 How you guys my name is Brittany and welcome back to my youtube channel you guys in today's video I'm going to share my April homeschooling update So if you guys are interested in hearing about all the things that we got up to in a month of April Then stay tuned for today's video So you guys like always I always love to introduce myself again just in case I have any new viewers here So if any of you guys are new here to my channel, I'm Brittany I am a homeschooling mom to three girls ages 10 4 and 2 and I am finishing up my second year of homeschooling And I'm going into my third year of homeschool you guys. I'm really excited about next year But before I can really continue to think about next year I really need to focus on wrapping up this homeschooling year But you guys one thing I can say is that April really has been a good month for us I have some highlights that I want to share with you guys and some like a little life update to as well I want to share with you guys that has happened in the month of April But you guys honestly, I think this month of April may have been my favorite month that we have done thus far in Our homeschooling year for this year. So Yeah, let's go ahead you guys and get an alt get into all like the details and the highlights and everything like that So first and foremost, I love to share all the books that we've read each month And I'm gonna go ahead and start off with the books that my daughter has been enjoying because I think in the last update That I made in my March update you guys I forgot to share with you what Brielle was like reading for her independent reading But you will see soon my daughter has been enjoying the Sophie Washington series and I got her the first three books you guys of the Sophie Washington series for Christmas and Every like every other week. She's been asking me like mommy. Can I have one more book mommy? Can I get the next book in a series and Over the course of two months now Brielle has all of the books in a series She really enjoys the Sophie Washington series It really is about a ten-year-old girl named Sophie and it just talks about all like the adventures that she gets up To with like her friends and at school and each of the stories you guys are adorable. They're so cute She loves them some of these Sophie Washington series books series you guys she has like read in a day Um, I was I was recommended the Sophie Washington series or I seen it on Morgan's channel from life of the Tillman's one of her daughters actually was reading the Sophie Washington series and she shared it in one of Like I think her library halls or one of her videos So that's what made me go ahead and bite the bullet to buy like a couple of the books from the series So this was really a good recommendation from Morgan So I definitely if you have any like young girls, this would definitely be a good series for them to read and my daughter She has thoroughly enjoyed this one and of course she has all of them in a series because Brielle is a series junkie So you guys the last book that we've read or are read aloud. I should say we finished off this Month has been on the banks of Plum Creek and because Brielle had to write a book report for her English curriculum I wouldn't had and I use on the banks of Plum Creek for her book report So here is Brielle's book report that she did you guys Brielle did an awesome job on this book report I told her all she had to do was write What is it three paragraphs and she ended up writing six paragraphs? Because she told me she really enjoyed on the banks of Plum Creek I will say that on the banks of the Plum Creek. It did not disappoint me in the little house series This book was hilarious. I love seeing all the things that Laura and Mary got up to and this book you guys It really showed and it depict Really how hard it is on the prairie in pioneer life, especially as they were selling into their new home They had a lot of ups and downs in this book and I've really liked a Brielle seeing that and she also Enjoyed it of course because like you can see she has written a lot in her book report along with her book report She did a beautiful watercolor painting depicting like One of the scenes from little house in the prairie when they were Describing like how the prairie was with all the wildflowers and their new cow and everything like that So Brielle she really got into on the banks of Plum Creek So I'm really happy that I took an opportunity to go ahead and utilize a read-aloud to do a couple of things art book reports So I was able to get a lot accomplished by finishing up that read-aloud and it was really really cute you guys Another read-aloud that we completed this month was charlotte's web you guys I really feel like since I started off my home schooling journey with Brielle She started off in the third grade a lot of classics and things that I didn't get a chance to read with her I really am taking this opportunity to pull them back out. We've read two books from E.B. White this year We read trumpet of the swan and this is the second one charlotte's web and it did not disappoint We watched the live action charlotte's web movie after we finished reading it and Along with the series. I actually printed off this literature guide from Scribe Scribe has like a lot of documents and literature guides if you have like the audible scribe membership So I printed out this literature guide and you guys I'm not gonna lie Um, I was kind of disappointed in a literature guide because it seemed to be a lot of busy work within These literature guides and I'm not too sure if I'm like a literature guide type of girl now that I have Experience with it But one thing I will say I love the vocabulary and the discussion questions that was in this