Our CM Homeschool

Phonics in the Morning

2011-01-26T11:56:00.001-06:00

Phonics in the Morning, originally uploaded by OhCaroline.

My little girl is on her third Explode the Code book. I caught a peek this morning...

Love that Shot! Link Up....:)

2010-10-06T10:34:00.003-05:00

This photo is my absolute favorite from the month of September! I was SOOO honored to be a part of this amazing birth and the face on this little one is priceless!

I processed these with a classic black and white preset I custom made in Adobe Lightroom. :) Canon 5DII, 35L at f/2.5

Smirk :) My I Heart Faces Entry

2010-09-20T22:55:00.004-05:00

This picture just captured the attitude of my daughter. I am entering this is the I Heart Faces weekly challenge (www.iheartfaces.com) So fun!

2010-05-01T00:04:00.001-05:00

Field Trip to the Alpaca Farm...

2010-04-23T17:20:00.000-05:00

This slideshow generated with Smilebox

Had a GREAT time with Grandpa Paul and Grandma Judy!

2010-04-19T22:42:00.001-05:00

Slideshow generated with Smilebox

Chicken and Egg Day!

2010-04-11T16:25:00.001-05:00

This free slideshow design customized with Smilebox

A day at the TN Aquarium!

2010-03-03T15:43:00.005-06:00

My neglected blog has some new pics! We had to take a detour (literally) in Chattanooga due to a major traffic jam that took hours to clear. We had fun in spite of wanting to get home after long hours in the car.

Baby, it's cold outside!

2010-02-17T09:52:00.002-06:00

This has been a crazy winter in the south. We have been playing in our "studio" since it has been to icky to hang out side. We finished a few great books and are really enjoying out Little House adventure. Anni bundled up in her friend's hat and a scarf for the occasion. Thank you Miss April!

Back on the Narration (Conestoga) Wagon

2010-01-06T09:19:00.004-06:00

We have been in a great push to finish our grammar texts this year and narration has fallen by the wayside lately. At least every other year I like them to work through a Rod and Staff Grammar book in order to get all the nitty-gritty of diagramming (of which I know Charlotte did not speak highly) and sentence structure. Do I like it? NO. It very much against my CM ways, but it makes me feel better where testing is concerned and it is that touch of traditional book work that reminds them how lucky they are that writing comes easy to them since they have narrated since they could talk.... Phew, that was a long sentence.

Since starting the Prairie Primer we have had abundant opportunity to narrate chapters and they are perfect for this purpose. I had forgotten how fun and engaging these books can be!

I just pick out the child that looks like he was paying the least attention and call on him to narrate. :) Then I may go have them write just what they verbally told me. It works out quite well.

Changing Gears! Moving to Little House on the Prairie Land

2009-11-19T12:15:00.003-06:00

We have been in MN for the last two weeks and all have been suffering from school burn out (ok, it was just me). We have been going strong since late June and it was time for a much-needed break.

We had the pleasure of visiting Walnut Grove, MN and learning more about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have always wanted to read through all the books with my kids, but was holding off until we lived "on the banks of Plum Creek" again. Well, that seems like it may never happen as the war keeps keeping on, so... I purchased The Prairie Primer and all the books that go along and we are heading into the prairie for a 9 book adventure.

I plan on using CM methods to implement this unit study. We will read the chapter assigned for each day and then narrate in some way or another. Fortunately, there are MANY ideas for projects which will help me get something done. Our artist study will continue as previously scheduled as well as Latin, math, English, Spanish, and music.

We have pretty much covered all of our American History books for the year and much of the Civil War and so this new project seems like the perfect thing to inject some fresh material into the mix.

Moon reflecting in the clouds!

2009-10-30T12:59:00.000-05:00

This really looked interesting last night. The moon you see on the left is a reflection in the clouds. Neat!

Moon pics

2009-10-30T12:57:00.000-05:00

The Brand New (to us) Buell..

2009-10-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

Daniel now has a new motorcycle which we picked up in Nashville the other day. I think he is pretty excited about the whole thing. It is blue, of course!

I purchased my dream software today!

