Pearls from Planning: Bible Studies

So I sit here, planning the next term. Yes, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. But I actually enjoy planning and my husband was home to corral kids today, so today it was!

I love having Ambleside Online's pretty plan to work with. Last term we didn't do the Bible lessons in the schedule. I decided I want to do AO's suggestions, at least for my kids in year 2 and year 4. (I'm still not sure on my eldest.) But I struggle to figure out the line between family devotions, personal devotions, and Bible knowledge as a school subject. When you homeschool everything just blends together.

I should mention I love the topical Charlotte Mason pages. I ended up on the "Knowledge of God" page, and found some real pearls.

Charlotte on a Child's Personal Devotions 

Doing Devotionals Regularly
It's important to develop the habit of regularity in devotional time. A mother may not always be with her children, but I've seen children who are more determined about doing their devotions on time when they're away from their mother because they know that's what she would want, than they are when she's with them. One four-year-old friend of mine said, 'Mommy, I always worship idols.' 'You do, Megan? When?' 'When I say my prayers to the chair.' It's wonderful for all of us to get into the habit of 'saying our prayers' at a specific time and in a specific place. Wherever that may be, it will become like a holy place for us. Whether it's a chair, the side of the bed, a little prayer table, or, best of all, the mother's knee, that place will play a major part in guiding the child's soul to develop a habit of devotion. While I'm on the subject, it's worth mentioning that children's prayers, even for school aged children, shouldn't be left until they're so tired that they nod off before they're finished. After evening tea [or dessert?] is a good regular time for prayers if it can be managed.

The Habit of Bible Reading
The habit of reading the Bible should be established when the child is young enough that his Bible readings need to be read aloud to him. This presents a challenge because the Bible is actually an entire library, and some of its books and passages aren't suitable for children. Many parents get around this by using little compilations of devotional Scriptures. But I'm not sure this is such a good idea. I think that a narrative teaching of the Scriptures is a lot more helpful for children than the isolated texts chosen to stimulate morals and spiritual devotion. The Bible Society publishes [at least, they did in 1904 when this was written] inexpensive copies of individual books of the Bible. Those are a nice resource for parents. A child who's old enough to enjoy reading for himself would probably love reading through the whole book of the Gospel of Mark or another book of the Bible little by little as part of the morning devotion, using a nice copy of the book. (Volume 3, Chapter 13)

So the habit of daily devotions is very important, Charlotte encourages us to:

• Have a regular time, and not too late, so he isn't sleepy.
• Find a specific place, a good place to start is on mother's lap.
• Start young, before the child can read on her own.
• Don't preach, rely on the narrative teachings of the Bible instead of pointed devotionals.
• Have the child read little sections from a whole book, with a nice Bible to read from.

My Implementation: 

• Andrew, my 7 year old, is listening to me read from the Golden Children's Bible. He started a Bible journal on his 7th birthday. Anna, who is 4, usually listens in.
• Jonathan (11) and David (9) are much more independent. So far the Children's Bible Reading plan here (updated weekly) has been a success. David is reading Joshua. Jonathan was reading in Genesis, but has told me he wants to read Romans, so I'll have to either break it down for him, or show him how to break it down on his own. They also each have a Bible journal.

The issue right now is we need to make devotions an everyday habit, not a school day (aka a day that mother is organized) habit. But there are hints of progress.

On Teaching the Bible in Schools

Charlotte taught the younger students (6-12 year olds) both from the Old Testament (historical books) and the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke).

Between the ages of six and twelve, children [using Paterson's book] cover the narrative stories of Old Testament Biblical history, and the Prophets as they correspond to the lives of the kings. The teacher begins the lesson by reading the passage from Paterson's book that illustrates the scripture reading. For example,

'This story takes place on the battle field in the Elah Valley. The camp of the Israelites is on one side of the slope, the big tents of the Philistines are on the other slope. The Israelites aren't huge men, but they're agile and clever. The Philistines are huge brutes, stupid thick-headed giants. Samson used to play tricks on them and make fun of them long ago. Both sides are agitated,' etc.

There might be some discussion after reading this passage. Then the teacher will read the Scripture text and the children will narrate. The commentary merely serves as a background for their thoughts. Their narrations are usually very interesting. They don't miss even one point, and they add colorful touches of their own. Before the end of the lesson, the teacher brings out any new concepts about God or points of behavior that may have been included in the reading. She emphasizes the moral or religious lesson in a reverent, sympathetic way, and doesn't attempt to tell them how to apply it personally.

...[snip]... The New Testament has its own category. The same commentaries are used, and we use the same methods, reverent reading of the text followed by narration, which is often curiously word perfect even after a single reading. (Vol 6, pg 160-169)

So Charlotte recommends that a Bible lesson for the lower grades follow this order:

1. Read the passage from Paterson's book. (It seems one could retell the story with vivid imagery and appropriate background information if the commentary was not available or desirable.)
2. Discuss the passage.
3. Read the text directly from the Bible. (Charlotte would have used the King James Version.)
4. The children narrate.
5. The teacher highlights something from the reading, such as a moral lesson or a new concept about God.

