I am generally pretty low tech in most areas of my life. I prefer to use a legal pad and ballpoint pen for my school planning. Initially I figure out the weeks we will be having school (36 weeks/180 days required by GA law) and plan them out on a calendar. This way I can consider when breaks will be so that we don't get in the middle of a subject and then suddenly take a 2 week break.
I was going to do a legal pad per child, but decided that it would be wasteful and combined the two. The Prince on the right, Princess on the left, and combined subjects in the middle. I also leave the first couple of pages blank to write an end of the year summary also per our state law. When the year is over I file away the legal pad to document our progress.
Each page of the legal pad is a week's work with assignments given for the day. The items are then checked off when completed. I also add extracurriculars and field trips... along with my work schedule as those days are shorter on the academics....
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I have included links for most of the items we are using. I have just linked to what was easiest. Many of these books are available free online thru various services as they are in the public domain in the US. Check ambleside for links. I do purchase mainly thru amazon, but I have also found good prices at Rainbow Resource and you can't beat used book prices either....
Just to brag.... I bought used versions of Saxon Algebra 1/2, 1, and 2 for a total of $28!
Today completed our first week of school for the year...
I was actually dreading this year starting, but I can't believe how incredible it is to get to spend everyday with my sweet kids. Remembering to find the joy in my life has been my main focus for the week as it is so easy to forget.
I'll never have this time again with either of them as they are right now. The choices I am making now will determine who these people will be over the next few years and the rest of their lives.... I can choose to think about the could-have-beens and potential regrets or I can choose to live with what I have been given and to nurture what I have and grow it to its best potential.
So often I think about myself, but I will have the rest of my life to ponder that.... my kids could be out on their own in another 10 years or so... that time is too short to just throw away...
I would like to ask those who read here to prayerfully consider supporting Voice of the Martyrs by requesting a free prayer band in the sidebar. I'm not going to go off on a political tangent, but we need to realize that Christians around the world do not have the freedoms we experience in America despite what their propaganda dictates.
Voice of the Martyrs offers many free resources that I have found to be amazing and eye opening. Educate yourself from a Christian viewpoint on what is going on in the world today...
We've gone ahead and delayed our school starting this year.... this will be my 5th year homeschooling and this is really the longest break we have ever taken. To encourage my kids to not be brain-dead and unaware of all the things we have previously learned I am subvervisely educating them at this time while they are hopefully unaware. I am also wanting to pay more attention to character over content, which in my case, has not always been true...
The Princess is still reading, but mostly for fun. The Prince has put his reading lessons on hold, but we are reading tons out loud.
One thing that I was doing was letting them watch different kids nature shows from The Discovery Channel... my main issue with these is that the shows we watched seem to have as their main point not the amazing animals, but how the amazing animal is only amazing as it evolved this way. Darwinian theory and its premises are a significant part of these shows....
While I don't agree with Darwinian principles, I do let my kids watch these shows. They have been a great catalyst for discussion on these subjects. We've also been listening to alot of the Michael Pearl sermons on Angel and Demons and alot of it seems to make sense to them, even when I am left confused.
So... I did a search and came up with a few good results that are all available at Netflix
Some have been good, and others only mediocre...some we still have in our queue.
I think one of the best so far is Priviledged Planet..... it was amazing, yet simple in it's message.
There are also Creatures that Defy Evolution, but I personally found them a bit dry even if the Prince and Princess did like them. The Answers in Genesis people have created a Jurassic Ark Mystery.... I didn't really get into it, and I honestly think is spoke down to kids.
(One of my main issues with kids programs on tv and in society is that they pander to the lowest common denominator... I personally think that if you expect more you will get more...)
Others to come are Unlocking the Mysteries of Life, Icons of Evolution, and the BBC Planet Earth series.
On a lighter side we have also enjoyed the Love Bug series, the 3 Lives of THomasina, and The Sound of Music.
