 My name is Brittany and welcome back to my YouTube channel you guys. This is actually going to be my first update of the 2023 2024 homeschooling year I'm really excited to kick start off my homeschooling updates where I Come back to you guys at the end of our month and really just talk about like our highs our lows Some of the things that we got up to in our homeschool and really just chatting with you guys I really enjoy making these videos and catching up with you guys and Really seeing what's going on in your homeschool as well, especially in the comment section down below So you guys in this video I am going to separate out my homeschooling updates for the first update just because I have so much to really catch you guys Up on with all of the kiddos. So in today's video I'm primarily going to be focusing on my middle schooler and catching you guys up with all of the things that we've been Up to the curriculum that we're using some curriculum changes That we are going to be doing in our next quarter as well So you guys I'm going to go ahead and get right on into this thing and we're just going to go ahead and get started So we started off our homeschooling year on July the 24th, and we had a slow start to our homeschooling year We really just started off with the core which was math and English and because my daughter's English is connected with her history That's kind of like how the oak metals curriculum works. We started off with history as well So we really just kind of like had a slow start coming into our homeschooling year I really primarily focused on my middle schooler and starting her off Before I really began to you know hit it hard with my younger two So the first week of back to our homeschool was really focused on my oldest And then when we got into our second week I started to focus on my littles and getting them more so involved into our homeschool So um that was kind of like how I did my slow start as you guys are actually watching this video We are actually ending our first six week term So we will be having a break next week, and I'm so excited you guys. I'm so ready for our break Wow, I feel like we had a pretty good month. We had a few rocky patches overall It was a good month, but you guys I'm I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I totally forgot You know just all of the energy and effort that it takes on a daily basis for You know me as a homeschooling mom to show up for my kids Showing up on the days that I'm not feeling the best or I'm tired and Showing up on the days where you know the laundry is piled up and the house is filthy and you know I'm having a hard time getting back into the flow of balancing it all I definitely will say um I'm I'm exhausted. I'm ready for this break. I'm ready for this refresher And I'm definitely ready to get like a second recharge and a second reset and starting off our second six week term So you guys let's get into the books that we've read and my daughter read independently So our first read aloud. We started off the homeschooling year was the Lion the witch and a wardrobe You guys classic great awesome We followed it with the Chronicles of Narnia the movie my daughter loved it. It was definitely a fun friday A good read um and honestly you guys I kind of wish I did a literature study with this one But it's all good. Um not every book I can do a literature study with but we really really enjoyed our first read aloud Right now we are actually reading the wild robot. I have heard so many good things about the wild robot. So um I decided to go ahead and check this one out at our library and we've been enjoying this so far So we probably will have this book finished before we start our um next six week term So even on our break, I still like to continue to read our read aloud Just because reading is fun you guys. So um, we probably will have this one finished But this is such a cute story so far a great one So as far as my daughter's independent fund readers, she read a total of four books Well, she will have read a total of four books by the time you guys have watched this video But uh, she started off her homeschooling year finishing up fast pitch Which was a book from the summertime and she really really enjoyed this one right here She started off her homeschooling year reading president of the whole sixth grade and this is one of briel's favorite Author she actually wrote one of her favorite books from last year Which was the sweetest sound and she also read the president of the whole fifth grade So she really really enjoyed enjoyed this book and right now she is in the middle of where the sky lies This is a book we checked out from our library She also read another book called across the desert, which she really really enjoyed She read that book you guys in one weekend. I knew she enjoyed it So um, I'm going to go ahead and pop a picture up right here because that was a library book So uh starting off our homeschooling year briel really has been reading more books And I definitely will say it's really because you know during this summertime. I'm not going to lie I really feel like um, I did a bad job with the technology you guys I really gave in and I allowed my kids to have a lot of technology time And I really feel like it stifled the amount of reading And uh, I guess the productivity that we could have had on our down times So now that we're back to our evening time with technology I'm finding that my oldest is reading a lot more and I'm so grateful for that So you guys we are going to go ahead and get into I guess the star of the show, which is how are we enjoying oak metals curriculum? And you guys like I really don't want to speak too soon about oak metal But I definitely will say this curriculum so far has really been a breath of fresh air I really have been enjoying using um oak metals curriculum. I really love the free flowness of it I like the rigor that is in this