I love a literary-based education, and Ambleside Online fills the bill for our family. Read my review of Ambleside Online and why we use it for our foundational curriculum at Curriculum Choice!
Showing posts with label Charlotte Mason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlotte Mason. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Ambleside Online: The Perfect Fit for Our Family
I love a literary-based education, and Ambleside Online fills the bill for our family. Read my review of Ambleside Online and why we use it for our foundational curriculum at Curriculum Choice!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Middle Grades Historical Novels Bring the Past to Life
I recently had the pleasure of reading and reviewing three middle grades novels by Susan Kilbride, a seasoned homeschooler and homeschooling author. These books are wonderful, and my review at Curriculum Choice tells you why I think so.
Plus, Amazon is giving away FREE Kindle versions of one of the books on July 15, 16, and 17! Hurry over to Curriculum Choice to get the details!
Plus, Amazon is giving away FREE Kindle versions of one of the books on July 15, 16, and 17! Hurry over to Curriculum Choice to get the details!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Truly Living Books and Nutella: Some Observations
Miss Priss pranced (there's no other word for it) into the kitchen this morning at breakfast, carrying her notebook of Jack and Jill, by Louisa May Alcott. "Somebody has a crush! Somebody has a cruu-uush!" she sing-songed.
"Who?" asked Tiny Girl.
"Merry and Ralph," Miss Priss answered with satisfaction.
"With each other?" Tiny Girl asked in surprise, as if this is an unusual thing, to have two people like each other. Mutually. In the world of the pre-teen, this isn't always the case. (Frankly, it isn't always the case, period.)
"Well," Miss Priss amended, sitting down to her pumpkin muffin (with chocolate chips) and cafe au lait, "Ralph has a crush on Merry."
When asked if Merry felt the same, Miss Priss said, "Pretty sure."
Only time will tell.
Charlotte Mason, of course, emphasized the use of living books in an educational environment and with good reason. It's easy to tell a living history book, say George Washington's World, from a bland, boring textbook. Genevieve Foster brings to life that period of history in vibrant short stories. The historic figures are not merely historic figures; they are real people with real problems and concerns. We all learn best when we are engaged with a text. King Philip's War came to life for me when I read the captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson.
But what about fiction? Are all fictional books living books? Of course not. Most are mere twaddle, Miss Mason's word for dumbed-down, silly, meaningless literature. It's my personal opinion that a little twaddle never killed anyone (maybe a few brain cells), and I've partaken many times over the years. Just like I enjoy a big, whopping spoonful of Nutella for breakfast every now and then.
On the other side of the coin are those literary gems, truly living books that come alive for readers, like Jack and Jill has for my daughter. She's engaged in the plot, she cares about the characters, and she's excited about how the story will unfold. It's like Nutella every day -- with no consequences!
How fabulous is that?
"Who?" asked Tiny Girl.
"Merry and Ralph," Miss Priss answered with satisfaction.
"With each other?" Tiny Girl asked in surprise, as if this is an unusual thing, to have two people like each other. Mutually. In the world of the pre-teen, this isn't always the case. (Frankly, it isn't always the case, period.)
"Well," Miss Priss amended, sitting down to her pumpkin muffin (with chocolate chips) and cafe au lait, "Ralph has a crush on Merry."
When asked if Merry felt the same, Miss Priss said, "Pretty sure."
Only time will tell.
Charlotte Mason, of course, emphasized the use of living books in an educational environment and with good reason. It's easy to tell a living history book, say George Washington's World, from a bland, boring textbook. Genevieve Foster brings to life that period of history in vibrant short stories. The historic figures are not merely historic figures; they are real people with real problems and concerns. We all learn best when we are engaged with a text. King Philip's War came to life for me when I read the captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson.
But what about fiction? Are all fictional books living books? Of course not. Most are mere twaddle, Miss Mason's word for dumbed-down, silly, meaningless literature. It's my personal opinion that a little twaddle never killed anyone (maybe a few brain cells), and I've partaken many times over the years. Just like I enjoy a big, whopping spoonful of Nutella for breakfast every now and then.
On the other side of the coin are those literary gems, truly living books that come alive for readers, like Jack and Jill has for my daughter. She's engaged in the plot, she cares about the characters, and she's excited about how the story will unfold. It's like Nutella every day -- with no consequences!
How fabulous is that?
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Six Tips for Enjoying Poetry with Your Children
I'm embarking on a new series about poetry. I'll discuss studying poetry in your homeschool, cultivating a life-long enjoyment of poetry (instead of loathing); and finding wonderful sources of poetry.
Homeschoolers, especially those who adhere to a literature-rich philosophy, tend to agree that poetry is an important component of their children's studies. That's progress. I was educated in the public school system and didn't study poetry until high school. Fortunately, I enjoyed it, but many of my peers had an unfavorable opinion. I'm now persuaded to think that poetry appreciation, like many other fine arts, must be cultivated, and it's best to start when children are young.
Here are some tips I've learned:
Make time for poetry. Our days are full and busy; fine art study can fall victim to our schedules. Commit to setting aside a routine time for reading poetry, whether weekly or every day. Some ideas include: at mealtimes; after family devotion and prayer time; right before bed; even in the car!
Select age-appropriate poems. Reverend H. C. Beeching, in his excellent article "An Address on the Teaching of Poetry," says it this way:
Focus on one poet at a time. There are lots of children's poetry anthologies, and those are lovely. But in the study of poetry, it seems best to select a poet and study his or her work for a bit of time. Call it poetry immersion. Introduce the poet to your children with a brief biographical sketch. For example, my children and I were much better equipped to appreciate the poetry of John Greenleaf Whittier because we knew something of his life. Also, when you immerse your children in the work of one poet at a time, you can compare and contrast different poems. Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet, wrote movingly and beautifully about life's difficulties and triumphs; but he also wrote immensely humorous poems in the black dialect of his enslaved forebears.
Read the poem more than once. This year, I've been guilty of slighting poetry. Although we've dutifully read our poems, I've tended to read each aloud once to the children, discuss it briefly, and move on to other things. I'm now seeing the weak and withered fruit such activity produces.
Here's a better method, which we've followed in the past. Read the poem out loud to the children. Read carefully; pause at punctuation marks, inflect where it seems natural to do so. Then let the children take turns reading it aloud. I find they enjoy the poem more after several readings than on its debut.
Talk about the poem, giving it more attention that a mere, "Do you like it?" Here's where true poetical delight comes in. Ask children to consider their personal responses. What feelings does the poem prompt? Could you see the scene in your head? How did you picture it? What ideas did the poem suggest to you? Can you relate to the poem or the poet's experience? How so? What line/phrase/words did you find especially lovely/moving?
Some of these questions are obviously more suited to older children, but you get the idea. Talking about the poem encourages us to connect with it and relate to it.
One more tip: don't kill children's nascent apppreciation for poetry by introducing literary criticism too early. Frankly, that can wait until they are much older. When I read poetry today, I never assess a poem's meter, form, or rhyme scheme. Instead, I read for the beauty of the words, my overall response, a connection to the natural world and often the spirit world. I'm reading for the joy of poetry.
And that's what I want to cultivate in my children.
For further enlightenment, I recommend reading Rev. Beeching's excellent article yourself. Here's a link to it on Ambleside Online. I'm linking up with this week's Hip Homeschool Hop. Check it out for great ideas!
