tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856692890520221832024-03-12T21:31:44.497-07:00Antioch Cottage SchoolThis is the story of a homeschooling, self-educating, God-loving mommy and her houseful of rambunctious relatives.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-28514757269325725022010-03-31T11:15:00.000-07:002010-03-31T12:30:30.614-07:00Trip to Kentucky History Center 3/20/10: Part 1<div>On March 20th we went to the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort, KY. It is actually a group of three neighboring museums, all run by the Kentucky Historical Society. The museums include the <strong>Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History</strong>, the <strong>Old State Capitol</strong> and the <strong>Kentucky Military History Museum</strong>. In the next few posts, we are going to share the highlights of our trip through some of the pictures I took while we were there.<br /></div><p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OUuQD7REI/AAAAAAAAAOU/zL208lirL5I/s1600/100_0002.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454867095982130242" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OUuQD7REI/AAAAAAAAAOU/zL208lirL5I/s320/100_0002.jpg" /></a> This is a picture of Princess before we went into the museum. Doesn't she look excited?!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OWQW3ZyDI/AAAAAAAAAOs/IlJUzkJE9Kk/s1600/100_0003.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454868781435832370" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OWQW3ZyDI/AAAAAAAAAOs/IlJUzkJE9Kk/s320/100_0003.jpg" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OWQJJ7KeI/AAAAAAAAAOk/uaothKWueJI/s1600/100_0004.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454868777755421154" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OWQJJ7KeI/AAAAAAAAAOk/uaothKWueJI/s320/100_0004.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OWPYZ5WzI/AAAAAAAAAOc/vjWVLyuugeg/s1600/100_0005.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454868764669074226" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OWPYZ5WzI/AAAAAAAAAOc/vjWVLyuugeg/s320/100_0005.jpg" /></a>These three pictures are pictures of Princess posing as some different soldiers in front of the "Military Treasures" exhibit in the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.</div></div><p>The first exhibit we saw was called "A Kentucky Journey". It is the main exhibit at the museum and if you follow the path of the exhibit from beginning to end, it tells the story of Kentucky's history from prehistoric times until now.<br /></p><p> </p><p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OYEKKsf5I/AAAAAAAAAO0/nB0UAABZ7_8/s1600/100_0006.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454870770891915154" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OYEKKsf5I/AAAAAAAAAO0/nB0UAABZ7_8/s320/100_0006.jpg" /></a> This is a replica of a family in Kentucky who lived in the Prehistoric Age of Kentucky (prior to 1750 AD) before European settlers started to come there and it shows examples of the types of things they would have worn during this time and some of the tools they would have used as they went about the activities of their daily lives. In the near future, we will begin a chronological study of Kentucky history. When we go back to the museum in April, we will study this time period more closely, then we will take a field trip or two to other places in Kentucky that pertain to this time period. </p><p><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OcjNPMGQI/AAAAAAAAAPM/NIouAc8w8w0/s1600/100_0007.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454875702338525442" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OcjNPMGQI/AAAAAAAAAPM/NIouAc8w8w0/s320/100_0007.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></p><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7Oci5oBSHI/AAAAAAAAAPE/xqBedlrNQiE/s1600/100_0008.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454875697073965170" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7Oci5oBSHI/AAAAAAAAAPE/xqBedlrNQiE/s320/100_0008.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OcidN361I/AAAAAAAAAO8/swZf59GIC1g/s1600/100_0009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454875689448106834" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OcidN361I/AAAAAAAAAO8/swZf59GIC1g/s320/100_0009.jpg" /></a> This is a model of a commercial flatboat and a mural of a river port in Limestone, KY (now Maysville) during the Frontier Age (1750 - 1800 AD) of Kentucky.</div><br /><br /><div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OhEeQYcTI/AAAAAAAAAPk/NgcSbyy9KrQ/s1600/100_0010.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454880671889125682" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OhEeQYcTI/AAAAAAAAAPk/NgcSbyy9KrQ/s320/100_0010.jpg" /></a><br /></div></div></div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OhD5eFneI/AAAAAAAAAPc/WrRSpbjS9h4/s1600/100_0011.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454880662014500322" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OhD5eFneI/AAAAAAAAAPc/WrRSpbjS9h4/s320/100_0011.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OhDRlmW6I/AAAAAAAAAPU/AwKFlV9nOAA/s1600/100_0012.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454880651308587938" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/S7OhDRlmW6I/AAAAAAAAAPU/AwKFlV9nOAA/s320/100_0012.jpg" /></a> This is a recreation of a Frontier Age log cabin home, similar to those poor families would have lived in during this time.<br /></div>kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-39161264293920364132010-03-31T07:02:00.000-07:002010-03-31T07:31:04.849-07:00Back From a Long Break ...Hello again, everyone! How long has it been since my last post? A year? Maybe longer? I had taken some time off to focus more on school with my dd, who is now six, and will be seven in June. We are still pursuing a classical model of education, but I have recently decided to relax some and enjoy school more, and take the time to treasure the opportunities we have to be together. I want my dd to have an excellent and challenging education, but at the same time, one of the main reasons I decided to homeschool was to have a close and influential relationship with my dd. That is something that is all too easy to lose sight of in the midst of the pursuit of academic excellence, especially when you combine that with working a full-time job. Therefore, I have been trying to streamline our formal academic time as much as possible and cover the rest in a more natural and relational way. One major change I have made is that I am trying to take more field trips with dd. My goal is to take at least one field trip each week. I made this change about three weeks ago, and so far we have been successful. I am hoping to keep a record of these trips on this blog, but past experience with said blog has taught me not to make any promises. I am going to try to include dd in the creation of these posts as much as possible, to increase her interest in writing and also as another relationship-building activity. We have three trips to post on so far (with pictures!) so we intend to get at least the first one up this week, but we'll see how it goes. Here's hoping for a more blog-filled future.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-29844504909206249412008-08-12T05:04:00.000-07:002008-08-12T07:08:50.668-07:00Weekly Report for 7/27/08 - 8/2/08<span style="font-weight: bold;">Memory Work</span> - This week we are adding new memory verses and a new poem to memorize. As we add new verses and poems throughout the year, we will continue to rehearse the old ones in order to ensure their permanent retention in the children's minds. This week's verses and poem are: Bible Verses - Genesis 1: 27-28<br /> Poem - "Celery" by Ogden Nash<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible Study</span> - I had been doing my Bible study time separately from Octe and the children, but as I read the lessons I felt like there were lots of things I wanted us to discuss together, so we decided to change the time of day we did Bible study so we could all do it together, and we are starting this off by repeating last week's lessons and discussing them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Math</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">RightStart</span> math is proving not to be a good connection with Octe's teaching style, so we have decided to switch MelloYello and Jester's math to <span style="font-style: italic;">Unique Math</span>, which is an individualized online math program that is produced by the same company that provides the <span style="font-style: italic;">Unique Reader</span> program Jester and Princess are using for phonics instruction. All three of the children will be using this program, although Princess will be using it only casually as I will be taking over her math instruction and continuing <span style="font-style: italic;">RightStart</span> math with her. This week the children completed the <span style="font-style: italic;">Diagnostic Online Math Assessment (DOMA)</span>, which is a similar assessment to the <span style="font-style: italic;">DORA</span>, and serves essentially the same purpose. Princess completed lessons 8-9 in <span style="font-style: italic;">RightStart A</span> this week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thinking Skills</span> - Princess finished p. 13-17 in <span style="font-style: italic;">Developing the Early Learner</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phonics</span> - Jester: Work on <span style="font-style: italic;">Unique Reader</span> lessons as directed by the program.