homeschooling

I’ve been meaning to do this post since September. A lot of you have asked about our curriculum and though it hasn’t changed drastically since the beginning, I do tweak it every year in a effort to find what best suits my girls and their learning styles and our classical education goals.
This is our fourth year at home,  learning together. It has gotten progressively easier every year, partly because I’m more confident about what we’re doing but mostly because my girls are older and easy to teach. It took me FOREVAH to do this post so I sure hope it helps some sweet poor soul who’s trying to figure out this whole homeschooling thing 🙂

Bible

Lectionary/Small Catechism/Church Festivals

Our church follows the 3 year lectionary and we are currently on Series B.  I print the readings for the year so that we are able to read the next Sunday’s readings at least 2-3 times before church on Sunday.   Since we’ve been doing this, I find that the girls pay more attention to the readings and almost always nudge me to remind me that,  “Hey, we’ve read that this week.”    We also read about/talk about the church festivals on the day they occur.   St. Lucia day was December 13 and the girls and I made crowns of light and Santa Lucia rolls.   January 18th was the festival of the Confession of St. Peter so we talked about the importance of Peter’s confession for the church.   Issues Etc. is very helpful in this regard because they also follow the church year and have several years of podcasts on the various church festivals.  We talk about the current ‘season’ of the church year (currently Epiphany) and how that season reflects something unique about the life and work of Christ.   We’re also STILL memorizing the Small Catechism.   We take one portion each year or semester and memorize it/talk about it/study it.   We are currently finishing up on the Lord’s Prayer petitions.

We’ve done Old Testament stories twice and New Testament stories twice so I’m thinking of doing church history next year.   I’d love your thoughts on Bible curriculum, especially as your children age and are ready for more ‘meat’.

Memory

Poetry/Scripture/Historical Documents/Lists

I’ve written about my passion for memory work before.  We spend about 30-40 minutes per day on memory work—most of that time on learning new memory. But we also continue to review things we learned in our first 3 years of homeschooling. I know my girls get tired of it sometimes but we have a huge notebook of works we’ve memorized over the past four years and it’s one of the few subjects where there’s instant, tangible evidence that we’re learning great stuff.   We are usually working on 4-5 new pieces at one time along with a comprehensive history timeline that spans the ancient Isrealites through current times.   It has 170 events (corresponding to the Veritas history cards) and sometimes seems daunting.  However, we will repeat it every year and as we get to those topics in history and Bible, the timeline will come alive and be ‘pegs’ on which to  hang more information.    “The destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, 70 AD”  may not mean that much to them right now.   But when we get to that story in history, it won’t be the first time they’ve heard it and they will understand it better as it relates to the history of the Romans and the Jews.   I LOVE the timeline.  This little video clip will give you a ‘feel’ for the timeline and how it CAN be done, despite the fact that there are lots of dates and people and events.

We try to coordinate our memory work with things we’re studying in history, science, math,  and Bible.   So far this year, we’ve memorized:

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
After the Party
The Cow
A list of the 13 colonies
The Presidents
The States and Capitals
Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Romans 8:18-39
George Washington by Stephen Vincent Benet
Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pater Noster (Lord’s Prayer in Latin)
The World is too Much With Us by William Wordsworth
Introduction to the Declaration of Independence
The Children’s Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Santa Filomena by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
John 1:1-7 in Latin and English
Gettysburg Address
Matthew 5: 1-20
History Timeline

Math

Saxon–We just finished Saxon 5/4 and are starting 6/5.

Literature

The girls spend an hour a day reading their literature books. Books they read so far this year:
Black Beauty
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
The Secret Garden
The Princess and the Goblin
Anne of Green Gables
Peter Pan

to be read:

The Little White Horse
Anne of Avonlea
The Treasure Seekers
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
The Prince and the Pauper

We also read together at night (Little Women) and they listen to audio books during their quiet time (currently, Hunger Games).   We love books.  It’s the center of our curriculum.  During their reading time, they read aloud to me (usually a page or two) and sometimes I read a few pages to them.  We read classical books and I use Ambleside Online along with The Well Trained Mind to furnish us with good book choices and good authors.

Grammar

We’re still using Rod and Staff and I love it.   We do a lot of diagramming and a lot of review.   They’re finally getting the hang of it!!!!   They can predictably find subjects/verbs/direct objects/predicate nouns/predicate adjectives/prepositions/object of prepositions.   The hard work is finally paying off!   I am passionate that my girls (along with their mother) become proficient at Grammar so I very actively teach it.  We don’t do worksheets very often but instead work through most of it on the board together.   I’m pretty sure this is why they like Grammar.   I hope it continues!

