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Works in progress
Fri, 27/08/2010 - 09:22Aren’t we all? Works in progress, I mean? I could probably title EVERY post “works in progress” and remain accurate!LOL!
That being said, this year has started off more smoothly than perhaps any year before and we are really hitting a groove here. I am beginning to feel like all of the plans I stressed over carefully made over the summer may just work in practice after all! If that’s not progress, I’m not sure what is!
Anyway, just so I don’t get too far behind recording our progress, I thought I’d write this quickie post to share a few things, mid-week (sort of) that may or may not be quite finished.
JBug’s art studies are coming along brilliantly. She’s had a lot of fun spending the past two weeks with Gustav Klimt and is currently finishing up a Klimt-inspired collage project. I’ll try to get a picture of the finished product up soon because I think it is going to be really cool and other folks may want to give it a shot (it’s our own interpretation of this project).
Superboy is thoroughly enjoying chemistry, Caveman Chemistry that is!
Making fire, caveman style…
which is actually much harder than it looks. Those cavemen were no slackers!
Then on to “flint knapping”…
(aka making an arrowhead out of a glass bottle.)
Pretty nice work, I’d say. Definitely caveman-worthy.
In literature he’s moving through his reading list at a great clip, finished Hittite Warrior, about to polish off Gilgamesh. I just hope all of this “ancient” stuff doesn’t go to his head. It’s hard enough to keep teenage boys from turning barbarian without any added influence! Luckily he moves on to the civilizing influence of the Greeks very soon.
And today we celebrate the 100th birthday of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta! In her honor we are making Indian food for dinner—curry chicken and warm lentil salad. We will see how it goes, because as a chef, I am most definitely a work in progress!
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Our Charlotte Mason Day
Sun, 22/08/2010 - 06:53I posted last about Superboy’s Charlotte Mason-inspired schedule because , as I pointed out, there just isn’t much out there about CM at the high school level and I want to encourage sharing about that if I can. And though there is a LOT more available about CM at the elementary level, I thought I’d go ahead and write up a little description of what a typical day for JBug entails, and how these two variations (high school and elementary) work together for me as a teacher to both levels.
Most days have about the same feel to them for JBug, with some small variations here and there. I’ll describe what JBug did on wednesday, which is a fairly typical day:
- Phonics: due to JBug’s dyslexia, we have a LOT more phonics-type work to do than the typical 3rd grader might have. We begin with a warm-up of her reading aloud from lists of simple short-vowel words: cat, bat, pan,tin, lid, pig, ten, fed, men, mud, sun, bug, etc, (pink level work if you are a Montessorian). Then we move on to our blend (blue level) and our long vowel (green level) word cards, and some sight word cards. Next we read and discuss our phonics lesson of the day from Alphaphonics. And finally she reads to me from a phonics reader (right now we are using the Now I’m Reading series). This may seem like a lot, but believe me, JBug needs this constant review. Really it takes only 30-40 minutes or so in the morning and these daily reminders make a world of difference to the flow of the rest of her day.
(Meanwhile Superboy is reading his religion materials and will come narrate to me when he finishes. I will pause JBug’s phonics lessons if necessary to listen to his quick narration. Side benefit: JBug hears and learns from Superboy’s narration.)
- English: a quick lesson from English for the Thoughtful Child. This day’s lesson was on what makes a complete sentence. We did this lesson entirely orally. 10-15 minutes tops.
- History: since it is wednesday, JBug has listened to her audiobook chapter the day before, so today she makes a poster for her wall timeline. Today it is ancient Egypt, her favorite, so she happily works on her drawing of pyramids, a sphinx, and the temple at Abu Simbel, adding plenty of detail and coloring it carefully, chattering all the while. I give her a line of copywork to add to her poster: ” Egypt was a mighty kingdom on the Nile river.“ ( “mighty” relates to the her phonics lesson for the day, the–igh– long I sound ). This she copies in her best handwriting. (total time, maybe 45 minutes).
(Meanwhile, Superboy is reading his history. When finished he comes and narrates to me and we discuss some of the more interesting aspects of Minoan culture.)
Snack time! Some yogurt and fruit and we are recharged!
- Nature study: I read aloud to JBug a chapter from our current nature read: Wild Life in Woods and Fields. Today the topic is early spring flowers. She listens, narrates, and then does a lovely notebook page on daffodils for her nature notebook. Her copywork, ” The daffodil stores food in its bulb under ground”. She draws and labels a daffodil, making special note of the round, onion-like bulb.( maybe 30 minutes)
(meanwhile Superboy is reviewing his formulas and equations from his chapter of Caveman Chemistry, noting them in his lab book. He has a couple of questions on the combustion reaction of cellulose so while JBug draws and labels her daffodil, Superboy and I discuss that.)
- Math: Today’s lesson is simple fractions. She blasts through it in no time. (10 minutes) This gives her plenty of free time before lunch. She heads outside to play “Iron Chef” with seaweed and mud on the rocks of the jetty.