<br /> Princess: <span style="font-style: italic;">Unique Reader</span>: lessons as directed by the program<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Ordinary Parent's Guide</span>: lessons 34-37, with some review of older lessons<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Family Readers</span>: Set 1, Books 5-6; Set 2, Books 1-2<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Explode the Code</span>: Lesson 2<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Science</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bug Book</span>: p. 86-103<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Creepy Crawlies</span>: This week we seperated out three individual males into seperate<br /> terraria, and added females after a couple of days in an attempt<br /> to observe courting behavior. No luck so far.<br /> Worksheets: Walkingstick focus. MelloYello continues to work on his field guide.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Literature</span> - MelloYello: <span style="font-style: italic;">Blackthorn Winter</span>, chapters 1-4<br /> Jester: Finished <span style="font-style: italic;">William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy</span> and started an adaptation of<br /> Robert Louis Stevenson's <span style="font-style: italic;">Kidnapped</span>, along with a corresponding<br /> comprehension worksheet for each chapter. He also continues to<br /> participate in the literature read-aloud with Princess.<br /> Princess: Listened to read-aloud of <span style="font-style: italic;">Finding Providence</span>, continues to listen to<br /> readings of poetry and fairy tales.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Writing and Grammar</span> - Princess continues with the <span style="font-style: italic;">Play and Write</span> handwriting program, and MelloYello and Jester are doing copywork assignments I got as free printables off the internet. The copywork pages include, selections from Scripture, poetry and quotes of famous people from history. These will last the boys several weeks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History</span> - Our topic for the week: Charters, Creeds and the English Civil War. The historical figure who stood out in my mind the most for this week was a man named Roger Williams. He was a Puritan tuned Seperatist who lived in the Puritan colony of Boston in Massachusetts. He caused an uproar among the Puritans in his colony because of several beliefs that he held. Williams believed that no one should be forced to follow a certain religion, as men's hearts could not be changed by force. This flew right in the face of his fellow colonists in Boston because, ironically, although the Puritans themselves had come to America for religious freedom, they did not believe in religious freedom for people outside of their own faith, and had been trying to force the neighboring Native American tribes to convert to Puritanism. Along this same vein, Williams also rejected the idea that the government should be controlled by the Church. He was one of the pioneers in the idea of seperation of church and state. The idea that drove the Puritan leaders in Boston over the edge, however, was Williams' belief that the settlers had no right to forcefully take the Indian's land from them and that the king of England had no right to charter land that didn't belong to him. Because of this, the leaders of Boston called Roger Williams to trial and sentenced him to be sent back to England. Providentially, he escaped capture by the Boston authorities and fled into the wilderness. After several days, he was discovered and rescued by the Narangassetts, whom he had befriended in the past. They gave Williams their protection and a piece of their land which he used to start a colony of his own called Providence Plantation, which became modern-day Rhode Island. Providence Plantation became one of the first colonies in America to truly allow religious freedom, even to those from non-Christian religions and Atheists.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spelling</span> - MelloYello and Jester finished days 8-10 in <span style="font-style: italic;">Sequential Spelling</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Picture Study</span> - Princess continues to study postcard-sized reproductions of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Famous Kentuckians</span> - This week we completed chapters 4-6 in the biography of Daniel Boone we are reading.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Movies</span> - This week we watched a movie called <span style="font-style: italic;">Keeping the Promise</span> about a family that settles in a colony in Maine.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-66080411422127942742008-08-12T03:46:00.000-07:002008-08-12T07:07:43.982-07:00Weekly Report for 7/20/08 - 7/26/08(Sorry so late, but I hope to catch my reports up today.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Memory Work</span> - Bible Verse: Genesis 1:1<br /> Poem: "Ooey Gooey"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible Study</span> - Love the Lord Bible Studies:<br /> Genesis Lessons 5-8<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Math</span> - Princess: <span style="font-style: italic;">RightStart A</span>, Lessons 4-7<br /> Mello Yello and Jester - <span style="font-style: italic;">Right Start B</span>, Lessons 7-19<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thinking Skills</span> - Princess: <span style="font-style: italic;">Developing the Early Learner</span> p. 7-12<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phonics</span> - This week we added a new computer program to our Phonics curriculum. It is called <span style="font-style: italic;">Unique Reader</span> and it can be found on this website: <a href="http://www.letsgolearn.com/">www.letsgolearn.com</a>. Princess will be using this program, of course, and Octe and I decided to add Jester into the program as well, to give him some extra support for his reading skills. Both of them completed the <span style="font-style: italic;">Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA)</span> this week, which will give me a detailed report of their reading level in several different aspects of reading, such as phonics skills, sight words, reading comprehension, vocabulary, etc., as well as place them in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Unique Reader</span> program at their own individualized level in each of four tracks of lessons. I won't post their exact scores, but I will say that in both of them, I found both cause for encouragement and room for improvement. I will also say that I am very proud of the improvement that Jester has made in his reading skills over the last couple of years.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Science</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bug Book</span>: p. 27-47<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Creepy Crawlies</span>: We are continuing with informal cricket observation this week.<br /> Worksheets: Grasshopper focus. MelloYello continues to work on his field giude.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Literature</span> - MelloYello: Finished <span style="font-style: italic;">William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy</span> this week.<br /> Jester: Read chapters 6-9 in <span style="font-style: italic;">William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy</span> and listened in on<br /> Princess's read aloud selection for this week.