Living, Laughing and Learning with Diana Waring

Australian Tour:  22 September 2009 - 24 October 2009

Families will be treated to one of the homeschool community’s best loved speakers. Diana’s rapid-fire workshops are renowned for being packed with many personal snippets of her life experience, historical characters and memorable illustrations.

She will deliver a number of workshops covering parenting, homeschooling, learning styles and teaching world history. One of her signature talks is “Beyond Survival” titled after a best selling book she wrote. In this talk she transparently describes her struggles and failures to create a school for her three children at home before she broke through the paradigm shift to the pure joy of a lifestyle characterised by one-to-one mentoring. This is what makes home education so successful.

As well, several of your favourite suppliers will be in attendance at the seminars:  Adnil Press, Homeschool Favourites, Down Under Literature, Chariot Press, Credo Trust, Always Learning Books, and more - click on the link below for full details and dates.

Living Laughing and Learning with Diana Waring

Book your ticket now, and be part of the adventure!

It's been a while since I blogged here - I've been using my blog on the AP site, but, I miss this blog!  So maybe I will pop in time to time and update it.  Chuck in a 'think-piece' here and there.

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You know, I spend a lot of time thinking.  Pondering the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to do things.  I spend many hours planning, researching, etc. how to home educate, looking at all the vaious approaches, and hunting through all the myriad of resources out there.

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And, with time and effort, I come up with our ‘plan’.  I listen to what others suggest, try things out, but ultimately, we settle upon what works for us.  In our home, with so many of us, this usually does include text books and work books, and yes, the huge marking pile at the end of the day.

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But not always.  Sometimes, despite the wonderful timetable each child has in front of them, we’ll get part way through the day, and just think, ‘nope, not today!’.  Like yesterday.  We did some basic Maths, Copywork, English, etc.  But my youngest simply sighed at the bookwork - she wanted to play a game.  At first I resisted - after all, it was ‘school-time’.  But then, I thought, ‘why’?  Why struggle over a pile of books, when we could be having some fun, and ‘really’ sharing time together.

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So, that is what we did.  The board game came out, the books went away, and we did have fun!  There was laughter, chatting, playing, and even those who were not playing the game became caught up in the conversation, which covered many topics by the time we were done. 

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I forever question the right and wrong way to do this whole homeschooling thing.  Sometimes, It’s full-on bookwork - you MUST learn those Math facts!    Other times, I think we should just have some fun, and enjoy being together, for this time with our children is very short.  Soon they will grow into adults themselves.  Do I want them to look back and shudder over all that bookwork, or look back and smile over the time when they had the delight of thrashing Mum in a game, or the time we took the day off, and wandered through the local forest?

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There does, of course, need to be some formal learning, but it’s an interesting challenge to find the right balance.  Hopefully, in our patchwork of various days, we’ll be able to look back and say, ‘yes, we enjoyed homeschooling - we had fun’!

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May God bless your day,

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Linda.

So there we were, ‘trying’ to get ‘some’ schoolwork achieved for the day.  The children were a bit restless – a bit, well ‘unruly’.  Finally, though, after some threats and rather stern words from me, they did begin to calm down, and eventually we found ourselves at the table, with heads back in the books.

About this time, my 13 year old son began scratching his head, staring with puzzlement at his Maths book.  Looking up, he asked ‘Mum, what’s a polygon’? 

Without flinching or even breaking a smile, my 11 year old, who was seated at the opposite end of the table, threw up her hand, exclaiming, ‘oooh, oooh, I know what that is!   It’s a dead parrot!’.  

Well, you could have heard a pin drop, as we all tried to comprehend what she had said.  All of us at the table turned our heads in her direction, completely bewildered.  “Y’know”, she continued, “Polly   -    Gone!”

And thus ended  the quiet, calm day.

Today was one of those days when you really begin to feel you just should have stayed in bed....

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It was 'back to school' day, after a few days off, as I had been unwell, and needed to go to hospital for some tests (which I've not heard anything about as yet - I'm guessing it's a case of 'no news is good news').

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So, the 'plan' was to get back into the schooling, and get things happening again.  This all began with me sleeping in far too late, but not to worry, we did have a bit of late night with watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics, after all.

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And there I am - about to get moving and drag the young ones from their slumber, when whamo!  Those 'twinkling lights' begin to flicker in front of my eyes, meaning just one thing - a migraine is on it's way - wonderful.