(Superboy is ahead of schedule too, so he takes advantage to get some free reading done. A Percy Jackson book, I believe).
Lunch time! Sandwich for Superboy, leftover chicken and rice for JBug and me. Then it’s back at it again!
- Religion: Wednesdays we read a saint story and JBug narrates. Today was one of our family favorites, St Francis of Assisi, a life story which JBug knows well. I read from Loyola Kids Book of Saints, and JBug gives a lively narration, acting out scenes in quite a dramatic way. She always giggles and turns red at the point where Francis drops his clothing in the town square. Tomorrow she will do a notebook page on this beloved saint in her faith notebook, but today, it is all about the drama! (maybe 20 minutes, with all the drama).
( Meanwhile Superboy whizzes through his math lesson, and moves on to literature. He reads ~50 pages from Hittite Warrior and then comes to give me a brief review.)
- Art study: This week’s artist is Gustav Klimt, so we spend a few minutes reviewing his paintings on the computer slide-show I’ve made. She needs an extra day to finish up her coloring page of The Kiss from yesterday, so that’s what she does. She is happy she has an excuse to use the fancy gold Prismacolor pencil. There’s lots of gold in Klimt! (~30 minutes)
- Computer work: Last thing of the day is for JBug to spend some time with Explode the Code Online. She happily works through a dozen lessons,(~30 minutes) then is rewarded for her efforts with some time on her favorite site: Lego Games.
I use this quiet time to tend to my own education, and catch a quick read of some Plutarch. Good stuff!
(Meanwhile Superboy has been reading from his nature study book: Fruitless Fall. He comes to narrate to me , cup of tea with honey in hand,very enthusiastic about the book. We have a nice discussion about the importance of honey bees and the book’s unfolding mystery of colony collapse syndrome. )
And then…we are all done for the day!!! Superboy is off to swimming practice, JBug goes back to her “Kitchen Stadium” in the rough, and I catch up on blogs and message boards before it is time to prepare dinner.
And that, my friends, sums up our Charlotte Mason day!
I’d LOVE to hear about YOUR CM day, especially how you coordinate varying levels within your home!
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
High School: Charlotte Mason Style
Fri, 20/08/2010 - 13:51Because descriptions of Charlotte Mason style education at the high school level are few and far between, I wanted to take a moment to describe what our Charlotte Mason-inspired high school experience is like.
Keep in mind this is a reflection of MY interpretation of CM methods and in no way should be interpreted as the “right” way to do CM in high school. Like most folks, I am figuring it out as I go.
But mainly I wanted to share because despite the fact that at first glance a true CM education seems complicated to the point of impossibility, I feel strongly that is worth wading through the confusion to get to the core of what is actually a profoundly *simple* way of teaching and learning, based on excellent living books, and the magic of narration. And that is pretty much all there is to it! Really! CM does NOT have to be complicated.
Lets take a look at what Superboy’s CM-inspired 10th grade entails:
First I’ll share an overview of his week, then I’ll give you a look at the materials he is currently using.
His week is pretty straightforward. He has 7 subjects, 5 of which he does daily. These are: religion, history, chemistry, math, and literature.
Two days a week (M, T) he does grammar/composition, and three days (W,Th, F) he does natural history.
So, a total of six subjects per day. Simple!
Most of his core subjects involve reading a chapter or so daily from an excellent living book, and narrating orally. The exceptions being mainly math and chemistry (somewhat). Writing is addressed within his literature and history studies, as is art appreciation. Again, simple!
Lets look at what he is currently working on, this being week 1:
- Math: Math U See–finishing up Algebra II and moving into geometry in a few weeks. He does one lesson per week.
- Religion: He has a couple of different books he is reading from Mon-thursdays. He reads a chapter, then narrates. Fridays he listens to a podcast which discusses next Sunday’s Mass readings. ( I will soon write another post listing all his religion selections for the year.)
- History: (read this post for a detailed explanation) this week’s independent research topic is the Minoan civilization. He researches for about 30 minutes daily, then narrates. On thursday he fills out his notebook page, on friday he writes his essay. He is also reading chapter 1 of The Greek Way, narrating as he goes.
- Literature: Current read is Hittite Warrior. He is speeding through that easily– about 50 pages per day.
- Chemistry: Caveman Chemistry, one chapter per week. Monday and tuesday are reading and narration, weds he notes in his lab book any formulas or equations he needs to learn, thursday does his lab, friday he writes his lab report.
- Grammar/composition: This is monday-tuesday. Currently he is finishing up Excavating English, which is a neat little unit on the origins of the English language that he began last year and wanted to finish up this year. When he does, it will be replaced with additional grammar materials, to be determined. I am strongly considering Spelling Wisdom, a book of dictation passages from Simply Charlotte Mason.
- Natural History/Nature Study: This is weds-thurs-fridays. Currently reading Fruitless Fall, a chapter a day, more or less, and narrating.(read more details on his nature study here).
- Art: not really a separate subject, art is addressed within his history studies. As part of his study of each culture, he also looks at their representative art. This week: Minoan bull-leaping murals. Very cool.
