Curriculum

Friday, August 10---Curriculum
What curriculum do you use? Where do you buy it? Have you found a "gem" that you must share with others? Was something in particular a complete failure for you and your kids?

For the past 7 years we have used Sonlight. We love it. It has been so useful to have your day planned out, books, texts, workbooks all in one package.

This year, however, I've been turned on to classical schooling. Now this is more of an attitude to take than a curriculum. But I am combining various grammar/math/logic/art/history books to design our own year of homeschooling. Much of what I've gathered I've learned from several sources: Susan Wise Bauer's The Well Trained Mind; Well Trained Mind website boards; classicalhomeschooling.com internet conference held last weekend.

So here's the plan:
Bible
I've tried various curriculum for Bible and found them coming up short-some too elementary, lame question and some just plain boring. We enjoy reading from the scriptures and asking our own questions. For answers, we search the internet, commentaries or my husband/their father-our resident Bible scholar

Latin (Latin Christiana)
This will be a new endeavour. Excited to see our it goes

Grammar (copywork, dictation and diagramming)
This is my weakest subject. I will be using Mary Daly's Diagramming book and Rod and Staff (Building Securely and Building with Diligence).

Spelling-Spelling Power (Emma); Sequential Spelling (Aidan)

Handwriting
Kids will be handwriting letters weekly in cursive and Aidan will be going through Zaner-Bloser's Handwriting

Ancient History-Story of the World and Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Reading one chapter a week with outlining and timelining

Math Saxon Algebra 1/2, 7/6

Logic - Mind Benders (Aidan); Critical Thinking (Emma)

Art - Web Gallery of Art

Music - Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Readers/Read Alouds
This list will be growing as we find more fiction related to Ancient History. I am using purchased All Through the Ages as a guide for fiction book related to certain dates in history. There will be several pleasure books interspersed through the year (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc.). I'm also using Invitation to the Classic by Cowan and Guinness.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this homeschooling series. It has encouraged me to see the diversity of homeschoolers. Go to Randi's blog to see more bloggers curriculum ideas.

Homeschooling is a blast.

If I Had Only Known...

Thursday, August 9---If I had only known...
What have you learned on your homeschooling journey? What would you/did you change? This is an opportunity to encourage others who are just starting out or who are struggling with issues that seem unsolvable. It is also a perfect opportunity to tell us about one of those days made you want to throw in the towel. A funny story? Perfect!

After reading several other blog entries in this series I think RELAX and ENJOY stands out as two philosophies I wish I could have more easily and readily embraced. When I was homeschooling Ian in Canada I think I did embrace this. We would be outdoors (when it wasn't raining) a lot, taking advantage of the breathtaking northwest. I haven't done a lot of that in recent homeschooling days. And I miss that.

Pondering this question further I really don't have many regrets. I have said in an earlier post I would have probably placed Aidan (my July baby) in school later and perhaps pushed more to homeschool my oldest while in high school (he's in public school right now).

I am just learning about classical education. I wish I knew about it earlier and would have integrated it into our lives. And finally, I would have unplugged the TV a lot earlier. We have become too dependent on it so that when our minds say, "I'm bored" our first reaction is, "Turn on the tube" We are weaning ourselves but still in the state of "I wish there was TV."

Something I regret seem impossible to avoid. What sticks in my mind is comparing kids to each other. Ian picked up reading at 5, Emma at 7 and Aidan at 10. They are all different and I have to teach to that, not expecting a student mold to apply to each of them. But it's hard to avoid that. Yet important to work on because when I'm at my height of comparing I do want to throw in the towel, wondering if it's all worth it.

Go to Randi's blog for more posts in this series.

Getting Out There

Wednesday, August 8---Getting out there...
Extra-curricular activities, community involvement, volunteering, sports teams, music lessons, making sure your kids have opportunities to be social, co-ops, etc., etc., etc...

Aidan has drum lessons and Emma does piano once a week. That and 4-H are the activities the kids participate in apart from school. OH, yeah, youth group and AWANA at church, also.

I wish I could say, "We go to dance and ball and swim and crafts and.... but in our rural town there isn't a whole lot to do. Plain and simple. Andy physical activites we have to make up on our own. No YMCAs or gyms around here. So the kids ride their bikes and walk the dogs for exercise.

