We have been attempting to apply the trivium to our home school. I will try to keep you up-to-date with our plans, as well as how they work out. :) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Mon, 1 Dec 2008 13:35:00 -0600 Mon, 1 Dec 2008 13:35:00 -0600 What can I really say?  We have moved a few times, I did not have internet connection for several months, I've been busy, ......................................... I'm really, truly sorry to have neglected this blog soooo badly. My daughter in now in college, has some good financial aid help for this year, at least, and is finding her own way forward. My youngest son is a sophomore this year, is studying ancient history along with a friend, via a rigorous course from Dr. George Grant, found at www.kingsmeadow.com. (too lazy to link that today. I may come back later and fix it.) He is working his way through Saxon Math, Algebra 1, etc., etc., etc. I will put forth the effort to get more actively involved here again. This is a reminder to myself to remember. :-) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/626519/ Mon, 1 Dec 2008 13:35:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/626519/ I'm not sure much has changed since my last update.  But time keeps marching on.  Youngest Son and I are working with my Beloved at least 2 or 3 days a week.  I have been taking over invoicing, answering a few emails, packing, cutting metal with a band saw (sometimes), while Youngest Son has been learning the art of annodizing and dying aluminum.  Our math was slipping, but I think we are making upward progress again.  He is beginning to enjoy the CD: Quarter Mile Math.  If anyone is interested, you can get a free sample CD on their website.  We are currently reading a G.A. Henty book, The Young Carthaginian, which is, of course, proving most interesting.  Youngest Son has read a little in a recently acquired book about Hannibal's march through the Alps, and can occasionally insert a comment about what is about to happen.  That is neat!  Formal science study is minimal.  We did just purchase Signs and Seasons, the new book on Classical Astronomy, and we are beginning to make a little headway into that.  What an awesome book.  So far, I am very pleased and impressed with the quality of the information and the book itself. We are taking each day as the Lord sends it, and we trust Him for the results. I will continue to post as I am able, in the midst of our busy-ness.  Bye for now. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/325091/ Mon, 7 May 2007 10:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/325091/ Is anyone else's life as crazy as mine seems to be??  I won't bore you with all the details.  Suffice it to say the my mother-in-love was in the hospital twice, and then left for Florida to visit her daughter.  Now she is thinking of finding her own place in our town.  I hope that works out, although it would place more demands on me.  Meanwhile, youngest son has now joined Boy Scouts, and so has numerous outings to fit in.  It seems like a very nice group of boys and caring adults.  They will be going on a winter camp/sled competition this coming weekend. Dearest daughter has travelled to the Russian-speaking world for 2 1/2 weeks to participate in spreading the Word of God to that part of the world.  I expect to see her in less than a week. My health has been fluctuating, and I am currently on a low GL diet (The Holford Low GL Diet) in an effort to regulate my blood sugar and my weight. Also, the love of my life has been working harder than ever (too much, really) to try to make his business more profitable.  He needs me to work by his side. And what about homeschool??!!??  Yes, that is ... struggling a bit.  We were doing well for a few months there, until perhaps Thanksgiving or a week or 2 thereafter.  Since then we have taken a trip to southern California for a Bible conference and to visit friends.  Then we were busy getting dearest daughter ready for her trip, etc., etc.  Perhaps you know how it goes.  I firmly believe that homeschool is placed in the midst of our daily family life for a reason and that there is much to be learned that cannot be found in any book.  At the same time I'm convinced that our academic subjects are very important and must be given a high priority.  It's just that when it comes to making these 2 sides work together, well ... I'm still working out the details. In any case, I think that we are beginning to pick up many of the pieces, and will be putting things together more over the next couple of weeks.  As usual, writing about it seems to help me sort out where we've been, where we are now, and to find direction for whatever is next. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/274271/ Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:32:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/274271/ I just have to mention this young man, who happens to be my cousin's son.  He is riding a bicycle across the U.S. in an effort to raise money for cancer research.  As of this writing, he is halfway to his goal of $25,000.  