Charlotte Mason & Friends Email Group

Jun. 29, 2006

Beginning Reading...

Hi,
I'm sort of coming in on the tail end of this whole thread but I'd like to share what I've been doing with my boys in regard to reading and phonic instruction.

I pushed, er strongly encouraged, the girls in phonics but this didn't do much to encourage their love of reading. Simply meant they could read correctly. Then came Johnny who has taken a long time to learn how to read and doesn't even think much of it now, although that is s-l-o-w-l-y changing :-)

Johny is now 8yo and Caleb is 6yo on Sunday.
I've taken a slightly different approach with John and Caleb and here are some of the ideas that are working.

We do a fair bit of reading aloud as a family but I also do one-on-one picture books with the boys. My goal is to allow them to be relaxed and comfortable with books. I also try to make our picture book reading fun! I don't think learning to read should be dry. Dry can mean boring for a 6yo.

We also don't just read the book but we discuss it; the pictures, the words, the ideas, etc. Five In A Row helped me enormously in this area. I try to read one favourite or familiar book and one new book each day to each of the boys. Sure, this doesn't always happen (like today) but it's a goal to aim for.

We have also taken to labelling things; everything! I never did this with the girls but my goal is now the just get the boys reading and enjoying it and we can get bogged down into correct phonics later, if necessary.

I also still do a fair bit of singing and reading of poetry and even nursery rhymes. Yes, nursery rhymes at this age! (6yo)

I want to expose all my kids to as much printed matter as I can; different types of printed matter too.

We have always encouraged the kids to read in bed and this helps them to develop an enjoyment of reading. Sure, it may be a slight stalling tactic but I'm choosing to pick my battles and not major on the minors

Another thing that I have to make a conscious effort in is to ensure that when we do sit down for reading aloud and reading practice, that the conditions are nice. The atmosphere has to be pleasant and relaxed. No-one will get anything other than stress if it is too hot, too cold, too dark or so light that our eyelids are being fried. I also can't try to *squeeze* in a reading lesson just before we head out the door. The kids *know* when I'm feeling rushed or harried.

The other thing that I have changed now is that I don't MAKE the kids 'sound' out the words that they have difficult with. If they have difficulty with a word in a book, I simply tell them the word so that they can move on with the story. Reason for this is that they may lose the gist of the story and then they are just reading words and that is not fun. It is burdensome and a real joy-killer. My aim is for them to enjoy books; not to be letter perfect yet miss the love of it all. Ultimately, I'm trying to build their confidence and help them to have a sense of achievement. I'm a big fan of helping children to achieve a sense of achievement because success breeds success!

Whole word vs Phonic instruction????? The biggie!
Does it really matter for us.......as home-schoolers? I've found that by me learning about both methods has made me better equipped to encourage my children in reading. I don't have to be all one way or the other but I'm free to use the best of both methods in different ways according to each child's needs and learning styles.

Many people dislike the systematic readers and I'll admit that I'm not a great fan of them. BUT, I Have found them beneficial for Caleb. He loves them as he feels like he is progressing and achieving which spurs him on all the more. Is that bad? No way! Back to that confidence issue again
:-)

The last but not least thing I've learnt is to relax and chill out. If it is not a happening thing this term, then shelve it for awhile and come back to it later. I know that I had to shelve the whole reading thing many times before John just *clicked*. It was hard work before so I knew it was not clicking but when it clicked, it *CLICKED* with very little effort!

Relax, it won't happen overnight.............but it will happen!

In Him
Susan

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Pam wrote<<<<<<<<
Voyages in Phonics is similar to Alphaphonics and Australian- therefore cheaper and more readily available- though they are different enough that it would be very easy to like one and not the other.

I find two different types of programmes are good, then you can swap when you or your child get a bit stale. That's what I'm about to do with 100 EZ lessons. We're at Lesson 67 and I found out on another list that a lot of kids bog down around about there. Sure enough... I think it's when the list of words and the passage get a bit too much to do all in one day and it turns into more of a slog. So we're going to do a word list from one and a passage from one, unless that is too much and then we'll just do half a lesson from 100 EZ lessons.

I found with my first son that he had many plateaux in reading. He'd hit a brick wall fairly frequently and it really seemed as if his brain had to catch up- it was a neural thing. He'd do great leaps and jumps of ability in the holidays when we were doing nothing (great but somewhat frustrating!). And watching them take off really is a miracle- you realise that we teachers really play a very small part in the whole thing.

I think teaching reading is a bit like toilet training (elegant comparison I know!)- you can never really believe it's going to happen and that you can "do it" until it does. And then you're never quite sure how much you had to do with it...

