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Homeschooling 101 Series – Finding Your Why

If the ever-evolving corona landscape is making you consider homeschooling, you are not alone.  I have had multiple people reach out to me in the past several weeks asking questions about homeschooling given the uncertainty of the coming school year.  While I am no expert, I enjoy helping other families in figuring out how best to customize their child’s education.  In a series of posts over the next few weeks, I will lay out some answers to the most common homeschooling questions I am asked:

  • Should I homeschool? Can I homeschool? (Spoiler alert – yes, you can!) 
  • How do you choose curriculum? 
  • How do you organize your year/week/day? 
  • How do you teach multiple grade levels at once? 
  • How do you keep the littles happy and busy? 
  • How can I juggle my own job/career and homeschool? 

Little of what I will share will be unique to me.  I have gleaned wisdom from many moms over the years and will share that here with you.  I will also point you in the direction of helpful resources no matter where you are in your decision process.  

The first question to ask when considering homeschooling is why. Why do you want to homeschool? Whether you are considering homeschooling for a year or for the length of your child’s education, having a firm why will help shape the resources you choose and give you fortitude when the days get tough.  It will help keep you grounded in your decisions and give you confidence moving forward.  

Here’s how I found my why. 

I never planned on homeschooling.  Neither my husband nor I were homeschooled.  My husband attended public school his entire career, including college and grad school.  I attended private schools the majority of the time, with a stint in public school 4th-8th grade.  For being a planner by nature, I never really considered school choice until my oldest was preschool age.  When weighing the options for preschool, I honestly didn’t want to fork over the money.  That probably sounds terribly shallow, but it’s true. My husband was deployed, we were far from family and I had the time.  I knew I could teach her the basics of a preschool curriculum at home and save our family a lot of money.  

The next year when Addison was in Kindergarten, we moved to West Point, where for ten months my husband was in a graduate program at Columbia University. He only had classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Tuesday afternoons.  I knew homeschooling would give us the flexibility to travel and more opportunities to be together as a family, which was really important coming off of two deployments in three years.  

So, it wasn’t until Addison was in first grade that I really thought about how long I was going to teach our kids at home.  I don’t use the pronoun “I” by mistake.  In the early years, homeschooling wasn’t a terribly joint decision.  I had just decided that what’s I wanted to do, and Chad supported it.  He enjoyed the flexibility to travel and not be tied to a school schedule.  By first grade I was already pretty far down the path of “we are a homeschooling family,” but Chad wasn’t there at all.  In the beginning, he accepted the decision with minimal reservations for the early years.  As long as mama was happy, he was happy.  

But a few months into the school year with a first grader, three-year-old, and new baby, I wasn’t happy.  The yellow school bus looked like a ticket to freedom and sanity for us all.  My friend encouraged me to write out the pros and cons of homeschooling for our family and to pray over the list.  She said, “Academically, a one-to-one ratio is almost always better, but you have to know what’s best for your family overall.” 

So, I sat down and made a list of the pros and cons of homeschooling as well as the pros and cons of a traditional school.  Chad and I went over together and prayed over it.  My tendency was to die on the hill of homeschooling just for the sake of saying I didn’t quit.  But I knew I wanted what was best for my kids, for my marriage and for our family.  The result was developing our philosophy of education together, which would serve as our guiding compass for all decisions regarding how we schooled our children.  

            “We believe our children’s education should produce lifelong learners who are passionately living out Christ’s call on their lives.  We want them to be self-motivated, ethical, hard-working adults.  We want them to be firmly grounded in Scripture and have a wide base of knowledge to be able to pursue what the Lord calls them to do and to be able to serve the body of Christ and the local church.” 

For us, the pros to homeschooling that tipped the scale were time and flexibility. 

