Hey Birdie, Sebastian, want something to add to your lists of insanities?
You can't even watch the neighbours' kids (for free) without being called an unlicensed daycare.
Stupid
Stupid
Stupid
Stupid
Stupid
Stupid...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Write with the Best and other EDUDPS Products (TOS Review)
See the end of this review for links and current discounts.
When I heard that we were going to be reviewing products by something called Educational Diagnostic Prescriptive Services, I had no idea that they would include a writing curriculum by a homeschooling mom (Jill Dixon) who refers to Charlotte Mason and the "love of learning," as well as a careers-awareness guide and a vocabulary program.
EDUDPS does sell assessment and remedial products such as The Concise Learning Styles Assessment / POC4U, The Homeschooler's Guide to Learning Problems / The Homeschooler's Guide for Attentional Difficulties, The Diagnostic Prescriptive Assessment - K through 5th Grades, and The Total Language Diagnostic Assessment / The Diagnostic Grade Placement Screening. However, the three books that were sent to the Review Crew (actually four, since Write with the Best comes in two levels) are meant for general rather than remedial use, and are written particularly for homeschoolers.
EDUDPS boasts that its writing curriculum contains "8 Things Every Home School Mom and/or Writing Teacher is looking for in a Writing Curriculum" including "ease of use, activities that spark interest in reluctant and inexperienced writers, and thoroughness in teaching how to write every genre and not just one such as only descriptive paragraphs or essays." Volume 1 is labelled for grades 3-12, and Volume 2 (emphasizing expository writing) is for grades 6-12. Those familiar with Ruth Beechick's writing lessons and her references to Jack London's and Benjamin Franklin's self-teaching methods (modelling writing on good writers) will find this familiar ground, and yes, this sort of curriculum could be presented to students of different ages without too many changes. It's somewhat like the drawing curriculum we're using that teaches the elements of art--only these are the elements of writing. How does a good writer or artist keep your attention, make you believe, make you forget that you're only looking at globs of paint or words on a piece of paper? Younger students will have different results than more experienced writers, but both can benefit. (A warning, though, that the suggested passages start with Jules Verne and continue with Dickens, O. Henry and so on, with a reading level that may be difficult for elementary students.)
Is a composition or creative writing curriculum needed in a CM education? No, not necessarily. Regular readers of our blog know that most writing programs (especially anything involving cinquains or haiku) make me shudder. We've always taught mostly by the "osmosis" (read lots of books) method, with some attention to literary elements, essay format etc. just before high school. However, this program seemed to match up well with our middle-school student (only Ponytails is using this book), and our reading and writing interests. After I had checked out the free downloads on these products, which are quite generous, I was looking forward to getting the full e-books.
I have one word of advice based on our experience at that point, and it will probably be echoed in other TOS reviews: the e-book versions of these books, although the prices are attractive, are difficult to download, difficult to handle, and difficult to print. The explanation for this situation is given on the website, and while we're sympathetic to the problems that caused the company's decision to go with an unusual format, it doesn't make it easy for the customers. For instance, you can't print out individual pages (although many of the lessons expect you to mark or circle words in a literary passage; you have permission to photocopy those pages). You have to print all 109 pages of Volume 1, with all the answer keys, additional literary passages, and "how to write guides." You might be better off ordering this book (and the others, all in the same format) pre-printed. (Canadian and other foreign purchasers need to check the website for shipping details.)
So, now that we've gotten over that hassle--two of the books printed, and our school year underway, what should we say about Write with the Best and Roots and Fruits? Are they worthwhile? Are they more than you could probably figure out yourself? Do students enjoy them? Do they become better writers? Well, I can't answer most of those questions yet. So far Ponytails has completed only one lesson of Write with the Best (we're taking a week off to do a mini-course on "Writing without Flab"). It took her a couple of weeks, during which time she read a descriptive passage from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, marked verbs, nouns etc. in the passage, was sent off to find a similar passage in one of our books, studied and wrote that one from dictation, read a rather dry description of yer old standard topic-sentence paragraph, and then wrote a descriptive paragraph of her own. Which I was quite pleased with...I had asked her please not to write a boring "This is about my hamster. My hamster is cute and fluffy" paragraph, so she wrote a more original description of Snowball.
There isn't a big learning curve required for a parent to use this curriculum--it's pretty much open-the-book-and-teach, with activities labelled Monday to Friday for each two-week unit. (You can go faster or slower if you want.) Sometimes we read through a lesson together, and sometimes Ponytails works on her own. The parts-of-speech exercises may make you think that it's a grammar curriculum as much as a writing one; but we're not diagramming sentences here, we're looking at how writers use words effectively. I try to emphasize that during lessons.
We've also started using Roots and Fruits, with both girls. "Vocabulary made easy! Greek and Latin based vocabulary curriculum with a unique and effective approach." I don't know if I agree that R&F is a unique approach--I mean, how many approaches can there be to learning Greek and Latin roots or prefixes? But it's probably as good as other similar programs, and the price seems reasonable. You could make up root lists on your own, but this does save you the trouble and puts it all in one book.
The book is mostly made up of lists of those prefixes (with some marked as most appropriate for younger children, others marked for their frequency on tests such as the S.A.T.), their meanings, and sample vocabulary words, plus some suggestions for scheduling and for practice and review games. You write roots on file cards, post word lists on the wall, look up meanings in the dictionary, play concentration-type games, and make up "goofy sentences" with the vocabulary words. Again, you can make this more or less complex according to the age of the students.
The one book I was somewhat disappointed in was The Complete Career, College, and High School Guide for Homeschoolers. "Now you are in control! Get final answers, discover your student's best career, and focus your plan and career goals as early as Middle School. This guide has everything you need!" I didn't find this book particularly engaging, although it tries to cover a lot of ground. It has a work preference survey (pretty obvious questions, such as asking if you would enjoy driving a delivery truck or managing a toy store); personality profile questions; SAT advice; career planning forms; things to consider for Christian men (who expect to be supporting a family) and Christian women (who expect to be having a family--there are special lists of stay-at-home jobs and part-time jobs); high school requirements and accreditation information for homeschoolers; and then job descriptions of "Popular Careers/College Majors for Homeschoolers." The mix here of college majors with actual careers is strange: we have "Nursing" followed by "Philosophy" and "Political Science." There are many, many things you could do for a living that don't even appear on these lists: our daughter is apprenticing as a hairstylist, but beauty, hairstyling, cosmetology and aesthetics are not mentioned. The trades in general seem to be given short shrift, and that's too bad.
Again, if all this is new to you, and you want the information all in one place; or if your high schooler is required to take a Careers course and you'd like a Christian, homeschool-friendly approach, you might find this worthwhile. Otherwise I think you're just as far ahead to do your own investigating.
Here are the prices (on sale for 25% off right now):
Write with the Best, Volume 1
E-book on sale a limited time for $14.95 (regular $19.95)
Printed Pages Only - No Binder $22.45
3-Ring Binder $24.95
Write with the Best, Volume 2
E-book on sale a limited time for $18.65 (Regularly $24.95)
Pages Only - No Binder $27.45
3-Ring Binder $29.95
Roots and Fruits (Vocabulary Curriculum)
E-book on sale a limited time for $11.25 (Regularly $14.98)
Pages Only - No Binding: $17.48
Comb-binding: $19.98
The Complete Career, College and High School Guide for Homeschoolers
E-book on sale a limited time for $26.20 (Regularly $34.95)
Soft-cover: $39.95
For other reviews of this product, see the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew website.
Dewey's Disclaimer: These products were received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
When I heard that we were going to be reviewing products by something called Educational Diagnostic Prescriptive Services, I had no idea that they would include a writing curriculum by a homeschooling mom (Jill Dixon) who refers to Charlotte Mason and the "love of learning," as well as a careers-awareness guide and a vocabulary program.
EDUDPS does sell assessment and remedial products such as The Concise Learning Styles Assessment / POC4U, The Homeschooler's Guide to Learning Problems / The Homeschooler's Guide for Attentional Difficulties, The Diagnostic Prescriptive Assessment - K through 5th Grades, and The Total Language Diagnostic Assessment / The Diagnostic Grade Placement Screening. However, the three books that were sent to the Review Crew (actually four, since Write with the Best comes in two levels) are meant for general rather than remedial use, and are written particularly for homeschoolers.
EDUDPS boasts that its writing curriculum contains "8 Things Every Home School Mom and/or Writing Teacher is looking for in a Writing Curriculum" including "ease of use, activities that spark interest in reluctant and inexperienced writers, and thoroughness in teaching how to write every genre and not just one such as only descriptive paragraphs or essays." Volume 1 is labelled for grades 3-12, and Volume 2 (emphasizing expository writing) is for grades 6-12. Those familiar with Ruth Beechick's writing lessons and her references to Jack London's and Benjamin Franklin's self-teaching methods (modelling writing on good writers) will find this familiar ground, and yes, this sort of curriculum could be presented to students of different ages without too many changes. It's somewhat like the drawing curriculum we're using that teaches the elements of art--only these are the elements of writing. How does a good writer or artist keep your attention, make you believe, make you forget that you're only looking at globs of paint or words on a piece of paper? Younger students will have different results than more experienced writers, but both can benefit. (A warning, though, that the suggested passages start with Jules Verne and continue with Dickens, O. Henry and so on, with a reading level that may be difficult for elementary students.)
Is a composition or creative writing curriculum needed in a CM education? No, not necessarily. Regular readers of our blog know that most writing programs (especially anything involving cinquains or haiku) make me shudder. We've always taught mostly by the "osmosis" (read lots of books) method, with some attention to literary elements, essay format etc. just before high school. However, this program seemed to match up well with our middle-school student (only Ponytails is using this book), and our reading and writing interests. After I had checked out the free downloads on these products, which are quite generous, I was looking forward to getting the full e-books.
I have one word of advice based on our experience at that point, and it will probably be echoed in other TOS reviews: the e-book versions of these books, although the prices are attractive, are difficult to download, difficult to handle, and difficult to print. The explanation for this situation is given on the website, and while we're sympathetic to the problems that caused the company's decision to go with an unusual format, it doesn't make it easy for the customers. For instance, you can't print out individual pages (although many of the lessons expect you to mark or circle words in a literary passage; you have permission to photocopy those pages). You have to print all 109 pages of Volume 1, with all the answer keys, additional literary passages, and "how to write guides." You might be better off ordering this book (and the others, all in the same format) pre-printed. (Canadian and other foreign purchasers need to check the website for shipping details.)
So, now that we've gotten over that hassle--two of the books printed, and our school year underway, what should we say about Write with the Best and Roots and Fruits? Are they worthwhile? Are they more than you could probably figure out yourself? Do students enjoy them? Do they become better writers? Well, I can't answer most of those questions yet. So far Ponytails has completed only one lesson of Write with the Best (we're taking a week off to do a mini-course on "Writing without Flab"). It took her a couple of weeks, during which time she read a descriptive passage from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, marked verbs, nouns etc. in the passage, was sent off to find a similar passage in one of our books, studied and wrote that one from dictation, read a rather dry description of yer old standard topic-sentence paragraph, and then wrote a descriptive paragraph of her own. Which I was quite pleased with...I had asked her please not to write a boring "This is about my hamster. My hamster is cute and fluffy" paragraph, so she wrote a more original description of Snowball.
