What a great surprise yesterday when my son brought in the mail and I spied my new issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine!  This is the best homeschooling magazine EVER and I'm not just saying that because they own this blogging site!  :)

I opened it right away and began reading and was so excited to see that there is an ocean theme this time!  Which is wonderful for me because we just moved 5 miles away from the ocean and live next to an island!  Don't you just love it when the main theme in TOS pertains to you?  I do!  I remember loving their issue that really focused on nature and nature journaling and observing and I love this issue for the same reasons, that it's something near and dear to us.

I'm trying to read it slowly...have to make it last until the next issue!  Why oh why can't they make 6 issues a year??  Four is just not enough.

  Looks good, highly rated, I hope it's full of useful info!

   New book the Reading Partners are reading.  I have another version, but this one seems an easier read.  

   We have read all the Tales from the Odyssey, but don't own them all, this is #3.  We still need #5 and I think we'll have the complete series.  Highly recommended, by Mary Pope Osborne.

  And lastly, a new copy of Jane Eyre.  My old one needed replacing.  Anyone need a copy of Jane Eyre?  My old one is in good shape still, although it is an inexpensive copy. 

Do you use the Classical method in your homeschool, or are you thinking about it?  Come and visit this board to learn more, ask questions and meet other classical homeschooling moms.

http://classicalhomeschooling.forumup.com/

I was just on the Well Trained Mind Board and saw a discussion on the General board about Homeschool Tracker, and I found out that the basic edition of this software is FREE.  That's right, free!!  I was so excited.  It was Jessica, right here from Homeschoolblogger who wrote a post saying it was free.  I had no idea and went to the website and downloaded it.  I love it.  I've spent the last 30 minutes putting in some information and I just know I'm going to love this and it will help me.  I never am good at keeping up with writing down what we do in my teacher's planning book.  Thanks Jessica, for all the great information you give, here and elsewhere in the Homeschooling Community!

If you LOVE to read like I do, then  you must go to this website and download and print these free corner bookmarks.  OK I was skeptical at first...they didn't look like they would work, but they're free so I figured, hey I'll try them.  Well they work, wonderfully!  Print them out and cut and fold and try them for yourself.  I put a very thin piece of tape on the back. If you try them, let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/bookmarks/

     I finally went ahead and bought this and it looks so good.  It's about using the Charlotte Mason method, of which I use many aspects along with our classical methods.  This book is written by a homeschooling mother of seven and I can't wait to read it.  There's a chapter on clutter and boy do I need help in that area!!

   Since my children are struggling with spelling and spelling rules I ordered the Handy English Encoder Decoder by Harvey Bluedorn.  I'm hoping it helps us immensly.

I also just HAD to get Little Bitty Baby Learns Greek   Now I don't have anymore babies...But I'm so glad I bought this adorable board book and it WILL be extemely helpful in all my children learning the Greek Alphabet and sounds. 

Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn - 2001, 637 pages
Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style

What did you learn in school? Were you taught what would be on your tests? Millions of children were taught this way, including me. How can we, as home educators, give our children a better future?
We will not be able to teach our children everything we would like them to know, or everything that we need them to know. How, then, are we going to equip them for life?
We must teach our children how to learn for themselves, we must give them the basic tools they will need to learn all they need and want to know throughout their entire lives. We must show them how to discover, to reason and then to put to use what they have concluded.

Teaching the Trivium will show you how to give your children such tools by using the classical method of the Trivium.
Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn will teach you the history of the Classical Trivium and its stages: Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric, with God at the center of everything. Part one of this book focuses on the how, what and why of Classical Education, while part two focuses on how to apply the methods.

While other books on Classical Education bring about stress and feelings of being overwhelmed, TTT puts our minds and hearts at peace. The Bluedorns promote a gentle approach to learning for ages 10 and under, telling us that "before age ten, our focus should be on building a good foundation for later academics." This is the Early Knowledge Level, which is followed by the Understanding Level, the Wisdom Level and the Finishing Level.

At the end of the book there are many resources listed to help you on your journey.

If you're considering the Classical method or are already using it, this book will bring much into your homeschool.

~Becky LaMere
June 4, 2006

*may not be reproduced without

author's permission

I purchased this book because I am back on the Classical Education kick, and going full force with it this time.  It arrived and sat on my bookshelf for a few days and it probably would have stayed there with my many, many other book that I buy with great intentions, only to have them be dust collectors. 

Then a get a comment on my blog one day from Classical Mamma telling me that she is beginning an online discussion of the book How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren.  The book that I had just purchased!  It seemed like fate, so I joined her Reading Partner Group.  Let me tell you a bit about HTRAB...

It basically teaches you how to read on a whole new level, to read to increase your understanding, not just to gather information.  Here is a something from chapter one, put in my words:

We do not have to know everything about something to understand it...likewise, reading new books or gathering new information does not mean we have reached a level of understanding

We must be more active in reading and demand more from ourselves so we will gain more from the books we are reading.

"All of use, without exception, can learn to read better and gradually gain more by our efforts through applying them to more rewarding materials." ~HTRAB

If you are daunted by the thought of reading the classics, the Great Books, or even some of the more challenging books of our day, I suggest you get this book and learn how to increase your understaning of what you read, and learn to how to get the most out of what you are reading. 

Karen Braun wrote an article in the Spring issue of TOS about blogging, where she describes the different types of bloggers. 

I read this article today and have decided I'm The School Bus Driver.  I go along the same path, visiting the same friends (sometimes new ones too!) leaving comments wherever I go.

What type of blogger are you? 

I love the day my issue of TOS arrives.  Right now this spring issue is looking pretty rough.  It's gotten a lot of use, more than usual because my children keep grabbing it to see all the cool nature articles in it.  Thanks TOS for a magazine that my children and I can both enjoy!

Great news!  A Child's Geography: Exploring God's Earth is now bound and printed!!  I was so happy when I received the e-mail yesterday and ordered one right away.  Check this great book out at www.achildsgeography.com  Now I just have to count down the days until it arrives at my door. 

I absolutely love this book.  Even though my little guys aren't "Preschoolers" anymore, we still use this book all the time. It's a wonderful resource for ages 3 through 7 or 8.  I bought this 2 years ago and it's been worth every penny!  It so many art project using every type of medium you can think of and my personal favorite...many homemade dough recipes!  We're using it today to make a dough map of Japan and as I pulled it off the shelf I realized how much I use and love this book and wanted to share it with all of you! 

Preschool Art:  It's the Process, not the Product by MaryAnn Kohl  $19.99