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Currently viewing the tag: "homeschooling"
Books he’s been enjoying since November (not including Advent/Christmas books)
A mother’s song / by Janet Lawler
A father’s song / by Janet Lawler
Marven of the Great North Woods / written by Kathryn Lasky
Pond year / Kathryn Lasky ; illustrated by Mike Bostoc *****
The magic kerchief / by Kirby Larson ; illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger *****
The end / by David LaRochelle ; illustrated by Richard Egielski *****
Snowbaby could not sleep / by Kara LaReau ; illustrated by Jim Ishikawa
The little matador / words and pictures by Julian Hector
Peedie / Olivier Dunrea
Pip in the Grand Hotel / Johannes Hucke, Daniel Müller *****
Merry Christmas, Spot! / Eric Hill
My chair / written by Betsy James ; illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma *****
Picasso and Minou / P.I. Maltbie ; illustrated by Pau Estrada (super-favorite! i love that it has the street we passed, roaming around Montmartre, where Picasso lived, or at least what looks like it) *****
A box full of kittens / story by Sonia Manzano ; illustrated by Matt Phelan
George and Martha rise and shine / James Marshall *****
All for pie, pie for all / David Martin ; illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev *****
When I was born / Isabel Minhós Martins, Madalena Matoso
Mrs. McDockerty’s knitting / Ruth Martinez ; illustrated by Catharine O’Neill
A gift from Saint Francis : the first creche / by Joanna Cole ; illustrated by Michele Lemieux *****
The First Noel : a child’s book of Christmas carols to play and sing.
***** – Nino’s favorites
Yena has been doing more knitting and crocheting and sewing lately, so I thought I’d have her graduate to using actual patterns. We can’t find Aisa’s patterns for her AG doll from years back, so I promised Yena I’d find her printable stuff for now and buy her some patterns on our next trip to Joann’s.
Here’s what I’ve found so far. These should keep her busy for a while.
Liberty Jane Patterns
AG Playthings
Shoe Pattern from Cloth Doll Supply
So after putting together Migi’s curriculum, what’s next?
Well, since I’m actually a very unschooly person at heart, this is where it tends to fall apart, and it has. In years past, I’ve used Google Calendar, or had Migi use a planner. But somehow that system didn’t really work well for us. What HAS worked well is me putting together a chart of sorts that he can look at in the morning, check off through the day what he’s done and turn in to show me before he goes off to play. The problem with that was I often failed to make a chart so I’d have it ready for a week or two and then fall back into our old (ineffective) ways. Yup, even after 11 (12?) years of homeschooling we still don’t have a system down. Part of it is that my children and I all have different personalities, similar to a degree, but different enough to bungle whatever rhythm we’ve got going, if we’re not careful. While my haphazard Let’s-plan-the-year-and-then-see-what-happens has worked well with two other kids, it hasn’t been working well with my third. He wants to know what he’s expected to do every single day, no more, no less, preferably ahead of time. SO…. here’s what I did this year that I think will help him AND me.
First, the spreadsheet, which I do every year and that we use pretty much as our guide for the whole year. For some people, this will be enough. I have it set up this way because it’s how my mind works.
Usually, I would just print that out, staple and put in my kids’ binders and that’s what we consult when we need to see where we are, etc.
This year, I took some extra steps for this child.
First I put it into database format, which means the rows became columns and columns became rows.
This is where my secretarial skills come in 
(I used to work as a secretary while waiting for my paperwork to arrive from my university so I could continue college studies here in the US)
I made a template for a weekly schedule
then merged it with the database and got this:
So now he’s got 52 weeks of plans that he just has to check through.
In addition, I made monthly pages — which I like better than print outs from Google calendar:
and daily planner pages for him:
using the same database-merge process.
I’ve only printed the August pages out so we can tweak as needed, adding in scouting activities, etc. if need be.
I think what I’ll do next is put together a HUGE binder ala-Kolbe and put EVERY SINGLE worksheet, literature guide, experiment instruction, lab report page that he’ll ever need, etc., so that it’s ALL THERE, a whole year’s worth of work, organized and ready.
We’re excited to put this into action!
