Nov. 13, 2009 - November 13, 2009 ~ Week 11 ~ Apple Hill Field Trip

We had a productive and enjoyable week which ended with a fun field trip today. We made our annual pilgrimage to Apple Hill. This is an area in the Sierra foothills that features lots of orchards. Some are u-pick, and some aren't. Some have attractions such as craft vendors, fun food, pony rides, etc.  We always go to the same places: High Hill Ranch, the Fudge Factory, and Boa Vista Orchards. I find the change of scenery to be refreshing. The area boasts so much natural beauty of the evergreens and changing colors of deciduous trees against the backdrop of the mountains. The air is crisp and fresh. On the way home, we can see so far, even to the coastal range. The whole experience is delicious.

High Hill Ranch has a pond where you look at snow white ducks and catch trout. They have pony rides, craft vendors, and, of course, many varieties of apples. I purchased a box of Golden Delicious apples for baking and eating and a big bag of other varieties: Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, and Old-Fashioned Red Delicious. These apples cost about $1.19 per pound; this is very cheap compared to the local grocery stores, and the apples taste so fresh. As we speak, I have dough for this bread recipe rising. I also plan to make an apple pie, apple sauce, and apple butter.

My husband's favorite stop is the Fudge Factory. We chose a sampling of fudge flavors: Rocky Road, Chocolate Walnut, Penuche, Vanilla Walnut, Vanilla Caramel, and Chocolate Caramel. Yum! Every year, I *must* get a gooey chocolate caramel apple with nuts. Fiona's special treat was a chocolate lollipop; Zanipolo scored a small bag of taffy.

Our next stop was Boa Vista Orchards. We stop there to get huge jugs of apple juice and whatever else looks good. This year I found some beautiful Bosc pears, a big stalk of Brussels sprouts, and a very cute apron. The first apron I have ever owned. Me likey.

Our final stop before home was to our favorite pizza joint. They actually have good New York-style pizza. The owner is from New York, and it's as close to the real stuff as we've ever found in California. Sigh.

This was our fourth visit to Apple Hill, and what a joy it is to see Z's and F's giddiness at this family tradition. My heart is full with gratitude for this blessing. Happy sigh.

Here's a quick report of our school week:

Z and F moved ahead in their 3 R's. We finished the book of Ruth and started the book of Jonah. We are continuing to read Margaret Pumphrey's Stories of the Pilgrims. Z and F are gobbling up Latin and Greek, and I am already looking at curriculum choices for those languages for next year.

We were able to rejoin our Matres Magistres co-op this week, where we are continuing our study of geography with a look at the Rocky Mountain region. We started listening to the music of Edward Elgar. We heard the Serenade for Strings in E Minor and discussed a few tempo terms, i.e. allegretto, larghetto, and allegro. We learned about primary colors. We are working on memorizing Phil 4:4-8 and learning to sing Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart!

And...we made oatmeal mixed-berry chocolate chip cookies...because cooking is a valuable life skill, and we can make cookies on a weekday, BECAUSE WE HOMESCHOOL!

Nov. 8, 2009 - Labor of Love

Nov. 8, 2009 - The Words I Would Say

When I drive Zanipolo to his piano lessons on Thursday afternoons, we like to listen to our local Christian radio station. We both have our favorites, and we like to sing along. Last Thursday we heard the song "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets. The lyrics made me cry. I know this sounds sappy, but I felt as though I were hearing great advice that I would love to pass down to my children. It was sort of like getting that perfect greeting card...I couldn't have said it better myself.  Here are the lyrics to that song. One day when I'm feeling very adventurous, I will try to link to a recording, too.

This one is for you, Zanipolo and Fiona! Trials will come into your lives, but be strong in the Lord!  God has his hand on you.

Mommy loves you.

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"The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets

(Here is a YouTube Recording by Sidewalk Prophets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8UpaifPbqI&NR=1&feature=fvwp)

Three in the morning,
And I'm still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I'd say,
If we were face to face,
I'd tell you just what you mean to me,
I'd tell you these simple truths,

Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

Last time we spoke,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I've already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,

Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

From one simple life to another,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,

Be strong in the LORD and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say

Nov. 6, 2009 - November 6, 2009 ~ Week 10

This week was just plain boring compared to last week. Still, we continue to be blessed by our homeschooling experience. It is so gratifying to see the daily enjoyment of learning and the progress they are making. Here is what we worked on this week.

Circle Time

Bible: Esther 5-10 and Ruth 1-3. These are both engaging narratives that the kids can understand, and they also provide plenty of opportunity for discussion of important issues. We have begun to work on our new memory verse- Philippians 4:4-8.

Greek (Hey, Andrew!): We are now on zeta. Fiona has begun to make some real progress in writing the Greek letters.

Latin (SSL): We introduced chapter 21 and reviewed chapters 14, 15, 19, and 20. We are saving 17 and 18 for next month, as the vocabulary relates to Christmas.

History: We are continuing with Margaret Pumphrey’s Stories of the Pilgrims. I continue to be impressed with the quality of this interesting narrative both in terms of language and content. After each brief story, I ask the children to narrate one fact. I record this narration in the history notebook. This week we read pages 33-57. We continue to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Language Arts

SWR Cards: We are working on set D and reviewing all the cards before that.

Zanipolo: McGuffey Reader 1, Lessons 14-18; PP pp 81-84; GDI B pp 17-20; WWE Weeks 7 and 8

Fiona: McGuffey Reader Primer, Lessons  7-8; PP pp 40-41; Handwriting practice with her name

Math

Our CLE calendars are current.

Zanipolo: We spent a lot of time reviewing math facts and doing some review sheets from previous MUS lessons. We completed MUS 15C and 16A. In addition, we worked on First-Time Analogies pp 19-20.

Fiona: She worked on the Geoboard, with some help from Z. She also worked on several workbook pages.

We missed our co-op meeting, as we were still recovering from some of last week's physical (and mental) languish. We are looking forward to re-joining our group next week.

In addition to their academic accomplishments, Zanipolo and Fiona are now involved in the rigorous rehearsal schedule for The Nutcracker: two rehearsals both Saturday and Sunday through the end of the month and then eight performances. We are praying for our good health so that we can enjoy this special time.