My first son sounds a bit like yours. He loved recognising words, hated sounding them out. I did do some stuff that fitted in with that but I probably should have tried very short phonics lessons and then a lot more of what Louise and Susan were talking about. AS it was, I alternated between the two but out of frustration.

I'm experimenting with my younger son atm- it probably would've worked well with T2. I've read him a picture book and then got him to narrate it back (or part of it if it's long) and illustrate it. Then I get him to "read" what he has written- or again just part of it. Because he wrote it, it's easier to remember. (But you could just read a book a few times and it would achieve the same thing!) I started this to help my son with narration but I can see it could be useful for reading, too.

You could always just buy lots of readers from Robyn!

all the best,
Pam

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Jun. 29, 2006

Handbook of Nature Study - Book review

Posted in Book Reviews

I have been debating about buying this for over a year and have just
borrowed it to have a really good look (thanks Pam).

Mostly I hear people who have it say they really like it and others have
said they felt too much was not relevant especially considering it is
expensive. I have decided to buy it (and that was really clearly confirmed
when I saw my dhs enthusiasm. He said it is definitely a book he would like
to own and marvelled at the breadth the subject matter and how it was
handled. Quite a compliment from an editor and detail man.)

The book is large and contains the following sections;

*The teaching of nature study Lots of goodies in here I suspect.
*Animals-birds
fish
-mammals
amphibians
reptiles
insects -of the fields
-of the brook and pond
invertebrates eg snails,

*Plants
How to begin studying them and how they are named etc
wildflower
weeds- many the same as ours
Garden flowers-many the same as ours
cultivated crop plants-again the same as we use
trees tree parts, how they grow, and includes willows, pines, apple
trees oaks
flowerless plants -includes ferns and mushrooms and bacteria and mosses
etc

*The brook
*rocks and minerals
*the magnet
*climate and weather
*water forms
*the soil
*the skies -this is going to be rather different because the constellations
are different int he northern hemisphere but there is some info worth
reading.

Although there are many creatures that exist in the US only, there are also
references to many are relevant to us here eg domestic animals, bees,
crayfish, earthworms, mosquitoes, dragonflies, crickets, cockroaches,
silverfish, frogs, toads etc etc. More than enough to keep us busy and
learning richly for quite a while. There may be some species differences but
the differences are minor. eg the way a particular butterfly might behave or
live is different but the principles of what *makes* it a butterfly and why
it is an insect and how it's parts fit together etc are going to be the
same. Any differences can be used to awaken the child's powers of
observation by asking them to observe how a butterfly in your back yard
behaves differently to the one in the book.

Each section of information starts with a short essay filled with
information about the topic.

eg "the toad
The song of a toad is a pleasant crooning sound a sort of guttural trill; it
is made when the throat is puffed out almost globular, thus forming a vocal
sac; the sound is made by the air drawn in at the nostrils and passed back
and forth from the lungs to the mouth over the vocal chords, the puffed out
throat acting as a resonator. (Comment from Louise: for science studies a
brief side trip to learn about resonators and how that works in musical
instruments would be interesting. also what other ways are resonators used
eg hi fi speakers.)

The toad has no ribs by which to inflate the chest, and thus draw air into
the lungs, as we do when we breathe; it is obliged to swallow the air
instead and thus force it into the lungs. This movement is shown in the
constant pulsation, in and out, of the membrane of the throat."

Then there is a section with one or more lessons which contain activities to
learn by observation.
eg in the toad section
The tadpole aquarium

Leading thought
The children should understand how to make the tadpoles comfortable and thus
be able to rear them.

then follows instruction on gathering tadpoles and how to set up a tadpole
aquarium-very detailed information and much better conditions than I set up
as a child when I reared tadpoles for fun. Incidentally, there is a big
problem in our ecosystems because frogs are dying out and anything you can
do to raise frogs and reintroduce them to the local streams and ponds would
be very useful to help maintain the environment. There are lots of *frog*
enthusiast groups around who can advise you on how to do this and what frogs
are natural for your area. Another really meaningful project with great
potential for real life problem solving and learning?

One of the strengths of the book for non-scientist teachers (HS parents) is
that the lessons include questions to ask. I have come to realise that one
of the stumbling blocks for HS parents and primary teachers is their
feelings that they need to know the answers to children's questions. This is
not real science.

A real scientist has to develop powers of observation and the ability to
make up a theory to fit what they observe. Their job involves exploring
unknown territory and NOT knowing the answer but coming up with new ways of
seeing and thinking about what they see. About making conclusions and then
using this to make up new theories and then finding ways to test and observe
again. There is a large element of uncertainty and they have to get
comfortable with NOT *knowing* the answers.

