2016-2017 Year 6 and 7 End Wrap-Up....

I finished my Homeschool Audit yesterday. It's a good feeling to wrap things up. Since our 2016-2017 academic year has been finished for about a month, I've had time to reflect. Back in August 2016, I posted our original Year 6 and Year 7 plans. Today, I plan to share what worked and what didn't.

Year 6

Ruben used Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ this year, but part way in, I started making modifications and swapping out books. There was much busy work that I cut. You can find Ruben's original plan here.

Bible - The DK Illustrated Family Bible (HOD) - Ruben read this independently and enjoyed it. I will continue to have him do some type of bible reading on his own. - hit 

Citizenship - I'm still thinking about Plutarch and will most likely add something later in the year.

History and Literature -
The Story of the Ancient World by Christine Miller (HOD) - read aloud; provided a great spine; short readings; Ruben was on the fence, but in the end decided against it - miss
Genesis: Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick (HOD, AO 6) - read aloud; skipping some parts; miss
What in the World? Vol. 1: Ancient Civilizations and the Bible by Diana Waring (HOD) - Ruben listened to audio independently and enjoyed; I will most likely continue with the next vol. next year; hit
Draw and Write Through History: Greece and Rome by Carylee Gressman (HOD) - used as a resource for illustrating notebook pages; hit
Dinosaurs of Eden by Ken Ham (HOD) - read aloud; miss
The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley (HOD) - read aloud; hit
Boy of the Pyramids, A Mystery of Ancient Egypt by Ruth Fosdick Jones (HOD, SCM) - read aloud for the second time; hit
Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson (HOD, Sonlight) - read aloud; hit
Jashub's Journal: An Old Testament Law Story by Simply Charlotte Mason (HOD, SCM) - read aloud; hit
Within the Palace Gates by Anna Pierpoint Siviter (HOD)
Peeps at Many Lands: Ancient Greece by James Baikie (HOD)
God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah by Joanne Williamson (HOD) 

Life in Ancient Greece by John Green (coloring book) - Ruben enjoyed coloring while I read aloud; hit

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths - read aloud; hit

The Golden Days of Greece by Olivia Coolidge (Truthquest History) - read aloud; hit
The Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge (Sonlight, Memoria Press) - read aloud; hit

Alexander the Great by John Gunther (HOD) - read aloud; hit
Cleopatra by Diane Stanley (HOD) - read aloud; hit
Famous Men of Rome by John H. Haaren & A.B. Poland (HOD, SCM) - only read minimal sections; hit
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction by David Macaulay (HOD, Beautiful Feet) - read aloud; Ruben really enjoyed this book! hit
Traveling the Way by Drusilla McGowen (HOD)
Twice Freed by Patricia St. John (HOD, My Father's World)

Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster (Ambleside Online, Beautiful Feet) - read aloud; Ruben didn't enjoy, but I did; I think the readings were too long for him; if I had it to do over, I would schedule shorter readings; miss/hit

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Beautiful Feet; Sonlight) - read aloud; excellent!; hit

Book of Centuries - I plan to have Ruben begin a BOC this year

Geography - A Child's Geography II - Explore the Holy Land by Ann Voskamp and Tonia Peckover (HOD) - we started this, but ended up dropping because we had too many other books going, but I think it's a worthy book and we pick it up again some other time. - miss

Math - I plan to use the Math on the Level approach with Ruben this year. MOTL will allow me to teach math concepts in an order appropriate for Ruben's readiness rather than a contrived scope and sequence. The program's "Concept Chart" helps me keep track of the concepts he's mastered as well as the concepts I have left to teach. The program is very flexible and offers enough math instruction for pre-k through pre-algebra. - We did misc. maths, focusing on concepts using a variety of resources; Ruben didn't enjoy it. He made progress, but not as much as hoped. I will attempt to find some type of scheduled program for him for math in the fall - miss

Science - I did an in depth science review last week here.

Apologia's Exploring Creation with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day (HOD)
Birds of the Air by Arabella Buckley (HOD, AO)
Plant Life in Field and Garden by Arabella Buckley (HOD, AO)
Exploring the History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner (HOD, Sonlight)
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick (HOD, Beautiful Feet)
An Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy by Kate Sweeney (HOD)

Literature - Much of Ruben's literature is a part of his history study this year. I'm still working out which books he'll read on his own and which will be read alouds for me. I'm also in the process of planning another book club for Riley and Ruben this year, which will add to their literature. I will post more about that in the future as it comes to fruition. Book Club -

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - hit
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - hit
Oliver Twist by CharlesDickens - hit
The Call of the Wild by Jack London - hit

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare - miss

Poetry - Ruben will study the poems of Robert Frost this year through HOD. - Frost study was good, but, I wish we would have spent a term on Frost. Then studied two other poets in addition; miss

Composition - Ruben will continue oral narration and begin written narration this year. I also bought Writing & Rhetoric by Classical Academic Press to aid us in this transition. - miss - W&R was a bust. We ended up switching to IEW Student Intensive B. Ruben much preferred this. - hit

Grammar - I plan to use a combination of Winston Grammar and Harvey's Grammar, which are both new programs for me as far as teaching. - WG worked wonderfully! We will continue with it. - hit

Latin - I'm debating on Latin. I have English from the Roots Up and may use it in the beginning or I may have Ruben follow along with Riley in Latin for Children (Classical Academic Press). I hope to tie grammar and Latin together to make it more practical as Ruben is a no nonsense kind of guy. I love the way Henle Latin does this, but I'm a little intimidated since I've never studied Latin personally. This will be a learning experience for both of us.

Spelling - I'm going to have Ruben try IEW Phonetic Zoo along with Riley. I'll also pull from How to Teach Spelling, which was a program his tutor referenced at the Children's Dyslexia Center.

