The Early Years....

I recently checked this book out of our local public library and discovered what an invaluable resource it is for parents of young children.  Whether you plan to homeschool or are readying your child for a traditional school, The Early Years: A Charlotte Mason Preschool Handbook by Sonya Shafer and Karen Smith is a real treasure.

Part 1 starts off with "The Chief Duty of Parents".  Charlotte Mason encouraged parents in their duties of instilling good habits and nourishing their child's mind.  This section will help you understand Charlotte's thoughts on these duties.  Parts 2 & 3 break down forming right habits and nourishing the mind into more specific areas such as "Proper Physical Care, Using the Senses, Nature, Play, Books & Stories, The Alphabet, Spiritual Life", etc.

Within each section, there are quotes from Ms. Mason's personal writings supporting her ideas.  Shafer and Smith have taken it a step further by extracting and summarizing practical ideas from these quotes for nurturing your preschooler.  For example, in Chapter 12, The Alphabet, there are such suggestions as "Draw letters in the air and see if your child can name them,...." and "Many children will learn the alphabet on their own, but there is no harm in teaching it when approached as play."

The Appendix in the back gives Charlotte's thoughts on kindergarten as well as ideas for beginning reading, math, and handwriting.  "Instead of academic or social pressures, Charlotte encouraged mothers to give their little ones a full six years of developing good habits, getting acquainted with nature, exploring the five senses, growing in their spiritual lives, and playing outdoors."

I'm looking forward to spending more time with The Early Years when Levi gets to the preschool stage.  I recommend this book and the Simply Charlotte Mason website for anyone interested in educating their child or learning more about Charlotte Mason and her methods.

I was thrilled to see that Simply Charlotte Mason released a video DVD this week titled Enjoying the Early Years.  It's a companion DVD to The Early Years that was recorded at a live workshop.  I watched the trailer and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy to watch in its entirety!!  What an amazing resource for preschool families :)

Thursdays of Thanks.....

Afternoon naps; Celebration of The Farmers' Uncle's life; Twenty months; Pastor Toth preaching "JESUS LOVES YOU" message; Normal test results; Beautifully sad; Shelter from the storm....

Monumental....

   
We watched Monumental this weekend.  I know, I know, I'm a couple years behind, but better late than never.  All joking aside, it was actually very timely for us because it fit right into our American History study.  It may not have had the same impact if we'd watched it back in 2012.  The film reinforced everything that we've been reading about.  I think it had the biggest impact on The Farmer because some of the information was new to him.



I've also been reading America's Providential History by Mark A. Beliles and Stephen K. McDowell.  This book is part of the Beautiful Feet Early American History Intermediate study that we're using.  Although, it may no longer be included in the new BF study.  I have an older edition of the guide and it was used at that time.  I've been using America's Providential History more for myself rather than as scheduled for the kids.  I'm fascinated by how the authors trace the hand of God throughout the history of America.  Again, it really ties in with everything else we've been studying. 

I wish these two resources were required for every American citizen.  If you have not viewed Monumental or are not familiar with America's Providential History, I highly recommend you get acquainted with them. 

Happy Valentine's Day....

I really appreciated Ann Voskamp's post today regarding the beauty of true love. 

"The real romantics know that stretchmarks are beauty marks, and that different shaped women fit into the different shapes of men souls, and that real romance is really sacrifice...Real Love truthfully sees the flaws — and still really loves fully."  --by Ann Voskamp

I am so thankful for The Farmer's unconditional love.  He is AMAZING!  We celebrated this Valentine's evening with our beautiful children eating a specially cooked dinner.  There were no flowers, chocolates, or surprises, but it was anything but "boring".  Thank you God for the love of my life.....

Thursdays of Thanks....

Fingerprints on windows; Haircut; Time off; Healing baby; Taking grandma; Surprise cake; Filed taxes...

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully - Writing....

Our recent switch to Sonlight Language Arts has prompted me to get out my copy of You Can Teach Your Child Successfully by Dr. Ruth Beechick.  I've already outlined the Reading section of the book and today I will focus on the Writing section.  Dr. Beechick breaks the writing section into six parts, these being Learning to Write, Write!; Writing Lessons; Scale to Writing Quality; The Mechanics of Writing; Spelling; and Usage and Grammar. 

