Graduation and Parent Day

May 14th Guardian Academy graduated its first student. Hannah Ward finished all the requirements to graduate and was presented with a high school diploma by her dad and principal. We had a fun, although informal, graduation and party. That day was also our last day of school and therefore we had "Parents' Day". We had a History Board "Biggest Nerd" contest, an art contest "Biggest Airhead", and gave prizes for most scripture memorization. The parents got to vote on the History Boards and the Art. The Biggest Nerd Award went to Stormie, The Biggest Airhead Award went to Virginia. The gift cards to Mardel's went to Virginia and Stormie for most scripture memorized.

Amazing Story about Joel and TimezAttack

I have this computer game for the older kids called TimezAttack. In the game this little green alien is wandering through the dungeon killing large ogres by answering (quickly) multiplication problems. Joel really wanted to play even though I explained to him that it was too hard for him. Well, he started playing it anyway. I though he was just messing around but one day I stopped to watch and he was actually answering the problems CORRECTLY. He would start a screen and when he answered them wrong it would show him the correct answer. When he would come back to that problem he would remember the correct answer. I am totallly amazed. My 4 year old son has memorized about half of his multiplication facts. He doesn't know what they are. He thinks 27 is 2 7. But still! This program works!!!! I wish they had a game for addition.

Spring Semester

Spring semester is well underway. Hannah took her ACT last week and got a 23. The really great part of that is that she got at least a 21 on each subject and therefore won't have to take any basic classes at TCC. She is getting very excited about finishing High School and embarking on a new chapter in her life. She has wanted and worked towards being a chef since she was 11. She started taking cooking classes about that age and has taken them every since. In fact, now she works for the place where she takes classes. I think she has settled on transferring to the Culinary Arts School at Johnson and Wales in Denver, Colorado after she takes a few classes at TCC. She is 16 right now and her father and I would like to keep her at home until she is closer to 18. She worked all year to buy a car and did so right after her 16th birthday. She takes after her father in that she sets a goal and then works diligently towards achieving it.

As for the rest of my students we are still plugging away with our unit study. We are up to World War II and I am so excited. This era of history is one of my favorites to study. Each student is moving along in math which always my main concern as that is a subject I do not excel in. Julian is taking typing and liking it. He is such a joy to teach. He is constantly finding new things he likes to do: typing, crocheting, sewing, and cooking just to name a few. Everyday he gets more confident in his learning abilities and I see less of the frustrated, angry kid I saw when he first came to me from public school. His English and Math skills have greatly improved. Virginia is always patient with him and helps me teach him new things. Stormie is his best school friend.

Virginia and I have been working on Algebra I together. She is nearing the end of the book and it is really tough. I am doing it with her thinking two heads are better than one. Sometimes she gets the right answer before I do. She is working her way through some classics. Today she read "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat. I am hoping she understood the significance of his words for people today. Last week she read "Night" by Elie Wiezel. I am hoping to get her to do more creative writing as that is where she excels.

Joel has learned all his letters and the sounds they make. As soon as he proves it to his dad dad will take him to Toy's R Us to pick out a toy. He can also count to 20 and write his name. This is a big accomplishment as just getting him to sit still for longer than a minute is a minor miracle.

Elizabeth's girls are settling into the school routine. They come over here 3 days a week. This has proven to be a great set up. We can do fun stuff together and Elizabeth and I don't feel quite so isolated.

Fall Semester

Wow, last semester flew by. We have been very busy. I set a hard pace for us to keep up this year but we are having a great time doing it. This year we are using a Unit study called History Alive! by Diana Waring. "World Empires, World Missions, and World Wars" We have travelled through time from Napoleon, Victoria, Industrial Revolution, World War I and now World War II. Every unit has had a different element of interest for each individual student. That is the joy of unit studies. Each unit covers almost every subject with the exception of Math. My students love the Art History, Architecture, Music, Cooking, Science, etc... We also enjoy watching movies about each era we are studying. I regret that we didn't do as many field trips as I wanted to in the fall. We did make it to the a few times but, really that is about it. And I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to. I just can't believe it went by so swiftly.