Homeschoolers, especially those who adhere to a literature-rich philosophy, tend to agree that poetry is an important component of their children's studies. That's progress. I was educated in the public school system and didn't study poetry until high school. Fortunately, I enjoyed it, but many of my peers had an unfavorable opinion. I'm now persuaded to think that poetry appreciation, like many other fine arts, must be cultivated, and it's best to start when children are young.
Here are some tips I've learned:
Make time for poetry. Our days are full and busy; fine art study can fall victim to our schedules. Commit to setting aside a routine time for reading poetry, whether weekly or every day. Some ideas include: at mealtimes; after family devotion and prayer time; right before bed; even in the car!
Select age-appropriate poems. Reverend H. C. Beeching, in his excellent article "An Address on the Teaching of Poetry," says it this way:
The poetry must be suitable to their years. You must not expect little children to enjoy what you enjoy. You can drink claret, perhaps port, perhaps champagne, they cannot; their natural beverage is milk. The sources of joy open to them are the simplest, and to these you must bring them. The grandeur of Milton's blank verse will be as little to them as an organ concerto of Handel's; they must have simple rhythms to begin with, and they must have rhyme; they must have verses that sing themselves. And the subjects, too, must be appropriate to their age.Strive for joy and charm, especially for younger children. There are many, many wonderful poems for young(er) children, but there's also a world of twaddle. How can you discern the difference? Here's an example Rev. Beeching offers:
. . . I agree with Miss Mason (whom we all delight to honour) in somewhat dreading nonsense verses for children as being a trifle (shall I say) profane. I once heard a mother of the upper classes reciting to her young hopefuls these graceful and spirit-stirring lines:Indeed. You'll find that much verse for children is of this ilk. But that's all they are: verses. They are not poetry. Is there anything inherently wrong with verse? Well, not really. I'll go so far to admit that some of it's quite fun! Just don't call it poetry, and don't teach it as such.
'Old Mrs. Hubblechin,
Had a little double chin.'
What a criticism of life!
Focus on one poet at a time. There are lots of children's poetry anthologies, and those are lovely. But in the study of poetry, it seems best to select a poet and study his or her work for a bit of time. Call it poetry immersion. Introduce the poet to your children with a brief biographical sketch. For example, my children and I were much better equipped to appreciate the poetry of John Greenleaf Whittier because we knew something of his life. Also, when you immerse your children in the work of one poet at a time, you can compare and contrast different poems. Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet, wrote movingly and beautifully about life's difficulties and triumphs; but he also wrote immensely humorous poems in the black dialect of his enslaved forebears.
Read the poem more than once. This year, I've been guilty of slighting poetry. Although we've dutifully read our poems, I've tended to read each aloud once to the children, discuss it briefly, and move on to other things. I'm now seeing the weak and withered fruit such activity produces.
Here's a better method, which we've followed in the past. Read the poem out loud to the children. Read carefully; pause at punctuation marks, inflect where it seems natural to do so. Then let the children take turns reading it aloud. I find they enjoy the poem more after several readings than on its debut.
Talk about the poem, giving it more attention that a mere, "Do you like it?" Here's where true poetical delight comes in. Ask children to consider their personal responses. What feelings does the poem prompt? Could you see the scene in your head? How did you picture it? What ideas did the poem suggest to you? Can you relate to the poem or the poet's experience? How so? What line/phrase/words did you find especially lovely/moving?
Some of these questions are obviously more suited to older children, but you get the idea. Talking about the poem encourages us to connect with it and relate to it.
One more tip: don't kill children's nascent apppreciation for poetry by introducing literary criticism too early. Frankly, that can wait until they are much older. When I read poetry today, I never assess a poem's meter, form, or rhyme scheme. Instead, I read for the beauty of the words, my overall response, a connection to the natural world and often the spirit world. I'm reading for the joy of poetry.
And that's what I want to cultivate in my children.
For further enlightenment, I recommend reading Rev. Beeching's excellent article yourself. Here's a link to it on Ambleside Online. I'm linking up with this week's Hip Homeschool Hop. Check it out for great ideas!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Are You Looking Ahead to the Next Year?
About this time, many a homeschooling parent's mind turns to plans for the next school year. I know mine does. If you use a boxed curriculum, attend a virtual school, or just plan to keep on keepin' on with what you've already got going, then planning's a breeze. Or, if you're more like me, you start with a basic framework, add some elements, subtract others, touch it up here and there with some embellishments -- all in accordance with your vision for your children's education, your family's beliefs and values, and your children's learning styles/preferences.
For example, (I LOVE examples! I'm that kind of person.) folks with a literary bent may select a Charlotte Mason-style curriculum and then add in notebooking. Another family with a more classical emphasis (a la The Well-Trained Mind) may opt for extra hands-on activities or visual elements to their studies, such as videos or movies. And then the eclectically-minded choose from the entire smorgasboard.
So many choices! So much responsibility. It can be enough to make a mama lose some sleep at night.
I'm one who has a firm foundation, and that's Ambleside Online. I start there, and I mostly stay there. But I must admit, I'm one who likes to look over the smorgasboard. If you do, too, let me point you to Curriculum Choice, an excellent curriculum review website. (Let me hastily point out that I am in no way swayed because I'm a reviewer there -- I'm only a newbie!) It helps me tremendously to read what other homeschooling parents think about curricula and resources and what their experiences have been like.
Tip: If you're considering a specific curriculum or resources that hasn't yet been reviewed on Curriculum Choice, just Google the name of the product along with the word review. Bingo! A wealth of information at your fingertips.
Another idea: you've probably hung onto many of your homeschooling help books. I know lots of us re-read our favorites to inspire and refresh us anew. I flip through mine for highlightings, things I noted in the past and now we've reached the point to use. I see where I can add those items to our year's plan.
I'm an avid blog reader. Seriously, there's not enough time in my life to read all the blogs I want to with the level of commitment I wish I could devote. And I learn so much! I'm forever bookmarking blogs and websites on my Favorites bar.
Think of the blogs you most like to peruse for practical information and how-tos. (Aside: I know I "should" write how-to's for the sake of clarity, but I cannot STAND to put an apostrophe where it does not belong. An apostrophe shows possession; it does not indicate a plural. I beg your forbearance.) Then set aside some time to peruse those blogs. You may want to rise earlier than the children one day (or a few days) to give yourself this luxury. Read archived posts; click on links. I am almost always rewarded with gems when I take time to research my favorite blogs.
I have highlighted links to helpful homeschooling websites on my blog's sidebars. If there's one (or a few) that you haven't checked out, the planning stage is a great time to do it.
But the very first thing I do before I begin to plan is pray. I ask for guidance, wisdom in decisions, and rejuvenation on this journey. After that, I don't feel like the full responsibility of my children's education weighs on my shoulders alone. And that is a lovely, freeing feeling.
For example, (I LOVE examples! I'm that kind of person.) folks with a literary bent may select a Charlotte Mason-style curriculum and then add in notebooking. Another family with a more classical emphasis (a la The Well-Trained Mind) may opt for extra hands-on activities or visual elements to their studies, such as videos or movies. And then the eclectically-minded choose from the entire smorgasboard.
So many choices! So much responsibility. It can be enough to make a mama lose some sleep at night.
I'm one who has a firm foundation, and that's Ambleside Online. I start there, and I mostly stay there. But I must admit, I'm one who likes to look over the smorgasboard. If you do, too, let me point you to Curriculum Choice, an excellent curriculum review website. (Let me hastily point out that I am in no way swayed because I'm a reviewer there -- I'm only a newbie!) It helps me tremendously to read what other homeschooling parents think about curricula and resources and what their experiences have been like.
