I have an area for learning materials in my dining room and two learning rooms (one homeschool room, and one preschool area) downstairs. I feel blessed to have the space.
But
there are two things on my mind right now, and it would impact my learning areas.
1st - I am really trying to cut down on the amount of STUFF that I have in my home. I am not really someone who holds on to things much, but yet, we still have so much stuff. I have a closet full of fabric and craft materials. I have a closet full of preschool items that are not currently out on the shelves. I have two file cabinets. I have 5 bookcases in the homeschool room alone, and 12 in the house. Every drawer in my dresser is full. I probably have 20 pairs of shoes (wish may not seem like a lot to some people, but really, shouldn't 3 or 4 pairs be enough?)
and
2nd - I will probably only have one homeschooler and 2 or 3 preschoolers next year. The next year after that, I may have 3 homeschoolers, and 3 preschoolers, but I just don't know for sure.
Based on wanting/needing to cut down the amount of things in my home, does it really make sense to have a whole room for homeschooling? Based on the fact that I will only have one homeschooler, do I really need to have a whole room for homeschooling?
I think I know the answer.
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
BIG changes around here at Montgomery Academy
This year was busy, busy, busy, and lots of children - 4 preschoolers, 4 homeschoolers, 2 toddlers, and an infant. It took a lot of planning, and a lot of help from my sister/assistant. But as we get to the end of the year, I'm feeling like we did well. The homeschoolers had fun and learned about many things (I'll have a wind-up post soon for both the homeschoolers and the preschoolers) and so did the preschoolers. And the toddlers and the infant just grew and changed so much, so quickly.
But as the school year nears a close, it is with quite a bit of sadness that I think about next year. My sister and her family will be moving. FAR away. States and States away. She is likely going to continue homeschooling, but we won't be doing it together. So I'm sad about that. I'll miss teaching my nephews in the afternoon, and I'll miss my sister's help in the morning, but mostly I'll miss her company.
And after a lot of consideration, Flower's dad and I have decided to have Flower return to public school in the fall. She wants to return and way back when we started homeschooling, it was the plan to have her return for 5th grade. It wouldn't take much to sway ME to continue homeschooling her, but it feels like we made the right decision. I will miss her SO much. And Super will likely be going to Kindergarten at the public school too. I'm strongly considering just doing half days (mornings) but at the very least, he will be at the public school for at least a few hours a day. He will back to homeschool in first grade, but still, I'll miss him TONS. Since we started homeschooling, we always said that we would take homeschooling on a year by year basis, and that we would choose what we felt was best for the child. It may not be the same for each child. And right now, we have decided that Flower and Super at the public school next year. Jelly Bean will still be at home. (Oh, we are both VERY excited, and we already have some great plans for next year!)
Princess will be going to Kindergarten in the fall. Sweetie is going to a different preschool. Spunky may or may not be back.
So Montgomery Academy will be going from 4 preschoolers, 4 homeschoolers, 2 toddlers, and an infant TO 1 preschooler, 1 homeschooler, 1 toddler moving up to a preschooler, and an infant moving up to a toddler. From 11 to 4.
Times and Seasons. I know. And I've learned so much from this season. I'll miss so much from this time. But there will be different experiences I'm sure that I'll gain from teaching at Montgomery Academy this fall too.
-----------------------
PS Any locals, by the way, I would consider taking one 2 or 3 year old for preschool only, or full or part-time daycare for this fall.
But as the school year nears a close, it is with quite a bit of sadness that I think about next year. My sister and her family will be moving. FAR away. States and States away. She is likely going to continue homeschooling, but we won't be doing it together. So I'm sad about that. I'll miss teaching my nephews in the afternoon, and I'll miss my sister's help in the morning, but mostly I'll miss her company.
And after a lot of consideration, Flower's dad and I have decided to have Flower return to public school in the fall. She wants to return and way back when we started homeschooling, it was the plan to have her return for 5th grade. It wouldn't take much to sway ME to continue homeschooling her, but it feels like we made the right decision. I will miss her SO much. And Super will likely be going to Kindergarten at the public school too. I'm strongly considering just doing half days (mornings) but at the very least, he will be at the public school for at least a few hours a day. He will back to homeschool in first grade, but still, I'll miss him TONS. Since we started homeschooling, we always said that we would take homeschooling on a year by year basis, and that we would choose what we felt was best for the child. It may not be the same for each child. And right now, we have decided that Flower and Super at the public school next year. Jelly Bean will still be at home. (Oh, we are both VERY excited, and we already have some great plans for next year!)
Princess will be going to Kindergarten in the fall. Sweetie is going to a different preschool. Spunky may or may not be back.
So Montgomery Academy will be going from 4 preschoolers, 4 homeschoolers, 2 toddlers, and an infant TO 1 preschooler, 1 homeschooler, 1 toddler moving up to a preschooler, and an infant moving up to a toddler. From 11 to 4.
Times and Seasons. I know. And I've learned so much from this season. I'll miss so much from this time. But there will be different experiences I'm sure that I'll gain from teaching at Montgomery Academy this fall too.
-----------------------
PS Any locals, by the way, I would consider taking one 2 or 3 year old for preschool only, or full or part-time daycare for this fall.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Homeschool: What We Were Up To in March
As always, this is just a small sample of what the homeschoolers were working on this month. The poor homeschoolers always end up on the short end of the picture taking too . . . But rest assured, they were busy in March.
We were study P is for Percussion in the M is for Music book, and so the homeschoolers created a kitchen band. The younger homeschoolers also created their own band, but I didn't get pictures. Scooter is playing the beaters, and Flower is playing the spoons against the wavy cutter.
Flower playing the "strings"
Ellie showing her Montessori Grammar Bingo card. This activity was a big hit.
We were study P is for Percussion in the M is for Music book, and so the homeschoolers created a kitchen band. The younger homeschoolers also created their own band, but I didn't get pictures. Scooter is playing the beaters, and Flower is playing the spoons against the wavy cutter.
Flower playing the "strings"
Ellie showing her Montessori Grammar Bingo card. This activity was a big hit.(Here is a link to the Montessori Grammar Bingo game.)
Helper and Flower showing their cards.
Scooter playing Bingo
And the homeschoolers aren't always busy doing schoolwork. Sometimes we are busy with "practical life" work too. Here is Jellybean getting Smiley down for her nap.
Helper and Flower showing their cards.
Scooter playing Bingo
And the homeschoolers aren't always busy doing schoolwork. Sometimes we are busy with "practical life" work too. Here is Jellybean getting Smiley down for her nap. Monday, February 8, 2010
What We We Were Up To: Homeschool - Late January
Well, this picture shows a little of everybody -tots, preschoolers, and homeschoolers
doing Yoga Kids, Vol 2: ABC
Jelly Bean working on the Idaho Quarter 
Helper working on a page for his Music Notebook.We are currently studying Mahler out of
Story of Orchestra.
Flower working on India out ofA Trip Around The World.
The Olders are currently studying
Asia. We use several different
resources for our continent studies.
This book is just one of the things
that we use.
Scooter working on weaving a potholder.We were studying about N is for Navaho
in our M is for Masterpiece book, and it
discussed how they wove blankets. I decided
we weren't quite up for weaving blankets,
and we had this on hand. All the children
enjoyed this project.
Dissecting Flowers.This project was a BIG hit.
(Project taken from Apologia Botany)
Creating lava to learn about Venus' surface.(Project taken from Apologia Astronomy)
Working on Math flashcards with each other
Dying items like the Ancient Phoenicians(Project taken from Story of the World 1)
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Homeschool Learning Areas
The homeschoolers school upstairs in the morning. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out where to store their materials, because our dining room is open to the living room, and the kitchen is not an eat in kitchen. But schooling in the dining room was really the only option, so I tried to find a storage solution that wouldn't take up too much room, and that the toddlers would get into (much, anyway LOL) and that wouldn't look too bad and that wasn't too expensive. I ended up going with the itso storage system from Target. It is in the corner of the dining room. (The homeschoolers do history, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar upstairs.)
Starting from the bottom left cube - Our "mailbox",
These are what we call the "Free Time" Shelves -
These 3 drawer units are on top of a bookcase
To the left of that bookcase is the Culture bookcase
Same bookcase - Math U See blocks, 
Bookcase to the left of Culture Materials - 
To the left of the reference bookcase is the table -
To the left of the table, the Picture Book 
To the Left of the Picture Book bookcase
To the left of the storage closet are the two desks.
Starting from the bottom left cube - Our "mailbox", and the grammar boxes. (there is a shelf in this cube.)
The upper left cube - the green half drawer has the
grammar solids,the grammar wooden symbols,
and a dictionary. (there is a shelf in this cube.)
The two small green tubs have art supplies in them.
On top of this cube, there is a 3 drawer unit with writing,
handwriting, and reading comprehension books.
The green tub on top of this has craft supplies,
and on the very top is office supplies.
On the bottom right, there are history "notebooks" -
1 inch binders with lined paper and page protector sheets.
In the cube above on the right, there are are language notebooks,
each "notebook" has dividers for spelling, writing, grammar, etc.
Then there is another 3 drawer divider with spelling workbooks,
then copy paper, then envelopes & stamps.
The green tub on top is the "inbox", and there is a
dry erase board on the very top.
Now, we go downstairs to the what we refer to
as "The School Room." The room is 9' x 10'.
We do Afternoon School downstairs. The subjects we
do in the afternoon are Math, Art, Music, Poetry, and Geography.
These are what we call the "Free Time" Shelves -There are Tangrams, a couple looms, Draw Write Now books,
Dominoes, Origami, Wood Models, Music Cards, Art Cards
Money Cards, Guitar Book
These 3 drawer units are on top of a bookcasethat is to the left of the Free Time Shelves.
These contain the Math Books, and Math flashcards,
protractors, etc.
On top of the these are some tubs with painting supplies
(poster and watercolor)
To the left of that bookcase is the Culture bookcase(There are also the Math U See blocks in this bookcase.)