So, LOTS of reading (from living books), and narration, a little writing and grammar, a science lab, and some math. I think it is the very *picture* of simplicity.
(To further illustrate the simplicity of this method, notice the things that are NOT included: spelling tests, vocabulary lists, math tests, comprehension questions, lectures, note-taking, end-of-chapter review, quizzes, workbooks, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, true-false, or any other kind of busy-work.)
It’s simple.
- He reads.
- He tells me what he read.
- He reads some more.
And… he learns.
What do I do? I listen. And I let the books do the talking for me.
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Simple gluten-free brownies
Sat, 14/08/2010 - 03:29As some of you may know, I was recently diagnosed with gluten intolerence. Major bummer. I am trying to adjust, but I have to admit, my recreational baking has been hit hard. And the kids and I are suffering from a lack of chocolaty goodness. So many gluten-free recipes are just sooooo *fiddly* — involving expensive ( and sometimes not too tasty) ingredients, plus over-complicated techniques, that I am hesitant to even try them.
Well, I did some *experimenting* in the kitchen late last night and came up with my very own recipe for gluten-free brownies that turned out great!
I wanted to share because if you are avoiding baking because of fiddly gluten-free recipes, you will love this recipe–it is EASY as can be!
Gluten-Free Brownies:
In mixer combine:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 T vanilla
Mix until smooth and creamy
In separate bowl combine:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup corn starch*
1/4 cup potato flour*
1/4 t salt
Add dry ingredients gradually to egg mixture. Mix well at medium speed (start slowly and work up to faster).
Melt 2 sticks butter and drizzle into batter as mixer is running. Mix well.
(note: I used real butter. I don’t know if margarine will sub well or not).
Pour into greased brownie pan ( I used 11 X 7) and bake at 350 until inserted knife comes clean.(I forgot to time it. Maybe 35 minutes or so?)
Let cool and enjoy!
* this is just the combination of flours I tried. Other flours (rice, tapioca, etc) may work as well.
I hope this helps someone. I know I feel much better knowing I can whip up a batch of yummy brownies in a snap just like I used to.
Anyone care to share their simple gluten-free recipes? I’m going to experiment with cookies next!
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
A timeline begins…
Wed, 11/08/2010 - 09:18I had written in an earlier post my plans for history for JBug. Part of that is listening to the audio version of Gombrich’s Little History of the World, and making a mini-poster for each chapter. These posters will then be hung on a line along the top of the wall, timeline style.
Well, the plans are beginning to become a reality and JBug completed her first poster today! I LOVE what my funny, creative girl came up with!
All of the posters will include a date at the top (except this one, of course), an illustration, and a few lines of copywork. (I used a template from the basic notebooking set from Notebookingpages.com and printed it up on cardstock). I assign the copywork, but it’s up to JBug and her vivid imagination to come up with a picture. She LOVES that part!
I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Back at it!
Tue, 10/08/2010 - 06:42
Started JBug up on a half-schedule today to ease her back into school mode: math, phonics, reading, copywork, nature study and a little work on polishing up her Hail Mary (there are a few words she tends to sort of mumble and skip over). She flew through it all with a great attitude, saying “I’m so happy to be doing school again!”
Not so sure I’ll get the same reaction from Superboy when he starts up next week! LOL! But he is glad to be starting swim practice with the high school team, even if the hours are awfully early (7am this week, 6am starting next week!). This for a boy who normally rolls out of bed at as close to noon as he can get away with. Then of course there are afternoon practices as well. He definitely will be getting a workout!
The little boys have gone back to Florida to be with their mommy for a while. We miss them terribly and there is an eerie quiet about the place that is hard to get used to. But the way time is flying lately, they will be back before we know it.
Me? I am super busy trying to pre-read all of Superboy’s history, nature study, religion, and literature books for the year. I know I won’t have much time once school starts in earnest, so I am trying to get it all done now. I may not make it, but I am enjoying trying!
So…when are you guys hitting the books this year?
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Nature Study: taking it to the next level
Sun, 01/08/2010 - 17:20You know, nature study is the one subject we have done really consistently for many years. It’s probably what we do best. Heck, the kids can pick up a field guide and identify an insect or wildflower before they can read. Their nature journals are stuffed full of bird sketches, tree rubbings, pressed flowers, mushroom spore prints, and notes on seed dispersal, weather, animal tracks, soils and all the many creatures we’ve discovered together over the years.Nature study is as natural to our family as ball-parks and dance recitals are to other families. It’s just *what we do.*
So what do you do when you have a high-school-aged student to whom nature journaling, species identification, collecting and labeling, etc are all just second nature? How do you challenge him to take nature study to the next level?
Well, for one thing, I won’t be requiring any nature journaling from him any more. He has moved beyond the need for guidance from me in that area. From now on, his nature journal is his own, and he can journal (or not) as he pleases.
Instead, our time together will be spent looking beyond our own backyard and exploring some of the many larger issues involving nature: the history, the intrigue, the problems and solutions, and the people for whom nature study is more than just a family pastime.
