Why we do what we do

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Math	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	XtraMath
Latin	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs
English	1 Lesson	1 Lesson		1 Lesson	1 Lesson
Spelling	Test		Section A	Section B	Section C
Myths	Make facts flash cards	Copy vocabulary 1X Review flashcards	Read chapter.   Review flashcards	Answer questions. Review flashcards	Review Flashcards
Literature	Read 30 min.	Read 30 min.	Read Myths	Read 30 min.	Read 30 min.
Book of Mormon	Read 30 min.	Read 30 min	Read 30 min	Read 30 min	Read 30 min	Read 30 min
Piano	Play 3Xs each	Lesson	Play 3Xs each	Play 3Xs each	Play 3Xs each	Play 3Xs each
Enrichments	Poetry teatime/ Composer	Exploring Creation-2-3 sent/ illustrate	Geography	Exploring Creation-2-3 sent/ illustrate	Discover the Old Testament	Real Science Odyssey-Life

This is what Savannah does everyday.  She has a copy in her notebook and checks it off when she finishes each assignment.

Our day is jammed packed.  I was just sitting here going over her list of things to do, trying to decide if I can or should drop some of it.

 A friend asked recently on her blog for us to write out why we do each subject, just so we have a defined reason for learning something rather than just doing it because someone else does it or thinks we should do it. 

Doing an exercise like this really makes me go back to the root of why I homeschool in the first place and to think about what my ultimate goal is for my children as a mother/teacher.

The spiritual is at the top of the list, of course.  I want my children to have a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father through prayer, to have their own testimonies, to know who they really are, to make the scriptures their dearest friends, to have a serving heart, etc.  I am trying to get there, not by any curriculum or checklist, but by just by reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, and by striving to be worthy of having the Spirit as my constant companion.  Then, by having consistent, daily family prayer, scripture study, and weekly Family Home Evening with the kids, I hope to accomplish this goal to my best ability.  But this has nothing to do with her checklist.

So aside from my top reasons for doing everything I do, my second reason is more academic.  I want my children to be well-educated and have a love of learning.  She works hard in math, latin, and piano (and science in high school) because I want her to know how to think, how to work, and how to problem-solve.  Love of learning, for me, happens when I put forth concentrated effort to accomplish a goal, develop a skill, understand a difficult concept, or learn a new idea.  That all takes physical and mental work.  I believe work is good for the mind and soul.

I want them to be well-read in worthy ideas and truth; there is no room in my curriculum for trivial reading.  So we study great books, like the scriptures, Greek mythology and other Classical works, history, and high-quality literature.

I want them to be able to express themselves clearly, eloquently, and persuasively, so that they can make a positive influence on those around them as adults.  So she studies grammar, writing, spelling, and handwiting.  Grammar, spelling and handwriting are grammar school skills that need mastered first before we can really focus on writing and rhetoric later.

I think everything we do has a significant purpose.  I purposely don't make histoy, science, or geography the center of our homeschool at this age.  History is a read-aloud three times a night.  Science is a fun, occasional activity on Saturday that we have yet to get around to.  Geography is a matter of learning catchy tunes and wall maps.  History and science will take a more significant role when the foundational skills are mastered.

So there you have it.

Monday, Monday

People say to me often, "I don't know how you do it."  And I just shrug and smile, because what do you say to that?

Well today I yelled at the top of my lungs, out of complete frustration, to no one in particular, "I DON'T KNOW HOW I DO IT!!!!!!"  SERIOUSLY.  Ugh. 

I have five little children that all need me at once. 

Today I was giving a spelling test to Savannah, while holding Caroline, feeding Caroline AND Zach yogurt (Zach was standing beside me), and helping Charlotte with her phonics.  OK, so maybe that was four children all at the same time.

I don't know exactly how it came to that.  I think it was just interruption after interruption and we just had to get school done no matter what.  I really wish I had a helper in the daytime for the little kids.

Savannah- Two tantrums today.  SHE's 8! : (  It is very unusual for her.  She was rude first thing this morning and it just went downhill from there.

Maddy-one tantrum;  Thank heavens.

Zach-one tantrum and no major messes. :)

Charlotte- none... my sweet, wonderful, even-tempered child.

Caroline-none... my angel baby.


Here is my solution to the chaos that I am going to try this week.  We will stop school at 10 am and will not resume until just after lunch.  10 am is about when everything starts to get out of control.  Everyone gets hungry and grumpy.  I feed everyone a snack, but then I try to keep pushing through with school because we have so much to do.  I think that is my mistake.  I need to feed everyone their snack and then hang out with the little ones for a few hours and let the bigs take a long break. 

Plus, that is about when Daddy wakes up; he works nights. 

He woke up early today from the screaming Zach in the hall, sees the gigantic mess that Maddy and Zach have made building tents all over the house (he hates messes), and I'm hyper-focused on schooling and mothering on a particulary bad day, which means I'm NOT in wife mode at all. 

Grumpy, sleepy husband (large child) meets hyper-focused, unsympathetic wife (psycho) = NO GOOD.  Isaac didn't say much, I could just tell he wasn't happy.  He went outside to work.

So, we are stopping at 10am, eating, cleaning, and playing quietly and happily until naptime this week.  We'll see how that goes.

On the positive side, we got everything accomplished, we had an enjoyable poetry tea-time outdoors, and everyone went to bed happy.

Week 3

It has been a great week!  The kids are getting used to the work load and the schedule.  We are happy to have full and busy days.  It is satisfying to see progress being made.  I love watching/helping the kids to learn and grow.  I'm learning and growing right with them. 

I'm learning to be more patient as a math teacher.  That is the hardest subject for me to teach and the kids to learn.  Savannah needs lots of repitition.  She could do five problems in a row correctly, and then suddenly on the sixth problem completely forget how to do it (ADD?).  Today we figured out it is easier for her to focus if she writes her problems out on the whiteboard.  I also do lots of sample problems on the whiteboard, as well as doing problems using manipulatives (apples and pencils this week).  She is getting very good at thinking through math problems, even though occasionally her brain falls out.  I'm am pleased with the progress she is making. 

Have I mentioned yet how awesome Math Mammoth is?  It's awesome.