Dr. Beechick states, "Writing is the other side of reading.  Reading is receiving language and writing is producing it."  I believe this to be true, hence the reason we love to read great living books.  Children who read rich literature will speak, write and communicate more effectively.  Children learn to speak by listening and speaking; listening and speaking.  Beechick suggests the same is true for written language.  She states, "They must read and write; read and write....And while you read or after you finish a book, if you have a personal response of some kind, and write, your mind grows even more.  You clarify your thoughts.  You develop new ways of thinking.  The is education, ongoing." 

I have started this process of journaling thoughts as I read, marking down specific passages and quotes, and rewriting ideas in my own words.  It's proven to be quite effective.  But keep in mind, this is nothing new.  Benjamin Franklin used this method of learning to write.  He tells in his autobiography how he taught himself to write.  After reading works he admired, he outlined the essays, then put the outlines away.  Returning to them in a few days, he then attempted to rewrite the original articles from his outlines. So basically, he read great essays and then tried to reproduce them himself. 

I appreciate Beechick's view on writing curricula.  "When you use real books and real writing, you won't have much need for textbooks, and particularly workbooks.  Your children should spend more time writing than learning about writing."  This is very much in line with Charlotte Mason's view of composition, in which she says, "composition comes by nature".  In The Original Home Schooling Series: Home Education, Volume 1, Mason states, "Our business is to provide children with material in their lessons, and, leave the handling of such material to themselves.   If we would believe, it, composition is as natural as jumping and running to children who have been allowed due use of books.  They should narrate in the first place, and they will compose, later, readily enough but they should not be taught 'composition'."  Mason does give further instruction on composition later in that same volume as well as Volume 6.  But I digress.

On page 66 of You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, Beechick writes, "If you think you understand something or think you have an opinion about and issue, try writing it in essay form for someone else to read. You will discover a lot about your thinking that you didn't know was there, including, possibly, gaps in knowledge that you have to look up as you write.  So learn to use writing in all your children's subjects; don't reserve it for language class."  I love this and find it so true!  There have been times in the past when I was writing blog posts only to find that I really didn't know what I was talking about and needed further research. : P

In Chapter Six, Beechick does give writing lessons.  But, she states, "These lessons will have served you best if you get ideas from them to continue this kind of wholistic language teaching using literary models that you choose."  She further references Benjamin Franklin's self-teaching method.  In Chapter Seven, Beechick also gives samples of four kinds of writing (describing, narrating, explaining, and reasoning) at three different age levels.

In Chapter Eight, Beechick gives a basic grammar guide illustrating some mechanics of writing.  She also discusses handwritten versus typed papers and penmanship.  Beechick addresses three approaches to spelling in Chapter Nine.  She discusses Grammar and Usage further in Chapter Ten. 

After sorting through this writing section of You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, I was pulled back to another Beechick book, A Strong Start in Language.  Though this little gem is geared for parents teaching kids in grades K-3, there is a section toward the beginning of the book titled, What You Do in a Lesson.   Here, Beechick gives a list in brief of "the levels of difficulty from easy to hard that you can use in your lesson plans".  She states, "You can see from this list that the range of difficulty can take you from kindergarten or first grade through the Benjamin Franklin level".  The list starts with tracing then copying a model letter or word and works up to deciding what form you will use - essay, poem, letter, or other - then writing your thoughts for someone else to read.  The list flows from writing a word to phrase to sentence to paragraph, using dictation. 

So what have I taken from all this?  Well, we will continue to read great living books.  I aim to be more diligent in expecting narration.  I have also encouraged the girls to keep a "Book of Mottos" or "Common Place Book", where they copy quotes and write thoughts as they read.   This practice was used by scholars in the 18th and 19th centuries including Charlotte Mason and Thomas Jefferson.  Through Sonlight Language Arts, I've started dictation with Riley and it's going very well.  She actually really likes it and wants to continue so this is a bonus :)

What natural methods have you used for writing?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas....

