Homeschooling Hatchlings

The most frequent question I have been receiving lately is "How is the homeschooling going?". Second only, of course, to "When are you due?". While I don't lay out our schedule for every term online, I thought it might be beneficial this week for others to see how we "do school" in the Knucker Hatch house these days. So often I feel like I am completely inadequate in explaining to others how we homeschool - especially family. The Ambleside curriculum is unlike anything I have ever encountered for grade school level children. Add to that, trying to explain Charlotte Mason's methods themselves, and I feel like I barely scratch the surface in my descriptions of our schooling routines.

All that said, and out of the way, we tackle most of our schooling when time avails and the house is in happy spirits. Translation, Ms. Faith dictates when or how much school with the older two is done during her awake hours. I know this is a very difficult time for her to understand that Mom needs to sit down with the other kids for one on one teaching time, so I don't demand too much from her on this front. As she gets older, I will expect more from her in the patience and respect arena. So often, one hour is accomplished during her awake time, and one hour is reserved for when she is taking her nap. I save more difficult subjects and games/art for Tuesdays and Thursdays when Faith attends a Mother's Morning Out program. The kids and I really enjoy this Faith-free time (sorry sweetie), as it frees me up to relax and really focus on fostering a love for learning environment.

Typically we focus on copywork, math and assisted or independent reading first. However, the children are allowed to take a break after two of the three items are accomplished. I am a huge supporter of short lessons so each subject receives approximately 15 minutes of attention.

Below is what is on tap for our current term:

Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (once a week study)
Resources:
Vincent Van Gogh Sticker Art Gallery Book (I highly recommend these books for both Van Gogh and Monet)
Two sets of Dover Stickers and wood chips used to make a memory game
Dover Postcards for picture study

Composer(s): Gustav Mahler & Anton Bruckner (2-3 times a week study)
Resources:
CD: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 / Songs of a Wayfarer - Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
CD: Anton Bruckner: Symphony No 4 "Romantic"

Foreign Language: Latin America Spanish (3-5 times a week study)
Resources:
Rosetta Stone Latin America Spanish Homeschool Edition


The Queen's Grace: Ambleside Online Year 2 / 3rd Term (modified)

RESOURCES:
Poetry & Copywork: Emily Dickinson - (read one poem and 2 lines from assigned poem copied daily)
Math: Math Made Meaningful - Year 2 Workbook (daily)
Bible: Selections from Trial & Triumph, AWANA, New Testament Reading from Children's Bible
History: Selections from An Island Story, This Country of Ours
Natural History: Completion of the Burgess Book of Animals, Third Liberty Reader (independent reading)
Literature: Unabridged Version of Howard Pyle's Robin Hood (Audio CD), Lamb's Shakespeare Paraphrased Plays that include Macbeth & The Comedy of Errors, selections from Parables in Nature

Daily oral narrations of selections read or listened to is required.


Sir Bugga-Lot : Ambleside Online Year 1 / 1st Term (modified into a 5 term program)

RESOURCES:
Poetry: 3-5 Poems a week from A Child's Garden of Verses
Copywork & Phonics: Starfall Book / Starfall.com. Jack just finished his Starfall workbook, so I am in the market for a new workbook. We are currently going to be using the Walmart type workbooks.
Math: Math Made Meaningful - Year 1 Workbook (daily)
Bible: AWANA, Children's Bible reading
History: Buffalo Bill
Natural History: First Liberty Reader (independent reading)
Literature: Paddle to the Sea (counts also toward geography), James Herriot's Treasury, Just So Stories, Aesop's Fables

Daily narrations of selections required.

Year 2 Term 1: Literature Exam

Grace had her first oral exam today. It was also MY first day of giving exams. Today is our official Exam Week for Ambleside Year 2, 1st Term. Despite our many firsts, Grace showed no fear whatsoever with the idea that she would be orally tested on the material she had covered over the course of our last term. I was the one who was nervous for her! This was my first opportunity to see how reading literature slowly over a long period of time assisted in her memory retention.

At the age of seven, in Charlotte Mason fashion, Grace is tested orally in a manner that seeks to give her a way to provide as much information as she can recall about subject matter that she has covered. This tends to be a stark contrast to exams today, especially at her age. There is no guess work. No multiple choice. Just tell me what you know. Overall, I am very happy with her narrations, considering this was the first time she had been asked to recall from months back. I wasn't sure what to expect. Because of my own doubting demons, I tended to go a little easy on this round, and after today, feel comfortable heightening the bar as the week progresses. Grace quickly declared that she loved exam week, since once the oral exam was over, she could play on the farm for the rest of the day!