If we teach children that science is knowledge, we do them a great
disservice and neglect their greatest strengths ie the spirit of inquiry
and freshness of vision that comes from not knowing much. THAT is why the
greatest discoveries of our world are made by young men and women who know
too little to be hindered by thinking "that does not fit what we already
know" and then discarding it without thinking deeper and learning to discard
the previous knowledge. eg Watson and Crick were young and did some of their
most ground breaking hypothesising over a beer in the pub. And we ended up
*knowing* the structure of DNA and how it works.

Back to the book. I have also come to realise that, for the mentor of young
folk, some knowledge is very useful if you are to guide their thinking and
powers of observation in areas where we do have a great deal of knowledge.
Yes I know this seems to contradict what I just said but there is a role for
reviewing and using the knowledge already gained. For me this is
comparatively easy because I have studied science in a degree that gave a
very broad based science education. A little bit of many things and not a
lot of any one thing; an Agriculture degree(which leaves lots of scope for
learning alongside my children. There is so much I DON"T know). That gave me
a broad base of knowledge on which to build and I guess is the equivalent of
a *liberal education* in science. (Isn't God amazing how He knows JUST what
we need to do to fulfil the roles He has set down for us. Ag was not my
first choice, but it probably has led me into a much *richer* life than my
original choice would have).

It also allows me to ask questions that prompt my child to observe RATHER
than give him answers. The HBONS book does the same thing IMO by giving
lists of questions to ask a child during their suggested activity.

eg Lesson 45 on the toad
Leading thought
The toad is coloured so it resembles the soils and thus often escapes the
observations of its enemies. It lives in damp places and eats insects,
usually hunting them at night. It has powerful hind legs and is a vigorous
jumper.

Then there is info on how to set up a moss garden in a jar to observe a
toad.

Questions
1. describe the general colour of the toad above and below. HOw does the
toads back look? Of what use are the warts on its back?
2. Where is the toad usually found? Does it feel warm or cold to the
touch? Is it slimy or dry? The toad is a cold blooded animal; what does that
mean?
3. Describe the eyes of he toad and explain how their situation is of
special advantage to the toad. Do you think it can see in front and behind
and above all at the same time. Does the bulge of the eyes help this. Note
the shape and the colour of the pupil and iris. How doe the toad wink?

And so on. There are 15 blocks of questions right through to how they are of
use to farmers. Each could be an independent project for older children.

I have no real sense of how easy or hard this seems to you folk to answer
these questions. I feel there is enough information to draw the attention of
the child and for them to practice making conclusions from what they see eg
the toad eye ones. There are hints but it is up to the child to discover
this themselves and to think about what they see. And enough to prompt them
to seek information from other sources including finding *experts* in an
area. Questions that probably would not occur to me to ask because I have
never thought about them eg a toads eyes.

Some you will think obvious but many probably are not and I feel I will
learn many new ways if *seeing* the world and learn how to ask even more
questions. One of the joys of HS is that our dc CAN ask questions when they
come up instead of waiting till later like in a class of 30 and then
forgetting it or losing interest.

I hope this helps. Long!!!! but I hope it gives a clearer picture of the
book and helps you assess how useful it might be to you all. Oh and one more
thing. It recommends some books to help study the topic too. As the book is
very old many of the recommendations may not be available but I noticed that
, for the horse, Wild animals I have known is mentioned. It is online and we
*LOVED* it. And there are poems too. And drawings and some black and white
photos.

Louise

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Jun. 29, 2006

Our Favourite Suppliers

VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS OF HOMESCHOOLING RESOURCES

ADNIL PRESS- *Note: new web site* A new look & new products.
www.adnilpress.com
Also incorporating TRIVIUM EDUCATIONAL
PO Box 22 Booleroo Centre,
SA 5482
Ph 08 8658 6019
Adnil Press is run by a homeschooling family. We publish Voyages in Phonics, Voyages in Language, Voyages in Literature, Voyages in Diction and the Schonell Spelling Programme. In addition, we supply resouces such as Prima Latina, Latina Christiana, Traditional Logic, Classical Rhetoric, The Story of the World series, books from Dinah Zike, as well as resources for Art & Music Appreciation, and more!
Suppliers of Apologia materials, How Great Thou Art publications, Trivium Pursuit, Peace Hill Press, Truthquest History, Canon Press, Critical Thinking Books, Easy Grammar as well as materials from Nothing New Press, Greenleaf Press, For Such a Time as This Ministries, Educators Publishing Service, and New Tribes Mission.
===========================

ALWAYS LEARNING BOOKS - Beverley Paine
www.beverleypaine.com
catalogue - http://books.beverleypaine.com
contact@beverleypaine.com
PO Box 371, Yankalilla SA 5203
phone 08 85583212 or 0431908220; fax 08 85583212

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Suppliers of quality home education resources including Bright Ideas Press titles, Knowledge Quest Maps, Saxon maths, Parent Support, Shurley English and much, much more.
A New Zealand agent for Education Choices, and Keystone, home education magazines.
Visit www.blackberryshed.co.nz or email enquiries@blackberryshed.co.nz for a price list.

