One week with WriteShop

 I started using WriteShop with our boys this week, and I'm happy with my purchase so far.  Teaching writing to them has always been a huge struggle for me, and I've been saved by online writing tutors and co-op classes.  This has actually been a big disappointment to me, because I enjoy writing and have tutored it at the college level. 

At any rate, I had already decided to do writing with Bug at home because he was really burnt out on taking classes, and with us buying a house and moving locally, I wanted to save the money.  And then Bee's writing class was cancelled, and the entire co-op disintegrated shortly after.  Given the problems I have had in the past, I decided to look for a curriculum that would help us to be more successful.

So, the main issue that I've had in the past with both boys is that I give them something to write, and they claim it is too hard and refuse to do anything.  Part of this is perhaps a relationship issue, but I think the main problem was my own failure to break down the assignments into small parts.

So, in my googling, I came upon WriteShop, a fairly popular program, originally written to be used with homeschool co-ops.  The main complaints about the program is that the assignments are short with too many steps.  This sounded perfect for us!  Both the positive and the negative reviews pointed to this being exactly what our family needs.

Bug is in the fourth grade, and I ordered WriteShop Junior, Level D for him.  I received the teacher's manual, student workbook, grammar pack, and timesaver pack (highly recommended!).  They offer a digital version, but my printer is annoying, and ink is expensive, so I prefer to buy hard copies whenever possible.  I must admit not being thrilled at having to assemble these Fold and Go grammar packs, but they weren't too hard.  I am still making the bookmarks because I didn't have a good adhesive last weekend.  Still, it only takes about an hour or two of preparation for the entire year.

This week, we began our program, and Bug responded really well to it!  He seemed to enjoy his first grammar pack and the initial activities.  I like how colorful and child-friendly the grammar packs are.  Today, we did a mix-and-match exercise on the invitation letters, and that was fun, and it did the job of helping Bug to develop an awareness of the different parts of a letter.

With Bug, there are 10 writing assignments to be completed in this level.  If we do one assignment most months and two in one month, we can be finished in time to take off November and December, as I hope to do.  The program does require parent interaction, but it's very clear and easy.  

Bee in in the eight grade, and I ordered WriteShop I for him, to complete this year, and the teacher's manual for me.  If it works out well for him, I'll probably do WriteShop II with him next year.  We've been working through the initial exercises, and Bee did his first "sloppy copy" today.  He didn't seem to be radiating happiness during the skill builders, but he seemed relatively content doing the brainstorming and "sloppy copy" for his first assignment.  This is in contrast to tears, screaming, and the dreaded blank page/screen that we have dealt with in the past.

For Bee, he has 16 assignments to complete this year (with multiple steps to an assignment), so we will do 8 in the first semester and 8 in the second semester, 2 a month.  I think it's both a child and parent friendly program.  The parent has to do some modeling and explaining and helping with revisions, but there is a lot of independent work as well.  I like that it is very clear on what is expected for each assignment. 

It's hard to tell if a program will continue to work for an entire school year, but I'm happy after a week.  I'll try and report back later this semester and school year about if the program continued to be useful to us. 

Our plans for the school year

Our homeschool co-op has recently completely fallen apart, with allegations of financial mishandling, among other things.  Bee was signed up for several classes, while Bug was signed up for one class that he very much wanted to take, in addition to both being signed up for piano lessons there, and now it's gone.  I have received about half of my money back and am very much hoping that I get the rest of it.  There is a new co-op starting with many of the former instructors, and we are hoping that both boys will get to continue their robotics.  But the nice plan I had made out became completely screwed up a few weeks ago. 

So, the most important quality in a homeschooling parent is flexibility.  This is my 8th (!) year to homeschool, and every year, I do things a little differently.  Sometimes I move in one direction for a while and then find myself surprised to be moving back in the other direction.  For a while we were moving to taking a lot of outside classes, and now we find ourselves returning to doing most classes at home.  They had both requested to take fewer classes, and now we are doing it almost all at home again. 

