senior in the house lends itself to lots of projects.  This is my latest project. This is for a Senior Signing Event.  Yearbooks are not in yet, and he needed something to have his classmates of the Homeschool Graduates Class of 2010 sign.  So I'll fill this little book with pictures of their senior activities from this year and then they can sign near their pictures.  What a great memory maker!

Supplies: Bo Bunny My Word Chipboard Album, Making Memories Vintage Findings binding rings, DCWV Paper

The Joy of Easter

Today was a day of putting away the books.  Today we begin our Easter celebration.  We started our day in prayer.  Together we prayed for our church.  Each day we start our school day together in prayer.  This allows our family to feel grounded to each other and together in our Faith. 

The joy of making treats together is always a part of our holiday celebrations.  These are just the first of many goodies we are making this weekend. 

From our family to yours:

Have a Blessed and Happy Easter as you remember the all the Lord has done for you!

The Joy of Making a Plan Day 3 – Subjects/Course/Resources

Today is the day! Today we are going to decide what subjects and courses you will teach next school year. Isn’t that exciting and overwhelming at the same time? And of course you will then need to find the all the resources and materials you will need for your curriculum plan.


So in the effort of trying to stay one day ahead of my blog posts, I spent last night researching until the very wee hours of the morning. (But…I was loving every moment!)



Materials

Notebook

Pencil

Alternatively, you can make all your notes and research in a digital file. I like to use a spreadsheet I can update with links and plans.

Step One: Think about what subjects you will teach for all your children and which subjects you will teach separately. This is a huge time saver both in the planning and teaching. Then decide what subjects and courses your will be teaching next year. Make a list.

Here is my working list:



11th Grade Courses

Algebra 2

American Literature Honors

American Literature Comp

World Civilizations

American Government Honors

Political Science

Exodus Law vs. Constitutional Law

Advanced Biology w/ Lab Honors

Advanced Jewelry Making

Sewing – Garment Construction

Cake Baking and Decorating



9th Grade Courses

Algebra 1

English 1 Compositions/Poetry/Drama

Classic Literature

American History

Bible Study

Biology Honors

Drama 2

Drawing

Sewing – Garment Construction

Cake Baking and Decorating





I am still in the stages of choosing our resources for some of these classes. I have a few resources already chosen, as I already own these items or will be purchasing them. I will post my resource list tomorrow.



Step Two: Take each course and develop the list of resources (books, dvds, texts, outside classes) that you will use in order to teach your child.



If you are having trouble finding resources you can always email me at justamom at tampabay dot rr do com. But I want to stress the importance of being a member of a homeschool support group. This iiis your “go to” place for guidance, support and friendships. Remember, fellowship with like-minded people enhances your homeschooling journey!



These blog posts are actually part of my book Curriculum Workshop: a guide to writing homeschool curriculum. You can purchase it here.

The Joy of Making a Plan Day 2 – Examine Your Student

Today is day two of our planning week. How did yesterday go? Did you get a general plan for when you will start and finish? I know it is difficult not knowing what the co-op schedule or the practice schedule will be come fall or even next spring. But reality is this: we can’t wait! If we used the excuse that we were waiting on this schedule or that schedule in order to make our own schedule then we would be waiting a long time! The beauty of making this schedule is that once you have a plan it is so much easier to be flexible, because you now know if you can or cannot do an activity. You know exactly when your scheduled times off will happen and yet, you can easily move a week around here or there.

I have my calendar completed with all the school days noted, vacations circled and holidays marked with happy faces. I know I have about a 4 week give or take on my schedule. This allows me such freedom to move things as needed. When I have a family emergency, I can easily take off that time without fear that we need to be completing school work. Instead we can focus on the matter at hand.

I had a friend that gave herself 5 personal days each school year. She used index cards. I use yellow sticky notes. I wrote “personal day” on each of my five sticky notes. I placed them on my calendar sheet. I allowed myself the freedom to use any one of my five personal days at anytime throughout the school year for any reason. These were not sick days nor were they field trip days. These were my personal days to use to allow myself a day off from teaching. Sometimes my wonderful husband would teach that day or we would simply take that day off for any reason whatsoever. It was like a little surprise I knew I could use at any time. This year, I am using them all at once – for the very last week of school. But…don’t tell my kiddos!

On to our assignment.

Materials

Student Assessment Sheet (Print one for each of your students)

Pencil



This assignment will actually take a bit longer than just a day. You will use this sheet for probably a week as you consider each of your student’s strengths and weaknesses. Now, I want to caution you here. This sheet is for your use as you see fit. It is not something I have shared with my children when they were younger, but as they matured they each began to complete a copy in addition to my assessment.