Thursdays of Thanks...

Simple wisdom; Arm full of boys; Creation science; Sunlight through the window; Lego Club; Dad bringing donuts; Sewing skirts....

Kitchen Table Math....

Have you heard about Dr. Wright's Kitchen Table Math!?  In my math research frenzy, I came across this series of books.  I was fortunate in that our local public library was willing to order book 2 & 3 in the series for their collection.  The books just came in and I am thrilled to be able to check them out!

"Dr. Wright" is Chris Wright, a mathematician, math teacher, and father of two, whom he and his wife homeschooled for a period of time.  "He has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University and was an assistant professor at Duke University."  The books were born out of Dr Wright's love for math and his experience home educating, tutoring, and teaching.  They provide a series of clear easy to follow steps and activities "that illustrate the methods of basic mathematics and help develop a child's mathematical skills".

Book one covers quantities up to 100, addition, subtraction, multiplication,  division, fractions, equations, geometry, reasoning, measurements, time, and money.  It is geared for teaching students PreK - 3rd grade.

Book two covers counting and place value, adding and subtracting, multiplying, dividing, number theory, fractions, number sense, number bases, and ancient number systems.  It is geared for teaching students from grades 1-7.

Book three covers concepts beyond arithmetic such as equations and inequalities, word problems, reasoning, probability and counting, statistics and graphing, geometry, measurements, and money.  Again, it is geared for teaching students in grades 1-7.

All three books have a chapter each on manipulatives, learning games and activities, and other resources.  This series really takes you through elementary math in a hands on, easy to understand way.  If you feel a workbook is warranted for written practice, Dr. Wright does suggest MCP Mathematics.  He states, "The pages of problems in those books are presented in a logical progression, with lots of examples of each kind of problem". 

I am impressed by the ease of which Dr. Wright explains the various concepts.  In 2-4 pages, he gives a concept objective, references prior sections needed as prerequisites,  and shows how to demonstrate, teach, and practice each concept.  There are gray boxes with "Math Words", "Rules", and suggested "Games" throughout.   

I am seriously considering purchasing Dr. Wright's Kitchen Table Math series. I think these books are great whether you would want to use them for reference or as your child's elementary math program. 

If you have any experience with Dr.Wright's Kitchen Table Math, please comment below.  I'd love to hear about it!

Sonlight Language Arts....

I'm in the process of re-evaluating Riley's Language Arts.  She is an avid reader and is always begging for a literature based program, which was my intention, but somehow it fell by the wayside.  So far this year, she's working on All About Spelling, Oral and Written English, which is an original text by Potter, Jeschke, & Gillet, from 1917, and reading misc. books as assigned through our history study.  She is also using excerpts from George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation for copywork.  Although, I like each of these resources individually, all together, language arts feels somewhat disjointed.

Last week, I started researching Sonlight Language Arts.  We've used Sonlight in the past, and still read books from Sonlight lists as they pertain to our history study, but I have not used their Language Arts curricula.  I bought used and pieced together many cores over the years, so I dug out some of my Instructor Guides and started researching.  Sonlight's LA Instructor Guides heavily reference the works of Dr. Ruth Beechick.  Keep in mind, I have older guides.  I know there have been revisions, but I'm assuming they still utilize Dr. Beechick's philosophy. 

Sonlight 4, which is now Core E, recommended reading sections of You Can Teach Your Child Successfully by Dr. Ruth Beechick. I am working my way through these sections.  You can view my thoughts on Dr. Beechick's books here.

Sonlight 3, which is now Core D, fits our time period this year for history.  So we're going to give the SL Language Arts 3 a try.  Many of the readers will be easy for Riley, however in looking at the grammar and dictation exercises, I feel this is a good place to start her....to get our feet wet so to speak.  The recommended readers are:

A Lion to Guard Us
Pocohontas and the Strangers
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims
The Thanksgiving Story
The Courage of Sarah Noble
The Matchlock Gun
The Skippack School
Meet George Washinton
Phoebe the Spy
The Cavin Faced West
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
Om-kas-toe
Meet Thomas Jefferson
Sarah Whitcher's Story
Robert ulton, Boy Craftsman
Sarah, Plain and Tall