Details: 11 Jozecom Place,
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Ph 03 347 7168
I am a home educator with nine years experience with my own children and five years assisting home educators with exemption applications.

===========================

BROAD ROOM, THE
http://www.thebroadroom.co.nz/
denise@thebroadroom.co.nz
Serving the home education community in New Zealand by providing quality courses for both new and experienced home educators. The Broad Room seeks to inspire and educate parents to educate their own children.

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AUSSIE HOMESCHOOL CLASSIFIEDS – A message board for Australian Homeschoolers to swap or sell curriculum (new or second hand) or to share resources, online links, homeschool businesses or retailers.

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CHARIOT PRESS
Suppliers of Learning Language Arts Through Literature, The Learnables, Singapore Mathematics, Doorposts, and more.
Email: sales@chariotpress.com.au
(Formerly OpenVisionAustralia)

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CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF LIFE
http://www.swcs.com.au/caol/
Christian based curriculum materials, resources and support.

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EBENEZER BOOKS – Parrish Family
http://www.ebenezerbooks.8m.com/
P.O. Box 639
BURPENGARY QLD AUSTRALIA 4505
Ph: 07 3888 5114
Email: office@ebenezerbooks.8m.com
We specialise in Godly books and music for children and adults which teach and entertain while they help to build character. We stock a large range including; fiction, biography, historical fiction and non fiction, character building & heritage story books, Bible story books, colour-in and activity books, music and more. Our books will compliment any curriculum. We also search for titles not in our catalogue upon request.

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FOUNTAIN RESOURCES-Hackett Family
http://www.fountainresources.com.au/index.html
admin@fountainresources.com.au
Catholic materials and Charlotte Mason and living books.

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GOLDEN BEETLE BOOKS - Rudolf Steiner Education and homeschooling teaching manuals.
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Grammar On One Hand: A Tool Kit For Writers DVD
(88 minutes) -- visit:
http://www.vernaheights.com.au

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HOMESCHOOL HELP provides:
# workshops: *the Beginner's Guide to Home Education, *Educational Games,
*Charlotte Mason methods of education explained, *Educating and
Career-guiding Teens, *Literature - "What's the big deal?"
# guidance and help with writing an exemption application
# support and preparation for an ERO review
Lennie has home educated her children since 1987 and is a professional
teacher of adults. She has run workshops since 1997 and helped parents with
MoE and ERO issues for many years.
Email: "L Harrison" jandl@e3.net.nz

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HOMESCHOOL FAVOURITES – Resources for A Living Education.
http://www.homeschoolfavourites.com.au/
Email Mary at collis@pnc.com.au
A Living Education' - quarterly magazine on CM methods as used in Australia.Charlotte Mason how to books
Mother culture/HSing families books
Diana Waring materials
Greenleaf Press materials
Timeline and mapping materials
Classical Kids
Artistic Pursuits and more

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HOMESCHOOL HEAVEN - http://www.homeschoolheaven.net/
Ngaire H and her husband have recently purchased Homeschool Heaven from Michelle and Wayne. They currently stock Greathall story CDs, Bellerophon Colouring books and Sense and Sensibility modest dress patterns. They will also be stocking Baby BeeHinds Hemp Honeys or Plush Comforts (fitted "modern cloth" nappies),appliqued
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Lots more lines to come,hopefully including a couple of magazines for
children) but slowly! Website to be announced. Please email Ngaire: nhynd@hotmail.com

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HOMESCHOOLING SUPPLIES –Marett Family.
http://www.homeschooling.com.au/
office@homeschooling.com.au
A collection of Australian books that are self-instructional, if used in the right order.

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Janette's PICTURES OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORY and TIMELINE FIGURES
Janette's Pictures Of Australian History and timeline figures; are intended to be used, to teach Australian history. They are a series of pictures or scenes with accompanying notes and rhyme on Australia's first 100 years of history. They are designed to create windows and hooks; windows that give you a picture of what was going on at a given time and hooks that inform and encourage children (and adults) to investigate further.
http://janettecassey.blogspot.com/ and http://janettecassey.proboards100.com/index.cgi?

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KINGSLEY EDUCATIONAL PTY LTD
http://www.kepl.com.au/
talldad@kepl.com.au
The Angelico family , operating Kingsley Educational from our home as a mail order supplier of home education curriculum and support materials. As Christians, we aim primarily but not exclusively to serve our fellow-Christians with mainly Christian curriculum.