2009-10-08T14:16:00.003-05:00

Digital photography is a new passion of mine and the kids are itching to participate as well. To that end I purchased the complete NIK software package with Lightroom today. (!!!!) I am so excited I can't sit still! If you take lots of pictures and want an easier interface than traditional photoshop you will LOVE, LOVE this.

The kids take pictures with the little Canon and I get the big one. :) I don't feel confident enough to put $2000 worth of equipment into an 11 year old's hands--yet. Micah is learning how to use Paint Shop Pro x2 and has been watching Lynda.com instruction all afternoon (his chosen elective).

Don't tell the kids, but they are all getting Holgas for Christmas and darkroom gear for home developing. We all seem to be equally smitten with this camera fascination. :)

2009-09-25T18:09:00.002-05:00

So... the attitude hasn't improved much today. Ok, this wasn't indicative of the whole day.

I seriously have to adjust the exposure on this one though. It is SOOC.

2009-09-25T18:09:00.001-05:00

We also had this!

2009-09-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

This is the face you get when a child has been very naughty and pitched a huge fit...and then they say they are sorry and you reward them by getting the Dora shaped noodles instead of plain. It was a loooong shopping trip, but at least we will eat now. :)

Still Playing with Picnik....

2009-09-03T22:18:00.004-05:00

I am obsessed with Picnik at the moment. We are still stomach-in-knots about our military future so my photography obsession has given me a much needed diversion--after school that is. I had to put a before and after up just to show how neat this site really is (oh, and to show how much fun I am having with my 85mm 1.8 lens---loooove it). Anyway, I am too type A to tackle Photoshop at the moment (simply couldn't do the learning curve justice) so Picnik is my pal for all things digital. I added a little exposure compensation and dodged out the pesky shadow, and...voila! a picture that looks a whole lot better. :)

This is almost as fun as sewing and cooking with NONE of the mess. Love it.

One Happy Kid

2009-09-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

This guy found out that he gets glasses today. He wasn't too thrilled, but after a five minute pout he was out skateboarding. :) Oh, and the all day eye appt for everyone made the school day super short. ;)

Playing with the Picnik application...

2009-08-26T07:14:00.002-05:00

Right now my head is so consumed with waiting on what the military is going to do with my husband, I just have put school on auto-pilot and am trying to divert my attention into photography. Thankfully, my kids school year round and know the drill pretty well...bible, math,English, science, history, drawing, Latin, Spanish, typing,...

I can play with pictures and try to keep my stomach from twisting into agonizing knots. Like usual, the military is stressing me out.

Friends Together. :)

2009-08-22T18:51:00.001-05:00

I think this is my new favorite pic of all time. These two little girls are so sweet.

More Experiments with my new Nikon...

2009-08-21T23:07:00.004-05:00

Here are a few more pics of my kiddos. My camera-shy middle son is not in these. I chased him all day and he just waved me away. :( I have to catch him when he doesn't know I'm there.

Experimenting with blurred backgrounds....

This one will get in any frame she can...

Action shot--look how intense his little face is. Awww.

These pictures make the 100+ degree, sweltering heat look almost fun. :)

My New Best Friend

2009-08-20T18:10:00.002-05:00

Daniel--my dear hubby, got me a GREAT camera! It is a Nikon D5000 D-SLR camera. I was testing out some different modes and shots and after some trial and error (ok, lots and lots) I figured out how to get pics up to Blogger. It was actually much easier than my point and shoot Canon, but you know how boring the common-sensical route can be. :)

I can't wait to try it out in better natural light. It was just starting to rain when the first two pics we taken and I had to move indoors. :(

Adventures with Alaus Oculatus

2009-08-19T12:54:00.004-05:00

My daughter dumped this bug upon my computer table and I picked it up thinking it was plastic. It looked plastic. And then it moved...

Well, nature study presented itself so a quick google search was in order to find the name of this fascinating creature. It is apparently the Alaus oculatus, otherwise known as the Eyed Click Beetle.

Salt box and Cursive First

2009-08-18T10:40:00.005-05:00

Today we worked on the letters a, c, and d. I am teaching Little Girl all the sounds that each letter make and using the Cursive First approach for handwriting.

Classroom Cat

First we trace the letter on a large blow-up made through my Educational Fontware software.
She is working on the letter d here.