<br /> Princess: Listened to read aloud of <span style="font-style: italic;">Three Young Pilgrims</span>, continued with fairy tale readings from <span style="font-style: italic;">Andrew Lang's Fairy Books</span> and poetry readings<br /> from <span style="font-style: italic;">A Child's Garden of Verses</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History</span> - This week's topic: Puritans in New England. We learned several things about the Pilgrims this week. Many of the Pilgrims were Seperatists, meaning that they believed in separating themselves from the Church of England to serve God according to the dictates of their conscience. At that time, the Church of England was the only legal religion in England, which meant that the Seperatists were considered criminals in the eyes of the English government. As a result, they were banned from preaching, jailed, beaten and sometimes even killed by the English authorities for their beliefs. Many of them flad to Holland during these times and stayed there about 12 years before they came over to America on the Mayflower. During their voyage, the weather was horrible much of the time, food was inadequate for the number of passengers on board, and almost all of the Pilgrims became seasick and or afflicted with scurvy by the end of the voyage. Those who were less ill had to take care of those who were more ill. During the stormy times, the Pilgrims were forced to stay below deck and had no fresh air or way to dispose of their waste for days at a time. Miraculously, none of the Pilgrims died during the voyage to America, and a healthy baby was born in and survived the horrifically unsanitary conditions the Pilgrims had to endure. When the Pilgrims landed, they soon found a spot of land that had already been cleared by a tribe of Patuxets who had died out from disease and was at that time unclaimed by any groups of natives. The chosen leaders of the Pilgrims in their new colony made a peace treaty with Chief Massasoit and the Wompanoag people which lasted over 40 years. Sadly, by the time of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving, half of the colony had died of sickness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spelling</span> - MelloYello and Jester: <span style="font-style: italic;">Sequential Spelling</span> - Days 4-7<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Picture Study</span> - Princess continues with her study of Leonardo Da Vinci paintings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Famous Kentuckians</span> - I read aloud the next two chapters of the Daniel Boone biography we are reading.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Movies</span> - We watched a History Channel documentary on the Mayflower Voyage called <span style="font-style: italic;">Desperate Crossing</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Squanto: A Warrior's Tale</span>, a Disney movie about a surviving Patuxet who befriended and aided the Pilgrims in the infancy of their colony.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-18745898671751115042008-07-22T23:31:00.000-07:002008-08-12T07:08:27.783-07:00Weekly Report 7/13/08-7/19/08Hello, everyone! I am back to blogging again. I was on hiatus for a few weeks to prepare for this school year and now we have begun. July 15th was our first day of school. This year, Octe and I are making a joint effort to teach all 3 of the children who are still in school: MelloYello, Jester, and Princess. I am doing all the planning and Octe and I are each doing two days a week of teaching. I must say that Octe has been a real trooper so far. Due to scheduling considerations, we ended up having to start school sooner than I had planned, which left me with a lot less preparation time. I got most of the planning for the first week done in time for the start of school, but there was still a lot of work to do if I was going to get very far ahead of the kids in my lesson planning. I was majorly stressing, but my sweet hubby did the teaching all four days this week! He was a bit overwhelmed and had a lot of questions, but still he hung right in there. I am working hard to get caught up on the planning so that I can do more of the teaching soon, but I am so glad I can count on him to help. Considering that I work full-time outside the home and therefore my time is really tight, that is a great blessing.<br />As for the weekly report, I am hoping in the future to be able to include some pictures of us as we go about our various activitues of the school day, but I still need to ge a USB cable for my digital camera right now, so that may be a while in coming about. In the mean time, I will attempt to give a brief narrative of some of the highlights of our studies in the many subjects we are learning about. And without further adieu, here is this week's report:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Memory Work</span> - We will be learning a series of Bible verses and poems this year. Our goal is to learn at least one Bible verse and one stanza of a poem every 2 weeks. We are doing this subject as a group. Our selections for this week are: Bible verse - Genesis 1:1<br /> Poem - "Ooey Gooey" (Author Unknown)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible Study</span> - This year, we are using an online Bible study called Love the Lord Bible Studies, which is an extensive study of every chapter of every book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We won't even come close to finishing the study this year, so the plan right now is to study selected books while Octe and I decide what would be the best course for Bible Study for next year and all the subsequent years of the children's homeschooling career. This week we covered the first four lessons of the Genesis study (there are 60 lessons total in the Genesis study, so this should keep us busy for a while). We are doing this subject as a group also.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Math</span> - We have started a new math program this year that is highly manipulative-based and concept-focused because I really want the children to understand math - not just the mechanics of <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> to do math, but the <span style="font-style: italic;">why</span> behind what they are doing. So as to ensure, as much as possible, a strong foundation without any gaps, I have gone back to the basics with the boys. As you can guess, we are moving fairly quickly, and we have covered six lessons this week in their math. Princess is really just starting out in her math studies, so we are moving more slowly with her; she has covered three lessons in her math book this week.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thinking Skills</span> - This is a subject we are covering with Princess this year, using the Developing the Early Learner series of workbooks. She has covered the first five pages in the first workbook for the series this week.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phonics</span> - So far, this is also a Princess-only subject. This week we have read the first four books of Set 1 of the Family Readers, Lessons 27-29 in the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (her phonics primer), and Lesson 1 in the Explode the Code level 1 workbook.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Science</span> - For at least the first half of the year, we will be studying insects, and we will be reading living books and doing experiments related to insects. We are doing this subject mostly as a group as well. We read pages 10-26 in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bug Book</span>, which is a fantastic old Childcraft book we got at a yard sale a while back. We read pages 6-7 of <span style="font-style: italic;">DK: Insect</span>, which is also a great book with very interesting and detailed pictures (what else would you expect from DK?). We are using the book <span style="font-style: italic;">Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method</span> for the lab component of this class. For the first several weeks, we will be observing and experimenting on crickets. This week, the kids all set up their terraria for a proper habitat for the crickets and went on a field hunt to catch some crickets. Each of the kids has about 9-15 crickets in his/her terrarium and they are enjoying taking care of them and watching their behaviors.<br />Handwriting - For the first quarter, Princess will be using a really neat program called <span style="font-style: italic;">Play and Write</span>, which teaches all the upper and lower case letters with lots of hands-on activities and only a bit of physical writing at this point. As she also gets some handwriting practice in her <span style="font-style: italic;">Explode the Code</span> workbooks, I felt like this would be a good, gentle start for her.