Academy 2019-2020
Our Academy included our youngest 6 kids--Ladybug (turned 9), Mister Man (turned 8), Brother (turned 8), Beowulf (turned 7), Lola (turned 5), and Baymax (turned 5). We started on one path and took a dramatic turn as our lives grew increasingly traumatic before getting better this school year.
We started our year with the Kindergarten Enrichment by Memoria Press as our guide to science, history, literature, art, and music. I worked hard the month before school began making lesson plans and organizing supplies/activities--even trying to schedule field trips--all with a hopeful eye to lots of hands-on exploring and creating.
It was fun while it lasted.
But Brother's needs just grew too intense for us all, and we had to default to our old way of reading and talking together over lunch.
At least it's a lovely default.
And then there were sick days when we relied on documentary school.
So here's the list.
Memoria Press Kindergarten Enrichment curriculum manual
Memoria Press Kindergarten Enrichment book list (We only "studied" the first 8 or so books on the list, but we read most of them at other times during the school year. We borrowed most of them from the library.)
Memoria Press Myself and Others II curriculum manual
Memoria Press Myself and Others II book list (These we either owned or purchased, because they are treasures.)
Documentary School
Growing Up Wild
Dancing with the Birds
If I Were an Animal
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (not a documentary, but a movie portrayal of a true story)
Blue Planet II
9 Months that Made You
African Cats
Pick of the Litter
Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue
Into the Grand Canyon
Lunchtime read alouds
Kit: The Adventures of a Raccoon by Shirley Woods
Squirrels in the Garden by Olive L. Earle
Discovering Trees by Douglas Florian
The Deer by Anita Townsend
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by
The Story of the Other Wise Man by
The Family Under the Bridge by
The Wonder Clock by Howard Pyle
First Lessons in Nature Study by Edith M. Patch (selected passages)
The Cardinal by June Osborne (selected passages)
Song of the Cardinal by Gene Stratton-Porter
The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter (the first 1/2)
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (the first 1/2)
The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess(the first 1/4)
Children Just Like Me by Barnabas and Annabel Kindersley
Exploring Creation with Botany by Jeannie Fulbright
Awesome Websites
www.allaboutbirds.org
www.123homeschool4me.com
And we always, always, always got outside as much as we possibly could. We learned how to identify half a dozen local birds by sight and sound; we can identify at least 4 more wildflowers than we could at the start of the year; we've found deer and raccoon tracks by the score, and we've pondered more. We've climbed trees, waded in streams and ponds, slogged through mud, engaged in snowball fights, collected crawdads, built igloos, and caught fireflies.
In spite of needing to fall back to Plan B and even Plan C on many occasions, we had a good year of learning!
We started our year with the Kindergarten Enrichment by Memoria Press as our guide to science, history, literature, art, and music. I worked hard the month before school began making lesson plans and organizing supplies/activities--even trying to schedule field trips--all with a hopeful eye to lots of hands-on exploring and creating.
It was fun while it lasted.
 |
| Academy was so fun that Nature Angel and Little Princess sometimes joined us! |
But Brother's needs just grew too intense for us all, and we had to default to our old way of reading and talking together over lunch.
At least it's a lovely default.
And then there were sick days when we relied on documentary school.
So here's the list.
Memoria Press Kindergarten Enrichment curriculum manual
Memoria Press Kindergarten Enrichment book list (We only "studied" the first 8 or so books on the list, but we read most of them at other times during the school year. We borrowed most of them from the library.)
Memoria Press Myself and Others II curriculum manual
Memoria Press Myself and Others II book list (These we either owned or purchased, because they are treasures.)
Documentary School
Growing Up Wild
Dancing with the Birds
If I Were an Animal
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (not a documentary, but a movie portrayal of a true story)
Blue Planet II
9 Months that Made You
African Cats
Pick of the Litter
Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue
Into the Grand Canyon
Lunchtime read alouds
Kit: The Adventures of a Raccoon by Shirley Woods
Squirrels in the Garden by Olive L. Earle
Discovering Trees by Douglas Florian
The Deer by Anita Townsend
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by
The Story of the Other Wise Man by
The Family Under the Bridge by
The Wonder Clock by Howard Pyle
First Lessons in Nature Study by Edith M. Patch (selected passages)
The Cardinal by June Osborne (selected passages)
Song of the Cardinal by Gene Stratton-Porter
The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter (the first 1/2)
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (the first 1/2)
The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess(the first 1/4)
Children Just Like Me by Barnabas and Annabel Kindersley
Exploring Creation with Botany by Jeannie Fulbright
Awesome Websites
www.allaboutbirds.org
www.123homeschool4me.com
And we always, always, always got outside as much as we possibly could. We learned how to identify half a dozen local birds by sight and sound; we can identify at least 4 more wildflowers than we could at the start of the year; we've found deer and raccoon tracks by the score, and we've pondered more. We've climbed trees, waded in streams and ponds, slogged through mud, engaged in snowball fights, collected crawdads, built igloos, and caught fireflies.
In spite of needing to fall back to Plan B and even Plan C on many occasions, we had a good year of learning!
What a great of you to homeschool 6 children. I get too upset sometimes just to homeschool three during the pandemic. And you have unique name for the children
ReplyDeleteLove all the pics and what a great read-aloud list!
ReplyDeleteOkay, tell me more about the squishy ziplock bag on the window. That looks like fun.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear hair gel--a squeeze in each bottom corner of the bag. We added primary colored gel food coloring (2 different colors) and then squished them together to make secondary colors. :)
DeleteYour desiccation to art is inspiring. My youngest can’t seem to understand the visual arts, but he is doing great with music.
ReplyDelete