Graduation!!!

Well, we did it!!! After 14 years we successfully finished our homeschool journey and I couldn't be more proud of our whole family. We had a beautiful ceremony for the girls and a party with friends and family to celebrate. This year was filled with so many adventures.  We visited a number of colleges and it was so fun to watch as they both were directed into what God has called them to.  They went from not knowing what they wanted to do or where they wanted to go, to both feeling really clear about it.  

After visiting a variety of schools they both felt called to the same place, so in the fall we'll be dropping them both off at Cal Baptist in Riverside and I think it will be perfect for both of them.  Avalyn has enjoyed leading worship these last few years for her high school group, and she got the chance to lead for the Women's Bible Study at church and then has had multiple opportunities to lead worship for the main service.  She's done such an amazing job and you can really tell she's been led by the Spirit.  After much prayer and consideration she really felt called into ministry and is going to major in Music for Worship Arts & Ministry with the hopes of becoming a worship leader when she's done.

Brinley wasn't as sure what direction she wanted to go in, but after sitting in on some classes at the universities we were visiting she felt really pulled to Psychology.  She has always loved the Enneagram and personality types and really loves learning about how the brain works and loves helping people so she likes the option of getting her Masters and MFT so she can become a therapist.  She also loves the idea of going into Ministry so she's decided to double major in Christian Behavioral Science with a minor in Christian Studies which should put her on a path to do a number of things she's interested in.  

We also got a chance to travel this year and took the girls on a trip to Australia a few weeks before graduation as their senior trip.  It was so fascinating to enjoy another side of the world and we had so much fun visiting Sydney, the Australia Zoo, and we took an amazing cruise that included a trip into the rain-forest and the highlight was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.  

We are so thrilled for the amazing young women these girls have become and can’t wait to see where God leads them on this next chapter of their journey.  I have no doubt they are going to accomplish great things and continue to be a light for him.  

 

Avalyn graduated highest honors with a 4.2 GPA and is heading off to Cal Baptist in the fall to study Music for Worship Arts & Ministry. 

 

Brinley also graduated with highest honors and a 3.9 GPA and is also heading to Cal Baptist in the fall where she plans to double major in Psychology and Christian Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Christian Studies. 

THE END... and just the beginning

 

Our 12th Grade Curriculum | 2024-2025

Our last year of High School is a little lighter than the past few years.  I intentionally got their upper level Math, English & Science done last year (by having them start at a high school level in 8th grade) so we have an easier year where they can focus on college essay's, scholarships, etc.  The girls still aren't sure what they want to do, but we'll be looking a few local Christian Universities and see where God is calling them.

For their elective this year, I'm having them each learn to meal plan and cook.  They're each going to be responsible for one meal a week and will do the planning, shopping and cooking for that meal for the whole family.  Should be fun to see them grow in this area and learn some practical life skills while they're at it.   Excited for all the amazing books they're set to read this year in British Lit.  Should be a good one to round out their amazing book lists.

Here's what we're doing for our 12^th Grade Curriculum...

• Bible: Individual Bible Study, Misc Books, and Scripture Memorization
• Math: Math U See - Stewardship
• Literature: Sonlight British Literature
  
• History: Sonlight Core 400 - US Government & Economics
• Language: Rosetta Stone - Spanish
  
• PE: Peloton Classes
• Music: Piano Lessons, Guitar Lessons, Voice Lessons & High School Worship Team
  
• Electives: Cooking & Meal Planning

 

Sonlight 400 - American Government & Civics - This year our history is split into 2 semesters.  For the first semester the girls will be doing Govt & Civics.  Super fitting for an election year.

 

Sonlight 600 - Economics - The second half of the year the girls will be doing Economics.  They'll just have these 2 books along with an online curriculum they'll be using for their Econ lessons.  This is one of Trav's favorite subjects so I'm looking forward to all the conversations we'll have at dinners about what they're learning.

 

Sonlight British Literature - Look at this list of goodness the girls will be reading this year!  They're super excited to get reading and I know they're going to enjoy this year.

 

Math U See - Stewardship - The girls have finished all their upper level math so we thought it would be a good idea to end with a practical year of math set around financial management.  I'm excited for what they'll learn this year and how it will help them move towards adulthood.  