Visit Randi for more stories at I Have to Say... Tomorrow: If I Had Only Known: What have you learned from your homeschooling journey?

How Do You Homeschool

Back to Randi's Homeschooling series...Tuesday, August 7---How do you homeschool?
Scheduling, classical education, unschooling, getting the kids to help with chores, how to be "mom" and "teacher" at the same time, special needs, teaching an advanced child, how to teach the tough subjects, teaching high school, teaching with babies and preschoolers in the house, budgeting for homeschool supplies, notebooking, etc., etc., etc...

Boy, this is a tough topic! It seems each day is a different day at Moody School. Sometimes I feel I more unschool then homeschool - letting the chilluns pick up what interests them and move in their direction. I'm not happy about this. It's more due to laziness but at the same time - they are learning to research and love educating themselves.

Last year (We'll be starting school in 3 weeks) we had a hard time getting around in the morning so our school day didn't begin till 9:00am, sometimes 9:30am. I'd like that to change this year.

We always begin with Bible. This sets the tone for the day. We read a chapter and discuss. I ask questions. I answer questions and perhaps we do research to find answers to those questions. Then we pray. We pray for family, friends and the world. I really want my children to love praying for the world. We consider current events, mission activities, and we get a hold of prayer guides.

We then separate. Emma goes off to do her thing. She is a self-learner-give her her books and she'll read and study without much interference from me. Aidan needs the attention of my eyes and ears, so we sit at the kitchen table and read our history, do math, spelling, dictation, read and then we sit on the couch and I read to him.

Emma comes back near the end of the school day (around 3:00pm) for me to check her math and take the occasional spelling or math test.

Now let's throw a monkey-wrench into this lovely scene of domestic bliss - LIAM!
When he was one and still taking two naps a day - no problem. He turned two and still at 1.5 - 2 naps, we could handle it. Now he's three and he wants our attention. Unfortunately the DVD player has been given more attention to him than his mother. Slap me now, I know. It's my coping mechanism. I want to incorporate him into a schooling activity, drawing, listening to books on cd or one of us reading to him. That's the plan but sometimes I throw up my hands and surrender to a movie. This year I am thinking Aidan will need less one-on-one time so I can be proactive with Liam. It's a work in progress.

I don't budget for homeschooling supplies, plain and simple. I try to buy most of them on ebay, amazon or go to the publisher. I buy something when I can afford it. I use the internet as must as possible. Lots of free stuff out there. I use the library as much as possible, though we have a small under-funded branch and have to borrow many books for other branches.

Tomorrow: getting out there: What do you do for extra-curricular activities?

Back to Homeschooling Week

This week I'm joining a few other bloggers (Randi at I have to sa... is the instigator) to discuss homeschooling and what we're doing. Each day will have a different topic. Since I'm in the midst of reorganizing our homeschool, this will be an excellent tool for me to learn what others are doing.
Day #1: What led to your decision to homeschool?
Why do you do what you do? What brought you to homeschooling? What factors played a part in your decision?

We began homeschooling in 1996 when we moved to Canada and Ian was starting kindergarten. I didn't hear the best reports about public schools in Vancouver and we knew and admired Sonlight Curriculum for so many years, in was kind of like a no-brainer. The Holtzman's, who established Sonlight, were acquaintances of ours from way back. We saw their family, and other homeschooling family's, and were in awe of their kid's intelligence, creativity, forthrightness and amiability. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with family discipline structures yet I think a lot reflects on their homeschooling.

Our main impetus for homeschooling has centered around academics. We see the time and effort in public schools parlayed out for discipline alone (you try corraling 25 squirmy 8 year olds!) that one-on-one attention and the assurance that my kids/my student is comprehending grammar facts, the multiplication table, or our the history of our country's founding was waning.

I wanted to ensure my kids would love to learn. I love to learn and I wanted for them to get excited by history, geography, and even math.

I enjoy my kids and have fun with them at homeschooling. We can tailor our lessons to what intrigues them. Aidan loves military history. Whether we're looking at U.S. History, Eastern cultures, Bible study...with homeschooling we can look deeper into the areas of his particular interest.

Where my kids are struggling I can ensure they get the attention they need to work through their ignorance and see them come out on the otherside with understanding. There is nothing like teaching your child to read and see that lightbulb go off when they finally read an entire book (no matter how small or large) by themselves.

