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Category: Homeschool (Page 1 of 2)

School 2012-2013

School has started here and it occurred to me that you might like to know what we are using this year, curriculum-wise. This is our 21st year of home Educating and we have graduated 3 children so far. This is my second year with only two students since 2009.

A one-room school house

Sam is in the 12th grade:

Intro to Calculus with Trigonometry – Math-U-See

Chemistry with Lab – Apologia

English 4 – Alpha Omega

American History – Alpha Omega (half year)

P.E. – YMCA personal trainer

 

Lydia is in the 8th grade

Science – Alpha Omega

English – Alpha Omega

World History and Geography – Alpha Omega

Math – Math-U-See Zeta

Art – Rod and Staff Art 8 (she has used R&S since first grade and is a very good artist by now!)

P.E. – YMCA

 

School Curriculum Choices for 2011-2012

 

This year I will have an 11th grader and a 7th grader.  We’re right on track with the 11th grader’s curriculum and I hope to stay that way so that there are no surprises closer to graduation.  We are not yet at the point where we have to be specific with the 7th grader’s curriculum so I can list “science” and “math” instead of specific choices like algebra or physical science.  The high school curriculum choices on the other hand must be very specific. 

I’m just flabbergasted that I have only two students left and that they are both well on their way to graduating!  My 11th grader, Sam, is my baby boy, the third of three boys.  And my 7th grader, Lydia, is the actual baby of the family, #5.  I enjoyed last year but I am really looking forward to this year with these two maturing young people. though I want to send them all someone else to educate at least once a year, its really been an over all joy to home educate since we began in 1991.

7th Grade:

Apologia Science – General Science

English Composition and Grammar- Learning language Arts Through Literature

Math – Math-U- See Epsilon

History – Tennessee History

Art – Rod and Staff level 7

 

11th Grade:

Apologia Physics with Lab

Algebra 2 – Teaching Textbooks

English 3 – LLATL – Gold Book

Elective – Performing Arts – Piano, private lessons, concerts, recitals, festival competition

Health – Abeka Health In Christian Perspective   1/2 year course

Economics – Abeka Work and Prosperity  1/2 year course

Elective – Calligraphy – Medieval Calligraphy; History and Technique

7 credits total

Simply Charlotte Mason

The Charlotte Mason method of home education is a great way to develop a life-long learner and to raise a student who truly loves to learn. The Simply Charlotte Mason site is a great way to introduce yourself to Charlotte Mason and her ideas and get super tools for teaching in your home.

Charlotte Mason was a British educator who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her method, the Charlotte Mason method, is centered around the idea that education is three-pronged: Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.

I have used the Charlotte Mason method in our home school for over 18 years. I like the flexibility and the kind of people the method produces. My children love to learn, are capable researchers and are able to connect with a large range of people on many different topics and levels. In other words, the are very well rounded people. We have tried to major on laying down a good foundation of manners and good habits of study and speech. Simply Charlotte Mason has a great book to help you get on track with that called Laying Down The Rails.

Check out the Simply Charlotte Mason site and find out who Charlotte Mason was, what her method is all about, why her teaching methods are so helpful and find lots and lots of free help in addition to the high quality purchased materials.I have purchased several items from this site and I am very satisfied with them all.  I especially like the Spelling Power books.

They offer a planner, ideas for scheduling your days or weeks depending on the age of your child, lots of books suggestions too. It was always difficult for me to find the books I needed for our lessons when the children were young. This site has all of the books you hear people talk about using with the Charlotte Mason method.

They also offer a free eBook called Getting Started In Homeschooling.

Simply Charlotte Mason has a free Curriculum Guide and a ton of free eBooks to help you. There is just no way I could possibly list everything they offer!

This post was not a paid advertisement!  🙂  I like the site and I use it often so I thought I would share a great thing with you!

Simply Charlotte Mason.

A Sense Of History

History is the ship carrying living memories to the future.”    Stephen Spender
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Our family has been reenacting American history since about 1987. Lately we’ve been working on a good portrayal of 1860 and 1838. Before that we represented the American Revolutionary War period from 1770-1780.

The main reason we do it is that we find it interesting to know how people lived so many years ago. From their clothes, to their religion, their occupations to their food…. its all interesting to us. Another reason is that we know that other people find it interesting too, and since we learn so much from our study, its fun and exciting to share that knowledge with other not just through talking about it, but by living it out for them to see. We learn from reenacting, too. We learn about people, their decisions, and about God’s plan for mankind through the ages.
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This past weekend, my husband, youngest daughter and I, and my oldest son, went to the Tennessee History Festival in Nashville, Tennessee. Right there in downtown Nashville at Bi-Centennial park we camped out in 1838 fashion and set up all our wares for children and adults to come by and take a look. We talked all day long for two days.

The History Festival begins with Hernando DeSoto and works all the way through World War II. There are re-enactors for all eras.

Here are some photos for you to enjoy of the Tennessee History Festival…

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Classical Reading Lists And More For Kids and Parents

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Passing along a great resource from the   Classical Christian Education Support Group.

Here is what they offer:

CE Support Loop Setup Information
As a service to other moms educating classically who may want to join a CE Support Loop, this page is the story of our Loop, which includes our experiences in setting up a loop and our guidelines; and a Meeting Place for those desiring to contact other CE Support Loops that are still taking members.