There isn't a big learning curve required for a parent to use this curriculum--it's pretty much open-the-book-and-teach, with activities labelled Monday to Friday for each two-week unit. (You can go faster or slower if you want.) Sometimes we read through a lesson together, and sometimes Ponytails works on her own. The parts-of-speech exercises may make you think that it's a grammar curriculum as much as a writing one; but we're not diagramming sentences here, we're looking at how writers use words effectively. I try to emphasize that during lessons.
We've also started using Roots and Fruits, with both girls. "Vocabulary made easy! Greek and Latin based vocabulary curriculum with a unique and effective approach." I don't know if I agree that R&F is a unique approach--I mean, how many approaches can there be to learning Greek and Latin roots or prefixes? But it's probably as good as other similar programs, and the price seems reasonable. You could make up root lists on your own, but this does save you the trouble and puts it all in one book.
The book is mostly made up of lists of those prefixes (with some marked as most appropriate for younger children, others marked for their frequency on tests such as the S.A.T.), their meanings, and sample vocabulary words, plus some suggestions for scheduling and for practice and review games. You write roots on file cards, post word lists on the wall, look up meanings in the dictionary, play concentration-type games, and make up "goofy sentences" with the vocabulary words. Again, you can make this more or less complex according to the age of the students.
The one book I was somewhat disappointed in was The Complete Career, College, and High School Guide for Homeschoolers. "Now you are in control! Get final answers, discover your student's best career, and focus your plan and career goals as early as Middle School. This guide has everything you need!" I didn't find this book particularly engaging, although it tries to cover a lot of ground. It has a work preference survey (pretty obvious questions, such as asking if you would enjoy driving a delivery truck or managing a toy store); personality profile questions; SAT advice; career planning forms; things to consider for Christian men (who expect to be supporting a family) and Christian women (who expect to be having a family--there are special lists of stay-at-home jobs and part-time jobs); high school requirements and accreditation information for homeschoolers; and then job descriptions of "Popular Careers/College Majors for Homeschoolers." The mix here of college majors with actual careers is strange: we have "Nursing" followed by "Philosophy" and "Political Science." There are many, many things you could do for a living that don't even appear on these lists: our daughter is apprenticing as a hairstylist, but beauty, hairstyling, cosmetology and aesthetics are not mentioned. The trades in general seem to be given short shrift, and that's too bad.
Again, if all this is new to you, and you want the information all in one place; or if your high schooler is required to take a Careers course and you'd like a Christian, homeschool-friendly approach, you might find this worthwhile. Otherwise I think you're just as far ahead to do your own investigating.
Here are the prices (on sale for 25% off right now):
Write with the Best, Volume 1
E-book on sale a limited time for $14.95 (regular $19.95)
Printed Pages Only - No Binder $22.45
3-Ring Binder $24.95
Write with the Best, Volume 2
E-book on sale a limited time for $18.65 (Regularly $24.95)
Pages Only - No Binder $27.45
3-Ring Binder $29.95
Roots and Fruits (Vocabulary Curriculum)
E-book on sale a limited time for $11.25 (Regularly $14.98)
Pages Only - No Binding: $17.48
Comb-binding: $19.98
The Complete Career, College and High School Guide for Homeschoolers
E-book on sale a limited time for $26.20 (Regularly $34.95)
Soft-cover: $39.95
For other reviews of this product, see the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew website.
Dewey's Disclaimer: These products were received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
Food Court Musical: Laugh for the Day
Please note there are one or two lines in this song that may offend some viewers. Sorry about that.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Mrs. Black Thumb gives it another go
I found a Chia Terra Cotta Gourmet Herb Garden at a yard sale on the weekend, new in the box, still shrink-wrapped.
What you have to know is that I have not EVER...that I remember...had a long-term successful house plant. Floral, vegetable, whatever. I like our outside garden because mostly it just grows...if we have a drought I pour some water on it, and we do add compost, but that stuff's pretty hard to kill unless you get blossom end rot or slugs or...okay, we've had a few failures there too.
But house herbs with Chia sponges?
Well, we'll give it a shot.
What you have to know is that I have not EVER...that I remember...had a long-term successful house plant. Floral, vegetable, whatever. I like our outside garden because mostly it just grows...if we have a drought I pour some water on it, and we do add compost, but that stuff's pretty hard to kill unless you get blossom end rot or slugs or...okay, we've had a few failures there too.
But house herbs with Chia sponges?
Well, we'll give it a shot.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Journey Through Learning Lapbooks (TOS Review)
A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks and Unit Studies
(You don't know what a lapbook is? From the website: "So what exactly is a lapbook? Glad you asked! A lapbook is a FUN, HANDS-ON and CREATIVE way for your child to record information that he/she has learned about a certain subject. First, you create the folder part of your lapbook. This part is made from colored folders that are folded in a special way and glued together. Mini-booklets are then cut out, constructed and glued inside of the folders. Kids really like that!")
We chose "Reptiles" for Crayons to try out. "What is a reptile? What defenses do they have in order to survive? What do reptiles eat when they get hungry? Just how strange are chameleons? Do you want to know about venomous and non-venomous snakes, crocs, turtles, lizards? What is the a food chain and where do reptiles fit on the food chain?" The hardest part of getting it going here was getting the colourful pages printed on a colour printer--ours just does black and white, so that's something to keep in mind if you're thinking that a download or CD-Rom version might be cheaper. If you have printing limitations, getting the full-colour version could save you stress.
Not having tried other companies' lapbooks, it's hard for me to make a comparison--I can't really say whether these studies are prettier, easier to use, or more thorough than others out there. The website is easy to navigate, and there are enough product descriptions and sample pages that you can get a pretty good idea of most of the products. The lapbooks come with complete guides--study information for each topic, diagrams of where to place the mini-books in the folders, and everything else you need, though you can improve any of the studies by adding reading material (the "Reptiles" guide suggests a few) or using enrichment pages (also included). (Our biggest problem has been figuring out how to fold the whole thing shut!) "Reptiles" also has an optional copywork companion, as do some of the other lapbooks.
Perhaps it's a matter of homeschooling style or personality more than it is one of educational principle, but these types of projects have never been very successful for our family, whether pre-made or "from scratch." Crayons has been working on this at her own pace for the last three weeks, but so far she has only four "mini books" glued in (she did one other one but has to wait while we hunt for a brad to put it together). She says it's "okay," but she's not overly enthusiastic about the process. She did say that she might like to do a smaller version of a lapbook--maybe only one or two folders, and Journey Through Learning does sell a few studies in that format as well.
If you like teaching with lapbooks, Journey Through Learning is worth checking out. If you have your own ideas for topics, you can buy 60 Easy To Assemble Lapbook Templates ($13, $14, $21). "As a bonus we have included a blank flag, a blank U.S. map, a blank weather chart, a blank thermometer, and a blank calendar.This product contains 60 of the most popular lapbook templates. Lapbooking just got easier!"
And if you don't so much...you still might have a look at their Calendar Templates ($13, $14, $18), School Year Journal Notebooking Pages (48 pages long, $16 pre-printed), Mother's Memories ($20) (Mom's childhood, school and wedding memories), or K-8 Educational Charts, Graphs, and Templates ($13, $14, $21--this one's really packed, and you might like it better as a download so you can print out the planner pages as often as you like).
(U.S.) Prices for regular (3-folder) lapbooks:
Instant Downloads range from $10.00-$13.00
CD versions range from $11.50-$14.00
Print versions range from $17.00-$21.00
Prices on other products vary
For other reviews of this product, see the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew website.
Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
(You don't know what a lapbook is? From the website: "So what exactly is a lapbook? Glad you asked! A lapbook is a FUN, HANDS-ON and CREATIVE way for your child to record information that he/she has learned about a certain subject. First, you create the folder part of your lapbook. This part is made from colored folders that are folded in a special way and glued together. Mini-booklets are then cut out, constructed and glued inside of the folders. Kids really like that!")
We chose "Reptiles" for Crayons to try out. "What is a reptile? What defenses do they have in order to survive? What do reptiles eat when they get hungry? Just how strange are chameleons? Do you want to know about venomous and non-venomous snakes, crocs, turtles, lizards? What is the a food chain and where do reptiles fit on the food chain?" The hardest part of getting it going here was getting the colourful pages printed on a colour printer--ours just does black and white, so that's something to keep in mind if you're thinking that a download or CD-Rom version might be cheaper. If you have printing limitations, getting the full-colour version could save you stress.
Not having tried other companies' lapbooks, it's hard for me to make a comparison--I can't really say whether these studies are prettier, easier to use, or more thorough than others out there. The website is easy to navigate, and there are enough product descriptions and sample pages that you can get a pretty good idea of most of the products. The lapbooks come with complete guides--study information for each topic, diagrams of where to place the mini-books in the folders, and everything else you need, though you can improve any of the studies by adding reading material (the "Reptiles" guide suggests a few) or using enrichment pages (also included). (Our biggest problem has been figuring out how to fold the whole thing shut!) "Reptiles" also has an optional copywork companion, as do some of the other lapbooks.
Perhaps it's a matter of homeschooling style or personality more than it is one of educational principle, but these types of projects have never been very successful for our family, whether pre-made or "from scratch." Crayons has been working on this at her own pace for the last three weeks, but so far she has only four "mini books" glued in (she did one other one but has to wait while we hunt for a brad to put it together). She says it's "okay," but she's not overly enthusiastic about the process. She did say that she might like to do a smaller version of a lapbook--maybe only one or two folders, and Journey Through Learning does sell a few studies in that format as well.
If you like teaching with lapbooks, Journey Through Learning is worth checking out. If you have your own ideas for topics, you can buy 60 Easy To Assemble Lapbook Templates ($13, $14, $21). "As a bonus we have included a blank flag, a blank U.S. map, a blank weather chart, a blank thermometer, and a blank calendar.This product contains 60 of the most popular lapbook templates. Lapbooking just got easier!"
And if you don't so much...you still might have a look at their Calendar Templates ($13, $14, $18), School Year Journal Notebooking Pages (48 pages long, $16 pre-printed), Mother's Memories ($20) (Mom's childhood, school and wedding memories), or K-8 Educational Charts, Graphs, and Templates ($13, $14, $21--this one's really packed, and you might like it better as a download so you can print out the planner pages as often as you like).
(U.S.) Prices for regular (3-folder) lapbooks:
Instant Downloads range from $10.00-$13.00
CD versions range from $11.50-$14.00
Print versions range from $17.00-$21.00
Prices on other products vary
For other reviews of this product, see the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew website.
Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
What's for Supper? Chef Earl's Soup
We've posted the link to Potage Paysanne before and also blogged about it. It's the perfect soup for a fall day after you've been to the vegetable stand.
(However, I've learned by bad experience not to give turnip scraps to the hamster...he likes munching them, but the atmosphere afterwards is not pleasant. Is that more information than you really needed?)
(However, I've learned by bad experience not to give turnip scraps to the hamster...he likes munching them, but the atmosphere afterwards is not pleasant. Is that more information than you really needed?)
More books we're not ordering
Warning: serious weirdness follows, not for the faint of heart or easily offended.
