Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where I Must Be Crazy

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Happy glorious, beautiful Friday! I don’t know about you, but I am having a wonderful Friday! It’s 60 degrees outside, the sun is shining, I have a date with my husband tonight and I’ve sold a bunch of used homeschool books this week, so I have some money with which to enjoy said date. It’s an incredible Friday!

It’s been a pretty great week on the school front, too. We started our second unit with Trail Guide to Learning. I am loving the six week units. It’s enough time to really delve into a topic, get a good week of review, then move on before it starts becoming tedious.

For those of you who’ve been wanting a full review, I’ve got that coming up next week, so if you have specific questions, leave them on this post and I’ll do my best to answer them. There may be a coupon code involved, too. I’m working on it.

So, this week we’ve started talking about the stuff leading up to the Revolutionary War. We’ve been reading the Sower Series biography, George Washington, The Adventures of Munford Revolutionary War book, and Guns for General Washington.

We’re enjoying all the books, but I’m particularly fond of Guns for General Washington because it’s telling the story from several different people’s points of view, which gives the reader a great overview of what’s going on.

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In science, we’re talking about atoms, molecules, the Periodic Table. I was really impressed with how simply Trail Guide explained what can be a complex subject. The kids were enjoying figuring out how many protons, neutrons, and electrons different elements have and making models with Play-doh.

The part of the week that makes me think I’m crazy is that I let Megan audition for a play, too, knowing that she would, in all likelihood, get at least a small part since they seem to try to make sure all the kids get at least a little part.

She did. That means that she and Brianna are in two different plays. Starting next week, they’ll both have practice at the same time, at two different locations, most nights of the week. Yes, I’m crazy. I’m already looking forward to the end of March when both plays are over.

Today has been another fantastic Friday with Trail Guide for us. We stayed caught up this week, which meant a light day for Josh and Megan – especially since both of them did their math last night so they wouldn’t have to do it today.

I’ve gotten some laundry and light housework done and even had time for a small organization project – my school cabinet in our basement, since I’ve sold enough books this week to actually fit the stuff I want to keep inside the cabinet, rather than in crates scattered here and there.

Then, of course, there is date night with my husband to look forward to. I have no idea what we’re going to do; I’m just looking forward to investing some time in our marriage.

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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.

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20 Comments

  1. I'll be looking forward to your review of Trail Guide for Learning.  We're going to do something for American History next year but I haven't decided what to use to guide our studies. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the various options!

  2. I listed them on our local homeschool group's email list and people came by my house to get them. I decided to go ahead and do that, rather than waiting until the used book sales that start up in the spring and summer. In the past, I have sold things online at vegsource.com/homeschool.

  3. Thanks I just listed some things last week with Homeschool Classifieds, but haven't had any luck there yet.  Ready to get these books out the door :o)

  4. I recently read that Washington had 4 bullet holes in his coat…and never a scratch on him…I would love to hear if you read that in your books.

  5. I looked up Trail Guide and it looks very interesting.  I thought it was just History? 

    Your week looks great.  I hear you on the plays. I have a play girl too and next week is show week for us.  UGH.  She is thrilled, me not so much.  [7:00 AM comes much too early for this HS Mom]  Hope you survive! 🙂

  6. Oh dear!  If you're not crazy now, you sure will be in a few months! 

    I should sell some homeschool books as well.  It's a great idea.

    Annie Kate

  7. You may have this question because I posted it on another Trail Guide post. 🙂 I am curious what your thoughts are on what years to do American vs. World history. I don't think it's a right or wrong answer, just curious for your thoughts. I am highly interested in the Trail Guide series, but it seems to have many many years of American history.

  8. Nope, not just history. Trail Guide is history-based, but it covers everything except math. Love it! I feel for you on the earliness of the plays. We're not morning people either.

  9. I did share that on another Trail Guide post…in the comments. I'm not sure if it was in answer to your question or not. Basically, I said that Trail Guide addresses that on their website and because we've spent the early years of the kids' education using Story of the World, we were ready for American history.

  10. Trail guide looks interesting. I have a third, fifth, and seventh grader. Do you think that I could use this for all. I also have a six year old kindergartner. My history has been ok during out three years of homeschooling so far. I don't feel like I have bee real organized with it. I am trying sonlight right now but really want my older kids to do more independent and create notebooks. How are the literature guides? And could I choose to do units individually with out doing others. For example we did a huge unit on the revolutionary war. I don't want to cover that but I do want to cover westward expansion and Lewis and Clark. Any way I'm intrigued by this guide. Thanks for answering my questions.

  11. Since you started posting about this curriculum I have been very intrigued and interested. We are on our 2nd year of home schooling and I feel sometimes like things are not working. My kids are 3rd and 6th grade. I really want to hear everything about this program. I want something with more books, more hands on, and comes with a schedule. I am not great at putting things together myself.

  12. Another question… have you put aside all Easy Grammar and IEW? I have never done a unit study, if you can't tell. Thanks!

  13. We have, at least for the moment, put Easy Grammar and IEW aside. The kids were actually really upset not to be doing Easy Grammar anymore, but I told them that I want to use Trail Guide just as it's laid out for a little while before we start tweaking. I do plan on addressing the grammar portion in my review.

  14. Sounds like busy schedules are in your future!! I've still got months of busier-than-I-like. 😛 
    But we had a couple of dates this weekend, so I am feeling a bit more sane. Hope your date night was fabulous — and yay for selling old books!

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