Of course, we are looking forward to the holidays. Z and F are old enough now to anticipate and feel excitement for family traditions of decorating and baking, special books and movies, and time with family and friends. Experiencing their joy is like being transported back to my own happy childhood.Thank you, God, for the week you have given us.

Nov. 1, 2009 - October 30 ~ Week 9

This was a solid week of school. We prioritized the 3 R’s and spent some time reading for history, too. I’m hoping to work hard right up until December 15 before breaking.

Bible: Zanipolo expressed an interest in hearing the story of Esther, so we read four chapters of that book. It is a very engaging narrative, indeed.

History: We finished reading James Knight’s Jamestown and have now begun Margaret Pumphrey’s Stories of the Pilgrims. We’re up to page 32. At some point, I want to take a week just to get caught up with our timeline.

Health: Oh, our household had some excitement with this topic this week.

Part 1: As part of our regular, planned curriculum, Grandmom  W. read Chapter 4 of Prudence With The Millers.

***This is the most exciting part of this entry.****

Part 2: The first area of excitement came when we realized that F must have a pinworm infection. My friend Magistra Jo from our co-op suggested this as a possibility to me when I told her that F’s ****** has been very itchy for the past few weeks. She told me I should check for worms at night when F is sleeping. I did this 3 times; I never saw anything. Yet the itching persisted and got worse. I did some research on the internet. I learned that pinworms are highly contagious and can be picked up just about anywhere. It is spread when a person touches her bottom, thus picking up pinworm eggs. The person does not wash her hands and proceeds to infect any surface she touches. Some unsuspecting other person picks up the eggs on her fingers, puts her fingers in her own mouth, and the cycle continues. This parasite only lives in humans. The articles I read indicated that no real damage is done to our bodies from this parasite. They just like to eat fecal matter. Under scrupulous hygienic conditions, the infestation would die out in about 6 weeks, if you don’t mind having an itchy bottom that long. However, not many kids I know have scrupulous hygiene. The common recommendation is to give the child a “dewormer” pill once and then again in two weeks. Some practitioners recommend giving the entire family this “dewormer.”

Having armed myself with this information, I called our pediatrician and explained my suspicion. I wanted to avoid taking the kids into the office at all costs- there are a lot of sick people there! She accepted my case and prescribed the dewormer tablets for F. I promptly called my doctor and ordered a prescription for me, too, because as soon as I starting reading about pinworms, my bottom also became very itchy. I don’t know if this is because I actually had pinworms or because of the psychological power of suggestion. I’m thinking the latter, because the first time F had a bowel movement after she took the pill, I saw all the little disgusting wormies in the potty. I didn’t see anything after I went. But I’m glad I took the pill anyway. Otherwise, I am sure I would still be itchy, just because.

Part 3: In addition, we spent a good amount of time talking about choking and what to do in that situation. This necessity was spurred on by Fiona swallowing a small, smooth stone from a gem collection. As I write, we are hoping the stone comes out in F’s next “production.” I don’t think she will forget this lesson.

*****News Flash!!!!!*****As of 2:30 PM Pacific Standard Time, the Smooth, Shiny Blue-Green Rock has Been Excreted From Fiona’s System*****We May Now Resume Our Normal Household Routine.*****

Latin (SSL):  We focused on chapters 19 and 20 and reviewed chapters 1-20.

Greek  (Hey, Andrew): We reviewed alpha to epsilon.

Language Arts

SWR Cards: We are now reviewing the first set of 26, set A, set B, and set C.

Z: Phonics Pathways pp 78-80; McGuffey Reader 1,  Lessons 12-15; GDI B pp 14-16; WWE Week 6; copywork from Highlights Magazine.

F: PP pp 37-39; McGuffey Primer Lessons 6, 7; traced letter to relative, practiced writing name

Math

Plugging along with the CLE calendar.

Z: MUS 14 C and D, 15 A and B; Beginning Mindbenders pp 13-14, First-Time Analogies, pp 17-18, review addition math facts

F:  11 R&S workbook pages, tiles, beans

Co-op

We were dealing with some health issues this week, so we did not attend. Maybe one of the other gals will write up a summary.

That's it. Who said homeschooling is boring?!

Oct. 23, 2009 - October 23, 2009 ~ Week 8

This week was a good stay-at-home, regular routine week. It felt good!

Language Arts

We are working on the A and B sets of the SWR phonogram cards.

Zanipolo

Reading: Phonics Pathways, pp 76-78; McGuffey Reader 1, Lessons 12 and 13

Writing: GDI Level B, pp 11-13; WWE Week 5

Fiona

Reading: Phonics Pathways, pp 35, 36; McGuffey Primer, Lessons 6, 7

Writing: I typed out a few letters to relatives using StartWrite; she traced the letters. Fun!

History: We actually made some headway this week. We read D’Aulaire’s Pocahontas and half of James Knight’s Jamestown.

Math

We are keeping up nicely with the CLE calendars. We also played Sum Swamp, mostly for Fiona’s benefit, but it was fun.

Fiona also completed several R&S workbook pages.

Zanipolo worked on his 8 and 9 math facts, Mind Benders Beginning Book 1 pp 11-12, and MUS Alpha 14 A and B.

Greek: Hey, Andrew! pp 14-17.

Latin: SSL, reviewed chapter 18, introduced chapters 19 and20.

Health: Prudence With the Millers Lesson 3- thanks to Grandmom.

MM Co-op

The kids gave their geography presentations on Jamaica (Z) and Cuba (F). They did a great job. They also both recited Paul Laurence Dunbar’s The Sparrow in its entirety. MM is finishing up our study of the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy. We listened to Ralph Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. In addition, the kids worked on an art project that helped them understand positive and negative shapes. More detailed information on our MM meeting this week can be found here.

Thank you, God, for the freedom to teach our children at home.

Oct. 19, 2009 - Pumpkin Farm Time!