Plans for Bee (8th grade!!!):

•  English:  We are using a program called WriteShop, Level I.  We started it today.  No lesson plans for me, and every tiny step for each assignment is very clearly spelled out.  We should not have any issues with "blank page syndrome" or "writer's block," which is why I have frequently used writing tutors or classes for Bee.  I'm very excited about it.  If we like it, we will go one to Level II for next year.  I'm also going to have him work through the Life of Fred Language Arts series this year.  For literature this semester, I am having him read 8 books related to the Cold War, and do a short response on each one.  Next semester is still TBD.  
• Social Studies:  We are studying the Cold War, and he is watching an extensive 24-part documentary on YouTube, in addition to the books he is reading.  Next semester, I will let him choose a different topic.  
• Math:  He continuing to work in an algebra book by Harold Jacobs.  It's going well.  
• Science:  I hope that he will continue on his robot team, if the team continues.  Otherwise, I will have to come up with something.  
• Spanish:  He is back with Homeschool Spanish Academy!  Yea!  Last year, we took a break from private lessons because we were just so busy with co-op classes.  But it's too much for me with a little one in the house to make lesson plans, prepare, and have the time to interact with him individually.  In addition, I'm going to have him watch the episodes of BBC's Mi Vida Loca, on days that he doesn't have class. 
• Arts:  He will take private piano lessons with a teacher close to our new home.  I'd like to add in some art and drama, but we'll see what comes available.  He was signed up to be in a play before our co-op fell apart.  
• PE:  He will continue his team at the rock climbing gym, in addition to family outdoor activities.  

Plans for Bug (4th grade!!!):

•    English:  Bug will be working through WriteShop Junior Level D.  At his request, we will continue the All About Spelling program, although I must admit, that with Dot running around, it is so hard for me to keep up with.  Bug spends hours every day listening to audiobooks, and at the age of 9, I just let him pick what he wants to read.  This worked well for Bee.  I will start assigning Bug some literature in the 6th or 7th grade.  
• Social Studies:  I decided to try a Holling C. Holling book, as a literature-based approach to geography.  If it goes well, I'll order more.  
• Math:  Bug will continue with Life of Fred and practice on Khan Academy as well.  
• Science:  Bug was excited about being on a rookie FLL team.  He may still get to be on one, if the stars align.  Otherwise, I'll have to come up with something else.  
• Spanish:  Bug adamantly refused to take online lessons.  We are going to do the Speekee program for kids his age instead.  
• Arts:  So far, just private piano lessons.  
• PE:  He will continue his team at the rock climbing gym, in addition to family outdoor activities.  

Plans for Dot (my tiny 2-year-old!):  Book reading, counting, singing, coloring, crafts, playing, kissing, hugging, trips to the park.  Just life! 

Plans for Me: 

• I've never included this before in my blog, but I actually think that one of the most important things a parent can do is model a love of learning for the children.  Over the years, my children have seen me learn about gardening, Spanish, genealogy, and theology, among other things.  
• My big project this year is continuing my Education for Ministry program (offered by the Episcopal Church).  Last year, I studied the Hebrew Bible; this year, I will focus on the New Testament.  My class meets once a week in the evening during the school year.  I have loved it.  
• I've been enjoying reading books when I get a minute--fiction and nonfiction. 

 

Saving Time with Subscribe and Save, Part 2

I thought I would do another post on Subscribe and Save.  We stopped using it for a while and then started back a few months ago.  The problem with it is that you have to stay on top of your subscriptions, or you can get too much stuff, and things will pile up.  But it is nice to get some staples delivered, and it saves a lot of extra trips to Target.  