On top is Botany information - Botany cards from
Montessori for Everyone, The Handbook of Nature,
a Viewfinder with Astronomy reels, an Usborne Astronomy book,
Astronomy cards from Montessori for Everyone, planet models, etc.
Same bookcase - Math U See blocks, Base 10 blocks, Math Cards, Asia flag cards,
US Flag cards (from Montessori For Everyone
Continent/US Kits)
Various Atlas books and Asian Animals and Plant Cards
(MOE Asia Continent Kit)
Map Control Sheets from Montessori N Such for
all continents, And wooden maps (I have US,
North America, and World- from Montessori N Such)
Bookcase to the left of Culture Materials - This bookcase contains reference materials.
On top of the bookcase are the general art materials -
markers, pastel crayons, beeswax crayons, Crayola crayons,
colored pencils, watercolor pencils, charcoal, modeling beeswax,
and modeling clay.
To the left of the reference bookcase is the table -This is our former dining table. There is our jumbled Inbox
(we did go through and file/toss most of the items), Science notebooks,
and lined paper, copy paper, pencils, a water bottle, etc.
There is an egress window in this room, and we get quite a bit of
natural light. The older homeschoolers generally sit here.
To the left of the table, the Picture Book bookcase. These books are actually for Preschool
Story Time, but this room is the best place to store them.
I keep Picture Books for the month in the Preschool Area.
On top of the bookcase, there is a CD Player and
a file folder holder. There is a file for each homeschooler
and for Super (my preschool-aged son.)
To the Left of the Picture Book bookcaseis a closet. This closet stores all my
craft and sewing supplies. We also usually keep maps
on the door.
To the left of the storage closet are the two desks.I got these for free last summer - they were set out for
garbagecollection at a home in my neighborhood.
I got our currentdining table for free at the same place.
Actually, the only furniture I purchased in the room was
the Culture bookcase, which I bought at a garage sale
last summer for 50 cents. Everything else was given to me
or already had in the house.
In fact, many of our curriculum books were also "lent" to
us this year from a couple homeschoolers who weren't using
those books this year or books that I used last year with Flower.
So there is the room.
There are a few things not pictured in this post.
In the Downstairs post, in the homeschool room picture,
you can see a bench. We didn't have anywhere else in the
house for it,and so it ended up in here, and I generally sit there.
I also have a Rubbermaid tub that sits on the floor that
contains the Apologia books, and the Art, Music, and Poetry books.
Next Post - The New Preschool Language Area!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Homeschool Lesson Plans: Week of January 11, 2010
Just to refresh your memory, my sister and I are homeschooling four children - my two girls and her two boys. There is Jelly Bean (mine), age 8 and in 2nd grade, Helper (hers), age 8 and in 3rd grade, Flower (mine), age 10 and in 4th grade, and Scooter (hers), age 10 and in 5th grade.
My sister teaches the homeschoolers in the morning (and watches the toddlers) while I teach preschool (and watch a newborn) , and then I teach the homeschoolers in the afternoon (and watch a newborn, while my sister watches preschool-age daycare kids and the toddlers.
Monday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 15 of Story of the World I - Dying eggs and dying noodles
Spelling: Olders - Master Skills Series Spelling Grade 6 , Youngers - Jelly Bean 2 pages in Spell and Write Grade 3 and Helper 2 pages in Spell and Write Grade 4.
Grammar: Lesson from Grammar Manual on Articles - Definite and Indefinite
Writing: Flying Horse (a short paragraph on an a pre-selected topic for the week (selected by the local paper. This week's topic was about Best Foods.) Winners are selected and printed in the local paper.)
==============
Science: Astronomy - Introduction to Venus in Apologia Astronomy
Geography: Olders - Books about Asia (borrowed from the library), Youngers - Books about Illinois (borrowed from the library)
Art: M is for Masterpiece - Frida Kahlo
Music: Story of the Orchestra - Tchaikovsky
Math: One Lesson/Unit
Tuesday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 16 of Story of the World I - The Return of Assyria reading
Spelling: Olders 1 page, Youngers 2 pages
Writing: Finish Flying Horse and put in mail
Reading Comprehension: Reading Comprehension - Amazing Animals
==============
Science: Botany - Angiosperms in Apologia Botany
Geography: Olders - Study about Asia in Atlas, Youngers - Study about Illinois in Atlas
Art: Picture Study - M is for Monster in Museum ABC
Music: Swan Lake CD (borrowed from the library)
Math: One lesson/unit
Wednesday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 16 of Story of the World I - Write a book for the Assyrian Library
Spelling: Olders 1 page, Youngers 2 pages.
Grammar: MOE Grammar Sentence cards for Article and Noun
Writing: Writing Bubble for History topics
==============
Science: Astronomy - Make Lava from Apologia Astronomy
Geography: Olders - Plant and Animal cards from MOE Asia Continent Kit, Youngers - Illinois Quarter from H.I.P Lesson Plans
Art: Frida Kahlo books (this one, this one, this one, and this one)
Music: Sleeping Beauty cassette (borrowed from the library)
Poetry: R is for Rhyme - Limerick
Math: One lesson/unit
Thursday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 16 of Story of the World I - Make Assyrian siege tower
Spelling: Olders 1 page, Youngers 2 pages
Writing: Copywork or handwriting practice
=============
Science: Botany - Flower Dissection from Apologia Botany
Geography: Olders - Map and Flag cards from MOE Asia Continent Kit, Youngers - Illinois map and flag
Art: Frido Kahlo art project from Great Artists
Music: Tchaikovsky books (this one, this one, this one, and this one) borrowed from the library
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet from Tales From Shakespeare
Math: One lesson/unit
Friday
Spelling: Spelling tests
Literature: Literature Pockets
================
Math: Math tests (Scooter is in Saxon 65, Flower is in Saxon 54, Helper is in Math U See Beta, and Jelly Bean is in Math U See Beta)
Music: H is for Harmony from M is for Melody
My sister teaches the homeschoolers in the morning (and watches the toddlers) while I teach preschool (and watch a newborn) , and then I teach the homeschoolers in the afternoon (and watch a newborn, while my sister watches preschool-age daycare kids and the toddlers.
Monday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 15 of Story of the World I - Dying eggs and dying noodles
Spelling: Olders - Master Skills Series Spelling Grade 6 , Youngers - Jelly Bean 2 pages in Spell and Write Grade 3 and Helper 2 pages in Spell and Write Grade 4.
Grammar: Lesson from Grammar Manual on Articles - Definite and Indefinite
Writing: Flying Horse (a short paragraph on an a pre-selected topic for the week (selected by the local paper. This week's topic was about Best Foods.) Winners are selected and printed in the local paper.)
==============
Science: Astronomy - Introduction to Venus in Apologia Astronomy
Geography: Olders - Books about Asia (borrowed from the library), Youngers - Books about Illinois (borrowed from the library)
Art: M is for Masterpiece - Frida Kahlo
Music: Story of the Orchestra - Tchaikovsky
Math: One Lesson/Unit
Tuesday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 16 of Story of the World I - The Return of Assyria reading
Spelling: Olders 1 page, Youngers 2 pages
Writing: Finish Flying Horse and put in mail
Reading Comprehension: Reading Comprehension - Amazing Animals
==============
Science: Botany - Angiosperms in Apologia Botany
Geography: Olders - Study about Asia in Atlas, Youngers - Study about Illinois in Atlas
Art: Picture Study - M is for Monster in Museum ABC
Music: Swan Lake CD (borrowed from the library)
Math: One lesson/unit
Wednesday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 16 of Story of the World I - Write a book for the Assyrian Library
Spelling: Olders 1 page, Youngers 2 pages.
Grammar: MOE Grammar Sentence cards for Article and Noun
Writing: Writing Bubble for History topics
==============
Science: Astronomy - Make Lava from Apologia Astronomy
Geography: Olders - Plant and Animal cards from MOE Asia Continent Kit, Youngers - Illinois Quarter from H.I.P Lesson Plans
Art: Frida Kahlo books (this one, this one, this one, and this one)
Music: Sleeping Beauty cassette (borrowed from the library)
Poetry: R is for Rhyme - Limerick
Math: One lesson/unit
Thursday
Reading: Individual selections
History: Ch. 16 of Story of the World I - Make Assyrian siege tower
Spelling: Olders 1 page, Youngers 2 pages
Writing: Copywork or handwriting practice
=============
Science: Botany - Flower Dissection from Apologia Botany
Geography: Olders - Map and Flag cards from MOE Asia Continent Kit, Youngers - Illinois map and flag
Art: Frido Kahlo art project from Great Artists
Music: Tchaikovsky books (this one, this one, this one, and this one) borrowed from the library
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet from Tales From Shakespeare
Math: One lesson/unit
Friday
Spelling: Spelling tests
Literature: Literature Pockets
================
Math: Math tests (Scooter is in Saxon 65, Flower is in Saxon 54, Helper is in Math U See Beta, and Jelly Bean is in Math U See Beta)
Music: H is for Harmony from M is for Melody
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
How we got our kids to love grammar . . .
Well, love might be a little strong. But the homeschoolers certainly enjoy it much more than the grammar programs we used first. I'm sure that they are a lovely curriculums (Abeka God's Gift of Language A and Rod and Staff Beginning Wisely) but they just were not working for our homeschoolers.
I use several of the books/ideas from the Serendipity website, but I had not used their grammar ideas before. My sister and I were struggling to find something that would work for them - something that was enjoyable, but still enabled them to really learn the parts of speech. So I was searching through all my links, and I first looked at what they offered on the Serendipity. It is called Lively Language Language Lessons. The Lively Language Lessons primarily use the Ruth Heller language books to teach the parts of speech, although there are some suggestions for other grammar resources there. So I printed off the Lively Language Lessons, and got the Ruth Heller book for Nouns (Merry Go Round) to start out.
Then I decided to check my Montessori links. I use some Montessori materials with the homeschoolers, but I have always used Montessori materials with the preschoolers, but I had only used the very, very basics of grammar with the preschoolers. I knew that the parts of speech were generally introduced around age 6, and I knew that our children were older than that, but I wanted to look at the materials to see if they might still be workable for 7, 8, and two 10 year olds.
