Friday, September 10, 2010

First Week of School 210-11 ~ DONE!

Whew, I just wasn't sure we'd get going or get this first week behind us, and it really took day four (today) to feel like I'd gotten back my groove!  Dunno why either, but it has been an exhausting week.  It first started out with my son going into the rebellious teenager mode. I'd like to report that we NEVER deal in this, but it'd be a lie...cause we definitely deal in all the drama of the teenage world despite our MaGnIcEnT parenting...LOL...ha! But you know, what I mean, right? ...and the bickering:

Daughter:  "Just be quiet and get to work!"

Son:  "I want to be done!"

Daughter: "You won't get done unless YOU do the work!"

Son: "What TIME is school over?"

Daughter:  "Come on! I"m trying to do MY work!"

and sooo on..and on and on and on and on...it went...

Where's my aspirin?? LOL!

Well, we did finish today, and it was great~two experiments down in science, notebook/lapbook begun and ALL subjects delved into!! Oh yeah!  I really was rethinking homeschooling on Day ONE b/c cause my son threw such a fit...a huge fit...really didn't get in gear until I tweeked our schedule to give him some much needed parameters~he likes to be on a schedule and to SEE the end coming...oh boy! This is going to be a rough four years of high school!! But we did get through it, and he did ok..ok.

I'm loving our studies, though.  What we ended up with is this:

Math~ Review of PreAlgebra with Math Tudor DVD PreAlgebra I and I will need to get II...We're using this as a refresher bone up...and then moving on to Alg I...Teaching Textbooks Alg I.

Language Arts~We are doing a combo of things.  I am using Language Arts text McGraw-Hill for grammar. I am lecturing and doing dictation and exercises with them to teach note taking and grammar combo...along with writing exercises.  There are history/science essay assignments and short answer tests...we are focusing on writing this year AGAIN!  Vocb is a combination of things: using Vocabulary Cartoons SAT Word Power Vol 1 and Spell Quizzer software.  I am using the software by typing in the definition and having them type in the word FROM MEMORY...wow~it works!!

Science~Apologia's General Sci along with Knowledge Box Central's notebooking/lapbooking pages. These are NICE!!

History~This is turning out to be a hodge podge of things as I am attempting to give a complete history of the medieval world..beginning with Christ's resurrection and the early church as in the Book of Acts and going onward...Most of the Middle Ages studies begin around 100AD...I am beginning at 33AD...and focusing on the NT...so we are listening to Faith Comes By Hearing KJV NT dramatized Bible...this is awesome! And we are using The Kregal Pictoral Guide to Church History and the New Testament along with Story of the Middle Ages, Veritas Press history cards/work books (appropriate timeline parts), TruthQuest History, MOH2, The Middle Ages: An Illustrated History of the Church (900-1300), Streams of Civilization I and anything ELSE (LOL) I can find...to make it come alive...I have the Genevieve Foster books, World of Augustus Caesar, Columbus and Sons that I hope to read as well...I just believe Rome was such an important civilization and period of history that is relevant to our present world!  I am including geography as well~using Abeka's World Geography to round it out...whew!

Literature is taking on a life of its own~son is reading King Arthur and daughter is reading Foundlings.  I will add other works as part of our history/sci studies...

Son is doing Tell Me More Spanish, and daughter is using Tell Me More Japanese. Their new computers are making it sooo much easier to use AND have enable features they found difficult to use b/c of locked up and slow computer systems!! NEW computers really have been a blessing!!

Music~son is still doing trumpet and daughter the bass...

Drama~daughter is an actress and crew leader and son is on a crew.

Devotionals~daughter is reading One Minute Devotionals, and son is reading a new devo that I can't remember the name right now...ha! I'm fried!! LOL!

But WE ARE ON OUR WAY...now to do the intent and all the junk for the BOA...glad the printer's got ink~but I need some paper NOW LOL!!  It's ONLY beginning....ya think??

1 comment:

Michelle Smith said...

I know we began the school year running low on paper. I don't think we'll make it even a month on our current paper supply! It sounds like you have had a productive school year so far! :)