Right now, we are getting: 

• paper towels
• toilet paper
• facial tissues
• baby wipes
• family wipes
• boogie wipes
• Single serve coffee, called OneCup.  We don't use these all the time.  We make a big pot in the morning, but they are very convenient when we only need a single cup. 
• cardboard litter boxes (I love these--with our one clean, gentlemanly cat, we use for a month or two and then toss.)  
• toothpaste
• floss (because we never remember to buy it at the store)
• female hygiene products
• disposable cardboard cups without lids (difficult to find at the store, and solves the problem of us leaving yucky mugs in the car and running out of mugs)
• trash bags

Best apps for Busy Moms and Dad

So, here is my list of the iPhone apps that we use the most for organizing ourselves and our family life.  (Some of these are paid apps, but I am not receiving any sort of compensation for recommending them.) 

• Tiny Calendar.  I've been using this to access my Google Calendar (because Google Calendar's old app was no good), but my husband says that he prefers the actual Google Calendar app now.  
• 7 Minute Workout App.  I used this workout regularly for over a year!  It has been a lifesaver, especially with a young baby in the house, and I have been very happy with the results, visible muscles and good, functional strength, no back pain.  Now I am wanting more variety in my workouts, but I am still using it more sporadically when I know I need to work my muscles but am too tired to do anything that takes more time.  The Smart Workout feature gives you a different full-body workout each time you use it.  You can do just one set (approximately 7 minutes), or two or three.  Lately, I am trying Daily Burn's 365 workout.  
• AllowanceBot.  We use this to keep up with our kids' allowances.  Otherwise, I don't know how we would keep track of if we have paid them or not.  I also use it for Bee's clothing/shoes budget (he is in charge of picking out his own casual clothes and shoes now).  
• OrganizEat.  I just started using this to keep up with all of my recipes.  I love it because you can just take pictures of your recipes.  Most of mine are on paper, so this is hugely helpful.  I've been getting all of my favorites in there, as well as ones that I'd like to try.  It's great to have it all in one place.  
• Google Drive.  I try to keep all of my homeschool records in here for safekeeping and easy access from multiple devices.  I also strongly encourage Bee to keep all of his schoolwork there. 
• Chatbooks:  I use this app to automatically make small, hardback books of my favorite photos on my phone.  It is such a relief to have printed, organized books of my snapshots!  It takes 60 photos to make a book, which in a hardcover version cost $15.  They are being sent to me once a month, as I get caught up.  Each book encompasses about two months of photos (at the rate I favorite them).  
• Day One:  I try to make a few entries a month in this journal; hey, at least one a month.  At the end of last year, I made a PDF out of my entries, and I saved it to my Google account.  Eventually, I want to print and bind them, as a little window into our family's life for the kids to have (and maybe their kids will enjoy looking at it one day).  
• Our Groceries: A nice grocery list app.  I certainly can't keep up with a paper list.  This will sync across devices, so my husband and I can share it. 

Record Keeping for the Relaxed Homeschool

UPDATE AS OF 7-14:  I used this system briefly, then switched The Ultimate Homeschool Planner by Debra Bell for the school year.  It's working for me! 

I go off and on about record keeping.  Mostly off.  I am consistent about keeping the children's yearly standardized test scores (required only every 3 years), copy of our yearly declaration of intent to homeschool, and progress reports.  We are required to keep yearly progress reports on file--I find it much easier to keep these by semester.  Semester 1 is Jul 1 - Dec 31 and Semester 2 is Jan 1 - Jun 30.

But I have found it difficult to consistently keep records on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis.  I have also found that many homeschoolers seem to take pride in only keeping the absolute minimum of records required by the state.  This I do not understand.  As I see it, a family tragedy (such as an illness or my death) could send our children back to school.  Records could only be helpful in this transition.  Additionally, colleges and universities vary greatly in their requirements.  Bee has only one more year until he is in high school (!), and I want to make it easy on myself in creating a high school transcript.  And there is always the possibility of being investigated for education neglect.  What incredibly unlikely, I have always felt that decent records (particularly a standardized test) would shut that sort of thing down very quickly.