I first went looking for a Montessori manual. I thought about buying one, but many were fairly pricey, and I wanted to be able to really look at the manual to make sure that it would work for us, and so paying for one/having it shipped wasn't my favorite option either. Thankfully, I clicked on my link to Cultivating Dharma, and there is a great language album at this site, and the section on grammar is excellent. And the download is FREE!
Then I ordered the Montessori Grammar solid symbols and the Montessori basic wooden grammar symbols from Kid Advance.
Finally, I downloaded grammar words and sentences from both Montessori (link for words) for Everyone (link for sentences) and the Montessori (link for words) Materials (link for sentences) site. Montessori Materials uses a different color for conjunction and one other part of speech, so I only have the words for those two parts of speech from Montessori for Everyone.
And then I printed, and laminated and cut. And then decided I needed to find a good way to store the grammar materials. So I went off to Target (one of my favorite places to shop) and this is what I found:
Another Plano utility box holds the grammar
I use several of the books/ideas from the Serendipity website, but I had not used their grammar ideas before. My sister and I were struggling to find something that would work for them - something that was enjoyable, but still enabled them to really learn the parts of speech. So I was searching through all my links, and I first looked at what they offered on the Serendipity. It is called Lively Language Language Lessons. The Lively Language Lessons primarily use the Ruth Heller language books to teach the parts of speech, although there are some suggestions for other grammar resources there. So I printed off the Lively Language Lessons, and got the Ruth Heller book for Nouns (Merry Go Round) to start out.
Then I decided to check my Montessori links. I use some Montessori materials with the homeschoolers, but I have always used Montessori materials with the preschoolers, but I had only used the very, very basics of grammar with the preschoolers. I knew that the parts of speech were generally introduced around age 6, and I knew that our children were older than that, but I wanted to look at the materials to see if they might still be workable for 7, 8, and two 10 year olds.
I first went looking for a Montessori manual. I thought about buying one, but many were fairly pricey, and I wanted to be able to really look at the manual to make sure that it would work for us, and so paying for one/having it shipped wasn't my favorite option either. Thankfully, I clicked on my link to Cultivating Dharma, and there is a great language album at this site, and the section on grammar is excellent. And the download is FREE!
Then I ordered the Montessori Grammar solid symbols and the Montessori basic wooden grammar symbols from Kid Advance.
Finally, I downloaded grammar words and sentences from both Montessori (link for words) for Everyone (link for sentences) and the Montessori (link for words) Materials (link for sentences) site. Montessori Materials uses a different color for conjunction and one other part of speech, so I only have the words for those two parts of speech from Montessori for Everyone.
And then I printed, and laminated and cut. And then decided I needed to find a good way to store the grammar materials. So I went off to Target (one of my favorite places to shop) and this is what I found:
(found in the nails, hooks, etc. section)
holds the grammar words and the
grammar nomenclature cards.
Another Plano utility box holds the grammarsentence strips from Montessori Materials.
A coupon organizer holds the grammar
sentences from Montessori for Everyone
Here are a picture of the Ruth Heller books,
My sister teaches grammar, so I don't know EXACTLY how it all works, but here is how she has explained it in our teacher meetings.
It is a every day but Friday subject. Generally, she does the activity from the manual when introducing a part of speech. Then she will read a couple pages from the Ruth Heller book and look at the Lively Lessons to see if there is anything they want to do on that part of speech. On another day, they will do create a page of their own drawing/writing examples of what they learned in the Heller book. On another day, they will work with the word boxes to create sentences. On different day, they may use the wooden symbols with the sentence strips or with sentences of their own creation.
And we are finally achieving our goal with grammar - they are enjoying it AND they are learning. Our goal is to get through the parts of speech this year. In some future post, I may share our plans for grammar for next year.
A coupon organizer holds the grammarsentences from Montessori for Everyone
Here are a picture of the Ruth Heller books,the solid and wooden grammar symbols,
and a binder that holds the language manual,
and the Lively Language Lessons.
My sister teaches grammar, so I don't know EXACTLY how it all works, but here is how she has explained it in our teacher meetings.
It is a every day but Friday subject. Generally, she does the activity from the manual when introducing a part of speech. Then she will read a couple pages from the Ruth Heller book and look at the Lively Lessons to see if there is anything they want to do on that part of speech. On another day, they will do create a page of their own drawing/writing examples of what they learned in the Heller book. On another day, they will work with the word boxes to create sentences. On different day, they may use the wooden symbols with the sentence strips or with sentences of their own creation.
And we are finally achieving our goal with grammar - they are enjoying it AND they are learning. Our goal is to get through the parts of speech this year. In some future post, I may share our plans for grammar for next year.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Homeschoolers Have Been Busy . . .
You may get the impression that the homeschoolers don't do anything interesting around here. If you get that impression, it is my fault. It is quicker for me to blog about the preschoolers. I just repost the weekly sheet, and put up pictures from the week. It often doesn't take a lot of explanation.
Also, my sister and I co-homeschool. She teaches the homeschoolers Literature, History, Writing, and Grammar in the mornings while I do Geography, Science, Math, Music, Art, and Poetry in the afternoons. We also have been slacking on taking the pictures of the homeschoolers. Our bad. I should have some pictures up this next week of some of the things they have been doing in the past month or so.
We revamped things a bit around the first of November and I think everybody, teachers and kids, liked the tweaks. We do most subjects more independently now, but we do all subjects every day instead of doing things on a certain day at a somewhat certain time.
For example, here is an example of afternoon schedule:
12:45 Math Minutes (a drill sheet for each of them)
After this, they picked from the following activities - Map Activities (South America for the olders and US for the youngers) from Montessori For Everyone, reading on the books about Beethoven and writing 3 facts about him (We are working our way through The Story of the Orchestra and M is for Melody), watching a DVD about Monet (We are working through M is for Masterpiece), and writing a poem with an iambic meter (We are working our way through R is for Rhyme).
At 1:45, we take a break from "work time" and we do a section from either Apologia Botany or Apologia Astronomy (we alternate days.) Then we go back to work time until 2:30.
The children then work on math from 2:30 - 3:00 pm. The olders are supposed to work on a lesson every day (They are doing Saxon 5/4 and Saxon 6/5), and the youngers work on one sheet from their unit every day (They are both working on Math U See Beta). If they get done before 3 pm, they are done for the day. If they don't get it done, we move on the next day. Before, we were getting bogged down with math because it was taking a day or two or three for the olders to get through a lesson sometimes.
For us, it is a good blend of Montessori and Charlotte Mason. From Montessori, we are using some of the resources that would be used in Montessori, and the idea of freedom within limits. From Charlotte Mason, we are using the types of subjects, using "living books" (Probably the best known of Mason's methods is her use of living books instead of dry, factual textbooks. Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The size of the book does not matter nearly as much as whether it is "alive" and engaging. Textbooks are allowed if they meet that criterion) and idea of short lessons.
Also, my sister and I co-homeschool. She teaches the homeschoolers Literature, History, Writing, and Grammar in the mornings while I do Geography, Science, Math, Music, Art, and Poetry in the afternoons. We also have been slacking on taking the pictures of the homeschoolers. Our bad. I should have some pictures up this next week of some of the things they have been doing in the past month or so.
We revamped things a bit around the first of November and I think everybody, teachers and kids, liked the tweaks. We do most subjects more independently now, but we do all subjects every day instead of doing things on a certain day at a somewhat certain time.
For example, here is an example of afternoon schedule:
12:45 Math Minutes (a drill sheet for each of them)
After this, they picked from the following activities - Map Activities (South America for the olders and US for the youngers) from Montessori For Everyone, reading on the books about Beethoven and writing 3 facts about him (We are working our way through The Story of the Orchestra and M is for Melody), watching a DVD about Monet (We are working through M is for Masterpiece), and writing a poem with an iambic meter (We are working our way through R is for Rhyme).
At 1:45, we take a break from "work time" and we do a section from either Apologia Botany or Apologia Astronomy (we alternate days.) Then we go back to work time until 2:30.
The children then work on math from 2:30 - 3:00 pm. The olders are supposed to work on a lesson every day (They are doing Saxon 5/4 and Saxon 6/5), and the youngers work on one sheet from their unit every day (They are both working on Math U See Beta). If they get done before 3 pm, they are done for the day. If they don't get it done, we move on the next day. Before, we were getting bogged down with math because it was taking a day or two or three for the olders to get through a lesson sometimes.
For us, it is a good blend of Montessori and Charlotte Mason. From Montessori, we are using some of the resources that would be used in Montessori, and the idea of freedom within limits. From Charlotte Mason, we are using the types of subjects, using "living books" (Probably the best known of Mason's methods is her use of living books instead of dry, factual textbooks. Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The size of the book does not matter nearly as much as whether it is "alive" and engaging. Textbooks are allowed if they meet that criterion) and idea of short lessons.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Homeschoolers Visit The Fire Station
The homeschoolers went for a field trip at the fire station in November too, but they had their own field trip to learn more about fire safety in the home.
Before the presentation.
After the presentation.
Before the presentation.
They learned about fire safety using the Hazard House.
After the presentation. Thank you to the fire department
for two great field trips!
Friday, August 7, 2009
School At Home??
This term usually means that you are trying to duplicate school at home - using textbooks, sitting in desks, doing subjects at a certain time, etc. And in the homeschooling community, "School At Home" is kind of looked down on.
And I don't want to School At Home. Part of why I homeschool is so that I can have the freedom to do things when we want to, where we want to, to spend more time on things that the children are interested in instead of leaving it because "we've got to get it all in" or my personal favorite "we've got to start preparing for standardized testing." (I'll refrain going on my rant on standardized testing for now.) I want to be able to do field trips, or having the children be able to take sewing lessons, art lessons, spanish lessons now instead of waiting until they are in middle school and can take electives.