Shakespeare - I'm hoping to lead a group of 6th through 8th graders in the study of Julius Caesar toward spring. Shakespeare will be a new adventure for me and Ruben as well. - see book club above

Art - Ruben will participate in our local homeschool art class. - hit

Music - Ruben will participate in our local homeschool choir. - hit

Overall, it was a good year! Ruben gained independence by use of the daily notebook check box system, which I will continue in some shape next year. We were not fans of Heart of Dakota and I will most likely not use it again. Math is a definite area of concern that we need to focus on in the future. 

Year 7

Riley worked independently this year for the most part. It was her request. She did well with what was assigned, but I failed to assign a couple of things. I missed her greatly in our discussions. This fall, I aim to find a few subjects that we can all do together, going back to the circle/morning time approach. Her original plan is here. 

Bible - Ambleside Online Year 6 Old Testament of "Through the Bible" plan. Since we read New Testament and church history last year, I'm only going to assign her the Old Testament portion this year. The plan is laid out as follows:

Term 1: Genesis; Psalm 1-20; Proverbs 1-6
Term 2: Job and Exodus 1-24; Psalm 21-37; Proverbs 7-11
Term 3: Exodus 25-40 and Leviticus; Psalm 38-55; Proverbs 12-16

In addition, Riley will copy the Psalms as she reads them into Do You Journible? Psalms 1-72, The 17:18 Series. I actually bought this for myself, but after seeing it, decided it would work well for Riley. I will be ordering another copy for myself so I can copy the book of Psalms along with her. - Riley enjoyed her bible study - hit

Missionary Study

Jungle Pilot: The Life and Witness of Nate Saint by Russell T. Hitt - She said, just OK - miss
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew - She said, just OK - miss
Teresa of Calcutta by D. Jeanene Watson - hit

Citizenship - I'm still thinking about Plutarch and will most likely add something later in the year.

History - Beautiful Feet Ancient History; - Riley loves BF and we will continue with their Medieval study in the fall - hit

in addition, Riley will read the following books as part of her history study:

Genesis: Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick (AO 6) - content was OK, activities were a drag - miss
Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick - hit
The Story of the Greeks by H.A. Guerber (AO 6) - hit
The Story of the Romans by H.A. Guerber (AO 6) - hit
The Boys' and Girls' Herodotus by John S. White - dry and confusing - miss

Book of Centuries - Riley will begin keeping a BOC this year. - used as a timeline because my directions weren't clear - miss

Geography - Riley will be mapping the world this year based on a the Classical Conversations Challenge A Debate model. We saw it put into play last spring when we observed a CC Challenge A class. She and I were both very intrigued by it. You can find a full review here.  - hit

Math - Lial's Basic College Mathematics, We are trying something totally different this year for math. I began hearing rave reviews of Lial's math years ago on the Living Math Yahoo Group. This spring, I happened across a copy at a used book sale. After a bit of online networking, I found out about My Homeschool Math Class, where Mrs. Perkins teaches online classes using Lial's. Riley is signed up for the online math class. This will be our first experience with online courses. I'm looking forward to trying something new. - Overall, this ended well and we will most likely continue with an online Pre-Algebra class in the fall. You can read a review here.  - hit

Science - Apologia's Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology and Exploring the History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner   I did an in depth science review here.

Natural Science - Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie - hit; Secrets of the Woods - hit and School of the Woods - hit both by William J. Long (AO 3 & 6)

Nature Study - Riley will venture out on a weekly nature study. A while back I bought Journaling a Year in Nature from Simply Charlotte Mason to guide her in her study. I have been on again off again with nature study, but Riley has been fairly consistent. I'm interested to see what she does with this journal. See science overview. 

Literature - I'm in the process of planning another book club for Riley and Ruben this year and will post more about that in the future as it comes to fruition. The following literature will be assigned to Riley by term. In addition, she has a "Free Reading" list to choose from, which is a conglomeration of AO Free Reads from various years. - Book Club 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - hit
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - hit
Oliver Twist by CharlesDickens - hit
The Call of the Wild by Jack London - hit

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare - miss

The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum (Sonlight) - excellent! - definite hit
Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff - she said, just OK - hit
The Ides of April by Mary Ray (Sonlight) - confusing and hard to comprehend - miss

Poetry and Fairy Tales

Gilgamesh by David Ferry - miss
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang - not into fairy tales, just OK - miss

Composition - Riley will continue with oral and written narration. I also purchased The Lost Tools of Writing from the CiRCE Institute, but am trying to figure out whether or not to incorporate it this year. I'm going to see how it goes, I just may wait until next year. - hit

Grammar - Jensen's Grammar by Frode Jensen (AO 7) - miss - This program didn't work for Riley so we ended up scrapping it after a few weeks. She then switched to Easy Grammar Ultimate Series which she liked. 

Latin - Latin for Children (Classical Academic Press)

Spelling - We are going to try IEW Phonetic Zoo this year for spelling. Riley and I both love All About Spelling, however, if something was going to fall by the wayside, it was this. At the end of last year, Riley asked if there was a spelling program she could work through independently...I guess she was sick of waiting on me :( After a bit of research, I found IEW's program and we've decided to give it a try. We always have AAS to fall back on. - hit

Shakespeare - I'm hoping to lead a group in the study of Julius Caesar toward spring. Shakespeare will be a new adventure for me. Although Riley is familiar since reading Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare a couple of years ago. - see book club above

Logic/Rhetoric - Riley's been working through Building Thinking Skills for the past couple of years and will finish it up this year. She will also be reading It Couldn't Just Happen by Lawrence O. Richards, which is a Sonlight, Ambleside Online, and Classical Conversations recommendation, in addition to The Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn (AO 7).  - Riley finished Building Thinking Skills. We have both decided that it was busy work and time wasted. I will not use it again in the future. Riley really liked both of the other books and prefers to study logic and rhetoric through reading and not a workbook - hit

Handicrafts - Riley is interested in learning to crochet. Since I have Handicrafts Made Simple by Simply Charlotte Mason, she will most likely use it to learn. I'm also thinking about having her chose a couple projects from Nature Smart by Gwen Diehn. Riley enjoys the outdoors and is very crafty so I think this will be a good fit for her. - I failed to schedule this so it didn't get done. 