Charlotte is my over-analyzer.  She will act like she doesn't know a simple concept, but it is actually her just over-analyzing it for the sake of clarity in her mind.  I did the same thing when I was little.  Both girls are a joy to teach though!

Charlotte got her wish for more work.  I ordered R&S phonics 1 for her, even though it is really just busy work.  She likes it.  I also ordered Climbing to Good English 2, which I think I will save for next year or for when she is finished with the phonics workbooks.  If you are looking for a workbook English, Climbing to Good English is EXCELLENT.  At least it looks excellent, having not used it yet.  I would recommend it.  It looks very solid.

I've been thinking about preparing to teach highschool and self-educating now.  Math, science, & discussing great books are my focus areas.  Today I researched math.  I found the best middle/high school math program available (according to the consensus of the Well-Trained Mind Forum experts).  Commonly referred to as AoPS, which stands for Art of Problem Solving. http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/  It is described as being more in depth than typical math texts and it explains the WHY behind the math.  It is NOT just memorizing formulas, which is how I was taught.  You really know mathematics when you are finished.  It is for mathy kids, not just the average student.  It sounds like it will be a lot like Math Mammoth, which is challenging but fulfilling as well.  I want to be a good math teacher and I want my children to have a solid foundation in math, so this is the curriculum I'm going to use.

I took a placement test and tested into PreAlgebra :)  So I ordered the books.  I'm going to work through PreAlgebra this year.  I was actually really good at math in highschool, so I think it will all come back to me fairly easy.

It is a great website.  They have additional curriculum to help students to prepare for a huge math competition.. forgot the name.  They also have online math problems for each book; you work through different levels until it is mastered, much like Xtramath that the girls play online for their math facts.  I'm working through Pre-Alg.  There is a video that explains new concepts and is tied to the text as well.  There is also a very active forum for questions.

Now to research science.  I don't know that I am up to teaching chemistry and physics too.  I can't be good at every subject.  I might farm those out or get a good video curriculum to teach it; we'll see.

And lastly, what literature/history program to choose so I can begin reading through the books.  This one is more difficult being quite under-read myself.  It is hard to compare books and ideas when I haven't read them.  Off the top of my head there is My Father's World, Ambleside, Memoria Press, The Well-Trained Mind, Tapestry of Grace, & Latin Centered Curriculum.  I'm sure there are many more. 

That's it.  Here's to a great week!

Oh, and I'm still a rockstar. :D  Week 4 of Ripped in 30, here I come! 

Week 2

It was a great week.  We're on a roll!  Here is how our day goes:

I wake up at 530 and do Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels.  *APPLAUSE*  Thanks.  Yep, about to be half-way ripped, or I would be if it weren't for that daily bowl of ice cream. 

Then I shower and dress. 

You heard me right.  I've showered and dressed EVERY MORNING for the last two weeks. 

*APPLAUSE*  I know!  I'm pretty much amazing.  These are things I haven't done in a very long time.  You know WHY???  My 5th baby is about to be ONE!!!!   The fog is lifting and the clouds are parting.  I'm becoming human again.

After being a rockstar in the morning, at least half of my kids are awake and the baby is wanting fed, so I feed her sweet, chubby face.

7am I wake up the other half of my kids and we eat breakfast.

Right after breakfast we have family prayer and read scriptures together.
Then immediately do latin & math. 

The rest of the day is scattered with spelling, english, reading, copywork, myths, piano, lunch, dinner, etc.  It lasts all day long, from 530 am to 830 pm.

The kids do a lot of chores and keep the house clean.  I do a lot of cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, wiping bums (Zach is potty training himself!!!!), laundry, teaching, nagging, sneaking chocolate, etc.

Usually at the end of the day we squeeze in devotional (song, scripture verse, scripture story) and then recitations (IEW poetry & The Living Christ).

And then we watch Ben Hur until bedtime :)  It is so good!  I've never seen it before.  We've watched about 4 1/2 hours of it so far.  It is perfect because we are learning about the Romans in our history book right now.

Then the kids go to bed at 8pm and I read to them from Story of the World-Middle Ages & Our Island Story or a fairytale.

Tuesdays we go into town about 45 min away and take Savannah and Charlotte to piano lessons (I'm not sure about this teacher though...) and gymnastics (Savannah, Charlotte, & Maddy).  Next week we will also be going to homeschool class (PE, art, computers) on post on Wednesday mornings and Savannah will start Activity Day Girls on Wed. nights.

I have to say that I am really loving homeschool.  I love our full schedule.  I love learning along with the kids.  I love my kids!

We did do a curriculum switch this week.  I put aside Spell to Write and Read and purchased Rod & Staff's spelling for both girls.  They love it; I love it.  Charlotte wants more workbooks like her spelling, so today I bought her Rod & Staff's phonics and Climbing to Good English.  She will be just as busy as Savannah now, but that's what she wants!  Who knew?

Week 1

Done!!!

It was a great week.  The first few days were long as we were getting used to doing so much, but by the end of the week we were figuring things out.  However, our days are still quite long & busy.

Savannah has quite a bit on her plate this year.  Savannah and Charlotte both do Math, latin, spelling/writing, literature, piano, & enrichments (poetry, geography, science), but Savannah also does English, Greek Myths, Book of Mormon reading, summarizing, and Discovering the Scriptures.  It is just a lot more than what we've done in the past.  She really applies herself and gets her work done without much proding from me.  I made her a to-do list to help with this.  The only subject that she hates and drags her feet on is math.  Today, math took around... two hours or more for one front and back page of math.  Yeah, really.
I love Math Mammoth.  I love how it shows patterns in numbers; how it shows different ways of solving problems.  It is an amazing math program.  *sigh* 
She usually does just fine and completes her math page quickly without much help from me.  Today, however, her brain was MIA.  It might have been that I told her she had to complete her math before we went to a swimming party.  Her mind was on swimming, not work.  So maybe today was my fault. 

I am exhausted.