I am so enjoying being back home, especially now that the weather is cooler. We even have a soft rain falling today. This is my favorite time of year with autumn truly here now and the holidays coming on soon. Time for cool-weather food like soups and stews, homemade breads, lavish flavored coffee drinks (like Seattle Best's Hazlenut Toffee Mocha). The windows can stay open at night, and we can snuggle under the covers for warmth. We look to our home as a cozy haven ready to decorate with seasonal finery.

Of course, it's also time to visit the pumpkin farm. This year, we tried a new locale recommended by Magistra Jo of MM. We spent a glorious afternoon together as a family visiting animals in the petting zoo and riding ponies, enjoying a hayride around the farm, and selecting pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, and a beautiful wreath. I made a beautiful table decoration with those items, except for the wreath, which is adorning the outside of our front door.

Praising God for the generous bounty of His beautiful creation!

Oct. 17, 2009 - September 25-October 16 ~ Catching Up

As I remarked in my previous post about our vacation, it has taken us some time to get back in our regular routine. That is not to say that we did not learn anything while we were away. Actually, we enjoyed a great many learning opportunities during our vacation. I will briefly describe the locations and topics we encountered. I am endeavoring to have Zanipolo and Fiona document all these learning experiences with narrations and pictures to include in their portfolios this year. This trip was nothing if not educational.

Math/Geography

 We (when I say “we,” I mean DH) drove from Philadelphia, PA to New York City to Cheshire and New Haven, CT to Deerfield, MA to Skytop, PA to Schnecksville, PA to Bridgewater, NJ to Philadelphia, PA. Including  all the little local trips, our mileage totaled 1,100 miles. The kids will trace our route on a map and calculate the mileage themselves.

We encountered the Delaware River  a few times during our drive, as it borders Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as Pennsylvania and New York. The river can be mapped as part of a geography lesson.

Science/Nature Study

The first things we were able to observe on the east coast were cooler weather, a variety of deciduous trees, clouds, and rain. We also saw different kinds of rocks. For example, the Pennsylvania Poconos have a lot of red rock due to the iron content. These look much different from the rocks we see in northern CA.

In Deerfield, MA we visited the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory  and spent a few hours watching 4,000 butterflies from all over the world flutter around. Some landed on us. The kids were also able to touch a slink and a bearded dragon.

While at Skytop, PA we hiked along the Trout Stream Trail and saw a beautiful conifer forest, a beaver dam, various fungi, and a waterfall. We walked across the golf course and saw a flock of Canadian Geese resting there along their journey south. The Lodge had a display of snakes including the King Rattlesnake, the Copperhead, the Watersnake, and the common Garter.

History/Social Studies

One of the greatest blessings of the trip was for Z and F to learn about their family heritage and cultural aspects of that background. The kids were able to connect faces with names they’ve heard over the years and begin to understand family relationships in a new way. They met aunts and uncles and cousins for the first time. They saw grandparents they speak to on the phone regularly but hardly ever see in person. Now they can look at our family tree and understand more clearly how all the people relate.

Of course, it was a thrill for them to participate as ring bearer and flower girl in their Uncle L’s wedding! They bore their roles with composure and delight. We had opportunity to discuss the ceremony and the various religious beliefs. These kinds of discussions are essential to helping them understand our own faith.

They heard a new language, as their new Aunt E’s family is Polish and several members of her family were speaking Polish.

We all enjoyed a lot of the traditional east coast Italian food that I grew up with, not to mention some traditional New York favorites such as bagels, Matzo ball soup, and deli sandwiches. We also sampled the best cheesesteak sandwiches and pretzels in Philadelphia. Z and F appreciated being exposed to this cultural aspect of travel!

While in Philadelphia, we were able to see the real Liberty Bell up close. They will always remember seeing this artifact of American history. Likewise, we saw the outside of Independence Hall- a sight they have known only from looking at the back side of paper currency. They know that the founding fathers signed the  Declaration of Independence inside that building.

We crossed the Delaware River a few times, as noted above. When we read about George Washington’s crossing, they will remember they crossed that river, too.

Truly, this trip afforded us rich and diverse learning experiences. We have more than 200 pictures which will go into an album to help us remember this special time together as a family. What a blessing!

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Here is what we have accomplished in our core subject areas since we’ve come back:

Language Arts

Z

Reading: Phonics Pathways-completed up to page 74; McGuffey’s Level 1, completed up to Lesson 11; Z is also reading other easy readers fairly independently, e.g. fall-oriented titles from Step Into Reading.

Handwriting: I used StartWrite to create letters to family back east; Italics B page

Writing: WWE Weeks 3 and 4 completed

F

Phonics Pathways: completed up to page 35

McGuffey’s Primer: completed Lesson 5, working on Lesson 6

Handwriting: Z is also working on tracing letters to family and friends

Math

Z: calendar,  MUS Alpha Lessons 12 and 13

F: calendar, lots of work with manipulatives

Latin: Song School Latin: We have completed chapter 14 and have skipped ahead to chapter  19. We will go back to cover chapters 16-18 in December, because they are Christmas-oriented. We are moving a lot faster through this curriculum than I expected. Hmmm…

Greek: Hey, Andrew!: We are on Delta.

History: We are reading D’Aulaire’s Columbus. I hope now to pick up the pace on our BF American history unit study.

*Geography: We are studying the North American continent in our Matres Magistres co-op.

*Art: We are studying the element of Shape in MM. We are still enjoying our Picture Study of works by Raphael in MM.

*Music: We are finishing our study of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony in MM.  We are also studying the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy and singing folk songs.

*More detailed information about our co-op studies can be found here.

That’s it, folks. Since we have returned, I have really been prioritizing moving forward on the basics at home and enjoying the enrichment of the co-op. I have to admit that health and Shakespeare readings have fell to the wayside for now. Once I get caught up with documenting all the wonderful learning experiences from our vacation trip, I hope to pick those topics up. I’m not stressed about it, though. Z and A are happy and learning valuable lessons in their academic studies and in life experiences every day.

We are praising God for the blessing of this trip and for the freedom to homeschool! Truly, His love is extravagant.

