--This series of posts, highlights our Home School Journey throughout the 2012-13 school year.
Part of me is upset at myself for not keeping up with this blog throughout April & May, but the other part of me is just simply grateful that we made it through our school year and finished well!
As we studied Australia, we didn't take any field trips or do much enrichment, however, Adelyn chose Africa as our final continent to conclude our year long World Geography tour and she completed her 6th grade Country Report, 21 pages long, based on Kenya!
I allowed her to use the Abeka Nation Notebook for tear-out pages; she read Quest For The Lost Prince (Trailblazer Christian book) for African reading.
Our last day of school was May 31st and it feels really good to now look back on FULL, THICK binders with all the work (notebooking pages, recipes, photos, reports, field trip brochures, etc) that the kids accomplished this year using My Fathers World.
For anyone considering using My Fathers World Exploring Countries & Cultures (gr 2-8), I just wanted to share what worked FOR US and what didn't, now that I can reflect on our year:
What Worked: MFW Units/Overall Concept
What Didn't: MFW Teachers Guide
I loved how the countries could be divided into 2wk-4wk units where the kids were immersed in learning about the food, clothing, history, language, government, travel, art, music, etc. The kids and I both feel like we "know" these countries better now. Not only where the countries are located, but what they're about.
I did NOT however, feel like the Teachers Guide was really useful after you get going. Once you see how the year is set up, and how to plan out learning for each country, I didn't needed to refer back to the guide. But that is probably because I customized to find my own books, projects, crafts, recipes, by using local resources, apps and internet sites. If you don't want to find your own resources, you can refer to the guide.
What Worked: Notebooking
What Didn't: Coloring Sheets for my boy
MFW provides multiple coloring sheets for each country, found in the student lesson sheet packs.
Adelyn didn't mind coloring them, Judah was totally uninterested. Perhaps it's his personality. We all liked using NotebookingPages.com sheets that I purchased to supplement; they come with maps, templates, and sheets that can be used for writing/drawing.
For as much FUN as we had this year (in spite of personal sickness and many, major changes for our family) I know God used MFW this year and for that I am thankful.