Tip: If you're considering a specific curriculum or resources that hasn't yet been reviewed on Curriculum Choice, just Google the name of the product along with the word review. Bingo! A wealth of information at your fingertips.
Another idea: you've probably hung onto many of your homeschooling help books. I know lots of us re-read our favorites to inspire and refresh us anew. I flip through mine for highlightings, things I noted in the past and now we've reached the point to use. I see where I can add those items to our year's plan.
I'm an avid blog reader. Seriously, there's not enough time in my life to read all the blogs I want to with the level of commitment I wish I could devote. And I learn so much! I'm forever bookmarking blogs and websites on my Favorites bar.
Think of the blogs you most like to peruse for practical information and how-tos. (Aside: I know I "should" write how-to's for the sake of clarity, but I cannot STAND to put an apostrophe where it does not belong. An apostrophe shows possession; it does not indicate a plural. I beg your forbearance.) Then set aside some time to peruse those blogs. You may want to rise earlier than the children one day (or a few days) to give yourself this luxury. Read archived posts; click on links. I am almost always rewarded with gems when I take time to research my favorite blogs.
I have highlighted links to helpful homeschooling websites on my blog's sidebars. If there's one (or a few) that you haven't checked out, the planning stage is a great time to do it.
But the very first thing I do before I begin to plan is pray. I ask for guidance, wisdom in decisions, and rejuvenation on this journey. After that, I don't feel like the full responsibility of my children's education weighs on my shoulders alone. And that is a lovely, freeing feeling.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Homeschooling Meme
Thank you, Jeanne, at A Peaceful Day, for including me in your homeschooling meme! These are always fun, and I enjoy reading others' responses to glean encouragement and ideas. Perhaps my answers will help someone else. Who knows? So here we go...
1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed
I've read quite a few homeschooling books through the years, some of which I reach for again and again. So I really can't narrow it down to one. Here are some I continue to consult: A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education, both by Catherine Levison; When Children Love to Learn, by Elaine Cooper; and The Well-Trained Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.
2. One resource you wouldn't be without
Our computer + online access. We use it for subjects, like Rosetta Stone French; for research; and to access AO Yahoo groups and blogs (including my own), to name a few uses. Our research opportunities would be limited to library trips without the computer and online access. We can't jump in the car and head for the library every time someone has a question. Moreover, as a homeschooling parent, I would feel isolated without my computer.
3. One resource you wish you had never bought
I've bought a few things I wished later that I had not bought. Some I've been able to resell. Others sit on my shelves, mocking me. To wit: boxes of educational card games that we either played once or did not play at all.
4. One resource you enjoyed last year
Spelling Power has turned out to be a wonderful fit for my children. One is a natural speller, and the other needs more practice. This curriculum works well with both.
5. One resource you will be using next year
We'll be using Ann Voskamp's A Child's Geography, volumes 1 and 2. I've perused these and am really pleased with the content and how it's presented.
6. One resource you would like to buy
At this moment, nothing leaps to mind. I'm always buying books, though!
7. One resource you wish existed
A special balm I could use that would magically erase all doubts, anxieties, and worries peculiar to the homeschooling mother and household manager. Prayer, of course, is good, but it usually requires work on my part, i.e., I have to work through things. I would really prefer it if yuckiness just goes away. Okay?
8. One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading
I love Rainbow Resource and consider it invaluable. I also enjoy thumbing through the Winter Promise catalog for literature ideas.
9. One homeschooling website you use regularly
Ambleside Online, MEP math, Groovy Grammar (more substantial that it sounds, trust me), and Heart of the Matter. I also read a number of homeschooling blogs for ideas and encouragement. See why my computer is indispensable?
I'm supposed to tag other homeschoolers to play, but I think I'd rather just rhow it out there to anyone who'd like to play along. I would love to hear from you all!
1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed
I've read quite a few homeschooling books through the years, some of which I reach for again and again. So I really can't narrow it down to one. Here are some I continue to consult: A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education, both by Catherine Levison; When Children Love to Learn, by Elaine Cooper; and The Well-Trained Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.
2. One resource you wouldn't be without
Our computer + online access. We use it for subjects, like Rosetta Stone French; for research; and to access AO Yahoo groups and blogs (including my own), to name a few uses. Our research opportunities would be limited to library trips without the computer and online access. We can't jump in the car and head for the library every time someone has a question. Moreover, as a homeschooling parent, I would feel isolated without my computer.
3. One resource you wish you had never bought
I've bought a few things I wished later that I had not bought. Some I've been able to resell. Others sit on my shelves, mocking me. To wit: boxes of educational card games that we either played once or did not play at all.
4. One resource you enjoyed last year
Spelling Power has turned out to be a wonderful fit for my children. One is a natural speller, and the other needs more practice. This curriculum works well with both.
5. One resource you will be using next year
We'll be using Ann Voskamp's A Child's Geography, volumes 1 and 2. I've perused these and am really pleased with the content and how it's presented.
6. One resource you would like to buy
At this moment, nothing leaps to mind. I'm always buying books, though!
7. One resource you wish existed
A special balm I could use that would magically erase all doubts, anxieties, and worries peculiar to the homeschooling mother and household manager. Prayer, of course, is good, but it usually requires work on my part, i.e., I have to work through things. I would really prefer it if yuckiness just goes away. Okay?
8. One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading
I love Rainbow Resource and consider it invaluable. I also enjoy thumbing through the Winter Promise catalog for literature ideas.
9. One homeschooling website you use regularly
Ambleside Online, MEP math, Groovy Grammar (more substantial that it sounds, trust me), and Heart of the Matter. I also read a number of homeschooling blogs for ideas and encouragement. See why my computer is indispensable?
I'm supposed to tag other homeschoolers to play, but I think I'd rather just rhow it out there to anyone who'd like to play along. I would love to hear from you all!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
FREE Shakespeare Copywork
To click or not to click, that is the question....
(Sorry. I couldn't help myself.)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Free E-book from Simply Charlotte Mason
Since I like to pass along helpful homeschooling and parenting resources, I wanted to let you know about a FREE e-book from Simply Charlotte Mason entitled A Thinking Love, by Sonya Shafer. This 73-page book is a easy read, but it's packed with Charlotte Mason quotes, encouragement, and "wise counsel." Here's a quote from SCM's website:
In the very first pages of her book, Home Education, Charlotte Mason challenged mothers to give their children a “thinking love.”To make a free deal even sweeter, SCM offers several versions of A Thinking Love: PDF format for computer; ePub format for iPad, Nook, and other readers; and (yippee!) Mobi format for Kindle. Why not pop over to SCM and download your favorite version. I've only read through Chapter Three, but Sonya's book has already inspired and encouraged me!
It’s easy to give our children an indulgent love that caters to their every whim. Or a lazy love that follows the crowd and does what is easiest. But giving them a thinking love requires some effort.
Join Sonya as she explores what “a thinking love” means and contemplates the various ways that Charlotte Mason encouraged thinking mothers to show their love to their children.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
One Homeschooling Peril
Although I am sure there are more homeschooling perils, one in particular sentences me to the Pit of Despair (rasped out in an appropriately ghoulish voice, a la The Princess Bride): doubt.
Let me attempt to clarify.
