My second blog post celebrated Leif at six months. And now he is SIX. Crazy.
My friend took this video of Lola singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ I didn’t want to post it because I’m in it, and I detest videos of myself (especially when I’m hot and tired and *singing*, ugh). But I thought some of you might get a kick out of it, so I’m trying not to care and hitting ‘publish’ anyway.
Here are links to pictures of Leif growing up here on the blog, just for fun:
One and a little (and my other *little* boys!).
Two.
Five.
Leif is like a labrador puppy. He is darling and huge all at the same time. His enthusiasm knows no bounds. He is loud and his body is in constant motion. He is everyone’s best friend. He is sweet and loveable. He pouts. He is stubborn and difficult to train. He makes huge messes. Oh, but you can’t help but love this kid, with his puppy-dog eyes, his snuggles, and his sweet, sweet personality.
I think I'm going to be in trouble when this kid hits his teen years...
I hate to brag, really I do, but I have awesome friends (and family). That’s all there is to it. Today, my good friend (and veterinarian with a passion for teaching kids science), Christina, spent 8 hours in the 95+ degree heat teaching 10 kids all about taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, osmosis, diffusion, and fish complete with hands-on experiments, dissections!, and craft supplies (glue! glitter! colored paper! custom note-books!). (My sons just realized what a no-fun mom I am…)
Not only did Christina put a tremendous amount of effort into planning and organizing all of this, but she can answer all of the kids’ questions with intelligent, scientific explanations. (As opposed to ‘would you like me to read the chapter again?’) They even ended the day with popsicles and a water gun fight. I mean, seriously.
My sister hosted (and helped) the gang in her garden. My science-loving niece assisted. The kids involved are all great family friends. We are so blessed!
This is day 1 of a *3-day* science camp kick-starting our science studies in biology with our Classical Conversations group. What a way to wrap up the summer!
So, I have my list of ALL the things I want to fit in our school day. I KNOW from painful and repeated experience that it isn’t possible.
‘All’ may be possible for someone else, but the truth is I’m undisciplined. I know this about myself. I HATE this about myself. Every few weeks I am determined to CHANGE this about myself. And then I don’t have the self-discipline to change.
But that NEVER stops me from making awesome plans for fitting it all in. And then sharing it here. Because it makes me look so productive. Ha!
Without further ado, the routine I will never stick to:
Tuesday-Friday:
Monday is our day for Classical Conversations classes. Our early morning routine will look similar. We need to leave the house by 8:45, so we’ll skip math/piano and have a few extra minutes for lunch-packing, stuff-gathering, and presentation-reviewing.
The Foundations classes for all three boys (and Lola in the nursery) are from 9 AM until noon. Then we’ll eat lunch with the other families and the kids will have gym time. At 1 PM Levi and I will head to the Essentials class while Luke and Leif go to play class. (I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with Lola. If possible, I might have her take a nap during that time.)
Essentials finishes up at 3 PM. We’ll try to get out of there quickly so we can be home in time for the boys to grab a snack and leave for swim practice at 3:30. Evening routine will be the same.
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Now that I think about it, ‘ALL’ isn’t an accurate term for this schedule. Notably, I see no time for blogging. Or Spanish. Or typing. Or staring at a wall in happy silence and inactivity. Or watching White Collar or Drop Dead Diva. Or hiding in the bathroom with chocolate. This is not good.
ETA: I added in typing and Spanish thanks to the great advice from a reader in the comments!
We’ll have to mesh our CC presentations with our other lessons to maximize our time. I’ll have a shelf filled with books for the boys to choose from when I’m occupied and they don’t have a task or are waiting for help. This will include picture books for history, science, art, poetry, math, etc.
I MUST work on a meal plan.
Play time will happen on weekends. A few school days will be interrupted with field trips or other activities. Sunday afternoons are for family Costco and library outings when we aren’t busy with a swim meet or other activity.
I was hoping to have the boys do Lego League and an art class, but I don’t know if our schedule (particularly swim team) will allow for that.
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We are going to go somewhere fun September 4th or 5th for a not-back-to-school ‘party’ (that is when local schools begin), spend the 6th cleaning house and getting organized, and practice our routine on the 7th (with a yummy breakfast and pictures). Then it is off to our favorite Renaissance Faire and my niece’s birthday on Saturday the 8th. Sunday we’ll get our stuff together for our first day of CC on the 10th. Tuesday the 11th will be our first official day of school at home. (The boys will have a break from swim team practice the first couple weeks of September, which will help us ease into our routine.)