Other Religious Teachings from Charlotte

The Catechism, Prayer-book, and Church History are taught in a similar manner, using appropriate texts. They provide an opportunity to sum up the church's doctrine, which is covered by preparing for Confirmation and Sunday services at the student's church. (also Vol. 6)

 For more details on how Charlotte taught the Bible in schools, I recommend the After Thoughts blog, where Brandy has two excellent posts covering the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Now ...

I need to decide if I should combine the kids for our Ambleside Online Bible lessons. I'm sure the discussion would be helpful and we would all learn. But I'm really bad at getting group stuff done. On the other hand, last time I tried to split for Bible lessons as a school subject, I was overwhelmed and dropped them altogether.

One thing is certain, the more I read of Charlotte Mason, the more I am impressed by her insight.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things ...

Sometimes I get discouraged, I feel like nothing is going right. What is frustrating is I may not have a specific issue I can ask my friends (local or online) about. What I need is a new outlook. I might also need to eat a satisfying meal, have a nap, or just give myself some grace. But before I can do those things, I have to address my attitude & outlook.

The first place to go is the Psalms. I memorized Psalm 1 last summer, and it has been a blessing to me. Reading the Psalms is a great way to get my head and heart back on the straight path.

But sometimes I crave more specific advise for my life as a homeschooling mom. I'm not worried about enemies bashing down my gates, I'm tired of trying to get kids to complete work in a timely manner, frustrated because my 5th grader suddenly forgot what 8-3 is, and pulled by the magical lure of program X which will cure all your ills and wash the dishes. Again, nothing I need help with - I know the answers. Don't over schedule, work beside the kids, be patient, and beware of hype. I just need to find internal peace, and focus on the important things. These are my favorite blog posts for that, and I hope they will help you as well.

• Cindy Rollins on Homeschooling the Freeborn. Do I want my children to have the education of a slave (focused on conformity and practicality) or of a free person (focused on truth and ideas for contemplation).
• Andrew Kern on Playing with the Puppies. Play with math, play with words, play with science - don't force definitions down the child's throat when they aren't ready and don't even care.
• Linda Fay on Ten Habits of a Happy Homeschool. Our habits lay the tracks for our lives. How many things are done without thought? Are those automatic actions helping us? Going into the holidays this particular area is my current focus.
• Colette Longo on Ten Ways to Simplify Homeschooling. This is one of the first posts that inspired me as a homeschooler. I was getting my feet wet and oh my, all the options. And I'm a book lover - I like shiny new words. Thankfully this post, my belief that small children should play a lot, and my small budget helped me to stay balanced.
• Andrew Kern on Teaching from a Place of Rest (post from Sarah which includes a video interview). Another post from Cindy. Andrew has also talked about this at the Well Trained Mind forum in the infamous Circe thread, called "The Thread". It's very long. You've been warned. But this is the thread that answered my unasked questions. And it covers much more than a state of rest.
• Sarah on Over-thinking Homeschool Methods. While I'm moving pretty solidly into the Charlotte Mason camp, I am so guilty of over-thinking. Oh, we need to learn math - which method, which program, spiral or mastery, hands-on or mental, etc. Look, it's time to start Latin - immersion or grammar based, whole lessons or half pace, should we supplement with A, B or both, etc. I would (and sometimes still do though I try not to) research things to death. I started with the world and sifting through everything, rather than starting from my principles, limitations and our personalities then ONLY looking at what fit into those constraints.
• Brandy Vencel on Troubleshooting with Charlotte Mason. She simplifies this so beautifully, and so respectfully. And you can just pick it up, insert the current issue - even if it's very vague, and come up with some steps to take.
• Auntie Leila on Order and Wonder (or what curriculum to use). I wish she would adopt me. Scroll down on the side bar for posts on where to start on your home, if that's part of the problem. (Raising my hand here!)

While I love the advice in the trenches from other homeschool moms, I especially prize the advice of those who have led the way and graduated children while remaining sane. :) So I read widely from Cindy Rollins and Auntie Leila. I always come away revived and ready to face my challenges with a smile.

Making Adjustments

We are currently working on week #6, nearly half a term down! There are always adjustments, plans have to change to fit reality. Other than formatting the boys' schedules (which will have to be another post), the adjustments so far have been fairly minor.

All the changes this year stem from one thing: independence. I need the boys to be as independent as possible. School cannot depend 100% on me. After much prodding from family, I've started to publish my books written during NaNoWriMo. So I'm moving to being a WAHM, and we've had to shift our schooling style a bit.

