I Am A Wolf I talk about how I made my Monthly Order List on this video. I'm still adding to it even though I've been using it for a long time. I just realized I don't have spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce on my list. It's a work in progress... ua-cam.com/video/4myoaCklBvA/v-deo.html
Andrea Mills I hope you see this! I'm trying to find your video where you address keeping kids on track with homeschool work. You were explaining when someone doesn't get their work done and not participating in an activity.
Great video...I like to see how other homeschool moms do it. I really should make a monthly order list like you, so nothing is forgotten. I hate going back to the store. Thanx for sharing! BTW I agree with you, every child learns differently. That's why there are so many different curriculums.
you are awesome :-) You have inspired me so very much. I am currently homeschooling my 10th grader with easy peasy.... but I feel so overwhelmed trying to keep everything organized and on task. Thank you for sharing and giving me hope, I have a 3rd grader that is still in public school and I really want to start homeschooling him but I have to get more organized. I am catching myself wondering if I will ever accomplish the goal of organization... If only I had the patience of JOB ;-) Keep up the good work!!
Nice video! I did ACE for 3 years after switching from Abeka for K-3. I loved working at my own pace, but it did make my transition to public school in 7th grade difficult as I was all over the place academically. That was over 24-25 years ago now.
Not sure if you have already rectified your van battery situation but there are electric chargers that work great. I have had the same problem with our van and if we keep it on the electric charger, especially overnight, it always cranks for us. If you decide to invest in one, make sure you get one large enough to handle the size of your van. Our van is outdoors too so we just place it under the hood and close the hood as far as we can and that way moisture is not a problem. 🙂
Growing up my Mom had a car that was always breaking down. At one time she had to pop the hood, stick a spoon in something under there, start it then take the spoon out. Every time she started it. Lol that was an interesting experience. :)
+Voileen I'm sorry to hear that. I graduated from an ACE school and had the exact opposite experience. However, not everyone learns the same way, not everything works for everyone. Transferring from one school to another is tough. My mother-in-law is a public school teacher and has said even from one public school to another, kids can be "behind" because of how the different curricula are structured. I hope you eventually got things worked out. Perhaps you could make a video about what you would recommend as far as a homeschooling curriculum choice goes. I'm sure lots of people would find it helpful. My own opinion is that all school choices are imperfect, but I'm blessed to have something economical and easy for a mama with lots of children to use. My God bless you in your endeavors to educate your own children!
+Andrea Mills I agree, everyone learns different. I also went to an Ace school and did very well. When it comes to homeschooling , every family needs to use what works best. I find Ace in homeschooling though is far different than in a brick and mortar school setting. I was very fortunate as I was a self taught person. For someone who is not though, they might struggle if just handed the books and off to their own device. I will say though that bouncing from school to school no matter what is difficult. Even if you go from one public school to another , and even one private school to another as they all use different curriculum and every curriculum introduce different things at different times.
I also used A.C.E. from 6-12 grades. I was completely ready for college. In fact, this course was perfect for my situation. We attended the church that supported the school, but the 2 other girls that were with me took a lot longer get to complete. I think the program works for independent work.
I was watching this during my lunch break. I was eating tomato soup, so it was like I was having lunch with you. Hehe Do the little kids ever distract the older kids from their studies? If so how do you deal with it? When my younger brother distracted me from homework I would try to teach him what I was learning, and I'd also help him with his homework.
Sometimes they do. We try to teach them to play quietly or we give them their own "school" to do. We also try to help the older kids learn how to be okay with distractions. It's life, isn't it?!
Love the video, I've been using this curriculum for a while and never saw a tutorial about it. I see videos about other curriculums all the time. Keep up the good work.
It's interesting to see how common homeschooling is in America. Experiencing what my children learned at school and knowing that our teachers have to study at university for four years for just two subjects they are going to teach I know I could never do this in all the subjects our students have to learn. That was a long sentence! :) It's not allowed in Germany anyway. But so many of our students go to America for one year for an exchange and attend school there. All of them say that it's so fun to go to school in America, because it's way easier there, they don't have to work for school and can enjoy themselves. They might not learn much at school but very much in many other ways.
I'm friends with a woman from Germany who spent a couple of years here in high school. Her husband is a family friend who was stationed in Germany with the US Army. They are expecting their first baby next month and are such a nice couple. They are considering homeschooling their own children, which I'm happy about. (Of course, they live here in America.) We have lost sight of our true calling in life which is to love and serve God and we do that by loving and serving others. God's design was to have parents raise their own children. It's an act of service that He uses to refine who we are. We've been convinced that our children will not succeed in life unless professionals raise them for us. (They just leave us with the dirty work of feeding them, clothing them and being their chauffeurs.) We homeschool because we're a family. That's also why my husband works from home. Families are meant to live together and help each other, not just pass one another on the way to the next thing. Certainly, we all have the right to do what we think is best; I just feel it's sad that the default answer is one that separates families.
Lorry Bee I go to an American high school and I don't have any knowledge of the German education system, but I think that in America it is really up to the student as to how rigorous their schedule it, and being an exchange student can really limit what advanced classes you can take because of prerequisites. People could be taking all/mostly AP/honors/college classes all through high school, or they can choose to skate by by taking the easiest classes offered to fulfill requirements.
First of all, let me say that I really enjoyed your video. Thank you for allowing us a glimpse into your homeschooling world. Second, what is the game that you all are playing? It looks very interesting.