Back in 2006 we posted Some books we're not ordering. As in, blurbs from the sold-to-schools book club that we access through our homeschool group.
Well, the books (and/or the descriptions) have gotten worse since then. Or funnier, depending on your perspective. Some choice synopses from this month's catalogue:
"Jack Frost's goblins have stolen the magical Halloween candy. Will Halloween be ruined forever?"
"Juliet's having a Pink Princess party with pink balloons and a pink castle cake! Will any boys from class show up?"
"Uh-oh...if silent letters don't prove how important they are, they might disappear forever! Learn about the importance of silent letters."
The Boy Who Wouldn't Share. "Edward keeps his pile of toys all to himself--until he gets trapped underneath!"
"Enjoy the heartwarming story of a Junior Wilderness Explorer and his best friend--a huge, flightless bird named Kevin." (I was okay with this until I got to Kevin.)
I Like Myself. "This silly rhyme has a serious message about appreciating yourself inside and out!"
"Join Percy as he battles demon cheerleaders...." (Search me, I have no idea.)
"The bossy new girl, Cheyenne, thinks she can rule the school...."
"....Allie's theatrical hopes are crushed when she gets cast as the evil queen not the princess."
"Long-lost twins Olivia and Ivy are about to be separated again! Can Ivy use her vampire powers to keep them together?"
From the teen section: "What's the worst fashion mistake you've ever made? Find out EVERYTHING about your friends and yourself!" "Sixteen-year-old social outscast X has had an accident. One month later she wakes up--in a supermodel's body!" "This year, life is good for Vlad; he survived a stake through the heart and is dating his dream girl. But after his uncle disappears and Vlad's thirst grows, will he make a decision he regrets?" (I am NOT making this up.) Then there's the Hip Hop History of the World....
Of course there's Gordon Korman's Schooled. "Can a hippie homeschooler who's never watched TV or eaten pizza get elected class president at his new school? Funny!"
And on an equally intellectual note: "Holling's teacher is out to get him! Why else would she make him read Shakespeare outside of class? Hilarious Newbery Honor book!"
Yeah, why else?
Back in 2006 we posted Some books we're not ordering. As in, blurbs from the sold-to-schools book club that we access through our homeschool group.
Well, the books (and/or the descriptions) have gotten worse since then. Or funnier, depending on your perspective. Some choice synopses from this month's catalogue:
"Jack Frost's goblins have stolen the magical Halloween candy. Will Halloween be ruined forever?"
"Juliet's having a Pink Princess party with pink balloons and a pink castle cake! Will any boys from class show up?"
"Uh-oh...if silent letters don't prove how important they are, they might disappear forever! Learn about the importance of silent letters."
The Boy Who Wouldn't Share. "Edward keeps his pile of toys all to himself--until he gets trapped underneath!"
"Enjoy the heartwarming story of a Junior Wilderness Explorer and his best friend--a huge, flightless bird named Kevin." (I was okay with this until I got to Kevin.)
I Like Myself. "This silly rhyme has a serious message about appreciating yourself inside and out!"
"Join Percy as he battles demon cheerleaders...." (Search me, I have no idea.)
"The bossy new girl, Cheyenne, thinks she can rule the school...."
"....Allie's theatrical hopes are crushed when she gets cast as the evil queen not the princess."
"Long-lost twins Olivia and Ivy are about to be separated again! Can Ivy use her vampire powers to keep them together?"
From the teen section: "What's the worst fashion mistake you've ever made? Find out EVERYTHING about your friends and yourself!" "Sixteen-year-old social outscast X has had an accident. One month later she wakes up--in a supermodel's body!" "This year, life is good for Vlad; he survived a stake through the heart and is dating his dream girl. But after his uncle disappears and Vlad's thirst grows, will he make a decision he regrets?" (I am NOT making this up.) Then there's the Hip Hop History of the World....
Of course there's Gordon Korman's Schooled. "Can a hippie homeschooler who's never watched TV or eaten pizza get elected class president at his new school? Funny!"
And on an equally intellectual note: "Holling's teacher is out to get him! Why else would she make him read Shakespeare outside of class? Hilarious Newbery Honor book!"
Yeah, why else?
Vote for the winner in the Complete Lack of Taste Contest
We have some contestants from today's Yard Sale Sightings...you can cast your votes for them in the comments section, or add your own write-ins.
1. A ceramic dish shaped like a flip-flop sandal
2. A horoscope plaque decorated with Hummel children
3. A Conestoga wagon model that must have weighed at least ten pounds and would have taken up most of a table. Nothing against model making, but what would you do with it? As far as I could see it wasn't wired for a lamp--that would have made it a clear winner.
1. A ceramic dish shaped like a flip-flop sandal
2. A horoscope plaque decorated with Hummel children
3. A Conestoga wagon model that must have weighed at least ten pounds and would have taken up most of a table. Nothing against model making, but what would you do with it? As far as I could see it wasn't wired for a lamp--that would have made it a clear winner.
Friday, September 25, 2009
What did Mama Squirrel do today?
In no particular order...
1. Covered seven crochet hooks with masking tape and foam pencil grips (which we had sitting around doing nothing). Free comfort hooks! (This is where I found the directions, but I saw it here first , and I think I might have linked there from Frugal Hacks.)
2. Found out what lizards eat.
3. Taught fourteen homeschoolers how to make sock critters.
4. Made my Squirrelings laugh hysterically at my attempts to hop along with the Spacewalk exercise. (Don't ask.)
5. Read a chapter of Lassie-Come-Home, two Blake poems, and part of a Mr. Pipes chapter. (That was a very low-reading day.)
6. Watched Ponytails inflate a marshmallow in the microwave.
7. Took two Squirrelings out for a quick and rather cold Outdoor Challenge in the backyard.
8. Watched a very beautiful sunset out the back window.
1. Covered seven crochet hooks with masking tape and foam pencil grips (which we had sitting around doing nothing). Free comfort hooks! (This is where I found the directions, but I saw it here first , and I think I might have linked there from Frugal Hacks.)
2. Found out what lizards eat.
3. Taught fourteen homeschoolers how to make sock critters.
4. Made my Squirrelings laugh hysterically at my attempts to hop along with the Spacewalk exercise. (Don't ask.)
5. Read a chapter of Lassie-Come-Home, two Blake poems, and part of a Mr. Pipes chapter. (That was a very low-reading day.)
6. Watched Ponytails inflate a marshmallow in the microwave.
7. Took two Squirrelings out for a quick and rather cold Outdoor Challenge in the backyard.
8. Watched a very beautiful sunset out the back window.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Nutrition 101: Choose Life! (TOS Review)
Growing Healthy Homes homepage
U.S. Prices:
CD-ROM version, $79.95 (good if you want to make multiple copies of some pages)
Book version, $99.95 (no need to bother printing things out)
Combo (book and CD-ROM), $129.95
From the website:
We printed it out as tightly and economically as we could (black and white, two pages to a sheet), and it still fills a big binder. And this book is not only big, it's thorough, and quite current in its approach to health and nutrition issues (including the question of whose food groups you follow). My sister-in-law, a nutrition consultant, looked at it and said she thought it would be pretty heavy going for most kids. There are whole pages devoted just to different kinds of amino acids.
So if there's a downside to the book, aside from the price, it would be this: it's too packed. Family-friendly as it first appears, you probably can't just open it up and teach from it. If you're used to the chatty style used by many homeschool science and geography writers--a story or analogy, something to introduce the lesson in a very kid-friendly way, and then narration prompts and activities--you may find this book as frustrating as the Miquon Math teacher's manual. The concepts are there, and the activities, but you're going to have to figure out yourself how you want to teach them. (Reminds me a bit of our VBS experience this summer.) There is a basic schedule suggested--starting a new lesson a couple of days before you go shopping, doing the first set of activities, then doing the cooking activity, the recipe-related questions and activities, and any followup discussion (possibly over a family meal) on subsequent days. But where you start that new lesson can be puzzling.
For instance, chapter 3 begins with a Bible verse and then this:
"Like other systems in the body, the nervous system is composed of organs, principally the brain, spinal cord and a huge network of threadlike nerves. Together with the endocrine system, which we will learn more about in Unit 6, the nervous system is responsible for regulating and maintaining homeostasis--a normal state of the body."
Then we get into the various function of neurons (sensory, integrative, motor), the glial cells, the parts of the nervous system and what they do, what reflexes are, and the "fun fact" that "because nerves connect the spine to all body parts and end at the hands and feet, massage and reflexology are very effective in alternative healthcare."
Whew.
Honestly, Crayons (elementary) and even Ponytails (middle school) aren't going to get a great deal out of that.
The discussion questions for that unit are also pretty heavy. "Name some receptor organs." "Name some effector organs."
But the Activities section--there's where we get into tapping knees for reflexes, drawing the nervous system, putting ice in our hands, tickling people with feathers--the fun, hands-on stuff. When I went to one of the "Additional Resources" websites at the end of the chapter, I found a whole kid-friendly article to print out about the brain and nervous system, along with a brain diagram to label. That's what I was looking for in the first place, something to read through rather than just a list of functions. So I printed that out, along with this week's recipe (that we'll make on the weekend after we go shopping) and the list of feather-and-ice activities, and that will be our lesson today. But I had to go looking for that material outside the book, and then print it out in addition to the chapter we already printed; and that's more work than some people would expect to put in after they'd already spent the money on the textbook.
As I said, I like the overall concept very much. Too much of the way we often teach about the body is disconnected from the nutrients that make it function, and how we choose and prepare those nutrients. But with all that information, all those charts and lists and appendices, it's somewhat overwhelming and, as I said, it's not always obvious how to use it most effectively. If you like designing your own lessons, you'll be glad to have all this information at hand. But if you're looking for a step-by-step curriculum, you may find yourself feeling a bit lost. Like taking your kids to a big fair, it's probably best to zoom in on a couple of rides and exhibits, and let the rest go. In chapter 2, we focused mostly on the list of "good brain foods," and didn't worry about the ratio of Omega-3's to Omega-6's. Instead of preparing a Greek salad (which, like the guacamole in Chapter 1, had too many things in it my family wouldn't eat), I adapted one of the high school challenges and had the kids come up with their own salad ideas using the list of "brain foods."
The good ideas are in there, and there are lots of them--but it can take a bit of time to dig them out and make them work for our family. We'll continue to use this through the year, so watch for updates as we go on.
(If you buy the book and want to use it with a co-op group, the other families will need permission to use it with you--see the website for details.)
For other reviews of this product, see the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew website.
Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
U.S. Prices:
CD-ROM version, $79.95 (good if you want to make multiple copies of some pages)
Book version, $99.95 (no need to bother printing things out)
Combo (book and CD-ROM), $129.95
From the website:
Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is a three-in-one family nutrition and health program for all ages that presents the major body systems, how they function, their common health issues, the benefits of good food and the consequences of bad food. Its 448 pages include into six units: 1) The Brain and Nervous System; 2) Digestion and Elimination; 3) Respiration and Olfactory; 4) Muscular and Skeletal Systems; 5) Cardiovascular and Immune Systems; and 6) Endocrine System and Emotions. Biblically based and packed with hands-on activities, science and art projects and nearly 80 family-friendly recipes, this program teaches and reinforces the why’s of what we should eat, not just “because I said so.” Containing a complete reference guide filled with nutrition facts, charts, practical tips and an exhaustive index, Nutrition 101: Choose Life! will serve as a constant resource for improved health and abundant living.What I like about this program: it combines a logical progression of anatomy topics with practical activities, nutrition information, research projects (divided into elementary and high school levels), and shopping and cooking projects using specific ingredients discussed in the week's chapter. We're up to Chapter 3, working on the nervous system, and this week's recipe is for a potato salad that uses flax seed oil in the dressing--trying to get those Omega-3's in there.
