Pre K and Preschool Weekly Wrap Up {April 1, 2016}

by Meghan // April 8, 2016 // Comments off

This is a Weekly Wrap up from April 1-this past week. I am a bit behind =)

It has been a very long time since I wrote a Weekly Wrap Up Post. Wow.

Well, I can say towards the end of winter we finally found our homeschool groove, as I came out of the first trimester nausea and exhaustion. Now we have a simple, and effective routine just like we had before, which means we are back to much smoother days! *thank goodness*

You may remember me posting about struggling with a rut, which I don’t think was school related, but certainly affected our school time. We (I) came out of that and whew, life is better!

What a School Day Looks like

As we finish the school year (we will be schooling until about July 1st I think, maybe not that long if I can really bust out some chapter books!), we are finishing strong. We have recently stopped driving 35 minutes every Tuesday for gymnastics, so that has freed up an entire morning, and makes our lives less hectic. We will continue extra curricular activities with swim lessons, but they will be closer to us!

All that to say, we don’t have specific days we are doing school right now, with this new change. But I think we are mostly back to Wednesdays being cleaning/no school day, and schooling 3-4 days a week.

On days we school it looks something like this:

7am wake/breakfast/morning basket- morning basket includes: prayer, Bible, pledge, calendar, songs and finger plays (my son loves them), memory work verses and poems, possibly reading part of a read aloud depending on time
8 Begin morning chores- Lexie empties dishwasher, Mister helps with laundry, I load dishwasher
8:30-9:30 Depending on the weather the kids usually go outside for fresh air here, and then we begin school after that. Sometimes it we go straight into school and they play outside afterward. School begins with our Sonlight read alouds and history.
9:30-10:30 Toddler joins us for as long as she can be relatively quiet, but usually goes to IP during this time so Lexie can read aloud and focus on harder material
11:15 lunch
12:00 toddler down for nap
12:00-12:30 Lexie, Max and I wind down for nap with books
12:30-3:00 everyone is resting/napping (this actually is more like 1-3 by the time everyone has had their nap time books read)
3:00 up for the afternoon/nature walks/play in the woods/cook dinner/run errands
- This is also when we go on nature walks specifically to support our science topic, read science books, cook and bake together, and

That’s a typical school day.

What we “do” During School Right Now (3.5, 5.5)

Right now school has been such a pleasure! Lexie suddenly just started wanting to read everything. EV * ER * Y * THING! She picks up books and reads them-doesn’t matter the level; she asks for help when she needs it. She reads words off the Netflix screen, she reads words off magazine covers, she asks Mister and Ila several times a day if they would like her to read them a book, and of course they do, so she does.

Our daily activities for school include:

Morning Basket for everyone (see above)

Lexie (5.5 yo)

Lexie’s All About Reading Level 1- either a lesson, reading from her readers, or reviewing fluency pages
Lexie’s Copywork/HWOT/Journaling-
- To make her copy work, I simply write it out on a lined dry erase board like this one while I am sitting at the table. Copywork usually comes from one of the books she is reading and includes lots of quotes, commas, etc. In the future, (read: after baby comes) I am planning a bit different set up for her to do more work independently, so I will probably have copywork printed out for her to copy from.
- Handwriting Without Tears is really just her doing the pages on her own. I tell her what page, she completes it and I make sure it is nice and neat. Again, my plan for fall is that this will turn into her independently working on the next page from an assignment sheet without my help.
- Journaling is me simply giving her a topic, which she writes on freely in her own style. I try to remind her of capitalization, punctuation, and spacing, but otherwise it is her own thoughts, spelling, etc.
- She loves doing ALL of these things
Lexie’s Math- Saxon 1. We pretty much just stopped doing the K book because it was too easy and although she still enjoyed it, I was bored (ha). She really likes the Level 1, there are lots more sheets for her to do (which she LOVES) and she reads the directions to herself. I check them and have her fix any mistakes or fill in any places she skipped on accident. I feel like it is a great way for her to work independently, feel successful, and also learn about double checking work, etc. We like it!