Getting ready

Well, we are getting ready to start our first day of school on Monday.  I am particularly excited about the latin.  Savannah listened to O Come All Ye Faithful in latin over and over to get the pronunciation down all day today.  She will really enjoy learning a new language... just to show off.  I'm excited about latin because she is excited.  It is fun to teach enthusiastic students (Charlotte will be learning it too). 
Charlotte is excited about spellingcity.com and the fact that I'll let her play spelling games until her heart's content.  I put their spelling lists, vocabulary lists, and latin words on there for them to play with.  Should be quite helpful.
I took our school pictures today; I'll have them up soon.  I like to make IDs with them.
Monday I am going to surprise them with something special... I'm just not sure yet.  A trip to get donuts maybe?  Or frozen yogurt?  Maybe I can wake them up early and we'll go stand at the end of the driveway and wave at the bus as it drives by, lol.  That is MY favorite part.  We are going to a Not-Back-to-School pool party on Friday with other homeschoolers in the area.
Piano lessons start on Tuesday; we took the summer off.  Homeschool class (PE, art, computers) starts next month, along with Maddy's gymnastics class.

Savannah's Weekly schedule

It's so pretty...

So this is it.  Charlotte's looks similar except she doesn't do quite as much in the morning.  I kept the mornings light because on Tuesday & Wednesday we are going out of the house.  Tuesday is piano lessons for S & C and the library for M and Z,  and Wednesday is a homeschool co-op for S & C and hopefully gymnastics for Maddy.  The rest of the mornings of the week contain fairly independent work for Savannah and Charlotte.  I plan on giving my attention to Madelynn and Zachary on the mornings we are home, doing schoolish things and reading to them.
During the afternoon, right after lunch, Zach goes down for a nap and Madelynn will start going to quiet time for about an hour while I work with Savannah and Charlotte on the teacher-intensive stuff, mainly spelling and latin. 
Devotional and recitations: that is our memory work.  We are memorizing some of the gospel standards, some of the articles of faith, 6 primary songs, poetry, and The Living Christ as a family.
Then there are the chores.  They don't have to do them at a specific time of day, but they do need to be done before dinner.
I'll be putting Maddy and Zach to bed around 7 or 730.  Savannah and Charlotte will alternate reading the BOM or practing piano with me.
Caroline, of course, will play quietly throughout the whole day, taking long naps during my busiest hours.
And this schedule will be moved around at least 10 more times, and perhaps abandoned all together before the month is over.

Memoria Press & Highlands Latin School

This coming up year (that I'm so excited about, if you can't tell) is largly patterned after Memoria Press's homeschool curriculum and Highlands Latin School.  Memoria Press sells curriculum packages for grades K-6.  Highlands Latin School uses books of Memoria Press's books.  If you visit Highland's website, you'll find out immediately that the students are excelling with it.

Up until now, my kids have not done a great deal of seat-work.  We've done math daily and usually some copywork or handwriting.  Our focus has been on reading great books Charlotte Mason style and lots of free time to be a kid.  It's been great and I wouldn't change a thing for grades K-2, and will continue doing light school for those grades.  However, now that Savannah is entering 3rd grade I feel that it is time to focus more on academics.  The goal this year is to ease into seatwork, learn to focus, and practice lots of writing (not composition, but the actual act of writing). 

I have always LOVED the look of Memoria Press's products, but have never actually owned any until now.  I purchased (used) the Greek Myths teacher and student guide.  I love it.  Savannah will know Greek Myths inside and out by the end of this course.  It is plain and simple and intense.  I've also just purchased Latina Christiana I & Prima Latina (used) that I am anxiously awaiting to arrive in the mail.  I like plain and simple, to the point curriculum.  MP seems to fit that bill. 

If you like what you see and are interested in trying out their products as well, this blog: http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2012/07/memoria-press-delivers-core-6-review.html  is giving away three different teacher/student guides.

The UNofficial PLAN of 2012/13

Savannah is starting 3rd grade on August 20th.  Here is the plan so far (and, as always, I reserve the right to change my mind)

Ahem... drumroll please.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The curriculum:
Prima Latina
Math Mammoth 3 and XtraMath
Spell to Write and Read
Rod and Staff English 3
D' ulaire's Greek Myths (again) with Memoria Press's study guide
Story of the World: Middle Ages & Our Island Story (history of Britain)
Linguistic Development
Discover the Scriptures: Old Testament

The little things:
* Read literature for 1 hour daily and use free online lit guides for comprehension questions and vocabulary.
*Learn the 50 States, where they are located, the postal abbreviation, and the capital.  Using black line maps, hopefully a geo puzzle, online free games, Geography Songs, free worksheets online, etc.
*Narrate the Story of the World
*Learn cursive
*Read, summarize, and illustrate sections from the Apologia science books.
*Orally read from McGuffey Third reader once a week
*Poetry Teatime once a week
*Piano
*Homeschool class

Notes:
I think Prima Latina will work out great this year.  Next year I have my eye on Latina Christiana I from Memoria Press and then latin will become a major focus in her schooling.  This year is just a gentle introduction.
MM and XtraMath have been hits in the past, so I'm sure they will be winners this year as well.
SWR- we'll see.  I like the Spalding method, but if it just takes too much time it will be the first to go since Savannah is a natural speller.  How it works: day 1: 20 new words, day 2: dictate 5-10 sentences with yesterday's words, day 3: 20 new words, day 4: dictate 5-10 sentences with yesterday's words, day 5: test on all 40 words.  I think it can work like that.
R&S- another we'll see.  I'm all about delayed grammar and R&S is known for thoroughness.  I like it, but it may be too much.  I want grammar this year to help with latin next year.  She probably won't take grammar again until 5th or 6th grade.
Greek Myths w/ study guide- I am hoping this will be a raving sucess.  She loves the book; now she will memorize it.  There is a National Mythology Exam in February that I would like her to work towards.  She would win a metal for the number of questions she gets right, if I understand it correctly.  Lots of homeschool nerds take it.  I don't know if this is something she will enjoy or not.  I hope so.  Greek Myths study will be a large focus of her schooling this year.
SOTW 2- I'll read 2 or 3 sections a week to the girls and have them narrate while I write their narration down.  They don't particularly love SOTW, but they sure learn a lot from it.
Our Island Story- this will be an audio book that they will listen to at night.  It is mostly set in the Middle Ages, but most importantly it sets the stage for understanding American history; understanding Britain history is fundamental to understanding WHY the settlers crossed the sea and why freedom was so important to them.
Linguistic Development: or in other words, memorizing 80 poems and being able to recite any of them on cue.  We've already started this and the kids love it.  We are on poem #3.  Btw, I'm sure this will take a few years.  20 poems is the goal for this year.
Discover the Scriptures: Old Testament- we'll see.  It is a workbook for the church's scripture readers.  This is her only busy work, but it may prove useful.
Homeschool Class:  Fort Rucker offers homeschoolers a class once a week for two hours.  It includes PE (skating, Karate, games), computer skills, and art; She makes friends there and that IS important.
Piano: I don't teach her, I pay for a piano teacher.
Poetry teatime: this is where we sit at the table, each with our favorite book of poetry, and take turns reading a poem.  Since maddy can't read yet, she chooses a poem for one of us to read.  We also sip "tea" (chocolate milk) and eat a snack.  SO much fun!
Since Savannah is 8 she will now be reading from the Book of Mormon for 30 min. a day and writing something in her journal about it. She'll also be working on a Faith in God goal every 6 weeks or so.