 

First Day of 12th Grade | 2024-2025

It's our last year of school!!!  

I really can't believe we're here in our Senior year.  The final year in our homeschooling adventure.  We had an amazing summer that took us on the most amazing trip to Italy & Spain.  We stayed in Rome for a week and then went on a cruise of Italy & Spain.  We saw so many beautiful and historical things and I'm so grateful that we got to explore and enjoy that time together.  The girls love for history and learning really showed itself in that they were the only teens (and let's face it even some of the adults) that were off their phones and truly engaged with each of the tour guides listening and soaking in everything that was being said.   I think it was one of my most favorite adventures we've ever taken as a family and I'm so very thankful for the memories we made together.  

The girls also took their SAT at the start of summer and they both did amazing!   I couldn't be more proud of all the hard work they've put into their schooling and with minimal study they both crushed the SAT.  It opens up so many possibilities for their future.

They're still both leading worship in VOX for high school and I'm excited that Avalyn will be leading for my women's study at church this fall and winter.  They're still leading Bible studies with their friends and thriving in all they do.  We have some college visits coming up and I can't wait to see what God calls them to.  Big changes are on the horizon and I can't wait to see what they are. 

Look at these cute little preschoolers and what beautiful young ladies they've turned into!

 

Our 11th Grade Curriculum | 2023-2024

We found our High School groove last year and enjoyed a great 10th grade year.  We tried something new which was more of an incentive based approach to staying on track.  We told the girls that if they stayed on track with their schooling each week, we would let them invite 4 of their friends and we would take them all to Disneyland to celebrate their 16th Birthday.  So without any setbacks they stayed on track for the first half of the year and enjoyed an amazing b-day trip with their friends.

We're sticking to our tried and true curriculum again this year.  With 2 years left we have our plans set and now it's just a matter of getting through it all.  I'm excited for the girls to complete their final year of English since we're a year ahead and then this will be our final year of language, science and upper level math as well which will make next year a lot lighter.

Here's what we're doing for our 11^th Grade Curriculum...

• Bible: Individual Bible Study, Misc Books, and Scripture Memorization
• Math: Math U See - Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry
• English: Essentials in Writing - Level 12 
• Literature: Sonlight 20th Century Literature
  
• History: Sonlight Core 300 - 20th Century History
  
• Science: Berean Chemisty & Labs
  
• Language: Rosetta Stone - Spanish
  
• PE: Peloton Classes
• Music: Piano Lessons, Guitar Lessons, Voice Lessons & High School Worship Team
  
• Electives: Drivers Ed, Career & College Planning, and SAT Prep
  

 

Sonlight Core 300 - 20th Century History - This core is another one with a LOT of books.  These are just the history books the girls will be reading this year.  They absolutely loved Church History last year and are excited to jump into 20th Century even though it's going to a bit heavy and sad.  I'm looking forward to their level of understanding over this time period growing even deeper.

 

English & Literature - 20th Century Literature & Essentials in Writing 12 - We're on our last year of Essentials in Writing and the girls are excited to finish this curriculum.  It will be nice to only have research papers in our different subjects next year instead of Essays and papers due every week for English class.  They both got 100% on all of their papers last year and I still love that we have a grading service that we use so they aren't just being graded by me.  I think it's really helped them learn to polish their papers well.  These are the rest of the books the girls will be reading this year.  This core has so many great books that I'm excited for the girls to experience.  They've already read a handful of them over the summer!  

Math-U-See - Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry - The girls are excited to finally be able to use a calculator for math.  I'm a mean teacher and have made them do all the math by hand up until now, but I know they have the foundation and skills down so I'm letting them do even the simple math with a calculator this year.  This will be our last year of upper level math since we completed a year in Jr High and then next year we'll be doing a year of financial management which should help set the girls up with a solid foundation for real life financial skills.