Max (3.5yo)

Max is doing All About Reading Pre Reading, mostly because he always asks to do school and he wants to have activities like Lexie. This is a PERFECT fit for us because it isn’t time consuming, and he really enjoys the games, they’re developmentally appropriate for him (mostly rhyming and logic right now), and did I mention he enjoys it? We only do this like 1-2 times a week, depending on what he is in the mood for.

More phonics- Mister knows his letter sounds, so sometimes we work on beginning letter sounds. Yesterday, after we did a hands on activity and while Lexie worked on a few math sheets, Max sat in my lap and I drew pictures. Beneath each picture I wrote letters- I asked him: what each picture was, what each letter was and its sound. Then I asked what letter he heard at the beginning of the picture word (ex: what sound do you hear at the beginning of “flower?”) He then gave me his answer and circled the letter. He got every single one correct without any prompting from me!

Math- Mister is tagging along with Lexie’s Math and so far he is doing great! He loves it, they take turns answering questions, and he loves the hands on activities. This week he helped create a vehicle graph and answered questions about it. While he is doing really well with his letter sounds and literacy development, math is really his thing right now!
Other Activities- While I am working with Lexie on a reading lesson or giving instruction for her work, Mister really enjoys doing the Kumon workbooks and a Big Preschool activity book. He has a book of all mazes and will literally sit there the entire time we do school and just do mazes. Some days he just goes and plays trucks or looks at books, or plays independently with something else, and I am totally fine with that.
Writing- some days I will write letters on a piece of paper and he traces them; other times he just doodles and tells me about his pictures.

They both love art, listening to read alouds, talking about history, and learning about the Bible. This spring homeschool has become such a blessing again! Somehow, we just found our groove for now … Yes, it is surely to change, but there is a season for everything. =)

What is best is that it’s all relaxed. My word for the year began as joy. And it definitely continues to be my word of the year. 😉 However, my mantra has become relax. I can’t find the joy, or rather feel and see it in front of me, if I can’t relax. And that’s just what we have done.

I don’t dread any part of our school time; I don’t wish that we were doing something different. There is a peace about it, a joy in it, and we all love it! Even Mister tells me, “Mama, I love learning time!” And that’s just how it should be. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the friend that encouraged me to step back from everything, that introduced me to podcasts (I will do a WHOLE ‘nother post on those!), for my husband encouraging me to wake early in the mornings to start my day with coffee and Jesus … it has all just played into a perfect part of our day, of which the morning is school.

So. until July when we are done with school and a newborn is in the house, I think this is going to continue working.

What does your homeschool with your littles look like?

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

The Beginning of Spring {simple woman’s daybook 22}

by Meghan // March 21, 2016 // Comments off

Outside my Window …
It is dark and quiet. Last night we had some coyotes come very close to the house; our Great Pyr was going crazy. It will be interesting to see if they come back again tonight.

I am thinking…
I am so tired. This time change .. *whew* I love spring, but this time change has completely messed up mine and the husband’s schedule.

I am thankful…
For my mom coming out tomorrow to see us! She hasn’t seen the farm since it has officially been ours, not that there is much to see … but you know. It will be a good visit.

In the kitchen…
It is CLEAN! I cleaned today. I also ground fresh whole wheat this morning to have on hand this week. There are also new cabinet pulls waiting to be installed- swapping the big oak knobs for flat black.

I am wearing…
My gown and sleepy eyes. So ready for bed!

I am creating…
I have a list of plans for my Bible journal, and am still working on the girls some more dresses.

I am going…
To the airport tomorrow, and Costco I hope. We need fruit for the week, and some steaks!

I am wondering…
When this spring wind is going to die down some! And when I can finally plant some flowers in my pots out front.

I am reading…
My The Old Schoolhouse Magazine- I love that thing! And it is a great encouraging distraction while I wait on the new Sonlight catalogue to come.

I am hoping…
this week isn’t too cool and windy. It has been so nice for a month, and now that my mom is coming, I want her to enjoy it, too. Hopefully it will be nice, calm weather.

I am looking forward to…
this week with my mom, getting my Neon Coral Lamy fountain pen in this week!

I am learning…
the time change gets harder as you get older. =/

Around the house…
It is clean! I cleaned today; dusted, vacuumed, steamed floors, kids picked up their things. We got some school reading done and overall it was a good day.

