Hello, Year 27!

Last summer hurrah - Family camping trip

Here we go again! We're now a couple of weeks into the 27th year of official homeschooling for our household.

School in 2016-2017 looks quite different in our home than it did back in 1990-1991. For starters, our household is shrinking, not growing, as it was in the first many, many years of homeschooling. Just three years ago we still had six kids living at home, though two were in college. But this year, having deposited our youngest two daughters at Purdue, we now have just our youngest two sons at home. Also, this year, for the first time, I have no elementary students!

Here's a peek at the educational program our youngest two are pursuing this school year:

Ben navigates rapids on Nantahala River

Ben - 7th grade (!)

Writing Fundamentals (Grammar and Composition) - online class with The Potter's School

Transition Math (UCSMP)

Otter's Botany - a literature and experiment-based botany course available free from   Guest Hollow. I hope to get around to writing a review of this outstanding program, but suffice to say, this is Ben's favorite subject.

Sonlight American History - an old course I've used with several students

Latin for Children C

Literature - books corresponding with our history studies, co-op book club, and other sources

Informal Logic using The Fallacy Detective

Bible - Memorization; personal Bible reading; and reading and discussion of several Christian classics

Others: Shakespeare (Macbeth and either Merchant of Venice or The Tempest with co-op; Co-op Book Club; piano lessons

Paul - 10th grade

Bible - Memorization; personal Bible reading; Christian classics

Introduction to Literature (The Potter's School)

Algebra II (The Potter's School)

Chemistry (Apologia)

Sonlight American History (old version)

Latin Alive

Introduction to Computer Programming (The Potter's School)

Physical Education  (He keeps track of points via The President's Challenge website, and his grade is determined by the number of points earned)

Volunteering: Wonderlab Science Museum and assisting with a Robotics Workshop for younger students


And here's what the other students in our family are up to:

Amanda and Faith 

Faith - Freshman at Purdue

Faith is studying Mathematics Education and is happy to be in Purdue's School of Science. She's in a learning community, which means she lives with other students also pursuing secondary education. Today was Day 1, and she's pretty excited!

Amanda - Sophomore at Purdue

Amanda returned for her second year in West Lafayette, and she's off to a busy year, serving both as an R.A. at the apartment owned and operated by her church, and as an Honor's Mentor to younger students in the honors program. Her major is interior design, which she absolutely loves.

Peter with niece Eliza
(I don't have lots of pics of Peter, OK?)

Peter - Senior at Indiana University (Kelley School of Business)

After completing an internship this summer at an Indianapolis firm, Peter is more pumped than ever about his accounting studies. He's pursuing a triple major with two other business areas (management and another that's more tech related), and will be looking for a job during this final year.