+Arla Alexander It's called Tsuro. It's a fun, fast game that all of the kids are able to play. Each person has a dragon that flies along it's path. The path is created as cards are added to the board. If you ever fly to the edge, you're out.
great video, i just found your channel and love it. what is your policy/advice on screen time? do you have a tv or recommend a certain amount of time per day for electronics?
We have a privilege system in place that regulates how much time they get to play. (The better they're doing with getting chores done, school work done, good attitude, etc., the more freedom they have.) Six of the kids have tablets or phones that they can use for the internet, but we have our router set to shut it off at 10:00 so they can't stay up all night. (If they don't achieve the minimum privilege level, they don't get the have their devices at all.) We use Funamo on all of their devices so they can't access things and places on the internet that we don't want them to. All internet sites are password protected on their computers, too. (I'm not sure how Tom did those.) We can make certain sites always available, so things like Club Penguin don't need a password to go to. We have a tv for the family, but we don't have cable. We watch UA-cam or buy seasons of things and we watch movies. The kids don't use the tv really without us and it's right in the living room where we can all see what's going on. All of that being said, Tom and I are probably far more relaxed about our kids seeing certain things than a lot of people are, but we have our reasons. Here's a link to our video about our privilege system: ua-cam.com/video/9GkWZj4zL_k/v-deo.html
thanks for your reply. sounds like a great system. i read articke that says more than 1 hour of screen time is too much for kids and i am kinda worried. i love your channel!
I can tell you our kids get far more than an hour of screen time most days, but we don't worry about it. They get lots of other things in the day, too!
On average, how long does it take to complete 8th grade Language Arts & Social Studies. I realize this varies, of course, but assuming you do one pace every 3 weeks, can you just give me a rough estimate regarding how much time these two subjects take daily? Thanks so much Andrea!! Love your videos!
To complete a PACE every three weeks in these subjects, you need to do 3-4 pages per day in English, 3 pages per day in Word Building, 5 pages per day in Social Studies. Depending on the child, I'd say it would take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes per subject each day. (Much of the S.S. is reading.)
What was that you are playing in the background? This is going to be my 3 rd year doing the pace program and I'm looking to try different tools to make it better for my girl. Do you just find a UA-cam video on the subject for the day and play it?
Eden is listening to the Kindergarten Songs CD from ACE. It's for reviewing sounds in Kindergarten. We scanned the flash cards and made a video that displays the cards while playing the music. In schools, they hang the big flashcards on the wall, but we didn't have room for that so this was our solution. You can buy the CD from ACE. They don't sell it under the Home Educators tab, but they do under the Schools tab: aceweb.schooloftomorrow.com/store/dept.asp?dept_id=10&elite_category=A&elite_subject=7
+Andrea Mills oh my!!! Wished I lived next to you to see you at work. Would love to get that cd for my 4 year old. She starting vpk this year, but will probably do the homeschooling for kindergarten. I really need to explore the website. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of information.
We keep a regular schedule of 3 12-week terms. (We're in the second week of our second term as of this moment.) As for pages per day, we aim to finish each PACE in 3 weeks so we divide the number of pages between the number of school days and do that many. Here's a video on goal setting: ua-cam.com/video/-KfK9cQbDRg/v-deo.html
I was wondering if the children are distracted by the reading of the Bible while doing their school work.?. How long does it play? You're blessed. You & Tom have smart,respectful & adorable kids. They seem overwhelming work well together.
We don't have the Bible playing in the living room/kitchen, so it's not really noticeable where they're doing school. It does play in Tom's office where Thomas works, but apparently it doesn't bother him. It plays around the clock and has for several years now. It's been a real blessing to our family and I like to tell Tom it was one of the best ideas he ever had!
@@lkmiller2010 It is a 1984 NIV "Dramatized" version, for a long time they did not make it available because there were some sort of rules regarding the use of it, but I had a message recently somewhere in my email that they are bringing it back! I cant seem to find it, but there are other dramatized versions available. I talk about it here ua-cam.com/video/MQZp1Pn8lDE/v-deo.html
Our computer store is about half of our walk out basement. This video shows our floor plan at the end if you'd like to see how it all fits together: ua-cam.com/video/X3ZVLn0Nnt4/v-deo.html
I graduated from Lighthouse Christian Academy~ACE's distance learning school about 7 years ago. I was homeschooled and our family loved the fact that I was given a full accredited high school transcript once I completed my coursework through ACE. Just curious... What is your reason for not enrolling your children in the lighthouse with many benefits such as an accredited diploma rather then homeschooling independently through ACE? I'm asking because I will be homeschool my children through this program, and want to know my options.
+Isaiah Lujan I suppose I never even considered using Lighthouse. Homeschool diploma's are legal everywhere; we don't need any additional accreditation. I am quite comfortable making my own transcripts and diplomas and keeping my own records, so I've never felt the need to look into other options. We are members of HSLDA, though, in the event we should ever encounter a problem. Nice to meet you, by the way.
+Andrea Mills Awesome! I am aware that they are legal everywhere, just here in California we have many issues with most colleges and universities accepting non-accredited diplomas. At least, back when I graduated. We really did not want to run the risk of a higher learning institution turning me down for that reason. Just recently it was brought to my attention that elementary and junior high students really have no reason to be accredited. But just to be safe I think I will go through lighthouse just for their high school years.
