Finishing Up

The boys are in a homeschooling fury today! We had originally planned to be done with our school year next week, which is when most of the schools around here are done also.

Last week I mentioned that if they did some extra work each day, we might be able to finish early. They didn't appear too interested in the idea last week. But yesterday, they suddenly decided that they want to be DONE! SOON! (I think the holiday weekend motivated them to move into summer mode!)

They did a little extra work yesterday, but have kicked in to high gear today. They've figured out how much they have to do each day to get everything done by Friday. I'm a little amazed at how focused and motivated they've been! And how little goofing around there's been.

We may have to finish some of our history next week, because we still had 8 lessons to finish as of this morning. But otherwise, I think we'll be done by Friday! Now I'm getting excited too!


In case anyone reading this is interested, here's a list of curriculum we used this year. After years of trying different things, we've discovered what works for us. Every year changes a little, but these are some of our favorites.


Mystery of History - for chronological, bible-inclusive history (I love history now after using this curriculum; especially learning what was going on in bible history at the same time as world history)

Math-U-See - math (we love that it's simple, effective, and comes with teaching DVDs)

Wordly Wise - vocabulary (which we also use for spelling)

Easy Grammar and Daily Grams - grammar

Wordsmith - writing

Rod & Staff - for preschool and kindergarten


The boys have taken classes with a local group for Science the past 2 years. But before that, we did lots of nature studies, and general science. A couple of our favorites from those years are:

Considering God's Creation (a complete science overview from a biblical, creation perspective)

Christian Liberty Nature Readers (interesting readers about God's creation)


We've also done a variety of bible and character lessons; some favorites are:

Searching for Treasure (wisdom and character development guide)

Character Sketches (study of character qualities that blends admirable animal traits and bible story references)


Okay, I'm off to rest a little after our double-busy school day. Summer, here we come!