Today was the end of our school year.... we've moved past kindergarten completely while the Princess is now going to start the 5th grade.....
I'm a little sad actually..... a part of me wants several more kids so that it doesn't have to end, but I think that I would honestly be making a selfish decision if this were our course...
We have transitioned this year to where the Princess is reading pretty much everything on her own.... I started a read aloud book for her this week and she told me that she would prefer to just read it herself as it made the reading smoother and easier to understand.....
This is one of the few things that has really gotten to me lately....
I feel as if I'm doing a good job in education my kids, but I'm doing it to the point to where they no longer need me.....
Again, this is the goal, but it still makes me sad....
I guess it's back to reading the little kid books to the Prince as he has not yet told me he doesn't need me yet..... I think that this might truly break my heart....
I don't normally post about how cute, or wonderful, or precocious my kids are.... they are pretty much normal kids that are special to me the same way everyones kids are special to only them....
But we did have one of those moments that I'll always want to remember this morning.
The Prince and I are working thru Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons....
Today we got to the letter "w" and I was telling him the sound this letter makes...
I said it is "w" for water, and asked him if he knew of any other words with this sound... he said woman....
Then excitedly he said, " I know another.... wemonade!" .....
We are wrapping up our 4th year of school with the Princess next week, so today we sat down and chatted about what we felt did and didn't work.... what she felt was the most meaningful and what she thought was a waste of time...
Now please don't think I'm one of those parents who allow the child to direct what they will learn... those who have met me personally know that I'm not that easy.
Just because she doesn't like it don't mean that she isn't going to have to do it.... it just means that I may need to put different emphasis upon it or change how we do it...
Our biggest transition this year has been the formal addition of the Prince to our little routine (or lack there of)... The Princess doesn't like having to work alone as she has gotten used to me sitting there, reading or drinking coffee, by her side. I do still spend some time sitting and teaching her the lesson, but she is also doing more independent work.
So here's the run down....
She really liked:
Shakespeare (?) we are reading Julius Caesar, the real version. We share the parts and act it out so she loves it... and after Plutarch (see below) the language is easy... The book we have also contains a modern translation... we chose this play as we were reading Plutarch's life of Brutus and it seemed to correspond well...
Rod and Staff Bible Reader, grade 4... she liked the journeys of Paul, but really loves the stories with morals
Saxon math, 7/6 ..... math is always a favorite... progressing to Alg 1/2 next year
George Washington's World... repetitive, but enjoyable... she feels like she knows this time period well
Plutarch... we read the lives of Poplicola and Brutus... both challenging, but in a good way. Good character studies....
Rod and Staff grammar, grade 5... good solid grammar. We don't do all of the practice, but mainly try to hit the writing assignments, and incorporate the principles into other areas of writing...
Physics...we used an experiment book for kids that define the nature of physics while focusing on the scientific method...
Trial and Triumph.... church history... kind of gory at the beginning (everyone dies), but still inspirational...
Latina Christiana 2... we are only about 1/4 of the way thru this, but is a favorite subject so far...
Our Island Story... we started ambleside's curriculum midway thru and I didn't want to miss this book... we initially listened to the whole thing on librivox for free, but bought a copy it is so wonderful!
Spelling Power.... started a few weeks ago as she really hated the old program we used. I'm not completely sold on it... there is alot of work the teacher has to do if you want to supplement the lessons....
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Didn't like:
Spelling Workout, Level E... the Princess did very well, but hated the busy work involved with this... I let her choose her own program, and as long as she progresses, I am giving her some say. I personally liked this and thought that it was a solid program.
This Country of Ours... she kind of likes it, but finds it a bit dry... She did say that HE Marshall was one of her favorite authors.
Parables of Nature... again she finds it long.... this is also one of her readings, along with This Country of Ours, that she does on her own while I work with the Prince... read between the lines, please....
