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Tonia

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    What Shakespeare play would you introduce first?

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    Thanks so much for all the great responses!

     

    Looking at it all written down, it does look like overkill. So I'll definitely pare down what we do. How does this sound - read an abridged version aloud then tackle an original text reading aloud together before seeing a production or movie.

     

    I was just Googleing for our area and found As You Like It playing in July so we'll be going to see that.

     

    I highly recommend the book "How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare" by Ken Ludwig.

     

    We started with Julius Caesar this past year because it went along with our history study and I wish that I hadn't. DS used Edcon Classic Worktexts Julius Caesar and liked that. DD used Parallel Text Shakespeare Julius Caesar and while she made it through, she hated the play.

     

    The book looks fabulous - I just ordered it! Thanks for the recommendation. I love the idea of adding in a little memory work. We already have a daily recitation time so adding some Shakespeare would be great.

     

    This book is awesome!!!!!  And you could introduce the plays in the order he goes through them.  I know he does Midsummer Nights Dream first, then Twelfth Night.  As You Like It is also amazing and a good starting place.  You could do those three plays in your first year and have an amazing beginning.  

     

     

    I like the idea of starting at the beginning of the book and working through it. After a bit of reading last night I had decided to start with Midsummer and will probably do As You Like It since we're going to see that in July.

     

    Thanks so much for the help, everyone!

    What Shakespeare play would you introduce first?

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    I want to start a Shakespeare study with my daughter this year (5th grade). Beyond reading a bit about him in history she has no previous experience. And my experience is distant high school memories and a few not-so-distant screen adaptations.

     

    So, I'm thinking of studying 1 or perhaps 2 plays each year, taking a little time one day each week to set aside as "Shakespeare" time.

     

    But, without sitting down and reading each play, I don't know where I should begin. I think it would be best to begin with some comedies. But we will be studying ancients this year so perhaps I could sort of tie it in with that instead? Not sure where to begin... so what 2 plays would you recommend as a good starting place?

     

    Here's a rough outline of what I'd like to do with each play, spending a bit of time once a week - 

     

    - read through an abridged version together - Lamb's or Nesbit (pretty sure I have Lamb's on a shelf somewhere)

    - Listen to an audio reading or dramatized audio

    - Read an original play aloud (probably with an annotated version for me, something like No Fear Shakespeare)

    - Watch a screen version

    - See a live production, if possible

     

    So, thoughts please? Would you add anything? What 2 plays would you choose to begin a Shakespeare study? Is 2 plays too much to take on in one year?

    Who else homeschools an only child?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I've seen several comments about the difficulty of being your child's primary playmate. We also deal with that, along with trying to control screen time since it's such a easy fix for boredom. 

     

    Tonia-- I've also been tempted by TOG and other programs designed for larger families. It seems that many history programs are designed around this principle, which makes total sense--it's just tough as an only to see these great programs that wouldn't serve our needs.

     

     

    TV/screens are definitely a temptation to overdo here as well.

     

    I've made up for not giving in to MY desire for TOG by buying way too many history books this year. ;-)

     

     

    It's nice to see all the "only" homeschoolers here. 

    Who else homeschools an only child?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    We've homeschooled since the beginning - just finishing up 4th grade now. We have really loved the closeness it's brought to our small family. The few negatives I've experienced - dependence on mom/dad for playtime. We just have to be more intentional about finding time for friends and social time. 

     

    As far as school - the one-on-one is fabulous. I just don't choose programs that are geared towards "family" learning. As much as I'd like to give Tapestry of Grace a try I can't justify the expense for just one child.

     

    But overall I wouldn't change anything. We're very close and it's just plain fun!

    "Ultimate Homeschool Bundle" ebooks

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I think it depends on a few factors. Sure you could search for the information for free on blogs and websites. But these types of deals and ebooks are great for people who don't want to do that. To me, my time is just as valuable as trying to spend 3 hours searching for something I remember seeing somewhere on someone's blog.

     

    And bundles like this can be such a great deal - if you are considering purchasing a few of the books then it might be worth your time and money to buy a bundle. I wanted a couple of the books and the total just for those made it worth my time to consider purchasing the whole bundle. You might find a book that you really like (and there are some really good books in this bundle).

    Famous Figures anyone?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I used the ancient times book when we did Story of the World 1. They are a nice supplement to a program but I wouldn't build a whole program around them. They are paper dolls - each figure has a full-color doll that you put together and a black-and-white version if you want to color it yourself. I think there is a short blurb about each figure in the back of the book, though I can't recall exactly.

    Did you do memory work for Grammar Stage Ancient History???

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Yes we included history facts/lists in our daily memorization and recitation time. Off hand I remember doing a list of major pharaohs and the first 20 emperors of Rome. It might not seem useful at the time but over time I've found it very useful - when we hear or read about something from that time period my daughter can still make basic connections about the time.

     

    Here's a post about what we memorized in first grade and how we fit in a daily recitation time.

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