Without further ado, here are the losers (and replacement contenders) so far:

• (Week 5) MEP math has been replaced by the review books from Math Mammoth (eldest two), and if MM continues to work I'll purchase the yellow/green series for them. My youngest will be returning to Miquon, I really think he needs the hands-on, manipulative approach. I feel so guilty about MEP, I'm always saying how great it is (which is still true). But the week we didn't do MEP dramatically shortened our school days, everyone was more relaxed, no one was waiting for me, and I was less stressed as a result. MEP, I love you, and you are a great program. I've learned a lot. But with three school-aged kids I just can't do it. I'm also planning to use these simple daily review sheets, since Math Mammoth is mastery based. Oh, for the teaching aspect I have the Kitchen Table Math books.
• (Week 5) Van Loon's "Story of Mankind" for my eldest. There's just too much and I don't have time to help with background. My own education in world history is sorely lacking. He'll finish up "This Country of Ours" this term covering American history to the 1900s (he is doing a combo year 5/6).  I'd already planned to do modern biographies for terms 2 and 3: Beatrix Potter and Winston Churchill  I think that he and I will read "Story of the World Volume 4" by Susan Wise Bauer during those terms. So he won't miss any world history, it will just be delayed a bit.
• (Week 3) Serl's Intermediate Language Lessons has been replaced by KISS Grammar. I will probably add in some more writing: Nano's Young Writer Program, letters to grandparents (and other ideas inspired by the Brave Writer Lifestyle), perhaps some progymnasmata modelled after descriptions by Brandy at Afterthoughts. And more written narrations. KISS Grammar is free, printable and fairly independent. With Serl I either needed to be there, or to spend more money to buy the workbook style PDF (which would have forced the boys to write a lot more).
• (Week 2/3) Spell to Write and Read has been dropped [again]. It's good, and it has helped me as a teacher. But I don't have time, even combining the oldest two boys. Which really just makes them goofier and doesn't save much time. I think all the other homeschool moms who combine kids must be better disciplinarians than I am. Or they have a few kids that are calm. Youngest son will be following the Charlotte Mason reading lessons outlined by a wonderful blogger and the elder two will be doing studied dictation starting with Simply Spelling* (elder) and Delightful Dictation (younger). 

Other changes: I am adding a little bit of Greek with Bluedorn's Hupogrammon  starting next week. The older boys will alternate Greek with Spanish (The Fun Spanish). We do some Spanish as a group, and their Spanish curriculum lends itself to an every-other-day format, so I think this schedule will work out well. I am also using "Italics: Beautiful Handwriting for Children" with my 7yo. I abandoned it before because there was too much writing - more than I think Charlotte used (she kept a brisk pace of 1-2 letters a lesson). But I've decided not to worry about doing every line. I've planned to go through the basic alphabet covering about 4 letters a week, focusing on quality work.

And we can't forget the winners! In alphabetical order:

• Ambleside Online - boys are in years 2, 4 and a 5/6 combo. So many lovely books!
• BRIEM Italic Handwriting - my elder two boys are doing the remedial copywork sheets featuring Alice in Wonderland, and they seem to be making progress. Next term they will use the book CM recommended: A New Handwriting and (hopefully) a Commonplace Book.
• Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. While we haven't been as consistent as I'd like, due to me assigning lessons to certain weeks we've done better than usual. How's that for a positive spin!! I need a system to note which lessons were missed so we can do them on break weeks. And I've had to let go of perfection on this book, and just do our best. It's all about wonder and exploration.
• Countryside Rambles - We've read the first two sections of "autumn" and I'm enjoying it. It's helped me see the beauty of fall that I would otherwise miss in my dread of winter.
• SALSA Spanish - love the videos, but need to work on the activities more. We are trying to push Spanish hard before we go South again this winter to camp -- we hope to use a bit of Spanish down there.
• Visual Latin. LOVE!!! 
• Wee Folk Art Preschool reading list. My daughter loves the books, and I love that they are generally found at my library. The books are so good I am trying to think of an excuse to start buying them. Is it too soon to purchase them for possible future grandchildren?

Going forward, I want to work on our group time. This is very important to me, but it seems to be forgotten or pushed aside. I love it when we sing together, I love reading the Bible with all the kids together. I'm hoping to habitualize our mornings and do Morning Time more consistently. I'd also like to start having an afternoon Tea Time, and I'm considering putting my 9 year old in charge of that. (He loves having hot cocoa or lemonade, snacks and poetry, and he actually pays attention to little details like what time it is!)

There are always adjustments. They've taught me to over-plan less, and I actually look forward to the changes.

* Simply Spelling is difficult to find online, but can be had by emailing the author. You can email her shoelacebooks AT yahoo.com for information.