We printed it out as tightly and economically as we could (black and white, two pages to a sheet), and it still fills a big binder. And this book is not only big, it's thorough, and quite current in its approach to health and nutrition issues (including the question of whose food groups you follow). My sister-in-law, a nutrition consultant, looked at it and said she thought it would be pretty heavy going for most kids. There are whole pages devoted just to different kinds of amino acids.
So if there's a downside to the book, aside from the price, it would be this: it's too packed. Family-friendly as it first appears, you probably can't just open it up and teach from it. If you're used to the chatty style used by many homeschool science and geography writers--a story or analogy, something to introduce the lesson in a very kid-friendly way, and then narration prompts and activities--you may find this book as frustrating as the Miquon Math teacher's manual. The concepts are there, and the activities, but you're going to have to figure out yourself how you want to teach them. (Reminds me a bit of our VBS experience this summer.) There is a basic schedule suggested--starting a new lesson a couple of days before you go shopping, doing the first set of activities, then doing the cooking activity, the recipe-related questions and activities, and any followup discussion (possibly over a family meal) on subsequent days. But where you start that new lesson can be puzzling.
For instance, chapter 3 begins with a Bible verse and then this:
"Like other systems in the body, the nervous system is composed of organs, principally the brain, spinal cord and a huge network of threadlike nerves. Together with the endocrine system, which we will learn more about in Unit 6, the nervous system is responsible for regulating and maintaining homeostasis--a normal state of the body."
Then we get into the various function of neurons (sensory, integrative, motor), the glial cells, the parts of the nervous system and what they do, what reflexes are, and the "fun fact" that "because nerves connect the spine to all body parts and end at the hands and feet, massage and reflexology are very effective in alternative healthcare."
Whew.
Honestly, Crayons (elementary) and even Ponytails (middle school) aren't going to get a great deal out of that.
The discussion questions for that unit are also pretty heavy. "Name some receptor organs." "Name some effector organs."
But the Activities section--there's where we get into tapping knees for reflexes, drawing the nervous system, putting ice in our hands, tickling people with feathers--the fun, hands-on stuff. When I went to one of the "Additional Resources" websites at the end of the chapter, I found a whole kid-friendly article to print out about the brain and nervous system, along with a brain diagram to label. That's what I was looking for in the first place, something to read through rather than just a list of functions. So I printed that out, along with this week's recipe (that we'll make on the weekend after we go shopping) and the list of feather-and-ice activities, and that will be our lesson today. But I had to go looking for that material outside the book, and then print it out in addition to the chapter we already printed; and that's more work than some people would expect to put in after they'd already spent the money on the textbook.
As I said, I like the overall concept very much. Too much of the way we often teach about the body is disconnected from the nutrients that make it function, and how we choose and prepare those nutrients. But with all that information, all those charts and lists and appendices, it's somewhat overwhelming and, as I said, it's not always obvious how to use it most effectively. If you like designing your own lessons, you'll be glad to have all this information at hand. But if you're looking for a step-by-step curriculum, you may find yourself feeling a bit lost. Like taking your kids to a big fair, it's probably best to zoom in on a couple of rides and exhibits, and let the rest go. In chapter 2, we focused mostly on the list of "good brain foods," and didn't worry about the ratio of Omega-3's to Omega-6's. Instead of preparing a Greek salad (which, like the guacamole in Chapter 1, had too many things in it my family wouldn't eat), I adapted one of the high school challenges and had the kids come up with their own salad ideas using the list of "brain foods."
The good ideas are in there, and there are lots of them--but it can take a bit of time to dig them out and make them work for our family. We'll continue to use this through the year, so watch for updates as we go on.
(If you buy the book and want to use it with a co-op group, the other families will need permission to use it with you--see the website for details.)
For other reviews of this product, see the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew website.
Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
What I'm reading: Jacques Barzun
Begin Here: The Forgotten Conditions of Teaching and Learning, by Jacques Barzun.
Krakovianka posted this on Jacques Barzun's 100th birthday, but I'd put it to the back of my mind until I picked up this book at the library.
So far this is very good stuff.
Krakovianka posted this on Jacques Barzun's 100th birthday, but I'd put it to the back of my mind until I picked up this book at the library.
So far this is very good stuff.
Take one familiar fact: everybody keeps calling for Excellence--excellence not just in schooling, throughout society. But as soon as somebody or something stands out as Excellent, the other shout goes up: "Elitism!" And whatever produced that thing, whoever praises that result, is promptly put down. "Standing out" is undemocratic.--page 3And this echoes Charlotte Mason:
The result for them is that learning, homework, teachers, tests, grades, standards, promotion form a great maze--mostly make-believe--that they have to stumble through in order to be let go at last and, thanks to a piece of paper, get a job.And one more:
Of course, some go on to college--as many as 58.9% of high school graduates in 1988 were in college or on the point of entering. But with some exceptions, their experience there will not differ greatly. So-called higher education repeats the lower in form and substance: the sole aim is "to qualify."
....educationists have persuaded the world that teaching is a set of complex problems to be solved. It is no such thing. It is a series of difficulties. They recur endlessly and have to be met; there is no solution--which means also that there is no mystery. Teaching is an art, and an art, though it has a variety of practical devices to choose from, cannot be reduced to a science.
Monday, September 21, 2009
On pickles and peanut butter: Sue Patrick's Workbox System (TOS Review)
Sue Patrick's Workbox System homepage
E-book download $19
Workbox supplies and extras
For CM homeschoolers, this issue of the "original voice" has always turned on Charlotte Mason's own books. To say you were truly using the method of education that Miss Mason described, it was only fair to have at least taken a good stab at reading what she wrote, and to have tried out the methods as she described them before assuming they wouldn't work.
That's the way I felt about receiving Sue Patrick’s Workbox System, A User’s Guide to review--like the original, unvarnished peanut butter sandwich, cut on the diagonal--after I had already set up a "based-on" but not identical system in the Treehouse. I was attracted by the idea that our two students would be able to literally see what they should do next, and how much work was left in a school day. It also seemed like a good way to encourage independent work, to manage a situation where there is some shared teaching, and to get us quickly into a routine this school year.
I was able, using online sources, to get quite a good idea of what homeschoolers are currently calling "workboxing," and to read a number of different ideas on both the physical setup and the contents. I decided ( if we can carry on the metaphor) how thick to slice the bread, added homemade raspberry jam, and felt I had come up with something that would carry us through at least the fall term. But I was still interested in hearing how the system should work from its originator. I was even willing to start "slicing it" Sue's way, if her book gave me enough reason to do so.
Now, having read the book, I am unfortunately but honestly going to have to say that in this case, I'm not so sure that the original trumps the variations. First, the physical layout of the book is a bit off-putting. It's formatted in a large font, which, my techie husband assures me, could be adjusted by the reader, but I'd prefer something that I can print out as is (without using too much paper). It's also a bit unusual that the needed reproducible materials aren't included in the book; however, this isn't too big a problem, since book purchasers can download them from the Workbox System website (or order them already made up). These are small things, but they do contribute to a book's overall impression.
More seriously, there are a number of one-size-fits-all assumptions made about homeschoolers' space, equipment and time. Folding laundry and cooking while children work is discouraged, because it distracts from our whole-hearted attention to teaching...but for many of us, multi-tasking between teaching and homekeeping (or caring for other family members) is a necessity (and sometimes an art). We do not all have, or want, dedicated classroom space with small desks and work centers; and these things do not appear integral to the workbox system itself--they're kind of like insisting that everyone serve pickles and carrot sticks with the sandwich. Some of us would like to try the system, but need to use what we have on hand, or just don't have room for the full setup of boxes as recommended; it's discouraging to have it implied that there is only one way to arrange this successfully. Suggestions for those working in small spaces or under less-than-ideal circumstances would have been welcome.
There are also many pronouncements in the book that seem a bit over the top, or at least arguable. "This system works very well with all homeschools and all children ranging from 'typical' to disabled." "The Workbox System works with anyone’s curriculum and work load." (Italics mine.) "I believe if all we ever did was play board games, our children would learn everything they needed to know and be able to graduate from High School." "Learning about fractions from one source and then having it presented completely different from another source will help ensure their mastery of it." (Or it may just confuse them.) "So often we would like to open a text book, place it in front of the child and simply have them learn." Maybe--but we've never taught that way, and I hope most homeschoolers (at least since Ma Ingalls) don't just put textbooks in front of their children and tell them to "learn."
I can recommend that you buy this book (or the workboxing products) as a thank-you to Sue Patrick for working on this idea over many years and making it available to the homeschooling community. I can recommend that you buy it if you have a child with special needs (as Mrs. Patrick does); or if you're very disorganized and want to revamp not only your homeschool but certain aspects of your home organization as well. You might even find that Sue Patrick's sandwich (plus pickle) is exactly what you've been looking for. But given the book's limitations, and its insistence on the original "recipe," I think that many purchasers, especially those who have already explored some of the variations, would find in it less information than they might expect; or perhaps more, but not on the topics they'd like to hear most about.
Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
E-book download $19
Workbox supplies and extras
I kept running out of yogurt. "Why not make your own," my friends said. Each one told me a different way of doing it....From the various methods I devised my own. And it works....When Kath visited me last summer and I proudly served her my yogurt, she said, "That's not proper yogurt; it should be made fresh every day with goat's milk."--Edna Staebler, More Food That Really Schmecks (1979)
I had intended to use the above quote in a different, more food-related review (coming soon). However, it fit just as well here, and it seems to describe the current situation with Sue Patrick's Workbox System.
It's an example of what happens when a good idea is welcomed...and then spread, and adapted, done differently, possibly misinterpreted or misapplied...or perhaps even improved upon, sometimes by people who never read or saw the original source. The issue then becomes a question of who's using whose idea, as well as whether they're doing it "right," and whether or not the variations can be as effective as the original. The first person to spread peanut butter on a sandwich may have been horrified at the thought of peanut butter and jelly. And having worked on the Ambleside Online project for the last several years, I'm familiar with the issue of trying to protect the integrity of even a free curriculum, while still encouraging suggestions and feedback from the community of AO users.For CM homeschoolers, this issue of the "original voice" has always turned on Charlotte Mason's own books. To say you were truly using the method of education that Miss Mason described, it was only fair to have at least taken a good stab at reading what she wrote, and to have tried out the methods as she described them before assuming they wouldn't work.
That's the way I felt about receiving Sue Patrick’s Workbox System, A User’s Guide to review--like the original, unvarnished peanut butter sandwich, cut on the diagonal--after I had already set up a "based-on" but not identical system in the Treehouse. I was attracted by the idea that our two students would be able to literally see what they should do next, and how much work was left in a school day. It also seemed like a good way to encourage independent work, to manage a situation where there is some shared teaching, and to get us quickly into a routine this school year.