A favorite quote for today…

One of my favorite things…
SPRING, fresh air, watching the trees and flowers get buds and bloom, working in the yard with J.Tom, watching the kids be farm kids.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Get my mom from the airport, get tags for my car, and get my hair-did.

A peek into my day…

This actually happened about 10:00pm last night, but it was too perfect not to share. I have tried every recipe everywhere for the perfect bread machine bread, that I can make dairy free. And I found it! Recipe to come soon!

Baby #3 Summary: 18 month Update and Routine

by Meghan // March 14, 2016 // Comments off

Well … Talk about dropping the ball =/ Poor Ila hasn’t had very many baby updates.

But, here I am with her 18 month baby summary!

Personality and Development

Ila walks to the beat of her own drum, for sure. While Mister and Lexie are out running around on their many adventures, Ila is usually either off in her own world (playing with trucks, or sitting in a hole in the yard playing with dirt), or totting right behind them. She is still obsessed with animals and tends to talk back to them in their language, more than she speaks to us in ours. She moos at cows, tweets and whistles at birds, growls at the dogs, and SCREAMS some wild meows at the cats; she can call, “here chick, chick, chick” just as well as I can, doesn’t have a single fear of those calves in the barn. As far as she is concerned, Thora and Charlie belong to her and she is one of them. (she doesn’t discriminate!)

Speaking of walking … Ila started walking full time somewhere around November (14 months) which is the absolute latest of all my babies. The first two were walking by 9-10 months. Ila just wanted to take her time.

Speaking of speaking … Ila has words, she just chooses not to use them most of the time. Ha! Her vocabulary consists mostly of: Tho-ra, charlie (which comes out something like chagie), dog dog, meow, cat, air (airplane), mama (for mama, more, please, I’m waiting! and NOW!!), dada, dada home (cause that’s the biggest deal of the day besides meals), and my absolute favorite which comes out plain as day Yes Ma’am! haha Why of all the words we have taught her did that phrase stick, we will never know… There are a few more I am forgetting I’m sure, but these are the most widely used. She won’t say Lexie or Max yet.

She does sign for her drink and please … but that’s about it. She CAN doe “more-more” but chooses not to most of the time unless I really make her. 😉

I can say this about her- she is smart and hilarious! She picks up on things so fast, without us even really realizing it, which I am sure is because she is submerged in a literature and language rich environment AKA living with her siblings. They talk to her, sing to her, read to her, pretend with her, and if I’d let them they would feed her (that may or may not happen on occasion). One day after dumping the ABC beanbags into the laundry basket, I found her sorting out the bean bags and laundry, putting each item where it belongs.
She is so funny, and will do just about anything to put a smile on your face. She also finds herself quite humorous … I think she takes after her daddy!

My silly, sweet, snuggly little rag-napper. She enjoys stealing my rag off the kitchen sink

She is the snuggliest of all my babies. Max was a snuggler, but mostly because he was refluxy and cranky and needed lots of reassurance; that snuggly behavior stuck through his personality to today. Lexie liked snuggling as a baby (and really craves it now at 5.5) but then she wanted to go do her thing and come back again later. Ila will just snuggle all day if you let her; she walks up to J.Tom and me and gives the BIGGEST squeeze hugs around our legs. She often just wants to be held and lay her head on my shoulder. She gives great big, squeaky kisses that put the slobberi-est of dogs to shame!

Eating and Favorite Things

At meals, she likes to be the first to fold her hands for the blessing so she can start eating. She has started pointing to things and counting (like she sees Mister do), and she likes to bring me letters and say Mmmmm. Apparently all letters are M (probably because Max says M-A-X Max! all day long). She has discovered her spit (ew) and blows spit bubbles to get attention. Her favorite foods are probably whole pears, which she has been eating since she was about 8 months old, and anything I cook that is warm. She will devour anything, but like beans and ham, spaghetti, turkey sandwiches with spinach, and loooove green beans. She really likes the tomatoes out of my vinegar salad and roasted broccoli.

She has finally started enjoying listening to me read to her; up to this point she just wanted to sit in my lap while she held the book and thumbed the pages. Somehow it just soothed her, the feeling of the pages flipping. And she still enjoys that, but we have started reading her Bible and she is actually listening and points to the pictures, etc. So that’s nice. While Mister and Lexie are doing school, she likes to ask for crayons and paper … but she just eats the crayons.