Charlotte will be going into 1st grade according to her age, though she really could be considered a 2nd grader.  She is very mature for her age.  I don't know yet what I'm going to do about this...

Anyway, she will finish the second half of Math Mammoth 1 and XtraMath
Spell to Write and Read
Story of the World: Middle Ages & Our Island Story
Linguistic Development
Prima Latina
Copywork (2 sentences in cursive from any of her books, her choice)
Read literature together daily
Learn the states
Poetry teatime
Notebook the Apologia books if she wants to, but not required.
Piano
Homeschool class

Madelynn: Pre-school

Work on handwriting
Spell to Write and Read
Essential Math A
Maybe gymnastics.

Everything for Madelynn is optional.

Religion:
As a family, reading from the Book of Mormon for LDS Families has been a great sucess for a few years now. This year I have the goal of memorizing The Living Christ as a family. We already have memorized, "As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millenia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of his matchless life..." There are some big words in there! Zach is super cute saying it; so is Maddy. There are FREE study helps on Discover the Scriptures website that I highly recommend if you want to do this with your family.
And then there's the daily devotional. We sing a primary song, have a prayer, memorize (this year) the articles of faith and the gospel standards for primary kids. Then we watch a scripture movie on lds.org or read out of the Friend magazine. This has worked well in the past.

That's it and that all folks!

**APPLAUSE**        **APPLAUSE**     **APPLAUSE**

Thank you!  Thank you everyone!!!!  I just want to especially thank my husband for not banning me from the computer.  So many hours of research and planning and printing and buying and selling and buying and changing my mind...  I know my Dear doesn't have a clue as to what's going on and yet he tolerates my insanity.  I love you, dear hubby of mine!

New Ideas!

A few discoveries I've made over the last few weeks:

Alphabet Printable Activities : I made Madelynn a preschool book with handwriting practice worksheets from this site.  It gives you the option of printing out worksheets that teach "standard block" handwriting or D'Nealian handwriting.  I like D'Nealian.
I also included in her homemade preschool workbook the pages from Essential Math A and some Kumon maze pages just for fun.  She is also beginning to learn all of the sounds of the phonograms and we are working on blending, but I think she may need more time for that skill to come.
I realized that I really don't like Handwriting Without Tears' cursive letters, so I'm switching everyone to D'Nealian font.  The good thing about D'Nealian is that it can easily be found online for free.  For instance, I made cursive worksheets for Savannah and Charlotte from this site.

I also ran across this blog:
http://www.simplyconvivial.com/

She has some interesting ideas on how to make some subjects more independent and interest-led.  I have discovered for myself that interest-led studies make a more profound impact on a child than derived studies; this is obviously because they WANT to learn the topic.  Copywork has been an enjoyable activity when I have allowed them to choose the sentences.  Now, because of that website, science will be interest-led. 
I have all of the Exploring Creation books by Apologia.  The girls have to read one topic from any Apologia book (about 3-4 paragraphs) and write a summary of the topic in their composition book (Charlotte: 1-2 sentences, Savannah: 2-3 sentences), and then illustrate it, daily.  It works!  And what a great exercise that is!  Reading, composition, grammar, handwriting, and independence all wrapped up in one.  This takes the place of Writing With Ease... I was going to pick WWE up again for 3rd grade, but now I don't have to... whew!  It's torture to me.

Speaking of torture, I've dropped Phonics Road for now.  This coming year Savannah will do R&S English and dictation from Spelling Wisdom, marking (Spalding style) only the words she misses.  I will keep going through the Ayer's list with Charlotte and mark the words, which is pretty much what Phonics Road level 1 is.  It really is a good exercise.  It's just so....  boring.

Another idea from that website is in regards to geography.  I don't have a formal geography program for the kids.  We just have big wall maps that we actually refer to quite often.  However, the lady on the website has her kids fill out a blackline map every week until they can fill it out without a reference, and WE are totally going to do that too. 

So.. I bought this: http://www.exodusbooks.com/details.aspx?id=28636
And this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426300883/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00
And this: http://www.amazon.com/Geography-Songs-Cassette-Larry-Troxel/dp/1883028043/ref=pd_sim_b_2

And one more new idea!  We are going to get serious about poetry memorization by using Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization by IEW.  I just have to find it used... I'm not paying that much!  There are four levels of poems, each level containing 20 poems.  You just start with the first poem and master it, then move to the next until all 80 poems are memorized.  There is a youtube link on the website that explains why this is an important exercise, if you're interested. 

Oh and this:  an online music notes drill.  I might have my girls do this too.
Anyway, that's all for now.  Just thought I'd share with all my fans. ;)

(chirp... chirp...  ...chirp...)

Strike that!

It will be interesting to see how many times I change my mind on curriculum.

Ok, new plan.  Keeping them together for history and read alouds.

Read Alouds:  The Story of the World: The Middle Ages
                        The Blue Fairy Book
                        Burgess Animal Book
                     * Castle (Macaulay)
                    ** Seabird
                  *** Cathedral (Macaulay)
                         ..other literature I haven't decided on...

