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Aquinas Academy

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  1. :bigear: I'm still trying to get an idea of our pace, but I'm guessing it will take DS a couple years as well. Knowing an average/realistic amount of time to spend would help me plan.
  2. Since I missed last week's thread, I'm going to get in early on this one. :) I've finished The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (which I'm counting as a book, even though that might be breaking the rules:tongue_smilie:) and I'll Be Watching by Pamela Porter. I highly recommend them both! I loved the humour of Earnest, which was a definite contrast with the poignancy of I'll Be Watching. DD 15 recommended the latter to me, saying, "Mum, you have to read this," and she was write. The writing is beautiful and the story of WWII-era orphans in small-town Saskatchewan had me tearing up. I'm currently reading too many books to list. Okay, part of the reason I don't want to write them all down is because I'm getting tired of saying that I'm still reading Don Quixote. I'll be adding a Dicken's book, possibly Pickwick Papers, to my list to read this month.
  3. The Jews on this board have been saying that they view Christianity as separate from Judaism, rather than simply an off-shoot. So, from that perspective, Christians celebrating Jewish holidays would be equivalant to Muslims celebrating Mass. That would be weird, at best. Now, from a Christian perspective, the relationship between Judaism and Christianity is more complex, and I really don't think I'm knowledgable enough to discuss it. :001_smile:
  4. :iagree::) Yes, it was poor wording, and, from a Christian perspective, it is offensive, but I did not get the impression that Yael was trying to offend. Tone is so hard to read on the web. I don't think anyone is saying that Gentiles shouldn't learn about Jewish holidays, simply that they should not co-opt the Jewish holy days and turn them into some sort of let's-get-closer-to-Jesus, wishy-washy non-Jewish celebration. If a non-Catholic started pretending to celebrate Mass, but added elements of his own religion, I would be offended. That's not how you learn about Catholicism.
  5. I finished two book-based-on-books last week: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde and This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel. I loved the Fforde; Oppel wasn't as good as I hoped. I'm going to read Jane Eyre and Frankenstein soon, but for now I'm reading The Readbreast by Jo Nesbø, Death by Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Aeneid by Virgil, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, and Don Quixote by Cervantes (I'm stalled on this one, though). I didn't realise I had so many on the go until I typed them all out. :lol: My list: 1. Boom! – Mark Haddon 2. Grand Duchess Elizabeth: New Martyr of the Communist Yoke – Lubov Millar 3. The Republic – Plato (trans. Desmond Lee) 4. They Eyre Affair – Jasper Fforde 5. This Dark Endeavour – Kenneth Opple
  6. :iagree: We started using BFSU this year, and it is one of the best curriculum choices I have ever made! It's fun, secular, and good for multiple ages.
  7. I think trading would be a great idea! IME, people who attempt to teach themselves violin either sound terrible or quit quickly (or both ;)). Violin is not like piano or guitar, where a certain level of proficiency can be achieved by self-teaching. With violin, there are so many picky details in bow hold, tuning, etc., that need constant correction from a teacher. How long ago did your DD take lessons? She may need a bigger violin, which, on the bright side, might sound better, but will also cost money. See if you can trade in her current violin for a larger one. I hope something works out! :)
  8. -20C (-4F) and snowing here in northern BC. Compared with the last few days, this is balmy. :)
  9. I finished Grand Duchess Elizabeth: New Martyr of the Communist Yoke and The Republic last week. I loved the biography of St. Elizabeth; her life is so inspiring, and the letters and photos included in Millar's book were fascinating. Plato, well, I managed to get through it. :001_smile: I read it with DD 15 last year and was so relieved when we finished it. This year, DH has been trying to read more of the classics and I agreed to read along with him. I was not pleased when he told me he wanted to read The Republic, but I hoped I might get more out of it the second time through. No such luck. :glare: I've got seventy-or-so pages left in The Eyre Affair, which I'm loving. I didn't think the alternate universe setting would be my style, but I've been pleasantly surprised. I also think it's time for a re-read of Jane Eyre; maybe I'll start this week. 1.Boom! – Mark Haddon 2.Grand Duchess Elizabeth: New Martyr of the Communist Yoke – Lubov Millar 3.The Republic – Plato (trans. Desmond Lee)
  10. In Scandinavia Leif is pronounced "Life". I considered Leif for my sons, but I say the Scandinavian pronunciation, which is just too unusual (for my taste) in North America.
  11. :grouphug: I've got an ultra-shy child who never corrected people who called her by the wrong name when she was a tween. She's 15 now and does correct people. So there's hope! :001_smile: She's been called Ali before. Her name is Aline, not Alison. Ali is the wrong nickname. We solved the problem by moving across the country ;)(of course, we were moving anyway, but it did resolve the situation). Anyway, I completely understand talking to the parent.
  12. I've been excused on account of homeschooling. I just sent in my note and there were no more questions asked.
  13. Neither DD had one at twelve. If they were going somewhere that a phone might be useful, I lent them mine. DD 15 got a phone about a year and a half ago because she travels a lot by herself. DD 13 borrows a phone if she needs one.
  14. Necessary? Definitely not, especially at grade one level. I don't think doing it is a complete waste of money, though. It's an opportunity to perform, which is always beneficial, and it gives students a goal to work towards. I think exams become more useful for teens who are applying for university.
  15. I read Boom! by Mark Haddon last night. It was a fun, very quick, YA-level read; enjoyable, but not as good has The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. This week I think I'll finish The Republic and Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia. I definitely won't finish Don Quixote, but I'm so glad I finally made myself read it. :) I expected to slog though the 1,000 or so pages, but I love the story and am thorougly enjoying it. I'm looking forward to reading it with my teens next year was part of their Great Books studies. I've also read the first few pages of The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, which I might finish this week as well. I'm not sure what to think of it yet. I was thinking about reading Ahab's Wife (and Moby Dick if I was feeling brave/insane ;)), but when I was at the library yesterday all the copies were out, so I don't think I can get it in time.
  16. Well, there aren't many people in my area to start with, so homeschoolers are few and far between. Most of them are unschoolers, a few are boxed-curriculum types. We're the only classical homeschoolers around, as far as I know.
  17. :lurk5: We're doing HOMW now, so it looks like vol. 3 won't be out before we need it. At least I'll get to use it with my younger kids. Thank you for all your hard work, Susan. If the next volume is only going up to 1500, will this still be a four-volume series?
  18. Woot! I'm so excited to start! As usual, I several books on the go this week: Don Quixote -- Cervantes The Republic -- Plato Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia -- Lubov Millar I'm not sure I'll finish any of them this week, so I may read something else as well. Maybe you bookworms can help me with a slight problem I have. I just got One of Our Thursdays is Missing from the library without realising that it's the sixth book in a series (Thursday Next, I think it's called). If you've read the series, do you think it's important to read the books in order? Happy reading everyone!
  19. DD 15 is doing AoPS and DD 13 is doing Singapore's New Elementary Mathematics.
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