ETA: I FORGOT A CRUCIAL FIRST STEP before putting that curriculum into a planner page! First I made a “schedule” page and took what I thought might be a “typical week”, just to make sure that everything we’ve planned to do is actually DOABLE within a specified timeframe. I made sure there was plenty of time for sleep, and free/idle/down time, because kids so desperately need that these days. This is also to make sure I actually have time to spend with my child on the subjects where I need to be more hands on. I put all the subjects in, and when I did that, that’s when I realized that we had to revise our Confirmation prep plans A LOT. More on that tomorrow.
Just finished designing Migi’s curriculum for the year. I usually start this in May before the previous schoolyear ends but this year we’re ending late and so we’re also starting later than usual. We school year-round because we travel a bit (with hubby, for work) so this kind of flexible scheduling works for us. Thought I’d share my ideas with you, and I’ll expand on them if anyone has any questions. Note that this is *my* ambitious plan with about 50% input from the child, and we dial down or up through the year as we see fit.
Religion:
- My Catholic Faith Delivered 8th Grade – this is Faith and Life, but online http://www.mycatholicfaithdelivered.com
- Daily Bible Readings/Lectio Divina, Daily Mass whenever possible, Liturgy of the Hours if not http://www.divineoffice.org
- Confirmation Prep – portfolio similar to what 2 older children did — will put this into a different note as the portfolio itself has a booklist + pages and activities to complete, etc.
- Catechism and Apologetics Discussion with Mom at least once a week (materials: CCC, Beginning Apologetics series)
- Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays with family
- Saint of the Month / Mama Mary Feastdays – book to read + fun activity like food and/or art/craft, Advent and Lenten seasons more relaxed than rest of the year
Character Education (tied in with confirmation prep, habit formation, monthly evaluations on how he’s doing with his spiritual life, personal relationships, etc.) - Volunteer work (tied in with Scouting activities)
- Pro-life activity once a month (most likely praying the Rosary in front of an abortion clinic and/or helping out at local pregnancy center)
English/Language Arts:
- Break Into Print – BraveWriter class online August through October http://www.bravewriter.com
- October through end of year – Classical Writing Homer http://www.classicalwriting.com
Literature:- The Tale of Troy
- St. Benedict: The Story of the Father of the Western Monks
- Blessed Miguel Pro: 20th Century Mexican Martyr
- St. Edmund Campion: Hero of God’s Underground
- St. Ignatius and the Company of Jesus
- Outlaws of Ravenhurst
- Mantlemass Chronicles: The Miller’s Boy
- St. Pius X: The Farm Boy Who Became Pope
- Francis and Clare: Saints of Assisi
- To Fight in Silence
- Poetry selections for memorization and copywork from The Harp and Laurel Wreath
Math:
- Finishing up Saxon 87 and moving on to Saxon Algebra 1 http://www.saxonmath.com
Science:
- Experiments from Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia and daily narration in notebook
- Streaming Science videos from Netflix http://www.netflix.com
- Other science activities via scouting and determined by interest throughout the year
- Nature journaling at least once a month
Foreign Language:
- Continued work in First Form Latin http://www.memoriapress.com
- Rosetta Stone Spanish Level 1 http://www.rosettastone.com
History:
- Light To The Nations Volume 2 (Catholic Textbook Project), reading and daily narration either oral or written in notebook or blog, continued work on Book of Centuries http://www.catholictextbookproject.com
Music:
- Guitar, still considering a self-study book, + personal tutorials from big sis and uncles
- Daily music appreciation (Classical Music and Jazz)
- Symphony concerts
Art:
- Artistic Pursuits Junior High Level 1 http://www.artisticpursuits.com
Extra-curricular:
- Scouting with Dad
Fabulous video on homeschoolers! Yeah, validation, baby 
Really exciting news landed in my reader box today:
They have pricing info so far on the Faith and Life series. I’m interested in the Didache as well. Strongly considering signing up. I’m not giving up the one-on-one and the group discussions as those are vital, but this should free up some time so I can do some of the fun liturgical stuff as well which is usually what falls through the cracks. Besides that, I am excited about the Steve Ray videos incorporated into it, and all the neat features they’ve built in. An enthusiastic two thumbs up for Faith and Life Online!