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Literature</span> - MelloYello and Jester are reading <span style="font-style: italic;">William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy</span> as part of our Tapestry of Grace studies this week. MelloYello has gotten to the end of chapter 6 and Jester has reached the end of chapter 5. Jester and Princess have enjoyed a read-aloud of Ingri D'Aulaire's <span style="font-style: italic;">Pocahontas</span> this week. Princess will also be listening to many fairy tales and classical poems this year. We will be reading fairy tales from Andrew Lang's <span style="font-style: italic;">Fairy Books</span> throughout the year and our poetry will come from various sources. For the first couple of months or so, we will be reading from Robert Louis Stevenson's <span style="font-style: italic;">A </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Child's Ga</span><span style="font-style: italic;">rden of Verses</span>. This week we read "Rumplestiltzkin", "Why the Sea is Salt", and "Toads and Diamonds" from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Fairy Books</span>, and we read the poems "To Alison Cunningham", "Bed in Summer", and "The Whole Duty of Children". Octe and I are loving the poems from <span style="font-style: italic;">A Child's Garden of Verses</span>. They are so sweet and tender.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History</span> - This week we are studying the founding of the Jamestown colony, and the lives of many famous people who were a part of those events. We learned that Pocahontas and John Smith actually didn't have a romantic relationship as myth would have us to believe; they were actually just friends. Pocahontas was only about 11 or 12 during the time when John Smith was in the Jamestown colony, and he was 28. Several years later, she did marry a colonist named John Rolfe, however. Here are the books covered this week by one or the other of the kids:<br /><br />Read in their entirety -<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbnglDMjlI/AAAAAAAAAJE/AtaewYWzPQY/s1600-h/thejamestowncolony.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbnglDMjlI/AAAAAAAAAJE/AtaewYWzPQY/s320/thejamestowncolony.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226118964497387090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbng5izDYI/AAAAAAAAAJc/MJUlla0f7gw/s1600-h/three-ships-come-sailing1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbng5izDYI/AAAAAAAAAJc/MJUlla0f7gw/s320/three-ships-come-sailing1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226118969998642562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sections read -<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbngyKo_wI/AAAAAAAAAJU/f7ZwoEocaO0/s1600-h/makingthirteencolonies.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbngyKo_wI/AAAAAAAAAJU/f7ZwoEocaO0/s320/makingthirteencolonies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226118968018272002" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbnhDX-RmI/AAAAAAAAAJk/ciCd9-ArbZ4/s1600-h/explorationandconquest.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbnhDX-RmI/AAAAAAAAAJk/ciCd9-ArbZ4/s320/explorationandconquest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226118972637595234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbngzRAppI/AAAAAAAAAJM/DjT3oyPXv9Y/s1600-h/synge_awakening.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbngzRAppI/AAAAAAAAAJM/DjT3oyPXv9Y/s320/synge_awakening.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226118968313423506" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbmk6C1xaI/AAAAAAAAAI8/AnJ3DnUhVf8/s1600-h/thenewamericans.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SIbmk6C1xaI/AAAAAAAAAI8/AnJ3DnUhVf8/s320/thenewamericans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226117939340887458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Writing/Grammar</span> - MelloYello and Jester wrote out the poem we are memorizing for copywork.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spelling</span> - MelloYello and Jester finished the first three lessons of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sequential Spelling</span>, our spelling text for the year.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Picture Study</span> - Princess studied "Self Portrait" and "The Mona Lisa", both by Leonardo da Vinci, this week using postcard-sized reproductions of the works.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Art</span> - As a group, the kids painted an American flag and a Christian flag onto art canvas for us to use for pledges this year.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Famous Kentuckians</span> - We are studying one famous Kentuckian each quarter for Kentucky history. My goal for each person we study is to read a biography about them, watch a movie about their life (or an event in their life), and go on a field trip related to that person. This quarter we are studying Daniel Boone. We are reading Daniel Boone: Master of the Wilderness by John Bakeless and this week we read chapter 1.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Movies</span> - I am planning for us to watch at least one movie each week related to the period of history we are studying. We have a subscription to Netflix, which has a WIDE selection. This week we watched episodes 3&4 of <span style="font-style: italic;">500 Nations</span>, which is about the Native Americans' clashes with the Europeans as they settled in this country. We got a whole new perspective of Christopher Columbus through this video, and I'll have to say it is not a good one. He was actually a very greedy, brutal, ruthless and wicked man. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.<br /><br />That's all for this week's (well, actually, last week's) report. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next report up by the end of the week. Thanks to everyone for your interest in our journey. It's nice to be back on the blog again.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-8696409388364858002008-06-09T13:32:00.000-07:002008-08-12T07:08:05.010-07:00Weekly Report : June 2 -6, 2008Weekly Report for Princess:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phonics:</span><br />The Family Readers -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fizz Mix</span> (set 2, book 5)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fizz in the Pit</span> (set 2, book 6)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Max's Box</span> (set 3, book 1)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Bon-Bon Box</span> (set 3, book 2)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Box Mix</span> (set 3, book 3)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mom and Dad Hop-Jig</span> (set 3, book 4)<br />(I think this may have been a little fast; I think I will use the next 1-2 weeks for review)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible:<br /></span>Bedtime Bible Story Book -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fire Rains on Sodom</span> (day 13)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Abraham's Two Sons</span> (day 14)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ishmael's Desert Journey</span> (day 15)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Abraham Offers Isaac to God</span> (day 16)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Literature:</span><br />Here are the books we read this week -<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2Z6ni1UvI/AAAAAAAAAIs/m8wa7Emhs8E/s1600-h/adelita.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2Z6ni1UvI/AAAAAAAAAIs/m8wa7Emhs8E/s320/adelita.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209989576264078066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZKyAOslI/AAAAAAAAAIM/-6NWrRLG_bI/s1600-h/andy+and+the+lion.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZKyAOslI/AAAAAAAAAIM/-6NWrRLG_bI/s320/andy+and+the+lion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209988754438009426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZJsJm7rI/AAAAAAAAAIE/kf719HA-pKY/s1600-h/the+story+about+ping.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZJsJm7rI/AAAAAAAAAIE/kf719HA-pKY/s320/the+story+about+ping.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209988735686864562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZHFw53AI/AAAAAAAAAH0/dUR29mT4YcU/s1600-h/animal+nursery+tales.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZHFw53AI/AAAAAAAAAH0/dUR29mT4YcU/s320/animal+nursery+tales.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209988691022961666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZIVFIDPI/AAAAAAAAAH8/-xz8TarihjU/s1600-h/lowly+worm+stroybook.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZIVFIDPI/AAAAAAAAAH8/-xz8TarihjU/s320/lowly+worm+stroybook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209988712314178802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2Z6NtEdMI/AAAAAAAAAIk/WVkz60jXHkE/s1600-h/if+i+ran+the+zoo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2Z6NtEdMI/AAAAAAAAAIk/WVkz60jXHkE/s320/if+i+ran+the+zoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209989569327690946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZMIj5axI/AAAAAAAAAIU/LqkhTMztbRQ/s1600-h/east+o+the+sun+and+west+o+the+moon.