Writing

This is our 2nd year to use Andrew Pudewa’s Excellence in Writing. It’s a great, step-wise program for teaching writing and we use his method (keyword outlines) to write one good paragraph a week based on something from our history or science curriculum.  For instance, this week, we studied the Transcontinental Railroad so the girls read a few short paragraphs about the railroad and then made a keyword outline from the reading.   The next day, we use the outline to write a paragraph and then use the next day or so to edit the paragraph and add writing elements such as -ly words, strong verbs, ‘which’ clauses, sentence openers, adjectives, etc.   On Fridays,  I often have the girls give a short oral presentation where they basically recite their paragraph back to me.    By the end of the week, they’ve really learned a few key things about a pertinent topic and they get to practice their oratory skills along with their writing and editing skills.

Latin

This is our first year without Mrs. Susan, our Latin tutor and it’s been a learning experience for all of us.   I’m very committed to my girls’ learning Latin.   I think it’s so valuable for vocabulary building and even for better understanding English grammar.   We use Latin for Children and are almost finished with Primer A.   We take it slow, usually a chapter a week, and then do lots of review.   We memorize prayers and scripture in Latin which helps to reinforce what we’re learning.  I’ve been checking into online Latin classes for the future because I’m not sure I can learn it fast enough to teach them.  I’m glad I’ve ploughed through it this year though because at least they haven’t lost any ground.   I’d LOVE it if my girls were translating famous Latin works by the time they’re in high school.  It’s just a good foundation for language of all types and I don’t see us giving it up anytime soon.  If you do Latin at home, I’d love to know what works well for you!

French

We use Rosetta Stone and the only thing I provide is the computer and the software.   They seem to really like it and  do a  lesson a day whenever we can fit it in around our other work.  It’s very low key but again, I love the exposure to language at an early age.

History

We are still using Story of the World and are on unit four.  I can’t wait to start the repeat next year where we start over again with ancient times.   I’ve used Mystery of History as a supplement and these wonderful books while studying the Civil War.   We often use historical figures as a topic for our writing and our read-alouds.   We chose Little Women as our nighttime read because it’s set during the Civil War and we read a biography on Lincoln during that study as well.   We do history in the afternoons and call it our ‘fun’ school.   We don’t test history but just try to enjoy it.   We discuss what we’ve read and I’ll  occasionally have them narrate it back to me but usually, we just read and discuss.

Science

We’re doing Jeannie Albright’s Human Anatomy this year and have thoroughly enjoyed it.   It’s been a perfect segue for discussing all things ‘body’ with the girls.   They’re at the perfect age for it and usually sit spellbound when the topic gets a little juicy.   We’ve memorized the bones and have used topics such as digestion for larger writing projects.   We also do this in the afternoons and don’t do testing. We really only test Grammar and Math and Spelling at this juncture but we do participate in standardized tests every year so I can see how I’m doing. So far, so good! Enjoy some of our memory work and a little scrapbook of sorts of the girls and their days.

It is a delicate thing, this public writing.   To write honestly about something you love without conveying a sense of superiority or smugness.   I’m sure I fail at it miserably and I pray you’ll forgive my  shortcomings in this area. I simply couldn’t have expected this turn in my life—-that I would be here—-at home—–teaching my kids everyday.    Never mind that I’d love it so much.   I can’t say enough how thankful I am to find myself in this position.    If you’re considering homeschooling, I hope to encourage you to take the next step.

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After the fire, I wasn’t sure if I could breathe again much less teach my children their schoolwork.

I often thought of calling it quits.  I didn’t know how to go on.   I didn’t want them to see me fall apart everyday.

But somehow we made it through.   We finished out the year.

We memorized Romans 8:18-39 as a way to help our hearts heal.   I remember the day we finished it.

It felt like a milestone.    I knew we were gonna be okay.   We taught each other how to live through tragedy.

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I could cite so many reasons why I continue to homeschool my kids.

Yes, it’s true that I LOVE learning.  I love the opportunities to relearn with the kids the things I never learned very well the first time.  And the classical model for education is beautiful.  It’s rich in great literature, rigorous and demanding in memory work and reading and writing.   It’s centered in history and is time tested as a proven way to raise leaders and independent thinkers.

I could tell you that I love teaching the faith to my kids.    I don’t have to worry about them being indoctrinated with secular humanism.  I can enculturate them with confessional lutheran teaching and practice and hand on to them the faith of our fathers.

I could tell you that I love our family centered life where we are not segregated by age or surrounded by peers.   I love that the bulk of their time is spent with adults who love them and have their best interests at heart.  I am thrilled when I see that their siblings become their best friends and they get to spend long stretches of time in the magical world of childhood play.