I said my main reason for homeschooling is academics but I have found that our daily Bible times have been so rich. We sit and read and talk and question and discuss and research for an hour each morning and then pray. We pray for family members, each other, friends and events around the world. I know this is my favorite time of the school day.

So there you have it--what led us to homeschooling! Tomorrow: How do we homeschool.

Finished School This Week

Next Wednesday 3 of the kids and I are driving to California. You can ask me if I'm insane. Go ahead, ask. Yes I am.
So this week we finished school. I have no intentions of homeschooling on the road or in California, while on vacation. (But if you think about the nature of homeschooling - schooling never ends and all life experiences are incorporated into "school". So in essence this summer, our driving out, our time in California are merely a continuation of school!)

I've asked the kids to tell me their favorite topics/books for the past year.
Emma: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. She's read quite a few Lowry books and really likes her writing. Historical fiction is Emma's favorite genre.

Aidan: Ali and the Golden Eagle by Wayne Grover and Around the World in 80 Days By Jules Verne and The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis and King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. As you can tell Aidan goes for the adventure story. He's also finishing up Eldest. "The best book ever, mom!"

So we're going out to California to see my niece Hayley confirmed. We haven't been out there since my father's funeral in 2003. My oldest sister has yet to meet Liam. I'm okay with the 3 day drive out. I'm not okay with the 3 day drive back. But, sing it Gloria Gaynor, I will survive.

Ian will be flying out to join us after he finishes public school which leads me to Why We Homeschool part 3 (kid's version):
1. Don't have to wake up so early
2. Get to study what interests us
3. Get to break for lunch when we want and eat good food
4. Get to end the school year early so we can go on vacation
5. I can read in bed (Emma)
6. I get to play with Jack during breaks (Aidan)

Editor's note: I thought it was interesting when I asked the kids what they didn't like about homeschooling I got answers that I would have gotten from public school kids - we have to do Math and Spelling!

Enjoying the Hobbit...Again

For our last read-aloud Aidan and I are reading the Hobbit. Great read. Aidan loves it and hates when I put it down, "Please just one more chapter!"

As I'm reading through, this time, an aspect of the character of Bilbo leapt out of the book to me.

In the beginning Gandalf invites all the dwarves to Bilbo's house to plan the adventure. When the dwarves question Gandalf in his choice of burglar Gandalf responds,

"That's right...Let's have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet."

Now of course, Bilbo has no idea what's in store for him. But Gandalf sees his potential. Prior to this great adventure Bilbo had never stepped out of the Shire and now he has crossed the Misty Mountains, wrestled spiders, outwitted a Gollum, pickpocketed trolls and stole from the great Smaug. All because he stepped out his front door into an unknown adventure to face and become what Gandalf saw he could be.

I love that. I love it in stories when the hero has no idea who they are or of their capabilities and through trial and tribulation they become greater, wiser, braver, stronger, humbler.

Bilbo is in the Lone Mountain, has encountered Smaug, and beginning to recognize the changes in himself:

"Already he was a very different hobbit from the one that had run out without a pocket handkerchief from Bag-End long ago."

And then the dwarves too are seeing the wisdom of Gandalf's choice:

"Already they had come to respect little Bilbo. Now he had become the real leader in their adventure. He had begun to have ideas and plans of his own."

How much potential is in me, when I step out my front-door into unknown, unplanned adventures? How much for yourself? But it takes that first step, not thinking, re-thinking, and re-re-thinking again...just stepping out without our pocket-handkerchief!

Why I Homeschool, part 2

11. There's no pressure to dress a certain way. We don't go shopping for school clothes in August, spending mega-bucks on the latest fashion so they feel they fit in.

12. Colds and flu virus' are at a low. We're not exposed to every disease going around town.

13. If it's gorgeous day we take off, walk, picnic, drive up to St. Louis for a special day, especially on Mondays when it's Dave's day off.

14. I love teaching. I think I have the heart of a teacher. I love asking Emma and Aidan questions, making them think through issues, subjects, testing their logic skills. I didn't do well in school. I was mediocre and I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that there was no one in my life pushing me. My parents never asked me about school, made sure I was doing my homework. And I don't recall teachers ever taking any interest in my learning skills. I insure my kids understand concepts, know important historical times/people (Because, like #4, I am (re)learning this stuff myself). And I want to make learning a natural part of their lives - not something segregated into a "School" category.

