Mt. Hope Academy 2011, Summer Edition ~ Week 23+

My weekly reports dropped off sharply at the end of spring. Not much of a surprise there! I kept track of a few of the things we did over the summer (mainly reading lists) and am posting those today, mostly for my own benefit/records. Weekly reports should resume next week with pictures of our new studio!! I think you’re gonna love it just as much as we do! {ridiculous grin}

I also have a few great links to share with more thoughts on education, so we’ll start with those.

:::It’s as much about your education as it is about theirs. by Jamie Martin @ Simple Homeschool:

‘Charlotte Mason, an educational pioneer from 19^th century England, summed it up well when she said this:

“Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child’s nature.”

When we’re able to let go of this false notion and heavy responsibility, we’ll discover a new freedom. We’ll also discover what our job actually is: to create an inspiring atmosphere and to educate ourselves. This is where it gets really fun–because this is where we get to develop and nurture our own passions.’

 

:::Saint Paul and Christian Classical Education by Tucker Teague @ Satellite Saint. Very good stuff, here.

”But a true dialogue can seem to be unfocused and wandering, which is also antithetical to teaching in the modern sense. Our modern education system is partially based on a sense of urgency–we cannot afford to waste time with thinking when we have so much knowledge to get into those little brains. It is a system that must swap dialogue with lecture. But this modern system denies the existence of the human soul. Is that what we want?”

:::Technology in Schools Faces Questions on Value @ NY Times

 

:::Why Are Finland’s Schools Successful @ SmithsonianMag.com:

“If you only measure the statistics, you miss the human aspect.”

And then:

“We prepare children to learn how to learn, not how to take a test...”

 

:::A very long and phenomenal article on Socratic dialogue @ Classical Academic Press, An Invitation to Socratic Dialogue and Learning: Becoming an Artisan of Thought.

 

:::For a little bit of life inspiration, we have For the Days That Aren’t So Spectacular by Hannah @ A Quiet Spot:

‘And I remembered ... we are all toddling through this remodeling journey together. We are all that messy room. The clutter of perfectionism, of disappointment, of unreasonable expectations, of misplaced hopes ... it all has to go. Sometimes, the room looks worse before it gets better, right?’

:::And for a little bit of funny (especially for moms of boys), we have The Kids Are Alright @ The Weekly Standard:

‘The boys become more invested, however, as the tasks grow increasingly physical, and even mildly dangerous. For Jousting, we balance ourselves on a board, then try knocking each other off with baseball bats. “Ow!” exclaims Dean. “You hit me in the crackers!” My mistake—next time, we should use pool noodles, as per the instructions. We ride a mattress down the stairs, nearly crashing through the wall at the bottom. “This is fun,” says Luke. “We haven’t done this in a while.” “We’ve never done this,” I say, confused. “Me and Dean have,” he confesses.’

 

Whew! Did you get a chance to read all those? You can skip our summer report, as it is not nearly as interesting as those fabulous articles. But, for the curious, here it is:

Faith:
Bible Reading

Math:
Daily math (Teaching Textbooks or Singapore workbooks)
Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature by Sarah C. Campbell

Science:
Various DVDs and books 
Day Camps:
Going Buggy (bug habitats)
Regurgitation Vacation (dissecting owl pellets and a frog!)

P.E.:
Swim practice
Family swim night
Outdoor play

Fine Arts:
Piano practice/lessons (Luke)
The Mona Lisa Caper by Rick Jacobson
The Artists’ Specials: Degas and the Dancer (DVD)
Degas and the Little Dancer by Laurence Anholt
The Artists’ Specials: Monet, Shadow & Light (DVD)
The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt
The Story of the Orchestra: Tchaikovsky
Classical Kids: Tchaikovsky Discovers America (CD)
Degas and Tchaikovsky on YouTube
I Dreamed I Was a Ballerina: A Girlhood Story by Anna Pavlova illustrated with art by Edgar Degas
Swan Lake retold and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

Owls and Pussy-cats: Nonsense Verse by Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll
Poetry for Young People: Edward Lear

Language Arts:
Handwriting Without Tears workbooks/copywork

Latin:
Song School Latin review (Headventureland.com)
Prima Latina DVD lessons 1, 2, 3

Literature:
The Trouble Begins At 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West by Sid Fleischman (biography, Levi)
Who Was Mark Twain? by April Jones Prince
A Brilliant Streak: The Making of Mark Twain by Kathryn Lasky
River Boy: The Story of Mark Twain by William Anderson
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) by Barbara Kerley
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (unabridged) (read aloud)
Classic Starts: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer retold from the Mark Twain original (Levi and Luke, independently)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (unabridged) (Levi, independently)

Levi’s Reading:
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
The Roman Mysteries Series by Caroline Lawrence (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,15,16,17):
(The Secrets of Vesuvius, The Pirates of Pompeii, The Assassins of Rome, The Dolphins of Laurentum,
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, The Enemies of Jupiter, The Gladiators From Capua, The Colossus of Rhodes,
The Fugitive From Corinth, The Sirens of Surrentum, The Charioteer of Delphi,  The Slave-girl from Jerusalem,
The Scribes from Alexandria, The Prophet from Ephesus, The Man from Pomegranate Street)
The Roman Mysteries Mini Mysteries: The Legionary from Londinium (and other stories) by Caroline Lawrence
(My America) Freedom’s Wings: Corey’s Diary, Kentucky to Ohio, 1857
(My America) Flying Free: Corey’s Underground Railroad Diary
(My America) A Perfect Place: Joshua’s Oregon Trail Diary
Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Borrowers Afield
The Borrowers Afloat
The Borrowers Aloft
Escape From Warsaw (The Silver Sword) by Ian Serraillier
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
Escape by Night: A Civil War Adventure by Laurie Myers
George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff
George Washington’s Spy by Elvira Woodruff
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
Nick of Time by Ted Bell
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
All sorts of other books…

Luke’s Reading:
The Most Beautiful Place in the World by Ann Cameron
Riding the Pony Express by Clyde Robert Bulla
Lots and lots of Dragon Slayers’ Academy books (15? 20?)
Finished the Magic Tree House Books?
The Boxcar Children (a couple/few books in the series)
The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris
The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill
Things Will Never Be the Same, For the Duration, and I’m Still Scared by Tomie DePaola
Dominic by William Steig
All sorts of other books…

Leif’s Reading:
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Night of the Ninjas
Pirates Past Noon
All sorts of other books…

Miscellaneous:
Paddle to the Sea (DVD based on the book by Holling C. Holling… what a neat film!)
Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo

A week of morning VBS (Panda Mania)
A week of evening VBS (Gold Rush)
3 Days of morning VBS (Son Surf)
A week of evening VBS (Egypt Files)

BOYS’ CAMP with Dad!!
Evening concert in the park
A weekend at the coast
Softball with family
An airplane ride for Luke
Cool Pool (outdoor splash pool)

A two-day teaching conference—in-service for ME!!