School so far...

When we started the year I was bent on trying to get Big Mac to be the perfect classical student. WE WILL be a note taking, encyclopedia reading, outlining machine!!! No. Not happening. She is not that type of student. Regroup....
Ok, I am backing down on my classical aspirations and decided that Charlotte Mason is more my style. I rearranged the classroom and am bringing a LOT more living books into our lives. I am making read alouds a priority as well. I have turned back to WWE 3 for Big Mac as well. WWS was not working.
Things that are working are:
Phonics Road
Latin for Children
Horizons math
Nature study
and this week we start Trail Guide Pathways of Exploration! So excited!!

I am letting nature dictate Nature Study and we go with the flow. Since squirrels abound I got a bunch of books on squirrels, including this one which looks really good!

Our rotation schedule seems to be working out well. This week Chickie is off and she does really well at entertaining Mini monster. It is a bit of work keeping track of who did what in history since I run them together, but since Big Mac needs more depth I can use this week to do that with her.

Wildlife pastry? Not quite!

Here are some pretty peculiar nature finds. Since they grew in the leaves under a cherry tree it was safe to assume that they were some form of fungi. But which one? Thank goodness for Google. After searching online and in the Handbook of Nature Study we concluded that there delicate looking things were earthstar mushrooms! The ones shown at left are the miniscule variety. The ones we have are about twice that size.
The small top pouch contains spores that puff out as it dries out. Looks like we will be stopping for some unscheduled nature study tomorrow as we sketch and research fungi! Oh the boundless freedom of homeschooling!

AHHHHH spiders

Quite in line with the current nature theme and the fact that we are nearing Halloween, spiders abound! We have a big, ugly, orb weaver on a bush on the side of our house. I guess to his mom he is pretty-lol. His beautiful web is about 2 feet across. Later in the day we went out to check on him and he was not alone!







He had a meal with him! Stink bug roast to be exact! EEEWWW.
The girls did their own drawings of Mr. Spider in their nature journals and we will keep checking on his progress!

Another peek at nature!

So this past spring Chickie found a bird's nest with some ummm...remains in it. She wanted to examine it and I suggested letting nature take its course and wait until it was just bones. Well last week she decided to dig the nest out of hiding. What we found was pretty amazing. Yes those little tiny things, compared to Big Mac's thumb, are bones!!!

Schoolroom Revamp!

I took the whole day (yes we skipped school!) and worked my butt off to get our school room the way I want it. Not totally done but almost there! I know I should have gotten this done this summer but the mood wasn't there and I have to motivated to get these things done. First I took a big ugly shelf that I hated, turned it on it's side, added contact paper...and voila! It gives me book storage as well as a shelf for Jeffrey's science books. I also cleaned up the bigger shelf and organized the girls individual shelves for their books.

Then I redid the hutch top and cleaned up
an area for play for Tristan. Like I said; still working but getting there.

Oh the weather outside is...delightful!

On sunny and warm fall days it is nearly impossible to get kids to sit. Thankfully it is also Columbus Day and since the public schools are out we cut off the day and I let them go. That is giving me a chance to finally sit and look through Latin For Children. It appears to be a delightful, home recorded series of lessons featuring a dad and his daughters!
Last year we used Prima Latina but since this uses classical pronunciation we will have to shift things a tiny bit. It is a series of 3 courses so we will be set for Big Mac until the end of 8th grade. I am expecting at that point to move her into HS level Latin or just go on to Spanish. Not sure how this will jive with The Latin Road to English Grammar that I would like Chickie to complete. Hmmmm....need to think on that.
I may just have to see how this goes for the rest of the year before deciding. I did purchase an old version of The Latin Road with cassettes that I need to buy the CD's for if they will coincide. Otherwise I will be hunting for a cassette player! This program is a grammar/spelling program that takes 4 years (1st-4th) to complete. Then you complete the Latin Road so that upon entering high school you have essentially completed Latin altogether. So far Phonics Road 2 looks great and the girls are learning tons about spelling rules. Heck, I am learning spelling rules!

Wordless Wednesday

Nature Study

Science......yuck. I really don't like science which stinks as a homeschool mom. I am trying my best to get in touch with my inner nature girl. Nature study is the best way to just stop and see what is about you. There are several WONDERFUL blogs that can direct you. Here are a few:
Handbook of Nature Study
Backyard Nature

This book is a bit daunting but has everything a person might need to know about nature:







Another great one is this which is much less intimidating

















Sometime the best nature interactions are the unplanned ones. For instance, the other gray and foggy morning I noticed the many spider webs visible on the bushes out front. That's all it took to send them flying out the door in their PJ's. An orb weaver in all its glory has left a real treasure! Another creepy treat is the funnel spider webs which make me shiver...but not in delight!















Ahhhh...there's our sinister little friend! EEEEWWWW.
At any rate they proceeded to draw white spider webs on black paper and now notice every web they get near. Mission accomplished-they got into it.

Our 2011-2012 Curriculum

It has been a burden this year to decide on and stick with a curriculum! I am a tweaker by nature. I also love curriculum in very unhealthy ways! I am always looking for something wonderful to jump out at me. I do the same with diets; obviously to no benefit as I have yet to lose weight...until now. Intermittent fasting. Simple, effective, and so easy to follow. I have no problem declining food. I have issues with staying on track when I CAN eat. This solves the problem. I eat for 5-6 hours of the day and not for the next 18. It essentially becomes a meal and a snack in terms of calories. What does that have to do with curriculum? Simple. I need to look for the more obvious and easy path so I stop the constant wondering, looking, and searching.
For me it has come down to 2 choices. Tapestry of Grace will be my choice for when Big Mac is older so that I am thorough. For now I am incorporating Charlotte Mason with a classical undertone. So far this is what we are planning on carrying through with:

Big Mac
Horizons Math 6
Phonics Road 2 & 3
Writing with Structure
Mr. Q's biology
Nature Study
Latin For Children
American History using Guesthollow's American History 1 with Ambleside added reading
Poetry Study(1 per 12 weeks)
Composer Study(1 per 12 weeks)
History outlining/note taking ala TWTM (just a touch)
Geography with Beautiful Feet Books guide

Chickie
Horizons Math 2
Phonics Road 2
Real Science 4 Kids Biology
Nature Study Fridays
Latin For Children
American History using Guesthollow's American History 1 with Ambleside added reading
Poetry Study(1 per 12 weeks)
Composer Study(1 per 12 weeks)
Geography-through map study and living books

Wildman
Wildman is a puzzle. As an auditory learner he struggles with printed letters yet he knows the sounds and name connection. Odd.
Delightful Reading
Singapore Math
Elemental Science Intro to science
Geography through living books and map study
poetry/fairy tales/Burgess books