Exploring the Earth... for geography... She just didn't enjoy it, I think alot of the info is review for her and she needs more challenge(?)... I liked it...
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The Princess' favorite free readings from the year:
My little prince is only 5 years old and I often feel that I treat him much younger as he is my baby... He is a bright little boy and constantly suprises me with all that he knows and can do...
I really haven't pushed school this year with him... After the first month or two of this past school year I realized that he just wasn't ready.... He would try to be obedient in school, but I could tell that things just weren't sinking in the right ways...
It did seem that about January when he was closer to the 5-1/2 age he was much more ready for even a semi-formal attempt at "school"....
So, what has worked..... I had bought the Rod and Staff preschool set and he enjoys doing it daily... I do set limits... we work from only 2 of the "workbooks" at a time with the total for both books being around 10-15 minutes a day... He enjoys doing projects and spending time doing something well, but he needs alot of encouragement. He tends to have a defeatist attiutude and needs to be shown new things in the context that he has already done it to a degree.
He also tends to listen to alot of the Princess' readings and over the years has become pretty good at doing narrations aloud.
We also do a bit of handwriting daily along with cutting.... he hates to color as a rule, but I have found that letting him use colored pencils somehow works better for him than crayons or markers...?
For his next school year, that starts in June, this is the plan: I still plan on merging what I consider to be the best of The WellTrained Mind with amblesideonline.
We will start the day with devotions from Leading Little Ones to God and Bible readings with narrations/questions...
For grammar we will continue 100 Easy Lessons from above and start First Language Lessons on a daily basis.
Read a poem a day with memorization every few weeks from the Garden of Verse or Milne...
I may try out Saxon math 2 with him just to see how he does with a formal program... he tends to get practical math well... but then again, I may wait a few months and let the rest of this all sink in first...
Mondays: History day... I am fusing my own history with Story of the World 1 (we didn't mummify the chicken with the Princess, and I've waited 4 years to do this!) and Our Island Story using ambleside's schedule alternated with Trial and Triumph... Also Shakespeare paraphrased for kids... either Lamb's, Nesbits, or Covilles...
I have linked many of these items for clarification for those interested, but many of these can be found for free online as they are in the public domain.... check with ambleside for direct links to the free text or librivox for the free recording....
A few weeks ago Michael preached on Tattoos... and short of my grandmother now believing that we are in a cult, it was really a great message.
The whole premise was that when people see you do they automatically see you as a Christian... I automatically think that of course, that's how I'm viewed, but I'm wondering if that's really true...
I went to a homeschool conference this weekend given by Jeannie Fullbright. She is the writer of the Apologia elementary science books and appears to be a wonderful Christian wife and mother. She is one of those sweet, soft-spoken women who looked modern, but tastefully dressed. In fact, with the exception of being soft-spoken, most of the women at the conference were the same as she was... It just got me thinking.... how do I compare?
I often feel like I fall short in many ways... I feel like I'm talking too much and not listening enough... maybe I'm wearing too much make-up, my hair's too big, clothes are too tight or low cut, and then there is the whole attitude thing. Am I really putting myself out there as a Christian wife and mother? Is that the first thing that people think when they meet me?
The seminar was alright... I don't go to many... this is my second in 5 years of homeschooling. I didn't take home alot of specific ideas, but really appreciated Jeannie's philosophy of homeschooling. I also appreciated that she didn't say you had to do things her way because it was the best (I've heard this before, too)... she would present an idea, back it up with studies and then tell how she utilized this proven knowledge.
These are the notes, some of them, that I came away with....
She presented the ideas that independent learning should be the goal of any education, public, private, or homeschool. This has actually been our whole purpose in educating our kids, but it was nice to hear it from someone else, too.
She encouraged a family where kids work within the family, and learn to value serving others. She spoke about the importance of having a loving relationship between the siblings, and as a family having daily devotionals. She frequently discussed the idea that the child's character and who they were was much more important than what they were actually being taught. If they were brought up as spiritually mature people who were capable of learning it was to be valued more than knowledge for knowledge's sake.
