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Welcome to My Blog!
Schooling two active boys has never been more... interesting. That's the word I'm looking for!
I love my boys! God has given them the blessing of strong, active bodies and minds. We continually pray the first will remain intact, and the second will remain engaged with Him first, and then the school work. You'll meet my sweet sons, both entirely different, but both loving God to the best of their ability in the way He made them. I lovingly refer to them as my Bell Pepper Boy and my Habanero or Hambone. That should say it all!
This blog is an eclectic mix. The events, conversations, and the thoughts behind it all will be in here.
Every once in a while I'll try to capture something I don't want to forget. I hope you find things you enjoy. Please let me know if you do!
Blessings!
Our Curriculum
- Mystery of History vol. 1
- Saxon 5/4
- Horizons Grade 2
- A Beka Language
- Spelling Power
- Apologia Zoology 1
Books I'm Reading
- The Bible
- Adam and His Kin by Beechick
- It by Groeschel
Favorite Links
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Road to Classical Home Schooling--with a twist (The End?)
Posted in Curriculum Things
Hello, friends! I hope you're having a fabulous weekend so far. My weekend got off to a shaky start when we lost our electricity yesterday for nearly twelve hours. Friends, you've never seen computer and television withdrawal as I did yesterday, I assure you!
Habanero: Mom, can I go watch educational television?
Me: Can you?
Habanero: D'oh! Nope, I can't.
Bell Pepper: Mom, I need the computer for geography and history. Can I use it?
Me: Uh . . . no?
Bell Pepper: Man, we use electricity for everything!
These kinds of dialog happened more than once. *sigh* We went for two long walks in one day once the winds and rain died down. (My body feels it today.) Those who have rid their homes of the "electronic babysitter" may be giggling. Friends, I am not giggling. I have come to love some brief Mommy moments while the boys enjoy a show or two.
Okay, now where was I? Ah, I was exploring more of the classical style, but I wanted to highlight my "twist" in this particular entry. Do you mind? Thanks for bearing with me in this "series" this week. :'D
As I contemplate our approach to home school, I begin at the 20,000-foot view from above. The classical approach has been selected, but this leaves the door fairly wide open as we begin moving in for a closer look. When we get to the specifics of the "how" of our home school, we're starting to talk about methods of implementation. Here is where I don't really differ from The Well-Trained Mind, but rather, I highlight a resource from a particular method style that I love. Truthfully, if the classical style is my "science" of home schooling, then Charlotte Mason's style is the "art" of it for me. These two styles don't clash per se; in fact, I would say The Well-Trained Mind is in cahoots for most of the way. I just like the descriptions, explanations, and suggestions found in the Charlotte Mason sites. In some ways, it's a bit more friendly to my mind to glean what I need from these sites and not get too bogged down in the classical book.
Here is a list of resources to clarify a bit better what I'm attempting to communicate in something less than a whole book form!
Charlotte Mason on Wikipedia (Someone should get Wikipedia authors to paragraph!)
Simply Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason and Classical Education by Susan Wise Bauer
A to Z Home's Cool
The Susan Wise Bauer article lines out the areas of compatibility and challenge of the two styles used together, and I think I knew all along where they were. Perhaps some will cry out that it was a clever marketing ploy to win over a few new "Well-Trained Minders" to their camp. I tend to think it shows the two as more compatible for our family needs than not. I like the reminder of the gentleness of Charlotte Mason and the thorough structure of classical.
So, as I move along my home schooling journey, I will continue to keep the Charlotte Mason approach in mind. I will use some of her methods to frame a bit of my mindset for curriculum choices, activity selections, and so on. Remember, I was looking for something to give me the structure I needed (tell me what to teach, basically), and I needed something to soften my style (remind me of a gentle, Christian way to teach). Combining The Well-Trained Mind and Charlotte Mason, I find I have the scope and sequence I need with the gentle style by which I hope to present the material. (Ah, the left brain and the right brain are in harmonious balance!) ;') While I definitely lean strongly classical, a little relaxation may be good. Right?
 Feel free to comment. Share what you've learned and what you are choosing!
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Saturday, May 31, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Blessings,
Jenn