Oct. 16, 2009 - One Wedding, 1,100 Miles and Five States: A Family Vacation

If I knew how long it would take to get back to our regular routine after taking a two-week vacation, I might have thought twice…seriously. Let me just get this out of the way: I have no regrets about taking this vacation. Our family enjoyed many blessings on this trip, and I sincerely hope we brought some blessings to others. However, it was quite an ordeal; I’m not sure when I will be able to consider doing something like that again. I will just leave it at that. Now, on to recounting those blessings... Here is a randomly-ordered list:

Zanipolo and Fiona were fantastic on the flights across the country. No kidding. The DVD player and all the activity books were a help. Not to mention the Benadryl (suggested by our pediatrician). If you are considering a long flight, I highly recommend drugging your children.

The new booster seats to use in the rental minivan worked out just great. It was cheaper to purchase these seats and duffel bags and bring them along as cargo on the plane (no charge) than to rent car seats from the car rental company (Hertz).

Z and F were absolutely delightful and charming as the ring bearer and flower girl at their Uncle L’s and (new) Aunt E’s wedding in NYC. They looked very elegant in their special clothes, and they walked down the aisle together smiling and with great composure. I think they stole the show a little bit, but I am very biased.

Z and F were loving and open with a host of relatives from both sides of our family at the wedding and all during our travels. This is impressive, considering they have hardly seen these people; some they met for the first time. They particularly enjoyed their time with their grandparents in Cheshire, CT. We are grateful that we all were able to spend time with our families and that Z and F were able to see where DH and I each grew up.

We saw (and DH drove through) 5 states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. All in all, DH drove 1,100 miles. We were able to appreciate some beautiful fall foliage and the dinstinctiveness of local deciduous trees and types of rocks. We were able to escape the 100 + degrees of CA and experience “weather,” i.e. clouds, rain, and coolness. There were many learning opportunities. I will post about those separately.

We ate a lot of good local food. Some favorites were the pizza, bagels, and the Carnegie Deli in NYC, Uncle M’s pasta e fagioli, Grandmom D’s chicken cacciatore, the pork roll breakfast sandwiches, and the cheesesteaks in Philadelphia.

DH and I were able to spend a few nights alone at a B&B in New Haven CT. I highly recommend the Touch of Ireland if you are ever in the area.

No one got sick.

No one got bed bugs from the hotels or the airplanes. Yes, I obsess about this.

Our two Yorkshire terriers, Macduff and Guido, enjoyed their stay at the pet resort while we were away. They were obviously well-cared for, and they were happy to see us when we picked them up.

Finally, we were constantly aware of God’s care for us and the prayers of our friends while we were away. The trip certainly was a blessing, but the sweetest blessing was coming home to the place God has chosen for us to be right now, among our church family and friends. God is good.

Sep. 19, 2009 - September 18, 2009 ~ Week 3

This week was full. We are preparing for a 2-week vacation, and I was determined to have a solid week of school. I think we succeeded.

Bible

We are continuing reading from Exodus. The kids are learning that God is very orderly and has very specific plans for His people and how they should approach and worship Him.

Language Arts

We are up to 26 phonogram cards from SWR.

Zanipolo has completed 6 pages from Workbook B of the GDI series. He is up to Lesson 9 in his McGuffey Reader 1. He completed page 72 from Phonics Pathways. Finally, he completed Week 2 from Writing With Ease. His biggest accomplishment this week in language arts is that he read to me the enitre Julius, The Baby of the World book by Kevin Hencke. Wow!

Fiona is practicing letter family i, j, and l from GDI. I prepared practice worksheets using StartWrite. I am not going to have her write in the GDI workbook until she is more competent. She also wrote a letter to a friend by tracing the letters-I again used StartWrite for this. She completed page 34 in Phonics Pathways. She is just about finished with Lesson 4 from the McGuffey's Primer.

Math

We are very much enjoying the calendar books from CLE. It's a great way to begin Circle Time at home, and it is helpful to Fiona in learning numbers and reviewing the days and months of the year. This week, we even had the opportunity to discuss clouds.

Fiona had some great practice with counters; she can count up to almost 30 ith one-to-one correspondence. She is finishing up some math workbooks left over from last year. The concepts we worked on this week include choosing the larger number from two choices and providing the next number after the one that is provided. We are working with numbers from zero to ten.

Zanipolo drilled 1-9 math facts from the MUS grid. He began MUS Lesson 12. He did Lessons 11 and 12 from First Time Analogies. He also was able to complete a Calculadders Level 3 worksheet in about 5 minutes.

Latin

We completed Lesson 15 from Song School Latin. The kids continue to enjoy this program.

Greek

We're up to gamma in Hey, Andrew!

Science

This was the highlight of the week. Zanipolo and I went on a field trip to...the DUMP! Oh, it was such fun. We saw the whole process from when the garbage trucks empty their load onto the tipping floor, to the sorting on the conveyor belts, the people who pick through the garbage to take out the recylclable materials, and the composting. It was great fun! It definitely inspired me to consider more carefully the amount and kinds of garbage we are producing. Unfortunately, Fiona is too young for this field trip. She had fun visitng with some friends from our co-op.

Health

We read the second chapter of Prudence With the Millers and completed Lesson 2 from the companion workbook.

Nature

We read pages 1-9 from the Burgess Bird Book.

History

As part of the Beautiful Feet Early American History Unit Study, we read Leif The Lucky, discussed some key ideas from it, and did some coloring. The kids also colored the image of Leif for their timelines. We are enjoying this study.

Co-op

In our co-op, we study geography, music (classical, folk, and hymns), art appreciation and art skills. We also have a memorization component. You can read about the specifics here. I am enjoying listening to Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony. It is not music you can listen to while reading a book because it has a fair amount of energy and demands your attention. It's great, though, for taking your mind off housework.

Now that I look this over, I can see we accomplished quite a lot. In addition to the academics, Z and F participated in 2 ballet classes. They will begin rehearsals for The Nutcracker next month. Zanipolo also continues to progress in his piano lessons. He is becoming more able to practice independently, and he has memorized several of his practice songs. HIs tacher has set up an on-line incentive program. She awards the points, and we provide the incentives. So far, Z has earned the Playmobil Egyptian Chariot set. He is very excited about that.

