A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

2020 Blog Hop

Keep Track of Grades

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I have to admit, I haven’t really known what to write for this final day of the blog hop.  What does a non-planner person do for a planning/record keeping day?  Then I got to thinking about how my son’s in high school now, and I’m now required to keep track of grades.   This reminds me of the stack of papers I have sitting under my laptop for me to file in the appropriate spot. (but we’ll just let that be my little secret eh?)  

AND it’s five minute Friday today so I”m hopeful to combine two challenges at once… Think I can do it?  

Keep track of Grades

Keep Track of Grades

Highschool has crept upon us
The grades we need to keep
Looking back I do remember
something rather sweet.

Transcripts be made easy
I do remember well.
Keeping grades and scoring
My son thinks that is swell.

Do it right or not at all
My momma used to say
And highschool is done easiest
When approaching it this way.

Mistakes they sometimes happen
Deliberate or not.
And when they do, we’ll see it through.
In time it be forgot.

Be careful on those transcripts
Mark those tests fairly
For colleges and higher
Want the truth you see.

Figuring out the codes to use
It makes my old heart race
What happens if I do it wrong?
Will it slow my dear son’s pace?

I have to always remember
To use the brain I got
God gave it to me years ago
Let not it go fraught.

Take your time
and think it through
Each code needed
Will come to you.

Ah searching hard
The right words find
Course codes for Ontario High School
Takes a load off my mind.

Easy does it one by one
History, science, music too.
Keep track of grades
Four years to do.

blog hop 2020

Oh, that was fun!  It was. Combining Kate’s FMF word RIGHT with the crew’s blog hop planning and record keeping!   Took a load off my mind too! 

This is day five in the not back to school blog hop. 

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares Planning / Record Keeping Ideas for Homeschooling. .

Yvie @ Homeschol on the Range shares School Rooms, Charts & More!.

Jessica @ My Homeschool with a View shares Homeschool Planning: Record Keeping.

Lori @ At Home: where life happens shares Record Keeping in High School.

Annette V @ A Net in Time shares Keep track of grades.

Four Approaches to SchoolhouseTeachers.com

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One of the questions that frequently pops up on the ST facebook page is “how do I use this?”.  Today I thought it might be helpful to point out the four main approaches to SchoolhouseTeachers.com.

The four approaches to SchoolhouseTeachers.com are in a nutshell Use by Grade, Use by Skill or Use by interest.  The final approach which combines the three…. which might actually be the easiest method.  🙂  BUT more on that later. 

four approaches to SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Approach one: grade level

SchoolhouseTeachers.com has recently done this amazing things.  They have started school boxes!  They put together a package of what you need to educate your children per grade level.  

Let’s pretend I was going to use ST for all my son’s grade 10 needs.  I click on the grade 10 box which will open up this page.

Inside each box you will find links to curriculum to use.   For instance, grade 10 art brings up this.

Clicking on the link will bring you to a teacher’s guide about what to do when, during what week.  Everything you need to keep you on track whether you are using one resource, or four like this area.  If you don’t like something in the boxes, just pick something else from grade 10 list of curriculum and follow the lesson outline for that.  It might not be quite as straightforward as using the boxes, but the option is there. 

Approach two: skill level

Because children mature and advance unevenly, you might decide that skill level is a better approach in your household. 

You might then find yourself pouring over (for your technically grade three student) the grade 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 materials.  Or deciding that your grade 3 and grade 5 student can both do grade 4 science. 

Just in case you wondered, it’s perfectly okay for your children to be ahead in one area and behind in another.  We don’t all learn things at the same rate as adults either.  (Much to our consternation at times eh?)

Know your children, get to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and build upon both.  It’s a good thing to do.  Who knows.. by the time they are in highschool they might well have gained HUGE ground in a subject they struggled with earlier. 

Consider if you would art classes.  This is a subject where the skills of students vary widely.  A beginning drawing class might not work for your creative 10-year-old genius… but might be just the ticket for your highschool student.  Each person has their own abilities, right?

