Posted in Schooling

Check out Astronomy.com and get information on the Christmas sky this week.  Mars is visible next to that full moon if your sky is clear.

More can be found at Earth&Sky

...and this little tidbit from Mars Exploration...

Mars Opposition! Mars will not be this close to Earth again until 2016: at a distance of 0.60 AU, or 56 million miles from Earth. Mars rises just after twilight in December. This month, Mars reaches its largest angular diameter of nearly 16 arcseconds. For comparison, Saturn, minus, its rings, spans about 18 arcseconds in apparent diameter this month. Compare the two planets. Mars is 0.6 AU from Earth, while Saturn is 9.2 AU (855 million miles) from Earth. Mars outshines the brightest star in the sky - Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major. On December 23, look for Mars near the full moon. North American observers can glimpse the dark feature Syrtis Major this month, while southern observers can view Solis Lacus. Mars is extremely favorable for telescopic observing this month. From now until April 2008, Mars will be great to view all night long.


Check out this map

For the record... I am into Astronomy and NOT Astrology... there is a HUGE difference.  Any reference to Zodiac signs are irrelevant to me in every way!  Don't read that crap...  God is so much bigger than someone's limited understanding of the stars.  I won't worship the creation but indeed I will the Creator!

OK, one more... found this and it has a Rudolph song about Mars.  It is cute!!!  Take a look...

Posted in Schooling

Posted in Schooling

Posted in Schooling

I must admit that I have been more of an unschooling mom lately.  I am too much of a control freak to go completely unschool but the relaxed atmosphere has been good for all of us.  It has seemed to work for the kiddos pretty well this semester.  They tend to want to just do educational stuff without me prodding and I am grateful for that.  We have incorporated more computer stuff this semester and I have just made a variety of books available to them and it has been a success.  We do the daily requirements and then I let them do stuff they enjoy.  Our state requires that they get 5 things in each week...  (Reading, spelling, grammar, math, good citizenship)  We do math and read and write (spelling, handwriting and creative writing) and then the day is their's to read on their own, crochet, play, draw, etc...  and then they do chores and piano practice and help mom.  We throw a little state and USA history and citizenship in along with scouting and we get it covered. 

It has been cool to see D(7) show a real interest in all the science type books we have.  We bought a lot of those for J(13) and he is a very science minded kiddo.  He (J13)is also TOTALLY INTO algebra... he takes after his dad I must add.  LOL    Anyway, D(7) is heading that direction, too.  E(9) is really incredibly good with numbers, too.  She is more of the creative writer and artist type though and is very into using her hands.  She is quite the songbird, too.  We are still waiting to see what J(3) is into but for now it is  EVERYTHING!!! LOL  My days are full but more enjoyable all the time with the kids.  The stress level has dropped drastically for us.  I felt guilty for that after J(13) went to PS but I see now that he really did need that routine and has really benefited from that time with his dad a great deal.  He is such a social animal and really enjoys the band and football for the team aspect of it all.  He is also working on a big project in social studies that totally has his interest.  He is thriving and I am glad for it. 

I still get the evil eye response from some homeschoolers who think I made a mistake but, just like my impending surgery post I made yesterday, people need to realize that all of these decisions are quite personal and with God's guidance we make these choices that are best for our families and our children.  I have stopped explaining myself to people because it really is not their concern.  God has a different path for each of us and I am responsible for how I respond to God and nothing else.  Am I being obedient?  If I can say yes to that then that is all I have to do.  I cannot please everyone else so I won't try to...  I wish more moms supported one another instead of judging one another all the time.  I have been guilty of it too but I think that I am changing on that a lot lately.  We all have our path and our call and mine is not yours and yours is not mine.  My way is not the best way for someone else and your way is not the best for me and my family.  You get the point...

Got off on a tangent again...  LOL  The point is that we are still growing and changing and finding our way in this thing we call parenting and schooling.  Do I have all the answers?  NO WAY... I am still seeking them...  This new experience of letting some things go and getting more relaxed has been good for us and I, for one, am the most surprised.

Anyway, we are enjoying this year very much.  We are very relaxed and I think I like it that way.  Who knew???  LOL 

Posted in Schooling

I have been fighting this for a very long time.  When I started homeschooling about 8 years ago I had all these hopes and dreams and all of these ideas of the way things should be.  They did not turn out that way...  J(13) was so different and responded differently and learned differently than I imagined.  He fought me so much of the time and over the years I became jaded about it all.  I have been an angry mess over it for so long that I am having a hard time seeing the other three children as different.  They love learning and love the time we spend together but I have become so frustrated it is hard to retrain myself to get past that.  I spent so many years waking up ready for a fight and knowing that the day would be crappy that it is hard to readjust.  J(13) really is a good kid and his being in PS is a good thing in so many ways.  Our relationship has healed but you know how you are used to something for so long that it is hard to change that mindset?  Well, that is where I am stuck... 

I often feel like all the other moms online and offline just have it all together... or at least what they say leads me to believe that they do not struggle with such things.  I do NOT live the perfect life that some might think.  I have messy children that do not always obey or even eat with knives and forks or flush the toilets or make their beds or put their clothes away or do things without whining and complaining...   Maybe much of that is my lack of persistence.  I have trained and trained until I am exhausted and some days I just do not have the energy to stand and make sure they do what I have asked of them. 