To set us off on that journey, Superboy has quite a fascinating line-up of fascinating nature-related reading material this year, and I’d love to share it with you. In choosing these books I tried to keep a balance between plant and animal related books on a variety of themes. Some natural history, some environmental issues, some just interesting fact-filled explorations. But above all, these books are all highly engaging and thought-provoking literature.
We are kicking it off with Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities
After that comes Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis
Next we take little meander into the very basics of nature–the elements, with The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
Then it’s back to the animal kingdom with Animal Investigators: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species
Then plants steal the show again with Flora Mirabilis: How Plants Have Shaped World Knowledge, Health, Wealth, and Beauty (National Geographic)
And next up is Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
Last but certainly not least is The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists
And that is all I have planned for now. We may end up adding more to the list, but for now I think it is a great set of books and should provide much food for thought.
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 18 comments
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Epic History in the Making
Fri, 30/07/2010 - 13:40How do you like that title? Pretty “epic” right? LOL! Well, this post is long enough to nearly qualify for epic status, but I hope you’ll bear with me.
Anyway, today I share my plans for Superboy’s history studies for this coming year. He chose to study Greek and Roman history (excellent choice I must say), and I have spent many a long hour sifting and sorting through ginormous piles of history narratives. I really dug deep, reading and reading anything I could get my hands on (and some that I couldn’t), trying to find just the right thing.
(btw: an excellent source for viewing the full text of MANY older history texts is this one:Heritage History. Truly a treasure trove! Dig in!)
My requirements: The chosen book should be narrative in nature (story-like and readable), living, thought-provoking, and at the right reading level to challenge without defeating. Not so much to ask, is it?
Apparently it is, because I never did find that *just right* thing. Everything was either too dry, too easy, too thick and tedious, or just plain boring.
I did come close, however, and have decided upon a few books as his anchor texts:
For the Greeks, he will read a combination of the sophisticated (but excellent) The Greek Way, by Edith Hamilton, and the easier reading Famous Men of Greece by Haaren and Poland (Memoria Press Edition).
Both of these books score high for narrative quality. The problem lies in reading level. Famous Men is a bit on the low side (too easy), and The Greek Way tips the scales on the higher side and will challenge Superboy’s reading skills mightily. But I find what Ms. Hamilton has to say about the Greeks to be beautiful and highly thought-provoking, and so I chose it for him even if I need to help him through a bit of it. It’ll definitely be worth the effort.
For the Romans, his anchor texts will be Famous Men of Rome (again, a bit on the easy side) and Historical Tales Vol 11: Roman by Charles Morris, which seems to actually be spot on as far as the level of difficulty I am looking for.(read it here for free) Plus, it’s such a good read!
Here is an excerpt of Historical Tales so you’ll see what I mean:
While Tarquin the Proud was king a strange thing happened at Rome. One day an unknown woman came to the king, bearing in her arms nine books, which she offered to sell to him at a certain price. She told him that they contained the prophecies of the Sibyl of Cumæ, and that from them might be learned the destiny of Rome and the way to carry out this destiny.
But the price she asked for her books seemed to the king exorbitant, and he refused to buy them, whereupon the woman went away from the palace and burned three of the volumes. She then returned with six only and offered them to the king, but demanded the same price for the six as she had before done for the nine. King Tarquin heard this demand with laughter and mockery, and again refused to buy. The woman once more left the palace, and burned three more of the books.
To the king’s astonishment his strange visitor soon returned, bearing the three books that remained. On being asked their price, she named the same sum as she had demanded for the six and the nine. This was ceasing to be matter for mockery. There might be some important mystery concealed behind this strange demand. The king sent for the augurs of the court, told them what had happened, and asked what he should do. They told him that he had done very wrong. In refusing the books he had refused a gift of the gods. By all means he must buy the books that were left. He bought them, therefore, at the Sibyl’s price. As for the woman, she was never seen again…
Makes you want to read on, right? That’s what I’m looking for! (and unfortunately I am still looking for an actual paper copy of this book. I hate reading online!) ETA: thanks to helpful comment by Brittney, I was able to have the book printed up by the Harvard book store Book Machine ! Neat! Thanks Brittney!
Ah, but that most certainly isn’t all of it. The boy is going to be steeped in the classical world. For literature this year will be largely (but not entirely) tied into his history studies. There’s a wide variety here. Some selections are easier, some are much more challenging.
Here is his literature list:
- Hittite Warrior-Joanne Williamson
- Epic of Gilgamesh
- Black Ships Before Troy-Rosemary Sutcliff
- The Odyssey-Homer
- The Glorious Adventure-Richard Halliburton
- Socrates’ death speech
- A Young Macedonian-Church
- Orestian trilogy-Aeschylus
- Oedipus Rex-Sophocles
- The Trojan Women-Euripides
- Julius Caesar-Shakespeare
- The Living Wood: St Helena and the Emperor Constantine-Lewis DeWohl
- The Restless Flame: A novel about St Augustine-DeWohl
- Kon Tiki-Thor Heyerdahl (just for fun!)