Mother’s Last Skin-to-Skin Goodbye Saves her 20 oz Baby
Bush Quietly Saved a Million African Lives
What Do You Want, an Engraved Dismissal?
Evangelization Training for Catholics: Learn to Share the Authentic Gospel Message!
license to exterminate our unborn
and this video — warning: may not be suitable for your children
If you want an explanation of the title, ask my kids. I don’t know exactly what that means. Except my 18-yo kept saying, “Mom, you got owned.” Whatever. (Am I allowed to say that at 41?)
My 13-year-old is amazing. Okay, I probably shouldn’t say that before I’ve explained why. But wow.
Yesterday, he was doing some research on Environmental Science, for scouting. So I gave him some help, a book, some links, etc. At lunchtime I went into how some environmental activists can take it to extremes and slide off into the extreme end of the spectrum into “anti-life” territory, as in: we need to stop having children because the world can’t possibly support all these humans! Or some such nonsense. His next statement took me by surprise (surprise because I ddin’t expect it to come from a 13-yo’s mouth, although in retrospect, I should have known): “What’s the point of preserving the environment if there’s no one to enjoy it?”
And then today. I’m getting ready to place a huge order for art supplies. I only need $8 more so I can take advantage of a $20 discount (LOL, funny how that works). So I asked them what specific art supplies they’ve been wanting. The 10-year-old: more paints. The 7-year-old: body crayons. The 18-year-old: (what I thought I heard) ceiling wax. (My head: is she planning to redecorate her room before college?) She meant, of course, sealing wax. And the 13-yo goes — “Hey, me too!” I frowned. Isn’t that a girly thing? 18-yo concurred.
Then he goes, “The Emperors used them, and they’re not girls!” We laugh and I admit that he’s right.
But he goes one step further:
“The Pope uses them!”
Yeah, yeah. I got owned. What can I say. I love homeschooling! And I love my kids. They make it so much fun. 
Since this is my blog, I’m allowed to brag once in a while, right?
I also post this as an encouragement to myself and other homeschooling mothers who worry about their children’s writing skills. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it in the past but Aisa was very resistant to formal writing classes/lessons. I tried so many books on her — The Latin Road to English Grammar, Voyages in English, Exercises in English, an online writing course, etc., etc. Finally around the 10th grade I gave up. I just continued to feed her good and great books, fueled by my own passion as well as hers, and just let her write, as she wished. Mostly on her blog. There was very little (emphasis on the VERY) in the way of formal writing in our homeschool. I did give her Format Writing to do on her own (because by that time I was frustrated with her non-cooperation and I frankly didn’t have time to go through her work and put up with the little annoyances of back-and-forth argument about what to do and how to do things. I don’t want to give the impression that she’s argumentative or stubborn. She’s very sweet, but I had to learn to strike a careful balance between giving her advice on her writing and basically just keeping my mouth SHUT. Most of the time I ended up doing the latter, just to avoid unpleasantness. Sometime before 12th grade I gave her The Elements of Grammar, figuring if she at least read that short book she’ll have the basics, even if we never did anything with it.
Well, she finished high school a year early and took several months off to relax and travel with us. She starts college in the fall. She’ll be in Honors English and asked a couple of people to write recommendation letters for her to submit to the committee. Yesterday, she got this from her Anglo-Saxon lit teacher, and needless to say we are mighty proud of her:
July 22, 2009
To Whom it may Concern:
I highly recommend Aurora (Aisa) P for entrance into your Honors Experience program. Her writing ability and critical thinking skills stand out in my memory as exemplary. I had the pleasure of teaching Aisa in the Fall 2008 semester of Virtue and Heroism: An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Literature. This class is presented to junior and senior homeschool students as an honors-level writing and literature class. Its structure was based on the honors seminar classes I had in college and emphasized critical, text-based interpretation of literature and written analysis. Assignments included reading Anglo-Saxon works in translation, answering 3-4 analysis questions weekly, and writing a final paper incorporating elements of the semester-long study.
