Summer, Our Anniversary, and Homeschool Plans for Next Year

Large family life doesn't always lend itself well to regular blogging! I know some of that is having a baby in the house again. Sweet Rebekah Joy is 4 months old already. She is rolling from her back to her belly, has great head stability, likes grabbing things and chewing on them, and is a cheerful girl most of the time.

I took a few minutes to get current pictures of my children and my husband and I and made it into a new header for the blog. Did you notice? Here is a smaller version:

Today my husband and I celebrate 18 years of marriage!

We finished up our homeschool year, had our portfolios reviewed by a certified teacher, and enjoyed some break time. We've been to the science center twice to enjoy the exhibits, especially the dinosaur exhibit. We enjoyed the zoo twice to see different animals (it's a big zoo). Grandma from Utah flew in to visit for a week and took everyone to ride some amusement park/carnival rides one day. We went bowling with friends. Cub scouts finished up for the school year and we're on break for the summer. My Cubs got a number of awards, but Daniel had an especially big day. Daniel received both his Webelos badge and his Arrow of Light. Oliver and Daniel head to Cub Scout day camp soon for a week of fun. Makayla has been working a lot, saving up money, and enjoying the last few days of being 16. She'll be 17 in just two days. The three oldest kids have also been doing projects to earn money for summer camp or scout camp.

In the homeschool zone:

Most of our homeschool plans for the fall are done. The kids will be in grade 12, 8, 7, 5, 4, 2, 1, K, PreK, and tagalong baby. That lineup is a little bit crazy and a whole lot of fun. We'll have our first graduate at the end of the school year, which I find amazing. She's one of my favorite people and I love watching her grow and mature.

Here are most of the homeschool plans for the year:

• All About Reading - younger kids will use various levels of AAR. Once a child finishes level 1 they will begin All About Spelling as well. (Oliver and Caleb will start the year with AAS, while Mason will probably begin partway through the year.) 
• The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts - Daniel, Emma, Joseph, and Makayla will use various levels of this. (Level 4, 5, 5, and High School). Each level includes literature, punctuation, poetry, memorization, writing, grammar, spelling, geography, art. This is a new pick for us. I think it will fit well for these four kids. 
• History 1 from The Good and the Beautiful - All kids except Makayla will use this as a family study. Another new pick for us.
• Government and Economics - This is one area we have yet to pin down for Makayla. I am currently leaning toward AOP Lifepacs for this course. 
• Math U See - Mason, Caleb, Oliver, and Daniel will continue with MUS. 
• CTC Math - Emma, Joseph, and Makayla will be moving to CTC Math for a year. Joseph and Emma are doing this specifically as a gap year before doing Algebra 1 with Math U See. I think both of them could use another year to practice their pre algebra and geometry skills and develop their logic skills. CTC Math is an online program that allows me to select lessons to fit each child's strengths and weaknesses. Makayla will use CTC Math as well to focus in on her weaker math skills. 
• Handwriting Without Tears - Mason will continue to use this for part of the school year and Samuel will begin using HWT. 
• Apologia Physical Science - This one is for Joseph and Emma. Makayla did this course in 8th grade so all I need to do is purchase a few experiment supplies. This will be their first dive into a full textbook course and will be an interesting transition, but one I like to make in the late middle school grades.
• Science topics - The younger kids will learn about physical science topics that coordinate with Joseph and Emma's book, in a more elementary friendly way. 
• Latin Alive - Makayla will continue Latin. 

Summer Fun:
We set a goal to play all of our board and card games this summer. I printed out a list and when we play one it gets highlighted. We have played 24 of our games so far, out of more than 80 games.

One fun thing many of my kids have discovered this summer is Pokemon. Netflix has a number of seasons of the Pokemon cartoon, which made the kids curious about the trading card game. So with the help of a secret friend cards arrived on our doorstep and away we went. I've even learned to play!

Well, my time is up for now. I'm off to make dinner, prepare for a birthday party, and help two boys pack for Cub Scout Day Camp. Happy summer everyone!