Done...?

For personal reasons, my husband and I have decided that my children and I should move to upstate New York to be with my family. Because of this, I will no longer be able to homeschool.

This makes my heart very heavy. All I ever dreamed of was having lots of children and homeschooling them  - a dream that, in part, my husband shared. Now not only is our marriage over but my children and I have to move across the country and I have to enroll them in school.

This is crushing.

I'm not sure what direction this blog will move in. Maybe I'll talk about fun projects we do now that we no longer homeschool? Maybe I'll speak more about good homeschooling memories? Maybe I'll talk about autism? My job? My kids schoolwork? Our family in general? The books we are reading? Or maybe I'll just end it.

I really don't know.

I will put up our remaining posts relevant to this quarter. Normally I put them up at the end of the quarter/beginning of the next quarter but this time I'll try to have them all up by the summer quarters end.

Then we will move to New York. Then I need to figure out the path my children and I (and yes, even this blog) will take.

3rd Grade Spelling Units #25-36

I just realized I never put up this post!!! To make matters worse, I had never actually finished it and their spelling notebooks filled with these spelling words have long since been thrown out! However, I still had the rough initial post so I feel like I can go ahead and finish it up with their reading schedule.

Optimus Prime did chapter books this whole quarter. He read 1-2 chapters a day. It was a huge jump up for him and despite stumbling a LOT he did really, really excellent! I was so proud of him and he was so proud of himself!!! This next quarter we will scale back on chapter books a bit but that is information for another post.

As for Bumblebee, his reading improves each day. He still isn't at grade level but each day that goes by he does better and better. He worked on level 1 & level 2 books. Level 1 books we spent one day reading, level 2 books were split up over 2 days.

Lastly, Scooby-Doo did have spelling each day, but like I said, his notebook got tossed too so his list was never saved... However, he did enjoy doing spelling just like his big brothers!

Optimus Prime:

Units #25-28 - Pokemon Junior

1. Surf's Up, Pikachu!
2. Meowth, the Big Mouth
3. Save our Squirtle!
4. Bulbasaur's Bad Day
5. Two of a Kind

Units #29-32 - Wonder Woman

1. Trial of the Amazons
2. Monster Magic
3. Creature of Chaos
4. Attack of the Cheetah

Units #33-36 - Magic Tree House

1. Dinosaurs Before Dark
2. The Knight at Dawn
3. Mummies in the Morning
4. Pirates Past Noon

Bumblebee:

Unit #25 - Disney

1. Dumbo
2. Bambi
3. Peter Pan
4. Lady and the Tramp
5. Alice in Wonderland

Unit #26 - Toy Story

1. The Bunny Surprise
2. Buzz's Backpack Adventure
3. A Spooky Adventure
4. Christmas Toys

Unit #27 - Pixar

1. Just Keep Swimming
2. Run, Remy, Run!
3. A Cars Christmas
4. Boo on the Loose
5. Driving Buddies

Unit #28 - Frozen

1. Big Snowman, Little Snowman
2. Hello, Olaf!
3. Anna's Best Friends
4. A Tale of Two Sisters
5. The Christmas Party

Unit #29 - Tangled/Cinderella

1. Kingdom of Color
2. Cinderella's Count Down to the Ball
3. Outside My Window
4. A Dream for a Princess

Unit #30 - For a Princess

1. Friends for a Princess
2. A Pony for a Princess
3. Surprise for a Princess
4. A Pet for a Princess

Unit #31 - Thomas the Tank Engine

1. The Close Shave
2. Thomas and the Jet Engine
3. Santa's Little Engine
4. Easter Engine
5. Happy Birthday, Thomas!

Unit #32 - Thomas the Tank Engine/Batman

1. Thomas Goes Fishing
2. The Rocket Returns
3. Trouble in the Tunnel
4. Going Bananas

Unit #33 - Batman

1. Flying High
2. Brain Freeze
3. T Rex Trouble!
4. Crime Wave!

Unit #34 - Princess Seasons

1. Princess Hearts
2. The Sweetest Spring
3. A Fairy-Tale Fall
4. Winter Wishes

Unit #35 - Princess Pets

1. Princesses and Puppies
2. Snuggle Buddies
3. Sealed with a Kiss
4. Travel Like a Princess

Unit #36 - Princess Stories

1. What is a Princess?
2. The Perfect Dress
3. A Cake to Bake
4. Sleeping Beauty

Home! Home! Home!

