Yayyy, it’s summer! We finished our year of formal school lessons about a week ago. It was a wonderful year with the usual ups and downs. Covid-19 threw a couple of wrenches into our schooling but overall we kept our routine up and that really helped the boys and I navigate the strange time.
CC-
Our schooling revolves around Classical Conversations. If you’d like to learn more about CC check out this post. This year the three big boys were in classes and I tutored Mr2s class. Tutoring went very well, I had a fantastic class of 8-9 year olds with two moms who were always able and willing to give me a hand. Mr3 had an adjustment period to attending class but after a lot of prayer, helping him feel comfortable and incentives he went to class each week and had a wonderful time in class. Mr2 finished his 4th year of CC and had a great year. Mr1 wrapped up his third and final year in Essentials and is very excited to move on to the next level, Challenge A. We were fortunate to only have to do 4 or so weeks at home to do CC virtually. It was not the same but it got the job done and was better than not seeing our friends faces and hearing their voices.
Mr1-
It was a great 6th grade year for Mr1. Our focus was on more independent work and I often said “next year you are not going to be able to work like this and get all of your work done” We are talking more about taking ownership over the work that needs to be done. He finished Teaching Textbooks 6 and had good success with it. Mr1 is a voracious reader will be excited when the library opens back up. Over the summer we will continue to read for fun as well as pre read some of the books for Challenge. He will continue to practice piano even though lessons will break for the summer. I will also offer some incentive to practicing typing and we will go through some math drills to keep those skills sharp.
Mr2-
3rd grade brought much growth for Mr2. He really caught the reading bug and will often be found reading for fun through the day, not just during reading lessons. He finished All About Reading Level 4 and was very excited. For more on why we love AAR, check out this post. Math went very well this year with Teaching Textbooks level 3. This was the first year Mr2 used a computer as opposed to a workbook. He is a lover of technology so it was a good fit for him. Next year he will begin the Essentials program with CC. It will surely be an adjustment but I feel prepared with it being my second boy in the program to properly scale if necessary. This summer he will continue to practice piano, free reading and math drills on the computer.
Mr3-
This year was a big one for Mr3. For the first half of the year he mostly stuck with his CC memory work and lots of reading aloud and playing together. Through that few months he began asking lots of questions about what sounds letters make and what numbers were and how to add them. At the start of the new year we began All About Reading. I kept him on a truly non schedule. If he was rested and feeling up for it we would run through his sound cards and some word cards. He also began enjoying writing, for the most part. He is a stickler for perfection and it brought a lot of stress on some days, who am I kidding, on most days. We used a workbook from Bob Jones Press and it has worked out well. Through the summer we will continue read alouds and learning through play.
Mr4-
Oh Mr4. School is an interesting time for this guy. Sometimes we are able to get the big boys on independent work and he and I can read and play together, some days he watched an educational show on tv or on the tablet. This summer and next year I will continue to read aloud together and save his screen time for during school hours.
Mom-
It was a good year for me. I found myself needing to be more flexible with the routine and really look closely at the order of the schedule for a smooth day. The boys all do better when we have a bit of fresh air or fitness time prior to school work even though I’d rather just sit down and get straight to work. I will continue to be intentional to dedicate school hours to school and not housework or non essential tasks on my phone. I am hoping to dedicate more time to reading my own and read alouds with the boys. There are also house projects that I hope to tackle too.
I’m very excited it is summer time. I am enjoying a little later sleeping, sipping my coffee while we enjoy a leisurely read aloud and spending lots of time outside. I’ll throw in housework and cooking too. There are still plenty of things to learn even though our formal lessons are done for the summer. Hopefully things will open up a bit and we can travel a bit more easily. Even if not we are fortunate to have lots of outdoor spots to explore and learn about!
If you are done schooling or continue through the year, I hope you enjoy your summer and some extra sun and relax time!
Good job mama. I love seeing how other moms homeschool. Congrats to all.
Clap.Clap.Clap. First off you have a beautiful family. Second, you’re Superwoman! My sister homeschools her four children too and it amazes me. Congrats on a great year!
Such a great accomplishment! My boys still have a few more weeks left of school but we are anxiously awaiting the summer.
Sounds like you all had a very productive year. I am really looking into homeschool with my boys, so I really appreciate you letting us peek inside your routine!
Well done mama! You’ve put in such work to educate your children, now you can chill out for summer!
Sweet little guys! These will definitely be memories to cherish. You’re doing great, mama!