Holly
-
Posts
1,936 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by Holly
-
-
This is a great time to reread this post! The January/February Blahs are coming! Step away from the curriculum sites/catalogs/YouTube review videos!
Says the mom switching math and handwriting programs in January...🤦♀️
-
1
-
3
-
-
I’ve done mini boxes of cereal, granola bars, Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes, cocoa mix, coffee, juice boxes, jerky, fruit, etc. I found Christmas gummies this year. Basically I wander up and down the Christmas candy/food aisle and look for anything that comes in a 5 pack (or 6 pack and eat the extra). 😂
Not a food item, but I often give them a new toothbrush and flossers.
-
2
-
-
A Christmas Carol. We watched Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol alongside it one year (only version I found on Netflix) and were amazed that the dialog was right out of the book. It was a hit with my kids!
-
In my heart, I'm 100% CM. However, for some reason my kids and I thrive with mostly classical.
If I could start over, I think I'd just focus on the 3Rs and unschool everything else. I think I'd feel a lot less guild over whether we are doing it right! ?
-
2
-
-
We go to two small co-ops (as in 3 or 4 families per co-op). I'll answer the questions for each one.
Co-op 1: Charlotte Mason based, we rotate houses for our meetings. Everyone teaches, no one is paid, but we each contribute to supplies as needed (or just buy our own books). Our only expenses are artist study prints and a Shakespeare book each term. We meet twice a month, for two 12-week terms. We bring our lunch as spend afternoons playing outside and visiting.
Co-op 2: church based, we meet at our church. Everyone helps with clean-up and watching the kids, but not everyone teaches. Teachers are not paid. We also meet twice a month. Families rotate bringing a snack.
-
1
-
-
I also purchased Biology for the Logic Stage for this year. We only got to a couple lessons and I didn't see how we'd continue to make it work. :( I have tried so many science programs over the years, and I guess I just hate teaching science. ?
We were already using Memoria Press for our other subjects, so I just switched my 11yo & 8yo to it. It's definitely open and go. The downside is that there really isn't hands-on or labs scheduled. They highly recommend adding nature study for the younger years, but nothing is really scheduled. We are using their Book of Astronomy, so we'll be observing the stars throughout the year as our "lab".
-
1
-
-
I have 5 kids, and one virus can go around the house for weeks! We used to take off for the smallest illnesses, but now we just keep going. If they miss a read-aloud, we do a quick re-cap next time. My exceptions to this rule are: if mom is sick, if there is constant vomiting, or if pretty much everyone is sick.
If it's just a cold, I may have them listen it, but keep their workload light.
-
We like to add some quick drawing to our basket. Either I find an object to sketch, or we do something like "How to Draw Everyday" by Kamo.
-
2
-
-
I'm a huge poetry fan--we have dozens of poetry books.
My must-have favorites are:
- Poetry for Young People--I also like the SCM ones, but they are pretty pricey! PFYP are easily found used at Half Price Books or Thrift Books.
- Random House Book of Poetry for Children
- A Child's Book of Poems (Gyo Fujikawa)
- Favorite Poems Old and New
And for extra fun, we also love:
- Shel Silverstein books
- Jack Prelutsky's It's Halloween and It's Thanksgiving books--I had the Halloween one as a child and my kids adore it as much as I did!
- Joyful Noise: Poetry in Two Voices
-
We spend 2-3 hours, but that includes a bit of downtime. I may assign a book for her to read in the afternoon or a math lesson to finish, but we generally stop before lunch whether we're done or not. I need to focus on my older ones after lunch.
Our typical day:
independent work: math, spelling, copywork--This is where I focus on my preschooler. She could easily finish in 30 minutes, but usually spends an hour!
Together work (3rd & 6th graders): Recitation/Flashcards/Review, Literature, Latin, grammar/composition, plus one extra subject (Bible, Geography, Science, or History)--We never get it all done, but I keep trying! We spend anywhere from 1-2 hours on these subjects, depending on how early we get started.
Assigned reading: one easy chapter before or after lunch when I remember to assign it. Usually I make lunch while she reads.
Lunch, Chores & Free time in the afternoon, maybe an educational video or handicrafts
Family Read Aloud & Bible just before bed.
-
Minimus is also published by Cambridge, so it would be the most similar. Lingua Latina might be another good option.