book or in these oak metals curriculums because the questions that they're opposing for my daughter is really Allowing her to think critically. Um, I am really really enjoying how this is the all-in-one curriculum Where I really don't have to piece together the components. Um, and uh, I guess do it all on my own It's already here for me. Um, the first literature piece that brielle read with her english and history since they are combined Was maru of the winter caves and she really really enjoyed this first independent assigned reader When we started off our oak metals curriculum and starting off our ancient civilizations The first units we talked about was like the stone age and um brielle did a really really cool cave Cave painting illustration in our first week of homeschool So I thought I really had to add like in the art and the fun But this curriculum really has everything all laid out in here um One thing I really appreciate about the curriculum is is that if she is doing a writing assignment in her history Course book the english will be really really light where she would just be doing Um focusing on her vocabulary, whatever grammar skill they want her to work on They have a lot of creative writing and journal entries and you guys you already know that is right up My door's alley when it comes to like, um the writing uh portions as far as like the daily entries I really like the thought provoking questions that it has for her and it's asking her And I really really have been enjoying that portion of it. So As you guys are watching this video, we have completed our first five weeks of our oak metals curriculum So we went over the stone age. We went over ancient mesopotamia ancient egypt ancient egypt civilizations and we also went over the ancient israelites, so I'm really really proud of us to really be honest I was kind of like just going into this curriculum like free flowing I really didn't know if we were going to really be able to complete a full weeks of the assignments within a week Especially as we were getting used to the curriculum. So the fact that we are at week five I'm really really proud of us one of the weeks when we were talking about ancient egypt brulel Really really wanted to do like all the extra deep dive assignments and things like that when we were talking about egypt And you guys like egypt is interesting. So i'm happy we were able to go down the rapid trails and really really have fun Learning about um ancient egypt brulel actually had to choose a research paper to write about she chose the great pyramids And you guys I really loved how oak meadow had her Doing research. She actually had we had to go to the library She had to pick out books to be able to find in order for her to do her own research paper um She learned how to cite sources in ml a format and you guys it's really really a great scene How hands on this curriculum has been going but like I said, I really don't want to speak too soon because of course I'm still like only six weeks in but so far. Those are my pros about this curriculum My only con so far really has to be that it is structured a lot differently It's not really like a open and go curriculum where you can just like open it up and say, okay This is what i'm doing the next day It really gives you all the assignments for the whole week And it's your job at that point to kind of like plan out the assignments and how you're going to tackle them But as I've been working through the curriculum, it's really really simple now I'm really used to like okay on monday We're focusing on you know, the oak meadows the english and we're focusing on whatever grammar skills and her vocabulary words That she's going to be using in her history So now I kind of like have a flow to how I structure out our Weeks when it comes to our oak meadows curriculum But I feel like that was like my main challenge and starting it off Especially, you know being used to more open and go curriculas, but um you guys I really really really have been enjoying it And I can't wait to like really come back to you guys and give you like more in-depth details about it and kind of like show you guys More about it. Um, we are also using you guys along with the ancient oak meadows ancient civilizations I have parroted along with curiosity chronicles as well Just because this is briel's first time studying ancient history um when I pulled her out of the public school system She was in a third grade and she really didn't get a chance like to cycle You know all of world history and then now she's in middle school Technically this probably would have been like her second cycle in uh world history or ancient history But this is her first cycle So I'm really using curiosity chronicles as like an introduction to whatever lesson we're studying in ancient civilization So she's able to get the information at a simpler form a lower level And then when she reads her um, I guess the passages that they have her reading in her oak meadows curriculum She has a better understanding of the time period and things like that, especially since we are using curiosity chronicles in particular Just for like their audible book and for their interactive uh Notebooking pages to really add like a little bit of beef and um to our ancient civilizations And it's really really been fun. I think if we have studied like ancient civilizations in the past I really don't think I would need curiosity chronicles as a supplement But because this is her first time being exposed to ancient history I do need that extra supplement to really help her gain a deeper understanding of this specific time period And you guys that has been an amazing add-on And um, I definitely feel like um curiosity chronicles you guys I I was sleeping on them I really really enjoy history components when it has like that audible book because it really makes it special Curiosity chronicles is like that conversation