Saturday 9 August 2008 - In Which I Procrastinate on My School Planning and Blog About Curriculum Instead
It’s time to transition from Butterflies to Books. This is my annual School Planning Weekend, in which Huz takes the kids up north to his mom’s for a couple nights and I get the house and my brain all to myself. (Well, mostly. Cheez is here, but she’s in & out and isn’t much of a distraction.)
I’d like to tell you that I go into this weekend with my curriculum all chosen and the basic planning already done, that I use this weekend to do the more detailed planning & organization, and that I come out of it all ready to go. Or at least, I’d like to tell you that and have it be true, but it wouldn’t be. The truth is, I generally go into this planning weekend in full Summer Mode, having done virtually nothing for the coming school year, and I emerge from it with a lot of work yet to be done. It’s really just a starting point, something to lull my brain out of Summer Break mode and into the reality of the Impending School Year. Which is why I finally got smart and decided I'd better stop waiting until Labor Day weekend to do it.
(I’m going to insert here that I think that some form of year-round schooling would be the best way to homeschool. However, we don’t do it. I’d never heard or thought of it when we started out 16 years ago, and now the Summer Break habit is too deeply ingrained. Despite my strong opinion that a long summer break is not good for young brains, we’re always ready for one by June, and so we take one. We do some “summer learning” in varying amounts; we did a lot last year, but barely any this year. They read, of course, but other than that, I think we did a few math worksheets. Oh, and I made the kids recite the Gettysburg address every time they became too verbally obnoxious, and that’s about it.)
So, back to my Planning Weekend. In order to ease said brain into School-Planning Mode while simultaneously indulging my desire for a Blogging Fix, I am going to share with you a few of the curricular resources we’ve used & liked over the years. I’ll start with the mundane and work my way up to our favorite things, literature and history. Only I’ll tell you right now, I won’t make it to the end.
Oh, first, for a basic description of The Way I Homeschool, here is a description lifted directly from my sidebar, because I know a lot of people don’t read them anyway. Although you really should read mine.
“Over 16 years of homeschooling, I've evolved to a less formal, Charlotte Mason-ish eclectic approach with a more-or-less classical bent. (Isn't that clear as mud?) My goal is to “light the fires” of learning and creativity in my kids. I emphasize history & literature because we enjoy them, and I incorporate informal language arts into much of what we do.
“Er, yeah. That's how it's SUPPOSED to go. The reality of it is...
“After 16 years of homeschooling, I have yet to really figure out how to do it. So we muddle along, overemphasizing history and almost sort of neglecting science, and I spend way too much time making plans that we don't stick to anyway. We read a lot, and we like words, and we don't manage our time very well, and sometimes I yell.”
And with that understanding, here we go...
Math
No “favorites” here, really. Math is the one subject for which I have made barely any curriculum changes over the years; I had to take an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to something! When I ditched the traditional textbook approach to homeschooling after our first year, our math curriculum was the one thing I didn’t change, so all my kids have started out with BJU Math. Cheez seemed to have a harder time grasping & remembering concepts than had my eldest, so I switched her to Saxon in 5th grade. That was a much better fit for her. I may switch Fuzz to Saxon this year as well. As long as that works, I will continue to resist temptation to look at all the nifty, newer, “more interesting” math programs out there, because spending my money on other subjects is much more fun.
Oh, but here’s one of the free math worksheet sites I use for extra practice, and a couple of fun supplements for a sports-minded kid:
  Huh. Can't get them the same size, and not sure if they're linking right. Oh well. Both Biz & Spaz have enjoyed these.
Science
*Sigh* Science is not our favorite subject and we have a hard time staying consistent with it. There’s a lot of good science curriculum out there; I’ve looked at it. It’s just that we haven’t used any of it. Yet. My favorite science “curriculum” over the years has been Classes Taught By Someone Else, followed closely by Co-op With Friends. But we did science at home last year, and here’s something fun that we used:
I bought this kit years ago at a bargain price, and the kids really wanted to do it last year. This is not highly sophisticated, in-depth stuff, but we enjoyed it and I think the kids learned a few things. Best of all, for the first time ever, DAD actually got involved in homeschool teaching! (I have pictures to prove it.) We reinforced the concepts with simple notebook assignments-- each kid had to draw a picture and write a description using some of the terms we learned.
