 Hi you guys my name is Brittany and welcome back to my youtube channel. You guys in today's video I will be giving you my January homeschooling update I really feel like I haven't sat down and did like an update video if you guys in forever I think it's really been since october that I gave you guys like an official like homeschooling updates So um, I'm really going to try my best to catch you guys up on everything that has happened in our homeschool How we're doing on some curriculum switches. We have made for uh, like mid-year how that's going and everything like that So, um, hopefully you guys will enjoy my january homeschooling update So if any of you guys are new here to my channel, I am a homeschooling mom of three I have a sixth grader Kenny Gardner and a pre-k4er in my homeschool this year So you guys as far as january, how did it go? How is it going? I am happy to say our transition back into school from our holiday break. It went surprisingly well I was really really nervous. I didn't know like what to expect especially since we took off Two weeks for christmas. We took off the last week of december and the first week of january I was a little bit fatigued and I was ready to take an additional week off with my kiddos But they were ready to go. Um, and I was like, all right. Here we go So we started off school on january 8th And um, like I said, I'm just happy that we just like ease right on back into it My littles was so happy when they see me pull back out their books and they were ready to go. So, um, It was overall an enjoyable experience However, I will say january is always like one of my hardest months when it just comes to like overall I mean, it's cold. It's winter time We were having some really really cold days in january where my kids was unable to get outside And you guys already know how crucial it is to you know, get your kids outside and You know, let them get all those wiggles out and ride their bikes and things like that They were unable to do that a lot in january So it did make it harder on us in our homeschool really being stuck in the house a little bit more than usual The days are cold. It becomes darker so early. So it's just like, uh, january was definitely Like a drag when it comes to that now. I will say since I do live in georgia. We had like Crazy warm weather the last week of january. I mean, it was like between 63 and 65 degrees, which is Amazing. Um, so the kids, you know, we went out to the park. We got outside We had so much fun when we got those little, you know, spurts of spring weather I should say in january and it was so much fun So much needed in our homeschool. So i'm happy that the weather did shift for us a little bit now It's back to being cold, which is, you know, it's perfectly fine For us our seasons, we really only have like one more month of it being cold and typically in marches when Down here, we will like have our spring weather, which is so great. So, uh, yeah Now as far as like our homeschool hangouts and things like that, you guys We did an awful job in january. We didn't go to any like of our homeschool hangouts and things like that Either I wasn't feeling it or my oldest daughter wasn't feeling it So we pretty much just stayed at home. Uh, when it comes to like our homeschool in a month of january, which is perfectly fine You know, some months is just like that. Um, now as far as february goes, uh, we are definitely, you know Getting back into swing of going to our weekly homeschool hangouts I actually was able to sign up my oldest for a 3d printing class. Um at our local library So she's going to be learning how to work a 3d printer. She's doing a two-day workshop So hopefully she enjoys that so we do have a few like events and things like that to look forward to As far as like our hangouts. So i'm really really happy, uh, that I was able to get her registered in those classes So she's excited as well too. So that is what we have to look forward to in february Now as far as my sixth grader, you guys goes a lot of you had a um, a lot of you guys had a lot of questions as far as like What she's really doing and like her curriculum updates because when I made her mid-year curriculum update I primarily focused on our oak meadow six curriculum And I really didn't touch basis on a lot of the other either supplemental things Or the other subjects that we are including in our homeschool So hopefully when I give you this brief recap It will kind of like update you guys all and it will answer a lot of your questions that you had in my previous videos I also recently made my sixth graders independent homeschool routine. So if you want to check that video out I will definitely link it down below So you can kind of see like her flow and her routine and how things is going as far as like her overall Like workload and things like that. Um, so yeah, so let's go ahead and get into it. So Uh, first thing that is new for my sixth grader is that she completed math. You see zeta the uh at the end of december Literally, it was like two days before we broke and I think what I did was when she finished math you see zeta I was like, you know what? I don't care. It's a wednesday. We are just taking off the uh, we're starting our holiday break now Like it's official. So the completion of math you see zeta started off our holiday break and um, she was so excited So we are now into math you see pre algebra And she's doing pretty well. I will say it was a big jump from the math you see zeta series or that she did epsilon and zeta So it was a big jump from the general math series