We are home (yay!) after a nice (but busy!) trip to upstate New York. We had a nice break from homeschooling and job hunting but now it's "once more unto the breach"...

Well, that applies more to job hunting then homeschooling...

New York

We are currently in New York visiting some family and seeing some sights. We've gone to the Adirondacks, hung out at Chuck E Cheese's, seen some local museums, and visited a LOT of family! We still intend to go to Howe Caverns and see even more family so right now is a VERY busy time! More to come soon!

Quarterly Curriculum February - April 2016

Last quarter was very touch and go almost up until the very end. Then, thankfully, FINALLY, everything fell into place. That made me VERY eager to move on to a full schedule this quarter.

This quarter I was very excited to bring back "core" subjects and "secondary" subjects. I had always loved our rotating schedule and was very sad when I had to retire it. It was supposed to be a temporary retirement, no more than a year, but it wound up being longer because I wasn't ready to bring it back until we brought Spanish back and I wasn't ready to bring Spanish back until at least one child mastered reading. Yes, you read that right, we are FINALLY bringing back Spanish! And yes, not only has Optimus Prime mastered reading but Bumblebee has really advanced these past three months. He's not there yet but he is close enough that I feel confident to bring back Spanish!

Optimus Prime:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.

Core Subjects:

Math - Addition, subtraction, time, money, etc. 
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - No workbooks. This quarter to help Optimus Prime catch up he's doing worksheets tailor-made for him.
Number of Pages - 3

Spelling - Spelling words & units practiced in print and cursive.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - None, just loose worksheets.
Number of Pages - 2

English - Phonics and reading comprehension.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Brain Quest Workbook Grade 2 (Workman Publishing), Comprehensive Curriculum Grade 2 (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 3

Secondary Subjects:

Science - Learning all about animals, insects, and classifications.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Exploring Animals (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 2-3

History/Geography/Religion - Norse Mythology and King Arthur.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths (New York Review Children's Collection), Tales of King Arthur (Anness Publishing).
Number of Pages - N/A

Logic/Art - Same/different, mazes, dot-to-dots, coloring etc.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Random books.
Number of Pages - 4

Spanish - Learning Spanish
Days - Every three days
Textbooks - Exploring Spanish (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 2-3

Handwriting - Basic composition and handwriting.
Days - Every three days
Textbooks - Scooby-Doo Printing Practice (Bendon), Spider-Man Printing Practice (Bendon).
Number of Pages - 2-3

Other "Subjects":

Reading - Reading chapter (!!!) books on his own.

Bumblebee:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.

Core Subjects:

Math - Addition, subtraction, time, money, multiplication, etc. 
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Sponge Bob Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Princess Addition & Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Spider-Man Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Princess Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Time and Money (Bendon).
Number of Pages - 3

Spelling - Spelling words & units practiced in print and cursive.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - None, just loose worksheets.
Number of Pages - 2

English - Phonics and reading comprehension.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Brain Quest Workbook Grade 2 (Workman Publishing), Comprehensive Curriculum Grade 2 (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 3

Secondary Subjects:

Science - Learning all about animals, insects, and classifications.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Exploring Animals (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 2-3

History/Geography/Religion - Norse Mythology and King Arthur.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths (New York Review Children's Collection), Tales of King Arthur (Anness Publishing).
Number of Pages - N/A

Logic/Art - Same/different, mazes, dot-to-dots, coloring etc.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Random books.
Number of Pages - 4

Spanish - Learning Spanish
Days - Every three days
Textbooks - Exploring Spanish (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 2-3

Multiplication - Practicing multiplication and division.
Days - Every three days
Textbooks - No workbook. This quarter Bumblebee has a second math class with just multiplication to help him get the concept down better with tailor made worksheets for him.
Number of Pages - 2-3

Other "Subjects":

Reading - Reading level 1 and some level 2 books on his own.

