Thanks in advance!

Thank you for the support! I see many of us have painting to catch up on. Of course-- it shows where our priorities are. We are homeschooling!

I want to share something that has to do with this blog: yesterday I read over my Noah Plan Principle Approach material from the Foundation for American Christian Education (www.face.net).

In the past, much of it was confusing to me. Yesterday, it was like a thunderclap to my brain. I wrote to Dana (Principled Discovery) that maybe I had to undergo pain and suffering to be able to get the gist of it! Perhaps my mind has been through a crucible.

I'm just a cowgirl, wrangling with and training horses and kids (and occasionally sending my husband out for a spin around the corral, too.) Scholarship in jeans, that works for me!

There is a discussion at the k-dad network about what homeschooling fathers do right: instructing in irreplaceable real-life skills.

Here is what I wrote:

This is so true: rebuilding a brick hearth, re-tarring a garage roof, doing brakes on a car, stringing fence, setting traps for coyotes, playing ball games in the yard, extreme sledding*...I tell people that I am just the "warm up act" until dad gets home. The weekends with him are so instructive that I have started logging them in as school days.

He is extremely busy &/or tired M-F, with a 1.25 hour commute (one way) each day, sometimes traveling outside our state as well, so I have found a way to make him feel included in what we do academically during the week:

When the children finish a piece of work, it goes either in the "out" box or in the "Daddy pile." It's their choice, and everything always goes in the Daddy pile first. This is a place behind where dad sits to eat dinner. He knows it's there and can choose to go through the work at any time, with the child beside him. Sometimes he'll bring papers up to prayers at bedtime. He has only about 2-3 hours with his children each weeknight.

The "Daddy pile" also recognizes the fact that a student has mastered something when he can explain it back to someone else. My husband fulfills an important job by being a sound board to the learning that has taken place during that day. It does not require too much effort on his part: just patience and listening, which is in itself an effort after a long day. Many mothers have probably already thought of this idea.

I'd also like to add that I'm sure many husbands contribute a lot through their area of expertise. Science sometimes happens spontaneously at our house because my husband is a scientist and it was one of my college majors. I still use curriculum, but there are many fringe benefits to having dad communicate and live out his callings at home.

One more thing: I never could seem to find any way to include my husband directly with the books and materials, but it happened by itself when it was appropriate. He enjoyed the Logic classes he'd taken, so when one son began Introductory Formal Logic, it was natural that dad oversee the class. I make sure the schedule is followed, but my husband goes over the work and has the discussions. This is something fun and bonding for them both: a real blessing.

*I’ve decided to make a partial list:

Skiing

Ball games

Hiking

Camping out

Ocean swimming

Construction

Working with tools

Car Maintenance
Car Repair

Vegetable Gardening

Cooking

Contributing to housecleaning

Home Maintenance

Lawn Maintenance

Barn Maintenance

Property Maintenance

Stringing a livestock fence

Maintaining a livestock fence

Shooting a gun

Trapping for coyote

Leading at church

Sharing God’s abundance

Bible teaching

-and the daily example of

Faithfulness at work and

Loving a wife.

(…and if the Midwife didn’t make it in time, I do believe he’d help catch the Baby.)

Here is a list I made from this site. I'm sure I left out several good ones. I focused on things we still hear in our everyday language, although they are not all of that category. My children are amazed at how many of our now every day phrases come from Shakespeare: a wonderful heritage.

If this list is useful to anyone, I will be blessed:

Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind,
As man's ingratitude.

I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.

I wish you well and so I take my leave,

I Pray you know me when we meet again.

In time we hate that which we often fear

It is not enough to help the feeble up, but to support him after

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.

Praising what is lost makes the remembrance dear.

Strong reasons make strong actions.

Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind.

We know what we are, but not what we may be.

For aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts...

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. 
  

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Beware the ides of March.

But, for my own part, it was Greek to me.

Et tu, Brute!

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.

There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

He hath eaten me out of house and home.

And many strokes, though with a little axe,
Hew down and fell the hardest-timbered oak.

Although the last, not least.

Pray you now, forget and forgive.

Now is the winter of our discontent

A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!

Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine.

I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at.

'Tis neither here nor there.

Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.

It is a wise father that knows his own child.

    "The Merchant of Venice", Act 2 scene 2

We burn daylight.

This is the short and the long of it.

I cannot tell what the dickens his name is.

We have seen better days.

This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day; Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing.

(an appropriate last quote)

The science of changing Fall leaves isthe topic of the free science e-newsletter by Steve Walden for TOS. There are informative links and neat experiments to try.