I was able, using online sources, to get quite a good idea of what homeschoolers are currently calling "workboxing," and to read a number of different ideas on both the physical setup and the contents. I decided ( if we can carry on the metaphor) how thick to slice the bread, added homemade raspberry jam, and felt I had come up with something that would carry us through at least the fall term. But I was still interested in hearing how the system should work from its originator. I was even willing to start "slicing it" Sue's way, if her book gave me enough reason to do so.
Now, having read the book, I am unfortunately but honestly going to have to say that in this case, I'm not so sure that the original trumps the variations. First, the physical layout of the book is a bit off-putting. It's formatted in a large font, which, my techie husband assures me, could be adjusted by the reader, but I'd prefer something that I can print out as is (without using too much paper). It's also a bit unusual that the needed reproducible materials aren't included in the book; however, this isn't too big a problem, since book purchasers can download them from the Workbox System website (or order them already made up). These are small things, but they do contribute to a book's overall impression.
More seriously, there are a number of one-size-fits-all assumptions made about homeschoolers' space, equipment and time. Folding laundry and cooking while children work is discouraged, because it distracts from our whole-hearted attention to teaching...but for many of us, multi-tasking between teaching and homekeeping (or caring for other family members) is a necessity (and sometimes an art). We do not all have, or want, dedicated classroom space with small desks and work centers; and these things do not appear integral to the workbox system itself--they're kind of like insisting that everyone serve pickles and carrot sticks with the sandwich. Some of us would like to try the system, but need to use what we have on hand, or just don't have room for the full setup of boxes as recommended; it's discouraging to have it implied that there is only one way to arrange this successfully. Suggestions for those working in small spaces or under less-than-ideal circumstances would have been welcome.
There are also many pronouncements in the book that seem a bit over the top, or at least arguable. "This system works very well with all homeschools and all children ranging from 'typical' to disabled." "The Workbox System works with anyone’s curriculum and work load." (Italics mine.) "I believe if all we ever did was play board games, our children would learn everything they needed to know and be able to graduate from High School." "Learning about fractions from one source and then having it presented completely different from another source will help ensure their mastery of it." (Or it may just confuse them.) "So often we would like to open a text book, place it in front of the child and simply have them learn." Maybe--but we've never taught that way, and I hope most homeschoolers (at least since Ma Ingalls) don't just put textbooks in front of their children and tell them to "learn."
I can recommend that you buy this book (or the workboxing products) as a thank-you to Sue Patrick for working on this idea over many years and making it available to the homeschooling community. I can recommend that you buy it if you have a child with special needs (as Mrs. Patrick does); or if you're very disorganized and want to revamp not only your homeschool but certain aspects of your home organization as well. You might even find that Sue Patrick's sandwich (plus pickle) is exactly what you've been looking for. But given the book's limitations, and its insistence on the original "recipe," I think that many purchasers, especially those who have already explored some of the variations, would find in it less information than they might expect; or perhaps more, but not on the topics they'd like to hear most about.
Other reviews of this product are available on the TOS Review Crew Blog.
Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for review purposes. No other payment was made.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
An on-the-wall idea
I always enjoy reading about Molytail's very creative homeschooling ideas. Here's what she and her son are doing for Astronomy.
(We use lots of Stick Tac too.)
(We use lots of Stick Tac too.)
Friday, September 18, 2009
What's in the workboxes? (Friday)
Together:
Finish chapter 1 of Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Renaissance
Sing John Bunyan's Pilgrim hymn from the end of the Mr. Pipes chapter
See if we can sing "Now With Creation's Morning Song" WITHOUT Cyberhymnal this time (because the Cyberhymnal version is too high for us, but we keep forgetting the tune otherwise)
Practice Psalm 16:1, 2 one more time
Ponytails' choice of exercises
Ponytails:
1. Math and science assignments (this isn't as onerous as it sounds)
2. Baking assignment (something that needs to be taken care of early today)
3. Abraham Lincoln's World, and written/drawn narration
4. Choice of computer software
5. Group time--Finish French lesson 2, sing some Peter Paul and Mary songs with You-tube and a songbook we have
6. Work on Write with the Best writing assignment--proofreading and revision of descriptive paragraph
7. Group time--reading poetry and King Arthur
8. Nutrition--finish lesson 2, talk about good and bad fats, plan ideas for a weekend salad that includes "good brain foods"
9. Play Perquackey with Mom
10. Reading list
Crayons:
1. Miquon Math
2. Read about John Cabot in Canada's Story by H.E. Marshall
3. Canadian Handwriting
4. Blake poems and Lassie-Come-Home
5. Group time--French etc.
6. Math for All Seasons (math counting book)
7. Group time--poetry, literature
8. Group time--nutrition
9. Practice recorder
10. Reading list
Finish chapter 1 of Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Renaissance
Sing John Bunyan's Pilgrim hymn from the end of the Mr. Pipes chapter
See if we can sing "Now With Creation's Morning Song" WITHOUT Cyberhymnal this time (because the Cyberhymnal version is too high for us, but we keep forgetting the tune otherwise)
Practice Psalm 16:1, 2 one more time
Ponytails' choice of exercises
Ponytails:
1. Math and science assignments (this isn't as onerous as it sounds)
2. Baking assignment (something that needs to be taken care of early today)
3. Abraham Lincoln's World, and written/drawn narration
4. Choice of computer software
5. Group time--Finish French lesson 2, sing some Peter Paul and Mary songs with You-tube and a songbook we have
6. Work on Write with the Best writing assignment--proofreading and revision of descriptive paragraph
7. Group time--reading poetry and King Arthur
8. Nutrition--finish lesson 2, talk about good and bad fats, plan ideas for a weekend salad that includes "good brain foods"
9. Play Perquackey with Mom
10. Reading list
Crayons:
1. Miquon Math
2. Read about John Cabot in Canada's Story by H.E. Marshall
3. Canadian Handwriting
4. Blake poems and Lassie-Come-Home
5. Group time--French etc.
6. Math for All Seasons (math counting book)
7. Group time--poetry, literature
8. Group time--nutrition
9. Practice recorder
10. Reading list
Thursday, September 17, 2009
We return to Little Men in My Library
Homeschooling fun and work in Australia. Go visit, these are great posts!
Just Another Day of Fun
A review of our Fun / Work Day system
A very interesting post about socialization and missing dining room tables
Just Another Day of Fun
A review of our Fun / Work Day system
A very interesting post about socialization and missing dining room tables
The return of Simple Times
Debi is going to be reviving the Simple Times newsletter--always a good place to learn more frugal stuff! More on her blog.
Now we just need to see Magnanimity running again, and life would be almost perfect?
Now we just need to see Magnanimity running again, and life would be almost perfect?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What's CM About?
Browsing around old Charlotte Mason links, I came across this lovely description by longtime CMer Jody Courtney. Have a look around the rest of her website, too--there's lots of homemaking and homeschooling help. Good booklists too.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What is Mama Squirrel reading?
Jayber Crow, by Wendell Berry.
Okay, so I'm behind everybody else, it took me awhile to get around to reading this one...but I do like it so far.
Okay, so I'm behind everybody else, it took me awhile to get around to reading this one...but I do like it so far.
Now is this total educational heresy?
Joanne Jacobs links to a Washington Post article questioning the validity of having teachers teach to all the different learning styles.
Those of us who have never figured out our learning styles can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Those of us who have never figured out our learning styles can now breathe a sigh of relief.
What is this reptile project that Crayons is doing?
It's a lapbook.
Small "agh." In the back of the throat.
It's not our usual method of learning or reviewing information, but we were asked to try out a printable lapbook this fall as one of the Review Crew assignments. There was a choice of about five topics, and since Crayons actually is interested in reptiles, we chose that one for her to work on during Ponytails' afternoon "with Mom" time.
Never let it be said that I'm totally closed-minded.
Small "agh." In the back of the throat.
It's not our usual method of learning or reviewing information, but we were asked to try out a printable lapbook this fall as one of the Review Crew assignments. There was a choice of about five topics, and since Crayons actually is interested in reptiles, we chose that one for her to work on during Ponytails' afternoon "with Mom" time.
Never let it be said that I'm totally closed-minded.
What's in the workboxes?
Monday was a very long school day. I'm not sure if it was from dawdling or if I just overloaded the workboxes. Maybe both. Obviously there's still some fine-tuning to be done here.
So today I purposely filled them "light," and we spent the afternoon at the library and doing a couple of other errands.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is going to be a heavier work day again, but I added "time cards" to most of the boxes, to give everybody a sense of how long (I think) things should take. We'll see how it goes. I don't add markers for things like breaks and lunch--Squirrelings don't need to be told when those things happen. Also, sometimes we work in some free computer time to check on emails or Webkinz pets, or to look at Ann's How to Feed a Brain Every Day links. One we enjoyed today was the September 14th Last 24 Hours in Pictures, starting with skateboarders in Moscow. This is wonderful! (Small warning: one of the photos in that slideshow is of a crime scene, but it doesn't look too graphic.)
Don't forget we also do Bible, hymns and exercises (usually outdoors) before we get to the workboxes. I've started shifting French to a group time later in the day--I found it dragged things out first thing in the morning.
One activity I've started adding a couple of times a week is a 15-minute visit to our "French library." That's a box of French books and magazines, as well as a set of picture word card puzzles that belong to Ponytails. Some of the resources are ours (we even have some Scholastic Bonjour magazines going back to my own sixth grade French class), but I've topped it up with picture books and CDs from the public library. The idea is not to understand every word, but just to get some exposure to written French, in a fun way.
Ponytails
1. Key to Geometry workbook, and any science assignments from Dad
2. Carmen Sandiego Math Detective
3. History: Abraham Lincoln's World, written/drawn narration
4. Write with the Best (work with Mom)
5. Group time: French
6. Play Perquackey with Mom
7. Readalouds (poems, novel) with Mom and Crayons; Artistic Pursuits lesson
8. Make milkshakes.
9. Read part of Leon Garfield's retelling of King Lear. (and short surprise activity afterward)
10. Work on friendship bracelet
11. Extra reading list
12. Evening math and science work with Dad.
Crayons
1. Memory poem
2. Miquon math activity
3. Reading with Mom: Blake poems, Lassie-Come-Home (a switch of books, owing to the fact that our copy of Hurry Home Candy turned out to have a whole section of missing pages starting in chapter 3, and the library doesn't have a copy either. That's okay, Crayons has decided that a different dog story is fine).
4. Canadian Handwriting, one page (and a short surprise activity afterwards)
5. French with Ponytails
6. Nature Friend Magazine
7. Reptiles project (independent work)
8. Readaloud and art time with Ponytails
9. What's the Secret? (a CD-Rom she hasn't used yet)
10. Extra reading.
So today I purposely filled them "light," and we spent the afternoon at the library and doing a couple of other errands.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is going to be a heavier work day again, but I added "time cards" to most of the boxes, to give everybody a sense of how long (I think) things should take. We'll see how it goes. I don't add markers for things like breaks and lunch--Squirrelings don't need to be told when those things happen. Also, sometimes we work in some free computer time to check on emails or Webkinz pets, or to look at Ann's How to Feed a Brain Every Day links. One we enjoyed today was the September 14th Last 24 Hours in Pictures, starting with skateboarders in Moscow. This is wonderful! (Small warning: one of the photos in that slideshow is of a crime scene, but it doesn't look too graphic.)