-
Our most expensive "bust" was last year. I was so excited to use The Alveary (from the Charlotte Mason Institute). I bought materials for 4 kids and spent at least $1500 (I stopped adding my totals at some point). We could have used lots of ebooks and spent less, but I wanted hard copies of everything since my kids prefer actual books. I liked the program, but my kids weren't very happy with it. The downside is that they aren't using many of the same books this year, so I'll be lucky to resell them at this point. Many of the books that are being re-used were ones I'd like to hang onto anyway. Live and learn I guess!
We are using Memoria Press this year, which is also expensive, but my kids really like their materials. We've used bits and pieces of it in the past, so it wasn't a big risk to go with their full program. So far, so good. If we have issues with MP, I'll be tweaking the lesson plans instead of jumping ship. I'm totally done experimenting with curriculum!
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, MamaSprout said:
Is she doing the lit guides for the MP Lit, the co-op books and the history classical studies books? That would be a lot if she does everything in all of them. MP's guide a very thorough.
For Shakespeare, we just read the plays together, and at home we listen to the Arkangel recordings. Same with Plutarch. We mostly read and follow Anne White's guides. About half is covered at co-op and half at home. We will be covering one play (As You Like It) at home with MP guides. We read it at co-op last year, so it will be interesting what they think about approaching it from a classical perspective compared to a Charlotte Mason approach.
For the MP books, we are using the guides, but they are not writing out every last answer. We are coming from a Charlotte Mason background and I'd previously avoided discussion guides. I'm really enjoying these discussions with my kids so much more than I did listening to their narrations!
I do worry that the reading level itself is a bit light. In the MP schools, they use these books for 7th grade, and I remember reading some of them in jr. high myself. Also, I thought I'd heard that the Iliad/Odyssey translations (Butler) are a bit easier to read since they are in a prose format. However, I feel like I'm enjoying these lessons (as a fairly well-read adult), so maybe I'm over thinking things.
-
On 4/13/2018 at 6:56 PM, Holly said:
10th grade
- Math: Jacob's Algebra & Geometry--I think we'll be doing these side-by-side. Math is not her best subject, but I'm hoping we can get through Algebra II before graduation.
- English: WWS 2, GftWTM, assigned books for literature, Harp & Laurel Wreath for poetry, we also do 3 Shakespeare plays and 2 Plutarch Lives as a family each year.
- History: Biblioplan Year 4
- Science: Pacworks Biology with Biology 101 DVDs and various science experiments
- The Art of Argument
- Power Basics American Government
- MP's Book of the Ancient Greeks/Iliad/Odyssey
- Artistic Pursuits Book 1 and hopefully some local art classes, she does lots of digital art, painting, and sketching on her own.
- First Form Latin or Henle--I keep going back and forth on this. FFL would be easier for me to keep up with since my younger ones are doing it, but she's only got a few years left.
- Rosetta Stone Spanish
I have made lots of changes! We are mostly going with Memoria Press and I'm combining her with my 8th grader. It's working really well so far. They have all morning to complete readings, math, and Latin, then we meet together after lunch and work on the student guides and discussion questions. So new plans:
- Pearson Algebra I
- First Form & Second Form Latin--I think she can complete both levels this year
- GftWTM
- MP Literature: Treasure Island, Wind in the Willows, As You Like It, Tom Sawyer, American Short Stories--This is a bit on the easy side, but it will give her more time to focus on math and composition, which are her weaker areas
- Classical Composition: Fable & Narrative
- Our Co-op will be reading King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, and Julius Caesar. We also have 2 Plutarch's Lives (Julius Caesar and ??)
- History: MP's Ancient World, Ancient Greece, Iliad, Odyssey, plus a bit of American history
- Artistic Pursuits and art on her own
- Biology?? Still unsure...And we are 4 weeks into our year.
-
1
-
I must be the last to know! We'll have to add it to our list. We are watching the American history ones right now.
-
We are going to use Prentice Hall. Memoria Press uses it, and they have online classes available. They also have lesson plans, quizzes & tests. I love that they add their own tests, so I don't have to purchase a teacher's guide or come up with my own. It's not a program I've heard as much about, but I figure if MP uses it, it's good enough for me.
What does your local school use? If you are planning on possible enrolling them down the road, it might be a consideration.
-
2
-
-
What ages are you looking at it for? I think most people recommend waiting a year or two after finishing FLL before beginning GftWTM. So that would be 6th grade and up for most kids.
I'm using it with my 8th & 10th graders and it is very thorough! My kids have requested we stick with it, which is always a good sign! We have a short, scripted lesson together, then they complete the workbook pages on their own. There are 4 scheduled lessons per week. Like any other WTM program, the books are phone book sized! lol
We often do the scripted lesson one day, and the workbook page the next, so we are pretty much using it half pace. We are also using MP Latin, so I feel they get more than enough grammar between the two programs.
