This coming school year will mark our third year in a five year plan for studying world history chronologically. The first year of this plan primarily covered Biblical Old Testament history with an emphasis on early civilizations such as Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. The second year we studied Persia, Greece, Rome, New Testament history, and very early church history until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. So now we are ready for the Dark Ages, the Vikings, and the Holy Roman Empire. I hope that we can make it all the way through the Reformation this year. We shall see!

    We use a variety of sources for history. Our “spine” has been Linda Lacour Hobar's Mystery of History  series (see review in this post). We are one-fourth of the way through Volume II. It took us over a year and a half to complete Volume I because we were only studying history three days a week. But halfway into last year, we decided that history was worth five days a week and since then, we have been covering time more rapidly.

    We also add in some historical information books like Usborne’s Time Traveler and Diane Stanley’s Cleopatra or Joan of Arc.  And we read as much corresponding historical fiction such as Detectives in Togas or Adam of the Road as we can manage!

    With all of the timeline, mapwork, and activities in Mystery of History, I really don’t feel the need to add in any other hands-on activities. But I was not able to resist doing Evan-Moor’s History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations. When we begin studying the corresponding civilization in Mystery of History, we take a week off to make the pocket for that civilization. We have completed six of the seven pockets with just Ancient Aztecs remaining. For more information, see review in this post.

    This year I am also including the 4th grade Veritas Press history cards along with Mystery of HIstory. I am considering using VP’s card series as our spine for American History, so I wanted the boys to get used to the different format. The Veritas cards cover some subjects that aren’t in Mystery of History because they tend to focus on Western Civilization. Mrs. Hobar’s book covers other civilizations like China and Japan and India, as well. The two programs work well together.

    And because my boys love knights and castles so much, I have planned a few special activities for our study of the medieval period. For example, I purchased this Coat of Arms book to help us design individual shields. I’ll let you know how it works out!

   

    I really don’t like to think of Bible as business.  But when I’m making plans and spending money, the teaching of God’s Word in our homeschool does tend to take on a business nature.

    When we first started homeschooling, we just read straight through Hurlbut’s Story of the Bible. And that was Bible. It was simple, but interesting and profitable.
 
    For the past three years, we have been using Bob Jones Bible Truths.  I have been very pleased with it for the most part.  The curriculum has introduced deep topics like atonement and big words like omniscience and higher-level Bible skills such as cross-referencing at a remarkably early level.  But its organization is too haphazard for me.  I have no doubt that over time the course will cover all the major stories and themes in the Bible.  But it doesn’t do it in order.  And “order” is important to me.  Why have I insisted on going through history chronologically and just letting our Bible study jump from the New to the Old Testament and then to a missionary study and then back to the Old and then the New and on and on?  I was in desperate need of a plan... a chronological plan for studying the Bible.  You know...starting with Genesis.  And years down the road, ending up with Revelation.

    When I happened upon a Veritas Press catalog, my interest was piqued.  Was this what I was looking for? Of course, I had to ask lots of people about the cards. Responses varied from “it was way too dry for us” to “it has been perfect for us”.  So in the end, I took the plunge and ordered the Genesis through Joshua card set with the teacher’s manual on enhanced CD.  And I have spent a bit of time figuring out how I’m going to use it.  But I have a plan (of course).

    We will cover approximately one card a week.  We will do 1 or 2 of the activities provided in the VP teacher’s manual. And we will read aloud appropriate sections from the ESV Bible (just select passages-we are already reading through the Bible at night with Pa), Egermeier’s Bible Story Book, and The Victor Journey Through the Bible.  Most of this “out-loud” Bible time is for Ben’s benefit.  I think he will enjoy the varied sources, the pictures, and the projects.

    At the same time, Jake is going to start a 5-year “read through the Bible” plan that will coincide with our VP 5-year plan.  I will assign his daily Bible reading, and then once he completes his reading, he will answer the questions on that chapter in Volume 1 of Balancing the Sword.  I am very impressed with this book.  Take a look at the samples on the website.  The book is beautiful, and once Jake has completed his reading of the whole Bible, he will have a gorgeous keepsake of what he has gleaned from God’s Word over a five year period from 4th to 8th grade.  Then I hope he will want to do it again with Volume 2 during his high school years.  Both Volume 1 and Volume 2 are sold together, but I think it would be way too much for him to answer questions in both books at the same time.

We will see how well this goes.  I have branched out and become quite eclectic in other subjects.  It is time to branch out with our Bible “class”, too.

    I am a nauseatingly organized homeschooler. My house is usually a wreck, but believe you me, I’ve got our homeschool planned to the tiniest detail and our school room perfectly arranged. It all comes from my days teaching in a public high school.  Organization = Survival.

    To tell the truth, I have softened over the past five years.  Poor Jake...his preschool experience was more akin to basic training than play-to-learn.  But now as he enters fourth grade, he is a model student...an independent learner who follows written directions easily and is eager to stick to a schedule.

    Then there is Ben...he will enter first grade this year.  And the fact that the word “schedule” doesn’t appear in his vocabulary is honestly what has softened me.  Our home and school would be a miserable experience if I didn’t loosen up the routine a bit for him.  He has even been known to want to do reading before math.  Oh dear!  That is a tough row to hoe for this old math teacher; doesn’t he realize that the mind is more adaptable to problem-solving when it is fresh?  Or was that just something I learned in the College of Education that fit someone’s agenda somewhere?

    Regardless, our umbrella school expects us to complete 180 days of school per school year.  Now I have friends who use a boxed curriculum and don’t keep up with the # of days at all.  They figure that once they have completed the curriculum, they have done enough school work for one year.  I should say so!  And I have friends that follow the public school calendar to the day.  They are satisfied that they have done enough school.  I should say so!  And then I have friends who don’t follow any kind of calendar (they probably don’t have one in their house).  School is always happening in their homes and in their yards and in their cars, etc.  There is no start and finish.  I wish I could be like that (they are so much fun to be around).

    But I can’t.  I have that number...180...drilled into my teacher head.  At least with homeschooling I don’t have to worry about working in snow days!  In that spirit, here are my plans for achieving those magic 180 days for the 2007-2008 school year:

  3 days:    Periodic Math Reviews and Summer Reading done in June & July
51 days:    First Quarter (July 24th - October 5th with 3 vacation days)
        Fall Break:  October 8th - October 12th
40 days:    Second Quarter (October 15th - Dec. 14th with 1 week off for Thanksgiving)
        Christmas Break:  December 17th - January 2nd
48 days:    Third Quarter (January 3rd - March 14th with 4 vacation days)
38 days:    Fourth Quarter (March 17th - May 16th with 7 vacation days which includes spring break)

Does that add up to 180 days?  Whew, I sure hope so.  And by May 16th, I will be satisfied that we have done enough school for one year. (I should say so!)