I was looking back through my posts and a lot of them were what I plan. However, as we all know, the best plans don't always work out. I love planning, but we end up not doing half of what I want to do. So I am going to share what we actually do.
Since Christmas, I have been doing group work with Eaden, Naia, and Mirek. We are using OpenStax American Government and OpenStax U.S. History. Both have audiobooks which is really nice because I usually read aloud. I print out the key terms and questions from each chapter and we answer as we go. We are also using the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (which is an amazing resource!). All of these resources are free by the way!
Eaden and Naia are reading To Kill A Mockingbird and we discuss it maybe once a week. They are also working on persuasive essays. They pick an Opposing Viewpoint topic (using the library's OV database) and argue for a side. We are using CK12 writing guide for that.
Mirek is doing Zaner Bloser cursive handwriting (a workbook I picked up in the used section of The Homeschool Store). He is doing Physical Science through CK12 on his own online, Saxon Math with Nicole the Math Lady, a science workbook, and Wordly Wise.
They all do foreign language and read their choice of book on their own. Naia and Eaden have their own science. We tried Physics OpenStax together but it was a bit too advanced for me lol. I think we will try CK12 mixed with Khan and Crash Course.
Taven is doing an accredited NCAA approved online school on his own so he can transfer to public school next year. Mirek is also expressing an interest in public school so I will likely have him do the same program next year, although at a much slower pace and still do work with us. The program is not hard but Taven is having to complete the full year in about 4 months. Both of the boys enjoy math and science which is not my strong suit. So public school may not be a bad fit for them. We shall see.
Naia and Lela have been going ice skating once a week. They love it but Lela often gets so cold she starts saying her hands and feet hurt but will not stop skating. She looks miserable and like it is painful but she has on two gloves already.
Reading...1984, Utopia for Realists, The Granddaughter, and To Kill A Mockingbird (yes I have read it before). Recently read and enjoyed Utopia for Realists, Nexus, and The Briar Club.
Watching...YouTube channels dianxixiaoge, country life vlog, and Ebrahim Danish
Cooking...a lot of meals inspired by the above channels!
Thinking...about how I should get to the gym and have a better balance between reading and exercising, how best to balance staying informed (with truth) and staying sane
Loving...my evenings at home on the couch with Lela after dinner has been made and I can drink a beer and read my book with one of my youtube shows on in the background
Thankful for...my family, home, having enough food to eat, feeling safe, having choices and opportunities
Doing...reading more but exercising less
Enjoying...the Gilder Lehrman Institute website and free high school courses. It's really nice to sit back and listen to someone else and not have to be the teacher. The courses are high quality and we can pause the videos whenever we want for a discussion or to look something up. The professor was talking about how the colonists boycotted British goods which led the kids to start talking about boycotting Target because of DEI and we started to look up which companies still support having DEI goals and which do not. Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram are also topics of discussion.
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After months of Taven going to these baseball workouts we found out his instructor is our cousin! His grandfather and my grandfather were brothers! Pictured below with their mother, my great grand mother.
