Homeschooling: Year 7

It appears my blogging has been cut back to twice a year.

I'm not even going to go into my lack of solitude or "free time".  Blah blah blah. That is old news.  Instead, I'll pick up where I left off.

We are starting our seventh year of official homeschooling.  It feels amazing, this complex structure, built over the years.  I couldn't have imagined it, but each year truly builds on the last and the elements come together quite naturally.

This year is a big difference from any other year, as Diego, now 13 years old, is reading at level.  This means that I am actually assigning him to read his own books.  Up until this point, I have read everything aloud.

This is perfect timing, because with Jamie in Year 2 this year, I wasn't sure how I was going to juggle reading 25 books aloud.  It was a fairly heavy load for me last year, which was easier than this year.

As it is, I am letting Diego ease into it slowly, and have assigned seven books for him to read to himself.  I am reading the other five aloud for the group.  In addition, I've always had Diego and Truen in the same year, so with this, I am having Truen listen to two of the books on audio . . . and have totally fallen off the bandwagon with three of the other books.  (I've got to get on that.)

With that preface, here's what we're going this year:

Modified Ambleside Online Y6
Diego (13), Truen (11)

1. The Story of the Greeks - H.A. Grueber
2. Augustus Caesar's World - Genevieve Foster
3. Ben Hur - Lew Wallace
4. Never Give In - Stephen Mansfield (Diego)
5. Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowat
6. Material World: A Global Family Portrait - D'Alusio & Menzel
7. What the World Eats - D'Alusio & Menzel
8. The Mystery of the Periodic Table - Benjamin Wiker (Diego)
9. The Sea Around Us - Rachel Carson
10. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom - Theodore Gray (Diego)
11. Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity - Robert Cwiklik (Diego)
12. Myths Every Child Should Know - Hamilton Wright Mabie (Diego)
13. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (Diego)
14. Poetry of Robert Frost (Diego)

Modified Ambleside Online Y2
Jamie (7), Eliah, in on the ride (5) (read aloud)

1. The Story of the World, Vol. 1: Ancient Times - Susan Wise Bauer
2. This Country of Ours - H.E. Marshall
3. The Little Duke - Charlotte Yonge
4. Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowat
5. Tree in the Trail - Holling C. Holling
6. The Burgess Animal Book for Children - Thornton Burgess
7. Tales from Shakespeare - Tina Packard
8. Understood Betsy - Dorothy Canfield Fisher
9. Poetry of Walter De La Mare

Circle Time
Everyone (read aloud, sung, recited together)

1. Shakespeare: Henry V
2. Plutarch: Julius Caesar
3. OT/NT Bible
4. Folk Song: Cockles and Mussels (Molly Malone)
5. Hymn: Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
6. Book of North American Birds
7. The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse - Thornton Burgess
8. Getting Started with Latin - William E. Linney
9. Oxford First Ancient History
10. Earthworms - Dorothy Childs Hogner
11. Artist: John Constable
12. Composer: Carl Maria von Weber 

Morning Lessons
Everyone

1. MEP Math: Y2 (very end): Diego & Truen
2. MEP Math: Y1 (very beginning): Jamie
3. Piano Adventures Primer Level: Jamie
4. Phonics: Jamie & Eliah
5. Nature Study
6. Drawing Practice
7. Copwork/Cursive

Oh my garsh, no wonder why my head is spinning every day.

I can't even believe it, all written out. But is is happening. And almost every day.

Insert wink-emoji here.

Ta ta for now!