I want to enjoy my family but I am so swamped with the daily that I cannot even breath some days.  Now, before you tell me to quit school and be the submissive little barefoot quiet and humble wife and mommy I must tell you that me going back to college has NOT been the problem.  This all existed BEFORE I went to college.  This has been going on for 8+ years.    ....AND I am not sure I could be that person anyway...  There is too much rebellion in me... ;)  I think the rebellion can be used for good and not evil but I am still working on that one, too...  LOL

I need some serious retraining of the mind this year.  I think there is more to come on this... 

Posted in Schooling

Maybe not always so clean and well lit...  LOL  We are in our 8th year of homeschooling and I can honestly say I still don't have all the answers.  I am not sure I will ever have all the answers.  I merely know what works for my children and our family and that still has a tendency to change on occasion.  I am not sure what happened along the way but I stopped buying everything on the market to try and find what works.  We developed a philosophy along the way and we are moving comfortably into it this year.  It seems that after 8 years I might actually have hit my stride.  We are ready to go with only one book to purchase... period!  ONE BOOK!!!  It feels good. 

Along the way I stopped looking for books on parenting, too.  Oh, it is not because I have all the answers there either... remember, I have a teenager and a preteen in the house right now.  I think it is that I am looking in the Bible more instead of other sources.  There are some really great parenting books out there but I think we developed a philosophy there, too and I really only read stuff that supports that and most of it is on my bookshelf already with bent and folded pages and highlighting all over them.  When I read a book I really READ a book.  LOL 

I had a question about our summer schedule and I must say we have not had much of one this summer.  We took off sometime in June and stayed off of a regular schedule until this week when the planning started again.  I already have schedules and curriculum planning done.  It gets easier every year and it all goes into a little notebook with the year on it.  I also set up our school calendar to coincide with Dan's school calendar.  We already know when we have holidays and my personal calendar (which I have been keeping one for 24 years - It is my brain!!!) is loaded with Bible study, classes for college, scouting dates and piano lesson days as well as any other extra curricular activities I already know about.  My fall is already packed!!!  LOL  I laugh out loud a lot when I write about this stuff don't I?  I am so predictable and that makes me laugh.  I wrestled with this kind of planning for years and wondered if I was shutting the work of the Holy Spirit out and I must say that He shuts the whole calendar down whenever He has other plans just fine.  Much of the planning is done with a great deal of prayer anyway.  I have to do things that way or nothing gets done.  Now, if I could just figure out the housework thing I might have an organized existence. 

Anyway, we are back on track starting the 20th and then we go until Thanksgiving (an American Holiday the third Thursday of November) and then three weeks at Christmas.  If you have been reading for any length of time you probably already know that Autumn is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE time of year.  I love the clothes and the food and the weather and the flowers and and and...  EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. 

I always try to read a homeschooling book this time of year to get me spurred toward a new year.  This year it is Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit.  I believe Cheri was the reason I bought this one...  I must say I have NOT mastered that part of homeschooling.  People always tell me they could never homeschool because they don't have the patience.  I always tell them I did not start with that patience, it is developed over time and I am still working on it.  We are still working on mastering the Charlotte Mason methods, too.  I am still reading, ever so slowly, her series and, maybe, by the time my youngest graduates from college I will have finished them.  They are quite enjoyable, though.  I highly recommend them.

Here are some links to past homeschool post if you are interested in knowing more about what we do:

*   The Mommy Conference
                Part One
                Part Two
               
*   Switching gears and some curriculum recommendations

*   Homeschool Meme with lots of info

*   Lots of Resources
                Installment #1
                Installment #2
                Installment #3
                Installment #4

*   Before Charlotte Mason we studied the Moore Foundation philosophy and we have combined the two very nicely over the years.

Well that is a weekend full of reading right there.  This is the annual homeschooling post unless something of great importance happens I don't usually talk much about this here.  I figure we are all so different and individual that I don't need to post everything up, just the things that might be of some help to someone else on the path.  I always welcome questions and will answer them as soon as I am able. 

Thanks for reading!!! 

~Leann

Posted in Schooling

I officially begin school on August 20th, Dan goes back August 22nd and we are starting all the kids on the same day with J(13) on August 27th.  I am slack in getting in the mood to think that direction but am making myself take some time to plan over the coming days.  It will be different without J(13) being here but I think we can take a new direction.  We are also adding library day and a Bible study day back into our schedule.  I talked with Kellie, the leader, today about it and we are good to go on Bible study for Tuesdays.  We have come to a place where we need to get out a bit and let the kids have some experiences we have had to deny them because of all the issues with J(13).  I am praying for a change of mood this year.  I already feel the cloud of last year lifting just thinking about all the possibilities.  :)

Myspace Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

Posted in Schooling

Today is IT!!!  I have lots of prepwork to finish up.  Something got added to my list of things to do today but I assure you it will be NO burden!!!  J(13) is being inducted to the Junion National Honor Society tonight. He finds out today over the intercom and the ceremony is tonight.  Dan has known all week and we have been trying to keep it a secret from him.    The perks of being a teacher in the same school...  This year has been a tough one for us with him entering public school but he is doing great.  We are seeing some of the influences of the world and we are talking about lots of issues but he is hanging in there and really enjoying his humanities classes (language arts/social studies/history).  He is probably moving into the GT math next fall.  There is just not a push to move him with only a few weeks left of school.  He also tried out for the talent show and we will see how that turns out in a few days.  He is really enjoying his newly found freedom.  It is such a growing and learning time in a child's life during those teen years.  I just pray each day I am up to the task of parenting this teen and the teens to come in our home.  It is not easy but the rewards and reaping is turning out to be a real blessing. 

