It’s that time of year again for us… time to get the next school year planned out. We finished up our 2023-2024 school year before Easter and I’ve been busy gathering supplies and making schedules as I coordinate with everyone for vacations, holidays, and special trips that we have planned.
It is always SO TEMPTING to take a few months off to just focus on this house but I know from past experience that this doesn’t go well and that it takes FOREVER to get a couple of the kids back into the school routine. You can read more about last year’s curriculum and routines HERE.
We switched to more of a Charlotte Mason-style approach and it was GREAT for the most part. We still have a couple of kids who just hate anything to do with math so that’s been a little challenging but we’re making progress. We’ve also really enjoyed using some of the FREE courses with Under the Home Homeschool.
**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
Mornings:
We Start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.
Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.
After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.
This one came from Lakeshore Learning.
We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Week 7: Chapters 19, 20 & 21 (Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus, A Scream in the Night, Indian Jamboree )
What would happen if someone did the steps out of order or forgot a step?
2. Ways to help around the house like Laura
Dusting is a necessary chore as dust can build up quickly around the house. I always loved it when my Mom-mom let me help dust. I was always so very careful with all of the knick knacks she had because I didn’t want to break anything.
Below we will also learn about wiping up smudges which can be done at the same time as dusting.
Smudges happen a lot in our home. It seems like no sooner do we clean them up then I see even more here and there. We go through the house about once a week, after we dust, and wipe down the furniture, light switches, and door knobs. This helps to keep everything looking nice and clean.
When they heard the scream at night Pa thought it may have been a neighbor needing help. He soon realized it was a panther and came back home quickly.
Wild animals can be dangerous. Do you know what to do to stay safe if you encounter a wild animal?
Discuss what you have learned.
What kinds of wild animals could you encounter where you live?
How will you keep yourself safe?
2. Games/Outdoor Play
Laura and Mary played games with each other and Baby Carrie. Try any of the games listed below or choose your favorite game to play. These would be really good games for when you are stuck inside the house.
**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
Mornings:
We Start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.
Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.
After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.
This one came from Lakeshore Learning.
We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Week 6: Chapters 16, 17& 18 (Fire in the Chimney, Pa Goes To Town, The Tall Indian)
In this section the family is talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pa went out hunting and found some turkeys. He knew where they would be when the holidays came up so he was thinking ahead and preparing for the holidays in advance.
These events could also benefit from a yearly routine. In our home we keep a Holiday & Party Binder. This helps us prepare for holiday events and party events that we may have coming up.
Every time we host a party we jot down notes and follow the routine we have written down. There are notes telling us how far in advance we need to order things to make sure we get the items we need. This helps to keep everything going smoothly and easily. It also helps us to enjoy the party when the day comes and to spend time with our family and friends while making great memories.
Does your family have a routine for handling holidays?
Make a list of things that you normally do for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Jot down some things that you would like to do but never have time for.
Work with a parent to decide when and what you need to work on to get prepared for the big day.
Think about things that may need done around the house before the holiday as well like:
Sometimes you may not have a mop or the floor may just need a good cleaning that can only be done by hand scrubbing. This would be using what we might hear as ‘elbow grease’.
How to hand scrub a floor:
Sweep the floor well before hand scrubbing.
Move anything that can be moved to make the job easier.
Gather your supplies:
bucket
hot water
cleaner
scrub sponge or scrub brush
gloves, optional
old towels
Measure the cleaner into the bucket.
Add hot water until half full.
Start in one corner and begin scrubbing in a circular motion, working your way around the room going towards the door.
Rinse out your scrubber as needed.
You may want to use an old towel to wipe up extra water.
Check the floor for any missed spots.
Empty the bucket.
Rinse the bucket and scrubbers.
Put away your supplies.
When the floor is dry you can put back any items you moved before you started.
3. Character
We will be focusing on OBEDIENCE this unit. If you don’t have the book we used you can go HERE and download a lesson plan guide to use in your home.
Memorize: Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. – Colossians 3:20
We will be studying obedience during this unit. What is obedience?
Watch this video to learn about Philippians 2:5-11.
What do you think this scripture means?
If Jesus humbled himself we should too. verse 7
Verse 8 says he humbled himself and became obedient. It is humbling to be obedient but Jesus wants us to be humble.
Do you know what the opposite of humble is? Pride
How was Jesus rewarded for his obedience? He was exalted and honored.
Ask God to help you be obedient and humble like Jesus was.
Ma and Laura acted quickly when there was a fire. Would you know what to do if there was a fire in your home?
Watch this fire safety video:
Discuss what you learned.
Come up with a fire safety plan and practice it.
2. Burn Treatment
After the fire was out Ma checked Laura for burns but she wasn’t hurt. This was a good thing.
We have learned about fire safety but sometimes we might find that we have accidentally gotten burned. Let’s learn about how to treat a burn:
Discuss what you have learned.
3. Games/Outdoor Play
Pa told them about the geese and turkeys he saw while out hunting and brought back some ducks for dinner. Have you ever watched the birds flying south for winter? If not, maybe you can keep an eye out for them in the Fall.
**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
NOTE: My kiddos were 5, 6, 9, 11, and 15 at the time we created study unit. Some ideas may need to be changed/adjusted for older kids.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
**This post may contain affiliate links to some of the products and resources that we have used. These are provided at no extra charge to you and help to support our blog and family if a purchase is made through these links. -Thank you!
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