Starting our new year

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

I still do not have the registration paperwork in for the upcoming year. I'll get it done and mailed this week. I hope!:001_smile: We've also got about 3 weeks in July and August that we will not be able to do lessons. About 10 of those days will be educational and I plan to count them into our 180 days though.

 

I finally feel totally rested after finishing "last year".

1. DD18 had graduated and is feeling MUCH better. (She is not well today and I thinking about calling doctor.:confused:)

 

2. My house got a real good spring cleaning before my mom visited.

 

3. One of my best friends spent last week with me and we did fun stuff ALL week long! It was a vacation at home for me!

 

4. I had one week to basically do nothing. :)

 

So, I'm ready to begin again!!!!

 

I am thinking about doing 1 to 1- 1/2 hours a day in July. Beefing that up to 2-1/2 to 3 hours in August. And then getting up to 4 to 6 hours in September. I don't think we'll do a full formal 6 hours on most days though.

 

One thing that I learned from last year is that my children DO learn and retain information without having so many "assignments". We do not have to have a test for every chapter of a book. Nor do they have to write an essay with every literature selection. They do not have to do all the experiments in science. They do not have to be quizzed on every vocabulary list we run across.

 

This year I will assign more DVDs to watch and less written assignments. And they'll also do lots of oral narrations.

 

We had a rough year last time. I'm planning an easy (so to speak) year this time with the main goal being LEARNING instead of "doing written assignments to have grades to average to check off a high school requirement."

[MIC in OH]

I am so glad you posted this. I needed to read your words about not assigning every writing assignment, etc. I am just jumping back into the homeschooling thing with my boys. Both will be doing 9th grade but they will be 15 and 14 years old.

How old are your other children? What kind of DVDs and oral presentations are you planning?

thanks for answering any of my questions that you can.

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

I have an 18yog that will be at CC this fall.

Plus, 12th grade dd, 10th grade ds, and 7th grade ds.

 

I plan on using documentaries as much as possible.

Nova, National Geographic, History channel stuff, A&E movies... anything I can find for free online, Netflix, Homeschool Channel, or local library. Videos will be supplemental. They are a great way to get school in when we are sick or tired or sick and tired.:)

 

When my kids were little they would "narrate" orally. After a reading they would just spend a few minutes telling me something about the reading. Sometimes I would ask some simple questions.

 

I just started putting assignments together last night, so I'm not really sure what subjects will have written assignments and which ones will be oral narrations.

 

I am also going to put together a syllabus/lesson plan/ check off sheet/grade record for each subject.

 

I was looking through Conceptual Chemistry last night. I think that will have quite a bit of written work. Answering questions on paper, vocab quizzes, etc. But the British Literature will mainly be reading only. I've still got to look through everything to decide how I want to assign each subject.

 

One thing is for certain: some subjects will be reading only.:)

[Tammyla]

Best wishes on beginning your year. :001_smile: