Taking a Long Hiatus

Dear friends,

The time has come to take a hiatus from my homeschool blog.  Frankly, homeschooling with 4 under the age of 7 is kicking my tail.  I hope to resume it sometime in the future so I am keeping the site for now.  Thank you for following me as I wrote in fits and spurts.  I wish you the best in your journey through this adventure called "life".

~Modern Mia and the Wonder Kids

Gardening With Kids

We will be starting a garden again this year.  As you may recall from last year, it was another adventure.  This year, with moving, we're holding off on the garden until we get moved into our new home in a couple of weeks.  It's enough of a challenge to homeschool our kids in our apartment.  Actually attempting a garden at this point would send me over the edge.  Not to mention that the apartment complex will not let me do much.  In the event you want to follow our gardening escapades, here's a link to my gardening with children blog.  It's a hoot, I tell you.

Modern Mia Gardening

Children's Magazines

When I was a kid, I had subscriptions to Highlights magazine and Ranger Rick.  I loved going to the mailbox to get these 2 treats.  One of my aunts gave them to me as Christmas gifts.  When my kids came along, the grandparents started the Highlights subscriptions for my kids.  Aunt Soxie resubscribed to Ranger Rick and My Big Backyard subscriptions for them this year as Christmas gifts.

The Wonder Kids get the Highlights High Five and the regular Highlights.  We enjoy both of them.  My oldest is enjoying the jokes in his Highlights.  I enjoy the simple crafts and fun games we can do as a family.  I admit to running out of ideas many times during the week so these magazines provide ideas and sparks to keep my creative juices flowing.  When he was smaller, we started his "school" by doing the Hidden Pictures sections from his High Five.  He still loves to sit and do them.  Now his younger brother has fun with them, albeit not always wanting to put them where they correctly go.  Thankfully, Highlights offers these as stand-along magazines.  These make it so much easier to sit in waiting rooms, take road trips, and pass a rainy afternoon.

The three oldest are loving the Ranger Rick and My Big Backyard subscriptions.  These are perfect for our science studies with the kids.  Boy Wonder #2 has enjoyed reading the rebus stories with Ranger Rick and his buddies.  We use each monthly magazine as a spine for what science lessons we have.  If we run out of ideas, our More Mudpies to Magnets book always has something we can add that stays close to the theme for the month.

I've discovered that these magazines have been a big help in our homeschool.  From learning colors, matching games, animal adventures, to running to the mailbox to get the mail, they are a fun and educational addition to our studies.

New Year, New School Year

Our school year follows the calendar year.  For us, this is easier on my feeble brain.  Plus, Sweet Hubby's work schedule is set to follow the calendar year.  This way we can coordinate our school schedule and his work schedule without confusion.  With the turn of the new year came a new school year for Boy Wonder #1 and Boy Wonder #2.  Boy Wonder #1 finished up "Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading" and progressed into the learning of grammar, narration exercises, and copy work. 

So far, Boy Wonder #1 dislikes the handwriting parts.  Really, he dislikes anything that requires him to sit still for longer than it takes to consume a sandwich.  And even that is sometimes difficult.  He is enjoying doing the work once he sits still long enough to complete it.

Boy Wonder #2 has finished his Kumon handwriting books and is now working on putting words together.  He started "Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading".  He is really enjoying it now that we're past the first 26 lessons that teach letter sounds.  Now that we're putting sounds and words together, he's having a blast.  When he can sit still long enough to see the page.

I thought you'd like to see what our curriculum is for this next year so far.

Boy Wonder #1's curriculum.  Actually, they share the "Story of the World".

Boy Wonder #2.

Notice anything missing?  Still working on the science.

We Have Finished!

Today, Boy Wonder #1 finished his learning-to-read curriculum, "The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading" from Peace Hill Press.  It only took 2 1/2 years, one cross-state move, 2 more children added to the family, a job loss, and a job gain to get through it.  He enjoyed learning to read using the book since it was broken down into "small bites".  I loved it since it was scripted so I knew what to teach and could vary as needed.  Most importantly, we could lay down on the bed when mommy was in one of her various pregnant stages and do the lessons without mommy having to think too much. 



Now, we start grammar...