Fall Reset!

 Let’s be real.  I have many friends who home-school.  Things do not always go to plan.  One friend is in the middle of a move.  Another has her fifth child a month ago.  Yet another has teens she home-schools and a granddaughter she watches because her daughter is ill.  I witness the struggle first hand.  So, it’s now November and lessons have been erratic.  Do a reset.  Plan to take just Thanksgiving weekend off, rather than the whole week.  Do the same at Christmas.  Take off five days instead of two or three weeks.  Admit now that school is going to continue through June or even July.  

What else can you do?  Scale back.  Drop the Co-op classes and focus on the basics; English, math, history, and science.  If your kiddos are quite young, you might postpone science for the summer; reading and calculating are more important.  Pick a weekly reading book with either a history or science theme.  Write or dictate a report.  

How is your curriculum?  Is your family overwhelmed with the online school’s requirements? Start with a call to your consultant.  Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool may be the answer this year.  If a stream-lined program helps you get back on track, switch.  You can always use the online school’s materials next year.  Enlist help.  Can Nana or Pop-pop help?  Do you have a home-school friend who can take over math with your child?  Can your husband tutor history in the evenings?  Do what you can to get back on track.  It’s tough on the whole family when you get behind.  Try a reset! Make the basics a priory.  You can do this!

Shakespeare: Create your own insults!

 Shakespeare’s has had an enormous influence on the English language.  For example, look at all the Shakespeare Phrases still used today.  Make your own insults!  Here is a list of insults from Shakespeare’s plays.  The Shakespeare Insult Kit allows students to mix and match their own insults.  Have a little fun with your lesson!

Happy Veterans Day!

 Thank you, Veterans!  I hope your day is perfect!  (We have friends who eat out three or four times for free on Veterans Day.). Thank you for your service!

Co-op Classroom IRL

Today is a tour of our basement classroom.  We have Chemistry, British Literature, Apologetics, YE Chemistry and Physics classes this year.  Apologetics meets in our dining room during the Chemistry class.  There are six tables in the basement.  We have duplicate whiteboards and computers in order to have two classes simultaneously.  The Chemistry class is larger and needs the whole basement.  Happily the Apologetics class fits around the dining room table.  Below is tomorrow’s lab IRL.

Here are pix of the basement, some with class in progress.

Just like you, whenever we Tudor or homeschool, we use the dining room, kitchen, or breakfast room.  We have the room; we might as well put the house to work.

Shakespeare: Does the movie capture the play?

 My Co-op class read Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet over the summer. (Yes, they are reading both again.) Next, they are watching West Side Story and Lion King?  Why?  One question I love to ask is whether or not a movie captures the play.  (Obviously, the play, like any book is better.). The Lion King was inspired by Hamlet.  West Side Story  is based on Romeo and Juliet.    My class is watching both.  The essay is simple: Does the film capture the play? Can any book or movie capture Shakespeare?  There have been many attempts.

Have you heard of Hogarth Shakespeare?  Modern authors are challenged to write a novel based on one of Shakespeare’s plays.  I love AnneTyler’s Vinegar Girl,  based on The Taming of the Shrew, which inspired Ten Things I Hate About You. FYI the film, however good, is challenging for Christian families.  Kiss Me Kate, based on The Taming of the Shrew is a better choice.

Similarly, The Fault in Our Stars (book and film) are also based on Romeo and Juliet.  This novel is widely used in classrooms; however, though YA, there are issues with the novel.  I stick to classic films. Here is a list of films adapted from Shakespeare’s plays.  I’ve read a bunch of related novels and watched several films.  I’m sticking to The Lion King and West Side Story.  You may want to use Orson Scott Card’s Romeo and Juliet.  Below are easy to read versions of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.  Pick a play and watch a film.  Let your teens write all about their opinions.  Yes, this is composition!  

Anticipate fewer posts!

 It’s November.  Rob and I volunteer and lead a tax site.  Rob’s in charge and I help with training.  There are weekly tax meetings; we’re adding FSA or DIY taxes—which means more meetings and training.  Our training starts in two weeks.  In the mean time we need to do a ton of scenarios (fake tax returns) and prepare the training materials. We have a ton of volunteers to train over several sessions.  Once training starts, we’ll have a steady stream of  volunteers stopping by our house.  The passwords, websites, and Chromebooks are confusing.  There are seven different sites we use.  Arrrrggggghhhh!  Part of training is just navigating the websites and managing passwords.  Don’t ask about setting up the routers at the library.  We may have to double up the routers. Won’t that make access easier?   I can’t make this up.  Rob and I will spend days and days in January at the library quietly praying we can set up the Wi-Fi to print from our Chromebooks.

A friend just asked me to lead a few sessions about how to write grants.  I wrote a bunch in another life.  Presenting grant workshops is one of my favorite things to do.  Afterwards, I like to support the newbie grant writers.  They need help tailoring grants for foundations.  Naturally the workshops coincide with the beginning of tax training.  I’m excited!

We still have Co-op classes.  Kiddos stop by for extra help.  (By extra help I mean they are behind and we make them stay and catch up.)  We sub for religious education; there are four sessions each week.  We are trying to approximate a life and love our family; Paul and Lily love to visit!   Did I mention I just had major surgery?  It’s been six weeks; however, it takes a while to recover your energy.  So if you are wondering why there are fewer posts it’s because things are chaotic.  Sound familiar?  

Co-op Tips: Use Announcements!

 Do you use Google Classroom in your Co-op class?  I sure do!  In addition to assignments, I post how-to videos, articles, and helpful resources.  This year, I’ve been posting more announcements.  (A few screenshots are below.)  I can see a difference!  I still get texts and emails; the announcements help families stay on top of assignments.  For example, several kiddos missed the lab report deadline.  After I posted the announcement, more flew in.  (Not all.  Yes, I’m missing two.  Surprise!   All of the reports I did receive have errors and need editing.)  Job one is getting the assignments more or less on time.  I need any tool which helps.  Announcements are working.