Now she traces the letter in our homemade salt box ( a pan with kosher salt). This time it is an a she is practicing.

Here is a closer view of my binder with printed letters for tracing. I added the red dot to show when you change directions.

Picture Study--You want me to do what???

2009-08-13T21:45:00.005-05:00

Here is one result from our lesson today. Little T did very well, but read on to hear how I initially struck fear in the hearts of my dear sons. :)

I asked the kids one by one to come and do a picture study today. It was this painting, Women in the Garden by Claude Monet:

I set the timer for five minutes and asked them to look carefully at this painting (I have a 10x 14 print). They each took their turn sitting in the chair, carefully studying each detail.

Bell dings. Then I said, "OK, now I want you to go sketch for me the main points and add any important details you wish". Silence. Quizzical look. Then all three in turn said, "Mom, you want me to do what??"

Yep, they each had a moment of panic when they realized I didn't want a simple oral retelling, but I actually wanted them to go draw something. Now I made it perfectly clear that it was to be a sketch and not a detailed painting. I just wanted them to show me where the tree went and whether someone was sitting or standing...that sort of thing. After a few more reassurances they each went off to prepare their sketch. It went well, but I think they realized how little they were actually studying detail. All said in their own way that they should have looked a little closer.

Lesson learned. :)

Thank You Grandpa Paul and Grandma Judy!

2009-08-13T12:49:00.001-05:00

Little Girl attacked the ground with her face...and lost. :(

2009-08-10T20:15:00.003-05:00

Well, we told her that the helmet has to not only be on when you start scootering, but also the.whole.time. Hmmph. The patient is doing well and is curious about the "dirt" (the scab) on her wound. This one is for the long distance relatives who have heard of her pain, but could not actually invision the horrors themselves. She assures me that it looks far worse than it feels though. :)

Great Deals Today!

2009-08-10T16:12:00.002-05:00

I scored a brand new, unopened Lyrical Life Science: Volume 3 and Rod and Staff English 4 set--also new-- for super cheap at my local consignment store. It is even better because I had a hefty credit for items that I sold.

Just had to share my happiness. :)

The Battle of Bull Run as told by an 11 year old....

2009-08-07T15:16:00.002-05:00

An unedited narration written from memory from the book, American History Stories Volume IV:

The Confederates camped at a railroad directly next to a river called, "Bull Run". That same day at 9 o'clock the Union soliders came to try and capture the junction. When the Confederates said, "No", a gruesome battle followed. In the midst of all the fighting there was a small farm house that have two men and their old, lame mother. They carried her out into a ditch that was very, very steep ad waited until the fighting was over, but when they got back to their house the fighting was even worse. Soon after their mother was so injured that.... she died. During all the fighting General Jackson was sitting on his horse like a "stone wall" as some soldiers said, and he got the nickname "Stone Wall Jackson". Then the Confederates beat down so hard on the Unionists that they screamed and ran away.

We need to work on getting more specifics into his narrations. I would have liked to have had him add the name of the old woman and a few more specific battle details, but for a child who was rushing to get to the pool, I called it good enough and let him run.

He seems to have an easier time with relating fiction than non fiction, but I suppose that is common. Perhaps, that is why he latched onto the story of the infirm woman as opposed to battle lines, reinforement troops, and strategy. He didn't even mention the Union General McDowell or the Confederate Generals Beauregard and Johnston. I would imagine a story only about the battle of Bull Run would have produced more details.

Princess Dress, Dollhouse, and Great Grandma's Browned-Butter Frosting

2009-08-04T18:35:00.007-05:00

Little Girl had yet another birthday party. We had her favorite mac and cheese (and salad, NOT her favorite) along with Great Grandma Jensen's browned-butter frosted, chocolate cake---yum. I made the cake with Whey Low so it wasn't sooo very bad for you, but the frosting would tolerate no substitute for its powdered sugar and stick of butter. Oh well, it was worth it.

