We're in our last term of the school year (not counting our mini-term in July), and we're wrapping up some of the curriculum we started at the beginning of the year. Granted, we dropped some of the curriculum we had started at the beginning of the year, but the curriculum we've kept working on is almost finished. It's such a good feeling!
Today I read aloud the last of our critical thinking book, The Thinking Toolbox. All three kids are done with their Rod & Staff grammar. Jaden is finished with his math and science. Jaden and Jerah completed the writing course they were taking. Joely and Jerah are finished with history. Joely is done with her Horizon's math workbook, although she has a little left to do in Singapore yet.
Did I mention it feels so good to finish things?
Even though the kids have finished a lot of their work, I still want them to be actively learning this term. Since Jaden and Jerah are both actively working on writing novels, I've added some 'how to write' books to their daily assignments. Jaden is currently reading The First Five Pages and Jerah is reading If You Can Talk, You Can Write.
Joely's math is nearly finished, but she still needs a bit more practice on her basic multiplication/division facts as well as figuring out fractions of a set. Consequently, I'm having her do some focused online math practice at MathUSee.com and we're also doing some on-the-floor practice with Mancala marbles working on those pesky fractions.
I'm enjoying this change to our regular routine, and so are the kids.
Is your homeschool year winding down? What do you do differently at the end of the school year?
Just found your blog. We use several of the same resources. It's interesting to read about them from another perspective!
.-= Bonni´s last blog ..My Husband – Your Son =-.
We school year-round and it doesn't all end nice and neat. We may be halfway thru the math book when we finish history for the year or may have just started a handwriting curriculum when we finish all the fine arts for the year. But I like it like that. Less planning involved. I tell the kids what grade they're in based on what math book they're in since really my "4th grader" is in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. lol
Think I need to look up the directions for Mancala again. Didn't know you could learn fractions with it!
Also, have you heard of the Flashmaster (.com)? I think you'd love it. I use it for mastery for each of the kids. They do 10 min on it before doing their MUS worksheet. Really helps.
.-= Ginger´s last blog ..Book Review: Mind Your Mortgage =-.
@Ginger, I've heard about Flashmaster, and looked into it briefly. Can you tell me why you like it so much? How does it differ from using the online math drill practice sites like MathUSee.
Options make it different. I can set it up to do all the 8x tables, untimed; or I can set it up to practice the tables, so that it gives the right answer whenever they miss one; or I can set it up to do a timed test. Then I can have it retest any that were missed. It will give 5×8, you say 30, then it says 5×8=40 and gives a new question. Then 5×8 pops up again, and again a few problems later.
I love it.
.-= Ginger´s last blog ..Book Review: Mind Your Mortgage =-.
@Ginger, Thanks for the recommendation. Just ordered Flashmaster with my SwagBucks! 🙂
P.S. That was only some of the options, I just realized. It does more than that. You'd have to thoroughly read the website.
.-= Ginger´s last blog ..Book Review: Mind Your Mortgage =-.
How did you use SB to get the Flashmaster? Surely it's not in the store. Did you use SB to get PayPal gift cards?
@Ginger, Actually it is. Flashmaster is a third-party seller at Amazon, so I used my SB Amazon gift cards to pay for it. 🙂
http://amzn.to/alUtT9
.-= Joy´s last blog ..Wrapping up our school year =-.
Ohhhhh, Amazon. I forgot they sold the Flashmaster.
I trust you will post about it after you've tried it out for awhile. 😀
.-= Ginger´s last blog ..Book Review: Mind Your Mortgage =-.
We homeschool all year too. It just makes it easier for me when we have to take days off for sickness or emergencies that we can make it up in the summer. I think going all year helps me feel less pressured.
.-= Elena´s last blog ..may 2010 060 [Flickr] =-.
Oh I loved the days when we could fit school into 180 days and then be done until the next fall. But now that we are 'country folk' with livestock with goats that decide to kid during school hours or need to just get certain things done on the random days we have dry and sunshine, we are finding ourselves dragging certain subjects on and on, especially with my 8yo who drastically needs to achieve a certain level of phonics competency pretty soon. I think it is time to re-evaluate our school year and put together a little more formal plan next year. I need the break as much as my kiddos do I'm pretty sure.
Congratulations! Sounds like you had a good year.
Janet W