Mohaus Schoolhouse Week 11

Week 11 of our school year had a rocky start. We have had a hard time settling into normal and there had been a lot of tension around school. 

The good news is I reached out and got advice and encouragement and we had a much better week. So thank you to everyone who commented here, talked to me in real life or online. All of your comments really encouraged me and I was able to regain my perspective.

One suggestion was to take the week off and hone in on what was important to me in our schooling. I didn’t take the week but I did take time for reflection and prayer and to really consider my approach to school.

It dawned on me that I was trying to fit us in a box. And that didn’t really play to my strengths. So we took a break from all the things that were weighing us down, causing tension. 

We met friends for breakfast in our Halloween costumes, we visited the library. We spontaneously started a new study on happiness that I think will benefit the whole family.

We enjoyed Halloween related activities. And carved a pumpkin as a family. The kids painted. We read a book about Zombies found in nature. 

We trick-or-treated with our best friends. I got more creative with writing exercises. It was an overall better week in so many ways. 

We are currently listening to Peter Pan. The Young Ben Franklin podcast has us ready to do a deep dive into the life of Benjamin Franklin and I have picked up a bunch of books to start reading this week.

It’s November so we will be writing down things every day that we are thankful for.

And we ended the week by celebrating my birthday all weekend. Having the support of family and friends, both online and in real life makes the hard parts of life less hard. So thank you all for your words of encouragement and birthday wishes.

What Our Homeschool Looked Like in October:
Week 7 (Sept. 30-Oct. 6)
Week 8 (Oct. 7-13)
Week 9 (Oct. 14-20)
Week 10 (Oct. 21-27)
Week 11 (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)

Mohaus Schoolhouse Week 10

I posted last week about our tenth week of homeschool, but I was wrong. This past week was Week 10. I have to be honest and say we are really struggling through our days right now.

Homeschool mamas who have been in the trenches longer, please share some encouragement for this weary mama.

We have really good parts of our days but are struggling through other parts. We started listening to the Young Ben Franklin podcast — which is fantastic and has peaked our curiosity — but other things like language arts have become a battle ground. 

I am finding creative ways to combat it like coming up with fantastical stories in the car but getting them put to paper is almost impossible and spelling is an uphill battle. 

Our hike this week was good but we aren’t fitting in all that I feel like we need to. 

And while Jack is able to recite a handful of lines from a Midsummer Night’s Dream, our days are far from perfect and I want to be real here and share snippets of the good and bad. 

 We ended our week by camping at Montgomery Bell State Park and attending my sister-in-laws wedding, and Jack seems to have picked up a viral infection that includes headaches and a fever at night. Maybe that is why our days have been hard... 

What Our Homeschool Looked Like in October:
Week 7 (Sept. 30-Oct. 6)
Week 8 (Oct. 7-13)
Week 9 (Oct. 14-20)
Week 10 (Oct. 21-27)
Week 11 (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)

Mohaus Schoolhouse Week 9

Last week we completed the 10th 9th week of the school year and it was a busy one. 

Monday we worked on several Boy Scout projects including taking a mini nature hike and making a bird house. That night the Boy Scout meeting included a trebuchet to chunk pumpkins and also a chance to carve pumpkins. It rained but we still had a blast. 

Tuesday Jack and I did several science experiments involving straws while Isaac was at preschool.

Wednesday was our weekly hike and we did a new (to us) trail at McCoy Farms. The leaves aren’t fully changing yet but we still enjoyed checking out the variety of trees there.

While hiking we discussed the Robert Frost poem, “The Road Less Taken” and also a scene we had read in “Little House in the Big Woods.”

For our studies, we finished listening to “The Wizard of Oz” and started listening to a new podcast, One Third Stories, that is an excellent resource for beginning to learn Spanish. 

Thursday was Jack’s enrichment day at the Y. 

We began a new math program and really like it, but it is challenging and there was some frustration over the lessons. But we persevered and I think Beast Academy will be a great fit for Jack. 

Then Friday was a field trip to pick apples at a local orchard with friends. 

Friday afternoon Jack and Daniel went trail riding with another father-son that we are good friends with.

And Saturday both boys competed in the Youth Trials event at the Tennessee Trials Training Center where Jack picked up his second first place trophy.

I’m still trying to get a handle on what our days should look like this year. I tend to want to push through as much material as possible but am trying to remind myself that Jack is just in first grade and the main goal is to instill a love of learning.

What Our Homeschool Looked Like in October:
Week 7 (Sept. 30-Oct. 6)
Week 8 (Oct. 7-13)
Week 9 (Oct. 14-20)
Week 10 (Oct. 21-27)
Week 11 (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)