Riley has already read some of these books and I'm not going to make her re-read them.  However, I am still going to have her do all the related Student Activity pages because I'm thinking they build in a sequential manner so starting at the beginning will make more sense as we're trying to lay a foundation.  We will breeze over some for review to quicken the pace and because she's already familiar with basic nouns, verbs, when to capitalize, etc.  I am not looking for mastery at this point, just exposure to a variety of grammar, punctuation, etc., as she comes across them in her reading.  She is so excited!!  I took the Student Activity pages and bound them with the ProClick Binder creating her own "workbook". She already started working on the them over the weekend :)

I plan to have her read the scheduled readers that she's not read before, complete the student activity grammar pages and some of the dictation.  I don't think we'll utilize the "Creative Expression" writing assignments at this point.  We've used narration in the past and it works well so I will continue with that for writing. 

We will also continue All About Spelling and the copywork, but I'm not sure about Oral and Written English.  We only have approx. 20 lessons left so we may pick through them orally.  I don't want to spend too much time or get hung up so we'll see how it goes.

I'd love to hear feedback on your experience with Sonlight Language Arts.

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully - Reading....

I've been re-evaluating RileyAnn's Language Arts.  She is an avid reader and is always begging for a literature based program, which was my intention, but somehow it fell by the wayside. This past week, I started researching Sonlight Language Arts.  Sonlight's LA Instructor Guides heavily reference the works of Dr. Ruth Beechick.  I have older guides and I know there have been revisions, but I'm assuming they still utilize Dr. Beechick's philosophy. 

My Sonlight 4 guide from 2001, which is now Core E, recommended reading sections of You Can Teach Your Child Successfully by Dr. Ruth Beechick.  The first suggested section was Part 1, pages 1-57 regarding "Reading".  Since this book is intended for parents teaching grades 4-8, the first few pages were titled, "What Do You Do After Your Child Can Read?"  Dr. Beechick talks about the information stage of reading, comprehension, fluency and taking a wholistic view of reading.  She also discusses what you can get out of standardized test scores.  I especially liked this, "Tests should not be used as clubs....Get from tests what information you can, use the information for planning and goal setting, but don't let anyone in your family get ulcers over them."   I think there is great wisdom here and I appreciate Dr. Beechick's no nonsense approach.

Beechick next breaks reading into three types, Textual, Imaginational, and Functional reading.   Textual reading is the reading of non-fiction, including textbooks.  "Imaginational reading is a highly intellectual activity involving the image-making powers of the mind.  Included in this reading are both poetry and fictional prose."  Beechick further describes Functional reading as including everyday items like signs, labels, rules, directions, ads, telephone books, newspapers, forums, etc.  Though, I had never thought about it this exact way, I definitely see the significance of teaching each of these types of reading. I think this is one of the reasons I was pulled to Heart of Dakota's Drawn Into the Heart of Reading.  I really liked the idea of exposure to a variety of genres.  However, the busy work in that program overwhelmed us. 

I must confess, a month ago, the thought of teaching a child to read/use a telephone book seemed utterly ridiculous to me.  However, while I was waiting for Ruben to finish his tutor session, I was talking with the part time administrative assistance, who was a fresh university graduate looking for permanent full time employment.  She was telling me about the interviews she'd had, the number of candidates she was up against and how difficult her job search has been.  Being a former county employee, I suggested a few government type positions.  She stated she applied at the county, but couldn't find their phone number to follow up.  She looked online and in the yellow pages with no luck.  I then showed her the government section in the front of the telephone book and how to use it.  She was elated when we found the number.  I was astounded that this university graduate had no idea how to use the phone book!  I now understand what Dr. Beechick is referring to.

In You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, Beechick gives you low and no cost examples of how to achieve teaching each of these reading types.  I have used this book as reference in the past, but don't recall reading this first section.  I do plan to continue reading the suggested pages to see what else I can glean. 

Thursdays of Thanks....