Handwriting & Typing
I loathe ball-and-stick manuscript; it’s difficult and unnatural, and who actually writes that way once they are done with handwriting books? I likewise abhor traditional loopy cursive. I can’t stand d’Nealian, either. What I do like is this:
My littles, however, despise any handwriting book, even this wonderful series, and much prefer copywork. Well, actually, Spaz prefers to never hold a pencil at all, but that isn’t an option. He actually has beautiful handwriting when he tries. Anyway, I think perhaps they prefer copywork because they can write something meaningful or relevant to their studies. Now, I am perfectly capable of coming up with copywork for them; nevertheless, this book sounded too good to resist:
Despite its utilization of the loathsome ball-and-stick manuscript and the abhorrent loopy cursive, we have gotten a lot of use out of this worthwhile book. Spaz has no problem looking at a quote in manuscript or loopy and rewriting it in Italic handwriting. Fuzz, not yet having mastered italic handwriting, has a harder time doing this but continually asks to do copywork from this book anyway as a supplement to her handwriting book. How could I say no?
There is another history-based copywork series I found on the internet which actually comes in an Italic Handwriting version and includes quotes from world history as well. I am debating purchasing it, but first I have to go to my old computer and look up the link, because I don't even remember the name of it. 
For typoing, the kids use and like:
I left the above error so that you can see why I really ought to install this program on my own computer. I type mostly with my two middle fingers, by the way. That’s not a reflection of how I feel about my readers; it’s just habit. And my right pointer finger stays glued to the middle finger as I type. Ever since I noticed this, it drives me nuts, but it drives me even more nuts when I make an effort to not do it. Oops, sorry; I digress.
This is long enough for now. Time for me to get busy with my planning. Tomorrow, language arts, spelling, & writing. Really. I promise. I've already written it.
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Tuesday 27 May 2008 - Has Mr Bowditch Been Reduced to Carrying Watie's Rifles?
Earth-shattering news:
Spaz informed me today that Carry On Mr. Bowditch has quite possibly been edged out of its long-held (14-month) standing as his Favorite Book of All Time. Apparently the jury's decision is not yet final, but Spaz says good old Nat has likely been knocked out of first place by a Civil War-era upstart named Jefferson Davis Bussey, hero of Spaz' probable new Favorite Book of All Time, Rifles For Watie. Who'd think a book with a title like that would even be any good? Spaz says it's more than good. In fact, he wanted to read it again this week so that he could make a final decision as to whether Jeff really ought to supplant Nat or be content with a close second place.
I, being the Mean and Controlling Mother, said, No, this week you get a choice of Red Badge of Courage or Across Five Aprils. (I didn't put that in quotation marks because I didn't feel like it and because my 9-year-old Stickler For Correct Punctuation does not read this blog.) The Rifles will have to Waitie while Mr Bowditch continues for the time being to Carry On in his now-precarious #1 position. I'm sure they will all survive the tension and delay.
In other Civil War Juvenile Fiction news: After initially rejecting the book a hefty four paragraphs in, Fuzz has decided that Who Comes With Cannons? was a pretty good book after all. Nonetheless, she is annoyed by the title, which she claims has little to do with the story. She is not, however, annoyed enough to take me up on my suggestion that she come up with a new and more relevant title. Have I mentioned that Fuzz is a Stickler For Everything Making Sense?
I know you all found those news tidbits utterly fascinating. You're welcome.
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Wednesday 7 May 2008 - Jumpin' in the Rain
Spontaneous stream-of-thought post...
The kids were due for a playbreak, and I said, "Go outside." I always say that, so I don't know why they even ask for indoor playbreaks. Maybe because about a third of the time I respond to that request with, "Well, OK, I guess, but only this once." The rest of the time, I tell them, "Kids who go to school don't get indoor recess unless it's raining or below zero, and it's neither. Go outside." And I did that today, except that I added, "And it looks like it's going to rain any minute, so get outside while you still can."
So they went out to the trampoline, and I threw some stuff in the crock pot for soup for dinner, and when I looked out the slider I saw raindrops on the deck. And the kids were still on the tramp. Then I checked email, and when I looked outside again, it was pouring. And the kids were still out on the tramp, laughing and shouting and generally having fun.
Ain't it great? Homeschooling, that is. If they were in school, they'd have to have INDOOR recess when it rained. And they'd be missing out on this gloriously fun (from the sounds of it) experience of jumping in the pouring rain.