Anyway, I must go...  I still have lentils, millet and pastry cups to finish for tonight and I have one more run to the store to make so I can put it all together.  I will share pics when I am done... 

Blessings!!!

Posted in Schooling

    Many of you know that I am a Baptist girl.  We have a seasonal offering in our denomination that is taken at this time of year in honor and memory of a lady named Lottie Moon.  The money collected through this offering goes to the International Mission Board and 100% of the funds go directly to the missionaries on the field.  The SBC has put up a blog this year that I will be using with my kids.  The premise is, "What if Lottie Moon had a blog?"  It is a blog about her life and adventures.  So, if you are interested here is the link...

Lottie Lives Blog

Posted in Schooling

We are working on our Mommy Conference for the coming week tonight.  I am yanking the Learning Language Arts Through Literature for the next 6 weeks.  I have become a bit disenchanted with it.  We are moving back to a more traditional Charlotte Mason formula. I admit I have become lazy and that has made the whole household that way.  This MUST change!!!

The new schedule is going to look like this... (although we do much of this just not like I want to do it)

Bible - ...And It Was Good (Explorer's Bible Study) Weeks 25-30 to finish the book we are doubling up. We will be doing Advent scripture and stories during December.  We will be starting the New Testament book for next semester.
Math - Everyone is on Saxon Math and it works great for us.
Reading - Finishing the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and reading classics together and grade appropriate books for each children individually.
Narration - thinking about this..
Copywork - Scripture in notebook
Grammar - Simply Grammar:  An Illustrated Primer by Karen Andreola
Spelling/Dictation - Spelling Power
History - still thinking...
Geography - to go with history and Advent stuff...
Scripture Memory - from For Instruction in Righteousness (scripture to address behaviors we are needing to work on)
Nature - Getting the garden ready for the winter and planting an indoor herb garden
Science - still thinking...
Poetry - Christmas poetry
Literature - picking a classic for Christmas to read aloud and a possible unit study on it.
Art Study - Christmas crafts
Music Study - Piano lessons, instrument lessons, Christmas music for performance at church, Christmas music around the home.
Hymn Study - studying Christmas Carols
Foreign Language - continue where we are...
Personal Development - kitchen skills, chores and cooperating as a family to run our home a small business together

We are also going to build some lapbooks for some of our studies that warrant that.

Now for the twist...

This looks like a lot but...  I am using this to guide the planning of a Unit Study (Advent and Christmas Around the World) for the coming 6 weeks.  If this works I will be planning for 2007 using this formula.  This could be the best of both worlds for us CM and Unit Studies!!!  How fun!!!!!!

I write all of this to keep myself accountable.  After 7 years of schooling my children at home I need to get out of my rut.  I need to plug back into my kids.  I have spent too much time feeling burnt out.  Part of it is my age, part of it is the "new" teen in the house and NOT knowing how to always handle that.  Part of it is also having that 2 year old that still demands a great deal of time.  I feel like the two middle children need me more than I have been giving them.  I am NOT answering the phone before noon each day anymore, I am NOT getting on the computer too early in the day either.  I am NOT working in the kitchen from 9:00am to 12:00pm each day except to make lunch and get snacks.  I need to be up early and be productive.  I need to be in bed early each night to be able to do that.  I need to make my study time efficient and productive.  The changes in my home start with me.  I have become lazy and unorganized and I am sick of it.  I don't want to feel like I am letting my children down.  I need to set the example and I need to do it TODAY!!!!!

Posted in Schooling

As a homeschooling family we make voting a total family affair.  I drag all the kids to the voting site and they have all taken turns over the years watching the process of voting.  It is included in all the scouting stuff that they see the process.  This year it is David's turn to watch the process.  So, today we will bundle up the kids and head to the voting place and exercise our rights as US citizens and vote...

Hope you get out and vote today, too!  :)

Posted in Schooling

Many of you that know me know that we don't celebrate Halloween.  There is just not a positive thing about it where we live.  They celebrate the Day of the Dead and all other aspects of Pagan ritual and we just choose to stay away from that.  What we DO do is make some fun food and watch fun movies together as a family.  We will be reading the Pumpkin Patch Parable, making popcorn balls, caramel corn and caramel apples.  We will be cooking some pumpkin to use in some breads and goodies and then toasting the seeds with a favorite recipe from Martha Stewart.  I will go to class and turn in my take-home test and then it is home to be with the kiddos and Dan.  We will be studying about Martin Luther for Reformation Day (October 31st also) and JoNathan will be seeing Luther along with some more indepth look at the 95 Theses.  As for costumes???  They play dress up just about every day of the year and we give costumes for Christmas and birthdays and sometimes just because...

So, stay tuned for some fun food pictures at the foodie blog and then some regular blogging the rest of the week. 

Posted in Schooling

A friend shared this over at another site for our weight loss group and I thought I would make one for our homeschool, so here it is...



You can make one, too...

Go here!!!

Posted in Schooling

We have recently been watching the Horatio Hornblower Complete Adventures series and the New Adventures.  We borrowed them from Blestwithsons.  As we have been watching we have learned a great deal about ships of the time of the French Revolution and shortly afterward.  We have learned about the British Navy and their heirarchy of leadership.  We have done some research on those topics as well.  We have also done a bit of reading on Napolean Bonaparte.  We have also been spurred on to find the books for our boys and JoNathan has begun reading them.  While watching the next to the last movie in the series we noted that the men were playing a game called Whist in one scene.  That made us curious, so we went online and found out how to play the game. 

