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

Salt maps, and paint, and color wheels oh my!

So having a few free moments when the little guy was sleeping I decided to pull the art stuff out onto the deck and get some messy things out of the way.

First, the girls have been making a salt map of Central and South America to depict where the Mayan, Incan, and Aztec empires were. We haven't done much with geography so I am trying to get it into gear for our light summer work.(Yes they will be working through the summer on a light schedule)

The Andes mountains were part of the labeling so those are actually molded in their map to make them more evident. I thought they came out pretty good for our first attempt!Tomorrow we will add labels for cities and some other things.

Then Chickie needed to explore tertiary colors as part of art. This was done on a wheel copied onto cardstock. That worked well and she was pleased with the results.

That of course led to a bit of "free art" aka mess!

What am I????

I have struggled with my religious beliefs, or lack there of, for many years. As a kid I remember doubting even the best "miracles" in the bible. I remember memorizing the church service to the point that I could recite it along with the priest. Did I feel anymore than boredom? No, never. As an adult there have been many times that I stand in the church thinking, "Seriously? All this pomp and circumstance is so unneeded. Why go through all of this?"
I don't believe the bible is anymore than a novel. I don't believe in miracles. I think organized religion is a control device and political machine originally designed to gain power back in early times. I don't believe in judgment day or the second coming. I don't believe prayer works in terms of a godly intervention.
Here is what I do believe:
We should live our lives honestly and truthfully and as good people.
There was some sort of higher something that put the universe into action but does not take any role in the day to day living of beings throughout the universe.
Organized church is a crock and the catholic church is the most hypocritical of all.
Dead is dead.
I believe prayer may have worked because of the positive vibes it brings the people being prayed for(power of positive thinking).

Please take some time out of your day to let me know just what you think I am.

Spelling Woes

Some people are natural spellers. I am one of those people so I really have trouble relating to those who can't spell. I actually cringe when I see obvious spelling errors in adult writing/typing. My sweet girls are opposites. Big Mac really has a hard time while Chickie spells everything I throw at her so well that she is currently spelling on a 4th grade level at age 7. What do you do for an older student who has these issues?
First I got the eyes checked. Fine. So I started to look at overall academic work. Seems to be all about par except for reading and spelling. The former is a result of simply being a reluctant reader, but I did notice that she often guesses at words prematurely. Now what?
Off to consult with a real authority, Susan Wise Bauer. One of her audio lectures discusses this problem of reading and spelling that shows up at about 4th grade. Voila! I think this may be it.
Here is the solution I came up with using her suggestions. I took Phonics Pathways, which is a reading program, and looked through the rules that it taught. Wasn't I shocked to find that it actually had a section in the back called, "Spelling Strategies". The instructions are straight forward and easy to follow. This week she copied the rules for C, K, and -ck usage in words, copied several words and wrote them 3 times, had a few small tests with words from these categories and did well. It outlines how to set up your notebook and what to do each step of the way. I can't comment on how well it works as of yet, but will be more opinionated in about 2 months or so I'm sure. You can find the book on Amazon and it retails for $29.99, but they often have discounts on books.