Time – Discipleship takes time. For us, traditional school simply didn’t provide enough time for us to do that to the level we wanted to do it.  We also wanted our children to have time together as siblings and foster those relationships over peers.  Friendships are vital and we want our children to have friends, but for most people, sibling relationships are going to be more influential and more enduring than third-grade best friends.  As a mom I also wanted to share in my kids’ excitement of learning and firsts.  There is nothing like the excitement of listening to a kid read when it first clicks!

Flexibility – Being a military, travel-loving family, we loved the flexibility homeschooling offered for our schedule.  When deployment reunions or moves happen in the middle of the school year, we can take as much time off as we need (easier for littles than older ones I will admit). We are free to explore places in off peak time periods and take school along as we need to.  Aside from traveling, we also loved the flexibility homeschooling offered in our children’s education.  I often say homeschooling is not able teaching every subject at home – it is about having the flexibility to customize your child’s education. Whether that’s online classes, slower paced curriculums, coops, internships, hybrid schools or dual enrollment, there are countless ways you can customize your child’s education based on their interest, learning styles and your family’s needs. 

So, do I think homeschooling is the right choice for every family? No, absolutely not.  Homeschooling is family decision that has to benefit every member of the family.  Miserable moms and kids are not the goal.  Learning and discipleship are the goals.  This doesn’t mean it’s an easy road of sunshine and roses.  Doing the right thing if often hard, but constant misery and hard are two very different things. There are many children too, especially ones with certain special needs, that would thrive better in a specialized school environment. 

Do I think every family can homeschool? Yes, for the most part. If you have a desire to homeschool your children, you can do it.  There are financial resources and free options for families whose finances would prevent them from purchasing curriculum.  However, I do believe homeschool is difficult for two full-time working parents, especially with young children.  It can be done, but there has to be considerable flexibility for at least one parent to make it successful.  I am learning the art of juggling my career and homeschooling my children myself! 

Do you have to have patience to homeschool? The number one response I get to homeschooling is “Oh, I don’t have the patience to do that.” My answer is always, “Yeah, I don’t either.” I hope the past few months have been a testimony to NO ONE HAS THE PATIENCE FOR IT. Parenting is a choice to live for something other than yourself.  Homeschooling your kids provides lots of opportunities for growth for everyone.  It provides opportunities to work through things together and grow as a family. There are ZERO homeschooling moms (or humans…) that are patient and kind and loving 100% of the time.  

Do you have to be a teacher to homeschool? No.  All that is required to homeschool is the ability to find the resources that will best help your child achieve success.  Anyone can do that.  Online chemistry and calculus classes are popular for a reason!

In considering whether homeschooling is right for your family, whether for a season or for a lifetime, here are some things you can do to figure out your why. 

  1. Pray alone and with your spouse often
  2. Write out the pros and cons of homeschooling for your family
  3. Write out the pros and cons of traditional schooling for your family 
  4. Write out your philosophy of education (This is a great exercise no matter how you choose to school your kids!)
  5. Talk to homeschool families about their experiences 

Once you figure out your why, you will be in the position to move forward with the frequently asked question of: How do I choose the right curriculum? 

That answer is coming up next time! 

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Guest Post – The Sting or The Cell

-Chad Monroe

A few weeks ago, my family was surprised by an enormous swarm of bees at our house.

They flocked by the hundreds just outside the back door off our patio. The noise was like a buzz saw, angry and ready for anything within its reach. Thankfully we were all safe inside, away from the looming threat where we were minutes before.

After several visits from the “bee guys,” decked out in bee suites with smoke cannons, the bees still remain. Apparently, the queen has found the perfect residents inside the structural beam of the patio for her honeycomb palace. The bee colony continues to find the smallest cracks to squeeze through to get to her. They are just living, part of this world, not even knowing the fear they’ve created.

My wife and I are not allergic to bees. We have no idea if any of our four children are. While we haven’t seen a swarm like we did the first day, the colony thrives. Bees impatiently funnel in and out, colliding with anything that gets in their way.

During our 60 days and counting of home quarantine in Spain, these bees made me think about how we define safety, when and where we should assume risk and when and where we shouldn’t.