Art - Riley will participate in our local homeschool art class. - hit

Music - Riley will participate in our local homeschool choir. -  hit

Overall, Riley showed growth as well, particularly in math. As mentioned, I greatly missed her in our discussions and will somehow find a way for her to remain independent for most subjects, but join us for some. Some areas that lacked were because I didn't give clear direction or "put it on her schedule" and I didn't follow up. Even though both Riley and Ruben are gaining greater independence, it still behooves us all if I follow through. At a minimum, we will need to have some sort of weekly meeting next year.  

How was your year? Have you done an audit? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section...

Weekly Reflections - Week Thirty-Five....

At Home

School's out for the summer! We are officially ending our 2016-2017 academic year. This week, Riley finished up her online math. Ruben finished up science. I'll be working on my homeschool audit over the next couple of weeks. I also hope to do exit interviews with the kids to see what they thought worked and what didn't and what skills they wish to improve over the course of the next year. I will be taking all things into consideration as I plan for fall.

Around the Web

I loved reading Rea Berg's homeschool story and seeing the photos of her young children in the five part Veteran Edition at Learning Well Community. I really respect her wisdom and years of experience. She was my favorite Great Homeschool Convention speaker!

Brandy released her 2017 Mother Culture Reading List earlier this week. I'm still on the fence about my reading choices this summer. I've been wanting to read something by C.S. Lewis and Stratford Caldecott's books are on my night stand, as is The Emperor's Handbook. Now that we've finished up our academic year, I have one more book selling event. Then I will have time to focus on summer reading. Before starting any new books, I really want to finish Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry.

I recently found a new podcast that I'm enjoying. Greta Eskridge, Kristin Rogers, and company offer conversation about mothering, home life, and education on At Home Podcast. A friend recently put Podcast Addict on my Kindle and I've added At Home to my list. I'm moving up in the world with technology ;-)

I also purchased a bundle this week from Wild + Free. This gives you limited time access to many resources including past Wild + Free Conference talks, which I've been working through. So far, I've enjoyed Terri Woods, Greta Eskridge and Jodi Mockabee all introducing themselves and sharing rhythms from their homeschool day.

Weekly Reflections - Week Thirty-Four....

At Home

Rain, rain, go away! After having a week of gorgeous weather, it was hard to regress back to below normal temps, frost, and rain. Of course, on the other hand, we have boys, big and small, who live for puddles and mud. Levi loves riding his bike in the rain. Aside from the dismal weather, it was a good week.

We went to Como Zoo midweek. Levi didn't remember being there so it was especially fun for him. The big kids remembered most, but not all of the exhibits so they enjoyed it as well. Como Zoo is a wonderful free will donation park with a large variety of animals and we are fortunate to live within driving distance. It made a great day trip.

Our formal academic studies are definitely winding down. I told Ruben he could be done with his math this week. We also finished The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare. Riley finished geography, science, and several living books she was reading over the third term. We plan to call it quits at the end of next week.

Around the Web

Karen Glass posted an interesting blog on whether Charlotte Mason was Classical or Not? It's a little long, but poses many excellent points. It also begs a question I had, what are the principles of classical education? Because there are no one set of principles or standards, understanding classical ed can be confusing. Many educators have differing opinions as classical ed has morphed over the centuries.

I also read a couple of articles by Heidi White over at CiRCE. Teacher, Teach Thyself offers a reminder that if we want to be imitated, we must first be worthy of imitation.

If classical educators must do for ourselves what we ask of our students, we must develop liturgies of lifelong learning in our lives.

Secondly, in Reading is Not Enough, White prompts us to read with purpose. She defines the difference between intentional and hobby reading. White admits to currently reading Charlotte Mason's A Philosophy of Education, which isn't surprising given the ideas presented in her post.

I've never thought of Latin as being the next step after phonics, however, in How Latin Helps Us Learn, Annie Holmquist presents her case with research and findings from other countries and a quote from Cheryl Lowe, founder of Memoria Press.

As mentioned last week, I'm working through The Online Homeschool Convention for Parents of 5-12 Year Olds. I watched Annette Breedlove talk on Transitioning Our Kids To The Next Big Phases: Kindergarten and Middle School, Dr. Christopher Perrin on Teaching Our Kids (And Ourselves) To Learn From Rest, Beth Bruno on Moms & Daughters: Preparing Our Girls To Become Women, Janice Campbell talking about Secret Weapons For Our Kid's Growth: Handwriting & Literature, Robert Bortins on Classical Conversations For Our Kids: A Community Approach, and Asheritah Ciuciu on Keys For Moms Being Closer To God Despite Our Busy Lives. Below are some take away thoughts I had....

Dr. Christopher Perrin

"...most effective means of teaching is tutoring" - puts me in mind of A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille.
- go deep with a few things
- make haste slowly (Festina Lente)
- humility and love are chief virtues...be encouraged because you are a tutor and truly love your kids, let that override any deficiencies

Beth Bruno

I plan to check out her free e-book, "Before the Clock Strikes Twelve, Preparing to Parent Teens".

Janice Campbell

- simplify and relax
- live creatively with art, music, great books, and nature

Asheritah Ciuciu

- has a sweet heart for ministering to women/moms
- practical ideas for time with God in the mist of the chaos of mothering

Weekly Reflections - Week Thirty-Three...

