Resurrection Sunday

  

(our little Passover celebration)

"I am among you as one who serves." Luke 22:27

"No servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." John 13:16

 

(unleavened bread)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1John 3:16

"Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

 

(easter garden. inspiration here and here.  bigger picture of ours here)     

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." Luke 24:1-3

"Why do you look for the living among the dead.  He is not here; he has risen!" Luke 24:5

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11 

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

** We were off to outdoor sunrise service at 6am this morning!  Lots of lounging happening how. Dinner with friends/family later. Happy Easter to all of you dear friends! I'll be back tomorrow with more homeschooling talk.

On Homschooling...Part 2

When I started out this year, I wasn't sure if homeschooling would be the long-term plan for us. We just committed to 1 year.  There was always the possibility that my children would return to the classical christian school that they attended last year.  I chose most of my curriculum (same curriculum that the school used) with that possibility in mind.  If my kids did go back to school, I wanted them to be right in step with their peers.  Now that we have decided to stay at home next year too...some of my choices may change.  I absolutely love the Charlotte Mason "method" of homeschooling.  I am currently trying to find better ways of incorporating more of her ideas into what we do around here.  So with that said, here is what we have been using so far:

Math: Saxon Math (year 1 for kindergartner, year 3 for second grader)

So it is not the most colorful or "fun" stuff out there, but in my opinion it definitely gets the job done.  Math is not my subject!  I was super concerned about being able to convey concepts that I struggled with myself.  But get this, the teacher's manual has a script!  It is so comprehensive, there is very little planning for me.  Hannah is a very visual learner and Saxon has really catered to her in this way.  I intend to continue with this text next year.

English Grammar: Shurley English (year 2 for second grader)

Emma loves Shurley Grammar.  Again, there is a script and a very helpful teachers manual.  This program has little chants that help her remember how the parts of speech work.  These little songs are catchy and come in handy when she is labeling sentences.  I do feel however, that there is a bit of busywork involved in this program.  Several weeks of the program are just review with no new concepts introduced.  It felt like a waste of time.  I am not sure if we will continue with this next year for Emma, but I plan to use the little songs with Hannah when she is ready.

Spelling/Reading/Handwriting: Spell to Write and Read and Wise Guide to Spelling 

I am not in love with the aesthetic qualities of this program.  It is very visually dry- something that Hannah and I struggle with (she is a "bells and whistles" kind of girl). It also requires quite a bit of training for the teacher (me!) in the beginning. That said, this program teaches phonics.  Yes, I am in that camp.  I have seen both of my girls learn to read, write, and spell at rapid rates well above their grade levels with this program.  Emma is currently spelling at a 5th grade level. Hannah is getting really great at sounding out unknown words.  I love this because, she can read independently- which is the goal right? This program did not come with readers, and I wish it would have.  We have used both Bob Books and the Brand New Readers series. I have not been overjoyed with these books.  Charlotte Mason would have considered them "twaddle".  But Hannah loves them and the little reward system that they come with.  I have just gone along with them so as to not discourage her enthusiasm. Hannah will continue with STW&R next year to beef up her reading skills and also for cursive instruction, but I am not sure about Emma.  Instead, I like the idea of taking the misspelled words from all of her written work and compiling our own lists- seems less redundant.

History: Story of the World- Volume 1 Ancient Times

Though the girls seem to like the "story format" of this book, I have never felt like it delved deep enough into each time period.  All year I have sort of felt like we were glazing over large chunks of history.  I originally chose it because there are so many ideas included in the teacher's manual for hands on projects. I appreciated someone planning all those out for me. What I am finding however, is that we don't usually get to many of them.  After doing a narration with a picture, coloring a map, and adding an entry into our Book of Centuries...there isn't usually time left in the week to do much else.  We tried some of the books onthe list over at Ambleside, but my kids were bored stiff!  Still investigating history options.