Audio Books: Our Island Story
                        Pilgrim's Progress
                        The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (Pyle)
                        Parables of Nature
                        Tales From Shakespeare

Read together with Savannah:      *The Wind in the Willows
                                                    **The Little Duke
                                                  ***Heidi

Savannah reads silently: Along Came a Dog
                                       The Story of Doctor Dolittle
                                       The Door in the Wall

Read together with Charlotte: Little House in the Big Woods
                                                 ?

Charlotte reads silently: not sure yet

Curriculum planning!!!

I have just started planning next school year.  Savannah will be in 3rd grade and Charlotte will be in 1st (according to their ages, not abilities).  I'll be continuing with Math Mammoth and Xtra Math, as well as Phonics Road, which covers phonics, spelling, dictation, and grammar (I'm dropping the literature/writing section).

I have decided to follow Ambleside Online closely this coming year and take a more Charlotte Mason approach. 

Savannah will be doing Year 2 in Ambleside's Curriculum.  Just because it is "Year 2" does not mean it is a 2nd grade curriculum; it is not.  It would be appropriate for even a 4th or 5th grader!  We have read all of the books in Year 1 and some of the books in Year 2 already, so my booklist isn't exactly the same as what is on the site.

I divided Year 1 into two years, adding a few more books to the list to beef it up.  Year 1 is great for 1st and 2nd grades.  Charlotte will be doing part of Year 1.


So here is the plan so far:   *1st term, **2nd term, ***3rd term

Together I will read to them:
* ** ***Parables from Nature - literature
* ** ***Beautiful Tales from Shakespeare - literature
* ** ***Pilgrim's Promise (audio cd) - literature
            *Seabird - geography
          **Burgess Animal Book - natural history/science
        ***Pagoo - natural history/science

Savannah's Books (Year 2) Medieval Times :
(We will tandem-read these, where she reads a paragraph, I read a paragraph.  She will gradually begin reading most of them on her own as the year progresses.  All of these books she will narrate from.  She will also be reading easier books on her own that are not listed.)

  * ** ***Our Island Story - history
     ** ***A Child's History of the World - history
         * **The Little Duke - biography
          ***Joan of Arc (Stanley) - biography
              *The Wind in the Willows - literature
            **Robin Hood (Pyle) - literature
          ***The Door in the Wall - literature

Charlotte's Books (Year 1B):
(These are definitely subject to change!  She will also be reading easier books on her own that are not listed.)

* ** ***Book of Mormon Stories (Petersen) - history
* ** ***Fifty Famous Stories Retold - history tales
            *Benjamin Franklin (d' Aulaire) - biography
          **George Washington (d' Aulaire) - biography
        ***Abraham Lincoln (d' Aulaire) - biography
* ** ***The Blue Fairy Book - literature
* ** ***Just So Stories - literature

        
Missing from this schedule are three artists to study, three composers, three poets, which animals/plants to study, handicrafts, hymns, and scriptures and poems to memorize.  I also need to figure out a system for copywork/dictation and a history timeline. 

Next, I go through each book to see how many chapters (or pages) there are and divide them up into weeks.  For instance, if I have a 23 chapter book that I want to read within 12 weeks, I would schedule 2 chapters from that book/week.

               Week:    1           2           3          4          5            6
Book:
Heidi            Ch. 1&2      3&4      5&6    7&8     9&10   11&12
Little House      p. 1-5      6-8        9-14   15-20   21-24   25-29


Hopefully I can follow through with my plans this time. This year I got way off track from moving twice and having a baby. I think I have a good excuse anyway :)

Reading Aloud ramblings

I just heard about The Read-Aloud Handbook.  I looked it up on Amazon and read a few pages of it from that site.  Then I ordered it; it will be here tomorrow.  It basically talks about the effects reading to your children has on them, when to begin reading to them, when to stop, and what to read.  It is highly motivating and has, once again, changed my ideas about homeschooling and how to educate my kiddos.  Reading that book in light of studying Charlotte Mason, Charlotte Mason is beginning to make a little more sense.  Or rather, I'm seeing the value of educating FULLY Charlotte Mason style.  I really like Ambleside Online, for example.  But over and over again on that site the creators say not to treat this like another booklist, but to implement it the way Charlotte Mason prescribes.  I've been treating it like a booklist :)  A booklist that is difficult to make time for. 

Our homeschoool day is full.  First the kids do Xtra Math, then a page out of their math books.  By the time we do those two things, in addition to getting everyone dressed, feeding everyone, cleaning up the mess, and reading out of the scriptures, the morning is over.  I let the kids go out to play for a while as a break, then bring them back in at lunch, clean up, do a quick devotional (sing, recite a scripture, listen/read a scripture story or Friend article).  Baby and Zach go down for naps and the rest of us go outside and do some sort of outdoor chore with Isaac.  Babies wake, need diapers, everyone needs fed, kitchen needs cleaned again.  Then I start phonics/spelling/grammar/reading/writing/lit. individually with Savannah and Charlotte.  You know, the beast known as Language Arts.  I also try to get them to do their piano during the day; they are both taking piano lessons now.  I break up fights, clean up the constant huge messes made by Destructo Boy, clean out poopy panties, spray down poopy bums in the shower, clean more messes by D.B., do more dishes, make more food, give hugs, loves, and spankin's, and try not to lose my mind.  I'm just a little busy.  I try to squeeze in a read-aloud when they are in bed, but more often than not I'm too tired.  This is NOT a Charlotte Mason education.  : (  

Can I just say right here and now: I'm OK with just one boy.  That's all we need.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, read-alouds.  So reading aloud, aparently, is SO important, SO foundational to a good education and character, that I really can't afford to miss them.  In fact, read-alouds should become the CORE of what we do during the day.  Which means I need to reorganize our day and our priorities and our approach to education... again.  It is too much of a check list.  Math done.. check!  Phonics Road done... Check!  Scripture reading done.. check! 