It's often recommended that homeschoolers keep some kind of attendance record.  It's always hard for me to know--do I count a day as a quarter day, a half day, a full day?  Should I count weekends?  So much of my children's education comes naturally through life that it's really hard to say what is school and what is not.  But I think having some kind of written record of what was done is a great idea. 

At times, I have kept daily records on paper or in an app on my phone.  The app I have used (Lesson Tracker) was the most successful, and the best thing about it was that it showed me how much my children actually do, both as part of their "school" and on their own.  However, it requires you to enter the amount of time your child spends on the subject each day, and sometimes I just felt a little bogged down by it.

Lately, I've been using a new system (for attendance and daily records).  I made a table on Google docs (not the best application for making a table, but I managed).  It has each of the kids names and a place to check off all the subjects they do each day.  And a small area for notes to me jot down things.  Below, I have included a picture both of the blank table and of a sample for a very laid back few days like we've been having lately.

I had to use abbreviations for the subjects.  They are pretty obvious, but they stand for Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Arts (Music, Art, & Theater), Physical Education, and Home Economics.  I have the Home Economics on there because occasionally, we have to take a day off and do nothing but clean house (like if company is coming), and so checking that box off is a way of reminding myself that those skills are extremely valuable.  I don't use it for the kids' daily/weekly chores though.

Next year, I will probably need to make a separate table for Bee and Bug, because Bee's subjects will need to be more specific and correspond to what will go on his transcript.

For now, I am really feeling good about checking off the subjects every day and having a visual reminder that my children are learning and developing in all sorts of ways, often without my promptings. 

What I Love about Homeschool

So, today we set up our old bounce house.  The 9-year-old, Bug, (who is really too big for it) has been bouncing in it for much of the day.  The 2-year-old, Dot, is mortally afraid of it, just like Bug was when he was her age!  I had really wanted Dot to bounce out some of her energy.

We were afraid that Bug had made a hole in the bounce house earlier, and Bee was dispatched to see if there was anything he could do.  He determined that the problem was with the air pump connection, and the bounce house was soon working perfectly again.  Later, Bug wanted to use it again and asked me to help him.  I told him I was busy getting the crockpot ready and he should do it himself.  Lo and behold, he hooked it up himself and proudly told me that it was working better than ever. 

I was just thinking about how homeschooling provides all sorts of little opportunities like that for children to problem solve and feel useful and good about themselves.  This is in the midst of a rainy day with lots of audio book listening for Bug, woodworking for Bee, and way too much Daniel Tiger for Dot. 

We are not as much on summer break as I had originally intended, due to unexpectedly taking off time to move house locally (!) , but are having a pretty laid back couple of months. 

TOPS Science: Radishes: A Review

So, we finished our 3.5 weeks of TOPS Radishes today!  I'm happy we did it and very happy to be done. 

Bee (7th grade) was able to do the activities independently.  Bug (3rd grade) needed a lot of help and sometimes seemed to find the projects stressful, even though I simplified things for him.  The fact that Dot is a busy toddler and constantly needs my attention probably factored into this. 

Overall, I was pleased with my purchase and felt it was a very good value.  We fit a lot of science into 3.5 weeks.  I was especially happy with the data collection and final graph that they made, a very good experience for both of them.  They are both really interested in plants now and are excited about planting a fall garden. 

As far disadvantages, some of the experiments were a little bit dry and boring, particularly for Bug at his age.  Also, our plants didn't have enough light, so I would recommend that anyone follow the instructions carefully make sure to find a very sunny window or use a fluorescent light. 

It was great doing science every day for a few weeks.  We really got a lot done.  With Bee's robotics and environmental science classes this fall, I feel like he probably doesn't need me to do more formal science with him.  For Bug, I'm going to look into some super fun science experiments for his age to do in addition to his robotics.  Maybe we'll continue with plant science since that is most interesting to me. 

Anyway, I do recommend TOPS Radishes!