form. So um, you're really able to like Get into history because you're not just like reading information off of a textbook It really presents it in you know conversation form So if you do have an early elementary kiddo like I think curiosity chronicles is uh recommended for grades like One through six, but um, it's a great one I definitely will definitely tell you guys to check it out Especially if you are doing like ancient history world history in type of world history because I think this year They also have their modern world history that they just um release But um, yeah, I'm definitely going to look into it for their future as far as my younger ones But my oldest briel has really really been enjoying that one So uh after shabrielle finished a maru of the winter caves her next book that she Will have finished in our light or she will have this book finished in our like second term Is going to be the golden bull and this is really about the mesopotamia adventure I will say briel told me that this storyline is kind of sad She's really feeling like uh these people they're having a really really hard time. That's what she told me But you guys like I always said I really love briel reading these narratives. Um, that's real life And I really uh like her to be able to get other perspectives Especially in her reading a scene how people are able to overcome their hardships and briel is just saying She really hopes that this book has a happy ending But so far she said um, they're having a really really hard time But um, I'm really so excited about like all of the literature that oak metal has so far. It's been great Um, and I definitely like the fact that some of these books as far as her independent reads They do have audible versions as well So if briel does want to listen to it as well, she can so as far as our um oak metals basic life science I didn't really start off our science curricula Really until our third was it our third or no It was actually our fourth week in our back to home school because You guys I was really getting like a good footing with us learning the new oak metals curriculum as far as like our math and The english and the ancient civilizations and the literature component combined So I really really took my time before I added in science But you guys science has been so much fun. Um, so far briel has learned how to write a lab report you guys and It's so crazy. Uh, you know at this point, we only have finished the first two lessons and you know, it's crazy how they really um I guess this science curriculum is really all about like, I guess Expiration um in the first lesson what they did was um, they had an assignment where briel had to go outside and gather 15 to 20 objects in nature and to really observe them and to learn how to categorize them and explain In like the scientific method and things like that And it was so amazing like the thought-provoking questions that uh, it allowed her to do and it was just natural You know, and I really really enjoyed it and at the end of the week She um had to pick one of the assignments one of the assignments that she picked in her science was to do an animal Observation and you know, we have a couple of fish in our house and she did an observation She created a lab report She took pictures and I really loved her really learning and diving into science in a different way because Up until this point. Uh, she never really learned how to um I guess do a lab report in any of our science curriculas This is her first time really having to test and you know observe her experiment and things like that and um have a control And uh, it's been really really amazing. Um, this curriculum is really really taking her outside of the box it's really independent too because um She really is just reading and picking off her assignments each week And I'm really just coming in on the back and helping her and assist her I definitely will say you guys. Um, I definitely need to let go more when it comes to her home schooling I'm so used to just being there for her and I definitely need to learn Now that she is in middle school that it's okay if she has to wait It's okay if she has to struggle and or read over Her assignment and instructions more than once in order for her to understand what is asking of her and I'm finding that I do need to step back if I want to see Her flourish in the fullest when it comes to um this new curriculum that we are using so um One last thing I definitely want to say is um my plan for next term you guys I'm going to change it up and I'm making one little change And um, I knew I wanted to add this piece in but I wasn't too sure how it was going to flow But we actually are going to be finished with our rod and staff english grammar. We have 10 more lessons In this curricula and we definitely have been enjoying using rod and staff in conjunction with our oak males english Um grammar english is just um, I'd order strong point and I definitely love to like really beef up that area But you guys I decided to make a slight change Um as we are getting into oak males curriculum and the amount of papers that they're having her right as far as research papers I'm finding that brielle. She kind of you know, she was a little bit I guess rusty when it came to like her structured styles of writing even after we've done iew now I know we stopped iew ma. We've had a whole summer. So what I did to help her when um, She had to write her first research paper is I went ahead and I used this flex binder And I put in all of her model charts from her iew structuring style level 1a in here So she can have like different notes and reminders of like all the things and the outlines and the Um, I guess all the different stylistic techniques that she did learn to help her and write in her research paper And you guys I'm gonna say this I love oak metal in the way that it teaches this writing But it's nothing in comparison to