My ultimate goal is to provide the very best possible education for my children. Since all children are individuals and are blessed with different strengths and challenges, this may look different for each child of mine. Fortunately, both of my scholars enjoy books: reading on their own, my reading aloud to them, or listening to books on CD. I love all those things as well, so I joyfully settled on a literary-based educational philosophy for our family.
This worked well for a few years. Then Miss Priss began fifth grade, and doubt crept in. I became convinced that we were not doing enough. So I made some changes. We followed them for several months, but the going was tough. We were hard pressed to finish everything scheduled for a day, and I felt overwhelmed and ineffective. This past January, I thought long about the changes I'd made and why I'd made them. I talked with a homeschooling friend of mine, and we discussed ideas, reasoning, and options. I prayed for guidance. And peace.
I know I'm not the only homeschooling parent thus plagued. With the myriad choices on the educational buffet, it's easy to get bogged down, not only in the details but in the bigger picture, too. Spiral or mastery for math? Do we need a formal spelling program? Should we try a hybrid school? What about an online school? Is a four-year history cycle better than a six-year cycle? Shouldn't my child be doing (fill in the blank) by now? Are we going to need a tutor for math? Latin now or later (or at all)? What about lab experiments? Am I completely ruining my children's chances for success?
Homeschooling is a passion for me. I take my role very seriously. This is a good thing, but I also feel the heavy weight of responsibility on my shoulders. Are the choices I'm making the very best ones for my children? Doubt about this question can make homeschooling a burden for me.
Here's what I learned: my focus was out of whack. I'd been viewing my children as tabula rasa, buckets to be filled with educational matter. Wrong! In The Great Conversation, Robert Hutchins writes: "The result of liberal education [is that the student learns] to read, write, speak, listen, understand, and think." Note he did not say "to regurgitate a bunch of meaningless facts in a vacuum."
With that in mind, I've given lots of thought to our long-term plans, and I've back-tracked somewhat. I'm convinced that a literary education is exactly the style in which my children will flourish. And I'm committed to fostering a love of learning in their hearts and minds. I'm sure doubt is not through with me yet, but my recent struggles have helped me to see our destination more clearly and to better map out our path for getting there.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Weekly Wrap-Up: Fingerprinting and a Voice from the Distant Past
Here are a few highlights:
We've been reading Tennyson's poems, and, while they are good when read by mere mortals (i.e., me), we all enjoyed listening to Tennyson himself read "Charge of the Light Brigade," a recitation recorded in 1890 on a wax cylinder. You can hear it, too, here at The Poetry Archive website. We thought it was amazing that we could listen to something recorded 120 years ago! (Note: If you're interested in reading a bit more about early recording technology-- wax cylinders! -- here's a link to an informative Wikipedia entry.)
I typically shy away from scientific pursuits. It's not my forte, and the girls take science classes at Timothy Ministry. But this year, I've upped the ante, and we are studying anatomy. Last week and this, we've focused on the dermal system. One of the small experiments we did was about fingerprints. Here's what my right thumbprint looks like:
The girls and I discovered that Tiny Girl and I both have whorl patterns on our thumbs; but Miss Priss has the loop pattern. We wondered about Daddy's thumbprints, and found out later that day that he has the loop pattern as well. Two excellent books helped us in our inquiry: Head to Toe Science, by Jim Wiese, and How the Body Works, by Steve Parker.
In other studies, we finished Story of the World, Volume 2; both girls are enjoying the Mind Benders puzzles in logic; we began The Age of Fable and Madam How and Lady Why (neither girl was enthusiastic about either, but since it was the prefatory material I can't say I blamed them); both are better enjoying math at their own pace; we are all in love with Heidi; Miss Priss and I reviewed more Latin with the wonderful worksheets I blogged about earlier this week; and we devoted more time than I have in the past to our Bible and prayer time, using the Keys for Kids devotion. It's been wonderful thus far. The girls continued with French, piano practice and their lesson on Tuesday, cursive copywork (Charlotte Mason's motto "I am, I can, I ought, I will"), and the Scott Foresman grammar and writing program.
As for reading, the girls have spent a lot of time on frivolous books this week and last. While I'm not against a bit of frivolity now and then, I've recently assigned some other selections for "school-time" reading. Miss Priss began The Shakespeare Stealer, by Gary Blackwood, and Tiny Girl is about to start Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight.
My zinnias made me happy this week, so I thought I'd share a photo:
They are the only things that did well in our garden this year. I must face it: I have a black thumb.
That's our week in review! I can't wait to read about yours on Kris's blog, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Versatile Blogger Award: Passing on the Tiara (So to Speak)
Honestly, all mothers, and especially homeschooling mamas, who take the time to record their inspirations, face their insecurities, "talk out" their anxieties, celebrate their successes, and recognize that the minutes of their lives are precious and worth remembering, all within the virtual pages of a blog, deserve an "atta girl!" once in a while. And since most of us write in the hopes of reaching out to others, this sacrifice of time and effort is even more remarkable.
Anyway. Make a cup of tea and relax for a few minutes, perusing the following blogs par excellence (presented in no particular order):
- See Jamie Blog -- Many of us already know and love Jamie's blog. She's a regular on the Weekly Wrap-Up, hosted by Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, and she's also the coordinator of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival. Her homeschooling reports are always fun to read, but Jamie's reflections on spiritual matters, her openness and candor, and her posts about her family's adoption journey are powerful.
- Homeschooling in a Bilingual Home -- I breathed a sigh of relief when Silvia, who had taken a blogging hiatus, popped back in the blogosphere. Not only does Silvia chronicle her homeschooling experience with her daughters, but she also writes thoroughly and well about many topics we homeschoolers ponder, often in response to some wonderful book she has recently read. And to top it off, Silvia's photos are lovely, the kind I wish I could take but can't because I haven't the necessary gift.
- Live, Love, Learn -- I've been reading Angie's Weekly Wrap-Ups for a while now, and they are always entertaining and informative. She also writes extensively on the Charlotte Mason method, but insists that she is not a purist (a position with which I can greatly identify). Packed with helpful photos, links, and resources, Angie's blog is a blog-hopper's delight. You could hang out here for days.
There you have it. In case you're looking for more great blogs to read (and who isn't, I ask you?), just take a look at my sidebar on the right. But keep an eye on the clock; before you know it, it will be midnight. Happens to me all the time.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Strengthening the Bars of My Gates
"Praise your God, O Zion, for he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat." -- Psalm 147:12b-14
If you've been with me for a while (and thanks so much, by the way!), you already know that I prefer my life in Maine to my life here in the 'burbs. Where we live for most of the year, the whirlwind lifestyle is very much en vogue. Women I know laughingly relate all the activities, events, and places where they and their children need to be, sometimes all at the same time. For myself, I prefer a quiet life.
Over the last few months, I have been struggling with the fact that we are just too busy here at my house. This is not just a matter of personal preference, either. It's become painfully obvious to me that I simply cannot function in a whirlwind.
This has really been a quandary. I tusselled with it mentally and with a few friends in conversation, but then things took a turn about two months ago when I became ill with some sort of odd stomach/intestinal distress. I also felt exhausted. It took some time, but I finally realized (duh!) that we are doing too much. The girls' education is God's calling for my life and should be my top priority, but it has suffered due to our over-extended schedule and my recent illness. Conviction has been all over me.
I asked my small accountability group (there are six of us) to pray for me two days ago. I specifically asked for clarity and guidance, as well as improved physical and emotional health. And things started happening.