There isn't really such thing as "accreditation." You still have report cards and transcripts, all that are accepted by universities...in fact they favor home schoolers the majority of the times. In addition if it was an issue for you you can do standardized testing which is full recognized by everyone.
The game we're playing is called Tsuro. We have a 1984 NIV dramatized audio Bible from Faith Comes By Hearing. They don't produce that exact version anymore, but they have the new NIV and many other versions available. If you go to their web-site, they have a lot of free audio Bibles to download. Make sure to choose a dramatized one; they're the ones with different voice actors, sound effects, etc. www.faithcomesbyhearing.com
Ya'll are so real - love your transparency. Hard working Dad and husband. I love the speaker system with the Bible playing, what products do you use for that? My personal experience with the game Magic The Gathering was not a good one with my teen son several years back. Everyone needs their hobbies and interests, maybe you could express your thoughts on these type of games within the Christian context. Are most of the folks you play with also Christians? Thanks for any insights, love ya'll!!
Ty!!! We've got 7 kids and it's nice to know our house isn't the only house like this. :-). We love it!! We use ACE as well. Not as easy to get Approved in Australia. I moved from California 9 years ago. What Bible CD do you always have playing?? I love it!!
It came from Faith Comes By Hearing. They don't have our particular version anymore, but they have other free dramatized versions. (We bought ours on CD and converted it for the ipod.)
Andrea I'm so confused on what to do! I just received the ACE packets for my daughter whos going into 4th grade. Do you do all the subjects everyday? Do you do just a few subjects a couple days a week? When they do the test in the packet do you stop that subject for the day and move on to the next subject? Do you always do a test a day?
We do a few pages in each subject each day, but you could definitely do it differently. You could take a Charlotte Mason approach and do some subjects on certain days and other subjects on other days, just do more pages each time. We've even done it where for 3 months we worked on only a couple of subjects and completed a year's worth of work in those subjects over that time before switching to different subjects the following three months. We always do the test the day after completing the PACE and that's the only work we do in that subject for that day. We aim to finish one PACE in each subject every 2-3 weeks, but there can be wide variation from that plan depending on the child. Here's an example of what a week's plan might look like: Mon. Tues. Wed. Thur. Fri. Math 29-32 Test 1-4 5-8 9-12 English 7-9 10-12 13-15 16-18 19-21 SS 26-30 31-35 36-39 Test 1-5 Science 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 WB 4-6 7-9 10-12 13-15 16-18
I think homeschooling would be really beneficial to my children. Unfortunately I’m in the uk where they start school at 4 years old and are expected to be able to read fluently within weeks, yet last time I checked the uk came 13th for English language?! I believe every child learns at their own pace and the pressure put on them in our schools does not help them learn and effects their confidence for the rest of their life
I noticed that Eden was wearing an ankle length skirt and I was wondering if the girls have a choice, or do they have to wear them and if so when they get older will they have a choice on what pants or skirts they get to wear? Keep up the amazing work :)
They wear jeans, too. If you watch our Christmas shopping video you can see the girls in pants. Here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/ASSuSSse-fE/v-deo.html&lc=z133gbaals3qgb0u4233wrq5sw3bdjpcc
Andrea Mills I'm genuinely inquiring. There seems to be very little room for creative thought, questioning, etc. Everything seems way too by the books and based on repetition. Then again Public School really isn't far off from this either, seems to be a product of poor American education.
+TheInternetDictator You'd be amazed. Studies are showing that homeschooled children outperform, and out test their public school peers in every aspect of education. This video just shows one of many days in a home of homeschoolers. Please educate yourself :www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html
Tracy Reed Every single homeschooled student I've known (My sister used to do gymnastics, so many were homeschooled) ended up far behind public school curriculum and tested worse than their traditional schooled peers. My sister was homeschooled for a few years and it almost ruined her, she was so far behind when she entered freshman year of high school that she had to constantly get tutoring. Perhaps when someone has the ideal setting, very rigorous curriculum, and properly administered by attentive and involved parents it can possibly work, but the vast majority of homeschool settings are not like that. I even took a few course on Florida Virtual School (the de facto homeschool program for Floridians) and it was the worst school experience of my life, such a faceless, horribly undertaken system, it sapped any motivation out of me for that short time.
+TheInternetDictator That is your perception. Which is false. That is your opinion and your opinion only. I have homeschooled my children since day one. My oldest attended the local public school for one year. She decided it was boring and far too easy. She can study what interests her and she's not held back. She doesn't need permission from a stranger to learn anything she wants. Needless to say she was on honor roll and far exceeded state testing without even studying at all. She even took the ASVAB for fun and got the highest score out of any of her peers and never studied for it once. She gets test anxiety so not bad at all. Your limited experience with homeschooling has clouded your judgement. Not to mention colleges WANT homeschoolers. They seek them out. It doesn't matter where they are against public schooled kids. Because by the time you get to college, NONE of that matters. Homeschoolers are far more independent , aren't restricted to being in a grade level, they can move as fast or as slow as they need to. Not everyone is a friggin genius. I know plenty of public school kids who have failed and failed to function once they graduate. And really, knowing just your sister isn't every single homeschooled person on the planet. Personally I think you're just on here to insult and are an internet troll.