Little Girl got a huge doll house:

Daddy and his princess:

Mommy and Little Girl :)

Someone asked me what my CM day looks like. Well, here you go. :)

2009-08-03T14:18:00.006-05:00

Independent work:

Children got up, made beds, ate breakfast, brushed teeth
Everyone read their day-by-day bible and narrated (we also do family bible time right before they go to bed).
Kids took turns practicing piano or typing (15 minute timer for both)
Each child read out of his nature reader (CLP) and narrated, two kids drew pages in their nature journals based on their lessons. We alternate between read alone books and ones that I read out loud. Right now they are reading to themselves.
Each child read a short chapter out of their history book (Mara Pratt) and my 8 and 10 year olds did copy work from it and my 11 year old wrote a narration on his chapter.
Each one did a Draw Squad lesson on their own.
Did one Language Lesson out of Queen's.

More mom directed things:

DGP Grammar (checked their work and explained prepositions...again)
math (I float between kids)
worked on a little phonics and math with my little girl (five tomorrow!)
Tonight we will read one chapter out of our lit, history, and bible before the kids go to bed--usually between 7- 8 pm. They are called on to narrate and add a little bit more than the last one. We finish this with our SCM bible memory box.
If time allows I will read another fun book, like Hans Christian Anderson or something of that nature. We close with a hymn or other song and then send them off to bed.

Latin and Spanish will be added when they get here later this month.

We have a lot of once-a-week things and today was nature study day so I made them go outside and learn something new. My 8 year old pitched a fit and said that nature study was "miserable". This from a child who will skateboard in 100 degree weather for hours on end. Oh well, it's the honest truth--today anyway.

We will do geography study tomorrow, Story Starters on Thursday, and picture study on Friday. (Monet)

Just so you don't think this looks too "perfect" I can let you know that one child (who wishes to remain anonymous) is grounded for the rest of the day for incessant whining.

Sunshine Yellow for a Brand New Five

2009-08-03T10:53:00.003-05:00

Is it possible to not be sad when your baby crosses the threshold into a new stage? My baby turns 5 tomorrow and I am trying not to cry, or at least shed happy tears that I am blessed with a happy, healthy little girl.

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit and presented her with the most cheerful yellow dress you could ever did lay eyes on (add southern accent here). :)

Highly Recommended

2009-07-29T14:11:00.003-05:00

You will laugh, cry, and grow closer to our Savior. I'm going to mop up my tears and go hug my kids. :) Oh, click here to buy the cd.

Have You Ever Had a Really Great Day?

2009-07-29T13:19:00.008-05:00

Well, today is a really great day. The weather is nice, the kids listened and did all of their work without even a hint of dawdle and did not even ask for twaddle. :) Ok, I fibbed a little--they are watching a Gumby dvd and my daughter printed off glittery, color sheets from KidRocket (for an hour--yeah, I admit it) , but all in all it was a very productive day.

Oh, and THANK YOU, JESUS, for answering my prayers over the last two days. I love You.

My Children's Favorite New Typing Program

2009-07-27T17:47:00.016-05:00

When I was young I spent my days learning to read, write, and understand the world around me. Now that I am older I am helping my children to do the same things right here at home. Any mother in my shoes can relate to the desire to have a complete and yet enjoyable education. In this day and age children must learn all the things I learned with the additional challenge of keyboarding. I didn't learn to type until I was a freshman in high school and that was with the variety that went, "click, click, clack, clack... ding!"

I knew my kids needed to type and there are scads of computer programs that purport to facilitate this, but the things we had tried were not giving satisfactory results. They still hunted and pecked, peeked and two-finger poked. I even tried moving their lesson book waaay off to the side to discourage the constant peeking, but to no avail.

Well, after a solid year of failures I needed some new ideas. I hunted all over and stumbled upon Keyboard Town Pals on my favorite of all shopping sites, Amazon. I was drawn in by the cheery puppet PALS (Purposeful Associative Learning System) and gentle voice and music. After watching the video on the "How it works" page I was sold.

The package arrived just in time to travel with my laptop on a cross country trip. My kids spent much of their vacation getting to know Amy and Dora and their other friends in Keyboard Town. I was overjoyed at how easily they took to the lessons. Within one hour my oldest child (11) said he understood enough to not look anymore and he is proving this with each dictation he types for me! :) Even my little, four year old girl LOVES this program and watches it just for fun while carefully using the correct finger for each letter. She even corrected me when I dared to use the wrong finger for the "zebra" key. I guess I need the Puppet Pals as much as the kids. :)

My children visit their new PALS every morning after breakfast for a quick review of one or more PAL. It only takes about 8 minutes and the gentle, cheery voice always puts them in a good mood--which is a bonus because math is next. :)

They also have some great complimentary products that I am eager to try: the PALS placemat , Instruction Coloring Storybook , and PALS Concentration Card Game are also available from Amazon or their home site.