Scheduling "The Story of Inventions" Second Edition

My book, which is the second edition of "The Story of Inventions", does not match the Ambleside Online schedule. I have 2 extra chapters, and the order of my chapters is different. (The book is also called "Great Inventors and Their Inventions". The author is Frank P. Bachman.)

Another person had the same issue, and made a forum post. But no one seemed to have an alternate schedule. Last year with my eldest we just read straight through, in a willy-nilly fashion. I decided for my next child, who will read independently, I needed to be more orderly, so I matched the second edition up to AO's 36 week schedule.

AO's schedule & order with second edition chapter numbers:

• Ch 1 (2) James Watt and the Steam Engine
• Ch 17 (3) Robert Fulton and the Steamboat
• Ch 18 (2) George Stephenson and the Locomotive
• Ch 2 (2) Invention of the Electric Engine and Electric Locomotive
• Ch 5 (2) Invention of the Spinning Machines
• Ch 6 (2) Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin
• Ch 7 (3) Elias Howe and the Sewing Machine
• Ch 8 (2) Cyrus McCormick and the Reaper
• Ch 9 (3) Henry Bessemer and the Making of Steel
• Ch 11 (2) John Gutenberg and the Printing Press
• Ch 12 (2) Samuel Morse and the Telegraph
• Ch 13 (2) Alexander Graham Bell and the Telephone
• Ch 3 (1) Thomas Edison and the Electric Light
• Ch 19 (1) The Wright Brothers and the Airplane
• Ch 14 (1) Nikola Tessla, Guglielmo Marconi, and the Radio
• Ch 15 (1) John Baird and the Television
• Ch 20 (1) John Holland and the Submarine
• Ch 21 (1) Goddard, Von Braun, and Rockets to the Moon
• Ch 16 (1) The Invention of the Computer
• Ch 4 (Not Scheduled) Enrico Fermi and the Atomic Age
• Ch 10 (Not Scheduled) Henry Ford and the Automobile

Ambleside Online has this book scheduled over 34 weeks, and only 2 (relatively) short chapters are left out. Which should have been simple. Unfortunately, going in book order broke chapter 7 about Elias Howe over Christmas break, and caused chapter 13 on Alexander Graham Bell to be split between terms as well. To fix that I allowed two weeks for chapter 7, instead of three weeks.

Second edition, in book order, over 35 weeks.

1. TERM ONE (weeks 1-2) James Watt and the Steam Engine
2. (weeks 3-4) Invention of the Electric Engine and Electric Locomotive
3. (week 5) Thomas Edison and the Electric Light
4. (week 6)  Enrico Fermi and the Atomic Age
5. (weeks 7-8) Invention of the Spinning Machines
6. (weeks 9-10) Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin
7. (weeks 11-12) Elias Howe and the Sewing Machine (This chapter was originally spread over 3 weeks.)
8. TERM TWO (weeks 13-14) Cyrus McCormick and the Reaper
9. (weeks 15-17) Henry Bessemer and the Making of Steel
10. (week 18) Henry Ford and the Automobile
11. (weeks 19-20) John Gutenberg and the Printing Press
12. (weeks 21-22) Samuel Morse and the Telegraph
13. (weeks 23-24) Alexander Graham Bell and the Telephone
    
14. TERM THREE (week 25) Nikola Tessla, Guglielmo Marconi, and the Radio
15. (week 26) John Baird and the Television
16. (week 27) The Invention of the Computer
17. (weeks 28-30) Robert Fulton and the Steamboat
18. (weeks 31-32) George Stephenson and the Locomotive
19. (week 33) The Wright Brothers and the Airplane
20. (week 34) John Holland and the Submarine
21. (week 35) Goddard, Von Braun, and Rockets to the Moon

I hope this can help someone. Of course, this isn't as nice as AO's schedule, where stopping places are marked. Usually a quick glance through the chapter headings will make a stopping place apparent, Since my second son tends to read quickly, like his mother, I'll probably place an over-sized sticky note to remind him to stop.

I'm almost done customizing the AO grid schedules for next year, I just have to put the finishing touches on David's schedule. I am so thankful that AO has their schedules both as a list and a grid. I find both formats helpful.

"Catching Up" Ambleside's Geography Schedule

I've always wanted to use two vintage geography books: Home Geography for the Primary Grades by CC Long and Elementary Geography by Charlotte Mason. They are charming and have a certain something modern books miss. A beauty, perhaps. But I could never figure out how to use them. Until now, because the wonderful people behind Ambleside Online have broken them up by topic, spread across years 1-6 in their new geography schedule.

I'm doing my heavy planning & finalizing in the next two weeks, and I'll have students in years 2, 4, and a combined 5/6/pre-7. So I've been looking at AO's schedule, trying to decide which boy needs what. I've basically decided each boy should review the previous year's topics, and that they will sit in the next younger child's lessons. Clear as mud?

