They say that no two years of learning at home will look the same. At two years in, I can attest to this. In kindergarten Jack and I hiked every week and immersed ourselves in the things we found interesting, as well as taking weekly field trips with friends. First grade found us digging a little deeper. We didn't hike as often and we had a harder time getting other homeschool friends to meet with us for weekly field trips (partially due to a really rainy winter). We also struggled at the start of the school year with finding our equilibrium, but even so we still ended up having a great year.
Like any kid finishing first grade, Jack had areas he excelled at (he completed Singapore Math for 2nd grade) and areas he had to work harder at (he truly dislikes writing, we used The Good and the Beautiful curriculum for 1st grade Language Arts). Regardless where he fell on the learning scale, he is curious and growing in both of these areas as well as the other subjects we covered as a part of first grade.
Over the course of the school year, we read 60 novels aloud. Our favorites included: Ollie's Odyssey, Little House in the Big Woods, The Wizard of Oz, Gulliver's Travels, Peter Pan, Little Pilgrim's Progress, The One and Only Ivan, The Wild Robot, an adapted version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Jack finished reading his first big chapter book (180 pages) when he read The Mouse and the Motorcycle this spring.
I like to use a variety of resources for learning and we are big fans of podcasts and use them to supplement our schooling when we are in the car. Some of our favorites are: The Same Page, Brains On!, The Past and The Curious, The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, Circle Round, Cool Facts About Animals, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Grimm Grimmer Grimmest, and Noodle Loaf.
In addition to the book work we accomplished, this past school year we were able to take a 3.5-week camping trip out west as a family. We attended plays (our kids have come to believe that reading a book is a prerequisite to seeing a good movie or a play); we went on hikes with friends; the boys participated in sports; we took field trips to farms and museums; we threw parties to celebrate the holidays with other homeschool families; and Jack even took a robotics class.
On top of local rec league sports, we were also able to take our kids to participate in several Southeastern Youth Trials Bike Competitions throughout the year. They are both improving tremendously in their riding skills. By the time summer rolled around Jack had earned enough to help buy his first gas-powered dirt bike, a TTR90.
Besides sports, our kids are really involved with lots of different groups of friends from the enrichment program Jack attends at the Y, to church activities, Cub Scouts, and local neighborhood friends, they keep busy and engaged with lots of people. Jack is outgoing and confident, talking easily to adults and kids alike. I love that homeschool allows our boys opportunities to interact with a variety of different people.
Our summer break is off to a fantastic start. Jack is participating on our local swim team which means he is in the pool first thing every morning. This provides us structure to our day. We are excited about plans to camp and hike and hang out with our friends, as well as our upcoming 3-week vacation to Ontario at the end of the summer.
Below are some of our favorite memories from the 2018-2019 school year.
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