Don't forget we also do Bible, hymns and exercises (usually outdoors) before we get to the workboxes. I've started shifting French to a group time later in the day--I found it dragged things out first thing in the morning.
One activity I've started adding a couple of times a week is a 15-minute visit to our "French library." That's a box of French books and magazines, as well as a set of picture word card puzzles that belong to Ponytails. Some of the resources are ours (we even have some Scholastic Bonjour magazines going back to my own sixth grade French class), but I've topped it up with picture books and CDs from the public library. The idea is not to understand every word, but just to get some exposure to written French, in a fun way.
Ponytails
1. Key to Geometry workbook, and any science assignments from Dad
2. Carmen Sandiego Math Detective
3. History: Abraham Lincoln's World, written/drawn narration
4. Write with the Best (work with Mom)
5. Group time: French
6. Play Perquackey with Mom
7. Readalouds (poems, novel) with Mom and Crayons; Artistic Pursuits lesson
8. Make milkshakes.
9. Read part of Leon Garfield's retelling of King Lear. (and short surprise activity afterward)
10. Work on friendship bracelet
11. Extra reading list
12. Evening math and science work with Dad.
Crayons
1. Memory poem
2. Miquon math activity
3. Reading with Mom: Blake poems, Lassie-Come-Home (a switch of books, owing to the fact that our copy of Hurry Home Candy turned out to have a whole section of missing pages starting in chapter 3, and the library doesn't have a copy either. That's okay, Crayons has decided that a different dog story is fine).
4. Canadian Handwriting, one page (and a short surprise activity afterwards)
5. French with Ponytails
6. Nature Friend Magazine
7. Reptiles project (independent work)
8. Readaloud and art time with Ponytails
9. What's the Secret? (a CD-Rom she hasn't used yet)
10. Extra reading.
Carnival of Homeschooling #194: Creatures and Critters
Welcome to the 194th Carnival of Homeschooling. Due to the number of critter-related posts we received this week, this week's Carnival is dedicated to the wonderful world of animals.
(This is Snowball, our elderly hamster.)
Fall is the busy season for squirrels and many animals.
The Thinking Mother presents How the Transition is Going for Homeschooling This Year.
Green Darner's Corner presents Tree Walk. "We went on a walk in our woods to study trees."
Quirkymomma.com presents Activities for learning.
Homegrownmommy.com presents How To Make Your School Year More Successful!
The Architect and The Artist presents Working and Homeschooling?
Home Spun Juggling presents Settling into a New Homeschooling Year.
Some critters are counting up their winter supplies.
Mama Squirrel needs some mathematical advice in Outfoxed?, posted here at Dewey's Treehouse.
NerdMom presents MathStart! posted at Nerd Family Things .
There's a lot of chattering and chirping and tweeting going on.
Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood presents Prelude to a Blog - Review and Giveaway.
Why Homeschool let us know that longtime unschooling supporter Pat Farenga was recently on television talking about unschooling.
(Dewey makes some friends this summer)
Then there's the artistic approach to animals:
Jimmie presents Make or Draw a Giraffe, which inspired Giraffe Scratch, posted at Kids Art Projects and Lessons at Ms. Julie's Place.
ChoosyHomeschooler Blog presents Been Singing the Blues When it Comes to Teaching Musical Subjects? Capture Your Child?s Attention with Engaging Games and More!
Craft Stew presents Printable Toys For Young Children.
Growing An Alligator takes some courage, and so does homeschooling...and parenting. (Thanks to The Mac Rak.)
Learning at Home presents No More TV. "Getting rid of the TV was a little harder than I imagined!"
Earnest Parenting presents Drawing Lines in the Sand.
Colleen Palat presents School Anxiety: The Warning Signs and What to Do.
Designated Conservative offers an eel-like view of homeschooling, in both short and long varieties. "How many homeschoolers are there anyway? We're a slippery and a private lot, so reliable nationwide numbers are difficult to obtain."
The Frugal Homeschooling Mom presents Why Do I Homeschool? Reason #18 – Just Joining the Crowd.
Corn and Oil presents A Contrast in Attitude- Public Online School and Homeschooling.
Beverly’s Homeschooling Blog (About.com) asks, "Does your family support homeschooling?"
Some of us prefer finding critters in books to finding them in the bathtub.
Although not specifically aimed at homeschoolers, September is National Literacy Month - Free Resources! at Bur Bur & Friends: Community Park offers some interesting reading-related downloads.
Classroom Jr. presents Dr. Seuss Activities and Lesson Plans.
Barbara Frank Online presents Losing Control & Liking It. "A veteran homeschool mom reviews a book she wishes had been published before her kids became teens."
I Want to Teach Forever presents A Dangerous Book for Your Classroom Library.
The Reluctant Homeschooler presents Exploring Social Injustice through Literature "After cramming my high school son full of classics, some not so interesting to read, I've changed my approach. This year he will be reading some little-known books, but they are interesting and impactful, and will take him into worlds of poverty, slavery, and social injustice that most of us are blissfully unaware of. It's a dose of hardship and real life for much of the world's population. And it's eye-opening."
The Frugal Homeschooling Mom presents Why Do I Homeschool? Reason #18 – Just Joining the Crowd.
Corn and Oil presents A Contrast in Attitude- Public Online School and Homeschooling.
Beverly’s Homeschooling Blog (About.com) asks, "Does your family support homeschooling?"
Some of us prefer finding critters in books to finding them in the bathtub.
Although not specifically aimed at homeschoolers, September is National Literacy Month - Free Resources! at Bur Bur & Friends: Community Park offers some interesting reading-related downloads.
Classroom Jr. presents Dr. Seuss Activities and Lesson Plans.
Barbara Frank Online presents Losing Control & Liking It. "A veteran homeschool mom reviews a book she wishes had been published before her kids became teens."
I Want to Teach Forever presents A Dangerous Book for Your Classroom Library.
The Reluctant Homeschooler presents Exploring Social Injustice through Literature "After cramming my high school son full of classics, some not so interesting to read, I've changed my approach. This year he will be reading some little-known books, but they are interesting and impactful, and will take him into worlds of poverty, slavery, and social injustice that most of us are blissfully unaware of. It's a dose of hardship and real life for much of the world's population. And it's eye-opening."
(Snowball says he can almost smell that pizza)
Many homeschoolers specialize in the unusual! Amber presents Another Creepy Crawly -- Chinese Mantis, posted at The Mommy Earth.Petticoat Government presents Two languages are better than one. "A father who's been speaking German to his homeschooling children since they were born gives a list of reasons--some quite funny if you understand German--why he wants them to be bilingual."
Momma Skyla presents Particle Motion with Preschoolers.
But there are times of quiet and reflection as well.
Special Needs Homeschooling presents The chronically tired parent.
Homeschooler Cafe' presents Teaching a Biblical Worldview. And Pajama School Blog presents God's Ways are Clearly Seen and Understood - or not?
Homeschooling in Kerrville presents 5 Things You Must Teach Your Children.
Our Curious Home presents Some Learning has been going on, but is it what I meant to teach?
Notes From A Homeschooling Mom presents Why I am not against using teachers in homeschooling.
Alasandra's Homeschool Blog discusses the recent Presidential speech to schoolchildren.
Independent Learning and Home Schooling reflects on independent learning and Grandma Moses.
This concludes our Critters and Creatures Carnival of Homeschooling. Next week's carnival will be hosted by Apollos Academy. Thanks to the Cates at Why Homeschool for keeping it all going!
Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Homeschooling, using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.
All photos taken by Mr. Fixit and Ponytails. Images copyright 2009 Dewey's Treehouse.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Hymn for this school year: Now With Creation's Morning Song
Ambleside Online suggests a few hymns to learn each term, but this is one we picked out ourselves. It seems to embody what we'd like this school year to be.
Now With Creation's Morning Song
Now with creation’s morning song
Let us, as children of the day,
With wakened heart and purpose strong,
The works of darkness cast away.
O may the morn so pure, so clear,
Its own sweet calm in us instill!
A guileless mind, a heart sincere,
Simplicity of word and will.
And ever, as the day glides by,
May we the busy senses rein;
Keep guard upon the hand and eye,
Nor let the conscience suffer stain.
Grant us, O God, in love to Thee,
Clear eyes to measure things below;
Faith, the invisible to see;
And wisdom, Thee in all to know.
-----------------------
Author information from Cyberhymnal: Words: Aurelius Prudentius (348-circa 413) (Nox et tenebrae et nubila); translated from Latin to English by Edward Caswall, Lyra Catholica, 1849. The modified translation by Samuel Longfellow, in his Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, is given below.
Music: Festus, from a German chorale in the Moravian Psalter (MIDI, score). My note: this is not the easiest tune to learn! Try singing along with Cyberhymnal until you get it.
Now With Creation's Morning Song
Now with creation’s morning song
Let us, as children of the day,
With wakened heart and purpose strong,
The works of darkness cast away.
O may the morn so pure, so clear,
Its own sweet calm in us instill!
A guileless mind, a heart sincere,
Simplicity of word and will.
And ever, as the day glides by,
May we the busy senses rein;
Keep guard upon the hand and eye,
Nor let the conscience suffer stain.
Grant us, O God, in love to Thee,
Clear eyes to measure things below;
Faith, the invisible to see;
And wisdom, Thee in all to know.
-----------------------
Author information from Cyberhymnal: Words: Aurelius Prudentius (348-circa 413) (Nox et tenebrae et nubila); translated from Latin to English by Edward Caswall, Lyra Catholica, 1849. The modified translation by Samuel Longfellow, in his Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, is given below.
Music: Festus, from a German chorale in the Moravian Psalter (MIDI, score). My note: this is not the easiest tune to learn! Try singing along with Cyberhymnal until you get it.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Want to go to the train museum too?
Remember when we went to the train museum back in August?
I always meant to look up this You-tube video of Daniel Cook visiting the same museum, but I forgot about it until now. You get a really good look at the trains and what it's like riding through the woods on a vintage electric car. (The Squirrelings now know what Understood Betsy meant when she said she was going home on the "cars.")
And don't forget to stop for some ice cream.
I always meant to look up this You-tube video of Daniel Cook visiting the same museum, but I forgot about it until now. You get a really good look at the trains and what it's like riding through the woods on a vintage electric car. (The Squirrelings now know what Understood Betsy meant when she said she was going home on the "cars.")
And don't forget to stop for some ice cream.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Church Sale Morning
We went to a rummage sale this morning, at one of the churches that always has good annual sales. I picked up a box with a bunch of yarn and stuff in it, filled it up with a few books and other things, and made a reasonable offer at the door. Considering the 32 pairs of knitting needles in there, I think we did very well. Ponytails found a mini stereo, Mr. Fixit found a magazine rack that he's going to spray paint he's already spray painted, and Crayons found a small bag and a couple of mini animals.
(The royalty books aren't for me, they're a gift for a family member.)