I was reading a post about toys (or her lack of them) on a blog that I read. My children don't have a lot of toys either. The girls have stuffed animals, dress up stuff (old dance costumes mostly), a dollhouse with Only Hearts Dolls, and some horses. Super has a small bin of cars, a small bin of trains, dress up stuff (fire fighter stuff mostly), and a fire truck, an ambulance, a rescue helicopter, and some small construction vehicles. They do store these toys in their bedrooms - which I sort of wish that I could change. My opinion is that bedrooms should be for sleeping and storing/changing of clothes.
But there is no place else in our home to store their toys - because so many of our other rooms are being devoted to "learning areas." In our home, there are 4 bedrooms. There is the master bedroom, Super's bedroom, which also has a pack-n-play in it for napping toddlers, the Girls' room, which also has a spare twin in it for guests or napping preschoolers, and what was formerly the office, formerly the guest room, and now the Home School Room. It is mostly devoted to things for Elementary students. There are a couple of desks in there, some bookcases with books on them, a cabinet with math manipulatives and geography materials, a cabinet with art supplies in it, and an area for Workboxes. (As soon as I go through the kids' work on the table, I'll post pictures of the room.)
Upstairs, there is the Living Room - which is now basically the Toddler Room. The train table is in there, and a play kitchen, and baskets with puppets and silks, baskets with toddler toys, and a couple of bookcases. One bookcase has toddler tray activities, and the other one has books - scrapbooks and coffee table books up high, preschool books in the middle, toddler books, and then toddler toys on the bottom shelf. There is the dining room (there is a table with 6 chairs and a high chair. There is not room for much else, and there is no eat-in area in the kitchen.), the kitchen, a bathroom, the master bedroom, the laundry closet, and Super's Room.
Downstairs, there is the Preschool Area - which is actually in 2/3 of the Family Room. The preschool area has shelves around the perimeter and a couple of tables in the middle. On the other 1/3 of the room, there is a recliner, a couch, a loveseat, a couple of bookcases, an entertainment center, and the computer desk. Then there is a bathroom, the Girls' room, and the Home School room.
And that's it. Well, there are a few closets in the preschool area of the family room. One is a storage closet that goes under the stairs that I store out of season clothes, and seasonal decorations. One closet stores preschool materials when they aren't on the shelves, and one closet stores the sump pump, and paint. (I'll try and post pictures of the interior of the house so that it is a little clearer. But no promises, because my WHOLE house usually isn't clean all at the same time, especially long enough to take pictures.)
I sometimes feel like I've devoted a lot of my home to learning, which I don't think is a bad thing necessarily. But one of the downsides to the set-up is that the learning areas are in really separate areas - the Home School room is in downstairs, but down a hallway, and you can't see the preschool area from there or vice versa. You can see the preschool area if you are working on the computer, but then the Toddler area is upstairs. And there is no room to store any preschool or homeschool materials up there.
And then I find myself wanting to put more bookshelves in different areas, or bulletin boards upstairs for the parents to see, or on and on. I found myself wishing that I had a whole other home to set up for learning and then I could have my actual home for living in, and then it hit me - uh, wouldn't that really be like setting up a School At A Home? And not even my own home? (Oh, and what about the fact that I can't afford another mortgage LOL)
I don't know what the answer is though. I need to have things have "a home" and it wasn't working for me to have homeschool materials all over the house. It was too cluttered, and there really was just no real place to set them when they were done besides the ledge, and that drives me CRAZY. None of the bedrooms are really big enough to set up as a Montessori classroom for 5 students, and I really don't want to give up another bedroom anyway. And it is nice to be able to have a toddler proof room for them to play in.
I don't know. I'm rambling.
And I don't want to School At Home. Part of why I homeschool is so that I can have the freedom to do things when we want to, where we want to, to spend more time on things that the children are interested in instead of leaving it because "we've got to get it all in" or my personal favorite "we've got to start preparing for standardized testing." (I'll refrain going on my rant on standardized testing for now.) I want to be able to do field trips, or having the children be able to take sewing lessons, art lessons, spanish lessons now instead of waiting until they are in middle school and can take electives.
I was reading a post about toys (or her lack of them) on a blog that I read. My children don't have a lot of toys either. The girls have stuffed animals, dress up stuff (old dance costumes mostly), a dollhouse with Only Hearts Dolls, and some horses. Super has a small bin of cars, a small bin of trains, dress up stuff (fire fighter stuff mostly), and a fire truck, an ambulance, a rescue helicopter, and some small construction vehicles. They do store these toys in their bedrooms - which I sort of wish that I could change. My opinion is that bedrooms should be for sleeping and storing/changing of clothes.
But there is no place else in our home to store their toys - because so many of our other rooms are being devoted to "learning areas." In our home, there are 4 bedrooms. There is the master bedroom, Super's bedroom, which also has a pack-n-play in it for napping toddlers, the Girls' room, which also has a spare twin in it for guests or napping preschoolers, and what was formerly the office, formerly the guest room, and now the Home School Room. It is mostly devoted to things for Elementary students. There are a couple of desks in there, some bookcases with books on them, a cabinet with math manipulatives and geography materials, a cabinet with art supplies in it, and an area for Workboxes. (As soon as I go through the kids' work on the table, I'll post pictures of the room.)
Upstairs, there is the Living Room - which is now basically the Toddler Room. The train table is in there, and a play kitchen, and baskets with puppets and silks, baskets with toddler toys, and a couple of bookcases. One bookcase has toddler tray activities, and the other one has books - scrapbooks and coffee table books up high, preschool books in the middle, toddler books, and then toddler toys on the bottom shelf. There is the dining room (there is a table with 6 chairs and a high chair. There is not room for much else, and there is no eat-in area in the kitchen.), the kitchen, a bathroom, the master bedroom, the laundry closet, and Super's Room.
Downstairs, there is the Preschool Area - which is actually in 2/3 of the Family Room. The preschool area has shelves around the perimeter and a couple of tables in the middle. On the other 1/3 of the room, there is a recliner, a couch, a loveseat, a couple of bookcases, an entertainment center, and the computer desk. Then there is a bathroom, the Girls' room, and the Home School room.
And that's it. Well, there are a few closets in the preschool area of the family room. One is a storage closet that goes under the stairs that I store out of season clothes, and seasonal decorations. One closet stores preschool materials when they aren't on the shelves, and one closet stores the sump pump, and paint. (I'll try and post pictures of the interior of the house so that it is a little clearer. But no promises, because my WHOLE house usually isn't clean all at the same time, especially long enough to take pictures.)
I sometimes feel like I've devoted a lot of my home to learning, which I don't think is a bad thing necessarily. But one of the downsides to the set-up is that the learning areas are in really separate areas - the Home School room is in downstairs, but down a hallway, and you can't see the preschool area from there or vice versa. You can see the preschool area if you are working on the computer, but then the Toddler area is upstairs. And there is no room to store any preschool or homeschool materials up there.
And then I find myself wanting to put more bookshelves in different areas, or bulletin boards upstairs for the parents to see, or on and on. I found myself wishing that I had a whole other home to set up for learning and then I could have my actual home for living in, and then it hit me - uh, wouldn't that really be like setting up a School At A Home? And not even my own home? (Oh, and what about the fact that I can't afford another mortgage LOL)
I don't know what the answer is though. I need to have things have "a home" and it wasn't working for me to have homeschool materials all over the house. It was too cluttered, and there really was just no real place to set them when they were done besides the ledge, and that drives me CRAZY. None of the bedrooms are really big enough to set up as a Montessori classroom for 5 students, and I really don't want to give up another bedroom anyway. And it is nice to be able to have a toddler proof room for them to play in.
I don't know. I'm rambling.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Why I homeschool . . .
Well, I don't exactly feel like an expert on this subject. I have homeschooled one child who was past preschool years for one year. And didn't start homeschooling until 3rd grade.
But I'll try and explain how we came to the conclusion to homeschool.
It all started when Flower started in Kindergarten. I had taught her in preschool for two years before that. I had done some research in early childhood/kindergarten education. I'd done a lot of research on our local elementary school. Flower had attended Pre-K in the afternoons at that same elementary for two years.
Everyone agreed that Flower was bright. She was academically ahead of most of her peers. Not altogether surprising since her birthday is in late September, so she is almost a full year older than some of the students in her grade. The Pre-K teacher, a Kindy teacher, and the principal and I met during the May before Flower went to Kindergarten to decide what would be best for Flower.
And that has always been the key to all of it - Do The Best Thing For Each Child. It May Be Different For Each Child. And Decisions Will Be Made On A Year To Year Basis.
We discussed which Kindy teacher would be best suited for her - she was very bright, but also very, very hard on herself. She couldn't stand to do anything that she perceived as "failure." (It was heartbreaking to see a 5 year old so hard on herself.) The idea of advancing her to first grade was discussed briefly but decided that it would be much better for her to be in Kindergarten where she could have time to learn that writing an "r" backwards wasn't fatal.
And off she went to Kindergarten. She had a GREAT year. Her teacher was WONDERFUL. She was really good about being able to modify assignments to challenge Flower without making it a big deal to her classmates or increase her workload. And when there were occassions that it made more sense to pull her out and send her to a 1st grade classrooom, she advocated for it instead of letting Flower be bored.
1st grade. Sigh. It was a tough year. Flower had a teacher who felt that all students should fit into a little box and all learn the same things at the same time. Everything was very textbook oriented. Flower finished her assignments early often, and was told to "just look out the window until the rest of the class finishes." (Confirmed by the teacher at a conference. She saw nothing wrong with having a student do this instead of doing, uh, anything? Read? Help other students? A supplementary worksheet? Anything?) This was the year when Flower started asking to be homeschooled. She also started reverting back with her perfectionistic behaviors, and would cry instead of answer a question that she wasn't 100% certain of the answer or heaven forbid, an open-ended question with no "right" answer. I chalked this year up to a not good match with a teacher and hoped for the best during the next year.