I’ve just submerged from a pile of papers.  I spent the weekend pulling work from all of my children's binder notebooks and putting it into their individual file boxes. I know, I’m late…this job is usually done at summer’s end. I was putting our new work on top of last year’s work in their notebooks. How frustrating! Now all is packed away, and notebooks are lean and awaiting more of this year’s efforts.

Pulling last year’s work really helped me. I was starting this lesson push more discouraged than usual. Seeing all of the children's accomplishments really lifted me up.

Most teachers of every venue are probably always striving for more. That might be one of the marks of a teacher.

I wonder if Jesus, the master teacher, ever experienced those feelings.

Yesterday while having lunch at a restaurant I observed a family of five sitting near us. At first I didn’t know why something seemed unusual to me about the family: two parents sitting with two growing children and one toddler. Then I realized what was so different to me- nobody was talking. The toddler had a steady stream of babble going, but wasn’t getting much response from other family members. Mom and Dad were sitting side by side, but staring off elsewhere and not talking. I thought maybe they were just relaxing after a long morning of shopping…or church…but they never did have dialogue with their children, not while I observed them. The two older children mentioned a few things between themselves or a parent, but they weren’t engaged to talk.

What a difference from our family. It reminded me to be thankful for our loquaciousness. Lately the amount of talking in our house, as children grow, has been downright nerve wracking. No matter where they are, they’re talking. While I type this I hear them in the kitchen with a steady stream of chatter. In the morning, the first sounds I hear from their bedroom are quiet whispers of talk (especially between a certain pair of boys.) In the morning the first thing I am met with is whatever is on everyone’s mind. Lessons are interrupted with the latest wise wonder. If driving down the driveway, I have to ask for a few moments of silence while I gather my thoughts. When Scott gets home, he has five steady streams of conversation driven at him simultaneously in the kitchen. At dinner time, this reaches a crescendo, where everyone is (still) talking and we have to call a pause for prayer. Almost as soon as the final ‘Amen’ is said, the conversation picks right up again where it was left off. Refereeing dinner for ‘who has the floor’ is a sport in itself. The talking always lasts longer than the food. The talking continues during clean-up and all the way until bedtime. When I kiss goodnight, they are still talking to me, all the way until the very end of the night when we say, “No More Talking.”

One weekend we left the video monitor out after a Friday movie night. The weather was wet, we were tired and the kids sat around watching movies the next day. Finally about 4:pm I realized the big difference in our house. Nobody Was Talking. With the tv on all day, conversation had ceased.

Much of our instruction to our children happens orally. We have certain things to impart on certain subjects which we can just lecture on as we clean up dinner or drive in the vehicle. They are used to being engaged to listen, think, and respond. Likewise, we are conditioned to listen, think, and respond to most of what they say to us, whenever and wherever possible. It’s part of the homeschooling lifestyle.

So whenever I am overwhelmed with conversing, I will try to remember the silent family.

As I was putting away my last year’s logs today I noticed I started planning and logging in May 1996. I guess that makes me a decadian homeschooler already. Not that anybody’s counting.

So I need to add “something I’ve learned” for the 10^th completed year. I think I will borrow from what momofsix left in the comments:

10. Protect your home/garden as the gate keeper.

Wise words.

Ooh! It’s Friday night and a neighbor has brought over a bottle of his favorite red wine. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it would probably end up in the cooking. The other day I walked his new huge German hound home from another neighbor’s: an elderly neighbor who’s afraid of dogs.

I can’t see any of my neighbor's houses, but I know they are there- just far enough away to be rural, just close enough in case of emergency. With one fell swoop I was able to do a good deed for 2 of my 4 neighbors. What a privilege and a gift from God. Neighbor relations are one of my top priorities. 

The neighbor who brought us the wine is newer than we, and we represent his ideological-political opposite. Yet a few years back when they’d just moved in, and called me to tell me my dogs were bothering a dog at his house, and he was understandably upset, I was kind, sorry, humble, helpful, and pleasant in return. It was not too difficult, considering we were in the wrong!

Since then we have been able to be helpful to this family. I also try to occasionally bring breads or something to our neighbors. My husband routinely delivers apples to everyone in fall. My philosophy is when it comes to neighbors, I am GLAD to err on the side of going out of my way to be friendly, helpful, courteous, and kind.

Good neighbor relations are so important. Don’t let it go to the dogs!

[Note: We were once run out of a rental home by bad neighbors.]