And he will also go on a little jaunt through some CS Lewis. He has long ago read the Narnia books, so we move on to:
- Till we Have Faces
- Out of the Silent Planet
- Perelandra
- That Hideous Strength
- Screwtape Letters
And where/if we have time (particularly later in the year, the Roman selections are pretty sparse) we will add in a few other things I have in mind for him (perhaps some of Augustine’s Confessions?)
Lots of excellent reading! And in true Charlotte Mason style, all of his reading will be narrated orally, with weekly written narrations as well.
By way of keeping track of the flow of history, he will record his independent research in various reference books using the high school-level History Scholar notebooking pages from History Scribe, which includes such interesting topics as Greek and Roman architecture, Greek theater, the Peloponnesian Wars, the Fall of Rome, and many more-enough for a topic a week.
So, in summary, assigned reading will include his 4 anchor texts and his literature selections, all to be narrated orally, and his independent research to be recorded in his notebooking pages, plus narrated orally and in weekly essay form. I think that should do it!
And now, like the classical world, this post is history!
Oh yes, I crack myself up…
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Tell me Mr e e cummings…
Thu, 22/07/2010 - 16:06Would you call this mud-luscious…
or puddle-wonderful?
Because I just can’t decide.
Either way it looks like good *clean* fun!
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Oh, beautiful…
Sun, 04/07/2010 - 17:39Happy Independence Day!
It’s an amazing country we live in…
Now get out there and explore it!
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments
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A rainbow of art lessons
Sat, 03/07/2010 - 11:32My head is spinning with every color of the rainbow as today I worked on planning out JBug’s art for next year.
We normally do quite a bit of art, but it has been haphazard at best and I want to do better by my little budding artist this year by making some well-thought-out plans and sticking to them.
So, here is the plan:
I have scheduled 2 weeks per artist (mostly)
The first week will be for picture study.
- Day 1:introduce artist, look at a pictures, do a coloring page to become familiar with artist.
- Day 2: choose one piece of art to study. Sketch in pencil, focusing on artists use of line and composition.
- Day 3: Choose one piece to study. Sketch in color, focusing on artists use of color and shading.
Week 2 will be spent doing a project based on that particular artist, focusing on a medium or technique that artist is known for.
A few artists I have scheduled for only 1 week. These are the weeks where we will focus mainly on getting to know the artist’s signature technique through a simple project without so much picture study.
If you would like to see how I have the full year planned out,with the list of artists being studied, projects we are doing, and resources for those projects, I have it in a Google Document right here:
For the most part we are using The Usborne Art Treasury by Rosie Dickens, and Discovering Great Artists by Kohl and Solga. I’ve also made use of some great art blogs to round out the list.
Check it out!
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments
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Making Sense of the Tangle of History
Fri, 02/07/2010 - 07:48I was planning history for Superboy, who will be doing a year of Greeks and Romans( the subject of another post) and originally thought I’d do ancients with JBug too, thinking it would be easiest and most logical to keep them in the same era.
But, every time I talk history with JBug she says something that tells me that she needs a ” big picture” year first.
She really has no concept of the chronological order of things: whether the Pharaohs came before or after “the Presidents” (as she calls the founding fathers) , when and where knights jousted in tournaments, or if Ninjas and Samurai still roam the streets of Japan.
Really, it is all just a jumbled mess in her mind and I need to help her sort it out in a logical way. So, before I dive deeply into a specific era with her, I’ve decided we will spend a year doing an overview of world history, giving her some mental “pegs” on which to hang her understanding of history.
Our main “text” will be the audiobook version of this:
Little History of the World: Classic Collection
I’ve read a lot of children’s history spines and I find this one to be the most story-like and captivating (aka “living” ) of them all. Unlike some other popular history spines, the quality of Gombrich’s writing is excellent and worthy of imitation. Plus, the way the audio version is read is totally charming and I know JBug will be enthralled.
I plan to let her listen to (and then orally narrate) one chapter per week. Next day she will work on a mini-poster (on 8.5 X 11 cardstock) with an illustration and a sentence or two summary (copywork). These posters will then be hung on a line, high on the wall, time-line style, so she can have a clear visual reminder of the order of things. Then as we read supplemental materials, we can discuss whether they came before or ofter the events on these poster “pegs”.
As far as supplemental materials, well, there are tons of great living history picture books out there and lots of compiled lists of them, so I won’t bother you with a list of my own. (Here is a good list if you are interested). I have tons of them in our home library already, and plan on pulling and making use of them to coordinate with and supplement our audiobook spine.
I’ve also recently acquired some new gems to help us along our way:
Life Story
Usborne Time Traveler
Tales From Far and Near / Tales of Long Ago: History Stories of Other Lands [2 books in 1]
And as a reference, to answer all of those inevitable questions I know she will ask, I have some meaty history encyclopedias we can draw from, but this one is more JBug’s speed:
The Usborne Book of World History
As far as scheduling goes, the plan is for history 3-4days per week, as follows:
- Day 1 will be listening to the audio followed by an oral narration.