One quote that made me really think was, "People gravitate towards those who accept them." Am I really accepting of my child??? Do I show my child unconditional love??? Am I tough on them out of fear, or out of love???
She enouraged the use of narrations and notebooking, while utilizing shorter lesson sessions of only 20 minutes or so. She also discussed the advantages of immersion studies over the spiral approach...
This is one area I was unfamiliar with and think that we could do better... We often cover things just to have the exposure to a subject. She quoted studies that show it is better to cover a less broad scope and really delve into one subject. We primarily do this with science.... we had been with history, but have since slowed down....
It kind of comes back to the saying... Jack of all trades, but master of none....
I heard this expression as a kid, but only the first part... I thought it was a good thing until in my 20s I finally heard the rest of it and realized that it was reallly a negative.
Instead of having a race to cram in all of the subjects possible especially for science.. we are going to slow down and really experience things, or at least that's the plan.
Today, for the first time in like FOREVER, or at least the last 2 weeks, I have felt like doing something...
I just haven't felt inspired on so many levels... to cook, clean, learn, create.... about the only thing I have felt like doing is eating... and that ain't good.
Today I think I accomplished more in one day than I have in the past 2-3 weeks altogether... we cleaned, we cooked, we did great school, I've been sewing, etc....
and then we saw this cool, little critter.... Mr. B actually found it outside on a tree and the Princess sketched it for her nature study and then we came inside and learned what it was exactly....
Apparently it is a Luna Silkmoth, male, as differentiated by the little feather-like antennae.
If nothing else it makes me feel like spring is here...
Well, today was our last day of no school for a while... my freedom is over, or in other words my month of wasted time is about to end... I can't believe that February is over, but I did reassess my goal list that I posted for the month, and pretty much did everything short of culturing something.... but I don't feel too bad as I made yogurt cheese and sprouted instead.
We have 6 weeks of school then 1 week off then 4 more weeks and we are done with this year...
I ordered our books to start our year in June, and they are all starting to arrive, and I am soooooo excited...
The next 10 weeks of school I am going to focus more on practical exercises versus textbook... we are going to start utilizing notebooking as I finally "get" it now... I really had a block about what it was supposed to be for some reason....
Some cool books we got today....
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons..... we are starting this one next week with the Prince... It looks good, but there is alot for the parents to read at first and my brain tends to be full up on any given day so I hope that I can absorp it all...
Apologia's Zoology 1..Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day....... to start in June....I love these kinds of books... they are well presented with good narrative and cool projects that reinforce it... if they only came in paperback or spiralbound and shaved $10 off the price......
Paddle to the sea by Holling C Holling..... if nothing else I love the author's name...beautiful pictures and stories that my kids love....
Shakespeare on the Double! Julius Caesar.... we have been reading Plutarch's life of Brutus and the Princess wanted to know more about Julius Caesar so we are going to start reading the Shakespeare version. This book has the original Shakespeare text on the the left page with a modern paraphrase/translation opposite it. Got this one for $2 new at Amazon (with free s/h)......
This is probably one of the first orders I have placed in a while in which there were no books for me, but then again, I think I own all of the herb and nutrition books known to man....
I recently planned out our school year for the next year and decided upon goals for the year. Jett will be 6 later this year and starting 1st grade, or year 1 with Ambleside... Princess will be in year 5/5th grade...
We have previously been devout Well Trained Mind'ers, but over the past 2 years I have felt a natural transition to a more relaxed attitude... I hesitate to say approach because I don't feel that I am doing anything less rigorous academically; I'm just not being as rigid in how I am teaching..... I feel that the Charlotte Mason approach that is spelled out at www.amblesideonline.com is a tool that will allow me to teach a love of learning, and not just thought. Before my goals were to teach my children to think for themselves with the trivium/classical ed being the means, but I think that I have come to see that there should be a love for what one is learning, and not boredom. I remember loving school as a young child, and I don't think that my kids do... which is a complete reflection of me. I want to make the days joyful to them and have them look back when they are older/grown with fond, sweet memories.