His piano teacher's incentive program is an adjunct to the Accountable Kids program that we have been using for about a month now. Honestly, it has helped the kids focus more on the consequences of their actions and has really cut down on nagging (theirs and mine), for which I am very grateful.

Thank you, God, for the blessing of the learning we shared and our time together this week.

Sep. 13, 2009 - Book Review: Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola

This book is subtitled Nature Study with the Gentle Art of Learning. I just finished my third reading of this wonderful book last night. The book is wonderful because it is both inspiring and informative. It is one of the first books on homeschooling that I read, and I intend to read it every year.

Karen Andreola has created a fictional family with a mother named Carol who has just begun their own homeschool journey. Carol was given a book written by Charlotte Mason, and this serves as her primary influence of what the homeschooling experience should be. Pocketful of Pinecones follows one year alongside Carol's family, as she records in her diary about their explorations of nature, their observations, and the changes that happen in their family's lives over the course of the year. Interspersed in the entries are snippets of Charlotte Mason's own writings, more than 100 ideas of what to look for on a nature walk, and thoughtful questions to ponder. The book also contains Endnotes, Suggested Reading, and an Afterword written by Karen Andreola.

Reading this book gives me a feeling of peace and reminds me of the priorities of our homeschool. I want to give my kids the best possible education. I want them to make observations about God's world. I want to inspire them to a life-long love of learning. Most importantly, my heart's desire is to be there with them through all of it. What a blessing!

There is a sequel to Pocketful of Pinecones entitled Lessons at Blackberry Inn. I'm hoping Santa will leave it under the tree.

Sep. 11, 2009 - September 11, 2009 ~ Week 2

Baby, I'm sooooooooooooooooo tired! I remember back to those days of teaching high school English. The first few weeks of school were just killer. Getting used to the routine. Dealing with the sheer number of kids and parents. The real valley was right around Thanksgiving. Was anyone learning anything?

Teaching my own children is far more rewarding. I can see daily what they are learning, and it is thrilling. But that exhaustion is still there. I'm tired, but I love it.

This week, we progressed in our 3 R's. I am determined to make this the priority in our homeschool and not be distracted by other activities that may be worthwhile and fun but distract from this primary goal. I am aiming for steady, incremental growth, even if it is slow. Slow and steady...

Having said that, I was able to read all of Leif The Lucky and read a few selections of American poetry for our American history study. Daddy helped the kids with a Nature Study of a California Mantis we found near our front door. I also read the second selection from Margaret Gatty's Parables From Nature-a beautiful illustration of Authority and Obedience from the world of bees. I am pleased with how much the children are enjoying this book. They actually requested it. We took a few nice walks as a family in the early morning hours. I picked out a science experiment, but we didn't get to it today. Maybe tomorrow...

Our first Matres Magistres co-op meeting was this week. You can read about that here. We had a lot of fun.

The week ended on a humorous note. After being a taskmaster with Z all week to practice his piano lesson, tonight he turned the tables on me. He insisted I sit next to him on the piano bench and practice all the little accompaniments that go with his pieces so we can play duets. "Mom, you need to practice that six times! I'll sit here with you. This is important so we can play duets together." Pretty funny.

Tomorrow Z has his first rehearsal for The Nutcracker. Sunday I begin teaching Sunday School. Our family life is filled blessings. Thank you, God!

Sep. 10, 2009 - Language Arts ~ Our Broad Approach

There are a few things you should know about me as you consider my thoughts on Language Arts.

• I taught English to middle school and high school students for almost 10 years in a public school setting.  I have seen the results of various types of programs and instruction in the students in my classroom.
• I am a curriculum junkie and have examined a wide variety of language arts curriculum choices.
• Except for my own children, who are currently in the process of learning to read and write, I have no experience teaching anyone to read or write in this initial stage. The proof will be in the pudding...a bit later.
• I have a high degree of confidence in this subject area, and I have no fear about expressing my opinion. I have never second-guessed myself in this area.

Having said that.....

Some people choose an all-in-one program, such as the Veritas Press Phonics Museum or Spell to Write and Read, but packaged comprehensive programs do not appeal to me. There is always one or more components that I don't care for or won't use, and then I feel as though I am wasting money. I enjoy picking through curriculum and choosing each component. It has to work with my teaching style. It has to work with each of my kids' learning styles. It has to be of excellent quality. Here are the components that I have found to make a complete program for our family. I am very pleased with each of these products, and I will be adding to my description of each product and how we use it over time:

Phonics: SWR phonogram cards, Phonics Pathways, Explode the Code

Reading: Bob Books, McGuffey Readers, other easy readers

Writing: Getty-Dubay Italics, StartWrite, Writing With Ease

Spelling: not a program, an approach

*************************************************************************************

Spell-to-Write-and-Read Phonogram Cards

I have many friends who swear by the SWR program. Any child I have ever met who has gone through this program is an awesome decoder. Still, it is one of those programs I just cannot buy into. At least I cannot buy into the whole kit and caboodle. There are two reasons for this. First, I do not like the handwriting component. I don't like the loopy cursive style, and I don't like the way letter formation is linked to the clock face. Second, I don't care for the whole spelling component- I'll get into that in the spelling section. Actually I don't like the way everything fits together. It's just too big, and too prescriptive for me. That doesn't in any way mean that the program is not good. It just means it is not a good fit for us. I have recommended this program to friends who feel most comfortable with a cohesive program for phonics, spelling, and writing.

Having said that, I *love* the set of 70 phonogram cards. They're about $13.00 at Rainbow Resource here. I spent another few dolllars to laminate them. It took some time to cut them all out, but now it's wonderful. I pull them out every day during our Circle Time. What's wonderful is that it is a quick, easy way to tie the visual letter to the sound the letter makes. When I show Fiona the "a" card, she doesn't say the name of the letter. She repeats the 3 sounds the "a" makes, in the order of frequency the sound is used: "a" as in apple, "a" as in ape, and "a" as in father. Now when she confronts that letter in words, she knows to try all 3 sounds. This association is strongly visual. I am just going to drill, drill, drill these phonograms into their brains. It's so quick, easy, and painless. It takes just a few minutes a day. I *love* these cards.