Today Grace's exam questions revolved around our Literature reading for the term, which included chapters 1-6 in The Wind in The Willows, two Shakespeare plays, and a number of chapters from Parables of Nature. Below are the exam questions and word for word answers as dictated.

The Wind in The Willows:

Name the four main characters in The Wind in The Willows and tell me about each character.

There is Rat. He watches Toad like Badger told him. Ratty found mole a friend. And there is Mr. Badger. Mr. Badger showed Rat and Mole his gigantic place that came under water that man built and he also got mad at Rat for leaving Toad. There is Toad, and he's all about the motor car. He loves motor cars, and he climbed out the window and he got arrested and put in a deep dark dungeon with a crooked key. Mole...he went in the carriage with Rat and Toad and he was cleaning his house with whitewash, and he went on a walk with Mr. Badger.

What has been your most favorite part of The Wind in The Willows so far and why?
When Toad climbed out the window. He was pretending to be ill and he was like "I have my own plans", and he climbed out the window.

What do you think the story of The Wind in The Willows is about up to this point?
It is about animals becoming friends and about the trees blowing with wind, and about seasons, like change. About coming home, and going on adventures.


Shakespeare:

Choose a play from Shakespeare that we did this term and tell me the story line.

Play selected is Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo sneaks into the Capulet's party with a mask on pretending to be a Capulet. And there was a guy who recognized his voice and he was like "You dare sneak into our party!". And he was like, "You are going to be sacrificed for your punishment." So Romeo ran away from that guy and he met a beautiful woman named Juliet. And he said, "Are you dancing?" And she said, "Of course I am young gentleman." And so he was like, "Who are you a Montague or a Capulet?". "A Capulet", she said. And she was like, "Who are you, a Capulet or a Montague?" And she got so startled that she went to her room that night.

I think that Lord Capulet banished Romeo from Verona. And the Friar kept sending notes of how he was and he was in need of food. And the Friar came and told that they had a plan for Juliet, but he did not tell Romeo what the plan was and so the Friar went back, but the bad news came faster than the good news. When Romeo heard that Juliet was dead (but she really wasn't) he was so sad he really cried. And so when the Friar got there Romeo was dead. And so when the Friar told him that Juliet was alive she just drank a potion, Romeo didn't believe him.

So he came back to to Verona to die with his fair lady. And when he got there Count Paris was there. They had a battle and so they fought, and fought and fought, until Romeo killed Count Paris. When he turned on the light, he saw it was Count Paris. And it was nearly time for Juliet to wake up. And he got to the tomb where Juliet was laying asleep, and he stabbed himself and fell dying on the ground. And then when Juliet woke up and the Friar came back they both saw Count Paris and Romeo were dead and so Juliet now knowing Romeo was dead took a knife and stabbed herself in the belly and died next to them.

And so Lord Capulet and Lord Montague became friends. After all they weren't friends before and now they say they are brothers.


Parables of Nature:

What is a zoophyte?
A plant that lives in the sea that is an animal.

What is a Will 'o The Wisp?
It is like a glowing ball that keeps people from danger like a bog.

Reading Her Own AO Literature

Grace read her own reading assignment from Baldwin's 50 Famous Stories today. This was a huge step from the simple cartoon 1st readers we have been utilizing. Last week, I gave Grace a poem or two to read from A.A. Milne's "When We Were Six". She loves to listen to 50 Famous, but the thought of reading it herself was a little intimidating.

The reading for today was a perfect length and looked like a good match for her level - the telling of George Washington and the chopping of the cherry tree. It was interesting to note that when I asked her for a narration, it came much more swiftly for her, since she had read it herself.

We've come so far in such a short time. It really is amazing to me how quickly she has been able to apply her reading skills.

Trading Hymns For Prayers

Ambleside Online includes the use of learning hymns and folk songs in their curriculum, which falls right in line with Charlotte Mason. This is the only part of the curriculum that causes a struggle within me.

I have a strong appreciation for many of the classics, but the thought of teaching my children hymns, admittedly has been one I have avoided. It just sounds boring (throw tomatoes now). If you catch me singing praises in the car, it is to bands like Audio Adrenaline, Jars of Clay, or Swiftfoot. I'm sure Ms. Mason would be rolling over in her grave. I'm guessing I'm not your typical Ambleside mother.