At Home

We bought new to us maps this week from a fellow homeschooler who was purging. I love that they are bigger than the other maps we had and uniform from the same publisher. This makes them more visually appealing than the last set and much easier to read due to a larger, darker font. One man's junk is another man's treasure ;-)

A couple of new book packages arrived this week, which is super exciting for a bibliophile like me!...SQUEAL! I'm thrilled with the opportunity to pair with Beautiful Feet to blog through their Medieval History Intermediate Study. This will be the third year they've graciously gifted us with a guide and misc. books in exchange for blogs about our history journey. One thing I love about BF is the flexibility it offers. Their history guides are just that, a guide, and the BF family expects that you will use it to suit your family. They appreciate the fact that no two family's homeschool will look alike.

Also, I've had the privilege to meet Russ, Rea, and Josh Berg in person as well as corresponding by e-mail with Rebecca and they are truly lovely people who have a passion for the Lord, great books, and homeschooling. I'm not just typing this for free books. I've actually used Beautiful Feet in some shape or form for at least seven out of our ten years of homeschooling. Even when I've stepped away for a short time for various reasons, I always come back to the beautiful no nonsense approach.

Over the last year, I've been piecing together Memoria Press's Tree Study. The Tree Book by Gina Ingoglia first sparked my interest at last year's GHC. Then in January, I purchased The Book of Trees by Sean Brooks and the Peterson Field Guide to Trees at the CiRCE Regional Conference. This year, at GHC, I sealed the deal with the student book and teacher guide. These last two books arrived this week.

I don't plan to complete a workbook study on trees. However, I like the black and white illustrations and diagrams in the student book and believe they may be helpful for Ruben to use as a model in creating his own drawings. There are also many questions that I can use for narration and writing prompts throughout. Our kids already know several trees, but I wanted to have a few extra resources as I plan to further their study. I really like the beautiful nature study books Memoria Press has put together.

Around the Web

Mystie hit a home run this week with her post Education in Life: Why Kids Need Chums, Church, & Chores.  Unscheduled free time with peers is definitely the best way to cultivate friendships!!! The only co-op type activities we participate in are book clubs and the purpose of the club is academic, not social. Promoting co-ops for social reasons is actually a peeve of mine. If one is seeking social opportunities, it should be just that, social, free range and organic, not structured with an alternate agenda.

This week, I read Brandy's post on how she teaches Latin. Teaching Latin has been on my heart for years. I attempted it with Riley in 5th grade and failed. She now has PTSD when I mention Latin, so I cower. However, I think it's about high time we both put our big girl panties on and start fresh....still thinking on this one!

I also spent the past week participating in The Homeschool Curriculum Online Summit hosted by Todd and Jessie. I listened to a variety of online interviews/seminars including the Opening Keynote Session with Davis and Rachael Carman, Teaching Math from a Christian Worldview with Katherine Loop, Why Teaching Science Is a Critical Part of Education (Even for Poets) with Sherri Seligson, Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing with Andrew Pudewa (my favorite!!), The Great American Reading Disaster and How You Can Make Sure Your Child Isn’t Part Of It! with Renee Ellison, Teaching History from a Christian Worldview – God Initiates, People Respond, History Happens! with Michelle Howard Miller, and The Timeline of Teaching History to Your Children with Diana Waring. I was bummed I missed Sonya Shafer, but sometimes life takes over.

If you're unable to attend a live homeschool conference, an online conference is a great option. Currently Great Homeschool Conventions has paired up with Jeremiah & Kimberly Callihan to bring you The Online Homeschool Convention for Parents of 5-12 Year Olds. I watched Brennan Dean and Jeremiah Callihan kick off the conference with the Opening Keynote: Convention Season Strategies. I haven't made it back there yet, but hope to see Kathy Lee from The Homegrown Preschooler, Dr. Jay Wile speak on science, Kathy Kuhl on Understanding and Helping Our Struggling Learners, Janice Campbell on handwriting and literature, and of course, I don't want to miss Dr. Christopher Perrin speak on learning from rest. There are others that I may attend as well, if time permits. The conference runs through May 23rd so even if you've missed some sessions, there are still many more to come!

Charlotte Mason Study Group

I had the pleasure of meeting with my CM sisters last night and it was fabulous! I feel so fortunate to have found fellowship with other like minded homeschoolers in my area. There were seven of us in attendance and our reading for discussion was from Charlotte Mason's Vol. 1, Home Education. It was in regard to "Out-of-Door Life for Children', which fit very well with the science research I've been doing over the past couple of weeks. One mom brought science books that her son is using this year from AO Year 7, two other moms brought student nature journals, and we pulled books from my homeschool shelves to add to the discussion. It was three hours of delightful respite! I for one, needed this shot in the arm to finish the year strong.

If you haven't found your tribe yet, there's no better time than the present. I highly encourage you to plug in. If there's not a desired group in your area, create one! If you are rural or remote or there are no homeschoolers in your area, I would encourage you to look online. All it takes it one other person to connect with.

Weekly Reflections - Week Thirty-Two...

At Home

It's a gorgeous day here on Drywood Creek! The kids mowed the lawn and tilled the garden. I've been sorting book finds from a couple of sales we hit this week and doing laundry. I also re-potted tomato plants that Levi and I started from seed. Hopefully, they'll be ready to go outside in a couple of weeks. Then the kids and I went for a walk and built a fire pit in an awesome spot they found earlier this spring. We plan to set up camp this summer. I'll post more about it as it comes to fruition.

Regarding books, the kids are finishing up odds and ends. I sold the HOD Creation to Christ program Ruben was using this year. I made a few notes of things we'll work on over the last couple of weeks of school, but for the most part, we were both done. with. it! We're still working on reading The Bronze Bow. It is so good!  We also started City by David Macaulay this week. Ruben is really enjoying it. He's paged through, looking at the illustrations several times.

