book club

Encouraging a Well-Trained Mind

June 9, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

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This book was a my homeschooling bible for our first few years when I began home educating Elizabeth. We’ve explored many avenues, but we always come back to this.

And now that Victoria and Katherine are beginning the journey, we return to the source to revamp our curriculum choices and review the basics and help with scheduling.

I was looking through boxes of Liz’s old workbooks the other day and it made me wonder why I stopped using them.

Some of it was laziness on both our parts but she mostly just outgrew most of it.

Now that Liz is in a different level in classical education and the girls are starting out, I am rereading my “bible” to get grounded again. I apparently have the 2nd edition and the third edition is what is now available. So, I have no idea what the changes are. Perhaps different suggested resources?

The beginning pages, Prologue, and first two chapters detail authors Jessie and Susan’s home education journeys and what classical education is.

Then Part 1 covers The Grammar Stage: Kindergarten Through Fourth Grade

Chapter 3: The Parrot Years

This chapter discusses how these years lay a firm foundation. I am grateful for this reminder because I itch to go into too much detail and teach concepts that my girls aren’t ready to learn yet.

“The immature mind is more suited to absorption than argument” (24).

I need to cherish the excitement that comes with learning a concept for the first time. There’s no need to cover everything, just introduce it.

“Remember, classical education teaches a child how to learn. The child who knows how to learn will grow into a well-rounded – and well-equipped – adult…even if he didn’t finish his first-grade science book” (25).

Chapter 4: Unlocking the Doors: The Preschool Years.

I love the recommended schedule at the beginning of each “grade level.” This helps me gauge if I’m trying to do too much or if we’re getting lazy. Each subject is suggested at 10 minutes daily for preschool, working up to 30 minutes by age 5.

Reading
Writing
Math
General Preschool Learning

At the end of the chapter are suggested resources. Now, I didn’t care for Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready {but you may love it!}. I found lots of resources online that I liked more when the girls were preschoolers and now for Alex.

We prefer All About Reading to Explode the Code. I remember the Plaid Phonics and I think we may start those up with the girls. Kate already loves to read and Tori needs some help, so I may teach them separately with those.

I love that living math books are recommended!

The rest of Part 1 consists of chapters 5-12.

5. Language Arts

6. Math

7. History and Geography

8. Science

9. Latin

10. Technology

11. Religion

12. Art and Music

Filed Under: Classical, consulting Tagged With: book club, classical, well-trained mind

Poppins Book Nook: Royalty

March 24, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

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Welcome to the Poppins Book Nook Reading Club! Here’s my intro post a few weeks ago that explains it all. Each month we have a fun theme and read books and do crafts and stuff.

This month I used the royal theme with each of my children…

So we have a middle school unit, an elementary unit, and a preschool unit! I can’t guarantee I’ll do this much each month! (We did focus more on the elementary unit.)

PRESCHOOL

My main book for Alex (whom we call Bubba!) is Bubba, The Cowboy Prince. It’s a “Cinderella tale” and it’s cute and funny, with all sorts of cowboys twists to the story. We compared it to other Cinderella tales from around the world. We also read The Prince Won’t Go to Bed! Hilarious! And gave me lots of reasons to kiss on my boy.

And just look at my little knight, ready and willing to go slay anything that threatens my honor! I just love him.

ELEMENTARY

Our book selection for Tori and Kate was this The True Story of Pocahontas (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3). We also read Pocahontas by d’Aulaire. And we really got into this unit!

The girls drew and wrote and learned about Native Americans with Book 3: Native Americans, North America, Pilgrims (Draw-Write-Now) .

Here’s our library haul! Kate especially loved the Indian Signals and Sign Language and I wish I’d gotten a picture of her practicing!

Tori and Kate colored pictures of Pocohontas and Jamestown.

We’ve had this costume in our dress-up for YEARS! And now it suits Kate for the Pocahontas theme perfectly! All white like the swan feathers she really would have worn!

Here’s a fun anonymous poem I found and put on a pretty background. Feel free to download it and print it! Did you know Pocahontas’ real name was Matoax or Matoaca/Matoaka – meaning Little Snow Feather? And then she was known as Lady Rebecca when she traveled to England with her white husband, John Rolfe, and their son, Thomas?

We had this belt kit from Grandma and I figured it out. It’s too difficult for the girls to complete right now. But it’s cute if I ever finish it.

So we dyed noodles and made bead necklaces instead. This was a big hit with everyone!

and made a cradle board or papoose for a doll with hot glue, a shoebox, flannel, and a belt.

And the girls LOVED playing with the Powhatan Indians Toob and Jamestown Settlers Toob and acting out all the stories we read in history!

And how perfect that the library storytime last week was all about royalty?

and the teacher even had this fun crown craft for the kids! I love her!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Young Royals collection from author Carolyn Meyer for Elizabeth. Liz loves this time period and all the Tudor royals are fascinating in these historical fiction biography diaries.

Elizabeth is cross-stitching a bracelet from a kit since needlework was popular during the Renaissance.

Here are some books we already have and some from the library that fit with Liz’s theme. She loves Shakespeare! We recently read Hamlet together. Liz completed notebooking pages through our classical history curriculum, Tapestry of Grace, and printables from the Notebooking Pages.