What an adventurous couple of months we have had at True Blue Homeschool.
We have had 4 small camping trips, 1 surgery, changes in curriculum, transition from 1 grade to another, real world science learning, and much, much more.
Lets start with travel.
Our travel this year has been really different than last year. Em decided she didn't want to camp for long periods (we did multiple 2 week camping trips last year) and she didn't want to camp for frog related activities. So I planned many 2-3 day trips over weekends mostly, so she could stay home with dad and figure out if she missed camping or not. We have done 5 trips over the last few months.
First we did a 3 night trip to attend a Park Ranger-led field trip/presentation about amphibians. I arranged this presentation and 15 kids showed up. The first half was a presentation about basic amphibian characteristics and then we headed to a nearby pond for some frog and turtle spotting. I thought the ranger did a good job of creating a presentation that was informative for such a wide range of ages.
Minecraft club camping - We did a 2 night camping trip with friends from a Minecraft club (and new friends too). No set agenda, just playtime, smores, etc. Tom had just recently become a Patreon for a Minecraft developer and wanted to spend the weekend playing MC - which he did.
Mother's day glamping - Em an I went to a fancy KOA resort for 2 nights of glamour camping. The resort had lots of kids activities - crafts, bounce pillow, mini-golf, pedal bikes, peddle boats, bumper boats, playground, etc. We made it an "animal weekend" by visiting a farm. Em did a pony ride and bought a collection of toy horses. This trip helped Em see the joy of camping.
Wyoming training - we camped in Laramie, WY to attend the Biodiversity Institute training for the RMAP - amphibian surveying. We caught up with old friends which is always a pleasure.
Wyoming survey - We camped in Cheyenne WY for 2 nights so we could conduct our amphibian survey. The vegetation at the adopted catchment site prevented us from completing the survey.
Upcoming travel plans - July = toad survey camping trip, Em horse riding, SD (field trips to animal parks, Mt Rushmore, etc), August = NJ, Aust (kids are going to do a Zoo Keeper For A Day at reptile park), Nov = Missouri (highlight is a plan to visit a big cat sanctuary)
Road schooling - Since most of our trips have been short this year (less than a week at a time) we have not been doing any book work style learning on our travels. But taking classes, conducting field research for amphibians, visiting a farm, etc has definitely been educational and has given a focus to our travels. For our month long trips later this year we will roadschool.
Academic Learning
Math - Tom changed curriculum from Art of Problem Solving to No Nonsense. AOPS was getting unnecessarily complicated. Dad is currently teaching math in the evenings and it is working out better for me to have more time in the mornings for other lessons. Since it is a high school level class Tom is earning a"grade" by taking the chapter tests and will eventually take a final exam. In order to meet "graduation requirements" high school kids have to complete 23 graded "credits" in certain areas like math, social studies, English, etc. Algebra 1 is one of those classes so Tom is getting a grade this year.
Em finished Beast Academy 3D, started 4A. The program is going well for Em. It now has a video component so most days we do math she does 1 video, 1 comic story, 1 lesson (set of questions). Although it is going well, we are taking a break from Beast Academy to do Horse Lovers Math - It is a fabulous program for practicing skills that she has a basic understanding of. As the name suggests, it is all about horses and Em is enjoying learning all about horses and tack. We will head back to Beast Academy when we finish Horse Math or Em's passion for horses wanes.
Science - Tom switched to Life Science on Time4Learning and is completing a couple of chapters that are not also in Biology. After that he has decided to go to high school Biology instead. Both classes are really similar but at different grade levels. He will finish Life Science next week but we will not switch to Biology for a few months. Our next big undertaking is Herpetology. We have been working on the field work pieces for 6 months or more but will now start an actual curriculum that I am super excited about.
Em switched to 4th grade science in Time4Learning but we haven't started it yet.
As is always the case with us, we didn't just stick to the primary curriculum.. We have done a few MEL Chemistry experiments and animal studies. Em is starting Equine science with a 4H curriculum and is signed up for 6 week Horse Science class that starts in September.
Writing - Tom is working on writing a book. It is currently 36,000 words and it is in the writing phase (part 2 and 3) and editing phase (part 1).
Em is currently in the process of writing several short stories (done jot-it-down style) and is practicing handwriting daily. But it is still met with much resistance. I am hopeful that there will be less challenge as time goes on. For Tom there was much resistance at age 9 and now does great at 12. I just have to trust in the process, do more Jot it down, and stay consistent with handwriting practice. For Tom, one key was being interested in learning to type. Em doesn't have that yet.
Language Arts - Tom finished Time4Learning 7th grade, and started 8th. He has done a little Spelling City but finding the right word lists is difficult for him as spelling comes naturally and I usually have to just test him and pick out words he needs to work on from higher grade levels.
We started going over a summary of All About Reading to refresh on the rules of spelling.
Em is almost finished Time4Learning 3. She has only 1 chapter left and should be done in a week or so. Then she will officially move on to 4th grade. Em does Spelling City and Building Spelling Skills but spelling is a new skill for her as she doesn't like to write therefore speilling isn't needed much yet. I have shifted focus from reading to writing this year so I expect progress.
Non Academic
Horse Riding - Em's big passion right now is Horses and she is loving her lessons. I try to incorporate animal themed activities into our learning when we can. Right now I am learning more about horses than I ever thought I would. :>
Frog Activities - Toms Herpetology studies have been in full swing the past few months. He participated in a on-going herp field research project with a local research group. He also went to a field trip I arranged for a presentation about Reptiles. We both went to training in Wyoming to learn how to be citizen scientists for the Rocky Mountain Amphibian Project. It was an amazing real-world learning opportunity and really educational.
MC Club - Weekly Minecraft club continues. It is great to see Tom as a resource for others on technical and MC issues.
Nature Day - Weekly nature day has been a bit hit and miss with weather and other activities.
Jr Swim Instructor Aide - both kids continue to be swim helpers for the preschool classes and it is an amazing work experience.
Lemonade Stand - Tom's annual lemonaide stand was a success and a leaning opportunity.
Triathlon - The first triathlon for the year saw Em take 5th place. Both kids are signed up for 1 more this summer.
Presentation - Tom did a presentation at an elementary school. Such an amazing experience. He had the floor for 1 hour for 2 third grade classes. He did a presentation, the question time, then walked around the classes helping the kids use the video game he was there to talk about.
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