Approach three: interests of student

Following the interests of your student can assist them in learning new material.  Does it really matter if when you are learning spelling rules if you use ocean-based words or land-based words?  Does it matter if they are learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly, bird, bee, shark or spider?  Like really, does it matter?

Does it matter, if practicing speech and enunciation if you read a picture book about Canada or Europe?   Or when writing a persuasive essay if it’s about the merits of playing minecraft or understanding genetic diversity in rabbits?   Any interest that a student has can be used to further their education. 

Parents who understand this will often let their children guide their own education. And with ST having so many options to choose from, why not use it as fully as you can?

Just look at all the options for grade 10 beyond the school boxes! 

Approach four: combination

The best of these approaches to me is using a combination.  Not many children will say yes, I really want to understand grammar.. it’s totally my thing. But understanding grammar will help them pursue their other interests and being able to communicate well about those interests. 

Having a grade guide often helps parents in planning where their children should be educationally speaking.  So if you know your boy is 8 years old, about the level of grade 3 it helps you at least in knowing where to start.  

Knowing where to start allows you to more easily make adjustments either up or down.  If children are really interested in a topic you’ll often find they can do work above their grade level because they are so VERY interested. 

My suggestion… choose the math and language arts that your students need to meet their future requirements.  Meet them at their skill level and help them move forward.  Then use their interests, help them broaden their doors, intrigue them with science starting with what they are interested in.  Develop their love of history with their desire to understand where their grandparents came from, or how computers were developed, or … the list is endless.  🙂  My son wants to understand this country he lives in so, the geography of Canada beckons him.   Good yes?

blur cartography close up concept
Photo by slon_dot_pics on Pexels.com

So… did you know that SchoolhouseTeachers.com is on sale right now?  Two years for the price of one.   Can’t beat that deal now can you?  Snap it up before it’s gone!  If you already are a member, which of these approaches to SchoolhouseTeachers.com do you take?

fresh start

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares Help How do I teach High School at Home?.

Yvie @ Homeschool on the Range shares Teaching Teens – Note-taking Skills .

Annette @ A Net in Time shares Four Approaches to SchoolhouseTeachers.

Vickie B @ Tumbleweed News shares How I taught 20+ kids at home {Blog Hop}.

Teresa @ Teresa Brouillette shares How to Teach Homeschool.

Dawn P @ Schoolin’ Swag shares How to Teach… What I Don’t Know.

Laurie @ School Days shares How Do I Teach…?.

Lori @ At Home: where life happens shares Teaching It All.

This is day four in the not back to school blog hop. 

blog hop 2020

Nature Study Bring Alongs

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I was chatting with a gal in my Facebook Group the other day about nature study and things to bring along with you when you go.  I thought it might be helpful to share with you what my nature study bring alongs would be.

Bring alongs would include such things as sketch pads, cell phone, nature books, writing instruments, magnifying glass or travel microscope, and a note pad.   Let’s talk about why these things are important.   This post will include affiliate links where possible.

Nature Study Bring Along, tiger bee fly on a wall

As I wrote this post I was thinking about 10 ways you could engage in nature study summer.  I was thinking about how have a go to nature study bag is vital to that.  I know the summer is a bit more than half way through but pretty soon autumn will be here and that’s a SUPERB time to get out into nature.   It’s so important to have a bag ready to go, meaning that on those hard to school days you can just grab up the kids and hit one of the local trails. 

Sketch pads

Why do you need a sketch pad?   Because you need one! 

Jotting down notes, doing a quick outline so you can remember important features of the plant/animal/insect/bird/fungi/water thingey so you can look it up when you go home.

OR to simply take time to do a detailed drawing of that interesting leaf, to do an image in relief of tree bark, leaf, etc.  