I want you to think about your child’s strengths. What does your child enjoy doing? These strengths encompass all aspects of their precious lives. So include everything from “likes to organize toys” to “reading” to “public speaking” and “serving”. There is so much to include here that I want you to really spend some time thinking about each of your children as individuals. You might want to even ask your student what they think they are best or good at. You can write down their answers too.



Then I want you to think about the areas he or she needs to work on. Don’t we all have to work on something? God is trying to teach me something new every day! So consider all aspects of your child. Don’t make a list of things you want to “fix” this year. Merely see your child and address the things that need addressing and guide them.

While this might seem like a silly or unwarranted task, it is so important to address your child’s needs. This is so much more about parenting than simply homeschooling. Be honest with yourself. Don’t try to make your child the next “perfect homeschool student”. Enjoy your child right where they are, doing just what they are doing. Remember, this is your worksheet. Use this tool to your advantage.



And as a final reminder, I want to share with you the dangers of comparing our children to Susie Perfect’s children. Chip Ingram says that when we begin to make comparisons we have only two choices: superiority or inferiority. Neither of which are pleasing to God.



Enjoy your week of intense planning. I’ll be back tomorrow with another post and update you on our plans! You can always email me any questions you might have or post a comment.



Happy Planning!

The Joy of Making A Plan....A Week of Lesson Plans

Okay, I need to get myself together and prepare for next year.  I began this process back on February 1st. So in order to keep myself on the task at hand, I am doing this in a week of intense planning.  Want to join me?

First things first. You will find a supply list at the beginning of each post and an assignment.  So here is your chance to get some coaching with your plan this week!  So let's get started:

Day 1
Supply List
Year at a Glance Calendar (I like the ones at DonnaYoung.org)
Pencil
Schedules (work, support group, sports)

Assignment: Prepare a yearly calendar noting your school days.


Step 1
Look at the yearly calendar.  (I use this calendar.)
Cross off all days you are not going to school.  For us, that means all weekends.  I am crossing off the days I know my son will be home from college (this may change).  I am crossing off all holidays.  Of course your holiday breaks may be different from mine.  But for us, that means 2-3 weeks at Christmas and a whole week at Thanksgiving.  Cross off vacation days/weeks.

Step 2
Decide your schedule:
5 day/4 day weeks
6 weeks on, 1 week break
9 week quarters
2 semesters
Check with your state as to what your requirements are for attendance.  In Florida, homeschoolers that are registered with their county do not have any attendance requirements. Although, I plan for 36 weeks of school within two semesters.  The semester break is at Christmastime.

When do you want to begin school?  I have a dear friend that begins school 6 weeks prior to Labor Day.  So she then takes that week off.  Seems everyone is in school and vacation deals can be had!  So that is definitely something to ponder.

This year we are beginning school much earlier than I have planned in recent years.  But, once again, I know myself and my children.  We get Spring fever.  So knowing that, I make sure we done with school by May 1. That also means we can begin earlier in the hot Florida summer earlier!  (Yes, my teens are not real excited about this, but they will singing a different tune when our Christmas break is longer than usual!)

 Step 3
Set a goal for your first day of school.  Mark that date on your calendar.  I circle this date.  Then I use a highlighter to note all school days.  Make sure you mark a realistic amount of school days.  The reality is you probably do not want to run from late summer to Thanksgiving with no breaks.  You need a break and so do your kiddos!

Make this calendar work for you!  Do not allow this "plan" to rule you!

Tomorrow we are going to think about our kids!  I'll even have a worksheet for you to print!

Post any questions you have or email me at justamom at tampabay dot rr dot com.

The Joy of Finding Your Passion

We have always taught our children to "think outside the box".  As a homeschool family, we are anything but traditional.  We saw homeschooling as a way of opening up the possibilites for education outside the traditional classroom setting.  Now, here we are 14 years later and our oldest child is graduating in just a very few short weeks from now.  We have taught our children to be non-conformists.  We have taught them to seek out their passions- the ones God gave them and seek God's will while fulfilling your dreams.  It never hurts to try something new! Now, wouldn't it be grand if we could find a college or university that truly taught that message as well?

Today we had the honor of being part of an Open House event at the university where our son will be attending in the Fall.  It was incredible to hear from faculty and staff on numerous occassions that the key to success in college and furthermore in life is following your passion.  It was nice to see that this message will continue with our son as he pursues his filmmaking career. 

So what is your passion?  For many years my passion has revolved around the homeschooling arena.  Being a conference speaker, homeschool author, co-op teacher and support group leader has used my passion in different ways.  I often talk of my cup being filled.  My cup is filled when I am doing something that uses my passions, my strengths.  Sometimes as stay at home moms we loose that passion for something. We become something else entirely. Don't get lost in the expectations of what you "should" be doing.  Embrace a passion, a hobby, a place of service and be an example of success to your children!