"Hmmm," thought I. "I haven't posted in a few days, and all my current headblogs are rather lengthy, so I think I'll just write a quick post about the kids being out on the trampoline." (Nevermind that I'm not supposed to blog during the "schoolday". This would just be a quick post, you know. As if I could do that.)
They were still out there when I logged in to my computer. By the time I logged into HSB, I could hear the telltale noise of rattling landscape stones telling me they were on their way in via the basement slider. "Oh darn and oh well," thought I. "I can write a quick post anyway." Unfortunately, they were followed in by Huz, who looked over my shoulder and said, "BLOGGING, huh?"
Caught red-fingered. And after I'd been so good this week. Sometimes I don't like it that Huz works from home. (Well, he works in his shop, which is 30 feet from our house.)
This is a fun post because it was not head-blogged ahead of time and is just going wherever it wants to go. It should probably go bye-bye pretty quick here.
My soaking wet kids made hot chocolate while (or because) I am on the computer. I had been going to make them soup, or tea, or something. Oh well.
Some days homeschooling is rather frustrating. Some days it is VERY frustrating. But at the moment, it's rather fun.
And I need to get off the computer so I can kinda sorta keep it that way. Because if they sit too long with their hot chocolate (oh, and bagels, I see), Spaz will get "out of school mode" and the day will quickly become frustrating.
Recess in the rain. Too cool.
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Friday 2 May 2008 - Um, Yeah, Just a FEW Favorite Books
Updated Sun 5/4- with a few caveats & descriptions, & an addition-- can't believe I forgot The Kingdom Series under "Spaz Faves"! It's there now.
I was perusing the internet tonight in search of “humane ways to rid one’s home of mice” and sort of got sidetracked into reading blogs. My fingers just sorta jumped to that Favorites button and started clicking and my eyes followed and… yeah. Anyway, in the process of being thusly sidetracked, I discovered that Heart of the Matter has a meme going today on the subject of “favorite books”.
So much for the mice. What homeschool mom can resist an excuse to post on favorite books?
I think about books a lot. And I think about blogging about books a lot, but rarely do. The problem for me with attempting a post like this is that as soon as I think about writing it, my BUMR Disorder kicks into gear, and I spend so much time thinking and analyzing and categorizing and trying to make sure I don’t forget anything that I never end up actually finishing the post, if indeed I even get it started.
So tonight I am going to try to stuff that overanalytical part of my brain in a drawer --or maybe behind Spaz’ dresser to be gnawed on by the mouse-- and do my best to just, y’know, write a post about favorite books. Not ALL our favorite books, not necessarily the favoritest favorite books, because I’m sure I will forget some. And not “reviews” because, for goodness’ sake, I have only 3 hours until Friday is over and it would take me that just to write one review. (OK, not really, but close.) Nope, this will just be an imperfect, incomplete, off-the-top-of my head list of SOME of our family’s favorite books. Kids’ books, to be more specific- that will keep it simpler. *Exhales deeply.* I can do this.
First up, a few of my favorite childhood books:
The Silver Trumpet, by Owen Barfield -a strange and sad story about twin princesses, a curse, a prince with a trumpet, and of course the requisite good vs evil. I’m not sure whether I loved this exquisitely illustrated, purple cloth-bound book because of the story or because it was mine. As in, MY book, not the family’s book, not co-owned by any siblings. That was a really big thing. Whatever the reason, it was my favorite book. Last year I was reminiscing about this book and wondering whether my parents still had it, and my youngest child made it her mission to find out the next time she visited Grandma and Grandpa. Lo and behold, she returned home with the beloved purple book, old and dusty and musty and still very readable. I read it aloud to Huz and the youngers, after which it was given a new home on our family bookshelf. Fuzz recently re-read it on her own, in that lights-are-still-on-at-11-pm-because-I-can’t-put-the-book-down sort of way, although I’m not sure whether she loves it because of the story or because it used to be mine. (I do have to warn you that parts of it are a little, shall we say, unsettling and maybe eerie, especially at the end when… well, I can’t give away the story. Just be forewarned.)
Um, I forgot that I wasn’t going to do “reviews”.