Please help him spread the word.  Andrew Bascue lost his grandmother to pancreatic cancer in April of this year.  She was my dear Aunt Ruth.  Perhaps a year before that Andrew's good friend also lost his battle to cancer.  And he knows others who are fighting their own battles right now.  He has had an overwhelming feeling of wanting to do something meaningful, something difficult, to help in this fight.  So this is his solution.He began his ride on September 8, and has been keeping a blog to recap his experiences, which have been many and varied.  While he has a general itinerary, he has not planned just where he will sleep each night, or exactly when he will be where.  It sounds like an incredible adventure.  Here's where the geography lesson can come in.  We have been following his route on a map, trying to predict where he will go next, and learning a bit of geography in the process.  He is either at the eastern edge of Idaho, or has just crossed into Wyoming.  His blog is called lifespoke, and I will post that link on my page.  I appreciate your interest in this worthy cause. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/209100/ Mon, 25 Sep 2006 21:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/209100/ Greetings, fellow educators.I guess I'd forgotton what a whirlwind September can be.  We are still finishing up summer and fall matters, while trying to focus more on our educational goals.  The weekend before this, my mother moved, which took up much of our time, and this last weekend was filled with preparations for special church-related meals and meetings.  And now I am fighting a cold, which my youngest had and is nearly over.Well, we have been going through worksheets on Ancient Civilizations, to give us something of an overview concerning the civilizations which passed through the Fertile Crescent in ancient times.  I expect to be picking up further review using Mystery of History in the coming few weeks.  We have also read some books as an introduction to Ancient Greece, where I hope to eventually focus our efforts.In addition, we are reading through selections from a quarterly magazine, called Home Educator's Tutor, which has a character trait, with related verses in several languages (Latin, Greek, Spanish, French) for us to practice.  There are readings based on Plutarch's Lives, readings from Charlotte Mason, and short biographies about one artist and one musician  in each issue.  I will post a link for the publisher of this resource, in case anyone is interested in checking them out.  (No, I'm not an affiliate.  I just like using this magazine.)  For math, at the moment we are trying to get some kind of fun fact most days.  One resource for this is a free web page, which I will also put up a link for on my site, Math Fun Facts.  These can help get the mental gears moving in different directions, and add some interest to what otherwise might seem a boring subject.  I also found a book from more than 10 years ago called, The Joy of Mathematics, with more interesting, short facts and activities.  He is starting to work through Key to Algebra, which introduces the basic concepts in a simple workbook format.  We will add more kinds of resources as we move through our days.This morning we made a simple Mobius Strip from a slip of paper.  Simply give it a 1/2 twist and glue or tape the ends together.  Then we took a pencil and drew a line all around the strip.  It is a little surprising.  Next we took 2 strips, each colored with a different color, held and twisted them together, and taped the  ends together.  This ended up creating a simple puzzle which we plan to share with friends when we visit them this evening.  This is kinda fun.  Youngest Son mentioned to me today that he appreciates the way we began our school year this year.  He likes being able to gradually adjust to a different routine and workload.  So I guess it has been for the best that I did not have everything together at the beginning of the year.  All things are working out for the best. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/208940/ Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/208940/ We begin in some sense this week, but not yet a full course of study.  We will be working on establishing a schedule and implementing a chore system.  We should pick up our Bible study and do some history and math review which may take a few weeks.  We are still getting settled into our home, and we have some elder-care needs with both my mom and my mil.  So we will do our best, and I'll try to check back in here before too long. Happy learning.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/199947/ Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:03:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/199947/ ... in a word, BUSY!  Does that come a surprise to any of you?  We have various church activities, summer camps, etc., that tend to take up large blocks of our summer time.  And Youngest Son has his church friends to get together with at various times.  