I do tend to be a very to the point kind of person, and tend to live a "no frills" kind of existence. I'm not exactly the one people think of when the word fun is mentioned. I have realized that this is what my problem is with school... kids need the frills, the little fun add ons that make life special sometimes.
So, my goals are for me: to think outside of my own box, find ways to have fun and to stimulate my kids.
Goals for the Princess: she is a smart little cookie and I want her to love learning... I want to see her doing notebooking, spending more time with projects, learning to write really well, and to read more challenging books independently
Goals for the Prince: learning to read, learning to do narrations, getting better at writing
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What we are using:
Princess:
Saxon math Algebra 1/2
Grammar: we have decided after using Rod and Staff 5th grade last year to take a break from formal grammar... instead I am going to use Writing Strands 3 for writing practice along with copywork from the KJ Bible and poems
Spelling: we have previously used Spelling Workout, but I decided to go with Spelling Power since I can use it for both for the whole of school
Latina Christiana 2
Logic using Mindbenders and Red Herring books
History: This Country of Ours, Abraham Lincoln's World, and Exploring the Holy Land for geography
Science: we are starting with Apologia's Zoology series, but keeping with TWTM we are splitting the year with the life sciences of biology and botany also... also Fairy-Land of Science, Wild Animals I have Known, and Christian Liberty Nature Reader 5
Shakespeare plays to read... read a couple of paraphrase, but at least 1 in full
Plutarch... do 3 lives over the year...
This is the baseline with other books for literature added in.
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Prince:
Math manipulatives only... workbook here and there
First Language lessons, and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
History: Story of the World 1 while reading Our Island Story, Paddle to the Sea for geography
Science: same as for Princess, but do weekly narration and animal study for zoology,also botany and biology
Reading: read aloud multiple living books....
Both
Trial and Triumph for church history
art... I have tried a couple of art programs, but Princess likes the ArtPacs the best, I think... may try more of those.... incorporate art into other studies thru notebooking
music.... Princess piano... both music appreciation: we generally listen to "smart music" in the car (classical )
Bible: daily readings and narrations for both
Handcrafts appropriate for each... Princess is also becoming more independent in homemaking, and I want to encourage this... also meal planning and prep for both
Our school year starts in June and continues to the following May. We formally take off the months of February and August and a few weeks in December and May...
I usually spend the month of February getting things together for the start of our year with time spent on reflection upon what has and hasn't worked over the past year...
This past year was year 4 for the princess with the prince supposedly in kindergarten. I say supposedly because it was pretty much a joke. Jett is a young 5 (birthday in July) and being a wild boy, he doesn't care anything about learning formally. I'm glad I didn't invest in a whole lot of workbooks because he could care less.
Shawn was reading before she was 3 and Jett is barely literate at times it seems, but what he does, he does well... the boy can build and create just about anything... so that has been his school this year...
Up until this year we used The Well-Trained mind exclusively, but this year I transitioned us to amblesideonline's (www.amblesideonline.com) Year 4... I felt that what we were doing wasn't "fun" or anything but dry eduacation.
I have discovered that it doesn't matter what we use, it is my attitude and effort that determines the level of enjoyment with what our family does... be it school or anything...
Anyhow... I pretty much like most of what we used. The good thing about ambleside is that it has so many free downloads and resources. Many of the books I do buy (because I am a book junkie), but I like having the option of printing them out or reading on the computer before spending money on some book just because some curriculum site said it was a good, old book. I think that this is why I liked The Well-Trained Mind so much...it offers suggestions and tells what they consider the pro's and con's of each that they recommended...