now into the secondary math. Um, but she's doing really well I did a supplement Uh this as far as like using the math generator sheets on the math you see Uh digital toolbox to generate her more worksheets so she can get additional practice because I want to make sure Um, she doesn't have any gaps when it comes to pre algebra. I know it's so important Especially the next precursor is algebra. So, uh, we are definitely taking our time and she's starting this early I mean, she's in the sixth grade right now Starting pre algebra. So I'm just going to let her, you know, ride this baby out take her time And uh, we're just going to hone in on all of these skills I find she's not as independent as she was when it came to like the math you see zeta and epsilon series Now that we're in pre algebra, but it's perfectly fine math is one of my stronger subjects and out I do not mind helping her and being there for her a little bit more than I had to previously So overall it's going well and I'm happy we stuck with a math you see for pre algebra Now along with math you see she's still using her oak metals math six as a supplement because she Is taking her standardized tests. I believe I'm going to schedule it for a may Um, so that's when she's going to take it and I definitely want to ensure that since she is doing pre algebra She still is going to have like additional review and all of the other concepts She's already mastered. So that's the only reason why we are doing her oak metals math six still along with pre algebra But to really be honest, I could go ahead and give her that final for the oak metals math six and she could pass it right now But I'm just using it for additional practice and review We are also using ix l too for like additional practice and review in preparation for her standardized tests As well at the end of the year and that's going great too. So, um, That is brie. What's going on with math for her now as far as her english a lot of you guys ask me Where are we still using um iew along with the english and yes, we are still using um iew structuring style This is level one b We are on week six right now and my anticipation for um iew is that we typically do iew every other week Or the week that oak metal doesn't have like a heavy writing assignment is when I pick up iew So every week she's giving me some type of paper whether it be in her oak metals english Or an iew so she's pretty much writing one paper a week, which I think is definitely doable for this particular kiddo So, uh, because we're not doing this every week We will only have half of this done which is unit 12 will be done by may now What we're going to do is we're going to probably go ahead and finish up this level over the summer And then um, I'm debating and this is what I'm debating on for her Is whether we're going to go into to be or if I'm going to do the public speaking course Is like my decision. I have to make for her for the upcoming uh year So, uh, we are really really enjoying it and I definitely am happy to still give her Some structure when it comes to her writing because oak metal does give her a lot of opportunities to do more creative writing short stories She's doing scenes. She's going to be doing um a playwright really really soon like a uh script So, uh, she really has a lot of other creative outlets through her oak mouse curriculum This is just providing her with more structure when it comes to like formal papers So, uh, we're still are using iew Um and fix the grammar too a lot of you guys asked me where we're still doing fix the grammar. Yes We're still doing fix the grammar. We are on week 20 right now. So we have about 10 weeks left Of fix it grammar. It's going well I will say this is just really a review when it comes to her grammar skills because Brielle really has learned a lot when it comes to grammar through writing staff We've done writing staff for three years now for four fifth and sixth grade So I really feel like that's primarily where she's learned like the root or the basics of grammar This is just for a review an additional practice for her So that is like her english lineup and some of you guys is the most commonly asked questions when it comes to that Now for vocabulary, she is using vocabulary cartoons and I also pulled out word roots for her So she's using some of her newer supplemental books this semester When it's coming to like her vocabulary practice and reinforcement of the skills, which is really going great So I'm happy about that Vocabulary was the area we really need to hone in for her and I definitely will say I have seen so much growth in her vocabulary I'm seeing her use more vocabulary words and the bigger vocabulary words within her Papers, which is definitely a sign. She is really retaining it and I'm really really happy So we're doing a little bit non-traditional vocabulary with the vocabulary cartoons and more traditional vocabulary now with her word roots level one Now our big switch for my sixth grader was I made a mid-year curriculum switch for science We were doing oak metals basic life science for the whole first semester And I was finding that science was not as independent as all of her other subjects And because I have taken on this year kenningarton and working with my preschooler as well I really needed her to be able to Uh, I guess take on more subjects and me coming on the back end for her So, um, I was finding she was unable to really do that with the basic life science now I will say I absolutely love oak metal science is very rigorous. She was writing lab reports She