We were late getting a garden in, so I've been trying to play catch up.  And so it goes.  I can scarcely believe that July is rapidly drawing to a close already.  It has certainly been HOT enough to prove that point to me.  This is the one time of year when I regret not have air conditioning in the house.  Most of what gets accomplished around here these days has to be done before noon.  It's time to start bringing my thoughts and plans for the upcoming school year into sharper focus, locate our required school books, consider purchasing a few more, begin some dialog with Youngest Son about what we need to learn and how will we go about it.  One thing I have (finally) begun to realize is that it's pretty important to get the student himself involved with the planning stages.  He may have some really great ideas, the program will fit him more personally, and, most importantly, he will feel personally connected to what we are studying, and therefore more interested in it.But these things will not begin this week, and possibly not the following week, at least not in earnest.  This week we are preparing to go away to a Bible camp, of sorts, with Youngest Son, and many others.  My Beloved and I will be among those serving with these treasured young people.  We leave tomorrow afternoon, and expect to be back on the afternoon/evening of July 30, the Lord's Day.So I have various projects to take care of today and tomorrow, including laundry, buying a few clothes for Youngest Son (they do have a dress code, fairly lenient, but we need to buy a few more items), clean out the refrigerator, for Daughter and Gramma (my MIL), who will stay behind to care for the house, the animals, and, hopefully, the garden.  So, I will close for now, and post more after my projected return.  I have not forgotten the number riddles I posted in May, and will, I suppose, be forced to answer them soon.  But not this week ....  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/171965/ Mon, 24 Jul 2006 11:40:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/171965/ Well, as no one has ventured a solution to my previous riddle yet, I'll leave it up a little longer, and present you with another number riddle, also from The Man Who Counted. Using four fours, it is possible to get any number whatsoever.  For example, to get the number zero, simply write:  44 - 44 The easiest way to get the number one?  44 44 Can you find a way to come up with each of the numbers from 2 through 10? My son and I have had a lot of fun with these.  He thinks he doesn't like math, but he has found these stories with their riddles very interesting.  We will often stop in the middle of the story to try and figure out the problems posed. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/131838/ Tue, 9 May 2006 15:04:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/131838/ This is from the book, The Man Who Counted It seems the story teller is traveling with this "Counting Man" who is astounding at anything related to numbers and calculations.  They are both riding on one camel when they come upon three quarreling men.  The three men explain that they are brothers, and that their father has left them 35 camels, to be divided as follows: The eldest brother is to receive one half of the camels; the middle brother is to receive one third; and the youngest is to receive one ninth.  The three of them cannot agree as to how to equally divide the camels.  How do you think "The Man Who Counted" resolved this dilemma? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/128488/ Wed, 3 May 2006 17:03:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/128488/ I apologize for my long absence from the blogging community.  But my dear Aunt Ruth finally lost her battle with cancer of the pancreas, and I have had little time--or heart--to blog here. This lady was incredible.  She lived life to the fullest, in spite of numerous health issues over the years.  When I was just a few weeks old, my family moved in across the street from Aunt Ruth and Uncle Ray, and my mom had to go to work full time.  So Aunt Ruth took all four of us kids in, especially my older brother and I.  The older girls were in school at that point.  She is practically a second mom to me.  This was in addition to her own 5 children that she was already raising.  Her youngest is the same age as my oldest sister.  But she loved us all.  Aunt Ruth loved to sew, and she made many dresses and nightgowns, etc., for me over the years.  She also liked to quilt, knit, and crochet, and I have many items made by her loving hands.  Through her example, I also now crochet, and I know how to sew and knit, although I don't find the time to do any of those very much.  She would sit in front of the TV most evenings with her hands busy, and when we went for any length of drive, she would bring out some project or other to work on.  Visiting other's homes, it was also not uncommon for to pull out some knitting or some other work. Well, her kids grew up, and my family moved away, and Aunt Ruth was determined not be an "empty-nester" who sat around watching soap-operas all day.  