Things are improving!

Рет қаралды 2,562

4 ай бұрын

It's time for another homeschool update! We are almost finished with this school year, but we still have a ways to go. Although we started off the first half of the year with some hiccups (nothing major), after Christmas break we were able to get into a good groove and have gotten back on track. Overall things are going well, but there are a few things that we are dealing with and I'm trying to get ironed out (isn't there always at least one thing??), and we are gearing up for spring break and then hopefully finishing the year strong.
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homeschool mom, homeschool update, homeschool family, homeschool routine, curriculum update, elementary homeschool, middle school homeschool

Пікірлер: 57

@Built_Resilient 3 ай бұрын

We’re loving our first year so much I actually feel sad that it’ll be coming to an end soon😢😂 I know it probably won’t always be like this…I’m sure we’ll go through seasons of burn out or things not clicking, etc., so I’m just trying so soak it up as a beautiful first year that I will always treasure❤ I have loved watching your videos, so thank you for sharing your journey! It’s been encouraging to see a momma who’s gone before me and loved her journey of homeschooling🫶🏻

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

That is so sweet. You’re so wise to savor those simple times and sweet moments. And even if struggles do come, remembering those sweet days definitely helps you get through. Thanks for such a kind comment ❤️

@jessicajones611 4 ай бұрын

the comment about London, as a Brit, made me chuckle 😄……I’ve had my boys say funny things in history and science too, so totally relate, 😊

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Well her father owned the Queens Head Tavern so I think that’s where she got the connection lol. I had to remind her we have been studying American history alllllll year haha. Also, I didn’t realize you were British! How cool 😄😄

@karivanhorn1765 3 ай бұрын

We love Sonlight!!

@kaydefreeman3905 3 ай бұрын

I like the book Everyday Grace's: A Child's Book of Good Manners...it has similar topics, but I just like the way it's laid out. Also, September & Co have really neat character cards with examples and related scriptures.

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

Thanks 😊

@karivanhorn1765 3 ай бұрын

Also my daughter really struggled with math and would cry.. until we started Math U See

@jennakelly4446 4 ай бұрын

We are planning to read those two books from Masterbooks this summer as well. Can’t wait to see your reviews from this year 😊 we start some of my kids’ curriculum in January. It’s helped with some of my kids who don’t quite line up with the traditional school year

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Yes love having that freedom when needed to adjust for their needs!

@elizabeth0265 4 ай бұрын

We are just trucking along this year. I think we will school all the way through May if nothing changes. I've learned a little routine can be a good thing 😊

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Yes for sure 😊😊

@cheriselueck2194 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for this video! Sounds like you are doing great! January and February felt a bit disjointed for us. March was better and I’m excited for April-June and to finish the year strong. This is my first year homeschooling (grade 7, 5, 3 and pre-k) and I feel like I’ve totally dropped the ball on history! 😬😭 We’ve done some great read-alouds that bring in a bit of history…but we really haven’t done much when it comes to curriculum. Anyways! Just wanted to let you know I’d LOVE to see a curriculum unboxing for what you have planned for next year! Also, you have BEAUTIFUL hair 💕 Have a blessed Easter. Thank you for your KZfaq content 💕

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Give yourself grace…it’s your first year which is a learning year for both you and your kids. But you at least recognized it and can try to make sure you focus on history more next year, but by all means, I hope you don’t beat yourself up ❤️

@homeschoolteenswithjenny 4 ай бұрын

I went through One Blood for Kids a few years ago when my kids were in middle school. I highly recommend doing that first... some of the questions in that questions book are more mature... just read over it first ;)

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Ok thanks for that tip! That’s helpful!

@homeschoollifemom 3 ай бұрын

My kids were playing a guess the state game with a big U.S. floor puzzle and my one daughter guessed Canada as an option for a state. 🤪 our year sounds similar. Started out way too busy and then we stepped back from a coop in the new year and things smoothed out and were going great… and then we got 2 puppies so now that’s been very time consuming and I’m up many times a night taking them potty. I don’t do well when I don’t get my sleep. So last portion of the year is prob going to be let’s get through. Looking forward to your curriculum picks and end of year reviews. I have the Laying Down the Rails as well, and I also don’t love it! One of my friends that tried it ended up liking Our 24 Family Ways by the Clay Clarkson better. I don’t know if it’s specific habit training though.