Her favorite things are our animals, anyone’s shoes, flipping through books, eating, and dancing. She will play with Mister’s toy trucks for what seems like hours and rolls them all over the house.

Her eating schedule looks just like ours now. Here is her daily routine:

7am wake/snuggles
7:30 breakfast- fried eggs, homemade oatmeal, and fruit with water
- play while we finish morning school basket/do morning chores, begin school
9:00/9:30-10:30 she goes to independent play in her crib while we do parts of school that require a little more quiet (Lexie reading aloud, math, me reading aloud if she is being particularly loud!)
11:15 lunch
12:00 nap She usually sleeps until 2 or 2:30
3:00 everyone up from naps
outside play/play downstairs if weather is nasty
5:30ish dinner
6:15ish bath
6:30/6:45/7pm bed, depending on what time she woke up from nap. If she slept until 2 or later bed is 6:45 or 7pm
All kids are in bed by 7, earlier if Max didn’t nap good

Everything is flexible by a few minutes other than sleep times.

This month marks the firs that we have truly been Wonder Week free! Whew- let me tell you, since about Christmas, we have had one WW after another. Some of those wouldn’t have been that noticeable, except that hers manifest themselves in waking at night- not just waking, but screaming all night unless being held. A few times I tried to hold her, but she wouldn’t go to sleep, only stop crying. So we had many wakeful, exhausting nights. And once she came out of the WWs (I think they were the last 2 until she turns 2?) everything went back to normal. Thankfully!

I think that is about it on her baby summary. My next will probably be when she is about 2. Of course we should have a newborn by then, so the summary may be a little late 😉

Fridays on the Farm are Beautiful {Simple Woman’s Daybook 20}

by Meghan // February 19, 2016 // Comments off

Walking through the woods; jumping in the dry part of the creek

Outside my Window …
The sun is just coming up over the trees in the front of the house. The calves have full bellies and are resting in the barn, Thora is laying on the front porch being protector of all things, and it is SO beautiful and nice we will be reading on the front porch today. We don’t usually do much school on Fridays, just because we don’t have to, but I always try to read lots of books and maybe throw in science or art- both which can be done outdoors!

I am thinking…
Oh, I hope we don’t lose the other two calves. Yesterday we lost one; the biggest one, and healthiest LOOKING when we got them last Saturday. However, he was the most sickly acting the last 5 days. For two days he had some light scours we were treating as directed, and before running to the vet yesterday I went out to check him one more time, and he was gone. =(

I am thankful…
That the kids weren’t devastated. They were very supportive of their sad mama. Lexie wanted to know if we could just turn it into beef. =) I cried; not so much because the calf was dead, but because I felt defeated, helpless, despite all our efforts and hard work. Part of it, I know. But I don’t like defeat….

In the kitchen…
Oh gosh! It is a mess. There are dishes from J.Tom breakfast, a pot that needs to be washed, and a skillet on the stove for me to cook our eggs this mornings.

I am wearing…
Pajama pants and a maternity shirt; I am running out of clothes that fit well.

I am creating…
Nothing. I was crocheting, but with it being so warm I got out of the mood. And I have started the girls some dresses, I should really finish those 😉

I am going…
To never take advantage of my computer again. My hard drive died last week; and I was one saddened girl. I can’t think on a teeny tiny screen (my phone) to pay bills, write blogs, and look up recipes. I always go to my computer …

I am wondering…
What else I need to add to my list for the store today.

I am reading…
A new book, but can’t think of the title … I will come back and add it later. *edit- The Liars’ Club: A Memoir*

I am hoping…
These calves survive!

I am looking forward to…
The weekend- in the 70’s and sunny. I am starting on my tan!

I am learning…
Although my life is pretty nice, life is hard. Losing calves is hard. Losing baby chicks is hard (not as hard as losing a calf…), getting up at 5:30 am is not as hard as getting up at 6:30am …

Around the house…
I need to vacuum. Just ew! (since the weather has been like spring, we have been tracking in LOTS of dirt.)