I guess I am homeschooling a highschooler now. My son reminded me yesterday that we had his first day of “high school.” He means if he were in the public schools, he would have entered high school this year. I told the same thing I tell everybody: he’s been doing high school level work in certain subjects for a long time.

I stopped keeping track of “grades” early on in our homeschooling career. I realized that many children work at “grade” level in some areas, ahead in others, and may need more time in others. So I started keeping track of my children’s individual levels per subject instead of grades.

Debunking the grade idol is a nice springboard in conversation to the philosophy of individualized instruction in the homeschool. When people ask me what “grades” my children are in, I start with, “We don’t do grades.” Then I inform them of the above philosophy and might give them a run-down of my children’s ages. This is usually what they meant by the question, anyway.

Still, I do admit to feeling a bit big to be homeschooling a highschooler now for the first time. I remember his being five and six as clearly as yesterday. I remember the feeling I had watching him polish off his first math lab worksheets and decoding English. My trepidation and goals now are the same as they were then: fill him up with good things, keep his inquisitive nature busy, be available, and fight the spiritual fight with Jesus on our side.

My faith is in the Great Master who will be overlooking our home and our lessons while our children enter and complete their highschool years.

I don't mean my computer; I mean my brain. There is no more room. That is all I can think about right now as I numbly approach an original thought after the first official day of lessons.

We have had a couple of weeks of "gear up" as I slowly organized the materials, children and house into lesson mode. I started their review areas during this time.

Today we were only at about 60% of what my full day should be like, but I expected this. My goal for today WAS 60%.

This is the first lesson season I've started with a blog, so I guess I will just relax and await for original thoughts to resume again.

Have a good evening, all!

To my shame, I have not ever taught my oldest son playwriting, nor had we yet even read a play together, except for the town play he had the male lead role in three years ago. Today in order to get to our computer, I first had to move several pages of his copies of script, a seven scene / five person play he wrote today for himself and his brothers to perform.

How do things like this happen? Along with his first hand participation being in a play, here is what happened:

He came running inside from the middle of a tag game, told me he’d just had a wonderful idea, briefly described it, and asked permission to go on the computer. Seeing a learning moment happening on its own while husband is putting new part on tractor and I am dust-mopping floors, I said, “Sure, go ahead. Take all the time you need.”

This particular son becomes everything he does. This past spring he noticed Marchette Chute’s Stories From Shakespeare on the bookshelf and read it as he reads everything- in one huge gulp. (This child does not eat anything- except books.) This works nicely with my philosophy learned from homeschool veteran Rick Boyer: if you keep only good things in the house to read, they will read only good things. (Same goes with food of course- if they eat…)

Then Genious wanted to read some Shakespeare. I was preparing for our trip by then. I knew he’d attempted reading plays from my complete Shakespeare book. I knew he needed to enjoy what he was learning, that he wanted to learn, and that he just wanted to read and understand Shakespeare. I also knew I had no time. I did the cheap thing and purchased him some No Fear Shakespeares on our last shopping trip before we left home for 3 weeks. Blah.

No Fears have Shakespeare down one side, translated into our vernacular English on the other side. He promised to compare the texts as he read. I knew that he would compare interesting passages out of curiosity. I was on hand as we discussed the books and the language.

Yes, someday I will get to the real Bard, in his language…I’ve even studied some about the English of his day, and I look very much forward to going over these classical roots (to say the very least) with my son.

In the meantime, he picked up enough to confidently write a play for himself and his brothers today. Now he is stage director as well. THIS is homeschooling: when you are not at the table formally doing lessons (AND the TV/VCR/DVD lives in storage) they will in the down-time sufficiently follow their interests, and if you are there with a gleam of recognition in your eye, all you have to do is open the door for them.

I am thankful to God that He worked it out this way. When I do sit at the table with Shakespeare and son, I will be reintroducing old friends. In the meantime, I look forward to their play performance!

Since I am entering my 10^th year (oops- 11th) of homeschooling, I was wondering if I had any useful words of advice. I doubt if anything I have to share hasn’t already been said much better by others. Still, here are a few thoughts:

1. Homeschool as unto the Lord and not unto the state (no matter where you live).

2. Treat each child individually. Teach children first, not subjects.

3. No amount of preparation and good materials will suffice without plain ol’ hard work.

4. Enjoy your resources.

5. Just say “No” to outside interference and pressures.

6. It’s Ok to make time for yourself each day.

7. You get better at homeschooling as you go.

8. Choose the support that works best to encourage you.

9. When in fear or doubt, ignore it and move on. The answer is ahead.

There, one for each year I have completed homeschooling so far. I wonder what I will learn this year?  