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

So funny! Yes we got “Canada” as the answer for what state we lived in just a couple weeks ago 😅🫣 but 2 puppies!! That’s like 2 newborns and toddlers at the same time! Goodness you are definitely going to be busy! ❤️

@DanielaNoel143 4 ай бұрын

You should do an unboxing with all that curriculum 😂

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

I’ll share a mini one soon 😉

@budgetnutritionist 3 ай бұрын

I'm looking at Morning Virtues by Gentle+Classical! It sounds like it might be an alternative to Laying Down the Rails.

@budgetnutritionist 3 ай бұрын

Also, I'm looking at Apologia Math! It sounds similar to MWC but easier to prep for Mom🙏

@Rosamund311 3 ай бұрын

We did Apologia Math Level 2 & 5 this year and have enjoyed it. I actually started with MWC for my second grader and hated the teacher guide! 😅 we switched to Apologia about 3 weeks into the school year.

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@HeatherAnne10 3 ай бұрын

I'm doing the gentle + classical primer this year for kindergarten! I think it's the most intimidating curriculum I purchased for the year, but I'm very excited for it!

@alenatorres7071 4 ай бұрын

Have you checked out Jack and Link? They make dry erase items and wooden boards so you can take the lesson out of the workbook and make it more fun. Maybe your youngest would be more engaged this way? ❤

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

I haven’t! Let me look into this 😊 She loves when we mix things up a bit!

@carinthiamontana7069 3 ай бұрын

My children are in grade 6, 5 and 2. I have the same issues with my third, short focus when it comes to school subjects (except for reading). What I do is that I sit next to her for every assignment, reminding her over and over to do the task. Whenever I don’t do that she‘ll go on rabbit trails and won’t ever finish her assigned work.

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

Same here! Timing her helps too…she loves to be timed.

@GinaRLacy 3 ай бұрын

Your second grader sounds just like my 6th grader! After much trial and error what I found that works for math is a mastery program with built in review. He also gets overwhelmed with the sheer number of problems per day so after each lesson, I set the timer for 10 minutes and he gives me his best for 10 minutes. I wish we could have done Math With Confidence with him, but his level is not out yet. We use Learn Math Fast as the spine, Strayer Upton for extra practice if needed, and Life of Fred to review. He needs to spend quite a bit of time with one concept just in many different ways before learning something new. I hope it gives you a bit of encouragement and she will master math with a bit of creativity on your part! Also, manipulatives are extremely helpful.

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

O I’m not worried…she’s her own little person and is quite smart. She just has her own path 😊our math is quite hands on so that part has been good for her!

@LittleBlessings3 4 ай бұрын

Im not sure what you're using for math, but we're using Math With Confidence and loving it so far. It's fairly gentle, but still covers the concepts and mental math well. There's lots of games and hands on learning, not a lot of worksheets, and at our level (K), there has been some drawing for word problems. It might be a good fit for your second grader 😊

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Yes I was going to go with that this year but I already had owned the math we have and was familiar with it. I also wasn’t sure how this year was going to go with a new baby so I just stuck with what I had and what I was familiar with

@jennajadeg7010 4 ай бұрын

If you get any other info on habit training let me know! I went back to the The Book of Virtues for now.

@tanyacagle2423 4 ай бұрын

The Bible has all the character training. All the stories. Noah, Cain and Abel, Abram and sari they were not perfect t and were still sinners but they did choose good.

@jennajadeg7010 4 ай бұрын

@@tanyacagle2423 we go over the stories in the Bible but it’s hard for my autistic child to understand sometimes and I want a broad overview of how to help them with ideas in todays world.

@jennicompton3451 4 ай бұрын

We use The Book of Virtues as well

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

We did the Child’s book of virtues too 😊

@andrewjessicahersh9466 4 ай бұрын

Curious if you have looked into blossom and root for language arts for your youngest? (Its secular, but I haven’t come across anything contrary to the Bible in their LA) it’s very gentle and on the more artsy side. Thought your little one might enjoy the approach!