I do have an alternative that I think is an equivalent to memorizing hymns, and that is memorizing prayers. Hymns and prayers are very much similar in their intent and posture. One of the legacies I want to leave to my children is a plethora of prayers. Prayers said together as a family, like hymns, can bring a flood of childhood memories back to the adult mind. The act of passing prayers on through generation after generation, is important to me.

Starting last January we began memorizing a new prayer for each term. These prayers are said as a blessing over our meals, and the children relish picking out the prayer to be said. Here is what we have learned so far:

Robert Herrick's - A Child's Grace
Here a little child I stand,
Heaving up my either hand.
Cold as paddocks though they be,
Now I lift my hands to thee,
For a benison to fall,
On our meal and on us all.

Paddocks are another word for frogs, and a Benison is a blessing.

This next prayer is one carried down from Ken's German paternal grandparents. It is a combination of two Lutheran prayers and was said a mealtime.

All eyes wait upon Thee O Lord,
And Thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand,
And satisfiest the desires of every living thing.
O Lord God, heavenly Father
Bless unto us these Thy gifts
Which of Thy tenderkindness
Thou as bestowth upon us.
Through the merits of Jesus Christ,
Our Lord and Savior.
Ever one God,
World without end. Amen

Our last prayer is actually a portion of a song from Nicole Nordeman appropriately called "Gratitude".

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread.

I have been in search of more prayers that we could learn for next year's terms. If any of you have ones that are near and dear to your heart, I would love to have you include them in the comments section.

Wind in The Willows Revisited

A few weeks back we got our exciting new book shipment for the next term. I didn't tell Grace this was arriving as the books are stored where she can look through a number of them, and I didn't want her to peek at the pictures and spoil it for herself.

So very stealthily, I slipped The Wind in the Willows on the shelf. There is a story behind this and the stealth. About 5 months ago, I picked up a beautifully illustrated copy from the library. Almost every page is done is lovely watercolors. I thought Grace and I would read it together, but I had never read the story myself, and I had no idea at the time just how complicated the language would be. I found myself struggling, even though Grace wanted to keep reading. We probably got three chapters in and after seeing that this book was also in Ambleside's Year 2 reading, I thought it might be best if we held off and took it back to the library.

Grace was NOT happy with me when it came time to return books. We have never stopped a book in the middle, and this was disturbing to her. But I went ahead and returned it (feeling bad) but thinking she would quickly get over it. She never mentioned it again...

Until the same version of the book was discovered in her own playroom/schoolroom, quietly waiting for it's pages to be cracked open for the first time. With a squeal of delight she came running in the room beaming, and said, "Mom! Mom!!! What did you do? What did you do??? Did you GET this!?" When I told her she would be reading it next term, she jumped up and down with glee going on and on about how she couldn't wait - how she loved this book. Did she really get that much out of it before?

I think she did.

OOOO! Minn Is Good. Really Good.

We read the first chapter of Minn of Mississippi today, and I could feel the excitement growing for this book. In the fourth paragraph, Holling is already going into the formation of sandstone, limestone, shale and granite. I did not realize this would be mentioned (thinking I would be doing the rock study solo), but this was a great introduction to a number of our rocks in our identification kit.

After the first chapter, I took the opportunity to sit with Grace and have her describe to me the different characteristics of these rocks as she held them in her hand. Her favorite part is trying to make a streak on the white streak plate. By the end of it, she was correctly identifying each of the rocks, and understanding more about their origins.

I'm liking Minn!

Pagoo Is Finished!

What a great living book! Grace and I really enjoyed reading this together. I learned SO much about tidepools myself. It can be a little slow near the beginning as the story line is developing, but once you become attached to Pagoo and his struggles, the second half becomes a real page turner. Holling introduces so many different characters and sea creatures of all sizes, it kept Grace's interest soaring. I also thought Holling did a good job of trying to bring the drive of "instinct" to life for a child.

Grace stated that her favorite part of the book was "the end". (Pagoo becomes a father, and she liked the idea of new baby hermit crabs being born.)

So now it is off to Mississippi to meet Minn.

A Glimpse Beyond Imagination

Tonight was a very special night for the children. I had asked Ken to order from Netflix a number of documentaries on tidepool and sea life. So this evening they were treated with an all lights off viewing of The Blue Planet's: Sea's of Life: Seasonal Seas. I think I might have heard a few complete sentences of the narration. The entire viewing was filled with questions and excited exclamations.