Favorite childhood books also included, of course, The Chronicles of Narnia. As a child, I most loved The Horse and His Boy, and as that was at that time Book #5, I remember having some very animated arguments with my brothers concerning the chronological context of this book within the Narnia series. Of course, the later renumbered editions proved me correct, thank you very much. Oh sorry, reminiscing again. Anyway… much as I loved reading these books as a child, it is my strong opinion that parents should NOT allow their children to read these books. I allowed Biz and Cheez to read them… and only later, when reading them aloud with Spaz and Fuzz, did I realize what a mistake I had made to let the older kids read them. I should have read the books TO them! We missed out on so much wonderful discussion! Reading them together with Spaz and Fuzz and Huz made for some of the best family times we have ever had. Even if I did just about get laryngitis from trying to do the voice of Lord Rhoop.
OK, moving along here… Other childhood favorites included the E B White books (which, again, I have read to my own kids), and I’m sure there were others. Oh yes, and my Life of Jesus book, another which was mine-mine-all-mine. That book presented the gospels in “graphic novel” form (we just called it “comic” form back in the old days), and it is now included as part of The Picture Bible, published by Chariot Books, which my own kids enjoy. (Hmmm, I’m starting to see a pattern here…)
Alright, I have only 2 hours left before Friday is over, so I need to stop “writing” and start “listing”! On to some favorite kids’ books of my adulthood:
Some of our favorite preschooler books (often enjoyed long past preschool age):
Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
Happy Birthday, Moon, by Frank Asch
No More Elephants, by Jerry Smath
Those Terrible Toy-Breakers, by David McPhail
Hot-Air Henry, by Mary Calhoun
Harold & the Purple Crayon, et al, by Crockett Johnson
Frog & Toad series, Uncle Elephant, & others by Arnold Lobel
The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh, by A A Milne (we still read this sometimes!)
Some of our favorite family read-alouds, non-historical:
The Chronicles of Narnia, The Silver Trumpet, EB White books,as mentioned above
The Evergreen Wood, by Alan & Linda Parry (based on “Pilgrim’s Progress”, wonderfully illustrated)
Paddle-to-the-Sea, by Holling C Holling
A Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden
The Mouse & the Motorcycle, et al, by Beverly Cleary
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman
Treasures in the Snow, by Patricia St. John
Homesick: My Own Story, by Jean Fritz (her life as a child in China & the US, every bit as fun to read as any of her other books)
Call It Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
Some of our favorite historical books (* means we read it aloud together):
The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw(set in ancient Egypt)*
Twice Freed, by Patricia St John (story of Onesimus & Philemon)
Black Ships Before Troy, by Rosemary Sutcliffe (based on The Iliad)
Eagle of the Ninth & other fiction set in ancient Rome, by Rosemary Sutcliffe
A Door in the Wall, by Marguerite D’Angeli (set in medieval England)*
Three Young Pilgrims (picture book)
Amos Fortune, by Elizabeth Yates (set in Colonial America)*
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare (set in Colonial America)
The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare (set in Colonial America)*
The Reb & the Redcoats, by Constance Savery(set during American Revolution)
The King’s Day, by Aliki (picture book abt King Louis XIV)
In Search of Honor, by Donna Hess (set during French Revolution)*
Born in the Year of Courage, by (set in 19th-century Japan)*
How We Crossed the West, by Rosalyn Schanzer (abt Lewis & Clark)
The Tree in the Trail, by Holling C Holling (200 yrs of history on the Santa Fe trail)*
Harriet and the Runaway Book, by Johanna Johnston (picture bk for young readers abt HB Stowe)*
Little House on the Prairie series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder*
Trailblazer series, by Dave & Neta Jackson
Getting to Know the World’s Favorite Artists & Musicians series, by Mike Venezia
And A FEW of the kids’ favorite books over the years:
Historical books:
-Cheez’ Faves, ages 10-14: I Remember the Alamo, by ; Once Upon This Island, by Gloria Whelan (War of 1812);Troy (based on The Iliad); Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott; Scottish Chiefs
-Spaz’ Faves, ages 11-12: Carry On, Mr Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham (bio of the "father of modern navigation", declared by Spaz as his absolute favorite book of all time); Cromwell’s Boy, by Erik Haugaard; Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes; Yankee Doodle Boy, by Martin Joseph Plumb; Magnificent Voyage, by Laurie Lawlor (abt Capt Cook’s last voyage)
-Fuzz’ Faves, ages 8-9: Hugenot Garden (17th-c France); Sisters in Time series; Tolliver’s Secret (American Revolution); Who Was…? biography series
*a couple caveats: Black Ships... is a bit violent for young children, and Cheez states that Troy contains some "inappropriate material", which of course could be said of more than a few classic works.