Science - Berean Chemistry- Unless the girls choose to take Physics next year, this might be our last year of Science.  The girls loved the last 2 years of Apologia Science we completed, however I did a lot of research and I think this Berean course will be a bit more intuitive than the Apologia course so we decided to make the switch.  They were dreading not having a workbook this year, but I got a printable of all the study questions online and we created a notebook for them and so far they are liking the way they can choose to organize this with their note taking better than doing everything in the workbook provided in the past.   They take notes daily, record definitions, do experiments and then complete a review before taking the chapter test.  It's pretty much all student led I just review their work each day to make sure they are staying on track.

Bible - For Bible this year the girls are doing their own daily Bible Study and then reading through these books over the course of the year and doing weekly scripture memorization.  They are also planning to continue the Bible Study that they started with their friends over the summer and continuing it throughout the year.  They meet at our house with their friends every Thursday evening and are doing an inductive study covering a chapter of the Bible each week.  Over the summer they studied the book of Ephesians and I'm excited to see what they choose to jump into next.  I'm so proud of their heart for the Lord and for the influence they are on their friends to encourage them to be in God's word each day.  I'm so thankful that over the years they have truly made their relationship with God a personal one.

Electives -  We're continuing with Spanish this year using Rosetta Stone, and then the girls are still required to work out 3-4 times a week.  I really want them to have a habit of self care and staying healthy.  I have a Peloton which has tons of classes other than cycling and we took our guest bedroom and turned it into a workout studio a few years ago which was the best decision for the way we use our home.  We got a Murphy Bed so we can still have guests stay with us, but it's usually folded into the wall so we have the entire room for working out.  The girls enjoy Pilates, Barre, Strength training with weights, and Yoga classes the most.  They are also still continuing to take music classes.  They both take voice lessons every other week and then the weeks in between Brinley is still completing her piano curriculum while Avalyn has been taking guitar and is now starting classical guitar.  Lastly, we're doing a college and career planning course that we started over the summer to help the girls figure out where God is calling them in their future.  That and prepping for the SAT has most of their free time taken up.

First Day of 11th Grade | 2023-2024

We have upperclassmen in the house!

The girls have had a wonderful high school experience so far.  They've done great with school, have an amazing friend group, are super involved in their youth group at church, lead worship, and are now driving. 

This past summer was filled with so many memories.  We spent 2 weeks in Hawaii as a family which was the perfect pairing of adventure and relaxing.  Our first week was spent in Oahu, which was our first visit to that Island.  We went to Pearl Harbor where the girls spent hours reading every sign and taking in every bit of history, enjoyed a horseback ride at Kualoa Ranch where they filmed Jurassic Park, and spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center ending the evening with an amazing Luau.  Our second week was spent relaxing at our favorite place on earth - Maui.  We go to Maui almost every year and have so many amazing memories there.  Little did we know it would be the last time we would eat at some of our favorite restaurants there or visit some of our favorite shops. My heart is still broken for the loss.

This summer the girls helped as leaders at Kids Games for 2 of the 4 weeks, enjoyed beach nights all summer with their youth group, had an exciting week at summer camp with all their friends, and even started and led a summer Bible Study with all their friends every week all summer.

This is the year we finish our prep for the SAT and make lots of decisions about the future.  I'm excited to see where God leads the girls in their future.

Our 10th Grade Curriculum | 2022-2023

 

We had a great start to High School last year.  Unlike past years, High School is very student led and while overall we had a great 9th grade year it wasn't without some struggles as we tried to learn and balance time management and the ability to be motivated and get tasks completed.  I think the hardest thing about last year was how reading heavy our curriculum was.  Between all the work in the different subjects, learning a new language, multiple research papers, a time intensive science curriculum with labs, and a much busier social life than ever before, it was just hard to read 2+ books per week for history and literature. Despite a few bumps and struggles to stay on track the girls finished well and completed everything with all A's and I'm really proud they did that with very little actual teaching on my end.

This year I'll be adding twice a day check ins, morning and afternoon, on top of our daily together time where I grade their work from the day before and we do all our discussion questions for the previous day's reading.  The check ins will allow for us to look at the day/week/month ahead to make sure they know what to focus on and how to learn to prioritize their time, and at the end of the day to make sure they've completed what they needed to.  I really want to make sure they learn to look ahead over the coming days and weeks to make sure they are staying on task for all the longer term projects and papers that are due.  I really hope this will further develop their time management skills and keep them from getting distracted (usually by reading other books or their Bible - I suppose there are worst problems to have.) 

