My two boys are learning about vikings.  For a couple days now they have been rushing to get to their social studies so that they can find out more.  Vikings were warriors, traders and pirates.  Are they cool? You betcha!  Now they are cool.. Not so much back then!  For two little boys Vikings are cool to learn about.

So, it is 4pm and each boy, with a paper printed off the T4L site from today’s lesson in hand, left to go “make” something at their grandfather’s house….  I imagine that it will be some kind of weapon because that is just who my boys are.  I always enjoy the little bit of quiet time that I get when they are gone but look forward to the excited chatter of what they have “made”.

It has been brought to my attention that “chain mail” is in their future….  “Chain mail” is not something that they are unfamiliar with and have seen it for many years at the convention that we go to, however, it is now become an interest for them with the “Viking” lessons and I see myself, my boys and my husband with pliers and little pieces of chain for hours on end making something that they want.  (Little do they know that I have a small kit that we can work on when the issue really gets pushed on me… just to show them how difficult it is)

Each day that goes by is a new and learning experience.  I can’t tell you how great it is to have the boys enjoying their lessons and sharing discussions about their lessons.

On a different note….. Math today was a challenge….  With them both.  What is the deal?  Gosh they are both good in math and if I stand over them they whip right through it but once I walk away the complaining and moans start….  Oh well…   I guess they can’t be perfect….  

This morning I was in making my coffee and I heard a squeal.  Not so much a squeal from being upset, nor one of sheer delight; more like a squeal from just amazement…….  After the hour long (every few minutes) of me prodding the boys to “start” something to do with school…. (Yes, even HS’ers hate Mondays)…. They finally signed on and got to work.

We had a very long and exciting weekend.  Usually we do something “school” worthy over the weekend or at least they read every night before bed.  This weekend was one of our two fall Boy Scout camp weekends and needless to say that Monday and school came way to fast for them.  They sure did “learn” a great deal over the weekend but did not read or do any formal schoolwork like normal so it was much harder to get them started this morning.

Back to the squeal…..   Today I learned that not only could you stretch the Great Wall from the East Coast to the West Coast but that people were removing bricks to build houses……..   There is now a picture of The Great Wall pinned in our office.  My youngest found the facts surrounding the Great Wall so very exciting and the squeal came in the manner of instant “Mom!! You know what??”….  Followed by a talking a million miles an hour.

My eldest was clapping madly by the end of his work today because he had gotten 100% on some part of LA Extensions.

For all the dragging that was done at the very beginning,  schoolwork actually was okay.  I enjoy when the boys start telling me something and have a hard time speaking as quickly as the thoughts are trying to come out.

WOW! What a week we’ve had.  Let’s see, my kids all got sick–just a cold but enough to keep me awake at night, ugh! We had back to school night at 3 different schools and everyone has more homework then they can handle or then I can handle this week.  Sorry I had to vent.

I am the “non-homeschool” parent here and now I would like to share how T4L fits into our busy lives.   As I mentioned before, Natalie, my 5 year old going on 13— she’s so sweet, attends public school, which by the way, she loves.

When she gets home from school we spend time eating a healthy snack, going over what she did that day, signing any forms and looking over any assignments– believe me, there’s not much to look at.  This is where T4L comes in.  She really looks forward to signing on everyday.  I was worried that she would be too tired to log on after school but on the contrary, she asks to log on.

Right now she logs on to the classroom and works for about 20-30 minutes.  She does her math and language arts, then she goes into the playground for some fun time.

The highlight of my week was when I received a call from her teacher yesterday evening.  Her words were like music to my ears, she said “I just wanted to let you know that Natalie is doing wonderful.  You must spend a lot of time working with her because she knows all her letters, numbers and is working beyond her grade level right now.”

I was more than happy to tell her teacher about T4L and how it has helped Natalie become proficient in so many areas.  She is able to read time, recognize coins and she’s pretty good at finding words that rhyme. I am always amazed when kids finally “get it” - you know, the little light in their eyes when they learn something new.

Now that we are all over the colds and things are back to normal at home, I’m sure I’ll be back to brag some more!..  

Take care everyone.

Terie

Today we were on the way to a friends soccer game and it was a long ride…(well, not long but when you have a 6 yr old and a 9 year old in the back seat yelling “mom, he’s touching me”… it is long)….   In an effort to “calm” down the natives I asked them a couple of things about states…  How many states are there?  I was met with a blank stare….  “Okay.. There are 50 states, How many can you name….”  Again, the stare… “Common you guys, you have been in at least 15 of them, can’t you just name a few?”  A resounding “No…” from the back seat. 

It was then that my youngest said, “where are we going? Asia?”  My eldest chimmed in, “Asia is a different country and is across the ocean!”….. So, I tried another approach…  “Asia is a continent…  How many Continents are there?”  From the back seat I hear my 6 year old say “7!”  And my 9yr old about fell out of the car with a “How do you know that?”  Very proudly my Ds2 sat up straight and said, “I learned it last week in Time4Learning!”…..

It was then that they started naming places that they wanted to travel to.  I just looked at my husband and smiled…..   I whispered to him, “Time4Learning is doing what we wanted!”

You know, there are things that cross your path sometimes and you just know that it is right…  A new friend, a new group, a new Curriculum!  I had to share that little Tid-Bit because I was so pleased….   I can not tell you one time that either boy discussed school last year.  Once the books were closed, that was it, discussion over…  It is nice to hear them actually discussing things, topics, and ideas that they learned….

After reading Tracy’s post about other “stuff” they are using, it made me think that it would be nice to hear more about this from other parents. :o)

In our home, Time4Learning is definitely our core curriculum. I have not found an area (other than maybe spelling, which I believe is improved upon in the 3rd grade) where we NEED any supplementing. However, for some reason, my son LOVES the “The Complete Book Of…” workbooks. :o) We have Handwriting, Spanish, Science, Our Solar System, US History, Maps and Geography, Travel Games, Arts and Crafts and finally, Bible Activities. Geez…there are a bunch. :o) We also have a sign language program that we are hoping to start this year!

Since we follow a more “relaxed” homeschool plan, he doesn’t have a set amount of work that he needs to do. I have went through the lesson plans from Time4Learning, so I know how many lessons need to be done each day, but that was for my own peace of mind. It’s also helpful when we might miss a day, so I know how many he needs to do to “catch up.” We honestly have yet to have a day where he did not want to do the number of lessons I had planned. Yay! :o)

Many of the workbooks that he has, span more than one grade so there is no pressure for him to finish them. He just kinda sees where his interests are that day, and picks out a workbook. We try to do some in Handwriting every day, but he really does need the practice in that area.

So…that is our “plan” for this year. It will be great to hear from the other parents to see how Time4Learning works into their “plans.” :o)