I woke this morning on the wrong side of bed :(  It's been either sub zero or snowing here in the Midwest for what seems like years, but in actuality months.  Today it's snowing again!  I feel shut in.  I was talking with The Farmer about trying to find something to be thankful for at the end of January in the frozen tundra and he simply said, "Standing on two feet".   I stopped and then smiled because this is so simple and yet a gift.  This is why I love him :)

Nineteen months; Scalloped potatoes for supper; The smell of Riley's freshly shampooed hair; Neighbor plowing us out; Laysan Albatross live cam; Brothers looking at hunting magazines together; Standing on two feet......

Thirteen Colonies....

I love this Thirteen Colony series by Dennis B. Fradin!  I felt very fortunate to find the set used in excellent condition at a public school discard book sale for 50-cents each.  There is one title for each of the Original Thirteen Colonies:

The Virginia Colony
The Massachusetts Colony
The New Hampshire Colony
The Maryland Colony
The Connecticut Colony
The Rhode Island Colony
The Delaware Colony
The North Carolina Colony
The South Carolina Colony
The New Jersey Colony
The New York Colony
The Pennsylvania Colony
The Georgia Colony

The books include illustrations, photographs, maps, copies of primary source documents, and a timeline of Colonial America events.  The books are divided into chapters and start out with an introduction or overview of each state.  Then the books tell about the natives of each region and their life prior to exploration and colonization.  They go on to tell about exploration and early settlers with biographical sketches of pertinent people.  There are chapters on wars and other major historical events leading up to statehood and industrialization.

I appreciate the time that it must have taken the author to trace and study these histories in order to produce a quality book series.  The series is not super in depth, but gives a great overview of all the major events in each colony's history.  It was intended as a juvenile series.  We did not read each book from cover to cover, but instead read excerpts regarding the natives, explorers, and early settlers.  This Thirteen Colony series is an excellent resource for studying the history and people in the earliest American settlements.

You might consider these notebooking pages to accompany your study of each colony. 

A Day in the LIfe....January

I'm joining Tristan at Our Busy Homeschool for her "One Homeschool Day" link up.

 

Here is the one day saga of our homeschool.  This is a "typical" Tuesday in January. 

3:00 a.m. The Farmer rises to reinforce the fire in the outdoor wood burner.  Normally he fires twice a day and not during the night, but since it's -20 this morning without the wind chill, he rose extra early for an added boost.  I roll over.

5:45 a.m.  The Farmer comes back to bed.  At approx. 16 months old, Levi started catapulting himself out of this crib at night.  We tried to transition to a toddler bed, but this left him wandering around at night until he found our bed.  We have since caved and allow him to sleep in our bed....GASP!  He sleeps as long as we lay by him.  When we get up, so does he.

5:58 a.m. Since The Farmer is back to lay with Levi, I roll out.  I stumble out to the computer to pray, check e-mails, and blog.  I enjoy this quiet time to get my bearings before the rest of the house rises.

6:20 a.m. Angel wakes to start her chores.

6:58 a.m.  I check laundry baskets.  I washed three loads yesterday so there isn't enough for a full load today...YIPPY!  I start baking Blueberry Muffins.  I thought I could whip them up, throw them in the oven, then hop in the shower.  However, the honey has crystallized in the container and it takes me over 5 minutes to get 1/4 cup.  In my irritation, I added one cup of milk instead of 1/2 cup.  I bought a new muffin pan at an estate sale last fall and I now see the cups are smaller than my old one so I don't think all the batter will fit in just 12 holes.  I think my old muffin pan is in the shed in the sand toys :(  Great!  I dig and find a 6 muffin tin.

7:20 a.m.  I hear Levi talking.  He's awake!  I really wanted to have these muffins and my shower done by now.

7:28 a.m. Riley and Ruben are also awake.  Here comes Levi.

7:31 a.m. Muffins are in the oven.  I quickly jump in the shower.

7:58 a.m. Riley, Ruben, & Levi are having a 4 roll pack Duck Tape rolling championship across the kitchen counter.  Oh, now it has become an elk call.  All this while I'm fighting to get these muffins released from this "new" pan.  They are sticking like crazy!  OK, now the top just ripped off one....GGRRRR!  The kids quickly scarf up the pieces. 