2nd grade. Sigh. Sigh. It was another tough year, but not really because of the teacher. Well, a little, but not for the same reasons that there were problems with the 1st grade teacher. Her 2nd grade teacher was much more willing to try and make changes to curriculum where possible, and she did lots of hands-on, creative activities. Well, it appeared that way anyway in the end of the year photo album. This teacher was VERY difficult to work with. She was almost secretive about what was going on in the classroom, and didn't want parents to help with homework, help in the classroom, etc. She also had NO tolerance with Flower's behavior. Flower had also started to get "stuck" on things - She just couldn't let stuff go. She also got very hooked up with semantics, and if the teacher or a child, or anybody (even her family) said something, she would ask questions if the person said the wrong word, or wasn't quite descriptive enough or whatever. It comes off as very disrespectful or worse. But I believe that most of the time, she just couldn't help herself. By the end of the year, she was still doing very well academically, but in all other ways, school was becoming a miserable experience. She started asking me to homeschool her by November of this year. I still feel bad for making her stay. I decided by February to homeschool her for 3rd grade, but decided to have her finish the year.
Jelly Bean, on the other hand, has needed the structure of school. Or to be more clear, she has needed to see the behavior of lots of children her age and see how most of the children are acting. And the structure too. Jelly Bean doesn't do well with "Oh, we'll just hang out and see how the day goes." That's a recipe for disaster for her. She attended the same Pre-K program Flower did, but she attended because she had boundary issues. She was either overly violent, or overly affectionate. By the time she went to kindergarten, her behavior was better, but not great. She had the same Kindy teacher (We love Mrs. B!) as Flower. It was a great fit, not because Jelly Bean needed the same things as Flower, but because Mrs. B is just such a great teacher and knew what would help Jelly Bean the most. By the end of Kindy, Jelly Bean was doing really well. Flower was just finishing 2nd grade, and we had decided to homeschool her. I was afraid if we didn't homeschool her, she would begin to associate her negative experience with school with learning, and I didn't want that to happen. And since I had been teaching preschool at home for years, it didn't seem like a stretch to homeschool.
So we talked about it and talked about it. And we decided that for 1st grade, it would be best to have Jelly Bean stay at school, and Flower to come home. But that we would discuss it at the end of the year and decide what we wanted to do for 2nd and 4th grade.
So here we are - it is July, and Jelly Bean is most likely going to do 2nd grade at home. Jelly Bean really wants to do it. I think that she is capable of it now, and that she will enjoy being able to study things that she wouldn't be able to at school, but we will still provide her with enough structure so that she will feel comfortable. Flower will also do 4th grade at home. She has made great strides with her behaviors, but I feel that she still needs one more year at home. Super is attending preschool here in the mornings, and attends the Pre-K program in the afternoon. He will go to Kindergarten at the elementary school, and most likely, will return home after that.
But I always try and remember when I am making decisions about homeschooling - Do The Best Thing For Each Child. It May Be Different For Each Child. And Decisions Will Be Made On A Year To Year Basis.
But I'll try and explain how we came to the conclusion to homeschool.
It all started when Flower started in Kindergarten. I had taught her in preschool for two years before that. I had done some research in early childhood/kindergarten education. I'd done a lot of research on our local elementary school. Flower had attended Pre-K in the afternoons at that same elementary for two years.
Everyone agreed that Flower was bright. She was academically ahead of most of her peers. Not altogether surprising since her birthday is in late September, so she is almost a full year older than some of the students in her grade. The Pre-K teacher, a Kindy teacher, and the principal and I met during the May before Flower went to Kindergarten to decide what would be best for Flower.
And that has always been the key to all of it - Do The Best Thing For Each Child. It May Be Different For Each Child. And Decisions Will Be Made On A Year To Year Basis.
We discussed which Kindy teacher would be best suited for her - she was very bright, but also very, very hard on herself. She couldn't stand to do anything that she perceived as "failure." (It was heartbreaking to see a 5 year old so hard on herself.) The idea of advancing her to first grade was discussed briefly but decided that it would be much better for her to be in Kindergarten where she could have time to learn that writing an "r" backwards wasn't fatal.
And off she went to Kindergarten. She had a GREAT year. Her teacher was WONDERFUL. She was really good about being able to modify assignments to challenge Flower without making it a big deal to her classmates or increase her workload. And when there were occassions that it made more sense to pull her out and send her to a 1st grade classrooom, she advocated for it instead of letting Flower be bored.
1st grade. Sigh. It was a tough year. Flower had a teacher who felt that all students should fit into a little box and all learn the same things at the same time. Everything was very textbook oriented. Flower finished her assignments early often, and was told to "just look out the window until the rest of the class finishes." (Confirmed by the teacher at a conference. She saw nothing wrong with having a student do this instead of doing, uh, anything? Read? Help other students? A supplementary worksheet? Anything?) This was the year when Flower started asking to be homeschooled. She also started reverting back with her perfectionistic behaviors, and would cry instead of answer a question that she wasn't 100% certain of the answer or heaven forbid, an open-ended question with no "right" answer. I chalked this year up to a not good match with a teacher and hoped for the best during the next year.
2nd grade. Sigh. Sigh. It was another tough year, but not really because of the teacher. Well, a little, but not for the same reasons that there were problems with the 1st grade teacher. Her 2nd grade teacher was much more willing to try and make changes to curriculum where possible, and she did lots of hands-on, creative activities. Well, it appeared that way anyway in the end of the year photo album. This teacher was VERY difficult to work with. She was almost secretive about what was going on in the classroom, and didn't want parents to help with homework, help in the classroom, etc. She also had NO tolerance with Flower's behavior. Flower had also started to get "stuck" on things - She just couldn't let stuff go. She also got very hooked up with semantics, and if the teacher or a child, or anybody (even her family) said something, she would ask questions if the person said the wrong word, or wasn't quite descriptive enough or whatever. It comes off as very disrespectful or worse. But I believe that most of the time, she just couldn't help herself. By the end of the year, she was still doing very well academically, but in all other ways, school was becoming a miserable experience. She started asking me to homeschool her by November of this year. I still feel bad for making her stay. I decided by February to homeschool her for 3rd grade, but decided to have her finish the year.
Jelly Bean, on the other hand, has needed the structure of school. Or to be more clear, she has needed to see the behavior of lots of children her age and see how most of the children are acting. And the structure too. Jelly Bean doesn't do well with "Oh, we'll just hang out and see how the day goes." That's a recipe for disaster for her. She attended the same Pre-K program Flower did, but she attended because she had boundary issues. She was either overly violent, or overly affectionate. By the time she went to kindergarten, her behavior was better, but not great. She had the same Kindy teacher (We love Mrs. B!) as Flower. It was a great fit, not because Jelly Bean needed the same things as Flower, but because Mrs. B is just such a great teacher and knew what would help Jelly Bean the most. By the end of Kindy, Jelly Bean was doing really well. Flower was just finishing 2nd grade, and we had decided to homeschool her. I was afraid if we didn't homeschool her, she would begin to associate her negative experience with school with learning, and I didn't want that to happen. And since I had been teaching preschool at home for years, it didn't seem like a stretch to homeschool.
So we talked about it and talked about it. And we decided that for 1st grade, it would be best to have Jelly Bean stay at school, and Flower to come home. But that we would discuss it at the end of the year and decide what we wanted to do for 2nd and 4th grade.
So here we are - it is July, and Jelly Bean is most likely going to do 2nd grade at home. Jelly Bean really wants to do it. I think that she is capable of it now, and that she will enjoy being able to study things that she wouldn't be able to at school, but we will still provide her with enough structure so that she will feel comfortable. Flower will also do 4th grade at home. She has made great strides with her behaviors, but I feel that she still needs one more year at home. Super is attending preschool here in the mornings, and attends the Pre-K program in the afternoon. He will go to Kindergarten at the elementary school, and most likely, will return home after that.
But I always try and remember when I am making decisions about homeschooling - Do The Best Thing For Each Child. It May Be Different For Each Child. And Decisions Will Be Made On A Year To Year Basis.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Homeschool Plan - 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th
My sister, if everything works out, is going to be my assistant in the fall. She has 4 children - a 10 year old boy, an 8 year old boy, a 5 year old girl, and a 1 year old girl. She is planning on sending her 5 year old to public school for Kindergarten, but she is hoping to homeschool the boys. I have 3 children - a 9 year old girl, a 7 year old girl, and a 4 year old boy. Flower is the 9 year old girl, and she was homeschooled last year. I am planning on also homeschooling Jelly Bean, who is the 7 year old girl. Super is the 4 year old boy, and he attends preschool here in the morning, and Pre-K at the local elementary in the afternoon. So for elementary, we are planning on homeschooling 4 children from 2nd grade through 5th grade.
After much looking at a variety of different curriculums, we are going with primarily a classical curriculum from The Well-Trained Mind. I am also filling in with books listed in the Core Knowledge book Books To Build On, and other books that I like, and as always, lots of library books. I've got many of the books so far.
Here is a list of the main books that we will be using:
2nd Grade
Spelling: Spell and Write Grade 3
(Will purchase at the local school shop - $8)
Grammar: Rod and Staff Beginning Wisely
(Haven't purchased yet)
Writing: Writing Strands 2
(Lent to me for free)
Poetry: R is for Rhyme
(Bought last year for Flower)
Literature: Books from Literature Book List for Core Knowledge Grade 2 & Books about Ancients (Library)
Math: Saxon Math 2
(Bought at Curriculum Sale for $2.50)
History: Story of the World 1
(Lent to me for free)
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
(Need to purchase)
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
(Need to purchase - approximately $250. May not be able to afford any, or perhaps just enough for one country.)
Science: Usborne First Encyclopedia of Our World
(Need to purchase)
Apologia Botany
(Lent to me for free)
Music: M is for Melody
(purchased last year for Flower)
Story of the Orchestra
(Purchased at the Curriculum Sale for $5)
Art: M is for Masterpiece
(Purchased last year for Flower)
Picture/Artist Study (Library/Internet, etc.)