I’m planning 13 weeks of lessons for our first trimester. We have 12 weeks of CC with a week break half-way. That will give us 4 weeks (December 10—January 6th) for a Christmas break with light lessons and Christmas reading/activities. We’ll resume our full load on January 7th.
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I’ve spent some time deciding how to integrate our Classical Conversations memory work topics with our weekly studies, particularly in history and science.
After looking through the CC history sentences, I’ve decided to simply make our way through The Story of the World: Ancient Times without any manipulation to fit with the memory work. I’ve scheduled our first 13 weeks to cover chapters 1-17, which means we’ll finish up with ancient Egypt before Christmas and begin with ancient Greece in January.
We are creating a master timeline (we’ll have one nice history timeline for the family, and the boys will each make their own paper timeline) where we’ll enter all our history sentences and CC timeline card titles as well as other information from our studies in all subjects so that we’ll have a big picture idea of how people, events, ideas, and cultures unfold and interact through time. And, as usual, the boys will break into song whenever a chapter from The Story of the World brings to mind a history sentence or timeline card.
Science will be much easier to integrate. There are 10 lessons in Real Science 4 Kids Biology, and we will rearrange them to correspond with the CC science memory work topics, spending an extra week on ecosystems and the natural cycles. I’ll be supplementing with Christian Kids Explore Biology, and, of course, extra books and videos. (We won’t be doing a huge amount since the boys will have a science experiment or project every week with CC and a friend is putting on a 3-day biology science camp this month.) I’m up in the air about how to proceed with science studies in January.
Geography studies will consist of mostly CC work, with a day of working through The Complete Book of Maps & Geography. I haven’t decided whether we’ll add in the history maps from The Story of the World Activity Guide. I will probably pick out a few key maps and do those during history time.
Math and Latin memory work will just serve to solidify what we are learning in those subjects. Speaking of math, the boys will do an independent math lesson over the weekend.
Grammar will be work from Classical Conversations Essentials. I plan on having Luke work through the material at home as much as possible even though he won’t be in class on Mondays. Leif will only work on the CC grammar memory work. Writing for Levi will be ancient history-themed IEW assignments through Essentials while CC is in session. Otherwise he’ll be working on Writing With Ease with the other two boys. I have some outlining workbooks that we might work on during history so that they can start outlining from the history encyclopedias. (Leif will just do copywork for history.)
The boys will have fine arts at CC, so during the week we will listen to CDs, read picture books, memorize poetry, and practice the piano.
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What am I forgetting? (Other than my sanity?)
I posted our list of plans, curricula, books, and resources for the upcoming school year way back in May (because I’m crazy like that), but I’ve been working on more detailed planning for the school year starting in just a few weeks (ack!!). I’m reposting an updated list as a kick-off (or would that be a kick-in-the-rear-end?) for more planning posts. Next up: the ‘getting it all done’ routine. (Bwa-ha-ha!!)
2012-2013:
LEVI ~ 5th grade
LUKE ~ 3nd grade
LEIF ~ 1st grade
LOLA ~ preschool (reality: toddlerhood and general entertainment/distraction/chaos)
Classical Conversations (Cycle 1) Foundations: One morning each week for 24 weeks; includes social time and public speaking. Essentials: (Levi) One afternoon each week for 24 weeks; includes grammar, vocabulary, writing, public speaking, and challenging math games.
This will be our 3rd year with our Classical Conversations community. It has been a tremendous blessing in our lives. I am amazed that we will have learned all 3 cycles of memory work at the end of this next year! (I shared about the value we’ve found in the memory work in this post.) Levi will be participating in the afternoon Essentials class for the first time this year while the other boys go to a play class.
Faith:
CC Memorize Exodus 20 (10 Commandments)
God Our Provider (CD) (Bible memory songs)
The Children’s Illustrated Bible (read through together, again)
Victor Journey Through the Bible (supplemental context information)
Telling God's Story- Year 2 (Life of Jesus, one lesson weekly)
Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God (daily family devotions)
The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments (corresponds with Long Story Short)
The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (for me!)
Buck Denver Asks…What’s In the Bible? (DVD series, fun time)
Hymns For a Kid's Heart (Vol. 1, 2) (once weekly)
(Luke and Levi: weekly hymns on piano)
(Christmas: The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader and The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean)
Math:
Teaching Textbooks (Leif: finish 3, Luke: finish 4, Levi: 5/6)
The Critical Thinking Co. math workbooks (for supplemental fun)
Life of Fred (All boys: Elementary series, Levi: Fractions and Decimals & Percents. For fun free reading.)