That afternoon, I came across an excellent blog entry, "Slow Parenting," on the most recent edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival. (If you've never checked out this blog carnival, I highly recommend it.) Jennifer writes, "I don't want our house to be grand central station, where all the members of the family are just 'passing through' on their way to other destinations." Wow. That's actually what has been happening in our home. I could quote Jennifer's whole post here, but pop over and read it -- slowly -- for yourself.
Later that very day, I opened a magazine we get, and the title of the publisher's op-ed column was "Slow Down. Right Now!" Since I don't believe in coincidences, I know my friends' prayers were already at work. God was talking to me.
But it's complicated, as such things typically are. Knowing one needs to make changes and actually making those changes are two very different things, especially when one has to consider responsiblities and commitments made to other people. I hate letting people down. But, a little voice whispers, haven't you been letting your children and yourself down by trying to do too much?
So this morning, when I awoke way too early with these things heavy on my mind, I randomly selected Psalm 147 to read. The verses I quote above jumped out at me. They are perfect truth for our situation. I need the bars of my gates strengthened, and I need peace granted to my borders. Frankly, I need better borders. I need to reinstate necessary boundaries for our home education to be a success. And the Lord will bless my "people," i.e., my family, and satisfy us with the finest of what we need. If I carefully attend to my children's education and the quality of our home life, I will gain strength, blessings, peace, and satisfaction.
But if I remain in the whirlwind, I will feel weak, anxious, dissatisfied, conficted, and I will miss out on blessings. Honestly, I've had my fill of all that.
If you've been with me for a while (and thanks so much, by the way!), you already know that I prefer my life in Maine to my life here in the 'burbs. Where we live for most of the year, the whirlwind lifestyle is very much en vogue. Women I know laughingly relate all the activities, events, and places where they and their children need to be, sometimes all at the same time. For myself, I prefer a quiet life.
Over the last few months, I have been struggling with the fact that we are just too busy here at my house. This is not just a matter of personal preference, either. It's become painfully obvious to me that I simply cannot function in a whirlwind.
This has really been a quandary. I tusselled with it mentally and with a few friends in conversation, but then things took a turn about two months ago when I became ill with some sort of odd stomach/intestinal distress. I also felt exhausted. It took some time, but I finally realized (duh!) that we are doing too much. The girls' education is God's calling for my life and should be my top priority, but it has suffered due to our over-extended schedule and my recent illness. Conviction has been all over me.
I asked my small accountability group (there are six of us) to pray for me two days ago. I specifically asked for clarity and guidance, as well as improved physical and emotional health. And things started happening.
That afternoon, I came across an excellent blog entry, "Slow Parenting," on the most recent edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival. (If you've never checked out this blog carnival, I highly recommend it.) Jennifer writes, "I don't want our house to be grand central station, where all the members of the family are just 'passing through' on their way to other destinations." Wow. That's actually what has been happening in our home. I could quote Jennifer's whole post here, but pop over and read it -- slowly -- for yourself.
Later that very day, I opened a magazine we get, and the title of the publisher's op-ed column was "Slow Down. Right Now!" Since I don't believe in coincidences, I know my friends' prayers were already at work. God was talking to me.
But it's complicated, as such things typically are. Knowing one needs to make changes and actually making those changes are two very different things, especially when one has to consider responsiblities and commitments made to other people. I hate letting people down. But, a little voice whispers, haven't you been letting your children and yourself down by trying to do too much?
So this morning, when I awoke way too early with these things heavy on my mind, I randomly selected Psalm 147 to read. The verses I quote above jumped out at me. They are perfect truth for our situation. I need the bars of my gates strengthened, and I need peace granted to my borders. Frankly, I need better borders. I need to reinstate necessary boundaries for our home education to be a success. And the Lord will bless my "people," i.e., my family, and satisfy us with the finest of what we need. If I carefully attend to my children's education and the quality of our home life, I will gain strength, blessings, peace, and satisfaction.
But if I remain in the whirlwind, I will feel weak, anxious, dissatisfied, conficted, and I will miss out on blessings. Honestly, I've had my fill of all that.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
In the Trenches: Math
One of my dc excels with this curriculum, but the other does not seem to flourish, and therein lies the problem.
In my quest to discover if we should switch to another curriculum for this child, I've been doing a lot of reading and researching (as I am wont to do) and a bit of cogitating (ditto first parenthetical comment). Nail biting might be a better description, alas. Just in the nick of time, Silvia at "Homeschooling in a Bilingual Home" embarked on a wonderful three-part post/discussion regarding mastery versus spiral methodology in mathematics. It makes for fascinating reading. And when I commented (on Part II) about my worries with my daughter, Silvia was quick to encourage me to look for different ways to teach this child AND to provide suggestions. You can read her response here (down at the bottom of the page).
So here's what I've done thus far. Both girls are doing their math lessons from the BrainQuest workbooks, which they are enjoying. (By the way, these are really fun workbooks chock full of solid material -- great for some summer work. And I see that it's much cheaper on Amazon than the store where I bought mine.
And I really don't want to spend money on any curriculum simply to find out it's not what she needs, after all.
At the crux of this issue is my own feelings of weakness. Math is not my bag. My academic gifts lie elsewhere, and I told myself throughout my later school years that I am just not good at math. I nearly failed college algebra, for Pete's sake. My father, a math person if there ever was one (math and physics double major, master's degree in physics, and a career as a nuclear health physicist) has told me time and again that my problem was the way I was taught math.
Which makes me consider the solid B I earned in college calculus. (I'm still not sure how that happened -- maybe I'm better at theoretical math?) Perhaps if I'd been taught to think mathematically throughout my education, to see the whys behind the hows, I may have considered math differently. I still may not have chosen to major in math, true, but I may not have felt like a mathematics idiot, either.
This particular child takes after her mama. Her natural gifts lie elsewhere. But I want her experience to be different, better, than mine. So I'm struggling to find a way for her to feel confident and comfortable with mathematics, to give her a strong foundation I so sorely lacked.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Kingfishers and Sheldrakes in Natural History
As part of AO Year 3, we are reading William J. Long's Secrets of the Woods, a natural history selection. It's one of our favorites. Not only is this a wonderfully written living book, it also sparks our interest to find out more. We're been reading last week and this the chapter on kingfishers. After our first section, we looked up kingfishers in our bird book. Then we conducted more research online, and found this wonderful YouTube video (I love the narrator's accent!):
In today's reading, Long talks about sheldrakes. What's a sheldrake, you ask? So did I, and turns out it's a type of duck. Here's the link to a Wikipedia article on the same.
Many of the chapters are long, so I break them up into logical (to me, at least) sections and read one or two sections per week. This helps with my children's narrations and also their absorption of the material. We're taking our time to savor this book, one of the reasons I espouse a literary education.
One drawback, in my humble opinion, is Long's use of the then-popular (1902) pidgin English for native American speech. Think of Tonto, and you'll know what I mean. When reading aloud, I amend these incidences, but that's my personal decision.
If you're interested in taking a look at this excellent book, Secrets of the Woods is available free at the Baldwin Project. Click here to take a look.
In today's reading, Long talks about sheldrakes. What's a sheldrake, you ask? So did I, and turns out it's a type of duck. Here's the link to a Wikipedia article on the same.
Many of the chapters are long, so I break them up into logical (to me, at least) sections and read one or two sections per week. This helps with my children's narrations and also their absorption of the material. We're taking our time to savor this book, one of the reasons I espouse a literary education.