It's not meaning anything to the kids and the kids do not love learning : (  But they do like books and they like to listen to stories : ) 

If I took that amazing "book list" called Ambleside Online and made that more important than, say... the Beast, commonly known as Language Arts... and diligently read aloud and required the kids to read widely and often, narrating as we go, copying down the great ideas we read... I think that the Beast can appropriately be slain.  Which hurts.  I'm not sure I have the guts to put Phonics Road to the side.  I'll have to ponder that a little longer.

A Charlotte Mason education is putting a feast of ideas (nature, science, artist, composers, math, geography, biographies, myths, fairy tales, character sketches) in front of the child through worthy books.  The books have to use literary language and be uplifting (think: virtuous, lovly, of good report and praiseworthy).  It is letting the child read, ponder, and then express through narrating or art, so that the ideas become digested and become theirs.  Charlotte Mason education inspires a love of learning.  A Charlotte Mason education is also a life style; it is having the Spirit in our home, being together as a happy family, working in the garden together, taking TIME together.  Reading, walking, talking, singing, laughing together.  JOY.  For instance, DB is currently climbing in my lap trying to turn off the computer screen so that I will sing him itsy bitsy spider.  That means I'm done typing for now.

Later.

Big thumbs up for Xtramath!

My kids have been doing Xtramath lately, and I have to say I love it. It gets the job done. It drills math facts, takes about 5-10 min. a day, and tracks their progress for me. The best part: it's free!

Moving towards Charlotte Mason

I've always loved Charlotte Mason's ideas on education. I've been acquainted with them for a few years now and have used many of her methods on and off. I just recently purchased For the Children's Sake and When Children Love to Learn, both of which are EXCELLENT reads and I highly recommend them to those thinking about homeschooling and wanting to learn more about Charlotte Mason.
Her ideas are very deep. You can't read and understand the philosophy in a short amount of time. And I won't attempt to explain her philosophy either, because I'm bound to do a hatchet job of it. But after reading those two books and few other articles on the subject, I have learned a few things I just want to make note of for myself.
When I read about CM and think about her philosophy on education as a life, and her view of children as people, and that my purpose as a teacher can and should be the same as my purpose as a mother, which is to share with my children virtuous ideas and experiences so that they can be filled with joy throughout their life. When I read and think about these things, I feel really good.
It has made me look at education differently. What is education anyway? What part of my education made a lasting impact on me? I have to admit, most of it has been flushed because it didn't mean anything to me. I learned information long enough to take a test, but I recall only a few things that actually had an impact on my thoughts or worldview or character, and those always came from a real book. In short, much of my "education" contributed absolutely nothing to my life. It was a waste of my time. Truly.
I could do that to my kids here at home too. I could get them the workbooks and have them diligently fill them out so they learn all the facts and information they need to know to pass the tests and get the paper that declares them educated.
But my kids... they deserve more than that. They're wonderful, and they have bright, imaginative minds that love learning and growing...
What do I want for my kids? I want them to be happy, to be intelligent, to be able to participate in the "great conversation", to be able to stand for truth and righteousness in a bold, intelligent, and convincing way. We are in a war of ideas, and more than anything I want my children to be able to effectively fight in that war when they leave my home. I want them to be well educated, but I don't think "being educated" comes from workbooks or texts or tests. Education comes from an abundant feast of virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy ideas. Those sort of ideas come from the best books. The best books become part of your thoughts, character, and intelligence when they are read slowly and digested, then when narrated they become your own.
I happen to think Charlotte Mason's ideas will get us there. I think she is right. My kids will get the paper that says they are educated, but they will have so much more than a piece of paper when they leave my home.
At least that's my goal.
So what does this look like, day to day? My role has changed. My purpose is not to get my kids to plug through their first and second grade curriculums and be done with it, but rather to enjoy the journey of teaching, learning with, and interacting with my children while I have them. Together we get into books and learn ideas, words, worlds, virtues. We go outside and study God's creations and learn about reverence, order, beauty, and God. We create relationships with all these things, find joy in them and each other, and together become truly educated. Our time will not be wasted.

Preschool is ordered!

Miss Madelynn wants to do school. I've been buying the preschool workbooks from walmart for her to color in for "school", but it is no longer working. She wants me to teach her like I teach Savannah and Charlotte. She is also wanting to learn how to form letters.

*sigh*

It is time.

Here is what she will be using for preschool:

From the Handwriting Without Tears website she will use "My First School Book", "My Book", and "I Know My Numbers". While I was on that site, I also ordered the student handwriting workbooks for K-2nd grade. (FYI, the teachers manuals are fairly useless. Just order the student workbooks).

I also ordered Essential Math A and Essential Math B from the Rainbow Resource website. Book A is good for preschool and Book B is good for Kindergarten. You'll also want some sort of manipulatives. Chocolate chips, raisins, blocks, pennies, and fingers are all good.

For reading, the Leap Frog videos have been great. She now knows her letter sounds (at least the first sounds) and is ready to start practicing blending. When she knows how to blend sounds, then I get out the Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and begin with the first reading lesson. I also use Bob Books. When she reads the Bob Book through the first three levels, I move on to the McGuffey Readers. When she actually starts reading out of the Bob Books, I will also begin teaching her all of the phonogram sounds via the flashcards from The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading.

And, of course, I try to set aside time to read to her. That is the most important thing.

Preschool is definitely a time to move at the child's pace. Some skills will come faster than others. I never require my preschool kids to sit down and do work. It is all voluntary (and FUN) at this age. We may start and then stop for a few months for maturity or skill to catch up.

There is so much available curriculum out there that is great. This just happens to fit my style. If anything, hopefully this can serve as a starting point to get you going.

For all beginners, I recommmend the books The Well-Trained Mind, Latin Centered Curriculum, and researching Charlotte Mason. All are different approaches to homeschooling. I have gleaned from all approaches and took what works for us. Also, the website www.welltrainedmind.com/forums contains a wealth of information. Search the site, ask your questions, research curriculum.

Socialization is a myth. (warning: a rant)

So my biggest fear before homeschooling was how my kids would be socialized. Would they be weird if I homeschooled? Would I ruin them?

I knew two kids that went to our church that were homeschooled. They were NERDS; and it was obviously a result of being homeschooled. The most annoying thing about them was that they didn't know they were nerds. Completely oblivious! They obviously did not have the opportunity of being "clued in" to how nerdy they truly were since they had so much confidence in themselves...