Beast Academy (Luke: level 3. We’re going to try out this new program from Art of Problem Solving.)
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (free online)
Dragonbox (fabulously fun algebra game app for the ipad)
Khan Academy (free online tutorial videos)
Exploring the World of Mathematics by John Hudson Tiner
Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer
Why Pi? by Johnny Ball
[and other history-integrated math studies, including The Story of Science by Joy Hakim]
Various computer/online games
(I shared a little more about our math approach at this link.)
CC weekly memory work (skip counting/measurements/formulas/laws)
Challenging math games in Classical Conversations Essentials (Levi)
Logic:
Red Herrings and other logic/critical thinking books from The Critical Thinking Co.
Science:
(Christian Kids Explore Physics, Exploring the World of Physics by John Hudson Tiner, Eureka Physics (online videos))
Bill Nye and Eyewitness DVDs
Khan Academy (free online tutorial videos)
CC weekly science memory work (biology and earth science)
CC weekly science projects and experiments
Christian Kids Explore Biology
Real Science 4 Kids Biology
Biology Connects to Language (RS4K) (connects vocabulary from science text to Latin and Greek roots!)
Exploring the World of Biology by John Hudson Tiner
Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Lesie & Charles E. Roth
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia
What’s Science All About? (Usborne) (covers Chemistry, Physics, and Biology)
The Story of Science series by Joy Hakim (history-integrated science studies)
Science in Ancient Egypt, Greece, Islamic Cultures, China, and Mesopotamia (series) (history-integrated studies)
Supplemental books and DVDs
Three days of biology science camp in August to jump-start our studies
(Our science studies will be connected with our CC memory work in biology for the first half of the year. I’m still not sure exactly what we will be doing beginning in January. Possibly earth science.)
P.E.:
Swim Team (3x week, plus swim meets and family swim nights)
(mini trampoline, bike riding, and outdoor play)
Fine Arts:
CC drawing, tin whistle/music theory, fine art/art projects, composers/instruments of the orchestra
The Story of Classical Music (CD)
Beethoven’s Wig (CD series)
Classical Kids (CD series)
13 Art Inventions Children Should Know (and others in the series by Prestel, one book each month)
Cave Paintings to Picasso (history-integrated art studies)
IEW Poetry Memorization
Piano practice
Language Arts:
Classical Conversations Essentials of the English Language (grammar, IEW writing (theme-based: Ancients))
IEW Poetry Memorization
MCT Poetry, Grammar, Writing, Vocabulary (review Town level)
Writing With Ease (Leif: level 1, Luke: level 3, Levi: level 4 and Writing With Skill level 1)
CC grammar memory work (lists of prepositions, helping verbs, and linking verbs)
All About Spelling (Levi and Luke: level 4, Leif: level 1 and 2)
Handwriting Without Tears workbooks
Copy work using custom handwriting worksheets
(I shared more details about our Language Arts line-up at this link.)
Typing (Levi)
Latin:
Latina Christiana I (continue)
CC Latin memory work (declensions)
Spanish:
We have La Clase Divertida, El Espanol Facil Jr., and Rosetta Stone to choose from, but realistically I have no idea how to fit it in. Sigh.
Geography:
The Complete Book of Maps and Geography (workbook)
CC geography (extensive world geography and map drawing)
Geography games (free online)
Geography games, puzzles, and books
Stack the Countries (iPad app)
(review CC cycles 2 and 3 geography)
(history related maps)
History/Literature:
(The Story of the World: The Modern Age (finish))
The Story of the World: Ancient Times (with Activity Guide)
Begin creating our own history timeline (Add-a-Century Timeline) integrating all subjects
SOTW Vol 1 Resources @ Tending Our Lord’s Garden (using the notebooking pages!)
SOTW Vol 1 Literature Guides @ Classical House of Learning (picking and choosing)
CC weekly history memory work (Ancients and world civilizations)
The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History (Luke)
The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (Levi)
CC Veritas History Timeline Cards and new CC Timeline Cards (memorize)
Many supplemental books and DVDs
Literature Study (Ancients, using lists from The Well-Trained Mind) including:
Tales From Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green
Casting the Gods Adrift: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by Geraldine McCaughrean
Lugalbanda, The Boy Who Got Caught Up In a War: An Epic Tale From Ancient Iraq told by Kathy Henderson
Gilgamesh The King, The Revenge of Ishtar, and The Last Quest of Gilgamesh retold by Ludmila Zeman
Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean
In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid (Virgil) by Penelope Lively
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of The Iliad (Homer) by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of The Odyssey (Homer) by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Children’s Homer by Padraic Colum
Tales From the Odyssey by Mary Pope Osborne
The Aesop for Children illustrated by Milo Winter
D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths
Historical Fiction:
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Ben Hur by Lew Wallace
Julius Caesar by Shakespeare
(and more)
Literature:
Great children’s classics
Book Detectives (Parent-child monthly book club focusing on literature analysis via Socratic dialogue a la Deconstructing Penguins and Teaching the Classics)
Lots of free reading and library visits
Review CC memory work from cycles 2 and 3
Summer in Oregon doesn’t usually show up until sometime in July. This year it seemed to wait until August. I think it hit 100 degrees yesterday for the first time this year.