Aisaʼs writing throughout the semester was pointed and precise, supported with detail from the text. It was technically proficient, devoid of grammar errors and small mistakes, and submitted punctually. She followed directions precisely, except where combining answers to two questions on an assignment produced a more complete essay. She also far exceeded the minimum paper length, and yet her work was focused and didnʼt ramble. Her vocabulary is expansive, having been fed from a steady diet of great books.
In addition to writing competently, her thought was well-formed. The question on the final paper was to sum up the virtues of a good Anglo-Saxon man and woman. She drew connections between the class-assigned literature to works she had read in different courses, and to her contemporary faith and to her extra-curricular role leading a youth group. Chesterton was quoted alongside Bede, and Peter Kreeft, along with Beowulf. She was able to see the big picture, and often compared or contrasted one weekʼs assigned reading with that of a previous assignment. These skills are often found in upper-college level work; finding it in a younger student is a rare treasure.
Aisaʼs insights and academic ability would make her an excellent scholar in your honors program. I would be happy to answer any questions you have, and can be contacted by phone and e-mail. With my highest recommendation, I hope you accept her in your program, beginning her freshman year.
Sincerely,
I am officially TIRED.
Starting today and until baby’s here and we’ve recovered, here’s our coursework:
Religion: Pray the Liturgy of the Hours with Mommy at 9, 12, 3, 6 and 9.
English: Read a book (approved by Mom) and blog about it.
Math: Do 1 Math lesson.
Science: Watch one episode on the Physics DVD or read a book and blog about what you learned. (Do experiments when the kits come.)
History: Read a book/chapter (approved by Mom) and blog about it, or continue work on your History lapbook.
Music: Listen to classical music radio online.
Help Mom clean/declutter/reorganize the “room of the day”.
Clean your room for 15 minutes.
Play outside for 15 minutes if weather permits. Otherwise, play in the basement/practice your forms.
Extra credit for taking dictation from 6-year-old to document what *she* learned.
I have no words of my own, as my heart is still too full to speak, but I echo Jennifer’s:
So I don’t understand, but I will hope right along with you. I will have faith, the same faith I’ve always had, not a new one brought about by this one human man. I will teach my children to pray. I will teach my children to cherish and protect the newest of lives and those that are not so new, but just as precious. I will teach them to conserve, starting with our own backyard and our own consumption. I will educate my children. I will teach them to love one another [snip]. My family and I will financially support those in the world who live in poverty, just as we always have.
from Fr. Bonaventure of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.
To quote:
The education of children is a very delicate procedure. It is more delicate than the most highly trained neurosurgeon. For he only operates on matter, the brain, or the neurological system, or the spine. The teacher, the educator, operates on the very soul of the child, and so that education must be rooted in the education of Christ. It must be rooted in the Divine Technique; otherwise, we have missed the point. And we are falling for the trap. The most common form of idolatry in our day and age is the idolatry of success. My children must succeed. We have failed to realize that the only criteria for success is to hear these words at the end of our lives: “Come, Child, into the home that my father has prepared for you from the beginning.”
No one is required to be a billionaire…. and everyone is required to educate children in the way of Christ. And anytime we fight against Christ, we destroy the heart of our children. That energy that we become so impatient with that we see in a child is an energy given to them by God, and it is in need of formation, not destruction.
It is not in the personality we have received from God that determines our state. It is in whether that personality is sanctified under the mantle of grace so that the gifts God has given each and every one of us are given back to him through the intercession of His Mother and put at the disposal of mankind.
He also talks about allowing kids to veg out in front of the TV or video games, so that we are not burdened with actual parenting tasks. And asks us what would have happened to us if Christ had this attitude and treated us more as a burden.
Towards the end he talks about Joseph (the forgotten saint) and points to JPII’s Guardian of the Redeemer.
Powerful, timely homily. And so seldom heard from our pulpits.
Hat tip to Brenda at the forum.
Chapter 1 Vocabulary list for Migi, 9:
Portuguese
armory
entertaining
magistrate
beautiful
laughter
doublet
fierce
flourishing
Saracens
ancestor
possessions
murmured
accounts
cathedral
question
courtyard
roused
attention
deceived