We're ready for a great 10th grade year albeit a little terrified that Drivers Ed is coming soon. Praying over my sweet girls that God blesses their time in his word and continues to grow them to reflect him more and more as they grow and mature into the young ladies God has called them to be.

Here's what we're doing for our 10^th Grade Curriculum...

• Bible: The Westminster Shorter Catechism, Misc Books, and Scripture Memorization
• Math: Math U See - Algebra 2
• English: Essentials in Writing - Level 11 
• Literature: Sonlight Classical Literature
  
• History: Sonlight Core 200 - History of the Christian Church
  
• Science: Apologia Biology & Labs
  
• Language: Rosetta Stone - Spanish
  
• PE: Swimming, Hiking, Peloton Classes, Gym Membership
  
• Music: Piano Lessons, Guitar Lessons, Voice Lessons & High School Worship Team
  
• Electives: Drivers Ed
  

 

Sonlight Core 200 - History of the Christian Church - Last year there was A LOT of reading.  Not going to lie, it was a struggle for the girls to keep up between history and literature.  They had to spend a bit of their summer reading to catch up.  This core has a lot less reading and I think it will be much more manageable to keep on track.  They are both super excited about this core and to dive into church history.  I can't wait for all the discussions we're going to have!
 

English & Literature - We had another great year last year doing Essentials in Writing and using the grading service.  The girls are excellent writers and constantly impressed their graders with their writing skills and were challenged by their graders to do more difficult things with each writing assignment than the curriculum even called for.  I love that they are writing for someone other than me and are being challenged to improve.  We're still a year ahead as the girls are doing the 11th grade level. We are doing classical literature this year and I'm so excited for the girls to read some of these amazing books.  They've already read a few over the summer like Pride & Prejudice, Pilgrim's Progress, and The Screwtape Letters.  I can't wait to discuss these books and then watch some of the movies to go along with them!

Math-U-See - Algebra 2 - I rave every year about this curriculum and this year is no different.  The girls mastered Geometry last year with ease.  I love that they master each new concept and then constantly review past material so they are always revisiting concepts to keep them fresh all year.  I can't say they are excited about Algebra 2, but I'm excited to have something that is easy to teach and to know they do well with each year.

Science - Apologia Biology - Last year was our first year doing an Apologia science and it went really well.  This course is completely student led.  They read the textbook, complete their note-booking, do their own labs, and then study and prep for tests.  It was a success last year and the girls did a great job and learned a lot.  It ended up being one of their favorite subjects.  We're excited to use the same curriculum and format this year with Biology.

Bible - I'm really excited for our Bible this year.  We're going through the Westminster Catechism this year which gives the girls the opportunity to dig into theology and to figure out what they believe using scripture to support or disprove the ideas they are given.  It's so important for them to take the time to make their faith their own and really wrestle with what they believe and why.  I can't wait to see how this grows their faith and their confidence in being able to explain to others what and why they believe what they do.

First Day of 10th Grade | 2022-2023

For so many years it feels like you are counting up on this homeschool journey.  How many years until we finish?  How many years until High School?  How many curriculum do we have left to choose?   And now we've hit the place where we count down, and surprisingly not to finish, but to cherish the time we have left.  Only 3 more years left of school.  Only 2 more summer breaks.  Only 3 more birthdays until you are 18.  It's exciting to know we are closing in on the final years of our homeschooling years but also bittersweet because these long days of learning, play, fun, and conversations are quickly counting down.

The girls got through their first year of high school with tons of great memories, some fun travel, many nights leading worship at youth group, summer and winter camp highs, lots of time with friends, and all A’s in school.  They both play piano beautifully, Av has taken up the guitar and is good enough to play on the worship team, and they both take voice lessons now as well.  Most importantly they have grown in the fruits of the spirit which is a direct reflection of their time spent daily in God’s Word.  

They enter 10^th grade eager to learn and more importantly eager to learn to drive.  Eeeek!  Their hearts are as beautiful as their smiles and I’m so blessed to get to raise and teach them.   

10^th Grade here we come!

 

 

AVALYN

BRINLEY