How I've Organized AO Year 4

I tend to change the way I organize each school year - not really because it isn't working, but because I get bored with looking at the same. planning. pages. every. day.  I also change notebooks around because they get full, or don't get used at all.  Here are some changes I've made in the past month as we've eased into AO year 4.

I was using a paper planner for my week.  I would look at my spreadsheet for the term, check we were on track for the week we were on, and fill in the blanks for each subject at the end of the previous week while everything was still fresh in my mind.  I know many prefer Sunday evenings for this tasks, but by then I've forgotten what chapters we just read!

Anyway, I got tired of writing things down each week, so decided to print out the plans ahead of time.  I took one sheet of my spreadsheet for just the readings.  As you see below, I included the week number on the left, and five days in our week.  I put day numbers instead of Monday through Friday, though, so if we have a difficult day or field trip somewhere, we can do "day 5" on that day, which is just free reads in the reading slots, and stay on track.  This sheet is slid into a plastic page protector, so the markings you see are dry erase pencils.  I started off not checking things, but it was hard to remember when he started wanting to skip around, so by the third week, I was marking each item.  After week 4, I'll just print out the next part of the spreadsheet and can toss this one, or save for our physical records.

In the same page protector, on the other side, is the weekly sheet.  Day 5 here is marked as optional, but we can usually get a few check bubbles filled, even when other activities are happening.  I put the dates above for illustration purposes, and because I take a picture at the end of the 5 days for our records.

On the left is every single subject that we include in our homeschool.  An X means we didn't get to it, and the numbers in the "Maths" row are the lesson numbers (he takes about 2 days per lesson).  "DL" and "RS" in the "Spanish" row are DuoLingo and Rosetta Stone.  By each "Read", I have a suggested subject, but they don't always work out exactly - we follow the list above.  I placed Rosetta Stone on the same days as Typing and Singing, as all three of those are done on my computer, and I'd rather not have him on it often, but all at one shot.

I have a suggested focus area for Math Facts ($, addition/subtraction, and multiplication/division) but have not yet been consistent in this area.  "Read aloud" means he reads to me a page or two from a school book or poetry, his choice.  "Read alone" is reading a chapter in a simple chapter book to himself.  All other readings I am still reading aloud, including Shakespeare (twice weekly) and Plutarch.

Hopefully you can see the balance.  If he is going to play on the piano, its done after math to release tension that inevitably causes.  We choose  either timeline or map work, depending on what the readings that day ask for.  I have daily subjects mostly at the top of the page, but I also have this in an order we can follow from top to bottom.  We don't always go in that order, as I do let him choose, but if he's at a loss, I simply choose in this order.  I tried to evenly spread the subjects that are once or twice a week out so that about the same time is necessary each day, except Day 5.

 As you can see, we had a field trip and then a homeschool egg hunt in the same week, so things were skewed - it was a 3 day week, with day 4 completed this past Monday, April 6.  (Then he got 4 days of spring break!)  So, rather confusing, but it doesn't change the fact that we got it done, and always knew what was left to do!  The nice thing about this list is that I can simply wipe it after taking the photo and be ready for the next week without having to write *anything* down, and he is able to take ownership of the bubble-filling, which is good for his confidence and fine motor skills.

Now, in addition to my one sheet wonder above, I do have some notebooks.  We have a notebook just for math that we pull out daily, instead of a textbook and workbook.  I have a Spanish notebook with a nice curriculum printed out in it, but we aren't currently using it.  And then, I have a folder where I store art and music, which I'll say more about below, and a miscellaneous notebook where I store everything else, but only pull out about once a month.

This is what I started with - a place to keep the art prints when we were done with the artist.  I would use one page protector for 2 art prints, so the 6 prints of a term took only 3 plastic protectors.  It made for a nice little book, but the one inch binder was more than full after three years!  I didn't have a good system for hymns and folk songs, and didn't always print out the lyrics, but only some of them.  I took the ones from the past and put in the back of the folder above, then started anew.