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2ZMIj5axI/AAAAAAAAAIU/LqkhTMztbRQ/s320/east+o+the+sun+and+west+o+the+moon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209988777673059090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2Z6JMjb-I/AAAAAAAAAIc/-9OibcrvTiY/s1600-h/ask+mr+bear.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2Z6JMjb-I/AAAAAAAAAIc/-9OibcrvTiY/s320/ask+mr+bear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209989568117567458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Memory Work:</span><br />Our telephone number<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poetry:</span><br />My Very First Mother Goose -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Warm hands, warm ...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross ...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hey diddle, diddle ...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sing a song of sixpence ...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Smiling girls, rosy boys ...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dickory, dickory, dock ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Science:</span><br />In <span style="font-style: italic;">My First Animal Encyclopedia</span>, we studied the following animals -<br /><br />Aardvark<br />Albatross<br />Alligator and Crocodile<br />Amphibian<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Math:</span><br />Singapore Earlybird 1B as desiredkimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-36582107756641519742008-06-09T12:33:00.000-07:002008-06-09T13:30:23.466-07:00Weekly Report, May 26-30, 2008Sorry this post is late. In this post and the next one, I will bring you up to date on what princess has been doing in our homeschool.<br /><br />Weekly report for Princess:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phonics:</span><br />The Family Readers -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Kit</span> (set 2, book 2)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Big Pit</span> (set 2, book 3)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Tin Lid</span> (set 2, book 4)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible:</span><br />Bedtime Bible Story Book -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Rainbow of God's Promise </span>(day 9)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">God Appears to Abraham</span> (day 10)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">God Makes a Promise</span> (day 11)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sarah Laughs at God</span> (day 12)<br /><br />Literature:<br />Here are the books we read this week:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L6F6z8mI/AAAAAAAAAG0/kDrqNfsAyfo/s1600-h/thidwick+the+big+hearted+moose.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L6F6z8mI/AAAAAAAAAG0/kDrqNfsAyfo/s320/thidwick+the+big+hearted+moose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209974174075056738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L6101DFI/AAAAAAAAAHE/hy2ssS-Lsvg/s1600-h/thelorax.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L6101DFI/AAAAAAAAAHE/hy2ssS-Lsvg/s320/thelorax.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209974186934864978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L7zZkUfI/AAAAAAAAAHU/muNnWfHAnbY/s1600-h/solomon+the+rusty+nail.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L7zZkUfI/AAAAAAAAAHU/muNnWfHAnbY/s320/solomon+the+rusty+nail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209974203463520754" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L6n1ZLPI/AAAAAAAAAG8/2EL45Pwvqsw/s1600-h/ifiranthecircus.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L6n1ZLPI/AAAAAAAAAG8/2EL45Pwvqsw/s320/ifiranthecircus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209974183179136242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L7VckG-I/AAAAAAAAAHM/Xo3O6sD4oGY/s1600-h/doctor+desoto+goes+to+africa.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2L7VckG-I/AAAAAAAAAHM/Xo3O6sD4oGY/s320/doctor+desoto+goes+to+africa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209974195423026146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2NIE_P5RI/AAAAAAAAAHk/S4LQUMStgfI/s1600-h/always+room+for+one+more.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 88px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2NIE_P5RI/AAAAAAAAAHk/S4LQUMStgfI/s320/always+room+for+one+more.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209975513855026450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2NIMfLV1I/AAAAAAAAAHs/I4iquTYXBKQ/s1600-h/angus+and+the+ducks.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 113px; height: 76px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2NIMfLV1I/AAAAAAAAAHs/I4iquTYXBKQ/s320/angus+and+the+ducks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209975515867993938" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2NIFdMz3I/AAAAAAAAAHc/HlZF_7dsGH0/s1600-h/amos+and+boris.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2NIFdMz3I/AAAAAAAAAHc/HlZF_7dsGH0/s320/amos+and+boris.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209975513980653426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Memory Work:<br /></span>Our telephone number<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poetry: <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">My Very First Mother Goose - </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">To market, to market, to buy a fat pig...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wash the dishes, wipe the dishes...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rain on the green grass...</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SE2NIMfLV1I/AAAAAAAAAHs/I4iquTYXBKQ/s1600-h/angus+and+the+ducks.jpg"> </a>kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-27140951035394442802008-06-03T16:57:00.000-07:002008-06-03T22:26:36.179-07:00Tapestry of Grace, Here We Come!I finally decided to go ahead and start. I'm finally going to be joining the proud ranks of the Tapestry of Grace homeschoolers. I ordered most everything we'll need for our first unit a few days ago. I have already gotten my first shipment of books (even though there were only two in this one) and very soon I should be able to start planning for our next school year (which will start in the first week of August). This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time, and I am thrilled at how things have worked out.<br /> So that you'll understand my thought process and the circumstances that brought me to this place, let me go back to the beginning of the story and give you a little background. Over the years since I read and fell in love with the first edition of The Well-Trained Mind, I have frequently noticed vague references to TOG from classical homeschooling enthusiasts on the net. For a long time I didn't pay much attention to them because I was planning to use the WTM recommendations for history and I didn't know enough about TOG to think that it could help me in that pursuit. Once we began homeschooling and theory gave way to the reality of practice, I quickly became overwhelmed by the amount of work this style of teaching was taking for all of us. Many days we would start school in the morning and still be doing school when it was dark outside. Just about every subject was taking them longer than expected and even then they often just didn't seem to "get it". On the planning end, I was floundering on the amount of choices that I had in the content areas and it was very difficult for me to decide what was most important to cover. As a result, I was probably overloading them with work. In the skill areas, I really struggled to match the level of work with what they could handle. So I probably overwhelmed them on that end, too. I loved TWTM's philosopy of education (and I still do), but the successful application of the philosopy was evading me. We had some bright spots (they loved the hands-on projects and the living books in the content areas), but on the whole, the kids were reluctant and I was discouraged, and I realized we needed a change.<br /> For about 2 years, that change came in the form of a private Christian school. They got along fairly well there, I suppose, and I even worked as a teacher there for about a year. But somewhere in my soul, deeper than I could put into words, and I suppose deeper even than I was fully conscious of at the time, I could sense that I wouldn't be able to settle for this. I couldn't let go of my dream of homeschooling, and I became restless. Due in a large part to this dissatisfaction with the educational circumstances of our family, teaching at the school lost its appeal and I moved on to the job I have now at the hospital. The kids remained at the school at first, but one by one over the next couple of years they decided to come back home to school.