15. There's a lot of crap going on in public schools. Peer pressure from other students to junk that some secular educators want to pass on to students...we don't have to deal with that.

16. Our curriculum is fun. We use Sonlight and I love it. We read alot of historical fiction/biographies/missionary stories. There is a strong emphasis on reading. I appreciate the fact that Sonlight has such a strong emphasis on learning WORLD history, not just U.S.

17. I LOVE reading out loud. I do voices. This drives Aidan crazy. One of the last things we do for school is reading. Aidan and I snuggle on the couch and I read. It's a special time. I don't know how much longer he'll lay his head on my shoulder and patiently listen to my narration, so I cherish this time. It's my favorite time of the day. You may wonder where Emma is--she's studying world history and is pretty much on her own during the day. That leads me to #18...


18. The kids are gaining a certain responsible in scheduling their time to insure that their reading/math/writing lessons are accomplished by the end of the week. I give them a schedule on Mondays, detailing what they need to do by Friday. They are learning how to discipline their time.

19. Teaching my child to read is an amazing accomplishment. Aidan struggled with reading up until last year (4th grade). This year was a huge turn-around for him. I believe part of that was allowing him to read a book during school hours which was not on the school list - Eragon (and now he's reading Eldest). He saw the movie and wanted to read the book. He devoured it. Every other paragraph he would stop and tell me what was going on in the story. The excitement in his voice was contagious. Altering his reading schedule just slightly gave him the motivation and love for reading which he didn't have last year.

20. Okay last reason and probably the most selfish...I enjoy homeschooling for the routine it gives me. I know what I will be doing each day: 9am bible study/prayer; 10am spelling/dictation/history; 11am walk the dog while kids read; 12 lunch; 1 reading; 2pm math/dictation/tests. I never wander through my day, "What to do, what to do?"

Next posts will be the gritty truth from Emma and Aidan what that like/dislike about homeschooling. And I will let them be honest because I already know there are dislikes. Heck I have dislikes myself.

Why I Homeschool, part 1

I read alot of blogs from other homeschooling parents. Most, not all, seem to homeschool for moral/religious reasons. I'm a passive rebel and believe I homeschool for other reasons, more academic. But as I thought through my pride-issue I found morality was pretty near the top for my reasons. I thought it might be helpful/fun to list MY reasons for homeschooling.

1. We are not morning people. Getting up at 6am is not a fun idea. We enjoy a leisurely morning. We sometimes begin school at 9am, sometimes 10.

2. I enjoy have a morning Bible study/prayer time with Emma and Aidan. We have great discussions trying to get to the meat of Scripture - do away with the trite ("Pray", "Jesus died for my sins") answers. Selfishly having the kids with me insures I am reading scripture every morning.

3. I enjoy having them around. I enjoy their humor, their curiousity, their skills - they help around the house (hey, I believe that's part of school - cooking, laundry, raking, etc.)

4. I am re-learning what I forgot, what I didn't get in public school. Aidan is studying Eastern Cultures. I didn't study China or India until I hit college. How many fifth graders read Around the World in 80 Days and can locate where Fogg and Passepartout are on their journey?

5. I know what they are getting for lunch. Public school lunches - is there anything more disgusting! Homeschoolers get a hot meal, leisurely (there's that word again) consumed and then a half hour of play time with their siblings.

6. Liam (he's 2 1/2) loves playing with Emma and Aidan. And I truly believe Emma and Aidan mature doubly by learning to care responsibly for their younger brother.

7. Music lessons aren't rushed. It's easy to set up appointments with teachers during public school hours. The same goes for orthodontist appointments.

8. We can study what interests them. Aidan took an interest in Tae Kwan Doe recently. And we happened to be in the middle of our Korea studies. I had him make a chart comparing the varieties of martial arts. What fun!

9. They can go at their own pace. If they're struggling in a subject, we take it slow. If math lessons are easy, we speed through.

10. They have my full attention. In a public class room, 20-25 other students (some cooperative, some disruptive) are struggling to gain the teacher's eyes and ears. Emma and Aidan have mine.