 I found a graphic online and wrote my own for the binder's edge, so it makes me want to look at it. :)  Then I set to work on filling it.  First, I gathered all the hymn and folk songs and artist's prints from the past and current term.  I put the hymn facing forward, and the folk song facing backward in the same page protector, followed by a page of art prints.  In Ambleside Online, there is a hymn and folk song scheduled each month, and 6 prints per 12-week term, so it works out great!  This way, he can look back and see previous artwork and have his memory jogged by the music pages.  Here's a couple pictures where I am trying to help you see what I'm talking about.

I hope that helps some of you!  I realize that with multiple children, the bubbled checklist may take some tweaking, but I think if each child had their own it might work okay.  I think you'd only need one Art & Music binder for the family, so it might work out as described, unless your children expect their own as keepsakes.  What do you think?

Our First Week of Homeschooling

*This post was written 8/14/2011 on my first, now defunct blog, but was popular so I wanted to share it again!*

As you know, we are using the free curriculum guide provided by Ambleside Online, which follows the Charlotte Mason method of education.  I'm starting DS off in Year 1, since he is already beginning to read and will be 7 in December.  (He would also be in 1st grade in public school, but the Ambleside years don't necessarily correspond to grade levels.)

Here are some school room (dining room) pictures.

 The shelf containing scripture memory box, readers, Peter Pan (bedtime story), Bible, and field guides

 The Year 1 books we are working through for literature, science, history, geography and poetry.

My new-to-me chalkboard! (Thanks, Robert for not throwing it away like your mom said to, and to DH for hanging it)

I followed my planner and got almost everything done that was scheduled (although a few things out of order, but that's what freedom is for!).  It felt easy and natural to teach him with this method, and I was pleased with our beginning.  He had a couple days where resistance led to tears...probably because he was expecting to not actually have to learn at home.  The first day he couldn't understand why I didn't want him in pajamas all day, but he did comply.  Hopefully, these things will work themselves out as we continue with the plan.  As we get used to this way of learning, I will slowly lengthen the math lessons, which is currently 12 minutes of Funnix lessons followed by computer games or hands-on activities to reinforce adding and subtracting.  I will also increase the amount of time he will be reading to me.  While he can read many words that surprise me, he has no love of reading and is very resistance to reading out loud.  Thankfully, he does like me to read to him, since that is the core of the Charlotte Mason method in the younger years, along with lots of outdoors time.

As the summer heat subsides, I will be increasing the outdoor time as well.  We did "walk" the baby turtle each day and create a terrarium for him, and purchase a new ball to toss around the yard.

We hunted for sticks to make this nature journal.

We captured grasshoppers and even a dragonfly, which became our nature notebook entry for the week.  The Handbook of Nature Study blog has the pond as the August focus, which worked out great for us!  I need to figure out how to dig deeper with the nature notebook than only examining the creatures we find, and this website tells me how.  Now to apply what I learn...

For handicrafts, we are learning sewing from my mother-in-law.  She is a former home ec. teacher, and I am needle-challenged, so this worked well.

We watched Spanish videos on Speekee and Salsa, using the immersion method before using some conversational software we have from The Learning Company.
We did some phonics and learned some new words, using Free Reading, which I found through Lesson Pathways.  (I'm also using Lesson Pathways to supplement math, science, and other things in the future.)

At our trip to GenCon earlier this month, DS fell in love with the ocarina, so we purchased an inexpensive plastic one for him to learn on.  This week we learned finger placements and practiced a scale.
We listened to Mozart, the composer for this term.  Listen here.
The only thing I didn't get going was art and artist study (Fragonard this term), as my printer is out of some toner colors, but I will get that started soon!

Where We Do Homeschool

I'm linking up with the iHomeschool network's School Room Week 2013, so click through to see what everyone else is doing!

Where do we "do" home school?

The short answer: it varies!  For a picture story, keep reading :)

Typically, it has been in the dining room, as it is with many other home educators.  In our open floor plan, the kitchen, dining room, living room and entryway are almost completely open to each other, with just one short wall between kitchen and living where the cabinets hang.  At the end of that wall is a low counter, which is my own office area.  (Warning: These pics are real.  I didn't clean or straighten *at all* before shooting them!)