Just wondering, do you have any experience in teaching? (Were you a teacher or teacher's aid?) and what makes you think you can do a better job at teaching your kids who are distracted and working in cramped spaces than a teacher can do at a school with proper learning materials and lots of like minded students?
Andrea started teaching when her oldest was 3, so she has 11 years teaching experience. I'm a credentialed teacher, and taught in a classroom for 10 years before homeschooling my three children. Having seen the education system from both sides I can say with confidence that this mom is doing an excellent job of teaching. I don't even understand some of your comments; how is a complete professional curriculum not considered "proper learning material"? These children work in whatever place works best with their learning style, even outdoors if they wish, which prevents distraction and gives both more flexibility and more space than a child has with 30+ other students in one room. And there could be no more "like-minded" students to work with than siblings. Homeschooled children perform outstandingly on standardized tests, and they work much better with others of all ages, not just with their peers. You may not have seen all of Andrea's videos, but her children participate in a variety of activities outside the home. And lest you think that only credentialed teachers are capable of teaching, I can tell you that I learned almost nothing actually useful in my credential program. Hands-on experience is by far the best, and Andrea has plenty of that. Her children, obviously already polite, confident, and capable, will be well-prepared for anything life hands them.
+Crazy Ladybug You're so cute. Perhaps we should just let the pros take our children at birth so we stupid parents don't mess them up. I learned how to cook from someone who knew how to cook. Since I know how to cook, I can teach someone else. Algebra is no different. Of course, if you're too ignorant to teach children, perhaps you shouldn't put so much faith in the pros that taught you. And if you don't like homeschooling, don't do it. I personally don't care what you do and I can't imagine why you care what we do.
Hi Andrea, I just found your channel. It is a God send. You are so real. Thank you. We are really thinking of switching over to ACE with our homeschool. I admit, I have fought it for two years. (God called us to pull our kids out of school 2 years ago) Even though my husband and I both did our whole schooling with ACE, I somehow felt that there were so many more "hip" ways to homeschool. But alas, I just can't seem to find anything that is as steam lined as ACE. And here is what I really wanted to post about ACE in response to the comments above, as my husband so adamantly stated I DID ACE ALL MY LIFE, AND NOW I HOLD A MASTER DEGREE AND AM TEACHING AT COLLEGE LEVEL!!!!
+Judy G, I agree. She uses professional materials and has 11-12 years of experience in teaching. And it seems her kids are learning just fine. If the kids ever apply for college or university or any other school, they have the proper paperwork showing that they were taught according to this curriculum and these were their grades in each subject. Some "homeschooling" parents don't seem to have any idea what they're doing... But she isn't one of them. Besides, I've heard American public schools ain't that great... There's too much variation in the skills of the teachers to be sure, as a parent, that your kids are really learning... And private schools are hella expensive. I live in Finland. The government gives directions/guidelines and the teachers build their curriculum according to those. I think preschool (at the age of 6) is still optional like it was in my childhood (I did go to preschool), but grades 1-9 (ages 7-16) everyone is required to go to school and graduate it. All preschool and elementary school (grades 1-6, ages 7-12) teachers have a Master's Degree in upbringing/childhood development (closest field of science I could find in English is called Education theory...) and all junior high school (grades 7-9, ages 13-19) teachers have a Master's Degree in whatever subject(s) they're teaching and also some studies in Education, I'm not sure how much... So, in here, it's pretty safe to send your kids to a public school. At least the teachers are qualified. Finnish students are pretty much always at the top of the list when their knowledge is measured internationally.
Well this is a blast from the past. Everyone looks so young!
Thanks for watching and sharing our day with us!
Where can we get the monthly order list??
I Am A Wolf I talk about how I made my Monthly Order List on this video. I'm still adding to it even though I've been using it for a long time. I just realized I don't have spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce on my list. It's a work in progress... ua-cam.com/video/4myoaCklBvA/v-deo.html
Andrea Mills have you tried using mayonnaise instead of butter for the grilled cheese? They get super crunchy, but don't burn.
+Brielynn We've never done that but I think we'll have to try it. It sounds like something Tom would love!
Andrea Mills I hope you see this! I'm trying to find your video where you address keeping kids on track with homeschool work. You were explaining when someone doesn't get their work done and not participating in an activity.
Started watching some that I have missed!!! The kids are so small!!! Blessed family
Melts my heart that they thanked you for their food. ❤❤❤
Great video! I miss her
Great video...I like to see how other homeschool moms do it. I really should make a monthly order list like you, so nothing is forgotten. I hate going back to the store. Thanx for sharing! BTW I agree with you, every child learns differently. That's why there are so many different curriculums.
you are awesome :-) You have inspired me so very much. I am currently homeschooling my 10th grader with easy peasy.... but I feel so overwhelmed trying to keep everything organized and on task. Thank you for sharing and giving me hope, I have a 3rd grader that is still in public school and I really want to start homeschooling him but I have to get more organized. I am catching myself wondering if I will ever accomplish the goal of organization... If only I had the patience of JOB ;-) Keep up the good work!!
I just love this video!❤️ What a precious family! Thank you for sharing!
Definitely have had the car troubles, BUT my rural area is not walkable. No sidewalks and everything is many miles away. I
Nice video! I did ACE for 3 years after switching from Abeka for K-3. I loved working at my own pace, but it did make my transition to public school in 7th grade difficult as I was all over the place academically. That was over 24-25 years ago now.