literature guide So we would just go over the vocabulary words from Charlotte's web that Brielle didn't know We will figure out what the meaning was based off of the context clues using the literature guide And then we also did the discussion questions orally So that was like really really cool because you know when you're reading books with your kids or at least for me Like sometimes like I don't really know what to ask or what to ask after we finished a chapter So using the literature guide was really good for that But other than that the worksheets and all the type of stuff that was in it I really you know just skipped it I really just used it for the discussion of the vocabulary and the discussion of like the plot the setting all that good jam So it was fun using the literature guide, but I just really don't know how I feel about them. So yeah Some other books that we really enjoyed this month was books that we've read from our amazing Africa that we're doing from the Here just mom blog you guys I talk about it every month because I really feel like This amazing Africa pack that we're doing right now. It has been you know, so much fun My daughter really has been enjoying reading all of these beautiful picture books that Amber has selected in this amazing Africa Pack and it really has been a great year Reading all these picture books about all of these amazing countries within Africa and I'm really happy that I took My time on this amazing Africa unit study I had plans really to just do it for the first semester and the second semester That we're in right now to start American history But I'm so happy that I stretched it out throughout the course of the year because I really feel like this has been a great Highlight for Brielle and she's really been enjoying this. I've been enjoying it as well So the two books that we've read because now we are actually in South Africa We've read the her boy, which was a beautiful told story You guys I love this story. It was amazing. We also read Terana's world and this was about a picture book about all of the children within manna gas car because again, like I said You guys we are finishing up this story and the photographer who did the pictures in this book It's beautiful you guys and I loved a real looking at all these pictures and of these of these kids from Manna gas car seeing how they live what they eat where they go what they do for everyday life And it really was a cute picture book as we went over the country of manna gas car within Africa So this is definitely been a highlight along with that. I forgot to bring it upstairs Is that we are actually reading one of the who was books right now? We're reading who was Nelson Mandela again because we are in South Africa So you guys this week we are going to be completing amazing Africa And I cannot wait to give you guys like a overall full on review of this curriculum I can't wait to share with you guys the picture books that we've read with it All the activities and the extra things that Brielle did along with amazing Africa So I will be making that video really really soon because I have so much to say about this and it really has been a Great great great unit study that we have done in our homeschool this year Okay, so now let's go ahead and talk about My toddler so from my last update you guys you remember what I was saying is that my middle daughter Leia who is for She was really resisting school. She didn't really want to do anything I mean, I'm not requiring much of her But just the small things that I was doing like her letter sounds singing ABC's a little calendar work things like that And also we were doing playing preschool at that time Brielle, I mean that Brielle Leia was not enjoying it for the month of March So for the month of March you guys I literally just let Leia just play and do whatever I wasn't forcing any type of you know curriculum on her. I was just letting that baby be free. However By me doing that last month this month you guys Leia has been saying I want to do school mommy do school mommy So now she's had her break. She's like I want to do school and it's really really cute Seeing her being very enthusiastic about school all over again And some of the things that she really has been enjoying has been Preschool math at home you guys I really love this tool It has been really amazing one of the activities that Leia She really enjoyed was this one right here where she was able to feed the stuffed animals and in the activity Pretty much all you do is you just gather some stuffed animals around your house If you have a girl like me you do have kitchen sets and I Put the kitchen set with the plates and then on the plate She had to use like either teddy bear teddy bear counters or some type of counter And I would say Leia all of your friends want one piece of candy or one piece of whatever And she had to put one piece of candy on each of the teddy bears plates And it was a really really good exercise teaching her one to one corresponding all the way up to five And she really enjoyed this we're actually moving kind of fast in this so we're on a second chapter right now And this has really been a fun way to do hands-on math at home Leia has really been enjoying math, and I cannot believe this little $16 book has been such a great asset in my home school I definitely recommend this to you guys this right here The author did say that it was intended for kids four to five however if you have a three-year-old They can start off to if they are you know really interested in math But I really can see how this is for like four to five year olds because some of the concepts in the way that the Chee is approaching the mathematics skills. It's really amazing and I have been really enjoying this