I have been considering my home education schedule for the upcoming year and decided I need to change how and when I get the children writing. Since I have past information posted I said I'd list updates and changes:

Toward the end of last year I switched to a Weds. pre-write, Thurs. rough draft and Fri. final copy type of schedule. This made me pigeon-hole the times too much.

I would like to start this season with being more open to writing as needed with the younger ones, while still keeping to that schedule (at least for heavier writing) for the older ones. On Fridays they can still choose something to present. I will have to make time for the more frequent writing for the younger ones becasue I need to be more flexible for them.

So far I am not racing to start full-fledged. We still have plenty to do outside and this time of year is wonderful. Soon enough, we will be snowed-in with our books. We have about 2 weeks until our first hard frost comes.

Right now I am reading to youngers and having them narrate back to me, or write, etc. My olders are continuing Math and doing some writing. I don’t usually worry about a heavier schedule until after Labor Day weekend.

I hope everyone is enjoying nice weather! I am going out to play with the pony. Lately we have been picking our blueberries and walking in town parades (carrying candidates' signs). 2-3 large homeschool families and we fill up the ranks to an enviable proportion.

Well, uh, heh- you know, "Travel shore keeps y'all right busy, yup!"

Anyway, I managed to write down all my impressions of Washington DC while in the parking lot of a foodstore late one night.

I think I wrote about meeting my first great-niece, too.

The notebook came in handy for storing instant memorailbia, like artwork done on the trip by busy little hands, postcards, etc.

We seemed to be at a furious pace every day, even sitting around a beach house. I guess I have to get better at being more comfortable and relaxed at places that are un-home.

We were so busy doing, that most of the recording is happening here at home. It seems alright, because we are still digesting the trip, heading toward the memories phase.

I will still put up notebook pictures. After the writing phase, I think adding photographs from the digital camera will come.. not to be a slave to it; just enought to be fun.

So, notebook is still a work in progress!

Sojourner, I hope you found Misty (Marguerite Henry)! 

BurgessClan, we are all awaiting news of your new home!

I LOVED being in the Capital! This was our first time touring around...in the past we'd just driven through and had brief stops. I think it's much more exciting than even NYC- the pace is similar, but in DC you are at the Capital! There is a special excitement there. It was awesome to see the July 4th fireworks display with the Declaration of Independence itself just down the road in the Archives.

My son took this photo of the Wash. Monument.

Being in Wash., DC was also like being in the nation's scrapbook. I could spend a week there, but I need a month. Our 'next' trip is already planned out, and I can't wait to go back.

This is my oldest (14) at his summer internship. That big white piece of equipment he's looking into is a $60,000. microscope. The two computers next to him are linked to it. He has to photograph, measure length, compute surface area, and compile the data with the computers. His description of what's under the microscope is here, at his Entomologist blog.

Did you know you can take a photograph through a microscope?

My husband took this last night with my son’s digital camera. He centered the camera down onto one of the eyepieces of the microscope, using the camera screen as his viewing guide.

As you center the camera over the microscope eyepiece, you will see a white circle on the view screen of the digital camera. Slowly bring the camera down doward the microscope's eyepiece until your specimen is in view. You will not want to actually touch the microscope with the camera. After some tries you will get the hang of finding the best picture of your specimen. Snap the picture.

The photo and description of the specimen we got is here.

(Hint: this was an alive specimen in a ziploc bag, being restrained between fingers while the photo was taken.)

Although this works mainly with a digital camera, you can try it with any type of microscope and slide set-up, etc.

Have fun!

I found this little critter running across our bathroom floor yesterday. I was surprised because I thought it was a tick, something we don’t deal with much up here in the tundra. I had my oldest (the entomologist) scoop it into a Ziploc bag for my husband (this entomologist) to identify, especially if it was a tick.

I was a little curious, however, because I know insects have 6 legs, and this one had eight, yet it wasn’t a spider. A tick only acquires its 4^th pair of legs after feeding, and this was definitely not a fed tick. Also, when my son was catching it, its movements were extremely agile, including backward movement.

As soon as Bug Daddy got home, he glanced at it and said, “It’s not a tick. It’s a pseudoscorpion.”

A what?!