- Day 2 will be making the poster and copywork.
- Day 3 will be for the additional related read-alouds (followed by oral narrations).
- Day 4 will be for JBug to read a related story to me (either from Tales from Far and Near or other easy-reader type books).
So, that is the plan for untangling history.
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Nature Study: the plan of action
Tue, 29/06/2010 - 14:01So, here are all the details of my plans for JBug’s nature study for next year (she will also be doing earth science, but that is another subject). We will be doing it Charlotte Mason style, outdoors with our nature journals and field guides whenever possible, but I have planned a full plate of fabulous nature read-alouds for her to enjoy as well.
In addition to our usual fun, relaxed outdoors exploration and sketching in our nature journals, JBug’s formal nature study will be three times weekly.
Two days per week will be dedicated to general nature study of all sorts, and one day will be devoted to bird study. For the main part, this year I intend to read our way through all of the books in the “Eyes and No Eyes” series by Arabella Buckley. They are charming, informative and perfect. They include the following:
Wild Life in Woods and Fields (Yesterday’s Classics)
Plant Life in Field and Garden (Yesterday’s Classics) (Eyes and No Eyes Series)
Trees and Shrubs (Yesterday’s Classics)
Insect Life (Yesterday’s Classics)
By Pond and River (Yesterday’s Classics)
(By the way, the books are pretty cheap at Amazon, but if you care to read them online, you can get them all for free at the Baldwin Project.)
In addition to the Arabella Buckley books, I have the following books scheduled especially for wintertime:
The Seven Sleepers: The Story of Hibernation
and
Why Seals Blow Their Noses
This book is a real gem because it has a combination of both facts and legends about many of our local wildlife including bears, seals, whales, salmon, and ravens, to name a few. Very interesting!
Filling in the gaps will be another Arabella Buckley title:
Life and Her Children: Glimpses of Animal Life from the Amoeba to the Insects (Classic Reprint)
For her one day per week devoted to birds, I’ll be using the following:
Birds of the Air (Yesterday’s Classics)
and this fabulous book I picked up at the Raptor Center:
Raptor! A Kid’s Guide to Birds of Prey
and
The Burgess Bird Book for Children (Classic Reprint)
(you can get the Kindle version of this book free, also. If you don’t have a Kindle (I don’t) you can use Kindle for PC and download it to your computer)
So, to sum up, the plan is for plenty of outdoor time with our field guides and nature journals, and a bunch of lovely read-alouds which she will then narrate orally. We will be using the lovely and versatile pre-made notebooking pages from NotebookingPages.com for her copywork and short written narrations.
Sounds like a plan, right?
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments
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To every thing there is a season…
Mon, 28/06/2010 - 08:24… and a time to every purpose under heaven.(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
I am feeling a pull.
You know, I have been doing this home education thing for quite a few years now and during that time our little learning home has gone through a lot of changes.
I began as an enthusiast of Charlotte Mason methodology and followed it happily and successfully for many years, all the while peppering our days with the occasional unit study for kicks. Then I discovered Montessori, and felt a pull to use those beautiful materials and gentle, logical methods with my growing under-six crowd. It worked so well for them I consider it a great asset to our littlest learners. I also found that Superboy, as he grew, was exceptionally motivated to learn things in his own way, in his own time, so I felt yet another pull to move into an unschooling approach (for the most part) . Given the freedom to follow his interests, I’ve seen his enthusiasm for learning really blossom.
And so it has gone for the past few years. My educational approach growing, evolving, changing as my children and grandchildren did the same. And this is all good. After all, the beauty of home education is the unique ability to do just that–to adapt the educational experience to meet the needs of the child (and not vice-versa).
Things change. Circumstances change. Children change. I change.
And now I am feeling that pull again. This time not in a new direction, but an old one.
I am feeling the pull to get back to my roots and plan for our days in a more orderly, yet gentle way. I am contemplating days filled with time spent outdoors, the reading of excellent “living books”, and a home where “education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.“ All the cornerstones of a Charlotte Mason education.
So that is the direction we will be heading next year. Let me assure you, we will still do things our way–our very hands-on and active way. But I am finding much inspiration in re-acquainting myself with Miss Mason’s methods. I look forward to re-incorporating narration, dictation, and copywork into our days again. I eagerly anticipate renewing our loving relationships with our neglected nature journals, reading aloud in the outdoors while the lovely weather holds, and snuggling under a blanket on the couch when it inevitably turns bitter again.
To everything there is a season and it looks like the seasons of our homeschooling life have come full circle.
Back to the beginning. And though outside our window it is summer (with Autumn fast approaching), for us it is spring again, and I can feel the life being pumped into us, rising from our roots to nourish us in our journey once again.
I hope in the next few days to write a series of posts detailing our plans for next year, and the materials we have chosen.
(For those who want to know more about Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy and gentle methods, please visit Simply Charlotte Mason for a quick summary. You can read the full text of Charlotte Mason’s complete 6 volume education series here.)