July. It was one crazy month here at Mt. Hope.
We spent the 1st at our friend Bob’s house for his annual BBQ at his home on Lake Oswego. Then the kids and I packed up and headed to California to see my grandparents and aunt and uncle. We left on the 5th and came back home late on the 11th. I hosted our book club on the 12th. The 14th was a family BBQ. The boys had evening VBS the week of the 15th. We had our family reunion on the 21st (I still have pictures to post!).
Russ left for Chicago (for work) the morning of the 22nd and was gone until midnight on the 27th while I did the single parenting gig (and fit in another book club meeting in the garden). He and the boys left for their annual Boys’ Camp (aka Mancation, pictures coming soon) the morning after Russ returned from his work trip. I spent the next few days cleaning out all the clothes in our drawers and closets, taking 5 industrial-sized garbage bags to GoodWill. (I’m embarrassed to admit the state of our clothes drawers and what was spilling out of them…)
I also discovered that Lola is even more extroverted than I thought. While the boys were away, she continuously brought me her shoes. And my shoes. And said ‘outside.’ And promptly walked to the car and got in her carseat. And happily went to town. And walked through the stores smiling at everyone who passed her. And threw most awesome 2 year old tantrums when we arrived home and she had to get out of her carseat.
After a couple days of lamenting over my sock drawers and how difficult it was to accomplish anything with an almost 22 month old who wanted to socialize, dear friends offered to take her for the day. It seems that she soaked up the attention from all 6 of their family members for hours on end. Toys? Who needs toys when you have people?! When they brought her back home that evening, I leaned in to get her out of her carseat. She gave me the hand and said ‘no.’ Hmmmm.
The next day my best friend offered to continue Lola’s socialization (who was I to deny them Lola’s company?), and Lola soaked up hours more of undivided attention. I finally finished the clothing organization project, while the rest of the house showed obvious neglect.
So, the boys arrived home on Wednesday afternoon. The next morning, at the crack of dawn, my sister and I headed out of town for a teaching conference. It was put on by Veritas School (a phenomenal classical Christian school) in Newberg, and hosted by George Fox University. Two of our friends were able to join us there, and it felt like a two-day party. The drive to and from Newberg was gorgeous (vineyards galore), we stayed and relaxed at a lovely bed & breakfast (this is becoming a delightful habit!), and the conference itself was inspiring, educational, enlightening, and soul-nourishing.
We attended sessions covering late grammar-stage history, theology and the Bible, grammar level writing (the progymnasmata), and integrating subjects and classical methods. The capstone was listening in on a Harkness/Socratic-style discussion of Homer, Virgil, and Milton (with a little Dante, Voltaire, and Tolkien thrown in for good measure). It was fantastic experience, listening to three brilliant men (the Veritas School Humane Letters instructors) lead the discussion. Homeschooling can often be a female-dominated world, and it was refreshing to hear the voices of men in a vibrant and animated (and often hilarious) discussion of history, literature, and theology. Holly and I came away with huge grins on our faces. I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle the daunting task of organizing and planning for our upcoming year.
When I arrived home Friday evening, I immediately changed my clothes and got ready for my 20-year high school reunion. Remember all that stuff about billboards? Yes, well, I swallowed my trepidation, took Russ along for moral support, and went to socialize. I spent a fair amount of time holding up a wall and trying to look decorative (while my husband socialized), but I lived to tell about it, so that is something…no?
Whew. Oh, I forgot to mention that I have also been working to contribute to a little project, You Can Do It Too! 25 Homeschool Families Share Their Stories. I’ll be sharing more about that later this month.
The past two days have been spent trying to dig my way out of the Mt. St. Helens of laundry (smelling of campfire and dirty wet boys) that had spewed all over my house. The week ahead brings another round of VBS for the boys, a senior photo session, and an out-of-town swim meet.
And that brings us up-to-date. I think. I’ll try to get more pictures posted this week.
When are you all starting school? I’m thinking October sounds good…