I'll format these as AO does, so one asterisk means term one, two for term two, and (you guessed it) three for term three.

Andrew: Year 2
* Year 1 geography topics: 2 lessons from CM and 3 lessons from Long; 5 total
** Half of year 2 topics, stopping before 'day and night': 4 lessons from CM. 1 from Long; 5 total
*** Finish year 2 topics: 4 lessons from CM; 4 total

David: Year 4
Listen in on Andrew's geography topics.
* Year 3 topics: 10 lessons from CM and 2 lessons from Long; 12 total
** Half of year 4 topics, stopping before 'rivers': 3 lessons from CM and 6 lessons from Long: 9 total
*** Finish year 4 topics: 5 lessons from CM and 4 lessons from Long: 9 total

Jonathan: Year 5/6
Listen in on David's geography topics. All of Jonathan's readings are from Long's book.
* Topics from year 5, terms 1&2: 8 lessons
** Topics from year 5, term 3 and year 6, term 1: 6 lessons
*** Topics from year 6, terms 2&3: 5 lessons

Scheduling
I dislike posting anything about scheduling before I've done it, but my son David has the lion's share of the geography lessons, so I need to be careful with his time. I also need to not over-complicate my schedule, or I will freeze up. I need simplicity. So this is "Plan A", which may fail utterly and require a move to an as yet unknown "Plan B" (which I believe the Mythbusters have patented).

Ambleside's term schedules are 12 weeks each, so the plan* is:

• On odd weeks I will read 1 section from Andrew's list to Andrew & David AND I will read 1 (or 2) sections from Jonathan's list with him.
• On even weeks I will read 1 or 2 sections from David's list with David & Jonathan.

*All plans are subject to change without notice. :P

Playing with Puppies -- Random Wanderings

I am going to attempt a post, even though my monitor is dying. To shorten a long story, I have black lines flashing horizontally across the screen. Which is making it hard to focus on individual words and check my spelling, punctuation and grammar. So please forgive any errors or typos!

Weekly Workbooks

So in a long winding rabbit trail typical of me, I started on the Well Trained Mind forums. Some moms there have been binding their workbooks by week instead of subject. So instead of a math book and a grammar book, they have the first math and grammar lesson in one book.

Hmmm, instead of big workboxes I fill daily, we could have a small portable booklet for the week, which I could make in advance. (I do well working a few hours on a project, it's the 5 minute daily tasks that I struggle on. So advance preparation is good.)

As the new owner of a wire-binding machine, I've already made books for math, Latin and handwriting. I'm able to get the bindings cheaply as well. I also  had great success the year we used the File Crate System,  I have everything I need.

So I was considering this approach for the next school year when I (again) realized how difficult it would be to separate Memoria Press' Latin by week, let alone by day. Then I remembered how much I dislike (re)buying a physical workbook at all, when I have a lovely old laser printer. So I started a thread on the WTM about Latin programs that are available as PDFs.

Visual Latin

I received several responses, including Visual Latin and I Speak Latin. Since I actually own the PDF of I Speak Latin, I've decided to actually use it. But back to Visual Latin, which:

• Is a video and fits into my goal of more independence for the kids.
• The worksheets are PDFs, which I can print for each child as they use the program.
• It's a LOT less writing than First Form. My eldest is a trooper, doesn't complain, and he is mastering the grammar but ...
• I want them to READ in Latin, not just decline it. Visual Latin's goal is reading the Vulgate, and it starts with simplified readings in lesson 1.
• Plus it leads into Lingua Latina. My favorite program.

I think I read at least half of the entire archives of Visual Latin's blog, and most of the WTM posts about it. But I wasn't seeing enough real-world reviews to answer a few questions about implementing it. So I did a search for reviews and clicked on anything bloggy.

To my delight some of my favorite blogs topped the list: Afterthoughts and Ordo-Amoris. So I searched them for more posts on Visual Latin at Afterthoughts, and ended up on Brandy's Monday Musings. Which led me back to Ordo-Amoris (and Andrew Kern),

Play with the Puppies

Kern has a longer blog post here on the puppies, but with less gory examples. Maybe it's my mood - rather sad - my old kitty is not doing well, and I'm dreading what will come. But the word picture of the beautiful rainbow and the Christmas puppy is really sticking with me. (I'm trying to erase the lawn-mower part from my mind.)

So now I'm walking around, thinking about all the curriculum I have, and asking if it is (or can be) a puppy.

We need more puppies in our day.

Christmas in May!

Ambleside Online now has grid schedules (years 1-5 so far). The WHOLE YEAR on 6 pieces of paper! This compliments their redesigned weekly schedule pages. Go check them out!!!

What I Use for Curriculum

I've been asked by a Facebook friend what I use for my kids, and how much it costs. After fiddling with Facebook's chat system, I decided it would be easier to answer here, where I can have headings and make real links.