Jack watched as the kelp below swayed under a storm above, and he asked if there was wind in the ocean. How do you show that in a book? Other than reading Pagoo, and the usual army of library books, I realized that the kids are really in the dark about the movement of the ocean. And the sounds of the ocean under water. It is amazing how an under water camera can open up and capture a whole new world even on a flat TV screen. Some of the scenes are absolutely surreal. We all sat in awe as the camera panned over hundreds and hundreds of jellyfish.

I'm glad we did a majority of our reading first before turning on the TV. Grace was able to recognize many of the animals mentioned in Pagoo. But it was the TV that placed those pictures on the pages in motion.

2 Chapters Left...And Counting

Only two more chapters of Pagoo left. What a great educational living book! Grace and I have both learned so much about crustaceans and life in the tidepool from this book. I realized just how little I knew about God's creative creation in this segment of animal life. Toward the end of the book, each chapter suddenly becomes a page turner, full of harrowing near death escapes for Pagoo.

Grace is double excited about finishing Pagoo. She knows that once we complete the last chapter, it will be her birthday. :) And she has already attempted to sneak in Minn of Mississippi - a good sign that she is ready to explore a bit of about freshwater life now.

Gearing Up Early For Our Next Term

In a determined effort to stay organized, and knowing that baby Faith will be arriving in January, I sat down last night and laid out Grace's schedule from January to June 2006. There are still a number of books from Ambleside's Year 1 that I would like to postpone, but I looked over the Year 2 schedule, and decided to pull from there. Our homeschooling is all year round, and we tend to have three terms, but the shortest term falls in the summer months.

Here's what we will be working on for the first six months of 2006:

Nature Study: Rodentia
Artist Study: Monet
Composer: To Be Determined

American History: Unit Studies to include Vikings and Columbus
* Lucky Lief and Columbus books by the D'Aulaires
* Viking Tales by Jennie Hall
* This Country of Ours (Chapters 1-5) by H.E. Marshall

World History: Unit Study of Marco Polo - Part I
* Completing 50 Famous Stories
* Marco Polo for Kids (Chapters 1-3) by Janice Herbert

Science: Rodentia Nature Study
* Burgess Animal Book (Chapters 1-20)

Literature:
* Understood Betsy by Dorothy Fisher
* The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Poetry:
* The Oxford Book of Verse (Grace will read the poem)

The books have been ordered this morning as well as ordering a large number of coloring books from Dover Publications to cover these topics. (I'd like to ditch the plethora of Princess coloring books in the room).

Poetry Book Gone AWOL

Where in the world could our "When We Were Very Young" poetry book go? I've put off poetry now for two weeks because the book is no where to be found. I'm beginning to get a little suspicious as Poetry is the one thing Grace has little to no interest in (a bit like her mother in that regard). It is the only subject that generates groans.

The little thing is bright pink...you'd think it would glow in the dark. I might have to start "When We Were Six" just to stay on track. If that one disappears...the gig is up!

Our Mystery Sentence Game

I wanted to expand just a tad on the jumbled sentence game that I touched on a couple of days ago. The last couple of days I've been pulling sentences from our reading for Grace to unjumble and put together.

Today was fun in that I took 4 "clue" sentences from James Herriot's "Moses" and told Grace ahead of time that her sentences were clues to a book she had read that was in our house. It was her job to guess what book they were from after all four sentences were constructed. She liked the idea of having clues, and had it pegged after the second sentence. Here were her sentences:

Quickly I lifted the little creature and tucked him inside my coat.

She went over to the fireside oven on the big black kitchen range, opened the door and popped him inside.

They say you see something new every day at this game, but this is something I've never even heard of.

I never went to the Butlers' without having a look in the pig pen.

Creating A School Schedule

The last few days I have spent all of my free time hammering away in Excel on a schedule for this term. Ambleside Online, Year 1 predominantly for Grace, and Montessori heavy activities with number recognition, handwriting mastery and read-a-louds for Jack. I had a teacher's record book I had been using for a few weeks, but there weren't enough slots to add all of the Montessori and AO items, and I wasn't happy with the results.

My hope was that once the schedule layout was complete, it could be cleared and used for every term to keep track of where we are, and what we have done. Now that it is complete, I can say that it was well worth the work! After two days, it has been very helpful, especially since I wanted to revise some of Grace's Year 1 reading.

If anyone is looking for a homeschool schedule layout in Excel, I'm happy to provide a copy for you to use.