**note: tho Fuzz did, I would not have rated Hugenot Garden as a favorite; it was a bit preachy, but still a worthy read bc of the subject matter.
Non-historical books:
-Cheez Faves, ages 13-17: LOTR & everything else Tolkien ever wrote; almost anything by Shakespeare or Poe ( on the latter, sez Mom);The Lorax, by Dr Suess
-Spaz Faves, ages 8-12: Hardy Boys series (Biz liked these, too); The Kingdom series, by Chuck Black (Biblical analogy); The Dragon King Trilogy, by Stephen Lawhead (Cheez loved these, too)
-Fuzz Faves, ages 6-8: Froggy books, by Jonathan London; Boxcar Children series, by Gertrude Chandler Warner
I knew I couldn't keep this short and simple. Don't get me talking about books. Is anybody still out there reading?...
That Overanalytical Brain keeps jumping out of the drawer, and I keep adding more and more and... So even though I know I’m forgetting many, and I never even got into the 20th-century with historical books, I’m going to quit now. |
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Friday 2 May 2008 - You Know You've Been Teaching Fourth-Grade Math...
...when you lie in bed in the morning thinking, "If my alarm goes off at 6:51 and every nine minutes thereafter, and it is now 7:27, how many times have I hit snooze?"
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Friday 4 April 2008 - The Difficulty of Maintaining One's Composer
It's OK, really, if my kid is messing around on the piano instead of working on his history timeline. Isn't it? I know he's not being disciplined at that moment, but... I don't know. Maybe self-discipline is overrated.
("No danger of that at our house," Huz would say --meaning that the likelihood of us going overboard on being disciplined is slim-- and he'd be right. )
I mean, it just seems sadly, ironically wrong to say to a kid, "Stop trying to compose music and go put Chopin and Mendelssohn on your history timeline." Doesn't it? Especially when an hour earlier, I had scolded him for playing the piano too loudly while I was trying to write down his sister's description of her illustration of The Great Exhibition of 1851 (at which time he was supposed to be quietly doing his history timeline anyway, as if he could do anything quietly in the first place), and he had run from the piano in tears saying, "I'm never going to be able to figure out the music for my poem when I'm not even allowed to play the piano!"
Never mind the fact that he'd written the poem earlier in the day while he was supposed to be doing schoolwork, and I was so impressed with it that I let him cross off a Wordsmith assignment and count the poem as his "language arts" for the day instead. I still felt like a First Class Meanie for squelching his creativity and driving him from his beloved piano just so that I could do some silly history thing. Except that the silly history thing had to do with his sister's creativity.
*Sigh* Maybe we need a piano room. If only.
So an hour later, listening to him play around again on the piano instead of getting his work done, I wasn't about to say anything. Least of all, "Go get those composers on the timeline." So I didn't.
And so it goes, the endless struggle to find the balance between flexibility and routine, between creativity and structure, between enrichment and academics, between "life" and "school", between important play and less important work... I have been trying to figure that one out for as long as I've been a parent. I doubt I ever really will figure out that perfect balance. There probably isn't one.
The composers did eventually get on the timeline, by the way. Well, OK, at least Chopin did, and that's probably good enough. All the rest of the schoolwork got done, too. The music for Spaz' poem still hasn't come to him, but he's working on it.
It's OK, really, if I'm messing around on the computer writing a blog post instead of folding the laundry. Isn't it? Even though I make my kids get theirs folded and put away before they can play on the computer. I mean, I'm the mom, you know. I know I'm not being disciplined at that moment, but... I don't know. Maybe self-discipline is overrated.
Or not. I really should go fold my laundry.
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Monday 31 March 2008 - Um, Not Quite...
Signs that you might be focusing a little too much on world history and not quite enough on American civics:
(1) Your nine-year-old thinks the three branches of the United States federal government are the President, Government, and Parliament Court.
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Monday 31 March 2008 - We're Famous!
Sunday 16 March 2008 - A Sappy Story
You may recall me saying in one of my many posts about Cheez' snow days that Spaz, Fuzz, and I would take OUR "snow days" in nicer weather.
Well, we were more than ready for one, and the Lord knew it. So He, with help from some nature-y, outdoorsy homeschool friends, provided just the opportunity. The call came on Tuesday and the date was set for Friday. It gave us something to look forward to, and boy, did that help us get through the rest of our schooldays last week. The "March blahs" diminished and all but disappeared. The same-old-same-old routine suddenly became far more bearable with the knowledge that Friday would be different. I think I need to plan "snow days" for every Friday! (I wish.)