was drawing a lot of diagrams. Um, it definitely was the level of science I want for her, but I just wanted something more independent So because of that, I just looked in my closet you guys I had some donations that I was going to donate but I never got to And um, I just pulled out my apology as exploring creation with chemistry and physics since I already had it here It was no it was nothing that had to additionally purchase and you guys I will be honest so far It's going pretty well. My daughter's able to do Uh, the reading the vocabulary the exercises on her own. I come in and do the experiments We review it together and she's really enjoying it And so far it hasn't been bad at all. Um, I see why a lot of people really enjoy apology And I like the way it's written and the narrative is really written simply and it's written in story form So it does have like kind of like a charlotte mason flair to it. So we have completed I believe six weeks of it so far because we're doing this at a little bit of a faster pace Since we are picking it up just in second semester. So yeah, we've completed six weeks of it so far And it's going well. It's a total of 28 weeks of this curriculum and we're averaging two weeks each week because um If you guys can see like it has like two days for you to do science for two days a week And we've been doing science for four days a week and that's how we're able to kind of like fast-track this So i'm hoping we can have this completed by the end of the semester And uh, kind of go from there but so far she's enjoying it and she's able to do this on her own And I really don't have any complaints. So that is her science When it comes to that So those are the only things that really has changed when it has come to her and her curricula is science Everything else is pretty much the same or we leveled up now We also did complete curiosity chronicles ancient times last semester and I think I forgot to mention that for you guys Curiosity chronicles it looks like this. I actually purchased it digital. So um, I don't have any physical books to show you because I was using it digitally and um, Brielle really really enjoyed it and I'm going to you know, give you guys like a little glimpse inside of her whole ancient times. Um Her uh, what is it her? Notebook that she made her interactive notebook She really really had a lot of fun like doing all the mapping and I really think because she'd never experienced ancient times In history before in our home school Being able to use curiosity chronicles as a supplement along with her oak metal She really was able to get a good grasp of ancient history and she enjoyed it And I also enjoyed using the curiosity chronicles. We didn't do all the aspects of it We did a lot of it orally where I would ask her To recall the different chapters and the math work and things like that and it lined up really really great with her Oak metal So this was really really fun And if you guys want more details about how curiosity chronicles went I could make a separate video for you guys But it went well and as you guys can see her history notebook is pretty pretty big So she really really enjoyed doing all the notebook and pages in the lat books when it came to her Ancient times So that is really everything for my sixth grader Now as far as my kenny gardener goes you guys She is doing so much better you guys when it's come to like her phonics and her phonics instructions I believe in my mid-year update. I was talking about um How we were going really really slow and all about reading We're still are not going as fast as I would like to but she's retaining it And she's getting it And we are doing more daily lessons with her So we're doing lessons like she doesn't get a break when it comes to phonics even on the weekends I think in that video I mentioned that On saturdays and sundays I spend like five minutes and I briefly go over her um little green cards So these are like her uh green fluency cards I will just uh pull out a stack of these go over some of the words let her sound them out And sometimes we even will read like one of her bob books And she's done and with her having that constant uh daily phonics practice I don't know It's just doing something for her because she's definitely making more progress and i'm so proud of her We are on lesson nine and I believe we'll probably wrap up lesson nine by the end of this week and go into lesson 10 So uh we're making more progress through lessons now by me giving her daily phonics instructions And i'm really really proud of her uh that she's doing so well when it comes to that and i'm happy We're sticking with all about reading it's going well And I think I just need to be okay with us moving at it at a slower pace now as far as her math that's going great We are on week 25 of her kindergarten math with confidence I thought we would have it finished by the end of february But it's looking like we'll have it finished the first week of march Which is no problem. Um, we'll just go ahead and move into her first grade math with confidence Once we finish kindergarten math with confidence. I already have it on my shelf and we'll kind of just take it from there She's going she's doing so well with it. She's loving that program. I'm loving it as well It's very hands-on and I think she really enjoys like the games is her favorite part of the program And I'm I'm really enjoying the games too because I'm really able to see like her mental math skills And how much they have grown from the beginning of the school year to the end And you guys don't