Here are a few links on the game for any of you history and game buffs.

A Definition of Whist

Rules of the game

Whist Homepage

House of Cards Whist Page

Basic Rules and Variations

Posted in Schooling

Blestwithsons has gotten me...  Here is a back to school Meme just for you!!!

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED

This is the first book I read when we decided to start thinking about the education of our firstborn.  He was about 2 years old at the time.  It truly is a MUST READ!!!

This is the book I keep on hand to guide me through each school year.  We are a Charlotte Mason family and it is full of great advice and information if you choose to travel this path.

2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT

My laptop computer!!!  I keep everything on it from schedules, links and calendars to lesson plans and curriculum information.  I would have stacks and stacks of paper all over the house if I did not have this thing!!!!!

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT

The big books at Sam's for math... They were not difficult enough for the children and not as comprehensive and thorough as Saxon Math.  We have gone back to Saxon fulltime!!!

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR

As a Charlotte Mason family we use lots of real books.  We have a small library in our home and we are always adding to it.  Our favorite time of day is when we sit and I read aloud to the children from these books.  So, our most enjoyed resource EVERY YEAR is our read aloud time from our treasured little library of classics and great literature on our little couches in the living room.

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING THIS YEAR

We just bought a computer CD-ROM of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary & Thesaurus Electronic Edition.  We are putting it on all the computers in our home and the children will be using it this year - especially JoNathan. 

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY

The Sugar Creek Gang books, audio books and videos!!!

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED

A daytimer that held me much more accountable!!!!  LOL

8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING

Christian Books CBD catalogue (the most comprehensive)

9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY

Simply Charlotte Mason (pretty new site but getting better all the time)

10) TAG FIVE OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS

Ummm...

Perri

Stacey

Dana

Carolyn (Guiltfree Homeschooling)

Bedky

If you are into Memes and wanta do this please do and let me know so I can come and read.  If you are not then just skip away whistling and I won't tell anyone...  ;)  Anyone else is welcome to join in, too!!! 

Blessings!!!

Posted in Schooling

Reformation Day is the day that Martin Luther tacked the 95 Thesis on the door of the church.  It is this holiday we remember and give credence to this day. 

 

Some great links and a movie

 

The Movie:  Luther  - a fabulously portrayal of the process by which Martin Luther came to know God as His personal Savior in a personal relationship.  This is remarkably historically accurate and I recommend every Christian see it.  Excellent!!!

 

Some Links

 

A History

 

The 95 Theses - Project Wittenburg

 

Reformation Day Page with a few other good links on it for teaching it to children.

 

Another History Page

 

Other Interesting Links for Teaching and Study

 

Life and Times of Martin Luther

 

Q&A Page

 

Posted in Schooling

It has been over a month since I posted here!!!  I am still here and homeschooling all four children.  It has not been an easy month or so.  As JoNathan approaches 12 (this Saturday) he is getting more belligerent.  With him being the first born child I am venturing out into new territory and I am making more mistakes than not it seems.  I know there is a way to reach this boy and keep him.  I am merely taking it one day at a time and praying over him constantly.  I do find that things are much more pleasant when he is not doing school.  He really rails against his work most days. 

 

We are constantly looking for answers.  We have cut television out and he is only allowed on the computer to do some of his work from time to time.  The only issue with that is that he toys with graphic artistry to the detriment of doing his regular work so we have recently taken him completely off it now until all his other work is done and he is now writing out his work instead of typing some things. 

 

It has come to our attention that we have let up on him and he is showing ADD tendencies again.  He does have food allergies and his "need" for sugar is insatiable.  We are now trying to wean our whole household of sugar and get him back to good eating habits.  He is allergic to peanuts and chocolate and seems to crave the very thing he is allergic to. 

 

The rest of school is going well with Davy and Emmy.  They are still doing the Distar reading program each day and are progressing nicely.  They are so much more eager to learn than JoNathan.  I think one of the issues with J is that he was put into public school early on and then pulled out.  It seems we are still going through a process of unschooling him to some degree. 

 

The baby keeps us hopping, too.  He is walking and climbing and talking and playing all day long!!!  He naps for about two to three hours a day and is sleeping well through the night.  He is such a precious joy to our family. 

 

I have so much more I want to post here but just have not been able to slow down long enough to do so. 

 

All of your sweet comments have been so appreciated and I hope to get back to posting here regularly.  I do post often at my other blog - The Prattling Pastor's Wife - if anyone is interested in all the daily stuff. 

 

A couple of links I have been exploring regarding structure for J includes

 

The Robinson Curriculum (basically just the rules)

 

and the article on A Diet Without Sugar

 

Four Keys to Learning

 

We still subscribe to the Charlotte Mason Philosophy and the Moore Foundation Way of schooling but the Robinson just has some great information that I believe we can incorporate.

 

I have been thinking about how to use this blog and I do believe I need for it to be a resource of things I learn along the way and links, books and information that I can share along that path.  Stay tuned for much more to come as we head into the holidays...