Who Knew Buttons Could Be So Very Creepy?

2009-07-26T23:00:00.007-05:00

Well, Daniel and I previewed "Coraline" this evening and I have to say that I was both bewitched and horrified. I love stop motion animation, and we even gave the kids a stop motion animation kit last Christmas, but I am unsure if this PG flick will be acceptable for my children.

This movie was a wonder to behold, especially if you first watch the "how it's made" section of the second disk. This is more fun to me than actually watching a movie and the sheer amount of work that goes into a movie like this is profound. Both the story and the colorful characters held you tight until the very end, even though I was trying desperately to crawl out of its grip at times. I was seriously creeped out in places and this is from an adult who knew it was animated.

My one serious bone of contention is the very buxom, elderly lady with sparkly pasties atop her amble bosoms---especially when they were bouncing all over the place. PG ain't what it used to be. We will be fast forwarding, if, that is, we actually watch this with the kids.

I am not sure my kids are even going to see this film, although it is such an animation marvel I am trying to find some way of at least having them see bits of it. I do want them to watch the behind-the-scenes footage just to see them marvel at the tiny puppets and itty-bitty knitted mittens.

Now there are many opinions on this movie. For a smattering of Christian views you check this out: http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2009/coraline2009.html
You will find the main reviewer to be heavily appalled, but other Christian reviewers follow with differing view points.

I Had An Amazing Time at the CSTHEA Conference!!

2009-07-26T20:17:00.004-05:00

My husband was so kind to keep all of our kids, plus one neighbor boy, busy around Chattanooga while I perused the conference on Friday and Saturday. It was such a blessing to look around and pick the brains of all the folks who make it their life's work to help homeschooling families without all the kiddos in tow. They enjoyed Look Out Mountain instead of "all those schooly things" (quoted from my 8 year old).

My personal highlight was visiting with a wonderful lady who runs the website I use for all of my Charlotte Mason-style record keeping, Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason. She also authors many books and brings back lovely, out of print, books for all of us bibliophiles to enjoy. :) I grabbed a few books and one of her year-long guides (Matthew through Acts and Ancient Rome). My trouble is having too many good things to get to and not enough time. :)

I purchased two Total Language Plus guides in order to give them a try. We shall see how the real-life road test goes, but I am going to attempt to keep all of my boys in one class for a few weeks to see how that works for everyone. They look like they should be both fun and informative. We are going to use Caddie Woodlawn first as we are in the Civil War era at the moment.

Great Fun with Friends!

2009-07-24T08:41:00.006-05:00

The last couple of days we were blessed with a visit from our past next-door neighbors who moved away last March. We had a day on the town with all eight kids--seven boys and one girl! :) They had a blast and here are some pics of our day:

I've been working on the railroad...
How does this old cash register work?

Mom, this is waaaay too small!

Giddy yap, little cow?

Anyone smell chlorine?

We did it!

My four pioneers

One busy cow catcher :)

Why aren't we moving?

Just Breathe....

2009-07-21T10:01:00.005-05:00

Not wanting to repeat the pattern of yesterday, I sought out a way to get everyone into the best mood possible before we started lessons. I have been doing breathing work outs for the last 11 years and, when I do them consistently, they work very well. I thought it may be better to move the breathing to the beginning of the day. It was one of those "duh" moments where you just know that you should have thought of that long ago. :)

I have a breathing workout designed just for kids by a lovely woman named Rashelle Haines. It is called Oxygen Zoo and is a perfect workout for my children! Her adult workouts can be found at http://www.oxygenlift.net. The exercises are very gentle and nurturing.

You could tell it was Monday...