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I take some pain killers, and call the youngins (several times), and then decide to 'quickly' answer a couple of emails, as well as typing up a fax which needed to be sent this morning.  The fax was dependant on the answer contained in one particular email, but naturally, when I went to open the email, the computer spat a fruity, and in the end, it took 40 MINUTES to open - which included shutting the whole thing down and trying again, but  no, let's just add to the time already wasted this morning - just long enough to place me in, shall we say, not the BEST mood to begin the week.  Of course, the light from the computer was killing my head, but, we got there in the end, took a deep breath and had a cuppa, and eventually continued on.

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But why, oh, why, is it that on the very day one is suffering from a migraine, do science experiments crop up in the older one's text books that involve dropping books on the floor?  And why, I have to ask, was this also the very day that the younger ones charge outside and make the exciting discovery of what happens when you pound on an old drum? 

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Anyway, the day continued - I was struggling, but, I was determined to 'make it' through the lessons.  After lunch came Science with my 3rd, 5th and 6th graders.  We were to boil some water and place it in various containers to test conductivity.  All was going well - the water took some time to boil, but eventually, it was almost boiling, when my 12 year-old commented, as casually as you like, 'By the way, the stove is on fire'.  And so it was.  Flames shot out of the element, and smoke began billowing from the stove.  So, instead of our planned, organised Science experiment, we ended up with this:

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I called my 'knight in shining armour', and sent the children outside, practising our 'fire drill'.  I just had to photograph it, but when the flames only grew higher, I left darling hubby to handle it, and shot outside as well (being so brave and all, I thought someone had better look after the children).

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After it was extinguished, and amongst all the smoke, we did eventually get the 'planned' experiment done, but then I resigned to the fact that the rest of the lessons were just not meant to be, and so hubby loaded up most of the children and headed for the tennis court.  I settled down for a movie, while my darling 11 year old cooked chocolate cake - which she thought may just be the thing!

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Ah well, tomorrow is another day (and yet, this one ain't over yet!)..........

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Well, we're back to 'school' on Monday, but following on from my 'timetable' post, I thought I'd write about what resources we are currently using, and take a look at what has proved to be our favourites so far this year........

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LATIN:   Prima Latina with the four youngest, and Henle Latin 1 with the older four - love it - both programmes are going well.  We also supplement with Lingua Angelica, and while we have been singing the hymns for some time, we've just started using the workbook as well - this really adds to the Latin programme - I like it.

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MATHS:  Signpost Maths for grades 1-6, supplemented by 'Developmental Math', and then 'Teaching Textbooks' for grades 7/8 and up - as well as using a drill programme - either Caculadder or Beat the Tape, depending on whether we're in 'computer' or 'bookwork' mode, and we have fun with 'Times Tales' as well.  Maths seems to be pretty much a 'breeze' these days, there's rarely a problem with any child - smooth sailing at the moment.

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LOGIC:  Currently using 'Building Thinking Skills' for grades 4 and up.  It's good, and the final book of the series is proving a bit challenging for the older ones - we've enjoyed the series, and it's been simple to use.  On completion, we may go back to the 'Mind Benders' series for a while - they're fun!

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ENGLISH:  Still using 'Voyages in Literature' and 'English for Young Australians' (an old grammar programme from the 50s).  As well, my 11 year old is using 'Student Writing Intensive' course, and we incorporate the 'Teaching Writing, Structure & Style' lessons into our history programme.  It's going well, but I am beginning to feel more time needs to be dedicated to the writing units.  We may take a temporary break from 'Voyages' to concentrate more on writing lessons for a time - and, I may just use 'Ancient-History Based Writing Lessons', which will match up with our history nicely.    For Copywork, my younger ones use a combination of the Memoria Press Copybooks, the Adnil Press Copybooks, and Voyages in Language.

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SPELLING:  Some are using the 'Phonetic Zoo', others are using 'Essentials in Teaching and Testing Spelling' - depending on personal choice.  Both of these programmes are working well.

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PHONICS & READING:  Voyages in Phonics and Phonics is fun - these two seem to work well together.  We've also changed from the Fitzroy Readers (which worked wonders for a time) back to the old, Happy Venture Readers - good old Dick & Dora, and we're using the accompanying workbooks.  They're fun!  The older children are required to select at least one book from each of the  'Australiana', the 'Classics' and the 'Saints' shelf to complete during the term - they usually read more than this, but that is the minimum.  As well, I try to read to them after the evening meal - unfortunately, time often gets away from me - but we WILL finish the Narnia series eventually!