 

 

Posted in Schooling

We started our short schedule today and it went great! Em and Davy love their new books and the activities were fun for them today. We also spent some time deciding on a mascot and lining up rules and subjects for the year. I have a great deal of computer input that needs to be done over the next few days. I put in their subjects and set up grade and progress stuff on my E-Home Journal computer program. It is very helpful for organizing all that stuff. We also build crates for each child with their books in them so they are easy to find each day. J(11) is the only one that seems to have a hard time putting things back where they belong after he is done. He is still in a fowl mood because he hates the workbook stuff (math and language arts). He has been sulking all morning because he had to stop reading Prince Caspian to take out trash, eat breakfast, make his bed and start his schoolwork. He is so single-minded!!! I wish he would just get his work done so he could read all afternoon but, alas, he does not see things the way I do and he dawdles constantly and then has no time to read. You would think the boy would change his ways to get to do what he loves doing - but nooooooooo... *sigh*

Anyway, here is our first day with pictures. We are having school at the dining room table until I get a new table in the breakfast area. We are getting one on loan from the church because they have a plethora. It is still a bit of a headache to have to clear the dining room every day before dinner.

There is always so much under construction in my life. For all of you who have been around a while you know that my kitchen is in serious need of a remodel. We do not even have cabinet doors because the whole thing is in such disrepair. The kitchen is around thirty years old and needs new cabinets, countertops and sink. We are designing a new kitchen with Lowe's Kitchen Planner but will have to do one little section at a time as we can afford it.

Speaking of affording... we have a buyer for our old 1989 Toyota Tercel (we are selling it for just above what the junkyard would give for it because it is so very old and needs work). The good thing is that we can now take it off insurance and free that space in the driveway. Now, if we could sell the van and get a newer model Suburban we would be set. A matter of prayer...
I am also contemplating selling a bedroom set because we actually have too much furniture in the house. I never thought I would have too much furniture. We have just been given so much over the years from people who love their pastor and family. All those hand-me-downs have just collected and collected and collected until now we must scale back. God has always provided when we have needed and we are so very grateful!!!

The temperatures are back up into the upper 80's to lower 90's this week. Wouldn't you know it - the air conditioner did not come on when I flipped the switch this morning??? Dan is goin to have to look at it when he gets home this evening. The rain is still expected in the late afternoons. Believe it or not we have a monsoon season here in the desert. It is a nice bit of relief this time of year. We are up to over seven inches of rain for the year. They typical rainfall for this time of year is around four inches. Every little bit of rain is always a blessing in the desert. LOL

The fall garden is coming in. I spent some time pulling weeds this morning after breakfast and will continue to do so for the early morning hours this week. It is still too wet to mow or weedeat but is perfect for pulling weeds easily. We have two more trees to plant and we spotted two more we would love to get while they are on a fantastic sale. Dan is going to plant the first two before buying the other two.

I got my first 25lbs of Hatch Chilis on Saturday and have put them into 20 quart freezer bags. I have room for more and the price is so fantastic that I am going to get another 25lbs roasted and put away before the season passes. They are shipped in from Hatch, New Mexico within hours of picking and they are fabulously fresh!!! They are milder because they are larger but they are great additions in all my Mexican food recipes and especially my Chili Relleno Casserole. We are having that for dinner with a bag I kept out of the freezer from Saturday. I just add a little chicken and Spanish rice and beans with a side salad. We finish with a little Mexican coffee and all is right with the world! YUMMY!!!

I have been remiss in baking bread so I have that on the agenda for tomorrow. I try to bake bread about three days a week but some weeks I have to make it more often because the kids and Dan go through it so quickly. I am saving my money for a new Bosch machine because my KitchenAid is only able to mix two loaves at a time and that makes for baking more often. With the Bosch I will be able to make five loaves at a time and freeze some if I need to. I have currently collected four good sized bread pans and can use those as often as I need to. I gave my bread machine to a college student (one of the summer missionaries from July) because it makes odd shaped bread and only mixes one loaf at a time. It was not really practical for us. Jenn was thrilled to take it back to school because she and some friends are getting an apartment this year and are going to be cooking more often. I cannot wait to hear how she does with it. She was such a dear!!! She even attends the same college where Dan and I met. Cool!!!

Well, I am off to catch a bit of Mommy time before all the kids are awake from naps and Dan pops in. We have a full evening of first day reports, dinner and signing papers on the car. See you all tomorrow...

Blessings beyond measure!!!

Posted in Schooling

Posted in Schooling

I have been hopping around answering e-mail and checking links from said e-mail this morning. I get the weekly updates from PBS and I noticed there is a program coming on June 6th on Martin Luther. Now for anyone who saw the movie Luther I am sure it will not be as good but then again it might be worth the viewing. We are going to record it and watch it to see if it is usable with our oldest for schooling.

There is also a great article that is a bit tongue in cheek on "What Does It Mean To Homeschool?" for anyone that wants to read. I found it over at Crosswalk.com. I just love that place!!!

More coming...

Posted in Schooling

on science curriculum for sixth grade boy.  We are currently researching what would best suit us for the coming year and are a bit at a loss as to where to start for this subject.  We are Christians and are Creationist in our belief.  Any suggestions are truly welcomed.  Thanks in advance!

Posted in Schooling

Installment #4

 

Books for Homeschoolers

These are just the ones off my shelves at home. There are so many out there but these are just my chosen picks that I felt were worth purchasing for future reference.