First Things

I am heavily influenced by Charlotte Mason (here, here, and here for some online information). I think checking your library for "For the Children's Sake", "A Charlotte Mason Education", or "A Charlotte Mason Companion" would be a smoother introduction to a woman who wrote 6 books on education!  I'm also inspired by the classical education talked about at Circe (Mimetic Teaching, and almost anything by Kern, is good to listen to; there are more here ). I'm rejecting the one-size, assembly line education, and striving to keep beauty and wonder before my children. I want them outside, enjoying nature. I want them reading uplifting stories and biographies of great people. I don't want our homeschool to be "sit down, don't talk, get your worksheet done".

It's actually funny to write this post now. We are easing back into school after our 3 week vacation, and it's been s*l*o*w getting back into the groove. We did almost zero sit-down school on vacation. Of course we learned about the desert, learned camping & nature skills, visited museums & parks, hiked, saw new animals, read about ancient peoples & saw how they lived, went to a hot springs, saw cool statutes (Romans! yay!) & displays (pirates & sirens) in Las Vegas, listened to several fairy tales & a dramatized retelling of the Pilgrim's Progress, made a lean-to, worked on swimming, read a few chapters of The Hobbit, and got a tan. So we learned a lot, but not in a "traditional" school fashion. All that to say I feel like a hypocrite, saying 'we do this', when we haven't done it for a month.

But I still have to answer the question.

Math 

For math we use MEP, a free program from the UK. I like how it teaches kids to really think about numbers, and not just compute. I mainly use the lesson plans (on my tablet, but I used to print them - yuck!) and the practice book (1 page per lesson). This blogger has some great posts on MEP.

MEP is teacher intensive, so if we are in a busy season I use Math Mammoth. You have to print it as well, but the little books are very inexpensive & everything is on the student page (I like simple).  I've also used Math Mammoth to fill in gaps in place value or subtraction with regrouping.


English / Language

For reading and spelling we use Spell to Write and Read. It's very complete, and my eldest son, Jonathan, needed it. It's overkill for some kids in my opinion (like David, who uses it because he likes having a spelling list to play games on Spelling City - which is free). I'm using it with Andrew because I'm used to its methods.

We attack writing from both sides: having something to say & the process of writing down words. For the first we do narration, and for the second, copywork (I started with Penny Gardener's book).  I'm really working with the boys to have nice handwriting, because we are going to start writing letters to their great-grandmothers. We do copywork & narration daily, and spelling on most days. The following programs are used 2-3 times a week.

We use Emma Serl's Primary Language Lessons (2nd-3rd) and Intermediate Language Lessons (4th-6th), which cover a wide range of English skills, including composition, grammar, and usage. You can read Serl's books free online, I bought the hardcover versions used on Amazon, and we tend to do a lot of the work orally. I am going to try having Jonathan type his answers next week. (He really does learn better if he does something with his hands, like copy/draw/write. If typing works out he can learn computer skills while learning composition.)

Jonathan has recently started dictation. We are doing it three times a week, and I want to switch this to typing as well. You can do dictation for free, but I decided for $15 over 2 years times 4 kids, I'd take the easy way. David is reviewing touch typing with Dance Mat (free), and I'll drop Spell to Write & Read next year for him when he starts dictation.

We also do Latin and use Getting Started with Latin (best book to start with - short, simple, inexpensive) and First Form Latin (for Jonathan, I like how it makes him think, and he remembers things better when he writes them down). I mention Latin because we don't do heavy grammar or any vocabulary work - you learn a lot of grammar with Latin. (For modern languages, we watch Spanish videos [SALSA, KnowItAll], and I'd like to add more Spanish next year. But it doesn't teach you like Latin does.)

I am testing out the McGuffey readers, as I notice the boys need to work on enunciation. I want to use KISS Grammar (hint: choose a "level" first, then under that level, choose a "grade" so the sentences will be appropriate/interesting for your child), but haven't nailed down how (independently or do it as a group). These would be 2-3 times a week as well.

(Almost) Everything Else

For almost everything else - we read. I use books from Ambleside Online as our base. I assign their biography, geography, literature, natural history and science selections for individual reading. I use their hymn, folksong, nature study, artist, and composer rotations for group work. (We aren't very good about the last two yet, but are working on it.) I choose from their poets, and we enjoy those as a group as well -- currently A.A. Milne and Alfred Lord Tennyson. And we read books together too. (Right now I alternate between Hatchet and At the Back of the North Wind; Kevin chooses a chapter from Fifty Famous People when he does bedtime reading.)

I also like this list (look at the literature selections), and many of these are on Librivox. I LOVE Librivox, with the kids understanding more than they can physically read with their eyes (especially with the older classics), Librivox bridges the gap and saves me time. I've heard from several homeschoolers that having the child follow the words while listening to the audio is good for reading fluency as well. We also memorize poetry (again, you don't need a program, but it makes little kids more independent to have the audio) and scripture. This (also here) is my aspiration for our group learning. (She also wrote this and this, which I love as well.)

