homeschool round up: fall semester

So, we have tackled our first "semester" of homeschooling, and it has went surprisingly well. I thought I would share what we have been doing from our first week in September 2011 though December 2011:

Week 1: August 15th-21st: The Golden Calf
Week 2: August 22-28th: The Fruit of the Spirit
Week 3: August 29th-September 4th: Cain and Abel
Week 4: September 5th-September 11th: The Tower of Babel
Week 5: September 12th-September 18th: Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet
Week 6: September 19th-September 25th: Review Week (review each of the above lessons a day this week).

Week 7: September 26th-October 2nd: Martha and Mary
Week 8: October 3rd-9th: Martha and Mary Part II
Week 9: October 10th-16th: John the Baptist
Week 10: October 17th-23rd: Noah's Ark
Week 11: October 24th-30th: The Fall of Jericho
Week 12: October 31st-November 6th: Review Week

Week 13: November 7th-13th: God Creates the World Part 1
Week 14: November 14th-20th: God Creates the World Part II
Week 15: November 21st-27th: "Thanksgiving Break"--no homeschool lessons this week
Week 16: November 28th-December 4th: Jesse Tree Lessons Week 1
Week 17: December 5th-December 11th: Jesse Tree Lessons Week 2
Week 18: December 12th-December 18th: Jesse Tree Lessons Week 3
Week 19: December 19th-25th: Jesse Tree Lessons Week 4
Week 20: December 26th-January 1st: "Christmas Break"--no homeschool lessons this week

August's favorite part of home school: the Pledge of Allegiance

Our learning time this semester has included the following (Eden @ 4yrs, August @22months):
Prayer/Scripture Memorization
Pledge of Allegiance
Days of the Week (song and wall calendar)
Weather (changing weather boards, outside weather observation, and watching weather report online)
Colors in Spanish for Eden and English for August
Counting 1-100 in English and 1-10 in Spanish
Addition/Subtraction
Learning to cut with scissors
Shapes for August (Eden "assists" in this area)
Sight words and identifying words in the Bible story book or other "easy reader" book
Writing: sight words, colors, name
Learning to tell time/count money
Art and craft time
Reviewing full name, address, city, state and country, and my cell phone number
Culinary Arts (Eden helps with supper and/or snack times)
Vowels and consonants (Eden) Letter recognition (August)

Science lesson about water, steam, and ice...

I used this lesson to explain the Trinity during our "John the Baptist" week.

We will continue to work on these areas during our "spring semester" as well as continue to add more Spanish words/phrases. Eden really wants to work on Spanish animals ;) We will also be adding sign language to Titus' "learning time". (I begin sign language with each child when they begin solid foods).

Titus ready to work on sign language!

One big way that I have found both a help and hindrance in home school is that you schedule your days each day how you see fit for your family. It is a help in that, if you notice above, we took a "Thanksgiving" and "Christmas" break. August broke his arm the week of Thanksgiving (click here for that story!) so I cut out learning time for that week to focus on him. Then, August had a double ear infection AND a virus the week following Christmas, so I made that our "Christmas" break. It is nice to have that flexibility. But the same flexibility can also be a hindrance if you have "lazy days" like I do at times ;)

We are continuing on, prayerfully, next week after all of this illness has left our home. What are you doing with your little ones that you would like to share?

(Missed today's daily photo? Click here.)