We got a "day off" from chores & academics, a new experience, an educational adventure, and a playdate, all rolled into one. We also had approval from huz to order pizza for dinner, and sunny, 50-degree weather to boot! It doesn't get too much better than that.
We slept in a bit, had an early lunch at Grandma's, and then it was off to our adventure!
Now of course, if I'd planned a trip to the nature center to tap for syrup, I never would have gotten away with calling it a "snow day". They'd have caught onto the educational aspect of the thing right away and dubbed it a "school day". But to do it at a friend's house? Why, that's called "fun"! And really, it sounded far more relaxing and enjoyable to me to do it that way, too.
As it turns out, the maple sugaring didn't take a whole lot of time. Most of the afternoon was spent with the kids playing (the boys mostly outside) and the moms yakking. It was great.
It wasn't until we were recapping the day's events over pizza that evening that Spaz finally caught on. "Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly. "We did science today!" It was clearly not fair to him, or to Fuzz either, that education had occured on a "snow day".
*Heh heh.* I am such a clever and sneaky mom.
Poor homeschooled kids. "School" = learning, and learning happens constantly, therefore "school" is always in session. Life is rough.
I am still contemplating whether to ruin the whole thing further by making them write a little -just a little- tomorrow about our adventures. You know, write captions for our pics or something simple and "fun" like that. Just something to, um, tap their knowledge a bit; nothing too mentally sapping.
And with those very bad puns, I'm off to figure out a devious way to sneak in some education on our next fair-weather "snow day". |
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Friday 7 March 2008 - Expanding Westward on a Salt-Dough Map
Our salt-dough map is finished, and the timing couldn’t be better for blogging! It just so happens that…
What do you mean, What salt-dough map? You mean you don’t remember everything I’ve ever posted about? It’s only been four months since I told you we were starting this project! OK, fine; I’ll refresh your memory as soon as I’m finished with my intro.
…Anyway, it just so happens that The Heart of the Matter is talking today about Pioneer unit studies, and even though we weren’t strictly studying “pioneers”, this fits in. Which is cool, because I have never before actually gotten around to making a post in time for an HOTM meme. (I planned ahead this time.) AND, it also just so happens that my friend callmekate recently asked for ideas on making US History “fun”. I’d say this qualifies here as well.
Ta-da! Here it is! Do you remember now?
Back in November when we began our pre-War westward expansion studies, Fuzz and I had the brilliant idea to trace that westward movement, along rivers and over mountains, on a 3-D salt-dough map. (Well, OK, that’s not entirely accurate. Actually, she had complained a few weeks earlier that it had been a long time since we’d made a salt-dough map, and then I had the brilliant idea. But close enough.) Making and painting a dough map is a project right up her alley. Spaz adores maps, but didn’t care to make one of these for himself, which was fine. It worked out well to have the three of us team up on one map.
(At this point, if you don’t remember my previous post about it, you are probably wondering why, if we started this in November, we didn’t finish it until a couple weeks ago. Well, the really cool thing is that this was a progressive project. Just keep reading and you’ll understand.)
For those who want to make one, I’ll walk you through our process. (Those who don’t can always just look at the pictures. J) For a base, I enlarged a blackline US map from my Knowledge Quest set and glued it to a large piece of stiff paperboard. Fuzz painted in the Great Lakes and the edges of the oceans, as this would be hard to do after the dough was on the map. She and I made the dough (recipe below), and she then began to build her 3-D map on the base. We studied a topographical atlas & map so she’d know where & how to make the mountains. I’m sure they’re not totally accurate- in fact, I know they aren’t- but they are close enough. Once Fuzz had finished everything else, I had Spaz carve in a few major rivers. (In retrospect, I would not have done that, as the carved rivers were rough and un-rivery-looking and hard to paint; it would have been easier and looked better had we simply painted them on top of the map.) We then let it dry for a few days. I put heavy books (history encyclopedias, of course!) on the edges of the cardboard base to keep it from curling up too much as it dried.
