A few weeks ago, I talked about Nature Study and how this incorporates beauty into our day. It is with great delight that I have found a curriculum that incorporates nature study, picture study, copywork, narration, and grammar all rolled into one! I am very excited about this!
Classical Writing has announced that they will be releasing a new writing curriuclum for the early years. You can see a sample on CW's homepage. It looks quite interesting. The author's say that this program can be for anyone who is not yet ready for Classical Writing: Aesop. So this means any grade from K to 4. There are three books to this series. Each book is 12 weeks long and they coincide with the three seasons of the school year--Autumn, Winter, and Spring.
From looking at the sample, they use Beatrix Potter books (Squirrel Nutkin) for copywork and dictation. Selections from Aesop's Fables are used for narration. Both of these selections are used for grammar lessons. In the sample that is provided, the grammar focus is on past tense.
There is also opportunity to do some nature study and sketching. For Week 2 in the Autumn book, the child is asked to look out the North window in their home and sketch what they see. Picture Study is also included by studying a Homer painting and attempting to imitate the painter's style.
The reason given for including nature and picture study into this program is to hone the skill of visual acuity. Making a child visually observant and alert is one of the goals of Classical Education. Classical Writing is attempting to meet this goal with their Primer series.
Julia lives on the Canadian Prairies with her 3 children (9,8,6) attempting to give them a Classical Education. You can read more on her blog.