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LEARNEX EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
learn@learnex.co.nz
50 Walpole Avenue
Manurewa
Auckland 1702
Ph: +64 9 269 3532
Contact is Erena Fussell.
Suppliers of Apologia Science resources and just about anything else you can think of.

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LEATHERWOOD BOOKS – Australian family-owned business. Catalogue includes a wonderful selection of living books.
http://www.leatherwoodbooks.com.au/

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LIGHT EDUCATIONAL MINISTRIES
http://www.lem.com.au/
PO Box 3284
Belconnen MDC ACT 2616
AUSTRALIA
+61 2 6259 3944 (tel)

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MINISTRY 2000 - Tony & Esther White
Email: learning@m2000.org.au
Or write to: P O Box 269,
Orbost, VIC 3888,
Ph: 03 5154 1977Math-U-See products.

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NEW ZEALAND RESOURCES
uwe@boma.co.nz
U & V Balzat
P.O.Box 302555,
North Harbour
Auckland 1330
New Zealand
Tel: 09 915 3332
Supplying Charlotte Mason materials and more. Email for more info and order form.

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READING A-Z PROGRAMME
If you would like to join the NZ/AU Group license at a substantial discount please contact Janne Witt janne@rock3.net.nz After using it with our 7 children since 2001 I am so impressed with it that since 2003 I have undertaken to co-ordinate the NZ/AU Group License. To have a look at the programme click here http://wetrack.it/readingaz/af.cgi?45

The link will take you to the page where you can download 30 reading books with activity sheets for FREE and where you can also preview the extra materials available to members of a Group License. To investigate the rest of the site scroll to the bottom of the page and click on 'continue tour'. At the bottom of the second page you will see all the tabs to negotiate the site. The 'All Books' tab will allow you to investigate each book's summary page. The 'Home' tab is where you can take the full site tour.

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SOUTHERN CROSS BOOKS – The designated Aussie partner of Singapore Maths and Classical resources!
http://www.southerncrossbooks.net

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ST ATHANASIUS BOOKSELLERS - stockists of Catholic books
stathan@chariot.net.au
556 Torrens Road, Woodville Nth. S.A. 5012.
Ph 08-8345 1522
Opening hours for calling in:Thur, Fri, Sat 10.30am - 5pm.Books on homeschooling: Catholic Education-Homeward Bound; Catholic Homeschool Treasury; Catholic Homeschooling. Living history books including many mentioned in popular curriculum guides such as Greenleaf, 4 reallearning etc.

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STEINER EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS and books
www.steiner-australia.org/other/bookshop.html

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GENERAL

Aussie Homeschool Message Board

This message board is primarily for Australian Homeschoolers to swap or sell curriculum- new or second hand or to share resources, online links, homeschool businesses or retailers.

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Ebay Australia
http://www.ebay.com.au/
A place to buy resources and books.

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ABEBOOKS
Search for rare, old, OOP or current books. (Use advanced search and search by country)
http://www.abebooks.com/

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PLEASE NOTE: This list is in alphabetical order - please browse through the whole list and contact the vendors directly for further information or catalogues. If you would like your homeschool business/ministry to be included on this list, please email the details to the list shepherdesses.

Regards,
Susan, Julia, Bec and Robynne.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <><

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Jun. 29, 2006

Typical Days...and Schedules

One member asked- As many of you know, our family recently moved interstate (again!). We are in a time of changing pegs and routines and finding our new rhythm. Would anyone mind sharing their schedules or days with me? I know reading about others and their homeschooling has always been such a help. ~Leonie

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Louise- Hmmm how interesting that you are asking and interesting the way you said it. I have thought of you as quite settled and, after many years of experience, that you would be regular and certain of your routines. It made me think about how this home education is a journey, a life.

Everything keeps changing and it is kinda reassuring to know that re-adjusting routines and finding a new rhythm is normal.

I would like for the routine to be the same for longer but somehow it keeps changing right out from under me. Dc change and family demands change and homes change and dc suddenly move into new ideas and skills and territory and their needs change--- my two have always caught me unawares and forced me to shift into different ways of thinking.

Rhythm....mmmm what a beautiful natural flowing way to see it.

I think our schedule changes every week. At heart we are unschoolers but I have come to realise I need a certain amount of order in the form of schoolish book and my ds needs that too.

What is happening here is rising and feeding ourselves (we each do that separately and that is part of my training of my children to be thoughtful about their diet and be independent.

