As a follow-up to my post on living a simple life, I thought I'd fill you in on some of our plans for this summer and how I'm attempting to reign in the busyness before it starts. Simple does not have to mean boring!
First, in my never-ending search for a math curriculum we can live with I've come across All In One Homeschool. I don't know if it will work for my middle & high schoolers this fall yet. First I have to decide what I think about algebra and if it's really necessary. But when I saw the All In One math practice books, I ordered one of each. I plan to split them among the girls based on skill level and have them each do a couple of pages a week. I want the education my children receive to be practical and thorough. Basic math facts are a foundational piece of that.
Second, we are sticking close to home to take care of our animals and gardens. My hubby is working on my dream garden this weekend and I'm hoping it will be brimming with vegetables this year. We still have our 14 laying hens and will be getting our meat chickens this week also. In a few weeks, we are hoping to get more piglets and maybe a few turkey chicks as well. It's time consuming to take care of all the animals and weed the garden but so very satisfying to know where all our food is coming from.
Third, I keep chores simple. As always, I don't do complicated chore charts or reward systems. Everyone has a basic list of what they need to get done each day. When there are extra things - take out the trash, mow the lawn, walk the dog - it tends to be whoever is closest when I see there's a need. This means sometimes things fall to me, but with my work schedule being so much lighter than it used to be I don't mind.
I plan to take advantage of the free swim lessons at our local beach. It was great for my younger two last year. We have no real plans for vacations or anything. With the short growing season we have way up north, it's not really practical for us to leave. Not to mention the dogs, cat, chickens... you get the idea. ;)
What are you planning for your summer?
First, in my never-ending search for a math curriculum we can live with I've come across All In One Homeschool. I don't know if it will work for my middle & high schoolers this fall yet. First I have to decide what I think about algebra and if it's really necessary. But when I saw the All In One math practice books, I ordered one of each. I plan to split them among the girls based on skill level and have them each do a couple of pages a week. I want the education my children receive to be practical and thorough. Basic math facts are a foundational piece of that.
Second, we are sticking close to home to take care of our animals and gardens. My hubby is working on my dream garden this weekend and I'm hoping it will be brimming with vegetables this year. We still have our 14 laying hens and will be getting our meat chickens this week also. In a few weeks, we are hoping to get more piglets and maybe a few turkey chicks as well. It's time consuming to take care of all the animals and weed the garden but so very satisfying to know where all our food is coming from.
Third, I keep chores simple. As always, I don't do complicated chore charts or reward systems. Everyone has a basic list of what they need to get done each day. When there are extra things - take out the trash, mow the lawn, walk the dog - it tends to be whoever is closest when I see there's a need. This means sometimes things fall to me, but with my work schedule being so much lighter than it used to be I don't mind.
I plan to take advantage of the free swim lessons at our local beach. It was great for my younger two last year. We have no real plans for vacations or anything. With the short growing season we have way up north, it's not really practical for us to leave. Not to mention the dogs, cat, chickens... you get the idea. ;)
What are you planning for your summer?
Curriculum planning! For me new classroom! Eek!
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