The first day we noticed the bees, we remained inside for the rest of the day. Well, I went out with a makeshift bee suit on to grill salmon for my wife’s birthday but locked up otherwise. Day two we were extra cautious as well. Day three, the “bee guys” made attempt number one to forcefully remove the bees. This offered us some comfort and we began to play outside again, just with distance and caution. Fast forward two more weeks, one more attempt at extermination, and a pending third visit later this week and here we are.

What are we to do? What is the risk of my children getting stung? What are the possible consequences of them getting stung? While we cannot answer these questions with any level of certainty, we have elected to cautiously enjoy life outside the walls of our home. It became clear that the emotional well-being of our children provided more safety than continuing to lock up inside. While it made sense to continue avoiding the bees altogether out of fear of the unknown possibilities, as time went on, we began to define safety differently. The risk of our emotional well-being outweighed the risk of getting stung by the bees.

I don’t think it’s a stretch for me to apply this bee-hive illustration to the world’s current state. How do we define safety? What risk are we willing to take and why? 

I support our leaders and professional experts. Many are courageously serving during this time of crisis. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions. Some may never be answered. At some point, there is value in wisdom and re-assessing risk in terms of safety.

Safety for some may mean risking it all to simply put food on the table. Safety for others may be a full M95 mask and protective suit as they care for those in need. Safety for others may be school to escape a dangerous home life. For others, it may be locking up inside the comfort of their home with everything they need. The point is, safety for one doesn’t mean, or guarantee, safety for all.

Going forward, we have an undeniable obligation to care for each other. But we must remember this may look differently depending on how everybody defines safety.

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Curriculum Review 2019-20

I am in disbelief that I have been homeschooling for nine years. I still feel like the new kid on the block, but I guess that isn’t necessarily true anymore.  However, like parenting, homeschooling is a plate of shifting sands – once you think you figure things out, things change! Kids change, life circumstances change, and curriculums that worked for one, don’t work for another.  Also, as the years pass, I let go a little more of “what school should look like” in exchange for “what school can look like.”

This was the first year of homeschooling that we did not move and/or I did not have a baby.  Throw in two months of quarantine thanks to COVID 19 and we have had a pretty calm year! 

Here’s a roundup of what we used this past year and how it worked for us:

Morning Time

            We start our morning together with a few group activities, wrangling people to their chairs and providing a definite start to the today. 

  • Prayer
  • Pledge
  • Scripture Memorization using the 50 times method. (Check out more about it here over at The Prime Pursuit.) This year we memorized Hebrews 10:19-25, I Corinthians 13 and Romans 12. 
  • Hymns – Once or twice a week we gather around the piano, working our way through the hymn book. 

Read Alouds 

            Tapestry of Grace has read alouds built into the program that focus on people, topics, and time periods covered in the history lessons. We listen to the books on Audible every day during lunch. (Most of the missionary stories are from YWAM’s Heroes Then & Now series) Here are the books we read together this year: 

Amy Carmichael 
Pollyanna
Eric Liddell, Something Greater than Gold 
Mary Poppins
The Hiding Place 
Mr. Poppers Penguins
Brother Andrew
Jim Elliot
Jacob Deshazer 
Billy Graham, Get Up Out of Your Seat
Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Destination Moon (not on Audible)
Red Scarf Girl
Book of Virtues (not on Audible)
Joni: An Unforgettable Story

Addison – 7th Grade

History and Literature – Tapestry of Grace, Year 4, Dialectic 

Tapestry of Grace is a four-year cyclical history program that incorporates literature, worldview, art, geography and writing, with history and literature being the main focus.  The reading material is broken down into four categories: Rhetoric (high school), Dialectic (general 6th-8th grade), Upper Grammar (generally 3rd-5th grade) and Lower Grammar (1st-3rd grade).  You determine your child’s level in large part on their reading level.  