We try and do 20 min exercise and then breakfast.--sometimes we don't but if we get 4 times a week in I am happy.

chores are done (feeding animals washing up, putting a load of washing on etc)

We start between 7:30 and 9 depending on how late ds was up the night before. ( He is very involved with church and out several nights with that plus scouts on Monday)

We are doing blocks of work because we seem to do better with immersion in fewer subjects. It also allows me to focus on less things each week.

eg this week we have mostly done art--lots of practical--making books and creative art stuff, drawing, making photos (mostly nature studies with some forensic style manipulations) --thinking about design, making designs, composing music, playing music and playing with photoshop and the digital camera.

Last week we focused on English and that was primarily poetry that week. We also do math 30 min per day for 4 days a week---first task during table time.

Next week we will be focusing on Science and doing Apologia ,we actually do this most weeks after math, but enriching the study eg with a microscope and making a book and using camera skills learned this week---I am trying to make learning as wholistic and integrated as possible so we often follow a rabbit trail and the schedule is blown
away.

Bible memory, Spanish, typing and copywriting are things we try and do after lunch. HOwever, copywriting has dominated the last couple of weeks because ds has taken to liking poetry and draws pictures, sometimes traces and does poetry copywriting. I go with the flow a lot---until I get really uncomfy and go back to structure and a more ordered schedule.

Bible studies and personal development have moved to weekends and evenings with Dad---having only sons it is important I think to get the guy view of things and I notice my teens love to talk with Dad about *stuff*....it usually wanders into all sorts of interesting ideas eg recently we ended up talking for about 1.5 hour about different religions and the Pope etc --I had scheduled 30 min devotion.

We also do geography orally at night with dad a couple of times a week---just world exploration stuff like countries and political systems. and world events and current affairs. Getting Dad's ideas adn attitude is really important at this point.

I took the ideas Elizabeth mentioned about just working through the subject areas without actually scheduling each day because I CANNOT keep to a schedule. nor can I stick to a curriculum *every* week. Also we seem to work best with focussing on one thing at a time---guys are like that and it means I don't have to think about too many things at once too.

We will do geography and History etc in weekly blocks.

After about 2 pm, my ds does other things which usually involve his loves ie music. He's building a bass Guitar for D and T ( I told him he had to do a project this year) and he is playing Bass in church so practices a lot. He also is getting into composing using the computer.

Later (3-5) I am getting him to learn how to cook a couple of times a week or he does chores and fold and puts away clothes, cleans etc. and he plays guitar in any spare minute.

If I get in 3 solid days work I am lucky. On other days, read read read. And having math and apologia and Spanish that can be done without me at all is great if I get called away (happens often). Also the music stuff.

Service is daily service in the family plus church and it takes priority over school.

Every second week dad is home for a day and we do building and maintenance like using the chain saw and how to use tools by doing jobs at home and today was tiling. All practical stuff.

Sound messy? It is. ~Louise

My name is Basia and I just started homeschooling my daughter (8) about a month ago. So far we have had both really productive days and days when nothing gets done. I guess we are still trying to get into some sort of routine. Also I don't want to overwhelm her with too much work. Instead I think easing into the new life and approach to learning will allow her to adapt better.

As for my day .

9:00 I'm woken up by my daughter for breakfast (I was up till 3:30am the night before preparing materials for the work we are going to do). We have breakfast by ourselves (dad had already left for work).

9:30 Get dressed, shower, clean up and tidy the house a little.

10:15 We begin to do some work. We basically cover some handwriting,comprehension activities, phonics and maths. We are still using the standard workbooks that schools use but, Im planning to slowly integrate the CM approach. Still trying to work out what would be the best way to do this. During this time we have several breaks to eat, play card games, and have a sword fight (She won after striking me, accidentally, on the knuckles with the sword),

2:00pm Finish up work and pack away books. We both decide to do separate things and relax. I jump on the computer to do some more research and my daughter decides to watch 'Charlotte's Web'.

3:00pm Start preparing to go and get the bus (my daughter does pottery on Wed and Drawing and Painting on Fridays). Since I don't drive, we take a bus and then I catch a bus home. She starts at 4pm.

4:10pm I'm sitting at the bus stop thinking about how to approach teaching my daughter and motivate her to become interested in learning again. I end up confusing and stressing myself.

5:00pm I arrive home, make myself a cup of tea and sit in front of the computer to do some more reading.

5:30pm My partner picks me up (by car, hehehe) and we drive to pick our daughter up from pottery class.

6:00pm We head back home for dinner.

7:30pm Dinner done, we clean up. I get back on the computer, while they play games.

8:30pm My daughter has a bath (with way too many toys). She stays in there for more than 30 minutes and we have to tell her to get out before she catches a cold.