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POETRY:  'Developing Linguistic Patterns Through Poetry Memorization'.  Fantastic programme!  The poems are just wonderful, and are a delight to learn.  We're working through this one all together.  Every now and then, you are asked to select a poem of your choice - it is here I'll add in some good Australian poetry as well.

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DRAWING:  As a base, we've used 'The Drawing Textbook' - most of the children are now finishing up this little gem, and will either move onto a 'How Great Thou Art' text of their choice, or, will begin using the new Memoria Press 'Copybooks' for cursive - these look absolutely marvellous!  They include Latin prayers, hymns and saying, so this will match up perfectly with our Latin studies.  I like the font, too - much like I learned at school.  The reason I include cursive in the 'Drawing' lesson is that learning to write beautifully is indeed more 'Art' than 'English' - they will be required to do the best they can - it's not so much what they write, but how they write it.

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RELIGION:  Catholic Mosaic with the younger ones - fantastic programme!  A very Charlotte Mason approach, with lots of 'real' picture books, beautiful stories, full of faith and morals.  With the older ones, we are using 'Faith and Life', books 6 and 8.  I like this series, it's very comprehensive, covering many topics - we've all learned a lot from these books.  As well, we memorize the catechism, and read from other supplemental material - one excellent book we're currently reading is 'St. Patrick's Summer'.

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AUSTRALIAN HISTORY:  We have recently begun 'Australia's Yesterdays' once again, as it's been a while since we did this programme, and I'm working with the younger ones on our new publication - more to do with Australian Geography - mountains and rivers, looking at each state, etc.  We're writing it as we go!

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SCIENCE: The older children are working through the Apologia High School series, while the younger ones work with me through the 'God's Design' series.  We've just begun the 'Heat and Energy' book, and enjoying it thus far.  We've tried various primary curriculums, but each time, come back to the God's Design series - it seems to suit our needs very well.  The three youngest children also enjoy the 'Magic School Bus' video series.

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HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY:  Currently, we're using 'Famous Men of Greece' with the younger ones, and the 'ABC's of Christian Culture' with the four oldest.  I am absolutely loving both programmes.  The ABCs of Christian Culture has really stolen my heart - every now and then you find a resource that just suits you perfectly - and this is one of those resources!   It uses 'real' books, along with 'spine' books, and has map work, the making of time-lines, reading assignments and essays, as well as final tests at the end of each module.  I've not really been one to impose 'testing' on my children up until now, but it really all fits together well, and rounds out and finalizes the unit perfectly.

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As well, the little ones do 'Galloping the Globe' - which is a wonderfully fun book to do - we don't always 'get there', so we're moving through it rather slowly, but, we do enjoy it!

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MUSIC AND ART:   And then, there's Music Theory and Music Practical (Piano, Clarinet, Flute, etc.), 'Colour the Classics' or 'Meet the Great Composers' for Music Appreciation, and various resources for Art Appreciation. 

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OTHER:  Finally (I think!), the children use 'Typing Instructor Deluxe' for typing skills and 'Pure & Simple' for Computer Skills.  These subjects aren't covered as often as I'd like - but hey, there's only so many hours in a day!

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And just briefly to mention Physical Education - we don't do any winter sports as such, but we do love Bush Dancing, and lately, we've headed outside each afternoon for the family 'baseball match'.  We tried cricket and football, but baseball seems to be the 'in' sport at present - and we all love to play it - and have a few great laughs along the way!  Trying to explain to a six-year old to run to the next base, and NOT take off after the ball, has been the funniest thing - one of those times you just wish you had a video camera with you!   

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All in all, most things are going very well - and amazingly, the timetable seems to work most days - I think we're all at a point now where each one knows what is expected of them, and so they mostly 'get on with the job'.

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Have a great week!

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As everyone who knows me knows, I like lists.

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I seem to have a plan, and a timetable for everything - and, although we rarely comple everything I will plan to on a certain day, it is very important to me to have that plan visible, so I can see what it is we're aiming for.

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With eight children all of 'school' age, it became quite a juggling act to fit everything in on our homeschool timetable, but, it's proving quite successful, and most things are actually being acheived!