8:03 a.m. Riley and I retreat to the school room.  She reads poetry.  We work together on English and Math.

8:26 a.m.  "I" arrives.  We babysit another one year old typically Mon - Thurs.  He and Levi are quite a handful.  They are only two months apart so it's like having twins!

8:38 a.m. I boil eggs.  We have blueberry muffins and boiled eggs for breakfast.

9:13 a.m. My sister and niece arrive.  They also homeschool and we co-op some subjects.

9:35 a.m. Riley, Ruben, and niece hit the books.  I read aloud, we study history, and Psalms.  Niece does spelling.  Ruben and niece work together on math.  Riley works on copywork.  Riley and niece work together on science.

9:58 a.m. The Farmer is looking for clear tape to repair the tablecloth that Levi is ripping holes in.  The kids get distracted.  I try to regroup.

10:45 a.m. Brief phone call.  I normally don't take calls during this time unless it's something that needs immediate attention.  Today it is.

12:39 p.m. Make lunch of leftover meatloaf and pasta salad.  My sister brought a pizza and some carrots to add to the mix.  After lunch, the kids have free play time.  Legos, K'nex, dress-up, you name it....crazy kids! : )

2:30 p.m. I attempt to lay "I" down for a nap.  It is unsuccessful.

3:00 p.m. Levi takes a nap.

4:10 p.m. Sister and niece go home.

4:20 p.m. I review math lessons for tomorrow and start thinking about supper.

4:42 p.m. "J" comes to pick up "I".

4:56 p.m. I correct Math and English with RileyAnn.  Then I dictate spelling sentences to her.

5:25 p.m. Levi wakes

5:38 p.m. I make supper, chicken breast with garlic and mushroonms, baked potatoes, pineapple, and salad.

6:00 p.m. Angel and Riley take a shower.

6:42 p.m. Eat supper.

7:00 p.m. Riley and Ruben watch Gilligan's Island.

7:05 p.m. I clear table and put leftover food away.  Angel does dishes and sweeps the kitchen.

7:15 p.m. I have a bit of free time.  I check the computer.

8:00 p.m. Ruben and I work on Explode the Code.

8:17 p.m. Ruben and Levi shower.

9:00 p.m. Angel, Riley, Ruben in bed.  Riley reads to Ruben.  I rock Levi to sleep.

9:24 p.m. I lay Levi in bed next to The Farmer.  I open doors that we normally keep closed during the day so Levi doesn't get into things (bathroom and bedroom).  Riley and Ruben are talking, discussing what a quadrillion $1 bills might look like.  "Mom, do you think the stack would be as big as the silo?".... I tuck them in and say good night.

9:31 p.m. Everyone is in bed asleep.  I take one last look at the computer and double check lessons and supplies for morning.

10:30 p.m. I turn off the computer and go to bed....

FYI....

Angel is in 12th grade and works the majority of the day independently on her studies.  We are all in the same area, but she is doing her own thing.  She does join the younger kids for our family study of Psalms.  You can see her subjects here.

Ruben receives tutoring at the Children's Dyslexia Center so he completes the bulk of his language arts there.

Some subjects, like science are weekly rather than daily.  Tuesday happens to be science day for RileyAnn.  Ruben is using a separate science program.  However, shortly after I downloaded it, our hard drive died and I've been afraid to try it since :(

There you have it! A Tuesday in January here on Drywood Creek :)

Thursdays of Thanks....

Cake decorating; Meeting a deadline; Sunday morning snuggle; Ticklish toddler belly laugh; Successful surgeries; Snowball cake; Fire....

Personal Finance for High School....

Angel is finishing up her first semester Economics course and has now moved on to Personal Finance.  She will be using lesson plans from My Father's World.  The lessons lay out a reading plan for scripture; Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn; and Money Matters for Teens by Larry Burkett.

