Weekly Reflection - Week Two

I have this cute little boy who loves all things "school".  I also have a handsome big boy who despises all things "school".  The irony is the one who doesn't need formal lessons wants them and the one who needs, wants nothing to do with it.  This is the conundrum week two of our 2016-2017 school  year brought me.

Early on in the week The Farmer and I divided and conquered...well, sort of, divided yes, conquered, we're still working on that.  Monday, he worked with Ruben and I with Riley.  This gave him some perspective on the programs we're using and Ruben's progress.  From there, I made a few more modifications to Ruben's curricula and am in the process of re-thinking his plan.  After reading Back at the Beginning Again, I'm trying to decide what does Ruben need most and what is frosting for me...ahem.

Ruben and I finished Dinosaurs of Eden by Ken Ham, to both of our delight.  Some of the content was good, but overall, the book was preachy with too many bible verses shoved in between.  Not to mention, neither one of us is really interested in dinosaurs.  In its place, we started The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley.  I've decided to switch things up a bit and moved Ruben's read aloud to bedtime.  He really liked this and as long as he got to bed at a decent time, like before I was falling asleep and feeling the book hit my face, I enjoyed it as well.  Ruben is reading the DK Illustrated Family Bible on his own and listening to the audio CD What in the World? Ancient Civilizations and the World by Diana Waring independently.  This is going great!  As a result he's been able to narrate and have meaningful discussion.

RileyAnn started an online math class this week using Lial's Basic College Mathematics.  Since she's never done an online class, I sat with her for the first class and just may continue in the future so we can stay on the same page.  The class is weekly and you pay by the month, which I love for a couple of reasons.  One, the student is not tied to the computer daily.  Two, paying monthly is more financially feasible than a lump sum.  Also, you are free to cancel or stop anytime if it doesn't work.  But, I must say, so far, Mrs. Perkins is fabulous!  And, I really like having that extra support for middle school math.

Because our week was a little busier with appointments and because of some issues with Ruben, Levi didn't participate much this week.  He did do some coloring and I introduced the Play-Doh, which was a huge hit.  Something I'm disappointed in is the fact that I didn't read to him as much as I wanted to this week.  We literally have shelves of fabulous picture books, but I need to come up with a way to pull out a few and have them on hand in a pinch.  It's an organizational issue more than anything.  I added it to the list of things to do.

Lastly, the kids started back to youth group at church this week.  Levi has not traditionally participated as we felt he was too young.  However, we're trying it this year on a week by week basis.  He had a bit of a behavior issue so we've decided to take a week off and see how it goes.  Riley bumped up a level this year so her program lasts 30 minutes longer than the boys.  This creates a lag time with not much for them to do.  It lasts until 8:00 p.m., which pushes bedtime later.  This is a challenge in and of itself.

Around the Web

Today, I listened to Schole Sisters podcast #10, Which Comes First? The Principles or the Practical.  Pam Barnhill's narration example made sense and helped me to see the point.  I had been practicing Charlotte Mason's method haphazardly for years, but after finishing our study of A Philosophy of Education, I was convicted by her principles to carry on more wholeheartedly with the practices.

I also read Mystie's post on How to lesson plan so you're never behind.  It sounds wonderful in theory, but since I'm a paper/pencil planner, I wonder about organizing the lists.  I did link this post in my OneNote for future reference.

Schole Sisters Update and Charlotte Mason Book Club Announcement

After finishing Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, my Schole Sisters group decided to continue by reading The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.  I am nearly two-thirds of the way through.  It was a book I read in high school as assigned reading for 10th or 11th grade English.  It's interesting to re-read through an adult lens.  I'll be sure to post in the future when I've finished.

After taking the summer off of academic/teacher-training reading, I can't wait to get back with my Charlotte Mason Study Group.  We have decided to read Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass.  We meet next Friday to discuss Chapter One and I'm really looking forward to it.  It looks like we will have a couple of new members.  We will all be about 3-5 weeks into the new academic year and I'm sure there will be much discussion on what's working and what's not.  I love having these like minded women to bounce ideas with.

If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to find your sisters.  Having homeschool support friends is a must!  ...and, if you're looking for great books, either for yourself or your student(s), be sure to check out our Updated Book Lists with Index!