I love art kits! They saved me for so many years and made it possible. I need to check out Gentle and Classical. Their stuff seems really good. We tend to go slower than most curricula are designed as since we like to really get into it. I find if we go too fast we don't remember anything anyway. Shakepeare will be interesting. I never studied it but, I figure since I now have theatre obsessed kids, it might be a good time to try. We will see.

Agricultural science sounds like a lot of fun! I've struggled with the idea of doing an entire year on botany. I think I'll do it on the side like our bird study. I do think we will enjoy it but, need a better mix of subjects for an entire year. I have a space lover so Astronomy makes it's way back into our homeschool often. I'm pretty sure it'll make an appearance again in the near future.

They way you cover topics is so inspiring. There isn't a better way then experiencing. We are finishing up Greece and I want to go there. That will be incredible! Surf culture. I love that. Do you surf? We do not have waves on the west coast of Florida but, we do on the east side. The Atlantic is a monster for waves. I'm from New England and whenever there was a storm the surfers would flock to the ocean. It could be freezing but, there would be a huge group.

@@geekyabode me and my husband met surfing as pre teens and we have kids who surf!!! My 1st grader is starting to learn to surf as she can now swim well enough to be safe surfing!!! I grew up watching a surf family and knew when we had kids we wanted it and we are now doing it!!!

@@RockSimmer-gal4God That is incredible! We met while my husband was racing motocross. We thought our kids would do it but, we ended up feeling differently. With motocross it's not a matter of "if you'll get hurt" it's when, how often, and how bad. The kids never showed interest so we didn't push it. We saw a family who surfed the last time we were at Cape Canaveral. It was amazing to see how talented the kids were.

I've gotten really interested in mythology and the connections between it and the present. When you are paying attention you see references everyday and I love how something from so long as is still current. Not something I learned in public school. The election is an interesting subject for sure. it's a tug of war between the facts about the government and the show we see unfolding.

It's coming soon! I love these two together!

I've been very tempted by Build your library! Any literature based curriculum grabs my attention. I haven't used either History Quest or Story of The World. Many people like both of them. I went back and forth between CC and History Quest but, I wanted to try the dialogue format with CC. I'm excited for the Middle ages. Lots of good books and stories to enjoy.

These have become two of our favorites!

Me too! I have a hard time not overloading us.

Thank you for joining me! Yes, we have really found a love of TGTB. I'm trying the math this year in addition to LA and a bit of science. I'm looking forward to seeing the new History. I love history!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the nice comment!

Yes, TBGB has been a huge hit for us! I wish I had learned Greek & Latin roots when I was a kid, it just make sense for learning language and vocabulary. I'm excited to see how my kids do. Oh, Robin Hood County, so amazing. We haven't been to Europe yet but, it's on the bucket list!

Yes, you are backing up my thoughts on why BA is a good one for us to try. I've heard so many great things about MWC as well! Thank you for sharing.

@@geekyabode Yes! They don't offer a trial, but if you don't love it you can get a refund in the first 14 days. Figured it was a no brainer to just give it a try....and both my kids love it (I knew my son would bc he's very "mathy" but my I didn't think my daughter would, but she's doing great with it). I also love that you can start and stop whenever you want and all your "data" is saved. I can't justify the cost to just do once or twice a week...so we do a few months of MWC and then do a month or two of BA. Nice to change it up! The parent portal and info you get from beast is also exceptional! The program really is fantastic.

That's great news that TGTB math has worked well for you. I forgot about the videos. We love the videos in their language arts. Makes me more excited now. I'm pretty sure I'll pull BA in at some point. I just tend to get excited and overwhelm us. Let me know what you end up thinking of it.

I'm excited to start making my book list for this year. We always toss around the idea of moving to Europe and living in a camper van for a year. it would be a dream. I am thinking of having my daughter tested for dyslexia. Reading has been a challenge and will probably require extra phonics and practice throughout her schooling years. We found Right Brain Phonics this year and it has been a huge help. It seems like being very repetitive helps. Luckily, my son basically woke up one day and could read and spell. They are all so different.

Whoops not sure is the video cut off

Yeah, I cut it short because I was rambling.