Not sure if you have already rectified your van battery situation but there are electric chargers that work great. I have had the same problem with our van and if we keep it on the electric charger, especially overnight, it always cranks for us. If you decide to invest in one, make sure you get one large enough to handle the size of your van. Our van is outdoors too so we just place it under the hood and close the hood as far as we can and that way moisture is not a problem. 🙂
Love that you guys do board games!
Growing up my Mom had a car that was always breaking down. At one time she had to pop the hood, stick a spoon in something under there, start it then take the spoon out. Every time she started it. Lol that was an interesting experience. :)
Jennifer it was probably the starter
Jennifer my mom had to hit it with her sandal lol
Went to Grace Christian Academy so thank you
would you share your monthly oder list editable?
Check out how to make grill cheese in the oven. You can do a crowd full quickly.
So organized!
I did ACE as a kid for 9 years and it seriously messed me up (academically). Put me WAY behind.
+Voileen I'm sorry to hear that. I graduated from an ACE school and had the exact opposite experience. However, not everyone learns the same way, not everything works for everyone. Transferring from one school to another is tough. My mother-in-law is a public school teacher and has said even from one public school to another, kids can be "behind" because of how the different curricula are structured. I hope you eventually got things worked out. Perhaps you could make a video about what you would recommend as far as a homeschooling curriculum choice goes. I'm sure lots of people would find it helpful. My own opinion is that all school choices are imperfect, but I'm blessed to have something economical and easy for a mama with lots of children to use. My God bless you in your endeavors to educate your own children!
+Andrea Mills I agree, everyone learns different. I also went to an Ace school and did very well. When it comes to homeschooling , every family needs to use what works best. I find Ace in homeschooling though is far different than in a brick and mortar school setting. I was very fortunate as I was a self taught person. For someone who is not though, they might struggle if just handed the books and off to their own device. I will say though that bouncing from school to school no matter what is difficult. Even if you go from one public school to another , and even one private school to another as they all use different curriculum and every curriculum introduce different things at different times.
I also used A.C.E. from 6-12 grades. I was completely ready for college. In fact, this course was perfect for my situation. We attended the church that supported the school, but the 2 other girls that were with me took a lot longer get to complete. I think the program works for independent work.
My family was driving home from a shopping trip and my moms steering wheel locked and we were stuck in the middle of the highway.
I was watching this during my lunch break. I was eating tomato soup, so it was like I was having lunch with you.
Hehe
Do the little kids ever distract the older kids from their studies? If so how do you deal with it?
When my younger brother distracted me from homework I would try to teach him what I was learning, and I'd also help him with his homework.
Sometimes they do. We try to teach them to play quietly or we give them their own "school" to do. We also try to help the older kids learn how to be okay with distractions. It's life, isn't it?!
When I was in preschool I had to walk most days because the car never worked
Love the video, I've been using this curriculum for a while and never saw a tutorial about it. I see videos about other curriculums all the time. Keep up the good work.
+Ajah Eason Thanks for the encouragement! I noticed the same thing- there aren't a lot of videos featuring ACE and it's a great curriculum!
THIS one didn't start with no I'm Andrea mills lol didn't know if miss it
It's interesting to see how common homeschooling is in America. Experiencing what my children learned at school and knowing that our teachers have to study at university for four years for just two subjects they are going to teach I know I could never do this in all the subjects our students have to learn. That was a long sentence! :) It's not allowed in Germany anyway. But so many of our students go to America for one year for an exchange and attend school there. All of them say that it's so fun to go to school in America, because it's way easier there, they don't have to work for school and can enjoy themselves. They might not learn much at school but very much in many other ways.
I'm friends with a woman from Germany who spent a couple of years here in high school. Her husband is a family friend who was stationed in Germany with the US Army. They are expecting their first baby next month and are such a nice couple. They are considering homeschooling their own children, which I'm happy about. (Of course, they live here in America.) We have lost sight of our true calling in life which is to love and serve God and we do that by loving and serving others. God's design was to have parents raise their own children. It's an act of service that He uses to refine who we are. We've been convinced that our children will not succeed in life unless professionals raise them for us. (They just leave us with the dirty work of feeding them, clothing them and being their chauffeurs.) We homeschool because we're a family. That's also why my husband works from home. Families are meant to live together and help each other, not just pass one another on the way to the next thing. Certainly, we all have the right to do what we think is best; I just feel it's sad that the default answer is one that separates families.
Lorry Bee I go to an American high school and I don't have any knowledge of the German education system, but I think that in America it is really up to the student as to how rigorous their schedule it, and being an exchange student can really limit what advanced classes you can take because of prerequisites. People could be taking all/mostly AP/honors/college classes all through high school, or they can choose to skate by by taking the easiest classes offered to fulfill requirements.
They are taught how to manage a class room, do lesson plans, not their subject
First of all, let me say that I really enjoyed your video. Thank you for allowing us a glimpse into your homeschooling world. Second, what is the game that you all are playing? It looks very interesting.
+Arla Alexander It's called Tsuro. It's a fun, fast game that all of the kids are able to play. Each person has a dragon that flies along it's path. The path is created as cards are added to the board. If you ever fly to the edge, you're out.
Yeah sometimes the car wont start too. Its not just you Andrea!
What is the game you are playing?
great video, i just found your channel and love it. what is your policy/advice on screen time? do you have a tv or recommend a certain amount of time per day for electronics?