 

The Moore Foundation

* Home Grown Kids: A Practical Handbook for Teaching Your Children At Home - Raymond and Dorothy Moore

* School Can Wait - Moores

* Better Late Than Early - Moores

* The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook: A Creative and Stress-Free Approach to Homeschooling - Moores

* Minding Your Own Business: A Common Sense Guide to Home Management and Industry - Moores

 

Charlotte Mason Resources

* The Original Homeschooling Series - Volumes 1-6 with titles on Home Education, Parents and Children, School Education, Ourselves, Formations of Character, A Philosophy of Education

* Charlotte Mason Companion - Karen Andreola

* Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-To Manual - Catherine Levison

* More Charlotte Mason Education - Catherine Levison

* Nature Activities for Early Childhood - Janet Nickelsburg

* Keeping a Nature Journal: Discovering a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You - Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth

 

General Homeschooling

* The Big Book of Home Learning by Mary Pride Volumes 1-4

* Learning At Home - Ann Ward

* The Family Night Tool Chest Series - Jim Weidmann and Kurt Bruner

* Beyond Survival - Diana Waring

* Helping Gifted Children Soar - Strip and Hirsch

* Teaching the Gifted Child At Home - Maggie Hogan et. al.

* The Educated Child - William J. Bennett

* Teaching Children - Diane Lopez

* The Organized Homeschooler - Vicki Caruana

* Educating Your Gifted Child - Vicki Caruana

* The Homeschooler's Guide to... - Vicki Caruana

* How to Raise a Reader - Elaine K. McEwan

* A Field Guide to Home Schooling: A Practical Guide for Parents - Christine M. Field

* You Can Teach Your Child Successfully (grades 4-8) - Ruth Beechick

* Mini books by Ruth Beechick: A Home Start In Reading (K-3), An Easy Start In Arithmetic (K-3), & A Strong Start In Language (K-3)

* The Way They Learn - Cynthia Tobias

* You Can't Make Me, But I Can Be Persuaded - Cynthia Tobias

* The Homeschool Journey - Susan & Michael Card

* The New Read-Aloud Handbook - Jim Trelease

* Honey for a Child's Heart - Gladys Hunt

* In Their Own Way - Thomas Armstrong

* The Unofficial Guide to Homeschooling - Kathy Ishizuka

* Bringing Up Boys - James C. Dobson (you can also find many other HSing resources at www.family.org . They are willing to provide tapes and pamphlet as well as lists of resources and addresses both online and offline for your convenience)

* The Christian Eclectic Readers - Volumes 1-4 and study guide by William M. McGuffey

 

Add to all this:

* Nature Field Guides

* Classic Literature and Poetry

* Beautiful and fun picture books

* Tons of Biographies

* Field trips to local places

* Trips to the library each week or two

* Lots or drawing paper and art supplies

* One on one time with each child

and you have a wonderful start to great homeschooling.

 

We have added more reading to this but I will have to save all those updates for another time.  Blessings!

Posted in Schooling

Installment #3

More On Homeschooling...

Our Philosophy & Curriculum Choices:

 

Keep in mind this was written almost 18 months ago and some things have changed but this was information I wanted to transfer and save here.  Thanks for reading!

 

Let me start by saying that this works for us and is not a formula but an example of how you might think about schooling in a different way. My starting place was Raymond and Dorothy Moore. Mrs. Moore has since passed on but their work is being continued in Washington state. Their background is Seventh Day Adventist but their philosophies are not related to their religious preference. I questioned that until I started reading and what they had to say was totally logical and their study of God's Word on the matters involved in forming these philosophies are quite sound. That being said, they are the authors of Better Late Than Early - a book that discusses the importance of letting our children grow at their own pace and not trying to force our children to learn and grow up too quickly. Another book of their's on our shelf is the Successful Homeschool Family Handbook: A Creative and Stress-Free Approach to Homeschooling. I think this book is a must especially for those in line with unschooling and Charlotte Mason. The third book of their's on our shelf is Minding Your Own Business: A Common Sense Guide to Home Management and Industry. They are proponents of teaching your child to manage a home business. They divide their learning structure into three areas - Study, Work and Service. To find out more about their resources and philosophy you can visit www.moorefoundation.com .

A second source for our philosophy formation has been Charlotte Mason. I am currently in the process of reading her 6 book series and a book called The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. Karen has taken on the task of bringing back the original series and providing American HSers the opportunity to benefit from this childcentered way of teaching. Other books that are offered by modern day authors include books by Catherine Levison called Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-To Manual and More Charlotte Mason Education. All of these resources and much more can be found on the Andreola families site at http://www.charlottemason.com .

We have chosen not to use a set full curriculum because that does not work for JoNathan. He is not interested in sitting with a full set of workbooks all day or being on the computer for long periods of time (Switched on Schoolhouse). I do not like many of the full curriculums because they are structured like public school and we pulled the kids out of public school because we did not like the format among other things. Our learning takes place every waking hour and throughout weekends. We love the work and service aspect of the Moore Foundation and encourage and participate in such activities every chance we get. The children have chores and routines. They serve in small ways in our church and community. As they get older we are going to encourage Cottage Industry (even Mommy is preparing for a home business as the children grow older and more responsible) My friend Rosie, the one who taught the breadmaking workshop, has encouraged me very much in this area and has offered to help us get started with ideas and skill training when we are ready.

Some of Our Curriculum Choices

Instead of set curriculums we use a few basic resources and unit studies. We have chosen Saxon Math for our children because it teaches a very thorough math range and ensures that we are covering all the basics. The curriculum runs from Kindergarten all the way through senior in high school. We also use the Learning Language Arts Through Literature curriculm for Language Arts because it is in line with the Charlotte Mason Philosophy of great literature and small lessons. We read books to learn about language and history. We read biographies to learn about important people in history and science. We subscribe to the idea of a "Twaddle Free Environment". We do not waste time with bad literature but focus on classics and informative books. There are no basal readers in our home and when we read we choose to read an entire work and not just a small piece of the work (as basal readers provide). The children are encouraged to read from encyclopedias and research resources, too.