<br /> I knew this time around we would have to do things a little differently. What we had done before didn't work for us. So we just relaxed for a while. We used textbooks/workbooks for the very basics, and covered the rest with good books and educational movies. This sufficed as a temporary fix, and is actually close to what we are doing to this day. Still, I never lost my love for TWTM, and after several months of our relaxed schedule, I began to put in a lot of time looking for curricula that would allow me to accomplish my original goals without overwhelming the kids or getting bogged down in my own planning. I like to tweak, but I am a major perfectionist, and tweaking gets me into trouble if I'm not very careful. I started to realize that I would need a lot of structure in order to be my best and healthiest as a teacher. <br /> It was during this time that I first learned about TOG in earnest. I was surfing the web one day doing some research on history curricula when I found an article and audio presentation on the Knowledge Quest website that compared several different history programs. One of the programs discussed was TOG. The things I heard about it really intrigued me and so I went to the TOG website to learn more. After only a few minutes on the website I was amazed. I couldn't believe the things I was seeing and reading. This was exactly what I was looking for! Here before me was a 4-year chronological history program that incorporated geography, literature, writing, fine arts and many other subjects into an intricate and long range unit study that was rich with classical rigor and filtered beautifully through a Christian worldview. Realizing all of this, I saw TOG as my path to accomplish the goals that TWTM had formed in me long before, and in a manner that was more spiritually rich than I had even hoped for. Praise God that he always exceeds our expectations!<br /> After that day, generally speaking, the question was no longer WHAT I would use, but WHEN I would begin. I went ahead and bought everything I would need to start Year 1 Redesigned the next school year (2008-2009). We had been casually studying 20th century history this school year in preparation. However, I had this nagging feeling that Princess wouldn't really be ready by the start of the upcoming school year to get the full benefit of a grammar stage rotation, and I didn't want her to miss out. I knew that the boys would have to do a partial rotation of the program at some point no matter when we started, so I had mainly based my timeframe decisions on Princess, as she WAS still young enough to get the full benefit of the program. Add to that the fact that I had decided recently to wait 2 years to "officially" start 1st grade with Princess, and I pretty much came to the conclusion that I would need to wait 2 years to start TOG. The only problem was that this would leave me, for the next two years, once again without a solid plan for the kids' education. I considered several things, such as Sonlight, the Robinson Curriculum, a modified version of Ambleside Online, or even continuing on with what we had been doing. Then, one day a couple of weeks ago, I had a revelation. I was browsing the TOG website and looking at the new Year 3 products they've put on there (drooling over them would probably be more accurate!) and I got to thinking about a suggestion I had gotten from the WTM message boards that I could start TOG with Princess in the fall without overwhelming her if I did it in a fashion that was very relaxed. I also got to thinking about how the fact of Princess starting 1st grade a year later changed our time frame for starting Year 1. This new time frame would mean that all four year plans would be complete before we started year 1, as year 3 would be coming out this upcoming school year. Then I got to thinking about how kids in the public schools usually started history with American history. I realized that if I started with unit 3 of Year 2, I could get through most of the traditional American history progression by the time we would start Year 1 in two years. I found the idea that Princess would have some common historical knowledge with her public-schooled peers attractive, but I still didn't know how to start her in TOG now without it affecting her future years with TOG.<br /> Then it dawned on me. Something that had been right in front of my face the whole time. There were actually FOUR levels of TOG! As I knew from the time I had spent with the Year 1 materials I had obtained, the book selections for the lower grammar and the upper grammar levels are almost entirely different. The only thing that really overlapped much was the geography, which I could easily wait until 1st grade to start. I had here a ready supply of history readings, literature readings, and arts and crafts activities that I could use while still basically leaving three intact levels to use for her formal school years. As Princess had already begun to read short-vowel readers, and had been progressing nicely in her reading skill, I felt confident that she would be able to read the upper grammar book selections within 2 years. Even if she didn't completely make it by that time, I could read the upper grammar books to her just as easily as the lower grammar books until she was able to read them completely on her own. I could also incorporate the boys very easily into this progression, and this would give them back the things they had enjoyed in our first attempt at classical education in a way that could easily be matched to their abilities and that would take away the planning stress for me. And we could have all this NOW, instead of having to wait two years to gain all these benefits.<br /> At this point in my thinking, the decision was pretty much a no-brainer, so I'm sure you have guessed that I decided to act on this plan, which is exactly what I did. When the upcoming school year begins in August, we will start Unit 3 of Year 2, which roughly coincides with the traditional starting point of American history study. Hopefully, by the end of the school year, we will have reached the end of Unit 2 of Year 3. This should allow us to come to the end of Unit 2 of Year 4 at the culmination of the two years we have to spend before starting Year 1, allowing us to cover almost all of the major events of American history in that time. Below is a rough description of my plans for the upcoming school year for TOG and the other subjects I plan for us to cover (although the subjects not covered by TOG are still a bit tentative):<br /><br />Princess:<br />TOG - lower grammar history and literature selections, lower grammar hands-on activities and maybe an occasional lower grammar evaluation.<br />Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading<br />The Family Readers<br />maybe a phonics workbook<br />Reason for Handwriting K<br />Write On! Printing DVD Tutor Kit<br />RightStart Math A<br />Sonlight Science P4/5<br />nature walks regularly<br />the rest of Sonlight's P4/5 book selections for extra reading<br />the Developing the Early Learner series<br />a few picture books from the library for fun and as an opportunity to develop familiarity with the library and what it has to offer<br />Bible Study Guide For All Ages updated Beginner Level, Unit 1<br />Memlok Bible memory system<br />Classical Magic in some fashion<br /><br />Joker:<br />TOG upper grammar<br />Exploring Creation with Botany incorporating the WTM grammar stage science suggestions<br />nature walks regularly<br />Simply Spelling or Sequential Spelling<br />Writing With Ease (start at the beginning and accelerate as tolerated)<br />First Language Lessons (start at the beginning and accelerate as tolerated)<br />Harp and Laurel Wreath memory work, as well as TWTM grammar stage memory suggestions in the various subjects<br />RightStart Math B (accelerate as tolerated)<br />Prima Latina<br />Atelier Art (may supplement the art appreciation component somewhat with Harmony Fine Arts grammar stage selections)<br />Classical Magic in some fashion<br />Bible Study Guide for All Ages updated Intermediate Level, Unit 1<br />Memlok Bible memory system<br /><br />MelloYello:<br />TOG dialectic<br />Exploring Creation with Botany incorporating the WTM logic stage science selections<br />nature walks regularly<br />Simply Spelling or Sequential Spelling<br />Writing With Ease (start at the beginning and accelerate as tolerated)<br />First Language Lessons (start at the beginning and accelerate as tolerated)<br />Harp and Laurel Wreath memory work, as well as TWTM logic stage memory suggestions in the various subjects<br />RightStart Math B (accelerate as tolerated)<br />Prima Latina<br />Atelier Art (may supplement the art appreciation component somewhat with Harmony Fine Arts logic stage selections)<br />Classical Magic in some fashion<br />Bible Study Guide for All Ages updated Intermediate or Advanced Level, Unit 1<br />Memlok Bible memory system<br /><br />I have covered every subject, I think, but I'm still a little afraid this may be too much in the non-TOG sujects . I'd like to know what all of you think about this, as well as the rest of the post. Feel free to comment.