Apr. 5, 2006 - Maidens of Virtue
I recently purchased Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald. Since I have 4 girls, I thought this would be a good way to train them how to be ladies. I started a group with two other moms and their girls. They come over once a week for some Mother-Daughter time. The girls take turns making a snack for everyone and they also take turns performing some sort of talent. My girls play the violin and the piano and sing. They are also very dramatic so we don't have to look far for entertainment. :-) Then we read a chapter out of the book and discuss it. There are questions at the end of each chapter for this purpose.At first, the girls were hesitant to open up and discuss things in the group, but now that we've been meeting together for a few weeks, they have gotten more open. There are Scriptures to read and discuss as well as projects that could be done during the week. All in all I've been very happy with this study. It's a great way to connect with my girls, and my friends' girls, on a level that I wouldn't otherwise have. And my girls learn how to function in a group with adults and children together - something that doesn't always happen in our segregated culture - and they also learn from the other moms when they contribute to the discussions.
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Feb. 23, 2006 - Writing Exercise for You or Your Kids
I've been inspired by all the articles regarding writing in the latest issue of TOS. Here's a great idea I just thought of today:1. Write a short conversation or event that happened recently on paper. It could just be something you saw or an overheard conversation. Anything! This is your "seed" so to speak.
2. Now look at your entry and brainstorm. Think of all the possible angles, life lessons, Biblical truths, etc. that you could derive from what you've written. (We actually play a game like this at our house sometimes called "Bible Grid")
3. Write down your list of as many different ideas as you come up with somewhere near your entry.
4. Choose one angle and write about it.
Another day, you could come back to your list and write something totally different. Try this with your kids. Let me know how it goes.
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Jan. 25, 2006 - Aaahhhh Curriculum
This has been a never-ending cycle of excitement, frustration and disillusionment for the past nine years. I've ended up writing my own at times, but there have been some things I have stuck with. Sorry I don't have links. I don't know how to do that yet. :-)
Bible- Greenleaf's Guide to the Old Testament - I find myself going back to this often. It's simple to use (read the Bible, narrate, ask questions). I've also used the Children's Inductive Bible Study (2nd Timothy, Sermon on the Mount, etc). http://www.lamppostpublishing.com/bible_studies_cibs.htm These are good starting about 4th grade. The kids can mostly do them on their own, and it gets them studying the Word.
Beginning LA - Sing, Spell, Read and Write - tried others, always come back to this one Later LA- I use ABecca for Grammar, but only once every few years because it's too repetitive for me. It's very solid and thorough. Otherwise I use Easy Grammar and book studies such as Progeny Press and Total Language Plus. I purchased Write Your Roots this year and have done all of one lesson. I like it, but I think we'll get into it more next year. Maybe...
First few years - Five in a Row - I love FIAR. It's so easy to use. You can get as elaborate or stay as simple whatever you want. It goes along with my philosophy of not making small children push too many pencils.
History - This is the one I go round and round with. I've tried Diana Waring's History Alive. I liked it to a degree, but I got overwhelmed by how many resources I needed that I didn't have and never finished it. I have been a bit more successful with Mystery of History. It's a lot easier to use. You can read the story and do or not do many of the activities as you want. I also used Konos - like the timeline, got overwhelmed. I also love many of the sources at http://www.amblesideonline.org Many of the books are right on line. One book I purchased that I love is Trial and Triumph (Church History) by Richard Hannula. We read this as a history/devotional/character/fun book. I've also used Heart of Wisdom's Biblical Holidays book so the children can relate the their Jewish/Biblical history. heartofwisdom.com
Science - Mostly Nature Study - love the Christian Liberty nature readers and Anna Comstock's big black book (although this can be overwhelming). I tried Considering God's Creation, but got bogged down with all the little paper books you have to make. Some people really like this, however. This year I purchased Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry book. We've done one lesson. If I don't have all the materials, I get bogged down with it. My friend is using the Reason for Science which she loves because they give you all the materials you need. I will probably order this next year. http://www.areasonfor.com/HomeSchool/ We also do a lot of unit studies in this area, which I make up.
Math - I've mostly used MathUSee, which I like to a certain extent. Some of the concepts try so hard to be concrete that they are confusing to kids and to me! With my oldest, I switched her to Keys to Math after she completed the intermediate level. I found that she needed a lot of extra drill. I also use Muggins games (love them) and MathIt (great for drill). I've played around with Singapore Math, which I like as a supplement to MathUSee. I also have used some Cusinaire books informally as well as pattern blocks and tangrams. Great for informal learning.
Character - I use Personal Help for Girls with my older girls. This is a great study. You can discuss the things in it, if there are things you don't agree with. A friend of mine LOVES Maidens of Virtue www.visionforum.com and I plan on looking into that. I've made up a lot of stuff myself in this area. I've always wanted to order Character First. http://store.characterfirst.com/iwwidb.pvx?;multi_item_submit A friend of mine loved it, and I feel certain that I will too. :-)
I've also gotten into Montessori lately. This can be overwhelming, but some of the basic skills are really great for small kids.
These are just a few of the things we do.....
