Our son, Xander, loves the farm life! I'm sure you'll see him many times over the course of our journey here at Homeschool On the Range. If you love his work, click on the Xander tag at the bottom of this post to find more!
We have been doing some stuff around the farm in the warm weather after Christmas. It was very nice outside! See the video below to learn how we recycled beeswax...
We have cows! Meet Lita Ford and Joan Jett. My mom got to name the goats, so I told her I wanted to name the cows. They are rock star names for girls because the cows are girls. Dad calls them Lunch and Dinner!
Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com is the homeschooler's one-stop site, with complete curriculum, aids such as printables, daily lessons, lapbooks, free e-books, and conference recordings on various homeschool topics prepared by recognized homeschool leaders. You have access to daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly lesson plans by some of the best from within the homeschooling community. The Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership covers grades Pre-K through 12th grade...every subject!
Your membership includes access to 450+ courses, a section for parents, interactive content, lesson plans, a scope and sequence, a custom schedule builder, and access to ten libraries of World Book Online. In addition to all of this, you get a print copy of The Old Schoolhouse magazine, and all back issues are online as well, so that you can access the information as it becomes relevant to your school. Know what else is included in that magazine? Moi! Look for our feature article in each issue!
Entire pages are dedicated to parenting special needs, preschoolers, high schoolers, and focused learning centers (new ideas for teaching struggling learners). There are sections on homemaking, homeschool living, monthly menu plans, and discounts for a multitude of vendors–there’s even a section just for craft ideas for the kids!
The site includes both online and downloadable components – courses such as Everyday Explorers and Literature Kits are downloadable and printable in nature, whereas Drive Thru History and Friendly Chemistry are best completed online. There are printable lesson plans for courses that help you keep track of lesson completion, and they also offer a handy checklist that shows which courses are appropriate for each grade level.
For one flat rate, you have everything needed for the school year -- all grades, all classes -- at your fingertips. You choose whether to use printable or streaming classes. Classes are not live, so you can start ANY time...the only thing required is reliable internet!
Holiday Schooling
During the month of December, there are TONS of great resources for you to cover every subject with Christmas-schooling. (They have these for other holidays, as well. We just tend to use them most toward the end of the year.) One of my boys' favorite classes was the Studio Art for Teens, a class that teaches basic art concepts as well as some art history. Take a peek inside the Snow & Ice lesson!
Features to Note
School Boxes are curated curricula that's open and go. They are available for Pre-K through 12th grade and perfect for the busy parent and / or new homeschooler! It comes with your membership, which covers all subjects and curriculum for every student in your house. If you have ten kids, they're all covered with the same membership! You can choose curriculum guides from across multiple grades to match your student’s skills and interests, select elective courses to complement the curriculum, or customize your own using resources from one of the Focused Learning Centers.
Whether you need structure and rigidity (rather because of personal preferences or a requirement of the state), or go for a more laid-back approach, it's easy to make the program work for you. For the families that need more structure, or who are trying to juggle working from home and teaching,Google Classroomis a great {FREE} option for managing assignments with middle and high school students.
The more specialized subjects that come with high school can be a real pain to teach! I don't know about you, but we've had to outsource some... After looking around a great deal, the two best options for us were SchoolhouseTeachers.com and Khan Academy. One is free; one is not. We've usedextensively, and found each to have their merits depending on what we needed at the time, but SchoolhouseTeachers.com comes out on top!
We've done 'Slow,' 'Rejuvenate,' 'Experience,' and 'Joy,' but our Word of the Year for 2021 is 'Grace.' Last year rated an 11 on the suck-o-meter.....everyone is pretty strung out at this point, and that means that tempers are quicker to flare. Something I can personally work on, and I'm sure many others would probably agree also, is extending grace to others...and also to myself...
Revisiting Past Words
What lessons have I learned?
Saying 'no' may upset people, but it really frees you up to devote yourself to the things you've already said 'yes' to.
Finding joy in simple things, and practicing finding it, helps you to re-center.
Saying 'yes' to life is sometimes as simple as putting down your phone.
Favorite books for life lessons?
My favorites are the "365 Devotions for..." series. The readings are short and I keep one of them on the toilet tank each year. I know...I know...but that's when I usually get thirty seconds of peace!
'Grace' is our word of the year because it's time we (that's the universal we, myself included) learned to extend grace to both ourselves and those around us. This may include loved ones, sometimes friends, or those we deem 'enemies.' Grace is simply a matter of doling out kindness, even if you don't think it is deserved...
Some ways you can extend grace to others today :
Hold the door or help carry items
Extend a smile or compliment to those you meet
Respond to the verbal bully with a nice word (you just might be surprised!)
Don't react via text or social media
Visit with someone who is having a tough time
Accept apologies - Forgiveness doesn't mean you have to forget (ie, open yourself up to future hurts), but it will help you heal inside
Apologize and ask for forgiveness when you have wronged another
One caveat : grace doesn't mean giving a free pass, however. We can call others, and ourselves, on 'junk' without doing it unkindly.
When you learn to love yourself
You will dissolve all the stones that are cast
Now you will learn to burn the icing sky
To melt the waxen mask
I said to have the gift of true release
This is a peace that will take you higher
~Indigo Girls "Strange Fire"
Getting Started on this Year's Journey....
Here are some of my favorite books to start at the new year. We read one together as a family, and I usually have a different one for personal use. Do you have a good one to add to this list? Comment below!
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Your membership includes access to 450+ courses, a section for parents, interactive content, lesson plans, a scope and sequence, a custom schedule builder, and access to ten libraries of World Book Online. In addition to all of this, you get a print copy of The Old Schoolhouse magazine, and all back issues are online as well, so that you can access the information as it becomes relevant to your school. Know what else is included in that magazine? Moi! Look for our feature article in each issue!