But all that is really a cover for why I can’t imagine doing anything else.

I’ve seen in my older kids that life is a vapor.  You blink and they’re gone.

I grieve the time I lost with them and I don’t want to miss anything else.

This mothering is what I was made to do.

I want to do it to the fullest for as many hours a day as I can.

I hate to admit it but I think I’m just selfish.

I want their mornings and their lunchtimes and their belly laughs and even all their groanings.

I want the bike riding and the lap sitting and the hours and hours of reading together.

I want the crafting and the cooking and all the holiday shenanigans.

After 3 years, all the lofty reasons I started homeschooling can be reduced to this—-I just want them here with me.

For as long it  lasts, I want their days.

And hopefully, we’ll learn some great stuff  too.

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Soon, a nuts and bolts post about what we’re doing this year.    Soon, as in, as soon as I figure it out!

Happy Weekend!

xo,

edie

This has become one of the most frequently asked questions about our homeschool.   How do we fit it all into a day?   And still sleep and eat and relax.

And I remember those early days when I was researching homeschooling.    I wanted to know every detail.  I poured over Susan Wise Bauer’s daily schedule to try and imagine what my days would look like.   I’ve been tweaking our schedule ever since and I think I’ve finally found a method that works for us.   My girls (8 and 9) are doing 4 grade-ish work mostly and we follow a neo-classical curriculum (as classical as it can be in 2010).   I wanted to come up with a method that gave them more ‘ownership’ of their work;  where they would be motivated on their own to work hard and finish on time.   The problem with that is that we still do a lot of work together.   I read on average two hours aloud to them everyday.    So how do we combine our  ‘together’ work in a way that still gives them a sense of independence and accomplishment?

This schedule is how we do it.   I tweak it depending on the day and print this schedule off every morning, giving a copy to  each girlie.   They love checking things off  the list and it’s been a great tool to help them learn self-discipline.   The harder they work during their independent time, the more time they have in the afternoons to play.

5-7:30am I wake up and do my morning thing:  listen to Issues as I unload dishwasher and tidy the kitchen and living area, finalize the girls’ schedule for the day and print it out,  make sure all supplies, books etc are ready for our school day,  go for a run (depending on the day, the mood, the alignment of the stars),  go to the grocery store (depending on the day),  work on blog posts or answer emails, get the laundry going.

7:30 Wake up the girls with a bright sunshine-y song because I’m a very annoying morning person and hope to help them love and appreciate mornings!  They roll their eyes get dressed, have breakfast, do their simple chores (make beds, tidy room, personal hygeine).   We usually put on some classical music (whatever composer we’re studying at the moment) and have it playing in the background as we start.  Right now, we’re studying Chopin so we listen to him.

8 or 8:15 ish   Bible and Memory

Start our school day with ‘together’ time.   We always start with a prayer from the Lutheran prayer book, read by one of the girls.   Each week, they take turns being the helper for the week, so whatever needs to be done (praying aloud, copying, fetching mom’s diet coke) the girl of the week is in charge.    We also do Bible study (we’re working through the OT) and memory period during this time.

Memory period takes us about 30-45 minutes each day because not only are we memorizing new pieces all the time but we’re always reviewing the stuff we’ve already memorized from the last two years.   The girls LOVE this time of day.  Although memory work can be difficult, it’s so rewarding to be able to recite from memory a huge stack of poetry, bible verses,  random facts, etc.

9:00-10:00  Spelling,  Handwriting,  Writing,  Piano Practice {independent}

This is their first ‘independent’ slot.   They can work on anything from their independent list and they tend to do really well with this and can usually check at least two-three things off the list during this time.   For instance, they both almost always do their spelling, handwriting and either piano practice or  their writing assignment, and sometimes all, during this period.    I usually make beds and start dinner.   They often need little bits of help during this time so I stay close and am ready to help.     I’ve been working on my kindness and patience with their questions and pleas for help.   I find that when I’m more patient, they have less questions.   If they sense that I’m frustrated or really distracted (which I sometimes am!) they seem to need an endless amount of help.   So I talk to myself and try to use a kind, encouraging voice and even if it’s the thirteenth time in 2 minutes that someone needs my help, I try to remember that this is why I’m here—to help them and teach them and guide them.    And I think it’s working.    They seem to need me less the more accessible and pleasant I am.   Go figure.