A Sketch pad is an invaluable addition to your nature study book bag.  I learned that for me and my lad that the smaller ones worked better for us than the big pads.  We could fit two into a smaller bag making for lighter travelling.  We tended to like the side bound ones but we have friends who like the top bound. 

You can get good quality pads, or do the cheapies from the dollar store. whatever fits your budget.  The important thing is the preservation of what you see, and the… taking  of the moment to really look at what’s out there. 

Cell phone

Do you HAVE to have a cell phone?  Of course not.  We did plenty of walks without the phone but I found it easiest to answer the lad’s questions immediately and I loved using the notebook feature to jot down questions I couldn’t quickly answer.   Answering one question would often lead to another question, whereas taking notes and saying let’s look when we get home stifled further questions when the desire was right there!

But having a cellphone with an active data plan was great for those spontaneous questions that I didn’t always have the answer to. 

My current phone is a umidigi f1 and I love it!   No bloat ware, fast, does everything I want it to for the fraction of what some of the name brands cost.  An excellent phone that I am so glad I got the case for as this one goes with me everywhere.  It has saved my phone more than once.

Nature books

Okay, honestly, we never brought along nature books.  We occasionally brought nature cards along with us and a couple times “make art from things in nature” books along.  Mostly though, we just grabbed pen and paper and off we went.   BUT I know that some people greatly benefit from bringing along their nature books.  

When we go camping I bring along these books.  

Writing instruments

You will need something to write with.  I like bringing along both pen and pencil. My preference is for pencil but they so often break that having a working pen along just helps with notetaking.  The pencil though serves not only for taking notes but for making quick sketches as well.   I never bring my best along with me because losing things is something TOO easy for me to do.  Always bring along one extra.  You’ll need it!  🙂   An eraser might be a good idea too!

bloom blooming blossom blur
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Magnifying glass or travel microscope

You know those cheap little magnifying glasses you can get?  They work GREAT for nature study.  Looking into the cracks on trees to find small insects or spiders, getting up close to mosses, examining the spores on ferns, and just about anything else.  Take the time to examine the minutae.  You won’t regret it.  God has provided so much variety, and yet, so many interconnections between species.  It will blow your mind.  

IF you want a slightly more indepth look on your nature studies… then bring along a traveling microscope.  They make them in all size now it’s amazing.  The first time I saw what a small hand-held microscope could do I was stunned. 

You can get pocket microscopes or digital microscopes.   These allow for greater clarity and closer inspection of what you are looking at.  I wish I’d had one when the lad was little.  The amazement we could have shared! 🙂 

Note pad

A note pad, scratch pad, old paper, whatever you want.  Have something on which you can take a quick note, particularly if you don’t want to the waste the paper is a good quality sketch pad.  Jot down those questions from your children (or even yourself) so you can look up the information later.   You will never regret having spare paper along with you. 

Anything Else?

What you bring along depends on where you are going.  If on a longer hike you’ll want to bring water and some sort of travel food with you.  If going on QUITE a long hike, a compass, map of the area, extra clothing, an emergency blanket and a first aid kit would come in handy. 

But for your average, let’s go to the park or the local small bush type hike, these are the basics of what you’ll need.  I’ve learned it’s great to bring along a plastic bag for garbage you see along the way.  And another bag for any not damaging to nature items you want to bring home… like a pretty rock, empty pine cone, or some deadfall leaves.

Plan to leave the world a better place than you found it right?

Have I missed anything you consider essential to doing nature study?  What nature study bring alongs would you add?  

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares My Must Have Homeschool Resources.

Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach shares Homeschooling Must Have Resources and Supplies in Our Home.

Annette @ A Net in Time shares Nature Study Bring Alongs.

Jessica @ My Homeschool with a View shares My Top 5 Homeschool Supplies.

Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag shares Must Have Supplies … For Mom.

Vicki B @ Tumbleweed News shares Homeschool Must Have Resources / Supplies.

Yvonne @ The Life We Build shares her Top 5 Favorite Homeschool Supplies and Resources.