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-45135255224350150662008-05-25T15:57:00.000-07:002008-05-25T17:09:26.730-07:00Weekly Report: May 19-23, 2008Weekly Report for Princess:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phonics:<br /></span>Family Readers - <span style="font-style: italic;">The Map</span> (set 1, book 5)<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Razz</span> (set 1, book 6)<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Kim</span> (set 2, book 1)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible:</span><br />Bedtime Bible Story Book - <span style="font-style: italic;">Adam and Eve Leave the Garden</span> (day 5)<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Cain Murders His Brother</span> (day 6)<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Noah Builds the Ark</span> (day 7)<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Noah Lives in the Ark</span> (day 8)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Literature:</span><br />picture books - <span style="font-style: italic;">Sylvester and the Magic Pebble</span>, by William Steig<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Amazing Bone</span>, by William Steig<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Doctor De Soto,</span> by William Steig<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"> Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose</span>, by Dr. Seuss<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day</span>, by Judith Viorst<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday</span>, by Judith Viorst<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Alexander, Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move</span>, by J. Viorst<br /><br />audiobook - Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1st three CDs)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Memory Work:</span><br />our telephone number<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poetry:</span><br />My Very First Mother Goose - <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Down at the station, early in the morning...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Cackle, cackle, Mother Goose...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn...<br /><br /></span>kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-80744330376674458062008-05-23T19:54:00.000-07:002008-05-23T20:40:47.298-07:00Weekly Report: May 12-16, 2008Weekly report for Princess:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phonics:</span> Family Readers - set 1, books 1-6<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bible:</span> Bedtime Bible Story Book -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">God Creates the Earth</span> (day 1)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> God Creates the Earth</span> (day 2)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Adam Lives in the Garden</span> (day 3)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Eve is Tricked by the Serpent</span> (day 4)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Literature:</span> <span>picture books</span> -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Animal Orchestra</span>, by Ilo Orleans<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Lion's Paw</span>, by Jane Werner Watson<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Baby Animals</span>, by Garth Williams<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Golden Egg Book</span>, by Margaret Wise Brown<br /><br /><span> audio books</span> - Chronicles of Narnia:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Horse and His Boy</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Prince Caspian</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Memory Work:</span> our phone number<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poetry:</span> My Very First Mother Goose -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Jack and Jill went up the hill...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Shoo fly, don't bother me...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Boys and girls come out to play...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...</span>kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-67484903831156021922008-05-07T10:12:00.000-07:002008-05-07T10:14:57.412-07:00Wordless Wednesday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SCHjdSJx80I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/mNBid62l1Tg/s1600-h/ginevra.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VqY2tQ4uVqU/SCHjdSJx80I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/mNBid62l1Tg/s320/ginevra.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197685537190835010" border="0" /></a>kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-82932203651142433512008-05-06T12:45:00.000-07:002008-05-06T12:54:16.907-07:00The Wonders of the InternetIt has only been recently (in the last year or so) that I have been consistently online, and I have found that it has been endlessly useful to me. I have been able to stay better connected to my family and friends than I probably would have otherwise. I have found a multitude of freebies for homeschooling (games, worksheet sites, lapbooks, multimedia, public domain books, etc.). I have found it to be a wonderful creative outlet. And the shopping possibilities are endless! It seems one can find a use for the net in almost every aspect of life. I know that I've certainly found many reasons to be thankful for it.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-46872300404903246522008-05-03T20:24:00.000-07:002008-05-03T21:04:34.516-07:00My Blogging Dreams...As I sit here tonight working on my blog, I consider all the things I want it to become. I see in it an ongoing family letter, a photo album, a scholarship report, a lesson-plan book, a shopping list, a useful link collection, a sounding board, a networking tool, a writing class for myself. Essentially, I want a well-rounded portrait of all the thoughts and activities that make up our homeschool and our lives. And I want the commentary of my family and friends on all the pieces of that portrait. I want to look back years from now and revisit the love, the learning, and the growing that we shared down through the years and feel the thankful smile inside that I took the time to capture it all. If my blog can become all of these things, I will consider it a success indeed.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-21097208041997630962008-04-29T01:01:00.000-07:002008-04-29T01:19:18.026-07:00My Plans for ME in the Upcoming School YearWhen I was on the WTM board today I happened upon a thread that really got me to thinking. It discussed the idea of the homeschooling parent making out an educational plan for themselves when they plan out the year's curriculum for their children. 'What a marvelous idea!', I thought. I had already been mulling on the idea of educating myself on some of the subjects I want to teach my children later on to make myself a better teacher for them. And these mullings had led to some rudimentary plans for self-education in some areas such as nature study and life skills. I am thinking now, though, that I will make myself a formal education plan each year along with the children. Lets call it Mommy University. Maybe I'll even start a separate blog on this eventually. I am going to start browsing around at some things and put down a plan on paper of what I want to learn this year. When I get it figured out (at least basically) I will come back and write it on the blog. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-14429871080294842462008-04-29T00:52:00.000-07:002008-04-29T01:01:04.720-07:00My Plans for the Fall (or maybe sooner if I can get it all together to start)This is the plan that I have got worked out so far for my 3 dc that are still being homeschooled. This year has been kind of relaxed, but I would like to have a little more structure next year. Although, my dd is 4 (5 in June) and my dss13 and dss15 have special needs, so I don't want to be overly rigorous. I just need to find that sweet spot in the middle, KWIM? So anyway, here is my plan:<br /><br /><b>dss15: </b>Oral reading: McGuffey's Reader (not sure what level yet)<br /> Writing: Oral Narration (Andrew Lang's Fairy Books)<br /> Spelling: Simply Spelling (not sure what level yet)<br /> Grammar: Need help on this one.