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So, after hours of planning and re-arranging, here is our current timetable:

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*GTG = Galloping the Globe

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While we don't necessarily complete everything 'on time' or in the suggested order, this is 'THE PLAN' - and for the most part, it's working well thus far.

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We also have Literature in the evenings - currently, we're reading 'The Silver Chair'.  And, each child is expected to read one 'Classic' book, one Australiana book, and one Saint's book each term.

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Have a great day!

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Well, it was the first day of the new school term today, and we have begun our High School Latin course. 

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I feel like we've really achieved something - after so many years of chopping and changing as we searched for the 'right' resources for us, we finally found a Latin course we liked (Latina Christiana), and we have now completed the series.  So, we're moving right on into Henle Latin! 

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And, the little ones have begun Prima Latina, so it's Latin all round - Henle with the oldest four, and Prima Latina with the younger ones.

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One thing about working through a book the 2nd time around, you feel like you know a little about what you're doing! 

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Honestly, some days I feel like by the time I have this whole homeschooling thing figured out, my last child will be grown and gone - it's true what they say, it's a journey for all of us.

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Have a super day!

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Well, here we are;  nearing the end of January, and school begins next week!       

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I 'think' I'm ready for this juggling act - 8 children, all of school age this year!  But, my older ones are quite independent, so it does make things easier.

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Some of the resources we'll be using are:

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Signpost Maths (Gr K-6), or Teaching Textbooks (gr 7+)

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Voyages in Phonics

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Phonics is Fun Workbooks

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Voyages in Language and Literature, and then 'English for Australian Schools' (gr 8+)

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10 year old to also do 'Student Writing Intensive, Level A'

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The Phonetic Zoo or Essential Spelling List (some of my children enjoy the first, others prefer the latter)

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Catholic Mosaic combined with St. Joseph's Catechism

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The ABCs of Christian Culture (with the 4 oldest children), combined with

Teaching Writing, Structure & Style (IEW), and also

Ancient History Based Writing Lessons.

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Galloping the Globe (with the 4 younger ones)

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Language is going to be interesting!  We're finishing up Latina Christiana 2, and then moving onto Henle Latin.

But....  my oldest daughter wants to learn French, so she plans to begin 'First Start French' as well,

AND...  my youngest 4 want to learn Spanish.  I have this Spanish prgramme called 'Puertas Abiertas (Open Doors) Spanish Kit', which we've had for a while, so we'll begin with that.  I'd rather have begun 'Prima Latina' with them, but well, they have an interest in Spanish (thanks to Dora the Explorer!), so we'll see how it goes.  We may go through this one programme (about 20 weeks worth, maybe), and then move onto Prima Latina.

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Science will be Dinah Zikes 'The World of Insects and Arachnids', and the older ones will be doing Apologia, Physical Science.  My son, who is around grade 7, will be using 'Science For Young Catholics', from Seton.

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I'll also set them each a reading list for literature;  maybe four books a term, and I'll be reading to them in the evenings, also.  Hopefully we'll finish up the Narnia series, and "John of Sydney Cove" & "John and Nambaree".

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Art and Music will be a combination of things;  How Great Thou Art Workbooks, Meet the Great Composers, Colour the Classics, and so forth.

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And no doubt there's a host of other things I forgot to mention;  I keep trying to cut back, but there's just so many good resources out there!

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God bless,

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Today marked the official 'end' of our school year for 2007.

My little munchkins are growing so fast!  We've now homeschooled for eleven years, and yet, I still remember that first year so clearly - how time flies.

I now have three teenagers in the house;  and, at the opposite end of the scale, three at the 'learn-to-read' stage!  So, it's quite a challenge at present, but, we're making good progress.

I guess it's good to take a break, but I'm a bit saddened this year that we have finished - however, I have a couple of new resources to use next year, so I'm looking forward to that.  Also, I just found out my iron levels are very low;  the blood tests showed them at a level of 8, when they 'should' be somewhere between 11 and 15!  At least I can take a few weeks to take a break, rest, and take the time to ensure I'm eating right.

Christmas is now less than two weeks away - we're having a quiet one this year, and I think we're almost organised.  After, we may take a trip interstate to visit the relatives - the children love to visit their cousins, as well as the water-park, aquarium, and all the other exciting 'things to do' that Melbourne has to offer.