My command center - Mac, student schedule hanging on left, tadpole tank on right, and my paper clutter :-/

Piano, chalkboard, picture study hanging, globe, and shelves for supplies and games

After giving our playroom its yearly end-of-summer overhaul, I set up a small foldable table that we haven't used in over a year.  This will allow for a better handwriting position for the student, and a change of scenery when needed.  Its not the most comfortable place for me to sit, though!  As a bonus, he can bop around on the exercise ball and still see the top of the table.

kid-sized table in playroom

slouching on the exercise ball, lol

In the play room, I have decided to leave the game table up at all times.  I used to have wide open spaces, but as he has gotten older, a permanent Lego location seems more necessary.  The picnic style table can be used for board games with the kids after school time.

Our Settlers of Catan game table (DH's pride and joy), taken over by Legos

Board game shelves, and books stored in banker's boxes

In addition to table space, we do readings on our couch or on the front porch swing when its not too humid outside.  Its a foggy mess out there today!  Here are other random learning spaces in our home.

Bible timeline in entryway (behind front door when opened)

Hallway between dining and play rooms with world map and hopefully a timeline again soon

Sometimes we are able to take field trips, and can listen to some of the AO readings in the car as audiobooks.  We have even been known to "do school" while waiting on appointments.  There is no learning experience so well remembered as real life!

Where do you teach your children?

Plans for Ambleside Online Year 3

Today we began our third year of homeschooling.  Its hard to believe its been so long already!  We enjoyed taking some pictures to kick off the year, then I snuck this one, too.

First attempt at Draw Write Now, book 2

I am sticking with AO for another year, and likely for many more to come.  The Charlotte Mason method and her philosophy of education resonates with me, and I believe AO holds true to these. Besides, you really can't beat a free curriculum!

Third grade bookshelf

AO Year 3 moves us from the Middle Ages into the age of discovery and the Reformation.  We will cover the adventures of Marco Polo, using Towle's "Marco Polo, his travels and adventures", and following along with a map.  We move from learning about Martin Luther through the age of widespread printed materials.  The conquests of the Americas, the quests for gold, pirates and heroes.  Tall tales and Greek myths.  Nature study and foreign language.  Pilgrim's Progress and Shakespeare.  I'm excited just thinking about all we will learn this year!  Yes, I said "we".  I am learning so much, right along with him, and I love it!

Current favorite game and Geography puzzles

In addition to the mental feast in the AO Year 3 booklist, which covers history, science, Bible, geography, poetry and literature,  we will add the following materials:

• Copy work - Write Through the Bible, cursive (Lord's Prayer, then Philippians chapter 2); Draw Write Now, book 2 (alternate, but some writing daily)
  
• Art - Creating a Masterpiece DVD series, AO's picture study rotation (weekly)
  
• Music - all hymns, composers and folk songs from AO; Piano, using freepianolessons4kids (daily)
  
• Health - The Boy's Body Guide: A Health and Hygiene Book (terms 2 and 3)
  
• PE - Occupational therapy/Sensory activities; horseback riding
  
• Phonics/reading - McGuffey and Treadwell readers (daily)
  
• Grammar - Simply Grammar (after Christmas break)
  
• Spanish - Rosetta Stone, songs and stories (3 times a week)
  
• Typing - Typing Instructor for Kids
  
• Finance - Richest Man in Babylon (2-4 pages a week with Daddy)
  
• American Sign Language - ASL from The Joy of Signing and some fun iPad apps (once or twice a week)
  
• Geography - Galloping the Globe (3 weeks per country, taking it slow, and coordinating somewhat with Marco Polo's adventures)

I think that about covers it!  What are you changing about (or adding to) your chosen curriculum this year, if anything?

Updated Schoolroom

As soon as the 2011-12 school year ended, I started reorganizing our dining area for the next school year.  More has been done since this pictures were taken, but nothing too significant.

Before.  Yuck.

I have also purchased this Bible timeline, and am trying to figure out where to hang it.  I have a large electoral map of the United States hanging by the coat closet, so I guess it will have to go on the wall behind the couch, right by the front door.  There is no doubt when someone walks into our house that learning happens here! LOL!  I love the open floor plan of our house, but it sure makes wall space scarce.

Putting new shelves together

Organized books by AO years, labeled folders

After!  Current years books, nature study bag, games and supplies, plus keyboard.