I've really been trying to read more lately as I feel that unless it came in the form of a magazine with lots of pictures I would fall asleep.
I think with all of the reading that we do for school I tend to get lazy about doing reading just for me. Which is kind of ironic considering my Amazon habit.
There are several books that I am in the middle of as they are such good refernces I am always picking them up, starting them and then picking them back up to re-read regularly. I finally got my own copy of Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon so I don't have to constantly have the library's copy out on continued renewals. It has recipes, but also has alot of the science behing their theory on nutrition.
This has really helped me to remember how I used to look at things BC (Before Children). I have started looking more at what published studies are reporting and how they obtained their results. I used to be so involved with research, both performing and studying, years ago...it was an habit that I have unforunately gotten away from, and am attempting to re-teach myself.
I also completed Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder by Karyn Seroussi. I don't even think that I know anyone with autism, but this was an incredibly interesting and well-written book that really held the attention. If nothing else it makes the whole idea of dietary allergies make sense as well as shedding light on auto-immune disease, immunizations, and yeast/candida.
I also have Mr. B reading 8 Kingdoms by Michael Pearl. I started this amazing book about a year ago, and while I hate to admit it, need him to read it to help me really comprehend the concepts that are introduced. Mr. B and I have a kinda quirky relationship at times and one of my favorite things is to debate with him... He is very logical and I have learned logic, but am irrational at heart. I can't wait until he is further along so that we can have it out over the ideas presented in this book. I would try to explain it, but it is really to far out, in my mind, to do so. It is half price right now at www.MorethanAlive.com so I may order a few more just to have on hand.
I finally got my own copy of Country Beans by Rita BIngham... interesting read... a cookbook about beans.
I have also been reading Naturally Healthy Skin by Stephanie Tourles and Healthy Bones and Joints by David Hoffman. They both provide alot of practical advise on dealing with specific issues as well as some general herbal knowledge.
What I've enjoyed for school lately is Scotland's Story by HE Marshall. I got an old, used library copy on sale and I think the kids have enjoyed it, too. My son and I have decided that he and I are definitely Highlanders... we are big, strong, loud and like to fight. The Princess wants to be one, too, but I think she may be a bit dainty, and Mr. B is French, so he definitely can't be one....
I often come across the phrase "twaddle-free" in regards to schooling my kids. I guess it means to provide an academic setting that is not dumbed down to the current American standards, providing resources to stimulate and enhance the child's mind instead of pandering to the lowest common denominator.
Try as I might, I really have a hard time with this. It isn't that I don't care to read good, age-appropriate literature to my kids, I just don't care for that to be the only thing we read. We do alot of reading with most of it being older books and good literature that does fall into the "twaddle-free" category, but I realize that my kids have other interests, too, and aren't limited. As long as they do the required reading, the rest is their choice within certain parameters.
I have also always been a firm believer in the validity of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, and have considered it to be the only valid translation. Our church caters to the unchurched and uses the English Standard Version (ESV), and while I disliked to hear it at first I have come to find it's language to be very understandable and an easy read.
The question I asked myself is, if I am giving my children Bible readers for school that are paraphrases of Bible stories in age appropriate language, what is so bad about using the ESV, which is not a paraphrase, as a family Bible to read to the kids? I have been reading from the ESV this week and even my 5 year old can do a narration based upon what he is hearing... we've been reading Acts.
Yes, we do still read the KJV and mainly do copywork and memorization from it, but as far as readability and comprehension the ESV seems to far outweigh the KJV for our family.
I guess I would have been the one to consider the ESV twaddle when compared to the KJV. No my kids don't have to think as hard trying to figure out what is being presented, and they don't have to spend time translating from the language of 1611 to the language of today. All they have to do is sit, learn and enjoy reading the Bible... which is what they are now doing.
Living day to day while seeking the truth in life. Finding wisdom through Christ in marriage and my children. Finding beauty in the world in which we live...