The last "workbook type" resource we use is a Bible curriculum called Explorer's Bible Study. It offers different age series beginning with the Bible Beginnings for ages 4-6, Bible Foundations which is an overview of the OT and NT for ages 7-9, and Bible Quest (JoNathan is in this series) which covers Genesis through Revelation over about a 5 year period. They are still completing the series and adding new books each year. We have found it very Biblically sound and it allows for a great deal of discussion and interaction between JoNathan and Dan and myself. I highly recommend this series.

We use an Italic Handwriting series by Getty and Dubay for improving handwriting and teaching writing. They offer a book for each year of school through the middle school ages. The children write in a daily journal (Emily draws pictures in her's) and keep a nature journal. We encourage entry in local writing contests and work with the children on storytelling and verbal expression through the Charlotte Mason idea of reciting and summarizing. JoNathan is given writing prompts and copywork throughout the week.

Everything else is done using unit studies for social studies and science, tons of reading and researching, field trips and practical hands-on activities. The kids help in the garden and the kitchen. Dan has been teaching JoNathan woodworking and safety with tools as well as other building and practical life skills. He has learned many science principles in this format.

Lastly, we are incorporating a bit of the classical philosophy in teaching foreign language (spanish and sign language right now), Greek and Latin roots for understanding our language better and the reading of classic literature. We use logic exercises, too. Our favorite book that has taken us in this direction is a book by William Bennett called The Educated Child. We recommend anything by William Bennett in the realm of character development and education. He is a very knowledgeable man and has written some awesome resources for Homeschooling use.

As you can see, we are quite eclectic in our way of doing things but this is how our children are learning best and we make changes as they need them. As they grow we try new things and let them choose some of the things they would like to study (not totally because they do need some basics that are required by our state such as language arts, spelling, citizenship classes and mathematics). We know that some things cannot be taught in unit studies and must be done in a more formal way such as the mathematics and language skills but we try not to overwhelm them with too much sitting and writing time.

I will share some beginning reading things separately from this post because we have our own way of doing this and it will take some explanation. We buy many of our books and such from www.christianbooks.com or www.gwbc.com . I have put some of our favorite site links in the lefthand column under Favorite Sites for anyone interested.

Scheduling

We schedule our day based on Charlotte Mason's short subject blocks and we spend time outside collecting and observing nature. Davy and Emily are still involved most of their day in active play and game time. We read books every day, together and alone, and allow time to explore the world around them. JoNathan, unless he has piddled away his work time, only spends from 15 to 30 minutes on each subject and takes breaks to go outside and get snacks throughout the morning. The afternoon is spent with resting time and quiet reading. Our day is quite scheduled because my children function well with a schedule. They know when it is snacktime, storytime, lunchtime and naptime. They never have to ask if they can play in between work and meals because they know that is totally permitted. They watch very little television (about one hour a day) - and that is usually videos or a chosen show on PBS like Between the Lions, Clifford, Zoom or Zaboomafoo. They can watch a movie on the weekends. Weeknights are spent in familytime. We eat dinner together and play games together. They have a set bedtime routine so they wind down and get ready at an appropriate time. They get about 10 hours of sleep a night.

Posted in Schooling

What I Know For Sure

* I am not perfect and will make mistakes.

* God is the one who ultimately has control over what we do each day.

* Each child learns differently and needs different things.

* I must teach each child the way that learn best.

* Homeschooling is a lifestyle - we do it 24/7

* If there is a conflict I have to win unconditionally - so I pick my battles well. (most of the time ;-) )

* The children have their whole life to learn and I do not need to push them when they are not ready to move on in their studies.

* There are stages and when they are not ready, they are just simply not ready. (ie. Potty

training, tying shoes, reading and certain math skills are quite developmental and you must wait on them)

* Christ is the only thing that truly matters.

* There are no perfect people, no perfect families, no perfect home schools, and no perfect curriculum.

* Homeschooling is a very personal choice that is not for everyone (some families have much better public schools than others for sure or private schools may be an option they might choose).

* Reading to your children is not optional it is mandatory.

* Turning off the television is a must.

* The library is an invaluable resource for the home school family.

* As the parent, you never stop learning and growing while schooling your children.

* I have learned more teaching my children than I ever did in public school as a child.

* They do not have learn everything under the sun while you are teaching them - they just have to learn self-education so they are lifelong learners.

* Take is all one day at a time and bathe it all in prayer!!!

* If both parents are not on board with home schooling it is nearly impossible to succeed.

* Sometimes all family members are not on board but if hubby and wife are in agreement then that is all that matters - although it is tough to be continually subjected to the negative comments. Bathe that in prayer, too.

* Get ready to listen, listen, listen!

* Games are great teaching tools.

* The best learning is most often hands-on experience. Field trips are never a waste of time.

Coming up…

* Books that have been quite helpful to me and Dan.

* Curriculum choices we have made and philosophies we subscribe to most often. (it is rather eclectic in our home)

* Links to my favorite websites (information sites, curriculum sites and magazine subscription sites)

Questions are always welcomed and if I do not have the answer (which I often do not) I will try to direct you to someone who does. Also feel free to e-mail me from my link above marked e-mail.

I will see you guys on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Posted in Schooling

Over the next few days I will repost some things I wrote back in January of 2004.  I will end with revising some of my thoughts and feelings on things.  It seems things continually change as I go along this path called Homeschooling...