9:15pm We get comfortable on her bed and finish reading Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.

9:45pm My daughter is tucked in (but still browsing through a book and not quite ready for sleep). I jump back on the computer, with another cup of tea to do more reading.

Its now 2:30am and I'm trying to type very quietly so as not to disturb my partner who is sleeping. I wonder why time goes so fast when Im on the computer, and also how fast the days go by with my daughter at home now..

I guess my day isn't as exciting as some of the other peoples. With one child only so much can happen, though I cant wait to have more.

Louise - 6 am... the cat let's me know it is time to get up, so I feed him then back to bed with a cuppa and "one hour with God" only it isn't one hour.

6:30 Shower and exercise bike.(are the ladies with babies jealous yet?)

7 wake the sleeper....then again 15 min later. If its a bad morning 15 min later again. Hmmm need more obedience habit.

DS feeds the animals, makes and eats his breakfast then 30 min music practice. I do email and wash dishes.

8 am - if we are lucky it is the start of school work.... ummmm but usually it is 9 am or later. There always seems to be a heap of distractions and go slows in the morning.

Start with Math.... supposed to be 30 min but often more. DS gets involved and it can end up 1- 2 hours. He gets heaps done but there goes the schedule again. I am trying to organise myself and take care of business. The builder calls and drops by. Mum's hostel calls, need something done. etc

Try to do Apologia..... 15 min to read ???? Not likely. May be 1 hour and then we have to go through different ways of doing things. Spelling time to try and master all the mis-spelled words. 2 weeks per unit??? hmmm maybe some day... it is gradually getting faster but I have to take deep breaths and remember God's timing is not my timing.

French... should be 15 min but usually takes 30. Fun.

LAs should be 30 min but can end up 1 hour or more. It takes time when a child needs help with *getting it*... then we end up having deep and meaningful discussions about life the universe and everything, how people learn, what our learning styles are, how to sort out new ways of understanding... you would think this would only happen a few times but somehow we end up doing this often.

Maybe we watch a show from ABC TV.... learning how to take notes from TV/lectures mostly using mind maps.

Time to write???? Maybe. But it takes a long time!!!!!!! Another hour gone and ds takes a break... but then ends up doing art or design on the computer. Mum wanders off to just take care of..... and gets hung up ... there goes the schedule AGAIN

Check the notebooks and they still seem to be sparse. How do others make beautiful notebooks? Does not seem to be time.

Some days we study materials like glass and wood and read and take mind map notes.

Some days we might fit in art.... but not often.

The list of wonderful things to do remains long and it seems to take forever to do the basics....

What about art studies and composer studies and geography.... well maybe next week.

Then the bob-cat man arrives.... gotta go watch and ask questions.

Then we have to shift a pile of dirt....

The garden remains in chaos. But we have to move the garden bed so the gas can be moved.......So slow when you have to watch the exertion... and I hate to feel old.

Ohhhhh did we do any read aloud today?.... better pull out Augustus Caesars world... then we gotta find time to narrate it.... hmmmm writing not so good so better fit in more copywriting.... hmmm spelling needs a LOT of work.... maybe fit in more phonics review....darn where is that book?

Oops the papers have arrived and need processing and delivering.... I think I am drowning because it all happens in one room.

Oops, its Friday and ds needs to be at church to set up for youth at 3......

Oops it's Monday... ice skating (our one sporty thing) music lesson and scouts.

Oops it's Wednesday evening .... Creative at church for ds and life group for me

Oops it's Thursday. Ds has to be at his life group then off to train in video....

Hmmm what did Charlotte say about reading together at night... Is anyone home all at once?

Dinner is a juggle as people come and go at different times.... hmmmm what was that about sitting and talking and sharing time together over dinner????? ummm I must work out a meal plan... yeah when I do it doesn't work because people are swinging in and out at odd times. And then in the middle of that time when all is chaos I have to duck in and out delivering and picking people up.

Oops my Mum needs help or just a visit. Hmmm what did they say in church about doing more ministry work?????

Oops a paper has come in to edit.... the tax needs finishing (actually managed to do it this week ...Yeahhhh)

Not one day.... just a crazy life.

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Jun. 29, 2006

Netiquette- Emoticons and Acronyms

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY "NETIQUETTE" ?

NETIQUETTE DEFINITION:
Using technology effectively to communicate with others both personally and professionally with knowledge, understanding and courtesy.

What does this have to do with us?

No, we don't have a huge list of do's and don'ts on our email group. But here are a few broadly accepted guidelines relating to email in general.