Science: Apologia- Astronomy

I can't put my finger on why, but we just really don't like this curriculum.  We have sort of limped along through the book.  My girls love to do hands on experiments and activities, and there doesn't seem to be much of that in this text.  I also feel as thought this book may be geared towards children a couple of years older than mine.  I definitely don't want to use Apologia next year.  Nature study (one aspect of a Charlotte Mason education) has been something that my girls have fallen in love with.  We head outside and take on some sort of exploration and observation.  We have been keeping nature journals which are lovely.  The whole garden planning idea would fall under nature study.  Currently we are tracking the process of vegetable seedlings.  We also did a bit of study on insects and birds.  This will definitely be a part of the plan for next year.

 

(we take this little box with us to the park and on little hikes.  it has sketch books, pastels and pencils)

Bible Study: Bible Study Fellowship Home Training Lessons

I attend a BSF class each week.  It is a 7 year program that basically covers the entire bible.  I love it because it is very academic and it really provides expositional style teaching.  What's better, is that it not only helps me to learn more...but they also provide home training lessons.  I have used this along with Old Testament Days as we have studied the life of Moses this year.  Laurel loves "Baby Moses" and frequently reenacts the whole basket floating down the river thing.  They have really enjoyed it. (also really love this!) 

Okay, whew!  That was a lot!  I'd love to hear about what is working for you.  Be back soon with how we fit all this into a week and what a typical day looks like. 

On Homeschooling....Part 1

I've been hesitant to write much about our homeschooling experience simply because I was finding it hard to articulate my feelings.  I think that I have decided that it is completely normal to have a sort of love/hate relationship with schooling at home. There are definitely those days when I feel like it would be nice to pack their lunches and send them off on the bus until 3pm in the afternoon.  Sometimes I fantasize about what I would do will all that time to myself!  But ninety percent of the time I feel extremely blessed to be given the opportunity to be present with my my children throughout the day.

I am growing in confidence as a teacher.  If it is possible, I have come to know my girls better this year.  I have always thought Hannah to be a free spirit, not much for academics.  I really thought we would struggle together.  I have observed, however, that when something inspires her or captures her attention she is capable of producing the most beautiful and sincere work.  Every day she asks, "Mom can we have a history lesson today?" She doesn't lack for enthusiasm or drive, she just needs to have the option for creativity.  I have to keep things fresh and new for her.  Boring routines and workbooks are a recipe for tears. Hannah has learned to read this year! Guess what?  I taught her.

Emma loves learning, but needs to be challenged.  If I didn't push her to think outside the box a little, she would be happy to do busy work all day long.  I've learned that she needs routine and gains confidence with clearly defined directions. Her handwriting is beautiful and she has become an expert narrator.  She is so bright and patiently listens to me teach her something she most likely already knows.  I am always asking myself, "How did she figure that out?  Where did she learn that?" 

Laurel is learning her letters just as a by-product of listening to our lessons.  She sits in on all our read-alouds and is deeply invested in The Boxcar Children Series. She even takes a turn narrating (because she begs to!) I love the way these girls support and love on each other throughout the day.  We are certainly not free of typical sibling squabbles.  But for the most part, they are free with their compliments towards one another, there is little competition. (Something Emma struggled with in a classroom full of peers.) I love to see them share ideas and work together.  Deepening our relationships was one of the goals of homeschooling, and I'd say that has definitely been accomplished.

   

When I look back to a year ago.  I realize that I am exactly where I wanted to be.  There is no rushing around here in the mornings, no scrambling for clean uniforms. We don't make a bazillion trips into town each day.  There aren't hours and hours of homework or after school sports practices. Our itinerary each day generally consists of one thing: learning together.  Life has become more simple, more purposeful (though not without its challenges). 

For those of you who are interested in specifics, I do want to spend some time talking about curriculum, and daily schedules.  I always enjoy hearing about how other people put similar things in practice for their own families.  So, come back over the next few days to hear more.