3rd Grade
Spelling: Spelling Grade 3
(Will purchase at a local teacher supply store - $8)
Grammar: Rod and Staff Beginning Wisely
Writing: Writing Strands 2
Poetry: R is for Rhyme
Literature: Books from Literature Book List from Core Knowledge Grade 3 & Books about the Ancients (Library)
Math: Math-U-See Beta
(Need to buy Student Book and Test booklet)
History: Story of the World 1
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
Science: Usborne First Encyclopedia of Our World
Apologia Botany
Music: M is for Melody
Story of the Orchestra
Art: M is for Masterpiece
Picture/Artist Study
4th Grade
Spelling: Spell and Write Grade 6
Grammar: Abeka God’s Gift of Language A
(Bought Book, Teacher's Book and Tests for $15 at Curriculum Sale.)
Writing: Writing Strands 3
(Bought at Curriculum Sale for $3.)
Poetry: Poem/Poet Study
(Purchased Set of 6 books through Scholastic for $20.)
Literature: Books from Literature Book List from Core Knowledge Grade 4 & Books about the Ancients (Library)
Math: Everyday Math 4
(Lent to me for free)
History: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
(Need to purchase)
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
Science: Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of Science
(Need to purchase)
Apologia Astronomy
(Lent to me for free)
Music: Music Lessons
Story of the Orchestra
Art: Art Lessons
Picture/Artist Study
5th Grade
Logic: Mind Benders
(Need to purchase)
Spelling: Spell and Write Grade 6
(Need to purchase)
Grammar: Abeka God’s Gift of Language A
Writing: Writing Strands 3
Poetry: Poem/Poet Study
Literature: Books from Literature Book List from Core Knowledge Grade 5 & Books about Ancients (Library)
Math: Saxon Math 6/5
(Purchased at Curriculum Sale for $35)
History: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
Science: Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of Science
Apologia Astronomy
Music: Music Lessons
Story of the Orchestra
Art: Art Lessons
Picture/Artist Study
We will also be using Workboxes for supplemental learning in each subject. Each student will have a Language binder with dividers for Journal, Reading Log, Grammar, Writing and Copywork/Dictation, and a Main Lesson Book for Literature, Poetry, History, Science, Nature Study, Art, Art History and Music History.
After much looking at a variety of different curriculums, we are going with primarily a classical curriculum from The Well-Trained Mind. I am also filling in with books listed in the Core Knowledge book Books To Build On, and other books that I like, and as always, lots of library books. I've got many of the books so far.
Here is a list of the main books that we will be using:
2nd Grade
Spelling: Spell and Write Grade 3
(Will purchase at the local school shop - $8)
Grammar: Rod and Staff Beginning Wisely
(Haven't purchased yet)
Writing: Writing Strands 2
(Lent to me for free)
Poetry: R is for Rhyme
(Bought last year for Flower)
Literature: Books from Literature Book List for Core Knowledge Grade 2 & Books about Ancients (Library)
Math: Saxon Math 2
(Bought at Curriculum Sale for $2.50)
History: Story of the World 1
(Lent to me for free)
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
(Need to purchase)
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
(Need to purchase - approximately $250. May not be able to afford any, or perhaps just enough for one country.)
Science: Usborne First Encyclopedia of Our World
(Need to purchase)
Apologia Botany
(Lent to me for free)
Music: M is for Melody
(purchased last year for Flower)
Story of the Orchestra
(Purchased at the Curriculum Sale for $5)
Art: M is for Masterpiece
(Purchased last year for Flower)
Picture/Artist Study (Library/Internet, etc.)
3rd Grade
Spelling: Spelling Grade 3
(Will purchase at a local teacher supply store - $8)
Grammar: Rod and Staff Beginning Wisely
Writing: Writing Strands 2
Poetry: R is for Rhyme
Literature: Books from Literature Book List from Core Knowledge Grade 3 & Books about the Ancients (Library)
Math: Math-U-See Beta
(Need to buy Student Book and Test booklet)
History: Story of the World 1
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
Science: Usborne First Encyclopedia of Our World
Apologia Botany
Music: M is for Melody
Story of the Orchestra
Art: M is for Masterpiece
Picture/Artist Study
4th Grade
Spelling: Spell and Write Grade 6
Grammar: Abeka God’s Gift of Language A
(Bought Book, Teacher's Book and Tests for $15 at Curriculum Sale.)
Writing: Writing Strands 3
(Bought at Curriculum Sale for $3.)
Poetry: Poem/Poet Study
(Purchased Set of 6 books through Scholastic for $20.)
Literature: Books from Literature Book List from Core Knowledge Grade 4 & Books about the Ancients (Library)
Math: Everyday Math 4
(Lent to me for free)
History: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
(Need to purchase)
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
Science: Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of Science
(Need to purchase)
Apologia Astronomy
(Lent to me for free)
Music: Music Lessons
Story of the Orchestra
Art: Art Lessons
Picture/Artist Study
5th Grade
Logic: Mind Benders
(Need to purchase)
Spelling: Spell and Write Grade 6
(Need to purchase)
Grammar: Abeka God’s Gift of Language A
Writing: Writing Strands 3
Poetry: Poem/Poet Study
Literature: Books from Literature Book List from Core Knowledge Grade 5 & Books about Ancients (Library)
Math: Saxon Math 6/5
(Purchased at Curriculum Sale for $35)
History: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Geography: Blackline Maps of World History: The Ancients
Study of Africa, Europe, Asia
(Montessori For Everyone downloads, wooden puzzle maps, toothpick flags)
Science: Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of Science
Apologia Astronomy
Music: Music Lessons
Story of the Orchestra
Art: Art Lessons
Picture/Artist Study
We will also be using Workboxes for supplemental learning in each subject. Each student will have a Language binder with dividers for Journal, Reading Log, Grammar, Writing and Copywork/Dictation, and a Main Lesson Book for Literature, Poetry, History, Science, Nature Study, Art, Art History and Music History.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Homeschooling - How it has gone this year
Well, we still have a month to go, but I thought I'd let you know how it went. Here is a link to my plan back in September.
Literature and History
I had planned on using the library to get books for Ancient Civilizations for our literature and history. We did do this for a few months (studying Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was a particular favorite), but by January, Flower wanted to do something different. (In addition to the books about Ancient Civilizations, she did read a few Little House books, Little Women, and Poppy by Avi.) In her Brownie troop, she had to do a report on the 1920s, and she was also reading a Kit book from the American Girl Series. She asked if we could change our literature and history to the American Girl books. So we did. She started with Kaya and is up to Samantha. We have really enjoyed it. We also love the "Welcome to _____'s World" American Girl books for showing pictures of the real people and events from each time period. I've learned quite a bit myself about US History. However, since she started the American Girl books, she has not read any additional stories.
Writing
We started out the year doing our own version of Imitations In Writing about Princess Stories. This went well for the first couple of months, but once we finished the Pricess Story book we were using, I found it harder to motivate her to write in this way.
We did Copywork with bible passages for a few months, and she did not enjoy it. Then we went to seasonal poetry, and that went all right for another few months. Now she writes in her journal and does a report every two weeks about the American Girl she is studied and things about the time period.
Spelling
For most of the year, I took words out of her literature, and had her look them up in the dictionary and then had a weekly spelling test with the words. She did not enjoy this method. Finally, we had to do something different. We moved to a workbook, Spell and Write for Grade 3, but it was much too easy for her. A week later, she moved to Grade 6, and it is a much better fit.
Parts of Speech
I had planned on studying this during a Main Lesson period in the winter, but by November, we had mostly stopped doing Main Lesson time. It just didn't work for us. So I picked up a workbook a couple months ago, Practice Makes Perfect - Parts of Speech for Grade 3 & 4 by Teacher Created Resources. She breezed through this book.
Mathematics
We started the year doing Math-U-See Level Beta. It was quite easy at the beginning for her. She enjoyed the manipulatives, but didn't have as much use with them after a few months. I'm assuming that there is less hands on activities as the child progresses, but it would have been helpful for her to have more hands on activities. Also, there is no multiplication and division in this level of Math U See, and I felt that it was important that she begin on it. When we finished the Math U See book in late February, I wondered what to do next. I eventually decided to go with learning Multiplication and Division through a variety of methods (charts, tables, flashcards, songs, and workbooks) She is using Practice Makes Perfect - Multiplication and Division for Grade 3 by Teacher Created Resources. She is currently on unit 16. We plan on working through these books through the summer.
We also did not do much with Geometry this year. She will be working on a Geometry and Measurement workbook and other related activities this summer. We did read a Main Lesson block in the fall on Living Math books (such as Anno's Magic Seeds, Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar, How Much Is A Million?, Sir Cumference and the First Round Table, and The Librarian Who Measured the Earth.
Botany
We used a variety of books and other things to study botany. We used Shanleya's Quest , Handbook of Nature Study, lots of nature walks with the camera, and creating definition books. We studied the Alphabet Fairies and the botanical information about the flowers.
Zoology
We studied the main classifications of animals for most of the year. We used some Montessori parts of animals cards, created definition books, as well as a number of labeling activities. We are currently studying the human body.
Geography
We studied Landforms early in the year, and then we have been working through the states using Don't Know Much About The 50 States and Rand McNally Children's Illustrated Atlas of the United States, and H.I.P. Pocket Change - 50 State Quarters website. We do some activities about the different states, and she draws about the state in her sketch book, etc.
Alphabet Books
I got the idea to use these books from the Serendipity website, however, many of the lesson plans for these books have not been completed, so I just used the beginning lessons as a reference and set up the other letters in a similar fashion.
For poetry, we are using R is for Rhyme. She reads the sidebar information, then the poem, and then about the poem, and then recreates the type of poem. We have really enjoyed using this book.
For art, we are using M is for Masterpiece and doing the same sort of activities that we do for poetry, but for art. Again, this has been good. She also does free art during the week.
For music, we are using M is for Melody. This book has not lended itself to activities week to week as much as the other books. She also has been learning to read music and play the recorder.
Practical Life
She tried crocheting and didn't enjoy it. She did not want to do knitting. However, she has been taking sewing lessons once every two weeks since January and is doing great. She cooks at least 3 days a week. We didn't do as much with woodworking as I would have liked. She will be involved in gardening this spring.
==================
So, like many things in life, somethings went well, and somethings didn't. But overall, it has been very good.