Reading and Literature
Our Loop discussions on Reading and Literature and how we approach these subjects in the various stages; John Senior’s 1000 good books – 100 great books theory; why we include fantasy, fairy tales, and mythology in our children’s literature; why the classics are not too hard for our children; and other issues that we have discussed.

Plundering the Egyptians
This article is by Wes Callihan of Schola Classical Tutorials, whose wife is a loop member. He graciously sent us the text when we asked him why he feels it is important to include secular great books in a classical Christian education.

The 1000 Good Books List
As a loop we came up with a list of 1000 good books following the parameters of John Senior’s theory. We have divided it by reading level, picture books through high school level, and have it posted here.

The 100 Great Books List
We have had so many requests for a list of 100 Great Books to accompany the 1000 Good Books, that we have posted this list. It is incomplete and under construction as we ourselves are still learning to discern between book and book, but includes the books we feel must belong on such a list.

Learning Latin New!
Our experiences and preferences with learning Latin as homeschoolers and non-Latin scholars ourselves. This section includes articles about Latin, reviews of Latin Curriculums that we have used, and an extensive set of links to Latin and Greek language resources. Every page, and all the links in this section have been newly updated (February 2003).

100 Pivotal Events of Western History New!
Memorizing every date encountered in history class is not feasible in the grammar stage. We have narrowed Western History down to its 100 most pivotal dates, which every child should know.

Homeschooling Helps
Out of all the homeschooling books that the mothers on the CE Loop have bought over the years, these are the ones that have stood out; that have most helped in learning and encouragment in homeschooling; in learning and encouragement in classical education; in motivation and inspiration; and provided resources to enable us to do our jobs better.

CE Loop Members’ Pages
Many of the CE Loop members have webpages of their own, offering further help to homeschooling families through various ways and means. These links to all our members’ pages will be sure to bless and enlighten you.

A Household Notebook

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For many years, even before I was homeschooling, I have had a yearly notebook for my household. Since we started homeschooling, I have combined the household and school notebooks. I highly recommend building your own Household/School Notebook. It can save you loads of time and stress throughout the year. If you include page dividers with pockets, you can keep receipts and all kinds of papers all together where you can find them.

A Household Notebook can be as simple or elaborate and all-encompassing as you like. I include a calendar, an emergency number list, a shopping list including a weekly running grocery list and a list of important phone numbers. some people like to include financial planning, bills and insurance information in their household notebook.

For the School Notebook I include the calendar, class schedules, lesson plans, library book lists so we won’t forget what we have brought home and when it is due, a Curriculum Key, Reading lists and Chore Lists.

Here are a few pictures of my Household Notebook. I am using the same art work my daughters did last year until they decide on their theme for this year.

 

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The Emergency Numbers Title Page and the Emergency Numbers page.

 

 

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This is one of the dividers with pockets. I keep at least one with each section of the Notebook.

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The Daily Schedule Title Page and each child’s Daily Schedule.

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The next section is Shopping Lists. I printed off forms from DonnaYoung.org for shopping.

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The Menu Plans section includes plans for lunches as well as as family meals. Again I used Donna Young.org to get forms that I like for planning meals.

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The Chores Title Page and the Chores List. Each child has his and her own list.

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More forms/lists that I use (explained below).

Library List – we have a way of forgetting how many books we have checked out from the library. This list helps us remember what we have and when it is due. We sometimes use our Public Library’s online system as well.

Reading List – each child has a list of books that he/she is required to read each year. We keep this simple list and check off what is read and when.

A Curriculum Key – this is handy for me.  I write down the names of the books the children use in school and an abbreviation for each book’s name.  Then when I plan I can use the abbreviation instead of writing the name out.  Very handy especially when you are talking about books with titles like The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales = OX

Do you make a Household/School Notebook?  Would you share here?

A New Method For Daily Organizing

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I’ve heard of this method for years but just getting around to trying it this school year. Its called the Focus Room method of organizing and cleaning.

Basically, you choose one room per day for the whole family to focus on and work in. You can have a list of things to be done in the room or just give oral instructions for your family to follow.
What I like about this method is that it involves the whole family working together to accomplish a necessary household task. It also offers some good opportunities for teaching how to do particular chores.

Here is my Focus Room schedule for this year:

Monday: The Bathroom and Hallway
Clean tub, commode and sink
Take up rug, shake it or take to laundry.
Sweep and scrub floor.
Spray shower and shower curtain with vinegar solution.
Wipe down walls and all surfaces with essential oil cleaner.
Sweep hallway, mop, dust shelf, arrange items on shelf and wash stand.
All my natural cleaners and disinfectant recipes can be found here

Tuesday: The Living Room
Pick up everything that doesn’t belong
Replace all books
Straighten sofa and chairs
Dust furniture
Organize video/game cabinet
Straighten and organize bookshelves
Sweep and mop

Wednesday: The Dining Room
Pick up everything that doesn’t belong
Dust and polish furniture
Dust glassware and nicnacs
Wipe down table and chairs
Sweep and mop

Thursday: Kitchen
Remove everything from counters, clean and disinfect counters, replace everything.
Straighten inside cabinets
Clean stovetop
Clean frig inside and out
Wash trash cans
Sweep and mop
Arrange bakers rack

Friday: Free day!

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