Spring and Summer school plans

So far Spring is shaping up to be just as boring as winter. Of course it still seems like winter, so that may have something to do with it.

Math
Alex will be chugging along with BCM. He should have been done with it a while ago but I let him whine about needing more practice (read: not wanting to move on) too many times. Sigh. When it comes to math I suck, I know.

Christian is chugging along with Algebra. 100% on his test today, thankyouverymuch. Yeah, I know. Algebra in 9th grade?!? I suck with accountability in math, remember?

Ethan will probably start BCM next week. He and I had so much fun doing other things for math this year we didn't bother to do a formal program. Oops! The good news is, he has done most of it so will fly through it. The bad news is that I am always willing to set math aside for history, reading or just about anything else.

History
Alex and Ethan are still working in Kingfisher. So far we have just read and read about each topic, but I think I am going to start making them write a page about each topic ala TWTM. I was going to get History Odyssey because it looked so darn fun, but I am tired of buying a program, using half of it and then changing my mind and buying something else. We will probably just stick with Kingfisher, but follow TWTM recommendations more closely. Next fall I will probably take a break from Kingfisher and do a unit on US history, using the Hakim series and the Sonlight core.

Christian is doing great with Spielvogel. He says he hates it, but will be the first to admit that he has learned more than with any other book/method. He particularly hates the "civilization worksheet" because it forces him to dig deeper into each culture. I am using lesson plans that Virginia Dawn wrote and they are fab. I hope I can talk her into sending me the next set she wrote.

Language Arts
Yet another subject that I don't really hold them accountable in. (Are you sensing the theme here?) We need to step up to the plate, get our butts into gear and finish what we started. It seems like if we are focusing on one thing (legible handwriting, for example) all other things under the LA umbrella fall to the wayside.

Science
I need to figure out what to do with Christian once he finishes up Biology (any day now.) I was planning to use Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide but the reviews on TWTM high school board haven't been favorable. I will see if I can get it from ILL and see if we like it.

Alex and Ethan are still using the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series (currently Chemical Building Blocks.) I am going to stick with this series until we are done with all of them. They like it. I like it. It is cheap. Perfect!

Electives/Other Stuff
Various boys will start and/or finish various programs like geography, logic and art.

Our last official archery meeting is tomorrow, but there will be plenty of practices before competition.

Instead of summer camp Ethan and I are going to do our own homemade cheap summer camp. Using this really cool site that Cindy found we will work through the Ecology Box. Once we are done with that we might move on to others. A few friends will join us, so hopefully I don't mess it up!

Christian is applying for a job at the bike shop. When we were in there getting something fixed, the guy behind the counter mentioned to Christian that they hire a bunch of high school kids during the summer to work on bikes and clean up (and from what I can tell from being in there during the summer - hang out) and that he should apply. He thought about it and decided he wanted to, so he picked up the application a few days ago. Now Alex wants a job, of course, but will have to wait another year.

The boys will continue to work on their afternoon projects once they decide what they will be. All three of them decided they want to build something (Christian and Ethan want to build a half pipe) or take something apart (an engine.) Not quite what I had in mind for all of them, so we will see.

We will start Field Trip Friday again, once it is warm enough for me to leave the house without whining. (At this rate, mid-July...) We have a big list of places to check out, so it should be fun.

Toss in a vacation up north, a week at the county fair (free in Midland county!) a few trips to Ohio and various Detroit friends visiting, and a change in the weather and it should shape up to be a full and fun summer!