That's 1-10. I'll be coming up with another list of 10 in a few days. Then the kids will add their own list.

P.S. Re: the photo, we are in a witness protection program, hence the concealed faces.

Saints, Courage and the Look

Aidan and I are in the midst of studying India. For our biography we're reading about Saint Teresa - you know - of Calcutta. This woman had such a love for the LORD and it was born out in her love for the weakest, the sickest, the most helpless.

My children make fun of me when reading a sensitive part of a book and I begin to cry. Countless times I've had to pass the book off to Emma to finish the story (Stone Fox, Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey just to name a couple). While reading Teresa of Calcutta by D. Jeanene Watson I've had to choke back some tears. Read for yourself:

The man, awake now, watched Sadhana Singh [a new recruit from an upper caste family] and Sister Agnes in wonder. Dirt covered his body so thickly it had to be scraped off. Some sores teamed with maggots. Other sores stunk so badly of gangrene that even the maggots had died. ... Sadhana nodded, but did not speak. She kept her lips in a forced smile. She swallowed often. Suddenly she turned and fled.
"She'll not be back, "the reporter said to Mother Teresa. "You must lose a lot of girls."
Teresa said, "Why no. In two years only one has left...
Three hours later, the newspaper reporter and his photographer prepared to leave. As they said goodbye to Mother Teresa, Sadhana Singh, beaming with happiness, came to Mother Teresa.
"Mother!" Sadhana said, "I cleaned him!"
The reporter, astonished, asked, "What made it possible? What did Mother Teresa say to you."
Sadhana said, "Mother Teresa told me to do it for Jesus. I have been touching the body of Christ for three hours!"

and then again
Before the play began, the people asked Teresa to speak. She stood and said a few words. She ended by telling the lepers, "You are the gift of God. He loves you with a special love."
A leper sitting nearby said, "Mother, would you tell me that again, because I've always heard that no one loves me. It is wonderful to know that God loves me. Say it again."
.... After she returned to her chair, Lady Jordan asked, "How do you do it? How can you touch a leper and smile?"
Teresa said, "I know that when I touch the limbs of a leper, I am touching the body of Christ. This conviction of touching Christ under the appearance of a leper gives me courage which I wouldn't have otherwise."

As I've been reading this book I'm reminded of a friends blog. (http://www.tellingsecrets-mks.blogspot.com - her March 4th, Strange One entry) She wrote about "the look" she gets because of her position as a missionary. In the church there are certain positions of "awe." Pastors, missionaries,... people other people look at with the "Look"- Wow, you must be so spiritual look". People in those positions are just like every other Christian. Or are they? I think if I met Mother Teresa today I would be fully justified in giving her the look". And I feel fairly certain she would say, as Marti did, "I am just an ordinary Christian, please don't elevate me to such an unworthy level, which should be only reserved for Christ." Amen. Yet.... I believe such individuals can be admired and awed, if only to challenge those of us to action.

We have friends who are missionaries in Central Asia. Oftentimes when I am feeling sorry for my lot in life I think of Iris and what she has to put up with in her rural village, in the middle of war. It puts my life in perspective and gives me the motivation to get off my pity party and do something constructive with my life.

So I say, have heroes and heroines who are saints (and sinners). And even saints can have saints that they admire. Don't grovel in self-pity over what your are not, but use their lives as a model for the potential in your life.

As Paul says: Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ (Romans 11:1)

The Internet is a Wonderful Thing!

Thanks to Ann Bennett I have an airport card in the ibook my husband tossed off to me. Thank you Ann. In the last few weeks of homeschooling I have come to appreciate the wonders of the internet and have been accessing it with abandon. The laptop sits on our kitchen table/school station and is always open. Whenever Aidan and I are studying a topic we don't understand or are curious for more information we turn the computer around and type in via wikipedia or google or whatever and voila! there is more information than we can dowload.
For instance: we are reading Rascal by Sterling North. It's a delightful memoir of a boys summer in 1918 when he captures and tames a raccoon. After a few pages into the book I said, "Hey Aidan, lets find out where this story takes place." Google Sterling North and Boom - there's an entire website dedicated to him and Rascal. Wonders! Maybe I'm a little slow on the use of technology...but once I get started...!