<br /> Literature: 1000 Good Books List grades 4-6 selections; participate<br /> in family read aloud.<br /> Math: Right Start B (this was the level recommended by the<br /> Right Start representative)<br /> History: James Baldwin books (50 Famous People, 50 Famous<br /> Stories Retold, Thirty More Famous Stories Retold)<br /> Edward Eggleston book (Stories of Great Americans<br /> for Little Americans)<br /> American Experience Documentaries (one a week)<br /> Science: Nature Study (Mostly I am just going to learn this<br /> myself this year so I can teach them better<br /> afterward and just kind of have them along for<br /> the ride this year)<br /> Bible: Ergemeier's Bible Story Book (and assign reading of<br /> corresponding Bible passage in Bible)<br /><br /><b>ds13:</b> Oral Reading: VDB or McGuffey Readers?<br /> Writing: Oral Narration (From history readings)<br /> Spelling: Simply Spelling (not sure what level yet)<br /> Grammar: need help on this one.<br /> Literature: 1000 Good Books List grades 1-3 advanced selections;<br /> participate in the family read aloud.<br /> Math, History, Science and Bible: same as ds15<br /><br /><b>dd4:</b> Phonics: OPGTR, Family Readers<br /> Writing: RFH K;<br /> Oral Narration (Aesop's Fables)<br /> Literature: 1000 Good Books List grades 1-3 Picture Books;<br /> Andrew Lang's Fairy Books; participate in family<br /> read aloud<br /> Math: Right Start A<br /> History and Science: Same as ds15 and ds13 except for the<br /> documentaries (although she can watch<br /> them if she wants to)<br /> Bible: Ergemeier's Bible Story Book<br /><br />I also want to add some daily poetry, but I am still trying to decide what to use for this. I want to do some memory work also, especially scripture and poetry memorization. I probably won't do fine arts or foreign language with the kids this year. I need a chance to get these things running smoothly and cemented in our routine before I add anything else. Also, getting a routine for home management down is a DESPERATE need for us this year. Once I am comfortable with doing this much, then I plan to start adding in some of the other things.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-69909187062085874522008-02-25T01:04:00.000-08:002008-02-25T01:40:53.243-08:00Improving our Homeschool Plan - Week One - UpdateIt has been a busy week of cleaning! Though we didn't accomplish every goal I had set on the list, dh and I made big progress toward getting our bedroom clean (Thank you, Lord!). We got about the first half of the tasks on my list accomplished, which was really the bulk of the work anyway. We had one really strong working day, after which we kind of lost our motivation and didn't get a whole lot more done. Even though I am a little disappointed in what we got done, I am not going to let it get me down. We are just going to keep plugging away at the work ahead of us, knowing that God is faithful.<br />I have been doing some thinking as to how we could accomplish more with our time and keep our motivation high in the things we need to do. This is what I have come up with so far (not just for the bedroom cleaning, but our homeschooling/home management system as a whole):<br /> *Make our goals shorter range, such as daily instead of weekly on things like housecleaning.<br /> *Dh is going to do most of the homeschooling with Will and Sam, leaving me to concentrate on Grace, as I work a full-time job outside the home.<br /> *Put the work and the day in God's hands and take it one day at a time, as I tend to get overwhelmed when I think about the entirety of what needs to be done (who wouldn't get overwhelmed like that?)<br /> *Change up the tasks that we are working on more often, to stave off boredom.<br />From now on, I hope to post at least weekly updates as to what has been going on with our plan, our homeschooling and life in general. In the spirit of what I just wrote above, I think I am just going to write a couple of goals for today, and then maybe give an update tomorrow on how it went. So here goes with the goals:<br /> 1) Do another load of laundry<br /> 2) Work on Grace's Bible curriculum<br />Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray for us. Through Christ we will succeed in all that has been set before us.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-44848661028659317362008-02-14T03:47:00.000-08:002008-02-14T04:49:19.521-08:00The Improving Our Homeschool Plan - Week 1I have many plans over the next couple of years to make our homeschool more structured and streamlined--such as chronological humanities study from ancient times to the present, a strong language arts program, lots of hands-on activities, games and field trips, a rich home ec education for dd4 (and myself), and a custom-built Bible curriculum, amongst other things (whew!). To get there, we are going to first of all need an overhaul in our organization systems in our home. It's a big job, but if we all work together, we'll get there by and by (praying for a miracle) :-).<br /> So... I figure that getting organized is as good a place as any to start improving our homeschool.<br />To start down the road to get there, I have come up with a few goals to accomplish by the end of next week. (I work five out of the next six nights, starting with tonight, so I'm giving myself a little leeway on the time frame. After that, I plan on posting weekly goals.) My goals for this post are as follows:<br /> 1) Work at least two hours on cleaning and organizing the house every day that I am off work.<br /> 2) Clean our (dh's and mine) bedroom in the following phases --<br /> * Find a home somewhere in the house for all my movies and put them there.<br /> * Organize my desk and the area beneath it.<br /> * Organize the space between my desk and the bed.<br /> * Find homes for the books that are spread out to the left of my desk ~ 4 feet.<br /> * Organize the rest of the area between my desk and dh's closet door.<br /> * Organize the area between dh's closet door and the bed.<br /> * Organize the area between the bed and the clothing shelves.<br /> * Organize the area between the bed and my closet door.<br /> * Organize the area between the bed and my dressing table.<br /> * Organize the area between the bed and the bathroom door.<br /> * Organize the bookshelves.<br /> * Organize the clothing shelves.<br /> * Organize my dressing table.<br /> * Organize my sewing cabinet.<br /> * Organize my closet.<br /> * Organize dh's closet.<br /> * Set up a reading/breakfast nook in front of the bookshelves.<br /> * Set up the bedside table.<br /> 3) Enlist dh as my assistant in this job.<br /> I will post at least by the end of next week and let you know how all this went. Pray for me and ttfn.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1585669289052022183.post-85411181957977714462008-02-14T02:41:00.000-08:002008-02-14T04:51:07.833-08:00IntroductionA note of introduction. We are a family of homeschoolers with five children, three of whom we homeschool . Our oldest two have graduated, dd recieving her GED a couple of months ago and ds in the process of getting his. Our three children remaining in school are ds14, ds12, and dd4. We are also temporarily sharing our home with 3 extended family members-- dh's mother, dh's older brother, and a nephew. We hail from rural Kentucky and revel in the country life. We dabble in farming (a few horses, a beef cow, a few chickens and, last summer, a partly successful run at Square Foot Gardening). Dh works from home rebuilding pallets and I work at a local hospital on the night shift (3 12hr shifts/week) as an RN on the psychiatric unit (a job that I love, by the way).<br /> At present, due to my work hours and unpredictable schedule, we are doing a relaxed version of classically educating our children, heavily influenced by The Well Trained Mind. We are using textbooks for math and english, reading lots of books and using a more free-form approach for everything else. We school four days a week year round at present (although I am considering 5 days a week with less weeks in school next year). About three times a month, we attend co-op with our local homeschool support group.<br /> While I enjoy our present homeschool experience very much, I have even bigger and better plans for us in the coming years. I look forward to sharing our journey with you in the weeks and months ahead.kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588121101826814761noreply@blogger.com0