resource Along with that you guys I decided to go ahead and start our gentle and classical preschool I was gonna wait till August to start at you guys But I was so excited because the gentle and classical preschool actually Goes along with preschool math at home and what a gentle classical preschool is is pretty much I use it for like Leia's Bible and memory work So this is one of the first memory verses you guys that she has learned and it's so cute because we Use like all of the music that goes along with it So she actually is singing the memory verses and she really has been enjoying Doing like all of the memory statement cards and it's just been so amazing Amazing seeing her growth as far as like her memorizing like little nursery rhymes She memorizes like a manner in hygiene's card This one is really cute because it says I can do hard things doing big heart things It makes me grow stronger and when I look back later on I won't be scared any longer So these are like really cute little rhymes and this is something that I have added within my Bible morning time for Leia and she really has been enjoying this one of the ones that's really cute that she does is She actually learned this one right here, which says who made me and then she'll say God made me and it's really really cute how this program is laid out and like I said before I am only doing the Nursery rhymes the manner and hygiene the math, which is the preschool math at home I'm doing the all of the memory work with the With the like memory verses with the character cards And I am also doing the all about me section where I am teaching Leia Her name her address her telephone number all those different types of things and it's been so cute You guys it has taken me like three weeks just to teach her like my name It's so crazy how kids they just call you mommy But they don't realize like what your name is and it took me three weeks to teach her that my name was Brittany and it it has been so cute because she's been saying mommy and Finally she when I asked her you know Leia, what's my name now? She can say you know Brittany and it's so cute and you know for safety reasons It's good for her to learn these skills next. I need to teach her my husband's name I don't know how long that's gonna take because it took her three weeks to learn mine but I'm really happy that I have went ahead and started a gentle and classical preschool and You guys this teacher guide right here on a gentle and classical preschool site is completely free I'm going to link it down below So if you want to check it out and just do the memory statements with your kids you can I actually purchase the Cards for 1699 and I printed off the teacher's guide So that is how I'm using the curriculum for right now and so far It's been great and it's really been helping her with her speech with memorization and she's been loving it I have been loving it and I'm so happy that I went ahead and I started this one off now I'm not letting go play in preschool because I love playing preschool She does too. However playing preschool. It does require a little bit more from her And I am going to pull back out playing preschool in August Okay, you guys now on to Brielle So we have been reading and enjoying using the marvels of creation This is the mammals unit that we have been reading Throughout our Bible time so in the morning for Bible time will do like her scripture our devotion And then we will read about a different mammal and then we would do our poetry for our morning basket time And this book right here. I got it from master books website. This is actually a part of their morning basket They had a flash sale and I was able to get like all three of the sets for I think it was like either 299 or 399 each and this has been such a sneaky way For me to sneak in science and it has been so much fun adding this in to our morning basket time So you guys I have been loving it My daughters have been loving it even my younger two toddlers when I we show them a picture of one of the animals It was just a good way for them to see live pictures and we'll say cheetah and even though all the other facts about the Mammal, they would not know or memorize They still will be able to identify the picture of the different type of mammal and it was a really a great way for me to Incorporate science not only for braille in our morning basket, but for Leah and alana, so I have been enjoying these we finished this one Right now we are starting reading about the birds in the morning. It's not as interesting I should say as the mammals have been but my daughter still has been enjoying learning about all different types of birds Now that we're on that one Okay, you guys now for I guess uh one of my dilemmas that I'm going through in my life update So you guys like one of my biggest dilemmas that I am like struggling with and I'm trying to figure out Is for my oldest daughter brie or of course my only one. I'm technically homeschooling right now, but um My dilemma with brielle is is that brielle? She will be 11 in december She always has has straddled in between Grades even as she started off um school in a public school system. She's always been like way ahead and I think that's typically what happens when you have a kiddo with a late birthday and um Ever since bringing brielle home to start in our like homeschooling journey. Um, she's always been like ahead I've always been trying my best to stay up with her As far as like her skill set making sure that the things and the information that i'm giving her is not too easy Um, and i'm finding right now you guys that my daughter She is very very bored when it comes to english So we're doing rodent staff building uh christian english series and she loves this curriculum However, she keeps on complaining that oh, this is too easy. It's too easy and you guys we are at the end We have like 12 more lessons and we are going to be complete with this um rodent staff english 4 and I'm like so debating right now. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do for next school year I have both rodent staff five and six rodent staff is like a mastery-based program so each year they go over the eight parts of speech through eight chapters and I'm trying to figure out if i'm going to just skip five and just go ahead and put her in six because english is her strong subject and Uh, she's bored with it like you guys like I don't know this is my first time Homeschooling and in this type of dilemma So I really don't know should I just go ahead and do five just because that's the next one or Should I listen to my daughter as she's complaining about the easiness of the curriculum? And she's bored with it and just go ahead and give her a challenge and move on to six One thing that I do love about this series. Like I said before is that each year They do go through the eight parts of speech. They go over the sentence structures nouns verbs adverbs adjectives punctuation prepositions conjunctions adverbs adjectives and at the end they typically go over like some type of Dictionary skills the source skills like studying type of skills at the last chapter So, um, I know if I do skip her to six, she still will get everything It's just gonna be on a deeper level than five will give her so You guys like I'm really thinking about just going ahead and have embryo do Six great grammar for next year And if I have her do six great grammar you guys if you haven't seen like my curriculum picks video Um, she will be pretty much doing all six great, uh curriculum next year and I'm kind of sad. It's like Uh, do I just say she's a sixth grader now? Um, I don't want to because I I'm still trying to hold on to this like last year of elementary school, but For the sake of giving my daughter a challenge for not having her be like grumpy when it comes to doing school because she's bored I think I really need to give her that challenge give her that um I guess what I'm saying is like give her that challenge give her um, I guess more of a responsibility when it comes to Learning harder and challenge or challenging things and for areas that she's strong and especially grammar I probably need to just go ahead and you know skip her So you guys let me know if you've ever been in a situation where you had to you know skip What did you do? Did you still do the uh, great five or did you go straight to six? Just let me know I'm new at this. I don't know And I'm really gleaning on some of you guys, especially you guys that are like a long time homeschooling families I really uh, I'm looking for some type of advice in this situation because I really don't know what to do I want to keep up with her but at the same time, um I know it comes to a point where you do have to give them a challenge and I can't if I'm keeping her In a certain grade. I'm doing exactly what she will be getting in the public school system Where they're just keeping her at a level based on her age not necessarily her ability. So um Yeah, now as far as like a life update mini life update you guys I have been doing so well with getting out with the kids Weekly, we've been going to like the grocery store. We've been doing like a little fun Friday We've been going to the library and I have been doing so much better with actually Getting the kids out to the park two places. I really feel like kovat has like Really kept me at home and has gotten me very comfortable. I am, you know wholeheartedly an introvert I love my house. I love my home. I love the comforts of my home But for the sake of my kiddos, you guys, I really need to make sure I continue to Get out there and get more comfortable getting out there I never really had to Pack up both of my toddlers unless you know, I just had to I've really been utilizing like the luxuries of our modern day world You know grocery pickups and you know, all of the things Where I'm really not placed into situations that is going to make me be uncomfortable But I need to force myself to be uncomfortable to continue to practice that skill of Getting all my kiddos out by myself without my husband on the weekdays and you know, pretty much adventuring with my Kiddos, so that is one of like my personal goals that have been working on so far so good I really hope that I can continue with this as far as Getting the kids out of the house doing experience doing and experiencing life with the kiddos Especially as we get into next year because I do have like a lot of fun field trips for us plant and My husband may not be able to go with me on all of them And I do need to get comfortable with taking all the kiddos out by myself. You guys I have the double stroller I got the you know, I got everything that I need to you know, go out with the kiddos I just need to continue to have the confidence to do it on my own and do these like bigger Adventures and things like that by myself, you know, I'm a big girl. I can I can do this But you guys pretty much that is like my update when it has come to like our home school and everything that has happened This month of april like I said, we have had a really good month and um, hopefully we can end off our last three weeks We have 15 school days that I have to count Um, hopefully we can end them off strong and I cannot wait to come back to you guys with our End of the year or my last update for this homeschooling year. Um, so yeah, so you guys, thank you so much for watching this video I hope I wasn't too chatty and um, yeah, I look forward to seeing everybody in my next one. Bye