2009-07-20T18:51:00.003-05:00

Why are Monday's so difficult? We had a very. hard. day. It could be that I was going against my CM grain and thereby reaping the consequences. We have been using Rod and Staff English. I know, not very Charlotte-like, but I wanted to amp up English over the summer and then let down a bit when we re-introduce Latin again in the Fall. I am perfectly content with one dose Latin and a dash of copywork and a splash of dictation, but a gaping summer of nothing I simply could not take. Now it may just be Monday or the fact that I pushed them to write their assignments on paper instead of using the marker board, or it may be the fact that they simply did not want to participate in the most adamant way. At any rate, we had a super-sized serving of DAWDLE for most of the morning.

In spite of it all I like Rod and Staff. It is as thorough as anything available, has a very God-fearing outlook, and has very concise lessons. I do believe that it is perfect if slowed down and savored a bit as burn out is common complaint. I even purchase grades 7 and 8 at my homeschool store today.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day and thankfully, it will not be Monday. :)

My husband, the cleaner...

2009-07-18T18:51:00.002-05:00

Our home smells distinctly of lavender. No, I did not find a beautiful bouquet, but I did find my feet damp upon entering the hallway. My husband found the carpet shampooer. Military housing is not known for its, er, quality in carpet. Our Kirby routinely sucks out half of it within the first few weeks of moving into quarters with freshly laid carpeting. Apparently, my husband had had enough of Alabama red clay and decided it was time for an intervention. I vacuum twice a day, but it has been a year or more since I lugged out the Hoover with Heat.

God bless my hubby and his pension for cleanliness.

How much do I love Systematic Mathematics? Let me count the ways...

2009-07-18T14:26:00.004-05:00

Systematic Mathematics

I must say I am beyond pleased with this company and products. I purchased all of the modules that the site offers through a homeschool sale a couple of months back. I had a bit of a panic initially as it was not needed, but it was such a great deal I felt I could not pass the opportunity.

My older son (11) has been working through the first module of level 6. His routine consists of watching the DVD lessons on his own (Yeah!) and working through the sheets all on his own as well. The clincher for me is that he is getting all of the problems right! This is a completely new milestone. He loves Mr. Ziegler's approach and really understands the material. The DVDs are not flashy, but his teaching is thorough with just enough humor to keep your average 11 year old engaged.

Now I love to teach, but math is something I do not mind farming off in the least. Mr. Ziegler has a unique approach and I know it may sound cliched, but he really makes you think. Hard. So far everything I have looked through are things that I wish I had been taught. An example would be adjusting a recipe up and down by fractions (i.e. 2/3 of a recipe originally designed for 20).

I hope this good performance streak continues as nothing is as beautiful to a homeschooling mom as the "I get it!" look in their child's eyes. Oh, and the fact I do not have to teach it. :)

Today's Lessons...

2009-07-17T13:40:00.002-05:00

Today was quite productive in spite of being done by noon:

Individual Bible narrations
Typing (Keyboard Town Pals)
Piano demonstrations
Dictation or copywork
English (orally)
Individual Science (nature readers w/narration)
Individual History (narrations from Eggleston, Mara Pratt, and Famous Men of Rome)
Family History (Tale of Progress: Ancient Egypt)
Hans Christian Anderson's The Very Naughty Boy w/narrations
Math, both oral and written
Drawing Lesson (Draw Squad lesson 2)
Picture Study (Monet, House of Parliament in Fog)

plus... I updated my blog header and made four loaves of bread. :)

The Blessing of Narration

2009-07-16T09:24:00.005-05:00

I have to admit that the value of narration was not completely apparent to me until recently. We have always used extensive narration, but now that I have many years under my belt, and children to compare ( I know that is wrong, but not if it is from a research point of view, right?) I can now see how utterly amazing it is.

My oldest son is a talker and has been since he was about 14 months old. Narration was very easy for him and because of this I didn't realize exactly how much effort goes into the act of "telling". My second child is much quieter and has a tendency to stutter, but low and behold, he can narrate for 10 minutes straight with amazing clarity. If you ask him to tell you his favorite Hans Christian Anderson story you may be there all day. :) Today, my eight year old son told me all about the tricks that generals would use during the Revolutionary war, complete with his opinion of the efficacy of their tactics. Narration works.

I think the part of narration that is often overlooked is the "quality not quantity" factor. We may only cover a few pages each day, but without fail these children remember what they have learned...forever. I routinely hear about things that we read about years ago, often from children who, at the time, were not technically "in school" and just picked up the details by being around.