Now wait a second. They were nerdy and they were confident. (how is that bad?)

I was so used to seeing the nerds at school having no self-esteem. They were nerdy and quiet. They kept to themselves and always looked sad/depressed.

Now wait a second again! There were nerds at school!?! How did public school fail them? I thought we all send our kids to school so that they become "socialized" or in other words, like everyone else so that they fit into society. So there shouldn't be any socially-misfit kids at school because they are all there being socialized, right?

OR... maybe, just maybe, whether a kid will be nerdy or socially "normal" is not determined by where they go to school, but who they are and who their parents are. Hmm... I think the latter is true.

Therefore, "socialization" is a myth. :D

Well, sort of. If you have a nerdy child, and you desire to send them to public school to be "socialized", they will be socialized. They will be that nerdy, no-self-esteem child that they ought to be.

Moreover, they will know their proper role in society. They will have experienced the "real world". We adults all know that in the real world everyone you interact with is your same age. And if you are a nerdy adult your peers will call you "stupid" and "fat-so" at work, and probably ignore you on your lunch break. So you might as well get used to it, beginning at the tender age of 5.

Does anyone else see the ridiculousness of this train of thought or is it just me?????

I'll admit it. I'm arrogant. I think homeschooling is a superior method of raising children and that it provides a superior education than public school. There may be some legitimate reasons some parents send their kids to public school, but "socialization" is not one them.

There are a lot of nerdy homeschoolers. And they are blissfully unaware of their nerdiness. And they are happy. And confident. That's what I want for my unsocialized, nerdy, homeschooled kids. Because in the "Real World", confidence matters.

Would You Want to be Home-Schooled???

This article from New York Times asks kids ages 13+ if they would like to be homeschooled. Scroll down to read their responses in the comment section. Then skip a few pages to where the homeschooled kids start writing their responses.

Here's one of my favorite responses. To be fair, I chose one that had correct grammar and spelling:

"Personally, I dont think that being homeschooled would be good because then you’re like this clueless person when you get to college. You wouldn’t know how to socialize and communicate with other people. You would be missing out on a bunch of projects, hands on, and group work. Basically, you would be unaware of the world. *Shrugs*… Imean if you can’t focus in class than you should go to like a private school where they might be more strict but still provide the social activities ..:D"



Seriously, like, pull them out now before it's too late!!! :D

We're doing good

Well, tomorrow will be week 12 of our school year. It is going really well. We do the reading, writing, phonics, & math every day without fail. I got caught up with the science & history, then got behind again. We'll be playing catch-up again next week in those subjects, and then I've scheduled in a two-week break for Thanksgiving and a week for Christmas projects. I scheduled three weeks of school in December, but I'm thinking about taking those off as well and moving school further into the summer.

I can do that since I'm the Principal :D

But we'll see. It depends on how busy December is.

Charlotte finished her Kindergarten math book and has moved on to Math Mammoth grade 1. Now she is officially in all first grade curriculum!

I highly recommend Essential Math A&B for Kindergarten and Math Mammoth for 1st-6th grade. I have been so pleased with these math programs. They are conceptually challenging, yet they teach in a line-upon-line way, particularly Math Mammoth. Even though math does not come naturally to Savannah, she is doing really well and it is making sense to her. She mostly does her math on her own now since it is written to the student. Charlotte, on the other hand, takes to math very easily. It has been a joy to watch her catch on so quickly (and a sweet relief!)

Similarly, language/spelling/reading comes very naturally to Savannah, while it comes slightly less naturally to Charlotte. However they are both very smart in both areas of language and math.

Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy teaching them? I mean, overall, in general.

Today I got frustrated with Savannah for dwaddling during math and making careless mistakes. And Charlotte's reading lesson was cut drastically short for fear I would accidently bite her head off. She kept guessing at words instead of sounding them out. I needed a nap after today's lessons.

However, to watch them learn and improve, to listen to their jokes and stories, and just get to know them at such a fun time in their lives is priceless.

Survival Mode

How to homeschool with 5 small children:

You don't! Hahahahhahahahahaha!
ok, just kidding.

You drop the nonessentials and focus on the 3R's: math, math facts, challenging word problem, spelling, phonics, dictation, copywork, narration, grammar, vocabulary, latin, cursive, & reading.

Just kidding again! Ohhhhhh, I'm so funny.

Really, you par down to essentials, establish a routine, go easy on yourself, and gradually add stuff back in as you can handle it.

The new baby hasn't so much been the challenge. It's a new baby & a boy toddler that has been the challenge. I figured out that school needed to be done during toddler's naptime.

I also dropped American history, all the projects that went with it, and our state study. School is going smoother now. I'm trying to catch up on science, ancient history, and myths. We'll get there. And even if we don't, it will be ok. It's just gravy. (However, we WILL)

A House of Order

“Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119).

Homeschooling is more than just doing school at home. It is a lifestyle. It encompasses the entire day, not just when we're doing math and phonics. Homeschooling is learning how to live with each other in a way that is uplifting and joyful, rather than stressful and frustrating.

I am NOT saying that I have it all figured out. Anyone that knows me and has been in my house is well aware of that fact. However, this is the goal and purpose that I have in mind. And, in fact, there are a few things I HAVE figured out that I'd like to share.

First things first: you have to have a clean and orderly house.
Both Isaac and I can wholeheartedly recommend Accountable Kids. Worth. Every. Cent.
My children keep the house clean. They have it down to an art now. The house can be COMPLETELY destroyed and they'll have it clean in about 20-30 min. I take care of cleaning the kitchen (because they aren't tall enough to reach the cabinets) and doing my own laundry/bedroom/bathroom. I don't have to yell, or threaten, or spank. And yes, I did all three of these as "motivation" before I found this awesome program. They get ready for the day in the morning & for bed at night, quickly, and without reminders. It has made such a difference in our home. Everyone is happier.

Second: Establish a routine.
Whatever it may be, make your day fairly predictable. Over time it becomes easier to get things done (like math or actually DOING school) when they know it is coming at the same time, every day, no exceptions. Of course, surprises are fun too. Don't forget those!