This year was our first time to cycle back through a year plan since we started with Year 4 Addison’s 3rd grade year. This is my favorite year of study.  I enjoy the events of the 1900’s but specifically with this year’s plan I enjoyed the missionary biographies that accompany our history studies (Year 3 follows this same pattern). With two years of Dialectic level reading under her belt, Addison more easily and confidently read her history assignments and worked through her response questions independently. 

We participate in an online coop with other Tapestry families which adds a valuable layer to our school days.  Addison took history, literature and writing this year.  I believe a coop is essential for Tapestry at the Dialectic (middle school) and Rhetoric (high school) levels for the students to critically think through the reading material and present their thoughts in class. 

Geography – Tapestry Map Aids & Seterra    

            Tapestry has a built-in geography program, including detailed map assignments at every age level.  I have found the maps to be helpful in understanding the landscape of historical events, but not before the Dialectic level.  

            Seterra is a website with loads of fun geography quizzes for all ages.  This year Addison has been working through each continent, learning the countries and then the capitols before moving on to the next.  It is a quick and valuable tool.  So often geography is overlooked or skimmed over and this website makes it easy and fun for the kids to learn the countries and capitols of the world.  It even has more specific quizzes like Civil War Battles, Physical Features, Bodies of Water and Layers of the Earth.  

Grammar & Vocabulary – Fix It Grammar, Worldly Wise, Abeka    

            As part of our Tapestry Coop writing class, Addison did Fix-It Grammar assignments (Littler Mermaid). These exercises are short and have the student edit a passage each week.  Learning to edit and correct mistakes is a valuable skill for writing and reinforces grammar rules. 

Last year I learned that the full Abeka grammar program was overkill on top of the coop grammar assignments.  This year Addison used the Abeka Grammar Supplement assignments.  Each exercise is short but reviews important concepts. 

This year we also added Wordly Wise Book 4 to focus on vocabulary expansion. I wish I had done this years earlier!  

While this may sound like a lot of grammar, she alternated between the three curriculums each day and it proved to be much more manageable than the full Abeka program paired with a writing class.  

Writing – Online Coop Class     

            I highly recommend a formal writing class for writing instruction in middle school and beyond for most families.  I am a professional writer.  It is my job, and yet I struggle to be consistent in teaching and evaluating my own kids’ writing.  Having taught writing for four years, I can attest that most other families share the same struggle.  Most people need accountability to teach writing well. If you are considering online classes for older students, I would put writing at the top of the list. It is a life skill that they need to be able to do well.

Our coop class focused on solid paragraph construction, topic sentences and essay writing, with a few fun activities thrown in.  

Spelling – Learn that Word (online), Sumdog

             My kids and I enjoyed the online spelling program Learn that Word for years.  It is easy to use and a straightforward spelling drills and practice.  However, the company’s customer service is terrible.  We have had issues renewing our license for years and this year I finally gave up and moved on to another program – Sumdog.  Sumdog is a math as well as spelling program. I do not like it as well as Learn that Word, but for this year, it was a quick, and possibly temporary, fix.  

Spanish – Potter’s School Online Class, Spanish 1A

One of my biggest blunders as a homeschool mom was not enrolling my kids in a formal Spanish class the year we moved to Spain. Since we moved in October, the school year was well underway before I realized how desperately they would need it. I thought this whole learn a second language thing was going to be a breeze, I guess! This year we did not make the same mistake! I enrolled Addison in the Spanish 1A class online from Potter’s School. In this format, they divide Spanish 1 over the 7th and 8th grade years, with the students earning a 1/2 credit for high school Spanish each year. The class met once a week for an hour and a half. While the class seem to CRAWL by for Addison, she needed the reinforcement for grammar and spelling, even if she already knew most of the material verbally.