One drawback, in my humble opinion, is Long's use of the then-popular (1902) pidgin English for native American speech. Think of Tonto, and you'll know what I mean. When reading aloud, I amend these incidences, but that's my personal decision.
If you're interested in taking a look at this excellent book, Secrets of the Woods is available free at the Baldwin Project. Click here to take a look.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Flirting with the Idea of a Book of Centuries
For Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, the book of centuries (or century book) is a core idea. In case this is new information for you, a century book is a notebook with a two-page spread for each century. On the two-page spread, the student should record important events of that century, sort of like a timeline. Only better.
Why is it better? For one, instead of merely listing events or people at a blip on a line, a century book allows -- even encourages -- other details, such as sketches and other artwork, narrations, maps, and whatever information a student would like to add. In fact, Catherine Levison points out in More Charlotte Mason Education "that the earliest form of the century book was known as a Museum Note Book [that] served as a combination sketchbook/notebook with each page representing a century." Students brought their note books with them on trips to museums and then sketched museum artifacts on their appropriate pages along with written entries about any noteworthy events.
I love the idea, but I've been struggling with the particulars. Levison offers instructions for assembling a century book in More Charlotte Mason Education, so I thought I'd research the topic a bit more in order to make the best decision. Here are some ideas I found online:
Lindafay has a wonderful post about century books with a different layout on Higher Up and Further In. Her older children's century books divide the page into topics, such as Wars, Conflicts, Politics; Art and Music; and Religion and Philosophy.
On Ambleside Online, I found a Parents' Review article published in 1923 by G. M. Bernau entitled, "The Book of Centuries." Levison references this article in her chapter.
Simply Charlotte Mason offers a free template and instructions for creating a book of centuries. Free is good! It seems that this is a popular format; I visited several blogs to check out posts about century books, and some mentioned this version by name.
Design-Your-Homeschool showcases a century book with a separate timeline at the top, so that users can turn the timeline independently from the century book pages. Scroll down to number five under "Application" to see a photo.
The Tanglewood School curriculum features a century book with a different layout as well. It's not free, but it's very inexpensive. The site shows two sample pages and provides instructions for assembling the book. Depending on your desires, you can make a "quick page" or a more in-depth page about a person or event. It seems to me that this version is more detailed than a true CM book of centuries. It's more of a notebook.
I found these sites very helpful (and others I didn't include; just Google "book of centuries Charlotte Mason" or simply "book of centuries" and you get quite a lot), but I am still undecided as to format, paper, binding, etc. Perhaps I am being too picky; but when I consider that Charlotte Mason intended for her students to keep and use their century books for years, indeed, as Miss Bernau writes in her article, as "a life-long interest," then I'm naturally a trifle wary of making an ill-thought-out choice.
However, Catherine Levison's advice in More Charlotte Mason Education (can you tell I really like this book?) inspires me. Why stick to two pages per century? Some centuries had a lot going on. Also, there is this crucial point: additional pages per century provide "a way for the child to mature with the book. [...] If the child is embarrassed by earlier immature entries, he can stop adding to the sheet and begin using a fresh sheet for that century." But, she cautions, don't remove the earlier sheet from the book. After all, it's still a record of their education.
Another tidbit of advice from Levison: century books aren't just for the children you teach. Keep your own book as well, and foster an even greater love of history.
Why is it better? For one, instead of merely listing events or people at a blip on a line, a century book allows -- even encourages -- other details, such as sketches and other artwork, narrations, maps, and whatever information a student would like to add. In fact, Catherine Levison points out in More Charlotte Mason Education "that the earliest form of the century book was known as a Museum Note Book [that] served as a combination sketchbook/notebook with each page representing a century." Students brought their note books with them on trips to museums and then sketched museum artifacts on their appropriate pages along with written entries about any noteworthy events.
I love the idea, but I've been struggling with the particulars. Levison offers instructions for assembling a century book in More Charlotte Mason Education, so I thought I'd research the topic a bit more in order to make the best decision. Here are some ideas I found online:
Lindafay has a wonderful post about century books with a different layout on Higher Up and Further In. Her older children's century books divide the page into topics, such as Wars, Conflicts, Politics; Art and Music; and Religion and Philosophy.
On Ambleside Online, I found a Parents' Review article published in 1923 by G. M. Bernau entitled, "The Book of Centuries." Levison references this article in her chapter.
Simply Charlotte Mason offers a free template and instructions for creating a book of centuries. Free is good! It seems that this is a popular format; I visited several blogs to check out posts about century books, and some mentioned this version by name.
Design-Your-Homeschool showcases a century book with a separate timeline at the top, so that users can turn the timeline independently from the century book pages. Scroll down to number five under "Application" to see a photo.
The Tanglewood School curriculum features a century book with a different layout as well. It's not free, but it's very inexpensive. The site shows two sample pages and provides instructions for assembling the book. Depending on your desires, you can make a "quick page" or a more in-depth page about a person or event. It seems to me that this version is more detailed than a true CM book of centuries. It's more of a notebook.
I found these sites very helpful (and others I didn't include; just Google "book of centuries Charlotte Mason" or simply "book of centuries" and you get quite a lot), but I am still undecided as to format, paper, binding, etc. Perhaps I am being too picky; but when I consider that Charlotte Mason intended for her students to keep and use their century books for years, indeed, as Miss Bernau writes in her article, as "a life-long interest," then I'm naturally a trifle wary of making an ill-thought-out choice.
However, Catherine Levison's advice in More Charlotte Mason Education (can you tell I really like this book?) inspires me. Why stick to two pages per century? Some centuries had a lot going on. Also, there is this crucial point: additional pages per century provide "a way for the child to mature with the book. [...] If the child is embarrassed by earlier immature entries, he can stop adding to the sheet and begin using a fresh sheet for that century." But, she cautions, don't remove the earlier sheet from the book. After all, it's still a record of their education.
Another tidbit of advice from Levison: century books aren't just for the children you teach. Keep your own book as well, and foster an even greater love of history.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Selecting Children's Literature
In her excellent book Honey for a Child's Heart, Gladys Hunt writes, "A good book is a magic gateway into a wider world of wonder, beauty, delight, and adventure. Books are experiences that make us grow, that add something to our inner stature." That simply inspires me. I want the best for my children, which translates into wanting the best for their minds. That's one reason I homeschool.
I'm not alone in my desires. There is much discourse in homeschooling circles as to the book choices children make, how we should guide them and to what degree, what they should be reading, what they shouldn't, etc. Charlotte Mason referred to inferior children's books as "twaddle," an apt word, and Ambleside Online Yahoo groups members often discuss this idea of twaddle: What is it? Should I allow it? Should I exterminate my home of all such horrors? Opinions, of course, abound.
But just what is twaddle? Sometimes it's easy to judge, and other times it's not as clear. That's the conundrum. In her article "Defining Twaddle," Catherine Levison writes, "It is my opinion that dumbed-down literature is easy to spot. When you’re standing in the library and pick up modern-day, elementary-level books, you’re apt to see short sentences with very little effort applied to artistically constructing them to please the mind. Almost anyone can write — but not everyone is gifted in this field."
But then there is the matter of personal preference. What I may judge as twaddly, you may not, and vice versa. I enjoyed Beverly Cleary's children's books as a child, and my daughters enjoy them now; but they fall into other families' twaddle category. Each family has the responsibility to select children's literature that fits in with their own values.