Perquackey game
Piece of black Pellon
Assorted pieces of white interfacing and cotton scraps
Large piece of white muslin
One souvenir bandana decorated with a "Tourist Map of National Park Mt. Kyeryong". (Really.)
Two other bandana-size hankies
New package of 5 x 7 Stretch 'n Stitch bars (I had to look those up to see what they were for)
10 feet of braided nylon rope
Half a carton of assorted balls of yarn and crochet cotton
32 pairs of knitting needles
1 circular needle
1 set of 4mm double-pointed needles
A More Fridgies design leaflet
Make the Most of Town & City Gardening
Charles & Diana's First Royal Tour
The Prince & Princess of Wales on Tour in British Columbia, Canada
Diana, Queen of Hearts
Invitation to a Royal Wedding
We also stopped at a yard sale and found some Sculpey, trivia cards, and a picture book all for a dollar.
Wooh!
(The royalty books aren't for me, they're a gift for a family member.)
Perquackey game
Piece of black Pellon
Assorted pieces of white interfacing and cotton scraps
Large piece of white muslin
One souvenir bandana decorated with a "Tourist Map of National Park Mt. Kyeryong". (Really.)
Two other bandana-size hankies
New package of 5 x 7 Stretch 'n Stitch bars (I had to look those up to see what they were for)
10 feet of braided nylon rope
Half a carton of assorted balls of yarn and crochet cotton
32 pairs of knitting needles
1 circular needle
1 set of 4mm double-pointed needles
A More Fridgies design leaflet
Make the Most of Town & City Gardening
Charles & Diana's First Royal Tour
The Prince & Princess of Wales on Tour in British Columbia, Canada
Diana, Queen of Hearts
Invitation to a Royal Wedding
We also stopped at a yard sale and found some Sculpey, trivia cards, and a picture book all for a dollar.
Wooh!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Extra reading lists
Each of the girls has one workbox designated as "extra reading." I've put three or four books in each one, and they can choose which one to read. Crayons is supposed to read hers for at least 20 minutes a day (although she often goes longer) and Ponytails has a 30-minute reading goal.
Speed-reader Crayons has already finished The Mouse of Amherst, Jungle Doctor's Monkey Tales, and is working on Happy Little Family. I may have a problem keeping her in books that she hasn't already read.
Ponytails is working on Farmer Giles of Ham and is planning on starting A Wrinkle in Time after that. Or maybe My Side of the Mountain. I have always been a bit uncertain about L'Engle's books (for theological reasons), but I thought Ponytails might like this one.
Speed-reader Crayons has already finished The Mouse of Amherst, Jungle Doctor's Monkey Tales, and is working on Happy Little Family. I may have a problem keeping her in books that she hasn't already read.
Ponytails is working on Farmer Giles of Ham and is planning on starting A Wrinkle in Time after that. Or maybe My Side of the Mountain. I have always been a bit uncertain about L'Engle's books (for theological reasons), but I thought Ponytails might like this one.
Outfoxed? (A mathematical question)
Yesterday Crayons and I tried playing a game of Fox and Hounds that we saw in Family Fun Magazine. You need a checkerboard, four checkers of one colour and one checker of another. The rules are explained in the link and they seem pretty simple.
Except that...the fox seems to win every time. Crayons was the fox, and I usually let her go first. There seemed to be no way to marshal my hounds to keep her from getting past.
Try it and see if you can come up with a strategy to let the hounds win once in awhile.
Except that...the fox seems to win every time. Crayons was the fox, and I usually let her go first. There seemed to be no way to marshal my hounds to keep her from getting past.
Try it and see if you can come up with a strategy to let the hounds win once in awhile.
Crayons' Math this year (last year of Miquon)
I really think this might be our last, ever, ever year of Miquon. Unless I adopt triplets or homeschool my (future) grandchildren or something...Crayons is in her Purple-and-Yellow year, so that will be it.
I'm trying a bit different system of scheduling Miquon this year, using index cards and a recipe box. I went through the page list for the two workbooks and set up a schedule by week (about half the year per workbook), then wrote each week's scheduled pages on a 3 x 5 card along with specific topics, page references and comments from the Annotations (and comments I'd jotted down from previous children, like "this one was really hard!"). Some weeks have more than one card, if one topic is to be finished and another one started during the same week.
I also went through some of the other math books we have, like Math for Smarty Pants, Family Math, and our 1978 Childcraft Mathemagic book, looking for similar topics, wrote those page references out on more index cards, and slipped them behind the main cards in the box. So when we get to the co-ordinate geometry pages, I have references as well to the Co-ordinate Tic Tac Toe and other games of that sort in Family Math; and when we do perimeter, area and volume, I have extra activities and explanations marked from our books.
Then all we have to do through the year is work through the file box. Even if we get a bit behind, we can just pull out the next card and work on that. This week we spent a couple of days doing the fun stuff in chapter 1 of Mathemagic (like the old story of the man with the boat who has to carry a wolf, a goat and a basket of cabbages), and now we've started the Yellow workbook as well.
I'm trying a bit different system of scheduling Miquon this year, using index cards and a recipe box. I went through the page list for the two workbooks and set up a schedule by week (about half the year per workbook), then wrote each week's scheduled pages on a 3 x 5 card along with specific topics, page references and comments from the Annotations (and comments I'd jotted down from previous children, like "this one was really hard!"). Some weeks have more than one card, if one topic is to be finished and another one started during the same week.
I also went through some of the other math books we have, like Math for Smarty Pants, Family Math, and our 1978 Childcraft Mathemagic book, looking for similar topics, wrote those page references out on more index cards, and slipped them behind the main cards in the box. So when we get to the co-ordinate geometry pages, I have references as well to the Co-ordinate Tic Tac Toe and other games of that sort in Family Math; and when we do perimeter, area and volume, I have extra activities and explanations marked from our books.
Then all we have to do through the year is work through the file box. Even if we get a bit behind, we can just pull out the next card and work on that. This week we spent a couple of days doing the fun stuff in chapter 1 of Mathemagic (like the old story of the man with the boat who has to carry a wolf, a goat and a basket of cabbages), and now we've started the Yellow workbook as well.
Thinking INSIDE the box (Today's school plans)
We are finishing our first week of homeschool.
Phew.
Overall I like the system that's evolving this school year. A few things are still getting worked out, but the first week seemed to get things off to a good start. We have been getting everything done by mid-afternoon, and people seem to have enough time to play outside too.
What are we doing today?
Together time:
Read the words of "Now With Creation's Morning Song"
Sing one hymn
Read half of the first chapter of Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation
Copy out Psalm 16:1 (we're memorizing Psalm 16)
Short game using vocabulary from The Easy French Lesson 1
Space Walk exercises (outside)
Workboxes
Ponytails:
1. Carmen San Diego math CD-Rom
2. Math and science assignments from Dad
3. Handicrafts: 15 minutes to work on friendship bracelet
4. History: Read one section of Abraham Lincoln's World and draw narration (keeping a sort of timeline book)
5. Nutrition 101 (group work)
6. Play the keyboard for fifteen minutes
7. Composition exercise using a Thesaurus
8. Start the Book of Think (work with Mom)
9. Folk songs and reading King Arthur (group work)
10. Drawing with Artistic Pursuits (group work)
11. Extra reading list
12. Evening work time with Dad (math and science)
Crayons:
1. Miquon math with Mom
2. An Island Story (British history)--finish chapter about Henry VIII
3. Spelling City
4. Nutrition (group work)
5. Tall Tales
6. Reptiles project
7. Egg Cetera puzzle game (from Family Pastimes)
8. Artistic Pursuits
9. Sentence writing
10. Extra reading box
Phew.
Overall I like the system that's evolving this school year. A few things are still getting worked out, but the first week seemed to get things off to a good start. We have been getting everything done by mid-afternoon, and people seem to have enough time to play outside too.
What are we doing today?
Together time:
Read the words of "Now With Creation's Morning Song"
Sing one hymn
Read half of the first chapter of Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation
Copy out Psalm 16:1 (we're memorizing Psalm 16)
Short game using vocabulary from The Easy French Lesson 1
Space Walk exercises (outside)
Workboxes
Ponytails:
1. Carmen San Diego math CD-Rom
2. Math and science assignments from Dad
3. Handicrafts: 15 minutes to work on friendship bracelet
4. History: Read one section of Abraham Lincoln's World and draw narration (keeping a sort of timeline book)
5. Nutrition 101 (group work)
6. Play the keyboard for fifteen minutes
7. Composition exercise using a Thesaurus
8. Start the Book of Think (work with Mom)
9. Folk songs and reading King Arthur (group work)
10. Drawing with Artistic Pursuits (group work)
11. Extra reading list
12. Evening work time with Dad (math and science)
Crayons:
1. Miquon math with Mom
2. An Island Story (British history)--finish chapter about Henry VIII
3. Spelling City
4. Nutrition (group work)
5. Tall Tales
6. Reptiles project
7. Egg Cetera puzzle game (from Family Pastimes)
8. Artistic Pursuits
9. Sentence writing
10. Extra reading box
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Yes, we're here (and next week's CoH here!)
We're deep in school. Someone asked me last week how I could homeschool and blog at the same time.
Occasionally I can't!
But we'll be back posting within the next day or so. And--we're hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling next Tuesday! So please send us your posts by Monday night!
Occasionally I can't!
But we'll be back posting within the next day or so. And--we're hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling next Tuesday! So please send us your posts by Monday night!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
When Dad teaches math
What's Ponytails doing for math this year?
We had a last-minute change of plans when we discovered (last weekend) that our old Math and Music CD-Rom wouldn't work, even on a program that emulates older versions of Windows. We had printed out the workbook and other printed materials from it without trouble, but the multi-media parts of the disc aren't working. Obviously a no-go.
So Ponytails--for the moment--is going to be using Key to Geometry and a thrift-shopped grade 8 textbook (Addison-Wesley Minds on Math 8), along with Quarter Mile Math for drills. We may also try out other math materials as part of the Review Crew, but I don't know what they'll be.
This is a new and different year, that's for sure!
We had a last-minute change of plans when we discovered (last weekend) that our old Math and Music CD-Rom wouldn't work, even on a program that emulates older versions of Windows. We had printed out the workbook and other printed materials from it without trouble, but the multi-media parts of the disc aren't working. Obviously a no-go.
So Ponytails--for the moment--is going to be using Key to Geometry and a thrift-shopped grade 8 textbook (Addison-Wesley Minds on Math 8), along with Quarter Mile Math for drills. We may also try out other math materials as part of the Review Crew, but I don't know what they'll be.
This is a new and different year, that's for sure!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Snowball the hamster
I've noticed several people clicking on "Snowball" lately.
Yes, he's still here and still furry. But in hamster years he's getting quite ancient (well over two), and he's definitely feeling his age. Even exploring the grass or playing with his "toys" takes more effort than he can really put out.
But thanks for thinking of him. (I'm going to get Ponytails to post a couple of recent photos.)
Yes, he's still here and still furry. But in hamster years he's getting quite ancient (well over two), and he's definitely feeling his age. Even exploring the grass or playing with his "toys" takes more effort than he can really put out.
But thanks for thinking of him. (I'm going to get Ponytails to post a couple of recent photos.)
