Homeschool Series: Projects & Handicrafts

Yesterday, I showed you how I fit certain projects in our day. The ones that we don't finish in our morning gatherings are usually worked on in the afternoons.

I wanted to include beautiful art and handicrafts into our days so I've made a simple list of 1 art project and 1 handicraft that I'd like to get to per month. In addition to this, the boys have an actual art class they take on Mondays.

Art:

I purchased Simply Charlotte Mason's beginners art video on pastels. It's called Creating a Masterpiece and I've heard great things about it.

I also search pinterest  for other ideas. Last month we tried this oil pastels cow and LOVED it!





Others on our list:

rooster or watercolor
sunflowers or these 
landscape
flowers
fall landscape
scarecrow
bubble wrap corn
textured landforms
basket of apples

Handicrafts and Projects

hand stamped leather bracelet
pressed flower magnets
sun catcher
veggie basket
paracord bracelets
sharpies on plates the ideas are endless!

These are all valuable projects. They can be used, gifted, or even sold. Tristin wants to participate in Kid's Business next summer so he could sell the bracelets or any of these if he wants to. I'll post when we do these projects projects and if I add more to the list!

Homeschool Series: Morning Gatherings

In the past I've had a hard time getting the "extras" in our week. Those things like art projects, fine arts- composers, artists, poetry, and hymns.

I happened across this blog where she shares her morning time routine. I loved this idea and adapted it to our day. This is basically a time where we all sit together and talk about goals or upcoming events. We'll do prayer requests and our Bible time.We then go over our habit that we're working on.  We'll study our poet, composer, hymn, or artist. Then, I'll read from Shakespeare or any other literature we're on at that time. I also include our short geography lessons.

It's casual and so much fun. Really. It has changed the whole atmosphere. We fit these extras in and have loved every second of it!

They usually last about an hour. We don't do each one of these things every day, so if we have a project to work on then we don't do literature or maybe geography that day.

Here is an example of our day with Morning Gatherings:
(the hours are not exactly this all of the time, but close)

7:00 make beds, get dressed, eat breakfast
8:00 do daily chores
8:15 daily quiet time (we all read our bible on our own)
8:45 math
9:15 morning gatherings. Bible study, memory work, habit, fine arts study, geography, literature or projects
10:15 language arts
10:50 Read Alouds and History or Nature
11:30 or 12:00 Lunch

That's it. I'm not sure how something so simple has helped our day so much, but I'm so glad we started these. We've been doing this all summer (without the regular schedule) and it is one of my favorite things about our day!