We have a privilege system in place that regulates how much time they get to play. (The better they're doing with getting chores done, school work done, good attitude, etc., the more freedom they have.) Six of the kids have tablets or phones that they can use for the internet, but we have our router set to shut it off at 10:00 so they can't stay up all night. (If they don't achieve the minimum privilege level, they don't get the have their devices at all.) We use Funamo on all of their devices so they can't access things and places on the internet that we don't want them to. All internet sites are password protected on their computers, too. (I'm not sure how Tom did those.) We can make certain sites always available, so things like Club Penguin don't need a password to go to. We have a tv for the family, but we don't have cable. We watch UA-cam or buy seasons of things and we watch movies. The kids don't use the tv really without us and it's right in the living room where we can all see what's going on. All of that being said, Tom and I are probably far more relaxed about our kids seeing certain things than a lot of people are, but we have our reasons. Here's a link to our video about our privilege system: ua-cam.com/video/9GkWZj4zL_k/v-deo.html
thanks for your reply. sounds like a great system. i read articke that says more than 1 hour of screen time is too much for kids and i am kinda worried. i love your channel!
I can tell you our kids get far more than an hour of screen time most days, but we don't worry about it. They get lots of other things in the day, too!
On average, how long does it take to complete 8th grade Language Arts & Social Studies. I realize this varies, of course, but assuming you do one pace every 3 weeks, can you just give me a rough estimate regarding how much time these two subjects take daily? Thanks so much Andrea!! Love your videos!
To complete a PACE every three weeks in these subjects, you need to do 3-4 pages per day in English, 3 pages per day in Word Building, 5 pages per day in Social Studies. Depending on the child, I'd say it would take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes per subject each day. (Much of the S.S. is reading.)
Thank you, Andrea!
What was that you are playing in the background? This is going to be my 3 rd year doing the pace program and I'm looking to try different tools to make it better for my girl. Do you just find a UA-cam video on the subject for the day and play it?
Eden is listening to the Kindergarten Songs CD from ACE. It's for reviewing sounds in Kindergarten. We scanned the flash cards and made a video that displays the cards while playing the music. In schools, they hang the big flashcards on the wall, but we didn't have room for that so this was our solution. You can buy the CD from ACE. They don't sell it under the Home Educators tab, but they do under the Schools tab: aceweb.schooloftomorrow.com/store/dept.asp?dept_id=10&elite_category=A&elite_subject=7
+Andrea Mills oh my!!! Wished I lived next to you to see you at work. Would love to get that cd for my 4 year old. She starting vpk this year, but will probably do the homeschooling for kindergarten. I really need to explore the website. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of information.
I was wondering how yoy know how many pages they should do in each subject and do yall go year round or do yall keep a schedule like public schools do
We keep a regular schedule of 3 12-week terms. (We're in the second week of our second term as of this moment.) As for pages per day, we aim to finish each PACE in 3 weeks so we divide the number of pages between the number of school days and do that many. Here's a video on goal setting: ua-cam.com/video/-KfK9cQbDRg/v-deo.html
Thank you
how many pages do y'all do per day in each subgect
It depends on the grade and subject; anywhere from 3-6 pages is normal for us.
I was wondering if the children are distracted by the reading of the Bible while doing their school work.?.
How long does it play?
You're blessed. You & Tom have smart,respectful & adorable kids. They seem overwhelming work well together.
We don't have the Bible playing in the living room/kitchen, so it's not really noticeable where they're doing school. It does play in Tom's office where Thomas works, but apparently it doesn't bother him. It plays around the clock and has for several years now. It's been a real blessing to our family and I like to tell Tom it was one of the best ideas he ever had!
Andrea Mills I think it is as well. Thank you for taking the time to reply.
What "Bible" is playing in your video? I love the voice changes. Also, what game where you playing at the end of this video? Looked really neat.
@@lkmiller2010 It is a 1984 NIV "Dramatized" version, for a long time they did not make it available because there were some sort of rules regarding the use of it, but I had a message recently somewhere in my email that they are bringing it back! I cant seem to find it, but there are other dramatized versions available. I talk about it here
ua-cam.com/video/MQZp1Pn8lDE/v-deo.html
Haha that game looks interesting.
I just found this video and was amused to see Eden sitting opposite you and not Solomon. I was just expecting it to be Soli.
Yep; they've all had their turn! :)
Is the shop beside your house or is it connected
Our computer store is about half of our walk out basement. This video shows our floor plan at the end if you'd like to see how it all fits together: ua-cam.com/video/X3ZVLn0Nnt4/v-deo.html
I graduated from Lighthouse Christian Academy~ACE's distance learning school about 7 years ago. I was homeschooled and our family loved the fact that I was given a full accredited high school transcript once I completed my coursework through ACE. Just curious... What is your reason for not enrolling your children in the lighthouse with many benefits such as an accredited diploma rather then homeschooling independently through ACE? I'm asking because I will be homeschool my children through this program, and want to know my options.
+Isaiah Lujan I suppose I never even considered using Lighthouse. Homeschool diploma's are legal everywhere; we don't need any additional accreditation. I am quite comfortable making my own transcripts and diplomas and keeping my own records, so I've never felt the need to look into other options. We are members of HSLDA, though, in the event we should ever encounter a problem. Nice to meet you, by the way.