Pseudo- fake, pretend, simulated, bogus, counterfeit

Scorpion- arachnid (eight-legged organism) with poisonous stinger

While I ran for the field guides, hubby set up a microscope. We identified it as a House pseudoscorpion, Chelifer cancroides. This species is the largest of the pseudoscorpions, measuring 4mm. which this one easily does. The children all viewed it. Here is the photo of it alive under the microscope, and how we got the photo is here.

From Spiders and Their Kin, a Golden Guide, St. Martin’s Press, c. 1996, pp. 120-121

________________________________________________

Pseudoscorpions are common everywhere but are rarely seen because of their secretive habits. They do not have a long tail and stinger as do scorpions, but most have poison glands in their pincers, used solely to capture their prey, small insects.

House pseudoscorpions probably feed mostly on small insects and mites. In search of moisture they often become stranded in sinks or tubs.

________________________________________________

Sure enough, this one was found in the bathroom. It moved just like a regular scorpion, too.

It has been preserved in isopropyl alcohol, to be appreciated time and again as we wonder at God’s creation.

I feel a need to say that I am not as legalistic a home schooler as my recent posts look like. I felt a need to represent how I try to cover the bases, while still always learning, home education being a lifestyle and not just academics. The academics help me stay on track with certain skills to be learned, and then comes certain content to be presented, not by way of filling a container, but by ways that support explorative thinking, including questions that lead to discussions of worldview.

Above all is the spiritual character training of arrows and eternal souls for God.

Most of all I am amazed at how God equips us for this mission, if we lay down our agendas and do all His way, on His time, seeking Him, always. My way is tinkling brass, while His ways are full of the richness of God's glory.

Spring educating looks something like this:

Morning, Math, and Orthography with anyone involved. Big guys brush up on anything they need to do.

Bible reading before heading outside.

I call the children in for any quick lessons, individual, 2-3 at a time, or group: sometimes there is something to get done. I don’t keep them more than 20 minutes.

I can go outside throughout the day.   We can do some stuff out there: call it science, hands-on, nature study, etc. If they come alongside me in my work, we are all learning, always talking. I know if I head in a particular direction, I will have company soon.

This is not news, but it's nice to remember to stop and flop down with some chosen picture books somewhere. 

As the day winds down I like to put dinner on and read aloud, historical literature or science (Apologia). Maybe we will draw in nature journals. I like help in the kitchen. The kids learn a lot, and it’s not a lonely waste of time, and hey! They really do make it go faster. The cooking fellowship is nice.

Our oldest is working on some academics through summer, mostly (he’s also working at a lab right now, 2-3 days a week). My next oldest has built a fort and is measuring, constructing, fixing and building everything in site. He loves to work with his hands and see an accomplishment before his eyes.

The others are having a blast, running through the property, playing here, there, and everywhere.

All are enjoying the pool. It has a gated & locked fence around it which is only unlocked when in use. Everybody goes in, everybody comes out at the same time, and it’s locked back up again. Goings in are by permission only (so I know when they are in it). Pools frighten me to death. (On that note, there are no water troughs on our farm: hanging buckets, up high on a pole is all we allow.)

I am excited about the astronomy & literature study I have planned out. I would like to write about it next time. It has been too cloudy at night (so far) to do a lot; that study is mostly slated for August. When it’s clear, oh! Our stars! There isn’t a streetlight for miles, and the only house lights are ours. Heavens!  What a beautiful lovely glory of God’s.

We are tentatively planning a trip in July. Nobody should actually leave Vermont in July… but there’s nothing I can do about it. I hope it changes in future years. Plus, going to a southern beach the end of summer is risky (unless you want a fieldtrip to a hurricane).

I have been thinking about the Nature Log- Trip Journal I am going to have the children keep up while we are away. I have been searching different book and art stores to choose an appropriate book, times six.

Today I was considering what it will be like motivating my children to write in their journals everyday while on a busy, exciting trip. I also considered the time allowance I’d need to make each day, times six, with these journals.

Then I remembered I was supposed to be on a “vacation” of sorts, too. I don’t mind when lessons at home go overtime, but what would I do when they’re holding up the barbecue because I’m doing Nature Journals with the kids?

My dilemmas were possible motivation problems for a daily entry from 6 busy vacationers, plus the time constraint on ensuring follow through while also helping the youngers.

Basically, I really want this Trip Journal to happen for everyone, but not under those circumstances. Then, eureka! How about just ONE book that we can all enter into as we are inspired?  I know with the children’s discoveries and some of my own entries, plus anything my husband might add, there would be writing, researching and drawing from the children- while creating a souvenir from the trip we would all treasure.