For now though, I can actually take some time to get this house clean!  I find with homeschooling that this is the one area that really suffers - so, we have our schedule made out - a couple of rooms each day, and working all together, we'll have it done in a week. (Well, that's the plan, anyhow!)

I hope you have a blessed Christmas, and that the hussle and bussle of it all does not get too much - don't forget to remember 'the reason for the season'.

God bless,

Linda.

Well, the end of the year is looming...  mostly, this has been a successful year with our homeschooling - which has been wonderful!

I now find myself planning for the new year...  figuring out what we'll continue to use, what new resources we'll use, and what to let go.

Mostly, things will stay the same, although, I've decided it is time to give my older three a little more responsibility, and to encourage them to take more control with their own education.

Currently, I keep a 'record book', where I write down everything that each  child does in their day, and I ensure that all schoolwork has been completed.  But next year, I've decided the older three will have their own record books;  and they will responsible to push themselves.  I will still set their work, and they will have a certain amount to complete each week;  but it is their responsibility to ensure that the work is completed.  I'll still keep a check on it all, and mark the work, of course, but it's a step towards independence, as they are now all teenagers.

Hopefully, this will also allow me more time to concentrate on the younger ones;  it has proved a 'bit' of a challenge this year, fitting in all the lessons!  We will still study History together, and have shared Latin classes, but the rest will be mostly 'independant learning' for my 7th graders and up.

I hope your year has also been a success - God bless,

My hubby has just discovered in our house a paper with a 'quiz' included - one of the questions was:  

'Which fictional detective lived at 221B Baker St, London?'

One of my children, obviously proud to know show off their knowledge, has written in the answer:

'Basil' 

(As in Basil - the Great Mouse Detective)!

Oh, dear - I seriously think we need to do some more Literature studies in this house!

This week, we were fortunate to be involved with a 'Natue Day' at our local natural springs.  Activities included geology, water-watch, reptiles, birds, insects, mammals and plants. 

There were talks and activities on each subject, and we enjoyed them all!  The geology segment created quite a discussion, as he presented the 'age of the earth' lecture, complete with '600,000,000 years' - my children rolled their eyes at this, but I quietly encouraged them to listen - it is always good to know what others believe, and their reasons, so you can compare and contrast your own beliefs.

I think he 'blew it' quite nicely when my 9 year old showed him a piece of sandstone she had collected - he told her that rock was '600 million years old'!  I had to bite my tongue, let me tell ya - we have sandstone rocks here at home that we 'made' 4 months ago - so to make that particular statement was pushing it somewhat, I thought.

Otherwise, though, it was a very informative day, complete with patting snakes, lizards, birds, and a baby wallaby.  I was amazed at my 9 year-old - she helped out with showing the insect specimens around, asked heaps of questions, and drew pictures in her notebook during every talk.  She has struggled so much with reading and 'normal' schoolwork - it was amazing to see her as the 'shining star' of the day!  Just goes to show, how we are all different, with different talents from each other.

Here she is with the baby wallaby:

What fun we had!  They hold the nature day each year - we're looking forward to attending again next time.

God bless,

Well you know, since this is a blog about 'homeschooling', I though perhaps I should write something about what we actually do! 

We use a Classical / Eclectic / Charlotte Mason approach, with a bit of Montessori thrown in, just for good measure!

I certainly keep in mind the three stages of the Trivium, and taylor our curriculum around this.  I've found that by paying attention to the different stages, I can easily understand why some things seem difficult to a child of a certain age, and can make the adjustments to suit.  For example, in the Maths programme we use, 'estimation' is included, even in the grade 1 text.  All of my little ones struggled with this.  How were they expected to know how many base ten cubes could fill a cup?  They'd never done such an activity before - their minds did not have enough information yet to make these predictions.

So, we learn to breeze over these concepts, and concentrate on them in later grades.

I've found it a true challenge this year, with eight children now all lined up for 'school work', and this includes three at the learn-to-read stage, who of course, need much one-on-one attention.  Amazingly, we're getting there!  We don't accomplish everything we set out to, but that's life. 

Currently, all our afternoon activities are being replaced with 'art and craft' time, as we have our annual agricultural show in two weeks.  This involves entering art and craft items into the competitions, and last year, I think we had about sixty entries!  Fortunately, the children won a few prizes, and so, we're entering some things again this year.

Well, back to the grind!  God bless,