Literature and History
I had planned on using the library to get books for Ancient Civilizations for our literature and history. We did do this for a few months (studying Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was a particular favorite), but by January, Flower wanted to do something different. (In addition to the books about Ancient Civilizations, she did read a few Little House books, Little Women, and Poppy by Avi.) In her Brownie troop, she had to do a report on the 1920s, and she was also reading a Kit book from the American Girl Series. She asked if we could change our literature and history to the American Girl books. So we did. She started with Kaya and is up to Samantha. We have really enjoyed it. We also love the "Welcome to _____'s World" American Girl books for showing pictures of the real people and events from each time period. I've learned quite a bit myself about US History. However, since she started the American Girl books, she has not read any additional stories.
Writing
We started out the year doing our own version of Imitations In Writing about Princess Stories. This went well for the first couple of months, but once we finished the Pricess Story book we were using, I found it harder to motivate her to write in this way.
We did Copywork with bible passages for a few months, and she did not enjoy it. Then we went to seasonal poetry, and that went all right for another few months. Now she writes in her journal and does a report every two weeks about the American Girl she is studied and things about the time period.
Spelling
For most of the year, I took words out of her literature, and had her look them up in the dictionary and then had a weekly spelling test with the words. She did not enjoy this method. Finally, we had to do something different. We moved to a workbook, Spell and Write for Grade 3, but it was much too easy for her. A week later, she moved to Grade 6, and it is a much better fit.
Parts of Speech
I had planned on studying this during a Main Lesson period in the winter, but by November, we had mostly stopped doing Main Lesson time. It just didn't work for us. So I picked up a workbook a couple months ago, Practice Makes Perfect - Parts of Speech for Grade 3 & 4 by Teacher Created Resources. She breezed through this book.
Mathematics
We started the year doing Math-U-See Level Beta. It was quite easy at the beginning for her. She enjoyed the manipulatives, but didn't have as much use with them after a few months. I'm assuming that there is less hands on activities as the child progresses, but it would have been helpful for her to have more hands on activities. Also, there is no multiplication and division in this level of Math U See, and I felt that it was important that she begin on it. When we finished the Math U See book in late February, I wondered what to do next. I eventually decided to go with learning Multiplication and Division through a variety of methods (charts, tables, flashcards, songs, and workbooks) She is using Practice Makes Perfect - Multiplication and Division for Grade 3 by Teacher Created Resources. She is currently on unit 16. We plan on working through these books through the summer.
We also did not do much with Geometry this year. She will be working on a Geometry and Measurement workbook and other related activities this summer. We did read a Main Lesson block in the fall on Living Math books (such as Anno's Magic Seeds, Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar, How Much Is A Million?, Sir Cumference and the First Round Table, and The Librarian Who Measured the Earth.
Botany
We used a variety of books and other things to study botany. We used Shanleya's Quest , Handbook of Nature Study, lots of nature walks with the camera, and creating definition books. We studied the Alphabet Fairies and the botanical information about the flowers.
Zoology
We studied the main classifications of animals for most of the year. We used some Montessori parts of animals cards, created definition books, as well as a number of labeling activities. We are currently studying the human body.
Geography
We studied Landforms early in the year, and then we have been working through the states using Don't Know Much About The 50 States and Rand McNally Children's Illustrated Atlas of the United States, and H.I.P. Pocket Change - 50 State Quarters website. We do some activities about the different states, and she draws about the state in her sketch book, etc.
Alphabet Books
I got the idea to use these books from the Serendipity website, however, many of the lesson plans for these books have not been completed, so I just used the beginning lessons as a reference and set up the other letters in a similar fashion.
For poetry, we are using R is for Rhyme. She reads the sidebar information, then the poem, and then about the poem, and then recreates the type of poem. We have really enjoyed using this book.
For art, we are using M is for Masterpiece and doing the same sort of activities that we do for poetry, but for art. Again, this has been good. She also does free art during the week.
For music, we are using M is for Melody. This book has not lended itself to activities week to week as much as the other books. She also has been learning to read music and play the recorder.
Practical Life
She tried crocheting and didn't enjoy it. She did not want to do knitting. However, she has been taking sewing lessons once every two weeks since January and is doing great. She cooks at least 3 days a week. We didn't do as much with woodworking as I would have liked. She will be involved in gardening this spring.
==================
So, like many things in life, somethings went well, and somethings didn't. But overall, it has been very good.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sorry, we had a major computer virus problem
I couldn't get on-line for awhile, and then I couldn't get on-line on my main computer, and so I couldn't put pictures up, and so I just haven't updated this blog for awhile.
I'm changing my other blog, and I'm going to make changes on this blog too. Here is the schedule:
Mondays - I will post our schedule for the week.
Tuesdays - I will talk about a Montessori topic (practical life, sensorial, language, math, cultural - botany/zoology/science and geography).
Wednesday - I will post pictures of what is on the shelves for the week.
Thursday - I will post about a Classical/Charlotte Mason/Waldorf topic (History, Grammar, Narration, Nature Study, Art Study, etc.)
Friday - I will post pictures of what we are working on.
I'm changing my other blog, and I'm going to make changes on this blog too. Here is the schedule:
Mondays - I will post our schedule for the week.
Tuesdays - I will talk about a Montessori topic (practical life, sensorial, language, math, cultural - botany/zoology/science and geography).
Wednesday - I will post pictures of what is on the shelves for the week.
Thursday - I will post about a Classical/Charlotte Mason/Waldorf topic (History, Grammar, Narration, Nature Study, Art Study, etc.)
Friday - I will post pictures of what we are working on.
Monday, November 17, 2008
A Little About Waldorf
Today I will be posting about Waldorf Education. The differences in the method when applied to preschool-aged children and school-age (7-18) children is quite remarkable, so I will be talking about the two age groups separately. This information is taken from Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching From The Inside Out and Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing Our Children From Birth To Seven.
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf method, however did feel that all children need to be engaged in three distinct ways: head, heart and hands. Through multi-faceted, multi-sensory learning experiences, children develop three distinct capacities - for thinking, for feeling, and for intentional activity. So all teaching throughout childhood is done is a way to engage children in three different ways.
Rhythms are also an important component of the Waldorf method, although rhythms can also be incorporated in the home environment as well. Rhythms give children a sense of security. In schools, there is built into the schedule "breathing in" and "breathing out" times to maintain a balance for the children of active and thinking times. Rhythm is also a great aid to discipline. If children feel secure in knowing what is coming next, they are more willing to "go with the flow." Rhythms at home can include routines for waking up and preparing for the day, bedtime routines, and marking changing seasons through activities. For example, in the autumn, you can pick apples and bake apple pies. Celebrating festivals at home also builds memories for your children. When they see you preparing for a certain holiday, children are filled with thoughts of the celebration from last year. These holiday celebrations give them confidence that these special times come around every year.
Preschool
In early childhood, from birth until age 7, the young child is primarily active. It is through activity that the young child is most easily engaged and most easily taught.
In the Waldorf preschool the students enter a room that looks more like a home than a classroom - part kitchen, part playroom. The lighting is subdued, the curtains and walls a delicate color and the furniture simple and natural. Most toys and play structures are wood, and carpeting encourages children to find a place on the floor to play.
In the Waldorf approach, early academic instruction is absent. The children are placed in a learning environment that provides many natural opportunities for leaning. If children learn to count or to memorize a song or poem, it is out of their out impetus and occurs naturally when they are developmentally ready and not through direct instruction.
Play is a key component of the Waldorf early childhood program because it promotes well-rounded, three-dimensional development. Play develops emotional maturity through social interaction. Another benefit of play is the development of thoughtfulness and attention. The third beneficial aspect of play is activity. And when children are out of doors, nature can provide the toys - bark, acorns, leaves, flowers.
Work is also an important component of early childhood programs. The children participate in activities such as baking, cleaning and washing. Participation in work enables the children to learn important skills early on that are necessary for life. They learn to do their fair share and help others.
In addition to all the benefits of work to children, there is one factor that is a crucial aspect of the work done. Meaningful and purposeful activity done in the presence of young children also provides them with actions to imitate, an irrepressible urge in young children. It is through imitation that young children learn most of the time. Rudolf Steiner brings the importance of imitation into focus: "Two magic words - imitation and example - indicate how children enter into a relationship with their environment."
Grade School
Needless to say, the urge to be active does not disappear when a child enters first grade. Rather activity recedes in importance over time and is gradually supplanted by a growing inwardness during the grade school years.
For grade school, the day begins with an extended lesson, called the "main lesson". Students study main lesson subjects intensively for three or four weeks, and then new subjects are taken up. In the middle part of the day, classes that engage feelings - painting, singing, foreign language, as well as traditional subjects are done. The afternoon is a time when lessons require more activity, such as crafts, art and p.e. are schedule.
Letters
Children are introduced to letters in 1st grade through stories interweaving the spoken word with visual illustrations. Letters fill the room with sound, and will be painted large with fantasy before being drawn small. The letters are carefully drawn and written, accompanied by related words, and recorded in blank books. By allotting time for this work and by saving this work in bound books, the children are receiving the message that what they do is of great importance.
Teaching Through Art
Drawing, singing, painting and poetry have their regular place in the educational program. The teaching of any subject, from science to history, can be enlivened and enhanced by incorporating art into the instruction.
The Roles of Stories
A story, particularly a told story, engages children completely. It stills them outwardly and activates them inwardly, filling their imaginations with pictures depicted in the telling of a tale. Fundamental mathematical processes are introduced through tales about gnomes. Science teaching is also enhanced through stories.
The Role of Music
According to Norman Weinberger, a professor of psychobiology, wrote that "music has the ability to facilitate language acquisition, reading readiness and general intellectual development, to foster positive attitudes, to lower truancy, to enhance creativity, to promote social development, personality adjustment, and self worth. In Waldorf schools, there are music specialists who offer singing and instrumental classes (everyone plays a musical instrument), as well as the classroom teachers who incorporate music into all areas of the curriculum.
The Role of Handwork
Girls and boys take woodwork and learn to knit and sew.