Remember that we are all human. When you're holding a conversation online it's easy to misinterpret your correspondent's meaning. And it's frighteningly easy to forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more or less like your own. Many people are much bolder with email communication than they would be in a face to face conversation therefore a good rule of thumb is to save your email in your drafts folder for 24 hours and then reread it again before posting it. Maybe you'll change your mind given some time to think and reflect.
All posts and files remain the property of the CMandFriends group and must not be forwarded from the list, posted on the internet, or used in any public manner. We try hard to protect members' privacy and group projects, and ask that this is strictly respected. In the email world it is very easy to copy anybody's work from any email list, however, this is rude and unethical.
"Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion. we have a wonderfully thoughtful and gentle group of people here and have never had any 'flaming'. The moderators will step in in this situation if it ever arises.
Be forgiving of other's mistakes. We were all newbie homeschoolers or new to the Internet at one time. Let us be patient with others.

Emoticons and Acronyms

Some of our member's have been using the Internet and Email for quite a few years and new members can often find our 'posts' (Internet lingo meaning talks, discussions or letters) confusing and hard to read because of the use of various emoticons and acronyms. Here, we have listed a few of the most frequently used emoticons and acronyms for your convenience.

Some acronyms relevant to homeschooling are:

CM is Charlotte Mason
CE is Classical Education
AO is Ambleside Online
LA is Learning Adventures
TQ is TruthQuest Guides
MoH is Mystery of History
ACHOW is A Child's History of the World (Hillyer)
SOTW is Story of the World (Bauer)
LLATL is Learning Language Arts Through Literature
SL is Sonlight
FIAR is Five In A Row
FAR is Far Above Rubies
HOW is Heart of Wisdom
VP is Veritas Press
RB is usually Ruth Beechick
MMM is Making Math Meaningful
SM is Singapore Maths
MUS is Math-U-See

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

General Acronyms

or is "laughing out loud
grin
big grin very big grin
AFK Away from keyboard
BRB Be right back
BTW By the way
DH Dear/Darling Husband
FWIW For what it's worth
GD&R Grinning, Ducking & Running
GMTA Great minds think alike
ICYDK In case you didn't know
IYKWIM If You Know What I Mean
IMO In my opinion
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO In My Not So Humble Opinion
J/K Just Kidding
OIC Oh I See
OTOH On the other hand
PMJI Pardon my jumping in
ROTFL Rolling on the floor laughing
Txs Thanks
TIA Thanks in Advance
TTFN Ta Ta for now
TTYL Talk to ya later
wrt-with regard to
yob year old boy
yog year old girl
mil mother-in-law
fil father-in-law
ds - dear/darling son
dd - dear/darling daughter
YSIC - Your Sister in Christ

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following symbols are called *Emoticons*
(hint: turn you head to the side)

:) smile
:D big grin
:* kiss
;) wink
:( sad face
:/ disappointment
:| boredom
>:( annoyance
8) person with glasses
:X not speaking
((( insert name))) hug
:o mild surprise

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I know there is a lot more 'out there' on the web but this should get you started ;-)

HTH (Hope this helps)

Susan

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• We are Aussie, Kiwi, New Guinea and nearby region families, using Charlotte Mason-inspired, living books, literature-rich, "wholehearted child", and lifestyle of learning, approaches.

• Some of us are more eclectic in approach than others, and if you are after a "pure" CM approach, you might be more comfortable on some other lists such as Strictly-CM, CMason, Ambleside, CMSeries and TimeforTea.

• However, if you love living books and use some of CM's ideas on education, or are trying to create a lifestyle of learning, and want to share experiences and resources relevant to our home surroundings, you'll probably be comfortable here. We try as much as possible to keep "on topic" - if you consider CM methods, a lifestyle of learning, and living books to be the *heart* of our email discussions, it will help in that direction!

• Please note that this list has no affiliation to a particular religion. However, as many Christian homeschoolers use a CM or living books approach, this may be reflected in some posts. On the other hand, we understand that families who do not homeschool for religious reasons, also find such approaches beneficial. We ask for tolerance from all, and note that there is absolutely no room for theological debate on this list.

• ALSO PLEASE NOTE that posts and files remain the property of the CMandFriends group and must not be forwarded from the list, posted on the internet, or used in any public manner. We try hard to protect members' privacy and group projects, and ask that this is strictly respected.

• The group is a little over five years old and the volume of mail can be quite varied from as little as 200 -350 emails a month or when we are particularly chatty there can be up to 600 emails per month. Be prepared for that when you join. Participation is what makes email lists so rewarding and valuable!

• The membership list is moderated, to protect the privacy of our current members so when you request membership to the group, you will be asked to send a brief bio to the moderators. Once approved, it is always nice to introduce yourself to the other members.

• Please feel free to browse around our site. We hope that some of the information that you find here will be beneficial to you.

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