Term 3 Homeschool Books & Curriculum Updates: Grade 5

Hello friends!

I plan to make a video on what we’re using for our Form 3/2A (Grade 5) daughter this term but I often wait until we’ve been successfully using our new books and curriculum for a few weeks. So thanks for bearing with me…

*Our oldest child, turning 15 soon, is currently enjoying a local sports school academy but we may eventually bring him back into the homeschooling fold in his upper high school years… we’ll see what God has planned!

While moving to Florida has opened us up to many new incredible outdoor opportunities, and we’re enjoying most of what we’re diving into this last term of the year, not everything is as peachy as it looks. Math continues to be a struggle, so we switched things up (see below) and we employ a sweet lady tutor from Grade Potential who comes once/week to help so my daughter and I can enjoy our relationship more in the areas I’m more comfortable teaching (reading, writing, science — basically anything BUT math).

Our daughter is also attending multiple, in-person marine biology & micro-science lab classes in our local area that appeals to her interests around science and animals, including special homeschool gatherings at our local aquariums and nature preserves.

Finally, she is enjoying a little homeschool community here where she’s learning Italian and life skills. (Hence the Italian copywork book we decided to get last-minute which she adores using)!

Here’s our weekly loop subjects and books:

We’re reading through a simple and sweet girls devotional each week.
Our daily read-aloud is The Dragon and the Stone in The Dreamkeepers Saga - not sure what we’ll choose next!
Artist study: Homer by Simply Charlotte Mason - this is our second time studying this artist who spent time in our area and has several paintings in Florida we can see in person.
Folk Songs: Ambleside Online YouTube Folk Song lists
Poetry: The Book of Animal Poetry and The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet
Geography: Simple map drills using blank maps
Math: We paused Saxon - it was a lot of daily strife for us both so we’re praying about our other options. A tutor comes to our home 1x/week. Business Math by SCM - this is one thing we’ve changed up this month. A friend of hers is also completing this guide so they get to discuss it in person, which we used for our oldest as well.
History:
America: Continuing reading through America: Our Stories
Ancient: The Story of Civilization, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths - a few gods each week
World: The Age of Chivalry (audio version), King Arthur and His Knights (can be listened to in a day - read by Jim Weiss)
Handwriting/Copywork/Narration:
Narration after each read aloud - draw a picture and write a few sentences (or tell back orally)
Italian Handwriting (because she’s passionate about it!)
Writing and Rhetoric Book 3 (and looping in Easy Grammar)
Keyboarding daily - we no longer use lessons but she types frequently and we work on hand placement and posture, along with increasing type speed.
Citizenship:
Plutarch: We put this aside for spring and will pick it back up in fall.
Current Events: WORLDWatch (use code CRYSTAL3 to get your first 3 months free).
Shakespeare: Archangel Audiobooks
Handcrafts: Life skills in person at co-op
Foreign Language: Italian in-person immersion classes at co-op
Science: We put down the science books for Term 3 after finishing Beetle Busters lessons from Alveary in lieu of her attending in-person marine biology/oceanography and nature preserve gatherings.
Literature: Independent reading and audiobooks. She enjoyed A Wolf Called Wander so she’s now onto A Wolf Called Fire, along with several other independent chapter books of her choosing from the book store.
Audiobooks: Recently: The Giver, The Mysterious Benedicts Society Book 4, A House with a Clock in its Walls, The Chocolate Touch, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them… and more depending on what she’s currently interested in.

I hope this is helpful for those of you with students her age. Let me know if you have any questions!

💌 February Book Picks + Fresh February Members Guide

Hello friends – I have a few exciting things lined up for you in February!

First, our new February Membership Simple + Fresh Guide will be available and ready to download Feb 1. We’re exploring the History of Chocolate, Quilting Stories and the Science of Shadows.

Don’t forget to download January too!

This month’s “Word of the Month” Book Challenge is “SHADOW.” (I listed books I’m reading and read in January below).

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What I read in January:

A Beautiful Ugly ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Connie: A Memoir ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What You Are Looking for Is In the Library ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Melania ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Clean ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Close Your Eyes ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Deadly Game (A book that won a ton of awards by a local Floridian author) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

February Books:

So far, The Sword of Kaigen is proving to be a favorite 2025 book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And you can NEVER go wrong reading Norms & Nobility: A Treatise on Education.

I’d love to hear what YOU’RE reading in February!

🎁 Simple + Screen-Free Advent and Gift Ideas

As our family embarks on an exciting new chapter (I can’t wait to share more soon!), I wanted to share some of our favorite Advent and Christmas gift ideas.

We love creating a simple, screen-free holiday atmosphere (with the exception of classic movies like Christmas Vacation and Home Alone), so you won’t find tech gadgets or gizmos on this list. 

Advent Ideas for your homeschool:

Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions with Handel's Messiah by Cindy Rollins - One of my all-time favorite guides.

All Creation Waits by Gayle Boss - We did this one when the kids were younger and it’s one of the sweetest books. We enjoyed Jennifer Pepito’s printable guide for this book.

My personal adult Advent daily reading I enjoy the most each year - super simple daily bits to read and reflect on: Joy to the World: Daily Readings for Advent by Charles H. Spurgeon

We plan to use Let Heaven and Nature Sing: Advent Art and Poetry Lesson Plans for All Ages from the Circe Institute this year with the family if we can get to it.

And just for fun because our family loves Escape rooms, puzzles and solving riddles together: EXIT: Advent Calendar - The Hunt for The Golden Book

Crack the crate

Crack the Crate - Both my kids (14 & 10) worked together to crack this case - and it’s really well done. Digging dragon eggs and solving crypto clues and it was the perfect difficulty level - not to difficult and not to easy! 