I like Charlotte Mason Help's personal devotion selections, and Milestones Academy has a lot of good ideas as well (drawing, financial knowledge, foreign language, Plutarch & Shakespeare), though she seems to be rearranging the site, sometimes leading to blank pages. There are so many good ideas online, the problem isn't finding them, it's not becoming overwhelmed.

Hands-On Stuff

We spend time outdoors - walking, fishing, playing, or even sitting & watching. We draw, paint, and play music (we have a piano and several recorders). I have Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, which I'm trying to use more consistently. The kids do some woodwork/carpentry with their Dad, and we will be doing Leatherwork in 4-H, when I actually buy the book... (it's on my errands list).

What does it cost? 

Very little - I try to time major buying with my tax refund, and I pick up good deals on books year round. Math is free for printing, and I have a B&W Laser Jet (with off-brand toner). I've spent more on English, but if I had to I could teach for free to the younger boys. (I needed it for Jonathan, the boy has struggled on every step of reading. I don't know if he is dyslexic, but I know no part of it is natural for him.) I haunt used book stores when I get a chance, and trade in books I don't need for children's classics & language books. I finally joined the digital age, and am using both a tablet and an ereader. They make using PDFs and public domain books a breeze. They also make it so I don't have to print the lesson plans for MEP - I can use them from the tablet. I decided to move to the ereader when I totaled the cost of hardcopy books that are available free (on google books or amazon kindle) and found the ereader would pay for itself in one year.

I tend to avoid any programs requiring consumable workbooks that aren't available as a PDF (First Form Latin is an exception). I think homeschool costs (except learning challenges/disabilities) are very controllable, especially with access to the internet or a good library.

I'll try to be more exact. Last year I averaged $20/month on Amazon for books, but not all of them were for the boys' school, AND we restarted Ambleside Online, so I had to buy books at 2 levels (I had all of Andrew's), whereas in the future I'll only need to buy for my eldest child. (The local books I almost always trade for, but they would be sub-$5 online with shipping.) This year, since I have the ereader, I expect to spend far less on books. Of course, I bought a balance beam for science and need to buy a microscope, so that can drive up costs, but it's still not a true need.

My Main Sources of Information 

• The Well Trained Mind forum. Just be careful and hold onto your wallet - this is a great place to ask about curriculum, but it's also full of people who love certain programs and will tell you how great they are, which you may not need but may sound really cool.
• Ambleside Online forums. You need to sign up to read (for privacy I assume). They are starting a study group on Charlotte Mason's Twenty Principles, which I plan to participate in.
• Lots of blogs - some are linked in this post, and many others linked from the signatures of the above forum participants. Just remember that 90% (myself included) don't get everything they talk about done every day/week. We all have cars that break, dogs that get loose, computers that refuse to boot, and kids that get sick. Real life with murphy's law in full force. 

Someday I'll do a "real day" post. But not today. Since it's 11 o'clock, we stayed up late last night, we have a house guest, Kevin didn't go to work until 10, and I haven't eaten breakfast (no worries, Kevin fed the kids).

In Conclusion ... 

I hope this is not completely overwhelming. I've been doing this for years, stumbling along, and I like to think I've learned something. And I've learned there is a lot I don't know.

I've been interrupted a gazillion times this morning, and this post isn't as polished as I'd like. I did reread it, and it seems to make sense. Haha!

Beefing up my 10 yo's Books: Combining AO years 4-6 into 2 school years.

My eldest son, Jonathan, is doing very well with his readings. I'm pleased with his narrations. He is technically a 5th grader, but I started him in year 4 because I didn't want him to miss the history, I had most of the books, and I didn't want to push him to hard.

Now, I know that AO years != grade years. But I also keep hearing how cool Ambleside Online's year 12 is going to be. So if I want him to do year 12, I'll have to bump him or do a combo year at some point.

I decided to do it now. I looked at years 5 & 6, and made a few observations: we're currently reading The Hobbit (that's half of year 6's literature), year 6 has very little geography, while our current year 4 (because I decided not to use Madam How and Lady Why) is very light on science (which he loves) & natural history. I'm also not super worried about history. It's very important, but it's not the center of our homeschool.

So I added year 5's science books (not biographies or Madam How) to this year. And I'm going to read Minn once a week, finishing it this term, leaving term 3 open for year 6's book about David Livingstone, which DS should be able to read himself.

The rest of this year will have ~16 readings a week. I'm hoping to do 4 days for individual work, and 1 day for group study, so that's 4 readings a day. If that is too much I'll spread his readings over 5 days.