Why does all this work? Charlotte Mason believed that knowledge was not really acquired unless it was reproduced, either orally or in writing. Scanning, outlining, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice exercises do not help a child to synthesize information. It teaches them to be good scanners and guessers. Information learned in this way often lasts until the test and then is forgotten and no love is acquired for the subject matter. This brings me to Charlotte's views on testing and grade marks---that being they are completely unnecessary and counterproductive to a true education. If after ONE careful reading a child can reproduce the information orally or in writing he then truly knows the subject and has "made it his own". It may not be fancy, but it works with both efficiency and thoroughness. The habit of perfect attention (one reading only) is worthy of its own entry, but I will say it is an immensely advantageous partner with narration.

If you would like to learn more I highly recommend reading her original works, although they are very Victorian and sometimes difficult, they are often touched with humor and some pretty good stories. Another suggestion would be the All Day Seminar by Simply Charlotte Mason. It is an extremely practical overview that is both refreshing and concise.

A Fourth of July on the Prairie....

2009-07-12T19:28:00.006-05:00

Boys and Cats in Auntie Marj's Garage :)

Quick, get the candy!

Caboose View at Pioneer Village

Who needs Halloween when you have a 4th of July parade?

St. John's choir at Pioneer Village

Shelling corn is so much fun!

The Fourth and it is not even hot. I'm sure the blacksmith was happy about that. :)

My Adventure with G. A. Henty and The Cat of Bubastes

2009-07-12T18:27:00.005-05:00

Micah Deciphering Henty...

I am an avid reader, but Henty has had me a bit flummoxed over the last few months. I was determined that I would somehow incorporate his books into my homeschool, but was unsure how or when. We just got back from our farm in MN where I had the opportunity to peruse through my abundant library and fish for some treasures. I found The Cat of Bubastes and decided it was time to actually read it. Since I had just finished reading two of Charlotte Mason's original books (volumes 3 and 6 to be exact) I felt I could handle another Victorian author.

I have to say the book was great! It was not a "fun read" but since I had sixteen uninterrupted hours in the car I kept going through the whole thing. I say it was not fun only because I had to think, which at times meant I fell asleep and after jostling myself awake, would press on. Surprising to me, the story had very little to do with a cat in the first half, but upon finishing it I realized that it was necessary groundwork in order to understand Egyptian culture, habits, and mindset.

I have to say now that I have finished it I understand why this man was so revered. His story has stuck with me for the last couple of days. He really paints detailed pictures that make you part of the action--as my mom used to say "you can get inside the character's head". I understand more about Egyptian religion, but also understand more about how Moses and the Hebrew faith influenced the culture of that day. The story is unabashedly pro-Christian (which is why I chose it) but at the same time is in no way disrespectful of the Egyptians.

I handed the book over to my 11 year old son and asked him to read the first five pages and then narrate. He did very well. Maybe he didn't want to be one-upped by his mom. :) So far he has narrated through the first chapter and has done very well. We shall see how it goes to the end. I'm not sure he will enjoy all the hunting as he is a softy when it comes to animals, but we shall see.

Presents from Grandpa Paul and Grandma Judy!

2009-07-01T13:06:00.003-05:00

Well the kids were beside themselves with excitement. They got some great swim trunks and a great outfit too!

The Best Proposal!

2009-06-30T09:57:00.001-05:00

This sure beats, "Here's a ring, you want it?"

Early Birthdays!

2009-06-28T22:41:00.003-05:00

Roller Blades!

A new bike!

Well we are heading out of town for the 4th which puts my childrens' birthdays in a state of limbo. So we decided to have an early party since the kids wanted to go to the store and get their presents in person.

Block party on Post!

2009-06-27T14:20:00.001-05:00

It was one HOT day today in the sunny south--a whopping 100+ degrees and don't even ask about the humidity! My kids don't mind the heat so we all spent some time looking at the sites at our annual block party on our post enjoying Chick-fil-A, snow cones, and a Blackhawk helicopter.

2009-04-12T11:17:00.001-05:00

I was lured away from my comfy homeschoolblogger.com address!