Phonics Pathways 

Phonics Pathways (PP) is a bare bones phonics instruction program that has been around for quite a while. It is used in schools with children; it is also used to teach adult English Language Learners. PP builds slowly and incrementally, presenting sounds of letters and progressing into blending, consonant digraphs, long vowel digraphs, and so on. The book is the entirety of the program. There are no worksheets and no manipulatives.

I started my kids with this as soon as they could recognize the letters of the alphabet and could say their sounds-short vowel sounds and the most common sound of the consonants. The first part of the book, then, is review. If I had known about the SWR phonogram cards, I would have done those first. We just keep plugging away at this text. It may take us two years or more to finish it. I am not concerned about speed. My focus with this resource is that the kids learn to decode. It is important that they be able to break down language into its smallest components, because this skill greatly impacts the ability to understand, not just during this learning stage, but over their whole lifetimes. This is a worthwhile endeavor to acquire a necessary skill.

This commitment is not burdensome. It requires 5-7 minutes per day. Some days, we only do 1/3 of a page. We never do more than one page a day. Of course, Z and F are at different places in the book; they will complete it at their own pace. When we finish using PP as a resource for learning phonics, we will keep it as a reference for learning about spelling. More about that later. PP is available here at Rainbow Resource.

Explode the Code

I think of ETC as "explicit phonics light."  That is not to say, in any way, that the program is not good. I like it quite a lot; however, I would not consider using it as a stand-alone program. I just don't think it's robust enough for that use. ETC is a series of leveled workbooks that present an incremental approach to teaching explicit phonics. It is very child-friendly and easy to implement. I use these workbooks to provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence to my kids; where we are in ETC is always behind what we are actually studying in phonics and below their actual reading level. The books are fun and an excellent source of reinforcement. 

We began the ETC series with the 3 Get Ready, Get Set, Go for the Code books when the kids were in preschool. We are progressing through the books at a rate of @ 3 pages per day. I expect to complete Books 3, 4, and 5 this school year.

One additional note: I do not have the kids do any of the writing in the workbooks. They provide written responses that require circles, x's, drawing lines, etc. Otherwise, we do the exercises orally. At this stage, I don't want to burden them with writing for this purpose. Also, the kids are learing Getty-Dubay Italic handwriting, and until they have competence in that style of handwriting, I see no need to confuse them with workbook exercises that provide models in a different font. You can see ETC here at Rainbow Resource.

******************MORE TO COME**************************

Sep. 4, 2009 - First Week of School for Aletheia Academy ~ God Is Good!

Praise God for this encouraging, joyful beginning to our school year. We began on Tuesday with a field trip to Lake Tahoe. Well, actually, it was a belated celebration of my birthday, but observing God's creation *is* Nature Study, and playing in the water *is* Physical Education! DH collected a sample of rocks that he will be using for a Nature Study lesson to identify types of rocks on Saturday.

We eased into our regular routine with the morning block only; the Morning Block includes Circle Time and individual instruction on the 3 R’s. You can see my revised Weekly Block Schedule here. I really like this format; it seems to flow very well. During this time, I was pleased to see that Fiona was able to count 32 beans with one-to-one correspondence very easily. This was not something she could do as of last May. This signifies to me again that so much of learning is developmental, and it is important to discern where my kids are at so as to avoid exasperation-on their part and mine. Zanipolo seems to be able to pick up right where we left off with his math lessons. They both enjoyed a review of Latin, and the Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! text looks to be very gentle and incremental-just what I wanted for Greek this year.

Other highlights include a successful science experiment from Janice Van Cleave’s Science Around the Year. Lesson 48, entitled “Keeping Cool,” asked whether fans really cool the air. The kids blew on their hands with open mouths and pursed lips and made observations about their perceptions of the temperature on their hands. Then they made fans by drawing summer scenes on paper. I helped them fold the paper into an accordion—fold and taped it at the bottom. Voila! Cute summer fans. This was *exactly* what I wanted in terms of science experiments: hands-on, simple, fun, and informative. I helped the kids complete a notebook page based on their observations. All the notebook pages from the Science Experiments and Nature Study observations will go into their notebooks. Eventually, samples will be placed in their portfolios.

The kids also enjoyed the first lesson from Prudence with the Millers. We are using this reader and workbook for our Health curriculum this year. The first lesson discusses the definition of prudence and Biblical foundations to strive for behavior that helps attain that quality. We also discussed various behaviors that do and don’t display prudence. The workbook even led us to use our concordance to find various Bible verses that discuss how God made our bodies from dust, that our bodies belong to God and are temples of his Holy Spirit. It was so edifying.

So far, I am just thrilled with our curriculum choices and our schedule for the coming year. Mostly, I am so grateful for the blessing of being able to educate our children at home. On our family walk this morning, we all observed a sad little boy walking toward the local middle school. He looked so dejected, with his head hung low. He was walking so slowly that at one point I thought he was going to turn around. He was already about an hour late. My DH and I called out to him across the street and asked him if he was OK, if he needed help. He just shook his head and continued making his way at a snail’s pace. Zanipolo was greatly affected by this scene. He asked questions about why the boy might be so sad, and we conjectured about his home life and his school experience. Z said a prayer for the boy’s safety and well-being (with words a 6-year-old would use) right then and there. Later we all prayed for the boy again and expressed our gratitude that we have the freedom and resources to school at home.

Indeed, God is Good!