 The next step was painting-- but not all at once. This is where the “progressive” part kicks in. We (Fuzz) would paint areas of the map as each section was added to the US in our studies. This would give us a tangible way of “seeing” the country grow. Now had we made this map earlier in our studies, we’d probably have painted in the original colonies first and later added territory between the Appalachians & the Mississippi. As it was, I didn’t think of that division, and we did both of those areas as one section-- all the land owned by the US when it officially won the Revolution in 1783. At this point we had just begun studying Lewis and Clark, and so I had Fuzz paint in the second section, the Louisiana Purchase, as well, but in a different color than the first. Spaz and I had drawn in the lines for her, using a historical atlas. (More on that below.)
Spaz and I did the labeling. He “titled” and dated those first two sections of land and I noted how each was acquired. We also labeled the rivers.
Trails would also be an important part of our map. This job, too, fell to Spaz and me; he drew them in (pencil first, then ink) and I labeled them. I didn’t think to put in the Appalachian Trail, so the first one we put in was that of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
 And that was the start of our map project! As we progressed in our studies, Fuzz painted in more territory as it was added to the growing nation-- Florida, Texas, the Oregon Territory, and so on. We drew in the Erie Canal when we learned about that, and the Trail of Tears when we studied forced Native American resettlement. We marked the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, and the California Trail. I have said that this is “finished”, but it is only finished being painted. (That was accomplished with the painting in of the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, the last piece of land added to the continental US.) It is possible that we will find more “trails” to add later on as we study post-War westward movement. We shall see.
 
In the meantime, we have yet another ongoing map project, which shows the growth of the country from a different angle- that of statehood. This idea was born when, after painting the salt-dough map for the first time, Fuzz then wanted to color a map “with all the states on it”. Much to her delight, I handed her an even larger version of the blackline US map and told her she could color that rather than a smaller one under one condition-- she could ONLY color in the 17 states that existed as of 1804. (Remember, that’s where we were in our studies at that point.) The rest would be colored in as our history study progressed. Of course, she’d have to label them, too. Spaz was eager to be a part of this as well, and volunteered to “number” and date each state’s admission to the union.
 As of 1860, where we have stalled for the time being, the US had 33 states, and the kids have colored and labeled them all. During our Civil War studies we’ll get to do West Virginia, and the rest will come later on. Eventually this one, too, will be all colored in. Along with helping Fuzz to learn the states, it has been yet another fun way for us to “watch” the nation grow.
Well, for anyone who came over from HOTM, thank you! If you found this interesting or inspiring, let me know! And to my friends who come and visit regularly, I hope you enjoyed it too. Especially Tess, who asked for pictures four months ago. Better late than not at all, I suppose.
But I hafta tell you, putting together this post wasn’t half as much fun as the projects themselves.
Here’s our salt-dough recipe:
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1-1/2 cups hot water from tap
2 teaspoons veg oil (opt)
Mix salt & flour together, then add water gradually until dough becomes elastic. Add oil if desired. If the mixture turns out too sticky, add more flour; if it’s too crumbly, add more water. Knead to desired consistency. Use right away or store in frig for 1-2 days.
More about our map resources:
The topographical atlas we used is the Barnes & Noble Essential World Atlas, and the map we used is a placemat!
The historical atlas I mentioned is the Rand McNally Atlas of American History. I bought this softcover book in the early 90’s and have no idea whether it is still available anywhere. (I’d look it up on amazon for you, but it’s waaaaaaay past my bedtime, so you’ll have to do it yourself.) It’s a worthwhile resource if you can find it. If not, another guide for sectioning off your map can be found on p. 4 of a book called Daily Life in a Covered Wagon, by Paul Erickson. We got this book from the library.
If you use several different resources to guide you in sectioning off your map, you may find that they vary a little in borders and even dates. I suppose that is all part of the fun.
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Friday 22 February 2008 - Top 50 Kids' Books
My dad (who is in the publishing business) sent me a link to an article from the London Daily Mail. I found it interesting and thought that most of you would as well. It is about a survey taken by 4000 Brits on the top 50 childrens' books of all time.
My brother remembers that when we were kids, my dad brought home a list of the most popular children's books of all time. Quite interestingly, the top book on that list, Charlotte's Web, didn't even make it onto this one, nor did any other E.B. White books. (He also recalls the #2 book on that list, which has sunk down to #33 on this one. I'm teasing you a bit here; you'll have to read the article to find out what it is.) My brother wonders whether the lack of E.B. White books on this list may be due to the poll's origins in the UK, as well the fact that it was compiled from a popular survey (as opposed to a survey of critics or a compilation straight from sales numbers).