Riley got caught up on her math. She also had her choir concert this week. We are so blessed to have a local homeschool choir! Soli Deo Gloria was started about fifteen years ago by a homeschool mom with a music degree. Her kids have since graduated from homeschooing and are now at college, but she is continuing the program for the rest of our benefit. There are around 300 kids that participate in three different vocal choirs, handbells, and chimes. They learn to sing a variety of songs including bible verses, hymns, classical, patriotic, and folk songs. This semester, Riley's choir, Jubilate Deo, pictured above, sang Festival Sanctus, which is a call to worship in Latin, and Words We Live By, which included the Preamble to the Constitution, The New Colossus, and The Gettysburg Address. It was a lovely evening!

Around the Web

I'm still looking at middle school science options for fall.  This week, I listened to A Delectable Education podcast #20, 21, 22, 23, and 24, all relating to science. As mentioned last week, I was looking at Nicole Williams' science. I've also spent some time this week looking at Ambleside Online's Year 7 and 8 science, as well as Lisa Kelly's, A Mind in the Light Year 7 and 8 science. I'm still undecided about exact books, but I'm getting a pretty good feel for some options. Of course, I'll be consulting Charlotte Mason's writings before making a final decision.

Weekly Reflections - Week Thirty-One...

At Home

Look at those puppies! They are growing like weeds...naughty though they are. They are in the ripping up the patio cushion stage. It's kind of like kids, it's a good thing they're cute ;-)

It was a good, but busy week here on Drywood Creek. That's typical for spring. We lost a couple days of 'school' to life. There was dentist appointments, choir, and thrift sales...'tis the season :)  This is the time of year I make clothing purchases for our family for the upcoming year. I scour various neighborhood thrift sales buying the next sizes. It's fun, but a bit tiring.

As we whittle down our weeks of the 2016-2017 school year, the kids are finishing many books. I purposely schedule this way, knowing how crazy busy spring is. We don't take many breaks throughout the year in order to wind down early in the spring. It allows us to finish our academics in approximately three day weeks so there's time for other life events and to get outside. Winter in Wisconsin can be a bear so as soon as the snow melts and the thermometer is regularly above freezing, everybody wants to be outside!

Riley and Ruben both finished their outsourced art class last week and Riley will finish choir next week, just in time for softball to start.

Around the Web

Being outside and away from home, hasn't afforded me as much time on the computer, which is OK. However, I have a couple of things I want to share.

I've been looking at Nicole Williams Forms 3-4 Science Curriculum and would love to hear feedback from any of you who've used it.

I've also been studying Ambleside Online Year 7 and Year 8 schedules trying to plan for the upcoming year. I just realized they have some combination upper year schedules allowing you to do six years of Ambleside Online in five years by combining Years 7, 8, 9 in two years. I have been thinking about combining Years 7 and 8 since this covers the time period I'm aiming to study in the fall. I'll be playing around with schedules over the next couple of months.

This week, I listened to Amusing Ourselves to Leisure and mentally noted a couple of interesting thoughts, but plan to go back to make written notes. I find myself doing this more often than not. I listen to the podcast while working around the house, then go back and listen a second time, when I'm able to jot things down. It's helping me make connections.

I also listened to The Mason Jar #15: Jan Bloom of Books Bloom. I was able to shop at Jan's booth at the Great Homeschool Convention last week, which is where I acquired my new to me copy of Better Late Than Early. During the podcast, I learned a little more about the Landmark book series. We've been collecting Landmarks for years and highly recommend them. But, I didn't realize how Random House chose authors and assigned them topics to write about....interesting!

Weekly Reflections - Week Thirty...

At Home

We had an inch or less of snow predicted, so when we woke to over 6" Tuesday morning, it was a bit of a surprise. Thankfully, it didn't last...and it left the grass a beautiful lush green when it melted.

We had a pretty regular week in our homeschool. I finished reading aloud Augustus Caesar's World and have a post ready to go for Monday regarding that. We have since moved on to The Bronze Bow, which we are all loving! We have a break week scheduled for next week as Riley and I are heading to the Great Homeschool Convention. I'll be prepping for the trip in between Easter celebrations this weekend.

Riley, Ruben, and I participated in a Seder Supper at church Thursday evening. This was our second time participating and we invited my dad along this year. Our church hosts the event every other year on Maundy Thursday. We are not Jewish, but I love the historical significance and partaking in a biblical feast. I also think it's a great experience for the kids.

Around the Web

Sonya Shafer wrote a great post on Nature Study and Science: Is There a Difference? I've heard this question asked before and feel her answer is spot on.

I've been on a Greta Eskridge kick this week as I listened to Inspiring a Love of Nature Through Books and Inspiring Parents in Children's Literature at the Read Aloud Revival. I was very intrigued by her idea of nature journaling through literature! Of course, I don't feel this is a replacement for actually getting out in nature, but I think it's certainly an adequate supplement, particularly to study nature outside your region. For example, Wisconsin is about as far from any ocean as you can get, so reading a book like Pagoo by Holling C. Holling and nature journaling through it to learn about tide pools is a wonderful idea! Greta blogs at Ma and Pa Modern and has a lovely Instagram account.

Speaking of which, I've been poking around on Instagram quite a bit lately as I'm thinking about opening an account. I'd appreciate hearing feedback, pros and cons, if you have experience with it. I love the idea of posting more photos!

The Farmer had talk radio on the other day and I overheard part of Glenn Beck's interview with Jack Barsky, which prompted me to go listen to his story in it's entirety. It was fascinating! Barsky made some very profound observations about the state of our country and communism. I'm looking forward to reading his book.

On My Shelf

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare - reading aloud

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry - nearing the end, oh so good!

Home Education by Charlotte Mason - Charlotte Mason Study Group

Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott - recommended and loaned from a mom in our CM Study Group

A Handbook for Morning Time by Cindy Rollins - prep for future school planning

What a difference a day makes.....