My sister is getting into the swing of this homeschooling life. This is her first year teaching three of her daughters. She has been through the initial zeal, made it through the confusion and first year burn out and I think now she is starting to settle into life as a homeschool family. It always has its good and bad days and sometimes you can't see how effective you are but when you look back to where you started from you realize in awe not only how much your children have grown and learn but also how much you have.

So, other than the unit study we have also been memorizing scripture. For English with the middle students I am using Shurley English. The older students are using Apologia Physical Science and Teaching Textbooks for math. Each student is also working their way through some great books. I am so proud of Julian who has enjoyed reading "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "The Time Machine" this year.

2 Weeks in and the fun has begun!

The first week of school we celebrated by taking a trip to the zoo.  It was extremely hot but we all had a blast!!  The chimps and monkeys were probably the best.  We ate a picnic lunch outside the zoo and played at the zoo park.  The climbing rock was one of the main attractions for my students.  We can't wait to go again but I think we will wait until it is a little cooler.  I think they said it got to 103 that day.

Excited about the 2009-2010 School Year

I am so excited for this upcoming school year.  Our little school is growing and we are going to have so much fun together.  I will have my daughters who are hitting the high school books pretty hard.  Then I will also have Julian who started coming over twice a week last year and will come over three times a week this year.  My sister is going to start homeschooling this year.  She has 4 daughters, 3 of whom are in school, so she will be homeschooling a 10dd, 9dd, and a 7dd.  They will be coming over to my house to participate in group lessons and activities three times a week.  Also, I will be starting my son, who is 4, on preschool/kindergarten school work.  He has learned so much this summer.  I just love seeing the light bulbs going on in his brain.  I feel so blessed to be a part of those learning moments in my children's lives.

Our curriculum this year will center around Diana Waring's What in the World's Going on Here?  World Empires, Word Missions, World Wars Unit Study book and audio lectures.  I really enjoy her unit studies.  The high school girls are working through Teaching Textbooks Geometry and Algebra 1.  Julian is in Saxon Math.  For science the older kids are doing Apologia Physical Science. (Hannah has already done Biology and loved Apologia).  And for English my teen daughters are using Jensen' Format Writing and Julian is using Daily Grammar.  They will also be concentrating on World and English Literature... Bring on Shakespeare, Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Jean Plaidy, G.A. Henty, etc...  

I am getting organized now cause I know this will be a giant undertaking.  We are going with a plastic crate system this year since there will be kids coming and going and we all us the dining room table pretty extensively.  Last year everyone just left their stuff on the table all year which was bad because our dining room is right off the entry way.  With the crates each child will have their own and can stow their school work in them at the end of the day.  They are stackable also.  Oh, I am so excited.   I also have a great Spanish teacher that I really want to teach my children; I just have to work out the time and place.  We got a family membership to the zoo this year also.  I could go on and on...

Guardian Academy takes on new students

Friday, February 20, 2008

    Recently, We have been blessed to have a new student at our little school.  Phillip comes over two or three days a week now to participate in our school.  He is in 5th grade and I tutor him and he participates in school activities.  Phillip has fit right into our home school and he really seems to be enjoying it.  I am excited to be able to help another student find their passion for learning.  One of my sister’s children, Faith, who is in 1st grade, has also started homeschooling recently.  Her mom brings her over some days to participate with us also.  Joel, our son, will turn four in a little over a week and we have started “schooling” him as well.  They get a real kick out of watching the science experiments.  And I think they enjoy the read-a-loud times as well.  It has been a real challenge to me teaching so many different grades of so many different subjects. My days are full but joyful too.  There is nothing quite as neat as seeing the “lightbulb” of learning in students eyes or hearing them talk excitedly about something they have learned.