I decided to forego buying a scrapbook and use a notebook approach, except our notebook will be a Family project.  I can let the children work independently, 3-hole punch their papers and save all their work in a binder until we get home: then bind it into a keepsake book. Once I started living with the idea, I began adding to it:

Use loose-leaf notebook paper, printer paper, penmanship paper for my youngers;

Watercolor paper, pieces of any colored craft paper, insert magnetic photo pages to display postcards, etc.  I can just pack up a nice craft box of supplies. There are soft-metal clasp clipboards for working in the 15-passenger between destinations.

We can prepare special autograph pages for family members to write on, and add it to our treasure of memories.

The children can make pages by printing with shells and paint, and using glue mixed with paint they can do sand art.

There are probably a number of things that can be done to enhance this project. I envision a chronological smorgasbord of nature pages, journal entries, photos, post-cards, autograph pages, etc.

What I like best about doing it this way is: it represents what the trip is about- all of us, enjoying and learning together, while we spend time with other family.

One thing I should note: some of my older children still want to add to their own nature logs, too. We decided to copy trip related entries for our Family book when we get home. 

Update: I have recently begun to do my History/Literature or Science reading in the morning so as to get to the copywork, dicatation or writing right from the lesson right away.

Sept. 2006

To get this from my schedule to a narrative I decided to do it in sections. This post focuses on mornings until lunch.

Bible picture book can be read to my younger 2 children in the morning. Then the Bible is read to the older 4 children.  I pick a book of the Bible and read through it until completion. A lot of discussion usually happens.

Now if my day is interrupted, at least the most important thing has already happened.

Then I begin Orthography (handwriting, phonics, spelling, writing) with my youngest 3 children. I do one at a time using The Writing Road to Reading. Soon I will write just about this book of Romalda Spalding's.  I also give my oldest of these three a separate grammar lesson at this time. My very youngest gets the Orthography only on Mon., Wed., and Fri.

While these lessons are happening, my older three can look at their lesson schedules and begin independent work on Grammar (Easy Grammar series), any independent reading, and Latin review. My older children really enjoy using their schedules to get started in the morning.

It is important to do a lesson with the youngest ones first in the morning. It fills up their little needs & attention tank. Then they are much more likely to enjoy the next activity independently while you work with the olders.

Then my older children get Ayres words dictated to them on Mon. and Tues. This is a list of spelling words in the WRR program. On Wed. and Thurs. they study them.  They are in different places on the Ayres list, so on Fri., they can give each other a spelling quiz.

On Wed. & Thurs. since I don't have to dicatate Ayres words to these older ones, we do a Latin lesson. Then they have the Latin to review the other days. I also make flashcards of all the vocabulary words. 3x5 inch index cards fit well into an old check box.

OK, by the time we do all that it's lunchtime already, so I will post more about our lesson routine next time, under "Afternoons."

Happy lunch!

Materials

KJV Bible

Writing Road to Reading (Spalding)

Easy Grammar

Memoria Press Latin
Memoria Press Book of Roots (Vocabulary)

Math-U-See
Foerster Algebra, Trigonometry

Apologia Science plus real life

Jeannie Fulbright 

Visual Manna (Art)

Memoria Press Logic

Fallacy Detective

Many Great Books (History and Literature)

Strong's Concordance
Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language

Noah Plan Homeschool Companion
Noah Plan English Language Curriculum Guide
Noah Plan Literature Curriculum Guide

God's World News for Children
Nature Friend Magazine

Typing Tutor 10

Write Source Handbooks

Field Guides

...and a lot of notebook paper and pencils!

last update: January 3, 2009 

I want to mention lesson schedules before I go on about our routine:

The idea is to have a weekly planner or calendar type schedule for each child. It can also function as a log once the week is completed. This eliminates most of my daily logging in a separate notebook.

You get the blank schedule and the week’s assignments and sit down with the child. He needs to learn how to plan out his own week. You start them as early as you can on this. The younger ones need more guidance. I really appreciated simple advice about how to make the kids more responsible for their education in an overview from Marcia Somerville.

Now the student has his schedule as a guide for the week. I have my guys mark each subject they’ve completed for the day. At the end of the week, I store the schedule in a binder. 

The boys like to pick up their schedules and any work I have copied for them from the “IN” box. They put completed work in the “OUT” box for me to look over. (When I write about the lesson plan, you will see that I do more than wait beside the “OUT” box all day!)

This type of homeschool does not mean that spontaneous learning does not happen. For me, it works because I can make sure the bases are getting covered. We do a lot of things that are not on the children's schedules.