Sep. 3, 2009 - Weekly Block Schedule

     Morning Block (@ 9 am to noon, with breaks)

Circle Time

• Prayer/Devotional/Theology
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Memory Work: catechism, art, music, poetry
• Calendar
• Explode the Code
• SWR Phonograms
• Greek (Mon, Wed), Latin (Tue, Thu)
• Health (Fri)

Individual Instruction (Mon-Thu) student not receiving direct instruction practices Masterly Inactivity*

Zanipolo

• McGuffey’s Reader 1
• Phonics Pathways
• Italics Handwriting
• Writing With Ease
• MUS
• Math Facts

Fiona

• McGuffey’s Primer
• Phonics Pathways
• Italics Handwriting
• R&S Workbooks
• Math Tiles

Afternoon Block (@ 1 pm to 3 pm, with breaks)

History, Literature, Poetry, Masterly Inactivity (Mon, Tue, Thu)

Matres Magistres Co-op (Wed)

• Art Appreciation
• Art Skills
• Music Appreciation
• Hymn Study
• Geography
• Poetry/Scripture Memorization

Ballet Class: Mon 4 pm

Piano Lesson: Thu 2:45

*Masterly Inactivity may include: handicrafts, e.g. beading, knot-tying; music appreciation, piano practice, art-coloring, drawing, painting, paper crafts; books on CD; puzzles, dot-to-dot; cooking project; games; tea

Fridays are reserved for Health, Nature Study, Science Experiments, Field Trips, Library Visits, catching up, extra reading, etc. If Nature Study gets done on Friday, Dad does a Science Experiment with the kids on Saturday, and vice versa.

Aug. 31, 2009 - Two Italian Specialties

Mozzarella, Red Pepper, and Pesto Panini (makes two big sandwiches-great simple date meal with husband)

Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium low heat. If the heat is too high, you will burn the bread before the sandwich is warm.

Make the pesto sauce. I have fresh basil growing in my garden. There is no substitute for the taste of fresh basil, which is why I rarely make pesto when I don’t have basil growing. Another tip: keep your pine nuts in the freezer and use them as needed. This preserves the essentials oils and keeps the nuts fresh tasting. Most recipes that use pine nuts call for very small quantities.

Pulse in a food processor:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried (a salad spinner works well)

2 large garlic cloves

Juice from ½  squeezed lemon or a splash of red wine vinegar

½ tsp salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

After 3-4 pulses, add ½ c parmesan cheese and @ 2 Tbs pine nuts. Pulse a few more times.

With the processor running, add 1/3 to ½ c good fruity extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream to achieve the right consistency. Ideally, you want a spreadable condiment that is a bit chunky, not too runny or pasty.

Taste and add salt or pepper, if needed.

Scoop out the pesto in a bowl and set it aside. (This recipe will not use all the pesto sauce. I used the leftover pesto as a dipping sauce for bread I served with the Sausage with Penne Pasta recipe below. The leftover sauce can be stored in a plastic container in the refrigerator for a day or two.)

Take two whole peppers from a jar of roasted whole red peppers. Slice the peppers open so that they can lay flat. Put them in a bowl, and set them aside.

Slice a ball of mozzarella into thick slices. You will need about 4 oz (4 slices) to make 2 sandwiches.

Slice 4 thick slices of Italian bread. You don’t want the bread to have a lot of holes, or the sandwich will ooze too much. Pugliese would not be a good choice. I had good luck with the Filone from Trader Joe’s.

Spread the inside of each slice of bread with a generous amount of the pesto sauce. Place the red peppers on two slices of bread. Place two slices of mozzarella on top of each of the two slices of bread with the peppers. Place the other two pieces of bread on top of the cheese with the pesto sauce down.

When the sandwiches are closed, brush olive oil on top.  Place the sandwiches with the olive oil side down in the skillet. Brush the top of the sandwiches with olive oil. Let the sandwiches warm and brown without burning. Press down a few times with a spatula. Flip the sandwiches to the other side to brown.

These sandwiches are fantastic with some olives and white wine. I am serious. My husband was so happy.

Sausage with Penne Pasta

You will need that large cast iron skillet again. Heat the skillet to medium-high. Add 2 TB of good olive oil. Place sausages of your choice (I used Italian chicken sausage) in the skillet for 5-7 minutes on each side. You want the two sides to be well-seared and brown, but not burned. This step will not completely cook the sausages. Remove the sausages to a plate and set aside.

Meanwhile prepare and set aside in a bowl 1 small, onion coarsely diced.

In another bowl, prepare and set aside 1 small green pepper, coarsely diced; four ounces white mushrooms, coarsely diced; and 2 large cloves garlic, minced.

After the sausages are removed from the skillet, add the onions and let them get soft, about 5 minutes. Stir a few times. Then add the other vegetables and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste, 1-2 tsps of Italian seasoning, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook all the vegetables together for another 5 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.

Add ½ c dry white wine. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and let the wine reduce by half.

Add a 28 oz can of whole plum tomatoes. Break the tomatoes apart a bit with the back of your spoon or your hand.

Nestle the sausages into the sauce so that they are at least half-way submerged. Continue to cook uncovered on medium-high heat for 30 min to finish cooking the sausages and thicken the sauce.

While the sausages are cooking, prepare a large pot of boiling water. When the water reaches a hard boil, add at least 1 tsp of salt.

N.B. I often choose to cook my vegetable side-dish in the boiling water before I add the salt. I might boil up some broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, and/or carrots at this point. It only takes 3-4 minutes to cook just-tender vegetables. I use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables into a colander over a serving bowl. After the veggies drain, I drain out the water from the serving bowl and put the vegetables in the bowl. I like doing this because it saves a pot and the pasta boils in the vegetable broth, adding flavor and nutrition. I add salt just before adding the pasta.

Add the pasta. I used penne rigate. Fusilli or rigatoni would be other good choices. Cook the pasta al dente.

Drain the pasta and place it in a large pasta bowl or other large serving dish. Use tongs to place the sausages on top of the pasta, and then dump the rest of sauce over it all. Use the tongs to mix the sauce into the pasta a bit. Serve with grated cheese.

I served this dish with broccoli and good Italian bread (the leftover Filone from my Panini recipe). I used the leftover pesto sauce as a dip for the bread, thinning it with a little more olive oil. 

Words are not adequate to describe how good both these dishes tasted. You are just going to have to make them yourself. Please let me know if you do!

Buon Appetito!

Aug. 30, 2009 - Memorization

One of the facts I learned when I first read Susan Wise Bauer’s The Well-Trained Mind is that children in the early elementary years have an amazing capacity for memorization. Apparently, their brains are like sponges. This capacity for memorization tends to diminish over time. That is one reason the classical method of education focuses so much on memorization during these early years.

