This is just going to be a quick post recording the main bulk of January home-school we have done over the past three weeks. Just to catch you up: Abigail is taking two GCSEs this summer, psychology and sociology, so we are focusing most of our efforts there. As she hopes to take maths and English GCSE in November, we will be continuing with a maths lesson every day. Abs is doing so much better at maths now that I am more involved. I think it is mainly because I can now pick up really quickly if she doesn’t understand something. I can then explain and once she understands, she is able to do the questions independently. Becca is needing to finish her Textiles Level 1 diploma by March/April so she is focusing mainly on that. However, she still does a maths lesson each day, some English and works towards her drawing skills, Photography Level 1 and Mixed Media Level 1.
January Home-School: Abigail
For the last few years, I have bought in curriculum for Abs to complete independently. I did this because she seemed to struggle with me as her teacher. Perhaps because I am mum to her, I think she had trouble compartmentalising me into a teaching role regarding her school. Abs has been referred for an Autism assessment, so this may be a part of it.
Over the last year, Abs has become progressively more anxious. This seems to run on my side of the family, and historically I think my ancestors self-treated with alcohol, with a higher than normal number of alcoholics down my bloodline. I have been blessed to take after my grand-mother, or at least that is what my mum says. I am very even tempered and laid back. However, there have definitely been moments in my life where anxiety has threatened.
Anyway, all this to say, in September I took over Abigail’s homeschool. It was with no small amount of trepidation because she and I are very close and I did not want home-school to ruin that closeness given she seemed to struggle to see me as a teacher. I needn’t have worried and I am kicking myself for not doing this years ago.
It has worked so well, and I can really see her making significant progress in all her work. I am hoping it might also help with the anxiety, because now the buck stops with me and not her.
Revision, Revision, Revision
First, I made some flashcards for chapter 1 in sociology, which was The Sociological Approach. Abs learnt these everyday and pretty much knows all of them off by heart. She also completed 2021 and 2022 exam papers, answering just the questions on research methods within each of the four papers.
Secondly, I also wrote flash cards for Topic 1 in Psychology, which was Development. She has studied these each day and now knows them all off by heart. I also had her write presentations on the four main studies she needed to know for this topic. These were Piaget and Inhaler’s ‘Three Mountains’ task (1956), Gunderson et al (2013) Parent Praise study, Dweck’s Mindset Theory and Willingham’s Learning Theory. She presented these either to Gary or I and will continue to do so going forward, hopefully ensuring she knows them inside out by May, when she takes the exam.
Lastly, Abs did a maths lesson most days and has almost completed the topic of algebraic fractions. She is averaging 91% over all her maths lessons and I can see she is becoming more and more confident.
January Home-School Rebecca
Every morning, Becca hones her drawing skills. Inevitably, she hates what she draws and can see all the faults as well as faults which are not there. She is a perfectionist and I have worked super hard with her trying to keep the perfectionism at a dull roar. I recognise that in this day and age perfectionism is seen as a positive trait but I feel it is a joy robber. Art and the creative process should be a joy, especially when you are as naturally talented as Becs is. Unfortunately, she doesn’t see it that way!
Aside from perfecting her drawing, she also completed workbook 3 for her Photography Diploma and worked towards workbook 6 for her Mixed Media Diploma. She has been focusing on fashion photos for this workbook and utilised her sister and one of her friends, Evie-Mae (who you may recognise from the portrait Becs is sketching above):
She has also started making the autumnal embroidered cushion which is the large project for the final Textile Diploma workbook. Becs has to record the whole process on video and describe what she is doing whilst she is doing it. In her spare time, she has been creating some patches to cover the enormous rip in her jeans:
What I’ve Been Up To
Yes, I realise this is a January home-school post and I’m not strictly a home-school student. However, I want to have a record of all I get up to, without dedicating a whole post to it. Below is a selection of posts I’ve either written or I’ve updated. The new posts signify my work regarding my art business, loving on Abigail and supporting Lil’s art exhibition. I’ve also written a little about self-directed learning in my weekly newsletters and, in response to a reader question, I wrote about the Biblical basis for learning in this way. Oh, and I did some decorating in the bathroom…so I included that post as well.
Medieval Knights Homeschool Lesson
How to Make Borderless Greetings Cards using an Epson ET 8550
Biblical Basis for Self-Directed Learning
Homeschool Preschool Science Area
We Love You Party {For Abigail}
How To Make Some Bathroom Accessories
Looking Back: Ancient Greece – Minoans
Create a Preschool Science Area
Pond Study: Pond Assessment {Week 1}
I am regularly on Instagram and have two YouTube channels, one I post in periodically (AngelicscalliwagsHomeschool) and another I post to weekly (AngelicscalliwagsArt).
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