Life Skills

Alex learned how to adjust his bike's tire using You-Tube and Papa. He thought it would be too difficult, but actually, it did not take that long to fix.

Marie-Anne

Field-Trip: Nevada State Railroad Museum

Our family enjoyed a 40-minute excursion train ride on the original tracks of the Boulder Branch Line that were completed by the Union Pacific in 1931 to take supplies to the Hoover Dam construction site.

Sabrina immensely enjoyed riding in the open air car on the return trip. She waved at the cars on the highway and many people waved back or honked. It has been about five years since we visited this museum.

We had the opportunity to take a guided tour of  what was considered the fanciest passenger car of the time. Notice all of the highly detailed woodwork.

Marie-Anne

Homeschool Group Co-op

Yesterday was the last day of our weekly co-op.

This year Sabrina took classes in Writing and giving oral reports, Chemistry and Physics for Science, Latin, and a fun Lego class.

Alex took Literature, Economics, Physical Science, and Photography.

I taught Sabrina's writing class and did puppet shows for the preschoolers.

It has been a great school year and we have developed some very good friendships and learned quite a bit. We are looking forward to returning to co-op after our Summer break. 

Marie-Anne

Sprouts Grocery Store Field Trip

Sabrina enjoyed a field trip to Sprouts Grocery Store, with our homeschool group. She learned about the different departments of the store; dairy, produce, deli...  We also got to explore the warehouse, shipping, freezers, and even out back, where they recycle fruit and veggies by donating them to farm animals.

Marie-Anne

Homeschooling High School

We homeschool year round so, Alex is starting high school today! This Summer he is taking American History, Astronomy, German, Math, Home Economics, and The History and Play of Board Games. Some are half credit courses and others will continue in the Fall.

Alex had a say in several courses; he chose Astronomy and German. I chose Home Economics and the History and Play of Board Games. American History and Math are required for college.

We homeschool year round partly because of the brutal Summers and also for the flexibility it allows. When we have out of state guests we are able to take a break from school to enjoy them. So, even though Alex has a full schedule this Summer we will be doing 4 day weeks and taking time off when we are invited to do things with friends. We also have a vacation coming up.

Most of his courses are free online. Home Economics Kitchen Skills is from Plain and Not so Plain. High School Astronomy is from Muses of a Mom. Math is Khan Academy. German is also free online, but we have not yet decided which one we will use. I plan to supplement these courses. American History is a DVD set that includes reading and activities. The History and Play of Board Games is a course I am creating to be a fun elective.

Homeschooling High School is a bit daunting. I have done a lot of research. There are some tips I've learned to make the process easier. 1. Find out what your state requirements are and make a plan to achieve them. 2. It is much easier to keep good records from the beginning rather than trying to remember what has been done as a freshman when the student is a junior or senior. 3. When possible tailor the courses to the student's interests.

High School is going to be an exciting adventure.

Marie-Anne

I'm back

It has been over half a year since I last posted. Life has been good, but busy. I am not even going to attempt to “catch up.” So, I will just start again with where we are now.

Marie-Anne