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Nine....

At Home

Sorry I've been absent. I had all three sick kiddos last week. I'm thinking influenza, but, of course, that's self-diagnosed. You know, fever, aches, chills, cough, etc. It was the pits! Then the Farmer started in...man sickness, that's all I'm saying about that one ;-)

Anyway, I'm thankful I recently began studying homeopathy through another local homeschool mom. It was very helpful in keeping the afflicted comfortable. I'm not a doctor, but some things that worked for us were Aconite and Belladonna for fever. Bryonia and Spongia for coughs. Hepar Sulph for sore throat and Sanguinaria for sinusitis issues.

Everyone was up and kind of running by Friday just in time for the annual homeschool curriculum fair I coordinated. I was a little nervous at one point when everyone was down, but thankfully, it all came together. We had 38 sellers with 42 tables and it was a gorgeous day! Part of the sale is pictured above.

Unfortunately, we did have to cancel our final Middle School Book Club meeting last week due to the illness. We read Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, but didn't get to have discussion. We are still up in air as to rescheduling, but it was the first Shakespeare exposure for some so I am excited to hear what the kids thought.

We also didn't complete the full week of school with illness and book sale prep happening. Because we have other out of the home academic events scheduled three days this week, I've decided to carry over last week's unfinished work. You might say we're taking two weeks to finish one week's book work. I don't normally roll this way, but given the fact that everyone is still in recovery mode, I feel the need to ease back in slowly. One of the beauties of homeschooling is being able to flex the plan.

Around the Web

I didn't spend much time online last week either, but did manage to read a couple of older posts at Memoria Press. One was written by Martin Cothran in response to comments made by Rush Limbaugh on classical education. The other was written by Andrew Kern on Teaching Classical Literature Classically. I appreciate what both of these men have to say about classical education and glean from their teaching.

Speaking of book clubs, I did listen to Creating a Book Club for Kids by Mary Wilson. In finishing up our second year of facilitating a homeschool book club, I've learned a great deal. Our club was co-ed, though age was limited and we met monthly. Last year, we studied 7 books. This year we studied 5. In our particular case, less was more.

Charlotte Mason Book Study

Since finishing Consider This, our CM Book Study group has decided to proceed our study of Charlotte Mason by reading through Vol. 1, Home Education. We will continue to meet monthly, discussing small sections at a time. After studying Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education with Brandy's Start Here guide, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the big picture and now look forward to taking a closer look at the details.

I do plan to blog through our study so if you'd like to read and follow along, that would be great! We will begin by reading p. 1-41, Some Preliminary Considerations, for our first meeting. Since we don't have a guide to give assigned sections of reading, after our first meeting, we will gauge whether it was too much or too little. Feel free to join in and use the comment section of the blog for discussion.

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Eight...

At Home

Oh, it's that time of year! I'm making my lists and checking them twice because it's used book sale and homeschool convention season. I'm in the midst of planning the Chippewa Valley Annual Homeschool Curriculum Fair. The information is posted below for those of you in the area that can stop by.

Around the Web

This week I read Dawdling and Inattention over at Afterthoughts and was intrigued by the thought of splitting the math lesson. Brandy brings up some great points regarding how growing bodies can affect our kid's attention span.

Have you been wondering about Socratic discussion? If so, Pam Barnhill unpacks it with Matt Bianco in Your Morning Basket #32 Socratic Discussion and Leading to Truth: A Conversation with Matt Bianco.

I also listened to Schole Sisters Podcast #20, Mothers, Don't Let you Methods Grow Up To Be Systems this week, with Brandy, Mystie, and Karen Glass. It was fabulous! I really want to go back and listen a second time. There were so many wonderful points! Also, after finishing Consider This, I appreciate any chance to listen to Karen expound on her ideas.

If you've been anywhere around homeschool blog land lately, you know Schole is all the rage. Kathy Weitz, The Reading Mother, wrote Toward Schole in our Homes and Co-ops, which gave me much to ponder. I linked it in my Schole notes for future reference.

But scholé cannot be the only thing we seek. Rest is absolutely meaningless, not to mention impossible, without work. If we miss this interdependence between work and rest, despair is the likely outcome when we try to map scholé onto the daily experience of our own—all too often far from restful—homeschools. 

And now, about our local homeschool sale....

CHIPPEWA VALLEY

ANNUAL HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM FAIR

Saturday, April 1, 2017

9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Calvary Baptist Church

3036 Epiphany Lane

Eau Claire, WI 54703

A gymnasium full of new and used books, curriculum, toys, games, crafts, and misc. educational resources
 

Concessions provided by Chippewa Valley Lightning Bolts

There’s something for everyone!!

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Seven...

At Home

I believe I mentioned Wikki Stix in my preschool post a few weeks back. They've been a fun edition to our homeschool. Levi has been quite create with them. I love the glasses he made in the photo above!

We welcomed wi-fi into our home recently. After buying a Kindle and not being able to use it without wi-fi, I finally bit the bullet last week and made the switch. So far, I'm loving it! You will notice a boat load of podcasts linked below as I'm now able to listen while I work :)

Around the Web

This week, I listened to A Delectable Education, podcasts 54, 55, 56, 57, which are all about math. My favorites were 56 and 57, in which Liz interviewed Richele Baburina about middle and high school math. I could listen to Richele talk all day about math. She's so knowledgeable and humble. It's clear she's really taken time to study, understand, and implement Charlotte Mason's methods in her homeschool.

At CiRCE, I listened to Brian Phillips in The Commons #1: Alfred the Great (Featuring Dr. Ben Merkle) and The Commons #2: J.S. Bach (featuring Greg Wilbur), both of which were fascinating historically. It got me thinking how much time one must spend studying the life and times in order to write a biography. I was prompted to locate a copy of The White Horse King  through inter library loan to see if it would be a possibility for Riley in the fall when we move to the middle ages.