I chose this study for a couple of reasons.  One being, the emphasis on learning how to manage your personal finances according to scripture.  We've used MFW studies in the past and I feel their studies are biblically sound.  Another reason is for the simplicity of the Money Matters Workbook.  Though easy to read and apply, these workbooks are in no way dumbed down.  Burkett covers how banks work, checking and savings accounts, money management, budgets, loans, credit cards, the dangers of borrowing, giving money, making money, spending money, buying a car, paying for school, how to get a job, how to keep a job, and "How to Rock Your World with Your Money".  The workbook has a friendly format and practical application activities using real life experiences.

Overall, Angel and I are both excited about this study.  I pray it goes well. :)

High School Economics...

Angel just finished the core of her Economics course.  She is in her 12th grade year, completing one semester of Econ and one semester of Personal Finance.  The main Economics study was based on A Beka Economics Work & Prosperity.  However, she is also reading and referencing: Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury; A Bluestocking Guide: Economics by Jane Williams;  Economics: A Free Market Reader by Jane Williams & Kathryn Daniels.    

Several times throughout the study, Angel commented on how much she was learning and enjoying Economics.  We are not huge fans of text books.  A Beka is one of my least favorites simply because of the number of books required to teach each course.  We needed six books for this one semester course!  However, I will say this particular course did spark her interest.  She stated A Beka Economics was "good overall".  She found the "Reviews" at the end of each assigned reading helpful.  She further stated she was not crazy about the "Think Questions" because they were thought provoking and the answers were not readily available in the reading.  I think "thought provoking" is great!  I was actually reassured to hear this. 

Angel has since moved on to reading the Uncle Eric books mentioned above and published by Bluestocking Press.  I think studying from a variety of sources, analyzing, and comparing is an important piece to learning.  She is really excited about the Uncle Eric books as she feels they are written in a friendly conversational manner.  I believe Uncle Eric is writing letters regarding Economics to his 9th grade nephew so the language flows well and terminology is explained.  Angel also said she really likes the articles in Economics: A Free Market Reader.  The commentary and questions in the Bluestocking Guide pull it all together.

Overall, I am pleased with the books we chose for Economics and would recommend them for a high school Economics study. 

Making Hasty Pudding....

A couple of weeks ago, we made Hasty Pudding as part of our Colonial History study.  The kids really enjoyed it! 

We ate it for breakfast as a hot cereal topped with our homemade maple syrup.  We also used our ground venison to make sausage patties. I figured the settlers ate wild game so it fit in :)

Here's the recipe we used....

Hasty Pudding

1. In a bowl, combine one cup yellow cornmeal with one cup of cold water.

2. In a heavy saucepan, bring three cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil.

3. Carefully stir in cornmeal mixture, making sure it does not lump.

4. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

5. Cool slightly.  Serve the pudding warm with a pat of butter on top. Add a little maple syrup or sprinkle with brown sugar.

Makes 6 servings


This post was linked up and featured at Highhill Education.

Thursdays of Thanks....

It's been crazy busy here on Drywood Creek.  I didn't find time for the computer yesterday.  However, I have been keeping my gratitude journal and wanted to make time now to share my thankfulness :)

Little arms upstretched; Levi's negative allergy test; Watching kids being pulled on the sled; The Farmer unloading wood; Original Thirteen Colonies; Sunset over a snowman; Kids playing games....

Stranded at Plimoth Plantation....

I read aloud Stranded at Plimoth Plantation - 1626 by Gary Bowen as part of our Colonial History study.  The kids and I really enjoyed this book!  Though I would consider it a picture book, at 81 pages I believe it's too much to read and enjoy in one setting.  We spent three days relishing the text and illustrations.

Stranded at Plimoth...is written as a journal of 13 year old Christopher Sears, an indentured servant who was bound for Jamestown, Virginia.  When his ship, the Sparrowhawk, was shipwrecked, surviving passengers were rescued and spent time at Plimoth Colony until arrangements could be made to transport them to Virginia.

While at Plimoth, Sears lives with the family of Elder Brewster.  His journal describes life on the plantation including visits with Indians, weddings, funerals, births, methods of hunting and fishing, planting and harvesting crops, drilling with the militia, etc.  The short journal entries are accompanied by woodcut engravings that would have been the most widely used method of making multiple prints in the seventeenth century.  The woodcut illustrations are beautiful and really make the story come alive.