A favorite quote for today…

Something my Dad would say. =)

One of my favorite things…
baby cow noses, watching the kids play in the dirt while the chickens free range, Ila’s BIG, ginormis, baby hugs, the sound of her saying, “Yes ma’am,” our new friendships with a beautiful family that lives very close by, watching the sun come up on the front porch.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
It’s Friday Y’all!

A peek into my day…
This past week: plying in the dirt and loving on the chickens

Some Days Are Hard: Getting Out of A Rut {and weekly wrap up for Jan 22, 2016}

by Meghan // February 1, 2016 // Comments off

I love blogging, mainly because I enjoy writing, but also because I get emails and messages asking for help, our experiences etc. I am a transparent person, so I love sharing here!

I usually have encouraging things to say, great review info, or experiences to share. But lately …

Well, I’ve just been in a rut. (Haven’t I written that before?! … oh yes! yes, I have)

I don’t get into school ruts often, though. And I am still not 100% sure this rut I am in is directly school related, because I really feel like it’s a lack of the house being settled the move (some curtains not done, decorations not quite right, the basement isn’t perfectly set up, etc), and winter.

Every few years I just have a really hard time with winter-I remember specifically the years I was pregnant with Lexie and Max were hard. Not every year is this way; as a matter of fact the last 2 years in Nebraska, where it was OH-MY-GOSH so cold and windy, where I never went outside in winter time and everything was covered in snow until May, I had winters that were just fine. No ruts or frustrations or lack of motivation.

This winter has been really tough though. I don’t know if it is a combo of pregnancy (man, the last 7 weeks were killer), or cabin fever or what, but I haven’t been myself.

And when mama isn’t herself, things seem to fall apart little by little. And the first attack here is on menu planning, attitudes, and school.

SO … all that to say, over the last few weeks we have been reading our Sonlight books and doing those discussions, handwriting, weekly journal writings, and math (all because Lexie asks for them), but that’s it. We haven’t hit science thoroughly, we haven’t done art much, which we all love, and have not been notebooking through our Bible stories.

I do have to say, the kids seem mostly unaffected as far as school goes. They beg for learning time, books, activities, workbooks … it is me that feels *blah* about everything in general right now.

A sweet friend, and wonderful homeschool mama, came over this past week and we had a wonderful visit. She helped me come to the conclusion that I just need to relax.

I can do the assignments Lexie is interested in, and the rest doesn’t matter, because she is 5.
We can sit around and read books all day; they’re learning so much just from that (which is what we used to do, before winter got here and I slowly became consumed with everything in the house around me). It isn’t going to end the world if we leave a mess or two, or don’t get something done. (remind me of this first thing in the morning!)
I NEED to get back to a solid routine

That’s the second part of this post … what has made the last few months inside hard has also been a disruption of routine. We had a SOLID routine in place that was pretty much no-fail this summer and fall. That block of time outside first thing in the morning was heaven for all of us, and just set the tone for school and the rest of our day.

Today, I can’t take the kids outside in 20 degree weather first thing in the morning, and enjoy my coffee while watching them play, or go pick the garden. And it down right sucks.

We also didn’t have a library home. In NE we could just get out and go to the library; have a bunch of books on hold and take them home and read. Since we moved to KS, we haven’t joined a library, so my friend also helped with that! (Isn’t it wonderful who God puts in our lives?)

We went just last week to the library and I put a bunch of books about pioneers on hold. For the next few weeks we are going to read books on pioneers, cowboys, and the west (our current Sonlight topic and a favorite of both Lexie and Max’s), discuss, learn, maybe do some easy projects, and that’s it. I am going to enjoy these days with my babies and try to CHILL OUT. (easier said than done, but I am trying)

I know mamas with older children are thinking, “I can’t just stop everything we are doing and relax” …. But you know, I think you can. Isn’t that one reason why we homeschool?- because we know when we need a change, a break, or to feed our souls. It is hard to change our mentality when our eyes see everything around us and our brain says “I must get it all done.”

But what’s the most important work? That’s what I have to ask myself right now. And the answer is loving and nurturing my kids; building those relationships. It is a balance and it is HARD.