I also listened to The Mason Jar Q&A: LIVE from the 2016 CiRCE Conference...twice! I was intrigued hearing Karen Glass speak about Charlotte Mason. It's apparent, Karen is very well read. I also loved what Cindy said about how silly it is for people to talk about classical education or a Charlotte Mason education. I agree about the need to stop driving a wedge.

I'm looking forward to reading Part 3 of The Benedict Option or the Constantine Project. This is an interesting concept that actually came up a few months back at one of our CM Study Group meetings. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Lastly, I listened to Schole Sisters Podcast #15, Thankfully Classical, in which Brandy and Mystie spoke about thankfulness in their homeschools. Here are my responses to the "Thankful Prompts"....

A person (dead or alive) who provides classical inspiration...Andrew Kern

A book that changed your life...Charlotte Mason's Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education

A practice that saved your homeschool...Narration

A principle that revolutionized your lessons or thinking or was otherwise life-altering...looking at the why instead of how when it comes to educational practices of the past in order to decide whether or not my motivation is utilitarian 

A curriculum you love...Beautiful Feet

An organization you’re indebted to...CiRCE Institute 

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Six...

At Home

Yesterday, the kids and I went to see The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe at our local children's theatre. It was fabulous! Truth be told, I have never read the book. However, Riley and Ruben listened to it a few years back on audio. They felt the play was very close to the book. We also knew some of the actors as fellow homeschoolers, which made it extra special. Overall, the costumes were amazing. The actors were perfectly casted and of course, the story was superb. I would now love to read the entire series of books.

Around the Web

Have you ever wondered Why They Won't Read? Plumfield and Paideia has given us something to ponder...

Many of today’s children’s books can’t avoid the themes of the inherent wisdom of children, the serious want of wisdom in the adults in their lives, that any child can grow up to be anything he wants to be, and children, at least the main characters, are good enough just the way they are. 

Perhaps our children are starving for healthy servings of virtue even as we keep offering them the latest, most popular brand of empty calories. 

In Escape the Slavery of Grade Levels, Sherry explains why we shouldn't categorize our children.

Over at EDSnapshots this week, Lisa Healy shared The Benefits of Nursery Rhymes on Preschool Development. I couldn't agree more with Lisa's list of pros.  You know it's funny, as I read nursery rhymes with my kids, I am immediately taken back to my childhood. I can easily recall readings from Best Loved Nursery Rhymes and Songs. So much so, that I know the rhymes by heart. When I'm reading aloud to my kids, they simply roll off the tongue. It was one of the few books we owned as a child. (I still have my childhood copy with the taped binding.)  I also agree nursery rhymes are a great way to introduce poetry and rhythm as they promote language.

This week I loved The Intersection of Effortlessness and Hard Work! I even listened to parts of it twice!...and I'm going back again to make notes. There's a lot of depth there and food for thought!

Lastly, I'm working my way through Close Reads podcast #11, which is in relation to chapters 16-18 of Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. I'm telling you, you must read this book! Wow! I was so sad and caught off guard at the end of chapter 18, I don't know how to go on. I can't wait to see how David, Angelina, and Tim unpack it.

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Five...

At Home

Uffda, I hope I never have another week like this one!! It started with my sister in the hospital with stroke-like symptoms, which turned out to be Bells Palsy, and ended with my dad in the hospital with heart attack-like symptoms, which thankfully turned out not to be a heart attack. Oh, and I had a child throwing up in between. NOT FUN! I'm just so thankfully, everyone is home tonight resting comfortably.

It's hard to believe we are one week into our third term. Because school was starting to feel like a job, I pared back on some things in the hope of finishing strong. We are going to focus on reading great books and math. It's as simple as that!

The kids also started choir and art this week. These are subjects I outsource. We are so blessed to have a fabulous well established homeschool choir and art classes in our area. Both of which are taught by homeschool moms with degrees in that field of teaching. The kids love participating.

Lastly, we finished our 1000 piece puzzle this week! It's still put together on a card table, but I really should take it down. It was just such a labor of love that I hate to see it destroyed. I was surprised by how many pieces Levi was able to contribute. While putting the puzzle together, we enjoyed great conversation and I finished listening to The Call of the Wild on audio. I also enjoyed some quiet time of contemplation. It was a wonderful family venture.  I highly recommend it!

Around the Web

In Writing Scaffolds: Summarizing, Lisa Kelly gives us skill builder prompts to help our kids learn the art of summary. In referencing Charlotte Mason style narrations, Kelly says,

Many of the less significant looking narration suggestions are actually prompts which act as scaffolds in teaching the writing process, prompts with which summarizing is just one section of that process.

Emily Price shares with us the ancient tradition of commonplacing in DICKINSON, COMMONPLACING, AND A BUMP ON THE HEAD. I learned about the monks and this "gathering of flowers" from Dr. Christopher Perrin at the CiRCE Conference....commonplace = florilegium = book of flowers....I love this!!!

Speaking of keeping a notebook, Productivity Coach in a Notebook by Jan Eppingstall offers some food for thought. I love the idea of keeping a bullet journal, but have thus far, failed miserably. However, it's something I've been thinking about and would like to try again. Eppingstall also presents a wonderful case for handwriting over typing.

Since homeschool conventions are upon us, I appreciated Pam's How to Avoid these Six Homeschool Planning Pitfalls.

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Four....

At Home

Oh my!...What a difference a day makes! We've had a week of record setting above normal temps here in WI...I mean where all the ice went over the dam and there was virtually no snow left.  Early in the week, we were in short sleeves and sweatshirts. Some crazies at my house were even in shorts with bare feet, ahem!