Around the same time, my husband had found an article describing methods of memorization. The article focused mainly on adults who have honed their memorization skills. One method the article discussed is called the “tour around the villa,” wherein people purpose to remember facts based on physical location. We then purposed ourselves to test and practice both of these theories.

One of the first memorization tasks we presented to our children was the books of the Bible. This was at least two years ago, far prior to any reading ability on the part of Zanipolo or Fiona. My husband printed them out on flashcards. He presented five of the cards after dinner one night. He would show the cards and have the kids repeat the name of the book. Then he affixed the cards with that tacky putty material along the outer edge of our counter, where they could be seen from our dining table.

At every meal, the cards were reviewed until F and Z they knew them cold. Then new cards would be added, until there were 66 cards lining the counter, the window ledge, the baker’s rack, and all around the archway leading to the living room. We reviewed and reviewed. Finally we took the cards down, and the most interesting thing happened. When we asked Z to recite the books of the Bible, he would do so, until he got stuck. Then he would look exactly where that card had been placed, and he remembered the title he was looking for! It was amazing.

We used the same process with the Greek alphabet, lining the cards all around that archway. Again, after the cards were removed, Z would look at the exact location to remind himself of a letter he was having trouble remembering.  Other things the kids have memorized include:

• catechism questions
• U.S. Presidents
• portions of the Periodic Table of Elements
• images of great architecture (from calendar pictures)
• Washington D.C. monuments (from postcards and money)
• the images from the front and back sides of paper money
• poetry
• Scripture passages

There are some other observations I have made about memorization:

• Brief, regular drill sessions are very helpful, with or without the “tour around the villa” technique. If the material is not reviewed for a long period of time, F and Z will lose their ability to recall it. However, resuming regular review will bring back that ability in a short time.
• Incentives are helpful. Whether it be a lollypop, a video, or a game, Z and F respond positively to incentives.
• Even with incentives, F and Z have different interest levels in memorizing certain things. Sometimes, no external incentive is enough to motivate making the commitment to memorize.
• Regardless of whether F or Z is actively seeking to memorize, or apparently specifically trying to avoid memorizing, both kids retain more than we would have thought, and they demonstrate this weeks, months, even years later. Very interesting, indeed.

In a nutshell, we have become believers in the classical education philosophy of memorization. This observation will also inform our decisions about our educational plan, such as when to introduce foreign languages (early).

Aug. 26, 2009 - Ballet Surprise No 2

Sometimes God has a way of enriching your life in ways you never planned, are not sure you are ready for, and didn’t know you were desirous of. Still, you know that it is a blessing. That is how dh and I feel about Zanipolo and Fiona being chosen to participate in a local production of The Nutcracker!

The week before we registered the kids for their dance class, we had received a postcard in the mail calling dancers to audition for the production. Of course, we knew F would be interested. As an afterthought, we asked Z if he would also be interested in auditioning, and he said he was. The auditions were held last Saturday. They both auditioned for the roles of Mouse and Bon-bon. Z was also able to audition to be a Party Child, because he’s a bit older. They both had great attitudes about the audition and enjoyed the experience. We were prepared to accept the audition experience as a blessing in itself and had no expectations about actually participating in the production.

In fact, in some ways I would have been relieved. Parents must volunteer 20 hours to help prepare and support the production, and there is a participation fee for each cast member. We’ll be forking out $245 just for that. This is a huge commitment for the whole family.

In praying about it the meantime, we realized that this would be a worthwhile endeavor for our family. How wonderful that we would be able to support our children in this memorable activity. Also, this is far preferable to us than to driving around the local area and perhaps the state for a long season of soccer matches or swim meets. It’s an indoor activity, so there is no need to worry about inclement or too hot weather. In addition, this activity aligns with our family's emphasis on art and music.

We received the call this morning that Fiona was cast as a Mouse and Zanipolo was cast as a Party Child! We are all thrilled. The best part of the morning was that Fiona responded so positively to being a mouse, because all she has been talking about was being a Bon-bon and coming out from underneath Mother Ginger’s big skirt. She said she is happy to be able to participate in the production and wants to do a good job. She is open to auditioning in the future for different roles. That was such a gracious response from my girl! She earned her first Bonus Buck from our Accountable Kids program.

Now we just have to pray that we can keep up with all these commitments and remain healthy. Trusting in God’s goodness…

Aug. 24, 2009 - History for Kindergarten

Last year we used a fantastic resource for history with my kindergartener and preschooler: James Baldwin's Fifty Famous Stories is a collection of, you've guessed it, fifty stories of well-known historical figures. The stories span time from the 600's BC to 1838 AD.  Each story is just a few pages long and is written in an engaging narrative style. I think this simple approach would work fine for first grade, too.

About 3 times a week, I would read a story to the kids. We could then look at a map or globe to identify the setting of the story. If I had been really organized, I would have prepared coloring pages to go along with the story or ask the kids to draw their own illustrations. That's all that is required for an interesting, easy-to-implement history program for young kids.

If you are interested, Ambleside Online has prepared both chronological and book-order listings of the 50 stories here.

Good stuff...check it out!

Aug. 21, 2009 - Missionary Stories with The Millers

This morning we finished reading Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred Martin. For those of you unfamiliar with the Miller series of books, they are wonderful, wholesome stories from a Biblical (and Mennonite) perpective. These books are perfect for devotionals with littles. The other titles (listed below) revolve around a family named Miller with a father, mother and children and the life lessons they learn. Their discussions about life issues all refer back to Scripture.

Missionary Stories includes, well, stories about missionaries from all over the world. The stories are short, maybe 3-8 pages. The beginning of each story shows a map of the region of the world from which the story comes. The specific country is colored black. Each story illustrates the trust the missionaries had in God and the work they were doing for Him, and not all the stories have happy endings. I like that we were able to discuss that life, even with God in it and controlling it, sometimes involves unhappiness, hardship, and sacrifice, and God still loves us and is there for us.

Other titles include:

• Wisdom and the Millers- based on Proverbs
• Prudence and the Millers- focusing on health and safety
• Storytime With the Millers- homey stories
• School Days with the Millers- school experiences

We'll be using the Prudence title as our health curriculum this coming year. Good stuff.