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
“It happened to happen…”
Mon, 21/06/2010 - 07:44I want to share with you a funny thing that happened to me yesterday. Not funny as in “ha-ha” but funny in a “that was weird” kind of way.
So, for your enjoyment I present:
It Happened to Happen A Coincidence in Three Acts Act 1: in which Theresa is in full planning mode and happens upon a book.I was in full planning mode and decided to focus on history. I went to the history shelves and started cleaning, organizing, sorting into nations and eras (Early American on one shelf, Egypt through Rome on another, etc). My goal was to find and pull any and all books that would relate to Superboy’s Greek and Roman history course next year. I found only a few and pulled them out , setting them aside to scan through later. As I was finishing my organizing I happened to notice a book that looked really out of place amongst the volumes of David Macauley and Holling C Holling. I pulled it out and sure enough it was a tattered old copy of the 1937 Dr Seuss book The 500 Hats of Batholomew Cubbins.
“Oh, that old thing” I thought. “Why haven’t I gotten rid of this ages ago?”
You see, although we are great Dr Seuss fans around here, this particular book is one of his first and not one of his best (I know! I’m sorry! but it’s true) and it was never a hit with any of my children. In fact I think it was read once 20 years ago, and then promptly shelved, never to be seen again, passed up for flashier, funnier fare. I couldn’t even remember what it was about, except for the obvious—a lot of hats.
I thought briefly of sticking it in the give-away box (why keep a book no one likes, after all, even if it is by Dr Seuss?) but that would mean walking across the house and I really wanted to stay focused on organizing history books, so instead quickly I shelved it with the children’s story books (one shelf down) where it belonged, even if for just a bit longer, vowing I’d deal with that shelf at another time.
And so ends act one.
Act 2: in which Theresa, still in planning mode, falls asleep reading about the glory that was Greece, after coming across an odd quote.I was laying in my bed that evening reading a fascinating book called Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill. It’s a book I was previewing to see if would be good supplement for Superboy’s history. (Turns out that it is a GREAT read for me, but I think a bit much for him right now. Maybe in a couple years.) Anyway, I was reading chapter 2, which is all about how the Greeks invented modern warfare and how their influence is felt in our military to this day. In fact, he argues it is largely responsible for western military success and world supremacy (militarily speaking). He then goes on to debate the merits of various theories about this supremacy being pre-ordained (by God or by nature) or whether it is purely by chance. The author comes down firmly on the side of coincidence, and he ends the chapter by quoting Dr Seuss: it just ” happened to happen.”
“That’s odd”, I thought, closing the book for the night. I don’t remember that quote from any Dr Seuss book, but it certainly sounded very Seussical, so I just let it slide. And as I drifted off to sleep I heard my husband in the living room saying to our little night-owl JackJack, “No. It is too late for TV, but you can pick out one book to look at if you like.”
(You can see where things are going, can’t you? You are so clever. Well I never did see it coming.)
Act 3: in which Theresa is awakened by a request for a bedtime story, and things start to get weird.I couldn’t have been asleep for more than a minute or two when I was awakened by JackJack crawling up into my bed and asking me to read him a bedtime story. He had in his hands that tattered copy of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. Of course he did. His sharp little eyes had spotted the one “new” book on his shelf of familiar favorites. Great. My first response was to say “No, sweetie, I am too tired tonight. I will read it to you in the morning.” but then I looked into those sweet, half-asleep eyes and I thought that this book was just boring enough to finish the job (I know! I’m sorry! But it really is). Wanting to get some sleep I began to read. Sure enough, the dreadfully boring book worked like a charm and those little eyes closed tight not even half way through.
(I could have stopped there. I really could have. But then, this wouldn’t be much of a story, would it? Plus, this is where things get really weird.)
I decided that even though JackJack was out like a light, I would go ahead and finish the story myself because I couldn’t remember how the story ended and well, I just hate that. So I read on, page after dreadfully boring page, to get to the end.
And then there it was!On that last page of that 1937, falling-apart, long-ignored book.
That book I should have gotten rid of 20 years ago.
That book that just that day I found amongst the history books I happened to choose to organize.
That book that was pulled out after who knows how many years of misplacement.
That book I nearly trashed.
That book I carelessly re-shelved.
That book spotted amongst dozens by an eagle-eyed night-owl and chosen for his bedtime tale.
That book I almost did not read to him that night.
That blessedly boring, sleep-inducing book.
That book that I nearly stopped half-way through.
That book that was the only Dr Seuss story I did not have memorized from countless read-alouds with children and grandchildren…
But neither Bartholomew Cubbins, nor King Derwin himself, nor anyone else in the Kingdom of Didd could ever explain how the strange thing happened. They only could say it just “happened to happen” and was not very likely to happen again.
And if that isn’t a whole lot of coincidence, I don’t know what is.