I am a book hoarder!

@@geekyabode same!! And I'm not ashamed 😅

OMG, This is so funny but, true!

I'll be picking up the other Child's introduction books. They are so good! This as my first School nest purchase and I am really happy with it. I think keeping track of history this way will be really fun.

I can be a bit book obsessed. I always liked books but, as a homeschool mom it's really created a monster. The incredible thing I've realized is how much kids can learn from just reading good books. It's taken me years to get away from the "text book" mindset of the public school system I grew up in.

Gentle and classical looks really good. The cave paintings in incredible. That would be such an amazing experience. Your travels sound like a dream. There is nothing better than seeing and experiencing the world.

I'm not a big breakfast eater so a smoothie is perfect. My son who is 9 loves them but, my daughter is crazy picky. I have to work on that. She's your typical fries and pizza kid. The tropical oils smell amazing! I usually get stuck in a rut of ordering the same. Love these. I'm with you, I haven't put on nail polish for years. I'm rough on my hands and it's too much work to keep it looking good. The peel off polish is great for my daughter and I think I like it too. I had to redo one nail yesturday but it was quick, it peeled off in one piece and took a moment to reapply. Oh yes, I'm at the stage where my shoes and clothes are disappearing into my daughters room. She will be bigger than me before I know it. A couple of my dogs are prone to mats even though they are all poms. Of course the one that likes to be brushed doesn't get mats!

Yes, I think I said Gluten but, I meant gelatin!

This sounds amazing! I feel like there is so much to explore and learn and not enough time! Learning from people or experiences is one of the best ways to make a real connection.

I forget about that one since the name is so similar to IEW. I'll have to look into it. Thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing! I'm going to look into Share your story, that sounds really good

Omg! You saw cave paintings. I have to put that on my bucket list if possible. That's incredible. Greek Mythology is an interesting topic. We are currently reading Mary Pope Osbornes version of the Odyssey. I keep attempting to put it down due to graphic topics and thinking my kids aren't ready or into it but, they keep asking for it. My daughter was upset the other day when she thought we were almost done the book. I never know what will grab their attention. We are enjoying the connections we are seeing with Greek mythology and other things like my daughters love of space.

You are very welcome! I'm obsessed with books, these were the biggest hits!

That's a great idea to add in assignments from science and history. I've heard of writing with numbers but, haven't looked into it. If I remember correctly its and investment. Thank you for the information. I'm all over the place. Who knows where I will end up.

I've heard of science mom but, haven't looked into that one yet. I figure at this point, there will always be flops but, if there is fun, learning, and joy in what we do, we are all good!

TGTB has become one of our favorites and all the books! We would love to do travelschooling and really shoud've done even more back in 2020-2021. Now my hubby has to work in the and my kids have a lot of activities that we are really loving at this age. I've heard of Science chunks, I need to check them out!

I am hoping to get better at it or I'll just have to plan better with what I'm using. My hopes would be to go once a month but, be better at ordering the books I need. It was odd, even though we have a big library system and access to the entire systems books, I still came across so many books that they didn't have.

I think I'll do a video on this, showing hoe I plan out Ancient Rome for the beginning of the school year. it's been great but, was a challenge for me to stumble through and figure out how I wanted to do it. I use CC as the starting point and add in elements from LOL. CC can bounce around a bit, you'll be doing Ancient Egypt then you'll have chapter of Stonhenge, back to Egypt and then China, back to Egypt again ... I understand why it's done that way but, my kids got lost jumping around. Halfway through the year, I broke the chapters into regions and started doing it that way. We are now finishing up Ancient Greece. I wanted to do too many of the things in LOL. I've scaled back a bit. I plan an entire unit at once (like Ancient Greece for example). Each week will focus on one the CC chapters. I look at the extras in CC and LOL and see if anything sticks out right away as a must do and pencil that it first. Then I look at books and videos I want to add. I like some spine books like Usborne History Encyclopedia. I also look for biographies and historical fiction to read. If there are any virtual museum tours or historical site tours online I like to add them in. Then I look at the activities and note which ones I like. I no longer stress if we don't get to everything I plan since we really enjoy it and learn a lot regardless. We do history everyday but, it's in little chunks that just build on each other. it's sounds overwhelming but, really is what you make it.