In case anyone is interested, here is my plan:

5th Grade (this year)

• Bible (4 days a week)
• (4/5) Greenleaf's Guide to the Old Testament (Samson to the Divided Kingdom).
• (4) New Testament focus on Mark (2 terms)
• History
• (4) This Country of Ours, George Washington's World
• Biography
• (4) Trial & Triumph (match with history)
• (4) Ben Franklin & Abigail Adams
• Geography
• (4) * ** Minn of the Mississippi
• (6) *** David Livingstone (Term 3)
• Natural History/Science
• (4) Storybook of Science
• (5) Wild Animals I Have Known (read aloud) followed by Christian Liberty Nature Reader 5 (transition to him reading)
• Science Biography
• (5) The Story of Inventions (some will be left for summer reading)
• Literature
• (4) Age of Fable -- stay on year 4's schedule
• (4) Robinson Crusoe, Kidnapped, The Incredible Journey and the three short stories. Thankfully most of these have audio books.

6th Grade (next year)

• Bible (4 days a week, but I'm not sure on schedule details)
• (5) Finish Greenleaf's Guide to the Old Testament
• (5/6) Life of Christ (48 readings scheduled)
• (6) Answers in Genesis (year 6 history tales, which I don't want to miss)
• History (modern)
• (5) * ** This Country of Ours
• (5) * ** Abraham Lincoln's World
• (5/6) *** Story of the World volume 4 -- we'll probably extend this past the 'end' of the school year. We will use the MP3 version.
• History (ancient)
• (6) * Story of the Greeks - I might substitute a shorter book: Tappan's "The Story of the Greek People", since I don't want to overwhelm him.
• (6) ** *** Augustus Caesar's World
• (6) ** *** Story of the Romans (spread over 2 terms intead of 1)
• Biography
• (5/6) Trial and Triumph, scheduled to match history reading.
• (5) * Of Courage Undaunted (because I love Lewis & Clark)
• (5) ** Lilias Trotter OR Teddy Roosevelt
• (6) *** Winston Churchill
• Geography (I may only use 1 of Halliburton's books)
• (5) Halliburton's Book of Marvels (I have the 2nd book, still searching for the first)
• Natural History/Science (I may have to move some to free reading, I haven't seen these books)
• (6) School of the Woods & The Sea Around Us
• (6) It Couldn't Just Happen
• (6) Secrets of the Universe
• Science Biography
• (5/6) Choose 3 biographies from years 5 & 6, one per term.
• Literature
• (5/6) Age of Fable - 2 readings per week.
• (5) * King Arthur
• (5) ** Oliver Twist OR Kim (other will be a free read)
• (6) *** Animal Farm

What Was Left Out

• Poetry isn't listed, but will NOT be left out - we will do one poet per term for Jonathan, but since we read everyone's poetry as a group, we will read them all eventually (and more than once), so I'm not worried.
• Only 3 of 6 science biographies will be assigned.
• Madam How and Lady Why is being skipped. (Because I just don't have the energy for it, and most people have mixed opinions. I'll try to read it with my 8yo when he reaches years 4 & 5.)
• Year 6's Old Testament readings are the books of Genesis, Job, Exodus & Leviticus. I'm not sure how to handle those, but I haven't decided on Bible for the HEO years either, as I'd prefer to have DC do studies from Precepts, probably as a group (so it won't be in AO's order). But I will encourage DS to go through the books in his personal Bible time, and I may or may not use SCM's "Book of Doctrine's". I actually have a study guide for Genesis-Deuteronomy from Precepts on the shelf, if we go that route. I'll cross that bridge when we get there.
• Year 6 has the "Story of Mankind" scheduled. I may or may not have him read from it. I imagine that SOTW4 is fairly complete.
• Two (of 8) biographies will not be scheduled, but one of those is a WWII era book to be selected from the free reads, and DH is a WWII buff, so I'm sure DS will hear a few of those for bedtime readings anyway.
• In literature, we are currently reading "The Hobbit" aloud (started before coming back to AO). And we will be reading "Tale of Troy" which is a retelling of the Iliad as a group. I would like to read the full version of the Iliad later on, perhaps during poetry time. The year 5 literature book that gets "skipped" will be a top-priority free read.

Disclaimer

This may all change at any moment! LOL, hopefully not. I haven't seen the year 6 books, so I can't get a super accurate idea of how much reading to assign, and may have to move some to free reading / science shelf. I also don't know how much DS's reading skills will improve, but I've decided I cannot hold him back for one thing. I am completely willing to keep using librivox, purchase audio books for newer works, and read out loud as needed. He is loving CM's generous curriculum of living books, and I am so thankful to AO for having a frugal, high-quality program laid out.

I'm mainly posting this since I've put a lot of thought into it, and I want to have a summary stored online (because computers crash). I also find it helpful to read the ideas & experiences of others, and want to offer something back to the online homeschooling community. Enjoy!