What to Do About Those Struggles

So, if you’re with me- stuck in a winter rut- know that it is okay. I am working on identifying why I am struggling and what I can do to fix that. So far, praying over it, and encouragement from a good, experienced friend has lead me to:

relax
work on a new routine and stick with it!
take it to the Lord
did I mention, relax?
Work on my word of the year, which was Joy. Find Joy in this winter ..

(not in that order….)

So I would say identify why you’re in a rut or struggling, make a plan to change those things, and go from there. That’s what I am trying to do! Trial and error, it is okay to fail. It is okay to apologize to your kids when you’re frustrated and have a bad attitude. Try, try again. =)

Yesterday I noticed the sun set about 6:00pm- WOO HOO! Can I get an Amen?! In 8 or so weeks spring will be here and I will only want to be outside all the time, so now is the time to embrace these days indoors … that is my new outlook!

How do you get out of the winter doldrums?

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

On The Farm: Wrapping up October

by Meghan // November 19, 2015 // Comments off

Last month on the farm was spent raising baby laying chicks, raising meat chickens, and adding a new pet/worker to the farm- Thora the Great Pyrenees.

The gardens have been pulled, turned, and prepped for winter. We still have expansions to make in one garden but we can do that this winter. Though it has been pretty productive, there is still much to be done. J.Tom has been cutting trees for firewood and kindling. The front porch is full and there are a few other places he has stacks of wood scattered about for drying.

I just put the laying chicks out to their coop this week (November 15th). The meat chickens will be butchered Wednesday, Nov 18th. JTom is working on final plans for the pet chickens’ big coop. I have been working in the basement to get things finished and unpacked down there. There isn’t too much left to do, so hopefully we will have that done soon.

We have spent much of our time after dark by the fire inside. Thankfully the fireplace is also a furnace, and the heat is pushed through the air ducts to warms the house! It is wonderful! We’ve had some cool, misty days here in Kansas the last few weeks too, and I love a fire on a cool fall day.

We do have 3-4 too many rooster in our laying chicks, so they will be going back where they came from in exchange for 2 more chicks each. Hopefully most of those turn out to be hens! Apparently, if a chicken has a red crest and is under 4-5 months old, it has a 99.9% chance of being a roo. =( So .. we will keep the barred rock and RIR-looking roos; the other boys will go back.

We finished the month of October with s’mores at the fire pit- it was perfect!

I will update in a few weeks for the month of November.

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Wordless Wednesday {the cows}

by Meghan // September 23, 2015 // Comments off

Just making new friends!

The Great Outdoors: Wordless Wednesday {September 9, 2015}

by Meghan // September 9, 2015 // Comments off

watching the birds, eating tomatoes from the garden, and listening to nature.

Homesteading on The 40 Acre Wood: So It Begins

by Meghan // August 20, 2015 // Comments off

So It Begins: the beginning of our little homestead

watching the hummingbirds

Since I was little, maybe four or five years old, I knew I wanted to live on a farm. I dreamed of rolling hills, trees, and white fences, and of course a barn full of animals that would keep me busy.

Though my mom, dad, brother and I lived in the suburbs, all our family lived in the country; both sets of grandparents gardened, canned, sat on porch swings, shot BB guns with us, fished from their ponds, and cooked from scratch. It was truly living the dream for my brother and me, every summer, all summer long.

I’ve always wanted to live on a farm and that is a goal of mine till this day.

I never stopped dreaming of the farm I wanted, but I never saw it in my future. It seemed unattainable.

*Enter my husband*

My husband is a dreamer. But he isn’t a dreamer by definition- he is a dreamer that sees a dream, sets a goal, and gets ‘er done. So, maybe he is in fact a “do-er.”

About 6 years ago he told me one day we could have a little homestead.

I couldn’t see past our current situation, and told him with 100% certainty, he was crazy.

But here we are; in 2015 moving into our dream home, on land.

By dream home, I don’t mean what most people would define as a dream home. It isn’t brand new, fancy, or big. It doesn’t have 5 bathrooms, or a bedroom for every person in the family.

(It does have my dream front porch, a lovely kitchen with a window that overlooks the back yard where my babies will play and the chickens and guineas will run around, a big gas stove perfect for canning, and a big fireplace that heats the whole house. That is my *DREAM*)

The kids love it; there is tons of room for them to run, play in the dirt, ride their bikes. They like picking tomatoes in the garden and playing with our inherited barn cats.