Math – Life of Fred: Factions; Decimals and Percents 

             Math is not Addison’s favorite subject.  She does well overall but has to work hard and has never really enjoyed it.  Based on recommendations from friends, we decided to try Life of Fred this year to see if it would help her to enjoy math more.  This math curriculum was written by a math professor who wanted kids to love math.  He believes that death by math problem (Abeka, Saxton) is not only ineffective, it turns kids against math.  Each non-consumable book has 30-35 lessons. The lessons are told in story form with 3-5 practice problems at the end of each lesson.  And after five lessons is a Bridge Quiz.  They have five tries to pass the bridge with a score of at least 9/10.  Then there is a final bridge at the end of the book.  The student self-grade their own homework and quizzes making it easy for moms.  The bridges provide a great assessment of whether they understand the concepts of the past five lessons or not.  

I thought Pre-Algebra would be the best place to start for Addison this year.  However, I wanted her to have a solid foundation of fractions and percent, so I bought the full five volume middle school set to review those concepts.  We ended up spending the entire year on the first two books. We repeated the decimals and percent book because every quiz and her final test was a struggle.  Instead of just getting through it, we agreed the beauty of homeschool is that we could make the time to go through the book again to master the concepts.  The second time through was much easier for her than the first, enforcing that we made the right decision. 

I would highly recommend Life of Fred to anyone, but especially to those families looking for a different approach to math. 

Finance – Foundations in Personal Finance (Dave Ramsey) 

This was hands down my favorite addition to our lineup this year.  Foundations in Personal Finance is a DVD curriculum with a student workbook.  The lessons are short (10-15 minutes), engaging and super practical, even for a middle schooler.  Addison is a spender by nature, and I have seen tremendous growth in her attitude about money since working through this curriculum.  I would recommend this for anyone with kids, homeschooling or not.  

Science – Apologia General Science (Online Class) 

I have eagerly awaited the day when my kids would be old enough to take an online class fully independently! We have always used Apologia Science and so General Science was a natural choice for Addison in 7th grade.  Because of the time zone challenge of living in Europe we chose a recorded class vs. a live class through Apologia Academy.  The recorded class gave her the flexibility to listen to class as she had time during the week, yet all of the assignments were still graded by her teacher along with the students in the live class.  The bonus of a recorded class is that recorded students are welcome in the live classes any time.  Pretty quickly Addison decided she preferred going to the live class vs. listening to the recording, but it still gave us the flexibility when we traveled.  (Remember those days? When we could get on airplanes and go places for fun! Ugh!)

Mya – 4th Grade 

History and Literature – Tapestry of Grace, Year 4, Upper Grammar 

             I kept Mya in the Lower Grammar level last year to be able to read books with Lucy, but she could have easily handled Upper Grammar.  She moved to Upper Grammar this year with no problems at all.  I try to keep evaluations to a minimum still at this age, because we are focused more on exposure to topics than memorization of facts. I often had her journal 1-2 paragraphs about history topics and weekly she completed the Tapestry history quizzes, which are mostly short essay questions, charts or diagrams to fill in.  She really enjoyed the literature selections: Indian in the Cupboard, The Breadwinner, The Wizard of Oz and more.  

Geography – Expedition Earth & Seterra

            Mya and Lucy enjoyed this fun world geography curriculum, surveying 31 different countries around the world.  It is set up to focus on one country per week, with daily assignments, however we easily covered the material in one day per week.  (Full disclosure – we did about 1/3 of the projects and crafts she recommends. If you do more of those, you will need more than one session a week.) Along with learning about each country, it also covers topics like weather, ocean currents, the water cycle and volcanoes using the Usborne Geography Encyclopedia.  Mya also used Seterra quizzes, focusing on US States & Capitols, Countries of South American, Europe and Africa. 

Language Arts and Cursive – Abeka 

             Cursive may seem obsolete, but I continue to feel that it is a worthwhile investment.  Not only are they able to write in cursive, they will be able to read letters and documents written in cursive. 