Anyway, Thursday night, this big cold front blew in, bringing close to a foot of snow. Today is sunny, but blustery with drifting snow blowing across the field. We had a taste of spring if only for a fleeting moment before reality set in. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, it will all be history and the spring like temps will be here to stay.

Book work happened, but man was it hard with that nice weather.  We ended up schooling early morning and evening to take advantage of the 60-degree sunny afternoons. These are the days I'm so grateful for homeschooling.

This week we moved into Ancient Rome. I started reading aloud Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster. Riley has completed other books in this series by Foster, but this is my first. I'm looking forward to it.

Around the Web

Over at Edsnapshots, Kate Snow posted 8 Ways to Make Math More Fun. If your math program has gone stale, Kate shares some great tips for bringing it back to life.

Have you seen these FREE Charlotte Mason style lessons to accompany the McGuffey Readers? They look really good and Sherry even offers videos to show you how to use her plan.

In Classical Education Resources, Stacey gives a great list for learning more about classical education.

This week, I listened to Jennifer Dow and Pam Barnhill talk about Tension in Morning Time.  This is not necessarily the tension between parent and child, but rather internal conflicts with mom who skips morning time.  The podcast shows the epitome of reality.

Since we have amassed thousands of books in our home, I always tease that we live in a library. Growing Up in a Library is Exactly as Magical as You'd Imagine put a smile on my face. I believe it's the best way to grow :)

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Three...

At Home

Riley and Ruben are finishing up archery this week. They signed up through 4-H and had a blast. Today Ruben moves on to air rifle and Riley's signing up for softball. It looks to be another busy spring ahead.

Speaking of spring, it was in the 50's yesterday!  This is very abnormal for February in WI, but hey, we'll take it! The whole next week looks to be much above normal average temperatures.

Regarding academics, Ruben finished up Greece this week so we're moving on to Rome.  I think we are going to join in on Riley's Beautiful Feet study. Three of the HOD Creation to Christ books are the same as BF's and I really like the BF history guide better. I'll be working out a plan over the next couple of days and will post when it all comes together.

Around the Web

I enjoyed Lisa Kelly's Thoughts on "Children's Books". Be sure to click the "Children's Books" link in the second paragraph. There is a delightful list at the end of the article!

Do you have the February blues? Mystie Winckler shares her Secret Weapon for Beating a Bad Attitude in our Homeschool.

Upon hearing Dr. Christopher Perrin speak at the CiRCE Regional Conference on The Monastery School, the topic of a domestic monastery came up in our CM Study Group. Afterward, one of our members sent us The Domestic Monastery, which I found interesting and have been contemplating since.

I've also been thinking a ton about Plutarch since two of the three books I'm reading aloud to Ruben have referenced his Parallel Lives this week. In Plutarch, Polio, and Philopoemen, Nancy Kelly shares a wonderful story and correspondence she received 7 years after meeting a classics professor while traveling.

Brandy hit it home this week in Are You Sabotaging Your Charlotte Mason Homeschool? It's so easy to get wrapped up in the curriculum and lose sight of our goal, but herein lies perspective.

Weekly Reflections - Week Twenty-Two....

At Home

It was cold outside this week here on Drywood Creek as the kids were inside fighting head colds. They were supposed to sing last Sunday in church, but when Levi woke at 5:00 a.m. throwing up, the plans changed. Thankfully, everyone was feeling some better for our Middle School Book Club on Wed, in which we discussed Call of the Wild by Jack London. Stay tuned for a future post.

Last night, our CM Study Group met to discuss the final chapters of Consider This by Karen Glass. I'll be posting more about the second half of the book in the near future as well.

Around the Web

This week Brandy shared The Best Kept Secret of Homeschooling. Did I ever tell you I homeschool just as much for my sake as the sake of my children ;-)

The Answer to the #1 Question Homeschoolers Ask Me may surprise you.  It did me, but it shouldn't have since it's a question on my mind. You can listen here if you don't have time to read. 

Yesterday, I listened to Schole Sisters Podcast 7, Virtual Scholé Sisters Groups and Technology Tools. I'm not very techy, but Brandy and Amber presented some wonderful ideas for finding your sisters online. 

In Fashion

I pretty much live in jeans. I am 5'6", which is about average height here in the U.S., but for some reason it seems jeans come with a length more suited to 6' women. Sometimes I roll the bottom over, which I know is not very fashionable, but the alternative of tripping and breaking my neck doesn't sound fashionable either. So recently, I decided to attempt shortening my jeans. 

Now, I don't know a ton about sewing so my method may seem a bit crude to the experienced seamstress. However, it worked and only took me about an hour to finish five pair. First, I found a pair of jeans that was the right length. Next, I laid them on top of a pair that was too long, being careful to line them up at the waist and crotch. From there, I cut the bottom of the longer pair off, leaving about 1/2 to 3/4" hemline. No, I didn't measure anything. I simply eye balled it. 

 

Next, I folded the bottom under to line up with the foot of my sewing machine. This helped me guide the pant leg through evenly since I wasn't measuring anything. After the first pair, I did realize it was much easier to pin the pant leg under before sewing. This took a bit of time, but saved a whole lot of headache. 

See Melissa concentrate, ha!...Ruben was taking pictures as I was sewing. I should note, I chose my least favorite pair of jeans to sew first in case my experiment went astray. Thankfully, it was a success and I was able to add five pair of pants to my wardrobe that are actually now the right length!  See the variation of lengths that I cut off...

I know many people are able to buy jeans from the store the right length or have them professionally altered. However, we live on a fixed income and all our clothes are second hand, bought from thrift shops and thrift sales. I usually go for fit around the waist and hips as well as comfort, not worrying about length. I typically spend anywhere from $1 to $8 on jeans, most of which are name brand. Finally being able to hem them myself is very gratifying and it really wasn't that hard. Best of all, if I wouldn't have told you, you would have never noticed :)