We highly recommend Stranded at Plimoth Plantation - 1626 whether you are studying Colonial History or just looking for a great picture book to read!

Thirteen Colonies Notebooking Pages....

I searched high and low for notebooking pages to go along with our study of the Original Thirteen Colonies.  I wanted something that acknowledged the Native Tribes of each colony as well as room to write and draw.  I also wanted them to be FREE!  After searching all day, I could not find what I was looking for and ended up creating my own.  I intend to use these with 2nd, 3rd, & 4th graders. Let me know what you think. Hopefully, you can use them too :) 

Thirteen Colonies Notebooking Pages by greenebalts

Thursdays of Thanks....

Baby who doesn't want his face washed; But loves to show his belly; RileyAnn's compassion in aiding her ailing cousin; Ruben asking me to play a game with him; Dear friend's recent engagement; Celebrating niece's birthday; Shelter from the cold.....

The Pilgrims Brave Settlers of Plymouth...

I read aloud The Pilgrims Brave Settlers of Plymouth by Lynn Groh as part of our Colonial History study.  Though some of the information in this book was review for the kids because of all the other books we'd read, I thought this book was an excellent resource and would make a great spine book.  The Pilgrims...covers life in the New World from November 1621, about one year after the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower, to around 1628 when more ships arrived and new colonies were started.  The last chapter does mention Governor Bradford's death in 1657 as well as the loss and re-discovery of his writings in the 1800's.  It also tells of the king of England making Plymouth part of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. 

I thought Groh's book did an excellent job of showing the ups and downs of Plymouth throughout its existence.  The book held illustrations, maps, paintings, and photographs of the people, artifacts, and the settlement. The Pilgrims... is a 95 page book divided into 9 chapters.  The TruthQuest History guide's age recommendation is grades 3-8.  I used it with grades 2-4, but it certainly would be appropriate for older students.

The Pilgrims Brave Settlers of Plymouth is one of those little gems I found for 50-cents at a local school book sale.  It's a keeper that I will read again with Levi when the time is right!

Bedside Books...

The weatherman's predicting -60 degrees with wind chill on Monday.  Area schools and businesses are already shutting down.  So, why not curl up with a great book!  Here are some of the most recent books by my bedside...

Inspiration

Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words by Johnny Cash - I am intrigued by the life of Johnny Cash.  In this autobiography, Cash shares his many imperfections, as well as his desire for the Lord. 

Desperate by Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson - The title says it all!

Health

Art Smith's Healthy Comfort by Art Smith; Wheat Belly Cookbook by William Davis; and Cooking for Isaiah by Silvana Nardone - My latest attempt at researching a healthier lifestyle :)

Education

Words that Ring Through Time: The Fifty Most Important Speeches in History and How They Changed Our World by Terry Golway - I really just wanted to read Winthrop's City Upon a Hill, but found many other speeches in this book quite fascinating.

The Noah Plan (Reading, English, & Literature) - Researching more on the Principle Approach method of education (I believe the Beautiful Feet guides are based on this method.)

Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style by Harvey & Laurie Bluedorn - Reading more about the Classical method of education through Scripture rather than Ancients (I'll definitely be posting more about this book in the future!)

A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason - Volume 6 in Ms. Mason's Original Homeschooling Series - Digging deeper in the Charlotte Mason method of teaching



So there you have it, my attempt at "mother culture".  I don't always read every book from cover to cover, but tend to skim and find pertinent ideas and information.   I also find certain books are more appropriate at certain times.  For example, the Charlotte Mason series is an ongoing resource that I refer to at various times.  There is a wealth of information there and it's not possible to digest it all at once.  I feel the same about Teaching the Trivium, lots of great information to take as needed. 



Here's also a peek back at what was by my bedside last year at this time...

You can reference all my thoughts/notes on Uncle Tom's Cabin here.  Also, check out Julie's Pantry to see one mom's experience using The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila

What books are currently by your bedside?

Thursdays of Thanks....

Baby breath; Frost on the trees; December thaw; The laughter of kids building a snowman; Watching the ball drop with dd; New beginnings; Updated journal.....