Third: Spiritual learning is more important than academics.
The BEST part of being home with your kids all day is how much time you have to teach them the gospel. Is that not the most important part of motherhood? Prayer, music, and scriptures are included throughout the day. These times are sweet and relaxing times (usually) when we feel the spirit and learn about Jesus. It is everyone's favorite time of the day.
Of course, it is not only WHAT we teach, however, but who we are through our daily (ALL day) example. Isaac and I have found that privately studying the Book of Mormon for 30 min. a day, as well as having daily personal prayer, has made all the difference. For me, reading the Book of Mormon helps me have the companionship of the Spirit, which brings peace of mind & heart, as well as a clear understanding, and feelings of love towards my family. VITAL to the daily grind of having your kids at home with you ALL. DAY. LOOOONNNNNGGGG. Instead it becomes a JOY rather than a chore.

And last but not least: QUIET TIME!!!!
1 hour, for sanity's sake. I just started doing this. Each kid goes to a different room for an hour. They take books to read or look at. Maddy likes to color for her quiet time. We are all separated from each other. WOW. Quiet time is one routine that is here to stay. Again: everyone is just happier when we have quiet time in our day. I highly recommend it!

McGuffey Readers

I love these books and so do my children.  I use the Primer, First, and Second readers for daily reading practice.  These first three readers contain simple stories with pretty pictures.  They just love them.

Readers 3-6 contain such a beautiful collection of stories and poetry that I just don't want them to miss out.  Yet, I don't want to do a lesson/day like we do with the beginning readers because they increase in difficulty very quickly, for example, the third reader should last a few years.  I also want to spend more time on one lesson so that it becomes more ingrained on their minds. 

I've been looking for a way to bring them more into Savannah's daily schedule lately, as well as incorporate more Charlotte Mason ideas, and I think I have come up with a plan.  We'll try it for the next few weeks to see how it goes.

With Savannah I'm going to start in the Third reader and work on one lesson a week for oral reading, copywork, and dictation.

ORAL READING:  This is to help her learn to pronounce words clearly and correctly, as well as to speak in front of other people.  On day 1 & 2, she reads the lesson out loud to me.  We work on saying the words clearly.  Day 3 & 4 she reads it standing up as if reading to an audience.  This time, in addtion to speaking clearly, she needs to speak loudly and with correct intonation.  Hopefully on day 4 or sometime over the weekend I can provide her with an audience.  Maybe during Family Home Evening.

COPYWORK:  I will choose part of the lesson for her to copy on day 1, and a different part of the lesson to copy on day 3.  She will mark the words phonetically as we do in Phonics Road.

DICTATION: I will dictate her copywork to her on day 2 & 4.  No phonetic marks this time.  Dictation is one of the most effective ways to learn spelling.

I think this is a good plan.  We'll see!

The Sun is a Mass of Incadescent Gas...

Above is Charlotte's notebook page showing the earth rotating around the sun.

This is Savannah's notebook page.  (Oops, I just noticed she didn't start with a captial and she spelled "solar" wrong.  I'll have to have her correct that)

Maddy drew a beautiful picture of the sun as well.

Our science experiment: we are melting chocolate. 

We also decided to set our dead grass on fire.  It works really fast!

Our burned piece of chocolate.

Cleaning up afterwards is the best part!

Charlotte can read!

Ok, well, sort of.  She is so excited about this.  I handed her a book with a bunch of "Little Bear" stories in it and she will not put it down.  She read all day today and yesterday.  She is almost done with the whole book.
She also loves reading the Book of Mormon in the morning.  She always wants to be the first to read and she frequently asks to read more than just one verse.  (She still needs help with about half the words).
She also loves her McGuffey reader.  Savannah loved those too.

Neither of them enjoy(ed) reading from The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, however it gets the job done.  I think I have it down now, as a teacher of reading and phonics, that I may be able to permanently drop that book forever from our curriculum list. 

Maybe.

Education must have its roots in moral principles....

"Let us never lose sight of the fact that education is a preparation for life -- and that preparing for life is far more than knowing how to make a living or how to land on the moon. Preparing for life means building personal integrity, developing a sound sense of values, increasing the capacity and willingness to serve. Education must have its roots in moral principles. If we lose sight of that fact in our attempt to match our educational system against that of the materialists *, we shall have lost far more than we could possibly gain."
--Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 297


*Materialist=One who denies the existence of spiritual substances, and maintains that the soul of man is the result of a particular organization of matter in the body. Webster's 1828 Dictionary

It is a little daunting to be in complete charge of my children's education.  I think about education constantly: curriculum, methods, theories, etc.  It's what I read about, what I research, and what I spend my time doing every day.  I enjoy it thoroughly. 

However, I feel that I am missing something.  I want the spiritual and moral to be at the root of our education (OUR because I'm being educated right along with the kids) than the academic pursuit... which is easy to get caught up in.  How do I get there?  I think I need to rethink my goals for my kids and their education. 

I want more joy and delight in learning. 

I need to be a better person than I am; I need to work on my own testimony and character.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We are at the end of Week 3 and it is going really well.  I feel that I have chosen some really great curriculum this year.  Our days are getting shorter as we are getting into the routine and habit of our lessons... which leaves more room for playing... or whatever we want to do.

Phonics Road is solid, as is Writing With Ease.  They don't take very long at all and they are teaching great skills.  Why do I want to ditch them both and follow a Charlotte Mason approach? 

At this age... a CM approach would include ONLY narration and copywork (when it comes to the language arts), and a gazillion good books.  Dictation and light grammar instruction wouldn't come until 4th grade or so, according to CM, WHICH, I believe, is a successful route as well.

PR and WWE are easy now with only two kids to work with.  How will it be when I have a 6th, 4th, 2nd, Ker, and preschooler (and possibly toddler, infant, and who knows how many more...)?  Will I regret my obsessing and fretting over academics while my children are young and wish I had been more relaxed about it and ENJOYED the journey more?

WHY let go of something solid that is working?  Is this just me changing my mind again or a prompting from the Spirit?

More to ponder, research, read about, think about, and pray about.  It truly never ends.