Looking back, I read quite a bit of twaddle in my time, and it didn't stop me from earning a master's degree in literature later in life. I've even been known to enjoy a so-called "beach read" nowadays, although I have found that my tolerance level for such has lowered to the point that I rarely choose one anymore. (At the pool this past summer, a neighbor glanced at my book and said flatly, "That's not summer reading." To which I replied, "It is for me." I admit it; I'm a book snob.) My children read some twaddle now. I deem it twaddle; they deem it fun. But I strictly limit their consumption of lower-quality books, just as I limit their consumption of Gummy Bears.
To me, here's the best rule of thumb when selecting children's literature: would you enjoy reading the book? C. S. Lewis said, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."
Well said.
I'm not alone in my desires. There is much discourse in homeschooling circles as to the book choices children make, how we should guide them and to what degree, what they should be reading, what they shouldn't, etc. Charlotte Mason referred to inferior children's books as "twaddle," an apt word, and Ambleside Online Yahoo groups members often discuss this idea of twaddle: What is it? Should I allow it? Should I exterminate my home of all such horrors? Opinions, of course, abound.
But just what is twaddle? Sometimes it's easy to judge, and other times it's not as clear. That's the conundrum. In her article "Defining Twaddle," Catherine Levison writes, "It is my opinion that dumbed-down literature is easy to spot. When you’re standing in the library and pick up modern-day, elementary-level books, you’re apt to see short sentences with very little effort applied to artistically constructing them to please the mind. Almost anyone can write — but not everyone is gifted in this field."
But then there is the matter of personal preference. What I may judge as twaddly, you may not, and vice versa. I enjoyed Beverly Cleary's children's books as a child, and my daughters enjoy them now; but they fall into other families' twaddle category. Each family has the responsibility to select children's literature that fits in with their own values.
Looking back, I read quite a bit of twaddle in my time, and it didn't stop me from earning a master's degree in literature later in life. I've even been known to enjoy a so-called "beach read" nowadays, although I have found that my tolerance level for such has lowered to the point that I rarely choose one anymore. (At the pool this past summer, a neighbor glanced at my book and said flatly, "That's not summer reading." To which I replied, "It is for me." I admit it; I'm a book snob.) My children read some twaddle now. I deem it twaddle; they deem it fun. But I strictly limit their consumption of lower-quality books, just as I limit their consumption of Gummy Bears.
To me, here's the best rule of thumb when selecting children's literature: would you enjoy reading the book? C. S. Lewis said, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."
Well said.
Monday, February 1, 2010
How CM Is Your Homeschool?
Like many of you (I'm just taking a wild guess here), I'm a member of several homeschooling Yahoo groups, some of which pose Questions of the Week. Last week, a moderator asked, "How CM is your homeschool?" (CM stands for both Charlotte Mason, a British educator, and also for the eponymous educational philosophy she espoused.) Since I describe myself as "CM-ish," this question got me to thinking.
To be honest, there are many aspects of CM that we just don't do or do a bit differently. But I thought I'd look at what we actually do and see how it fits into the CM scheme.
For example, we enjoy and use living books and biographies, and I try to incorporate this into every subject. They fit more naturally into some subjects, like history, than others, like math. We have enjoyed the Sir Cumference series for math, and I know there are other math-related literature resources.
My daughters narrate anything that can be narrated. When they were younger, we did drawn narrations or little plays, but we don't any longer. Aesop's fables were particularly good fodder for plays. At the beginning of this school year, I would type up one of their history narrations per week, but I've gotten really slack about that.
The girls do copywork everyday from their literature selections. Sometimes I use AO's copywork (we're in Yr 3) and sometimes they select their own. We also started English for the Thoughtful Child 1 this year, and we use spelling workbooks, which is not very CM. Every once in a while, we do studied dictation. The girls enjoy it, but it seems to take a long time. We study the AO suggested poet for each term.
We do artist study on Friday, and we choose whomever we like. Right now, we're on Van Gogh. I'm more loose about composer study. We listen to classical music in the car. In the past, I've been more deliberate about this.
For Bible, they each have their own individual devotion and we have a family prayer time.
We do a bit of memory work. Right now, they have each memorized a poem by Sara Teasdale. At church, one child is memorizing the Apostles' Creed and the other Psalm 23 with their Sunday school classes.
For Shakespeare, I downloaded Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit on Librivox, and we listen to this in the car. We really enjoy it. They do not narrate Shakespeare at this point. Even I have trouble with all the characters' names!
For foreign language, We started Rosetta Stone French 1 this year and it is superb. My youngest likes it the least; she has trouble with the pronunciations and often gets frustrated. Also, neither can do the writing part, so I do it for them. They listen to the speaker and then tell me what to type. Miss Priss and I began Latina Christiana this year. She doesn't LOVE it, but she likes that she is learning Latin, if that makes any sense. She memorized the Table Blessing, and then taught it to Tiny Girl.
We use MEP for math, and I supplement with times table worksheets and quizzes. Since I try to keep the lessons on the short side (a la CM), we often don't finish a full MEP lesson. If I think the uncovered material is crucial, we just continue with it the next day. Sometimes, we simply move on to the next lesson.
Where I fail at CM is in these areas: we do not do hymn/folk song study. I'm not so fabulous at handicrafts, but am better at life skills. The girls have a chore rotation that changes each week. And, while they play outside a lot, I am really lax about nature walks and nature study. I tried to do this in the beginning, and we all had nature notebooks and nice, new colored pencils, etc. But it didn't seem to work for us. So now our nature study mostly involves our backyard birding, which we really enjoy. (They also take a biology class at Timothy Ministry on Fridays with other homeschoolers at a local church.) I don't concentrate on habit training, per se, but our chore chart helps in this area.
In considering this, I came to the conclusion that I am more of a "literary education" person than a strict CM homeschooler. I rely heavily on AO, Catherine Levinson's books, and Gladys Hunt's books, sprinkled with suggestions from the Tanglewood curriculum, TWTM, other homeschoolers, Jenny Sockey's book, etc., to make our selections. Basically, we read a lot. But we also take time to do some other things. This week, as are working on a medieval lapbook of a sort.
Regardless of my CM shortcomings, our homeschool truly reflects one of Charlotte Mason's basic tenets. For us, education is not a particular set of guidelines or schedule; education is a life.
To be honest, there are many aspects of CM that we just don't do or do a bit differently. But I thought I'd look at what we actually do and see how it fits into the CM scheme.
For example, we enjoy and use living books and biographies, and I try to incorporate this into every subject. They fit more naturally into some subjects, like history, than others, like math. We have enjoyed the Sir Cumference series for math, and I know there are other math-related literature resources.
My daughters narrate anything that can be narrated. When they were younger, we did drawn narrations or little plays, but we don't any longer. Aesop's fables were particularly good fodder for plays. At the beginning of this school year, I would type up one of their history narrations per week, but I've gotten really slack about that.
The girls do copywork everyday from their literature selections. Sometimes I use AO's copywork (we're in Yr 3) and sometimes they select their own. We also started English for the Thoughtful Child 1 this year, and we use spelling workbooks, which is not very CM. Every once in a while, we do studied dictation. The girls enjoy it, but it seems to take a long time. We study the AO suggested poet for each term.
We do artist study on Friday, and we choose whomever we like. Right now, we're on Van Gogh. I'm more loose about composer study. We listen to classical music in the car. In the past, I've been more deliberate about this.