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
I'm not hyperventilating, no, not me (Scheduling)
School doesn't start here until next week--we're still spinning our summer wheels. Might even get to the beach this week.
So I would really like to have a clear idea what we're doing this fall for school. So would the Squirrelings. I've sent anxious emails here and there asking for help with some of our problems, and I appreciate the advice I've gotten. A lot of the responses I got had to do with CM-not-overdoing-it, but I don't think that is exactly the problem this year, although with all the Review Crew stuff plus workboxes plus juggling two Squirrelings' schedules, it would be easy enough to do. I'm actually happy with what we narrowed it all down to (how's that for dangling prepositions); so in the past few days it's been more a problem of how to fit it together. Including workboxes.
Sue Patrick's Workbox System is on the Review Crew schedule for this year, but we won't be getting the book until sometime in the fall--and I don't even know if ALL of us are supposed to be trying it out. However, on the chance that we were going to be asked to review it, I thought it would be less disruptive to start that way rather than have to change over. I wasn't going to go out and buy twenty-four shoeboxes, but I did overhaul two shelves of a freestanding cabinet, and I found enough magazine holders to give each Squirreling nine "boxes." Not purely Sue Patrick's method, and we haven't gone for the scheduling strips, but at least we did make "completion charts" to go with them.
(If you've been following along this summer, this is all old news. I'm just trying to put it all together.)
And yes, some of the Review Crew products are more CM-friendly than others. We're supposed to try the things out where practical, or at least examine them closely enough to give a decent review. If I wouldn't use this, is there someone out there who uses a different homeschool method and would find this useful? Or someone with a different learning/teaching style? Not everything is suited to CM Squirrels, and that's fine--but still, we have to make room to try out some of these things. I'm excited about using Nutrition 101: Choose Life! as a kind of combination health, anatomy and food class for both the girls. And since Ponytails did ask for some creative writing this year (something for which we've never used any special curriculum), it seemed worthwhile to make Write with the Best part of the fall/winter plan.
Another program, Artistic Pursuits, was offered to last year's Review Crew, but I had to go scrounge up my own. One level for both girls.
And I ended up getting Coffeemamma's copy of The Easy French, to use with both girls. In answer to Jeanne's question, I have never used this program before, but I was looking for something self-contained that would appeal to both our students at once. I'll let you know how that goes.
So for a do-it-yourself kind of homeschool family, we seem to be suddenly loaded down with "do this on Monday Tuesday Wednesday, start a binder, listen to the CD, do this project, review, review." What made Mama Squirrel reach for the brown paper bag was, first, having to figure out how to use all those other people's programs; and second, fitting those things, even broken down into short, CM-friendly lessons, into a week that doesn't feel like a race car out of control. Now that I've gone over most of the pieces, I think it will work out all right, even with the workboxes, because I can ask each Squirreling to do the parts on her own that seem appropriate, and drop in a "work with Mom" card when necessary. Most of the daily instructions are fairly self-explanatory, and a lot of them will repeat from week to week (do dictation every other Friday, etc.).
Plus...and this is a big issue...I wanted to find ways for the three of us to work together when possible. Ponytails doesn't like spending homeschool days being sent off by herself to study, and with her home just this year or possibly one more, I would like to take advantage of this time we have too. It's not always easy to combine students four grades apart, but we're going to intersect wherever it makes sense.
Scheduling
First thing in the morning, we'll do our Bible/Christian studies time, hymns, memory work, about 20 minutes of French, and a physical exercise.
Then workboxes for most of the rest of the morning--math, language, history (and science for Crayons--Ponytails will do her science later with Mr. Fixit).
The last bit of the morning we'll do together--Outdoor Nature challenges, readaloud science biographies (starting with The Ocean of Truth, about Isaac Newton), composer study, and picture study.
After lunch, Ponytails will work with Mom on Grade 7 English (including the creative writing course) and Other Grade 7 Stuff (Money Matters for Teens, Citizenship, Logic; later in the year a Plutarch study which falls under Citizenship). Crayons will finish up her morning workboxes and work on an animal project (something from the Review Crew).
Mid-afternoon, we'll do readalouds together (including Ponytails' literature selections--I chose the ones that Crayons would probably like to hear too), and alternate the Nutrition 101 and Artistic Pursuits lessons. That leaves extra time if an art project goes long. Nutrition will last till about March, and then we'll either leave the time open or do something else during the spring.
They'll each have an extra-reading list, and Ponytails will have some work to do with Mr. Fixit (i.e. science lessons, plus going over her math work and setting assignments to be done during next day's workbox time).
We have this schedule written up on a piece of poster board in the kitchen, along with colour-coded Post-It notes with names of some of the books we're doing. Blue for Ponytails' books, yellow for Crayons', pink for shared.
Workboxes
I made a black-markered grid, 11 by 5 boxes, on a piece of paper, photocopied it twice, and covered each one with an overhead transparency sheet (I got a whole boxful of those at a yard sale). They can now be written on with a dry-erase marker. 11 sections per day, 5 days per week.
Crayons' grid will look something like this (more or less the same each day): Poems to learn, math, history or science, copywork, literature, spelling, work with Ponytails, animal project, work with Ponytails, and extra reading. That only makes ten boxes, but there's one left over for "surprises."
Ponytails' grid looks like this: Math, copywork, history, group work (nature etc.), Grade 7 Work, Grade 7 English, readalouds, Health/Art, extra reading, and Work with Dad. Also ten boxes, one left over for extras.
Since we have nine magazine holders per girl, the extra reading books will be in separate baskets. (Yes, I can do math better than that. I will probably put two numbers on one box--that's how it comes out to ten boxes plus one extra. I just don't have room on the shelf for more than nine per person.)
Mama Squirrel breathes a sigh of relief.
So I would really like to have a clear idea what we're doing this fall for school. So would the Squirrelings. I've sent anxious emails here and there asking for help with some of our problems, and I appreciate the advice I've gotten. A lot of the responses I got had to do with CM-not-overdoing-it, but I don't think that is exactly the problem this year, although with all the Review Crew stuff plus workboxes plus juggling two Squirrelings' schedules, it would be easy enough to do. I'm actually happy with what we narrowed it all down to (how's that for dangling prepositions); so in the past few days it's been more a problem of how to fit it together. Including workboxes.
Sue Patrick's Workbox System is on the Review Crew schedule for this year, but we won't be getting the book until sometime in the fall--and I don't even know if ALL of us are supposed to be trying it out. However, on the chance that we were going to be asked to review it, I thought it would be less disruptive to start that way rather than have to change over. I wasn't going to go out and buy twenty-four shoeboxes, but I did overhaul two shelves of a freestanding cabinet, and I found enough magazine holders to give each Squirreling nine "boxes." Not purely Sue Patrick's method, and we haven't gone for the scheduling strips, but at least we did make "completion charts" to go with them.
(If you've been following along this summer, this is all old news. I'm just trying to put it all together.)
And yes, some of the Review Crew products are more CM-friendly than others. We're supposed to try the things out where practical, or at least examine them closely enough to give a decent review. If I wouldn't use this, is there someone out there who uses a different homeschool method and would find this useful? Or someone with a different learning/teaching style? Not everything is suited to CM Squirrels, and that's fine--but still, we have to make room to try out some of these things. I'm excited about using Nutrition 101: Choose Life! as a kind of combination health, anatomy and food class for both the girls. And since Ponytails did ask for some creative writing this year (something for which we've never used any special curriculum), it seemed worthwhile to make Write with the Best part of the fall/winter plan.
Another program, Artistic Pursuits, was offered to last year's Review Crew, but I had to go scrounge up my own. One level for both girls.
And I ended up getting Coffeemamma's copy of The Easy French, to use with both girls. In answer to Jeanne's question, I have never used this program before, but I was looking for something self-contained that would appeal to both our students at once. I'll let you know how that goes.
So for a do-it-yourself kind of homeschool family, we seem to be suddenly loaded down with "do this on Monday Tuesday Wednesday, start a binder, listen to the CD, do this project, review, review." What made Mama Squirrel reach for the brown paper bag was, first, having to figure out how to use all those other people's programs; and second, fitting those things, even broken down into short, CM-friendly lessons, into a week that doesn't feel like a race car out of control. Now that I've gone over most of the pieces, I think it will work out all right, even with the workboxes, because I can ask each Squirreling to do the parts on her own that seem appropriate, and drop in a "work with Mom" card when necessary. Most of the daily instructions are fairly self-explanatory, and a lot of them will repeat from week to week (do dictation every other Friday, etc.).
Plus...and this is a big issue...I wanted to find ways for the three of us to work together when possible. Ponytails doesn't like spending homeschool days being sent off by herself to study, and with her home just this year or possibly one more, I would like to take advantage of this time we have too. It's not always easy to combine students four grades apart, but we're going to intersect wherever it makes sense.
Scheduling
First thing in the morning, we'll do our Bible/Christian studies time, hymns, memory work, about 20 minutes of French, and a physical exercise.
Then workboxes for most of the rest of the morning--math, language, history (and science for Crayons--Ponytails will do her science later with Mr. Fixit).
The last bit of the morning we'll do together--Outdoor Nature challenges, readaloud science biographies (starting with The Ocean of Truth, about Isaac Newton), composer study, and picture study.
After lunch, Ponytails will work with Mom on Grade 7 English (including the creative writing course) and Other Grade 7 Stuff (Money Matters for Teens, Citizenship, Logic; later in the year a Plutarch study which falls under Citizenship). Crayons will finish up her morning workboxes and work on an animal project (something from the Review Crew).
Mid-afternoon, we'll do readalouds together (including Ponytails' literature selections--I chose the ones that Crayons would probably like to hear too), and alternate the Nutrition 101 and Artistic Pursuits lessons. That leaves extra time if an art project goes long. Nutrition will last till about March, and then we'll either leave the time open or do something else during the spring.
They'll each have an extra-reading list, and Ponytails will have some work to do with Mr. Fixit (i.e. science lessons, plus going over her math work and setting assignments to be done during next day's workbox time).
We have this schedule written up on a piece of poster board in the kitchen, along with colour-coded Post-It notes with names of some of the books we're doing. Blue for Ponytails' books, yellow for Crayons', pink for shared.
Workboxes
I made a black-markered grid, 11 by 5 boxes, on a piece of paper, photocopied it twice, and covered each one with an overhead transparency sheet (I got a whole boxful of those at a yard sale). They can now be written on with a dry-erase marker. 11 sections per day, 5 days per week.
Crayons' grid will look something like this (more or less the same each day): Poems to learn, math, history or science, copywork, literature, spelling, work with Ponytails, animal project, work with Ponytails, and extra reading. That only makes ten boxes, but there's one left over for "surprises."
Ponytails' grid looks like this: Math, copywork, history, group work (nature etc.), Grade 7 Work, Grade 7 English, readalouds, Health/Art, extra reading, and Work with Dad. Also ten boxes, one left over for extras.
Since we have nine magazine holders per girl, the extra reading books will be in separate baskets. (Yes, I can do math better than that. I will probably put two numbers on one box--that's how it comes out to ten boxes plus one extra. I just don't have room on the shelf for more than nine per person.)
Mama Squirrel breathes a sigh of relief.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