Lori @ At Home: Where Life Happens shares Homeschool Supplies… Squirrel.

blog hop 2020

Starting A New School Year

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My son and I were talking the other day about when we’d start his new year.  He’s still working on finishing off grade nine due to some poor decision making, so he’s pushing hard to get things done.  But this is what we do, we talk together about how we’ll start off the new school year.  Every year is different, but every year we have the same conversation.  I suppose it’s one of our traditions, this starting a new school year talk. 

starting a new school year

What have we done?  We’ve gone camping, organized materials, set up schedules, and attended not going back to school picnics.  What kind of things do you do when your school year starts?

Camping

Last year my fellows (Dad and son) were talking about how to start the new school year and they decided that camping would be just the ticket.   They headed up and three days later I joined them.   They had time away, I had time to plan things out a bit, totally a win-win. 

Tents Set up Camping

NGBTS

NGBTS picnics… we did about three of these.  The Not Going Back to School picnics were hosted in nearby London and drew in homeschoolers from all over the place.  We’d always have a good crowd with a variety of activities to engage the youth.  Scavenger hunts, soccer games, chasing geese and looking for water critters.  Laughter and conversation filled the afternoon, people staying for just as long as they wanted to.  Free books and curriculum were often at hand…the lad and I got SO many books to read, and then in turn passed them along.  It was great!

group of girls taking groufie
Photo by Aline Viana Prado on Pexels.com

Organized Schoolwork

My son recently spent a week cleaning his room and making way for organizing his school work for next year.  I’m “NOT ALLOWED” to take pics and show you the results of his hard work. 

Suffice it to say… he has a spot for everything and even more besides. I still have my stash of materials that I really have to go through yet… hopefully, this coming week.  He doesn’t want books in his room that he isn’t immediately using so I need to make sure they are all easily accessible for when he needs them.   Grade 10 will be a busy year for him. 

books curricula

Set Up Schedules

Even though I have this section entitled Set up Schedules, I’ve learned over the years that schedules don’t tend to work well for us.  Setting up routines work much better for us.   We’ve tried making summer schedules, some of which worked and didn’t.  But mostly we’ve learned follow a routine and simply do the next thing… it’s what works best in our household. 

This coming week we’ll be working together to make a routine that will help him get his school work done in good time this year…no more working all summer to catch up!  🙂   Since we don’t know exactly what the school year will look like we’ll have to work with generalities. 

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares Homeschool Traditions.

Yvie @ Homeschool on the Range shares 20 Best Educational Subscription Boxes (we let the kids choose a new one at the beginning of each school year)

Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag shares Back to School Traditions. 

Vickie B @ Tumbleweed News shares Homeschool Traditions {NOT Back-to-School Blog Hop}

Adrienne B @ Practicalmindedness shares on Traditions that seal the heart.

Teresa B @ Teresa Brouillette shaes Homeschool Traditions.

Annette V @ A Net in Time shares Starting a New School Year.

Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach shares Homeschooling Taditions for the New Year.

Blog hop august 2020

I hope you’ll stick around and follow along with the 2020 blog hop.   Visit others in the blog hop won’t you?  See how others are starting a new school year. 

Summer Blog Hop is coming!

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Blog hop august 2020

WELCOME!   The summer blog hop from the homeschool review crew is about to start.  For the next five days we’ll be sharing information on some variation of the following: 

Monday –  Traditions
Tuesday – Must have resources/supplies
Wednesday – Curriculum
Thursday – How do I teach … ?
Friday – Planning/Record Keeping

Doesn’t it sound fantastic?  Everyone will be writing on these themes in one way or the other.  They won’t all be the same.  For instance I’ll be touching on what my son will be doing for Grade 10, what supplies are most important, and how to use SchoolhouseTeachers.com well. 

I do hope you’ll stop in and join us with the Summer Blog Hop!  

All Five Days: