Our beautiful summer days of leisure are quickly tapering off, and it is time to sit down to plan the menu. I am mustering up the mental energy to work and trying to not get distracted while the girls are out of the house this morning at a drum workshop my husband has been teaching on the Northshore every Wednesday. Sifting through e-mails, roaming the online CC forum for clarity, walking through curriculum, and organizing binders and bookshelves feels less like a chore with a home-brewed latte and John Mark McMillan on loop! Preparing for a school year is like sailing out into the open sea— eagerly expecting beauty and adventure, praying for wind in our sails, longing to reach the destination, and hopefully no shipwrecks.

Planning the feast for homeschooling is a checklist of having everything physically in hand and, as a teacher, familiarizing myself with the content of the curriculum. I like to review the lesson plan schedule(s) and mentally walk through the days in advance to ensure our weeks will run smoothly. Training the girls to be ready for school by 9 a.m. after summertime is like teaching them how to ride a bicycle again, so we practice the morning routine as usual on a school day— a few weeks leading up to the first day of school. 

Thankfully, I don’t have much to edit in or out of our curriculum—maybe specific crafts I don’t foresee us doing or the hope to linger longer on a subject. By week 5, I anticipate that our lessons must be tailored to individual learning abilities and pursuits, and our home schedule between my husband and I may require shifting. The aim is always for a seamless weekly rhythm and finding a good balance that works for our whole family.

We are diving back into U.S. history and government, which feels like the wind in my sails after studying the timeline and governments of European and Asian history. I like the relevance in our lives and how tangible it is to teach since we are, after all, on American soil!

x jena

A BASIC OVERVIEW

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HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY

In addition to our Foundations Cycle 3 U.S. History memory work this year, we are using The Playful Pioneers Volume II. Three years ago, I went through The Playful Pioneers Volume I with Ema for Kindergarten while Evie (2nd-year Essentials) was going through IEW U.S. History writing lessons.

I love how CC programs are all intertwined together; families with multiple children all at different grade levels are studying the same topics. Our bookshelves this year will be filled with American literature at different reading levels, encouraging the girls to help each other study and read books to one another!

MATH

We use Saxon Math: Math 1, Math 3, and Algebra 1. Leia will be using a Montessori Math workbook for preschool.

SCIENCE

I review our botany and nature books every school year to build on vocabulary and understanding of the natural world through art and observation. The girls also do labs and more significant science projects on our CC seminar days with their tutors and classmates. This year in CC, they will study human anatomy, the periodic table, and the Theory of Evolution vs. intelligent design.

Language Arts, reading & writing

We use IEW as our resource for writing and Our Mother Tongue for grammar lessons. Simple and short reading lessons come out of McGuffy’s Readers.

Challenge 1

Students in the Classical Conversations Challenge 1 program study in 6 different strands: logic (algebra), grammar (Latin 1), research (Physical Science), reasoning (Traditional Logic 1 and Drama), exposition (American Literature), and debate (American Government and Economics).

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“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

— Job 12:7-10

8:30 a.m. Tuesdays — North Shore, O’ahu.

We’re getting used to these early mornings and longer days. The girls and I are getting bronzer under the island sun and feeling healthier near the salty sea. From May through July, we study Marine Biology with a homeschool Co-Op on the North Shore, using The Good and the Beautiful Marine Biology unit study. Our Tuesdays begin with learning about marine life and end with beautiful moments of swimming in the Pacific Ocean, combing the beach for seashells, and spending time with kindred spirits.

Everyone gathers together for prayer, then we learn a new name of God each week using “God’s Names” by Sally Michael. Beginning the morning this way really prepares our hearts and minds to learn who God is as we study the ocean and all that lives beneath the surface.

Afterwards, the children divide into grade level groups (K-2, 3-5, and 6+) to go over a lesson taught by mamas who rotate every week!

In addition to the unit lesson for each week, the older students in intermediate-high school need to complete the lesson extensions in their Marine Biology student journals and discuss it together. Elementary students, like Sandi and Ema, keep individual journals in a blank composition book that include worksheets and any experiments that need to be written down. On the side, I also have them write a short journal entry of what they learn on Tuesdays, write down new vocabulary words, and record information about sea creatures they chose to study, or times with their friends they want to remember. After 12-weeks of studying marine life and so much time swimming with their friends in the ocean, I believe these journals will not only become a great resource, but also encapsulate their first summer of living in Hawai’i!

“He who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever”

— Psalm 136:6

5/2 — Combing the beach for the tiniest seashells with Leia

In the mornings, I sit with Leia for nearly an hour to read, practice writing the alphabet, work on phonics, identify sea life that begins with each letter, teach her how to draw, and incorporate copy work by labeling her drawing. Earlier in the year, she had been tracing the alphabet on the dotted lines, and now she is learning how to write freehand and grasp the concept that alphabets form words. I am smitten by her cute illustrations and how quiet and peaceful homeschooling her is. Her aptitude for bookwork at age 3 is truly impressive!

I love unit studies, especially ones that bring me to the garden or the ocean! Immersing the girls in one subject for an extended time makes our school days more enjoyable and predictable for all of us. This summer, our books, art, activities, and bible memory verses will revolve around the ocean. I know that the more the girls learn about the sea, the greater their appreciation for living on this island.

x jena

resources:

Marine Biology Unit Study by The Good and The Beautiful

God’s Names by Sally Michael

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“The principal value of a private garden is not understood. It is not to give the possessor vegetables or fruit (that can be better and cheaper done by the market-gardeners), but to teach him patience and philosophy and the higher virtues, hope deferred and expectations blighted, leading directly to resignation and sometimes to alienation. The garden thus becomes a moral agent, a test of character, as it was in the beginning. I shall keep this central truth in mind in these articles. I mean to have a moral garden, if it is not a productive one,—one that shall teach, O my brothers! O my sisters! the great lessons of life.”

— Charles Dudley Warner. "Summer in a garden, and calvin, a study of character: First Week", 1870.

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After many years of gardening through the seasons in southern California, I can attest to one thing: you reap what you sow in gardening and motherhood. The labor of a gardener is not so simple, and neither are the duties of a mother. Interestingly, the more knowledge I’ve gained through growing our food, the more I’ve witnessed the parallels in raising children. The garden secretly holds such valuable wisdom through the labor of our hands. From seed to harvest, one of many moral virtues it teaches us is patience—  how to wait with gratitude and to intentionally slow down as we wait for the fruit to ripen. It also teaches us that neglect in the garden can result in a poor harvest.

The more attentive I am to how our plants grow— Does the soil need more nitrogen? Is this specific plant getting too much sunlight or too much water? Do I need to move this plant to a bigger pot?— the healthier our garden grows. I remember one year during the heat of Summer, one of our zucchini plants succumbed to powdery mildew— also known as blight—on its leaves. After a few weeks of avoiding the problem, I looked from the bedroom window and saw the disease spread from one plant to the other, including our beautiful cosmos and morning glory vine along our fence. Not only did I become even more discouraged, but I also gave up on our garden throughout the summer. Neglect led to more damage than I anticipated and more work in the long run; it was a moral lesson to me that the same goes for what happens within the walls of our homes, minds, bodies, and hearts.

“Do not despise these small beginnings,for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

— Zechariah 4:10

These pictures show our flourishing 2020 spring garden in our Clairemont home in San Diego. I had learned my lesson as a gardener. We had a bountiful harvest that year and a healthy homeschool that reaped the benefits of having a daily routine and aiming for small victories through small beginnings. Whether it was reading a chapter a day or fixing a bad habit, I believe we overcame so much just by caring enough for what we love.

SPRING/SUMMER 2020 NOTES

MARCH — spring seeds

Vegetables: Chinese Cabbage, Radishes, Beets, Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Carrots, Green Onions, Sugar Peas, and Peas.

Herbs: Chives, Cilantro, Basil, Dill

Flowers: French Marigolds, Benjamin Buttons, Zinnias, Assylum, Cosmos, and Hollyhock.

Results: The only seeds that did not germinate were the Chives.

JULY — summer seeds

Vegetables: Cucumbers, Okra, Pumpkin, Rainbow Chard, a variety of tomatoes, and more Zucchini.

Flowers: Sunflower, Morning Glory

Results: The summer heat killed the Zinnias and Benjamin Buttons, so we decided to grow more Zinnias and plant them in a partial sunny area. We also planted a dozen Sunflower seeds, but only 4 plants survived. A pest (squirrel or rat) would munch the head of the seedlings once they grew to about 3”.

AUGUST — late summer

I took a break from tending to the garden because I needed to prepare for our school year, which began on August 17th. Ripe vegetables would be harvested, plants were watered daily or every other day because I just didn't have the time, my husband managed our compost; and once a week, I would prune the plants, the girls would dead-head the flowers, and we'd spend a minimal amount of time pulling weeds. Caterpillars are getting the most of our greens, but at least it's a sign that our potager is thriving with life!

SEPTEMBER — almost fall

The days have been too hot to start planting anything right now, so we continue to water and harvest what remains.

x jena

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“...in reclaiming childhood, we are reclaiming motherhood as well—trusting our instincts and doing what’s best for our children, rather than what society says is normal or expected.”

— Ainsley Arment, The Call of the Wild + Free

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Bienvenue! Welcome!

It’s been a desire of mine to launch a blog since I began homeschooling my oldest daughter as she was starting in Kindergarden. Evie is now more than halfway through 5th grade. It was around that time when a friend of mine told me of an Instagram profile she came across called Wild + Free (@wildandfree.co) and she was sure I’d be interested in them! After one glance, I immediately hit follow. I dreamed that a life like this was possible- and these mamas were living proof. Since then, the world of homeschooling has grown more captivating than ever. Behind the breathtaking images lies a community reclaiming the wonder of childhood, motherhood, fatherhood and the role of a home educator— a job not for the faint of heart.

My mother-in-law, Sherry, homeschooled her own children when it wasn’t such a popular thing to do. Her stories of driving cross-country with her young family, and educating her children about the history of America, gave me a vision to school outside of the classroom. These stories planted the seed. When I became pregnant with Evie, I felt a calling to homeschool her, despite feeling completely inadequate. And yet, here we are, 10 years later, with no regrets… only reasons to keep moving forward!

If you follow us on Instagram @providenceacademie, you may have already seen a glimpse into our life. My four darlings have made me a full-time mother— and homeschooling is my job. This year I have a 5th grader, two preschoolers (5 and 3), and a 7 month old! With multiples, we take it one day at a time… conquering one distraction at a time, one bad habit at a time. We’re taming tongues and taming tempers (mine included). In the midst of all the books and lessons, our desire is to foster curious minds, build their character, and raise our girls to be great women of faith!

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“The question is not, — how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education — but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”

— Charlotte Mason, Home Education

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At last, a growing movement of parents choosing the road less-traveled and carving their own homeschooling path! Maybe a telling sign of parents reevaluating the educational system? Many of these parents include credentialed teachers who have chosen to step away from their careers to homeschool their own children— my 5yo daughter’s tutor being one of them. Astonishingly, as of mid-March, the entire country (along with many others) was forced into homeschooling, resulting in a universal appreciation from working parents toward teachers and home-educators. One of the most frequently asked question I’ve heard over the past month is, “How do you do it?” I hope to chip away at this question in future posts and unravel common misconceptions about homeschooling. I’ll be sharing challenges we face, rewards we reap, and how we make it all work in our lovely little schoolroom of girls!

Without further ado, welcome to The Report!

x Jena