THE END
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Battling the chemical beast
Mon, 14/06/2010 - 15:26So, now comes the time that strikes fear into the hearts of homeschooling moms everywhere, judging by what I read all over the internets. What is this fearful time you ask? Time to face the dreaded High School Chemistry beast. Apparently it’s enough to make even a brave mom shudder and send her teens skittering off to the safety of public school chem lab. Well, I’m here to tell you that we at the LaPaz Home are not running. No way! We are going to confront this chemical monster head on and we will conquer the beast just like we have every other frightful subject that we’ve come upon. Here are our weapons of choice:
Caveman Chemistry: 28 Projects, from the Creation of Fire to the Production of Plastics
This is not your ordinary chemistry book, let me tell you right now. Here is a blurb from the Amazon review:
Caveman Chemistry is an experiential exploration of chemical technology from the campfires of the stone age to the plastic soft-drink bottle. An experiential exploration? Not only will you learn about these technologies, you will learn to recreate them. Instructions are given for making bronze from metal ores; glass from sand, ashes, and limestone; paper from grass or straw; soap from fat; alcohol from honey; photographs from egg whites; chlorine from salt water and celluloid from cotton.
Sounds pretty cool, eh? Just like something my caveboy could get into, right? But it isn’t just the choice of subject matter and projects that is intriguing. It’s also the way the subject is delivered. Again, from Amazon:
Your guides on this journey are the four alchemical elements; Fire, Earth, Air and Water. These archetypical characters deliver first-hand accounts of the births of their respective technologies. The spirit of Fire, for example, was born in the first creature to cultivate the flame. This spirit passed from one person to another, from one generation to another, from one millennium to another, arriving at last in the pages of this book. The spirit of Earth taught folks to make tools of stone, the spirit of Air imparted knowledge of units and the spirit of Water began with the invention of “spirits.” Having traveled the world from age to age, who can say where they will find their next home? Perhaps they will find one in you.
It reminds me a little bit of the classic, but slightly kooky middle-grade math book The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure
The only catch is I am going to have to hunt down a kiln somewhere as it is required for a few of the projects. But I am nothing if not intrepid and where there is a will, there is a way. A kiln I need and a kiln I will have! Somehow.
In addition, my second weapon of choice is:
The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things
This one is a little more mainstream, a little more “normal,” but also very readable. This book has a little demonstration to kick off each chapter, which is always fun. Mostly uses fairly easy to obtain chemicals (grocery or hardware store fare) and lists suppliers for harder to find stuff.
I think in combination with the project-oriented Caveman Chemistry this will make a solid course for Superboy’s High school chemistry. But just for good measure we have one more resource:
Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture (DIY Science)
Talk about meaty! Wow. This one is a great resource for picking and choosing a chem lab for just about any topic you could want. And the labs are very clearly written so they should be super easy to follow. Not only that, but there is a huge section on lab safety, lab reports, and tons of other basic lab procedures. PLUS there is a really handy checklist of recommended labs for general chem, honors and AP chem credit. Sweet resource. We will definitely be using this to beef up any areas I think are too lightly covered with the other two books.
So, that’s the battle plan so far. Not sure exactly how we will be integrating the resources yet–whether we will use one first and then the other, or alternate them somehow–but I will be updating the blog as I get that figured out for those who may be interested. I am totally confident we can and will defeat the fearful chemical beast. On to victory!!!! Now if I can just get a hold of a kiln…
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
That about sums it up
Thu, 03/06/2010 - 08:26I post this on the off chance that anyone still wonders why we do what we do here.
(thanks to the always inspirational Ordinary Life Magic)© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments
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I’m sure you’ll understand…
Sat, 29/05/2010 - 16:52Yes, I’ve been slack about blogging. By way of apology I offer only this as my excuse…
What is possibly the most heavenly picnic spot on the planet.
Can you blame me, really?
I’m sure I’ll be back to blogging regularly.
Really I will. As soon as Alaska stops being so very heart-stoppingly beautiful.
It may take a while.
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
Still kickin’
Sat, 15/05/2010 - 05:41Just a brief note to let everyone know I am still alive and kickin’! Just been incredibly busy and absorbed in real life. It happens, you know.
The weather has been getting better and better and we’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors.
Enjoying the interesting spring wildflowers…
This is Western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus). These bright yellow flowers grow about two feet tall, everywhere there is boggy land (which is just about everywhere in this rain forest of an island!) Gorgeous!
And we’ve had a lot of these guys hanging around the yard lately:
Talk about your backyard birds! LOL! They’ve been swooping down over the house and snatching fish from the harbor (herring, I suppose). We even saw one snatch two fish at once, one with each foot! I swear, we have no need of the Nature Channel around here. All we need to do is look out the window!
Superboy has been very busy with all of his volunteer work, Boy Scouts, and now Skateboard club…
JBug had her extra-special day!
She was so excited to be able to receive Christ for the first time! Isn’t she just glowing!?!
We are wrapping up this school year, looking forward to summer fun, and enthusiastically planning for the next school year, which promises to be jam-packed with great stuff (and the topic of another post coming soon).
So, that’s my update! Leave me a comment and let me know how your school year is winding down!
© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments
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Categories: Planet Home Education