@@geekyabode would love to see that! I planned to use CC as my spine and include LoL explorations as they pair up....but my 7 year old kids won't do well with skipping around. Might have to reevaluation the situation! So helpful! Thank you!!

Language Arts is a tricky one for us. My daughter who is 11 has struggle with reading which then trickles down to other aspects of Language Arts. My son who is 9 can easily work though a level and advance at a faster pace. I've realized even using some of the same levels that I'm pacing them very differently for each kiddo and need to really embrace that for them. I think i'll do a video on how I'm using TGTB with both of them because of course I'm not doing exactly as shown. The level 4 was updated in 2020 and seems to a bit different when compared to level 3. I love Guest Hollow, I plan on using their Actions & reactions as Well as the new American History. We really enjoy all of the books!! What reading program are you using?

@@geekyabode the ordinary parents guide to teaching reading!!!

@@RockSimmer-gal4God I just took a quick peek at that today! I'm searching for a writing curriculum to use on a daily basis. I'm currently eyeing Writing With Ease & Writing & Rhetoric. Have you used either of these?

Thank you so much for your nice comment. It means a lot to me. I'll be posting those videos really soon. They are some of my favorites to make and watch!

I've learned to make a great plan but, also go with the flow. If I rush things along my kids get less out of it. If we are interested and take our time we learn so much more. I'm always "trying to figure out" what type of homeschoolers we are. We are classical in some ways but, also a bit Charlotte mason in the sense that we love just reading books too. I also am drawn to Waldorf. I connect to so many methods. I used to think I had to do all of the hand on things in order for my kids to have fun and learn. I've learned this year that it isn't true and I can relax on that and not force it. I love geography (and history). I really want to teach the kids about thinks and travel to experience them. Before the graduate I am hoping to go to some major US landmarks and some European countries. I would so love to go to Egypt but, I'm not sure if that's in the cards for us. Traveling is amazing!

I love art supplies and school supplies, lol. I need to find a cover to protect our dining table. Luckily, we have tiles floors making that pretty easy to clean up. I've done the concentric circles piece before but, this one is different where each persons tile will fit together. I think I"ll do a video of it since it'll be easy for anyone to do. I need to find some great markers. We have the classic Crayola thin markers but, my kids are ready for a better variety.

We love the colored pencils! My kids use them every day. I need to find a set of all black pencils that are similar since they are eating through that color the most. The container is awesome too. So easy to pick up and put away!

Thank you so much! We've found some great things this year. I love combining curriculum too. I can't help it there are so many great options out there. I have FOMO. I want to share how I am doing that too since, I am getting better at it. It's a process.

It really shocked me. I woke up one morning to a huge rant that was attacking me and my homeschooling style. Her biggest issue was in the fact that I like to pick different curriculum options and not complete something from cover to cover. She went on and on saying I was a lazy homeschooler and that it's people like me that cause some states to have strict homeschooling laws. My kids are going to have gaps in their education, her kids don't live in a bubble...it went on and on. At the time, it put me over the edge. I've had time to grow and really realize that I shouldn't let others get to me like that and be proud and confident in what I am doing. I love homeschooling and being here. Thank you!

@@geekyabode I’m sorry she made you feel like that. It sounds like the way she “thinks” you should homeschool sounds horrid. This is why we homeschool. So we can do what is going to work best for our kids and our family 😁 The most hate I got was on my girls’ first high school science credits… not rigorous enough blah blah blah. I’m doing just fine, thank you! lol I know my kids and I know I’m doing what is best for them for their future.

Omg! Yes, we are in a lot of sports and the stuff you hear is crazy. I've left games even at the YMCA fighting back tears over how even a few select parents were treating their own kids. Thank you I really appreciate it. As a homeschool mom, I think we all often have times when we doubt ourselves and when strangers attack you where your feel those doubts it can be hard. I've really noticed over that past year how well me kids are thriving and have become even more aware of the extremely negative environments, experiences and education that is out there in the schools near me. If have less doubts and more confidence. Thank you so much for your nice comment.