Wrapping Up Another Homeschool Year

It is currently gloomy and drizzling here at the Downs' farmhouse.

This is my view from the kitchen sink window...

After a few days of very sunny dry weather, it's a nice change of scenery to have a little rain.

I baked a loaf of bread earlier, mopped the floors, and got out for a load of groceries. I feel ready to begin a new week!

Monday mornings feel nice to homeschool moms. We get to begin our passion again. The busyness of the weekend is over, and we get our kids and our routine back! 

Our school year is about wrapped up, so the work load feels lighter. But we still have some finishing up to do in our books.

I consider our school year done when the Abeka books are complete.

The kids kept their daily workbooks in these wooden boxes. It worked great for us this year. I'll have to remember to buy a fourth one for Elsa, since she'll start first grade curriculum in the fall.

We've always used Abeka. It's been a great fit for us. 

I love how traditional and uplifting it is.

Every lesson in every subject points students to the Lord, and toward happy, healthy thoughts...

(Abeka 5th grade penmanship)

(Abeka 2nd grade American History)

(Click on the images and read them! They're delightful!)

 It's important to love your books!

That will keep your motivation strong through the year.

Lately I've been daydreaming about what I want our summer school to look like.

That's always fun because once the "serious" work is done we can enjoy all the books and activities we didn't seem to have time for during the school year.

We were given this book set that I am excited to have the kids go through this summer...

It has some wonderful things in it that even I have enjoyed reading and learning from.

Something very marvelous about homeschooling is that YOU, the mother, get to learn and relearn alongside your kids! All the things I had forgotten, and even things I never knew... I am learning, too!

(Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in the 5th grade reader... fascinating stuff!...)

If I keep learning myself and presenting these books to the kids like, "Hey! Look at this! I didn't know this about Columbus, did you?" It piques their interest and causes them to be open and willing to take the book and read for themselves...

I also like to pick up old books in thrift or antique stores to supplement our curriculum.

I bought this reader for a couple of dollars a few months ago and have been going through it with Soren...

It was published in the 1930's and has some timeless stories and lessons in it...

If you can find some books you are delighted in, your heart will be in your homeschool day, and it won't feel like drudgery.

Another thing that helps me keep homeschooling from feeling like drudgery, is to keep our table cheery.

It is good for my mood and motivation to freshen up the house with new scenes.

A week ago I had this arrangement...

But since my grocery run this afternoon it now looks like this...

Notice the white Calla lily in the center... I was in a store right before Mother's Day and saw a table of Calla lilies for sale. It caused me to remember that I had wanted them for my wedding years ago. They are one of my favorites! But Calla lilies were out of season at the time and therefore too expensive, so I got white Tulips instead.

This memory made me look at the price tag, wanting to get one for myself, but they were 26 dollars!

Yikes! Too expensive yet again. *sigh...

I went home without it.

But today I saw this one at my grocery store. It was the only white one and it was 10 dollars!

Oh! Thank you, Lord. I said in my heart. I'll just put this right here in my cart next to the bread and milk. I know You did this just for me!

I think it looks right at home here on my table, ready to greet me tomorrow morning.

You'll also see I have a lesson out and ready as well.

This is for Soren, and it's top priority for the morning.

(I made a lesson of blends for us to work on...)

So you see, homeschooling can be whatever you want it to be!

I like knowing exactly where my kids' strengths and weaknesses are and exactly how they're progressing and what they need work on. Then it's fun to custom-create a school experience that's perfect for each of them.

With this approach Monday mornings can be a joy!

Wishing you a great start to your week as well.

Take care, friends...

xo,

~ Courtney ~