+Andrea Mills Awesome! I am aware that they are legal everywhere, just here in California we have many issues with most colleges and universities accepting non-accredited diplomas. At least, back when I graduated. We really did not want to run the risk of a higher learning institution turning me down for that reason. Just recently it was brought to my attention that elementary and junior high students really have no reason to be accredited. But just to be safe I think I will go through lighthouse just for their high school years.
There isn't really such thing as "accreditation." You still have report cards and transcripts, all that are accepted by universities...in fact they favor home schoolers the majority of the times. In addition if it was an issue for you you can do standardized testing which is full recognized by everyone.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your “monthly order list”!!! How can I get a copy?? That is genius!
Me too
I screenshotted alot of views and will make one
Great information! I will be looking into Ace for my Littles. Great to see someone else from WY. Awesome video!
How fun! Are you going to the HOW convention?
+Andrea Mills I wish! We are in TX for a bit. The hs convention in TX was in Dallas and that is 6 hours away. :(
What "Bible" is playing in your video? I love the voice changes. Also, what game where you playing at the end of this video? Looked really neat.
The game we're playing is called Tsuro. We have a 1984 NIV dramatized audio Bible from Faith Comes By Hearing. They don't produce that exact version anymore, but they have the new NIV and many other versions available. If you go to their web-site, they have a lot of free audio Bibles to download. Make sure to choose a dramatized one; they're the ones with different voice actors, sound effects, etc. www.faithcomesbyhearing.com
Thank you so much. Your videos are such a blessing.
I was curious about the same thing. I think I found it: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/16992/tsuro
what's the game called you played in the end?
Tsuro. It's a fun easy game that the whole family can play.
Ya'll are so real - love your transparency. Hard working Dad and husband. I love the speaker system with the Bible playing, what products do you use for that? My personal experience with the game Magic The Gathering was not a good one with my teen son several years back. Everyone needs their hobbies and interests, maybe you could express your thoughts on these type of games within the Christian context. Are most of the folks you play with also Christians? Thanks for any insights, love ya'll!!
How fast can you drive in Wyoming?🐅👍👋👏💕👌🐯💔
Diane Andersen In some parts of Wyoming, speed limit is 80 mph. I live in Wisconsin, and some roads are 70 mph.
What is the name of the game y'all were playing?
Tsuro
Andrea Mills. Thank you.. it looks like it was fun 2 play .. I am new 2 following you & I am enjoying your family & seeing the area y'all are from!
how old is your eldest child?
He is 14.
awesome, thank you for replying :) I love your channel!!
Ty!!! We've got 7 kids and it's nice to know our house isn't the only house like this. :-). We love it!! We use ACE as well. Not as easy to get Approved in Australia. I moved from California 9 years ago. What Bible CD do you always have playing?? I love it!!
It came from Faith Comes By Hearing. They don't have our particular version anymore, but they have other free dramatized versions. (We bought ours on CD and converted it for the ipod.)
Marie Alley hi what state in Aus are you? I'm looking into HS but feeling overwhelmed don't know where to start!
Andrea I'm so confused on what to do! I just received the ACE packets for my daughter whos going into 4th grade. Do you do all the subjects everyday? Do you do just a few subjects a couple days a week? When they do the test in the packet do you stop that subject for the day and move on to the next subject? Do you always do a test a day?
We do a few pages in each subject each day, but you could definitely do it differently. You could take a Charlotte Mason approach and do some subjects on certain days and other subjects on other days, just do more pages each time. We've even done it where for 3 months we worked on only a couple of subjects and completed a year's worth of work in those subjects over that time before switching to different subjects the following three months. We always do the test the day after completing the PACE and that's the only work we do in that subject for that day. We aim to finish one PACE in each subject every 2-3 weeks, but there can be wide variation from that plan depending on the child. Here's an example of what a week's plan might look like:
Mon. Tues. Wed. Thur. Fri.
Math 29-32 Test 1-4 5-8 9-12
English 7-9 10-12 13-15 16-18 19-21
SS 26-30 31-35 36-39 Test 1-5
Science 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30
WB 4-6 7-9 10-12 13-15 16-18
What an amazing mom❤️
Great video. We love ACE curriculum.
I love ace!!!
I think homeschooling would be really beneficial to my children. Unfortunately I’m in the uk where they start school at 4 years old and are expected to be able to read fluently within weeks, yet last time I checked the uk came 13th for English language?!
I believe every child learns at their own pace and the pressure put on them in our schools does not help them learn and effects their confidence for the rest of their life
I noticed that Eden was wearing an ankle length skirt and I was wondering if the girls have a choice, or do they have to wear them and if so when they get older will they have a choice on what pants or skirts they get to wear? Keep up the amazing work :)
They wear jeans, too. If you watch our Christmas shopping video you can see the girls in pants. Here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/ASSuSSse-fE/v-deo.html&lc=z133gbaals3qgb0u4233wrq5sw3bdjpcc
How exactly does this translate into College level education? Non Christian education ain't exactly peaches either, but this looks horrifying
+TheInternetDictator Are you sincerely looking for information or just being insulting?
Andrea Mills I'm genuinely inquiring. There seems to be very little room for creative thought, questioning, etc. Everything seems way too by the books and based on repetition. Then again Public School really isn't far off from this either, seems to be a product of poor American education.