worry as soon as we finish kindergarten math with confidence I will give you guys like my end of the course review on it and how I felt some of my quirks about it And what I would do differently with my next kiddo when it comes to kindergarten math with confidence And um, I definitely will make that video as soon as we complete it, but it's going really really well Um, we're still using kindergarten math with confidence with math. You see And that's going well too. So I'm really really happy. I'm proud of her and I definitely know with my middle daughter It's definitely consistency. I just have to remain consistent And you guys I also have to come at our sessions with more like of a positive attitude I really feel like I was coming to our sessions sometimes Stressed out feeling like what am I doing wrong? And I think she was really feeding off of my energy You know now before we start our lessons, you know, I uh give her a big hug And we've been saying her memory verse, which is I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me She says that every single day before she does her phonics instructions And you guys like I'm just faking it so I make it because sometimes like when she keeps on making the same mistakes over and over again I want to like be so frustrated But I'm trying my best to like take a deep breath You know go over it with her over and over again And I just know you know, it's going to click it has clicked from the skills We worked on now to where we're at So I'm just going to continue to come at it with a positive attitude and just know even though sometimes it does drive me crazy The amount of repetition you have to do in teaching acuto to read Overall, it's going well. And you know, that's good. So I'm happy when it comes to that Now as far as my kidney gardener and my pre-care routine A lot of you guys have asked me you wanted to see like how their routine is going and how I do school with them Don't worry. I'm going to try my best to film that video Hopefully by the end of the month or march You will be able to see like their routine And how they get up to school and like how I have things and how I'm able to manage My sixth grader along with my littles because a lot of you guys was asking me questions like that In my sixth graders homes home schooling routine video because I think you were able to see When I was doing some work with my sixth grader, they were kind of like off playing with play-doh or doing things So, um, hopefully I can you know show you guys their routine so you can kind of see it more so in action how they Do their flow of school. So, um, yeah Now you guys as far as planning for the 2024 2025 homeschooling year I know a lot of you guys want to know like where I am at when it comes to my planning And I'm going to be completely honest I really don't know if I can make a planning video for you guys because my seventh grader I actually am looking at her boxes of curriculum that I have already here So literally it's only one more thing I need to buy for my seventh grader and I'm done So it's not really a planning video. I can make as far as her The only thing that I am trying to figure out again Like I said before is if we are going to go into to be as far as her writing Or if I'm going to do public speaking if I'm not going to do iow at all with her That's like my last decision. I have to make for her but other than that everything else is like right here for her Now as far as my upcoming first grader I have to make a decision for her in her science and history Because now I'm going to have to officially register her for the georgia board of education I am now required to do all subjects. Um, I have no more leniency when it comes to me kind of just doing whatever I want to do I do have to now follow my state laws as far as um homeschooling her so I do need to figure out what I'm going to do for science and for history Now science is definitely one of my toughest subjects to teach I found that in having everything that I need and more of an open and go science is what I'm looking for Um, I do have some options for her for science that I'm looking at I'm either looking into doing a book shark sunlight or neoscience are the three science curriculums that I'm looking at um, you guys, I am going to put most of my budget in science for my uh, first grader just because Um, I just need something I can open up follow. I want a lab kit I want it all and because I want it all I know it comes with a price tag And I'm willing to pay that price tag in order for me to be consistent in this subject that I know I have been weak in and I have I'm not making any more excuses I'm just going to go ahead and get what I need in order for me to be consistent in science Now as far as um History goes for my first grader. I'm looking into doing something more literature based When it comes to her. So I'm either looking into uh, picking back up beautiful feet around the world What picture books I also looked into torchlight or built your library They all have like a world geography and that's the what I want to do for her for First and second grade. I want to do world geography and then the rest of her middle school years I do want to do American history is what I'm looking into or her elementary school years is what I'm looking into for my Second order my middle daughter. So that's kind of like what I'm looking for for her now as far as my pre-k4 She's doing really really good. I'm going to call it pre-k4 This upcoming home school year But she's going to be doing a little bit of kindergarten work. Um, a