So she went back to school and took up nursing, which she did for 3 or 4 decades, until she retired.  They also managed to get some traveling in, both within the states and overseas.  They walked up mountains, saw sights, etc.  For several years they went south for the winters, driving their motorhome, to Arizona, I think.  That came to an end sometime after Uncle Ray suffered a mild stroke, which affected his ability to drive. But I have neglected to mention her flower gardens.  She always had plants and flowers along the curbs and the outside walls of the house, which she spent hours on every week.  Those beds have widened over the years, and the front yard saw raised beds added as well.  It was not uncommon for her to spend 40 hours a week working in the flower beds.  As she went through hip replacement surgeries, struggled with asthma, etc., she still managed to get out to the flowers pretty regularly, to water, weed, and deadhead--and to enjoy the fresh air and the beauty surrounding her.  Sometimes she would use her wheelchair like a walker to get out to the garden, then use it to help lower herself to the ground, and lie on the ground to pull weeds, etc.  She loved her flower garden! Then, more than a year ago, Aunt Ruth was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  But she continued to enjoy life.  There was a big birthday gathering for Uncle Ray's 90th birthday, and many people showed up, knowing that Aunt Ruth's days were drawing to a close.  That was last June.  They bought season tickets to the opera, as they have done every year; she celebrated her 82nd birthday in October; and a few weeks later they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.  Her diary/schedule has a heartbreaking post on April 14 of this year:  Doctor has given me 1-3 weeks to live.  I came for a visit on April 19, and found her resting comfortably, conversing normally, reading through mail, making sure someone chopped carrots to put in the pot on the stove, etc.  In short, carrying on as usual.  We both agreed that surely she had more time than the doctor had given her.  I called on Friday, the 21st, and Aunt Ruth answered the phone.  She said it would not be a good day to come for a visit, as hospice people were there, going to shampoo her hair, etc., and she was pretty tired.  My sister called me the following day, Saturday the 22nd, to say that I needed to come very soon, that day if possible, if I wanted to see Aunt Ruth again.  My 18 yo daughter and I came and spent the late afternoon and early evening there, with the family.  (My husband and son were out of town for the weekend.)  At this time we could see that Aunt Ruth was clearly going downhill quickly.  It was evident that her time was indeed short.  Still, she recognized my daughter and was able to converse with her a bit, still interested in how she was doing.  By the time we left, Aunt Ruth had eaten just a few bites of soup, and was needing more pain meds.  Her daughter, also a nurse, stayed near her through the night, and they conversed several times.  Aunt Ruth became unresponsive around 5am, and slipped peacefully away shortly before 10am., on Sunday, April 23, 2006.  I was able to arrive at the house before the people from the funeral home came, and so saw her body.  I had the deep realization that Aunt Ruth was now free of pain, free from all the many struggles against her "body of humiliation," and was now at rest, awaiting the promised resurrection from the dead.  I stood with her family as that body was taken away to the funeral home, leaving, for the last time, the house that had been her home for 57 years.  Then I sought solace in--where else?--the flower gardens.  By the time I had made my way along them, my heart was somewhat comforted.  Uncle Ray had gone to church with his son before the body was taken away.  I hope it was easier on him that way, but I cannot conceive what he must be feeling now.  Now, ...  we are trying to pick up the pieces, to see that Uncle Ray is cared for, as well as the house and the flowers.  They have a grandson who has taken a liking to the gardens, and will do his best to keep them up, though I don't know how much time he will be able to put into them.  The "Celebration of Life" will be held tomorrow.  I hope my son will be able to get out his baseball game tomorrow.  If not, he and his dad will need to come late to the memorial time.  I do not plan to be late, no matter what, and my son is fine with that.  One of the coaches is aware of the situation, and will release him from the game if possible (if they have enough players). I hope to be able to resume a more consistant schedule of blogging next week.  We will have to wait and see how our time goes.  If you have read all of this, I thank you.  I needed to put this all into writing somewhere.  Thank you for your understanding. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/125902/ Fri, 28 Apr 2006 16:06:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JohnsonTriviumAdventure/125902/