How our homeschool works

Ok, I've shared a few times here and there about our schooling. I am a book junkie. I am a curriculum junkie. I always look over the fences of other homeschoolers and wonder if I am using the best, having some fun with projects, finding the greatest resources, etc.

Vicious cycle that fence-looking is. The grass always looks so much prettier over in someone else's homeschool yard.

Well, as I browsed a bit while paying bills here, I just got caught up in some schooling blogs. Some of them just look like they have so much fun. Now I'm not much of an "unschooler" really -- I'm all about schedules and assignments and some sense of order. You know, Type A in everything.

But, I do tend to wander (alot....and quite aimless most times) with science and history. I like those subjects, I really do, I just get bored very easily with them. That certainly isn't teaching much of an example to the brood here.
But, I think we have stumbled on some fun -- with plenty of learning involved.

Math and all assorted Grammar issues are covered with our 'core' curriculum, or spine. We use Rod & Staff for those areas. But, I want to have some fun -- life can't always be textbooks and copywork, right?

Geography Matters has a great collection of books and such for learning, well, geography. We found a lot of things I'd like to get, and might at some point. Today, however, I contained myself (because I had some Amazon goodies to order!) and we went with the Trail Guide to Us Geography and the CD set for all 3 grade levels to go along with it. Notebooking for History sounds like fun, and gives us some great projects. We're excited. I'd like to check out the Galloping The Globe and Cantering the Country books as well. Of course, I wouldn't mind checking out The Trail Guide to World Geography if the US one works out well, either.

My Amazon order was trying to save a little money. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I don't mind used books at all, but I do prefer hardcover when possible -- just too many hands to go through here to want to fuss with paperback flimsiness.
We ordered:
The American Patriot's Almanac, William J Bennett
The Story of America: The First 500 Years, D. Fran Morely
Country by Country, Millie Miller
State by State, Millie Miller
Smart About The 50 States, Jon Buller

Those last 3 were a package grouping. I like groupings :o)

Now, between these additions and our finally getting around to following a bit more of a scheduled nature study using our Handbook of Nature Study book, we are going to have plenty of fun and goodies to keep the youngers happy and enough textbook and copywork to keep me happy. If you don't already have Anna Botsford Comstock's nature book, GET IT. It is well worth whatever price you find it at, but if worse comes to worse and you simply can't get another book into the budget right now, it's available online here.

Harmony Fine Arts has a great blog based on The Handbook of Nature Study and it is definitely a must-visit. She has all the links for The Outdoor Hour Challenge, which, slow as I am with so many things, we are moving full ahead with. I know -- summer is looming here (hit 104 yesterday with all that humidity! UGH and triple UGH) and now I'm starting outdoor stuff. I'm a bit insane at times as well. Sure you already noticed that.

At any rate, there you go...a bit of a peek at what's on our school desks as we roll into our summer session. Yes, we school year-round. We have to. We tend to break far too often for things....like gardening, canning, and just plain life on the homestead....so we just keep plugging along with no carved-in-stone start and finish dates. As a subject is completed, they simply graduate into the next level. LOL....yes, we do appear to be a bit of a mess around here in areas aside from simply clutter, don't we? It works though -- at least with the schooling!