            At this age Abeka begins to drill the eight parts of speech in the grammar text and introduces diagraming.  While I think the grammar instruction overall is fantastic, I do have a few complaints about the workbook.  The unit on research papers is almost exclusively focused on encyclopedias (like the actual hard back books) as a primary source.  While I do think the grammar instruction is solid enough to overlook outdated material like that, I do wish they would update their material to reflect how students actually research papers today. Although I did have Mya write a 5-paragraph essay over a history topic during that unit, we skipped most of that material and the other writing prompts.  

Writing – Usborne’s Creative Writing Book

    Having taught my own kids and coop writing classes for year, I have found that I do not like the majority of writing curriculums on the market for the upper elementary and middle school age groups.  I feel like they are a bit heavy handed in the mechanics of writing.  While important most of that can be covered in a grammar workbook. Kids at this stage also need to be encouraged to think in order to write well.  Especially paired with a solid grammar program like Abeka, I feel like you can be a little more whimsical in your writing selections.

I bought this writing book in a set with very little expectations. I thought it would be a handy way to keep me accountable to have Mya write consistently.  Guys – I was thoroughly impressed with this book.  It covered a wide range of writing topics from poetry, a variety of fiction genres, screenplays, speeches and even sportscasting scripts.  I will definitely be incorporating some of these ideas into the future writing classes I teach.  As I posted this link I see the book says out of stock.  Hopefully that is temporary, or there is a replacement title.  This is a gem! It is perfect for any upper elementary or even lower middle school students needing a fun and engaging chance to expand their writing skills. 

Spelling – Learn that Word & Sumdog (see above)

Spanish – Potter’s School Online Class, Elementary Spanish

The format for Mya’s Spanish class was a bit different than Addison’s. They met twice a week for 45 minute classes instead of once a week. The homework level was a pretty big jump for us in the beginning of the year, but we eventually got into a rhythm. Since this was Mya’s first online class, she needed a bit of hand holding in the beginning. Like Addison, she knew most of the material verbally but needed the reinforcement of grammar and spelling. For a kid unfamiliar with Spanish, this is a good, but challenging, class.

Math – Abeka, 4th Grade Arithmetic  & Reflex Math

            Although I was intrigued by it, I was a bit hesitant to move the everyone to Life of Fred Math (see above).   I left the choice up to Mya and she decided to stick with Abeka this year.  While I had no complaints with the program, side by side with Addison’s math work, Mya’s really did look like death by math problems.  However, having her complete the odd or even problems only relieved most of that.  We also skipped some of the General Review pages scattered throughout the book. I do appreciate consistent drill practice however for concepts like long division, fractions and story problems.  

Reflex Math is a website/app that is solely focused on drilling math facts. All of my girls have used this and it is far more effective for us than flashcards.

Science – Apologia Zoology Flying Creatures, with Notebooking Journal, with MP3 Audio

            We love the Apologia Elementary Science books.  They dive deep into one subject rather than skim the surface of many topics.  Mya and Lucy rounded out their three-year study of zoology this year with Flying Creatures. This is one of my favorite books of the series. We especially love the chapters on bats and bees.  The caution I would give to this book is it is a bit difficult to do overseas, or at least for a non-bird expert like me.  Many of the observations were geared toward different species of birds than we have here in Spain.  I’m sure this could easily be overcome with a little effort should this be an issue for you. (I think you would run into the same issues with the Botany book.) 

            Mya and Lucy listened to the chapters on their own and then we went over the review questions together.  

            This year I did notice one drawback to this series, however.  When you dive deep into subject matters rather than skim, there will be gaps in knowledge compared to other elementary science curriculums.  For instance, in her elementary years Mya so far has studied Land Animals, Sea Creatures, Flying Creatures, Astronomy and Anatomy.  This has provided her with a wealth of knowledge, but means she hasn’t studied things like electricity, the layers of the earth or elements. This isn’t a negative; it is just something to be aware of. Elementary age is perfect for exploration and introduction to a wide range of topics.  Gaps will be filled in with later science studies.  Addison filled in many of these gaps after General Science.  