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

She loves doing TGTB LA and does pretty well with it. But I’ll always check out curriculum! Haha

@laurenmcgraw6518 4 ай бұрын

I’ve been using the Character First curriculum. It’s not Christian, so we add Christian content along the way. It was expensive to buy to Australia, but I don’t know if that would be the same in USA. It’s character-teaching, using animals traits to teach. And it’s sticking for my kids! They are a bit younger than your kids, but I believe this is used in classrooms right through year 8 or so.

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Thanks! I’ll check it out! Mine still love animals so it would definitely be worth looking into.

@Mare00711 4 ай бұрын

Your second grader sounds like mine. We end up doing a lot of horizontal learning and then she takes off and then i feel like we have to circle back and then move on. Defiantly not a straight path, but moving forward. She is also using two maths bc i cant figure out how her mind works yet. 😅

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

Which 2 maths are you doing with her?

@Mare00711 4 ай бұрын

@@thepracticalhomeschooler math u see and math with confidence. And Kumon workbooks on the side. The math u see helps her with place value and the math with confidence helps her with the tens frames, (but she finds the games over whelming at times). I'm not sure if we are going to keep going with two curriculums or pick one for next year. I had a friend recommend Singapore math.

@Mare00711 4 ай бұрын

@@thepracticalhomeschooler I should add. We started with math with confidence and got half way through and she was lost. That's why we added math u see. It really helped her organize her thoughts on numbers. But then I asked her what she sees in her head when when she does mental math and she said the math with confidence tens frame. Which is why we are continuing on with math with confidence to finish out the year.

@gretchenmccarter5938 3 ай бұрын

Singapore and Math Mammoth are both Mastery programs, which might help her to stay interested. I know for my child who is the same age, this was a game changer! We had started with Abeka, then switched to G & B( which are both Spiral math)- she got overwhelmed, lost interest and wanted to do only art!!!

@melisasantiago5420 3 ай бұрын

First time homeschool mom. I wanted to ask about doing too much. If I do a coop, and a half day pe program, add sports, and possibly awana… is that too much?

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

Great question! That’s totally going to depend on a LOT of factors…how many kids do you have? Their ages? How many other subjects are you wanting to do in school? How far away are the sports, coop and other activities? Even things like do you have a huge house to manage or a smaller one (time spent cleaning and taking care of the home is most always part of that equation too). Do you want your focus to be more on social/activities or academics or a mix of both? What can you handle and what can your kids handle? Are you a go go go family, a quiet homebody family or a mix of both? All of these and so many other factors that go in to play. So I can’t answer that for you, but those are some things to consider when deciding on not only curriculum but activities too. Hope that helps a bit! And if all else fails, you can start slow and add as needed 😊

@sarasali3077 3 ай бұрын

My 1st grader Ivy sounds like your Lola 😂 it’s a struggle some days!!

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

Love that name 😇

@sarasali3077 3 ай бұрын

@@thepracticalhomeschooler thank you!!

@Sama_B 3 ай бұрын

As much as I love the Good and Beautiful, I feel like my 6 year old is struggling a bit with the math. I'm interested in trying a curriculum that doesn't jump all over the place with math. Any suggestions? Looking forward to your unboxing for next years curriculum!

@thepracticalhomeschooler 3 ай бұрын

I made a video last year on this, but I had really looked into apologia math and math with confidence

@Sama_B 3 ай бұрын

@@thepracticalhomeschooler Thank you so much! I will check both those out.

@tanyacagle2423 4 ай бұрын

Laying down the rails stinks lol we tried and it’s just eh. Not biblical. I know if we read our bible and took notes and memorized we could lead our children in character training through his word instead of a human.

@thepracticalhomeschooler 4 ай бұрын

I agree the Bible is our foundation and ultimate source of truth. However if you follow that line of thinking that it’s the ONLY thing you should ever use, then that rules out study Bibles, devotionals, Christian books from biblical scholars, small group Bible studies, Bible teachers and all pastors in general because they are all human, right? God’s Word is complete, but He absolutely calls and equips people to provide tools and be used as vessels for others to better understand His word and bring glory to Him.