For Bible, they each have their own individual devotion and we have a family prayer time.
We do a bit of memory work. Right now, they have each memorized a poem by Sara Teasdale. At church, one child is memorizing the Apostles' Creed and the other Psalm 23 with their Sunday school classes.
For Shakespeare, I downloaded Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit on Librivox, and we listen to this in the car. We really enjoy it. They do not narrate Shakespeare at this point. Even I have trouble with all the characters' names!
For foreign language, We started Rosetta Stone French 1 this year and it is superb. My youngest likes it the least; she has trouble with the pronunciations and often gets frustrated. Also, neither can do the writing part, so I do it for them. They listen to the speaker and then tell me what to type. Miss Priss and I began Latina Christiana this year. She doesn't LOVE it, but she likes that she is learning Latin, if that makes any sense. She memorized the Table Blessing, and then taught it to Tiny Girl.
We use MEP for math, and I supplement with times table worksheets and quizzes. Since I try to keep the lessons on the short side (a la CM), we often don't finish a full MEP lesson. If I think the uncovered material is crucial, we just continue with it the next day. Sometimes, we simply move on to the next lesson.
Where I fail at CM is in these areas: we do not do hymn/folk song study. I'm not so fabulous at handicrafts, but am better at life skills. The girls have a chore rotation that changes each week. And, while they play outside a lot, I am really lax about nature walks and nature study. I tried to do this in the beginning, and we all had nature notebooks and nice, new colored pencils, etc. But it didn't seem to work for us. So now our nature study mostly involves our backyard birding, which we really enjoy. (They also take a biology class at Timothy Ministry on Fridays with other homeschoolers at a local church.) I don't concentrate on habit training, per se, but our chore chart helps in this area.
In considering this, I came to the conclusion that I am more of a "literary education" person than a strict CM homeschooler. I rely heavily on AO, Catherine Levinson's books, and Gladys Hunt's books, sprinkled with suggestions from the Tanglewood curriculum, TWTM, other homeschoolers, Jenny Sockey's book, etc., to make our selections. Basically, we read a lot. But we also take time to do some other things. This week, as are working on a medieval lapbook of a sort.
Regardless of my CM shortcomings, our homeschool truly reflects one of Charlotte Mason's basic tenets. For us, education is not a particular set of guidelines or schedule; education is a life.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Book Review: A Superb Living Book on Medieval Town Life
This week, we read Walter Dragun's Town, by Sheila Sancha, which depicts the English town of Stanford in 1274. The author based the work on her research of the Hundred Rolls, so many of the characters and events were actual. The wool and cloth trade is the axis on which the town turns, and Sancha does a wonderful job intertwining educational material (industry, economy, trade, market life, vocations, daily life) into the narrative. We all learned a lot about market town life in the middle ages, but also enjoyed the story. A true living book, Walter Dragun's Town is suitable for elementary ages and up.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Our Homeschooling Journey: Studied Dictation
This past week, Miss Priss and I began the practice of studied dictation as part of her lessons. I gleaned all the how-to's from Lindafay's superb blog, "Higher Up and Further In." She has several posts about studied dictation/spelling from a Charlotte Mason viewpoint, and I encourage you to give these a read-through. Here's how it worked at our house:
Since it was our first time, I had Miss Priss "prepare" only two sentences from the first paragraph of The Princess and the Goblin (by George Macdonald), which she is reading. She read the two sentences and identified troublesome spelling words. For each word, I wrote the word on our whiteboard, asked her to study it, and then picture the word in her mind. I also asked her to spell it out loud a few times with her eyes closed. Then I asked her to go over the passage independently, making note of punctuation, capitalization, etc. Finally, I chose one of the sentences for her to copy as I read it aloud, breaking it up into clauses. I warned her to pay close attention, as I was going to read each part only once. When we finished, I had her compare what she'd written with the original, marking any errors with a red pen. She then corrected her errors, of which there were three.
It was a grand success. Her handwriting was better than usual, she attended closely, and she enjoyed correcting her own work. She even asked if we do the activity more frequently than once a week. Even Tiny Girl asked if she could do studied dictation.
Since it was our first time, I had Miss Priss "prepare" only two sentences from the first paragraph of The Princess and the Goblin (by George Macdonald), which she is reading. She read the two sentences and identified troublesome spelling words. For each word, I wrote the word on our whiteboard, asked her to study it, and then picture the word in her mind. I also asked her to spell it out loud a few times with her eyes closed. Then I asked her to go over the passage independently, making note of punctuation, capitalization, etc. Finally, I chose one of the sentences for her to copy as I read it aloud, breaking it up into clauses. I warned her to pay close attention, as I was going to read each part only once. When we finished, I had her compare what she'd written with the original, marking any errors with a red pen. She then corrected her errors, of which there were three.
It was a grand success. Her handwriting was better than usual, she attended closely, and she enjoyed correcting her own work. She even asked if we do the activity more frequently than once a week. Even Tiny Girl asked if she could do studied dictation.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Roughing It
We made it back home in one piece and in two days, with only one vomiting episode and two traffic snarls. It wasn't as horrific as I'd imagined, but the second day was lo-o-o-ong. If it weren't for the hour break for lunch at Cracker Barrel, we might not have made it. Overall, I'd call it a success!
The house is in chaos. This is because Dh installed hardwood floors in all but two rooms downstairs while we were away, and they are yet unfinished. Ergo, all the furniture downstairs is crammed into the family room: dining room table (unassembled), china hutch (unassembled), piano and bench, foyer dresser, and a multitude of bookcases and books for our homeschool. Finishing the floors will take three DAYS, so the girls and I will be staying with my parents for a few nights next week. Due to the chaos, it took us a couple of days to locate everything we needed to get our lessons going.
Another rough patch: last spring, I bought a spelling curriculum after reading several reviews, thinking it would be a good one for Miss Priss (who takes to spelling naturally) and Tiny Girl (who does not). Today, I opened it up to give it a look-through and was disappointed. First off, it's going to take more time and effort on everyone's part. Since I'm a Charlotte Mason admirer (although not a stalwart adherent), I wasn't happy about my discovery. Now I'm trying to figure out a way to make the curriculum more CM-friendly. I hate to chuck it since I spent some cold, hard cash on it. So I'm in a quandary. I hate it when this happens. But I'll figure out something. We always do, don't we?
The house is in chaos. This is because Dh installed hardwood floors in all but two rooms downstairs while we were away, and they are yet unfinished. Ergo, all the furniture downstairs is crammed into the family room: dining room table (unassembled), china hutch (unassembled), piano and bench, foyer dresser, and a multitude of bookcases and books for our homeschool. Finishing the floors will take three DAYS, so the girls and I will be staying with my parents for a few nights next week. Due to the chaos, it took us a couple of days to locate everything we needed to get our lessons going.
Another rough patch: last spring, I bought a spelling curriculum after reading several reviews, thinking it would be a good one for Miss Priss (who takes to spelling naturally) and Tiny Girl (who does not). Today, I opened it up to give it a look-through and was disappointed. First off, it's going to take more time and effort on everyone's part. Since I'm a Charlotte Mason admirer (although not a stalwart adherent), I wasn't happy about my discovery. Now I'm trying to figure out a way to make the curriculum more CM-friendly. I hate to chuck it since I spent some cold, hard cash on it. So I'm in a quandary. I hate it when this happens. But I'll figure out something. We always do, don't we?
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