Here are the Top Ten:
1. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
3. Famous Five, Enid Blyton
4. Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
5. The BFG, Roald Dahl
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
7. The Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
8. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
9. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
10. The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson
For the rest of the article, go here.
The number one book on this list is a favorite of mine as well, as is # 4. But I'm not sure I could pick just one favorite. Perhaps I could come up with a top ten if I really thought hard. What do you think? Do you or your family have an all-time favorite children's book?
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Sunday 17 February 2008 - Apparently, There's a Difference...
My kids really like history. Good thing, since a lot of what we do is based on our history studies. Can’t imagine why they enjoy it so much; maybe because I do?
Dinner table conversation at my house the other day:
Mom: We’ll probably end up doing some school again this summer.
Spaz: What? No way! I’m not doing school this summer!
Mom: You didn’t mind doing school last summer. You guys wanted to do it.
Spaz: We did not!
Mom: Yes, remember? Around April I asked whether you guys wanted to just keep doing history through the summer, and you thought it was a great idea, and…
Spaz: Oh. Well, that wasn’t “school”; it was history!
Gotta love it when kids enjoy something so much that they don't even think of it as "doing school"! |
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This is a sidebar. It is full of all sorts of fascinating stuff... bloggy stuff, family stuff, homeschooly stuff... It's almost (but not quite) as interesting as the blog. So read it.
About This Blog
My posts may be funny or thoughtful or boring;
they might have you laughing or thinking or snoring.
But this blog is worth reading and never ignoring.
You'll find yourself loving it, never abhorring.
I hope.
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"Hubz" (48): Self-employed entrepreneur who works from his shop next to our house. Has I-don't-know-HOW-many businesses simmering on one burner or another. Tho' a talented woodworker, he currently works mostly with plastics, designing & building displays. Enjoys building creative furniture for the kids when time & energy allow. Hobby consists of taking kids on dates; eats & sleeps in his spare time.
The "Miz" (44): Oh, like you need a description of me. Read the blog!
And the kidz...
"Biz" (Son 22):
Recent college grad, living with friends. Deciding whether to teach English abroad in the fall or buy a house. Enjoys reading, writing, computer & video games, music, hanging with friends, travelling. Occasionally stops by the house for a good meal. :-).
*Homeschooled thru 6th grade, plus 8th grade.*
"Cheez" (Daughter 18+):
Recent high-school grad, working full-time this summer. Hopes to eventually write and travel, perhaps at the same time. Enjoys reading, writing, superfluous vocabulary, and the piano. Definitely her own person.
*Homeschooled thru 8th grade.*
"Spaz" (Son 13++):
Highly sociable, sensitive, makes friends with anyone. Struggles with ADH issues, but charming & loved by many! Plays rocket football in the fall and watches pro & college ball all winter. Loves to read, learn, make up his own arrangements on piano, tease his sister, make interesting things out of Legos, and :P play video/computer games.
*Has always home-schooled.*
"Fuzz" (Daughter 10++):
Artistic, musical, highly creative. Sweet, sensitive, very "on top of things", routine-oriented, stubborn. Great policeman & back-seat driver! Loves piano, reading, drawing, making stuff, creative playing, and anything "Little House". Asks great questions & makes great observations.
*Has always home-schooled.*
Cheez, Fuzz, Spaz, & Huz (2006)
What Type of Homeschooler Are You?
Well, here's MY description:
Over 16 years of homeschooling, I've evolved to a less formal, Charlotte Mason-ish eclectic approach with a more-or-less classical bent. (Isn't that clear as mud?) My goal is to �light the fires� of learning and creativity in my kids. I emphasize history & literature because we enjoy them, and I incorporate informal language arts into much of what we do.
Er, yeah. That's how it's SUPPOSED to go. The reality of it is...
After 16 years of homeschooling, I have yet to really figure out how to do it. So we muddle along, overemphasizing history and almost sort of neglecting science, and I spend way too much time making plans that we don't stick to anyway. We read a lot, and we like words, and we don't manage our time very well, and sometimes I yell.
And here's how quizilla sees it:
Mr. Potato Head:
"You have your ideal of how things should look, but you're flexible enough to allow for change. You are not bothered by changing methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an eclectic combination of curriculum sources."
Um, yeah, that works, for the most part.
Take this quiz!
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This is where I would put all my awards.
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Bummer. So the best I can do is to tell you that
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