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf method, however did feel that all children need to be engaged in three distinct ways: head, heart and hands. Through multi-faceted, multi-sensory learning experiences, children develop three distinct capacities - for thinking, for feeling, and for intentional activity. So all teaching throughout childhood is done is a way to engage children in three different ways.
Rhythms are also an important component of the Waldorf method, although rhythms can also be incorporated in the home environment as well. Rhythms give children a sense of security. In schools, there is built into the schedule "breathing in" and "breathing out" times to maintain a balance for the children of active and thinking times. Rhythm is also a great aid to discipline. If children feel secure in knowing what is coming next, they are more willing to "go with the flow." Rhythms at home can include routines for waking up and preparing for the day, bedtime routines, and marking changing seasons through activities. For example, in the autumn, you can pick apples and bake apple pies. Celebrating festivals at home also builds memories for your children. When they see you preparing for a certain holiday, children are filled with thoughts of the celebration from last year. These holiday celebrations give them confidence that these special times come around every year.
Preschool
In early childhood, from birth until age 7, the young child is primarily active. It is through activity that the young child is most easily engaged and most easily taught.
In the Waldorf preschool the students enter a room that looks more like a home than a classroom - part kitchen, part playroom. The lighting is subdued, the curtains and walls a delicate color and the furniture simple and natural. Most toys and play structures are wood, and carpeting encourages children to find a place on the floor to play.
In the Waldorf approach, early academic instruction is absent. The children are placed in a learning environment that provides many natural opportunities for leaning. If children learn to count or to memorize a song or poem, it is out of their out impetus and occurs naturally when they are developmentally ready and not through direct instruction.
Play is a key component of the Waldorf early childhood program because it promotes well-rounded, three-dimensional development. Play develops emotional maturity through social interaction. Another benefit of play is the development of thoughtfulness and attention. The third beneficial aspect of play is activity. And when children are out of doors, nature can provide the toys - bark, acorns, leaves, flowers.
Work is also an important component of early childhood programs. The children participate in activities such as baking, cleaning and washing. Participation in work enables the children to learn important skills early on that are necessary for life. They learn to do their fair share and help others.
In addition to all the benefits of work to children, there is one factor that is a crucial aspect of the work done. Meaningful and purposeful activity done in the presence of young children also provides them with actions to imitate, an irrepressible urge in young children. It is through imitation that young children learn most of the time. Rudolf Steiner brings the importance of imitation into focus: "Two magic words - imitation and example - indicate how children enter into a relationship with their environment."
Grade School
Needless to say, the urge to be active does not disappear when a child enters first grade. Rather activity recedes in importance over time and is gradually supplanted by a growing inwardness during the grade school years.
For grade school, the day begins with an extended lesson, called the "main lesson". Students study main lesson subjects intensively for three or four weeks, and then new subjects are taken up. In the middle part of the day, classes that engage feelings - painting, singing, foreign language, as well as traditional subjects are done. The afternoon is a time when lessons require more activity, such as crafts, art and p.e. are schedule.
Letters
Children are introduced to letters in 1st grade through stories interweaving the spoken word with visual illustrations. Letters fill the room with sound, and will be painted large with fantasy before being drawn small. The letters are carefully drawn and written, accompanied by related words, and recorded in blank books. By allotting time for this work and by saving this work in bound books, the children are receiving the message that what they do is of great importance.
Teaching Through Art
Drawing, singing, painting and poetry have their regular place in the educational program. The teaching of any subject, from science to history, can be enlivened and enhanced by incorporating art into the instruction.
The Roles of Stories
A story, particularly a told story, engages children completely. It stills them outwardly and activates them inwardly, filling their imaginations with pictures depicted in the telling of a tale. Fundamental mathematical processes are introduced through tales about gnomes. Science teaching is also enhanced through stories.
The Role of Music
According to Norman Weinberger, a professor of psychobiology, wrote that "music has the ability to facilitate language acquisition, reading readiness and general intellectual development, to foster positive attitudes, to lower truancy, to enhance creativity, to promote social development, personality adjustment, and self worth. In Waldorf schools, there are music specialists who offer singing and instrumental classes (everyone plays a musical instrument), as well as the classroom teachers who incorporate music into all areas of the curriculum.
The Role of Handwork
Girls and boys take woodwork and learn to knit and sew.
Friday, November 14, 2008
A Little About Charlotte Mason
I use primarily the Montessori method and materials for the preschool, but I do use touches of other educational philosophies - Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and Charlotte Mason. For Flower, I use less Montessori, and a heavier emphasis on the others. I've posted some about Reggio Emilia, so today I thought I'd post a little about Charlotte Mason. This information is from For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School.
History
The child needs to be taught the consequences of events that happened in history. There is a flow to all of history, and none of it should be told in isolation. The books should at first be so detailed that leisurely enjoyment of a whole period is possible. As a historical narrative is read, one can then write down events and names in the appropriate century. Also, one can have a graphic portrayal of one century or period in this way.
Literature
Charlotte Mason said "The object of children's literary studies is not to give them precise information as to who wrote what in the reign of whom? - but to give them a sense of the spaciousness of the days, not only of great Elizabeth, but of all those times of which poets, historians, and the makers of tales, have left us in living pictures."
Literature can help children think about what life is like before they live it as adults.
Composition
Charlotte Mason was aware of the powerful growth narration gave the child in verbal skills - first oral, and later written. To begin with, a small child tells back the stories he has heard. Then when the child has writing skills, he or she can use their writing to give back the narration. After a few years of this type of narration, the child is ready to translate his narration skill into the harder skill of transcribing his or her own thoughts and expressions in writing. Another powerful factor in this approach is that the child has had a daily diet of books written by person of well-above-average abilities of communication.
Art
In Charlotte Mason's schools, the child was given an envelope containing six reproductions of works by a single artist each term. The child is given the first reproduction. He looks at it and you let him talk about the picture. Next time, the child notices more things. Then the child is given a piece of paper to sketch roughly what he or she remembers. Children will also continue to paint and draw their own original pictures.
Music
Just as children learned about a specific artist each term, the children learned about a composer each term. Musical creativity is also encouraged through other instruments.
Science
Charlotte Mason advised people to involve children directly with the world, letting them enjoy, wonder, and question themselves. She included direct observation and accurate recording from the earliest age. Charlotte Mason encourage people to give children plenty of time to play in the great outdoors every day. Books should be interesting to read and should follow things that they have already experienced firsthand.
Geography
Charlotte Mason wrote her own geography books which described places both at home and abroad in a systematic way, but with the literary interest of personal discovery such as a traveler would experience. This was accompanied by thorough map work. One should look for books that have a similar "traveler" feel to them to give a child a graphic and vivid picture of their own country, as well as world geography.
Math
Charlotte Mason believed that the teaching of math depended on the teacher's ability to quicken interest and imagination about mathematics. Mathematics should be studied for its own sake, as well as to provide the root of knowledge out of which other branches of study depend. Mathematics should be a "hands on" experience before the abstract is mastered.
Physical Development
An ideal situation was outdoor space where children ran, climbed trees, splashed, crawled, rode, explored and played. She also said that they should be taught/allowed to do a variety of activities.
Handcrafts
The child should also have as rich a variety of skills in crafts as possible. Girls and boys should share same activities in handicraft and work. They should be able to sew, cook, knit, embroider, work with clay, wood, metal. They should also know how to grow plants and benefit from having an animal to care for.
History
The child needs to be taught the consequences of events that happened in history. There is a flow to all of history, and none of it should be told in isolation. The books should at first be so detailed that leisurely enjoyment of a whole period is possible. As a historical narrative is read, one can then write down events and names in the appropriate century. Also, one can have a graphic portrayal of one century or period in this way.
Literature
Charlotte Mason said "The object of children's literary studies is not to give them precise information as to who wrote what in the reign of whom? - but to give them a sense of the spaciousness of the days, not only of great Elizabeth, but of all those times of which poets, historians, and the makers of tales, have left us in living pictures."
Literature can help children think about what life is like before they live it as adults.
Composition
Charlotte Mason was aware of the powerful growth narration gave the child in verbal skills - first oral, and later written. To begin with, a small child tells back the stories he has heard. Then when the child has writing skills, he or she can use their writing to give back the narration. After a few years of this type of narration, the child is ready to translate his narration skill into the harder skill of transcribing his or her own thoughts and expressions in writing. Another powerful factor in this approach is that the child has had a daily diet of books written by person of well-above-average abilities of communication.
Art
In Charlotte Mason's schools, the child was given an envelope containing six reproductions of works by a single artist each term. The child is given the first reproduction. He looks at it and you let him talk about the picture. Next time, the child notices more things. Then the child is given a piece of paper to sketch roughly what he or she remembers. Children will also continue to paint and draw their own original pictures.
Music
Just as children learned about a specific artist each term, the children learned about a composer each term. Musical creativity is also encouraged through other instruments.
Science
Charlotte Mason advised people to involve children directly with the world, letting them enjoy, wonder, and question themselves. She included direct observation and accurate recording from the earliest age. Charlotte Mason encourage people to give children plenty of time to play in the great outdoors every day. Books should be interesting to read and should follow things that they have already experienced firsthand.
Geography
Charlotte Mason wrote her own geography books which described places both at home and abroad in a systematic way, but with the literary interest of personal discovery such as a traveler would experience. This was accompanied by thorough map work. One should look for books that have a similar "traveler" feel to them to give a child a graphic and vivid picture of their own country, as well as world geography.
Math
Charlotte Mason believed that the teaching of math depended on the teacher's ability to quicken interest and imagination about mathematics. Mathematics should be studied for its own sake, as well as to provide the root of knowledge out of which other branches of study depend. Mathematics should be a "hands on" experience before the abstract is mastered.
Physical Development
An ideal situation was outdoor space where children ran, climbed trees, splashed, crawled, rode, explored and played. She also said that they should be taught/allowed to do a variety of activities.
Handcrafts
The child should also have as rich a variety of skills in crafts as possible. Girls and boys should share same activities in handicraft and work. They should be able to sew, cook, knit, embroider, work with clay, wood, metal. They should also know how to grow plants and benefit from having an animal to care for.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)