-
1
-
-
We have already started back. However, I have three biology programs and can't bring myself to decide. My first choice is to enroll her online somewhere, but she's not a fan of that option.
I am in total denial that our time is running short before I send her off into the world. Earlier this summer, I was making some long-term plans, and it was so odd to picture homeschooling without my older ones in the picture. Please tell me it's not as bad as I fear!
-
I have an upper cabinet in our kitchen devoted to lab supplies (and our airsoft guns). I had to pair down some lesser used kitchen items to free the space, but they are less accessible cabinets anyway.
-
Have you looked at English Lessons Through Literature? We really loved it. It has copywork/dictation, grammar, writing, poetry, folk tales, and classic literature. The writing lessons come from short fables/folk tales, and the grammar (lots of diagramming sentences) comes from the literature books.
-
1
-
-
4 minutes ago, zejh said:
My dd also had trouble with the rhyming games when she'd just turned 4. I dropped it for a month or so, not entirely intentionally, but by the time we picked it back up, she was spontaneously rhyming correctly for fun. Sometimes, I'll just have her watch me and the zebra play a game together, and the next week, she gets the idea easily. (Usual caveat that every kid is different...)
Love the idea of him watching me play the games with Ziggy! He loves Ziggy and that would take the pressure off of him.
-
1
-
-
Thanks for the help & suggestions! I'll be checking out the 5 Ways to Teach Rhyming link! I really should take a closer look at their website. "Get out of the Wagon" is actually the game we were playing (and on that 5 Ways list). lol
That chart was helpful, and it looks like 5 is a more normal time to expect them to hear the rhymes. We aren't there quite yet! ?
We will definitely continue with rhymes and poems--he can't get enough of those! I may get out the rhyming cards from time to time and see how it goes.
-
1
-
-
My 3rd grader struggles with some of these things. I make sure to sit next to her while she does her Pentime handwriting book. The second she starts to make a mistake (or sometimes before she does), I give her a gentle reminder of what she needs to do or where she needs to start. I try to watch some of her other subjects, especially ones with lots of writing, but I always watch her penmanship lesson. I didn't do this enough with my older kids and wish I had!
-
1
-
-
Our favorites are
- ETC primers--just the right amount of writing for that age
- Rod & Staff Preschool ABC Series--sweet books, my kids have each done at least one of these. They especially love the cutting & pasting
- Kumon cutting, pasting, & maze books
- McGuffey readers--love the Primer & First Reader for teaching reading!
- Singapore math--sometimes I wish we'd stuck this one out. Looking back, I think my oldest just hit a rough patch with math. After switching to another program, I finally saw the fruits of all the mental math we did.
- CLE Math--our current program, lots of review which has been the perfect fit for at least one of my kids. My math-y child isn't a fan of the repetition.
- SOTW--I wish we'd tried this earlier, but I'd heard it wasn't "Christian enough". Also, all the WTM/PHP products we've used! I've yet to find a "dud".
- Pentime Penmanship
- Memoria Press--my kids really do well with their materials. I like how simple and streamlined everything is with them.
- Simply Charlotte Mason--I love Spelling Wisdom and the Picture Study Portfolios. We also used their history for many years.
- Biblioplan Family Guides--Great family read alouds and book selections.
- The 101 Series science DVDs--my kids (ages 4 to 16) all sit through these!
- Stratton House/Home Science Adventures science kits--these have been a huge hit at our house--by far our favorite science kits!
We don't have much on the list for upper grades! I guess we are still finding our favorites for those ages.
-
1
2019-2020 11th grade planning
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
My 11th grader will be using MP's Ninth Grade program.
Latin: 2nd/3rd Form --I'm hoping to have her finish the forms series by graduation. Henle would have been better, but this was her choice.
Math: Prentice Hall Algebra II
Literature: Middle ages (Beowulf, Sir Gawain, Henry V, Canterbury Tales, Poetry book)
Composition: We're doing 2 levels per year of the Classical Composition, so we'll be on books 3-4
History: Book of the Ancient Romans, The Aeneid, A Concise History of the American Republic
Bible: Story of Christianity
Traditional Logic 1 & 2
Novare Science: Not sure which book yet, Physical Science is scheduled, but I worry it's a bit light for 11th. On the other hand, this is my artsy student and she isn't strong on math and science, so part of me thinks we should go with it.
We will read an additional 3 Shakespeare plays TBD with our co-op. She also spends lots of time on art, which will be another credit.