Screen-Free Gift Ideas:

Fahlo - Our kids LOVE animals, so we track about 10 animals with these unique bracelets that to help saving endangered species around the globe! Get 20% OFF Using code SIMPLE20 

Little Christmas Carol - If you enjoyed Little Pilgrim’s Progress, you might love this book too!

Book Lovers Gift Set (Okay, this one might be more for me!) haha

The Harry Potter Mystery Box – If your kids love receiving mail or subscription boxes, this would be the perfect gift that keeps on giving! Each box is filled with exclusive items from the Potterverse including memorabilia, artwork, accessories and more… cancel anytime!

More than a Puzzle! Our family adores putting these puzzles together and then taking it a step further and solving the clues to find the answer to each mystery! Some do say 14+ but our 10yo helped us solve multiple clues! Here are our favorites so far:

Jungle Escape Puzzle
The Art Studio Escape Puzzle
Midnight Garden Escape Puzzle

Zero Waste Gifts by Me Mother Earth – for the eco-conscious friends and family in your life

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien (A Graphic Novel) - I’m snagging this for both kids!

Coffee Produced in Bird-Friendly Habitats (Another gift I’m asking for!)

FREEBIE!

Before you go, don’t forget to download my FREE 5-Day Gratitude Journal for you and your family! way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

As we prepare for the holiday season, I hope these Advent and Christmas gift ideas inspire you to create meaningful, tech-free traditions with your loved ones. Whether you're savoring quiet moments, enjoying classic holiday films, or diving into festive activities, may this season be filled with joy, connection, and cherished memories. 

Teaching Citizenship with Purpose to All Ages

I received this email recently from a homeschooler: ”Hello!!! I would LOVE and even pay for a beginners guide to teaching citizenship and Plutarch. It feels so overwhelming to me for some reason I don’t even know where to begin, and I saw you mention in one of your videos it’s one of your favorite subjects to teach.” Warm wishes! - KM

I DO love teaching citizenship! But sometimes it sounds intimidating and I can understand why. Public school approaches these topics through subjects like “social studies” and “civics” and when homeschoolers talk about things like Rome and Plutarch and your child is 5 years old… it can feel confusing and overwhelming.

My initial response is to suggest checking out Heroes & Hope and Exploring Political Ideologies for older students, but these are launching pads to dive even deeper and appreciate this subject area.

That’s why today, I’m diving into how we can teach citizenship with purpose to all ages.

Reading through our Heroes & Hope book with my kids in April 2020!

Charlotte Mason viewed citizenship as an essential part of education, helping individuals understand their role and responsibility within society. Her approach was rooted in character formation, moral integrity, and a deep understanding of history, government, and social order.

We also don’t structure our homeschool like a traditional school, with social studies workbooks and tests.

Still, I firmly believe that citizenship encompasses the whole person—their values, beliefs, internal moral compass, and leadership development.

One key aspect I should mention is that I approach citizenship differently with my son and daughter, based on their God-given strengths, skills, and interests. In other words, our son is wired differently than his little sister. Nevertheless, they both deserve exposure to Plutarch, for example. While they may not both be naturally inclined to pursue studies in battle leadership, they are both inclined toward character development and ethics.

Here’s a brief overview of how we’ve approached teaching citizenship over the past 10 years:

1. Starting in Form 2B (Grade 4): We begin by gradually reading Stories from the History of Rome by Ms. Beesly. The children give an oral or a drawing narration.

2. Moving to Citizenship Primers: After completing Stories from the History of Rome, we introduce a citizenship primer like The Young Citizen Reader by Paul Reinsch. Alongside this, we start reading through a Plutarch Primer to familiarize the children with the lives and teachings of Plutarch, the Greek historian and biographer. Plutarch's Lives (or Parallel Lives)—biographies of notable Greeks and Romans—are considered foundational in classical education, including in Charlotte Mason's method.

3. Incorporating Other Stories, Current Events and Guides: While working through the primers, we also explore other historical stories and biographies, using resources like Heroes & Hope, Courage and Exploring Political Ideologies to discuss the ideas and values tied to citizenship. We enjoy poetry like Lyra Heroica, and books like Ourselves and the Socratic Dialogues. There are a plethora of great books depending on what you think your child might enjoy reading and discussing! I offer more ideas in my form guides which you can find here and here.
   
   We also incorporate daily Current Events (as Charlotte Mason recommends). We’ve been using WORLDWATCH for a couple years and the kids BEG to watch it daily.
   
   Click Here and use code “CRYSTAL4” for FOUR FREE MONTHS of WORLDWatch for your family.** The deal starts with a free 7 day trial, after this you will be charged $0 for the next 4 months.
   

4. Diving Deeper into Plutarch: As we progress, we read Plutarch’s Lives together and discuss the various lives. Initially, my son and I read together, using guides from communities like The CMEC, The Alveary, and Ambleside Online. However, as our schedule became busier and I was reading aloud for most of the day, my son transitioned to online Plutarch classes with a community of students. For the past two years, his favorite has been classes with Thomas Banks from House of Humane Letters.

5. Engaging in In-Person Discussions on GREAT books: Finally, our kids participate in in-person groups where they get to discuss good books and citizenship values with their peers, focusing on the good, the true, and the beautiful. These can include things like sci-fi or fantasy fiction novels, historical fiction and more.

The key is to not box yourself in! Sure, we can enjoy a path with what others have studied for history AND we can include exciting books and dialogue with others based on modern society and the world we live in and the ideas and challenges we battle today.

In the end, as homeschool parents, our role isn’t to teach everything. It's about exposing our children to a rich feast of ideas and allowing them to explore these topics at their own pace.

I hope this is helpful!