Scooby-Doo:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.

Core Subjects:

Spelling - Spelling words & units practiced in print.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - None, just loose worksheets.
Number of Pages - 1

Secondary Subjects:

Science - Learning all about animals, insects, and classifications.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Exploring Animals (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 2-3

History/Geography/Religion - Norse Mythology and King Arthur.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths (New York Review Children's Collection), Tales of King Arthur (Anness Publishing).
Number of Pages - N/A

Logic/Art - Same/different, mazes, dot-to-dots, coloring etc.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Random books.
Number of Pages - 5

English - Phonics and reading comprehension.
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Beginning Sounds (School Zone), Letter Stories (Mead), Phonics (Bendon), Disney Phonics and Reading (Bendon).
Number of Pages - 4

Addition - Basic addition problems to help him learn the concept. 
Days - Three days a week
Textbooks - Numbers and Counting (Bendon), Let's Grow Smart Workbook: Numbers 1-12 (Dalmatian Press), Disney Numbers and Counting (Bendon), Mathematics Practice Workbook K (Silver Burdett Ginn)
Number of Pages - 4

Other "Subjects":

Reading - Reading together every day.

Some final notes:

• Spelling units are directly tied to what we are reading.
• For this quarter we have two Concept Weeks and they are tied into our History/Geography/Religion class and our Science class. There were no Concept Week posts.
• One of Optimus Prime's "secondary" subjects was Handwriting because his penmanship desperately needed it. Bumblebee did a second Math class during this time period where he just focused on multiplication. 
• The local elementary school has denied Scooby-Doo all of his therapy since we will not enroll him there in pre-k. He is, however, still doing speech therapy twice a week.
• Even though Scooby-Doo is only at pre-k age he will be doing kindergarten work this quarter as well as some pre-k.
• Scooby-Doo starts Concept Weeks this quarter. They are tied into his Science schoolwork.

A Break

I know it has been a bit since I posted and it will be a bit longer still. My husband has requested a divorce and I am unsure how this is going to effect our family or my homeschooling our children. I will obviously have to get a full time job now to support me & my kids and right this moment while I still want to homeschool I am unsure if that is even possible in the future. We are, at the very least, going to continue on with our summer quarter. It will be greatly abridged, though. We need to pack, I need to job hunt, we need to contact lawyers and/or mediators, etc. Plus we have decided that my boys and I should go to New York to visit my family for a couple of weeks so we can have that support during this upsetting time. I should resume posting by the middle of April.

Right now please just keep us in your thoughts.

The Flash

Synopsis - Barry Allen, aka The Flash, aka The Fastest Man Alive is a police forensic scientist who has an alter-superhero ego called The Flash. He runs around Central City solving crimes and taking down super villains.

Wandering Falcon - "I'm not a huge fan of the Flash (I prefer superheroes without superpowers) but these books were pretty good."

Optimus Prime - "I really like Weather Wizard and believe me he did none of the crimes that day. I also liked Fire and Ice. Fire and Ice, they are opposites, but when Captian Cold and Heat Wave shot at each other and end up making a two story building don't you think about running through because half of you will become ash and dust and the other side will become so frozen and cold it will make you break into a hundred thousand pieces. So unless you have a force field you can't get through. And trust me a big suit of armor will not help one little bit because one side will melt and your shoulder will get burned a lot lot lot and the other side will freeze so much that your armor will break. But actually maybe by that point in time you could have gotten through to the other side and survived."

Bumblebee - "I liked The Attack of Professor Zoom! I liked when Captain Cold froze the volcano. And, I liked the robots."

The Flash**

1. The Attack of Professor Zoom
2. Captain's Cold Arctic Eruption
3. Gorilla Warfare
4. Wrath of the Weather Wizard
5. Captain Boomerang's Comeback!
6. Trickster's Bubble Trouble
7. Clock King's Time Bomb
8. Master of Mirrors!
9. Ice and Fire
10. Killer Kaleidoscope
11. Shell Shocker
12. Shadow of the Sun

** These books are not numbered, so they are listed in the order that we read them.  Also, for these books I have not listed an author since they are too much like comic books with multiple authors, illustrators, and creators.