Lucy – 1st Grade 

History and Literature – Tapestry of Grace, Year 4, Lower Grammar 

             There are a ton of books for the Lower Grammar Level of Tapestry.  Since Lucy is still a beginner reader, I read her all of the history assignments.  While they cover mostly fun and interesting topics, it is a lot for a first grader.  We didn’t cover every suggested history book, but we were able to cover all the literature selections. 

Geography – Expedition Earth & Seterra

            In addition to Expedition Earth (see above) Lucy also used Seterra quizzes, focusing on the continents, oceans, and US States. 

Language Arts, Reading and Cursive – Abeka 

             The Abeka phonics program is a solid reading program and has worked well for all of my kids so far.  It reviews phonics through 2nd grade.  The 1st and 2nd grade workbooks have a language book and a phonics book.  If you have a really strong reader, the phonics workbook is probably not necessary in 1st grade and definitely not necessary in 2nd grade.  

            As Lucy’s spelling improved through the year, she began journaling on science or history topics once a week, 2-3 sentences. 

Spelling – Learn that Word & Sumdog (see above)

Math – Abeka, 2nd Grade Arithmetic & Reflex Math

Typing – Typing Instructor for Kids

Science – Apologia Zoology Flying Creatures

            Since introduction to concepts, not mastery, is the goal at this age, I did not have Lucy do anything else other than listen to the chapter and review the questions with me. 

Jake – Preschool 

Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum  

            I am pretty flexible when it comes to preschoolers.  It is the one age level that I am fully on board with child-led learning.  Jake was more enthusiastic in wanting schoolwork than his older sisters were at the same age, especially at the end of the year.  

            I have a file folder of each letter with the activities printed, cut, laminated and ready to go at the beginning of the year.  This helps ensure I will actually do preschool every week.  Some years I have not been as organized, and I am never very successful printing and prepping during the school week.  

Group subjects: 

Bible – Apologia What We Believe Series: Who Am I 

This is our second year using the What We Believe worldview curriculum.  I continue to be impressed with the discussions and engagement we have though these stories, lessons and through provoking questions.  Addison has assignments in the companion notebooking journal, while the younger kids engage with discussions only.  If you are a military family, contact Apologia for 40% off all of your purchases! 

What’s in the Bible – DVD Series 

Every Friday morning the kids watched a 30 minute What’s in the Bible episode.  The series is a fantastic overview of the Bible and is great for ANY age. Watching one episode per week, it takes 26 weeks to walk through the whole Bible. 

Art  – Local Art Classes and ScrawlrBox 

            Addison is our resident artist and has flourished being in a formal art class this year.  She is a pencil drawer primarily, so the exposure to other mediums have been great for her. ScrawlrBox is a subscription service that delivers art supplies every month and features a small original work by a member artist.  It has included things like gel pens, brush-tip markers, smudge erasers, and quality colored pencils. Every month they also include a new drawing pencil.  It is her favorite day of the month when it arrives in the mail. 

Music – Piano 

             This is our second year of online piano lessons and I don’t think we will ever go back to in person lessons.  Chad’s cousin Rachel is a piano teacher and she offered to do online lessons with the kids.  It has worked out well for us.  I love the consistency it will provide in the future and I love not having to wrestle Jake somewhere outside our house while waiting on the girls to finish lessons.  The girls even got to participate in the recital virtually!  

PE –  Swim Team, HIIT and Downdog Apps

             We made the leap from gymnastics to swim team this year and the girls have never looked back.  Normally they swim three nights a week, plus competitions on the weekends, so we haven’t added a lot of formal PE into the schedule.  When COVID closed everything down, we needed a more focus on workouts at home.  We have found a family of apps that we love to use.  HIIT gives killer quick workouts and Downdog is a yoga app that is totally customizable for whatever practice you want that day.  There is a free version of the basic workout, and the full version is also free until July 1st for students, teachers and healthcare workers!