little bit of pre-k4 work and Um, I'm pretty much just going to recycle some of the older curriculum that I use with her Older sister and I'm really not going to get anything new for her. I'm going to use what I have I already have her kindergarten math with confidence workbook that I'm going to be using with her because we already finished preschool math at home So it's not really going to be any big changes or surprises for her Um, I'm really going to try to tag her along with my first grader when it comes to the science and the history Literature portions and let her kind of like listen in if she wants to and that's like my plan for them Um, I'm really looking just for something that will tell me what to read. Tell me what to do I don't have to think about it because as I'm getting up here with my middle schooler I'm finding I do have to Be more intentional when it comes to the time. I'm spending with her and making sure We are hitting those benchmarks that I want to hit for my middle schooler While also is too providing like my younger is what what they need So that is like my I guess planning update when it comes to uh, my 2020 for 2025 homeschooling year. So nothing really I can make into a separate video for you guys this was pretty much my little brainstorm right here, but um, That's where I'm at as soon as I finalize all of my curricula picks. I will be sharing them with you guys I'm not too sure when hopefully I will have my curriculum picks ready to share with you guys Maybe april I should say because I do want to start making curriculum review videos of the curriculas that we have used We have finished to really help you guys in making your upcoming curriculum choices. So Just be on the lookout. Um, as soon as I have everything and you definitely will see my curriculum picks for the 2024 2025 homeschooling year. So before we end this video, I definitely want to go ahead and give you guys my plans for February, so February is black history month and I typically go out when it comes to black history month in my home school But I decided this year to keep it simple So I have my basket of all of the resources that I'm using this month for black history month And I just pulled a lot of these off of my shelf. Nothing is new. I am keeping it really really simple So every morning we have been reading either from our little leaders bull women in black history or our little leaders Exceptional men in black history. We we read one or the other My kiddos are really really enjoying listening to new people in black history I had these books you guys since my first year of homeschool and we still haven't read all the people So it's really really been fun pulling this baby back out today actually When I homeschooled my kiddos They learned about gordon parks I found the picture of gordon parks and they all colored it and they really really enjoyed listening to I guess what he did his contribution Through his photography and in america. They really really enjoyed that So we're picking one person a day and that is how we are studying Our person or figure within black history now as far as another book. I'm using we are doing poetry I pulled out my hip hop speaks to children. This has like a cd that goes along with it So the kiddos love listening to like the beats through the cd rhyme and everything like that and I love it too as well so We love this book. This is a great one. I just love the compilation of all the poets and It's it's great. I definitely would recommend this book. So this is what we're doing as far as poetry Two other books that we're reading to is the abc's of black history and this is I affirm me These are really really cute um Letter so each day we'll go over one letter. So this one is a a is for afro I'm proud of my textured halo. It shows pride in my roots each coil creates my crown So this one goes a through z and then this book right here goes a through z So each day we read a letter out of both of these books So that is how simple I am keeping black history month for us this year You guys and the kiddos are really really enjoying like our black history basket And like I said every day, I just have like a coloring sheet for the uh figure or the person we're talking about So uh, that is kind of like a part of like our morning work this month really just to Ensure we get that extra time when it comes to black history But I'm going to be honest. We do black history all year around in my home school So this is just a little bit extra for us. So um, those are our february plans along with uh, you know Just keeping up with our curriculum being consistent because it's colder I'm really trying to buckle down when it comes to our home school because you guys I know as soon as the weather gets warm Um, you guys like I'm so bad at this like I will stop the lessons and say let's go outside So I know how I get when it comes to like uh, march and april And now because it's cold. I'm really trying to buckle down Get as much stuff done. So when it gets to the warmer weather, uh, we will be finishing off pieces of curriculum and we can kind of like get outside and um, I can get the kids some fresh air and we can really really um I guess enjoy doing more home school days outside too as well So I really hope you guys enjoyed my jingery home schooling update If you have any questions for me, please leave them down below and I definitely will make sure I try to answer all of them I hope you're back to school season for the month of january has been well And I look forward to seeing everybody you guys in my next one. Bye