10-10:30 History {together}

We usually read a chapter in our history book or work on a history related project or read a chapter in a biography about one of our history characters.    They often play legos or do handstands or knit while I read.   Those kinesthetic learners will drive you crazy but I often find that they remember more details if their hands and feet are moving.  We try to incorporate some of our extra reading, memory work and writing into our history lesson.   For instance, we’re studying Elizabeth I this week so 1) we’re memorizing a portion of her speech at Tilbury  2) Our writing assignments will all be about her  3) at the end of the week, the girls will use their writing assignments to give a short oral presentation on her life.

Our curriculum is history and literature centered as much as is possible.

short break (10 min) for snack or taking the dogs for a ‘run’ on the golf cart or dancing (them, not me) etc.

10:30-11  Literature

Read alouds together.  On M,W,F, we read Shakespeare from Charles and Mary Lamb’s book.  We usually read one play per week.  The girls love Shakespeare but it’s better to take it in small bites because these writers use complex language structure which can be hard to follow.   I’m usually the one confused.   They’re always explaining to me what just happened.  They each have their own literature book (Elea-The Princess and the Goblin,  Emme- Hedge of Thorns) and sometime during the morning, they read a chapter or two each and read aloud to me.   We work it in

11-11:45 Math, separate but together.

We do a new lesson each day which I teach to the girls together and then they individually work with me on flash cards and timed sheets while the other one works on the new lesson, then we switch.   Math at our house usually involves weeping and gnashing of teeth.  We’re working on this.   I think it’s getting better since we’ve starting doing the review sheets every day.   They both lack a sense of mastery with math facts and thus easily get frustrated.  My goal is to help them truly master the basic facts so they don’t have to think and count and cry and scream.    Wish me luck.

11:45-12:10  Literature

They each have their own literature book (Elea-The Princess and the Goblin,  Emme- Hedge of Thorns) and sometime during the morning, they read a chapter or two each and read aloud to me—usually a page or two.   We usually do it right before lunch.

Lunch and breaktime.   Stevie comes home for lunch so we almost always have lunch together and then the girls play while we visit.

12:30-1:30 MWF  Latin with Mrs. Harms.

We are so blessed to have Susan back with us this year.   The girls and I love her and they’ve learned so much.   They’re working on noun declensions.  I listen in amazement and really should just take the class myself.   I’m always so conflicted because I have so much I could ‘get done’ during this hour.

Usually I clean or craft or cook or blog or run to the store.    Carpe diem, right?

Rest Time:   Cue the drums.  This hour will change your life.

This is the most wonderful amazing brain child of Susan Wise Bauer.    Watch how she does it here. The rules are, you ‘rest’ in your room, by yourself and may listen to books on tape or play quietly with legos or crafts, etc.   You may not come out unless you’re bleeding.   My girls LOVE their alone time.   It’s good for everyone.   We’re thinking of extending longer than an hour.   It’s wonderful and we meet back together refreshed from the solitude.

1:30-3:30  Science and Grammar/More independent time

We usually have science and grammar to finish in the afternoons.    If we have read-alouds we didn’t finish, we do them here too.  We almost always finish by 2:30 or 3.   But alas, today we will have to finish grammar when we come home from dance.   We had a busy, productive day but couldn’t fit it all in.

We follow this basic schedule on Monday-Thursdays and then use Fridays for more literature, art, music, library time and math.   We study one artist at a time and try to relate some of our art projects to our science, history or literature.    This week, it works out brilliantly because we’re studying the Renaissance and King David so we’ll talk about Michelangelo and his somewhat antagonistic relationship with daVinci and their work on the Sistine Chapel.   We’ll study the sculpture of King David and gaze at our own replication of King David’s bust.   We also will paint different birds since we are studying birds in science.

The girls have dance 3 afternoons a week and piano lessons once per week.

To see a host of ‘daily schedules’ visit Heart of the Matter’s Blog Hop.

Again, O Heavenly Father,

You have granted me strength to rise to the tasks of the day.

I thank You for Your mercy and love.   Without Your power upholding me I should be unable to live.

Give me a spirit of gratitude for all Your gifts.

Above all, dear Father, keep me grateful

for the gift of forgiveness of all my sins through the merits of Jesus Christ, Your Son and my Savior.

Grant that whatever need, whatever sorrow beset my day,

my faith in this forgiveness may remain steadfast and firm.

Let no grief of pain, no doubt or gloom,  come between me and the certainty of Your love.

If  it is Your purpose to try me this day with difficulties for the body or the heart,

grant that I may, by Your spirit,  conquer in this trial and hold fast to Your mercy,

knowing that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory You have in store for me.

Make Your Word my joy,

Your counsel my guide,

Your presence my peace.

In Jesus Christ, Your only Son and my Savior.   Amen