What is most important to my husband and me though, is that it our kids can mostly free range on our property, safely. We can raise our family on our own land to: hunt, fish, ride 4wheelers, garden, raise our own food, and learn how to appreciate God’s hard work.

We can live slowly and simply without the busy rush, rush, rush of the rat race life so many consider their dream.

It is going to be a lot of work, but man is it all going to be worth it. I can’t wait to share updates with you all, as well as things I learn on “the farm.” We will spend the winter getting part of the barn in order for our chickens and guineas, expanding the garden, prepping firewood, and maybe working with fencing.

What to name a farm?!

We started calling it “the farm” after we started working on in the garden and yard this summer. I am trying to give it a real name, so far all I have really loved is The Forty Acre Wood- but that seems kinds silly. So we will see. =)

Horizons Preschool Homeschool Curriculum Set {a review}

by Meghan // August 19, 2015 // Comments off

For the past several weeks our family has been reviewing Alpha Omega Publication’s Horizons Preschool Set. I have been using it with my son who is almost three years old (just a few more weeks!).

The curriculum set is $125 and includes:

2 student books- colorful, consumable worksheets
2 teacher manuals- includes 180 lesson plans
music cd
resource packet: memory verse, ABC puzzle, & all flashcards

About Horizon’s Preschool Set

This is a Christian based program curriculum; there are 180 lessons included within 2 student books, 2 teacher guides that align with the student books, a fun music cd, and a resource packet that includes all your extras (flashcards, and black line masters for making copies). It all arrived in a nice, colorful box that makes it so easy to keep everything together.

There are 5 days of lessons per week (which is very easy to tweak if you prefer fewer days).

Each of the lessons begins with a scripture and Bible story lesson (which my son seemed to completely absorb), and then flows seamlessly into other subject lessons like social studies, phonics, math, PE, science and more! You can see the Scope and Sequence here, (also included in the teacher’s manual,) which will tell you everything that is covered in this level. That is what I used to decide which level Max needed to start with.

The student workbook is beautiful and clean; the pages are colorful with nice images, but are not so busy they are distracting or confusing for young learners. The teacher’s manual has all the instructions for lessons and your coordinating pages to the student’s workbook pages. It is easy to follow and literally walks you through everything you need to do/say for your student’s lessons (of course you can go off script, like we did for some lessons).

The music CD contains 17 children’s songs, as well as the instrumental singalong versions. (thankfully) the lyrics are included which makes leading the songs much easier if you’re like me and don’t know them! The kids also enjoyed listening to the CD in their room during independent play.

What We Thought About Horizon’s Preschool Set

We simply loved this! I used the program with my (almost) 3 year old 3, sometimes 4 days a week. It is written in a school or homeschool setting format. If you are homeschooling, either you already know how to or soon will learn, to modify what you need for your family/students. It is very easy to change what is written in the Preschool Set to fit your young child/ren learning at home! New material is introduced on days 1, 3, and 5, using days 2 and 4 for review, so you can easily adjust for how many days a week your family does preschool.

I really liked that the set included SO much, because that meant I could go in-depth with what I felt really needed to be covered, skim over anything he just needed to review, OR review things that Max either really enjoyed, or didn’t quite grasp the first time. I liked that they included all the resources I needed in the resource packet, which keeps me from needing to buy a bunch of accessories for teaching my children. They are loose leaf, so you can either store them in the set box, or organize in folders like I did.

Preschool learning should be fun, SIMPLE, but meaningful, and that is exactly what I think Horizon’s has brought to the table.

I like that I didn’t need to try to find anything to add to this! Like many homeschoolers I would rather have too much (meaning I don’t need it all) than not enough.

Because he enjoyed having his own preschool “work” like big sister, Mister really focused during the lessons and had fun with them. He learned to use his fingers to count using 1:1 correspondence (which he is really obsessed with right now), and listened to the stories that were especially for him. =) Max enjoyed the hands on activities so much, and this really showed me how much of a hands on learner he is (vs older sister who doesn’t need hands-on activities but also enjoys them).

We have loved this program and will continue using it!