+TheInternetDictator You'd be amazed. Studies are showing that homeschooled children outperform, and out test their public school peers in every aspect of education. This video just shows one of many days in a home of homeschoolers. Please educate yourself :www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html
Tracy Reed Every single homeschooled student I've known (My sister used to do gymnastics, so many were homeschooled) ended up far behind public school curriculum and tested worse than their traditional schooled peers. My sister was homeschooled for a few years and it almost ruined her, she was so far behind when she entered freshman year of high school that she had to constantly get tutoring.
Perhaps when someone has the ideal setting, very rigorous curriculum, and properly administered by attentive and involved parents it can possibly work, but the vast majority of homeschool settings are not like that.
I even took a few course on Florida Virtual School (the de facto homeschool program for Floridians) and it was the worst school experience of my life, such a faceless, horribly undertaken system, it sapped any motivation out of me for that short time.
+TheInternetDictator That is your perception. Which is false. That is your opinion and your opinion only. I have homeschooled my children since day one. My oldest attended the local public school for one year. She decided it was boring and far too easy. She can study what interests her and she's not held back. She doesn't need permission from a stranger to learn anything she wants. Needless to say she was on honor roll and far exceeded state testing without even studying at all. She even took the ASVAB for fun and got the highest score out of any of her peers and never studied for it once. She gets test anxiety so not bad at all. Your limited experience with homeschooling has clouded your judgement. Not to mention colleges WANT homeschoolers. They seek them out. It doesn't matter where they are against public schooled kids. Because by the time you get to college, NONE of that matters. Homeschoolers are far more independent , aren't restricted to being in a grade level, they can move as fast or as slow as they need to. Not everyone is a friggin genius. I know plenty of public school kids who have failed and failed to function once they graduate. And really, knowing just your sister isn't every single homeschooled person on the planet. Personally I think you're just on here to insult and are an internet troll.
Just wondering, do you have any experience in teaching? (Were you a teacher or teacher's aid?) and what makes you think you can do a better job at teaching your kids who are distracted and working in cramped spaces than a teacher can do at a school with proper learning materials and lots of like minded students?
Andrea started teaching when her oldest was 3, so she has 11 years teaching experience. I'm a credentialed teacher, and taught in a classroom for 10 years before homeschooling my three children. Having seen the education system from both sides I can say with confidence that this mom is doing an excellent job of teaching. I don't even understand some of your comments; how is a complete professional curriculum not considered "proper learning material"? These children work in whatever place works best with their learning style, even outdoors if they wish, which prevents distraction and gives both more flexibility and more space than a child has with 30+ other students in one room. And there could be no more "like-minded" students to work with than siblings. Homeschooled children perform outstandingly on standardized tests, and they work much better with others of all ages, not just with their peers. You may not have seen all of Andrea's videos, but her children participate in a variety of activities outside the home. And lest you think that only credentialed teachers are capable of teaching, I can tell you that I learned almost nothing actually useful in my credential program. Hands-on experience is by far the best, and Andrea has plenty of that. Her children, obviously already polite, confident, and capable, will be well-prepared for anything life hands them.
+Crazy Ladybug You're so cute. Perhaps we should just let the pros take our children at birth so we stupid parents don't mess them up.
I learned how to cook from someone who knew how to cook. Since I know how to cook, I can teach someone else. Algebra is no different. Of course, if you're too ignorant to teach children, perhaps you shouldn't put so much faith in the pros that taught you. And if you don't like homeschooling, don't do it. I personally don't care what you do and I can't imagine why you care what we do.
Hi Andrea, I just found your channel. It is a God send. You are so real. Thank you. We are really thinking of switching over to ACE with our homeschool. I admit, I have fought it for two years. (God called us to pull our kids out of school 2 years ago)
Even though my husband and I both did our whole schooling with ACE, I somehow felt that there were so many more "hip" ways to homeschool. But alas, I just can't seem to find anything that is as steam lined as ACE. And here is what I really wanted to post about ACE in response to the comments above, as my husband so adamantly stated I DID ACE ALL MY LIFE, AND NOW I HOLD A MASTER DEGREE AND AM TEACHING AT COLLEGE LEVEL!!!!
Sorry, why did you reply to my comment?
+Judy G, I agree. She uses professional materials and has 11-12 years of experience in teaching. And it seems her kids are learning just fine. If the kids ever apply for college or university or any other school, they have the proper paperwork showing that they were taught according to this curriculum and these were their grades in each subject.
Some "homeschooling" parents don't seem to have any idea what they're doing... But she isn't one of them. Besides, I've heard American public schools ain't that great... There's too much variation in the skills of the teachers to be sure, as a parent, that your kids are really learning... And private schools are hella expensive.
I live in Finland. The government gives directions/guidelines and the teachers build their curriculum according to those. I think preschool (at the age of 6) is still optional like it was in my childhood (I did go to preschool), but grades 1-9 (ages 7-16) everyone is required to go to school and graduate it. All preschool and elementary school (grades 1-6, ages 7-12) teachers have a Master's Degree in upbringing/childhood development (closest field of science I could find in English is called Education theory...) and all junior high school (grades 7-9, ages 13-19) teachers have a Master's Degree in whatever subject(s) they're teaching and also some studies in Education, I'm not sure how much... So, in here, it's pretty safe to send your kids to a public school. At least the teachers are qualified. Finnish students are pretty much always at the top of the list when their knowledge is measured internationally.
Are all eight of your children homeschooled?
Our two youngest aren't school age yet, but we homeschool all the others.