iew you guys. Um, and I knew I wanted to add an iew into our home school year At some point and now that I am familiar with oak metals. Um curriculum We are definitely adding in iew structure and style So in oak metal they are having her write like some type of creative writing reports some type of paper She does it every other week So on the weeks when she doesn't have any papers in oak metal We're going to pull out iew and she's going to continue to practice that structure and model when it comes to writing I do not want her to lose it and I definitely know we are definitely going to take this Curriculum a lot slower than we did last year. So we're only going to be doing two weeks of iew each month and um, I definitely think it is doable So, um, I definitely don't want her to forget all of those skills that she learned and she mastered and um She was kind of she felt a little defeated I definitely will say and writing her first research paper because she felt like she was a little bit rusty And um, I told her don't worry. We will get her skills back up so um When we finish rod and staff because I don't want to add too much in at this point when we finish this curriculum We are going to again add an iew structure and style and I'm so happy you guys now for a typical student Oak metal definitely has enough writing but for my daughter Who's passion is writing who I know her career And um what she wants to do in the long run is writing I feel like for her to have to write one paper every single week whether it be in her oak metal or iew I feel like that's not too much for this particular child now for my next children Like I really don't know, you know, if that much writing would be feasible for them But for her this is right up her alley. She's so excited to start back up iew and I'm so excited For her to have that confidence again and writing especially since she told me she does feel a little bit rusty Now things that I'm going to be working on in my next term when we start off is number one You guys like I said before I have to let go. I have to let this baby fly I have to let her struggle a little bit and um I definitely feel like I need to remember that this is middle school And um, she's just going to have to dig a little bit deeper. She is doing awesome But she's not going to fly if I keep on hovering over her So I'm definitely going to allow her to be independent and really take a big step back for her Um, another thing you guys I really need to understand that middle school work is going to take longer She is working a lot longer in her curricula and it's you know, it's no problem. I really feel like You know a lot of people have this mode of oh, yeah We're done with school by noon and I really need to get that out of my head now for my younger ones Of course, we're going to be done with school by lunchtime I mean, I have a kindergarten and a preschooler But for my middle schooler, she does have to spend time in the afternoon after lunch and that is you know our new normal And I know um as she gets up here in her grades I definitely know she's going to be spending more time in school and that's completely normal I really need to get that out of my head that she's going to be done with school at lunchtime Because you know, we're just not in that season anymore. She's learning. She's thriving. I definitely see That she's not fatigued in her work. So I definitely know that this is the proper workload for her Another thing is I'm going to allow her to spend as much time as she wants on each particular subject The way that oak meadow is set up for science We really only have to do it two times out the week the english and the history They are coincides. So I thought that we were going to be able to do english and history For just two days out the week But I'm finding that she does the english and the ancient civilizations together Monday through uh thursday So I just really need to allow her if she's spending a little bit longer in history this week Or if she's spending a little bit longer in science I really need to just go with the flow and know that at the end of the week we will Or at the end of the week, I have noticed we have gotten done all of our assignments So you guys another thing I just need to let go And the last thing I definitely want to say is um, I definitely need to stop always coming to my daughter's rescue Like I said, um, especially when it comes to math whenever I see her struggling in math I like run to her rescue But I'm finding that you know, it's just when it comes to math math Is not necessarily her favorite subject when she got it and she has confidence I mean you guys she has it But I really need to allow her to especially when it comes to the word problems you guys I really need to allow her to Read over the word problems see what is asking her before just jumping in and helping her because she's never going to get it If you know, I keep on coming to her rescue like you know, that's like my whole theme for you know, this video you guys, but um You guys to really be honest this has been our first uh six weeks back at school Um, they were good. They were challenging I definitely have a few little pivots that we are going to be doing in our next term And let me know if you want to see a planning video as I plan my next six weeks with my middle schooler If you want to see um my plan of attack for our next term and really getting things together Especially as I'm having like my first break my first week off But you guys I really hope you enjoyed my first back to school august update Let me know how you are doing in your home school. Have you guys started back? What week are you on? Are you enjoying all the pieces of curricula you're using? Have you dumped anything just yet? Um, let me know in a comment section down below But as always you guys thank you so much for watching and I look forward to seeing everybody in my next one. Bye