Homeschool Honeymoonin'

I don't know if it's really a milestone, but I'm counting it as one.  We've made it eight weeks in this grand experiment called homeschooling.  While I think it's too early to speak of the success we're having (or not having), I can say with confidence that it has surpassed my expectations in nearly every way possible.  This, once again, is one of the benefits of being a pessimist.  I am learning so much.  I can only assume the same for the kids.  Being the realist that I am, I'm still waiting for the day to come when the bottom drops out.  Maybe it won't.  Maybe that's not the spirit to have, but I still can't shake the feeling that we are still honeymooning.  One of these days, I suspect one (or all) of them will be begging to go back to school.  I'll cross that bridge when and if we get to it.

I won't deceive you.  Homeschooling is not always a walk in the park.  It's not always sunshine and rainbows.  And one thing I can say with absolute conviction is that come bedtime, I am finished.  Love you lots, kids, but it's been a long day.  Long days aren't always necessarily bad.  Just tiring.  This happens, I guess, when you pour so much of yourself out from the moment you wake up until the moment they (and you) go to sleep.

Here's the way these next few posts are going to work - I'm going to show you a bazillion pictures from the past 7 weeks, and attempt (through the process of captioning) to cover (or at least touch on) the topics of curriculum choices, homeschool perks, building family bonds, and general life as a Sheppard.  Hold on to your seats.

History

I'm beginning with this because it is my favorite subject, to teach anyway.  I never appreciated it coming up through school.  Maybe that's why I feel like I'm learning so much.  We are using The Story of the World beginning with the ancient history - studying, well, the entire story of the world chronologically over a four
year cycle.

We probably spend too much time doing projects and not enough time reading.

Our studies have taken us from Ancient Egypt to the first Middle Eastern cities to the origin of the Jewish people which included (but is not limited to) time spent on hieroglyphics/cuneiform, making our own Rosetta stones, learning and carrying out the mummification process on some excess Barbie dolls, drawing Pharaoh from our Funny Faces book, covering the entire book of Genesis in one week by making our own coat of many colors, building a ziggurat, and watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (on VHS even). 

 

Can't even tell you how much Ben enjoyed destroying Barbie dolls.  The poor kid is surrounded by girl toys 24/7.

 

 

Betcha can't figure out whose is whose.  (Hint:  I helped with Sarah's.)

What?!  How did that picture get on here?  (Apparently, I show up to school in my jammies too.)

Science
 We are using Apologia's Exploring Creation through Astronomy.  In the first 8 weeks of school we've covered the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and we're about to begin the best of all planets, Earth.

Sun Collages

 

Dropping asteroids on Mercury.  It's not a pretty planet, that's for sure.

Exploring molten rock versus lava versus volcanic rock as it pertains to the landscape of Venus

Oh my goodness, this is long.  And I've only covered two subjects.  Well I guess we know what the next posts will be about!  

What do I do with Sarah (the 3 year old) while all of this is going on, you might wonder.

I just let her make her own trapeze equipment.  She'll make a great circus performer some day.

Until next time - which will hopefully not be weeks and weeks - I have so very much to put down in writing!!!  

 

Be blessed!