Homeschool preparations

As the departure time (spring 2010) drew closer, I found myself in a position of having a MUCH larger block of time than I expected for traveling.  But the employment challenges that gave me time also took half of the allotted funds off the table.  I am lucky enough to have that sorted out so we can still comfortably travel.  I may even come out ahead if I can get a travel book published, but regardless we are finding ways to  use less money while spending the extra time while  (see prior and future posts).  But how to excuse the children from school for so long?

In a fortunate coincidence, while searching in vain for permission from the district for the children to spend the last portion of this school year learning online or with packets or any other long distance method,  I found a local charter school that has been a perfect fit.  Most areas seem to have charter schools and a google search or call to your district office will help anyone interested in more information.  The one I found has a full-time on campus program but also supports homeschooling families with curriculum and guidance.  They even offer a blended program allowing children to attend partially online and in person.  All options are aligned with state standards and customized for each learners abilities and pace.  Although we have almost eleven weeks to wait before the big trip,  the homeschool semester starts tomorrow and we are excited!

My forth and sixth graders will share the same teacher.  But, as we enrolled right before the holiday break that ends tomorrow, the meeting to set up lessons has not yet been possible.  I have grade appropriate activities ready for the next few days to get us through.  More vitally, both kids sat down with me today and mapped out what the daily schedule will be until we leave for Europe and everything changes.  Many of their lessons are web-based, so I am thankful that they each have their own (secondhand and slow but reliable) laptop.  Our county library system is also a wealth of free tools and information.   As we progress I will post more on which resources and sites work best for us.  Roughly, our school week will break down like this:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday
10:00-11:30 Math (This week we are using tests made from "released California content standards math grade 4" and "....grade 6" to establish what they need to study.  Any homeschooler parent or tutor could search for their child's state and grade.)

11:30-12:30 Rosetta Stone (German for Chris and French for Maddy while I brush up on my Spanish.  Won't we look funny all in a row with our headphones on, talking to ourselves?)

12:30-1:10 Lunch (Healthy, fresh, sustainable non-prepackaged food that may sometimes even fit with the day's lessons.) :)

1:15 to 1:45  P.E. (I plan to let the kids choose this every day.  We are surrounded by walking paths, they have bikes and skateboards and we have videos of everything from yoga and strength training to kenpo.)

1:45 to 3:00 Social Studies (Chris as a forth grader will study all things California from earthquakes and geography to missions.  Maddy is lucky enough to have a chance to focus on Western Civilization, particularly this semester ancient Greece, Rome and Hebrews. We will learn about the Romans, for example, while we are in London visiting the Elgin Marbles in the Parthenon exhibit of the British Museum and then many attractions like the ancient walls and public baths that are still open throughout Europe.)

3:00 to 3:30 Break (This is when they used to get home from school and their friends will all be available to play for a bit.)

3:30-5:00 Language Arts (Using proper grammar and growing vocabulary to write about what we are studying, books we are reading, where we are traveling and more.)


Tuesday and Thursday
10:00-12:00 Science (We will start with a unit on volcanoes and earthquakes since Madeline has plate tectonics in her requirements and Chris has rock types plus California geology. Some great resources, visuals and lessons are on http://education.usgs.gov/california/index.html if you are interested. I can't decide if it should culminate in a visit to the San Andreas fault where the cracks show or a model volcano project.)

12:00-12:30 Spelling


12:30-3:30 Lunch followed by P.E. and Social Studies then Break as outlined for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

3:30-5:00 Reading (They read every day already, but these specific time slots will be assigned books with a choice of either a test or a report after  they finish.)