 

Here is installment #1

 

My Thoughts on Homeschooling

I am going to write this in segments because there is so much I want to share. We are coming to the end of our fourth year and there are some things I have learned that I feel are quite valuable. I will set them up in a list format and then I will move on to site, links and books that have been helpful but first I want to share our story.

 

Our Story

It all started when baby #1 came along ten years ago. I took one look at that little face and decided then and there that I could never submit that child to what I had experienced as a public school teacher. That child had to have more than what those other children were getting. A bit selfish maybe but God gave me that child and I was going to do what I felt God leading me to do for him no matter what. He was my responsibility and I took (and still do take) that very seriously. So the research began. I checked out every book on Hsing that I could find and began to fill my shelves with books. I asked questions of mothers in groups I was in that Hsed and began to listen to broadcasts and programs I could find in Christian radio that discussed this topic. I found a little couple in Washington state that blew me away and began to read their books. Raymond and Dorothy Moore changed my way of thinking about education. They talked about waiting to start children in “formal” learning. They emphasized letting children be children, reading to them daily, playing little games with them, taking walks and playing, playing, playing. I took that to heart in a big way and started buying good children’s books and taking my infant to the library for his first library card at the age of 6 weeks.

 

We provided great toys - not expensive and noisy toys - just great learning opportunities for him in blocks, puzzles, games, and books. The reading continued with The Big Book of Home Learning, Unschooling, Charlotte Mason and others. We found that we were continually asked where our child went to preschool. Everyone around us felt that preschool was important but I stuck to the Moore’s philosophy and kept mine at home and did the things they instructed and JoNathan did great. He was verbally, emotionally and intellectually ahead of most kids his age and all he did all day was play and sing. Granted he began walking at 9 months and talking in sentences by the time he was around 15 months old. He has never been an average child (quite a challenge for this mommy) but he was doing fine without formal training. JoNathan went all the way through the age of five at home.

 

I had Em when he was 4 ½ years old and Davy came along 2 ½ years later (baby four is due in July and JoNathan will be 10 ½ years old at that time). When I was pregnant with Davy I was very sick and we made a hard decision to put JoNathan in public school until I could get back on my feet and see how he would do. He did great academically and got along great with many of the children but began to be bored and disruptive. After a year and a half in public school we could not take it anymore and pulled him back out. The mistakes we made by putting him into public school are still being reversed. He went from a child who loved learning to a child who hated school and structure and sitting at a desk for approximately 5-6 hours a day. We had to do a great deal of “unschooling” once he came home. To this day he feels stiffled by workbook formats and learns best with hands-on and reading real books.

 

Emily is a more traditional learner but she will not get the chance to be in public school. I learned my lesson with JoNathan. We have not always had our families on board with our decisions. They somehow feel that we are insulting them by making a different choice than they made but this is a much different world that we live in today. In our area we see a great deal of gang activity, theft, violence and hardly any support for Christian values. We are not interested in subjecting our children to these things before they have to be.

 

We home school for many reasons, one of which is “religious reasons” (for lack of a better explanation). In our school we make Bible study a part of every day. We read books that encourage Christian values (no Harry Potter here - it is required reading in the public schools here with no option to say no). We memorize Scripture and attend AWANA, Cub Scouts, Upward Basketball and Swim team during the week. We surround the children with Christian families and friends in our neighborhood and church (although JoNathan heard the “F” word for the first time from a boy at church - AAACCCKKK:-O - btw, this is the same boy that hit J a few weeks ago). This is important to us because God calls us to be different from the world. That is not to say we never spend time with non-Christians because we do in order to have a witness and make an impact in the lost world but our children are always supervised in these situations.

 

We emphasis volunteerism, service and giving to others. We also study about those missionaries and others who have given their lives for the sake of Christ and we follow current day missionaries and their families and pray for them and their work around the world. We try to apply scripture to all situations that come up because we know that we cannot shelter them from all bad things in life and they need to learn to deal in a Christian manner with the world and all the bad that comes with it. We want to teach them that Christ is the reason we are who we are and His purpose for our life is the only thing that matters. This is why we make decisions we make and why we are strict about what we tolerate and accept in our homes from toys to music to television and movies. I admit we screen everything before we allow it and we let our children know that there are many things that God does not allow - not because He never wants us to have fun but because He wants the best for us and some things are less than best by a huge margin. Maybe that makes us closed minded and intolerant but that does not bother me. My job is to raise these children the way God commands and I am ultimately held responsible for how they are raised and what they are taught. That is a heavy responsibility that I do not take lightly.

Posted in Schooling

The Moore Foundation was started by, quite possibly, the oldest homeschoolers in modern history - Raymond and Dorothy Moore. Dorothy passed away several years ago but their books and foundation are still in use daily in many homes. They were the authors of such books as, Better Late Than Early, School Can Wait, Homegrown Kids, Minding Your Own Business and The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook. You can find them online at http://www.moorefoundation.com .

They offer a full curriculum and program online now but we do not use everything - just the books and philosophy. It falls very well in line with the Charlotte Mason philosophy, too and we actually use both quite extensively.

Their philosophy was the first one we learned about that, we felt, was what we were looking for as we began our journey 11 years ago. When our first baby was born we decided that we would homeschool.

We love the four point formula of :

1) study,
2) manual work,
3)home and/or community service and finally
4) cottage industry skills.


Please feel free to ask questions on anything I mention here and I would be delighted to share what I can.

Blessings,
~Leann